three score years and ten. [illustration] "three score years and ten," life-long memories of _fort snelling, minnesota_, and other parts of the west, by charlotte ouisconsin van cleve. . copyrighted . printing house harrison & smith, and first avenue south, minneapolis, minn. _dedication._ "_to the husband of my youth, by whose side i have journeyed more than half a century, and whose tender love has brightened my whole life, this book is dedicated._" st. paul, minnesota, _ portland avenue_. march , . my dear mrs. van cleve: _whenever there is growth in any community the desire arises to know something of what was in the beginning. it was with no weariness i read in manuscript the "reminiscences" from your pen. each chapter contains something in connection with the dawn of civilization in the west, which is worthy of being preserved. the incidents related are stirring, and the style is graphic. when i finished the perusal i felt the force of the adage, that "truth is stranger than fiction." as the diary of john evelyn, throwing light upon the days of charles the second, is still read, so i think, if printed, your unaffected narrative will always find a place in the private and public libraries of minnesota and the western states._ _believe me_, _sincerely_, edward d. neill. * * * * * table of contents chapter page i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. a coincidence. vii. andrew tully. viii. a wolf story. ix. red river or selkirk settlement. x. running the gauntlet. xi. xii. cincinnati. xiii. new home--school days. xiv. father's death, etc. xv. xvi. xvii. xviii. malcolm clark. xix. xx. xxi. xxii. the golden wedding. * * * * * "three score years and ten." _chapter i._ one evening long ago, when this wonderful century, now in a vigorous old age, had just passed its nineteenth birthday, in a bright, cheerful sitting-room in the good old city of hartford, conn., sat a fair young matron beside a cradle in which lay sleeping a beautiful boy a year and a half old. the gentle motion of her little slippered foot on the rocker, keeping time with the soft humming of a cradle hymn; the work-basket near by; and the dainty needle work in her hand; the table tastefully spread for two, and the clear wood fire in the old-fashioned fireplace, formed as restful a picture of domestic peace and content as one could wish to see. but the expectant look in the bright blue eyes, uplifted at each sound, clearly indicated that some one was coming who should round out this little circle and make it complete. and now the familiar footstep draws near and the husband and father enters; she rises joyfully to meet him, but seeing in his face a look of grief or pain, exclaims, "what is it, dear husband?" he holds her very close, but cannot find words to tell her that which will cross all their cherished plans of a year's quiet resting in her native city; and handing her an official document, with its ominous red seal newly broken, he watches her anxiously as she reads: _lieutenant nathan clark, u. s. fifth infantry_: you are hereby appointed assistant commissary of subsistence, and will forthwith join your regiment at detroit, which is under orders to move to the mississippi river and establish a military post at the mouth of the st. peters river. with respect and esteem, george gibson, com. gen. of subsistence. twice she reads this order, and then, looking up with a smile, says, with a slight tremor in her voice: "is this all, beloved? why should it so distress you? you surely do not flinch from duty?" with a perceptible start at such a suggestion, the gallant young soldier replies: "no, no, my precious wife; but this means separation from you and our boy, for you cannot venture on so long and perilous a journey as that, and our separation is not for days and months, it may be for years; how can i endure it? and we were so happy here in our snug little cottage--you in the midst of early friends and beloved relatives, your childhood companions and associations all about you; and i with my duties as recruiting officer. we had reason to hope and expect at least a year longer of this life, and this sudden blasting of our hopes seems cruel. oh, charlotte! how can you bear the thought?" as he thus poured out his heart, her eyes regarded him with wonder, and when he ceased she drew him to his favorite chair, and, seating herself on a low stool beside him, took his hand in hers, and, looking up at him through her tears, said with ineffable tenderness: "my own dear husband; how could you for a moment imagine that this order means separation? could you believe that i would remain here in comfort, and suffer you to go alone to that far-off region where, if ever, you will need me to cheer and aid you? if my marriage vows mean anything, they mean that i am not to forsake you at such a time as this. what would the comforts of this dear home, what the society of relatives and friends be to me, with you in a wild country, in the midst of a savage people, deprived of almost everything that makes life dear? no, no, my beloved; where thou goest i will go; thy people shall be my people; entreat me not to leave thee, or to refrain from following after thee, for naught but death shall part thee and me." the young soldier took his true, brave wife to his heart, and, holding her close, exclaimed: "how deep and sacred is the love of woman! who can comprehend its entire unselfishness?" and both found relief in blessed tears of love and thankfulness which cleared away all doubts and anxieties and filled them with hope and happiness. over the evening meal future plans were cheerfully discussed, dangers and difficulties were looked bravely in the face, and feeling that, with undying love for each other and entire trust in god, they could meet and conquer whatever lay in their way, these young people rested peacefully during that night, which had shown them how firm was the bond which held them to each other, and were strengthened to meet the storm of opposition that broke upon them in the morning from the relatives and friends of the young wife and mother. preparations were rapidly made; household goods disposed of; all things necessary for a long, toilsome journey packed; heart-breaking "good-byes" were spoken, and the faces of the travelers were turned westward. a wearisome stage journey of many days brought them to buffalo, where, after resting a short time, they embarked in schooners for detroit on the st of may, which city they reached in time to move forward with the regiment by water to green bay; thence in batteaux they ascended the fox river to lake winnebago. col. leavenworth, then in command of the regiment, having received instructions to conciliate the indians, and avoid everything which might arouse the opposition of these owners of the soil, determined to stop at this point to hold a council with them, and crave permission to proceed on their journey. this being announced to the chiefs of the tribe, they assembled to hear what the "white brother" had to say. the day was beautiful; the troops, all in full uniform, "with bayonets glancing in the sun," made an imposing display, and everything was done to render it a memorable and impressive occasion. the ladies of the party--mrs. leavenworth, mrs. gooding, with their young daughters, and mrs. clark, with her baby boy were seated on the turf enjoying the novelty and beauty of the scene, when some indian women, attracted by the unusual sight, drew timidly near and gazed in wonder at what they saw. one of the officers, major marston, the wag of the party, learning that one of them was the head chief's wife, desired to show her some distinguishing mark of respect, and, leading her into the group of ladies, said, with due ceremony, "this is the queen, ladies; make room for the queen;" but as this specimen of royalty was almost too highly perfumed with a mingled odor of fish and musk-rat to suit the cultivated taste of her entertainers, they did not hail her advent with any marked enthusiasm. when all was in order, colonel leavenworth stepped forth, and, through an interpreter, formally requested of the chief permission to pass peaceably through their country. the chief, a very handsome young brave, advanced, and, with his right arm uncovered, said, with most expressive gestures: "my brother, do you see the calm, blue sky above us? do you see the lake that lies so peacefully at our feet? so calm, so peaceful are our hearts towards you. pass on!" with this full permission so gracefully bestowed, after resting and refreshing themselves among their newly-made friends, the troops left among them a liberal supply of beads and trinkets and passed on to that point on the river, least distant from the ouisconsin, where they made a portage, transporting their boats and supplies, by the aid of indians hired for the purpose, a distance of a mile and a half. this was a tedious process, but was at last successfully accomplished, and the boats were again afloat on the stream, called by the indians the "nee-na-hoo-na-nink-a," (beautiful little river), and by the whites "ouisconsin," the french orthography for what we now write "wisconsin." the place of transit from one river to the other was known for years as the portage. at the point where the troops made preparations for crossing it was afterwards built fort winnebago, and directly opposite the fort, on a pretty knoll, stood for many years the indian agency occupied for a long time by john kinzie, agent, afterwards better known as one of the first owners of chicago, and mrs. kinzie's "waubun," or early day, gives a very pleasant and reliable account of that locality and the surrounding country. the point on the wisconsin where the re-embarkation of the troops took place has grown into portage city. in spite of heavy rains and other discouraging circumstances, the tedious descent of the ouisconsin was at length successfully accomplished, and at its mouth stood old fort crawford and a settlement of french and half-breeds called "prairie du chien." this fort was simply a rude barracks, and far from comfortable. the two months' journey from buffalo had been very trying, serious obstacles and hindrances had been encountered and barely overcome, but instead of reaching their final destination in june, as they confidently expected to do, the troops arrived at fort crawford on the morning of the first day of july, worn out and exhausted. it was therefore determined to remain at this point some weeks for rest and renewal of strength, before making the final plunge into the unknown wilderness, into the very midst of savages, who might resist their progress and cause them much trouble. the transportation of their supplies had been attended with so much difficulty that, notwithstanding all possible care, the pork barrels leaked badly and the contents were rusty; the flour had been so exposed to dampness that for the depth of three inches or more it was solid blue mould, and there was no choice between this wretched fare and starvation, for the miserable country about the fort afforded no supplies. just at this juncture, scarcely an hour after her arrival, mrs. clark's second child was born, and named charlotte, for her mother, to which was added by the officers "ouisconsin." when one calls to mind all the care and comforts and luxuries demanded at the present time on such occasions, it is difficult to realize how my mother endured her hardships, and when i add that almost immediately both she and my brother were seized with fever and ague, which soon exhausted their strength and made them very helpless, it would seem almost beyond belief that she should survive. the new-born infant was entirely deprived of the nourishment nature kindly provides for incipient humanity, thus complicating to a great degree the trials of that dreadful time. my dear father could never speak of that experience without a shudder, and has told me, with much emotion, how he scoured the whole country to find suitable nourishment for mother and children, with wretched success; adding that, but for the dear mother's unfailing courage, her wonderfully hopeful disposition and her firm trust in god, he could hardly have endured these heavy trials. the surgeon of the regiment at that time (i think his name was burns) was a man of science and great skill in his profession, but an inveterate drunkard, and it was no uncommon occurrence, when his services were needed, to find him so stupefied with liquor that nothing but a liberal sousing in cold water would fit him for duty, and i imagine that "_soaking the doctor_" became a source of merriment which may have diverted their minds from heavier trials. so long a time must have elapsed before the provisions could have been officially condemned and fresh supplies sent from st. louis, the nearest base of supplies, for red tape was more perplexing and entangling then than now, when it is sent back and forth by lightning, that it was concluded to continue the journey with what they had, and so the troops moved on, and the feeble mother, the sick child and the little "daughter of the regiment" went with them. by reference to "neill's history of minnesota," i see mention made there of the arrival of ordnance, provisions and recruits from st. louis before the departure from prairie du chien, but am inclined to believe that the additions to the commissariat could not have been adequate to the needs, as there was much suffering for want of proper supplies. when all was in readiness the expedition finally began the ascent of the mississippi. the flotilla was made up of batteaux and keel-boats, the latter having been fitted up as comfortably as possible for the women and children, and my father has told me that, notwithstanding the inconveniences and annoyances of such a mode of traveling, the hope that the change might benefit all, and the fact that they were making the last stage of a very wearisome journey, inspired them with fresh courage, and a general cheerfulness prevailed throughout the command. _chapter ii._ of the difficulties and delays of that eventful journey up the mississippi, few at the present day can form a clear conception. the keel-boats, similar in construction to a canal-boat, were propelled by poles all that three hundred miles, in the following manner: several men stood on each side of the boat on what was called a running-board, with their faces to the stern, and, placing their long poles on the river bottom, braced them against their shoulders and pushed hard, walking towards the stern. then, detaching the poles, they walked back to the bow, and repeated this operation hour after hour, being relieved at intervals for rest. the perfect safety of this mode of travel commends itself to those who are in no hurry, and desire to learn all about the windings of the river and the geological and floral attractions along its banks. at night the boats were tied up, camp-fires were lighted, tents pitched, sentinels posted and everything made ready, in case of an irruption of indians. arriving at lake pepin, a few days were spent on its beautiful shores, resting, during which time the stores were overhauled and rearranged and the boats regulated and put in perfect order. the sick were growing stronger, and the little baby who was living on pap made of musty flour and sweetened water, tied up in a rag, which did duty for a patent nursing bottle, grew wonderfully, and bade fair to be a marvel of size and strength. sometime in september the pioneer regiment arrived in pretty good condition at--where? no fort, no settlement, no regular landing even; simply at the mouth of the st. peters river, where we had been ordered to halt, and our long march was ended. for many weeks the boats were our only shelter, and the sense of entire isolation, the thought that the nearest white neighbors were three hundred miles away, and that months must elapse before they could hope to hear a syllable from _home_, proved, at times, exceedingly depressing to these first settlers in minnesota. i record, with pleasure, what has been often told me, that in that trying time the courage of the ladies of the party did not fail them, and that their cheerful way of taking things as they came and making the best of them, was a constant blessing and source of strength to that little community. without loss of time a space was cleared very near the site of mendota, trees were cut down, a stockade built enclosing log houses erected for the accommodation of the garrison; everything being made as comfortable and secure as the facilities permitted. the indians proved friendly and peaceable, and the command entered upon their life at "st. peters," as it was first called, cheerfully and hopefully. a few days after their arrival colonel leavenworth, major vose, surgeon purcell, mrs. captain gooding and my father made a keel-boat trip to the "falls of st. anthony," and were amazed at the beauty and grandeur of the scene. a prediction at that time that some then living would see these mighty falls turn the machinery of the greatest mills in the world, and a great and beautiful city arise on the adjacent shores, would have been called a visionary and impossible dream by those early visitors who saw this amazing water power in its primeval glory. that first winter of ' and ' , like all winters in this latitude, was very cold, with heavy snows and fierce winds, but there were many sunshiny days, and there was little or no complaining. the quarters, having been put up hastily, were not calculated to resist the severe storms which at times raged with great violence. once during that memorable six months the roof of our cabin blew off, and the walls seemed about to fall in. my father, sending my mother and brother to a place of safety, held up the chimney to prevent a total downfall; while the baby, who had been pushed under the bed in her cradle, lay there, as "sairey gamp" would express it, "smiling unbeknowns," until the wind subsided, when, upon being drawn out from her hiding-place, she evinced great pleasure at the commotion, and seemed to take it all as something designed especially for her amusement. by the prompt aid of a large number of soldiers the necessary repairs were rapidly made, and soon all was comfortable as before. but late in the winter, owing to the lack of proper food, scurvy broke out among the soldiers, and forty of them died of this dreadful disease. many more were affected with it, and far removed as we were from all relief in the way of change of diet or suitable remedies, it was a matter of great uneasiness and alarm, as in the absence of necessary preventives or restoratives medical skill availed nothing. however, as soon as the frost was sufficiently out of the ground to enable them to dig it, the indians brought in quantities of the spignot root, assuring the surgeon that would cure the sick. this proved entirely efficacious. the scourge was removed, and after that trial passed away the command was peculiarly exempt from sickness of any kind. as soon as possible gardens were made. everything grew rapidly, and a sufficient supply of vegetables was secured to prevent any recurrence of the evil. more permanent and comfortable quarters were built during the spring at the beautiful spring on the fort side of the river, and named by the officers "camp coldwater;" but before moving into the new camp colonel leavenworth was relieved from the command by colonel josiah snelling, who, with his well-known energy and promptitude, immediately began preparations for building the fort, the site of which had been selected by colonel leavenworth. the saw-mill at "st. anthony's falls," so long known and remembered as the "old government mill," was started as soon as practicable. quarries were opened, and everything was done to facilitate the work, colonel snelling proving himself well fitted for the duty assigned him, and the spring of was a very busy one for the old fifth regiment. mrs. snelling's life. mrs. abigal hunt snelling was born at watertown, mass., january d, . her father's name was thomas hunt, colonel of the first regiment of infantry, u. s. a., stationed then at fort wayne, indiana, to which place his little daughter was taken when only six weeks old. the journey was performed on horseback, and the little baby was carried on a pillow, a long, rough trip for so young a traveler, and clearly indicative of her subsequent experience. she tells in her old age of a coincidence in her life which impressed her forcibly. her father died and was buried at bellefontaine, ohio, and some years afterward colonel snelling was at this place with his family waiting orders, when their youngest child, an infant, named thomas hunt, sickened and died, and was buried by the side of his grandfather. an incident in her eventful life well worthy of mention in a record of the early days of our state is that she gave birth to the first white child born in minnesota sixty-six years ago, and at the advanced age of ninety years she is alive to tell of it. her ninetieth birthday was celebrated a few months ago in newport, kentucky, where, with the husband and children of a beloved daughter, who died some years ago, she is "only waiting till the shadows are a little longer grown." she has been blind for many years, but otherwise her faculties are unimpaired and her health is excellent. i should like to have seen my old friend on that occasion, but could only send a congratulatory letter, recalling the memories of old fort snelling, with which she and i am so thoroughly identified. i am told she looked very lovely, and was much gratified at the pleasant surprise her friends had prepared for her, but was somewhat excited, and was carefully watched by her granddaughter, miss abby hazard, who takes the most tender care of her precious grandmother. it is somewhat remarkable that just about that time i learned through hon. fletcher williams, who has a special gift for finding antiquities, that an old lady who had been a member of mrs. snelling's family at the fort was visiting her grandchildren at west st. paul. i lost no time in calling on her, and found that she was one of the swiss refugees who came to fort snelling from the red river country. her maiden name was schadiker. she had married sergeant adams, of the ordnance department, whom i remembered well as a most faithful and highly respected man. after serving in the army many years at different posts, he resigned and took up land not far from chicago, near which city he made a home and lived a long while very happily, dying only a year or two ago at a very advanced age. mrs. adams and i had a most enjoyable visit together. she is in very comfortable circumstances, and bears her age so bravely that it is hard to realize that she is seventy-seven years old. she told me, among other things, of a voyage colonel snelling and family made up the mississippi, returning from a visit to the east. the weather was very rough, and at lake pepin, their boat having been wrecked, of course their provisions and many things were lost. with what was left of the craft they hugged the shore, and the crew made every effort to go forward, but, in their dismantled condition and with little or nothing to eat, it was very discouraging work. she tells me that in this extremity the men caught hold of the branches of trees which hung over the water and propelled the boat forward by inches, and mrs. snelling said to her: "hannah, let us take hold of the willows, too, and pull. we may help, if it is ever so little," and they did so, pulling with all their might. she says she shall never forget their arrival at the fort at last. my father was in temporary command, and, learning in some way of their approach, sent help to them. he had had the fort illuminated and a colonel's salute fired in honor of the return, and finally the weary ones reached the old headquarters, where my mother had provided for them a bountiful repast, and where they received so hearty a welcome that they soon forgot their weariness and the hardships and perils through which they had passed. note.--since this account was written, my dear old friend has gone to her rest; she died at the home of her son-in-law, mr. hazard, in newport, kentucky, september th, , aged years and seven months. she lived to hear the "life-long memories of fort snelling" read to her by her loving relatives and enjoyed it exceedingly. _chapter iii._ it seems proper to record here the names of the officers at the post at this time. they are as follows: josiah snelling, colonel fifth infantry, commanding. s. burbank, brevet major. david perry, captain. d. gooding, brevet captain. r. a. mccabe, lieutenant. n. clark, lieutenant. joseph hare, lieutenant. p. r. green, lieutenant acting adjutant. w. g. camp, lieutenant quartermaster. h. wilkins, lieutenant. edward purcell, surgeon. in addition to these i give the names of some who came afterward. all of them are among my earliest recollections, and i can remember each by some peculiarity of speech or characteristic anecdote. in my old age i find myself dwelling upon these recollections of my early years with pleasure, till the flight of time is forgotten, and in fancy i am back again at the old fort, a happy, light-hearted, petted child: major hamilton. captains russell, garland, baxley and martin scott. lieutenants alexander, hunter, harris, st. clair denny and johnston. major laurence taliaferro, indian agent. captain leonard and mr. ortley, sutlers. lieutenant alexander was very popular, very kind-hearted and genial. a reply of his, when cornered in a discussion at one time, caused much merriment. the subject was bald-headed men. some one remarked that those who became gray were seldom bald. alexander replied with considerable warmth: "i know better than that, for my father is as gray as a badger, and hasn't a hair on his head." lieutenant hunter was a great favorite, and in his way a model man, always courteous and attentive to ladies, and especially kind and considerate to the little ones, but wonderfully firm and unyielding in his views, which peculiarity on more than one occasion caused him serious trouble. as an instance of his persistence: at one time he and captain scott determined to find out by actual experiment which could hold out the longest without eating anything whatever. as both were very firm in their determinations, the affair was watched with great interest. however, after two days captain scott surrendered unconditionally, and it was generally admitted that lieutenant hunter would have perished rather than yield. lieutenant st. clair denny was an exceedingly estimable young man, a native of pittsburgh, pennsylvania, a christian gentleman in the highest sense of the term. my recollection of him is of one better calculated to inspire awe and respect than confidence. a memorable event in his life was his marriage with miss caroline hamilton, a beautiful girl of fifteen, as full of fun and lady-like mirth as he was of dignity and reserve. i can barely recall their going in sleighs on the ice to prairie du chien accompanied by lieutenant hunter and one of the ladies, to be married, that being the nearest point where the ceremony could be performed, for we had neither chaplain nor justice of the peace at the new fort. i have dim recollections of the preparation of the trousseau by the nimble fingers of the officers' wives, of the pleasureable excitement and merry chat over the unusual event, and of the starting off of the excursion on that long, cold ride, the "good-byes," the tears, the smiles and the blushes, and of the hearty welcome home of the beautiful, happy bride, and the proud but dignified bridegroom, and i there and then yielded my fealty to the sweet child-wife, and always loved her as a dear relative. she was a most loving wife and mother, and some who read these records will call to mind her lovely, interesting daughter, the wife of mr. corcoran, for some time postmaster at st. paul, and her son brooke denny, whose home, when the dear mother passed away, was with his sister in that city, and whose gentlemanly manners and kindness of heart won for him the love and confidence of his associates. an anecdote of lieutenant denny, characteristic of his precision of speech, his perfect self-control under the most exciting circumstances, and his strict regard to military etiquette, may be related here: at one of the frontier stations, where he was doing duty as quartermaster, he was in his office one day during a fearful thunder storm, accompanied with high wind and pouring rain, which threatened to demolish the building. every one was alarmed for its safety, and the whole garrison was in a high state of excitement. after the storm had subsided, a group of officers were talking it over, and lieutenant denny, speaking of it in his peculiarly measured tones, ended his remarks with this climax: "i was standing in the door of my office when the storm was at its height, and it was so terrible that i was forced to turn and say, even in the presence of my clerk, 'bless me! how the wind blows!'" any member of the old fifth regiment can recall that remark, for it became a household word; but alas! who are now living of that gallant old regiment? of all the names recorded in these annals, i know of not one left to answer to roll-call, the last survivor, general david hunter, having passed away at an advanced age only a few months ago. the old mexican war decimated the regiment, which was always placed in positions of danger, requiring brave, cool, determined men, and it was then that captain martin scott poured out his heart's blood in defense of his country. who has not heard of him and his indomitable courage? some of the most pleasant recollections of my childhood are associated with that brave, true man, who was a member of our family for many years, and was dearly beloved by us all. his eccentricities were numerous, but did no one any harm, while his fondness for hunting, his love for his dogs (of which i can clearly recall by name eight or ten), his almost incredible skill as a marksman, and his unvarying success as a hunter, made him the hero of our childish admiration, and won for him the reputation of a veritable nimrod. i remember very clearly his habit of asking my mother what and how much game she would like for the table, and invariably bringing her just what she named. he was an admirable purveyor, and we lived on the fat of the land, for there was no delicacy in the way of wild game which he did not, in its proper season, bring from the forest and wild-wood to make savory meat which, like old isaac, we all loved. he had the reputation at one time of being parsimonious, and some were inclined to treat him coldly on that account; but in time it was found that out of his small pay he maintained his widowed mother and a lame sister in their new england home, and that while niggard in regard to his own personal wants, the dear ones at the old home were generously provided for. so, although at first the west point graduates were disposed to treat with contempt the green mountain boy who had entered the army as a volunteer in the war of , and had been retained in the service, his sterling qualities and his dignified self-respect won for him finally the regard of all who knew him. indeed, it was found out very soon that it would not do to slight or insult "scott," and he gave some practical lessons on that point that were never forgotten. he was a thorough-going total abstinence man, a "rara avis" in those days. he seldom drank even of "the cup that cheers and not inebriates," never anything stronger; and my impression is that one great reason for his extreme temperance was that his aim as a marksman might be perfect and unerring. he did not marry till somewhat late in life, owing to his inability to support a wife in addition to the care of his mother and sister, although i have heard my father say to him, jokingly, "scott, it would not cost you so much to keep a wife as it does to keep all these dogs; she'd save more than she'd cost. try it now, and take the word of one who knows." the lady whom he finally chose was a miss mccracken, of rochester, new york, with whom he lived happily for some years. at the battle of cerro gordo he was warned to be more careful of the bullets, but he replied, "never fear; the bullet is not run that is to kill martin scott," and almost immediately fell from his horse pierced to the heart by a mexican bullet. knowing that his wound was mortal, he, with his usual presence of mind, took from his pocket his purse, containing quite a large sum of money, and, handing it to a soldier who stood near, said: "give that to my wife." and the brave, true heart was still forever. major laurence taliaferro was for many years a member of our household, and we all loved and honored him. he was very entertaining in conversation and full of anecdotes of virginia, which was his boyhood's home. his father owned many slaves, and when he, as a student in an eastern college, was home for vacation, he delighted to amaze the negro boys with his knowledge and excite their admiration. on one occasion he had been using some pretty big words in a speech for their edification, branching out now and then into greek and latin quotations, when one of them, overcome by his young master's proficiency, exclaimed: "oh, massa laurence; you larn so much since you done been to college, you clar fool." he liked to tell this story of himself, and admitted that the boy had good ground for his sweeping conclusion. dear major taliaferro, our happy-hearted, beloved and trusted friend, the faithful servant of the government, and humble follower of christ. his picture and an accompanying letter, sent me from his home in bedford, pennsylvania, when he was eighty-two years old, are before me, and as i look on the well-known features, i repeat from my heart the testimony of his biographer: "for more than twenty years an indian agent, _and yet_ an honest man." a few years ago, in an interview with major joseph brown, so well known to the early settlers of minnesota, he reminded me of colonel mcneil's short stay at "fort st. anthony," as it was first called, previous to the arrival of colonel snelling, and of mrs. mcneil, a sister of franklin pierce, a most estimable woman, of whom he spoke in the most affectionate, grateful terms, saying that her kindness to him, a mere boy, and her wise counsels had had a beneficial influence on his whole life. he spoke most gratefully of all the ladies at the post, and remembered our sabbath school, established somewhat later, with real pleasure. he went up the river with the regiment as drummer-boy, and was always considered a faithful, well-behaved soldier. his whole life was passed in the northwest. he was at one time representative in the wisconsin legislature, and was afterwards appointed secretary of the first legislative assembly of the territory of minnesota. he died only a few years ago at an advanced age. _chapter iv._ in the regiment moved into the beautiful new fort, although it was by no means completed. the outside wall was up on three sides only, and a heavy guard was stationed on the fourth, not only to prevent desertions, but to keep the indians, our only neighbors, at a respectful distance. the occupation of the new and comfortable quarters was made an occasion of great rejoicing, an event never forgotten by those who took part in it. then began our regular fort life, the flag-staff was raised in front of headquarters, the stars and stripes were run up at the roll of the drum at "guard mounting" and lowered with the same accompaniment at retreat day after day, and we children learned to love its graceful folds as it floated on the breeze and to feel no harm could come to us under the "star spangled banner." the only white people within three hundred miles were shut within that hollow square, a community, dependent largely on each other for all the little every-day kindnesses and amenities which make life enjoyable, having no regular intercourse with the civilized world, except by mail, which at first was received semi-annually, after a while quarterly, and for many years not more frequently than bi-monthly. for a long while it was brought from prairie du chien by an indian on a pony, and there is no record of any unfaithfulness on the part of our dusky carrier. but those who enjoy daily mails know little of the excitement and tearful gratitude of those pioneers at fort snelling when the announcement was made, "the mail has arrived." isolated as we were from the privileges and recreations and distractions of town or city, we were drawn very closely together, were, in fact, like one large family, and news for one was news for all. we really "shared each other's pleasures and wept each other's tears," and there was great rejoicing in the fort over news from "home." i have in my possession a collection of letters from general gibson, commissary general of subsistence, received by my father, which are interesting relics of those eventful years of privation and hardship, of which the soldier of the present day can have but a faint conception. the first few letters are directed to st. louis, to be forwarded to the fifth regiment, wherever it might be; one or two are in regard to furnishing rations to indians who may visit the agencies of the united states on business or otherwise, and authorizing the commissary to issue rations to them on the requisition of the indian agents. i find here a letter of instruction from the war department to general gibson, and insert it, as indicating the policy of the government in regard to the indians: "_sir:_ it is customary for the government to furnish rations to the indians who may visit the agencies of the united states upon business or otherwise, and i have to request that you will direct the officers of your department, stationed at posts in the vicinity of the agencies at fort wayne, piqua, chicago, green bay and mitch-ele-mack-i-nack[a] to issue rations on the returns and requisitions of the indian agents at those places. the requisitions in every case must be accompanied by a return of the number of indians to be furnished, and both must be filed with the account of the officer making the issue to obtain a credit for the amount of settlement. i am, etc., j. c. calhoun. _to colonel george gibson, com. gen. of subsistence._" this letter is dated august th, , before the troops had reached the mouth of the st. peters, and was intended, no doubt, as a guide to the officers in their dealing with the indians. in the list of rations to be issued to the command, i notice that whisky has its place, and in turning over the leaves of this manuscript book, i find a letter from an officer of the army, captain j. h. hook, on duty at washington, d. c., making various inquiries of my father relative to the condition of the troops, the best way of issuing rations, the best and most desirable articles as rations, the wastage of each article, the precaution to guard against wastage, etc. one inquiry will be interesting, in the light of the present feeling on the temperance question: "_first_--would not, in your opinion, the service be benefitted by dispensing with the whisky ration? _second_--could the soldier be brought to submit cheerfully to the privation?" this suggestion seems to have been acted upon, for i see a general order dated may th, , to the effect that "the president was authorized to make such alterations in the component parts of the rations as a due regard to health and comfort may require; and it is hereby ordered that hereafter no issues of whisky will be made to boys under eighteen or to women attached to the army." in the case of soldiers on "extra duty," each was to receive one gill a day, and i distinctly recall the demijohn with the gill cup hanging on its neck, and the line of "extra duty men" who came up each morning for their perquisite. in those days there seemed nothing wrong in this; but, with the added light and wisdom of sixty years, all right-minded people would now regard it as every way evil. i find a letter concerning a contract with joseph rolette, of prairie du chien, for furnishing the troops at fort snelling with fresh beef. "the commissary general directs that mr. rolette shall give a bond duly signed by him, that colonel snelling may designate and transmit it to this office, with the understanding that the messrs. astors, of new york, will unite with him in the bond." in consequence of some misunderstanding, owing to the extreme delay of communicating with headquarters, the contract was cancelled, much to the disappointment of mr. rolette. in examining these letters of directions with regard to supplies and the time consumed in their transmission from the seat of government, my wonder is, that the troops at this remote station did not starve to death while waiting for authority to obtain supplies. pork, flour, whisky, beans, candles and salt were sent from st. louis, but, owing to the great difficulty of transportation, there was much delay and frequent loss by depredations of the inhabitants of the country through which the government wagons passed. beef was supplied from prairie du chien, or some point nearer than st. louis. the following is a list of contract prices of articles purchased at st. louis: $ cts. mills. pork, per pound, whisky, per gallon, soap, per pound, salt, per bushel, . beans or peas, per bushel, . vinegar, per gallon, corn meal, per pound, - / soon after the establishment of the fort, my father, as commissary, was requested by general gibson to learn by experiment if wheat could be raised in this part of the world, and the result proving that it was a possibility, he was ordered to supply the garrison, at least in part, with flour of their own raising. a letter bearing date august th, , informs him that, "having learned by a letter from colonel snelling to the quartermaster general, dated april d, that a large quantity of wheat may be raised this summer," the assistant commissary of subsistence at st. louis had been directed to send to st. peters (as the fort was often called) such tools as should be necessary to secure the grain and manufacture the flour, adding, "if any flour is manufactured from the wheat raised, please let me know as early as possible, that i may deduct the quantity manufactured at the post from the quantity advertised to be contracted for," and here follows the bill for the articles ordered for the purpose specified above: one pair burr mill-stones, $ . pounds plaster of paris, . two dozen sickles, at $ , . ------- $ . this, then, was the outfit for the first flour mill in that part of the great northwest which was to be named "minnesota" in later years, and to become the greatest flour manufactory in the world. remembering clearly the great complaint of the destruction of grain by black birds, i cannot think that the amount of wheat raised ever made the command independent of outside supplies; but, having played around the old mill many times, i know it was used for the purpose for which it was fitted up. footnotes: [footnote a: mackinaw.] _chapter v._ soon after we took possession of the fort, a post school was established and some will remember the old school house just beyond the main entrance, which has been used for various purposes, in later years. it was there we children assembled day after day to learn to spell in webster's spelling book and to read in that time-honored volume, of the "boy who stole the apples;" of the conceited "country milk maid" who spilled her milk with a toss of her head; and of the good "dog tray," who fell into bad company and suffered the consequences. our teacher was considered very competent for his work, but was a violent tempered man and only maintained his position a few years, but what we learned then, we know now, and the thorough drill we received each day, turned out correct spellers, and good readers; with all the improvements in the way of text books and methods, i do not think the results, as far as fundamental education goes, are more satisfactory now than then. another of my earliest recollections is the sunday school, established by mrs. colonel snelling and my mother. there was no chaplain allowed us then no sabbath service and these christian women felt they could not live or bring up their children in that way. they therefore gathered the children together on sabbath afternoons in the basement room of the commanding officer's quarters, and held a service, with the aid of the episcopal prayer book, both of them being devout members of that branch of the church, and taught the little ones from the bible. they had no lesson papers; no sunday school library; no gospel songs; no musical instrument, but they had the word of god in their hands, and his love in their hearts, and were marvellously helped in their work of love, which grew and broadened out, till it took in the parents as well as the children, and a bible class was formed in which all felt a deep interest. some who were not firm believers in the truths contained in the book of books, but who came together just simply to pass away the time, were convinced of its truth and found there the hope which is an "anchor to the soul both sure and steadfast." i can remember the deep interest which all, even the little ones evinced in the characters of whom we studied, how we talked of them during the week, and chose our favorites, and how all became deeply attached to moses and dwelt upon his loveliness, his unselfishness, his patience and his great love to the rebellious people under his care. and we wept as for a dear friend when we read that "he went up from the plains of moab into the mountain of nebo to the top of pisgah, that is over against jericho" and viewed the land which he might never enter, and died there and was buried by no human hands; and "no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day." the day following this sorrowful lesson, my mother in crossing the parade ground, met captain david hunter who looked so sad and downcast that she was distressed for him, and said: "what is the matter, captain? are you sick or have you had bad news?" he replied: "oh, no! mrs. clark, i am not sick or in personal trouble, but don't you feel sorry that moses is dead?" i have enlarged somewhat on this sunday school because it was somewhat peculiar, and because it was, as there are good grounds for believing, the first sunday school organized in this northwestern region, perhaps the first northwest of detroit. the country around the fort was beautiful, the climate invigorating, and in spite of the inconveniences and annoyances experienced by the pioneer regiment they were not without their enjoyments and recreations, and looking back through the years, recalling the social gatherings at each others fireside in the winter, the various indoor amusements, and the delightful rides and rambles in the summer, i feel that ours was a happy life. but the most charming of all our recreations was a ride to "little falls" now "minnehaha." the picture in my mind of this gem of beauty, makes the sheet of water wider and more circular than it is now, i know it was fresher and newer, and there was no saloon there then, no fence, no tables and benches, cut up and disfigured with names and nonsense, no noisy railroad, no hotel, it was just our dear pure "little falls" with its graceful ferns, its bright flowers, its bird music and its lovely water-fall. and while we children rambled on the banks, and gathered pretty fragrant things fresh from their maker's hand, listening the while to sweet sounds in the air, and to the joyous liquid music of the laughing water, there may have been some love-making going on in the cozy nooks and corners on the hill side or under the green trees, for in later years, i have now and then come upon groups of two, scattered here and there in those same places, who looked like lovers, which recalled to my mind vividly what i had seen there long ago. that enchanting spot, so dainty in its loveliness, is hallowed by a thousand tender associations and it seems more than cruel to allow its desecration by unholy surroundings and various forms of vice. standing beside it now, and remembering it in its purity, just as god made it, my eyes are full of unshed tears, and its mellifluous ceaseless song seems pleading to be saved from the vandalism which threatens to destroy all its sweet influences and make it common and unclean. but as i, alone, of all who saw it in those days long gone by, stand mourning by its side, there dawns in my heart the hope that the half formed purpose now talked of, for making it the centre of a park for the delight of the two cities between which it stands, may be perfected, thus saving it from destruction and making this bright jewel in its setting of green, the very queen of all the many attractions of this part of our state. surely no spot in ours or any other state offers such beauty or so many inducements for such a purpose, and coming generations will forever bless the men who shall carry it out, thus preserving our lovely minnehaha and the charming surroundings for their own delight and the enjoyment of those who shall come after them. and we went strawberrying too, children and mothers and fathers, and young men and maidens, and often now, when passing through the crowded streets of our great city, i feel that i am walking over our old strawberry patch. how sweet those berries were, and how delicious the fish which we caught in the pretty lakes calhoun and harriet, the one named for the great statesman, the other for mrs. leavenworth. we generally carried our treasures from field and lake to the "old government mill" at the "big falls" st. anthony and had our feast prepared and set in order by the miller's wife. and then we had games, not croquet or any of those inventions which were then in the far future, but "hide and seek;" "blind man's buff;" "hide the handkerchief;" "hunt the slipper," and such old-fashioned sports which all enjoyed most heartily, till warned by the lengthening shadows that it was time to go home, which we generally reached in time to see the flag lowered to the roll of the sunset drum. writing poetry is beyond me, but there was an inspiration in that beautiful banner, as each day it flung out its stars and stripes over my first and dearly loved home, which thrills my frame even now, and since the terrible days when precious blood was poured out so freely to maintain it in its proud position, it has become indeed a holy thing. may god protect and bless it, keep it unsullied and speed the day when it shall float over a nation whose rulers and law-givers shall lay judgment to the line and righteousness to the plummet, and forever purge from it everything that in any way dims the brightness or retards the progress of this beloved "land of the free and home of the brave." it must have been difficult to find amusements and recreations for the winters in that fort, so completely shut away from the world, and so environed by snow and ice, but various devices were planned to keep up the general cheerfulness and to ward off gloomy feelings and homesickness. i can dimly remember the acting of plays in which the gentlemen personated all the characters and the ladies and children looked on. i know the women of the plays looked very tall and angular, and there was much merriment about the costumes which were eked out to fit them. it may be that the performances were as much enjoyed as if everything had been more complete, for i know there was a great deal of fun and jollity at their theatricals. among my earliest recollections is that of sitting on a low stool beside mrs. snelling and my mother while they read and studied french under the instruction of a soldier named simon, and the memory of those days was revived a few months ago by the receipt of a card from "zeller c. simon," now mrs. f. l. grisard, vevay, indiana, daughter of the old man, as a reminder of and when she and i quietly amused ourselves while these ladies received instructions in that language. in mrs. ellet's "_pioneer women of the west_," mrs. snelling alludes to this old french teacher and regrets his loss by discharge, adding that, when on the arrival of the first steamboat bringing among other passengers, the chevalier count beltrami, an italian adventurer, she expressed this regret, he kindly offered to continue the lessons during his visit. he could speak french fluently, but did not understand english, and was therefore much gratified to find anyone who could converse with him. in the month of may, , the steamboat virginia, feet in length and in width, arrived at the fort. "it was built by knox and mckee at wheeling, virginia, and loaded with government stores for fort snelling," so writes one of the firm, mr. redick mckee to the secretary of "historical society of minnesota." its arrival was a great event indelibly impressed upon the memory of all who were there to witness it. _chapter vi._ a coincidence. "backward! turn backward, o time, in thy flight; make me a child again, just for to-night." take me to my early home at fort snelling, and help me to live over again that happy time, when i knew nothing of care and sorrow, and when the sight of the dear old flag, run up, each morning, to the roll of the drum, and the sentinel's call, each night, "all's well around," made me feel secure and at home, even in what was then a wilderness. many pleasant scenes, and many startling ones, come at my call. some are more vivid than others, and perhaps the most distinct of my early remembrances is the arrival of the first steamboat. it had been talked of and expected for a long time; it is hard to realize in this age of rapid traveling how deeply interested and excited every one felt in anticipation of what was then a great event. it was to bring us into more direct and easy communication with the world; and small wonder that the prospect of being at the head of steamboat navigation should have caused excitement and rejoicing to those who had been receiving their mails at intervals of _months_ instead of _hours_. to me, of course, child that i was, it only meant a sight never before witnessed, a something heard of, and seen in pictures, but never realized. but even we children felt in listening to our elders, that something great was about to happen. at last, one bright summer morning, while amusing myself on the piazza in the rear of the officers' quarters, there came a sound new and very strange! all listened a moment in awe and gratitude, and then, broke out, from many voices, "the steamboat is coming! the steamboat is coming!" and look! there is the smoke curling gracefully through the trees; hark! to the puffing of the steam, startling the echoes from a sleep co-eval with the creation; now she rounds the point, and comes into full view. i stand on tiptoe, but cannot see all i long to, till lieutenant david hunter, my special favorite, catches me up and holds me on the balustrade; and now i clap my hands, and almost cry with delight, for there she is, just landing, in all her pride and beauty, as if she _felt_ herself the pioneer steamboat, and knew she would become historic. officers and soldiers, women and children, are hurrying down the hill; terrified indians rush from their wigwams and look on in amazement, utterly confounded, refusing to go near what they call the "_bad spirit_." greetings and congratulations warm and heartfelt are exchanged; and speedily the mail is opened, papers and letters are distributed; all search eagerly for news from home, and my joy is turned into grief for my friend lieutenant hunter, who learned, by the very boat whose coming he hailed with so much pleasure, that he is fatherless. all sympathize deeply with him; few know how closely drawn together are the occupants of a frontier post; but the common joy, although dampened, was not destroyed, and civilities were tendered to the captain and officers of the boat, who were real gentlemen, and became great favorites at the fort. they came again the next year, perhaps more than once, and pleasant excursion parties on the boat relieved the monotony of fort life. the steamboat was the topic of conversation for a long time. the day of its arrival became an era from which we reckoned, and those of the first occupants of fort snelling who still survive, can scarcely recall a more delightful reminiscence than the arrival of the first steamboat, in the summer of . years passed away, childhood with its lightheartedness gave way to youth, and that again to womanhood, and then came middle life with its many cares, its griefs, its joys too, and its unnumbered mercies, with bright anticipations of a blessed rest from toil and pain,--when on one pleasant summer day in , i find myself, with a party of friends who have come to visit fort snelling and its many interesting surroundings, standing, side by side with my mother, on the bastion of the fort, recalling days and scenes gone by. leaning against the railing, and contemplating the river, so beautiful from that height, she remarked to me: "can you remember, my child, when the first steamboat came up this river?" i answered, "yes, oh yes! most distinctly do i remember it." and then we talk of the event, and recall the many pleasant things connected with it, when, lo! a whistle, and the loud puffing and snorting of the iron horse! captain newson, standing near and listening to our conversation, exclaimed, pointing over to mendota, "and there goes the first train of cars that ever started out from fort snelling!" hushed and breathless, we gaze at the fast vanishing train, feeling, as we stand there, we two, alone, of all who saw that other great event, _over forty years ago_, like links connecting the buried past with the living present. and we would fain weep as we think of those who stood beside us then, now long since passed away--but living, loving friends are about us, and we will not let our sadness mar their pleasure; so down in the depth of our hearts we hide these tender recollections, to indulge in when we are alone. i look long at the beautiful river, and think, as it ripples and laughs in the sunlight, that, could our ears catch the language of its murmurings, we should hear: "men may come, and men may go, but i go on forever." _chapter vii._ andrew tully. "oh! malcolm, look at that little boy on the steps of our quarters; who can he be? where did he come from?" "oh, sister, do you think he can be the little brother we have been praying god to send us? let's run home and ask mother about it." the scene of this dialogue was the parade ground of old fort snelling, in the spring of the year ; the two little children had just been dismissed from the fort school house, and were going home to dinner. the sun shone very brightly that day. the dinner drum was beating, the soldiers, by companies, were in line before their quarters for roll-call, and the dear old flag floated gracefully in front of headquarters. i can see it all now, through my tear-dimmed eyes, and recall the mingled feelings of joyful surprise and expectation with which we, the little son and daughter of captain clark, hastened to our home, our eyes all the while fixed on the little fair-haired stranger, who stood on the porch of our father's quarters, the first in the row of officers' quarters as you enter the fort by the front gate, and just beyond the steps leading down to the old commissary's store. when we reached our goal, there stood the pretty blue-eyed boy, looking about with wonder at all he saw, and smiling at us as we came up to him, and laid our hands on him gently, to assure ourselves that he was real. just inside the door stood dear mother, with a bright happy look, enjoying our surprise, and we, with one voice, exclaimed: "mother, who is this little boy? where did he come from? is he going to stay with us always?" as soon as we gave her a chance to reply, she said: "don't you know that every night when you say your prayers, you always say, 'please, god, give us a little brother!' how do you know but god has heard your prayer, and sent you this little brother?" we were very quiet now, and tried to take it all in, but before we had succeeded to our satisfaction in fully comprehending it, our father came from roll-call, and taking us by the hand, said: "come to dinner now, mother will lead little andrew to his place and we will tell you all about it." and this is the story we heard on that ever to be remembered day, as we sat by our father and mother, and our hearts went out with love to the little boy beside us: "a few weeks ago, col. snelling heard from some hunters, who had been far out west, that there were two little white boys held captive by a band of sioux; he sent out some troops, who rescued the children, and they reached the fort this morning with the boys; the oldest one, john, is at the colonel's, and this is the other, 'andrew tully;' shall we keep him with us?" "oh, yes! father, we want him for our little brother;" and he became one of us. in time we learned from john, who was a bright boy, and from the rescuing party, who had heard some particulars, that mr. david tully, a scotchman, had been living three years at the selkirk settlement, where the crops had been so poor, from various causes, notably from the grasshoppers and the ravages of innumerable black birds, that a famine was threatened, and he, becoming discouraged, had started, with his wife and children, two boys and an infant daughter, to come to the fort, hoping in some way to continue his journey from there to the white settlements, and find work to enable him to live and support his family comfortably. after traveling for many days, they were overtaken by a party of sioux, who, returning from an unsuccessful hunt, were in a very bad humor, and attacking mr. tully, demanded such provisions as he had. he refused, of course, to give up that, without which his family must perish, and they fell upon him, soon disabled him, and seizing the little baby, dashed its brains out on the ice, then mortally wounded his wife, and with a blow of his hatchet, one of the party finished them both. john says he remembers seeing his father, who had broken through the ice, struggling to save his mother and the baby, but that when they knew there was no hope left, his parents told him to take his little brother and hide in the bushes, and to try in every way to get to the settlements. then, with their dying breath, they besought god to take care of their little boys, and their freed spirits went beyond the reach of pain and suffering. the little fellows obeyed them, and ran for safety to some hazel brush near by, where, of course, the indians soon found them, but their thirst for blood being somewhat allayed, and their object attained, they contented themselves with cutting off a piece of john's scalp, tearing it most brutally from the quivering flesh, when the squaws from some tepees near by, hearing his heartrending screams, came to the rescue, and begged that they might keep the children. and there they had remained, receiving such care as the indian women give their own pappooses, and making friends of all in the wigwam. when the troops came to the rescue, the indian women were unwilling to give them up; they had taken an especial fancy to andrew, who was very fair, and of a sweet, gentle disposition. he was not quite three years old, and, of course, could not so well understand the dreadful loss they had sustained as john, who was two years older, and who never recovered from the shock of the fearful tragedy, and from the injury done his nervous system by the cruel scalping-knife. he remained at col. snelling's during his life, two or three years, and then, from an injury received from an axe, was taken with lock-jaw and died. during his illness he raved of the barbarous indians, who killed his dear ones, begged them to spare the baby, and not hurt his mother; then he would seem to be hurrying andrew out of the way of the murderers, and hiding him as well as he could. he suffered terrible mental agony, but he had been carefully taught by mrs. snelling, whom he learned to love very dearly, and, reason returning before he died, he gave clear evidence that he loved the savior, and felt sure that he would take him to heaven, where his father and mother, and precious little sister were awaiting him. little andrew grew finely and proved a perfectly healthy child. his preservation and rescue were so remarkable that my father gave him the name of "marvel," and almost always addressed him as "andrew marvel." he had been our little playmate and brother for two years when our father obtained a furlough and took us all to new england to visit our relatives there, and we went by the way of new orleans, that being the only comfortable and continuous route to new york at that time. it was our first journey since we children could remember, and we were all delighted beyond measure at the thought of it. a keel-boat was fitted up nicely for the occasion, and in addition to our immediate family, including andrew of course, we had as fellow travelers captain leonard, his wife and two children, making quite a large party. i remember distinctly our starting, the good-byes from those who stood on shore, the slow progress of the boat as it was poled along by the crew, and it was not without a quiver of sadness that we turned the point where we lost sight of the flag. we felt then that we were away from home and all seemed very strange, but there was much to interest us, and we soon became accustomed to our new experiences. the ceaseless walking to and fro of the men who propelled us along was an accompaniment to all our daily amusements and we went to sleep lulled by their regular footfalls. and so we journeyed on, day after day, until we made the whole three hundred miles and landed at ft. crawford--prairie du chien. i do not remember how many weeks we traveled thus, but i know that all the children on board the boat had chicken pox and recovered during the trip. arriving at the "prairie," as it was frequently called in those days, we were to take a steamer for st. louis and new orleans; but before our departure i remember we were all vaccinated by the surgeon at that post, whose name was dr. james, and i know that in every case he was very successful. our arrival at st. louis, the first city the children had ever seen, was an epoch in our lives, and i can clearly recall my feeling of loneliness at the utter absence of everything military. it was indeed a new world to me. i could not understand it, and felt not a little indignant that so many men passed and repassed my father as we walked along the streets without saluting him, for which remissness in duty i suggested the guard-house. arriving at new orleans, where we were much overpowered by the heat, we remained only long enough to secure passage to new york on the sailing vessel "crawford," and departed on our first sea voyage. we were twenty-seven days out of sight of land, encountering a fearful storm off cape hatteras, and the crimson light from the light-house there, like the red eye of some great monster gazing at us through the gloom, when we were every moment expecting to be engulfed, made an ineffaceable impression upon me. but he who is "mightier than the noise of many waters, or the mighty waves of the sea," delivered us from our peril and brought us safely to our desired haven, where we were warmly welcomed by dear friends and where we found ourselves famous as having come from the "far west," a part of the world of which their ideas were most vague and imperfect. the story of our little andrew created intense excitement, and crowds of people came to see a child who had so thrilling a history. among these visitors came mrs. divie bethune and the widow of alexander hamilton, who were lady patronesses of an orphan asylum in the city. they urged strongly that he should be placed under their care, planning to educate him for the ministry, and send him out to preach the gospel of peace to the tribe of indians who had murdered his parents. we all objected strongly to giving him up, but the ladies at length persuaded father that they could do better by him than one whose life was one of constant change and uncertainty, and, with a view to the boy's best interests, he yielded to their entreaties, and our little brother passed into the hands of the orphan asylum. we remained at the east a year visiting dear friends in new england and spending some time in new haven, where a precious little sister, born at fort snelling, died and was laid to rest in the burial lot of joseph brewster, whose wife was our father's much-loved cousin. when years afterward i went from a frontier post and became a pupil in mrs. apthorp's seminary, in the lovely city of elms, that little grave in the beautiful cemetery comforted me in my homesickness. in my father made a second visit to the east, and while in new york hunted up andrew, whom he found apprenticed to a wagon maker, and could not learn why the original purpose of fitting him for the ministry had been abandoned. but the boy seemed doing well and was happy and content. three years later, when our father lay on his death-bed at fort winnebago, a letter came to him from relatives of the tullys inquiring about these boys, stating that some money from their mother's family was awaiting them. father dictated a reply telling the writer all he knew of them and gave him the address of andrew in new york; and for years afterwards we heard nothing of him. my mother made inquiries by letter of parties whom she thought might tell her something concerning him and used all available means to find him, in vain, much to the regret of all our family, and we came to the conclusion that he was dead. a few years ago, after our mother had gone to her rest, we saw in an eastern paper the obituary of rev. abraham tully, of new jersey, in which reference was made to these "tully boys," stating that the only survivor of that branch of the family was andrew, a carriage maker in new york city. immediately we procured from the new jersey family his address and communicated with him. a cousin of his, the rev. david tully, well known and beloved as the pastor of the presbyterian church in jacksonville, florida, spent a summer in minnesota, and calling on me told me he thought andrew might visit this part of the country during the season. and one day, just at sun-setting, our door bell rang, and answering it in person, i saw a gentleman whom i did not know, who looked at me without speaking, for a moment, and then said: "is this my sister charlotte?" like a flash it came to me, and i replied: "is this my brother andrew?" and we kissed each other, we two old people who had parted when we were little children and had not met for more than sixty years. he spent some days with us and we learned that he was an active, earnest christian, an honored member of the reformed dutch church in harlem, new york, rev. mr. smythe, pastor; that he had married and had one son who grew to manhood, but had been bereft of all and was alone in the world. he knew so little of his early life, that the story i could tell him was a revelation to him. he had preserved, through all his reverses and trials, his sweet, sunny temper, and soon made friends of the whole household. we rode together to the old fort and i pointed out to him the very spot on which he stood on that spring morning long ago when we first saw our "brother andrew." we visited the graveyard and i showed him the grave of his brother john, which having no headboard or name, could only be identified by its being next to the little stone inscribed "e. s.," which i knew marked the grave of mrs. snelling's little daughter. we searched the records at the quartermaster's office in vain for a description of his brother's grave, that we might make sure of the spot, as the tully family wish to erect a monument to his memory. we walked about the fort, went to the brow of the bluff where the old bastion formerly stood, and while strolling around the home of our childhood were met by general gibbon, then in command, who, learning who we were and what was our errand, took us to his quarters and showed us much kindness. i told him many things of the old fort which were never recorded, pointed out to him where the stones in the front wall of headquarters had been riven by lightning when i was a little girl, and our pleasant visit rounded up with a ride in his carriage to call on general terry and other officers, who all seemed interested to see us; relics, as it were, of the times before their day. our courteous escort drove with us to the site of the old camp coldwater, and we drank from a tin cup of the clear spring which now supplies the garrison with water, as we had done more than half a century before. driving back to the fort just as the bugle sounded for "orderly call," the general, in tender consideration of my deafness, called the bugler, and bade him sound it again by the side of the carriage. to hear is to obey, and the musician, ignorant of the reason for the command, repeated the clear, ringing call, where my dull ears could take it all in. no words can describe my sensations, as, with andrew tully beside me, i listened with bated breath to the familiar notes unheard for years, and, with eyes brimming with tears, i could only say, "oh, general, i thank you; this makes me feel that i must hear my mother's voice calling me home to the dear old quarters over there, 'to get ready for dinner.'" and then, as our carriage drove up, and we thanked our noble host for his kind and considerate attentions to us, he said, "i have to thank you for more information about fort snelling than ever i had before." and so, past the old sutler's store, the guard house and the vine-clad tower, we drove away very silently from our early home, and after an hour's resting at minnehaha, returned to minneapolis, talking by the way of the strange experiences of our lives, and the wonderful way in which god had brought us together again in our old age. andrew made a visit to winnipeg in search of some one who had known his parents, and there he found an old man named macbeth, who had blown the bellows in his father's shop, which stood just in one corner of what is now the city of winnipeg. he told him how the friends there opposed his father's leaving the settlement when he did, as he had remained there three years, and they felt the times would be better soon; but he had made up his mind that he could improve his condition by seeking a more congenial home, and they could not dissuade him. he also told him that, from the accounts of the indians and others, it was generally believed that the scene of his parents' murder must have been where grand forks now stands. he made some inquiries as to the possibility of recovering anything on his father's claim, but could learn nothing encouraging. he hopes to visit minnesota again; meantime we correspond regularly, and he takes a deep interest in the growth and development of the great northwest, with which his early life was so singularly identified. he is still in the business for which he was trained, and, by patient industry and skilled workmanship, has reached the summit, and receives satisfactory returns for his labor; and so, although his life has not been without its trials, yet an overruling providence has dealt graciously with the little fair haired orphan boy who hid from the savages in the hazel copse so many years ago. we returned home from our eastern trip by the way of the great lakes, as the route was called in those days; and although we left dear friends and many pleasant things behind us, we were rejoiced to be once more in the fort, in the midst of military surroundings. soon after our return, my father and major garland obtained permission to build more commodious quarters outside the walls, and the result was the erection of the two stone cottages nearly opposite the old indian agency, a few rods from the fort. the grounds about them were improved and beautified with flowers and shrubs, and the change was very beneficial and agreeable to us all. here, i remember, we had regular instruction in the fundamental english branches from our father, whose great anxiety was that we might suffer for want of good schools; and so great was his zeal and thoroughness in this direction, that in after years, when we had greater advantages, it was found that we were fully up to the grade of children of our age who had been to school all their lives. the two families became much attached to each other, and when major garland was ordered elsewhere, we felt the separation keenly. we have never met since that time. one of the major's daughters, my early friend and playmate, married general longstreet, and the time came when our husband's stood on opposite sides in the lamentable civil war. thank god, that is all over now, and should we ever meet again, we could talk lovingly of the old times when, as children, we played together under one flag, in happy unconsciousness of the trials and sorrows that lay before us. _chapter viii._ a wolf story. among the recreations which relieved the tedium of garrison life, was an occasional wolf chase. i am too tender hearted to call it an amusement, but it was exceedingly exciting. the animal having been caught in a box-trap, and not maimed or crippled in any way, was first muzzled, and then let loose for a race for its life over the prairies, with hounds and hunters in full pursuit. all the blue coats and brass buttons of the hunters did not make that a brave thing to do, but the wolves were great nuisances, and it was long before the days of bergh. on one of these occasions, the wolf was led to the starting point by some soldiers to be prepared for the chase, but none of them really liked the idea of taking hold of his fierce looking jaws while the muzzling process was going on. my brother, malcolm, a boy of seven or eight, and already an apt pupil of martin scott, stepped up and grasping the animal's snout with his little hands, called out: "muzzle him now, i'll hold him," and they did it. those who know how the land lies, and how well adapted it was for such a chase, can readily imagine that for those who like such sport, it must have been very enjoyable, and a great relief from the monotony of life in a frontier fort. during the winter of ' and ' , the wolves were unusually troublesome, and came every night to the barns and out-houses, carrying off any small stock they could find. we were occupying the stone cottage at that time, and my brother and i were much interested in the case of some chickens and other pets which we were allowed to call ours. of course we grieved over the result of these nightly raids, and, finally, thought we would try and catch some of the marauders; so procuring a steel-trap, we had a dead carcass of some animal hauled to the foot of our garden, and began our work in real earnest. our success was far beyond our hopes, and it was our custom to rise every morning at reveille, dress ourselves hastily and run down to look at the trap, which was rarely without an occupant. one morning, to our astonishment, the trap was gone, but the blood on the snow, and the peculiar track leading toward the woods, satisfied us that a wolf was in that trap somewhere between the fort and the "little falls." hoping to find him near home, we started in pursuit, without any protection from the cold, which was intense, but the sun shone so brightly that we did not think of the cold; our one idea was--the wolf, and how to catch him. i was bare-headed and bare-handed; my brother, boy-like, had seized his cap and mittens as he left the house, and was better off than i. after traveling on, and on, not in the beaten path, but wherever that track led us, we, of course, became cold and very tired, but still could not think of giving up our search, and my dear, brave brother insisted on my wearing his cap and mittens, saying, "boys can stand the cold better than girls." we must have gone more than a mile when our consciences, aided by the cold, began to warn us that we were doing wrong, that our parents would be anxious about us, and we ought to go back, but how could we give up the pleasure of taking that wolf back in triumph, for the track assured us we should find him crippled and fast to the trap, and we thought how pleased captain scott would be to see us there with our prisoner as he came out to breakfast. looking back over the long years, i can clearly remember that that thought gave me courage, and enabled me to hold out so long. but, as we talked the matter over, setting duty against inclination, and unable to decide, there appeared to us what may have been an angel in disguise; to us it was an indian boy in a blanket, with his bow and quiver, emerging from the bushes very near "minnehaha," and thus my brother accosted him: "how! nitchie." after a friendly reply to this invariable salutation, malcolm told him in the indian language, which was then as familiar to us as our mother tongue, why we were there and what we wanted, offering him a loaf of bread and piece of pork if he would find our wolf and bring him to our door immediately. the lad gladly closed with the offer, took the trail and started after him, while we turned our faces homeward. and now, the excitement of expectancy being over, we began to have serious misgivings as to the propriety of having gone so far from home without the knowledge of our parents, and the wind, which blew keenly in our faces, sided with our consciences, and convinced us we had much better have either staid at home or prepared ourselves with a permit and good warm wrappings. it all comes back to me so plainly that i can almost feel the pinchings of the cold and the torment of a guilty conscience as i write, and i feel a real pity for these two little children as they trudge along over the prairie, so troubled and so cold. my dear brother being older than i, and the chief party interested, generously took most of the blame to himself, and comforted me as well as he could, running backwards in front of me to shelter me from the wind, and assuring me he would tell father all about it, and he would forgive us. i have carried in my heart of hearts for sixty years the image of that beautiful, bright-eyed, unselfish brother; and when, not many years ago, the terrible news came to me that treacherous hands had taken his precious life, like one of old i cried in my anguish, "oh, malcolm! my brother, would to god that i had died for thee, my brother, oh, my brother!" just as we reached our garden fence we heard the familiar breakfast drum, and saw our father and captain scott walking in a somewhat excited manner, back and forth, and discussing something, we could not hear what. we afterwards learned it was our conduct, and that while father felt that we should at least be severely reprimanded, our friend, the captain, made him promise he would say nothing in the way of reproof, until he had drunk his coffee. in consequence of this we were simply saluted kindly, but not warmly, and we followed the gentlemen to the breakfast-room, where a rousing fire in the great fireplace, and a most appetizing breakfast awaited us, which our long tramp in the bitter morning air had prepared us to enjoy most thoroughly, notwithstanding the mental disturbance which could not be allayed, until confession had been made and forgiveness granted. just as our meal was ending, a soldier entered the room, and said: "malcolm, there is an indian boy here with a wolf, who wants to see you." this announcement brought all to their feet, and every one rushed out so see the sight, and there, with his foot fast in our trap, lay a large timber-wolf, exhausted with pain and fatigue. captain scott examining him carefully, pronounced him the very one they had tried in vain to capture, and he congratulated the little boy and girl who had succeeded so fully where older ones had failed. that was a proud moment in our lives, but until we had told our parents how sorry we were to have grieved and distressed them, and had obtained full pardon, sealed with a loving kiss from each, we could not wholly enjoy it. then we gave our indian a royal breakfast, and his promised reward beside, and the wolf was taken away and put out of his misery, while beside the comfortable fireside we told all about our morning walk, from reveille to breakfast-drum. after this captain scott took me to the sutler's store, and made me select for myself a handsome dress, as a present from him, to a brave little girl, as he was pleased to call me, and he took me in his sleigh, drawn by one of his beautiful horses (i think his name was "telegraph"), back to my mother, telling her, not many little girls of seven years old could go out before breakfast on a cold morning, and chase a wolf so successfully. to my brother he gave a pretty pony, which was a never-ending source of joy to him, and which, under the skillful training of the mighty hunter, he learned to ride fearlessly and most gracefully. the story of this, my first and last wolf hunt, has entertained children and grandchildren, not only mine, but many others, and has been repeated so often that it has been learned by heart, so that if, in telling it, i have sometimes varied the phraseology, i have been promptly corrected and set right. if any of those, once my little hearers, should read this written history, it may carry them back to the days when life was new and fresh, and when adventures of any kind seemed greater and more important than they do now. "god bless them, every one." _chapter ix._ red river or selkirk settlement. the story of the early days of minnesota would be incomplete without a more detailed account of the red river or selkirk settlement than the allusions made to it in the history of the tully boys, and turning to "harpers monthly" of december , i find a most satisfactory and interesting history of the enterprise, by general chetlain of chicago, who is a descendant of one of the settlers and is so well and favorably known in the northwest as to need no introduction from me. after speaking of the disastrous effect of the napoleonic wars on the social relations of europe he alludes to the extreme suffering in central europe, and in switzerland particularly, owing to a failure of crops from excessive rains in , and says: "the people wearied of struggles which resulted in their impoverishment, listened eagerly to the story of a peaceful and more prosperous country beyond the sea." a few years earlier thomas dundas, earl of selkirk, a distinguished nobleman of great wealth had purchased from the hudson bay company a large tract of land in british america, extending from the lake of the woods and the winnipeg river eastward for nearly two hundred miles, and from lakes winnipeg and manitoba to the united states boundary, part of which is now embraced in the province of manitoba and in which are the fertile lands bordering on the red and assinniboine rivers. it formed a part of "rupert land," named in honor of prince rupert or robert of bavaria, a cousin of king charles ii of england and one of the founders and chief managers of the "hudson bay company." in the year he had succeeded in planting a large colony of presbyterians from the north of scotland on the red river, near its junction with the assinniboine; this was followed four years later by another but smaller colony from the same section of scotland. in consequence of the stubborn competition and the bitter dissensions between the hudson bay company and the northwest company of montreal, these were compelled to abandon their new homes, nearly all of them removing to lower canada. this scotch settlement having proved almost a total failure lord selkirk turned his attention to the swiss, for whom he entertained a great regard. by glowing accounts of the country, and by the offer of great inducements, which were endorsed by the british government whose policy it was to favor these emigration schemes, he succeeded in persuading many young and middle aged men to emigrate to this new world. the colony numbered two hundred persons, nearly three-fourths of whom were french or of french origin, they were protestants and belonged to the lutheran church. some of the families were descendants of the hugenots of eastern france, all were healthy and robust, well fitted for labor in a new country; most of them were liberally educated and possessed of considerable means. among the more prominent were monier and rindesbacher, dr. ostertag, chetlain and descombes, schirmer, afterwards a leading jeweller at galena, illinois, quinche and langet. in may , they assembled at a small village on the rhine near basle and in two large flat-boats or barges, floated down the rhine, reaching a point near rotterdam where a staunch ship, the "lord wellington" was in readiness to take them to their new home towards the setting sun. their course lay north of great britain and just south of greenland to hudson strait. after a tedious and most uncomfortable journey they arrived at hudson strait, and after a hard journey of four months they landed at fort york. embarking in batteaux they ascended the nelson river, and at the end of twenty days reached lake winnipeg, and after encountering all manner of discouragements arrived at the mouth of the red river, only to learn that the locusts or grasshoppers had been before them, and had literally destroyed all the crops. with heavy hearts they proceeded up the river thirty-five miles to fort douglas, near the site of the present fort garey, then the principal trading post of the hudson bay company. governor alexander mcdowell and the other officers of the company welcomed them cordially and did what was in their power, to supply their wants and make them comfortable, but they were by no means able to furnish them with supplies for the coming winter, and as it was terribly severe there was untold suffering among them. but by scattering to different points and struggling bravely against great difficulties, they managed to exist and some of them in time made permanent homes for themselves, while others feeling they could not content themselves in what had impressed them as an inhospitable country, left the settlement as opportunity offered and came nearer civilization. as early as , some who had put themselves under the protection of a party of armed drovers, on their return to the states, having taken some cattle to the settlers, arrived at fort snelling and were kindly cared for by colonel josiah snelling who consented to let them remain at the fort during the winter. the next spring they settled on the military reservation near the fort and made homes for themselves. i well remember my mother's descriptions of these emigrants as they arrived, so nearly famished, that the surgeon was obliged to restrict the amount of provisions furnished them lest they might eat themselves to death. in the spring of , thirteen more of the colonists started to go to missouri, of which country they had heard glowing accounts. they made the journey as far as lake traverse, the headwaters of the st. peter's river, four hundred miles, in red river carts, which need no description here; where they remained long enough to make canoes, or dugouts, of the cottonwood trees abundant there, when they began the descent of the river, and after perils by land and by water, and perils by savages, who were very hostile to them, they reached "st. anthony" in september, and were warmly welcomed by the friends who had preceded them two years before. after a few weeks rest, our colonel furnished them with two small keel-boats and supplies for their journey, and they went on their way comforted and encouraged. but probably from the effects of the fatigue and hardships of their long and wearisome journey, and from the malarial influences, at that time prevalent on the river, several sickened, and mr. monier, the senior of the party, and his daughter, died and were buried near prairie du chien. mr. chetlain also became so ill that he and his family remained at rock island until his recovery, when he joined his friends at st. louis, but finally settled at la pointe, on fever river, where now stands the city of galena, illinois. in the spring of , owing to the great rise of water in the mississippi and its tributaries, and in the red and assinniboine rivers, caused by the unusual deep snow of the preceding winter, which had melted with warm and heavy rains, the losses sustained by the settlers at la fourche were so heavy that no attempt was made to repair them, and nearly all the french settlers there became thoroughly discouraged and left their home. over the same route their friends had traveled three years before they came to fort snelling, and nearly all took passage in a small steamboat for the lead mines at and near la pointe, illinois. i remember well when this party arrived. one of them, a very pretty girl named elise, was employed in our family as a nurse for our baby sister, and remained with us some time. general chetlaine closes his very interesting article thus: "the descendants of these colonists are numerous, and are found scattered throughout the northwest, the greater part being in the region of the lead mines. most of them are thrifty farmers and stock breeders. a few have entered the professions and trade. all, as far as is known, are temperate, industrious, and law-abiding citizens." _chapter x._ running the gauntlet. like the old man in dickens' "child's story," "i am always remembering; come and remember with me." i close my eyes and recall an evening some sixty years ago, when in one of the stone cottages near fort snelling, which was our home at that time, a pleasant company of officers and their families were spending a social evening with my parents. the doors were thrown open, for the weather was warm, and one of the officers, captain cruger, was walking on the piazza, when we were all startled by the sound of rapid firing near us. the captain rushed into the house, much agitated, exclaiming: "that bullet almost grazed my ear!" what could it mean? were the indians surrounding us? soon the loud yells and shrieks from the indian camp near our house made it evident that the treaty of peace made that afternoon between the sioux and chippewas had ended, as all those treaties did, in treachery and bloodshed. the principal men of the two nations had met at the indian agency, and in the presence of major taliaferro, their "white father," had made a solemn treaty of peace. in the evening, at the wigwam of the chippewa chief, they had ratified this treaty by smoking the pipe of peace together, and then, before the smoke of the emblematic pipe had cleared away, the treacherous sioux had gone out and deliberately fired into the wigwam, killing and wounding several of the unsuspecting inmates. the chippewas, of course, returned the fire, and this was what had startled us all and broken up the pleasant little gathering at my father's house. the chippewas, with their wounded, sought refuge and protection within the walls of the fort, commanded at that time by colonel snelling. they were kindly cared for, and the wounded were tenderly nursed in our hospital. one, a little girl, daughter of the chief, excited much sympathy, and i cannot forget the interest i felt in her, for she was but a year or two older than myself, and it seemed to me so cruel to ruthlessly put out her young life. i remember the ladies of the fort were very kind and tender to her, and, since i have had little girls of my own, i know why. she lingered but a few days, in great agony, and then god took her out of her pain to that land where the poor little wandering, wounded child should know sin or suffering no more. meanwhile our prompt and efficient colonel demanded of the sioux the murderers, and in a very few days a body of sioux were seen, as we supposed to deliver up the criminals. two companies of soldiers were sent to meet them and receive the murderers at their hands. strange to say, although they had the men, they refused to give them up, when our interpreter (i cannot recall his name) stepped out from among our soldiers, and said: "if you do not yield up these men peaceably, then, as many leaves as there are on these trees, as many blades of grass as you see beneath your feet, so many white men will come upon you, burn your villages and destroy your nation." a few moments' consideration, a few hurried words of consultation, and the guilty men were handed over to our troops. the tribe followed as they were taken into the fort, and, making a small fire within the walls, the condemned men marched round and round it, singing their death songs, and then were given up to be put in irons and held in custody until time should determine how many lives should pay the forfeit, for it is well known that indian revenge is literally a life for a life, and the colonel had decided to give them into the hands of the injured tribe, to be punished according to their own customs. some weeks passed, and it was found that five lives were to be paid for in kind. a council of chippewas decided that the five selected from the prisoners should run the gauntlet, and it was approved. and now, back over the lapse of many years i pass, and seem to be a child again, standing beside my only brother, at the back door of my father's house. the day is beautiful; the sun is so bright; the grass so green, all nature so smiling, it is hard to realize what is going on over yonder, by the graveyard, in that crowd of men and women; for there are gathered together the chippewas, old and young men, women and children, who have come out to witness or take part in this act of retributive justice. there are blue coats, too, and various badges of our u. s. uniform; for it is necessary to hold some restraint over these red men, or there may be wholesale murder; and borne on the shoulders of his young men, we see the form of the wounded, dying chief, regarding all with calm satisfaction, and no doubt happy in the thought that his death, now so near, will not go unavenged. and there stand the young braves who have been selected as the executioners; their rifles are loaded, the locks carefully examined, and all is ready when the word shall be given. there, too, under guard, are the five doomed men, who are to pay the forfeit for the five lives so wantonly and treacherously taken. away off, i can not tell how many rods, but it seemed to us children a long _run_, are stationed the sioux tribe; and that is the goal for which the wretched men must run for their lives. and now, all seems ready; the bolts and chains are knocked off, and the captives are set free. at a word, one of them starts; the rifles, with unerring aim, are fired, and under cover of the smoke a man falls dead. they reload; the word is given, and another starts, with a bound, for _home_; but, ah! the aim of those clear-sighted, blood-thirsty men is too deadly; and so, one after another, till four are down. and then the last, "little six", whom, at a distance, we children readily recognize from his commanding height and graceful form; he is our friend, and we hope he will get _home_. he starts; they fire; the smoke clears away, and still he is running. we clap our hands and say, "he will get home!" but, another volley, and our favorite, almost at the goal, springs into the air and comes down--dead! i cover my face, and shed tears of real sorrow for our friend. and now follows a scene that beggars description. the bodies, all warm and limp, are dragged to the brow of the hill. men, who at the sight of blood become fiends, tear off the scalps, and hand them to the chief, who hangs them around his neck. women and children with tomahawks and knives, cut deep gashes in the poor dead bodies, and scooping up the hot blood with their hands, eagerly drink it. then, grown frantic, they dance and yell, and sing their horrid scalp-songs, recounting deeds of valor on the part of their brave men, and telling of the sioux scalps taken in former battles, until, at last, tired and satiated with their ghoul-like feast, they leave the mutilated bodies festering in the sun. at nightfall they are thrown over the bluff into the river, and my brother and myself, awe-struck and quiet, trace their hideous voyage down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico. we lie awake at night talking of the dreadful thing we have seen; and we try to imagine what the people of new orleans will think when they see those ghastly up-turned faces; and we talk with quivering lips and tearful eyes of "little six," and the many kind things he has done for us--the bows and arrows, the mocauks of sugar, the pretty beaded moccasins he has given us; and we wish, oh! we wish he could have run faster, or that the chippewa rifles had missed fire. and we sleep and dream of scalps, and rifles, and war-whoops, and frightful yells, and wake wishing it had all been a dream. next day the chief sat up in bed, painted himself for death, sang his death song, and, with those five fresh, bloody scalps about his neck, lay down and died calmly and peacefully in the comfortable hope, no doubt, of a welcome in the "happy hunting grounds," prepared by the "good spirit" for all those indians who are faithful to their friends, and avenge themselves upon their foes. a few years ago, i told this story to another "little six." "old shakopee," as he lay with gyves upon his legs, in our guard house at fort snelling, awaiting execution for almost numberless cold-blooded murders, perpetrated during the dreadful massacre of ' . he remembered it all, and his wicked old face lighted up with joy as he told me he was the son of that "little six" who made so brave a run for his life, and he showed as much pride and pleasure in listening to the story of his father's treacherous conduct, as the children of our great generals will do some day, when they read or hear of deeds of bravery or daring that their fathers have done. _chapter xi._ the incident recorded in the preceding chapter occurred in june, , and in the autumn of the same year two companies of our command were ordered to prairie du chien to strengthen the garrison there, in anticipation of trouble with the indians. one of these was company "c", commanded by our father; the other company was in command of captain scott. we had become so attached to a home so filled with peculiar and very tender associations that our hearts were sad indeed when we bade "good bye" to all, and from the deck of the steamer took our last look at the beloved fort where we had lived so many years. in later years when passing the spot where we bade farewell to the flag which floated over headquarters on that bright morning long ago, i involuntarily look up at the beautiful banner still waving there, and a tender, reverential awe steals over me, as when standing by the grave of a friend long buried. we had hardly been a year at fort crawford when my father was detailed on recruiting service, and ordered to nashville, tennessee. this was in , memorable as the year of the presidential campaign which resulted in the election to that high office of general andrew jackson. when our friend mr. parton was writing his "life of jackson," i gave him, at his request, my impressions as a child, of the great man, with whom we were daily and intimately associated, and now transfer those impressions from that great work, "parton's life of jackson," to the pages of this unpretentious record of past times. at the time referred to, our family boarded at the "nashville inn," kept by a mr. edmonson, the home of all the military officers whom duty or pleasure called to nashville. it had also been for a long time the stopping place of general jackson and his wife, whenever they left their beloved "hermitage" for a temporary sojourn in the city. eating at the same table with persons who attracted so much attention, and meeting them familiarly in the public and private sitting rooms of the hotel, i of course felt well acquainted with them, and my recollections of them are very vivid even now. the general's appearance has been so often and correctly described that it would seem almost unnecessary to touch upon it here; but it will do no harm to give my impressions of him. picture to yourself a military-looking man, above the ordinary height, dressed plainly, but with great neatness; dignified and grave--i had almost said stern, but always courteous and affable; with keen, searching eyes, iron-gray hair standing stiffly up from an expansive forehead; a face somewhat furrowed by care and time, and expressive of deep thought and active intellect, and you have before you the general jackson who has lived in my memory from my childhood. side by side with him stands a coarse-looking, stout little old woman, whom you might easily mistake for his washerwoman, were it not for the marked attention he pays her, and the love and admiration she manifests for him. her eyes are bright, and express great kindness of heart; her face is rather broad, her features plain, her complexion so dark as almost to suggest a mingling of races in that climate where such things sometimes occur. but withal, her face is so good natured and motherly, that you immediately feel at ease with her, however shy you may be of the stately person by her side. her figure is rather full, but loosely and carelessly dressed, with no regard to the fashions of the day, so that, when she is seated, she seems to settle into herself, in a manner that is neither graceful nor elegant. i have seen such forms since, and have thought i should like to experiment upon them with french corsets, to see what they would look like if they were gathered into some permanent shape. this is mrs. jackson. i have heard my mother say, she could imagine that in her early youth, at the time the general yielded to her fascinations, she may have been a bright, sparkling brunette, perhaps may have even passed for a beauty; but being without any culture, and out of the way of refining influences, she was at the time we knew her, such as i have described. their affection for each other was of the tenderest kind. the general always treated her as if she was his pride and glory, and words can faintly describe her devotion to him. the "nashville inn" was at this time filled with celebrities, nearly all warm supporters of the general. the stokes family, of north carolina, were there, particular friends of his; the blackburns, and many other old families, whose names have escaped my memory. i well recollect to what disadvantage mrs. jackson appeared, with her dowdyfied figure, her inelegant conversation, and her total want of refinement, in the midst of this bevy of highly-cultivated, aristocratic women; and i recall very distinctly how the ladies of the jackson party hovered near her at all times, apparently to save her from saying or doing anything which might do discredit to their idol. with all her disadvantages in externals, i know she was really beloved. she was a truly good woman, the very soul of benevolence and kindness, and one almost overlooked her deficiencies in the knowledge of her intrinsic worth and her real goodness of heart. with a different husband, and under different circumstances, she might have appeared to greater advantage, but there could not be a more striking contrast than was manifest in this dignified, grand-looking man and this plain, common-looking little woman. and the strangest of it all was, the general did not seem at all aware of it. she was his ideal of every thing that was good, and loving, and true, and, utterly unconscious of any external deficiencies, he yielded her the entire homage of his own brave, loyal heart. my father visited them more than once at the hermitage. it was customary for the officers of the army to do this, as a mark of respect to the general, and they frequently remained at their hospitable mansion several days at a time. the latch-string was always out, and all who visited them were made welcome, and felt themselves at home. an anecdote which my father told us, characteristic of mrs. jackson, impressed my young mind very forcibly. after the evening meal at the hermitage, as he and some other officers were seated with the worthy couple by their ample fireplace, mrs. jackson, as was her favorite custom, lighted her pipe, and having taken a whiff or two, handed it to my father, saying, "honey, won't you take a smoke?" the enthusiasm of the people of nashville for their favorite has been descanted upon, years ago. i remember well the extravagant demonstrations of it, especially after the result of the election was known. i walked the streets with my father the night of the illuminations and saw but two houses not lighted up, and these were both mobbed. one was the mansion of judge mcnairy, who was once a friend of jackson, but for some reason became opposed to him, and at that time was one of the very few whigs in nashville. on that triumphant night the band played the hymn familiar to all, beginning: "blow ye the trumpet blow," and ending: "the year of jubilee is come, return ye ransomed people home." this certainly looked like deifying the man they delighted to honor, and i remember it seemed very wicked to me. when the old man finally started for washington, a crowd of ladies were assembled on the piazza of the hotel, overlooking the cumberland river to "see the conquering hero go." i mingled with them and distinctly remember hearing one lady say she had had a good-bye kiss from the general, and she should not wash it off for a month. oh! what a noise there was! a parrot, which had been brought up a democrat, was "hurrahing for jackson," and the clapping of hands, the shouting, and waving of handkerchiefs have seldom been equalled. when the steamboat passed out of sight, and all realized that he was really gone, the city seemed to subside and settle down, as if the object of its being was accomplished. but the sad part of my remembrances, is the death of mrs. jackson. early one bright pleasant morning my father was putting on his uniform to go with the other officers then in the city, to the hermitage to escort the president-elect to nashville. before he had completed his toilet a black man left at the door a hand-bill announcing mrs. jackson's death, and requesting the officers to come to the hermitage at a time specified, with the usual badges of mourning, to attend her funeral. she had died very suddenly at night, without any apparent disease, it being very generally supposed that her death was occasioned by excess of joy at her husband's election. when it was discovered that she was dead, the grief-stricken husband could not be prevailed upon to part with her body, but held it tightly in his arms until almost forced from his embrace. this news caused great commotion. many ladies went out from the city to superintend the funeral arrangements, and displayed more zeal than judgment by arraying the body in white satin, with kid gloves and slippers. pearl ear-rings and necklace were likewise placed upon it; but, at the suggestion of some whose good sense had not entirely forsaken them, i believe, these ornaments were removed. the day of the funeral, proving damp and drizzly, the walk from the house to the grave was thickly laid with cotton for the procession to pass over. notwithstanding the grief displayed by the friends of this really good and noble woman, on account of her sudden death, it was supposed by many, that after all, they felt it a relief; for it had been a matter of great anxiety how she would appear as mistress of the white house, especially as some of her warm, but injudicious friends, had selected and prepared an outfit for the occasion, more suitable for a young and blooming bride than for a homely, withered looking old woman. during the war of the rebellion, as the fifth division of the army of the cumberland was marching from gallatin to camp near nashville, the general in command arranged that myself and daughter, who were visiting the army and keeping with them from day to day, should call at the hermitage, as the troops passed near. an escort was furnished us, and we turned off in our ambulance at the nearest point. we soon reached the great gate, and, passing up the avenue of dark, sombre evergreens, to the broad piazza of the historic old mansion, were received by the hostess, the wife of general jackson's adopted son. our reception, while not uncivil, was certainly frigid, and we had expected nothing more cordial from those who called us their enemies. after a short, constrained conversation, we were shown the general's room, and some portraits of distinguished people on the walls, and were then conducted to the tomb at the foot of the garden, where husband and wife lie side by side under a canopy supported by marble pillars and shaded by magnolia trees, whose rich, glossy leaves and royal white blossoms made the sacred spot a lovely resting place for the old man and his beloved rachel. on the tablet, which covers her remains, we read the following inscription, prepared by her husband: "here lie the remains of mrs. rachel jackson, wife of president jackson, who died the twenty-second of december, , aged sixty-one. her face was fair; her person, pleasing; her temper, amiable; her heart, kind; she delighted in relieving the wants of her fellow creatures, and cultivated that divine pleasure by the most liberal and unpretending methods. to the poor, she was a benefactor; to the rich, an example; to the wretched, a comforter, to the prosperous, an ornament; her piety went hand in hand with her benevolence; and she thanked her creator for being permitted to do good. a being so gentle and so virtuous, slander might wound but could not dishonor. even death, when he tore her from the arms of her husband, could but transport her to the bosom of her god." at his own special request, the tablet which marks the spot where he rests, has only this simple record: "general andrew jackson. _born on the th of march, ;_ _died on the th of june, ._" among the notable persons whom we frequently met during the year of our sojourn in nashville, was samuel houston, since so thoroughly identified with the early history of texas. he was at that time moving in gay society, was called an elegant gentleman, was very fine looking and very vain of his personal appearance; but domestic troubles completely changed his whole life, and leaving his wife and family, he abjured the world and went into exile, as he termed it. while we were in smithland, kentucky, to which place our father had been ordered from nashville, he stopped with us on his way to the wilderness, and excited our childish admiration by his fanciful hunter's garb and the romance which surrounded him. i remember, too, that he begged a fine greyhound and a pointer from my brother, who gave them up, but not without a great struggle with himself, for he loved them,--little thinking then, dear boy, that this man, fantastically clad in buckskin, would one day, as president of texas, repay him amply by delivering him from a great peril. i record here a reminiscence of smithland which stamps that little town, and its surroundings, indelibly upon my memory. one day, as my brother and i were at play in front of the recruiting office, which was situated on the one long street, near the river bank, a steamboat, with its flag flying, came down the ohio and rounded to at the wharf. as it made the turn, we noticed that the deck was crowded with negroes, and we heard them singing some of their camp meeting hymns in a way to touch all hearts. the strain was in a minor key, and, as the poor creatures swayed their bodies back and forth and clapped their hands at intervals, we were strangely moved; and when, the landing being effected, and the gang-plank arranged, they came off, _chained in pairs_, and were marched, still singing, to a shed prepared for them, we could not keep back the tears. the overseer, a great strong man, cracking his "blacksnake" from time to time, to enforce authority, excited our strong indignation. all this is an impossibility now, thank god, but then it was a cruel, dreadful reality. like cattle, they were penned for the night, and were to be kept there for a day or two, till another boat should take them to new orleans to be sold for the cane brake and the cotton field. they had been bought by the dealer in men and women, who had them in charge, at the slave pen in washington, the capital of the united states. for aught i know, uncle tom may have been among them, destined for the genial, easy-going st. clare and finally to pass into the hands of legree, the brute, who was to whip him to death. the next morning a bright mulatto woman surprised us, as we were at breakfast, by coming into our room and begging my father to purchase her. i never knew how she managed to do this, i only know she stood before our free, happy household pleading most earnestly, said she was not a field hand, was a good house servant in her master's family where she was born and raised, and had been sold, "because massa died, and de family was too poor to keep me; i'se a fustrate cook, and 'd sarve you faithful; and, oh, mistis," turning to my mother, "i'se lef' little chillun in de ole virginny home, and if you buys me, may be i might see 'um again sometime." but it could not be, and the poor sorrowing mother went back to the gang, whose breaking hearts were pining for home and dear ones they could never again behold. and one morning they were driven onto another boat, and passing slowly out of sight, sang, as they sailed down the river to their doom, "swing low, sweet chariot," etc. _chapter xii._ cincinnati. from this kentucky town, his two years of service as recruiting officer having ended, our father was ordered to fort howard, green bay; but, being desirous that his children should have the advantage of the schools in cincinnati, which at that time were considered exceptionally excellent, he established us in that city in a pretty home of our own, and for the first time the family was separated, he going alone to his post, while mother and children remained in ohio. in cincinnati was very different from the great city which now spreads out over the beautiful hills, and extends miles on "la belle riviere." it was a pretty, flourishing, clean town, and for us it was a delightful home, the dense smoke from the innumerable industries, now hanging like a pall over the valley, was not known then, and the atmosphere was clear and bright. nicholas longworth was the great man then; his strawberries and his beautiful gardens were famous, and his sudden rise from comparative poverty to enormous wealth, mostly by successful ventures in real estate, was marvelous, such instances being rare in those days. he was an eccentric, but very kind-hearted man, very good to the poor, and he had many warm friends. a few years later he turned his attention to the culture of grapes, and made cincinnati famous for its catawba and other wines bearing the longworth brand. there were many others whose names could be given and of whom even then the young city was justly proud. dr. drake, the eminent surgeon and beloved physician; rev. dr. joshua l. wilson, the boanerges of presbyterianism; dr. samuel johnson and dr. aydelotte, the hard-working and vigilant watchmen on the episcopal watch towers; judge bellamy storer, the distinguished jurist; edward mansfield, the great journalist; salmon p. chase, then the energetic and promising young lawyer, years afterward chief justice of the united states, and many others whose lives are written in the "history of cincinnati." from the long list i select a few names of those with whom our family was intimately associated: major david gwynne, a former paymaster in the army, and my father's life-long friend; judge burnett, our near and highly-esteemed neighbor; dr. john locke, my honored teacher for four years; alexander kinmont, the eccentric scotchman and most thorough educator of boys; the groesbecks, the lytles, the carneals, the kilgours, the piatts, the wiggins,--all of whom bore a prominent part in the early formative days of the beautiful city. edward mansfield, who did so much to shape the literary taste of cincinnati and to promote its interests in many ways, deserves more than a mere mention of his name. he was the son of jared mansfield, professor at west point military academy and surveyor general of the northwest territory. he graduated at west point in , and was appointed lieutenant of engineers, but, at the earnest solicitation of his mother, resigned and turned his attention to legal pursuits. he practiced law for a while in cincinnati in partnership with mr. mitchell, who afterwards became so famous as professor of astronomy. but finally mr. mansfield devoted himself to literary and scientific investigations, and published several books and essays of great value. in he wrote "the legal rights of women," and year after year some biography or history from his fertile pen came to light, and was welcomed and appreciated by the reading public. in he became editor of the "cincinnati chronicle," afterwards of the "chronicle and atlas," and in of the "gazette." "as an editor and contributor he was remarkable for his impartiality and fairness, and was one of the most extensive newspaper writers in the country. he supported the whig party with great ability, and no one in his day did more for the triumph of the republican party. his memoirs, published by himself in his seventy-eighth year, extending over the years from to , are of great public interest." the asiatic cholera visited the united states for the first time in , and its ravages in cincinnati were terrible. business was in a great measure suspended, schools were closed for a time, and the air was full of "farewells to the dying and mournings for the dead," but after a time the dreadful scourge passed away, leaving an indelible impression on all, and the old order of things was resumed. in we left our pleasant home in cincinnati and went to fort winnebago, on the fox river, wisconsin. this was just at the close of the black hawk war, during which my father commanded at fort howard, green bay, and had some pretty sharp experiences. on our way to our new station we stopped at fort crawford, prairie du chien, several days to rest and prepare for our journey of nearly a week overland to fort winnebago, and were entertained at the hospitable quarters of colonel zachary taylor, then in command of the post. our host and hostess were so cordial and made us so comfortable and at home, miss knox taylor was so lovely, and little dick and betty such delightful playmates, that we enjoyed our visit there most fully, and have always remembered it with great pleasure. and when we learned only a short time after our arrival at our journey's end that lieutenant jefferson davis had carried off our beautiful miss knox, in spite of her parents' watchfulness and her father's absolute commands, our grief and indignation knew no bounds. the pair went to st. louis and were married. the colonel and his wife never recovered from the shock, which seemed to blight the happiness of their home. they never saw their child again. there was no reconciliation between the parties, and the beloved, misguided daughter died in six months after leaving home. he who treacherously beguiled her away from her happy home is an old man now, and must soon go to his account. he stands out prominently against a dark background, and no one will envy him the recollection of that deed or the place he occupies in the history of the country to which he proved false in her hour of trial. it is said that the broken-hearted father never spoke to him for years, but that on the battle-field in mexico, captain davis made a successful movement, and in passing him, general taylor, as commanding officer of the division to which he was attached, said, "that was well done, captain," and perhaps he never spoke to him afterwards. when our delightful sojourn with the kind friends at fort crawford came to an end, we started in our open vehicle, which had been made as comfortable as possible for our long ride of several days to our final destination, and, as there were no public houses on the road, our dependence for accommodations, was upon the thinly scattered settlers, who for the most part were "roughing it," and had few conveniences, scarcely any comforts to offer the weary traveler. one night the halt was called in front of a low log house of two rooms, connected by an enclosed passage way, which served the purpose of an eating room. the mistress of the house was the wife of a steamboat captain, but owing to some irreconcilable difference of sentiment, she refused to live with him, and she was miserably poor. in pity to her sad case, her husband had sent, by my father, some articles of clothing which he hoped might be of use to her, and this errand served as our introduction. she was a tall, fine looking woman, and received and welcomed us with the air of a princess dwelling in a palace. she was a niece of james fennimore cooper, and her grand and stately mien, in the midst of such squalid poverty, would have been amusing, but for the pity of it. her father, a very old man, lay dying of consumption in one of the rooms, and my little sister and i were assigned for the night to a bed directly opposite the death couch. the one tallow candle on the stand beside him, guttering down in its socket, the fitful light from the vast fireplace, which made strange fantastic shapes and shadows on the rough dark walls, and the clear cut profile of the dying man, with the erect dignified figure beside him, rising occasionally to arrange his pillow, or give him water, impressed us most painfully, effectually driving sleep from our eyes, which, under a kind of fascination, gazed intently on what they would fain not see. from time to time the dogs outside howled dismally, and this forced night-watch was made most hideous by the occasional hooting of an owl, or the prolonged baying of hungry wolves in the distance. we were very weary, and at last fell into a troubled slumber, but were haunted even in sleep by the ghastly face across the room and the weird shadows on the wall, 'till aroused by mother's morning kiss, and cheery call to breakfast, which banished all disturbing dreams, and waked us to the realities of a bright sunshiny morning, and the morning meal which our grand hostess had prepared for us to eat before we left this most uninviting caravansary. this repast consisted of potatoes boiled "au natural," and some kind of drink which she announced as coffee, and which she served with the grace of a queen, dispensing the delicacies of her table. i have never ceased to admire the admirable tact and grace with which my father added to this choice menu; some very nice boiled beef and other toothsome viands, with which our bountiful friends the taylors, had packed our messchest; also, some choice tea, which father, accustomed to camping, knew how to prepare in perfection. all this he did in such a way as to make the lady feel that it was an honor to us to share these things with her, and it was really gratifying to see her calm enjoyment of delicacies to which she had long been a stranger. i think, too, that the fragrant cup of tea and the delicate bit of toast, taken to the sick man, may have brought to his mind tender recollections of a time when he lived like a gentleman, and dispelled for a little while the memory of the family troubles, and the complication of misfortunes which had reduced him to poverty and a dying bed in this comfortless log cabin in the wilderness. kind friends met us with a hearty welcome at our journey's end, where for a few years we had a very happy home. the memory of the weekly musicals at john kinzie's pleasant agency, and the delightful rides on horseback over the portage to the point where portage city now stands, quickens my heart-beats even now. but where now are all those who then called that little quadrangle "_home_?" col. cutler, major green, captain low, lieutenants johnston, hooe, collingsworth, lacy, mclure, ruggles, reid, whipple, doctors satterlee, mcdougal and foote, sutlers goodell, satterlee, clark, lieutenant van cleve and my own dear father? alas! of all these but one answers to roll-call, and he and i hold in sweet remembrance the dear friends of our youth, and the beloved old fort, where he who hath led us graciously all our days, first brought us together, and blessed us with each other's love, and we thank him from our hearts that he has spared us to each other for so many years. _chapter xiii._ new home--school days. there came a day in april, , when my brother and i bade "good-bye" to all, and, under our father's care, left fort winnebago to go east, he to west point, i to school in new haven. we descended the sinuous fox river in an open boat, having on board, besides ourselves, a crew of soldiers, and two ladies, who embraced this opportunity to visit their eastern home. the spring rains set in the next day, and our voyage down the fox river lasted ten days, during which time we had ample opportunity to test the efficacy of hydropathy, as our awning was by no means waterproof, and we were literally soaked the greater part of the time. in passing through lake winnebago the wind was so fearful that the combined efforts of captain and crew were necessary to prevent shipwreck and disaster. the passage through the rapids below was extremely hazardous, but a famous indian pilot was employed to guide us over, and no harm befel us. the picture of that tall, dark figure at the bow, his long, black hair streaming in the wind, his arms bare, his motions, as he shifted his pole from side to side, rapid and full of unconscious grace, his eyes glowing like stars with anxious vigilance, his voice ringing out clear and musical from time to time, is as fresh in my mind as if all this was only yesterday. but civilization and never-tiring enterprise have waved over it their magic wand, and the whole scene is changed. beautiful towns have sprung up about the clear, blue lake, and the place that knew the indian and his people shall know him no more forever. in a distant camping-place nearer the setting sun the remnant of a once powerful tribe is dragging out its existence, waiting and expecting to be moved still farther west when the white man wants the land they occupy, _reserved_ to them only till that want becomes imperative and the united states says: "go farther!" when we finally reached fort howard, and were cordially welcomed and hospitably entertained by general brooke, of the fifth regiment, we forgot, in our exceeding comfort, all the perils and disagreeables by the way, and not one of us experienced the slightest cold or inconvenience from our long exposure to the elements. we remained a week here awaiting a schooner, and i met for the first time captain and mrs. marcy, parents of mrs. general mclellan. how pretty and charming she was, and how kind and tender to the boy and girl who were going away from home and mother for the first time! the beautiful wife of general brooke, too, was so loving and considerate in her motherly attentions to us that she completely won our hearts, and when she died, some years afterward, we felt bereaved. the voyage by schooner to buffalo through the straits of mich-e-li-mac-i-nac and tempestuous little lake st. clair, a day or two at hoary, magnificent niagara, the journey thence by stage, canal, railroad and steamboat to new york, filled up one month from the time we took our farewell look at the star spangled banner floating over our far western home. and this sixteen mile ride by rail from schenectady to albany, which was over the first piece of road opened for travel in the united states, seemed so like magic as to inspire us with a kind of awe. i remember that in coming to a steep grade the passengers alighted, while the train was drawn up the slope by some kind of stationary machinery. i recalled this experience of my girlhood a few years ago when, in a luxurious palace car, a party of us wound up and over the veta pass, an ascent of , feet in fourteen miles, and looking down the dizzy height, as the two powerful engines, puffing and snorting like living creatures, labored to reach the summit, i marvelled at the splendid triumph of genius and skill. after a pleasant day or two at west point, where we left the young cadet, and a short visit to relatives in new york, a most enjoyable trip in a "sound" steamer brought us to the "city of elms," one of the great educational centers of new england, which was to be my home for two years. there were many learned men in new haven then, and the faculty of the time-honored old college had on its roll names which will never die, day, silliman, olmstead, and many others,--who were mighty in eloquence and theology, like leonard bacon and dr. taylor, proclaimed the truth with no uncertain sound in the churches on the "green" from sabbath to sabbath. grand old noah webster, standing in the doorway of his modest home on our road from school to church, was, to me, an embodiment of the spelling-book and dictionary, and i instinctively made obeisance to him as we passed that way. one of the few privileges granted me in the way of recreation while at "mrs. apthorpe's school for young ladies" was an occasional visit to our dear cousins, the brewsters, who occupied a beautiful home on the sound, formerly known as the "pavillion," which might be called historic, for in a dark dungeon underneath the house the notorious regicides, goff and whalley, were hidden in the old, old times. and the graveyard in new haven, with its tall poplar trees, was an epitome of the lives of men and women who had made their impress, not only on that community, but on the world. our school was situated on hillhouse avenue, and our walks were mostly confined to that quiet, shady street and "powder house lane," in order that we might avoid meeting the "students," of whom our teacher seemed to have a great dread, a fear from which her pupils were entirely free. but for all this care and precaution we learned to know _by sight_ benjamin silliman, who lived next door to us, and young thomas skinner, who was opposite, and it is delightful to know that these two young men, who were full to the brim with fun and harmless mischief, have become eminent and dignified men of renown, one as a chemist and scientist, the other as a distinguished divine and honored professor in a theological seminary. the college commencement exercises were held in the central church, on the "green," and all the schools, male and female, were well represented in the large audience. the ladies occupied the center of the church, and, in order that the large bonnets in vogue at that time might not intercept the view of the stage, several long lines were stretched longitudinally over their heads, to which they were expected to attach them, and, after all had hung up their bonnets, these lines were drawn up out of the way until needed again. many of the ladies provided pretty caps and headdresses for the occasion, and the delicate laces, with their tasteful trimmings, and the bright eyes and happy faces, formed a pretty picture long to be remembered. recalling it, i see again the dimpled cheeks and soft, graceful appointments of those merry girls, and, wafted backward over the bridge of many years, i sit among them, the spring-time of youth comes back to me, and i bless god for memory. what if we are old women now, worn and weary with care and trial it may be; this blessed gift refreshes us on our way to the eternal youth that awaits us just beyond, and we exult in the belief that the flowers over there are fadeless, that old age is not known, and friends no more say "good-bye." [illustration] _chapter xiv._ father's death, etc. the fall of found us all, except our cadet, at fort winnebago again, but heavy afflictions made that winter a very sad one. the anxiety consequent on the serious illness of two beloved members of the family so wore upon our dear father, whose constitution had been severely tried by arduous military duties, that after many weeks of pain, he died, and left us crushed and desolate. i have beside me an old "order book," open at a page on which is this sad record: "the major commanding has the painful duty to announce to the command, the death of major nathan clark; he will be buried to-morrow afternoon at o'clock, with the honors of war, where all present, except those persons who may be expressly excused, will appear under arms in full uniform; the commanding officer directs that the escort be composed of four companies, which, in accordance with his own feelings as well as what is due to the deceased, he will command in person. all officers of this command will wear black crape attached to the hilts of their swords, and as testimony of respect for the deceased, this badge will be worn for the period of thirty days. the surgeon of the post will act as chaplain. by order of major green. feb. th, . signed j. t. collingsworth, act. adj." and at the time appointed, a detail of soldiers from his own "company c," reverently place upon the bier the encoffined form of their beloved commander, having for a pall the "stars and stripes", on which are laid the sword and accoutrements now no longer needed. memory brings back to me that mournful afternoon, and i see the bearers with their burden; the long procession of soldiers with trailed arms; the commissioned officers each in his appropriate place, all keeping time and step to the muffled drum as it rolls out its requiem on the wintry air, in the strains of pleyel's heart-melting hymn; the weeping wife and children in the large sleigh,--all passing out the great gate to the lone graveyard. and the precious burden is lowered, and at its head stands surgeon lyman foote, our father's life-long friend, and in a voice trembling with emotion, reads the wonderful words: "i am the resurrection and the life, saith the lord." after the burial service comes the last salute, and, leaving there that which is so dear to us, we go back to the empty quarters, bowed down heavily, as those who mourn for one inexpressibly dear. during those weeks of pain and languishing, my father, knowing what the end must be, and realizing the change his death would make in all our plans, left full directions for our future course; and in accordance with his last wishes, my marriage with lieutenant h. p. van cleve was solemnized, in the presence of a few friends, march d, . rev. henry gregory, of the episcopal church, at that time laboring as a missionary among the stockbridge indians, performed the ceremony. his station was between the forts winnebago and howard, and he had a serious time making the journey on horseback to the fort, the snow being very deep and the weather severe. besides using up his horse he became snow-blind, and reached us pretty well worn out, but we can never forget his cheerful endurance of his trials, and his genial, affable manner, which made warm friends of all who came in contact with him. he was one who _lived_ the gospel which he preached, and unconsciously diffused a beneficial influence all about him. notwithstanding his temporary blindness, he was so perfectly familiar with the marriage service that there was no delay in consequence, and after resting with us a few days, till his eyesight was restored, he left us on a new horse to return to his home among the indians, where he labored faithfully and effectively for some years longer. as soon as navigation opened, my mother went to connecticut with two children, leaving the youngest, a dear little three year old girl, in our care. we spent the first summer of our married life very quietly and happily at the old fort, and enjoyed exceedingly a visit from two companies of the first regiment, from prairie du chien, who had been ordered up there, to strengthen our post, on account of a rumor of an indian outbreak which had reached washington. col. zachary taylor commanded the detachment personally, and encamping just outside the fort, made a beautiful display. old general brady was with them also, and we were proud and happy to entertain our dear father's old friends at our own table. to add to the pleasure of this visit, there was not and had not been the slightest foundation for alarm. it was said that not only were the indians perfectly peaceable, but that they had not enough ammunition to kill what game they needed for food. colonel taylor knew all this, but was obliged to obey orders; so we had a grand picnic of a few weeks, just when the prairies were covered with delicious strawberries, and the cows were yielding abundance of milk and cream. that was in the old time, when mails were monthly, and telegraphing was a thing of the future. in the following september, my husband having resigned his commission, we bade a long "good bye" to the army and its many tender associations. this step was taken after much thought and deliberation, and in accordance with the advice of our dear father. but the army had always been my home; i loved it as such. i love it still, and it is a comfort to me in my old age to know that i am not far away from a fort, that i can _almost_ see the beautiful flag, as it sways in the breeze, can _almost_ hear the drum and fife, the music of my childhood, and can _feel_ that they are near me, in dear old fort snelling, my earliest home. [illustration] _chapter xv._ in , being in cincinnati, where we were delightfully situated, we had a rare opportunity to witness the enthusiasm of our countrymen, as displayed in the presidential campaign of which general harrison was the successful man. the excitement of that time was tremendous. the hard cider songs-- "and should we be any ways thirsty, i'll tell you what we will all do, we'll bring forth a keg of hard cider and drink to old tippecanoe." also: "for tippecanoe and tyler, too, and with them we'll beat little van. van, van's a used-up man, and with them we'll beat little van." resounded through the streets from morn till midnight, drums beat and cannons roared, and, seeing the way in which the poor old man was dragged about from place to place in all kinds of processions, we were not surprised when we learned of his death a few weeks after his inauguration. then, alas! what a sad procession passed through those same streets, of late so full of life and joy; now heavily draped in mourning and echoing to funereal strains, as the worn-out old man is borne slowly through the beautiful city to rest in his quiet home at north bend. how empty seem all earthly honors in view of such sharp contrasts. the lesson sank deep, and can never be forgotten. looking over the leaves of my diary kept during that eventful year, i find recorded there a sorrowful incident that occurred during the winter, bringing desolation to a rich man's home and grief to many loving friends. i give it here in the form of a story, as i have told it to my children from time to time. it is an entirely correct narrative, without the slightest coloring, and i have called it "a tale of the florida war." "you had better go, dear lizzie, it will do you good; the confinement in this lonesome fort does not agree with you. a ride on horseback and a pleasant visit with dear friends will brighten you up and bring back some of the roses to your cheeks. my duty keeps me here, but sherwood will go with you; the colonel will provide a suitable escort, and there is nothing to fear. you will return in better spirits and be happy again, will you not, my drooping lily? what! tears again? dry them, dearest, and let us hope that you will soon receive that long-expected letter from your mother, for she must feel that by this time, if any punishment was necessary, yours has been sufficient. now smile again, dear one, as you were wont to do in happier days, or i shall tell you that my heart reproaches me for having taken you from your luxurious home and brought upon you so much unhappiness." "say anything but that, my beloved, and i will try to conquer my sadness. you know i would not exchange these simple quarters of a poor lieutenant for all the splendors of my father's house. for your sake, and with you beside me to cheer and comfort me, i could bear all hardship and privation; but, oh! to hear from my parents that i am forgiven, that they still remember me with my sisters, as one of their dear children. i will be patient, dear, and trust more fully in him who has said: 'when thy father and thy mother forsake thee, then the lord will take thee up.' he will surely hear my daily prayer and restore peace to my heart, and we will dwell on the sweet promises we read together in the book we have learned to love so well, and will trust him who is our best, our unfailing friend. and now, since you, my dear, kind husband, wish it, i will prepare for this little excursion. i cannot bear to leave you here, but i shall be back soon, and who knows but to-morrow's mail may bring some news from home which will cheer and comfort us both. yet i cannot account for a feeling that takes possession of me now and then, that something is about to happen; that all will not be well while we are absent the one from the other. what can it be? i cannot shake it off. the fort may be attacked, and should anything befall you, my best beloved, what would become of me? much better remain and perish with you than return to a desolate home." "now, my darling, do not give way to such dismal forebodings. you always cheered me during those days of doubt and suspense in newport, bidding me look forward to brighter days. you would not now sadden the hours of your absence from me by causing anxious thoughts in my heart. oh! my precious wife; you have borne much for my sake, you have been to me in very truth a ministering angel. do not now despond, but still strengthen me by your brave, hopeful smiles. you know how i shall miss you every moment of your absence, but the hope that this ride will do you good makes me willing and anxious to have you go. and see, the orderly has just brought your horse, and sherwood is crossing the parade to tell you he is ready. let me put your shawl around you and tie your hat, that you may be all in waiting for him." the young wife turned upon him her large, beautiful eyes, beaming with love, and, twining her arms about his neck, kissed the "good-bye" she could not speak. then, looking earnestly to heaven, she silently called down the protection of heaven on him whom she loved only next to god, in whom she trusted. her husband tenderly embraced her, led her into the parlor, and, handing her to the young officer who was to take charge of her, said: "be careful of her, sherwood, and let me see you both by noon to-morrow. my compliments to the ladies of fort holmes, and urge mrs. montgomery's special friend to return with her and partake of the hospitalities of fort adams." sherwood bowed in acquiescence, and, assisting the lady into her saddle, acknowledged gracefully the honor conferred upon him and mounted his horse, which was impatient to begone. then the last "good-byes" were spoken, loving looks exchanged, and in a few moments the young lieutenant and his precious charge had passed through the gate and were out of sight. the young husband gazed after them a long while, with anxious, troubled look. "dear girl," he said, at last, "she, too, feels forebodings of coming ill, and i dare not tell her, but for days i have felt much depressed. this is wrong, however. i must struggle against it and try to be cheerful when she returns. why should i feel thus? we were never more secure than at present, and soon this vile war will be over, and surely by the time we return to our homes the parents of my precious wife will have become reconciled to us, and we shall be very happy." turning from the door and entering the room where he had parted with his wife, he threw himself on the lounge, overcome by various emotions, and, in fact, far from well in body, though this had been carefully concealed from his anxious wife. while he is thus resting and trying to put away unpleasant thoughts, and our fair heroine is pursuing her way to fort holmes, we will tell the reader of some of the peculiar circumstances of lieutenant montgomery and his gentle bride, at the time our story begins. lizzie taylor was a fair girl of little more than seventeen summers when she first met lieutenant montgomery at a party given by some of the _elite_ of cincinnati. they were mutually attracted to each other, and being thrown frequently into each other's society, this feeling gradually ripened into love. honorable and high-minded in all things, young montgomery did not conceal his fondness for lizzie, and it was generally known that he was her lover. but her father, a man of great wealth and ambition, did not approve of what he chose to call her childish fancy, and, being desirous that his daughters should form brilliant marriages, frowned scornfully on the suit of one who had _only_ his irreproachable character and his commission in the army of the united states to offer as his credentials. opposition in this case, however, had its usual effect, and lizzie, in all things else obedient and complying, felt that here, even her father should not interfere, when his objections were simply want of wealth and influence on the part of him to whom she had given her young heart. the young people, were not hasty, however, but waited patiently and uncomplainingly a year, the father promising them that he would think of it and give them an answer at that time. the proud man flattered himself, that during that probationary year he could divert his daughter from her foolishness, as he termed it, and excite her ambition to form a wealthy alliance. to this end, he travelled with her, introduced her into gay and fashionable circles, and lavished upon her indulgences in every shape. but he realized little of the depths of a woman's love, and was much astonished when, at the end of the year, she sought an interview with him, in which she told him, her feelings were unchanged, and she desired his consent and blessing on her union with lieutenant montgomery, adding that she hoped that time had softened his feelings towards one with whom he could find no fault save that he loved his daughter, and who was prepared to be to him a dutiful, loving son. her father turned upon her in anger, and stamping violently, swore by all that was sacred that never would he give his consent to her union with one so much beneath her in wealth and position. "then, father," said his gentle daughter, mildly but with much dignity; "we will marry without it, for as sure as god has witnessed our vows, so surely shall nought but death part him and me; 'his people shall be my people, and his god, my god.' forgive me this first act of disobedience to your commands, and believe me that i still love you as tenderly as i have always loved my father; but there are feelings which not even a parent's authority can control, and with the blessing of god and the love of him most dear to me of all on earth, i can brave even more than a father's displeasure." so saying, she left the room, while her father, astonished beyond measure, remained motionless, completely taken by surprise at this determined opposition to his will in one who had hitherto been all gentleness and submission. days passed, and she continued as ever, gentle and loving to her father. no reference by either was made to their late conversation, and he began to think she had thought better of it and had concluded to yield to his wishes, even congratulated himself that the _childish affair_ had been nipped in the bud by his timely and judicious authority, when on one bright summer day, like a thunder-clap from an unclouded sky, came a very polite note from lieutenant montgomery apprising him of the fact that lizzie and he had just been married in the presence of a few friends by an episcopal clergyman, and that they craved his forgiveness and blessing. from that moment her father's heart, already hard, was set as a flint against her. no entreaties could prevail on him to see her, and her mother, nearly crazy with grief, anger and wounded pride, took counsel of friends, who most unwisely encouraged her bitterness and convinced her that no concessions should be made to a disobedient child under any circumstances, making the poor, distressed, mistaken mother feel that it was a christian duty to let her feel that her act had made her an outcast from her parents' love and home. therefore, although she saw the poor girl occasionally, she always heaped on her devoted head the most withering reproaches, telling her she had disgraced her father's name, and must expect to reap the fruits of her disobedience. and when the sad little bride sent to her, begging for some of her clothes, of which she was sadly in need, for she had carried nothing with her when she left her old home, she tore from its frame a beautiful portrait of dear lizzie, and, rolling it up in some of the very plainest of her clothing, sent it, with the message that they had no further need of it, and that the articles sent were good enough for one in her position. during that summer lieutenant montgomery was stationed at newport, ky., on the recruiting service, where my husband, my mother and i occasionally visited them, and we were astonished to notice with what perfect kindness, even affection, they always spoke of her parents and friends; but when we found her once reading god's word and staying herself on his precious promises, we no longer wondered that there was in her heart no feeling of bitterness, for she, too, had learned the lessons he taught, who, "when he was reviled, reviled not again, but committed himself to him who judgeth righteously." a very few of her friends still visited her, but nearly all felt it would not be politic to be found in sympathy with one on whom the wealthy and influential griffin taylor frowned with displeasure. she always believed her father would relent, and sometimes, when she saw him approaching her on the street, her heart would give a great bound with the hope that now he would surely speak to her; but as soon as the proud man saw her, he invariably crossed the street to avoid the meeting, and then she felt sore and wounded, indeed. so the summer passed away, and in the fall came orders for the lieutenant to join his regiment, then engaged in the terrible war with the seminoles in florida. all wondered if lizzie's love for her husband would stand this severe test, and many were astonished when they heard it was her intention to accompany him to the land of the everglades, where so many had lost their lives, and where the prevailing fever or the deadly tomahawk might leave her alone among strangers. a few days before they left we visited them in the old newport barracks, and i said to her: "lizzie; remember you are a soldier's wife, and must not give way to fear." never can i forget the look of tenderness with which her husband regarded her as he replied for her: "dear lizzie has no fear; she is more of a soldier than i am. had it not been for her brave bearing and her sweet words of encouragement, i know not but i might have turned coward at the thought of exposing the dear girl to the dangers and privations of such a campaign; but the knowledge that i possess such a treasure will nerve my arm and give me courage to fight manfully to preserve her from danger, and to end this dreadful war with the relentless savages." after repeated but vain efforts to see her father, she bade farewell to her friends, and those to whom she had clung during her days of trial and suspense accompanied her to the steamer which was to carry her from her home. the day was a cheerless one; the sun veiled his face behind dark, ominous clouds, and the wind sighed mournfully, as if moaning out a requiem. we felt oppressed with foreboding; we knew she was going into the midst of real danger; her father had refused to see her; her mother had parted with her in anger; nearly all her old friends had frowned upon her, and now nature seemed to give signs of displeasure, though we who loved her felt that the heavens were weeping in full sympathy with the dear girl. the young husband and wife strove to be cheerful, she smiled sweetly through her tears, as she spoke of returning in the spring, expressing the hope that by that time her parents would have forgiven them and would welcome them into the beloved family circle. we stand on the wharf as the boat pushes off, waving our last "good-byes" and breathing prayers for their safety and welfare, while she leans on the arm of him for whom she has forsaken all but god; the great wheels revolve, the boat moves on her way, and that girlish form, on whom our eyes are fixed, grows fainter and fainter, till it fades out of sight. we heard from them immediately on their arrival at fort adams, and the lieutenant wrote that lizzie was well and would be perfectly happy but for the thought of her parents' displeasure. her young sister, carrie, a sweet girl of thirteen, had shed many tears for her, and had used all her eloquence to bring about a reconciliation, apparently in vain, but finally she had so far prevailed with her mother as to extort a promise from her that she would write to her, which fact she straightway communicated to lizzie, who was, at the opening of our story, looking anxiously for this promised letter, which might contain words of love, perhaps forgiveness. but she had looked so long and had been so often disappointed, that suspense, that worst of all trials to a wounded spirit, had affected her health and made her pale and sad. it was on this account her husband had prevailed on her to accept an invitation from an old friend of hers and make a little excursion to fort holmes. the real object of the trip was the bearing of important messages to fort holmes, and a full escort had been detailed as a matter of prudence, although the indians had been very quiet for some time and no danger was apprehended. lieutenant sherwood, as commander of the expedition, deemed it an honor to take especial charge of the young wife, who by her gentle loveliness had endeared herself to all. but after they were out of sight montgomery became very restless, and, remaining only a short time on the sofa where we left him, when we commenced this long digression, he arose and paced the floor in deep and anxious thought, and at length, as if to throw off the terrible weight that oppressed him, went to the door where he had parted from his darling, and oh! horror! there stands her horse, panting and riderless, quivering in every limb with fright. without an instant's delay he sprang on to the animal and rode, he scarcely knew where, not knowing nor daring to surmise what terrible thing had befallen his precious wife. what words can depict the scene that broke upon his bewildered gaze when the horse instinctively stopped about three miles from the fort? there on the ground lay several soldiers, murdered, scalped and stripped of their clothing. a little farther on lay poor sherwood, butchered by the brutal savages, and near him the lifeless body of her whom he had died to protect. close by her side lay a soldier mortally wounded, who had just strength enough left to say: "i fought--for her--till the last,--lieutenant,--and have saved her--from the horrid scalping-knife." poor, distracted montgomery threw himself on the ground beside her, calling despairingly upon her, imploring her to speak one more word to him, but all in vain; and when the troops from the fort, who had taken the alarm, arrived at the dreadful spot, he lay like one dead, with his arm around the lifeless form of his precious lizzie. and thus they carried them home in the conveyance sent for the purpose--the poor husband to awake to a bitter sense of his terrible bereavement, and she who had so lately been a lovely bride, to be dressed for her burial. imagine, if you can, the feelings of her parents when the heartrending news reached them. her father's pride was crushed, her mother's heart was broken, and those who knew her well say, although she lived many years, that she never smiled again. her father wrote immediately to lieutenant montgomery, imploring him to come to him and be to him as an own son, feeling this to be the only reparation he could make to him and his poor, murdered child. this offer was, of course, rejected, for how could the heartbroken husband consent to live in the home from which his dear wife had been turned in anger away. her parents felt that they deserved this, but wrote again begging the body of their daughter, that it might repose among her own kindred and not among a savage people. to this he consented, although he could not be prevailed on to come himself to cincinnati, and accordingly, early in the spring, the remains of the once lovely and idolized lizzie taylor were brought to her father's house. her false-hearted summer friends could now weep for her as the daughter of the rich griffin taylor, while they would scarcely have regretted her as simply the wife of a poor soldier. alas! for the hollow friendship of the world! had one-half the sympathy been bestowed upon the poor child when she was turned from her father's door, an outcast, as was lavished on her poor, unconscious body when lying in that father's house a corpse, how much she would have been cheered and comforted under her sore trial. everything possible was done to make it a splendid funeral--a rosewood coffin and velvet pall, crape streamers and funereal plumes, an elegant hearse, and an almost unending line of carriages--pitiable, senseless pride, that would cast away as worthless the priceless jewel, and bestow tender care and pompous honor on the perishable casket that once held it! nearly fifty years have passed into history since that mild spring day, when the long procession passed through the streets of cincinnati, telling in its mournful march of wounded pride, blighted hopes, broken hearts, and agony unspeakable. and yet so indelibly is it fixed in my memory that it seems but yesterday, and i find it hard to realize that the young, gallant officer for whom our hearts were sore that day, is now an old man, with white hair, still in the service of the country he has faithfully served through all these years, holding high rank, and honored, respected and beloved by all who know him. the father, mother, sister, and very many of the nearest relatives and friends of the dear girl have passed away. soon all who personally knew of this story will be gone. a simple but appropriate monument to the memory of the gallant sherwood and the brave, true soldier, who gave up his life to protect the precious body from mutilation, was erected where they fell, and may still be standing there, but that is all that remains to tell of this heartrending incident of the bloody war with the seminoles in the everglades of florida. _chapter xvi._ from our pleasant home and work in cincinnati we were called away by the illness and death of lieutenant c. c. daveiss, a brother-in-law and army associate of my husband, to whom he left the care of his family and the settlement of his business. he had resigned his commission in the army a few years before, and had settled on a large plantation which he owned near la grange, missouri, and daveiss prairie, as it was called, was our home for two years, during which time we had some new experiences, and a fine opportunity to study a class of people entirely different from any former associations. they were mostly from what might be called the backwoods of kentucky; were ignorant, and had some very crude notions of the world at large. nearly all of them owned a few slaves, raised a great many hogs, cultivated large fields of corn, and were content with a diet of corn bread and bacon, varied, during their long summers, with vegetables, melons and honey, all of which were very abundant. they had some cows and sheep, and some fine horses, which enjoyed unlimited pasturage on the succulent grasses of the prairies. they made their own clothing from the wool, spun and woven at home, and were in a measure independent of the world. they were religiously inclined, and had preaching every sabbath, at some accessible point, the baptist, methodist, presbyterian, and campbellite preachers alternating, the first named denomination being the most numerous. among them was a stalwart, _powerful_ preacher, who was also the owner of a fine farm and a pretty strong force of negroes. he was held in high esteem for his great natural gifts, and we can never forget the meed of praise accorded him by his gentle, adoring wife, when, in speaking of this mighty man, she said, with exultation: "mr. l. is so gifted that he never has to study his sermons. they come naturally to him. he hardly ever looks at a book from sunday till saturday, not even the bible!" and we believed her. the houses were built mostly of logs, and the architecture was of the most primitive style. the living room was furnished with one or more beds, a table, and strong home-made hickory chairs with painfully straight backs; and it was customary in occupying one of them to lean it back against the wall or bed, at a convenient angle, putting the feet on the rounds; and this fashion made it the proper thing to salute a visitor thus: "how-d'y? walk right in; take a cheer, and lean back." one of our neighbors, in giving her ideas of a newcomer, said: "she's smart enough 's fur as i know, but i don't reckon she knows much about manners, for when i _sot_ down on a cheer she never asked me to lean back." soon after we were settled at daveiss prairie, a neighbor, hearing we had taught school elsewhere, called to see me, and opened up the subject of education with, "i'd kind o' like to have our reu_ben_ larn figgers; he takes to larnin the prettiest you ever see. but, law sakes, he ain't nothin to our pop. why, pop can read ritin"! i learned subsequently that "our pop", a pretty girl of eighteen or twenty, was the wonder of the country on account of this rare accomplishment, and seeing her frequently on horseback, with her "_ridin-skeert_" tucked about her, as if for a journey, i inquired one day if she had any special calling, and learned that she rode from farm to farm, as her services were needed, to read the letters received by the different families; "and", my informant added, "she makes a heap of money, too; i tell you pop's smart." another ambitious mother called to learn if i would teach her "sam _the tables_, so'st he can measure up potatoes and garden truck handy," adding, "it ain't no use for girls to bother much with figgers, but i see miss daveiss draw in a piece" (into the loom) "without countin' every thread, so you may just let kitty larn enough to do that-a way." spending an afternoon with this mother, a good, sensible woman and very kind neighbor, i found her preparing the wedding trousseau of one of her girls, who was to be married the next week. she was a good girl, a general favorite, and all were much interested in the coming event. in the course of my visit one of the daughters called out, "lucy, where's the fine needle? you had it last;" and the reply came, promptly, "i reckon it's in that crack over yon, whar i stuck it when i done clar'd off the bed last night;" and there it was, sure enough, and by the aid of that little solitary implement some delicate ruffling was hemmed, and the bride looked very pretty and bright a few days later, when she stood beside her chosen husband in her humble home and promised to be to him a good, true wife; and when, after a bountiful wedding feast, the happy pair mounted their horses, and, amidst the good wishes and congratulations of friends, rode away to the new log house in the wilderness, where they were to make a home. i could not but admire these simple souls, who knew nothing of the strife and turmoil and excitement of the outer world, and required so little to make them happy. besides this class of people of whom i have been telling, there were several families in our neighborhood who were well educated and refined, and we formed lasting friendships among them. it may be that, if missouri had been a free state, we might have made our home there, but slavery, even as exhibited here in its mildest form, was an insuperable objection, and when my husband, having faithfully discharged his trust, felt that his sister's affairs were in such a state that she no longer required his aid, we bade farewell to our beloved relatives, to our dear friend richard garnett and others, and returned to michigan, which had been our first home after leaving the army. here we remained for many years, much of the time in ann arbor, where we were engaged in teaching, and where we formed many warm friendships, and became much attached to the beautiful city, which has taken so high a rank as an educational center. our school was large, and comprised a male and female department, in the former of which a number of young men were prepared for the university. among them was james watson, who became so famous as an astronomer, and who from the first astonished all by his wonderful facility in all branches of mathematics. we meet now and then some of our old pupils, middle-aged men and women, and are proud to see them filling their places in the world as good wives and mothers or useful, earnest men. we watched the growth of the university of michigan from its infancy, and rejoiced when chancellor tappan took it in hand and gave it an impetus which changed its status from an academy to a vigorous go-ahead college, with wonderful possibilities. he was a grand man. it was a pleasure and an honor to know him, and michigan owes much to his wise and skillful management, which brought her university up to the high position it occupies to-day. we loved michigan, and would fain have lived there always, but several of our family became much enfeebled by the malarial influences so prevalent at that time in the beautiful peninsula, and we felt that a complete change of climate was imperatively necessary. so, bidding a reluctant good-bye to home and friends, we turned our faces towards minnesota, in the hope that that far-famed atmosphere would drive away all tendency to intermittent fevers and invigorate our shattered constitutions. [illustration] _chapter xvii._ in the autumn of our family removed to long prairie, todd county, minnesota, as the nucleus of a colony which was to settle and develop a large tract of land, purchased from government by a company, some members of which were our friends and relatives. the weather was very pleasant when we left our michigan home, but at the mississippi river the _squaw winter_, immediately preceding _indian summer_, came upon us with unusual sharpness, and lasted through the remainder of our journey. we were to cross the river at a little hamlet called "swan river," and our plan was to hire conveyances there which should take us the remaining distance. but on arriving at this point we found a young friend who had come west for his health, and was acting as agent for my brother, one of the owners of the purchase. he was on a business errand and not well prepared to take us back with him, but as we learned that it would be impossible to procure transportation for two or three days, and were extremely anxious to reach the end of our journey, he decided to make the attempt. we made the transit in small skiffs amidst huge cakes of floating ice, which threatened to swamp us before we reached the western shore, and our fears well nigh got the better of some of us, but taking a lesson from the implicit confidence our dear children reposed in us, we rested in our heavenly father's love and care, and so passed safely and trustingly over. at p. m., we struck out into the wilderness, but, the roads being rough and our load heavy, we made very slow progress. by o'clock we had not reached the half-way mark, but by way of encouragement to the horses, and in consideration of the tired, hungry children, we came to a halt and improvised a nocturnal picnic. it was cold, very cold, there was no shelter, no light but the camp-fire, and yet there was an attempt at cheerfulness, and the entertainment passed off with some degree of merriment. after an hour's rest we resumed our journey, and, although our conveyance was an open wagon, so crowded as to be very uncomfortable, especially for the children, yet we did the best we could, and the little emigrants bore the journey bravely for some hours longer. but when within six miles of our destination, just beside a deserted indian encampment, our horses fairly gave out and would not pull another inch. so a large camp-fire was made; a sort of shelter constructed of branches of trees; a buffalo robe laid on the ground, and the weary travelers found a temporary resting place, while our young friend, above alluded to, started with the used-up team to bring us help, if he could reach the prairie. i had chosen to pass the hours of waiting in the wagon, feeling that i could better protect my dear little baby in this way. so when all the tired ones were still, and the silence only broken by the crackling of the burning fagots, the occasional falling of a dry twig or branch from the bare, ghostly looking trees about us, the hooting of an owl, the dismal howlings of the wolves in the forest, i sat there looking at the weary forms so illy protected from the cold, thinking of the little white beds in which my dear ones were wont to slumber peacefully and comfortably, the friends whom we had left, who might even now be dreaming of us, of some of the farewell tea drinkings by cheerful firesides in dear old ann arbor, where tender words had been spoken, and our prospects in a far western home been discussed over delicate, tempting viands, prepared by loving hands; and these thoughts kept my _heart_ warmed and comforted, albeit i shivered with external cold; but hugging my baby closer, and committing all to the care of him who never slumbers nor sleeps, i was just sinking into unconsciousness when a voice, not heard for a year and a half, broke the deep stillness with: "how! nitchie!" and there by the flickering light of the fire, i saw our eldest son, who had left us, for a trip with his uncle to the rocky mountains a mere boy, and now stood before us in size a man. as his father rose to his feet, he exclaimed in an agony of joy: "oh! father, is it you?" and he fell upon his father's neck and wept, and his father wept upon his neck. then, as in a dream, i heard, "where's mother?" in an instant he stood beside me, and i was sobbing in the arms of my first-born, my well-beloved son. our messenger had told him that the horses had given out just beside an indian encampment, and that, unless all haste was made, the load might be carried off. so the boy, without a moment's delay, took his horses and came at full speed to save the goods. hence his first salutation, greeting, as he supposed, a party of chippewas. the little camp was all alive with surprise and joyful excitement, and with a hearty appreciation of this very good practical joke, we were soon in motion again, wending our way, with lightened hearts, to our journey's end, which we reached without further let or hindrance. after a brief, but much needed rest, we opened our eyes on a calm fair sabbath morning, and our new home, in the soft hazy light of an indian summer sunrise was very lovely. it required no very vivid imagination to fancy ourselves in the happy valley of "rasselas, prince of abyssinia," and it seemed to me impossible that any one could ever desire, like that discontented youth, to leave so charming a spot. the term prairie is a misnomer in this case; instead we found a beautiful fruitful valley lying between two low ranges of hills, interspersed with groves of trees and picturesque lakes, and watered by a river winding gracefully through its whole length. it had been the seat of the winnebago agency, and there were, still standing, in pretty good order, a large number of houses. these buildings, empty though they were, gave the idea of a settlement, dispelling every thing like a feeling of loneliness or isolation. on our way to our new home, we had purchased, at dubuque, ample supplies for a year, but, (the steamboats at that season being much crowded), were obliged to leave them with our household goods to follow, as we were assured in the next boat. resting in this assurance and being supplied for the present, we had no anxiety for the future; we knew not what was before us. god tenderly "shaded our eyes," and we were very happy and full of hope. prairie hens and pheasants were abundant beyond belief. our boys, standing in the kitchen door, could frequently shoot as many as we needed from the trees in the dooryard, while the numerous lakes in the vicinity afforded us most excellent fish, such as an epicure might have envied us. some of our family, enfeebled by malarial fevers, and the ills resulting from them, imbibed fresh draughts of health and life with every breath, the weak lungs and tender irritable throats healed rapidly in the kindly strengthening atmosphere, and hearts that had been sore at parting with dear friends and a beloved home, were filled with gratitude to him who had led us to so fair and lovely a resting place, and we mark that time with a white stone in memory of his loving kindness in thus preparing us for what was to come. early in december, winter came upon us in earnest; snow fell to such a depth that we were fairly shut out from the whole world, and so suddenly as to find us unprepared. it was difficult and almost impossible, on account of the deep snow, to procure wood sufficient to keep up the constant fires necessary on account of the intense cold. we had no mail, no telegraph, no news from our supplies. yet we hoped and made the best of our situation. our children, who had read "robinson crusoe" and "swiss family robinson," thoroughly enjoyed this entirely new experience, and, every day explored the various empty houses, returning from their expeditions with different household articles left by the former occupants as worthless, but which served us a purpose in furnishing our table and kitchen. but day by day our temporary supplies lessened, and with all the faith we could call to our aid, we could not but feel somewhat anxious. a crop of wheat raised on the place the preceding summer had been stored, unthreshed, in some of the empty buildings, and this, at last, came to be our only dependence. the mill on the property had, of course, been frozen up, and only after hours of hard work, could my husband and boys so far clear it of ice, as to succeed in making flour, and such flour! i have always regretted that we did not preserve a specimen for exhibition and chemical analysis, for verily the like was never seen before, and i defy any one of our great minneapolis mills to produce an imitation of it. the wheat was very smutty, and having no machinery to remedy this evil, all efforts to cleanse it proved unsatisfactory, but the compound prepared from it which we called _bread_, was so rarely obtainable, as to be looked upon as a luxury. our daily "staff of life" was unground wheat. a large number of chippewa indians were encamped about us most of the time, and not being able to hunt successfully, on account of the very deep snow, were driven to great extremity, and sometimes, acting on the well established principle, that "self-preservation is the first law of nature," broke in the windows of our extemporized granaries, and helped themselves to grain. they were welcome to it under the circumstances, but in obtaining it they had broken in the windows, and had mixed glass with it to such an extent that it was unsafe for food until we had picked it all over, grain by grain. this process was our daily occupation and amusement. i distinctly recall the scene in our dining-room, when all the available members of the family were seated around a long pine table, with a little pile of wheat before each, replenished from time to time from the large heap in the center, working away industriously, conversing cheerfully, telling interesting and amusing stories, singing songs, never complaining, but all manifesting a feeling of gratitude that we still saw before us what would support life, for, at least, a while longer; and taking heart and strength to endure, in the hope that before this, our last resource was exhausted, we should receive our long expected supplies, which were somewhere on the way to us. this wheat was boiled, and eaten with salt, the only seasoning of any kind we had; no butter, no milk, no meat, nothing, and yet we never can forget the intense relish with which our children partook of it, one of them remarking, on one occasion, "mother, how good this wheat is; i wish you would write to ann arbor and tell the boys there of it; i don't believe they know." a little child was teaching us, and the amount of strength and comfort imparted to us by such a manifestation of perfect contentment, gratitude and trust can never be computed in words. we realized in those days, as never before, the full force and beauty of the icelandic custom: living in the midst of dangers seen and unseen, these people, we are told, every morning open the outer door, and looking reverently up to heaven, thank god they are still alive. so when with each returning day we saw our children safe and well, our first feeling was, gratitude that the eternal god, who was our only refuge, had not removed from underneath us his everlasting arms. the nearest settlement of any kind was "swan river," on the mississippi, but we were so completely blockaded with snow, that no team could possibly get through. two or three times during that memorable winter, our oldest son, a boy of eighteen years, made the trip on snow-shoes, at the risk of his life, to get our mail, and learn, if possible, something from our supplies. the round trip was a three days' journey, and there being no stopping place or house of any kind on the route, he, of course, was obliged to camp out one night. our anxiety during his absence was terrible, and we remember vividly our overpowering sense of relief, when, at the close of the third day, long before his form was discernible, some familiar song in his clear ringing tones, broke on the still night air, to assure the dear home folks he was safe and well. like the man whose business was so urgent he could not stop to rest, but now and then picked up a stone and carried it some distance, then threw it down, and went on relieved and encouraged, so we, when we laid down this burden of anxiety felt rested and better able to bear our daily trials. it is due to our only neighbors, the indians, to say that they were by no means troublesome, that our intercourse with them was pleasant, and to some of them we became much attached. a great chief's wife was a frequent visitor at our house, her little son, of perhaps eight winters being her invariable attendant. on one occasion having missed a small case-knife of rather peculiar formation, which was in daily use, i ventured to ask her if the little lad had taken it to their wigwam, it occurred to me he might have done so, innocently to show to some of his family, in whose honesty i had implicit faith. the old woman drew herself up to her full height, and with a grace and dignity which would have done honor to the mother of the gracchi, said, in all the expressiveness of her native tongue: "_the son of ne-ba-quum cannot steal!_" in real admiration and reverent contrition, i laid my hand on the injured mother's shoulder, and explained my meaning. she accepted my apology fully and graciously, giving me her hand, in token that my error was condoned, and you will readily believe it was never repeated. through all the years of our residence at long prairie she and her family were always welcome guests at our house, when in their wanderings they came that way, and when, during our late war, her brave, loyal husband's offers to assist us in our struggle, were contemptuously scorned by one of our generals, and the mortified, broken-hearted old chieftain, unable to bear up under such an insult, went to the "happy hunting grounds," we sincerely mourned the loss of our staunch and honored friend, ne-ba-quum. some time in january, our five year old boy was very suddenly seized with pleurisy in its most violent form, and for hours he seemed in mortal agony. we had no efficient remedies, no doctor within thirty, perhaps fifty miles, and to complicate matters, i had lain down sick for the first time, thoroughly vanquished by fatigue and unusual exposure. but that sickness of mine had to be postponed, and we fought all that night with the fearful disease, using vigorously all the external remedies within our reach, cupping the dear child with inexperienced hands, but prayerful hearts, leaning entirely upon god, who, when we cried unto him in our distress, heard and mercifully regarded our cries. the acute and agonizing symptoms of the attack were subdued, but lung fever supervened, and for four weeks our dear boy lay very near death. his form wasted, his hands, through extreme attenuation, became almost translucent, and we could only watch and pray, and use all the means in our power to alleviate his sufferings. i recall the seasons of family worship around that sick bed, when we were drawn so near the all-pitying father that we could talk with him, as a man talketh with his friend, when the loving savior made us feel that he was near us to sympathize with us, and the blessed comforter brooded over us, and spoke peace to our sorrowing hearts, so that we could say, "thy will be done," and from our hearts could sing: "_ill_ that god blesses is our _good_, and unblest _good_ is ill; and all is right, that seems most wrong, if it be his dear will. "when obstacles and trials seem like prison walls to be; we'll do the little we can do, and leave the rest to thee." during this trying time, our stock of candles was nearly exhausted, and our weary watchings were only lighted by a sense of god's presence. so with our hand on the dear sufferer, and our ear attentive to his breathing, his father and i sat beside him, lighting our candle only when absolutely necessary, and felt as none can feel until they have tested it, the sustaining grace and infinite love of the blessed watcher, who never slumbers nor sleeps. he granted us sweet thoughts of his love and precious promises, which were to us as songs in the night, and under the shadow of his wings, our hearts were kept in perfect peace. thanks to the great healer, a change for the better came, and then occurred a strange thing, that has always seemed to me directly providential. during a bitter wind and blinding snow storm, some snow birds took refuge in our wood-shed and were caught by the indian boys. at the suggestion of our oldest son, who had read somewhere the story of a sick child and her canaries, these little refugees were brought into the nursery and soon became perfectly tame, flying all about the sick boy's head, lighting on his hands, and amusing and resting him wonderfully. for several days the storm continued, and we sheltered the little creatures, our invalid growing better so rapidly as to excite our surprise. but at last there came a mild bright day, and we turned them out to find their companions. why was it that they flew only a few rods and then fell dead? to us it seemed that these little winged messengers had been driven to us in our extremity by the fury of the storm as healing agents, and had given their lives for our child's. the question now arose, where shall we find suitable food for our convalescent? there seemed no possible help for us, but we believed it would come. one morning as i sat wondering how this would be brought about, my dear brother came in, and handing me a fresh laid egg, said: "i did not know there was a fowl on the place, but it seems that an old superannuated hen, who doubtless has lived in the wheat all winter has suddenly been aroused to a sense of her duty, and this is the result." had the golden egg, famous in fable, been presented in his other hand for my choice, it would have been to me no better than a chip, but the treasure he brought me was of priceless value, and i received it gratefully as a gift from god. it furnished a whole day's nourishment for our exhausted, feeble little boy, and for three days he was supplied in the same way; then, just as he was more hungry than ever, and when it was evident he never could regain his strength without nourishment, the supply ceased. we waited and trusted, and in a day or two our son found a fine pheasant, which had evidently lost its way, sitting in the snow, wondering, perhaps, where all its companions were, and why the berries were all gone. where it came from we never knew, but we do know that there never was so delicious a bird eaten. it was reserved for the sick child, but a small piece was given to each of the other children, and not one of them will ever forget the taste of that precious morsel. by the time this nutritious supply was exhausted, our invalid was so much better as to be able to do his share of picking over wheat, and of eating this simple but very healthful diet. soon after this the wheat ran low, the long hard winter had told upon us all, and we seemed to need more substantial food as we had never needed it before. day after day we managed to prepare something that sustained life, but i had a nursing child, and supporting myself and him too, almost solely upon a wheat diet, had been hard on me and i was much exhausted. we did not lose faith; the spirit was willing, but the flesh was growing weak. i sat one morning after our simple breakfast, with my precious baby in my lap, wondering on what i should feed the dear ones at noon, as scarcely anything remained. the children were full of glee in their unconscious ignorance, and i must not, by a word of repining, shake their sweet trust and faith. our eldest son sat near me, reading my thoughts, but saying nothing, only conveying by a loving look his sympathy, when, suddenly, a shadow darkened the window; he looked up quickly, and said: "mother, look there!" i looked, and directly at our door were two sleds heavily laden with our long-looked for supplies! then came the first tears i had shed that winter. i could not speak, but my over-wrought feelings found most salutary relief in those blessed, grateful tears. there was danger that the powerful reaction would overcome me entirely, but very soon every member of the little colony knew that relief had come, and the work of unloading the sleds, opening boxes, and unheading barrels, was carried on with such ardor, as to leave no chance for such a result, especially as we learned that the teamsters had had no breakfast, that they had been three days coming miles; had been obliged to shovel their way through great drifts, a few rods at a time, and had reached us thoroughly worn out and exhausted. then came the preparation of that wonderful breakfast. no need that a priest should burn frankincense and myrrh, sending up our orisons in the smoke thereof. the odor of that frying pork, the aroma of that delicious coffee, the perfume of that fragrant tea went up to heaven, full freighted with thanksgiving and praise. no need that a president or governor should proclaim a day when we should return thanks in view of god's great goodness; it proclaimed itself, and every human being within our reach was bidden to our thanksgiving feast. our supplies were ample and varied, and o'clock found a large company seated around a table loaded with excellent, well-cooked food, of which all partook with a gusto most flattering and gratifying to the cook, who was glad to retire to her room with her baby, when the meal was over and rest on her laurels, while the young people danced and made merry in very gladness of heart. night closed around a little settlement of thoroughly grateful, happy human beings. what if it was still cold, and there must yet be many stormy days? no fear of suffering or starvation. god had not forgotten us, and we should never cease to trust him. i could not sleep for very joy, and the delicious sense of relief from anxiety on the score of providing for the daily meals. i seemed to see in the darkness, in illuminated letters, "jehovah _jireh_," and felt he had abundantly verified his blessed promise.[b] in due time the days grew longer and warmer; the snow melted. large flocks of wild geese passing northward over our heads assured us, with their unmusical but most welcome notes, that the long winter of ' and ' was over and gone. the ground was broken up, crops were planted, and everything gave promise of a favorable season. our home, in its lovely, fresh robes of green, was enchanting, and we felt that the lines had indeed fallen unto us in pleasant places. but as we take pleasant walks through our happy valley, what means this unusual sound that arrests our footsteps? it is like the pattering of gentle summer rain, and yet the sky is clear and cloudless; no drops fall. what can it be? ah! see that moving in the grass! we stoop to examine, and find myriads of strange-looking insects hardly larger than fleas. they must be--yes, they are, _young grasshoppers_. and now may god help us! for we are powerless to arrest their depredations. day by day they grew and increased, until they covered everything; fields of wheat which promised a bountiful harvest were eaten up so completely that not a green blade or leaf was left; gardens were entirely demolished; screens of cloth put over hot-beds for protection were eaten as greedily as the plants themselves, and the rapidity with which they did their destructive work was amazing. so faded away all our hopes of raising anything available that year, and we watched and waited. but one bright june morning there was a movement and an unusual sound. we rushed to see the cause, and beheld our dire enemy rising in masses, like a great army with banners! they passed over us, making our home for a time the "land shadowing with wings," and finally disappeared in the south. with lightened hearts and willing hands we went to work, replanted some things, and labored thankfully, hopefully and successfully to provide for the next winter. the experience of the past had taught us much. we felt our hearts stronger and richer for its lessons, and we all look back on that memorable time as something we would not willingly have missed out of our lives, for we learned that one may be reduced to great straits, may have few or no external comforts, and yet be very happy, with that satisfying, independent happiness which outward circumstances cannot affect. footnotes: [footnote b: soon after this great deliverance, the blackfoot indians who belonged to our little colony became discontented and homesick for their hunting grounds among the rocky mountains, and made their preparations for an exodus so secretly that we were taken entirely by surprise when one evening they were all missing. they had taken their women and children and as much of their stuff as they could carry on two or three horses, and turned their backs upon us, permanently, as they supposed. immediately our oldest son started in pursuit, and we watched him with a field-glass as long as we could see, and then by the lights he struck from time to time, as he went farther and farther away, to enable him to see their tracks or the votive offerings to the sun which they had placed on the shrubs and bushes by the wayside as they journeyed westward. at the close of the second day he found them encamped near a stream making snow-shoes, and so uncertain as to their route to the home they loved and pined for, as to be somewhat disheartened. a few persuasive words from the lad, who understood their ways thoroughly, with a promise that they should return to their mountains when the warm weather came, prevailed, and they came back to the prairie somewhat subdued and not a little chagrined at their failure.] _chapter xviii._ malcolm clark. a few years ago, colonel wilbur f. sanders, president of the historical society of montana, justly claiming my brother as one of the earliest pioneers of montana territory, requested me to furnish the society with a sketch of his life, feeling that without it, the records would be incomplete. his career was peculiar, and in order that those who come after us may have a correct account of it, i insert here the substance of the sketch prepared at the request of colonel sanders: my brother malcolm clark was the oldest child of our parents and their only son. he was born july d, , at fort wayne, indiana. when he was two years old our home was at fort snelling, where we remained for eight years. he was a handsome, bright-eyed, brave and venturesome boy, and soon began to develop a very decided taste for field sports of all kinds, becoming a ready pupil and prime favorite of captain martin scott, widely known as the veritable nimrod of those days. he was constantly running risks even in his plays, and had some miraculous escapes. but his fortitude and endurance of pain were very remarkable, and his great ambition was to bear himself under all circumstances like a true soldier. one of my earliest recollections of him is seeing him mounted on his beautiful pony, riding without saddle or bridle, his arms extended, his eyes flashing, and his soft brown hair waving in the wind. this early training in daring horsemanship made him, as all who knew him can testify, a perfect rider. he was very quick to resent anything that looked like an imposition, or an infringement of his rights, it mattered not who was the aggressor. on one occasion, during the temporary absence of the surgeon, he fell and cut his mouth so badly that it was feared the injury might be very serious. colonel snelling, who had some knowledge of surgery, volunteered to repair the damaged feature, but when he attempted to use the needle, malcolm, who felt he was not duly authorized, refused to let him touch it, shaking his tiny fist in his face, by way of menace. the colonel laughingly retreated, and recommended sticking-plaster, which answered an admirable purpose. a few years later i assisted the surgeon in dressing a wound which malcolm had accidentally inflicted on his own arm with a knife, and, although the operation of probing and cleansing it was perfect torture, he submitted to it patiently and without a sound of complaint. he was a loving, affectionate boy, full of real chivalry and true nobility. being next in age, i was his constant companion, and his kind, loving consideration of me is deeply impressed upon me. when for some years cincinnati was our home, he attended a classical school in that city, taught by alexander kinmont, a scotchman, somewhat celebrated as an educator of boys, and by his high sense of honor and his engaging manners he endeared himself to his teacher and fellow pupils. he had a real reverence for his female associates; indeed, his ideas of womanhood, in general, were very exalted. he guarded me most sacredly from anything which might offend my sense of delicacy, and was ready to do battle with any one who spoke slightingly of a lady. at one time a young school-mate made some improper remarks concerning a young girl acquaintance of malcolm's, who bade him take back his words. on his refusing to do this, my brother seized the fellow, who was larger and stouter than he, and gave him a pretty severe punishment, receiving himself, however, a bad cut on his head from falling on a sharp stone. but neither the pain of his wound nor the rebukes of his friends could make him feel that he had done anything more than justice, and he bore his sufferings with the spirit of a knight who had been wounded in defense of his "faire ladye." while at school he manifested a marked talent for public speaking, and took the highest rank in elocution in the kinmont academy, and i think that all through his life this gift of eloquence gave him a power over those with whom he mingled. i recall distinctly my sisterly pride in him when at an exhibition he delivered that wonderful speech of marc antony over the dead body of cæsar; and when the terrible news of his tragical death reached me, i seemed to hear again the infinite pathos of his voice in the words, "and thou, brutus!" the man who treacherously took his precious life had been to him as a son, had shared his home, and received from him nothing but favors. well might he have exclaimed, "and thou, ne-tus-cho!" as e'en under the protecting shadow of his own home the brave man fell, pierced by the deadly ball. at seventeen he was entered at west point, where, owing to his early military associations and training, he stood well as a capable, well-drilled soldier, and was soon put in command of a company. in this capacity he acquitted himself in such a way as to win the approval of his superior officers and the confidence of his fellow cadets. but one of his company, who had been derelict in duty and had been reported accordingly, accused him of making a false report, and this in those days was an accusation not to be borne. consequently my impetuous brother, with a mistaken sense of honor, fostered by the teachings and usages of fifty years ago, sent the young man a challenge. instead of accepting or declining it, he took it to the commandant, thus placing himself in a most unfavorable light. the next morning at breakfast roll-call my brother stepped out before his company, and, seizing his adversary by the collar, administered to him a severe flogging with a cowhide. this, of course, was a case that called for a court-martial, the result of which was my brother's dismissal, the sentence, however, recommending him to mercy. it was intimated to him by some high in authority that by making proper concessions he would be reinstated. this he would not do, and took the consequences. in the light of the great improvement in public sentiment with regard to such matters, the young man's course must be condemned, but great allowance must be made for the code of honor in force at that time, and nowhere so strenuously insisted on, as in military circles. several duels had been fought between the officers at fort snelling while that was our home, and malcolm had heard with delight and awe of the prowess of his hero, captain scott, who, as already narrated in these records, had soon after his appointment in the regular army given a final quietus to a young west point officer who had snubbed and insulted the green mountain boy, whose career opened in a volunteer regiment in the war of , instead of at the military academy. these influences account for, and in a great measure excuse my rash brother's conduct in this affair. we deeply deplored this event, which changed the whole tenor of his life; and yet, there lies on my table as i write, his defense before the military tribunal, and i confess to a thrill of pride as i read the manly, fearless, yet thoroughly respectful and courteous document, and i feel very sure that a most efficient, high-minded officer was lost to the service, when my brave, true brother suffered the penalty of a boyish folly. soon after this he started for texas to join the desperate men there in their struggle for independence. during his journey to the "lone star" state a characteristic incident occurred which may be worthy of mention. on the voyage from new orleans to galveston, the captain of the ship refused to keep his agreement with his passengers in regard to furnishing ice and other absolute necessaries, thus endangering their health and making their situation thoroughly unendurable. after unsuccessful efforts to bring the captain to reason, my brother took command himself, placed the captain, heavily ironed, in close confinement, and thus landed in galveston. then he released his prisoner, and repaired immediately to general sam houston's quarters to give himself up for mutiny on the high seas. his story had preceded him, and, on presenting himself, the president exclaimed: "what! is this beardless boy the desperate mutineer of whom you have been telling me?" and, after inquiring into the affair, feeling thoroughly convinced that, according to the laws of self-defense, my brother's conduct was justifiable, dismissed him, with some very complimentary remarks on his courageous behavior. the young hero was loudly cheered by the populace, and borne on their shoulders in triumph to his hotel. he soon after received a commission in the texan army, where he served faithfully till the war was ended, and then returned to cincinnati, at that time our widowed mother's home. while in the southwest, he was one day riding entirely alone through a wilderness, in some part of texas, i think, when he saw in the distance, riding directly towards him, his old west point antagonist, who had so far lost caste at that institution as to be obliged to resign about the time of my brother's dismissal. he had learned that malcolm was in the country, whither he also had drifted, and had threatened to take his life, if ever he crossed his path. my brother, knowing of this threat, of course, concluded that when he met his enemy there would be a deadly encounter. both were heavily armed; malcolm had two pistols, but had discharged one at a prairie hen a short time before, and had forgotten which one was still loaded. it would not do to make investigations in the very face of his foe; so with his hand on one of them, and his keen eye firmly fixed on the man, he rode on, determined not to give one inch of the road. thus they approached each other, neither yielding; my brother's steady gaze never relaxing, till just as their mules almost touched one another, his enemy gave the road, and malcolm went on, feeling that very probably his foe would shoot him from behind, but never looking back, till, by a turn in the road, he knew he was out of sight, when he drew a long breath, and felt that he had been in a pretty tight place. the next news he had of his adversary was, that he had been killed in a drunken row in some town in texas. failing to find in cincinnati, business congenial to his taste, my brother obtained, through our father's life-long friend, captain john culbertson, an appointment in the american fur company, and went to one of their stations on the upper missouri. at this time he was just twenty-four years old; at the time of his death he was fifty-two, so that more than half his life was spent in the indian country. the story of his life in the far west is full of incident. soon after his arrival in the blackfoot country he won the name of ne-so-ke-i-u (the four bears), by killing four grizzlies one morning before breakfast, which remarkable feat gave him high rank in the estimation of the tribe. how he traded successfully among these indians, in all cases studying their best interests; how he came to be looked upon as a great and powerful chief; how he identified himself with them by marrying among them; how, by his deeds of daring, his many miraculous escapes, his rare prowess and skill, and his wonderful personal influence over them, he obtained the dignity of a "_medicine man_," in whom they professed implicit faith and confidence, are facts well known to all who knew him. and, how, when the eager, grasping whites encroached upon their territory, seeing before them the fate that had befallen all the other tribes among whom white settlements had been opened up, these indians feared that this man, whose hair had whitened among them, would take part with his own people against them, and made a foul conspiracy against his life, treacherously stilling the heart that had beat with kindness and affection for them, are grievous facts in the history of his beloved montana, on which i need not and cannot dwell. in sketching the record of this life from early childhood to its tragic ending, i seem to see again before me my beautiful, bright-eyed brother, a boy of whom i was very proud, and who was, to me, the embodiment of everything brave, and manly, and true. i follow him in his eventful life, and while i realize that his impetuosity sometimes led him to do things which were not wise, and which he afterwards regretted, yet above all these errors and mistakes, rises the memory of his unswerving integrity; his fidelity to his friends; his high sense of honor, between man and man; his almost womanly tenderness towards those whom he loved; his rare culture and refinement; his affable, genial and courteous manners; his hospitality and large-heartedness,--all entitling him richly, to "bear without abuse, the grand old name of gentleman." _chapter xix._ long prairie was our home for five years which though not unmixed with trial and sorrow, were happy years. some few neighbors settled in and around the prairie, and the visits of lumbering and surveying parties, passing to and fro, made a pleasant variety in our simple life. we were directly on the route over which the indians, both sioux and chippewas travelled as they went for game or scalps; but they behaved themselves circumspectly, except when bad white men crept into the settlement and made them crazy with "fire water." this infamous traffic we resisted to the extent of our power, and on one occasion blood was drawn on both sides, but no lives were lost. we always treated the indians well, dealing fairly with them as with white men, and they looked upon us as their friends. at one time, however, rumors of danger warned us to take measures to insure our safety; and we applied to floyd, then secretary of war, for military protection, the result of which step was, that some soldiers were quartered at the prairie for the winter of ' and ' , and we dismissed our fears. captain frederick steele and lieutenant joseph conrad were the officers in command of the detachment, and proved most agreeable neighbors, making our winter very enjoyable. the former of these, our friends, was a general during the war of the rebellion, and lost his life in the service; the latter, now a major, is still doing good service as a gallant and efficient soldier. the next winter we had the protection of lieutenant latimer and his company from fort ridgley, a most genial and whole-souled southern gentleman, who endeared himself to us by his frank kindly manners. gen. irwin mcdowell, inspecting officer, made us a charming visit during this winter, and by his kindly, unassuming manner, won all hearts, while his splendid form and manly beauty made an impression on us never to be effaced. he survived the war, but died in the prime of life, sincerely mourned by a large circle of friends and fellow soldiers. possibly we might have spent our lives at long prairie, but for the bombardment of fort sumter, on the eventful th of april, , whose vibrations thrilled the whole north, and reaching us in our pastoral home, changed entirely our plans and purposes. when our youngest boy was twenty-four hours old, his father went to st. paul, in obedience to a summons from governor ramsey, and was soon after commissioned colonel of the " d" regiment of minnesota volunteers, which was rendezvoused at fort snelling for thorough organization and drill. as soon as possible his family joined him there, and, once again my temporary home was in the old headquarters, and in memory i live my childhood over again. the few weeks spent there were full of excitement and pleasant incidents, but over all, hung the dark shadow of the dreadful civil war, and hearts ached sorely, in spite of the brave talk and smiling faces. writing of those days i recall a picture of the parade ground at the time of the sunset drum: the men are placed by companies, the officers in proper position; many visitors, ladies and gentlemen, stand near; the drum beats, the flag is lowered; and, as the chaplain steps forward, every head is uncovered, and he offers the evening prayer to the god of battles. i am glad they prayed; did they think of this when they gained the victory in that first, fierce battle at mill spring? and there are those living, who will recall that sad parting hour, when those brave men said, "good-bye, and god bless you," to their mothers, wives and children, and went forth with tearful eyes, and quivering lips to hazard their lives for their country. it was a holy cause, and the women, too, were brave, and would not hold them back, but entered willingly upon that sad, weary time, when tears were shed till the fountains were dry; when prayers and groanings that could not be uttered, arose to heaven by day and by night, alike from luxurious homes, and from humble cottages, for the safety of the beloved ones, and the success of the sacred cause. the children felt it, too. a little curly-headed seven year old boy, whose father was at the front, waking one night from troubled sleep, stole softly to his mother's bedside, and kissing her tenderly, said, in a voice broken with sobs: "mother, did you pray for father to-night?" she replied: "yes, my son, mother never forgets that." "but, mother, are you sure?" "yes, dear one." "well, mother, won't you kneel down here by me, and pray for him again?" and side by side, the two knelt humbly, the mother with her arms about the sobbing boy, while she prayed most earnestly for the precious one far away. then, the dear child ceased his weeping, and kissing "mother" for herself and "father," lay down to sleep again, saying: "mother, i don't think god will let the southerners kill father." and thus it was all over the north. mothers and children weeping and praying, and working, to keep the home bright and comfortable for the soldier when he should come back. and many fair, smooth faces, grew pale and seamed with care and anxiety, many brown heads turned to gray, and erect forms became bent as with years; and, alas! many hearts broke when the list of "dead and wounded" reached the northern homes. oh! history makes record of the heroes who fell fighting bravely, and of those who survived; of great deeds of daring done and suffering endured; but there _were_ heroes who won no stars, who received no ovations, whose histories were never written, and who none the less were martyrs to their country. "but men must work, and women must weep; though storms be sudden and waters deep; and the harbor-bar be moaning." but god gave us the victory and our beloved country, aye, the whole world has made a forward move because of our heart-breaking, agonizing civil war. _chapter xx._ after the breaking up at long prairie, a few months were spent by our family in st. paul, but in the early spring it seemed expedient to remove to "st anthony," which has ever since been our home. it was at that time a very quiet village; very many of the young and vigorous men were at the front, and business was at a standstill; property was very cheap, and real estate men had little or nothing to do. minneapolis, on the west side of the river, was a small town, and had any one predicted at that time that the city of minneapolis would one day become what it is now, he would have been regarded as a lunatic. the indian outbreak of ' stirred things up for a while, but that passed away, and the place resumed its sleepy condition, waking up now and then at the news of a victory, or on the occasion of the return of a regiment, to whom an ovation was tendered, when it became manifest that there was a great deal of energy and power latent in the community, which only needed an occasion to bring it out. but the immense water power kept up its music, the mills ground flour and sawed logs and made paper, and, all unconsciously, we were growing great and preparing to become the wonder of the world. when the old settlers get together now-a-days, we like to talk of those pleasant, quiet times, when a ride in a stage to st. paul was a treat, and a trip to minnetonka in a double wagon, with provisions and camp fixtures for a week's picnic, was delightful; when we caught fish in lake harriet and cooked it at our camp-fire, and had a most enjoyable time rowing on the lake, gathering pond lilies, singing songs, telling stories, and taking in with every breath the delicious, invigorating air of that most charming spot. and while rejoicing at the present state of things, so far in advance of those times, we sometimes look back regretfully at the days when we seemed like one large family, with common interests, and we involuntarily breathe a sigh for those simple, primitive pleasures, that will be ours nevermore. no need for me to describe in these humble records the phenomenal growth of minneapolis; it is known and read of all men, and the world is startled at its rapid transition from a somewhat obscure manufacturing town to a great and prosperous city, whose foundations are so solid, and whose possibilities so great, that there seems no limit to its progress. we who have watched it from infancy are justly proud of our city, and it is certainly cause for congratulation that so much time and thought and money are given to establishing and fostering benevolent institutions and charities of all kinds. the people are large-hearted and ready to take hold of anything which has for its object the good of the community or the amelioration of suffering in any form. witness our "home for children and aged women;" the beautiful "washburn home for orphans;" the "northwestern hospital," built by and under the care and management of women who have been generously aided by the community in carrying on their work; the "bethany home" for fallen, outcast women and deserted babies, a work established by women in weakness and under discouraging circumstances, but now carried on in a commodious building erected by one man who has lived many years in our city and has grown rich here. he has watched our work in this line for years, and his heart was moved to donate to the management of the "home" the beautiful, convenient house and grounds on bryant avenue, which shelters sad and broken-hearted women and tender, helpless infants, and stands out clear against the beautiful background of woodland and blue sky, an enduring monument to his large-hearted generosity and his tender pity for the weak and helpless. may god bless him and deal graciously with him and all he loves. these are only a few of the various branches of work for the good of humanity, generously encouraged by our citizens, and the liberality with which societies, conventions and gatherings of all kinds are welcomed and entertained by minneapolitans astonishes all who see, read or hear of it. those who saw the great villard procession and the meeting of the grand army of the republic can never forget them, and religious bodies of all sects and kinds who have been received and cared for here, are loud in their praises of their hospitable entertainers. but better than all this is the earnest desire that we should become good, as well as great, as manifested in the numerous active societies organized for the purpose of overcoming and suppressing the evils incident to large and prosperous cities; and the eloquent, earnest men of all religious denominations who labor faithfully as preachers and pastors for the highest good of the people are doing grand, efficient work towards the accomplishment of this desire. and side by side with us, a little way down the river, is our beautiful twin sister, the city of st. paul, to which by the power of mutual attraction we are growing nearer day by day. the healthy rivalry which has existed between us since we began to grow has benefited both cities, and we now stand before the world phenomenal in growth, each year lengthening our cords and strengthening our stakes, with the sure prospect of becoming, in the near future, a mighty metropolis of the great and powerful northwest. the tender friendships formed there by our family during the early days of the war grow stronger and more binding each year, and will last through eternity; our children will tell to their children of the kindness rendered by dear ones in st. paul to "father and mother" when they were in sore need of loving sympathy, and this legacy of love will be very precious to them. i love to visit this neighboring city, not only because of the warm friendships existing between us, but because that in some indescribable way it seems to have an army atmosphere which makes me feel entirely at home. and sometimes, when, in passing through its streets, i come upon our old, staunch friend, general r. w. johnson, the thoughts of fort snelling, where, years after it ceased to be my home, he won the beautiful miss steele for his bride, stir my heart with pleasant memories, and looking at him now, a handsome, white-haired man, still erect and vigorous, i feel that time has dealt very generously with him, and rejoice that after his many years of faithful service to his country he is still doing his duty, and is most happily situated in every respect. and there is general bishop, one of my husband's "boys" of the brave minnesota second, the very sight of whose kindly face brings up thoughts of mill spring and other battle fields on which he won his "eagle" and his "star," and it gladdens my heart to feel that he, too, still in his prime, is as brave and faithful a civilian as he was a soldier, and that he has a beautiful, hospitable home, which is a rallying point for the survivors of the old regiment, which he loved so well and commanded so successfully. and there are many other military men there, whom it is an honor to know, and who, with the energy which made them successful soldiers, are working earnestly for the good of st. paul, where they have made their homes. when the beautiful edith, searching the field after the bloody battle of hastings, found the body of her beloved, the last of the saxon kings, she saw right over his heart, as she wiped the blood from his wounded side, two words graven thereon: "edith," and beneath it "england." so on my heart, among my precious things, stands "minneapolis," and just beneath it "st. paul." god bless them both and make them truly good, as well as eminently great. _chapter xxi._ looking over the quarter of a century that we have lived quietly and happily in our minneapolis home, i recall some very pleasant satisfying incidents, notably a visit made by my husband and myself to the lovely home of our only daughter in honolulu, the capital of the hawaiian kingdom. we were both enfeebled by sickness and he who has been so gracious to us all our lives, knowing we had need of such a change, provided for it in an unexpected way. we left our home early in december, under the care of our son-in-law and daughter, and, journeying in the comfortable pullman cars, took in the wonders and beauties, so often described, of the overland route to san francisco. it is needless for me to tell you of these wonders. many travelers have so descanted upon them as to make them familiar to all, and yet no words can ever do them justice; they must be seen to be comprehended. comprehended did i say? ah! that can never be; they overwhelm and fill us with awe, make us very quiet, and incline our hearts to silent worship of him whose "works are manifold, and who, in wisdom, hath made them all." as this magnificence unrolls before us like a grand panorama, the deep, dark, rocky canons; the high, snow-capped mountains, sometimes blue and far away like a wondrous picture, with a back ground of clear cloudless sky; the immense plains, with no signs of life, broken here and there by gigantic rocks of most weird fantastic shapes; the picturesque villages, with their church spires, distinct and well-defined against the high overhanging mountains, all combine to carry us out of ourselves, and to make us not only wonder and adore the wisdom of god, but admire the skill and energy of man, which, by god's help, has opened up these grand pictures, and enabled us to see and enjoy them. very early on the morning of our last day's ride, we rounded "cape horn," and halted, as is the custom, for all to have a sight of that masterpiece of the great architect. the mist still lay in the deep gorge and on the mountain sides, and all was perfect unbroken silence. without a word we gazed enraptured on the glorious scene, and waited, as if expectant of some royal presence, to fill this magnificent throne of god's own building. and as we look, behold the heralds! and now the king of day himself, in his chariot of flame, comes forth over the mountain-top, "as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoicing as a strong man to run a race." at his presence, the mists roll away; the mountain sides appear in all their rugged beauty; the american river, like a silver thread, down deep in the mighty gorge, smiles brightly at the coming of the king, and accepting graciously its appointed task, "goes on and on forever." that day's ride was the perfection of enjoyment, full of wonder and beauty, and just as we reached the terminus, the great monarch whose rays had illumined our path all the way, sank gloriously to rest in the "golden gate," rendering our first view of the mighty ocean unspeakably grand. after spending ten days very pleasantly and satisfactorily in the great metropolis of the pacific coast, our party of four embarked on the united states mail steamship, "city of sydney," for the beautiful hawaiian islands, two thousand miles away, in the midst of the sea, which we reached in the remarkably short time of a little less than seven days, having made the quickest trip on record. our voyage was most prosperous, and, with the exception of two days of rough weather at the outset, very pleasant. the ship is a fine one, all its appointments being everything that could be desired. the company was intelligent and agreeable. our party was happy in the anticipation of seeing dear ones in honolulu, and in the near realization of what had been, to some of us, a beautiful dream for years. and were we disappointed? oh, no! no picture of our imagination had ever been so bright, so beautiful as that spread out before us, as our gallant ship sailed majestically through the coral reef into the beautiful harbor of honolulu. it was like entering a new world; everything was bright with tropical splendor. the mountains, in whose hearts had slumbered volcanic fires, which, from time to time, had burst forth, lighting up the great ocean with tartarean brilliancy, and scattering red-hot lava far and wide, now stood up in sublime composure, like ramparts of protection to the lovely island formed by the upheaval. the tall cocoa-nut palms, crowned with their feathery tufts; the rich foliage of the various trees; the gorgeous blossoms; the picturesque, gaily-dressed natives in their arrowy canoes, with luscious fruits, or specimens of coral, shells, and other treasures of the deep; the innumerable little bronze figures darting in and out of the water for bits of coin thrown to them from the deck; and, above all, the dear ones, with happy faces and eager, outstretched hands, awaiting, with loving impatience, the moment of our landing, formed a tableau, which, illumined by the soft, glowing, dreamy atmosphere, made a photograph in my memory which time nor distance can ever efface. our ride through the city, up the nu-u-an-u valley, was one continued surprise and wonder, a bright vision, from which we surely must awaken to sober reality. we knew that, by the almanac, it was the last day but one of the old year, midwinter, a time of frost and snow, and surely these brilliant oleanders, these great scarlet geraniums, these bright hedges of the many-colored lantana were but a fairy scene which might vanish any moment and leave the trees bare and the flowers withered. but when we entered the charming grounds about our children's home, where we were to spend some months, resting and gaining health and vigor, we were fain to believe that it was all real, and that we should sit day after day on the broad veranda, and look at the royal palms, the graceful algeroba, the wide-spreading umbrella trees, the truly regal bougainvillia, with its wealth of purple blossoms, the mexican vine, covered with rose-colored sprays, the soft velvet turf, and the exquisite ferns, and we thanked god that he had brought us, safely and happily, to so beautiful a haven. everything about us was so charming a suggestion of paradise, that even now, after the lapse of many years, the memory of the six months spent in that gem of the pacific, comes to us freighted with a sense of sweetness and peace that savors of the rest of heaven. the society of honolulu, representing many different nationalities, is exceptionally intelligent and cultivated. the climate is simply perfect, the mercury ranging from ° to ° the year round; delicious fruits, lovely flowers and spice bearing shrubs abound. the soil is very fertile and favorable to the production of the best of sugar cane, a high grade of coffee and excellent rice, which are the staple productions and a source of great profit to the islands. a most nutritious and satisfying vegetable universally cultivated there, is the taro, which is to the native hawaiian what the potato is to the irishman. poverty is unknown there, every one has a competence, some are wealthy. education is compulsory, churches and school houses are numerous, and in every way adequate to the needs of the community. the reigning king, kalakaua, is not as wise and strong as solomon, and for many years has been in the hands of an intriguing cabinet, which has been a source of anxiety to those who love the little kingdom, and desire to see it prosper, but it is very gratifying to be able to state, that the evils so much dreaded have been entirely averted, and the government placed in a better condition than it has enjoyed for many years. this was brought about in a proper and orderly way, by the decisive action of the law-abiding citizens, who have formed an entirely new cabinet, altered for the better the constitution, and established a limited monarchy. this change took place only a few months ago, and already its beneficial effects are clearly manifest. the prospects for the islands were never better, and it is sincerely to be hoped by all who wish well to the human race that hawaii-nei may long continue to prosper in every way, and to send light and gladness to the peoples of the insular countries which are scattered like lovely gems all over the beautiful blue ocean. _chapter xxii._ the golden wedding. in the month of march, , we sent to our many friends far and near the following invitation, and the hearty response which we received made march d a day never to be forgotten by ourselves and our children: _lieutenant horatio phillips van cleve, u. s. a., and charlotte ouisconsin clark,_ married _march d, , fort winnebago, michigan territory._ ------ _general and mrs. h. p. van cleve,_ at home _march d, , fifth street s. e., from until o'clock p. m._ _no presents._ the weather seemed as if made for the occasion, the sun shone brightly till its setting, and the old house, which has been our home so long, that we all love it, in spite of its old-fashioned appearance and its entire lack of style, was fitly prepared and adorned by loving hands. a thatched roof over the bay window, prettily arranged, bearing on its front the dates " " and " " in carnations of two colors, made a canopy under which the old man and woman were to sit and receive the congratulations of their friends. over the mantel, opposite them, were arranged the battle flags of the beloved second regiment of minnesota volunteers, with the sword and sash and insignia of rank of its colonel, who led them into battle, and the house was tastefully draped with the "stars and stripes" and many beautiful, significant emblems sent by friends and children. a beautiful bank of fifty golden rosebuds on a background of green, baskets of lovely, fragrant flowers, one of orange blossoms from oakland, california, a pot containing a tall bermuda lily with two large blossoms and several buds, and many bouquets of rich, rare flowers gave to the reception-room a brightness and loveliness which cannot be fitly described. at o'clock the survivors of the old regiment came in, under command of our dear friend, general j. w. bishop, of st. paul, bringing hearty congratulations to their old colonel, and after a short time spent in a pleasant converse, the general, in a most appropriate address presented to him, whom they honored, an elegant gold-headed cane, bearing the inscription: "presented to general h. p. van cleve by surviving members of the second regiment, minnesota veteran volunteer infantry, golden wedding, march , ." this was a perfect surprise, and the gift was acknowledged in a few fitting words. after a pleasant chat of old war experiences and some light refreshments the veterans said "good-bye" and departed, leaving very grateful, pleasant thoughts in the hearts of those whom their presence had honored and made glad. another surprise awaited us. our little grandchild pauline van cleve, a year and a half old, side by side with her cousin rebecca, a few months older, toddled up to "grandma" and presented her with a cluster of fourteen golden rosebuds, one for each grandchild, and our granddaughter charlotte van cleve recited very sweetly "the old man and his bride," by dr. holland. many sweet poems and loving letters from friends far and near, and many valuable, beautiful presents from dear ones, testified their love and kind regard for us, and are treasured by us among our most precious things, to be highly valued by our children when we shall have passed away. cake and coffee were served through the evening, the fruit cake being baked in the same pan which was used fifty years before, when i, a girl of sixteen, made my "wedding cake." it has been in constant use ever since, and is a plain affair which shows the marks of time, but which, with ordinary care, will last through at least another generation. our friend, rev. dr. neill, spoke to us in his usual felicitous manner, and his address was full of pleasant reminiscences. our pastor, rev. dr. stryker, recited a poem composed by himself for the occasion, and the evening passed most enjoyably, and, with many wishes that we might keep our diamond wedding, our friends bade us "good night" and went their several ways. then came to us a full realization that we had walked beside each other half a century, and our thoughts went back to the old quarters at fort winnebago, where side by side we stood in the freshness of youth, with life all before us, and promised "to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish each other till death us do part," and as we looked into each other's eyes, heart answered to heart, "we have kept our vows." "and looking backward through the years along the way our feet have pressed, we see sweet places everywhere-- sweet places, where our souls had rest. for though some human hopes of ours are dead and buried from our sight, yet from their graves immortal flowers have sprung, and blossomed into light. our sorrows have not been so light, god's chastening hand we could not trace; nor have our blessings been so great that they have hid our father's face." and we thanked him that he "had mercifully ordained that we should grow old together." and now, laying down my pen, i say to all who have followed me through these memories: "good night, dear friends. god bless you every one." * * * * * transcriber's notes the table of contents does not appear in the original book. minor punctuation errors and the following typos in the original book have been corrected to reflect the author's intention. pg. : hzzaard to hazard (son-in-law, mr. hazard,) pg. : lenghtening to lengthening (lengthening shadows) pg. : parent's to parents' (parents' murder) pg. : off to of (telling of the sioux scalps) pg. - : decased to deceased (respect for the deceased, this) pg. : fondnes to fondness (for consistency; fondness on pg. ) pg. : nd to and (and the harbor-bar be moaning.") the following inconsistencies were left as is. pg. : mrs. apthorp's seminary pg. : "mrs. apthorpe's school for young ladies" pg. : mitch-ele-mack-i-nack pg. : mich-e-li-mac-i-nac all other questionable spellings were left as in the original book. note: project gutenberg also has an html version of this file which includes the original illustrations. see -h.htm or -h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/ / / / / / -h/ -h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/ / / / / / -h.zip) trees, fruits and flowers of minnesota [illustration: monument erected in lobby of west hotel, minneapolis, place of annual meeting of the society, december to . height of monument, feet. number of bushels of apples used, twenty-five. enlarged seal of the society on its front.] embracing the transactions of the minnesota state horticultural society from december , , to december , , including the twelve numbers of "the minnesota horticulturist" for . edited by the secretary, a. w. latham, office and library, kasota block, minneapolis, minn. vol. xliv. [illustration: minnesota state horticultural society "perseverantia vincimus" organized .] minneapolis harrison & smith co., printers while it is not the intention to publish anything in this magazine that is misleading or unreliable, yet it must be remembered that the articles published herein recite the experience and opinions of their writers, and this fact must always be noted in estimating their practical value. the minnesota horticulturist vol. january, no. president's greeting, annual meeting, . thos. e. cashman, president. this is the forty-ninth annual meeting of the minnesota state horticultural society. nearly half a century has elapsed since that little band of pioneers met in rochester and organized that they might work out a problem that had proven too difficult for any of them to handle single handed and alone. those men were all anxious to raise at least sufficient fruit for themselves and families. they had tried and failed. they were not willing to give up. they knew they could accomplish more by interchanging ideas, and, furthermore, if they were able to learn anything by experience they wanted to pass it on to their neighbors. those men built better than they knew. the foundation was properly laid, and the structure, while not finished, is an imposing one. a great many people believe that this structure has been completed, that we have reached our possibilities in fruit raising. this is only half true. we are still building on this splendid foundation erected by those few enthusiasts. none of those men are left to enjoy the benefits of their labor. the present generation and the generations to come are and will be the beneficiaries, and i believe as a tribute to their memory and the good that they have done that we should fittingly celebrate our fiftieth anniversary. at this time i can not suggest how this should be done; i simply make this suggestion in hopes that it may be worked out. i was in hopes that a home for this society might have been erected this year or at least made ready for the meeting. this would surely have been an occasion worthy of the anniversary which we hope to celebrate. the building committee appointed by the last meeting went before the legislature and tried with all the eloquence at their command to make the members of the legislature see the necessity of appropriating sufficient money to build a permanent home for this organization. the members saw the force of our argument, but we could not convince a majority of the appropriation committee that they should deviate from their plan of retrenchment which seemed to permeate their every act. we were disappointed but not disheartened. we were promised better success in the session. so we are living in hopes, and i firmly believe that if our efforts are renewed at that time that this and the auxiliary societies may have an opportunity of meeting and transacting business in a home that, while it will belong to the state, will be for the use of these organizations, and that we may be able to take up our abode in it not later than the winter meeting of . secretary latham has prepared an excellent program for you. many friends of this society are with us again, full of enthusiasm and vigor, and i know that we will have one of the most successful meetings ever enjoyed by this organization. owing to the fullness of the program, i should consider it an imposition on my part if i should attempt to make an extended address at this time and will hasten to call on the gentlemen who are to contribute to the success of this meeting. [illustration: new varieties of strawberries originated at the minnesota state fruit-breeding farm.] annual meeting, , minnesota state horticultural society. a. w. latham, secretary. did you attend the meeting of this association, held in the west hotel, minneapolis, four days, december - inclusive? of course as a member of the society you will get in cold print the substance of the papers and discussions that were presented at this meeting, but you will fail altogether in getting the wonderful inspiration that comes from contact with hundreds of persons deeply interested in the various phases of horticultural problems that are constantly passing in review during the succeeding sessions of the meeting. with such a varied program there is hardly any problem connected with horticulture that is not directly or indirectly touched upon at our annual gathering, and the present meeting was no exception to this. in all there were sixty-nine persons on the program, and with the exception of prof. whitten, whom we expected with us from the missouri state university, and whom sickness kept at home, and one other number, every person on the program was on hand to perform the part assigned to him. isn't this really a wonderful thing where so many are concerned, emphasizing as it does the large interest felt in the work of the society? the meeting was held in the same room in the west hotel which was used for the banquet two years ago. it seats comfortably , and was approximately filled at all of the sessions of the meeting. at the first session there were in attendance about when the meeting opened at ten o'clock tuesday morning. later in the morning the seats were practically all filled. making allowance for the change in the personnel of those in attendance at the various meetings, it is easily within the limit to say that between and were in attendance at these meetings. immediately adjoining the audience room on the same floor, and opening out of the spacious balcony, were the various rooms occupied by the fruit exhibit and the vegetable exhibit. the plant exhibit was in two alcoves on this balcony, and the cut flowers were displayed along either side of the balcony, making altogether a wonderful showing of nature's floral products. the accommodations for this meeting were almost ideal, and judging from the expressions of the members we have never been more happily situated than on this occasion. i have endeavored to draw a plan of the arrangements at this meeting and submit it to you, not for criticism, but to assist you in understanding the situation. we were greatly disappointed that prof. whitten was detained at home by illness, but others from abroad took up the time so that there was really no interim as a result of his absence. we were fortunate in having with us the last day and a part of thursday afternoon sen. h.m. dunlap and mrs. dunlap, and their parts on the program were listened to with intense interest, and i am sure much good was gained for our membership from the service they rendered the society, which it must be understood is a gratuitious one--indeed that applies to all of those whose names appear upon the program. that is one good thing about the horticulturist, he is willing to tell what he knows for the benefit of others. to hold any other view than this would be too narrow and selfish certainly for the true lover of horticulture. the exhibits were in every case in excess of what we anticipated. notwithstanding the light crop of apples in the larger portion of the state, there was really a fine showing, and quality was very high. of boxes of apples there were shown eleven, and of barrels of apples six, for each one of which exhibits some premium was paid, as besides the first, second and third premiums in each case there was also a sum to be divided pro rata. there were twenty-nine pecks of apples exhibited, for which premiums were also paid in the same way. four collections of top-worked apples were on the list. premiums were awarded to forty seedling apples, an exceedingly good showing for the season. as to the number of single plates shown the record is not easily available, but the accompanying list of awards will give information as far as they are concerned, there being of course many plates to which no awards were made. the vegetable exhibit was an extraordinarily fine one and filled comfortably the convenient room assigned for its use. it was excellently managed by mr. n.h. reeves, president of the minneapolis market gardeners' association. as to the flower exhibit under the fine management of w.h. bofferding, it was so much better than we anticipated that it is hard to find words suitably to express our thought in regard to it. besides the splendid collections of plants and the large display of cut flowers from the state, there was shown from several eastern parties rare flowers, many of them new productions, which had a great deal to do with the beautiful appearance of the balcony, where all of these flowers were shown. [illustration: sketch showing arrangement of hall and adjacent rooms, &c., used at annual meeting, in west hotel, minneapolis.] mention ought to be made of the monument erected in the center of the lobby on the ground floor of the west hotel, a structure ten feet high, containing at its base some dozen or fifteen single layer boxes of choice apples and on its sides something like twenty bushels of apples put on in varying shades of red and green with a handsome ornamental plant crowning the whole. the seal of the society decorated with national colors appears upon the front. the picture taken of this monument is shown as a frontispiece of this number. it is incomplete in that the photographer cut off both ends of it, which is unfortunate in results obtained. nevertheless it helped materially to advertise the meeting and was a distinct ornament in the lobby. as to subjects in which there was a special interest on our program, the only one to which i will here refer is that of "marketing," which received particular attention from a considerable number of those on the program or taking impromptu parts at the meeting. the ladies' federation assisted us splendidly on the woman's auxiliary program, one number, that by mrs. jennison, being beautifully illustrated by lantern slides. delegates from abroad as usual and visitors were with us in considerable number. prof. f. w. brodrick came from winnipeg, representing the manitoba society; prof. n. e. hansen, as usual, represented the south dakota society; mr. earl ferris, of hampton, ia., the northeastern iowa society; and mr. a. n. greaves, from sturgeon bay, wis., the wisconsin society. we were especially favored in having with us also on this occasion mr. n. a. rasmusson, president of the wisconsin horticultural society, and secretary frederick cranefield of the same society. if all the members of that society are as wide awake as these three the minnesota society will have to look to its laurels. i must not fail to mention mr. b. g. street, from hebron, ill., who was present throughout the meeting, an earnest brother, and gave us a practical talk on "marketing." our friend, chas. f. gardner, of osage, iowa, managed to get here friday morning after the close of the meeting of the iowa horticultural society, which he had been attending, and so spent the last day of the meeting with us. welcome, brother gardner! the meeting would certainly have been incomplete without the presence of those old veterans and long time attendants at our annual gatherings, geo. j. kellogg and a. j. philips, both from the wisconsin society. we need you, dear brothers, and hope you may long foregather with us. as to that war horse of horticulture, c. s. harrison, of york, nebr., what would our meeting be without the fireworks in language which he has provided now for many of these annual occasions. the wonderful life and sparkle of his message survives with us from year to year, and we look forward eagerly to his annual coming. there were three contestants who spoke from the platform in competition for the prizes offered from the gideon memorial fund as follows: first prize--g. a. nelson, university farm school, st. paul. second--a. w. aamodt, university farm school, st. paul. third--p. l. keene, university farm school, st. paul. their addresses were all of a practical character and will appear in our monthly. prof. richard wellington conducted a fruit judging contest, in connection with which there was a large interest, and prizes were awarded as follows: d. c. webster, la crescent, first $ . p. l. keene, university farm, st. paul, second . marshall hurtig, st. paul, third . at the annual election the old officers whose terms had expired were all re-elected without opposition, and later the secretary was re-elected by the executive board for the coming year, so that no change whatever was made in the management of the society. j. m. underwood, being absent in the south, was nevertheless re-elected by the board as its chairman for the coming year. a pleasant event of this gathering was the presentation of a handsome gold watch and chain to the secretary, a memento in connection with the termination of his twenty-fifth year as secretary of the society, which expression of appreciation on the part of the members it may well be believed was fully appreciated by the recipient. the hall was brilliantly decorated with the national colors, which had never been used before at any of our annual gatherings. what can be more beautiful than the stars and stripes entwined with the colors of foliage and flower. never has our place of meeting shown so brightly or been more enjoyed than in this favorable environment. during the meeting upon the recommendation of the executive board there were five names by the unanimous vote of the society placed upon the honorary life membership roll of the society, as follows: john bisbee, madelia; j. r. cummins, minneapolis; chas. haralson, excelsior; f. w. kimball, waltham, and s. h. drum, owatonna. the meeting closed with seventy-five members in the hall by actual count at : , and we certainly hated to say the parting word to those whom we earnestly hope to gather with again a year hence. what can we say about the crowning event of our meeting, the annual banquet? two hundred and two members sat down together and fraternized in a most congenial way. gov. w. s. hammond was the speaker of the evening and greatly enjoyed. all the other numbers on the program were on hand to perform their parts. here follows the program and you can judge for yourself. why don't you come and enjoy this most entertaining event of the meeting? program. prof. n.e. hansen, toastmaster. grace rev. j. kimball, duluth opening song trafford n. jayne, minneapolis why wake up the dreamers--aren't they getting their share? prof. e. g. cheyney, university farm, st. paul reading miss marie bon, minneapolis what joy in the garden, provided e. e. park, minneapolis every true horticulturist has a private rainbow with a pot of gold at the end mrs. t. a. hoverstad, minneapolis song s. grace updegraff bergen, minneapolis the joy of service gov. w. s. hammond what care i while i live in a garden a. g. long, minneapolis song trafford n. jayne, minneapolis never too late to mend--unless you are " ," a. j. philips, west salem, wis. reading miss marie bon right living and happiness--you can't have one without the other, t. e. archer, st. paul closing song trafford n. jayne, minneapolis * * * * * "don'ts" issued to prevent forest fires.-- . don't throw your match away until you are sure it is out. . don't drop cigarette or cigar butts until the glow is extinguished. . don't knock out your pipe ashes while hot or where they will fall into dry leaves or other inflammable material. . don't build a camp fire any larger than is absolutely necessary. . don't build a fire against a tree, a log, or a stump, or anywhere but on bare soil. . don't leave a fire until you are sure it is out; if necessary smother it with earth or water. . don't burn brush or refuse in or near the woods if there is any chance that the fire may spread beyond your control, or that the wind may carry sparks where they would start a new fire. . don't be any more careless with fire in the woods than you are with fire in your own home. . don't be idle when you discover a fire in the woods; if you can't put it out yourself, get help. where a forest guard, ranger or state fire warden can be reached, call him up on the nearest telephone you can find. . don't forget that human thoughtlessness and negligence are the causes of more than half of the forest fires in this country, and that the smallest spark may start a conflagration that will result in loss of life and destruction of timber and young growth valuable not only for lumber but for their influence in helping to prevent flood, erosion, and drought.--u.s. dept. agri., forest service. award of premiums, annual meeting, , minnesota state horticultural society. the list of awards following will give in full detail the awards made in connection with the fruit exhibit: vegetables. carrots chas. krause, merriam park second . celeriac " " third . cabbage j. t. olinger, hopkins second . carrots " " third . onions (red) " " second . onions (yellow) " " fourth . celeriac daniel gantzer, merriam park first . lettuce " " third . onions (red) " " third . onions (white) " " fourth . onions (yellow) " " second . onions (pklg) " " second . beets karl kochendorfer, so. park third . carrots c. e. warner, osseo first . onions (white) " " first . beets mrs. john gantzer. st. paul first . cabbages " " fourth . onions (red) " " first . onions (yellow) " " first . beets mrs. edw. haeg, minneapolis second . cabbages " " third . celeriac " " second . carrots alfred perkins, st. paul fourth . lettuce " " first . onions (red) " " fourth . onions (white) " " first . onions (yellow) " " third . onions (white) h. g. groat, anoka second . onions (pickling) " " fourth . beets chas. krause, merriam park fourth . cabbages " " first . lettuce mrs. edw. haeg, minneapolis second . onions (white pklg) " " third . onions (white) aug. sauter, excelsior third . globe onions (red) p. h. peterson, atwater first . salsify mrs. john gantzer, st. paul first . turnips (white) " " first . rutabagas " " fourth . parsley mrs. edw. haeg, minneapolis fourth . hubbard squash " " third . potatoes c. w. pudham, osseo fourth . hubbard squash " " fourth . potatoes frank dunning, anoka second . pie pumpkins " " first . hubbard squash " " second . turnips (white) alfred perkins, st. paul fourth . potatoes fred scherf, osseo first . rutabagas " " first . pie pumpkins " " fourth . parsley chas. krause. merriam park third . parsnips " " first . salsify chas. krause, merriam park second . turnips (white) " " second . parsnips j. t. olinger, hopkins third . turnips " " third . rutabagas " " second . parsley daniel gantzer second . parsnips " " second . pie pumpkins " " second . parsnips karl k. kochendorfer, so. park fourth . potatoes aug. bueholz, osseo third . hubbard squash " " first . rutabagas " " third . parsley frank l. gerten, so. st. paul first . pie pumpkins " " third . radishes " " first . e. o. ballard, judge. collection of apples. collection of apples p. clausen, albert lea $ . collection of apples henry husser, minneiska . collection of apples d. c. webster, la crescent . collection of apples p. h. perry, excelsior . collection of apples f. i. harris. la crescent . collection of apples w. s. widmoyer, la crescent . single plates of apples. yahnke f. i. harris, la crescent first $. utter w. s. widmoyer, la crescent first . n.w. greening " " first . malinda " " second . plumb's cider " " first . patten's greening f. w. powers, minneapolis first . duchess " " first . malinda f. i. harris, la crescent third . peerless " " first . wolf river " " second . wealthy " " second . antonovka " " second . fameuse " " second . gilbert " " first . duchess p. h. perry, excelsior third . yellow transparent " " first . tetofsky " " first . charlamoff " " third . yahnke " " second . evelyn " " first . lowland raspberry p. clausen, albert lea second . hibernal " " first . okabena francis willis, excelsior first . milwaukee " " first . patten's greening " " second . longfield " " second . university " " first . longfield p. h. perry, excelsior first . fameuse " " third . hibernal e. w. mayman, sauk rapids second . wealthy sil matzke, so. st. paul first . peerless " " second . n.w. greening " " second . mcmahon " " first . yellow transparent henry husser second . fameuse " " first . walbridge " " first . mcmahon d. c. webster, la crescent third . n.w. greening " " third . brett " " first . gideon " " first . superb " " first . okabena m. oleson, montevideo second . peerless " " third . hibernal " " third . longfield " " third . university " " second . charlamoff henry husser, minneiska second . mcmahon " " second . wolf river " " first . jewell's winter " " first . anisim p. clausen, albert lea first . jewell's winter " " second . antonovka " " first . iowa beauty " " first . yahnke " " third . borovinca " " first . patten's greening p. h. peterson, atwater third . malinda " " first . okabena " " third . lord's l. " " first . lowland raspberry " " first . charlamoff " " first . duchess " " second . tetofsky w. j. tingley, forest lake second . wealthy h. b. hawkes, excelsior third . grimes' golden p. h. peterson, atwater first . jno. p. andrews, judge. seedling apples. early winter--arnt johnson, viroqua, wis. $ . " " --w.s. widmoyer, la crescent . " " --j. flagstad & sons, sacred heart . " " --no. --henry rodenberg, mindora, wis. . " " --no. -- " " . " " --no. -- " " . " " --no. -- " " . " " --no. -- " " . " " --no. -- " " . " " --dr. o. m. huestis, minneapolis . " " --jacob halvorson, delavan . " " --no. --henry rodenberg, mindora, wis. . " " --no. -- " " . " " --no. -- " " . " " --no. -- " " . " " --h. h. pond, minneapolis . " " " . " " " . " " " . " " --henry husser, minneiska . " " --o. o.--m. oleson, montevideo . " " --o. k.-- " . " " --g. n.-- " . " " --g. s.-- " . " " --e. t.--m. oleson . " " --e. a. gross, la moille . " " -- " . " " -- " . " " --no. --arnt johnson, viroqua, wis. . late winter--no. --henry rodenberg, mindora, wis. . " " --no. -- " " . " " --no. -- " " . " " --no. -- " " . " " --no. -- " " . " " --no. -- " " . " " --no. -- " " . " " w. s. widmoyer, la crescent . " " --chas. ziseh, dresbach . " " --j. a. howard, hammond . " " " . " " --f. w. powers, excelsior . " " --j. flagstad & sons, sacred heart . " " henry husser, minneiska . " " --no. --henry rodenberg, mindora, wis. . clarence wedge, n. e. hansen, judges. collection of top-worked apples. collection of top-worked p. h. peterson, atwater . collection of top-worked p. clausen, albert lea . collection of top-worked henry husser, minneiska . collection of top-worked w. s. widmoyer, dresbach . dewain cook, judge. pecks of apples. n.w. greenings aug. sauter, excelsior . wealthy h .b. hawkes, excelsior . wealthy p. h. peterson, atwater . fameuse henry husser, minneiska . wolf river " " . peerless " " . n.w. greening " " . n.w. greening d. c. webster, la crescent . wealthy " " . bethel " " . scotts' winter " " . wealthy w. p. burow, la crescent . n.w. greening " " . wealthy e. w. mayman, sauk rapids . hibernal e. w. mayman, sauk rapids . wealthy francis willis, excelsior . duchess " " . okabena " " . milwaukee " " . wealthy p. h. perry, excelsior . fameuse " " . seedlings " " . peter " " . wealthy f. i. harris, la crescent . n.w. greening " " . seedlings t. e. perkins, red wing . n.w. greenings f. w. powers, minneapolis . wealthy " " . duchess r. e. olmstead, excelsior . geo. w. strand, judge. bushel boxes of apples. wealthy--h. b. hawkes, excelsior . wealthy--p. h. peterson, atwater . wealthy--henry husser, minneiska . wealthy--d. c. webster, la crescent first . n.w. greening--w. p. burow, la crescent . wealthy--p. h. perry, excelsior . wealthy--j. f. bartlett, excelsior third . wealthy--f. i. harris, la crescent second . n.w. greenings--f. w. powers, excelsior . wealthy--f. w. powers, excelsior . wealthy--s. h. drum, owatonna . w. g. brierley, judge. barrels of apples. h. b. hawkes, excelsior . henry husser, minneiska . d. c. webster, la crescent first . w. p. burow, la crescent . wealthy--p. h. perry, excelsior third . f. i. harris, la crescent second . w. g. brierley, judge. collection grapes. collection grapes--sil matzke, so. st. paul first . george w. strand, judge. nuts. walnuts henry husser, minneiska first . butternuts " " first . hickory nuts " " second . hickory nuts d. c. webster, la crescent first . h. j. ludlow, judge. plants. palms minneapolis floral co. first $ . ferns " " third . blooming plants " " third . ferns merriam park floral co. first . blooming plants " " first . palms l. s. donaldson co., mpls. second . ferns " " second . blooming plants " " second . cut flowers. carnations (pink) l. s. donaldson co., mpls. third . carnations (white) " " second . roses (red) minneapolis floral co. third . roses (white) " " third . roses (yellow) " " first . roses (red) n. neilson, mankato first . roses (pink) " " first . roses (white) " " first . roses (yellow) " " second . roses (pink) hans rosacker, minneapolis second . roses (red) " " second . roses (white) " " second . carnations (white) " " first . carnations (pink) " " second . carnations (red) " " first . carnations (red) minneapolis floral co. second . carnations (pink) " " first . carnations (white) " " third . chrysanthemums (yellow) john e. sten, red wing first . chrysanthemums (any color) " " first . chrysanthemums (any color) minneapolis floral co. second . chrysanthemums (yellow) l. s. donaldson co., mpls. second . chrysanthemums (any color) " " third . flowers. basket for effect minneapolis floral co. first $ . bridesmaid bouquet minneapolis floral co. first diploma corsage bouquet minneapolis floral co. first diploma bridal bouquet minneapolis floral co. first diploma o. j. olson, judge. judging contest of hennepin county high schools. (held at annual meeting, december , .) the contest consisted of the judging of three crops, apples, potatoes and corn. two varieties of each crop were used. each school was represented by a team of three men. each man was allowed as perfect score on each crop or a total perfect team score of points. two high schools entered the contest, namely central high, minneapolis, and wayzata high. central high, of minneapolis, won first with a total score of . . wayzata ranked second with a score of . minneapolis won on apples and potatoes, wayzata winning on the corn judging. chester groves, of wayzata, was high man of the contest. county adviser k. a. kirkpatrick, gives a banner to the winning school. judges of the contest were: apples, prof. t. m. mccall, crookston; potatoes, prof. r. wellington, a. w. aamodt; corn, prof. r. l. mackintosh. fruit judging contest. (at annual meeting, december, .) one of the important features of the wednesday afternoon program of the state horticultural society was the apple judging contest. this contest was open to all members of the society and students of the agricultural college. the contest consisted of the judging of four plates each of ten standard varieties. the total score of each contestant was considered by allowing per cent for identification of varieties, per cent for oral reasons and per cent for correct placings. the prizes offered were: first, $ . ; second, $ . ; third, $ . . d.c. webster of la crescent, ranked first; p.l. keene, university farm, second; and marshall hertig, third. score first--d. c. webster - / second--p. l. keene - / third--marshall hertig - / fourth--timber lake - / there were twelve men in the contest. judges: prof. t. m. mccall, crookston; frederick cranefield, wisconsin; prof. e. c. magill, wayzata. annual report, , collegeville trial station. rev. john b. katzner, supt. it is with pleasure and satisfaction that we are able to make a material correction of our estimate of this year's apple crop as noted in our midsummer report. we stated that apples would be about per cent of a normal crop, and now we are happy to say it was fully per cent. we picked twice as many apples as we anticipated. considering that, as prof. le roy cady informed us, the apple crop would be rather small farther south and that they would practically get no apples at the state farm, we may well be satisfied with our crop. in general, the apple crop was not so bad farther north as it was farther south in the state. this may have been due to the blossoms not being so far advanced here when the frost touched them as farther south. the best bearing varieties this year were the wealthy, charlamoff and duchess, in the order named. these three kinds gave us the bulk of the crop. the wealthy trees were not overloaded, and the apples were mostly fine, clean and large. the charlamoffs were bearing a heavy crop of beautiful, large-sized apples and were ahead of the duchess this year. the hibernals, too, were fairly good bearers. most other varieties had some fruit, but it was not perfect; it showed only too well the effect of frost. more than half of the blossoms were destroyed. many flowers were badly injured and though they were setting fruit the result of frost showed off plainly on the apples. while some had normal size and form, many of them were below size, gnarled, cracked or undeveloped and abnormal. most all of them had rough blotches or rings about the calix or around the body. malformed apples were picked not larger than a crab, with rough, cracked, leather-like skin, which looked more like a black walnut than an apple. of plums only some young trees gave us a good crop of nice, perfect fruit. the old trees have seen their best days and will have to give place to the new kinds as soon as they are tested. we have quite a variety of the new kinds on trial from the minnesota state fruit-breeding farm and wish to say that they are very vigorous growers. many of them made a growth of four feet and more. we expect that some will bear next year and we are only waiting to see what the fruit will be before making a selection for a new plum orchard. we have already selected no. for that purpose, as one tree was bearing most beautiful and excellent plums, of large size and superior quality, this year. they were one and three-fourths inches long by five and one-half inches in circumference and weighed two ounces each. they kept more than week before they got too soft for handling and are better than many a california plum. it seems to us if a man had ten acres of these plum trees, he could make a fortune out of them. we will propagate only the very best kinds for our own use and may have more to say about them another year. [illustration: cluster of alpha grapes from collegeville.] two or three of the imported pears bloomed again last spring, but the frost was too severe and they set no fruit. we have lost all interest in them and so, too, in our german seedling pears. the latter are now used as stocks and are being grafted with chinese and hybrid pears. of those already grafted this way some have made a growth of four and five feet. we have been successful in grafting the six varieties of hybrid pears obtained last spring from prof. n.e. hansen, of brookings, s. dak., and have trees of every variety growing. these, too, are very good growers, have fine large leaves and are promising. from the manner of growth in stem and leaf we would judge that at least two distinct asiatic varieties have been used in breeding. we have gathered a little grafting wood and next spring some more german seedlings will lose their tops. it is only from continued efforts that success may be obtained in growing pears in minnesota. who would have thought it possible that in spite of all the frost and cold rains we would get a pretty good crop of cherries? and yet this is a fact. we have four varieties, and among them is one originated by the late clem. schmidt, of springfield, minn., which was bearing a good crop of very fine cherries while the three other sorts did not do a thing. to get ahead of the many birds we picked the cherries a few days before they were ripe and put them up in thirty-two half-gallon jars. as the cherries become very soft when dead-ripe, it was of advantage to can them when they were still hard. these canned cherries are meaty and most delicious. we never tasted any better. it is only a pity that this seedling cherry is not quite hardy. as most everywhere in the state, our grapes were a complete failure. the early growth with its good showing of fruit having been frozen in may, it was well toward the end of june when the vines had recovered from the shock and were able to grow vigorously again. there were a few grapes on some of the vines, but they never got ripe. the alpha showed the most fruit, and a few bunches were just about getting ripe when the frost spoiled them. this may freeze was more severe than we thought it was. the wood of the old vines was not injured, but the one year old wood of young plants was killed to the ground. the lesson we learned from this is very important. it may be stated that vines full of sap and in growing condition can endure very little cold, but when the wood is ripe and dormant the vines will seldom be injured by sub-zero weather. this injury to vines from frost might have been averted at least in part by precautionary measures. in other countries people start smoldering fires, making much smoke in the vineyard so that the whole is covered with a cloud of smoke. this raises the temperature a few degrees and keeps the frost out. such preventive means might have been used here very well to save the grapes, but it was not done. our currants were not very good; they ripened unevenly and showed that they, too, were touched by frost. a few bushes were also attacked by the currant worm. we never cultivated any raspberries before. but last year we planted raspberry no. , sent to us from the fruit-breeding farm. this sort is a very vigorous grower; some canes grew over six feet high. it fruited this year; it is very prolific; the fruit is very large and of good quality. it would be quite satisfactory if it were a little hardier. not being protected more than half of the plants were lost last winter. but the everbearing strawberry no. received from the fruit-breeding farm is a complete success. they were properly planted and well taken care of. all flowers were removed up to july th and then left alone. in early august the first berries were picked, and we kept right on picking till the frost killed the fruit stalks. the growing of this strawberry will be continued. a new bed will be planted next spring with young plants that were not allowed to bear last season. the fruit was all that could be desired, fine, large and of very good quality. it seems to be of greater advantage to grow the everbearing than the june-bearing sorts. the everbearing planted in spring will grow a large crop in fall and bear again in june next year. from the first we get two crops in fifteen months, from the second two crops in three years. and to fruit any sort oftener than two seasons is not considered very profitable. most all trees of apples, pears, plums, evergreens and grafts which were planted last spring, have done very well, and we don't know of any that failed to grow. the hybrid plums received last spring are all alive. the same may be said of the norway pine obtained from the minnesota state forester, w. f. cox, not one failing to grow. if evergreens are handled right in transplanting they are just as sure to grow as any other trees. this year was especially favorable for transplanting on account of the many rains and cool weather. this, too, was the kind of weather which pleased our vegetable gardener. he found it scarcely ever necessary throughout the season to apply water to the growing plants for their best development. all grew fine and large. cabbage heads were grown that weighed thirty-five pounds; carrots, onions, beets, lettuce and in fact all the different varieties were first-class. yet there was something that did not please the gardener nor ourselves, namely, the tomatoes did not get ripe. we had a few early kinds all right, but the bulk, the large, fine varieties, were hanging on the vines still green when the first heavy frost touched them. it was too cool for them to ripen. the same may be said of the melons. not once did we have melons at table this year. they were too poor to be served. our floral plantings were a great success. the many artistic foliage designs developed wonderfully and were the admiration of all visitors. our peonies were a mass of exceedingly beautiful flowers, filling the air with fragrance as of roses. we are not surprised that these flowers have gained so much popularity of late, for their great beauty and ease of culture recommend them to all lovers of flowers. the dahlias, too, were very excellent; in fact, we never saw them better. they are quite ornamental in flower and plant. the newer varieties have exceptionally large flowers, but the plants do not show off so well and bend down from the weight of the flowers. for symmetry and uniformity of growth the old varieties are hard to be excelled. some of the roses were not so good as desired, the buds got too much rain at times and rotted away. the mock oranges, syringas and others were all very good, but the spireas suffered much when in flower from rains. as a whole, however, our lawns and grounds were beautiful and satisfactory and the new greenhouse has done good work. the growing of fruit this year has been a disappointment to many horticulturists. indeed, some got quite a showing of fruit in favored localities, but the majority got not much of a crop to be proud of. well, we cannot regulate the weather conditions, but we are pleased with the thought that such abnormal conditions are not of frequent occurrence in minnesota. yet there is one redeeming feature of the season and that is, the wonderful growth of plants and trees which gives promise that with the usual normal conditions our expectations for a better fruit crop will be realized. * * * * * storing cabbage in the field.--in choosing a site for a storage pit, select a ridge, well drained and as gravelly a soil as possible. the pit should be to inches deep, the length and width depending upon the amount to be stored. it is well to have it wide enough to accommodate to heads on the bottom row. in harvesting the heads, pull up by the roots. break off only the dead or diseased leaves, and fold the remaining leaves over the head as much as possible to protect them. overripe or cracked heads should not be stored. the heads are placed in the pit with their heads down and roots up. the second layer is also placed heads down between the roots of the first layer. it is well not to have more than two layers, on account of the weight having a tendency to crush the lower layer. when the cabbages are put in place they are covered with a layer of earth. when cold weather comes, straw or manure can be added. cabbages can often be kept better in pits than in common cellars.--e. f. mckune, colorado agricultural college, fort collins, colorado. wintering of bees. francis jager, apiarist, university farm, st. paul. the winter losses of bees in minnesota are great every year. bee keepers can reduce these losses by preparing bees for their winter-quarters. the chief known cause for winter losses are: queenlessness, smallness of number of bees in colonies, insufficient food, improper food, dampness, bad air, the breaking of the clusters, and low temperature. more colonies die from lack of food and from cold than from all other causes. in fact, most of the other causes can be traced to lack of food and cold. queenless colonies will certainly die in a few months. if the number of bees in a colony is small the clusters cannot generate enough heat or keep it generated and the bees will perish. to avoid this, small colonies should be united in the fall into one big colony. bees must have food in the winter in order to generate heat. about forty pounds of honey to the colony should be provided when the bees are put into winter-quarters. should the colony be short of honey of its own, finished frames may be supplied early in the fall or sugar syrup may be fed. bee keepers should keep about one well filled extracting frame out of every seven for feeding purposes. dark (not amber) honey is poor food for bees in winter. all black honey should be removed and combs of white honey should be substituted. experiments made by dr. phillips, in washington, d. c., have shown that bees consume least honey and winter best when the temperature inside the hive is degrees fahrenheit. dampness in a cellar causes the comb and frames of the hive walls and cover to get damp and mouldy, and the bees perish from wet and cold after exhausting their vitality in generating heat. bees need fresh air. foul air will cause excitement, causing an overheated condition; and the bees will scatter and die. any excitement among bees in winter is fatal. cellars on high ground, covered with straw over timbers, are best for wintering bees. if the bee cluster divides or splits up during the winter, the smaller clusters will perish from cold. the present style of hoffman frames divides the bee cluster into eleven divisions separated from each other by a sheet of wax comb, with no direct communication between different divisions except over, below or around the frames. if the bee cluster contracts during the winter on account of cold the divisions of the outside frames are sometimes left behind and die. some bee keepers perforate their frames to keep an easy passage for bees from one compartment to another. if kept warm, even weak colonies may pass over or around the frames without much difficulty. when cold, only the strongest will be able to accomplish this difficult task. wintering bees in division hives or in two story hives, which give them a horizontal bee space through the middle between the two divisions, is highly recommended for successful wintering. [illustration: francis jager, professor of apiculture, university farm, st. paul.] in long-continued severe cold the bee clusters will contract into a very small, compact mass. the tendency of this cluster is to move upward where the air is warmer. if enough honey is stored above them they will keep in contact with it. if the honey is stored at the side, the bees sometimes lose their contact with it and die of starvation and cold. this is another argument in favor of wintering in two story hives. often they will move towards one corner and die there, leaving the other corners filled with honey. if you must winter in one story hives give bees plenty of honey in the fall and place the cluster at one side of the hive so that they move necessarily toward the honey supply. bees should be kept in a cellar at a temperature of about degrees. the difference in the temperature between the outside and the inside of the hive will be between and degrees. very strong colonies, no matter where kept, will keep themselves warm and will survive any degree of cold, but there is no doubt that their vitality and ability to stand wintering will suffer a great deal thereby, causing dwindling in the spring. cellar wintering is at present general in minnesota. the bee cellar should be warm, dry, dark and ventilated. the bees should not be disturbed during their winter sleep by pounding, jarring, shaking and feeding. mice also may cause the bees to get excited and perish. a four to one inch wire screen in front of the entrance will prevent mice from getting inside. the fundamental principles to guide the bee keeper in wintering his bees are: first, strong colonies, at least six frames covered with bees when clustered; second, ample store, not less than forty pounds of honey; and third, a hive with not less than degrees inside temperature. this temperature may be maintained outside in a double walled hive or in a hive lined with flax or felt, now manufactured for that purpose, or by packing the hives in leaves, straw or shavings--or by putting them into a warm cellar. bees in our climate should be put into winter quarters about november and should not be put on their summer stands in the spring until soft maples are in bloom. by following these suggestions winter losses may be reduced to an insignificant percentage, and these mostly from accidents and causes unforseen, for bees respond wonderfully to proper treatment. the currant as a market garden product. b. wallner, jr., west st. paul. the currant is essentially a northern fruit, therefore does well in minnesota. i plant my currants on a clay loam as it retains moisture and coolness, which the currant prefers. their roots run somewhat shallow, and hence sandy or friable soils are not desirable. soils such as will prevent a stagnant condition during heavy rainfalls are essential. i plant my currants early in spring as soon as the frost leaves the ground and a proper preparation can be secured. i plant them five by five feet apart, as they require a thorough cultivation the first two years from planting. i plant mangels between the rows the first year; second year continued cultivation is practiced; third year i apply a mulch consisting of mushroom manure to a depth of from four to six inches, which answers a double purpose, to keep out weeds and to act as mulch at the same time. during a prolonged dry spell the soil is moist under this covering, and it makes it more pleasant for the picking, as it prevents the berries getting soiled after a rain during the picking season. you cannot fertilize the currant too abundantly, as it is a gross feeder and requires plenty of manure to get best results, as such fruit commands the best price on the market. i planted my currants on ground previously well fertilized with well decayed barnyard manure. i prefer strong well rooted two-year-old plants. the long straggling roots are shortened, and bruised portions cut off with a sharp knife. the tops are somewhat reduced, depending on the size of plants. i set them in a furrow, sufficiently deep to admit the roots to spread out in a natural position, fill in with surface soil and pack around the roots, so that when the earth is firmly settled the roots will not protrude out any place. in regard to pruning i find the best and largest fruit is produced on canes not over four years old, and if judicious cutting out of the old canes is followed nice, large, full clusters of fruit of excellent character will be obtained. this is a fact that i want to emphasize: if the market is glutted with currants, you can readily dispose of your product, providing they are qualified as extra large, which results can be attained by following these rules. pertaining to insects and diseases, i spray my currants twice for the currant worm with arsenate of lead at the rate of two pounds to fifty gallons of water. i also use hellebore (dry powdered form), especially valuable in destroying the worms when berries are almost ready for market, and on which it is dangerous to use arsenical poisons. i never was troubled with the currant worm cane borer. i attribute the absence of this dreaded insect to my keeping all old wood cut out, which is generally infested with it. as to varieties i planted the following: wilder, victoria, prince albert, red cross, diploma and white grape. the wilder is the best commercial berry, very productive and large, while the diploma is one of the largest fruited varieties in existence, its main drawback consisting of a straggling habit of growth which requires either tying up the branches or pruning back somewhat short. the prince albert is late and can be recommended for commercial use. victoria is a prolific bearer, fair size fruit and requires little pruning. red cross is large fruited, but shy bearer. the white grape meets with little demand as a market berry, fine to eat out of hand and an excellent table berry. i also planted a few black champion; have not grown it long enough to know definite results. the demand for black currants is limited, but the prices are fair. as to picking would say we pick them when not quite ripe, as the average housewife claims they jell better than when over-ripe. they must be picked by the stem and not stripped off--all defective, over-ripe and bruised berries should be eliminated at the picking. when the box is being filled a few gentle raps should be given to settle the clusters into place, as they shake down considerably. all the conveniences and same character of boxes and crates used in handling of other small fruits are equally adapted to the currant. * * * * * welcome the thrushes--these birds do the farmer little harm and much good.--that thrushes--the group of birds in which are included robins and bluebirds--do a great deal of good and very little harm to agriculture is the conclusion reached by investigators of the united states department of agriculture who have carefully studied the food habits of these birds. altogether there are within the limits of the united states eleven species of thrushes, five of which are commonly known as robins and bluebirds. the other six include the townsend solitaire, the wood, the veery, the gray-cheek, the olive-back, and the hermit thrushes.--u.s. dept. of agri. report of committee on examination of minnesota state fruit-breeding farm for the year . dr. o. m. huestis, minneapolis; frank h. gibbs, st. anthony park. on the morning of october , , your committee visited the state fruit-breeding farm, was met at the zumbra heights station, on the m. & st. louis r.r., by superintendent haralson and were very soon in the midst of a plat of over , everbearing strawberry plants all different--some plants with scores of ripe and green berries as well as blossoms, others with few berries and many runners. the superintendent had already made selections and marked some plants for propagation. in another plat of , varieties it was very apparent that no. , a cross between pan-american and dunlap, was the superior, although others were choice, both as plant makers and fruit-bearers. no doubt many excellent kinds will come from those selected. it certainly was encouraging to be able, even after the heavy frost of a week before, to pick three quarts of large, well ripened berries, a photo of which we obtained on reaching the city and will appear in the horticulturist. [illustration: field of no. june-bearing strawberries at state fruit-breeding farm.] of the june-bearing varieties no. , a cross between senator dunlap and pocomoke, would seem to surpass anything else we saw as to strength of plant and health of foliage. as to its fruiting ability, will refer to the display made at the last summer meeting of the society, which was so much admired. we have no doubt there is a great future for no. , as has been for its illustrious parent, the dunlap. next we went over to the raspberry field containing, it seemed, thousands of strong, straight, healthy plants, which would have to be seen to be appreciated and only then when in fruiting. no. took our special attention. the canes were especially clean, well branched and healthy--a cross between loudon and king. many others seem to be very promising. [illustration: everbearing strawberries, no. . minnesota state fruit-breeding farm. gathered october , .] next we were shown a variety of everbearing raspberry from which we indulged in ripe fruit of good size and flavor and which it is hoped will be as valuable as the everbearing strawberry. of the thousands of everbearing seedlings selections had been made of about which were fine looking plants, well cultivated and free from disease. we were then shown some hundreds of wild peach seedlings, seedlings of burbank plums, thousands of hybrid plums of all ages, and a plat of thousands of plum seedlings which will be disposed of to nurserymen this fall and bring a nice income to the state; also wild pears from manchuria with good prospects of being hardy and free from blight. we saw a number of nice plum trees, of which the superintendent told us the fruit would color before ripening and would stand long shipments, which so far promise well. several hundred beta grape seedlings probably even more hardy than the parent, many crosses in roses which if judged by the foliage must be seen in bloom to be appreciated, seedlings of compass cherry crossed with apricot; compass cherry crossed with nectarines; seedling currants, over , from which to select the best. over a hundred commercial varieties of apples from east and west, and over varieties of peaches from china and manchuria, walnuts, butternuts and many dwarf apple trees on paradise stocks, which fruit early. a good field of corn in shock, for feed for the horses. the old orchard on the place when bought, which had been top-worked to some extent, looked healthy everywhere. the farm seemed to be free from noxious woods, free from pocket gophers or moles and well cultivated, we thought, for the small number of men employed. machinery and tools were well housed. we were also pleased to be shown through the new home of the superintendent, not yet occupied, which seemed to be complete in all its appointments. we think the state has a great asset in the farm and recommend that as far as possible members of this society visit it during the coming summer and that the society use its influence with the board of regents that more land be procured as soon as possible in order that trial plants may remain longer to more definitely prove their worth and that a greater work may be done for the state. we notice in a report made just six years before, viz., october , , by brothers wedge, underwood and the then president of the society, prof. green, that even runnerless everbearing strawberries were represented and that they had the usual pleasure of picking strawberry blossoms in october. had they been with us they would have had a large dish of no. covered with rich cream and served at the hand of mrs. haralson. mr. c. s. harrison: mr. chairman, i think the slogan of this society should be "urbanize the country and ruralize the town." i see tremendous changes going on all the while. can you think of the possibilities of minnesota? about per cent of the land under cultivation and that half worked. by and by there is going to be a crop of boys who will raise seventy-five to bushels of corn to the acre where their dads raised twenty-five. you got to keep out of their way, you got to help them along. marketing fruit by association. a. n. gray, mgr. bay lake fruit growers' assn., deerwood. marketing fruit or any farm product by association is the modern farmer's insurance of results. a great deal might be said on this subject, but i shall tell you briefly what the bay lake fruit growers' association have accomplished. the first raspberry growing for market at bay lake was back in . nick newgard, one of our first settlers, sold quite a few berries that year. bay lake is seven miles from deerwood, the nearest railroad point, and at that time there was only a trail between these places, and it was necessary for mr. newgard to pack his berries in on his back. this same method was used in transporting supplies. [illustration: strawberry field on place of a. n. gray, at bay lake.] mr. newgard told me recently that he received a very good profit on his berries the first ten years, but each year the acreage increased and each year the growers' troubles increased in disposing of the crop. in there was an unusually large crop and, shipping individually, as we did at that time, it was a case of all shipments going to duluth one day, flooding the market, then the next day every one shipping to fargo and flooding that market, and at the end of the season when the growers received their final returns they found that they had received very small pay for their berries. in the fall of that year the growers around bay lake called a meeting to see if some organization could not be formed to handle their berries and look after the collections. the result of this meeting was the incorporation of the bay lake fruit growers' association. when the berry season opened in we had a manager, hired for the season, on a salary, who worked under a board of five managing directors. it was the manager's business to receive the berries at the station, find a market for them, make the collections and settlements with the growers. the result of this first year was so satisfactory to the members that the total membership increased that fall to almost . this new system had eliminated all the worry, and we received a good price for our berries after the expense of our manager had been deducted. we have just closed our sixth season, which by the way has been a very successful one, as the prices received have been above the average. we now have about members, and we have two shipping stations, deerwood and aitkin. we market strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, plums, compass cherries, apples, sweet corn and celery. we have a nice trade worked up and have little trouble in finding a ready market for any of our products. it is our aim, as growers, to give our customers all a no. quality. during the berry season we have an inspector whose duty it is to inspect the berries as they arrive at the station and any found to be of poor quality we dispose of locally for canning. the grower of these berries receives a credit for the amount we realize. in this way we keep the standard of our berries up, and we have very few complaints from our customers on soft berries. as for losses on bad debts, we have thus far had very few. we usually get a credit rating from the prospective customer's bank and ship to him accordingly. our old customers file standing orders with us to ship them so many crates each day, and each year brings us new customers who have heard of the fine bay lake berries. in the association built a potato warehouse at a cost of about $ , , and we store the members' potatoes for them at a nominal cost. in the association decided to put in a stock of flour and feed and keep the manager the year around. our business in this line has been increasing all the time. it is very interesting to note that over per cent of our flour and feed customers are not members of the association. we are growing all the time and branching out. a few months ago we added a small stock of hardware and some groceries, and these have taken so well that we would not be at all surprised if eventually we find ourselves in the retail store business. evergreens for both utility and ornament. earl ferris, nurseryman, hampton, iowa. as far as horticulture is concerned, the only touch of color on the northwestern landscape during the coming winter will be furnished by the greens and blues of evergreens. did you ever pass a farm home in the winter that was protected by a good evergreen grove and notice how beautiful it looked? did you ever stop to think of the difference in temperature that an evergreen grove makes, to say nothing of the contrast in the appearance of the place to that of a home with no grove? [illustration: a shelter of old scotch pine at mr. earl ferris'.] when i was a small boy i was fortunate enough to be raised on a farm in butler county, iowa, that was well protected by a good norway spruce, white pine and scotch pine windbreak. the norway spruce and white pine are still there and if anything better than they were thirty years ago. at that time my father fed from one to five carloads of stock every winter back of this grove, and i honestly believe that he fed his steers at a cost of from $ to $ per steer less than a neighboring feeder who fed out on the open prairie with a few sheds to furnish the only winter protection. i shall never forget the remark a german made who was hauling corn to us one cold winter day. as he drove onto the scales back of this grove, he straightened up and said: "well, the evergreen grove feels like putting on a fur coat," and i never heard the difference in temperature described any better. our evergreen grove moved our feeding pens at least miles further south every winter, as far as the cold was concerned. [illustration: thrifty windbreak of norway spruce at mr. earl ferris' place, in hampton, ia.] near hampton, iowa, we have three or four of the best stock raisers in the united states. every one of them is feeding cattle back of a large evergreen grove. in recent years they have divided up some of their large farms into smaller places and made new feeding sheds, and the first improvement that they made on each and every one of these places was an evergreen grove. they buy the best trees that can be obtained that have been transplanted and root pruned, and most of them prefer the norway spruce in the two to three foot size. after planting, they take as good care of them as they do of any crop on the farm, for they fully realize that cultivation is an all important thing in getting a good evergreen grove started. several days ago, i talked with one of these feeders who has time and again topped the chicago market. he made the remark that the buildings on his farm cost thousands of dollars while his evergreen grove had only cost from $ to $ , but that he would rather have every building on the place destroyed than to lose that windbreak. as the price of land and feed increases, the farmers of the northwest are waking up to the fact that an evergreen grove is an absolute necessity, and that they cannot afford to plant any other. the maple, willow, box elder and other similar trees take so much land that they cannot afford them. they are a windbreak in the summer, but a joke in the winter. the time is not far distant when every up-to-date farmer in minnesota, iowa, nebraska and other northwest states will have a good evergreen grove which will be considered as much of a necessity as his barn, house or other outbuildings. [illustration: evergreens adorn old home of otto kankel, at fertile, minn., in red river valley.] late this fall, my wife and i left hampton for an automobile trip through minnesota, north dakota and into canada. it seemed to me on this trip that the most beautiful thing we saw about the farm buildings were the evergreen groves that many of the farmers now have all through minnesota and dakota. i was certainly very much surprised at some of these windbreaks and at some of the varieties of evergreens that were being grown successfully as far north as fargo. near fargo we found some extra good specimens of norway spruce, which i consider the best of all windbreak makers. we also found the scotch pine doing well miles northwest of fargo, and other varieties which were naturally to be expected being planted to a considerable extent. as far as usefulness is concerned, the farmer of the prairie states is bound to get more real value from an evergreen than any other person, but i am very glad to say that the homes of the wealthy in the cities each season are being improved more and more by the planting of the more ornamental evergreens. cities like detroit, cleveland, buffalo, boston, st. paul, minneapolis, and other large cities of the united states are using thousands of evergreens every season to beautify the homes, of not only the wealthy but of the laboring man also. the price of evergreens at the present time is within the reach of everyone owning a home, and there is no other improvement that can be placed upon a piece of ground at so little expense and so little labor that will add so many dollars in real value to that property as will the evergreen, either as a windbreak or in landscape work. annual report, , executive board. j. m. underwood, chairman the report of the executive board is necessarily brief from the fact that the machinery of our society is kept in such excellent condition by our secretary, that there is little left for our board to do. his monthly issues of the "horticulturist" keep the membership posted on all important items of interest and are a splendid examplification to the public of the value of our publications and of the meetings of our society. your executive board meets twice a year to verify the accounts of the secretary and treasurer and at other times when there is something of importance to attend to. we wish to call your attention to the fact that your board is practically self supporting. the members work for nothing and board themselves, which is a mighty good way to do. there is a work of very great importance for the _members_ of our society to do the coming year. that is to help in every legitimate way to _secure an appropriation_ by the next legislature with which to build for our society a _home_. we should have had it provided so that we could celebrate our semi-centennial a year from now in our own home. if we were a private society, we would have had a home years ago. we should be closely affiliated with the horticulture of the state university. our home should be located on the grounds of the agricultural college, where the building could be used for other purposes when not needed by our society. let every member of our society interview the senator and member of the house from his or her district next fall and secure their promise to support a bill to appropriate $ , for building us a home. annual report of treasurer, . geo. w. strand, taylors falls, treasurer. receipts. . dec. . balance on hand $ , . interest on certificate of deposit, six months, to november , . . mar. . semi-annual allowance , . apr. . interest on deposit, six months, to april . a. w. latham, receipts secretary's office, november , to june , , . sept. . state treasurer, semi-annual allowance , . dec. . a. w. latham, receipts secretary's office june , , to december , , . ---------- $ , . disbursements. . dec. . order , a .w. latham, revolving fund $ . dec. . order , premiums annual meeting . . mar. . order , a. w. latham, first quarter salary . apr. . a. w. latham, interest on deposit . june . order , a. w. latham, second quarter salary . june . order , a. w. latham, expenses secretary's office november to june , , . june . order , premiums summer meeting . sept. . order , a. w. latham, third quarter salary . dec. . order , a. w. latham, fourth quarter salary . dec. . order , a. w. latham, expenses secretary's office june , to december , , . ---------- $ , . dec. . balance on hand , . ---------- $ , . deposits, farmers & mechanics bank $ , . deposits, first & security national bank . ---------- $ , . annual meeting, , n.e. iowa horticultural society. c. e. snyder, preston, delegate your delegate arrived at decorah at nine-thirty, wednesday, november seventeenth. full accommodations offered by the winneshiek hotel made the trip complete and homelike to delegates and members. the convention was held in the old marsh hall, a very suitable place, offering ample room with all necessary accommodations for such a gathering. decorations showed much time and skill, resulting in a beautiful display of shrubbery-boughs, evergreen, etc. the area of a table about one hundred feet long and six feet wide, running through the center of the hall, contained a great variety of apples surprising for this season. many, including c.h. true, of clayton county, proved themselves successful orchardists. [illustration: mr. c. e. snyder, preston.] on various other tables large displays of agriculture, apiary, greenhouse and garden products completed the harmonizing of horticulture, floriculture and agriculture, including mentioned decorations appearing as a striking feature and an encouragement to the cause. the meeting was called to order shortly after ten o'clock by president geo. s. woodruff. the mingling of many instructive papers with humorous selections and music proved the program well arranged. same carried out very successfully held the interest of a not large but fair attendance throughout. a paper and address by wesley greene, of des moines, should have reached the ears of every iowa and minnesota citizen. a striking selection on "the tree," by j. a. nelson, was descriptive, instructive, humorous and poetic. a topic of great interest was the everbearing strawberry, which persistently bobbed up every now and then in interesting discussion. brother gardner, with his practical experience, was right at hand, a leader and authority on this fruit. clarence wedge, who always contended that the progressive was away ahead of all others, was endorsed by every man that grew them in this convention, by a vote on merit of varieties. reports from the different districts showed a heavy rainfall throughout the season, resulting in rust and scab. sprayed orchards showed better results than others. small fruits were abundant and good. shortly after four o'clock wednesday afternoon automobiles drew up and took delegates and members over beautiful decorah, stopping at symond's greenhouses, and on through the most beautiful park in this section, then to the palatial residence of john harter, where a very bountiful banquet was enjoyed. during convention secretary black's and treasurer true's reports showed the society in flourishing condition. all officers were re-elected, place of next meeting to be chosen later by the executive committee. * * * * * handling raspberries.--in the government investigators made comparative tests of the keeping qualities of carefully handled raspberries and commercially handled raspberries. several lots of each kind were held in an ice car for varying periods and then examined for the percentage of decay. other lots were held a day after being withdrawn from the refrigerator car and then examined. the results are most significant. after days in the ice car it was found that the carefully handled berries showed only . per cent. decay, while the commercially handled fruit had . per cent. after days in the car the difference was vastly greater. the carefully handled fruit showed only . per cent. decay, but with the commercially handled this percentage had risen to . , or more than one-quarter of the entire shipment. when the fruit was examined a day after it had been taken out of the ice car, the evidence was equally strong in favor of careful handling. carefully handled fruit that had remained days in the car was found a day after its withdrawal to show only per cent. of decay against . per cent. in commercially handled berries. carefully handled fruit left in the car days, and then held one day, showed only . per cent. of decay as against . per cent. in commercially handled fruit. the following year experiments were made with actual shipments instead of with the stationary refrigerator car, and the results confirmed previous conclusions. it was found, for example, that there was less decay in the carefully handled berries at the end of days than in the commercially handled berries at the end of . carefully handled fruit that was days in transit, and had then been held one day after withdrawal from the refrigerator car showed less than per cent of decay, whereas commercially handled berries subjected to the same test showed nearly per cent. orcharding in minnesota. richard wellington, asst. horticulturist, university farm, st. paul. this paper is purposely given a broad title so that it may cover any questions which come under the head of orcharding. many of you who have been pestered with an "orchard survey blank" can easily guess what subjects are to be taken up. thanks to many of the members of this society and other fruit growers for their hearty co-operation, a large amount of data has been collected from fifty-three counties, representing most of the districts within the state. as would be expected certain counties have contributed much more information than others, probably owing to their greater interest in orcharding. for example: thirty-one replies have already been received from hennepin county, seven from goodhue, six from renville, five each from houston, meeker and rice, four each from chippewa, dakota, mower, polk and wabasha, three each from blue earth, nicollet, ottertail, pine, ramsey, steele, washington and watonwan and one or two each from the remaining counties. perhaps if the right parties had been reached the low-standing counties would have a higher ranking. the best way to present the data is an enigma. if all the information was given at one time we would need a whole day instead of fifteen minutes. of course much of the material is a repetition, and a general summary will cover the main facts in most cases. nevertheless it is not feasible to take up all of the subject matter in this short period, and therefore the first two topics on the survey blank have been selected, namely, orchard sites and protective agencies. at a later date, if you are sufficiently interested in dry facts other subjects, as soils, dynamiting, orchard management, stock of fruit trees, methods of planting and pruning, varieties for various localities, etc., will be taken up. some of the subjects, like sites and soils, will be treated as state problems, while others must be considered as sectional. minnesota, as you all know, contains many different climatic conditions, and consequently its orchard practices and recommendations must vary accordingly. to meet this problem the writer, in consultation with prof. cady, divided the state into six sections, namely, the southeastern, east central, northeastern, northwestern, west central and southwestern. many counties are, of course, in an intermediate position and might be thrown into either of the adjoining sections, but an arbitrary line must be drawn somewhere. freeborn, waseca, rice, goodhue and all the counties east of them are placed in the southeastern section. nicollet, lesueur, sibley, mcleod, wright, isanti and the counties to the east are included in the central east, and pine, mille lacs, morrison and the counties to the north and east are placed in the northeastern section. beltrami, hubbard, ottertail and the counties to the west are placed in northwestern section; traverse, douglas, todd, stearns, meeker, renville, yellow medicine and the enclosed counties in the west central, and the remainder to the south and west are in the southwestern section. thus, when the various sections are mentioned, you will know what part of the state is being referred to. _site of orchard._ by site of orchard we refer to its location, that is, whether it is on rolling, level or hilly ground, and the direction of its slope, provided it has one. from past experience it is believed that an orchard situated on a north slope is ideally located for minnesota conditions, as its blossoming period is retarded and consequently the liability of injury from late frosts decreased. but all people who want orchards do not possess such a slope, so they set out their orchards on the most convenient location. a few growers have orchards sloping in all directions, and their opinion on the influence of slope on hardiness and retardation of the blooming period should be valuable. it is of interest to note that, out of reporting on the levelness of the orchard ground, only twelve had level ground, two level to nearly level, one level to decidedly rolling, twenty-nine nearly level, seven nearly level to slightly rolling, three nearly level to medium rolling, twenty-nine slightly rolling, four slightly rolling to medium rolling, eighteen rolling and three decidedly rolling. a glance at the figures shows that the majority of orchards are on nearly level to slightly rolling land. in addition to the numbers given thirteen reported a slight slope, one a slight slope to a medium slope, two a slight to a steep slope, sixteen a medium slope, one a medium to a steep slope, and five a steep slope--the emphasis being laid on the moderate rising ground. no grower reported an orchard location entirely at the base of a slope, but six reported orchards extending from the base to the top of the slope, two from the base to midway of the slope, twenty-five at midway of the slope, seven from midway to the top and twenty-two at the top of a slope--the high ground evidently being preferred for orchard sites. as a general rule, as would naturally be expected, those who reported their orchards on the top of the slope usually reported their ground as either high or medium. of ninety-six reports on the elevation of the orchards only four reported low land, and two of these were on top of a slope, two low and medium, one low and high, forty-six medium, fourteen medium and high, and twenty-seven high--the medium taking the lead. these figures have been given of the state as a whole, but when the sections are considered the southeastern and the west central take the lead in the highest percentage of high ground in comparison with the lower ground; the southeastern and east central, for the greatest amount of rolling land; and the southwestern, for the most level or nearly level land. [illustration: down the long row. view in well cared for orchard of j. m. barclay, madison lake.] as for the effect of direction of slope on hardiness, there were many varied opinions. thirty stated without question that the direction had an effect, thirty-one stated that it had no effect, and seventy-two admitted that they did not know. of those answering in the affirmative only seven had two or more distinctly different slopes, while fifteen of the negatives had two or more slopes for comparison. nine of those who stated they didn't know had two or more slopes upon which to base their judgment. in summing up the direction of sites preferred, seventy-seven recommended a northerly slope, nine had no preference, one preferred southeast, one west, one west and east, two east, one north and east, one northeast or east, and sixty-four expressed no opinion. two growers stated that the north slope prevented early bloom and thereby lessened liability to injury from late frosts, two growers stated that northern slopes decreased the loss of moisture, and one stated that the northeast slope gives the largest fruit and the west the best colored. as a brief summary of the reports on orchard sites, it may be stated that high ground, rolling or sloping to the north, is preferred by the majority of growers who filled out these orchard survey blanks. _protective agencies._ under this heading comes windbreaks of all kinds, whether hills, natural timber or planted trees, and bodies of water which ameliorate the climate. out of fifty-four replies from the central east section, sixteen reported that their orchards were favorably affected by lakes, the benefit coming in most cases from the prevention of early and late frosts. one grower attributed the cooling of the air during the summer as a benefit and two stated that the bodies of water furnished moisture. two growers in the southeast section received favorable influences from the mississippi river, and one in the southwestern and two in the west central sections thought they received beneficial effects from lakes. according to this data, orchards in the east central section, owing largely to the influence of lake minnetonka, are greatly benefited by the presence of water. windbreaks are a very important factor in successful orcharding in minnesota, even though one party in the southeast section and three parties in the central east noted no beneficial effects. according to reports from the central west and southwest sections they are of great benefit and in some cases indispensable to apple growing. as would be expected by any one who is acquainted with minnesota, the planted windbreaks are a more important factor in the prairie country than in the natural wooded and hilly regions. in the southeast section, five orchards were reported as protected by bluffs and hills, three by both hills and natural woods, two by natural woods, two by both natural and planted woods, and twenty-one by planted woods; in the central east section, one by a hill and a planted windbreak, one by a town, fifteen by natural timber, two by natural and planted timber, and nineteen by planted windbreaks; in the northeast section, two by natural and four by planted windbreaks; in the northwest section, three by natural and two by planted windbreaks; in the west central section, one by a hill and natural timber, five by natural timber, two by natural timber and planted windbreaks, and eighteen by planted windbreaks; and in the southwest section, one by a hill and natural woods, one by a hill and planted windbreak, two by natural timber, and fifteen by planted windbreaks. if meeker county, which has natural timber, was not included in the central west--and perhaps it should have been included in central east--this section would have only one orchard protected alone by natural timber; and if blue earth county was eliminated from the southwest, this section would have no orchard protected alone by natural timber. the beneficial effects from windbreaks may be summed up as follows: twenty-five reported that they prevented fruit from being blown off trees, nine that they prevented trees and limbs being broken by winds and storms, ten that they protected trees from injury by winds without specifying the kind of injury, four that they reduced injury from frosts, ten that they either prevented or reduced winter injury, four that they helped to retain moisture, five that they helped to hold snow, eight that they prevented snow drifting, five that they protected orchards from hot and dry winds, three that they permitted the growing of apples, and one that they supplied all advantages. the kinds of trees recommended for windbreaks and the methods of planting are numerous and variable and to discuss them at length would take too much time. however, the principal facts may be briefly enumerated. in eighty-five reports that listed set out windbreaks, it was found that fifty-seven growers had used evergreens, thirty-seven willows, twenty-nine box elders, twenty-five maples, seventeen cottonwoods, thirteen ashes, eleven elms, eight poplars, four oaks, four plums, three nuts and one apple. the evergreens consisted of thirteen scotch pine, eleven evergreens (not named), eight norway spruce, five spruce (not named), three balsam, three austrian pine, two white pine, one yellow pine, two cedar, two white spruce, two pine (variety not named), two fir, two jack pine, one black hills spruce, and one tamarack. in the willows were given twenty willows (variety not named), two laurel-leaved, seven white and eight golden; in the maples, sixteen soft maples, two hard maples, one silver-maple and six maples (kind not named); in the poplars, five norway, one carolina, two poplar (kind not named); and in the nuts, one black walnut, one butternut and one walnut. the major part of the box elders, cottonwoods, willows and ashes were noted in the central west and southwest sections. thirty-seven experienced growers of windbreaks, the most of them living in the southwest, west central and southeast sections, recommended the following trees for windbreaks in the given proportions, twenty-four evergreens, fifteen willows, seven maples, six poplars, five elms, five box elders, three elms, two plum, two cottonwood, three hedges, one oak, one hackberry and one black walnut. the evergreens are decidedly the most popular, and among the varieties mentioned norway spruce takes the lead for those recommended, and the scotch pine for those planted. there are about as many different systems of planting used as growers. the main point in all cases was to have a planting that would stop the wind and storms. a few growers advocated the use of a hedge or plum trees to fill in under the windbreak, while one grower desires a circulation of air under the branches of his trees. cultivation and intercropping of windbreaks are also recommended in a few cases. the distance of planting varies, of course, with the trees or shrubs used. for example: one grower recommends ft. x ft. for large deciduous trees, and another grower, ft. x ft. apart in rows and two rows, ft. apart. for scotch pine one grower advocates eight feet. in some cases a mixture of many kinds of trees is recommended, and then again only one kind. one very solid windbreak is made up of a lilac hedge, four rows of jack pine, four rows of norway poplar and one row of willow. another is one row willow, one of evergreen, one of willow and one of evergreen. various distances between windbreak and orchard were used and recommended. a large number of orchards were started at about twenty feet from the windbreak and a few as close as one rod, but these distances proved to be too close. one grower, however, recommended close planting and later the removal of a row of trees in the windbreak when more space was needed. the recommended distances for planting varied from thirty to feet, although seventy-five to was satisfactory in most cases. more details have been given in regard to orchard sites and windbreaks than many of you are probably interested in, but for one who is planning to set out an orchard they should prove of value and profit, as they are based upon the experiences of many of minnesota's best orchardists. my experience with a young orchard. roy viall, spring valley. about ten years ago we acquired some land three and one-half miles north of spring valley. this land is very rough and was originally covered with heavy timber, in fact, about one-third of our large orchard was cleared and grubbed out the fall before planting. when i became interested in fruit growing one of the first things i did was to join the horticultural society and to the knowledge obtained through this membership we owe in large measure what success has come to us. the eighteen acres selected for our main orchard slopes quite abruptly to the north and northeast. in fact, the slope is so steep that the ground, if kept under cultivation, would wash badly, and this was the real reason for seeding down our orchard at the time of planting. the orchard is now seven years old, and the trees have never had a particle of cultivation. part of this ground was in grain and seeded to alsike and timothy the year before; the balance was the new land referred to, which we had broken and immediately seeded down to alsike and timothy, with oats as a nurse crop. our first problem was what varieties to plant, in what proportion and where to buy them. in this we adopted the recommendation of this society at that time, choosing wealthy, duchess, patten greening and northwestern greening, with fifty malinda and fifty iowa beauty. we now have in addition two small orchards with nearly forty varieties altogether. the varieties, for the large orchard were divided as follows: duchess, patten greening, northwestern greening, , wealthy. were i to set another commercial orchard of the same size it would contain duchess and the balance wealthy. while the patten greening is an ideal tree and an early and prolific bearer, there is with us a much larger per cent of imperfect and diseased fruit than of any other variety. tree for tree, i believe the duchess will produce _more_ saleable _fruit_. where to buy our trees was decided for us in one of our first numbers of the horticulturist, viz., at the nearest reliable nursery. that this was good advice is evidenced by the fact that out of the , trees we have found but two that were not as ordered. our next problem was, at what distance to plant the trees. the more information we sought the less sure were we of the best plan. we were advised to plant all distances from feet by feet to feet by feet. we finally concluded to take about an average of them all and decided on feet by feet, and so far have had no reason to regret it. we have put up the alsike and timothy every year for hay with the usual machinery, and there has not been over a half dozen trees seriously damaged. our trees were nearly all three years old, to feet, and we find they do much better in sod than a smaller tree. having the orchard set out the next thing was to protect the trees from mice and rabbits. this we did by making protectors out of wire cloth, using different widths, from to inches, cutting it in strips inches wide and holding it about the trees by three pieces of stove pipe wire at the top, middle and bottom. not counting the time of making and putting them on these cost us from - / cents to - / cents each, and lasted from three to four years. we used a few made of galvanized wire cloth, which lasted much longer. three years ago we commenced replacing these protectors with a wash of white lead and raw linseed oil mixed to the consistency of separator cream. the first year we painted only fifty trees, the next year , the next , and this last year we painted every tree on the place. we can see no bad effects, and it certainly protects against mice and rabbits and, what is equally as important, against borers also, and the cost per tree, including labor, is much less. we have also used the lead and oil with splendid results in treating trees affected with canker. we had quite a number of wealthy so affected, and we cut out the affected bark and wood and then covered the wound with lead, and in almost every case it has proved a cure, that is, stopped the spread of the canker. the second year our orchard was set out we began to mulch the trees with grass cut in the orchard, clover straw, pea straw--anything we could get. we were unable to mulch the entire orchard that year, and before we got the balance mulched you could tell as far as you could see the orchard which trees were mulched and which were not. the former not only made a better growth, but had a healthier look. now i do not want you to get the idea that i am advocating the sod system except in locations similar to ours. were our orchard on more level ground i not only should have cultivated the first three years, as advocated by most authorities, but would have continued the cultivation in some degree at least. nevertheless, on account probably of the very favorable location, i think our orchard will compare favorably with any cultivated orchard of the same age. having the orchard set out, protected against mice and rabbits and mulched, we found that the real work of raising an orchard had just begun. first came the gray beetles the following june, and they ate the new growth off several hundred trees before we discovered them. at that time, not knowing what else to do, we hand picked every one we could find and destroyed them. these beetles we found came from oak groves on the south and west, and the next year we sprayed with arsenate of lead six or eight rows of trees on that side of the orchard, and as we have since then sprayed the entire orchard each year we have had no further trouble. next came pocket gophers, and before we learned how to stop them we had lost a number of trees by their chewing off the roots just beneath the surface of the ground. by opening their runways and placing well down in them a piece of carrot or potato in which has been placed a little strychnine we succeeded in getting rid of them entirely. next came the woodchucks. they were very destructive with us, chewing the bark above the protectors as well as the roots. trapping is the most successful method we have found, and by keeping a half dozen traps out all the time we held them in check. eternal vigilance must be the motto of the successful orchardist. in the year we picked our first crop of apples, that is, in sufficient quantity to be considered in a commercial way. our duchess we sold in barrels at $ . net. wealthy we packed in bushel boxes, making two sizes, the larger, three inches and over, we called no. , and they sold for $ . per box net. the balance or smaller ones were also sold in boxes and brought us $ . per box net. patten greenings brought us cents and northwestern greenings, cents per box. our neighbors, who sold to the local and transient buyers in bulk and in barrels, received cents to cents per hundred pounds, or $ . per barrel. the past year we had only about bushels of all kinds. with the exception of duchess and possibly patten's greening we shall certainly sell our next crop in bushel boxes. we are top-working about patten's greening to jonathan, delicious, mcintosh red and king david. as the work was only started a year ago last spring i cannot tell you of its success or failure. so far the best results seem to be with the jonathan. we also have about thirty varieties of plums, including many of prof. hansen's new hybrids. of these the opata seems to be the most hardy and prolific, but it is subject to brown rot, which, this past year was so bad that we lost more than half the fruit. we have it top-worked on several varieties of native plums, and it was similarly affected there also. this was the only variety in our orchard of trees that was so affected. we have fifteen surprise plums, set seven years, that have not yielded altogether a peck of plums. only lack of time kept me from grubbing them out last spring. this past season they were so heavily loaded that we had to prop the limbs and then thin out the fruit. we endeavor to spray all our trees twice with commercial lime-sulphur and arsenate of lead--the first time immediately after the blossoms fall, the second two weeks later. our spraying outfit consists of a morrill & morley hand pump, fitted in a -gallon tank, which we mounted on a small, one-horse truck. we operate it with three men, one to drive and pump and one for each line of hose, spraying two rows of trees at once. with this outfit we can spray to trees (of the size of ours) a day. * * * * * the national forests--besides being the american farmer's most valuable source of wood, which is the chief building material for rural purposes, are also his most valuable source of water, both for irrigation and domestic use. in the west, they afford him a protected grazing range for his stock; they are the best insurance against flood damage to his fields, his buildings, his bridges, his roads, and the fertility of his soil. the national forests cover the higher portions of the rocky mountain ranges, the cascades, the pacific coast ranges, and a large part of the forested coast and islands of alaska; some of the hilly regions in montana and in the dakotas, oklahoma, and arkansas, and limited areas in minnesota, michigan, florida, and porto rico. in addition, land is now being purchased for national forests in the white mountains of new england and in the southern appalachians. in regions so widely scattered, agricultural and forest conditions necessarily differ to a great degree, bringing about corresponding differences in the effect of the national forests on the agricultural interests of the various localities. wherever agriculture can be practiced, however, the farmer is directly benefited by the existence of national forests and by their proper management.--u.s. dept. of agri. garden helps conducted by minnesota garden flower society edited by mrs. e. w. gould, humboldt avenue so. minneapolis. some suggestions for the use of coal ashes-- this is the time of the year when the unsightly heaps of coal ashes are likely to appear in one's back yard--eyesores and apparently useless. yet there are several ways in which they can be used to advantage about the garden. they should first be sifted, using a quarter-inch wire mesh. the rough or coarser parts are well adapted for use on paths and driveways, forming a clean, firm surface with use. these paths are especially good in the garden, for weeds do not grow readily in them, and they dry off quickly after a rain. such parts of the ashes as will pass through an inch mesh will make a very good summer mulch about fruit trees and bushes that require such care. this mulch will conserve the moisture at the roots of the tree or plant at a time when it is very necessary to have it. about a pyramid of these coarse ashes one may plant anything that requires much water. the roots of the plants will run under the ashes and keep moist and cool. through a drought a little water poured upon the ashes will be distributed to the roots without loss. the fine sifted ashes will render the tougher hard soils more friable, their chief virtue being lightening it. in a very mild degree they are a fertilizer, though in no degree comparable in this respect to hardwood ashes. yet it has been proved that soil to which sifted coal ashes had been added grew plants of richer, darker foliage. they must be very well mixed with the soil by a thorough spading and forking. the following experiment was noted in the garden magazine: a soil was prepared as follows: one-eighth stable manure, one-eighth leaf mold, one-quarter garden soil (heavy), one-half sifted coal ashes. plants grown in this soil surpassed those grown in the garden soil next to them. coal ashes would not be advised for a light soil. * * * * * watch this page for announcement of garden flower society meetings. january th, public library, minneapolis, tenth and hennepin, directors' room, : p.m. subjects: hotbeds, coldframes, management and care of the young plants, mr. frank h. gibbs. the minnesota cypripediums. can they be successfully cultivated? miss clara leavitt. five-minute talks on "the best things of ." members are urged to bring their friends to this meeting. no one who contemplates having a garden this year can afford to miss it. let us be generous and share our good programs with as many as possible. each member is host or hostess for that day. secretary's corner annual meeting wisconsin state horticultural socy.--this meeting is to be held at madison, wis., on january - . mr. chas. haralson, superintendent of our state fruit-breeding farm, is to represent this society at that meeting. we may look for an interesting report from him in the february issue of our monthly. is your annual fee paid?--if not, won't you please send it in promptly, remitting by a $ . bill, which is a safe medium of payment, instead of using check unless you draw on a bank in one of the larger cities of the state. checks on country banks, as a rule, can only be collected here by a payment of ten cents, which the society can ill afford to pay for so many members. annual meeting s.d. hort. socy.--the annual gathering of this sister association will be held in huron, s.d., january - . quite a good many of our members live so near the state line that they may find it convenient to attend this meeting, which will certainly be a profitable one. prof. n. e. hansen is secretary. mr. wm. pfaender, jr., of new ulm, is to be the representative of this society at the south dakota meeting. annual meeting southern minnesota hort. socy.--this very wide-awake auxiliary of the state society will hold its annual meeting in austin, january th and th next. the program of the meeting is not yet at hand, but you may be sure that it will be an interesting and practical one. if the reader is living anywhere within convenient range of austin by all means attend this meeting and get inspiration and help for the work of another season. you are not forgotten.--this refers to members of the society who have paid their annual fee for and are wondering why they have not yet received the membership ticket. there is always a little unavoidable delay in sending out these tickets after the annual meeting. first the tickets must be printed, and then the society folder that goes out with them must be prepared, and the material making up this folder comes from quite a number of sources, and it takes more or less time to get all of these matters together and in shape. you need not be solicitous in regard to membership fees remitted, as the chance of loss in transmission is approximately nothing; hardly half a dozen instances of the kind have come up in the twenty-five years of service of the secretary. passing of michael bendel, sr.--this old member of our society and resident of madison has just been called away, december rd, at the age of seventy-nine years. while not an attendant at our meetings he was a most loyal member of the society, and especially conspicuous in the western part of the state, where he lived, as a successful experimenter in orcharding, in which work he had a large experience. his portrait and a brief sketch of his life appear in the volume of our report, on page . mr. bendel was for many years president of the lac qui parle county agricultural society, was always greatly interested in everything to improve the interests of his community, and especially those pertaining to farm life. he has left an enviable record. farmers and home makers week.--university farm, midway between minneapolis and st. paul, have prepared a royal program for all interested in agricultural work and life, including the needs of the household, filling all of next week, from january rd to th, inclusive. seventy-nine professors and instructors by count are on the program for the week, and it is so arranged that those attending pass from one lecture room to another, from hour to hour, selecting the subjects that they have a special interest in. horticulture, or subjects closely akin, have a place on this program monday afternoon, tuesday forenoon and afternoon, wednesday forenoon and thursday forenoon; thursday afternoon the horticultural program is devoted entirely to vegetables; friday forenoon and afternoon; and saturday forenoon altogether spraying. when this magazine is received it will be too late to send for a program, but not too late to attend the meetings, which we hope many of our members may have the opportunity to do. attendance at annual meeting.--the badge book, which is issued at every annual meeting, containing the list of those who notify the secretary of a purpose to attend the meeting, is a pretty good index of the attendance. this year the badge book contained names. of course not all of these were present at the meeting, but a great many who were there had not sent notice of attendance and whose names were not in the badge book, so that the figures given elsewhere in this magazine as to attendance, estimated at from to , are certainly not any too high. of this number not to exceed fifteen members, including vice presidents and superintendents of trial stations living at a distance, receive their railroad fare to and from the annual meeting, which is the only compensation they receive for their work in operating the trial stations and preparing the annual or semi-annual reports connected with their positions. this is not in fact any compensation for service but rather a recognition of the large obligation under which the society rests towards them for such gratuitous service. plant premiums for .--on the inside front cover page of this monthly will be found a list of the plant premiums offered to our membership the coming spring. this list is also published in the society folder, of which copies will be sent to each member and which can be supplied in any number desired by application to the secretary. the list of plant premiums includes a considerable variety of plants both ornamental and otherwise useful. those of special interest this year are the new fruits being sent out from the state fruit-breeding farm, including no. june-bearing strawberry, which gives promise of being a very valuable fruit for minnesota planters; no. everbearing strawberry, the kind which has been selected from thousands of varieties fruiting at the station, a good plant maker and also a prolific fruiter of high quality berries; no. raspberry, a variety of extraordinary vigor and hardiness, large fruited, and a prolific bearer; and several varieties of large fruited plums. every member of the society with facilities for growing fruits should be interested in trying these new varieties, which of course are still being sent out on trial, and we desire to hear from our membership as to their measure of success with them. [illustration: a. w. latham o. c. gregg chas. g. patten from photograph taken in front of administration building, at university farm, on the morning of january , just before presentation of certificates referred to on opposite page.] while it is not the intention to publish anything in this magazine that is misleading or unreliable, yet it must be remembered that the articles published herein recite the experience and opinions of their writers, and this fact must always be noted in estimating their practical value. the minnesota horticulturist vol. february, no. open letter to members of the minnesota state horticultural society from its secretary. probably members of the society very generally noticed a few weeks since in the daily papers of the twin cities and elsewhere an announcement that "certificates of award for special meritorious services in the advancement of agriculture" would be made by the minnesota state university to mr. o. c. gregg, hon. w. g. leduc, mr. chas. g. patten and mr. a. w. latham. these certificates were awarded saturday, january th, , at the closing exercises of the farmers week at the university farm before an audience of twelve hundred people, gathered in the chapel in the administration building. appropriate exercises were conducted by the president, geo. e. vincent, and the dean of the university farm, a.f. woods, in the presence of hon. fred b. snyder, president of the board of regents of the state university, and other members of the board and a large representation of the professorship of university farm school, also occupying the platform. dean woods read a sketch of the life of each one of the recipients, and the certificates were formally presented to each in turn by the president of the state university. all the persons who were to receive this honor were in attendance except gen. leduc, who was probably unable to be present on account of his extreme age. when this matter was first called to my attention i felt that it would be entirely out of place, being its editor, that i should make reference to it in the society monthly, but as the fact has been widely published throughout the state, and whatever honor is connected with this presentation is to be shared with the members of the horticultural society, i have changed my view point in regard to this, and it seems to me now that the members of the society should be fully informed as to what has taken place. mr. o. c. gregg received this distinction on account of his connection with the farmers' institutes of the state, of which he was the pioneer, and in connection with which he remained as superintendent for some twenty-two years. gen. leduc was for a number of years commissioner of agriculture at washington and introduced many important reforms in the management of that department. mr. chas. g. patten is well known to our members of course as the originator of the patten's greening apple, although this is quite an infinitesimal part of the work that he has done in connection with the breeding of fruits, the results from which the public are to profit by largely, we believe, in the early future. at his advanced age of eighty-four we feel that this honor has been wisely placed. "mr. a. w. latham has been secretary of the minnesota state horticultural society for twenty-five years, during which period its membership has advanced from one or two hundred to thirty-four hundred, making it the largest horticultural society in the country, and probably," as stated by the dean in his address, "the largest in the world." while this distinction has been conferred upon the secretary of your society it is not to be considered as so much a personal tribute to him as a recognition of the splendid work done by the society as a whole, in which every member has had some share. to express fully my thought in this i will refer briefly to the organization of the society, just half a century ago, when a handful of earnest men united their efforts under the name of the minnesota state horticultural society in an endeavor to solve the difficult problems connected with fruit growing in this region. none of the men who at that time organized this society are now living, but others have taken their places, and the important service that was so well cared for by the earlier membership is being equally as well prosecuted by those who have succeeded them. my personal connection with the society began the third year of its existence, so that i had the high privilege of enjoying personal acquaintance with practically all those earlier workers in the society, and indeed most of them were still alive when i came into the secretaryship twenty-five years ago. it will not be out of place to speak here particularly of a few of those who are no longer with us: john s. harris, that staunch friend, one of the original twelve, whose medallion hangs on the wall of the horticultural classroom at university farm; peter m. gideon, whose self-sacrifice gave us the wealthy apple, now of worldwide planting--he in whose memory the gideon memorial fund was created; col. john h. stevens, that large hearted man of unquenchable public spirit; p.a. jewell, searcher for new fruits and founder of the jewell nursery company; truman m. smith, seven years president during many dark days; wyman elliot, one of the original twelve, well called by one "king of the horticultural society"--so recently taken from us. the institution of learning conferring this distinction upon us has contributed a full share of workers now no longer with us; w. w. pendergast, first principal of the university farm school, and for many years president of the society until stricken with a fatal illness; and prof. saml. b. green of blessed memory, whose loss we shall never cease to mourn. there are many others who did great service to the society that i should be glad to speak of here if space would permit. in the list of those who are still with us and have served with such self devotion and courage in advancing the interests of the society, and that for which it stands, are to be found the names of many men prominent in various walks of life in our state. it would be out of place for me to select from this list a few and give them special prominence where hundreds have contributed to the life and growth of the association all these many years until the present enviable place now occupied by the association has been attained. to the executive board of the society, most of whom have been members of the board for a long period of years, of course the success of the association is especially due. men of initiative in an ambitious and unselfish way working for the success of the association, they have had very much indeed to do with its progress. as i endeavor to recall the personality of those who have been of special service to us i find the list almost without limit. with what pleasure and satisfaction have i been permitted to serve with the members of this society! what willingness to perform the duties suggested has ever characterized the assistance that has been rendered by the membership of this society! it has been an exceedingly rare thing for any member to offer an objection to undertaking any service asked of him, and with such support as this so readily and heartily given, and often at large expense to the member, what can be expected other than such success as has come to our society. i wish i had the ability to express at this time the thought that is in my heart as i recall all of these helpful brothers and sisters to whom indeed belongs as much as to the writer any distinction that comes to the society as a result of these years of labor. notwithstanding the state university have seen fit to refer to this in a way to indicate that our society has reached some certain vantage ground, it must not be lost sight of that the real work of the society is still before it. whether to be carried on under the present management or under a changed management we have a right to look ahead and anticipate the definite and widely expanding results that are still to come from the services of the members of the society, which we are sure in the future, as in the past, will be heartily rendered. a. w. latham, secy. june-bearing strawberries. geo. j. kellogg, retired nurseryman, janesville, wis. any fool that knows enough can grow strawberries, which reminds me of the preacher in york state who both preached and farmed it. he was trying to bore a beetle head and could not hold it; a foolish boy came along and said, "why don't you put it in the hog trough?" "well! well!" the preacher said. "you can learn something from most any fool." the boy said, "that is just what father says when he hears you preach." i don't expect to tell you much that is new, but i want to emphasize the good things that others have said: _soils._ i once had twenty-one acres of heavy oak, hickory, crab apple and hazel brush, with one old indian corn field. i measured hazel brush twelve feet high, and some of the ground was a perfect network of hazel roots; the leaf mould had accumulated for ages. the first half acre i planted to turnips, the next spring i started in to make my fortune. i set out nineteen varieties of the best strawberries away back in the time of the wilson, than which we have never had its equal. the plants grew well and wintered well, but they did not bear worth a cent, while just over the fence i had a field on ground that had been worked twenty years without manure that gave me two hundred and sixty bushels to the acre. it took three years with other crops to reduce that loose soil before i could make strawberries pay. my fortune all vanished. last june while judging your strawberry show, i found a large collection of twenty-five kinds of the poorest strawberries i ever saw, grown on the college grounds. i visited the field, found over a hundred varieties, well tallied, well cultivated, on new oak opening soil. first crop, the soil seemed ideal, every thing good except the plants and the fruit. the foliage was defective and the fruit very poor. was it the new soil? i have always found good garden soil would produce good strawberries; the best beds were those that followed potatoes. cut worms and white grubs seldom follow two years of hoed crops. [illustration: mr. geo. j. kellogg ten years ago] _preparation._ preparation for the best strawberries should be started three years before planting. using soil from sand to clay, well drained, well manured, sowed to clover, take off the first cutting of clover, then more manure plowed under deep with the second crop of clover, as late as can before freezing up, to kill insects and make the soil friable and ready for a crop of potatoes the next spring. after harvesting bushels of potatoes to the acre use a heavy coat of well rotted manure without weed seed, plowed under late in fall. the following spring, as soon as the ground will work, thoroughly disk and harrow, and harrow twice more. then roll or plank it, mark both ways two by four feet, set by hand either with dibble or spade, no machine work. crown even with the surface, with best of plants from new beds, leaving on but two leaves, and if the roots are not fresh dug, trim them a little. firm them good. now start the weeder and go over the field every week till the runners start, then use the nine-tooth cultivator with the two outside teeth two inches shorter than the others. cultivate every week till the middle of october. use the hoe to keep out all weeds and hoe very lightly about the plants. weeds are a blessing to the lazy man, but i don't like to have it overdone. don't let the soil bake after a rain. keep the cultivator running. in garden work a steel tooth rake is a splendid garden tool. volume , page (an. report minn. state hort. society). mr. schwab gets an ideal strawberry bed, then kills it with twelve inches of mulch. if the ice and snow had not come perhaps the plants would have pulled through. volume , page . mr. wildhagen gives an ideal paper on strawberries, it will pay you to read it again and again. instead of one year's preparation, i would have three. _winter protection._ unless in an exposed place, marsh hay is the best and cleanest mulch, but high winds may roll it off. clean straw away from the tailings of the machine is next best. for small acreage if one inch can be put on as soon as the ground is frozen a half inch, it will save the many freezings and thawings before winter sets in. for large acreage it is not practical to cover till frost will hold up a loaded wagon. two inches of mulch, that covers the plants and paths from sight is enough, but i see you cover deeper, from four to twelve inches in minnesota, and often smother the plants. if we could have a snow blanket come early and stay on late in spring, that would protect the plants, but we want the mulch also to protect from drouth and keep the berries clean. a january thaw is liable to kill out any field that is not properly mulched. a two inch mulch will not hinder the plants coming through in spring; four inches will require part of the mulch raked into the paths; if plants don't get through readily loosen the mulch. i have known some successful growers to take off all the mulch from the paths in spring and cultivate lightly but thoroughly, then replace the mulch to protect from drouth and to keep the berries clean, but i don't think it pays. _weeds._ in the best fields and beds i ever saw there will come up an occasional weed in spring, and it pays to go over the ground with a spade or butcher knife and take out such weeds. we almost always get a drouth at picking time, better a drought than too much rain. a good straw mulch will usually carry us through. _irrigation._ if irrigation is attempted the fields must be prepared before planting to run water through between the rows. sprinkling will not do except at sundown. rain always comes in cloudy weather; you cannot wet foliage in sun in hot weather without damage. a good rainfall is one inch, which is a thousand barrels to the acre, so what can you do with a sprinkling cart? showers followed by bright sunshine damage the patch. if your plants are set too deep they rot, if too high they dry, if not well firmed they fail. when i have used a tobacco planter i have had to put my heel on every plant. of course you know that newly planted june varieties must have the blossom buds cut out, and everbears bearing must also till july. _picking._ the man who has acres to pick must secure his boxes the winter before and have at least part of them made up if they are to be tacked. i have found a boy can make up boxes as fast as thirty pickers can fill. if you use the folding box no tacks are needed. too many boxes made up ahead are liable to be damaged by the mice. _pickers._ engage your pickers ahead; agree on the price and that a part of the pay is to be kept back till the close of the season, which is forfeited if quitting before time. if pickers are too far away, transportation must be furnished--free boxes of berries are appreciated by the pickers. _marketing._ sometimes the marketing of the fruit is harder than the growing of it. if enough is grown form an association to sell it, get advice from a successful association how to form and how to run it. sometimes a well made wagon, a good team and a good man can sell from house to house in the country and city and make good returns. in this way you get back your crates and part of the boxes. i know a successful grower in iowa, who sold his crop of ten acres to the farmers and city people, they doing their own picking and furnishing their own boxes, at a given price. all the proprietor had to do was sit at the gate and take in the cash. it is worth a good deal to know how to grow the best of strawberries and often it is worth more to know how to turn them into cash. _what varieties?_ dunlap and warfield have a general reputation for profit, can be picked together and sell well; dark color, good canners and good shippers. if you want a third variety take lovett. some of your growers want nothing but bederwood, but it is too light and too soft to ship, though it is a good family berry. i expect minnesota no. will soon be the only variety you will want of the june kinds. _insects._ winter drouth often injures the roots and some lay it to insects. the winter of was the worst winter drouth i ever knew; it killed every thing. if you are troubled with the crown borer, root lice, leaf roller or rust, grow one crop and plow under, or move your fields a good distance from the old bed. what shall be done with the old bed? if you have insects or rust plow under and get the best place to start a new bed, and don't set any of your own plants if you have insects or rust--and be sure you buy of a reliable grower. _old beds._ if the first crop is big, plow under, if light and you have a good stand of plants, no insects or rust, you can mow and teddy up the mulch and in a high wind burn it over--a quick fire will do no harm. then you can plow two furrows between rows and drag it every way till not a plant is seen. soon, if the rows are left a foot wide, the plants will come through. then manure (better be manured before plowing), and you may get a good second crop. some mow and rake off and burn outside the bed, then with a two horse cultivator dig up the paths and cultivate and get the ground in condition. put on the manure and hoe out part of the old plants. i like the plan of wildhagen; mow, burn and then cover three inches deep with one hundred big loads of manure to the acre and don't go near the patch till picking time next year. he gets a nice early crop, and if berries are a little small it pays better than any other way. try it! i have known some fields carried to fourth crop, and amateur beds kept up for ten years. it takes lots of work to keep an old bed in good condition. j.m. smith, of green bay, wis., almost always took one crop and plowed under. if the first crop was injured by frost, he took a second crop. he raised four hundred bushels to the acre. wm. von baumbach, of wauwatosa, wis., raised from five acres less ten square rods seventeen hundred bushels big measure beside quantities given the pickers. i have had beds and fields where i have timed my boys picking a quart a minute. i had one small boy that picked quarts a day. but in all my sixty years growing strawberries i never properly prepared an acre of ground before planting. i could take a five acre patch now, as young as i am, and beat anything i have ever done. _mulch._--for mulch for small beds, if straw or marsh hay is not handy, use an inch of leaves, then cut your sweet corn and lay the stalks on three inches apart and your plants will come up between in spring and give you clean fruit. cut cornstalks are good for field covering, also shredded cornstalks. i have used the begass from the cane mill, but it is too heavy. evergreen boughs are very good if well put on for small beds. in my paper, vol. , page (minn. report), it should read five bushels to the square _rod, not acre_. who ever heard of five bushels an acre! _big yields._--you all know of friend wedge's - / quarts from one square rod of everbearers the season of planting. i believe that can be beaten. let our society put a few hundred dollars in premiums for best yield of square rod of everbearers and of june varieties, and of a quarter of an acre; also the best product of one hill, and the best product of one plant, and its runners fourteen months from planting. i believe one plant of everbearers can produce a quart the season of setting. i know of the five bushels to the square rod, and the other fellow had four and a half bushel of wilson. surprise plum a success. c. a. pfeiffer, winona. i realize at the outset that i am treading on delicate ground in undertaking to defend the surprise plum, on account of it having been discarded by our fruit list committee, but after seeing our young trees producing this year their third consecutive heavy crop i feel justified in taking exception to the action of the committee. my first experience with the surprise plum dates back to , when mr. o. m. lord, of minnesota city, probably the best authority on the plum in the state in his time, presented me with one tree, which at that time were being sold at $ . each, and i was cautioned against giving it too much care or i would kill the tree, and that is just what happened to it. [illustration: c. a. pfeiffer, winona.] the following year, , i bought twenty-five trees from mr. lord and planted them late in march, on very sandy land on a southerly slope, pruning the trees back almost to a stump. these trees were very slow in getting started but made a satisfactory growth before the season was over. they commenced to bear the third year after planting, and are still producing good crops, but it is my more recent experience with this variety that finally induced me to prepare this article. in the spring of , we set out plum trees, on rich, black, loamy soil on low land, nineteen of them being surprise, the other varieties being, according to numbers, terry, ocheeda, stoddard, hawkeye, bursota, wolf, omaha also a few jewell, desoto, forest garden, american and stella. the surprise trees bore a crop in , again in , and , making it to the present time not only the most productive but the most profitable variety on our place. while we did not keep an accurate record of the exact yield in and , some of the trees produced fully five quart cases in . a fair average would perhaps be about four cases per tree. in the crop was somewhat lighter, yielding an average of three cases per tree. this year we picked and sold eighty-five cases, which brought us a gross revenue of $ . . we lost part of the crop on account of continual rain in the picking season, or we would have had fully cases. nine of the trees being in a more sheltered location than the other ten held their fruit better during the growing season, and produced a relatively heavier crop than the ten that were exposed to our fierce winds all summer. we have never been able to supply the demand for them, at good prices, while other varieties went begging at any kind of a price. among their good qualities with us are productiveness, good size, extra fine quality and attractive color. they are delicious to eat out of hand just as they are ripe enough to drop from the tree. they are fine for canning, preserving or jelly. they are practically curculio proof, and have never been affected with brown rot as have some other varieties. aphis never bothers them, while terry and some other varieties nearly had the whole crop ruined by this pest in . the branches form good, strong shoulders at the trunk and do not split or break down in heavy storms or under their heavy loads of fruit, as the terry and forest garden do. the flower buds and fruit form as freely on the new growth as on the old spurs. the crop is therefore about evenly distributed all over the tree, and while we picked almost eight cases from one tree this year it did not appear to be overloaded, as some varieties frequently are, the surprise tree always being capable of maturing all the fruit that sets. we have shipped them miles by freight with perfect success, but we pick them from the tree before fully ripe. if allowed to ripen on the tree they drop badly, which bruises and damages them. the trees are thrifty, vigorous growers with beautiful glossy foliage that can be distinguished from all other varieties. you would note on examination of the buds that we have promise of another crop next year, but this will depend somewhat on the weather during the blooming season. we attribute one of the reasons for our success with the surprise plum to the fact that they are planted among and alongside of varieties that have the same season of blooming, and which undoubtedly are good pollenizers, namely the bursota, wolf, ocheeda and omaha. the bloom of surprise being almost sterile, they will not be a success planted alone. [illustration: a surprise plum tree growing on the place of prof. a.g. ruggles. it bore in four bushels, having been well sprayed with arsenate of lead and bordeaux mixture.] you will perhaps ask if there are no faults or diseases they are subject to, and we will state, for one thing, the fruit drops too easily when ripe, and you will either have to pick them before fully matured or find a good many of them on the ground. they are also occasionally subject to blossom blight, which was rather a benefit, as it thinned the crop out to about the proper proportion. we also had considerable plum pocket and fungous growth one season about ten years ago. such has been our experience with the surprise plum--and will again repeat that until the society finds a plum equally as good or better, instead of discarding it on account of unproductiveness and recommending such poor quality varieties as wolf, desoto and some others, our learned horticulturists should make a special study of this variety and ascertain the cause of its unproductiveness, and also to what localities in the state it may be adapted. mr. pfeiffer: right here i will say to those gentlemen who are looking for a cure for brown rot or curculio, they had better plant surprise plums. (applause.) pres. cashman: i am glad the surprise plum has at least one good friend in this audience. i think it has several. mr. ludlow: what has been your experience with the ocheeda? i see you mention it. mr. pfeiffer: the ocheeda at the present time, i am sorry to say, i am disappointed with. i planted some fifteen years ago, and they were nice large plums, as you have described, and they were on sandy soil. i have twenty ocheeda trees now, and they are quite badly subject to brown rot. their quality is very nice to eat from the tree out of hand, nice and sweet. mr. street: i want to second everything mr. pfeiffer has said. i joined this society about twelve years ago, and it was through studying the reports of this society that i got interested in the native plum. the surprise plum does very well with us in illinois. professor hansen is one of those that are responsible for my starting in with the surprise. it was years ago at our state meeting that he mentioned that as one of the good plums for northern illinois. well, i put it alongside of the wyant and the native plums that are of the same sort. i may state the conditions under which we grow them. we always cultivate before bloom, cultivate thoroughly. before the growth starts we give them a very thorough spraying with lime-sulphur spray; then just before the bloom, just before the blossoms open, as late as we can wait, we use about to or of the lime-sulphur solution, also put in three pounds of arsenate of lead. then after the blossoms fall we use the same spray again, perhaps two weeks after that again, and we keep that up for about four times. we have had abundant crops, and they have been very profitable. pres. cashman: i am very glad to know that the surprise plum has friends in illinois, and we are also pleased to know that mr. street is with us and we hope to hear from him later. the president of the wisconsin horticultural society, mr. rasmussen. mr. rasmussen: i will say the surprise plum has given just about the same results with us--it is the most profitable we have. mr. sauter: i was over to the anoka county fair; it was the first part of september, and all the other plums weren't ripe, all the stuff they had in was green. but all the surprise were ripe, so that certainly must be an early ripener. mr. pfeiffer: not especially early. mr. hall: i was certainly glad to hear mr. pfeiffer so ably defend the surprise plum. the surprise plum was the only one i got any good from. the desoto, wolf and stoddard and all those, the brown rot got them, but the surprise plum had perfect fruit. i am surprised that it has a black eye from the society. mr. pfeiffer: your location is where? mr. hall: sibley county. mr. kellogg: thirteen years ago i set out a root graft that made about five feet of growth and just as quick as it got big enough to bear it was loaded with surprise plums, but since then it hasn't been worth a cent. mr. miller: if mr. pfeiffer had been in my orchard he could not have given us a better description of it than he did, of the surprise plum. i set it out about fifteen years ago. i think i paid sixty cents for those seedlings, they stood about three and one-half feet. i never had brown rot in them. when i set them out i put them with other varieties and set them so the inside ones would fertilize the outside ones. afterwards i set these on the east side of the orchard, where they got protection from the west wind. they have borne almost every year, and this year they are the only ones we had a crop on. pres. cashman: i think we get as near to agreeing on this question as on most others. it is suggested that we find out how many have had success and how many have had failures with the surprise plum. all those who have been successful in raising surprise plums will please raise their hands. (certain hands raised.) now, hands down. those who have been unsuccessful will please raise their right hands. (other hands raised.) it seems there were more successes than failures. a member: it has been mentioned that the frost this year killed the plum crop. i noticed in my orchard previous to that frost when we had a snow storm, i noticed that the blossoms dried up and fell from the trees before that hard frost. i think the question of success or failure with the surprise, as with other plums, is sort of comparative. i don't know of any plum of the americana type that we have a success with every year any more than any other. so it is relative. i would like to ask if anyone had the same experience with the blossoms drying and falling off the trees before that frost. mr. crawford: perhaps the gentleman will recall the fact we had two nights in succession of quite severe frost. the first night it was almost a freeze, and the second we had the snow storm which is given credit for the plum failure. mr. anderson: the gentleman who read the paper, he is from winona, where he has a very much better location for any kind of fruit than the general run of the state. the other gentleman is from illinois. now, this good location near winona and the temperature down in illinois, does that favor the surprise plum, and has it anything to do with their success and our failure? pres. cashman: we will have to leave that to the audience. mr. s.d. richardson: down in winnebago i got three trees from the originator of the surprise plum, and while i was at the nursery i never saw any plums, but i propagated some from there and a man in our town has some surprise plums from it, and since i left the nursery i think the man has had some plums from them. i got them from mr. penning when they were first originated, but they never bore plums for me. i had no other plums around there. perhaps if they need pollen from other plums they didn't get it, and this man that has had the first success with them he had other plums near them. perhaps that is the secret. the tree is hardy and good, and if you can get a crop of plums by having something else to fertilize them, the surprise plum is all right. pres. cashman: i think mr. richardson has struck the keynote to a certain extent, we must put them near another variety to pollenize them. northeast demonstration farm and station. w. j. thompson, supt., duluth. last may the station orchard was set out, the same consisting of about apple trees with a fringe of cherries and plums. the apples consisted of year old stock (purchased the year preceding and set in nursery rows) and included these six varieties: duchess, patten's greening, okabena, wealthy, hibernal, anisim. good growth was made the past season and the stock went into winter quarters in good shape. however, per cent died, the loss being in this order: wealthy, anisim, hibernal, pattens' greening--okabena and duchess were tied for smallest loss. in addition to the above, we made a considerable planting of small fruits, principally currants and gooseberries, together with a limited quantity of blackberries and raspberries. twelve varieties of strawberries were set out, each including plants. all made a splendid growth this season. an interesting test is under way in the dynamiting work. alternate trees have been set in blasted holes, a stick about one and one-half inches long being sufficient to make a hole three feet in diameter and perhaps twenty inches in depth. it is yet too early to measure the results of this work, but owing to the nature of the subsoil in this region, we are looking for splendid results. with regard to the stock secured from the fruit farm, we have not been uniformly successful. much of the stock seems to be weak and dies readily from some cause unknown to us. next season we should be able to render a more complete report, as our work will then be fairly started. annual report, , west concord trial station. fred cowles, supt., west concord. [illustration: fred cowles at home.] of the new varieties of plums that i received from the fruit-breeding farm most all have done well. the only one that has borne is no. . this one had two plums on last season, and several this. they were a medium size red plum, very good flavor, and seem to come into bearing very young. no. is a very thrifty grower, but when it bears that will tell what it is worth. hansen's plums are doing well, but we believe they are more adapted to a better drained soil than we have here, as we are on a heavy prairie soil. but these varieties are very thrifty and bear so young. the grapes have all stood the winter with no protection and have not killed back any. we expect some fruit next season. the raspberries that we received have all done well. no. seems to take the lead for flavor and is a good grower. notwithstanding the cold season our strawberry crop was very good, and we are much impressed with no. , it is so strong and healthy; it is just the plant for the farmer, as it will thrive under most any condition. i believe it will fight its way with the weeds and come out ahead. we reported very favorably on the heritage when it was in bloom, but it does not set enough fruit to pay for its space. the berries are large but very few on my grounds. i will discard it. our apple crop was very good, especially duchess, wealthy and northwestern greening. we have been trying some of the tender varieties top-worked. northern spy gave us five nice apples on a two year graft. we also have jonathan, talman sweet and king david doing well. delicious grafted three years ago has not fruited yet. this has been a splendid summer for flowers, and they seemed to enjoy the damp, cool season, especially the dahlia. if you have not tried the countess of lonsdale you should; it is a cactus dahlia and a very free bloomer. everblooming roses did well--we had them in october. * * * * * plant lice on blossoms.--aphids infesting the apple buds appeared in serious numbers during the present season in the illinois university orchards when the buds began to swell. they were also observed in neighboring orchards. in , apple aphids caused serious damage in certain counties in illinois, and some damage was reported from many sections of the state. the aphids attack the opening buds, the young fruits, the growing shoots, and the leaves, sucking the plant juices from the succulent parts by means of long, very slender, tube-like beaks, which they thrust through the skins of the affected organs into the soft tissues beneath. they weaken the blossom buds by removing the sap; they dwarf and deform the apples so that varieties of ordinary size frequently fail to grow larger than small crab apples, and the fruits have a puckered appearance about the calyx end; they suck the juice from the growing shoots, dwarfing them; and they cause the leaves to curl, and if the insects are present in large numbers, to dry up and fall off. they are more injurious to the growth of young trees than of old trees. in old trees their chief injuries are on the fruit. this species of aphids are easily killed in the adult stage by certain contact sprays. winter applications of lime sulphur cannot be depended on to destroy eggs. poison sprays such as arsenate of lead are not eaten by this type of insect, and consequently are ineffective remedies for aphids. kerosene emulsion is effective but is uncertain in its effect on the foliage of the trees. the best available sprays are the tobacco decoctions, of which the one most widely in use is "black leaf ," a proprietary tobacco extract, made by the kentucky tobacco products company, louisville, kentucky. this material is used at the rate of one gallon in one thousand gallons of spray. it may be combined with lime sulphur, lime sulphur arsenate of lead, bordeaux, or bordeaux arsenate of lead, not with arsenate of lead alone. the ideal time to spray for these aphids is just as soon as all or nearly all the eggs appear to have hatched. observations made in the university orchards this season indicate that all the eggs hatched before the blossom buds began to separate. after the leaves expand somewhat and the blossom buds separate, the aphids are provided with more hiding places and are more difficult to hit with the spray. unfortunately, spraying at this time would require an extra application in addition to the cluster bud (first summer) spray (made for scab, curculio, bud moth, spring canker worms, etc.), and would thus add seriously to the cost of the season's operations. spraying for aphids at the time of the cluster bud spray is, however, highly effective, and in general it is advised that this method be followed. if, however, previous experience has shown serious losses from aphids, or if they are present in extremely large numbers, the extra application may be well worth while.--ill. agri. exp. station. annual report, , duluth trial station. c. e. rowe, supt., duluth. [illustration: a rosa rugosa hybrid rose grown by c. e. rowe, duluth.] although this was an off year for apples, results were probably as good here as in other sections of the state. the spring gave promise of an unusual crop, but the constant dropping of fruit during the summer months left us with about two-thirds as many apples as were harvested in . the quality was much poorer, owing to extremely cool weather and the presence of scab in many localities. the plum crop failed almost completely, and many trees were injured from aphis attacks. i have never known the aphis so hard to control as they were last summer. nearly all fruit trees made an excellent growth this season, and the new wood was well ripened when the freeze-up came. the fall rains provided plenty of moisture, and our trees should come through the winter in excellent shape. raspberries and currants produced about one-half the usual crop this year, probably owing to our may freeze. strawberries were almost a failure, largely due to winter-killing. last winter did more damage to perennial plants than any other winter within the recollection of the writer. the fall was rather dry, and our snow covering did not come until january. we received from supt. haralson for trial four plum trees, variety no. ; and fifty everbearing strawberry plants, variety no. . both plum trees and strawberry plants made a good growth. although the strawberries were set heavily with fruit, but little of it ripened before the heavy frosts came. the plant is very vigorous, and the berry is large and of excellent quality. annual report, , vice-president, tenth congressional district. m. h. hegerle, supt., st. bonifacius. on may th we had several inches of snow accompanied by a fierce northwest wind, and orchards without any shelter suffered seriously, and both apples and plums in such orchards were scarce and of a rather inferior quality. a few orchards had a fair crop, while a couple of others with a natural windbreak had a fairly good crop, but on an average it was the lightest apple and plum crop we have had for some time. mr. beiersdorf and mr. swichtenberg report a good crop of wealthy and peter. their orchards are close to a lake and are well protected on the north and west by a natural grove. of the twenty-four report blanks sent out, eleven were returned properly filled in, and they all report conditions about as above outlined. cherries and grapes suffered even more from the cold than the apples, and that crop was very light. my homer cherry trees look healthy and are growing fine, but the past two years had not enough fruit to supply the birds. raspberries and strawberries were a good crop and of exceptional fine quality, but the currants and gooseberries were a total failure in my garden as well as elsewhere, according to all reports received. there were not many fruit trees planted in this district the past year. for instance, at this station the deliveries last spring consisted principally of bundles containing one-half dozen or a dozen trees each, and the total number delivered in that way did not exceed trees and, according to all information, the planting throughout this district was very light. i know of only one new orchard started with four and five year old trees. about are wealthys and the balance patten greenings. the trees made a good start but were somewhat neglected during the summer, the field being planted to corn and some to barley, and all was handled rather rough. there was very little blight in this district the past year. i noticed just a little on two or three transcendents, and mr. jos. boll, who has about , bearing trees, reports no blight at all. i did no spraying this year, did not consider it worth while, as there was no fruit, and most others felt the same way. other years though a lot of spraying is done, and the more progressive ones spray two and three times. there is plenty of moisture in the soil, and the trees are going into winter quarters in good shape, therefore prospects for apple and plum crop the coming season are excellent. [illustration: residence of m. h. hegerle, st. bonifacius.] probably a hundred or more different kinds of apple and plum trees and berries of all kinds are grown here. farmers in the past usually bought what the salesman recommended, just to get rid of him; lately though they are taking more interest in the selection, and the wealthy, patten's or northwestern greenings, okabena, peter and perhaps a few duchess are about the only apple trees planted now. surprise plums, dunlap and everbearing strawberries are the leaders. ornamental shrubs are found here of all names and descriptions and colors, and they all seem to do well. * * * * * honey vinegar.--vinegar made from honey has an exceptionally fine flavor and is not expensive. a small amount of honey furnishes a large amount of vinegar. follow these directions: dissolve thoroughly in two gallons of warm, soft water one quart jar of extracted honey. give it air and keep it in a warm place, where it will ferment and make excellent vinegar.--missouri college of agriculture. thirty years in raspberries. gust johnson, retired fruit grower, minneapolis. of the growing of fruit, it may well be said, "experience is a good teacher, but a dear school." when i began fruit growing, some thirty years ago, i did not begin it merely as an experiment. i was interested in every branch of the work and, being very much in earnest about it, i felt confident of success. thinking that the failures and drawbacks sometimes experienced could be easily overcome by a thorough understanding of the work at hand, i began by getting all the information possible. i found that great books such as by downing, thomas, etc., were more suitable for the advanced fruit grower, but i studied all the pamphlets and books obtainable during the winter months and put this knowledge into practice during the summer. of course i could not put into practice all i had obtained from this reading, but i remembered distinctly the advice to all amateur fruit growers to start out slowly. this was particularly suited to my case, for the land was covered with timber, some of which i grubbed each summer, gradually adding acres as i cleared the land. my first venture was in planting raspberries, planting potatoes between the rows the first year. one delusion i had was in planting as many different and untested varieties as i could afford to buy and not confining myself to those that had been tried and had proven satisfactory. fortunately for me, the high cost of plants at this time did not warrant my buying as many different varieties as i desired, and i had to be contented with fewer plants. from the most promising of these, i saved all the plants possible. i had an idea that i could do better by sending to some of the eastern states for my plants, but here again i was mistaken, for the plants often did not arrive until late in may, and by the time they had reached their destination were practically all dried out. the warm weather then coming on, i lost the greater part of them, although i had carefully hoed and tended them in the hope that they would finally revive. here i might also mention that the express charges added considerably to the cost of these already expensive plants. as a beginner i put much unnecessary labor on these plants. while i do not wish to leave the impression that hoeing and caring for them is not all right, still there should be a happy medium which i later learned as i became more experienced along this line. i must admit, however, that this rich, new land thus cultivated certainly yielded some wonderful fruit. as time went by, i kept adding to my plantation, and owing to the large yield and the good demand for the black caps i took a fancy to raising them. when the palmer variety was first introduced, i planted quite a field of them. i shall never forget the way these berries ripened, and such a lot of them as there were. practically every one by this time having planted black caps, their great yield soon overstocked the market, and berries finally dropped as low as c or c a crate. having decided to dig up these black caps, i began paying closer attention to the red raspberry. i noticed that the raspberries growing wild on my place grew mostly in places where big trees had been cut down and young trees had grown up, thus partly shading the plants. having this fact in mind, i planted the raspberries as follows: i planted an orchard, having the trees in parallel rows, and between the trees in these same rows i planted the raspberries. by planting in this manner, the cultivation would benefit the trees as well as the smaller plants. of course after the trees began bearing heavily, the plants nearest the trees had to be removed, and later the other plants likewise were removed. as a beginner it was a puzzle to me which varieties i should plant. all varieties listed in the numerous catalogs were so highly recommended as being hardy, large yielders, good shippers, etc., that the selection of plants was not an easy matter. the speed with which a new variety of raspberry is sent out over the country and discarded is surprising. the most popular sort at this time was the "turner" variety. i did not, however, fancy this variety, for it suckered so immensely that it required continual hoeing to keep the new plants cut down. the berries were unusually soft and settled down in the boxes, which greatly detracted from their appearance in the crates. there were also at this time a few of the "philadelphia" variety being planted. they are a dark, soft variety and somewhat similar to the turner. just at this time there was being sent out a new variety, known as the cuthbert, or queen of the market, and queen it was indeed. this was a large, firm berry, and after ripening it would remain on the plant a long time without falling off. these plants grew up in remarkably long canes, but not knowing how to head them back they would often topple over during a heavy storm. this added another valuable lesson to my increasing experience, which resulted in my pinching of the new canes as soon as they had attained a height of from three to four feet. this made the plants more stocky and more able to support their load of berries without the aid of wire or stakes. next came the marlboro, plants of which sold at as much as a dollar apiece in the east. i then set out a bed of marlboro, which proved to be even better than the cuthbert, previously mentioned. they could be picked while still quite light in color, thus reaching the market while still firm and not over-ripe. there was only one possible drawback, and that was the fact that i had planted them on a southern exposure, while they were more adapted to a colder or northern exposure. this variety on a new field, as it was, practically bore itself to death. about this time, there originated in wisconsin a berry known as the loudon. a committee of nurserymen having gone to see this variety returned with the report that the half had not been told concerning this great berry. wanting to keep up with the times, i decided to plant some of this variety in the spring. the yield from these plants was immense, and the berries large, but unlike the marlboro already mentioned they could not be picked until very dark and real ripe. this variety was more subject to anthracnose than any i had seen, and served to give me a thorough understanding of the various raspberry diseases, which i had heretofore blamed to the drouth. the leaves would dry up and the berries become small and crumbly when affected by anthracnose. it might be said of this variety as regards public favor, that it went up like a rocket and came down equally fast. i next tried the thompson early as an experiment, but this variety proved a failure, or at least a disappointment. these berries ripened very slowly, just a few at a time, and did not compare favorably with either the marlboro or the loudon. a party close by had at this time planted out a large field of a variety of raspberry which i had not seen before. these plants produced a large berry, more like a blackberry in appearance. having by this time had experience with so many kinds of raspberries, i examined this new variety carefully, and all in all decided that this was the coming berry. here, too, i also noticed the first signs of disease. the plants had only begun to bear fruit, however, and judging from the strong, tall canes, they looked good for at least fifteen years. this disease, however, practically destroyed the entire field within two years. before too badly diseased, i had obtained and planted out a couple of acres of these plants and immediately began spraying them. the following spring i sprayed them again, and although the plants became perfectly healthy, i sprayed them once or twice during the summer, and it is needless to say the result was a berry which, considering all its good points, was certainly deserving of the name it bore, which was "king." in fact, i do not hope to see anything better in the raspberry line during the next thirty years, that is, any seedling having all its merits: a strong growth, hardiness of cane, an immense bearer and a good shipper. it's only fault is that the berries will drop from the plants when real ripe, but if you are on the job this can easily be averted. as far as anthracnose is concerned, i have found that there is not a variety of raspberry standing out in an open field, unsprayed or partly shaded, that will stand up under a heavy crop without being affected by this disease. after increasing my plantation, as i had by this time, i found i required more help. ability in managing my helpers was a necessity. my experience with them in the field was that when i set them to hoeing a newly set raspberry field if not watched they would destroy half the roots, loosening the little hold the struggling plants had, by cutting close and hoeing the soil away from the roots. i have seen supposedly intelligent men plowing alongside of the plants, thinking they were doing their work so much more thoroughly, but if they would dig up one plant before plowing and another after, they would readily see the results of their plowing. a born farmer assumes that everybody knows how to handle a hoe or a plow, but why should they, not having had practical experience? when put to work such as hoeing, they would make the most outlandish motions with the hoe, often destroying valuable plants, not being able to distinguish them from the weeds. though they may labor just as hard, they cannot possibly accomplish as much as the expert who can skillfully whirl a hoe around a plant in such a manner as to remove every weed and yet not injure the plant in the least. in other words, the best efforts of the novice cannot possibly bring the results so easily accomplished by the more skillful laborer. except in a few cases, i have found inexperienced help a discouragement. in hiring pickers who had to come quite far each morning, i found that if the morning had been wet and rainy, but had later turned out to be a nice day, they would not come at all. the sun coming out after these showers would cause the berries to become over-ripe and to drop from the bushes, or if still on the bush would be too ripe for shipping. these same pickers, when berries were scarce, would rush through the rows, merely picking the biggest and those most easily acquired. having tried pickers as mentioned, i decided that to get pickers from the city and board them would be the better plan. while they seemed to work more for the pleasure connected with life on the farm than with the idea of making money, yet after a little training and a few rules, most of them would make splendid pickers, and my berries being carefully picked and in first class condition, would readily sell to the best trade. leaving the subject of berries and berry picking, i will dwell briefly on my experience with the winter covering of the plants. at first i would cover the canes in an arch-like manner, which would require more than inches of soil to cover them, and it was necessary to shovel much by hand. in the spring i found it quite a task to remove all this soil and get it back in place between the rows. after i learned to cover them properly, that is flat on the ground, i found it required but a small amount of soil to cover them, and in the spring it was only necessary to use a fork to remove the covering, and with a little lift they were ready to start growth again. after getting more and more fruit, i found i could not dispose of it in the home market, and tending to the picking and packing of the fruit did not leave enough time to warrant my peddling it. i had been advised to ship my berries to two or three different commission houses in order to see where i could obtain the best results. i frequently divided my shipments into three parts: consequently some of my fruit would meet in competition with another lot of my fruit, and not only would one concern ask a higher or lower price than the other, but they would not know when to expect my shipments, which they would receive on alternate days. i finally came to the conclusion that i would send all my fruit to one party, and i found that it was not only more of an object to them, but people would come every day to buy some, knowing they were getting the same quality each time. although it has been my experience that the raspberry is never a failure, still i have found that it is a good policy not to depend entirely on the raspberry, but to extend the plantation in such a way as to have a continuous supply of fruits and vegetables in season, from the asparagus and pie plant of the early spring to the very latest variety of the grape and apple ripening just before the heavy frost of fall, when it is again time to tuck them all away for the winter. mr. ludlow: do i understand that you have to lay down and cover up those red raspberries? mr. johnson: yes, sir; otherwise you only get a few berries right at the top of the cane, and if you cover them the berries will be all along down the cane. the president: do you break off many canes by covering them? mr. johnson: no, it is the way you bend them. when you bend them down, make a kind of a twist and hold your hand right near them. you can bend them down as quick as a couple of men can shovel them down. mr. anderson: do you bend them north or south or any way? mr. johnson: i generally bend one row one way and the other the other way. where you want to cultivate, it is easier for cultivation; you don't have to go against the bend of those plants. that bend will never be straight again, and when you come to cultivate you are liable to rub them. mr. anderson: how far have you got yours planted apart? mr. johnson: about five feet. mr. sauter: what is your best raspberry? mr. johnson: i haven't seen anything better than the king. mr. sauter: do you cover the king? mr. johnson: yes. mr. sauter: we don't do it on the experimental station. i never covered mine, and i think i had the best all around berry last summer. mr. johnson: that might be all right when they are young, but i find it pays me. a member: don't they form new branches on the sides when you pinch off the ends? mr. johnson: yes, sir; then you pinch them off. a member: don't they break right off from the main stalk in laying down? mr. johnson: no, no. a member: we have a great deal of trouble with that. how do you get these bushy bushes to lie down? mr. johnson: i take three or four canes, and kind of twist them, give them a little twist, and lay them flat on the ground. mr. anderson: don't you take out any dirt on the sides? mr. johnson: no, sir; sometimes i might put a shovel of ground against them to bend the canes over. mr. rogers: do you plant in the hedge row or in the hill system? mr. johnson: in the hedge row. i think it is better because they protect one another. mr. ludlow: how far do you put them apart in the hedge row? mr. johnson: four feet. that is the trouble with the king, if you don't keep them down, your rows will get too wide. a member: i heard you say a while ago you covered these. do you plow them after you get them down or do you cover them with a shovel? mr. johnson: i cover mostly with a shovel. sometimes i take a small plow through. a member: don't you think in covering them with a plow you might disturb the roots? mr. johnson: that is the danger. a member: i saw a fellow covering up twelve acres of black caps and he plowed them shut. after i heard what you said i thought maybe that he was injuring his roots. mr. johnson: you know the black cap has a different root system from the reds. the roots of the reds will run out all over the road. mr. willard: how thick do you leave those canes set apart in the row, how many in a foot? mr. johnson: i generally try to leave them in hills four feet apart, not let them come in any between. about three or four in a hill. i generally try to cut out the weak ones. mr. willard: you pinch the end of the tops, i think? mr. johnson: yes, sir. a member: when do you cut those sucker canes? mr. johnson: i generally hoe them just before picking time and loosen the ground in the row. that is very important, to give them a hoeing, not hoe down deep, but just loosen that hard crust there and cut all the plants that you don't want, and then generally, after the berries commence to ripen, your suckers don't come so fast, and you keep on cultivating once in a while. mr. brackett: i have some king raspberries, and i never covered them up in ten years. i will change that. the first year i did cover a part of my patch, at least one-half of them, and that left the other half standing, and i couldn't see any difference. around excelsior there are very few people that cover up the king raspberry. but the king raspberry has run out; all of the old varieties have run out. we have at our experiment station the no. --you can get double the amount of fruit from the no. than from the king. the best way to grow the king raspberry or any other raspberry is to set them four feet apart and cultivate them. if you grow a matted row you are bound to get weeds and grass in there, you are bound to get them ridged up, but by planting in hills and cultivating each way you can keep your ground perfectly level. as far as clipping them back my experience has been it is very hard to handle them--they will spread out. it is a big job to cover the plants and then to uncover them again. i know it is not necessary with the no. ; that is hardy. that is what we want. hardiness is what we want in a berry, and you have it in the no. . mr. hall: i would like to ask you what you spray with and when you spray? mr. johnson: the bordeaux mixture. i spray them early in the spring and just before they start to ripen. mr. wick: with us the loudon raspberry seems to be the coming raspberry. mr. johnson: is it doing well now? mr. wick: yes, it is doing well. mr. ludlow: how many years is the planting of the king raspberry good for? mr. johnson: i think it would be good for fifteen years or more if they are handled as i do it. keep at the plant, hoeing and spraying them twice a year; trim out the old wood and keep them healthy. the president: you take out all the old wood every year? mr. johnson: yes, sir. mr. ludlow: when do you do that? mr. johnson: in the fall. i figure this way, every extra cane that you grow on the plant is a waste. if i see a cane a little higher than the others i just stop it, and it throws the sap back. mr. berry: do you fertilize and how and when? mr. johnson: i found i didn't need much fertilizer. i put on wood ashes and such things when i burn the trimming of the berries and such things. a member: when do you spray? mr. johnson: i generally spray in the spring after they get started and just before they are starting to ripen. i spray them sometimes when they are starting to ripen, and the berries would pick up in one day. a member: you mean to say you could grow them for fifteen years without fertilizing? mr. johnson: yes, sir. * * * * * knowledge of the temperature of the pantry and cellar is important, in order that one may make improvements in conditions. putrefaction will start at °, so that a pantry or closet where food is kept should have a temperature at least as low as that. cellars where canned goods are stored should have a temperature of ° or over. apples are frequently stored in outside cellars, where the temperature should be kept at ° or °; but apples may be kept satisfactorily at ° or °. when stored at the higher temperatures, the fruit should be placed there soon after being picked. annual report, , nevis trial station. jas. arrowood, supt., nevis. we would say that the station is in good condition; all trees and shrubbery have done well; no complaint as far as growth is concerned. this being an off year for fruit in this section, the fruit crop in general was light, the late frost and heavy rains destroying most all, both wild and tame fruits. the strawberries, raspberries and currants were fairly good; plums and apples were very light, except some seedlings, both apples and plums, which seemed to hold their fruit. most all the large apples were destroyed by the freeze, such as duchess, wealthy, greening and hibernal. there were some of the duchess seedlings that seemed to stand all kinds of freezing. [illustration: jas. arrowood in his trial orchard, at nevis, in northern minnesota.] now in regard to the fruits that were sent here from central station. the majority are doing fairly well, especially in regard to strawberry no. , which is doing splendidly and points to be the coming strawberry of northern minnesota. it is a good runner and has a large, dark foliage. plants that we left out last winter without covering came through in splendid condition and made a heavy crop. in regard to the fruit, it is of the best quality, large and firm and a good keeper. in regard to raspberries, nos. , and did very well, and stood the winter without laying down, and bore a good crop. in regard to the eighteen plum trees i received three years ago, nos. , , , , , and have done very well and have made a good growth, but have had no fruit so far. the sand cherry that was received the same year, no. , has done very well and bore some fruit this last year of a fair quality. hansen cherries are doing fairly well and bore some fruit this year. now in regard to plums that were received in nos. , , , , , , have all made a good growth. what was received in have all grown. the grapes that we received two years ago have made but little growth. there were no grapes in this section this year; they all froze off about twice. i received at the county fair about sixteen first prizes on apples and plums this year. we did considerable top-working, mostly on hibernals and native seedlings, which are doing very well. some of our seedling cherries are commencing to bear and show to be perfectly hardy. they are of the oregon strain of sweet cherry. in regard to gardens, they were fairly good throughout the section. corn crop a failure. in regard to the condition of the trees and shrubbery, this are going into their winter quarters with lots of moisture and with a large amount of fruit buds, with a good prospect for fruit next year. * * * * * destroying plant lice.--according to the results of experiments a per cent kerosene emulsion should prove effective against the green apple aphis. the kerosene emulsion made either with per cent stock, per cent, or with naphtha soap and cold water, seemed to kill all the green apple aphides. the per cent nicotine solution, with a dilution up to to , combined with soap, were likewise effective aphidicides. the kerosene emulsions under per cent were not satisfactory, neither were the soaps at the strengths tested, except that fish-oil soap, to , killed per cent of the aphides. laundry soap, to , was effective against the young aphides only. arsenate of lead alone, as was to be expected, had little or no effect upon the aphides. the combination of arsenate of calcium with kerosene emulsions is not a desirable one, since an insoluble calcium soap is formed, thereby releasing some free kerosene.--u.s. dpt. of agri. new fruits originated at minnesota fruit-breeding farm. chas. haralson, supt., excelsior. the subject on which i am to talk is rather difficult to present at this time, but i will mention a few of the most promising new varieties. [illustration: the new and valuable hardy raspberry no. , growing at state fruit-breeding farm.] we have developed several hundred new varieties of fruit since we started fruit-breeding at the state fruit farm. many of them are very promising, but it probably will take several years before we really know what we have that will be of value to the public. we have been growing thousands of seedlings of apples, plums, grapes, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries and currants, from which valuable varieties have been selected. all of them have been put under propagation in a small way for testing at the fruit farm, trial stations and many other places. some very favorable reports from several places have been received during the last year from parties who have fruited these new creations. we also have some hybrid peach and apricot seedlings which have stood the test of the last two winters. some of them blossomed very freely last spring, but on account of the hard freeze in may they did not set any fruit. i hope to be able to report on these another year. [illustration: hybrid plum no. --at minnesota state fruit-breeding farm.] the results of breeding strawberries have given us one everbearing and one june-bearing variety, which have been tested in many places throughout the state. the june-bearing variety has been introduced as minnesota no. . the berries are almost identical with senator dunlap in color and shape, but somewhat larger and, i think, more productive. the plants are equal to dunlap in hardiness, or more so, a stronger plant, and a good plant-maker. the fruiting season is about a week earlier than dunlap. it is a firm berry and stands shipping a long distance. my belief is that this variety will make one of the best commercial berries for the northwest. the everbearing variety is known as no. . it is a large, round berry, dark red color, and is of the best quality. this variety is strong and vigorous and a good plant-maker when blossoms are picked off early in the season. it is also very productive. the blossoms and berries on a number of plants were counted in october, and we found all the way from to berries and blossoms on single plants. this is, of course, a little more than the average, but it shows what it will do under ordinary conditions. this variety has been growing next to progressive, on the same soil, with the same cultivation, and i think that persons who have seen it this summer will agree with me that it is far ahead of progressive in size and productiveness. i will say right here, if you expect to have a good crop of fruit in the fall, keep the most of the runners off. if you encourage them to make runners, or plants, you will have less fruit. the raspberries sent out as nos. , , , , , and , are all worthy of trial. the no. has fruited several years and gave the best showing so far. the fruit resembles the marlboro somewhat, but the color is darker. it is not one of very high quality, but the size of the berry and its appearance will more then make up for this. the canes and foliage are generally healthy and very hardy. this variety will be planted very extensively just as soon as enough stock can be supplied to fruit growers. the burbank crossed with wolf, hybrid plums. there have been several of these sent out to trial stations, and as premiums to members of the horticultural society. i will mention them in order as to size of fruit. no. , , , and will measure - / inch in diameter. nos. , , , , and no. are nearly as large. the kinds which have given best all around satisfaction up to the present time, are nos. , , , , , , and . one or two years more trial should give us an idea which ones will be worthy of general propagation. there are also several varieties of abundance and wolf crosses which have fruited for several years. the quality of the fruit of these hybrids is probably somewhat better than the burbank and wolf hybrids, but the fruit in most cases runs smaller. no. is probably one of the best; its fruit is about - / inch in diameter, colors up all over before it is ripe, and will stand shipping a long distance, as they can be picked quite green and still are colored up all over. there are several numbers equally, or nearly, as promising as no. . sand cherry x satsuma plum no. is in the same class as sapa. the color of the fruit is bluish black when ripe, the flesh purple, pit small and nearly freestone; fruit ripens first part of august. this tree is a strong grower and makes a large tree. we also have another plum, compass cherry x climax, about the only variety which fruited this year. the color of the skin is almost blue when fully ripe; the meat is green and of a very pleasant flavor. the pit is small and clingstone; size of fruit is about - / inches in diameter. the tree is a strong, upright grower. this variety has been propagated this summer. i will not try to describe any more as there are some , hybrid plums on the place and only a small per cent have fruited. [illustration: ornamental purple leaf plum, originated at state fruit-breeding farm.] in grapes we have several varieties worthy of propagation, but i will just mention two varieties. one is a red grape about the size of wyoming red. the bunches are large and very compact; the season for ripening is about with moore's early; the quality is good enough to make it a table grape. the vine is just as hardy as beta grape, of which it is a seedling. it has good foliage and the vine is a rank grower. the other variety is black when ripe, nearly as large as moore's early. the fruit is ripe first part of august; the vine is vigorous and hardy. strawberries and raspberries were a good crop this year, but all other fruit was a total failure on account of the killing frost and snowstorm on may th. apples were in full bloom at the time, and a good crop of plums had set on the trees, but all fell off a few days later. there were no currants or gooseberries and only a few grapes. mr. waldron: what do you think the male parent was of the red grape? mr. haralson: i couldn't say. we don't know what the cross is. mr. waldron: did you have any red grapes growing there? mr. haralson: i presume there were quite a number of varieties growing near by. in the beta seedlings we find a number of grapes that ripen green and also some black and a number red, but not a great many, i would say from five to seven per cent of the seedlings. mr. wellington: have you been able to cross the european plum with the japanese? mr. haralson: we have one or two varieties, but the fruit is very small, the fruit isn't very much larger than the compass cherry. the tree is a very strong grower and makes a large tree, but the fruit is not up to what it should be. mr. cook: what number do you hold that red grape under? mr. haralson: the red grape is no. . mr. sauter: which is the next best raspberry besides the no. ? mr. haralson: i couldn't tell you at present. i thought the no. , but from reports i have had from several places some think no. is better. no. is the best of them all so far. a member: i would like to ask which of those raspberries is the best quality. mr. haralson: they run very much the same, very little difference in the quality. the quality i should say compares very favorably with the king. the president: those of you who know of the wonderful work done by mr. haralson can not help but say, "well done, good and faithful servant." he has surely accomplished wonderful results out there, and the people of this state and adjoining states will all in time enjoy the fruits of his labor. (applause.) * * * * * kill wild onions in november.--the secret of the vitality of the wild onion lies in the two sorts of underground bulbs. each plant produces one large bulb, which germinates in the fall, and four or five small ones, which start growth in the spring. late fall plowing, followed by early spring plowing and planting the infested land to some clean cultivated crop destroys the wild onion pest by killing both sorts of bulbs as the growth from them appears and before they have a chance to multiply. the fall plowing should be deep, and care should be taken to completely bury all green tops of the onion. if very much top growth has been made, a harrow run before the plow will facilitate the thorough covering of the tops. another interesting and valuable point about the wild onion is that the spring bulbs rarely produce heads; consequently, if the infested land is plowed in the fall, a spring oat crop practically free of onions can always be secured. but for complete eradication of the onion, both fall and spring plowing is necessary, and november is the best time to do the fall work. annual meeting, , wisconsin horticultural society. chas. haralson, excelsior, minn., delegate. the meeting was held january , and , , in the assembly room of the state capitol in madison, wis. your delegate was present in time for the opening session and given a chance with other delegates to deliver the greetings of their societies. the opening address by governor phillip was very interesting. he told of the possibilities the state of wisconsin offered fruit growers in a commercial way with markets all around them. he advocated honest grading and packing to obtain the top prices for the fruit. he also urged every farmer to have a small orchard and fruit garden for home consumption. spraying and spray mixtures, illustrated, was ably presented by professor geo. f. potter, university of wisconsin. a speaking contest by ten students from university of wisconsin competed for prizes of $ . , $ . and $ . . this brought out almost every phase of horticulture and was one of the most interesting sessions. commercial orcharding in the middle west was shown with moving pictures and explanations by sen. dunlap, savoy, ill. these pictures illustrated spraying, cultivating, harvesting, grading, packing, caring for the fruit and marketing the same, and several other operations in connection with uptodate commercial orcharding. he also gave a talk on spraying and spraying materials. he said lime-sulphur is preferred in his locality. a half hour question and answer session was led by professor j.g. moore, university of wisconsin, on pruning. this brought out a very lively discussion about how to prune young orchards and what age of trees to plant for commercial orchards. this question was not settled, as some preferred one year old trees, while others would plant nothing but two year old trees. m. s. kellogg, janesville, wis., spoke of nurserymen's troubles. his paper was very interesting from a nurseryman's standpoint with all their troubles and what they have to go up against. c. o. ruste, blue mounds, wis., spoke about the farmer's orchard, what to plant and how to care for the same. the writer gave a paper, telling what is being done in the line of fruit-breeding at the minnesota fruit-breeding farm. the program was very full and interesting. the attendance, however, was not very large. a very good exhibit of apples was on display in the fruit room. the fruit was clean, well colored and up to size. many varieties, such as jonathan, fameuse, baldwin, windsor, talman sweet and wine sap were on display in great quantities. garden helps conducted by minnesota garden flower society edited by mrs. e. w. gould, humboldt avenue so. minneapolis. at the annual meeting the following officers and members of the executive committee were elected. officers--mrs. e. w. gould, president, humboldt ave. s., minneapolis; mrs. phelps wyman, vice-president, third ave. s., minneapolis; mrs. m.l. countryman, secretary-treasurer, s. avon st., st. paul. directors--mrs. f. h. gibbs, st. anthony park; mr. g. c. hawkins, minneapolis; miss elizabeth starr, minneapolis; mrs. h. a. boardman, st. paul; mr. f. w. bell, wayzata; mr. f. f. farrar, white bear; mrs. r. p. boyington, nemadji; mrs. j. f. fairfax, minneapolis; mrs. h. b. tillotson, minneapolis. after a thorough discussion, it was unanimously agreed that more frequent meetings would be advisable. our program committee has, therefore, planned for a meeting each month, alternating between st. paul and minneapolis. it was, of course, impossible to set the dates for the three flower shows so early in the year, or to announce all of the speakers. the program in full for each month will appear on this page, and we hope to save our secretary a great deal of routine work as well as considerable postage to the society. so watch this page for announcements. we hope the following program will prove both interesting and profitable, and that our members will bring friends to each meeting, all of which will begin at : o'clock _promptly_. program for . february . wilder auditorium, : p.m., fifth and washington st., st. paul. soil fertility, prof. f. j. alway. birds as garden helpers. march . public library, minneapolis, : p.m. work of the state art commission, mr. maurice flagg. how can the garden flower society co-operate with it? our garden enemies. cultural directions for trial seeds. distribution of trial seeds. april . wilder auditorium, st. paul, : p.m. native plants in the garden. roadside planting. use and misuse of wild flowers. may. date to be announced. mazey floral co., s. th, minneapolis. informal spring flower show. what our spring gardens lack. good ground cover plants. june. date to be announced. university farm, st. paul, joint session with horticultural society. flower show. july. date to be announced. minneapolis rose gardens, lake harriet. picnic luncheon, : p.m. roses for the home garden. our insect helpers in the garden. august. date to be announced. holm and olson, : , w. fifth st., st. paul. informal flower show. how to grow dahlias. the gladiolus. september . public library, minneapolis, : p.m. fall work in the garden. vines. planting for fall and winter effect. october . wilder auditorium, st. paul, : p.m. what other garden clubs are doing. how my garden paid. reports on trial seeds. november. date to be announced. park board greenhouses, bryant ave. s. and th st., : p.m. chrysanthemum show. hardy chrysanthemums. december. annual meeting. {mrs. phelps wyman, program committee. {mrs. n. s. sawyer, {miss elizabeth starr, {mrs. e. w. gould, bee-keeper's column. conducted by francis jager, professor of apiculture, university farm, st. paul. queen bees for breeding.--queen bees for breeding purposes will be sent to beekeepers of the state from university farm during the coming summer with instructions how to introduce them and how to re-queen the apiary. mostly all bees in the state at present are hybrids, which are hard to manage. in many localities bees have been inbred for years, making the introduction of new blood a necessity. all queens sent out are bred from the leather colored italian breeding queens of choicest stock obtainable. the price of queens will be fifty cents for one, and not more than three will be furnished to each beekeeper. orders with cash must be sent directed to the "cashier," university farm, st. paul, minnesota. the queens will be sent out in rotation as soon as they are ready and conditions are right. secretary's corner membership numbers change.--a good many members when sending in annual membership fee give the number of their membership for the previous year. members will please note that membership numbers change each year, as all members are numbered in the order of their coming upon the membership roll. the only number that we care about in the office, if for any reason it is necessary to give it, is the number for the current year. a word from prof. whitten.--prof. j. c. whitten, of the university of missouri, who was on the program at our annual meeting for three numbers, and at the last moment was taken ill and unable to be with us, has written describing the condition of his illness and expressing his deep regret at his enforced absence from our meeting, and a hope that at some other time he may have an opportunity to be with us. we shall look forward to having him on our program another year with eager anticipation. prof. whitten ranks as one of the most prominent of professional horticulturists of the country, and we are certainly fortunate in being able to secure his attendance, as we hope to do another year. members in florida.--quite a number of members of the horticultural society are spending the winter in florida. some of these the secretary knows about, but addresses of only two are at hand. j. m. underwood, chairman of the executive board of the society, and family are at miami, fla., for the winter. mr. oliver gibbs, at one time secretary of the society for a number of years, is at melbourne beach, on the east coast of florida, where he has been now for some ten winters--and some summers also. his health makes it necessary for him to live in so mild a climate. we have the pleasure of meeting him here often during the summer. now in his eighties he is nearly blind but otherwise in good health and always in cheerful spirits. new life members.--since the report of was printed, in which there will be found on page a list of life members of the society, there have been added to the life membership roll fifteen names; five of these were made honorary members by the unanimous vote of the association for valuable service rendered to the society, and were well deserving of this honor, as follows: chas. haralson, excelsior; s. h. drum, owatonna; f. w. kimball, waltham; j. r. cummins, minneapolis; john bisbee, madelia. to the paid life membership roll there have been added ten names as follows: e. g. zabel, lamoure, n.d.; roy e. mcconnell, st. cloud; o. f. krueger, minneapolis; l.a. gunderson, duluth; mr. and mrs. f. h. gibbs, st. anthony park; herman goebel, wildrose, n.d.; t. torgerson, estevan, sask.; law swanson, st. paul; rev. saml. johnson, princeton. don't you want your name added to this life roll? if you have already paid an annual membership fee for this year a further payment of $ . made any time during the year will be received as first payment for a life membership fee. that is, the amount of the annual fee already paid may be deducted from a life membership fee paid any time during the current year. send in a new member.--have you noticed the advertisement on the inside of the back cover page of this and also the january issues of our monthly? there never was such an opportunity to secure valuable new fruits as this presents to you and to your neighbor, many of whom we feel sure would gladly take advantage of the opportunity if it were presented to them. take an evening off and do yourself and your neighbors this good service--and the society as well. number three strawberry.--very few of those who have so far selected plant premiums for next spring's delivery have chosen minnesota no. june-bearing strawberry. our members will surely make a mistake if they do not secure for next spring's planting a quantity of this splendid new berry, which seems likely to supplant the senator dunlap as the june-bearing variety in the near future. it is a very vigorous grower, equally attractive, of good quality, holds up well and is a healthy, hardy plant. do not leave this out of your list of selection for plant premiums. apple seed of large value.--a considerable quantity of apple seed has been secured of mr. john bisbee, of madelia, minn., from his orchard, top-worked, as it is, with many varieties of long keeping apples, so that this seed is almost certainly crossed with something that will keep well as well as of high quality. it will be found especially valuable to plant for growing seedlings. it would be well to secure this seed soon, mix it with damp sand and leave out of doors where it will freeze, keeping the package which holds it covered from the air so that it may not dry out. every member should have a little corner in his garden for growing apple seedlings. it is an enticing experiment, and such seed as this is likely to give good results. we are still looking for the $ , apple. you may grow it from some of this seed. package of twenty-five seed at ten cents, to be secured of secy. latham. a favorable winter for fruits.--the ground was in good condition last fall, with a reasonable amount of moisture, fruits, both trees and plants, well ripened up, and now with a fairly good blanket of snow and no long continued severe weather, we have to this point in the winter a very certain assurance of a good yield of fruit the coming spring. to be sure the thermometer was down in the neighborhood of thirty degrees one night, but it was there so short a time that it scarcely seems possible that any harm could have been done by it. the horticulturist should be a natural optimist and always anticipate something good ahead, which is one pretty sure way of getting it. minnesota nurserymen give memberships.--a considerable number of the nurserymen of minnesota are again giving memberships this year as premiums to purchasers of nursery stock in quantity of $ . or upwards. this is a commendable enterprise, not only on account of its material assistance in building up the membership roll of the society but more especially because it brings in the kind of members who have, or should have, a large practical interest in the workings of the association, and we believe also that it is like "casting bread upon the waters;" those receiving these memberships will have a warm feeling for the nurserymen which present them. if you who read this are minnesota nurserymen and are not in the list of those who are doing this service for the society, don't you want to take advantage of an immediate opportunity to align yourself with those who are showing so large an interest in the welfare of the association? [illustration: gathering the apple crop in harold simmons' orchard--at howard lake.] while it is not the intention to publish anything in this magazine that is misleading or unreliable, yet it must be remembered that the articles published herein recite the experience and opinions of their writers, and this fact must always be noted in estimating their practical value. the minnesota horticulturist vol. march, no. my orchard crop of from start to finish. harold simmons, orchardist, howard lake. in anticipation of a crop of apples for we commenced the season with the regular annual pruning in march. we begin pruning as soon after the th day of february as the weather is mild enough for us to work comfortably, as the pruning of fifteen hundred trees requires considerable time when one is obsessed with the idea that nothing short of a first class job will do, and that to be accomplished mainly by the efforts of one individual. we have endeavored to grow our trees so that they should all have from three to five or six main limbs, and any tendency of a limb to assume the leadership is suppressed. a tree grown upon this principle has the faculty of growing a great many laterals, necessitating an annual pruning. as far as possible we prune to prevent laterals from becoming too numerous, from growing so as to overtop or shade lower limbs, to let in light and sunshine, so as to get the maximum amount of color on the fruit and in a measure to help in thinning the fruit. having in view the idea of an annual crop instead of a biennial one, one essential point always in mind is that we want an open headed tree, and we also wish to insure our trees against blight, and so we eliminate all water sprouts. apparently, no minnesota orchard is immune against blight. some objections are raised to this type of tree, one criticism being that the tree is structurally weak from the fact that if one limb breaks off at the trunk the tree is about ruined. we offset the possibility of such a break by careful training and by wiring the trees, a plan i gathered some years ago from a mr. mason, at that time president of the flood river apple growers association. [illustration: young trees in full bloom in mr. simmons' orchard.] we use no. galvanized wire, a half inch galvanized harness ring, and screw-eyes with stout shanks and small eyes. locating up the main limbs what might be called the center of effort, or where the main pull would be when loaded with fruit, put in a good stout screw-eye in every main limb, eyes all pointing to the center of the tree, and then wire them all to the harness ring in the middle of the tree. when finished the ring and the wires are like the hub in a wheel with the spokes all around. we tried this first on our n.w. greening trees, and results were so satisfactory that we have applied it to a great number of other varieties with equal satisfaction. once put in a tree, it is good for the life of the tree. our objection to a tree with a central leader is that it is very difficult to create an open head, and if the blight strikes the leader it generally means the loss of the tree. low headed trees we have found by experience, are easiest cared for; they are the most economical for thinning, harvesting, spraying and pruning; they also shade the trunk and main limbs. after pruning all brush is removed from the orchard and burned. the next operation is spraying, and our first spraying was done when most of the petals were down, using a cushman power sprayer, running at two hundred pounds pressure, with two leads of hose and extension rods with two nozzles on each. spraying solution, six gallons of lime and sulphur, twelve pounds of arsenate of lead paste to each tank of water containing two hundred gallons. we aim to cover the tree thoroughly from top to bottom and spray twice each season. however, the past season half the orchard only was sprayed twice, the other half only once, the second spraying being applied about two weeks after the first, when we use lime and sulphur only, and then five gallons instead of six, in each tank of water. we use angle nozzles, the better to direct the spray into the calyxes. the orchard was mowed twice during the summer, early in june and the middle of july. a heavy growth of clover covers most of the orchard, and none is ever removed, all is left to decay just as it is left by the mowers. the next thing in line to take our attention is thinning the fruit. the past season we thinned the wealthy and top-worked varieties only; another season, we expect to carry this work to every tree in the orchard. the trees were gone over twice in the season, although the bulk of the work is done at the first operation. we use thinning shears made expressly for the purpose. by the end of july the trees in many instances were carrying maximum loads, and unless rendered assistance by propping in some way, the limbs, great numbers of them, must soon break. to get props to prop hundreds of trees, needing from five to six up to a dozen per tree, and apply them, looked like a big job. to purchase lumber for props the price was prohibitive; to get them from the woods was impossible. we finally solved the problem by purchasing bamboo fish poles, sixteen and twenty feet long, and by using no. wire, making one turn around the pole at the required height, turning up the end of the wire to hold it and making a hook out of the other end of the wire, using about seven or eight inches of wire for each. these made excellent props at small expense, the ringlike excresences on the pole preventing the wire from slipping. we propped as many as four and five limbs at different heights on one pole. this method carried the heavily loaded trees through the season in good shape. anyone afflicted with too many apples on their trees should try it. next in line came the harvesting of the crop. we use the "ideal bottomless bag" for a picking utensil, and almost all the fruit is picked from six foot step-ladders. we pack the apples in the orchard. fortunately we have had the same people pick our apples year after year, from the first crop until the last one of the past season. [illustration: apples by the carload at howard lake.] in packing we aim to use the kind of package the market demands. the crop this season was all barreled. the pickers have been on the job long enough so that they are as able to discriminate as to what should go into a barrel and what should not as i am myself. however, our system is to always have about twice as many barrels open ready for the apples as there are pickers. the barrels are all faced one layer at least, and two layers if we have the time, and as the pickers come in with approximately half a bushel of apples in the picking sack, they swing the sack over the barrel, lower it, release the catch and the apples are deposited without bruising in any way. the next picker puts his in the next barrel, and so on, so that each succeeding picker deposits his apples in the next succeeding barrel. in that way i personally have the opportunity to inspect every half bushel of apples, or, i might say, every apple, as a half bushel of apples in a barrel is shallow, making inspection a very simple matter. when the barrels are filled they are headed up, put in the packing shed until sufficient have accumulated, and when that point is reached they are loaded out, billed to minneapolis, where practically all our apples have been sold for years. all fruit up to date has been sold on a commission basis, the crop for the past season aggregating five carloads, or approximately barrels. we feel that we have worked out a fairly good method to handle both our trees and our apples, but we have not reached the conclusion that our methods in any way guarantee us a crop of apples, although in ten years, or since the orchard came into bearing, we have never had a season that we did not have a fair crop of apples. in we sold seven carloads, in four carloads, in five carloads, and the trees as far as they are concerned promise us a fair crop for . we are working as though this is assured, but in the final analysis it is up to the weather man. a member: i would like to ask mr. simmons in regard to his wiring. we are raising our trees in the same manner, the open-headed trees, and i wanted to ask him where the central ring is placed, in the crotch of the tree or where? mr. simmons: the ring is suspended by the wires in the center of the tree. it makes an excellent arrangement. you can stand on that wire and gather the apples from the topmost limbs of the trees. the screw-eyes should be put in at what might be termed the center of effort or pull, when the limb is heavily loaded. if not put in high enough, it causes a rather too acute angle where the screw-eye is inserted and the limb is likely to break. a member: we had considerable difficulty with broken branches. mr. ludlow: are the rings put on the outside or the inside of the trees? mr. simmons: on the inside, so that the screw eyes all point towards the center of the tree. after three or four years you can't see the screw eye, it grows right into the tree. mr. ludlow: i want to ask if you recommend the bamboo poles for general propping of trees? mr. simmons: yes, sir; most emphatically i would. it is the best and most economical prop you can use. of course, it is the general opinion among expert fruit growers that the crop should never be too heavy for the tree. the bamboo prop is the best we found. with reasonable care, bamboo poles will outlast common lumber. it is the general opinion among expert fruit growers that the tree should carry all fruit possible, but should not be permitted to be loaded so heavy as to need propping. mr. dyer: i have an orchard of acres and it would take a great many bamboo poles to prop that orchard. i use pieces of board, various lengths, inches wide and inch thick, of various lengths. i get them to feet long and sometimes i cut them in two. my trees are large, twenty-five and thirty and thirty-five years old, and that has been my most successful material to prop with. mr. simmons: what is the cost? mr. dyer: well, you know what the lumber is, i paid about $ . a thousand. mr. simmons: when i tried to buy the props from the lumber yard they would have cost me twenty cents each. i bought the twenty foot bamboo poles for $ . a hundred and the sixteen foot poles for $ . a hundred. a member: i didn't get where his orchard is located, and i would like to ask about the variety of apples he had the best success with. mr. simmons: the orchard is located at howard lake, forty-three miles west of minneapolis. we grow duchess, patten's greenings, hibernals and wealthys. mr. ludlow: what is your average cost per tree for thinning? mr. simmons: we have for years thinned the wealthy trees and our top-worked varieties, but i never kept any accurate account of the cost of thinning. mr. ludlow: how old are your wealthys? mr. simmons: fourteen years old. mr. huestis: mr. simmons stated that he used the wire and the ring and the screw-eyes. if he used that, why does he need props? i used the same thing this summer on some wealthys and thinned them besides, and i didn't need any props because i used the wire from the center ring to the branches. mr. simmons: well, the wire supports support the main limbs but there are a great many laterals. for instance, you have the main limb going up here at an angle of degrees and the limbs that come out of that are not supported. the props i use are supporting the laterals. mr. anderson: are your returns satisfactory shipping to the minneapolis market? mr. simmons: always have been very satisfactory; that has been my only market. * * * * * fighting moths with parasites.--over , , specimens of two parasites which prey on the gipsy moth and brown-tail moth were released in towns in maine, new hampshire, massachusetts and rhode island during the fall of and spring of , according to the annual report of the bureau of entomology, united states department of agriculture. as a result of the successful establishment of colonies of these and other parasites which feed on the gipsy and brown-tail moths, marked progress is being made in reducing these pests. effective co-operation is being afforded by the states, which carry on as much work as possible within the infested areas, thus allowing the federal authorities to carry on field work along the outer border of infestation, so as to retard the gipsy moth's spread.--u.s. dept. of agri. annual meeting. , s.d. state horticultural society. wm. pfaender, jr., new ulm, minn., delegate. arrived at huron, s.d., monday night, january , . the officers as well as the members gave me a very fine reception and, although i am a life member, i was made an honorary member of the society, and during my stay was entertained very agreeably. i attended all meetings. the society had three meetings each day, except thursday, the th, when there was no meeting held in the evening. on account of the very cold weather the attendance from outside was not as large as it should have been. some very interesting papers were read. mr. e. d. cowles, of vermillion, in his paper on "what to do when your grape vines freeze back," advocated to break off the shoots (do not cut them off) near the old wood, so that new shoots would start from the same bud or eye and would produce a crop. the papers by the president, rev. f. a. hassold, "relation of horticulture to home-making" at the meeting, and "community effort in rural life" at the banquet, were very fine and much appreciated by the audience. professor n. e. hansen in his paper, "new fruits," stated, among other things, that he had made a large number of crosses with chinese sand pears and other pears, and that he expects to get from the crosses varieties that will be blight proof, and that he intends to continue experiments along this line. two very able and much appreciated papers at the banquet were: "landscape gardening," by miss hazel j. kent, and "transforming a place into a home," by mrs. geo. h. whiting, both of yankton, s.d. governor byrney was present at the banquet and in his address congratulated the horticulturists of south dakota on what they have attained and encouraged them in their difficult undertakings. your delegate was asked to give notes on "minnesota fruit culture," which he did to the best of his ability. the discussions after each paper were interesting and instructive. the meeting was a very successful one and all present appreciated the fact that these gatherings assist in developing this great northwest in horticulture, forestry and many other ways. annual report, , sauk rapids trial station. mrs. jennie stager, supt. warm weather this last spring came quite early, and with bated breath we waited for the usual frost, but still it came not. the plum orchard became a wilderness of bloom; the buds of the apple trees began coyly to unfold their dainty loveliness; pussy willows flaunted their sweetness on the air--while the birds sang their love notes from trees and bushes. then frost came--not once, but night after night. thus our hopes, which had risen with every promise of a bountiful harvest, fell with the thermometer far below zero. when fall came both plum and apple orchards made so poor a showing, not only here but all around this part of the country, that we had hardly enough fruit for our own uses. [illustration: mrs. stager's grandchildren among the roses of one year's growth.] we had a great deal of rain, all through the spring and into the summer. strawberries, that generally do well in wet weather, did not bless us with their usual abundance. currants and gooseberries also left us in the lurch--but the snyder blackberries were loaded with luscious fruit, while raspberries--why the berries of the golden queen bent the stalks down with their weight. prof. hansen's sunbeams were covered with berries, as were all of the seedling raspberries sent from the breeding farm three years ago, nos. six and seven, of the red ones, bore the largest and firmest berries. i had quite a time keeping the blossoms off the everbearing strawberries sent here in the spring from the state breeding farm. although i had bought and planted three named--and very much extolled--other kinds of everbearers, none of them were as prolific in plants, and extra large berries, as those unnamed ones from the state breeding farm. we had our first berries from them in august. when we had our fair here, the last of september, i made quite a showing of them, from the size of a bean (green) to a crab apple (ripe), surrounded by leaves and blossoms. they were still covered with bloom when the hard frosts came. the two small hybrid plums sent did not make much growth. most vegetables that have always grown so well in other summers did very poorly this year. out of four hundred and seventy-five tomato plants, taken the best of care of by inez, my granddaughter, for the state tomato contest, we did not get one bushel of good ripe ones. lima and other table beans were planted three times (on account of rotting in the ground) and then did not ripen. no ripe corn. in fact, about all the vegetables that came to fruition were peas, cauliflower and cabbage. of flowers, sweet peas, pansies and early lilies were fine, although growing things were late. paeonies had very few flowers. however, roses were masses of bloom. moss roses did the best ever, also large bushes of rosa rugosa (you see this year, we had neither the ubiquitous potato bug, rose bug, caterpillar or any other varmint to war against); quite a number gave us blooms all summer. then most of them threw out strong new plants, as do the raspberries, from the roots. on the whole, with our bounteous harvest of grain and so forth in this blessed country, we can be thankful we are alive. * * * * * keep youth on the farm.--"what can we do to keep our young people free from the deceiving lure of the city and contented to remain on the farm?". the following was prepared by c. w. kneale, of niwot, colo., a student in civics in the colorado school of agriculture, as a part of his regular class work. young kneale, although a student, has some excellent ideas which "father" and "mother" might do well to ponder carefully: "get good books, magazines and farm papers for them to read. "have some kind of lodges for them to go to, such as the grange. "arrange it so they can have a party or entertainment once in a while. "go with them to church every sunday. "arrange it so they can have one or more picnics every year. "teach them how to do all kinds of farm work, by giving them a small tract of land to farm for themselves and showing them how to raise their crops, and have them help you with your work. "give them a horse which they can ride or drive when they haven't anything to do, or when they want to go anywhere. "teach them to love and be kind to animals." ravages of the buffalo tree hopper. "mr. latham recently sent me some twigs of apple tree very badly injured with what we call the buffalo tree hopper. these scars are made entirely by the female in the act of egg-laying. this process of egg-laying takes place from the last part of july until the leaves drop in the fall. the eggs hatch the following spring. the young forms do not feed at all upon the apple but get their nourishment by sucking the juices from the weeds and grasses in the immediate neighborhood of the orchard. [illustration: the buffalo tree hopper and its work] "the injury of this particular tree hopper is bad because the insect in egg-laying makes two slits, side by side, afterwards poking the eggs beneath the bark. as the tree continues to grow, the area between the slits dies, making a very rough appearance of the bark and an area into which spores of disease and bacteria may enter. the twig that is badly scarred very often dies, and sometimes young trees just set out are marked so badly that they succumb. "the only practical remedy against such a pest is clean cultivation of the orchard, as one can readily work out from knowing the life history. it is possible that some of the sprays like bordeaux mixture, or self-boiled lime-sulphur, sprayed and kept active on the trees during the month of august would deter these hoppers from laying eggs. however, we have had no practical experience along this line, although we do know that trees under clean cultivation are not affected."--a. g. ruggles, head of section of spraying and tree insects, university farm, st. paul. * * * * * minnesota no. strawberry.--a communication from peter jackson, cloquet, says: "i had my first trial of the minnesota no. strawberry last year and they did finely. i had one hundred twenty-five quarts from sixty plants." who can do better than that? growing tomatoes in northern minnesota. rev. geo. michael, walker, minn. sow seed in hotbed about april first, in rows five inches apart and five inches apart in each row. transplant in garden one week after danger of frost is past. the day before transplanting soak the hotbed thoroughly with warm water. in taking them up to transplant use a sharp butcher knife; the ground thus cut out will form a cube five inches in diameter. this block, should be set in a hole ten to twelve inches deep. the ground around the block must be made very firm. this block will be four to six inches below the surface. _fill the hole with warm rainwater_ and three or four hours later rake in loose dirt to fill the hole, being careful not to pack it in the least. _how to prepare the ground._ manure heavily; plow very deep; harrow thoroughly. then in forming the hills place two shovelfuls of fine manure and one-half shovelful of hen manure for each hill. spade this in from twelve to eighteen inches deep and eighteen to twenty inches wide. cultivate often. the plants should be staked at first to keep the wind storms from injuring them. when one and one-half feet high they should be trained over poles placed on each side of the row one and one-half feet from the ground. plant hills four feet apart, and _train each plant to four or five vines_, cutting off all side shoots and a few of the leaves. _never cut off_ the top of a vine to hasten the ripening. make the ground _as rich as possible, plough deep, plant deep, set deep and prune carefully_. if you do not use poles or a trellis the vines thus managed should spread over the ground as pumpkin vines grow, and instead of "going all to vines" the tendency will be to go all to tomatoes. _a big story._ over $ , per acre. in i had three rows each forty feet long and four feet apart, i.e., a row feet long, or square feet. more than $ . worth of ripe tomatoes were taken from these vines, the price never more nor less than five cents per pound. if square feet will produce $ . , , square feet would produce $ , . during the tomato season i was away from home when a neighbor gathered bushels which are not counted in the above figures, and our family used and gave away several bushels more. annual report, , vice-president, fourth congressional district. j. k. dixon, north st. paul, minn. the fourth district fruit crops--with the exception of strawberries and raspberries--were conspicuous by their absence this season of . a festive blizzard that came prancing our way the th of may effectually destroyed what promised to be a bumper crop of apples and plums. the trees were for the most part past the blossoming stage, and the fruit had started to develop. currants and grapes met the same disastrous fate. only in favored situations, adjacent to large bodies of water, were there any apples, plums, grapes or currants to speak of. [illustration: mr. j. k. dixon, north st. paul.] in my orchard, at north st. paul, we burned wet straw smudges every second row on the outside of the orchard, allowing the wind to drift the smoke through trees. this was done by adding the wet straw at intervals to the burning piles in order to create a continuous dense smoke. when daylight appeared we noticed the ground covered with a beautiful blanket of frost, and decided two men smoking pipes would have been as effective treatment as the smudge. in this, however, i have since concluded we were mistaken. as the season advanced we noticed the first three or four rows in from the smudges gave us our only apples, whereas the further one went in the fewer were found, until they finally disappeared entirely. question: if the above treatment had been given every second or third row throughout orchard, what would the results have been? strawberries and raspberries proved their superior ability to withstand the assaults of king boreas and jack frost. strawberries were in blossom and were saved from total loss by a two or three inch blanket of wet snow that fortunately preceded the frost. consequently they are reported as fair to good crop. raspberries, owing to the abundant and regular rainfall, are reported from all over the district as a fair crop. one grower having one-half acre of the st. regis everbearing red raspberry reports having ripe berries from the last week in june to the th day of october, when a big freeze-up put them out of commission. this one-half acre produced , pints, that sold for fancy prices. also the everbearing strawberries are reported as making good and proving their claim to recognition as an established institution in the fruit world. a few of the largest growers report spraying with lime-sulphur and arsenate of lead. however, the rainfall was too abundant at the right time (or wrong time) to get best results. very little blight is reported as present the past summer, and what little there was yielded readily to the pruning knife applied five or six inches below infected wood, being careful to sterilize tool in solution of corrosive sublimate. the most serious injury from blight is caused by its attacking tender sprout growths on trunks or large branches. the blight runs very rapidly down the tender wood, penetrating to the cambium layer, where it causes cankers, often girdling entire trunk and killing tree outright. this is especially true of the virginia crab and wealthy apple. trees and plants came through last winter in a condition as a consequence of a mild winter, and this fall they go into winter quarters with abundance of moisture and well ripened wood. considerable nursery stock was planted last spring with excellent results, due to plentiful supply of moisture from spring to fall. while fruit growing in minnesota is not so extensively engaged in as in some reputed fruit growers' paradises we read about, i wish to state that the south and east (to speak in the vernacular) "has nothing on us." i have reliable information that the same freeze that cleaned us out up here in the north did the same trick for growers at mobile, alabama. therefore, i advise members not to yield to discouragement. plant and care for varieties recommended in the society planting list and emulate the society motto, "perseverantia vincimus." from replies to letters sent out the following list of varieties appears to be in favor as the most desirable to plant in this district: apples: wealthy, okabena, duchess, patten's greening. crabs: florence, whitney, lyman's prolific. plums: desoto, hawkeye, wyant, wolf. raspberries: king, sunbeam, minnetonka ironclad. currants: perfection, prince albert, long bunch holland, wilder. gooseberries: carrie, houghton, downing. grapes: beta, concord, delaware. hardy shrubs: spirea van houtii, hydrangea p.g., snowball, syringa, tartarian honeysuckle, lilac, high-bush cranberry, barberry, sumac, elderberry, golden leaf elder, buckthorn for hedges. hardy perennials--flowers: delphinium, campanula, phlox, paeonies, iris, hermerocallis, tiger lilies. tender plants: dahlias, gladiolus. annual report, , mandan, n.d., trial station. w. a. peterson, supt., mandan, n.d. in the spring of a number of plums, grapes and raspberries were received from the minnesota fruit-breeding farm. the larger part of the plums were winter killed in - . those that survive after a few more winters may be considered as practically hardy. those remaining made a good growth in , but did not bear. the grapes lived through the winter in good shape, although they had been covered. these are all beta seedlings. the raspberries nos. , , and , were partly covered and partly left exposed--all three numbers died to the ground when not protected. no. was received in the spring of and made a good growth. strawberry no. was received in spring and bore heavily this fall but made only a very few runners. extensive experiments are being carried on in plant-breeding, pomology, vegetable gardening, arboriculture and ornamental horticulture, and in the course of time a lot of valuable information will be gathered. on the whole the season was backward in spring and the summer was abnormally cool. there was sufficient rainfall for all crops. fruit growing a successful industry in minnesota. a. w. richardson, fruit grower, howard lake, minn. it is now about eighteen years since i conceived the idea of fruit culture as a competency for old age, being then, as now, employed as representative for some concern and required to travel over this state, earning a livelihood for myself and family. the nature of my first work on the road necessitated my attendance (a large portion of the time) at minnesota farmers' institute meetings, where i came in contact with those gentlemen employed in that work, and among the number our friend clarence wedge, of albert lea, and other personal friends, such as o. c. gregg, the founder of the institute work, mr. greely, mr. trow and others. it was among these gentlemen i got my first desire for a piece of land, and was advised by them several times to get a piece of land, and if i could not afford to buy a large piece, to buy a small piece, which latter course i was compelled to adopt. i became imbued with a desire to grow fruit and was particularly interested in the subject of horticulture, and eagerly devoured all the literature obtainable on the subject, and listened very attentively to all discussions on the subject at these meetings. in i moved to howard lake and succeeded mr. e. j. cutts in the nursery and fruit growing business. mr. cutts was well known to a great many. he died just prior to my residence in howard lake, where i got in my first practical experience in the fruit-growing business. after conducting this business for about twelve months, i disposed of it and bought a home in another part of town and at once set out about apple trees and other small fruit. gradually i acquired more land and set out more trees, until today i have about , apple trees, about , of which are at bearing age. i made one grand mistake however, as a great many other growers have done and are still doing, i planted too many varieties. i used the list of tried and recommended sorts issued by the state horticultural society (long before i became a member) and planted accordingly and, like many other growers, have my quota of hibernals, minnesotas, marthas and other sorts which experience has demonstrated are not nearly as desirable as other varieties. i have demonstrated to my entire satisfaction that it is profitable and perfectly proper to grow also small fruits in a young orchard. in my second orchard, containing about trees, i planted the trees x feet and later the same season set out raspberries x feet, occupying all the space in the rows and between the rows, and for two successive seasons i grew a third crop between the raspberries, which plan works admirably. one mistake i made, however, was in planting a little too close to the apple trees, requiring more hoeing around the apple trees to keep the raspberries in subjection, which could have been obviated to a large extent by not planting so closely. i grew raspberries about seven years in this orchard. my returns after the second year brought me $ . to $ . annually, and i sold enough plants to more than pay me for all the labor expended on the orchard, to say nothing of corn, beans, cabbage, etc., raised the first two years between the raspberries. now the trees are about ten years old and all bearing. i have discontinued the cultivation and have seeded to clover, which we usually mow and allow to lie and rot. [illustration: residence of a. w. richardson, at howard lake.] i figure that outside the investment i have brought my orchard into bearing with practically no expense, having had a revenue every year since planting the trees, which are composed of patten greening, hibernal, duchess, wealthy, peerless, minnesota, virginia, okabena and whitney. my last orchard of trees consists principally of wealthy, and trees are set x , and i am following the same plan of growing a crop between. the year makes four crops taken from this young orchard, now four years old. about two more seasons will follow this year, and then about the time for bearing i will discontinue the planting of any crop and sow it to clover. i plant one or two year old trees trimmed to a whip, digging a much larger and deeper hole than is really necessary to accommodate the roots, but i am sure this plan gives the roots a much better start than if they are crowded into a small hole, and particularly if the ground is hardpan or similar soil. pinching off the buds the following year or two, when you commence shaping your trees to your liking, is good, thus eliminating severe pruning. i have endeavored to follow up this annual pruning when possible, often being compelled to hire additional help for this purpose, as the nature of my regular business keeps me from home when i should be pruning. i am sure you will agree with me so far that "fruit growing in minnesota is successful." four years ago or more i decided that in order to receive the top price for the products off my place i must produce a first class article, and so to that end i have worked. i bought a gasoline power sprayer, costing me about $ --by the way, the first one in howard lake, although two of us there each bought one the same spring, and now there are three power sprayers in our village. i have demonstrated that it is possible to get the top price of the market in more ways than one by furnishing a first class article. you will ask me how it is possible for me to do this and be away from home so much. i have been ably assisted by my wife, who sees that my general directions are carried out as i have outlined. this year we have marketed something over barrels and have received the top market price, netting me about $ . . i tried out a new plan this year, selling through a reliable commission firm. i have heretofore sold direct to the retailer with splendid results. was a bumper year and the market flooded everywhere with poor unsprayed stuff. i sold about barrels and received an average of $ . per barrel, f.o.b. howard lake, and in about the same amount was realized. there is always a good demand for a good article, carefully picked and honestly packed, discarding all bruised and scabby or wormy apples, or those undersized or less than - / inches in diameter. this season i sprayed my trees three times, the first time early in april, using what is known as a dormant spray, using commercial lime-sulphur solution degrees baume, gallons to a tank of gallons of water, or four times as strong as the two subsequent sprayings, after the blossoms fall, at which later time i use in addition arsenate of lead, pounds to a gallon tank of water, and work under pound pressure--and by doing thorough work can produce apples almost entirely free from any disease or worms. my last shipment of apples this year was october nd and consisted of barrels, one-third each of hibernals, patten greenings and wealthys, which brought top prices. [illustration: mr. a. w. richardson, howard lake.] i am a firm believer in co-operative marketing and think it is the only logical way to market any crop, but to conduct a successful marketing organization there should be stringent rules compelling all who join an association for marketing to spray thoroughly if nothing else, as i am firmly convinced that you cannot grow apples and compete with other localities without doing so, and doing so every year, whether a prospect for a good crop exists or not. i can prove this, as i only partly covered my entire orchard in with spraying. you could easily see which had been sprayed and which not. excessive rain at the vital time prevented my completion of the work. i am convinced by experience, too, that the dormant spray, usually neglected by most growers, is very necessary and am sure better and healthier foliage is obtained by this practice, and by it the scale can be controlled in a large degree. i had eight to ten patten's greening trees that had been attacked by a disease called by some "oyster scale." the trees abnormally lost their foliage early in the season, and i had about decided they were dead when, after a dormant spray the following spring, they entirely revived and are now as healthy as any trees on my place. i have practiced top-working to some extent and for the past three or four years have been able to put down in my cellar, several bushels of jonathan, grimes golden, delicious and other varieties. have now about jonathan trees top-worked on hibernals, and except for some blight they have done splendidly. there is no room for discussion, no room for argument in any way, why fruit-growing in minnesota is not a very successful business to be engaged in. i have demonstrated, i am sure, that if i can bring an orchard into bearing and hold down a good, fairly lucrative position at the same time and do so with very little expense, and others can do the some thing. now i am going to criticise some one and let the criticism fall where it belongs. there has been a great injustice done the commercial fruit grower, or those trying to grow fruit commercially, by advising, urging, or anything else you choose to call it, the farmer or small homekeeper to buy more fruit trees and plants than this class of individual needs for his own use. in order to receive some returns for this surplus, he rushes it into town and sells it to the best advantage, delivered in sacks, soap boxes, etc., carelessly handled and bumped into town in a lumber wagon. the merchant is loaded up with a lot of unsalable stuff and often finds himself overloaded and barrels up some and sends it to the commission row and expects some returns, which vary from nothing to a very small amount. why, last season i knew a large general merchandise concern in a town a little west of howard lake that thought they had struck a gold mine. they employed a packer or two, bought barrels, rented a building and bought this class of stuff right and left, offered at any old price, $ . per barrel to anything they could get, and sold clear up to the canadian line. i saw the stuff a great many times after it reached its destination, and it was hardly fit for sale at any price. this indiscriminate selling of nursery stock by eager salesmen and nurserymen is doing more to hurt the commercial fruit growing industry than any one thing. the only salvation for the grower making his living out of the business is to produce a better article, better picked, better packed and marketed through the proper channels. this matter just referred to i have often discussed by the hour, and during the past winter my views were thoroughly endorsed by prominent men in the extension work of our state. in conclusion will say, comparing the fruit industry in minnesota with that greatest of all industry, raising grain, it is so much easier (if ordinary care be exercised) to produce a finer article, more attractive in appearance, better packed and marketed properly, than the other fellow does, while in growing grain this is not the case, as all the grain is dumped into the hopper and bin, and the individuality of the grower is forever lost. the demand for the apple has increased wonderfully the last few years, and it is quite likely to be further increased owing to the european demand for american apples, which for the next fifteen or twenty years will increase by leaps and bounds, owing to the devastating of so many of the great orchard sections in parts of austria and northern france. this authentic information came through mr. h. w. collingwood, many years editor of the rural new yorker, and according to mr. collingwood's idea there has been no time in the history of the united states when the outlook for commercial orchards was so bright. he advises the widespread planting of commercial orchards to meet this new demand which has shown itself already in europe and will greatly increase after the war is over. [illustration: a two-acre field of dunlap strawberries on place of a. w. richardson, at howard lake.] mr. ludlow: i would like to know what you advise for that commercial orchard, what varieties? mr. richardson: wealthys, all the time. (applause.) mr. ludlow: i would like to ask for the comparative prices you received for the three apples you mentioned, wealthy, greening and hibernal. mr. richardson: the hibernal sold for around $ . a barrel and the wealthy sold for three something. mind you, i never sold apples at all until this year to minneapolis markets. i can sell all the apples i can grow myself without any trouble if i have the proper men to pick them and pack them at home. i had a son that was doing that until a few years ago, and he followed my instructions and would place nothing but first class stuff in the barrels and would sell my samples without any trouble and get the top market price. i run across down in my cellar some of last year's crop of northwest greenings, just two of them left, one of them partially decayed. something i never had known to happen before. they lay in the cellar just wrapped up. mr. ludlow: it wasn't embalmed? mr. richardson: no, sir. gentlemen, you need not be afraid of growing fruit in minnesota. mr. ludlow: what peculiar method have you for keeping those apples? mr. richardson: just wrapped in paper only. the president: what temperature do you keep in your cellar? mr. richardson: degrees about this time. the president: you have a heater in your cellar? mr. richardson: yes, sir, but this is shut off from that, though the pipes run through. a member: are your trees still as far apart as they were at first? mr. richardson: no, sir. i neglected to say that i sent east and got some roots, and i was advised to set them out between. i have part of my orchard set x , but that is too close together. a member: if you were going to do it again would you put them x ? mr. richardson: x , that is, wealthys, particularly. of course, for the hibernals, you got to put them farther apart. a member: you mentioned the delicious. what is your opinion of the delicious? mr. richardson: my experience has been so little with them. i have about jonathan trees coming on that will be all right. * * * * * marble pillar to famous mcintosh tree.--perhaps one of the most curious monuments in existence has recently been built in ontario by canadians. the farmers have just erected a marble pillar to mark the site on which grew a famous apple tree. more than a century ago a settler in canada named mcintosh, when clearing a space in which to make a home in the wilderness, discovered among a number of wild apple trees one which bore fruit so well that he cultivated it and named it mcintosh red. the apple became famous, and seeds and cuttings were distributed to all parts of canada, so that now the mcintosh red flourishes wherever apples grow in the great dominion. in the original tree from which this enormous family sprang was injured by fire, but it continued to bear fruit until five years ago. then, after years, it died, and the grateful farmers have raised a marble pillar in honor of the tree which has done so much for the fruit growing industry of their land. the story of this apple tree illustrates the african proverb that though you can count the apples on one tree, you can never count the trees in one apple.--january popular science monthly. report of committee on horticultural building. s. p. crosby, chairman, st. paul. as you know, at the last legislature there was a bill prepared and introduced asking for an appropriation of $ , to build a new home for this society. it was provided, that that home should be located on the grounds of university farm or upon the grounds of the state agricultural society, and that was to be left to the discretion of the executive board of this society. the bill is a very well drawn bill, and the committee appeared before the legislature some four or five times. we went before the committee of the senate and before the committee of the house and senate, and as a matter of fact the result was that the bill never came out of the committee. the cry last year, as it is every year, was that of retrenchment and low taxes. now, that is all right as a general proposition, but minnesota is not a poor state. in the cities of course we think we have all the taxes we ought to have, and we think they are pretty high; perhaps you gentlemen living in the country think you have as high taxes as you ought to have, but that the state, for instance, has over $ , , in the school fund, probably reaching up to fifty or sixty millions some day, with other figures which can be given here, shows that minnesota is not a poor state. on the other hand, it shows that minnesota is a rich state. certainly there is no good reason why it should not provide a good home for this society, which has earned it and is nearly fifty years old. now, ladies and gentlemen, i simply want to say one thing. don't depend upon the committee to do all this work. while we didn't get our bill through last year we came away full of courage, and just as sure as night follows the day we are going to have a new home for this society one of these days. (applause.) but i want it distinctly understood that every member of this society, men and women--and i certainly include the women because oftentimes they are the best politicians, and they know how to talk to people and get things--when the next legislature is elected must use his or her influence with the senators and representatives of the various districts of the state and make an impression upon them and get a promise out of them to vote for and support the bill. a bill will be introduced into the next legislature, and it will probably be this same bill, and if you don't forget this, but simply do your duty in seeing these representatives and taking the matter up, why there isn't very much doubt in my judgment but what we will be successful and have our bill passed. we have members, i think, in every county of the state, haven't we, president cashman? the president: yes. [illustration: mr. s. p. crosby, st. paul.] mr. crosby: if we only have two or three in some counties, if they would make an effort to see every representative and senator and talk the matter over, that is what is going to count. it is a year or something like that before the legislature meets again, but it don't want to be forgotten, and if every live member of this society will put his shoulder to the wheel, i don't think there is any possible doubt but what we will succeed and have the bill pass. we broke the ice last winter and got acquainted with some of the people. and another thing i want to say, and that is if that bill the next time is not reported favorably out of the committee i would be in favor for one of having it reported to the house or senate without any recommendation of the committee. i talked with probably fifteen or twenty, i should say, of the different members of the senate and house about that bill, and it had a great many friends both in the house and senate. some of them came to me and said: "crosby, why don't you put it in the house, and we will show you how we will vote." there was a whole lot of feeling that way, because if men investigate and find out what the society is standing for and what it has done they will know it is a perfectly meritorious bill. i think with a reasonable amount of work we will accomplish a great deal, and we shall succeed eventually in having the bill passed. another matter that is proper to speak of now is to see where the members of this organization stand. i am going to tell you something. i didn't hear it personally myself, but i did hear it from mr. yanish. he is a man of veracity and he told me. he said in the last legislature the hennepin delegation used all the strength they could against this bill. if it is a rivalry between the two cities, st. paul and minneapolis when we propose to put the building in neither minneapolis or st. paul, but practically midway between the two cities, if that rivalry can go to that extent, it seems to me mighty small business. we were very careful not to conflict in any way with the state university in getting any of those appropriations they were asking for. they wanted big sums of money. we didn't conflict with them, we didn't do anything against them. we made a gentlemanly campaign and put our case before the committee. there were a number of members who were favorable, but of course there were thousands of bills in there, and it didn't get out of the committees, as i said. we see more and more every year what great necessities there are for a home for this organization. we ought to have a building like as the plans given in mr. latham's last report, a building that would have a fine auditorium, a fine exhibit room, a place where we are at home instead of going from place to place and meeting at different places and not having the adequate facilities we ought to have. * * * * * store vegetables for the winter.--the basement is often the best place on the farm for storing vegetables, says r. s. gardner, of the university of missouri, college of agriculture. it must be properly built, and the temperature, moisture, and ventilation conditions kept right if the best results are to be obtained. if it is too warm the vegetables will dry and shrivel, and if the ventilation is poor, drops of water will form and the vegetables will be more likely to decay. if there is a furnace in the cellar, the storage room should be far enough away so that it can be kept cool, and during very cold weather the door may be opened to prevent freezing.--mo. exp. sta. tomatoes for the kitchen garden. c. w. purdham, market gardener, brooklyn center. the first and most important thing in raising tomatoes is good seed. to raise good tomatoes does not depend so much on the variety you have as it does on the seed. in the fall select your best tomatoes and save the seed. then about the first of april sow your seed. you can sow them in a box behind the stove, and as soon as they are up give them all the sunlight you can. when they are about two inches high, have some four-inch flower pots and transplant, giving them a good thorough wetting before removing them from the seed box to the flower pots. by this time it will be warm enough to have a cold frame, which may be prepared by nailing four boards together any size desired. one three by six feet will hold about plants. shelter it well from the north and slope it a little to the south with enough dirt in the frame to hold your pots. you can cover them with storm windows or cloth tacked onto frames. keep well covered nights and give all the sunlight possible through the day. after danger of frost is past, set them out. sandy loam is best, which must be well pulverized and fertilized. after you have removed the plant from the pot and set it in the ground, place the pot about two inches from the plant, also about two inches deep in the ground. then throw a small handful of dirt in each pot and fill with water as often as necessary. this is the best way of watering that i know. mr. sauter: what kind do you think is the best for an early variety? mr. purdham: well, the earliana is extensively raised and the dwarf champion. mr. sauter: what do you think of the red pear? mr. purdham: i don't know anything about that, but for a late variety of tomato the ponderosa is quite a tomato; it is a very large tomato. mr. sauter: how about the globe? mr. purdham: that is a good tomato. mr. sauter: what do you know of the paper cartons instead of flower pots? mr. purdham: i have never tried the cartons; i should think they would be all right. mr. miller: in saving your seed from year to year, is there any danger of the seed running out in time? mr. purdham: i don't think so. if you take your best tomatoes i think you will improve them. mr. miller: i should think the germination of that seed would run out? mr. purdham: that may be, i can't say as to that. there are people that make a specialty of studying that. annual report, , vice-president, first congressional district. f. i. harris, la crescent, minn. in making a report for the first congressional district, i will say at the beginning, that all my observations and interviews were taken in houston and winona counties, an especially favored locality this year, and i am well aware that the conditions and results are exceptional and do not form a just estimate for the district and are certainly very much above the average. the apple crop in the section named was a record breaker, and where trees were at all cared for and properly sprayed the quality and size of the fruit was very superior and remarkably free from insect pests and disease. [illustration: bridge on lakeside drive, at albert lea, in first congressional district.] the yield of several orchards in this vicinity was from , to , barrels of marketable fruit, an increase of nearly per cent above the largest previous crop. from this station twenty-one carload lots of apples, averaging barrels per car, were shipped, besides nearly as many more sold in the local markets of la crosse and winona and shipped in small lots by freight and express. the prices obtained were in all cases good, considering that the varieties grown are mostly summer and fall and had to be sold in competition with iowa and illinois fruit. while all markets were over-supplied, the demand for the quality of fruit grown here in the commercial orchards was greatly in excess of the supply and attracted buyers from chicago and the twin cities and has built a permanent market so long as the quality keeps up to this year's standard. at the same time, i am more than ever impressed with the necessity for some manner of utilizing the surplus and low grade fruit with which the local markets are flooded. it seems a great waste to have thousands of bushels of apples fed to hogs and left to rot on the ground which would be a large asset if converted into vinegar or canned. more than one-half the fruit brought from farms is only fit for such use and by being forced on the market serves to lower prices and demand for good fruit. i visited one farm orchard within twenty miles of here and saw at a low estimate bushels of apples lying on the ground, all of which could have been utilized in a factory, but not having been sprayed were not fit for barreling, and the owner had turned the hogs in to get rid of them. this is a condition that is sure to become worse in view of the many small orchards recently set, besides the commercial orchards that are just coming into bearing. from the reports received, in reply to circulars sent out, i gather that the crop varied from nothing to per cent and the quality in corresponding ratio, depending in most cases upon whether orchards were properly sprayed or neglected. scab and other diseases caused a large proportion of the fruit set to drop, and the remainder was unsalable in unsprayed orchards. considerable blight is reported in a number of orchards, especially where cultivated. trees growing in sod were noticeably free from it. practically nothing is being done to prevent its spreading. while cutting out the affected wood may in some cases check it, i am satisfied a better remedy will have to be found before it is wiped out. in my own orchard just a few trees located on low land and under cultivation were affected, and not a single case in sod. there is from all reports an abundance of moisture in the ground, and trees are in good condition to stand a hard winter, except that in some cases the buds started during the warm days of november. the crop of strawberries was generally a very light one on account of blossoms being injured by late frosts and winter killing, but a few correspondents report a full crop. other small fruits, including currants, raspberries and blackberries, were a practical failure and light crop. the crop of grapes was very light and in only a few favored localities ripened before killing frosts. plums, except in a few instances, were a failure, the exceptions being in case of the hansen hybrids. [illustration: residence of s.h. drum, owatonna, in first congressional district--a veteran member of the society] while more varieties of apples are successfully grown in this vicinity than elsewhere in the state, and some correspondents recommend a long list, my experience and advice is to set only a few varieties of known commercial value, and while far too many early apples are being grown, this condition is better than planting winter apples of unknown hardiness and quality. the northwestern greening is the most profitable winter apple here, but i understand it is not hardy in some localities in the state. * * * * * alaskan berry hybrids.--at the sitka experiment station in alaska a strain of hardy strawberries is in the making, the result of crosses between the native of the alaskan coast region and cultivated varieties. several thousand seedlings have been grown, all very vigorous and most of them productive and of high quality. the native variety of the interior of alaska is now to be used in similar crosses. the cuthbert raspberry has been crossed with its relatives, the native salmonberry (_rubus spectabilis_ pursh.) and the thimbleberry (_r. parviflorus_ nutt.). the only interesting fact so far developed is that the hybrids of the two species first named are almost entirely sterile. annual report, , vice-president, seventh congressional district. p. h. peterson, atwater, minn. from the answers received on blanks sent out i find there was a fair crop of apples raised throughout this district, with the trees in good condition for winter. wood is well ripened up, leaves all shed and plenty of moisture in the soil. [illustration: a productive strawberry field at p. h. peterson's atwater fruit farm.] all report none or very little blight this year. spraying is not done generally, but those few who do it are getting results. in our own orchard, which was sprayed twice last spring, we have not found one wormy apple. plums, none or a very few. mr. bjornberg, of willmar, reports the surprise plum a full crop, others a total failure. compass cherry bore a fair crop, but with me it rotted badly, as also did prof. hansen's plums, sapa and opata. grapes: not many are grown except the beta, which bore a heavy crop in spite of the late spring frosts. blackberries: nothing doing. raspberries and strawberries were a light crop. strawberries especially were badly damaged by late spring frosts--with me they were nearly a total failure except the everbearing, which gave us a good crop. and i want to add that they are here to stay for home use, and possibly as a market berry. plants are fully as hardy as the june-bearing sorts. no matter how many times the blossoms are frozen off in the spring they will come right out again and give us berries until it freezes up in the fall. currants and gooseberries were a fair crop. from the reports i gather that less nursery stock has been planted here than usual, but with good results, as the season has been favorable for plantings. the fruit list recommended by the state horticultural society can be relied on in this locality. there is a good deal of interest shown here in top-working the better quality winter apples onto hardy trees with good results, and the hibernal seems to be the best stock to use--it certainly ought not to be planted for any other purpose. the apple is a drug on the market, and those who planted largely of this variety find it difficult to dispose of the crop at any price. * * * * * studying fruits in illinois.--many seedling apples are being grown at the illinois experiment station. reciprocal hybridizations between standard orchard varieties and various species of the genus malus have been made, fifty-seven species and varieties which are not of commercial importance having been obtained from the arnold arboretum at boston. direct improvement through these violent crosses is not anticipated, but it is hoped to acquire valuable information regarding the affinities of the various species used, and also to produce material for use in back crossing. reciprocal crosses between standard orchard varieties are also being made in large numbers, while a difficult piece of work has been attempted in the reciprocal crossing of different strains of the same variety, and different individuals of the same strain. c.s. crandall writes: "this project has aimed at the selfing of particular individuals, and the use on trees here of pollen from trees of the same variety in orchards miles away and grown under quite different conditions. considerable effort has been expended in the prosecution of this project, but up to the present time we have recorded no successful pollinations. we have not as yet a very wide range of varieties, but as far as we have gone we have encountered complete sterility in the selfing within the individuals and in the attempt to use pollen of the same variety brought from a distance. the unfortunate feature about all the hybridizing work with apples is the mongrel character of the plants on which we work. we know nothing of the parentage of any of our varieties, and it seems quite useless to speculate on what the segregation of characters may be in crosses between different varieties. a further discouraging feature in apple breeding is the long period required to get results from any particular cross. effort is being made to shorten this period by grafting scions of hybrid seedlings on dwarf stocks and growing the plants in pots. this will help some, but at best the attainment of results is some distance in the future. we are endeavoring to maintain a reasonably complete record of every step that is taken so that a complete history may be available for those who may later continue the work. "in pursuing the projects as outlined above there are a number of minor problems that are receiving some attention: such as the retention of the vitality of pollen, the period of receptivity, the seed production in hybrid fruits, and the time for and percentage of the germination of seeds. on all of these points we are accumulating considerable information that it is hoped may be of some practical value."--journal of heredity. spraying the orchard. hon. h. m. dunlap, savoy, ills. i don't know whether i am out of place with this topic of mine or not with a minnesota audience, but i came through the exhibit rooms as i came up to the hall, and whether you spray or not you certainly need to, for i saw all sorts of fungous diseases upon your fruit. i presume that these are not the poorest specimens you have--very few people, you know, bring the poorest specimens they have to an exhibition place, mr. president, and i presume that if these are the best you have the poorest must be pretty bad in the way of fungous diseases. of course, people don't like to have their faults told them, but if we have anything the matter with us it is best for us to find out what the matter is and then get rid of it. it is better than to do as many did in the commercial fruit-growing states a number of years ago about the san jose scale, those that were interested in having that fact suppressed, or at least thought they were interested in having the fact suppressed that they had san jose scale within the confines of their state. they didn't want that information to get out, so they didn't discuss the matter of san jose scale in their societies. in illinois we took a different view of that proposition, and it was, that we had the san jose scale and we thought the thing to do was to stamp it out, to get after it. so we agitated that subject in our society and talked about it. we had the state entomologist canvass the entire state to find out where the san jose scale was doing its work and gave him authority to go in and spray those places or cut down the trees and get them out of the way. the effect of that work is very evident. the people of other states would point to us saying that they did not have the scale but that we had because we reported the fact, but i know they now have it a great deal worse than we do because of this neglect. in this matter of spraying and spraying materials, if we go back in history--we have to look for truth wherever we find it, whether it comes from low or high sources. as a matter of fact thieves and sheep ticks and ignorance are largely responsible for our spraying and the spraying materials of today. it doesn't sound very well in a scientific body to talk that way, but truth is truth wherever you find it, whether it comes from the university professor or from the farmer. if we recognize truth, from whatever source it comes, then we are open-minded and can take advantage of things that will be greatly to our benefit. in the matter of spraying materials: they were discovered through accident, in an effort to prevent thieving in the vineyards of bordeaux, france. it seems that workmen on the way to their places of employment were in the habit of foraging on the vineyards of the farmers along the way. to prevent that some of the fruit growers conceived the idea it would be a good thing in order to scare them to get blue vitriol and mix it with water and spray it on the fruit along the roadside. later in the season, very much to their surprise, they found that the grapes that were treated in that way were not affected with the brown rot. so they tried it again to see whether they were right about that being the cause, and it wasn't long before they used it for that purpose. they stopped the thieving, but they also discovered a scientific truth, that the bordeaux mixture was a fungicide and that fact has been of immense value to the world since then. when the san jose scale came into this country from the west, some man who had used sheep dip for sheep ticks, said: "if it is a good thing against sheep ticks, why isn't it good against this little vermin they call the san jose scale?" he tried it on the trees, and he found that it was an effective remedy for the san jose scale. so we have lime-sulphur today as one of the spray materials in very common use. among other things the scientists told us we couldn't use lime-sulphur and arsenate of lead together, that they would have to be sprayed over the orchard in separate sprays, that is, we would have to go over the orchard with lime-sulphur and then again with arsenate of lead, that when you combined the two the chemical combination was such that it deteriorated the lime-sulphur. some farmer who didn't know about that scientific proposition determined to put them both on together, and he found that it not only worked all right but that the two were really more effective when combined than if put on separately. so you see it was thieves, sheep ticks and ignorance that are responsible for three of our most successful ways of spraying at the present time. now, scientific men have come in and given us a great deal of information along various lines in regard to spraying, and i don't decry science in any sense at all. these men, while they were not scientifically educated, discovered scientific truths, and it is truths we want after all. just what your position on this spraying proposition is here in minnesota, whether you have commercial orchards up here or not, i have not been able to discover. i presume that your plantings here are very largely that of the farmer and amateur rather than the commercial orchardist. in illinois we have our large commercial orchards, and we have gotten beyond the question of whether it pays us to spray or not. for a man to be in the commercial apple business in illinois and not spray means that he doesn't accomplish very much and his product doesn't bring him any profit. now, whether you spray commercially or whether you spray for your family orchard in an amateur way, it doesn't matter so far as the spraying is concerned--you should spray in either case. if you have a community where you have few orchards and they are small, it behooves you to get together and buy a spraying outfit, combine with your neighbors and buy a good spraying outfit, and then have some man take that matter up who will do it thoroughly in that neighborhood and pay him for doing it. in that way, if you hire it done, it doesn't interfere with your farming operations and gets your spraying done on time. i have noticed this with stockmen and with grain farmers, men who are not directly interested in fruit but combine it with their regular business, that they consider fruit growing a side line and such a small part of their business that they usually neglect it altogether. in the matter of the spraying they keep putting it off until tomorrow. when the time arrives for spraying you must do it _today_ and not put it off until tomorrow. time is a very essential element in spraying. to give you an illustration: a few years ago, in spraying a willow twig orchard, consisting of eighteen rows of trees, i sprayed nine rows of those trees, or about half of the orchard, we will say, the first part of the week, the first two days. and then there came on a two or three days' rain, and the balance of those eighteen rows was sprayed the very last of the week or the first of the following week. the two following sprayings went on just at the right time for them, but when it came to the harvesting of that crop the trees that were sprayed first, that were sprayed immediately after the bloom fell, produced bushels of very fine no. fruit, free from scab, while the other nine rows, equal in every respect so far as the trees are concerned and the amount of bloom there was, produced seventeen bushels of no. fruit, no no. fruit at all. the willow twig is one of those varieties that is very susceptible to scab, and of course this is a marked illustration of what happens if you don't spray at the right time. notwithstanding the fact that the nine rows, the last ones, i speak of, were sprayed with the two following sprays at the same time that the other part of the orchard was sprayed, the results were entirely different because the first spraying, which was really the important one so far as the scab is concerned, was not put upon the tree at the right time. the scab fungus, which seems to appear on your apples out here, is one of the most insidious diseases we have in the whole fruit industry. i think that scab fungous disease is probably the one that affects you the most. now, scab fungus will not be noticed particularly in the spring of the year. the time that those spores are most prevalent, the period of their movement as spores in the atmosphere and the lodging upon the fruit, is right at the beginning, right about the time of the blossoming or immediately following. for a period of about two weeks at blooming time and after is the time that you have that condition. and the trouble is--it is just like typhoid fever. you let typhoid fever get into a family, and they do not think anything of it except to take care of the patient properly if he has it, but it doesn't scare the neighbors, it does not interest them. but let the smallpox break out in a community, and everybody is interested and scared to death for fear they are going to get the smallpox. well now, as compared with things of a fungous nature, the scab is a good deal like typhoid fever. the latter is insidious and it will destroy more--i take it there are more people die in the united states of typhoid fever every year than die of smallpox, ten to one. i haven't the statistics but i have that in mind, that it is a fact that they do, and yet there isn't half the fuss made about typhoid fever that there is about smallpox. now, that is so about the scab fungous disease. in illinois, to illustrate, we have what is called the bitter rot fungus in the southern part of the state. if any one has the bitter rot they are scared to death, they think they are suffering untold misfortune. the bitter rot attacks the apples when nearly grown. the ground is covered with the rotted apples, and you can see them in the trees, but this little bit of scab fungus, they do not seem to notice that. the reason is this, that scab comes from very minute spores that appear upon the apples in may or june, and as the summer advances they spread more and more. it depends, of course, upon the amount of moisture there is present, but it begins its work when the apples are very small. if it gets upon the stem of the apple it works around the stem and the apple drops off, and you have apples dropping from the time they are the size of peas until the very last of the fall, and while it looks in the month of june as if you are going to have a good crop of apples when it comes harvest time your crop has diminished greatly or to nothing, and you wonder where it has gone. with this scab fungus they just keep dropping, dropping, all through the season; whenever you have a little rain or wind these apples that are affected will drop off. you don't notice them very much because they go so gradually, one at a time or so, and you don't notice you are having any particular loss until it comes fall, and you find that your crop is very small. that is why i say, you should wake up to the fact that it is necessary for you to spray if you are going to have perfect fruit and plenty of it--and i doubt not you could increase the amount of fruit you have in the state of minnesota by ten times in one year by simply spraying your orchards thoroughly at the proper time with fungicide. to do this, as i said, you must have a spraying outfit, individually or collectively, in your neighborhood, and if you get one individually you can take the contract to spray your neighbor's trees, if you wish, and get back enough to pay you for the outlay. if you have only a few trees and you have some one who understands it, you could just as well spray a few other orchards in the neighborhood and get your spraying done for nothing in that way, charging them enough to cover the cost and enough for some profit. that is done in some sections and is a very satisfactory way. the only way, however, that i would do this, if i were you, would be to enter into a joint arrangement of not less than five years, because if you do it from year to year, if a man has good fruit one year, he may say, "i guess i don't want to go to that expense this year; i will drop that." you know how it is. if you make a contract for five years then you can make your plans accordingly and get your material and your spraying outfit and everything. i wouldn't trust to a one-year plan because they get "cold feet," as the saying is, after the first year, and perhaps they have not noticed any great advantage and they back out, but if they keep it up five years they wouldn't be without it. in a small way it isn't necessary to have a high power, high pressure engine to do this spraying with. a _good_ hand pump, as they make them now, has a very efficient force in applying this spray. it is not the force with which the spray material is applied that makes it effective, so much as it is the thoroughness with which it is done. you have to do a thorough job. in spraying you are providing insurance for your apple crop. that is just what it means, and not to spray is like doing without fire insurance on your buildings. you do that, not because you want fire, but you are doing it for protection, you are going to be on the safe side. you are doing like the darkey woman when she was about to be married. she had been working as cook, and the day came for her to be married. that morning she brought a roll of bills down to the boss. she said: "mr. johnson, i wish you would keep this money for me. i's gwine to be married." he said: "is that so? but why do you come to me with this? i should think having a husband you would have him take care of it for you." she said: "lord a' massy. do you think i was gwine to have that money around the house wid dat strange nigger there? no, sir." (laughter.) that lady was taking the precaution of being on the safe side, and that is what we do when we spray our orchards, we are going to be safe. there are a great many kinds of spraying materials. there is the bordeaux, one of our best fungicides, but we find in illinois that it also, while it is a good fungicide, has the effect sometimes of burning the fruit if the weather conditions are just right. if you have pretty fair weather conditions up here and don't have too much rain, you probably would not get your fruit affected too much, and if you are not growing it for market it doesn't matter so much because all it does is to russet the fruit. it doesn't do any particular harm except when the scab fungus is especially bad, for then it does injure the foliage more or less. on the whole, in illinois, we are using the lime-sulphur in preference to the bordeaux, and our commercial orchard growers there have completely abandoned the bordeaux except for bitter rot fungus or blotch fungus, which comes late in the season. the spray just before the bloom is a very important one for the scab fungus. after you can see the pink of the bloom on the trees as they begin to look pink, before the blossoms open, put on your lime-sulphur, or you can use bordeaux mixture at that time if you prefer it, without injury to your fruit. (to be continued in april no.) everbearing strawberries. geo. j. kellogg, janesville, wis. a few words about this new breed. progressive, superb and americus are the best three i have found in the last ten years--don't confound american with americus. pan-american was the mother of the whole tribe. this variety was found in a field of bismark, by s. cooper, new york, and exhibited all through the buffalo world's fair. there is where my first acquaintance with it was formed. from this one plant and its seedlings all the ten thousand everbearers have been grown. but pan-american don't make many plants. there are a great many good kinds in the ten thousand, and a great many of them worthless. so look out when and where you buy. i have great hopes of your no. , but kinds do not adapt themselves to all soils or climates. i have not found any success with the everbearers south of the ohio. i have tried them three years in texas. i sent plants to bro. loring, in california, and they failed to produce satisfactorily. missouri grows almost all aroma; california but two kinds commercially; texas only excelsior and klondike for shipment. i hope our no. minnesota june-bearing and our no. everbearing, will have as great a range as dunlap. friend gardener, of iowa, has a lot of "thousand dollar kinds." i hope some of them will do wonders. he sold , quarts of fruit after august . a firm at three rivers, mich., this season advertised , cases in september, but perhaps it was only , ; i have known printers to make mistakes. my boy's beds of superb, progressive and americus were loaded with ripe and green fruit and blossoms october st this year. most, if not all, know the fruit must be kept off the everbearers the season of planting till the plants get established, usually two or three months, then let them bear. if you want all fruit, keep off the runners; if all plants, keep off the fruit. beds kept over that have exhausted themselves will need rest till july to give big crops. beds kept over will fruit a week earlier than the june varieties, rest a few weeks, then give a fall crop, but don't expect too much unless you feed them. there are ten thousand kinds of new everbearers, so don't buy any that have not been tried and proven worthy. there are thousands that are worthless. friend haralson only got no. out of , sorts. he has now , new kinds, set out four feet apart each way, he is testing. from what many growers are doing this breed will pay commercially, but it will be by experts. i have not time to advocate cultivation in hills or hedge rows; if you want big berries this is the way to get them. be sure your straw mulch and manure mulch are free from noxious weed or clover and grass seeds. everbearers need the same winter care as june varieties and a good deal more manure. don't cover with asparagus tops unless free of seed. put manure either fresh or rotted on the old bed with a manure spreader or evenly by hand. there is a possibility of manuring too heavily. [illustration: a typical everbearing strawberry plant as it appears in september.] mr. durand: what is the best spray for leaf-spot and rust in strawberries? mr. kellogg: cut it out and burn it, but then there are some sprays with bordeaux mixture that will help you, but you have got to put it on before the rust shows itself. mr. miller: i would like to ask mr. kellogg if he advises covering the strawberries in the winter after snow has fallen and with what success? mr. kellogg: if the snow isn't too heavy you can do it just as well after the snow comes as before, but if your snow comes early and is a foot deep you have got to wait until the january thaw before you can successfully mulch them. that snow will protect them until it thaws off, until the ground commences to freeze. if the snow comes early and stays late it is all the mulch you need. mr. franklin: are oak leaves as they blow off from the trees on the strawberry beds, are they just as good to protect them as straw would be--when there are lots of oak leaves? mr. kellogg: if you don't put them on too thick. you don't want more than two inches of leaves. if you do they will mat down and smother your plants. mr. ludlow: have you had any experience with using cornstalks that have been fed off, just the stalk without the leaves. is that sufficient for a winter protection without the straw or leaves? i put on mine just to cover them. they are four inches apart one way and then across it the other way so as to hold it up and not get them smothered. mr. kellogg: that is all right. i have covered with cornstalks. mr. ludlow: would it be policy to leave that on and let the strawberries come up through, to keep them clean? mr. kellogg: if you get the stalks on one way and haven't them covered too thick the other way, leave them on; the strawberries will come through. mr. gowdy: i would like to ask mr. kellogg what he thinks of planting different varieties together. mr. kellogg: it is a good plan. i spoke of dunlap and warfield. the warfield is a pistillate. if you plant all warfields you get no fruit. if you plant all dunlap it will bear well but it will do better alongside of a pistillate, or it will do better alongside of some other perfect. it will do better to plant two or four kinds. they used to ask me what kinds of strawberries i wanted, and what was the best one kind. i told them i wanted six or eight in order to get the best kind. i want an early, and a medium, and a late, two of a kind. mr. gowdy: i planted one year three varieties with great success. mr. mcclelland: what time do you uncover your strawberries? mr. kellogg: i don't uncover them at all. if you got on four inches of mulch you want to take off enough so the plants can get through, but keep on enough mulch in the spring to keep your plants clean and protect from the drouth. mr. mcclelland: will they come through the mulch all right? m. kellogg: they will come through all right if it isn't more than two inches. if they shove up and raise the mulch open it up a little over the plants. mr. willard: i would like to ask the speaker, the way i understood him, why he couldn't raise as good strawberries on new ground as on old ground? mr. kellogg: the soil seems to be too loose. now, that twenty-one acres i had, it was full of leaf-mold. it was six inches deep and had been accumulating for ages. i couldn't account for it only that it was too loose, and i had to work it down with other crops before i could grow strawberries. mr. willard: so it would be better to plant on old ground or old breaking than new? mr. kellogg: yes, old ground that has been well manured, or old ground that has never been manured, will grow better strawberries than new soil, as far as i have tried it. new clover soil is a good soil. mr. wedge: it might add to the value of this discussion to state that mr. kellogg's soil at janesville is rather light soil anyhow. i am under the impression that if his soil at janesville which produced so poorly on new soil had been a heavy clay soil that the result would have been different. mr. kellogg: that twenty-one acres was clay after you got down to it and was in the woods; my other fields were out on the prairie. i don't think the light soil had anything to do with it, with my failure in the woods, i think it was the new soil. mr. sauter: can the everbearing and the common varieties be planted together? mr. kellogg: yes, if you are growing plants you want everything. mr. sauter: how far apart must they be planted? mr. kellogg: so their runners won't run together, and they won't mix. if the runners mix maybe you would get some crosses that are valuable. mr. clausen: i was just thinking it might interfere, that some one might not plant strawberries at all on account of new soil. i would say i have a neighbor, and he had entirely new soil. it was black oak and hickory--i have some of that myself. i never saw a better patch of strawberries than he had. i don't think i ever saw a better strawberry patch than he had of the everbearing kind, so i don't think it is just exactly the old soil. mr. willis: i have my strawberries on new ground, and they did very fine, couldn't be better. from a space of five feet square i got twenty-eight boxes, that is, of no. . mr. wedge: forest soil or prairie? mr. willis: it was light clay. i have got about an acre and a half on new soil now, and they look very fine. mr. glenzke: what would be the consequence of the berries being planted after tomatoes had been planted there the year before? what would be the consequence as to the white grub that follows the tomatoes, and other insects? mr. kellogg: that white grub don't follow tomatoes, if the ground was clear of white grubs before. it is a three year old grub, and it don't come excepting where the ground is a marsh or meadow, and doesn't follow in garden soil, hardly ever. if the ground has been cultivated two years, you don't have any white grub. mr. glenzke: part of this ground had been in red raspberries, and i found them there. this year i am going to put in tomatoes and prepare it for strawberries. will that be all right? mr. kellogg: you may get some white grubs after the raspberry bushes if your raspberries have been two or three years growing. potato ground is the best you can follow strawberries with. mr. rasmussen (wisconsin): what trouble have you experienced with overhead irrigation with the strawberries in the bright sunshine? mr. kellogg: everything is against it. you wet the foliage, and it is a damage to the plants. you can't sprinkle in the hot sun without damage. mr. rasmussen: i didn't mean in putting it on in that way, but where you use the regular spray system. we watered that way about seven years in the hottest sunshine without any difficulty, and i wondered if you ever put in a system and sprayed that way, as i think that is the only way to put water on. mr. kellogg: if you wait to spray after sundown it will be all right; the sun mustn't shine on the plants. mr. richardson: mr. yankee once said in this society if one man said anything another man would contradict it. so pay your money and take your choice. i sprinkle my strawberries in the hot sun, and i never had any damage done to the plants. his experience is different. ours is a heavy clay loam. mr. kellogg: tell the gentlemen about the peat soil, you had some experience with peat soil. mr. richardson: no, i never did. it wasn't peat, it was a heavy black clay and i had the best kind of strawberries, they came right through a tremendous drouth without any water at all. mr. kellogg: what did you use? mr. richardson: i used a common garden hoe. mr. willis: i heard some one talking about the grub worm. i read of somebody using fifty pounds of lime to the acre, slaked lime, and pounds of sulphur to the acre in a strawberry bed, and he killed the insects. mr. kellogg: i think that wouldn't kill the grub; he has a stomach that will stand most anything. the only thing i know is to cut his head off. (laughter.) mr. willis: would it improve the plants, fertilize the plants, this lime? mr. kellogg: lime and sulphur is all right, and the more lime you put on the better--if you don't get too much. (laughter.) mr. sauter: i am growing the minnesota no. , and also the no. as an everbearer. is there any kind better than those two? mr. kellogg: i don't believe there is anything yet that has been offered or brought out that i have examined thoroughly that is any better than june variety no. , as grown by haralson, and the no. of the everbearers. he had a number of everbearers that bore too much. there was no. and no. , i think, that i tried at lake mills, which bore themselves to death in spite of everything i could do. mr. simmons: the question has come up two or three times in regard to peat soil for growing strawberries. peat soil will grow strawberry plants first class, but the fruit is generally lacking. that is my experience. i grew some on peat soil for two or three seasons, and the plants grew prolific, but i didn't get any fruit. mr. ebler: i would like to ask mr. kellogg what treatment he would advise for a strawberry bed that through neglect has matted completely over, in which the rows have disappeared. mr. kellogg: plow out paths and rake out the plants and throw them away and work the bed over to rows about two feet wide. president cashman: i see you all appreciate expert advice. we have mr. kellogg well nigh tired. mr. kellogg: oh, no; i can stand it all day. mr. cashman: i am sure you all agree that it is a great privilege to listen to mr. kellogg on this subject. if you will follow his advice very closely it will save you a great many dollars, even to those who don't grow more than an ordinary family strawberry bed. he has had forty or fifty years of experience, and he has paid large sums of money for that experience and now turns it over to you free of charge, and i hope you will all profit by it. mr. kellogg: i have grown probably different varieties of strawberries, and the more kinds i grow the less money i make. (laughter.) mr. wedge: i would like to ask mr. kellogg and i think we would all be interested in knowing when he began growing strawberries? mr. kellogg: well, i don't hardly know. i didn't go into the business until , but i commenced picking strawberries in , and that was where the indians had planted them. my father commenced growing strawberries when i was a boy, but when i got to be a man i went at it myself in . (applause.) _in memoriam--mrs. melissa j. harris_ passed january , . mrs. melissa j. harris, widow of the late john s. harris, one of the charter members of our society and rightly called the godfather of the society, passed to her reward on january last, at the age of eighty-five years. since the death of her husband, which occurred in march, , mrs. harris has made her home with some one of her four surviving children, all of whom live in the southeastern part of the state, not far from la crescent, where mr. and mrs. harris resided from up to the time of mr. harris' death, some forty-five years. [illustration: mrs. melissa j. harris.] many of the older members of this society have enjoyed the hospitality of this kindly home, among them the writer, who passed a very pleasant day there, looking over the experimental orchards of mr. harris, some twenty years ago. no member of our society surpassed mr. harris in his zeal for its welfare, and he was ready to sacrifice anything apparently to advance its interests. if the card index of the reports of this society was examined it would be found that no member has begun to do the service for the society in the way of contributions to its program, reports on seedling fruits, experimental work, etc., that was done by him. his passing left a real void in the life of the association which has never really been filled. a splendid life size photo of mr. harris adorns the walls of this office; a reproduction from this in reduced size is opposite page , vol. of our annual reports. the funeral services of mrs. harris were conducted in the presbyterian church at la crescent, the same building in which services were held for her husband, at which there were present from our society as representatives mr. j.m. underwood, the late wyman elliot, and the writer. her body was laid to rest beside that of her husband in prospect hill cemetery at la crescent. mrs. harris is survived by four children, ten grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. frank i. harris, one of the two sons, is well known to our membership who attend the annual meetings or the state fair; another son, eugene e., who is also a life member (mr. harris saw to it that both of his sons were made life members during his life time) has occasionally been with us. mr. d.c. webster, of la crescent, at present in charge of one of the society trial stations, is a grandson of mrs. harris. exhibitors at our meetings and at the state fair are all well acquainted with this valuable member of our organization.--secy. eat minnesota apples. contributed monthly by r. s. mackintosh, horticulturist, extension division, university farm, st. paul. fruit notes. early spring is the best time to prune apple trees. more and more attention is being given to the pruning of young and old trees in order that they may be able to support large loads of fruit. yet too many trees have been neglected and now look like brush heaps instead of fruit trees. neglected trees should have all dead and interlocking branches removed this year. next year a few more needless branches should be taken out and some of the others shortened. after this a little attention each year will keep the tree in good form. each year the agricultural extension division of the university of minnesota arranges for pruning and spraying demonstrations in different orchards of the state. communities wishing this kind of help, should at once send in petitions signed by fifteen or more persons interested in fruit growing. send applications to director, agricultural extension division, university farm, st. paul. pruning is a good subject for farmers' clubs to take up in march and april. look out for rabbit injury this spring. apple trees cost too much garden helps conducted by minnesota garden flower society edited by mrs. e. w. gould, humboldt avenue so. minneapolis. _cypripedia_, by miss clara leavitt. the showy lady's slipper (c. hirsutum) is found in swamps and rich meadows. old settlers tell of gathering the pink and white "moccasin flower" by the bushel, to decorate for some special occasion. today we are trying to shield a few in their last hiding places. the draining of swamps and cutting of meadows has had much to do with their disappearance. the picking of the leafy stem by the ruthless "flower lover" cripples the plant for a season or more and frequently kills it outright. attempts to transfer it to the home garden have succeeded for a year or so but rarely longer, perhaps because its native habitat is very difficult to duplicate. the small yellow lady's slipper (c. parviflorum), found in bogs, and the large yellow (c. parviflorum var. pubescens), growing on hillsides and in rich woods, as well as in swamps, are the most widely distributed and best known of this genus. they have often been transferred from the wild to the home garden. where they have been given their native soil and environment the stock has increased and seedlings have developed. they have even been brought into conservatory or window garden and forced to flower in february. the crimson stemless lady's slipper (c. acaule) is found in drier woods and on the stump knolls of swamps in certain locations. it has with difficulty been established in a few gardens. the small white lady's slipper (c. candidum) occurs locally in boggy meadows. it is a very dainty plant. it grows in at least one wild garden. the ram's head lady slipper (c. arietinum) is very rare and local. it is a very delicate and pretty thing, purple and white in color. all of these species are to be seen in season in the wild garden of the minneapolis park system. * * * * * committee on the protection of cypripedia: mrs. phelps wyman, chairman; miss clara leavitt, miss m. g. fanning, mrs. c. e. c. hall, mrs. e. c. chatfield, mr. guy hawkins. * * * * * our plant exchange should be of great benefit to our members, such a fine beginning having been made last spring. send a list of the plants you have for exchange and those you would like to receive to our secretary. these will be posted upon the bulletin board at our meetings, where exchanges can be arranged between the members. * * * * * march . public library, minneapolis, : p.m. meeting of garden flower society. program: our garden enemies. cultural directions for trial seeds. distribution of trial seeds. minnesota cypripedia. have they responded to cultivation? bee-keeper's column conducted by frances jager, professor of apiculture, university farm, st. paul. importance of good queens. the government census of gives the average of honey production per colony for the state of minnesota at five pounds per colony. allowing for mistakes which were made in making up this census, there is no doubt that the average amount of honey produced by a colony is not nearly as high as efficient beekeeping would make it. when some well known beekeepers will average year after year fifty, seventy and even a hundred pounds per colony, there must be something wrong with those who fall far below this amount. there are many causes responsible for this failure of honey crops. bad management, no management at all, antiquated or impossible equipment, locality, etc., are all factors contributing towards a shortage in the honey crop, but poor queens are the most universal cause of disappointment. the queen being the mother of the whole colony of bees, the hive will be what she is. if she is of a pure, industrious, gentle, hardy and prolific strain, the colony over which she presides will be uniform, hard working, easy to handle, easy to brave the inclemency of the weather and the severity of our winters, and populous in bees. the bees partake of the characteristics of the queen. the fact of the matter is, that more than % of our minnesota queens are either black germans or hybrids, neither of which lend themselves to pleasant and profitable beekeeping. having been inbred for years will make them still less valuable, and most of them have been inbred for generations. among many things in which the beekeepers of minnesota should begin to improve their beekeeping possibilities, the necessity of good queens comes first. with a new strain of pure, gentle, industrious, leather colored italian bees, their love for beekeeping should receive a new impetus, leading them to better equipment and better management. it was with this point in view that the university of minnesota has secured the best breeding queens obtainable from which to raise several thousands of queens for the use of beekeepers of the state. these queens will be sold each year during the months of june, july and august at a nominal price of fifty cents each, and not more than three to each beekeeper. the university is ready to book orders now. there is such a demand for these queens that last year only one-quarter of the orders could be filled. given three pure italian queens to start with, a beekeeper may easily re-queen his whole bee-yard in the course of a year. detailed printed instructions how to proceed will be sent out to all buyers of queens free of charge. time has come to start bee-keeping on a more profitable basis, and the first step towards better success should be a new strain of queens. entomological notes by f.l. washburn, professor of entomology, university of minnesota. rabbits; rabbit-proof fences; field mice. probably the thoughtful orchardist has before this date visited his orchard and trampled the deep snow down around his young fruit trees for a distance of two feet on all sides of each trunk, thus preventing rabbits from reaching the trunk above the protected part, or from eating the branches in the case of low-headed trees. even at this date, this should be done where the snow lies deep. frequent tramplings about the young trees also protects the trees from possible injury by field mice working beneath the snow. this leads us to speak of our experiences with so-called "rabbit-proof" fencing. in the summer time, when an abundance of food is everywhere offered, these small mesh fences are generally effective barriers, but, in the case of the low fences, drifting snow in winter permits an easy crossing, and in the case of the higher fences which have the narrow mesh at the bottom, gradually widening toward the top, it is possible for a rabbit to get his head and body through a surprisingly small space between the wires. the writer was astonished, late last autumn, previous to any snowfall, to see one of these pests, which had jumped from its "nest" in his (the writer's) covered strawberry-bed, run to the inclosing fence, which was provided with the long, narrow mesh above alluded to, raise himself on his hind feet and push his way through a space not more than three inches wide. it would seem, therefore, that one should accept with some reservation the assertion that these fences are actually "rabbit-proof." preparedness for (insect) war. however one may regard the agitation for or against preparing this country for (or against) war, we are doubtless of all one mind as to the desirability of being prepared to successfully cope with the various insect-pests which are sure to arrive during the coming spring and summer to attack shrubs, fruit trees, berry bushes, melons, cucumbers and practically all of our vegetables. the entomologist has every reason to be thankful that, early last spring, he laid in a supply of arsenate of lead, black leaf no. , commercial lime-sulphur, tree tanglefoot, tobacco dust, also providing himself with an abundance of air-slaked lime and a spraying outfit suitable for use in a small experiment garden and orchard at lake minnetonka. all gardeners, particularly those who cannot quickly purchase such things on account of distance from a supply, should take time by the forelock and obtain materials now, that they may be ready at hand when very much needed. an important discovery in entomology. an item of importance, and quite far-reaching in its significance is the fact (as reported at the recent meeting of entomologists at columbus) that the odor in stable manure which attracts house flies, has been "artificially" produced, if that expression may be used, by a combination of ammonia and a little butyric acid. a pan of this, covered by cotton, attracted hundreds of flies which deposited their eggs thereon. the possibilities of making use of this new-found fact are most promising, and the discovery is especially significant in that it opens an immense and practically an untried field in entomological work; that is, the making use of different odors to attract different species of insects. a series of experiments in this direction with the mediteranean fruit fly, also recently reported, have been most surprising but too extensive to permit of discussion here. * * * * * nurserymen intending to import currants or gooseberries from europe will be interested in learning that there is a possibility of a federal quarantine on shrubs of this genus grown abroad. state entomologist circular no. , issued in january, , and entitled the "red rose beetle," by s. marcovitch (illustrated), is available for distribution. application should be accompanied by one cent stamp. secretary's corner plant commercial orchards.--it is well established that in certain localities at least in the state commercial orcharding is on a safe basis, offering reasonable financial profits if managed by those who take pains to inform themselves on the subject, and are then thorough going enough to practice what they know. this spring will be a good time to plant such an orchard. orchard trees of suitable size were never more plentiful in the nurseries, and undoubtedly the sorts which you wish to plant can be readily purchased. ask some of your nearest nurseries for prices as to trees, either two or three years old, whichever you prefer. give your neighbor a chance too.--this means that you should not be satisfied simply in having secured something of value to yourself, but pass on to others the valuable opportunity which you yourself are enjoying. it is a well established principle of life that the greatest happiness consists in giving happiness to others. as any member can do his neighbor a favor, without any expense to himself, and indeed with profit, by putting his neighbor in touch with the valuable facilities offered by the horticultural society, there is evidently a double reason why he should do so. for the small membership fee charged you can put into his hands all the material referred to on the next page. read it over and lend your neighbor a helping hand. timely notes in our monthly.--there will be in our monthly magazine during most of the rest of the months of the year five pages devoted to timely topics. the experience of the past year or two in this direction encourages us to believe that this will prove to be the most valuable portion of our monthly. one page, as heretofore, will be operated in the interest of garden flowers, edited by mrs. e. w. gould; another page, prepared by prof. r.s. mackintosh, under the head of "fruit notes," which subject indicates clearly its purpose. prof. francis jager, the apiarist at university farm, will prepare another page, pertaining to the keeping of bees. prof. f.l. washburn, the state entomologist, will have a page devoted to insect life as interesting the horticulturist. the fifth page will be handled by profs. a.g. ruggles and e.c. stakman jointly devoted entirely to the subject of "spraying." each issue of the magazine will contain these notes as applying to the month just following. they will be found well worth studying. are you a life member?--of course if you are interested in the work of the horticultural society and likely to live ten years you ought to be a life member. experience with this roll for twenty-five years now as secretary of the society indicates that a life membership in the society is almost an assurance that you will prolong your days. a list of deaths in the life membership roll published year by year would indicate that our life members are going to be with us far beyond the average span of human life. since publishing a list of new life members in the february horticulturist, there have been added to this life list five names: tosten e. dybdal, elbow lake, minn.; gust carlson, excelsior; a.n. gray, deerwood; a.m. christianson, bismarck, n.d.; chas. h. lien, st. cloud. if you have already paid your annual fee for this year, send us $ . more and your name will be placed on the life roll with the balance of $ . to be paid one year from how--or send $ . , and that makes a full payment. [illustration: horticultural building (showing new greenhouses attached) at university farm, st. anthony park, minn.] while it is not the intention to publish anything in this magazine that is misleading or unreliable, yet it must be remembered that the articles published herein recite the experience and opinions of their writers, and this fact must always be noted in estimating their practical value. the minnesota horticulturist vol. april, no. dwarf apple trees. dr. o.m. huestis, minneapolis. i have here a sample of mcintosh red grown on a standard tree--a beautiful apple and well colored. here i have the same variety grown on one of my dwarf trees, not quite as well colored. now, the dwarf tree that bore these apples has been planted two years; this is the second year of its growth in my own ground at mound, on lake minnetonka. i have sixty dwarf trees, five of which have been in eight years, and they have borne six crops of apples. the last ones i got two years ago, and they were two years old when i got them. i planted five of these dwarf trees at the same time that i planted forty standards. the dwarfs have borne more fruit than the standards up to date. of course, they have only been in eight years. the standards are wealthy, duchess, northwestern greening and one or two hibernal and some crabs; the dwarf stock is the doucin. it is not the paradise stock, which is grown in england largely and some in france and germany. my trees are a little higher than my head, and i keep them pruned in a certain way. one of my older trees the second year had ninety-six apples on it. it was a yellow transparent, and they came to maturity very well. several of my trees are about four feet high. i had from twenty-five to fifty apples on them, and they all ripened nicely. the red astrachan and the gravenstein and one alexander had a few apples on them, and i notice that they are well loaded with fruit buds for another year, which will be the third year planted. the care of these trees is probably a little more difficult than that of the standard tree, or, at least, i give them special care. i have attempted to bud into some of these, but in my experience they do not take the bud very well. i can take a bud from one of the dwarfs and put it on a standard, and it will grow all right, but i can't take a bud from a standard and put it on a dwarf as successfully. i judge it is because it isn't as rapid growing as the hibernal, for instance, would be. i notice the hibernal is the best to take a bud because it is a rapid growing tree and an excellent one on which to graft. if i wanted to plant an orchard of forty or fifty acres i would plant standard trees and would put the dwarf between the rows, probably twelve feet apart. mine are about ten feet apart, some of them a little more, but i have two rows eight feet apart each way, nine in each row, which forms a double hedge. i expect them to grow four feet high. i will prune them just as i wish to make a beautiful double hedge between two cottages. [illustration: residence of dr. huestis, at mound, lake minnetonka.] in pruning those that have been in eight years i have tried to use the renewal system as we use it on grapes sometimes. i take out some of the older branches and fruit spurs that have borne two or three years. they must be thinned out. i counted twenty apples on a branch a foot long. i let them grow until they are large enough to stew and then take some off and use them, when apple sauce is appreciated. i thin them every year and get a nice lot of good fruit each year. i have noticed for two years that i have about ninety-eight per cent. of perfect apples, not a blotch nor a worm. i spray them all, first the dormant spray and then just as the blossoms are falling, and then one other spraying in two weeks and another spray three weeks later. mr. ludlow: do you mulch the ground? dr. huestis: well, i dig up the ground a little in the spring. the roots are very near the surface, not very penetrating, and i cultivate around the roots, but i am careful not to cut them. every fall i put a good mulch of leaves and hay around them. i have been a little fearful they would winter-kill. i wouldn't lose one of them for ten dollars, and i think it well to mulch them, leaving a little space at the base. mr. andrews: are the roots exposed in some cases? dr. huestis: yes, i noticed on two of the older trees, those that have been in eight years and have borne six crops, you can see the roots on one side, the top is exposed a little, and i think it would be well to put a little dirt on those another year. the stock of these dwarf trees is slow growing with a rapid growing top, and that is what dwarfs them. i have transplanted one tree three times, which would make four plantings in eight years, and that tree bore almost as much fruit last year as any of them. in another case once transplanted i think the tree is better than the others that were left. [illustration: dwarf yellow transparent, bearing apples, third year from planting at dr. huestis'.] as i said before, if i was planting an orchard i would put dwarf trees between, and by the time they had borne three or four crops, and you were expecting a crop of fruit from the standard trees--about seven years from the time you put them in--i would put the dwarf trees as fillers, costing about forty cents apiece, and by the time they are bearing nicely your friends would have seen those, and i believe would want them at the time you want to take them out. i believe i could sell any of mine for three or four dollars apiece. i think that would be one way of disposing of them after you wanted to take them out of the standard orchard on account of room. that is just a thought of mine. when i got my first ones eight years ago i gave one to a man who lives in north minneapolis, at bryant avenue north. any one can see it who lives up in that section. the first year he had twenty-nine apples, and it has borne each year since. the one which i have transplanted and which bore last year is a bismarck. it is a little better apple, in my mind, than the duchess. it is a good deal like the duchess but is a better keeper and has a better flavor than the duchess. [illustration: dwarf bismarck, fourth year, at dr. huestis'] i would like to read a quotation to show that the dwarf tree is not a late thing. recommending dwarf trees for gardens, "corbett's english garden," published in , says: "i do hope if any gentleman makes a garden he will never suffer it to be disfigured by the folly of a standard tree, which the more vigorous its growth the more mischievous its growth to the garden." marshall says, "the fewer standard trees in the garden the better." also that the dwarfs are less trouble to keep in order and are generally more productive, and that "placed eight or nine feet distant, pruned and kept in easy manner, they make a fine appearance and produce good fruit." w.c. drury, highly regarded as a modern english authority, writing in says: "for the private garden or for market purposes the dwarf, or bush, apple tree is one of the best and most profitable forms that can be planted." he also says: "the bush is one of the best forms of all, as it is of a pleasing shape and as a rule bears good and regular crops." mr. clausen: don't you have trouble with the mice? dr. huestis: no, sir, have never seen any. mr. clausen: i had an experience a few years ago. my neighbor made a mistake; he was hauling straw around his apple trees, and he happened to take one row of mine. we had no fence between us--and he laid the straw around the trees. i found when i came to examine these trees in the spring they were all girdled around the bottom. i am afraid to mulch. dr. huestis: i never have taken any chances. ever troubled with the mice at your place, mr. weld? mr. weld: a little. dr. huestis: i have never had any trouble with the mice. i always put on a lot of old screen that i take from the cottages that is worn out and put a wire around it so the mice can't get through it. we must protect from mice and rabbits. mr. kellogg: how soon do your dwarf trees pay for themselves? dr. huestis: i don't know. i reckon these four have paid about twelve per cent. on fifteen or twenty dollars this year, and they have right along. they have paid me better so far during the eight years than the standards. that might not apply in eight more years, but for a city lot, a man who has fifty square feet, how many apple trees could he put in that seventeen feet apart? nine standard trees. in that same plot of fifty feet square he could put in sixty-four dwarfs, and it would be a nice little orchard. i think it is more adapted to the city man. the ordinary farmer would neglect them, and i should hate to see a farmer get them, but i would like to do anything for the man living in the city with only a small plat of land--my vocation being in the city, my avocation being in the country. mr. kellogg: are those honest representations of the different apples from the dwarf and the standard? dr. heustis: i don't know. those are a fair sample of those i found in a box on exhibit and are red mcintosh. they are better colored than mine, most of them are like this (indicating). i find the yellow transparent that i have budded on the standard better on the dwarf than on the standard. mr. kellogg: does it blight any? dr. huestis: no blight; there hasn't ever been a blight. i think that is one reason why i feel i could recommend them quite conscientiously. other trees have blighted when the conditions were favorable. * * * * * twenty-five by seventy foot plot will produce enough vegetables for a small family.--even the smallest back yard may be made to yield a supply of fresh vegetables for the family table at but slight expense if two or three crops are successively grown to keep the area occupied all the time, according to the garden specialists of the department. people who would discharge a clerk if he did not work the year round will often cultivate a garden at no little trouble and expense and then allow the soil to lie idle from the time the first crop matures until the end of the season. where a two or three crop system is used in connection with vegetables adapted to small areas, a space no larger than twenty-five by seventy feet will produce enough fresh vegetables for a small family. corn, melons, cucumbers, and potatoes and other crops which require a large area should not be grown in a garden of this size. half an acre properly cultivated with a careful crop rotation may easily produce $ worth of various garden crops in a year. plums that we already have and plums that are on the way. _the brown rot (monilia) a controlling factor._ dewain cook, fruit grower, jeffers. by the term "plums we already have" for the purpose of this paper we shall include only those varieties that have given general satisfaction over a large territory and for long term of years, and in the writer's opinion every one of such varieties are of full blooded, pure americana origin. the desoto takes the lead of them all. it undoubtedly has more good points to its credit than any other plum we have ever grown. the wyant and the freestone wolf are considered as being the next two most popular varieties. these were all wild varieties, found growing in the woods of wisconsin and iowa many years ago. there are a few other americana varieties that are nearly as good as are some of those enumerated, but at present we shall not attempt to name them. there are many otherwise fine varieties that are not included in this list of plums we already have, but because of a certain weakness of the blossom they require to be intermingled with other varieties, or the blossoms do not fertilize properly. they only bear well when conditions are very favorable. we class such varieties as being not productive enough. many attempts, with more or less--generally less--success have been made to improve our native plums through the growing of seedlings. mr. h.a. terry, of crescent, iowa, has done more of such work in his day than any other one man. his method was to plant the americana kinds, like the desoto, alongside of varieties of the hortulana type, like the miner, then growing seedlings from the best plums thus grown. from such cross bred seedlings mr. terry originated and introduced a great many very fine varieties. but where are they today? the hawkeye and the terry are about the only ones the general public knows very much about. i will venture this statement, that as far as i know there is no variety of native plum in which there is an intermingling of hortulana or chickasaw type that has proven productive enough to be generally profitable. the surprise plum belongs to this type, as also does the terry plum. the terry plum we want to keep a while longer, not because it is a mortgage lifter for the growers but because of the extraordinarily large size of its fruit, as well as for its fine quality. there are many injurious insects and fungous diseases that tend to make life a burden to the man who tries to grow plums in a commercial way. among the insects are the plum curculio and the plum tree borer, better known as the peach tree borer. the curculio sometimes destroys all of the fruit on the tree, and the borer very often will destroy the whole tree of any variety. among the fungous diseases are the shot hole fungus and the plum pocket fungus, but the worst of all is that terribly destructive disease of the plum known as the brown rot. this brown rot fungus sometimes destroys the whole crop of certain varieties, besides injuring the trees sometimes as well. this one disease has done more to make plum growing unpopular than all other causes combined. give us a cheap and efficient remedy, one that will destroy the rot fungus and not do injury to the foliage, buds or tree, and a long stride will have been made towards making plum growing popular as well as profitable. _japanese hybrid plums._--just now the japanese hybrid varieties are attracting considerable attention. one prominent minnetonka fruit grower said this to me about them: "mr. cook, what is the use of making all of this fuss about these new plums? plums are only used for the purposes of making jelly anyway, and we can usually get a dollar a bushel for our plums, and they would not pay any more than that, no matter how large and fine they are." this brought me up with a jerk, and i have concluded that no matter how advanced a place in horticulture these new hybrid plums may eventually take, that there will always be a place for our native varieties, even if only for the purpose of making jelly. it seems to the writer that in view of the fact that after many years' attempt to improve our native plum through the process of seed selection--and we have made no material advancement in that line--that the varieties of plums that are on the way must almost of necessity be the product of the americana and some of the foreign varieties of plums. mr. theo. williams, of nebraska, a few years ago originated a great many varieties of these hybrid plums. he claimed to have upward of , of them growing at one time. only a few of them, however, were ever sent out. of these the writer has been growing for quite a number of years the eureka, emerald, stella, omaha, b.a.q. and some others. as a class they are all reasonably hardy for my section. they grow rapidly, bear early, usually the season after they are planted or the top grafts set. they set fruit more freely and with greater regularity, as the seasons come, than do the best of our native varieties. the fruit is of larger size and of firmer flesh, while the quality of some of them, like the b.a.q., ranks rather low. the quality of others of them, like the emerald, is almost beyond comparison. one year ago in answer to a question by the writer as to why the people of iowa did not take more interest in the planting of these hybrid plums of mr. williams, mr. c.g. patten stated that it was because the plums rotted so badly on the trees. now, mr. patten stated the situation exactly--most of these fine varieties are notoriously bad rotters. the brown rot seems to be a disease of moist climate. nature's remedy is an abundance of sunshine and a dry atmosphere, but we cannot regulate the climate. prof. hansen has sent out a few varieties of these japanese americana hybrid plums, and our supt. haralson is doing a great work along this line. we can only hope--but cannot expect--that mr. hansen's hybrids or mr. haralson's hybrids as a class will prove more resistant to the brown rot than do those of mr. williams of the same class. we have hopes that from some of mr. c.g. patten's hybrids of the americana and domestica plum will come some varieties worthy of general planting, and also of prof. hansen's crosses of the americana plum and the chinese apricots. there is another class of hybrid plums that are something wonderful in their way, beginning to bear nearly as soon as they are planted, the very earliest of all plums to ripen its fruit, immensely productive and of finest quality. i refer to prof. hansen's sand cherry hybrid plums. my opinion is that prof. hansen has done all that man can do in the way of producing elegant varieties of this class of fruit. but there is the uncertainty, however, or perhaps i had better say the certainty, that the brown rot will take a good portion of the crop nearly every season--sometimes only a part of the crop, and other seasons it may take the entire crop of these fine sand cherry hybrid plums. bordeaux mixture has been the one remedy advertised for years for the control of this disease, and however well it may work in the hands of experts of the various university farms, it has not proved uniformly successful in the hands of the ordinary fruit grower. now, if some medicine should be invented, or some magic made, whereby the brown rot would be banished from our orchards then a great many of the fine varieties of hybrid plums would be transferred from the "plums that are on the way" to the list of "plums that we already have." the brown rot is a controlling factor. mr. kellogg: what do you know about the surprise? mr. cook: oh, i know a little more than i want to know about it. i have had the surprise a good many years. mr. kellogg: you have been surprised with it? mr. cook: yes, sir, i have been surprised quite a bit, but in the last two years since the plum crop failed there have been a few plums on the surprise trees, but for a great many years when other plums bore heavily we got nothing. mr. hansen: do you know of any plum that has never had brown rot? mr. cook: in my paper--as they only allowed me fifteen minutes i had to cut it short, and i didn't say very much about the brown rot. all the americana plums, and all varieties of plums i have ever grown, have in some way been susceptible to the brown rot, but some have been more resistant than others. now, that is one reason, i believe, why the desoto takes the lead. it is less subject to the brown rot. we have here a moist climate, and sunshine and dry atmosphere is the remedy, but some of these varieties have such a peculiar skin it is resistant to brown rot, and it seems certain, i don't know, if it is not on account of the thick skin. the wolf has a thick skin and is subject to brown rot, but the desoto is not subject to that so much but more subject to the curculio. the japanese hybrid plums, mr. williams said at one time--i saw in one of the reports--that he had japanese plums enough to grow fifty bushels of plums, but he generally only got a grape basket full. he didn't think very much of them. in these sand cherry hybrids, i think mr. hansen has done all that man could do. mr. ludlow: what is the difference between the brown rot and the plum pocket fungus? mr. cook: professor stakman will tell you that in a later paper, but it is an entirely different disease. the brown rot will work the season through. it will commence on some varieties and work on the small plums and work on the plums half-grown and on the full-grown. the plum pocket fungus, it works on the plums in the spring of the year and sometimes takes the whole crop. the terry plum, i think, a year ago, it took the whole crop. mr. kellogg: what is the best spray you know of, how often do you apply it and when? mr. cook: which is that for, for the brown rot? mr. kellogg: yes, for the plum generally. mr. cook: oh, i don't know of any. let me tell you something, the plum as a class is very susceptible to injury from sprays. i know when professor luger was entomologist there was some talk of spraying plums for curculio, and some tried it, and while it generally got the curculio it killed the trees, and professor luger said that the foliage of the plum was the more susceptible to injury from arsenical poisoning than that of any other fruit in minnesota. the japanese hybrid plums, i think, will take injury a little bit quicker than the native, and when you come to the sand cherry plums it is extremely dangerous to spray with anything stronger than rain water. prof. hansen: i want to talk about the lime-sulphur. we will probably have that in the next paper, only i want to say that seems to have taken the place of the bordeaux mixture. brown rot, that is something that affects the peach men too. in the state of ohio in one year the peach men lost a quarter of a million dollars from the brown rot, the same rot that takes our plums. we are not the only ones that suffer from the brown rot. well, they kept on raising peaches because they learned to control it, and if you are not going to spray i think you better give up. as to trying to get something that won't take the rot, it is something like getting a dog that won't take the fleas. (laughter.) mr. older: i had considerable experience in putting out seedling plums. when large enough to get to bearing there wasn't a good one in the whole lot. i got some plums, the finest i could pick out, and three years ago they first came into bearing, and one of my neighbors went over there when they were ripe and said they were the best plums he had seen, but since then i have had none. i got some emerald plums from mr. cook. they were nice plums, and when he came to see them he said, "i came to see plums, i didn't come to see apples," but the brown rot gets a good many of them. i had some last year, and just before they ripened the brown rot struck them, and it not only took all the fruit but got the small branches as well. i don't know what to do about the brown rot. mr. drum: i would say that my experience was something like mr. older's with the sand cherry crosses. they grew until they were large and i sprayed them with lime-sulphur. i couldn't see any injury from that until they were grown, nearly ripe, and then in spite of me in a single day they would turn and would mummy on the trees. i had a hanska and opata and the other crosses, and they bore well. they were right close to them, and the brown rot didn't affect them particularly. mr. ludlow: i would like to ask these experts what is the life of a plum tree. now, an apple tree, we have them that have been bearing for forty years, but my plum trees that were put out less than twenty years ago, they got to be a thicket and they don't bear any large plums at all. i introduced years ago, if you remember, the ocheeda plum, that come from seedlings that we found in the wild plum at ocheeda lake. it is a very fine plum. i had about twelve bushels this year, and i have never seen a bit of brown rot in that variety of plums, although the other varieties, if they bore at all, they were brown rotted all over. the ocheeda plum has a very thin skin, and when the rain comes at the right time and the sun comes out they all split open. that is its fault. but my orchard is getting old; it is twenty years old. i had a young man work for me, and he left me and bought a new place. i told him he could take up all the sprouts he wanted of those ocheeda plums. he did so and put out an orchard of them. i think that was about ten years ago. this year while my plums didn't average me, my ocheedas didn't average, over an inch or an inch and an eighth in diameter from that old orchard--he had sold out and gone to california--but from that orchard a man that never thinks of cultivating sold three wagon loads of the finest plums i ever saw. mr. kellogg: how large were the wagons? (laughter.) mr. ludlow: well, the ordinary wagon box. he hauled them and sold them in town. that was from an orchard that had been left without any cultivation. mr. philips: i have heard george kellogg say you could prove anything in the world in a horticultural meeting. i was glad to have mr. cook say a word in favor of the desoto. the first plum i ever bought was a desoto thirty-five years ago. i planted it and never saw any brown rot on it and had five bushels on it this year. george kellogg saw it; i can prove anything by him. (laughter.) talking about prof. hansen's sand cherry crosses, i have a number of his trees. i have two in particular that are nice trees. my wife the last three years has selected her plums from these trees for preserving and canning. i never saw any brown rot on them. they are nice trees, and i propose to stick by hansen as long as he furnishes as good stuff as that. the locality makes a great difference in this brown rot. some of the smaller varieties of prof. hansen the brown rot takes. as some one has said, it will take the plums and the twigs after the plums are gone. it may be that the locality has something to do with it. mr. cook: a year ago i was talking with some gentlemen in the lobby of this hotel here and among them was a gentleman from the iowa society, and i was trying to urge and tell them about the great value of some of those hybrid plums. mr. reeves said to me: "mr. cook, if you were going out into the woods to live and could only take one variety of plum with you, what variety would you take?" if he said five or six different varieties i would have made a different answer but he said only one variety, and i said it would be the desoto, and his answer was, "so would any other man that has right senses about him." mr. anderson: it was my pleasure some time ago, i think it was in , to set out a few plum trees, desotos, and those trees grew and grew until they bore plums, and i was very much pleased with them. it was also my fortune about that time to sell plums that another man had grown, such varieties as the ocheeda, the wolf and the wyant. they were such beautiful plums, and i obtained such beautiful prices for them, i was very much enthused over growing plums. i purchased a number of trees of that variety, but up to the present time i have never marketed a bushel of plums from any tree of that kind. the desotos bore plums until they died a natural death, which was last year. mr. goudy: i have one desoto in my orchard which is seven years old, never had a plum on it, never had a blossom on it. what shall i do? (laughter.) mr. ludlow: cut it out. spraying plums for brown rot. prof. e. c. stakman, minn. exp. station, university farm, st. paul. the brown rot of plum is without doubt one of the important limiting factors in plum-growing in minnesota. in seasons favorable to its development, losses of from twenty to fifty per cent. of the crop in individual orchards are not uncommon. experiments on the control of the disease have been carried on by the sections of "plant pathology and tree insects and spraying," of the minnesota experiment station, since . no accurate results could be obtained in and on account of crop failure in the orchards selected for experiment. results are available for the years , and . brown rot is caused by a fungus (_sclerotinia cinerea (bon.) wor._). every plum grower knows the signs of the disease on the fruit. blossoms, leaves and twigs may also be affected. the diseased blossoms become brown and dry, and fall from the tree; the diseased leaves become brown and may die. young twigs may also be killed. infection may occur at blossoming-time. the amount of blossom blight depends very largely on weather conditions; in fairly warm, moist weather there is usually more than in drier weather. the same is true of the rot on the fruit; during periods of muggy weather it may spread with amazing rapidity. the rot does not usually attack the fruit until it is nearly or quite ripe, although green plums may rot, especially if they have been injured. it is important to know that a large percentage of rotted plums have been injured by curculio. counts have shown that in many cases as much as eighty-five per cent. of the rot followed such injury. rotted plums should be destroyed for two reasons: ( ) the spores produced on them may live during the winter and cause infection in the spring; ( ) if the mummies fall to the ground, late in april or early in may of the second spring the cup fungus stage may develop on them. this cup fungus produces a crop of spores capable of causing infection. spraying experiments, the summarized results of which are given here, show that the disease can be fairly well controlled even in badly affected orchards. some of the experiments were carried on in the orchards at university farm and some in commercial orchards. there were from twelve to forty-five trees in each plot, and the trees on which counts were to be made were selected before the rot appeared. the percentages given below refer to fruit rot and do not include blossom or twig blight. the object was to determine the times for spraying and the most effective spray mixtures. details are for the most part omitted, and the results of various experiments are averaged. for convenience the times of spraying are designated as follows: . when buds are still dormant. . when blossom buds begin to show pink. . when fruit is size of a pea. . two weeks after third spraying. . when fruit begins to color. it did not pay to apply spray . in the plots on which applications , , and were made there was an average of . per cent. of rot, while in those from which spray was omitted there was an average of . per cent. rot, a difference so slight as to be negligible. neither did spray seem to pay, there being an average of . per cent. brown rot when it was applied and . per cent. when it was omitted. the schedule finally adopted was therefore the application of sprays , , and . spray is necessary to prevent blossom blight, although it has not always reduced the amount of rot on the fruit. spray is the most important in reducing the amount of rot. in all of the experiments during three years the average amount of rot in the sprayed plots which did not receive spray , was . per cent. on the plots which received spray , with or without the other sprays, the average amount of rot was . per cent., and the average on unsprayed plots was . per cent. excellent results were sometimes obtained by applying only spray , although this did not, of course, have any effect on blossom blight. in the amount of brown rot in one plot which received only spray was . per cent., while in the unsprayed plots it was . per cent. in the amount of rot was reduced from . per cent. in unsprayed plots to . per cent. in the plots to which spray was applied. possibly spray could be omitted without seriously interfering with results; success in controlling the rot with spray alone seems to indicate this. it was hoped to settle the matter during the past summer, but spring frosts spoiled the experiment. for the present it seems advisable to recommend the application of sprays , , and . in the first two, two and a half pounds of arsenate of lead paste, or one and one-fourth pounds of the powder should be added to each fifty gallons of spray mixture in order to kill the curculio. in the plots sprayed in this way in ninety-six per cent. of the fruit was perfect, while in the unsprayed plots only . per cent. was perfect, and in and the amount of brown rot was reduced from . per cent. to . per cent. several growers have reported excellent results from these three applications, and there is no reason why other growers should not duplicate them. [illustration: brown rot of plums showing the small, grayish brown tufts of spores. can be controlled by destroying mummies and thorough spraying.] the efficiency of various fungicides was tried. self-boiled lime-sulphur, - - ; commercial lime-sulphur, to ; - - and - - bordeaux; iron sulphide made up with to commercial lime-sulphur, and iron sulphide made up with - - self-boiled lime-sulphur were tried and all gave good results. commercial lime-sulphur, to , has been used in commercial orchards with excellent results, and it will probably be used more than the other spray mixtures because it is so easy to use. possibly weaker solutions of lime-sulphur would do just as well as to . this will be determined, if possible, during the summer of . good results were obtained only when a high pressure was maintained in spraying. there was a clearly observable difference between plots sprayed with low pressure and those sprayed with a pressure of more than pounds. for large orchards a power sprayer is desirable; for small orchards a barrel sprayer with an air-pressure tank attached is large enough. such an outfit can be bought for $ or $ and can do good work. the cost of spraying three times should not exceed fifteen cents a tree. the results from spraying orchards which contain a great deal of brown rot and have never before been sprayed will probably not be so good the first year as in better kept orchards, but by spraying regularly each season the disease can be well controlled. mr. cashman: please state what you mean by - - there. mr. stakman: - - bordeaux mixture means three pounds of bluestone or copper sulphate, four pounds of lime, and fifty gallons of water. the copper sulphate should be dissolved in twenty-five gallons of water, the best way being to put it into a sack and hang the sack in the water. the lime should be slaked and then enough water added to make twenty-five gallons of milk of lime. here is where the important part of making up the spray comes in. two people should work together and pour the milk of lime and the bluestone solution together so that the streams mix in pouring. it is very important that the mixing be thorough and the mixture should be used fresh. the president: do you add any paris green at any time or arsenate of lead? mr. stakman: always add arsenate of lead two times, when the buds are swelling and when the plums are the size of green peas. the president: how much? mr. stakman: i would rather leave that to professor ruggles. we used from - / to pounds and mr. ruggles, i think, found - / pounds was enough. the president: that is, - / pounds to gallons of water with the other ingredients? mr. stakman: yes. mr. dyer: i would like to ask if you have ever used arsenate of lead for spraying plums? mr. stakman: in the experiments which we conducted in co-operation with mr. ruggles, of the division of entomology, we always used arsenate of lead in the first two sprayings to kill the curculio. mr. dyer: i had quite an experience, so i want to know what your experience was. mr. stakman: we never had any trouble with it. mr. dyer: i have had an experience of thirty years, and i have never seen or had on my place any brown rot, and i never was troubled with any curculio, and i practically always used arsenate of lead. mr. cashman: isn't it a fact if you begin spraying your plum trees when they are young and spray them early, at the right time, you have very little trouble with the brown rot? and spray them every year? mr. stakman: yes, that is it. you might be disappointed the first year if the orchard had never been sprayed, but by spraying year after year you finally cut it down. mr. cashman: you said a pressure of pounds ought to be used? mr. stakman: yes, but it isn't necessary to get an expensive power sprayer to keep up that pressure. there are sprayers on the market that cost from $ to $ which have a pressure tank by which the pressure can be maintained at from to pounds without any great amount of trouble, that is, for a small orchard. if you have a big enough orchard for a power sprayer, of course get it. mr. m'clelland: this summer my plum trees, the leaves all turned brown and came off. what is the reason? mr. stakman: when did it happen? mr. m'clelland: along in august, i think; july or august. mr. stakman: what kind of soil were they on? mr. m'clelland: clay. mr. stakman: did you spray? mr. m'clelland: yes, sir, i sprayed. mr. stakman: what did you use? mr. m'clelland: lime-sulphur, i think. mr. stakman: did the whole leaf turn brown? mr. m'clelland: yes, sir, the whole leaf turned brown and came off. mr. stakman: how strong did you use the lime-sulphur? mr. m'clelland: not very strong. mr. stakman: if you use very strong lime-sulphur you sometimes get such an effect on both plums and apples. sometimes the leaves fall, and almost immediately you get a new crop of leaves. mr. m'clelland: this was in august. mr. stakman: there was a perfect crop of new leaves? mr. m'clelland: yes, sir. mr. stakman: my only suggestion would be that you used the lime-sulphur too strong. that might account for it. mr. sauter: i never sprayed until this year. i tried it this year and with good results. i sprayed my apple trees at the same time, and i sprayed the plums with the same thing i sprayed the apple trees with. i had nice plums and nice apples; last year i had hardly any. mr. stakman: what did you use? mr. sauter: lime-sulphur and some black leaf mixture. i used it on the plum trees and the apple trees, and afterwards i used arsenate of lead. mr. stakman: you didn't get any injury to the plum trees? mr. sauter: no, sir, we had nice plums. a member: i have seventeen plum trees, and i have only sprayed with kerosene emulsion and the second time put in some paris green, and i have never seen any of the brown rot, but there have been a good many of the black aphids on the plum trees, on the end of the branches. i cut them off and burned them. i didn't know whether that would be the end of it or not. mr. ruggles: why don't you use "black leaf ," / pint in gallons of the spray liquid. it can be used in combination with arsenate of lead and lime-sulphur or arsenate of lead and bordeaux mixture. if you wash them with black leaf it will kill all the aphids. i did that myself this summer. a member: please give us a little better explanation of what black leaf is. mr. ruggles: it is an extract of tobacco that is for sale by wholesale drug companies and stores, or you can get it from kentucky, from the tobacco products company, at louisville, ky., or grasseli chemical co., st. paul. i am not advertising, mr. president, but they will send you a small package for seventy-five cents, about half a pint. of course, that looks kind of expensive, but it will go a long way. i think possibly it is the best thing we have to combat lice. mr. stakman: plum pocket is caused by a fungus which is supposed to infect mostly when the flower buds are just beginning to swell, especially in cold, wet weather. plum pocket causes the fruit to overgrow and destroys the pit, and big bladder or sack-like fruits are produced instead of the normal fruit. the fungus that causes it gets into the twig and is supposed to live there year after year. therefore pathologists usually recommend cutting out and burning affected branches and even trees that bear pocketed plums several seasons in succession. our experiments with plum pocket have not extended far enough to enable me to say anything definite about it. mr. hall: with us in western minnesota this year this plum pocket got all the plums that the frost didn't get. if we were to cut off the twigs we would have to chop off the trees. mr. stakman: when a tree becomes so badly infected that practically all of the branches produce pocketed plums year after year you can't expect very much normal fruit. sometimes you might get some, but usually not very many. mr. graves (wisconsin): do you use your black leaf in conjunction with your bordeaux or lime-sulphur? mr. ruggles: yes, you can. mr. graves: doesn't it counteract the result? mr. ruggles: no, it does not. mr. stakman: i used this year lime-sulphur and black leaf together. mr. graves: you say you got the same results from black leaf in that mixture? mr. stakman: it killed the plant lice; that is all i wanted. mr. graves: we had some experiences that indicated that black leaf counteracted the other results. mr. stakman: yes, sir, i think that has been the impression, but i think there have been some experiments more recently to show that the black leaf can be used in conjunction with other sprays without counteracting their results. mr. richardson: did you ever know the plum pocket to come unless we had cold weather about the time of blossoming and lots of east wind? mr. stakman: yes, a little; i have seen it mostly when there was cold weather, however, and as i said before it usually isn't so serious unless there is cold, wet weather. mr. richardson: i settled out in martin county, minnesota, in , and in all my experience i never saw plum pocket unless we had the right kind of cold weather at the time of the blossoming. i had my plums all killed and destroyed one year and never did anything for it, and when we had the right kind of weather i never had any trouble. mr. stakman: when you have cold, wet weather, as i mentioned before, infection takes place much more rapidly than it does at other times. there is some evidence to show that the fungus lives in the twigs and that affected ones should be cut out. mr. richardson: yes, but these didn't bear any for four or five years, and when we got the right kind of weather i got good plums. mr. norwood: my experience is something like this man's. i have had my plums killed off as many as five years with the plum pocket and then had a good crop of plums. i sprayed with lime-sulphur. mr. stakman: when did you spray? mr. norwood: i spray just before the buds open. mr. stakman: the flower or leaf? mr. norwood: flower, and then i spray when the plums are well started, just before they begin to ripen. mr. stakman: were you spraying for the pocket or brown rot? mr. norwood: i used lime-sulphur and arsenate of lime. mr. stakman: of course, spraying after buds open wouldn't do any good for the plum pockets at all. mr. norwood: i spray mainly for the brown rot, and i have pretty good luck. mr. cashman: have you had any experience in using orchard heaters to save plums in cold nights? mr. stakman: i will ask mr. cady to answer that. mr. cady: no, i haven't tried to use them. mr. cashman: we tried it this year, and we saved our plum crop. we have tried it the last four years and saved our plum crop each year. we also sprayed each year and had a very good crop of plums when neighbors who had not sprayed had very few, and i am satisfied if we use the proper ingredients and spray properly at the right time, and occasionally use an orchard heater when there is any danger of freezing, that we will raise a good crop of most any plum that is hardy enough for this climate. a member: what kind of heaters do you use? mr. cashman: we use oil heaters. we use crude oil, the same oil we use in our tractor engine. a member: where do you buy your heaters? mr. cashman: we have them made at the hardware store, of sheet iron, with a cover. we put about two gallons of oil in this heater. there is a small piece of waste that is used as a wick, which we light from a torch. it will heat quite a large space sufficiently for two or three hours and prevent frost. mrs. glenzke: do you put a canvas over the tree or leave it uncovered? mr. cashman: we do not put anything over the tree. mr. stakman: what does your oil cost? mr. cashman: about eight or nine cents a gallon. prof. hansen: just a thought occurred to me that out west on the pacific coast where men have to get down to business in order to raise fruit they have these horticultural commissioners that have absolute police power to make orchard men clean up. they will come into your old orchard and pull it up and burn it and add it to your taxes, charge it up to you, if you don't clean up. the same sort of police power should prevail here. if a man has an old plum orchard that is diseased through and through, it won't do for him to tell his tale of woe year after year and not do anything. a county agent will come along and clean it up for him. after it is cleaned up it will be an easier proposition. if you are not going to keep up with the times and spray, then the county agent ought to have police power to burn the orchard. either spray or go out of the plum business. * * * * * to make concentrated apple cider on a commercial scale.--the specialists of the fruit and vegetable utilization laboratory of the department have completed arrangements for a commercial test of the recently discovered method of concentrating apple cider by freezing and centrifugal methods. as a result, a cider mill in the hood river valley, ore., will this fall undertake to manufacture and put on the retail market , gallons of concentrated cider, which will represent , gallons of ordinary apple cider with only the water removed. the new method, it is believed, makes possible the concentrating of cider in such a way that it will keep better than raw cider, and also be so reduced in bulk that it can be shipped profitably long distances from the apple growing regions. the old attempts to concentrate cider by boiling have been failures because heat destroys the delicate flavor of cider. under the new method nothing is taken from the cider but the water, and the resultant product is a thick liquid which contains all the apple-juice products and which can be restored to excellent sweet cider by the simple addition of four parts of water. the shippers and consumers, therefore, avoid paying freight on the water in ordinary cider. in addition, the product, when properly barreled, because of its higher amount of sugar, keeps better than raw cider, which quickly turns to vinegar. the process, as described by the department's specialists, consists of freezing ordinary cider solid. the cider ice is then crushed and put into centrifugal machines such as are used in making cane sugar. when the cider ice is whirled rapidly the concentrated juice is thrown off and collected. the water remains in the machine as ice. at ordinary household refrigerator temperatures this syrup-like cider will keep perfectly for a month or six weeks, and if kept at low temperatures in cold storage will keep for prolonged periods. at ordinary house temperatures it, of course, will keep a shorter time. to make the concentrated syrup, the cider mill must add to its equipment an ice-making machine and centrifugal machinery, so that the process is not practicable on a small scale. the specialists are hopeful, however, that the commercial test soon to be inaugurated in oregon will show that it will be possible for apple growers to concentrate their excess cider and ship it profitably to the far south or to other non-producing regions. the specialists also believe that it will enable apple producers to prolong the market for cider.--u.s. dept. of agri., oct., . how mr. mansfield grows tomatoes. mrs. jennie stager, sauk rapids. somewhere around mr. wm. mansfield, of johnsons creek, wis., commenced to apply what gov. hoard, of wisconsin, told him was "persevering intelligence," to the propagating and improving of the tomato, and he soon found out that the tomato was capable of almost unlimited improvement. he has made a specialty of the tree tomato, of which he says he has demonstrated to the world that in the mansfield tree tomato he has produced one of the greatest wonders of the age. all who have seen them, tasted or grown them, with even a small degree of good sense, are loud in their praise for their good qualities: wonderful growth of tree, beauty of fruit, smoothness, solidity, flavor, earliness, etc. in giving directions how to grow them he says you should remember that if your brightest child is raised among indians he is not likely to become president. neither will the tree tomato if thrown on a brush pile, or just stuck in a poor, dry place and left to care for itself, be ready to jump on your table, on the fourth of july, or any other month, a ripe, delicious, two-pound tomato. he says first get your seed of some reliable person, who can warrant it pure and all right. then at the proper time, which in this climate would be some time in march, get some rich old earth for boxes in your house, hotbeds or greenhouse. sow the seed, cover lightly, wet down every day and keep warm, with all the sun possible. when up ten days transplant to other boxes, six inches apart, and not less than four inches deep. keep wet and give all the light and sun you can, and by the time it is safe to set them outside they should stand from twelve to twenty-four inches in height, with bodies half an inch thick. _to prepare the ground._--first select a place as near water as possible, and also, if you can, let your rows run east and west. throw out dirt two spades deep, then put in three or four inches of night soil if you can get it, if not use hen manure and wood ashes, equal parts, or some other strong manure, in the bottom of trench. then fill up the trench with the best dirt you can get, mixed with well rotted stable manure, as no fresh manure must come near the roots or bark to rot them. now set out your plants without disturbing the dirt about the roots. set eighteen inches apart in the row and have the dirt in the trenches a little lower than at the sides. place a strong stake at each plant or a trellis and tie them to it as fast as set. then if it does not rain use hard, soft, cold or warm water and give plenty each day. as your plants commence to grow, just above each leaf will start a shoot. let only the top of the plant, and only one or two of the best branches grow, so as to have not over one or two of the best stems to run up. now the buds for blossoms show themselves on the tops of the vines, and a few inches below. just above each leaf, a shoot starts; nip off every one of these just as soon as they appear. as the lower leaves get brown and old pick them off. train the fruit as it grows to the sun. tie often and well. let no useless wood grow. give all the sun possible and water, water and then water. then you can take the cake on tomatoes. [illustration: wm. mansfield and his big tomatoes, casselton, n.d.] mr. mansfield's record twenty-six years ago, at johnsons creek, wis., was: height of tomato tree, eleven feet. weight of single tomato, two pounds six ounces. he says, since he has moved to north dakota, his tomato has in no wise deteriorated. annual report, , central trial station. profs. le roy cady and r. wellington, university farm. since the coming of prof. wellington to the station to take up the pomological and vegetable divisions the work of this station, has been divided, prof. wellington taking the fruit and vegetable experimental work, while prof. cady continues the work in ornamentals, and on that basis the reports will be made this year. _ornamentals._--the campus of university farm has been very much enlarged this year by the building of the gymnasium, and consequent parking about it, and the grading of an athletic field. this will call for considerable planting work next spring. the season has been exceptionally good for the growth of all ornamental stock. all came through last winter in good shape. a late frost killed many of the early flowering plants, and this prevented the forming of fruit on such plants as barberry and wahoo. about seedling paeonies flowered again this year. some of these are promising. an excellent block of aquilegia was flowered. a trial ground of some hundred or more annuals was maintained and proved very interesting. it is hoped that many more annual novelties may be tried out this year. the perennial garden established last year was added to and furnished something of interest the whole season. it will be the aim of the division to have in this garden all the annuals and perennials of value in this section. some new shrubs were added by purchase and through the bureau of plant industry. the hedges have proved an interesting exhibit again this year, and it is planned to add a number of new ones to the group next season. about seventy-five varieties of chrysanthemums were flowered this autumn and were much enjoyed by our visitors. _fruit._--this year has been a very poor fruit year owing to the freeze on may , when the thermometer dropped to degrees fahrenheit. at that time a very promising crop of apples was frozen on the trees. currants and gooseberries were also frozen on the bushes, and the young shoots were frozen on the grape vines. later the grape vines sent out secondary shoots which bore a small crop of late maturing fruit. regardless of the heavy freeze an apple was found here and there throughout the orchard, although no one variety seemed to be particularly favored. on one-year-old compass and dyehouse cherry trees a few fruits were borne, and a similar amount of fruit was produced on one-year-old sapa and skuya plums. the old plum seedling orchard, which is located to the south of the college buildings and is partially protected by a wooded hill to the north, gave about five per cent of a crop. the one-year-old raspberries and blackberries bore a small crop, and the new strawberry bed, containing over varieties, yielded a good crop. records were made on the blossoming dates of practically all the varieties grown at the station, and complete descriptions were made of all the strawberry flowers, fruits and plants. [illustration: class in propagation at work at minnesota state agricultural college.] plants were taken from the strawberry bed and used for setting out a new bed, which is located on level and uniform ground. by another year sufficient data should be at hand to report on the performance of the varieties tested. the aphids were very numerous and unfortunately caused the defoliation of all the currants with the exception of the blacks. a new sidewalk through the currant patch necessitated the transplanting of about one-half of the varieties, and so the prospect for a good currant crop next season is poor. the mildew attacked the poorman gooseberry very severely but did practically no damage to the native varieties, as the carrie and houghton. blight was a negligible factor, and what little appeared was removed as soon as noted. this year's rest, especially as it has been coupled with a good growing season, should be very favorable for an abundant crop in . in summing up the varieties at the trial station, it is of interest to note that the following number are under observation: apple, apricot, cherry, peach, pear, plum, blackberry, dewberry, red currant, black currant, white currant, gooseberry, grape, black raspberry, red raspberry, purple raspberry and strawberry. _vegetables._--the vegetable work has been concentrated on the bean, cucumber, lettuce, pea, onion, potato and tomato. the chief work with the bean and pea has been to isolate desirable canning types from the present varieties. selection has also been carried on with the lettuce, with the object of securing a head type which matures uniformly. onion bulbs of various types have self-fertilized, and desirable fixed strains will be separated if possible. incidentally, the inheritance of various types and colors of the onion is under observation. in the tomato the influence of crossing on yield and earliness has been studied. increases nearly as high as five tons have been obtained, and the prospects are very bright for securing valuable combinations for gardeners who use greenhouses and high-priced land. results of this work will probably soon be published in a station bulletin. [illustration: chrysanthemums in flower in university farm greenhouses.] a better type of greenhouse cucumber is being sought by combining the european and white spine varieties. from past experience the author knows that a uniform type that is well adapted to market purposes can be obtained, and the only question will be its productiveness. unfortunately hybridizing was not performed early enough in the season, and disease prevented the making of crosses. this coming season the work will be repeated. the main work of the year has been on the potato, and the chief problem has been on the determination of the cause of degeneracy. incidentally, many varieties have been tested, and the exchange of seed with the grand rapids, crookston and duluth stations has been started. if possible, the effect of varying climatic and soil conditions on the potato will be noted. a few vegetable varieties have been tested and among them the reading giant, a rust-proof asparagus, has proved promising. malcolm, the earliest canadian sweet corn, ripened very early and will be tested further. washington, a late sweet corn ripening between crosby and evergreen, made an exceptionally good showing and may prove of much value for market purposes. the alacrity tomato was found to be similar to the earliana and superior in no way. bonny best and john baer tomatoes produced smooth, desirable fruit and are deserving of a wide test. the much advertised "seed tape" was given a trial, and it proved satisfactory in most cases. for kitchen gardeners who are ignorant of planting distances, methods of planting and varieties, and who can afford to pay a higher price for their seed, the tape may prove of value, that is, if a high grade of seed is maintained. * * * * * a correction.--in o. w. moore's interesting article on "sexuality in plants," which appeared in the november ( ) number of the horticulturist, two errors were present. the first is merely typographical, as kaelreuter's name, page , should be spelled kolreuter. the second, however, is misleading, as it states that the process of fertilization is called "mendel's law." it is true that mendel's law is based upon fertilization, but it concerns simply the splitting up of certain characters into definite mathematical proportions. for example, mendel found that when he crossed a yellow and green pea the first generation produced only yellow peas. these peas when self-fertilized split up into practically three yellows to one green. by self-fertilizing the progeny of the second generation it was found that one-third of the yellows bred true for yellow, and two-thirds of the yellows broke up into yellow and green, showing that they were in a heterozygous condition, and that all the greens bred true for green. at the present time this method of segregation has been proved to hold for many easily differentiated characters in both the animal and plant kingdom, but much more experimental work will have to be done before it can be said to hold for all inheritable characters.--prof. richard wellington, university farm. rose culture. martin frydholm, albert lea, minn. (annual meeting, , so. minn. hort. society.) rose culture is one of the most fascinating occupations in the line of horticulture. but when you come to talking or writing about it you scarcely know where to begin or what to say, there passes before your eye an exhibition of such an amazing fragrance and beauty of varying colors. even now as i am writing these lines i can see with my mind's eye every rose in my garden, some in their full glory, filling the air with the sweet fragrance; others just opening; others in bud; and so on in an ever pleasing variety. i have taken special interest in roses for some ten or twelve years and have grown a good many different varieties of them with success, good, bad and indifferent. i have succeeded well with some of the hybrid perpetual roses. at the present time i have in my garden paul neyron, general jacquiminot, ulric brunner, black prince, etoile de france, frau karl droschky and marshall p. wilder, also others of which i have lost the names. of climbing roses i have crimson rambler, thousand beauties, prairie queen and dorothy perkins. all the above named are everbloomers, except the climbers, and all need careful winter protection. _how to grow them._--get two year old no. plants and prepare your soil just like you would for your vegetable garden. if your soil is not particularly rich, spade in a liberal quantity of well rotted manure and mix well with soil. set your plants and keep up clean cultivation all summer and give them plenty of water, and you will have an abundance of roses the first year. in the fall get some clean straw, bend your rose bushes over, put a fence post across on top of them to hold them down and then cover with straw to a depth of one foot. or if you have a number of them planted in one row, make a long box about two feet wide and about twenty inches deep, fill about half full of straw, then place along side of the row of plants, bend your plants down lengthwise the row, then tip the box over them, put some straw around sides of box and on the outside put some posts or boards on to hold it down, when you will have the best protection possible. right here i want to put in a word of warning, and that is, if you do not like to do extra work don't attempt to grow roses; in other words, if you are lazy they don't like you well enough to stay with you, for it means work and lots of it. we have, however, one class of roses which can be grown by every one who wants them, the hybrid rosa rugosa roses. of them we have such as blanche d. caubet, pure white of large size, a perpetual bloomer; sir thomas lipton, also white, a little smaller in blossom but perfectly double; conrad meyer, clear silvery pink, of large size, very double and of choicest fragrance, a continuous bloomer (needs some winter protection); new century, rosy pink, shading to almost red in the center, good size and double. one of the hardiest is hansa, deep violet red, very large, double and an exceedingly profuse and continuous bloomer, absolutely hardy. these five varieties can be considered as everybody's roses, because of the easiness and sureness with which they can be grown, taking into consideration the elimination of winter protection. planting, preparation of ground and cultivation are the same as for all other roses. do not imagine for a minute that they will do well in sod or grass. [illustration: martin frydholm in his rose garden, at albert lea.] another class of roses is the baby ramblers. for borders and bedding roses these i think surpass all others on account of the easiness by which they may be grown. and they are a perfect mass of blossoms from june till freezing. they need winter protection, but that is not difficult on account of the low growth and small size of plant. above all do not forget that all roses need rich soil and lots of water. when your rose bushes are three years old you must begin to give some attention to trimming. cut out some of the oldest wood before you lay them down in the fall, and if some of the shoots have grown very tall cut back about half, although these rank canes may give you the best roses the following season if you can protect them well enough so that they do not winter-kill. in this photograph which is shown here is one ulric brunner with one shoot extending two feet above my head and covered all along with the most magnificent roses i have ever had in my garden. the same thing i have done with the general jacquiminot. asparagus by the acre. e. w. record, market gardener, brooklyn center. first i am careful about selecting seed of a good variety. my choice is palmetto, because it is hardy and the best seller on our market. in starting a bed i sow my seed as early as possible in the spring in rows about eighteen inches apart, and when the plants are well up i thin out to about an inch, so the roots will not be so hard to separate when ready to transplant. my experience has been that plants two years old are more easily handled than those one or three, because the one year plants are not matured enough, while the roots of the three year old have become too matured, and when separated too many of the roots are broken off. in preparing the ground for asparagus i plow and then harrow it and mark it off so the rows will be five feet apart. i plow a furrow from fourteen to sixteen inches deep, throwing the dirt both ways. then with my cultivator i loosen up the bottom of the furrow. i place the plants in the furrow about eighteen inches apart, being careful to spread the roots evenly over the bottom of the furrow, putting a little dirt over them to hold them in place. with my cultivator i keep filling in the furrow, at the same time plowing out the middle to keep down the weeds. in fertilizing a bed of asparagus my experience has been that the best way is to plow a furrow between the rows, filling it with barnyard manure, then covering this with earth. spreading the manure broadcast makes too many of the stalks grow crooked. i never cut my asparagus for market until the third year, and then only for a short time. by the fifth year the bed is strong enough to cut the whole season. when the season is over i cultivate often enough to keep down the weeds. i never cut the old stalks off until spring, because after the first freeze the stalks are hollow, and this would allow the frost to run down into the roots. annual report, , vice-president, second congressional district. john bisbee, madelia. a summer remarkable in many respects has passed. many of our people have labored hard, and the rewards of that labor have been meager and unsatisfactory. horticulture with all the other labors on the land has been rewarded like the other cultivators of the soil in our section of the state. i sent out twenty-five of the circulars and twenty were filled out and returned. apple raisers report, four a good crop, the balance poor or none. plums: one fair, others poor or none. cherries: one good, all others poor. grapes: one good, balance poor to none. blackberries: one good, balance poor to none. other fruits all poor. nursery stock: one place reports one car load planted, the balance a few, all making good growth. strawberries: five report good crop, balance few to poor. blight: some reported but little efforts made to eradicate. fruit trees did not suffer much last winter ( - ). all report plenty of moisture in ground. varieties of apples doing best: wealthy, duchess, longfield, salome, spitzenberg, northwestern greening, anisim, malinda, hibernal, jonathan. spraying neglected very largely. i am doing all of the top-working i can get done every spring. am setting largely the salome. i find the tree hardy here; a moderate bearer; apples fine and handsome; a good keeper; tree does not blight and grows very thriftily. it grows on a great share of the stocks in which i have placed it. my next best apple is the spitzenberg. i am not placing many wealthy scions, as i have about all i want of them. i tried thinning the fruit on some of my heavy bearers last summer and like it much. i think the best way to do it is to cut out the fruit spurs, as that can be done in the winter. annual report, , vice-president, fifth congressional district. chas. h. ramsdell, minneapolis. the horticultural interests of the fifth congressional district (of which minneapolis is the largest part) comprise three lines of activity, the raising of fruit, vegetables and flowers for home supply and profit, ornamental horticulture for pleasure and the city marketing of the produce of this and every other region, furnishing whatever is demanded by a large metropolitan market. therefore, i will report along these lines. [illustration: chas. h. ramsdell.] judging from the reports of my correspondents throughout the country, the "freeze" in may was responsible for a rather complete absence of local fruit the past season. sheltered orchards and those on the south side of any lake bore a small crop. of apples, the wealthy and malinda are mentioned as bearing fairly well. plums were entirely a failure, cherries are not raised to any extent, grapes and small fruits were not enough to supply the market as a whole. raspberry and strawberry growing seems to be on the decline, owing to the prevalence of insect pests which do _not_ receive attention to keep them in check. the importance of this is all the more apparent, because with the shorter distances of this district being the rule, the danger from rapid spread is more pronounced. the growing conditions of the season have been of the best, and all stock goes into the winter in excellent shape with a good amount of soil moisture and a promise for better conditions next season. several market reports have been received which give valuable information. prices of fruit, vegetables and floral stock have been low in almost all cases. the public demand has been rather below normal, although it has been steady and fair in volume. there seems to be a good deal of complaint about the care of the railroads, etc., with fruit and perishable products, but, on the other hand, a good deal of local produce is not put up in good shape. the uniformly good packing of western fruit reveals the cause of its popularity on the local markets. certain kinds of fruit almost glutted the market this season, notably florida grape fruit, western box apples and peaches. i quote one market statement as very pertinent: if minnesota apple growers would gather their apples before they are too ripe, carefully grade and pack uniformly through the barrel, thus making it possible for the wholesaler to ship out on orders, they would undoubtedly realize more for their product than to market them themselves in the usual manner in which apples are marketed. ornamental horticulture in my district is making rapid progress. large lots of nursery stock are yearly put in with excellent results. the influence and interest of the "garden flower society" and of these horticultural meetings is nowhere more felt than in hennepin county. the gardens of the minneapolis park board, in loring park, at lyndale farmstead, and near the parade and armory, give the horticultural public much valuable information. even the wild flower garden in glenwood park is yearly receiving an increasing number of visitors. the increasing use of perennials is creating a new gardening enthusiasm. the perennial exhibit at the summer meeting of the horticultural society was worthy of much study. careful use of hardy evergreens is increasing also, adding value especially to our winter landscapes. this season has been very favorable to gardening work and steady has been the progress made. greater care with insect pests, and better methods of preparing fruit for market seem to be the two greatest needs of the horticulturists of the fifth district. * * * * * apple production and prices.--according to the best authority available, the apple crop in the united states for promises to be about , , barrels, says the niagara county, new york, farm bureau news. this will be the lightest crop in several years, the crop being the next lightest, when about , , barrels were produced. in comparison, the crop was about , , barrels and the crop about , , barrels. the above refers to the commercial crop that is marketed in closed packages, and should not be confounded with the recent estimate of the united states department of agriculture, which is understood to refer to the total production of apples, including those used for cider and shipped to the market in bulk. annual report, , vice-president, sixth congressional district. e. w. mayman, sauk rapids. [illustration: residence of e. w. mayman, at sauk rapids, minn.] this district comprises quite a large area, and a large amount of fruit of various kinds is raised. besides the reports received, i visited a good many places where fruit is being raised and intended visiting more except for unfavorable weather. from all sources the reports were that all fruit trees, vines and other plants came through the previous winter in good condition, and that all fruit trees budded and blossomed earlier than usual. april being such a warm month caused this condition--and indications were for a record-breaking crop. but this was all changed after the severe freeze of may th, which destroyed nearly all blossoms of apple and plum and what promise there was of cherry and grape. the frost again on june the th did great damage to raspberries and strawberries, currants and gooseberries. from all reports received and from my own observation at my place i can sum up briefly as follows: apples not more than five per cent. of crop; crab apples, no crop; plums, from ten to fifteen per cent. of a crop; cherries, very few planted except the compass and crop very light; grapes, not very extensively raised, collegeville having the largest collection so far as i know, and at that place while the new growth had been frozen off still a second growth of new wood was formed and gave a light crop of fruit. blackberries: no crop reported. raspberries: there is in this immediate vicinity upwards of twenty acres or more planted of several varieties, but the crop was very light, and from other places the reports received were the same. strawberries: there is also quite a large acreage planted in this vicinity, but the crop the past season was very poor, except for the everbearing variety planted for experimental purposes. this variety did well and continued to fruit to november st. currants and gooseberries: reports gave no crop to speak of, and at my place and in this vicinity while there is quite a large planting there was no fruit. this, of course, was owing to the frost as before stated. very little nursery stock has been planted except in small quantities here and there, yet there is great interest taken in fruit raising. in regard to blight, none to speak of according to reports, and everything indicates a good healthy growth. as to spraying there seems to be little done along that line, although some orchards have been sprayed. all trees and shrubs and perennial plants planted the past season, as well as those previously planted, made an exceptionally good growth, owing, i think, to the cool, moist spring and continued cool summer. and, all wood maturing early, everything, i think, has gone into winter quarters in very good condition, and other things being favorable we may expect a good crop of everything next season. * * * * * the following poisoned wash has proved highly satisfactory in the west and promises to be one of the most popular methods of protecting trees from rabbits: _poisoned tree wash._--dissolve one ounce of strychnine sulphate in three quarts of boiling water and add one-half pint of laundry starch, previously dissolved in one pint of cold water. boil this mixture until it becomes a clear paste. add one ounce of glycerin and stir thoroughly. when sufficiently cool, apply to the trunks of trees with a paint brush. rabbits that gnaw the bark will be killed before the tree is injured. annual report, , vice-president, ninth congressional district. mrs. h. e. weld, moorhead. the fruit crop in general throughout this district was not very good. the spring was late and cold with a heavy frost in june. where the fruit trees were protected by a natural windbreak, we find the best conditions. wilkin, becker, ottertail counties' reports indicate that the apple crop was small, but the fruit was of good quality. [illustration: residence of louie wentzel, crookston, life member and vice-president in ] the varieties that are grown in this district in order of their importance and hardiness are the following: hibernal, duchess, okabena, patten's greening and wealthy. the hardier varieties of crabs are growing here. the transcendent is the most popular crab. the hyslop, florence and whitney are also grown. but very little blight is reported in this district. in localities where the trees have the protection of a windbreak there was a small crop of plums. the desoto, forest garden and hansen hybrids are giving very good results. even the wild plums were few, as the blossoms were hurt by frost. where there was windbreak protection the compass cherry tree looks healthy and has given a fair crop. grapes have not been very generally planted. the beta is the hardiest variety. the concord does well where properly planted and cared for. raspberry bushes made a good growth and look healthy; although damaged by frost there was a fair crop. strawberries yielded fairly well where they were given attention. the senator dunlap, warfield and everbearing plants should be more generally grown. gooseberries and currants were just fair in some localities, in others the late frost destroyed all prospects of small fruits. the houghton and downing gooseberries, red dutch and white grape currants are some of the varieties planted. in ottertail, wilkin and beltrami counties a good deal of nursery stock has been planted and with very good success. very little has been done in the way of spraying orchards, as trees are young. all fruits are going into winter in good condition, with fair amount of moisture in the ground and trees full of fruit buds. the hardy ornamental shrubs, honeysuckle, lilac, mock-orange and spirea van houttii can be grown here. hardy perennial flowers that do well are peony, phlox, golden glow and bleeding heart. this northern section of the state is the land for the hardy perennials. nowhere else do we get such beautiful colorings and bloom. annual report, , madison trial station. m. soholt, supt. this season has been very good. we have had plenty of rain, so that all nursery stock set out this last spring has made a good growth. the first part of may a hard frost did quite a good deal of damage to small stock just planted or lined out in the nursery. this frost also damaged the blossoms on the fruit trees. the plum trees happened to be in full bloom when this frost came, so that froze them entirely, and so we did not get any plums to speak of. we also had a light crop of apples, especially of the early varieties. the northwestern and patten's greening bore a good crop. the grapes also froze. i expected to get some fruit off those grape seedlings i received from the state fruit-breeding farm three years ago, but they went with the rest of it. the plum trees i received this and two years ago are all doing well. they did not freeze back any when we had that hard frost; so far they seem to be hardy for this location. had a medium crop of raspberries, also a light crop of currants and gooseberries. we had a good crop of strawberries. seedling strawberry no. is doing very well. everbearing strawberries are doing nicely. we had a nice fall and plenty of rain, so that trees and shrubbery went into winter quarters in good condition. growing beans and sweet corn. p. b. marien, st. paul. since it is one thing to grow beans and sweet corn and another to make money on them, i think from a market gardener's point of view my heading should have been "growing beans and sweet corn at a profit." i will talk of beans first, because while the two are planted at about the same time, beans make their appearance on the market long before sweet corn. beans have a nitrogen gathering power and are therefore a soil-improving crop. they are to the gardener what clover is to the farmer. for early beans we have found that sandy soil well fertilized is by far the best. if possible it should be sloping toward the south, although we have had good success on level land well drained. one should have the best seed possible, and if you get hold of a good strain of seed that produces nice, velvety beans earlier than your neighbor, save as much of that seed as you can. of course now that the price of seed is $ . to $ . a bushel one cannot be too particular. [illustration: p. b. marien, st. paul.] too much stress cannot be laid on the fact that to make money on beans one must have them on the market within a week after the first ones make their appearance. to do this one must plant them at the right time. the practical gardener knows that as he sits near the stove with the ground still frozen and a cold march wind blowing he cannot say "i will plant my beans on april or on april ." it is impossible to set a date for planting. after the ground has been plowed and well tilled he must wait until it is well warmed. sometimes it pays to take a chance, but we always wait until the buds appear on the white oak trees. however there is nothing infallible about this rule, but it is the one we generally follow. as to kinds we have two wax beans which we have planted for many years: the davis, which does well in wet weather, and the wardwell kidney, which does well in dry weather. every variety of green beans we have ever grown has done well. rows three feet apart, with the hills about six inches apart, three or four seed in a hill, might take up too much room on a small scale, but where one uses horses to cultivate, i think it is about right. beans should be cultivated at least two or three times a week, and they should be hoed three times during the season. never cultivate your beans while the dew is on, as it has a tendency to rust them. while st. paul has not offered a very good market for medium and late string beans in the last few years, it is a good plan to have a patch come in about every ten days. because you happen to get from $ . to $ . a bushel for your first beans this year, do not resolve to put the whole farm into beans next year, for they might come three or four days later than your neighbor's, and your profits might be like ours were one day last summer. i came to market with forty-eight bushels of beans. they cost twenty cents for picking. i sold thirty-two bushels at thirty cents and offered the remaining sixteen bushels at twenty cents, but found no sale for them. i brought them back home and to my surprise found two extra bushels, making eighteen instead of sixteen bushels. i concluded that someone had despaired of selling them and perhaps had poor success in trying to give them away and so forced them on me. however we consider we did well on our beans, as the first two pickings brought from $ . to $ . per bushel. now a few words about sweet corn. along about the th to the th of july the truck gardener should load his first sweet corn. sweet corn is of american origin, having been developed from field corn, or maize. no large vegetable is so generally grown throughout the country, the markets of the cities taking large quantities, and immense areas being grown for canning purposes. seed that fails entirely is not often found, but when one has a good strain that produces early corn it is best to save some. we generally have sweet corn to sell every day from about the middle of july until the first frost. to do this we plant every ten days from about the th of april to the th of june. our early variety is the peep-o'day, which is planted about the same time as the early beans. we also plant the golden bantam at this time. this is followed by red cob cory, pocahontas and some more bantam. then about may th to th we plant early and late evergreen, bantam and country gentleman. [illustration: a load of vegetables at marien's ready for market.] soil well adapted to common field corn will produce good sweet corn, thriving best on well fertilized land. sandy soil is best for the early varieties. sweet corn is often grown in drills, but we prefer the hills three feet apart, as it is easier to get an even stand, and cultivating both ways will push the crop. it should be cultivated shallow and never deep enough to hurt the roots. it is well to hoe it once. sweet corn is one of the few vegetables which is quite free from serious injury from either insects or diseases. sweet corn may be divided into three classes: early, medium and late. it is very important that the various kinds come in as early as possible, as a few days make a lot of difference in price. so you see that to make a profit on beans and sweet corn, four things are needed: good seed, planting at the right time, in the right kind of soil, and plenty of elbow grease--or hard work. a member: how far apart do you plant your beans in the row? mr. marien: the rows three feet apart and the hills six inches, putting three or four seeds in a hill. a member: don't you recommend testing your seeds before you plant them? mr. marien: hardly the bean seeds. i don't remember of ever having found any poor bean seeds. a member: i mean seeds generally, corn, etc.? mr. marien: yes, sir, we do; we always test our seed. mr. goudy: what is your method of harvesting your beans? mr. marien: well, we generally employ pickers, boys and girls, and we pay them about twenty-five cents a bushel when they are above a dollar and a quarter, and then we keep going down; as the price goes down we go down too; but we have paid as much as thirty cents when the price of beans was high and it is important to get many on the market the next day. [illustration: harvesting the hay crop at marien's.] mr. anderson: what are your gross receipts per acre for beans? mr. marien: that is a hard question to answer, as sometimes it is very poor for the medium and late beans, and sometimes there aren't any receipts at all. (laughter.) but the early beans sometimes go as high as $ . an acre. mr. anderson: how late can you plant them and be sure of a crop? mr. marien: we have planted them as late as the th of june. a member: you mentioned davis as your first variety. what is the second one? mr. marien: the wardwell kidney. we always plant the two varieties at the same time because if we strike a wet season then the davis does well, and the wardwell won't do as well in wet weather but will do better in dry weather. mrs. glenzke: will you tell me the color of your beans? are they golden wax? mr. marien: yes, some golden wax and some green string beans. we haven't as good a market for the green ones. mrs. glenzke: have they a string on the back? mr. marien: some have and some have not. there is the bountiful, or the thousand to one; that is a small green string bean that hasn't any string. but they are very hard to pick; so we don't raise many of them. mrs. glenzke: have you ever tried golden pod? mr. marien: i think that is a wax bean? mrs. glenzke: yes. mr. marien: oh, we don't like them, at least not on the st. paul market, because they are hard to pick. i don't know how it is in the minneapolis market. a member: what is the best of the green kind? mr. marien: we find that the bountiful is a very good bean; and then there is also the red valentine. a member: did you ever grow any crusset wax? mr. marien: no, sir, i have not. of course, there are some kinds that are just the same, but they go under different names in different places. different catalogs will catalog the same seeds in a different way. * * * * * beware blight cures.--almost every year orchardists are persuaded to try some new, so-called "blight cure" or preventative, only to find later that they have wasted time and money in the experiment. government regulations regarding fake remedies of this character are more strict than formerly, but there are still some agents trying to dupe the public into buying their wares. blight, which is often referred to as apple blight, fire blight, or pear blight, is caused by bacteria which live in the sap of the tree, and the principle followed by the blight-doctor is to introduce something into the sap which will prevent the working of the bacteria. the remedies are applied in various ways. sometimes the trunk is painted with a mixture of some kind, or holes are bored into the trunk and these filled with a powder. the orchardist is sometimes furnished with a box of nails as the first "course" and instructed to drive these into the roots of the trees. it is evident that anything introduced into the sap that is strong enough to kill the bacteria living there will likewise damage the cell tissue of the tree, and result in more harm than benefit. one powder that has been brought to the attention of the experiment station, sells for $ . per pound, and is administered in teaspoonful "doses." such a preparation as this is probably harmless, but is a waste of time and money. it would have no effect on the tree or the blight. some of the agents not only claim that their remedies will cure blight, but, due to ignorance or other causes, they also claim that trees treated will be immune from attacks of certain insects. orchardists may rest assured that up to the present time, no real preventative or cure has been found for blight, and that the only way it can be controlled is by cutting it out.--colorado agricultural college. in memoriam--mrs. e. cross. mrs. erasmus cross, of sauk rapids, and a member of the minnesota state horticultural society since ( years), passed away at that place on tuesday, december th. on december th mrs. cross sustained a painful injury by falling on the floor and breaking her hip. owing to her advanced age, eighty-two years, the limb could not be set without the use of chloroform, which could not be given on account of weakness of the heart. death finally released her from her suffering. [illustration: the late mrs. e. cross, daughter and grandaughters.] mrs. jane cross was always very enthusiastic about the horticultural society and the good it was doing, not only for this but other states. the ills of her age had prevented her from attending the meetings these late years, though she often did so in earlier years, but she always sent her fee through the writer, and eagerly awaited her return from the meeting to hear of its stimulating success. mr. cross died about six years ago. two sons, james, of st. paul, and robert, of sauk rapids, and two daughters, mrs. annie nicholson, of hamline, and mrs. emma sovereign, of sauk rapids, mourn her loss. our society has lost a most loyal friend.--mrs. jennie stager, sauk rapids. garden helps conducted by minnesota garden flower society edited by mrs. e. w. gould, humboldt avenue so. minneapolis. notes from prof. alway's interesting and instructive talk on "maintaining the fertility of our gardens." requisites for proper plant growth are warmth, ventilation, root room, the absence of harmful alkalies or animals that destroy the beneficial bacteria in the soil, water and plant food. by far the most important requisite for growth is water. more plants and crops fail because of the lack of a proper amount of it than from any other cause. plenty of fresh air is needed by the plants, as they derive a portion of their food from it. they adapt themselves largely to conditions as to root-room, a plant thriving in a pot, but spreading to much greater root space when grown in the open with plenty of room. the more restricted the root space, the more food and water it will require. the fourth requisite for growth does not concern us as there are no alkali lands in the counties near the twin cities, and the harmful minute animals that destroy the beneficial bacteria in the soil are as a rule found only in greenhouses. the best fertilizer for the garden is the thorough use of the hose. each year stable manures become harder to obtain, but the fertility of the garden can be maintained by the use of commercial fertilizers, which are more concentrated foods and are much easier to work with. the perfect plant food consists of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. we can obtain these in separate form and use as we need them. nitrogen comes in the form of a salt, called nitrate of soda, and in dried blood. the nitrate of soda is very soluble in water and is taken up at once by the plant. it can be scattered upon the ground near but not touching the plant, as in the latter case it would burn it. it can also be dissolved in water--a tablespoonful to a pail--and the ground, but not the plant, watered. dried blood is slower in action and requires warmth, so should not be used early in the season. nitrogen promotes quick and luxuriant growth of leaves and stems and is good to use when a green growth of any kind is wished. in bone meal we find the phosphorus necessary to aid in the development of fine and many flowers, to expand root growth and to hasten maturity. it works slowly, so can be applied to the ground about a plant early in the season, and will be available in the ground the following year if enough is used. equal parts of nitrate and bone meal can be used at the rate of one to two pounds to every one hundred square feet. potash is almost off the market, as a result of the war, the main supply being imported from germany. it can be obtained from hardwood ashes, and every bit of these should be saved for the garden and stored in a dry place where they will not become leached out by the action of water. _april spraying._--snowball bushes and others that have been troubled with aphides, or plant lice, the previous year should receive a thorough spraying of black leaf no. (an extract of forty per cent. nicotine) before the leaf buds expand. for this early spraying, two tablespoonsful of the extract can be used to every gallon of water. it will stick to the branches better if some soap is dissolved in it. this spray will kill most of the eggs of these pests, which will be found near the leaf buds. when the leaves open another spraying should be given to kill all those that escaped the first treatment. for spraying after the leaves open use one tablespoonful to each gallon of water. * * * * * meeting of the minnesota garden flower society, april th, st. paul, wilder auditorium, fifth and washington streets, : p.m. native plants in the garden shall we collect or grow our native plants? roadside planting. bee-keeper's column. conducted by francis jager, professor of apiculture, university farm, st. paul. bees are kept both for profit and for pleasure. the old fashioned beekeeper with his hybrid bees, kept in immovable hives, logs or boxes, did not derive much profit from his bees. he kept them mostly for pastime. during the last fifteen years men with new methods of management and modern equipment have been rapidly superseding the picturesque old beekeepers. modern beekeeping courses are now taught in connection with our institutions of learning, and young men full of energy and ambition are beginning to realize that beekeeping is offering one of the few opportunities to make a comfortable living with a comparatively small expense. older beekeepers, both on the farm and professional men, also are beginning to study beekeeping. they attend short courses, subscribe to scientific bee papers and study bee literature. with increased study and knowledge the whole status of the beekeeping industry is just now undergoing a rapid change. professional beekeepers, men who devote their whole time to beekeeping, are increasing, and more amateurs are turning to professional beekeeping every year. organizations of beekeepers now exist in nearly every state. their object is to spread knowledge among their members and to secure better prices for their product by co-operative marketing. contrary to fears of more conservative beekeepers the demand for a first class article of honey is increasing more rapidly than the supply. a national organization of beekeepers and bee societies is taking up just now national problems in connection with their industry and has succeeded in making the government interested in this "infant industry." an appropriation of $ , has just been allowed by the agricultural committee of the congress to develop beekeeping in localities where help is needed. the state of minnesota allows an annual appropriation for beekeeping interests of $ , , divided among the following branches: bee inspection department, which takes charge of bee diseases, $ , ; state fair exhibits for premiums and maintenance of a bee and honey building in connection with our state fair, $ , . the division of bee culture at the university farm, which has charge of teaching, demonstration, extension work, research, queen rearing, correspondence, statistics and model apiaries, $ , . minnesota beekeepers should be grateful to those men who have helped them to raise their industry from a mere nothing, until we have become the acknowledged leaders in beekeeping among all the states of the union. they, however, are rapidly following, nearly all states now have efficient bee inspection laws, and twelve universities have followed our lead and have included beekeeping in their curriculum. but we must not be satisfied with what we have accomplished. out of $ , , worth of honey which this state produces (by figuring) only $ , , worth are gathered every year, and beekeeping in the state must grow to fourteen times its present proportions before it will be anywhere near its possibilities. orchard notes. conducted monthly by r. s. mackintosh, horticulturist, extension division, university farm, st. paul. minnesota orchardists are preparing for a full crop of apples this year. from the experiences of last year with apple scab and codling moth, more thorough spraying is to be done. senator dunlap stated an experience he had in spraying that should be carefully considered by all apple men. nine rows of trees were sprayed on monday or tuesday. owing to bad weather the other rows could not be sprayed until friday or saturday. what was the result? he had barrels of no. fruit from first part and only seventeen barrels of no. in rows sprayed later. some are planning their orchard work for the season along the following lines: _first: pruning._ to be done during the mild weather in march and april. thin out all dead wood, interlocking branches, water-sprouts and shorten others. pruning is to get the tree into better form to sustain a large load of fruit, to open the center to permit sunlight to get in to color fruit, and to permit of better spraying. there are too many trees in minnesota that have never been touched by knife or saw. such trees need attention, but the pruning should not be too severe at any one time. begin this year to do a little pruning; next year do more; the year after a little more; and after that very little attention will be needed to keep the tree in good condition. while pruning look out for rabbit and mouse injury. if good trees have been injured do some bridge grafting as soon as you can. this means connecting the healthy bark above the wound with the healthy bark below. small twigs cut from the same tree, that are long enough to span the wound, are cut wedge shaped on both ends, and these ends put under the healthy bark. if possible cover the wounded area with earth. if too high up tie the scions in place and cover all cut surfaces with grafting wax and cloth. several scions should be put in if the tree is large. _second: spraying._ three sprayings are needed on every bearing apple tree in minnesota. first spray: when the center of buds show pink. don't wait too long. second spray: when the petals have fallen. third spray: ten to fifteen days after the second. use lime-sulphur and arsenate of lead each time. it is important to do this at the right time, in the right way, and with the right materials. right is the word and not left-undone. further particulars will be found on the page devoted to spraying topics. _third: cultivation._ follow the plan that is best suited to location. this may mean sod, part sod and cultivation, cultivation and mulch, mulch only, or cultivation and cover crop. doubtless the last is the best in most instances. _fourth: thinning._ the thinning of apples in minnesota has not been received with as much consideration as its importance demands. more attention will be given to this topic in subsequent issues. home garden. what about the farm and home garden for ? is the garden to receive the undivided attention of one or more members of each family, so that all members and guests may share its fruits? let's make the home garden the best spot on every minnesota farm in . a conservative estimate of the actual value of the products from a half-acre garden is fifty dollars. in minnesota there are over , farms. this would mean a total value of over $ , , . this does not include the value of the products of the village and city gardens. careful estimates made in this state show that it costs about fifteen dollars for man and horse labor to take care of a garden of about three-fourths of an acre. now for a big garden movement this year--for all the year. not a big beginning kept up until the little weeds become big weeds. is anyone going to allow weeds to outdo him? notes on plant pests. prepared by section of insect pests, a. g. ruggles, and by section of plant diseases, e. c. stakman, university farm. buy spray materials as soon as possible. the orchardist will probably notice very little difference in the price of his spraying materials, like arsenate of lead and lime-sulphur, as compared with last year; but those who still think that paris green is the only good stomach insecticide, will be astounded by this year's price. at the present time, in one pound lots, the retailer cannot sell paris green for less than c per pound--over twice what it was last year. in large quantities, it is doubtful if it can be purchased for less than c per pound. fortunately arsenate of lead, a better stomach insecticide than paris green, has not advanced materially in price, the powdered form being obtained for about c per pound. one and one-half pounds of this powder is used in fifty gallons of spray mixture. in our experiments, we have found arsenate of lead superior to paris green as a remedy for potato bugs and all orchard insects. it is not necessary, therefore, to allow any injurious biting insect to live simply because paris green is high in price. arsenate of lead, if properly applied at the right time, will keep any of these insects in check. a dormant wash does little good in controlling scab. hence, on account of the high price of spraying compounds, do not spray when unnecessary. many diseases of nursery stock are controlled by spraying. begin spraying as soon as leaf buds unfold, with lime-sulphur - or bordeaux mixture - - . copper-sulphate has also advanced c or c per pound. lime-sulphur has not advanced materially; therefore, plan to use lime-sulphur or some of the made-up (paste) bordeaux instead of bordeaux mixture, whenever possible. _potatoes can not be sprayed with lime-sulphur._ the aphis problem is usually a very serious one, because they are such persistent little breeders. the trees or shrubs most affected are roses, snowball, currant, apple, plum and elm. the eggs of the plant lice pass the winter on the bark or buds of these plants and hatch as the buds begin to swell. spray with the lime-sulphur ( - ) at this time. as soon as the leaves appear, spray with nicotine-sulphate as per directions on the container. if plum pocket was bad last year, the trees should be thoroughly pruned. then spray with copper-sulphate, one pound to nine gallons of water, or lime-sulphur, one gallon with nine gallons of water, before the buds open. follow with one to forty lime-sulphur or other spray as for brown rot. control methods for plum pocket are not well worked out, so these methods cannot be depended upon entirely. be sure and look over the apple trees carefully; cut out and burn all cankers. black rot has been increasing in the state, and since a great deal of early infection may come from cankered limbs, it is important that cutting out and burning be resorted to. last year the spring canker worm was just as active in the state as the fall canker worm; therefore, just as soon as possible, trees affected last year should be banded with the tree tanglefoot. the moths come out of the soil the first two weeks in april and at that time attempt to crawl up the trunks of the trees to lay their eggs on the limbs. when raspberries are uncovered, be sure to cut out and burn all dead canes missed last fall. the gray bark disease and anthracnose, also snowy tree cricket and red-necked cane borer, are controlled in this way. plan to keep the young canes covered with a protective spray of resin-bordeaux mixture. try it on at least part of the patch. the benefit will not be apparent for a year. spray currants and gooseberries as soon as leaf buds begin to unfold, with either bordeaux mixture - - or lime-sulphur - , to prevent powdery mildew and leaf spots. for further information write to the section concerned. inquiries will receive prompt attention. secretary's corner annual meeting of american association of nurserymen.--information has reached this office to the effect that this national association will hold its annual meeting in milwaukee june th to th. this is so near by that it ought to bring a goodly number of minnesota nurserymen in attendance. for particulars in regard to the matter address john hill, granite bldg., rochester, n.y. passing of hans knudson.--mr. knudson, late of springfield, minn., was the originator of the compass cherry, which has been generally planted throughout the northwest these recent years. he grew this variety from a seed as a result of a handmade cross between the miner plum and the sand cherry. mr. knudson had other seedlings of similar origin which we thought might be of value, but nothing has been since heard from them. news of his passing early in january has just come to this office. the mcintosh red.--i think the mcintosh is quite hardy as a top-worked tree; there are two in my old orchard set in , and they have shown no signs of injury. they were grafted on crab whips, but they were planted on a knoll, that while clay was within twelve to fifteen inches of a deep bed of sand. they have been shy bearers, but i think on a clay subsoil, such as i now have, they might prove good bearers. i would not be afraid to risk them as to hardiness.--f. w. kimball, waltham, minn. reports for minneapolis members.--every member of the society is entitled to a copy of the annual report if desired. as there are not as many copies printed, however, as there are members, if every one asked for a copy we should be in trouble at once. copies are mailed as promptly as possible after receiving membership fee to all members except those living in minneapolis and those who come in as members of some auxiliary society. minneapolis members are requested to call at the society office and secure the copy to which they are entitled, which will then get into their hands in a good deal better shape than though it passed through the postoffice. members of auxiliary societies are entitled to a copy of the report, but only upon the prepayment of postage, which would be seven cents to points within miles of minneapolis and ten cents outside that limit. scions for top-working.--stark bros. nurseries, of louisiana, mo., have sent to us for use in testing on top-worked trees a quantity of scions of the following varieties: king david, jonathan, delicious, stayman winesap, york imperial and liveland raspberry. these scions are to be used primarily to fill orders for top-working from members who have selected them as one of the plant premiums, no. . there will, however, be a considerable surplus, we believe, and as far as they hold out we shall be glad to send them out to members of the society who have trees for top-working, and know how to graft properly, upon receipt of postage stamps to the amount of postage and packing, which would be approximately ten cents. we are not sure that we can supply all who may ask for them, but to a limited extent we can do so. i would suggest promptness in making application for these scions. address secy. latham. who is growing mcintosh red apple?--information from an interested member of the society is called for as to what success, if any, has been had in growing the mcintosh red top-worked on hardy trees here in minnesota. scions of this variety have been sent out several years by the society and probably some have already come into fruitage, or perhaps they have been secured from other sources. replies will be published. address secy. latham. no plant premiums after april st.--all members ordering plant premiums have undoubtedly noted this important condition that "all applications for plant premiums must be made prior to april st." this condition will be strictly adhered to, and those sending in selections for plant premiums after that date need not feel disappointed if they do not receive them. it is absolutely necessary to make a definite date beyond which no applications will be received in order to work out successfully the problem of distribution which faces us at that time. to members of auxiliary societies.--occasionally a member of an auxiliary society writes to this office asking for a copy of the annual volume of the society. members of auxiliary societies are entitled to this volume, but the state society does not pay postage on it, the amount received from auxiliary societies for memberships not permitting this expense. any member of any auxiliary society who wishes to have a copy of the annual volume mailed from this office should send with the application postage at the rate of seven cents if within one hundred fifty miles of minneapolis, and ten cents to points in the state more than one hundred fifty miles from minneapolis. buy nursery stock at home.--there are always more or less agents of foreign nurseries, that is nurseries located outside the state, canvassing for orders of nursery stock in our state, and many citizens are also tempted to reply to advertisements of outside nurseries who are trying to secure business in minnesota. it is not my purpose to condemn these outside nurseries nor their methods of doing business, which in most cases undoubtedly are honorable and straight forward. but there is a real advantage in buying nursery stock at home, that is, from nurserymen located in our own state, and especially from nurserymen who are in the immediate vicinity. there is no class of goods that one can buy in connection with which there is such opportunity for mistake and fraud as in nursery stock. it is impossible for any but an expert to tell by the appearance of a tree or plant of any kind what the variety is, and either through mistake or purposely it is no uncommon thing for those purchasing trees to be disappointed as to the names of varieties when they come into fruitage or flower. if the nurseries are in our own state, or in our vicinity, it is a very easy matter to get at them, and they will almost uniformly be found willing to make good such blunders, or if they don't and the matter is worth while they can be made to do so. don't place your orders outside of the state if the things you want can be purchased at home. you will find it a real advantage to act on this counsel. especially in the case of strawberry plants the element of distance is a very important one as on account of their leafy character they heat and spoil readily. a few plants near home are often worth more to the recipient than a large shipment from abroad. nurserymen of minnesota.--the secretary endeavors to keep a correct list of all those engaged in the nursery business in this state. as far as his personal acquaintance goes of course the list is known to be a correct one, but there are doubtless a number engaged in the nursery business in a small way of whom he does not know personally, and he would be glad to hear from any engaged in the nursery business who are not personally acquainted with him so that their names may be added to this list. the address of the secretary is always to be found on the front cover page of this magazine. the social element at our annual meeting.--those of our members who attended the last annual meeting could not have failed to note the large proportion of ladies in attendance at these meetings, not only at the one managed by the woman's auxiliary, but also at every other meeting during the four days session. you may be surprised to learn that approximately one-third of those who registered as purposing to attend the meeting belonged to the gentler sex, and the proportion in attendance was somewhere in that neighborhood. this is one of the delightful features of our annual gathering which is steadily increasing. more and more are the ladies attending our meetings, and in larger number are they becoming members of the association aside from any relation they may sustain as wives or daughters to those who are already members. this movement should be in every way encouraged, and we hope another year to be able to offer still more attractive accommodations in this direction. in planning for a new building for the society, this feature of our work should not by any means be lost sight of. i believe that very few organizations of this kind can boast so large an interest on the part of the ladies in the various branches of its work. did you select everbearing strawberries as your premium?--an altogether unexpected demand has been made upon us for the everbearing strawberries the society is offering as plant premiums to its members this spring. probably twice as many plants have been called for as can be furnished in the amount asked for. under the "right of substitution" which the society reserves in the matter of its plant premiums, probably plant premium no. will be substituted for nos. and if matters turn out as now appears, though the number of plants sent will be more than is offered under no. . as this everbearing strawberry, originated at the fruit-breeding farm, no. , is a very prolific plant maker, a dozen plants, if the runners are allowed to grow, will make plants enough to set out a bed of them next year, large enough in all probability for family use. in the matter of june-bearing strawberry no. , offered as premium, there is undoubtedly stock enough to fill all orders including those asked for for which money has been sent, and we are in hopes that orders for raspberry no. can be filled in their entirety, though it may be necessary to return money which has been sent for additional plants. in this distribution all members will be treated exactly alike and altogether in accordance with the conditions noted in connection with the list of premiums as found on page six of the society folder and on the inside front cover page of the magazine. [illustration: view in fruit-breeding greenhouse, state college, brookings, s.d. this is prof. n. e. hansen's laboratory, where he works out his problems in cross-breeding. (see opposite page.)] while it is not the intention to publish anything in this magazine that is misleading or unreliable, yet it must be remembered that the articles published herein recite the experience and opinions of their writers, and this fact must always be noted in estimating their practical value. the minnesota horticulturist vol. may, no. what is hardiness? prof. n. e. hansen, horticulturist, brookings, s.d. by the term hardiness is understood the capacity to resist against any special condition of environment. so in speaking of hardiness of the plant it may mean hardiness as to either cold, heat, drouth, fungus or insect trouble. in the present discussion hardiness against cold will be considered mainly, since that is the most difficult problem we have to meet in this horticultural field. it would be of great advantage could we determine by examination of the plant its power to resist cold. if we could determine by the looks of a new apple tree its power of resistance to our test winters, it would save us many thousands of dollars and much vexation of spirit. some years ago the iowa state horticultural society made a determined and praiseworthy effort to determine hardiness by some characteristic of the plant, especially in apple trees. a chemical test of the sap of hardy and tender varieties was made. the palisade cells of the leaf, and the cellular structure of the wood, were examined under high powers of the microscope to determine some means by which a tender variety could be distinguished from a hardy one, but no general rule or conclusion could be formulated. in a general way nurserymen and orchardists say that a variety that ripens its wood well in the fall shows it by the twigs being sturdy and not easily bent, while twigs that are not well ripened indicate lack of hardiness. the winter of - was preceded by a late, wet autumn that kept trees of all varieties growing very late, so that winter came before the wood was ripened. in all the literature on this subject, i have been unable to find any method by which a hardy variety could be distinguished from a tender one of the same species, or, in other words, there is no correlation between morphology and hardiness. although we do not know what determines hardiness, we may still go ahead with our experimental work. we do not really know what electricity is, but inventors in that line have enough of a theory on this subject so that they are able to work very successfully with this gigantic force of nature. we know there is a difference in hardiness between the red cedar of tennessee and the red cedar of minnesota, and that it is safest for us to plant the tree as it is found at the north. the same applies to many other trees that are found native over a wide area. at moscow, russia, the box elder as first imported was from st. louis, and it winter-killed. afterwards they got the box elder from manitoba, and it proved perfectly hardy. although botanically both are the same, yet there is a difference in hardiness. my way of securing hardiness is to work with plants that are already hardy. i like to work with native plums in my plant breeding experiments because there need be no concern about their hardiness. we know they are hardy, or they would not be here after thousands of years of natural selection in this climate. the other way of obtaining hardiness is by crossing a tender variety with a hardy one. when we cross the native plum with the japanese plum, we obtain seedlings that combine in a fair measure the hardiness of the native plum with the size and quality of the japanese plum. in many states of the union the question of varieties for commercial orchards has been to a large degree settled. there is always room for a new apple, but for commercial purposes the varieties already in cultivation are sufficiently satisfactory as to size, color and quality as well as in keeping and shipping capacity. so the main effort in their horticultural societies is along other lines, such questions as marketing, packing, spraying, insects, fungi and orchard management. but in this region the winter apple question is still a vital one. some promising winter apples have appeared recently, and it remains to be seen whether they will stand up under the next test winter. they are certainly satisfactory in size, color, quality and keeping capacity. the greatest question now presents itself in planting apple seed. what variety shall i choose? some pedigrees may be like a blind alley, they will lead us nowhere. the commercial apples of the east and of the pacific coast are the survivors of millions of apple seedlings raised by immigrants from western europe during the past three centuries. they survived because they were the best. from time to time very good varieties are super-ceded by new ones that appear. from the ashes of millions of seedlings will arise, phoenix-like, the creations that will dominate our future prairie pomology. here in the northwest thousands of farmers have already determined to a considerable extent what we may expect from planting the seed of certain standard varieties. [illustration: the waneta plum. a promising variety originated and introduced by prof. n. e. hansen.] wisconsin, minnesota and iowa are full of seedlings of the duchess. some of the best are okabena, peerless, patten's greening, milwaukee, dudley, pewaukee. a very large amount of wealthy seed has been planted, especially in minnesota. many of these give promise, but in none do we appear to have obtained the true winter-keeping capacity. the wealthy has given us the lord's l, evelyn, lyman sweet, perfect and many more, observed at minnesota state fairs from time to time. the malinda has given us in the perkins' seedlings a number of promising new varieties that evidently are true winter keepers. the fact that they appear hardy may come from the fact that the original orchard had hardy varieties, like the duchess, standing near the malinda. from the experience with these three varieties i would like to draw the conclusion that in order to get winter apples we should save the seed of winter apples, but it would not be safe to draw this conclusion without further experiments. there is an immense number of ben davis seedlings in missouri and adjoining states, but none appear to have come into extensive commercial notice except the black ben davis and gano. but as near as i can learn we cannot obtain real hardiness from this line of descent, unless the ben davis in the mother orchard is standing near varieties like the duchess. the seed of standard winter apples top-grafted on hardy stocks like hibernal should be carefully saved as nature may have smiled with indulgence upon your efforts and created the desired variety. i am watching with great interest a tree of very vigorous, smooth growth, from seed of talman sweet top-grafted on duchess. you would not expect to get anything hardy from seed of the talman sweet, but the entire hardiness so far of the young trees propagated from the original seedling, makes me impatient to see the fruit. a blend of talman sweet and duchess ought certainly to bring something good, but they will not all be hardy or all good. the fact that there are so many different lines of pedigree available to us in our apple work, makes it all the more necessary for us to divide the work. let us gather inspiration from the story of johnny apple-seed--one of the patron saints of american horticulture--who about one hundred and twenty-five years ago forced his way through the wilderness of indiana and ohio and planted many bushels of apple seed as he went along, so that when settlers came they found their orchards ready for them. the story of john chapman and his unselfish efforts in planting the seed of apples and other fruits in the american wilderness should give us courage and patience to give a little of our time to this work. make a record of what seeds you plant, and when the seedlings are one year of age plant them out in a row where they can be cultivated. select the best ones as they fruit and bring to the state fair or horticultural meeting. you may not win the grand prize, but you will have the satisfaction of having made some contribution to the common welfare. * * * * * in localities where cottontails are sufficiently abundant to be a continual menace, the safest and most nearly permanent method of securing immunity from their ravages is to fence against them. it has been found that woven wire netting of one and one-half inch mesh and thirty inches high will exclude rabbits, provided, that the lower border of the fence is buried five or six inches below the surface of the ground. in cases where a small number of trees are concerned, a cylinder of similar wire netting around each tree, if so fastened that it cannot be pushed up close against the tree, serves the purpose more economically. standardizing minnesota potatoes. a. w. aamodt, university farm, st. paul. (gideon memorial contest.) the potato is one of the large farm crops of the country, rating next to the cereals in importance. according to the census report of , united states produced , , bushels, and three-fourths of these were consumed in the states in which they were produced. the report also shows that the most extensive production was along the northern tier of states, from maine to minnesota. in the states ranked in production as follows: new york, michigan, wisconsin, maine, minnesota, pennsylvania, ohio, iowa, illinois and colorado. in the same year minnesota ranked fourth in surplus production, producing sixteen per cent. of the potatoes which entered into interstate commerce. wisconsin produced twenty per cent., michigan twenty-four per cent. and maine twenty-five per cent. [illustration: figure i. rural new yorker.] in minnesota the largest part of these potatoes are grown in certain districts of the state, and according to the census the counties rank in respective order, namely: hennepin, isanti, chisago, clay, anoka, sherburne, washington, ottertail, dakota, and mille lacs. this shows that the largest production is in the vicinity of st. paul and minneapolis, and the red river valley, especially in clay county. the following statement shows the per cent. of increase in acreage from to and that the older districts are being rapidly outdone by the counties towards the northern part of the state: clay, per cent.; sherburne, per cent.; polk, per cent.; todd, per cent.; hennepin, per cent.; anoka, per cent.; isanti, per cent.; chisago, per cent. from these reports it is also evident that the distribution of the surplus is entirely towards the southern states, either as table stock or as seed potatoes, which in turn varies with the different years because of differences in crop yields. but as a general rule maine, new york and michigan supply the states in the east, east central and southeastern part of the country, wisconsin the chicago market and minnesota the mississippi valley, especially nebraska and kansas. in addition minnesota ships seed potatoes to many of the southern states. [illustration: figure ii. burbank.] because of these markets, potato shippers maintain that competition is extremely keen between the potato growing sections of this country. there can be no doubt that the only way minnesota can meet her increase in yield and increase in demand is to determine whether or not she will expand her markets to the territory which is now being held by the other states. but before minnesota can get these markets and obtain the better prices, she must standardize her potatoes. that is, minnesota can obtain great improvement by adopting certain standards for the grading and sorting of potatoes. at a conference held in chicago, last february, of representatives from the growing, shipping and marketing interests, the following recommendations for greater uniformity in potato shipments were made: _size._--market stock of round white varieties shall be graded over a screen which measures - / inches in the clear. for long white varieties a screen of - / inches, in the clear, is recommended. _weight._--stock running over twelve ounces is undesirable and not over five per cent. of this maximum weight should be allowed in first class shipments. [illustration: figure iii. burbank russet.] _quality._--stock should be practically free from serious external imperfections, including late blight rot, common scab, sunburn, frost injury, bruises, knobbiness, second growth, etc. stock should be mature and clean. _varietal purity._--commercial potato shipments should be graded to one variety. all indications show that minnesota must grade and sort for commercial shipments of potatoes, and that a definite brand or grade designating a definite standard must be adopted in order to secure the highest prices. all inferior stock must be thrown out, and the best potatoes given a chance to make an attractive showing. the standing which minnesota potatoes will have in the market will be determined a great deal by the grading, which is usually the work of the dealer, although some farmers do their own grading by hand. ungraded potatoes injure the minnesota potato trade and reduce the profits, as the freight is the same on dirt, small and unsound potatoes as it is on the fine stock. as much as a ton of dirt and culls is sometimes found in a car on the chicago "team tracks" after the wholesale merchant has sacked all he is willing to accept. this freight, sorting charges and cost of disposing of refuse must be paid by some one. co-operating to improve the sorting done at loading stations is a means of establishing a grade to meet competition and to reach new markets. [illustration: figure iv. early ohio.] standardization also means grading to eliminate potatoes infected with disease, such as common scab and late blight, sunken discolorations or dry hard blisters, green, spongy and coarse stock. all of these defects tend to lower prices. in order to increase the value of the minnesota potato we must also supply the market with the variety which it demands, and, furthermore, this variety must be free from mixture. minnesota has already taken a step in this direction. the minnesota agricultural experiment station, minnesota crop improvement association and the minnesota potato growers' association have recommended the following varieties and types to be selected and grown. the rural new yorker, as shown in figure , is the leading round, white, late potato for minnesota. it is a good yielding and keeping variety, fine in quality, an excellent market sort and suitable for almost any soil. similar to the rural new yorker are the carman no. and sir walter raleigh. the green mountain is a desirable white late potato, similar to the rural new yorker, but more oblong and with squarer ends. it is better suited to rich heavy soils than the rural new yorker, as they are not so likely to grow hollow. [illustration: figure v. triumph.] other similar varieties are the carman no. , green mountain, jr., and state of maine. the burbank (fig. ii) is a long, white, late potato of excellent quality and suitable only for rich, loose, loam soils. thrives well upon new rich soils that are well supplied with humus. other inferior varieties confused with the burbank are the white chief, white star and pingree. the burbank russet (fig. iii) is a long, russet, late potato differing mainly from the burbank in its heavily russeted skin. very fine for baking. suitable for low, moist, friable and peaty soils. the early ohio (fig. iv) is the leading early potato in minnesota. the type is oval with a pinkish or flesh colored skin. it is particularly suited to the black, rich, friable soils. the triumph (fig. v) is a round, red, very early potato, valuable for southern seed trade. it suffers severely from drought, and, therefore, soils subject to this condition should be avoided. similar or identical varieties are red bliss, bliss, triumph and stray beauty. the irish cobbler is a promising white, early, roundish potato of good quality, although inferior to the early ohio. it has not been sufficiently tested out, but is promising for southern seed trade. similar variety is the extra early eureka. the king is a broad, oblong, reddish potato. very suitable for worn-out and sandy soils. similar or identical variety is the maggie murphy. in conclusion i would have you to remember the main points of this paper which may be summarized as follows: first. that minnesota is one of the leading potato producing states of the union. second. that minnesota must establish a reputation for a continuous supply of well graded stock practically free from diseases and blemishes. third. that minnesota must create a general interest in better seed, true to name and type. finally. minnesota must secure the co-operation of all agencies interested in the production, distribution and utilization of potatoes to get better production, better grading and better marketing. * * * * * insects help raise crop.--it is well known that most of our crop plants will not form fruit and seed unless the flowers are properly pollinated. the principal carriers of pollen are wind and insects. in some plants, such as the beet, both wind and insects play an important part in the spread of pollen. in all cereals and grasses, and in the potato, the pollen is carried mainly by wind. in most of our common plants of garden, field, and orchard, insects are the chief and most effective carriers of pollen. the following is a list of insect-pollinated plants: onions, asparagus, buckwheat, gooseberry, currant, cabbage, radish, turnip, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, apple, pear, plum, cherry, peach, alfalfa, clover, melons, cucumbers and squashes. we are very dependent upon the bees and other insects for a good crop yield.--w. w. robbins, colorado agri. college. annual report, , vice-president, eighth congressional district. frank h. cutting, duluth. this district embraces within its limits a very large area having different characteristics from a horticultural standpoint. much of the land has a high elevation and is rolling or hilly, and much is low and comparatively level. a considerable portion is close to lake superior and other large bodies of water and, therefore, governed by conditions with respect to frost different from those controlling land not so situated. the quality or character of the soil is also varying. the foregoing considerations probably furnish the reason for the widely differing reports secured on the blanks distributed, and which were quite generally answered. this prompts the suggestion that before planting commercially or on a large scale one should personally conduct a series of experiments on land designed for use to test its adaptability for the fruits intended. we suffered a frost and hard freeze on the th day of may which greatly damaged the fruit buds; the temperature registered on that day at the united states weather office being °. the month of june was the coolest in forty-five years. the low temperature of the summer months and lack of sunshine resulted in a tardy development of fall fruits and a failure to mature them. even the beta grape and the compass cherry did not ripen their fruit. the opata plum, however, bore a large crop of ripe plums early in september. very little blight has been reported. the weather report shows a deficiency of precipitation up to december of . inches. however, the heavy rains in november immediately before the ground froze supplied sufficient moisture to enable trees and shrubs to stand the winter. the following list is suggested by the reports: apples: duchess, okabena, wealthy, patten's greening. crab apples: florence, early strawberry, virginia. plums: cheney, aitkin, compass, opata. grape: beta. cherries: reports generally unfavorable. blackberries: no kinds reported favorably. raspberry: minnetonka ironclad, king, cuthbert, older. strawberries: dunlap; everbearing--progressive and superb. currants: red dutch, perfection, wilder, white grape. gooseberries: carrie, houghton, downing. hardy perennial flowers: peonies, phlox, sweet william, delphinium, canterbury bells, foxglove, oriental poppies, iceland poppies. hardy shrubs: snowball, hydrangea, lilac, honeysuckle, high bush cranberry. annual report, , paynesville trial station. frank brown, supt. the summer of will long be remembered as the summer with no warm weather. there was a heavy frost the morning of june th. the season's rainfall was very heavy, but trees at the best made only a normal growth, and with many varieties, especially of forest trees, the growth was much less than the usual growth of even a dry season. some fruit trees blossomed quite early, and the young fruit formed during a warm spell, and these trees were heavily loaded with fruit. this was especially noticeable with wealthy, duchess, okabena and whitney no. apples, and with some of the hansen hybrid plums. other trees, fully as good bearers, blossomed a few days later and set no fruit at all, the frost killing the blossoms while not severe enough to harm the fruit already set. the cool weather of this past season has probably helped fruit growers more than it has hindered them, for had it been as hot as it usually is when we have such a tremendous rainfall, blight would most certainly have caused much trouble, but as it was we have had practically no blight at all. this season has again demonstrated very plainly the advantages of top-working, such trees making a better growth, and the fruit being more even, and less troubled with spots, scab, etc. the plums sent to this station the spring of bore no fruit at all this season, but the trees made a fair growth and all appear healthy except a few that froze back the winter of - . the plum trees sent from the central station the spring of made a very poor growth that season, owing undoubtedly to the fact that the roots were dry when reaching here, but this last season all but one made a splendid growth, and one no. , to my surprise, produced five plums that for beauty and eating qualities would place this variety in the front rank with the best in the state. we shall watch these trees with great interest and will report on their actions as they develop. the four trees of no. plum, sent here the spring of from the central station, made a splendid growth, each tree developing fruit buds in abundance. of the seven varieties of raspberries sent here the spring of , three made good this last season. no. bore a tremendous crop of very large fruit, in quality the best; no. bore heavily, an all around good berry and apparently a good shipper; no. produced a good crop, not quite as large as no. , but continued in bearing for a long period. further testing will be necessary for these berries, but so far they look good. there is little to say about grapes, except the growth has been good, and the amount of fruit buds started immense, but the frost and unsuitable weather told the tale--we won't repeat it. of strawberries we will say this: if the central station did nothing in five years except to produce the strawberry known as minnesota no. , they have still done well. it is hardy, a good shipper, it is delicious with cream and sugar, a good canner, in fact a great big senator dunlap with no green core, but ripens to the tip. it is also a good plant producer. the strawberry known as no. , planted last spring, did well. it is a wonderful plant producer, having a very heavy, dark green foliage, it seems to be a good bearer of large, dark red berries. with the wood on the fruit trees thoroughly ripened, and fruit buds in good condition, we may look ahead to the future with courage, believing that all things come to him that waits in minnesota, providing he hustles while he waits. * * * * * red rose beetle is easily killed.--did you ever wait patiently in the spring for your favorite japanese rose to bloom and find when the buds were ready to burst that it was scaly and spotted around punctures made by the red rose beetle? then did you vow once more to destroy the beetles when you saw the roses begin to wither from punctures made by the beetle in the stem? the destruction of the red rose beetle is simple, according to a circular recently issued by the minnesota state entomologist, university farm, st. paul. the method is to cultivate the ground around the rose bush early this spring and cultivate it again in the late fall. this will destroy many of the beetles, for they live in the soil in the winter. then a few of the pests can be hand-picked and destroyed. if they are still too thick, they may be removed next fall for safety to next year's blooms. the beetle lays its eggs in the hip of the rose. these can be seen after the rose is in full bloom as a black spot, covered over with no noticeable depression. the growing pests leave the old blossom by the middle of september and go into the soil until next spring. the bush should be examined in the latter part of august for any flower hips containing insect larvae and all found should be plucked and burned. a few hours' work will insure a beautifully blooming bush next year. annual report, , jeffers trial station. dewain cook, supt. the apple crop at this station was a complete failure, owing to the freezes of late may and early june. this apple failure, so far as i have been able to ascertain, was prevalent over the entire county of cottonwood, although we could hear of plenty of apples being grown only a short distance over the county line in all directions excepting to the west of us. [illustration: a windbreak at dewain cook's, mostly white willow.] the season has been one of cool weather and much rainfall, so much so that although we had no killing frosts this fall until october th, yet no corn or melons ripened in this vicinity. we quit spraying our fruit trees when the freeze came last spring and destroyed the apple crop, and the result has been that there was much scab on the foliage of many varieties of our apple trees. the antonovka and the hibernal seem to be about the healthiest in this respect. as to the fire blight there has been absolutely none at this station the season just passed. as for plums we got a few bushels in the final roundup, de sotos, wolfs and wyants mostly. of the japanese hybrids, we got a few specimens of the b.a.q. the emerald bore freely, but the fruit mostly either was destroyed by the brown rot or cracked badly just as they were getting ripe. the tokata, one of hansen's hybrids, gave us specimens of very fine fruit. of the apricot hybrids only the hanska made any pretense of trying to bear anything, but the curculio got away with about all of them. when i made the midsummer report most of hansen's sand cherry hybrids were promising a good crop, but with the exception of the enopa and kakeppa, from which we gathered a few quarts of fruits, we got nothing. the brown rot, assisted by the curculio, took them all. it sure looks as if we ever expect to make a general success with these sand cherry hybrids and with the japanese hybrids, we will have to be better educated along the line of controlling this disease that is so very destructive to the fruit of some varieties of plums, especially of those varieties that have sand cherry or japanese blood in them. [illustration: a veteran white spruce at mr. cook's place.] [illustration: specimen colorado blue spruce at dewain cook's.] we have to report a grand success with everbearing strawberry no. , sent to this station from our state fruit-breeding farm last spring. the season all through was favorable for that class of fruit. we kept all blossoms picked off till about the first of august, when we let everything grow, and there is a great number of new plants. these new plants, with a few exceptions, did not bear, but the old plants, the ones set last spring, we gathered from them, from about september till the first hard frost, october th, a liberal crop of surprisingly fine fruit. the americus, also an everbearing variety, treated exactly as we did minnesota , bore a great number of plants and some fruit in the fall. the berries were not so large as the nor so many of them. while it is a perfect flowering variety, most of the late blossoms blighted, which seems to be a weakness of this variety. on november th our strawberry beds were all given a mulching with loose oat straw for a winter protection. the several varieties of grape vines originating at the minnesota state farm on trial here have all made a vigorous growth. we have them all pruned and laid on the ground, and we intend to give them no other winter protection. they are in a sheltered location. in spite of the various freezes early in the season we got samples of fruit from most of the varieties. minnesota no. seems to be the earliest to ripen its fruit. the wild grape flavor is noticeable in all these varieties. the various varieties of plum trees sent here from the state farm made vigorous growth the past season and are looking healthy with the exception of minnesota no. . of the five trees of this variety each one has a great many galls on the body of the tree. it is probably what is termed black knot, only the galls have not turned black yet. they are apparently of too recent growth for that. it is probable that we will plant other trees in their places next spring. * * * * * painting of small tree wounds useless.--it has long been the custom for horticulturists to recommend, and fruit growers to use, dressings of various kinds on the wounds of trees when branches are removed in pruning. a few years ago the new york experiment station decided to conduct some experiments to determine whether such practice was really of any value or not. from results of this work, which have recently been published in bulletin form, it is concluded that the use of white lead, white zinc, yellow ochre, coal tar, shellac and avenarious carbolineum as coverings for wounds under five inches in diameter is not only useless, but usually detrimental to the tree. this is particularly true of peaches, and perhaps of some other stone fruits, which, according to recommendations, should never be treated at all. the substances mentioned often injure the cambium layer to such an extent that the healing of wounds is greatly retarded. of the substances experimented with, white lead proved to be the best and is recommended wherever anything is used. but it is not thought worth while to use even white lead for wounds two or three inches or less in diameter, though it may be advisable to use it on wounds where very large branches have been removed. on the larger wounds, where much surface is exposed to decay, the white lead will help to keep out moisture and the organisms which cause decay. the smaller wounds, however, heal so quickly that the evil effects of the covering may more than offset the benefits derived from its use.--r.a. mcginty, colorado agricultural college, fort collins, colorado. annual report, , montevideo trial station. lycurgus r. moyer, supt. about twenty-six years ago a plantation of white spruce was made at this station. the trees flourished for several years and bade fair to become a permanent success, but some six or eight years ago they began to fail and many of them have since died. the survivors are all in poor condition. it seems that this tree is not well adapted to prairie conditions, at least not to the prairies of southwestern minnesota. its native range is much further north. here it evidently suffers from heat and dryness. the black hills spruce is commonly regarded as belonging to the same species. it has not been tested nearly so long, but so far it seems to be entirely hardy. something like thirty years ago a few trees of black spruce, a few trees of european larch and a few trees of balsam fir were planted here. they have long since disappeared. white pine planted at about the same time disappeared with them. a single tree of scotch pine planted at about the same time, standing in the open, is gnarled and crooked and shows a great many dead branches. a forest plantation of several thousand scotch pine, made something like twenty-two years ago, is still in good condition. many of the trees are from twenty-five to thirty feet high. some of the smaller trees have been over-topped and smothered out, but generally the trees seem healthy. a few hundred of the black, or austrian, pine were set at the same time. they are about two-thirds of the height of the scotch pine, but they are as healthy and vigorous trees as one would care to see. some trees of rock, or bull, pine (pinus scopulorum) were set at the same time. they have grown at about the same rate as the black pine and are healthy, vigorous trees. norway spruce has done better here than white spruce, some old trees fruiting freely. the colorado blue spruce (picea pungens) seems to be our best spruce, and so far as tested the black hills spruce is a good second. douglas fir has been planted in a small way in the parks, but it is young yet. it seems probable that the scotch pines in the forestry plantation owe their comparatively good condition to the shelter they get from the hot winds from being planted close together, and from the fact that they are partly protected by the black pines planted to the west of them. the single tree of scotch pine above referred to has had garden cultivation for thirty years, but it seems likely that it was injured by the same hot winds that killed the white pine and the larch. the scotch pine is a native of northern europe, norway, sweden, denmark, scotland, normandy (near the ocean) and germany and russia around the baltic, and all these countries have a moist, cool climate. the black pine is a native of southern europe, growing all the way from southern spain to the taurus mountains in asia minor. in its native habitat it has become accustomed to the hot winds that often sweep across the mediteranean, the burning sirocco of the great sahara. the dwarf mountain pine, pinus montana, grows in the pyrenees, in the alps, in the carpathians and in the balkan mountains, so that it, too, often encounters the hot winds that come across from the african deserts. it is probable that the ability of the black pine, the dwarf mountain pine, the black hills spruce, and the rock pine to flourish on the prairies of southwestern minnesota is due to the fact that all these trees have become accustomed to resisting the hot, dry winds that often reach them in their native habitats. the norway spruce (picea excelsa) in its many varieties is native to almost the whole of europe, extending from north of the arctic circle to the pyrenees and balkan mountains in southern europe. we could then expect that trees from the pyrenees or from the balkans might be so well accustomed to the hot winds from africa as to make them resist, at least for some time, the hot winds of the prairies. and they do seem to stand better than the white spruce or the balsam fir or the white pine. some report should be made on the material sent out for trial from the state fruit-breeding farm. the strawberry, no. , made a fine growth, and promised a large crop of fruit in september, but a few days of quite dry weather, following a very wet spell, ruined the crop at ripening time. the raspberry, no. , is a great producer of sprouts and multiplies enormously, but it seems to be a rather shy fruiter, and the fruit is not of the highest quality. it is intermediate in season. no. is a much larger and better berry, although not quite so hardy. both came through the winter, without covering, in good condition. no. seems to resemble the old columbian. it does not sucker much. it is a large, late berry of good quality. it was covered, so its hardiness is untested. prof. hansen's oheta is a berry of much promise. it is of fine quality and fruits abundantly. the hybrid plums were sprayed with a commercial dust spray but not effectively enough, for the fruit all rotted. we shall try more thorough spraying next season. patten's greening, oldenburg, okabena and simbrish no. produced a good crop of apples. with us okabena is undersized, of poor flavor and an extremely poor keeper. the growing of vegetables for canning. m. h. hegerle, pres. canning factory, st. bonifacius. the state authorities, through the agricultural farm and other sources, are doing good work promoting and encouraging the growing of vegetables, but it seems more could be done towards the marketing and conservation of these vegetables after they are grown. the growing season for vegetables in this state is comparatively short, and although during that short period everybody eats vegetables, every grocer's show windows, and even the sidewalks, are used to display them, and a tremendous business is done, yet there are tons and tons of nice fresh vegetables go to waste, not only for the market or truck farmer but in every family garden--be the same ever so small, there is a steady waste going on, all of which could easily be conserved _by canning_. canning is simply putting the fresh vegetables in tin cans or glass jars (the latter are much more expensive, but no better), steaming and sealing them and setting aside until wanted. by doing this every truck farmer, and any one having ever so small a garden, could conserve enough which otherwise would go to waste to keep them in real fresh vegetables all winter. of course the thousands living in the cities having no garden can not do this and are therefore dependent on the canning factory for their fresh vegetables, and here is where my topic comes in, _the growing of vegetables for canning_. it is no trick to grow vegetables for home canning, any variety will do. you need not select a big lot of one kind, and you need not sort for size or color. just take the surplus as you find it in your garden from day to day. all it needs is, it must be fresh and it must be thoroughly clean--but growing for the canning factory is different. to line up fifty to growers to sow the same seed, to plant, harvest and bring to the factory just when in right condition, requires time and hard work. this really is the hardest problem the canning factory has to solve, and that is the reason why all successful canners grow at least part of their product. you must remember vegetables put in cans will come out just as you put them in. if you put in stale, tough, stringy beans you will be sure to find them there when you open the can, but if you put in fresh, tender beans, peas, corn or whatever else, you will find these exactly as you put them in, and it's immaterial whether you open this can the first, second or tenth year. we must not forget that vegetables properly sterilized and sealed will keep indefinitely, and they require no preservative of any kind. no canning factory uses any preservative, and no home cannery should use them. [illustration: upland farm, st. bonifacius, minn.] there was a time when canning was considered an art or a secret. i remember receiving circulars offering for sale the secrets of canning, and while in the grocery business some twelve years ago i sold thousands of packages of canning compound. these canning compounds, after a thorough examination by our state food department, were found not only worthless but harmful if put in canned foods. _remember_, to can vegetables successfully, it requires no canning compound or preservative of any kind, simply fresh and thoroughly clean vegetables. fresh vegetables are a good, healthy food, we all know this; and besides they are cheaper than meat; therefore should be on our tables two or three times a day. but mind you, they must be fresh, and while for some of us during the growing season it is comparatively easy to get them fresh, yet during the rest of the year, say eight to ten months, real fresh vegetables in bulk are hard to find and high in price. a lot of so-called fresh vegetables shipped in from a distance at best require several days to make the rounds through the grower, the shipper, the jobber, the retailer--to our tables and are really not fresh. they have become stale, and by coming in contact with different kinds of material have lost their delicate flavor. therefore to insure real fresh vegetables for our tables, at least during the winter months, we must take the canned article. all of us remember how most everything in the grocery line was handled in bulk, dried fruits, cereals of all kinds, coffee, tea, etc., was displayed on the counters, along the aisles and even outside along the sidewalk, handled and examined by any one and exposed to dust and flies. just about the same way are vegetables in bulk handled today. where is the grocer who would go back to those days, and where is the public that would patronize him? mrs. glenzke: what vegetables do you can? mr. hegerle: we can corn; beans, string and wax; apples, tomatoes, etc. mrs. glenzke: how do you manage to get the farmers to bring them in? in wisconsin it was a failure. as you say, they came when they got their work done, and the whole bunch came there at one time. mr. hegerle: that is the hardest work, to get the growers to bring the vegetables when they are in the right condition and when they should be canned. mrs. glenzke: there are five canning factories in that neighborhood now, and there isn't a one of them that allows the farmers to bring their stuff. they rent the farmers' land for themselves. for miles and miles you can't find a farmer that hasn't rented his farm. mr. hegerle: you have to have the vegetables at the right time. mrs. glenzke: they use the farmer's team and give him all the assistance they can. it does away with having them all at one time. i have seen twenty-five farmers come at one time. i don't see how you manage it. mr. hegerle: we have had a lot of trouble, and we are growing some of our vegetables. mrs. glenzke: you can raise four successive crops of peas on the same ground, and you can make that work all right. they used to can squash, corn, tomatoes, and they have got down to peas entirely. a member: doesn't most of that trouble arise from the low prices? mr. hegerle: no, not entirely. the price when contracted is satisfactory, and we find in our experience in growing our own vegetables we can grow them cheaper than what we pay to the growers. but we wouldn't grow any if we could get the growers to bring them in when they are in the right shape. when corn is at a certain stage to make a good canned article it has got to be brought in that day, and if the farmer don't bring it, if he has a state fair on or a wedding or a funeral or something and delays it a day or two, then it is all off; that corn is lost. mr. sauter: i would like to know which is the best beans for canning, the yellow or the green? mr. hegerle: well, we prefer the refugee, both in wax and green. we prefer them because they are the best in flavor we have. mr. sauter: which is the best, the flat or the round of the wax? mr. hegerle: round is preferred by the trade, by the grocers or jobbers. i have kept the flat wax beans for my own use of those that we can. mr. sauter: don't the flat ones bring a little more than the round ones? mr. hegerle: well, probably the first or second picking, but you can't pick them as often as the other variety. the refugee you can pick four or five or six times, and the flat beans can only be picked two times. mr. anderson: i would like to ask what you pay for beans for canning purposes? mr. hegerle: we pay from / of a cent up to cents a pound. sometimes a man brings in some that are almost too good to throw away, they are big and stringy, and rather than send them home we think we have got to take them and pay him something for them. we would rather not have them, and we usually dump them. starting from that we pay up to three and four cents. four cents for well sorted and mostly small beans. they have got to be graded, , , , and . number is the smallest, and they bring the best price. we pay in proportion to the number 's and 's in the load. mr. sauter: what tomato do you find the best for canning? mr. hegerle: well, the earliana. mr. sauter: do you have any trouble with those bursting the cans? mr. hegerle: no, sir. mr. sauter: we had that trouble in canning for our own use. they burst the can, they expanded. mr. hegerle: that is the fault of the man, not of the tomato. mr. sauter: they were picked and canned the same day. mr. hegerle: probably not sterilized enough. sterilizing fruit is the main thing. a tomato is really one of the easiest things to can. mr. sauter: in other tomatoes we don't have that trouble. it seems to hurt the sale of them to the women folks. mr. hegerle: sterilize them a little more. mr. sauter: about how long would you cook them? mr. hegerle: i am not the man at the wheel on that part. i don't know. we have a superintendent that handles that part of it. top-grafting. an exercise led by a. j. philips, west salem, wis., at annual meeting of the society. mr. philips: when i first talked top-working in minnesota, professor green and some of the knowing ones felt a little leary about it, but i kept right on just the same. the most i have got out of top-working is the pleasure i have had, doing the work and seeing the fruit grow. i inherited a love for top-working from my father. he used to top-work some, and after i began planting trees my old friend wilcox used to come and visit me, and he was strong on top-working on hardy roots. i used to make a little sport of the old man, but no more i guess than people have made of me for doing the same thing. he made me a proposition about forty years ago. he says, "you plant ten trees of a good variety to top-work on--i will pick them out for you--and then you top-work them with wealthy, and then plant ten wealthy trees right beside them on the same land and in the same rows, right together, and see which will do the best." at the end of ten years the wealthy on their own roots had borne good crops but they began to fail, while the top-worked ones (on virginia crab) were just at their best bearing at that time. professor green came and looked them over at the end of fifteen years. the first ten on their own roots were dead, and the others grafted on virginia bore apples until they were twenty-five years old. that convinced me that top-working in certain cases would pay if done on a hardy stock. i have seen a northwestern greening tree that was crotched, split apart and lay down when it was loaded with apples, in waupacca county, but when grafted onto a stock whose limbs grew out horizontal it will carry a load of fruit until it ripens without injury. i won a first prize at the omaha exposition. my apples were not much better, but they were top-worked and were a little larger. i have some specimens here that show the practical difference. these grew on my own land. i found in showing apples in milwaukee at their fairs that i could always get the best specimens from the top-worked trees. that convinced me that you could grow better fruit that way. mr. brackett: what age do you commence the grafting? mr. philips: i like to commence at two years old. i like to set a virginia crab and let it grow one year and then commence top-working, and top-work about half the first year and the balance the second. mr. brackett: is that in the nursery row? mr. philips: no, where i am going to have it grow. i have found the virginia--and the hibernal, too, either of them, very vigorous trees. the virginia is very vigorous. you dig up a virginia tree, and you find a great mass of roots; it has strength, and it grows fast. i have top-worked about forty varieties on the virginia and some on hibernal. mr. cady was there and looked it over, prof. green was there and mr. kellogg has been there a number of times--and i always ask them this question: if they found any trees where the top had outgrown the stock? i have never seen an instance where the top of the tree put onto a virginia crab outgrew the virginia. i have some in my garden now where the union is so perfect it takes a man with good eyesight to see where it is. [illustration: a.j. philips, west salem, wis. photo taken in his eighty-second year.] mr. brackett: if you had virginia trees twelve years old would you top-work them? mr. philips: yes, sir, out towards the end of the limbs. mr. brackett: suppose the limbs were too big on the stock you are going to top-work, how would you do then? mr. philips: i practice cutting off those larger limbs and letting young shoots grow. mr. dartt did a good deal of top-working, and he top-worked large limbs. i told him he was making an old fool of himself, but he wouldn't believe it. he would cut off limbs as large as three inches and put in four scions and at the end of two years they had only grown eight inches each. i have put in one scion in a virginia limb that was about / -inch in diameter, and had it that season grow eight feet and one inch. that is the best growth i ever had. the reason that my attention was called to the virginia as being vigorous was, when i attended the meeting of this society about thirty years ago--i think it was at rochester--mr. a. w. sias, who was an active nurseryman and one of the pioneers of this society, offered a premium of $ . for the best growth of a crab apple tree, and then, in order to win the money himself (which he did), he brought in some limbs of a virginia that were six feet long that grew in one season; and i figured then that a tree that could make that growth in one season was a vigorous tree, which it is. nothing can outgrow it, and that was one reason why i commenced using it. mr. brackett: i have one trouble in grafting the wealthy to the hibernal on account of its making that heavy growth. i lost some of them by blight on that account. mr. philips: which was blighted, the hibernal? mr. brackett: no, the wealthy made such a big growth that it blighted. i cut the top back and put grafts in, and they made a good growth, but they blighted. did you have any trouble like that? mr. philips: no, sir, i think my soil is different from yours. my soil is of a poor order, a heavy clay, and it don't make the growth. mr. brackett: how many of those large limbs could you cut off in one year and graft? mr. philips: cut about half of the growth of the tree if not too large, don't cut enough to weaken the tree too much. next year cut the balance off. mr. crosby: in grafting, suppose you get scions from an eastern state, what time would you get those scions, say, from maine; maine is on a parallel with minnesota? mr. philips: i prefer cutting scions in the fall before they freeze. mr. crosby: how would you keep those scions? mr. philips: i have tried a great many ways, in dirt and burying them in the ground, but the best way to keep them is to put them in boxes and put some leaves among them. leaves will preserve them all winter if you keep them moist enough, wet them a little once in ten days just to keep them damp. leaves are a more natural protection than anything else. don't you think so, mr. brackett? mr. brackett: yes, sir. mr. crosby: what kind of a graft do you usually make? mr. philips: i have put in some few whip-grafts but use the cleft-graft with the larger limbs. mr. wallace: is the patten greening a good tree to graft onto? mr. philips: it is better for that than most anything else where i live. it is hardy and makes a good growth. if i had patten greenings, many of them, i would top-work them. the apple is not a good seller where i live. mr. kellogg: what was the condition of that tree where dartt put in four scions? mr. philips: they grew eight inches each in two years, then died. those scions were too weak to take possession of the big limb. it is like putting an ox yoke onto a calf. they can't adapt themselves. they hadn't strength to take hold of that limb and grow. that was a good illustration. put a graft on a small limb, and it will assimilate and grow better than if you take a large one. mr. brackett: where you put in more than one scion in a limb, is it feasible to leave more than one to grow? mr. philips: no, not if they grow crotchy. i let them grow one year to get firmly established and then i take off the lower one. i have trees in my garden i have done that with, and you couldn't see the crotch. it grows right over. mr. brackett: i have seen a great many of them where both of them were growing. mr. philips: it makes a bad tree, as bad as a crotchy tree. mr. kellogg: isn't it better to dehorn it and get some new shoots to graft? mr. philips: yes, sir, and if they are _very old_ the best way is to set out new trees. mr. crosby: in getting scions are there any distinguishing marks between a vigorous scion and one not vigorous? mr. philips: nothing, only the general appearance. if i see a scion that looks deficient i pass it by. mr. erkel: would it be practical to use water shoots for scions? mr. philips: i should rather not. i have always had scions enough to avoid using water shoots. they are an unnatural growth; i wouldn't use them. take a good healthy scion. mr. kellogg: would scions from bearing trees with the blossom buds on do you any good? mr. philips: well, not with a blossom bud on; i wouldn't use such a scion. some people say if you cut your scions from a bearing tree they will bear quicker, but i never saw any difference. inasmuch as this question has been asked a great many times by people, what age to plant a tree, whether it is best to plant young trees or trees four or five years old, i will say i am in favor of young trees, and i am in favor of grafting a tree when it is young. mr. brackett: isn't that a general opinion in the west where they make a business of planting large orchards? mr. philips: i think so. i think that is the case. mrs. cadoo: can you graft onto a martha crab and have success with that? mr. philips: i never had very good success with the martha crab; it isn't vigorous enough. mrs. cadoo: we had a tree twelve years and got seven apples. mr. philips: well, i think i got eight. (laughter.) i believe with the martha crab if you will plant it where there are other crab trees around it you get a pretty good crop, but not if you isolate it. i have an idea it is not self-fertilizing. i think that is the trouble with the martha. it is a nice crab. mr. brackett: you showed the difference in size there, those top-worked and those not--don't you think that is because of cutting the top back? you throw a heavy growth in there, which makes the fruit that much larger? mr. philips: well, it might be. mr. street: have you had any experience in budding in august or first of september on those trees? mr. philips: yes, sir, i do a little budding every year. budding is a hard thing to do, that is, it is a particular thing to get the bud matured enough and still have sufficient sap to slip. mr. street: would you put it on the top or bottom side of the limb? mr. philips: i would put it on the upper side of the limb every time, but i would put it a little further from the trunk of the tree than i would to graft for the reason, if the bud fails you have two chances, and you have that same limb to cut off and graft next year. [illustration: winesap apples top-worked on peerless, grown at northfield, minn.] mr. johnson: i want to ask if it has a tendency to make the apple any earlier? virginia crab is an early bloomer, and would grafting it with wealthy make it bloom earlier? mr. philips: i hardly think so. i think it is a great deal as it was with the man that had the boots. some told him his boots would wear longer if he greased them, and some one else told him they would wear longer if he did not. so he greased one and not the other, and the one that he greased wore fifteen minutes longer than the other. (laughter.) i don't think it makes much difference. i tell you what it does do. you graft a mcmahon onto a virginia and instead of having the mcmahon its usual color, you will get a very nice blush on it. mr. erkel: is the duchess a good stock to graft onto? mr. philips: i haven't found it very good. it is hardly vigorous enough for a stock. mr. erkel: you mentioned patten's greening a few minutes ago. isn't that considered a rather short-lived tree? mr. philips: not with me it hasn't been. i set some thirty years ago. i never had a patten's greening injured with the cold. it is very hardy. mr. street: how about the brier's sweet crab? i grafted some last year and had a larger percentage of the scions live on those than on the hibernal. mr. philips: you wouldn't get as good a growth afterwards. the scions on the virginia would grow better and have a better top. i don't think the brier's sweet is as vigorous as virginia. mr. m'clelland: i grafted on hibernals this spring and got hardly one failure. mr. philips: you did good work. mr. m'clelland: made a growth of three to four feet, some of them. mr. philips: that is good. mr. m'clelland: have you anything as good? mr. philips: if i had hibernals i would graft them, but if i had to set something on purpose for grafting i would set virginias. i have had better success with that variety for stocks. mr. kellogg: too big a growth on the graft is liable to be injured in the winter, is it not? mr. philips: too vigorous a growth on the tree is liable to get injured in the winter anyway. i like to see a good growth. i like to see it grow and then pinch it back in the fall. you can pinch it back a good deal easier when it has made a good growth than to make it grow big enough. mr. street: i would like to know whether we should force all of the growth into the scion the first year where we graft on trees that have been set two years. mr. philips: one of the pleasures of doing top-working is to watch the growth of the grafts. i did a good deal of that on sunday. you might do worse than communing with nature. you watch them same as you watch the growth of anything else, and if you think the graft is growing too fast let some of the shoots on the stock grow to take part of the sap, but if you think it is growing too slow and these shoots are robbing it, cut them off. i like a good growth on grafts; it looks more like doing business. mr. street: but the second year would you keep all of the growth in the graft? mr. philips: yes, sir, the second year i would, and if it makes too large a growth pinch off the end. i put in some for a neighbor this season, and i go down and see to them every two weeks. if i thought they made too much growth in august i pinched them back so as to make them ripen up quicker. i don't like to have them grow too late; as mr. kellogg said, frost will get them. (applause.) spraying the orchard. hon. h. m. dunlap, savoy, ills. (continued from march no.) then just as soon as your bloom falls, just as soon as the blossom petals fall, then you want to spray again. you should use arsenate of lead along with your lime-sulphur in both sprayings, because your arsenate of lead will take care of a great many insects that injure the fruit. the first spraying, immediately before the bloom, with arsenate of lead is for the curculio, what is called the palmer worm, for canker worm--if you have any of them--the tent caterpillar, the leaf roller and various other insects that injure the fruit and the foliage. the spray just immediately after the bloom in addition to fungous is a codling moth spray. to get rid of the codling moth worm you use the arsenate of lead. the codling moth egg hatches shortly after the bloom falls, and the little worm instinctively goes into the blossom end of the apple, because that is the only place it can enter the apple at that particular time. just why it does not enter on the side of the apple i can not say, but there is a little fuzz on the outer side of the apple at that stage of growth that perhaps prevents their getting in, and that fuzz as the apple grows larger disappears, so a little later they can enter on the side or at any other part of the apple that they choose. [illustration: hon. h. m. dunlap, savoy, ills.] when the blossoms fall the apples stand upright on the tree, and the little pointed leaves that are on the blossom end of the apples, that we call the calyx, are all open, and at that time you can spray so as to get the arsenate of lead on the inside. within a week or ten days after the bloom falls these sepals, or little leaf points, gradually close together until they are all closed up tight, and after that you can't get your spray in there. after the worm hatches he gets between the little leaves of the calyx and goes on the inside of the apple and into its center. you want to have your poison ready for mr. worm when he enters the blossom end of the apple, and the more thoroughly and more effectively you spray the better are the results. it has been said that if you spray thoroughly at that time, that that is the only spray you really need for the codling moth worm. i don't agree with that, as there is always a second brood of worms. i use the arsenate of lead along with the lime-sulphur for all these sprays, before the bloom and after the bloom, and if you don't spray more than three times you will be doing yourself a good service, and it will well pay you. in some parts of the country they spray as high as seven or eight times in the commercial orchards, but i would say in a farmer's orchard three times would be enough, once before the bloom and twice later, and you will notice the good results. there are other sprays besides these, but none perhaps of any importance to you up here except the winter spray for the san jose scale, if you have that, and i noticed one or two specimens out there that seemed to have the scale upon them. that spray should be done either in the fall or early winter or late winter while the trees are dormant. that has to be put on of winter spray strength, using lime-sulphur or some of the other san jose scale sprays without the arsenate of lead, as you don't need to use the lead with this spray. now, as i stated to start with, these remarks ought to be appropriate to your needs and to make them so it would be a good deal better for me to give you the opportunity of asking questions or of discussing this question of spraying yourselves rather than for me to go into this subject any further and not know just exactly what you would like to listen to. if you have any questions to ask i would be glad to answer them if i can. mr. horton: what proportion of the lime-sulphur and arsenate of lead do you use? mr. dunlap: if we get the commercial brand of lime-sulphur we use it in the proportion of three gallons of that commercial mixture to gallons of water and for the arsenate of lead in the same spray tank at same time we use four pounds of arsenate of lead to the gallons. mr. horton: have you ever carried over lime-sulphur from one year to another? mr. dunlap: yes, sir, we often do that, carry it over until the next year. it wants to be kept where it will not freeze. mr. horton: is there much danger of evaporation so it would be too strong to use next year? mr. dunlap: your barrel should be kept bunged tight. mr. richardson: mr. dunlap fails to say anything about dormant sprays. don't you use dormant sprays? mr. dunlap: i was just speaking about the dormant or winter spray. when you spray in the winter time use lime-sulphur or scalicide. mr. richardson: another thing: i take a little exception to what mr. dunlap says in advocating buying a spraying machine collectively in the neighborhood, for the simple reason that it is necessary to spray at one particular time, at the vital time just before the blossoms fall and at the time they have fallen. we have found it almost impossible to do any spraying for anybody except ourselves at that time. we talked that matter over before we bought spraying machines. you said you wondered whether there were any apples grown here commercially. out of our town we shipped this year eight car-loads of apples. we have three power sprays in our orchard, and we talked that matter over before we bought them, about buying collectively, and we decided it was absolutely impossible to do it. i don't think it is feasible for a small grower to depend on that kind of thing because he may be disappointed. my theory is for each one to have his own sprayer, large or small. another thing, we find a pressure of pounds is better than spraying without that pressure; we get better results. mr. dunlap: the gentleman misunderstood me. i said where you have just small orchards you could do it collectively. of course, i do not advocate where a man has enough to have use for a spray machine for his own orchard that he get one collectively. that would be a great mistake, but where a man has only fifty trees in a neighborhood where there are no big orchards, it would be better for a dozen or more to combine. if you can get around with it in a week you will be all right but not longer than that. mr. richardson: i beg to differ with you just the same. i think if you want to spray you must spray at the time; it might rain the next day, and you might miss the whole season. mr. dunlap: there are a good many people who don't like to go to the expense of a spray machine just for fifty trees or trees. if they would combine with a few neighbors they would do some spraying work, otherwise they wouldn't do any at all. if a man will buy a machine and do his own spraying, why, that is certainly the best thing to do, but if he won't do that it is better to combine with his neighbors and do it than for none of them to do it. community spraying is the best thing to do if you have only small orchards. mr. dyer: what pressure would you recommend in spraying for codling moth where arsenate of lead is used? mr. dunlap: you can do effective spraying all the way from sixty pounds to pressure. my preference is about pounds. i have known instances where considerable injury was done by using too high pressure. we have sprayed at pounds, but we have given that up. it is not as good as from to pounds. mr. dyer: i would like to know about what quantity of arsenate of lead and lime-sulphur combined would you recommend? how much of each? mr. dunlap: in gallons of water we put three gallons of the concentrated solution of lime-sulphur, as we buy it commercially, three gallons to gallons of water, that is, for the summer spray, and for the arsenate of lead we use four pounds of arsenate of lead to the gallons. mr. dyer: in connection with that i would like to ask if you have used or would recommend pulverized lime-sulphur? mr. dunlap: i haven't used any. mr. dyer: do you know anything about it? mr. dunlap: i think it is a more expensive proposition. mr. dyer: i never used any myself. i thought perhaps that might work better in connection with the arsenate of lead than the liquid. mr. dunlap: i couldn't say, i have always followed the policy of never departing from well-established lines of work until i am satisfied that the new one is absolutely all right. i have seen in our state men destroy the fruit from a forty or eighty acre orchard by taking up some new thing that was highly advertised and looked very attractive. it is not the same proposition, of course, but they tell us the devil comes in very attractive form. he comes with a swallow-tail coat and a red necktie and a buttonhole bouquet, and he looks very attractive. so it is with a lot of these things advertised; they look attractive but for our own good we ought to stick to the things we know and let the state experiment station try them and report upon them. mr. huestis: does mr. dunlap attribute the general dropping of apples to the scab fungus? mr. dunlap: not entirely. mr. huestis: do you think that it weakens the stem of the apples? mr. dunlap: yes, sir, the droppings of the apple is largely due to the scab fungus. of course, some of the dropping occurs as the result of too much rain or too much dry weather, something of that kind, that is not attributable to scab fungus. mr. kellogg: does spraying injure the bees? mr. dunlap: i have never had anybody prove to me that the bees were especially injured by spraying in the bloom. we do not practise spraying in the bloom, that is, we spray when we have about one-third of the bloom left on the trees. i have never had any injury, and we have orchardists who have bees in their orchards, and they go on spraying the same way. i do not believe bees are poisoned by the spray. maybe i am mistaken about it, but i have never seen any conclusive proof of the bees being poisoned by the spray. it is possible they might collect it and carry it into the hives and might poison the brood in the hive. i don't know. i thank you. (applause.) the value of horticulture to the farm. mrs. clarence wedge, albert lea. it is pleasant to have a good roomy subject. e. s. martin said in harper's weekly as christmas time approached, "there are just two places in the world, and one of these is home." i will paraphrase it by saying, "there are only two places in the world, and one of these is the farm." so the value of horticulture to the farm is a large subject. i passed a farm last summer that i shall never forget. it was quite unattractive, i believe, so far as variety of contour was concerned--quite level and commonplace. right across the road from the house was a half-grown windbreak of golden willow. against that as a background blazed out row upon row of the most brilliant flowers, graduated down to the edge of the road, and extending as far as half a city block or more. think what a beautiful surprise for every one that turned that corner. i think the occupants of the house must have enjoyed sitting on their porch watching the people in the cars start with pleasure and turn to look as they flew past. that farmer (or his wife) knew something of the value of horticulture to the farm. perhaps it was a device of the farmer's wife to divert the gaze of the passer-by from the porch, for you know we do stare shamelessly when we are on a joy ride. at any rate, that farm would not be forgotten by any one that passed it. the advertising that beauty spot gave his place would exceed in value a column a week in the county paper, and not cost a tenth as much. lowell remarks, "nature with cheap means still works her wonders rare." and there she stands with arms extended, offering the farmer all the wealth and beauty he will put forth his hand to take. last fall i passed another farm down in iowa, whose owner had tried to make his place conspicuous by putting a concrete wall and gateway in front of his house, and making lavish use of white paint in decorating his buildings and grounds. he succeeded, but i cannot help thinking that if he had put the money that useless concrete work cost into shrubbery and vines, it would have made his place twice as attractive. i dislike pretentious adornments to the farm, especially where the rest of the place doesn't measure up to them. like senator blaine, who, at the time the queen anne style of architecture became popular, on being asked why he did not have his old fashioned house queen anned, replied that he did not like to see a queen anne front and a mary anne back. a farm home can be something better than a city park. one of the beautiful things that i shall always remember about berlin was a way they had of bordering their parks and the enclosures of public buildings. they take tree-roses trimmed up to the height of a fence with a hemispherical head. then they plant them around the edge of their grounds a rod or two apart, festoon chains from the top of one rose stalk to the top of the next, and where the chain touches the ground midway between them, they plant a little ivy which climbs up and conceals the chain and gives the appearance of festoons of vines between the rose trees. i thought them so lovely that when i married a nurseryman i thought i would persuade him to do something of that kind on our grounds, but he has convinced me that while that is all right for a city park, it would not be in good taste in a country place. it would look too artificial. the charm of a country place is its natural beauty. for the same reason we do not have any trimmed evergreens or hedges on our place. moreover, the man who makes his living from the soil finds the upkeep of those decorations too pottering, and if he had money to hire it done he would rather put it into his automobile or into other improvements. the natural beauty that can be set about the farm home will become it better. wild grape vines or woodbine draping the wire fences tempt the eye of the passer-by to linger, and they cost nothing. once planted, they are there for a life-time. a walnut tree in a fence corner will grow to a fair size in ten years, in twenty it becomes a land-mark. a catalpa of a hardy strain will do the same thing in about half the time in our part of the state. take an elder from your woods and plant it in an angle of your house, and it makes a luxurious growth that rivals the castor bean of the city park and does not need to be replaced the next spring. it certainly pays to go in for some kind of horticultural adornments for the farm. they are so easy and inexpensive to obtain and make such a happy difference to the farmer's family and to all who pass his way. when you have a specially prosperous year on the farm, save a little of the surplus for new trees or shrubs. but i remember passing another farm, all of twenty-five years ago, where horticulture may once have been of value to the farmer but had become a burden to him. there was a dense grove of willow down at one side, through which the drive leading to the barn was kept wet and muddy by the shade. on the other side rose a high grove of trees casting a gloomy shade on the house and poultry buildings, and a few odd shrubs straggled along the roadside and gave the place an unkempt look. of all things, have sunshine! city people often have to sacrifice it, but no farmer is too poor to have it in plenty. don't let your trees tyrannize over you. it is, perhaps, unnecessary to mention the value of a windbreak to a farm. if it has not been provided by nature it is an absolute necessity to plant one as a matter of economy. it saves fuel inside and gives comfort outside. the cows give more milk, and all the animals put on more fat, if they have a sheltered place to take their airing. it is also a good thing to set some bushes or small spruces along the foundation wall of the house on the windy side. they are ornamental in summer, and in winter they catch the snow and tuck the house in against the wind. when it comes to the garden, the "value of horticulture to the farm" depends largely upon the farmer's wife, for a garden needs mothering as well as fathering. few farmers have time to do more for a garden than the actual labor of plowing, planting, and cultivating, and digging the root vegetables in the fall. somebody must watch the garden, go through it nearly every day, poison the cabbage worms and potato bugs, keep the asparagus and cucumbers picked, watch for the maturing of peas and beans, and dispose of any surplus either by canning or sending to market. to visit the garden only when you wish to gather some particular vegetable is like milking the cow only when you happen to want some milk. a garden well tended puts the farm far ahead of the city home for luxuries of the table and cuts the cost of living in two. fresh vegetables and cream are expensive articles in the city, inaccessible to any but the well-to-do, but it does not take a very thrifty farmer to have them, providing he has a thrifty wife. but to be a real helpmeet she must have an overall skirt and a pair of rubber boots. then the dewy mornings will be as much of a pleasure to her as to her husband, and she can do her garden work in the cool of the day. a garden is especially valuable to a farm, because the farm is usually somewhat isolated and must depend more or less upon its own resources for freshness and variety of food. a good garden on the farm will almost abolish the tin can, and strike off a large part of the grocer's bill, to say nothing of making the farmer live like a king. the strawberry weevil. as strawberries are about to blossom, it would be well to keep a look-out for a shortage in the number of blossoms, for this is the first indication of the work of the strawberry weevil. because of the diminutive size of the insect, few are acquainted with it, so that the shortage of blossoms or failure of the crop is often attributed to frost, hail, climatic conditions or some other agency. upon close examination, the buds will be found to be severed from the stem, some lying beneath on the ground, others being still attached by a few shreds in a drooping manner. further examination around the buds may reveal a small snout beetle, which is the cause of the injury, it being about one-tenth inch long and marked with two dark spots on each wing cover. the females oviposit in the buds, and then cut them off when oviposition is completed, in order to protect the larva within, which later develops to the adult beetle. [illustration: showing beetle of strawberry weevil and the damage it inflicts.] the strawberry weevil has been especially injurious around the vicinity of hopkins the past summer. it was not uncommon to find fields with from forty to ninety per cent. of the buds cut, and as the earliest and most mature buds, which would be the first to ripen, are among those cut, the losses inflicted may be quite serious. the weevil not only injures the cultivated strawberry, but is found to attack the buds of the red raspberry, dewberry and wild strawberry. it is a singular fact that only the staminate varieties are injured, especially those which furnish considerable pollen, since this constitutes the chief food supply of both larvae and adults. _life history._--the weevil appears as soon as the buds begin to form and soon after deposits an egg within the bud. she then immediately crawls down the stem and proceeds to sever the bud. the eggs hatch within five or six days, and in about three or four weeks the footless grubs become full-grown, coming out as adults about five days later. this new brood, upon emerging, will attack the leaves, making numerous small holes on the under surface, soon after picking time. as early as august the beetles were found to go into hibernation last summer, within the strawberry fields, being found especially among the dead leaves. the older beds were found to be more seriously infested because of the fact that they wintered over in the small fields. _control._--since the weevils do not disperse readily, and since they hibernate within the fields, the one crop system and the plowing up of the beds immediately after picking would probably do away with the injury entirely. this one crop system could be followed for about two years, when it might be advisable to return to the two crop system if the weevils have disappeared. on april , , the weevils were located by the writer underneath the straw, and beginning to move about. from observations last year, it would be advisable to remove the straw from one or two rows in order to hasten the maturity of the buds, and keep the straw on the remainder of the patch in order to force the weevils to the uncovered row. they could then be destroyed either by plowing under or burning. some recent experiments by prof. headlee, state entomologist of new jersey, appear to have been successful against the strawberry weevil. a dust spray of a mixture of arsenate of lead one pound, and sulphur one pound, was used as a repellent, giving almost perfect protection. the material was applied twice, april th and may th. the writer will be glad to co-operate with the growers, if they find the presence of the weevil in their strawberry beds.--s. marcovitch, section of economic entomology, division of economic zoology, university farm. secretary's annual report, . a. w. latham, secretary. twenty-five years is a long time to look forward to, but it does not seem so long when you look back, and yet when i review the changes that have taken place in the horticultural society since i assumed the position of secretary twenty-five years ago the way seems long indeed. in the year very nearly all of the old members of the society, those who had contributed their time and money to bring it into existence and keep it alive for its first twenty-four years were still on the membership roll and doing loyal work for the association. as year by year passed these veterans of the association one by one dropped away until at the present time the number of those in that class who are still with us here are so few in number that it becomes almost a vanishing point. in the year a photograph was taken of "ten veterans of horticulture," a copy of which is hanging in the secretary's office, and of these ten the only one now with us is that loyal friend and supporter of the society, seth h. kenney, of waterville, now eighty years of age and too feeble to attend this meeting. going back to a date still earlier, covering the first few years of the association, the only working members of the society as far as the secretary recalls are j. m. underwood, c. m. loring and himself. this is the order of nature, and we should remember only with gratitude and affection those who have served before us and with us and passed on. at the close of this, the forty-ninth year of the society, we find the membership roll somewhat larger in number than at any previous period in its history, there being on the annual roll , members, and on the life roll members, of whom are honorary. there have been added to this roll the past year one honorary life member, mr. lycurgus r. moyer, of montevideo, and paid life members. the number of deaths appearing on this life roll during the past year is fortunately only two, mr. e. a. webb, editor and manager of "the farmer," who had been a member since , and v. a. neil, of minneapolis, whose death occurred prior to the annual meeting but had not been spoken of heretofore. as usual a considerable number of sources have contributed towards this large membership roll. the auxiliary societies, of which there are have brought upon this roll in all members. one new auxiliary society has been added to the number this year, organized in st. paul under the name of "horticultural, poultry and improvement association of west st. paul." an auxiliary society maintained at crookston for a number of years seems to be no longer in existence and should probably be taken from the list of auxiliaries. the farmers' institutes have not contributed as largely to the membership roll as some previous years, on account in part of the fact that the work heretofore done by farmers' institutes is being done in farmers' clubs and schoolhouse meetings of farmers, which does not offer as good an opportunity for securing memberships, though the service to the cause of horticulture is probably even better. through this source the society has received this year memberships. many of the nurserymen have contributed liberally to the membership this year, memberships that were given by them to their customers in accordance with an arrangement made with this office. in all from this source have come upon our roll memberships. the state fruit-breeding farm continues to be the object of permanent central interest in our association. unfortunately the frosts of last spring interfered with the fruiting of the thousands of trees which under other circumstances would have borne fruit, many of them for the first time, so that practically few advances have been made the past year in breeding new tree fruits except in preparation for the future. in small fruits it was different, and the list of these worthy of trial which are standing the climate well is a growing one. our membership are exceedingly interested in these new fruits as manifested by the large number called for through the distribution of plant premiums. in all there were sent out this year , lots of these plant premiums. there is a growing interest in top-grafting late-keeping varieties of apples as indicated by the large number of calls made on this office for scions for this purpose the past season. the seedling contests continue and the interest in growing seedlings continues as well, there having been a call during the past year from this office for a considerable number of packages of apple seeds by our membership. so far no apple seedling has appeared to which we could award the $ , prize offered by the society for a winter apple. referring to the seedling contest inaugurated some years ago, the first $ premium in connection with which should have been awarded three years ago, it appears that the time limit for the fruitage of these seedlings was made too short. the fourth premium comes due at this meeting, but no claimants have as yet come forward for any of these premiums. probably it will be thought a wise thing to do to continue these awards during later years when these seedling trees will come into bearing. the "acre orchard" contest entered into a year ago last spring in which there entries finally materialized into a smaller number than anticipated, reports having come into the office last year from contestants. the reports for the current year are now being received but not all at hand. the executive board provided conditions under which these orchards should be conducted and the prizes awarded, which conditions will be found published in the report of the society on page . trial stations are continuing their work and are being used principally now as far as new material is concerned in testing of fruits from the state fruit-breeding farm. to this list has been added the government station at mandan under the management of a. w. peterson, reports from which point will also be made to our association from time to time, as well as from the trial stations connected with university farm, all of which stations have been added also to our society list. arrangements are being perfected for the purpose of extending to our membership opportunity to use the books from the society library, which is now increased to about , volumes. this list has been published in the report of the society, and we shall be prepared early in the year to send out books to all who desire them according to the regulations, which will be published in an early number of our monthly. the society is maintaining its card indexes and adding year by year to the amount of material which they represent. one of these cards indexes contains the names and titles of all the articles published in the society's annual reports and is indexed also with the names of the writers, the index being prepared in this double manner. another card index contains the list of books in our library, and the third one, indexed by subjects, the bulletins on horticulture coming from the various state experiment stations and the u.s. department of agriculture. these indexes are invaluable for their various purposes and may be used by the membership at their volition. the society maintained an office at the late state fair, at which a considerable number of memberships were received and a large number of members met by the secretary and other officers of the society. we believe this was an excellent move and should be continued in the future. as to the horticultural exhibit at the state fair, while the secretary has no official connection with it, it should be spoken of as a very satisfactory exhibition indeed and well handled. the building as a whole, covering all branches of horticultural work, was a real credit to the various interests represented and well deserves all the time and expense lavished upon it. probably the most important event of the year with which the secretary was officially connected was the effort made to secure an appropriation from the state legislature in session last winter for the construction of a building for the uses of the horticultural society. the building committee, with which the secretary served, held a number of meetings with members of the board of regents and various committees at the state legislature, at which a considerable number of our membership besides those regularly on the committee were in attendance and took part in appeals in the interest of the building. the secretary's service in this connection was largely the effort made to enlist the co-operation of the membership in the way of getting them to write letters or talk personally with the members of the legislature upon the subject, and an appeal was sent out through the mails to all of our membership with this object in view. the response was a most liberal one, far beyond our expectations. some of the members of the legislature received over thirty letters from their constituents asking their support to this measure. there was not a single member of the legislature who did not receive some communications about this matter. in all there were sent in this manner to members of the legislature , letters. while our efforts to secure this building failed, it was, as we believe, largely on account of the prevailing and unusual sentiment for economy which permeated the legislature to an extraordinary degree, and we have reasonable assurance that a similar effort with the next legislature will bring us success. in regard to this matter the chairman of the building committee speaks more fully. the financial report follows and to this your attention is respectfully requested. secretary's financial report, . a. w. latham, secretary. receipts. balance $ . g. w. strand, treasurer . life membership fees . books sold . cuts sold . banquet tickets sold at c each . garden flower society, account premiums . annual fees, . annual fees, , . annual fees, . --------- $ , . disbursements. postage $ . office rent . telephone . premium books . office supplies . plant premiums . assistance in office . printing . expenses annual meeting, . expenses annual meeting, . expenses summer meeting, . banquet . reporting annual meeting . expenses vice-presidents . expenses superintendents, trial stations . assistance annual meeting . expenses delegates, etc., meeting, . expenses delegates to other societies . discounts, membership fees, auxiliary societies, etc. . examining officers' books . treasurers salary, . collecting checks . plans of horticultural building . officers' bonds, . forestry association . insurance on library sundries . sundries . balance . --------- $ , . general statement, december , . balance in hennepin county bank december , $ . interest in $ . --------- total $ . loring fund, including interest . balance with secretary . balance with treasurer , . --------- total $ , . summer meeting, . premium list, summer meeting, . no duplicating of varieties permitted. out-door roses. st d d th prem. prem. prem. prem. collection--three blooms of each named variety, to be shown in separate vases $ . $ . $ . $ . collection of named varieties--three blooms of each, in separate vases, amateurs only . . . . three named varieties, white--each variety in a separate vase, three blooms of each, each bloom on a separate stem . . . three named varieties, pink--each variety in a separate vase, three blooms of each, each bloom on a separate stem . . . three named varieties, red--each variety in a separate vase, three blooms of each, each bloom on a separate stem . . . collection of rugosa and rugosa hybrids--each variety (consisting of one cluster of blooms on a single stem) in a separate vase . . . most beautiful rose in vase . largest rose in vase . seedling rose to be shown by the originator. (not previously exhibited in competition.) bronze medal donated by the american rose society. basket of out-door roses and foliage, arranged for effect without ribbon, not to exceed twelve inches in diameter . . . the following named varieties of roses to be entered separately and shown in separate vases, three to five blooms in each vase. prince camile derohan, general jacqueminot, margaret dickson, m. p. wilder, jules margottin, magna charta, paul neyron, madam gabriel luizet, baroness rothschild, anna de diesbach, ulrich brunner, john hopper, rosa rugosa (pink and white), baron debonstetten, karl druski, madam plantier, grus an teplitz. each, st prem., cents; nd prem., cents; rd prem., cents. peonies. st d d th prem. prem. prem. prem. vase of festiva maxima, blooms $ . $ . $ . " " flesh or light pink " " " " " " " medium or dark pink " " " " " " " white " " " " " " " red " " " " " collection--three blooms of each named variety in separate vases $ . $ . $ . $ . collection--three blooms of each named variety in separate vases, amateurs only . . . . seedling peony, three blooms . . . . collection--one bloom of each variety, shown each in a separate vase; for amateurs owning no more than ten varieties . . . annuals and perennials. st prem. d prem. d prem. th prem. vase of arabis $ . $ . $ . " " canterbury bells " " " " " dielytra " " " " " delphinium " " " " " evening primrose (oenothera) " " " " " forget-me-not " " " " " foxglove " " " " " gailardias " " " " " grass pinks " " " " " iceland poppies " " " " " iris " " " " " lilies " " " " " lupine " " " " " nasturtiums " " " " " oriental poppies " " " " " pansies " " " " " perennial coreopsis " " " " " pyrethrum " " " " " shasta daisies " " " " " sweet peas " " " " " sweet william " " " collection--named perennials, in separate vases $ . $ . $ . $ . collection of annuals and perennials in separate vases (not to exceed ) by amateurs who have never taken premiums on flowers . . . . vase of flowers grown and exhibited by child . . . vase of any kind of flowers not named in this list. (an exhibitor may make any number of entries desired under this head) . . . vase of flowers arranged for artistic effect . . . basket of outdoor-grown flowers, arranged by exhibitor . . . strawberries. one quart of each variety, to be shown on plate, not in box. st prem. d prem. d prem. th prem. collection (not less than six varieties) $ . $ . $ . $ . collection of three named varieties . . . . the following varieties of strawberries to be entered separately: st prem. d prem. d prem. th prem. bederwood, dunlap, crescent, splendid, clyde, warfield, lovett, enhance, glen mary, haverland, progressive, superb, americus, each $ . $ . $ . $ . best named variety not included in the above list . . . seedling, originated by exhibitor . . . garden helps conducted by minnesota garden flower society edited by mrs. e. w. gould, humboldt avenue so. minneapolis. *notices of our may, june, july and august meetings will be mailed to members. being exhibition meetings, the dates will depend upon weather conditions. it is suggested that in cases where plants have not already been exchanged, the informal exhibition of spring flowers, our may meeting, be also "exchange day," and that plants for exchange be brought to that meeting. a shakespeare garden. so wide an interest in the commemoration of the tercentennial celebration of shakespeare's death has been awakened by the "drama league of america" that there will be many old english gardens planted in ,--gardens containing as many as possible of those flowers mentioned in his plays. not all of these many flowers and shrubs could be grown in our climate, some mentioned, such as nettles, burdocks, plantains and other weeds, would be entirely out of place in a garden, soon overrunning it. it must be remembered, too, that in shakespeare's time herbs and wild flowers were cultivated in most gardens, that many considered beautiful then are now almost forgotten, and that some have been so far surpassed by their improved hybrids, the originals would not now be cultivated. we have not attempted, therefore, to include all of the flowers so lovingly mentioned by the poet, but have used only those that will prove beautiful and hardy in minnesota, making a planting that will prove, with proper care, permanent. were each plant labeled with its proper quotation the garden would prove much more interesting, e.g., "there's rosemary, that's for remembrance--" hamlet, marking the plant of that name. _annuals._--gillyflowers (ten weeks' stocks); love in idleness (pansy, viola tricolor); mallow (lavatera splendens); marigold (calendula officinalis); poppy (somniferum, opium poppy). _trees._--hemlock, hawthorne. _vines._--honeysuckle, scarlet trumpet. _bulbs._--scilla nutans (hyacinthus nonscriptus); daffodils; saffron (crocus santious); crown imperial (frittilaria imperialis); lily, candidum, turk's cap (scarlet martagon), orange lily (croseum), spectabile, tigrinum. _herbs._--balm (lemon balm); camomile (anthemis); caraway; dian's bud (wormwood, artemisia absinthium); fennel (foeniculum officinalis); hyssop (hyssopus officinalis); lavender (lavendula vera); marjoram (origanum vulgare); mint; milfoil (yarrow); parsley; rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis); rue (ruta graveoleons); savory; thyme ( , thymus vulgaris, , thymus serpyllum). _perennials._--aconite (napellus); balm (bee-balm); brake; carnation (bizarre dianthus caryophyllus); clover (crimson trifolium incarnatus); columbine (aquilegia vulgaris); cowslip (primula veris); crowflower (ragged robin, lychnis floscuculi); cuckoo buds (butter cups, ranunculus acris); daisies (bellis perennis); eryngium m. (sea holly); flax; flower de luce (iris germanica, blue); fumitory (dicentra spectabilis; bleeding heart); harebell (campanula rotundifolia); larksheel (delphinium elatum, bee larkspur); peony; pinks (dianthus plumarius); violet (viola odorata). _roses._--brier (eglantine rose), provencal (cabbage rose), musk, damask, white provence, york and lancaster. for appropriate quotations to mark each flower the little book, "shakespeare's garden," by j.h. bloom, will be found very helpful. our other authorities have been biesley and l. grindon, all of which are in the public library. mrs. n. s. sawyer. mrs. e. w. gould. entomological notes by f. l. washburn, professor of entomology, university of minnesota. suggestions to parties planning to purchase nursery stock. it may be quite out of place to offer any suggestions along this line to readers of this magazine, and yet some buyers may find help in the following: for evident reasons it pays to buy minnesota stock where possible, stock which has been tried out and found to be hardy, rather than purchase new varieties, glowingly described in catalogues. always buy from an inspected nursery. for evident reasons it pays to buy from nurseries near at hand, so that the time elapsing from the shipping of the trees or shrubs and the planting is small. further, it is always desirable, if possible, to buy from the nurseryman himself, a responsible party, rather than from an agent. it is further very desirable to personally pick out your own stock in a visit to the nursery. when the goods are received, see that they bear an inspection certificate for the current year. the plants should be in good condition and show that the roots are protected from air and wrapped in moist packing material. the condition of the received goods indicates the carefulness of the nurseryman or the contrary. do not allow trees or shrubs to lie neglected after being received, where the roots will dry out. if you are not ready to plant they should be at once heeled in, first divesting them of their wrappings. if any injurious insects, like scales or fungus-looking growths, are found on the trees, the same should be reported to the experiment station. after planting the trees and shrubs, they should receive the best of care in regard to cultivation. finally, refuse to accept any raspberry or blackberry plants showing crown gall on roots or crowns. * * * * * crown gall on raspberries blackberries. all the nurserymen are able to recognize crown gall, and whatever we may think regarding its effect or lack of effect upon apple, we know by personal observation that it may and does cause the death of raspberries. this disease of course is, unfortunately, very common--almost universally present in our nurseries. the public, generally, are so well aware of its injurious effect upon canes that they are indignant when any such stock is received from nurseries. it behooves all nurserymen, therefore, for the sake of their own business interests if nothing else, to be extremely careful that no diseased stock of any kind is sent to patrons. * * * * * the destruction of a carload of diseased potatoes. the state entomologist, by virtue of being a collaborator with and agent for the united states horticultural board, supervised the destruction by burning of sacks of potatoes, seven per cent. of which, according to the testimony of our plant pathology division, were infested with powdery scab. the great northern railroad, which had brought the potatoes from canada, were given the choice by federal authorities, either to return the potatoes to canada or destroy them by burning, under our supervision. they chose the latter procedure and the use of the minneapolis crematory was secured for this purpose. ninety sacks of this same shipment which were illegally unloaded at casselton, n. dak., were buried by north dakota authorities. it is to be hoped that this disease does not find its way into the potato belt in the red river valley. notes on plant pests. prepared by section of insect pests, a. g. ruggles, and by section of plant diseases, e. c. stakman, university farm. the first real spraying of the apple orchard should be given just as the center bud of the flower cluster begins to show pink. the material to use in the spraying compound is lime-sulphur ( to ) plus arsenate of lead, - / pounds of the powder, or three pounds of the arsenate of paste to fifty gallons of the made-up lime-sulphur. if done properly this will get the scab of the apple, blossom blight or the brown rot in the plum, and is the most important spray for plum pocket. the arsenate of lead in the mixture will control the young of leaf eating insects and precocious plum curculios. the second most important spraying of the year is given within a week after the blossoms fall, the same spraying compound being used. this spraying kills many of the germinating spores of such things as apple scab and also is the important spray for codling worm as well as for the plum curculio and for leaf eating insects. watch carefully for the hatching of plant lice eggs. the ideal time to spray for these is just after hatching, and before the young lice become hidden in the bud scales or in the curl of the leaves. the spraying material to use at this time is a sulphate of nicotine. plow the plum orchard as soon as possible in order to turn under mummied plums, which are responsible for much of the primary infection of brown rot. plowing the apple orchard early to turn under the old leaves is also essential in preventing scab spreading to the flower stalks. cultivate the vineyard in order to turn under the mummies. practice clean cultivation from the very beginning in order to help control black rot and downy mildew. if the rot or mildew was very bad in the previous years, early spraying with the bordeaux mixture - - is very important. keep the radishes, cauliflowers, and cabbages covered with a poison spray from april to may to prevent the ravages of the cabbage maggot. this should be applied once a week in fair weather, and twice a week in rainy weather. the spray is made as follows: lead arsenate, three-fourths ounce; new orleans molasses, one-half pint; water, one gallon. look over the seedling cabbages carefully and destroy all which show any sign of wilting or rotting. cut out apple twigs badly injured by the buffalo tree hopper and burn them immediately. watch for plant lice on lettuce in cold frames. to combat the insects the plants should be sprayed with nicofume liquid, one teaspoonful to a gallon of water. bee-keeper's column conducted by francis jager, professor of apiculture, university farm, st. paul. comb honey, extracted honey, and increase. the practical beekeeper must decide at the beginning of the honey season whether he wishes to produce extracted honey, comb honey or merely to increase the number of his colonies. the manner of management of his apiary will depend upon such decision. at any rate a modern outfit, pure bred colonies in modern ten or eight frame hives, is required for successful beekeeping no matter in what line of bee industry he may feel inclined to engage. for production of extracted honey the ten frame hive is to be preferred. bees are less inclined to swarm in a ten frame hive, and two ten frame supers as a rule will be required where three eight frame supers would otherwise be necessary. in successful extracted honey production swarming may be reduced to a minimum if during the dandelion and fruit trees honey flow, and in the beginning of white clover flow, once a week an empty drawn comb be inserted into the middle of the brood nest. as soon as the brood chamber has eight frames of brood the queen excluder is added and an extracting super added filled with white extracting combs. if the beekeeper does not care to raise his extracted honey in snow white combs only, the excluder may be omitted, but the result will be that the queen will lay eggs throughout the whole hive, thus rendering extracting difficult on account of brood present. when raising extracted honey on a large scale two extracting supers may suffice for each colony. when the one next to the brood chamber is filled it is extracted at once, the top one taking its place next to the brood. the extracted super when empty is then given back to the bees and placed on top. when the second super is filled the process is repeated. this process of extracting honey requires a period of four or five weeks. all supers are removed at the end of the honey flow. the last full super, however, should not be extracted but saved for the feeding of light colonies in the fall and spring. the easier way to produce extracted honey is to have enough supers, say three or four for each colony. the first is added during the dandelion or fruit blossom flow as soon as the colony is strong enough to readily enter into it. when this super is nearly full and the combs can be seen through the top bars to whiten, another super is added next to the brood chamber, and the partly filled super is raised. when this second super begins to get well filled, a third and a fourth super is added on top. in the latitude of minneapolis it is not advisable to insert a super next to brood chambers after july th, or two weeks before the end of the honey flow, because such procedure would result in a large amount of uncapped honey. comb honey should not be produced where the honey flow is slow and intermittent. weak colonies will not produce comb honey profitably. in making up supers only a sections should be used, with full sheets of extra thin foundation and three-eighths inch bottom starters of thin foundation. care should be taken to fasten the foundation very solidly, else heat and weight of bees will cause it to drop. one or more bait sections should be used in the first comb honey super to induce the bees to enter into it more readily. bait sections are the half finished, unmarketable sections of the previous season. one to four are used near the center of each super. (to be continued in june no.) [illustration: the home of the lady slipper--moccasin flower. the minnesota state flower.] while it is not the intention to publish anything in this magazine that is misleading or unreliable, yet it must be remembered that the articles published herein recite the experience and opinions of their writers, and this fact must always be noted in estimating their practical value. the minnesota horticulturist vol. june, no. the state flower and state flag of minnesota. e. a. smith, vice pres. jewell nurs. co., lake city. the material in this paper has been gathered from several sources, part of which has never before been published. it is presented not so much in the spirit of criticism as it is in the spirit of making the best of a mistake which the writer believes occurred when the moccasin flower was designated as the state flower of minnesota. last spring an acquaintance of mine was rambling through the woods and came across the cypripedium, or the moccasin flower, or the lady slipper, the state flower of minnesota. he sent me a few specimens. although i had lived in the state of minnesota for a number of years, this was the first time that i had ever seen the state flower or known anything about it. the incident set me to thinking, and i went to work to find out what i could about this flower. i herewith present that information as briefly as possible. there are forty-one states in the union that have a state flower. other states have the matter under consideration. this fact alone would indicate that a state flower is of some importance as an emblem, or it would not be so generally considered by the various states. in most instances the flower was selected by a vote of the public school scholars of the respective states. the vote was then submitted to the state legislature and a resolution adopted making the state flower legal. i submit to you the question: are school children qualified to choose a flower as an emblem of the state? do they understand the conditions required in the state and the purpose of the selection sufficiently well to enable them to select intelligently? do the children in your school know what flower is common in the northern part of the state as well as in the southern part of the state? in minnesota, however, the state flower was not chosen by the school children of the state, but upon petition of the woman's auxiliary board of world's fair managers a resolution was introduced into the senate february th, , by the late senator w.b. dean, providing that the wild lady slipper, or the moccasin flower, cypripedium calceolus, be accepted and the same designated and adopted as the state flower, or the floral emblem of the state of minnesota. this resolution was also adopted in the house the same day. a few years later upon petition of the nature club of minneapolis the variety was changed to the reginae or spectabile, variety. [illustration: the lady slipper--minnesota state flower. somewhat under size.] the mystery of the selection in this state is, why was a flower chosen which is not common to any part of the state? we therefore have a state flower, beautiful in itself, but without special appeal to the people because it is comparatively unknown. there are about forty species of the cypripedium belonging to the north temperate zone. several of these species occur in the northern united states and canada, east of the rocky mountains, which are found in the state of minnesota. it is called the moccasin flower because it resembles the indian shoe. this plant grows preferably in cool and moist woods or in bogs. it flowers principally during the months of may and june. the varieties differ in color, being deep red, pink, yellow, white and variegated. all of the species, however, are very beautiful. the varieties more commonly found in minnesota are, acaule, rose purple; candidum, small white; arietinum, red and white; parviflorum, small yellow; pubescens, large yellow; and spectabile, description of which is as follows: plants stout, leaves oval, acute; sepals, roundish, white; petals, oblong, white; labellum, white or pale pink purple. very showy. it is unfortunate that the minnesota state flower does not take kindly to civilization and cultivation, as it is very difficult to transplant. about ten years ago at lake city, minnesota, we tried to propagate the moccasin flower. we dug the roots and transplanted them in ground especially prepared in a nearby grove where we could watch their development, but the plants were a failure. a state flower should be one of the common flowers of the state, so familiar to all, that its name would suggest a picture of the flower itself. probably not per cent of the people of the state have ever seen it. on this account it is to be regretted that this variety was chosen as the flower emblem of the state. a state flower, like the state flag, should be accessible and familiar to everyone, and yet, probably, the state flag of minnesota is a stranger to many residents of the state, for minnesota did not have a state flag until . an emblem should mean something to the individual. the family coat of arms and the iron cross are distinctive emblems. the shamrock in sentiment is as dear to an irishman as his native land. if an emblem means something to the individual, how much more it ought to mean to the state and nation. the flag is an emblem of loyalty and patriotism. men fight for it. they lay down their lives for it because it stands for home and country. i fancy if men did not know what the flag looked like, the fight would not be a very fierce one. do you know what the state flag of minnesota looks like? a description of it can be found in the legislative manual for . this flag bears a wreath of white moccasin flowers (spectabile) upon a blue background, in the center of which is the state seal. the design was chosen by a committee of six ladies. it is appropriate and beautiful, and was designed by mrs. edward h. center, of minneapolis. the state should furnish an attractive picture of the state flower and the state flag to every high school in the state, free of charge. the influence would be good, creating a deeper loyalty to the state. wisconsin state horticultural society. remarks at annual meeting by secy. f. cranefield, madison, wis. president cashman: we have with us today, prof. cranefield, secretary of the wisconsin society. i am sure everybody will be pleased to hear from him. mr. cranefield: mr. president, ladies and gentlemen: i thank you, mr. president, for your very kind introduction. i know you meant well when you introduced me as professor, but i really must plead "not guilty" to the charge. there was a time, long ago, when i was connected with our agricultural college, in a minor relation, that i was not in a position to resent it, but i have reformed since, and as secretary of the wisconsin horticultural society i am trying to live down the past. it goes without saying that i am glad to be here. i want to come as long as you will let me come. we of the wisconsin society are watching you closely to see if we can by any means learn the secret of your success, and to that end we are here in considerable force. our president is here, and the managers of two of our largest co-operative fruit shippers associations also. frankly, we want to beat you if we can. you have the biggest and the best society in the country, and we have the second biggest and next best, and we are striving for first place. having now disposed of the usual compliments befitting the occasion i will aim to tell you of a few things we are trying to do in the wisconsin society. the efforts of our society during the past ten years have been directed quite largely to the development of commercial fruit-growing in the state. while we have not overlooked nor forgotten the home owner we have been working to take commercial orcharding out of the hands of the farmer and put it in the hands of specialists, and we are succeeding. we have today about thirty thousand acres of purely commercial orchards in wisconsin and more coming. we discourage by every means at command the planting of fruit trees by the man who is engaged in general farming except sufficient for his own use. further, in this campaign we aim to concentrate our efforts on certain districts so as to build up fruit centers. for instance we have in door county, that narrow little neck of land between green bay and lake michigan, over seven thousand five hundred acres of orchards, apple and cherry. along the bayfield shore line we have another splendid fruit district almost, if not quite, as well known as hood river and worth vastly more. in the southwestern corner of the state along the valley of the kickapoo river, on the high bluffs on either side of the river, have been planted a thousand acres of apples and cherries in the past five years. while not all of this development is directly due to the horticultural society, ours has been the moving spirit. the kickapoo development is due wholly to the work of the society. in this way we are establishing an industry that will be a tremendous asset to the state. there was a time when dairying was but a feeble industry in wisconsin, and now we lead. our society also aids in the development of marketing associations. in doing these things we also aid the farmer and home owner, for whatever is best in the commercial orchard is best in the home orchard. spraying, pruning and cultivation as practiced by the expert serve as models for the farmer who has but two dozen trees. the other activities of our society are similar to yours. we publish a magazine, as you do; we hold two conventions, as you do; in fact our work, and no less our interests, are the same as yours, and i most sincerely hope that the very pleasant relations that have existed between the societies may continue for all time. marketing fruit direct. h. g. street, hebron, ill. in studying this subject, the direct marketing of fruit, let us first see how much it includes. does it include simply marketing alone? or does the success of it depend principally upon the varieties of fruit set out together with the after cultivation, pruning and spraying? first of all you must interest people in your work by producing something that they really want, and half of your problem will then be solved. there are any number of places in the northwest where the demand far exceeds the supply. i do not mean for the common run of fruit full of worms and covered with scab, but, instead, strictly no. fruit of the very best varieties. about , through the advice of my uncle, dr. a. h. street, of albert lea, i joined your society, and through the experience of your members i learned many valuable lessons. perhaps the one that impressed me the most was that of grafting our choicest varieties upon hardy crab stocks so as to make them hardy enough to withstand our hardest winters, and by so doing it nearly insures us against total failures in the fruit crop and especially against losing the trees outright. [illustration: mr. h. g. street, of hebron, ills.] this top-working of course will not do all; we still have to assist nature by proper spraying, pruning, cultivating, etc. doing all in your power to secure a crop each year to supply the trade you have already worked up is a big item in holding it. while studying your conditions, together with those of wisconsin and illinois, i became very much interested in the native plums as well as in the apple industry. therefore i also set out some three acres of the following varieties: surprise, terry, wyant, hammer and hawkeye, also some of the emerald and lombard. as this was then new business to me, i had fallen into no deep ruts, and of course i took it for granted that all horticulturists practiced what they preached. therefore i pruned, sprayed, etc., according to directions, and in due time the fruits of my labor commenced to show up, and they certainly were attractive to the eye as well as to the taste. [illustration: wolf river apple tree twelve years old, bearing eighteen bushels, in h. g. street's orchard.] as our supply increased our demand increased also, so that for the past five years our average plum crop has been around , baskets (the -lb. grape basket) and all sold readily at to cents retail. we are located at hebron, illinois, eight miles south of lake geneva, wis., on the chicago & lake geneva railway, which makes an ideal location for a fancy trade. during plum harvest it is nothing uncommon to have fifty to visitors a day. these customers include all classes, from the chicago millionaires to the common laborers, and all receive the same cordial reception. we make it a point never to allow them to think that we are close with our fruit--not even the neighborhood boys, as they are our best friends. what they buy we charge them a good fair price for and never fail to give all new customers a few choice samples of best varieties. by the latter part of the plum season our big red wolf river apples commence to show up and cook well; also wealthy and mcintosh commence to get ripe enough to eat, and the demand each year has far exceeded the supply. so far we have had very few poor apples, but we always sort them into three grades, the third grade being made up into cider to sell while sweet. the second grade we sell as such for immediate use. the firsts of the mcintosh we have sold at $ . to $ . per bushel, wealthy, jonathan and grimes at $ . to $ . , while wolf, n. w. greening, salome, winesap, milwaukee, etc., have averaged us $ . per bushel. we are always very careful not to have any bruised, diseased or ill shaped specimens in our first grade. the president: can you tell us something more about your experience in marketing direct? do you sell all the fruit you raise on the place? mr. street: we sell about all the fruit that we raise direct to the consumer. when we first started we started with strawberries, and about half of our crop went to the merchants, and he would retail it for per cent, but to any one that came there for it we would charge the full retail price, same as he had to charge, and we never had any trouble with any of the stores that we dealt with. if we have any seconds or anything we don't like to put out to the stores we sell them to our customers and charge them whatever we think would be right for them. as to plums, about two-thirds of those would sell right direct to customers coming there, the rest we supplied to the stores at per cent discount so that they could retail them at the same price that we retail them for. since the apples have begun to bear it seems that two-thirds of the people want the mcintosh, and almost everyone is satisfied with its flavor. they average a little larger with us than the wealthy, and some of them you can hardly tell from the wealthy unless you know just about what the fruit is. last year we kept them until about february or possibly later, but an apple with as good a flavor as that you cannot keep from being eaten up. the president: i suppose that is automobile trade? mr. street: a great deal of it is. the president: how did you get it? by advertising? mr. street: no, by doing something so much different from what anybody else is doing you get people to talking. i think the wolf river apple together with the terry and surprise plums have been the cause of getting started. of course, the mcintosh now is helping out, too. you give a person a few wolf river, not for eating but for cooking, and then give him a wealthy or something like that to eat--they will be looking at the big wolf river and eating the other and seem to be well satisfied and always come back. whenever we sell to the stores we always gauge our prices so that the majority of their customers will take our fruit before taking the shipped in fruit from chicago. we find with grapes we can charge about five cents a basket more than they retail the michigan grapes for. [illustration: view in eleven year old orchard of h. g. street.] for native plums we get more than they do for the michigan fruit. we have had quite a good many of the burbank plums, but we cannot sell over one-third as many as we do of the natives. a member: you don't ship them, so don't consider the packing? mr. street: the only ones we ship are those ordered by people coming there or by letter. if they want a bushel we pack them in a bushel box. if they want three or six bushels then we pack them in barrels. mr. anderson: where are you located? mr. street: just south of the wisconsin state line. mr. anderson: i am located miles west of here, and i shipped out bushels of apples to the dakotas last year direct. mr. richardson: how many growers are there in your neighborhood growing fruit commercially? mr. street: i do not know of any who spray, cultivate and prune according to the best methods within about miles. we always make it a point to give our customers good fruit, so that we are not afraid to recommend it. then there is another advantage. if they come right there, and we have any seconds we can tell them just what they are, and if they want them we can sell them for what they are worth, but if we are putting them into a store, i prefer not to put in seconds. mr. kochendorfer: i think that is the advantage of disposing on a public market. you have a chance to sell the inferior goods without any coming back. mr. street: the main thing is to use improved methods and try to outdo the other fellow. cultivate a little more thoroughly, put in your cover crop, not over-fertilize but all you possibly can; give the dormant spray; spray before bloom very thoroughly and again after bloom; two weeks after that again, about july th. mr. richardson: how many apple trees have you? mr. street: we now have ten acres in apples, but most of them are young, about three acres in bearing. mr. richardson: i would like to ask the gentleman if in a small place that way he hasn't a better local market than we have here in the larger cities. around lake minnetonka they raise grapes, but we get most of our grapes from ohio and indiana. i have wondered why it is that these grapes go to another market when they can just as well go to the minneapolis market. you know as well as i do anyone buying fruit in the twin cities always buy fruit grown in ohio or indiana. mr. street: i do not know why it is, but so far we haven't realized that we have any competition. we charge for our best eating apples fully as much as the stores have to charge for the western fancy packed fruit. there is not a worm hole or speck of disease on the no. , and really i can't see how they can compete after raising the fruit in the west and packing and shipping it to chicago and then out there. the price they would have to charge there would make us a good fair price; in fact, a good big price. a satisfactory marketing system. g. a. anderson, renville. i have marketed this fall some over barrels of apples, mostly wealthy, duchess and northwestern greening. three hundred barrels of these were shipped direct to local merchants in dakota and western minnesota towns in small shipments of a few barrels at a time or as fast as they could sell them. i started this way of marketing during the big crop of and this year again, getting nearly all of my old customers back and many new ones. i secured satisfactory prices, and for my location i believe i have solved the marketing problem. one does not pay much attention to the marketing as long as enough only for local demand is produced, but when one has a surplus to dispose of the marketing problem looms rather large. i have tried several times shipping to commission firms, but have never received satisfactory returns. a successful cold storage for apples. h. f. hansen, orchardist, albert lea. mr. clarence wedge: i want to preface this short paper with the statement that mr. hansen is a man who has worked himself up from the very bottom of the horticultural ladder. he came to albert lea a very poor man, and i think supported himself for some time by trapping and fishing and such work as he was able to do. he is a man with a great tendency to investigate and to work out problems for himself. by his thrift and persevering investigations he has brought himself into a fine property and great success. he is the market gardener in our part of the country and a credit to his kind. (mr. wedge reads the paper.) when my orchard, near the city of albert lea, began to bear heavy crops of fruit, i found it very desirable to hold the wealthy and other kinds that ripen at the same time until after the farmers had marketed their fruit. we have a very good cold storage in albert lea that is open to the public, but the price they charge is sixty cents per barrel for two months' storage, which is more than the fruit will bear, and so i began to think of putting up a cold storage of my own. my first one was built underground with pipes for ice and salt to cool it, something like the system that i am now using. but i found out in the first season that it takes a great deal of ice to offset the heat that is coming in from the ground at the sides and bottom of the cellar. and so i built the storage which i am now using entirely above ground, using the basement under it for storing cabbage and vegetables. i built this in , the size x feet, using cement blocks for the basement, where the cabbages are stored. the cold storage above this is built as follows: first, an ordinary frame building with x inch studdings sheathed on the outside with drop siding with no. flooring. inside of this sheathing x inch studs placed flatwise, sheathed on the inside with no. flooring, and the six-inch space back of the studs filled with sawdust. on the outside of this firing strips one-half foot are nailed, which are covered with linofelt. one-half foot firing strips are nailed inside of this, and these also covered with linofelt. to this again one-half foot firing strips are added, to which are nailed metal lath, and the whole is plastered with cement. the floor both above and below is made of � joists, with no. flooring nailed below the joints, the space between which is then filled with ten inches of saw dust, leaving an air space of two inches at the upper edge of the joists. the joists are then covered with linofelt and then the linofelt covered with no. flooring. on the north and west sides i found it necessary to add one more waterproof coat of linofelt in order to make sure of keeping out the frost. i have so far only finished up for cold storage one-half of the room, using the other half for a packing room, so that my present facilities are only � feet. this room is cooled by eight inch pipes of galvanized iron, extending from the attic above to troughs near the floor, that are sloping so as to carry off the melted ice. these pipes are on both sides about two feet apart. the ice is pulled up into the attic by horsepower and broken up small enough into pieces to feed the pipes. the amount of salt used with the ice depends upon how fast we want the ice to melt. a large quantity of salt cools the storage down quicker. in practice i find that it takes one hour for a man to elevate a ton of ice, chop it up and fill the pipes. they hold something over a ton and must be filled every other day in ordinary september weather. it will not do to let the pipes remain less than one-half full. when the ice gets down that far, we have to fill again. the total cost of my storage when it is entirely furnished up and the present capacity doubled will be about $ , . . at present it holds , standard size apple boxes. i find that it only pays to put in good fruit that in ordinary seasons will keep until the first of march and hold its flavor well and give good satisfaction on the market. icing stops about the middle of november. the cost per box for storage is as follows: ice and salt, ten cents. interest on investment, six cents. i have figured out carefully the entire cost of growing and storing apples, and find out that leaving out the interest on the value of the land, it will approximate forty-eight cents per bushel. this includes cultivation, spraying, packing, and picking. the question which now interests me is whether we can grow fruit good enough and stand the expense and compete with apples grown in the other good fruit sections of the country. mr. older: i had the pleasure of visiting this plant with mr. wedge, and this man had quite a good many boxes of as fine apples as you would wish to see. this was along the latter part of february, and they were in fine condition. he had a lot of jonathans and yankees and some other varieties i don't remember, grown on top-worked trees there. the plum curculio. edward a. nelson, university farm, st. paul. (prize winner at gideon memorial contest.) the small crescent-shaped punctures, so common on apples, plums, peaches and other fruits, are made by a small snout-beetle known as the plum curculio. the beetles issue from their winter quarters at about the time the trees are in full bloom and feed on the tender foliage, buds and blossoms. later they attack the newly set fruit, cutting small circular holes through the skin in feeding, while the females, in the operation of egg-laying, make the crescentic cuts so characteristic of this species. the egg, deposited under the skin of the fruit, soon hatches into a very small whitish larva or grub, which makes its way into the flesh of the fruit. here it feeds greedily and grows rapidly, becoming, in the course of two weeks, the fat, dirty white "worm" so well known among fruit growers. the curculio is a native of north america and for more than years has been known as an enemy of fruits. our early horticultural literature abounds with reference to its depredations. in more recent times the great increase in planting of fruits, brought about to supply the increased demand, has permitted it to become much more abundant than formerly, and the plum curculio constitutes at the present time one of the most serious insect enemies of orchard fruits. statistics gathered of its depredations show that it is distributed over much of the area of the united states. its western limit is, roughly, a line drawn through the centers of north dakota, south dakota, nebraska, kansas, oklahoma and texas. east of this line the entire united states is infested except the southern third of florida and the northern half of maine. is the plum curculio causing much damage to the fruit growing industry of this country? that it is is shown by the national conservation committee in its report in volume iii, page , where it states that the average annual loss in late years to only three fruits is as follows: apples $ , , peaches , , plums , , ---------- grand total $ , , just think of it! a total loss each year to only three fruits of over $ , , . this amount is a heavy drain upon the fruit growing industry of this country. during the past twenty-five or thirty years the total damage caused by this insect, to the various fruits which it attacks, would, on a conservative estimate, probably be not less than $ , , . these figures show the absolute need of the adoption of effective remedial measures against this insect so as to lessen this loss. but before we can hope to combat this insect systematically and successfully it is necessary to know its life history and habits. [illustration: the curculio in its stages of growth, and its fruit injury.] there are four distinct stages in its life cycle: ( ) the egg, ( ) the larva, or "worm," ( ) the pupa, and ( ) the adult, or beetle. the curculio passes the winter in the adult stage under accumulations of partly decayed leaves, among the closely-packed dried grass of sod-covered orchards, and probably wherever suitable protection from the winter may be found. its depredations are usually worse near woods, so it probably finds here very suitable places for wintering. in the spring, when the fruit buds are unfolding, the beetles begin to emerge from their winter quarters and feed to some extent on the blossoms and tender leaves of the fruit trees. mating soon begins, and by the time the fruit is well set the beetles make this fruit the chief object of their attention. the circular punctures in the skin are feeding punctures, while the crescent-shaped ones are egg-laying punctures. a single egg is deposited in a puncture, although several may be placed in a single fruit. from one to eight eggs may be deposited daily by an individual female, which may be continued for several months. the great majority of the eggs, however, are deposited by the end of eight weeks. these eggs hatch in from three to seven days, being influenced greatly by the weather. the egg hatches into a larva, or "worm," which bores into the fruit. it becomes full-grown in from twelve to twenty days and bores out of the fruit. it enters the soil, burrows to a depth of one-half to two inches, and forms an earthern cell in which to pupate. in three or four weeks it emerges as a full grown beetle and attacks the ungathered fruit and the foliage. on the approach of cold weather the beetle seeks a protected place in which to pass the winter. the character of the injury is very nearly alike in all fruits. in the plum the fruit often falls to the ground before mature. in seasons of short crops very little fruit may remain to ripen. the punctures cause the fruit to become mis-shaped and to exude masses of gum. the ripe fruit becomes "wormy." the late varieties may be seriously injured by the new generation of adults. in the apple the injury to the fruit is about the same as in the plum, except that the infested fruit is not so likely to fall to the ground and that the egg rarely hatches into the grub there. the fruit becomes knotted and pitted. the late varieties may also be injured by the new generation of adults. in the peach, cherry and other stone fruits, the injury closely resembles that of the plum. although the plum curculio has some natural enemies that tend to reduce its numbers somewhat, yet they are not important enough to be considered as effective means of control. some of these natural enemies are parasites of various kinds, birds, chickens and the like. there are several remedial measures practiced, varying in their degree of effectiveness. away back in the early days of horticulture in this country, when the curculio became very abundant rewards were offered for an effective method of combating it. several were proposed, but only a few were at all effective. the best of these methods is what is called "jarring." the curculio has the habit of falling to the ground and "playing 'possum" when disturbed. this led to the practice of holding or spreading sheets beneath the tree and then striking the tree a sudden, forcible blow with a padded pole or mallet in order to dislodge the beetles. the trees were jarred daily from the time the calyx or "shuck" began to slip from the newly set fruit until the beetles had disappeared, or for at least four or five weeks. this was practiced to quite an extent, but it takes too much time and is too expensive. a still better remedy is clean cultivation. experiments have shown that as high as . per cent. of the pupae may be destroyed by means of thorough cultivation. the mere breaking of the pupal cell, leaving the earth in contact with the body of the pupa, is fatal to many. others are killed by the crushing action of the earth as it is stirred. others are exposed to the elements and subject to the attacks of their enemies, such as ants and birds. sunlight is quickly fatal to them, and exposure to the air on a warm day in the shade is also fatal to them. observations show that the insect is in the pupal condition in the ground in from fifty to sixty-five days after the falling of the blossoms of such fruit as apples and plums. data have been presented to show that the minimum time spent in the ground is about twenty days. shallow cultivation should begin, therefore, in about eight or nine weeks after blossoming. it is best to cultivate every week or oftener for six or seven weeks. it is very necessary that this cultivation should reach immediately beneath the spread of the limbs, as most of the curculios are found here, having dropped from the fruit above and burrowed into the soil where they fell. the third method of combating the curculio, the method most commonly used and most generally recommended, is spraying with arsenical poisons. the spray most generally used is arsenate of lead. the most economical and effective way is to add arsenate of lead to bordeaux mixture. the bordeaux is mixed in the following proportions: three pounds of copper sulphate (blue vitriol), four pounds of lime, and fifty gallons of water. to this amount of bordeaux mixture three pounds of arsenate of lead are added. in place of bordeaux mixture lime-sulphur may be used. if the insecticide is used alone, three pounds of arsenate of lead in fifty gallons of water make an effective spray. it is best to spray three times, the first spraying coming just before the blossoms open, the second coming ten days later, and the third another ten days later. the cost is from ten to fifteen cents per tree for the three sprayings. this cost is lessened when combined with other sprays. while spraying greatly reduces the injuries inflicted, yet it is apparent that account must be taken of other factors, such as the relative abundance of insects as compared with the amount of fruit present on the trees. with a small fruit crop and an abundance of curculios, the most thorough spraying in the world will not serve to bring through a satisfactory amount of sound fruit. while spraying is undoubtedly the most important aid and, if persisted in from year to year, may answer for its control, as its effects are cumulative, yet it is clear that other control measures should also be employed. in all cases which have come under observation the insects have always been found most abundant in orchards which are in sod or are poorly cared for and allowed to grow up more or less in weeds and trash. also, orchards near woods always suffer severely, especially along the border. as opposed to this condition is the notably less injury in orchards kept free from weeds and trash. in such cases spraying usually given for other insects, as the codling moth, serves to keep the curculio well under control. in fact, it may be said as a general statement that the curculio will never become seriously troublesome in orchards given the usual routine attention in cultivation, spraying and pruning now considered essential in successful fruit growing. serious losses from the curculio are almost conclusive evidence of neglect, which is best and most quickly corrected by the adoption of proper orchard practice. * * * * * an antidote for wasp stings.--it not infrequently happens that persons biting unguardedly into fruit in which a wasp is concealed receive stings in the mouth or throat. such stings may be exceedingly dangerous and even fatal since the affected tissues swell rapidly and this is liable to cause difficulty in swallowing and breathing. an effective antidote is employed in switzerland. the sting is rubbed vigorously with garlic, or, if it is too deep in the throat for this treatment, a few drops of the juice from bruised garlic are swallowed. if garlic is not to be obtained onion may take its place, but is a less active agent. the efficacy of this simple remedy was verified by a swiss specialist, who found it important enough to be presented at a session of the vaudois society of medicine. increasing the fertility of the land. prof. f. j. alway, division of soils, university farm, st. paul. i have been asked to speak on "increasing the fertility of the land." to speak on such a subject is sometimes a rather delicate matter because some people consider they have a soil so good that you can't increase its fertility. with some of the prairie soils, when they were first plowed up that wouldn't have been so very far amiss. take those black prairie soils with the grayish yellow clay subsoil, with an abundance of lime in it, which you find in a large part of the state, including a large part of hennepin county, and you have as good a soil as you may expect to find anywhere on the earth's surface. but you can't keep a soil up to its full limit of fertility, no matter how good it is, unless you frequently treat it with something. [illustration: prof. f. j. alway.] when a soil is well supplied with lime there are three things that are liable to be deficient. if it is not well supplied with lime there may be four, but the bulk of your soils are good enough so far as lime is concerned. those three are potash, which is abundant and will be abundant years from now, phosphoric acid, or phosphorus, with which our soils are fairly well supplied, and nitrogen, which comes from the vegetable matter. in nitrogen our prairie soils are remarkably rich when first plowed up. the phosphoric acid and the potash you can not lose unless they are taken away in the form of crops, but the nitrogen may be lost without even taking off crops. all you have to do is to cultivate your soil, when part of the nitrogen becomes soluble in water and is carried down by the rain into the water-table unless you have plants growing with roots to take it up; a large part escapes into the air. so when your black prairie soil has been under cultivation for twenty years, as an orchard, usually from one-half to one-third of the original nitrogen has escaped, most of it into the air, only the smaller part being carried off in the crops. that is the one thing that orchardists and horticulturists have to concern themselves about first of all, so far as soil fertility is concerned. i see that the first of the questions for me to answer deals with that. "what crop do you consider the best green manure?" there are two kinds of green manures. one is represented by rye. rye takes up the nitrogen that is in the soil, and when it dies leaves behind what it took out of the soil; the next crop can get this. by plowing under the rye crop you do not increase the amount of nitrogen, the most important element of fertility in the soil. we have a better green manure than that, better than rye or oats or barley or any of those plants that properly belong to the grass family; namely, the members of the clover, bean or pea family--all of these plants which are called legumes, which have pods and which have flowers shaped like butterflies. as these grow they take up nitrogen from the air; the bacteria which make their home on the roots of those plants take the nitrogen from the air and give it to their host plants. the plants receive this nitrogen, store it in themselves, and when the crop is plowed under you have a great amount of nitrogen added to the soil. now, a clover crop of an acre growing from spring until the freeze-up in the fall may take out of the air as much as pounds of nitrogen. one hundred and twenty pounds of nitrogen, bought in the form of commercial fertilizer from swift & company, or northrup, king & company, would cost you $ . . the clover has taken that much out of the air. if the crop were pastured off, the greater part of this nitrogen would be returned to the soil; when you plow the clover under still more nitrogen is taken from the air by bacteria that live upon the decaying plant material, and you may have $ . worth of nitrogen per acre added to the soil by simply growing clover for one year. any kind of green manure crop that bears pods is good. vetches are good, and soy beans are among the best for orchards. clover, if you give it time to make a good growth, is as good as anything. the next question is--"should apple raisers use commercial fertilizers?" now, the apple tree, when it is growing on good soil, makes such a vigorous root development that it is hard to get any commercial fertilizer to help it. on poor soils it, like any other kind of plant, will respond to fertilizers. some of the eastern experimental stations have been carrying on investigations with commercial fertilizers for a great many years to see whether in apple orchards these will cause an increase in the yield or an improvement in the quality of the fruit. on good soils, even after ten or twelve years' fertilization they have been found to have no effect except in the case of nitrogen, and this can be better supplied in the form of a green manure plowed under than in any other way. that is to say, keep your orchard clean until the last of july or first of august, sow your green manure crop, let it grow until freeze-up and stay there during the winter time. it holds the snow and so affords some winter protection. in the spring plow it under, and you plow under all the nitrogen that the plants had collected the previous year. then keep your orchard clean during the summer time, until in july or august you again sow the green manure crop. [illustration: applying ground limestone to an acid soil to determine whether liming will be profitable. half of the field is left unlimed.] the fertilizers that i get more inquiries about than any others are the phosphates--bone meal, acid phosphate and rock phosphate. horticulturists have read that striking results are being obtained with these on certain crops in the eastern and central states, and they want to know whether the same fertilizers will pay here. some inquire about potash fertilizers. with the latter there is no doubt but that the results we would obtain would, even under ordinary circumstances, not pay. at the present time potash costs about ten times what it does in times of peace. sulphate of potash, which ordinarily brings $ . per ton, is now quoted at $ . this puts its use out of the question. the phosphoric acid fertilizers are no higher now than usual. they cost, according to the kind, from $ . to $ . per ton. some of them are produced near here--in south st. paul. with tree crops, apple, plum and pear, we need expect no increased yield from the use of phosphates, unless it be on our very poorest soils. on certain crops, like the bush fruits--the currants and the raspberries, we might get a distinct benefit. i cannot give a definite answer to that. i can tell you what results they have obtained in new york state, what they have obtained in pennsylvania or illinois or maine, but what results we would get in minnesota we do not know. we can't apply their results to our conditions. the only thing we can do is to carry on such experiments here, and they have not yet been started. that brings me to a third question i have here. "what experiments are being conducted by the university of minnesota with orchard and other horticultural crops?" we realized the importance of this matter and plans were prepared. then, as you know the last legislature was economical. it decided that one of the best places to make a cut would be in the funds for experimental work; when these funds were reduced we not only could start no new experiments but even had to cut off some of the old ones. for that reason these fertilizer experiments have to wait until the next legislature or the one after. i hope the next legislature will make such an appropriation that they may be begun. now, for the next question. a man states that he can secure at a very low rate limestone from one of the minneapolis companies producing crushed limestone for road-making purposes and wants to know whether it will pay him to haul it to his farm. well, if you do not have any other work for your teams it may pay you. however, if your time is valuable, you had better take some samples of the soil and send them in to the experiment station. just address them to the soils department or soils division. then we can decide whether it is worth while trying some of the limestone. we cannot tell you whether it will pay; we can tell you whether it is likely to pay, or whether it is likely to be a waste of energy, or whether it is so doubtful that you ought to give it a fair trial. on perhaps two-thirds of the fields in hennepin county it would be a waste of money and energy; on about half of the others, we may say, it is almost certain to be a good investment at a dollar a ton. on the remaining portion we simply can't say. on these, chances are even whether it would pay. no crops are injured by limestone, so you are safe in putting it on. practically all crops are benefited by it on sour soils and especially the vegetable crops. the next question is--"are the black peat or muck soils first class? do they need anything besides drainage?" some of them, a very few, produce really good crops when they are drained, plowed and brought under ordinary cultivation without fertilization, but only a few. nearly all of them need commercial fertilizer, and until a bog covered with peat soil has been carefully examined to ascertain the depth of the peat, the difficulty of drainage, and the character of the peat (because peats differ greatly within a few miles of each other) it is unwise to attempt to reclaim it. within three miles of the experiment station we have three bogs very different in character. one, about half a mile from the buildings, is heavily charged with lime. another has an exceedingly small quantity of lime so that profitable crop production of any kind would be out of the question without a heavy application of ground limestone or quicklime. still another one stands between these two. one of them can be reclaimed without any great expense, but with the one it would be a very expensive matter to fertilize and treat with lime after it had been drained. those are the questions that have been given me. are there any other questions? mr. mccall: what is peat lacking in? mr. alway: practically all peats are lacking in potash. if the peat layer be very shallow, six inches, twelve inches, sometimes even twenty-four inches, the plants are able to get their roots down through the peat and get their potash from the underlying clay or loam. in that case no fertilizer is needed. some of the peats lack lime, some of them lack lime, potash and phosphoric acid, and some these three and nitrogen also, so that you either have to apply some commercial form of nitrogen or grow legumes as green manures. mr. kellogg: what was the trouble where i couldn't raise strawberries on new wood soil? mr. alway: i couldn't answer that. mr. kellogg: the leaf mold was six or eight inches deep. mr. alway: was it any deeper than that? mr. kellogg: i don't know, it may have been down a foot, and the leaf mold had been accumulating there for ages. mr. alway: in some cases the peat is so thoroughly decayed that it looks like leaf mold and it may be a foot or two feet deep. mr. kellogg: this was no peat, it was just wood soil. i could not raise anything-- mr. alway: did the plants grow? mr. kellogg: yes, the plants grew and wintered well but didn't bear worth a cent. mr. alway: did they make lots of runners? mr. kellogg: oh, fairly good, but right over the fence in the next field that had been worked for twenty-five years i got bushels of strawberries to the acre; never had any manure on it. mr. alway: the more leaf mold the more nitrogen; if you have too much nitrogen it may develop the vine and fail to form fruit or seed. mr. ludlow: on heavy black prairie soil, three feet deep, where i am growing eighty bushels of corn to the acre, i want to put in strawberries, and i have a lot of wood ashes, dry wood ashes, not leached ashes, but dry wood ashes. would it be worth while to put that on or would that overdo the thing? would it be policy to put that on? mr. alway: it is not likely to do any harm, and it is likely to do some good. wood ashes contain chiefly lime and potash. the potash will be a distinct benefit. the lime isn't of any particular benefit to this crop on most soils. for strawberries it is slightly harmful on our ordinary soils that are originally well supplied with lime. mr. ludlow: on another piece a ways from that i put out a young orchard, and in order to start the trees well i had covered the ground half an inch deep with wood ashes around those trees. i noticed that the weeds grew there twice as quick as they did when i got away from the wood ashes. mr. alway: there you have the benefit of the potash and the lime. if you put lime in the orchards it will make the clover and most of the other green manure crops grow better, and thus you gain in nitrogen from the lime; you gain in potash as it comes from the wood ashes. mr. brackett: have you ever found any ground with too much leaf mold on it to grow good strawberries? mr. alway: i have not. mr. brackett: i remember when i broke out my place where i am living now i had a place where the leaves had collected and rotted until i would say there was eight or ten inches of leaf mold. when you went across it you would sink in almost to your shoe tops. on that piece of ground i grew , quarts of strawberries to the acre in a year, the largest yield i had ever grown on that leaf mold. you can never get too much leaf mold. there must have been something else besides the leaf mold. mr. alway: in case a crop does not give a satisfactory yield it may be due to other things than the soil, and until we eliminate the other possible causes we can't safely blame it to the soil. mr. moyer: what do those black soils in the western part of the state need? they have a whitish deposit on top. mr. alway: drainage. that is alkali. mr. kochendorfer: i have a ten-year apple orchard that i disked last year and kept it tolerably clean this spring. there were a lot of dandelions sprung up that i mowed down the middle of july, and since then they have grown up again. will they take nitrogen the same as clover? mr. alway: they won't take any from the air. they will act like so much rye, but when they die and decay nitrogen will be gathered from the air and added to the soil by bacteria that live upon the decaying vegetable matter. mr. kellogg: did you ever hear of them dying? mr. alway: dandelions? if they are plowed under. a member: is it practicable to grow soy beans in this soil? can they be gotten at a reasonable price, and can we mature them here? mr. alway: they mature here without any serious difficulty. there are a great many different varieties. if you order them from a distant seed house you may get a variety that will mature in louisiana but not in minnesota. a member: how about cowpeas? mr. alway: cowpeas are disappointing thus far north. in minnesota they are not nearly as satisfactory as the soy bean. in an unusually warm summer they are satisfactory. a member: with the soy bean do you have to plow in the whole of it? mr. alway: yes. the whole plant ought to be plowed under. a member: would it be practicable to feed soy beans in an orchard? mr. alway: yes. you don't get quite the same benefit from the green manure when you pasture as when you plow under. a member: how about the hairy vetch? does it grow here? mr. alway: yes. it grows here. it is not a bad crop at all. * * * * * poisoning tree scale.--we take the following from _scientific american_ as worth consideration by the owners of orchards and lawns: a correspondent in _science_ relates the following rather startling experiment in killing tree scale by poisoning the sap of the tree. he says: "i have in my ground a plant of spanish broom about a dozen years old and with a trunk about four inches in diameter which has for several years been seriously infested by cottony cushion scale (_icerya purchasi_). i have tried various sprays, have put scale-eating beetles on the tree, and at one time cut all the branches off and sprayed the trunk several times in the attempt to get permanently rid of this scale, but up to last winter it seemed that all attempts were in vain. in february of this year, when the broom was very thickly covered with the scale, i bored a three-eighths inch hole in the trunk to a depth of about three inches, filled the hole nearly full of crystals of potassic cyanide, and plugged it up. in two days the scale began to fall from the tree and in a few days all appeared dead. others hatched and attacked the tree, but lasted only a short time, and the tree has since been free from scale and very vigorous." notice of summer meeting, a joint session of the minnesota state horticultural society and its auxiliaries, the minnesota state garden flower society, the minnesota state bee keepers society and the minnesota state florists society. will be held friday, june rd, , in the gymnasium, at university farm, st. paul. the gymnasium building in which this meeting is to be held has recently been constructed and only finished suitable for the uses of this gathering within the past year. the grounds about it are still in part in an unfinished condition. directly south of this building are the football grounds, originally a marshy tract, now filled in and leveled off, with hillsides sloping upwards some thirty to forty feet on either side, well shaded. these slopes would be excellent places for the picnic dinner and the afternoon session except for the fact that they have recently been seeded and are not yet in condition for use. the main room in the gymnasium building, which is a very large room--at least three times as large as the one occupied by our exhibit last year--will be used for the fruit and flower display, and exhibitors can have access to this hall early in the forenoon, though visitors will be barred from the exhibition hall until : m. to give ample opportunity for placing and judging the display. the exhibition will remain in place undisturbed until : o'clock p.m. the flowers will be distributed to the various hospitals in the twin cities. the premium list accompanying this notice is practically the same as last year, there being only a few minor changes, to which it will not be necessary to refer here. the season, up to the time of writing this notice at least, having been a favorable one we are anticipating a large display of flowers, probably the finest ever shown at any of our summer gatherings, and as the weather is always pleasant on the occasion of our summer meeting a large gathering of members and visitors is also assured. demonstrations.--there will be a number of demonstrations at the farm, one by prof. francis jager, the apiculturist, at : o'clock, at the apiary building. no special subject has been announced for this, but it is certain to be a profitable occasion for those interested in bee culture. professors connected with the entomological and pathological departments will conduct experiments in spraying at some point near the main building. undoubtedly there will be other demonstrations, which may be announced before the meeting or in regard to which announcements will be found posted at the gymnasium. guides to the grounds.--guides will be in attendance to escort visitors about the grounds to various points of interest. these guides will be prepared to answer questions pertaining to the various branches of educational work at the farm. those who wish to take advantage of this service will meet the guides at the gymnasium at : a.m. and : p.m. the guides will wear suitable badges. picnic dinner.--in regard to the picnic dinner, which will occupy the time between noon and : o'clock, we are not quite sure as to where it will be held, but probably near the dining hall. should the weather be unfavorable of course there is plenty of room inside the gymnasium building. lemonade, ice cold, will be provided in quantity at the gymnasium building to meet the needs of the picnickers. afternoon meeting.--at : p.m. the afternoon session of the meeting will be held at some point in or around the gymnasium building, depending on the weather at that time and somewhat also on the weather between now and then as to the condition the grounds may be in. reaching the grounds.--take the como-harriet or como-hopkins car in either st. paul or minneapolis, get off at doswell avenue, and a walk of approximately one-half mile will bring you to university farm grounds. to reach the gymnasium go north on cleveland avenue, which is the avenue running along the west side of university farm, past the university farm buildings until you come to the last building, which you will recognize as the gymnasium by its size. the grounds between cleveland avenue and the gymnasium are in an unfinished condition, but visitors will readily find their way across. if you prefer to ride all the way to the grounds get off at eustis avenue, which the conductor will point out to you. from that place cars run every fifteen minutes into the farm grounds, an extra fare of five cents being charged. ask the conductor to let you off at the gymnasium building, which you will reach from the street car after a short walk over ground still ungraded and where no special path has been provided. getting off at that point, however, saves a long walk from the terminal station. if in doubt as to the way, follow the sign of the arrow. visit to state fruit-breeding farm.--this farm is located at zumbra heights, twenty-two miles west of minneapolis on the minneapolis and st. louis railroad. the train leaves depot at : a.m. return can be made by way of zumbra heights landing on lake minnetonka and the lake steamers via trolley line to minneapolis, or by waiting until mid-afternoon a train can be secured returning to the city on the railroad. one or more of the professors will go out saturday morning, june th, to accompany any who may desire to take advantage of this opportunity to visit the fruit breeding farm in a body. there are many things of interest there, the special timely feature at this season being the fruiting of a large field of no. strawberries, which variety gives promise of being the coming commercial berry of the northwest. entries.--all entries must be received by the secretary not later than monday, june th. no entries whatever will be received at the meeting. the exhibitors are urged to send in their entries at as early a date as possible, under no circumstances later than the date noted above. entry blanks will be furnished by the secretary on application. exhibits.--all exhibits must be in place and properly labeled by : a.m. to compete for premiums. the exhibitors must be members of the society and growers of the articles exhibited. any one may become a member upon payment of the annual fee of $ . . fruits and flowers shown become the property of the association. premium list, summer meeting, . no duplicating of varieties permitted. out-door roses. st prem. d prem. d prem. th prem. collection--three blooms of each named variety, to be shown in separate vases $ . $ . $ . $ . collection of named varieties--three blooms of each, in separate vases, amateurs only . . . . three named varieties, white--each variety in a separate vase, three blooms of each, each bloom on a separate stem . . . three named varieties, pink--each variety in a separate vase, three blooms of each, each bloom on a separate stem . . . three named varieties, red--each variety in a separate vase, three blooms of each, each bloom on a separate stem . . . collection of rugosa and rugosa hybrids--each variety (consisting of one cluster of blooms on a single stem) in a separate vase . . . most beautiful rose in vase . largest rose in vase . seedling rose to be shown by the originator. (not previously exhibited in competition.) bronze medal donated by the american rose society. basket of out-door roses and foliage, arranged for effect without ribbon, not to exceed twelve inches in diameter . . . the following named varieties of roses to be entered separately and shown in separate vases, three to five blooms in each vase. prince camile derohan, general jacqueminot, margaret dickson, m.p. wilder, jules margottin, magna charta, paul neyron, madam gabriel luizet, baroness rothschild, anna de diesbach, ulrich brunner, john hopper, rosa rugosa (pink and white), baron debonstetten, karl druski, madam plantier, grus an teplitz. each, st prem., cents; nd prem., cents; rd prem., cents. peonies. st prem. d prem. d prem. th prem. vase of festiva maxima. blooms $ . $ . $ . " " flesh or light pink " " " " " " " medium or dark pink " " " " " " " white " " " " " " " red " " " " " collection--three blooms of each named variety in separate vases $ . $ . $ . $ . collection--three blooms of each named variety in separate vases, amateurs only . . . . seedling peony, three blooms . . . . collection--one bloom of each variety, shown each in a separate vase; for amateurs owning no more than ten varieties . . . annuals and perennials. vase of arabis $ . $ . $ . " " canterbury bells " " " " " dielytra " " " " " delphinium " " " " " evening primrose (oenothera) " " " " " forget-me-not " " " " " foxglove " " " " " gailardias " " " " " grass pinks " " " " " iceland poppies " " " " " iris " " " " " lillies " " " " " lupine " " " " " nasturtiums " " " " " oriental poppies " " " " " pansies " " " " " perennial coreopsis " " " " " pyrethrum " " " " " shasta daisies " " " " " sweet peas " " " " " sweet william " " " collection--named perennials, in separate vases $ . $ . $ . $ . collection of annuals and perennials in separate vases (not to exceed ) by amateurs who have never taken premiums on flowers . . . . vase of flowers grown and exhibited by child . . . vase of any kind of flowers not named in this list. (an exhibitor may make any number of entries desired under this head) . . . vase of flowers arranged for artistic effect . . . basket of outdoor-grown flowers, arranged by exhibitor . . . strawberries. one quart of each variety to be shown on plate, not in box. st prem. d prem. d prem. th prem. collection (not less than six varieties) $ . $ . $ . $ . collection of three named varieties . . . . the following varieties of strawberries to be entered separately: st prem. d prem. d prem. th prem. bederwood, dunlap, cresent, splendid, clyde, warfield, lovett, enhance, glen mary, haverland, progressive, superb, americus, each . $ . $ . $ . best named variety not included in the above list . . . seedling's, originated by exhibitor . . . garden helps conducted by minnesota garden flower society edited by mrs. e. w. gould, humboldt avenue so. minneapolis. _photographic contest_--open to all members of the garden flower society. class i. photograph showing best garden arrangement or planting effect. list of flowers and shrubs to accompany picture. first prize--twenty-five perennial plants. second prize--twelve iris. class ii. photograph showing individual plant in bloom. a growing plant in bloom will be preferred to one in a vase. first prize--twenty-five perennial plants. second prize--twelve iris. class iii. photograph showing wild flower in bloom. directions governing class ii to be followed. first prize--twenty-five perennial plants. second prize--twelve dahlia tubers. any number of pictures may be entered in each class, but only one prize in each class will be given an exhibitor. when possible have photographs x inches or x inches, although size will not bar an otherwise meritorious picture. photographs in classes i and ii should be confined to the garden of the exhibitor. all pictures are to be in the hands of our secretary by november first, and are to become the property of the society. the prizes will be delivered the following spring. the pictures will be on exhibition at our annual meeting in december. * * * * * these directions in the garden magazine are so good they are quoted verbatim: next to seed planting the most important part of the gardener's work is skill in the technique of transplanting. how often do you hear concerning some gardener, that if he "only touches a thing, it is bound to live?" there is no "king's touch" in the garden game. people who "love" plants are more successful with them, merely because such persons take greater care in handling them. the first essential in transplanting is to have good plants. they should be well hardened off (see march reminder, covering cold-frames); this applies to plants in flats and in pots even more than to those growing in frames. in buying plants, select stocky, compact, dark colored ones in preference to very large ones. prepare the soil as carefully as though you intended to sow seeds. mark out the rows, and if fertilizer is to be used, mix it thoroughly with the soil before beginning transplanting. then prepare the plants carefully. unless they are very small, cut back the largest leaves about one-half with an old pair of scissors. with a small trowel or an old knife, cut them out of the frame or flat in which they are growing, keeping as much soil as possible with each. (if not in flats, cut them out as you use them in the garden.) if they are in pots, knock them out carefully and pack into flat for convenience in handling. paper pots, which produce the best plants, are not removed before planting. water thoroughly the day before planting, so that the soil will be in the best condition for handling; but for several days before planting, it is well to keep the plants "on the dry side," as they will then re-establish themselves more quickly when set out. (to be continued) entomological notes by f. l. washburn, professor of entomology. university of minnesota. a silver prune in bloom at minnetonka. may , .--the writer has a small silver prune grafted on hardy root, which he obtained from mr. arrowood, nevis, minn., now in bloom at his experimental garden at minnetonka--not many flowers, it is true, but in bloom just the same. this tree is not more than two feet high, and was somewhat protected by a rabbit protector and high snow. other plums in the entomologist's orchard, (one acre) are now nearly full of bloom: hanska, skuya, opata and other hansen hybrids, as well as trial plums from the university fruit breeding farm. we have top worked this spring hibernals, and patten's greenings with stark's delicious, grimes golden, king david and johnathan. one-half of this land slopes sharply to the north and the other half more gently to the south, clay, loam with clay subsoil, offering favorable conditions for orchard work as well as work with grapes, small fruits and vegetables. of grapes we have started concord, worden, moore's early, agawam, brighton, iona, lindley, salem, barry, herbert, isabella, green mountain, and others. we have even had the temerity to try loganberries from the pacific coast, and have some in fruit at present. a heavy covering of soil next winter will possibly protect these plants during the cold weather. the white pine blister rust in minnesota. this disease has just been found on a few white pines in two minnesota nurseries. the trees in one of these nurseries came from wisconsin, shipped into that state from the east. absolute identification has been furnished by the plant pathology division of the agricultural college. the state entomologist has already in the field a force of men who will inspect every nursery in the state where white pines are grown. the english sparrow pest. we have experienced some success in the use of a sparrow trap, catching from to in half a day. it must be noted, however, that this does not occur every day, and further, that the young birds are most easily caught. both old and young evidently learn to avoid the trap. another party who has used this trap also reports success even greater than ours. other parties report an average catch of ten birds a day for nearly four months. one can also, if on a farm, resort to shooting them singly, or, better, when gathered together feeding. in fact, they may be baited with grain for a few days (preferably in the fall or winter) and previous to the use of the shotgun. this accustoms them to gathering in a close flock. eggs and nests may be repeatedly destroyed, if placed within reach. a well-directed stream of water from a hose is helpful in making them desert their roosts, at least for a while. dearborn (farmers' bulletin no. , u.s. dept. of agr.) describes a nest-box trap. sparrows may also be poisoned, but this calls for extreme care. in this case it is interesting to learn that one experimenter fed a large number of sparrows killed by poisoning to a pet cat with no ill effects to the latter. we have picked them from cornices upon our house at dusk with the aid of a small collecting gun or pistol, firing a very light charge of shot, but found that the shot marred the house, and were therefore obliged to discontinue the practice. in addition to trapping sparrows with approved sparrow traps the following recipe has recently come to our notice: "feed good cracked corn a few days; then substitute poisoned cracked corn made as follows: soak one quart of cracked corn in water; take it out and let it get about half dry. dissolve one ounce of strychnia in hot water. soak corn in this until it swells and then dry completely." bee-keeper's column. conducted by francis jager, professor of apiculture, university farm, st. paul. comb honey, extracted honey, and increase. (continued from may no.) colonies run for comb honey are very much inclined to swarm. swarming with the resulting division of forces is incompatible with profitable comb honey production. the colony must be kept together for best results. the following methods are used by well known beekeepers. . at the beginning of the honey flow let the colony cast a natural swarm. after hiving the bees on starters or full sheets of foundation and giving them a little brood to prevent them from swarming out again, the swarm is put in the place of the parent colony, which is removed to one side two or three feet. the seventh day the old colony is moved over to the opposite side of the swarm two or three feet. two weeks after, all the bees are shaken in front of the swarm, and the hive with wax and honey removed. thus the desire of bees for swarming has been satisfied, and the colony is still working together. . make a shaken swarm. during the dandelion honey flow add an extracting super to your comb raising colony to give bees room to store. at the beginning of the honey flow set the whole hive a little aside and put a new bottom board on the place thus vacated. on this bottom board place the extracting super from your colony. find the frame with the queen and put it in the middle of this new brood chamber, bees and all. then shake all the bees from the old brood chamber into the new. the brood in the old hive thus left orphans may be piled up on top of some weaker colony in your yard who will take care of it. five such supers with brood may be piled on top of one such colony, and they will be the strongest in the yard for storing extracted honey during the basswood or other late honey flow. this honey will be very handy for feeding your bees in the fall and spring. now add a comb honey super to your shaken swarm. add more supers when necessary, below before july th, on top after that date. remove all comb honey supers at once at the end of the honey flow to have them white and clean. . when your colony is very strong at the beginning of the honey flow--about june th--remove the queen, either by killing her or by starting a new colony with her with two frames of brood. the seventh day cut out all queen cells but one--be sure not to leave two. this will re-queen your apiary, will prevent swarming for that season, will put a large number of bees into the field--there being no larvae to feed, will prevent thousands of bees from being hatched after they are of no use as gatherers of honey, and the honey needed for raising those bees will go into the supers. (continued in july no.) secretary's corner notice of summer meeting will be found on pages - of this magazine. don't overlook it--and be sure to come. great show of flowers and a fine day is assured--that is our record to date. the secretary's office during the summer month, will be open as usual except saturday afternoon, but the secretary will be in regularly only on mondays, wednesdays and fridays. the state entomologists report on nursery inspection in has been issued as circular no. . it contains a list of all inspected nurseries in the state; and also six full page photographs illustrating the nursery industry in minnesota. copies can be obtained by writing f.l. washburn, st. anthony park, minn. a good yield of everbearing strawberry plants.--mr. j. j. kunkel, of kimball, minn., writes under date of may th: "the three everbearing strawberry plants i received of you in made about young plants, of which i replanted this spring about . we had a few berries, but did not expect berries as we let all runners grow." who has done better than that in growing no. everbearing strawberry plants? a farmer on the board of regents.--we are much pleased to note the appointment of a real farmer in the person of c. w. glotfelter, of waterville, as a member of the board of regents of the minnesota state university. mr. glotfelter is well known throughout the state as late president of the minnesota state agricultural society, and is at present occupying the same position with the minnesota crop breeders' association. he is a farmer in every sense, as he lives upon a farm which he has himself worked personally a great many years. we feel that the horticultural and agricultural interests of the state are especially well cared for by this board in having mr. glotfelter in its membership. wyman elliot's contribution to the library.--a short time since mrs. elliot, widow of the late wyman elliot, sent to this office as a contribution to our library all of the horticultural and agricultural books which belonged to mr. elliot. there were in all volumes, nearly all of them bound in cloth. the larger portion of these were reports of other horticultural and agricultural societies, most of which the horticultural society already had in the library. there were, however, some forty or fifty very valuable reference books, or books on specific subjects of a horticultural character, and a considerable number of reports of other societies which we did not have, in all amounting to seventy-seven volumes. these have been placed mostly in two cases by themselves which will be marked with mr. elliot's name, and, of course, each one of these volumes has an inscription of similar character on the fly leaf. the remainder of these books, in number, are being sent to university farm library for use there as far as they need them, and they will be likely to know where to place to advantage any that they have no personal use for. there are plenty of libraries in the state that would be glad indeed to receive some of these volumes, and we hope that in this way mr. elliot's name will appear in the catalog of many of our public libraries. new life members.--there have been quite a number of names added to the life membership roll of the society during the year and since the last public record was made of this sort. the names of the following persons have now been added to the permanent roll of the society: ludvig lima, montevideo; mrs. florence burlingame, grand rapids; a.l. negstad, arlington, s.d.; c. p. bratnober, harmon place, minneapolis; miss anna m. johnson, lafayette; h. j. appleby, minneiska; hans m. johnson, pipestone; christ effertz, norwood; o.j. oyen, watson; f.e. older, california state normal school, los angeles, cal.; erick sparre, elk river; e. h. mazey, ewing so., minneapolis. there is still room in this list for others, and why not instead of paying annual membership year after year make one payment and have done with it? resolution about state flower.--the following resolution was unanimously adopted at a meeting of the minnesota garden flower society, held during the annual session of the state horticultural society, in december last. resolved, that whereas, the state of minnesota has adopted a state flower, which, on account of its being a native of the woods and bogs, is not generally known or recognized, and whereas, the state of minnesota in adopted by legislative vote a state flag, which emblem is not generally known to the residents of the state, and believing that familiarity with the state flower and the state flag will do good and create loyalty to the state and union; be it resolved, that we, the minnesota state horticultural society, do hereby petition and pray the state legislature of minnesota, to have printed an attractive picture of the state flower and the state flag, properly framed, and present it to the high schools of the state, with the request that it be placed upon the wall of their assembly room. also, that it be furnished free of cost, to such other public buildings as may be deemed advisable. program, "farmers' week."--during "farmers' week" at university farm, january - , , there will be scheduled several conferences which fruit and vegetable growers should find of value to them in their work. these conferences deal with all of the problems of the grower, but special afternoons are given to the small fruits, the tree fruits, and vegetables. next january will be the third conference of the fruit growers, the second for the vegetable growers, and the first for the small fruit growers as a separate branch of the fruit work. mr. w. g. brierly, chairman of the division of horticulture, university farm, is working on programs for these conferences for next january. he will be very glad to have any one interested write to him for information or to suggest topics for discussion. the program for the vegetable growers' conference will be drawn up by a joint committee from the st. paul and minneapolis vegetable growers, working with mr. brierly. the committee is planning to meet at the time of the summer meeting of the horticultural society and will, of course, welcome any suggestions as to topics and speakers. these conferences are for all growers interested and are free to all. there has been some difficulty heretofore in that very few suggestions as to program have been offered by the growers themselves. if you have any problems or matters which you would like to have discussed at these conferences, now is the time to make your suggestions. [illustration: south end of exhibition hall at late summer meeting. the flower exhibit is mostly in north end of hall, and not showing in this picture.] while it is not the intention to publish anything in this magazine that is misleading or unreliable, yet it must be remembered that the articles published herein recite the experience and opinions of their writers, and this fact must always be noted in estimating their practical value. the minnesota horticulturist vol. july, no. my neighbor's roses the roses red upon my neighbor's vine are owned by him, but they are also mine, his was the cost, and his the labor, too, but mine, as well as his, the joy their loveliness to view. they bloom for me, and are to me as fair as for the man who gives them all his care. thus i am rich, because a good man grew a rose-clad vine for all his neighbors' view. i know from this that others plant for me, and what they own, my joy may also be. so why be selfish, when so much that's fine is grown for you, upon your neighbor s vine! --_anon_ summer meeting, . minnesota state horticultural society a joint session with its auxiliaries, the minnesota state garden flower society, the minnesota state bee-keepers society and the minnesota state florists society. a. w. latham, secy. there seems to be something almost uncanny in the unbroken sequence of pleasant days that have greeted the annual summer meeting of the horticultural society in the last quarter of a century. for days before this meeting it seemed assured that we should this year at least have an unpleasant day for our gathering, and even the day before and night before were most unfavorable. friday morning, june rd, however, opened up bright and beautiful, warm and pleasant, as nature can smile, and continued so throughout the day. the meeting was in accord with these favorable circumstances, and i believe brought out more and better flowers and more, though no better, people, both as exhibitors and in attendance, than any previous similar gathering the association has held. the exhibition was installed in the new gymnasium at university farm, a room sufficiently large so that it not only accommodated the exhibition with wide aisle space, but also found plenty of room for the placing of chairs for the afternoon meeting. tables were arranged around three sides of the hall, which were used for the displays of perennials and roses. the peonies were shown on several tables in the north center of the hall and besides these there were exhibits of some of the choicest of the peonies made upon the floor, so arranged that visitors could walk amongst them and look down upon them and see them at their best. one table was occupied with the strawberry exhibit, which, however, was a small one on account of the lateness of the season, though the fruit-breeding farm showed some forty or fifty plates of no. , the new june-bearing berry of such large popularity, and a few everbearers. the number of entries was, i believe, in excess of any previous meeting, amounting altogether to . most of the old exhibitors at our summer meeting were present and some few of the newer ones. the effort which was made this year to secure a completed exhibit at : proved to be a success, and by the lunch hour the judges had gotten well along with their work and the hall was opened to the public to inspect the display. at : o'clock or thereabouts the members and their friends gathered upon the lawn near the station dining hall, where there were plenty of trees and green grass, and partook of the noon repast, for which purpose the station provided coffee and also lemonade, the latter a new feature in our bill of fare. the regular afternoon meeting was held at : o'clock in the same hall in which the exhibit was placed. this was largely attended, some two or three hundred taking advantage of the opportunity to listen to those who found place on this extempore program. our society reporter took some notes of what transpired at the meeting, but they were only partial notes, and what here follows in regard to what took place is only in the nature of extracts. president cashman was in the chair as usual and in a few words extended greeting to the society saying, amongst other things: "this occasion is always looked forward to with a great deal of pleasure. we meet those engaged in similar lines of work, we discuss the problems with which we have to contend, our joys and our sorrows. we come here to meet our friends--and my experience has been that there are no truer or more loyal friends than those found amongst the horticulturists. the true horticulturist is a lover of nature, a lover of the beautiful and all that goes with it. he looks for nothing except the best that can be found in human kind. such are the men and women that belong to the horticultural society." as representing the university farm, whose hospitality in a large sense the society was enjoying, dean woods gave us a hearty welcome in his happy way, and what follows is typical of the kindly things he said: "we always have pleasant days and pleasant memories because those who study flowers and fruits and the beauties of nature are the ones from whom one can get inspiration to understand and to know what nature means. any one who can listen to the sounds of nature, any one who can see in flowers the spirit of life struggling upwards has the true spirit of the horticulturist and is always welcome here." mr. a. brackett, of excelsior, being called upon, had something to say about strawberry culture, and in the course of his remarks showed several plates of different varieties of strawberries. what follows is the substance of his talk on this subject. "we have here what we call the no. strawberry produced at the experimental farm. i believe from my experience that it is going to take the place of all of our common june-bearing strawberries. it is a deep rooter, fine large plant and a nice, solid berry, and i have never seen any blight or rust on the plants. i think that it will pay for all the expense that has ever been paid out for the farm, that one berry will pay for it, it will be of that much value to the people of minnesota. the everbearing strawberry has come to stay, and for private use you do not need to plant any other variety. the everbearing strawberry will ripen its fruit at least a week ahead of almost any other berry we have, and then it will continue bearing until the frost kills it. i had at least twenty bushels of fruit from my plants last year, and i secured from one-quarter acre fifty-three cases and sold them at $ . a case. they talk about what they can raise in california, but we can do better here, and i believe if you will stick to these three varieties, the americus, superb and progressive, you will not need to plant any other variety. the americus has the best flavor but it isn't as large. of the superb nearly all of the berries are large, very few small ones, but they haven't got the flavor. "there is one thing about this new strawberry, it can not bear the year around, that is, during the summer, unless the ground is very rich. i think i put on one-half acre of the everbearing strawberries twenty-five loads of fertilizer. you have got to make the ground rich to carry these plants through and produce the berries. i use a narrow row on the hill system. i cut my rows down in the spring, dig up the plants and leave the row four inches wide and plants six inches apart. this brings more berries and better plants." prof. c. b. waldron, of fargo, n.d., horticulturist at the fargo agricultural college for a quarter century, who has rarely missed being with us at any summer gathering, being called upon, among other things said: "there are a good many things that affiliate people together in groups of one kind or another. it used to be that if people had the same belief about eternal punishment, etc., that they would group themselves together, but nowadays we find people grouping themselves according to more natural methods. i think people grouping themselves together for a common love of trees, fruits and flowers makes a more natural bond of affiliation, and when i find a man that knows the names of many of our beautiful flowers i feel drawn to him at once. i can't seem to tire of that person's company, no matter what political party he belongs to. these things that i speak of seem to be a more natural and harmonious relationship to build our friendship upon than almost anything else. i know that i always look forward days and weeks ahead to meetings like this, where i can meet with people who love and admire and cherish the things that i find my greatest delight in." the superintendent of the fruit-breeding farm, mr. chas. haralson, spoke briefly of the work at the fruit-breeding farm, which he is conducting with such distinguished success. his statement was altogether too brief when one knows the vast amount of detail work that is being done there in development of new fruits: "the work at the fruit-breeding farm is carried on just the same as usual. we are working on strawberries, plums, apples, grapes somewhat and several other fruits like gooseberries and currants. the best success we have had so far in the new varieties is with strawberries, raspberries and plums. it takes only a few years to run through a generation of these, and we can get them selected quicker than apples. the plum crop is very light this year, especially on the hybrid plums, on account of winter-killing, that is, the buds killed during the winter. they never did that before, but this year they have done it to a great extent. the strawberry crop is very good and so are the raspberries now coming on. probably as many as , apple seedling trees are bearing this year, so we will have a little chance for selection in the line of apples. in grapes we are working with most of the seedlings from the beta and some hybrids, and we have a few of the beta seedlings that are very good. one red variety compares favorably with any of the cultivated varieties. it is perfectly hardy so far. and we have two or three varieties of black nearly as large as moore's early or concord. "we also have a number of seedlings of pears, but we are not very far advanced with them yet. pears stand the winter fairly well, although they winter-kill to a certain extent. when they are weakened through the winter and growth starts in the spring they blight. blight is the worst part of our work with pears." prof. r. s. mackintosh, of university farm, was caught on the floor, and as usual took opportunity to tell people they ought to eat more apples and something about how to get them. this seems to be a subject that is ever in his mind and which he is persistently working to good advantage. "you folks that are hungry and want apples or apple pie want to get busy about the middle of august and eat up your surplus apples in minnesota. it is a shame that farmers, fruit growers, etc., have spent years trying to grow apples in minnesota and then we cannot get enough people to eat the apples. we are going to carry on the clearing house as we did last year, and if you want apples let us know. we can grow apples the same as we can grow peonies and strawberries, but it is a little hard to get them distributed properly." mr. a. m. brand, of faribault, who had an extraordinary exhibit of seedling peonies at the meeting, pronounced by our peony expert, mr. c.s. harrison, "second to none in the world," was introduced and talked briefly along the line of seedling peony production, as follows: "there is a great deal of encouragement in what we have been able to accomplish down there at faribault along the line of producing something fine in peonies. sixteen years ago we started out with the idea of improving upon the stock that we already have. we had a little red peony, a very nice peony, originated by mr. terry down in iowa, called rachel, and starting out with that as a mother plant we have produced some of the finest roots that there are in cultivation. by using lots of the seed of rachel we have been able to produce this mary brand, considered by many of the peony growers as one of the finest red peonies in the world. a great many people that raise nice peonies think they have to go to the trouble of hand fertilization. that isn't necessary. we started out with such varieties as rachel, and by letting the bees and the elements do the fertilizing for us we were able to produce varieties like this. here is the new seedling that we brought out this year and named ruth--a pink peony. as a rule we plant about a peck of seed every year, and out of that peck of seed it probably brings us , seedlings, and out of this , we get one good seedling, and this is the only good seedling that we have produced this year. this is a seedling that comes from rosa fragrans. when we picked this seedling from the bed of seedlings we considered this the finest seedling that we had, and it has never come good from that time to this, and it is ten years since we have been trying this seedling, which will show you when you are growing seedlings that the first time a seedling blossoms and comes splendid you mustn't be too enthusiastic about it. the next year it may be worth nothing. you have got to try a seedling in every way to find out whether it is worth sending out. as a rule it takes us ten years from the time that a seedling first blossoms until we send it out. ninety per cent of all the peony seedlings that you grow will be singles, one out of , seedlings will be fair and one out of , seedlings will be extra good--so you see that those which we have produced give us some encouragement. i wouldn't advise many of you to go into the seedling business, although you might produce one good seedling out of a handful of seed. "if you plant a peony on the lawn you have to fertilize it heavily. you can't have your lawn right up to the stalks of the peony. if you want a peony on the lawn you must give it two feet of ground. most of the peonies that are brought here are taken out of fields that are cultivated with a horse cultivator. if you want your flowers on the lawn and don't want to cultivate them you have to use lots of fertilizer. you must not use too much. fertilize heavy about once in three years. don't fertilize every fall. fertilize in the fall, and the next spring spade the manure in and then don't use any manure for three or four years. plant peonies any time from the first of september until the time it freezes up and plant any time in the spring until the growth starts on the plants. if you plant in the spring you are just six months ahead of planting in the following september, though september is really the best time to plant. if a peony clump becomes old, as large around as a tub, and you still want it to stand in the same place i would cut out half of the stalks as they come up, and then to get still larger blossoms after the stalks have come up i would pinch the side buds also." [illustration: a fringe of peonies at the summer exhibit.] mrs. crawford, of indiana, a peony grower of much experience there, who came to minneapolis for the purpose of attending our flower meeting, we understand, told us something about how peonies are grown in her section, an interesting and practical talk, part of which follows: "in indiana we have a sour, black clay soil. we fertilize with crushed limestone and leaves. i fertilize with the leaves that fall in the autumn after the leaves have begun to rot. i cover them without cutting the tops. then in the spring when they begin to bud we go over them on our knees and work the leaves all in with a trowel. i have , plants, but with the assistance of the men we have we get it done, and grow fine peonies. in regard to manure, i never feel that i can put any fertilizer within two feet. the rows are from three to four feet apart. we never use any fertilizer that will come in contact with the stems, as when the flowers are cut off it leaves the stem hollow, and if the manure gets in the stem it works down the stem into the roots and leaves a hollow root in time. we never use in our part of the state any fertilizer that will come in contact with the stems except leaves. when the streets are cleaned in the fall i pile the leaves on the back lot. i have fourteen or fifteen loads hauled in. this is scattered over the peonies. i want to compliment you on having very fine peonies, some of them finer than i have ever seen, and i hope you will all be as enthusiastic about raising peonies as i am. is it necessary to burn the tops when they are cut off? i consider that the ashes from the tops aid in fertilizing. i pile them up in little piles and burn them and sprinkle the ashes over the peonies. frequently when i dig around a peony and i feel that the soil has become exhausted i throw in a handful of garden peas, and when they get about a foot high i spade them under for fertilizer." mr. d. w. c. ruff, of st. paul, had a wonderful showing of peonies of named varieties, most of them very expensive from a money standpoint, they having cost him prices varying from $ . to $ . a root, and judging by the character of the flowers which he held up for the audience while he talked about them they were well worth the money. i regret that we are unable to give a verbatim report of his talk, with the names of the varieties, but this information must be secured from him at some later time. in part he said: "i have spent the last fifteen years in making a good collection of peonies. i have gone all over the world for peonies and have brought together some of the finest peonies from all the noted growers and horticulturists. in my collection i have over hundred varieties, that is, what i am growing at my home. i have brought here today of course a great many peonies of the later varieties. i have brought these here from an educational standpoint so that the people might see some of the rare ones that they might have heard about or read about and see them and know of these varieties. last year i made an exhibit and showed hundreds of them. this year i have brought just a few choice things." rev. c. s. harrison spoke in his usual inspiring way, but with such force and speed that our stenographer was unable to pick him up, which we sincerely regret. we all know mr. harrison as an enthusiast in flowers. he has met with us year after year at both annual gatherings. while he is eighty-three years old yet what he has to say and the way he says it still have the ring and inspiration of youth. he proposed the organization of a peony society for the northwest, and a show of hands indicating there was material present to perfect such an organization the plans were laid therefor. our reporter got this far: "i have attended the national peony shows of boston and new york, and they cannot hold a candle to your peonies, mark that! there is something in your soil and in your climate which brings them to the front." prof. f. l. washburn was to tell us something about the white pine blister rust, but he failed to inflict upon us a long technical talk, and from what he said all the reporter got was this, from which however one could well judge what was in his thought. "we have found in minnesota a disease on the white pine called the 'white pine blister rust.' one stage of this disease is on the gooseberry or currant, that is, we find it now on the white pine and going to the gooseberry or currant. we went to the governor, state treasurer and state auditor and obtained $ , for use in fighting this besides our regular appropriation." mr. j. m. underwood, of lake city, without whom the program would be incomplete, spoke a few closing words as follows: "we have had such a splendid program, and i know you are anxious to look at these beautiful flowers, and all i have time to say, and a disposition to say, is that i think we owe a great obligation to the garden flower society, a splendid organization auxiliary to the state horticultural society. i think you ought to all be members of that garden flower society. it is a wonderful working organization, and i think the ladies that are in charge of it deserve a great deal of credit and should be complimented as being foremost on the program. there is a great deal that i could say, but i know there isn't time for it, and i thank you." in the meantime many more visitors had come into the hall to view the display, which continued on exhibition until : o'clock in the evening. prof. cady, who had general charge of the arrangements at the meeting, reports that at least one thousand people saw the display, and we think that it was well worth while to have kept it open until that hour. representatives from a number of the hospitals were present after the meeting and took the flowers away to be used to cheer the sick in both minneapolis and st. paul. the total amount of awards at this meeting were $ . . a list of these awards with the names of the judges follows in a separate article. no one person took any large amount of premiums, they were well distributed amongst a dozen and a number of others who received smaller amounts. mrs. h.b. tillotson, who has a wonderful flower garden near eureka, lake minnetonka, received premiums of $ . , which is the largest amount paid to any one person, although there were a number of others who received slightly smaller amounts. award of premiums, summer meeting, . roses. collection, b. t. hoyt, st. paul, fourth premium, $ . . collection named varieties, amateurs, thos. redpath, wayzata, second premium, $ . . collection named varieties, amateurs, mrs. h. b. tillotson, excelsior, first premium, $ . . collection named varieties, amateurs, mrs. d. w. c. ruff, st. paul, third premium, $ . . three named varieties, white, thos. redpath, wayzata, first premium, $ . . three named varieties, pink, thos. redpath, wayzata, first premium, $ . . collection rugosa and r. hy., b. t. hoyt, st. paul, first premium, $ . . most beautiful rose, mrs. h. b. tillotson, excelsior, first premium, $ . . largest rose, mrs. d. w. c. ruff, st. paul, first premium, $ . . seedling, b. t. hoyt, st. paul, first premium, bronze medal donated by american rose society. basket outdoor roses arranged for effect, mrs. h. b. tillotson, excelsior, first premium, $ . . basket outdoor roses arranged for effect, mrs. d. w. c. ruff, st. paul, second premium, $ . . basket outdoor roses arranged for effect, mrs. john gantzer, st. paul, third premium, $ . . mdm. plantier, thos. redpath, wayzata, first premium, $ . . gen. jack, b. t. hoyt, st. paul, first premium, $ . . gen. jack, mrs. g. t. brown, st. paul, second premium, $ . . magna charta, mrs. g. t. brown, st. paul, first premium, $ . . ulrich brunner, mrs. g. t. brown, st. paul, first premium, $ . . baroness rothschild, mrs. g. t. brown, st. paul, first premium. $ . . mdm. plantier, mrs. g. t. brown, st. paul, second premium, $ . . aug. s. swanson, judge. peonies. flesh or light pink, mrs. frank moris, lake elmo, third premium, $ . . medium or dark pink, mrs. frank moris, lake elmo, third premium, $ . . white, mrs. frank moris, lake elmo, second premium, $ . . festiva maxima, b. t. hoyt, st. paul, second premium, $ . . medium or dark pink, b. t. hoyt, st. paul, second premium, $ . . festiva maxima, john e. stryker, st. paul, first premium, $ . . light pink, john e. stryker, st. paul, second premium, $ . . dark pink, john e. stryker, st. paul, first premium, $ . . red, john e. stryker, st. paul, second premium, $ . . flesh or light pink, d. w. c. ruff, st. paul, first premium, $ . . white, d. w. c. ruff, st. paul, first premium, $ . . red, d. w. c. ruff, st. paul, first premium, $ . . collection, blooms, professional, b. t. hoyt, st. paul, first premium, $ . . a. m. brand, c. j. traxler, judges. collection, three blooms, amateur, mrs. frank moris, lake elmo, fourth premium, $ . . collection, three blooms, amateur, mrs. h. b. tillotson, excelsior, third premium, $ . . collection, three blooms, amateur, john e. stryker, st. paul, first premium, $ . . collection, three blooms, amateur, mrs. e. w. d. holway, excelsior, second premium, $ . . olaf j. olson, judge. seedling, b. t. hoyt, st. paul, fourth premium, $ . . seedling, crimson no. , , a. m. brand, faribault, third premium, $ . . seedling, ruth, a. m. brand, faribault, first premium, $ . . seedling, no. , a. m. brand, faribault, second premium, $ . . d. w. c. ruff, judge. annuals and perennials. dielytra, f. h. ellison, minneapolis, third premium, $ . . forget-me-nots, f. h. ellison, minneapolis, first premium, $ . . gailardias, f. h. ellison, minneapolis, third premium, $ . . grass pinks, f. h. ellison, minneapolis, second premium, $ . . iceland poppies, f. h. ellison, minneapolis, second premium, $ . . dielytra, mrs. frank moris, lake elmo, first premium, $ . . delphinium, mrs. frank moris, lake elmo, third premium, $ . . foxgloves, mrs. frank moris, lake elmo, second premium, $ . . grass pinks, mrs. frank moris, lake elmo, first premium, $ . . delphinium, mrs. h. b. tillotson, excelsior, second premium, $ . . foxgloves, mrs. h. b. tillotson, excelsior, third premium, $ . . iris, mrs. h. b. tillotson, excelsior, third premium, $ . . gailardias, guy c. hawkins, minneapolis, second premium, $ . . dielytra, anna e. rittle, st. paul, second premium, $ . . iceland poppies, mrs. e. w. gould, minneapolis, third premium, $ . . gailardia, e. a. farmer, minneapolis, first premium, $ . . foxgloves, mrs. j. f. fairfax, minneapolis, first premium, $ . . iceland poppies, mrs. j. f. fairfax, minneapolis, first premium, $ . . iris, mrs. e. w. d. holway, excelsior, first premium, $ . . delphinium, mrs. h. a. boardman, st. paul, first premium, $ . . forget-me-nots, mrs. h. a. boardman, st. paul, third premium, $ . . iris, john s. crooks, st. paul, second premium, $ . . canterbury bells, mrs. chas. krause, merriam park, second premium, $ . . grass pinks, mrs. chas. krause, merriam park, third premium, $ . . canterbury bells, j. a. weber, excelsior, first premium, $ . . forget-me-nots, vera p. l. stebbins, second premium, $ . . oriental poppies, f. h. ellison, minneapolis, first premium, $ . . pansies, f. h. ellison, minneapolis, first premium, $ . . pyrethrum, f. h. ellison, minneapolis, second premium, $ . . sweet peas, f. h. ellison, minneapolis, first premium, $ . . sweet william, f. h. ellison, minneapolis, second premium, $ . . shasta daisies, elizabeth starr, excelsior, third premium, $ . . lilies, mrs. frank moris, lake elmo, third premium, $ . . oriental poppies, mrs. frank moris, lake elmo, second premium, $ . . pansies, mrs. frank moris, lake elmo, second premium, $ . . lilies, guy c. hawkins, minneapolis, first premium, $ . . perennial coreopsis, guy c. hawkins, minneapolis, first premium, $ . . pyrethrum, guy c. hawkins, minneapolis, first premium, $ . . lupine, mrs. e. w. gould, minneapolis, first premium, $ . . shasta daisies, mrs. g. t. brown, st. paul, second premium, $ . . sweet william, mrs. j. f. fairfax, minneapolis, third premium, $ . . lupine, mrs. h. a. boardman, st. paul, third premium, $ . . oriental poppies, mrs. h. a. boardman, st. paul, third premium, $ . . pyrethrum, mrs. h. a. boardman, st. paul, third premium, $ . . shasta daisies, miss flora moeser, st. louis park, first premium, $ . . lilies, mrs. chas. krause, merriam park, second premium, $ . . pansies, mrs. chas. krause, merriam park, third premium, $ . . lupine, miss marion prest, st. paul, second premium, $ . . sweet william, j. a. weber, excelsior, first premium, $ . . john hawkins, john a. jansen, judges. collection named perennials, j. a. weber, excelsior, first premium, $ . . collection named perennials, f. h. ellison, minneapolis, second premium, $ . . collection named perennials, mrs. frank moris, lake elmo, third premium, $ . . mrs. h. a. boardman, mrs. wm. crawford, judges. vase of flowers by child, mrs. f. e. kidd, minneapolis, first premium, $ . . vase of flowers by child, matilda gantzer, st. paul, second premium, $ . . martha a. wyman, judge. vase of any kind flowers, mrs. frank moris, lake elmo, second premium, $ . . vase any kind flowers, miss marjorie knowles, st. paul, first premium, $ . . vase any kind flowers, miss flora moeser, st. louis park, third premium, $ . . j. a. boies, judge. vase of flowers arranged for artistic effect, mrs. f. e. kidd, minneapolis, second premium, $ . . vase of flowers arranged for artistic effect, mrs. s. a. gile, minneapolis, first premium, $ . . vase of flowers arranged for artistic effect, f. h. ellison, minneapolis, third premium, $ . . basket outdoor grown, elizabeth starr, excelsior, third premium, $ . . basket outdoor grown, mrs. s. a. gile, minneapolis, second premium, $ . . basket outdoor grown, mrs. h. a. boardman, st. paul, first premium, $ . . m. emma roberts, carrie l. wilkerson, judges. strawberries. collection, six varieties, h. g. groat, anoka, first premium, $ . . collection, three named varieties, h. g. groat, anoka, first premium, $ . . collection, three named varieties, e. a. farmer, minneapolis, second premium, $ . . progressive, mrs. h. b. tillotson, excelsior, first premium, $ . . bederwood, h. g. groat, anoka, first premium, $ . . dunlap, h. g. groat, anoka, second premium, $ . . crescent, h. g. groat, anoka, first premium, $ . . warfield, h. g. groat, anoka, first premium, $ . . warfield, mrs. m. a. rohan, minneapolis, second premium, $ . . senator dunlap, j. f. bartlett, excelsior, first premium, $ . . minnesota no. , j. f. bartlett, excelsior, first premium, $ . . minnesota no. , a. brackett, excelsior, second premium, $ . . americus, a. brackett, excelsior, first premium, $ . . progressive, a. brackett, excelsior, second premium, $ . . superb, a. brackett, excelsior, first premium, $ . . best named variety, mrs. h. b. tillotson, excelsior, first premium, $ . . best named variety, h. g. groat, anoka, second premium, $ . . best named variety, mrs. john gantzer, st. paul, third premium, $ . . seedling, a. brackett, excelsior, first premium, $ . . thomas redpath, judge. experiment work of chas. g. patten, charles city, ia. geo. j. kellogg, lake mills, wis. june .--i have just spent four days with our friend patten. he has , surprises on seventeen acres of experiment orchard dating back to --every tree of the , has a history. for twenty-eight years he has been working on the chinese sand pear and has brought out a race that is blight-proof, perfectly hardy and of good size and quality. he is not yet satisfied, but has , cross-bred seedlings of many crosses that are about three feet high, ready for transplanting in orchard rows next spring--and he has not room to set them. the state of iowa does not appreciate his labor or value the work he has done and is doing; they are not giving him the money or men to carry on this work. beside the pear experiments he has hundreds of crosses of apples that are very promising and just coming into bearing. these are scattered all through that orchard of , trees, with the pears, and nearly as many plum crosses. some plums are heavily loaded this year that are of wonderful value, and one of the great points is that they have escaped the bad weather in blooming time, while all our standard varieties failed--and i believe the hardiness of bloom will insure fruit on his best kinds when others fail in bad weather. he is breeding form of tree in all these fruits--see his paper in the last volume of iowa hort. report. his crop of apples is light, but many crosses show some fruit. some pears and plums are loaded. eugene secor says, "patten is greater than burbank." * * * * * windbreaks on farm pay dividends.--windbreaks are usually more or less ornamental on a farm, and add to the contentment of the owner. but it is not generally known that windbreaks actually pay dividends. at least studies made a few years ago in nebraska and kansas indicate that windbreaks are profitable. the state forester will soon study their influence in this state. it must be admitted that windbreaks occupy space that could be profitably devoted to agricultural crops, and that the roots of the trees and their shade render a strip of ground on either side of the windbreak relatively unproductive. yet in spite of these drawbacks, efficient windbreaks undoubtedly do more good than evil. the windbreak reduces the velocity of the wind, and, consequently, the loss of soil water from evaporation from the soil surface and from the field crops. this is equivalent to additional rainfall, just as "a dollar saved is a dollar made." it seems from investigations made by the united states forest service that the greater yield of field crops and apples behind the protection of a good windbreak is enough to warrant every farmer in the prairie states in planting windbreaks.--w.j. morrill, colo. agri. college. midsummer reports, . collegeville trial station. rev. john b. katzner, supt. the weather conditions of last winter were not any too favorable for plants and fruit trees. in fact the cold was at times severe and long continued, reaching its maximum with degrees below for one day. the total subzero weather for the winter amounts to degrees, of which january figures with and february with degrees below. this is some cold, no doubt, and yet our hardy fruit trees did not suffer. but other trees not quite hardy suffered more than usual. this is particularly noticeable on my german pear seedlings. the wood of the branches as well as of the stem had turned black down to the ground. all the imported european varieties of pears are dead and ready for the brush pile. prof. n.e. hanson's hybrid pears have suffered just a little. this, however, may be due to the unripe condition of the wood rather than to cold. they had been grafted on strong german pear stock, made a vigorous growth and were still growing when the frost touched them. another season they may be all right. all our cherry trees, too, are almost dead and will be removed and their place used for a trial orchard. it was of great advantage to plants and trees that we had much snow, giving them good protection in root and stem two feet up. but this deep snow helped the rabbits also in reaching the lower branches of the apple trees. they were very active during the winter months and did much damage by biting off the buds and smaller twigs from those branches, but did no injury to the bark of trees otherwise. spring was rather cold and late. up to the middle of may there was not much growth of any kind. but we started work at the station as soon as the ground could be worked. apple and plum grafts made last winter were set out. the orchard was gone over and trees pruned where needed. the grape vines were uncovered and tied up on the trellis. a liberal dressing of manure was worked in around vines growing on poor soil. more than a hundred alpha grape vines were planted along a students' walk for their future benefit. the everbearing strawberries were looked after and a new bed was started. some apple trees were planted in the orchard to replace others. quite a number of german pear seedlings were grafted with hardy varieties an inch below ground. we expect this will give us healthy and hardy trees and fruit in due time. [illustration: patten's no. in blossom at collegeville station.] a friend of mine sent me from los angeles, cal., four fine large cherry trees: the tartarian, napoleon bigarreau and early richmond. these are one year old budded trees; they have made in the congenial climate of california a growth of about eight feet and are an inch through the stem. they arrived the first week in march. it was cold yet and the ground covered with a foot of snow. as we could not plant them, we applied water to the roots and kept the trees unpacked in the cool root cellar till planting time. they are growing now, but next spring we expect to see their finish. another variety of sweet cherries was sent to the trial station from the mountains of pennsylvania and planted in the nursery, but we expect that will meet the same fate. from the u.s. dept. of agriculture we have obtained scions of a pear, no. , which were used in budding some german pear seedlings, as also ten plants of prunus tomentosa no. . this is a chinese bush cherry, and though the fruit is of little value, yet the plant is said to be quite ornamental. in forestry work arbor vitae were set out, more for ornamental effect, and in open places of the woods several thousand scotch pine were planted. this planting was also extended partly around the opposite lake shore to improve the landscape during the winter months, when everything looks bleak and dreary. this station has received quite a liberal supply of new stock for trial from the minn. state fruit-breeding farm, viz.: june bearing strawberry no. , everbearing kind no. , raspberry no. and everbearing sorts nos. and ; of plums, nos. , , , , and sand cherry crossed with climax; of apples, six malindas, nos. , , , , and . they are fine large trees and were planted in the trial orchard. ten smaller apple trees which we received were set out in the nursery and after a year or two will find their place in the orchard. these trees are labeled: gilbert, winesap, russet seedling, then nos. , , , , and a . all of this stock has been carefully planted and is now doing well. the only variety of fruit trees which bloomed before the th of may was the akin plum. most all other trees were getting ready to bloom, but it was really too cold for them to open their flowers. from that time on the blooming became more general among the plums and later among the apples. the trees which did not bear last year were full of flowers. some of the new plums, too, had quite a number of blossoms, and we are watching with great interest what the fruit will be, as we intend to propagate the best ones in a small way for home use. of small fruits we have now on trial five varieties of raspberries and also three sorts of strawberries, nos. , and progressive. this will give us a good chance to judge of their relative value as to hardiness, quality and quantity of fruit. the truck garden is taken care of as usual, but is far behind other years in growth and development of vegetables on account of the cold spring. if it were not for our greenhouse and hotbeds, i think we would yet be without radishes and lettuce. the same may be said in regard to the planting of our lawns. the plants were all ready in the greenhouse, but the planting had to be deferred as long as there was danger of frost. the flower beds on the lawns were finally planted, the designs are very good, but it will take some time yet till their beauty can be seen and enjoyed. judging from present conditions, we may get a pretty good crop of fruits. the time for the late spring frosts passed by without doing any harm. the weather during blooming was favorable for setting a good crop of apples and plums. the grapes, too, show up well and promise a good crop, and the strawberries and currants are doing splendidly. jeffers trial station. dewain cook, supt. june .--_plums_--much rainy weather during the blooming period was undoubtedly the main reason why the plum crop of will not amount to very much. only a few of the americana have set any fruit whatever. however, the terry and the wyants carry considerable fruit. of the japanese hybrids the b.a.q. and emerald have set some fruit--also the stella. of the hybrid plums originating at the minnesota state fruit-breeding farm there are only a few scattering specimens on any of them. most of them have set no fruit whatever. minn. no. , one tree, is in a dying condition from winter-killing. hansen's hybrids have mostly set some fruit, but not freely. the hanska, toka, opata and wohanka are among those varieties making the best showing of fruit. while in a general way we consider the rains during the blooming period responsible for the almost failure of the plum crop, but, to be a little more specific, the blight of the plum bloom, or rather the brown rot fungus, was more generally prevalent and more generally destructive than at any previous season. as for the fungous disease known as plum pocket, we have not seen one this season. it has been entirely absent. as for spraying to control the brown rot fungus, we have and are doing the best we know. with the exception of about twenty-five large plum trees that we have made into a hog pasture and could not get at very well with our gasoline spraying outfit, we sprayed about all our plum trees (and other fruit trees as well) twice before blooming, once just as the fruit buds began to swell and again just before they bloomed, with lime-sulphur solution. we are now spraying the third time, adding arsenate of lead to the lime-sulphur. of grapes sent me from our state fruit-breeding farm all varieties are looking fine. the beta we gave no winter protection, but all of the others we covered with strawy manure. we did this as all the other varieties winter-killed the first winter after planting, and we did not like to take any chances with them. minn. no. strawberry is doing itself proud. we consider it the best all round variety we have ever grown and are planting almost exclusively on our own farm. the everbearing minn. continues to hold place as first best. we set out some plants of this variety this spring, and they are making runners freely. judging from last season, we expect a large crop of fine fruit from them next september, as well as a great quantity of new plants. apples are in a very satisfactory condition. i need to say but little about varieties. all kinds of bearing size bloomed full, and most kinds have set full of fruit. of such kinds as okabena, duchess and wealthy, it looks as though practically every blossom turned into an apple. we received several seedling apple trees from mr. chas. haralson, of the state fruit-breeding farm. they were all set out, and all are growing. la crescent trial station. d. c. webster, supt. june , .--we received this spring, from the fruit-breeding farm, plants for trial as follows: malinda nos. , , , , , , russett seedling, gilbert winesap, nos. , no. , no. ----, no. a , everbearing raspberry nos. , , and strawberry no. . we also received from other sources waneta and lokota plum. everything received for trial this year lived and is growing well. of the plums received in , no. died last winter. those remaining about all bloomed, but only a very little fruit set on the following: nos. , , , , , . native plums have set no fruit this year. apple trees top-worked last year did poorly. the trees worked two years ago did finely and already have quite the appearance of real apple trees. some are setting fruit this year, and we anticipate a few fine specimens of jonathan and delicious this fall from them. in the orchard which blighted so badly two years ago, several trees died from that cause. a great many are in a ragged condition from the pruning necessary, and we note with considerable anxiety the occasional appearance of that dreaded enemy a few days ago. last year we had what might be called a full crop of apples, and consequently did not expect them to do much this year. however, they had a fairly good bloom, and about one-half of the trees have set a fair crop. we sprayed twice with so far satisfactory results. strawberries in this vicinity were badly injured by ice in winter where not covered. ours were covered and now promise a good yield. began picking the th inst. we set quite a patch of everbearers no. this spring. they bore last fall but chickens picked most of the berries. superb were unsatisfactory and winter-killed where not covered. carrie gooseberry has set full of berries and plants look fine. all other trees and shrubbery in general at this station are in good condition. mandan, n.d., trial station. (northern great plains field station.) w.a. peterson, supt. all plants at this station went into the winter with favorable soil moisture conditions. many plants, however, made a late growth and were still in growing condition late in september. the winter was a long and severe one, although there was more snow than usual. the early spring was severe, being both windy, cold and dry. up to date (june th) there have been very few calm days. three or four very severe dust storms did considerable damage by blowing out seeds and blighting the tender new growth of many plants. the winter of - in this section can be called a test winter, as much winter-killing both in root and top has resulted. a large proportion of the apple and plum orchard ( % to %) killed out. there was no mulch or protection in these orchards. practically all grapes killed out, even though protected. a few beta are alive at the crown. asparagus (unprotected) suffered severely. all raspberries had been covered with dirt. they came through perfectly and promise a good crop. strawberries wintered successfully. the south dakota variety came through perfectly, even when not mulched. all are in full bloom now. practically all of prof. hansen's plum hybrids killed out entirely, or are dead to trunk or crown. a large number of seedlings of chinese apricot, chinese peach, native grapes, juneberries and bullberries passed through the winter with little or no injury. about , beta seedlings, lined out as one year seedlings in the spring of , winter-killed, with the exception of about seven or eight plants. paradise apple stocks wintered safely. soft maples that winter-killed to the ground in the preceding year are good to the tips this spring, even though they had made four to six feet of new growth last summer. many new plantings have been made this spring, especially along plant-breeding lines. extensive experiments have also been started with fruit trees, shelter-belt trees, ornamental shrubs and perennial flowering plants to determine the factors that influence the hardiness of plants. strawberry no. , from the minnesota fruit-breeding farm, made an excellent showing in , and all plants bore some fruit. only a few runners were made, however. all plants were potted in fall, so no data has been secured on their hardiness. several hundred more plants of this variety were set out this spring and they made an excellent stand. montevideo trial station. lycurgus r. moyer, supt. _syringa japonica._--the japanese tree lilac has often been recommended by this station, but last winter was unusually severe, and an old tree obtained from prof. budd, nearly thirty years ago, now shows several damaged branches. younger trees on our grounds and in the city parks show no injury. perhaps this tree cannot be expected to live to be much more than thirty years of age nor attain a much greater height than thirty feet. the old tree is throwing up new stems from its roots and may rejuvenate itself. _caragana._--the small shrubby caragana (caragana pygmaea) was unusually fine this spring when in full bloom. we received it from prof. budd many years ago. it does finely in the clay banks of lincoln parkway in this city, but it is seldom offered by nurserymen. caragana frutex, formerly called caragana frutescens, is a somewhat taller shrub and not quite so floriferous. it makes a fine screen. both of these shrubs are addicted to root sprouting, and might not please those who care for a stiff, formal garden. both may be readily propagated from root cuttings. _roses._--hansen's tetonkeha rose at this writing is in full bloom and is a very striking object. it grows to the height of about four feet and needs no protection. the flowers are large and of a deep pink color. it seems to be as hardy as the old yellow rose of our gardens, that rose being now, too, at its best. among other garden roses paul neyron is in a rather weak condition, ulrich brunner is doing a little better, while mme. georges bruant is doing still better. rosa pratincola grows on our grounds naturally, and we have brought in from the edges of the timber rosa engelmanni and rosa maximilliani. a friend in duluth has sent us rosa sayi, and we obtained rosa macounii from the bad lands of north dakota. these roses, as well as the more common rosa blanda, make an interesting addition to the hardy border. _delphinium formosum._--we obtained a plant or two of the old tall larkspur almost thirty years ago. the old plants persisted several years, and seedlings have grown up from self-sown seed, and the plantation is now as attractive as ever. _chrysanthemum uliginosum._--the giant daisy has been here for a long time and needs but little attention. the clumps should be taken up and divided occasionally. it is one of our best late fall flowers. _philadelphus._--philadelphus pubescens came through the winter without injury. philadelphus zeyheri suffered a little. philadelphus coronarius came through in fair condition in a rather protected border, but philadelphus lemoinei was frozen back nearly to the ground. [illustration: giant daisy, or chrysanthemum uliginosum.] _physocarpus._--physocarpus opulifolius came through the winter with no more than its ordinary injury. _lonicera._--the old climbing honeysuckle (lonicera sempervirens) came through the winter very much damaged, but our native honeysuckle is in fine condition. the bush honeysuckles are all hardy. the one known as lonicera bella alba does not differ very much from the common white form of the tartarian honeysuckle. _prunus triloba._--the double flowering plum has always been hardy with us, and usually has been a splendid bloomer in the latter part of april, but last winter was so severe that it did not bloom at all this spring. _catalpa._--another strange feature of the winter was that catalpa speciosa came through entirely uninjured. _viburnum._--viburnum pekinensis came through in fine condition as well as its close relative, the high bush cranberry. the common snowball did not suffer so much from aphis this year as usual. viburnum lentago, which grows in the river valleys here naturally, is doing finely. _syringa._--among the bushy lilacs syringa ligustrina, syringa chinensis, syringa josikea and syringa villosa all bloomed fully. the varieties of the common lilac, known as ludwig spaeth, charles x, senator vollard and the one that prof. budd brought from russia and called by him russian lilac, were all very satisfactory. this last variety has pink flowers and is a very choice variety of syringa vulgaria. _amelanchier._--the large juneberry, probably amelanchier canadensis, was a very attractive object in april, when its purple-colored young leaves contrasted with its white bloom. the dwarf juneberry, with their villous young leaves and white flowers, are very attractive in april and should receive more attention from our planters. _dictamnus._--the gas plant (dictamnus fraxinilla) becomes more attractive from year to year. it is one of the hardy plants which needs scarcely any attention to keep the weeds away. the pink form is very showy when in flower, and the plant is very attractive after the flower is gone. _iris._--a rather large collection of siberian iris is very attractive just now. the city has found it a very desirable, hardy plant to set in the park. _apples._--a very good tree for park planting seems to be the crabapple, known as malus seboldii. it is very attractive when in bloom, and the fruit as it ripens takes on a rich warm color that is very interesting. okabena is promising a light crop, which may be advantageous, as when this variety bears freely the apples are apt to be undersized. a thompson seedling is promising a full crop as well as most of the other common varieties. the wealthy on malus baccata is bearing a full crop. _hybrid plums._--the common varieties of plums are promising a very good crop, except surprise, which is not bearing at all this year. minnesota no. is the only one of the new seedlings bearing a full crop. no. has a light crop. no. is thrifty and promising and so is no. . no. suffered from the winter. plums no. and are both promising. plum no. was injured by the rabbits. hansen's no. , sansota, is bearing a light crop. _raspberries._--raspberry no. is promising a full crop. it is a very late variety. hansen's oheta is one of our best berries. _gooseberries._--western minnesota is not well adapted to the cultivation of gooseberries, nor do currants do very well. the carrie gooseberry is promising a full crop, and some of the older varieties are doing better than usual, perhaps on account of the unusually cool season. nevis trial station. jas. arrowood, supt. june , .--apples came through the past winter in fairly good shape, especially the stock we have grown at this place. there has been some loss with stock that has been brought from outside nurseries from top killing, and there have been some sun scalds where trees have been exposed to the southwest sun, mostly among the limbs and crotches. there will be a fair crop of apples, as they seem to be setting fairly good. there has been considerable top-working done this spring with fair success. [illustration: mr. james arrowood alongside a seedling of the transcendent in early bloom.] our native plums have all come through the winter in good shape, with only a small setting of plums, on account of so much rain. in regard to the plums we received from the breeding station in : the number of plums was eighteen; all grew except two, and those killed back each year. they were no. . all the rest have grown, but no fruit up to date except on no. . that fruited last year and also is loaded with fruit at this date. the trees received in all grew except two. they all made a fair growth but haven't yet set any fruit. the dozen trees that were sent me in have all made a good growth this last year. two dozen grapes that were sent to me three years ago have not set fruit but have made a slow growth. now in regard to small fruit, such as strawberries, we wish to say that no. heads everything in the strawberry line for growth and berries. its equal is not found in this section of the country. in regard to the everbearing we cannot say that they have done as well as we expected them to. the raspberries that we received three years ago have all done very well. no. and no. have done the best. those berries have all stood out without covering through the winter. we have one acre of them now. they have not killed back at all and promise a big crop. we received this spring about one dozen apple trees which we will report on later. currants and gooseberries promise a good crop. in regard to the shade trees and the evergreens they have all done remarkably well. we have more faith in the seedling fruits, such as apples and plums, for this section of the country. we believe our only hope will be through the seedlings. this was the late prof. green's prediction to me just before his death. every year brings to mind his saying, that we must plant our own apple and plum seed if we ever expect any good results in northern minnesota. in regard to the hansen plums--all seem to be doing well and are set full of fruit. we would also mention the hansen sweet alfalfa, which is a wonder. it grows and spreads equal to quack-grass. four years ago we received fifty plants, which were planted according to directions of the professor to set two feet apart and cultivate the first year. during these four years it does not appear that there has been a single plant killed out. it has spread from the seed and roots over two rods wide and six rods long and as thick as it can stand. owatonna trial station. thos. e. cashman, supt. there is but little to report from the owatonna station at this time. trees and plants came through the winter in good condition. the apple trees, haralson's plum seedlings, no. everbearing strawberry, no. raspberry and beta grape seedlings came through the winter without injury. trees that are old enough have blossomed well and are carrying a fair crop of fruit. a new lot of seedlings originated by mr. haralson at the fruit-breeding station have been planted this year, and the station this year put in the following: malinda nos. , , , , , , , , , , , , w. ; malinda seedling, w. ; hilbut, winesap, w. , no. , no. , w. , w. , w. , no. , w. g., no. ; no. everbearing raspberries, russet selly, w. , w. , no. . they are starting off in good shape and will all make a good showing for the first year. we have done the usual spraying, first with lime-sulphur and a small portion of arsenate of lead while the trees were dormant, and just lately a good dose of arsenate of lead. the foliage of the trees is perfect, and bugs of all kinds are conspicuous by their absence. people who have not sprayed find their trees badly stripped of foliage. i am afraid of severe losses unless they get busy very soon. spraying costs but little and must be done if we are to raise fruit. paynesville trial station. frank brown, supt. the plums sent to this station the spring of wintered very nicely, blossomed very full and have set considerable fruit. the new growth on these trees is very satisfactory, and they seem to be healthy in all ways. no. plum trees sent here last spring froze back quite badly, but as many other supposedly hardy trees did the same we are still in hopes that this was only an incident in a hard winter. [illustration: a corner of the home orchard at the paynesville station.] no. raspberry is still a favorite here; it winters perfectly, is a strong grower, and a good all around berry, both as a home berry, and as a shipper. raspberries nos. and are both good, but no. lacks a little in hardiness, and we wish to test no. more fully before reporting. the other raspberries, nos. , , and , are no good here. if i knew how to say more in favor of that grand strawberry minn. no. i should say it; with us it is the best of all the june-bearing berries, hardy, productive, a good canner and a good shipper. the spring of we received from the central station fifty plants labeled minn. no. . we considered it our duty to test these in all ways, so kept all berries picked off until july st, then allowed fruit and plants to form as they would, and the result was an immense crop of dark red fruit, of the finest quality, and over strong, sturdy plants. these were transplanted this spring without the loss of a single plant, and at this date are certainly a fine looking bunch. the apple trees received this spring from the central station are all doing well. the trees and plants from that station certainly speak volumes for the work being done by supt. haralson. some trees and shrubs killed back quite badly the past winter, especially spirea van houtti was badly hurt. fruit prospects are good, the cold backward spring held the fruit buds back until all danger of frost was over. strawberries are especially fine this season, and bid fair to be a record crop. in fact, the horticulturists in this part of our state have much to be thankful for. sauk rapids trial station. mrs. jennie stager, supt. june --starting with a late spring, which saved all sorts of blossoms from the frost, now in june we have promise of an unlimited amount of fruit. but with heavy rains almost every night, we cannot effect much with spraying. one spraying eliminated all worms so far from not only the currants and gooseberries, but the roses also, and once going through the orchards has done away with the few tent caterpillars that had started in their work. so on the whole we have hopes of a full harvest of not only tree but small fruits. most vegetables are backward, as also flowers from seeds, but with so much to be thankful for how can any of us complain. * * * * * alleged pear blight cures are worthless--organism of disease lives underneath bark out of reach of "cure."--fruit growers should not allow themselves to be induced to purchase and use worthless pear blight cures. every year we hear of cures for pear blight being sold to fruit growers, but to the present time the experiment stations of the country have hunted in vain for any practical remedy that may be sprayed upon trees or used in any way for the cure of this typo for disease. the organism lives underneath the bark entirely out of reach of remedies that may be applied to the surface of the tree. i would strongly recommend to fruit growers that they do not spend any money for pear blight until they are able to learn through experiment stations, or the department of agriculture at washington, d.c., that there is a remedy that can be used for the control of this disease.--c. p. gillette, colorado agricultural experiment station. west concord trial station. fred cowles, supt. june .--the past winter was long and severe. besides the severe cold, a heavy coat of ice remained a long time on trees of all kinds, causing much anxiety, but when the time came trees of all kinds were full of bloom and beauty. most varieties of apples have set a full crop of fruit. some trees which bore a heavy crop last year have little or none this year, but the general crop of apples will be heavy if it matures. our trees top-worked to jonathan and northern spy are bearing good this year; they show no signs of winter-killing. [illustration: side view of mr. cowles' home grounds.] plums were full of bloom as usual, but have set little fruit. some varieties--sansota and wyant--have a few scattering plums. seedling no. also has a few. the new seedlings from the station are all growing good. the native plums in a thicket have more fruit than the named varieties. strawberries have wintered well and give promise of a full crop. some garden patches in the vicinity winter-killed badly. minnesota seedling no. promises to be a good berry; the strong fruit stems keep the berries from the ground. the progressive and superb, of the everbearing type, are no longer an experiment, but are a success, and many farmers are planting them. raspberries winter-killed some. the herbert seems as hardy as any. seedling no. is also hardy. gooseberries and currants are bearing as usual. grapes have started rather late and will have a short season to mature. the early flowering shrubs bloomed very full this spring. lilacs did extra well. the persian lilac was very full and lasted a long time. chas. x, madam chereau and alphonse la valle were fine. villosa is just coming out; this is a beautiful variety. the tree lilac received from china a few years ago is going to bloom for the first time. the iris is just in full bloom, and the delicate colorings always please. peonies are late this year, none being out at this time. a few rugosas are the only roses out at this time, but they look promising for a little later. orcharding in minnesota. discussion led by prof. richard wellington, university farm. mr. sauter: i want to set out trees; what kind shall i set out? i live at zumbra heights. mr. wellington: i would prefer some of the more experienced growers to speak on that question, but going over the recommendations of over growers the wealthy is recommended in practically all cases in preference to the other varieties. we know, however, that the wealthy needs pollen from other varieties for fertilization of the blossom, so it would be foolish to put out wealthys. it is better to mix in some of the other varieties. if i was planting an orchard, probably seventy-five per cent. of the apples would be wealthys. mr. sauter: and what next? mr. wellington: well, that depends altogether on your market. if you can handle the duchess apple, work the duchess in; or if you wanted a few late apples, work in some of the other varieties. mr. sauter: isn't the okabena better than the duchess? mr. wellington: it is a little later. mr. richardson: four days later. mr. wellington: that would be my recommendation. i would put in the majority of the trees wealthys and then work in some other varieties according to your market. mr. sauter: isn't the malinda and the northwest greening all right? mr. wellington: the northwest greening seems to be especially valuable in certain parts of the state. in some parts they winter injure, but it is a good late variety. mr. sauter: how is the malinda? mr. wellington: malinda is all right excepting in quality. it is lacking in quality. mr. sauter: is it a good seller? mr. wellington: i couldn't tell you about that. some of these other gentlemen could give you information on that point. it tastes more like cork than anything else, but after the other apples are gone we are not so particular about it. mr. dunlap: the speaker brought out one point that we tested out a great many years ago in illinois, and i suppose it is really an important one here, and that is the protection against the winds with shelter-belts. now, at the university of illinois they planted out some forty acres to test that with all the varieties they could get together, and they planted spruce trees not only on the outside of the orchard but they planted them in through the orchard, dividing the orchards up into ten acre plots. quite a number of the early planters of apples in illinois also put windbreaks around their orchards with considerable detriment to their orchards. we find that we need air drainage there just as much as we need protection against the wind. if i were in minnesota i might change my mind after studying the conditions, but if i was going to plant in minnesota and i should plant evergreens i certainly would trim them up from the bottom so as to get air drainage. i have known of instances where orchards were protected and where there was air drainage they were all right, but where they were closely protected by the trees they were injured by the frosts by their starting too early in the spring. if you get a warm atmosphere around the trees you start your buds pretty early, several days earlier than they would if they had the right kind of air drainage, and it does seem to me that the experience we have had would be against close planting around an orchard for protection from frost, though you do want to protect them against winds, but air drainage, it seems, is not a detriment to orchards. (applause.) mr. richardson: i wish to say that in my observation and my experience if i was putting in a windbreak i would put it on the south and west sides; i wouldn't have any on the north and east. mr. brackett: our prevailing winds are from the south and west during the summer, and the wealthy is an apple that is bad for falling off when it gets to a certain stage, and i think it is very necessary for us to have a windbreak on the south and west if we are going to protect our orchards here. mr. ludlow: the wind comes from the northwest generally in the winter, when we have storms, and if snow falls and it comes from the northwest, and the orchard is protected on that side by a windbreak, the windbreak will catch the snow and it will pile on top of the orchard, and i have known at least a dozen trees to be broken down by the storms of winter getting in that way. a member: i think crab apple trees make a good windbreak, if they are set twice as close together as trees in the orchard. a member: i think location has more to do with it than anything else. i have two or three orchards in mind where five years ago, when we had that hard frost, they had an abundance of apples, and it was protected from the northwest. i have another orchard in mind that was protected from the north and northwest, and this year they had over , bushels of wealthy apples. mine wasn't protected particularly from the north, and i had no apples, but back of the buildings, there is where i had my apples. i tell you location has more to do with it than a windbreak in such a case. mr. drum: you all remember some ten or more years ago when the apple trees were in blossom, and we had a terrible snow storm and blizzard and freeze. my orchard was protected both from the southwest and the northwest and the north, and following that freeze my trees had the only apples that were left in that country. i think that protection from the north and northwest is just as essential, especially in a position where the winds have a wide sweep. my house and my orchard slope off to the northwest, and i have a full sweep of the northwest wind there for miles. the house was set as it were on a pinnacle. i think the protection from the northwest is fully as essential in such a position as any other. mr. whiting: this windbreak proposition is a question of locality. in the western part of the state, as well as in south dakota--especially in south dakota--we say that the south windbreak is decidedly the most important of any we can put in. we have more hot winds than you do here in the eastern part of minnesota. you don't have that trouble, but in western minnesota you are very much like we are in south dakota. mr. ludlow knows the conditions, and i say you must take that into consideration. if you are in that locality the south windbreak is decidedly the most important of any. then i would say the windbreak on the south, west and north are all of considerable importance. of course, you can overdo it, you can smother your orchard. you must guard against that, but we have too much air drainage. in regard to the variety proposition, isn't it true that you are growing too many perishable apples in minnesota? i know it is so in south dakota. we are growing too many of these early varieties; we ought to grow more winter varieties. if you want to build up a large commercial apple business you have got to raise more keepers. you are planting too many early varieties. mr. dowds: i have been setting out apple trees more or less in different states for sixty years. if i was going to set out another orchard i would put windbreaks all around it, north, south, east and west, and the windbreak that i would use would be the yellow willow. it grows quick, it gives you a circulation of air, and it protects your trees. my experience in the last fifteen years has been that the yellow willow was the best windbreak that you can have around the house. mr. brackett: mr. whiting says, grow winter apples. i want to know what winter apples will bring the money that wealthy bring. mr. whiting: that is a hard question, but isn't it a fact that you grow too many wealthys? don't you glut the market unless you have cold storage? you ought to work to that end just as much as possible; you ought to have more good keepers, better winter varieties. the society library. books may be taken from the library of the minnesota state horticultural society by any member of the society on the following terms: . only one book can be taken at a time. . books with a star (*) before the title, as found in the published library list, are reference books and not to be taken from the library. . in ordering books give besides the name also the case and book numbers, to be found in the same line as the title. . books will be sent by parcel post when requested. . when taking out, or sending for a book, a charge of ten cents is made to cover expense of recording, transmission, etc. . books are mailed to members only in minnesota and states immediately adjoining. when sent to points outside the state a charge of fifteen cents is made. . a book can be kept two weeks: if kept longer a charge of two cents per day will be made. . the library list, to december , , is published in the annual volume of the society. additions to this list will be published year by year in the succeeding annual volumes. garden helps conducted by minnesota garden flower society edited by mrs. e. w. gould, humboldt avenue so. minneapolis. mr. h. h. whetzel, of the plant disease survey, u.s. department of agriculture, stationed at cornell university, where the american peony society has its test grounds, has made a study of the stem-rot disease of the peony and has set forth the results in an address before the massachusetts horticultural society, from which the following has been culled: "the botrytis blight is by far the most common and destructive disease of the peony so far as known at present. this disease is frequently epidemic, especially during wet springs. it occurs wherever peonies are grown, apparently the world over. "this disease usually makes its appearance early in the spring when the stalks are coming up. shoots will suddenly wilt and fall. examination will show they have rotted at the base or just below the surface of the ground. the rotted portion will soon become covered with a brown coat of spores--much like felt. generally it is the young stalks that are affected, though sometimes stalks with buds just opening will suddenly wilt and fall. it is thought the spores are carried through the winter on the old stubble, after the tops have been cut off. they are in the best position to give rise to a new crop of spores in the spring, and the new shoots become infected as they appear. "to eradicate this disease the old stubble should be carefully removed in the fall or early spring by removing first the soil from the crown so as not to injure the buds, and cutting off the old stalks. these should be burned and the soil replaced with clean soil or preferably sand. whenever a shoot shows sign of the disease it should be cut off and burned. the buds must also be watched and any that begin to turn brown or black and die must also be cut off and burned, as spores will be found upon them, and these will be spread by the wind and insects. spotted leaves should also be picked off. in wet seasons the peonies should be closely watched. for the small garden, with comparatively few clumps of peonies, this treatment will be entirely practical and effective." bulbs should be ordered this month if you wish the pick of the new crop. there are two fall blooming bulbs that would add to our september and october gardens. one is the sternbergia, or autumn daffodil, and the other is the autumn crocus. the bulbs should be planted in august and will blossom the same season. the daffodil is a clear yellow and is good for cutting. these bulbs must be ordered as early as possible. lady bugs are our garden friends, destroying multitudes of aphides. they should never be killed. have you the following all ready for use? for insects, bugs or worms that chew--or eat portions of plants--arsenate of lead, paris green or hellebore. for sucking insects, nicotine or kerosene emulsion. for diseases, bordeaux mixture or ammoniacal copper carbonate solution. a good sprayer. * * * * * _remember_ our photographic contest. bee-keeper's column conducted by francis jager, professor of apiculture, university farm, st. paul. increasing colonies (continued from june no.) [illustration: prof. francis jager's apiary at st. bonifacius.] to increase you must first make your colonies strong. one or more of your best colonies must be selected to raise queens for your increase unless you wish to buy your queen. stimulate your queen raising colonies by feeding and not giving them any supers. the crowded condition will bring on an early swarming impulse, under which they will raise from twelve to twenty large, well developed queen cells each. the queens of your queen raising colonies should be clipped. when in due time a queen raising colony swarms, catch the queen and remove her and let the swarm return. immediately after this swarm you may proceed to divide your other colonies from which you wish to increase. put down on a permanent location as many empty hives as you have available queen cells in your colony that swarmed. into one of these you put your removed breeding queen with two frames of brood and bees. into each of the rest of the empty hives put two frames of brood with all adhering bees from your colonies you wish to increase. be sure to leave the queens in the old hive after brood for increase with adhering bees has been removed. thus you have now a number of new colonies with bees and two frames of brood but no queen. the rest of the hive may be filled with drawn comb or sheets of foundation. to prevent the bees from returning to the old home, stuff the entrance of the hive solidly with grass. in two days the grass will wilt and dry and the bees will come out automatically and stay in the new location--at least most of them. in the meantime being queenless they will be busy with raising queen cells on the two frames of brood. this occupation will make them contented, then on the seventh day cut out every one of their queen cells and give them a cell from your breeder colony. your queen breeding colony on the seventh day after swarming will have ripe queen cells ready to hatch, with one queen probably out. if by listening in the evening you hear her "sing" and "peep" go next morning and remove all queen cells and give one to each of your newly formed colonies. they will be readily accepted, will hatch immediately, sometimes whilst you are removing them, but certainly the same or next day and begin laying in due time. from such colonies you may not expect any surplus honey, but they will build up rapidly and will be strong colonies to put away next fall. [illustration: administration building (main building), university farm, st. anthony park, minn.] while it is not the intention to publish anything in this magazine that is misleading or unreliable, yet it must be remembered that the articles published herein recite the experience and opinions of their writers, and this fact must always be noted in estimating their practical value. the minnesota horticulturist vol. august, no. how may university farm and the minnesota state horticultural society be mutually helpful in developing the farms and homes of the northwest? a. f. woods, dean and director, dept. of agri., university of minn., st. paul. the farm without its windbreaks, shade trees, fruits, flowers and garden, if it can be called a home at all is certainly one that needs developing and improving. there are many abiding places in the northwest, as in every other part of the united states, that lack some essential part of them. the first and most important step with a view to correcting these conditions is to bring together those interested in home improvement to talk over problems and difficulties and to plan how to correct them and to interest others in the movement. this is what this great society with its auxiliary societies has been and is now doing most successfully. it is true that your work has been more particularly from the horticultural view point, but, as i said in the beginning, fruits and flowers are civilizing and home making influences. there should be more horticulturally interested people from the farms affiliated with this society. each farmers' club should have a horticultural committee. there are now about nine hundred farmers' clubs in the state, and the number is increasing constantly. these clubs represent the communities in which the members live. they include men, women and children, farmers, preachers, teachers, every member of the community willing to cooperate. they start things in the community interest and follow them up. the agricultural extension service of the university is in close touch with these clubs. the horticulturists of the service especially might help to arouse the interest of the clubs in this movement. this society might offer some prizes especially designed to interest the boys and girls of the farmers' clubs. each club horticultural committee should have representation in this society. some of the prizes might be memberships or trips to the annual meeting. many members of this society are members of such clubs. they could take the lead in the movement. in this way the society would keep in touch with the homes and communities of the state, and all would grow together in horticultural grace--and the other graces that go with it. [illustration: a minnesota farm home with handsome grounds and modern conveniences.] the gospel of better homes is like every other gospel. it must be taken to those who need it and who know it not or are not interested. the extension service of the university is organized to carry the message of better homes, better farms, better social and business relations to the people who need it. farmers' institutes, short courses, lectures, demonstration, farm supervision, judging at county fairs, boys' and girls' club work, institute trains, county agent service, indicate some of the kinds of work in progress. the press is also a powerful factor in this work. the minnesota farmers' library, which is made up of timely publications on all matters of rural interest, has a mailing list of fifty-five thousand farmers. from six to twelve of these publications are issued each year. "university farm press news" reaches regularly six hundred papers in the state. "rural school agriculture," containing material especially adapted to the needs of the consolidated and rural schools, reaches practically every rural and consolidated school in the state each month. "the visitor" is a special publication prepared for the use of the teachers of agriculture in the high schools of the state. the "farmers' institute annual" is a manual of three hundred pages published each year in editions of fifty thousand and contains material of interest to every farmer. many special articles are prepared for farm papers. every department of the extension service and college and station is in touch with the farm homes of the state through correspondence, and much valuable work is accomplished in this way. the aim is always to work from the home as the center, and from that to the group of homes constituting the community, the township, the county and the state, in an ever-enlarging circle. [illustration: a typical minnesota consolidated school building.] the greatest opportunity for better homes and better farms and a better country life is in enlisting the children of the country in the movement. when i say the children of the country, i do not mean to exclude the children of the villages and towns whose tastes may lead them countryward. we should never stop or attempt to stop the free movement between the country and the city. it is good for both. the children of today will be the farmers and farm home makers and the business men and women of tomorrow. are the children of the farmers looking forward with interest to farming as a business, and life in the country as attractive? the movement to the city in ever-increasing numbers is the answer, but it is the answer to what has been and now is, rather than to what is to be. a new day is dawning, in which the brightest minds and the choicest spirits will again choose to live in the open country and make there the ideal homes from which shall continue to come the life and vigor of the nation. but if it is to be so, the schools of the country must furnish real intelligent leadership and the country church must come again to spiritual leadership. we must all help to bring this about. minnesota has a plan to accomplish this, and it is working out even better than we dared hope. experience has shown that by consolidation or the cooperation of several districts, good results may be secured at no greater cost than the same type of school costs in town. the small school of today is expensive because it is inefficient. the consolidated school is giving the children of the country the education that they need and is doing it better than it can be done anywhere else. the consolidated school is becoming the rural community center. an important feature which has been adopted by many of the consolidated districts is the building of a home for the teachers in connection with the school. this home may be made typical of what the modern home should be, not expensive but substantial, artistic, convenient and sanitary. the grounds should be suitably planted with trees, shrubs and flowers, and there should be a garden. the school building is also made to fit the needs of the community. the larger rooms may be used for entertainments, farmers' club meetings, lectures, etc. there should be facilities for testing milk and other agricultural products, examining soils, etc. there should be a shop for wood and iron work, or at least a work bench and an anvil. there should be a library of good reading and a place to cook and bake and sew. there should be a typewriter, a piano or an organ, and such other conveniences for teaching and social center work as the community may wish and be able to secure, and, best of all, teachers living at the school who know how to operate the plant in every detail and to make it useful to the community. [illustration: an ideal plan for consolidated school grounds.] there were nine of these schools five years ago in minnesota. according to the last report of the department of public instruction, there are now, and the number is increasing constantly. the state as a state is behind the movement and is giving substantial aid, direction and supervision to these schools. when the forward movement was planned, plans were also made to train teachers and to give the teachers already in the service special work that would fit them to adjust themselves to the new needs. the normal schools and the high schools teaching agriculture, manual training and home economics have adjusted their courses to meet this new demand. six years ago the work had hardly begun. today there are high and graded schools teaching home economics, teaching agriculture, teaching manual training, and of these are preparing teachers especially for the rural schools. the college of agriculture and home economics of the university of minnesota is training the teachers in these subjects for the high schools and normal schools, and, in cooperation with the state superintendent of public instruction, the department of agriculture has been conducting a summer school for rural teachers, where those already teaching and those planning to teach can get the training required to meet the new conditions and demands. similar summer schools have been conducted in cooperation with the agricultural schools at crookston and morris. all together each year there are between , and , teachers taking these special courses. every effort is made to bring to these teachers the view point of the new country life movement. this society and the members individually in their home communities should stand squarely behind this movement. they should become thoroughly informed regarding it. it is the cornerstone of the new country life. finally i wish to call your attention again to the great educational opportunity which you are missing. if you could come into vital contact each year with more than , young men and women who are seeking for everything that will help them to be more useful citizens, would you do it? you could exert in that way an exceedingly great influence on the homes and future welfare of this state and nation. you can do it if you will come out and live with us the year round at university farm. we should have a building there suited to your needs that we could all use as a great horticultural center, open the year round. you have already taken steps in this direction. i hope that conditions will be such that we can join hands to get it very soon. * * * * * san jose scale requires prompt action--orchard should either be destroyed or sprayed before buds open.--there are a few orchards in colorado that are found to be infested with the san jose scale. owners of these orchards should determine upon one of two courses to pursue. the orchard should either be promptly cut down and destroyed, or the trees should be thoroughly treated with lime-sulphur solution or a good quality of miscible oil for the destruction of the scale before the buds open in the spring. if lime-sulphur is determined upon, the home-made article may be used, or the commercial lime-sulphur solutions may be used, in which case they should be diluted with water, in the proportion of one gallon of the commercial lime-sulphur to not more than ten gallons of water. the application should be made thoroughly, so that every bit of the bark of trunk and limbs is covered with the spray. if miscible oil is used, i would recommend using one gallon of the oil to each nineteen gallons of water. hard or alkaline waters should be avoided, as sometimes the oil will not make a good emulsion with them. use soft water, if possible.--c.p. gillette, colorado agricultural experiment station. the horticulturist as king. c. s. harrison, nurseryman, york, neb. some of the promises regarding our future stagger us with their vastness. "to him that overcometh will i grant to sit with me on my throne." but how is it down here? thou "crownest him with riches and honor." thou hast "put all things under his feet." unto fields where feet of angels come not we are chosen as partners of the heavenly father to make this a more fruitful and beautiful world. in our life work much depends on our attitude regarding our calling. we can plod like an ox, or like markham's semi-brute man with the hoe, and make that the badge of servitude to toil, or we can make it a wand in a magician's hand to call forth radiant forms of beauty from the somber earth to smile upon us and load the air with fragrance. we can live down in the basement of horticulture or in the upper story. man is coming to his own. the savage trembled at the lightning stroke which shivered the mighty oak. little knew he that here was a giant at play waiting to be tamed and harnessed so he could be the most obedient servant--ready at the master's beck to leap a continent, dive under the ocean, draw heavy trains, and run acres of machinery. man reaches out his wand, and steam, gas, and oil rise up to do his will. if, with the advance of civilization, he wants beautiful things to adorn person or home, he finds subterranean gardens of precious gems almost priceless in value--gems that are immortals, flowers that never fade, prophets all of the "glory to be revealed." you have heard of the marvelous persian garden of gems--four hundred feet in length and ninety feet wide--made to imitate the most beautiful blooms of earth. it cost millions upon millions. do you know that it is in your power, with the advance of floriculture, to create gardens far more resplendent in beauty--great gardens of delight fit for the touch of angel's feet, while the whole is flooded with billows of sweetest perfume? three years ago that was a patch of barren earth; now you have pulled down a section of paradise upon it and condensed there the tints of the morning, the splendors of the evening, the beauty of the rainbow, and the effulgence which flames in the mantles of the suns. i love to think of nature as a person--first born daughter of god--her head white with the snows of the centuries, her cheeks radiant with the flush of recurrent springtime, emblems of eternal youth. she takes you by the hand, leads you into the forests, talks to you of the soul of the tree, tells you how intelligent it is. there is one standing in the open. it has performed a feat no civil engineer can emulate. think of those roots so busily scurrying around in the earth, gathering food to send up the cambium highway to nourish the trees. see the taut cords thrown out to anchor it against the storms. look at those trees on the outskirts. among wild animals the strongest are on guard on the outside to protect the herd. so these sentinel trees guard their wards against the storms. fool man cuts down the guards and the wards fall before the sweep of the storm. mother nature--dear, friendly soul--takes you into her holy of holies and reveals her mysteries. she makes a confident of you. she throws open her doors and shows you the wide vistas of a new land you may enter and glorify. follow her direction, and what a friend you have! cross her, thinking you know more than she does, and she laughs at you. she takes you into the garden and the nursery and discloses her wonders and helps you to work miracles. you plant seeds and bulbs, and beauty rises to greet you. did you ever think of the royal position of the florist and horticulturist? the sacred poet speaks of the "labor of the olive." what a flood of light that opens upon us. "all things are yours." let us go out into the grove you have planted. i once took off my hat to myself. while living in the republican valley, near the th meridian, i planted some bull pine seed. when the little trees were large enough, i transplanted them in rows six feet apart and started a miniature forest. twenty-five years after i went to see them. the rows were straight. the trees had fine bodies six inches through. they were miniature columns in a temple, holding up a canopy of green. the ground was covered with a thick carpet of needles. it was one of the most pleasing sights i ever saw. then i thought, "what if i had planted forty acres?" i would have had a mecca to which horticultural pilgrims would have flocked from hundreds of miles. i planted the trees, and the faithful servants kept on working day and night, and that beautiful grove was the result. every tree you plant is your servant, and how faithful it is--no shirking, always at it whether you are looking or not. look at that cherry tree. how the tiny rootlets scurry through the soil--faithful children gathering food to send up to their mother. look at that flood of bloom. then the fruit grows till a mass of red gleams from the leafy coverts. there is a great difference between a patch of brown earth and your faithful jonathan. what a marvel that little patch of soil, absolutely milked by those busy foragers, and the extracts of it glowing in red beauty on the tree. talk of chemists! those quiet rootlets surpass them all. [illustration: albert victor iris, from mr. harrison's garden--about one-third size.] if you want to be in the realm of miracles, lay down your hoe awhile and sit among your flowers. your brain devised the plan, your hand planted the seeds and bulbs. "behold the lilies, how they grow." now sit there and think it out. at your feet are artists no human skill may imitate. two peonies grow side by side. golden harvest opens with yellow petals fading to purest white. in the center is a miniature festiva maxima--blood drops and all. how can those roots send up the golden tints, the snowy white and the red, and never have the colors mixed? close by is a plutarch, deep brilliant red. the roots intermingle. how is it possible to pick out of the dull soil, nature's eternal drab, that brilliant color for your peony? there are your iris, the new sorts absolutely undescribable. there are a dozen different shades in a single bloom. but those blind artists at work in their subterranean studios never make a mistake. the standards must have just such colors, the falls just such tints, and where did they get that dazzling radiant reflex such as you see on perfection, monsignor and black knight? but it is always there shimmering in the sunlight. there is a fairy--a pure snowy queen. how was that sweetness and purity ever extracted from the scentless soil? every bloom uncorks a vial of perfume which has the odor of the peach blossom. did you ever sit down in your kingdom and see what a royal throne you occupied? what a reception your flowers give you! the ambrosia and nectar of the feasts of the deities of fable are overshadowed by the fragrance and sweetness of your worshippers. it would seem that every flower, like a royal subject, was bent on rendering the most exalted honor to her king. no company of maidens preparing for nuptials were ever arrayed like these. each one is striving to do her best. the highest art ever displayed in the palaces of kings is no comparison to the beauty and splendor of your reception. by divine right you are supreme. the fertile soil puts her tributes at your feet; for you all the viewless influences of nature are at work; for you the sun shines and the showers fall. so brothers, don't creep but mount up as on eagle's wings. invoice yourself and see how great you are! don't live all the while in the basement--spend some time in the upper story of your calling! you are not making the earth weep blood. you are not spreading on the fields a carpet of mangled forms. you are not dropping ruin and death from the skies or polluting god's pure waters with submarines. you are not turning all your energies into the work of destruction, despoiling the treasures of art and the pride of the ages and turning the fairest portions of the earth into desolations. you are not changing yourselves into demons to gloat over starvation and ruin. you are soldiers of peace. behind you was the somber earth. you touched it with the wand of your power, and beauty, health and pleasure sprang up to bless you. see what you have done! you have clothed the barrenness of the dreary plain with gardens, orchards and forests. you have been at work with god and glorified a vast empire, and now he has blessed the work of your hands. instead of the air sodden with tears and tremulous with the wail of widows and orphans, you are welcomed with the joy of children and the delight of mothers. all along the lines of progress you receive the most cordial ovations, and when you pass on to the land where "everlasting spring abides", may you receive the royal welcome, "well done, good and faithful servant." the newer fruits in and how secured. prof. n. e. hansen, state college, brookings, south dakota. mr. hansen: mr. president and fellow members: this subject is not an entirely satisfactory one this year owing to the fact that we lost about three sets of tomato plants from frost, the last frost coming the ninth of june. these conditions, of course, are unusual, but it prevented the fruiting of a lot of new fruit seedlings which appeared promising. however, i decided to propagate two new plums because they had borne several excellent crops. one of these is a very late plum of good quality, with flesh of peculiar crisp texture, which ripens after all the other plums, about a week before frost. it is a combination of the wolf plum with the kansas sand plum (_prunus watsoni_). the tree is of late dwarf habit but very productive, and its late season may give it a place. another plum which i decided to place in propagation is a hybrid of the wild plum of manitoba with the japanese plum. the mother tree was raised from wild plum pits received from manitoba a few years ago. these bear very freely and are the earliest of the native plums. the tree is of low, dwarf habit. the fruit is not as large as my waneta, which is a hybrid of the largest native plum, the terry, (_prunus americana_), with the apple, one of the best of burbank's japanese plums. but since the range of the plum manitoba is so far north, it may give greater hardiness where that is needed. at any rate, it is of interest to know that the manitoba native plum can be mated with the japanese plum. pears constitute my favorite line at present. "what can i do for hardy pears?" is a question i have been asked many times. the prairie northwest cannot raise pears owing to the cold or the blight. in my travels in asia, including four tours of exploration in siberia, i made a business of buying up basketfuls of pears in manchuria, mongolia, western china and eastern siberia and saving the seed, giving the flesh away to the coolies, who were glad always to get the fruit. these have raised me many seedlings. in addition i have imported a lot of pears from russia. [illustration: pyrus simoni the hardy, blight-proof sand pear used by prof. n.e. hansen in breeding pears for the northwest. a careful study of our eastern arctic pears has been made recently by mr. alfred rehder, botanist at arnold arboretum, and this form of sand pear is now called pyrus ovoidea instead of pyrus sinensis, or pyrus simoni.] the pears of northern china and eastern siberia are usually called the chinese sand pear and have been given various names, _pyrus sinensis_, _pyrus ussuriensis_, _pyrus simoni_. the form i am working with mainly was received in the spring of at the south dakota station under the name of _pyrus simoni_, from dr. c.s. sargent, director of the arnold arboretum, boston, massachusetts. since the publication of bulletin , of the south dakota experiment station, april, , in which i give a brief outline of this work, the pears of this region have been studied by dr. alfred rehder of the arnold arboretum, and it now appears that the true name of _pyrus simonii_ should be _pyrus ovoidea_. these trees have proved perfectly hardy at brookings and have never suffered from blight. varieties of other pears have been top-grafted on this tree, and they have blighted, but the blight did not affect the rest of the tree. mr. charles g. patten, charles city, iowa, also has a form of the chinese sand pear which has proven immune to blight. in other places sand pears have been under trial which have suffered from winter-killing. however, i understand that the pear mr. patten has tapers toward the stem, while the pear received by me as _pyrus simonii_ tapers toward the blossom end. the actual source of seed is really of greater importance than the botanical name, as it is possible to get the seed from too far south, whereas we should plant only the northern form of the species. the fruits of _pyrus ovoidea_ correspond in size to the ordinary pear much like the whitney crab-apple does to the apple. it is a real pear, juicy and sweet, but not high flavored. other varieties of pears have been top-grafted on this tree and have blighted, but the blight did not affect the rest of the tree. during the many seasons i have had this pear the tip of one twig only showed a very slight trace the past season, but i did not determine it was really blight. it is practically immune. i have also worked the birch-leaved pear, _pyrus betulifolia_, bunge, a native of northern china, and a choice ornamental tree. trees of this species were received from a nursery in germany in the fall of and have proven perfectly hardy and quite resistant to blight. the fruit is quite small, usually less than one-half inch in diameter, covered with thick russet. _betulifolia_ means birch-leaved, alluding to the shape of the leaf. now, the pear is a difficult thing to work with on account of blight. what is blight? it is an american bacterial disease, not found in the home of the pear, asia or europe, so that during the , years of its cultivation of recorded history the pear has never had to meet the bacterial enemy known as blight. that is one of the reasons, i presume, why they have such strict quarantine in europe against american trees. the question with pears is, will they stand blight or not? they are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in california to keep out blight. blight is a native of the northeast united states, and they are keeping it down on the pacific slope, but they are always on the edge of the precipice. the whole pear culture of america is in an unsatisfactory state, owing to this danger. with these two northern pears as a foundation, i have endeavored to secure seedlings with fruit of large size and choice quality by hybridizing them with many of the best cultivated pears from germany, france, england, central russia and finland, as well as with some of the best varieties from the eastern pear-growing regions of the united states. the work has been done mostly under glass in our fruit-breeding greenhouse. some of these fruits weighed one and one-fourth pounds. some of the resulting seedlings are subject to blight, while many have thus far shown immunity. since it is impossible to determine their relative immunity to blight except by distributing them for trial elsewhere, i sent out scions in the spring of of thirty-nine of these new seedlings to twenty-four men in several states. these varieties are under restrictions until fruited and deemed worthy of further propagation. [illustration: crossing work in pears--view in prof. n. e. hansen's fruit-breeding greenhouse, state college, brookings, s.d.] i did not know whether immunity to blight is a possibility or only an iridescent dream, so i made no charge for these scions. the only test of a pear seedling, the same as with the apple, is that of propagation. furthermore, if you have but the one seedling tree you may lose it by accident; whereas, if you send it out to a number of good men, you cannot lose it. it should be distinctly understood that none of these new seedlings have borne fruit, but by what may be termed the projective efficiency of the pedigree i am satisfied that some of them will be valuable. in like manner, a horse-breeder depends so much on the pedigree in his colts that he is willing to enter them in a race. i believe something of value will come from this line of work. i do know that my _pyrus ovoidea_ is a pretty good, juicy little pear, a whole lot better than no pear at all. i hope these seedlings will keep up their immunity to blight. the original seedling trees certainly have had every chance to become affected by blight, as they were surrounded by blighting apple trees, crab-apple trees and pear trees, and no blight was cut out. i thought this was the best way, since that is the test they will have in the farmers' orchards when they go out from the nursery. _hardy pear stocks._--now we are up against the problem of stocks for these hardy pears. the quince is a standard dwarf stock, but it is not hardy enough for us. last spring i planted , seedlings of the various commercial pear stocks, including imported french pear seedlings, american grown french pear seedlings, kieffer pear seedlings and japan pear seedlings. from one season's experience i like the japan pear the best. the french pear seedlings, especially, did not do well. the japan pear stock is coming into high favor in recent years on our pacific slope, where it is sometimes called the chinese blight-proof stock. the french pear stock is not in favor on our pacific slope owing to their liability to blight. we may also expect from the french pear stock a decided lack of hardiness. the japan pear stock is probably some form of the chinese sand pear. the seed may come from too far south, whereas we should plant only the northern form of the species. this varying degree of hardiness in the japan pear seedling of commerce i find discussed in a german horticultural paper. i have tried to establish a regular source of supply by importing the seed, but it is difficult indeed to do this. to avoid root-killing at the north we should mulch these japan pear seedlings heavily until we get enough orchards of this truly hardy form, _pyrus ovoidea_, planted so we can raise our own stocks. i firmly believe we will extend pear culture on the north american continent clear to the arctic circle if we wish. for pear stocks i am going to try everything i can think of. some years ago i worked pears on juneberry stock from a hint given me many years ago by professor j.l. budd. these grew well and were in full bloom when five feet high, but were lost in clearing off a block of trees. i hope to try this again on a larger scale. the mountain ash and hawthorn are sometimes used, but both will be expensive and perhaps short-lived. the quince is the dwarf stock of commerce but would need to be very heavily mulched to prevent root-killing. such dwarf pears are splendid in the back yard, or for training up against the side of the house; the fruit is fine and large, and the trees fruit the second year. the pear will root in nursery by grafting with a long scion on apple seedlings. i hope there will be much work done along this line. to sum up the question, i think there is a hardy pear in sight. we have the requisite pedigree back of it, and it seems that the quality we call immunity to blight is in some of these chinese or siberian pears. if we can combine the hardiness and blight-resistance of this siberian pear with the large size and high quality of fruit of the european pear, with thousands of years of cultivation back of it, then we have the solution of the pear question in sight. millions and millions of people are watching for a good hardy pear. (applause.) * * * * * warning to mushroom growers.--as the result of a serious case of mushroom poisoning in a mushroom grower's family recently, the mushroom specialists of the u.s. department of agriculture have issued a warning to commercial and other growers of mushrooms to regard with suspicion any abnormal mushrooms which appear in their beds. it seems that occasionally sporadic forms appear in mushroom beds, persist for a day or two, and then disappear. these are generally manure-inhabiting species and may be observed shortly after the beds have been cased. in the instance cited, however, these fungi appeared in considerable numbers at the time the edible _agaricus campestris_ should have been ready for the market, and the dealer supposed it was probably a new brown variety and tried it in his own family. as a result, five persons were rendered absolutely helpless and were saved after several hours only through the assistance of a second physician who had had experience with this type of poisoning. in the opinion of the department, this case is peculiarly significant and demonstrates that the grower must be able to distinguish _agaricus campestris_ from any of the wild forms of mushrooms that may appear in the beds. under the circumstances, the department strongly urges every grower to make himself thoroughly familiar with the cultivated species. complete descriptions, with pictures of poisonous and cultivated species, are contained in department bulletin , "mushrooms and other common fungi," which can be purchased for cents from the superintendent of documents, government printing office, washington, d.c. manufacture of cider vinegar from minnesota apples. prof. w. g. brierly, hort. dept., university farm, st. paul. cider making is an old process, carried on in a small way on the farm or more extensively in the commercial "quick process." from apple cider many different products are obtained, chief of these being vinegar and others being bottled cider, boiled cider, apple butter and, more recently, concentrated cider and cider syrup. this discussion will consider only the manufacture of vinegar. as a farm process, the making of cider vinegar utilizes an otherwise waste product, the culls or unmarketable varieties. it can be done on rainy days or when other work is slack. for the best results, however, as in any form of marketing, some vinegar should be made each year so that the market may be supplied regularly, and, further, to give the necessary experience which will mean a better quality of vinegar. as a commercial process we find the making of cider is a regularly conducted manufacturing enterprise in which a considerable amount of capital is needed. expert knowledge of vinegar making, especially of the "quick process," is essential. on this basis it is not open to the apple grower and is a doubtful venture on a co-operative plan without the help of experts. where a vinegar factory is established, however, it gives to the orchardist a means to dispose of his cull apples. considering the process as it can be carried on on the farm, there are a number of distinct steps, all of which are important. the first step is to prepare for the work. get a good machine, as it will pay for itself in the added extract of juice. a good machine need not cost more than $ and may be had for less. casks must be obtained and sterilized with live steam or sulphur fumes, washed thoroughly, and kept in a convenient place where they will not dry. it is best as well to have the convenience of running water to wash the apples if dirty and to clean up the machine occasionally. cleanliness should be provided for and insisted upon, as dirty and decaying apples not only give undesirable flavors, but the bacteria and molds feed upon the sugar in the cider and greatly reduce the strength of the vinegar. this is one reason why a rainy day is a good time for cider making, as dust and flies are less and molds are not so abundantly "planted" in the cider. the next step is the grinding and pressing and is very simple. with an efficient machine the cider is quickly ready for the casks. then follows the first fermentation, which very frequently is not properly managed, and poor vinegar results. the casks should be filled only two-thirds full, the bung left open but screened with cheesecloth or lightly fitted with a plug of cotton to admit air. compressed yeast generally should be added, at the rate of one cake to each five gallons, first mixing the yeast in lukewarm water. if the cask is then placed in a warm place, at least sixty degrees--seventy degrees or more being better--we have the three requirements of proper fermentation, namely, air, warmth and yeast. this will give rapid fermentation, which will reduce the loss of sugars to a minimum. this fermentation should be allowed to go on until completed. if vinegar starts to form it will usually leave a residue of sugar and give a weaker vinegar. it will require from two weeks to a year to change all the sugars into alcohol, depending upon the management of the work. when finished the clear juice is "racked" or siphoned into a clean cask, through a straining cloth to insure the removal of all pomace or sediment. [illustration: prof. w. g. brierly, horticultural dept., university farm, st. paul, minn.] then follows the fermentation to produce the acetic acid and finish the vinegar. a "starter" of "mother" can be used, but it is best to take out a gallon or more of the cider when "racking" and add a pint to a quart of a good grade cider vinegar. let it stand in a warm place, well covered with cheesecloth, and in from four to ten days a granular, brownish cake should begin to form. this starter can then be put directly into the casks, a pint or more to each cask. if the starter develops a white, slimy coat, throw it out and start again. for all of this second stage of fermentation follow the same plan as at first. fill the barrels not over two-thirds full, use a cotton plug or cheesecloth screen at the bung and keep at a warm temperature. the essentials again are air and warmth, with a good vinegar starter. under these conditions the vinegar may be ready in from two to ten months. if the usual plan of "natural" fermentation is followed, and the cask is kept at a low temperature, it may be three years before the vinegar is ready. when the vinegar seems to be completed, send a sample to the state dairy and food commission at the capitol for analysis. if they say it is completed, "rack" off and strain again into clean barrels, this time filling full and driving in the bung. this will prevent loss from evaporation, and the vinegar can be sold at any time. the state law requires that cider vinegars sold in the state measure up to a certain standard--namely, four per cent. of acetic acid, . grams per cc. of solids, and . grams per cc. of ash. so much for vinegar making in general. for minnesota conditions little is known about the definite behavior of any apple varieties. this has led to the study of vinegar making as a problem for the experiment station. the division of horticulture is carrying on variety tests to determine the yields of juice at different stages of maturity, the efficiency of types of presses, labor costs per gallon, and the production of vinegar from each variety to determine its value. the division of agricultural chemistry makes analyses of the sweet cider to determine the composition and vinegar prospects, and also analyzes the vinegars at various stages. the work has been carried on for two seasons and is showing some interesting facts. these must, however, be checked with further work before definite statements can be published. as to machines, our results show that the press with press cloths will outyield nearly two to one the press with the barrel or drum. however, a strong grain sack used to catch the pomace and used to confine it in the drum will give a very satisfactory yield, but it requires a considerable amount of labor to do this. as to labor costs per gallon, we have as yet no definite figures except that one man can grind and press a minimum of eight to nine gallons an hour. two men can raise the output to at least thirteen gallons. at cents per hour the cost per gallon on this basis varies between two and four cents. as the apples are of little value, and the labor generally "rainy day" labor, this seems to give an inexpensive product. our vinegars are as yet incomplete. the run of was very limited and of necessity stored in a cold cellar. it now tests two per cent. acetic acid, so is only half finished. as to variety yields, the results of the work of two seasons compare very closely and show generally that there is a variation from a minimum of a scant two gallons up to more than a pint over three gallons from forty pounds of each variety. the forty-pound quantity is taken as representative of the bushel by measure. the varieties leading cider production are--the hibernal and wealthy, which generally have given us about three gallons per forty pounds, the duchess and patten running slightly lower in cider yield. the longfield, lowland raspberry, charlamoff and whitney rank in a third group, according to our trials. this does not mean, however, that those in the latter group are not usable, as the charlamoff and whitney are among the highest in sugar content. these figures are greatly modified if the apples have been in storage or are over-ripe. the chemical analyses of the ciders show that, in general, minnesota apples do not contain relatively high percentages of sugars. this varies with the season and increases with maturity. the highest total sugar content in ripe apples has been found in the charlamoff at . per cent., followed in order by whitney, . per cent., wealthy . per cent., duchess . per cent., patten . per cent., hibernal . per cent., and longfield at . per cent. the significance of these figures is seen when the statement is made that it usually takes two per cent. sugars to make one per cent. of acetic acid. with the majority of our apples we must work carefully, or the vinegar will not meet the state standard of four per cent. acetic acid. this is further substantiated by the report of the state dairy and food commission that the vinegar samples sent to them rarely come up to the standard. from the data as we now have it we cannot draw definite conclusions, but in general it is safe to say that the making of vinegar from minnesota apples is done on a close margin. this will mean careful work to get the most out of the fermentation, the use of yeast, warm cellars or store rooms and proper management of the casks as to filling and the entrance of air. the work is not expensive. there is a good demand for really good vinegar, and a market is provided for fruit which could not readily be sold in any other form. a summer in our garden. mrs. gertrude ellis skinner, austin. summer in our garden begins with the arrival of the first seed catalogue in january, and closes the day before its arrival the next january. we may be short on flowers in our garden, but we are long on seed catalogues in our library. we do not believe in catalogue houses excepting seed catalogues. we find them more marvelous than the arabian nights, more imaginative than baron manchausen, and more alluring than a circus poster. we care not who steals the mona lisa so long as salzer sends us pictures of his cabbages. the art gallery of the louvre may be robbed of its masterpiece without awakening a pang in our breasts, if dreer will only send us the pictures of those roses that bloom in the paint-shops of philadelphia. morgan may purchase the choicest collections of paintings in europe and hide them from the public in his new york mansion, if may will send us pictures of watermelons, such as were never imagined by raphael, michael angelo or correggio. while the world watches the struggle for the ownership of some great railway system, the control of some big trust, the development of some enormous enterprise, we watch for the arrival of the seed catalogue to see which artist can get the most cabbages in a field, the most melons on a cart, or make the corn look most like the big trees of yosemite. don't talk to us of the pleasures of bridge whist, it is not to be compared with the seed catalogue habit. in the seed catalogue we mark all the things we are going to buy, we mark all the new things. there is the wonderberry, sweeter than the blueberry, with the fragrance of the pineapple and the lusciousness of the strawberry! we mark the himalaya-berry--which grows thirty feet, sometimes sixty feet in a single season. why, one catalogue told of a man who picked , - / pounds of berries from a single vine, beside what his children ate. our himalaya vine grew four inches the first season and died the first winter. we were glad it did. we did not want such a monster running over our garden. we wanted to raise other things. but we did not lose faith in our catalogues. we believe what they say just as the small boy believes he will see a lion eat a man at the circus, because the billboard pictures him doing it. if we ordered all the seeds we mark in the catalogue in january, we would require a township for a garden, a rockefeller to finance it and an army to hoe it. we did not understand the purpose of a catalogue for a long time. a catalogue is a stimulus. it's like an oyster cocktail before a dinner, a scotch high-ball before the banquet and the singing before the sermon. salzer knows no one ever raised such a crop of cabbages as he pictures or the world would be drowned in sauer kraut. if the himalaya-berry bore as the catalogues say it does we should all be buried in jam. you horticulturists never expect to raise such an apple as lindsay describes; if you did, they would be more valuable than the golden apples of hesperides. but when we get a catalogue we just naturally dream that what we shall raise will not only be as good but will excel the pictures. alas, of such stuff are dreams made! we could not do our gardening without catalogues, but they are not true to life as we find it in our garden. we never got a catalogue that showed the striped bug on the cucumber, the slug on the rose bush, the louse on the aster, the cut worm on the phlox, the black bug on the syringa, the thousand and one pests, including the great american hen, the queen of the barnyard, but the goth and vandal of the garden. but the best part of summer in our garden is the work we do in winter. then it is that our garden is most beautiful, for we work in the garden of imagination, where drouth does not blight, nor storms devastate, where the worm never cuts nor the bugs destroy. no dog ever uproots in the garden of imagination, nor doth the hen scratch. this is the perfect garden. our golden glow blossoms in all of its auriferous splendor, the oriental poppy is a barbaric blaze of glory, our roses are as fair as the tints of aurora, the larkspur vies with the azure of heaven, the gladioli are like a galaxy of butterflies and our lilies like those which put solomon in the shade. every flower is in its proper place to make harmony complete. there is not a jarring note of color in our garden in the winter time. then comes the spring in our garden, a time of faith, vigilance and hard work. faith that the seed will grow, vigilance that it is planted deep enough and has the right conditions in which to grow. vigilance against frost, weeds and insects. planting, sowing, hoeing, transplanting, coaxing, hoping, expecting, working--we never do half that we planned to do in the springtime--there are not enough days, and the days we have are too short. then comes summer, real summer in our garden. then flowers begin to bloom, and our friends tell us they are lovely. but we see the flaws and errors. we feel almost guilty to have our garden praised, so many glaring faults and shortcomings has it. the color scheme is wrong, there are false notes here and there. there are tall plants where short plants should be. there are spaces and breaks and again spots over-crowded. we water and hoe, train vines, prop plants, and kill the bugs, but we know the weak spots in our garden and vow that next summer we shall remedy every mistake. [illustration: mrs. gertrude ellis skinner among her gladoli.] then "summer in our garden" has an autumn. the garden is never so beautiful as when the first frost strikes it. pillow-cases, sheets, shawls, aprons, coats and newspapers may for a brief time hold at bay the frost king, but he soon laughs at our efforts, crawls under the edges of the unsightly garments with which we protect our flowers, nips their petals, wilts their stems and blackens their leaves. we find them some morning hopelessly frozen. but the earth has ceased to give forth its aroma, the birds are winging southward, the waters of the brook run clear and cold, and the voice of the last cricket sounds lonesome in the land. we say to nature, "work your will with our garden; the summer is over, and we are ready to plan for another season." and what have we learned from the "summer in our garden?" that no one can be happy in his garden unless he works for the joy of the working. he who loves his work loves nature. to him his garden is a great cathedral, boundless as his wonder, a place of worship. above him the dome ever changing in color and design, beautiful in sunshine or storm and thrice beautiful when studded with the eternal lamps of night. the walls are the trees, the vines and the shrubs, waving in the distant horizon and flinging their branches on the sky line, or close at hand where we hear the voice of the wind among the leaves. a wondrous floor is the garden's cathedral of emerald green in the summer, sprinkled with flowers, of ermine whiteness in the winter, sparkling with the diamonds of frost. its choir is the winds, the singing birds and the hum of insects. its builder and maker is god. man goeth to his garden in the springtime, and, behold, all is mystery. there is the mystery of life about him, in the flowing sap in the trees, the springing of the green grass, the awakening of the insect world, the hatching of the worm from the egg, the changing of the worm into the butterfly. the seed the gardener holds in his hand is a mystery. he knows what it will produce, but why one phlox seed will produce a red blossom and another a white is to him a miracle. he wonders at the prodigality of nature. in her economy, what is one or ten thousand seeds! she scatters them with lavish hand from ragweed, thistle or oak. if man could make but the single seed of the ragweed, he could make a world. the distance between a pansy and a planet is no greater than between man and a pansy. the gardener sees the same infinite care bestowed upon the lowest as upon the highest form of life, and he wonders at it. he looks into the face of a flower, scans the butterfly and notes the toadstool and sees that each is wonderful. from the time he enters his garden in the springtime until he leaves it in the autumn, he will find a place and a time to worship in his cathedral. he enters it with the seed in his hand in the spring, and as he rakes away the ripened plants in the autumn he finds something still of the mystery of life. a puff-ball is before him, and he muses on its forming. the little puff-ball stands at one end of the scale of life and he, man, at the other, "close to the realm where angels have their birth, just on the boundary of the spirit land." from the things visible in our garden we learn of the things invisible, and strong the faith of him who kneeling in adoration of the growing plant looks from nature to nature's god and finds the peace which passeth understanding. bringing the producer and consumer together. r. s. mackintosh, horticultural specialist, agricultural extension division, university farm, st. paul. the introduction of mr. producer to mr. consumer directly, and not by proxy, is the chief desire of the present time. the fact remains, however, that in the vast majority of cases messrs. proxy & co. is brought in and breaks up the direct personal contact. the development of complex marketing means specialization and in a large degree sets it apart from production. when specialization becomes dominant, then standardization becomes necessary. each producer is unable to keep in touch with all such movements and consequently finds it hard to keep abreast of the times. in this age of rapid transit, specialization, scientific discoveries, and the improvements resulting therefrom, seem somewhat out of place when compared with our present marketing systems. this does not mean that our marketing is entirely out of joint, but it does mean that there is something the matter or so many would not be discussing it. the consumer hears what the producer received, the producer hears what the consumer paid, and then somebody gets to thinking and talking. discussions lead to investigations, and investigations lead to conferences. just lately a large conference was held in chicago, and certain plans were formulated to attempt to unravel some of the evils that exist in marketing. so much has been said that the u.s. department of agriculture has begun certain investigations, and we hope that the workers will find ways to solve some of the troubles in a logical and, we hope, sane way. a year ago your committee on marketing reported that there were certain things needed, and an ideal system was suggested to correct these faults. one of the basic factors emphasized was standardization. another committee reported on changes needed in the statutes regarding the weight of a bushel of apples. congress has enacted a law which specifies the size of a barrel for apples. new york, massachusetts and other states have enacted grading laws. some states require that the fruit be free of certain insect and disease injuries. several states have laws regulating commission men. most states have laws which do not allow the sale of food products that are decayed. these are all steps toward the standardization that is so necessary. in other words, the several laws have been passed to correct some of the troubles which have come up when so many hands handle the products. these laws were not needed in olden times when the consumer went directly to the producer's door and there bargained for his wares. minnesota is a state noted for co-operative enterprises. there are over two thousand such organizations doing more than $ , , . worth of business yearly. we know full well the value of the co-operative creameries and how butter has been brought up to a high standard. as citizens, we rejoice; as horticulturists, and citizens as well, we want our products to stand high in the estimation of others. i was much pained this summer while discussing the marketing of apples with several commission men to hear them say that they did not like to take local shipments. the reason was that the goods were usually below grade, and the returns did not always please the growers. it is evident that we must improve our methods in ways which will remove this stigma. many of the commission men try to induce good grading and packing. they like to handle "top notch" goods, for it is cheaper to handle goods that move quickly than those that are a drag and require too much handling. the agricultural extension division of the college of agriculture is organized to give help, where help is needed, along a large number of agricultural lines. realizing these facts, we have been trying to get the ear of the producer and consumer in an effort to get them to do certain things. on the one hand, we want to have good varieties, and to help this lectures and demonstrations are given in the care of the orchard, pruning, spraying, thinning, picking, grading, packing and marketing. on the other hand we want more people to eat minnesota apples. it is a campaign of education and publicity. if one wishes to sell anything, he finds that he must advertise. he must advertise so much and in so many ways that people cannot help buying his wares. there are certain widely advertised articles that you must know, whether you are interested or not. one of these runs along the highways so often that you are shaken, even against your will, into consciousness of its existence, so that you cannot get along without having one, or at least seeing one. the latest edition seems to have put on feathers in the form of a white dove of peace. may it succeed. advertising minnesota apples has been attempted this past year. it was found necessary to provide a standard by which the buyer and seller could agree on apple grades. after consulting several persons, it was decided to adopt the following grades: "a" grade.--hand picked, normal shape, good color (at least one-third colored), free from dirt, disease and insect injuries, and well packed. limit of defects allowed: not more than % of all kinds nor % of any one kind. [illustration: prof. r. s. mackintosh--horticulturist connected with extension division, university farm, st. paul.] "b" grade.--hand picked, practically normal shape, practically free from dirt, disease and insect injuries, and properly packed. limit of defects allowed: not more than % of all nor % of any one kind. only one variety and grade should be put in a package. in the grade specifications given, normal shape refers to the general form of well-grown specimens of the variety in question. for instance: the wealthy is regular in outline and nearly round, while the hibernal is somewhat flat and often irregular. in like manner the color must be typical of the variety, whether green, yellow or red. red apples usually sell better than green or yellow varieties, although the quality may be even poorer. fruit showing insect or disease injuries cannot be classed as well grown. grading to size is very important. this is not specified because it depends upon the variety and season. only apples above a selected minimum size, as - / inches, the diameter at right angles to stem, should be placed in the same package. defects refer to apples not up to grade in size, color or shape and having bruises, punctures, disease or insect injuries. _fancy._--for persons having extra choice fruit, a fancy grade can be used. well-grown specimens, hand picked, of normal shape, at least two-thirds colored, free from dirt, diseases and insect injuries and properly packed. not more than % of combined defects allowed, of which only % can be of the same kind. hundreds of letters were sent to persons in the state, telling them that we would maintain an information bureau or clearing house to help them in finding markets for their apples. several growers replied, and the names of persons who were anxious to buy apples were given them. nine farmers' clubs asked for information as to where minnesota apples could be bought. this is a beginning, and it shows that there is need for some sort of an organization that can find out where apples are and who wants them. the intention has not been to interfere with the regular trade routes, but to give the growers information as to who wants apples. as you will notice, this does not bring the producer directly to the door of the consumer. there must be some one to act as a go-between in most cases. it was just stated that minnesota is a state having a very large number of co-operative business organizations. among these are about two hundred live stock shipping associations having a very simple form of organization. a number of persons in a community, having considerable stock to ship, come together, adopt a simple set of by-laws which provide for the selection of a manager, his compensation--usually a certain percentage on the gross receipts--and a small amount for losses which may occur. no capital stock is required--only the actual living stock. the manager ships the stock at certain times, and when the returns come in deducts the amounts provided for expenses and then returns to each shipper his proportionate amount. in this way the stock is sold at the terminal yards the same day and with other stock from many sections. it is a very simple, satisfactory way of marketing. the more i study and think of our apple situation, the more i am of the opinion that a very large part of our fruit could be marketed in a similar way. some of our la crescent friends ship together in carlots successfully. why not others? this is the very best way to begin co-operation in a successful way. as mr. collingwood says: "co-operation, like charity, should begin at home and be well nurtured." in other words, begin to co-operate at home in a small way and let the future large organizations take care of themselves. to be specific, let the growers in a community meet and form a fruit-shipping association with by-laws patterned after the successful stock-shipping associations. then the fruit should be well grown, picked in time, graded thoroughly and honestly packed and marked. haul at once to car. the manager will take charge and ship as he thinks best. each package must have the customary identification marks, so the manager can keep an accurate record of all transactions. if, by chance, trouble comes up, the shippers can pool their interests, and send a representative to find out the trouble. thus they can do together what each cannot do alone. even this does not bring the consumers directly in contact with the producers. it is, however, a step nearer. the public auctions started in new york this season seem to have been successful, and it may mean an innovation which will improve marketing conditions in general. these auctions are held under the recently formed department of foods and markets. the department has contracted with a large auction company which advances the freight, conducts the sales, guarantees the accounts, and advances the net returns for the goods daily. the producer is able to get returns within two days. the total cost is % on the gross sales; % for the auction company and % for the department of markets for the advertising and for other overhead expenses. posters have been issued to advertise new york state apples. as this department has been working only for a short time, it is too early to tell whether it is a success in every way. we earnestly ask your co-operation in trying to solve the question of marketing minnesota apples. all interested must assist in this important subject. * * * * * world's tallest trees.--the tallest trees are the australian eucalyptus, which attain a height of feet. garden helps conducted by minnesota garden flower society edited by mrs. e. w. gould, humboldt avenue so. minneapolis. hardy chrysanthemums. the new type of hardy chrysanthemums called "early-flowering" has been largely developed by a frenchman named august nonin, of paris, who has devoted much of his life to perfecting this strain from seedlings of the old-fashioned "mums" of our grandmothers' gardens. it is considered by far the most satisfactory kind to grow out of doors, blossoming earlier than the pompons. a few of the best of these early-flowering types are: white--crawford white, dorothy, milka and normandie; yellow--e'toile d'or, carrie, october gold; pink--beaurepaire, eden, le danube; red and bronze shades--harvest home, firelight, a. barham and billancourt. these are the earliest bloomers of this type. hardy pompons are still most largely grown for outdoor flowering, but of these there is also a choice, as the earliest bloomers are the most desirable to use. lilian doty, a large-flowered, clear, bright pink, is considered the very best of these. donald and minta are other good pinks. the earliest whites are queen of the whites, waco, grace and myer's perfection. jeanette, wm. sabey, golden climax and zenobia are the best yellows, and julia lagravere, urith and tiber the best crimson and bronze shades. there are many other beautiful pompons, but they bloom too late for practical out-of-door use. the single mums have of late been used successfully out-of-doors when early blooming varieties have been chosen. of these elsa, gladys duckham and mensa are the earliest whites: ivor grant, mrs. southbridge and mrs. buckingham the earliest pinks; josephine, golden mensa and marion sutherland the earliest yellows; and silvia slade, ceddie mason and brightness the earliest crimson and bronze shades. as soon as it is warm enough in the spring the plants should be set out about twelve inches apart in rich garden soil, and kept pinched back during may and june to insure a stocky growth. if one has old clumps in the garden, they should be taken up and divided and set in new earth just as any old perennial plant would be treated. during the hot summer weather they should be well watered once a week and sprayed in the cool of the evening. this will keep down the black and green aphis, the worst enemies of mums. in case these pests become a menace a spray of tobacco water will end the trouble. a little bone meal or well rotted manure dug about the plants in august will help to produce fine blooms. a gardener who has never yet lost a plant through winter-killing treats them as follows: after they have finished blooming he cuts them down to about eight inches above the ground and lets the leaves blow in on the bed, covering to a depth of six or eight inches. then he lays pine branches over the beds to prevent the leaves from blowing away. so treated, the plants will remain frozen all winter. they should in all cases be set in a well drained position, as they will not stand "wet feet." uncover with the other perennials in the spring.--mrs. e. w. gould. bee-keeper's column. conducted by francis jager, professor of apiculture, university farm, st. paul. the minnesota honey crop of will probably be a record breaker. this brings up the question of how to market this crop to the best advantage. let me state at once that the greatest obstacle to free and easy selling of honey is the careless, untidy, sometimes unsanitary way some bee-keepers put up their honey for the market--spoiling the appetite of the public for this most delicious of nature's foods not only for themselves but also for progressive and up-to-date bee-keepers. the result of this big honey crop will be to eliminate the no. and no. bee-keeper and his honey from the market until no. has sold out his product. a short article like this cannot make a good bee-keeper out of a poor one, it can only serve as a reminder to those who know how "lest they forget." moreover, the most careless and backward bee-keepers imagine that they are crackerjacks at their trade, thus putting themselves beyond the possibility of becoming anything. it takes a thousand hammer-blows to drive home a truth or a useful idea. if comb honey is your specialty observe the national grading and packing rules. they are printed in all bee papers and magazines, and have been given all possible publication to reach you. to obtain fancy comb honey your sections must have been made over strong colonies in no. white, new sections with extra thin top and bottom starters. after the honey flow is over in your locality (which you can detect by the tendency of bees to rob and be cross) remove your comb honey at once. by leaving it on, travel stained and propolis spotted sections will result. the snow white finish of the comb will be discolored, the wood will assume that "used and handled" appearance which is not attractive to the buyer. the sections must be graded fancy, no. and no. . every section must be scraped around the edges and all propolis removed. some bee-keepers even polish the wood of the section until it looks as clean as if it just came from the factory. after cleaning and grading put up your honey into standard shipping cases. do not ship it in the super where it was raised nor in a soap box. if shipped to a distant market by freight or express, eight shipping cases must be packed together into one honey crate provided with handles. the tendency of late is to put up each comb in a separate paper box with transparent front to keep the honey free from flies and finger-marks. this practice deserves universal adoption. if you produce extracted honey you may leave your honey with bees for a week or two after the honey flow is over. extracting should be done in hot weather, during august or early part of september. a modern hand or power extractor is an absolute necessity. there are still a few old timers who "butcher" their bees late in the fall, and render the honey by the "hand mash and sheet strain" method, but they are only relics of a poetical past and going fast. honey to be extracted must be well capped over. if extracted too thin it will ferment and get sour. if left with bees too long it will be too thick and hard to extract. extracting ought to be done in a bee-tight room to keep out robber bees. extracted supers may be returned to the bees in the evening or piled up at a distance in a safe place for bees to clean out. extracted honey must be left to stand in a settling tank for about a week, or until all air bubbles and wax particles have risen to the top. it should be put up into five gallon cans or barrels for wholesale trade. for retail trade it should be bottled when needed, else it will candy in the glass. bottling it hot or heating it after bottling will delay crystallization for a considerable period. the bottles ought to be white, clean and labeled with your name. each kind of container should be well packed in a wooden shipping case. do not make it a practice to sell a large amount to a customer at once, sell rather smaller amounts at frequent intervals. orchard notes. conducted monthly by r. s. mackintosh, horticulturist, extension division, university farm, st. paul. once in a while it is well to pause for a few moments to consider some of the results of past efforts. we have been growing apples in minnesota in large quantities. insects and diseases are causing more damage each year, and this has lead us to pay more attention to the prevention of these pests. a regular spraying program has been outlined, and many persons have adopted it. what are the results? it seems to us that the results of spraying at west concord, minn., should be made known to the readers of the minnesota horticulturist. it indicates very clearly the value of spraying and how someone in a community can take charge and diligently push for better methods. in this case the instructor in agriculture, with the aid of his superintendent and board of education, secured a power sprayer and began to spray the orchards in the vicinity. at first it was necessary to ask the owners if they might spray their trees. after three years, however, the owners appealed to prof. updegraff to have their trees sprayed. this year he had more work than he could manage. demonstrations of this kind show the value of the work so vividly that the most skeptical gradually becomes convinced of its value. several schools have purchased spraying outfits. we hope that we shall hear from more of them in the future. in many cases the spraying outfit is used for whitewashing the interior of barns and other buildings. reports that come to the agricultural extension division indicate that there will be a surplus of apples in some sections this year. we want to assist in the distribution of the surplus and shall continue the apple clearing house again this year. if you have more apples than you can sell locally please let the division know what you have to sell. address the agricultural extension division, university farm, st. paul. apples for market must be graded and packed properly if they are to be sold through the regular trade routes. the barrel is the standard package in most parts of the country. the bushel basket is being used for early fruit in some markets. all fruit for sale should be _hand picked from the tree_ (not from the ground) and allowed to cool. grade according to size and freedom from insect and other injuries. pack carefully so as to avoid bruising. when cover is put on press firmly in place. do not allow fruit to shake about while in transit. pick early maturing fruit while more or less green. ripe fruit will not keep well during hot weather. (see page of this number.) late august and september is the time when practically all our county fairs are held. it is hoped that the exhibits of fruits, vegetables and flowers will be large and of good quality. follow the premium list very carefully. put on the plate the right number of specimens. pick apples so as to leave stems attached. quality means specimens of perfect shape for the variety, free of insect or disease injuries, without bruises and well colored. vegetables should be well selected in every particular. select the specimens that you would like to use. the overgrown specimens are not always the best. [illustration: a valley lawn with shrubbery on border of woods. formerly occupied by henhouse and yards. view on same grounds with garden pergola shown on page .] while it is not the intention to publish anything in this magazine that is misleading or unreliable, yet it must be remembered that the articles published herein recite the experience and opinions of their writers, and this fact must always be noted in estimating their practical value. the minnesota horticulturist vol. september, no. the pergola--its use and misuse, convenience and expense. chas. h. ramsdell, landscape architect, minneapolis. let me take you by a brief word picture to italy, the first home of the pergola as we see it hereabouts today. on the hills and vineyards above the sea, in that sunny land, i can see a beautiful home or villa, seemingly about to tumble off the rocky point on which it rests. indeed, so scant is the space about the building that none is left for trees to shade the white house from the heat of the tropic sun. but shade must be had to break the glare of the noonday. the vine and the grape thrive amazingly near the sea, and this necessity evolved the pergola. it was compact, could be made straight or curving, short or long, usually narrow but still supporting to some height the delicate leaves and fruit of the grape. thus, the italian secured his shade and made an interesting walk or approach. because of its open work and light proportions the views of the beautiful italian sea and sunset were not blocked but thereby improved, each view framed in by the pergola pillars, with the picturesque tracery of the vine clinging to them. here was its home, and here it was perfect in its setting. we americans, in our zeal to secure all that's good, have brought it bodily to our homes. but like much else that's transplanted, we do not always look well to the new conditions as comparable to the old. the pergola is, however, too valuable a garden feature to do without. our greater care should be to study our need, use the pergola when advisable for some other feature, like one of those illustrated on this sheet, when more appropriate. in construction the pergola is usually made of materials to match the house, sometimes masonry or stone pillars as well as those of wood. the rafters and lighter beams should be made of the most durable wood, preferably cypress, and carefully painted. the pillars may be of classic design or of more modern lines, but if they are of a thickness greater than one-seventh of their height, they are not proportionate to the light load they carry. preferably, the columns rest on and are anchored to concrete or stone footings in the ground. the supporting rafters from pillar to pillar are the heavier construction, the cross beams, etc., the lighter. [illustration: pergola over garden gate, with planting to screen kitchen garden, in minneapolis.] the surface of the ground beneath the pergola should be made of weather proof brick or tile floors. they shed the surface water and make it useable in damp weather, not possible with the turf. the cost of these structures is largely optional with the builder. one clever with carpenter's tools can build one at the cost of his time and lumber. the other limit cannot be set. masonry pillars, cypress lumber, pavement of the floor, the size, cost of design, etc., will, upon occasion, bring up this cost to that of a small house. i have found a firm in chicago who will ship one complete, ready to set up, following one's own design, or, after submitting standard designs and photographs of their work. they sell one feet long, feet inches wide and feet inches high with -inch columns for $ . , each additional -foot section $ . , f.o.b., chicago. the pictures shown of such a pergola are highly attractive. from this figure the cost runs up to $ . and even $ , . for circular construction eight-four long and correspondingly heavy. of course, one can secure low figures from any local millwork company if a good detailed design is available. in this way good distinctive work is possible. its uses are infinite. it may serve to connect the architectural lines of the house with garage or other smaller building. it may lead from house to garden, or along an overlook walk along the river or lake. it may encircle a garden pool or an important statue. it can be made an approach to a band stand, or other park building. it will make part of the garden background, but should not be depended upon without the higher foliage so eminently desirable. [illustration: a garden pergola erected last summer on clients' grounds south of lake harriet, minneapolis--covering walk from house to garden, sixty five feet long.] do not make the mistake of expecting a pergola to serve as a porch or outdoor place to sit or sleep. one needs the roof of a tea house to keep off the evening dews or occasional shower. it cannot be made a large feature of the grounds like a garden. it is not important enough. it will not, without trees and high shrubs behind it, make any background as will a garden wall or lattice. it is no barrier along a street or of any use as a fence or division line. and sometimes the lines of a house or building may be better carried by a rose arch or vine arch without the expense of a pergola. thus you see it has its limited place, and its use must be decided upon with good taste and judgment. the pergola is almost incomplete without the growing vines on it. a four years' growth of beta or janesville grapes (which we don't have to lay down for winter), will give one a beautiful showing of the hanging fall fruit. the bittersweet is also good with yellow fall fruit. the several varieties of clematis are desirable if combined with the heavier growing grape or woodbine. the woodbine is good for its fall color, although weedy in growth. the minnesota honeysuckle should be mentioned, also the dutchman's pipe and the solanum, all good in a limited way. the climbing roses are all right to use, although they lack foliage background and have to be laid down every winter. however, i like to believe the man who designed the first pergola had the grape vine in his mind in so doing, for the two fit conditions like hand and glove. it is a structure of charming possibilities. its lines curve as well as any other feature. its proportions should be always light and graceful. it adds much to almost any garden or home grounds when carefully used. its open work overhead typifies the freedom of the outdoors. it also recalls the vine and its growth to the light. and if we temper our enthusiasm with good sense, its use will be fortunate and the result a happy one. packing and marketing apples. h. m. dunlap, pres. ill. orchard co., savoy, ills. the growing of apples is one problem, the marketing is another. the two are intimately related but entirely different. it is essential in obtaining the best results to first grow good apples for the market. this, like the darkey's receipt for rabbit soup, comes first. the darkey says, "first kotch your rabbit." many a grower who understands fairly well how to produce good fruit is lost when it comes to selling it to an advantage to himself. you notice that i said "to himself." it is often done to the advantage of the buyer. like most inventors the apple grower usually needs assistance in selling what he has produced. the grower who connects up with the best methods in this particular gets best results. no one can long be successful whose methods are not careful and honest in the packing of apples. _equipment for harvesting the apple crop._--there are some who insist that the only way to pick apples is to use a basket lined with cloth. these insist that the use of the basket in picking is the most careful method and that the bruising of the apples is reduced to a minimum. i have, however, seen apples handled very roughly in baskets. the picker hangs the basket on the tree, on the ladder rung, or sets it on the ground and then proceeds to shoot the apples into the basket from distances of one foot or six or eight feet away. the bottomless picking sack, with broad straps across the shoulders, has come into use within the past few years in many commercial orchards. my experience is that either the basket or sack is good if rightly handled, and either may be objectionable if care is not exercised. my own experience after using both is in favor of the sack. if care is used no more bruising will be done than with the basket, and it is far more expeditious. both hands are at liberty for use in the picking. the sack should not be shifted about, and the picker should not be allowed to lean against the rungs of the ladder with the filled sack between. the sack should be lowered into the picking crate so that the apples have no drop in emptying the sack. pointed ladders are the best for tall trees and less liable to injure the tree or turn turtle and upset the picker. a packing house is essential if best results are to be obtained, but many growers use the canvas-covered table in the orchard, picking and packing the product from sixteen to thirty-six trees at a sitting, and then moving the table to the next center, and in this way the entire orchard. in good weather this is not so bad as might seem, but at times the sun is very hot, or sudden showers saturate everything, and in the late fall the weather is too cold and frosty for comfort. on the whole, therefore, a good sized packing house or shed built at a convenient place in or near the orchard is the more desirable method of handling the crop. this building must be large enough to give room for a sorting table three feet wide by sixteen or more feet in length, or, better still, room for an apple grading machine of best pattern, which will occupy about three feet by twenty feet. there should be a space on one side or end of the building for unloading the bushel crates with which all well regulated orchards should be equipped, when they come from the orchard. these crates can be stacked up four or five deep, and there should be adequate room for these based on necessities. there should be room for at least a day's supply of apple barrels and a place to cooper them up by driving the hoops and nailing same. there should be enough room to face and fill barrels and head them up and to stack up enough for half a day's hauling ahead. the size of this building will depend upon whether you are barreling barrels per day or , barrels. for the former a building x feet will answer very well. for the latter amount x feet would be none too large. this building should have skylights in the roof. i build these of ordinary greenhouse sash about x feet, usually putting in two of these in each building on the north or east side of the roof, according to the slope, and directly over the sorting end of the table. this will give you light an average of thirty minutes more each day and prolong the day's work that much, or at least make it possible to do better work on cloudy days and in the evenings. the building should be approachable on all four sides with the wagon, and doors either sliding or hinged should open at least ten feet wide for taking apples in and out. for example, i have my sheds arranged to take the fruit as it comes from the orchard on one side of the building. the number one apples go out one door, and in case i use a grader the number two go out another side. the cider apples also take their route. the fourth side is used for supplying empty barrels as needed. thus you see the necessity for getting to all four sides. on the side where the filled barrels are loaded onto the wagon there should be a raised platform so that the loading can be carefully and easily done. a bin for the cider or vinegar apples should be built with a roof on same. low-wheeled, platform wagons are needed to haul fruit from the orchard to the packing house. _the standard barrel of three bushels_ capacity is used generally by the commercial orchardist in preference to the box. good hoops are growing scarcer every year, and some, including myself, are using two or four of the six hoops required of the twisted splice steel wire variety as being both safer and more economical. in transit or in storage they hold better and do not break and scatter the contents of the barrel over the car floor or storage warehouse. the best floor for the apple house is concrete. the next best is to cover the ground with coal cinders and lay x flat on the cinders, filling between them with cinders to a level and nailing the floor boards to these x . this gives a good solid floor at little expense. the walls are of x uprights, about eight feet apart, resting on Ã� Ã� concrete blocks with a half inch iron rod imbedded in the concrete and countersunk in lower end of upright Ã� to keep the latter in place. nail ties of Ã� are used, and to these are nailed common lumber surfaced. the roof consists of Ã� or Ã� rafters, usually three feet apart, with Ã� boards spaced about three feet apart as sheeting. the covering in this case is of galvanized corrugated iron, suitable length, of no. gauge. the doors of this building should be on rollers, and with two or more double doors on each of the four sides to give plenty of light and easy access to and from the building. the roof and dry floor are the important parts of such a building, and you only need the walls as a support and occasionally to break off the wind when weather becomes chilly. what you should avoid in a packing house is narrow doors, dark interior and access from only one or two sides. _picking._--i have found it most satisfactory to pick by the bushel, keeping a foreman in the orchard to see that crates are filled full, ladders and apples carefully handled. each picker is provided with tickets of a certain number which corresponds to the one opposite his name on the sheet tacked to a small board or clip carried by the foreman. each picker is assigned a tree, and his empty boxes are distributed to him from the wagon. when filled the number is tabulated by the foreman and loaded onto the wagon and hauled to the packing shed. here they are stacked up and afterwards emptied onto the sorting tables or machine grader, and from thence into the barrels. _hauling to market._--the barrels when filled are not allowed to lie around, but are hauled immediately to the car or storage. failure of winter apples to keep in storage may often be traced to the packing shed, where the apples stand in the crates or lie in the barrels for a number of days, perhaps a week or two in warm weather, before they are forwarded to storage. sometimes delays occur at the storage owing to rush, and apples remain sometimes for a week or ten days in cars before they are unloaded. it behooves the grower not only to watch his own packing house for delays, but the storage company also. in one instance i lost $ , on five cars of apples that were without refrigeration five weeks owing to the storage warehouse not being completed. i knew nothing about this until two years afterwards. hauling to the station is done on wagons or motor trucks equipped with a rack that permits the barrels being carried lying down, but supported at each end of the barrel so that the weight of the barrel does not come upon the bilge. they can be so racked up that one wagon will carry fifty-five barrels. a three-ton truck will carry forty barrels of apples and haul forty more on trailer. such an outfit in one of my orchards makes five trips in one day a distance of four miles, traversing forty miles and carrying barrels of apples. one and one-half miles of this is over a well-graded dirt road, and two and one-half over brick and concrete pavement. in our clay county, illinois, orchards we have two - gasoline tractors that are used for cultivating during the summer and for hauling apples in the fall. these machines easily haul barrels of apples on two wagons and make two trips a distance of five miles from orchard to town. _loading cars._--i am surprised at the lack of knowledge of how to properly load barreled apples into cars. over half the cars going to market are improperly loaded. the best way is to place all the barrels crosswise of the cars with lower tier to the right side of the car, and the second tier the left of the car with the bilge lying in the hollows of the lower tier. the third tier should be at the right side again directly over the lower tier. if a fourth tier is added they should be at the left and directly over the second tier. in this way your apples are loaded to carry with the least injury to the apples. being uniformly loaded they are easily counted from the top after they are in the car, and your loader can verify his wagon load count after the apples are all in and thus prevent mistakes. _packing apples._--the packing season is a busy one. often the grower finds himself short of help, and when this is hard to get he is sure up against it if he wants to do a good job of packing. first make your estimate of the crop you have to harvest. if inexperienced, get an experienced man to help you. you need this estimate for two reasons. you must determine the number of packages you need, which must be contracted for in advance, and you need to know how much labor you need to get the crop in within the time limit. you should not begin harvesting too early, for immature fruit, poorly colored, brings a lower price, and you do not want to be so late that the fruit mellows up or drops from the trees before it is gathered or is caught by a freeze. i will relate a little experience of mine in the latter connection. in the autumn of i had a heavy crop on a hundred and twenty acre orchard. the season was rainy, and we lost six days during october, which put us across the line into november with our picking. the last days of october or first of november brought a severe freeze when the mercury went to twenty, or twelve below freezing. this lasted two nights and one day. the apples were frozen absolutely solid through and through on the trees. as i had over , bushels, all willow twigs, unharvested, it was an anxious time for me. the second day was cloudy with the temperature at thirty-four degrees, just freezing, and the following night it remained at the same point, for we were enough interested to note the temperature. this continued up until noon of the third day, when the frost was out of the apples and we proceeded with our picking. these apples kept perfectly and were sold the next may at $ . per barrel. there was no perceptible difference between the apples picked before or after the freeze. two years later my experience was different. we were caught with , bushels on the trees by an equally severe freeze. the sun came out bright the following morning, and by noon the temperature was up to fifty degrees. the apples turned brown and looked like they had been baked. they were good only for vinegar. the variety in both cases was willow. in packing apples it is a good plan to use a corrugated paper cap on both ends of the barrel, in addition to a waxed paper next to the apples on the face end, stenciled with the name of the grower and his postoffice address. use uniform sized apples for the face as much as possible, and of good color. the face is permitted to be per cent. better than the contents. drop facing i consider best for the second layer rather than double facing, as it holds the face apple in position better and presents a more solid face to the buyer when opened. the barrels should be filled uniformly from bottom to top with an even grade of fruit. no reputable packer will attempt any fraud upon the purchaser in this respect. in tailing off the barrel preparatory to putting in the head, the better way is to face the apples on their side in concentric rings with the color side of the apple up. i would not select these apples as to size or color, but let them correctly represent both as they run through the barrel. there can be no objection, however, to your putting the colored side of the apple up. we should always look as well as we can, and first impressions if good, while not always lasting, are desirable in the apple business of inspecting packages. in filling the barrel care must be taken to gently settle the apples into place by shaking the barrel from time to time as it is filled. after the bottom is faced off the corrugated cap is placed on the apples, with the smooth side next to the apples, and the head pressed into place. it is well to use headliners to secure the heads and not trust to the use of nails alone. have some regard for the man who has to open these heads in storage or the salesroom. try a few yourself if you never have, and you will use headliners for him who comes after if for no other reason. mr. kellogg: how do you get rid of the waste apples that would rot in the orchard? mr. dunlap: we have a large vinegar plant, and we convert the cider into vinegar and sell it as cider vinegar. we have sometimes shipped the fresh product of the cider mill to factories, where it is made into vinegar. then there are evaporators for evaporating them. take a certain grade of apples not good to grind up into cider, and they evaporate this grade of apples. then there are canning factories that also take them. the cider mill is a very good way to work up your culls and then sell as vinegar. a member: what do these apple graders cost? mr. dunlap: from $ . to $ . . the price usually depends upon the equipment. a member: do you use clear cider for vinegar? mr. dunlap: i use clear cider for making vinegar, and if it is too strong to meet the requirements of the law we dilute it when we sell it. a member: i would like to ask if you have any difficulty in getting your cider vinegar up to the requirements of the law? mr. dunlap: we do not have any trouble about that, except that made from summer apples. any cider that will grade or with the saccharimeter in the fall of the year, when it is made, will make good vinegar. a member: do you pack all one-size of apples in a barrel? mr. dunlap: no. a member: do you use very nearly the same size apples in a barrel, or do you put large ones at the top and bottom? mr. dunlap: i have heard of growers doing that, but the only way to pack a barrel honestly is to select your facers--the law permits that they may have per cent. advantage of the rest of the barrel. the rest of the barrel ought to be graded uniformly throughout. i don't mean by that they should all be apples of three or four inches diameter, but that they run above a certain figure with a minimum of - / or - / , depending upon the variety you are packing. in running them over graders, which sizes them, all over that size go over the apron and into the barrel. a member: do you face both ends of the barrel? mr. dunlap: yes, sir, we do. we do not undertake to select for the bottom or tail of the barrel apples as to size or color, but we do this--we lay those apples around in concentric rings and turn the color side or best looking side of the apple up and as nearly level as may be across the top and just the right height, so that when they are pressed into the barrel the barrel will be tight enough so as not to have the apples loose, and yet not have them bruised in the heading. it takes practice to do that just at the right height. the barrel should be shaken as it is being filled. if you do not shake often when being filled and settle the apples down so they reach the place where they belong, no matter how tight you make your barrel, when it gets into the car and on the train and in motion that constant shaking and jar will loosen the apples, and you will have a slack barrel. a member: what sort of apples go to the canneries? mr. dunlap: that, of course, depends upon the season. if the season is such that the no. apples are not worth any great amount of money, they will buy everything except cull stock below the strictly no. apple and use them in the canning factory. if the price is high they will probably take the drops, those dropped in picking, or good sound drops. we usually make a practice of cleaning up our drops once a week off the ground in picking time. before we begin picking we clean the ground entirely and run that through the vinegar factory, into the cider mill, and after that is done any apples that drop in picking they are disposed of in various ways, sometimes to the evaporator, sometimes to the canning factory and sometimes they are shipped in bulk if they are good sound apples and not injured in any way except perhaps for a few bruises. a member: in debating the question of the grower and the cannery we are anxious to know just how far it is practical to use apples--what apples we can use after grading them, say, for instance, into nos. and ? can we use a deformed apple? for instance, do the canners in your country buy deformed apples--i mean lacking in roundness? mr. dunlap: they can use them; they are a little more expensive to handle when you put them on the fork to peel them. of course, they have to use the knife on them afterwards in those places where they are not perfect, cutting out any imperfect spots on them. but as a rule they require pretty fair quality of apple for cannery and above a certain size. they wouldn't want to use anything less than two inches in diameter, and from that on, and they get as good apples as they possibly can. they have to limit themselves as to prices according to how much they can get for their product. a member: what grader do you recommend? mr. dunlap: well, i don't think that i care to advertise any grader. i am not interested in any. a member: you are a long way from home, and it might enlighten the rest of us. mr. dunlap: there are several graders on the market, and for all i know, giving good service. i am using the trescott, made in new york. a member: what is the matter with the hardy? mr. dunlap: i never used the hardy--i don't know about that. some of them will bruise the apples more than others. mr. sauter: what form of packing for apples will bring the best prices? mr. dunlap: i investigated that. i have packed as high as a couple of thousand boxes of apples, and i have taken the very best i had and barreled. i picked out the extra selects and boxed them. then i took a no. grade from those that that were left and the no. grade, and my no. grade in barrels were disposed of before i could sell my boxes at all in the market. the boxes were the last thing i could dispose of. considering the extra cost of boxing i was out of pocket in selling them in boxes. bushel baskets are all right, you can pack the basket with no more expense than packing a barrel. mr. brackett: what can a cannery afford to pay for apples? mr. dunlap: i have never been in the cannery business, i could not tell. mr. brackett: they are talking of starting a cannery where i live and i wondered what they can afford to pay. mr. dunlap: some five or six years ago i sold a number of hundred bushels to canneries at cents per hundred pounds. whether they can afford to pay that or not i don't know. i haven't sold any to them for several years now. in fact, i should judge they couldn't afford to pay that for them because they went out of business. mr. brackett: in other words, they can't pay over or cents a bushel? mr. dunlap: i don't know what they can afford to pay. a member: we had a canning factory that paid cents a bushel of pounds, that would be cents a hundred. mr. brackett: are they still in business? a member: yes, sir. mr. sauter: we had one that paid cents a bushel. mr. dunlap: if they were to can these apples in illinois and ship them up here they have got to pay freight to come in competition with your apples. mr. sauter: i sprayed last spring first with lime-sulphur, and my sprayer worked fine. i had a hand sprayer, but when i mixed the lime-sulphur and the arsenate of lead it almost stopped up. what was the matter, was it the mixture or the sprayer? mr. dunlap: most all of these mixtures when you put them together ought to be more or less diluted. mr. sauter: how long must they stand dissolved? mr. dunlap: the lime-sulphur is in solution, and if you have that in your water tank the best way is to put your arsenate of lead in in the form of a paste and dilute it until you get it so that there is about two pounds of arsenate of lead to a gallon of water, and with that you can pour it into your tank and if you have an agitator in there you won't have any difficulty with it. in the early days of spraying when we used blue vitriol with lime, we tried a concentrated solution of the blue vitriol and lime and found we couldn't get it through the strainer, but by diluting it, putting our blue vitriol in one tank, and putting half of our water that we intended putting in the sprayer in that, and taking another tank and putting half the water and the lime in that and then putting the two together in this diluted solution, we didn't have any trouble, but in putting in the concentrated solutions together we had a sticky mess and all sorts of trouble. it would not go through the strainer. mr. sauter: how does the powdered arsenate compare with the paste? mr. dunlap: i haven't had any personal experience with the powder and i would have to refer you to the experiment station. mr. sauter: powder mixes a great deal easier. mr. dunlap: yes, sir. i had this experience with hydrated lime. the hydrated lime, as you know, comes in sacks and in the form of flour, and all you have to do is just to pour that into the water, and there is no trouble about mixing it at all. with lime from barrels that we used for making bordeaux, we would slake it and run it off into barrels, and there we diluted it so that we got two pounds to every gallon of water, our stock solution. but with the hydrated lime we can take so much out, so much by weight, and put it into the tank, and it dissolves right in the water. but we found this difficulty as between slaked lime and the hydrated lime. while the hydrated is very nice to use it did not possess the adhesive quality that the regular slaked lime did, and it would wash off the trees and take the vitriol solution with it, and we discontinued its use. mr. sauter: you think it best for anybody with a small orchard to make his own lime-sulphur solution? mr. dunlap: that depends on how he is equipped. it costs a great deal less to make your own solution than it does to buy it. whether you could afford to do it or not depends upon the amount you spray and your equipment. you really ought to have, in making your own lime-sulphur, a steam boiler, although you can make it in an ordinary farm feed boiler. you can boil it right in that and turn it out after it is made, stirring it with a wooden paddle while cooking. i find that if we are equipped for it we will make a product that is equal to the imported product, but we ought to have a little more equipment. we ought to have steam and run this steam into our cooking vat to keep it boiling at the right temperature right along, and boil it for an hour, and then have a mechanical agitator in the bottom of the tub that keeps it stirred up, and keep the cover closed down as nearly tight as possible so as to exclude the air as much as possible, letting the surplus steam escape, and in that way we get a product as good as anything we are able to buy, at less than half the price. if one is using a great quantity that is the way to do it, but in small quantities i don't think it would pay to bother with it. (applause.) marketing fruit at mankato. p. l. keene, university farm, st. paul. (gideon memorial contest.) mankato has a population of about twelve thousand and is just about within the car-lot market. in seasons of low production it can easily use all the fruit grown in the vicinity, but in seasons of good production some must be shipped out. this irregular supply makes it difficult to obtain a satisfactory method of marketing the fruit. nearly all kinds of fruit are grown here. apples, strawberries and raspberries are grown to the greatest extent. there are several orchards having from five hundred to a thousand trees, while many small fruit growers have several acres of strawberries and raspberries. plums, blackberries, currants and gooseberries are grown on a smaller scale, so that there is seldom enough produced to make it necessary to ship them. the number of varieties grown is very great, as it is in almost every locality where the industry is relatively young. there are over forty varieties of apples grown on a more or less large scale. this makes the marketing problem still more difficult. many of the growers are beginning to specialize in two or three varieties, such as wealthy, patten, northwestern and malinda. last year some of the growers produced as many as five carloads. small fruits are brought in by the wagon load during the heaviest part of the season, making it possible for the fruit houses to load a car in a day. the commercial growers use good, practical methods of culture, keeping the land well cultivated and using cover crops and mulch; but many of the small growers of half-way fruit men--those who do not specialize in fruit growing--neglect their orchards. most growers properly prune and thin their trees and bushes, while many are beginning to spray. in the picking, grading and packing of the fruit is where the great majority fail. after they have grown the fruit carefully and successfully, they fail to properly harvest and dispose of it. this fault lies in the fact that they have specialized in the production of their product and have given little time or attention to the marketing of it. they realize, though, that success in fruit growing depends as largely upon proper marketing as upon proper growing. the first step in marketing is the picking of the fruit. fruit, as any other product, should be picked at a certain time; and the grower who allows his fruit to remain on the tree or bush too long, as is often done with the apple, until his work is caught up, is the grower who receives unsatisfactory prices for his product. many farmers bring windfalls and bruised apples mixed with the hand picked ones and expect as much as the grower who carefully picks his apples. the picking utensils are also often a cause of injury. tin pails, wooden buckets and boxes are used to too great an extent. these naturally bruise more or less of the apples as they are put into the pails, especially if extreme care is not used. the pouring of the fruit from one receptacle into another is still another source of injury. the small fruit grower usually handles his fruit with greater care than the apple grower does, for the simple reason that improper handling of these fruits soon shows itself, and the grower may find that he is unable to dispose of his fruit. the most common cause of injury to small fruit is over-ripeness. [illustration: p. l. keene.] the improper sorting and grading of fruit is another cause of unprofitable returns. all bruised, wormy or injured apples should be discarded at picking time. the presence of only a few inferior fruits in a lot will bring the price down considerably. the same holds true with berries, and is even more important, for if one berry rots it soon spreads disease to the other berries. for this reason the sorting out of all inferior fruit is essential, even more so than grading. the grading aids in getting better prices but is not necessary for profitable results. if small fruit is well sorted, the growers claim that it is not necessary to grade it, for the fruit will then be fairly uniform. with apples, grading is distinctly beneficial. many marketable apples may be blemished so that their appearance is hurt, while their keeping and shipping qualities are but slightly injured. the best grade must contain apples uniform in size, shape and color, and free from all blemishes. hence it is readily seen why at least two grades are essential. the growers at mankato do not grade their apples to more than one grade and this amounts only to sorting. the best of the commercial apple growers carefully sort out the small and injured fruits, but a large portion of the growers even neglect this to some extent. the method of packing the fruit is very variable, and in fact a large part of it is not packed at all. most of the small fruit growers use the sixteen quart crate, while the apple, if it is packed at all, is packed in barrels. one requirement of a package is that it be clean, and if it must be clean a secondhand package cannot be used. many fall down here by using secondhand, odd sized and dirty crates or barrels. the shipping crate should be kept out of the field and off of the ground. the place for it is in the packing house. the apple growers often take their barrels into the field to fill them and thus more or less soil them. this is not done to any great extent at mankato, for most of the barrel packing is done at the fruit houses, the growers bringing in the apples loose in a wagonbox. this is a good system as the apples are only handled three times: from the tree to the picking basket, from the picking basket to the wagonbox, and from here into barrels. by this method the apples are sorted both at the picking and barreling time. if the apples are to be graded or packed at the farm, a packing house should be provided at or near the orchard. it is needless to speak of the slack and inefficient method of marketing apples in sacks, salt barrels and odd boxes; but this is still done by some half-way growers. they often have to either take the fruit back and feed it to the pigs or give it away. even when they are able to sell it, they barely cover expense of picking and marketing. several methods of selling their fruit are available to the growers around mankato. the different methods used are ( ) selling direct to consumer, ( ) selling to stores, ( ) selling to wholesale houses, ( ) selling to commission men. the amount handled in the "direct to the consumer" way is rather large in the case of small fruit, but there is very little so-called "apple peddling" done. some growers have regular customers whom they supply yearly with a barrel or more of apples, but this is usually some friend or relative. some growers peddle out their summer apples by driving through the residence sections of the city and selling to anyone who wants to buy and in such quantities as they desire, but not all growers care to follow this plan. sales are always made for cash, except perhaps where a person is a regular customer. this method is too unsatisfactory to be used for winter apples but is often advantageous in disposing of a large crop of summer apples. the fruit is not usually in very good shape, and is often that which the fruit dealers have rejected. the fruit is marketed in any package that happens to be handy, or loose, in the box, and is measured out usually in small quantities to the buyer. [illustration: a load of apples from p.l. keene's orchard, near mankato] the handling of berries direct to consumer is much more systematized and therefore proves more satisfactory to both parties concerned. the majority of growers sell a considerable quantity in this way. they pack in sixteen quart crates, and usually will not divide a crate. the berries are for the most part delivered on order of the customer, for cash. each grower has his regular customers, and some advertise to a limited extent. this method is usually satisfactory to the grower for he sells at a fixed price, and over that which he could get at the stores. he finds that it pays him to furnish good berries, for if he delivers a poor crate the lady receiving that crate is sure to make it known to her neighbors, while a good crate will add to his reputation. therefore, the grower will take particular pains to have the boxes well filled with good berries and delivered promptly, in order to hold this trade. in compensation he receives a good price, regular customers and a sure market for his product. the amount handled through the stores is about equal to that handled direct to the consumer, but in some seasons it is not as great. the grower demands cash, for he can get it at the other places, while most of the stores prefer cash rather than a trade basis, on account of the bother of handling the trade checks. some stores, by offering a higher trade price, try to draw trade, but this does not attract the commercial grower. it may, however, attract the half-way grower. most stores do not try to handle more than they can dispose of themselves. it is the small grower who sells to the stores. the large grower cannot get the prices that will pay him to bother with the store trade, while the fruit houses do not want to handle the small fruit grower's product, for it is usually of inferior quality. hence, the store trade is a necessity under present conditions, even though it is not a very satisfactory method. the apples are brought to the stores in the same packages as to the consumer direct. the berries are handled in the same packages, but the condition and quality are more apt to be inferior than with those sold to the consumer. the stores usually re-sort the fruit before they sell it. they very seldom ship fruit. in case they get more on their hands than they can sell, they either store it for a few days, or sell to the wholesale fruit houses. there is more fruit handled by either one of the two wholesale fruit houses than by any other single way in mankato. they handle the bulk of the apple crop grown commercially but will not take inferior fruit. the small fruit growers market a considerable portion of their crops through them, especially in years when they have more than they can dispose of to consumers. the wholesale houses offer no fixed price, except it be in a contract with some individual grower whom they know will bring in good fruit. when a load comes in they look it over and bid on it. if the grower is satisfied with the price, he sells, and if not he tries the other house or the stores. the commercial growers usually bring in their apples loose in the wagon-box, and the apples are packed into barrels here. this insures a clean barrel, properly packed. it enables the buyer to look over the load as it is being unloaded. one or two growers have a reputation good enough that the houses will buy their fruit barreled. all small fruits are handled in the sixteen quart crates and are not repacked. the grower delivers them as up to grade on his reputation, which will not last long if he does not furnish good berries. the grower usually tells the wholesaler when they were picked and the condition they are in. they do a cash business only. very little has been handled through the commission men of other cities. a few carloads have been shipped to minneapolis, but returns were not as satisfactory as when sold to the wholesale houses. in shipping the grower has to take more risk and do more work, such as packing and loading the car, than when he sells to the wholesaler. most growers prefer to sell to the houses than to do this extra work, which they are neither used to, nor capable of handling. besides this, most growers do not have enough fruit at any one time to load a car. there is no co-operative association at the present time, but the growers were trying to organize one last winter. in a certain way there is an agreement among the small fruit growers, in that nearly all of them agree to market their fruit in the sixteen quart crate and stick to certain prices as far as possible, and not to cut prices under other growers. this applies especially to the "direct to the consumer" trade. there are no street venders to whom the growers can sell nor with whom they would have to compete, and there is no city market at mankato. storage conditions have not been developed. the wholesale houses have small storage rooms of their own, but do little storing of home grown products, as they ship them out as soon as they get a carload. the stores store a few days in case they get an over-supply on hand. the growers store apples in their own cellars, often keeping them until the following spring. a few city people buy apples in the fall and store for winter use, but it is not very satisfactory for the storage houses do not regulate the temperature accurately enough. * * * * * pruning of currants and gooseberries.--the main reason that currant and gooseberry bushes do not yield satisfactory crops from year to year is due to the lack of proper pruning. both currants and gooseberries produce their fruit on canes that are at least two years old, the first season being generally utilized for the growing of the canes, the second for the formation of fruit buds or spurs, and the third a full crop may be expected. these canes will bear for two and even three years, but each year after the third they begin to show a decided decline--the fruit becomes smaller and less valuable. in order to keep the production up to the standard, the bush should be placed on the rotation basis, that is, each year a few new, strong shoots should be permitted to grow. all the rest should be cut out, and also each spring a like number of the oldest canes should be removed. in other words, we should grow the same number of new canes that we take out in old canes. in this way, we eliminate the old and exhausted canes and keep the bushes in strong, vigorous growth. further, as the season progresses, all shoots beyond those that we wish to use for fruiting later on should be removed and not permitted to utilize the food supply that should go to the fruiting canes.--e.p. sandsten, col. agri. college. support for an overloaded fruit tree. miss nellie b. pendergast, duluth. some years ago the writer wearied of the many objectionable features connected with propping overloaded apple trees, and found relief in a new application of the maxim of modern charity--"help people to help themselves." the average apple tree is quite capable of supporting its load of fruit, with a little assistance in applying its strength. this is satisfactorily given by overhead supports. my method is as follows: take a piece of gas pipe, the diameter depending on the size of the tree and consequent weight of the load, and long enough to extend some two or three feet above the tree. the required height would be governed by the spread of the branches and the distance between the trunk of the tree and the proper point for support of the limbs. the pipe is placed against the trunk of the tree, pushed a few inches into the ground, and tied in several places tightly to the tree. on the top (which must be screw-threaded) is screwed an ordinary gas pipe end. heavy cords are then run through holes in the top piece and tied to the branches wherever needed--the same cord often being made to tie several branches which are in line perpendicularly. [illustration: view of apple tree with fruit laden branches supported by pipe or wire.] the branches should be wrapped with a bit of burlap or other suitable padding under the cord, as otherwise the friction resulting from the inevitable swaying of the heavy limbs on windy days would result in rubbing the bark off and possibly entirely girdling the branch. pads should also be placed between the gas pipe and the tree trunk wherever there is contact, and under the rope where tied. what frisky is telling the veteran horticulturist. chas. f. gardner, osage, iowa. i am your cunning little squirrel, and as you have named me frisky and have adopted me as a regular member of your family, i will tell you some little things i know about horticulture, or more properly, forest tree planting. [illustration: our squirrel.] my ancestors from way back through geological ages have all been lovers of nut trees and especially conifers. if you knew of the great districts covered with valuable timber that have come into existence by reason of our planting of nuts and conifer seed, you would be very much surprised. while we gather large quantities of seed for use as food during the long, cold winter months, each one of us secretes several thousand seed annually, widely scattered, in good places for trees to grow. the most of these scattered seeds remain in the ground and germinate where they were planted. my grandfather on my mother's side has told me that some of his relatives in scotland were once accused of doing considerable injury to plantations of firs and pines by gnawing off the top shoots, which you know make pretty good eating for a hungry little squirrel. wasn't that a great thing to make a fuss about? i believe my grandpa knew as much as you do about the real existence and natural history of the mastodon, the megatherium, the paleotherium and the pterodactyl. in the planting of forest trees we were assisted by birds. i will name a few who helped us the most in this northern latitude, or, as you call it, "the blizzard belt." you showed me the other day two beautiful oak trees, on your grounds that were planted by crows. bluejays are great seed planters, also mourning doves; and the wild pigeons, now extinct, were great planters of many nut trees. almost every variety of birds has assisted us in the planting of the seeds of trees, bushes and, in fact, all plants that bear valuable fruits or nutritious seeds. [illustration: chas. f. gardner at his best.] while i think of it, i will tell you that i was born in a beautiful nest, made of moss, twigs and dry leaves curiously interwoven in the fork of a tree at a considerable height from the ground. i had four little brothers and sisters. we loved each other dearly and had a good time all cuddled up in our sweet little home. i wish you would let me go and visit them sometime this summer. now if you have no objection i will take a little nap.--frisky. top-working. o. w. moore, veteran horticulturist, spring valley. from my experience in fruit growing i have come to the conclusion that the best method to apply in starting a commercial orchard in this section of country would be to gather apple seed from duchess and hibernal apples and plant them, in order that we might grow hardy seedling roots to be used in making root-grafts. after growing these apple seedlings one year i would graft short pieces of their roots to long hibernal scions, plant them out in the nursery row and grow them the first year as a whip or single shoot. the second year before growth starts in the spring i would cut those whips back to the height where i wanted to start the head of the tree. after growth starts rub off all the buds except from four to six at the top, these being left to form the head of the tree. the trunk of the tree below these buds should be kept clear of all growth at all times. by this method we get uniform trees, as the heads, or tops, are all of an equal distance from the ground and all run very nearly the same size. now we have those trees two years old in the nursery row, and as a foundation for hardiness we have done our best. we have taken seed from our hardiest apples to grow our seedling roots; we have grafted hibernal scions onto those roots, which is supposed to be the hardiest apple wood that we have. still there is one point that has not been touched upon, and that is, that it is not to be supposed that all of those seedling roots from the seed of our hardiest apples will be hardy. you may ask why? well, because mother nature does not do business that way. we hear now and then the remark, "he is a good mixer." well, if any man or set of men can beat mother nature at mixing they will have to do better in the future than they have done in the past. but remember that we have the hibernal as a scion above those roots, and that is the best apple wood to root from the scion that i know of. some may ask, why not use the virginia crab? i answer, for the reasons above stated, as i have tried both. our trees are two years old now and are ready to be planted in the orchard where they are to remain. grow them in orchards one year. but if from drouth or some other cause they do not make a satisfactory growth, grow them two years. then top-work their four or six limbs about six inches from their forks to any kind of apple that you wish to produce in a commercial way--but leave all small growth below those unions the first year. the second year cut everything away but the scions. if the planter will follow the above methods i am willing to stake my reputation as a fruit grower that he will have an orchard that will stay with him and give satisfaction. very many apple trees, especially seedlings, when they come to bearing age are found to be worthless or nearly so. if those trees are taken in hand at any time under ten years old they can be readily top-worked to some good apple and completely changed in two years' time. the first year work center limbs or leaders, leaving the lower growth to be worked the second year. the third year by cutting everything away but the growth of the scions we have the tree changed over to a better variety of fruit. as to the size of limbs to graft i have always made it a point to never work limbs over one inch in diameter. but from one inch down to whip-grafting size, limbs from three-quarters to one inch, we set two scions. the wound heals sooner with two scions than with one. if there is too much growth in a year or two, cut a part of it away just above the union. evergreens. jens a. jensen, rose creek. why not grow evergreens in the place of willows? when i came to mower county if there were any trees planted they were willows, a few lombardy poplars and balm of gilead. since there has been a great deal of planting of evergreens, especially around austin and rose creek. some people think it hard to grow evergreens. one mistake they make is in planting too large trees. another is in planting them in june grass sod, a sod that will not wet down one inch in a rain that lasts twenty-four hours. evergreens should be planted in cultivated land, and then they will grow surprisingly fast. plant trees from one to two feet. if wanted for a windbreak, plant eight feet apart; if two rows are wanted, plant trees sixteen feet apart, in rows four feet apart, the trees planted alternately. norway, white and black hills spruce, also white, scotch and jack pine are doing well here. in memoriam--ezra f. pabody ezra f. pabody was born in vernon, indiana, july th, . his father's name was ezra f. pabody, and his mother's maiden name was mabel butler. comrade pabody was married in oxford, ohio, october th, , to emma a. brown. [illustration: portrait of the late ezra f. pabody, from a photograph taken ten years ago.] his education was acquired by attending, first, the common schools at vernon, indiana, until he was sixteen years of age; and in september, , he entered hanover college, where he spent five years. in , he entered miami university, oxford, ohio, and graduated from that university in june, . in september of that same year he entered princeton theological seminary, where he studied for one year with a view to entering the ministry, but the condition of his health interfered with his carrying out this purpose. in , having come to minnesota, and as volunteers were being enlisted to crush the rebellion, which threatened our country with destruction, his spirit of patriotism impelled him to offer his services to aid in maintaining the government. accordingly he enlisted at fort snelling, september th, , and was enrolled in company "a," third minnesota volunteers. in november of that year he was appointed hospital steward of the regiment, but he was unable long to endure the activities of the service, and on july th, , was discharged on account of disability. however, his loyal spirit would not allow him to rest if there was a place where he might serve effectively, and accordingly, on august th, , he enlisted again,--this time in the th indiana volunteer infantry, and was assigned to duty as hospital steward, in which office he continued until discharged for disability december th, . after his army service, he engaged in the drug business at vernon, indiana. in he removed to minneapolis and here followed the same line of business until . in august, , he was prevailed upon to take up city mission work in connection with westminster church, and was ordained to the gospel ministry in . retiring from the active work of the ministry in , he passed the remaining years of his life in his quiet home at zumbra heights, lake minnetonka, where the death angel found him september st, , after a long period of illness. his memory will be lastingly perpetuated by the development of his city mission work, known as "riverside mission," a neglected portion of minneapolis, embracing what is known as "the river flats," where the inhabitants, mostly foreigners, and in need of religious instruction, were taught by this faithful missionary and his estimable and consecrated wife to speak and sing the language of heaven. the faithful wife and co-laborer, one son, e. fitch pabody, and one daughter, eleanor (mrs. ward h. benton), all of minneapolis, survive him. mr. pabody is, of course, best known to the members of this society on account of his service with it in the past thirteen years. while not one of the oldest members of the society from a point of years in his connection with the society, in point of service he ranks very high, for during all the period of his service he was always finding something to do for the association. several times he was on the program, in a number of official capacities he served the society, and especially as a member of the reception committee during a number of our annual meetings was he of largest use to the association, and his courteous and kindly ways we especially remember. mr. pabody was very near to the writer personally, and his taking away is largely in the nature of a personal loss. mr. pabody had a great love for horticultural pursuits. his garden and orchard occupied very much of his thoughts during the later years of his life, when he lived on the shores of lake minnetonka. it is hard to part with these old members who have so much endeared themselves to us in these many thoughtful ways.--secy. bread cast upon the waters. c. s. harrison, york, neb. the instance recited below has nothing particularly to do with horticulture but a good deal to do with a "horticulturist," c. s. harrison, of york, neb., that picturesque veteran in horticulture, who has been an attendant at our meetings now for so many years, adding such a strong interest to our annual gatherings. mr. harrison recited at our late meeting the incident referred to here--without the denouement, which came to him in california this winter, where he met mr. lindbergh, one of minnesota congressmen. as a result of this incident we had mr. harrison with again at our late summer meeting.--secy. in i was living in sauk center, minn., where i preached the first sermon. i had a tract of country under my care miles in extent and had all sorts of work to do. ten miles from sauk center there was a sturdy swede who was at one time speaker in one branch of the swedish parliament and for a while secretary to the king. he moved to minnesota about the year ' . it seems he had not learned the art of graft, and he was poor. he took up a preemption and built him a little log house Ã� . one day he took a load of logs to the mill and, stumbling, fell on the saw. this caught him in the back and split it open, and also took a stab at his right arm. it was hot weather and no surgeon within fifty miles. i followed him to his home; we did not think he could live. i picked out the sawdust and rags from his back and kept the wounded arm wrapped in cold water, and now for a surgeon i got a horse from a neighbor and a man to ride him. i said, "don't hurt the horse but go as fast as it is safe." twenty miles ahead i knew another man with whom he could exchange horses, and then another relay brought him to the doctor. dr. hunter proved to be a good surgeon. we had kept the patient with such care that with his clean habits and robust constitution he underwent the operation all right. i helped the doctor, and we took off the arm near the shoulder. i had a busy time until the surgeon came. i stayed with the man all day, then drove home ten miles and was by his side early. it took the doctor about three days to get there. the horses were poor, and the auto did not exist even in a dream. by the next december the old hero was out chopping rails with his left hand. how poor the people were! every dollar had a big task before it. the good doctor only charged $ . i rode quite a distance--got a little here and there and paid the bill. a son of the old man, c. a. lindbergh, is now representative in congress from the th district of minnesota. we discovered each other this winter. i have kept up a pleasant correspondence. his daughter, eva, who helps her father, has just written me that she is going to be married in minneapolis in june, and she wants me to perform the ceremony. all the friends and relatives will be there, and she wants the man who saved her grandpa. thus, after fifty-five years, stirring memories of the past are awakened and happy anticipations of the future.--c. s. harrison. secretary's corner more everbearing strawberries.--mr. walter ferguson, of mankato, has pretty near the record number of strawberry plants raised last year. from four plants of no. everbearing strawberries he reports having raised several over six hundred. he says he reset twelve new plants in july and they produced over three hundred. advance premium list, annual meeting, .--elsewhere in this number will be found an advance list of premiums to be offered on vegetables and apples at the coming annual meeting of the society. there will be practically no change from this list, though there may be slight additions to it. possible exhibitors may feel safe to save material for exhibition in accordance with the premiums therein offered. passing of j.f. benjamin.--members of the society who have attended our annual meetings for the last ten or more years will readily recall the face and figure of this very loyal member of the society, who was always at hand to serve in any capacity as opportunity came to him. mr. benjamin was a successful fruit grower, not only from a financial standpoint but from his love of the art. we hope to publish a suitable sketch of his life at some later date. municipal camps in national forests.--the city of fresno, california, has established a fifteen-acre camp in an adjoining national forest, providing low cost outings for the school children of that city and their parents. los angeles is doing something similar on even a larger scale, and other municipalities are following suit. minnesota has splendid national forests, and the time may come when the state or some of the municipalities of the state may be able to make similar use of these forests for the benefit of our people who are not able to go to larger expense to secure needed summer outing. the apple crop.--the department of agriculture in its august st report forecasts an apple crop of seventy-one million barrels against seventy-six million last year and a yearly average for the past five years of sixty-six million. the favored regions in apple growing this year are in the new england states and the pacific states, the central states showing a very large falling off in the apple crop, anywhere from four-fifths to one-fourth of previous years. national vegetable growers' association.--it seems there is an association of this character, called "vegetable growers' association of america," and it will hold its next annual meeting in lasalle hotel, chicago, september - . representatives of local vegetable growers' associations' will probably do well to get in touch with this national gathering. if any go from this state the secretary will be glad to receive from them a report of the meeting. marketing, soil fertility, heating, packing, spraying and other subjects will be covered on the program. for further information address james b. foley, secretary, south spaulding avenue, chicago. apple trees as a windbreak.--john w. maher, of devils lake, n.d., in correspondence has spoken at two different times of the use of apple trees as one feature of windbreaks in his vicinity, using such varieties as duchess, patten's greening, hibernal, etc. in this connection he says "probably it is only the amateur horticulturist who sets a row of young apple trees in the stubble fields as a windbreak for apple grafts, but this has been done here and the windbreak is satisfactory. i believe that the apple is more hardy in this kind of soil than it is generally considered to be. if the apple tree is properly limbed so as to shade its trunk and larger limbs it is a real success." horticultural society periodicals.--february, , the first number of the monthly issued by this society was published and sent out to its members. publishing the report in this way as a monthly was an experiment, which has proved to be a very successful one indeed, and this method of publication has now for a long time been a permanent feature of the work of this society. in the society had about six hundred members. the increase in the membership of the association since that period has brought the roll to high water mark this year at , . at that time as far as we know no other horticultural society was publishing its report as a monthly. quite a number of state societies are now doing something of this sort, though not exactly following the same plan as the minnesota society, our report appearing as a monthly magazine and being bound up later with list of members, index, etc., making altogether the annual report. the only association that has exactly followed our plan is the manitoba society. wisconsin, kansas, nebraska, virginia and other associations not now recalled are sending out a monthly to their membership. illinois and perhaps some others are publishing a quarterly. some of the state boards of horticulture are publishing a monthly, notably the california board, and in some cases the state boards of agriculture are doing this also. the plan inaugurated by this society is being slowly popularized and will undoubtedly continue to be made use of more and more as the study and practice of horticulture develops in our country. garden helps conducted by minnesota garden flower society edited by mrs. e. w. gould, humboldt avenue so. minneapolis. garden helps for september. _september meeting of the garden flower society_ will be held on the twenty-first, at : p.m., at the minneapolis public library. _topics_, "fall work in the garden." "planting for fall and winter effects." "vines and their uses." have you taken any photographs of your garden, its individual flowers, or wild flowers for our photographic contest? it is not too late yet to get good pictures. every member is urged to enter this competition. _plant peonies this month._ old clumps of hardy perennials may be divided and reset early this month. flowering bulbs intended to be in bloom at christmas should be potted now. grass seed for new lawns or bad places in old ones can be sown this month. the daffodil makes an early growth and should be planted this month. after the first killing frosts the tender roots, like cannas, gladioli, elephant's ears, and dahlias, can be lifted with a fork and spread out under cover to dry, then stored in a cool cellar, free from frost. do not cultivate the soil after september first. all newly set plants should be mulched lightly. all litter about the garden can be cleared away. any plants that have been infested with insects or diseased should be burned. leave no harbors for the eggs of insects, such as old weeds, grasses or litter of any kind. seeds of native plants which you wish to naturalize should be gathered and sowed immediately in a shaded, well drained location, where the soil has some humus. lily-of-the-valley should be planted this month. try planting a few sweet peas late in september or early october. important september blooming flowers are phlox, japanese anemones; perennial asters, or michaelmas daisy, so-called because they are supposed to be at their best on michaelmas day, september th; helleniums, helianthus, hardy chrysanthemum, pyrethrum uliginosum, boltonia. if you have not these flowers, try and visit some garden where they are blooming in order to know what kinds to grow. poppies for next june's blooming can be sown this month. be prepared for the first early frosts, having ready to use some light covering, such as cheesecloth. the garden can be prolonged from two to six weeks by this slight protection. orchard notes. conducted monthly by r. s. mackintosh, horticulturalist, extension division, university farm, st. paul. a conference of horticultural extension workers. a conference of the horticultural extension leaders of wisconsin, kansas, nebraska, south dakota, iowa and minnesota was held early in august at the iowa state college, at ames. the subject of apple and potato clearing houses was the chief question discussed. the work of this kind was started by professor greene in kansas when they had the big apple crop in . later iowa and minnesota undertook similar work. it is expected that a co-operative plan will be formulated which will be of greater value than when each state works alone. the visiting members were very glad to have president pearson discuss co-operation as he saw it while visiting a dozen or more countries in europe. one hour was spent in an automobile tour of the grounds and farms. considerable land from one to three miles from the main campus is now used for experimental work. one of the latest additions to the horticultural equipment is a cold storage plant and range of greenhouses, costing over sixty thousand dollars. horticultural tour in western iowa and eastern nebraska. the horticultural societies of iowa and nebraska joined in an automobile tour of the orchards, vineyards, nurseries, and truck farms august to . the first day was spent in and around council bluffs. interest centered around the large co-operative grape growers' association. a grand picnic dinner was served by the ladies. this association has been in active operation for fifteen years. professor beach emphasized the value of the work that is being done, and especially the value of having a contented lot of people in a community mutually interested in one kind of work. on the return trip a stop was made at the experimental apple orchard that is conducted by the horticultural department of the iowa state college. this orchard of trees was leased in for ten years to determine if an old orchard that has been unprofitable could be made profitable. careful records have been kept of expenses and of the size and grade of all fruits produced under the several soil treatments. to date six crops have been harvested from the trees under experiment. the lowest was , bushels in and the largest was , bushels in . it is estimated that there is about thirty per cent. of a crop on the trees this year. demonstrations were given in spraying, dynamiting trees, treating trees affected with blister canker, and grading apples with a large grading machine. the second day was spent in orchards near omaha. some excellent orchards that have been very profitable were visited. it had been very dry in that region, consequently the fruit was undersized. the third day was spent in southwestern iowa, from hamburg to glenwood. it is impossible to tell about all the good things seen on this trip. we saw all kinds of pruning, cultivated and "sod cultivated" orchards and, above all, corn, corn and more corn. at shenandoah the nurserymen and seedsmen took charge of the party and entertained all in a very hospitable manner. there were ninety at the noon banquet. in the afternoon they showed us the large nurseries and seed warehouse. toward the end of the trip we stopped at a -acre orchard, mostly grimes golden. a hailstorm had injured the fruit very much. one of the great lessons gained from the -mile automobile tour was the fact that _spraying_ is _one_ of the _most important orchard operations_. it was interesting to hear what some of the older orchardists would say when they saw fruit injured by scab. it is an important matter with them, because it means dollars to have disease-free fruit to market. [illustration: veteran douglas fir, standing miles out from the protecting mountain, exposed to all the fierce winds of the plains.] while it is not the intention to publish anything in this magazine that is misleading or unreliable, yet it must be remembered that the articles published herein recite the experience and opinions of their writers, and this fact must always be noted in estimating their practical value. the minnesota horticulturist vol. october, no. camping on the yellowstone trail. clarence wedge, nurseryman, albert lea, minn. i suppose that civilization is the correct thing for mortals to aspire to. as a boy, while i hated it with a bitter hatred, i accepted it as inevitable because my elders approved it and because it seemed indissolubly linked to the school, the church and the things of good repute. as i grow older the yoke sits easier on my shoulders, but doubts have increased as to its necessary connection with the good, the true and the beautiful. it surely kills the sweet virtue of hospitality. in my home church lately there was a call for volunteers to entertain a visiting delegation, and i was interested in observing how perfectly the number that might be accommodated in any home was in inverse ratio to the size and furnishings of the house. high heeled shoes and hobble skirts, two-story starched collars and tile hats are fashion signs of civilization, but i cannot see why a ring in the nose and a tattooed arm might not have answered just as well. i am getting harder to convince that a broad foot, shaped on the lines laid down by the creator, is less beautiful or desirable than the one-toe pointed shoe, decreed just now by our particular brand of culture, and today i would as lief defend the cult of the simple red man as the savagery that disgraces the lands across the water. whatever the merits of the matter, for one month of the year we and our tent and automobile abandon ourselves to barbarism, and live as we please. this year we chose to spend our month on the yellowstone trail, the road that leads from the twin cities to the yellowstone national park, and which is different from other roads leading in the same direction mainly by its yellow mark, faithfully directing the traveler on his way and preventing the loss of time in getting directions at doubtful cross roads. our party consisted of a young botanist, and his wife, my wife, myself and our small boy alan. our equipment consisted of a tent, x ft., weighing, stakes, poles, partition and all, - / lbs.; a trunk on the running board made to hold bedding and grub box, and an oil cloth to use as a tent floor. like the indians we go light, and live the simple life while on the trail. we get off at six o'clock in the morning, eating our breakfast on the move as we get hungry; lunch at noon by the roadside, and camp early, seeking the most interesting spot, from the top of a butte to a pleasant river valley--and cooking the one square meal of the day by such a brushwood fire as we are able to gather. [illustration: "us" and some others at a mountain cabin.] for the first few days we try to provide some straw to temper the hard earth, but as the days go by, and we get used to roughing it, we sleep soundly with nothing but a blanket and oil cloth between us and mother earth. we pin back the tent door, and with the night wind fanning our faces, close our eyes to the stars and flickering campfire. some who have never camped are afraid of bugs, snakes and wild animals. we have spent our vacation month this way for twenty-five years, have camped in most of the counties of minnesota, and in iowa, the dakotas and montana, and have never had but one unpleasant experience of the kind. that was one night when we pitched our tent after dark on the bottoms below fort snelling, and did not know till we had laid ourselves down that a colony of ants had pre-empted the spot before us. we did not get much sleep, but we had the comfort of feeling that they were nice, clean, self-respecting, self-defending ants. would that our experience in hotels had been equally fortunate! [illustration: a young douglas fir.] leaving the western boundary of the forests of minnesota near glencoe and going across the prairie and plains to the mountain forests of montana is an interesting experience. the only trees in western minnesota and the dakotas are those found along the lakes and water courses, and west of the missouri the trees and shrubby growth, even in such places, becomes very scanty or entirely disappears, giving a weird appearance to one who has always associated water and trees together in his mind. as we draw near the montana line, trees begin to appear on the tops of the buttes and high bluffs on the distant horizon. traveling on the railroad i have wondered what they were. with our own private car we satisfied our curiosity by zig-zagging our way up to a camping place among them, the first night they came in sight. of course they were our old friends, the ponderosa pine, whose name will always be associated with our grand old man from nebraska. they ought to be renamed the harrison pine. how they endure the drouth and cold in a soil so poor that grass withers and dies out, and how they stand erect where every other living thing bows to the bleak winds and blizzards of the prairies, is one of the mysteries of plant life. what a splendid bonfire we made of their boughs that night, flaring as a beacon out over the ocean of prairie about us! the day before we had passed by hundreds of clumps of a beautiful blue lupine with finely cut foliage and profusion of color that rivaled any flower of its shade i have seen in cultivation. on the way home we gathered a handful of seed from which we shall hope to grow some plants at home. we tried to dig a few to transplant, but their roots seemed to go down, down, till with my short handled shovel, i got discouraged. the herbage of the plains has learned to dig deep for water. [illustration: a camp by the red river of the north, mrs. wedge sitting by a giant cottonwood. our lb. tent at the right.] leaving the yellowstone at big timber and striking across the plains to the snowy mountains, we found the ponderosa pine, and soon the flexilis pine, wherever a rocky ridge is lifted above the level of the plains, so that these trees were in sight a large share of the time, even far away from large rivers and groups of mountains. if a homestead anywhere in that state is not cozily protected by bright colored evergreens it is not because there is any difficulty in getting trees that will thrive in that soil. [illustration: a young ponderosa pine.] the snowy mountains are in the center of montana, quite unsheltered from the other ranges of the rockies. it is the meeting place of the flora of the mountains and the plains. i think it is the eastern limit of that peerless tree of the rockies, the douglas fir. i gave my impressions of this tree to the society a year or two ago. i am still more in love with it from what i again saw last august in its native snowy mountains, and from the bright, sturdy little trees that have been growing at my home in minnesota for two years past, giving assurance of their willingness to be transplanted to our moister air. it is the coming evergreen for the prairies, and it will be a happy day for all who plant an evergreen west of the natural timber when the douglas fir has displaced the trees that come from the cool, moist forests of europe and the sheltered woods of our own lake regions. i think the snowys are also about the eastern limit of the little broad-leaved evergreen called the oregon grape, that i believe every one in minnesota can grow for christmas greens. from my first acquaintance with it i got the impression that it required shade, but this time i noted that it was growing all over the bare ridges that radiate from the mountains, wherever it was possible for a little snow to lodge. we can substitute a light sprinkling of straw when snow is lacking. it certainly does not require shade. the mariposa lily is a unique flower that springs up in open places and produces a white blossom about the size and shape of the wild morning glory. it grows about a foot high and produces one or two flowers on each stalk. it must have a long period of bloom for ripe seed pods, and blooming plants were common at the same time in august. the canadian buffalo berry and a dwarfish birch are two mountain plants of no small ornamental value for the plains. they may not endure the moister air near the mississippi, but there we have already many useful natives, like the black haw and thorn apple, that are as yet almost unnoticed. [illustration: group of douglas fir on the mountainside. thirteen trees in a space of only two square rods. none less than two feet in diameter.] one of the principal charms about the great country traversed by the yellowstone trail is its newness and freshness. millions of acres just as the indian, the buffalo and the coyote left them--broad stretches as far as eye can reach without a sign of human habitation. but this is fast passing away. out among the sage brush in land as poor and desert-like as could well be imagined, homes are being mapped out by the thousand, and crops of grain were grown this year that rival the best yield in any of the older states. the time is close at hand when the main highways will be built up and made so hard and smooth that two hundred and fifty miles will be made as easily as our average runs of one hundred and fifty. the way will be safer and speedier, but it will lack some of the spice of adventure, and it will be harder to realize the simple life about the camp fire that now seems to harmonize so well with the wildness of the plains. the minnesota orchard. a question and answer exercise led by j. p. andrews, nurseryman, faribault. mr. andrews: this is a very important subject. we have been talking about it a long, long time, and we have advanced a little, ought to have advanced quite a little more, and this exercise is along the road of improvement in that line. anything that is bothering us, anything that is in the way of our success with the apple orchard, ask what questions you can, not that i can answer them all, but there are some good orchardists around here that i know i can call on, in case i can not. in this exercise the questions come first, and it is for you fellows to start the ball rolling. there is one thing we are lacking, that is winter apples. we have enough of fall apples, seems to me, so we can get along very well, but we are looking for something a little better quality than malinda and that will keep somewhere near as long. all these new seedlings that have been introduced in the past and big premiums offered, they seem to have stopped right there and we are not getting the benefit of but one or two. if they had been adapted to the north, as they should have been, we undoubtedly could have had several good varieties of apples that we could recommend for planting a considerable ways north of here that are good. as it is now we are really looking in this southern part of the country for keeping apples. i should think if we could get these new varieties of seedlings that are keeping well introduced into the fruit-breeding farm and let supt. haralson handle them under number and send them off to the north of us a good ways, we could have them tested. those that have exhibited these new seedlings and got premiums for them, they ought to be a little more free to get them in some shape so that they will be tested and we will learn their worth. they have their premiums, they got those simply because they are good keepers. well, now, that isn't anything in their favor for minnesota planting, not very much. of course, good keepers, that is a good thing, good quality is another thing, but the first thing is hardiness, and the people who have been drawing these premiums have been seemingly backward in getting them in shape to test. they are afraid to put them out for fear somebody might steal them, but if mr. haralson had the handling of them under number nobody could steal them. you have got title to them and control them just as well as when you keep them right on your place where they haven't a chance to show whether they are hardy or not. there is the weak point in this seedling business for minnesota, i think. but the apple orchards of minnesota, if you are not all getting the good results that you want from your orchards, if you are not all getting a full crop, what is the reason? the last year and this year we have failed of getting a good crop of apples or almost any crop, whereas before, ever since the old orchard was planted in , why, we have regarded the apple crop as really a very much surer crop than almost any of the farm crops, but the last two years we have failed to get a crop. i attribute the poor crop a year ago to such an excessive crop as we had the year before that. two years ago everything was loaded, breaking down, because we didn't thin them as we ought to, and we could hardly expect very much the next year. this last year, you know we had frosts quite frequent up to about the th of june, i think that was the reason we had such a failure this year. our own orchard is on ground that is about feet above faribault, so we have got air drainage, and we would expect to escape frosts on that account and have as good a crop as anybody else would in that neighborhood. but that wasn't the case. we didn't get any apples, and yet during county fair why there was quite a nice show of nice fruit that they had picked up a few here and a few there, where really their location seems to me could not have been any better than ours. i don't know what the reason was, but it was very patchy, and i didn't dream we would have such a good show of fruit as we did, and i couldn't tell where it came from. mr. philips: i think when the trees are loaded so heavily, if you would pick off a third of them you would get more out of the balance of the crop. mr. andrews: yes, i think that. the question is, if we pick off a third of a heavy crop, if we have a heavy crop, if that wouldn't help the next crop. it surely would. mr. philips: help that crop, too, in the price. mr. andrews: yes, sir, it will pay that year besides paying the next year, too; it will pay double. mr. philips: it is a good plan any year. mr. andrews: yes, we ought to do that, we are lacking in that work of thinning the fruit. we sometimes have a late frost that will take off part of them, thin them that way, or wind, or something of that kind, and we rather depend on that feature of it. then in that time of the year we are very busy and liable to have some things neglected, and that seems to be the one that is almost always neglected. mr. brackett: would you advocate the extensive planting of apples in this climate? mr. andrews: i would not. at the same time you take it in the southern part of the state i presume they can grow them there. they can grow there many things we can't think of growing in this part of the state unless it be along lake minnetonka. mr. older: where you have an orchard ten years old, is it best to seed it down or still continue to cultivate it? in the west they have to cultivate. what is the best in this country? i know one man says it is best to keep on cultivating while it is growing, and another man says that that will kill the trees. i want to know which is the best. mr. andrews: i think cultivation is the thing that ought to be done until the trees get well to bearing, anyway, and then it furnishes nitrogen to the soil to seed it down to clover. if we don't do that we are very liable to neglect that element in the soil. the better way to my mind is to cultivate for eight or ten years, and then i do think it is all right perhaps, for farmers, i mean, who will neglect the cultivation if they depend on it. that is, if they make up their minds it is better to cultivate than it is to seed down, their trees are more apt to be neglected. during the busy part of the season they won't cultivate as constantly as they ought to. if they would do that i have not much doubt but what cultivation would be all right right along, if you will furnish that nitrogen that ought to be in the soil for the protection of the crop. clover is the easiest way to get that, and the trees will be more sure to have the benefit of that if you sow to clover and grow a crop of hay and turn it under, possibly let it be into clover two years, but turn that under and cultivate for two or three years and then put into clover again. i think that would be preferable for the farmer, for the farmer especially, than it would to undertake to either cultivate all the time or seed down all the time. i don't believe it is a good thing to seed down where there are young trees growing and while the orchard is young. if you will plant your potatoes in that orchard between the rows and cultivate it, you will do the cultivating. i haven't got very much faith in the average farmer--i don't mean you horticulturists--but the average farmer. if he will plant trees and you advise him to cultivate them while they are young, they will be neglected after the first year or so. he may while the fever is on, he may cultivate them one year and the next year about half cultivate them, and the following years they will grow up to grass and weeds. whereas, if he plants potatoes he gets just the right cultivation for the trees if he cultivates the ground enough to get a good crop of potatoes. then in the fall when he digs the potatoes he loosens up the ground, and it takes up the moisture, and after the fall rains they go into winter quarters in good shape. it seems to me that is as near right as i could recommend. mr. hansen: what distance apart ought those apple trees to be? mr. older: another question along that line. suppose we concede that a young orchard ought to be cultivated until it gets eight or ten years old, then which is the best when you seed it to clover to cut the clover and throw the hay around the trees for a mulch or just take the hay away, or what? mr. andrews: i think it would be better to put the hay around the trees for mulching. if the hay is used and the barnyard manure is taken to the orchard that would fill the bill pretty well. now, the distance apart? grown trees really need about thirty feet apart each way. if you run the rows north and south and put them thirty feet apart, and sixteen feet or a rod apart in the row, with a view to taking out every other tree, you might have to go under bonds to take them out when they are needed to come out (laughter), or else you would leave them there until you hurt your other trees. if you would take out every other tree when they get to interfering after several years, eight or ten years, you can grow a double crop of apples in your orchard, but if you do the way you probably will do, leave them right there until they get too close, you will-- mr. hansen: spoil all of them? mr. andrews: yes. then you better put them out a little farther apart, and, as i said, two rods apart each way i don't believe is too far. our old orchard that we put out in is just on its last legs now. at that time, you know, we didn't know anything about what varieties to plant, we didn't have as many as we have now. the old orchard only had the duchess and wealthy for standards, and half of the orchard was into crabs, because i thought at that time crabs was the only thing that would be any ways sure of staying by us. well, those trees are about through their usefulness now, the standards. they have borne well until the last two years, generally loaded, and they were put out at that time fourteen feet apart each way, breaking joints so that they didn't come directly opposite. and when they got to be twelve or fifteen years old, it was difficult to get through there with a team or with any satisfaction, it was rubbing the limbs too much. then the next orchard we put out on the farm was twenty-four feet by fifteen or sixteen feet in the row, the rows twenty-four feet apart. i wish they were a little farther apart, although that hasn't bothered very much about getting through between the rows, but it shows that a tree that is any ways spreading in its habit really needs about two rods each way. are there any other questions? mr. brackett: do you think a wealthy orchard under thorough cultivation, making a rank growth, do you think it is as hardy as an orchard seeded down, and do you think that a wealthy orchard would blight more than other kinds? mr. andrews: if the ground is rich and under thorough cultivation it does tend to cause fire blight. i haven't followed it on anything but young orchards. when they have commenced to bear then we have generally seeded down and turned in the hogs, and we have rather neglected the cultivation after that. i do think that if we had cultivated a little more often it would have been better. mr. older: what do you consider the best to seed down with, clover or alfalfa? mr. andrews: i have never tried alfalfa. i don't see why it wouldn't be all right, if you don't try to keep it too long. it would furnish the nitrogen all right. mr. older: which kind of seeding down would you prefer, what kind of clover? would you want the alsike clover or sweet clover for an apple orchard? mr. andrews: i haven't tried anything but the medium clover. the sweet clover i think would be rather a rank grower. mr. older: if you are going to mow it, why not mow the sweet clover same as the other? mr. andrews: that would be all right. if you were going to use it for mulching, i think it would be the thing, because it would be better for mulching than for feeding. mr. ludlow: i would like to give a little experience in putting in alfalfa in an orchard. we got the seed, the grimm alfalfa, i think, is the name of it, and i got a good stand. we got seed from it the first year, and i sowed more, but there seemed to be something about the alfalfa that would draw the pocket-gophers from two miles around. the second year i think i had nineteen of my thriftiest apple tree roots all eaten off. i didn't know there was one in the field because there were no mounds at all. in the spring i found where they were at work, and i catch on an average of twenty pocket-gophers out of that mound every year. talk about cultivating, the pocket-gophers will cultivate it, and the alfalfa is pretty much all eaten out and it has come into bluegrass. mr. harrison: that question as to alfalfa; the experience is always that the roots go too deep so it hurts the apple trees. red clover seems to be the clover that is favored by most people. mr. andrews: mr. ludlow spoke of the pocket-gopher favoring alfalfa. we have a patch of alfalfa right near the apple trees. i don't remember that i have noticed any pocket-gophers work in that piece at all. on the opposite side of the road, where it is clover and timothy, why, they work there tremendously. i know brother ludlow was telling us a little while ago at dinner about pocket-gophers working on his place, and i wouldn't wonder if he is blessed with an extra colony of them there. mr. ludlow: i try to catch them all out every year. i catch out on an average about eighteen to twenty every fall, so as to catch them before they increase early in the spring. it seems as though they came from a distance. i know one came into my garden this year. i didn't know there was a gopher within a mile, and in one night he made four mounds in the middle of my strawberry bed. mrs. glenzke: did you ever try poisoning them? mr. ludlow: no, i never did. i am most successful in catching them in a trap. mr. brackett: have you got any pocket-gophers that do not make mounds? do you understand that? mr. ludlow: no, sir, i don't understand that, but when they came in and killed the nineteen trees in the fall i hadn't seen a mound there. in the spring i found where they were at work, and then i went after them. city "foresters" and municipal forests. prof. e. g. cheney, university farm, st. paul. several cities in the state have appointed "city foresters." this is a step in the right direction, if it is a precursor to the establishment of municipal forests for these men to manage; otherwise it is a misnomer and can only be misleading to the people. the city governments, in an endeavor to create a complete park organization, have so far adopted this title from european practice without much regard to the duties of the officer. a forester handles trees in mass formations,--sometimes for timber production, sometimes for the protection of water-sheds, sometimes for aesthetic effect or park purposes,--but always in the mass. the handling of shade trees such as we have in our city streets is the work of an arborist. the planting of large ornamental trees, the pruning of the individual for formal effect, the filling of cavities and the bracing of weak parts, are no part of a forester's work; nor do they necessarily fall within his knowledge. an expert should undoubtedly be in charge of the work, but an expert arborist, not a forester. the title is, therefore, when combined with the present duties, unfortunate, because it gives the people--still struggling with a hazy conception of forestry--a wrong idea of the true character of the real forester's work. two very obvious ways of avoiding the difficulty present themselves,--either to change the title or to change the duties. the former would probably be much easier of accomplishment, but the latter is without question the course which the city ought to pursue. since the cities have adopted the title of "city forester," and so obtained a more complete park organization on paper, why not make the improvement real by adopting the rest of the european practice and creating city forests for these new officers to handle? that would indeed be a real improvement, and one without which any city park system is lamentably lame. nearly every large city has some large park within in limits kept in a more or less natural condition as a recreation ground for its people, thus recognizing its influence for health and social betterment. how much it would increase this influence if there were a considerable tract of forest within easy reach of the city! how much better approach it would make to the city than the unsightly waste places so often encountered! how much better setting it would make for the suburban residence sections! such a municipal forest is not a utopian dream, but a practical thing well within the reach of almost any city. the law passed by the last legislature makes it possible for a city to purchase land for such a purpose either within or without the city limits. the activities of the present park boards show that money can be obtained to carry out such plans. the establishment of the forests would be less expensive than is generally imagined. the amount of money expended on the gateway park in minneapolis would buy hundreds of acres of city land within fifteen miles of the city. with the aid of a municipal nursery, such as every park system should have, this land could be planted up at a total expense, for stock and labor, of six to eight dollars per acre. the cost of maintenance would be limited to the patrol of the tract to prevent fire and trespass. of course, there might be no money revenue from the forest for many years, but in a comparatively short time it would begin to fulfill its purpose as a park, and once the timber is mature, there would be a continuous net annual income of from five to ten dollars per acre. suppose that the city had , acres of such forest paying a net annual revenue--in addition to its full services as a park--of from $ , to $ , toward the maintenance of the other city parks, and it must be remembered that for every dollar of net revenue the forest would pay an additional dollar or more in wages to swell the coffers of the city;--certainly that would be something very much better than anything that the city has at present. st. paul, with the bottom lands and cliffs on either side of the river between hastings and minneapolis, could make a beautiful and profitable park of what now threatens to develop into a monumental waste. duluth could make a forest which would be unsurpassed in beauty and usefulness by any in the world out of the brushy, unoccupied, rock-bound hills as far west as thompson. mankato has a glorious chance for the same work along the minnesota valley. virginia and hibbing could do nothing better than make such use of the rocky, mine-scarred hills in their vicinity. and so opportunity might be cited for almost any city in the state. for the municipal forest need not be confined to the big cities. in fact, in some respects the smaller city has an advantage over the larger place. suitable land can usually be obtained near the city at a much more reasonable price and the revenue obtained bear a much larger ratio to the total expenses of the town. there are some small towns in germany where the entire running expenses are paid by the revenues of the town forest, and one or two where the forest not only pays all of the taxes but also pays a cash pension to a number of the older inhabitants. certainly our towns, looking forward to an endless and progressive existence, cannot afford to neglect this opportunity to develop a useful park, to provide a source of cheap wood and lumber for future generations and a substantial revenue for the city. expert advice need not be employed until the size and revenue of the forest warrants it, for the state forest service stands ready to help--by the selection of land, the formulation of plans, and consultation--any city that is wise enough to take advantage of this law. the "city forester" can then be a forester indeed, and one of the good points of the european city government will have been adopted in fact as well as in name. the salome apple. h. w. harrison, rochester, minn. so. minn. hort. society. the salome apple is named after one of the faithful bible characters, salome, who was associated with martha and mary while our savior was on earth and was also a witness of his crucifixion. thus the name alone commands respect. it was originated in eastern canada, and it was introduced here some twenty-five years ago by the princeton nursery company of illinois and has proven to be very hardy on different soils and locations. it is grown in the southern tier of counties of minnesota and as far north as new ulm. like all good things it has had a hard fight to overcome its opponents. at the time it was introduced here there were ben davis and other tender varieties delivered in its place in certain localities. these not being hardy of course gave the salome a black eye. nevertheless it is an apple that should be grown extensively because of its hardiness, its clean appearance and upright growth, spreading just enough to admit air and light. its fruit will keep in ordinary cellars until may or june. it is medium in size and color, red streaked with green and yellow. flesh is yellow and sub acid. like all winter varieties it is slow to come in bearing but yielding heavily when it does bear, whenever other varieties do. let us not lose sight of this excellent fruit in our desire to produce something new and original. how may the state university and the horticultural society best co-operate? geo. e. vincent, president minn. state university, minneapolis. now, so far as i can understand, the only excuse for interpolating me in a program of this kind is that you are giving so much attention to technical subjects, you are working so hard, you need from time to time relief in order that you may not suffer from brain fever or any of the ailments of overstudy. i am confident from this point of view anything i may have to say will meet that need completely. the relationship between this society and the university strikes me as typically american. there are two ways of doing things--leaving public undertakings entirely to private initiative, to individuals, to voluntary groups; that is one plan. there is another plan which consists in putting everything into the hands of the state. constituted authority takes charge of the whole life of the citizen's, all the activities and enterprise are made public, state affairs. those are the two extremes. the dangers of those two methods are very obvious. many enterprises left to private initiative will be done in haphazard fashion; there will be duplication and waste. when the state undertakes all these enterprises it changes the whole aspect. public management may make for a certain efficiency, but it sooner or later undermines the initiative, the feeling of responsibility of the individual. we are a practical people, we compromise and combine the various methods of doing things. it is the typical american way to combine private initiative with a certain measure of state co-operation. the work for horticulture in the state of minnesota has been developed under exactly these conditions. if i remember rightly, this society was organized in . it has assumed a definite leadership in the development of horticulture in the state of minnesota; the university has gradually been adapting itself, so to speak, to the work of this society. the society and the university have officially been in close relationship. i believe that in the early days the secretary was at the same time a university officer and for the last twenty-five years, i am told that at least one expert of the university staff has always been a member of the executive board of this society. this has made a personal bond. then the society has done a great many important things. you have stood by at times when people were not perfectly certain about the importance of various kinds of scientific work. you have been steadfast. sometimes it required courage to stand for the scientific ideals which the university was attempting to carry out in important work that had a bearing upon horticulture. and you have, of course, the chief responsibility and distinction of having seen to it that our fruit-breeding farm should be established. i believe you were also kind enough to pick out the site, although none of you were personally interested in the particular real estate ultimately purchased. so that we feel--we of the university feel--that the work of horticulture in this state is distinctly a co-operative undertaking, and that the leadership and enterprise and vision of this society have been the chief things that developed horticulture in minnesota to the point it has reached. but we do believe that the co-operation of your university is an important and, we hope, from now on will be an increasingly important thing. certain work is going on constantly at the university in the various departments, and that work is of distinct benefit because you recognize it. we had a good illustration a few minutes ago. the professor of soils was having his brains picked, as he had a perfect right to have, by you. you were asking him questions, and i noticed once or twice he said he didn't know. that must have inspired confidence in him; i have a good deal of faith in people who don't know it all. that shows two things--they have a sense of humor, and they expect to find out. there is something pathetic in a person who knows it all; it is a case of arrested development. so out of the department of soils you expect to get the result of careful and scientific study of the nature of soils. from the department of plant pathology you expect to learn about the various forms of plant diseases and the way in which these may be eliminated. from the department of entomology you expect to learn something about the troublesome insects, which are so universal an annoyance. i think they simply exist to test our character, to see whether we have courage to go on, bugs or no bugs. we do the best we can to become familiar with the habits of these nefarious creatures and let you know what we know. so i might call attention to one or two other departments--but you know how much is being accomplished. you get regular reports. you have a committee to visit and investigate our fruit-breeding farms. if i may judge from the reports which your committee makes--i don't know whether it is because it is one of your children and you are indulgent--your committee seems to think good things are being done and distinct progress recorded at the fruit-breeding farm. with your support and confidence we are enlarging the work there. it seems we should have more land in the early future, and we may ask for your co-operation in convincing the powers that be that such increase of territory is necessary. how many members have you? , members, i believe. perhaps you have more since that number was given this morning. at any rate, there is a good number, and when you think of all the wisdom and all the experience that those , people have, it seems a great pity not to get it organized in better form. come and pick some more brains while these brains are still available and organize this great mass of knowledge. here is the next problem. who are the people that are going to take your places? who is to have a gold watch given him fifty years from now--or given to her fifty years from now? this thing is to go on, and how? it goes on by discovering in minnesota the horticulturally-minded people in the state; you must always be on the lookout for people who are to do the big things. the great european governments are considering how they are going to keep their armies recruited, how the next generation is to be brought in and organized. that is the same problem in every nation. it is extremely necessary to put out dragnets for specialists. there are probably thousands of men in minnesota who are horticulturists, they are dormant horticulturists, and your business and ours is to try to discover them. so the problem with us is how to get out the dragnet. you know there is a great biological principle that is illustrated in the lower types of animals. millions of fish eggs are produced for every hundred that actually fertilize and amount to anything. so when you are looking for results in a great subject, when you are trying to discover people, when you are putting out a dragnet, you have to try a very large number with the hope of discovering the relatively few who really show the divine spark, who are really the men that you are looking for. it is a very interesting thing when you come to think about it, all the while we are looking for special ability in modern activities we do it by fashion. fashion is something that victimizes the ladies. they do not care for fashion itself, it is thrust upon them from the outside. most women conform to fashion on the principle of protective coloring; they do not care for it themselves, but they do not want to be conspicuous by not conforming; so they protect themselves that way. i consider fashion is a beneficial thing when you look at it the right way. by fashion all kinds of new things are started throughout the country, and you discover certain people who have a special aptitude. it becomes the fashion to do various things, and in many cases people become interested and develop their own special tastes and faculties. i am tremendously interested just now in rural education. we want a rural school that will be attractive. we are interested in getting houses for the teachers to be built right alongside the school house. then there will be the garden in connection with the house, the flower garden and the tree planting. some of us are looking forward to the time when the rural school will be the most charming spot in all the countryside, not a place from which the teacher escapes at the earliest possible moment on friday to return reluctantly on monday morning, but a place where she wants to remain, where the rural school will be the center of the community and community life. it will be an attractive place for the best kind of teacher. when we can get to that point we shall be able to establish in the rural regions an institution that will be a vital part of the whole community and a thing of joy and of beauty. that gospel might be extended to the tree planting on the farmstead. you know what the state art society had been doing. there is another dragnet. you have seen the minnesota art journal, which is dealing with the problems in tree planting of the farm, planting around the farm house; that in connection with the modern farm house that has been suggested, these things have a very important bearing upon problems in which both you and the university are interested. and then we can look forward to the time when you will have your permanent home, if not on the farm grounds themselves at least near there, where we could co-operate and use the same building, so that while it would be yours you will feel that it is being utilized throughout the year in such a way that the expenditure of the money would be justified. there is a fine vista ahead of us, a vista of the things to be, accomplished by means of this american combination of private initiative and enterprise and idealism and the support of the state for certain details of work which can be best accomplished in that way. the shelter belt for orchard and home grounds. a discussion led by john w. maher, nurseryman, devils lake, n. dak. mr. maher: the subject this morning is to be on "shelter-belt for orchard and home grounds." i am satisfied, provided the "home grounds" include the whole farm. the entire farm needs shelter, particularly from the hot, drying winds and other destructive winds that uncover and cut down crops in springtime and carry away the fertile top soil; and the summer winds, hot winds, of course, that eat up the moisture; and those destructive winds that sometimes harvest our barley and other crops before they are cut. we need protection from all these winds, and in this latitude these winds blow uniformly from the southwest. so every farm should be protected from them by a substantial shelter-belt on the west and south sides, which can also be the farm wood-lot. [illustration: apple tree windbreak at devil's lake nursery. hibernal in the foreground. patten's greening in the distance.] there is another phase of protection that has been emphasized this year very much, and that is, protection against summer frosts and late spring frosts. a gentleman living at mcintosh, near crookston, in this state, told me that corn matured up there wherever it was protected from the north wind. at the devils lake nursery we had a -bushel per acre potato crop protected only by the blocks of nursery stock, whereas the yield in the vicinity was from nothing to fifty bushels per acre--and i believe if mr. andrews will inquire into the location of the good apple crops about faribault he will probably find they were saved by similar shelter protection, or the natural lay of the land. mr. kellogg: what is your best windbreak? mr. maher: the evergreen is the best windbreak for the reason that it gives more shelter, retains its leaves in the winter and fewer rows of trees will make a good shelter-belt. the variety--that is, west of the timber line in minnesota--i should say the best would be the ponderosa pine, or bull pine, after that the jack pine may be, or else the colorado blue spruce and the black hills spruce. mr. kellogg: colorado spruce is too expensive to set out as a windbreak. mr. maher: well, the green varieties. i don't see why they should be any more costly than the others. of course, they are held at a higher price, but they make a good windbreak because they are easily grown and are perfectly hardy to stand the dry atmosphere and the hot winds. [illustration: american elm windbreak at devil's lake, n.d.] mr. kellogg: what is the reason there are so few of them really blue? mr. maher: i don't know. there is only a small percentage, probably per cent., that are blue. i think the dryer atmosphere produces more blue than the more humid atmosphere. we have more blues in north dakota than you will find even here. i believe it is the dry atmosphere and the intense sunlight that causes the blue, because the red cedar in north dakota, the native red cedar, is really a silver cedar and has a blue sheen, or rather, a silver sheen. a member: how large do the trees have to be to be of benefit? mr. maher: i have a friend out of devils lake who had acres of flax destroyed by a spring wind that hits the earth at such an angle. it picked up the earth and cut the flax off, by reason of the clay hitting the little plant, except about a hundred foot strip along the west side, and that was protected by a growth of grass and weeds not to exceed a foot in height. so it depends on the kind of wind a great deal and the angle at which the wind strikes the grounds. now, the distance that a windbreak will protect a field has been studied out and measured and demonstrated by a great number of men. mr. mcgee, at indian head, gave a great deal of thought and study to the windbreak proposition and measured the distances that the shelter-belt would shelter the crops, and he came to the conclusion that for every foot in height there would be an absolute protection for a rod in distance, and outside of that actual protection there would be a long distance that would be partially protected. the same study was made by a gentleman in iowa--i can't call his name just now--and he came to practically the same conclusion as to the distance that the protection reached in proportion to the height of shelter-belt. [illustration: mountain ash windbreak at devil's lake, n.d.] a member: i want a shelter mostly for apple trees. would it be five or six years before i receive any benefit, or seven or eight years? mr. maher: plant your protection when you plant your apple trees, and you will have your protection sooner than you have your apples. if you are going to do that, don't put the shelter too close to the apple trees, which is a very common fault. a member: how much distance would you allow for the roots? [illustration: white willow windbreak at devil's lake, n.d.] mr. maher: i should say not less than feet, anyway. mr. moyer: i live in southwestern minnesota, about thirty miles from the south dakota line, and i think it is a mistake to recommend the white spruce for planting out there. the white spruce naturally grows towards the north pole, it extends even up to the arctic circle. twenty-four years ago i purchased a dozen white spruce from robert douglas, who was then alive, and planted them northwest of my house. about five years ago they began to fail, and now only two or three are alive, and they are covered with dead branches. i feel sure that the white spruce have been injured by the hot winds that come across the prairies from the southwest. i don't think they can stand it. there is a variety of white spruce that grows in the black hills, which i think will be decided to be a different species when botanists come to study it, that will stand our prairies. another tree that we like is the colorado blue spruce; it is hardy and grows excellently. about twenty-three years ago, when professor verner was at the head of the forestry department at washington he sent me , evergreens, and i set them out. they were bull pine and the scotch pine and austrian pine. i was over to look at them the other day. the scotch pine, which have been set now twenty-three years, are over thirty feet high, the austrian pine about two-thirds as high, and the bull pine, ponderosa, is about as high as the austrian pine. he told me to set these trees about two feet apart each way. i thought that too thick, so i set them in rows six feet apart and about two or three feet apart in the rows. he wished me to alternate the planting with deciduous trees. he recommended that i add a few deciduous trees, green ash and box elder and a few elm, and i set them as far as they would go, but they didn't go very far in setting the , evergreens. then i thought it would be a good idea to use the wolfberry that grows wild on the prairies. i set them alternately with some of the evergreens, but as they have a very liberal root system it was hard to get them out. the finest tree in the plantation is the austrian pine, and if it continues to do as well as it has the last three or four years i think the austrian pine is going to be a very valuable pine for shelter-belt. mr. kellogg: have you tested the douglas spruce? mr. moyer: not to a great extent. it does well in some localities. [illustration: soft, or silver, maple windbreak--to be succeeded by permanent windbreak of bur oak--shown growing between man and boy.] mr. maher: i think the real test is to get them as near native to your place as you can. the area over which the white spruce grows is greater than that of any other spruce, possibly greater than any other evergreen, especially through the northern latitudes. i don't think there is any question about the black hills spruce being the white spruce that was left there growing when the other timber was destroyed, if we can adopt that theory. the white spruce from seed from the northwest, from the british columbia countries especially, is perfectly hardy with you. it is perfectly hardy with us at devils lake, which is a very much more severe test, whereas the white spruce from its southern limits may not be hardy even here. i think the black hills spruce is perfectly hardy. the distance north and south relatively is not so important with reference to growing trees as to get them from too far in the humid district. the white spruce that i would be afraid of would be the seed from new england and from the farther east limits of its growth, where the conditions are so much more humid. mr. kellogg: do you find any trouble with too much protection for orchards? mr. maher: where the protection is too close to the orchards i think it is very bad. it destroys the air drainage-- mr. kellogg: that is why they are liable to blight. mr. maher: and they blight also. the air drainage is interfered with, and you get blight, and you also smother the orchard. i don't know but what the apple and the americana plum are about as hardy trees as we have anywhere. i don't make any attempt to protect them specially except from the south and west. i don't put any northern windbreak around any orchards i set out. of course, we may lose a crop with a spring frost all right when northern protection might save it, but with us up in our country if we have a good spring frost it is usually heavy enough to catch them anyway. [illustration: norway poplar windbreak at devil's lake, n.d.] i have a question here: how long should a shelter-belt be cultivated? now, that is a point on which i think too much emphasis is placed. if you set out your trees as judge moyer did his, close together, inside of a few years they will take care of themselves, they will form forest conditions very quickly, and cultivation is not necessary any more. of course, if you set your trees a great distance apart where there is nothing to protect them from the burning sun, and the ground bakes and dries, then you must cultivate or mulch, but i think cultivation much better than mulching. another question: how many rows of trees make a good windbreak? my idea is that it takes twenty rows to make a good one--of deciduous trees, of course. two or three rows of evergreens, planted not further than eight feet apart and with joints broken, probably makes as good a windbreak as the twenty rows of deciduous trees and take less ground. mr. horton: wouldn't you have an open space in those trees? you wouldn't put them all together? mr. maher: if i had twenty rows of trees i would put them together. mr. horton: would you have an open space outside of those twenty trees for the snow to lodge in? [illustration: ponderosa pine windbreak--at devil's lake (n.d.) nursery.] mr. maher: i have never known the snow to do any hurt in a twenty row windbreak. it distributes itself in there, and the more comes the better. mr. horton: i have seen them broken badly with the snow. mr. maher: that would be probably the poplars and trees that break easily. mr. horton: on my farm i put out a row of twenty trees. outside of that i left a space on the north and west six rods wide, and i put out some golden willows outside of that, and that made an open space for the snow to fall in. mr. maher: that is a very good plan, to have a row of willows back of your shelter-belt, especially around the home and orchard and barn ground, to hold the snow back. mr. moyer: i found that the snow drifted into my evergreens but didn't break them. i used lilac bushes; i planted a long row. lilacs are very common, and i got enough to plant a long row. they are now ten feet high, and it is a magnificent sight in summer. mr. maher: i know the lilac is a splendid thing, better than the golden willow, because they last longer. they are more hardy, and they make a better protection, and as far as wood goes from the golden willows you get nothing except branches unless it is the white willow. i have another question here: what would you plant around the garden? for a windbreak around the garden orchard, that should have an inside protection, and the shelter-belt itself should be too far away from the garden to be sufficient protection. around the garden i would plant juneberry or dogwood or any of those common native berry plants. they will afford the very best kind of protection, just as good as the lilacs and just as hardy, and at the same time will produce food for the birds and bring them about your garden and keep them with you and shelter them. mr. kellogg: the barberry-- mr. mahler: the barberry would be all right, but i prefer the juneberry and the mulberry and the dogwood, because they come up a little higher. the barberry is all right. mr. kellogg: i had barberry, and i dug it all up. mr. maher: it spread too much? mr. richardson: i like the russian mulberry. mr. maher: yes, sir. mr. richardson: is the mulberry hardy with you? mr. maher: no, sir. mr. moyer: the buckthorn makes a very good protection. mr. maher: yes, sir. mr. huestis: how would the golden elder do as a hedge? mr. maher: it would be a protection, but it is liable to spread too much. mr. huestis: do you know whether the mulberry is hardy in minnesota or not? mr. maher: i think from here south it is hardy, especially southeast. mr. moyer: it occurs to me that the tartarian honeysuckle is about as good as any thing you can plant for birds. it is perfectly hardy on the prairies and grows up ten or fifteen feet high. mr. maher: the tartarian honeysuckle and several varieties of the bush honeysuckles are splendid, and they are hardy and will grow anywhere. a member: did i understand some one to say that the mulberry was not hardy? mr. maher: it was stated that it wasn't hardy in north dakota. a member: i put mulberry trees in my garden yard that have been bearing mulberries for years and years. mr. maher: i think the mulberry is hardy from here south and especially southeast. i don't think it would grow out on the prairie very far. mr. richardson: it grows on the prairies southwest of here. my color scheme. mrs. r. p. boyington, nemadji. "oh, my garden lying whitely in the moonlight and the dew, with its soft caressing coloring, breathing peace to all who view." our garden color scheme this year was a number of red, white and blue pictures, these pictures being supported, on the different sides, by brilliant, oriental color effects. the first picture had for its north side the south side of the cottage, which was covered with climbing roses (american pillars and crimson rambler). a bed of petunias, six feet wide and as long as the cottage, came next, and was separated from about four hundred delphiniums (belladonna) by a walk which was bordered on both sides by a row of candytuft and a row of forget-me-nots, blue as a baby's eye. to the south of the delphiniums was a great bank of bridal wreath chrysanthemums, white as the driven snow. a walk on the east had the same--candytuft and forget-me-not border. to the south and west of this picture were irises and oriental poppies in all the gorgeous coloring of the orient, with a small space on the west where hundreds of pansies nodded their lovely faces to the stately blue larkspurs. are we sure, as has been said, that god forgot to put a soul in flowers? to the east, beyond the walk, is another picture--shasta daisies and blue cornflowers. on the north side is a brilliant hedge of red sweet peas. on the east and south of this most exquisite picture are iceland poppies, red pyrethrums, and here and there are clumps of dark red sweet william. in the early morn, just after the "morning stars have sung together," and the forces of day are slowly coming into action, this is a wonderous picture. on the north side of the cottage is a screened-in porch. here cardinal climber gives its myriads of cheerful bloom, while blue lobelia and white anemones, with the porch boxes filled with vinca atmosphere of beauty and cheer to those who come and take the social cup that truly cheers. the broad lawn slopes north to the driveway. to the east, separating the lawn from the walk, which is west of the canna beds, is a border of dusty miller next the grass and one row each of blue anchusa and red snapdragon. the silver leaved poplars in the distance give a soft sheen to the whole picture. away to the west is a spruce hedge and inside the hedge red hollyhocks and phlox with a great row of crimson poppies. a simple garden made of simple things, and yet as we go through it to our peony bed, that gorgeous flower, standing alone in its regal, queenly beauty, we do not wonder that when one of old walked with god it was in the cool of the evening and in a garden. "where in all the dim resplendent spaces, the mazy stars drift through to my garden lying whitely in the moonlight and the dew." my experience in grape culture. joseph tucker, austin. so. minn. hort. society during fifteen years i have had in my garden several varieties of grapes, namely, the concord, worden, moore's early and a green grape (not certain of its name). all have done remarkably well whenever the season was reasonably favorable. i mean by that the absence of the late spring and the early fall frosts, which are the greatest drawbacks to grape culture. for that reason i would not advise anyone to undertake it as a business venture on a large scale. on the other hand, where it is desired to supply the family table with fresh fruit as long as it will keep, also to add a variety of jellies and preserves for the winter, a dozen of vines will supply an ordinary family with grapes whose flavor i have never seen surpassed. you who do not always expect money to grow on everything you touch, you who admire and love a plant or vine and feel well repaid for your labor to see it grow and bear fruit, you who have a vacant corner in your garden well adapted to that purpose, i urge you most earnestly to plant some grape vines, and i assure you that with some knowledge of their care and a determination not to fail you will succeed, and you will eventually be able to see a pretty sight--for, to my mind, nothing is handsomer than a well trimmed grape row with the ripening fruit. the soil that will grow corn will produce good grapes. my advice is to select early ripening varieties, for then you will only have the possible spring frost to contend with, and that is easy to guard against. do not fail to adopt some system of pruning, for that is the most essential part of the secret to grow good grapes. other necessary information will no doubt be furnished by any reliable nurseryman with whom you are dealing. i wish to say in conclusion that so far i have had no trouble from any insects attacking the vines or fruit, and i have always been able to produce fruit that commands the first premium wherever exhibited. protect the garden against winter weather. u.s. dept. of agriculture. at this season many inquiries come to the united states department of agriculture regarding the protection of garden plants and shrubs during the winter. such flowers as peonies and hollyhocks will come up again the following year if they are properly protected during the winter, while others, like cannas and dahlias, which are more accustomed to warm climes, must have their roots or bulbs dug up and stored in a cellar. the department's specialists give the following suggestions for "putting the garden to bed": _hardy perennials._--cover hardy perennials, such as peonies, larkspur, hollyhocks, columbines, iris, platycodons and perennial poppies, with a good coating of manure or other litter to a depth of or inches. in more southern localities this will hold the frost in the ground and keep the plant from alternately freezing and thawing; in more northern regions the manure will protect the plant from freezing to a depth that will cut off its water supply. _cannas and dahlias._--as soon as the tops of cannas, dahlias, gladiolus, caladiums and similar plants are killed by frost, dig up the roots or bulbs and store them in a cellar where the temperature will remain at degrees, and should never go below or above degrees. do not shake any more earth from the clumps of cannas and dahlias than is necessary in removing them from the ground. place the plants on racks or in slat boxes so the air may circulate freely through them. no frost must reach the roots nor must they become too warm or dry. _shrubs._--as a rule shrubs should not be trimmed in the fall. this process is timely immediately after the blooming period, if this is in the spring, as in the case of the snowball. if the shrubs bloom in the fall, as do some hydrangeas, the rose of sharon, and some lilacs, they should not be cut directly after blooming but in the spring of the following year. lilacs, snowballs and mock orange should be let alone during the winter, being neither trimmed nor covered with straw and manure. _roses._--almost all kinds of roses are hardy in the vicinities of washington, d.c., and st. louis and to the south of a line drawn between these points. from washington northward local conditions influence the successful cultivation of certain varieties. some roses, as the brier and rugosa, need no protection, but other varieties, such as the hybrid perpetuals, teas and hybrid-teas, need special care, particularly north of the fortieth parallel. teas and hybrid teas hardly succeed in chicago, although the hybrid-perpetuals grow as far north as canada. all these classes do well on long island and in boston near the sea when proper care is given them. these varieties in the vicinity of washington need merely a little manure on the ground to prevent alternate freezing and thawing. farther north, however, they should be treated as follows: cut the tops to within inches of the ground. cover the roots with coarse manure or leaves or similar litter. hold this in place by evergreen boughs which also acts as a protection. brush from deciduous trees or shrubs may be substituted for the evergreen boughs except in the most northern regions. mounds of earth about six or eight inches in height should be drawn about the base of the rose bushes to keep them from mice. as an added protection against mice, permit the ground to freeze slightly before winter protection is supplied. in fact, roses should not be protected until after the first light freeze, which may be expected in washington, d.c., about the first of december, but earlier farther north. (tops must be protected in minnesota.--sec.) _climbing roses._--in the latitude of philadelphia and farther south climbing roses usually need no protection during the winter unless they are a particularly tender variety. farther north these roses need protection similar to that given to the tea and hybrid tea roses. where it is possible to do so, remove climbing roses from their supports, and cover the branches with a little dirt. a little fall trimming might be desirable to lessen the space occupied by the branches on the ground. such side branches as are not to be needed for next season's blooming may be cut off. such cutting off and shortening of the ends as would otherwise be done in the spring may be done in the fall before covering, merely for convenience. growing asparagus. a discussion led by e. w. record, market gardener, brooklyn center. a member: i want to ask if many put salt on asparagus? mr. record: salt is very good, but i think only for the reason that it makes the plant tender and keeps down insects. but if i was to use anything to keep insects down i should use paris green. shorts or bran, that is the best for cutworms. everybody knows that with the least scratch or mar on the side of the asparagus it will grow crooked, and then it is a pretty hard proposition to get it into the bunch ready for market in any kind of shape. a member: some have the idea that salt helps the growth of the plant. mr. record: well, i never found it did. mr. baldwin: i would like to know how to control rust on the stems in the summer time. mr. record: well, i can't answer, but i find that the palmetto has less rust on it than any other variety. i have never been bothered with asparagus rust yet. mr. baldwin: after the bed gets to be a few years old the grass and weeds commence to come up. after you get through cutting, it is pretty hard work to get in there and clean them out. do you find it the best way to hoe them after you get through cutting? mr. record: i will tell you. i cultivate right over the tops of the rows and keep on cultivating until the asparagus comes up and begins to sprout. by the time the weeds come up the second time, it is time to quit cutting. mr. baldwin: how deep do you put the plant below the surface in transplanting? mr. record: from twelve to fourteen inches. in the east they are growing asparagus, and they set out their plants, and they fill in and wait until the asparagus comes up and then they fill with rotted manure and never fertilize any more, but here there are very few that do that. i never did, but i find in putting on manure broadcast a year afterwards the shoots were very crooked. i did that one year only. after i put it on i thought i would have something good, and i didn't have anything. as soon as it comes up it starts to get crooked. mr. baldwin: you mean to say that putting manure on top makes the asparagus crooked? mr. record: that was my experience. mr. baldwin: i have always practiced that. i think what makes it crooked is cultivating the top and cutting the crowns off. a member: when the weeds come in we disk it. mr. record: i never like to disk it. if your bed is very old you are liable to cut some of your crowns rather than to keep the weeds out. a member: your manure would be all gone then? mr. record: i know there was a man right adjoining me who had an asparagus bed, and he used a lot of rotten manure the summer before, and he got very little asparagus that was marketable. i asked him what the trouble was, and he said he didn't know. this year he had a good crop. i can't say it was the manure that did that, only it looks that way. a member: how would you start a new planting? mr. record: i would plow my ground thoroughly and get it in good shape. a member: wouldn't fertilize the first season? mr. record: i would. i would fertilize my asparagus ground two years. a member: i mean in preparing your patch for the new planting? mr. record: i would first plow and harrow and then fertilize. plow both ways from fourteen to sixteen inches deep and with a fine cultivator loosen up the bottom of furrow and put in the plants and cover with a little earth. then with the horse keep filling in the furrow. i saw this summer several men with hoes working. that is all right, but it takes a long time, especially with the proposition we are up against about hired help. i can do it just as well with the horse and four times as fast. the second year you can harrow it any way you want to. a member: common corn land, is that fit for raising asparagus? mr. record: yes, sir, asparagus will grow on poor ground better than many other vegetables will. a member: will it improve that land by fertilizing with top dressing? mr. record: i think so. a member: the heavy land i suppose wouldn't be good for it? mr. record: they raise good asparagus on clay land, but i don't think it will grow as good as on sandy soil. it is not quite so warm; it packs harder and i think more liable to grow crooked. a member: i was called out to see a man's asparagus bed. he asked me what kind of ground i thought it must be, and i said a light soil. this man had a heavy clay, and it rained on it, and then the sun came out very hot and the top cooked, and when the little shoots were to come up they turned back. that ground wasn't good for asparagus. mr. record: it should have been harrowed well after that rain. a member: you see he couldn't get in there. a member: what fertilizer is good? is bone meal good? mr. record: any commercial fertilizer is good, i think. bone meal is good. mr. crawford: can you raise asparagus successfully in the shade or a partial shade? mr. record: well, i wouldn't want too much. i have shade on both sides of mine; it is a hedge. i notice it isn't near so good next to the hedge as it is out in the middle of the bed, although shade on both sides protects it from the wind and makes it hotter. the hotter it is, the faster it will grow. mr. crawford: i asked the question because i have a west line shade several years old, trees are willow and box elder. considerable of the ground is a loss to me, practically so, from that shade. mr. record: i don't think it is a very good place for asparagus. a member: i would like to ask if a person on clay soil could use sawdust to work in? mr. record: horse manure with sawdust, we use a great deal of that, that is, planing mill shavings. that is all right. that will loosen up the ground some, but when it is turned over, of course, it will harden up again if there comes a good hard rain on it. a member: how many years have you maintained a bed? mr. record: why, it will go from twelve to fourteen years, although the place that i am on now, i know that was good for twenty-five or twenty-six. it is practically gone now, but for twenty years it was good. but of late years it won't run over twelve to fifteen. mr. willard: i would like to ask something about changing an old asparagus bed to a new position. mr. record: i wouldn't advise you to use the old roots. you get a bed quicker by using plants that are two years old, and of course there are some plants better than others. i bought my plants in the east. now they have good plants here, a good many of them, too, but i have never seen anything as good as i got for my last bed. the best way if i was going into it, being a market gardener, would be to go to some neighbor that had a good straight bed and get my own seed. it is very easy to save, and most anyone would give a man all he wanted and charge him nothing. all he would do would be to gather it up. mr. miller: i would like to ask--i only grow for kitchen garden and i presume most of us are in the same boat--we were told to plow a furrow deeply and fill it with good manure and to plant the roots with the crowns about four inches below the surface of the bed. mr record: well, i wouldn't fertilize it first. i would, as i say, plow my furrow and loosen up the bottom of it, so that the plants will get a chance to get started. you know if you are plowing it out or shoveling it out it will get down to hard ground. that isn't so good. you loosen up the bottom and put your plants evenly over the ground and put in a little dirt, and if you have it a little barnyard manure. mr. miller: i suppose the idea of putting that in the bottom is that it is so hard to cultivate the manure on the top without doing as you mentioned? the running out of varieties. prof. c. b. waldron, horticulturist, agri. college, n.d. there is no fact more familiar to gardeners, orchardists and farmers than the "running out" of varieties, and no question that is more obscure as to its causes. the possibility of deterioration of varieties is noted to a greater or less extent in all field and garden crops, particularly with those that are most highly developed, or which represent the greatest departure from the original species. it is evident that the cause must lie either in the environment which surrounds the variety or in the selection which it has received, or in a combination of the two. it is held also by some that aside from the influence of soil and climate, and in spite of the most rigid selection, there is an inherent tendency in varieties to depart in a more or less marked degree from the type in which they first appeared. this is particularly true of new varieties that have not yet become established. almost before the plant breeder can determine their type they have broken up into so many distinct forms that it is impossible to get any further than the first generation. this has been noted several times with new varieties of squashes and other cucurbits, and to a similar but less marked degree with tomatoes and some other garden crops. these might well be termed evanescent varieties, and since they never become fixed or find their way into cultivation they are of interest only to the plant breeder. the influence of environment, particularly soil and climate, upon the size, quality and productiveness of certain garden crops is well known, though just what effect this may have in determining the hereditary character of a variety has never been very well worked out and is still a matter of much doubt. we know, for instance, that there is a tendency for corn grown in the middle or southern latitude to attain to a larger size and require a longer period for maturity than the same corn grown in the north. this tendency is shown in the first generation, but whether it appears as a constant hereditary character or not is still open to discussion. there are those who maintain that it is just as practical to develop a dwarf, early variety of corn in the middle latitudes with careful selection as it is to develop a variety of equal earliness when the planting is done in the north. these maintain that the reason the dwarf, early varieties of corn are not normally developed in the middle latitudes is because the selection in those places is usually made from the large plants which yield well, instead of from the small, early plants, such as would be naturally selected at the north. by the same reasoning it is held that the constant growing of any species or variety in the northern latitudes does not increase hardiness but only enables us to determine which is hardy, thereby enabling us by selection to increase the hardiness of our varieties. [illustration: cat-leaf weeping birch and shrubbery on campus of agricultural college at fargo, n.d.] we must admit that this reasoning has a sound scientific basis, its principal weakness at the present time being that there has not been enough experimental work done to determine how general and constant its application is. however true it may be as a scientific principle, we have on the other hand the undoubted fact that varieties of certain plants, like the cauliflower, are so strongly modified by environment that the varieties disappear altogether as such unless the breeding plants are grown under very definite conditions. it is well known that cauliflower seed can be grown, for instance, only in certain parts of europe around the north sea and to a limited extent in the vicinity of seattle, and that cauliflower seed from any other region produces plants which not only lose all varietal characteristics but which scarcely resemble cauliflower at all. as an illustration of this same principle millet affords an excellent example. grown at the north for a number of years, without change of seed, it becomes short with stiff straw and very large heads, yielding a large quantity of seed. when grown as far south as tennessee for a period of five years only, it assumes a very different character, being tall and leafy with small heads and not very productive of seed. it might be possible by very rigid selection to develop a variety of millet that would tend to be tall and leafy even in the north, but it is doubtful if it would remain so, and the difficulty of keeping it up to type would be too great to make it profitable. all this is equivalent to saying that there are certain unstable varieties that are so influenced by climate that it is not good practice to try and keep them up to any given standard except when they are grown in regions which naturally develop the type that we are seeking to maintain. the more striking examples coming under this class are cauliflower, millet, onions, tobacco and some of the flowering plants. a few years ago it was supposed that the running out of varieties of celery was due to a similar cause, that is, to unfavorable environment. to this was ascribed the pithy quality that characterized some of the varieties. upon further investigations, however, it was found that this pithy condition came about through carelessness in seed selection. there is a more or less inherent tendency in all celery to become pithy, and unless these plants are carefully excluded, the varieties will run out from that cause. the different varieties of tomatoes, egg plant and the cucurbits do not seem to be especially affected by soil and climate, and in such instances the varieties can be kept up only by rigid selection, no matter how favorable that environment is under which they are grown. with these plants there is always the inherent tendency to go back more or less to the wild state, and lapse of care in seed selection for a period of only a few years will result in a variety very different from the one which we had in the beginning. it will be seen from this that in some instances the best plan is for each farmer or gardener to develop his own strains of crops that he grows, while in other cases it is best to leave the selection to those that are working in a more favored environment so far as those varieties are concerned. there still remains to be considered the plants that are propagated asexually, like potatoes and all our cultivated fruits. from the fact that a number of our standard varieties of apples and some other fruits date back one hundred years or more, and are still as productive as at the beginning, it is evident that some asexually propagated varieties may be considered almost fixed or permanent. [illustration: niobe willow (salix vitellina, var. pendula nova), on campus n.d. agri. college, fargo.] the buds or scions from which new trees are started are taken indiscriminately from the bearing trees, and since there is no great variation in them the varieties do not tend to change. whether they could be improved by taking scions from only the most productive trees is still a question. there are some who consider this possible, but we do not yet have enough experimental evidence to establish it as a fact. so far it would seem that about the only crop which is propagated asexually that is likely to deteriorate, or is capable of improvement, is one that is directly modified by soil and climate. the potato is the most striking example of this class of crops. it is well known that the potato responds very readily in the matter of size, yield and quality to certain types of soil and climatic conditions. it is also known that the qualities thus acquired seem to be more or less permanent; that is, that potatoes brought from the north, especially those which have been grown in heavy soil, will produce a crop some ten days earlier and thirty per cent larger than a crop grown from seed produced in a region six hundred miles farther south. early ohio potatoes grown in north dakota, when used for seed in southern iowa, give a much larger and somewhat earlier crop than the native grown seed. this would indicate that the potato is bound to run out in a measure if grown continually in southern latitudes, and in this instance a change of seed, using always the seed from the northern latitudes and the heavier soil, is necessary, in order to keep the variety up to standard. [illustration: carnege library and flower beds at n.d. agricultural college, fargo.] it will be seen that while there is no question as to the fact of varieties running out, that they differ a great deal in this respect, and it is only through a knowledge of the facts covering each variety, or at least the varieties of each species, that would enable a grower to know what to do in order to keep a variety up to the highest standard. mr. kellogg: what is the matter with the old wilson strawberry? mr. waldron: i think people forgot about it and began growing better varieties. i know there is an impression among strawberry growers that the wilson strawberry has run out. i don't know. i know it has been supplanted by other varieties, and the general impression of most men is that it is because other varieties, better varieties, came in and that variety was neglected. mr. kellogg: it can be found in eastern catalogs now. mr. waldron: isn't it as good now as it was? mr. kellogg: that is what i want to know. mr. waldron: i understand that it is from the people that have grown them. i don't know of any strawberry in my career from the first time that i have been working in strawberries that seems to be any poorer now than it was twenty-five or thirty years ago. the wilson might be an exception. i know that has been referred to as an instance of deterioration of variety. the strawberry might be so dependent on climatic and soil conditions that it might be classed with the potatoes and not be in a class with the apples, which don't seem to deteriorate. mr. kellogg: is there such a thing as a pedigreed strawberry plant that is taken from runners? mr. waldron: we have experiments going on at the agricultural college now. we set out a number of plants from strawberry growers that advertise a pedigreed strawberry, and beside those we have strawberry plants from growers who don't advertise them as pedigreed. this year we ought to get some returns on that; last year the patch was flooded out--we had very heavy june rains. we have about ten varieties from a large number of different growers, some supposed to be perfect and some not. we are going to have some report of them at the next horticultural meeting. i don't believe there is anything much in pedigreed strawberries. the president: in the state of north dakota our friend here who has just spoken occupies the same position in the hearts and minds of the people of his state as do our friends haralson, hansen and patten in this section. his work is along a little different line, his being almost purely an agricultural section, but he is a very practical man and is doing splendid work up there. mr. doty: i wish to say a word on this strawberry question. some years ago the postmaster at monticello wanted to know of me what kind of strawberries to set out; i was handling nursery goods at that time. i told him i would recommend to him the wilson, the warfield and the haverland. the wilson i would set in the center. he had six square rods. he set them out. the second year he invited me up to his patch and asked me to guess on how many strawberries he had raised on that patch. i said: "six bushels"--i thought i would put it high. but he said: "i have picked twelve bushels from that patch." i said: "it can't be possible," and he said: "come right into my shop here. i have a paper here and i put down every single quart of strawberries that i have sold here." i figured it up and found that he had twelve bushels out of that patch. i told him to set the wilson in the center, the warfield on one side and the haverland on the other. he did so and that was the result, the best result that i have ever known. the president: how many years ago? mr. doty: well, it was about fifteen years ago. garden helps conducted by minnesota garden flower society edited by mrs. e. w. gould, humboldt avenue so. minneapolis. october is one of the best months in which to plant shrubs. after the leaves show them to be dormant they can be safely moved and will become established before very cold weather. each year we are learning that _more_ planting can be done in the fall if done early enough, and by so doing one escapes a part of the rush that comes in the spring. "anything that is hardy can be moved in the fall," an old nurseryman once said to me, and it has been a safe rule to follow. but note the word "hardy" in his advice. all stock, either shrubbery or perennials, that are planted in the fall should be well mulched. the bulbs for the spring garden, except those that require early planting, will also need to be put in this month in order to make a good root growth before frost overtakes them. here we are able to achieve exact results as they very seldom disappoint us as to color or time of blooming as some other plants do. have you tried planting your bulbs with any of the ground cover plants that will take away the bare look that most bulb beds have? the arabis with its snowy blossoms is beautiful beneath the early tulips. the violas--with such a wide range of color--make lovely backgrounds for the later tulips, as also do the creeping phlox and the native lavender blue divaricata phlox. a bed of this beneath pale pink darwin tulips is one of the lovely memories of last spring's garden. another snowy white flower is the perennial candytuft, iberis. blooming at the same time and remaining lovely for a long period it combines well with any of the tall tulips or narcissi or daffodils. alyssum saxatile, with its sheet of gold, and the dear forget-me-nots, both grow well beneath the tulips. the fine lacey tufts of meadow rue are lovely among the pink and white and rose tulips. surely the bulb beds need not be bare. the very early blossoms are always the most welcome. so plant some bulbs, at least twenty-five, of scillas, snowdrops, snowflakes (leucojum vernum). these, if left undisturbed, will increase greatly. the chionodoxas, grape hyacinths and crocuses are all well worth planting, but do not put the latter in the grass as they will not do well there in our climate. for our rose growers. members of the american rose society have been raising money to employ a trained plant pathologist to study diseases of roses. the work has been begun under dr. l. m. massey, of the new york state college of agriculture, cornell university, ithaca, n.y. by co-operating with dr. massey all growers of roses will greatly increase the efficiency of the investigations. a rose disease survey will first be made. it is here that all rose growers can help by sending specimens of diseased plants, with a statement regarding varieties affected, nature and extent of the injury, time of appearance of the disease and any other things that have been noticed regarding it. information for the control of the disease will be given by dr. massey. the following directions are given to those sending specimens: "the material sent should be freshly collected and should show various stages of the development of the disease. where roots are sent it will usually be undesirable to enclose any soil. where convenient specimens should be mailed so as to reach ithaca the latter part of the week. place leaves, buds, etc., between the leaves of an old newspaper, a few between each two sheets. then roll into a tight bundle and wrap in stout paper. attach one of the franked tags (which may be had upon request), on which you have written your name and address, and mail. it will go postage free--h.h. whetzel, head of the department of plant pathology, new york state college of agriculture, cornell university, ithaca." * * * * * meeting of garden flower society, st. paul, wilder building, : p.m., october . topics: "how i made my garden pay" and "work of garden clubs." reports of seed trials. [illustration: distant view of a field of three year old seedling peonies on the grounds of brand nursery co., at faribault, minn.] while it is not the intention to publish anything in this magazine that is misleading or unreliable, yet it must be remembered that the articles published herein recite the experience and opinions of their writers, and this fact must always be noted in estimating their practical value. the minnesota horticulturist vol. november, no. peonies--old and new. a.m. brand, nurseryman, faribault. about the first thing i can remember, as i look back over the years that are past, is my father's field of peonies, and of a man standing at a table with a large peony clump before him cutting it up into divisions. i remember wondering how such beautiful flowers could come out of such an ugly, dirty root. the bright little eyes, some red, some white and others pink interested me, and boy fashion i put many questions to the man about them. and then my father came by and noticing my interest in the matter, though a busy man, stopped and explained to me the process of dividing the roots. that was forty years ago, but from that day to this i have watched with ever increasing interest the growth and handling of peonies. i was but a small boy then, but i remember my father gave me his big pruning knife, and under his guidance i divided my first peony. and i thought i had done fairly well, for he patted me on the head and said it was well done and that some day i would make a nurseryman. the peony industry as far as the west was concerned was in its infancy then. we had few varieties--peony buyers had not yet become critical. i can remember of but four sorts: the white variety, whitleyii, now called queen victoria; the red pottsii and the two pinks, fragrans and humeii. peonies were then sold as red peonies, white peonies and pink peonies, and that was all there was to it, and the customer felt very lucky if he got the color he ordered. but a wonderful change came over the industry along in the nineties. some of the better varieties had worked west in different ways, and people began to waken to the fact that there were more than simply red peonies, white peonies and pink peonies. such varieties as festiva maxima, edulis superba, marie lemoine, eugene verdier and the like came to us. flower lovers slowly began to realize that the old, despised "piny" of mother's garden was a thing of the past, and that here in its stead we had a glorious and beautiful flower. and as the better varieties have continued to come from year to year, the interest in the flower has continued to increase until now i think i am safe in saying that in the colder portion of our country at least, and in our own state in particular, the interest manifested in the peony is greater than that taken in any other flower. and it is of this modern peony that i am asked to tell you--of its cultivation and care, how it is multiplied and how the new sorts are produced. right here at the start i wish to correct an erroneous impression about the peony that has been spread broadcast throughout the land by means of not too carefully edited catalogues and misinformed salesmen. we often hear an agent say or we read in some catalogue, "when you have the peony planted all is done." now this is not true. it comes a long ways from being true. i think the very results which the following out of this belief have brought about are accountable for the production of more poor peonies than all other causes put together. the peony, it is true, will stand more abuse than any other flower you can name and still give fairly good results, but if you want good peonies you must take good care of them. the planting season opens about the first of september in minnesota--probably the middle of the month is safer--and it continues right up to the freeze-up in the fall and up to the middle of may in the spring. we have lifted peonies that have grown a foot in the spring, packed them carefully, shipped them to middle wisconsin, and in the fall had the shipment reported as having done splendidly. september planted roots will bloom the following season. after that there is little choice between fall and spring planting. the peony root will stand lots of abuse after being thoroughly ripe, but still it is best to handle it with care. keep it fresh and plump until planted. if accidentally it becomes shriveled, immerse for twenty-four hours in a pail of water. this will revive it. remove from the water and plant immediately. the roots should be planted with the tops of the buds from two to three inches below the surface--not more than three inches at the most. many times you will notice that you have a nice, thrifty looking plant, but that it does not bloom. nine times out of ten if you examine into the matter you will find that your plant was set from six to eight inches deep--and this is why it didn't bloom. another cause of peonies not blooming is their being planted in lawns where the soil is impoverished by the roots of large trees. the common method of propagation of established varieties is by division. grafting is resorted to by professionals in some instances, but that does not interest us here. the peony will do well in any well drained soil, though a rich sandy loam is the best. it will give splendid results in heavy clay if well cultivated and if at the blooming season in case of drouth the plants are well watered. of all soils a sandy one is the poorest for the production of bloom, although, on the contrary, for the rapid production of roots the lighter soils are ideal. such soils not only produce roots much more rapidly than the heavier soils, but produce a root that divides easier and to better advantage. but it is with the cultivation of the plant that we are most interested. as i have said before, no plant will stand more abuse than the peony and still give fairly good results, but if given a good soil and then good cultivation we have no flower that will give us more satisfaction for the care we give it. when grown in large numbers peonies should be planted, if possible, so that the plants can be cultivated with a horse. deep cultivation seems to bring the best flowers. where we can give horse cultivation we start the cultivator just as early in the spring as we can. as a rule we start by the middle of april and keep it going through the plants once a week at least, and oftener if necessary, right up to the time when the buds start to open. cultivation here ceases until the blooming season is over and is then resumed often enough to destroy all weeds up to the first of august. we use one and two-horse cultivators and run the shovels to within three or four inches of the plants and two to three inches deep. but few of us can cultivate in this way. field cultivating methods are hard to apply to the lawn and garden. but we may get the same results in other ways. clumps of peonies on the lawn should be so planted that a cultivated space encircling the plant at least a foot wide is left. this space should be covered in the fall with a mulch of well rotted barnyard manure which should be forked or spaded into the soil in the spring. and the soil about the plant should be thoroughly forked over, to a depth of two to four inches, three or four times before the blooming season. where the plants are planted in borders and beds in the garden, mulch and cultivate in the same way, stirring the soil all about and between the plants. care should be taken in applying the manure mulch not to get it directly over the plant if the tops have been cut back. the stems are hollow as they die out in the fall, and thawing snow and occasional rains of winter leach the strength out of the manure, and this filters down through these hollow stems and comes in contact with the roots and rots them. for the sake of protection the peony needs no winter mulch. for this latitude it is perfectly hardy. after the blooming season cut all the blossom stems back to the leaves for looks. do not cut the leaf stalk back until about the middle of september. by that time the plant is dormant, and all top growth can be removed with perfect safety. most of us are willing to spend this time and labor if we get results and to get the best results with peonies we must have good varieties. of named peonies there are somewhere in the neighborhood of , varieties. large collections now catalogue all the way from to sorts. from such collections it is hard for those not thoroughly familiar with the merits of the varieties to make an intelligent selection of moderate priced peonies for a small planting. for people so situated i make the following suggestion of varieties: _white_: candissima, festiva maxima, duchess de nemours, duke of wellington, couronne d'or, queen victoria, avalanche, madam de verneville, mons dupont, marie lemoine. _pink_: edulis superba, model de perfection, monsieur jules elie, livingston, mathilde de roseneck, alexander dumas. _light pink_: eugene verdier, delicatissima, marguerite gerard, dorchester eugene verdier. _red_: richard carvel, felix crousse, meissonier, rachel, delachii, purpurea superba and rubra superba. so much for the old peonies. now to the new ones. and the question naturally comes, why any new ones? with over , varieties shouldn't we be satisfied? no! many of the varieties catalogued might be eliminated, and we should be the gainer thereby. i believe i am safe in saying that if the present list were cut down to sorts it would cover all the varieties worth while. and there is such a great chance for improvement! so many beautiful varieties coming to us of late years beckon us on. crousse, dessert and lemoine have set the pace, and we of america will not be left behind. [illustration: looking up the rows of a bed of our seedlings three years after transplanting. the white variety in the centre of the picture is frances willard, considered by us one of the world's best whites. at the time this picture was taken, the flowers were just opening, so one gets no idea of the size of the blooms after they open.] either eighteen or nineteen years ago my father definitely set about the bringing forth of a line of new peonies. for years he had been experimenting with seedling apples. his immense collection of peonies gave him the idea of producing something better along that line. a great bed was planted out from which to collect seed. hundreds of the best varieties obtainable were planted in this bed, two of each variety, with a very liberal use of the three varieties, edulis superba, fragrans and triumph de l'ex. de lille. some twelve varieties of the most vigorous singles of all colors were also used. bees and the elements were allowed to do the cross-fertilizing. in the fall of the first seed, amounting in all to about a peck, was harvested and planted. this seed was allowed to dry and was planted just before it froze up, directly into the field where the plants were to remain and bloom. the seed was planted about two inches deep, in rows two feet apart, with the seeds six inches apart in the row. immediately after the ground froze a two-inch mulch of coarse slough hay was spread all over the field. this was removed in the spring and the field kept perfectly clean that season by hand weeding, as cultivation could not be practiced. no seed germinated that year. that fall the ground was again mulched, and this mulch removed early the next, or second, spring. this second season just as soon as nature began to quicken the little peonies began to pierce the soil. standing at one end of the field and looking down the rows one could fairly see the little fellows burst forth from their long confinement and thrust their little red heads in serried ranks through the brown earth. they reminded one of line upon line of miniature red-coated soldiers on parade. a fourteen-tooth planet jr. horse cultivator was immediately started amongst them, and intense cultivation given the bed that season. by the end of the growing season the little plants were from two to four inches high. the next spring, the third from the planting of the seed, the young plants burst through the ground strong and robust. cultivation was started immediately, as during the season before, and the plants made rapid growth. by the middle of may, most of them were eight inches high with an abundance of foliage. we noticed a few buds appear this season. the strong, vigorous development of the buds, of one plant in particular, continued to claim our attention, and we watched it with intense interest. day by day the buds grew larger, and then finally a day came when the first petal lifted, and the next morning the petals spread forth in all their glory. it was a gem, we realized we had something first class. my father said after he had studied it a while, "it pays me for all my time, and money, and work. if i never get another as good i shall be satisfied." it was a beautiful dark red, very early, as good a red as terry's rachel. we named it richard carvel. six other plants bloomed that season. one was of the japanese type. the others singles. by the next spring the small plants were well established, and we knew by their vigorous growth that we might expect the most of them to bloom that season. thorough cultivation was given from the start, and by the middle of may the bed was covered with a mass of buds. june came. the blooming season was at hand. slowly the buds began to show color. here and there over the field a petal began to lift. a short space of anxious waiting, and then a day came when it seemed as if the bed had been touched by a hand of magic, for from one end to the other it was one solid blaze of color. before us were thousands upon thousands of flowers and no two alike. as quick as the flowers began to open we started to grade and mark them. it took two men working steadily for a week to inspect and mark this bed. everything that looked choice was marked no. . everything that looked as though it stood a chance of coming choice, if given a better chance, was marked no. . all other doubles were marked double with their color. and all singles were marked single with their color. when the digging season came those marked nos. and were lifted and divided and each planted in a bed specially prepared for them. each sort was staked. these plants were set in rows three and one-half feet apart and three feet apart in the row. intense cultivation was given them for three years. the performance of each sort was recorded for each year. at the end of the third year those sorts which had come good two years out of the three were again lifted and planted in another soil and watched closely for another period of three years. this gave us a pretty definite knowledge of their behavior, made us acquainted with them. it toned down, as i might say, the enthusiasm with which we first selected them, allowed of our making careful comparison with the best sorts, and finally enabled us to keep what were really choice. we did not have any need for the others. of the ones first selected as no. from the seed bed, about thirty-five in number, we finally kept eight; of those marked no. , about sixty. we afterwards selected two as first class. those plants simply marked double in the seed bed were planted in a regular field bed by themselves. each plant was divided and staked. this bed was allowed to stand three years and the plants were carefully noted each year as they bloomed for varieties that we might have accidentally overlooked in the seed bed. among these thousands of plants we found two sorts which we called first class. one of these, though it is sixteen years since the seed was planted, we are just about to send out. i have given you the history of this single bed because it shows about how the seedling peony must be handled. we have since varied our method in handling in a single respect. we no longer plant our seed direct in the field. we find it much better to plant broadcast in seed beds. these are much more economical to keep clean the first year. after the little seedlings are one year old or, better, after they are two years old, we lift them in september and plant them in a permanent bed. [illustration: our seedling harriet farnsley, a very late all one color pink. this variety is in bloom at the same time as richardson's rubra grandiflora, at a time when most good peonies are gone. the flower from which this photo was taken measured seven inches across.] now if any of you are tempted to grow peonies from seed let me warn you not to get too enthusiastic in anticipating results. the chances are that out of every , will have to be discarded. test thoroughly before you decide to keep. the flower my father and i both decided our best when it first bloomed we no longer keep. our best flower is one we took no particular notice of the first two years it blossomed. but do not let me discourage you. though eight or ten choice varieties may seem small returns, still there is a pleasure in the work that you cannot fail but feel. and when you go forth into your fields after your stocks of better sorts have increased so that you can have each kind blooming about you in long rows, and as you see first this beautiful variety and then that come into bloom, you feel well repaid for the years of waiting and the labor you have bestowed upon them. mr. brand: a great many people ask the question whether just as soon as the peony has blossomed they cannot cut the top off. it would be a great mistake to do so. your peony growth does not complete its development until about the middle of september, and if you cut the top off just as soon as the plant has blossomed you are going to have a great many of them rot. we had a very striking illustration of this two years ago. just as our peony season was closing we had a severe hailstorm which cut our peony beds right off down to the ground. we couldn't save the tops if we had wanted to. that fall when we dug our roots it was almost impossible to fill our orders, because the roots were in such terrible shape. the tops were removed before they ought to have been. talking about disappointments with peonies, i think the peony i was most impressed with of all the seedlings we have had came good but once. that was eleven or twelve years ago. as i look back upon it i think this was the most beautiful flower we ever grew, but it never came good but that once. i was so impressed with its beauty that i took it from where it bloomed in the seedbed and planted it at my house in the garden. when it came on to bloom, it was a disappointment and has been such ever since. i still keep it, hoping that some year it may bloom again as it did that first year. mr. harrison: not a bit of it. they are the most lying vegetable on the face of the earth. may i ask if mr. peterson, of chicago, is here? he is an expert peony man. i presume we will all like to hear from him. mr. peterson: i haven't anything to add; if you want to ask questions i will be glad to answer them. the president: ladies and gentlemen, you probably know that mr. peterson is one of the expert peony men of the united states. in fact, as far as fifteen years back we were able to get some of the newer and better varieties from this gentleman. i never had the pleasure of meeting him, but we want to meet you, mr. peterson. you have all heard of mr. peterson, the peony man of chicago and a life member of this society. (applause.) mr. peterson: i have nothing to add. i have been in the game a good many years. we have systematically kept track of over three hundred varieties since , so that it may be if you have any questions to ask i might be able to answer them, and i would be glad to. the proposition that mr. brand has stated is actually within the facts. we have raised thousands of seedlings, and not one of them do we now grow. you see some of the peterson seedlings listed in other people's catalogues, but i don't have one myself. a member: what kind of varieties would you suggest for the ordinary home garden, best dozen varieties? mr. peterson: i would name for the white peonies, the madam de verneville, avalanche, couronnes d'or; of the pale pink, delicatissima, marie crousse, grandiflora; of the red, monsieur martin cohuzac, monsieur krelage, felix crousse; of the deep pink, modeste guerin, m. jules elie and claire dubois. i do think that mr. brand has some of exceptional merit that will probably be put in the red class. i don't know his others, but felix crousse is undoubtedly the best of its type in the red. a member: have you tried out the baroness schroeder? mr. peterson: i surely have. it is very fine, but it is a little changeable, not only in its habits but in its shade. if you want a perfect white, it isn't that, it is a nearly flesh white. i would say that the madame emile lemoine is finer. a member: do you advise spraying for them? mr. peterson: no, but i tell you what was asked of me today, which is the secret of having no disease in our plants. any two-year-old plant in our field that doesn't bloom, we dig it up and throw it away, and that will nip any trouble in the bud, and then you will not get any strain that is not blooming. if we see any other defect, any that won't head good, we take it up and throw it away. that one point i think all of you can well follow, and that is, to dig up every two-year-old plant that doesn't bloom and throw it away, that is, during the blooming season. mr. harrison: some varieties will bloom and some won't. you have got to punish the whole on account of the few? mr. peterson: i do that. if i have a two-year-old plant that is blooming in a section i keep it and follow it up. mr. harrison: any special rule about multiplying or dividing? mr. peterson: no, except to divide in september, even possibly the last week of august, and the earlier they are divided at that time when the eyes are large, the better it is. * * * * * can fruit without sugar.--_canning specialists say boiling water may be used instead of sirup._ fruit for use in pies or salads or as stewed fruit can be put up or canned without the use of any sugar at all, according to the canning specialists of the department. they, therefore, advise those who, because of the high price of sugar, have been thinking of reducing the amount of fruit they put up to can as much of their surplus as possible by the use of boiling water when sugar sirup is beyond their means. any fruit, they say, may be successfully sterilized and retained in the pack by simply adding boiling water instead of the hot sirup. the use of sugar, of course, is desirable in the canning of all kinds of fruits and makes a better and ready sweetened product. moreover, most of the fruits when canned in water alone do not retain their natural flavor, texture and color as well as fruit put up in sirup. fruit canned without sugar to be used for sauces or desserts must be sweetened. fruit retail methods and costs. clarence w. moomaw and m.m. stewart, fruit and produce marketers, portland, oregon. on studying the various phases of city apple marketing, special attention was given to retail methods and costs. the purpose of this study was chiefly to learn whether the wholesale supply controls the price. the cost of operation as a factor in determining retail prices also was investigated as far as possible. retail apple distributors may be classed as follows: (a) fruit-stand vendors. (b) fancy grocers, fruiterers, etc., catering almost exclusively to high-class or fashionable trade and doing a very extensive credit business. (c) grocers catering to a cheaper class of trade, largely upon a cash basis. (d) hucksters or street peddlers. relatively high prices were charged for apples purchased at fruit stands. extra fancy northwestern and colorado jonathans were sold to the dealers during october and november at prices ranging from $ to $ . per box. apples which grade to the box retailed at two for five cents, or $ . per box. this meant a gross profit of about per cent. in the ninety-six size, extra fancy jonathans sold at three for ten cents, or $ . per box, showing a gross profit of about per cent. in the east side tenement section of new york city it was learned that by reason of the cheap prices prevailing and the heavy supply of apples arriving the peddlers were operating to the detriment of fruit stands. the fruit-stand dealers were selling only about one-third to one-half the quantity of fruit handled in former seasons. the pushcart and wagon peddlers as a rule buy packed or loose fruit cheap and go direct to the homes of the residents, selling at prices considerably below the fruit-stand men. the peddlers handle a large quantity, make quick cash sales, and pay no rents. other dealers incur heavy operating expenses and generally sell not for the purpose of moving a large quantity, but for the highest price obtainable. consequently, the movement is restricted. the largest profits were found usually in barreled apples. for instance, new york b grade, two inches minimum, approximately apples to the barrel, sold for a cent each or $ per barrel. these apples cost the retail dealer not over $ per barrel delivered to his store, allowance being made for jobber's profit and drayage. the investigator saw "a grade" fruit, - / inches minimum, averaging about apples per barrel, which cost the retailer not over $ , being displayed for sale at two for five cents, or $ . per barrel. such prices prevailed at no less than twenty-five retail stores visited in one day. apples were being offered for sale at retail all over new york city at prices ranging from one cent each at the cheap corner fruit stands, to fifty cents and eighty cents per dozen at the fanciest fruit stores. in general, it may be said that the gross profits of fruit-stand vendors range from to per cent. operating expenses other than rent in most cities except new york are not relatively high and all sales are on a strictly cash basis; hence the net profits on good fruit are large. grocers catering to high-class trade buy only the best apples. extra fancy jonathans, grimes, etc., preferably 's and 's size, were purchased at $ to $ . per box. these apples were taken from the box and repacked in small splint trays similar to the peach basket used in a six-basket carrier. each box of apples filled approximately ten trays. each tray sold for thirty cents; hence the box brought $ , representing a gross profit of about $ . . extra fancy delicious and winter banana, 's size, purchased at $ per box, retailed at five cents each, or $ . per box. other sizes and varieties brought corresponding prices. no attempt was made by this class of grocers to stimulate consumption by temporarily reducing prices. the retail prices quoted above were maintained consistently throughout the season, regardless of prevailing jobbing prices. the large margins charged by the retailers, for the most part, were due apparently to the small amount of business handled, the perishable nature of the commodity, and the cost of operation. an elaborate and efficient delivery service must be maintained by the grocers, and many small deliveries are made each day at an actual loss to the dealer. a large proportion of the grocery-store patrons buy on credit and pay when it becomes convenient. many of these accounts are never paid. hence it becomes apparent that the good customer who pays his bill regularly each week, or who pays cash, must suffer for the shortcomings of others. however, there can be little doubt that reducing prices would materially increase consumption and in the end result in equally good profits for the dealers. reduced prices and better business practice should prove to be very beneficial to grower, dealer and consumer. the profits derived from the sale of cheaper grades of apples to the poorer class of consumers are not so large. it was learned that those catering to such trade operated on a margin of to per cent. of the purchase price. raspberries. f. c. erkel, fruit grower, rockford. raspberries are so easily grown it is surprising we do not find more farmers and back lot gardeners in the city giving them attention. i believe more people would raise raspberries if they could be made to realize what great returns they would receive for a little work and care. as a commercial proposition raspberries are the poor man's friend, yielding large returns with very small investment and requiring but little land. i will attempt to give a few essentials in raspberry culture without going into detail, with the hopes that at least a few more patches of raspberries may be planted as a result of my effort. with the main points of raspberry culture given, there is no reason why any one with ordinary intelligence can not solve the details and meet with success. raspberries have a little advantage over strawberries with the man who is not greatly enthused over small fruit culture. when once established the plantings do not have to be renewed annually but with ordinary care will last several years, in fact they will stand more junegrass sod and weeds and general neglect and still produce results than anything else i know of unless it is apple trees. another point in favor of raspberries over strawberries is that it is not quite so hard on the back to pick them, and when large quantities are grown it is easier to get pickers. red raspberries will succeed on most any kind of soil so long as it is kept reasonably well fertilized and supplied with humus. they prefer a moist loam, and a northern slope is preferable to a southern slope because not so quickly affected by drought. good drainage is necessary, and if planted on low ground where water is liable to stand at any time the ground should be tiled or otherwise drained. raspberries may be planted either in the fall or spring, or the plants may be dug in the fall, heeled in outside, covered with mulch, or they may be stored in the cellar and planted in spring. plants bought from a nursery in the spring should be unpacked immediately on arrival, the roots dipped in thin mud, then heeled in until permanently planted, even if the delay is but a day or two. the tops of the plants should be cut, leaving but a few inches, and if any blossoms appear the first season it would be better to remove them to prevent fruiting. it would be expecting too much of a newly transplanted plant to make much of any growth and produce fruit the same season. if allowed to fruit the first season but little fruit could be expected at best, and it would leave the plant dwarfed if indeed it were not killed outright. the suckers that come up the first season will produce the next season's crop, after which they die down and should be removed, other suckers taking their places annually. not over two or three suckers should be allowed to each plant the first year; after the first year leave five to eight in each hill, depending on the kind of soil, fertility, etc. when plants are cheap and plentiful it is customary to use two in each hill to insure a good stand the first year, but it is reasonable to expect, however, where there are two root systems in each hill instead of one that in after years there would be more troublesome suckers to remove than if there was but one root in each hill, and this is no small matter with some varieties. to obtain planting stock large clusters of roots may be divided to propagate from, but these usually have but few fibrous roots and are not as good as first year's growth suckers, springing from roots near the parent plant. red raspberries may also be propagated from root cuttings or even from seeds, the latter not coming true to variety, however. plantings should preferably be made on ground plowed the fall previous, but spring plowed ground will answer if thoroughly disced, harrowed and planked and then repeated, to make the ground firm. if the ground is poor add a liberal dressing of well decayed barnyard dressing before plowing, or if not well decayed wait until after planting to apply the manure. future cultivations will mix the dressing with the surface soil where the roots will be able to reach it, since raspberry plants are close surface feeders, and for this reason all cultivations should be shallow after the root system has formed. when the matted row system of planting is adopted, the late prof. green advised using a heavy mulch for two feet on each side of the rows to preserve moisture and discourage weed growth close to the plants, cultivating only a strip through the middle. raspberries may be planted in rows five or six feet apart to allow cultivation both ways, or in rows seven feet apart with plants two or three feet apart in the rows with the idea of allowing a matted row and cultivating but one way after the first season. the matted row is hardly to be recommended unless one is willing to use a hoe rather freely to keep the plants free from weeds where the cultivator can not reach them, or unless he can provide a good, deep mulch to discourage weed growth. rows should preferably run north and south, so the fruit will be shaded during the middle of the day, but this is not absolutely necessary. in setting the plants place them just a little deeper than they grew originally, carry them to the field in pails of water or thin mud, avoiding exposure of the roots to the air unprotected, but do not use water in the holes unless the ground is extremely dry. firm the ground well close to the plant, and cultivate between rows all summer to preserve moisture, whether weeds are troublesome or not, up to september st and be sure to cultivate shallow after the roots begin to occupy the ground. hills that grow exceedingly tall and rank may be cut back to about two and a half feet in height in the spring, or if one is willing to take the trouble to pinch off the end of the plants at this height during the growing season they will get bushy plants better able to hold up a load of fruit--besides cutting back has a tendency to produce larger fruit. we only grow two varieties of red raspberries, both of which are perfectly hardy without winter covering, so we have no suggestions to make or experiences to relate regarding winter protection. i am afraid i would be tempted to quit the business if i had to cover our raspberry bushes for winter protection. i think it would be as big a task as all the rest of the work combined except picking, and i let some one else do that part. for a home garden it is even more desirable to select a variety that is hardy without winter covering than when grown in a commercial way, for this is one of the tasks that is liable to be neglected unless one makes a business of it. in choosing a variety the other qualities to look for besides hardiness without winter covering are size, color, flavor, prolificacy and good shipping qualities. we are located only twenty-five miles northwest of minneapolis, and one would naturally suppose we would market our berries there, but we get better prices in towns along the soo railroad in western minnesota and the dakotas. although our berries are a variety that crumble unless left on the bushes until ripe they do not spoil readily, which is probably due to the fact they are quite acid, and we ship to points in north dakota nearly as far west as chicago is east of us with very little loss. wherever our berries have been introduced they have made friends, and there is hardly ever a time that we do not have standing orders for two or three times as many berries as we can furnish. we usually ship in flat cases, two boxes deep, twenty-four pints to a crate, which brought us $ . , $ . and $ . per crate net, f.o.b. shipping point. there is but one other berry grower near us, so we do not have much difficulty in getting pickers. the first year we built a couple of small cottages to accommodate people from the city who might care to combine berry picking with a few days' outing, and it was surprising what a good class this proposition appealed to, but we now have enough local pickers to care for our crop. the profits in raspberry culture vary all the way from little or nothing above cost of production up to several hundred dollars per acre, depending on the season and how well cared for. whether raspberry culture is a money making proposition or not in a commercial way, there certainly is no good reason why every farm or city garden should not have at least a few hills of raspberries for home use. even leaving the matter of cost out of the question, there is a difference between fruit just off the bushes and that which has stood around in hot, dusty places several hours or longer waiting for a purchaser. try it and be convinced! * * * * * to inoculate seed.--coating the seed of legumes with inoculated soil before planting is a simple method of insuring soil inoculation at slight cost. county agents in illinois have found ordinary furniture glue effective in holding particles of inoculated soil to the seeds. this method gives each individual seed some of the particles of inoculated soil, which it carries with it when it is planted. the scheme requires but a small amount of inoculated soil and costs but a few cents an acre. the method is described in farmers' bulletin of the u.s. department of agriculture. dissolve two handfuls of furniture glue for every gallon of boiling water and allow the solution to cool. put the seed in a washtub and then sprinkle enough of the solution on the seed to moisten but not to wet it (one quart per bushel is sufficient) and stir the mixture thoroughly until all the seed are moistened. secure the inoculated soil from a place where the same kind of plants as the seed are growing, making sure that the roots have a vigorous development of nodules. dry the soil in the shade, preferably in the barn or basement, and pulverize it thoroughly into a dust. scatter this dust over the moistened seed, using from one half to one gallon of dirt for each bushel of seed, mixing thoroughly until the seed no longer stick together. the seed are then ready to sow. the flower garden. (an exercise led by g. c. hawkins, florist, minneapolis, at the annual meeting.) mr. hawkins: we have a question box and i would be glad to have any one use it or rise and state their question. i will answer, giving my experience. the first question i will read is--"what would you advise about covering in the garden in a season like this?" there are now two questions to be answered. first, what kind of covering? second, how much? the first question can be answered this way. every garden is benefited by a good covering of well decayed manure. second. any light covering of straw or horse manure with plenty of straw in it is very good. leaves make a good covering if they can be kept dry, but leaves when not covered get wet, pack down over a plant and too often do more damage than good. the advantage of covering, or mulching, is to prevent thawing and freezing. to keep plants frozen from fall until spring would be ideal. the ideal winter is one when the snow falls early and stays on during the winter. we should cover lightly the plants that need protection, and when the snow falls, as a warm blanket, the plants will come through the winter in perfect shape. mr. hawkins: we have a question box and would be glad to have any one use it, or rise and ask your question, and we will endeavor to answer it and give our experience along that line. mr. horton: what would you advise for plants that are infected with aphis? mr. hawkins: spraying is one of the best things and for that we use a weak tobacco solution, so as to moisten the plants, a light mist will do the work. i want to tell a little experience in growing peonies. last year i tried the experiment of using ground bone around them, which is one of the best fertilizers we have. it contains nearly all the elements of a perfect fertilizer. just as soon as the little joints come out of the ground, dig a trench about three inches from the main bush, about two inches deep and fill with ground bone and watch the result. i carried this plan out with wonderful success, getting perfect blossoms on twenty-five bushes. it takes bone about thirty days to commence to dissolve. the day of the automobile has brought need for a new fertilizer, and we must carefully select the best that can be had. we must turn back again to the green crops and the artificial fertilizers. this also works well with roses. mr. reckstrom: would bone do that was bought for the chickens? mr. hawkins: yes. you understand the finer the particles the quicker it commences to dissolve. a member: where can ground bone be obtained? mr. hawkins: all first class seedsmen have it from small packages of ten pounds to pound sacks. mr. bell: i tried hardwood ashes, and that seemed to be the best thing i struck. there were some shrub lilacs that didn't blossom. one winter i just put the ashes right on, probably a bushel around the one large bush. after that i had plenty of blossoms. on peonies and roses the result seems to be very good. [illustration: residence of g. c. hawkins, fremont avenue south, minneapolis.] mr. hawkins: no question but what ashes are very fine, for the simple reason the potash in hardwood ashes is a very good fertilizer. i would like to ask some one to give his experience in regard to rust on the tiger lily and the phlox. the perennial phlox is one of the most beautiful flowers we have, and there has been considerable trouble this year with a rust which takes all the leaves off the stalk and is injurious to the blossoms. i did not find any successful remedy for it, and i would be very glad if some member would give his experience. mrs. sawyer: i think you will find bordeaux mixture is good as anything for the rust on phlox. there is another mixture given for use in the english gardens, but their conditions are not the same as ours. it seems that changing the location of the phlox may do it good. phlox is a plant that wants free circulation of air. sometimes they get crowded in the garden, and a combination of heat and moisture produces the rust. by changing them to some other ground sometimes it entirely disappears. mr. hawkins: mrs. sawyer thinks this would be a remedy, as they require a circulation of fresh air and keep down moisture. we know this, phlox should be divided every third year. if you lift some you will find in the middle a woody dry substance absolutely detrimental to a large, healthy growing phlox. if you take off the little plants that come at the outside of this and replant them you will find your flowers will be much larger the next year. if we leave bunches of phlox in the same place successive years they become small. if you separate them it will add vigor to your plant, and the flowers will do better. i would like to ask what success you have had with growing tritoma, the flame flower? have you had any difficulty in raising them? mrs. tillotson: i have one blossom that seemed to take such a long time to get above the ground i wondered what was the matter with it. mr. hawkins: mrs. gould, can you give us any enlightenment? mrs. gould: i never raised them, i got some bulbs this year. i know you have to take them up in the winter and store them like gladiolus, and they do not require very heavy soil. mrs. countryman: will yucca filamentosa ever blossom in a garden in st. paul? mrs. sawyer: it will, but it doesn't always. it does blossom in minnesota, but i know that people have a great deal of difficulty getting blossoms. mrs. countryman: i have five plants growing four years and have never seen a blossom yet. mr. hawkins: i have had two growing three years, and i never have seen the color of a blossom yet. a member: what kind is that? mr. hawkins: it is the yucca filamentosa. it is an evergreen. it should throw up a tall stalk with large branches and plenty of white flowers, i think hundreds of flowers--that is the description. it is a beautiful thing in the garden anyway. mrs. countryman: i have seen them in blossom in california. mr. richardson: i have seen them blossom many times in winnebago. mrs. countryman: give us the culture instructions. mr. richardson: i grew in nursery rows some odd stuff, had the same culture that the nursery had. but when it blossomed one year i have been told on good authority it would be five years before that stalk would blossom again, only blossoms once in five years, but by having many stalks they don't all blossom at the same time. i have had them two or three years in succession but not on the same stalk. mrs. countryman: do you cover them winters? mr. richardson: never. mr. hawkins: i think the only reason why the yucca filamentosa doesn't do well is because it is a plant of the southwest and grows in a warmer climate. mrs. sawyer: i had a varied experience in growing those plants, and i took a great deal of pains to learn all i could from different sources and different people, and i believe our trouble is our late frosts, i think that is conceded by people who have really gone into the question thoroughly. our late frosts injure them more than anything else. a little protection in the spring is what they need more than protection in winter, and we know that they don't want a wet place. mr. hawkins: i want to recommend a flower that should be very popular. it is perfectly hardy, blossoms for years, the hardy pyrethrum. it is a daisy-like flower, absolutely free from insects and a sure bloomer. we have plants in the garden that have bloomed six years. it comes in many shades, from white to deep crimson, blooms from the th of may to the st of july and makes a beautiful showing. in regard to iris, did any one have any trouble with their iris coming a little ahead of time last year and being frozen? mrs. sawyer: i guess they all froze off. i don't think it was because they were ahead of time; it was because of the frost. mr. hawkins: what would you recommend? mrs. sawyer: i don't think there is anything to do in weather like last spring, you can't cover anything away from a hard black frost like that was. [illustration: g. c. hawkins, of minneapolis.] mr. hawkins: we have several hundred plants on a southern slope, and i thought perhaps the sun beating against the southern slope is what started them earlier. mrs. sawyer: ours weren't on a southern slope, pretty near level, rather north than anything else, and they got frozen. a member: what causes the rot in the iris? mr. hawkins: that depends upon the kind of iris. with the bulbous rooted iris, the bulb is filled full of water during the heavy rains, and if you add more water to it it simply decays. the siberian and many of the fibrous rooted iris will stand a great deal of water. a member: does the german? mr. hawkins: the german is a bulbous root. as i said, it takes all the moisture it needs. that is one reason why iris never wilts down in a dry spell. it always looks fresh and green. a member: i would like to say it is well not to plant the iris deep. the natural iris will lie almost on top of the ground, and they like to have the sun beat down on them. the iris likes to bask in the sun. mr. hawkins: this would prove to you that the bulb takes enough water to support it and doesn't need any more because it rests on the top and basks in the sun. has any one tried anything new in the garden that will stand our climate? mrs. norton: i would suggest that hardy alum-root, or heuchera. it is a perfectly hardy perennial, can stand our worst winters without any covering, and it grows about so high from the ground (indicating two or three feet), with its geranium-like leaves, and the flower grows about three feet high, all covered with pink bells on the stems. it is a very decorative plant and perfectly hardy. i think it has been much neglected in the northwest because it is so perfectly hardy and it increases very rapidly. i have over one hundred. mr. hawkins: i would like mrs. gibbs to say a word. mrs. gibbs: the only thing i can say is that i enjoy being around among other people's gardens. i think that is one of the best places to find out things that we want; so many times we buy something that sounds well, but when we have it planted it doesn't look as well. i think one of the best ways is to visit gardens and especially those that use labels. a member: i would like to ask about the trollius. mr. hawkins: has any one had experience in raising trollius? mrs. gould: i have had experience in not raising them. i planted three years, and after getting the seeds from all the seedsmen i discovered in a book on plants that the seed would have to be in the ground two years in order to germinate. i didn't know that and left them in only a few months. i think the only way is to buy the plants. it is a very beautiful plant, yellow and shaped like golden glow, belongs to the same family as the buttercup. a member: i would like to ask about the hollyhocks. i saw such beautiful hollyhocks around lake minnetonka and i have never been able to make them winter. i would like to ask about that. mr. hawkins: we have three plants, hollyhocks, digitalis and canterbury bells, and nearly all have the same trouble with them. if we mulch them we are liable to have the center decay and the plants practically useless. it is a question of mulching them too much or not mulching them. i would like to have you speak up and tell us your experience. i have in mind a gentleman who raises splendid hollyhocks in the neighborhood of the lakes. takes no care of them, and yet he had one this year seventeen feet high, which took care of itself and had any amount of blossoms. i tried that experiment several years myself of mulching them, and the crown rotted. these are three of the best flowers of the garden, and we ought to have some certain way of keeping them. a member: have you ever tried mulching them with corn stalks? mr. hawkins: yes, i have tried it but lost them. a member: i had very good luck with them that way. a member: it is more a question of drainage than of mulching. mr. hawkins: that might be. mrs. gould: i wish simply to say that the trouble with winter grown hollyhocks and canterbury bells is that they will head so tall and must be kept dry. i always cover the hollyhocks and if i had the others i think i would cover them. i uncover mine early in the spring, and if it gets cold put on a little more straw. you are almost sure to uncover them the wrong time. with foxgloves i think it is almost unnecessary to cover them. mr. hawkins: in our gardens the hollyhocks form one of the best backgrounds we can have, beautiful, tall, stately stalks, and the canterbury bells, certainly nothing more beautiful than they. then we come to the other, the digitalis, which is equally as beautiful. we must give our attention to the protection and growth of these in years to come because they are three of the beautiful things of the garden. it has been suggested that digitalis be potted and put inside the cold frame and leaves put over them. i think leaves are a splendid protection if you can keep them dry. if i were using them as a mulch i would keep out the water by covering with roofing paper to keep them dry. mrs. countryman: i am told on good authority that the hollyhock is a true perennial and not a biennial. mrs. white: it is listed in the foreign catalogs as both a perennial and a biennial. mrs. countryman: wouldn't the hollyhock come under the heading of being perennial but not a permanent perennial? mr. hawkins: it might be classed that way. there seems to be a difference of opinion as to just what it is. i have known them to come six or seven years in the same spot. * * * * * tie trap for rabbits.--an inexpensive and permanent sewer tile trap for cottontail rabbits has proved very effective in kansas. to make the trap, proceed as follows: "set a by -inch 't' sewer tile with the long end downward, and bury it so that the -inch opening at the side is below the surface of the ground. connect two lengths of -inch sewer pipe horizontally with the side opening. second grade or even broken tile will do. cover the joints with soil so as to exclude light. provide a tight removable cover, such as an old harrow disk, for the top of the large tile. the projecting end of the small tile is then surrounded with rocks, brush, or wood, so as to make the hole look inviting to rabbits and encourage them to frequent the den. rabbits, of course, are free to go in or out of these dens, which should be constructed in promising spots on the farm and in the orchard. a trained dog will locate inhabited dens. the outlet is closed with a disk of wood on a stake, or the dog guards the opening. the cover is lifted and the rabbits captured by hand. "these traps are especially suitable for open lands and prairies, where rabbits cannot find natural hiding places. they are permanent and cost nothing for repairs from year to year. if it is desired to poison rabbits, the baits may be placed inside these traps, out of the way of domestic animals or birds. this trap also furnishes an excellent means of obtaining rabbits for the table, or even for market."--u.s. dept. of agri. blueberry culture. u.s. dept. of agriculture. blueberries thrive best on soils which are so acid that they are usually considered almost worthless for ordinary agricultural purposes. blueberry culture, therefore, offers possibilities of profit to individual land-owners in districts in which the general conditions are especially hard and unpromising. blueberries can not be grown in ordinary fertile soils. although frequently confused, especially in the south and in the middle west, blueberries and huckleberries are quite distinct. in new england the name "huckleberry" is restricted to berries which contain large seeds with bony coverings like minute peach pits which crackle between the teeth, while the name "blueberry" is applied to various species of berries containing many but very small seeds. it is the latter, not the large-seeded huckleberry, which offers possibilities for profitable culture. at the present stage of the blueberry industry it is best to begin by transplanting the most promising wild bushes, selecting them for the size, flavor, color and earliness of the berry as well as for the vigor and productiveness of the bush. these plants can be propagated in various ways, which are described in detail in a professional paper of the department, bulletin no. , by frederick v. coville. the aim of the cultivator should be to secure bushes which will produce large berries. these cost less to pick than small ones and bring a higher price on the market. a berry eleven-sixteenths of an inch in diameter has already been produced under field culture. the three fundamental requirements for successful blueberry culture are: ( ) an acid soil, especially one composed of peat and sand; ( ) good drainage and thorough aeration of the surface soil; and ( ) permanent but moderate soil moisture. next in importance to these essentials is a location such that the berries may reach the market without delay. the best prices are obtained about the beginning of the wild blueberry season. the main crop of wild blueberries comes from northern new england, canada and northern michigan. a location to the south of these areas where the berries will mature earlier is, therefore, to be desired for the commercial cultivator. one of the most promising districts now known is the cranberry region of new jersey, where berries mature early and the shipping facilities to the market in philadelphia, new york and boston are good. another important factor to be considered in selecting a location for a blueberry patch is the possibility of late spring freezes. for this reason the bottoms of valleys should be avoided. freezing seldom injures the blueberry plant itself, but the fruit crop is often destroyed in this way. from past observations it appears that wild blueberries growing in or around bodies of water frequently escape the injurious effects of late spring freezes, and it seems, therefore, that a flooding equipment for blueberry plantations similar to those used for cranberry bogs may, under certain circumstances, prove commercially advantageous. at the present time, however, only a beginning has been made in blueberry culture. the yield and profits in field plantations from improved bushes have not as yet been ascertained. there is, however, one small planting in indiana where complete records have been maintained for the past six years. this plantation was started in in a natural blueberry bog, which was first drained and then set with wild blueberry bushes transplanted without selection for individual productiveness or size of berries. on this plantation the yield per acre has averaged , quarts for the past six years. this average would have been somewhat higher except for the almost total failure of the crop in , due to late spring freezes. an average of - / cents a quart has been received for the berries and the net profit per acre is estimated at $ a year. in this estimate allowance has been made for interest, taxes and depreciation. the expense for weeding, cultivation, and irrigation is placed at $ an acre and the cost of picking at five cents a quart. * * * * * homemade fireless cooker.--a wooden or tin pail, lined with two thicknesses of paper and provided with a close-fitting cover, may be used for the outside container of the cooker. allow for three inches of packing on all sides and at the bottom of the pail. a gallon oyster can will serve very well for the nest, which should be wrapped on the outside next to the packing with asbestos and a piece of asbestos placed under the bottom to prevent the scorching of the packing when hot soapstones are used. shredded newspaper and excelsior make a good packing. pack this very tightly around and to the top of the nest, the top of which should be about three inches below the lid of the outside container. a piece of cardboard cut to fit inside the lard can with a circle cut out of the center around the top of the oyster can or nest will hide the packing and make a neat finish. place a three-inch cushion of unbleached muslin, stuffed tightly with excelsior, on top of the lid of the nest. when the top of the outside container is placed on and hooked down, it will be tight enough to cause a pressure. if a tin pail is used for the outside container, it may be enameled white, or a wooden pail stained brown, making a neat-looking appliance for any kitchen. regular aluminum fireless-cooker utensils may be used for cooking the food in the nest, but any kind of a vessel with a close-fitting top and one that fits closely in the nest is suitable.--u.s. dept. agri. hardy perennials. miss grace e. kimball, waltham. there has been very little in my work with hardy perennials that seems worth relating. for many years, in austin, we had iris, peonies and phlox in our garden. while my love for flowers and outdoor work led me to spend all my time, outside of office hours, in the garden, the iris and peonies, especially, never gave any trouble but grew and blossomed in the most approved fashion. with the phlox we have had more trouble, sometimes in dry seasons not getting the bloom we should, and finally, the last year we were there, losing nearly all the roots we had. i am now inclined to think that had we divided and transplanted them some years before, we would not have lost them. it was only a few years ago that i began to realize that herbaceous perennials could, with success, be planted in the fall in our climate, and it was not until two years ago that i made any attempt at fall planting. that year i was quite successful, but last year, wishing to divide as close as possible, especially with the iris, i evidently overdid the matter, with the result that i lost many of my plants. however, i learned my lesson, and this year they were not divided so closely, and i am hoping that they will come through the winter all right. with the hardy perennials easily raised from seed my first experience was with the oriental poppy. i had greatly desired to have some in the garden and, not knowing that the fall was the time to plant them, ordered some one spring. they failed to grow, so the next year i attempted to raise them from seed, starting them in the house as i did my pansy seed. but i was far from successful in that way, and having read some articles on the difficulty of raising them from seed, also learning that they should be set out in the fall, i made up my mind they were not worth bothering with. however, father suggested i might succeed by planting the seed in the shade out of doors, and even though it was quite late in the summer i got more seed and sowed it broadcast in a hedge of lilacs, syringas and so forth, kept the ground moist, and in a short time had many plants coming up. i also had ordered a few to be shipped me in the fall. by fall my seedlings were large enough to be transplanted into boxes, to be moved as we were moving from austin to waltham. with those i had ordered for fall delivery, they were moved to our new place, the boxes sunk in the ground, and the next spring put into a hedge with other plants--for while they do not stand transportation very well in the spring, i have been successful in transplanting them from one part of our grounds to another at that season. since coming to waltham i have started the seeds of the poppy, larkspur, columbine and gaillardia in a grove near the house, where they are easily kept moist. if i get the seed in early in the spring, the plants are often large enough to transplant in the fall. however i like better to plant the seed later, about the time the first blossoms from each variety have ripened their seed. the seedlings will then be large enough to withstand the winter with a little protection and ready for spring transplanting. with a comparatively small amount of work, and very ordinary care, once the plants are set out anyone can have continuous bloom from early spring until frosts come, by setting iris, peonies, phlox, columbine, poppies, larkspur, gaillardia, giant daisy and painted daisy. such a selection would make a big variety of color and form in the garden, and all but the first three kinds can be very easily raised from seed. or not wishing so many kinds, one can have flowers all summer by a careful selection of several varieties of iris, peonies and phlox. why should we grow seedling apples? isaac johnson, west union, ia. there is no work in fruit growing that has more taken my attention and given me more pleasure than the growing of seedling apples. for many years i have been of the opinion that apples for this severe climate must be grown from seed. if we succeed in growing hardy, productive and good keeping varieties, they must be native, or raised at home. by experimental work along in this line of growing fruit we have come to this conclusion that fruit trees do best grow at home. in looking over the list of apples we grow this far north, we all know that the hardiest and the most productive kind are seedlings, either from minnesota, iowa or wisconsin. minnesota has the wealthy, the banner apple; for early and late fall apple it has no equal. wisconsin has the northwestern greening and the wolf river, which are very large, showy and good market apples. we all know what mr. patten has done along in this line of growing seedlings. at the state horticultural meeting in des moines, december last, was exhibited one hundred varieties of seedlings and a large number of those, to my judgment, were good keepers and fine looking apples. hundreds and hundreds of varieties of apples have been imported from russia, and i for one have tested fifty or sixty of those russian varieties, but at the state meeting, where i exhibited seventy-seven varieties, i was able to show only three russian varieties, longfield, antinovka and volga cross. i think i have reason to ask what would we have for apples today if there had not been any seedlings raised? why does the state of minnesota offer one thousand dollars for a seedling apple tree that is as hardy as the duchess with fruit as good as the wealthy and that keeps as well as the malinda? because to get such a variety it must come from seed. planting for color effects in the garden. mrs. h. b. tillotson, minneapolis. the most attractive flower bed in my garden this year has been the one planted for a blue and white effect. from earliest spring, soon after the snow had gone, until now, october th, there has been something interesting and beautiful blooming there. in the middle of the summer it was one tangled mass of lilies, delphinium, phlox and gypsophila, their perfume filling the whole garden. as the lilies faded and the delphinium grew old and went to seed, the old stalks were cut away. the phlox and delphinium bloomed again in a little while, and in september the candidum lilies began to come through the ground, getting ready for next year. the bed is three feet wide by thirty long, and was covered last winter with loose straw and leaves, with a few cornstalks to hold them in place. early in april this was raked off and the edges of the bed made straight, for the grass always grows in a little each year. the warm sunshine soon brought out the scilla and crocus, almost carpeting the whole bed. one would not think of the other things hiding under their leaves. the forget-me-nots began to look green along the edge, and up through the fading crocus and scilla came a few straggling grape hyacinths, blue and white, and one lonely plant of the virginia cowslip (mertensia)--more could have been used with good effect, for they too disappear after awhile. the virginia cowslip staid in bloom until the forget-me-nots were a mass of blossoms, and the blue darwin tulips (pink, really, with a blue spot in the bottom of the cup, just back of them) were in all their glory. in the middle of the bed the madonna lilies, and belladona delphinium had covered the ground with green. in spots the wild violets were in blossom--they had crept in some way from the dirt--i think it had been taken from the woods near by. watching each day, for the friends i knew would soon be coming, i found the first shoots of the hardy phlox, which i knew to be g. von losburg and miss lingard. double blue bachelor buttons, self sown, were there, some transplanted to fill in the bare spots, and poppies; i didn't know what color they would be, for the wind and the birds had sown the seed; but the leaves were a beautiful grey-green, and i let them grow. i had almost given up the double baby breath (gypsophila paniculata, fl. pl.), but finally it came all the way down the bed, about every five or six feet, between the delphinium and the phlox. there were perhaps a dozen plants of phlox, a dozen of belladona delphinium and six baby breath through the middle of the bed, and on each side a row of the intense blue chinese delphinium. just outside these, and next to the forget-me-nots and tulips, are the bachelor buttons, and, coming through it all, a hundred candidum lilies, their waxy white blossoms glistening in the sunshine, and the perfume so heavy you knew they were there long before you could see them. the poppies, too, were there; they were double, like a peony, rose-pink with a white edge. i was glad i let them grow, for i don't think i ever saw a more beautiful sight. i let it all grow and bloom as long as it would, hating to touch it for fear of spoiling all. finally i was obliged to clear away the old stalks, and it looked rather bare for a time. but i brought some white asters from the reserve garden. the baron hulot gladoli were soon in bloom. the phlox sent up tiny shoots for new bloom from the base of each leaf, and the second crop of bachelor buttons came along. white schizanthus along the edge, covered up the old forget-me-nots, and funkia lilies (subcordata) threw up their buds. the delphinium all began to bloom again, the grey-green leaves of the baby breath was still there, and soon my bed was all abloom again and staid so the rest of the summer. but never did it equal the glory of those first ten days of july. the fall-bearing strawberries. charles f. gardner, nurseryman, osage, ia. (so. minn. hort. society.) there are now such excellent varieties of fall bearing strawberries on the market that a person can have no good excuse for not planting some in his garden. select the ground for the bed where you will get the whole benefit from the rays of the sun. i want no trees, bushes, or tall growing plants of any kind near the bed. the farther away, the better. the earth should be made quite rich with well rotted compost. i like the plan of preparing the bed a long time before you get ready to set your plants. you can then work the soil over, time after time, and every time kill a crop of weeds. more plants are set in the spring than any other time, but they will grow and do well if set in midsummer or any time after that up to the middle of october. get through setting in september if you can. if you set later, in october, cover the plants with a slight covering of straw as soon as planted. then afterwards, when you make a business of covering put on a little more, cover them nicely--but you are liable to kill them if you put on too much. two inches deep i find to be about the right depth to go through our ordinary winters. i mean two inches after the straw has settled. i think many persons spoil their plants, or at least injure them severely, by putting on too heavy a coat of covering. i will also tell you to beware of using horse-manure as a covering for strawberries. clean straw or hay is the best of covering. (fall planting of strawberries not advisable in minnesota.--secy.) most people do not trim the plants enough before they are set. all fruit stems should be cut off, if there are any, and the most of the old leaves removed, two or three of the youngest leaves on the plant is all that should be left. these will start right off into a vigorous growth, and you will soon have strong, healthy plants. i think it pays to put a small handful of tobacco dust on and around each hill. you can generally get it at your nearest greenhouse--or you can find out there where to send for it. get enough to put it on two or three times during the early and latter part of summer. do not select ground for your new bed that has been in strawberries; take ground that has never had strawberries on, or at least that two or three crops of some kind have been taken from it since it was covered with strawberry vines. after the plants are set, they should be well firmed; it is absolutely necessary that they should be very solid in the earth. they should not be too deep nor too shallow, one is as bad as the other. the crown buds should be in plain sight, after the ground is firmed and leveled, just in sight and no more. a little temporary hilling will do no harm, but the ground should be kept as level as possible. all cultivation should be shallow so as to not disturb the roots of the plants. this is also a very important item. just remember that every plant loosened after it is set means death to the plant if it is not reset at once. cultivate often when the ground is not too wet. keep your bed entirely free of grass and weeds. this is easily done if all work is done when it should be. the time to kill weeds is when the seed first sprouts; don't wait until the weed plants are an inch or more high; if you do you will never keep them clean, and then you will never have success in your work. [illustration: chas. f. gardner at work in his everbearing strawberry experiment grounds.] cut all fruit stems off as fast as they appear, until your plants get well rooted, and then let them bear as much as they want to. but if some plants set an unusually large number it is well to cut out part of the fruit. if rightly thinned you will increase the yield in quarts. if fruit is the main object, after the plants are well located and begin to set fruit for your main crop, they can be mulched with clean straw or hay, carefully tucked up around each hill. this will keep the fruit clean and conserve the moisture in the soil, and you can stop cultivating. if plants are the main object, then you can not use the mulching, but must keep the cultivator going between the rows. well informed growers of the strawberry plant generally have beds on purpose for fruit in one place, and in another place one to grow plants. no one will make a success in growing strawberries unless he can learn to detect the rogues that appear from time to time in strawberry patches or in the fields. these rogues are generally plants that have come up from the seed that has been scattered in one way and another over the bed. berries are stepped on and mashed, other berries are overlooked and rot on the ground, but the seed remain and germinate when the time comes for it in the spring, and some of these plants are not destroyed by cultivation or by hoeing, and soon make trouble for the grower. no seedling will be like the original plants that were first set, and many of them will be strong growing plants, good runners but worthless for fruit. when you set a new lot of plants you get some of these seedlings, and that is how the mixture comes in. i have counted one hundred and fifty seedling plants around one old plant in the spring. of course the most of these where good tillage is practised are destroyed, but some remain in spite of all you can do unless you pay the very closest attention and learn to distinguish rogues from the true named varieties. all rogues must be kept out if you keep the variety true to name. of course once in a while a rogue will prove to be a valuable variety, as was the case when mr. cooper found the pan american eighteen years ago, from which our fall varieties owe their parentage. if you want to be successful remember to keep in mind the value of constant selection and keeping your parent stock true to name. when you first set out your plants, go over them and examine them closely and see that everything is right. then remember that the first sign of a good fall bearing variety is to see it throw out fruit stalks. you can cut these off, so that the stub of the fruit stem will show that it has sent up a flower stalk. you can see the stub. in this way in a small patch you can easily keep track of them. if some plants do not throw out fruit stems, mark them so you can tell them, and if they pass the season without trying to fruit, you must refrain from setting out any of the runners that appear, or there is liability of trouble. let such plants alone for another year's trial. then if they do no better, dig them up and destroy them. once in a while they prove to be all right, but often they are worthless. learn to tell a variety by a careful examination of the plant at different times during the season. fix the general color of the leaf in your mind, its shape and size. notice whether the fruit stems are long or short, whether the blossoms are above the leaves, in plain sight, or are hidden below. are there many fruit buds to the stalk, or but few? are the blossoms pistillate or staminate? are the petals large or small? are the stamens long or short? are the anthers well or poorly formed? they should be plump and well filled before they are ready to open. is the receptacle on which the pistils sit well formed and capable of being developed into a perfect berry, or do they look ungainly in shape? are the petals pure white or slightly crimson? are there many runners, or few, or none? do the new runners bear blossoms and fruit? if so, when do they commence to bud and bloom? when do the berries begin to ripen? notice the size and shape of the fruit, also the color. you can tell much from the taste of the berry. no two varieties taste exactly alike. some are real sweet and some kinds real sour. then there are all grades between. the perfume, or fragrance, of the fruit of the common strawberry when fully ripened under proper conditions of sunlight and moisture has long been esteemed and highly appreciated by mankind in general, and in this respect the fall-bearing strawberry varies greatly. the most of the varieties excel all common kinds as to perfume and that delicate strawberry flavor which nearly everybody loves so well. once in a while a musk-scented variety is developed, like the milo on our grounds, which as yet has never been sent out. by paying close attention to these things you can soon learn to distinguish many varieties at any time during the growing season. in mr. cooper found his seedling which he called the pan american. from that small beginning there are now many varieties, perhaps thousands, that excel the parent plant, and perhaps a hundred varieties of great value. some varieties have very superior merit. i will mention a few: progressive, peerless, advance, danville, forward, prince, will, milo, nathaniel, , and there are others which might be mentioned. good reports have reached me of kinds produced at your horticultural experiment farm by prof. haralson, but i have never tried them. my private opinion is that several kinds i have not mentioned will very soon take a back seat, as the saying is. the best varieties are bound to come to the front. the best advertisement one can have is the ability to ship thousands of quarts during the whole autumn. this season we shipped , quarts, mostly sold in pint boxes. they netted us from - / to cents per pint. at home we kept them on the market during the whole season at cents per quart. we lost as many as , quarts by violent storms during the season. it was a fair season for growing plants, but there was too much water to grow the best of fruit. heredity in gladioli. g. d. black, gladiolus specialist, independence, ia. (so. minn. hort. society.) as heredity is a comparatively new word, it may be well to define it at the beginning of this paper. webster says "it is the transmission of mental or physical characteristics or qualities from parent to offspring, the tendency of an organism to reproduce the characteristics of the progenitor." most of the species of gladioli are native in the temperate zone of southern africa, where they have grown for so long a time that they will reproduce themselves in a marked degree from seeds. some have grown in the moist soils of the valleys for so many generations that they have become adapted to these conditions and will not thrive on the elevated plateaus and mountain slopes. those which are native in the higher and cooler altitudes will not grow well in the lower lands. a species or variety becomes acclimated when it is grown in one locality for several successive generations, because it is one of nature's laws that it takes on new characteristics that improve it for existence there. these characters are changing more or less during each generation on account of environment. we can not aid nature in strengthening and improving the desirable qualities unless we follow nature's laws. by crossing two varieties that have certain desirable characters in common we may be able to make these characteristics more dominant. much of the crossbreeding of the gladiolus has been done in such an unscientific manner that it is surprising that so much improvement has been made. this improvement is mostly the result of extra care and cultivation, and the selection of the best each generation. in order to retain the benefit of any extra care and cultivation it has to pass on as a heritage to the succeeding generation and is there incorporated among its characteristics. each generation should be an advance toward the desired ideal. there is no doubt in my mind that the ruffling and doubling of the petals in flowers that have been under cultivation for several generations is caused by the extra feeding and care that they have received. most species of gladioli in their wild state are small and lacking in beauty. abnormal or freak varieties should not be selected as the best for breeding, because they are usually the result of a violent cross, and are nearly always weak as propagators and sometimes entirely sterile. princeps has a very large flower, but the spike is short and only two or three blooms are open at one time. it was originated by dr. van fleet by crossing mrs. beecher and cruentus. burbank crossed princeps and america, and quite a number of the seedlings show the markings of mrs. beecher, one of their grandparents, but with shorter spikes. in this cross princeps transmits the undesirable character of short spikes but leaves out the abnormal size of flower, and the best characters of america are lacking. the parentage of america is very much in doubt, as three prominent gladiolus breeders claim the honor of originating it. there are many characteristics to be considered when making selections for breeding besides the color and size of the flower. the bulbs of some varieties will stand considerable freezing while other varieties will not. this same characteristic is noticed in the foliage. the severe frost that killed our corn crop on august th so impaired panama, hiawatha and some others that very few blooms of these varieties opened afterwards. the foliage of some varieties remained green after a temperature of twelve degrees below freezing. a representative of a holland bulb growing firm who called on me a few days ago says that niagara is a very weak grower in holland and panama is a very vigorous grower. my experience with these varieties is just the reverse. this seems to show that sometimes the difference in climate may cause certain characters in the plant to act differently--if the hollander is not mistaken. a few varieties are sometimes subject to blight and rust. some are only slightly affected, and many others are entirely blight proof. there are so many characteristics to be considered by the scientific breeder that it is almost impossible to enumerate them all in this paper. there is yet a great work to be done in breeding out the undesirable traits and incorporating the improvements which we desire. civic improvement. mrs. albertson, pres. civic improvement league, austin. this is a subject so broad and so closely connected with "the city beautiful" one can hardly find a starting point, but we might begin with the one word--civic--which has drawn to itself many minds, much sober thought and from some much hard work. the fear was widespread that woman would work havoc if she attempted to spell the task, but how needless, for the word civic can be spelled with accuracy from whichever end approached. what was the beginning of the civic league and the city beautiful? it began at home, where most women's work begins. to have a beautiful home one must have the right kind of house. to have the beautiful house to make the beautiful home the setting must be made to correspond--so after the house, the lawn; after the lawn, the boulevard. then the work spread. streets needed cleaning, unsightly billboards had to be removed, perhaps an adjoining vacant lot had a careless owner whose pride needed pricking. so the need of a civic league grew, and now it has become a vital spark in many cities all over the union. minnesota has over thirty civic clubs doing specific work. is it entirely the work for women? no. is it entirely the work for men? no. it is a work for both. it is a work that is very contagious and a contagion that needs no quarantine. civic league work envelopes many lines of improvement. streets and alleys sometimes need to be reported to the proper committee of the city council; the disposal of rubbish and garbage has confronted many civic societies. there is nothing so conducive to unsanitary conditions and so disfiguring to a beautiful street as glimpses and often broad views of alleys and back yards that have become dump piles and garbage receivers. besides the effect on one's love for cleanliness and beauty, it breeds disease--and so public sanitation was added to the civic league work. in some cities the societies are taking up the work of smoke abatement. i might say that we have a few offending chimneys in our own city beautiful. every member of the city council should be a member of the civic league, for much more could be done by co-operation. there is great need of the civic improvement league and park board working together, for their aim is one--to make the city beautiful. the work that gives the most beauty to the city after the good foundation of cleanliness, public sanitation and removal of public nuisances is that done in the parks. i am glad cities are making larger appropriations for parks, and i hope our city will have more in the future, for there are great possibilities of making our city not only a city beautiful, but a most beautiful city. parks should be well lighted, playgrounds for children are almost a necessity, the river banks should be kept clean--but most of all the natural beauties of a place must be preserved and trees should be planted. shade is needed as a good background. there is nothing that will enhance a beautiful statue, fountain or other park ornament like a setting of good trees. if possible to have it there is no more attractive spot in a park than a lily pool. the old idea of laying out parks according to some geometrical pattern is giving way to the development of walk lines of practical use, recognizing both traffic requirements and the desirability of location for numerous park benches. what will lend more charm to a park than a beautiful drive bordered with noble trees leading up to some focal point or opening a way to some particular vista that would otherwise be lost! the park board should not limit its work to parks alone, but wherever there is a spot, triangle corner or any other kind of available place, there should be planted shrubs or flower beds. they soon become a public pride and cheer many passersby. we have a number of bright spots in our city, beginning in the spring with a beautiful bed of tulips. may another year bring us many more! one forgets the mud and the disagreeable days of spring in watching the bulbs thrust their little pointed noses through the cold earth and the development of the buds until they burst open into a blaze of color, flaunting their gorgeous heads in a farewell to old winter and giving a cheery welcome to the coming summer. bee-keeper's column. conducted by francis jager, professor of apiculture, university farm, st. paul. if not already done the beekeeper should at once make his final preparations towards a successful wintering of bees. there are several conditions under which the bees winter well, all of which are more or less understood. the chief of these are a strong colony of young bees, sufficient amount of good stores, and the proper place to keep the bees. bees that were queenless late in the fall or bees that had an old queen who stopped laying very early in the season, will have only few and old bees for wintering and will not have vitality enough to survive. such colonies should be united with some other good colony or if too far gone they should be destroyed. weak colonies should be united until they are strong enough to occupy and fill when clustered at least six frames. the best stores to winter bees on is pure honey capped over. honey dew will kill the bees in winter. if you have any black honey in your hives you had better remove it and replace with white honey. a ten frame hive ready for winter ought to contain from to pounds of honey. a complete hive if put on a scale should weigh not less than from to pounds. the best way to supply food to the bees is to remove the dry combs and insert next to the cluster full combs of honey. feeding sugar is a dangerous undertaking, and it should not be resorted to unless necessity compels one to do it, and then feeding should be done early in the season to allow the bees to invert the sugar, cap it over and consume such stores which are not capped over before winter. the hives that winter best are those which contain no uncapped honey in the frames. for the bulk of beekeepers cellar wintering in minnesota is to be recommended. the things to be looked after in cellar wintering are: first, that the temperature of the cellar does not go much below degrees, at least not for any length of time. second, that the entrances are kept open and clear of dead bees and are guarded with four to the inch wire screen against mice. third, that the moisture generated by the bees does not accumulate on the walls and covers of the hives. this is most essential. moisture absorbing material should be used in place of a wooden cover, for instance flax board or gunnysacks, or a super filled with shavings over a queen excluder. the bees must have free passage over the top of the frames. we wintered the bees at university farm without loss by using nothing else but the one inch flax board on top of the hive, which kept the hive positively dry all winter. your cellar should be dark, should have some ventilation, and the bees should never be disturbed during their winter sleep. by following these recommendations, you will be delighted to find your bees in the spring in a most flourishing condition for next summer's work. garden helps conducted by minnesota garden flower society edited by mrs. e. w. gould, humboldt avenue so. minneapolis. after the frosts have killed the _dahlia_ foliage the tubers should be dug and stored before the cold becomes so great. they may be injured by it. the stems should be cut to about three or four inches of the roots, using a sharp knife, so as to make a clean cut. to the stems attach the label firmly. loosen the earth about each clump before attempting to lift it, then run the spade or fork as far under it as possible and pry it gently out. in this way the tubes will not be broken or injured where they join the stem, which is the only place where they can make the next season's growth. most of the soil will drop off as they dry. lay the roots so that water will not have a chance to collect in the soft hollow stems, or crown rot may trouble you. a cool, dry shed is a good place in which to cure the roots. lay them on boards and turn them occasionally so they will dry evenly. in a week's time they should be ready to store for winter, the best place being a frost-proof cellar. unless this is very dry, it is best to have boards raised a few inches above the floor on which to lay them. this will allow a current of air to pass under them. if a damp cellar must be used, air slaked lime sprinkled under the boards will help to keep them dry. cover them a little with dry sand. the best temperature is degrees. _cannas_ can be lifted and stored at once. cut the stems off short, leaving enough to attach the labels to. they keep best if lifted with as much soil about them as possible. the clumps can be set close together, on boards arranged in the same way as for dahlias. they will stand a slightly warmer temperature than dahlias. _tuberous begonias_, unlike dahlias and cannas, should be lifted without cutting the stems. they should be cured in the sun for at least two weeks and during that time turned to dry evenly and kept perfectly dry. a cold frame is a good place in which to do this. when the stems part readily from the bulbs, the latter can be packed in boxes and stored in any dry place where the temperature will not fall below degrees. these are among the tenderest bulbs and should be the first to be lifted. _gladioli_ should be lifted with their stems intact, tied in bundles and hung in a dry shed to dry. when thoroughly dry, the stems can be cut off and the bulbs packed in boxes and stored the same as the begonias. they are especially sensitive to heat, and if the air is too dry the bulbs will shrivel and lose much of their vitality. _montbretias_ should be lifted out and stored in the same way as the gladioli. _tuberoses_ should be lifted with the stems intact and spread out to dry or hung in a dry place. when thoroughly cured, cut off the stems close to the bulb and store in the same way as gladioli. _caladium, or elephant's ears_, should be lifted without disturbing the stem or leaves. as the leaves dry they can be removed, but the stem should not be cut near the bulb, as this is the point of growth the following year. they can be stored with the dahlias and cannas and are not apt to shrivel, as the bulb is so large and fleshy. _zephyrunthes, summer blooming hyacinths, tritomas, and tigridias_ should be lifted, cured, and stored in the same manner as gladioli. all of these are subject to rot, so it is well to examine them occasionally. if any rot is found, remove the affected bulbs, and if those remaining appear damp, dust lightly with air-slaked lime. flowers of sulphur can also be used to dust them with to prevent this trouble. should the bulbs be getting too dry, cover with sand. in our climate of extremes, it is necessary to examine them at intervals, and be prompt in the use of a remedy if any of these adverse conditions are discovered. * * * * * notice. the november meeting of the garden flower society will be held in the minneapolis park board greenhouses, thirty-eighth street and bryant avenue, november , : p.m. take monroe and bryant car. st. paul members will transfer from the selby-lake at bryant avenue. this will be a chrysanthemum show, and a talk on hardy chrysanthemums will be given. secretary's corner minnesota crop improvement association.--will hold its annual meeting this year at fairmont on feb. - - . the seed growers of minnesota would be especially interested in this meeting, at which there are to be a number of seed contests, particulars in regard to which are not at hand. they may be secured by addressing the secretary, prof. c. p. bull, university farm, st. paul, minn. the vegetable growers convention.--this convention, which is i understand an annual gathering of the vegetable growers of america, was largely attended in chicago the last week in september. a report received of the meeting indicates an attendance of eight hundred vegetable growers, including two hundred fifty from the vicinity of chicago. the city entertained them with an inspection trip, throughout cook county and later a party of them went to racine and visited the experimental gardens operated by prof. r. l. jones, of the wisconsin university. perhaps we may have a fuller report of this meeting from some of our minnesota growers who were in attendance. the social element at our annual meeting.--making the west hotel the headquarters of the society at the same time that the meeting is held in the building gives an especially good opportunity for renewing and cultivating acquaintance amongst the members in attendance. this was particularly noticeable last year, and without doubt one of the most enjoyable features of the gathering. placing emphasis upon this, an additional room has been engaged for the coming meeting on the same floor and adjoining the rooms occupied last year, which will be fitted up especially for a reception room where members and their friends may gather and rest as they visit and talk of the many things of interest connected with our society and its work. a suitable sign will direct members to this reception room, and we anticipate that it will be made use of largely. the prize winner in the garden and canning contest.--the horticultural society is offering $ . to pay railroad fare and traveling expenses to attend the annual meeting of our society by the boy or girl making the best record in the state in the "garden and canning contest" carried on by the minnesota extension division. the successful contestant will tell in his or her way how it was that success was secured in the contest. besides this prize of $ . each of the ten boys or girls scoring next highest in this contest will receive an annual membership for in the state horticultural society. the name of the successful contestant is not yet announced. delegates from sister societies.--several delegates have been appointed from horticultural societies in adjoining states, notices of which have reached this office. mr. d. e. bingham, of sturgeon bay, wis., is to represent the wisconsin state horticultural society. mr. bingham has made fruit growing his life work, a man of large experience, whose services are in demand in that state also as an institute lecturer. we shall have an opportunity to profit by his experience at our meeting, as you will note by consulting the program. mr. g. d. black, of independence, ia., is to represent the northeast iowa society. mr. black has been with us before and he will find many who recall his presence here in previous years. he is to give us on the program his later experience in connection with the growing of the gladioli, a work to which he has given large attention for many years. from south dakota is coming the president of that society, rev. s. a. hassold, from kimball, s.d. other visitors from iowa not officially sent to us who have signified an intention to be present are: chas. f. gardner, osage, ia.; e. m. reeves, waverly. prof. s. a. beach is also to spend the last two days of the annual meeting with us and his name will be found upon our program on several topics. no professional horticulturist in america is better or more favorably known than prof. beach, and our membership who are interested in orcharding should not fail to hear what he has to say on the subjects he presents. mr. n. a. rasmussen, of oshkosh, wis., is also to be with us and will be found several times on the program. being an expert in market gardening we are going to work him to the limit while he is with us. we anticipate that secretary cranefield of the wisconsin society, will also spend the week with us. prof. c.b. waldron will be here as representative of the north dakota society, and also prof. f.w. broderick of winnipeg as representing the winnipeg horticultural society--and of course our prof. n.e. hansen, of south dakota. all of these friends will be found on the program. there may be others, but this will do for a start. [illustration: view over vegetable table and across fruit exhibit at minnesota state fair. mr. thos. redpath, supt. fruit exhibit.] while it is not the intention to publish anything in this magazine that is misleading or unreliable, yet it must be remembered that the articles published herein recite the experience and opinions of their writers, and this fact must always be noted in estimating their practical value. the minnesota horticulturist vol. december, no. perennial garden at carmarken, white bear. j. w. taylor, st. paul. we have had so many inquiries about our garden as to how we make things grow, and as to the best plants to use, that we take pleasure in answering through the horticulturist and giving the result of our experience in making an attractive perennial garden. our soil is sandy loam, very quick and warm, except in one place where it is low and there is a heavy black soil over clay. it has been well enriched with well rotted manure and cultivated as much as possible every spring, where it could be done without disturbing plants and bulbs. the arrangement of flowers as regards the blending and careful selection so that one bloom does not kill another is the secret of a beautiful garden. acres of flowers placed without any regard to color, no matter how expensive individual plants may be, is not pleasing to the eye. it is like a crowd of mixed people, and we know crowds are never beautiful. there is incompatibility among flowers as there is among people, and the compatible must be associated or there is no harmony. what do we raise and how do we do it? we will, in the space allowed, answer this as best we can. it is not necessary to spend a great lot of money if one uses good judgment and knows where to buy. take that grand flower, the peony. one can spend as much money as one pleases on these. there is just now a fad regarding these flowers, and some rich people are paying as high as $ . a root for certain kinds, but it is not necessary. the most really lovely gardens i have seen in the east and west have not been filled with plants bought at fancy prices. we have some that originally cost us a good deal of money and which are now cheap, as for instance, the henryii lily. we bought the first we heard of at one dollar and one-half each. now they can be bought for thirty cents. in peonies, baroness schroeder, an ivory white, is selling for three dollars a root, while the most beautiful of all the whites according to my taste, festiva maxima, can be bought for fifty cents. the kelways are all fine. the best cost about one dollar each. in our garden, among others, the pallas, edulis superba, golden harvest, madame crousse and queen victoria, all fine, cost us fifty cents each. we have a row all around our garden of these splendid flowers, many varieties, some very rare, and nothing could be more gorgeous in color or more effective than this border. hundreds of people came to see this peony show this year and were extravagant in their praise. the perfect harmony of arrangement was what pleased. we made many friends happy with armfuls of them to take home. that is the pleasure of your garden, the enjoyment one gets from making others happy. we especially notice how pleased the children were, the girls more so than the boys, perhaps, as they wandered along the paths fondling this or that bloom with loving fingers. with such an amount of bloom it is easy to send bouquets to the childrens' hospitals and to sick friends. we plant the peonies with the crown just under the earth, two feet apart. in the fall we cut off the old stalks and replace them over the plants after putting a good dressing of rotted manure on the beds. another flower, which is very attractive, is the larkspur belladonna, turquoise blue. it shows from a great distance as its heavenly blue meets the eye. when arranged in a vase with white flowers it makes the most beautiful, choice and refined bouquet we know of. the formosum is a lovely dark blue and very striking. give them plenty of water and some wood ashes to keep off the slugs. cut off the stalks after blooming, about august first, and they will bloom again in autumn. we had this year a large clump of madonna lilies and next to them a large bunch of larkspur. the effect was stunning. just before the larkspur came the whole north end of the garden was aflame with oriental poppies, hundreds of them. no other flower produces the effect upon one that this great proud, wonderful flower does. it is the queen of the show. we transplant this in september in ordinary soil. or we sow the seeds in august and transplant the seedlings as soon as up. they need no protection, but we protect everything with straw and branches. the branches to keep the straw from packing too hard and keeping the air out. protection of roses is necessary, of course. we had a great collection this season. our plan is to cut them back to within a foot of the ground then fill a box with leaves and turn over them. we never lose a rose thus protected. neither sun nor mice injure them. another grand flower is digitalis, or foxglove. these gladden your heart as the medicine made from them strengthens it. get the mixed plants or seed, gloxinia flora. when in bloom, look into their little gloves and note the wonder of nature's coloring. with us they grow six feet tall in black, heavy soil. they self-sow, and the plants of the present year bloom the next. a bed of these make a most gorgeous, dignified group in your garden. they are hardy with a very slight covering. many with us self-sow and live through the winter without any protection. we made up a bed of these self-sowed in fall of . they were a glory this summer. a few years ago every one said, don't waste your time on japanese iris. they thrive with us and bear blooms fully as large as a tea plate and of most exquisite beauty. we divide them every third year and in the spring cover them with old fertilizer and water them well. they grow in a heavy soil with some sand worked in. our best varieties are oriole, distinction, alice kiernga, beauty of japan and blue flag. the gladiolus is another bright and interesting addition to our floral family. the best we have are marie de ruyter, a pretty blue; badenia, lavender; golden king, a magnificent yellow; florence, lilac blotched; mazie, corn color; and dawn, shell pink. plant these bulbs in succession, three weeks apart, from april first, six inches deep, so they will stand up, and eighteen inches between rows. in this way you will have them until frost. for the house cut them when first bud comes out, and they will all blossom in water. a flower which attracts much attention with us is the canterbury bell, cup and saucer variety, in different colors. very showy. this is not a perennial but a biennial. we plant our seeds in july and transplant in september or october. the persicifolia in white and blue is a hardy perennial and grows on stalks two to three feet high, a great favorite among white flowers. in some soils they do not do well, but with us grow rampant. we prefer the white. we cut over two thousand stalks this summer from one hundred fifty plants. of tulips, which are so welcome in early spring, the darwin leads all. we love them as we do the stars of bethlehem, the hyacinths, narcissi and the darling little blue flowers, scilla siberica, that come with the snowdrops and crocuses before the snow is gone. we thus have bloom from snow to snow. always something bright, and that is another strong reason for a perennial garden. we have many calls from persons wishing to buy plants or seeds. we do not sell either, but gladly give away our surplus. we have furnished many gardens in this way all about us and thus added to the beauty of the surrounding country and made ourselves and others happy. our collection of lilies, auratums, speciosums, tigers, madonnas, are all planted six to eight inches deep and, after spreading manure are covered with straw, after frost. we cover all bulb beds with manure in the fall. among lilies all but the auratums last years, but these lose their vitality in two or three seasons. plant all lilies in fall except madonnas, which should be put in in august. two fine flowers we would recommend to flower lovers: the amaryllis hallii, or, as we call it, the wonder flower, which grows a large bunch of leaves in spring and in june they all die down. in august there springs up a single stalk from the apparently dead plant, bearing a lily-like bunch of flowers of charming colors. it is as hardy as an oak. the other is the dictamnus, or gas plant. most beautiful and very hardy. get one white and one pink and plant near each other. they are fine. of course we have named but a small part of our collection, but will be glad to give any further information to our horticulturist readers and will be glad to welcome them at our grounds any time. * * * * * canning fruits without sirup.--can the product the same day it is picked. cull, stem, or seed, and clean the fruit by placing it in a strainer and pouring water over it until it is clean. pack the product thoroughly in glass jars or tin cans until they are full; use the handle of a tablespoon, wooden ladle, or table knife for packing purposes. pour over the fruit boiling water from a kettle, place rubbers and caps in position, partially seal if using glass jars, seal completely if using tin cans. place the containers in a sterilizing vat, such as a wash boiler with false bottom, or other receptacle improvised for the purpose. if using a hot-water bath outfit, process for minutes; count time after the water has reached the boiling point; the water must cover the highest jar in container. after sterilizing seal glass jars, wrap in paper to prevent bleaching, and store in a dry, cool place. if you are canning in tin cans it will improve the product to plunge the cans quickly into cold water immediately after sterilization. when using a steam pressure canner instead of the hot-water bath, sterilize for minutes with pounds of steam pressure. never allow the pressure to go over pounds. the minnesota state fruit-breeding farm. chas. haralson, supt., excelsior. the minnesota state fruit-breeding farm was established eight years ago, principally for breeding new varieties of fruit adapted to our climate and conditions. the aim of this work is to assist the people in getting better commercial varieties of the various fruits grown in the state, so that better returns could be secured for the people engaged in the various lines of fruit growing. some of the plant-breeding work is beginning to show results, a few varieties of fruit are being distributed in a small way for trial in different localities. a great deal of work has been done with apples. seedlings have been grown by the thousands every year with the idea of selecting some desirable varieties when the trees come into fruiting. hardiness of tree, long keeping and good quality of fruit are the most desirable points we are looking for in our selections. a great deal of crossing under glass is being done with apples; a number of seedlings, the results of this crossing work, are planted every spring. some of the six thousand malinda apple seedlings planted seven years ago have fruited to some extent for the last three years. these show a great variation in fruit, both in color, quality and long keeping. some of the fruit ripens with the duchess, while others will keep until spring in good condition. there is a chance for some desirable varieties out of this lot, but it will take several years to determine whether we have anything better than the wealthy. the wealthy is by far our best commercial variety, but we are looking for something that will keep until spring. gooseberries and currants are easily raised and are perfectly hardy with us, but we are working to get some improvement on these varieties. many thousand seedlings are being grown for this purpose. our native gooseberries are used in breeding work with the cultivated varieties to a great extent, as they are hardy, strong growers and resistant to mildew. as to cherries, we have none that are satisfactory. some work has been carried on for several years, but we have not obtained anything of special value so far. the most promising combinations are compass cherry crossed with the cultivated varieties. none of these have fruited, but we have some hope for a hardy cherry from these seedlings. peaches and apricots are not hardy in minnesota, and consequently nobody thinks of planting them. some years ago we started crossing the sand cherry with peaches and apricots. the results were a number of seedlings, but all turned out to be worthless; the trees after several years growth were small, or grew mostly in bush form. they blossomed every spring but never set any fruit on account of some imperfection in the flowers. four years ago we started to use the compass cherry as the male parent, and this combination is more promising. the seedlings make a good growth and a fairly good sized tree, practically as hardy as the compass cherry. the seedlings resemble the apricots and peaches in blossom, tree and foliage. this fruit will not be exactly an apricot or a peach, but may take the place of these fruits in a small way. [illustration: no. hybrid seedling plum--from minnesota state fruit-breeding farm, at zumbra heights.] the compass cherry crossed with prunus pissardi, or purple leaf plum, is a very interesting combination. we have about fifty seedlings growing. most of them have the purple foliage and bark, are very ornamental and can be used with effect for lawns and landscape planting where large shrubs are wanted. the grapes. the vitis labrusca, such as concord, worden, moore's early and many other varieties, are not hardy unless protected during winter. there is a demand for hardy grapes that do not need any winter protection. at the fruit-breeding farm this problem has been taken up on a large scale. the beta grape is hardy but lacks in size and quality. this variety has been used to grow many thousands of seedlings from, and also used in cross-breeding with the better varieties. a large percent of beta seedlings come true to seed or nearly so. this gives us several hundred varieties equal to beta, and some of them are quite an improvement in size and quality over the parent and practically as hardy as the wild grape. many of these are worthy of propagation where hardiness is the main object. very few of the hybrid grape seedlings have fruited, but indications are that in a few years we will have grapes equal in size and quality to any of our commercial varieties. experiments are being carried on in a small way with pears, roses and nuts. our native hazelnuts can be improved by selection and crossing with the filberts. the same is true with the rosa rugosa and our native roses. in breeding strawberries we probably have had better success than with any other fruit we have attempted to improve. the breeding work was done in the greenhouse during winter and early spring and seed planted as soon as berries were ripe. the plants were transplanted to flats and later planted out in the field, where they remained until fruiting, when the selections were made. we have fruited approximately , seedlings. these have been weeded out so there are about left, and these will be cut down to a few of the best varieties. at present we have one everbearing and one june-bearing variety which have proven to be very productive, of good size, good quality and good plantmakers. these plants have been sent out as premiums to members of the state horticultural society for the last two years and will be distributed the same way next spring. in raspberries we have several varieties which are promising. king x loudan, no. , is a variety that has been sent out as premium the last three years. this variety is amongst the hardiest, the berries are dark red, very large and the most productive of all the varieties growing on the place. this has also been sent out as premium through the horticultural society. in plums we probably have had the best success. some of the first breeding work was with burbank x (crossed with) wolf and abundance x wolf. we have twenty-eight seedlings of burbank x wolf and forty-five abundance x wolf which have fruited several years. we have varying degrees of hardiness in these seedlings. most of them have withstood our winters at the fruit farm without injury, as well as in most of the southern half of the state. among the abundance x wolf hybrids eight of the seedlings are only partly hardy, while of the burbank x wolf only one or two have shown themselves to be particularly weak in this respect. type of fruit. in general the burbank type of fruit is dominant. the flesh of these hybrids runs quite uniformly yellow, varying in degrees, however, from a deep yellow to a yellowish green. some of them have a yellow skin with a blush or a streak of red, while others are a deep red even before ripe. the fruit in size varies from both smaller and larger than the parents. firmness characterises most of the hybrids. we are also getting good shipping quality, and in burbank x wolf no. we have a plum measuring one and three-quarters inches and more in diameter and a perfect freestone. this plum will be used extensively in further plant-breeding. in shape of tree the two hybrids differ materially. the burbank x wolf hybrids make spreading trees more or less, while the abundance x wolf grows more upright and does not need quite as much room. * * * * * tent caterpillar.--as soon as small nests are detected, they should be destroyed. when in convenient reach, the nests may be torn out with a brush, with gloved hand, or otherwise, and the larvae crushed on the ground, care being taken to destroy any caterpillars which have remained on the tree. the use of a torch to burn out the nests will be found convenient when they occur in the higher parts of the trees. in using the torch great care is necessary that no important injury be done to the tree; it should not be used in burning out nests except in the smaller branches and twigs, the killing of which would be of no special importance. nests in the larger limbs should be destroyed by hand, as the use of the torch may kill the bark, resulting in permanent injury. tent caterpillars are readily destroyed by arsenicals sprayed on the foliage of trees infested by them. any of the arsenical insecticides may be used, as paris green, scheele's green, arsenate of lead, etc. the first two are used at the rate of one-half pound to gallons of water. the milk of lime made from to pounds of stone lime should be added to neutralize any caustic effect of the arsenical on the foliage. arsenate of lead is used at the rate of pounds to each gallons of water. on stone fruits, such as cherry, peach, and plum, arsenicals are likely to cause injury to foliage and must be used with caution if at all. on such trees the arsenate of lead is preferable, as it is less injurious to foliage, and on all trees sticks much better. in spraying for the tent caterpillar only, applications should be made while the caterpillars are yet small, as they then succumb more quickly to poisons than when more nearly full grown, and prompt treatment stops further defoliation of the trees.--u. s. dept. agri. color combinations in the garden. miss elizabeth starr, fremont so., minneapolis. english books on gardening set forth two principal methods of making a garden: first, to have each part perfect for a short time each year and then let it melt into the background for the rest of the season; second, to have every part of the garden showing some flowers all through the summer. these two methods suggest the impressionistic and miniature schools of painting. with the first method it is possible to get great masses of color and brilliant effects to be viewed at a distance, but it requires a great deal of space, with a perennial garden at least, for unfortunately most of our perennials are in their greatest glory for only a few weeks at a time. the second method fills more nearly the needs of the small garden, where the vistas are short and the individual plant is under close inspection. the greatest difficulty is this, that the amateur cannot resist the lure of a great variety of plants, and unless a vigorous thinning out is faithfully practiced and the habit of growth, the period of blooming, the height and color of each individual is carefully studied, the effect of the whole is very apt to be mussy and distracting to the eye, whereas the ideal garden is soothing in effect. i have only been studying the problem for the last five or six years, so that i am still decidedly an amateur, but i have kept a faithful record of the time of flowering of each variety i have grown in my garden and have discovered that the time of blooming does not vary more than five days for each plant no matter whether the season be wet or dry. with this record at hand i can arrange each part of my garden with a view to the succession of bloom throughout the summer. i can place plants with clashing colors side by side with the calm assurance that they will not clash because their periods of blooming do not overlap. in this way i can completely change the color of certain parts of my garden during the summer if i so desire. in studying combinations for the garden we must take into consideration the harmony and contrast of color, texture, form, height and the succession of bloom. we must also see that plants requiring the same soil and the same care are put together. in my garden i use both annuals and perennials but am limited in choice to those plants that are perfectly hardy, that will stand infinite neglect, drought, much wind, a stiff soil, that do not require especial protection in the winter, that will be in bloom all summer long and be beautiful. this, as i have found, is a rather difficult task. [illustration: perennial border. edging of pinks and shasta daisies, pink canterbury bells and festiva maxima peony. behind, pyrethrum, uliginosum and hollyhocks. blue flowering flax adds depth to the pink and white.] there is a great diversity of opinion as to how to set out plants. some say, "give each plant plenty of room; let it expand as much as it will." others say, "each six inches of ground should have its plant; set them so closely that no dirt will show between; in this way each individual plant will be finer than when set out singly and the leaves will form a shade for the ground." i have used the latter method, for, since we have no means of watering, the conservation of moisture is an important item. the chief objection is that there is a constant danger of overcrowding, and it requires a frequent resetting of plants as they increase in size from year to year. [illustration: yellow iris against the blue of distant hills.] i have a border on the north side of my garden that is six feet wide and about seventy feet long. it is my aim to keep this in bloom all through the summer long. there is a background of purple and white lilacs and cut-leaf spirea. the first thing that comes in the spring is poet's narcissus, then groups of darwin tulips; both of these are naturalized and remain in the ground from year to year. next comes the perennial blue flax, a half dozen plants set at intervals down the border, that every morning from mid-april until august are a mass of blue. clumps of may-flowering iris and then june-flowering iris and four large peony plants make the border bright until the latter part of june, when alternating groups of field daisies and pink and red sweet williams are in full bloom at one end of the border, and summer-flowering cosmos holds sway at the other end, while the flax, bachelor's buttons and daisies fill the center with blue and white. by the middle of july the calendulas, coreopsis and annual larkspur make a vivid display where the narcissus was before. these four make a very good combination, for if the bed is well made and the narcissus planted deep, the coreopsis and larkspur seed themselves, and with the exception of a deep raking in the late fall the bed needs no attention except thinning out for three years, and it is in bloom for at least four months of the season. [illustration: pink and white pinks, field and shasta daisies, canterbury bells and hollyhocks.] in this border i have at last found a place for the magenta phlox that usually fights with the whole garden. i put it in front of a single row of pink and white cosmos, flank it on one side with pink and white verbenas, on the other with mixed scabiosas and in front of all a single row of shasta daisies. this combination pleases the family as well as the phlox. on the south side of the garden, against a low buckthorn hedge is a narrower border of sky-blue belladonna, delphinium, buttercups and achillea, with an edging of chinese pinks. i had thought the complementary colors of the delphinium and buttercups would set each other off, but it is a very poor combination, for the foliage is so much alike that there is no contrast there, and when the plants are not in bloom it is almost impossible to tell which is which so as to take out the buttercups, whose yellow is too bright. shasta daisies set off the delphiniums to perfection with the wonderful purity of their white and yellow and pleasing contrast of form, foliage and height. with emperor narcissus bulbs set between the plants, there are flowers in the border the whole season. another very poor combination that is in my garden, much to my sorrow, is hemerocallis and siberica iris. they started out about three feet from each other, but the hemerocallis spreads so quickly that now they form a mass that is almost impossible to break apart. another mistake i made was to put shasta daisies and field daisies near together. it is unfair to the smaller daisies, for although they are fully two inches in diameter, yet they appear dwarfed beside the giants. there is one point in my garden that is vivid throughout the summer. first comes the orange lilium elegans, then scarlet lychnis and later, tiger lilies. another bit is gorgeous from the first of august until frost; it is made up of blue and white campanula pyramidalis, that grow quite five feet high, and mrs. francis king gladioli. an important thing to think of is the line of vision from each point of vantage of the house--the endwise view of a multicolored bed of fairy columbines against a light green willow from the sewing room window, from the library the blue of a juniata iris swaying four feet up in the air in front of a sweet briar, from the front porch pale yellow flavescens iris through a mist of purple sweet rockets. the garden is in its glory during the iris season. at a conservative estimate we have about twenty-five hundred of them in our little garden, ranging through all the colors of the rainbow and blooming from april until late june. they may easily make such an increase that it is baffling to cope with, but they are so beautiful and so amenable to the experimenting of an amateur that we feel as though we couldn't get enough of them. last summer a wonderful effect was achieved by putting dark blue and mahogany-colored pansies beside jacquesiana and othello iris, this repeating the color and texture in different plants. [illustration: rocky mountain columbine against the willow hedge, with perennial candytuft as edging.] we leave the garden through a wooden arch. climbing over one side of this is a thousandschon rose, and on the other side a dr. van fleet grows rank. a wild clematis is planted beside each rose and fills the top of the arch. i am rather dubious about the combination, for i fear the clematis may grow so heavy that it will choke out the roses, but this summer at least it was beautiful, and another summer will come to try other combinations. truck crop and garden insects. an exercise led by prof. wm. moore, entomological department, university farm, st. paul. there is one insect that probably all those who are in the market garden business are very much interested in, and that is the cabbage maggot. as you all know, in the spring of the year, after cabbages are put out, frequently you will find the cabbages slowly dying, one dying one day and two or three the next day, and so on until sometimes fifty per cent or more of the cabbages die. at first it is not exactly apparent what is killing the cabbages, but when one is pulled up it will be noticed that a little maggot is working in the root of the cabbage. this insect is commonly known as the cabbage maggot. for a number of years work has been carried on with the cabbage maggot, and all sorts of treatments have been tried, many without any great success. the unfortunate part is that usually the market gardener don't take much thought of this maggot until it is actually doing the injury, and at that time they are mighty difficult to handle. there have been several different treatments advised, one of which is fresh hellebore, about two ounces steeped in a quart of boiling water and then diluted to a gallon and poured upon the base of the plant. it will destroy the maggots, but hellebore is very expensive and, as probably most of you know, there isn't a great amount of profit in cabbage; so any treatment will have to be a cheap treatment, or you will use up your profit. during the last two years i have been working along a line which is entirely different from the treatment of the maggot, and that is based upon the fact that the fly which lays the egg which produces the maggot in the cabbage comes out early in the spring and flies about the field for probably a week or ten days or two weeks before it lays its eggs, and during that period it eats any sweet material which happens to be on hand. with this as a basis we thought we might be able to poison the flies and thus prevent injury from the maggots, and we have tried several different spray mixtures along that line. one mixture which we use is a mixture which is normally used against the fruit flies which are oftentimes injurious to fruit, particularly in the east and in tropical countries. this contains three ounces of arsenate of lead, two and half pounds of brown sugar and four gallons of water. the idea is to spray this in the field, spraying it on the plants as soon as the plants are put out in the field. we have more or less definite dates for the appearance of the flies in the field and for their disappearance again. but, as you know, the season varies, and the result is somewhat uncertain. so probably the best method is to base it upon the time you plant out your cabbage. in the early seasons you will plant your cabbages early, and in the late seasons later. so plant out your cabbage and then spray them every week until the th of may. you should spray them, not to cover the leaves with the poison, but merely sufficient so that there are a few drops of this poisoned material on the leaves so that the flies can eat it. flies will come there and feed upon this mixture and die. it is rather peculiar that we started work here about the same time on the cabbage maggot that they started work on the onion maggot along similar lines in wisconsin. i don't think that either knew that the other was working towards that end. they used a different mixture, one-fifth ounce of sodium arsenite, one-half pint of new orleans molasses and one gallon of water. this was sprayed over the onions and was very successful in controlling the onion maggot. i tried their mixture this last year. they published some of their results last year, so it gave me an opportunity to watch their mixture in comparison with the lead arsenate. they claimed the lead arsenate did not act as quickly as the sodium arsenite. that is true, but when you have a ten-day period to kill the fly it don't make much difference whether it dies in ten hours or twenty-four. the flies are not doing any injury. if you take the lead arsenate and sugar and water and put it in a jar, the arsenate always sinks to the bottom, and if you were to test it that way, the fly would feed on the top and you might not get a quick result. but if you spray it on, the lead arsenate will kill as quickly as the sodium arsenite. there is an objection to the use of arsenite in that sodium arsenite is a soluble poison and will burn the leaves of the cabbage. of course, that is not particularly serious as those are the first leaves the cabbages have and the cabbage soon gets over any slight injury, but many truck gardeners probably would object to that. in the onion you have a different shaped leaf, and the injury is not so apparent. last summer i found that new orleans molasses would give you a little bit better result than the sugar, and it is cheaper. the objection to the new orleans molasses is the sticky nature of the material in handling. i might mention in regard to opening cans of new orleans molasses. if you never opened one and try this treatment, be careful about opening the can. the lid is pushed down tight and under warm conditions, or if the molasses has been in a warm room there is a certain amount of fermentation and gas under pressure, and if you pry it open quickly you find the lid flies up in the air and you will probably be smeared over with molasses. i employed my spray, that is, one ounce of lead arsenate, one-half pint of new orleans molasses and one gallon of water last season. the check plots had cabbages attacked by the maggots, probably or per cent of the plants dying from the attack. last year was a very good season, that is, many of the plants seriously attacked put out roots again, and those were able to grow again in the sprayed plots. the infestation of the sprayed plots was probably about to per cent. of the plants, but they only contained probably one maggot each, which is very slight and not sufficient to do any damage. there is one market gardener whose cabbage patch we sprayed, i think, only a part of two rows, and we thought we would leave the rest of his patch as a control. apparently the amount of material we put on there was sufficient to attract the flies from the whole field. not a single cabbage died, and he was pleased with the result of the spray. mr. miller: what do you do for root aphis? mr. moore: root aphis can very easily be controlled with tobacco extract. it is put upon the root of any plant that is affected, a tablespoonful to a gallon of water. there are a number of different tobacco extracts on the market. some of them contain per cent. of nicotine, some contain , some and some , and i think there is one brand that contains per cent. you will find that the brands that contain the most nicotine are the most expensive, but in proportion you use less material. thus per cent. tobacco extract would take two tablespoonfuls to the gallon, while per cent. would take only one. it is the nicotine which is the working portion of it. mr. miller: then you can use the black leaf forty? mr. moore: it is very good, it is per cent. nicotine. there is another product put out by the same company, a black leaf, only or per cent. this is cheaper, but you have to use more of it. if anything probably the more expensive would be the cheaper in the long run. mr. wintersteen: the maggots that attack the radishes and turnips are the same as the cabbage maggot? mr. moore: yes, sir. mr. wintersteen: why is it i have no trouble with the cabbages, and yet i can raise no radishes or turnips in the same ground? mr. moore: the radishes and turnips are attacked and the cabbages are not? mr. wintersteen: yes, sir. mr. moore: which do you raise, early cabbages? mr. wintersteen: yes, sir. mr. moore: what variety do you raise? mr. wintersteen: the wakefield, generally. mr. moore: some varieties of cabbages are not nearly so severely attacked as others. i think of the two that they would prefer radishes probably. growing them side by side you find they infest the radishes. that was my experience last year. i grew the first generation of cabbages, and the second generation i took over into the radishes because i wanted to treat them there. mr. rasmussen: did you say the same fly attacks the onion and the cabbage? mr. moore: the onion has two different flies, one which is black in color, with light colored bands across the wings, and that one passes the winter as a larva in the old onions left in the field. it is an injurious practice to leave old onions there to breed these maggots. if they were taken out and destroyed you could do away with that one. the cabbage fly is different. when you use the spray it would probably be all right to use the sodium arsenite for the onion and the lead arsenate for the cabbage. the type of leaf is entirely different, and on the cabbage you are apt to burn them with the sodium arsenite while the lead arsenate will give you practically the same result. mr. goudy: the cabbage butterfly, does that come from the same maggot? mr. moore: no; this maggot is on the root, the cabbage butterfly lays its eggs on the leaf. you get the cabbage worm from the cabbage butterfly. mr. goudy: what do you do for that? mr. moore: paris green is used to a great extent, but many people have a horror of using paris green. last year, i think it was, i was called up on the phone by some one and i advised him to use paris green. he said that he was afraid it might poison everybody. i explained to him there was no danger from it, as you know the cabbage leaves grow from the inside, not from the outside, and the spray would be on the outside leaves. besides that, we usually spray early for the cabbage worm while the heads come on later. mr. goudy: did you ever try capsicum, sprinkling that on the heads? mr. moore: no, sir. mr. goudy: i saved my cabbages one year by using that. mr. moore: some people claim salt is good. one of the students mentioned it to me. one applied it by putting a spoonful around over the head, another dissolved a tablespoonful in about ten quarts of water and sprayed it on. salt is rather injurious to vegetation as a rule. of course, they only put it on the leaves, and the cabbage is a hardy plant. air slaked lime is also good, but would have to be applied several times. with the arsenate you apply it once and kill all the brood. mr. ludlow: we took them all off of mine one year by using boiling hot water. mr. moore: yes, sir; water is very good. the objection is, on a large scale it is not feasible. mr. miller: slug shot is very good. mr. moore: yes, sir; it doesn't contain very much poison, but it is sufficient to kill the cabbage worm. mr. cadoo: i used just simply wood ashes. mr. moore: the cabbage worm is one that is very easy to handle. a member: i have always used salt. i think it makes a more firm and solid head, that is my theory, i don't know whether i am right or not. i have been doing that for years. mr. moore: i don't know. i never heard of the treatment with salt until two or three days ago when several students mentioned that they used salt. some people won't use paris green. there was one case a man said his wife wouldn't let him do it even if she knew it wasn't poison; she didn't like the idea of paris green on cabbage. mr. ingersoll: is there anything you can suggest to control the yellows in asters? mr. moore: the yellows in asters has been a problem which has been very amusing there at the farm. a man sends in an aster to the entomological department, we examine it and can't find anything that belongs to our department, and we send it to the plant pathological department, and they send it back to us. last year we made a point in every case of yellows in asters to send some one to investigate and find out what was going on to produce it. in some cases it seemed to be a fungous disease. one case i know turned out to be a fungous disease, the very next one was due to plant lice on the roots of the asters. in that case i don't think you get quite the distinct yellows of the asters, but rather the plants wilt and become weak and finally die. that can very easily be controlled with tobacco extract, pouring it upon the buds of the plants. we do not know definitely about the yellows. we think it is more or less of a physiological disease of the plant, not due to an insect. this last year we have not found any what we would call the true yellows. there is an insect that produces similar trouble on other plants, a plant bug, which is hard to secure because it flies away. that is the reason we have been sending out to see exactly what is going on in the field, and we didn't see any evidence of their work this year. another thing, it seems to be a year in which the asters did fairly well, and there was very little yellows. mr. ingersoll: you think that irregular watering might make any difference or very solid rooting? mr. moore: it might do something of the sort. the most we heard of the yellows was the year before last, and we were held up at the time with other work and could not investigate properly. any one here that has yellows in asters next year, we would be very glad to hear from him and send some one out to find the cause. it wouldn't surprise me that it was something in the treatment of the aster. mr. cadoo: do angleworms hurt house plants? mr. moore: not as a rule. they do eat a small amount of vegetation, but ordinarily in a house plant, if you have, say, a worm in a pot, i think it is rather beneficial than injurious, because it keeps the soil stirred up. mr. rasmussen: what is the spray for the cabbage and onion maggot? mr. moore: unfortunately i am a very poor person to remember figures, and i carry this around with me. one spray is three ounces of lead arsenate, two and a half pounds of brown sugar to four gallons of water, but we found that probably a little better spray was to use the new orleans molasses instead of the sugar and the formula is: one ounce of lead arsenate, one-half pint of new orleans molasses and one gallon of water. the spray that was used for the onion maggot and was devised over in wisconsin is: one-fifth ounce of sodium arsenite, one-half pint of new orleans molasses and one gallon of water. mr. rasmussen: the wisconsin spray is what i used to spray my place several years, and i was wondering if it was the same. mr. moore: it was peculiar that they started to work on the onion maggot in wisconsin at the same time we started on the cabbage maggot here. mr. rasmussen: we have controlled the onion maggots almost entirely, but the cabbage maggots are very difficult. mr. moore: in our control plots it controlled it very well. our plants were infested only with a few maggots, but not sufficient to do any injury. the wealthy apple. f. h. ballou. (the opinion of an ohio apple grower--from a bulletin issued by ohio state horticultural society.) the value of a variety of apple commercially usually decides its place in the estimation of growers. naturally the later maturing, longer keeping or winter varieties are generally accorded this preference. orchardists in the southern part of ohio doubtless would elect rome beauty queen of money makers, were the question put to a vote. apple producers of northern ohio or western new york would as surely vote for baldwin. but what variety would you--mr. lover-of-apples-and-apple products--vote for and plant if but a single variety and space for but a single tree were available? after twenty years observation and enjoyment of apple precocity, apple dependability and all-around apple excellence throughout a long season, the writer continues annually to cast his ballot for wealthy. [illustration: mr. rolla sfubbs, of bederwood, lake minnetonka, under his favorite tree, the wealthy.] true the wealthy has its faults--so have all the other varieties of apples of individual choice--and so have we--the growers; but for early fruitage, prolificacy, excellence for culinary use, extended period of usefulness, richness and delicacy of flavor when ripened in a cool cellar and good keeping qualities when under proper conditions it is placed in cold storage, there are few if any varieties other than this that combine so many splendid and desirable characteristics. from mid-july to mid-september of the present year we have been using wealthy for culinary purposes with steadily increasing enjoyment as their quality has gradually become finer and finer. at this writing, september , we have in the cellar attractively colored, well ripened, pink-and-white-fleshed wealthy delightful for dessert use; and there are yet wealthy--firm and crisp--on the trees for later autumn use if kept in the cellar, or early winter and holiday use if placed in cold storage. if we could have but one apple tree that tree would be a wealthy. this statement is made with full knowledge and appreciation of the many other excellent varieties of various seasons, including grimes, jonathan, stayman and delicious. law fixes standards for containers for fruits, berries and vegetables in interstate commerce. (taken from "wisconsin horticulture," the organ of wis. state horticultural society.) standards for climax baskets for grapes, other fruits and vegetables, and other types of baskets and containers used for small fruits, berries, and vegetables in interstate commerce, are fixed by an act approved by the president august , . the law will become effective november , . the effect of the act will be to require the use of the standards in manufacturing, sale, or shipment for all interstate commerce, whether the containers are filled or unfilled. a large part of the traffic in fruits and vegetables in this country enters interstate commerce. the law relates only to the containers and will not affect local regulations in regard to heaped measure or other method of filling. a special exemption from the operations of the law is made for all containers manufactured, sold, or shipped, when intended for export to foreign countries, and when such containers accord with the specifications of the foreign purchasers, or comply with the laws of the country to which the shipment is destined. standards of three capacities are fixed for climax baskets-- , and quarts, dry measure. these containers, often known as "grape baskets," have relatively narrow, flat bottoms, rounded at each end, and thin sides flaring slightly from the perpendicular. the handle is hooped over at the middle from side to side. in addition to fixing the capacities of these standard baskets of this type, the law also prescribes their dimensions. the other standards are for "baskets or other containers for small fruits, berries, and vegetables." they are to have capacities only of one-half pint, pint, quart, or multiples of quart, dry measure. such containers may be of any shape so long as their capacities accurately accord with the standard requirements. the examination and test of containers to determine whether they comply with the provisions of the act are made duties of the department, and the secretary of agriculture is empowered to establish and promulgate rules and regulations allowing such reasonable tolerances and variations as may be found necessary. penalties are provided by the act for the manufacture for shipment, sale for shipment, or shipment in interstate commerce of climax baskets, and containers for small fruits, berries, and vegetables, not in accord with the standards. it is provided, however: that no dealer shall be prosecuted under the provisions of this act when he can establish a guaranty signed by the manufacturer, wholesaler, jobber, or other party residing within the united states from whom such climax baskets, baskets, or other containers, as defined in this act, were purchased, to the effect that said climax baskets, baskets, or other containers are correct within the meaning of this act. said guaranty, to afford protection, shall contain the name and address of the party or parties making the sale of climax baskets, baskets, or other containers, to such dealer, and in such case said party or parties shall be amenable to the prosecutions, fines, and other penalties which would attach in due course to the dealer under the provisions of this act.--department of agriculture. [illustration: a plant-chimera: two varieties of apple in one. golden russet and boston stripe combined in the same fruit, as the result of a graft. trees producing these apples bear only a few fruits of this combination; the rest of the crop belongs entirely to one or other of the two varieties concerned. the explanation of these chimeras is that the original buds of the scion failed to grow, after the graft was made, but an adventitious bud arose exactly at the juncture of stock and scion, and included cells derived from both. these cells grow side by side but remain quite distinct in the same stem, each kind of cell reproducing its own sort. from "journal of heredity," may, . published by the "american genetic association," washington, d. c.] the rhubarb plant. ludvig mosbaek, askov. rhubarb, or pieplant, as it is more commonly called, is one of the hardiest and at the same time a most delicious fruit. when the stalks are used at the right stage and given the proper care by the cook, they are almost equal to fresh peaches. rhubarb can be transplanted every month in the year, but the best time is early spring or august. there are especially two things rhubarb will not stand, "wet feet and deep planting." most beneficial is good natural or artificial drainage and rich soil, made so by a good coat of manure, plowed or spaded in, and a liberal top dressing every fall, cultivated or hoed in on the top soil the next spring. fifty plants or divisions of a good tender variety planted to feet apart will supply an average household with more delicious fresh fruit and juice for six months of the year than five times the space of ground devoted to currants, gooseberries or any other fruit, and if you have from to plants you can afford to pick the first stalk that sprouts up in april and still figure on having an abundance to keep you well supplied all summer. do you really know what a delicious beverage can be made from the juice of rhubarb mixed in cool water? take it along in the hayfield a hot summer day. and even if you can not keep it cool the acid contained in the juice still makes it a delicious and stimulating drink where you would loathe the taste of a stale beer. there are about a hundred other ways to prepare rhubarb, not forgetting a well cooled rhubarb mush served with cool milk in the evening or for that matter three times a day; nothing cheaper, nor healthier. the fresh acid contained in the rhubarb purifies the blood and puts new vigor in your body and soul, is better and cheaper than any patent medicines, and from the growth of to plants you can eat every day for six months and preserve enough in fresh, cool water in airtight jars to last you all winter. but you can do still better with your rhubarb. you can add three months more and make it nine months of the year for fresh, crisp, delicious fruit. i will tell you how. when your rhubarb gets - years old and very big and strong clumps of roots, divide some of the best and make a new planting and dig some of the balance before frost in the fall. leave them on top of the ground until they have had a good freeze--this is very essential to success--then place the roots as you dug them in a dark corner in your cellar or in a barrel in your cellar, exclude all light, keep the soil moderately wet and after christmas and until spring you will have an abundance of brittle, fine flavored stalks that are fully equal to and perhaps more tender than the outdoor grown. years ago in chicago i grew rhubarb in a dark house Ã� ft., built for that purpose, and the stalks generally commanded a price of to c a pound in the right market in january, february and march. it is better not to pull any stalks the summer you transplant, at least not until september. next year in may and june you can have stalks from / to pound and over. when you pull stalks don't take the outer two or three leaves but only the tender ones, and strip them off in succession so you do not come back to the same plants to pull for four to six weeks or more. just as quick as the plant shows flower stems cut them off close to the ground and keep them off, never allow them to show their heads. i have grown rhubarb for market and for domestic use for about forty years, having one time as much as five acres, and i will assure you if you will follow directions you will appreciate rhubarb more than before and get out of it all it is worth. * * * * * trees planted by machine.--a machine which plants from ten to fifteen thousand forest trees seedlings a day is now being used at the letchworth park forest and arboretum, in wyoming county, n. y., according to officials of the forest service who are acting as advisers in the work. previously the planting had been done by hand at the rate of , to , trees each day per man. the machine was designed to set out cabbage and tomato plants, but works equally well with trees. it is about the size of an ordinary mowing machine and is operated by three men and two horses. one man drives the team while the other two handle the seedlings. the machine makes a furrow in which the trees are set at any desired distance, and an automatic device indicates where they should be dropped. two metal-tired wheels push and roll the dirt firmly down around the roots. this is a very desirable feature, it is said, because the trees are apt to die if this is not well done. two attachments make it possible to place water and fertilizer at the roots of each seedling. another attachment marks the line on which the next row of trees is to be planted. no cost figures are available yet, but officials say that the cost will be much less than when the planting is done by hand. it is stated that the machine can be used on any land which has been cleared and is not too rough to plow and harrow.--u. s. dept. agri. the greenhouse versus hotbeds. frank h. gibbs, market gardener, st. anthony park. in discussing the subject assigned me, i will only speak of hotbeds and hothouses as used for the purpose of growing vegetables and early vegetable plants. the hotbed is still very desirable where it is wanted on a small scale to grow early vegetables for the home or market, as the small cost for an outfit is very small as compared to hothouses. sash Ã� ft., which is the favorite size with market gardeners, can be purchased for about $ . each glazed, and a box Ã� ft. to hold four sash can be made for $ . , making an outlay less than $ . for sq. ft. of bed. with good care sash and boxes will last eight years. where the beds are put down in early february two crops of lettuce and one crop of cucumbers can be grown, and when the spring is late three crops of lettuce before outdoor lettuce appears on the market, when the beds are given over entirely to the cucumber crop. lettuce at that time generally sells for c per dozen, and cucumbers from c down to c per dozen, according to the season. from three to five hundred cabbage, cauliflower or lettuce plants can be grown under each sash, or from to tomatoes, peppers or egg plants can likewise be grown under each sash, or where lettuce is grown to maturity six dozen per sash. the cost of the horse manure for the beds varies greatly, as some are situated where it can be secured very reasonably, while with others the cost would be prohibitive. the amount required also varies according to the season they are put down. when the beds are put down early in february, three cords of manure are necessary for each box. when they are put down march st, one-half that amount is needed. where there is no desire to get the early market, and the beds are put down march th, one cord is plenty for each box. i have never tried to figure out just what the cost of putting down each box is, or what is the cost of ventilating and watering; but if they are neglected and the plants get burned or frozen, the cost is much more than if they were given proper attention, and, besides, much time is lost in getting another start, as they are generally left several days to see if the plants will recover, which they seldom do. the cost of hothouses varies so greatly for the size of the house that it is hard to draw a comparison. a modern steel frame house containing , sq. ft. of glass can be built for about $ , . , or a house one-half that size can be built for $ , . and is no better than its cheaper rival. a small house say Ã� ft., heated with a brick furnace and flue and hot water coil can be built for from $ . to $ . , where one does not have to hire skilled labor. a hothouse of any size is very satisfactory, as in cold, stormy weather, when we can't even look into a hotbed, plants can be kept growing and there is always something we can do and be comfortable while we are doing it. it is impossible to use a hotbed all winter, as no matter how much manure is put into it in the fall it will cool out and be worthless long before spring. [illustration: showing hotbeds and greenhouse at f. h. gibbs' market gardens.] with a good hothouse four crops of lettuce can be raised during the fall and winter, and a crop of cucumbers in the spring and early summer. each crop of lettuce sells for from c to c per dozen; the plants are set six inches apart each way, making about four per square foot of bench room. the cucumber crop generally pays as well as two crops of lettuce and is usually planted to come into bearing early in june and kept bearing through july, or until the outdoor cucumbers are on the market. in the so-called summer just passed ( ), there were no outdoor cucumbers, and they were kept bearing through august and september. cucumbers grown in hotbeds cannot be kept in bearing more than six weeks before the vines go to pieces and will not sell for as high a price as hothouse grown. with favorable weather i have always thought i could grow a crop of lettuce in less time in a hotbed than in a hothouse, but with cold, cloudy weather the advantage is on the side of the hothouse. much less time is required to do the ventilating and watering in a hothouse than with beds, and the soil must be in the highest state of fertility for either one. while hotbeds will always be desirable in many localities on account of the small first cost, the days of the large commercial hotbed yard is passed, and there are now around minneapolis , hotbed sash that will not be put down next spring, or if put down, used only on cold frames, all owing to the scarcity of fresh horse manure. while it is a great satisfaction to have a hothouse or hotbeds and grow vegetables in winter, the life of the market gardener is not one continuous round of pleasure, as lice, white fly, red spider and thrip, mildew and fungous rot are always ready for a fight, and the gardener must always be on his guard and beat them to it at their first appearance, or the labor of weeks will be lost. an ideal flower garden for a country home. m. h. wetherbee, florist, charles city, iowa. in laying out grounds for country homes or remodeling them, space should be of the first importance, and where space permits there is no better arrangement than a fine border on one side of the lawn with a driveway between the lawn and the border, leading from the street to the house and barns. the border should be wide enough to have a nice variety of shrubs for a background, and there should be space for the hardy perennials and bulbs, which should not be planted solidly but placed in clumps and arranged according to height and blooming season and as to color effect. i will mention a few of the hardy shrubs and plants that we can all grow with success. while the catalogues are filled with a large list of so-called hardy stock, we must remember that we live in a good sized country and what would be hardy in southern iowa, missouri and illinois, would not stand the winters of northern iowa or of minnesota or other localities of the same latitude. in shrubs we can be sure of a variety of lilacs, snowballs, and hydrangea paniculata. some of the newer varieties are fine and bloom in august, when few other shrubs are flowering. spirea van houttii, best known as bridal wreath, we might include and a few of the hardy vines if a trellis or other support was given for them, such as clematis paniculata, coccinea and jackmani, the large purple and white honeysuckle, chinese matrimony vine, etc. among hardy roses, which are called the queen of all flowers, are the rugosa type, which will stand the winters with no protection and continue to flower all summer. while the flowers of that type are single or semi-double, the bushes would be handsome without any flowers. this type also produces hips, which adds to their attractiveness, and these may be made into jelly in the fall if so desired. i would advise to plant some of the most hardy of the hybrid perpetual roses, such as general jacqueminot, magna charta, mrs. chas. wood, mrs. john lang, mad. plantier, with some of the climbers, such as the rambler in variety, prairie queen, baltimore belle and, perhaps, some others, with the understanding that the hybrids and climbers should have protection in some form for the winter months. then in hardy perennials there is such a variety to select from that one hardly knows where to begin or when to stop. of course everyone wants a few peonies, and some of the hardy phlox, in such a variety of color. then the delphinium, or hardy larkspurs, are fine bloomers. the blue and white platycodon are sure to flower, while the german iris are good and the japan iris are fine flowers, but have to have good protection to stand our winters. for fine white flowers we have the showy achilleas in variety and gypsophila paniculata, called baby breath as a common name. then we must have plenty of space for a variety of annuals, such as sweet peas, cosmos, pansies, verbenas, etc. also, we would grow geraniums in variety, a few summer carnations, and the selection can be large or small, but almost every one will want some dahlia and gladiolus bulbs. those that like yellow, or lemon, lilies can plant them and have a mass of flowers during june. the japan lilies, especially the rubrum variety, are good bloomers and quite hardy. the planting and care of hardy perennials. miss grace e. kimball, waltham. (so. minn. hort. society.) the most important essential in the planting of hardy perennials is the preparation of the ground. it must be deeply spaded or plowed and thoroughly pulverized. while most kinds of plants will do well in any good garden soil, most gardens need more or less fertilizer to make the ground good garden soil. so it is well at the time of spading or plowing to see that enough fertilizer is applied to insure good growth and blossom. but care must be used that no fresh stable manure comes in contact with the roots. if it must be used see that it is put in the bottom of the hole or trench dug for the plants, and covered several inches with earth. when the ground is well prepared and properly fertilized comes the planting, and as many plants need somewhat different handling, it is well for one starting a garden to understand just how each kind should be set. the iris, for instance, likes to be very near the surface of the ground. in fact it seems to delight in pushing the earth off the fleshy part of the root and basking in the sun, while the small roots lie very close to the surface. the oriental poppy must be planted with the crown well above the ground, or else when any moisture settles on it the crown will rot, and the plant die. the gaillardia, larkspur and columbine should be planted about as the oriental poppy with the crowns perhaps not quite as much above the ground, while the peony should be set so that the bud is covered two or three inches. since fall planting of herbaceous perennials has come into prominence one can choose either spring or fall for most of their planting, as most plants do well set at either time. but the oriental poppy does not ship nor transplant well in the spring. it dies down after blossoming--one may think they have lost their plants then--and starts up again in august or september. just as it is starting then seems to be the safest time to plant. august and september are considered the best months to do fall planting, although some advocate setting peonies until it freezes. still i think it safer to plant earlier than that. if i were beginning a hardy garden, one that i could add to from time to time, i would try to set out in the fall plants that bloom in the spring or early summer, and in the spring those that bloom in the fall. nothing is gained by setting iris or peonies in the spring, for nine times out of ten they will not bloom the same season they are set, while if set in the fall nearly all varieties of either the iris or peony will bloom the next year. on the other hand, phlox set in the spring scarcely ever fails to bloom in the late summer or early fall, and keeps it up until freezing weather. the phlox, however, should be taken up and divided every two or three years to obtain the best results. after planting comes the cultivating, which should be kept up all summer. especially after a rain should the ground be stirred to keep it from baking. in exceedingly dry seasons by keeping a dust mulch around the plants one can avoid having to do much watering--for unless you water thoroughly at such a time it is better not to water at all. however, if it finally becomes necessary to apply water, the dust mulch has kept the ground in condition to absorb all the water that is used. in the fall after the ground has frozen a light covering of some kind should be thrown over the plants. this is to protect them from the thawing and freezing that takes place from time to time during the winter and early spring. after the first year, when the foliage has increased so as to be some protection, it is not as necessary to cover, although no doubt a little more covering would be beneficial. some growers of the peony, however, advocate cutting off the leaves in the fall, and in such a case a covering would be necessary. we found a very satisfactory way for both covering and fertilizing was to throw a fork full of dressing around each plant in the fall and work it into the ground in the spring. in memoriam--j. f. benjamin. passed july , . aged years. "john franklin benjamin was born at belvidere, illinois, may , . that same year his parents moved to hutchinson and he, at the age of five years, was one of the two score of little children who spent hours of terror in the stockade when it was attacked by the indians on september , . as he grew up he attended the hutchinson school, his boyhood being spent on the farm. he was married in october, , to minnie l. walker. the following year they moved to pierce county, neb., where mr. benjamin purchased and for ten years managed a large ranch. in they returned to hutchinson and proceeded to open and improve highland home fruit farm, which was thenceforth mr. benjamin's abiding place until the summons came that ended all his earthly hopes and plans. "he was an active factor in farmers' co-operative society affairs and supported all movements for the moral and educational uplift of the community. he had been for many years a member of the m. e. church and of the woodmen's and royal neighbors' camps and a valued and active member of each of these societies. [illustration: john franklin benjamin.] "mr. benjamin left no children, and the wife who has been his devoted helpmate for twenty-seven years survives to face the coming years of bereavement alone. "his had been a useful life, a life of ceaseless and honorable toil, and that beautiful and valuable property, highland home fruit farm, largely the product of the work of his own hands, is a monument to his memory which will long endure to be admired and enjoyed by others as one of the model rural places of minnesota. few men in the space of twenty-five years have accomplished more than did j. f. benjamin in establishing the fine, modern home, the large orchard and small fruit and flower gardens and well stocked farm, all of which he had tended with loving hands." mr. benjamin was well known by the members of this society who have attended its annual meetings within the last ten or fifteen years. during this period he has been an active member of the society, often serving on the program or in some other way as opportunity came to him. he was one of the most loyal members of the association, practicing what he preached, and doing all within his power to extend the usefulness of the society. i had a close personal acquaintance with mr. benjamin and the highest respect for his character and attainments. as a comparatively young man we anticipated his presence with us for a long period of time, but in this we are sadly disappointed. his wife in a recent letter says, "one of his greatest pleasures was cultivating and taking care of the flowers which surrounded his home. after a hard day's work in the field, he would labor with his flowers and shrubbery until far into the night. he enjoyed taking or sending flowers to the sick, and many bouquets of his choicest blossoms he gave his friends as they drove past or called to admire his beautiful grounds." in this spirit mr. benjamin labored to reach others and widen the wholesome influence of his life.--sec'y. program th annual meeting our semi-centennial anniversary minnesota state horticultural society, to be held in the west hotel, minneapolis, december , , , , . a great program. study this program carefully and select such features as you especially desire to participate in--but you are more than welcome to all. discussion follows each topic. discussions are "free for all," whether members or not. ask questions or express opinions freely. demonstrations. these demonstrations will be given between : and : each day of the meeting in rooms adjoining the hall in which the meeting is held. they will be conducted by those whose names are here given, both of whom are connected with the horticultural department at university farm. grafting, fred haralson, hort. foreman. pruning, frank daniels, instructor in hort. important. all participants on this program are limited to fifteen minutes except where a longer period is specifically mentioned. time for discussion is allowed after each number. notice of bee-keepers' meeting. the minnesota state bee-keepers' society will hold its annual meeting in the "moorish room," west hotel, minneapolis, on tuesday and wednesday, dec. and , . program can be had of l. v. france, university farm, st. paul. notice.--a bell will be rung five minutes before the exercises begin in the audience room. persons entering the audience room when any one is addressing the meeting from the platform are requested to take seats in the rear of the room, going forward only after the speaker has concluded--and thus avoid much confusion. tuesday morning session. : o'clock. every member attending should not fail to be in his seat promptly when this session opens. invocation rev. c. s. harrison, york, neb. song mr. trafford n. jayne, minneapolis president's annual greeting thos. e. cashman, owatonna top-working young apple trees. e. g. lee, st. paul. evergreens. c. s. harrison, york, neb. preparing and handling the apple crop. e. a. smith, lake city. my prize orchard. . henry dunsmore, olivia. . e. w. mayman, sauk rapids. appointment of committees on award of premiums. tuesday afternoon session. : o'clock. a half hour "question and answer exercise" on "bees in the garden and orchard," led by j. kimball, of duluth. o'clock. president cashman in the chair. reception of delegates. fruits. strawberry culture with irrigation. n. a. rasmussen, oskosh, wis., president wisconsin state hort. society. raspberry culture. a. o. hawkins, wayzata. raspberry diseases in minnesota. g. r. hoerner, asst. in plant pathology, university farm, st. paul. everbearing strawberry field. a. brackett, excelsior. everbearing strawberries at osage, ia., in . chas. f. gardner, osage, ia. opening up the fruit farm. d. e. bingham, delegate wisconsin state hort. society, sturgeon bay, wis. the native plum, its hybrids and their improvement. dewain cook, jeffers. winter injury to plums in - . m. j. dorsey, section of fruit breeding, university farm. lantern talks. . snapshots on the road. nurseries; top-working; blister rust. prof. f. l. washburn, state entomologist, university farm. . nature of plant diseases. g. r. bisby, asst. plant pathologist, university farm. tuesday evening session. : o'clock. minnesota state florists' society. prof. leroy cady, president, in the chair. program: storing and handling gladiolus bulbs. g. d. black, delegate, n. e. ia. state horticultural society, independence, ia. resources of present-day florists. w. e. tricker, st. paul. greenhouse management. prof. wm. moore, university farm. some native shrubs and their uses. e. meyer, minneapolis. wednesday forenoon session. : o'clock. a half hour question and answer exercise on "the vegetable garden," led by alfred perkins, market gardener, st. paul. : o'clock. n. h. reeves, pres. minneapolis market gardeners' society, presiding. the vegetable garden. a successful cabbage field. e. c. willard, mankato. hotbeds and cold frames nine months in the year. ( min.) n. a. rasmussen. pres. wisconsin state hort. society, sturgeon bay, wis. improvement of vegetable varieties by selection. richard wellington, horticulturist, university farm. some phases of onion growing. w. t. tapley, asst. in horticulture, university farm. irrigation in the market garden. c. e. warner, osseo. the cultivation of cabbages. nic lebens, minneapolis. growing radishes. chas. hoffman, white bear. a winter garden in the cellar. n. a. rasmussen, sturgeon bay, wis. home canning. mrs. louis m. glenzke, hopkins. wednesday afternoon session. : o'clock. the question and answer exercise to occupy this half-hour will be on "the flower garden," and led by mrs. h. a. boardman, st. paul. : o'clock. president cashman in the chair. my spraying experience--four five-minute paper. . harold simmons, howard lake. . e. yanish, st. paul. . a. h. reed, glencoe. . j. j. dobbin, excelsior. orchard pests in minnesota during . . diseases. prof. e. c. stakman. head of section plant pathology, university farm. . insects. a. g. ruggles, asst. entomologist, university farm. : o'clock. minn. garden flower society. mrs. e. w. gould, pres., minneapolis. some new plants at home and abroad. professor n. e. hansen, brookings, s. d. the home setting as the architect sees it. mr. harry w. jones, minneapolis. a composite on composites--useful plants for fall bloom. mrs. phelps wyman, minneapolis. lantern talk by e. g. cheyney, prof. of forestry, state university. illustrated with many views from the forest regions of northern minnesota. wednesday evening session. : o'clock, dec. , . n. w. peony and iris society. fifteen-minute musical program by orchestra. the modern iris. mr. c. s. harrison, york, neb. peonies, their care and culture. mr. john e. stryker, st. paul, minn. peonies for pleasure. mr. lee bonnewitz, van wert, ohio. peonies for profit. mrs. wm. crawford, la porte, ind. peonies and their possibilities. mr. d. w. c. ruff, st. paul, minn. music. selection by orchestra. general discussion. thursday forenoon session. : o'clock. a thirty-minute "question and answer" exercise on "success in orcharding," led by j. f. harrison, a successful orchardist, excelsior. : o'clock. president cashman in the chair. evergreens for prairie homes. m. soholt, madison. windbreaks by the mile. t. a. hoverstad, minneapolis. arrangement of farm buildings and grounds for convenience and artistic effect. e. m. reeves, waverly, ia. report of committee on fruit list. j. p. andrews, g. w. strand, t. e. cashman. adoption of fruit list. annual reports. report of executive board, j. m. underwood, chairman, lake city. report of secretary, a. w. latham. report of treasurer, geo. w. strand, taylors falls. on account of the very full program the annual reports of the vice-presidents, superintendents of trial stations and auxiliary societies, will be filed with the secretary for publication without reading. (see list on page .) the successful orchard. ( min.) s. a. beach, prof. of horticulture, iowa state agricultural college, ames, ia. development of horticulture in western canada. prof. f. w. brodrick, horticulturist, manitoba agricultural college. contestants, gideon memorial fund--by students at university farm school. thursday afternoon session. : o'clock. discuss these subjects. "ornamentation of home grounds" will be the subject of the half-hour "question and answer exercise," led by c. h. ramsdell, landscape architect, minneapolis. : o'clock. president cashman in the chair. horticultural work with the boys' and girls' clubs in minnesota. t. a. erickson, state club leader, university farm. boy or girl prize winner in the state-wide garden and canning contest. compulsory spraying for fruit insects and diseases. k. a. kirkpatrick, agricultural agent, hennepin county, wayzata. annual election of officers. : o'clock. semi-centennial anniversary session. j. m. underwood, lake city, presiding. song. trafford n. jayne. some history. a. w. latham, secretary. the heroes of minnesota horticulture. clarence wedge, albert lea. personal recollections. a. j. philips, west salem, wis. the ladies of the society. mrs. jennie stager, sauk rapids. greeting from university farm. a. f. woods, dean. the minnesota society and the northwest. prof. c. b. waldron, agri. college, n. d. looking ahead. c. s. harrison, york, neb. to conclude with a lantern slide talk, "veterans of minnesota horticulture." slides prepared by prof. leroy cady. friday forenoon session. : o'clock. a thirty-minute "question and answer exercise" on the general subject of "birds a factor in horticulture," led by r. e. olmstead, excelsior. : o'clock. president in the chair. potato selection. p. e. clement, moorhead. vinegar a by-product of the minnesota orchard. w. g. brierley, horticulturist, university farm. our horticultural building. a consultation. plant breeders' auxiliary. clarence wedge, president, in the chair. annual report, , minn. fruit breeding farm. chas. haralson, supt., excelsior. report of committee on fruit breeding farm. s. a. stockwell, minneapolis. c. s. harrison, excelsior. fruit breeding. prof. s. a. beach, horticulturist, ames, iowa. pedigree in plants. prof. c. b. waldron, agricultural college, n. d. origin and development of hardy, blight resisting pears. chas. g. patten, charles city, ia. new creations in horticulture for . prof. n. e. hansen, brookings, s. d. friday afternoon. : o'clock. the "question and answer" half hour will be occupied with this subject, "the home orchard," led by henry husser, minneapolis. : o'clock. the minnesota orchard. j. f. bartlett, excelsior. the new farmers fruit. freeman thorp, hubert. ( min.) the unfruitful tree and how to correct it. ( min.) prof. s. a. beach, ames, ia. orcharding in minnesota. richard wellington, horticulturist, university farm. the minnesota apple crop in . r. s. mackintosh, horticulturist, extension division, university farm. : o'clock. two-minute speeches by members. : o'clock. closing remarks by the president. premium list, annual meeting, . thos. redpath, general supt. geo. w. strand, clerk. floral display. w. h. bofferding, no. nd st., minneapolis, supt. plants. to be staged monday p.m., dec. , . st. nd. rd. collection of specimen palms $ . $ . $ . collection of specimen ferns . . . collection of specimen blooming plants . . . (covering square feet.) cut flowers. to be staged before : a.m., tuesday, dec. . st. nd. rd. roses, red, any variety $ . $ . $ . roses, pink, any variety . . . roses, white, any variety . . . roses, yellow, any var'ty . . . to be staged before : a.m., wednesday, dec. . st. nd. rd. chrysanthemums, yellow $ . $ . $ . chrysanthemums, any other color . . . carnations, red, any variety . . . carnations, pink, any variety . . . carnations, white, any variety . . . to be staged before : a.m., thursday, dec. . st. nd. rd. basket arranged for effect, diameter not to exceed inches $ . $ . $ . best bridal bouquet--diploma. best corsage bouquet--diploma. best bridesmaid's bouquet--diploma. vegetables. entries to be made by tuesday, nov. . n. h. reeves, mpls., supt. st. nd. rd. th. beets, peck $ . $ . $ . $ . cabbages, heads . . . . carrots, peck . . . . celery, doz. stalks . . . . celeriac, doz. roots . . . . lettuce, doz. heads . . . . onions, peck red . . . . onions, peck white . . . . onions, pk. yellow . . . . onions, peck white pickling . . . . parsley, doz. bnhs. . . . . parsnips, / bushel . . . . potatoes, bu. early variety . . . . pie pumpkins, three specimens . . . . radish, fresh, doz. bunches . . . . salsify, doz. bnchs. . . . . hubbard squash, specimens . . . . white turnips, pk . . . . rutabagas, / bu . . . . early winter seedling.--the fruit shown must not have been kept in cold storage. premium $ . , to be divided pro rata. late winter seedling.--same conditions as for early winter seedlings except that if found necessary the fruit shown may be retained and final decision reserved until later in the winter. premium $ . to be divided pro rata. in each of the above two classes the varieties receiving the three highest awards will be designated as having received the first, second and third premium respectively. apples (not including crabs). no inferior fruit can be shown. st. nd. rd. each variety (may or may not have been in cold storage) included in the fruit list of the society, or in the premium list of the minnesota state fair $ . $ . $ . collection, not to exceed ten nor less than six varieties $ . to be divided pro rata pecks of apples. peck of any variety of apples, the fruit exhibited to be at the disposal of the society. an exhibitor may enter a peck of each of as many different kinds as he pleases. $ . to be divided pro rata. top-worked apples. collection of named varieties grown on scions top-grafted on other trees. accompanying the name of each variety, shown on the same label (to be furnished by the management), must be noted the name of the variety on which it is top-worked. $ . , to be divided pro rata. boxes and barrels of apples. must have been packed by the exhibitor. only one variety (not less than - / in. in diameter) can be shown in a box. bushel boxes of the standard size must be used. awards will be based on the quality of the fruit, packing, etc. single box of any variety of apples, including seedlings, $ . , to be divided pro rata. also st $ . , nd $ . , rd $ . . st. nd. rd. th. barrel of apples, any variety, $ . , to be divided pro rata. also $ . $ . $ . $ . grapes. st. nd. rd. collection, not more than nor less than varieties $ . $ . $ . $ seedling apple prize. the fifth prize of $ . will be awarded this season "for the best late winter seedling apple keeping till march st under ordinary cellar conditions" under the offer made first in , restricted, of course, to the contestants who have duly registered. nuts. st. nd. rd. th. each variety of edible nuts, one quart $ . $ . $ . $ . * * * * * program notes: you can become a life member of the state horticultural society by payment of $ . , in two annual payments of $ . each if you prefer. this will entitle you to a file of our bound reports, a library in itself. the annual business meeting of the minn. garden flower society will be held wednesday morning at : o'clock in an adjoining room. are you a member of the garden flower society? if you are growing flowers you should join it at once. consult the secretary, mrs. m. l. countryman. membership fees to be paid to the assistant secretary in the hallway. garden helps conducted by minnesota garden flower society edited by mrs. e. w. gould, humboldt avenue so. minneapolis. the garden flower society will have an all-day meeting at the agricultural college the first friday in january next. this meeting is to be held with the session of the farmers' short course in room , horticultural building. arrangements will be made so that lunches may be had on the grounds, probably at the dining hall. the program covers a wide range of subjects, and as time will be given for discussion and answering of questions brought up, this will prove a most helpful meeting to all of our members. our own annual meeting will be held on wednesday, december sixth. the business meeting and election of officers being held in the morning, the program in the afternoon--at the west hotel--in connection with the horticultural society. will not each member make an especial effort to bring in a new member at that time or before? the only reason we have not a thousand members is because we and our work are so little known. if you will tell your friends who have gardens what we are doing, you will have no difficulty in helping us add to our membership. since last january we have received sixty-six new members. can't we make it an even hundred for this year? with _your help_, we _can_. the program for our annual meeting will be found in the official program, printed elsewhere in this number. here is the program for the meeting at the agricultural college, friday, january th. come and bring your garden problems with you. * * * * * (program for meeting, january , , a.m., agricultural college.) . perennials for busy people mrs. h. b. tillotson . perennials from seed to seed mr. e. meyer . native perennials for garden use miss m. fanning . best hardy vines and their use mrs. e. w. gould . best annuals mrs. h. a. boardman : p.m. . fruits for ornamental planting mr. phelps wyman . native shrubs for the home grounds mr. paul mueller . proper preparation of the garden soil professor f. j. alway . a watering system for the garden mrs. c. e. warner . growing bedding plants for the market mrs. f. h. gibbs . growing cut flowers for the market {miss sabra ellison {mr. f. h. ellison . special purpose plants-- honey plants prof. oswald medicinal plants dr. newcomb question box. secretary's corner this is your vacation.--if you are a fruit grower or a flower grower or vegetable grower or interested in home life or in any of the varied matters directly or indirectly connected with horticulture, the annual meeting is just the place for you. _make it a real winter vacation._ bring your wife and others of the family if possible and stay with us at the west hotel for the four days of the meeting. it will be one of the bright spots in your life, as you recall the pleasures of this great and fruitful gathering. annual society banquet.--special pains have been taken in preparing the program for this banquet on account of the fact that this is our anniversary session in part, and you will not be disappointed if you anticipate a rich treat, with two or three hundred of the most congenial people on earth, who will sit down to supper together at the west hotel at : p. m., thursday, december th,--a wholesome repast and an intellectual feast, don't miss it. you will feel that you really belong to the brotherhood after dining with us. delegates to the annual meeting.--besides the delegates at our annual meeting from abroad referred to in the november number, there is to be with us also as representative of the iowa state horticultural society, mr. p. f. kinne, of storm lake, iowa. we have pretty good assurance also that secy. greene, of the iowa society, will visit with us at some time during the meeting, and we don't know how many more of the good iowa people will find their way here. a late note from chas. g. patten assures us of his attendance at the meeting, when he will give us a full report of his experimental work in growing seedling pears at his station at charles city, iowa. we are looking forward confidently to something of large practical value from his work. program of annual meeting.--the program of the coming annual meeting of the society will be found in an abbreviated form in this number of our magazine. it has been sent, however, in all its completeness, in a separate enclosure to all the members of the society, accompanied by a blank form to be filled out by members who purpose to attend and desire to have their names in the badge book, and also for those who renew their memberships. quite a number of questions are asked on this blank form, and it is important that they should all be answered. it is especially important that the names of friends whom you would like to see members of the society should be given to the secretary on these blanks and at an early date so that copies of the program can be sent them in good season. the program, as you will note, is an exceedingly diversified one, special emphasis being laid on orcharding, vegetable growing and ornamental horticulture. an increasing interest in flower growing is emphasized by the programs of three auxiliary societies devoted to these branches of horticulture. _aren't you coming to this splendid meeting?_ study the program and consider the advantages of intercourse and companionship with those who have so much in common as the members of the horticultural society. don't fail to _attend promptly the first session_, which is always a full one, right on the minute. journal of annual meeting, minnesota state horticultural society held on second floor of the west hotel, minneapolis, december , , and , . tuesday morning session, o'clock. meeting was opened at o'clock a.m., december , , by president thomas e. cashman. invocation was made by rev. c. s. harrison, of york, nebraska, which was followed by a song by mr. trafford n. jayne, of minneapolis. the president then read his annual greeting. (see index.) president cashman: how may university farm and the minnesota state horticultural society be mutually helpful in developing the farms and homes of the northwest? by our good friend, the dean of agriculture of this state, mr. a. f. woods. (applause.) (see index.) discussion. president cashman: anything further before we pass to the next subject? if not, we will now call on one of our oldest members and one of our best friends, mr. george j. kellogg, of wisconsin, who will tell us something about the strawberry business. (see index.) discussion. president cashman: i am sure we are all very much indebted to mr. kellogg. now, we have another very good friend with us from nebraska. he is going to tell us about "the nurseryman as king." mr. c. s. harrison, of york, nebraska. (see index.) president cashman: this morning we heard from our good friend, dean woods, then we heard from wisconsin and later from nebraska. we have enjoyed all three, all very instructive and very entertaining, and we hope to hear from them again. we hope later to hear from another wisconsin man, mr. philips. those three men have always contributed a great deal to the success of our meetings. i understand that wisconsin has sent another representative, mr. a. c. graves, of sturgeon bay. it has been announced that he is with us. if so, we will be pleased to have him come forward and have a word of greeting from him, representing the wisconsin horticultural society. mr. graves: mr. president and members of the minnesota horticultural society: i am very pleased to be here this morning and listen to this program and these deliberations. i expect to spend some enjoyable days with you, and on behalf of the wisconsin horticultural society i am pleased to bring to you their greetings on this occasion. thank you. (applause.) president cashman: we hope to hear from you later, mr. graves, and would be pleased to have you take part in our deliberations. i presume that there are other delegates here, but if so they have not been announced. if there are others i hope they will hand their credentials to the secretary so we may call on them later. meeting adjourned until : p.m. december , , afternoon session. _the minnesota orchard._ discussion led by j. p. andrews, faribault, minn. (see index.) the president: ladies and gentlemen, the time has now arrived to continue with the regular proceedings of the society. mr. rasmussen, president of the wisconsin state horticultural society, is with us and will be on the program later, but we will have a few words from him now. (applause.). mr. rasmussen (wisconsin): mr. president and members of the minnesota horticultural society: i didn't expect to be caught this way. i was going to be real shrewd, i was not going to let you know i was coming. i told the secretary of our society not to let you know i was coming, but he notified your secretary that i was coming and that is the way they happened to get me on the program. i was going to sneak in and get all the good out of it and was not going to give anything back; i will admit that is not a fair game. i feel about like a fellow who had to make a talk at a banquet. he said he was not a speaker, but they insisted. they would not let him back out. so he got up and feeling kind of shaky, like i am now, he reached his hand down to get hold of his chair, as he thought, but touched his wife's shoulder, and she got up. she thought she had to. he started, "ladies and gentlemen, this thing was forced on me. (laughter.)" so this was kind of forced upon me. i know that your program is full so i will not detain you any longer. my time is tomorrow, and i will take you through my garden tomorrow. (applause.) the president: we are all pleased to have mr. rasmussen with us, and we hope we will hear from him often during the deliberations of the meeting. i was pleased indeed to see so many present this forenoon. secretary latham thought he had plenty of room for all who might attend, but i don't think there was a vacant chair here this forenoon. i was pleased indeed to note so many new faces, so many young men present. you are the people we want to see. the older men have always contributed and done their part and have made these meetings a grand success, but it will soon devolve upon the younger men of this society to take their places. we want you to help them at these meetings, and i was glad that you did so this forenoon. we hope that the young men will feel at home and that they will continue to take part, that they will ask questions and tell us about their successes and their failures, and i hope the older members will help make it pleasant for these young men. we will take up the subject of fruits this afternoon, and i am now going to call on a plum specialist, a man that we look to to tell us about the plum troubles in this state, mr. dewain cook, who will tell us about the "plums we already have and plums that are on the way--the brown rot a controlling factor," mr. dewain cook, of jeffers, minnesota. (see index.) discussion. the president: we have heard of some of the troubles of those that plant plum trees. the next speaker will probably tell us how to meet those troubles, how to combat the plum pocket fungus. we are fortunate to have with us a scientific man that makes a study of these subjects. i refer to professor stakman, of the university farm, st. paul. "the control and cure of brown rot, etc.," by prof. e. c. stakman. (see index.) discussion. the president: i will now call on mr. c. a. pfeiffer, of winona, to talk to us on "the surprise plum a success." (see index.) discussion. the president: "thirty years in raspberries," by a gentleman that knows how to make money by the raising of raspberries, mr. gust. johnson, of minneapolis. (see index.) discussion. the president: we will now call upon mr. simmons to tell us about "my orchard crop of --from start to finish." (see index.) the president: as you know, mr. simmons is one of the most successful orchardists in minnesota. do you wish to ask him any questions? discussion. mr. cashman: we are very much indebted to mr. simmons for this splendid paper and for his advice. we must hurry on to the next subject, which is "fruit growing a successful industry in minnesota," by a. w. richardson, howard lake, minn. (see index.) the president: i am sure you will all agree this was a very instructive and interesting paper. we have about three minutes in which to discuss it. discussion. two lantern talks followed--one by earl ferris of hampton, ia., on "evergreens," and one by a. g. tolaas on "diseases of the potato." december , , morning session. discussion on "the vegetable garden," led by h. j. baldwin, northfield, minn. (see index.) n. h. reeves, president minneapolis market gardeners' association, in the chair. president reeves: we will now have a paper on "growing beans and sweet corn," by p. b. marien, of st. paul. (see index.) discussion. the president: we will now listen to a paper on "growing vegetables for canning," by mr. m. h. hegerle, president of canning company, st. bonifacius. mr. hegerle not being present, we will ask mr. rasmussen, president of the wisconsin horticultural society, to tell us "how we grow vegetables in oshkosh, wisconsin." (applause.) (see index.) president reeves: is mr. hegerle in the room? mr. hegerle: yes. president reeves: then we will listen to mr. hegerle's talk on "growing vegetables for canning." (see index.) discussion. president reeves: "greenhouse vs. hotbeds, investment, care and result compared," by mr. f. h. gibbs. (see index.) president reeves: "growing the tomato," by c. w. purdham, market gardener, brooklyn center. (see index.) discussion. president reeves: we will now listen to a paper by e. w. record on "asparagus by the acre." (see index.) president reeves: you will be entertained with a demonstration of the coldpack method of canning fruits and vegetables by professor r. s. mackintosh and miss mary l. bull. after the demonstration the session adjourned until : o'clock p.m. december , , afternoon session. question and answer exercise on "the flower garden," led by mr. g. c. hawkins, of minneapolis. the president: i regret to have to announce that one of the big guns who was to be with us on this afternoon's program, professor j. c. whitten, of missouri, is unable to be with us on account of sickness. secretary latham received a letter from him just a short time ago, stating that he was sick abed and the doctor would not permit him to leave. we have another very able gentleman whom i will call upon at this time to take mr. whitten's place. his name is h. g. street, of hebron, ill., who will tell us about "marketing fruit direct." (applause.) (see index.) discussion. the president: we appreciate very much this fine paper by mr. street. we have another very important subject this afternoon. we will have a paper by mr. w. g. brierly, assistant horticulturist at the university farm, on "the manufacture of cider vinegar on the farm." (applause.) (see index.) reading by miss mary bonn. the president: we will now turn the meeting over to the garden flower society and request the president, mrs. ruff, to take the chair. (in the absence of mrs. ruff, mrs. e. w. gould presided.) mrs. gould: our first number will be a paper on the minnesota state flower, by mr. e. a. smith, of lake city. (applause.) mr. smith: i wish to add one word to the name of my paper and that is "flag," so that it will read "minnesota state flower and state flag." i have the two subjects so closely associated that i can not separate them. (see index.) discussion. mr. smith: i now come to the point in my paper. i move you, madam president, that the minnesota state horticultural society and its auxiliary societies through its secretary present the following resolution to the next legislature of the state for adoption at that time: resolved, that, whereas the state of minnesota has adopted a state flower which, on account of its being a native of the woods and bogs, is not generally known or recognized and, whereas, the state of minnesota in adopted by legislative vote a state flag, which emblem is not generally known to the residents of the state, and believing that familiarity with the state flower and the state flag will do good and create loyalty to the state and union, be it resolved, that we, the minnesota state horticultural society and auxiliary societies, do hereby petition and pray the state legislature of minnesota to have printed an attractive picture of the state flower and the state flag, properly framed, and present a copy of it to each public school of the state with the request that it be placed upon the walls of the school room, also that it be furnished free of cost to such other public buildings as may be deemed advisable. i trust, madam president, that this resolution will not only be seconded but it will meet with the unanimous approval of the society. mr. hawkins: i second the motion. mrs. gould: i do not know that we could vote with the horticultural society. this is not a meeting of that society but simply a meeting of the flower society. will some one enlighten me? miss white: madam president, if we could not vote as a society, could we not vote to recommend this resolution to the horticultural society? a member: yes, or to the two societies to be taken up at their business meeting, perhaps. miss white: recommend it be passed by the parent society. a member: madam president, why should it not be the flag itself and not a picture of the flag? mrs. gould: will you make that motion? miss white: i move that the resolution as presented by mr. smith be endorsed by this garden flower society and referred to the parent society for their adoption. i will offer that as a substitute. a member: i second the motion. motion was carried. mrs. gould: our next subject is "the pergola, its use and misuse, its convenience and expense," by charles h. ramsdell, of minneapolis. (see index.) mrs. gould: our next paper is "hardy perennials," by miss grace e. kimball, of waltham. (see index.) mrs. gould: this spring our president, mrs. ruff, offered prizes for the best papers on planting for color effect. the judges after reading these papers carefully selected three. miss starr is first, mrs. tillotson second and mrs. boyington third. these papers will now be read, miss starr giving the first one. (see index.) mrs. gould: mrs. tillotson will follow with her paper. (see index.) mrs. gould: mrs. wyman will read mrs. boyington's paper. mrs. boyington was unable to be with us today. (see index.) mrs. gould: mrs. countryman will read a paper written by mr. swanson on the judging of flowers. (see index.) mrs. gould: our meeting will close with professor washburn's talk on "bird conservation," which will be given with slides and music. professor washburn gives lantern talk. december , , morning session. half hour question and answer exercise on "truck crop and garden insects," led by professor wm. moore. (see index.) the president: the committee on fruit list has been working very hard trying to determine why we have particular varieties on the list and the changes, if any, that should be made. mr. j. p. andrews, the chairman of the committee, is the man who has been doing most of this work, and we will be glad to hear from him at this time. he is quite radical and in favor of many changes as you will note when he reads his report. mr. andrews: there are very few changes, and you know it has been the policy of this society rather to be conservative and not jump at anything until we know what it is. (reads new fruit list.) mr. andrews: i move its adoption. motion was seconded and carried unanimously. mr. andrews: i would like to call attention to the fact that a great many criticize that we do not change the list from time to time. i have thought that for a long time. two or three years ago there was a little move towards making it so we could change it. we are putting up some nice, big premiums for late winter apples and early winter apples, and there are undoubtedly some seedlings that would be all right to put upon the list if we knew more about them. it seems to me it is foolish to pay those premiums and then drop it right there. we do not know any more about whether they are hardy or not than if they had been grown in missouri. they may have grown well through some protection or favorable location, but when you commence grafting from a seedling it does not give satisfaction as a grafted tree and in different localities of the country. we want to know whether the new seedlings are hardy enough for this climate, not that they are simply of good quality to eat and perhaps will keep. we find that out here, but we do not find out anything about the hardiness. i think we ought to require a person who has produced a good seedling and gotten a good premium for it to send some of its scions to the superintendent of the fruit-breeding farm for testing and let him send it out to points north of here, between here and the northern part of the state, to see how much hardiness it has. hardiness is the quality we want more than anything else. we have gotten along so far with the hibernal, and we ought not to be so particular about quality as about hardiness. they ought to be required to give mr. haralson a few of the scions or buds so that he could try them there at the fruit-breeding farm and send them out to more northern locations under number, so that the originator will be just as well protected, and it will add so much to the value of the new seedling that he ought to be anxious to do it instead of holding it back as is now done. i move you that we have some arrangement whereby those drawing the premiums for the first and second qualities, keeping qualities and eating qualities, etc., shall be obliged to give to mr. haralson something to work on, either scions or buds of those varieties, so that they can be tested in that way and we know what they are, otherwise it leaves it for any one to introduce a new variety just about on the same ground that some other varieties have been introduced in the state, made a nice, large thing for the man that introduced them to the public and sold them but afterwards proved a great disappointment to almost every man who ever planted them. i move that we make such an arrangement, and we recommend that the state fair do the same. mr. horton: i second the motion. the president: it is moved and seconded that some arrangement be made requiring people who enter seedling apples for prizes at the horticultural meeting and the state fair to furnish scions or buds of such varieties to the central station to superintendent charles haralson that he may determine whether the trees are hardy and suitable for this climate or not. mr. andrews: we need this provision so that superintendent haralson could visit those trees and see what they looked like. mr. latham: i move that this matter be referred to the executive board to develop a workable plan to secure the purposes which mr. andrews has in view. the president: do you accept that as a substitute? mr. andrews: i would if it wasn't for this one thing. it was left that way a year or two ago, and it hasn't amounted to a thing. i do not care if it is left to the executive committee if mr. latham will vouch for its being put through. mr. latham: don't you remember as the result of that action we prepared forms to be used by those who examined the seedlings and decided what seedlings should be further tested and all that sort of thing. we have those forms for use if the committee wants to use them. mr. andrews: those ought to be so as to hold the premium money back until we get some material to test. mr. latham: i will say a few words. it is not such a simple matter as it seems. here come perhaps fifty people who have grown seedlings. we tell them we are very desirous that all the seedlings in the state that have promise of merit be shown. in the division of the premium money they do not get more than four or five dollars apiece, the best of them do not get more than eight or ten dollars. then here comes a resolution which says, "before you draw this money you have to furnish scions to the state fruit-breeding farm with the privilege of sending out to other stations in the state for testing." the average man who owns a seedling that is really a good thing begins to think about it, and we will not get what we want. if a man has a seedling that is better than the duchess and wealthy and has hardiness as well there are lots of buyers around here that have their eyes open. there has been a half a dozen i know of picked up in the last few years really first class, fine and hardy. those trees are being tested out. it would be a splendid thing if we could get a really good seedling, as mr. andrews says, but a resolution of this kind will not result in doing what we want to do. i would like to have it referred to the executive board so they can work out a practical plan. mr. andrews is a member of the board. i renew my motion. motion is seconded. the president: the original motion as given by mr. andrews is that those people offering seedlings for prizes, before they receive premiums-- mr. andrews: the first or second premiums, i said, because that would shut out all of the others. the president:--before receiving the first or second premiums, that they be required or that they will agree to furnish scions or buds for experimental purposes, these scions or buds to be sent to the central station to mr. haralson for the purpose of testing them out as to hardiness, under number. now, the amendment made by mr. latham is to the effect that this matter be referred to the executive committee. we will first put the amendment that it be referred to the executive committee to work out a practical plan. mr. heustis: and report next year. the president: that they work out a practical plan and put it in operation. was it your idea that we report next year or that the plan be put in operation? mr. latham: no objection to reporting next year. if they can work out a plan they can also put it in practical operation. mr. andrews: i do not think that i am after this now, gentlemen, any more than every one of you ought to be after it. we ought to know more about the hardiness of these trees. this list has stood almost identically the same list for eight or nine years, pretty nearly the same, and we are not getting ahead at all. we do not know any more about the hardiness of these trees we have been putting out than we did before. the amendment was carried. the president: this matter will therefore be referred to the executive board. the next in order is the annual report of the executive board, mr. j. m. underwood, of lake city, chairman. mr. underwood is sojourning in the sunny south. he has sent a report, however, to secretary latham, and mr. latham has requested me to read it. this was written at st. augustine, florida. (see index.) the president: any one wish to make any comments on this report? if not, we will pass to the report of the secretary, mr. latham. mr. latham: do you wish to have the report read or have it published later? it will be published anyway. mr. miller: let it be considered as read and approved and filed for publication. (see index.) motion is seconded and carried. the president: we will now have the report of george w. strand, treasurer. (see index.) the president: what will you do with the report of the treasurer? you have heard the reading of it. upon motion the report was adopted and filed. the president: the next order of business would be the paper by professor j. c. whitten but mr. whitten is not present, i am sorry to say, and i am now going to call on mr. o. m. heustis as he is present to tell us about his "dwarf apple trees." (see index.) the president: we are very much indebted to the doctor for his interesting talk. is professor mackintosh in the room? i was going to ask him to read a paper on "successful cold storage plant for apples," sent in by mr. hanson. i am sorry that mr. hanson is not able to be present, he is ill at home. professor mackintosh not being present, paper was read by mr. clarence wedge. the president: mr. wedge will have a word for us at this time. he has a suggestion to make. mr. wedge: ladies and gentlemen, fellow members: once a year our society has been in the habit of bestowing the highest honor within its gift upon some of the members that have honored the society for so many years with their services and have made themselves in that way so valuable to the public that we feel that they deserve the highest recognition which we are able to give them as a society. it becomes my great pleasure at this time, standing in the place of my friend, mr. underwood, who is absent, to propose the following names to you which have been recommended by the executive board for this honor. there are five of them, the names are: john bisbee, of madelia; charles haralson, our superintendent at excelsior; mr. f. w. kimball, of waltham; mr. john r. cummins, of minneapolis, and mr. s. h. drum, of owatonna. mr. bisbee has undertaken and is carrying on one of the largest experiments in seedling apples in the northwest. he seems to be a very quiet member among us, but he is one of the working members who are doing the things that the society most needs. i do not need to tell you anything about the work of charles haralson, the superintendent of our fruit-breeding farm at zumbra heights. his work has approved itself to us all so much that i think he really deserves the statement that was made by one of our older members that he has outdone burbank. he certainly has for this part of the country. mr. f. w. kimball, a very dear personal friend of mine, has been carrying on experiments in orcharding for the past twenty-five years about, in the neighborhood of austin, minnesota, and has now removed to waltham. his experiments there in top-working have been among the most useful and among the largest that have been undertaken in any part of the state. he perhaps deserve the same reputation in our state that our friend, mr. philips, has in wisconsin. i do not want to say this to disparage anybody else, but he has certainly made a very large and very valuable addition to our knowledge of the value of top-working. mr. john r. cummins, of minneapolis, whom we have with us this morning, is one who has been a very persistent experimenter in all lines. i remember particularly going to his place some ten or fifteen years ago and going over the remarkable collection of ornamental trees and plants that he was growing, many of which i did not think it was possible to grow at albert lea, and there he was succeeding with them and developing them at a point miles north of us. we certainly owe him a deal of credit for his perseverance and his enterprise. we are glad that he is with us today. mr. s. h. drum, of owatonna, is one who has also been one of our most faithful members, whose experiments have been in fruits, and he has brought great encouragement to us in the southern part of minnesota. he has now moved to owatonna and, not being content with the best, he has started out with a new plantation with two kinds of fruit, and i think he is topping the market with the very best. mr. president, i move that these names be added to the list of honorary life members of the minnesota horticultural society. there are several seconds to the motion. the president: a very fitting tribute, i am sure. are there any remarks? the name of mr. cummins calls my attention to the fact that about twelve years ago he presented this society with the gavel that i hold in my hand. this gavel is made of black walnut grown by mr. cummins on his own place. i do not suppose that he made the gavel himself, but it is made of material raised on his own farm, and when this gavel comes down good and hard i want you to think of mr. cummins. are you ready for the question, that those gentlemen suggested be made honorary life members? motion is carried unanimously. the president: i am now going to call on the young men from the university farm who are contestants for the gideon memorial fund. (see index.) contestants thereupon read their essays. the president: i will now ask the judges to retire and decide which of these young men is entitled to this prize money. for the benefit of some of the newer members who may not understand the situation i will say that some years ago a number of the members of this society believed that we should commemorate the good work done by peter m. gideon. a sum of money was raised to be known as the gideon memorial fund. it was decided that that money be placed at interest and that the interest derived therefrom be offered as prizes to young men attending our agricultural school or college. they were to deliver addresses at the meetings of the minnesota horticultural society, and the young men preparing the best papers and making the best talks would be awarded this prize money, the accrued interest from this fund. so we have annually three young men from the agricultural college that present papers or make addresses on subjects that are of importance to this society. this is a memorial for peter m. gideon, who has done such splendid work for the fruit raisers of the northwest. while we are waiting for the report of the judges i will ask mr. ludlow to come forward and tell us about a letter that he received from peter m. gideon, november , , and which was accompanied by mr. gideon's last catalog. judges announce their decision. (applause.) _premiums awarded to gideon memorial contestants_: . the plum curculio--edward a. nelson. . standardizing the potato--a. w. aamodt. . marketing fruit at mankato--p. l. keene. the president: i am now going to call on some of the delegates to this meeting. mr. george h. whiting, representing the south dakota horticultural society, we will ask him to come forward and say a word. mr. whiting: mr. president, ladies and gentlemen: i do not know why mr. cashman should ask me to come forward. i have not very much to say and could have said it back there just as well. perhaps you will wish i had stayed back there. i will say it is a pleasure to me to be with the minnesota horticulturists again. i have met with you quite a number of years but not in the capacity of delegate. i did not expect to be a delegate this time, thought i would leave the place for some younger man, but there seemed to be no other present, and so i had to accept. i rather felt as though i was not competent or did not care to take the responsibility of making a report. i am getting old and a little tired, and i do not like to do so much of that kind of work as i used to. however, i presume i will have to do the best i can and let it go at that. i will say you have a wonderful society here. it is a wonder to me sometimes how you keep up the interest, how to keep up so much interest in this work. there is no other state in the union that has such a good, live society. i attended a great many of the state societies last year. i had the pleasure of attending the missouri state society. i can say that you discount them and then some. an old state like missouri and a fruit state, you might say, it is supposed to be in the fruit belt, and still you fellows up north here have all the vim and the snap and determination to do things that those fellows do not do at all. it is more in the man, i think sometimes, than it is in the location. it used to be said that minnesota was not a fruit state, you could not grow apples in minnesota. well, i believe mr. gideon said that if he could not grow apples in minnesota he would not live there, something to that effect, and he did not intend to leave the state either. now, you all know what success he made, and you that follow have a great deal to be thankful for the work he did, and you are hoping--and i presume you will be successful--to obtain an apple that is even better than the wealthy. i am glad that you take so much interest in this matter of new seedlings. it will surely develop something some day, there is no question about it. of course, you cannot tell when, and you cannot tell who will be the lucky man to get the thousand dollars, but undoubtedly there is more at stake than the thousand dollars; that is a very small item. i think i will not take up your time. it is getting on, and i have not thought of making any talk, have nothing prepared and nothing in my head. i thank you for your attention. (applause.) the president: i am going to call on our good friend, professor hansen, secretary of the south dakota horticultural society, who has done so much for us. mr. wedge: mr. hansen is not here. i just want to say a word that might interest some of the younger members of the society in regard to our friend who has just left the floor, mr. whiting, of yankton. he is the original dakota nurseryman, who went out in the days of the pioneers before i think there was any such thing as south dakota, and he has stayed on the job ever since. that is not so wonderful, for others, lots of people, have stayed on the job, but he has made money out of the business and got rich. i think he deserves some very special praise. (applause.) the president: is professor waldron in the room? here he comes. he is the leading light of north dakota and a gentleman who has been with us before. (applause.) mr. waldron: these people will think north dakota is a dark place if this is a leading light. what is the occasion of this? the president: tell us your troubles. mr. waldron: when we had a good wheat crop we did not have any troubles. we forget our other troubles whenever we can get something like million bushels of wheat. our horticultural troubles have been quite numerous. we had a frost every year, including july. we started in on the ninth day of june with a frost that killed everything in sight except a few cottonwood trees and things like that, but all of our tomatoes, which were in blossom by the way at that time because we had a favorable spring, and plums and apples went the same way. i think a few of the late blooming plums managed to survive. the frost in july did not hurt very much but the frost in august certainly finished us. mr. latham: the reporter is taking all that. mr. waldron: our reputation is so good, we can own up to calamity once in a while. of course, if our reputation was not better than others we would have to keep it dark, but inasmuch as nature favors us so continuously we can own up when we get bumped. the august frost put our corn out of business, so we are around with long fingers trying to steal seed corn. however, a great many of the people of the state are looking forward to the matter of planting trees as never before, and our farmers and citizens are taking more interest in general tree planting and beautifying the homes than in previous years. i had this term a large class of students in landscape gardening. they will go out to the places where they live and encourage the planting of trees and landscape gardening there. in this matter of general ornamentation the frosts or other calamities have not discouraged us. i think there were more trees grown and more ornamental work done this year than in any two previous years because the men have the money and are willing to spend it. i was out on a farm last week where a man insisted on buying a thousand evergreen trees. the nurseryman tried to sell him only five hundred, but he would not have it that way. he wanted a thousand. he said he had the money and was going to pay for them; so he planted the thousand trees. we do not recommend such rashness on the part of our farmers, but it shows when a farmer insists on having a thousand trees he is taking the beautifying of his grounds seriously. this is perhaps an extreme case, but we have others working along the same line. i certainly enjoy the privilege of being with you people here again as i have for the last quarter of a century, twenty-five years ago, when i was made an honorary member of this society, and i do not know of any prouder moment in my whole career than when you saw fit to honor me in that manner. i certainly would never forgive myself for the balance of the year if i failed to attend these meetings. (applause.) mr. philips: waldron is too modest. he has not told the best thing he ever did in north dakota, so i shall. i visited him a good many years ago, and he had some interesting boys there, especially the oldest one, and i told him that if he was going to keep ahead of that boy he would have to hustle, and now that boy at nineteen has the ability to go to one of the southern states as a professor. so he didn't tell us the greatest thing he ever did. maybe some of the credit is due to his wife; that is the way it is at my house. (applause.) mr. waldron: i am so far behind that boy i am sort of jealous. i do not mention it. the president: the secretary of the wisconsin horticultural society is with us, professor cranefield. is he in the room? mr. cranefield: mr. graves, of sturgeon bay, is the duly accredited delegate to the society and probably you want to hear from him. the president: we heard from him two or three days ago, and we will hear from him again, but just now we want you to give us a few words. this is professor cranefield, who has contributed on previous occasions to the success of our meetings. (applause.) (see index.) the president: i will now call on professor mackintosh, who is going to read a paper at this time. mr. mackintosh: yesterday i had to start the ball rolling as a substitute for a man from washington, and with the assistance of miss bull we kept most of you here until after o'clock. today i am put ahead of the program, so you won't hear me tomorrow afternoon. the subject is, "bringing the producer and consumer together." mr. mackintosh reads paper. (applause.) the president: i regret very much that time will not permit us to discuss this very able paper. secretary latham has just called my attention to the fact that there has been but very few tickets bought for the banquet this evening. you understand it takes time to prepare food, and he has to announce just how many people would be present, and i sincerely hope that those of you who intend to attend the banquet (and i trust that will be every one present) will get your tickets immediately. it is the very best part of our program. please get your tickets so that secretary latham may know how to prepare for you. at this time recess was taken until : o'clock p.m. december , , afternoon session. discussion on "the topworked orchard," led by a. j. philips, wisconsin. (see index.) the president: the next order of business will be the election of officers for the coming year. the secretary just handed me this slip which gives you an idea of the requirements in order to be eligible to vote for officers. (reads extracts from constitution.) the first will be the selection of a president for the coming year. nominations are in order. mr. bradley: mr. president, it is said that republics are ungrateful, but it is not necessary for horticultural societies to be ungrateful. it has been, i think, in the past, and i hope it may continue to be in the future, the policy of this society to recognize the services of its officers and so we, i think, are justified in recognizing the distinguished and efficient services of our present presiding officer. i take great pleasure in placing in nomination for president of this society the honorable thomas e. cashman. (applause.) nomination is duly seconded and there are no other nominations. mr. crosby: i move that the secretary be instructed to cast the unanimous ballot of this society for thomas e. cashman as president of this society. motion is seconded and carried. mr. cashman: friends, i deeply appreciate this honor that you have conferred upon me. i am always ready to contribute my mite towards the service of the people, but i am never happy unless i am convinced that i am able to give all that the position demands. your selection of me as your presiding officer for the sixth time convinces me that you are at least satisfied with what i have been able to do for you and this, i assure you, makes me extremely happy. i will endeavor to show my appreciation by doing all that is within my power to further the interests of this society made up of men and women that cannot be excelled for intelligence, cleanliness of habits and honorable and right living. i know a great many horticulturists, not only of this state but of other states, and they, i assure you--and you know it yourselves--are far above the average. i therefore deem it a great honor to be known as the president of one of the best organizations, i do not care whether it is horticultural or otherwise, in this country today. i thank you. (applause.) the president: i find there are two members of the executive board to be elected at this time, one to succeed professor leroy cady and another mr. r. a. wright, whose terms of office expire at this time. mr. cady and mr. wright are nominated to succeed themselves, nominations are seconded and upon motion the secretary cast the unanimous ballot of the society for mr. cady and mr. wright as members of the executive board for the coming three years. the president: the next will be the selection of a treasurer. mr. george strand is renominated, nomination is seconded and on motion the secretary cast the ballot of the society for mr. george w. strand for treasurer. the president: the secretary places in nomination the following men, as vice presidents of this organization. i will ask him to name the list. vice-presidents: c. e. snyder, st cong. dist., preston; s. d. richardson, nd cong. dist., winnebago; j. k. andrews, rd cong. dist., faribault; b. wallner, jr., th cong. dist., st. paul; f. h. nutter, th cong. dist., minneapolis; matt. tschida, th cong. dist., st. cloud; g. a. anderson, th cong. dist., renville; j. kimball, th cong. dist., duluth; a. l. hanson, th cong. dist., ada; a. w. richardson, th cong. dist., howard lake. secretary latham reads names of nominees for vice presidents and places them in nomination. nomination is seconded and upon motion the secretary is instructed to cast the ballot of the society for the persons named as vice-presidents. the president: the next number will be a speech by mr. s. p. crosby, chairman of the committee that was selected by this association to go before the legislature at the last session and try to secure an appropriation sufficient to build a home for this society. (see index.) the next gentleman on the program is our friend clarence wedge, who is going to tell us of his trip out to yellowstone park. (see index.) mr. wedge: not exactly to yellowstone park. we came within a day's drive of the yellowstone, but our interest and enthusiasm went in another direction this year. mr. wedge reads paper. the president: "peonies new and old," by mr. a. m. brand, of faribault, one of the best peony specialists in the state. a member: and of the world. (applause.) (see index.) discussion. the president: we have another noted horticulturist with us today from illinois. you have all heard of the senator dunlap strawberry. the originator is with us today, senator dunlap, of savoy, illinois. he will be on the program tomorrow. i will be pleased to have the senator come forward and give us a word of greeting. mr. dunlap: i hardly think it is necessary for me to come forward. i will be on the program a couple of times, and you will hear all that you care to from me. i am very glad to be here with you. it has been some time since i met with your society, but i remember well the very pleasant time i had at that time. i came this week from the michigan horticultural society, in session at grand rapids, and i was very loath to leave such an interesting meeting, but i knew when i came to minneapolis i would be in just as interesting a meeting. i wish to disabuse your minds of the statements made by your honorable chairman through an error. i am not the originator of the senator dunlap strawberry. the reverend mr. reisenour (?) is the originator of the strawberry, and he thought it was a thrifty, strong, healthy plant and would stand the name of dunlap, so he gave it to the strawberry. (laughter and applause.) the president: i stand corrected. i have been misinformed, although i think you carry the honor. our time is up. i have been requested to announce that the lantern talk given by mrs. james jennison will take place at the close of the woman's auxiliary meeting. some very talented ladies are to speak this afternoon, and i hope you will all stay and listen to them. i will now turn the meeting over to the women's auxiliary and request mrs. f. m. powers, who will preside, to take the chair. mrs. powers: just a continuation, i hope, of our good program that was begun this afternoon, and we will now listen to mrs. clarence wedge, of albert lea, on the "value of horticulture to the farm." mrs. wedge is not a stranger to horticulture nor to this society. (see index.) mrs. powers: some one has said that the enemy of art is the enemy of nature, and art is nothing more than the highest sagacity and attainment of human nature. we have with us mrs. cyrus w. wells, who has had considerable experience in this line and will give us the practical side. mrs. wells spoke on "art made practical." mrs. powers: "the day's work," by mrs. john b. irwin. mrs. powers: according to our program we were to have one speaker tomorrow morning because we thought she could not be here at this time, but mrs. dunlap is here and will favor us now, if you please. talk by mrs. a. m. dunlap on "better methods in the home." mrs. powers: the last number on our program will be "the highway beautiful," by mrs. jennison. mrs. jennison gave a lantern talk. president cashman: we have a very important question to be considered this afternoon, and, fortunately for us, it is going to be taken care of by one of our best men--"breeding for hardiness"--something this gentleman has been doing all his life. he has met with a great deal of success, and we are profiting by it. that gentleman is professor n. e. hansen, of brookings, south dakota. (applause.) (see index.) the president: mr. c. e. older has some suggestions to make, and we will give him an opportunity to talk at this time. mr. older: mr. president, and ladies and gentlemen: in a meeting of some of the leading exhibitors of the state fair yesterday they expressed quite a bit of dissatisfaction with the present manner of awarding premiums on commercial apples, that is, boxes of apples and one-layer boxes. the point was that it would be a good thing if the state could be divided so that the sections which are more favorable for the development of the apple would be in a section by themselves, and the balance of the state compete by itself. the following resolution was formulated to bring before this society, asking for their opinion oh the subject and discussion: resolved, that we ask the state fair board that the state be divided into two sections for the purpose of exhibit at the state fair, making two classes, one being the wealthy apple and the other class comprising all other varieties of box and one layer apples, the state to be divided as follows: beginning at the mississippi river on the north line of goodhue county and running west on the north line of goodhue, rice, le sueur and nicollet counties, thence running south on the west line of nicollet, blue earth and faribault. all those counties lying east and south of these lines are to constitute the first district, the balance of the state being known as the second district. we also ask the state fair board that first, second, third, fourth and fifth premiums be offered on all apples, and on all the next ten lower exhibits a certain premium be paid to all deserving exhibits. and we ask that premiums be offered on everbearing strawberries showing both bearing plants and fruit of the progressive, superb, and any other varieties. we also ask the state fair board that they make some practical arrangements to get the horticultural exhibits moved to the state fair from the depots in a more satisfactory and cheaper manner than the present arrangements. i move you that this resolution be adopted. motion was seconded and carried unanimously. meeting adjourned. december , , morning session. the president: we are to have a talk on "spraying the orchard," by senator dunlap, of illinois, this morning. (see index.) discussion. mr. crosby: we thank senator dunlap for his able talk. i think that is the way to progress. if we do not do things right up-to-date we can learn how to do better from a competent man. the president: we all enjoyed the able talk of senator dunlap. he is president of the orchard association of illinois. he is considered one of the most practical men down there, and we are very fortunate in having him with us and to listen to his valuable talk and experience. (applause.) we will now listen to professor richard wellington, who will tell us about "orcharding in minnesota." (applause.) (see index.) discussion. the president: i am going to suggest a little matter at this time which i am sure you will all approve of. it has been said by hundreds of men and women attending these meetings who have had an opportunity of enjoying the talks and papers and splendid program given here that we had the greatest horticultural society in the world. it is true that we have the largest membership of any horticultural society in the united states and, i presume, of the world. you will all agree with me that is due to the efforts of one man to a large extent. that man has been in our service and looked after our interests for twenty-five years. he is at his best all the time, cordial, kind, using good judgment, prevents friction among us, always working for the best interests of everybody belonging to the society and the interests of the state. as i said before, he has served us twenty-five years, and i think it only fitting at this time that we should show our appreciation in a way that will appeal better than words. it has been suggested that we purchase some little token and present it this afternoon. it is up to you as to how much you want to give or whether you want to give anything or not, but mr. crosby and mr. brackett will be at the door as you pass out this noon, and they will probably have a hat there and you can drop in what you want to, and we will buy something for him and present it this afternoon. (great applause.) the president: now we will turn the meeting over to the plant breeders' auxiliary. i regret very much to have to announce that our good friend, clarence wedge, president of this auxiliary, is ill this afternoon and unable to occupy the chair. i understand there is no vice-president of the auxiliary, and i have been requested to continue as chairman during this meeting. we have a very important program, one of the very best we have had. some of our best men are on this program and i hope you will all stay and attend the balance of this meeting. i am going to call on our good friend, charles haralson, superintendent of the zumbra heights farm, to tell us about "new fruits originated at the state fruit-breeding farm." (applause.) (see index.) the president: professor c. b. waldron, of north dakota, finds it necessary to leave in a very short time, and he will therefore address you at this time instead of this afternoon. he will tell us about "running out of varieties." (see index.) we will now listen to the report of the committee on examination of the minnesota state fruit-breeding farm, dr. o. m. huestis, chairman. (see index.) the president: the next speaker needs no introduction to a minnesota audience, as the word "hansen" is a household word and particularly in every agricultural community within the state, and the hansen hybrids are eagerly sought for by practically everybody who plants trees. professor hansen has done a good work and is still accomplishing things. he will tell us what he has done during . i regret the time is so short, but we will get mr. hansen to tell us more about his work. "newer fruits," prof. n. e. hansen, brookings, s. d. afternoon session, at : . half-hour exercise, questions and answers on "increasing the fertility of the land," led by dr. f. j. alway. (see index.) the president: mr. crosby has a word for us, and before continuing with the regular program i will ask him to come forward at this time. mr. crosby: gentlemen of the horticultural society: mr. latham, please come this way. i have the honor, in behalf of the society, to inform you, as you probably know, that this is your silver wedding, but we are going it one better and make it a golden wedding for you today. we have come to the conclusion, you have been with this society for twenty-five years, and we think it is best that you be watched and chained. i have the honor of presenting to you, in behalf of the society, a gold watch and chain. that is all i have to say. (applause.) mr. philips: now for a speech. mr. latham: wait a moment, i will see if it is worth it. (laughter.) i hate to part with this old turnip. i have carried it forty-five years now, never broke a crystal on it, even. it is a good faithful companion. i do not know what i will do with this now unless i put it away in a safety vault somewhere. i do not think the horticultural society expects me to make a speech; they know i am not a talker. i could say something if the room were smaller, but my voice does not seem to carry very well. i am a good deal in the fix of the steamboat that carried passengers on the river up and down to the camp meeting there. they had a whistle on that boat that made a tremendous noise but when they blew it the boat had to stop. (laughter.) if i talk loud enough to be heard here, my thinking works do not operate. (laughter.) i hardly know how to express my appreciation of this gift, as showing the sentiment of the society towards me. of course, i have tried to do what i could for the society. sometimes, perhaps, i have gone a little too far, something like the man who was appointed in charge of a flag station. he had never done any such service as that, but he understood the business of a flagman was to stop trains. the first train that came along was a heavy express train, eight or ten or a dozen coaches, and he rushed out and flagged the train. the conductor got off, all in a hurry, and looked around. he did not see anybody but the flagman. he said: "where are your passengers?" "well," he says, "there ain't any passengers to get on, but i didn't know but somebody would like to get off." (laughter.) sometimes, perhaps, i have overreached myself here. twenty-five years is quite a while to look back, and as i look over the faces of those present i can scarcely see one that was a member of the society twenty-five years ago when i became secretary. mr. long in his address before you at the banquet last night spoke of the meeting that he first attended of the horticultural society, held in what is now the metropolitan life, on the ground floor, and he spoke of the surroundings there. no fruit on exhibition. if a man had two or three apples in his pocket, he showed them around on the sly as though it was a crime to let people know there was such a thing and that he had a few at home he could eat. quite a remarkable thing! that was the meeting of the horticultural society in which i was first elected secretary, and i recall well all the circumstances connected with it. so many of our members that i thought so much of in those days are gone. of those who were present at that meeting, the only person left that i recall is mr. underwood. i had forgotten mr. long was there; i think he reported the meeting; i guess the first of our meetings that he reported, too. i am not going to make any more of an address. president vincent is here and will address you. i thank you very much indeed. (applause.) mr. vincent: i am very glad that i got in in time to be a witness to this delightful and gratifying little ceremony which has just taken place. i can not imagine anything more satisfying to a man who, in spite of all his modesty, knows he has done for twenty-five years good, genuine, valuable work than to have other people intimate in so pleasant a way that they are not entirely oblivious to what he has done. it always does one good to see efficient work recognized, and, while i cannot own, i am sorry to say, to an intimate personal acquaintance with mr. latham, i have come into association with him often enough to be able to share a little what you feel toward him and toward what he has done. the president: i am sure you will all be delighted to hear from the very popular president of one of the greatest universities in the united states, president george e. vincent of minnesota state university, who will now address you. (see index.) the president: i am sure we are very much indebted to president vincent for this most scholarly and delightful speech. we hope he can continue with us during the afternoon. owing to the fullness of our program this forenoon we are unable to discuss one of our most important subjects, and that was "the elements of hardiness," by prof. m. j. dorsey, member of the fruit breeding section, of the university farm. he will discuss that question at this time. (applause.) (see index.) the president: senator dunlap, who so delightfully entertained us this morning and instructed us on the subject of "spraying" will now speak to us on the subject of "packing and marketing apples." (see index.) discussion. the president: i am now going to call on a gentleman that hasn't said a word during our discussions and that is mr. weld, and request him to recite his favorite poem. mr. weld recites "the three warnings." the president: we have had a very interesting session, had a good time, everything has gone very nicely, but somehow there has been one thing lacking. the old friends from iowa have not been with us with one exception, mr. ferris, who gave us the lantern talk on tuesday, but friend gardner, patten, sherman and several others (i believe sherman has been in town, but we have not seen him here) have been absent. the reason for it is that the iowa people have been holding their annual meeting. but i am very glad that mr. gardner is with us this afternoon, and i am now going to call upon mr. charles f. gardner, of osage, iowa. (applause.) mr. gardner: mr. president, ladies and gentlemen: i have attended your meetings so long that when i appear here before you i feel as though i had got home. i have attended every meeting of this society except two since this society held its annual meeting at lake city the last time. that is when i joined the society, and since that time a great many things have taken place. think it is seventeen or eighteen years ago, in that neighborhood. i was absent two years. i went to new mexico, i went there to die, but luckily i escaped and came back home. i want to say this, that when i got back to this part of the country, if there was anything i thanked god for it was that i was spared to get back. i think there is no necessity of emigrating either from minnesota or iowa, and people that have traveled over the west and made a tour extending along the pacific coast and finally get back into this country, this latitude, are generally pretty well satisfied and stay here. that is, providing they didn't spend all their money and can not get back here. some of our citizens are now stranded out there and will come home whenever they can. in regard to the progress of horticulture in this length of time, i know you are very much interested in the work of mr. patten and a good many of you have trees that he originated. i want to say that the people of our state of iowa have not really gotten their eyes open yet in horticultural ways. they only appropriated for our use $ , . we have five societies, the state society--and then the state is divided into four sections. in the last few years our state society has appropriated to carry on, to help mr. patten carry on his work, we have appropriated and used $ , . before that time our society allowed $ . a year for station fees for quite a little while, then before that $ . a year. last year we appeared before the legislature and tried to get some help to keep up that work and informed them that our money was getting short and that unless it was done we could not carry on that work. the legislature hardly winked an eye at our request. no money was appropriated, and of all the things that i ever hated to help do last week was to discontinue the charles city station. for fear that some one might think we had gone back on mr. patten and that the work he has done will be lost to the world, i will say there is nothing of that kind. there is not a member of our society but would do anything in the world for mr. patten, to help him. it is just simply a fact that the money of our society is so nearly exhausted we had hardly enough to pay for the expenses of our meeting last week. we had a splendid meeting and never had such an exhibit of apples before. perhaps we may have had as many apples on exhibit but not so many perfect ones. on the first opportunity we have we are going to see that mr. patten does not suffer. i would say that they are in pretty good shape to take care of mr. patten down there for a year or two, and we will not lose the valuable work he has done. as the meeting is drawing to a close i want to say in closing that if there is anything that does me good it is to come up here and look into your faces once a year, and i wish that i could see more of you. there is a kind of bond of brotherhood and a feeling that when i am here i am among friends and i have found that to be the case for almost twenty years. thank you. (applause.) the president: i have just discovered a question here that should be answered, if there is anyone here that can do so. "in my locality the basswood and box elders are infested with a scale-like substance that looks like cotton. most of the trees of the varieties named are infested. what is it and is there a remedy?" mr. kellogg: that is no doubt the cottonwood bug that infects the soft maple. they come and work for about three years and then some insect comes in and cleans them out. the president: what is the remedy, mr. kellogg? mr. kellogg: you can use any spray for this bug. on forest trees it is out of reach, but arsenical spray will get them if you can reach them. mr. warner: cotton maple scale. professor waldron recommends to spray with crude oil when the trees are dormant. we find it best to cut it back. the cottony appearance does not show until the second year and then the scale has really done its injury. the time to cut it, you will find a lot of small scales on the young twigs, and if they are cut off and a new growth forced you get rid of it. the president: i understand prof. broderick of the college of winnipeg has been here. if he is here i wish he would come forward and give us a word. i understand he is the delegate from winnipeg. (applause.) mr. broderick: mr. president, ladies and gentlemen: before going away, i would like, as a member of the manitoba society to express to you my great pleasure at being here and taking part in your excellent meeting. i had planned for a number of years to come down but circumstances have been such that i have been unable to be here. i might say that we in manitoba, about miles north of here, are interested in horticulture as well as you people in minnesota. we have a fraternal interest in the work you are doing. a number of our members, i might say, are members of your society, and we are getting your excellent publication and following the work you are doing. our problems up there are very similar to yours, and we feel that you can give us greater information than we can obtain from any other source. we appreciate the excellent work you are doing, and it has been of great interest to me to see the wide range of subjects you are covering. i was particularly interested this morning in the session of the plant breeders, as that is a line of work that we feel up in manitoba has some possibilities for us. in a horticultural line we are confined very largely to the hardy varieties. we are working on improving the hardiness of our varieties, and the fruit growing as it is carried on with us very largely in a small way by the farmers and others interested through our province. we feel, however, that there are possibilities, and we are only too glad to get any information from you as to the work and progress that is being made in the matter of hardy fruits. we have been endeavoring to improve our native plums. i have had the station there at winnipeg, and in connection with one of our nurserymen, mr. buchanan, we have been selecting hardy plums for a number of years, and we hope from that stock in crossing with the japanese plums, as professor hansen suggested this morning, to prove that there are possibilities even as far north as manitoba. i have heard mr. buchanan say on several occasions that he thought the possibilities of plum growing were fairly good in manitoba. in small fruits we have possibilities. the currants and raspberries grow very well. we have not done so much in strawberries, but i know there are a number of growers in parts of the province that are making some very successful experiments in strawberries, and we hope in a few years to produce strawberries of a fairly good quality. the president: how is your wild strawberry? mr. broderick: i find that the wild strawberry does very well. we have around winnipeg, where the college is located, a wild strawberry that does very well, and it is possible that we can do some work on improving the wild strawberry. we are looking to our hardy native fruits and the hardy importations we are making to establish varieties which are hardy and suited to our conditions. we are interested also in the work done in tree planting, and i followed with interest the discussion this morning as to windbreak protection. that has been a problem with us. the government of the dominion has taken it over, and we find it is working out all right. our forestry station at indian head sends out lots of trees free each year. these are planted, and they have a system of inspection. certain requirements are made in regard to the preparation of the soil, methods of planting and caring for the plantation afterwards. a member: what are the majority of your forest trees? mr. broderick: forest trees are largely deciduous, the manitoba maple, the ash, the elm and the willows. i was pleased to hear some one this morning mention the golden willow. that is one of the best trees we have. the manitoba maple, of course grows all over that northern country, but we find that during recent years it has been becoming seriously infected with various kinds of pests. this year the aphis were serious. we are discouraging to a certain extent the manitoba maple and planting other trees and are getting better results. the ash, the elm and willow are doing well. with the conifer trees, the scotch pine, the white spruce, the balsam fir and the ridgepole pine are those which are growing. the improving of home grounds is another question that is interesting us. i do not think there is anything in this western country that is going to do more to make homes than this. so we are interested in all the work you are carrying on, and we appreciate the opportunity of coming here and meeting with you and listening to the excellent discussions you have. i might say that our annual meeting is held in february and if any of you happen to stray up there we would be only too glad to have you join with us. i thank you very much for the many courtesies extended to me on behalf of the manitoba society. (applause.) (time was now taken up by two minute speeches of different members, after which the meeting was declared closed.) records of executive board for . record of meeting held in secretary's office : p.m. tuesday, dec. , . there were present thos. e. cashman, leroy cady, clarence wedge, j. p. andrews, r. a. wright and a. w. latham. in the absence of the chairman of the board, mr. j. m. underwood, clarence wedge was elected chairman pro tem. the following accounts were examined and approved and orders drawn in payment therefor. geo. w. strand, treasurer, premiums annual meeting, , $ . . geo. w. strand, treasurer, premiums summer meeting, , $ . . a. w. latham, expenses secretary's office from june , , to dec. , , $ , . . it was decided to present to the annual meeting of the society for action the following named persons for honorary life membership: john bisbee, madelia; j. r. cummins, minneapolis; s. h. drum, owatonna; f. w. kimball, waltham; chas. haralson, excelsior. an appropriation of fifty-three dollars and - ($ . ) was made for the benefit of the minnesota forestry association. adjourned sine die, clarence wedge, chairman, pro tem. a. w. latham, secretary. * * * * * record of meeting of the board held in west hotel : p.m. friday, dec. , . there were present at this meeting thos. e. cashman, leroy cady, clarence wedge, j. p. andrews, r. a. wright and a. w. latham. thos. e. cashman was elected chairman pro tem. j. m. underwood was elected chairman of the board for , and a. w. latham was elected secretary at a salary of eighteen hundred dollars ($ , . ) per annum. the salary of the treasurer was fixed at twenty-five dollars ($ . ) per annum. the board having under consideration the recommendation of grades of apples for use in packing for market, a committee consisting of clarence wedge, j. p. andrews and r. a. wright was appointed to take the question under consideration with authority to act for the board. the sum of eight hundred dollars ($ . ) was appropriated as a revolving fund for the use of the secretary of the society during the year . the following resolution was presented by clarence wedge and unanimously adopted by the board. "resolved: that the board favors the exclusive distribution of new varieties of fruits of probable commercial value originating at the state fruit-breeding farm to members of the society and the trial stations of the state as at present practiced. "resolved further--that when a variety of fruits originating at the fruit breeding farm has been sufficiently tested to establish its commercial value in the state, it shall be given a name and the state fruit-breeding farm shall cease to propagate it for distribution." adjourned sine die, thos. e. cashman, chairman, pro tem. a. w. latham, secretary. * * * * * record of meeting held in the secretary's office june , . all members of the board were present except r. a. wright. mr. john p. andrews was elected by the board as its representative in connection with the assessment of damages on account of nursery stock to be destroyed in certain minnesota nurseries to protect from injury threatened by a disease called "white pine blister rust." having under consideration the trial stations connected with the society it was decided to discontinue the station located at madison, minn., and locate a station at new auburn, minn., r. f. hall, supt., and another at deerwood, minn., l. p. hall, supt. the following resolution pertaining to farmers' institutes was unanimously adopted. "resolved: that in our judgment the carrying out of the spirit and purpose of the motion adopted by the farmers' institute board, sept. , , pertaining to 'the horticultural work on each institute corps'--to quite literally--cannot be fully performed except by providing for each institute corps some one who should in whole or in part represent horticulture, and who should be interested and willing to serve the horticultural society as indicated in said motion; and further, that reasonable opportunity for such service should be allowed at each place where an institute corps may be working." it was decided to appropriate $ . to be applied to the uses of the minnesota state forestry association. the accounts of the secretary from nov. , , to june , , amounting to $ , . , were examined and approved, and an order drawn for the payment of that amount from the treasury, an equal amount to be covered into the treasury from the hands of the secretary. adjourned sine die, j. m. underwood, chairman executive board. a. w. latham, secretary. additions to society library, . (for preceding list see page , report ). case. no. am. pomological socy., an. rep., am. pomological socy., an. rep., am. pomological socy., an. rep., *cyclopedia of american agri., bailey. vol. *cyclopedia of american agri., bailey. vol. *cyclopedia of american agri., bailey. vol. *cyclopedia of american agri., bailey. vol. *cyclopedia of practical hort., lowther, . vol. *cyclopedia of practical hort., lowther, . vol. *cyclopedia of practical hort., lowther, . vol. *cyclopedia of practical hort., lowther, . vol. *plums of new york, hedrick, *grapes of new york, hedrick, from library of wyman elliot: bureau of ethnology. j. w. powell minn. state hort. socy., an. rep., *american agriculturist. vol. report of secretary of agriculture, department of agriculture. report, architecture of country houses. downing american farmers encyclopedia. emerson michigan hort. socy., an. rep., department of agriculture, report, yearbook of argiculture, american forestry association, report, department of agriculture, report, - food for plants. harris and meyers western farmer. vol. western farmer. vol. western farmer. vol. minnesota state horticultural society, report, state entomologist, an. rep., - american pomological society, an. rep., american pomological society, an. rep., wisconsin state hort. socy., an. rep., wisconsin state hort. society, an. rep., wisconsin state hort. socy., an. rep., state experiment station, rep., bulletins illinois hort. socy., an. rep., state entomologist, report, indiana state hort. socy., report, minnesota farmers institute annual, minnesota farmers institute annual, minnesota farmers institute annual, western n. y. hort. socy., report, making horticulture pay. m. g. kains young farmers manual. s. e. todd home for all. o. s. fowler american weeds and useful plants. wm. darlington how to grow and show potatoes. jas. pink how to build hot houses. r. b. leucars field book of manures. d. j. browne woodwards country homes. g. e. & f. w. woodward grape growers guide. wm. charlton botanical ready reference. j. m. nickells landscape gardening. chas. h. j. smith cranberry culture. b. eastwood book of roses. francis parkman elements of agriculture, chemistry and geology. j. f. w. johnston american farm book. r. l. allan flower garden. jos. beck handbook of tree planting. n. h. egleston bulbs. e. s. rand, jr. how to cooperate. herbert myrick suburban home grounds. f. j. scott trees of america. d. j. browne california fruits. e. j. wickson ill. state hort. socy., an. rep., farmers universal handbook *johnsons dictionary of gardening. david landreth flowers for the parlor and garden. e. s. rand, jr. hedges and evergreens. john a. warder the farmers miscellany. geo. w. marshall the western fruit book. f. r. elliott the strawberry culture. r. g. pardee use of the national forests. gifford pinchot ladies companion to flower gardening. downing map of minnesota, vegetable plants. i. f. tillinghast mysteries of bee-keeping explained. m. quinby grape culturist. a. s. fuller rural economy. boursingault's, by geo. law barn plans and out buildings new creations in plant life. w. s. harwood the farmers side. w. a. peffer villes' chemical manures. a. a. fesquet johnsons agriculture chemistry. jas. f. w. johnston a. b. c. of agriculture. m. c. weld land drainage. j. p. clipper peat and its use. s. w. johnson forestry tree culturist. a. s. fuller american poultry yard. d. j. browne how crops grow. s. w. johnson n. j. hort. socy., an. rep., royal hort. socy., journal of, december, society of american florists, wyoming state bd. of hort., an. rep., man. hortl. and forestry assn., an. rep., kentucky hort. socy., an. rep., markets for oregon fruits, vermont state hort. socy., report, fruit growers assn. of nova scotia, report, illinois state hort. socy., an. rep., ontario vegetable growers assn., an. rep., the american rose manual. j. harris mcfarland, horticultural societies of ontario, an. rep., georgia state hort. socy., an. rep., peninsula horticultural socy., an. rep., mass. hort. socy., part , nebraska hort. socy., an. rep., virginia state hort. socy., an. rep., northern nut growers assn., an. rep., s. d. state hort. socy., an. rep., western n. y. hort. socy., an. rep., yearbook, dept. of agri., plant propagation. m. g. kains productive vegetable growing. j. w. lloyd backyard farmer. j. w. bolte the well considered garden. mrs. francis king planning and planting home grounds. warren h. manning birds of town and country, national geographic socy *fruit industry in new york. part *fruit industry in new york. part kansas state hort. socy. and ont. entomological socy., an. rep., pomological & fruit growers socy. of quebec, an. rep., md. state hort. socy., an. rep., oregon state hort. socy., an. rep., royal hort. socy., journal of, may, state hort. assn. of pa., an. rep., iowa hort. socy., an. report, ala. state hort. socy., an. rep., mass. hort. socy., an. rep., part , mass. fruit growers assn., an. rep., n. y. state fruit growers assn., an. rep., washington state hort. assn., an. rep., ohio state hort. socy., an. rep., * * * * * conditions under which books may be taken from the society library. books may be taken from the library of the minnesota state horticultural society by any member of the society on the following terms: . not more than two books can be taken at a time. . books with a star (*) before the title, as found in the published library lists, are reference books and not to be taken from the library. . in ordering books give besides the name also the case and book numbers, to be found in the same line as the title. . books will be sent by parcel post when requested. . when taking out, or sending for a book, a charge of ten cents (to be paid in advance) is made to cover expense of recording, transmission, etc. . books are mailed to members only in minnesota and states immediately adjoining. when sent to points outside the state a charge of fifteen cents is made. . a book can be kept two weeks: if kept longer a charge of two cents per day will be made. . the library list, to december , , is published in the annual volume of the society. additions to this list will be published year by year in the succeeding annual volumes. membership, annual members. aarrestad n. o hanley falls, r. i. aase, martin kenyon abel, nick evansville abbott, geo. newport abbott, t. a. ashland, st. paul abeler, wm. j. griggs st., st. paul abeler, geo. l. dayton ave., st. paul aberg, c. wenonah place, mpls. abbott, mrs. a. w. clifton ave., mpls. abrahamson, e. o. lafayette academy of our lady of good counsel mankato ackerknecht, w. e. white bear ave., st. paul ademmer, b., jr. new prague adams, chas. w. minnehaha ave., mpls. adams, d. albert hutchinson adams, robt. morris adams, w. s. jefferson st., duluth aelzant, louie brevator affleck, c. a. willmar ahlsten, mrs. mary dent aiton, geo. b. grand rapids akers, mary d. w. minnehaha, st. paul alexander, alfred dawson almquist, c. a. capas alme, o. t. ulen allen, edgar new auburn allison, prof. j. h. univ. farm, st. paul albertson, a. r. paynesville alden, e. m. deer river albrecht, o. e. th & minnesota sts., st. paul allis, w. h., sec aitkin allen, wilber r. wells albinson, oscar th ave. s., mpls. alm, arthur ivy st., st. paul aldrich, malcolm henn. ave., mpls. albert, henry so. st. paul alford, e. f. woodland ave., duluth allen, john s. grand ave., mpls. allen, p. l. rd ave. s., mpls. amborn, elmer box , bangor, wis. ames, mrs. frank sta. f., mpls. ammand, ernest polk. st., mpls. amundson, c. e. henn. ave., mpls. ambauen, rev. jos. freeport amundson, p. c. amery, wis. anderson, louis r. , gladstone anderson, j. c. b. portland ave., st. paul anderson, alex. p. everett ave., chicago andrew, harry s. lyndale, mpls. anderson, richard r. , northfield anderson, j. e. r. , box , hector anderson, a. m. gran marais anderson, andy cherokee ave., st. paul anderson, j. w. mitchell, s. d. anderson, henning s. th st., st. peter anderson, mrs. andrew, s. elm st., owatonna andrews, theo. s. bemidji anvid, olof blackduck anderson, axel hotel leamington, mpls. andrews, gen. c. c. capitol, st. paul anderson, miss deborah e. th st., mpls. anderson, john w. r. , cokato anderson, a. j. e. cook st., st. paul anderson, david aldrich s., mpls. andrews, mrs. w. e. lake wood, white bear anderson, carl vesta anstett, jake preston anderson, fred rush city anderson, wm. r. , isanti andrews, j. p. faribault anderson, s. a. dupont n., mpls anderson, c. g. w. lake st., mpls. anderson, g. f. w. side sta., r. , st. paul anderson, j. f. lake city anderson, frank h. fremont s., mpls. anderson, john girard n., mpls. anderson, andrew bidwell st., st. paul anderson, mrs. john r. , box , isanti anderson, ernest cove anderson, john a. normal ave., valley city, n.d. andrews, w. a. walhalla, n. d. anderson, l.p. bemidji anderson, axel dunnell anderson, henry lake wilson anderson,, alfred o. st. olaf ave., northfield anderson, wm. kirkwin ave., st. paul andreas, reuben w. melbourne ave., mpls. anderson, j. l. clarkfield anitzberger, phil. livingston ave., w. st. paul anderson, peter eastwood anderson, victor hastings hotel, mpls. anfield, e. n. clinton anderson, b. e. elbow lake armitage, c. w. canby arrowood, jas. nevis arness, a. g. benson arkens, edw. j. park rapids archer, t. e. raymond ave., st. paul archer, mrs. marian raymond ave., st. paul arneson, m. shelly arctander, ludwig n. y. life bldg., mpls. aronson, geo. box , south park asp, arthur e. r. , milaca asplund, chas. r. , hopkins ash, h. c. carlyle ave., duluth asperstrand, aug. amery, wis. atwood, h. j. hunters park, duluth atcheson, jas. mapleton atherton, mrs. isabella newport aune, olaf underwood austin, miss mary j. sellwood bldg., duluth austin, o. a. mcville, n. d. aune, theo. glenwood avery, carlos state capitol, st. paul ayers, h. b. kimberly ayers, c. o. th ave. s., st. cloud ayers, ellsworth d. pine city badrann, peter harvey, n. d. bailey, j. vincent dayton bluff sta., st. paul baillif, r. l. sta. f, r. , mpls. baalson, h. e. brooten baglien, hans h. rothsay baillif, c. e. sta. f, r. , mpls. backus, mrs. c. h. holly ave., st. paul bagley, mrs. horace towner, n. d. bailey, victor river falls, wis. bailey, phoebe d. th ave. s. e., mpls. bahe, h. g. hastings babcock, mrs. j. b. belgrade baker, h. p. n. y. state col. of for., syracuse, n.y. beath, p. a. drake, n. d. belker, jake maple plain beise, dr. h. c. windom becker, ernest northland baldwin, h. j. northfield baker, h. f. lake harriet blvd., mpls. baney, j. w. blackduck baldwin, miss l. o. cham. of com., mpls. ballou, herb th ave. s., mpls. baker, john w. r. , maynard baker, w. h. reading bannister, i. c. stillwater balfour, donald c. rochester banning, mrs. j. f. juamba baker, bert hoosick falls, n. y. bamford, geo. j. sheridan ave., st. paul baker, miss ida a. lake harriet blvd., mpls. balcarek, v. l. hyannis, neb. baldus, jos. l. montrose baldwin, e. b. care of western electric co., st. paul baker, m. j. deer river bartram, mrs. c. s. r. , white bear barclay, j. m. madison lake barnstad, ole willmar barnes, j. u. oneida blk., mpls. barnard, a. h. lbr. exchange, mpls. barott, j. e. tamarack barker, mrs. s. e. r. , excelsior bartlett, j. f. excelsior, minn. barrows, walter a. brainerd bartholomew, o. a., jr. so. th st., mpls. barnes, fred northfield bartlett, mrs. e. a. r. , hopkins bartsch, chas. g. r. , mankato bartholomew, r. l. sta. f, r. , nic. ave., mpls. barton, bert republic, mich. barrett, miss alice humboldt ave. and th st., mpls. bardwell, fred l. excelsior barthelemy, ed st. cloud barnes, david dunedin ave., st. paul barker, geo. h. owen st., stillwater barrows, walter a., jr. brainerd bates, w. k. stockton batho, geo. maryland st., winnipeg, man. baxter, hector park blvd., mpls. baumgartner, joe robbinsdale bassett, mrs. h. s. preston bazille, e. w. carroll, st. paul bawman, f. j. edmond ave. s. st. paul bauer, geo. deerwood bawman, mrs. j. n. bricelyn bawman, wm. hayfield bathke, fred aurora ave., st. paul bass, mrs. g. willis bryant no., mpls. bayle, p. j. grand marais bell, f. w. hopkins becker, e. w. excelsior becker, j. c. adrian bell, f. j. winona beatty, l. r. orr beaver, h. m. lake park bemis, v. e. inkster, n. d. beise, geo. w. morris beckman, j. f. webster ave., st. paul behrems, w. f. new richmond, wis. bena, lincoln a. r. , hopkins bell, j. f. wayzata bechtel, esler e. cedar st., hibbing beck, c. j. high forest st., winona belzer, f. l. glasgow, mont. benjamin, j. f. hutchinson berger, geo. arlington berry, frank stillwater berthelsen, christ albert lea berglund, robt. kensington berg, h. s. clarkfield benson, a. o. forest service, mont. benton, henry w. sec. bk. bldg., mpls. berghold, rev. alexander mooskirchen steiermarck, austria bennett, c. a. granite falls bernhardt, thos. j. fidelity bldg., duluth bend, c. m. commerce bldg., st. paul benson, harry rd ave. so., mpls. bergh, otto i. grand rapids benner, t. w. no. st. paul bergstrand, h. e. lawson st., st. paul bernardy, peter taunton berg, arthur, german ave., w. st. paul bergstrom, n. a. so. th ave., e. duluth benson, andrew jackson benson, frank stephen bennett, s. m. drake, n. d. bergreen, leslie clarkfield bethke, h. franklin betchwars, frank jordan bessette, f. w. orr betzold, r. a. r. , st. paul best, h. g. faribault bayard, p. c. carter ave., st. paul baumhofer, earl f. r. , box , hopkins bates, j. h. somerset blk., winnipeg, man. bawden, mrs. j. w. th st., duluth bauer, edward cove bayly, mrs. j. w. e. nd st., duluth benke, albert dent berlin, a. n. crystal lake, ill. berkner, alfred sleepy eye, ill. bender, louis wheaton berstrand, dr. j. g. menahga bergman, mrs. wm. comfrey berdahl, a. a. gernmell biermann, henry glencoe bisanz, rudolph e. th st., mpls. bickert, w. j. washburn, n. d. biggs, s. elizabeth fairmount, n. d. bisbee, clinton west sumner, me. bierwirth, paul winslow ave., w. st. paul billings, h. h. pine island bixly, henry n. richville bimebsero, w. a. hinton, ia. bittner, geo. j. r. , winona bill, ambrose gorman ave., w. st. paul bjornlie, thorwald madison bjornberg, g. j. willmar bjeldanes, n. h. madison blaker, rev. c. d. grimes ave., mpls. blakestad, l lyle blackmore, hon. j. c. christchurch, n. z. bluhm, a. g. biscay blessing, david s. n. court st., harrisburg, pa. black, g. d. independence, ia. blomberg, fred crosby blair, d. l. winnebago blodgett, mrs. h. a. fairmount ave., st. paul bloomer, ed sherburn blombeck, alfred eagle bend blodgett, mrs. f. s. w. rd st., st. paul blase, fred so. st. paul blackstad, rudolph st. james blaker, m. h. palmyra, n. y. blood, oscar f. worthington bly, c. w. osakis blair, frank d. court house, mpls. blodgett, p. l. emerson so., mpls. blazing, g. m. deer river bjork, fred buffalo bjorge, henry o. lake park bjordal, einar wild rice, n. d. bosshard, herman moorhead boardman, mrs. h. a river blvd., st. paul bollmann, paul balaton boline, j. a. clarissa boelk, ferd lansing bock, john wabasso born, otto g. so. st. paul bongie, louis bradley st. sta., st. paul bofferding, w. h. n. emerson, mpls. boeglin, louis park greenhouses, th & bryant, mpls. borland, robt. excelsior boll, jos. st. bonifacius bondeson, wm. walnut grove bodreen, chas. j. stillwater, r. , box bottenmiller, l. h. bertha bondhus, thos. storden bothun, b. e. thief river falls borreseh, rev. father caledonia borning, b. j. echo, r. borgendale, h. l. madison boman, a. w. supr. st., duluth boone, c. l. care of chase bros. co., rochester, n.y. borchardt, a. w. bellingham booth, wm. eagle bend bosin, mrs. f. w. rapidan borgerding, john freeport boraas, julius e. franklin, mpls. boche, herman h. sunfish rd. and butler ave., w. st. paul botsford, f. p. gilbert boerger, wm. a. st. cloud bowman, dr. f. c. th ave. w., duluth boyington, mrs. r. p. nemadji bove, peter st. f, r. , mpls. boyd, j. b. willmar bowen, walter s. wabasha st., st. paul boysen, p. b. steen bozja, rev. vincent morgan boyd, montelle m. stephen boyum, iver a. northfield bourduas, frank so. robert st., w. st. paul bowman, mary rothsay boxlang, mrs. b. j. kenyon boysen, dr. pelican rapids boyd, byron long prairie bovay, arthur g. lakefield boswell, l. r. mpls. paper co., mpls. brandt, p. c. morris brandt, p. a. erskine brand, a. m. faribault bradrud, albert spring valley braden, mrs. chas. e. mcknight bldg., mpls. brakke, albert wild rice, n.d. bradley, geo. j. norwood bradbury, w. w. e. rd st., duluth brander, mrs. j. r. , hopkins brabetz, n. f. rd ave. so., mpls. brawnell, t. g. grand meadow bratan, f. m. grand meadow bray, n. j. hovland bradford, f. h. farmington bradley, wm. montpelier, n. d. brainard, harold turtle river bradley, wilson deerwood brevig, a. l. starbuck briggs, h. w. sanborn briggs, geo. a. st. peter bremer, john lake city bringmeier, fred j. cass lake brevig, c. l. starbuck breyer, p. p. th st. no., mpls. brierley, prof. w. d. univ. farm, st. paul bren, daniel hopkins bredvold, martin greenbush bren, rev. jos. hopkins brinkmann, henry w. glencoe breening, h. c. balaton bremer, leslie cannon falls brimeyer, h. slayton brewer, i. c. st. charles bren, adolph hopkins brewer, w. w. orisko, n. d. bren, geo. j. hopkins bren, jos. s. hopkins bren, frank e. hopkins brinkman, wm. erie st., st. paul breide, fred deer river brown, frank paynesville brown, mrs. g. t. hague ave., st. paul broberg, peter new london broman, aug. atwater brunkow, chas. a. delano brown, aug. winthrop broden, gust a. murdock brown, h. a. brownsdale brown, john a. windom brummer, henry w. renville bruns, henry excelsior brooks, w. w. long prairie brogren, olof willmar brownlie, j. roy care of flathead natl. bk., kalispell, mont. brodalen, h. a. pelican rapids brown, a. f. como ave., w. st. paul brown, clarence z. n. y. life, mpls. brown, mrs. g. w. st. louis park brown, chas. g. paynesville broman, axel milaca broker, mrs. h. a. collegeville brodalen, g. a. ottosen, iowa brumpton, wm. shevlin bugbie, a. e. paynesville buchanan, d. p. shoshone, cal. buhler, e. o. capitol, st. paul bue, thos. nd ave. s., mpls. buehler, john g. main st. n. e., mpls. buchloz, aug. osseo bull, m. royal crown soap co., winnipeg, man. bull, geo. n. th st. w., calgary, alta. bullard, w. h. e. th st., st. paul buol, peter wabasha buckeye, j. lakefield bunn, t. h. pine island brombach, jos. th ave. so., mpls. brown, r. a. lakefield brown, rev. geo. w. wilson, wis. brown, clarence j. sec. bk. bldg., mpls. brown, mrs. j. f. garfield, so., mpls. brooker, h. w. sauk center burkee, john a. roseau burnette, w. j. como ave. s. e., mpls. burow, w. p. la crescent burns, mark. cass lake burfield, geo. e. shevlin burns, chris cass lake burke, t. j. bemidji burrows, mrs. a. l., box , white bear burbeck, e. w. e. winona st., duluth burquist, a. e. lindstrom burnett, john torrey bldg., duluth burns, john j. hopkins burkhard, miss l. s. white bear lake burness, b. security bk. bldg., mpls. burch, edward p. james so., mpls. burch, frank e. linwood place, st. paul busch, fred lyndale ave. s. and th st., mpls. bussey, l. m. hamline ave. s. e., mpls. buttrud, mrs. j. h. luverne ave., mpls. busch, bernh. lyndale ave. s. and th st., mpls. buth & co., w. f. univ. ave., st. paul butterfield, f. j. long lake bussey, w. h. beacon st., mpls. bute, chas m. r. , jackson bush, o. d. barron, wis. byrnes, dr. w. j. masonic temple, mpls. bye, c. m. new brighton bye, j. t. r. , new brighton byrne, mrs. m. e. fafayette ave., chicago cairns, miss gertrude m. ellsworth, wis. cant, w. a. duluth campbell, e. r. excelsior carniff, mrs. laura j. w. brompton st., w. st. paul canning, richard orchard gardens, mpls. cadoo, h.t. gorman ave., w. st. paul campbell, mrs. b. b. sta. f., mpls. cadwell, b. d. hastings, box callahan, john st. charles campbell, h. e. h. willmar cameron, john a. lyndale no., mpls. campbell, d. g. th ave. n.e., mpls. cady, e. n. lewiston cannon, mrs. newton superior, wis., john ave. campbell, mrs. h. a. e. th st., st. paul carlson, c. h. fertile carmen, c. a. hankinson, n. d. carruthers, j. t. willmar carlson, and. grandy carey, geo. w. lidgerwood, n.d. carlson, c. w. mound carpenter, f. h. w. franklin, mpls. carlson, john care of carlson & hasslen, ortonville carnahan, e. j. longville carter, a. n. howard lake carlson, mrs. wm. london r., duluth carpenter, m. b. hotel aberdeen, st. paul carlson, peter mohall, n. d. carlson, j. a. th ave. s., mpls. carlson, rev. c. w. th ave. so., mpls. carlson, john kimball carlson, oscar th ave. s., mpls. carlson, axel manhattan bldg., fergus falls carll, norman waltham carlson, g. d. r. , buffalo carlson, janas r. , esmond, n. d. cary, h. e. jenkins carey, mrs. f. r. r. , robbinsdale carr, m. j. stryker ave., st. paul carver, j. th ave. so., mpls. carlson, mrs. jno. r. , hopkins carribou, farris twig carlson, g. c. tower carlson, j. cedar ave so., mpls. catlin, t. j., m.d. palisade cash, w. h. h. new lisbon, wis. case, l. s. merc. natl. bank bldg., st. paul cedergren. e. a. lindstrom cecil, r. e. gen. del., mckeesport, pa. cecka, john lonsdale charlson, s. dennison chamberlain, v. m. spring valley chalberg, chas. kandiyohi chapman, c. p. dent chatfield, mrs. e. c. mound chase, jas. j. farmington chamberlain, w. d. albert lea chapman, ed. a. redwood falls chamberlain, louis m. th st. and pillsbury, mpls. charlton, r. robinson, regina, sask. chapman, sidney e. haskel st., w. st. paul charvat, frank brocket, n. d. chapman, r. w. plainview chase, mrs. a. g. faribault chaffee, h. l. amenia, n. d. chamber of commerce brainerd cheney, w. h. olivia christopherson, k. o. zumbrota christopherson, chris camden place, mpls. cherney, j. w. winslow and arion sts., w. st. paul chrystoph, john d st., hudson, wis. chrudinsky, mrs. robt. j. lakewood chinn, w. p. care ella mine, gilbert chinlund, h. a. th & s. park st., red wing cheyney, prof. e. g. univ. farm, st. paul chute, l. p. chute bldg., mpls. cheney, mrs. w. b. washburn ave., mpls. christman, w. f. th ave. s., mpls. christiansen, peder c. dagoner, mont. christenson, chris r. , box , albert lea chradle, mrs. w. e. cleveland chermack, w. r. hopkins christie, r. g. canby cherveny, john j. zimmerman chelmen, b. e. georgeville christenson, abraham deerwood christenson, c. g. deerwood christopherson, chas. g. th ave. s., mpls. cherveny, joe zimmerman christenson, miss nancy mandan, n. d. chemak, otto r. , hopkins christian, jas. sherburn christensen, m. goff ave., w. st. paul christensen, aug. little falls cherry, m. m. n. st. paul cinkl, albert blooming prairie child, f. s. r. , hopkins christy color printing eng., inc. st. paul st., rochester, n.y. clemons, l. a. storm lake, ia. clarkson, stewart f. st. charles clausen, p. albert lea cleator, frederic w. forest service, republic, wash. cleator, w. p. wash. ave. n., mpls. clark, mrs. a. y. box , white bear clague, frank redwood falls clark, r. j. eden prairie clementsen, nels fertile clausen, t. a. lakeshore greenhouses, albert lea clark, geo. s. th ave. s., st. cloud clement, c. c. mosier, oregon clapp, edw. s. hamline ave., n. st. paul clark, jas. williams clark, newell e. emerson s., mpls. clark, e. e. eden prairie clark, h. b. pine island clausen, hans sleepy eye clum, miss k. m. r. , st. paul clark, d. f. bryant s., mpls. cleveland, henry th ave. e., duluth colling, jas. h. inkster, n. d. coffin, w. f. homer converse, t. r. stillwater constance, wm. hopkins colburn, otis l. excelsior congdon, john s. r. , box fort collins, colo. colb, john f. th ave. s., mpls. coffin, e. c. garfield ave., mpls. colban, walter h. th ave., pittsburgh, pa. coffman, g. w. wadena conrad, maud a. montevideo congdon, j. w. blaisdell, mpls. colburn, g. b. r. , st. cloud conklin, marion jamestown, n. d. coffron, geo. box , biwabik cole, geo. penturen conners, j. b. hibbing collins, j. c. mound cocker, walter lanesboro colby, f. l. enfield, n. h. conrad, emil r.r., collis commandros, tom golden rule floral dept., st. paul colman, i. w. th ave. s.e., mpls. coleman, d. a. r. , aitkin constance, geo. i. cumberland, wis. coffey, mrs. j. a. jamestown, n. d. cobb, e. r. e. winona st., duluth cook, a. d. kasota blk., mpls. corser, fred james n., mpls. cornwell, e. c. minnesota city cornell, t. h. fidelity bldg., duluth cornetinson, c. o. watson cook, geo. menahga cooper, mrs. d. h. winnipeg, man. cook, geo. h. care golden rule, red wing cook, e. w. cleveland corwin, ellis cove cornwell, l. l. pine island cornell univ. library ithaca, n.y. crowe, w. h. osakis crowell, dr. i. g. shell lake, wis. cramer, dr. geo. p. syndicate bldg., mpls. cross, mrs. jane sauk rapids crooks, mrs. john s. commerce bldg., st. paul crooks, john s. commerce bldg., st. paul crocker, f. e. morgan crossett, c. n. faribault cuzner, e. a. univ. ave. & th st. s.e., mpls. cutting, s. carnegie, man. cummings, geo. w. r. , box , mpls. currie, w. a. summit ave., mpls. cutler, w. r. claremont, s. d. cutler, john glencoe custer, c. c. howard lake custer, orrin o. cokato curtis, j. w. g. globe bldg., st. paul cummins, miss beatrice barnum cutting, m. c. care "the farmer," st. paul curran, dr. f. th ave. s., mpls. cushing, luther s. osceola, wis. cowles, f. j. west concord coultas, r. w. worthington cote, l. grasston covington, thos. e. ashland ave., st. paul countryman, a. d. appleton countryman, mrs. m. l. s. avon st., st. paul coy, sherman l. cloquet cox, wm. t. capitol, st. paul cowling, c. n. w. robie st., st. paul courtney, m. j. glencoe cowling, mrs. chas. n. w. robie st., st. paul cox, l. a. syndicate blk., mpls. cox, hanford ely court, harry warroad crassweller, arthur e. superior st., duluth cramer, fred mapleton crane, r. e. grand meadow crafts, robt. h. mound crane, w. i. buch st., new york crabtree, mack h. mott, n. d. crewe, percy s. mohall, n. d. crandall, h. h. morristown crane, benj. w. spring valley dahl, louis d. atwater dablen, o. e. albert lea dahl, f. a. chisago city danielson, solomon rothsay dale, o. g. madison dahlheimer, frank anoka dahl, h. p. isanti dalzell, w. e. hinckley daily, d. th ave. s., mpls. daniel, t. w. care m. thorson, r. , wayzata dahl, h. m. central ave., red wing dahlquist, c. a. popple dalberg, mrs. a. o. amery, wis. dangers, fred sleepy eye dahl, mrs. a. o. w. th st., superior, wis. daigle, a. a. forest lake danzl, jos. j. melrose day, stephen northfield davison, a. h. state house, des moines, ia. darling, dr. c. h. endicott arcade, st. paul davis, l. g. sleepy eye davis, h. h. placeville, cal. davis & ferree waukee, iowa darrow, geo. m. bureau of plant industry, washington, d.c. davenport, w. r. dennison davis, t. a. esmond, n. d. dasher, c. a. buffalo lake deline, w. f. cannon falls decker, j. s. austin delong, t. r. halliday deforest, geo. owatonna decamp, j. l. eureka deighton, c. h. wolvin bldg., duluth denson, w. a. hasty deatharage, mrs. robt. portland ave., mpls. deebach, herman maple st., st. paul deebach, e. a. dayton bluff sta., st. paul delameter, mrs. j. morgan ave. n., mpls. dempsey, thos. st. peter dean, harold care thorpe bros., andrus bldg., mpls. desmidt, a. a. battle lake desmond, w. portland ave., mpls. derickson, g. p. w. franklin ave., mpls. depuy, a. c. park rapids dewolf, mrs. d. f. hague ave., st. paul dexter, mrs. w. k. mound devore, f. j. s. robert st., st. paul deplages, n. j. r. , york, n.d. dept. of agric. ottawa, out. diethelm, m. victoria dittbenner, r. c. sleepy eye dickenson, w. c. anoka dixon, jas. k. box , north st. paul dille, peter o. dassel dike, henry b. hotel berkeley, mpls. dill, joe victoria distad, o. o. hayfield dickinson, sherman th ave. s., mpls. dittmer, gus augusta, wis. dillman, a. c. newell, s. d. dispatch prtg. co., c. f. blandin, mgr., st. paul dickey, mrs. agnes t. esmond, n. d. dixon, dr. frank mora district insp. of forest reserve winnipeg, man. dill, albert st. bonifacius dobbin, j. j. excelsior doll, p. j. bryant ave. n., mpls. dockham, a. t. eagle bend dodge, clayton j. moose lake dobbin, w. j. excelsior dodge, e. j. hector doerfler, jos. fillmore st. n.e., mpls. dodgson, sam clearwater dobble, mrs. edwin raymond ave., st. paul dodge, ben mankato dobbs, david e. indus donaldson, mrs. w. n. palmett ave., duluth dodson, t. r. nashwauk dominican fathers th ave. and th st., mpls. doring, rev. f. m. rogers dowler, w. a. fort williams, ont. dorr, w. f. lbr. ex., mpls. doyle, w. j. fern ave. and lake st., st. louis park dorland, w. h. dayton bluff sta., r. , st. paul downing, w. j. ronneby, r. downing, lloyd st. charles doories, mrs. a. fridley down, j. j. medical blk., mpls. douglas, w. b. commerce bldg., st. paul drake, mrs. h. t. portland ave., st. paul drisko, mrs. e. m. garfield, mpls. dreuttel, albert cleveland drebert, alexander f. iglehart ave., st. paul dtessely, l. j. gatzke durand, albert waseca dunn, john w. g. lincoln ave., st. paul dunn, w. w. princeton ave., st. paul dubbelis, joe lincoln dunning, dr. a. w. lowry bldg., st. paul dunning, frank anoka dunsmore, dr. f. a. andrus bldg, mpls. duel, robt. sauk center duesterhoeft, adolph hall ave., w. st. paul dunn, a. c. duluth duncan, alvin redwood falls dvorak, john hopkins dubbels, chas. w. viola dunbar, s. j. elkhorn, wis. dunlop, w. b. waverly ave., duluth dvorak, frank montgomery dunsmore, thos. danube dvorak, alley hopkins, r. duerr, dr. w. p. lake city durham, sabin grygla dybig, nursery colton, n. d. dysinger, s. d. w. th st., st. paul dykema, ben raymond dyer, c. h. th ave. s., mpls. eastgate, j. e. larimore, n. d. earle, c. e. park rapids earney, andrew western ave., seattle, wash. eberhart, a. l. austin ebersperger, mrs. girard n., mpls. eckenbeck, s. c. appleton eckberg, aug. winthrop edlund, e. detroit eddy, c. t. r. , willmar edson, w. d. libby eddy, vernon hyland sta. n., mpls. edwards, frank gilbert edden, g. st. croix falls, wis. edgerton, mrs. e. a. bryant so., mpls. edwards, o. t. grand meadow edny, f. s. goodthunder effertz, peter norwood egnell, a. howard lake eisengraler, dr. g. a. granite falls eidem, p. c. clarkfield eisenach, w. l. aitkin eklund, p. a. willmar ekelund, c. a. hopkins ellison, f. h. linden falls, r. , mpls. elliott, w. j. albertville ellingson, s. sta. f., r. , mpls. elstrom, f. o. atwater elliott, p. p. grand rapids elwell, j. t. th s.e., mpls. elliott, miss martha r. stillwater, r. no. ellison, miss sabra sta. f, r. , linden falls, mpls. elliott, h. j. hopkins, r. elofson, j. s. hasty elsenpeter, h. j. buffalo elgren, mrs. harry red top ely, dr. jas. o. winnetka, ill. eliason, alfred j. corrall, r. ellingson, g. t. w. th st., duluth ellis, g. c. west salem, wis. ehler, geo. euclid st., st. paul emmans, n. h. james ave. s., mpls. emberland, john selby ave., st. paul empy, clarence l. eureka emerson, byron t. grimes ave., mpls. emerson, john h. argyle st., st. paul endsley, p. m. minneapolis engel, rev. peter leland ave., chicago, ill. engel, rev. peter collegeville engleson, i. j. montevideo engman, a. e. hallock, r. , box englestad, louisa thief river falls, r. english, mrs. c. e. lake of isles blvd., mpls. engen, gilbert a. finley, n. d., r. emerson, a. f. grand portage engel, a. w. esmond, n. d. enroth, a. l. orr erwin, d. a. waseca erkel, f. c. rockford erickson, oliver atwater erne, f. x. goff ave., st. paul erikson, e. d. wegdahl erikson, john w. aitkin erikson, c. o. watson, box erb, e. c. red wing erling, frank, jr. w. belvidere st., w. st. paul essig, aug. sanborn essene, mrs. anna longfellow ave., mpls. eshelby, e. c. shubert bldg., st. paul escher, sam'l c. slayton erickson, a. b. mill st., n., fergus falls erickson, chas. northland erickson, wm. m. courthouse, red wing erickson, emil h. r. , maynard erickson, l. w. th ave. s., mpls. erickson, oscar dalton erickson, k. a. pequot erickson, may th ave. s., mpls. evans, john l. nd ave. e., duluth everett, mrs. g. w. waseca ewing, a. l. river falls, wis. ewald, julius cumberland, wis. ewing, prof. jas. northfield cecil, e. e. mckeesport, pa., gen. del. fairfax, mrs. j. f. s. aldrich, mpls. faehn, f. j. wallace, s. d. fagerlie, i. f. clarkfield fabian, edwin jefferson ave., st. paul fabian, norman j. st. paul park fairchild, d. l. lonsdale bldg., duluth fabel, p. h. buffalo lake fairchild, mrs. d. l. tamarack fairfield, chas. r. th ave. s., mpls. fairchild. l. g. shevlin farrar, f. f. white bear farmer, c. r. ada fanning, miss mary e. th st., st. paul farmer, e. a. sta. f., r. , mpls. farrell, d. h. new london, r. farel, chas. a. buffalo farcier, peter buffalo lake farcier, v. e. stewart faurat, f. s. th ave. s.e., mpls. farnham, jas. m. st. cloud, st. german st. farrar, o. r. albert lea, r. , box featherston, s. t. red wing ferodowill, f. x. wayzata felland, prof. o. g. northfield feleen, nels n. willmar fergerson, w. c. litchfield feesl, vinz. cor. winslow & arion, st. paul fell, henry janesville, r. fesenbeck, j. a. cloquet featherstone, j. s. hastings fieske, c. a. sleepy eye finch, mrs. mary care duluth-news tribune, duluth fisher, thos. a. waverly hotel, mpls. fitzer, chas. robbinsdale fink, christian waconia fisher, geo. a. st st. n., mpls. finke, e. h. spring valley finkle, miss kate w. river blvd., mpls. finke, e. r. waterville fischer, w. c. linden hills sta., r. , mpls. fitzer, h. luverne fish, l. l. wayzata, r. finstad, jos. edgerston st., st. paul fiedler, mike j. dent fisher, walter i. girard so., mpls. fisher, f. j. buffalo lake finnegan, pat thorp, wis. fjelde, g. j. madison flint, h. r. dubois, wyo. flagstad, j. sacred heart flint, henry w. r. , box , tacoma, wash. flood, e. j. newman grove, neb. floreen, swan constance flygare, hans h. atwater flynn, a. e. allen ave., st. paul flath, jos. a. r. , plymouth, wis. fletcher, mrs. f. s. irving so., mpls. flyen, henry dawson flint, p. p. osakis ford, f. h. maple plain, r. no. ford, a. j. new rockford, n. d. folden, p. rollag, r. no. foss, elizabeth h. e. river blvd., mpls. forest supervisor ely forest supervisor cass lake foerster, fred e. rondo st., st. paul foley, t. h. manchester folske, otto h. w. lucy st., w. st. paul fordyce, g. w. newport foster, i. d. sandsone fox, o. a. lincoln ave., st. paul foster, mrs. mary d. foley forsam, albert madison forbes, b. w. w. winona st., duluth fritcher, c. e. hancock frye, p. h. willmar freeman, gust e. red wing freeman, c. h. zumbrota frydholm, martin albert lea fredrickson, wm. perley frank, albert d. wood lake frederickson, c. a. elk river, r. , box freese, f. m. bemidji froshaug, david albee, s. d. freeman, mrs. h. g. st. louis park france, l. v. priscello sta., st. paul frazier, t. f. cloquet, cloquet ave. fryer, willis e. mantorville franzel bros. laurel ave., st. paul franklin, mrs. anna j. r. , box , fridley frey, math. taunton frey, frank taunton fratke, julius pemberton french, w. l. austin freeman, nels scanlon fraling, rev. j. stephen froslan, peder h. flaxville, mont. frederickson, p. b. davenport, n. d. fruske, k. a. brooten freeman, edmund park rapids frazer, p. c. pelican rapids frazer, h. e. pelican rapids frey, mrs. frank st. peter frink, mrs. e. l. faribault frey, aug. j. e. nd st., duluth fraund, mrs. s. western ave. n., st. paul fuller, e. d. longfellow s., mpls. fuller, f. e. deerwood fuller, h. m. deerwood fulcrut, s. g. goodhue, r. , st. paul fuhrman, john albany fuller, e. e. w. winona st., duluth fuller, mrs. c. a. hopkins, r. fyfe, h. l. drake, n. d. galloway, j. e. austin gammell, dr. h. w. madison galle, a. c. madison galletin, john m. gorman ave. w., st. paul gaida, n. a. holdingford gafke, r. j. woodstock, ill. gallagher, john amery, wis. gallion, orville opstead gastfield, a. f. victor, mont., r. , box garlick, eva e. janesville gaspard, j. p. caledonia gates, l. d. winnebago garlough, a. l. white bear, r. gaylord, l. e. pacific ave., st. paul ganzer, mrs. john como phelan, st. paul garvey, chas. h. lyndale so., mpls. gardner, franc e. humboldt bldg., chicago, ill. garrott, jane bald eagle, white bear, care d. keefe gates, stephen hopkins, r. no. gantzer, daniel merriam park, r. garber, m. j. dent garand, dr. j. h. dayton gates, j. m. pickwick gesner, frank brimhall st., st. paul gerdsen, henry waconia gearty, t. g. robbinsdale gessner, oscar forest lake, r. george, e. s. graetlinger, ia. germond, miss m. exchange bldg., duluth gerten, frank l. south st. paul gerlach, mrs. a. f. dayton, st. paul gerber, a. h. portland ave., st. paul gerrish, harry e. plymouth bldg., mpls. gerhard, ray c. so. bryant, mpls. gembo, elmer j. wayzata gerdes, chas. dupont so., mpls. gerhard, gergen cannon falls george, r. r. hopkins germond, w. h. nic. ave., mpls. gertsmann, frank morgan getty, d. c. mapleton gibbs, miss ida w. merriam park, r. no. , box gibbs, a. b. tower gibbs, m. l. echo, r. no. gibson, thos. waverly ave., duluth gimmestad, m. o. belview gippe, miss louise watson gile, mrs. s. a. irving s., mpls. ginter, e. w. stewartville gillespie, may e. r. , linden hills, mpls. gilby, jas. th ave. s., mpls. gillespie, miss anna th ave. s., mpls. gillespie, i. h. r. , box , anoka gipson, e. h. faribault gjerset, oluf montevideo glyer, alfred forest lake glaspell, bernard jamestown, n. d. glessner, mrs. frank sheridan ave. s., mpls. glenzke, louis m. glen lake via hopkins glass, walter river falls, wis. goodman, d. e. faribault goldsmith, mrs. h. cleveland goelz, mike brooten goltz, john havana, n. d. goldberg, b. m. e. rd st., duluth gooch, h. i. woodland ave., duluth goetz, edgar a. doswell ave., st. paul gould, mrs. edward humboldt s., mpls. gormley, j. taylor st. n.e., mpls. gordon, w. a. nd ave. s., mpls. gowdy, louis aldrich s., mpls. gough, e. estevan, sask. gordon, c. h. owatonna goltz, a. l. balaton gotts, oscar maple plain gowdy, miss chestine faribault goss, sam atlantic, ia. grant, l. r. battle lake gray, elmer w. pleasant ave., mpls. grandahl, r. l. red wing graves, d. n. faribault grasselli chemical co. st. paul granger, a. h. correll graff, fred rd ave. s., mpls. grant, harry c. faribault graham, l. g. doswell ave., st. paul granquist, chas. w. abbott st., stillwater gray, n. h. fergus falls greaza, a. e. r. , st. paul gregory, h. jordan green, wm. morgan greening. c. f. grand meadow greene, dr. chas. l. summit ave., st. paul greene, michael e. warrent st., st. paul green, f. m. menahga greene, alfred grand meadow grettum, wm. th ave. e., duluth green, john c. london rd., duluth gregg, kenneth lbr. exch., mpls. groat, h. g. anoka grimm, ben e. th st., duluth griswold, a. a. long lake grosse, e. a. la moille grover, gust. a. glyndon grunig, a. c. cloquet griesgraber, jos. w. morton, w. st. paul groff, n. s. west side sta., r. , w. st. paul griese, e. t. hibbing griffith, edith th ave. s., mpls. gruhlke, wm. h. jackson grier, hazelton robbyn ave., merriam park gronna, a. t. waterville, ia. gruber, john lakefield grindeland, a. warren gryte, e. k. ruthton grunig, w. r. av. c, cloquet gunderman, h. wabasha gustafson, alfred long prairie gundlach, miss carrie m. white bear gustafson, w. h. montevideo gunn, d. m. grand rapids gustafson, frank a. warman gustner, e. r. , hopkins guthnecht, b. oakdale ave. w., st. paul gullette, albert fillmore st. n.e., mpls. gustafson, chas. r. , duluth gunderson, g. box , webster, s. d. gulbranson, r. thief river falls guthunz, mrs. w. m. hague ave., st. paul hakel, adolph silver lake hadley, emerson farrington, st. paul hagen, l. e. fountain haack, chas. e. mound haakenson, hjalmer boyd hagen, f. a. lake city hage, paul j. hanska haecker, prof. f. l. exp. sta., st. paul haas, rev. l. th st., st. paul haines, m. t. woodland ave., fairmont hager, john van buren, st. paul haeg, mrs. e. h. r. , sta. f, mpls. hackett, j. e. malcolm ave. s.e., mpls. hahn, m. d. amiret haglund, o. n. eastwood hagen, severt waseca hagnie, donald fairmount ave., st. paul haining, john. a. brookston haering, j. j. jordan haglund, mrs. aug. red top haglund, gust. red top halverson, alfred spring grove hall, r. f. new auburn hallstrom, c. o. box , red wing hall, l. p. deerwood hall, mrs. c. e. c. portland ave., mpls. hall, t. w. cham. of com., mpls. halden, f. e. mound halbert, c. w. dispatch bldg., st. paul halverson, l. shevlin halverson, jacob delavan halvorsen, a. s. albert lea halvorson, h. s. brooten hall, s. o. erie st. s. e., mpls. halverson, m. j. medina, n. d. hale, w. h. mcknight bldg., mpls. hall, stanley grygla hammer, f. o. princeton st., st. paul hanselman, jos. adrian st., st. paul hanger, jacob wyoming hanson, n. p. hutchinson hansen, geo. w. doud ave., bemidji hanson, henry graceville hanson, albert t. r. , fergus falls hanson, m. c. clarkfield hanson, frank w. box , litchfield hanover, r. f. winona hammer, e. a. st. charles hansen, peter r. , box , s. st. paul hanus, adolph r. , hopkins hanlos, augusta donaldson, wis. hanson, r. b. ladysmith, wis. hanna, m. m. d. & i. r. ry., duluth hamustrom, c. j. new brighton handy, a. m. granada hansen, h. f. albert lea hansen, chris albert lea hanson, simon j. dawson hanson, jas. f. fertile hanson, c. l. fertile hammer, m. e. heiberg hanson, l. o. r. , box , red wing hanson, a. l. ada ham, geo. s. r. , aitkin hanson, h. c. barnum hansen, phil capitol, st. paul hanson, o. w. new richland hanson, o. m. r. , ulen hanson, ivan clarissa hanford, arthur woodland ave., duluth harrison, f. m. glenwood harrison, h. w. r. , rochester hartman, frank iona harold, geo. e. maiden rock, wis. harper, j. l. lock box , mpls. hartwick, ole granite falls harris, a. w. sleepy eye harseim, louis b. aitkin hartig, wm. hopkins harris, w. s. pillsbury ave., mpls. harnden, c. h. fairmont hardwick, mrs. b. g. fremont s., mpls. hastings, c. c. buffalo habison, e. h. anoka st., duluth harris, mrs. john e. th st., mpls. hart, frank cleveland harder, fred winslow ave., w. st. paul hart, frank w. laporte harris, earl litchfield haskins, geo. burtrum haseltine, mrs. e. r. excelsior harper, stanley j. box , mpls. harris, l. e. atwater harris, van v. e. th st., duluth hawkins, mrs. alice m. fremont n., mpls. hathaway, c. e. northfield hawkins, j. s. fremont n., mpls. hawkins, john box , mpls. hawkins, mrs. j. c. austin hawkes, a. s. waseca hatcher, frank wayzata hatledal, ole o. benson hawkes, chas. b. e. rd st., st. paul hawkins, g. c. fremont s., mpls. hawkes, h. b. excelsior haupt, c. f. concord st., st. paul hattenberger, tony shakopee hayden, chas. blackduck hatcher, amos delano hawkins, mrs. g. c. s. fremont, mpls. hatcher, lloyd f. wayzata hauenstein, mrs. regina aldrich s., mpls. hayes, chas. h. clarissa hazelton, d. c. cutler haven, g. a. chatfield hayes, dr. e. w. browns valley heinemann, r. e. montevideo hegerle, m. h. st. bonifacius heltemez, john sauk rapids helger, wm. c. portland ave., st. paul hegland, a. w. superior st., duluth helgeson, c. t. albert lea hellyar, a. b. chicago ave., mpls. heckle, jos. bellows st., w. st. paul heller bros. albee, s. d. heinsohn, aug. lesueur heck, geo. j. rice st., st. paul heier, herman r. , bertha headman, p. w. henning hellerman, gerhard melrose hellerman, herman melrose heinrum, mrs. hawkon lake park hector, chas. j. e. nd st., duluth heins, geo. n. box , sleepy eye headline, francis r. , west concord helland, b. j. clearbrook heagy, ralph w. minnehaha st., st. paul healy, mrs. reginald j. irving s., mpls. heikkila, oscar ely henze, jake lewiston henjum, nels frost henderson, h. g. lime springs, ia. hendrickson, m. p. montevideo henry, p. albert lea henry, henley & son concord st., st. paul henke, gust. buffalo lake henkel, peter watkins henderson, r. l. brady, mont. hennemann, dr. h. f. sauk center henningsen, walter c. chicago avs., mpls. henjum, ole saum hener, willie leonard, n. d. hemphill, henry pillager hendrickson, ernest mahtomedi hendrickson, henry kratka henry, mrs. m. j. iglehart ave., st. paul hesselgrave, r. v. winnebago hershaug, ed. kenyon hewitt, cameron fond du lac herman, a. c. van buren st., st. paul herscher, laurence renville hewitt, adelaide r. , hopkins heritage, wm. ely herman, jos. r. , box , w. st. paul herds, john w. lonsdale hetle, e. northfield heuring, mat. rogers hilborn, e. c. valley city, n. d. hicks, wm. c. cedar hidde, fred herman hillger, rev. aug. rich valley hill, w. w. w. th st., mpls. hill, f. c. albert lea higbie, w. s. eden prairie highby, l. p. h. albert lea hillman, wm. o. dewey ave., st. paul hiller, aric excelsior hibbard, mrs. c. j. sheridan s., mpls. hill, g. e. r. , white bear hildebrand, e. w. galvin ave., w. st. paul hicks, fred c. court merrill, mitchell, s. d. hillig, john morgan hidershide, dr. geo. n. arcadia, wis. hintermister, j. h. dispatch bldg., st. paul hinckley, c. n. r. , osseo hines, ed., lbr. co. chicago, ill. hitchcock, f. e. com. bldg., st. paul hinkle, b. j. little falls hinckley, c. s. elbow lake hinras, m. sleepy eye hislop, walter sunfish rd., w. st. paul hirt, john h. th ave. s., mpls. hjermstad, c. f. red wing hjermstad, h. l. red wing hobart, w. p. dupont s., mpls. hofmann, e. l. janesville hoffman, rev. c. bruno, sask. hoff, j. m. hennepin ave., mpls. hofenmeister, alfons new ulm hoffman, herman dent hoffman, g. henderson hoffman, l. j. buffalo hoffman, h. r. th ave. s., wausau, wis. hoffman, mrs. c. s. langdon, st. paul hoaglund, hildur th st. s., willmar hoffman, geo. j. long lake hobbs, arnold n. y. life bldg., mpls. holmberg, j. e. avoca holt, john e. carver holmgren, p. o. hoffman holten, john fertile holmberg, j. a. edgerton st., st. paul holm, e. p. w. th st., st. paul holmes, mrs. jos. t. r. , box , northfield holt, john wolverton hollingsworth, ralph th ave. s.e., mpls. holland, ozra s. r. , winona holl, dr. p. m. chicago ave., mpls. holtimier, john excelsior homan, frank r. , sauk rapids holasek, winslow hopkins holmberg, a. r. renville homola, frank j. r. , hopkins holstad, hans st. olaf ave., northfield holm, h. e. opstead how, h. esmond, n. d. holst, john r. , s. st. paul holbrook, miss eleanor b. penn ave. s., mpls. horton, w. h. alexandria hornly, h. c. cloquet hostetter, a. b. duluth hoverstad, a. t. maynard howland, clinton j. northfield howland, mrs. eleanor r. , sta. f, care e. landis, mpls. hoss, mrs. nick new ulm hoyt, b. t. hamline & hoyt aves., st. paul hove, john i. northwood, ia. houghtelin, j. m. chatfield howard, geo. f. raymond ave., st. paul hoyt, edward scotch grove, ia. howe, peter kellogg houghton, jas. g. clinton ave., mpls. howlett, mrs. d. d. r. , oshkosh, wis. horton, mrs. f. w. r. , white bear hosmer, ralph s. cornell univ., ithaca, n.y. horton, g. l. litchfield hostager, n. a. zumbrota hoslicker, f. s. tappen, n. d. hough, j. s. northern crown bk. bld., winnipeg, m. howe, t. j. clark, s. d. hoppert, walter o. r. , bx. , w. st. paul hromatka, joseph hopkins hoover, j. l. r. , kensal, n. d. hoyard, w. e. henderson horn, chas. lewis st., duluth house, susan m. w. faribault st., duluth houston, geo. s. thomas ave., mpls. hoyt, l. h. fridley hoyt, arthur fridley hoyt, r. a. lake city huestis, dr. o. m. central ave., mpls. huff, theo. a. fergus falls huber, frank shakopee hull, f. h. brookpark hubbell, c. h. marquette ave., mpls. hubacheck, mrs. f. r. long lake huffman, mrs. e. j. nemadji huckfield, b. e. queen ave. s., mpls. huber, rev. a. t. elbow lake hughes, h. j. care farm, stock & home, mpls. hughart, h. f. hamel huff, n. l. th st. s.e., mpls. hulbert, a. m. elk river huey, w. g. th ave. n., fargo, n. d. huff, b. j. yola hultquist, esther m. care gowan-lenning-brown, duluth hubbard, w. a. lake city huldal, h. t. r. , wilton husser, henry minneiska hummel, prof. j. a. commonwealth, st. paul hurtt, wm. hoople, n. d. hundt, g. tintah humphrey, d. a. blaisdell, mpls. hushka, joseph felton hurd, burton s. smith ave., st. paul huyck, e. j. th & central aves., mpls. huttner, miss r. , glen lake, hopkins hybergh, s. hamel, minn. hynes, john f. r. , moose lake innes, j. c. luverne ingebrigtsen, iver j. fertile ingmundson, c. p. nd ave. s., jamestown, n. d. ikier, wm. vernon center ingram, carrie e. sandstone isaacson, o. a. madison innis, geo. s. hewitt ave., st. paul ihfe, fred w. brompton st., w. st. paul isensee, a. r. , annandale isidore, mother m. mankato imlach, h. e. estevan, sask. ingleston, r. f. e. nebr. ave., st. paul imdicke, ben brooten irish, mrs. addie detroit irving, john n. s. park, st. paul ireland, john shell lake, wis. ingalk, boyd newport ingales, boyd newport jackson, p. t. summit ave., st. paul janzen, abr. mt. lake jackson, peter cloquet jacobson, p. g. madison jaquith, o. o. box , pillager jacobson, j. f. madison jager, rev. francis. st. bonifacius jacobson, nels wayzata jackson, jas. woodstock jacobs, dr. j. c. willmar jacobson, fred rushford jasmer, paul a. winona james, dr. a. c. springfield, ill. jahren, rev. h. c. m. grand meadow jaycox, l. i. woodstock jacobson, j. l. madison jarshaw, sam madison jacobson, j. m. hills jacobson, t. m. hills jaeger, jos. r. , st. cloud james, j. willis lincoln ave., st. paul jackman, c. f. r. , box , esterville, ia. jackson, geo. r. manchester, n. h. jamison, robt. excelsior jansen, d. e. rogers jackson, j. f. lbr. exch., mpls. jackson, miss emma a. drexel blvd., chicago, ill. jensen, a. p. box , askov jerabek, mrs. mary excelsior jensen, jens a. rose creek jensen, adolph th ave. s., mpls. jensen, j. p. morgan jensen, c. m. albert lea jedlicka, henry r. , eagle bend jensen, anton mcintosh jenson, jens h. box , hudson, wis. jenswald, john duluth jennison, mrs. jas. fremont s., mpls. jenson, j. a. new london jenson, n. a. willmar jensen, j. l. menomonie, wis. jernberg, j. c. th ave. s., mpls. jensen, l. clearbrook jenson, w. f. mankato jepson, mrs. j. h. fremont n., mpls. johnson, j. p. miami, fla. johnson, gust j. clarissa johnson, p. g. elliot, mpls. johnson, dr. a. e. cloquet johnson, e. a. maple plain johnson, fred jarretts johnson, l. t. spring grove johnson, o. b. new richland johnson, p. e. north branch johnson, arnt r. , viroqua, wis. johnson, henry v. e. lawson st., st. paul johnson, a. w. pleasant, mpls. johnston, fred l. laurel ave., st. paul johnson, jos. t. jessie st., st. paul johnson, j. h. doon, ia. johnson, c. a. r. , box , ogilvie johnson, clyde bergville johnson, carl g. little falls johnson, isaac west union, ia. johnson, o. w. hawley johnson, lewis box , albert lea johnson, a. n. drew ave., mpls. johnson, f. w. breckenridge johnson, l. f. bemidji ave., bemidji johnson, g. g. e. th st., duluth johnson, o. h. r. , box , willmar johnson, chas. eugene u. of m., mpls. johnson, p. j. van buren st. n.e., mpls. johnson, j. c. fillmore st., mpls. johnson, w. w. detroit johnson, c. j. box , cushing johnston, rodney maple plain johnson, l. h. maynard johnston, wm. eden prairie johnson, selmer w. college st., rochester johnson, f. w. r. , braham johnson, a. w. . hague ave., st. paul johnson, miss carolyn linwood place, st. paul johnson, andrew r. , box , arnold johnson, henry l. r. , fergus falls johnson, alphonse e. r. , stephen johnson, mrs. charley amery, wis. johnson, john j. box , naples, s. d. johnson, peter box , naples, s. d. johnson, l. o. e. butler ave., st. paul johnson, roy r. , box , brandon johnson, jos. fridley johnson, s. l. r. , hopkins johnson, geo. millarton, n. d. johnson, geo. grygla johnson, n. c. south side farm, white bear lake jones, a. c. duluth jorgensen, i. b. hutchinson jones, thos. c. russell jordin, aug. new london jones, j. frank redwood falls jordan, j. j. shakopee jones, g. p. bagley jorgenson, bros. clarkfield jones, j. s. madison jones, s. j. oakland ave., mpls. jordin, john a. r. , litchfield jordan, wm. merriam pk. sta., st. paul jungbauer, frank winslow ave., st. paul justin, edw. j. excelsior juen, louis gorman ave., w. st. paul katzner, rev. jno. b. collegeville kalbakken, theo. st. joseph, wis. kapler, geo. r. perham kasper, hans grand marais kangas, henry floodwood kaiser, max merriam park floral co., st. paul kates, mrs. rose litchfield kalmbach, w. a. wolvin bldg., duluth kaminsky, jos. box , hopkins kansal, john minnehaha ave., mpls. kallock, h. h. oslo kallberg, jens red top karpisek, jos. harrison st., bellaire, ohio kallestad, c. a. ruthton karsten, miss ida c. adams n.e., mpls. keasling, f. j. zimmerman keith, john a. cass lake kelley, elmer sta. f., r. , mpls. kelly, w. j. claremont, s. d. keene, p. l. mankato kelley, clark w. devils lake, n. d. kees, a. a. sta. f, r. , mpls. kelley, c. e. e. belvidere st., st. paul keiper, chas. haskell st., w. st. paul keller, henry newport keist, m. j. conway st., st. paul kelley, frank w. r. , menomonie, wis. ketchum, c. s. middlefield, ohio keyes, e. a. excelsior kenyon, j. m. lamberton kempe, peter red wing kenney, dr. d. j. newton ave. s., mpls. keyes, dr. c. r. n. th ave. w., west duluth kenning, t. a. th ave. n., mpls. kenety, w. h. cloquet forest & exp. sta., cloquet kerker, mrs. thos. aurora ave., st. paul kendrick, j. w. iglehart ave., st. paul kerns, john olivia kendall, r. s. loraine, wis. kimball, rev. j. r. , duluth kinkade, w. s. sioux falls, s. d. kinney, s. g. faribault kirk, loren o. th ave. s., mpls. kirk, e. b. laurel ave., st. paul kittson, norman dayton ave., st. paul kingsley, a. w. bricelyn kinsman, a. n. austin killmer, r. e. pine city kimball, e. l. st natl. bank bldg., duluth kidd, mrs. f. e. nd ave. n., mpls. kirkpatrick, k. a. wayzata kirchner & renich s. th st., mpls. kittleson, a. j. madison kirk sisters clearwater king, j. c. drexel bldg., philadelphia, pa. kinsman, c. d. austin kirby, mrs. c. a. heron lake kimball, miss grace e. waltham kidder, e. d. marshall kind, wm. melrose kiger, h. e. wheaton kirkwood, w. p. grantham st., st. paul klaksirk, iver s. underwood klebs, j. c. bertha klebs, f. w. eagle bend klabunde, carl spillville, ia. klodt, frank r. , staples klunschmidt, wm. f. morgan klucas, j. a. buffalo lake klindt, henry litchfield klein, m. h. caledonia klein, albert r. , so. st. paul knight, e. w., n. th st. estherville, ia. knowles, mrs. m. a. sawtelle, cal. knoblauch, w. excelsior knatvold, h. albert lea knowles, miss marjorie lincoln ave., st. paul knutson, fred albert lea knudson, jacob taopi knapp, g. a. deerwood knapp, a. w. mound knutson, a. r. pelican rapids knudtson, andrew brandon kruggel, miss emma l. fremont so., mpls. kraut, emil lester prarie krause, chas. merriam park krekelberg, henry j. dent krogh, h. p. hythe st., st. paul kremer, geo. f. grand rapids kroehler, t. j. houston kresta, matt. eden, s. d. kraus, geo. mcgrath korth, albert rothsay kovar, wansel owatonna kolisch, aug. st. louis park kotouc, rev. a. st. leo koenig, g. a. howard lake korth, aug. rothsay koehler, d. hector kortsad, a. newfolden kochendorfer, k. k. south park kohler, chas. winona krueger, john r. , stillwater krause, mrs. chas. r. , merriam park kropp, chas. o. wadena krueger, b. f. niagara, n. d. kroll, john lake benton kreiziger, frank cole st., watertown, wis. krincke, henry w. gessemini, st. paul kruger, walter paynesville kunkel, jos. j. kimball kullander, f. q. kensington kuhns, a. m. main & plum, red wing kuefler, mrs. anton belgrade kuyper, mrs. john r. , mondovie, wis. kueffner, otto no. milton, st. paul kyrklund, c. h. winthrop koza, jos. bellows st., w. st. paul koester, john v. iron exchange, mpls. koelruck, gustav stewart kozial, miss justine m. r. , little falls koher, a. w. lucy, w. st. paul koutek, jos. butler & stryker, w. st. paul kolbe, ed sleepy eye koerner, olga grantham, st. paul lamb, c. sr. baker lumberson, l. warren lahn, mrs. geo. rogers lammers, henry p., jr. lafond, st. paul lagerquist, john f. cushing lagerquist, f. w. elmwood no., mpls. lamson, w. h. hinckley lake, a. f. shenandoah, ia. lafrance, h. clifton, mpls. lahiff, arthur th ave. so., mpls isadone, rasmus box , cloquet lake, homer homer lambert, edward v. buffalo lake lamphere, mrs. chas. frazee laflin, j. c. williams lade, halstein fosston lake, shores hubbard lacroix, wm. deer river langholz, j. a. newport landeen, a. f. eagle bend larkin, t. h. ford bldg., great falls, mont. larson, emil v. eagle bend laurin, john renville lange, marie r. willmar larson, j. p. th st. e., willmar landscape architect, dept. pub. wks. regina, sask. larsen, raymond m. providence bldg., duluth langlund, nils cedarbend larson, c. f. morgan larson, l. u. lowry larson, peter box , albert lea larson, l. r. , st. james lane, j. w. anoka langseth, c. c. worthington larson, john box , r. , lafayette langford, h. a. blackduck larson, w. e. madison, wis. landahl, h. little falls landeene, w. e. elbow lake larson, ole h. hisega, s. d. lanes, john o. dawson larson, l. b. st. louis park lange, l. m. cass lake lange, g. h. lake city langmaid, abbie b. granite falls larson, g. winslow ave., st. paul lauritson, a. warrendale greenhouse, como park, st. p. law, k. b. doswell, st. paul lawson, f. e. goodhue latsch, john a. winona lawson, m. h. ellendale lawson, f. l. welch lawrence, alfred box , eldridge, n. d. lawson, l. p. isle lawton, chas. dayton ave., st. paul lawrence, mrs. w. w. woodland ave., duluth latourelle, j. r. , centuria. wis. lawrie, jas. a. wolvin bldg., duluth leiner, dan'l morris lee, geo. f. hanska leath, fred cleveland leavitt, miss clara james so., mpls. leary, d. j. brown's valley lee, e. g. dayton ave., st. paul lee, ole n. hayfield lee, iver a. neilsville leake, mrs. c. w. no. st. paul lehnerts, prof. e. h. "u. of m.," mpls. ledue, a. c. no. th ave., duluth leach, a. r. faribault lemieux, mrs. m. a. nebr. & adams st., st. paul lee, prof. olav st. olaf ave., northfield leitch, wm. columbia heights, mpls. leath, mrs. eleanor okipee farm, linden hills leasman, geo. w. hector lee, t. k. benson lee, j. a. benson ledvina, joseph pine city lee, eddie st. cloud, minn., r. le fevre, a. emerson ave., w. st. paul leonard, dr. l. d. syndicate blk., mpls. lenz, rudolph adrian lerol, john a. whalen lewis, a. f. leroy lewis, chas. l., jr. shell lake, wis. lewis, meyer box , mpls. leslie, a. w. fremont so., mpls. lenander, edwin buffalo lake lewis, bert caledonia leyde, h. g. newport leyde, g. f. hewitt leonard, dr. w. e., donaldson bldg., mpls. lerch, bernard, secy. carpenters farmers' club, togo linden, harry belgrade lippman, j. c. hythe st., st. paul lietze, f. w. mound lieske, robt. pequot lien, ole l. willmar lindgren, a. w. kennilworth ave., duluth lisler, mrs. a. m. grand rapids lippert, a. o. bertha lindsay, j. m. austin lightner, mrs. w. h. summit ave., st. paul lindstrom, john a. j. lindstrom linton, robt. everett court, st. anthony park lindsey, geo. f. mer. natl. bk. bldg., st. paul linder, e. a. warroad lieberg, c. f. clarkfield limperich, henry j. th ave. no., st. cloud lindahl, j. a. harris lien, andy beaudette lichtscheidl, john univ. ave., st. paul lien, g. e. maynard lindholm, j. a. e. glen lake, hopkins linnell, mr. j. e. maple plain lindhe, h. e. deer river lindstam, s. f. st. louis park, r. no. . libby, merton r. hopkins, r. no. lien, thos. leroy livingston, c. b. bryant no., mpls. linderholm, a. belgrade lindgren, oscar princeton, r. lippincott, miss c. h. hen. ave., mpls. lindholm, c. j. nd ave. n., mpls. light, c. w. st. john st., regina, sask. lilleskov, leonard byron lievere, b. a. johnson st. ne., mpls. lowe, m. f. buffalo loegering, aug. long prairie lovold, e. j. st ave. s., mpls. loop, leeman dent loftman, oscar fertile lomis, c. p. st. peter logstrom, reinhold atwater loegering, a. j. st. peter loye, c. c. th ave. s., mpls. lomen, o. o. decorah, ia., r. no. loss, bj. lake city loudenback, f. m. bagley lowell, o. s. buffalo lott, k. f. e. th st., st. paul lorenz, otto dale, st. paul lorentz, r. h. howard lake long, miss avie penn ave., mpls. lonsdale, miss persis g. sauk rapids lobsinger, anton cromwell ave., st. paul lorenzen, gust. bagley, r. losleben, rev. a. j. norwood long, jesse l. th ave. n., mpls. lock, frank osseo, r. lofgren, erick red top lofgren, a. h. tower logan, frank kenwood pkway, mpls. lov, chas. r. , hopkins lovering, thos. campbell loucks, chas. h. mankato luchan, h. j. fertile ludlow, h. j. worthington lundholm, dr. e. m. univ. ave., st. paul lundborg, theo. a. nisswa lund, geo. excelsior luitjens, a. clara city lucas, dr. h. e. champlin lubich, franz river falls, wis. luitjens, d. g. hopkins, r. no. , care of chas. asplund lucas, geo. a. s. th st., mpls. lufi, o. c. la crescent lundberg, s. l. red wing, no. lund, peter stillwater, park place luhman, henry howard lake ludwig, mrs. frank iglehart ave., st. paul luedloff, herman cologne luther, otto hills lunden, h. o. slayton lund, c. f. maple plain luhmann, j. c. w. wabasha st., winona lusk, w. f. hythe st., st. paul lyness, chas. e. new richmond lysen, aug. o. lowry magnuson, j. e. st st. se., st. cloud madison, geo. c. newport mander, frank c. hastings ave., st. paul manuel, dr. k. janie masonic temple, mpls. mace, florence duluth mace, clarissa e. duluth maass, win. h. waconia mahlman, h. w. plato maclennan, r. grand rapids manchester, edwin v. hopkins mansfield, miss c. mankato mace, r. e. e. rd st., duluth maney, peter, jr. grygla manz, f. w. paynesville magnuson, swen templeton, cal. malmsten, f. w. western ave., mpls. malmberg, e. w. lafayette mahler, adolph waseca malmquist, g. wayzata malitor, martin st. cloud malberg, p. b. thief river falls mahler, c. fairmont, n. d. magnuson, i. e. willmar maddy, mrs. emma annandale macnab, j. c. lombard st., winnipeg, can. mann, r. t. excelsior, r. malmberg, chas. a. lindstrom manley, l. b. torrey bldg., duluth maher, howard devils lake, n. d. maine, m. f. met. life bldg., mpls. magie, mrs. frank london rd., duluth macdonough, mary emerson, n. d. mains, t. u. th ave. s., mpls. mailand, c. h. newport manthun, reinhold dent manuel, r. w. orlin ave. se., mpls. majerns, math. brooten magnuson, o. j. isanti mareck, titus ridgewood ave., mpls. marshall, mrs. l. emogene irving so., mpls. martin, f. j. excelsior martens, john bloomington ave. s., mpls. martin, john h. n. th st., mpls. marsh, v. p. big falls mariem, p. b. daytons bluff, sta. f, r. , st. paul marthaler, henry south st. paul martenson, alfred maynard, r. maruska, john a. new prague, r. , box martin, grant redwood falls mathews, mrs. jas. h. larimore, n. d. mathisen, geo. w. windom massee, a. w. albert lea mayo, e. d. s. fremont, mpls. maust, s. h. canton mayman, e. w. sauk rapids matzke, sil. so. st. paul mayland, a. w. albert lea mathison, thoger st. paul park mattison, dr. c. w. swea city, ia., box mathes, e. h. excelsior mayman, hattie a. sauk rapids mattson, f. terrace, b. c. mayne, prof. d. d. univ. farm, st. paul mason, joe long lake mather, o. l. s. st ave. e., duluth may, bernard stewart matzke, h. c. jefferson st., duluth may, prof. j. h. river falls, wis. masson, e. deerwood mathews, oscar r. newell, s. d. mathews, miss harriet w. college st., rochester mattocks, brewer jr. woodland ave., duluth mawin, geo. g. warroad mellinger, t. s. pine island merrill, geo. e. washburn so., mpls. mense, f. g. aldrich s. mpls. meeker, mary k. clinton ave., mpls. meeds, a. d. harriet ave., mpls. meadow lawn farm st. peter, r. no. meginess, fred j. winona merritt, mrs. john e. aitkin meisinger, engelb. stryker ave., w. st. paul meelker, ben raymond mendenhall, w. j. th ave. ne., mpls. mead, p. h. white bear lake melson, john deerwood merritt, c. h. woodland ave., duluth merritt, neal r. hinckley meyer, henry blue earth meyer, j. h. austin meyer, c. h. west ave., red wing meyer, frank excelsior, r. no. mesenbring, otto clayton, wis., care louis schmidt meyenburg, h. c. montvideo meyer, e. st. louis park, r. no. meyers, rev. j. st. james miller, w. l. e. th st., st. paul metcalf, dr. f. w. winton meyers, j. e. n. th st., mpls. mills, d. l. lake city miks, rev. a. st. michael mpls. public library mpls. miller e. b. mpls., r. , sta. f. milne, h. a. elmerado, n. d., r. no. mighton, s. r. winnipeg, man., box miller, h. j. cologne miner, h. p. dupont so., mpls. mix, h. p. lidgewood, n. d. miller, warren verdi mitchell, d.m. owatonna mitchell, w. b. st ave. s., st. cloud minder, emma ortonville michelson, nels austin miller, elbert w. r. , anoka mills, l. d. garden city miller, hans f. p. n. greeley, stillwater middleton, e. c. baudette miller, t. e. ely mpls. real estate bd. andrus bldg., mpls. miller w. l. e. th st., st. paul miller, o. a. rainbow hotel, great falls, mont. miller, s. j. briarcombe farm, winona mitchell, mrs. harry halma minn. northern nurs. co. raymond ave., st. paul miller, joseph hopkins miller, chas. morgan no., mpls. miller, wm. j. warroad, box miller, hjalmar s. lindstrom miller, e. amery, wis. mielke, geo. sidney, mont. miller, henry c. sauk center mpls. architectural club nic. ave., mpls. miller, sarah a. sauk rapids moehring, otto montevideo moore, w. m. forest service, santa barbara, cal. moeser, ed st. louis park moore, mrs. c. f. worthington moberg, aron lowry moline, e. j. henn. ave., mpls. monson, n. l. buffalo lake mondeng, chas. newton ave. n. mpls. moeser, ernest st. louis park montgomery, katherine a. bradley st. sta., st. paul, r. , bx. montgomery, w. c. excelsior, r. no. moore, john e. louisville moede, h. f. buffalo lake moody, geo. w. amery, wis. moeser, miss flora st. louis park molander, a. l. bemidji moline, geo. woodstock molenar, john raymond, r. monk, b. b. minot, n. d. moen, a. a. bemidji, r. mojha, joseph r. no. , lonsdale moore, e. v. eagle bend moen, albert o. smithport moberg, oscar lowry moe, p. c. mentor morrison, rev. j. d. e. supr. st., duluth moran, c. b. newport morey, geo. w. van buren st. ne., mpls. moris, mrs. f. rondo st., st. paul morris, john r. beaudette morgan, benj. h. so. th st., leavensworth, kan. morrill, e. w. hopkins, r. morton, mrs. e. h. st. louis park mortz, aug. stewart morlan, ogden c. colfax s., mpls. mortenson, j. p. new richland moritz, isaac hector morrison, mrs. eugenia excelsior morley, jas. wahpeton, n. d. morse, john h. washburn ave. s., mpls. morgan, r. m. howard lake moen, albert o. terrace, r. , box molsted, c. e. valley city, n. d. moffitt, mrs. f. l. univ. ave. se., mpls. moses, mrs. w. s. wahkon motter, j. p. lamberton mousel, henry canby moss, w. f. worthington mosbjerg, chr. th st. n., mpls. moulton, h. r. windom mott, f. r. hibbing moses, j. b. jackson munch, mrs. e. w. crookston mullen, a. j. custom house, mpls. mudd, mrs. neva sandstone munson, nels cokato mulqueeneg, mrs. jas. buffalo munn, mrs. m. d. forest lake mundt, fred sunfish rd., r. , w. st. paul mullen, john t. litchfield munsterteiger, arthur buffalo mulroy, m. f. brown's valley murray, j. w. excelsior murray, d. l. blooming prairie murray, chas. m. princeton musser, r. d. little falls musser, c. r. mer. state bk. bldg., muscatine, ia. murphy, frederick p. central lake murdock, h. e. queen ave. s, st. paul murray, mrs. h. j. osceola ave., st. paul mutny, john s. gregory, s. d. musil, f. j. hector musil, rudolph hector murdock, e. c. scheffman bldg., st. paul myrah, e. g. spring grove mcbroom, j. k. excelsior mcbride, a. f. marshall ave., st. paul mcallister, geo. e. emerson n., mpls. mccullough, francis mound mccabe, mrs. m. sta. f., mpls. mcconachie, n. perham mccallum, john clinton, r. no. mccoy, dr. mary w. supr. st., duluth mccabe, w. j. abbotsford ave., duluth mccullach, jas. t. washburn, n. d. mcclintock, r. g. willmar mccaleb, seth eyota mccathy, t. caledonia mccabe, m. m. roslyn ave., duluth mccall, geo. w. fort williams, ont. mccarthy, f. f. e. th st., duluth mccormick, miss care geo. h. rogers, blaisdell ave., mpls. mcelroy white bear, bx mcduffee, herbert s. d ave. s., mpls. mcfadden, dr. c. a. tioga st., duluth mcguire, a. j. univ. farm, st. paul mcguire, s. h. annandale mcgonagle, mrs. w. a. hunter's park, duluth mcgolerick, bishop, jas. duluth mckusick, miss florence m. stillwater mckee, maude l. hotel waverly, mpls. mcmillan, f. g. no. , th st., se., mpls. mcleod, neil a. d ave. se., mpls. mcmahon, j. a. arago mclaughlin, peter hunter, n. d. mclarty, jas. neche, n. d., r. mclean, robt. c. palace bldg., mpls. mcnair, c. i. cloquet mcneil, mrs. alex dayton mcquoid, jas. pipestone mcquire, mrs. d. f. hopkins mcpherson, a. k. walker mcphail, a. j. hibbing naslund, adolph tower, bx neils, julius cass lake neinabor, chas. round lake neal, j. a. p. st nat. bk. bldg., duluth neilson, a. mankato nelson, c. n. storden nelson, oscar w. aitken, r. nelson, chas. f. hythe st., st. anthony park nelson, c. g. lindstrom nelson, f. a. atwater nelson, hans fergus falls nelson, jacob beltrami nelson, hans twin valley nelson, c. a. a. park rapids, bx. nelson, peter e. montevideo nelson, anton grasston nelson, mrs. sim. westbrook nelson, mrs. v. d. th st. s., mpls. nelson, c. j. willmar nelson, hugo c. hibbing nelson, mrs. wm. box , spooner nelson, p. j. clarissa nelson, chas. j. r. , eagle bend nelson, s. r. owatonna nelson, a. n. r. , box , hopkins nelson, e. s. robert st., w. st. paul nelson, hon. e. m. fairmount, n. d. nelson, e. v. box , alta dens, cal. nelson, m. o. harriet ave., mpls. nelson, andrew northland nelson, martin r. , hopkins nellermoe, f. g. buffalo lake ness, h. h. wash. n., mpls. newland, h. custom house, mpls. newberg, a. excelsior newell, wilfred mayo farm, rochester newmann, a. h. sta. f., r. , mpls. n.y. state col. of for. syracuse, n. y. nesbitt, mrs. victoria k. th ave. e., duluth neske, mrs. albert waseca neudecker, a. s. clements nesdahl, ole box , shevlin nettleton, c. h. stockton newhall, mrs. h. f. humboldt s., mpls. ness, gabriel hannaford, n. d. n.y. state ranger school wanakena, n. y. nesbitt, mrs. w. l. fremont s., mpls. nelson, henry oslo nelson, alfred m. hector nelson, a. m. elliot ave. s., mpls. nelson, a. e. r. , box , felton nelson, geo. h. hope, minn., via owatonna nelson, walter r. , oslo nelson, l. m. th ave. s., mpls. nelson, e. m. fairmount, n. d. nelson, fred s. maple plain nelson, s. c. alexandria nelsen, leslie goff ave., w. st. paul nelson, carl a. cokato nelson, john baudette nieman, chas. hamburg, wis. niemeyer, c., w. calif. st., pasadena, calif. nichols, s. s. cham. of com., mpls. nichols, mrs. c. h. palace st., st. paul nielsen, n. mankato nickel, geo. reading nicol, henry c. mail carrier , st. paul nicholson, mrs. sam'l j. nic. ave., mpls. noble, a. s. dent norderhus, paul s. murdock nolte, henry duluth nordby, ed. j. renville norval, wm. elk river nordbye, o. w. granite falls northern pine mfgrs. assn., lumber ex. minneapolis norin, dr. frans l. roseau nousse, john western no., w. st. paul nordine, john lake city. noble, fred e. lucy st., st. paul nowlen, b. e. chilcombe ave., st. paul nordquist, e. d. evansville novak, frank lonsdale nohava, mathias lonsdale norton, john lonsdale norberg, mrs. c. eastwood noehl, nicholas r. , dassel norton, a. w. cumberland, wis. n.w. nat. bk. information & pub. dept., minneapolis nutter, f. h. sykes blk., mpls. nydahl, j. l. st ave. so., mpls. nygaard, thos. th ave s.e., mpls. nyman, col. m. r. st ave. so., mpls. nystrom, o. eastwood nysoeu, c. o. pelican rapids o'brien pat renville o'connor, jas., jr. granite falls oberleiter, john pequot oberleiter, mrs. maria pequot oberg, alma mayer olson, s. j. grand meadow olson, oscar a. truman olson, wm. c. r. , maynard olson, ova boyd olson, john a. boyd olson, chas. r. , lindstrom olson, miss julia aitkin olson, geo. w. carver olmstead, mrs. e. w., lake of isles blvd., mpls. olsen, chesta central olsen, peter eastwood olson, paul taylor st. n.e., mpls. olin, miss signe j., no. th ave. w. duluth olson, j. j. central lakes odell, mrs. r. r. irwing so., mpls. oehring, c. c. elkader, ia. oesch, fred winona o'hara, dr. p. waverly ohr, e. j. sta. f, r. , mpls. ogren, g. c. cambridge oehler, mrs. ira c., st. claire st. st. paul ogaard, arthur j. hettinger, n. d. ogroskie, paul deer river olson, lewis r. , kalispell, mont. oldenburg, henry c. carlton olsen, h. p. r. , st. louis park olson, aug. r. kennedy olson, j. b. willmar oleson, michael montevideo olson, mrs. d. w. white bear olson, peter m. r. , zumbrota olmstead, rett e. excelsior olson, o. e. r. , bx. , braham olney, will knox, n. d. olson, o. j. w. th st., st. paul olson, edwin o. r. , dent olson, o. g. porter olson, c. h. beltrami olds, l. pequot ollinger, j. f. hopkins oldenberg, c. j. r. , belle plain olson, wm. g. dunnel olson, oluf burtrum olson, hjalmer c. bx. , ironwood, mich. olson, mrs. otto w. eagle bend olson, oscar orr old, mrs. w. a., washburn ave. s. minneapolis olson, a. h. w. robert st., st. paul olson, miss margaret wyoming olson, martin lake city olson, c. e. underwood oleson, cris cushing, wis. old, mrs. m. e., w. minnehaha st. st. paul oredalen, ole kenyon o'neill, o. h. globe bldg., st. paul opsata, c. bemidji omland, erik mcintosh orr, grier m. laurel ave., st. paul o'neil, wm. cass lake orwell, c. s. clarkfield o'neill, jas. m. woodstock oram, martin th ave. s., mpls. orr, mrs. g. m. laurel ave., st. paul ordway, mrs. l. p. portland ave., st. paul o'meara, steve lesueur center omann, m. e. stewart octhoudt, geo. eden prairie oppegaard, e. o. sacred heart oregon agri. col. library corvallis, ore. orde, g. s. riverdale ave., calgary, can. osborn, john dassel ostern, l. n. montevideo osborne, e. w. b. p. bldg., st. paul ottis, frank j. forest, st. paul osborn, l. m. sheridan s., mpls. orsborn, h. e. rd ave. s., mpls. osgood, h. e. st. paul otte, e. w. s. wabasha st. w. st. paul ostergren, e. a. n. st. paul ostrom, mrs. c. j. winthrop otosa, a. l. r. , st. james osborn, frank h. r. , albert lea otto, w. h. s. robert st., w. st. paul oswald, wm. k. th st., cloquet ott, adolph r. , granite falls overgaard, p. h. albert lea ouellette, c. a. arkwright st., st. paul owens, john xerxes ave. s., mpls. overn, a. v. albert lea owens, john cook pabody, mrs. e. f. th st. s., mpls. palzer, casper mazeppa paine, f. w. sellwood bldg., duluth palmer, ezra paynesville palmer, s. e. browerville palke, stephan bryant, wis. parman, e. a. hudson, wis. partridge, h. c. owatonna parker, c. w. valley river, man. parsons, john b. fergus falls parks, w. s. thorp, wis. parsons, frank maple plain parker, percy w. dispatch bldg., st. paul partridge, van b. owatonna parks, mrs. walter airlie parker, vern pine island parks, robt. shell lake, wis. parker, f. m. garden city parker, ira j. waverly hotel, mpls. patten, j. w. long lake patience, j. c. little falls passmore, miss c. w. r. , box , hopkins paup, f. o. sherburn paterson, j. f. south shore, white bear patterson, m. t. ellendale patterson, mrs. j. o. james ave. n., mpls. passehl, fred r. , montrose peerless rubber mfg. co. pierce bldg., st. louis, mo. peck, mrs. e. w. orchard gardens, savage pentney, e. h. manitou peabody, lloyd delavan ave., st. paul peck, c. w. redwood falls perl, h. j. iglehart st., st. paul pearce, g. a. allendale ave., duluth peabody, f. c. merrifield peck, harold j. deer river perry, mrs. gentz amery, wis. perkins, t. l. r. , red wing pervogal, h. j. s. clintworth st., st. paul pegenholf, edward maple plain pegenholf, john maple plain peil, l. l. n. p. bldg., st. paul perkins, paul h. th ave. n., mpls. peck, chas. washburn, wis. peiffer, n. j. al. eden valley penney, john cushing, wis. penning, martin new ulm pederson, p. a. beardsley pengilly, jas. r. , osseo perry, p. h. excelsior perkins, thos. race track, mont. peek, c. m. eureka pedersen, a. w. comfrey pellet, f. a. akeley peachy, mrs. chas. austin pearson, hjalmer r. , welch perkins, alfred wakefield ave., st. paul penney, a. w. stacyville, ia. peavey, l. j. r. , osseo pennington, e. nd ave. s., mpls. peake, g. w. univ. farm, st. paul perkins, mrs. w. f. crystal lake ave., mpls. peck, c. c. munsing, mich. pevy, e. p. clearbrook pederson, f. w. lincoln ave., st. paul peterson, alvin astoria, s. d. peterson, jos. lake crystal peterson, p. h. atwater peterson, c. o. willmar peterson, carl f. storden peterson, f. j. waconia peterson, o. m. albert lea peterson, r. waldo canby pew, fremont c. r. , mankato peterson, hans van buren st. n.e., mpls. peterson, fred albert lea peterson, l. e. r. , stanchfield peter, justus cor. smith ave. & annapolis st., st. paul peterson, jas. blooming prairie peterson, aug. w. maple st., stillwater peterson, john p. aldrich peterson, chas. j. r. . burtrum peterson, linder box , bessemer, mich. peterson, mrs. c. a. everett ave., everett, wash. peterson, axel excelsior peterson, f. w. th ave. s. e., mpls. peterson, peter ruthton peterriens, j. p. echo peterson, oscar buffalo petry, arthur c. pacific st., st. paul peterson, mrs. martin r. , kintyre, n. d. peterson, j. gorman ave., w. st. paul peterson, a. e. th ave. s., mpls. peterson, j. h. r. , holdingford pettengell, ben saum peterson, chas. j. maynard peterson, j. h. fort ripley peterson, hjalmar box , buffalo peterson, spurgeon hayfield peterson, mrs. victoria eastwood peterson, h. c. sleepy eye peterson, thos. e. rd st., duluth pfister, j. m. marietta pfaender, wm., j. new ulm pfeiffer, c. a. r. , winona pfeiffer, fred morton pfaender, walter c. new ulm pfeiffer, mrs. c. e. winona phillips, h. fort williams, west ont. pineo, dr. w. b. pillsbury bldg., mpls. pimley, a. e. park rapids pinkerton, s. w. capitol ave. st. paul pischner, august r. , mankato pickatta, martin stewart pierce, e. b. seymour ave. s.e., mpls. piringer, frank w. bernard st., w. st. paul picha, john l. new prague pickle, julia l. st. croix falls, wis. pierce, mrs. baxter ashland, mont. pierce, p. p. delaware st., mpls. peterson, peter deer river peters, h. p. glenwood platten, will j. oakland ave., green bay, wis. pladsen, emil milaca plank, mrs. josephine hopkins plan, chas. enver grove plotner, oscar saum platten, h. j. dousman st., green bay, wis. plainview public library plainview pond, e. r. r. , mpls. poppler, john frazee pond, d. s. sta. f, r. , mpls. porter, j. n. girard n., mpls. popelka, j. j. ogilvie porter, amos lake benton potts, chas. w. deerwood poole, w. a. forest river, n. d. poore, hamlin v. bird island pommer, mrs. geo. garfield ave. s., mpls. poirier, l. s. lewis st., duluth pollack, mrs. robt. avondale st., duluth pomije, rev. h. d. olivia potter, a. h. irving ave. s., mpls. poussin, g. w. onigum powers, frank w. garfield ave., mpls. powell, f. w. willmar posz, l. a. winona potter, n. c. hector powell, j. l. pillager poseley, h. e. cove powers, prof. wm. h. agri. college, brookings, s.d. potter, b. f. s. nokomis ave., mpls. poucher, thos. s. n. st. paul potter, w. l. raymond posivis, john sherburne prentice, chas. d. r. , highwood, st. paul prosser, l. w. leroy prentice, s. l. winona pratt, dr. c. c. imanuel hospital, mankato price, mrs. w. l. excelsior preston, c. a. hastings pruett, elmer w. ely premo, alex e. annapolis, w. st. paul primus, john melrose pritchard, robt. m. box , hibbing prohl, john traverse, duluth prinzing, d. s. rushford prime, f. g. r. , wayzata prest, miss marion summit ave., st. paul prodoehl, h. r. olivia probstfield, mrs. edmund moorhead prova, mrs. harry kelliher probett, miss ida stevens ave., mpls. prescott, mrs. e. e. jessamine st., st. paul preisler, o. s. s. st. paul ptacek, c. j. long prairie putnam, s. t. battle lake public library st. paul public library winnipeg, man. purdy, c. e. lake st. w. & excelsior ave., mpls. purdham, c. w. r. , osseo puffer, h. m. th st. & nd ave. s., mpls. putnam, r. w. care bank pierce-simmons, red wing punderson, j. m. northfield pumper, thos. a. lonsdale pudil, jas. hopkins pugh, mrs. dana v. howell st., duluth putman, w. l. pelican rapids quale, g. e. willmar quam, o. t. nerstrand quinn, mrs. j. j. wentworth ave. s., mpls. quist, wm. r. , red wing quinn, j. h. delano quady. wm. blue earth quast, john buffalo lake quigly, d. j. litchfield quandt, wm. buffalo lake quinlan, m. new prague quinn, j. a. tower rains, dr. j. m. willmar rankin, prof. a. w. th st. s.e., mpls. ramsdell, chas. h. n.y. life bldg., mpls. rafelson, anton montevideo ramey, e. w. redwood falls ray, f. w. th ave. n.e., mpls. ralston, dr. j. f. cavalier, n. d. ramm, e. a. winona raths & seavolt wabasha st., st. paul rand, b. r. frazee rauscher, john bidwell st., st. paul raub, clark winnebago sahlfing, w. m. cleveland rarig, prof. f. m. barton ave. s.e., mpls. rauen, mrs. p. j. white bear raddatz, arthur pine island rathlisberger, chas. slayton ranney, h. f. benson raftery, w. h. garrison, n. d. reeder, g. s. sauk rapids reed, john a. cham. of com., mpls. rees, s. b., jr. linden hills, r. , mpls. reeves, n. h. nd st. n., mpls. reeves, mrs. john nemadji reed, calvin care m. j. johnson, manning, n. d. reese, l. a. cumberland, wis. redpath, geo. a. big sandy, mont. rector, s. m. deer creek reeves, e. m. waverly, ia. regnier, e. montreal, st. paul ree, selmer s. r. , zumbrota reeves, mrs. h. g. nemadji reamer, j. l. greysolon rd., duluth reed, m. h. hastings rehbein, ed r. , duluth reinking, wm. osseo rekedal, s. e. lucan reichert, john e. th st., red wing reno, nils excelsior revord, t. a. austin renner, max st. louis park, minn. remel, casper menomonie, wis. reynolds, m. n. turtle river reif, geo. h. white bear remsker, rev. peter canby reiland, wm. r. , box , w. st. paul rempel, henry d. mountain lake renney, s. e. pillsbury, mpls. reinhardt, s. h. r. , merriam park reynolds, j. w. kelliher reiten, lars s. hastings, n. d. reynolds, virginia a. w. franklin, mpls. rekkedal, ole minneota reynolds, john crystal bay reithner, c. w. deer river rhodes, clarence h. the pioneer co., rd & minn. st., st. paul richardson, ira e. new brighton richardson, l. p. comfrey riehl, frank belle plaine richardson, a. w. howard lake rieke, adolph fairfax rice, f. c. northfield rice, l. h. park rapids rice, c. f. n. th st., mpls. rice, millard box no. , berg, n. d. richardson, jerry hastings rice, mrs. e. v. dayton riden, t. e. shevlin rieger, rev. m. hinckley richardson, a. o. menahga riegel, j. m. care dispatch ptg. co., st. paul richards, j. w. london rd., duluth richardson, h. c. e. th st., duluth rice, h. j. benson richards, mrs. frank a. dayton ave., st. paul richardson, w. d. care swift & co., chicago rink, mrs. m. hastings ave., st. paul risser, h. a. r. , hopkins rittle, miss anna e. marshall ave., st. paul rittmaster, harry allen st. w. st. paul ritchell, wm. sta. a., minneapolis ritchell, mrs. frank h. hayes st. n.e., mpls. rising, marion s. laurel ave., st. paul risch, john elkton, s. d. ritchie, j. h. r. , white bear lake rimstad, ludvik dawson rindahl, c. l. oklee ritt, a. sinnen st., st. paul risk, miss mary m. r. , adams, wis. risdale, p. s. am. for. assn., washington, d. c. robinson, geo. w. n. snelling ave., st. paul robinson, chas. a. s. xerxes ave., mpls. robbins, h. m. excelsior robson, c. a. red wing robertson, john hot springs, s. d. roads & forests majestic bldg., detroit roberts, c. m. w. th st., minneapolis roberts, miss emma m. e. st st., mpls. rogers, c. r. st. anthony falls sta., mpls. rodgers, dr. emma white bear roe, c. e. providence bldg., duluth rodecker, l. v. gladstone rohan, mrs. m. a. nicollet ave., mpls. rockhill, harlow conrad, ia. rognlie, p. b. esmond, n. d. rogers, mrs. geo. n., e. king st., winona roke, rev. w. e. verndale roe, fredrik madison rogers, t. c. hennepin ave., mpls. rodenberg, henry mindora, wis. rogers, h. n. farmington rojina, frank univ. farm, st. paul rockhill, oscar larchwood, ia. roche, wm. inkster, n. d. rowell, h. h. s. box lewiston, idaho ross, norman m. indian head, sask. rosenwald, j. f. madison rosander, j. w. wayzata rosacker, hans th ave. and h. st. n. e. mpls. rolin, john breckenridge rowe, john verndale rosenquist, mrs. j. o. blaisdell ave., mpls. rosenquist, edwin eagle bend ronnigen, otto madison rossacker, hans stinson blvd., mpls. rowley, j. a. blooming prairie rokes, g. b. woodstock rosenberger, peter stryker ave, st. paul rowe, dr. a. t. larimore, n. d. rotty, mrs. clara r. , hastings rotty, john sr. r. , hastings rowse, and. simpson rolvaag, prof. o. e. manitou ave., northfield rosengren, carl sacred heart rovang, o. n. dalton rowe, w. h. st. james rosholt, mrs. julius penn ave., mpls. rosenstein, david washington ave., mpls. rowell, w. w. nd ave. s., mpls. rose, logan mankato runals, maj. d. e. edgerton ruff, mrs. d. w. c. bald eagle lake rupley, geo. lyceum bldg., duluth russell, dr. e. b. excelsior ruble, c. h. albert lea russell, s. b. rochester reudlinger, c. n. aldrich ave., mpls. rucker, i. w. aitkin russell, dr. thos. grand rapids running, alvin montevideo rutherford, geo. clara city rusten, erland j. box , r. , beresford, s. d. ruble, harry e. albert lea russell, hans warroad rush, john h. buffalo lake rue, e. b. lakefield rue, b. o. lakefield ruttger, jos. deerwood rustin, j. o. kelliher ruenitz, nis sleepy eye rude, t. a. rd ave. s., st. paul ruth, s. s. deer river rust, c. r. e. superior st., duluth ryan, timothy hopkins rysgaard, jens orchard gardens, savage ryan, geo. l. north st. paul ryden, p. cambridge salzer, geo. plymouth bldg., minneapolis salbach, f. c. th st. n., great falls, mont. sampson, l. f. excelsior saam, john e. th st., st. paul salveson, rev. adolph toronto, s. d. salander, g. donaldson's greenhouse, mpls. saltnass, a. m. th ave. s., mpls. sabin, bert mission samuelson, h. r. box , r. , lafayette sahlin, peter red top samuelson, fred eastwood sampson, richard excelsior sand, ole o. elbow lake sawyer mrs. n. s. excelsior sandrock, wm. houston sayre, r. e. st st. sta., chicago, ill. sartell, mrs. jos. st. cloud sandboe, i. a. wegdahl sane, peter p. r. , montevideo salter, lewis morris sandberg, c. m. lake city sauter, a. excelsior sands, louis agri. school, st. paul sawyer, c. w. wash. ave. n., mpls. sanford, mort faribault sanborn, louis lumber exchange, mpls. sanderson, oscar albert lea satrang, i. i. waterville, ia. sanders, j. h. buffalo lake sanby, e. elbow lake sanborn, edward a. marshall ave., st. paul saunders, mrs. wm. robbinsdale sawyer, l. e. fillmore st. n. e., mpls. saxson, c. r. worthington sandberg, john h. pequot saueressig, w. a. drake, n. d. sanford, m. w. faribault scott, wm. g. r. , winnipeg, man. schlemmer, a. chisago city schotzko, f. e. springfield schwerin, henry echo scherber, j. d. rogers schreiner, francis x. r. , w. st. paul schmidt, edward r. , mankato schiffrer, rev. val. madison schmitz, jacob shakopee schrooten, j. fairmont schumann, carl round lake scott, z. d. scott-graff lbr. co., duluth schulcz, peter wells schlemmer, c. h. hague ave., st. paul schnathorst, wm. frazee schultz, l. s. excelsior schriber, fred h. white bear lake scott, miss zaidee a. mcknight bldg., mpls. scone, mrs j. a. girard ave. n., mpls. schumaker, r. h. bemidji schroedel, john sherburn schumacher, albert g. fairfax schultz, wm. g. elgin schaffer, arthur r. , windom scott, w. c. doswell, st. paul schlegel, f. t. chokio schmickle, c. w. south haven schmitt, adrian nd st. n. e., mpls. scobie, frank sleepy eye schmitt, jos. e. stryker and butler st., w. st. paul schleusner, ernest r. , menomonie, wis. schulz, joseph lester prairie scobie, bertha c., eddy st., chicago, ill. schultz, mrs. o. w., st ave. s., mpls. scherf, fred osseo schlomkey, chas. newport scott, john t. hythe st., st. paul score, john j. wolf butte, n. d. schuneman, wesley schuneman & evans, st. paul schulz, carl melrose schroeder, c. a. mankato schaefer, mrs. henry sta. f, r. , mpls. schuneman, carl t. schuneman & evans, st. paul scott, e. b. laporte schweizer, myron, hague ave., st. paul schechter, j. r. , worthington scott, c. g., gowan lenning brown, duluth schnidt, rev. otto e. decorah, ia. scanlan, john s. long prairie schultz, theo. r. , monticello scheffold, rev. geo. wayzata schoeneman, wm. f. goff ave., w. st. paul schneider, j. j. renville schwarg, mrs. p. j. dodge center schneider, rudolph c. osceola ave., st. paul schmidt, alois hugo sell, chas. delano selvig, c. c. willmar seiler, j. m. excelsior secor, eugene forest city, ia. searles, robt. hammond, wis. seifert, frank l. new ulm segrin, frank sauk center seines, o. e. windom seidl, john n. goff ave., w. st. paul selby, j. s. la crescent secor, a. j. pipestone sederstrom, alfred r. , montevideo sebbe, nels box , esmond, n. d. seitz, w. a. laurel, mont. severson, f. l. stewartville setterholm, l. w. dale severa, emil vincent ave. n., mpls. senecal, j. w., yale place, apt. , mpls. seymore, mrs. m. t., w. rd st., duluth seward, fred central lake shannon, r. annandale shepley, mrs. e. l. summit court, st. paul shave, alfred s. hawley shattuck, g. w. whalan shaw, robt. finkley shelley, t. e. hanska shenahan, f. c., univ. of minn., minneapolis sherwood, geo. e. kimball shelland, miss ann dept. public inst., capitol, st. paul sherwood, w. c. woodland ave., duluth sherman nursery co. charles city, ia. sharpless. rev. s. f. fergus falls shenk, wm. j., oakland ave., w. st. paul shenandoah nurseries shenandoah, iowa shepherd, a. k., ashland ave., st. paul shane, danl. west salem, wis. sharp, a. b. lincoln shaw, dr. a. w. buhl sherman, e. d. morgan sherwood, m. w. chatfield shellum, jacob goodthunder sharpsteen, mr. cecil st. s.e., mpls. sheppard, f. j., e. lake st. minneapolis sheer, otto maple plain shaw botanical gardens st. louis, mo. sheldrew, geo. grygla shaw, daniel thief river falls shirley, h. l. breckenridge short, mrs. john wayzata shoen, mrs. mary comfrey shivley, lloyd r. tower shields, miss box , shields, pa. shields, martin m. faribault shoaff, t. h. grand rapids shoquist, isaac clinton simmons, w. a. so. spring ave., sioux falls, s. d. simpson, hon. david, n.y. life bldg., mpls. sipher, mrs. a. j. aitkin simmons, w. a. s. spring ave., sioux fals, s. d. siehl, c. d. beard ave. s., mpls. simmons, irwin glenwood sims, s. a. excelsior siegle, simon carver sill, j. w. belgrade simison, dr. c. w. hawley simon, otto goff ave., w. st. paul sikes, s. r. wash. ave. so., mpls. silliman, a. p. hibbing singer, edw. erie signs, mrs. c. e. ottawa st., st. paul sinclair, c. e. kasota blk., mpls. silbernagel, peter, jr. dent simons, orlando glencoe simek, alois l. state ave., owatonna sigl, cyrill m. hopp, mont. sinclair, mrs. e. l. so. prospect, rochester simmons, a. w. forest lake sisler, a. m. grand rapids sincock, w. j. central ave., virginia simmons, l. l. grand marais sjoquist, john a. st. james skytte, c. j. fisher and autumn st., st. paul skinner, j. w. saum skinnemoen, ole wendell skoog, a. l. carver skorpen, jens valley city, n. d. skrivseth, b. l. buxton, n. d. skogland, clarence e. ave., red wing skinner, j. h. austin skretting, rasmus red top skaurud, h. o. r. , twin valley sloan, f. g. ellendale slinner, l. burtrum sloan, mrs. j. b. laurel ave., st. paul slack, h. w. princeton ave., st. paul smith, c. h. faribault smith, f. c. plumb city, wis. smith, mrs. w. s. portland ave., st. paul smith, e. d. phoenix bldg., mpls. smith, s. d. stanton smith, c. l. hawthorn ave., mpls. smith, t. c. lakeville smith, a. d. redwood falls smith, l. z. mankato smith, d. d. st. paul smith, fred w. bottineau, n. d. smiley, r. w. e. nd. st., duluth smith, b. w. e. lake st., mpls. smith, w. f. sturgeon lake smith, mrs. geo. w. dent smith, geo. d. faribault smith, rev. f. j. st. francis smith, h. w. r. , richville smith, wm. richville smith, theo. richville smith, e. e. r. , south haven smith, c. w. lakeville smith, joe j. agri. college, n. d. emith, a. c. commonwealth ave., st. paul smith, mrs. jessie e. thief river falls smith, geo. o. minn. ave., duluth simer, jerome spring park snyder, c. e. preston snell, h. d. chilcomb ave., st. paul snoke, guy wayzata sorenson, s. anoka solem, o. a. th. halstad solseth, ed. a. box , watson sorenson, otto a. albert lea soderlund, nels box , alvarado sommerfeld, f. w. echo solem, peter thief river falls soderholm, ellis atwater sommers, benj. th and wacouta st., st. paul soderholm, c. reading soule, h. e. plymouth bldg., mpls. southall, john berlin, n. d. solberg, a. j. winger sonnesyn, e. c. th ave. so., mpls. sorby, h. montevideo sovereign, mrs. emma sauk rapids souther, moses f. hector sorenson, jens alb. armstrong soesch, m. c. r. , kimball spates, s. r. wayzata sperr, fred donnelly spadino, fred st. paul park spiten, o. g. hayfield sprague, clifford madelia speelman, mrs. s. a. turtle river spencer, g. h. hawthorn rd., duluth sperl, john b. box , r. , w. st. paul spicer, w. a. r. , bagley sprague, mrs. jas. w., irving s., mpls. sperbeck, frank r. , winona spielman, e. f. r. , worthington stai, chas. r. torrey bldg., duluth starr, miss elizabeth minneapolis state reformatory st. cloud stahl, h. h. minot, n. d. stakman, prof. e. c. univ. farm, st. paul staar, john grasston stanley, t. w. baudette stassen, win. a. charlton germs, st. paul stahl, chas. laporte staley, g. m. grand rapids stahl, f. j. cottage park, white bear steller, g. f. excelsior stevenson, a. p. morden, man. steiner, john iona stewart, prof. john st. anthony park stelter, a. l. rosemount stemsrud, m. a. madison stebbins, vera oak grove st., mpls. stemple, aug. st. peter stevens, h. g. cloquet steele, wm. m. mound stewart, r. g. reaney st., st. paul steere, w. s. r. , savage stevens, w. c. thomas ave. so., mpls. sten, john red wing stennes, e. j. r. , montevideo steckel, rev. l. w. albert lea steene, peter lancaster stephens, p. j. estevan, sask. steenerson van hook, n. d. stender, mrs. chas. dent stenlyem, peter o. esmond, n. d. stevins, w. c. south haven stevens, s. geo. fond du lac stepanek, fred ogilvie stepanek, mrs. joe ogilvie stevens, mrs. j. w. holly ave., st. paul stevenson, miss isabel delhi steele, w. r. big fork stockwell, s. a. andrus bldg., mpls. stork, w. e., s. cleveland ave., st. paul street, h. g. hebron, ill. strader, w. m. r. , mankato stowe, j. m. hibbing stryker, mrs. j. e. pioneer press bldg., st. paul stoa, martin albert lea stromsedt, o. n. willmar strand, a. k. twin valley stryker, john d. woodland ave., hunters park, duluth stillwell, john a. arago stocker, ben sanborn stull, l. b. mazeppa strate, e. b. plum st., st. paul storeim, albert s. ortonville stone, a. l. benson stubbs, milton long lake strable, karl blaisdell ave., mpls. stickney, l. a. minnesota city stranden, ole g. swift stob, c. t. r. , svea stone, w. m. so. rd st., mpls. stoleson, theo. r. , viroqua, wis. stromnar, j. a. rollag stob, g. raymond strachaners, clarence syndicate bldg., mpls. strissel, h. e. fergus falls stowe, a. w. laurel, mont. strauss, mrs. minnie ohio st., st. paul strong, mrs. saml. hopkins stromstad, torval m. shelly strathern, john rich valley stewart, mrs. nina northfield strey, a. c. montrose stocking, wm. st. peter stockton, mrs. c. m. faribault stromme, c. k. hannaford, n. d. strong, j. p. excelsior stone, e. e. downing, wis. strandli, erick big falls stryker, john e. globe bldg., st. paul sundberg, chas. a. worthington sucker, adolph lewisville sundheim, a. m. park ave., mpls. sundt, ole m. willmar summerfield, isaac goodrich ave., st. paul summers, mrs. l. box -b, r. , mansfield, wash. sullwold, h. a. summit ave., st. paul sullivan, john iglehart, st. paul svaboda, frank canby svaboda, j. browerville swanson, albert r. , st. croix falls, wis. swann, j. r. madison swanson, chas. r. , no. st. paul swedberg, j. e. r. , battle lake swanson, c. w. box , r. , lafayette swanson, alfred boxrud ave., red wing swan, mrs. t. p. mendota swanson, henry a. cushing, wis. swanson, a. p. box stevensville, mont. swedberg, p. w. moose lake sweet, w. h. chicago ave., mpls. swensson, john box , r. , maynard swart, j. w. linden hills blvd., mpls. swenson, gunder r. , new london swenson, h. e. r. , center city swedberg, j. i. madison syrdal, r. r. shelly st. john, a. m. lakefield st. john, p. r. humboldt so., mpls. st. clair, h. estevan, sask. swanson, john w. stephen swanson, wm. dent swedenberg, m. f. lyndale sta., mpls. swenson, ed spring valley swanson, mrs. j. m. r. , eagle bend swanson, f. m. crete, n. d. swedberg, martin tappan, n. d. swenson, emil lafayette swanson, chas. s. w. litchfield swain, f. o. lincoln swanson, mrs. marie e. r. , st. croix falls, wis. swan, frank woodlake sweet, orla alexandria taylor, m. f. anoka talcott, mrs. a. l. westbrook taylor, john w. globe bldg., st. paul tallant, f. e. plymouth bldg., mpls. tallafson, h. s. r. , willmar taylor, thos. w. eagle bend taylor, j. g. nicollet ave., mpls. tavener, mark esmond, n.d. taylor, j. b. ipswich, s.d. tavis, fred albert lea tappe, chas. box , r. , sebeka taylor, g. f. excelsior tauscheck, jos. allen ave., w. st. paul tanner, f. o. brownsdale tappan, w. m. hibbing taylor, rev. wm. litchfield taner, geo. m. new ulm taylor, e. e. merrifield talland, g. m. woodland ave., duluth taylor, mrs. e. a. box , faribault taylor, wm. faribault terry, l. w. howard lake teisberg, o. t. zumbrota tewes, fred mazeppa teeple, david p. r. no. , wells tereau, mrs. f. iglehart ave., st. paul templeton, a. e. oneida bldg., mpls. tenter, henry dent tenter, wm. dent temple, lyle morristown tellin, mattie deer river thompson, f. s. sec. bldg., mpls. theilmann, geo. excelsior thunstedt, john willmar thiebaut, rev. c. browns valley thompson, torkel louisburg thorp, col. freeman hubert thomas, chas. j. frazee thompson, dr. c. s. w. - / main st., helena, mont. throolin, p. j. van buren st., ne, mpls. thomas, e. l. vergas thornton, m. j. deer river thorpe, ralph central ne., mpls. thornton, f. c. benson thornton, m. p. worthington thompson, robt. r. no. , willmar thompson, fred. m bricelyn thompson, w. j. pitt thompson, r. c. oneida blk., mpls. thor, herman mound thompson, m. j. supt. exp. farm, duluth thompson, harold care of lake shore greenhouses, albert lea theilen, chas. g. morgan ave. n., mpls. thompson, o. a. murdock thielman, p. r. st. cloud tharen, j. a. hills thener, john m. adrian thierschaefer, jos. r. , sauk center thomson, c. jean n. th ave. e., duluth thompson, thorwold oslo thomson, m. a. kennilworth ave., duluth thompson, l. c. ruthton thomson, w. j. shaunavon, sask. thorn, geo. r. , prescott, wis. tingley, w. j. forest lake tillotson, mrs. h. b. th st. se, mpls. tillisch, j. f. f. renville titus, s. l. endicott arcade, st. paul tillisch, mary a. washburn home, mpls. tiedt, mrs. fred argyle tilden, miss m. b. sta. f, mpls. tisdale, mrs. g. e. irving s., mpls. timmerman, mrs. wm. e. cook st., st. paul tjosvold, l. a. willmar torgerson, h. p. astoria, s.d. tomalin, w. h. bx. , regina, sask. totusek, frank j. silver lake towler, robt. s. r. , exceisior torfin, iver wannaska tollefson, hogen r. no. , clearbrook tomlinson, w. h. lesueur tolberg, o. edwin winner todd, j. e. dept. of prov. secy., toronto, ont. todji, rev. jos. searles tomlin, g. c. edgeley, n.d. tome, g. h. pine island townsend, mrs. eddie pine island tormanen, peter r. , cokato torgrim, j. r. w. rd ave., mitchell, s.d. todd, j. a. victoria st., duluth tostenson, e. jackson torguson, g. c. gleenwood trumble, h. w. sherburn trabert, chas. l., secy. elmwood ave., berkeley, sal. tripps, o. a. r. no. , st. cloud train, g. l. chisholm trafton, gilbert h. mankato trask, ebert saum trethewey, j. h. virginia trybe, thos. eagle bend trautz, geo. carroll ave., st. paul trotler, a. spruce st., virginia tschieda, matt st. cloud turner, h. h. northfield tuskind, c. o. davenport, n.d. turner, john shakopee tufte, theo. t. northwood, n.d. tucker, joe austin tull, w. h. padus, wis. tyacke, geo. proctor unze, geo. shakopee unumb, p. o. alexandria ueland, m. k. shelly univ. of wash. seattle, wash. uptagraft, leroy west concord unkenholz, s. w. mandan, n.d. utsch, herman little falls univ. of mo. genl. lib. columbia, mo. unumb, e. o. alexandria umbstaetter, mrs. shields, pa. ulschmit, john frazee uelander, t. l. crystal bay univ. of ill. library chicago, ill. vangen, peter o. box , r. , climax vande bogart, w. s. zumbrota van vick, john spiritwood, n.d. vandermarck, mrs. c. w. albert st., crookston vanstrum, john a. clarkfield vance, f. l. popple vander veer, geo. h. center city van duzee, e. m. white bear lake vanbeck, henry quincy st. ne., mpls. van loon, john r. , la crosse, wis. varden, archie care of frank bovey, wayzata van doom, j. c. sec. bldg., mpls. van stone, i. m. park ave., mpls. vacinek, vaclav r. , pine city veit, fred fergus falls verplank, e. e. r. , new richland velie, chas. d. clifton ave., mpls. vestre, lars boyd velde, g. t. granite falls vine, w. w. r. . elgin vinquist, alfred b. box , r. , red wing vibert, f. d. the pine knot, cloquet viall, roy spring valley vierling, ed. j. shakopee vine, p. o. porter va. & rainy lake co. virginia viel, raymond st. laurent, man. vierling, m. a. hall ave., st. paul vikse, ole ostrander vibert, percy cloquet vincent, g. e. univ. of minn., mpls. vincent, v. d. commercial club, duluth vikla, john p. lonsdale vikla, wencel j. lonsdale vikla, martin j. lonsdale vikla, mathias r. lonsdale villaume, eugene w. isabel, st. paul volkmer, henry holdingford vollenweider, henry la crescent vogt, c. f. st. paul von herff, b. mccormick bldg., chicago, ill. voyler, henry vergas vodden, john argusville, n.d. vorlicky, jos. thief river palls, wis. vosejpka, john m. lonsdale voehl, h. w. lakefield vraspir, frank r. , hopkins wade, r. h. odin wachlin, wm. faribault wakefield, w., m. d. lake benton wagner, ed. r. charles st., st. paul waas, p. h. dresbach waite, geo. moorhead wach, v. n. lake crystal lake, ill. waite, jas. f. eureka wagner, c. d. w. winona st., duluth wang, albert garfield ave., duluth wands, robt. w. little falls walgren, swan j. th ave. s., mpls. walden, j. m. northfield wallner, berthold jr. dodd rd., st. paul waldholm, mrs. geo. tintah wallace, h. l. grasston walsh, w. p. murdock walz, fred f. egeland, n.d. walters, j. j. dupree, s.d. walz, theo. watkins walkup, j. e. sheridan so., mpls. walton, louis snively rd., duluth waldal, marius plummer waller, l. s. waubun wallin, o. red top walters, wm. grand portage walker, roy sauk rapids wallace, john g. solway watt, john leonard, n.d. wampler, a. j. e. th st., st. paul washburn, w. o. so. robert st., st. paul wattner, a. a. canby washburn, prof. f. l. st. anthony park wanous, frank r. glencoe warren, mrs. geo. h. irving s., mpls. wanlass, jos. jr. bangor, wis. warner, frank snow ball watts, arthur th ave. s., mpls. watt, wm. swift warner, a. l. duluth washburn, c. o. edgeley, n.d. warren, a. a. r. , st. cloud warner, c. e. r. , osseo warner, mrs. c. e. box , r. , osseo wayne, jens r. , ellendale wandrie, otto frazee watson, jas. t. th ave. e. and gilbert st., duluth warnock, r. w. independence, mo. watson, dwight h. box , white bear lake warner, mrs. e. c. w. calhoun blvd., mpls. warren, mrs. clyde w. sauk rapids warwick, andrew th ave. s., mpls. watson, mrs. j. l. ashland ave., st. paul wardian, math. holdingford ward, wesley mapleton wasserzieher, edward deerwood watzke, chas. belgrade ware, mrs. elizabeth - / knox ave., mpls. watson, geo. p. international falls weld, j. o. fremont n., mpls. welke, sam fall creek, wis. wedge, robt. c. albert lea weld, mrs. h. e. moorhead weinhagen, chas. bates ave., st. paul webster, j. k. st. james wedge, a.g. jr. bemidji wedge, l. p. albert lea wenz, chas. hector weflen, chris montevideo weed, ben b. care of weed, parker & co., st. paul wegmann, theo. lake itasca wendt, chas. h. blue earth webber, mrs. c. c. crystal bay webster, a. e. dresbach wellman, c. w. dauphin, man. welke, fritz r. , eau claire, wis. wentworth, r. j. r. , robbinsdale weber, j. a. care of c. g. goodrich, excelsior welp, rev. francis alexandria webber, c. c. crystal bay weikert, henry i. st. paul wenholz, henry buffalo lake wendelschafer, t. g. cleveland wenz, ludwig b. hector weiler, nick univ. ave., st. paul westergaard, c. buffalo, n.d. westergaard, p. j. belgrade weyerhaeuser, f. e. mer. natl. bank bldg., st. paul westfield, kasper canby west central school of agri. morris wetzel, aug. r. , st. ignatius, mont. weyerhauser, c. a. little falls wetherbee, m. h. charles city, ia. west, j. p. rockford west, w. j. hibbing west, wm. l. s. st. albans st., st. paul werner, h. o. agri. college, n.d. wetzel, mrs. paul k. deerwood westcott, geo. e. s. robert st., st. paul westerfield, e. o. fort atkinson, wis. weum, c. o. lincoln wesiphall, c. d. r. , romely weston, frank clitheral weum, mrs. t. a. kenyon wessels, percy neche, n.d. wetteland, t. sunfish rd. and butler st., w. st. paul wermerskirchen, rev. father a. hokah wheeler, miss gerda bruno whetstone, dr. mary s. e. th st., mpls. wheeler, olin d.n.p.r.r. office, st. paul wheeler, jesse excelsior wein, rev. h. j. caledonia week, f. d. slayton wenzel, orrin j. taylor ave., st. paul whiting, geo. h. yankton, s.d. whitney, geo. g. germania life, st. paul white, mrs. emma v. s. aldrich, mpls. whiting, d. j. northfield whyte, a. central ave., st. paul white, j. u. brainerd whitten, thos. s. winton whipple, g. m. st. louis park white, h. h. minnesota transfer, mpls. whitney, frank h. truman whittemore, dr. m. k. cloquet whitney, n. j. albert lea whiting, mrs. geo. h. yankton, s.d. whitchill, n. e. th st., mpls. whitney, e. h. granada white, mrs. wm. g. goodrich ave., st. paul white, mrs. grace w. wabasha, duluth whorton, r. d. huron, s. d. white, henry r. brainerd whipple, mrs. estelle grand rapids wickland, john atwater wiegel, h. a. magnolia widmoyer, w. s. la crescent wichman, frank first natl. bank bldg., st. paul wick, oscar east grand forks wickstrom, a. e. r. , anoka width, a. b. w. superior st., duluth wicklund, lawrence r. , atwater wiggins, earl l. baudette wiffler, fred arcadia, wis. wier, john campbell wiggin, g. h. cloquet wieschmann, albert bertha wilen, chas. r. , argyle wilson, oscar underwood willis, rev. francis excelsior wilbur, d. floyd, ia. wille, f. w. wakefield ave., st. paul williams, m. staples will, o. h. bismarck, n. d. wilder, c. b. floodwood wilder, mark l. r. , kasota wilwerding, nick box , r. , st. cloud willius, f laurel ave., st. paul willard, d. e n. p. r. r., st. paul will, wm. beltrami wilson, j. f. cloquet willard, e. c. mankato williams, niles l. dayton bluff sta., st. paul wildung, w. h. howard lake will, hugh box , mpls. wilkelmi, f. w. cloquet willis, robt. marietta willus, chas. h. nd ave. s., mpls. wilson, john rockford wilcox, mrs. estelle raymond, st. paul wild floral co., frank sarcoxie, mo. wilwerding, a. j. freeport williams, j. r. elgin willis, w. j. y. m. c. a., washington, d. c. wilson, f. k. r. , hopkins wilson, donald mantorville williams, rev. e. m northfield wirth, theo. bryant so., mpls. witte, h. l. f. r. , hopkins wise, h. appleton wingate, mrs. w. s. excelsior winkley, f. c. minn. loan & trust, mpls. wintersteen, c. b. th ave. so., mpls. wise, h. r. brainerd winget & keeler chokio winslow, h. h. northome winjum, g. k. albert lea winter, e. f. fergus falls winkler, mrs. mary brooten wister, john c germantown, phila., pa. windmiller, miss pauline mankato windhorst, geo. w. olivia wolner, rev. h. j. virginia wolfram, a. c. belle plain wolner, dr. o. h. gilbert wodny, jas. th st., cloquet wolters, john w. bernard st., w. st. paul wolfinger, jos. so. st. paul woestehoff, j. c. blakeley wolf, chas. cohasset wilson, h. m. harrison st., superior, wis. willis, f. d. e. sycamore st., st. paul wilcox, j. p. r. , excelsior willis, r. j. grand ave., st. paul wilkus, a. j. winslow ave., w. st. paul williams, l. a. pelican rapids wille, otto l. bates ave. st. paul wilson, e. b. emerson no., mpls. williams, e. e. . w. nd st., duluth williams, dr. j. p. e. lake st., mpls. wilkinson, f. l. white bear wilkinson, mrs. r. j. stillwater wilhalm, henry jackson wilwerding, j. m. caledonia wilson, john homer wilson, mrs. mary c. r. , sta. f., mpls. woodruff, c. o. excelsior woodel, c. f. austin woodworth, w. d. little falls wortman, h. j. watkins woods, prof. geo. b. northfield works, r. m. fremont so., mpls. woodward, philip m. r. , onamia woodman, m. h. sutherland, neb. worden, mrs. lillian farrington, st. paul woods, w. a. inverness, mont. woodland & roadside joy st., boston, mass. woods, roy e. new effington, s. d. woods, j. h. calgary, can. willis, katon deer river wright, a. v. mine center, ont. wright, w. h. r. , minneapolis wright, edward woodland ave., duluth wunderlich, miss susie burns, sask. wulfsberg, einar elbow lake wyman, mrs. a. phelps rd ave. s., mpls wyse, oliver onamia wygart, wm. s. newport yahnke, w. a. winona yegge, c. m. alpena, s. d. yale forest school new haven, conn. young, mrs. j. onamia youngstrom, o. j. litchfield young, j. c. wash. st. n. e., mpls. york, r. a. sandwich, ill. yort, a. s. box , hopkins young, a. f lake city young, max m. marshall ave., st. paul zuercher, f. excelsior zrust, anthony silver lake zachritz, geo. p. excelsior ziemer, ernest st. bonifacius zisch, chas. dresbach zimmerman, eli w. superior st., duluth zumwinkle, wm. morton zimbinski, geo. hewitt ave., st. paul life members. adams, mrs. louisa j. irving n., mpls. ahneman, geo. f. mazeppa alin, alex. fullerton, n. d. anderson, g. a. renville anderson, rev. j. w. minot, n. d. andrews, c. h. faribault arneson, a. n. wagdahl arnold, l. b. butte ave., duluth aspden, h. h. excelsior andrews, john k. faribault anderson, mrs. e. lake park, r. andresen, a. s. e. fifth st., duluth aamodt, a. w. univ. farm, st. paul appleby, h. j. minneiska bailey, e. g. r. , excelsior care w. c. rockwood baker, geo. a. janesville barsness, j. a. kenyon bassett, a. k. baraboo, wis. beebe, h. u. lake city benham, r. h. palace bldg., mpls. benson, edwin jackson berrisford, e. f. robert st., st. paul blain, h. j. maple plain boler, jno. care eli larson, sawyer, wis. boughen, w. j. valley river, man. bouska, frank biscay brady, t. d. medford briard, f. w. gaylord briggs, a. g. g. n. ry., st. paul brink, c. c. west union, ia. burton, miss hazel deephaven bacheller, t. t. seney, mich. binger, herman renville brush, geo. h. r. owatonna bergstrom, a. g. maple plain boucher, c. p. e. th st., st. paul black, robt h. albert lea burlingame, florence grand rapids bratnober, c. p. harmon pl., mpls. cady, prof. leroy univ. farm, st. paul carlisle, s. a. wyoming cashman, m. r. owatonna cashman, t. e. owatonna chambers, rev. r. f. jackson cheney, john morton chrisman, chas. e. ortonville christensen, p. c. fairmount clarke, fred h. avoca cline, wm. bertha cooper, madison calcium, n. y. crosby, s. p. miss. river blvd., st. paul cutting, f. e. byron christianson, p. a. hinckley conard, henry s. grinnell, ia. cutting, frank h. city hall, duluth connor, e. m. excelsior carlson, john a box , thief river falls carlson, gust. box , r. , excelsior care john washburn christianson, a. m. bismarck, n. d. danforth, wm. randolph, minn. daniels, r. l. davey, dr. flora m. e. grant st., mpls. dickerson, wm. elk point, s. d. doerfler, rev. bruno muenster, sask. doughty, j. cole lake city dressler, otto russell n., mpls. drew, prof. j. m. univ. farm, st. paul dunsmore, henry olivia durbahn, a. sleepy eye daniels, frank p. kenwood pkwy., mpls. degraff, miss marie i. anoka dybdal, tosten e. elbow lake, minn. eddy, w. h. howard lake ekloff, john cokato eliason, m. a. r. , appleton engman, nels d st. e. mpls. evans, sheldon j. la crescent effertz, christ norwood flannery, geo. p. blaisdell, mpls. fletcher, f. f. w. th st., mpls. fossum, g. cottonwood foster, wesley s. th st. s. e., mpls. fournelle, peter white bear lake franklin, a. b. st. f, r. , mpls. fuller, f. c. madison, s. d. fulton, t. c. white bear lake funke, j. l. wabasha fredine, j. o. winthrop fiebring, j. h. milwaukee, wis. care fiebring chemical co. ferguson, walker woodland ave., mankato gale, ed. c. security bldg., mpls. gates, a. h. rice geiger, wm. c. w. van buren st., chicago, ill. gjemse, l. j. cannon falls gjestrum, m. l. rhinelander, wis. glaeser, mrs. imelda owatonna gilbertson, g. g. ruthton galbraith, raymond h. care butler bros., mpls. guerney, d. b. yankton, s. d. gibbs, f. h. st. anthony park gibbs, mrs. f. h. st. anthony park gunderson, lawrence a. e. superior st., duluth goebel, herman wildrose, n. d. gray, a. n. deerwood graeve, rev. mathias lismore haatvedt, a. a. r. , hoffman hagen, o. w. sleepy eye halbert, geo. t. sec. bldg., mpls. hall, d. s. olivia halvorson, halvor hills hannah, robt. fergus falls harris, geo. w. mchugh harris, e. e. onlaska, wis. harris, f. i. la crescent harrison, c. s. york ave., york, neb. harrison, j. f. excelsior hart, w. h. owatonna hartman, m. b. plum st., st. paul hawkinson, chas. wayzata hawley, t. c. e. elm st., lodi, cal. hermanson, herman hopkins herrick, u. g. traffic station, mpls. hilstad, o. c. nicollet hobart, a. w. w. th st., mpls. hoverstad, t. a. care soo ry., mpls. howard, j. a. hammond hunter, c. c. nicollet ave., mpls. hendrickson, n. audubon holway, e. w. d. excelsior hjeltnes, k. ulvik, hardanger, norway heins, c. a. olivia haralson, fred th ave. s. e., mpls. irish, prof. h. c. childress ave. st. louis, mo. jager, john upton ave. s., mpls. jerabek, j. s. hutchinson jewell, mrs. b. randall, wis. johannesson, l. beltrami johnson, a. a. winnebago johnson, gust e. nd st., mpls. johnson, rev. saml. princeton johnson, miss anna m. r. , lafayette johnson, hans m. pipestone kennedy, j. h. sheyenne, n. d. kerns, g. f. fairmont klingel, rev. clement st. anthony, ind. knight, h. g. leroy korista, j. s. box , hopkins krier, t. n. farmer, s. d. kueker, wm. faribault kurth, wm. a. r. , rochester krog, johan, jr. pleasant grove farm, lake benton kugler, f. j. grand portage, minn. king, e. c. neshkors, wis. knutesen, clarence r. , box , hopkins krueger, o. f. cedar ave., mpls. larson, c. l. winthrop larson, louis m. st. louis park larson, lars m. faribault lien, thos. j. delavan lingen, carl starbuck loftness, a. g. thief river falls longyear, e. j. excelsior luce, e. c. luverne loring, a. c. clifton ave., mpls. loring, mrs. c. m. river side, cal. lowe, j. w. fairmont ludescher, j. l. frazee lund, i. e. hopkins lundgren, miss e. e. olive st. st. paul lyman, a. b. excelsior lyndgaard, jorgen lake benton lyon, jay f. elkhorn, wis. leding, edward r. , box , gary lawrence, jas. g. wabasha lafot, ed. w. lakefield lien, chas. h. r. , st. cloud lima, ludvig montevideo macauley, t. b. montreal, can. mackintosh, prof. r. s. doswell, st. paul maher, john devils lake, n. d. manda, w. a. short hills, n. j. mann, w. p. dodge center manner, c. j. jerome, idaho manning, warren h. n. billerica, mass. marshall, f. f. r. , grove city marso, j. p. canby mayo, dr. c. h. rochester melgaard, h. l. argyle melinat, rev. max. odessa miller, albert r. , box , cannon falls mohr, c. j. rapidan mo, hans sleepy eye moorhead, w. w. bethany, mo. mosbaek, ludvig askov moyer, l. r. montevideo mueller, paul l. bryant s., mpls. mazey, e. h. ewing ave., mpls. mccomb, richard antler, sask. mcculley, preston maple plain mckibben, a. t. ramey mckisson, g. d. fairmont mckusick, john c. marble mcleague, rev. p. stewart mcveety, j. a. howard lake mcclelland, l. e. r. , hopkins mckesson, j. h. s. lyndale ave., mpls. mccall, prof. thos. m. crookston mcconnell, roy e. st. cloud nehring, edward stillwater nelson, a. a., jr. th ave. s., mpls. nelson, b. f. th st. s. e., mpls. nelson, john a. r. , maynard noren, geo. chisago city norwood, f. f. balaton nussbaumer, fred st. paul nelson, iver cottonwood newman, g. a. w. olive st., stillwater norling, a. l. elbow lake negstad, a. l. r. , arlington, s. d. o'connor, patrick h. th ave. n., mpls. older, c. e. luverne onstine, frank a. harmony ortmann, rev. anselm richmond orton, c. j. marietta o'callaghan, j. eden valley oyen, o. j. watson older, f. e. n. alexandria ave., los angeles, cal. pattridge, c. a. comfrey paulson, johannes sta. f, richfield, mpls. pederson, j. s. walnut grove peet, wm. boston blk., mpls. peterson, geo. a. canby peterson, j. g. kensington peterson, k. k. rothsay peterson, r. m., office of markets dept. of agri., washington, d. c. peterson, w. a. mandan, n. d. peterson, wm. a. peterson ave., chicago, ill. pfaender, max mandan, n. d. pond, h. h. sta. f, r. , mpls. pond, i. w. madelia poore, hamlin v. th ave. s. e., mpls. pracna, frank delmas ave., san jose, cal. prosser, e. m. gully perry, a. g. care butler bros., mpls. quammen, ole s. lemmon, s. d. randall, e. w. commerce bldg., st. paul rennacker, c. j. detroit regeimbal, l. o. roberts, dr. t. s. pleasant ave. s., mpls. rood, a. j. spring grove rowe, chas. r. , excelsior ruff, d. w. c. globe bldg., st. paul rydeen, arthur r. marietta rice, j. a. renville rolf, rev. w. f. r. , sturgis, mich. reil, john h. brownton raymond, e. a. wayzata robinson, s. roe colfax ave. s., mpls. saunders, wm. robbinsdale savage, m. w. international bldg., mpls. savs, rev. mathias delano sayre, a. m. hills schaupp, chas. f. rushford schenck, a. a. farnham st., omaha, neb. schell, otto new ulm schuster, ed. w. crookston schmidt, dr. g. lake city scott, rev. w. t. black river falls, wis. scranton, ellsworth montrose sebenius, john uno wolvin bldg., duluth shellman, a. m. hanska sherman, e. m. charles city, ia. siverts, peter canby skaar, n. o. zumbrota slingerland, t. s. kasson slocum, a. m. excelsior smiley, daniel mohonk lake, n. y. smith, e. a. lake city snyder, harry summit ave., mpls. snyder, s. w. center point, ia. soholt, martin madison speechly, dr. h. m. pilot mound, man. spencer, n. v. park rapids stacy, f. n. s. e. th, mpls. stager, mrs. jennie sauk rapids stensrud, hans watson st. john, b. e. bruce, wis. strand, g. w. taylors falls swanson, aug. s. wayzata swanson, j. h. r. , st. james swennes, knute minneota skotterud, e. o. dawson stevenson, m. j. morris, man. sanders, t. a. care butler bros., mpls. scherf, f. a. court house, red wing swanson, law maria ave., st. paul sparre, erik elk river shogren, fred m. popple tanner, wm. cannon falls teigen, geo. dooley, mont. teigland, j. l. minneota terry, alfred slayton thomas, a. a. sleepy eye thompson, mrs. ida hewitt ave., st. paul todd, fred g. phillips place, montreal, p. q. trefethren, f. g. stony butte, mont. treinen, j. p. miller, mont. trow, a. w. glenville true, fred o. r. , good thunder turngren, l. e. montrose tonder, sam r. , wabasha torgerson, t. care prairie nurseries, estevan, sask. underwood, mrs. anna b. lake city underwood, roy d. lake city van antwerp, edward dent van nest, r. a. windom voight, l. h. hastings volstad, hon. a. j. granite falls wagner, j. f. box , california, mo. waldron, l. r. agri. college, n. d. warren, geo. h. irving s., mpls. warren, w. t. slayton webster, mrs. w. f. s. e. th st., mpls. wendlandt, wm. r. , owatonna wentzel, a. e. crookston wentzel, louie crookston wentzel, wm. f. crookston weston, w. s. faribault wheeler, c. f. excelsior white, j. c. mabel williams, j. g. endicott st., duluth williams, m. m. little falls wison, harold s. box , monroe, n. y. wise, geo. a. minneapolis wright, r. a. excelsior webster, d. c. la crescent wiehe, c. f. jackson blvd., chicago wyman, willis l. park rapids woods, a. f. u. farm, st. paul wellington, r. u. farm, st. paul wales, c. e. n. w. natl. bank, mpls. ward, f. a. th ave. s., st. cloud wittig, w. w. wyoming weiss, freeman n. fremont, mpls. warren, o. b. hibbing yanish, edward box , st. paul yost, john l. murdock zeimetz, thos. h. wabasha zabel, e. g. la moure, n. d. honorary life members. bowen, mrs. jas. beacon st., mpls. brackett, a. excelsior brand, o. f. pomona, cal. bush, a. k. se., th st., mpls. cook, dewain jeffers corp, sidney hammond cummins, j. r. second ave., mpls. drum, s. h. owatonna gibbs, oliver melbourne beach, fla. gardner, chas. f. osage, ia. hansen, prof. n. e. brookings, s. d. haralson, chas. excelsior henry, forest dover kellogg, geo. j. janesville, minn. kenney, s. h. waterville kimball, f. w. waltham lacey, chas. y. w. ocean ave., long beach, cal. latham, a. w. dupont s., mpls. long, a. g. scott terrace, morningside, mpls. loring, chas. m. riverside, cal. moore, o. w. spring valley moyer, l. r. montevideo patten, chas. g. charles city, ia. perkins, t. e. red wing philips, a. j. west salem, wis. redpath, thos. wayzata reed, a. h. glencoe richardson, s. d. winnebago schutz, r. a. leroy smith, c. l. e. lincoln, portland, ore. tilson, mrs. ida e. west salem, wis. underwood, j. m. lake city wedge, clarence albert lea wheaton, d. t. morris honorary members for . rasmussen, n. a. oshkosh, wis. bisbee, john madelia broderick, prof. f. w. agri. college, man. dunlap, h. m. savoy, ill. ferris, earl hampton, ia. waldron, prof. c. b. agri. college, n. d. street, h. g. hebron, ill. lundberg, gottfred kennedy index a aamodt, a. w., standardizing minnesota potatoes; albertson, mrs., civic improvement; alway, prof. f. j., increasing the fertility of the land; anderson, g. a., a satisfactory marketing system; andrews, j. p., the minnesota orchard; annual members, ; annual meeting, , a. w. latham; arrowood, jas., supt., annual report, , nevis trial station; arrowood, jas., mid. rep., nevis trial station; asparagus by the acre, e. w. record; asparagus, growing, a discussion; award of premiums, annual meeting, ; award of premiums, summer meeting, ; b ballou, f. h., wealthy apples; beans and sweet corn, growing, pierre b. marien; bee-keepers column, prof. francis jager; , , , , , , , bees, wintering of, prof. francis jager; benjamin, j. f., biography of; bisbee, john, annual report, , vice-pres. nd cong. dist.; black, g. d., heredity in gladioli; blueberry culture, u. s. department of agriculture; boyington, mrs. r. p., my color scheme; brand, a. m., peonies old and new; bread cast upon the waters, c. s. harrison; brierley, prof. w. g., manufacture of cider vinegar from minnesota apples; brown, frank, annual report, , paynesville trial station; brown, frank, midsummer report, , paynesville trial station; brown rot, spraying plums for, prof. e. c. stakman; buffalo tree hopper, ravages of, prof. a. g. ruggles; c cady, prof. leroy, annual report, , central trial station; camping on the yellowstone trail, clarence wedge; canning, the growing of vegetables for, m. h. hegerle; cashman, thos. e., mid. rep., owatonna trial station; cashman, thos. e., president's greeting; central trial station, annual report, , profs. leroy cady and r. wellington; cheney, prof. e. c., city "foresters" and municipal forests; cider, apple, concentrated, department of agriculture; city "foresters" and municipal forests, prof. e. g. cheney; color effects in the garden, planting for, mrs. h. b. tillotson; color combinations in the garden, miss elizabeth starr; collegeville trial station, mid. rep., rev. jno. b. katzner; collegeville trial station, annual report, , rev. j. b. katzner; cold storage for apples, a successful, h. f. hansen; color scheme, my, mrs. r. p. boyington; cook, dewain, plums we already have and plums on the way; cook, dewain, jeffers trial station, annual report, ; cook, dewain, mid. report, jeffers trial station; cowles, fred, supt., annual report, west concord trial station; cowles, fred, mid. report, west concord trial station; cranefield, f., secretary, wisconsin state horticultural society; crosby, s. p. report of committee on horticultural building; cross, mrs. e., in memoriam; curculio, the plum, ed. a. nelson; currants as a market garden product, b. wollner, jr.; cutting, frank h., annual report, , vice-pres., th cong. dist.; d dixon, j. k., vice-pres., report, , th cong. dist.; duluth trial station, annual report, c. e. roe, supt.; dunlap, h. m., packing and marketing apples; dunlap, hon. h. m., spraying the orchard; dunlap, hon. h. m., spraying the orchard, continued; dwarf apple trees, dr. o. m. huestis; e eat minnesota apples, prof. r. s. mackintosh; entomological notes, prof. f. l. washburn; , , erkel, f. c., raspberries; everbearing strawberries, geo. j. kellogg; evergreens for both utility and ornament, earl ferris; evergreens, jens a. jensen; executive board, annual report, , j. m. underwood; f farm, the value of horticulture to the, mrs. clarence wedge; ferris, earl, evergreens for both utility and ornament; fertility of the land, increasing the, prof. f. j. alway; flower garden for a country home, m. h. wetherbee; flower garden--a discussion, g. c. hawkins; fruit-breeding farm, report of committee on state, dr. o. m. huestis and f. h. gibbs; fruit-breeding farm, new fruits originated at minnesota, chas. haralson, supt.; fruit-breeding farm, minnesota state, chas. haralson; fruit judging contest; fruit growing a successful industry in minnesota, a. w. richardson; fruit retail methods and costs, c. w. moomaw; frydholm, martin, rose culture; g garden, my summer in a, mrs. gertrude ellis skinner; garden helps, mrs. e. w. gould; , , , , , , , , , , , gardner, chas. f., the fall-bearing strawberries; gardner, chas. f., what frisky is telling the veteran horticulturist; gibbs, f. h., greenhouse versus hotbeds; gibbs, f. h., report of committee on state fruit-breeding farm; gladioli, heredity in, g. d. black; gould, mrs. e. w., garden helps; , , , , , , , , , , , grape culture, my experience in, jos. tucker; gray, a. n., marketing fruit by association; h hansen, prof. n. e., what is hardiness?; hansen, prof. n. e., newer fruits in , how secured; hansen, h. f., a successful cold storage for apples; haralson, chas., supt., new fruits originated at minnesota fruit-breeding farm; haralson, chas., delegate, annual meeting, , wis. hort. society; haralson, chas., minnesota state fruit-breeding farm; harris, f. i., vice-president report, , st cong. district; harris, mrs. melissa j., in memoriam; harrison, c. s., bread cast upon the waters; harrison, c. s., horticulturist as king; harrison, h. w., the salome apple; hawkins, g. c., flower garden--a discussion; hardiness, what is? prof. n. e. hansen; hegerle, m. h., annual report, , vice-pres., th cong. dist.; hegerle, m. h., the growing of vegetables for canning; horticultural building, report of committee on, s. p. crosby; horticulturist as king, c. s. harrison; how may state university and the horticultural society best co-operate, geo. e. vincent; huestis, dr. o. m., dwarf apple trees; huestis, dr. o. m., report of committee on state fruit-breeding farm; i improvement, civic, mrs. albertson; in memoriam, mrs. e. cross; in memoriam, mrs. melissa j. harris; insects, truck crop and garden, prof. wm. moore; j jager, prof. francis, bee-keeper's column; , , , , , , , jager, prof. francis, wintering of bees; jeffers trial station, annual report, , dewain cook; jeffers trial station, mid. report, dewain cook; jensen, jens a., evergreens; johnson, gust, thirty years in raspberries; journal, annual meeting, ; k katzner, rev. jno. b., mid. report, collegeville trial station; katzner, rev. j. b., annual report, , collegeville trial station; keene, p. l., marketing fruit at mankato; kellogg, geo. j., everbearing strawberries; kellogg, geo. j., experiment work of chas. g. patten; kellogg, geo. j., june bearing strawberries; kimball, miss grace e., planting and care of hardy perennials; kimball, miss grace e., hardy perennials; l la crescent trial station, d. c. webster; latham, a. w., annual meeting, ; latham, a. w., letters to members from secretary; latham, a. w., secretary's annual report, ; latham, a. w., secretary's financial report, ; latham, a. w., secretary's corner; , , , , , , , latham, a. w., summer meeting, ; letter to members from secretary a. w. latham; library, the society; lice, plant, on blossoms; library, additions to, ; library, conditions about taking books from; life members; m mackintosh, prof. r. s., bringing the producer and consumer together; mackintosh, prof. r. s., eat minnesota apples; mackintosh, prof. r. s., orchard notes; , , madison trial station, annual report, , m. soholt; mandan, n. d., trial station, annual report, , w. a. peterson, supt.; mandan, n. d., trial station, w. a. peterson; marcovitch, s., strawberry weevil; marketing fruit direct, h. g. street; marketing fruit by association, a. n. gray; marketing fruit at mankato, p. l. keene; marketing system, a satisfactory, g. a. anderson; marien, pierre b., growing beans and sweet corn; mayman, e. w., annual report, , vice-pres., th cong. dist.; mid-summer reports, trial stations; michael, rev. geo., growing tomatoes in northern minnesota; minnesota orchard, the, j. p. andrews; montevideo trial station, mid. report, l. r. moyer; montevideo trial station, annual report, , l. r. moyer; moomaw, c. w., fruit retail methods and costs; moore, prof. wm., truck crop and garden insects; moore, o. w., top-working; mosbaek, ludvig, rhubarb plant; moyer, l. r., annual report, , montevideo trial station; moyer, l. r., mid. report, montevideo trial station; my neighbor's roses; n nelson, ed. a., the plum curculio; nevis trial station, annual report, , jas. arrowood, supt.; nevis trial station, mid. report, jas. arrowood; newer fruits in , how secured, prof. n. e. hansen; n. e. demonstration farm, w. j. thompson, supt.; n. e. iowa horticultural society, annual meeting, , c. e. snyder; notes on plant pests, a. g. ruggles and e. c. stakman; , o orchard crop of , my, harold simmons; orchard, my experience with a young, roy vial; orchard notes, prof. r. s. mackintosh; , , orcharding in minnesota, a discussion, prof. richard wellington; orcharding in minnesota, prof. richard wellington; owatonna trial station, thos. e. cashman; p pabody, ezra f., in memoriam; packing and marketing apples, h. m. dunlap; paynesville trial station, annual report, , frank brown; paynesville trial station, mid. rep., frank brown; pendergast, miss nellie b., support for overloaded fruit tree; pergola, its use and misuse, chas. h. ramsdell; perennials, hardy, miss grace e. kimball; peterson, p. h., vice-pres. rep., , th cong. dist.; peterson, w. a., mid. rep., mandan, n. d., trial station; peterson, w. a., supt., an. rep., , mandan, n. d., trial station; pfaender, wm., jr., an. meeting, , s. d. state hort. socy.; pfeiffer, c. a., surprise plum a success; philips, a. j., top-grafting; plant chimera; plums we already have and plums on the way, dewain cook; potatoes, standardizing minnesota, a. a. aamodt; premium list, summer meeting, ; president's greeting, thos. e. cashman; program, annual meeting, ; protect the garden against winter weather; purdham, c. w., tomatoes for the kitchen garden; patten, chas. g., experiment work of, geo. j. kellogg; peonies, old and new, a. m. brand; perennial garden at carmarken, white bear, j. w. taylor; perennials, planting and care of hardy, miss grace e. kimball; premium list, summer meeting, ; producer and consumer together, bringing the, prof. r. s. mackintosh; r ramsdell, chas. h., pergola, its use and misuse; ramsdell, chas. h., an. rep., , vice-pres., th cong. dist.; raspberries, f. c. erkel; raspberries, thirty years in, gust johnson; record, e. w., asparagus by the acre; records of executive board, ; rhubarb plant, ludvig mosbaek; richardson, a. w., fruit growing a successful industry in minn.; roe, c. e., supt., annual report, duluth trial station; rose culture, martin frydholm; ruggles, prof. a. g., notes on plant pests; , ruggles, prof. a. g., ravages of buffalo tree hopper; running out of varieties, the, prof. c. b. waldron; s salome apple, the, h. w. harrison; sauk rapids trial station, annual report, , mrs. jennie stager; sauk rapids trial station, mid. rep., mrs. jennie stager; secretary's annual report, , a. w. latham; secretary's corner; , , , , , , , secretary's financial report, , a. w. latham; shelter belt for orchard and home grounds, a discussion; simmons, harold, my orchard crop of ; skinner, mrs. gertrude ellis, my summer in a garden; smith, e. a. state flower and state flag of minnesota; snyder, c. e., an. meeting, , n. e. iowa hort. socy.; soholt, m., an. rep., , madison trial station; south dakota state horticultural society, annual meeting, , wm. pfaender, jr.; spraying the orchard, h. m. dunlap; spraying the orchard, hon. h. m. dunlap; stager, mrs. jennie, an. rep., , sauk rapids trial station; stager, mrs. jennie, how mr. mansfield grows tomatoes; stager, mrs. jennie, mid. rep., sauk rapids trial station; stakman, prof. e. c., notes on plant pests; , stakman, prof. e. c., spraying plums for brown rot; standards for containers for fruits, etc., dept. of agri.; starr, miss elizabeth, color combinations in the garden; state flower and state flag of minnesota, e. a. smith; strand, geo. w., treasurer's annual report; strawberry, the fall-bearing, chas. f. gardner; strawberry weevil, s. marcovitch; strawberries, june bearing, geo. j. kellogg; street, h. g., marketing fruit direct; summer meeting, , notice of; summer meeting, , a. w. latham; support for overloaded fruit tree, miss nellie b. pendergast; surprise plum a success, c. a. pfeiffer; t taylor, j. w., perennial garden at carmarken, white bear; thompson, w. j., supt., n. e. demonstration farm; tillotson, mrs. h. b., planting for color effects in the garden; tomatoes for the kitchen garden, c. w. purdham; tomatoes, how mr. mansfield grows, mrs. jennie stager; tomatoes in northern minnesota, growing, rev. geo. michael; top-grafting, a. j. philips; top-working, o. w. moore; treasurer, annual report of, , geo. w. strand; tucker, jas., my experience in grape culture; u underwood, j. m., annual report, , executive board; university farm and hort. society, a. f. woods; v vial, roy, my experience with a young orchard; vice-president's report, , st congressional district, f. i. harris; vice-president, nd congressional district, annual report, , john bisbee; vice-president's report, , th congressional district, j. k. dixon; vice-president, th congressional district, annual report, , chas. h. ramsdell; vice-president, th congressional district, annual report, , e. w. mayman; vice-president's report, , th congressional district, p. h. peterson; vice-president, th congressional district, annual report, , frank h. cutting; vice-president, th congressional district, annual report, , mrs. h. e. weld; vice-president, th congressional district, annual report, , m. h. hegerle; vincent, geo. e., how may state university and horticultural society best cooperate; vinegar from minnesota apples, manufacture of cider, prof. w. g. brierley; w waldron, prof. c. b., the running out of varieties; washburn, prof. f. l., entomologist column; wealthy apples, f. h. ballou; webster, d. c., mid. rep., la crescent trial station; wedge, clarence, camping on the yellowstone trail; wedge, mrs. clarence, the value of horticulture to the farm; weld, mrs. h. e., an. rep., , vice-pres., th cong. dist.; wellington, prof. richard, an. rep., , central trial station; wellington, prof. richard, orcharding in minnesota, a discussion; wellington, prof. richard, orcharding in minnesota; west concord trial station, annual report, fred cowles, supt.; west concord trial station, fred cowles; wetherbee, m. h., flower garden for a country home; what frisky is telling the veteran horticulturist, chas. f. gardner; wisconsin horticultural society, annual meeting, , chas. haralson, delegate; wisconsin state horticultural society, f. cranefield, secretary; wollner, b., jr., currants as a market garden product; woods, a. f., university farm and horticultural society--mutually helpful in developing homes of the northwest; * * * * * transcriber's note: minor, obvious typos corrected. transcribers note text enclosed in curly brackets {like this} has been added by the transcriber. bold text is indicated with = signs, =like this=. the tatler [illustration: {signatures and messages from students}] _the tatler_ [illustration: {a group of riders on horseback}] foreword school days are joy days; days filled with the pleasures of friendships and the gladness of intimacy, with the satisfaction of work well done and the pride in having done it for one's school. and we at northrop school have been blessed with such days from the time of four entering as kindergarteners, up through grammar school and our subsequent joining of the league; on through these last days when, as high school girls, we took a real part in the activities of school life, and felt ourselves to have each one a share, however small, in the great whole, our alma mater. and it is to recollection of these joys and to the memory of our school days that we of the senior class wish to dedicate the tatler. evelyn mccue baker president of the senior class _"she's as good as she is fair"_ [illustration: {evelyn mccue baker}] [illustration: {evelyn mccue baker as a young child}] mary barber eaton president of the league _"she who feels nobly, acts nobly"_ [illustration: {mary barber eaton}] [illustration: {mary barber eaton as a young child}] margaret louise newhall editor of tatler _"young and yet so wise"_ [illustration: {margaret louise newhall}] [illustration: {margaret louise newhall as a young child}] virginia josephine leffingwell vice-president of league _"the soft, bright curl of her hair and lash and the glance of her sparkling eye i saw, and knew she was out for a dash as her steed went prancing by."_ [illustration: {virginia josephine leffingwell}] [illustration: {virginia josephine leffingwell as a young child}] bernice alyne bechtol _"her hair is not more sunny than her heart"_ [illustration: {bernice alyne bechtol}] [illustration: {bernice alyne bechtol as a young child}] mary elizabeth brackett _"she has a natural wise sincerity and a merry happiness"_ [illustration: {mary elizabeth brackett}] [illustration: {mary elizabeth brackett as a young child}] esther mabel davis _"the glass of fashion and the mold of form"_ [illustration: {esther mabel davis}] [illustration: {esther mabel davis as a young child}] lydia mortimer forest _"she giggles when she's happy, and one might even say that when there is no reason, she giggles anyway"_ [illustration: {lydia mortimer forest}] [illustration: {lydia mortimer forest as a young child}] marion josephine hume _"for she's a jolly good fellow, her school mates all declare, she's out for all athletics, there's nothing she won't dare"_ [illustration: {marion josephine hume}] [illustration: {marion josephine hume as a young child}] ann wilder jewett _"true worth cannot be concealed"_ [illustration: {ann wilder jewett}] [illustration: {ann wilder jewett as a young child}] beatrice myrtice joslin _"there is mischief in that woman"_ [illustration: {beatrice myrtice joslin}] [illustration: {beatrice myrtice joslin as a young child}] marion harriet mcdonald _"happy i am, from care i'm free; why aren't all the rest contented like me?"_ [illustration: {marion harriet mcdonald}] [illustration: {marion harriet mcdonald as a young child}] josephine reinhart _"nothing is impossible to a willing heart"_ [illustration: {josephine reinhart}] [illustration: {josephine reinhart as a young child}] marion jean savage _"the will can do if the soul but dares"_ [illustration: {marion jean savage}] [illustration: {marion jean savage as a young child}] nancy morris stevenson _"a perfect woman, nobly planned, to warn, to comfort, to command"_ [illustration: {nancy morris stevenson}] [illustration: {nancy morris stevenson as a young child}] class history a shiver ran down my back as the last chords of the ivy song were played. it was actually a reality--our dream had come true for we were at last garbed in those precious white robes for which we had been striving for four years. memories of these years rushed over me. how burdened we were with our importance in being freshmen; seniors seemed very old and distant. suddenly we slipped from cock robins to conscientious sophomores. by this time rumors were heard of a financial problem that we, as juniors, must meet. immediately we began to save all our pennies in order to startle the faculty and the seniors of with a luxurious junior-senior ball. so our sophomore year closed with many peeks into the class treasury. dancing, fortune telling, freaks, and so on, came to our rescue in preparation for the j. s. we juniors, as financiers, staged a junior carnival--and it was successful. may the twenty-ninth, in the year of our lord, one thousand-nine hundred and twenty-five, was the red letter day of our junior year. our hopes, not our fears, were realized. gayly we danced to "tea for two" in the green and white decked ballroom (alias the dining room) and promenaded in a garden in japan, otherwise the roof garden. sadly--ah, yes--the music hesitated and then ceased--as we unitedly sighed, perhaps with relief, perhaps with weariness. who knows? our herculean task had passed, and our eyes were turned to the magnetic red ties. honored beyond recognition we were the first to abide in the new senior room, south-west parallel room , on the third floor. june quickly slipped near and we fixed our hopes and ambitions on the now approaching goal, graduation. the class prophecy in nineteen hundred and fifty-six the year of our lord, a. d., i sat me down, and put my specs on, an epistle of length to see. and that you may understand this better, i'll herewith disclose the news of the letter: "dear mike," the writer began, "you know i'm feeling that life is far from slow. as mary b. eaton, instructor in war, my military academy's not such a bore; between drills, and luncheon, and chapel, it seems that this life is not all that it was in my dreams. "and nance, instead of teaching the boys how to ride, prefers to smuggle them food, and candy beside. by the way, did you know that virge leffingwell has given up art and horses as well? she's opened a school, the dear old scamp, to teach all the young ladies the best ways to vamp. "the other day, as i drove in my hack, i passed a familiar figure in black; 'twas irresponsible lydia, our giggler so jolly, gone into seclusion to atone for past folly. she lives all alone, without any noise, without any jazz, and without any boys! she told me with horror and pain in her gaze that bee had turned actress, in movies (not plays) and that very same week was playing down town with r. valentino in the 'countess's frown.' "i didn't tell lydia, but i thought 'twould be great to go to bee's movie and see how she'd rate. so i left lyd and started, and the first thing i met, or rather bumped into, was a fair suffragette, covered with signs 'e. baker for mayor'. so many there hardly was room to see our progressive young democrat hume! yes, 'twas none other than marion, our businesslike girl; she's adopted the slogan of 'death to the curl!' and she's canvassing the city, with a terrible row, to get votes for ely, who's in politics now. "and bernice and andy, have you heard of their fate? the last thing i know they had each found a mate. one of them's handsome and young, but no money, the other one's rich, but crabby and funny. but each one is happy in marriage, they say; and that's what really counts, say what you may. for bernice is proud of her good-looking guy, and andy knows the old man will soon die! "did you see in the paper mary brackett's new fad? as sunday school superintendent i'll bet she's not bad. and, mike, yesterday on some errands, i encountered another of our old friends. i'd hired a cab because i was tired. i thought the driver was reckless and ought to be fired; so i leaned over to express my opinion, you know, and if it wasn't our esther, the pedestrian's foe! "did you know marion macdonald is engaged again? that makes five times now, oh, woe to the men! jean's spoken to her now, a couple of times, of reforming herself, but do you think marion minds? jean's slumming committees have had lots of work, directed by joey, who won't let them shirk. "well, mike, how're your orphans, from johnny to bill? are there exactly nine hundred and nine of them still?" and with this, tony closed, and ted henry, oswald, etcetera, i sent up to bed. --m. l. n. eleventh form [illustration: {group photograph of students}] top row--_dorothy sweet_, _barbara bailey_, _shirley woodward_, _betty smith_, _mary louise griffin_ middle row--_polly sweet_, _virginia little_, _louise gorham_, _betty fowler_, _mabel reeves_, _grace helen stuart_ front row--_janet marrison_, _frances baker_, _betty long_, _anne healy_, _charlotte williams_ _jane thompson_ friday, the thirteenth we worked feverishly and hoped that there would be no more disputes concerning the chairs. some thought the ones from the dining room ought to be used; others thought not. the chairs were brought down and then taken back with much strife along the way. would anyone want to play bridge? we wondered. would anyone bring cards to play bridge with? we wondered again. the fact that wax was being applied to the floor caused a good deal of worry, for we were afraid we would fall and break our necks if too much was put on. however, even in that predicament, we were determined to be gracious and smiling. did everyone know that all the autumn boughs in blue and silver were tied on with red string? we fervently hoped they didn't, for we were in no condition to do anything about it if they did. thus our thoughts ran as we slammed down tables, tied on table cloths, and practised our spanish dance in uniforms and low heeled shoes. at five-thirty we went home, thankful that we didn't have to wash the windows and clean up the furnace room. much credit must be given to those few guests who realized that the gym was supposed to represent a cabaret. we greatly appreciate their penetration. they perhaps didn't know that fortune-telling and fishing for tin automobiles in the telephone booth were a part of the procedure at a cabaret dance. but if they didn't know these things, they had much to learn, for that's what they did at our party and who were we to spurn their filthy lucre? they also danced and ate heartily of the ice cream and cake we served. many thought the popcorn balls were a holdup, but they refrained from throwing them at us when we asked ten cents. an attempt was made at amusement when we gave two dances; one with castanets and tambourines and much swirling and swooping; another with spanish shawls draped on us. this latter one was more or less of a failure, for we couldn't seem to get into step when we did it a second time. the audience, however, applauded, regardless of the fact, and didn't see that the dance was any worse than it had been the first time. about eleven-thirty it was gently hinted that the time had come for the party to break up. we went on aching feet, hoping that since the party had been a success financially, the guests were not making too many derogatory remarks about it as a social function. dawn broke, and blushed to see the sight at northrop school: packs of cards scattered in fifty-two different places, tables every which way, covers off, cake and popcorn balls scattered liberally on the floor. a few of us came to clean up, and cleaned with many yawns. after a few hours the gym began to take on its natural air of bleakness, and we left it to the tender mercies of clyde and mullen, hoping that the junior-senior would be a good one. tenth form [illustration: {group photograph of students}] top row--_dorothy stevens_, _louise jewett_, _ethel conary_, _jean crocker_, _elizabeth dodge_, _kate velie_, _elizabeth jewett_, _jane bartley_, _anna margaret thresher_ middle row--_dorothy owens_, _nita weinrebe_, _helen dietz_, _jane davenport_, _gloria congdon_, _martha jean maughan_, _priscilla brown_, _florence roberts_, _eylin seeley_ front row--_jane strong_, _mayme wynne peppard_, _eugenia bovey_, _mary louise sudduth_, _eleanor de laittre_, _emily knoblaugh_, _elizabeth pray_, _maude benjamin_ _jane woodward_ sophomore girls' gazette seven shekels in st. paul published once in a while general news the other day several members of the sophomore class visited the studios of the famous mesdames dodginsky and debartley, where they were told their secret ambitions; and by special permission we have been allowed to print them. it appears that annah margaret thresher would like to swim the english channel. jean crocker longs to be a professor of music at oxford, while florence roberts would receive all possible degrees at columbia. others seem to desire athletic professions. helen dietz would like to be the football coach at the "u," jane woodward to be the world's greatest lightweight forward, and kate velie to be on the olympic sprinting team. mayme wynne has a morbid desire to be a designer of curious coiffures in paris. weather report by e. b. the sophomores suggest a soaking spring if the snow smelts. if it rains sufficiently to suit miss svenddahl, they forecast dancing in the gym. the spring days will be either cloudy, partly cloudy, or clear. it will rain dogs and cats or hail taxicabs, although we may have snow, a tornado, a cyclone, a blizzard, a squall, a typhoon, a tidal wave, or a forest fire. * * * * * last friday evening the sophomore select sewing society met at the home of miss jane bartley. a pleasant time was had by all, making rackets and nightcaps for the poor. refreshments were served. [illustration: {flea}] brain tickler [illustration: {flea}] one of these fleas has been magnified times, the other ½ times. which was originally the larger? take seconds in which to do this. miscellaneous dr. ailment's post box question: dear doc: what can be done to keep up one's hair when it is not entirely grown out?--a. m. t. b. d. b. i. answer: cut it off, my dears. * * * * * question: dear doc: what can be done for eye-strain caused by drawing maps of the aegean sea?--sophomore class. answer: don't do 'em. you will flunk anyway. advertisement take my three minute course and learn to study successfully. astound your teachers in any way. see me about it.--j. crocker. learn the art of putting up your hair in two minutes between bells. don't be late for your classes. follow my example. easy lessons. apply to b. dodge. ninth form [illustration: {group photograph of students}] top row--_jane robinson_, _martha eurich_, _mary elizabeth case_, _catherine colwell_, _caroline doerr_, _donna mccabe_, _nancy adair van slyke_, _catherine moroney_ middle row--_edna louise smith_, _margaret maroney_, _victoria mercer_, _mary morison_, _jean adair willard_, _virginia lee bechtol_, _elizabeth heegaard_, _mary atkinson_ front row--_alice tenney_, _ann beckwith_, _carol hoidale_, _helen tuttle_, _marion wood_, _beatrice wells_, _mildred o'brien_ giant trans-atlantic air ship downed (minneapolis morning tribune, june , ) the giant airship _coolidge_ was downed last night in a hurricane on the atlantic. a terrific wind arose, which broke one of the huge wings. the ship dropped abruptly, and though the captain fired distress signals, nothing could possibly have saved the passengers but the timely arrival of the _admiral sims_, a destroyer, captained by helen tuttle, and the ship, _the roosevelt_, captained by caroline doerr. the two crews worked feverishly, and in less than an hour everyone was off the sinking ship. miss tuttle and miss doerr were the heroines of the hour, keeping their heads and directing their crews with a coolness equal to any man's. several minneapolis people were on board. among them were miss carol hoidale, famous sportswoman, who was going to england to be in the leicestershire horse show; miss marion wood, accomplished pianist; and miss elizabeth heegard, a well-known actress. miss doerr, miss tuttle, and these three ladies were classmates at northrop collegiate school and graduated in . former northrop students capturing titles in europe miss nancy van slyke and miss mary morison are capturing all the tennis titles. recently at the tournament at nice the two americans defeated mlle. isabelle lenglen, daughter of the famous suzanne, and mlle. pavol, winning both sets, - , - . this gives them the world's doubles championship. * * * * * last night miss beatrice wells was proclaimed world's amateur champion fancy skater at the st. moritz artificial rink. * * * * * miss jane robinson and miss alice tenny, the young american athletes, are doing well in the olympics. miss robinson has set a new mark for high jumping. miss tenny has shattered all previous breaststroke records. * * * * * "dee," or donna mccabe, won the sanford cup yesterday with her packard straight eight. she lowered her previous record by several minutes. the distinguished monogram on the hood was designed by mary e. atkinson. back from mars miss martha eurich and miss margaret maroney, famous artists, returned today from mars, where they went to make sketches of an improved type of building that has airplane parking space on the roof. they were sent by miss mary e. case, president of the animal rescue league, who contemplates building a new sky-scraper for animals. * * * * * miss catherine r. mount, the well-known new york designer, says trains are coming back. she bases her claims on the present length of skirts. * * * * * "the same old story," written by miss anne beckwith, is a delightful book. the plot is very new and the book is very original. it is pleasantly illustrated by miss catherine colwell, who is so famous for her drawings, and is dedicated in verse by virginia lee bechtol to miss cordelia lockwood. * * * * * miss edna lou smith will be the soloist for tomorrow's concert, that is if she doesn't disappear in the meantime. to make debut miss mildred o'brian will make her debut tomorrow at a tea given by her mother. miss o'brian will wear a corsage bouquet given by her mother, the first part of the afternoon. after that she will wear the corsages given by her admirers, a minute each. * * * * * judge victoria mercer sentences hard boiled egg for life. eighth form [illustration: {group photograph of students}] top row--_muriel miner_, _frances lee_, _betty stroud_, _harriet kemp_, _lorraine stuart_, _alice wright_, _betty bean_ middle row--_betty strout_, _grayce conary_, _mary elizabeth ricker_, _esther hazlett_, _mary elizabeth thrall_, _inez colcord_, _edna nagell_, _ruth de vienne_ front row--_marian murray_, _marjorie osgood_, _virginia cook_, _eleanor bellows_, _anne winton_, _louise partridge_, _miriam powell_ _mary eleanor best_, _ruth alberta clark_, _aileen stimson_ the eighth form primer _lest the history of our year through passing time grow dimmer, we've gathered the choicest bits and put them in a primer._ =a= stands for athletics, ambition, and art, since they're packed full of action we're glad to take part. =b= is for bumps, got when sliding at noon; we often see stars and sometimes the moon. =c= for captain ball games, two of which we have won, and we all agree they are jolly good fun. =d= is le duc whose french we found charming, but a sky downstairs we think most alarming. =e= is for eighths. what else could it be? energetic, ecstatic, emphatic are we. =f= is friar tuck. in our robin hood play he was bluff, fat, and hearty in quite the right way. =g= for graham crackers. they're indeed simple fare, but they keep us from getting too much outside air. =h= is the hill, so covered with sleet that when we come down, we can't stay on our feet. =i= stands for icelandic. though amusing to hear, we think we'll not speak it each day in the year. =j= is for joking. that is our folly for rather than sad we choose to be jolly. =k= for kicker sleds. they arrived last december and furnished good sport for every class member. =l= is for luther--burbank we were told, who started the protestant reformation of old. =m= is the mascot that brings us our luck, and we surely need him to combat sevens' pluck. =n= for "noblesse oblige," our chosen class aim. though sometimes we slip, we strive on just the same. =o= is old girls' party, to which we escorted the whole seventh grade; a gay time was reported. =p= is for pageant we held columbus day, to tell how brave sailors to our land made way. =q= for the quest the whole class did make when told to make rhymes for our tatler's sake. =r= for radiators to which we all swarm to dry off our stockings and get our toes warm. =s= is for silver, that coupled with blue is the symbol to which we shall ever be true. =t= is for tourney 'twixt the white and the gold. but 'tis fought with balls instead of swords bold. =u= is uniform. when that badge we wear we must look to upholding northrop's standards so fair. =v= for valentine party, which the seventh form had. favors, verses, and dancing made our hearts glad. =w= for winter sports. there's no fun more thrilling, whether skating or sliding or in the snow spilling. =x= is unknown, so why trouble with it. we'll leave it alone and not wear out our wit. =y= is for yells. we give them with vim when sports are on foot in our lower gym. =z= for zipper boots, our greatest delights. zip off the last minute and fly up two flights. seventh form [illustration: {group photograph of students}] top row--_katharine simonton_, _barbara newman_, _betty goldsborough_, _marjorie williams_, _louisa hineline_, _betty miller_ middle row--_laura van nest_, _alice benjamin_, _pauline brooks_, _catherine wagner_, _catherine piper_, _ann lee_ front row--_betty thomson_, _elizabeth junkin_, _jane helm_, _virginia helm_, _peggy gillette_, _emily douglas_ seventh form events sports early in the fall the sevenths and eighths had a number of baseball games. although the sevenths tried very hard, they were always defeated. however, spring is coming, and they may have better luck. in midwinter when games are indoors, captain ball is the popular sport. the two classes always play two games. in the first one the sevenths were badly beaten, but in the second they came close to victory with a score of to . the winter outdoor fun is on a bumpy, crooked hill back of school used for sliding. down it goes a continuous stream of sleds, toboggans, and skis. sometimes an overloaded sled drops a passenger on the way, and sometimes a load lands upside down in a drift, but it's all part of the fun. parties at the beginning of school the seventh form were guests of the eighth form at the opening league party. we danced a great deal, and we laughed at the wild west show and the autoride of by-gone days. then we climbed to the top floor for refreshments and more laughing. on the eleventh of february to return the courtesy, we invited the eighths to a valentine party. after decorating our guests with gay caps, we danced for a while. the event of the day, however, was the valentine boxes. there were three fat ones stuffed with valentines for us all. by the time we had exclaimed over them, we were ready to have refreshments. cheers of appreciation ended the party. chapel programs this year we have been visited by both a princess and a duke. the princess came from damascus and gave us an ancient story of her city--the story of naaman the leper. the duke, who was from france, showed us pictures of beautiful old french buildings, which he is trying to keep from being destroyed. early in march our own class took part in a chapel program by demonstrating some lessons in musical appreciation. * * * * * piping merrily _william_ the _piper_ floated down the meadow _brooks_ seated at the _helm_ of his boat. being a _new-man_ in this country he stopped to ask his way of a _miller_. the miller directed him across the _lee_ to a little town called _goldsborough_. there he stopped at the inn of the _van nest_. after a good sleep, a shave with his _gillette_, and a hearty meal of _thomson's_ baked beans and _wagner's_ canned _pease_, he was much refreshed. the next morning he continued his wanderings, but unwittingly he trespassed on the land of a farmer named _hineline_, who threatened to take him to the village of _simonton_ and throw him and his _junk-in_ jail. finally he made his peace, but he had to leave his boat behind. "however, i'm not so unlucky," said he, "for i have stout _douglas_ shoes to tramp in, and my faithful dog, _benjamin_, to bear me company." jane helm and catherine piper. sixth form [illustration: {group photograph of students}] top row--_mary louise parker_, _miriam lucker_, _isabel mclaughlin_, _mary rogers_, _betty short_, _janet bulkley_, _jane fansler_ middle row--_rosemarie gregory_, _carolyn belcher_, _sally louise bell_, _grace ann campbell_, _barbara bagley_, _ella sturgis pillsbury_, _marie jaffrey_, _elizabeth mapes_ front row--_betty lou burrows_, _charlotte driscoll_, _gretchen hauschild_, _helen beckwith_, _eleanor smith_, _peggy thomson_ _phyllis foulstone_ fifth form [illustration: {group photograph of students}] top row--_mary ann kelly_, _anne dalrymple_, _mary dodge_, _barbara healy_, _harriet hineline_, _anne mcgill_ middle row--_barbara anson_, _jane arnold_, _mary thayer_, _mary foster_, _marian carlson_, _edith rizer_, _edith mcknight_ front row--_betty jane jewett_, _geraldine hudson_, _ione kuechle_, _virginia baker_, _deborah anson_, _louise walker_, _catherine gilman_ fourth form [illustration: {group photograph of students}] top row--_martha miller_, _martha bagley_, _mary malcolmson_, _patty greenman_ middle row--_susan wheelock_, _patricia dalrymple_, _helen louise hayden_, _nanette harrison_ front row--_mary partridge_, _olivia carpenter_, _katherine boynton_, _anne morrison_, _dolly conary_ _margaret partridge_, _frances ward_ third form [illustration: {group photograph of students}] top row--_elizabeth lucker_, _sally ross dinsmore_, _joan parker_ middle row--_rhoda belcher_, _penelope paulson_, _harriet helm_, _ottilie tusler_ front row--_elizabeth williams_, _susan snyder_, _mary lou pickett_, _anne perlee_ _charlotte buckley_ second form [illustration: {group photograph of students}] top row--_mary anna nash_, _nancy rogers_, _katherine dain_, _blanche rough_, _betty tuttle_ middle row--_betty lee_, _elizabeth hedback_, _elizabeth ann eggleston_, _ruth rizer_, _jane loughland_, _katharine rand_ front row--_janey lou harvey_, _katherine warner_, _donna jane weinrebe_, _elizabeth booraem_, _margie ireys_ _barbara brooks_, _helen jane eggan_ first form [illustration: {group photograph of students}] top row--_melissa lindsey_, _dorothea lindsey_ middle row--_mary ann fulton_, _laura booraem_, _carolyn cogdell_, _peggy carpenter_ front row--_bobby thompson_, _martha pattridge_, _betty king_, _jane pillsbury_, _calder bressler_ _whitney burton_, _betty june tupper_, _jean bell_ kindergarten and junior primary [illustration: {group photographs of students}] top row--_jean clifford_, _archie walker_, _jimmie wyman_, _mary jane van campen_, _sally jones_, _vincent carpenter_ middle row--_morris hallowell_, _janet sandy_, _ogden confer_, _beatrice devaney_, _ann carpenter_, _frederick jahn_, _barbara taylor_ front row--_phyllis beckwith_, _yale sumley_, _david warner_, _jamie doerr_, _elizabeth hobbs_, _gloria hays_, _lindley burton_, _frances mapes_, _henry doerr_ _sheldon brooks_, _billy johns_, _betty webster_, _barbara hill_, _patty rogers_, _emmy lou lucker_, _george pillsbury_, _jane pillsbury_ college news smith college, northampton, massachusetts, february , . dear janet: when i received your letter asking me to tell northrop what her alumnae at smith have been doing this year, i had a sudden sinking sensation, since i felt that the achievements accomplished by some of us have not been startling. however, upon digging for evidence, i have discovered that northrop need not feel ashamed of us after all. dorothy wilson sings in the junior choir, is a member of the smith college glee club, and of the oriental club--one which is connected with the bible department--and has been chosen business manager of the smith college handbook--"freshman bible"--for the class of . "pete" mccarthy, also a junior, who vehemently claimed that she had nothing to tell me about herself, i discover is fire captain of her house, a member of the french club, and chairman of the spring dance committee. on washington's birthday, at the annual rally day performance, mary truesdell and lorraine long, dressed as sailors, with the accompaniment of the mandolin club, clogged for us in multifarious rhythms, ways, and manners--or however one does clog--to the astonishment of all of us, who never before dreamed that professional talent actually existed in northampton. elizabeth carpenter is president of her house. as for the rest of us, lucy winton, eleanor cook, and me, all i can venture to say--and they agree with me--is that, like the proverbial green freshman, we have been plodding along at studies occasionally, and at all other times we have been eating, sleeping, or amusing ourselves to the nth degree. i can't wait to see the new _tatler_ to find out what you have been doing this year. please give my love to everyone. very sincerely, peg williams * * * * * south hadley, massachusetts, february , . dear margaret louise: if i should attempt to tell you everything we are doing here now, i'm afraid that i should go far past the limits of my little column, for our occupations are so multitudinous and varied that there is hardly an end to them. right now, notwithstanding the ever present pursuit of the academic, the whole college is having the most glorious time hiking over the countryside on snowshoes, risking its dignity and perhaps its neck in attempting the ski jump on pageant field, and "hooking" rides with the small village boys on their bob sleds down the long hill on college street. south hadley is such a tiny town, anyway, that it is just like living in the country with lovely mountains all around. by now mount tom and mount holyoke are quite like old friends, for most of us had a personal interview with one or the other of them when we hiked one of the ranges last fall on mountain day. mountain day, by the way, was a red letter day, for the freshmen particularly. it was one of those gorgeous blue october days when we could hardly stand the thought of having to be inside, and, almost like a gift from heaven, miss woolley unexpectedly announced in morning chapel that she would leave it to the students to vote whether they would have their holiday then, with its incomplete arrangements, or two days later when it was scheduled, with beautifully laid plans but with possible showers. the girls were simply bursting with excitement by that time, and the vote was carried unanimously. not one class in prospect for that day, but just a chance to start out with a lunch on your back to "parts unknown"--oh, it was wonderful! another big part of our college social life here in the fall and spring is college songs and class serenades. during september and october we had one out by the "college steps" once a week. i shall never forget the first time we gathered under a full moon, about nine o'clock, and our senior song leader started us off by having us sing all the songs we knew about the moon, with the singing of parts much encouraged! even if the harmony was a little doubtful in spots, taken as a whole the result was "perfectly heavenly"--to one enthusiastic freshman. then a few weeks later the freshmen were called to their windows one evening to hear "sisters, sisters, we sing to you," and looking down, we saw the whole junior class assembled underneath the dormitory windows. then in due time our turn came to "surprise them," but it wasn't, evidently, kept a "deep and dark" secret as we had hoped, for at the end of the first song we were literally showered with candy kisses hurled down from above. these are just a few of the kinds of things we do outside our academic work; not to mention the picnic breakfasts at "paradise" in the warm weather, sleigh rides or hikes to old hadley, a quaint old town near here, winter carnival, or all the excitement that comes with junior prom time. then, you may be sure, the "little sisters" are pressed into service! what i think, however, makes mount holyoke mean what it does to us is something that is almost impossible to describe, but something that is just as real as any phase of our life here--and that is the college atmosphere. it is created, in part, by miss woolley's wonderful chapel services, in part by the sheer beauty of the country in which we live, and, lastly, by the fine spirit of the girls themselves, the college community. very sincerely, doris douglas, ' . * * * * * to the editor of the tatler: we who once formed a goodly part of northrop's illustrious student body, but who now attend vassar college, send our heartiest and most affectionate greetings, to the pupils, the faculty, the trustees, and miss carse! in the first part of the year, when those of us who are freshmen were busying ourselves with getting adjusted to our new environment, new studies, and new acquaintances, we had no time to reflect on our past activities. but now that we have become acclimated, we take great joy in remembering our years spent at northrop, and realize, more and more, all that she did for us. we owe our present life and opportunities to northrop's splendid teaching and background. the northrop league gave us a moral background which we shall never lose. our companionship with each other gave us friendships which can never be lost, even though we may be separated. northrop alumnae who are sophomores and the five who are holding up the honor of vassar's class of ' , still feel northrop's influence very strongly, and are forever singing her praises. they feel that the training in concentration and in well-divided time received at northrop has proved invaluable throughout their college course. the large number of us here at vassar, set aside as "northrop girls" feel that we have a great responsibility resting on us. we have a standard to live up to, a standard caused by the good name sent out into the world by northrop. may we live up to that name, may we carry on the standard of northrop school. josephine clifford, betty goodell. members of league council for - officers of the league mary eaton _president_ virginia leffingwell _vice-president_ barbara bailey _treasurer_ florence isabel roberts _secretary_ chairmen of standing committees marion hume _athletics_ margaret louise newhall _publication_ beatrice joslin _entertainment_ class presidents evelyn baker _form xii_ betty long _form xi_ mary louise sudduth _form x_ helen tuttle _form ix_ eleanor bellows _form viii_ jane helm _form vii_ athletic council marion hume _chairman_ josephine reinhart _form xii_ charlotte williams janet morison _form xi_ betty jewett jane woodward _form x_ victoria mercer nancy van slyke _form ix_ ruth de vienne _forms viii and vii_ tatler board margaret louise newhall _editor_ janet morison _business assistant_ nancy stevenson marion mcdonald _form xii_ virginia little _form xi_ martha jean maughan _form x_ nancy van slyke _form ix_ anne winton _form viii_ pauline brooks _form vii_ faculty advisers miss carse miss bagier miss sadley miss ferebee miss mchugh miss brown miss svenddal miss pease miss lockwood mrs. armstrong the northrop league it hardly seems necessary in this, the sixth year of the league's existence, to explain its purpose. i think it is sufficient to say that the league is an organization which, under miss carse's sympathetic guidance, has come to control the student activities of the high school and the seventh and the eighth grades. it is true, of course, that the league is governed by its officers, but the league itself is what the large body of the girls make it. the pledge, an expression of its standards, seeks to hold each girl to a high sense of honor, loyalty, and self-improvement. this, briefly, is the purpose. as nearer perfection is reached, in the struggle for this goal, the league gains in power. thus it is that the league is the result of the effort of every member. mary eaton. report of league treasurer given at the parents' and teachers' dinner should any girl of northrop wish to prepare herself for a position that has to do with the handling of money, i should advise her to begin campaigning by lobbying for the office of treasurer of the northrop league. however, the reputation of the detailed work of this office is such that there are few who are ever over-anxious to receive it. this was my feeling at first, but now when i realize how much i already know about making out checks, keeping accounts, and the intricacies of banking, i feel it is all worth while. by commencement i shouldn't be surprised if i could fill the important position of messenger in a bank. the first thing that comes up at the beginning of each year is the collection of the annual league dues, which are two dollars and fifty cents. a total amount of about three hundred dollars was handed in this year. this is put under the "operating fund," and takes care of all the league expenditures, except those of the welfare committee. there are four departments of student activities drawing from these league dues, athletic, entertainment, and printing and stationery. also, this year the league voted to back the tatler board up with one hundred dollars. at the first council meeting of the year a budget is made out for the different committees of the league. this budget is based on the expenditures of that committee for the preceding year. until nineteen twenty-five, the welfare work was taken care of by collections running through the year as the various needs arose. this year a new system was adopted, which took care of everything at one time. we foresaw a need of money for the thanksgiving, christmas, and community funds, for the near east relief, and the french orphans; therefore slips were given to each girl with these different needs listed. she was expected to put an amount after each, which amount she pledged to pay in cash or in deferred payments. so far eight hundred and twelve dollars of the nine hundred and two dollars and thirteen cents pledged has been handed in. this plan is much more systematic, and saves the trouble of conducting so many drives. all money transactions of classes and committees whether receipts or expenditures go through the hands of the league treasurer. a system of books is maintained. each class and committee keeps its own accounts. then the league treasurer has a large cash book in which she also keeps all the receipts and disbursements of the classes and committees. at the end of each month the balances are put in a simplified ledger. it is from this that the monthly and annual reports are made. when a bill is received, it is paid only by the league treasurer after it has been ok'd by the chairman of the committee responsible for it. when money is handed in, a receipt is given to the bearer. at the end of each month the books are balanced and checked with the bank statement. also the check book is verified with the bank balance. although the league treasurer is custodian of the class funds, each class has a treasurer who keeps her own accounts. the classes have their own dues to pay for all their expenditures. at the end of each month, after the class treasurer has balanced her book, it is checked over with the accounts of the league treasurer for that class to see if they agree. a checking account is kept at the northwestern national bank and the savings' account at the farmers and mechanics bank. we have had almost three hundred dollars in the savings account, but two hundred dollars, which is last year's league gift to the school, has just been withdrawn and added to the chapel fund. the duties of a treasurer are not over until she has passed to her successor what she has learned during her treasurership and has changed the accounts to the new girl's name. after this has been done, the retiring treasurer is released and must seek new fields in which to carry on. in case a former northrop league treasurer ever applies to any of you for a position, just remember the "big" business in which she began her training. barbara bailey. northrop league welfare budget near east relief french orphan community fund thanksgiving fund christmas fund emergency fund this year, when community fund interests brought to our attention the need of school collections, of which the community fund is but one, we thought to have a single large drive instead of several small drives. we called in the expert opinion of one who had long worked in social agencies, and worked out a scheme and a budget for one drive covering all our needs. this plan was presented to the league council and met with approval. sheets containing lists of the various funds for which money was to be collected, were given to the pupils to take home for conference with their parents. if a girl wished to give to any one of the various funds, she was to mark down that amount, also putting down the date of payment (any time until february ); or else the money might be sent right back with the pledges. in this way we tried to make the idea of voluntary subscription the whole basis of our plan. the total amount of the entire drive, both pledged and paid, is $ . , out of which $ . was paid in full to the community fund. the total of the thanksgiving fund was $ . , out of which $ . was paid for thanksgiving baskets which were filled with good, substantial food, and were delivered by a number of the girls, each group accompanied by an older person, to eighteen needy families. the christmas fund total reached the sum of $ . . from this, we gave $ . as gifts to the house-staff. the emergency fund amounted to $ . . from this, we gave $ . to help support a french orphan for whose care we are responsible. there is also an unapportioned fund. a number of pledges were returned with only the total amount marked down, none of which was divided among the funds. these amounts were put down under the unapportioned fund. from this sum, we drew $ . for the near east relief. in addition to all this, we are having a continuous drive for old clothes which we place where most needed. after the various distributions were made, we found that our book balanced with that of the league treasurer. handling a situation of this sort has been an interesting task, and i think that we all have greatly profited by the experience, and believe that it has been a preparation for future service to the community. virginia leffingwell, _chairman_. [illustration: {a group of students in costume as shepherds}] calendar for - _october_ --old girls' party for the new. --riding contest. _november_ --book exhibit. --junior carnival. _december_ --christmas luncheon. --christmas play. _february_ --parents' and teachers' dinner. --valentine party for grades vii and viii. reading by the princess rahme haider. _march_ --lecture by the duc de trevise. --northrop entertains summit. --athletic banquet. --lecture by dr. cora best. _may_ and --junior field day. and --senior field day. _june_ --the junior-senior dance. --senior chapel. alumnae luncheon. class day. --commencement. [illustration: {a student wearing a costume of robes}] [illustration: {seven photographs of students in th century costume}] the junior-senior dance, on friday morning, may , , each junior awoke with the entire responsibility of the junior-senior dance on her shoulders. ten o'clock found some of the class in an effort to carry out the green and white color scheme, robbing the neighbors' bridal wreath hedges of all their glory. returning to school they wound the blossoming sprays in and out of a white lattice work, which a few of their industrious class mates had made to cover the radiators in the dining room. they then hung green and white balloons in clusters from the side lights. while this was being done, others were converting nice-looking automobiles into furniture vans. the furniture was arranged on the roof garden, over which japanese lanterns were hung. having finished these tasks, we had by no means completed our work. the supper tables next occupied our attention. these we arranged in the side hall. centering each was a miniature white may pole wound with green and white streamers. the appearance was festive indeed. after the lapse of a few hours the weary juniors returned to welcome their guests, the seniors.... as the clock struck twelve, the music ceased, the building resumed its former tranquility, and the happy guests filed home. evelyn baker and polly daunt. we entertain summit school every year northrop and summit schools come together at one place or the other for an informal party. this year, it being our pleasure to entertain the summit girls, we looked forward to the occasion as one of our most enjoyable events. we departed from the usual form of entertainment in presenting the french play "le voyage de monsieur perrichon." although probably not every one in the audience understood all the speeches, the play went off well, for the plot is such that it is easily comprehended through the acting; also to aid the audience a short synopsis was read in english before the curtain rose, by shirley woodward, who looked the part of a dashing french soldier. the roles of that amusing pair, monsieur and madam perrichon, were taken by betty long and barbara bailey. henriette, their daughter, was portrayed by anne healy, and the two charming lovers, daniel and armand, by dorothy sweet and janet morrison. an additional feature of the program was provided by the faculty sextet, in the form of several pleasing songs. after the play, the faculties of both schools had refreshments upstairs, and dancing followed in the gymnasium. la visite du duc de trevise [illustration: {a large group of students outdoors with the visitor}] le huit mars nous fûmes très heureuses d'avoir avec nous le duc de trévise. comme mlle. carse était dans l'est, mlle. bagier le présenta. il fit une conférence des plus intéressantes sur la reconstruction de l'ancienne architecture de la france, accompagnée de projections charmantes de son sujet. il expliqua de son ravissant accent français, les dégâts qu'on fait aux beaux édifices du moyen âge. il nous soumit le projet de son organisation pour conserver divers anciens châteaux, aux villages différents de la france pour chaque ville américaine qui aura approprié de l'argent pour cette cause, donnant ainsi le moyen aux citoyens de chaque ville d'avoir un logis quand ils visiteront le village ou la ville dans lesquels leur château particulier se trouve. l'argent qu'on a déjà donné a fait beaucoup pour avancer le travail de la reconstruction. nous fûmes charmées de découvrir que, quand il retombait dans sa langue natale, nous pûmes avec peu de difficulté le comprendre. après que la dernière projection eut été montrée, le duc voulut beaucoup une photographie des élèves de northrop school. en conséquence nous nous assemblâmes au côté sud de l'école où mlle. bagier fit deux photographies des jeunes filles avec leur ami nouveau-trouvé. comme cela fut une grande occasion pour les plus jeunes filles, elles démandèrent à grands cris des autographes que le duc leur donna avec bonté. ensuite on nous rappela à nos leçons qui nous semblèrent plus tristes que d'ordinaire par contraste avec l'heure très interessante que nous venions de passer avec le duc. the princess rahme haider it would seem that the good angels were plotting in favor of northrop school, for this year we have had one delightful entertainment after another. foremost among these events was a visit from the syrian princess rahme haider and her charming companion miss burgess, who gave us a fascinating dramatic reading from the bible. the entire school was held spellbound by the art of the princess, who made a very artistic appearance in her oriental garb and had a charming personality. princess rahme haider most assuredly gave us one of the most interesting and profitable programs of the year. grace helen stuart. [handwriting: sincerely princess rahme damascus syria] [illustration: {a group of students in 'peasant' costume}] athletic calendar october --the riding contest. baseball november --vii, ; viii, . november --vii, ; viii, . november --vii, ; viii, . hockey november --senior, ; sophomore, . november --junior, ; freshman, . november --senior, ; freshman, . november --senior, ; junior, . november --sophomore, ; freshman, . november --sophomore, ; junior, . captain ball march --vii, ; viii, . march --vii, ; viii, . march --gold, ; white, . march --gold, ; white, . basketball--interclass february --junior, ; sophomore, . february --freshman, ; sophomore, . march --senior, ; sophomore, . march --junior, ; freshman, . march --freshman ; senior . march --junior, ; senior, . march --tournament--junior, ; sophomore, . basketball--gold and white march --gold i, ; white i, . march --gold ii, ; white ii, . march --gold iii, ; white iii, . march --gold iv, ; white iv, . march --gold a, ; white a, . field day may and --junior field day. may and --senior field day. hockey this year a new regulation in regard to hockey practise was introduced. the girls were required to report twice a week instead of once, one of these days being given to stick practise. the first game of the season was played on november ninth between the seniors and the sophomores. it was a very close one resulting in a one to one tie. on the next day, november tenth, the juniors beat the freshmen by a score of five to nothing. the game on november second resulted in another tie; this time a scoreless one between the seniors and the freshmen, which was most unsatisfactory to both teams. on november sixteenth the senior-junior game was played which the juniors won six to nothing. on the eighteenth the sophomores won from the freshmen eight to nothing, and on the next day the game between the juniors and the sophomores was played. as no one had crossed the juniors' goal since the beginning of the ' season there was a great deal of interest in the game. it was an exceedingly hard contest, two girls being more or less knocked out during the game, but the sophomores won by a score of three to nothing. we were fortunate this season in having the weather remain so that we were able to play all the games on the schedule. the riding contest the annual riding contest was held on the parade grounds, friday, october , mlle. bagier and betty fowler acting as managers. although it was a cold and wintry day, a large crowd turned out. dr. e. w. berg, mr. l. mcfall, and mr. william hindle were the judges, and the misses anderson acted as ring mistresses. everything went off very smoothly, beginning with the junior cup class, followed by the senior cup class, the pony class, and ending with five gaited class. after the contest, tea was served in the gymnasium, where the awards were given out. the junior cup went to ruth clark; the pony cup, to virginia leffingwell; the five gaited cup to betty fowler; and the much desired senior cup to mary louise sudduth. base ball and captain ball on the fall the sevenths and eighths had several baseball games. they were very exciting in spite of the fact that the eighths always won by a generous margin. however the sevenths took the defeats so well that no one could call them "poor losers." after the snow came, captain ball began. the two match games were very interesting. the score of the first was - in the eighths' favor, and of the second was - , the same side being victorious. then came the gold and white games, both of which the whites won. it was hard, but it was fun, to play against a girl that one had previously played with as a partner. these games brought out such good sportsmanship that we all enjoyed them. [illustration: {seven photographs of students participating in sports events}] basketball the basketball season opened with much enthusiasm as soon as school began after the christmas vacation. the attendance at practices was especially good this year, and the members of every class reported regularly. in order to arouse some spirit, each class distributed its colors among its rooters, and there was much competition between the classes in finding original yells. as a result of these efforts the crowds at the games were exceptionally good, much larger than in previous years. the sophomore-junior game, the first of the season, was won by the juniors after a hard fight. the next two games were the sophomore-freshman and the senior-sophomore, which were both won by the sophomores. the juniors then played the freshmen and were victorious. the senior-freshman game, one of the most exciting of the season, ended in a tie, much to the disappointment of both sides. the seniors in their last game at northrop played the juniors and won. as a result of these games, the juniors and sophomores were competitors in the tournament. the girls worked hard to make the gymnasium look suitable for the occasion and were rewarded for their efforts, for cheering and enthusiastic crowds filled the gym. the best yelling of the evening, however, was done by the sophomores, who nearly raised the roof with their snappy and well-led cheers. their serious and well performed stunt of forming and singing, contrasted with the ridiculous showing of the juniors made on tricycles. after the stunts, the game began and certainly proved to be a close one. although the juniors were behind during a good part of the game, they finally won by a score of - . the tournament closed the inter-class games and those of the gold and white teams began. in order that more girls might take part in the games, the upper school had been divided into two large teams called the gold and white. these teams were in turn subdivided into basketball teams, and many games were played between these teams. although the audiences were not all that might be desired the plan can be called a success since it interested more girls in the game. the white team won the first two games and the gold the next two; therefore the final game between the two "a" teams would decide whether the gold or the white team would win the basketball series. the game was won by the gold team, - . this game ended the basketball season, which has been an unusually good one. i strive to wring from my unwilling pen a sonnet,--and all ordered thoughts pass by; light as a swirl of mist, too soon they fly for my poor wits to capture them again. o sonnet unattained! for other men so easy to attain, but it is i who struggle, and for me all goes awry,-- my efforts fond go unrequited then. "why, surely it is but a trifle, this," they cry amazed, in sweet unknowing bliss. a trifle, yes, for shelley or for blake, they had not many extra marks at stake; i toil in vain toward a retarding goal,-- i fear the poet's part is not my role. shirley woodward, ' . gardens i have read about books are the means by which one may travel without moving. it is through the medium of a book that i was able to visit a garden in italy. it happened to be a garden that was typically italian and a very charming one. the entrance was through a vine-covered tuscan arch at the side of a villa, and down several steps to a wide terrace. the sun was beating down outside, but inside this walled garden all was cool and refreshing. at one's feet were clumps of darkest green ferns, like miniature forests. at the bottom of the terrace there was a terracotta pool, where water flowers were drifting on their flat green pads. around the edge of this pool and through an aisle of tiny fragrant pink rose bushes was a space enclosed on three sides by feathery greens. here a laughing satyr was perched on the top of a fountain, spouting water in a silvery arc. through a shaded avenue could be seen other secluded spots with marble benches in front of other fountains. in another direction was a grotto where water trickled down gray, moss-covered stones. far in the distance were cypress trees waving their spear-like tops and standing guard over the coolness and beauty of the garden. very different from this is the sunny english garden that next i visited. it, too, was terraced and had fountains, but the water in these fountains sparkled in the sun, and the cool dampness of the italian garden was lacking. on the terrace were occasional closely-trimmed yew trees, or box trees clipped in odd shapes. a curving walk, edged with laurel, led to the ivy-walled inner garden. here, in the full sun and warmth, grew, not the delicate rose bush of my italian garden, but sturdy, bold rose trees, and apple trees, above snowdrops, daffodils, and crocuses in round, oblong, and square beds. these had trimmed herbaceous borders, and gray flag walks lay between them. beyond towered great elms, but even these did not shut out any of the sun, which reached the foxgloves and violets, transplanted from the moor to the corner of the wall. here in america, though i have never been east, i know i should feel at home in a new england garden. my entire knowledge of them has been gained from books, but i am sure, from what i have read that these gardens are quite as charming as the more formal ones of other lands. separated from the street by either a white picket fence or a row of lilac bushes, grow in their seasons nasturtiums, pinks, larkspur, mignonette, sweet peas, and forget-me-nots, in neat rows. all these are in such profusion that one sees only the glorious general effect and fails to notice that the garden has been planted with total disregard to the blending of colors. at the back, against the fence, tall sun flowers flaunt themselves, while in front are clumps of gorgeous peonies, and at the side beds of fragrant mint. all these gardens i think of when spring comes, and my yearly gardening fever seizes me. but at the end of two months, when my radishes go to seed before attaining edible size, and those of my flowers that are not choked by weeds have been dug up by other members of the family, i go back to the dream gardens in my books. mary eaton, ' . dixie an old man, ragged, but with an air of dignity, quickly glanced at his stop watch as a small figure, crouched over a shining black neck, shot by. with a thunder of hoofs the black horse whirled past and fought for her head down the stretch. she would win the following saturday--she must! if she didn't then she too would have to go and leave the ruined old gentleman, who looked so feeble leaning over the white rail which enclosed the mile track. after much coaxing the black colt came mincing up to her old master. the small colored boy, as black as his mount, was bubbling over with enthusiasm. "dat dehby, suh, is going to be won by ma dixie," patting the curved neck of the horse. the old gentleman looked up. "mah boy, you must remembah that dixie will have otheah good hawses to beat. vixen is the favohite and very fast, although ah know mah little black friend heah will do heh best to honah the purple and white," glancing proudly at the headband of the black marvel. "next satahday will decide it all." a shadow fell across the colt. looking up, the gentleman, known as colonel fairfax, saw a man dressed in a checkered suit and orange socks. on a tie to match was a monstrous, well polished diamond, which sparkled wickedly in the sun. the man stood staring at the stop-watch. "ah beg yoh pahdon, suh, but theh anything ah could do foah you?" the man, hearing the question, looked up, flushing. "youh horse is a derby entry?" colonel fairfax eyed the horse reflectively and answered, "it all depends on her condition, and only time can answeh that." the man hurried away, leaving the old gentleman looking after him, a deep frown on his face. "washington, ah am a bit doubtful about this new-uh-acquaintance," he addressed the exercise boy. each day, no matter how early dixie was given her exercise, the stranger was to be seen loitering in the distance or walking briskly beside the track--seemingly deep in thought. his presence seemed to trouble the colonel, who watched his colt anxiously. at last, the final workout. colonel fairfax and the unwelcome stranger leaned over the rail, intently watching the black horse, which appeared to have wings. the stranger, who had been seen talking to the owner of vixen, the favorite, annoyed the old gentleman; he was suspicious of this flashily dressed man and did not conceal his feelings. sundown, friday, found the stable at churchill downs buzzing with excitement. the favorite's stall was surrounded by interested old racing men, who loved the thoroughbred and his sport, while a few individuals in gaily checkered suits crowded about, listening to the many "hunches" for business reasons only. an old man sat before stall no. . glancing up, he noticed two men peering in at dixie. one was the man who had seemed so much interested in the mare's trial gallops. through the half-open door of the box stall could be seen a horse in faded purple and white blankets. after a hurried conversation the two men passed on to the favorite's stall, where they smiled at the jockey, looked in, and walked on. long after the one-thirty special night train had whistled at the downs crossing, a dark figure could be seen sliding along the stall doors--"ten--nine--; eight--" then it came to halt before stall no. , and slipped through the door. it felt in the dark for the blanketed horse's neck. the horse jumped as a dagger-like needle was thrust into its neck. the colored boy, in a drugged sleep at the door of the stall, stirred in his dreams, but was still again. the door opened quietly, and the figure slipped out, leaving the horse in no. leaning drunkenly against the side wall. a shaft of moonlight fell across the intruder's face, revealing the same man who had attended all of dixie's trial gallops. little did this unscrupulous person realize that the black mare was spending the night in an old deserted barn near the race track, guarded by an old gentleman whose mouth was twisted into a whimsical smile, while a "guaranteed-to-be-gentle" livery horse was leading a life of luxury that evening in stall no. , churchill downs. derby day at churchill downs! kentucky was doing homage to the thoroughbred. as the band played "dixie," the derby entries filed through the paddock onto the field. proudly leading the string of the country's best two year olds, was the song's namesake, a true daughter of the south. with arching neck and prancing feet, dixie, the pride of an old man's heart, took her place at the barrier. her jockey looked up as he passed an aristocratic old gentleman, dressed in a faded coat which reminded one of "befoah de wah" days and whose hat remained off while the horses passed. the barrier was up, and the roar shook the grandstand. "they're off!!" the favorite, vixen, shot ahead and seemed to be making a runaway race. cheer after cheer rent the air. an old man clasped his program a little tighter and breathed a prayer. around the turn came vixen, but not alone. crouched to the ground, a small black horse crept up to the flying tail of the favorite. down the stretch the two thundered, fighting for supremacy. "foah kentucky, dixie, and the honah of the purple and white!" as if she heard this plea from her master, dixie bent lower. then, her black nose thrust ahead, more than a length in advance of vixen, she flashed under the wire, bringing "honah" to the purple and white. nancy stevenson, ' . my bureau drawers my bureau drawers,--i wonder what their contents could tell! whenever i go through them with the firm resolve to clear out everything that i do not actually use, i always end by saving some things just for the sake of the memories connected with them. take that pink satin hair ribbon, for instance. i wore it for the first time with a new pink dress at a party in california. it brings back all the thought of california as i first saw it in nineteen twenty, memories of stately and haughty poinsettias, of date palms from which one could pick and eat fresh dates, of a dancing ocean with its myriads of lovely sea creatures, and its gaily-colored beach equipment, of an amusement park with the roller coaster on which i nearly had heart failure. then, in another corner, lies a string of green beads. what could better recall to my mind the night of my graduation from the grade school? the recollection makes me want to be in grade school once more. i well remember how one of my classmates forgot to bring the music to the class song which was to have been one of the attractions of the program. disaster marked that evening farther when a tall danish boy, looking the picture of selfconsciousness and misery, arose to give the farewell address. as nearly as i can remember, it ran thus: "ladies and gentlemen, on the evening of our graduation ve vish to tank de teachers and also de principal for de vork"--a long awkward pause--"ve vish to tank de teachers and also de principal for de vork"--a still longer pause, interspersed with rising giggles from the graduating class--"ladies and gentlemen, ve vish to tank de teachers and also de principal for de vork vich they have done in getting us trough." then, there at the back of the drawer, is a black satin sash. it brings to my mind an entirely different kind of memory. it is one thing that i have left from the dress i wore at my grandfather's funeral. i remember all the tragedy of the occasion, lightened by one spot of comedy, my grandmother's losing her petticoat. i dare say that some day i shall throw away these things that others consider rubbish, but i shall never part with the memories for which they stand. polly sweet. a surprise it was early in the morning when nancy nelson awoke. she got up and put on her wrapper and one slipper, as she couldn't get the other one on, though she tried hard. "ah," she said, "there must be something in my slipper." so nancy felt in her slipper and then pulled out her hand. why, there was a little package! "who put it in there, i wonder," she said, quite surprised. nancy asked everybody in the house. then her mother said, "nancy, did you forget that it is your birthday?" then she opened the little package and found a small silver thimble, with the name "nancy nelson" on it. anne morrison, form iv. the departure and the return of the ship it was a clear, warm day in late spring and a ship was leaving the harbor, its departure accompanied by a merry clanking of chains as the anchor was drawn up. the lusty cheers of the sailors floated back in echoes. the shore was crowded with the wives and sweethearts of these two hundred sailors, their brightly colored gowns and fluttering handkerchiefs making a lovely picture against the background of the green cliffs. on board the men were singing lustily as they performed their tasks and the last echo of their happiness floated back clearly to the little group on the shore as the ship dropped below the hill and out of sight. the women had already settled down to their period of watchful waiting and were trusting the safety of their loved ones to god, who had always protected them and brought them home safely before. it was a clear, crisp night in late october and the moon was sending its silvery beams out over the quiet waters. everything was pervaded by an air of mystery. slowly, from far out at sea, a great ship came slinking into the harbor. as it drew nearer, it glowed with crimson lights. then, suddenly every light went out and again the great mysterious hulk was swallowed up in the darkness. not a sound was heard. could this be the same ship that had sailed away so gayly three years ago? no one awaited its coming, for it had been long given up for lost. it came nearer and nearer, and a breeze, which had suddenly come up, whistled through its thin sails and moved the spars, making a sound like the rattling of dry bones. then, as if in response to the command of a ghostly captain, the great, black hulk sank into the darkness under the water, leaving only a whirlpool to mark its existence. it sank as it had sailed in; slowly and mysteriously. martha jean maughan, ' . rain i love to hear upon the walk the rain that comes on nights in spring, so warm and soft and pattering it seems to fairly talk. it tells me of arbutus shy, that hides in moss beside a tree, of crocus and anemone that peek out at the sky. it fills with earthly scent the night, and glistens on the new green leaves; it drips and drips from shining eaves and sparkles in the light. mary brackett, ' . troubles of an amateur mary had been assured that "dolly" was absolutely dependable, would not shy, had a kind and gentle disposition, and was easy to manage; but now she was actually gazing upon this amiable annihilator, the courage oozed out of her suddenly pounding heart and her eyes widened with fright and suspicion. she wished now she hadn't been so desirous of tempting fate on such a seemingly ferocious and unnatural brute. "dolly," on the other hand, happily unaware of his savageness and unnatural spirit, drooped his homely, ungainly head in a dejected manner. to him, mary was only one more burden, one more wriggling, gasping infliction, to be jogged slowly about for her first ride. he snorted in disdain. mary jumped. why didn't she use her own feet? "dolly" didn't want to be bothered. finally he rolled an eye back to survey his passenger. the groom was gradually coaxing mary on--onto something terrible. she just knew it! "dolly" seemed to assume supernatural proportions as mary reached out a hand to grasp the reins which were handed to her. someone boosted her on. goodness! she was going right over on the other side! but no! she found herself sitting up on the broad back of "dolly"; it was a very precarious position. how did one keep one's balance? she just knew she couldn't stay on. there was nothing to hang onto, and her.... "help!" she shrieked, as her steed casually stamped a clumsy foot, in the endeavor to rid himself of a persistent fly. the groom, now mounted, led her horse out into the ring. mary hoped he'd hang onto the reins. if he didn't.... mary pictured herself a mangled, shapeless mass. she shuddered. she'd seen those movie actors dart gaily about and had thought it would be lovely to learn to dart. but now--she wondered if they had been tied on! oh! they were jogging. mary didn't seem to understand the nature of the jog. she was out of breath. grasping the pommel, she looked miserably at the long neck swaying in front of her. two long ears fascinated her. up and down, up and down. ah! why didn't he stop? she attempted to shriek, but only succeeded in emitting faint gasps as "dolly" swerved to avoid a small hole. inside she seemed to be jolted to pieces. her heart shook her chest, and a giddy feeling overpowered her. her vision blurred, and her breath came in short gasps. "dolly" had now slowed down to a walk, but to mary this was the wildest of gaits. every minute she fully expected to die on the spot. she couldn't stand it another second. she couldn't--she couldn't! "time is up, miss," announced a cheery voice. "do you wish to dismount?" mary came up from the depths of agony, and hope lit her face. "oh-h-h!" she moaned. "yes, i--yes! yes!" she was lifted, or rather dragged, off, she didn't know which, didn't care as long as she was off. the ground seemed to come up to meet her. why didn't things stand still? even the unsuspicious "dolly" appeared to be performing grotesque antics. mary took a step, just one. it was not necessary for her to take more to realize that she was very stiff. "heavens!" she slowly gathered up her coat and hat, and limped painfully out of the academy. now she could realize that an amateur, in riding anyway, had her troubles in walking! virginia leffingwell, ' . teresa teresa is my aunt's black cat; she plays with this, she plays with that-- a tassel green, a string to tug, a fleck of light upon the rug give her imagination fire. and then she sleeps all in a ball beside the hearth out in the hall. she loves to warm herself this way, and dreams, this time, about her play-- while cuddled up she purrs and purrs. when tea time comes, she's always there, beside my aunt's old walnut chair; her big green eyes are bright with glee, her chin sinks in a creamy sea, and her ecstasy is complete. mary brackett, ' . books i should like to write it is last period on a long, sleepy, particularly humdrum day at school. shirley sits trying to concentrate on a history text-book, but her mind will wander, despite her really noble efforts to distinguish the valerian laws from the licinian laws. "what an idiotic law to have to make!" she mutters resentfully. "but i'm sure i shouldn't be so dumb in history if i had an interesting text-book. it seems as though someone could write it, even if we aren't all van loons and h. g. wellses. i bet i could myself--at least i'd make it a fascinating book if not a strictly exact one ('yes you would,' says her subconscious, but she pays no attention)! when i think of the generations of defenseless students to be subjected to these text-books, my heart aches for them!... the valerian law was...." the scene changes from this lethargic one to a fireside on a winter evening. she drops the book in her lap, the yells of the savages are fainter. she shakes the salt spray from her chair and tries to adjust herself once more to the prosaic of a land-lubber. "to write a book like that is my only desire on earth," she murmurs, as she reaches for a volume of jane austen. now, completely involved in the career of _emma_, she says, "oh, for that gift of the gods jane austen had! her speech--a rippling stream of perfect and delicious english, the king's english indeed! each phrase is as delicately constructed as a watch, and all her watches tick together as one." thus the incorrigible child goes on, unaware how many fascinating books she has longed to have written. from _nicholas nickleby_ to _thunder on the left_, from _walter h. page_ to the _constant nymph_, and from _chaucer_ to _edna st. vincent millay_! a veritable gourmande, she is. but forgive her. who has not felt that he might improve a text-book? who has not longed, in reading a glorious book, for similar brilliance? what lover of books is unmoved to an occasional effort at emulation, even if he afterwards destroy it? you who do these things, sympathize with shirley, who, by her own hand we do confess, is bitterly disillusioned every time she tries to write a theme. shirley woodward, ' . our street three indians padded softly along through the tall dark pines. their errand seemed peaceful, since their number was so small and they came so openly. soon the path widened out, and finally led to a small glade in which stood a rough cabin. the indians stopped to observe cautiously before making themselves known. what they saw filled them with curiosity and awe, for standing before the cabin was a white man praying, his deep voice echoing through the wild stillness of the forest. beside him stood a younger man, whose attention, while respectful, was not undivided, for he had spied the indians and waited restlessly for the "father" to finish his devotions. these done, he called his superior's attention to the savages lurking on the outskirts of the glade and beckoned to them to come forward. both white men were eager to learn what the indians might tell them, and the elder, who spoke the indian tongue, talked glibly with the redskins. they, in turn, were curious about several things. first, the strange contrivance that hung from father hennepin's belt. he explained that it was to help him find his way through the uncharted country. save for the compass he would quickly be lost. "hugh," grunted one of the braves, "that no good. i lead you," surprising the jesuit by his use of english. "good," answered the priest. the two white men went into the cabin, gathered their scanty baggage, and reappeared at the door. by this time the other indians had disappeared down the path by which they had come. in the opposite direction, without a backward glance, the party of three men, the jesuit, his companion, and the indian guide, set out to find new thoroughfares. now from morning to night traffic rolls along the same trail. the narrow path that once found its way through the forest with many turnings and twistings is now a wide, paved avenue. over it go street cars carrying busy people, trucks laden with gravel or coal, the ever-present automobiles of people bent on pleasure. the street is lined on either side with tall buildings: stores, offices, houses, churches, museums. as we go down the avenue, we come to what was once a clearing in the forest. instead of the simple cabin, there are now a variety of buildings: a small store whose owner, a french canadian, carries on a thriving business; opposite, a restaurant owned by two yellow chinese, who specialize in chow-mein; next door, the establishment of a husky yankee, who plies his trade by greasing automobiles and supplying gasoline to motorists demanding that necessity. a thriving community now, what will this one time forest clearing be two hundred years hence? janet morison, ' . a conversation at the dinner table at dinner daddy told us he had seen a prince. i asked him what prince it was. then mother said, "didn't you read the paper, ella sturgis?" "no," i replied. "it was the prince of greece," said daddy, "and he wore a monocle." chucky said, "what is a monocle?" "it is a glass people wear in one eye and squint a little to keep it in," said mother. then she asked daddy where he had seen the prince. "at the club," he replied. "i was invited to have lunch with him, but i could not accept the invitation because i had promised ella sturgis to do something for her dog, and ashes is more important than the prince." ella sturgis pillsbury, form vi. loring park in grandfather's day in about mr. w. h. grimshaw came to live in minneapolis where the plaza hotel now stands. then loring park and the vicinity was farm land, and an indian named keg-o-ma-go-shieg had his wigwam at the corner of oak grove and fifteenth streets. mr. grimshaw learned from him that indians had lived on this spot for generations, but that since the land had come under government control, most of the indians had gone. keg-o-ma-go-shieg, because he loved so much the spot where he was born, returned every summer to fish in the lakes and hunt in the woods of his beloved birthplace. there is no tablet or monument to this last indian in loring park, but there is one to ole bull facing harmon place. would it not be more fitting to have a statue of sitting bull? also there used to be an old, well-traveled indian trail through the park, of which there is no trace now, although some people have searched carefully for it. according to mr. grimshaw there used to be countless passenger pigeons, which in the migratory season roosted in the trees of loring park. at noon the sky would be darkened by a cloud of these birds, the air would be filled with the sound of their wings, and they would alight on the branches of the trees, nearly breaking them down by their great weight. then there was the old brook that flowed out of loring park lake, across harmon place, under the present automobile buildings, and emptied into basset's creek. the old military road from minnehaha falls to fort ridgley ran through this section, roughly along hennepin avenue. west of hennepin avenue was ruber's pasture, where cows and horses used to graze, and where the parade grounds, the armory, the cathedral, and northrop school now are. mr. j. s. johnson was the first white settler in this part of minneapolis. in he bought one hundred and sixty acres, of which a part is now loring park, for one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. eugenia bovey, ' . the story hour "now if you will be quiet i will tell you a story," said miss smith. "all right," said tom, "but you must tell us a story about a pirate." "no!" cried betty, "tell us a story about a fairy." "be quiet or i will not tell you any story," exclaimed miss smith. "please tell us a 'tory bout 'ittle baby," pleaded baby ruth. "all right, the story will be about a little baby. you two older children ought to know better than to shout," sighed miss smith. "oh dear, we never get anything now that ruthie is old enough to let you know what she wants," groaned tom. "once upon a time," began miss smith, "there was a ..." "pirate," interrupted tom. "no, no," said miss smith as she went on with the story. "once upon a time there was a ..." "fairy," interrupted betty. "no, a little baby," cried ruth. janet bulkley, form vi. [illustration: {nine photographs of students enjoying leisure activities}] spring and summer spring is coming with the sun; the birds are coming too. summer's coming with the grass, the flowers with the dew. susan wheelock, form iv. "at the back of the north wind" if you would enjoy a glance at the home of one of the winds, read _at the back of the north wind_, by george macdonald. young diamond, a little boy, the north wind, diamond's father and mother, and old diamond, which is a great and good horse,--these are the characters you will hear the most about in this story. the story narrates a series of adventures, in dream form, of young diamond and an uncanny creature who calls herself the north wind. an unusual part of the story is the trip to the sea where the north wind will destroy a ship. diamond does not want to perceive this, so north wind drops him in a great cathedral, where he wakes to see the moon-lit windows showing the saints in beautiful garments. if you like fairy tales, i would suggest that you read this incredible book. geraldine hudson, form v. my dear friend: i do so hope you will like the book _dandelion cottage_. it is an interesting story of four little girls named betty tucker, jeanie mapes, mabel bennett, and marjorie vale, who pay rent for a cottage by pulling dandelions. they have such interesting adventures and act so business-like that you ought to love it. i did when i read it. carroll watson rankin certainly knows what girls like, for she has innumerable objects in that cottage that i know you would love to have in your room. it is very clean in the cottage, with not an atom of dirt anywhere. the part i like best in the story is where laura milligan, a disdainful little girl, moves into the neighborhood. she makes life miserable for the cottagers. when you read the story, be sure you look very carefully for the things laura does, for they are very interesting. i know you prefer to read the book yourselves, so i will close now. sincerely yours, barbara anson, form v. krag and johnny bear you would be very much interested in the story of _krag and johnny bear_, by ernest thomson seton. the names are very cute. there are nubbins, his mother, white nose, and his mother. this part of the story tells about krag, an extraordinary little sheep, who has many fascinating adventures. little white nose is very lazy, obstinate, and wary. every morning nubbins gets up and tries to wake up white nose. when krag grows up, he has beautiful big horns, and the hunters try to catch him so they can mount them. at the end of the story he is caught and his horns are mounted and kept in the king's palace. i know you would like to read this book if you are fond of animal stories. another interesting story is about randy, an extraordinary sparrow who is brought up with some canaries and learns to sing. one day the cage randy was in fell over with an astounding crash and he escaped. he built a nest of sticks, which was the only kind he knew, and was very disconsolate when his mate, who was an ordinary sparrow, threw them away and brought hay and straw instead. randy's mate is finally killed and randy is caught and put back in his cage. i think you will like this book if you like animal stories. jane arnold and louise walker, form v. uses of pumpkins it was a cold and frosty morning at mr. brown's farm. the pumpkins were huddled together, and their frosty coats glistened in the morning sunshine. "i heard mr. brown talking about thanksgiving," said a little pumpkin. "i wonder what thanksgiving is?" "long ago," began a big pumpkin, "when the first white people came to this country, it was in early winter, and these settlers could raise no food. many of them died of hunger and cold. but the next year the settlers planted many crops, and they grew wonderfully. so they had a day to thank god for the crops they had. the day they celebrated is called thanksgiving." "oh, i see," said the little pumpkin. "i am sure teddy was thankful he had such a nice big pumpkin to make his jack o' lantern out of on hallowe'en." "i think the cattle are thankful that they have us to eat in winter," said a middle-sized pumpkin, trying very hard to look wise, but the november air was so delightfully chilly and crisp he had to laugh. "i'm sure farmer brown and his family are thankful to have such a nice pumpkin pie every thanksgiving," said a big pumpkin. "i never knew pumpkins were so useful," sighed the little pumpkin sleepily. then he turned over and went to sleep. harriot olivia carpenter, form iv. [illustration: the senior class we just squeezed through] +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | cadillac | | | | | | [illustration] | | | | millions of boys and girls of today are eager partisans of | | the cadillac--anxious to grow up and have a cadillac of | | their own, like father and mother. | | | | with thousands, the ownership of a cadillac is a family | | tradition dating back to the days when grandfather bought | | his first cadillac, a quarter of a century ago. | | | | all through these years cadillac has consistently stood | | in the forefront of all the world's motor cars. | | | | eleven years ago cadillac produced the first eight-cylinder | | engine--the basic foundation of cadillac success in | | marketing more than , eight-cylinder cadillac cars. | | | | today the new -degree, eight-cylinder cadillac is the | | ultra modern version of the motor car. its luxury, comfort, | | performance and value reach heights of perfection beyond | | anything ever attained. | | | | thus once again cadillac strikes out far in advance, | | renewing its traditional right to this title, the standard | | of the world. | | | | northwestern cadillac company | | | | la salle to harmon on tenth minneapolis | | | +---------------------------------------------------------------+ +-------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | the store of specializations | | | | _prescribes for youth and summer holidays_ | | | | _the girls' store_--suggests to the fortunate years | | between and , that wash frocks have all the style | | charm, this season, of silks or crepes; that handmade | | voiles are cool and always dainty; that white middy | | blouses are jauntier with matching skirt; that cricket | | sweaters are "sportsiest." | | | | _the sub-deb shop_--understudies the "deb" in outfitting | | the "sub!" are your years between and --here are | | sports frocks; decorative georgettes; bright cool prints | | for a summer morning; pastel chiffons or buoyant | | taffetas for the evening party. and in coats--there's | | the slim "wrappy", the cape-back. | | | | _when youth steps out_--if it's young youth, it chooses | | for smartness and comfort, a "felice" pump--in patent or | | tan calf, with matching buckles. if it's more | | sophisticated youth--there's the sophisticated shoe; the | | shoe of high, "spiked" heel and daringly contrasted | | leathers--dainty, frivolous, charming! | | | | _the hat shop says_--pretty much what you will this | | summer! from small hats of crocheted straw or silk, to | | pictorial milans--for the sub-deb. from demure "pokes" | | or off-the-face beret-tams to wide-brimmed, streamer-gay | | straws--for the junior. here's latitude for choice--and | | a hat for every type! | | | | _the dayton company._ | | minneapolis | | | +-------------------------------------------------------------+ +-------------------------------------------------------+ | | | invest direct | | in your community's growth | | | | | | preferred shares | | northern states power co. | | | | _ , shareholders-- years of steady dividends_ | | | | | | make inquiry at any of our offices | | | | minneapolis faribault st. paul mankato | | | +-------------------------------------------------------+ +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | _gainsborough_ | | powder puffs | | | | [illustration] | | | | lovely women appreciate the daintiness and perfection of | | gainsborough powder puffs. | | | | each puff with its soft, fine texture has the rare quality | | of retaining exactly the right amount of powder and | | distributes it evenly. | | | | gainsborough powder puffs retailing from c to c each, | | are available in various sizes and delicate colors to match | | your costume. | | | | wholesale distributors | | minneapolis drug company | | doerr-andrews & doerr | | | +---------------------------------------------------------------+ +----------------------------------------------------+ | | | [illustration: valve-in-head _buick_ motor cars] | | | | | | pence automobile co. | | minneapolis | | | | | | when better cars are built | | buick will build them | | | +----------------------------------------------------+ +-------------------------------+ | | | _compliments of_ | | | | | | miss minneapolis | | flour | | | | | | minneapolis milling company | | | +-------------------------------+ +-------------------------------------------+ | | | _compliments of_ | | | | | | winton lumber | | company | | | | manufacturers | | of | | | | _idaho white pine_ | | | | | | security building minneapolis, minn. | | | +-------------------------------------------+ +-----------------------------+ | | | john deere | | v | | | | | | | | | | | -----> farm machinery | | tractors | | | | deere & webber co. | | minneapolis | | | +-----------------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | | | james c. hazlett wesley j. kelley | | | | | | james c. hazlett agency | | | | any kind of insurance anywhere | | | | first national-so line building | | | | | | fidelity and surety bonds main | | | +--------------------------------------------+ +----------------------------+ | | | allen & kidd | | riding school | | | | toledo ave. and lake st. | | st. louis park | | | +----------------------------+ +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | edward j. o'brien | | realtor | | | | _real estate--investments_ | | | | | | mcknight building minneapolis, minn. | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ +------------------------------+ | | | graham's | | | | _ices_ | | _ice creams_ | | _meringues_ | | | | catering for all occasions | | | | hennepin | | _ken. _ | | | +------------------------------+ +-------------------------------------------------------+ | | | _not only now, but--_ | | | | for centuries one of the best protections against | | poverty has been a bank account, and you have every | | assurance of protection when you make the | | | | th street state bank | | | | _corner of nicollet avenue and th street_, | | your bank. | | | | _sometimes the biggest is not the best, but we are | | the best because we are not the biggest._ | | | +-------------------------------------------------------+ +----------------------------+ | | | _compliments of--_ | | | | | | john f. mcdonald | | lumber company | | | | | | _one piece or a carload_ | | | +----------------------------+ +------------------------------------+ | | | melone-bovey | | lumber co. | | | | retail yards | | | | ~~~ | | | | main office and yards | | th avenue south and th street | | | +------------------------------------+ +--------------------------+ | | | occident flour | | | | | | _costs more--worth it_ | | | +--------------------------+ +----------------------------+ | | | barrington hall coffee | | | | baker importing co. | | | | _---_ | | | | minneapolis and new york | | | +----------------------------+ 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hip bands of either knit wool or | | self material._ | | | | _nothing like a_ | | | | polar overjac | | | | _playing around outdoors_ | | | | there's nothing like it for looks or for utility either. the | | jaunty lines, the natty materials, the exuberant | | colors--that will all appeal to you, and besides you'll like | | the easy feel of it on you--the comfortable fit--the way it | | "gives" to your movements. | | | | whatever your plans for this summer vacation you'll want a | | polar overjac. it's the handiest thing imaginable to slip | | into--and just the right weight to give the little extra | | warmth needed cooler days and evenings. for driving, golf, | | for "roughing it" and all the rest. well made, expertly | | tailored--that accounts for a lot of its good looks. | | | | _at your neighborhood store_ | | | | made exclusively by | | | | _wyman, partridge & co._ | | minneapolis | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------+ +----------------------------+ | | | [illustration] | | | | first national bank | | | | _minneapolis, minnesota_ | | | +----------------------------+ +----------------------------------+ | | | _compliments of_ | | | | davis _and_ michel | | _attorneys-at-law_ | | | | | | metropolitan bank building | | | +----------------------------------+ +------------------------------------------+ | | | _since _ | | | | a safe place for | | savings accounts | | | | hennepin county | | savings bank | | | | marquette | | | | _the oldest savings bank in minnesota_ | | | +------------------------------------------+ +------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | _the following names represent purchasers of advertising | | space in the tatler, who have given the space back to us | | for our own purposes. we are especially grateful to them | | for this two-fold gift, and wish hereby to acknowledge | | their contribution._ | | | | mr. c. r. williams mr. b. h. woodworth | | mr. p. a. brooks mr. v. h. van slyke | | mr. r. a. gamble mr. w. a. reinhart | | mr. c. m. case | | | +------------------------------------------------------------+ from the press of the augsburg publishing house transcriber's note obvious typographic errors (incorrect punctuation, omitted or transposed letters) have been repaired. otherwise, however, variable spelling (including proper names, where there was no way to establish which spelling was correct) and hyphenation has been left as printed, due to the number of different contributors. page includes the phrase "if the snow smelts." this is probably a typographic error, but as it was impossible to be certain, it has been left as printed. [illustration: eat more nuts carl weschcke author] growing nuts in the north a personal story of the author's experience of years with nut culture in minnesota and wisconsin. includes his failures as well as final successes. scientific as well as readable for the amateur horticulturist with many illustrations. tells how to grow and to propagate nut bearing trees and shrubs. by carl weschcke published webb publishing co. st. paul, minnesota, u.s.a. copyright carl weschcke st. paul, minnesota introduction growing nuts in the north only a few books have been written on the subject of nut trees and their bearing habits, and very little of that material applies to their propagation in cold climates. for these reasons i am relating some of the experiences i have had in the last thirty-two years in raising nut trees in wisconsin. to me, this has been a hobby with results both practical and ornamental far beyond my original conception. i hope that the information i am giving will be of help and interest to those who, like myself, enjoy having nut-bearing trees in their dooryards, and that it will prevent their undergoing the failures and disappointments i sometimes met with in pioneering along this line. since my purpose is to give advice and assistance to those whose interest parallels mine by relating my successes and failures and what i learned from each, i have included only those details of technique which are pertinent. it is a fine thing to have a hobby that takes one out-of-doors. that in itself suggests healthful thought and living. the further association of working with trees, as with any living things, brings one into the closest association with nature and god. i hope this book may help someone achieve that attitude of life, in which i have found such great pleasure and inner satisfaction. anyone wishing to make a planting of a few nut trees in his dooryard or a small orchard planting should join the northern nut growers' association. this association can be joined by writing the current secretary, but since that office may be changed from time to time, persons applying for membership should write george l. slate of geneva experiment station, geneva, new york, or dr. h. l. crane, principal horticulturist, u. s. department of agriculture, bureau of plant industry, beltsville, maryland, or the author. the first president was dr. robert t. morris, new york city, n. y., - , the association being founded by dr. w. c. deming of westchester, new york, who called the first meeting in . each year a report was printed of the proceedings of the annual meeting and exclusive of the meeting, the reports which are in substantial book form number forty-two. most of these reports can be obtained by writing to the secretary, the total library of these reports constituting one of the best authorities for nut tree planting in the northern hemisphere of the united states than any extant. the author acknowledges with thanks the consistent encouraging praise from his father, charles weschcke, of the work involved in nut growing experiments, also for his financial assistance, thus making the publication of this book possible and available to readers at a nominal price. the editor of the greater part of this book, allison burbank hartman (a descendent of the great luther burbank), is entitled to great praise and thanks for the interest and work she put forth. grateful acknowledgment is made to william kuehn, the artist. he had been associated with the author in boy scout work, also became a part of the nut growing experiments in northern wisconsin, which work was interrupted by world war ii. acknowledgment is hereby made with gratitude to dr. j. w. mckay of the u. s. department of agriculture, washington, d. c.; harry weber of cincinnati, ohio; ford wilkinson, rockport, ind.; fayette etter, lehmasters, pa.; dr. w. c. deming, litchfield, conn.; clarence a. reed, washington, d. c.; dr. j. russell smith, swarthmore, pa.; george s. slate, urbana, ill.; herman last, steamboat rock, iowa, and many other professors and horticulturists who lent their time and effort assisting me in my experiments throughout the years. and last but not least, the author is indebted to his secretary, dorothy downie, for tireless efforts in re-writing the manuscript many times which was necessary in compiling this book. growing nuts in the north contents introduction chapter first encounters chapter first attempts chapter black walnuts chapter hazels and filberts chapter hazels and/or filberts chapter pecans and their hybrids chapter hickory the king chapter butternut chapter pioneering with english walnuts in wisconsin chapter other trees chapter pests and pets chapter storing and planting seeds chapter tree planting methods chapter winter protection of grafts and seedlings chapter tree storage chapter suggestions on grafting methods chapter grafting tape versus raffia chapter effects of grafting on unlike stocks chapter distinguishing characteristics of scions chapter hybridizing chapter toxicity among trees and plants conclusion chapter first encounters almost everyone can remember from his youth, trips made to gather nuts. those nuts may have been any of the various kinds distributed throughout the united states, such as the butternut, black walnut, beechnut, chestnut, hickory, hazel or pecan. i know that i can recall very well, when i was a child and visited my grandparents in new ulm and st. peter, in southern minnesota, the abundance of butternuts, black walnuts and hazels to be found along the roads and especially along the minnesota and cottonwood river bottoms. since such nut trees were not to be found near springfield, where my parents lived, which was just a little too far west, i still associate my first and immature interest in this kind of horticulture with those youthful trips east. the only way we children could distinguish between butternut and black walnut trees was by the fruit itself, either on the tree or shaken down. this is not surprising, however, since these trees are closely related, both belonging to the family _juglans_. the black walnut is known as _juglans nigra_ and the butternut or white walnut as _juglans cinera_. the similarity between the trees is so pronounced that the most experienced horticulturist may confuse them if he has only the trees in foliage as his guide. an experience i recently had is quite suggestive of this. i wished to buy some furniture in either black walnut or mahogany and i was hesitating between them. noting my uncertainty, the salesman suggested a suite of french walnut. my curiosity and interest were immediately aroused. i had not only been raising many kinds of walnut trees, but i had also run through my own sawmill, logs of walnut and butternut. i felt that i knew the various species of walnut very thoroughly. so i suggested to him: "you must mean circassian or english walnut, which is the same thing. it grows abundantly in france. you are wrong in calling it french walnut, though, because there is no such species." he indignantly rejected the name i gave it, and insisted that it was genuine french walnut. "perhaps," i advised him, "that is a trade name to cover the real origin, just as plucked muskrat is termed hudson seal." that, too, he denied. we were both insistent. i was sure of my own knowledge and stubborn enough to want to prove him wrong. i pulled a drawer from the dresser of the "french walnut" suite and asked him to compare its weight with that of a similar drawer from a black walnut suite nearby. black walnut weighs forty pounds per cubic foot, while butternut weighs only twenty-five. he was forced to admit the difference and finally allowed my assertion to stand that "french walnut" was butternut, stained and finished to simulate black walnut. since it would have been illegal to claim that it was black walnut, the attractive but meaningless label of "french walnut" had been applied. although it is less expensive, i do not mean to imply that butternut is not an excellent wood for constructing furniture. it ranks high in quality and is probably as durable as black walnut. i do say, though, that it was necessary for me to know both the species names and the relative weights of each wood to be able to distinguish between them indisputably. an instance in which the nuts themselves were useless for purposes of identification occurred when i sent some black walnuts to the division of pomology at washington, d. c. these were the ohio variety which i had grafted on butternut roots. the tree had been bearing for three or four years but this was the first year the nuts had matured. during their bearing period, these black walnuts had gradually changed in appearance, becoming elongated and very deeply and sharply corrugated like butternuts although they still retained the black walnut flavor. because of this mixture of characteristics, the government experts had great difficulty in identifying the variety, although the ohio was well known to them. another variety of black walnut, the thomas, i have also known to be influenced by the butternut stock on which it was grafted, when in , one of my trees bore black walnuts whose meat had lost its characteristic flavor and assumed that of the butternut. [illustration: _a--genuine original ohio black walnut from parent tree_ _b--nut produced by grafting ohio on butternut_] i also liked to pick hazelnuts when i was a boy. these are probably the least interesting among the wild nuts since they are usually small and hard to crack. there is much variation in wild hazels, however, and many people may recall them as being reasonably large. one of the two species abundant in minnesota, _corylus cornuta_ or beak hazel, has fine, needle-like hairs on its husk which are sure to stick into one's fingers disagreeably. when the husk is removed, _corylus cornuta_ resembles a small acorn. it does not produce in southern minnesota and central wisconsin as well as the common hazel, _corylus americana_, does, nor is its flavor as pleasing to most people. it is lighter in color than the common hazel and has a thinner shell. of course, some hazels are intermediate or natural hybrids between these two species, and if the nuts of such hybrids are planted, they generally revert to one of the parents when mature enough to bear. this natural hybridization occurs among all plants, between those of the same species, the same genera or the same family. it is very rare between plants of different families. the process is a very important one in horticulture and i shall explain some of the crosses which are well-known later in this book. chapter first attempts when i was about fifteen years old, my family moved to st. paul, minnesota, where my home now is and where my experimental work with nuts was begun. st. paul is in the th north parallel, but although it is farther north, it is as favorable for the growth of nut trees as new ulm or st. peter, because it lies in the mississippi river valley and is farther east. bodies of water and altitudes have as great an influence on plant life as latitude; at least, they can have, and these are factors that must be understood thoroughly. soil conditions also vitally affect plant life, particularly deep-rooted trees such as nut trees usually are. each has its own requirements; hickory, japanese heartnut and persian walnuts favor an alkaline soil, which chestnuts, wanting acid will not grow in; chestnuts thrive best in a slightly acid, well-drained soil; hazels will grow in either alkaline or acid soil as will black walnuts and butternuts; almonds need a light sandy soil, similar to that suitable to plums, pecans do well in either rich river bottoms, which may be slightly acid, or in clay soil on high hillsides which are alkaline. a deep, sandy or graveltype soil is usually accepted by the chestnuts even though it may not be slightly acid, and successful orchards have been grown on a deep clay soil on hillsides. it is not always easy to obtain black walnuts and butternuts to eat. hickory nuts have been a favorite of mine since i first tasted them and i often have found it difficult to procure fresh ones, ones that were not slightly rancid. because i liked eating these nuts, i thought i would try to grow some for my own consumption and so avoid having to depend on a grocer's occasional supply of those shipped in, always a little stale. raising nuts appealed to me economically too, since obviously trees would need little care, and after they had begun to bear would supply nuts that could be sold at interesting prices. i turned the back yard of my home in st. paul into an experimental plot. here i set out some of each kind of tree i planted or grafted at my farm in wisconsin. i had purchased a farm miles east of st. paul, beyond the influence of the st. croix river valley. my experiments really began there. the farm was covered with butternut trees, hazel bushes, and a wild hickory called "bitternut." this last is well-named for i have never found an animal other than a squirrel that could endure its nuts. possibly the white-footed mouse or deer-mouse could--i don't know. he usually eats anything a squirrel does. i learned to appreciate these bitternut trees later and they became a source of experience and interest to me as i learned to graft on them many varieties, species and hybrids of hickory. they served as a root-system and shortened the length of time required to test dozens of hickory types, helping me in that way, to learn within one lifetime what types of nuts are practical for growing in the north. remembering the nut trees in southern minnesota, i first thought to procure black walnut and hickory trees from some farmer in that district. through acquaintances in st. peter, i did locate some black walnut trees only to find that it was impractical to dig and transport trees of the size i wanted. a nursery near st. paul supplied me with some and i bought twenty-eight large, seedling black walnut trees. i was too eager to get ahead with my plans and i attempted, the first year these trees were planted, to graft all of them. my ability to do this was not equal to my ambition though, and all but two of the trees were killed. i was successful in grafting one of them to a stabler black walnut; the other tree persisted so in throwing out its natural sprouts that i decided it should be allowed to continue doing so. that native seedling tree which i could not graft now furnishes me with bushels of walnuts each year which are planted for understocks. this is the name given to the root systems on which good varieties are grafted. in an effort to replace these lost trees, i inquired at the university of minnesota farm and was given the addresses of several nurserymen who were then selling grafted nut trees. their catalogues were so inviting that i decided it would be quite plausible to grow pecans and english walnuts at this latitude. so i neglected my native trees that year for the sake of more exotic ones. one year sufficed; the death of my whole planting of english walnuts and pecans turned me back to my original interest. my next order of trees included grafted black walnuts of four accepted varieties to be planted in orchard form--the stabler, thomas, ohio and ten eyck. i ordered a few hickories at the same time but these eventually died. my experience with hickories was very discouraging since they were my favorite nuts and i had set my heart on growing some. i think i should have given up attempting them had not one dealer, j. f. jones, urged that i buy just three more hickory trees of the beaver variety. he gave me special instructions on how to prepare them against winter. i have always felt that what he told me was indeed special and very valuable since those three trees lived. subsequently, i bought several hundred dollars worth of trees from him. more than that, we became friends. i visited him at his nurseries in lancaster, pennsylvania, and he again demonstrated his interest and generosity by giving me both horticultural information and the kindest hospitality. my friendship with him was but one of many that i have formed while traveling and corresponding in the interests of nut culture. true and lasting friends such men make, too, with no circumstances of selfish import to taint the pleasure of the relationship. since i wanted to have many black walnut trees some day, i decided to plant ten bushels of black walnuts in rows. i thought i could later graft these myself and save expense. the theory was all right but when i came to practice it, i found i had not taken squirrels into consideration. these bushy-tailed rats dug up one complete bed which contained two bushels of nuts and reburied them in haphazard places around the farm. when the nuts started to sprout, they came up in the fields, in the gardens, and on the lawn--everywhere except where i had intended them to be. i later was grateful to those squirrels, though, because, through their redistributing these nuts i learned a great deal about the effect of soil on black walnut trees, even discovering that what i thought to be suitable was not. the trees which the squirrels planted for me are now large and lend themselves to experimental grafting. on them i have proved, and am still proving, new varieties of the english walnut. the other eight bushels had been planted near a roadside and close to some farm buildings. the constant human activity thereabouts probably made the squirrels less bold, for although they carried off at least a bushel of walnuts, about two thousand seedlings grew. i had planted these too close together and as the trees developed they became so crowded that many died. the remaining seedlings supplied me with root-stocks for experimental work which proved very valuable. i have always suspected the squirrels of having been responsible for the fact that my first attempt to grow hickory seedlings was unsuccessful. i planted a quart of these nuts and not one plant came up. no doubt the squirrels dug them up as soon as i planted them and probably they enjoyed the flavor as much as i always have. in i ordered one hundred small beechnut trees, _fagus ferruginea_, from the sturgeon bay nurseries at sturgeon bay, wisconsin. the company was very generous and sent me three hundred of them. i planted these trees in a heavy clay soil with limestone running near the surface. they grew well the first year, except that there was heavy mortality during cold weather. in working with these trees my lack of experience and horticultural knowledge was against me. they could not tolerate the soil and within three years they were all dead. to give variety to the landscape at my farm, i planted several other kinds of trees. among these were kentucky coffee-trees which have beautiful bronze foliage in the spring and honey locusts. i planted five hundred douglas fir but unfortunately, i put these deep in the woods among heavy timber where they were so shaded that only a few lived. later, i moved the surviving fir trees into an open field where they still flourish. about two hundred fifty pines of mixed varieties--white, norway and jack--that i planted in the woods, also died. i decided, then, that evergreens might do better if they were planted from seeds. i followed instructions in james w. toumey's "seeding and planting in the practice of forestry," in bed culture and spot seeding. in the latter one tears off the sod in favorable places and throws seed on the unprotected ground. in doing this, i ignored the natural requirements of forest practice which call for half-shade during the first two to three years of growth. thousands of seedlings sprouted but they all died either from disease or from attacks by cows and sheep. one should never attempt to raise trees and stock in the same field. because of these misfortunes, i determined to study the growth of evergreens. i invested in such necessary equipment as frames and lath screening. better equipped with both information and material, i grew thousands of evergreen trees. among the varieties of pine were: native white pine --pinus strobus norway pine --pinus silvestrus mugho pine --pinus pumila montana sugar pine --pinus lambertiana (not hardy in northern wisconsin) swiss stone --pinus cembra (not hardy in northern wisconsin) italian stone --pinus pinea (not hardy in northern wisconsin) pinon --pinus edulis (not hardy in northern wisconsin) bull pine --pinus jeffreyi (hardy) jack pine --pinus banksiana (very hardy) limber pine --pinus flexilis (semi-hardy, a fine nut pine). many of the limber pines came into bearing about fifteen years after the seed was planted. at that age they varied in height from three to fifteen feet. one little three-foot tree had several large cones full of seed. each tree varied in the quality and size of its seeds. although it might be possible to graft the best varieties on young seedling stocks, in all the hundreds of grafts i have made on pine, i have been successful only once. i doubt that such a thing would ever be practical from a commercial standpoint unless some new method were discovered by which a larger percentage of successful grafts could be realized. i cultivated the douglas fir, white, norway, and colorado blue varieties of spruce. besides these, i planted balsam fir, red cedar, _juniperus virginiana_, and white cedar, _arborvitae_. practically all of these trees are still growing and many of them bear seed. i wish to describe the limber pine, _pinus flexilis_, for it is not only a good grower and quite hardy but it is also a very ornamental nut pine which grows to be a broad, stout-trunked tree to feet high. the young bark is pale grey or silver; the old bark is very dark, in square plates. the wood itself is light, soft and close-grained, having a color that varies from yellow to red. the needles, which are found in clusters of five, are slender, - / to inches long, and are dark green. they are shed during the fifth or sixth year. the buds of the tree are found bunched at the branch tips and are scaly and pointed. the limber pine has flowers like those of the white pine, except that they are rose-colored. although the fruit is described as annual, i have found that, in this locality, it takes about fifteen months from the time the blossoms appear for it to reach maturity. that is, the fruit requires two seasons for growth, maturing its seeds the second september. the cones of the limber pine, which vary from three to seven inches in length, are purple, having thick rounded scales and being abruptly peaked at the apex. the seeds are wingless or have only very narrow wings around them. with the idea of getting practical results sooner, since nut trees mature slowly, i interplanted my nut trees with varieties of apple, plum and cherry. doing so also served to economize on ground, since ultimately nut trees require a great deal of space for best growth. walnut trees, for example, should be set to feet apart in each direction. [illustration: _pinus flexilus nut seeds, natural size_] i learned a variety of facts during these first years of trial and error. i discovered, for instance, that iron fence posts rust away in an acid soil; that one must use cedar or oak. conversely, in alkaline soil, iron will last indefinitely, but that the nitrogenous bacteria will quickly rot wooden posts. i found that the secret of growing hickories successfully lies in giving them plenty of room, with no forest trees around to cut off their supply of sunlight and air. i learned that it is impractical to graft a large forest tree of butternut or hickory. incidental to that, i learned that a branch of a butternut tree which looks large enough to support a man's weight near the trunk, will not do so when the branch is green and alive, but that a dead branch of similar size will. contrariwise, even a small green limb of a bitternut-hickory will bear my weight, but an old limb, though several inches thick, becomes so brittle after it is dead for several years that it will break under slight pressure. fortunately, falls from trees do not usually result in serious injuries but i did acquire quite a few bruises learning these distinctions. there is always a natural mortality in planting trees, but in those first years, lacking badly-needed experience, i lost more than %. nearly all of them started to grow but died during the first few winters. those which survived were the start of a nursery filled with hardy trees which can endure the climate of the north. in looking back, i appreciate how fortunate i was in having sought and received advice from experienced nurserymen. had i not done so, frequent failures would surely have discouraged me. as it was, the successes i did have were an incentive which made me persist and which left me with faith enough in an ultimate success to go on buying seeds and trees and to make greater and more varied experiments. chapter black walnuts i have spent more of my time cultivating black walnuts than any other kind of nut tree and given more of my ground area over to them. yet it was with no great amount of enthusiasm that i started working with these trees. obviously there could be nothing new or extraordinary resulting from my planting trees of this species either on my farm or at my st. paul home, since there already were mature, bearing black walnut trees at both places. it was only with the idea that they would be an attractive addition to the native butternut groves that i decided to plant some black walnut seedlings. this did not prove feasible as i first attempted it. i had engaged a mr. miller at st. peter to procure wild black walnut trees for me since they grew near that town. he was to dig these trees with as much of the root system included as possible and ship them to my farm. but the winter season came before this had been accomplished and both mr. miller and i, deciding the idea was not as practical as we had hoped it would be, abandoned it. later that same autumn i found that a nursery just outside of st. paul had several rows of overgrown black walnut trees which they would sell me quite reasonably. i bought them and sent instructions to the tenant at my farm to dig twenty-eight large holes in which to plant them. packed in straw and burlap, the trees weighed about pounds, i found. this was much too heavy and cumbersome to pack in my old touring car, so i hunted around for some sort of vehicle i could attach to my car as a trailer. in an old blacksmith shop, i came upon an antiquated pair of buggy wheels. they looked as though they were ready to fall apart but i decided that with repairs and by cautious driving, they might last out the trip of thirty-five miles. so i paid the blacksmith his asking price--twenty-five cents. the spokes rattled and the steel tires were ready to roll off their wooden rims but the axles were strong. my father-in-law and i puttered and pounded, strengthened and tightened, until we felt our semi-trailer was in good-enough order. it might have been, too, if the roads in the country hadn't been rough and frozen so hard that they hammered on the solid, unresisting tires and spokes until, almost within sight of the farm, one wheel dismally collapsed. as the wheel broke, the trailer slid off the road into a ditch, so that it was necessary to send on to the farm for the plow horses to haul out the car, the trailer and the trees. the horses finished hauling the trees to that part of the farm where holes had been dug for them. i had told my tenant to dig large holes and large holes he had certainly dug! most of them were big enough to bury one of the horses in. such was my amateurish first endeavor. it was not until december of that year, , that the twenty-eight trees were finally planted. although the ground was already somewhat frozen and the trees poorly planted as a result, most of them started to grow in the spring. they would probably be living now if i had not been too ambitious to convert them from seedlings into grafted varieties such as the ohio, thomas and stabler, which i had learned of during a winter's study of available nut-culture lore. i obtained scionwood from j. f. jones, part of which i put on these abused trees and the remainder of which i grafted on butternut trees. at that time, i must admit, i was much more interested in trying the actual work of grafting than i was in developing or even conceiving a methodical plan to be worked out over a period of years. in order to facilitate my grafting work that spring, i pitched a tent in the woods and lived there for a week at a time, doing my own cooking and roughing it generally. cows were being pastured in this part of the woods and they were very interested in my activities. if i were absent for a long time during the day, on my return i would find that noticeable damage had been done to my tent and food supplies by these curious cows. while preparing some scionwood inside the tent one day, i heard a cow approaching and picked up a heavy hickory club which i had for protection at night, intending to rush out and give the animal a proper lesson in minding its own business. the cow approached the tent from the side opposite the door and pushed solidly against the canvas with its nose and head. this so aggravated me that i jumped over to that part of the tent and gave the cow a hard whack over the nose with my hickory stick. it jumped away fast for such a big animal. this seemed to end all curiosity on the part of these cows and i was allowed to carry on my work in peace. with beginner's luck, i succeeded with many of the butternut grafts, as well as with some of the grafts on the twenty-eight planted black walnuts. however, all of the grafted black walnut trees ultimately died with the exception of one grafted stabler. this large tree was a monument of success for twenty years, bearing some nuts every year and maturing them, and in a good season, producing bushels of them. one other of these seedlings survived but as it would not accept any grafts, i finally let it live as nature intended. in , i began ordering grafted black walnut trees, as well as grafted hickory trees from j. f. jones, who had the largest and best known of the nurseries handling northern nut trees. some of these grafted trees were also planted at my home in st. paul, using the two locations as checks against each other. the site in st. paul eventually proved unsatisfactory because of the gravelly soil and because the trees were too crowded. the varieties of black walnuts i first experimented with were the thomas, ohio, stabler and ten eyck, which were planted by hundreds year after year. if i had not worked on this large scale there would be no reason for me to write about it today as the mortality of these black walnuts was so high that probably none would have lived to induce in me the ambition necessary to support a plan involving lengthy, systematic experimentation. some of these early trees survive today, however, and although few in number, they have shown me that the experiment was a worthy one since it laid the foundation for results which came later. in fact, i feel that both the time and money i spent during that initial era of learning were investments in which valuable dividends of knowledge and development are still being paid. in grafting black walnuts on butternut trees, i very foolishly attempted to work over a tree more than a foot in diameter and i did not succeed in getting a single graft to grow on it. other younger trees, from three to six inches in diameter, i successfully grafted. some of these are still living but clearly show the incompatibility of the two species when black walnut is grafted on butternut. the opposite combination of butternut on black walnut is very successful and produces nuts earlier and in greater abundance than butternut does when grafted on its own species. the expense of buying trees by hundreds was so great that after a year i decided that i could very easily plant black walnuts to obtain the young trees needed as understocks. when they had grown large enough, i would graft them over myself. i wrote to my friend in st. peter, mr. e. e. miller, and he told me where i could obtain walnuts by the bushel. soon i was making trips to the countryside around st. peter buying walnuts from the farmers there. i planted about five bushels of these at the river falls farm and the rest, another two bushels, at st. paul. soon i had several thousand young walnut trees which all proved hardy to the winters. when pruning the black walnut trees purchased from mr. jones for transplanting, i saved the tops and grafted them to the young trees with a fair degree of success. in a few years, i was using my own trees to fill up spaces left vacant by the mortality of the pennsylvania-grown trees. i did not neglect seeding to provide stocks of the eastern black walnut also, which is almost a different species from the local black walnut, but these seedling trees proved to be tender toward our winters and only a few survived. after they had grown into large trees, these few were grafted to english walnuts. the difference between the eastern black walnut and the local native black walnut is quite apparent when the two trees are examined side by side. even the type of fruit is different, although i do not know of any botanical authority who will confirm my theory that they are different species. they are probably to be considered as geographically distinct rather than as botanically different species. for several years i continued to graft black walnuts on butternut trees with the intention of converting hundreds, perhaps thousands, of these wild trees over to prolific, cultured black walnuts. i did not realize my mistake in doing this until ten years had elapsed. i believed that since the tops were growing, the trees would shortly produce nuts. today they are still growing, bigger and better, yet most of these grafted trees bear no nuts, having only a crop of leaves. a few nuts result from these grafts, however, and some of the trees bear a handful of nuts from tops of such size that one would expect the crops to be measured in bushels. the kind which bore the best was the ohio variety. in another chapter, i shall relate parallel experience in hickory grafting which i carried on simultaneously with grafting of black walnut on butternut. my first big disappointment in my black walnut orchard was when, in about , having a fairly good crop of nuts, i unsuccessfully attempted to sell them to local stores. they were not interested in anything except walnut kernels and to them, a wild walnut kernel was the same as a cultivated one as long as it was highly-flavored. this so cooled my enthusiasm and hopes for a black walnut orchard that i ceased experimenting with them except to try out new varieties being discovered through nut contests carried on by the northern nut growers' association. the contest produced a number of black walnut possibilities, among them being such named varieties as the rohwer, paterson, throp, vandersloot, pearl and adams. the neglected and over-grown walnut seedlings now began to serve a useful purpose in grafting the new varieties which i obtained for testing in this locality. these were propagated by obtaining scionwood from the originators of the variety and grafting it on these seedling trees. my technical knowledge had increased by this time to such an extent that i was usually certain of one-half of the grafts growing. the behavior of the rohwer and paterson in invited nursery propagation on a greater scale than did other better-known types, because of their qualities of hardiness and earlier-ripening. in the spring of , these native seedlings were again offered to the spirit of propagation, when a large part of the scionwood of english walnuts i had imported from the carpathian mountains of poland was grafted on them. the success of my grafting in this instance was only about - / %, showing that something was decidedly wrong. two conclusions were possible: either the scionwood had been injured by transportation and the severe winter temperatures during january and february of during which they were stored, or incompatibility existed between the imported walnuts and our local ones. my conclusion now is that when these stocks are fifteen years old or more and are thrifty, they will support grafting of the carpathian english walnuts much more successfully than they will in their first decade of growth. results have shown that these local stocks will accept such grafts, however, and that crops of english walnuts will be produced. the fertility of the soil must be maintained carefully, since the english walnut top tends to overgrow its black walnut root-stock, and unless nutritional substance for the support of these tops is fed to the root-system, meager crops, if any, will result. i might note in comparison to the - / % success i had in this grafting, that during the same season i put several hundred scions of these same english walnuts on the eastern black walnut stocks without a single successful graft occurring. in and , many of these experimentally grafted walnuts, such as vandersloot, paterson, and rohwer as well as others, were planted in orchard formation. in digging these trees, we took care to get all of the root possible and to take a ball of dirt with the root. in spite of these precautions, some of the trees died, not having sufficient vitality and root development to withstand transplantation. this was a result not only of the crowded condition under which the stocks had grown but also of the poor soil which had nourished them. the soil was heavy blue clay underlaid with limestone within two feet of the top of the ground. enough trees were set out in orchard formation which are growing well and bearing annual crops, to give us the proof we need in drawing conclusions of superiority among these varieties. black walnuts will keep for several years if they are properly dried and then stored in a cool, but not too damp, place. storing nuts in attics which are likely to become excessively hot in the summer time, causes rancidity sooner than any other method. nuts keep very well in attics during the winter but they should be transferred to a basement during hot weather. if the basement is very damp, though, nuts will mould there. for general storage, without having to move them from one place to another for different seasons, nuts can be kept most practically in a barn or outside shed. the only precaution necessary under such circumstances is that they should be in a box or steel barrel to prevent squirrels and mice from feeding on them, since barns and sheds are easily accessible to these animals. the kernels of black walnuts need not be discolored if the hulls of the fresh nuts are removed as soon as the nuts are ripe. at my farm, we have done this with an ordinary corn-sheller. the nuts, having been hulled this way, are then soaked in water for a few hours to remove any excess coloring matter left on their shells, after which they are dried for several days out-of-doors, although not exposed to the sun since this might cause them to crack open. thorough drying is necessary before sacking to prevent moulding. kernels extracted from nuts treated this way are very light in color like english walnuts. this enhances their market value and they command a higher price when they are to be used for culinary purposes such as cake frosting and candies where there is exposure of large pieces or halves of the nut kernel. i find black walnuts are exceptionally delicious when used in a candy called divinity fudge. the strong flavor of the black walnut kernel although appreciated by many people, is not as popular as that of the butternut, of which more is said in another chapter. the food value of black walnut kernels is high since they are composed of concentrated fat and protein, similar to the english walnut, the hickory nut and the pecan. there is also the advantage, which john harvey kellogg of battle creek, michigan, has pointed out, that nuts are a food of high purity being entirely free from disease bacteria. one could safely say of unshelled nuts that there is not a disease germ in a carload. there was a time when black walnut hulls were purchased by producers of insecticides. the black walnut hull, when dried and pulverized, produces a substance which gives body to the concentrated pyrethrum extract which is the essential ingredient of many insecticides. one cannot leave a discussion of black walnuts without reflecting on the furniture which has been possible only through the use of vast forests of black walnut timber. beautiful veneers have come from the burl walnut, being formed by protuberances on the trunks of the trees near the surface of the ground. there is a variety of black walnut which we have been experimenting with for quite a few years, called the lamb, which has a beautifully figured grain. as this appears only in mature timber, ours is not yet old enough to show it. i have found that the ohio black walnut is prone to hybridize with butternut trees in its vicinity and others have told me of its hybridizing with english walnut trees near it, which shows it to be almost as vacillating in character as our japanese walnuts or heartnuts. ohio black walnuts, when planted, usually produce vigorous stocks, many of which show hybridity of some sort. if one examines the nuts of the ohio and finds them dwarfed or deformed, he may be sure that they have been pollinized by something other than a black walnut. planting such nuts, then, will grow hybrid trees. most of us have enough curiosity to want to try this as an experiment. thomas walnut seedlings have produced more thrifty trees than ohio nuts have. however, the best understocks are those produced from seeds of native grown trees. it is well understood that rarely does a specific type such as the ohio, thomas or stabler reproduce itself exactly from seeds. in raising black walnut seedlings, my experience has taught me that the nuts should be planted in the fall and not too deep, one to two inches below the surface being all the depth necessary. they may never sprout if they are four to six inches under ground. the black walnut tree is a glutton for food seemingly, it will use all the fertilizer that it is given although, no doubt, there is a practical limit. it must have plenty of food to produce successive crops of nuts, and barnyard manure is the safest and most practical kind to use. this can be put on as a heavy mulch around the trees but some of it should also be spaded into the ground. one must always remember that the feeding roots of a tree are at about the same circumference as the tips of the branches so that fertilizer put close to the trunk will do little good except in very young trees. since we have been watching a small native walnut which came into bearing while in a nursery row. this tree bore such fine thin-shelled easy-to-crack nuts and lent itself so readily to being propagated by graftage and had so many other good characteristics that we have selected it as representative of the black walnut varieties for the north and have named it the weschcke walnut and patented the variety. a list is here appended to show the order of hardiness and value based on our experience: --weschcke--very hardy--excellent cracking and flavor --paterson--very hardy--excellent cracking and flavor (originating in iowa) --rohwer--very hardy--good cracker (originating in iowa) --bayfield--very hardy--good cracker (originating in northern wisconsin) --adams (iowa)--fairly hardy--good cracker --ohio--semi-hardy, excellent cracking and flavor (parent tree in ohio) --northwestern--a new, good hardy nut --pearl--semi-hardy--good (from iowa) --vandersloot--semi-hardy--very large --thomas--tender to our winters--otherwise very good (from pennsylvania) --stabler--tender--many nuts single-lobed --throp--tender, many nuts single-lobed a friend of mine, who lives in mason, wisconsin, discovered a black walnut tree growing in that vicinity. since mason is in the northern part of the state, about ° parallel north, this tree grows the farthest north of any large black walnut i know of. i would estimate its height at about sixty-five feet and its trunk diameter at about sixteen inches at breast-height. because of the short growing season there, the nuts do not mature, being barely edible, due to their shrinkage while drying. some seasons this failure to mature nuts also occurs in such varieties as the thomas, the ohio and even the stabler at my river falls farm, which is nearly miles south of mason. such nuts will sprout, however, and seedlings were raised from the immature nuts of this northern tree. incidentally these seedlings appear to be just as hardy in wood growth as their parent tree. i have also grafted scionwood from the original tree on black walnut stocks at my farm in order to determine more completely the quality of this variety. since grafted, these trees have borne large, easy to crack mature nuts and are propagated under the varietal name (bayfield) since the parent tree is in sight of lake superior at bayfield, wisconsin. many of our best nut trees, from man's point of view, have inherent faults such as the inability of the staminate bloom of the weschcke hickory to produce any pollen whatsoever, as has been scientifically outlined in the treatise by dr. mckay under the chapter on hickories. in the weschcke walnut we have a peculiarity of a similar nature as it affects fruiting when the tree is not provided with other varieties to act as pollinators. it has been quite definitely established, by observation over a period of ten or more years, that the pollen of the weschcke variety black walnut does not cause fruiting in its own pistillate blooms. although this is not uncommon among some plants, such as the chestnut and the filbert where it is generally the rule instead of the exception, yet in the black walnuts species the pollen from its own male (or staminate) flowers is generally capable of exciting the ovule of the female (pistillate) flower into growth. such species are known as self-fertile. as in the case of ordinary chestnuts which receive no cross pollination, and the pistillate flowers develop into perfect burrs with shrunken meatless, imperfect nuts, the weschcke black walnut, when standing alone or when the prevailing winds prevent other nearby pollen from reaching any or but few of its pistillate bloom, goes on to produce fine looking average-sized nuts practically all of which are without seed or kernels. such therefore is the importance of knowing the correct pollinators for each variety of nut tree. in the self-sterility of filberts the failure of self-pollination results in an absence of nuts or in very few rather than a full crop of seedless fruits such as the common chestnut and the weschcke black walnuts produces. this is the only black walnut that has come to the author's attention where its pollen acting on its pistillate bloom has affected the production of nuts in just this way but the variety of black walnut known as the ohio, one of the best sorts for this northern climate except for hardiness, has often demonstrated that it has a peculiarity which might be caused by lack of outside pollen or because of the action of its own pollen on its pistillate bloom. this peculiarity is the often found one-sided development of the ohio walnut kernel when the tree is isolated from other pollen bearing black walnuts. one lobe of the kernel is therefore full-meated while the other half or lobe is very undernourished or it may be a thin wisp of a kernel as is the appearance of the weschcke variety in similar circumstances. [illustration: _stabler variety of black walnut grafted on a minnesota seedling stock bore many years but was winter killed. photo by c. weschcke_] cutting scionwood early one spring, i noticed that the sap was running very fast in the grafted stabler tree previously referred to. later when i came back to inspect this tree, i noticed that the sap had congealed to syrupy blobs at the ends of the cut branches. my curiosity led me to taste this and i found it very sweet and heavy. i mean to experiment some time in making syrup from the sap of this tree as i believe its sugar content to be much higher than that of the local sugar maple. this makes the stabler a -purpose tree, the first being its nuts, the second being the syrup, and the third being, at the end of its potentially long life, a good-sized piece of timber of exceptionally high value. the tree is one of beauty, having drooping foliage similar to that of the weeping willow. this is another point in its favor, its being an ornamental tree worthy of any lawn. however, the stabler is now considered as a tender variety and is not recommended for northern planting. [illustration: _stabler graft on old seedling grafted in may, bearing in august of the same year. photo by c. weschcke_] [illustration: _cut leaf black walnut. scions furnished by harry weber of cincinnati, ohio. variety was hardy on minnesota seedling for about years. photo by c. weschcke_] the aesthetic value of the black walnut does not cease here since there are some varieties which are exceptionally attractive. one of these is the cut-leaf black walnut which has the ordinary compound leaf but whose individual leaflets are so scalloped and serrated that they resemble a male fern. everyone who has seen one of these has evinced pleasurable surprise at this new form of leaf and it may become very popular with horticulturists in the future. another interestingly different variety is the deming purple walnut which, although orthodox in leaf form, has a purplish tint, bordering on red in some cases, coloring leaf, wood and nuts, resulting in a distinctly decorative tree. this tree was named for dr. w. c. deming who was the founder of the northern nut growers' association. neither the laceleaf nor deming purple are hardy for this climate but survived several years nevertheless before succumbing to one of our periodical test winters. chapter hazels and filberts in october , i ordered from j. f. jones, one hundred plants of what is known as the rush hazel which was, at that time, the best known of the propagated hazels. in ordering these, i mentioned the fact that i expected to get layered plants or grafted ones. mr. jones wrote me at once to say that the plants he had were seedlings of the rush hazel which are said to come very true to seed, but that if i did not want them as seedlings he would cancel the order. rather than lacking a profitable filler between the orchard trees, i accepted the order of one hundred plants and received from him a fine lot of hazels which took good root and began to grow luxuriantly. it was several years before any of them began to bear and when one or two did, the nuts were not hazels at all, but filberts and hybrids. in most cases these nuts were larger and better than those of the original rush hazel. one of these seedlings grew into a bushy tree ten or twelve feet high. for several years it bore a crop which, though meager, was composed of large, attractive nuts shaped like those of the common american hazel but very unlike the true rush hazelnut. one year this tree began to fail and i tried to save it or propagate it by layering and sprouting seeds. unfortunately it did not occur to me at that time to graft it to a wild hazel to perpetuate it. i still lament my oversight as the tree finally died and a very hardy plant was lost which was apparently able to fertilize its own blossoms. i ordered four winkler hazel bushes from snyder bros. of center point, iowa, in march , asking them to send me plants that were extra strong and of bearing size. i planted these that spring but the following summer was so dry that all four died. i ordered twelve more winklers in september for spring delivery, requesting smaller ones this time (two to three feet). half of these were shipped to me with bare roots, the others being balled in dirt for experimental purposes. four of the latter are still living and producing nuts. in april , i planted a dozen jones hybrid hazels but only two of them survived more than two years. i think the reason they lasted as well as they did was that around each plant i put a guard made of laths four feet high, bound together with wire and filled with forest leaves. i drove the laths several inches into the ground and covered them with window screening fastened down with tacks to keep mice out of the leaves. although somewhat winter-killed, most of the plants lived during the first winter these guards were used. the second winter, more plants died, and i didn't use the guards after that. the two jones hybrids that lived produced flowers of both sexes for several years but they did not set any nuts. one day while reading a report of one of the previous conventions of the northern nut growers' association, i discovered an article by conrad vollertsen in which he stressed the importance of training filberts into a single truncated plant, allowing no root sprouts or suckers to spring up since such a condition prevents the bearing of nuts. i followed his advice with my two jones hybrids and removed all surplus sprouts. this resulted in more abundant flowers and some abortive involucres but still no nuts developed. in the spring of , i systematically fertilized numerous pistillate flowers of these plants with a pollen mixture. on the branches so treated, a fairly good crop of nuts similar to those of the orthodox jones hybrid appeared. i had cut off a few branches from the jones hybrids when i received them and grafted these to wild hazels. this had been suggested by robert morris in his book, "nut growing," as an interesting experiment which might prove to be practical. it did not prove to be so for me for although the grafting itself was successful i found it tiresome to prune, repeatedly, the suckers which constantly spring up during the growing period and which are detrimental to grafts. although they lived for five years, these grafts suffered a great deal of winter-injury and they never bore nuts. the one which lived for the longest time became quite large and overgrew the stock of the wild hazel. this same plant produced both staminate and pistillate blossoms very abundantly for several seasons but it did not set any nuts in spite of the many wild hazels growing nearby which gave it access to pollen. it is now known that this hybrid is self-sterile and must have pollinators of the right variety in order to bear. my next work with members of the genus corylus was discouraging. in april , i bought one hundred hazel and filbert plants from conrad vollertsen of rochester, new york, which included specimens of the rush hazel and of the following varieties of filberts: italian red merribrook kentish cob early globe zellernuts white lambert althaldensleben medium long bony bush large globe minnas zeller marveille de bollwyller although many of these filberts bore nuts the first year they were planted, within two years they were all completely winter-killed. in , i received ten filbert bushes from j. u. gellatly of west bank, british columbia. these consisted of several varieties of glover's best introductions and some pearson seedlings. i planted them on the south side of a high stone wall, a favorable location for semi-hardy plants. they appeared to be thrifty and only slightly winter-killed during the first two years but by , all but two of the bushes had died or were dying. although as nut-bearing plants they have been of little value to me, their pollen has been of great service. i found an unusually fine wild hazel growing in the woods on my farm and in , i began an experiment in hybridizing it. i crossed the pistillate flowers of the native hazel with pollen from a gellatly filbert and obtained four hybrid plants, which i have called hazilberts. in the spring of , three of these hybrids had pistillate flowers but no staminate blooms. as i was very eager to see what the new crosses would be like, i fertilized the blossoms with a gunshot mixture of pollen from other plants such as the winkler hazel, the european filbert and the jones hybrid hazel. certain difficulties arose in making these hybrids, mainly due to the curiosity of the squirrels who liked to rip open the sacks covering the blossoms which were being treated. deer mice, too, i found, have a habit of climbing the stems of hazel bushes and gnawing at the nuts long before they are mature enough to use for seed. later i learned to protect hybrid nuts by lacing flat pieces of window screening over each branch, thus making a mouse-proof enclosure. even after gathering the nuts i discovered that precautions were necessary to prevent rodents from reaching them. the best way i found to do this is to plant nuts in cages of galvanized hardware cloth of by mesh, countersunk in the ground one foot and covered completely by a frame of the same material reinforced with boards and laths. the most interesting hazilbert that has developed bears nuts of outstanding size, typically filberts in every detail of appearance, although the plant itself looks more like a hazel, being bushy and having many suckers. after more testing, this hybrid may prove to be a definite asset to nursery culture in our cold northern climate, fulfilling as it does, all the requirements for such a plant. the second hazilbert resembles the first closely except that its nuts, which are also large, are shaped like those of corylus americana. the third hazilbert has smaller nuts but its shell is much thinner than that of either of the others. in reference to the hazilberts, i am reminded of certain correspondence i once had with j. f. jones. he had sent me samples of the rush hazel and although i was impressed by them, i mentioned in replying to him that we had wild hazels growing in our pasture which were as large or larger than the rush hazelnuts. i admitted that ours were usually very much infested with the hazel weevil. mr. jones was immediately interested in wild hazels of such size and asked me to send him samples of them. he wrote that he had never seen wild hazels with worms in them and would like to learn more about them. i sent him both good and wormy nuts from the wild hazel bush to which i had referred. he was so impressed by them that he wished me to dig up the plant and ship it to him, writing that he wished to cross it with filbert pollen as an experiment. i sent it as he asked but before he was able to make the cross he intended, his death occurred. several years later, his daughter mildred wrote to me about this hazel bush, asking if i knew where her father had planted it. unfortunately i could give her no information about where, among his many experiments, this bush would be, so that the plant was lost sight of for a time. later miss jones sent me nuts from a bush which she thought might be the one i had sent. i was glad to be able to identify those nuts as being, indeed, from that bush. in the spring of , i crossed the winkler hazel with filbert pollen; the european hazel with winkler pollen; the gellatly filbert with jones hybrid pollen. these crosses produced many plants which will be new and interesting types to watch and build from. i have already made certain discoveries about them. by close examination of about forty plants, i have been able to determine that at least five are definitely hybrids by the color, shape and size of their buds. this is a very strong indication of hybridity with wild hazel or winkler. on one of these plants, about one-foot high, i found staminate bloom which i consider unusual after only two seasons' growth. during the fall of , i became interested in a phenomenon of fruit determination previous to actual fructification of the plant by detailed examinations of its buds. i noticed, for instance, that large buds generally meant that the plant would produce large nuts and small buds indicated small nuts to come. the color of the buds, whether they were green, bronze green or reddish brown, could be fairly well depended upon to indicate their hybridity in many cases. these tests were not wholly reliable but the percentage of indication was so high that i was tempted to make predictions. at that time, hazilbert no. had not borne nuts. the bush resembled a wild hazel so much that i had begun to doubt its hybridity. upon examining its buds, i found indications in their color that it was a hybrid, although the nuts apparently would not be large. it would be an important plant to me only if its pollen should prove to be effective on the other hazilberts. at the time this was only a wishful hope, because the pollen of the wild hazel, which this plant resembles, apparently does not act to excite the ovules of either filberts or filbert hybrids with filbert characteristics. pure filbert pollen seemed to be necessary. in , its pollen did prove to be acceptable to the other hazilberts and my hope for a good pollinizer was realized in it. from the conclusions i reached through my study of the buds, i made sketches of which i believed the nuts of no. would be like in size and shape. in march , these sketches were used as the basis of the drawing given here. a comparison of this drawing with the photograph taken in september , of the actual nuts of hazilbert no. show how accurate such a predetermination can be. i am convinced from the work i have done and am still doing, that we are developing several varieties of hazilberts as hardy and adaptable to different soils as the pasture hazel is, yet having the thin shell and the size of a european filbert. as to the quality of the kernel of such a nut, that of the wild hazel is as delicious as anyone could desire. [illustration: _ / natural size filberts_] [illustration: _ / natural size hazilberts and winkler hazel_] [illustration: _ / of actual size hazilberts. left to right: no. , no. , no. , no. _] [illustration: _no. hazilbert about / / . note almost identical size and shape of this actual photograph of no. compared to predetermined size and shape in drawing made almost one year previous to photograph. plant had not produced any nuts prior to crop of _] chapter hazels and/or filberts there is a certain amount of confusion in the minds of many people regarding the difference between filberts and hazels, both of which belong to the genus corylus. some think them identical and call them all hazels dividing them only into european and american types. i see no reason for doing this. "filbert" is the name of one species of genus corylus just as "english walnut" is the commercial name of one of the members of the juglans family. there is as much difference between a well-developed filbert and a common wild hazelnut as there is between a cultivated english walnut and wild black walnut. for ordinary purposes the nuts sold commercially, whether imported or grown in this country, are called filberts while those nuts which may be found growing prolifically in woodlands and pastures over almost the whole united states but which are not to be found on the market are called hazelnuts. this lack of commercialization of hazelnuts should be recognized as due to the smallness of the nut and the thickness of its shell rather than to its lacking flavor. its flavor, which seldom varies much regardless of size, shape or thickness of shell, is both rich and nutty. the three main food components of the hazelnut, carbohydrate, protein and oil, are balanced so well that they approach nearer than most other nuts the ideal food make-up essential to man. the english walnut contains much oil and protein while both chestnuts and acorns consist largely of carbohydrates. one salient feature which definitely separates the species corylus americana or wild hazel, from others of its genus, is its resistance to hazel blight, a native fungus disease of which it is the host. controversies may occur over the application of the names "hazel" and "filbert" but there is no dispute about the effect of this infection on members of genus corylus imported from europe. although there is wide variety in appearance and quality within each of the species, especially among the european filberts, and although filberts may resemble hazels sufficiently to confuse even a horticulturist, the action of this fungus is so specific that it divides corylus definitely into two species. corylus americana and corylus cornuta, through long association, have become comparatively immune to its effects and quickly wall off infected areas while filbert plants are soon killed by contact with it. hybrids between filberts and hazels will usually be found to retain some of the resistance of the hazel parent. the ideal nut of genus corylus should combine qualities of both hazels and filberts. such a hybrid should have the bushy characteristics of the american hazel with its blight-resisting properties and its ability to reproduce itself by stolons or sucker-growth. it should bear fruit having the size, general shape, cracking qualities and good flavor of the filbert as popularly known. the hybrids i am growing at my farm, which i call "hazilberts" and which are discussed later, seem to fulfill these requirements. the plants may be grown as bushes or small trees. they are blight-resistant and their nuts are like filberts in appearance. three varieties of these hazilberts have ivory-colored kernels which are practically free of pellicle or fibre. they have a good flavor. a comparison of the ripening habits and the effect of frost on the various members of the genus corylus growing in my nursery in the fall of , is shown by these extracts taken from daily records of the work done there. it should be noted that the summer season that year was rainy and not as hot as usual, so that most nuts ripened two to three weeks later than they normally do. "september and : wild hazels ripe and picked at this time. (their kernels showed no shrinkage by october .) september and : i picked ripe nuts from hazilbert no. which seems to be the first to ripen. also picked half of the european filberts. (there was slight shrinkage in the kernels of the latter a few weeks later showing that they could have stayed on the trees another week to advantage.) all of the nuts of a jones hybrid, which is a cross between rush and some european variety such as italian red, could have been picked as they were ripe. some were picked. the almond-shaped filbert classified as the white aveline type, was not quite ripe; neither were hazilberts no. and no. , nor the gellatly filberts. wild hazelnuts at this time had dry husks and were falling off the bushes or being cut down by mice. september and : the remaining european filberts of the imported plants were picked. also, i picked half of the white aveline type nuts. [illustration: _carlola hazilberts no. , about / / . this is the earliest ripening and thinnest shell of the large type hazilberts, not the largest size however. carlola weschcke shown in picture. photo by c. weschcke_] september and : we picked most of the nuts remaining on hazilbert no. and the remainder of the white aveline type. at this time we record a heavy frost which occurred during the previous week, that is, between september and th. since it froze water it was considered a "killing" frost. however, the damage was spotty all over the orchard, most things continuing to develop and ripen. winkler hazels picked and examined at this time showed them far from ripe. hazilberts growing next to limestone walls on the south side showed no signs of frost damage whereas the winkler, on higher ground, showed severe damage to the leaves and the husks of the nuts which immediately started to turn brown. leaves of other filbert plants in the vicinity showed no frost damage and the very few nuts that had been left on, such as those of the jones hybrid, were undamaged. october and : picked all of hazilbert no. except the last two nuts. gellatly filberts were picked about october and were ripe at that time. october to : two english walnuts were picked and found to be as ripe as they would get. these as well as the black walnuts showed distinct signs of lacking summer heat needed for their proper development. the last two nuts on hazilbert no. and the only nut on hazilbert no. were picked at this time and were ripe. chestnut burrs had opened up and the nuts enclosed were fully mature. october and : i found the last of the winkler hazelnuts had been picked during the previous week, approximately october . these were left the longest on the bush of any hazel and still were not ripe although they were not entirely killed by the several frosts occurring before that time. they are always much later than the wild hazel." on october , i had an opportunity of comparing the action of frost on the leaves of these plants. those of the white aveline type had not changed color and were very green. the leaves of the jones hybrid showed some coloration but nothing to compare with those of the winkler hazel, many of which had the most beautiful colors of any of the trees on the farm--red, orange and yellow bronze. hazilbert no. , which resembles a wild hazel in appearance and habits of growth, had colored much earlier in reaction to the frost and was as brightly tinted as the wild hazel and winkler plants except that, like the wild hazel, it had already lost much of its foliage. some of the wild hazels were entirely devoid of leaves at this time. hazilbert no. showed the best color effects with no. second and no. last. the color of the leaves and the action of the frost on the plants during the autumn is another thing, in my opinion, that helps to differentiate between and to classify european filberts, american hazels and their hybrids. my conclusion in regard to the effect of frost is that the reaction of the winkler hazel is very similar to that of the wild hazel in color but exceeding it in beauty since its leaves do not drop as soon after coloring. at this time, the leaves had not changed color on the imported european plants, the gellatly filberts from british columbia or the white aveline type. they had turned only slightly on the jones hybrid. i think an accurate idea of the general hardiness of a plant is indicated by the effect of frost and by early dropping of leaves, using the sturdy wild hazel as the limit of hardiness and assuming that its hardiness is shown by both degree of coloration and early dropping of leaves. in noting the action of frost on the winkler hazel, i have mentioned that it was more like that on the american hazel than on the european filberts. the winkler has always been considered a native woodland hazel, but, although it does show several similarities to corylus americana, i have also noticed certain qualities which definitely suggest some filbert heritage. i have based my theory on a study of the winkler hazels which have been bearing annually at my farm for six years, bearing more regularly, in fact, than even the wild hazels growing nearby. my comparisons have been made with wild hazels in both minnesota and wisconsin and with european filberts. i found the first point of similarity with the filbert is in the involucre covering the nut. in the wild hazel, this folds against itself to one side of the nut, while in the filbert it is about balanced and if not already exposing a large part of the end of the nut, is easily opened. the involucre of the winkler hazel is formed much more like that of the filbert than that of the hazel. in corylus americana this involucre is usually thick, tough and watery, while in the filbert it is thinner and drier, so that while a person may be deceived in the size of a hazelnut still in its husk, he can easily tell that of a filbert. this is also true of the winkler whose involucre is fairly thick but outlines the form of the enclosed nut. another feature about the involucre of the winkler which classes it with the filberts rather than the hazels is in its appearance and texture, which is smooth and velvety while that of the hazel is hairy and wrinkled. the staminate blooms of the winkler hazel show similarity to those of both filberts and hazels. sometimes they appear in formation at the ends of branches, much as those of the european filberts do, in overlapping groups of three or four. again, they may be found at regular intervals at the axis of leaf stems very much as in the case of the american hazel. the buds on the winkler hazel are dull red which is also true of those on the hybrid hazilberts, another indication of hybridity. the initial growth of the embryo nut is very slow in the winkler as it is in the filbert, as contrasted with the very rapid development of the native hazel embryo which matures in this latitude about one month ahead of the winklers and some filberts. although winkler nuts are shaped like hazels and have the typically thick shells of hazelnuts, their size is more that of a filbert usually three times as large as a native hazel. during the years between and many new hybrids between filberts and hazels were produced. four wild varieties of hazels, which had unusual characteristics such as tremendous bearing and large size nuts and others having very early maturing or very thin shelled nuts were used as the female parents in making the crosses. pollen was obtained from other parts of the u. s. or from filbert bushes which were growing on the place. crosses included pollen of the barcelona, duchilly, red aveline, white aveline, purple aveline, the italian red, daviana and several hybrids between other filberts and hazels. by the number of these plants were in the neighborhood of and by considerable knowledge had been gained as to the hardiness, blight resistance to the common hazel blight (known scientifically as cryptosporella anomala), freedom from the curculio of the hazelnuts (commonly known as the hazel weevil) and resistance to other insect pests. also, considerable data had been accumulated by cataloging over trees each year for five years; cataloging included varied and detailed studies of their growth, bearing habits, ability to resist blight, curculio and other insects, the size of the nut, the thinness of the shell and the flavor of the kernel. several books of all this detail were accumulated in trying to nail down several commercial varieties that would be propagated from this vast amount of material. although some bushes produced good nuts at the rate of as much as two tons to the acre, measured on the basis of space that they took up in the test orchard, the most prolific kind seemed to be the ones that had a tendency to revert to the wild hazel type. the better and thinner-shelled types, more resembling the filberts, seemed to be shy bearers so that there being a host of new plants to catalog (more than ) which had not indicated their bearing characteristics, we included these among the possible ideal plants we were seeking. although there were several plants that could be considered commercial in the original group of over it has been thought that the waiting of a few more years to ascertain whether there would be something better in the next plants to bear that would be worthwhile waiting for and no attempt has been made to propagate the earlier tested plants. some of these tested hybrids proved to have nuts that were classed as giants being much larger than the filberts produced by male or pollen parent such as the barcelona, duchilly or daviana, and several times the size of the nuts of the female parent which was the wild hazel. [illustration: _wild wisconsin hazel discovered on hazel hills farm near river falls. note size of nuts in husks as compared to woman's hand. this plant became the female parent in over , crosses by pollen furnished from male blooms of duchilly, barcelona, italian red, white, red, and purple aveline and many other well known filberts. photo by c. weschcke_] chapter pecans and their hybrids at the same time, october , that i purchased beaver hickory trees from j. f. jones, i also procured from him three specimens each of three commercial varieties of pecan trees, the posey, indiana and niblack, as well as some hiccan trees, i.e., hybrids having pecan and hickory parents. only one tree survived, a niblack pecan, which, after sixteen years, was only about eighteen inches in height. its annual growth was very slight and it was killed back during the winter almost the full amount of the year's growth. in the th year this tree was dead. in september , at a convention of the northern nut growers' association in st. louis, missouri, i became acquainted with a man whose experience in the nut-growing industry was wide and who knew a great deal about the types of hickory and pecan trees in iowa. he was s. w. snyder of center point, iowa. (he later became president of the association.) in one of his letters to me the following summer, mr. snyder mentioned that there were wild pecan trees growing near des moines and burlington. i decided i wanted to know more about them and at my request, he collected ten pounds of the nuts for me. i found they were the long type of pecan, small, but surprisingly thin-shelled and having a kernel of very high quality. i first planted these nuts in an open garden in st. paul, but after a year i moved them to my farm, where i set them out in nursery rows in an open field. the soil there was a poor grade of clay, not really suited to nut trees, but even so, most of the ones still remaining there have made reasonably good growth. i used a commercial fertilizing compound around about half of these seedlings which greatly increased their rate of growth, although they became less hardy than the unfertilized ones. after five years, i transplanted a number of them to better soil, in orchard formation. although i have only about fifty of the original three hundred seedlings, having lost the others mainly during droughts, these remaining ones have done very well. some of these trees have been bearing small crops of nuts during the years to date. the most mature nuts of these were planted and to date i have second generation pure pecan trees to testify as to the ability of the northern pecan to become acclimated. i gave several of the original seedlings to friends who planted them in their gardens, where rich soil has stimulated them to grow at twice the rate of those on my farm. there were four individual pecan trees growing in or near st. paul from my first planting, the largest being about feet high with a caliber of five inches a foot above ground. although this tree did not bear nuts i have used it as a source of scionwood for several years. these graftings, made on bitternut hickory stock, have been so successful that i am continuing their propagation at my nursery, having named this variety the hope pecan, for joseph n. hope, the man who owns the parent tree and who takes such an interest in it. [illustration: _shows the use of a zinc metal tag fastened by or gauge copper wire to branch of tree._] by the year the tree had such a straggly appearance, although still healthy and growing but being too shaded by large trees on the boulevard, that mr. hope caused it to be cut down. the variety is still growing at my farm, grafted on bitternut stocks and although blossoming it has never produced a nut up to this time. another tree given to joseph posch of the city of st. paul, minnesota, had made even better growth and was luxuriantly healthy and in bloom when it was cut down by the owner because the branches overhung the fence line into a neighbor's yard. this was done in about . another tree given to mrs. wm. eldridge of st. paul still flourishes and is quite large (in at breast height, inches in diameter) but being in a dense shade, it has not borne any nuts. the fourth tree, given to john e. straus, the famous skate maker, presumably exists at his lake residence north of st. paul. i have not seen it in the last seven or eight years. although they are not as hardy as bitternut stocks, i have found the wild iowa pecan seedlings satisfactory for grafting after five years' growth. i use them as an understock for grafting the posey, indiana and major varieties of northern pecan and find them preferable to northern bitternut stocks with which the pecans are not compatible for long, as a rule, such a union resulting in a stunted tree which is easily winter-killed. although the posey continued to live for several years our severe winters finally put an end to all these fine pecans. the root system of the seedling understock continued to live, however. i chanced to discover an interesting thing in the fall of which suggests something new in pecan propagation. there were two small pecans growing in the same rows as the large ones planted fifteen years previously. when i noticed them, i thought they were some of this same planting and that they had been injured or frozen back to such an extent that they were mere sprouts again, for this has happened. i decided to move them and asked one of the men on the farm to dig them up. when he had dug the first, i was surprised to find that this was a sprout from the main tap root of a large pecan tree which had been taken out and transplanted. the same was true of the second one, except that in this case we found three tap roots, the two outside ones both having shoots which were showing above the ground. another remarkable circumstance about this was that these tap roots had been cut off twenty inches below the surface of the ground and the sprouts had to come all that distance to start new trees. all of this suggests the possibility of pecan propagation by root cuttings. these two pecans, at least, show a natural tendency to do this and i have marked them for further experimentation along such lines. on the advice of the late harry weber of cincinnati, ohio, an eminent nut culturist, who, after visiting my nursery in , became very anxious to try out some of the indiana varieties of pecans in our northern climate, i wrote to j. ford wilkinson, a noted propagator of nut trees at rockport, indiana, suggesting that he make some experimental graftings at my farm. both mr. wilkinson and mr. weber gathered scionwood from all the black walnut, pecan, hiccan and hickory trees at their disposal, for this trial. there was enough of it to keep three of us busy for a week grafting it on large trees. our equipment was carried on a two-wheeled trailer attached to a diesel-powered tractor, and we were saved the trouble of having to carry personally, scions, packing material, wax pots, knives, pruning shears, tying material, canvas and ladders into the woods. mr. wilkinson remarked, on starting out, that in the interests of experimental grafting, he had travelled on foot, on horseback, by mule team and in rowboats, but that this was his first experience with a tractor. when he saw the type of grafting with which i had been getting good results, mr. wilkinson was astounded. he declared that using a side-slot graft in the south resulted in % failure, while i had more than % success with it. he was willing to discard his type of grafting for mine, which was adequate for the work we were doing, but i wanted to check his grafting performance and urged him to continue with his own (an adaptation of the bark-slot graft to the end of a cut-off stub). we both used paper sacks to shade our grafts. although results proved that my methods averaged a slightly higher percentage of successful graftings in this latitude and for the type of work we were doing, his would nonetheless be superior in working over trees larger than four inches in diameter and having no lateral branches up to eight feet above ground, at which height it is most convenient to cut off a large hickory preparatory to working on it. in the late fall of that year, we cut scionwood of the season's growth and inverted large burlap bags stuffed with leaves over the grafts, the bags braced on the inside by laths to prevent their collapsing on the grafts. so we have perpetuated the following varieties: hickories: cedar rapids, taylor, barnes, fairbanks. hiccans: mcalester, bixby, des moines, rockville, burlington, green bay. the major and posey pure pecans being incompatible on bitternut hickory roots were grafted on pecan stocks, but they proved to be tender to our winters and the varieties were finally lost. [illustration: _largest planted pecan in world having a record. about ft. circumference breast height, ft. spread and ft. height. very small worthless pecans. easton, maryland. photo by reed _] other experiments i have made with pecans include an attempt to grow southern pecans from seed, but they seem to be no more hardy than an orange tree would be. it is certain that they are not at all suited to the climate of the th parallel. in , i received from dr. w. c. deming of connecticut, some very good nuts from a large pecan tree at hartford, connecticut. of the twelve pecans i planted, only six sprouted, and of these, only one has survived up to this date and is now a small weak tree. apparently, the seedlings of this hartford pecan are not as hardy as those from iowa. [illustration: _iowa seedling pecans. tree planted in as seed. first crop october , . / of actual size. nuts were fully matured. photo by c. weschcke_] of the hiccans, hybrids between hickory and pecan, there are several varieties, as i mentioned before. of these, the mcalester is the most outstanding, its nuts measuring over three inches in circumference and about three inches long. horticulturists believe that this hybrid is the result of a cross between a shell-bark hickory, which produces the largest nut of any hickory growing in the united states, and a large pecan. i have experimented a number of times with the mcalester and my conclusion is that it is not hardy enough to advocate its being grown in this climate. there are other hiccans hardier than it is, however, such as the rockville, burlington, green bay and des moines, and it is certain that the north is assured of hardy pecans and a few hardy hybrids, which, although they do not bear the choicest pecan nuts, make interesting and beautiful lawn trees. indeed, as an ornamental tree, the pecan is superior to the native hickory in two definite ways: by its exceedingly long life, which may often reach over years as contrasted with the average hickory span of years, and by its greater size. one pecan tree i saw growing in easton, maryland, in , for example, was then seventeen feet in circumference at breast-height, one hundred twenty-five feet in height and having a spread of one hundred fifty feet. the wood of the pecan is similar to that of the hickory in both toughness and specific gravity, although for practical purposes, such as being used for tool handles, the shagbark hickory is enough harder and tougher to make it the superior of the two. i was pleasantly surprised on october , when a pecan seedling of the iowa origin, which had not yet borne any nuts, showed a small crop. these nuts were fully matured and were of sufficient size so that they could be considered a valuable new variety of pecan nut for the north. a plate showing a few of these pecans illustrates, by means of a ruler, the actual size of these pecans, and the fact that they matured so well by october indicates that in many seasons they may be relied upon to mature their crop. no other data has been acquired on this variety and we can only be thankful that we can expect it to do a little better in size as successive crops appear, which is the usual way of nut trees. also, by fertilizing this tree we can expect bigger nuts, as is generally the case. the shell of this pecan is so thin that it can be easily cracked with the teeth, which i have done repeatedly, and although small is thinner-shelled than any standard pecan. chapter hickory the king the acknowledged autocrat of all the native nuts is the hickory. perhaps not all the experts admit this leadership but it is certainly the opinion held by most people. of course, when i speak of the hickory nut in this high regard, i refer to the shagbark hickory which, as a wild tree, is native as far north as the rd parallel in minnesota and wisconsin, and somewhat farther in the eastern states. wild hickory nuts have been commercialized only to a slight extent. its crops are almost entirely consumed in the locality in which they are grown by those people who find great pleasure in spending fine autumn days gathering them. the obvious reason why hickory nuts have not been made a product of commerce lies in the nut itself, which is usually very small and which has a shell so strong and thick that the kernel can be taken out only in small pieces. the toughness of the shell makes cracking difficult, too, and since only rarely is one found that can be broken by a hand cracker, it is necessary to use the flatiron-and-hammer method. it is quite possible, though, that some day the hickory will rival or exceed its near relative, the wild pecan, in commercial favor. the wild pecans which formerly came on the market at christmastime in mixtures of nuts were just as difficult to extract from their shells as the wild shagbark hickory nuts are now. by means of selection and cultivation, the pecan was changed from a small, hard-to-crack nut to that of a large thin-shelled nut whose kernel was extractable in whole halves. among many thousands of wild pecan trees were a few which bore exceptionally fine nuts, nuts similar to those now found at every grocery store and called "papershell" pecans. these unusual nuts were propagated by grafting twigs from their parent trees on ordinary wild pecan trees whose own nuts were of less value. these grafted trees were set out in orchards where they produce the millions of pounds of high-grade pecans now on the market. the question which naturally occurs is, "why hasn't this been done with hickory nuts?" hundreds of attempts have been made to do so, by the greatest nut propagators in the united states. they have been successful in grafting outstanding varieties of hickory to wild root stocks but the time involved has prevented any practical or commercial success, since most grafted hickories require a period of growth from ten to twenty years before bearing any nuts. this length of time contrasts very unfavorably with that required by grafted pecans which produce nuts on quite young trees, frequently within three to five years after grafting. this factor of slow growth has set the pecan far ahead of the tasty shagbark hickory. experimenters have long thought to reduce the time required by the hickory to reach maturity by grafting it to fast-growing hickory roots such as the bitternut or the closely related pecan. both of these grow rapidly and the bitternut has the additional advantage of growing farther north and of being transplanted more easily. it has always been thought that when a good variety of shagbark hickory had been successfully grafted to bitternut root stocks, orchards of hickory trees would soon appear. this takes me to my discovery of the variety now known as the weschcke hickory, which i have found fulfills the necessary conditions. [illustration: _shows exceptionally thin shell of weschcke hickory variety. drawing by wm. kuehn_] one fall day in , when i was at the home of a neighboring farmer, he offered me some mixed hickory nuts he had received from an uncle in iowa. as he knew of my interest in nuts, he wanted my opinion of them. i looked them over and explained that they were no better than little nutmegs, having very hard shells and a small proportion of inaccessible meat. to demonstrate this, i cracked some between hammer and flatiron. my demonstration was conclusive until i hit one nut which almost melted under the force i was applying. the shape of this nut was enough different from the others to enable me to pick out a handful like it from the mixture. i was amazed to see how very thin-shelled and full of meat they were. upon my request, this neighbor wrote to his uncle, john bailey, of fayette, iowa, asking if he knew from which tree such fine nuts had come. unfortunately he did not, because the nuts had been gathered from quite a large area. after corresponding with mr. bailey myself, i decided that i would go there and help him locate the tree, although it was nearly christmas and heavy snowfalls which already covered the ground would make our search more difficult. [illustration: _carl weschcke, jr., hand holding weschcke hickory in hull. / / photo by c. weschcke_] on my arrival in fayette, i called on mr. bailey, who was glad to help me hunt out the tree in which i had so much interest. we called a. c. fobes, the owner of the farm from which the nuts were believed to have come, and arranged to go out there with him by bob sleigh. a rough ride of six or seven miles brought us to the farm and we began our quest. once there, mr. bailey had a more definite idea of where to look for the tree from which these particular nuts came than he had had before and we had not been at our task for more than an hour before it was located. there were still quite a few nuts on the ground beneath it, which identified it accurately. it was a large shagbark whose first living branch was fully sixteen feet off the ground and, since we had no ladder with us, i had to shin up the tree to cut off some of the smaller branches. this shagbark, true to its name, had rough bark which tore not only my clothes but some of the skin on my legs as well and whereas the climbing up was difficult, the coming down was equally so. having contracted verbally with mr. fobes to buy the tree, i packed the branches i had cut in cardboard boxes with straw packing and carefully brought them home to st. paul. i wrote at once to my friend, j. f. jones, of my expedition, telling him of my plans to propagate this hickory. i also sent him some of the nuts from the parent tree and samples of extra-good nuts from other trees growing near it so that he could give me his opinion of them. mr. jones responded by advising me about the kind of a contract to make with mr. fobes in regard to both the purchasing and propagation of the original hickory tree and he urged the latter enthusiastically. of the weschcke hickory nuts themselves, he wrote: "this is practically identical with the glover. the glover is usually a little larger but this varies in all nuts from year to year. this is a fine nut and if it comes from iowa, it ought to be propagated. i suggest you keep the stock of it and propagate the tree for northern planting, that is for iowa, minnesota, wisconsin, etc., where most nuts grown here would not mature." a few years ago, i saw the glover hickory nut for the first time and i also thought it much the same as the weschcke in shape, as is also the brill. because i did not know how to preserve the scions i had cut, they dried out during the winter to such an extent that they were worthless for spring grafting. this meant losing a whole season. the next fall i obtained more scionwood from mr. fobes and having kept it in good condition during the winter by storing it in a harrington graft box shown by illustration, i was able to graft it in the spring. however, these grafts did not take hold well, only two or three branches resulting from all of it and these did not bear nor even grow as they should have. i was disappointed and discouraged, writing to mr. fobes that i did not believe the tree could be propagated. [illustration: _this drawing illustrates how to build a harrington graft storage box_] in the fall of , mr. fobes sent me a large box of scions and branches, explaining that he had sold his farm and, as the tree might be cut down, this was my last opportunity to propagate it. without much enthusiasm, i grafted the material he had sent me on about a dozen trees, some of them very large hickories and i was most agreeably surprised to find the grafting successful and more than one branch bearing nutlets. these nuts dropped off during the summer until only one remained to mature, which it did in the latter part of october. but i waited too long to pick that nut and some smart squirrel, which had probably been watching it ripen as diligently as i had, secured it first. i made a very thorough search of the ground nearby to find the remains of it, for while i knew i would not get a taste of the kernel--the squirrel would take care of that--i was interested in finding out whether it followed the exact shape and thinness of shell of the first nuts i had examined. i finally did find part of it, enough to see that it was similar to the nuts from the parent tree. the grafts i made in have been bearing nuts every year since that time. the weschcke hickory makes a tremendous growth grafted on bitternut hickory (carya cordiformis). the wood and buds are hardy to a temperature of ° below zero fahrenheit, so that wherever the wild bitternut hickory grow, this grafted tree will survive to bear its thin-shelled nuts. the nuts have a fine flavor and the unusual quality of retaining this flavor without becoming rancid, for three years. the only fault to find with them is the commercial one of being only medium in size, so that compared to english walnuts, for example, they become unimpressive. i have noticed time and again that the average person will pass over a small, sweet nut to choose a larger one even though the latter may not have as attractive a flavor. this is noticeably true in regard to pecans, when the large paper-shell types, which have a rather dry, sweet kernel, are almost invariably preferred to the smaller ones of finer flavor, which are plump and have slightly thicker shells. previous to finding the weschcke hickory, i experimented with several varieties of hickory hybrids. in march , i purchased twelve beaver and twelve fairbanks hybrid hickories from j. f. jones. i planted these trees in april of that year but of the lot, only two beaver trees lived to bear nuts. one of these is still growing on my farm, in thin, clay soil underlaid with limestone, and it bears nuts annually. it is only a fair-sized tree but i think its slow growth has protected it from the usual amount of winter damage. i also ordered from mr. jones, in july , marquardt hiccans, laney, siers, beaver and fairbanks. the last four are hybrids between species of hickories. out of the whole order, amounting to one hundred trees, none remains alive now. the marquardt hiccan mentioned above was the subject of dispute among nut culturists for a time but it has been definitely agreed now, that the marquardt was never actually propagated, the tree having been lost or cut down before scions were taken from it. substitutes were taken from the burlington, a hybrid whose nut is similar to the marquardt and whose foliage and other attributes are thought to be like it. the name of marquardt persisted for several years, however, and it has been entirely discarded only recently. the burlington is now known to be the representative of that part of iowa. however, i grafted some of the tops of the marquardt trees from jones to bitternut trees at the time that i transplanted them; several of the grafts made successful growth and resulted in several trees growing deep in the woods. after years these grafts are still alive and certainly have established their right to be called compatible with bitternut hickory stocks. close examination of the branches, leaves and buds, particularly the leaf-scars, indicate that this hiccan is enough different and more hardy than the burlington, which also grows well on the bitternut, to discredit the story that the marquardt is lost. it will not be determined, however, that this is the genuine marquardt until it has fruited. altogether i have grafted about varieties of hickory and its hybrids on bitternut stocks in my attempts to increase the number of varieties of cultured hickory trees in the north. most of those i worked with were compatible with the bitternut stock, but a few, perhaps a dozen, have indicated that they would rather not live on the bitternut and have died, either from incompatibility or winter-killing. yet as a root system, the bitternut is the hardiest and easiest to transplant of any of the hickories and for these reasons it makes an ideal stock for the amateur nut-grower to use. i did try, in , to grow some shagbark hickory stocks, which would be more compatible with those varieties i could not get started on bitternut. i planted half a bushel of shagbark hickory nuts from iowa, but although they sprouted nicely, they were not sufficiently hardy and were winter-killed so severely that, after twelve years, the largest was not more than a foot high, nor thicker than a lead pencil. some of these, about , were transplanted into the orchard and in other favorable locations. the largest of these, in , is about inches in diameter, -foot off the ground, and about feet high. i have not grafted any yet and only one has borne any seedling nuts so far. i am now reconciled to using my native bitternut trees for most of my stock in spite of some disadvantages. a list of successfully grafted varieties is appended, and indicates to what extent this stock is a universal root stock for most of the hickories and their hybrids. a successful union, however, and long life, does not mean that good bearing habits will be established, since most of these trees grow in the woods in dense shade and poor surroundings. some varieties have not borne many nuts, and some not at all. the following scions were cut this fall (in ) from successfully grafted trees deep in the woods: bixby hiccan (pecan by shellbark) grafted in burlington hiccan (pecan by shellbark) grafted in green bay hiccan (pecan by shellbark) grafted in des moines hiccan (pecan by shellbark) grafted in burton hiccan (pecan by shellbark) grafted in mcalester hiccan (pecan by shellbark) grafted in anthony shagbark hickory grafted in barnes shagbark by mocker nut grafted in brill shagbark hickory grafted in brooks shagbark hickory grafted in camp no. shagbark hickory grafted in (?) deveaux shagbark hickory grafted in fox shagbark hickory grafted in glover shagbark hickory grafted in gobble shagbark hickory grafted in hand shagbark hickory grafted in harman shagbark hickory grafted in leonard shagbark hickory grafted in lingenfelter shagbark hickory grafted in manahan shagbark hickory grafted in milford shagbark hickory grafted in murdock shagbark hickory grafted in netking shagbark hickory grafted in platman shagbark hickory grafted in pleas pecan by bitternut grafted in schinnerling shagbark hickory grafted in stanley shellbark hickory grafted in swaim shagbark hickory grafted in taylor shagbark hickory grafted in triplett shagbark hickory grafted in woods grafted in the varieties below are growing in orchard or random locations out of the woods: beaver hybrid hickory grafted in cedar rapids shagbark hickory grafted in clark shagbark hickory grafted in fairbanks hybrid shagbark by bitternut grafted in herman last hybrid grafted in hope pecan pure pecan grafted to bitternut grafted in kirtland shagbark hickory grafted in laney pecan by shellbark grafted in marquardt hiccan grafted in norton hiccan grafted in river hickory undetermined hybrid grafted in rockville hiccan pecan by shellbark grafted in siers mockernut by bitternut grafted in stratford shagbark by bitternut grafted in weiker hybrid shagbark by shellbark grafted in in addition to the above, several large and small trees of the weschcke variety are located in orchard and random locations, some having been grafted in and later. also, there is a sprinkling of bridgewater variety, grafted in and later, all bearing each year. for many years, i observed hickories and walnuts in bloom and hand-pollinated them, yet i overlooked many things i should have discovered earlier in study. it was only after ten years of observing the weschcke hickory, for example, that i realized the importance of proper pollinization of it. in years when it produced only a few nuts, i had blamed seasonal factors, rains and soil conditions, but i now realize that it was due to lack of the right pollen. in the spring of , i decided to make special pollen combinations with all the hickories then in bloom. the information i acquired in return was great reward for the work i did. i selected branches of the weschcke hickory trees bearing a profuse amount of pistillate (female) blossoms. i hand-pollinated these with a special apparatus (the hand-pollen gun described later in this book), using a magnifying glass so that both pollen and blossom could be plainly seen. in doing this, i found it most practical to wear what jewelers call a "double loupe," a light, fiber head-gear carrying lenses well-suited to such work. i treated the marked branches with pollen gathered from the bridgewater, the kirtland and the beaver, all very good pollen-bearers. i also pollinated branches of the cedar rapids variety, which bears little pollen in this locality, with kirtland pollen. however, the pollinization of the cedar rapids, which involved treating from to pistillate blossoms, resulted in only two mature nuts. the weschcke hickory has an abortive staminate bloom so that it must depend on some other variety for pollen. at the northern nut growers' convention, held at hershey, pa. in , (where i had the honor of being elected president of that venerable organization and succeeded myself thereafter for the next five years) i mentioned this abortive staminate bloom of my hickory to my friend, dr. j. w. mckay, associate cytologist of the u. s. department of agriculture at that time. he was very interested in this phenomenon and wanted specimens of the abortive catkins for examination. these were sent to him in the spring of . i quote from dr. mckay's report on his primary findings: "i have just made a preliminary examination of the catkins from your hickory tree received last may, and it seems that the individual staminate flower of the catkin produces - undersized stamens, the anthers of which are devoid of either pollen or pollen-mother-cells. so far i have made only temporary preparations of the crushed anthers in stain but careful study of these mounts discloses no sign of pollen grains or mother cells, so we may tentatively conclude that no pollen is produced by the tree; in other words it is male-sterile. the stage at which degeneration of the pollen-forming tissue occurs in the anthers and its nature will have to be determined by means of a longer and more elaborate technique and i will let you know what we find as soon as the results are available. it may be that pollen-mother-cells are not even formed in the anthers; the small size of these structures and their more or less shriveled appearance lead me to believe that this may be the case. "so far as i know there is no instance among nut species comparable to that outlined above. we have two or three cases of male sterility in chestnut but in these no stamens are formed in the individual staminate flower. in one of the hybrid walnuts that i reported on at the hershey convention, imperfect pollen grains are formed in the anthers but the latter structures never open, so no pollen is shed. "bear in mind that the above report is preliminary and other angles may turn up when permanent mounts are available for study." on december , i received a second, and final report from dr. mckay from which i quote, as follows: "dear mr. weschcke: the enclosed pencil sketches will give you an idea of the results obtained from sectioning four lots of material from the two samples of catkins that you sent, two lots from each sample. since the sample collected may at the time of catkin fall was old enough to contain mature pollen and showed only anthers of the two types described herewith i think we may safely conclude that the tree is male sterile because of the failure of the mother cells to function. it is odd that in some anthers the pollen-mother-cells develop (type ) while in others they do not (type ). for this we have no explanation; nor can we explain why the tree is male sterile. i am afraid these phenomena will remain a matter of conjecture for some time to come. since sterilities of this and other sorts in most other plants are largely genetic, that is, controlled by one or more genes that are inherited in mendelian fashion, it is likely that such is the case here. you and i will not live long enough, however, to grow the necessary number of generations of trees to clear up these matters. "in the course of routine preparation of other material i plan to run up other lots from your samples, and i will let you know if anything different turns up. i believe we may safely conclude, however, that the results reported herewith are representative." in further explanation, dr. mckay submitted the drawings shown on page , and says: "four lots of material were sectioned, two from the collection of may and two from that of may . of these, two gave anthers of type one, and two of type two. more material will have to be sectioned before we know which type is predominant. "the anthers of type one are greatly shriveled, and a band of deeply-staining collapsed cells apparently represents the remains of archesporial or pollen-forming tissue. "the anthers of type two are normal in appearance, but the pollen-mother-cells degenerate before pollen grains are formed. a comparison of the degenerate pollen-mother-cells of this plant with normal pollen-mother-cells is given below:" [illustration: sections of anthers of the weschcke hickory carya ovata _illustrations by dr. mckay showing pollen degeneration in weschcke hickory._] this substantiates the conclusion that i had arrived at previous to this report, that this hickory is able to mature its nuts early in the fall by reason of not having to waste its energy in the production of pollen. (there is only one other variety of hickory which i have grafted on bitternut which has proved unable to mature pollen and it is the creager from iowa.) i was immensely pleased to find that it responded very well to bridgewater pollen, a high percentage of the blooms treated with it developing mature nuts. the results with the kirtland pollen were almost equally good, the poorest showing coming from those branches treated with beaver pollen on which only three mature nuts developed. (the beaver is presumed to be a hybrid between bitternut and shagbark hickories.) sixty-two nuts from these pollinizations were planted in the fall of in rodent-proof seed beds. in the spring, counting germination, i found % of these nuts had sprouted and grown into small trees during the season. after finding the most suitable pollen for the weschcke hickory, i realized the necessity for including more than one variety of hickory in a planting, just as there should be more than one variety of apple or plum tree in an orchard. i think that it would always be well to have three or more varieties of known compatibility within reasonable distances, probably not more than feet apart, nor less than to feet for large hickories. of the many varieties of hickory and hickory hybrids i have tested, about twenty have, by now, proved to be sufficiently hardy to recommend for this latitude. these include: *beaver hybrid hickory *fairbanks hybrid hickory *laney hybrid hickory burlington hybrid between pecan and shellbark hickory rockville hybrid between pecan and shellbark hickory hope pecan pure pecan grafted on to bitternut roots hand pure shagbark *bridgewater pure shagbark barnes hybrid hickory *cedar rapids pure shagbark *weschcke pure shagbark *deveaux pure shagbark *brill pure shagbark *glover pure shagbark *kirtland pure shagbark *siers thought to be a hybrid between the mocker nut and bitternut *stratford hybrid (bitternut by shagbark) *creager *have produced mature nuts there are three or four others that are hardy but all means of identification having been lost, it will be necessary to wait until they come into bearing before their varieties will be known. as experiments continue, more varieties of worthy, hardy hickories and hiccans will be found which will justify completely the opinion of those of us who always hail as king of all our native nuts, the hickory. [illustration: _ --weschcke hickory as borne by parent tree at fayette, iowa._ _ --after several years of bearing grafted on northern bitternut hickory at river falls, wis._ _ --still further change in shape and size from graft on bitternut._ _ --change and increase in size now is so pronounced as to almost extinguish its original identity._] [illustration: _weschcke hickory nut natural size shows free splitting hull. photo by c. weschcke._] chapter butternut like the hickory tree, the butternut shares in the childhood reminiscences of those who have lived on farms or in the country where butternuts are a treat to look forward to each fall. the nuts, which mature early, have a rich, tender kernel of mild flavor. only the disadvantage of their heavy, corrugated shells prevents them from holding the highest place in popularity, although a good variety cracks easily into whole half-kernels. butternuts grow over an extended range which makes them the most northern of all our native wild nut trees, although their nuts do not mature as far north as hazelnuts do. butternut trees blossom so early that in northern latitudes the blossoms are frequently killed in late spring frosts. only when the trees are growing near the summit of a steep hillside will they be likely to escape such frosts and bear crops regularly. i have found that really heavy crops appear in cycles in natural groves of butternut trees. my observation of them over a period of thirty-two years in their natural habitat in west-central wisconsin has led me to conclude that one may expect butternut trees to bear, on an average, an enormous crop of nuts once in five years, a fairly large crop once in three years, with little or no crop the remaining years. as a seedling tree of two or three years, the butternut is indistinguishable from the black walnut except to a very discerning and practiced eye, especially in the autumn after its leaves have fallen. as the trees grow older, the difference in their bark becomes more apparent, that of the butternut remaining smooth for many years, as contrasted to the bark on black walnut trees which begins to roughen on the main trunk early in its life. bark on a butternut may still be smooth when the tree is ten years old. forest seedlings of butternut, when one or two years old, are easily transplanted if the soil is congenial to their growth. although the tree will do well on many types of soil, it prefers one having a limestone base, just as the english walnut does. a butternut seedling usually requires several more years of growth than a black walnut does before it comes into bearing, although this varies with climate and soil. it is impossible to be exact, but i think i may safely say that it requires at least ten years of growing before a seedling butternut tree will bear any nuts. of course, exceptions will occasionally occur. as a butternut tree matures, it spreads out much like an apple or chestnut tree. of course, it must have enough room to do so, an important factor in raising any nut tree. enough room and sunlight hasten bearing-age and insure larger crops of finer nuts. grafting valuable varieties of butternut on black walnut stock will also hasten bearing. i have had such grafts produce nuts the same year the grafting was done and these trees continued to grow rapidly and produce annually. however, they were not easy to graft, the stubborn reluctance of the butternut top to accept transplantation to a foreign stock being well known. this factor will probably always cause grafted butternut trees to be higher in price than black walnut or hickory. the reverse graft, i.e., black walnut on butternut should never be practiced for although successful, the black walnut overgrows the stock and results in an unproductive tree. specimens or more years old prove this to be a fact. butternut trees are good feeders. they respond well to cultivation and lend themselves to being grafted upon, although, from my own experience, i question their usefulness as a root stock. i have found that when i grafted black walnuts, english walnuts or heartnuts on butternut stock, the top or grafted part of the tree became barren except for an occasional handful of nuts, even on very large trees. since this has occurred throughout the many years of my nut culture work, i think it should be given serious consideration before butternut is used as a root stock for other species of nut trees. [illustration: _weschcke butternut. smooth shallow convolutions of shell allow kernels to drop out freely. drawing by wm. kuehn._] i had the good luck to discover an easy-cracking variety of butternut in river falls, wisconsin, in , which i have propagated commercially and which carries my name. a medium-sized nut, it has the requisite properties for giving it a varietal name, for it cracks mostly along the sutural lines and its internal structure is so shallow that the kernel will fall out if a half-shell is turned upside down. i received one of those surprises which sometimes occur when a tree is asexually propagated when i grafted scions from this butternut on black walnut stock. the resulting nuts were larger than those on the parent tree and their hulls peeled off with almost no effort. whether these features continue after the trees become older is something i shall observe with interest. [illustration: _self hulling butternut. weschcke variety. drawing by wm. kuehn._] the nearly self-hulling quality of these nuts makes them very clean to handle. the absence of hulls in cracking butternuts not only does away with the messiness usually involved, but also it allows more accurate cracking and more sanitary handling of the kernels. in i noticed a new type of butternut growing near the farm residence. this butternut was fully twice as large as the weschcke and had eight prominent ridges. the nut proved to be even better than the older variety and we intend to test it further by grafting it on butternuts and black walnut stocks. although hand-operated nutcrackers have been devised to crack these and other wild nuts, they are not as fast as a hammer. if one protects the hand by wearing a glove and stands the butternut on a solid iron base, hitting the pointed end with a hammer, it is quite possible to accumulate a pint of clean nut meats in half an hour. the butternut tree is one whose lumber may be put to many uses. it is light but very tough and stringy and when planed and sanded, it absorbs varnish and finishes very well. although not as dark in natural color as black walnut, butternut resembles it in grain. when butternut has been stained to represent black walnut, it is only by their weight that they can be distinguished. in late years, natural butternut has become popular as an interior finish and for furniture, being sold as "blonde walnut," "french walnut," or "white walnut," in my opinion very improper names. i see no reason for calling it by other than its own. depletion of forests of butternut trees brings its lumber value up in price nearly to that of fine maple or birch, approaching that of black walnut in some places. i have run several thousand feet of butternut lumber from my farmland through my own sawmill and used it for a variety of purposes. it is probably the strongest wood for its weight except spruce. i have used it successfully to make propellers which operate electric generators for deriving power from the wind. because butternut is so light and, properly varnished, resists weathering and decay to so great an extent, i have found it the best material i have ever tried for such construction. in building a small electric car for traveling around the orchards, i used butternut rather than oak or metal, which saved at least pounds of weight, an important matter since the source of the car's power is automobile storage batteries. butternut is very durable in contact with the ground and is used for fence posts on farms where it is plentiful. bird houses built of this wood will last indefinitely, even a lifetime if they are protected with paint or varnish. butternut is like red cedar in this respect, although much stronger. stories have been told of black walnut logs which, after lying unused for fifty years, have been sawed into lumber and found to be still in excellent condition. it is quite likely that the same could be said of butternut for these woods are very much alike in the degree of their durability and resistance to weather. an incidental value butternut trees have is their ability to bleed freely in the spring if the outer bark is cut. therefore, they can be tapped like maple trees and their sap boiled down to make a sweet syrup. it does not have the sugar content that the stabler black walnut has, however. another possible use is suggested by the shells of butternuts which, even when buried in the ground, show great resistance to decay. i have found them to be still intact and possessing some strength after being covered by earth for fifteen years. this indicates that they might be used with a binder in a composition material. their extreme hardness also offers a good wearing surface. [illustration: _electrically operated wagon constructed of native butternut wood known for strength and light weight as well as durability. author's sons aboard. photo by c. weschcke ._] not only good things can be said of the butternut tree and it would be wrong to avoid mentioning the deleterious effect that a butternut tree may have on other trees planted within the radius of its root system. i have had several experiences of this kind. one butternut tree on my farm, having a trunk six inches in diameter, killed every mugho pine within the radius of its root system. this amounted to between and pines. their death could not be attributed to the shade cast by the butternut as mugho pines are very tolerant of shade. as the first branches of the butternut were more than three feet off the ground, the pines could not have been influenced by the top system of the tree nor do i believe that it was due to fallen leaves, but rather directly to the greatly ramified roots. large evergreens, such as colorado blue spruce, native white pine, limber pine and jeffrey pine are known to have been similarly influenced. while small butternut trees do not, in my experience, have this effect, this may be explained by the fact that the radius of their root systems is much more limited. most plants, other than pines, thrive within the influence of butternut roots, however, and it certainly does not damage pasture grass as some of the country's best grazing land is among such trees. the damage results from a chemical known as juglone which is elaborated by the root system and when the roots of the butternut cross those of its evergreen neighbor, this acts as a poison to the evergreen and may kill it. [illustration: _an -foot propeller of butternut wood is the prime mover for wind power generator which in a brisk wind generated volts and amperes at rpm._] the butternut is attacked by one serious disease which is in the nature of a blight (melanconium oblongum), since it is transmitted through spores. it usually attacks old trees, the branches of the top part dying, and the bark on the main trunk becoming loose. the disease progresses slowly and i have seen large trees infected for twelve or fifteen years, continuing to bear fine crops. it does have a very weakening effect, though, and eventually saps the life from the tree long before its natural span of life of about fifty years is over. chapter pioneering with english walnuts in wisconsin the convention of the northern nut growers' association at geneva, new york, in , brought many interesting subjects to the attention of nut enthusiasts. none, however, commanded as much attention as an exhibit by paul c. crath, of toronto, of walnuts from the carpathian mountains in europe. there were more than forty varieties of walnuts represented in it, in sizes ranging from that of a large filbert to that of a very large hen's egg, and in shape being globular, ovate or rectangular. the exhibitor had these identified by varietal numbers until testing and propagation should suggest appropriate names. in several talks which rev. crath gave during the convention, he described his trips and findings in the walnut-producing sections of the polish carpathians. the subject remained in prominence during the three days of the convention and the idea was suggested that the association sponsor another trip to europe to obtain walnuts growing there which rev. crath considered even hardier and finer than the ones he had. the plan was tabled, however, for only two of us were eager to contribute to the venture. on my return home, i thought more about what a splendid opportunity this would be to procure hardy english walnuts to grow in this part of the country. i interested my father in the idea, and, with his backing, corresponded with rev. crath. this was not the first or the last time that my father, charles weschcke, had encouraged me and had backed his good wishes and advice with money. a professional man and a graduate of pharmacy and chemistry of the university of wisconsin, he showed an unusual interest in my horticultural endeavors. the immediate outcome was rev. crath's visit to my nursery at river falls, to determine whether material that he might collect could be properly tested there. to my satisfaction, he found that temperature, soil conditions and stock material were adequate for such work. we contracted with rev. crath to reproduce asexually all the varieties that he could discover and ship to us, agreeing to finance his trip and to pay him a royalty whenever we sold trees resulting from the plant material he sent us. we decided that the material which he was to gather should include not only english walnuts but also the hazels or filberts native to poland. the walnuts were to consist of about six hundred pounds of seeds, representing some forty varieties, several thousand scions and about five hundred trees. we planned that the filberts should consist of both trees and nuts, but because of a total failure of this crop the year that rev. crath was there, only trees were available. rev. crath left canada in october , and spent all of the following winter in poland. while he was there, i began the task of arranging for the receipt of the walnuts and hazels he was to send, and so began a wearisome, exasperating experience. first, it was necessary to obtain permits from the bureau of plant industry in washington. because of the vast quantity of material expected, these permits had to be issued in the names of five people. next, i engaged a new york firm of importers, so that no time would be lost in re-routing the shipment to the proper authorities for inspection. this firm, in turn, hired brokers who were responsible for paying all duty, freight and inspection charges. i certainly thought that we had everything in such readiness that there would be nothing to delay the shipment when it arrived. how wrong i was! although rev. crath had written me that the shipment had been sent on a certain polish steamer, i learned of its arrival only from a letter i received from the importing company, which requested that the original bill of lading and invoice be sent to them at once, as the shipment had already been in the harbor for a week but could not be released by the customs office until they had these documents. i had received the bill of lading from rev. crath but not the invoice, for he had not known that i would need it. so my valuable, but perishable, shipment remained in port storage day after day while i frantically sought for some way to break through the "red tape" holding it there. cables to rev. crath were undeliverable as he was back in the mountains seeking more material. in desperation, i wrote to clarence a. reed, an old friend, member of the northern nut growers' association and in charge of government nut investigations in the division of pomology at washington. through his efforts and under heavy bond pending receipt of the invoice, the walnut and filbert material was released and sent to washington, d. c. as there was too much of it to be inspected through the usual facilities for this work, it was necessary to employ a firm of seed and plant importers to do the necessary inspecting and fumigating. at last, terminating my concern and distress over the condition in which the trees and scions would be after such great delays and so many repackings, the shipment arrived in st. paul. there remained only the requirement of getting permission from the bureau of plant inspection of the state of minnesota to take it to wisconsin, where, if there was anything left, i intended to plant it. this permission being readily granted, we managed, by truck and, finally, by sled, to get it to the nursery about the middle of the winter. the following spring, we planted the nuts and trees and grafted the scions on black walnut and butternut stocks. the mortality of these grafts was the greatest i have ever known. of about four thousand english walnut grafts, representing some twenty varieties, only one hundred twenty-five took well enough to produce a good union with the stock and to grow. some of them grew too fast and in spite of my precautions, were blown out; others died from winter injury the first year. by the following spring, there were only ten varieties which had withstood the rigor of the climate. of the five hundred trees, only a few dozen survived. fortunately, this was not one of our severe, "test" winters, or probably none of these plants would have withstood it. the walnuts which were planted showed a fairly high degree of hardiness. of , seedling trees, our nursery is testing more than for varietal classification. these have been set out in test orchard formation on two locations, both high on the slope of a ravine, one group on the north side, one on the south. it has been suggested that from the remaining seedlings, which number thousands, we select to representative specimens and propagate them on black walnut stocks in some warmer climate, either in oregon, missouri or new york. this would determine their value as semi-hardy trees worthy of propagation in such localities. such an experiment will probably be made eventually. the same year, , in which i obtained the polish nuts, i also bought one hundred pounds of austrian walnuts, to serve as a check. eighty pounds of these consisted of the common, commercial type of walnut, while the remainder was of more expensive nuts having cream-colored shells and recommended by the austrian seed firm as particularly hardy. altogether these nuts included approximately one hundred varieties, twenty of which were so distinctive that their nuts could be separated from the others by size and shape. about two thousand seedlings grew from this planting, most of which proved to be too tender for our winter conditions. the seedlings grown from the light-colored nuts show about the same degree of hardiness as the carpathian plants. many of them have been set out in experimental orchards to be brought into bearing. after the first year, the english walnuts progressed fairly well. large trees, which had not been entirely worked over at first, were trimmed so that nothing remained of the original top, but only the grafted branches. the winter of - was not especially severe and mortality was low, although it was apparent that all of the varieties were not equally hardy. even a few of the scions grafted on butternut stocks were growing successfully. i had made these grafts realizing that the stock was not a very satisfactory one, to learn if it could be used to produce scionwood. as the results were encouraging, i decided it would be worthwhile to give them good care and gradually to remove all of the butternut top. each fall, the first two years after i had grafted all these walnuts, i cut and stored enough scionwood from each variety to maintain it if the winter should be so severe as to destroy the grafts. unfortunately, the grafts had developed so well, even to the actual bearing of nuts by three varieties, that in i did not think this precaution was necessary. then came our catastrophic armistice day blizzard, the most severe test of hardiness and adaptability ever to occur in the north. many of our hardiest trees suffered great injury from it, such trees, for instance, as colorado blue spruce, limber pine, arborvitae; cultured varieties of hickories, hiccans, heartnuts; fruit trees, including apples, plums and apricots, which bore almost no fruit the next summer. although not one variety of english walnut was entirely killed, all, except one, suffered to some degree, and it was not until late the following summer that several varieties began to produce new wood. the variety which showed the greatest degree of hardiness is "firstling," originally known as letter f. although the primary buds on the firstling were nearly all killed, very few of the small branches were affected and the union itself suffered no injury. second in hardiness is kremenetz, much of its top being killed, but its union being only slightly affected. no. was affected in about the same amount as kremenetz. increasing degrees of tenderness and, of course, decreasing degrees of hardiness, were shown by the many other varieties, some of which may never recover completely from the shock of that blizzard. the seedling trees suffered only slight damage so that i expect that they are hardy enough to produce fruit here. i cannot conclude this chapter without mentioning certain observations i have made regarding hardiness, which, although they require more specific study, i wish to describe as a suggestion for further experimentation by either amateur or professional horticulturists. my theory is that a determination of the hardiness factor of an english walnut tree can be made according to the color of its bark. i have seen that a tree having thin bark which remains bright green late into the fall is very likely to be of a tender variety. conversely, among these carpathian walnuts, i have found that varieties whose bark becomes tan or brown early in autumn show much more hardiness than those whose bark remains green. one variety, wolhynie, whose bark is chocolate brown, is very resistant to winter injury. another, whose green bark is heavily dotted with lenticels, shows itself hardier than those having none or only a trace of them. in testing almonds, i have found that trees whose bark turns red early in the fall are definitely more hardy than those whose bark remains green or tan. in observing apricots, i have learned that young twigs with red bark are more resistant to cold than those with brown. of course, these findings cannot be considered as facts until further studies have been made. i hope that others will find the idea of investigating this more-than-possibility as interesting as i do. as the years increased, however, the growth of the seedling walnuts decreased and some having made a nice tree-like form, with a trunk of approximately an inch in diameter, within a succession of years were reduced in size through the combination of winter injury and attacks by the butternut curculio as well as a bacterial blight until by only a fraction of the , seedlings remained, certainly less than , . all of the originally grafted specimens are dead with the exception of one variety which has been kept alive by constantly re-grafting it on black walnut. we have not named this variety as yet, although it has borne both staminate and pistillate bloom, it has never borne any ripe nuts. some of the seedlings, however, still show persistent traits of hardiness and of insect resistance and we still have hopes that after years these trees will yet overcome the adversities of this uncongenial climate for this species. chapter other trees heartnut the heartnut is a sport of the japanese walnut (juglans sieboldiana). since its nut is heart-shaped, it has the name of "cordiformis" added to its species name. there are many of these sports, some of which have been propagated under the varietal names of faust, lancaster, fodermaier, wright, walters, canoka, okay and gellatly. i think this is the most ornamental of all nut trees. in shape, it is similar to an apple tree, spreading out rather than growing tall, but its long, compound leaves give it a tropical appearance. during the autumn these leaves do not color any more than do those of the black walnut. the tree produces long racemes of red blossoms and its staminate blooms are catkins eight to ten inches long, which, when fully ripened, swish in the wind and release clouds of yellow pollen. the heartnut tree holds the interest of its owner closely during that time when the nuts resulting from the racemes of blossoms are steadily increasing in size. i have seen as many as sixteen nuts on one stem and doubtless, there sometimes are more. the owner of such a tree, at least if he is at all like me, will proudly exhibit it to all comers during the spring and summer seasons. and then, at harvest time, after the nuts have gradually changed from green to the dull yellow that indicates their maturity, he will have the satisfaction of shaking them down for drying and storage. the heartnut kernel tastes much like that of the butternut and its internal structure is almost the same but the outside shell is smooth. cultivated varieties usually crack easily and in such a way that the kernel is released in halves. from all this, it is easy to see that the heartnut is not only a beautiful tree but is definitely useful. in my own work with heartnuts i have found that, although they are to be classed only as semi-hardy, there are a few varieties which are hardy enough for northern temperatures. only testing will determine which ones can endure severe climates. in the spring of , i planted a lancaster heartnut grafted on a black walnut, but the weather was cold that season and it was killed down to the graft joint, where it threw out a sprout. this was weak and succulent by fall and the graft was entirely killed back that winter. i bought twelve more lancaster heartnuts a year later. they were interspersed in the orchard among some black walnuts. although a few survived the first winter, none ever lived to come into bearing. from time to time, i also experimented with seedlings sent to me by professor james a. neilson of vineland, ontario, who was interested in having them tested in this latitude. these, too, were always unsuccessful. i had my first success with several unnamed varieties of heartnuts i purchased in from j. u. gellatly of british columbia. these were grafted on black walnut stocks of considerable size. to insure their surviving the first winter, i built wooden shelters which completely enclosed them, filling these shelters with forest leaves and protecting them against mice with screen covers. no doubt this was a decided help; at least all of these heartnuts lived for many years until the invasion of the butternut curculio and the damage done by the yellow bellied sap sucker bird caused me the loss of all except one variety, the gellatly. this variety i have perpetuated by re-grafting on other black walnut stocks and by spraying and covering the limbs with screen to prevent the sap sucker from working on it, still have it in the nursery and at my home in st. paul where a young tree on the boulevard bears each year. i have found that heartnuts are difficult to propagate, the number of successful grafts i have made being far below that of black walnuts on black walnut stocks. the reason for this is not well understood any more than is the fact, in my experience, that the stabler walnut will graft readily and the ten eyck persistently refuses to. a good feature that these grafted trees do have, however, is their early productiveness. i have seen them set nuts the second year after grafting and this has also occurred in trees i have sold to others. when a nut of j. sieboldiana cordiformis is planted, it does not reliably reproduce itself in true type, sometimes reverting to that of the ordinary japanese walnut, which looks more like a butternut and has a rather rough shell as distinguished from the smooth shell of the heartnut. in hulling my heartnut crop for , i noticed many deformed nuts. the season had been a prolific one for nut production of all kinds, and i knew there had been a mixture of pollen in the air at the time these nutlets were receptive (a mixture made up largely of pollen from black walnuts, butternuts, with some english walnuts). since irregularities in size and shape indicate hybridity frequently and since heartnuts are easily hybridized i have assumed that these were pollinized by the mixture. i have planted these odd-shaped nuts and i expect them to result in many new crosses of j. sieboldiana cordiformis, some five to eight years from now. [illustration: _beautiful tropical looking japanese walnut (juglans sieboldiana cordiformis). variety gellatly, from westbank, b. c., canada. photo by c. weschcke._] to show how nature reacts to much interference i will follow through on these nearly small trees that resulted from this pollination. they were transplanted into an orchard on a side hill and well taken care of for several years, but during that time one after another was killed, apparently by winter conditions or perhaps the site was too exposed or the soil may have been uncongenial. today there remains but three trees, none of which have borne but all indicate that they are true heartnuts from the shape of the leaves and color of the bark and general formation. in order to hasten their bearing, scions have been taken from these small trees and will be grafted on large black walnut stocks to bring them into fruitfulness much earlier than if they were left to their own slow growth. this system of testing out seedlings long before they have reached a size sufficient to bear on their own roots is applicable to all of the species of nut trees and is one way that the plant breeder can hurry up his testing for varieties after making crosses and obtaining young plants. [illustration: _natural size heartnut. photo / / by c. weschcke. gellatly variety._] beechnut the beechnut, fagus ferruginea, belonging to the oak family, is one of the giants of the forest, growing to great size and age. even very old beech trees have smooth bark and this, in earlier and more rustic days, was much used for the romantic carving of lovers' names, as scars still visible on such ancient trees testify. the wood itself is dense and hard, even more so than hard maple, and is considered good lumber. beechnut is one of the few nut trees with a more shallow and ramified root system as contrasted with that of most, which, as in the oak, walnut and hickory, is a tap root system. this fact suggests that in those localities where beeches grow wild, grafts made on such trees, and transplanted, would survive and grow well. perhaps one of the reasons why very little propagation is done with beeches is that no outstanding variety has ever been discovered. although the nut shell is thin and the meat sweet and oily, the kernel is so small that one must crack dozens of them to get a satisfying sample of their flavor. this, of course, prevents their having any commercial value as a nut. there is also the fact that the beechnut is the slowest growing of all the common nut trees, requiring from twenty to thirty years to come into bearing as a seedling. of course this could be shortened, just as it is in propagating hickories and pecans, by making grafts on root systems which are ten or more years old, as explained in the chapter on heartnuts. however, i know of no nursery in which beechnuts are propagated in this way. my attempts to grow beechnut trees in wisconsin have met with little success. about the year , i obtained trees from the sturgeon bay nurseries. i planted these on level ground which had clay near the surface with limestone about a foot under it. although all of these trees seemed to start satisfactorily, some even growing about a foot, within two or three years they had all died. i decided they were not hardy but i now realize that the character of the soil was responsible for their gradual death; they should be planted in a limestone or calcareous soil, preferably of the fine sandy type, the main requisite being plenty of moisture because of their shallow root system. since then, i have purchased beechnut seeds several times from various seedsmen, but none of these seeds has ever sprouted. i think this is because beechnuts, like chestnuts, must be handled with great care to retain their viability. in , i ordered beechnut trees from the hershey nurseries of downingtown, pennsylvania. although these trees were set in sandy soil, there are now only about five of them alive, and of these, only four are growing well enough to suggest that they will some day become big trees. beechnuts must be protected against mice and rabbits as these species of rodents are very fond of bark and young growth of these trees and i have every reason to believe that deer are in the same category. oaks although the acorns produced by the red oak are very bitter and consistently wormy, those from the white oak are more edible. in my own exploring, i have found one tree, apparently a hybrid between the red and white oaks, which bears good acorns. the nuts, which are long and thin, are generally infested with weevils. if there were a demand for such a nut tree, i'm sure that it could easily be grafted on oak roots. during favorable seasons, when these edible nuts were of good size and free from worms, i have carried them in my pocket and enjoyed munching on them. i found that their flavor, like that of chestnuts, was improved by roasting. acorns are a balanced food and contain enough starch to make them readily assimilated, except for their bitterness. they are a good food for farm animals and chickens. i have kept a flock of goats in good condition by feeding them acorns during the winter. it isn't necessary to grind them for such use. i have read that indians at one time prepared acorns for their own use by storing them in bags submerged in cold running water. this not only extracted the bitterness but also it probably discouraged the development of weevil eggs. oak trees are generally prolific and are regular bearers, but of course, what they are widely known and loved for is the beauty of their leaves in the autumn. no one doubts their esthetic value, which will keep them forever popular whether they come into demand as a grafted nut tree or not. chestnuts another of our ornamental nut trees is the chestnut, also of the oak family, classified under the genus castanea, which grows into a large, beautiful tree with wide-spread branches. chestnuts do not grow well on limestone soil and always fail in the heavy blue clay so common on farm lands in this part of the country. it is best for their growth that the soil be gravelly and slightly acid. the chestnut has always been a good timber tree. its wood, although not as hard as the red oak, resembles it in grain. the beams of many old pioneer homes are found to be chestnut. it is said that this is one of few woods to give a warning groan under too heavy a burden before it cracks or breaks. chestnut wood is very durable in contact with the soil, outlasting all others except possibly black walnut and cedar. it contains so much siliceous matter in its pores that it quickly dulls chisels and saws used in working it. the chestnut trees at my nursery were grown from mixed hybrid seeds which i obtained from miss amelia riehl of godfrey, illinois. almost all of the seeds she first sent me, in , spoiled while they were stored during the winter. but miss riehl sent me more the following spring, many of which proved hardy. in , the oldest of these trees produced staminate bloom for the first time. i naturally expected a crop of nuts from it that year, but none developed. the same thing happened in . i then wrote to miss riehl about it, also asking her where to look for the pistillate blossoms. her reply was a very encouraging one in which she wrote that the pistillate blossoms appear at the base of the catkins or staminate blooms, but that it is quite a common thing for chestnut trees to carry the latter for several years before producing pistillate blossoms. she also explained that it was very unlikely that the tree would fertilize its own blooms, so that i should not expect one tree to bear until other nearby chestnuts were also shedding pollen. this occurred the next year and another chestnut close to the first one set a few nuts. it was not until that the tree which had blossomed first, actually bore nuts. in , i crossed the pistillate blossoms of this tree with pollen from a chinese variety called carr, resulting in half a dozen nuts which i planted. since the chestnuts in these parts do not bloom usually until early july we can expect chestnuts to be a more reliable crop than butternuts, for instance, which bloom very early in the spring about may to th. having had this reward for my efforts i took much more interest in chestnut growing and ordered trees of the chinese varieties, castanea mollissma from j. russell smith, h. f. stoke, and john hershey. some of these were seedlings and some were grafted trees, not over a dozen of them alive today and none have produced mature nuts. seemingly they have not been hardy although they have grown large enough to produce both staminate and pistillate blooms; they have never winter killed back to the ground, however. also, i have been planting nuts from all sources from which i could obtain them, mostly of the chinese chestnut type. some of these nuts were results of crosses, and showed their hybridity in the young seedlings that resulted there from. today i have perhaps of such young seedlings which i am pampering with the hope of getting something worthwhile from them. one of the big thrills of chestnut growing was the result of a chestnut that i picked up from a plant that was no higher than feet, growing at beltsville, maryland in the government testing ground there, in . my records show that this plant began to bear nuts in and have subsequently borne several crops in between the times that it was frozen to the ground and grew up again, which happened at least three times. like most chestnuts this one has to be pollinated by taking the staminate bloom from a dwarfed chestnut nearby whose bloom coincides with the blossoming of the female flowers of this chinese hybrid. chestnuts rarely set any nuts that produce mature seed from their own pollen but depend on cross-pollination. the nut from this hybrid is also the largest of any that i have grown and to my taste is a palatable one. it may not rank among the best ones of known varieties today, but for our climate i would consider it unusually large and good. experimentally, i have been able to produce new plants from this tree by layering young shoots coming from the roots. this generally requires two years to make a well-rooted plant before they are cut off and transplanted. this alternative of propagating by grafting or budding is considered a better method if it can be practiced, as it gives a plant on its own roots instead of the roots of some unknown seedling stock. [illustration: _hybrid chestnut; natural size, one of the two survivors of several dozen trees sent by the u. s. dept. of agriculture for testing this far north. fair size nut and it resembles the american sweet chestnut. photo by c. weschcke._] another tree that surprised me when it came into bearing proved to bear one nut in a burr which led me to believe that it was a chinquapin hybrid. later on, the habit of this tree changed somewhat and some of the burrs had more than one nut. i have found this to be the experience of others who have observed so-called chinquapin trees of a hybrid nature. it is my belief that the kind of pollen with which these blossoms are fertilized directly influences the number of nuts in a burr and sometimes the size of the nuts, again showing the importance of the cross-pollinating varieties when setting out an orchard of trees. this particular chinquapin type chestnut has upright growing habits different from a tree bearing similar nuts but having a very dwarfed habit. all of the nuts of the latter after six years of bearing can be picked off this tree by standing on the ground. there are several other trees bearing chestnuts, some large and some small nuts, all of which are interesting to me and may be important in the future of the chestnuts this far north since they indicate without doubt that the chestnut can accommodate itself to our climate, providing it has the right type of soil to grow in. in i acquired a -acre adjoining piece of land which has a much better chestnut growing site, being deep sandy soil, well drained, and yet not ever being dry. new varieties will be tested on this piece and should give much better results than the old trees which already were good enough to indicate success in chestnuts. [illustration: _a hybrid chestnut presumed to be a cross between european chestnut (castanea sativa) and its american cousin (castanea americana). actual size. photo by c. weschcke._] [illustration: _chinquapin hybrids from a tall growing tree. nuts grow in racemes of burrs with as many as burrs on one stem. photo by c. weschcke._] apricot if it were not that an apricot is a nut as well as a fruit, i should hesitate to include a description of my work with it. but the apricot seed has a rich kernel which, in many countries, for example, china, is used as a substitute for the almond to which it is closely related. it was in that my aunt, margaret weschcke, told me of an apricot tree growing in a yard on the mississippi river bluff in st. paul and said to be bearing fruit. i was quite skeptical until i saw the tree and also saw fruit from it which had been preserved by the woman who owned it. convinced of the hardiness of the tree, i was anxious to obtain scionwood but it was not until late that winter that i received permission to do so. it happened that a truck had broken off a large branch from the tree while delivering coal, and the owner very reasonably decided that taking a few twigs from it would not hurt it any more. i not only took the small branches that she was willing to sacrifice from her tree but also as many as possible from the branch which had been torn off, as its terminals were still in a fresh condition. i grafted these scions on hybrid plum trees where they took hold readily, and in , they began to bear prolifically. the apricots, which i have named harriet, in honor of my mother, are a fine-flavored fruit, medium in size. their cheeks are a mottled red with raised surfaces. their pits are well-formed and fairly edible. although the parent tree died the winter i took scions from it, my grafts have proved quite hardy, having received no injury when temperatures as low as ° below zero have occurred. since the parent tree died because its roots were severely frozen, it would seem that the top of the tree, in this case, was more hardy than the root system. this does occur sometimes, although it is unusual. in developing the factor of hardiness further in this apricot variety, i have taken advantage of something i had observed about other fruit trees. when one combines parts of two trees by grafting, it is a simple thing to select a hardy root stock from the available plants, just as i selected hardy plum stock on which to graft my apricot scions. this is not always possible in choosing scionwood, however, since scionwood is usually selected for such reasons as the quality of its fruit. it may happen that the top part of a tree is limited in its climatic scope because of its inability to withstand precipitate or otherwise unfavorable temperatures. having observed that certain grafted varieties of fruit trees, such as the wealthy apple, for instance, have gradually come to be planted much farther north than they originally were, i reasoned that this was because only the hardiest of them survived and these hardy ones therefore became the mother blocks for future grafting. this was an inescapable procedure which acted as a method of bud selection. i therefore assumed that by a careful choice of the hardiest among surviving twigs of the most recent graft of the harriet apricot, when particularly severe winter weather had caused some injury, i could induce extra-hardiness in future grafts. i also believe that i have added to the hardiness factor of the apricot by making frequent grafts. it is my theory that the root stock is able to exert some influence over the top other than mere maintenance of life. by frequently uniting a hardy stock with a less hardy top, i think that the individuality of the top part may be somewhat broken down and the extra characteristic of hardiness added to it. after the fifth re-graft of this apricot made in eight years, i am convinced by its appearance and behavior that it is capable of becoming a reliable apricot for the region around st. paul. today the apricot still exists grafted on plum at my nursery at river falls, wisconsin, and the weakness of the tree seems to be in the union between the top and the plum stock. if this union were not so corky and large and succulent it might be less injured by our winters; therefore it is quite apparent that the plum is not a congenial stock for an apricot, at least it does not produce a satisfactory union. i am now making tests with this same variety by grafting it on more hardy apricot seedling stock such as the prof. n. e. hansen of brookings, south dakota, introduces. chapter pests and pets the pocket gopher is an herbivorous animal which attains approximately the size of a gray squirrel. it has a sleek, grey-brown coat of fur which is almost as fine as that of the mole and would, i think, make a good quality fur except that the skin is too tender to stand either sewing or the wear that fur coats have to undergo. i learned this by trapping them and having a furrier try them out, as i knew that the quickest way to get rid of a pest is to eat it or use its hide. since i found its hide to be of no practical value, i enjoined my troop of boy scouts, a willing group of boys, to carry out my suggestions that they skin and prepare one of these animals in a stew. gophers are purely herbivorous and i thought they should be quite edible, but as i am a strict vegetarian myself, i had to depend on them to make this experiment. the boys followed instructions up to the point of cooking, but by that time the appearance of the animal had so deprived them of their enthusiasm and appetites that i had no heart to urge them to continue. i am still of the opinion, however, that to meat-eating people, the pocket gopher would taste as good as squirrel or pigeon. the first introduction i had to the devastating work that these animals can do in an orchard was when i was working among my young apple and plum trees one spring. i noticed that the foliage was turning yellow on many of them and upon investigation i found that the trees were very loose in the ground. at first i thought that planting operations and heaving of the ground by frost in the spring might be the cause, but in testing the looseness of one of these trees, i found that i could pull it out of the ground easily. there i saw what appeared to be the marks of an axe. i was completely convinced that i had personal enemies who went around nights chopping off the roots of my trees, for i knew that most of my neighbors were completely out of sympathy with my tree cultivation. in fact, farmers living in that section of the country were always poking fun at my nut tree plantings and orchard work, for their idea of what was proper on a farm was a treeless field of plowed ground. as i thought of all these things, i pulled up many other trees; in fact, there were dozens that were chopped off so that they could be completely pulled out. others still had one or two roots clinging to the main trunk and these i carefully replanted so that they would continue to live and grow. not long after the tragic day on which i found all these ravaged trees, i noticed, winding in and out close to the young orchard trees, the mounds which pocket gophers make when they tunnel under the ground. i followed some of these by digging into them with a shovel, and discovered that they led to the roots of trees, the very trees that had been chopped off and killed. my enemies were not human after all. sending for a pamphlet from the u. s. department of agriculture, i studied the material given about pocket gophers and their habits. i then began their systematic eradication, using about twelve steel muskrat traps. i succeeded in trapping, in one season, over thirty of them, at a time when they were so prolific and their holes so numerous that i could not drive a horse through the orchard without danger of breaking one of its legs. i also used poisoned grains and gases but i do not recommend them. trapping is the only method in which one obtains actual evidence of elimination. it took me many years to force the gophers out of my orchards and i still must set traps every fall, during september and october when they are most active. their habits are such that they do most of their tunnelling in the early fall months, before frost, during which time they expose and isolate the roots on which they intend to feed during the winter months when the ground is so hard that they cannot burrow further. this period is when they are most easily trapped. it was with the idea of establishing a balance of nature against these animals that i conceived the idea of importing bull snakes. almost everyone has heard of the bull snake, but its name is a poor one, for it has the wrong connotation. these snakes are actually a fine friend to the farmer since each snake accounts for the death of many rodents each year. their presence certainly was of definite value in decreasing the number at my farm. bull snakes have the long body typical of constrictors, sometimes reaching a length of nearly six feet at maturity, and being at the most an inch and one-half in diameter. this country had a natural abundance of such snakes at one time but ignorance and superstition have lessened their number so that it is now a rare thing to find one. during the early days of automobiles, these huge bull snakes, or gopher snakes, as i prefer to call them, would lie across the sunny, dusty roads, and drivers of cars delighted in running them down. since they are very docile, they are the least afraid of man of any members of the local snake family. they are slow in movement until they sense the immediate presence of their natural food, which is live mice, rats, gophers, squirrels, young rabbits, and sometimes, though rarely, birds. then it is they become alert, and the horny appendage on their tails vibrates with a high-pitched, buzzing sound, simulating, although not similar to, the sound of a poisonous rattlesnake. when i first brought some of these snakes to my farm, i loosed them and they wandered off to a neighbor's premises where they were promptly found and killed. later importations i confined to my basement, where i built an artificial pool with frogs and fish in it. however, i could never induce the bull snakes to eat any of these batrachians. they would, almost playfully, stalk the frogs, but at the moment when one was within reach, the snake would glide away. neither would the snakes, unless force-fed, eat anything they had not caught themselves. my children were delighted to have the snakes there and made pets of them. only once was one of the girls bitten when she attempted force-feeding. the bite was a mere scratch but we feared that it might be slightly poisonous. however, it healed so promptly that it was quite apparent that the bull snake's bite is not toxic. i, too, have had my skin slightly punctured by their teeth, but always the wound healed with no more pain or trouble than a pin prick. such is not at all the case when a person is nipped by a squirrel or gopher. i have purposely allowed a pocket gopher to bite me, to determine what the effects are. the pain was severe and healing was slow. once, bitten by a gray squirrel when i reached into a hollow tree to get it, i received such a wound that fever started in my whole hand. its teeth punctured a finger-nail and were stopped only by meeting the bone. such bites i consider rather poisonous. rabbits also committed much damage at my nursery by gnawing the bark of my trees, especially during times of deep snow. they did not bother the walnuts particularly, but were very fond of hickories and pecan trees. on the smallest ones, they cut branches off and carried them away to their nests. on larger trees, they gnawed the bark off of most of the lower branches. this was dangerous but seldom fatal, whereas the gnawing of mice, near the base of the trunks, was such that in some cases when complete girdling occurred, it was necessary to use bridge-grafting to save the trees. this consists of connecting the bark immediately above the roots with the bark above the girdled portion, so that the tree can receive and send the food substances it elaborates to its upper and lower parts. rabbits and mice, therefore, had to be dealt with. of course, one could go hunting for rabbits and later eat them. this was one task i had my employees do. i, myself, was unwilling to take an active part in it, although still intent on saving my trees in spite of my pity for the little animals. placing hundreds of cans in the orchard, with a pinch of poisoned wheat and oat mixture in each, helped to eradicate the mice. the bait was placed inside the cans to prevent birds from being poisoned, and the cans were tipped at an angle so that water would not enter them. to be absolutely sure of preventing mice damage, one should provide each tree with a screen guard. i have made about , screen protectors for my trees for this purpose. i have also trapped rabbits which we were not able to shoot and i conceived the idea of painting the traps with white enamel. when these were set on the snow around those trees which the rabbits attacked, they worked very successfully. the traps were a size larger than the common gopher trap, but were not expensive. there are other ways of catching rabbits or curtailing their activities, but on my list, shooting comes first, with trapping as a second effective measure. squirrels, although they do no damage to the trees themselves, except on rare occasions, are a definite nuisance when they come in large numbers and cut down nuts before they are ripe. they do this to hickory nuts, and apparently are very fond of the half-ripened nuts. i have seen squirrels chew hickory buds and young sprouts of hickory grafts and i had to trap several before i stopped them from doing this to certain ornamental trees in our garden. in fact, when one has a large nut orchard, squirrels will be attracted in number that preclude the possibility of harvesting a crop unless measures are taken to banish them. they are very active early in the morning and my experiences indicate that two or three people should hunt them together, as they are very clever at dodging a single hunter. i also have built galvanized metal guards around isolated trees which prevent squirrels from climbing them. in speaking of mice, we have two important species commonly known as the meadow mouse and the other species known as the white-footed mouse. the meadow mouse is the one that does so much damage to the orchard trees and young nursery stock if unprotected, and the white-footed mouse may be responsible for some of this when present in great numbers, but of the white-footed mouse this much good can be said: [illustration: drwg. by wm. kuehn. _squirrel guards._] much of its diet, especially of the mother mouse during the time that she is nursing her young ones, is made up of insects. a personal experience accentuates this. since these are such pretty little creatures, having such cunning ways, it was my ambition to catch a complete family of mother and young ones which sometimes numbered as high as ten. my ambition was finally gratified and i was able to get a mother of eight and her tiny mouslings, which have a habit of fastening themselves securely to her breasts while she runs about, and drags them all along in a most ludicrous fashion. at times, under these circumstances, the combined weight of the brood exceeds that of the mother mouse but they are exceptionally strong creatures for their size, a mature mouse being able to jump out of a -foot barrel with one leap. in observing this brood of mice, i was particularly anxious to see what kind of a diet they throve on and tried the mother's appetite with tidbits from the table. while she ate most everything, it soon became apparent that something was wrong because the young ones became weaker, finally to the extent that they were unable to nurse, and one morning i found several on their backs with their feet feebly waving in the air indicating that they were dying of starvation. at about that time i was drying some hazelnuts on a flat back porch floor and in sweeping them up found a lot of alive and dried up larvae which had escaped from the shells. just for fun, i swept this material up and threw it into the mouse cage. the reaction of this treatment was gratifying, for the mother mouse pounced upon this insect life greedily devouring everything. within three days, the young mice were all in good health and running around showing that the milk produced from the diet that i had been giving the mother was inadequate for the baby mice. it is therefore to their credit to state that these mice and probably at times the meadow mice do consume large quantities of larvae and grubs in the surface soil, as well as mature active insects, such as crickets and grasshoppers. how to prepare rodent protectors for trees . cut " strips from " wide roll of galvanized screen with a x mesh. . cut strips in half to make two protectors from each strip. . make bundles of each by running wire through protectors. . dip these bundles in a solution containing pounds of red lead per gallon of linseed oil. use from to gallons of this solution. . remove bundles and hang them on a pole with a drip pan beneath to catch the solution, which can be used again. allow bundles to drip for hours, then separate each protector and place on grass for a few days to dry. . roll each protector around a / " pipe or broomstick and it is ready for the tree. [illustration: drwg. by wm. kuehn. _preparation of screen guards._] in dealing with wild creatures, one must forebear condemning a whole species of animals merely because at times they become troublesome, for the main purpose of their existence, like owls, hawks and crows, they may be more beneficial than otherwise. a good word should be said here for skunks and moles. a great deal of the skunk diet is insect life. the same is true of the mole whose diet probably consists of % insects, mostly in their larval state. this is an important feature of mole and skunk as they dig these insects out before they mature into winged female adults which may lay hundreds of eggs. if these larvae should be allowed to develop into a mature winged insect that would lay eggs, this particular insect would multiply itself hundreds of times over and it would take many more birds than at present exist to take over the big job of keeping the balance between necessary insect life and a surplus which would be destructive to all plant life. we can never hope to eradicate all insect life which we deplore as being deleterious to the interests of mankind, and it is mighty well that we cannot do this for the insects are as important to us as all other life, for without them we would be unable to produce the vast quantities of foods that are now dependent upon such insect life. it is true that they take their toll of the food that they are instrumental in sometimes producing but when one attempts to unravel the mystery of balance of nature one is confronted by the big question of how far to go in the eradication of both animals and insect pests. before man's interference the wild crops were plentiful and balances were kept in harmony by vast multitudes of frogs and toads, birds and rodents, all of which have been slaughtered and reduced by such amounts as to endanger man's food supply, forcing him to resort to poison sprays and other measures in order to hold destruction in check. all of this expense and trouble he could have avoided if he had been sensible enough to observe the natural checks and foster the natural procedure of which nature is the best guide. chapter storing and planting seeds most nut tree seed requires ideal storage conditions to preserve its germinating power or viability. under natural circumstances, such nuts as black walnuts, english walnuts, butternuts, hickory nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, filberts and almost all other nuts, will be planted by squirrels, mice and other rodents. although most of these will be eaten by the animals who buried them, a large percentage of the ones which are not eaten will sprout. the sprouts which achieve maturity and bearing age, however, will be only a very small percentage--some say only a fraction of %--of the number that sprouted. this is an expensive and wasteful method, horticulturally speaking, but it does indicate that it is best to plant nuts as soon as possible after they have properly ripened and been dried. after walnuts, hickory nuts, butternuts and hazels have been gathered, they should be dried until the hulls have lost most of their moisture. the husks should be removed from filberts before they are dried. while this preparation is not essential, nuts are less likely to mold if they are dried somewhat before they are planted. however, i have planted freshly-gathered black walnuts and butternuts and most of them sprouted. if nuts are to be stored in large quantities, the drying-out process is absolutely essential and should be carried to the point of completely drying the hulls. the system i followed in doing this is to gather the nuts after they have fallen and spread them out in the sunlight on roofs or floors where air can circulate around them. after the hulls are dry, such nuts as black walnuts, english walnuts and butternuts may be put in barrels or burlap bags and stored in an unheated basement without seriously deteriorating. english walnuts are most safely stored when they are hulled before being packed in burlap bags. these bags should be suspended above the floor of the cellar by a rope or wire. these are additional precautions which allow better circulation of air, further prevention of mold, and safety from mice and squirrels. chestnuts, beechnuts and acorns require more care when they are to be stored, for their viability is very sensitive to dryness. i have found that these soft-shelled species of nuts should be treated in a different manner than the walnut and hickory types of seeds if we are to get the most out of their germination. since chestnuts are very prone to molding or rotting, the best way to maintain their viability and freshness over winter is to stratify them in a can or box between layers of a peat moss. this peat moss must be decidedly on the acid side and must be dampened, but must not be so wet that you can wring any water out of it. the best way to prepare this dry peat moss is to soak it in water and wring as much water out of it as possible by squeezing with your hands. then mix it with half as much of the undampened peat. this will give you approximately the right moisture coefficient. if stored in cans, the bottom of the can must be punctured with a few holes about / of an inch in diameter, well distributed on the bottom to act as a drain and to admit some slight circulation of air. the same thing should be done with the cover. first, put down an even layer about - / inches of this dampened moss, then put in a layer of chestnuts or other nuts to be stratified, placed evenly or well distributed but not touching each other. after the first layer, carefully sift in more dampened moss about inch thick and repeat the process until either the can is full or all the seeds have been stored. the last layer should be a -inch layer of peat moss before the cover is placed on. now the important thing about all this is to place this can in a storage room of low temperature and yet it should not freeze solid. but in a temperature of from to degrees is ideal and preferably it should be on the ground floor so as to maintain the moisture that is already stored in the seed and the moss. a mechanical refrigerator which would constantly dehydrate might eventually dry them out too much for good germination; otherwise such a refrigerator would be ideal for the storage of small amount of seeds of this kind. it would be well from time to time to inspect these seeds to see whether they were in good condition and check the temperatures as well. if they start to sprout all the better; they can then be planted with the sprout downward and the nut barely covered with earth. some years i have had sprouts nearly six inches long on my chestnuts which had been so stored and care will have to be taken not to break the sprout when transplanting the nuts. in planting nuts, great care must be taken not to plant them too deeply. large nuts, such as black walnuts, butternuts and english walnuts, are often planted with a small part of the nut still exposed. certainly, the depth of the soil over a nut should never exceed the thickness of the nut. most seeds develop best when they are planted just under the surface of the soil. the earth should be lightly tamped around the planted seeds to eliminate air-pockets. a thin coating of manure, not more than three inches deep, is valuable if large seeds are planted but it is detrimental to the development of small seeds and manure should never be used for evergreens. seeds of the nut pines, usually purchased from seedsmen and received in a dry state, should be planted no deeper than their own diameter in a light, sandy loam. a seed bed, incidentally, is a very necessary protection against rodents in the case of nut pine seed. i have used a mixture of bone meal on such seeds with good results. four quarts of bone meal carefully worked into the first two or three inches of the surface soil of a x seed bed greatly increases its fertility. sifted hardwood ashes scattered over the bed after the seed is in, will discourage cutworms and increase the potash content of the soil. proper drying and storage are of no use if nuts are not planted where they will have protection against rodents, improper drainage, and other hazards. to keep them from being eaten by rodents, nut seeds should be planted under wire screens inside a deep frame. the seed beds i have made for use in my nursery are four feet wide and twelve feet long. by using heavy galvanized hardware cloth x mesh, which means that it has / -inch square holes, is ideal for the top and sides of this frame. by using this wire cloth feet wide, inches is sunk under the ground surface, and only inches protrudes above. this is to prevent burrowing rodents from going underneath and extracting the seeds which you will find they will do unless the screen protection goes down deep enough into the ground to discourage them. a stout frame of rot-resisting wood, such as cedar or fir should be placed on the inside of this countersunk screen. this should also be feet wide, feet long so that a similar frame, which is removable, can be placed over this. the edges of the frame should match perfectly so that no rodents can reach the interior of the seed bed without going down - / feet under ground to burrow under the countersunk screen. several thousand evergreens or several hundred walnut trees can be raised in a seed bed this size. the soil is now removed from the inside of this enclosure or stationary part of the bed to the depth of inches so that the plants will have head room to develop leaves and stems and still be protected under the top or removable frame part. the top frame made of the same material and covered also by the x hardware cloth should be about inches in height so that there will actually be inches of head room for the plants to grow in before touching the screen. [illustration: _this x foot corrugated galvanized iron fence - / feet tall and sunk inches into ground protects valuable hybrids against invasion by rodents. photo by c. weschcke._] there are several important points to remember in starting a seed bed. it must be in a well-drained site, so that the seeds will not be under water or water-logged for any length of time. it should be in an open place where sunlight is plentiful, unless evergreens are being grown. evergreens must be in half-shade the first season to avoid a condition known as "damping off." the top six inches of soil in the bed should be the best garden soil obtainable, the growth resulting from using good, clean soil, free from weed seeds, being worth the trouble of preparing it. by having the bed in two parts, with a cover that may be taken off, proper weeding can be done when necessary. the cover should always be replaced afterward, though, as rodents will sometimes attack the young shoots and the remainder of the seed kernel. in the spring of the second season of growth, the young plants may be dug up and lined out in nursery rows. after two or three years more, they may be planted in permanent locations. chapter tree planting methods since nut trees usually have deep, well-developed root systems of the taproot type, they are more difficult to transplant than such trees as plum, apple, elm or maple which have many small fibrous roots. taproots have a long, main trunk like a parsnip, from which lateral roots branch. these roots are heavy and may extend deep into the ground even in trees only two or three years old. in moving such a tree, the lower part of the central taproot must, of course, be cut off, but as many of the side roots as possible are retained. because such roots have no fibrous or hair-root system, their handling during transplantation necessarily differs from that of the ordinary shade or fruit tree. if trees having a taproot system, such as the english walnut, black walnut, butternut, hickory or pecan, are received with bare roots, they should be treated in the following way: immediately after the trees have been unpacked, their roots should be submerged in a barrel of water for several hours. after their thirst has been quenched, the roots should be dipped into a mixture of clay and water made to the consistency of thick paint. with a heavy coating of wet clay around them, the roots may then be wrapped in wet burlap sacks. they are now ready to be transported to their planting site. selecting a favorable location for nut trees is very important. they should never be planted at the bottom of a gulch or valley because, in such places, frost pockets may occur which will interfere with both blossoming in the spring and ripening of nuts in the fall. nut trees grow best near the summit of a hill. although such soils are difficult to plant in, stony soil or soil overlaid with limestone results in good growth. shallow surface soil, underlaid with heavy clay, will usually slow down the growth of a young tree so that it remains dwarfed for many years. it is more satisfactory to have at least three feet of soil before clay is reached. if the soil is light and sandy, it will be improved by adding black dirt immediately around the roots of each tree. as most nut trees ultimately grow to be very large, they should be planted at least forty feet apart. the hole dug to receive each tree should be wide and deep enough to accommodate the roots without bending or twisting them. if the excavated soil is of poor quality, it should be discarded, and good, rich soil brought in for setting the tree. trees should not be planted too deeply. the collar of a tree, which is a discoloration of its trunk resulting from contact with the ground, indicates how much of the tree was previously underground. although it is a good idea to plant so that this collar is a little lower than the surface to allow access to extra moisture, the actual planting depth should be about as it was previously in the nursery. all broken or damaged parts on the roots should be trimmed smoothly with pruning shears. such clean cuts will send out new rootlets to replace the lost ones. after a tree has been set into the hole made for it, the soil, which should be thoroughly mixed with a quart of bone meal to increase its fertility, is replaced a little at a time. it must be packed very solidly about the roots with a rounded tamping stick to avoid leaving air pockets. i find it advisable to retamp the earth about each tree two or three times during the first year's growing season, to insure intimate contact between soil and roots. planting should be delayed if the soil is very wet. trees will stay in good condition for several days, if the burlap sacks are kept moistened. wet, soggy soil is certain to shrink away from the roots and leave air pockets which will, in time, kill the trees. if trees are transplanted during a very dry season, they should be thoroughly watered. to do this, remove several shovelfuls of dirt from the ground about a foot from the tree, being careful not to cut any roots. fill this hole with water and after the water has seeped away, fill it two more times. the tree should receive about five gallons of water. sprinkling with a hose does not suffice. if dry weather continues, each tree should be watered in this way every week. nurserymen in the future will have to deal with this transplanting problem in a different way than the old time nurserymen who handles fruit trees. a suggested way to improve the root system and at the same time make it easy to lift the tree with a ball of dirt, similar to the way an evergreen is transplanted, is to prepare a pocket of special transplanting soil previous to the lining out (which is the term used by nurserymen in setting out seedlings preparatory to grafting them in nursery rows). a suggested balanced soil for making the method practical is to use / by volume of peat moss; the other half should be rich, black sandy loam with very little clay mixture in it. in other words, each nut tree should be allowed about a bushel of soil for its development, / bushel to be peat moss, the other half bushel to be represented by rich black loam. this mixture will encourage many fibrous roots to develop and when the tree is dug, approximately all of this bushel of soil will be retained around the roots. having such a high proportion of peat moss makes it lighter than ordinary ground; such a ball and the tree will weigh approximately from to pounds which can be shipped by freight at a low rate and is well worth the extra price that nurserymen must ask for a specimen of this kind. such trees have really never been unplanted and for this reason do not suffer the shock which is inevitable in the usual transplanting process. although pre-planted trees are more expensive to buy and to transport, their improved chances of living make them worth the price. the above recommendation is especially applicable to young grafted hickory trees since they are among the most difficult trees to transplant satisfactorily. the english walnut (persian), black walnut, butternut and especially the hickory are improved by the use of a handful of ground lime mixed with the soil in preparing these pockets which will later constitute the ball surrounding the roots of the tree to be transplanted. there is a tendency in grafted trees to produce sprouts below the graft. unless these are rubbed off, the grafted portion will become discouraged and the tree will revert to a seedling variety. filberts should never be allowed more than two or three stems, or trunks, while one is more preferable. if they are allowed to have more, they will produce a rank growth of wood but only a few, if any, nuts. i stress, by repeating, that trees should not be planted too deeply and that great care must be taken to eliminate air pockets. extra effort and nursing of transplanted trees during the first season will be repaid by their successful development and growth. it is a wise precaution to place a protective screen around the trunk of each tree to prevent rodents from attacking it. mice gnaw off the bark near the ground, sometimes girdling a tree and so killing it. rabbits chew off branches and they, too, may girdle the upper part of a tree. rabbits are very fond of pecan and hickory bark. in some places, it may be necessary to encircle each pecan and hickory tree with a three or four-foot rabbit fence until the tree is large enough to lose its appeal to these nuisances. compared with the number of insects which infest fruit trees, very few attack nut trees. one of those which does is the walnut-leaf caterpillar. these appear as a closely congregated group of small worms which feed on the leaves of black walnut and hickory trees during the latter half of the summer season. very often they are all to be found on a single leaf, which should be picked from the tree and crushed underfoot. a simple spray of lead arsenate of the strength recommended by companies selling spray material, will effectively rid trees of these pests. another insect often found in a nut orchard is the oak tree girdler, which also is active in the latter part of the summer. it often causes limbs as large as an inch in diameter to be cut through and to fall to the ground. by removing such freshly girdled branches and cutting into the hollow made by the larva, it is possible to find the live worm and destroy it. a good way to combat this pest is to keep each tree pruned of all dead branches and to burn all broken and dead wood each fall. while some nut trees are subject to other insects, the two described here are the most frequently found. fortunately, they are easily controlled if a watch is kept for them. chapter winter protection of grafts and seedlings it is not enough to make a successful graft and to watch it carefully during the growing season, picking all sprouts off the stock, spraying it so that insects will not chew the tender leaves and bark, bracing it against windstorms and perching birds. each graft must also be protected from winter injury. for many years i have studied and experimented to find a successful way of achieving such protection. to enumerate my many experiments, from simple to far-fetched, would be to write another book quite as long as this one. my conclusion, now, is that there is little one can do to assist nature in the process of acclimatizing grafted plants and seedlings. i have repeatedly noticed that the place where most damage is done by the cold is at the union between stock and graft. for example, i observed this on the european walnuts, imported from poland, grafted to minnesota black walnut stocks. although both the buds and the wood of the top remained fresh and green, the unions suffered severe, and sometimes total winter injury. in grafts where the latter occurred, the dead cells soon caused the wood to ferment and sour. occasionally, a small group of healthy cells succeeded in re-establishing circulation with the unharmed, grafted top and the graft, continuing its growth, would eventually overcome the injury it had suffered. i have seen this occur with grafts of english walnut, apricot and pecan. a blackbird's nest in the crotch of a small tree suggested to me the most satisfactory guard i have yet found against this greatest of dangers to all exotic, grafted varieties of nut trees. the nest, which enclosed over half of the graft union, was partly composed of woolen fibers which its builder had gathered from barbed-wire fences that sheep had brushed against. on the exposed portion of the graft union, discoloration indicated injury and dead cells, but on that part covered by the nest, all the cells were alive and green. i have improved on the bird's nest by wrapping a large wad of wool loosely around each graft union. the value of wool is that it will not collect moisture and so start fermentation. it allows the cells to breathe, yet protects the union from the shock of temperature extremes. birds will inevitably steal some of the strands of wool but this activity in and about the trees means a decrease in injuries from insects--a worthwhile exchange. when an unusually large swelling at the graft union appears, it is certain that the plant needs protection such as i have described. such swellings result from a too-rapid multiplication of cells, a condition which leaves the union weak and susceptible to injury. although a union is never entirely safe, even after many seasons of growth, each year adds to the safety factor by the development of rough, cork-like bark. i suggest the use of a woolen guard for several winters, by which time this outer bark should be able to do its protective work alone. a successful but rather expensive method of winter protection, both to the graft itself and its union with its host, is to enclose the entire tree with a box-like structure consisting of four corrugated aluminum roofing sheets set up on their ends and countersunk into the ground about six inches. the purpose of countersinking these below the ground surface is two-fold: it stiffens and braces the structure and prevents the intrusion of mice and other rodents, which may also appreciate both the shelter and possible food supply contained therein. by fastening these sheets together with a stout wire you can depend on the structure to stand up against wind and snow pressures. fill the entire inside with forest leaves, oak leaves preferred, as their insulating quality is the best and they are slow to rot and ferment. when working with semi-hardy plants in a cold climate, avoid fertilizing and cultivating the ground after the first of august. doing so stimulates late growth and such growth is very likely to be badly injured during the winter months. if fertilizer is used, it should be early in the spring, as soon as the ground is free from frost. trees which persist in growing late into the fall are more subject to winter injury. protective measures to avoid their doing so by inducing an earlier dormancy, include keeping the soil around them dry and exposing, somewhat, the roots near the trunk of each tree. my last word of advice in raising what might be termed semi-hardy trees, is to grow them in sod, the ordinary quack grass, june grass, bluegrass or other natural grass sods which can be found on your planting site. although this will probably hold back your tree development for a few years, until the roots are thoroughly established in the deeper soil beneath the sod roots, it is surprising how many species of trees will thrive in sod and perish on open cultivated ground. i can give no better example of this than relating a circumstance which bears this out in a most convincing way. in i purchased about filbert seedlings from samuel graham of ithaca, new york. these were planted out on a field site and practically all of the plants made good growth the first year. they were thoroughly cultivated. the next year a second batch of plants of a like amount were purchased from the same man and of the same kind of seedlings. mr. graham told me that these were seedling trees from jones hybrid seeds which he had growing in his orchard. these plants were put on heavy sod ground; all plants were protected by screens, but the plants on the sod ground were subject to a very wet season and it was necessary to build up the soil around some of the plants in order to save them from being drowned out. today about plants are living on the sod culture and two or three barely alive exist in the open field culture. although the plants remaining alive on the sod culture plot are almost pure filbert strain they are therefore very subject to the common hazel blight. some have grown into bushes feet high which later were hit by blight and have been reduced to small bushes. others are producing good filbert-type nuts and are somewhat blight resistant, but the main fact to remember is that about / of the plants on sod culture lived, whereas not over % are alive of the open field culture plants. the distance between these plantings is approximately / of a mile. in addition to being placed in sod these filberts which have survived are sheltered by rows of evergreen trees both on the south and on the north side which may be construed as of some assistance but is not altogether the reason for the tremendous difference between the winter protection value of sod and open field culture. this is not the only example that i could cite but is one of the most outstanding ones which has come to my attention. sod culture is now being recommended to fruit orchardists in this part of the country and in my own experience, i can highly recommend it for apples, plums, pears, mulberries and nut trees. chapter tree storage if it is necessary to store trees through the winter months, one of several procedures may be followed. if the trees are quite small, their tops may be dipped in melted paraffin or beeswax, not hot enough to injure the buds. if the trees are too large for this to be practical, wax may be painted on with a brush. roots should be protected by heeling them in dirt. an unheated cellar with a dirt floor is a very satisfactory place for storing trees. select a corner of the cellar far from any source of heat or temperature change. place the trees so that the roots are pointing toward the basement wall. cover the roots to a depth of six inches with either sand or sandy loam, packing the soil firmly to eliminate air pockets. lastly, cover the trees completely with burlap sacks. once every two weeks, the earth around the roots should be watered. trees maintained in this way are conveniently ready to plant when the ground thaws out in the spring. another and better method of storing trees is to plant them outside in a trench, preferably on the north side of a building, having first waxed them as described above. one side of the trench should slope so that the trees will lie in an oblique position with their branches touching the ground. the roots of these trees should be covered with dirt, then more trees set alongside them, until all have been planted and the earth made firm about their roots. trees will usually suffer no damage during such winter storage if their roots have been properly packed in sand or sandy loam. six or more cans, each containing a little poisoned grain, should be set among the branches. if these cans are laid on their sides, rodents will have easier access to the poison. the branches of the trees should then be well covered with straw or hay, with heavy boards laid on top to keep it from blowing away. if trees are received for planting after the ground has frozen, all that is necessary is to build a log fire on the side where they are to be heeled in. this will thaw out the soil enough so that a trench can be made to accommodate them. chapter suggestions on grafting methods grafting, including budding, may be defined as inserting a piece of wood which carries buds of a desired variety, on a root stock sufficiently compatible to accept it, for the purpose of propagation. methods vary, each nurseryman having one or more which he prefers, but the principle is always the same. scionwood may be cut the fall before grafting is to be done, after the growing season has ended, but some prefer to cut the scions in early spring. this means that the scions must be stored until time to graft, and correct storage is so important that nurserymen make elaborate provision for it. i have found that keeping scions underground in a harrington graft storage box is the safest method. an illustration of this box is given, with directions for its construction and location. a small quantity of scions may be kept in an icebox (not a mechanical refrigerator), by cutting them into convenient lengths of one or two feet, dipping them in melted beeswax, wrapping them in tar or asphalt paper and placing them close to the ice. they will remain in good condition for several months if there is always a good supply of ice. care must be taken in dipping the scions in melted wax, for if the wax is too hot it will injure the buds. it should never become so hot that it smokes. i find it advisable to keep an unmelted piece of wax in the liquid wax to hold the temperature down. another method of storing scions, after they have been dipped in beeswax, is to place them on the earth of a cellar floor and cover them with a few burlap sacks. they should never be allowed to become wet or they will start to mold. if they are to be stored in this way, a watch must be kept for mice which will molest them and destroy them if they have an opportunity. although bud wood may be stored in any of the three ways mentioned, it should not be waxed. because of this, it is more likely to deteriorate. it must be examined frequently and if mold is found, the wood should be dipped in a bordeaux solution. after drying, it may be placed in storage again. it is a good plan to wrap bud wood in tar or asphalt paper when storing it. however, i have found that the best storage conditions for all scionwood that i have yet discovered is in the use of peat moss. peat moss must be on the distinctly acid side in order to perform the function of storing scionwood. most peat moss is generally acid; however the simple litmus paper test with which every high school pupil is familiar, can be made. having acquired good acid peat moss, dampen a sufficient quantity to pack the scions in to give them liberal protection. do not make the bundles of scionwood too large, from to scions in a bundle is better than a large number and much easier to handle. the moss should be prepared exactly the same as advised in storing chestnuts (see chapter for storing seeds). in this case it is not necessary to wax the scions at all. the moss should be applied by sifting it into the open spaces between the scions and a larger wad at the base of the cuttings, not at the terminal or bud ends as these would be better left unpacked. the package is now rolled into a cylinder, using tar paper or asphalt treated paper, and both ends left open. do not use ordinary paper or wax paper as it will turn moldy. cylinders of tar paper containing the packed scions should be placed in a damp room like a cellar with a dirt floor which is cold enough to keep potatoes and other roots in good condition throughout the winter. if the cellar is not a good storage cellar for roots and herbs it will not be good enough for the scionwood as it will be too warm generally. neither should they be frozen solid, therefore if a good root cellar is not obtainable then these should be put in the harrington graft box already described or placed under the sawdust in an icehouse and close to the ice. an old-fashioned ice refrigerator will also make a good storage bin, placing them close to the ice at all times. [illustration: drwg by wm. kuehn. _making a scarf with a plane preparatory to grafting._] selection of good scionwood and bud wood, a very important matter, is made according to definite standards. some plants graft better if wood is used that has two seasons' growth, but, in general, wood of the current season's growth is used. it must have reached its maximum possible maturity before it is cut. also, some attention should be paid to the vigor of the growth which it has made during the season. for instance, in choosing between wood which has made only two or three inches' growth and that which has made a foot or more of growth, both being equally sound and mature, the more vigorous should be chosen. attention should be paid to the development of the buds, which should be plump and never immature. it is advisable to label scions before they are stored to avoid the confusion that will result if they are mixed. i find that the best method of doing this is to get a sheet of zinc, from to gauge thick, and cut it into strips one inch wide by one and three-quarters inches long. i bore a small hole in one corner of each tag, through which i thread -gauge copper wire, doubled and with the bottom loop folded over (see page ). in preparing these tags, it is important to remember that both wires must pass through the hole in the metal tag, otherwise, the slight movement due to winds will cause the metal to wear through. two wires prevent this action indefinitely. since a small wire cuts through a zinc tag in one or two years, heavy wire must be used. wire such as i have indicated is satisfactory. i print the necessary information on each tag with a small, steel awl, and such labels are still legible after twenty-five years. copper, brass or aluminum would also make good tags, but these metals are more expensive. of course, these tags may be used for small trees as well as grafts and scionwood and it is always well to do a good job of labeling all work, since many errors may result from disregard to this important detail. in the north, the time to graft nut trees is when the cambium layer of the host, or stock, is active, which is usually during the entire month of may. this cambium layer consists of those cells lying just inside of the outer bark, between it and the woody part of the tree. when these cells are active, the inner side of the bark feels slippery and a jelly-like substance can be scraped from it. although this is the state in which the stock should be for grafting, the condition of the scions should be almost the opposite, rather dry and showing no signs of cambium activity. the bark should cling firmly to the woody part of the scions, whereas the bark of the stock should slip off readily. another good and fairly satisfactory rule is never to graft the stocks of nut trees until after the young leaves appear. in grafting young nursery trees not more than an inch in diameter, the whole tree is cut off at any distance from the ground convenient to the nurseryman. sometimes they are cut within a few inches of the ground, sometimes two or three feet. in my work, i like to keep the scions as high above the ground as i can. when the top of a stock is cut off, there is a great deal of sap pressure and the tree bleeds. it is a poor policy to attempt grafting while this is happening. rather, one should cut the tops off, then wait for several days before inserting any grafts. tools must be kept very sharp. a good grafting knife is sharpened on one side only, so that the blade is flat along the side which lies next to the cut made on the scion when it is trimmed. if unaccustomed to handling a knife, one can obtain more accurate results by using a small plane. i do this by holding the scion firmly in my right hand and pulling it toward me, against the cutting edge of the plane which is held in the left hand. illustrations show how this is done. the only disadvantage in using a plane is that one must exchange it for a knife to make the receiving cut in the stock before inserting the graft. this necessitates exposing the graft to the air for a longer time than does using a single instrument. spring budding is done during the same period as grafting. bud wood is usually much larger in diameter than scionwood, for it is easier to remove buds from big branches than from wood only one-quarter inch in diameter. when budding is to be done, take along only enough wood for half a day's work, leaving the rest safely stored. a piece of wood having a bud is prepared as shown in the illustrations "a" and "b" (next page). a t-shaped slot is made in the stock to receive the bud, a process called "shield budding." this is tied in place with either string, raffia or gummed tape, as shown in "c" and "d" (next page). the bud must be free to grow, and although it may be covered completely with wax, no part of the binding material should be close to it. since it is not necessary to cut off all the tree in budding, enough of it may remain above the bud to brace the shoot that develops. later, it may be necessary to cut back the tree to the bud so that a callus will form and cause the wound to heal properly. [illustration: drwg by wm. kuehn _shield budding._] best results are obtained when a graft union is coated with melted beeswax. another and cheaper wax may be made by combining four parts of rosin, one part of beeswax and one-sixteenth part of raw linseed oil. to this is sometimes added a little lampblack to color the mixture so that it can be seen on the graft. again, care must be taken to prevent injuring the cells with wax that is too hot. i have used many kinds of tying materials, but the one which gives me best results is gummed tape, which preparation i describe in another chapter. by wrapping it in spirals around a graft union, i have a material which holds the graft in place and at the same time excludes air. the rubber also seems to encourage the formation of that tissue which unites the stock and scion. in addition to tape, melted wax should be brushed into those crevices and cracks which always occur in making a graft. it is usually advisable, although not necessary, to shade new grafts. to do this, cover them with light-colored or white paper sacks. never use glassine alone for it causes the grafts to overheat and so destroys them. whatever tying material is used, either to fasten on these bags or to support the grafts, it should be inspected at intervals during the summer, as it may constrict the graft or stock and injure or cut off the cambium. after a scion begins to grow, it must be firmly braced against the force of the wind, for a heavy gale can rip out grafts made years before. laths make good braces for growing shoots. they may be attached to the main branch by stout waterproof twine such as binder twine, and the growing graft tied with soft muslin strips to the lath. as the graft grows more muslin strips should be used to keep the excessive growth anchored to the lath. grafts will often make three or more feet in growth in one season. it is important to remember that sprouts or buds which start from the stock must be rubbed off. if they are allowed to flourish, they may prevent the scion from growing. when working over a tree several inches in diameter, it becomes an art to keep the tree stock satisfied, yet to encourage the growth of the scions. in large trees, a few sprouts must grow to nourish the root system, but this is not necessary if the stock is one inch, or less, in diameter. chapter grafting tape versus raffia it is necessary that a person who is grafting trees and developing hybrids experiment not only with the plants he is interested in, but also with the equipment and materials he uses. for more than twelve years, i used raffia to tie the grafts i made, becoming more annoyed and irritated with its limitations each year. finally, i began trying other materials, until i found one which i think is very satisfactory. this is a rubberized grafting tape. at my nursery, we make our own tape. we buy pure rubber gum, known as lotol nc- , from the naugatuck chemical company, at a cost of $ . for five gallons, f.o.b. their factory. with this, we use unbleached muslin of an x mesh, or finer. as the muslin is usually a yard wide, we fold it and take it to a printing firm, where, for a small charge, it is cut into both one-half and three-quarter inch strips by being fed through a paper-cutting machine. we use the wider strips for heavy work on large trees which have three to five-inch stubs; the narrower strips we use in the nursery, grafting young seedlings. first, pour about a gallon of the rubber compound into a twelve or sixteen-quart pail having a smooth, rolled edge. next, separate a dozen or so of the strips of muslin. then, set out a pair of rails on which to dry the tape after it has been dipped. i make these rails by using two " x " boards about twelve feet in length, nailed together at the ends with boards two feet long. this frame, resting on carpenter's horses or benches, makes a good drying rack. holding a piece of tape by one end, submerge it in the rubber solution, forcing it down with a spatula or knife. swishing it around or moving it up and down several times helps to fill the pores with rubber. drag it from the solution by pulling it sharply over the rolled edge of the pail, using the spatula on the upper side of the strip to scrape off superfluous rubber. a little practice soon enables one to judge the amount of rubber needed on the tape. there should not be so much that it drips off. hang the tape on the rack so that the ends are attached to the rails, the tape sagging slightly in the center. space the pieces of tape so that they do not touch, for, if they do, they will be very difficult to separate later. after they have dried for twenty-four hours, wind the tape on pieces of cardboard about one foot square, being careful not to overlap the tape. the tape is now ready for field-work. i want to mention some of the advantages i have found in using this rubberized tape rather than raffia. the tape is uniform throughout and is stronger than raffia. it does not fly around and frequently get tangled as the latter does. there is no necessity for keeping it slightly damp to be usable. it may easily be torn off at any convenient length or it may be cut without injuring the edge of the grafting knife. a last advantage is that it is self-sealing since it overlaps on itself slightly when wound around a graft union. because of this, there is no necessity for painting the finished graft with melted wax as is absolutely vital when using raffia. personally, i use wax in addition to the tape for i feel that it is probably safer with that extra protection. also it gives me an opportunity to wax over the tip end of the scion when it is devoid of a terminal bud. the only disadvantage in using tape is its cost which, i must admit, is very much higher than that of raffia. but if, by using tape, twice as many grafts can be made each day, and if the resulting takes are % better, as they have been in my experience, then the cost is justified and raffia is actually the more expensive to use. chapter effects of grafting on unlike stocks it is unquestionably a great shock to a tree when % of its top is cut off. if it is healthy and vigorous, the root system will try to recover, using every means possible to do so. if a new top is grafted to it, the stock must either accept and nourish that foreign and sometimes incompatible new part, or give up its struggle for life. nature and the tree stock usually accept the challenge and the graft begins to grow. in an attempt to continue with its own identity, the stock will bring into activity adventitious buds. these are tiny microscopic buds imbedded in the bark of a tree that are not apparent to the eye but are nature's protection against destruction of the individual plant. but these must be removed by the horticulturist to insure proper nourishment of the grafts. because the root system is striving hard to live, and because it is usually the stronger, it may force the top to accept certain of its characteristics. occasionally, it may assume some qualities of the original top. such cooperation is necessary if either is to survive. first of all, the grafted scions must accept the vital quality of climatic hardiness, a powerful factor developed through ages spent in a certain climate. to hasten the acclimatization of a tender variety, i cut scionwood from such unions early in the winter, storing it until spring. when these scions are grafted on new root systems, i find that they are much more readily accepted than the first grafts were. the following season, i allow the grafts of this later union to go through their first winter of exposure. early each spring i continue to cut scions from the most recent unions and graft them to new root systems, so hastening and setting the factor of hardiness through frequent asexual propagation. because my observations of the effects of scion on root and vice versa, have not extended over a sufficient period of time, i think it is possible that the changes i have seen may be only transient. in any case, i do know that the phenomenon occurs, for i have seen many examples of it. one instance in which the stock was apparently affecting the scions, occurred in the case of several varieties of black walnuts which had been grafted on wild butternut stock over a period of sixteen years. the walnut top flourished but tended to outgrow the butternut, so that the caliber of the walnut was greater than that of the stock a few inches below the graft union. i also noticed that, although the graft began to bear about as early as black walnuts do when they are grafted on their own species, the nuts did not mature at all during the first few years of bearing. in , after a favorable season, i found mature nuts on one variety, the thomas. these nuts varied in size more than they do when grafted on black walnut. the most surprising thing about them, though, was that they did not have the characteristic black walnut flavor. when properly dried and cured, they could have passed as an entirely different nut since they tasted like neither the black walnut, the butternut nor the persian walnut. the overgrowth of the ohio black walnut, grafted on butternut, was even more apparent than that of the thomas. these nuts were, as i have said, immature the first few years they appeared and they, too, lacked the usual black walnut flavor. in their case, however, the most striking change was in the shape and structure of their shells which were elongated like butternuts, with corrugations typical of those found on butternuts and nearly as deep and sharp. (see illustration in chapter , page .) in , i made experimental graftings on native black walnut stocks of the weschcke no. butternut, a variety i found to be superior to hundreds of other native trees tested. the grafts grew luxuriantly and in , produced about two pounds of nuts. these nuts were approximately % larger than those on the parent tree. they cracked well and the kernels were similar to those from the parent tree. they definitely distinguished themselves, however, by being a free-hulling nut, which is not true of the mother tree nor of most butternuts. soon after the nuts had dropped to the ground and were still green, they were hulled and their hulls peeled off like those of the persian walnut, leaving the nuts clean and free from remnants. apparently this phenomenon was a transient one since later crops did not display this free-hulling feature. i have mentioned, elsewhere, the seedling apricot which came into bearing in st. paul, and how i obtained grafts before it died during a very cold winter. i have grafted scions of this apricot on both hybrid and wild plum stocks repeatedly and this apricot now exhibits a material gain in hardiness. it overgrows the plum stock, but this does not seem to inhibit its bearing, the fruit growing to greater size than that of the mother tree. these are some of the instances in which i have seen stock exert a definite, and, mainly a beneficial influence on its grafted top. it may easily be that these are only of a temporary nature and until i have seen them maintained for many more years, i must consider them to be transient effects. chapter distinguishing characteristics of scions loss of identification markings from my grafted trees has, on occasion, caused me much confusion. there was one time when i had from six to ten varieties of hickories and their hybrids grafted on wild bitternut hickory stocks, totally lacking in identification. although this disconcerted me considerably, i knew of nothing i could do except to wait for the grafts to bear nuts and determine the varieties from these. as i continued my experimental grafting, i made sure that the tags i used were not only indestructible, but also secured to the grafts in such a way that the action of the wind could not wear them out nor cause them to drop off. not long after this had happened, i received from dr. deming a shipment of about twenty varieties of hickory scions. while i was preparing this material for grafting, i noticed that each variety could be readily distinguished by its appearance in general and, specifically, by differences in its leaf scars. i also noticed markings on the bark, particularly the stomata, which differed with each variety. color and stripes added further differentiation. although i also found variations in the size and shape of the buds, i later discovered that these do not always remain constant within a variety, but depend somewhat on each season's growth. for instance, a second growth sometimes develops during a favorable season with a large number of lateral buds growing out of it like spines. it seemed to me that if scions could be maintained in an approximately fresh state, they would furnish a key by which any variety of graft could be determined as easily as it could by its nuts. i therefore set myself to preserve scionwood in its fresh state. first, i cut five-inch pieces of plump, healthy wood, each piece having a terminal bud. i placed these buds downward in large test tubes which i then filled with pure, strained honey. such models did very well for a time, but after about a year, the honey crystallized and of course the scions were no longer visible. i emptied the tubes and washed them, cleaned the scions in warm water, replaced them and refilled the tubes with pure glycerine. i submerged a thin, zinc tag, stencilled with the varietal name and bent to conform with the contour of the tube, inside of each one as a name plate which could not easily be lost or removed. i also labeled each cork with the name of the variety enclosed so that any one of them could be located when looking down at a nest of tubes in a vertical position. in order to display these preserved specimens at illustrated lectures, i had a rack made of redwood, of a size to hold twenty tubes. the tubes could easily be taken from the rack for closer observation by members of an audience. i find this to be an interesting adjunct to various nut culture exhibits i make in trying to promote nut culture education. since i was able to identify my unlabeled, hickory grafts by means of this catalogue of submerged scions, i consider it of great practical worth. at the present time, i have about hickory specimens, a good catalogue, although not a complete one. i see no reason why the same thing could not be done with black walnut or any other kind of nut scions. chapter hybridizing working with nature to develop new varieties of trees is fascinating although it requires infinite patience and study combined with skill and concentration. a person without experience may taste of this pleasure, however, by trying his hand at cross-pollination, and there is no end to the number of hybrids possible. in attempting to make crosses, one must necessarily understand the botanical relationship between the trees to be crossed. trees of the same species cross readily in almost all cases; trees of the same genus are not as easily crossed; trees belonging only to the same family are usually difficult to cross. it is generally assumed that trees not in the same family are impossible to hybridize. the plum serves as a practical example of this. the american wild plum crosses readily with almost any other plum and particularly well with the japanese plum. these crosses have resulted in such phenomenal fruit as the underwood plum, a cross made between species. if a cross were made between a chestnut and a walnut, it would be between members of different families. i recommend to anyone who is attempting to cross-pollinate for the first time, that he limit his work to crosses made within species. his chances of success will be greater and such success added to the experience he is acquiring, will give him the background needed for more difficult hybridizing. crosses made between filberts and hazels usually produce great changes in the resulting fruit. j. f. jones won considerable horticultural fame from crosses he made between the wild american hazel known as the rush hazel, and such varieties of the european filbert as the italian red and daviana. hazel and filbert cross readily and the resulting seedlings will usually bear after only three or four years. for both these reasons, they are good material for a beginner to work with. if the wild hazel is to be used as the female, or mother, of the cross, it is necessary to pick off all the male blossoms, or staminate blooms. this should be done long before they begin to expand. the pistillate, or female blossoms, should be enclosed in bags, about six of the three-pound, common kraft bags should be enough. these are slipped over those branches which bear female blossoms and are tied around a heavy packing of absorbent cotton, which has been wound around the branch at approximately the place where the opening of the bag will be. in fastening the mouth of the bag around the cotton, i find that no. copper wire, wrapped several times around and the ends twisted together, is more satisfactory than string. this makes a pollen-tight house for the pistillate blossoms but not one so air-tight as to cause any damage to either the plant or blossoms. in order to have pollen available at the proper time, it is necessary to cut a few filbert branches which bear staminate blooms and store them in a dark, cold place to prevent the pollen from ripening too soon. i recommend keeping such branches in dampened sphagnum moss until it is time for the pollen to ripen, or if a cold cellar is available, burying the cut ends of large branches carrying male catkins one foot deep in clean, moist sand. when the pollen is wanted, the branches should be placed in a container of water and set near a window where sunlight will reach them. usually, after one day of exposure to bright sunlight, the staminate blooms will expand and begin to shed their pollen. the pollen may easily be collected by allowing an extended catkin to droop inside a vial or test tube and then, as the catkin rests against its inner wall, tapping the outside of the tube sharply with a pencil to jar the pollen grains loose. a separate test tube must be used for each variety of pollen to be experimented with. by following this procedure for several days with all the staminate blooms that have been gathered, the experimenter should have enough pollen for work on a small scale. the test tubes containing this pollen should never be stoppered with corks, but with plugs of absorbent cotton, which will allow the passage of air. pollen may be stored in this manner for several days, possibly as long as two weeks, if it is kept dry. by a close observation of the blooming period of the wild hazels, one is able to determine the best time for placing the filbert pollen on the pistillate blossoms. no attempt should be made to do so until the male catkins of the wild hazel species are so entirely exhausted that no amount of shaking will release any grains of pollen. when this condition exists, it is time to move the stored filbert branches to strong sunlight. a quiet day should be chosen to pollinize the hazels for two reasons. if there is a wind, it will blow away the pollen and so make the work more difficult. a wind will also increase the danger of the hazels being fertilized by native hazel pollen which may still be circulating in the air and which the flowers may prefer to filbert pollen. when good conditions are present, then, the hybridizer proceeds to his work. a brush with which to transfer pollen from the vial to the pistillate blossoms is made by wrapping a little absorbent cotton around the end of a match. the paper bag is removed from around a group of hazel blossoms, a small amount of pollen is dabbed on each blossom and the bag is immediately replaced, to remain on for two more weeks. when the bags are finally taken off, the branches should be marked to indicate that the nuts will be hybrids. before receiving pollen, each pistillate blossom has, emerging from its bud tip, a few delicate red or pink spikes which are sticky enough to make pollen adhere to them. within a few days after receiving pollen, these spikes may dry up and turn black, a fair indication that the pollen has been effective. if the pollen does not take hold, the spikes of the staminate blooms are sure to continue pink for a long time. i have seen them in the middle of the summer, still blooming and waiting for pollen which would let them continue on their cycle. this ability of hazel flowers to remain receptive for a long period allows the nut-culturist ample time to accomplish his work. it is not so true with all members of the nut tree group, some, such as the english walnuts, being receptive for such a short period that only by very frequent examination and many applications of pollen can one be sure of making a cross. early in the fall, the hybrid nuts should be enclosed in a wire screen to prevent mice and squirrels from taking them before they are ripe. such wire screens may be used in the form of a bag and fastened around each branch. when the husks turn brown and dry, the nuts are ripe, and ready to be gathered and planted. careful handling of the nuts is advisable to preserve their viability. they should be planted in an outdoor bed which has been fully protected against the invasion of rodents. a screen such as i described for other nut seed is satisfactory for these hybrid nuts but it need not be as large as that. after the nuts have sprouted and the plants have grown for one season, they may be transplanted into a permanent location where they should again be well protected against mice by a trunk screen, and against rabbits by driving a stout stake deep into the ground on the south side of the tree and tying it to the tree. this use of a stake discourages rabbits from cutting off the tree. there are innumerable other crosses that can be made as well as those between hazels and filberts. it is possible, for example, to cross the english walnut with the black walnut. many such crosses have been made although none of them is known to have produced superior nuts. thousands of crosses exist between butternuts and japanese heartnuts. many of these are of some worth and are being propagated. crosses between heartnut and butternut are easily made, following the same procedure used in crossing hazels and filberts, except that larger bags are necessary for covering the female blossoms. also, these bags should have a small, celluloid window glued into a convenient place, so that the progress of the female blossoms toward maturity can be observed. when hybridizing walnuts, it is necessary to use a pollen gun instead of removing the bag from around the female blossoms and applying the pollen with a cotton-covered applicator. such a pollen gun can be made by using a glass vial which does not hold more than an ounce of liquid. an atomizer bulb, attached to a short copper or brass tube soldered into a metal screw-cap, is fitted to the vial. another small copper or brass tube should also be inserted in the screw-cap close to the first one. the second tube should be bent to a right angle above the stopper and its projecting end filed to a sharp point. without removing the bag from around the pistillate blossoms, the hybridizer forces the point of the atomizer through the cotton wadding between bag and branch. the pollen in the vial is blown through the tube into the bag in a cloud, covering all the enclosed blossoms. it is advisable to repeat this on several successive days to make certain of reaching the female blossoms during their most receptive period. [illustration: _ x x foot tightly woven sheet of unbleached muslin stretched over mother hazel plant during pollination period in the process of making controlled crosses between it and filbert parents. photo by c. weschcke._] [illustration: the weschcke pollen gun taper end of copper tube ... not absolutely necessary, but it saves pollen. long fibre cotton wad wired to intake side of bulb to strain out foreign pollens that may be in atmosphere. de vilbiss atomizer bulb. pollen grains any small glass bottle with a wide mouth and screw cap. tubes a and b-- / " outside diameter copper tubing can be purchased at any garage. solder both tubes to screw cover c. drwg by wm. kuehn _how to make pollen gun._] chapter toxicity among trees and plants although quack grass will grow luxuriantly up to the trunks of both black walnut and butternut trees, i know, from things i have seen myself, that the roots of the latter and probably of the former have a deadly effect on members of the evergreen family. i have seen northern white pine and other pines, too, suddenly lose their needles and die when, as large trees, they have been transplanted to the vicinity of butternut trees. to save as many of these transplanted trees as possible, it was necessary for me to sacrifice almost one hundred fine butternut trees by cutting them off close to the ground and pruning all the sprouts that started. other instances have also demonstrated to me this deleterious power of butternut trees over evergreens. for years, i watched a struggle between a small butternut tree and a large mugho pine. gradually the mugho pine was succumbing. at last, when the pine had lost over half its branches on the side near the butternut, i decided to take an active part in the fight. i cut off the trunk of the butternut and pruned off all of its sprouts. the butternut surrendered and died. the mugho pine took new heart, lived and again flourished. at another time, i transplanted several thousand montana pines, about thirty or forty of which came within the branch limits of a medium size butternut tree. within a year, these thirty or more trees had turned brown and were completely dead, while those immediately outside the branch area were dwarfed and not at all thrifty. the trees farther from the butternut were unaffected and grew consistently well. a similar condition, although not to the same degree, developed under a white oak where more mugho pines were growing. another instance occurred when a planting of several thousand colorado blue spruce were lined out and fell within the area affected by two butternut trees. the spruce were all dead within a few months. many people have observed the detrimental effect of trees of the walnut family on alfalfa, tomatoes and potatoes, resulting in wilting and dying. it is the root systems of the walnut which are responsible for this damage. apparently, there is some chemical elaborated near the surface of the roots, and sensitive plants, whose roots come in contact with either roots or ground containing this factor, are injured and sometimes killed by it. one must therefore be very cautious about trusting these trees as protectors of many of the ornamental and garden plants. i am certain, from my own observations, that their influence on evergreens is strongly antagonistic. on another basis is the association between catalpas and chestnut trees growing adjacent to one another. constructive symbiosis apparently develops when a young chestnut tree is planted within the radius of the root system of a catalpa. the latter very definitely influences the chestnut tree to grow more vigorously than it otherwise would. i have recorded my observations of these antagonisms and friendships between trees and plants to show that they are a reality which should be taken into consideration in grouping and transplanting. such warnings are infrequent because some people may mistake them as condemnations of certain favorite trees. i do not intend them as such, for these plants are often valuable and worthwhile. this ability which they have developed through the many years of their existence is a guarantee of the sturdiness and strength of their family and species, not at all a quality to be condemned. conclusion if i had written this book twenty years ago, i would have prophesied a future for nut culture in the north, full of wonder, hope and profit. if i had written it ten years ago, i should have filled it with discouragement and disillusion. now, after growing such trees for more than years, i realize that the truth lies somewhere between these extremes, but nearer the first. it is seldom practical to move native trees very far from their natural range, nor is it necessary to do so in this part of the north: we have four fine, native nut trees: the hazel, the butternut, the black walnut and the hickory. in my experience, these four have completely demonstrated their practical worth. if commercialization is the primary hope of the nut tree planter, he should first consider the large, hardy hybrids, known as hazilberts, which i have produced between a large wisconsin wild hazel and european filberts. hazilberts equal the best european filberts in every way, without the latter's disadvantage of susceptibility to hazel blight and its lack of hardiness. they are as hardy as the common wild hazel and are more adaptable to environment and soil conditions than any other native nut tree. they may be trained into trees or allowed to grow as large bushes. like all other filberts and hazels, they, too, need companion plants for cross pollinization to obtain full crops of nuts. the butternut is also a very adaptable tree. no one who is acquainted with it, questions the quality of the butternut kernel. in a good variety, the nuts should crack out in halves and the kernels drop out readily. so many good varieties of black walnuts are being propagated, i need not say much about them, except that many of the best ones are not practical for this climate. nurserymen who grow them can give the best advice about varieties to anyone selecting black walnuts for orchard planting. hickories are the last of these native trees to be recommended from a commercial standpoint, as they are the most particular about soil and climate. however, with improved propagation methods and planting technique they should become some day as valuable as pecan plantations have become valuable to the south. considering the nut tree as a dooryard tree, an ornament rather than a business, makes it possible to include many more species as suitable for growing in the north. for this purpose, i suggest heartnuts, chestnuts, pecans and hiccans. the heartnut tree is always one to draw attention and interest, picturesque in its leaves, blossoms and clusters of nuts. last, but certainly not least in it potentialities, is the english walnut. i am certain that we shall have some varieties of these which will be hardy enough to plant in the north. when these have been completely proven, they will be a delightful addition to the number of trees flourishing here. what family would not receive enjoyment and satisfaction from having, in its dooryard, a gracious english walnut tree, its spreading branches laden with nuts? although the commercial aspect of producing hazilberts is engrossing me at the present time, my greatest pleasure in nut culture still comes, as it always shall come, from actual work with these trees. it is both a physical and mental tonic. i recommend nut tree culture to everyone who enjoys spending his time out-of-doors, who is inspired by work of a creative nature, and who appreciates having trees, or even one tree, of his own. suggested reading on nut tree culture: nut growing by morris nut growers' handbook by bush tree crops by j. russell smith the nut culturist by fuller improved nut tree of north america by clarence reed annual reports of n.n.g.a. none [illustration: lucy leavenworth wilder morris originator of "old rail fence corners."] old rail fence corners the a. b. c's. of minnesota history second edition authentic incidents gleaned from the old settlers by the book committee copyrighted by the book committee lucy leavenworth wilder morris, editor published by the f. h. mcculloch printing @ austin, minn. in memoriam mr. eli pettijohn mrs. missouri rose pratt mr. james mcmullen mrs. samuel b. dresser mr. william w. ellison mr. henry favel major benjamin randall mrs. duncan kennedy major s. a. buell mrs. helen horton mrs. mary massolt mrs. j. m. paine mr. chas. watson mrs. c. w. gress [illustration: map of old trails and roads compiled by mr. george ralph and mrs. james t. morris] explanatory how little we know about what we don't know! during my search for a map of the old trails and roads of minnesota, public libraries were thoroughly investigated, but no book or map could be found showing these old highways. a few old maps in the historical library bore snatches of them, but in their entirety they had disappeared from books and maps, as well as from our state. they might be the foundations for modern roads, but only the names of those modern roads survived, so they were lost. months of this research work failed to resurrect them, although a map was made from the fragmentary pieces on old maps, filled out by what the pioneers who had traveled those roads could furnish. all old maps seemed to have disappeared from the state. "we had one of the new territory of minnesota when it was admitted in ' , but just threw it out when we cleaned house lately. i think it came from washington," said one dear old pioneer woman. "what do you want of those old roads anyway," said another. "if you had been over them as i have, you would know how much better these roads are, and be glad they are gone." it was hard to locate them from hearsay for when we asked "did it go through alexandria," the answer was, "there was no town on it after leaving st. cloud, so i can't say just where it went, but we went to fort garry and crossed the river at georgetown." finally, after nearly a year's hard work, as we were on our way to the capitol to look over the first government surveys, mr. george ralph was met, became interested, and drew part of these trails from the old plats for this map. when a surveyor goes into a new country to make a government survey, he is required to place on that plat every trail, road or plowed field--john ryan, who worked in the forties was the only one we found who always followed these directions. he would survey several townships, and there would be the much-wanted road. some other surveyor would do the one below and there would be a break, but john would take hold again a little further on and the trail could be joined from the direction shown. later this map made was compared with old maps since destroyed at the army building in st. paul and found correct. the three great routes for the red river carts to st. paul, the great fur market, which used to come down by the hundreds from the pembina and fort garry country are shown. one through the minnesota valley; one through the sauk valley, and the most used of all through the crow wing valley by way of leaf lake. they used to come to the head waters of the mississippi in .[ ] the wabasha prairie road, called winona trail on this map, was a very old one, as also were those leading to the sacred pipestone quarries and the sacred spirit lake. there is a tradition that there was a truce between all tribes when these trails were followed. mrs. j. t. m. [footnote : from captain alexander henry's diary about the red river country in , presented to ottawa. he also says there were of these carts there in .] the book committee a sub-committee of the old trails and historic spots committee, daughters of the american revolution, appointed by the chairman. mrs. james t. morris mrs. william j. morehart mrs. e. c. chatfield mrs. s. r. van sant miss beatrice longfellow miss rita kelly mrs. f. w. little mrs. o. h. shepley mrs. alonzo phillips mrs. guy maxwell miss marion moir mrs. e. a. welch miss ida wing mrs. mary e. partridge mrs. ell torrance miss stella cole mrs. c. a. bierman mrs. chas. keith miss emily brown mrs. g. c. lyman mrs. a. b. kaercher mrs. w. s. woodbridge miss k. maude clum the reason when i was a child my grandmother, lucy leavenworth sherwood, used to show us a little map drawn on the back of a cotillion invitation, by her cousin henry leavenworth, the first officer at fort snelling. he was there in . it was yellow with age, but showed fort snelling, lake harriette, named for his wife, other lakes and two rivers. that yellow bundle of letters read to us and the stories she told of this, her favorite cousin, as he had told them to her never failed in breathless interest. few of them remain with me. the painted indian in his canoe on the river, the indian runner, stand out vividly, but the valuable stories contained in those old letters are gone. nothing was ever a greater surprise than the loss of those stories when i tried to recall them years later. the bible with the map and all those letters were burned when the home was destroyed by fire. these valuable data have disappeared. the knowledge that this was so, made me listen with the greatest attention to stories told by the old settlers and record them. all at once the realization came that they, too, were fast disappearing, taking their stories with them. it was impossible for me to get all these precious reminiscences before it was too late. it must be done at once by a large number of interested women. these were found in our committee who have gathered these data most lovingly and financed this book. the proceeds are for patriotic work in minnesota as deemed best by the committee. it is hoped that our first work will be the raising of a monument to the pioneer women of our state. those unsung heroines should not their heroism be heralded while some still live? we thank these dear friends who have made this little volume possible by their warm interest. every item in this book has been taken personally from a pioneer. each one is a mesh in a priceless lace fabric, that fabric minnesota history. if each mesh is not flawless, if age has weakened them, does not the pattern remain? lucy leavenworth wilder morris. old trails chapter minneapolis lucy leavenworth wilder morris (mrs. j. t. morris) mr. eli pettijohn-- . mr. pettijohn, now ninety-five years old,[ ] clear in memory, patriarchial in looks, says: [footnote : all pioneers over ninety are so introduced as we feel that no state can show so large a number who have the same mentality] i came to what is now minnesota, but was then a part of wisconsin territory april sixteenth, . i was on my way to work for the williamsons, missionaries, at lac qui parle. i landed from the large steamer, the alhambra, at the fort snelling landing. i climbed the steep path that led up to the fort, circled the wall and came to the big gate. a sentinel guarded it. he asked me if i wanted to enlist. i said, "no, i want to see the fort, and find a boarding place." he invited me in. i looked around this stone fort with much interest and could see sibley house and faribault house across the minnesota river at mendota. there were no large trees between the two points so these houses showed very clearly. the ruins of part of the first fort which was of wood, were still on the bluff about one block south of the new fort. i asked where i could find a boarding place, and was directed to the st. louis house, near where the water tower now stands. before proceeding there, i stood and watched the indians coming to the fort. i was told they were from black dog's, good road's and shakopee's villages. the trail they followed was deeply worn. this seemed strange as they all wore moccasins. their painted faces looked very sinister to one who had never before seen them, but later i learned to appreciate the worth of these indians, who as yet were unspoiled by the white man's fire water. i was told that the st. louis house had been built after the fort was, by mr. baker, a trader, to accommodate people from the south, who wanted to summer here. it was now deserted by its owners and any one of the sparse settlers or traders would occupy it. he said a trader by the name of martin mcleod was living there and that kittson, another trader, lived at his trading post about fifty yards away from the house. there was a good wagon road about where the road is now. my friend, for such he later became, told me it led to the government mill at the falls of st. anthony, but that it took longer to walk it than it did the indian trail that led along the bank of the mississippi. so i took this as advised. there were many indians on the trail going and coming. all at once i heard a great commotion ahead of me. indians were running from every direction. when i came to the place where they all were, i heard lamentations and fierce imprecations. i saw the reason there. two of their warriors were lying dead and scalped, while clambering up the opposite bank of the river, three of the sioux's sworn enemies, three chippewas, could be seen. the slain were head men in the tribe. the guns and arrows of the sioux could not carry across the river, so they escaped for the time being. i was afraid the sioux vengeance would fall on me, but it did not. i soon came to the st. louis house. while there, i saw walter mcleod, then a baby. mcleod, the father, had fled from canada at the time of one of the rebellions, in company with others, but was the only one to survive a terrible blizzard and reach mendota. mr. sibley at once employed him as he was well educated. when he was married later, he gave him some fine mahogany furniture, from his own home, to set up housekeeping with. while at the st. louis house, i walked with a soldier along the indian trail that followed the river bank to the government mill at the falls of st. anthony. on our way, we went down a deep ravine and crossed the creek on a log. we could hear the roaring of falls and walked over to see them. they were the most beautiful i had ever seen and were called brown's falls, but general leduc in gave them the name minnehaha. i thought i had never seen anything quite so pretty looking as the river and woods. the deer were everywhere and game of all kinds bountiful. the soldier told me that no white man could settle here anywhere for ten miles as it was all in the fort snelling reservation. that is why the town of st. anthony was built on the east side of the river instead of on the west side and why there was no town on this side of the river for many years after. we saw some sioux tepees and met the indians constantly. they were a fine sturdy race, with fine features and smiling faces. the soldier said they could be depended on and never broke a promise. the old mill was on the river bank about where we used to take the cars in the old union station. it was not then in use, as the rocks had broken off, leaving it perhaps forty or fifty feet from the falls. a flume had to be constructed before it could again be used. the falls were a grand sight. we heard their roaring long before we could see them and saw the spray sparkling in the sunlight. there was a watchman living in a little hut and he gave us a nice meal. a few sioux wigwams were near. on the other side, we could see smoke 'way up above where the suspension bridge now is. he said some frenchmen and half breeds lived there. the place was called st. anthony. we did not go over. he also said there were many white people, french, scotch and english living in the country upon the red river. some were called selkirk settlers. he did not know why. he said martin mcleod had been one of these. we passed some squaws in a big dugout. it was thirty feet long. there were fourteen of them in the boat. there was no boat leaving the fort for some time so i went to mendota, crossing the minnesota river in a canoe ferry. my business at mendota was to present a letter of introduction to mr. sibley, manager of the american fur trading co., from the missionary board of ohio and see how i could reach lac qui parle. i arrived at mr. sibley's home just about noon. he told me he had a boat leaving in two weeks and that i could go on her. he said he had several of these boats plying to traverse des sioux. he was a gentlemanly looking man and very pleasant spoken. with the courtliness that always distinguished him, he asked me if i had dined and being informed that i had not, invited me to do so; i replied, "i am obliged to you sir." i was told that the furniture of massive mahogany had been brought up the river by boat. the table was waited upon by an indian woman. the meal was bountiful. i had a helping of meat, very juicy and fine flavored, much like tenderloin of today, a strip of fat and a strip of lean. my host said, "i suppose you know what this is?" i replied, "yes, it is the finest roast beef i have ever tasted." "no," said mr. sibley, "this is what we call 'boss' of buffalo and is the hump on the back of a young male buffalo." "whatever it is, it is the best meat i have ever tasted," i declared. some dried beef on a plate on the end of the table was also delicious. mr. sibley again challenged me to tell what this was;--my reply being "dried beef." "no," said mr. sibley, "this too, is something you have never tasted before--it is boned dried beaver's tail. over five thousand of them, as well as the skins have been brought in here during the year." there was also o'donnell crackers and tea, but no bread. the tea, i was told, had been brought hundreds of miles up the river. i bade my host farewell, thanking him for his entertainment and thinking i had never met a more courteous gentleman. mr. sibley, too, had told me that the st. louis house was the best place i could stay, so i returned there. for my journey down the river, i had brought with me a tarpaulin and a few of my worldly goods. i hired a man with an ox-cart to take these to the boat before dawn the day it was to leave, preparatory to my early start at sunup. the boat was about sixty feet long and propelled only by hand power, furnished by french half breeds who pushed it with long poles from the front, running rapidly and then taking a fresh start to push it again. these boats could make about twenty miles a day. they almost reached shakopee the first day. at ten o'clock the boat tied up and breakfast was served. this was a very hot, thick soup made of peas and pork which had been cooked all night over hot coals in a hole in the ground, covered snugly over with earth. it had been wrapped in a heavy tarpaulin and buffalo robe and when served was piping hot, as it came from this first fireless cooker. hardtack was served with this soup and made a most satisfactory meal. the other meal consisted of bacon and hardtack and at the end of the eighth day, had become quite monotonous. whenever these meals were prepared, the boat was tied to the bank. the mosquitoes, even in the daytime were so terrible that it was almost impossible to live. i looked forward to the time when we would tie up for the night, with great apprehension on this account. however, the clerk of the boat came to me and asked me if i had a mosquito net with me and when i said, "no" invited me to sleep under his as he said it would be unbearable without one. just before they tied up for the night the clerk came to me saying that he was sorry, but he had forgotten that he had a wife in this village. i spent the night in misery under my tarpaulin, almost eaten alive by the mosquitoes. the half breeds did not seem to mind them at all. i again looked forward to a night under the mosquito bar and was again told the same as the night before. during the eight days which this journey consumed, i was only able once to sleep a night under the friendly protection of this mosquito bar, as it was always required for a wife. when the boat tied up at traverse des sioux, mr. williamson met me. the trader sent a man to invite the three white men to dine with him. the invitation was accepted with great anticipation. the trader's house was a log cabin. the furniture consisted of roughly hewn benches and a table. an indian woman brought in first a wooden bowl full of maple sugar which she placed on one end of the table with bowls and wooden spoons at the three places. we were all eyes when we saw these preparations. last, she brought in a large bowl of something which i could see was snow-white and put that in the center of the table. all were then told to draw up to the table and help themselves. the bright anticipations vanished when the meal was seen to consist solely of clabbered milk with black looking maple sugar. mr. williamson left me at traverse to go east. before going he helped me load all our supplies into the two red river carts which he had brought. there were six hundred pounds on each. the trail was very easy to follow and i walked along by the side of the slow going oxen. by keeping up until late, and getting up at daybreak, i made the trip in seven days. for the first four days i was followed by a great gaunt shape that made me uneasy. i knew if it was a dog it would have come nearer. i slept under the cart the first night, but was conscious of its presence as the cattle were restless. on the fourth day of its enforced company, i met a little caravan of carts owned by a frenchman who was with the half breeds. i told him of my stealthy companion, and he sent some of the half breeds after it with their bows and arrows. they followed it four miles into a swamp and then lost it. they seemed suspicious about this particular animal, and went after it half heartedly. the trader gave me a piece of dough and told me if it came again to put this in meat and drop it. he said "kill him quick as one gun." my sister, mrs. huggins, wife of the farmer at lac qui parle, was overjoyed to see me. think what it must have meant to a woman way off in the wilderness in that early day to see anyone from civilization, let alone her brother. i had not seen her in several years. they had a nice little garden and quite a patch of wheat, which i was told was fine for the climate. the seed came from the craw of a wild swan that they had shot. it was supposed to have come from the pembina country for those people had wheat long before the missionaries came. it was always called "red river wheat." pemmican, which i first tasted on this journey was made by boiling the flesh of any edible animal, usually that of buffalo or deer, pounding it fine and packing it tight into a sack made of the skin of a buffalo calf, then melting the fat and filling all interstices. when sewed up, it was absolutely air tight and would keep indefinitely. it was the most nourishing food that has ever been prepared. for many years it was the chief diet of all hunters, trappers, explorers and frontiersmen. pemmican was also made by drying the meat and pulverizing it. the bones were then cracked and the marrow melted and poured into this. no white man could ever make pemmican right. it took a half breed to do it. the red river people had cattle very early. the stock at the mission at lac qui parle came from there. i returned to illinois in the summer of ' and threshed. in the fall i returned and built a house for gideon pond. it was a wooden house where their brick house now stands. in , i was building a mission building at traverse. an indian came in one day and told me there was a very sick man about twenty miles away at his camp. i went back with him and we brought the white man to the mission. after he was better, he told me that he was one of six drovers who had been bringing a herd of three hundred cattle from missouri to fort snelling. they had lost their compass and then the trail and wandered along until they found a road near what is now sauk center. there they met a band of sioux. the indians killed a cow and when the drovers remonstrated, they killed one of them and stampeded the cattle. the drovers all ran for their lives. two of them managed to elude the indians, and took the road leading east. our man was one, the other was drowned while crossing the river on a log raft, the rest were never found. many of the cattle ran wild on the prairies. the indians used often to kill them and sell the meat to the whites. one of the claims at traverse de sioux was for these cattle from the owners of the herd. mrs. missouri rose pratt-- . in my father was going to the wisconsin pineries to work, so mother and we children went along to keep house for him. we came from dubuque to lake pepin. mr. furnell, from the camp, had heard there were white people coming so he came with an ox team down the tote road to meet us and our baggage, and take us to camp. we found a large log house which we thought most complete. we lived there that winter and mr. furnell and some others boarded with us. a romance was started there. the next spring we took our household goods in a cabin built on a raft, floated down to nauvoo and sold the lumber to the mormons. joseph smith was a smart speaker, mother said, when she responded to the invitation to hear the "prophet of the most high god" preach. the children of these people were the raggedest i have ever seen. mr. furnell had his raft lashed to ours and sold his lumber to them too. we went to st. paul on the otter. mr. furnell went with us. when mother saw "pig's eye" as st. paul was then called, she did not like it at all. she thought it was so much more lonesome than the pineries. she begged to go back, but father loved a new country. on landing, we climbed up a steep path. we found only six houses there. one was jackson's. he kept a store in part of it. in the kitchen he had three barrels of liquor with spigots in them. the jackson's were very kind and allowed us to live in their warehouse which was about half way down the bluff. we only slept there nights for we were afraid to cook in a place with powder stored in it, the way that had, so we cooked outside. my sister caroline had light hair, very, very blue eyes and a lovely complexion. the indians were crazy about her. it was her fairness they loved. she was engaged to mr. furnell and wore his ring. the indian braves used to ask her for this and for a lock of her hair to braid in with theirs but of course, she would never let them have it. she was afraid of them. the interpreter told her to be careful and never let them get a lock of her hair for if they did and braided it in with theirs, they would think she belonged to them. one day when she was alone in the warehouse, an indian came in his canoe and sat around watching her. when he saw she was alone, he grabbed her and tried to cut off some of her hair with his big knife. she eluded him by motioning to cut it off herself, but instead, ran shrieking to father at jackson's. he came with a big cudgel but the indian had gone in his canoe. in the election of ' in st. paul, every man there got drunk even if they had never drunk before and many of them had not. early in the evening, mr. august larpenteur came into mrs. jackson's kitchen to get a drink of liquor. he was a very young man. she said, "august, where's the other men?" just as he was turning the spigot in the barrel. he tried to look up and tell her, but lost his balance and fell over backward while the liquor ran over the floor. then he laughed and laughed and told her where they were. we built a cabin a few miles out of town. our nearest neighbors were the denoyers who kept a halfway house in a three roomed log cabin. their bar was in the kitchen. besides this, there was a scantily furnished sitting room and bed room. mrs. denoyer was a warm hearted irish woman when she had not been drinking, but her warm heart never had much chance to show. they bought their liquors at jackson's. our house was made from logs hewed flat with a broadax. my father was a wonder at hewing. the ax was eight inches wide and had a crooked hickory handle. some men marked where they were to hew but father had such a good eye that he could hew straight without a mark. the cracks were filled with blue clay. for windows, we had "chinkins" of wood. our bark roof was made by laying one piece of bark over another, kind of like shingles. our floor was of puncheons. this was much better than the bark floors, many people had. i used to take much pleasure in watching and hearing the red river carts come squawking along. they were piled high with furs. the french half breed drivers would slouch along by them. it seemed as if the small rough coated oxen just wandered along the trail. sometimes a cow would be used. i once saw one of these cows with a buffalo calf. it seemed to be hers. was this the first cataloo? when i was nine years old my father sent me to the spring for a pail of water. i was returning with it, hurrying along as father had just called to me to come quick, when i was surrounded by a band of sioux warriors on their way to shakopee to a scalp dance. they demanded the water but i would not let them have it and kept snatching it away. it tickled them very much to see that i was not afraid. they called to the chief, little crow, and he too ordered me to give it to them, but i said, "no, my father wants this, you can't have it." at this the chief laughed and said, "tonka squaw" meaning brave woman and they left. they had on everything fancy that an indian could--paint and warbonnets and feathers. they always wore every fancy thing they had to a dance, but in actual war, they were unpainted and almost naked. the first soldiers i saw in were from fort snelling. they had blue uniforms with lots of brass buttons and a large blue cap with a leather bridle that they used to wear over the top. their caps were wide on top and high. the soldiers used to come to denoyer's to dinner so as to have a change. mrs. denoyer was a good cook if she would stay sober long enough. we had splint bottom chairs made out of hickory and brooms made by splitting it very fine too. these were all the brooms we had in ' . our hickory brooms were round but mr. furnell made a flat one for my sister. once when father was roofing our house, a storm was coming and he was very anxious to get the shakes on before it came. we had had a bark roof that was awful leaky. some indians came along on the other side of the river and made motions that he should come and get them with his boat, "the red rover." he sometimes ferried the soldiers over. as he did not answer or get off the house, they fired several shots at him. the bullets spattered all around him. he got down from the house and shot at them several times. after that, my mother was always afraid that they would come and shoot us when father was not home. i have seen indians run from jackson's at sight of a soldier. they were afraid of them always. my father brought some beautiful pieces of red morocco to minnesota and the last piece of shoemaking he did, was to make that into little shoes for me. they had low heels such as the children have today. my sister was married the first day of january in ' . we lived on the main road between st. paul and st. anthony. it just poured all day, so that none of the guests could come to the wedding. mr. jackson did get there on horseback to marry them, but mrs. jackson had to stay at home. the bride, who was a beautiful girl, wore a delaine dress of light and dark blue with a large white lace fichu. her shoes were of blue cloth to match and had six buttons. she wore white kid gloves and white stockings. her bonnet was flat with roses at the sides and a cape of blue lute-string. the strings were the same. wasn't she stylish for a girl who was married new years day in ? the wedding dinner was fish, cranberry sauce and bread and butter. one day a lot of sioux indians who were on their way to fight the chippewas borrowed my sister's washtub to mix the paint in for painting them up. they got their colored clay from the bad lands. they were going to have a dance. hole-in-the-day used to stay all night with us. he always seemed to be a friend of the whites. when the indians first came to the house, they used to smoke the peace pipe with us, but later, they never did. bears and wolves were very plentiful. we had an outdoor summer kitchen where we kept a barrel of pork. one night a bear got in there and made such an awful noise that we thought the indians were on a rampage. we often saw timber wolves about the house. they would come right up to the door and often followed my father home. a french woman by the name of mrs. traverse lived near us. she came from little canada. her husband bought some dried apples as a treat and she served them just as they were. poor thing! she was very young when her baby came and she used to get wildly homesick. one day, she started to walk to little canada carrying her baby. a cold rain came on and she was drenched when she was only half way there. she took cold and died in a few weeks from quick consumption. strange how so many who had it east, came here and were cured, while she got it here. in the spring when the wheat was sprouting, the wild ducks and geese would light in the field and pull it all up. they would seize the little sprouts and jerk the seeds up. they came by battalions. i have seen the fields covered with them. they made a terrible noise when rising in the air. i have seen the sun darkened by the countless myriads of pigeons coming in the spring. they would be talking to each other, making ready to build their nests. in the woods, nothing else could be heard. we had one wild pair of almost unbroken steers and a yoke of old staid oxen. the only way father could drive the steers was to tie ropes to their horns and then jump in the wagon and let them go. they would run for miles. i was always afraid of them. they were apt to stampede and make trouble in finding them if there was a bad storm. one evening father was away and a bad storm approached. i took the ropes and told mother i was going to tie the oxen. she begged me not to, as she feared they would hurt me. i had a scheme--i opened the front gate and as they came through the partly opened gate, threw the ropes over them and quickly tied them in the barn. the old oxen, i got in without any trouble. i tied them and went to reach in behind one, to close the barn door and bolt it. he was scared and kicked out, knocking me with his shod hoof. i did not get my breath for a long time. the calk of the iron shoe was left sticking in the barn door. some drovers stayed near us with a large drove of cattle in ' or ' . they were on their way to the red river of the north country. we kept the cattle in our yard and used to milk them. i picked out a cow for mr. larpenteur to buy as i had milked them and knew which gave the richest milk. he put her in a poorly fenced barnyard. she was homesick and bellowed terribly. the herd started on and was gone two days when she broke out and followed them and the larpenteurs never saw her again. they had paid thirty dollars for her. i was very anxious to see the falls of st. anthony so in the summer of , my brother borrowed an old red river cart and an old horse from mr. francis who lived in st. anthony. he drove it over to our house in the evening. the next day, sunday, we put a board in for a seat and all three climbed onto it. we drove over and saw the falls which roared so we could hear them a long way off and were high and grand. we did not see a person either going or coming the six miles although we were on what was called the main road. the french people always kissed all the ladies on the cheek on new year's day, when they made calls. in the early day, irvine built a new house of red brick. a little boy, alfred furnell, took a hatchet and went out to play. he got to hewing things and finally hewed a piece about a foot long out of the corner of that red brick house making it look very queer. his father asked him who did it. unlike george washington, he could tell a lie and said, "a little nigger boy did it." his father 'tended to the only little boy that was near, regardless of color. once there was a sunday school convention in st. paul. when lunch was called, mr. cressey, the minister, said, "now, we will go out and have refreshments provided by the young girls who will wait on us. may god bless them, the young men catch them and the devil miss them." they used to call my sister-in-law, "sweet adeline pratt." mrs. gideon pond-- , ninety years old. in in lac qui parle, we had a cow. we paid thirty dollars to the red river men for her. she had short legs and a shaggy black and white coat. she was very gentle. she was supposed to have come from cattle brought to hudson bay by the hudson bay traders. in we visited the falls of st. anthony. there was only a little mill there, with a hut for the soldier who guarded it. the falls were wonderful. i thought i had never seen anything more beautiful. the spray caught the sun and the prismatic colors added to the scene. the roaring could be heard a long way off. we raised a short eared corn, that was very good and grew abundantly. i have never seen any like it since. our flour was sent to us from way down the mississippi. when we got it, it had been wet and was so mouldy that we had to chop it out with an ax. it took so much saleratus to make anything of it. we learned to like wild rice. it grew in the shallow lakes. an indian would take a canoe and pass along through the rice when it was ripe shaking it into the boat until he had a boat full--then, take it to the shore to dry. i was out to dinner with mr. scofield and his wife who came in ' . it was dark and stormy. mrs. scofield was first taken home and then mr. scofield started for our home. we soon found we were lost and drove aimlessly around for some time. we came to a rail fence. i said "perhaps i can find the way". i examined this fence carefully and saw that one of the posts was broken, then said to mr. scofield, "i know just where we are now. i noticed this broken post when i was going to meeting sunday." i soon piloted the expedition home. in ' when i was mrs. hopkins i was standing with mrs. riggs and mrs. huggins on the steps of the st. louis house. the gideon ponds were then living in vacant rooms that anyone could occupy in this old hotel. little three year old edward pond was standing with us. he and the little riggs boy had new straw hats that we had bought of the sutler at the fort. the wind blew his hat off suddenly. we did not see where it went but we did hear him cry. we could not find it in the tall grass. mrs. riggs took her little boy and stood him in the same place and we all watched. when the wind blew his hat off we went where it had blown and sure enough, there lay the other little hat too. the indians standing around laughed long and loud at this strategy. captain stephen hanks-- , ninety-four years old. captain hanks, now in his ninety-fifth year, hale, hearty, a great joker and droll storyteller, as an own cousin of abraham lincoln should be, says: in the spring of , when a youth, i came north from albany, illinois, with some cattle buyers and a drove of eighty cattle, for the lumberjacks in the woods north of st. croix falls. we came up the east bank of the river following roads already made. in the thick woods near the chippewa falls, i found an elk's antlers that were the finest i ever saw. i was six feet, and holding them up, they were just my height. the spread was about the same. of course, we camped out nights and i never enjoyed meals more than those on that trip. the game was so delicious. in our drove of cattle was a cow with a young calf. when we came to a wide river, we swam all the cattle across, but that little calf would not go. we tried every way that we knew of to make it, then thought we would let it come over when it was ready. we rested there two days. the mother acted wild and we tied her up. the morning we were going to start, just as it was getting light, she broke away and swam the river. the calf ran to meet her but the mother just stood in the water and mooed. all at once, the calf took to the water and swam with the mother to the other side where it made a hearty breakfast after its two days fast. i thought i had never seen any animal quite so human as that cow mother. when we got to st. croix falls, i thought it was a metropolis, for it was quite a little town. i was back and forth across the river on the minnesota side too. in , i helped cut the logs, saw them, and later raft them down the river to st. louis. this was the first raft of logs to go down the st. croix river. lumber rafts had gone before. our mill had five saws--four frame and one muley. a muley saw was a saw without a frame. it took a good raftsman to get a raft over the falls. it took four st. croix rafts to make one mississippi raft. i got sixteen dollars a month and found, working on a raft. i was raised to twenty after a while and to two dollars a day when i could take charge. in we had been up in the woods logging all winter on the snake river. the logs were all in cross lake in the boom waiting for a rain to carry them down to the boom at st. croix. there was a tremendous amount of them, for the season before, the water had been so low that it was impossible to get many out and we had an unusual supply just cut. one day in may, there was a regular cloudburst. we had been late in getting out the logs as the season was late. the snake river over-ran its banks and the lake filled so full that the boom burst and away went all those logs with a mighty grinding, headed straight for the gulf of mexico. they swept everything clean at the falls. took the millrace even. the mill was pretty well broken up too. we found some of them on the banks along and some floated in the lake. we recovered over half of them. we built a boom just where stillwater is today, in still water. joe brown had a little house about a mile from there. there were the logs, and the mill at st. croix was useless. mccusick made a canal from a lake in back and built a mill. the lumbermen came and soon there was a straggling little village. i moved there myself one of the first. i used to take rafts of lumber down the river and bring back a boat for someone loaded with supplies. the first one i brought up was the amulet in . she had no deck, was open just like a row boat. she had a stern wheel. in , wisconsin territory was to be made a state. the people there wanted to take all the land into the new state that was east of the rum river. we fellows in stillwater and st. paul wanted a territory of our own. as we were the only two towns, we wanted the capitol of the new territory for one and the penitentiary for the other. in the spring--in may, i think, i know it was so cold that we slept in heavy blankets, the men from st. paul sent for us and about forty of us fellows went over. we slept that night in a little hotel on one of the lower bluffs. it was a long building with a door in the middle. we slept on the floor, rolled up in blankets. the next day, we talked over the questions before mentioned and it was decided that we should vote against the boundary as proposed and have a new territory and that st. paul should have the capital and we the penitentiary. this decision was ratified at the convention in stillwater, the last of august . the hottest time i ever had in a steamboat race was in may, , running the galena from galena to st. paul. a prize had been offered, free wharfage for the season, amounting to a thousand dollars, for the boat that would get to st. paul first that year. i was up at lake pepin a week before the ice went out, waiting for that three foot ice to go. it was dreadful aggravating. there was an open channel kind of along one edge and the ice seemed to be all right back of it. there were twenty boats all waiting there in bogus bay. i made a kind of harbor in the ice by chopping out a place big enough for my boat and she set in there cozy as could be. i anchored her to the ice too. the nelson, a big boat from pittsburg was there with a big cargo, mostly of hardware--nails pretty much. there were several steamers that had come from down the ohio. when the ice shut in, it cut the "arcola" in two just as if it was a pair of shears and she a paper boat. she sank at once. it shoved the "falls of st. anthony" a good sized steamer way out of the water on the niggerheads. the "pioneer" sank. it broke the wheels of the "nelson" and another boat and put them out of commission. i stayed in my harbor until morning, then steamed away up the little new channel. the "war eagle" locked us at the head of the lake and held on. i was at the wheel. when we came to sturgeon bay, i took a cut in through the bar. i had found it when i was rafting so i knew they did not know about it. that little advantage gained the day for us. as it was, we burned several barrels of resin and took every chance of meeting our maker. we got to st. paul at two o'clock in the morning. such a hullabaloo as there was--such a big tar barrel fire. we could plainly see "kaposia" six miles away. christmas the company sent me one hundred dollars which came in handy, as i was just married. mr. caleb dorr-- , ninety years old. i came to st. anthony in and boarded at the messhouse at first. later i was boarding with the godfrey's and trouble with the indians was always feared by the new arrivals. one night we heard a terrible hullabaloo and mrs. godfrey called, "for the lord's sake come down, the indians are here." all the boarders dashed out in scant costume, crying, "the indians are upon us," but it turned out to be only the first charivari in st. anthony given to mr. and mrs. lucien parker. mrs. lucien parker was a miss huse. mrs. dorr was never afraid of the indians, although they seemed very ferocious to her with their painted faces, stolid looks and speechlessness. one day she was frying a pan of doughnuts and had finished about half of them when she glanced up to see seven big braves, hideously painted, standing and watching her with what she thought was a most malevolent look. she was all alone, with nobody even within calling distance. one of the number looked especially ferocious and her terror was increased by seeing him take up a knife and test it, feeling the edge to see if it was sharp, always watching her with the same malevolent look. quaking with fear, she passed the doughnuts, first to him. he put out his hand to take the whole pan, but she gave him a jab in the stomach with her elbow and passed on to the next. this occasioned great mirth among the rest of the indians who all exclaimed, "tonka squaw" and looked at her admiringly. when they had finished, they left without trouble. once i was spending the evening at burchineau's place when a number of the red river cart men were there. as they were part indian and part white, i looked down on them. one of them challenged me to see who could dance the longest. i would not let him win on account of his color, so danced until my teeth rattled and i saw stars. it seemed as if i was dancing in my sleep, but i would not give up and jigged him down. i remember a dance in the messhouse in ' when there were ten white girls who lived in st. anthony there. they were wonderfully graceful dancers--very agile and tireless. the principal round dance was a three step waltz without the reverse. it was danced very rapidly. the french four, danced in fours, facing, passing through, all around the room, was most popular. the square dances were exceedingly vigorous, all jigging on the corners and always taking fancy steps. we never went home until morning, dancing all the time with the greatest vim. this mess house stood between the river and the front door of the old exposition building. the red river carts used to come down from fort garry loaded with furs. there had been a white population in that part of the country and around pembina long before there was any settlement in what is now minnesota. the drivers were half breeds, sons of the traders and hunters. they always looked more indian than white. in the early days, in remote places, where a white man lived with the indians, his safety was assured if he took an indian woman for his wife. these cart drivers generally wore buckskin clothes, tricked out so as to make them gay. they had regular camping places from twelve to fifteen miles apart, as that was a day's journey for these carts. as there was not much to amuse us, we were always interested to see the carts and their squawking was endured, as it could not be cured. it could be heard three miles away. they came down the main road, afterwards called the anoka road. the lumber to face the first dam in ' came from marine. there had been a mill there since , i believe. we used to tap the maple trees in the forest on nicollet island. we had to keep guard to see that the chippewas did not steal the sap. the messhouse where i boarded, was of timber. it was forty feet square. it had eight or ten beds in one room. mrs. mahlon black-- . when i came to stillwater in , i thought i had got to the end of the line. i came up on the sentinel with captain steve hanks. he was captain of a raft boat then. it took ten days to come from albany, illinois. there was nothing to parade over in those days. we took it as it come and had happy lives. stillwater was a tiny, struggling village under the bluffs--just one street. a little later a few people built in the bluffs and we would climb up the paths holding onto the hazelbrush to help us up. stillwater was headquarters for minnesota lumbering then. we would all gather together and in about two minutes would be having a good time--playing cards or dancing. the mill boarding house had the largest floor to dance on and we used to go there often. we used to waltz and dance contra dances. none of these new jigs and not wear any clothes to speak of. we covered our hides in those days; no tight skirts like now. you could take three or four steps inside our skirts and then not reach the edge. one of the boys would fiddle awhile and then someone would spell him and he could get a dance. sometimes they would dance and fiddle too. we would often see bears in the woods. they were very thick. when we staged it to st. paul down the old government road, we would go down a deep ravine and up again before we really got started. we paid a dollar each way. once they charged me a dollar for my little girl sitting in my lap. we used to pass jack morgan's. once we moved out on the government road, three miles from morgan's. it was a lonesome place. the chippewas and sioux were on the warpath as usual. a large party of sioux camped right by us. they were dressed for what they were going after, a war dance, and were all painted and feathered. they were looking in the windows always. it used to make me sick to see their tracks where they had gone round and round the house. my husband was on the survey most of the time so i was there alone with my baby a great deal. one sunday i was all alone when a lot of bucks come in--i was so frightened i took my baby's little cradle and set it on the table. she had curly hair and they would finger it and talk in their lingo. when they left i took the baby and hailed the first team going by and made them come and stay with me. it was the cormacks from st. anthony. i made my husband move back to stillwater the next day. the sioux killed a chippewa father and mother and took the son, twelve years old, captive. they had the scalp dance in stillwater and had the poor child in the center of the circle with his father's and mother's gory scalps dangling from the pole above him. i never was so sorry for a young one. old doctor carli was our doctor. our bill was only one dollar for a whole year. if he had not had money laid back, he could never have lived. once in the winter, mrs. durant and i were going along, i was behind her. the boys were coasting and went 'way out onto lake st. croix. they struck me full tilt and set me right down in one of their laps and away we went. i have always gone pell-mell all my life. if it comes good luck, i take it--if bad luck, i take it. mrs. durant went right on talking to me. finally she looked around and i had disappeared. she was astonished. finally she saw me coming back on that sled drawn by the boys and could not understand it. she only said, "lucky it did not break your legs," when i explained. mr. james mcmullen-- . mr. mcmullen, in his ninetieth year says--i started from maine by the steam cars, taking them at augusta. as i look back now, i see what a comical train that was, but when i first saw those cars, i was overpowered. to think any man had been smart enough to make a great big thing like that, that could push itself along on the land. it seemed impossible, but there we were, going jerkily along, much faster than any horse could run. the rails were wood with an iron top and after we had bumped more than usual, up came some of that iron through the floor. one lady was so scared that she dropped her traveling basket and all the most sacred things of the toilet rolled out. she just covered them quickly with the edge of her big skirt and picked them up from under that. the piece of iron was in the coach, but we threw it out. we went by boat to boston, then by rail to the erie canal. we were ten days on a good clean canal boat and paid five dollars for board and our ticket. i don't remember how long we were on the lakes or what we paid. i should say two weeks. we landed at chicago. it was an awful mudhole. the town did not look as big as anoka. a man was sending two wagons and teams to galena, so i hired them, put boards across for seats and took two loads of passengers over. we got pretty stiff before we got there. i was glad to get that money as i was about strapped. it just about bought my ticket up the river. we bought tickets to st. paul. three of us took passage on the yankee. she was really more of a freight than a passenger boat. she only made three trips to st. paul that year. we bought wood along the way, anywheres we could see a few sticks that some settler had cut. the indians always came down to see us wherever we stopped. i did not take much of a fancy to them devils, even then. it was so cold the fifteenth day of october that the captain was afraid that his boat would freeze in, so would go no further and dumped us in stillwater. cold! well, i should say it was pretty durned cold! i had been a sailor, so knew little about other work. on the way up, i kept wondering, am i painter, blacksmith, shoemaker, carpenter or farmer? on voyages, the sailors always got together and discussed the farm they were to have when they saw fit to retire. said farm was to be a lot with a vine-wreathed bungalow on some village street. having talked this question over so much with the boys, i felt quite farmerfied, though i had never used shovel, hoe or any farm tool. i said to myself, i must find out what i am at once for i only have four shillings. my brother-in-law borrowed this, for it was agreed that he should go on to st. paul. as i walked along the one street in stillwater with its few houses, i saw a blacksmith shop with the smith settin' and smokin' and stopped to look things over. there were three yoke of oxen standing ready to be shod. they were used to haul square timbers. the smith asked me if i could shoe an ox and then slung one up in the sling 'way off the ground. i did not see my way clear to shoe this ox, so saw i was not a blacksmith. i could see that there were not houses enough around to make the paintin' trade last long so gave that up too. in a little leanto i saw a man fixing a pair of shoes. i watched him, but saw nothing that looked possible to me so said to myself, "surely i am no shoemaker." further i met a young man sauntering along the road and asked him about farming. said he, "you can't raise nothing in this here country. it would all freeze up; besides the soil is too light." well, thinks i, it takes money to buy a hoe anyway, so i guess i'm no farmer. i went up to the hotel and stayed all night. my brother-in-law had left a tool chest with me. i was much afraid they would ask for board in advance, but they did not. in the morning, the proprietor said, "i have a job of work i want done--is that your chest?" i said, "here is the key." "then", said he, "you are a carpenter." i had worked a little at boat building so i let him say it. i worked sixteen days for him building an addition out of green timber. at the end of that time he asked what i wanted for the work. i did not know so he gave me $ . in shin plasters. it was grocers bank, bangor, maine money. all of the money here was then. as soon as i got it, i hiked out for st. anthony, where i took to building in earnest. i helped build the tuttle mill on the west side in ' and ' . tuttle moved from the east side over to the government log cabin while it was building and i boarded with them there. i also built the mill at elk river. the first fourth of july i was driving logs up above what is now east minneapolis. we had a mill with two sash saws, that is, saws set in a sash. settlers were waiting to grab the boards as they came from the saw. how long it took those saws to get through a log! a mill of today could do the same work in one-tenth the time. we could only saw five thousand feet a day working both saws all the time. i helped build the governor ramsey which plied above the falls and up the river. she was loaded with passengers each trip going to look over sites for homes. i also helped build the h. m. rice. after the railroad was built, these boats were moved on land over the falls and taken by river to the south where they were used in the war. i first boarded at the messhouse of the st. anthony water power company. this messhouse was on a straight line with the front door of the exposition building on the river bank. all butter and supplies of that nature were brought a long distance and were not in the best of condition when received, so this messhouse was called by the boarders, "the soap grease exchange," and this was the only appellation it was known by in old st. anthony. the first sawmills put up in st. anthony could saw from thirty to forty logs apiece, a day. as there were absolutely no places of amusement, the men became great wags. one of the first things that was established by them was a police court of regulations with dr. murphy as judge. as there were no sidewalks, a stranger would be run in and have to pay a fine, such as cigars for the crowd, if he was found spitting on the sidewalks. lawyer whittle was fined two pecks of apples and cigars for wearing a stovepipe hat and so the fun went on, day after day. mr. welles ran for mayor and, as there was no opposition, the before mentioned wags decided to have some. a colored man, called banks, had a barbershop that stood up on blocks. the boys told him he must run for mayor in opposition. they told him he must have a speech, so taught him one which said, "down, down, down!" and he was to stand in the door and deliver this. just as he got to the last "down" these wags put some timbers under the little building and gently turned it over in the sand. it took them half a day to get it up and get everything settled again, but in a town where nothing exciting was going on, this was deemed worth while. if you had half a pint of whiskey in those days, and were willing to trade with the indians, you could get almost anything they had, but money meant nothing to them. i remember seeing tame buffalo hitched to the red river carts. they seemed to have much the same disposition as oxen, when they were tame. the oxen on the red river carts were much smaller than those of today and dark colored. the most carts i remember having seen passing along at one time, was about one hundred. these carts were not infrequently drawn by cows. the drivers were very swarthy, generally dressed in buckskin with a bright colored knit sash about the waist and a coonskin cap with a tail hanging down behind or a broad brimmed hat. in ' i built a mill at elk river. lane was the only white man living there. it was right among the winnebagoes. they were harmless, but the greatest thieves living. they came over to our camp daily and would steal everything not nailed down. we used to feed them. we had a barrel full of rounds of salt pork. by rounds of pork, i mean pork that had been cut clear around the hog. it just fitted in a big barrel. eli salter was cooking for us. one night he had just put supper on the table. it was bread, tea and about twenty pounds of pork--about two rounds. there were seven of us and just as we were sitting down, four squaws came in. nowadays they sing, "all coons look alike to me," but at this time all squaws looked alike to us. we could never tell one from the other. they ate and ate and ate. eli said, "they seemed like rubber women." the table was lighted with tallow dips, four of them. just as salter was going to pick up that pork, each squaw like lightning wet her fingers and put out the candles. when we got them lighted again, them squaws and the pork was together, but not where we were. we just charged it to profit and loss. among them indians was ed, the greatest thief of all. he had been for years at a school in chicago and had been their finest scholar. the indians were all making dugout canoes and found it hard with their tools. i had a fine adz and ed stole it. i could not make him bring it back. i used to feed the chief well and one day i told him ed had stolen my adz. he said, "i make him bring it back." sure enough, the next day at dusk ed sneaked up and thinking no one was looking, threw it in a pile of snow about two feet deep. we saw him do it, so got it at once. we never knew how the chief made him do it. once when i was building a mill up at rum river we had to go to princeton to get some things, so i started. i had to pass a camp of those dirty winnebagoes. they had trees across for frames and probably two hundred deer frozen and hanging there. i was sneaking by, but the old chief saw me and insisted on my coming in to eat. i declined hard, saying i had had my dinner, but i knew all the time they knew better. i had on a buffalo overcoat and a leather shortcoat inside. in the tepee, they had a great kettle of dog soup, as it was a feast. each one had a horn spoon and all ate out of the kettle. they gave me a spoon and i started in to eat. i did not touch it but poured it inside my inside coat for a couple of times. when i left the chief went and picked out one of the thinnest, poorest pieces of venison there was and insisted on my taking it. i was disgusted but did not dare refuse. a short distance away, i threw it in the snow which was about two feet deep off the trail. shortly afterward i met the chief's son and was frightened, for i thought he would notice the hole and find what i had done. i watched him, but he was too drunk to notice and as it soon began to snow, i was safe. i guess the dogs got it. mrs. james mcmullen-- . mrs. mcmullen says: when i first came to st. anthony in , there were no sandburrs. they did not come until after a flock of sheep had been driven through the town. we always thought they brought them. the sand was deep and yielding. you would step into it and it would give and give. it would seem as if you never could reach bottom. it would tire you all out to walk a short distance. we soon had boards laid down for walks. lumber was hard to get, for the mills sawed little and much was needed. the sidewalk would disappear in the night. no one who was building a board house was safe from suspicion. they always thought he had the sidewalk in his house. when we first built our house i wanted a garden. my brother said, "you might as well plant seeds on the seashore," but we did plant them and i never had seen such green stuff. i measured one pumpkin vine and it was thirty feet long. whenever the red river carts came by, i used to tie the dog to the doorlatch. i did not want any calls from such rough looking men as they were. those carts would go squawking by all day. later they used to camp where the winslow house was built. there would be large numbers there, a regular village. once when i was driving with mr. mcmullen, one of them stopped by us and i said, "oh, see that ox is a cow!" in ' or ' the old black schoolhouse was the site of an election. i lived near enough to hear them yell, "to hell mit henry siblee--hurrah for louis robert." if those inside did not like the way the vote was to be cast, they would seize the voter and out the back window he would come feet first, striking on the soft sand. this would continue until the voter ceased to return or those inside got too drunk or tired to throw him out. the town was always full of rough lumberjacks at these early elections and for the day they run the town. i used always to make twenty-one pies a week. one for every meal. i had two boarders who were friends of ours. not that i wanted boarders, but these men had to stay somewhere and there was no somewhere for them to stay. each took her friends to help them out. i was not very strong and cooking was hard on me. there was no one to hire to work. after a very hot day's work, i was sick and did not come down to breakfast. one of the boarders was not working. i came down late and got my breakfast. i set half of a berry pie on the table and went to get the rest of the things. when i came back, it was in the cupboard. the boarder sat reading. i thought i had forgotten and had not put it on, so set it on again and went for the tea. when i came back again, the pie was again in the cupboard and the boarder still studying the almanac. i said, "what are you doing to that pie?" he said, "keeping it from being et! after this you make seven pies instead of twenty-one and other things the same and you won't be all wore out, we'll only have them for dinner," and so it was. i suppose there were more pies on the breakfast tables of that little village of st. anthony than there would be now at that meal in the great city of minneapolis, for it was then a new england village. dr. lysander p. foster-- . i came to minneapolis on the ben franklin. she was a wood burner and every time that her captain would see a pile of wood that some new settler had cut, he would run ashore, tie up and buy it. a passenger was considered very haughty if he did not take hold and help. my father built his house partly of lumber hauled from stillwater, but finished with lumber from here, as the first mill at the foot of first avenue southeast was then completed. it had one saw only and so anxious were the settlers for the lumber, that each board was grabbed and walked off with as soon as it came from the saw. the first school i went to as a boy of fourteen, was on marshall street northeast, between fourth and sixth avenues. it was taught by miss backus. there were two white boys and seven half breed bottineaus. it was taught much like kindergarten of today--object lessons, as the seven half breeds spoke only french and miss backus only english. mcguffy's reader was the only text book. the indians were much like white people. the sioux boys at their camp at the mouth of bassett's creek were always my playfellows. i spent many happy days hunting, fishing and playing games with them. they were always fair in their play. the games they enjoyed most were "shinny" and a game played on the ice in the winter. a stick with a long handle and heavy smooth curved end was thrown with all the strength possible. some could throw it over a block. the one throwing it farthest beat. i suppose what i call "shinny" was really la crosse. what is now elwell's addition was a swamp. i have run a twelve foot pole down in many parts of it without touching bottom. mr. secomb, the father of methodism in minneapolis, was going to st. paul to preach. he took a dugout canoe from the old board landing. his friend, mr. draper, was with him. it was below the falls where the river had rapids and rocks. they tipped over and were so soaked that st. paul had to get along that day without them. it was considered a great joke to ask the dominie if he was converted to immersion, now that he practiced it. the peculiarity of the swamp land in st. paul was that it was all on a ledge and was only about two feet deep. you could touch rock bottom anywhere there, but here a swamp was a swamp and could be any depth. in half breeds had gardens and raised famous vegetables up in what is now northeast minneapolis. i once took my sister over on the logs to pick strawberries on the end of what is now eastman island. they were large, very plentiful and sweet. almost every tree that grew anywhere in the new territory grew there. black walnut grew there and on nicollet island. mrs. silas farnham-- . mrs. silas farnham says: i came to st. anthony in . my husband had a little storehouse for supplies for the woods, across from our home on the corner of third avenue and second street, southeast. a school house was much needed so they cleared this out and miss backus taught the first school there. it was also used for methodist preachin'. our first aid society was held there in ' . i well remember the first fourth of july celebration in . the women found there was no flag so knew one must be made. they procured the materials from fort snelling and the flag was made in mrs. godfrey's house. those working on it were mrs. caleb dorr, mrs. lucien parker, misses julia and margaret farnham, mrs. godfrey and myself. i cut all the stars. mr. william marshall who had a small general store was orator and no one could do better. that reminds me of that little store. i just thought i'd laugh out loud the first time i went in there. there were packs of furs, all kinds of indian work, hats and caps, tallow dips and more elegant candles, a beautiful piece of delaine for white women and shoddy bright stuff for the squaws, a barrel of rounds of pork most used up, but no flour, that was all gone. there was a man's shawl, too, kind of draped up. you know men wore shawls in them days; some hulled corn the indians done, too, i saw. but to return to that first fourth--it seemed a good deal like a farnham fourth, for the music which was just soul stirrin' was sung by them and the gould boys. when the farnhams all got out, it made a pretty big crowd for them days. perhaps their voices wan't what you call trained, but they had melody. seems to me nowadays some of the trained high-falutin' voices has just got that left out. seems so to me--seems so. all the farnhams just sung natural, just like birds. old doctor kingsley played the bass viol so it was soul stirrin' too. margaret farnham, the president of our first aid society married a hildreth--julia a dickerson. in ' my husband paid a ten cent shin plaster for three little apples no bigger than crabs. i tried to make these last a long time by just taking a bite now and then, but of course, they couldn't hold out forever. the indians was always around, but we never minded them--always lookin' in the windows. general william g. le duc-- , ninety-two years old. i arrived at st. paul on the steamboat dr. franklin. among the travelers on board the boat were mr. and mrs. lyman dayton and a brother of goodhue, the editor of the pioneer weekly newspaper. the principal, if not the only hotel at that time, was the central, a frame building about twenty-four by sixty feet, two stories kept by robert kenedy. it was used as a meeting place for the legislature, court, and public offices, until something better could be built. here i found quarters, as did mr. and mrs. dayton. a few days after my arrival, i was walking along the high bank of the river in front of the central house in conversation with a large robust lumberman who had come out of the woods where he had been all winter logging and was feeling very happy over his prospects. suddenly he stopped and looking down on the flowing waters of the mississippi, he exclaimed, "see those logs." a number of logs were coming down with the current. "what mark is on them? my god, that is my mark!--the logs are mine! my boom has broken! i am a ruined man." he went direct to the hotel and died before sun down of cholera, the doctor said. he was hurriedly buried and there was a cholera panic in st. paul. the next day while walking in front of the hotel, mrs. dayton called from an open window excitedly to me, "come and help me quick. mr. baker has the cholera!" (mr. baker was a boarder at the central and a school teacher at that time.) mrs. dayton was frightened and said she had given him all the brandy she had and must have some more. i got more brandy and she insisted on his taking it, altho' he was then drunk. he recovered next day and i have never heard of a case of cholera in minnesota since that time. i hired a little board shack about twelve by sixteen feet at the northeast corner of third and roberts streets, st. paul, and put out my sign as attorney and counselor at law, but soon discovered there was little law business in st. paul, not enough to sustain the lawyers already there and more coming with every boat. my business did not pay the monthly rent, $ . , so i rented a large house on the southwest corner and started a shop selling books and stationery, and in this succeeded in making a living. on the nd day of july ' , a number of citizens of st. paul and some travelers chartered a little stern wheel steamboat, the yankee, and intended to explore the st. peter river, now the minnesota, if possible to its source, big stone lake. we invited the ladies who wished to go, promising them music and dancing. a merry time was anticipated and we were eager to see the fertile valley, knowing it was to be purchased of the indians and opened for settlement to the frontier settlers. the passengers were men mostly, but enough women went to form three or four cotillion sets. the clergy was represented by rev. edward duffield neill; the medical fraternity by dr. potts; statesmen by one who had been an aide to general harrison and later ambassador to russia; another was a graduate of yale law school and of west point military academy; another, one of the renvilles, had been interpreter for nicollet; another was an indian trader, joe la framboise, who was returning to his post at the mouth of little cottonwood. he was noted for his linguistic ability and attainments and could acquire a talking acquaintance with an indian language if given a day or two opportunity; another was a noted winnebago half breed, baptiste, whose indian dress and habits attracted much attention. as we entered the sluggish current of the st. peters at mendota, the stream was nearly bank full and it seemed like navigating a crooked canal. the first stop was at an indian village, fifteen or twenty miles from the mississippi, called shakopee, or little six village. our boat attracted a crowd of all kinds and conditions of indian village population, not omitting little six who claimed toll for permission to navigate his river. his noisy demand was settled by the trader by some trifling presents, including some whiskey and we proceeded on our voyage up the river. the next stop was at traverse des sioux. here there was a missionary station in charge of mr. hopkins, from whom we bought the rails of an old fence for fuel. next we landed at a beautiful level grassy meadow called belle prairie, where we tried to have a dance. the next landing was at the mouth of the blue earth river, called mankato, where a tempting grove of young ash trees were cut for fuel. here the passengers wandered about the grove while the boat hands were cutting and carrying the wood. leaving the blue earth we slowly ascended the stream, hoping to arrive at the cottonwood where la framboise promised some fuel for the boat, but night overtook us and captain harris tied up to the bank and announced the voyage ended for want of fuel and that early in the morning he would return. millions of mosquitoes invaded the boat. sleep was impossible. a smudge was kept up in the cabin which gave little relief and in the morning all were anxious to return. i stationed myself on the upper deck of the boat with watch and compass open before me and tried to map the very irregular course of the river. it was approximately correct and was turned over to a map publisher in new york or philadelphia and published in my year book. some time during this summer, i had occasion to visit the falls of st. anthony, a village of a few houses on the east side of the mississippi river, ten miles northwest of st. paul. i crossed the river to the west side in a birch bark canoe, navigated by tapper, the ferryman for many years after, until the suspension bridge was built. examining the falls, i went down to an old saw mill built by and for the soldiers at fort snelling and measured the retrocession of the fall by the fresh break of the rock from the water race way and found it had gone back one hundred and three feet which seemed very extraordinary until examination disclosed the soft sandstone underlying the limestone top of the falls. events and persons personally known to me or told me by my friend, gen. henry hastings sibley, who was a resident of minnesota, years before it was a territory. he was the "great trader" of the indians, a partner of the american fur co., and adopted into the sioux tribe or nation, the language of which spoke as well or better than the indians. he told me that little crow, the chief of the kaposia band of sioux, located on the west side of the mississippi river, six miles below st. paul, was a man of unusual ability and discernment, who had chivalric ideas of his duty and that of others. as an instance he told me the following story. a medium of the tribe had a dream or vision and announced that he would guide and direct two young members of the tribe, who were desirous of winning the right to wear an eagle's feather, as the sign to all that they had killed and scalped an enemy, to the place where this would be consummated. he conditioned that if they would agree to obey him implicitly, they would succeed and return safely home to their village with their trophies. little crow's eldest son, a friend of the whites, much beloved by all, and another young man were interested in the venture. he took them into the chippewa country. they concealed themselves in some dense bushes along a trail used by the chippewas traveling from camp to camp. instructions were given that they should fire from cover and on no account show themselves or pursue the chippewa. they awaited silently in their ambush until two chippewas came unsuspectedly along the path. when opposite, the sioux boys fired and the chippewa in the lead fell dead. the one in the rear fled with his gun over his shoulder and was pursued instantly by young little crow with tomahawk in hand. the chippewa discharged his gun backward as he ran and killed the young man as he was about to bury his tomahawk in the chippewa's brain. little crow's comrade took the scalp of the dead chippewa, returned to kaposia, reported to little crow the death of his son and that his body had been left where he fell. little crow at once summoned a number of his tribe and went to the place where the body lay, dressed it in indian costume, placed the corpse with his face to the chippewa country in sitting position against a large tree; laid across his knees the best double barreled gun in the tribe and left the body in the enemies' country. when he came to mendota and reported the facts to the "great trader," sibley said, "little crow, why did you give your best gun and fine blankets and all that your tribe prize so highly to the chippewas. your son was dead; why leave his body to his enemies." little crow replied, "he was killed in the enemies' country and according to the custom of indian warfare his enemies were entitled to his scalp; therefore i left his body. i left the gun and blankets that they might know they had killed a man of distinction." some years subsequently, little crow came to his death by carelessness on returning from a duck hunting expedition. having stepped ashore from his canoe, he drew his gun out from the canoe, taking it by the muzzle. the gun was discharged into the bowels of the unfortunate chieftain. he was carried to his tent and sent a message to sibley to come to him and bring with him the surgeon then stationed at fort snelling. when they arrived he said, "first i will see the surgeon," to whom he said, "i am not afraid of death. examine my wound and tell me truly if there is a chance for life." the surgeon told him he had no possible chance for recovery; that he could do nothing but give him some medicine to relieve the pain. "for that i care not. i will now talk with the 'great trader,'" to whom he said, "my friend, i wish you to be present while i talk with my son to whom i must leave the care of my tribe." the son, the "little crow" who is known as the leading devil in the massacre of the whites in , was then a grown boy. the old chieftain said to him, "my boy, i must now die and you will succeed to the chieftaincy of the tribe. i thought it would have been the duty of your older brother, who was a good boy in whom i trusted and who i hoped would prove a good leader to the people, but he is dead, and i also must die, and leave you to succeed me. you have always been a bad boy, and i have asked the 'great trader' my friend to attend and listen to my last instructions to you and to advise you in all matters of interest to the tribe, and i wish you to take heed to his advice; he is my friend and the friend of my people and in all matters of importance i desire you to listen to his advice and follow his directions. especially, i charge you never to quarrel with the whites. you may go now my son, and remember what i have said to you." then to sibley, he said, "my friend, you have heard me talk to my wayward son. for my sake, look after his conduct and the welfare of my people, for i feel impressed to tell you that that boy will be the ruin of his people." the boy was the leader in the massacre of twelve hundred white men, women and children on the minnesota frontier in and was shot and killed near the town of hutchinson in . another story of early time i had from genl. sibley concerned the claimant of the land and property which afterwards became and is now a part of the city of st. paul, but was then known as pigs eye, so called because the eyes of the old voyageur for whom it was named were inclined somewhat in the manner of a pig. joseph r. brown had a trading post on gray cloud island, sixteen miles below st. paul and was a justice of the peace with unlimited jurisdiction. pigs eye, an old toughened voyageur and a young fellow, both claimed the same quarter section of land and agreed to refer their quarrel to brown. accordingly both appeared at his place on gray cloud and stated their cases to brown. brown knowing that he had no jurisdiction over land titles and seeing an opportunity for a joke, informed them that the one who first put up a notice that he would write and give them, would be entitled to possess the land. they must strip for the race and he would give them a fair start, which accordingly he did, by marking a line and causing them to toe the line, and then solemnly giving the word "go" started the sixteen mile race and retired to his cabin to enjoy the joke. the young man started off at his best speed, thinking he had an easy victory before him, but the experienced old pigs eye, knowing it was a sixteen mile race took a stride he could keep up to the end and placed his notice first on the property; hence the first name of st. paul was pigs eye. the second and real name was given by the missionary priest, father gaultier, who told me that having occasion to publish the marriage notice of vitale guerin, he had to give the little log confessional on the hill some name, and as st. croix and st. anthony and st. peter had been honored in this neighborhood, he thought st. paul should receive the distinction. mr. reuben robinson-- . mr. reuben robinson, ninety-five years old, says: i came to st. anthony and worked at the mill near st. anthony falls. a fine bathing place had been discovered near the mill and was much used by the few women and men of st. anthony who came over in boats for the purpose. one day when i was at work i heard hollering and thought someone must have gone beyond his depth. i went out and looked around, saw nobody, but still heard the calling. i finally looked at a pile of logs near the falls and there saw a man who was calling for help. i threw a rope to him several times which he finally was able to grasp and i hauled him in hand over hand. his clothing was all wet and bedraggled, but a straw hat was still on his head although it was so wet that the green band had run into the straw. no trace of his boat was ever found. as soon as he landed, he took a whiskey flask from his pocket and took a long pull, which disgusted me very much. i discovered that these long pulls were what was accountable for his trouble, as he had taken a boat when he was drunk and had gone too near the falls. when we came through chicago, the mud was up to the hubs everywhere. much of the time the bottom of the stage was scraping it. in one deep hole where the old road had been, a big scantling stuck up with these words painted on it, "they leave all hope who enter here." i remember killing a snake over seven feet long down near minnehaha falls. snakes were very abundant at that time. when i was in the indian war, one of the indian scouts showed me how to find the indians' underground store houses. only an indian could find these. the soldiers had hunted for days without success, but the indian succeeded in a short time and found a community store house holding several hundred bushels of corn. this was six feet under the ground and looked exactly like the rest of the ground except that in the center a small tuft of grass was left, which to the initiated showed the place. i had a serious lung trouble and was supposed to have consumption as i was always coughing. after i was married my wife induced me to take the water cure. she kept me wrapped in wet sheets for several days. at the end of that time an abscess of the lungs was relieved and my cough was cured. this climate has cured many of lung trouble. i have to laugh when i think how green i was about these western places. before i left my old home at troy, new york, i bought twelve dollars worth of fishing tackle and a gun, also quantities of cartridges. i never used any of them for the things here were much more up to date. when i went to church i was astonished. i never saw more feathers and fancy dressing anywhere. in hogs were $ . a hundred and potatoes c a bushel. mrs. samuel b. dresser-- . we took a steamer from galena to stillwater, as everyone did in those days. they were paying the sioux indians at red wing. a noble looking chief in a white blanket colored band with eagles' feathers colored and beautifully worked buckskin shirt, leggings and moccasins was among them. he stands out in my mind as the most striking figure i ever saw. there was so much majesty in his look. we took a bateau from stillwater to clouse's creek. my uncle came the year before and had a block house where troutmere now is, four miles from osceola and we visited him. a little later when i was seven years old, we went to taylor's falls, minnesota, to live. there were only three houses there. we rented one end of a double block house and school was held in the other end. our first teacher in ' and ' was susie thompson. there were thirty-five scholars from st. croix falls and our own town. boats came up the river to taylor's falls on regular trips. in our house there was a large fireplace with crane hooks, to cook on. these hooks were set in the brick. we hung anything we wanted to cook on them. the fire was directly under them. my mother brought a crane that was a part of andirons, with her, but we never used that. i was married when i was sixteen. my husband built a house the next year. the shingles were made by hand and lasted forty years. the enamel paint came from st. louis and was as good as new fifty years afterward. the paper, too, which was a white background with long columns with flowers depending from the top, was good for forty years. in osceola there was a grist mill that cracked the grain. the delles house looks the same now as it did in ' when i first remember it. in ' i saw a party of chippewa indians hiding in the rough ground near taylor's falls. they said they were going to fight the sioux. some white men came and drove them away. they killed a chippewa. a sioux warrior, looking for chippewa scalps found the dead indian, skinned his whole head and rode away with the white men, with the scalp in his hand, whooping and hollering. there was a road from point douglas through taylor's falls to fond du lac. it went through stillwater and sunrise prairie, too. i used to watch it as the indians passed back and forth on it and wish i could go to the end of it. it seemed to me that adventure waited there. we used to go to dances and dance the threestep waltz and french four with a circle of fours all around the room, and many other old style dances, too. we put in all the pretty fancy steps in the cotillion. no prettier sight could be than a young girl, with arms circled above her head, jigging on the corners. my wedding dress was a white muslin, made very full around the bottom and plaited in at the waist. my traveling dress was made the same. it was a brown and white shepherd check and had eight breadths of twenty-seven inch silk. that silk was in constant wear for fifty years and if it was not all cut up, would be just as good today. my shoes were brown cloth to match and had five or six buttons. i had another pair that laced on the outside. nothing has ever fitted the foot like those side-lace shoes. my traveling cape was of black net with bands of silk--very ample looking. i wore a white straw bonnet trimmed with lavender. the strings were white lute-string and the flowers in front of the flaring rim were small and dainty looking. there was a wreath of them on the crown too. when i tied this bonnet on, i felt very grown up for a sixteen year old bride. mr. luther webb, indian agent, used to visit us often. the indians were always very curious, and spent much of the time before our windows watching everything we did. in time we were as calm with those glittering black eyes on us as we would have been if a gentle old cow had been looking in. mrs. rufus farnham-- . i moved to the farm on what is now lyndale avenue north, sixty-four years ago. the red river carts used to pass along between my home and the river, but i was always holding a baby under one arm and drawing water from the well, so could not tell which way they went. i only saw them when they were straight in front of me. women in those days never had time to look at anything but work. sugar came in a large cone. it was cracked off when needed. when purchased, a blue paper was wrapped around it. this when boiled, made a dye of a lovely lavender shade. it was used to dye all delicate fabrics, like fringe or silk crepe. i have a silk shawl which i dyed in this way in ' that still retains its color. later i paid c for three teacups of sugar. this just filled a sugar bowl. my mother used to live on first street north. once when i was spending the day with her a dog sled from fort garry, now winnipeg, passed the house. there were never many of these after we came for it seemed that the red river carts had taken their places. there were six dogs to this team. they laid down and hollered just in front of the house. i suppose they were all tired out. the half breed driver took his long rawhide whip and give them a few cracks and they got up and went whimpering on to st. paul. when they were rested, they would come back from st. paul, like the wind. it only took a few days for them to come and go, to and from the fort, while it took the carts many weeks. the drivers would have suits of skin with the hair inside. they never forgot a bright colored sash. a bridal couple came with a dog team once, after i moved here, but the sled i saw only had a load of fine furs. i made sour emptyings bread. very few could make it. i stirred flour, sugar and water together until it was a little thicker than milk, then set it aside to sour. when it was thoroughly sour, i put in my saleratus, shortening and flour enough to make it stiff. it took judgment to make this bread, but everyone thought there was nothing like it. captain john van der horck-- . i always relied on an indian just as i did on a white man and never found my confidence misplaced. i often went hunting with them on the sloughs out of st. paul. game was very plentiful. my indian companion and i would both have a gun. he would paddle the frail canoe. we would see the game. "bang!" would go my gun. "bang!" would go his. i would be loading while he was shooting. all game was plenty, plenty. well i remember the woodcock, long bill, big, big eyes--look at you so trustingly i never could shoot them. there were such mighty flocks of ducks and geese in season that their flight would sound like a train of cars does now. once i went deer hunting and saw six does. they turned their beautiful faces towards me and showed no fear. i could not shoot them. i have seen strings of those red river carts and many, many in a string, loaded with furs coming from fort garry or pembina. mrs. james pratt-- . my father moved to minnesota territory in ' . we lived with my uncle, mr. tuttle, who had a mill for some time on this side. he was living in a small house belonging to the government, but my father and he added two more rooms so we could stay with them. in the spring my father took up land and built a house down by the river not far from the minnehaha falls. he began to work on the godfrey mill at minnehaha. my mother was very timid. the sight of an indian would nearly throw her into a fit. you can imagine that she was having fits most of the time for they were always around. timber wolves, too, were always skulking around and following the men, but i never knew them to hurt anyone. father said it used to make even him nervous to have them keep so near him. they would be right close up to him, as close as a dog would be. he always took a lively gait and kept it all the time. one night father was a little late and mother had seen more terrifying things than usual during the day, so she was just about ready to fly. she always hated whip-poor-wills for she said they were such lonesome feeling things. this night she stood peering out, listening intently. then she, who had tried so hard to be brave, broke into wild lamentations, saying, she knew the wolves or indians had killed father and she would never see him again. my grandmother tried to calm her, but she would not be comforted until father came, then he had a great time getting her settled down. she said the whip-poor-wills seemed to say as she looked out in the blackness of the night, "oh, he's killed--oh, he's killed." what these timid town bred women, used to all the comforts of civilization, suffered as pioneers, can never be fully understood. after that, whenever father was late, little as i was, and i was only four, i knew what mother was going through and would always sit close to her and pat her. our home only had a shake roof and during a rain it leaked in showers. my little sister was born just at this time during an awful storm. we thought it would kill mother, but it did not seem to hurt her. the indians used to come and demand meat. all we had was bacon. we gave them all we had but when they ate it all up they demanded more. we were much frightened, but they did not hurt us. father used to tap the maple trees, but we could not get any sap for the indians drank it all. that winter we lived a week on nothing but potatoes. our nearest neighbor was mrs. wass. she had two little girls about our ages. they had come from ohio. we used to love to go there to play and often did so. once when i was four, her little girls had green and white gingham dresses. i thought them the prettiest things i had ever seen and probably they were, for we had little. when mother undressed me that night, two little green and white scraps of cloth fell out of the front of my little low necked dress. mother asked at once if mrs. wass gave them to me and i had to answer, "no." "then," she said, "in the morning you will have to take them back and tell mrs. wass you took them." i just hated to and cried and cried. in the morning, the first thing, she took me by the hand and led me to the edge of their plowed field and made me go on alone. when i got there, mrs. wass came out to meet me. i said, "i've come to bring these." she took me up in her arms and said, "you dear child, you are welcome to them." but my mother would not let me have them. i never took anything again. we had a newfoundland dog by the name of sancho, a most affectionate, faithful beast. a neighbor who had a lonely cabin borrowed him to stay with his wife while he was away. someone shot him for a black bear. no person was ever lamented more. in ' my father built the first furniture factory at minnetonka mills. our house was near it. the trail leading from anoka to shakopee went right by the house and it seemed that the indians were always on it. there were no locks on the doors and if there were, it would only have made the indians ugly to use them. late one afternoon, we saw a big war party of sioux coming. they had been in a scrimmage with the chippewas and had their wounded with them and many gory scalps, too. we ran shrieking for the house but only our timid mother and grandmother were there. the sioux camped just above the house, and at night had their war dance. i was only seven years old at the time, but i shall never forget the awful sight of those dripping scalps and those hollering, whooping fiends, as they danced. i think they must have been surprised in camp by the chippewas for they had wounded squaws, too, with them. one old one was shot through the mouth. the men were hideously painted. one side of one's face would be yellow and the other green. it seemed no two were exactly alike. one sunday morning i was barefoot, playing in the yard. there were bushes around and i heard a queer noise like peas rattling in a box. i could not see what made it, so finally ran in and told father. he came out and lifted up a wide board over two stones. he jumped back and called to me to run in the house, then grabbed an ax and cut the head off a huge rattlesnake. it had ten rattles. we never saw its mate. the first school taught in minneapolis proper was taught by clara tuttle, a niece of calvin tuttle, in one of the rooms of the government log cabin where we were living in ' . the pupils were her cousins. miss tuttle returned to the east the next summer and died of consumption. my cousin luella tuttle, the next year used to go over to st. anthony to school, on the logs, jumping from one to the other, rather than wait for the ferry. in ' we returned to minneapolis to live. old dr. ames was our doctor. he was one of the finest men that ever lived. i had terrible nose bleeds. his treatment was to whittle pine plugs and insert them in the nostrils. it always cured. no matter how poor a patient was, dr. ames always did his best. no child was ever afraid of him. he was very slow in his movements. mrs. mary harrison-- . i came to minnesota from maine. i had never been on the railroad or seen a train, so when i saw what i thought then was the most awe inspiring and stupendous mechanism there was ever going to be in the world, i took my seat with elation and bumped along on that crazy track with the greatest joy. i took no thought of danger. now i should want an insurance of $ , to ride a block under those circumstances. the rails were of wood, with an iron top. i have heard my friends say that these iron pieces sometimes came up through the floor. we went by water to boston, again by rail and then by the erie canal and great lakes. we landed at milwaukee. it was a little town. they were just building their first sidewalks then. i can shut my eyes and see those little narrow walks now. we drove in wagons with boards across for seats from milwaukee to galena. weren't those seats easy! somewhere in wisconsin we stopped at a little log hotel over night. we knew that rattlesnakes abounded in this region as we had seen them on our way. there were holes all around the base of the room. we took off our petticoats, of which every little girl had several, and stuffed them in the holes, shaking them carefully the next morning to see that there were no enquiring friends of the snake tribe rolled up in them. we took the nominee at galena. after the high bluffs began, the scenery was magnificent. at a trading station called la crosse, fifty indians came on board. one chief in a white blanket i have always remembered. he was certainly majestic looking. a little two year old tot had his ears pierced from top to bottom and common wire with three cornered pieces of shiny tin run through all the places. his eyes were very black, shiny and bright, but we could not raise a smile from him. that chief was all porcupine quill and bead embroidery. he was painted, too, as were all the rest. st. paul, after we had climbed that awful flight of stairs up the bluff, looked like a little town that had been left. our carriage to st. anthony was a light express wagon with more boards across for seats. when we came to university hill in st. paul, there were no houses in sight, but oh! what a beautiful place it was! we did enjoy that drive. we stopped at denoyers to water the horses. this was a little tavern between the two little towns. when we came to the ravine in st. anthony, with its little cascades, father said, "i have not a doubt that the time will come when it will be settled through here." we all thought it was very grand of father to take such a long shot as that. when we reached st. anthony, the people were lovely to us. we did begin to feel at home at once. we had to find a place to live. one of them went with us to the "stranger's house," a slab house standing near the falls. anyone who came and had no place to live was welcome to live in this house until they had a home of their own. this was why it was called the "stranger's house." the mousseau's, a french red river family were living in one half of it. we scrubbed it out and moved in. mother sewed some loops on some quilts and made two bedrooms. we told her she was a fine carpenter. we did have lots of fun in our family. the floor was rough boards, but we planed them off by scrubbing with white sand. when the floor was dry, we always sprinkled it with white sand. the slabs were put on lengthwise, and there were always rows of bright indians' eyes like beads on a string watching us through these cracks. my brother had smallpox in this house. we never knew how it came, but come it did. dr. murphy when he first saw him said it was measles or smallpox, but he vaccinated us all. it took just lovely. in those days they used a scab from the arm of someone who had been vaccinated. my brother took quantities of penny-royal tea and no other medicine. he came through fine. on the fourth of july we went to a dancing party or ball at the hotel. we did have a beautiful time--mrs. northrup was a lovely cook. i remember the butter was in the shape of a pineapple with leaves and all. we danced contra dances, such as "the tempest" and spanish dances. the waltz, too, with three little steps danced very fast, was popular. we took hold of our partner's elbows. i taught the first school at shingle creek when i was a girl of seventeen. my school house was a claim shanty reached by a plank from the other side of the creek. my boarding place was a quarter of a mile from the creek. the window of the school house was three little panes of glass which shoved sideways to let in the air. one afternoon just before time to dismiss the school, the windows were darkened by the faces of savages looking in. each carried a gun and the terror inspired by them was very great as they were not the friendly faces of the indians we were used to. the children all flocked around me. i went on hearing their lessons and then told them to sing. the indians appeared delighted with this and laughed and talked with each other. after school, with the children clustered around me, i took an atlas and went out and showed the indians the pictures. i knew they were very fond of looking at pictures. they all stayed until the last picture had been shown and the leaves turned again and again and then with a friendly glance at me and my little flock, strode off and i never saw them again. the only time i ever fished was when i was teaching this school. i went with friends to the mouth of shingle creek. i did not know how to go at it when the pole and line were given to me. i asked what i should do and they told me if i felt my line pulling, to throw it over my head as quickly as i could. i was standing before some thick hazel brush and when i felt a tug, i did as i was told, landing on my back in the hazel brush at the same time. however, the largest black bass that the fishermen had ever seen was on my hook in the hazel brush. they thought it weighed over four pounds. my little sister was taken to a revival meeting in the old church in st. anthony. she was about as big as a minute and understood nothing of what was going on but was very wise looking. the minister did not slight even this atom, but asked her if she had found jesus. she said hastily, "i didn't know he was lost." mr. william w. ellison-- . mr. ellison now in his ninety-third year, with a perfect memory says: i came to minnesota with a determination to lead an outdoor life as my lungs were giving me much trouble. one of the first things i did was to take a yoke of oxen to traverse to meet mr. williamson who was a missionary at lac qui parle. it was in november. i was new at this kind of work. the oxen were delivered to me at fort snelling. i crossed the river in a canoe and swam the oxen across to mendota. then i went on towards shakopee. there was a wellworn indian trail leading along the minnesota river and i followed that. i went through black dog's village. i started late in the afternoon. a young couple had been married at mendota a few days before and had gone on ahead. i expected to catch up with them. my oxen were most tractable and the country through which i passed very beautiful. the trail led along a ridge. my uncle, mr. williamson, had always told me to make my camp early while there was plenty of light, so not seeing or hearing anything of the other wagon, i made my camp where an old indian camp had been and prepared to spend a comfortable night in the woods. i cooked my supper and then turned in. the wind had come up and i soon became very chilly, so i looked around for a warmer place. i found a windfall and made myself a nice little fire by crossing the trunks and building a fire under them. i spent the next four hours in comfort, though it was very cold. my uncle had told me to start with the first rays of the sun. i had no timepiece, so when i saw a glow in the east, i got up, ate my breakfast and started. it was not long before i saw that my dawn was a prairie fire. i had not gone far when i heard a horse neighing and soon found my mendota friends. they had not understood how to camp so were nearly frozen to death. their wagon had broken down when they were in a swamp. they had taken what little bedding they had and camped on a knoll in this swamp. i surely was sorry for that bride. her husband had had a chill early in the evening before they camped. she had been up with him all night and now thought he was dying. i thought he was too. i tried to make a fire out of the wet willow wood there, but could not and he got bluer and bluer. we used all the blankets we had. finally i said, "you lie down on one side of him and i on the other." after some time his teeth stopped chattering and his color returned. i think it would have been the last of him if i had not found them as i did. i tried to fix the cart but could not. a half breed who was driving for them had gone on to shakopee for help, taking one horse the night before. i started on with my oxen to bring help. when i got nearly to shakopee, i met a half breed, john moores, going to their help. i waited for them in shakopee. mcleod's boat came along and they took that as they could not get their cart mended well. i could make about twenty miles a day walking with my oxen. i stayed one night in the big woods at belle plaine. the wolves were very thick, "so i hung my food on a sapling and leaned it against a tree. when i got to the crossing at traverse, it was dark. i hollered. i could hear someone say, 'that must be ellison.' then they came over for me. the hopkins' and huggins' had the mission station there then. it did seem good to get where i had a square meal. i had been living principally on a sweet biscuit my aunt, mrs. williamson, the missionary's wife at kaposia made. don't ever take anything sweet to eat for any length of time." martin mcleod met the boat with a string of red river carts. they were loaded with furs and were to take supplies back. it was very interesting to me to watch the loading and unloading of this boat. i was not yet familiar with those half breed drivers. they seemed sociable fellows, among themselves, laughing, joking and talking in their lingo. the boat had brought a barrel of flour, one of pork and other supplies for the mission at lac qui parle, so after spending a week at traverse waiting for the train to start, i took these in a cart drawn by one ox and started with the rest on monday morning. the dressers had their cart which i had managed to fix and their team of horses. i started with them and the string of carts. i could see the trail two miles ahead. it had to go around the sloughs. the cart train of course followed it. i soon saw the sloughs were frozen and would bear my ox and wide wheeled cart where it was not deep, so i cut across. when mrs. dresser was getting dinner, i appeared and ate with them. they could not understand how i could keep up with horses. the train was several miles back. we all camped together at night. the first night was spent on the border of swan lake. the trail followed a straight line from traverse to lac qui parle, except for these sloughs. saturday night we camped at black oak lake, twelve miles from lac qui parle. in the morning, mcleod and his train went on, but we stayed and kept the sabbath, arriving the next day. the first indian i ever shook hands with was little crow at kaposia, his village. he was common looking even for an indian. my uncle, dr. williamson said, "he is the smoothest indian i know. usually when i am told a lie once, i look out for that liar and never trust him again, but little crow has fooled me with his lies a dozen times and i suppose he will a dozen times more." when i first knew john otherday he was a savage with all a savage's instincts. my uncle, mr. williamson said to me one night, "we'll lock the cattle up tonight; oupeto topeca, later otherday, is back from washington and feels very much abused. he might kill them." when he became a christian all this was changed. he never forgot his religion for a moment. at the time of the outbreak he led a party of refugees at the greatest risk to himself through the back country to shakopee. i think there were over forty in the party. i used to walk fifty miles a day with ease, and could keep it up for several days. i never walked in moccasins, for they gave no support to the feet; but a soldier's shoe, bought at the fort for $ . was ideal to wear. it had a long, heavy sole leather sole, a very low heel and heavy leather all hand sewed, for the uppers. the northwestern fur company's trail started from new cave, now st. paul, and followed the mississippi river through st. anthony to anoka. it forded the rum river at anoka, near the mississippi, following as nearly as possible that river to st. cloud, where it crossed at a ford. it then followed the sauk river about eleven miles; then turned to the right and crossed big bend forty-five miles, striking the river again four miles north from sauk center. then it passed through the timber to alexandria. it crossed red river near fort abercrombie; then went directly north to pembina, passing from point to point of the red river of the north. the red river carts had wheel rims eight inches wide. i have seen them with solid wheels cut from a single round of a tree. i have heard that the carts around pembina were formerly all like this, but in my day they generally had spokes. i suppose they were lighter. it was the width of wheel and sagacity of the animal that made it possible to go with security over the most impossible roads. they usually carried eight hundred pounds. when they reached st. paul they camped where larpenteur's home now is. i never knew an indian who had been converted to go back on the whites. some people would sell them a pair of pants, for a christian indian could vote and then say as they saw them so dressed, "there is a christian indian." it took more than a pair of pants to christianize an indian, but when they were once converted, they stayed so, as the many people who were saved by them in the massacre could testify. mr. d. e. dow-- . in when i first came to minnesota, i took a claim at lake harriet near where the pavilion now stands. the ruins of the old steven's mission were on my claim. it had been built in . i did not keep this claim long, though i built a log cabin there and kept bachelor's hall, but soon took a claim where my present house stands in hopkins. i built a cabin here but boarded with a widow and her children. all the food we had was game, pork and buckwheat cakes. the buckwheat they had brought from their home and it was all ground in the coffee mill then sifted through a horsehair sieve before it could be used. there were seven in the family to grind for, so it kept one person grinding all the time. i was supposed to live alone in my cabin but hardly ever spent a night without the companionship of some sioux indians who were hunting around there. i gladly received them as they were friendly, and their company was much better than none. one winter they came in such numbers that at night the floor was entirely covered by their sleeping forms. early in the morning, they would go out and all day hunt the deer, with which the woods abounded. it was very cold and the slain deer froze immediately. they stacked them up, making a huge pile. suddenly all the indians left. one morning shortly after, i was working in the clearing around my cabin, when i saw a line of squaws which i think was a block long, coming over the trail which led from shakopee to hopkins. the squaws went to the pile of deer. each took one on her back and silently trudged away over the trail toward shakopee. some of the squaws were so small that the frozen carcass had to be adjusted by another squaw or it would drag on the ground. they were two weeks removing this pile of deer and had to walk twenty-eight miles with each one before they got home with it. when i first made my way to minnetonka, i came out at gray's bay. there were vast numbers of indian mounds there and bark sheds for drying fish. this was in ' . an indian trail led along the shore of lake calhoun just above where the street car track is now. it continued on the high ground to the mission at lake harriet. i killed a deer at what had been the mission ground the first time i ever saw the lake. the trail continued on the high ground around lake harriet. there were fishing trails, too, around the lakes near the water, but the trails ordinarily used were on high ground where there was no fear of ambush. another trail was north of lake calhoun and led to hopkins, then to shakopee, little six village. the opposite shore was a big swamp. another much used trail followed along the highlands of the mississippi river to the fort sawmill which stood near where the old union station was in minneapolis. the reservation on which the fort stood was ten miles square and included all the present site of minneapolis. this is why that city was so long without settlers, although the water power was the finest to be found anywhere. mrs. elizabeth clifford-- . my father had asthma terribly and was advised to come to minnesota for his health. he arrived in stillwater with his family and a stock of goods in . he exchanged these for land six miles out of that town and two and one half miles off the main traveled road leading to marine. we had a very fine barn and comfortable home made of lumber from the stillwater mills. our nearest neighbor was two and one-half miles away, mr. morgan who kept the halfway house, but i cannot remember that i was ever lonesome. we spent much time in the woods, where we found the most wonderful wild flowers. there was not a tame flower known to us whose counterpart we could not find in our woods. of vegetables i remember best a small pink eyed potato, the most delicious i have ever tasted. as they baked, they could be heard popping in the oven. they are not raised now. the wild plum found in the woods my father cultivated and they were as large as small eggs and looked like small peaches. one day as i glanced from the window, i saw a body of indian warriors coming on the trail that led around the lake near us. as they came up, i saw they were in full war paint and feathers. they entered, examined everything, but took nothing. they asked for and ate bread and molasses, as they had seen the children doing when they came in. they all had guns and, big bowie knives sticking in their belts. one particularly villainous looking one took out his knife and felt the edge, looking wickedly at us. one was exceptionally pleasant looking and i thought he would protect us if the rest got ugly. they finally went away. they were followed in the afternoon by a band of chippewa braves who asked if the sioux warriors had been that way that day. when told they had, they rode hurriedly after them. they said the sioux had taken some chippewa scalps. [illustration: survivors who were at traverse des sioux at the time of the treaty in . mrs. richard chute, general william g. le duc and mrs. gideon pond. mrs. morris is standing by general le duc. taken at a celebration given in their honor july , , by the old trails chapter, at the home of mrs. m. w. savage.] mrs. richard chute-- . i came to minnesota a bride in and with my husband shortly afterwards took the steamer for traverse de sioux, where a great treaty with the indians was to be signed. with us we took a tent, provisions and a french man to cook. i was the only woman in all the company. it was all so wonderful to me--the beautiful country through which we passed and the preparations made for all the company on landing. the indians, a great concourse of them were down to see the boat come in. to see them scamper when the boat whistled was a sight to be remembered. some fell in the water, but fled as soon as they could get themselves out. i think this was the first steamboat they had ever seen. they were frightened and curious at the same time. ten years before, at my home in ohio, i had seen the indians often as they would stop at our house for food on the way to fort wayne. my mother always cooked corn dodgers for them and gave them milk to drink. they loved her and knew she was their friend. they always gave me strings of vari-colored glass beads. i think i had one of every color. these indians at traverse made me feel at home at once and i gave them a friendly smile. the glances they returned were shy, but friendly. their painted faces and breasts and gaudy clothes were different from our indians. their tepees stretched as far as the eye could see. it seemed that the squaws must have had instruction in embroidery from some civilized teacher. their patterns were so intricate. their colors so well placed. their moccasins were always beautifully done with beads and colored porcupine quills; their best petticoats, too. as for their liege lords, their best suits, if suits they might be called, were beautifully done. a young squaw, instead of pouring out her love in song, would pour it out in embroidery and her husband would be very gay, indeed. mrs. hopkins, wife of the missionary, met us and took us home with her where we were very well cared for. she was a charming little woman, full of missionary zeal and greatly loved. i never heard her complain. her husband, too, was greatly beloved by the indians. we took our stores and cooked there and with fresh vegetables from the little farm worked by mr. huggins, fish and game, we had choice meals. i used to ride horseback, or rather "pony back," every day, always with my husband and frequently with mr. sibley. my pony was borrowed from the indians. mr. chute and mr. sibley rode large horses. every indian brave, who came, came on a pony. his tepee, household goods and children were drawn by one. there were so many that they seemed more than the blades of grass. literally thousands of these ponies were grazing some distance back of the encampment. we three rode out to see them. as we neared them, and they smelled my pony, that vast herd, with one accord, started towards us and almost at once literally engulfed me. the men called, "for god's sake, don't get off. hold on for your life." i took the pony around the neck with both arms and did hold on. the men came after me as fast as they could and rode their big horses on either side of me. the indians rushed in on their ponies and after some time succeeded in turning that vast multitude and letting the prisoner escape. i was cool and collected while the danger menaced, but when it was over, trembled and shook. my taste for horseback riding at traverse was gone. mr. sibley, mr. chute and i, with a guide, went to see a miniature minnehaha. we walked all day going there and back--crossing the little stream many times. my husband took off his boots to ford the stream. he always carried me over. he cut his foot badly and could hardly get to the commission tent. mr. sibley urged us not to go to the hopkins', but to stay there, but mr. chute wanted to go. it was bright moonlight, and i walked three quarters of a mile to mr. hopkins' to get a pony to take my husband back. i passed a little lake on the prairie. mr. chute and i always walked arm in arm as was then the custom for married people. mirrored in the lake i could see reflected many, many indian lovers walking as they had seen the pale faces do. i laughed to myself as i thought what mimics these children were. it was their following the customs of the white man, drinking as they saw him drink, that degraded them so. on the fourth of july there was to be a great celebration. the indians were to have all their dances. early in the morning, mr. hopkins went out to bathe in the river. he did not return. a little indian girl said she had seen him go under the water and only two hands come above it. his body was not found for two days. a great crowd of squaws surrounded the house, showing by their sad looks what the loss was to them. at the burial, the indians, a vast number of them, sang the hymns in sioux. this funeral, way off in the wilderness, with these crowds of savage mourners, could never be forgotten. mr. charles bohanon-- . i moved to the farm where i am now living in ' . my father first took up a claim in where the central market now stands, but while he was in the woods, old man stimson squat on that, so he took a claim at what is now camden place. he built a small house there. the farm was covered with brush and "oak openins". everyone of these trees had to be grubbed out. one of my earliest recollections is the red river carts that used to go squawking by on this side of the river as well as on the st. anthony side. they were called the red river band. they were one of the loudest bands ever brought together, as their music, that of wood rubbing against wood, could be heard three miles. while my father was in the woods, the indians used to come and sleep in the dooryard. sometimes it would be full of painted sioux. they never stole anything or begged, but would gratefully take anything offered them. they were very friendly and kind and full of curiosity, as their looking in the windows at all times showed. my father had brought a fine pair of horses from galena. one day when he was mowing wild hay on a meadow, he left them unhitched and was excitedly told by a neighbor that they had got in the river. he ran and saw one swimming near the other shore but as the other had turned over with his feet in the air, the combined weight of the horse and wagon was too much for him and before help came, he sank. we recovered the running gear of the wagon later when all came upon a sandbar, but the harness had been stolen. what the loss of this team was to a pioneer farmer, we can hardly conceive. the countless number of pigeons which migrated here every spring could never be estimated. at all hours of the night their cry of "pigie, pigie, pigie," could be heard. they could be seen in countless numbers on the "slab trees," that is, old, dead trees. anyone could kill hundreds in a day and thousands killed, seemingly made no impression. they flew very low and in dense masses. ducks and geese were exceedingly plentiful. i have never seen wild swan here, but many in minnesota in the red river country. on our farm was a thicket of plums which probably came up from the stones from one tree. some were blue, some red, others yellow and red. some were sour, some bitter, others tasteless, while others still, were sweet and of an exquisite flavor. these trees soon ran out and i think all of this best variety are gone. i remember picking raspberries, blackberries and wild strawberries in quantities. every summer we would go up to anoka and spend a week camping and picking blueberries. we sold our corn which was our first crop, to alexander moore in st. anthony. at that time, he was the only one buying corn. two bushel baskets made a bushel. this sold for c. mr. moore had much larger baskets than those ordinarily in use and measured the corn in these. when the farmers demurred, he said, "if you don't like my measure, take your corn home." he knew there was no one else for us to take it to, so was very brave. there were very few scales so farm produce was generally sold by measure. i never saw a pair of shoes until after the war. everyone wore boots. in the northern part of the state i have seen men start out in the morning with an ox team and return at night, blind themselves and the oxen, too, from the sting of the buffalo gnat. the mosquitoes came in great clouds and were everywhere. every little clear space of a hundred acres or more was called a prairie. when i first saw duluth it was only a cotton-town. that is, log houses with canvas roofs or tents. most mail carriers used dog teams. three dogs hitched tandem was the common sight. i have seen three dogs haul a dead horse. in our expedition against the indians only thirty-seven of the eight hundred horses we took, came back with us. the rest starved to death. unlike the red river stock which would paw through the deep snow to the long grass, fill themselves and then lie down in the hole and sleep, they knew nothing of this way and so could not forage for themselves. this campaign was with hatch's independent battalion. lieut. grosvenor who was new to the red river country was married and on his wedding trip was to stop at mccauleyville. he sent word ahead that he wanted a private room. when he got there, he was shown into the only room there was--full of half breed sleepers. he hastened to the proprietor and said, "i ordered a private room." his answer was, "there are only six beds in there, what more could you want?" mr. austin w. farnsworth-- . we came to fillmore county in the fall of from vermont. we were strapped. not one cent was left after the expenses of the trip were paid. a neighbor took my father with him and met us at mcgregor landing with an ox team hitched to a prairie schooner. we were four days getting to fillmore county, camping on the way. the nearest town, only a post office, was waukopee. father had come the previous spring and planted two acres of wheat, two acres of corn and one-half acre of potatoes. the potatoes all rotted in the ground. i was only nine years old and my brother thirteen, but we made all the furniture for that cabin out of a few popple poles and a hollow basswood log. for beds, beams were fitted in between the logs and stuck out about a foot above the floor and were six feet long. to these we fastened cross pieces of "popple" and on this put a tick filled with wild hay and corn stalk leaves. it made a wonderful bed when you were tired as everyone was in those days, for all worked. after we had cut off a section of our big log by hand, we split it in two and in one half bored holes and fitted legs of the unpeeled popple for the seat. the other half made the back and our chair was done. as we had no nails, we fitted on the backs with wood pegs. our table was made of puncheons split with a wedge and hewed with a broadax. the cabin would have been very homelike with its new furniture if it had not been for the smoke. my mother had to do all the cooking on a flat stone on the floor with another standing up behind it. she nearly lost her sight the first winter from the smoke. our attic was filled with cornstalks to make the cabin warmer. our fare was good, as game was very plentiful and we had corn meal and a coarse ground wheat more like cracked wheat. there was a little grist mill at carimona, a tiny town near. my mother made coffee from corn meal crusts. it would skin postum three ways for sunday. when i was nine years old i killed a buffalo at buffalo grove near us. that grove was full of their runs. elk were very plentiful, too, and deer were so plenty they were a drug in our home market. i have counted seventy-five at one time and seven elk. pigeons were so thick that they darkened the sky when they flew. geese and ducks, too, were in enormous flocks. in season, they seemed to cover everything. we used the eggs of the prairie chickens for cooking. they answered well. once my brother shot a coon and my mother made him a cap with the tail hanging behind and made me one too, but she put a gray squirrel's tail at the back of mine. she knit our shoes and sewed them to buckskin soles. i was twelve, when i had my first pair of leather shoes. they were cowhide and how they did hurt, but i was proud of them. none of the country boys wore underclothing. i was nineteen before i ever had any. our pants were heavily lined and if it was cold, we wore more shirts. i never had an overcoat until i went in the army. before we left vermont, my mother carded and spun all the yarn and wove all the cloth that we wore for a long time after coming to minnesota. we found the most delicious wild, red plums, half the size of an egg and many berries and wild crab-apples. the timber wolves were plenty and fierce. my sister was treed by a pack from nine o'clock until one. by that time we had got neighbors enough together to scatter them. i was chased, too, when near home, but as i had two bulldogs with me, they kept them from closing in on me until i could get in the house. there was a rattlesnake den near us and once we killed seventy-eight in one day. they were the timber rattlesnakes--great big fellows. i caught one by holding a forked stick over its head and then dropped it in a box. i kept it for a pet. it was seven feet, one and a half inches long, i used to feed it frogs, mice and rabbits. i thought it was fond of me, but it struck at me and caught its fangs in my shirt when i was careless, so i killed my pet. the only time i ever went to school was for two months in ' , to john cunningham. wilbur made our desks out of black walnut lumber, cut in buffalo grove. it was very plentiful there. later we used to go to dances. i was great for cutting pigeon wings and balancing on the corner with a jig step. we used to dance the whirl waltz, too. some called it the german waltz. we spun round and round as fast as we could, taking three little steps. mr. elijah nutting-- . we came to faribault in and kept the first hotel there. it was just a crude shanty with an upstairs that was not partitioned off. very cold too. i rather think there never was anything much colder. but it was very well patronized, as it was much better than staying outside. there were many indians whose home was in our village. we used to have good times with them and enjoyed their games and seeing them dance. families were moving in all the time. finally winter was over and spring with us. we began to think how near the fourth was and how totally unprepared we were for its coming. we decided to have a minstrel show. we had seen one once. my brother was to be end man and black up for the occasion. but he was a little tow head and we did not see our way clear to make nice kinky black wool of his hair. unfortunately for her, a black sheep moved into town in an otherwise white flock. we boys would take turns in chasing that sheep and every time we could get near her, we would snatch some of the wool. when sewed on to cloth, this made a wonderful wig. the proceeds from this entertainment, we saved for firecrackers. then we bought some maple sugar of the indians--very dark and dirty looking. it looked very inadequate for a young merchant's whole stock of goods, but when it was added to by scrapings from the brown sugar barrel, when mother's back was turned, it sold like wild fire. we felt like rockefeller when we entrusted the stage driver with our capital to buy the coveted firecrackers in cannon city, which then was much larger than faribault. they cost forty cents a bunch, so we only got three bunches. the size of the crackers depressed us considerably for they were the smallest we had ever seen. we feared they would not make any noise. we put them away in a safe place. brother was a natural investigator. every time i was gone, he would fear those crackers were not keeping well and try one. he wanted no grand disappointment on the fourth. joe bemis, son of dr. bemis, always trained with us fellows and never backed down. we were going to have a circus in the barn. joe said, "i'll ride a hog." the hogs were running around loose outside. they were as wild as deer. we laid a train of corn into the barn and so coaxed one old fellow with great tusks into it, and then closed the door. joe ran and jumped on his back. like lightning the hog threw him and then ripped him with his tusk. joe yelled, "for god's sake let him out." we did. we laid joe out on a board and dr. bemis came and sewed him up. he said, "joe won't ride a hog very soon again, boys. neither will you, i guess." mr. charles rye-- . mr. rye, eighty-six years old, hale and hearty, who still chops down large trees and makes them into firewood for his own use, says: i left england in a sailing vessel in and was five weeks on the voyage. my sister did not leave her bunk all the way over and i was squeamish myself, but i see the sailors drinking seawater every morning, so i joined them and was never sick a minute after. we brought our own food with us and it was cooked for us very well and brought to us hot. we did not pay for this but we did pay for any food furnished extra. some ships would strike good weather all the way and then could make a rapid voyage in three weeks, but usually it took much longer. i stayed in the east two years and came to st. anthony in . the best sower in our part of england taught me to sow grain. after three days he came to me and said, "rye, i don't see how it is, but i can see you beat me sowing." i hired out to sow grain at $ . a day as soon as i came here and had all the work i could do. i would put the grain, about a bushel of it, in a canvas lined basket, shaped like a clothes basket and fastened with straps over my shoulders, then with a wide sweep of the arm, i would sow first with one hand and then with the other. it was a pretty sight to see a man sowing grain. seemed like he stepped to music. once i saw twenty-five deer running one after another like indians across my sister's farm where st. louis park now is. i was watchman for the old mill in st. anthony the winter of ' . it was forty degrees for weeks. i kept fire in wales bookstore, too, to keep the ink from freezing. i made $ . an acre on the first flax i sowed. a man had to be a pretty good worker if he got $ . a month and found in ' . most farm hands only got $ . . i used to run the ferry with captain tapper. it was a large rowboat. once i had eight men aboard. when i got out in the river, i saw the load was too heavy and thought we would sink. "boys", i said, "don't move. if you do, we'll all go to the bottom." the water was within one inch of the top of the boat but we got across. i graded some down town, on hennepin avenue when it was only a country road. there was a big pond on bridge square. the ducks used to fly around there like anything early in the morning. i cut out the hazelbrush on the first fair ground. it was on harmon place about two blocks below loring park. we cut a big circle so that we could have a contest between horses and oxen to see which could draw the biggest load. the oxen beat. i don't remember anything else they did at that fair. mr. james m. gillespie-- . i remember that our first crop on our own farm at camden place in was corn and pumpkins. the indians would go to the field, take a pumpkin, split it and eat it as we do an apple with grunts of satisfaction. there was an eight acre patch of wild strawberries where indians had cultivated the land on our new claim about where our house stands today. they were as large as the small cultivated berries with a most delicious flavor. everyone that we knew picked and picked but wagon loads rotted on the ground. a good strong, quick stepping ox could plow two acres a day but much oftener they plowed one and one half acres only. the pigeons flew so low in ' that we could kill them with any farm implement we happened to be using. they seemed to be all tired out. we killed and dried the breasts for winter. miss nancy gillespie-- . i remember a pear shaped wild plum which grew along the river bank. it was as large as the blue california plum and of a most wonderful color and taste. i have never seen anything like it and have not seen this variety of late years. mr. isaac layman-- . my father came to minnesota in ' and bought the land where layman's cemetery now is for $ , . of mr. dumar. he returned for us january first ' . snow was two feet on a level and the cold was terrible. we went with our horses and wagon to chicago from peoria. there we bought a bobsled and put the wagon box on it, adding a strong canvas top. we put in a stove and made the twenty-one day journey very comfortably. we came up through wisconsin. the only spot i remember was black river falls. the woods abounded with game. there were thousands of deer and partridges. we killed what we could eat only. we saw many bear tracks. we crossed the mississippi at st. anthony and arrived at our cabin. our house was only boarded up but father got out and banked it with snow to the eaves, pounding it down hard so it would hold. it made it very comfortable. in the early days ammunition was very expensive for the farmer boys who loved to shoot. they found that dried peas were just as good as shot for prairie chicken, quail and pigeons, so always hunted them with these. the passenger pigeons were so plentiful that the branches of trees were broken by their numbers. they flew in such enormous flocks that they would often fly in at open doors and windows. they obscured the sun in their flight. looked at from a distance, they would seem to extend as far up as the eye could reach. i have brought down thirty at a shot. they could be knocked off the branches with a stick while roosting and thousands of them were killed in this way. in these early days, they brought only c or c a dozen. the ducks used to congregate in such large numbers on rice lake that their flight sounded louder than a train of cars. mrs. mary weeks-- , ninety years old. we came to minnesota in . my husband went up to our claim and broke from twenty-five to forty acres and sowed rutabagas. it was on new breaking and virgin soil and they grew tremendous. we moved there and bought stock. they seemed never to tire of those turnips and grew very slick and fat on them. we, too, ate them in every form and i thought i had never tasted anything so good. they were so sweet and tasty. the children used to cut them in two and scrape them with a spoon. we said we had "minnesota apples" when we took them out to eat. it did seem so good to have real brooms to use. in maine, we had always made our brooms of cedar boughs securely tied to a short pole. they were good and answered the purpose but a new fangled broom made of broom straw seemed so dressy. i can well remember the first one of this kind i ever had. it was only used on great occasions. usually we used a splint broom which we made ourselves. i used to do all the housework for a family of seven besides making butter and taking care of the chickens. if help was short, i helped with the milking, too. i made all the clothes the men wore. a tailor would cut out their suits and then i would make them by hand. i made all their shirts too. you should have seen the fancy bosomed shirts i made. then i knit the stocking and mittens for the whole family and warm woolen scarfs for their necks. my husband used to go to bed tired to death and leave me sitting up working. he always hated to leave me. then he would find me up no matter how early it was. he said i never slept. i didn't have much time to waste that way. we lived on beautiful silver lake. in season the pink lady-slippers grew in great patches and other flowers to make the prairie gay. for amusement we used to go visiting and always spent the day. we would put the whole family into a sleigh or wagon and away we would go for an outing. we had such kind neighbors--no one any better than the other--all equal. mrs. e. a. merrill-- , minneapolis. my home was where the old union station stood. in my father, mr. keith, learned that the land near where the franklin avenue bridge now is was to be thrown open to settlement. he loaded his wagon with lumber and drove onto the piece of land he wanted and stayed there all night. in the morning he built his home. in the afternoon the family moved in and lived there for three years. mrs. martha thorne-- . we started from davenport, iowa, for minnesota territory in . we had expected to be only two weeks on the trip to the junction of the blue earth and minnesota rivers, but were six weeks on that terrible trip with our ox teams. there had been so much rain that all dry land was a swamp, all swamps lakes, and the lakes and rivers all over everywhere. sometimes we worked a whole day to get one hundred feet through one of the sloughs. we would cut the tallest and coarsest rushes and grass and pile in to make a road bed. we would seem to be in a sea, but finally this trip ended as all trips, no matter how bad, must, and we came to lake crystal where we were to stay. such a beautiful spot as it was, this home spot! we camped for three weeks, living in our prairie schooner, while the men put up the wild hay. we built a log cabin with "chinkins" to let in the air. we filled in the cracks except where these chinkins were, with mud. the roof was made by laying popple poles so they met in the middle and fastening them together. over this we laid a heavy thickness of wild hay, and over that the popple poles again well tied with hand twisted ropes of wild hay, to those below. it was a good roof, only it leaked like a sieve. the floor was just the ground. over it we put a layer of the wild hay and then staked a rag carpet over it. a puncheon shelf to put my trunk under, and the furniture placed, made a home that i was more than satisfied with. it took my husband over two weeks with a pair of trotting oxen to go for the furniture to st. paul. my baby was born three weeks after we moved in. there was no doctor within a hundred miles. i got through, helped only by my sister-in-law. what do you women nowadays, with your hospitals and doctors know of a time like this? when it rained, and rain it did, plenty, that october, the only dry place was on that trunk under the shelf and many an hour baby and i spent there. whenever there was sunshine that carpet was drying. we were much troubled with what the settlers called "prairie dig." it was a kind of itch that seemed to come from the new land. it made the hands very sore and troublesome. we did everything but could find no cure. the dakota sioux were our neighbors and were very friendly. they had not yet learned to drink the white man's firewater. a squaw came in one day and when she saw how i was suffering, went out and dug a root. she scraped off the outer bark, then cooked the inner bark and rubbed it on my hands. i was cured as if by magic. she buried all parts of the root, so i think it was poison. the next year we raised the first wheat on the des moines river. we put the sacks in the bottom of the wagon, then our feather beds on top of them. the children were put on these and we started for the mill at garden city, one hundred and thirty miles away. we had two yoke of oxen; the leaders were white with black heads and hoofs and great, wide spreading horns. they were texas cattle and were noble beasts, very intelligent and affectionate. i could drive them by just calling "gee and haw". they went steadily along. my husband and i spelled each other and went right along by night as well as day. we were about forty hours going. the moonlight, with the shadows of the clouds on the prairie was magnificent. we never saw a human being. we had our wheat ground and started back. as i was walking beside the oxen while my husband slept, i started up a flock of very young geese. i caught them all and they became very tame. they once flew away and were gone three weeks, but all returned. when we got home, we had a regular jubilation over that flour. twenty of the neighbors came in to help eat it. they were crazy for the bread. i made three loaves of salt rising bread and they were enormous, but we never got a taste of them. the indians were always kind neighbors. they learned evil from the whites. the father of inkpadutah used to hold my little girl and measure her foot for moccasins. then he would bring her the finest they could make and would be so pleased when they fitted. the indians always had wonderful teeth. they did not scrub the enamel off. they used to ask for coffee and one who had been to school said, "could i have a green pumpkin?" and ate it raw with a relish. we had a carpet sack for stockings. an indian orator used to look at it with covetous eyes. one day he came in, laid two mink skins on the table, took the stockings out of the bag and stepping right along with victory in his eye, bore that sack away. we lived on salt and potatoes for five weeks that first winter. we paid $ . for three pounds of sugar and $ . for a barrel of musty flour that we had to chop out with an ax and grate. that was in the winter of ' . during the inkpadutah outbreak, the soldiers ate everything we had. during the outbreak of ' we moved to mankato. i belonged to the ladies aid and we took care of the wounded and refugees sent from new ulm. we made field beds on the floor for them. one poor german woman went to sleep while carrying a glass of water across the room to her husband, who was wounded. she just sank down in such a deep sleep that nothing could arouse her. i never could imagine such exhaustion. old man ireland had sixteen bullet holes, but had never stopped walking until he got to us. mrs. eastlake, that wonderful woman, was in this hospital. she was the woman who crawled all those miles on her hands and knees. mrs. nancy lowell-- . i came to faribault in and boarded at the hotel kept by the nuttings the first winter. one evening i stepped to the door to throw out a washbasin of water and saw a large dog standing there. i put the dish down and was going out to call him. when my husband saw me going toward the door he said, "what are you going to do?" i said, "call in a dog." it was bright moonlight. he said, "let me see him." he looked and hastily closed the door saying, "the biggest kind of a timber wolf. be careful what kind of pets you take in here." the upper part of the hotel where we lived the first winter, was all in one room. i was the only woman, so we had a room made with sheeting. sometimes there were twenty people sleeping in that loft. we did not have to open the windows. most windows in those days were not expected to be opened anyway. the air just poured in between the cracks, and the snow blew in with gusto. it was not at all unusual to get up from under a snow bank in the morning. i brought many pretty dresses and wore them too. those who first came, if they had money and were brides, were dressed as if they lived in new york city. we had a dance one night in our little log hotel. it was forty degrees below zero, and very cold anywhere away from the big stove. the women wanted to dance all the time and so set the table and put on the bread and cake before the company came. five hours afterward when we went to eat, they were frozen solid. the dish towels would freeze too, as they hung on the line in the kitchen over the stove, while the stove was going, too. one morning, after we were keeping house, my husband said, "i guess we have some spring company. you better go in and see them." i did and in the parlor was the biggest kind of an ox standing there chewing his quid. he had just come in through the open door to make a morning call. all kinds of animals ran at large then. mrs. william dow-- , little falls. we came to little falls and built this house we are now living in in . it was built right on an indian trail that paralleled the red river cart trail. you see that road out there? that is just where the old red river cart road went. that is swan river and it went between us and that. our back door was right on their foot trail. you could step out of our door onto it. there is a big flat rock on the river up about four miles where the chippewa and sioux signed treaties to behave themselves. after this they were killing each other before they got out of town. you know our indians were the chippewas. they were woods indians. the prairies belonged to the sioux. they had always been enemies. hole-in-the-day was head chief here and a pretty good chief, too. his tribe got suspicious of him; they thought he was two-faced, so shot him, as they did his father before him. he had married a white woman, so the real chief now is a white man. i think he was on the square though. he used often to drop in for a piece of pie or anything to eat. he is buried upon the bluff here. swan river ferry was three miles from little falls. it was on the direct road through long prairie to fort abercrombie. the red river cart trail crossed the mississippi river at belle prairie. there was a mill at that little place. when the lumber jacks were driving logs they used to have their wamigans tie up in the river just outside that front door. the indians were camped all around here. they used to fill their moccasins with rabbit hair to take the place of stockings. once i was standing by the river and i saw a squaw come out with a new born baby. she wasn't making any fuss over it. first she took it by the heels and plunged it in the river; then by the head and soused it in that way. mrs. salome was a squaw who had married a white man. her husband went to the war. i used to write her letters to him and she would sign them with her cross. she became very fond of me. at the time of the outbreak she said to me, "kinnesagas?" meaning, "are you afraid?" i did not reply. then she said "if you are, i'll hide you." she made a wigwam by the side of hers and wanted me to go into it with my children, but i would not. i liked her, but i remembered how when the indians had had a scalp dance, i had seen her shake one of the scalps in her teeth. this was after she had married a white man. i asked her if she did not like the indians better than the whites and she said in chippewa, "if i do, why do i not stay with them?" at the beginning of the outbreak the sioux were sending runners all the time to get the chippewas to join them. one of our men, william nichols, spoke the indian language as well as english. he had lived with them when he was a fur trader. he used to disguise himself as an indian and go to the councils, so we all knew just what was going on. old buffalo, a chief, said, "if you go to war, i'll be a white man; i won't be an indian any more. i'll go away and stay by myself always." we knew at once when they fully decided not to join the sioux. finally i yielded to the entreaties of my friends and went down to st. cloud to stay with friends until the danger should be over. my husband was in the war. one day someone coming from little falls said, "there's someone living in your house." "well," said i, "if anyone can, i can," so back i went. i found an old friend from further up the country there. we joined forces and lived there until the war was over. one day in war time i looked out of my window and could see mr. hall milking his cow in the pasture. it had a rail fence around it. i could see what he could not--some indians sitting in one of the corners of the fence stretching sioux scalps over withes. when they finished, they got up all at the same time, giving a blood curdling war-whoop. the cow kicked over the milk and fled bellowing. i think that mr. hall made even better time and he never even looked around. the squaws would often have ear rings made of wire with three cornered pieces of tin dangling all around their ears. it was not how good, but how much, with them. how these indians ever lived through a winter the way they dressed, i don't see. they wore only leggings, shirts, breech clouts and a blanket. their legs were no barer than a scotchman's though. our indians used to tuck things in the bosom of their shirt, as well as in their belts. they used to tuck butcher knives in their leggings. if they were ever going to go on a tear and get drunk, when we first came, they would always get my husband to take charge of all their guns and knives. when the squaws wore mourning, they were all painted black and always slashed themselves with knives. during the last of the fifties, we never had any money. it would not do you any good if you had for if you took money to the store they would just give you an order for more goods instead of the change. the red river carts used to camp in that little grove of trees over there. we used to sell them supplies and they would give us english silver money. once we took some to the store and they were terribly surprised to see money. they could not understand how we came by it. thought we must have hoarded it, but we told them that it came from the red river drivers. mrs. william j. white-- . my husband, mr. white, started for lake addie, minnesota territory, in may, to join some friends and take up a claim. mr. hoag had named this lake in honor of his daughter. the settlement, if you could call it that, was called grimshaw settlement. it is now brownton. he got up his cabin and began clearing the land. he and his friends did their cooking and only had two meals a day--breakfast at eight and dinner at three. one hot day they had just cooked a big pan of apple sauce and set it out to cool. some indians on their way to a war dance at shakopee came streaking along all painted up. first one and then another plunged his fist in that apple sauce and stuck it down his throat. it must have skinned them all the way down, but not one made a sound, only looked hard when they saw the next one start in. my husband wrote for me to come to him. i had no pilot, so could not start at once. my boy fell and broke his arm and i thought he was badly hurt inside so i wrote for father to come home. it generally took so long for a letter to go through that when two weeks later i got a chance to go with company, i started, thinking i could get there before the letter would, as they were generally much longer in going than one could travel. when i got on the northern belle, a fine boat, one of my children was taken with croup. dr. n----, a universalist minister, got off at dubuque and bought medicine for me. this saved the child, but he was sick all the way. we were stuck in beef slough for several days. i never left the cabin as my child needed me, but some time during the first day a boat from st. paul was stuck there too, so near us that passengers passed from one boat to the other all day. it was only when i got to hastings, where i had thought to meet my husband that i found he had been on that other stranded boat. later, i learned that he had spent some time on my boat, but of course, did not know i was there. the letter i had written him had gone straight, as a man who was going to their settlement had taken charge of it from the first. i had to wait six weeks in hastings until he went clear to pennsylvania and back. evangeline wasn't in it with me. finally he came and we went on to our new home. i thought i had never seen such wonderful wild flowers. mr. grimshaw came after us with his horses. we had supper at his house the night before we got to our home, and i never tasted anything so good--pheasants browned so beautifully and everything else to match. the most wonderful welcome, too, went with that meal. we passed fields just red with wild strawberries and in places where the land had been cultivated and the grass was sort of low, they grew away up and were large with big clusters, too. we did just revel in them. they were much more spicy than any we had ever eaten. the wild grass grew high as a man's head. when we came in sight of our home, i loved it at once and so did the children. it was in the bend of a little stream with stepping stones across. i knew at once that i had always wanted stepping stones on my place. about two feet from the floor a beam had been set in the whole length of the room. it was roped across and a rough board separated it into two sections. these were our beds and with feather beds and boughs, made a fine sleeping place. wolves used to howl all around at night but with the stock secure and the home closed up tightly, we were happy. our walls were plastered with mud and then papered by me with paper that was six cents a roll back east. we made a barrel chair and all kinds of home-made furniture out of packing boxes. our rooms looked so cozy. father was a natural furniture maker, though we never knew it before we came here. game was very plentiful and as we never had enough back home, we did not soon tire of it. my husband once killed a goose and eleven young ones with one shot. the first year our garden was looking fine when the grasshoppers came in such swarms that they obscured the sun. they swooped on everything in the garden. there was no grain as the squirrels, black birds and gophers had never tasted this delicacy before and followed the sower, taking it as fast as it fell. we planted it three times and we had absolutely no crop of any kind that first year. we bought four horses later and had them for the summer's work. they came from illinois and were not used to the excessive cold of minnesota. that winter it was forty degrees below zero for many successive days. it seems to me we have not had as much cold all this winter as we had in a week then. christmas time it was very cold. we wanted our mail so one of the men rode one of the horses twelve miles to get it. when he arrived there the horse was very sick. he was dosed up and was seemingly all right. when the man wanted to start for home, he was warned that it would be fatal to take a horse which had been dosed with all kinds of hot stuff out in the terrible cold. he took the risk but the horse fell dead just as he entered the yard. we lost two others in much the same way that winter. we then bought a yoke of young steers. they were very little broken and the strongest animals i ever saw. their names were bright and bill. once the whole family was going to a party at new auburn, a kind of a city. my husband had made an indian wagon. he held them in the road while we all got in. they started up with such a flourish that everything that could not hold itself on, fell off. the road was full of things we wanted with us. they ran on a keen jump for nine miles until we came to the house where we were going. it was the first house we came to. when they saw the barn, they must have thought it looked like home for they ran in there and brought up against the barn with a bang. as soon as mr. white could, he jumped out and held them, but their fun was all gone and they stood like lambs. i never saw anything funnier than those steers and a huge snapping turtle. they found him near the creek when they were feeding. they would come right up to him (they always did everything in concert) then look at him at close range. the turtle would thrust out his head and snap at them; then they would snort wildly and plunge all over the prairie, returning again and again to repeat the performance, which only ended when the turtle disappeared in the brook. wolves were very fearless and fierce that winter. they ran in packs. they would look in at our windows. once we sent a hired boy six miles for twenty-five pounds of pork for working men. when he was near home a pack of wolves followed him, but he escaped by throwing the pork. mr. pollock and mr. white were followed in the same way. once one of our friends killed a steer. we were all anxious for amusement so any pretext would bring on a party. all the neighbors had a piece of the meat but we thought the friends who had killed the steer should have a party and have roast beef for us all, so we sent word we were all coming. mrs. noble, my neighbor worked all day to make a hoop skirt. she shirred and sewed together a piece of cloth about three yards around. in these shirrings she run rattan--a good heavy piece so it would stand out well. i made a black silk basque and skirt. my finery was all ready to put on. one of the neighbor's girls was to stay with the children. the baby had been quite restless, so according to the custom, i gave her a little laudanum to make her sleep. i did not realize that it was old and so much stronger. just before going, when i was all dressed, i went to look at the baby. i did not like her looks, so took her up to find her in a stupor. needless to say there was no party for us that night. it took us all to awaken her and keep her awake. i never gave laudanum after that, though i always had before. mrs. paulina starkloff-- . my name was paulina lenschke. i was twelve years old when i came to minneapolis in . we intended to stay in st. paul but were told that this was a better place, so came here and bought an acre and a half just where the house now stands, main street n. e. the town then was mostly northeast. the st. charles hotel on marshall street, northeast, was just below us and so were most of the stores. morgan's foundry and orth's brewery were just on the other side of us. we paid $ . in gold for the land and half of it was in my name, as my mother paid $ . that i had made myself. i think i was probably the only twelve year old child that came into the state with so much money earned by herself. it was this way. we went to australia to dig gold in . we drove an ox team into the interior with other prospectors doing the same until we came to diggings. the men would dig and then "cradle" the soil for the gold. this cradle was just like a baby's cradle only it had a sieve in the bottom. one man would have a very long handled dipper with which he would dip water from a dug well. he only dipped and the other man stirred with a stick and rocked. most of the soil would wash out but there would always be some "dumplings" caused by the clay hardening and nothing but hard work would break them. the miners would take out the gold which was always round, and dump these hard pieces. after a day's work there would be quite a pile that was never touched by them. i would take a can and knife and go from dump to dump gathering the gold in these dumplings. one day my father went prospecting with a party of men and was never seen again. after months of fruitless search my mother took me and my little tin can of nuggets back to germany. she sold them for me for $ . in gold. then we came to minnesota and bought this place. the red river carts used to be all day passing our house. they would come squeaking along one after another. sometimes the driver would take his wife and children with him. these carts had no metal about them. one man would have charge of several. mrs. anna e. balser-- , ninety-four years old. i was the only girl in our family that ever worked, but when i was ten years old i laid my plan to get myself out of my mother's tracks. she had so much to do with her big family. i could cry when i think of it now. so, when i was fourteen, my father, scared for me and holding back every minute, took me to the city to learn the trade i had chosen. i was through in six months and could do the heaviest work as well as the finest. i wish you could see the fancy bosomed shirts i used to make when i was fourteen! no one could beat me. i always had a pocketful of money for i got two and six a day. that would be c now. i went from house to house to work and always had the best room and lived on the fat of the land. it was a great event when the tailoress came. i came to lakeland in . the prairies around there looked like apple orchards back home. the scrub oak grew just that way. i would bet anything i could go and pick apples if i had not known. i had thought of buying in minneapolis, but my friends who owned lakeland thought it was going to be the city of minnesota, so i bought here. i was a tailoress and made a good living until the hard times came on. money was plenty one day. the next you could not get a "bit" even, anywhere. then, after that, i had to trade my work for anything i could get. i brought a blue black silk dress with mutton leg sleeves among my things when i come. it was the best wearing thing i ever see. cheaper to wear than calico because it would never wear out. i paid $ . a yard for it. it was twenty-seven inches wide. it took twelve yards to make the dress. for a wrap we wore a long shawl. i had one of white lace. we got three yards of lace webbing and trimmed it with lace on the edge. or we would take one width of silk and finish that fancy on the edge. the ruffles on everything was fluted. when you shirred them you would hold them over the first and third finger passing under the second finger. that would make large flutings. if you had an italian iron you could do it fast, but there wa'n't many so fortunate. an italian iron was a tube about as big as your finger on a standard. two rods to fit this tube come with it. you could put these heated, inside then run your silk ruffle or whatever you were making over it and there was your flute quick as a wink. mrs. mary e. dowling-- . as miss watson i came from pennsylvania in and took a school to teach back of marine. i got $ . in gold a month and so was well paid. had from five to twenty-five children who came to learn and so behaved well. when i would walk through the woods i would sometimes see a bear leisurely sagging around. when i did, my movements were not like his. all kinds of wild animals were very plenty. the foxes were the cutest little animals and so tame. they would seem to be laughing at you. a band of indians was encamped at a lake near. one brave all dressed in his sunday best used to come and sit in the kitchen day after day. he used to talk to the men but never said a word to us. he could speak good english. one day the chief came in and went for him. said he had been away from his tepee for days and his squaws wanted him. like lightning he crossed the room to where i was and said, "me got sioux squaw. me got winnebago squaw. me want white squaw. you go?" i was very earnest in declining. mrs. robert anderson-- . i was the first white woman in eden prairie. i came in with my husband and small children and settled there in one of the first log houses built. we paid for our farm the first year, from the cranberries which grew in a bog on our land and which we sold for $ . a bushel. i had never seen indians near to, and so was very much afraid of them. one day a big hideously painted brave marched in, seated himself and looked stolidly around without making a sound. his long knife was sticking in his belt. i was overpowered with fright and for a few moments could do nothing. my children, one two years old and the other a baby, were asleep behind the curtain. realizing that i could do nothing for them and that his anger might be aroused if he saw me run away with them, i fled precipitately in the direction where my husband was working. i had run about a quarter of a mile when my mother heart told me i might not be in time if i waited for my husband, so i turned and fled back towards the cabin. entering, i saw my little two year old boy standing by the indian's side playing with the things in his belt while the indian carefully held the baby in his arms. in his belt were a tobacco pouch and pipe, two rabbits with their heads drawn through, two prairie chickens hanging from it by their necks, a knife and a tomahawk. his expression remained unchanged. i gave him bread and milk to eat and ever after he was our friend, oftentimes coming and bringing the children playthings and moccasins. when he left, he gave me the rabbits and prairie chickens and afterwards often brought me game. one day mr. anderson was at work in the field, a long distance from the house. he was cutting grain with a scythe and told me he would just about get that piece done if i would bring him his supper. i had never been over on this knoll which was on the other side of a small hill from the house. i got his supper ready, taking all the dishes and food in a basket and carrying a teapot full of tea in my hand. i had to pass a small cranberry bog and could see squaws at work picking berries. as i came to a clump of trees, ten or twelve indians with their faces as usual hideously painted, the whole upper part of their bodies bare and painted, rose from this clump of trees and looked at me. i waited for nothing, but threw my basket and teapot and made for the house. as i got to the top of the hill i looked back and could see the indians feasting on my husband's supper. upon his return home to supper that evening, he brought the dishes and the teapot with him. we had been in eden prairie about six years and had never been to church as there was no church near enough for us to attend. we heard there was to be preaching at bloomington, and determined to go. we had always been church-going people and had felt the loss of services very keenly. we had nothing but an ox team and thought this would not be appropriate to go to church with, so, carrying my baby, i walked the six miles to church and six miles back again. the next sunday, however, we rode nearly to church with the ox team, then hitched them in the woods and went on foot the rest of the way. mr. anderson was always a devoted friend of mr. pond, the missionary and attended his church for many years. one of mr. anderson's sons took up a claim in the northern part of the state. when mr. pond died, he came down to the funeral. upon his return, he saw a tepee pitched on the edge of his farm and went over to see what it was there for and who was in it. as he neared it, he heard talking in a monotone and stood listening, wondering what it could mean. he pushed up the flap and saw indians engaged in prayer. he asked them who taught them to pray and they replied "grizzly bear taught us." he told them grizzly bear, which was the indian name for mr. pond, was dead and would be seen no more. he took from his pocketbook a little white flower which he had taken from the casket, told them what it was and each one of them held it reverently with much lamentation. this was twenty years after these people had been taught by grizzly bear. mrs. wilder-- . we settled on a farm near morristown. there was an indian village near. we always used to play with those sioux children and always found them very fair in their play. we used to like to go in their tepees. there was a depression in the middle for the fire. the smoke was supposed to go out of the hole in the top of the tent. an indian always had a smoky smell. when they cooked game, they just drew it a little--never took off the feathers much or cut the head or feet off. some of our indians got into a fuss with a band from faribault and one of our indians killed one of them. he brought a great knife that he had done the killing with and gave it to my father all uncleaned as it was. he said it was "seechy" knife, meaning bad. as they were still fighting, my father took it just as it was and stuck it up in a crack above our front door in our one room. then he sent to morristown for mr. morris to straighten out the fight. he had lived among the indians for a long time and knew their language. he brought them to time. later they came and wanted the knife but my father would not give it to them. geese and ducks covered the lakes. later we had the most wonderful feather beds made from their feathers. we only used the small fluffy ones, so they were as if they were made from down. wild rice, one of the indians' principal articles of diet, when gathered was knocked into their canoe. it was often unhulled. i have seen the indians hull it. they would dig a hole in the ground, line it with a buffalo skin, hair side down, then turn the rice in this, jumping up and down on it with their moccasined feet until it was hulled. i could never fancy it much after i saw this. we had great quantities of wild plums on our own place. two trees grew close together and were so much alike we always called them the twins. those trees had the most wonderful plums--as large as a small peach. we used to peel them and serve them with cream. nothing could have a finer flavor. just before the outbreak, an indian runner, whom none of us had ever seen, went around to all the sioux around there. then with their ponies loaded, the tepee poles dragging behind, for three days our indians went by our place on the old trail going west. only a few of bishop whipple's christian indians remained. mr. warren wakefield-- . my father came to wayzata with his family, settling where the sam bowman place now is. we had lived over a year in southern minnesota. as the hail took all our crops, we had lived on thin prairie chickens and biscuits made of sprouted wheat. it would not make bread. the biscuits were so elastic and soft that they could be stretched way out. these were the first playthings that i can remember. a trader came with cows, into the country where we were living, just before the hail storm and as there was nothing to feed them on, my father traded for some of them. he traded one of his pair of oxen for forty acres of land in wayzata and the other for corn to winter the stock. the first meal we had in our new home was of venison from a buck which my father shot. it was very fat and juicy and as we had not had any meat but ducks and prairie chickens in two years, it tasted very delicious. i have counted thirty-four deer in the swamps at one time near our house; they were so abundant. we lived the first winter in wayzata on fish, venison and corn meal and i have never lived so well. i was sixteen years old before i ever had a coat. we wore thick shirts in the winter and the colder it was, the more of them we wore. in the east, my mother had always spun her own yarn and woven great piles of blankets and woolen sheets. these were loaded in the wagon and brought to our new home. when there was nothing else, these sheets made our shirts. we never wore underclothing, but our pants were thickly lined. my mother was a tailoress and that first year in minnesota we could not have lived if it had not been for this. she cut out and made by hand all kinds of clothing for the settlers. my father used to buy leather and the shoemaker came to the house and made our shoes. one spring we had a cellar full of vegetables that we could not use, so father invited all the squaws who lived near us to come and get some. they came and took them away. in the cellar also was a keg and a two gallon jug of maple vinegar. cut nose, one of the finest specimens of manhood i have ever seen, tall, straight and with agreeable features in spite of the small piece gone from the edge of one nostril, was their chief, and came the next day with a large bottle, asking to have it filled with whiskey. father said he had none, but cut nose said he knew there was a jug and keg of it in the cellar. father told him to go and take it if he found any. he sampled first the jug and then the keg with a most disgusted expression and upon coming upstairs threw the bottle on the bed and stalked out. this maple vinegar was made from maple sugar and none could be better. cut nose was often a visitor at our home. he was a great brag and not noted for truth telling. he was very fond of telling how he shot the renegade inkpadutah. this was all imagination. he had an old flint lock musket with the flint gone and would illustrate his story by crawling and skulking, generally, to the great delight of the boys. one rainy day my mother was sick and was lying in her bed which was curtained off from the rest of the living room. as cut nose, who did not know this, told his oft repeated story, illustrating it as usual, he thrust his gun under the curtains and his face and shoulders after it to show how he shot the renegade chief from ambush. my mother dashed out with a shriek, but was no more frightened than cut nose, at the apparition of the white squaw. one day my brother and i took a peck of potatoes each and went to an indian camp to trade for two pairs of moccasins, the usual trade. we left the potatoes with the squaws for a moment and ran outside to see what some noise was. when we returned there were no potatoes to be seen and no moccasins to be traded. we began looking about but could see nothing. the fire was burned down well and was a glowing bed of coals in its depression in the center of the tepee. after a while, one of the old squaws went to the ashes and digging them with a stick, commenced to dig out the potatoes. as the fire was about four feet in diameter, the usual width, there was plenty of room for our half bushel of potatoes. they gave us some of them which had a wonderful flavor, but we never got any moccasins. among the indians living at the lake one winter was a white child about three years old. my father tried to buy her, but they would not let her go or tell who she was. they left that part of the country later, still having her in their possession. if it had not been for ginseng in minnesota, many of the pioneers would have gone hungry. mr. chilton of virginia came early and built a small furnace and drying house in wayzata. everyone went to the woods and dug ginseng. for the crude product, they received five cents a pound and the amount that could be found was unlimited. it was dug with a long narrow bladed hoe and an expert could take out a young root with one stroke. if while digging, he had his eye on another plant and dug that at once, he could make a great deal of money in one day. an old root sometimes weighed a half pound. i was a poor ginseng digger for i never noticed quickly, but my father would dig all around my feet while i was hunting another chance. the tinge of green of this plant was different from any other so could be easily distinguished. when we sold it, we were always paid in gold. after ginseng is steamed and dried, it is the color of amber. mrs. leroy sampson-- . six families of us came together from rhode island and settled on minnewashta lake in ' . there was only a carpenter shop in excelsior. we spent the first few months of our stay all living together in one log shack which was already there. the first night the man who had driven us from st. paul sat up all night with his horses and we none of us slept a wink inside that little windowless cabin on account of a noise we heard. in the morning we found it was the mournful noise of the loons on the lake that had kept us awake, instead of the wolves we had feared. mrs. anna simmons apgar-- . when our six families got to the springs near excelsior it was near dark and we struck the worst road we had found in the swampy land by it. the mosquitoes were dreadful, too. how dreadful, no one today can ever believe. one of the tiredout men said, "this is hell!" "no," said another, "not hell, but purgatory." the spring took its name from that. when my father had put up his cabin he made our furniture with his own hands out of basswood. he made one of those beds with holes in the side piece for the ropes to go from side to side instead of our springs of today. they used to be very comfortable. when father got ready for the rope he had none, so he made it by twisting basswood bark. then mother sewed two of our home spun sheets together for a tick and my uncle cut hay from the marsh and dried it, to fill it and we had a bed fit for a king. our floor was of maple split with wedges and hewed out with a broadax. father was a wonder at using this. a broadax was, you know, twelve or fourteen inches wide and the handle was curved a little. a man had to be a man to use one of these. it took strength and a good trained eye to hew timber flat with one of these axes. when i was playing i tore my clothes off continually in the woods. finally my mother said, "this has gone far enough!" and made me a blue denim with a low neck and short sleeves. has anyone ever told you how terrible the mosquitoes were in the early days? think of the worst experience you ever had with them and then add a million for each one and you will have some idea. my little face, neck, arms, legs and feet were so bitten, scratched and sunburned that when i was undressed i was the most checkered looking young one you ever saw. those parts of me might have been taken from a black child and glued on my little white body. such huge fish as overrun the lakes you have never seen. we thought the indians numerous and they had fished for ages in those lakes, but they only caught what they wanted for food. it took the white men with their catching for sport to see how many they could catch in one day, and write back east about it, to clean out the lakes. father hewed a big basswood canoe out of a log. eight people could sit comfortably in it as long as they did not breathe, but if they did, over she went! we used to have lots of fun in that old canoe just the same and the fish got fewer after it came into commission. when we six families first came we were all living in one little cabin waiting for our homes to be built and our furniture to come. one of the women was very sick. dr. ames came out to see her and cured her all right. it took a day to get him and another day for him to get home. he wanted to wash his hands and my aunt, who was used to everything, said she thought she would drop dead when she had to take him the water in a little wooden trough that father had hewed out. he made such cute little hooded cradles for babies, too, out of the forest wood. mrs. newman woods-- , excelsior. when we made our tallow dips or rough candles, we took the candlewicking and wound it around from our hand to our elbow, then cut it through. we held a short stick between our knees and threw one of these wicks around it, twisting it deftly, letting it hang down. when we had filled the stick, we would lay it down and fill another until we had wicks for about ten dozen dips. my mother would then fill the wash-boiler two-thirds full of water and pour melted deer or other tallow on top of this. two chairs had been placed with two long slats between them. she would dip one stick full of wicks up and down in the boiler a number of times, then place it across the slats to cool. this was continued until all the wicks were dipped. by this time, the first would have hardened and could be dipped again. we would work hard all day and make eight or ten dozen dips. later we had candle molds made of tin. we would put a wick in the center where it was held erect and then pour these molds full of tallow and let them harden. later the molds were dipped in hot water and then a spring at the side, pushed the candle out. this was very simple. we had our first kerosene lamp in ' . we were terrible frightened of it. it did smell terrible but this did not keep us from being very proud of it. once mother was frying pancakes for supper. a number of indians going by came in and saw her. they were all painted or daubed. they kept reaching over and trying to get the pancakes. finally one of them stuck out his leg acting as if it was broken. i ran madly to the back clearing where father and uncle silas were working and told them there were indians trying to get our pancakes and that one of them had a broken leg. they were not frightened for they knew the indians and their customs. i just waited to see father give them a pancake apiece and that leg settle down naturally, then ran and got under the bed. the indians were very fond of father who had a very heavy beard. it used to be stylish to shave the upper lip. the indians used to watch him shave with great interest. the neighborhood was full of them, generally all painted for the war dance. they used to bother father to death wanting to be shaved. one morning he did shave one of them and you never saw such a proud indian, or more disgusted ones than those who were left out. nearly all of the indians who came were sioux and fine looking. one of the greatest pests to the pioneers around here was the thousand legged worms. they were very thick around where we were and very poisonous. my little sister nearly died from getting one in her mouth when she was lying on a quilt on the floor. mother used to make mince pies by soaking pumpkin in vinegar. we dried the wild grapes for raisins. my, but those pies were good. everybody bragged on "aunt hannah's mince pies." my father and brother frequently went hunting for deer. they used to run their bullets, which were round, by melting lead in a ladle in the stove. such a looking kitchen as they would leave! ashes from the ladle all over everything. it wasn't much of a trick to shoot deer, they were so thick and so tame. they used to come right near the house. i did not like venison for it seemed to me like eating a friend. all six of us families used to wash at the lake in summer. we used soft soap that we made ourselves and boiled the clothes in a big kettle. they were beautifully white. mr. chester l. hopkins-- , hopkins. when i was a little boy we had a grindstone in our yard which was used by us and our few scattered neighbors. one night we were awakened by hearing the grindstone going, and father went to the door to see who was using it. a party of forty sioux braves on their ponies were standing around, while some of the braves ground their knives which each in his turn put in his belt. it was a bright moonlight night and we could see them as plainly as if it was day. the indians were in full war paint and feathers and after their task was accomplished, rode one after the other over the hill where they stood out like black silhouettes, and finally disappeared. they were probably going to a war dance. miss florinda hopkins--hopkins. when i was a little girl a number of indians came in on a rainy day, and tired from a long tramp, lay asleep on the floor of the kitchen. the party consisted of a chief and seven braves. my mother was making dried apple pies. when she had finished, she cut two of them into six pieces each and gave each indian a piece which he ate with the greatest relish. all of them kept a watchful eye on the remaining pieces which they regarded wistfully. the chief with a noble gesture motioned them all to leave the house and remained himself. as soon as they were outside he motioned for the rest of the pie and ate it all with the greatest relish while the rest of the band looked enviously through the window. were these not, indeed, children? i remember a sioux war party of ten or more going by our house, returning from a war dance at shakopee. they were doing their war song business as they trotted along and swinging one pitiful scalp on a pole. their battles were generally like this. ten was a small number to kill one chippewa. when the chippewa retaliated they would go in the same proportion. one morning a party stopped here. they were very tired. had probably trotted a long, long way for their endurance was wonderful. they just said "chippewa?" and as soon as they knew we had seen none were flying on again. we often traded food with the indians as well as giving it to them, allowing them to make their own terms. they would bring a pair of fancy beaded moccasins and trade them for six doughnuts. mrs. j. w. ladd-- . i remember seeing and hearing the red river carts as they passed through st. anthony. the cart was almost square with posts standing up along the sides to hold the furs which were piled high above the cart and roped down in place. there was one swarthy man to five or six ox drawn carts. he was dressed in a coonskin cap or broad brimmed hat with buckskin trousers and jumper. he had a knit bright colored sash about his waist and his hat had a bright colored band. one day my mother was sitting sewing while i was playing about the room, when the light seemed obscured. we looked up to see a number of indian faces in the window. they made motions to mother to trade her earrings for moccasins and failing in this, they asked for the bright colored tassels which hung from the curtain. they also very much admired my mother's delaine dress which was of triangles in blue, red, black and white. when refused they went away peaceably but afterwards often returned trying to make a trade. mrs. c. h. pettit-- , minneapolis. in i attended church in the tooth-pick church. this was a small church so called from its high, narrow tower. i had never seen indians as we had just moved to town. i was walking along through the woods on what is now fourth street when i was surrounded by yelling, painted indians on ponies. seeing that i was frightened nearly to death they continued these antics, circling round, and round me, whooping and yelling, until i reached my home. then they rode rapidly away undoubtedly taking great pleasure in the fright they had given the paleface. mrs. anna hennes huston-- . i moved to st. anthony in . i was only a tiny tot but used to go with my brother along a path by the river to find our cow. we usually found her in the basement of the university. the roaring of the falls used to scare me and if the wind was in the right direction we would be all wet with the spray. i remember that at one time in the early days, potatoes were very scarce. my mother traded a wash dish full of eggs for the same amount of potatoes. mr. henry favel-- . with my family i lived thirty miles from carver. my father died and as i had no money to buy a coffin, i made it myself. i had to walk thirty miles for the nails. the boards were hand hewed and when the coffin was made, it looked so different from those we had seen, in its staring whiteness, that we took the only thing we had, a box of stove blacking, which we had brought from the east with us and stained the coffin with this. i walked twenty miles for potatoes for seed and paid $ . a bushel for them. i brought them home on my back. i was three days making the journey on foot. the wages for a carpenter at this time were $ . a month and found. mrs. rebecca plummer-- . we came to brooklyn center in . mr. plummer's father had come in ' and had taken a claim. we did enjoy the game, for we had never had much. pigeons were very thick. we used to stake nets for them almost touching the ground. under these we scattered corn. they would stoop and go in under and pick up the grain. when they held their heads erect to swallow the corn, their necks would come through the meshes of the net and they could not escape. i saw the winnebagoes taken to their river reservation. they camped a night on the island in the river and went through all the dances they knew and made every noise they knew how to make. the most wonderful sight though was to see that vast flotilla of canoes going on the next morning. there were hundreds of them with their indian occupants, besides the long procession on foot. mrs. c. a. burdick-- . we came to what is now st. cloud settling near the junction of the little sauk and mississippi. the sauk was a beautiful little river. the strawberries were very sweet, a much nicer flavor than tame ones. the prairie was covered with them. the winnebagoes who had lived on long prairie were transferred to their new home and we went to take care of the agency buildings they had left. there were from seventy-five to a hundred of these buildings. franklin steele and anton northrup owned them. we were awfully lonesome but we braved it out. the indians were always coming and demanding something to eat. they were always painted and had bows and arrows with them. they would everlastingly stand and look in the windows and watch us work. we were so used to them that we never noticed them, only it was troublesome to have the light obscured. have i ever seen the red river carts? my! i should say i have! seen them by the hundred. my husband had charge of a fur store for kittson at fort garry, now winnipeg and we lived there. i used to go back and forth to st. cloud where my parents lived with this cart train for protection. the drivers were a swarthy lot of french half breeds. likely as not their hair would be hanging way down. they wore buckskin and a fancy sash. sometimes a skin cap and sometimes just their hair or a wide hat. a tame enough lot of men, fond of jigging at night. they could hold out dancing. seemed to never tire. their carts had two wheels, all wood and a cross piece to rest the platform on. this platform had stakes standing way up at the sides. they were piled high with goods, furs and skins going down and supplies coming back. i can shut my eyes and see that quaint cavalcade now. where are all those drivers? the tracks were wide and deep and could be plainly seen ahead of us going straight through the prairie. it took twenty-one days to go from st. cloud to pembina. we used to go through sauk center, just a hotel or road house, then through what is now alexandria. a family by the name of wright used to keep a stopping place for travelers. i don't know just where it would be now, but i have stayed there often. we went by way of georgetown. swan river, too, i remember. there used to be one tree on the prairie that we could see for two days. we called it lone tree. mr. peter cooper-- . i moved to vernon center in the early fifties. i had never worn an overcoat in new york state, but when i came to minnesota particularly felt the need of one. the second year i was here, i traded with an indian, two small pigs for a brass kettle and an indian blanket. without any pattern whatever, my wife cut an overcoat from this blanket and sewed it by hand. this was the only overcoat i had for four years, but it was very comfortable. when i was in the indian war in i had no mittens and suffered greatly for this reason. in one of the abandoned norwegian homes, i found some hand made yarn, but had no way to get it made into mittens. i carved a crochet hook out of hickory and with this crocheted myself gloves with a place for every finger, although i had never had any experience and had only watched the women knit and crochet. mr. stephen rochette-- , st. paul. indians used often to stop to get something to eat. they never stole anything and seemed satisfied with what we gave them. we were on the direct road from fort snelling to st. paul. it was made on the old trail between those two places. this went right up seventh street. the indians often brought ducks and game to sell. i used to shoot pigeons and prairie chickens on what is now summit avenue. i used to make cushions for father revoux's back. he had rheumatism very badly. he used to go by our house horseback. i wanted to give him the cushions but he would never take anything he did not pay for. i bought a number of knockdown chairs in chicago all made by hand for $ and sold them for much more. those chairs would last a lifetime. the parts were separate and packed well. they could be put together easily. mrs. stephen rochette-- . when we first came into st. paul in we landed on the upper levee. it was used then more than the lower one. we thought we could never get used to the narrow, crooked streets. we lived with my father, jacob doney, where the milwaukee tracks now cross seventh street. we soon had three cows. we never had any fence for them, just turned them out and let them run in the streets with the other cows and pigs. sometimes we could find them easily. again we would have a long hunt. mrs. james a. winter-- . we came to faribault in . my father had the first frame hotel there. the indians had a permanent camp on the outskirts of the village. i was a small girl of sixteen with very fair skin, blue eyes and red cheeks. the squaws used to come to the house asking for food, which mother always gave them. "old betts" was often there. a young indian, tall and fine looking used to come and sit watching me intently while i worked about the house, much to my discomfort. finally one day he came close to me and motioned to me to fly with him. i showed no fear but led the way to the kitchen where there were others working and fed him, shaking my head violently all the time. he was the son of a chief and was hung at mankato. mrs. george e. fisher-- . mother's name was jane de bow. her father and mother were french. she came to minnesota with the stevens' in when she was seven years old. they were missionaries and when their own daughter died induced jane's family to let them have her. the indians were always sorry for her because her mother was away. they called her "small-crow-that-was caught". mrs. stevens never could punish her for it made the squaws so angry. the first indian child my mother ever saw was a small boy who stood on the edge of lake harriet beckoning to her. she was afraid at first but finally joined him and always played with the indian children from that time. the stevens' the next year had a little school near their cabin not far from where the pavilion is now. the indian children always had to have prizes for coming. these prizes were generally turnips. often they gave a bushel in one day. in some chippewa indians ambushed a sioux father who was hunting with his little son. the child escaped and told the story. the sioux went on the warpath immediately and brought home forty or fifty chippewa scalps. they had been "lucky" as they found a camp where the warriors were all away. they massacred the old men, women and children and came home to a big scalp dance. my mother had played with the indian children so much that she was as jubilant as they when she saw these gory trophies. she learned and enjoyed the dance. she taught me the sioux words to this scalp dance and often sang them to us. translated they are: you ojibway, you are mean, we will use you like a mouse. we have got you and we will strike you down. my dog is very hungry, i will give him the ojibway scalps. the indian children would take a kettleful of water, make a fire under it, and throw fish or turtles from their bone hooks directly into this. when they were cooked slightly, they would take them out and eat them without salt, cracking the turtle shells on the rocks. the boys used to hunt with their bows and arrows just as they did in later years. they were always fair in their games. my mother married mr. gibbs and moved to this farm on what was the territorial road near the present agricultural college. it was on the direct indian trail to the hunting grounds around rice lake. the indian warriors were always passing on it and always stopped to see their old playmate. by this time they had guns and they would always give them to mother to keep while they were in the house. the kitchen floor would be covered with sleeping warriors. mother knew all their superstitions. one was that if a woman jumped over their feet they could never run again. i can well remember my gay, light hearted mother running and jumping over all their feet in succession as they lay asleep in her kitchen and the way her eyes danced with mischief as she stood jollying them in sioux. we noticed that none of them lost any time in finding out if they were bewitched. our indians when they came to see mother wanted to do as she did. they would sit up to the table and she would give them a plate and knife and fork. this pleased them much. they would start with the food on their plates but soon would have it all in their laps. they were very dissatisfied with the way the whites were taking their lands. the big treaty at traverse de sioux was especially distasteful to them. they said their lands had been stolen from them. they were very angry at my father because he put a rail fence across their trail and would have killed him if it had not been for mother. the last time these good friends came was in may, . a large body of them on horseback camped on the little knoll across from our house where the dead tree now is. they were sullen and despondent. well do i remember the dramatic gestures of their chief as he eloquently related their grievances. my mother followed every word he said for she knew how differently they were situated from their former condition. when she first knew them they owned all the country--the whites nothing. in these few years the tables had been turned. her heart bled for them, her childhood's companions. he said his warriors could hardly be kept from the warpath against the whites. that, so far, his counsel had prevailed, but every time they had a council it was harder to control them. that their hunting and fishing grounds were gone, the buffalo disappearing and there was no food for the squaws and papooses. the great white father had forgotten them, he knew, for their rations were long overdue and there was hunger in the camp. they slept that night in our kitchen, "little beckoning boy" and the other playmates. i can still see the sad look on my mother's face as she went from one to the other giving each a big, hot breakfast and trying to cheer them. she could see how they had been wronged. she stood and watched them sadly as they mounted their ponies and vanished down the old trail. lieut. governor gilman-- . the winter of ' and ' was thirty five degrees below zero two weeks at a time and forty degrees below was usual. i have often seen the red river carts ford the river here. they crossed at the foot of sixth street between where the two warehouses are now. mrs. austin w. farnsworth-- . we came to dodge county in . the first year we were hailed out and we had to live on rutabagas and wild tea. we got some game too, but we were some tired of our diet before things began to grow again. when that hailstorm came we were all at a quilting bee. there was an old lady, mrs. maxfield there, rubbing her hundred mark pretty close. she set in a corner and was not scared though the oxen broke away and run home and we had to hold the door to keep it from blowing in. we said, "ain't you afraid?" she answered, "no, i'm not, if i do go out, i don't want to die howling." the first time i worked out, when i was fourteen years old, i got c a week. there was lots to do for there were twin babies. i used to get awful homesick. i went home saturdays and when i came over the hill where i could see our cabin, i could have put my arms around it and kissed it, i was that glad to see home. mr. theodore curtis-- , minneapolis. when i was a little boy my father was building some scows down where the washington avenue bridge now is at the boat landing. there were five or six small sluiceways built up above the river leading from the platform where the lumber from the mills was piled, down to where these scows were. these sluices were used to float the lumber down to the scows. a platform was built out over the river in a very early day and was, i should say, three hundred feet wide and one thousand feet long. as the lumber came from the mills it was piled in huge piles along this platform. each mill had its sluiceway but they were all side by side. it was very popular to drive down on this platform and look at the falls, whose roaring was a magnet to draw all to see them. we boys used to play under this platform jumping from one support to another and then finish up by running down the steps and cavorting joyously under the falls. i used to get the drinking water for the workmen from the springs that seeped out everywhere along near where my father worked. once he sent me to get water quickly. i had a little dog with me and we unthinkingly stepped in the spring making the water roily. childlike, i never thought of going to another but played around waiting for it to settle, then as usual took it on top of the sluiceways. it seemed father thought i had been gone an hour and acted accordingly. i shall always remember that whipping. mrs. charles m. godley-- . my father, mr. scrimgeour, came to minneapolis in and built a small home between first and second avenues north on fourth street. when my mother arrived she cried when she saw where her home was to be and said to her husband, as he was cutting the hazel brush from around the house, "you told me i would not have to live in a wilderness if i came here." mr. morgan lived across the street. he and my father decided to dig a well together and put it in the street so that both families could use it. my father said to mr. morgan, "of course, there is a street surveyed here, but the town will never grow to it, so the well will be alright here." mr. morgan was a great bookworm and not at all practical. if his horse got out and was put in with other strays, he could never tell it, but had to wait until everyone took theirs and then he would take what was left. there was a big sand hole at the corner of second avenue south and fourth street where they had dug out sand. it was the great playground for all the children, for it was thought the town would never grow there and so it was a good place for a sand hole. when i went to school i always followed an indian trail that led from hoag's lake to the government mill. it was bordered by hazel brush and once in a while a scrub oak. i was much disturbed one night on my way home, to find men digging a hole through my beloved trail. i hoped they would be gone in the morning, but to my great disappointment they were not, for they were digging the excavation for the nicollet house. my school was in an old store building at the falls and was taught by oliver gray. dr. barnard lived on the corner by our house. he was indian agent and very kind to the indians. one night a number of them came in the rain. mr. barnard tried to get them to sleep in the house. all refused. one had a very bad cough so the doctor insisted on his coming in and gave him a room with a bed. shortly after, they heard a terrible noise with an awful yell like a war-whoop. the indian dashed down the stairs, out of the house and away. the slats in the bed were found broken and the bed was on the floor. later, they found that he had started for bed from the furthest side of the room, run with full force and plunged in and through. in , when the panic came, all stores in minneapolis failed and there was not a penny in circulation. everything was paid by order. there was a small farmhouse where the andrews hotel now stands. fourth street north, that led to it from our house, was full of stumps. we got a quart of milk every night at this place. they never milked until very late so it was dark. i used to go for it. my mother always gave me a six quart pail so that after i had stumbled along over those stumps, the bottom of the pail at least would be covered. no one who was used to an eastern climate had any idea how to dress out here when they first came. i wore hoops and a low necked waist just as other little girls did. i can remember the discussion that took place before a little merino sack was made for me. i don't remember whether i was supposed to be showing the white feather if i surrendered to the climate and covered my poor little bare neck or whether i would be too out of style. i must have looked like a little picked chicken with goose flesh all over me. once before this costume was added to, by the little sack, my mother sent me for a jug of vinegar down to helen street and washington avenue south. i had on the same little hoops and only one thickness of cotton underclothing under them. it must have been twenty degrees below zero. i thought i would perish before i got there, but childlike, never peeped. when i finally reached home, they had an awful time thawing me out. the vinegar was frozen solid in the jug. a boardwalk six blocks long was built from bridge square to bassett's hall on first street north. it was a regular sidewalk, not just two boards laid lengthwise and held by crosspieces as the other sidewalks were. our dress parade always took place there. we would walk back and forth untiringly, passing everybody we knew and we knew everybody in town. instead of taking a girl out driving or to the theatre, a young man would ask, "won't you go walking on the boardwalk?" lucy morgan used to go to school with us when we first came. she had long ringlets and always wore lownecked dresses, just as the rest of us did, but her white neck never had any gooseflesh on it and she was the only one who had curls. we went to high school where the court house now stands. it was on a little hill, so we always said we were climbing the "hill of knowledge." i can well remember the dazed look that came on my father's face when for the first time, he realized that there were horses in town that he did not know. the town had grown so that he could not keep pace with it. mr. frank slocum-- . when we drove from st. paul to cannon falls in ' we only saw one small piece of fence on the way. a man by the name of baker at rich valley in dakota county had this around his door yard. he had dug a trench and thrown up a ridge of dirt. on top of this he had two cross pieces and a rail on top. you call it a rail fence. we called it oftener "stake and rider." we followed the regular road from st. paul to dubuque. the original indian trail which was afterward the stage road, started at red wing and went through cannon falls, staunton, northfield, dundas, cannon city to faribault. my father had a store in cannon falls. i was only thirteen and small for my age but i used to serve. one day a big indian came in when i was alone and asked for buckshot. they were large and it did not take many to weigh a pound. he picked a couple out and pretended to be examining them. i weighed the pound and when i saw he did not put them back, i took out two. you never saw an indian laugh so hard in your life. you always had to be careful when weighing things for indians, for if you got over the quantity and took some out they were always grouchy as they thought you were cheating them. the farmers used to come through our town on their way to hastings with their grain on their ox drawn wagons. they had a journey of two hundred miles from owatonna to hastings and back. they would go in companies and camp out on the way. during the years of ' and ' many people could not write home as they had no money to pay postage. our business was all in trade. in a man whom we all knew who lived up above mankato took an indian canoe and paddled down the river to st. paul. there he sold it for enough money to pay his fare back on the boat. he was a man of considerable conscience in his dealings with white men but when a man was only "an injun" it had not caught up with him yet. now for the sequel: the man who bought it had it under the eaves of his house to catch rain water. during a storm his window was darkened. he looked up to see an indian with his blanket held high to darken the window so he could see in. the white man went out. the savage said, "my canoe. want him." the man would not give it up, but the indian and his friends went to the authorities and he had to. they had traced it all that long way. we bought an elevated oven cook stove in st. paul and it was in use every day for fifty years. we brought baker knock down chairs with us and they have been in constant use for fifty-eight years--have never been repaired and look as if they were good for one hundred years more. we made coffee from potato chips, sliced very thin and browned in the oven. not such bad coffee, either. mrs. t. b. walker--minneapolis. i remember going to market in the morning and seeing a wagon with all the requisites for a home, drive up to a vacant lot. on the wagon were lumber, furniture and a wife and baby. what more could be needed! when i passed in the afternoon the rough house was up, the stove pipe through the window sent out a cheery smoke and the woman sang about her household tasks. one morning i was at church in st. anthony. the minister had just given out the text when the squeaking of the red river carts was faintly heard. he hastily said, "to be discoursed on next sunday," for nothing but this noise could be heard when they were passing. mrs. virginia jones-- . i lived in st. peter in . the sioux indians were having a scalp dance at traverse. their yelling could be plainly heard in st. peter. all of that town went over to see them dance. they had a pole decorated with several scalps. these were stretched on hoops and painted red inside. the indians danced round and round this pole, jumping stiff legged, screeching and gesticulating, while the tom-toms were pounded by the squaws. i was frightened and wanted to leave, but could not as i had been pushed near the front and the crowd was dense. seeing my fear the indians seized me by the hands and drew me into their circle, making me dance round and round the pole. some days later i started east to spend the summer with my mother. distances were long in those days as the trip was made by steamboat and stage coach. i took one of the steamers which then ran regularly on the minnesota river, sorrowfully parting from my husband as i did not expect to see him again until fall. that anguish was all wasted for we stuck on a sand bank just below town and my husband came over in a boat and lived on the steamer for nearly a week before we could get off the sandbar. mrs. georgiana m. way-- . we moved to minnesota from iowa. came with a prairie schooner. the country was very wild. we settled on a farm five miles south of blue earth. we brought along a cow and a coop of chickens. the roads were awfully rough. we would milk the cow, put the milk in a can and the jarring that milk got as those oxen drew that wagon over the rough roads gave us good butter the next day. our first shack was not a dugout, but the next thing to it. it was a log shed with sloping roof one way. we had two windows of glass so did not feel so much like pioneers. the rattlesnakes were very thick. we used to watch them drink from the trough. they would lap the water with their tongues just as a dog does. many a one i have cut in two with the ax. they always ran but i was slim in those days and could catch them. we used prairie tea and it was good too. it grew on a little bush. for coffee we browned beets and corn meal. corn meal coffee was fine. i'd like a cup this minute. once a family near us by the name of bonetrigger lived for four days on cottonwood buds or wood browse as it was called. we drove forty-five miles to mankato to get our first baby clothes. when we got in our first crop of wheat, i used to stand in the door and watch it wave as the wind blew over it and think i had never seen anything so beautiful. even the howling of the wolves around our cabin did not keep us awake at at night. we were too tired and too used to them. the years flew by. i had three children under five when my husband enlisted. i was willing, but oh, so sad! he had only three days to help us before joining his company. our wood lot was near, so near i could hear the sound of his ax as he cut down all the wood he could and cut it into lengths for our winter fuel. you can imagine how the sound of that ax made me feel, although i was willing he should go. when he was gone, i used to put the children on the ox sled and bring a load of wood home. pretty heavy work for a woman who had never seen an ox until she was married. i was brought up in new york city, but i did this work and didn't make any fuss about it, either. i did all kinds of farm work in those days for men's help wasn't to be had, they were all in the war. when i needed flour, there was no man to take the wheat to mill. the only one who could, wanted to charge $ . a day and i did not have it, so i left my darlings with a neighbor, got him to hist the sacks aboard for me, for says i, "i'm not dutchy enough to lift a sack of grain," and long before daylight i was beside those oxen on my way to the nearest grist mill, fifteen miles away, knitting all the way. it was tough work, but i got there. i engaged my lodging at the hotel and then went to the mill. there were a number there, but they were all men. the miller, mr. goodnow, said "it's take turns here, but i won't have it said that a 'soldier's widow' (as they called us) has to wait for men, so i'll grind yours first and you can start for home at sunup, so you can get home by dark; i want you to stay at our house tonight." after some demurring, for i wan't no hand to stay where i couldn't pay, i accepted his most kind invitation. in the morning, when he saw me start, after he had loaded my sacks of flour on for me, he said, "get the man living this side of that big hill to put you down it." i said, "i came up alone, alright." he said, "woman, you had grain then, you could have saved it if it fell off and your sacks broke, but now you have flour." when my boy was three weeks old, i drove fourteen miles to a dance and took in every dance all night and wasn't sick afterward either. of course, i took him along. when i came to sell my oxen after my husband died in the army, no one wanted to give me a fair price for them, because i was a woman, but mr. s. t. mcknight, who had a small general store in blue earth gave me what was right and paid me $ . for the yoke besides. we had company one sunday when we first came and all we had to eat was a batch of biscuits. they all said they was mighty good too and they never had a better meal. we all raised our own tobacco. i remember once our probate judge came along and asked, "have you any stalks i can chew?" it was hard to keep chickens for the country was so full of foxes. seed potatoes brought $ . a bushel. we used to grate corn when it was in the dough grade and make bread from that. it was fine. in and money was scarcer than teeth in a fly. we never saw a penny sometimes for a year at a time. everything was trade. mrs. duncan kennedy-- . my father moved from canada to minnesota. he was urged to come by friends who had gone before and wrote back that there was a wonderful piece of land on a lake, but when we got there with an ox team after a two days trip from st. paul, our goods on a lumber wagon--we thought it was a mudhole. we were used to the clear lakes of canada and this one was full of wild rice. it was near nicollet village. the road we took from st. paul went through shakopee, henderson and le seuer. they said it was made on an old indian trail. the turnips grew so enormous on our virgin soil that we could hardly believe they were turnips. they looked more like small pumpkins inverted in the ground. the wild flowers were wonderful too. in the fall, the prairies were gay with the yellow and sad with the lavender bloom. the first party we went to was a housewarming. we went about seven miles with the ox team. i thought i would die laughing when i saw the girls go to their dressing room. they went up a ladder on the outside. there were two fiddlers and we danced all the old dances. supper was served on a work bench from victuals out of a wash tub. we didn't have hundred dollar dresses, but we did have red cheeks from the fine clear air. one day when i was alone at my father's, an indian with feathers in his headband and a painted face and breast came quickly into the house, making no noise in his moccasined feet. he drew his hand across his throat rapidly saying over and over, "tetonka-te-tonka," at the same time trying to drag me out. i was terrified as i thought he was going to cut my throat. fortunately my father happened to come in, and not fearing the indian whom he knew to be friendly, went with him and found his best ox up to his neck in a slough. it seemed "tetonka" meant big animal and he was trying to show us that a big animal was up to his neck in trouble. afterward, i married mr. duncan kennedy and moved to traverse. i papered and painted the first house we owned there until it was perfect. i did so love this, our first home, but my husband was a natural wanderer. one day he came home announcing that he had sold our pretty home. we moved into a two room log house on a section of land out near where my father lived. the house was built so that a corner stood in each quarter section and complied with the law that each owner of a quarter section should have a home on it. it was built by the four hemmenway brothers and was always called "connecticut" as they came from there. my husband worked for mr. sibley and was gone much of the time buying furs. then he carried mail from traverse to fort lincoln. once in a blizzard he came in all frozen up, but he had outdistanced his indian guide--you couldn't freeze him to stay--he was too much alive. he once traveled the seventy-five miles from traverse to st. paul in one day. he just took the indian trot and kept it up until he got there. he always took it on his travels. he could talk sioux french and english with equal facility. mr. cowen once said when my husband passed, "there goes the most accomplished man in the state." they used to tell this story about mr. cowen. he had cleared a man accused of theft. afterward he said to him, "i have cleared you this time, but don't you ever do it again." when the outbreak came, my husband was storekeeper at yellow medicine. a half breed came running and told him to fly for his life, as the indians were killing all the whites. mr. kennedy could not believe this had come, though they knew how ugly the indians were. after seeing the smoke from the burning houses, he got his young clerk, who had consumption, out; locked the door, threw the key in the river; then carried the clerk to the edge of the river and dropped him down the bank where the bushes concealed him, and then followed him. the indians came almost instantly and pounded on the door he had just locked. he heard them say in sioux "he has gone to the barn to harness the mules." while they hunted there, he fled for his life, keeping in the bushes and tall grass. all doubled up, as he was obliged to be, he carried the clerk until they came to the plundered warehouse, where a number of refugees were hiding. that night, he started for the fort, arriving there while it was still dark. a call was made for a volunteer to go to st. peter to acquaint them with the danger. my husband had a badly swollen ankle which he got while crawling to the fort. nevertheless, he was the first volunteer. major randall said, "take my horse; you can never get there without one," but mr. kennedy said, "if the indians hear the horse they will know the difference between a shod horse and an indian pony. i will go alone." dr. miller tried to make him take half the brandy there was in the fort, by saying grimly, "if you get through you will need it. if you don't we won't need it." he started just before dawn taking the indian crawl. he had only gone a short distance when the mutilated body of a white man interposed. this was so nauseating that he threw away the lunch he had been given as he left the fort for he never expected to live to eat it. he passed so near an indian camp that he was challenged, but he answered in sioux in their gruff way and so satisfied them. when he came near nicollet village he crawled up a little hill and peered over. he saw two indians on one side and three on the other. he dropped back in the grass. he looked for his ammunition and it was gone. he had only two rounds in his gun. he said, "i thought if they have seen me there will be two dead indians and one white man." when he came to what had been nicollet village, the camp fires that the indians had left were still burning. he reached st. peter and gave the alarm. major s. a. buell-- . major buell eighty-seven years old, whose memory is remarkable says:--i came to minnesota in , settling in st. peter and practicing law. early in , mr. cowen, one of the brightest lawyers and finest men minnesota has ever known, came to traverse de sioux with his family, to open a store. he soon became a warm friend of judge flandrau who urged him to study law with him. he was made county auditor and in his spare time studied law and was admitted to the bar. he was much beloved by all, a sparkling talker--his word as good as his bond. he had never been well and as time went on, gradually grew weaker. his house was a little more than a block from his office, but it soon became more than he could do to walk that distance. on the common, half way between the two, was the liberty pole. he had a seat made at this point and rested there. when he was no more, the eyes of his old friends would grow misty when they passed this hallowed spot. soon after i made the acquaintance of judge flandrau at traverse de sioux there was a young man visiting him from washington. the judge took us both on our first prairie chicken hunt. we had no dog. on the upper prairie back of the town going along a road, we disturbed an old prairie hen that attempted to draw us away from her young. the judge had admonished us that we must never kill on the ground, always on the wing, to be sportsmen. this hen scudded and skipped along a rod or two at a time. finally, he said, "fellows, i can't stand this, i must shoot that chicken, you won't tell if i do?" we pledged our word. he fired and missed. after we got home, we told everybody for we said we had only promised not to tell if he shot it. we never enjoyed this joke half as much as he did. we always joked him about making tatting. flandrau, dearest of men, true as steel, decided in character, but forgiving in heart, a warm friend--was one of the greatest men our state has ever known. he was a tall, dark man, and very active. he had often told me how he and garvie, clerk for the indian trader at traverse de sioux used to walk the seventy-five miles to st. paul in two days. he once walked miles in three days to the land office at winona. in i built my own home in st. peter and made my garden. the year before i had gone into a clump of plums when they were fruiting and tied white rags to the best. i had moved them into my garden and they were doing fine. one day i took off my vest as i was working and hung it on one of these trees. suddenly my attention was attracted to the sky and i never saw a more beautiful sight. a horde of grasshoppers were gently alighting. nothing more beautiful than the shimmering of the sun on their thousands of gold-bronze wings could be imagined. they took everything and then passed on leaving gardens looking as if they had been burned. when i went for that vest, they had eaten it all but the seams. it was the funniest sight--just a skeleton. not a smitch of white rags left on the trees, either. we people who lived in minnesota thought there was only one kind of wild grape. a man by the name of seeger who had been in russia and was connected with a wine house in moscow came to st. peter. in the minnesota valley were immense wild grape vines covering the tallest trees. here he found five distinct varieties of grapes and said one kind would make a fine red wine--burgundy. he told me how to make this wine from grapes growing wild on my own farm. i made about ten gallons. when it was a year old it was very heady. edward eggleston belonged to a debating society in st. peter and was on the successful side in a debate, "has love a language not articulate." he was a methodist preacher here, but later had charge of a congregational church in brooklyn, n. y. he said when the methodists abolished itinerancy and mission work, he thought the most useful part of the church was gone. in my boyhood days at home, a little boy in the neighborhood had the misfortune to drink some lye. fortunately the doctor was near and using a stomach pump saved his life for the time being. however, the child's stomach could retain nothing. in a short time he was a skeleton indeed. one day his father who carried him around constantly, happened to be by the cow when she was being milked. the child asked for some milk and was given it directly from the cow. great was the father's astonishment when the little lad retained it. milk given him two minutes after milking was at once ejected. the father had a pen made just outside his son's bedroom window and the cow kept there, and here many times a day the cow was milked and the milk instantly given. after several months the child was restored to health. one night in minnesota just as i was going to sit down to supper my wife told me that a man who had just passed told her that a child that lived ten miles back in the country had drank lye some days before and was expected to die, as he could retain nothing. without waiting to eat my supper i jumped on a horse and made the trip there in record speed. this child followed the same formula and was saved. it was easy for youngsters to get at lye for every house had a leach for the making of soap. this lye was made by letting water drip over hard wood ashes in a barrel. a cupful would be taken out and its strength tried. if it would hold up an egg it was prime for soap. it was clear as tea, if it was left in a cup it was easily mistaken for it. during the days when new ulm was expecting a second indian attack and the town was full of refugees, i was ordered to destroy some buildings on the outskirts. i started with a hotel and opened all the straw ticks that had been used for refugees beds and threw the contents all around. i believed all the people had left but thought i would go in every room and make sure of this. in one room i heard a queer noise and going to the bed found a small baby that had been tomahawked. its little head was dented in two places. i took it with me and went out. its grandmother who owned the place came running frantically and took it from me. its father and mother had been killed and it had been brought in by the refugees. in the hasty departure it had been overlooked, each one supposing the other had taken it. on the th day of august after the massacre of the nd, around new ulm and in that vicinity, a little boy who had saved himself from the indians by secreting himself in the grass of the swamps, came into new ulm and said there were twelve people alive and a number of bodies to be buried sixteen miles from new ulm. he said he had seen a man who was driving a horse and wagon, shot and scalped, but could not tell what had become of the woman and baby that were riding with him. the troops marched to the place, having the boy as a guide, buried a number of bodies and brought the twelve survivors to new ulm. they could find no trace of the woman and baby, although the father's body was found and buried. later the troops marched to mankato, stopping at an empty farm house sixteen miles from new ulm for the night. this farm house was on a small prairie surrounded by higher land. the sentries were ordered to watch the horizon with the greatest care for fear the skulking indians might ambush the troops. it was a night when the rain fell spasmodically alternating with moonlight. suddenly one of the sentries saw a figure on the horizon and watched it disappear in the grass, then appear and crawl along a fence in his direction. he called, "who goes there?" at the same time cocking his gun ready to shoot. at the answer, "winnebago" he fired. at that moment there had been a little shower and his gun refused to fire. later he found that the cap had become attached to the hammer and the powder must have been dampened by the shower. he dashed for the figure to find a white woman and baby and was horrified to think that if the gun had fired she would have been blown to pieces. this was woman for whom they had looked in the swamp thirty miles away. he aroused the troops, who took her in. she held out her baby whose hand was partly shot away, but said nothing about herself. later they found that she had been shot through the back and the wound had had no dressing except when she laid down in the streams. her greatest fear had been that the baby would cry, but during all those eight awful days and nights while she lay hidden in the swamps or crawled on her way at night, this baby had never made a sound. as soon as it became warm and was thoroughly fed, it cried incessantly for twelve hours. the mother said that for three days the indians had pursued her with dogs, but she had managed to evade them by criss-crossing through the streams. she had said "winnebago" as she thought she was approaching a sioux camp and they were supposed to be friendly to the winnebagoes. she would then have welcomed captivity as it seemed that the white people had left the earth and death was inevitable. in may , eggs were selling in st. peter for c a dozen, butter at c per pound and full grown chickens at c a dozen as game was so plentiful. mrs. jane sutherland-- .[ ] [footnote : a sister of mrs. duncan kennedy.] mrs. cowan came to traverse in when it was almost nothing. at her home in baltimore she had always had an afternoon at home, so decided to continue them here. she set aside thursday and asked everyone in town, no matter what their situation in life, to come. my maiden name was jane donnelly and she asked me to come and "help pass things"--"assist"--as you call it now. she had tea and biscuits. flour and tea were both scarce so she warned me not to give anyone more than one biscuit or one cup of tea. this we rigidly adhered to. she had the only piano in our part of the country and we all took great pride in it. i could sing and play a little in the bosom of my family, but was most easily embarrassed. judge flandrau was our great man. he dropped in, bringing his tatting shuttle, and sat and made tatting as well as any woman. mrs. cowan explained that he had learned this on purpose to rest his mind and keep it off from weighty matters. mrs. cowan insisted that i should sing and play while he was there. i resisted as long as i could, then was led still protesting to the piano where i let out a little thin piping, all the while covered with confusion. when i arose we both looked expectantly toward the judge, but he never raised his eyes--just kept right on tatting. finally mrs. cowan asked, "don't you like music, judge?" he looked up with a far-away look in his eyes and said, "yes, martial music in the field." then we knew he had never heard a thing, for, as mrs. cowan explained to me as we were making a fresh pot of tea, "he is the kindest man in the world. if he had noticed you were singing he would have said something nice." shortly after this we took a claim out at middle lake and moved out there to live. the first time i came into town was on a load of wild hay drawn by my father's oxen. the man i later married saw me, a girl of sixteen, sitting there and said he fell in love with me then. a few days later he drove past our farm and saw me out in the corn field trying to scare away the blackbirds. i was beating on a pan and whooping and hollering. that finished him for he said he could see i had all the requisites for a good wife, "industry and noise." during the outbreak of , after my husband went to the war, we were repeatedly warned to leave our home and flee to safety. this we were loath to do as it would jeopardize our crops and livestock. we often saw the indian scouts on a hill overlooking the place and sometimes heard shots. one day i was with my children at a neighbor's when a new alarm was given by a courier. without waiting for us to get any clothes or tell my parents, the farmer hitched up and we fled to fort snelling. it was two months before i ever saw my home or parents. there were three grasshopper years when we never got any crops at middle lake. when i say that, i mean just what i say; we got nothing. the first time they came the crops were looking wonderful. wheat fields so green and corn way up. the new ploughed fields yielded marvelously and this was the first year for ours. i went out to the garden about ten o'clock to get the vegetables for dinner and picked peas, string beans, onions and lettuce that were simply luscious. the tomatoes were setting and everything was as fine as could be. i felt so proud of it. the men came home to dinner and the talk was all in praise of this new country and the crops. while we were talking it gradually darkened. the men hastily went out to see if anything should be brought in before the storm. what a sight when we opened the door! the sky darkened by myriads of grasshoppers and no green thing could be seen. everything in that lovely garden was gone. by the middle of the afternoon, when they left, the wheat fields looked as if they had been burned, even the roots eaten. not a leaf on the trees. my husband's coat lying outside was riddled. back of the house where they had flown against it they were piled up four feet high. they went on after awhile leaving their eggs to hatch and ruin the crops the following year. and enough the second for the third, though we did everything. the last year the county offered a bounty of three cents a bushel for them and my little boy, four years old, caught enough with a net to buy himself a two dollar pair of boots. you can perhaps get an idea how thick they were from that. the rail fences used to look as if they were enormous and bronzed. the grasshoppers absolutely covered them. we lived only a short distance from my father's farm. one afternoon i saw smoke coming from there and could hear explosions like that of cannon. i caught our pony, jumped on bareback, and dashed for their home. we trusted the indians and yet we did not. they were so different from the whites. i thought they had attacked the family. i don't know how i expected to help without a weapon of any kind, but on i went. when i got there i saw my father and mother tearing a board fence down. a swamp on the place was afire and the fire coming through that long swamp grass very rapidly. the swamp had a number of large willows and when the fire would reach them they would explode with a noise like a cannon. i don't know why, but i have heard many of the old settlers tell of similar experiences. i jumped off the pony and helped tear down the fence. governor swift had paid me $ . to make him a buffalo coat. i had put it all into "nigger blue" calico and had the dress on. when we went into the house mother said, "what a shame you have spoiled your new dress." i could see nothing wrong, but in the back there was a hole over twelve inches square burned out. another time my husband was a short distance from the house putting up wild hay. we had several fine stacks of it near the house in the stubble. i happened to glance out and saw our neighbor's stacks burning and the fire coming through the stubble for ours. i grabbed a blanket, wet it soaking and dragging that and a great pail of water, made for the stacks. i run that wet blanket around the stacks as fast as i could several times. my husband came driving like mad with half a load of hay on the rack and grabbed me but as the stubble was short that sopping saved the stacks. we had a german hired man that we paid $ a month for six months. crops were plentiful and we hoped for a good price. no such good luck. wheat was c a bushel and oats - / . he hauled grain to market with our ox team to pay himself and was nearly all winter getting his money. that was before the war. we boarded him for nothing while he was doing it. how little those who enjoy this state now think what is cost the makers of it! mrs. mary robinson-- . we came to st. anthony in . butter was - / c a pound; potatoes c a bushel and turnips, c. i have never seen finer vegetables. we made our mince pies of potatoes soaked in vinegar instead of apples. one of our neighbors was noted for her molasses sponge cake. if asked for the recipe, she would give it as follows: "i take some molasses and saleratus and flour and shortening, and some milk. how much? oh, a middling good sized piece, and enough milk to make it the right thickness to bake good." needless to say, she continued to be the only molasses sponge cake maker. mrs. margaret a. snyder-- . mr. snyder and mr. pettit used to batch it in a cabin in glencoe before our marriage. in ' we decided to move to glencoe and live in this place. we, together with mr. cook and mr. mcfarland were forty-eight hours going the sixty miles. we stayed the first night at carver and the next night got to "eight mile dutchman's." when we came to the cabin we found the walls and ceiling covered with heavy cotton sheeting. my mother had woven me a gerton rag carpet which we had with us. the stripes instead of running across, ran lengthwise. there was a wide stripe of black and then many gaily colored stripes. when it was down on the floor, it made everything cheerful. we had bought some furniture too in minneapolis so everything looked homelike. later, six of us neighbor women were invited into the country to spend the day. while we were gone some of the neighbors said, "the mosquitoes must be awful at the snider's today--they have such a smudge." a little later, they saw the house was in flames. in this fire, we lost money and notes together with all our possessions. these notes were never paid, as we had no record so we were left poor indeed. we were able to get boards for the sides of our new house, but lived in it six weeks without a roof, doors or windows. we had a few boards over the bed. there was only one hard rain in all that time but the mosquitoes were awful. during this time, we lived on king phillip's corn, a large yellow kind. we pounded it in a bag and made it into cakes and coffee. we had nothing to eat on the cakes nor in the coffee and yet we were happy. my husband always kept his gun by the bed during this time. one morning we awoke to see two prairie chickens preening their feathers on the top of our house wall. father fired and killed both, one falling inside and the other outside. mrs. colonel stevens was our nearest neighbor. we just took a little indian trail to her house. we had wild plums and little wild cherries with stems just like tame cherries, on our farm. they helped out tremendously as they with cranberries were our only fruit. one morning twelve big braves came into my kitchen when i was getting breakfast. they said nothing to me, just talked and laughed among themselves; took out pipes and all smoked. they did not ask for anything to eat. finally they went away without trouble. indian charlie, afterwards hung at mankato, was often at the house and became a great nuisance. he would follow me all over the house. i would say, "go sit down charlie," at the same time looking at him determinedly. he would stand and look and then go. he once found my husband's gun and pointed it at me, but i said firmly, stamping my foot, "put it down charlie," and very reluctantly he finally did. then, i took it until he left. my husband enlisted, so in we moved to fort ridgely and lived in one room. one day three squaws, one of whom was old betts, came in to sell moccasins. i asked her to make some for my baby and showed her a piece of pork and some sugar i would give her for it. she brought them later. we had eaten that piece of pork and i got another piece which was larger but not the same, of course. when she saw it as not the same, she said, "cheatey squaw, cheatey squaw," and was very angry. i then gave her the pork and two bowls of sugar instead of one and she went away. later i saw her in the next room where another family lived and said, "aunt betts called me, cheatey squaw, cheatey squaw." quick as a flash she drew a long wicked looking knife from her belt and ran for me and it was only by fleeing and locking my own door that i escaped. she was never again allowed on the reservation. later in the year, before the massacre, i went home to pennsylvania. when we built on the corner of fourth avenue and tenth street, we could plainly hear the roar of st. anthony falls. i used to follow an indian trail part of the way down town. mrs. helen horton-- , minneapolis. when i came, things were pretty lonesome looking here. i found the young people just as gay as they could be anywhere, however. the first party i attended was a cotillion. i wore a black silk skirt, eighteen feet around the bottom, with three flounces, over hoops too. a black velvet basque pointed front and back, and cut very short on the sides gave a great deal of style to the costume. my hair was brought low in front and puffed over horsehair cushions at the sides. it stuck out five inches from the sides of my head. we danced square dances mostly. we took ten regular dancing steps forward and ten back and floated along just like a thistledown--no clumping around like they do now. just at this time, i had a plaid silk too. it was green and brown broken plaid. the blocks were nine inches across. one evening we were to have a sociable. it was great fun playing games and singing. they wanted me to make a cake. it was in the spring months before the boats began to run and after the teams that brought supplies had stopped. it was always a scarce time. i wanted some white sugar to make a white cake as i knew a friend who was to make a pork and dried apple cake, a dark cake, so i wanted the opposite kind. we went everywhere but could find no sugar. i was so disappointed. finally a friend took his horse and cutter and in one of the houses we were able to find a little. my cake was delicious. did you ever make a pork apple pie? you cut the pork so thin you can almost see through it. cover the bottom of a pie tin with it, then cut the apples up on top of this. put two thin crusts one on top of the other over this, then when cooked, turn upside down in a dish and serve with hard sauce. this recipe is over a hundred years old but nothing can beat it. the first home we owned ourselves was at the corner of ninth street and nicollet avenue. there was only one house in sight, that of mr. welles. our whole house was built from the proceeds of land warrants that my husband had bought. my father had a store at the corner of helen st., and washington avenue. to reach it from our home at fourth street and second avenue north, we followed an indian trail. there was generally a big cow with a bell to turn out for somewhere on it. mrs. mary staring smith-- . when we first came to live at eden prairie i thought i had never seen anything so beautiful as that flowering prairie. in the morning we could hear the clear call of the prairie chickens. i used to love to hear it. there were great flocks of them and millions of passenger pigeons. their call of "pigie! pigie!" was very companionable on that lonely prairie. sometimes when they were flying to roost they would darken the sun, there were such numbers of them. geese and ducks were very numerous, too. black birds were so thick they were a menace to the growing crops. i used to shoot them when i was twelve years old. once my father and uncle went deer hunting. they got into some poisonous wild thing, perhaps poison ivy. my uncle's face was awful and father nearly lost his sight. he was almost blind for seven years but finally dr. daniels of st. peter cured him. once during war time we could get no one to help us harvest. i cut one hundred acres strapped to the seat as i was too small to stay there any other way. we had a cow named sarah. a lovely, gentle creature. mr. anderson brought her up on the boat. my dog was an imported english setter. these and an old pig were my only playmates. i used to love to dress my dog up but when i found my old pig would let me tie my sunbonnet on her i much preferred her. she looked so comical with that bonnet on lying out at full length and grunting little comfortable grunts when i would scratch her with a stick. i never saw such a sad expression in the eye of any human being as i saw in "otherdays" the sioux friend of the whites. it seemed as if he could look ahead and see what was to be the fate of his people. yes, i have seen that expression once since. after the massacre when the indians were brought to fort snelling i saw a young squaw, a beauty, standing in the door of her tepee with just that same look. it used to bring the tears to my eyes to think of her. there used to be a stone very sacred to the indians on alexander gould's place near us. it was red sandstone and set down in a hollow that they had dug out. the sioux owned it and never passed on the trail that led by it without squatting in a circle facing it, smoking their pipes. i have often stood near and watched them. i never heard them say a word. they always left tobacco, beads and pipes on it. the indian trails could be seen worn deep like cattle paths. at the time of the indian outbreak the refugees came all day long on their way to the fort. such a sad procession of hopeless, terrified women and children. many were wounded and had seen their dear ones slain as they fled to the corn fields or tall grass of the prairies. i can never forget the expression of some of those poor creatures. mrs. mary massolt-- . i first lived at taylor's falls. i was only fourteen and spoke little english as i had just come from france. large bands of indians used to camp near us. they never molested anything. i took a great fancy to them and used to spend hours in their camps. they were always so kind and tried so hard to please me. when the braves were dressed up they always painted their faces and the more they were dressed the more hideous they made themselves. i would often stick feathers in their head bands, which pleased them very much. the storms were so terrible. we had never seen anything like them. one crash after another and the lightning constant. once i was sitting by a little stove when the lightning came down the chimney. it knocked me one way off the bench and moved the stove several feet without turning it over. mrs. anna todd-- . we came to st. anthony in ' and lived in one of the hudson bay houses on university avenue between fourth and fifth streets. they were in a very bad state of repair and had no well or any conveniences of any kind. the chimneys would not draw and that in the kitchen was so bad that mr. todd took out a pane of glass and ran the stovepipe through that. everybody had a water barrel by the fence which was filled with river water by contract and in the winter they used melted snow and ice. mr. todd built the first piers for the booms in the river. the hauling was all done by team on the ice. the contract called for the completion of these piers by april . the work took much more time than they had figured on and mr. todd realized if the ice did not hold until the last day allowed, he was a ruined man. there were many anxious days in the "little fur house" as it was called, but the ice held and the money for the contract was at once forthcoming. i remember those winters as much colder and longer than they now are. they began in october and lasted until may. when we were coming from st. paul to st. anthony, just as we came to the highest point, i looked all around and said "this is the most beautiful country i have ever seen." where mrs. richard chute lived in minneapolis, the view was wonderfully beautiful. near there, was a house with the front door on the back side so that the view could be seen better. times were very, very hard in ' and ' . we never saw any money and to our yankee minds this was the worst part of our new life. a friend had been staying with us for months sharing what we had. one day he said to my husband, "i'm here and i'm stranded, i can see no way to pay you anything, but i can give you an old mare which i have up in the country." he finally induced mr. todd to take her and almost immediately, we had a chance to swap her for an indian pony. a short time after, there was a call for ponies at the fort and the pony was sold to the government for $ . in gold. this seemed like $ , . would now. the first time i saw an apple in minnesota was in ' . a big spaniel had come to us, probably lost by some party of homeseekers. after having him a short time, we became very tired of him. one of the teamsters was going to st. paul, so we told him to take the dog and lose him. better than that, he swapped him for a barrel of apples with a man who had brought them up the river as a speculation. the new owner was to take the dog back down the river that day, but that dog was back almost as soon as the teamster was. we used to joke and say we lived on that dog all winter. the early settlers brought slips of all kinds of houseplants which they shared with all. the windows were gay with fuchias, geraniums, roses, etc. most everyone had a heliotrope too. all started slips under an inverted tumbler to be ready for newcomers. mr. edwin clarke-- . on april , , president abraham lincoln, two days prior to his assassination, signed my commission as united states indian agent for the chippewas of the mississippi, pillager and lake winnebagosish bands, and the indians of red lake and pembina. the mississippi bands, numbering about two thousand five hundred, were principally located around mille lac, gull and sandy lakes; the pillager and winnebagosish bands, about two thousand, around leach, winnebagosish, cass and ottertail lakes; the red lake bands, numbering about fifteen hundred, were located about red lake and the pembina bands about one thousand at pembina and turtle mountain, dakota. at that time there were no white settlers in minnesota north of crow wing, long prairie and ottertail lake. the chippewa indians were not migratory in their habits, living in their birch-bark covered wigwams around the lakes, from which the fish and wild rice furnished a goodly portion of their sustenance and where they were convenient to wood and water. the hunting grounds, hundreds of miles in extent, covering nearly one-half of the state, furnished moose, deer and bear meat and the woods were full of rabbits, partridges, ducks, wild geese and other small game. the indians exchanged the furs gathered each year, amounting to many thousand dollars in value, with traders for traps, guns, clothing and other goods. some of the indians raised good crops of corn and vegetables and they also made several thousand pounds of maple sugar annually. they also gathered large amounts of cranberries, blueberries and other wild fruit. the chippewa indians had very few ponies, having no use for them, as it was more convenient to use their birch bark canoes in traveling about the lakes and rivers. at that time the chippewas were capable of making good living without the government annuities, which consisted of a cash payment to each man, woman and child of from $ . to $ . and about an equal amount in value of flour, pork, tobacco, blankets, shawls, linsey-woolsy, flannels, calico, gilling twine for fish nets, thread, etc. an indian in full dress wore leggings, moccasins and shirt, all made by the women from tanned deer skins, and trimmed with beads, over which he threw his blanket, and with his gun over his arm and his long hair braided and hanging down, and face streaked with paint, he presented quite an imposing appearance. the young men occasionally supplemented the above with a neat black frock coat. the indians during the time i was agent were friendly and it was only upon a few occasions when whiskey had been smuggled in by some unprincipled persons, that they had any quarrels among themselves. the late bishops whipple and knickerbocker were my traveling companions at different times thru the indian country, as were general mitchell of st. cloud, daniel sinclair of winona, rev. f. a. noble of minneapolis, rev. stewart of sauk center, mr. ferris of philadelphia, mr. bartling of louisville, doctors barnard and kennedy and others. the late ennegahbow (rev. john johnson) was appointed by me as farmer at mille lac upon the request of shawboshkung, the head chief. ma-dosa-go-onwind was head chief of the red lake indians and hole-in-the-day head chief of the mississippi bands at the time i was agent. captain isaac moulton-- , minneapolis. the middle of december , it began to rain and rained for three days as if the heavens had opened. the river was frozen and the sleighing had been fine. after this rain there was a foot of water on the ice. i was on my way to fond du lac, wis. to get insurance on my store that had burned. you can imagine what the roads leading from st. paul to hastings were. it took us a whole day to make that twenty mile trip, four stage loads of us. i have often thought you dwellers in the twin cities nowadays give little thought to the days when the stage coach was the essence of elegance in travel. the four or six horses would start off with a flourish. the music of the horn i have always thought most stirring. the two rival companies vied with each other in stage effect. if one driver had an especial flourish, the other tried to surpass him, and so it went on. no automobile, no matter how high powered, can hold a candle to those stage coaches in picturesque effect, for those horses were alive. on this trip, i hired a man with two yearling steers to take my trunk full of papers from the zumbro river that we had crossed in a skiff, as the bridge was out, to minnieski where we could again take the stage. those steers ran and so did we eight men who were following them in water up to our knees. we reached minnieski about as fagged as any men could be. mr. george a. brackett-- , minneapolis. prior to the indian outbreak, i had charge of the feeding of the troops, comprising stone's division at poolville, md., with beef and other supplies. in this division were the first minnesota, several new york (including the celebrated tammany regulars) and pennsylvania troops. i continued in that service until the sioux outbreak, when franklin steele and myself were requested by general sibley to go to fort ridgely and aid in the commissary department, general sibley being a brother-in-law of franklin steele. i remained in this position until the close of the sibley campaign, other st. paul and minneapolis men being interested with me in the furnishing of supplies. just after the battle of birch coolie, when general sibley had assembled at fort ridgely a large force to go up the minnesota river against the indians, he sent franklin steele and myself to st. peter to gather up supplies for his command. we started in a spring wagon with two good horses. a number of refugees from the fort went with us in burbank's stages and other conveyances. at that time burbank was running a line of stages from st. paul to fort ridgely, stopping at intervening points. allen, the manager of the lines, was in fort ridgely. a few miles out the cry was raised, "the indians are in sight." immediately the whole party halted. allen went over the bluff far enough to see down to the bottoms of the river. soon he returned very much frightened saying, "the valley is full of indians." this caused such a fright that notwithstanding our protest, the whole party returned pell-mell to fort ridgely, except steele and myself. the party was so panic stricken that allen was nearly left. he had to jump on behind. we determined to go on. a mile or so further on, we saw a man crawling through the grass. i said to steele, "there's your indian," and drove up to him. it proved to be a german who, in broken english said, "the indians have stolen my cattle and i am hunting for them." driving a few miles further, we came to what had been lafayette, burned by the indians days before. some of the houses were still smoking. we stopped at the ruins of a house belonging to a half breed, mrs. bush, and killed and ate two chickens with our other lunch. when the refugees got back to the fort they reported to general sibley that we had gone on. he said we were reckless and sent george mcleod, captain of the mounted rangers, with fifty men to overtake us and bring us back. however, we drove on so fast that mcleod got to st. peter about the time we did. there we bought out a bakery and set them to baking hard tack, and purchased cattle and made other arrangements for the feeding of the troops. one day, before this, while i was at general sibley's camp talking to him, i saw someone coming toward the camp. i called general sibley's attention to it and he sent an officer to investigate. it proved to be a friendly indian who had stolen a widow and her children from the hostiles and brought them to the fort. her husband had been killed by the indians. mrs. c. a. smith-- . in the spring of we came to st. paul. we took a boat which plied regularly between st. paul and minnesota river points, to chaska. there we left the boat and walked to watertown where our new home was to be. my father carried $ , in gold in inside pockets of a knitted jacket which my mother had made him. with this money we paid for two quarter sections of improved land and the whole family began to farm. we lived just as we had in sweden, as we were in a swedish settlement. we were lutheran, so there were no parties. going to church was our only amusement. the prairies were perfectly lovely with their wild flower setting. there had been a fire two years before and great thickets of blackberry vines had grown up. i never saw such blackberries. they were as large as the first joint of a man's thumb. the flavor was wild and spicy. i never ate anything so good. cranberries by the hundreds of bushels grew in the swamps. we could not begin to pick all the hazel nuts. we used to eat turnips as we would an apple. they were so sweet, they were as good. we made sun-dials on a clear spot of ground and could tell time perfectly from them. we children made dolls out of grass and flowers. i have never seen prettier ones. we kept sheep and mother spun and wove blankets and sheets. we had bolts and bolts of cloth that we made and brought with us from sweden. here, we raised flax and prepared it for spinning, making our own towels. nothing could be cozier than our cabin christmas eve. we had brought solid silver knives, forks and spoons. these hung from racks. quantities of copper and brass utensils burnished until they were like mirrors hung in rows. in sweden mother had woven curtains and bed coverings of red, white and blue linen and these were always used on holidays. how glad we were they were the national colors here! we covered a hoop with gay colored paper and set little wooden candle holders that my father had made all around it. this was suspended from the ceiling, all aglow with dips. then, as a last touch to the decorations, we filled our brass candle sticks with real candles and set them in the windows as a greeting to those living across the lake. a sheaf for the birds and all was done. the vegetables grew tremendous. we used to take turns in shelling corn and grinding it, for bread, in a coffee mill. mother would say, "if you are hungry and want something to eat of course you will grind." we made maple sugar and fine granulated sugar from that. my sisters used to walk from watertown to minneapolis in one day, thirty-seven miles, following an indian trail and then were ready for a good time in the evening. how many girls of today could walk that many blocks? the lake was full of the biggest fish imaginable. we used to catch them, and dry and smoke them. they made a nice variety in our somewhat same diet. we used to fish through the ice, too. major c. b. heffelfinger-- , minneapolis. well i remember the st. charles hotel as it was when i first boarded there. the beds were upstairs in one room in two rows. stages were bringing loads of passengers to minneapolis. they could find no accommodations so no unoccupied bed was safe for its owners. although my roommate and i were supposed to have lodging and were paying for it, the only safe way was for one to go to bed early before the stage came in and repel all invaders until the other arrived. if the sentry slept at his post the returning scout was often obliged to sleep on the floor, or snuggle comfortably against a stranger sandwiched between them. the strangers who arrived had made a stage coach journey from la crosse without change and spent two nights sitting erect in the coaches, and were so tired that they went to bed with the chickens. on lucky nights for us they were detained by some accident and got in when the chickens were rising. nothing was ever stolen and many firm friendships were thus cemented. our pocketbooks were light, but our hearts were also. it was a combination hard to beat. was the most stringent year in money that minnesota has ever known. there was absolutely no money and every store in the territory failed. everything was paid by order. captain isaac moulton, now of la crosse, had a dry goods store. a woman, a stranger, came in and asked the price of a shawl. she was told it was $ . . it was done up for her. she had been hunting through her reticule and now put down the money in gold. the captain looked at it as if hypnotized, but managed to stammer, "my god woman, i thought you had an order. it is only $ . in money." mrs. martha gilpatrick-- , minneapolis. when i married, my husband had been batching it. in the winter his diet was pork! pork! pork! mrs. birmingham, who helped him sometimes, said she bet if all the hogs he ate were stood end to end, they would reach to fort snelling. we had a flock of wild geese that we crossed with tame ones. they were the cutest, most knowing things. i kept them at the house until they were able to care for themselves, then i turned them out mornings. i would go in the pasture and say, "is that you nice gooses?" they would act so human, be so tickled to see me and flop against me and squawk. when mr. fitzgerald came home they would run for him the same way as soon as they saw the horse. they were handsome birds. i used to go to my sister's. she had a boarding house on the east side. her boarders were mill workers and "lathers." that is what we used to call the river drivers. they always had a pike pole in their hand. it looked like a lath from a distance, so they got the name of "lathers" from this. [illustration: group of contributors taken at a party at the home of mrs. james t. morris, may , upper row from left to right: mrs. robert anderson, mrs. james pratt, mrs. john brown, mrs. mary e. partridge, mrs. anna todd, mrs. martha gilpatrick, mrs. rufus farnham, mrs. charles godley, mrs. paulina starkloff. second row: mrs. elizabeth clifford, mrs. stephen rochette. lower row: mrs. mahlon black. mrs. mary schmidt, mrs. margaret hern, mrs. margaret a. snyder, miss carrie stratton, mrs. mary weeks, mrs. rebecca plummer. eleven of these ladies are over eighty-four years old and mrs. weeks is ninety. all have wonderful memories.] mrs. margaret hern-- . my husband enlisted in the fall of . it was not a very easy thing for him to do, for our farm was not yet very productive, our three children were very young, one a tiny baby, and we had no ready money. however, he felt that his country called him and when the recruiting officer told him that all soldier's families would be welcome at the post and that we could go there with him, he rented our farm to george wells and went on to fort ridgeley. we lived forty miles from there on the crow river, near hutchinson. we found that the officer had lied. we were not expected or wanted at the fort. we finally made arrangements to stay by promising to board the blacksmith in his quarters. his name was john resoft. his rations and my husband's supported us all. mr. hern was very handy about the house, as he was a maine yankee and daily helped me with the work. there was a great sameness about the life as there were only about a hundred men stationed at the fort. very few of them had their families with them. the only women were mrs. mueller, wife of the doctor, mrs. sweet, wife of the chaplain and their three children, mrs. edson, the captain's wife; sargeant jones' wife and three children; mrs. dunn and their three children; mrs. snider and three children; mrs. mickel and three children; mrs. randall, the sutler's wife, and myself and our three children. the winter passed monotonously. we used to have some fun with the squaws. once i was writing home to mother. i wanted a little lock of indian hair to show her how coarse an indian's hair was. old betts happened to come in just then, so i took my scissors and was going to cut a little bit of her "raving locks." when she saw what i was going to do she jumped away screaming and acting like a crazy woman. she never came near that house again, but in the spring after my husband had gone to the front and mrs. dunn and i had joined forces and gone to living in another cabin, she stuck her head in our window to beg. i jumped and grabbed a looking glass and held it before her to let her see how she really did look. she was a sight. she had an old black silk hood i had given her and her hair was straggling all over. when she saw the reflection she was so mad she tried to break the glass. three weeks before the outbreak, the sioux, our indians had a war dance back of the fort and claimed it was against the chippewas. at first we believed them, but when the half breed, indian charlie, came in to borrow cooking utensils, he sat down and hung his head, as if under the influence of liquor. he kept saying "too bad! too bad!" mrs. dunn became suspicious and knowing i knew him well, as he had often stopped at our cabin, said "ask him what is too bad." he said, "injins kill white folks. me like white folks. me like injins. me have to fight. me don't want to." he seemed to feel broken-hearted. i did not believe him and thought him drunk, but mrs. dunn said "you go over and tell sergeant jones what he said." i did. sergeant jones said, "what nonsense! they are only going to have their war dance. all of you white people go over and see that dance." we all went. the soldiers were all there. the indians had two tom-toms, and the squaws beat on them while the indians, all painted hideously, jumped stiff legged, cut themselves until they were covered with blood and sweat and yowled their hideous war whoop. they were naked excepting their breech clout. sargeant jones had control of all the guns at the fort, and unknown to us, the cannon were all trained on the dancers. we could not understand why the soldiers were so near us, but later in the day learned that there was a soldier for everyone of us to snatch us away if it was necessary to fire on the indians. on monday morning, august eighteenth, , at about ten o'clock, we saw a great cloud of dust arising. soon it resolved itself into teams, people on horseback and on foot coming pell mell for the fort. they said that redwood agency, twelve miles distant, had been attacked and the indians were killing all the white settlers. as they were flying for their lives, they passed the sutler of the redwood store lying face downwards with a board on his back on which was written, "feed your own squaws and papooses grass." he had trusted the indians until he would do so no longer. their annuities were long, long overdue and they were starving. they appealed to him again and again and pleaded for food for their starving families. he finally told them to "go eat grass." the settlers had seen the consequence. they had passed seven dead, besides on the way. this was only the beginning of a sad multitude of refugees, who, wounded in every conceivable way, and nearly dead from terror, poured into the fort. captain marsh, as soon as he had heard the stories, called the soldiers out on the parade ground and called for volunteers, who would go with him to try and stop the awful carnage. every soldier came forward. captain marsh told them that he thought the sight of the soldiers would cow them as it had so many times before. they at once departed, leaving about thirty men with us. we knew nothing of what was happening to this little handful of soldiers, but as more and more refugees came in with the terribly mutilated, our fears increased. we knew a small group of the savages could finish us. just at dusk, jim dunn, a soldier of nineteen who always helped us about our work, came reeling in, caked with blood and sweat. i said, "for god's sake, what is the news, jim?" he only panted, "give me something to eat quick." after he had swallowed a few mouthfuls, he told us that nearly all of the boys had been killed by the indians. he said, "the devils got us in the marsh by the river. quinn told the captain not to go down there, but he held his sword above his head and said, 'all but cowards will follow me.'" the indians on the other side of the river were challenging us to come by throwing up their blankets way above their heads. only three more of the boys came in that night. all of us who were living outside, had gone into the stone barracks with the refugees. that night we were all sitting huddled together trembling with fear. we had helped feed the hungry and cared for the wounded all day long and now were so fatigued we could hardly keep awake. i had brought my little kerosene lamp with me. i lit it and brought out of the darkness the sorrowful groups of women and children. some one called "lights out." i turned mine down and set it behind the door. we sat in darkness. a voice called, "up stairs." i gathered my baby in my arms, told walter to hold on to mother's dress on one side and minnie on the other, and up stairs we went, all pushed from behind so we could not stop. we were pushed into a large room, dark as pitch. there we all stood panting through fear and exertion. how long, i do not know. a voice in the room kept calling, "ota! ota!" meaning "many! many!" we knew there were indians with us, but not how many. i had the butcher knife sharpened when the first refugees came and covered with a piece of an old rubber. it was now sticking in my belt. i asked mrs. dunn what she had to protect herself with. she said she had nothing, but found her shears in her pocket. i told her to put out their eyes with them, while they were killing us, for we expected death every minute after hearing those indian voices. i heard jim dunn's voice and called him and told him where my lamp was and asked him to bring it up. he brought it to me. this was the crucial moment of my life. i sat the lamp on the floor, and with one hand on the butcher knife, slowly turned up the light. i saw only three squaws and three half breed boys, instead of the large number of indians i expected. each declared "me good injin! me good injin!" all was confusion. william hawley was inside guard at the door of the room we were in upstairs. he was just out of the hospital and was very weak. in spite of this he had gone with the soldiers to redwood and had just returned after crawling out from under his dead companions and creeping through the brush and long grass those dreadful miles. he was all in. his gun had a fixed bayonet. my eyes never left those squaws for a moment. i was sure they were spies who would go to the devils outside and tell them of the weakness of the fort. two of the squaws began to fight about a fine tooth comb. the more formidable of the two, with much vituperation, declared she would not stay where the other one was. just at the height of the fight, a gun outside was fired. the minute it was fired, the squaw started for the door. i suspected that it was a signal for her to come outside, and tell what she knew. hawley had left his post and come in among us. our babies were on a field bed on the floor. calling to mrs. dunn to look after them, i sprang to the door and grabbed the discarded gun. at that moment, the squaw tried to pass. i ordered her back. she called me a "seechy doe squaw" meaning "mean squaw" and tried to push me back. i raised the bayonet saying, "go back or i'll ram this through you." she went back growling and swearing in sioux. probably in half an hour i was relieved of my self-appointed task. martin tanner taking my place, i said to him, "don't let that squaw get away." i sat down on a board over some chairs and made the squaw sit beside me. there we sat all that long night with my right hand hold of my knife and the other holding her blue petticoat. didn't she talk to me and revile me? none of the others even tried to leave. at last we saw the dawn appear. have you ever been in great danger where all was darkness where that danger was? if so, you will know what an everlasting blessing that daylight was. from our upper windows we could look out and see that our foes were not yet in sight. all night long among the refugees, praying, supplicating and wailing for the dead, was constant, but as the light came and we began to bestir ourselves among them, nursing the wounded and feeding the hungry, this ceased and only the crying of the hungry children was heard. the indians had driven away all the stock so there was no milk. my baby had just been weaned. all those ten days we stayed in the fort, i fed her hard tack and bacon; that was all we had. i chewed this for her. there were many nursing mothers, but all were sustaining more than their own. there was no well or spring near the fort. all water had to be brought from the ravine by mule team. early that morning, under an escort, with the cannon trained on them, the men drove the mule teams again and again for water. busy as all the women who lived at the fort were, i never let that squaw out of my sight. i kept hold of a lock of her hair whenever i walked around. she swore volubly, but came along. about ten o'clock in the morning lieutenant gere, a boy of nineteen, who was left in command when the senior officers were killed, called on me. on a hill to the northwest, a great body of indians were assembled. he wanted me to look through the field piece and see if little crow was the leader. i knew him at once among the cavorting throng of challenging devils. i knew too, whose captive i would be if the fort fell, for he had offered to buy me from my husband for three ponies. he loved so to hear me sing. mr. gideon pond had tried to teach him to sing. we watched them breathlessly as they sat in council knowing that if they came then we were lost. the council was long, but finally after giving the blood curdling war whoop, they rode away. they were hardly out of sight before the soldiers who had been with us and had just left for fort ripley before the outbreak, filed in. captain marsh had sent for them just before leaving the fort for redwood. those noble fellows, nearly exhausted from the long march, with no sleep for thirty hours, immediately took their places with the defenders, without rest or sleep the night before. gere had sent to st. peter for the renville rangers and some of our own men. they came in the evening. the prayers of thanksgiving that could be heard in many tongues from that mournful group of refugees, as they knew of the soldiers return, could never be forgotten. mrs. dunn and i had asked for guns to help fight, but there were none for us. there was little ammunition too. the blacksmith, john resoft, made slugs by cutting iron rods into pieces. mrs. mueller, mrs. dunn and i worked a large share of that day making cartridges of these, or balls. we would take a piece of paper, give it a twist, drop in some powder and one of these, or a ball, and give it another twist. the soldiers could fire twice as fast with these as when they loaded themselves. all the women helped. my squaw was still with me. the others made no effort to escape. just as night came, she broke away and when she really started she could run off with me, as she was big and i only weighed one hundred and three pounds. when i found i could not stop her, i screamed to sargeant mcgrew, "this squaw is going to get away and i can't stop her." he turned his gun on her and shouted, "if you don't go back, i'll blow you to h---." that night i had to sleep and she got away. with a hundred and sixty soldiers in the fort, all were so reassured that we all slept that night. the next morning was a repetition of tuesday. the care of the wounded under that great man, doctor mueller and his devoted wife, was our work. one woman who was my especial care had been in bed with a three day's old baby when the smoke from the burning homes of neighbors was seen and they knew the time to fly had come. a wagon with a small amount of hay on it stood near the door with part of a stack of hay by it. her husband and the hired man placed her and the baby on this and covered them with as much hay as they could get on before the savages came, then mounted the horses and started to ride away. they were at once shot by the indians who then began a search for her. they ran a pitch fork into the hay over and over again, wounding the woman in many places and hurting the child so that it died. they then set fire to the hay and went on to continue their devilish work elsewhere. she crawled out of the hay more dead than alive and made her way to the fort. besides the pitchfork holes which were in her legs and back, her hair and eyebrows were gone and she was dreadfully burned. none of the women seemed to think of their wounds. they lamented their dead and lost, but as far as they themselves were concerned were thankful they were not captives. the suffering of these women stirred me to the depths. one poor german woman had had a large family of children. they all scattered at the approach of the indians. she thought they were all killed. she would sit looking into space, calling, "mine schilder! mine schilder!" enough to break your heart. i thought she had gone crazy when i saw her look up at the sound of a child's voice, then begin to climb on the table calling, "mine schilder! mine schilder!" in a group on the other side she had seen four of her children that had escaped and just reached the fort that wednesday morning. early in the afternoon the long expected fighting began. we were all sent up stairs to stay and obliged to sit on the floor or lie prone. all the windows were shot in and the glass and spent bullets fell all around us. i picked up a wash basin heaping full of these and mrs. dunn as many more. by evening the savages retired, giving their awful war whoops. thursday there was very little fighting as the rain wet the indians' powder. mrs. dunn, mrs. sweatt and i spent the time making cartridges in the powder room in our stocking feet. we also melted the spent bullets from the day before and ran them in molds. these helped out the supply of ammunition amazingly. friday was the terrific battle. a short distance from the fort was a large mule barn. the indians swarmed in there. sergeant jones understood their method of warfare, so trained cannon loaded with shell on the barn. at a signal these were discharged, blowing up the barn and setting the hay on fire. the air was full of legs, arms and bodies, which fell back into the flames. we were not allowed to look out, but i stood at the window all the time and saw this. later i saw vast numbers of the indians with grass and flowers bound on their heads creeping like snakes up to the fort under cover of the cannon smoke. i gave the alarm, and the guns blew them in all directions. there was no further actual fighting, though eternal vigilance was the watchword. it was those hundred and sixty men who saved even minneapolis and st. paul, and all the towns between. if fort ridgely had fallen, the sioux warriors would have come right through. general sibley did not get there with reinforcements until the next thursday after the last battle. you can imagine the sanitary condition of all those people cooped up in that little fort. no words i know could describe it. note.--mrs. hern has a medal from the government for saving the fort. mrs. mary ingenhutt-- , minneapolis. mrs ingenhutt, now one hundred years old, for ninety years has made "apfel kuchen," "fist cheese" and wine as follows: apfel kuchen--mix a rich dough using plenty of butter and rich milk. line a pan with this, cut in squares and cover with apples sprinkled thick with sugar and cinnamon. bake until apples are thoroughly cooked. fist cheese--take a pan of clabbered milk. set over a slow fire. when the whey comes to the top, strain off and shape in balls. let stand in warm place until it is ripe--that is, until it is strong. wine--grape, currant, rhubarb and gooseberry wine: mash home grown fruit with a home made potato masher, squeeze it through a coarse cloth, add sugar and place in warm spot to ferment. draw off in kegs and allow to stand at least two years. i used to love to go to the picnics in the early days. everyone had such a good time, and was trying to have everyone else have one, too. then, all were equal. nowadays, each one is trying to be prouder than the next one. captain l. l. mccormack. georgetown on the red river was the hudson bay post. after the railroad was built to st. cloud the red river carts crossed there on a ferry and then on the dakota side went from point to point on the river in the timber to camp. the river is very crooked. a days journey with one of these carts was twelve miles. the first stop was at elk river, now dalyrimple, then to goose river, the present site of caledonia and then to frog point and from there to what is now grand forks. the freight was teamed to and from st. cloud and benson. mr. charles m. loring-- . on the th day of september , i reached minneapolis with my wife and little son, and went to the nicollet hotel where i made arrangements for board for the winter. the hotel was kept by eustis & hill. they fixed the price at $ . a week including fire and laundry for the family, i. e. $ . a week for each person. mr loren fletcher occupied the rooms adjoining and paid the same price that i paid, notwithstanding there were but two in his family, but his rooms were considered to be more favorably located being on the corner of hennepin and washington avenues. the cook at the hotel was a mrs. tibbets from new england who was an expert in preparing the famous dishes of that section of our country, and in the many years that have elapsed since that time, i have never been in a hotel where cooking was so appetizing. our first winter in minnesota was passed in the most delightful and pleasant manner. the following spring, i rented the house on the corner of what is now third avenue and sixth street, for the sum of $ . a month. this house is still standing and is a comfortable two story new england house. at that time it stood alone on the prairie with not more than three or four houses south of it. one of these is still standing at the corner of tenth street and park avenue and is occupied as a "keeley cure." there were few luxuries in the market, but everything that could be purchased was good and cheap. there was but one meatshop which was kept by a mr. hoblet. he kept his place open in the forenoon only, as his afternoons were spent in driving over the country in search of a "fat critter." the best steaks and roasts were c a pound and chickens to c a pound. eggs, we bought at c a dozen and butter at to c a pound. in winter, we purchased a hind quarter of beef at and c a pound, chickens c and occasionally pork could be bought at c a pound, but this was rarely in market. mutton was never seen. prairie chickens, partridges, ducks and venison was very plentiful in the season and very cheap. we used to purchase these in quantities after cold weather came, freeze them and pack them in snow. this worked well provided we had no "january thaw" and then we lost our supplies. the only fruit we had for winter use was dried apples, wild plums, wild crab apples and cranberries. in the season, we had wild berries which were very plentiful. there was a cranberry marsh a half mile west of lake calhoun, on what is now lake street, where we used to go to gather berries. one day a party of four drove to the marsh and just as we were about to alight, we saw that a large buck had taken possession of our field. we did not dispute his claim, but silently stole away. that same autumn a bear entered the garden of w. d. washburn, who lived on fifth street and eighth avenue and ate all of his sweet corn. about this time the settlers on lake minnetonka were clearing their claims in the "big woods" burning most of the timber, but some of the hard maple was cut as cordwood and hauled to minneapolis and sold for from $ . to $ . a cord. the winters were cold but clear and bright. the few neighbors were hospitable and kind and i doubt if there has been a time in the history of minneapolis when its citizens were happier than they were in the pioneer days of the early sixties. there were few public entertainments, but they enjoyed gathering at the houses of their neighbors for a game of euchre and occasionally for a dance in woodmans' hall which was situated on the corner of helen street, now second avenue, and washington avenue. one violinist furnished the music. sleighing, horse racing on the river and skating were the out-of-doors amusements for the winter. a favorite place for skating was in a lot situated on nicollet avenue between fourth and fifth streets. nicollet avenue had been raised above the grade of this lot, causing a depression which filled with water in the fall. there was a small white house in the center of the lot and the skaters went around and around it, and no skating park was more greatly enjoyed. at the time the war broke out, the town began to show signs of recovering from the effects of the panic of and its wonderfully beautiful surroundings attracted new settlers and the foundation of the great commercial city was laid. dr. stewart of sauk center. i was government physician for many years and so was back and forth all the time. i used to meet old man berganeck, an old german, who carried supplies for the government. he always walked and knit stockings all the way. this was very common among the german settlers. the government paid such an enormous price for its freighting that one could almost pay for an outfit for supplies in one trip. berganeck became very wealthy. i often passed the night near the bivouac of the red river drivers. they knew me and were very glad to have me near. i never saw a more rugged race. they always had money even in the panic times of ' . if i treated them for any little ailment, i could have my choice of money or furs. the mosquitoes did not seem to bother them, though they would drive a white man nearly crazy. i started for fort wadsworth, a four company post, in january ' . the winters, always severe, had been doubly so in ' and ' . i went by team, leaving sauk center with the mercury at forty below zero. it never got above forty five below in the morning, while we were on the trip. the snow was three feet on a level and we broke the roads. it took us twelve days to make this three day's trip. my driver was drunk most of the time. there were no trees from glenwood to big stone lake on the trail. when i drove up to brown's station, a big log house with a family of about forty people, nellie met me. to my inquiry as to whether i could stay over night, she answered, "yes, but there is no food in the house. we have had none for three days. my father is somewhere between here and henderson with supplies. he knows we are destitute, so will hurry through." about three o'clock, we heard an indian noise outside. it was joe with his indian companions. all he had on that big sled was half a hog, a case of champagne and half a dozen guns. these men were always improvident and never seemed to think ahead. his daughters, amanda and emily, twins, had a peculiarity i never knew before in twins. one day, one would be gay, the other sad. the next day, it would be reversed. mrs. j. m. paine, minneapolis. during the early days of the war my husband raised a company of cavalry and wanted me to inspect them as they drilled. i was only a girl of seventeen, but had instructions enough how to behave when they were drilling, for a regiment. i was mounted on one of the cavalry horses and was to sit sedately, my eye on every maneuver and a pleased smile on my face. i was ready with the goods, but unfortunately when i was ready, my steed was not. at the first bugle call he started on a fierce gallop, squeezing himself in where he had belonged, while a terrified bride clung to his neck with both arms. the only reason that i did not cling with more was that i did not have them. i went once on a buffalo hunt with my husband. it does not seem possible that all those animals can be gone. the plains were covered with them. the steaks from a young male buffalo were the most delicious i have ever tasted. miss minnesota neill. my father, the reverend mr. j. d. neill, first came to st. paul in april ' , then returned east to get my mother. in july, when they arrived at buffalo on their way west, at the hotel, they met governor and mrs. ramsey who were on their way to minnesota to take up their duties there. they were delighted to meet my father as he was the first man they had ever met who had seen st. paul. when they arrived, they were much surprised at the smallness of the place. my mother was not easily consoled over the size of their metropolis. among other supplies she had brought a broom as she had heard how difficult it was to get them. mr. h. m. rice, who came down to meet them, chided her for being disappointed and putting the broom over his shoulder with pure military effect, led her along the little footpath which led over the bluff to the town, and to the american house. although this was a hotel par excellence for the times, the floor was made of splintered, unplaned boards. my mother was obliged to keep her shoes on until she had got into bed and put them on before arising, to escape the slivers. the furniture of the bedroom consisted of a bed and wash stand on which last piece, the minister wrote powerful sermons. my mother wished to put down a carpet and bring in some of her own furniture, but the landlady would not allow this, saying, "there was no knowing where it would stop, if one was allowed to do the like." they early began the construction of a small chapel and a large brick house which later became the stopping place of all ministers entering the state. in the fall of ' the house was not completed, but the chapel was. they felt that the scotts, where they then lived, needed their room, so moved into the chapel and putting up their bed on one side of the pulpit and stove on the other, kept house there for six weeks. the only drawback was that the bed had to be taken down every sunday. in all the six weeks it never rained once on sunday. my mother used often to go alone through a ravine at night to see the ramsey's. she carried a lantern but was never molested or afraid although it was often very dark. their storeroom, in those days everyone had one, was stocked in the fall with everything for the winter. my father would buy a side of beef and then cut it up according to the directions his wife would read from a diagram in a cook book. this was frozen and placed in an outside storeroom. one sunday my father announced from the pulpit that if anyone was in need they always stood ready to help. that night everything was taken from the storehouse. it was thought the act was done by someone who respected my father's wishes as expressed in his sermon. their first christmas here, the doorbell rang. when it was answered, no one was there, but a great bag containing supplies of all kinds hung from the latch. a large pincushion outlined in black was among the things. it was years before the donor was known. once some eastern people came to see us and we took them for a long drive. the bridges were not built, so we had to cross the mississippi on a ferry. we went first to fort snelling which seemed to be abandoned. in one of the rooms we found some peculiar high caps which had belonged to the soldiers. my father took one and amused the children much when he went under minnehaha falls by leaving his own hat and wearing that funny cap. mr. l. l. lapham. when we were coming to houston county, if we couldn't get game we breakfasted on codfish. i think it was the biggest slab of codfish i ever saw when we started. it made us thirsty. the fish called for water and many's the time mother and i knelt down and drank from stagnant pools that would furnish fever germs enough to kill a whole city nowadays, but i suppose we had so much fresh air that the germs couldn't thrive in our systems. speaking of codfish, reminds me that one day we met a man and his family making their way to the river. i halted him and asked him what he was going back for. you see we met few "turnouts" on the road for all were going the same way. "well," said he, "i'm homesick--homesick as a dog and i'm going back east if i live to get there." "why what's the matter with the west?" i asked. "oh nothing, only it's too blamed fur from god's country and i got to hankering fer codfish--and i'm agoin' where it is. go lang!" and he moved on. i guess he was homesick. he looked, and he talked it and the whole outfit said it plain enough. you can't argue with homesickness--never. arnold stone and his good wife lived up there on the hill. one day in the early 's an indian appeared in mrs. stone's kitchen and asked for something to eat. they were just sitting down to dinner and he was invited to join the family. the butter was passed to him, and he said, "me no butter knife." "i told arnold," said mrs. stone, "that when it gets so the injuns ask for butter knives it's high time we had one." anthony wayne chapter mankato lillian butler morehart (mrs. william j. morehart) mrs. margaret rathbun funk-- . i came to mankato in the year on the steamer clarion from st. paul. i was eleven years old. my father, hoxey rathbun, had left us at st. paul while he looked for a place to locate. he went first to stillwater and st. anthony, but finally decided to locate at the great bend of the minnesota river. we landed about four o'clock in the morning, and father took us to a little shack he had built on the brow of the hill west of front street near the place where the old tourtelotte hospital used to be. back of this shack, at a distance of a couple of blocks were twenty indian tepees, which were known as wauqaucauthah's band. as nearly as i can remember there were nine families here at that time and their names were as follows: maxfield, hanna, van brunt, warren, howe, mills, jackson and johnson, our own family being the ninth. the first winter here i attended school. the school house was built by popular subscription and was on the site of the present union school on broad street. it was a log structure of one room, and in the middle of this room was a large, square, iron stove. the pupils sat around the room facing the four walls, the desks being wide boards, projecting out from the walls. miss sarah jane hanna was my first teacher. i came from my home across the prairie, through the snow in the bitter cold of the winter. oftentimes i broke through the crust of the snow and had a hard time getting out. one of the incidents i remember well while going to school, was about a young indian whom we called josh, who pretended he was very anxious to learn english. most every day he would come to the school, peer in at the windows, shade his eyes with his hand and mutter "a" "b" "c", which would frighten us very much. the education the children received in those days had to be paid for either by their parents or by someone else who picked out a child and paid for his or her tuition. that was how i received my education. my parents were too poor to pay for mine, and a man in town, who had no children volunteered to pay for same. i went to school for a few years on this man's subscription. the first winter was a very cold one and although we were not bothered much by the indians as yet, they often came begging for something to eat. although the indians had never harmed us we were afraid of them. when we came to this country we brought a dog, and when these indians came begging we took the dog into the house with us and placed him beside the door, where his barking and growling soon frightened them away. they seemed afraid of dogs, as there were very few in this country at that time. one time when father was on his way home he saw an indian boy who had been thrown from his horse. he picked him up and put him back on his horse and took him to his tepee. later this same indian remembered my father's kindness to him by warning us that the indians were planning an uprising and telling us to leave the country. my father was the first mail carrier through this part of the country. john marsh and his brother, george marsh contracted with him to carry the mail, they having previously contracted with the government. he was to carry the mail from mankato to sioux city and return. he made his first trip in the summer of . the trip took about three weeks. he made several trips during the summer. his last trip was in the fall of , when he started from here to sioux city. the government was supposed to have built shacks along his route at regular intervals of about twenty miles, where he could rest and seek shelter during cold weather and storms, but this had been neglected. he often slept under hay stacks, and wherever shelter was afforded. on his way to sioux city he encountered some very severe weather, and froze one of his sides. the lady where he stopped in sioux city wanted him to stay there for a while before returning home, and until his side had been treated and he had recovered, but he would not have it so, and started on his return trip during exceedingly cold weather. he did not return on schedule time from sioux city on this trip, and mother became very much worried about him. she went to the men who had contracted with father to carry the mail and asked them to send out men to look for him. they promised to send out a frenchman, and a dog team. this contented mother for awhile, but as father did not return she again went to these men and this time they sent out three men with a horse and cutter to look for him. after traveling over the route for some time they came to a shack on the des moines river, near where jackson, this state, now is and in this shack they found my father, badly frozen and barely alive. he lived but a few moments after shaking hands with the men who found him. they brought the body back to mankato and he was buried out near our place of residence, at the foot of the hill. the weather was so extremely cold at that time that the family could not go out to the burial. later, after i was married, myself and husband came down to what is now the central part of town for the purpose of buying a lot for building a home, and we selected the lot where i now live, at the corner of walnut and broad streets. we purchased the same for $ . we could have had any lot above this one for $ , but selected this for the reason that it was high. the country around us was all timber and we had no sidewalks or streets laid out at that time. at the time of the indian outbreak i lived on what is now washington street, directly across from where the german lutheran school now stands. the indians started their outbreaks during the civil war. they started their massacres in this neighborhood in july and august of . i can distinctly remember seeing, while standing in the doorway of my home, a band of indians coming over the hill. this was little priest and his band of winnebagoes. these winnebagoes professed to be friendly to the white people and hostile to the sioux. they claimed that a sioux had married a winnebago maiden, and for that reason they were enemies to the sioux. to prove that they were their enemies they stalked the sioux who had married a maid of one of their tribes and murdered him, bringing back to show us his tongue, heart, and scalp, and also dipped their hands in the sioux's life blood and painted their naked bodies with it. mrs. mary pitcher-- . the old nominee with a cabin full of passengers and decks and hold loaded with freight bound for st. paul was the first boat to get through lake pepin in the spring of . the journey from dubuque up was full of interest, but although on either side of the mississippi the indians were the chief inhabitants, nothing of exciting nature occurred until pigseye bar on which was kaposia, the village of the never-to-be-forgotten little crow was reached. then as the engines were slowed down to make the landing a sight met our gaze that startled even the captain. the whole village of several hundred indians was in sight and a most frightful sight it was. everyone young and old was running about crying, wailing, with faces painted black and white. they did not seem even to see the big steamer. it was such an appalling spectacle that the captain deemed it best not to land, but there were two men on board, residents of st. paul returning from st. louis who got into a boat and went ashore. they learned that there had been a fight in st. paul the day before between this band of sioux and a party of chippewas in which one of the sioux was killed and several wounded. it was not a very pleasant thing to contemplate, for these people on board the boat were going to st. paul with their families to make homes in this far away west. there were also on board some sisters of charity from st. louis, one of them sister victorine, a sister of mrs. louis robert. they all fell on their knees and prayed and wept and they were not the only ones who wept either. there were many white faces and no one seemed at ease. i remember my mother saying to my father, "oh thomas, why did we bring these children into this wild place where there can be an indian fight in the biggest town and only ten miles from a fort at that." the excitement had not subsided when st. paul was reached, but the first man that came on board as the boat touched the landing was my mother's brother, mr. w. w. paddock. the sight of him seemed to drive away some of the fear, as he was smiling and made light of the incident of the day before. he took us up to the old merchants' hotel, then a large rambling log house and as soon as we had deposited some of our luggage, he said, "well, we will go out and see the battlefield." it was in the back yard of our hotel, an immense yard of a whole block, filled with huge logs drawn there through the winter for the year's fuel. the morning of the fight, a party of chippewas coming into st. paul from the bluffs saw the sioux in canoes rounding the bend below and knowing they would come up third street from their landing place, just below forbes' store and exactly opposite the hotel, the chippewas made haste to hide behind the logs, and wait the coming of the sioux. the landlady, mrs. kate wells, was standing on one of the logs, hanging up some clothes on a line. frightened almost to death at the sight of the indians running into the yard and hiding behind the logs, she jumped down and started to run into the house. instantly she was made to understand she could not go inside. the indians pointed their guns at her, and motioned her to get down behind the logs out of sight, which she did and none too soon, as just then the sioux came in sight and were met by a most deadly fusilade that killed old peg leg jim and wounded many others. some of the sioux took refuge in forbes store and opened fire on any chippewa who left his hiding place. pretty soon the inhabitants began to come into hailing distance and the chippewas concluded to beat a hasty retreat but not before they had taken old jim's scalp. when the sioux ran into forbes store, the clerk, thinking his time had come, raised a window and taking hold of the sill, let himself drop down to the river's edge, a distance of over fifty feet. between the sioux and chippewas ran a feud further back than the white man knew of and no opportunity was ever lost to take the scalp of a fallen foe. the indians mourn for the dead but doubly so if they have lost their scalps, as scalpless sioux cannot enter the happy hunting grounds. one of the things about this same trip of the old nominee was the fact that almost every citizen of st. paul came down to see this welcome messenger of spring. provisions had become very scarce and barrels of eggs and boxes of crackers and barrels of hams, in fact almost everything eatable was rolled out on the land and sold at once. it didn't take long to empty a barrel of eggs or a box of crackers and everyone went home laden. mrs. j. r. beatty-- . i landed in mankato on my twelfth birthday, may , . we came from ohio. my father, george maxfield and his family and my uncle, james hanna and family and friend, basil moreland, from quincy, ill. we took the ohio river steam boat at cincinnati. somewhere along the river we bought a cow. this cow started very much against her better judgment and after several days on the boat decided she wouldn't go west after all and in some way jumped off the boat and made for the shore. we did not discover her retreat until she had reached the high bank along the river and amid great excitement the boat was turned around and everybody landed to capture the cow. she was rebellious all along the way, especially when we had to transfer to a mississippi boat at st. louis, and when we transferred to a boat on the minnesota river at st. paul, but she was well worth all the trouble for she was the only cow in the settlement that first summer. she went dry during the winter and not a drop of milk could be had for love or money in the town. the want of salt bothered the pioneers more than anything else. game abounded. buffalo herds sometimes came near and deer often came through the settlement on the way to the river to drink. the streams were full of fish, but we could not enjoy any of these things without salt. however, our family did not suffer as much inconvenience as some others did. one family we knew had nothing to eat but potatoes and maple syrup. they poured the syrup over the potatoes and managed to get through the winter. sometimes flour would be as high as $ a barrel. during the summer when the water was low and in the winter when the river was frozen and the boats could not come down from st. paul, the storekeepers could charge any price they could get. our family had a year's supply of groceries that father had bought at st. louis on the way up. we had plenty of bedding and about sixty yards of ingrain carpet that was used as a partition in our house for a long time. there was very little to be bought in st. paul at that time. father bought the only set of dishes to be had in st. paul and the only clock. there were only a few houses in mankato and the only thing we could find to live in was the frame of a warehouse that minard mills had just begun to build on the south end of the levee, where otto's grocery store now stands. my uncle purchased the building and we put a roof on and moved in. we were a family of twenty-one and i remember to this day the awful stack of dishes we had to wash after each meal. a frame addition was put along side of the building and in july my cousin, sarah j. hanna (later mrs. john q. a. marsh) started a day school with twenty-four scholars. it was the first school ever held in mankato. in , a tract of land twenty four miles long and twelve miles wide was withdrawn from civilization and given as a reservation to two thousand winnebago indians who took possession in june of that year against the vigorous protest of the people. everyone in the town was down to see them come in. the river was full of their canoes for two or three days. as soon as they landed, the indians began the erection of a rude shelter on the levee of poles and bark, perhaps twenty feet long and twelve feet wide. the squaws were all busy cooking some kind of meat and a cake something like a pancake. we soon discovered that they were preparing a feast for the sioux who had come down in large numbers from fort ridgely which was near new ulm to meet them. after the shelter was finished the feast began. blankets were spread on the ground and rows of wooden bowls were placed before the indians, one bowl to about three indians. the cakes were broken up and placed near the bowls. after the feast was over, the peace-pipe was passed and the speaking began. the first speaker was a sioux chief, evidently delivering an address of welcome. he was followed by several others all very dignified and impressive. we had heard that the sioux would give a return feast on the next day and when we got tired of watching the speakers, we went down to the sioux wigwams to see what was going on there and found an old indian squatting before the fire. dog meat seemed to be the main article of food. evidently it was to be a ceremonial feast for he had a large supply of dog beside him on the ground and was holding one over the fire to singe the hair off. when we came near, he deftly cut off an ear and offered it to me with a very fierce look. when i refused it, he laughed very heartily at his little joke. the winnebagoes were sent to the agency four miles from town soon after. the agency buildings were where st. clair is now located. one day at noon the school children heard that the indians were having a squaw dance across the river. it was in the spring, just as the snow was beginning to melt. we found about twenty-five squaws dancing around in a circle and making a fearful noise in their high squealing voices. they danced in the same way that the indians did, and i had never seen any other form of dancing among them. they were wearing moccasins and were tramping around in the water. the indians were sitting on logs watching them. one was pounding on a tom-tom. one day when we were eating dinner, about twenty-five indians came to the house and looked in the window. they always did that and then would walk in without knocking. they squatted down on the floor until dinner was over and then motioned for the table to be pushed back to the wall. then they began to dance the begging dance. in their dances they pushed their feet, held close together over the floor and came down very heavily on their heels. there were so many of them that the house fairly rocked. each indian keeps up a hideous noise and that with the beating of the tom-tom makes a din hard to describe. the tom-tom is a dried skin drawn tightly over a hoop and they beat on this with a stick. after they were through dancing they asked for a pail of sweetened water and some bread which they passed around and ate. this bread and sweetened water was all they asked for. it is a part of the ceremony, although they would take anything they could get. the sioux were the hereditary foes of the chippewas who lived near the head waters of the mississippi and during this summer about three hundred sioux on their way to fort ridgely where they were to receive their annuity, pitched their wigwams near our house. they had been on the war path and had taken a lot of chippewa scalps and around these bloody trophies they held a savage scalp dance. we children were not allowed to go near as the howling, hooting and yelling frightened everybody. it continued for three nights and the whole settlement was relieved when they went away. mrs. a. m. pfeffer-- . my father, miner porter had been closely connected with the early history of fox lake, wis. he had conducted the leading hotel and store for years, was postmaster, and did much by his enterprise and liberality for the town. he went to bed a wealthy man and awoke one morning to find everything but a small stock of merchandise swept away by the state bank failures of that state. selling that, he came to mankato in and pre-empted a tract of land near minneopa falls, now our state park. it was one half mile from south bend, located on the big bend of the minnesota river. the following year, father started to build on our claim. there were sawmills in our vicinity where black walnut and butternut for the inside finishing could be bought, but the pine that was needed for the other part of the building had to be hauled from st. paul by team. it took all summer to get the lumber down. after our house was finished it came to be the stopping place for lodging and breakfast for settlers traveling over the territorial road towards winnebago and blue earth city. pigeon hill, a mile beyond our house was used as a camping ground for the sioux all of that winter. we could see the smoke from their campfires curling up over the hill, although they were supposed to stay on their reservation at fort ridgely they were constantly coming and going and they and the winnebagoes roved at will over the entire country. one night mother was awakened by an unusual noise. she called father, who got up and opened the bedroom door. the sight that met their eyes was enough to strike terror to the heart of any settler of those days. the room was packed with indians--winnebagoes--men, women and children, but they were more frightened than we were. they had had some encounter with the sioux and had fled in terror to our house. after much persuasion, father induced them to leave the house and go down to a small pond where the timber was very heavy and they remained in hiding for two days. we were in constant terror of the sioux. all the settlers knew they were a blood thirsty lot and often an alarm would be sent around that the sioux were surrounding the settlement. mother would take us children and hurry to the old stone mill at south bend, where we would spend the night. they became more and more troublesome until father thought it unsafe to remain any longer and took us back to our old home in wisconsin. mr. i. a. pelton-- . i came into the state of minnesota in april, and to mankato may , from the state of new york, where i was born and raised. this was a pretty poverty stricken country then. the panic they had in november had struck this country a very hard blow. it stopped immigration. previous to this panic they had good times and had gone into debt heavily, expecting to have good times right along. everyone was badly in debt and money was hard to get. currency consisted of old guns, town lots, basswood lumber, etc. these things were traded for goods and groceries. money was loaned at three to five per cent per month, or thirty-six to sixty per cent per year. i knew of people who paid sixty per cent a year for a short time. three per cent a month was a common interest. i hired money at that myself. the farmers had not developed their farms much at that time. a farmer who had twenty to twenty-five acres under plow was considered a big farmer in those days. the summer of was a very disastrous, unprofitable one. it commenced very wet and kept raining during the summer until north mankato was all under water and the river in places was a mile wide. the river was the highest about the first of august. the grain at the time of this heavy rain was ripening causing it to blight, ruining the crop. wheat at this time was worth from $ to $ per bushel. a great many of the farmers did not cut their grain because there was nothing in it for them. the man where i boarded cut his grain but he had little or nothing, and that which he did get was soft and smutty. he took the same to be ground into flour and the bread the flour made was almost black, as they did not at that time have mills to take out the smut. the people in the best condition financially were mighty glad if they had johnny cake, pork and potatoes and milk and when they had these they thought they were on the "top shelf." at this time too, they had to watch their fields with guns, or protect them with scarecrows and have the children watch them to keep them clear from the blackbirds, which were an awful pest. there were millions of these birds and there was not a time of day when they were not hovering over the fields. these birds would alight in the corn fields, tear the husks from the corn and absolutely ruin the ears of corn; also feed on the oats and wheat when it was not quite ripe and in a milky condition. during the winter they would go south, but come back in the spring when they would be considerable bother again, by alighting on fields that had just been sown and taking the seed from the ground. farmers finally threw poisoned grain in the fields. this was made by soaking wheat and oats in a solution of strychnine. it was ten years before these birds were exterminated enough to make farming a profitable occupation. farming was more successful after that, for the reason that these birds did not need watching. during the summer of and all during the summer of the river was navigable. st. paul boats came up often and sometimes a mississippi boat from st. louis. we had no railroads in the state at that time. during the year of state banks were put into the state but these did not last long. i know at that time my brother sent out $ that i had borrowed of harry lamberton. he sent this money by a man named david lyon from new york. he came to where i was boarding and left state bank money. the people where i was staying gave me the money that night when i came home and told me about what it was for. i started for st. peter the next day to pay the debt and during the time the money was left and when i arrived at st. peter it had depreciated in value ten per cent and it kept on going down until it was entirely valueless. money was very scarce at that time and times were hard. we had some gold and a little silver. in the year of we had the latest spring i ever experienced. we did not do any farming of any kind until the first week in may and this made it very late for small grain. we had a short season, but the wheat was very good. we had an early frost that year about the third of september and it killed everything. i saw killdeers frozen to death the third day of that month. corn was not ripe yet and was ruined. it would have been quite a crop. it was dried up afterwards and shrunk, but was not good. oats and wheat however were good and it made better times. the country was gradually developing. in the spring of we had an early spring. the bees flew and made honey the seventeenth of march. we commenced plowing on the sixteenth of march. i brought down potatoes that spring and put them in an open shed and they did not freeze. this summer was a very productive one. wheat went as high as forty bushels to the acre, no. . all crops were good. the fall of was the time they held presidential election and lincoln was elected that fall. we had very many speakers here at mankato and excitement ran high. general baker, governor ramsey, wm. windom, afterwards secretary of the treasury and other prominent men spoke. after the war commenced and the volunteers were called out, most of the able bodied men joined the army. these men sent their pay home and afterward business began to get better and conditions improved. early in august of lincoln called for five hundred thousand men and those men in this immediate vicinity who had not already joined, went to war, leaving only those not able to join to protect their homes and property. mr. john a. jones. we were among the very earliest settlers in the vicinity of mankato and came from wisconsin. i had come in april and pre-empted a claim at the top of what is known as pigeon hill. two other families came with us. traveling across country, we and our teams and live stock made quite a procession. we had five yoke of oxen, several span of horses, and about forty head of cattle, among them a number of milch cows. the wagons, in which we rode and in which we carried our household goods were the real "prairie schooner" of early days. we found our way by compass and made our own road west, traveling over the soft earth in which deep ruts were made by our wheels. the following teams were compelled to proceed with care in order not to get stalled in the ruts made by the first wagons. we made the trip in four weeks, fording all rivers and streams on the way. at la crosse we hired both ferries and took all day to cross. during the difficult journey we averaged about twenty-two miles, some of us walking all the time driving the large drove of cattle. no indian villages were passed although we met a number of friendly redskins. at night we slept in the wagons and cooked our meals as all emigrants did. we brought a large store of provisions and on saturdays would set a small stove up in the open and do our weekly bread baking. we passed through eighteen miles of heavy timber beyond what is now kasota, coming out from the forest about three miles this side onto a very nice road. we finally arrived at the homestead. we set our stove up in the yard by a tree and lived in the shanty until our new log house was completed. the shanty was covered with seven loads of hay to make it warm inside and a quilt was hung over the door. here we lived for two months, suffering at times from rain penetrating. at one time a heavy cloud burst nearly drowned us out. the first winter in our new home was a severe one. for three weeks the cold was very intense, and what was known as three "dog moons" at night and three "dog suns" during the day heralded the cold weather, the moon and sun being circled with these halos for the entire three weeks. provisions began to run low. the prices were very high and mr. jones went to st. paul to lay in a stock of provisions. among other things he brought home sixty barrels of flour and eight barrels of salt. the superfine flour was $ a barrel and the second grade $ . the provisions were brought by boat to kasota, where they were stranded in the sand and were brought the rest of the way by team. there was also a barrel of sugar and one of apples. sugar in those days sold at the rate of six pounds for $ . . the families used this flour until they raised their own wheat and after that they used graham flour. the jones' planted five acres to wheat the following spring. mrs. clark keysor. after my husband had enlisted and went to fort snelling, i was quite timid about staying alone and got a neighbor girl to stay with me. the third night i thought i might as well stay alone. that night a rap came at the door. a neighbor was there and wanted to know if mr. keysor had a gun. he said the indians had broken out and they wanted to get all the guns they could. of course we were paralyzed with fear. from that on the trouble began. as soon as the rumor reached fort snelling my husband's company was sent back. on the day they arrived i got a good dinner for them. i knew they would be tired and when he arrived he looked worn and haggard, having marched all the way from fort snelling to mankato. we could not eat much dinner, we were so excited. he left right away for the frontier. the last thing he told me before he went away was, "fight 'til you die, never be taken prisoner." the bluest day of all was one sunday. everyone who could get away was packing up. women and children were walking the streets and crying. they expected the sioux to start from fort ridgely to kill all the whites, but when they got to birch coolie where the winnebagoes were to join them, the indians found a barrel of whiskey there. they became intoxicated and had a big fight, so they did not come to mankato. that was one time when whiskey served a good purpose. one night not very long after the indians broke out, there were four of our neighbors' families came into our house, as they felt safer together. there were twelve children in the house. about midnight we heard the town bell begin to ring and one of the women got up and went to the door to see what the trouble was. when she opened the door, she saw a fire, which was seward's mill, but she cried out, "the indians have come, the town is all on fire." the children began screaming and we were all nearly frightened to death but it proved it wasn't indians at all. someone had set the mill on fire. a few of the men who were left thought that we had better pack a few of our best things and go to leeche's old stone building for protection. what few men there were could protect us better there than at different homes. this old building was three stories high. some women were sick, some screaming. it was a scene of trouble and distress. it was the worst bedlam i ever got into. mr. hoatling was then our best friend and helped me get my things over to this store building. we stayed one night. the cries of women in pain and fright were unbearable, so the next day i went back home thinking i would risk my chances there. judge lorin cray-- . while at st. peter and in the early part of december, a few of us learned, by grapevine telegraph, late one afternoon, that an effort was to be made the following evening, by the citizens of mankato, new ulm and vicinity, to kill the indian prisoners, three hundred and more then in camp at mankato near the present site of sibley park. as no admission fee was to be charged the select few determined to be present at the entertainment. the headquarters of the blood-thirsty citizens was the old mankato house located where the national citizens bank now stands, where liquid refreshments were being served liberally, without money and without price. i have never seen a correct history of this fiasco in print. a very large crowd congregated there, and there seemed to be no great haste to march on the indian camp. several times starts were made by a squad of fifty or one hundred persons, who would proceed for a few hundred feet, and then halt and return for more refreshments. finally at nearly midnight the supply of refreshments must have been exhausted for the army moved. several hundred citizens started south along front street for the indian camp, straggling for a distance of several blocks. when the head of the column reached west mankato it halted until the rear came up, and while a rambling discussion was going on as to what they should do and how they should do it, capt. (since governor) austin with his company of cavalry, surrounded the whole squad and ordered them to move on towards colonel (since governor) miller's headquarters, right at the indian camp. they seemed reluctant to go, and refused to move. capt. austin ordered his men to close in, which they did--crowding the citizens and yet they refused to move. finally capt. austin gave the command to "draw sabers" and when a hundred sabers came out in one movement, the army again moved on colonel miller's headquarters at the indian camp. the scene here was supremely ridiculous. colonel miller came out from his tent and spoke kindly to the citizens and asked why they were congregated in such large numbers. he finally ordered their release and suggested that they go home which they hastened to do. the next morning these indians were removed, under guard of all the troops in the city, to log barracks, which had been built for them on front street diagonally across the street from where the saulpaugh now stands. the indians remained in these barracks only about two weeks. they had been there but a short time when the officer of the day, making his morning inspection, which was very formal, thought that he saw a hatchet or knife under the blanket of one of the indians. without a change of countenance or a suspicious movement he proceeded with the inspection until it was completed, and retired from the barracks, and at once caused to be mustered around the barracks every soldier in the city with loaded guns and fixed bayonets. then with a squad of soldiers he entered the barracks and searching every indian, he secured a large number of hatchets, knives, clubs and other weapons. these weapons, it was learned had been gotten at the winnebago agency about twelve miles away by several squaws, who prepared food for these indians and who were allowed to go to the woods to gather wood for their fires. immediately after this discovery the indians who were under sentence of death were removed to a stone building near by where they were kept under heavy guard. a few days after this incident, dec. , , my company came from st. peter to act as guard on one side of the scaffold at the execution of the thirty-eight indians who were then hanged on what is now the southerly end of the grounds of the chicago and northwestern freight depot, in mankato. a granite monument now marks the place. captain clark keysor. i served as first lieutenant, co. e, th minnesota of the frontier extending from fort ridgely through the settlement at hutchinson, long lake and pipe lake. at the latter place we built a sod fort and i was in charge. mounted couriers, usually three in number, traveling together, reported daily at these forts. i was stationed along the frontier for more than a year and we had many encounters with the indians, and i soon learned that a white man with the best rifle to be bought in those days had a poor chance for his life when he had to contend with an indian with a double barrel shot gun. the indian, with one lightning like movement throws a hand full of mixed powder and shot into his gun, loading both barrels at once and takes a shot at his enemy before the white man can turn around, and when the indian is running to escape, he jumps first to this side and then to that, never in a straight line, and it is an expert marksman, indeed, who can hit him. i worked on the winnebago agency as carpenter and millwright and learned to know the habits of the indians very well. i learned to follow a trail and later during the indian trouble that knowledge came in very handy. it is very easy for a white man to fall into the habits of the indian, but almost impossible to raise the indian to the standard of the white man. the head chief of the winnebagoes was well known to me, and we became fast friends. he was a friendly man to all the settlers, but i knew the characteristics of the indian well enough to trust none of them. he never overcomes the cunning and trickery in his nature and i learned to know that when he seemed most amiable and ingratiating was the time to look out for some deviltry. the indians were great gamblers, the squaws especially. they would gamble away everything they owned, stopping only at the short cotton skirt they wore. "crazy jane" was an educated squaw and could talk as good english as any of us. she was very peculiar and one of the funny things she did was to ride her indian pony, muffled up in a heavy wool blanket carrying a parasol over her head. she had the habit of dropping in to visit the wives of the settlers and would frequently; on these visits, wash her stockings and put them on again without drying. one day when we were living at the agency i came home and found my wife in a great fright. our little three year old girl was missing. she had looked everywhere but could not find her. i ran to the agency buildings nearby, but no one had seen her. they were digging a deep well near our house and i had not dared to look there before, but now i must and after peering down into the depths of the muddy water and not finding her, i looked up and saw crazy jane coming towards me with a strange looking papoose on her back. when she came nearer i found it was my child. i snatched the little girl away from her. she said she was passing by and saw the child playing outside the door and had carried her away on her back to her tepee, where she had kept her for several hours but had meant no harm. we were ordered to new ulm after the outbreak. we found the place deserted. the doors had been left unlocked and everyone had fled for their lives. the desk and stamps from the postoffice were in the street and all the stores were open. i put out scouting parties from there and we stood guard all night. after two or three days a few came back to claim their property. they had to prove their claim before i would allow them to take charge again. uncle "tommy" ireland came to us a few days after we arrived there. he was the most distressed looking man i ever saw in my life. he had been hiding in the swamps for seven days and nights. he had lain in water in the deep grass. when we examined him, we found seventeen bullet holes where he had been shot by the indians. he told me about falling in with mrs. eastlake and her three children. they had all come from lake shetek. the settlement there comprised about forty-five people. they had been attacked by the indians under lean bear and eight of his band, and the bands of white lodge and sleepy eye, although sleepy eye himself died before the massacre. many of the settlers knew the indians quite well and had treated them with great kindness. mr. ireland and his family were with the rest of the settlers when they were overtaken by the indians. mrs. ireland, mr. eastlake and two of his children, were among the killed. mrs. eastlake was severely wounded, and wandered for three days and nights on the prairie searching for her two children, hoping they might have escaped from the slough where the others met their death. finally on the way to new ulm she overtook her old neighbor, mr. ireland, whom she supposed killed, as she had last seen him in the slough pierced with bullets, but he had revived and managed to crawl thus far, though in a sorry plight. from him she received the first tidings from her two missing children. later on when she found her children, they were so worn by their suffering she could hardly recognize them. the eldest boy, eleven years old had carried his little brother, fifteen months old on his back for fifty miles. all the baby had to eat was a little piece of cheese which the older boy happened to have in his pocket. when within thirty miles from new ulm they found the deserted cabin of j. f. brown in brown county, where mrs. eastlake and children, a mrs. hurd and her two children, and mr. ireland lived for two weeks on raw corn, the only food they could find. they dared not make a fire for fear the indians would see the smoke. mr. ireland had been so badly injured that he had not been able to leave the cabin to get help, but finally was forced by the extreme need of the women and children to start for new ulm. he fell in with a priest on the way, and together they came to our headquarters and told their story. we started at four o'clock next morning, with a company of soldiers and a wagon with a bed for the injured women. when we reached the cabin the women were terribly frightened and thought it was the indians after them again. on our return to new ulm we took a different turn in the road. it was just as near and much safer. one of our men, joe gilfillan had not had his horse saddled when the rest started and when he came to the fork in the road, he took the one he had come by and was killed by the indians. undoubtedly we would have met the same fate had we taken that road as the indians were on our trail and were in ambush waiting for our return. however, we got safely back to new ulm and later mrs. eastlake and her children and mr. ireland came to mankato where they were cared for with the other refugees. the sufferings and hardships endured by the older eastlake boy soon carried him to an untimely grave. colonial chapter minneapolis carrie secombe chatfield (mrs. e. c. chatfield) ruth hall van sant (mrs. s. r. van sant) miss carrie stratton-- . my father was levi w. stratton who was born in bradford, n. h., who came to st. croix valley in , taking up a claim where marine now stands. he helped to build the old mill there, the ruins of which are still to be found there. after two or three years he removed to alton, ill., where he remained for ten or twelve years marrying my mother there in . in he returned to minnesota, coming up the river in the old "war eagle." his family consisted of my mother, myself and my four brothers and sisters, the youngest an infant of six months. we arrived at st. paul on june . being a child of but seven years, my memory of the appearance of the town at that time, is very indistinct. in fact the only clear remembrance of anything there, is of a large sign upon a building directly across the street from the little inn or tavern where we stopped for the night. it was "minnesota outfitting company." on account of our large family of little children, i had been put into school when i was between two and three years of age and so was able to read, write and spell, and i have a very vivid recollection of the three long words of that sign. we came from st. paul to st. anthony in the stage of the willoughby company, which was the first stage line in minnesota. the driver stopped to water his horses at the famous old des noyer "half way house." we stopped at the old st. charles hotel while the house my father had engaged was made ready for us. it was the calvin tuttle home, which was on the river bank at the foot of the university hill. my father's previous residence in minnesota had taught him to understand and speak the indian language and so the indians were frequent visitors at our house on one errand or another, generally, however to get something to eat. the first time they came, my father was absent, and my mother, never having seen any indians before, was very much frightened. not being able to understand what they wanted, she imagined with a mother's solicitude, that they wanted the baby, and being actually too terrified to stand any longer, she took the baby and went into her room and laid down upon the bed. after a while, either from intuition, or from the motions the indians made, it occurred to her to give them something to eat, which was what they wanted and they then went peaceably away. the rest of the children, like myself, did not appear to be at all frightened, but instead, were very much entertained by the novel sight of the indians in their gay blankets and feathered head dress. after that they were frequent visitors but always peaceable ones, never committing any misdemeanor. one of the earliest diversions i can remember was going up university hill to the old cheever tower and climbing to the top, in accordance to the mandate at the bottom, to "pay your dime and climb," to get the magnificent view of the surrounding country, which included that of the great falls in their pristine glory. i can remember too, like all the others here who were children at that time, the stupendous roar of the falls, which was constantly in our ears especially if we were awake at night, when every other noise was stilled. in the fall of that first year, i entered school, which was an academy in a building on university avenue opposite the present east high school. this school was the nucleus of the state university and was presided over by mr. e. w. merrill, who was afterward a congregational minister and home missionary. after two or three years we moved into the home of the rev. mr. seth barnes above central avenue, and between main and second streets. here my father cultivated a fine garden which included, besides corn, beans and other usual vegetables, some fine sweet potatoes, which were quite a novelty in the town at that time. mr. irving a. dunsmoor-- . in on account of poor health, my father resolved to come to minnesota and become a farmer, and in the fall of that year, he set out with his family, consisting of my mother, myself and my three brothers. we arrived at galena, ill., only to find that the last boat of the season had gone up the river the day before. so my father left us there for the winter and came up by the stage. the end of his journey found him in the little town of harmony, which was afterwards changed to richfield, and is now within the city limits of minneapolis. here he was able to buy for $ a claim of two hundred and sixty acres, with a house upon it, which was only partly finished, being, however entirely enclosed. this particular claim attracted his attention on account of the house, as his family was so soon to follow. it began at what is now fiftieth street and lyndale avenue and continued out lyndale three quarters of a mile. the house (with some addition) is still standing on lyndale avenue between fifty third and fifty fourth streets. minnehaha creek ran through the farm and the land on the north side of the creek (part of which is now in washburn park) was fine wooded land. when the first boat came up the river in the spring it brought my mother and us boys. my father had sent us word to come up to fort snelling on the boat, but we had not received the message and so got off at st. paul and came up to st. anthony by stage and got a team to take us to our new home. we found it empty, as my father and an uncle who was also here, had gone to the fort to meet us. as we went into one of the back rooms, a very strange sight met our eyes. my father and uncle had set a fish trap in the creek the night before and had poured the results of their catch in a heap on the floor and there was such a quantity of fish that it looked like a small haycock. this was done for a surprise for us, and as such, was a great success, as we were only accustomed to the very small fish that lived in the creek that ran through our home town in maine, and these long pickerel and large suckers were certainly a novelty. we salted them down and packed them in barrels and for a long time had plenty of fish to eat, to sell and to give away. our house soon took on the character of a public building, as my father was made postmaster, town treasurer and justice of the peace, and all the town meetings were held there, as well as church and sunday school. my father gave five acres down at the creek to a company who erected a grist mill and the settlers from fifty or sixty miles away would come to have grain ground and would all stop at our house to board and sleep while there. then the house would be so full that we boys would have to sleep on the floor, or out in the barn or anywhere else we could find a place. during our first winter, a party of about fifty sioux indians came and camped in our woods just west of where the washburn park water tower now stands. they put up about twenty tepees, made partly of skins and partly of canvas. we boys would often go in the evening to visit them and watch them make moccasins, which we would buy of them. they would often come to our house to beg for food, but in all the time they remained there (nearly the whole winter) they committed no depredations, except that they cut down a great deal of our fine timber, and killed a great quantity of game, so that when they wanted to come back the next winter, father would not allow it. once after they had gone away, they came back through the farm and went off somewhere north of us, where they had a battle with the chippewas. when they returned, they brought two scalps and held a "pow-wow" on the side of our hill. we had a great deal of small game in our woods, and great quantities of fish in the creek. we used to spear the fish and sometimes would get two upon our spears at once. my mother was very fond of dandelion greens, and missed them very much, as she could find none growing about our place. so she sent back to maine for seed and planted them. but i hardly think that the great quantities we have now are the result of that one importation. after a few years we had a school at wood lake, which is down lyndale avenue two or three miles. mrs. mary pribble-- . my father, hiram smith arrived in minnesota apr. , settling first in brooklyn, hennepin county. my mother followed in july of the same year, with the family of three children, myself, aged seven, and two brothers aged two and five years. we arrived in st. paul july ninth and my mother, with her usual forethought and thrift, (realizing that before long navigation would close for the winter and shut off all source of supplies) laid in a supply of provisions while we were in st. paul. among other things she bought a bag of rice flour which was all the flour in our colony until april of the next year. we came by stage to anoka and were to cross the mississippi river in a canoe, to the trading post of mr. miles, which was on a high point of land in what is now champlin. it was where elm creek empties into the mississippi. but the canoe was too small to carry us all at once and so i was left on the east shore sitting upon our baggage, to wait for a return trip. when i finally arrived across the river, there were indians gathered at the landing and they touched me on the cheek and called me "heap pale face." there was great joy in our little colony when that same autumn my father discovered a fine cranberry marsh. much picnicking and picking followed. my parents secured seven bushel and alloted very much on the winter supplies that these cranberries would buy when they could send them to st. paul, our only market. soon one of the neighbors prepared to set out on a trip by ox-team to st. paul. the only road at that time was by the indian trail, which for several miles was where the county road now leads from robbinsdale to champlin. then to the ferry at st. anthony falls, and so on down the east side of the river to st. paul. my mother had made out a careful list of the real necessities to be purchased, putting them in the order of the need for them, in case he would not be able to buy them all. she knew very well that there would be no possible way to purchase any new clothing all winter and so the first items on the list were: new cloth for patches and thread to sew them with. this latter came in "hanks" then, instead of on spools. after that came the list of provisions, as seven bushels of cranberries were expected to buy a great many supplies. how well i remember the joy upon my mother's face, when those precious cranberries were loaded on the neighbor's already full wagon and the oxen slowly disappeared down the old trail! it was a long tedious journey to be made in that way, and they had many days to wait before they would receive the fruits of that wonderful wagon load. finally the neighbor was back, and came to my mother and said: "thee will be disappointed when i tell thee that the last boat left for st. louis the day before i arrived in st. paul. there is not a yard of cloth or a hank of thread in the town, and i could only get thee three brooms for thy fine cranberries." the next spring my father made maple sugar and was able to buy a cow and six hens from a man who came overland from southern illinois, driving several cows and bringing a box of hens, and so we began to live more comfortably. in many people came, and by that time we had school, church and sunday school and a lyceum, the pleasures of which i can never forget. we also had a portable sawmill. i think it was in the winter of that an agent, a real live agent, appeared in our midst to tell us of the remarkable qualities of a new oil called kerosene. he said if he could be sure of the sale of a barrel, it would be brought to st. paul and delivered to any address on or before aug. . i have the lamp now, in which part of that first barrel was burned. mrs. edmund kimball-- . my father, freeman james, left his home in new york state and came to hasson, minn., in . the next year he decided to go after his family and so wrote my mother to be ready to start in august. my mother got everything in readiness to start, but for some reason my father was delayed in getting back home, and my mother, thinking that she had misunderstood his plans in some way, decided to start anyway, and so she loaded our belongings on the wagon and we started alone. i was only eleven years old, and well i remember how great an undertaking it seemed to me to leave our pleasant home and all my playmates and start without father on such a long trip. but when we arrived at dunkirk, where we took boat to cross lake erie, we found father, and so made our journey without mishap. we arrived by boat in st. paul in august ' and started at once for hasson, stopping that first night at the home of mr. longfellow, at a place called long prairie. we were most cordially received and found other settlers stopping there for the night too, which made the house so crowded that they were obliged to make beds on the sitting room floor for all the children. after we were put in bed, still another traveler arrived, a man who was expecting his family and had come part way to meet them. just for fun the family told him that his family had arrived and pointed to us children on the floor. he was overjoyed, and came and turned the covers down to see us. only for a moment was he fooled but shook his head and said we were none of his. i shall never forget the shock i felt at the first view i had of our new home. it was so different from what we had left behind, that to a child of my age, it seemed that it was more than i could possibly endure. it was growing dark and the little log cabin stood in the deep woods, and the grass was so long in the front yard, it seemed the most lonely place in the world. and dark as it was, and as long as i knew the way back to be, i was strongly tempted and half inclined to start right off to my dear old home. this was all going through my mind while i stopped outside to look around after the rest had gone in. when they had lighted one or two candles and i followed them in, the homesick feeling was increased by the new prospect. my father had evidently left in a great hurry for every dish in the house was piled dirty upon the table, and they were all heavy yellow ware, the like of which i had never seen before. the house had been closed so long that it was full of mice, and they ran scurrying over everything. but there was much work to do before we could get the place in order to go to bed, and it fell to my lot to wash all those dishes, no small task for an eleven year old girl. in the morning, when the house was in order and the sun was shining in, and we could see what father had done to make us comfortable, the place took on a very different aspect and soon became another dear home. he had made every piece of the furniture himself. the bed was made of poles, with strips of bark in place of bedcords, the mattress was of husks and the pillows of cat-tail down. there were three straight chairs and a rocking chair with splint bottoms. the splints were made by peeling small ash poles and then pounding them for some time with some heavy instrument, when the wood would come off in thin layers. the floor was of split logs. father had made some good cupboards for the kitchen things. that first year mother was not well and young as i was, i was obliged to do a great deal of housework. i did the washing and made salt-rising bread. and one time i surprised the doctor who came to see mother by making him a very good mustard poultice. mr. frank g. o'brien-- . the reason i did not graduate. in the winter of - i worked for my board at the home of "bill" stevens, whose wife was a milliner--the shop, or store, was located a short distance below where the pillsbury mill stands, on main street. my duty while there this particular winter, was to take care of the house and chaperone lola stevens, the young daughter to the private school which was called the "academy"--the same being the stepping stone to our great state university. there were two departments up stairs and two below--hallway in the center and stairs leading from this hallway to the upper rooms. i do not recall who were the teachers in the primary department on the lower floor, but i do remember those on the floor above. miss stanton (later on the wife of d. s. b. johnston) taught the girls in the east room and "daddy" roe the boys. i was a pupil of mr. roe and lola of miss stanton and were it not that i was wrongfully accused of making charcoal sketches on the wall of the hall, i might have been numbered among the charter members of the first graduating class of the academy--the forerunner of the state university. "daddy" roe informed the boys at recess time that he was going to flog the perpetrator of the act--yet, if they would own up, and take a basin of water and scrub same from the walls, he would spare the rod. the guilty one, no doubt, held his hand up and gained the attention of mr. roe, and stated that frank o'brien did it. i denied it, but it did not go--yet i being innocent, was determined i would not take the basin from the teacher's hand; but he forced same upon me and said if it was not washed off within half an hour, he would give me a severe flogging. the threat did not prove effective, because i was so worked up over the affair that when i closed the door to enter the hall, i gave the basin and its contents a fling down stairs, the sound of which aroused all four of the departments, while i double quicked it for home--leaving lola to reach home as best she could. i explained matters to mr. stevens and had it not been for mrs. stevens and her sister, miss jackman, he would have proceeded at once to the school room and meted out the punishment on "daddy" roe which he intended for me. something to crowe over. the little village of st. anthony had good reason to become elated when the news spread up and down main street and was heralded to st. paul, that three "crowes" had perched on the banner of our village during the early morning of june th, , when mrs. isaac crowe gave birth to three white crowes, two girls and one boy. the father of these three birds--wingless, though fairest of the fair, was a prominent attorney of st. anthony and one of its aldermen. bridge of size ( feet long.) it was while our family resided on the picturesque spot overlooking st. anthony's falls in the year , the "howe truss" passenger bridge was completed from the east to the west side of the mississippi river, a short distance down the hill from the state university at a cost of $ , . all went well as a means of traffic and many a dollar was taken in for toll, but an evil time came to disturb conditions, owing to an over abundance of rain which came in torrents, which caused the river to rise to that extent that the logs which followed in the wake of the flood, acted as a battering ram and proved too much for the structure and great was the fall thereof. i among others of our family were witnesses of this event, which took place at eight o'clock on the morning of june first, . mr. michael teeter-- . tom and bill were the first horses which came into lyle township. they were fine powerful fellows and created much comment throughout that section of the country. some of my neighbors envied me my prize while others thought that a fool and his money had easily parted, for i had paid three hundred and forty dollars for them, and the best yoke of oxen in the country side could be bought for seventy. but i was well satisfied, for i was able to do my work and get about quickly. when haste was necessary, bill and tom were pressed into service. i recall very well one dark rainy night when i was taking a neighbor to nurse a settler who lived at some distance to the west. so thick was the darkness that we could never have kept the trail had it not been for the flashes of vivid lightning. the horses showed so much intelligence through it all that i finally gave them the lines and they brought us safely to our destination. new year's day, ' we took the ladies of otranto village for a sleigh-ride--not on the snow, for the ground was bare--but on the red cedar river, which was frozen clear and smooth as glass. we fairly flew over the ice and the home-made sleigh swerved from side to side, as bill and tom took it upon themselves to show off their speed to friends who were in the habit of riding behind deliberate and stubborn oxen. suddenly, without warning, the sleigh tipped and we found ourselves in a heap, and although there was much shouting and crying, no damage was done, and the little shaking up tended to make the day memorable. another incident that stands out vividly in my mind after all these years, has no amusing aspect. late in the fall of ' i found it necessary to make a trip to decorah, iowa, for supplies of various kinds. my absence from home was to be shorter than usual on such trips, for bill and tom had endurance as well as speed. all went well during the journey, and on my return i halted for supper at little cedar and hoped to reach home that evening. when i was ready to start, the tavern keeper told me that i had better stay the night, for a prairie fire was sweeping from the northwest. this was unwelcome news--but sure enough, the red light was very bright and growing more so all the time. i calculated the distance and decided to hasten on across the path of the fire before it reached the road, so i started. i had miscomputed both time and distance, so before i was aware of it, i found myself on a small knoll, with the fire directly in front and coming on at a great rate through the tall dry weeds and grasses. the horses snorted and shook their heads, but i urged them on. they plunged forward and in a very short time (although it seemed hours) we found ourselves out of the flames. we paused but a moment to rest, for the ground was very hot. the horses shook with, fright and their bodies were badly singed. we reached home in safety, and i think bill and tom were no less thankful than was i, to be out of the danger and discomfort of the situation. in i moved from decorah, iowa, to otranto on the state line. there i found a number of families living in rude houses which were a poor protection against the hard winters we had those early years. there was plenty of good timber along the red cedar river, but the settlers were farmers who had little or no experience in cutting and dressing logs and for that reason handled their few small tools to poor advantage. they were anxious, too, to be "breaking" the prairie so that a crop could be harvested that first year. so after all, these first houses were rather poor specimens of the joiner's craft. i was a carpenter and put up a rather more substantial house than the others, but none too comfortable during the winters that were to follow. the unbroken stretch of prairie to the north and west of otranto gave those old "northwesters" a splendid sweep before they struck our frail little homes. fortunately there was plenty of fine wood, but the cracks were so numerous and large in our houses that we veritably warmed the outdoors in keeping ourselves warm. we chopped and sawed wood every spare moment in winter and summer in order to keep the booming fires which were necessary all winter long. we used to talk and think much of the settlers who were on the prairie who were so unsheltered and far from standing timber. this "yarn" about one of them went the rounds and was enjoyed by all, for the "victim" was a merry fellow and always ready for a joke, no matter how great the privations and anxieties. the story runs thus: jim sat before a fine fire washing his feet. soothed by the warmth of the room and the water, he fell asleep to awaken suddenly toward morning with his feet nearly to his knees embedded in a solid cake of ice! we laughed at our hardships, for there was no escaping them, and we learned to turn them, as well as everything else we possessed, to some useful purpose. robes, buffalo coats, all available garments, were used during those first winters for bed-clothing. there was one flock of chickens in otranto, but not until much later were flocks of ducks and geese raised so that feather pillows and beds could be used. floor covering at first was uncommon, but finally rag carpets added to the comfort of the home during the winter. had food been abundant, or even sufficient, we would have felt less anxious, but with the winter hanging on far into the spring months, we had good reason to watch our stores carefully. buckwheat ground in a coffee mill kept one family for two months in the winter of ' . another neighbor's family subsisted upon musty corn meal, ground by revolving a cannon ball in the scooped out trunk of a tree. so long drawn out was the winter, that the amount of meal for each member of the family was carefully measured out each day. one family living near the river could get plenty of fish through the ice, but having no fat in which to fry them, were obliged to use them boiled. when their salt was exhausted, they ate the fish unflavored. i possessed a good team of horses and made trips to decorah for supplies. i went only when it was really necessary, for the journey was beset with many dangers and discomforts. flour and salt pork were the foods purchased, which i sold to the other settlers in small quantities. prairie chickens were abundant, and some of the pioneers tried drying the breasts and found that one way to provide meat for the winter. in the winter of ' , there was a thick coating of ice over the snow, sufficiently strong to hold a man's weight, but the deers' legs cut through the crust. my neighbors told of how easily they were able to get plenty of venison without venturing far from home. never did a settler dare to go far away to hunt during those first winters, for the dangers of being lost and frozen were very great. i have often heard the wish expressed that fresh meat could be had every winter, with as few risks as in that year before i moved to otranto. we all felt the lack of fruit, for all of us had come from districts where fruit was grown, so on festive days such as thanksgiving and christmas, we had dried wild crab-apples boiled up in soda water, then sweetened with molasses. we were all used to better than this, but we never complained and felt that better times were coming. mrs. w. l. niemann. my mother was sophia oakes. she was born in sault ste. marie in . she was the daughter of charles oakes who had charge of a trading post for the american fur company. her mother died when she was a very small child and her father removed with his two children, my mother and her sister two years younger, to la pointe, where he had charge of another post of the same company. the winters there were very long and severely cold and many times they would be shut in by the depth of the snow for weeks at a time. one time in particular the snow was so deep and the cold so intense that they had been snowbound so long that their supplies were almost exhausted, and my grandfather sent the men off to get a fresh supply. they were gone much longer than usual and the little family began to suffer for want of food and were obliged to go out and scrape away the snow to find acorns. they also ate the bark of trees. finally my grandfather concluded that he, too, must start out to try and get some food. the windows of the cabin were covered in place of glass, with deerskins. in getting ready to leave the children, grandfather took down these skins and replaced them with blankets to keep out the cold and boiled the skins to provide a soup for the children to drink while he was gone. my mother was twelve and her sister was ten. grandfather had not gone far when his feet were both frozen and he lay disabled in the snow. some men chanced along, and carried him to a house which was about a mile further along. when they reached the house he refused to be carried in, for he knew he would surely lose his feet if he went in where it was warm. he asked for an awl and punctured his feet full of holes and had the men pour them full of brandy. this, while it was excruciatingly painful, both at the time and afterwards, saved him his feet. when he and his men returned to the cabin, he had been gone all day and all night and into the next afternoon, and they found the little girls locked in each other's arms fast asleep, having cried themselves to sleep the night before. soon after the little girls were sent to school back in new york and my mother stayed until her education was completed, graduating from a seminary in fredonia. on her return to her home, she was married to my father, jeremiah russell, who had come in to fort snelling on an exploring trip. he settled first at edina mills, but soon went to marine, where with franklin steele and levi stratton he built a sawmill, ( ) the ruins of which can still be seen. in ' he went to take charge of a trading post for the american fur company which was located two miles above sauk rapids. after a few years he purchased the land where sauk rapids stands, laid out the town and moved down there, building a large hotel which was called the hyperborean hotel, which took a prominent part in the history of the town as it was the scene of many large gatherings. it served to shelter the townspeople when they were driven from home through fear of the indian uprisings. later it was remodeled by new owners and rechristened the russell house in honor of my father. one time, before i was born and while my parents still lived at the post, a band of warlike indians, each armed with a gun came to the house and completely filled the kitchen. my brother, who was a very small child was attracted by the fire arms and went up to one of the indians and put his hand on the gun. this angered the indian and with a terrible scowl he put his finger on the trigger as if to shoot my brother. my father sprung up before him and with a very fierce voice (which was the only way to deal with them when they were unruly) ordered him to put down his gun. this he did but with bad grace. my father then spoke to the chief and told him to keep order, which he did, and they soon went away. but my father was sorry he did not keep them a little longer and give them up to the authorities, for he found, soon after, that they had killed and scalped three white men, just a short time before they came into our house. at another time after we were living in sauk rapids, a chippewa came and begged for shelter for the night. my father knew that there was a band of sioux camped just across the river, in plain view of our house. so father surmised that this was a spy from the chippewas. but he gave him permission to stay in the house, providing that he would not show himself outside, for it would enrage the sioux against us if they knew we were harboring a chippewa. the indian promised, but very soon my sister who was playing outside, saw him raise the window and aim his gun across the river. she told my father, who went in and made him desist and nailed up the window. when we went to bed that night father did not take pains to lock the indian in. after we were asleep he crept out and slipped away, and before morning, the chippewas descended upon the sleeping sioux and killed every one of them. christmas in those hard times did not mean to us little pioneer children what it does now. there was no spare money with which to buy presents. we always hung up our stockings, but got nothing in them but a little cheap candy, and perhaps a few raisins. but one year, father determined to give us and the other children of the village a little better christmas than usual. so he went out to his woods and cut enough fire wood to exchange in st. cloud for a barrel of apples. then he divided off one end of our sitting room with a sheet and arranged a puppet show behind it. and with the village children in one end of the room eating apples, and father in the other managing the puppets, we celebrated the day in a very happy way. mrs. f. hoefer of mound was an old settler of watertown, and gives some interesting information of the prices of food-stuffs after the war, as follows: "flour was $ a barrel, wheat was $ a bushel, potatoes were $ . a bushel and calico was thirty-five cents a yard. my husband's salary for that summer season was $ . during the winter months we had barley coffee and pancakes, no bed clothes and no clothes for the children. our bed quilt was a bear skin. when my first child was six weeks old, i went out washing, walking twelve miles to my work, washing all day and then walking the twelve miles back home again." ex-governor samuel r. van sant-- . my father with his family moved to illinois in , coming on the "adventure," on the ohio and mississippi rivers. like most of the early pioneers he was poor and had to work. tickets were sold at a less price if the passenger would help to wood the boat; my father took advantage of this proposition. on board as a passenger, was the old indian chief, black hawk. he was much interested in my little sister and gave her a very fine string of beads. the beads, or a part of them, are still in our family. my father took up a claim near rock island on the banks of the rock river. while there, the family suffered all the privations of early settlers in a new country. farming was new to him and he did not make a great success of it. he was a ship builder by trade. once he took a load of pumpkins to town, some twelve or fourteen miles, getting fifty cents for them. on his return he broke his wagon, costing a dollar to repair it. he often said he never felt so poor in all his life, although he lived to be ninety-two years of age. on another occasion we were out of provisions. he made a trip to the old water mill, a few miles distant, to get c worth of cornmeal, but the proprietor would not trust him so he had to return home to get a half dollar that had been laid by for a rainy day. he was thus forced to make another trip to secure the purchase; by this time we children were good and hungry. on another occasion, after killing his hogs, he drove with them one hundred miles to the lead mines at galena, but the market was over stocked so he proceeded to platteville, wisconsin, twenty or more miles further, where he sold the pork for two and one-half cents per pound, taking one half in store pay and the other half in a note. the note is still unpaid. it required a week or more to make the trip. i have always had a great fondness for the mississippi river. i was born on its banks and for more than forty years navigated its water. my first dollar was spent to buy a small skiff. as soon as i was old enough, i commenced running on the river. my first trip to st. paul was in . i was a boy of thirteen. what progress since that time in our state! the steamboat was a mighty factor in the settlement growth and development of minnesota. i feel safe in saying that during the palmy days of steamboating, more than one thousand different steamers brought emigrants, their household goods and stock to this commonwealth. while there were regular lines of steamers, there were also many outside boats which were termed "wild" boats. these boats would often secure a full cargo on the ohio river, or at st. louis and come to st. paul. if water was at a good stage, large profits would result. a story is told of the steamer, "fire canoe." (i will not mention the captain's name.) the water was low and the boat got aground a good many times causing much delay. for a meal or two, the passengers were without meat but soon there seemed to be a plentiful supply of nice fresh veal--one of the passengers who, with his family and stock of young calves, was moving to minnesota, complimented the captain highly upon securing such fine meat, but after going to the lower deck and finding some of his fine young stock missing, hunted up the captain and said, "captain, if it is all the same to you, i would prefer to dispense with meat for the rest of the trip for i will need that young stock when i reach my claim." there was always great strife to be the first boat to arrive at st. paul and many risks were taken by steamers to get through lake pepin before the ice had really left the lake. many steamers were crushed by the ice in so doing. one advantage to the first boat was free wharfage the balance of the season in every town and city along the river. two steamers hardly ever came in sight of each other without a race. we owned and operated a good many boats. we had a fast one named the "mcdonald." i remember on one occasion my partner, mr. musser, a well known lumberman of muscatine, and wife were making a trip with us. we had a very spirited race with another swift boat; after a long, hard chase we passed her, but we had to trim boat and carry big steam to do it. after it was over, mr. musser said to me, "if i were you, i would not race any more. it is expensive, dangerous and hard on the boat." i agreed that he was right and that we would not do so again. we had not been in our berths long before another boat was overtaken and a race was on. mr. musser arose, forgot his advice of a few hours previous, and said, "pass that boat and i will pay for the extra fuel." the boat was passed, but no bill was presented for the extra fuel. rebecca prescott sherman chapter minneapolis miss rita kelley miss beatrice longfellow mrs. delilah maxwell-- . we were married in illinois, april , and in three days we started. we went one hundred miles by team to the mississippi river, put our wagon and mules on a steamer, and came up. every business place on the west side of the river in minneapolis was a rough boarding house and a little ten-by-twelve grocery store. we camped there, cooked our breakfast, and came on out to maxwell's bay at minnetonka. the bay was named for my husband and his two brothers who came up the year before and took claims. it was the roughest trip you ever saw. the road was an indian trail with enough trees cut out on either side to let a wagon through and the stumps were sticking up a foot or two high and first you were up and then you were down over those stumps. it was the trail through wayzata and long lake, known as the watertown road. we built an elm shack, a log house with the logs standing up so the indians couldn't climb over them, and stripped bark off elm trees for a roof. the mosquitoes were terrible bad--and deer flies too. the men had to wear mosquito bar over their hats down to their waists when at work. mrs. martha french lived on the bestor place on crystal bay, the burdon claim. she and mr. french had come the fall before in ' . we had a short cut through the woods, a path about a mile long. they were our nearest neighbors. they came over to our house one sunday. the men were going to minneapolis on business, to see about their land and mr. maxwell was to start, tuesday. mrs. french said "why can't us women go too, on a pleasure trip? i've been here pretty near two years and mrs. maxwell has been here over a year. i think it's about time we went on a pleasure trip." mr. french was a slow talking man and he drawled, "well, you can go, but it won't be much of a pleasure trip." "i don't see why it wouldn't. you jest want to discourage us," mrs. french said and he said, "oh, no-o! i don't want to discourage you." i didn't want to go very bad. i had a kid five months old and the mosquitoes were so bad. it was june and awfully hot. but mrs. french hadn't any children and insisted that we ought to go for a pleasure trip. so i fixed up on tuesday night and went over and stayed all night so we could get an early start. my husband went on ahead and we were to meet him wednesday noon in minneapolis, or st. anthony. mr. french lined up old bob and jerry, their team of oxen and we got started about sunrise. a mile from the house we came to a terrible steep hill. we got up it all right and just as we started down mrs. french said, "old bob hasn't any tail, but jerry has a lovely tail. he'll keep the mosquitoes off all right." just then jerry switched his tail around a young sapling and it came off. it was wet with dew and it lapped tight, and we were going down hill so fast something had to give way. it was the tail! well we had an awful time with that tail. there was only a stump left, less than a foot long, and the ox like to bled to death. mrs. french was afraid the wolves would get jerry's tail and kept worrying, and when we had gone about a mile she made mr. french go back and get it. we started on again and went about a mile and a half till we came to tepee hill where the long lake cemetery is. it's a steep hill now, but then it hadn't been worked any and it was just straight up and down. we had boards across the wagon to sit on, and they slid off. mr. and mrs. french got out, they wouldn't ride. but i had just got the baby to sleep--she was awful hard to get to sleep and didn't sleep much--so i said i'd ride. i sat down in the bottom of the wagon with her in my arms and we started up. we got clear to the top and the tongue came out of the wagon and down we went! i crouched over the baby and just thought my time had come. before we got clear to the bottom the wagon veered and stopped on two wheels. mr. french came down and got us fixed up and we went on to where the parrish place is now and camped, ate our lunch and built a smudge. we stayed about an hour and hooked up and started on again. mr. maxwell had gone on expecting us at minneapolis by this time and here we were about three miles from home. mr. french was an awfully sleepy man. he could go to sleep any place. he didn't have to lead the oxen. they couldn't get out of the road. we were in the big woods all this way with just a road of stumps to go through. mr. french went to sleep and we hit a stump. he pitched forward, and i raised up and caught him right by the pants. busted a button or two--but he'd broken his neck if he'd gone out. mrs. french just sat there and never offered to grab him. finally we got to wayzata. we bought a pound of flour and got some rags and bound up jerry's tail. we stayed all night at clay's and got up at o'clock and started on. it was awfully hot. we went on till we came to the big marsh the other side of wayzata. the lake came up farther then, and the marsh was filled with water, and all covered round the edges with logs and tree stumps. the oxen saw the water and made one lunge for it. they made down the side of the hill over stumps and logs and never stopped till they were in the water. mr. french got out and took the ox chain and tied the tongue on the back of the wagon and hauled us up again. i remarked to mrs. french, "i guess we will be killed yet!" "oh," mr. french said, "this is just a pleasure trip." mrs. french wouldn't crack a smile, but i thought i'd die laughing. we stopped at the six-mile house thursday night. we had started at o'clock in the morning and traveled till eight at night and gone about seven miles. we got up at four and started on again. we chugged along till towards noon and we camped and ate our lunch and met my husband. he'd been to minneapolis, looked after his business and was on his way home. "why, what's the matter?" he said. "oh, not much. jerry pulled his tail off," we said. "oh," mr. french said, "it's only a pleasure trip." my husband was for going home, but i said, "oh no, you won't go back. i'm all wore out now with the baby. this is a pleasure trip and we want you to have all the pleasure there is." we got to st. anthony at eight thirty, tired--oh, dear! we did some shopping and came back with a big load; made six miles in the afternoon and stopped at the six-mile house for the night. across bassett's creek was a narrow, tamarack pole bridge. we might have known there would be trouble but we never thought of it. old jerry seen the water and made one lunge for it. one ox went over the edge of the bridge and one went through, and there they hung across the beam. we skedaddled out the backside of the wagon. "well, martha, i guess we will be killed yet," i said. but mrs. french never smiled. she took her pleasures sadly. the men took the pin out of the ox yokes and let the oxen down into the water and they grazed while the men went on a half a mile to borrow an ax and cut tamarack poles to fix the bridge. we stayed all night again at mr. clay's and got up sunday morning and started. when we got to tepee hill i said, "i'll walk down this hill. i rode up it." the rest of them rode. i walked on through the woods to mr. barnes' beyond long lake and got there just as supper was ready. they wanted me to eat supper, but i said, "no, they are coming on in a few minutes. i'll just take a cup of tea." i waited--and waited--and waited--for an hour or so; and they didn't come. finally i ate my supper and they came. "well, what in the world," i said, "is the matter?" well old jerry had got in the creek at the bottom of tepee hill, the outlet of long lake into minnetonka and they couldn't get him out. mrs. french was in the wagon and the mosquitoes like to ate her up. we got to our place that night. it was sunday night and we'd been gone since wednesday morning. we wanted the french's to stay all night, but they said they couldn't think of it; they had to go. their mother had a girl staying with her and expected them back thursday night and would be scared to death wondering what had happened to them. so they left the oxen and took the path through the woods. i started in to get supper for my husband and i heard them hollering. i said, "they're lost. go out and yell as loud as you can and build a big fire." they got back to our place all right and had to stay all night. mrs. french followed me out to the barn. "don't it make you mad to hear of that pleasure trip?" she said. the men couldn't get through talking about it. "well, it makes me mad," i said, "but i can't help laughing." "well," mr. french yawned, "i believe this winds up the pleasure trip." mr. b. f. shaver-- . my parents came from lucerne co., pa., father in the fall of and mother just two years later. she came to rockford, ill., by rail, then to galena by stage and up the mississippi by boat. one of her traveling companions was miss mary miller, sister of mrs. john h. stevens. mother spent the first night in minneapolis in the old stevens house, at that time the only residence on the west side of the river, about where the union station was. two years before this father had learned of lake minnetonka and had taken some pork and flour and a frying pan and started west to find the lake, over somewhat the route of the great northern railroad track to where wayzata now is. he reached the site of minnetonka mills and located a claim about where groveland park on the deephaven trolley line is. this was some time before the government survey. he blazed out a claim. like the old lady in the hoosier schoolmaster, he believed "while ye're gittin', git a plenty" for after the survey he found he had blazed out seven hundred acres where he could pre-empt only a hundred and sixty. he had been up the creek several times to the lake where there was a beautiful pebbly beach. once, while wandering back, he had come upon this spot, he said, "beautiful as a poet's dream." a forty acre prairie right in the midst of dense woods covered with wild flowers and prairie grass. he blazed out his claim right there. on november , , father and mother traveled from st. anthony to minnetonka mills with an ox team and sled on eight or ten inches of snow. they kept boarders at minnetonka mills that winter and in march moved to their claim. the house was not completed. there were no windows, no outside door and no floor. the following august were born twin boys, the first white children born in hennepin county outside the city limits of minneapolis. mother was the first pioneer woman of minnetonka township. when we were about three weeks old mother's nearest neighbor, mrs. robinson, who lived on a claim near the present site of wayzata, came over to assist her with the twins, as she was all worn out. it was a hot, sultry night early in september and mrs. robinson made a bed on the ground beside mother's and put us into it. she became very drowsy towards morning and lay down on the ground beside us. she was aroused by my brother stirring about and complaining and reaching over was surprised to feel something like a paw of a large dog thrust through a crack between the logs and pulling the baby towards the crack by its hand. she got up quietly and moving aside the blanket that hung for a door, stepped out around the corner of the house. at the crack was a large wolf. it was frightened off at seeing her and ran into the woods. before mother came, in august, , father and three others took a boat at minnetonka mills with provisions and went up to gray's bay and westward on lake minnetonka to explore the lake and get a definite idea of its area and characteristics. they went through hull's narrows and explored the upper lake several days, landed at a point about at zumbra heights and decided to carry their boat across to the minnesota river and row down to fort snelling. after wandering in the woods several days they abandoned the boat and subsisted for days on basswood sprouts and raspberries. they reached the minnesota river directly north of shakopee, descended a bluff and found the shanty of a squaw man. the squaw gave them some fat pork with gravy over it and mixed up dough which she baked on a griddle. father said he had been to many a fine banquet but that was the best he ever had tasted. father, mother and some of the men from the sawmill were eating supper one night by candle light, when there came a loud knocking at the door. father opened the door and an indian in hunting regalia staggered into the house, holding his sides and evidently in great pain. mother did the best she could for him, gave him pain killer and hot drinks and made him a bed on the floor beside the kitchen stove, where after a time he fell into deep sleep. about daylight several members of the tribe, including his squaw, came in search of him and learned from the crew at the mill that he had been cared for during the night. his squaw came into the house, talked with him for a while and then with the other indians started east. they were gone about two hours, returning with the carcass of a very fine deer. the indian had started hunting the day before and pursued a deer till almost night, finally bringing it down. having had nothing to eat since early morning he was ravenous and cut a piece of steak from the deer and ate it raw. this made him desperately sick and on his way back he had to stop at the mill. his squaw and the other indians proceeded to skin the deer at the house and the squaw brought in the deer's kidneys to mother. this she thought very odd but a few days later was informed by martin mccloud, an interpreter, that the gift of a deer's kidneys was one of the highest tokens of esteem that an indian could bestow. afterwards the indian and his squaw were very kind, sending her fish and venison and the squaw presented her with some beautiful bead work. the cruelty of the male indians always astounded mother. once she sold an indian a sack of flour. he was to come for it the next day. at the time appointed he came, bringing with him his squaw who had with her a little papoose, and his mother, an aged woman. he brought an empty sack along. mother presumed he would empty a small portion of the flour into this for his wife and mother to carry and he would shoulder the remainder in the sack which contained the flour. he emptied about one third of the flour into the sack which he had brought. this he put down by the side of his mother. he took the papoose out of a broad strap around the squaw's head hanging in a loop in the back and taking up the remaining flour, put it in the strap on his wife's back, she stooping over to receive the load. it was so heavy he had to help her straighten up; she could not rise alone. then he took the papoose and set it atop the sack of flour. he then assisted his mother about getting her portion of flour in her strap. his conduct provoked mother greatly and she told him in decided terms that he should be ashamed of himself. at her remarks he grinned and folding his arms complacently around his gun, strutted off after the women muttering, "me big injun." a curious trait about the indians was that they wanted you to trust them and have no suspicions about their honesty. when going away from the house it was better not to lock it, but take a stick and lean it up against the house outside, intimating to them that you were away; and nothing would be molested. if the house was locked they were likely to break in and steal something. not far from our house at spirit knob, now breezy point, lake minnetonka, on a bold hill projecting out into the water was a stone idol, a smoothly polished stone a little larger than a wooden water pail. the indians came regularly to worship this idol and make offerings to their god. in very early times, probably not later than , a doctor from st. louis, mo., is said to have stolen this image and taken it to st. louis and put it in a museum. the indians were very much enraged at this and some people have assigned to this deed a motive for many of the atrocities committed in . one winter day father was away teaming and was not expected home till late in the evening. as night drew on mother and her little boys were busy about the chores. in cold winter weather we did not use the woodshed and kitchen, but the two large rooms only, having to come through the two unused rooms to the main part of the house. we boys had finished our work, hung up our caps and put away our mittens for the night and mother was bringing in her last arm load of wood. she had passed through three doors and turned around to shut the last one and there, right behind her, stood a giant of an indian. he seemed a foot taller than her and she was two inches less than six feet. so quietly had he followed her that she had no intimation of his presence. as she confronted him he said, "ho" in deep, guttural tones, and then laughed at her fright. he evidently wanted something, but could speak little or no english. he peered about the house, looked in every corner and finally in order to make us understand what he wanted, he took the ramrod out of his gun, set it up on end on the table, put the index finger of his left hand on top of the ramrod and made counter motions up and down the rod with his right hand. mother divined it was pole beans that he had seen growing and she got him some and he went away satisfied. one cold winter day four indians were in the kitchen. mother was preparing beans for dinner. like all good housewives she first parboiled them with pork before baking. she stepped into the pantry for something, when one of the braves slipped his hand into the kettle and stole the pork. he was just tucking it under his blanket when she, suspecting something, whirled around, caught up the teakettle of boiling water and poured some on the indian's hands. he roared with pain and mortification, but the other braves thought it very amusing. one of them slipped up, and patting her on the back said, "tonka squaw! tonka squaw!" tonka meaning big or brave. the indians reversed their words, like minnetonka--water-big--minne meaning water. that indian never came into the house again. the men at the mill were a little afraid. they thought it unwise of her and kept close watch. the indians would come in from hunting and sit around on our floor. mother would give them a good kick if they got in the way. this made her more popular than ever. they considered her a very fine lady because she was not afraid of them, but cudgelled them about. there were always three or four of them sitting around on the kitchen floor. the indians' sense of humor was very keen. mrs. maxwell's little girl was tow-headed. the indians always stroked her head and laughed. my older brother had beautiful curly hair. the indians called it "ha-ha hair"--curling or laughing. he was very fond of the indians and used to tumble about them examining their powder horns, until one day an indian pulled up his top curl and ran around it with the back of his knife as if to say what a fine scalp that would be. the frightened boy never would go near them again. "washta doc" pronounced gutturally and meaning north bay is the original of wayzata, pronounced, waytzete. colonel a. p. connolly-- . by rail and boat we reached st. paul on friday, in may ' . a party of us who had become acquainted on the steamer, chartered a small four-wheel craft, two-horse affair and headed toward st. anthony. we came up to the old government road passing the "half way house" and the well known larpenteur and des noyer farms. it had been raining and the roads were bad. four times we had to get out, put our shoulders to the wheels and get our little craft on the terra firma. the palatial winslow house built at this time was largely patronized in summer by the slave-holding aristocracy of the south. i remember one southerner, colonel slaybeck, by name, who used to come each year with his family and servants. he would always say to his slaves, "now you are in the north where they do not own slaves, and if you wish to escape, this is your chance to run away." not one of his servants ever took the opportunity. my first unpleasant experience was in connection with this house. i was one of its builders for i put on lath at cents a yard. by working early and late, i made $ a day. i was very economical and trusted my employer to hold my hard earned money. so far as i know, he is holding it yet, for he "skipped" in the night, leaving his boarding mistress to weep with me, for we had both been too confiding. somewhat cast down by the loss of my first earnings, but not totally discouraged, i shipped with six others on board a prairie schooner, well supplied with provisions and three good horses and headed for the north and fortune. after thirteen days of frontier hardships, we landed at the mouth of the chien river where it empties into the red river of the north. here we erected two or three good log houses, surveyed and platted our town, and planted common vegetables. they grew wonderfully well. we caught fish and shot ducks and geese. on paper our town could not be excelled, with its streets and boulevards, its parks and drives, its churches and schools and public buildings. it was so inspiring to look at, that we each took one hundred and sixty acres adjoining the town, intending them as an addition to plat and sell to the on-rushers when the boom should commence. we also built a boat here, or rather made a dugout, so we could explore the river. we had amusements in plenty, for wolves, indians, mosquitoes and grasshoppers were in great abundance. the wolves were hungry and told us so, congregating in great numbers for their nightly concerts. we had to barricade our doors to keep them out and burn smudges on the inside to keep mosquitoes out as well. sixty-five indians paid us a visit one day and they were not at all pleasant. we had a french half breed with us and he influenced them to leave. they only intended to take our yoke of cattle, but finally, after much parleying they moved on, and we breathed easier. all things come to an end, and so did this wild goose chase after riches and in time we got back to god's country and st. anthony. i will not worry you by reciting our experiences in getting back, but they were vexatious and amusing. to sum up my reward for this five months of hard work, privation and danger, i had one red flannel shirt, one pair of boots, one pair of white duck pants and $ worth of groceries. wasn't this a jolt? it was late in the fall, with a long cold winter ahead and things looked rather blue. judge isaac atwater was the owner of "the st. anthony express," a good looking weekly paper of whig politics. i went to work in this office at four dollars a week and as i advanced in efficiency, my salary was increased to twelve dollars. about this time an important thing happened. i married the daughter of alonzo leaming, who had come here in . my wife was the first teacher of a private school in minneapolis. the school being located near minnehaha, she boarded with the prescott family who lived on a farm not far from the falls. after the indian outbreak in august , as we were marching up to the lower agency, we found mr. prescott's body about twelve miles out from the fort, and i helped bury him. his wife and children were prisoners at that time, held by the hostile sioux. i think it was in , the people got clamorous for railroads and voted the state credit for five million dollars. the pamphlet exploiting the celebrated "five million dollar loan bill," was printed in the "st. anthony express" office and i pulled the issue off on a very antiquated hand press, known as the "foster". it was too early for railroads. times were too hard. but half the issue was made, and a foundation laid for some of our great railroad systems. the st. paul and pacific was built and operated for a few miles and was the pioneer of the great northern system. the first locomotive landed in st. paul was the "william crooks," named in honor of the civil engineer of the road, col. william crooks, who was the commander of the "sixth minnesota," in which i served. colonel crooks is buried in oakland, st. paul and the locomotive is on the retired list. as i said, one half of these bonds were issued and after several legislatures had bandied them about and pigeonholed them, the debt was wiped out at fifty cents on the dollar with interest, which gave the holders par, and the credit of the state was saved. the bonds were thrown about as worthless and i had an opportunity to get some of them at $ each. i erected the first street light in st. paul. you could not see it a block away. all the rest of the town was in darkness. minneapolis had one of these lights also, located on bridge square. burning fluid for lamps was one dollar a gallon. candles were mostly used. matches, hand made, were sold for five cents a bunch--five cents being worth twenty-five cents now. in minnesota was overrun with "wild cat" money. perhaps i had better explain this. it had no value outside the state and was not a sure thing in it. you took money at night, not knowing whether it would be worth anything in the morning. however, it looked well and we all took chances. any county could issue money by giving some sort of a bond, so we had among others "glencoe county," "freeborn county", "fillmore county," "chisago county," "la crosse and la crescent," and many others. daily bulletins were issued telling what money was good. in the final round up, the only money redeemed at face value was "la crosse and la crescent." i printed a directory with a mr. chamberlain of boston. i sold my book and took "wild cat" in payment and, after paying the printer, had quite a bunch of it on hand, but merchants would not take it at its face value. we had no bank of exchange then. orin curtis had a little place he called a bank, but i never saw money go in or out of it. i found what was termed a bank on the west side of the river--a two room affair, up one pair of stairs, and presided over by j. k. sidle, who afterwards was president of the first national bank. he was at that time loaning money at three per cent a month. the nearest bank of exchange was that of borup & oakes of st. paul, and the only way to get there was to walk or pay allen & chase one dollar and a half for the round trip. i preferred to walk, and so did, to receive an offer of eighty five cents on the dollar for my "wild cat." "no, sir," i said, "i'll go back home first," and walked back. i made three other trips and finally took twenty-five cents on the dollar and was glad to get it, for in a short time, it was worthless. merchants issued their own individual scrip and payed many local bills that way. for instance: "david edwards will pay five dollars in goods at his store upon presentation of this paper, etc." times were hard, but pioneers never desert. they are always on deck. hence our minneapolis of today. while on this subject of three and five per cent, i will relate an incident. there was a great revival in the first methodist church on the east side, j. f. chaffee, pastor. we all got religion, and i thought i had a call to preach, so with a dozen others, took on theological studies. we were very studious and zealous with a prospective d. d. ahead; but, i "flunked," got disgusted, side tracked the call, and in time enlisted for the war and went fighting rather than preaching. but, during the same revival and while it was at white heat, old squire geo. e. h. day was in the fore front. now brother day was very zealous and at times thought he got at the very foot of the throne; but, he loaned money at five per cent a month. i really think he was in dead earnest, especially in the per cent business. on this particular night he was on his knees and was calling very loudly on the lord, in his extremity, he said, "oh, lord give us more interest in heaven." the crowd was so great they were in the door and at the windows. a wag, al stone, was among the outside crowd, and heard this urgent appeal of old squire day, and he cried out: "for god's sake, isn't five per cent enough?" among the enterprising men of the falls was z. e. b. nash, or "zeb" as we called him. he operated a line of steamers from fewer's landing, on the east side above the present bridge, to st. cloud. there were only two small boats, but they served the purpose well. [illustration: mrs. margaret king hern (st. paul)] [illustration: medal presented to margaret king hern by the state in . (see page .)] [illustration: late type red river cart, taken in the fifties. earlier carts had tires eight inches wide. (see pages - - )] colonel levi longfellow-- . one day back in my old home in machais, maine, when i was six years old and my sister mary nine, my father said to her, "i will give you ten cents for your little tin trunk." this trunk was one of her most treasured possessions, and she asked him what he wanted it for. he answered, "i am going to save money to take you all out to minnesota and i want the trunk to hold the pennies and dimes we shall save for that purpose." she was so delighted with the idea that she readily gave up the trunk and contributed a dime to start the famous fund. many times we emptied the contents of that little trunk and counted to see how much we had, though we all knew that not more than one or two dimes had been added since we last counted. it took us three long years to save enough for the eventful trip. in those days, instead of a run of two or three days, it took a month to make the journey. one bright day in june, an ox team drove to our door and took us, a family consisting of my father, mother, two boys and two girls with our luggage to the boston boat. from boston, a train carried us to albany, new york, and from there by canal boat we went to buffalo. here we boarded a lake steamer for chicago. this place i remember as the muddiest hole i had ever seen. a plank road led from the boat landing to the hotel. one railroad ran west out of chicago for a distance of about ten miles. beyond this lay the unexplored country we were to enter. we hired a man with a team and a covered farm wagon to drive us across the prairies to galena. one week was occupied in this part of the journey. this same man three months later drove a herd of cattle from his home to st. anthony falls. from galena we took a steamboat to st. paul where we were met by my grandfather, washington getchell, who had come west with his family three years previous. he brought us to st. anthony falls with his ox team. among our luggage was a red chest. every family in those days owned one, and i remember in unloading our things from the boat, the bottom came out of the chest scattering the contents about. men, women and children scrambled to pick up the things but mother always said one half of them were lost. on the second of july, we arrived, receiving a hearty welcome from our relatives. my grandfather had built the second frame house erected in the town. early in the winter of at nine at night i was crossing the unfinished bridge one evening with a schoolmate named russell pease. we had been over to see his father who lived on the west side of the river. when we had reached the middle, russell slipped and fell through onto the ice beneath. i ran back and down the bank to where he was lying, but he was unconscious and i could not lift him, so i ran back for help, found some men and they carried him home. one day, before there was a bridge of any kind across the river, my father carried two calves over on the ferry, to pasture on the west shore. several days later as he stood on the river bank, he noticed something moving on spirit island, the small island below the falls. going out in a boat he found the two calves running about seeking a way to reach the east bank. they had evidently become homesick and started to swim across above the falls, and in some miraculous manner had been carried over the falls and landed safely on the island. father rescued them, bringing them to shore in a boat. i remember the greatest excitement each summer was the arrival of the caravans of carts from the red river of the north. they would come down to disperse their loads of furs, go into camp in st. anthony and remain three or four weeks while selling their furs and purchasing supplies. the journey and return required three months. in the spring of our family moved from st. anthony to a farm in brooklyn center, about nine miles out from town. roving bands of indians often used to camp near our home. we never enjoyed these visits, but neither did we wish them to think we were afraid, so we never locked our doors or refused them anything they demanded in the way of food. often my mother has fed a troop of those hideously painted fellows. in those days the only means of communication between the settlers was a messenger, going from house to house. the people of our community wished to have some way of signaling each other in case of danger. so a number of tin horns were purchased, each family being given one, with the understanding that if a blast was heard from one of these horns, the men would ride as fast as possible to the home giving the signal for help. among the settlers was an old german who was given his horn along with the rest. after a few days, this old fellow became curious to know what sort of a sound the horn would make. not wishing to give any alarm, he went into his cellar, thinking to be out of hearing, and blew a tremendous blast to test the power of the horn. the effect was far from what he had anticipated. the neighbors hearing the signal came from all directions, expecting to find serious trouble. my brother, nathan, with his friend will fisher, mounted their horses as quickly as they could and rushed to the scene. in about an hour the boys came back disgusted, and what the settlers said and did to the old german, i leave to your imagination. this same german figured in another amusing incident. when my father was building one of the roads in brooklyn, he hired this man to work for him. one sunday morning the old fellow reported for duty. my father informed him they did not work on sunday. the man threw up his hands and exclaimed "mine gott! is this sunday? my ole woman is at home washing; she tinks it is monday too!" i enlisted in ' expecting our regiment would be ordered immediately to the army of the potomac, but within a week after the formation of the regiment, news was received of the sioux outbreak on the frontier. we were ordered to report at once to st. peter where we arrived august . four days later we were hurried across country forty miles to fort ridgely which was then in a state of siege. after a sharp skirmish with the indians, we drove them off on the second of september. we were ordered to birch cooley, sixteen miles away. capt. grant, with his command had been sent out to bury the victims of the indian massacre, including twenty-seven men of capt. marsh's fifth minnesota troops. he had gone into camp at birch cooley when the indians attacked him. the firing was heard across the plain at fort ridgely and we were sent to his relief. we arrived early in the morning and the command was halted to wait for daylight. with the break of day the indians opened fire, but after a hard fight we drove them off and made our way into the camp. it was a sickening sight. twenty-three men lay dead with fifty or sixty wounded. in the camp was a woman lying in a wagon. she had been picked up on the prairie where the indians had left her for dead. after the indians had gone she had managed to crawl to a rock which had a cleft in it, and there had fainted. one of our boys jumped up on this rock and noticing what seemed to be a bundle of rags lying in the opening, poked his gun into it. to his horror he found it was a woman's body. he called and another of the boys, comrade richardson, now living in champlin, minn., sprang up beside him and together they lifted her out and she was placed in a wagon. when the indians attacked the camp, the wagons were drawn around in a circle with the camp inside and this poor woman laid there for thirty-six hours all through the fight. the wagon was riddled with bullets and she herself had been hit in the arm, though she was scarcely conscious of what was going on, having not yet rallied from her terrible experience in the massacre. i understand she afterwards recovered and lived in minnesota. at wood lake, i also helped to bury the dead, among them sixteen indians killed in the fight there. at camp release situated on the west side of the mississippi river opposite where montevideo is now located, we surrounded an indian camp and compelled them to give up over one hundred captive women and children. we were also sent out with a small squad and surrounded and captured another camp of hostile indians, bringing them in to our camp. col. crooks, of our regiment, was appointed judge advocate and i was present at the trial of over one hundred of these indians. all were found guilty and sentenced to be hung. president lincoln commuted the sentence of all but thirty-nine, the rest being sent to the government prison at rock island where they were kept as prisoners of war. at that time my wife who was then olive branch, was attending high school in moline, and she went with some friends to see these indians in the rock island prison. she recalls distinctly the interest the people felt in seeing the savages who had been the authors of such atrocities. in february of , our regiment was sent to forest city to build a stockade for the protection of the settlers. from there we marched across country to camp pope, where the main forces were being assembled, preparatory to our expedition across the plains to the missouri river a few miles below where bismarck now stands. we had no fresh water on this trip and were also on half rations for two months. when we finally reached the river we rushed in to fill our canteens, when the indians suddenly opened fire on us from the opposite bank. fortunately they fired over our heads with but few casualties. while we were halted at the river, gen. sibley, who had remained at his headquarters, two miles in our rear, sent a message to col. crooks, carried by an officer with his orderly. col. crooks received the message, wrote his answer leaning on his saddle, and the messengers started back to gen. sibley with the reply. on our return trip we found the bodies of this officer and his orderly horribly mutilated. the indians had come up in our rear and encountered them as they rode back to camp. minneapolis chapter caroline rogers shepley (mrs. o. h. shepley) florence shepherd little (mrs. f. w. little) mary sherrard phillips (mrs. alonzo phillips) mrs. helen godfrey berry-- . my part in the history of the godfrey house is the first chapter. my idea of geography in --at the age of eight years--was that maine was the only state and that bangor was not far from boston in size and importance. "out west" was a wonderland in my child mind. i did not realize when or how my father, ard godfrey, went so far from home as to st. anthony falls, but i did realize his return to take my mother and us children west. my father was obliged to leave us with our relatives, alex. gordon's family. we stayed in beloit, wisconsin for the winter. he, with capt. john rollins and some others went through on ponies, or as best they could travel. cold weather had stopped the boats from running. that trip was one they did not forget and often told of it. in the spring of ' we took a stage coach from beloit, with our baggage strapped on behind. i remember well the black mucky mud we rode through, the wheels sinking in to the hubs first on one side then the other. father met us in st. paul and we children at once got on the calico covered settee of the bass house, too sleepy to eat. my next idea of being anywhere was in a room given up, very kindly, by mrs. calvin church to my mother, in what was called the "messhouse," main st. s. e. it was the most comfortable place to be had. we were hungry for mother's cooking. our first meal was of biscuits, salt and tea with strawberry jam, mother had found in the blue chest. this was in april. if the work had not been already begun on our house, it must have been hurried as in may my sister was born in the house. there was considerable concern because there was no doctor nearer than st. paul to call on in case of need, but a few days before my sister, harriet was born, someone said there was an old gentleman living on the lower island, a doctor kingsley, so he was called in. there was no foot-bridge and but one way to get to the island, that of fording the river. the house was built before the time of baloon frames. the principal workmen were chas. merceau and james brisette, who must have worked faithfully and well. doors and window-sash were done by hand, the lumber having to be seasoned after it was hauled to the spot. i was so interested in the many kinds of planks and tools used by these carpenters, every floor board being tongued and groved by them. the cellar under the whole house was dug after the house was partly built. i have a faint recollection that a limekiln was built near the old landing and lime burnt before the walls and plastering could be done. a brick oven was built, which did good service while we lived there. when it came to the painting of the outside of the house, father and mother wondered if the natural color of minnesota pine was not a shade or two different from that of the old state of maine. they were so impressed they concluded to paint the house as near the shade of this new pine as possible, but were hardly satisfied because not a perfect imitation. my mother was favored with much-needed help most of the time. the house was often a hospital. two years after we built, the brother of the young woman who was helping my mother, came with a bad attack of cholera. he was brought in, cared for and sent away comfortable. many families came from the far east with sickness from the long journey, many of them cases of typhoid fever. my mother was not behind in extending a welcome and assistance to these sufferers. i would not omit my recollection of our first fourth of july. it was either in ' or ' and carried out with all patriotism. i went early in the morning with my new friend, emma j. tyler, to touch the liberty pole set up on the hill not far from the mills and near where was afterward built the winslow hotel. it was a genuine celebration. in my mind, somehow, like a dream of a birthday in spring, comes a faint picture of a number of pioneer mothers, in my mother's partly furnished parlor. i rushed in after school and stood upon the threshold. i saw bright colors in stripes, and stars of blue that they seemed to be in a quandary how to place and how many to use. was this the first flag made in st. anthony? was it made in the old godfrey house, or was i only dreaming? anyway, it was a real celebration that came after. the declaration of independence was read, i think by j. w. north, a volunteer choir of our best singers--mrs. caleb dorr, mrs. north and others--sang the patriotic hymns, isaac atwater, capt. john rollins and others sat upon the platform and my father was marshall of the day. i probably took the first music lesson on the piano given to a learner in st. anthony, my teacher being mrs. j. w. north, living at first on hennepin island in the house afterward known as the tapper house, where capt. john tapper lived while running the ferry-boat, before the bridge was built from our side to the island. it was not a very safe or easy trip for me to skip over on the logs, but i got to be quite an expert. my piano came later than mrs. north's, but was the first new piano brought and bargained for to be sent to st. anthony. by this time the house was comfortably furnished. at first a few articles were brought from the slaymakers who had been one of the families who had lived in the building i have spoken of--father's shop. this family became discontented enough to return to their old home so from them we got our large six-legged dining table, the cradle, both of black walnut, and a few other pieces of furniture. if such a thing could be done after fifty years, i could replace any piece of furniture as my mother had then. the parlor with its warm colored red and green carpet, the piano in its corner, the round mahogany table of my mother's with its red and black table spread and always the three worsted lamp mats i had made when seven years old. mother's hair-cloth rocker, the parlor stove and the round back chairs, also in the sitting room were mother's small two-leaved tea-table and the settee like four chairs in a row, a stove, etc., all so comfortable. we never lived in a house in minnesota in which we felt the cold so little in winter. from an item in my old scrap-book concerning the moving of the house, it said it had three thicknesses of floor boards, and the same for the outside, so it was built for comfort. my little room over the parlor--my first own room--had in it the bureau made by my grandfather burr. my bedstead, a posted one, was corded with bed cords, had one good straw bed and a fluffy feather bed on top of that, with patch work quilts. in that little room i made many beginnings. i learned to wash the floor on my knees for i had no carpet. at the time when the mill company's property was partly owned by a bachelor named a. w. taylor, the other owners were very anxious to buy out his share so were making great effort to persuade him to sell. my mother was given the money, all in gold, or probably father put it in her care, ready to make the payment if he came to terms which he finally did. my knowledge of this fact came from mother being all alone at night. she told me that in one corner of the blue chest were bags of gold amounting to $ , . afterward i could understand that she felt too anxious to sleep and that in case of any foul deed, i could answer for her. in those days, however, men were honest and money plentiful. many times has my father ridden to or from st. paul with a sack of money in the buggy seat beside him. about this time it was getting to be the custom in washington and other large cities for ladies to receive gentlemen callers on new year's day, so the first year st. anthony followed that custom, by mrs. camp's suggestions and help, i was the first to receive callers, with mrs. camp as chaperone. i am not quite sure who were our callers, probably mr. camp, t. e. b. north, j. b. shaw and others. pound and fruit cake with fragrant coffee and rich cream were served. in our house was organized the first masonic lodge. i remember it perfectly well. my mother had arranged the house in such perfect order we children felt something unusual was to happen. mother first was elected tyler. i couldn't understand why we couldn't even peep through the key-hole. i saw mr. john h. stevens and mr. isaac atwater pass into the parlor where they spent the evening with my father. mother proved a faithful tyler and all the satisfaction we got was that they had "ridden the goat." father had told brother abner wonderful stories about the country he was intending to take us to and one was that "sleds grow on trees" and he should have one when we got there. he did not forget. maybe he was reminded, but some time before one christmas day daddy brought home two strips of wood that he said could be bent into the shape he wanted it. it took some time and i do not know whether brother suspected what was coming until his own frame sled was brought to him, all completed but the steels--they came later. so he can claim having had the first real coaster, for the other boys had only board runners or barrel staves. the mills (now burned) new then, with two upright saws, the people were as proud of as they are now proud of all the fine mills in minneapolis. ard godfrey had reason for feeling proud. he had the management of the building of the first mill dam across the mississippi river, had stood waist deep in its waters, half days at a time with his men to accomplish this work. he was owner to not over one-seventh and not less than one-tenth interest in the mill co. business--was agent for franklin steele, of whom he always spoke with the greatest respect. i can realize that he was a very busy man during the time he served there and that he needed the rest and quiet he found afterward in his minnehaha home. our first nearest neighbors were mrs. marshall with her two sons, wm. r. and joseph, and her daughter, rebecca. their store was the first started in our neighborhood until john g. lennon built his a little later. mrs. marshall impressed me when she said to my mother that "if one of her sons was foolish enough to get into a fight and get whipped she would whip him again when he came home." i thought of her in after years when i heard people speak of wm. r. marshall while he was governor of minnesota. once on our first acquaintance, my mother sent my brother, then about six years of age, to mrs. marshall for an article from the store. she gave it to him with the change. the child was so interested in his play with some boys, he hurried home, gave mother the package and was hurrying off when she asked him for the change. he said he hadn't any and from his eagerness to get away she feared he had spent the money without leave, to treat the boys. i heard her say something about "not letting this pass a first time, if it is an act of dishonesty now is my time," etc. so to sift the matter to the bottom, she took the reluctant boy to mrs. marshall, who said, "don't you see, mrs. godfrey, he has done nothing wrong; he has the money; look again." sure enough, under the wonderful things, balls and strings in his pocket, was the money just where mrs. marshall had put it herself and he was the most surprised one to see it. the tears were dried and mrs. marshall had saved him from punishment only that he had lost his noon hour for play. one last remembrance is that of the great flood which came and spoiled so much of the work done in the beginning; i have still in my mind the grandest picture of almighty god i ever saw. man seemed but an atom against him, when the waters rushed and roared in their strong surges over the ledges that made the falls of st. anthony; the long logs that had been, but a few months before, proud monarchs of the pine forests, sailed along toward this brink like sticks, then with their long ends balancing out over the rushing fall would tilt over and down into the rushing, curling, foaming torrent out of sight. but little else was thought of just then for we who were near were watching, watching the grandeur but dreading the effect. one thing i realized that drew my attention from this mighty picture, that was the anxious face of my father. had he not foreseen the future possibilities of this great water-power? i am sure now that he had, and soon had the first stroke come and waived aside all that had been partly accomplished. a set-back because the work had been begun with rough tools and lack of material. i think he realized what might be--what has been. what we all can see now, power harnessed by inventions into monstrous manufactories, costing mints of gold, paying out mints of gold in return, costing more than half a century of time and labor. why do i think he foresaw all this? for several reasons. at that time he secured title to a small island outside the others just at the brink of the falls, although by some re-survey. i think it was afterward considered a part of nicollet island, causing him to leave it, if i am right. another reason seems indirect, but it was from what he said in regard to san pedro harbor in his first visit to california, that los angeles might become a city, but not what san pedro could be with a harbor, a nucleous or center for business for all the surrounding country. it may take years enough to see all this, to make up its half century too, but when i see what is already the beginning i know he was right and knew what he was talking about. so as i now often sit and listen to the breakers of the grand old pacific ocean, i am given an old home-feeling, i am listening, in memory, to the roar of that might water-fall, the falls of st. anthony, as they sounded fifty years ago. abner crossman godfrey-- . in the early days, before we had street cars, or any of the present day improvements, the country was all new. new families and interests were pouring in from the east. we had to travel by stage coach and very often the roads were so muddy that the wheels of the coach would sink in to the hub. i remember the year so well that the first state capitol was dedicated. that was the time of the pleasure trip that i am going to tell you about. they got a four horse lumber wagon and put in long seats on either side, and piled in heavy robes. this was to convey the people from minneapolis to st. paul for the very important services. there were three boys--stillman foster, oat whitney, sam tyler of the neighborhood and myself that chummed together. the rig started off from the old mill office, main street. that was the starting place for everything in those days, and is now second avenue southeast. we boys decided that it would be a great lark to get in the wagon and hide under the robes and ride around to the st. charles hotel, where the passengers were waiting. much to our surprise, we were not ordered to get out when we were discovered. we soon arrived at the old des noyer place half way to st. paul. it was bitter cold, about forty-five degrees below zero. in st. paul, i left the rig and wandered over to the old american house. my hands were frozen and i soon began to cry with the pain. my fingers were white to the first joint. a frenchman who was standing near by, seeing my distress, took compassion on me, took me inside and put my hands into hot whiskey. that saved them. major benjamin randall-- . in , to prevent conflict between the indians and white settlers, a military post called fort ridgely was built one hundred and eighty mile northwest of winona on the minnesota river. major woods arrived soon after navigation on the river was demonstrated to be practicable by that veteran, smith harris and steamboats from the ohio river were not infrequent visitors. ridgely was in no sense a fort, but by general acceptation. it was not designed or constructed as a place of defense. it was built on a plain forty rods from the edge of a steep bluff of the river on the south and a gradual sloping bluff, less abrupt, to a creek running at right angles on the east about the same distance. a deep wooded ravine extended up through the river bluff to about one hundred yards of the southwest corner, while a considerable depression was continued some distance farther. the st. peter road led up the creek bluff ravine along the north side of the fort, with a level stretch of prairie to the north. it was such a place as the indians would have selected for the building, if they had contemplated its capture. the indians were frequent visitors at the fort and watched the light battery drill with wonder and surprise. the horses flying across the prairie like an egyptian chariot race, the sudden changes of front and position, and the rapid firing, awed the savage. in the spring of , all this was changed. the artillery were ordered south. one and sometimes two companies of volunteers were stationed for a short time, and others succeeded them. the indians knew the country was claiming its able bodied and best men in its support, and watched with interest the departure of volunteers for its defence, and believed, as they talked, that only women and old men were left. the soldiers they respected and feared had gone from our frontier. the anxiety to rush everybody to the front had left our posts without garrison, and people without protection, and protests to officials were unheeded or disregarded. the indians felt that the time and opportunity was present when they could win back without resistance the inheritance they had lost. in furtherance of this scheme, on monday morning, the th of august, , an attack was made on the citizens at the lower agency, twelve miles above the fort. those that could, tried to escape. j. c. dickinson, who kept a boarding-house, with his family and others, in a two-horse wagon, was the first to cross the ferry, notifying the settlers as he made his way toward the fort. a little before nine o'clock in the morning, i was out about two miles from the agency in a buggy and met him. his team was jaded and i reached capt. marsh's quarters sometime in advance of him. a courier was sent after lieut. shehan, who with fifty men, was on his return to fort ripley. capt. marsh and forty-six men, started for the scene of the uprising, and were ambuscaded by the indians, twenty-eight of the men being killed and capt. marsh drowned. that night small parties of indians that were raiding the settlements, were drawn together and celebrated their victory by dance and song, which gave us valuable time at the fort, saving hundreds of lives by the delay. the fort was left under the command of lieut. gere, a young man of less than twenty years, without military or frontier experience. the situation would, have appalled the most experienced frontier officer. fortunately the advice and experience of sergeant jones was available. the four reike brothers, who had the contract for furnishing hay to the post, notified settlers, and hauled water, filling all the barrels that could be found. all the water used at the post was hauled from a spring at the foot of the river bluff, nearly half a mile distant, and near the ravine which the indians went up two days later to make their attack. after a day of preparation and suspense, lieut. shehan returned with his fifty men, who were welcomed with joy by those holding the post, and later, about forty-six men arrived from st. peter, the renville rangers. there were enough men to post sentinels, to guard the salient points. i visited some of these posts with an officer and a lantern later in the night, and no one was sleeping on them; they were deserted. we followed to where they had taken shelter in the barracks among the refugees, and they were ordered from under bedsteads, to resume their guns and duties. the ravine was between my house and the garrison, where my family had taken shelter. about twelve o'clock i was at the house, with a horse and buggy, when guns were discharged and sentinels shouting "indians." seeing them running, i was not long in reaching the fort, and had been there but a short time, when flames shot up from my dwelling and the ravine i had just crossed swarmed with painted savages. miss sara faribault. my father, oliver faribault, built a house which was his home and trading post near "little six" or shakopee's village in . it was a fine point for a trading post, as three indian villages were near; good roads, black dog's and shakopee's. he was a very successful trader. i can well remember the great packs of furs. we used to play all around the country near. i could shoot an arrow as well as a boy. the hunting was fine. we used often to go to the sacred stone of the indians and i have often seen the sioux warriors around it. it was on the prairie below town. there was room for one to lie down by it and the rest would dance or sit in council around it. they always went to it before going into battle. they left gifts which the white people stole. i can remember taking some little thing from it myself. i passed a party of indians with it in my hand. one of the squaws saw what i had and became very angry. she made me take it back. she seemed to feel as we would if our church had been violated. this stone was stolen by a man from the east and taken there. this loss made the indians very angry. little crow was often at our house and was much loved by us children. he used to bring us candy and maple sugar. my father was fond of him too, and said he was always honest. the indians did not understand the white man's ways. when the white man had a big storehouse full of goods belonging to the indians and the indian was cold and hungry, he could not see why he could not have what was there, belonging to him, if it would keep him warm and feed him. he could not see why he should wait until the government told him it was time for him to eat and be warm, when the time they had told him before was long past. it was the deferred payments that caused the outbreak, i have often heard from the indians. one morning in the summer of ' we heard firing on the river. most of the sioux had gone to get their annuities but a few who were late were camped near murphy's. these had been attacked by a large band of the chippewa. the fighting went on for hours, but the chippewa were repulsed. that was the last battle between the sioux and the chippewa near here. i have often seen indians buried on platforms elevated about eight feet on slender poles. they used to put offerings in the trees to the great spirit and to keep the evil spirits away. i remember that one of these looked like a gaily colored umbrella at a distance. i never dared go near. mary sherrard phillips-- . at the time of the indian massacre in minnesota, august, , john otherday, who was married to a white woman, sent word to the agent's wife to leave the agency within an hour. this was at half past nine at night. the trouble began at a small store a short distance from the agent's house. the shooting and fighting could be heard from the house. otherday, with a party of sixty-two refugees, instead of taking them to the fort, had them ford the minnesota river and pass through the wild country, avoiding the main traveled roads. he was never with them, would be seen in the distance on a hill to the right, and then in the opposite direction. they came to the river at carver, where they re-crossed, then to shakopee, their old home, where i saw them. when major galbraith was given the office of indian agent at yellow medicine, most of his employees went with him. mrs. galbraith and her three children, and miss charles, a teacher, went in a one-horse buggy. they took this at the time of the outbreak and were in otherday's party. part of the time they walked and let others ride to rest them. this little band of fugitives could make only a few miles in twenty-four hours. the indians did not follow them, as they thought they would go to the fort, and then they would attack them as they neared the fort. mrs. galbraith and children came to father's house. they were a sorrowful looking band. dr. wakefield and maj. galbraith were at the fort. the women told us this story. the day before the outbreak, mrs. wakefield and her two children, with george gleason, started for fort ridgely. they saw some indians coming. mrs. wakefield said: "i am afraid," but gleason said, "they are our own shakopee indians, they will not hurt us." then as soon as they passed, they shot gleason in the back, and he fell out of the buggy, dead. they took mrs. wakefield and the children captives. she was saved by one indian taking her as his squaw. for two days, he had them hid in a straw stack. mother asked mrs. galbraith if she saved any of her silver. she replied; "when life is at stake, that is all you think of." when col. sibley and his men came to shakopee, they came mostly by boat. they pressed into service all the horses and wagons in town to transport them to the seat of the indian war. there was only one old white horse left, that belonged to dr. weiser. the little antelope that passed down the minnesota did not have room for one more. the town was packed with refugees, every house had all it could shelter. the women did what they could to help the ones that had come there for shelter and safety, and carried them provisions and clothes. we had refugees from henderson, belle plaine, st. peter, glencoe, and all through the country, fleeing from the indians. the faribault house, covered with siding, is still standing. shah-kpa-dan, or shakopee in english, was named after shakopee indian chief, (little six), who with his band, had a village just across the river. he died and was buried there in the fifties. i saw the dead body in the winter, which they had elevated on a platform, held up by four slender poles, about eight feet high. in the trees near the camp, they had something that looked like a closed umbrella. they had a number of these to drive away the evil spirits. the sioux counted their money by dimes, which they called cosh-poppy. then they counted up to ten; one-cha, no-pah, yam-any, to-pa, zo-ta, shakopee, sha-ko, sha-kan-do, nep-chunk, wix-chiminey. then these numerals would be used as one-cha cosh-poppy, no-pa cosh-poppy, up to wix-chiminey cosh-poppy, which would be $ . i saw some squaws the day after a battle, mourning. they had lost relatives. they sat on the ground and were moaning and rocking their bodies back and forth. the squaws always carried a butcher knife in their belts. they took the point of the knife and cut the skin of their legs from the knees down to the foot, just enough so it would bleed and a few drops trickle down these gashes. there were three or four of these squaws. in fifteen hundred winnebago indians came up the minnesota river to shakopee, in their birch bark and dugout canoes, which lined the shore. they were on the way to their new agency. their agent was to meet them at shakopee with their government money and rations. he failed to come on the day appointed. they waited several days for him and were angry at the delay. the citizens found the indians were being supplied with fire water and for their own safety, they hunted for it. they found three barrels of it in the kitchen of a dwelling. they took it and broke in the barrel-heads and flooded the kitchen. the agent came that evening, gave the indians their money and rations, so they went on in their canoes early the next morning. i saw them off, i was in the canoes with some of them. they gave me beads and the little tin earrings, which they used by the dozens, as ornaments. the river was filled with their canoes, but their ponies and other heavy baggage went on land. the winnebagoes gave a money dance in front of the hotel. their tom-tom music was on the porch. they formed in a semi-circle. they were clad in breech-clouts with their naked bodies painted in all the colors of the rainbow, put on in the most grotesque figures imaginable. they would sing and dance to their music, pick up the money that had been thrown them, give their indian war-whoops and yells, then fall back to form the semi-circle and dance up again. this was an exciting scene with the side and back scenery made up of hundreds of live and almost naked redskins. i saw one scalp-dance by the sioux. they had a fresh scalp, said to be off a chippewa chief. it was stretched on a sort of hoop, formed by a green twig, or limb. it was all very weird. this was in ' . the indians enjoyed frightening the white women. they often found them alone in their homes. they were always hungry, would demand something to eat, and would take anything that pleased their fancy. my mother, mrs. sherrard, was very much afraid of the indians. once one of the braves shook his tomahawk at her through a window. i have seen a dog train in st. paul, loaded with furs from the hudson bay fur company. wenonah chapter winona jeanette thompson maxwell (mrs. guy maxwell) mr. h. l. buck-- . in the spring of ' cornelius f. buck and his young wife, located a claim and built a log cabin on the present highway just before it enters the village of homer in winona county. homer at that time seemed a much more promising place than winona. the few incidents i give are those i heard from my mother's and father's lips during my childhood. the country had been opened for settlement a year or two before, but few settlers had arrived at this time and everything that went to make a frontier was present, even to native indians. they were peaceable enough but inclined to be curious and somewhat of a nuisance. one spring morning shortly after the cabin had been built, my mother was dressing, when, without warning of any kind, the door was opened and in stalked a great indian brave. my father had already gone out and my mother was greatly frightened, but her indignation at having her privacy thus disturbed exceeded her fright and she proceeded to scold that indian and tell him what she thought of such conduct, finally "shooing" him out. he took the matter good naturedly, grinning in a sheepish sort of way, but my mother had evidently impressed him as being pretty fierce, for among all the indians of the neighborhood she became known as the "little hornet." the second spring my father and another settler securing some brass kettles, went to a maple grove a mile below their homes on the river bank and commenced gathering sap for sugar. during the night their kettles were stolen and suspecting some indians who were encamped on the wisconsin side of the river, they armed themselves to the teeth with guns, revolvers and bowie knives and taking a canoe, crossed the river, entered the indian camp and demanded to see the chief. he was told that some of his cowardly "braves" had stolen the paleface's kettles. the chief denied the theft. my father, allowing all his weapons to be plainly seen, again demanded the return of his kettles, and said if they were not returned by the next morning he would make war on the chief's whole tribe and annihilate them. this was too much for the natives and the next morning the kettles were returned. my mother, who had spent her childhood and youth in the prairie country, had never seen any hills worth mentioning. she told me that when she landed from the steamboat on which she had traveled from galena and took up her abode under the overtopping bluffs that lined the banks of the river and the boat disappeared in the distance, she had an overpowering feeling that she had been imprisoned far from the world, that she was shut out from civilization and would never be able to get out of these "mountains" and for several years that feeling stayed with her. the river was the only highway over which came human beings. in the winter the river still was the main traveled road, but with sleighs instead of boats. it was a rare treat for her to go as far as la crosse. in the winter this trip was often accompanied with danger, from the uncertainty of the strength of the ice. i recall one trip she and my father made going to la crosse one day upon the ice in the month of february. they had planned to stay over night in the latter place and return in the morning. in the morning they hitched up the horse and drove to the river bank, but the ice had entirely disappeared during the night and the steamboating was again good. in ' when the indian outbreak occurred in the west, while winona was far removed from the danger zone, much excitement prevailed here. my father organized a company of men of which he became captain and the winona rangers marched west to help in driving back the indian forces. they met thousands of settlers fleeing to the east. assisting them in such ways as they might they continued westward until they reached lake shetek where they were stationed for several months. they met no indians but were of assistance in restoring confidence in the returning settlers. mrs. harriet gleason-- . i was twenty-seven years old when i came to minnesota, landing at a townsite on the mississippi river then known as manton, but now known as la crescent. my brother, samuel spalding had come the year preceding and had taken a claim near that place and at his request i came and took a claim there also and kept house for him. the country at that time was one almost unbroken wilderness. there were no roads of any kind, only "blazed trails" through the timber from one place to another. there were wild animals in those days, and still wilder indians, though there were some "good indians." one morning a "good indian" came to our place and wanted a needle and some thread, which i gave him. he said he was going away hunting and thanked me. in the evening he came back and i lost confidence in the "good indian" pretty quick. he had been drinking and wanted me to give him more whiskey. i told him that i had none, but that did not satisfy him. he kept asking for whiskey. i thought, "what must i do?" i gave him the camphor bottle which he threw away; also water, with which he did the same, repeating his request for whiskey and flourishing his tomahawk over my head. i was now thoroughly frightened but tried not to let him see that i was. i then gave him a loaf of bread, which he took and then he wanted me to go with him to his wigwam. i opened the door and told him to "get out quick," which he did with a whoop and a run. from that time on the indians did not trouble us. mrs. bradley-- . when our family, the grants, came to winona, there were more indians here than whites and to one who had never seen the red skins, a vivid impression which can never be forgotten was left. there were very few houses and the inhabitants were limited to a dozen families. mr. oliver k. jones-- . in the summer of ' i enlisted in company g of the eighth minnesota infantry. before the six regiments required of minnesota were fully organized the sioux indian massacre occurred. as fast as a company was organized it was rushed off somewhere on the frontier to protect the white settlers and drive back the indians. my company and company d of the th regiment were sent on a forced march to fort abercrombie, two hundred and fifty miles northwest of st. paul on the red river, twelve miles down the river from breckenridge. this garrison was besieged by indians. all the white people in that vicinity who had not been killed or captured had fled there for protection. there was but one company of soldiers there at this time under command of captain vanderhorck, who had himself been wounded. this fort was nothing but a few buildings located on the open prairie on the dakota side of the river. earthen breast-works had been hastily thrown up for the better protection of the people within. it required constant vigilance on the part of all the soldiers to hold the garrison for the three or four weeks before our arrival. the only water supply they had was the river, some rods outside of the fort embankment. their supply of rations had become nearly exhausted, so that on our arrival about the middle of september, we found a very hungry and badly scared lot of people. there were some unburied dead, some badly wounded and some sick. one woman who had been wounded by the indians at breckenridge a few days before and left for dead, had regained consciousness and crawled on her hands and knees the entire twelve miles to the fort where she was taken care of and finally recovered. two mornings some indians concealed themselves among the willows which grew on the minnesota side of the river and fired upon some teamsters who were watering their horses. one teamster died the next day; the other, although wounded, recovered after several weeks treatment at the fort hospital. these teamsters were citizen farmers who had been pressed into service to help haul the supplies of grain and provisions to the starving people and animals at the fort. on our way to the fort, sauk center was the last place at which we found any settlers. many from the surrounding country had assembled here for safety. a station with soldiers to guard it was established there and one also at alexandria, some miles beyond. we did not see any indians until the day before our arrival when a few were seen by our scouts. a mile or so from the fort, before we came to the river, we found in the woods the mutilated remains of two soldiers who had been killed the day before by some indians who attacked the escort of eight soldiers who were returning to the fort after taking a messenger through the woods on his way to fort snelling to officially notify the officers in charge there, of the conditions at abercrombie. other messengers had been sent but it was not known whether or not they had gotten through, communication having been entirely cut off between that garrison and the settlements below. the messenger, having met our expedition, returned with us to the fort. immediately after our arrival, details of men were set to work cutting logs to put a twelve foot stockade around the fort to provide better protection against the indians. scouting parties were sent out every few days to scour the country round about from ten to fifty miles in all directions. our company remained at abercrombie until the spring of ' . we never saw another indian except the few captured by the scouting parties and brought to the fort for safe keeping. about the middle of october when we had been at the fort about a month, a call for volunteers was made to form a guard to some thirty indian prisoners and take some cattle to sauk center. i was one of the four from our company; not that i was more brave or reckless than many others, but i preferred almost anything to doing irksome guard and fatigue duties at a fort. so a little train of wagons in which to carry our camping outfit, our provisions and the few squaws and children, was made up. the guards, cattlemen and indian men had to walk. while on this trip we did not suppose there was an indian in the whole outfit who knew or could understand a word of english, so we were not at all backward about speaking our minds as to indians in general and some of those whom we were guarding in particular. on the second or third day out i was walking along behind the wagons near one of the big buck indians who was filling up his pipe preparatory to having a smoke. when ready for a light he walked up alongside of me and said, "jones, have you got any matches?" before this, no matter what we said to him or any of the others, all we could get from them would be a grunt or a sullen look. we arrived at our destination without seeing any indians. we turned ours over to the officer in charge of sauk center post. here we had to wait a long time for a train of supplies which was being made up at st. cloud to be taken to abercrombie. by this time winter had set in and there was no need for guards, so each man of our squad was assigned a six mule team to drive up to the fort. if anyone thinks it is all pleasure driving and caring for a six mule team from st. cloud to fort abercrombie, one hundred and seventy miles, in midwinter, with nothing to protect him from the cold but an ordinary army uniform, including an unlined tight blue overcoat, let him try it once. that spring our company was ordered to go to fort ripley, nobody ever knew what for. we stayed there until sometime in may when we were ordered to fort ridgely, to get ready for an expedition across the plains after the indians who were somewhere between minnesota and the bad lands of dakota and montana. in the june battle of killdeer mountain ' , a cavalry boy sixteen years old, as soon as the indians were in sight, put spurs to his horse. he rode in among the indians, killing two with his sword, picked up the lariat ropes of their ponies and returned to our firing line leading the ponies, and never received a scratch of injury to himself. the boy hero said the indians had killed his father and mother and he enlisted on purpose to avenge their death. on august , , general sully was sick and turned the entire command over to colonel thomas. before noon indians were reported all around us. colonel thomas put strong guards in front, rear and on the flanks. firing soon commenced on all sides, the soldiers having orders to fire at an indian whenever one was in sight. the indians always appeared singly or in small bands on the hills and higher ground. this mode of battle was continued until dark, when we were obliged to stop and go into camp with a strong guard all around. in the morning not an indian was in sight. it was learned afterward that there were some eight thousand warriors engaged and that they lost three hundred and eleven killed and six hundred or seven hundred wounded. our losses were nine killed and about one hundred wounded. the battle was named "waho-chon-chaka" and was the last fighting we had with the indians for that summer. mrs. arabella merrit-- . my father's family were among the early pioneers in martin county, minnesota. i well remember an emergency that tried our wits and i suppose was equal to golf for developing arm muscle in a young girl--it certainly developed patience. much snow had fallen during the winter of - and the sloughs of which there were legions in that country, had frozen up in the fall, full of water. toward the last of february, the snow began to melt. a heavy rain setting in on february th caused it to melt very rapidly until at last the whole prairie was flooded, making it impossible for us to leave our homes for any great distance. it was during this time that the flour and meal gave out. what could we do? bread we must have! at last i thought of the coffee mill (one of the old fashioned kind, fastened to the wall.) i filled it with wheat and went to work. never shall i forget those long hours of grinding to furnish bread for five in the family. never bread tasted sweeter. some of the time i would grind corn for a change and make meal, not, to be sure, the fine meal of today, but we pronounced it good then. our coffee was parched rye. while i was grinding the wheat we had bread only twice a day. at noon, for three weeks, there was nothing on the table except baked potatoes and salt. finally the salt gave out and for four meals we had only potatoes. at last the flood abated and my father started for mankato, forty miles distant, to procure some provisions. the roads were something awful, but after three days he returned with flour, meal and other needed supplies. what a rejoicing to see him safely back! i was glad to be released from my job as miller. on aug. , ' a messenger came through our little settlement situated on east chain lakes in martin county, telling us there seemed to be trouble at the indian agency. it was feared it might prove serious. our settlement consisted of six families. as there was scarcely any ammunition in the neighborhood one of the men started to mankato, forty miles distant, to procure some. when he reached gordon city, half way, he was told that it would not be safe to proceed. even if he did he could get no ammunition, as gordon city could not secure any and minnesota was short. the massacre had begun on outlying country round new ulm. our little settlement awaited anxiously his return. he had left saturday morning, aug. nd. late in the afternoon of that day my father and mother were away some little distance from the house. i was alone. chancing to look out i saw twenty mounted men coming across the prairie. my heart stood still. where could i hide? at last i decided to run to our nearest neighbor's about a quarter of a mile away, warn her and we could die together. she and her three little children were alone, as it was her husband who had gone for ammunition. i ran, glancing back once, i could see the horsemen were increasing their speed. i reached her house and rushing in said, "mrs. fowler, the indians are coming!" calmly, she stood up and with a white face said. "well we can die here as well as anywhere." just then her little girl of eight years with a child's curiosity ran out and peeped around the corner of the house. she came running back saying, "why, they are white men." the reaction nearly took all our strength. i stepped out. just then two of our friends from winnebago city, twenty miles east of us, rode up. they had seen me running and hurried after me guessing my fear that they were indians. i went back home where there were twenty mounted men from winnebago city, their objective point being jackson, fourteen miles west of us where there was a small norwegian settlement. my mother and i got supper for them and they went on their way. during the night a messenger came from winnebago asking how long since they had left. he said there were orders for them to go to madelia. he found them before morning and turned their course for madelia. had they gone to jackson they would have been in time to prevent the massacre of fourteen persons which took place where they were holding church services. a few escaped and told that it was a band of five indians that did that awful work of killing and mutilating. we were not aware of that cruel work so near us on that bright sabbath day. early in the spring, a son of dr. mills of red wing came, bringing with him his pretty wife and two children, two and three years old. they had taken land six miles north of us and with the exception of an old trapper, who resided alone near them, our settlement was their nearest neighbors. on that morning my mother said to father, "i think it would be best to go up and bring mrs. mills and children down here for a few days." when father reached the mills' home he found that mr. mills had gone out on the prairie that morning to look for his yoke of oxen that had strayed away during the night. mrs. mills left a note for him telling where she and the children had gone and gladly came to our home. about four o'clock our neighbor returned saying there was no ammunition to be had and that we must all leave our homes at once. it was not safe to stay. in those days every settler had hoops and canvas for his wagon, as those were what he had come into that part of the country with. so with all haste the "prairie schooners" were prepared. with true eastern forethought for her family my mother put in food enough for several days, a bed and trunk of clothes. one wagon, we found, would not hold all our goods and us too. meantime no word came from mr. mills. we left our home just at dusk, a sad band of six families. we took mrs. mills and family with us, she not knowing what might have been the fate of her husband, but bravely and quietly going with us. every farmer drove his herd of cattle and horses. it was all they could move. one of our neighbors, mrs. george fowler, sister of the late mrs. j. j. hillmer, was confined to her bed with a babe two weeks old. she had to be carried on a bed in their wagon. mr. fowler's father, mother and sister from new haven, conn., were spending the summer in the west with their son. we started for winnebago city, our nearest town east. we traveled all night to make that twenty miles, making slow progress with our heavy wagons, poor roads and herds. that country was full of sloughs at that time. often during the night, the wagon would become stuck, and the men would unhitch the horses, we would walk out on the tongue of the wagon to more solid ground, then they would hitch chains to the end of the tongue and pull it out. we reached winnebago in the morning and found the people had fled in fright like ourselves. there were only a few men left to guard the post office and store. we could not find safety there. we felt more fright. thinking we were left behind to danger, we continued our course east all that day. from all cross roads wherever the eye turned we could see wagon loads of people and herds of stock coming. ask anyone where they were going, the answer would be, "don't know. going where the crowd goes." on our second day out mr. mills found us and his wife and children. i often wonder how he did in that crowd. at night the women and children slept in the wagons while the men lay under the wagons and kept guard. every settlement we came to was deserted, every farm house empty, desolation everywhere. we traveled on until the afternoon of aug. th when we reached the town of albert lea. much to our joy we found this not deserted. there were five hundred of that frightened crowd camped near albert lea that night. we camped near a farm house on the outskirts of the town. we found there some fine people who kindly took mrs. mills and children into the house. five days after our arrival at this farm house, mrs. mills gave birth to a fine boy. we stayed here several days when the news came that it was thought the trouble was over and it would be safe to return. only, three families returned to our settlement, the others going to relatives farther east. on the second night after reaching home we were awakened toward morning by our neighbor saying, "there are buildings burning on the farms west of us." we arose and dressed, lighting our lamps. my father and the neighbor, mr. holmes fowler, said they would creep up carefully and see what it meant. mother and i were left alone. father returned shortly saying, "the vacant houses are all burned. i shall send you and mother, mrs. fowler and her three children to winnebago to get men to come to our rescue. we will stay here and guard our stock." four miles east and near our road leading to winnebago lived two young men. said father, "you stop there and send one of the neighbors for help." we started just at break of day. when two miles from home a sight met our gaze that surely froze the blood in our veins. there, a short distance from the road, quietly grazing in the tall slough grass, were three indian ponies. every moment we expected to see their riders rise from the grass and make a dash for us. quietly we drove on feeling more dead than alive, expecting every moment to hear that awful indian yell. but nothing happened. during the winter, six months before, a band of one hundred sioux braves, their squaws and papooses camped six miles west of our home. often several of them at a time came down to the settlement. we always gave them food and never thought of being afraid of them. when they broke camp they camped one night near our house. how well i remember taking out a milk pan of doughnuts and passing them around. i wonder if those doughnuts left an impression! two miles from winnebago we had to ford the blue earth river. the banks were quite steep. one of our horses was a high spirited full blood morgan mare. she always made it a point to kick when going down those banks, often coming down astride of the tongue of the wagon. my brave mother was the driver that day. we reached the bank. carefully, with steady, dainty steps, head proudly raised, she slowly took us down that steep bank and across the river bringing us safely upon the other side. i say she, for so much depended upon her, for her good mate was always gentle. fully she seemed to realize the situation and fully demonstrated her love, and realized the responsibility placed upon her one mate. just before entering winnebago we met a company of ten mounted men going to the help of the three men we had left. they returned that day accompanied by father and his two neighbors bringing their herds of stock. after being in winnebago a few days we received word that a company of fifty mounted men from winona were coming. they had enlisted for thirty days. they were called the winona rangers. after a few days they came and we were escorted home by them. they built a barracks in our settlement and guarded a portion of that section of country for their enlisted term. the government sent the twenty-fifth wisconsin regiment to winnebago where barracks were built. portions of companies were distributed throughout the adjoining counties, a company of them taking the place of the winona rangers when their time was up. owing to my mother's ill health we removed to homer, where her brother lived. two hundred and fifty miles we went in our covered wagon, through the cold and snow of november. my father had made the trip weeks before and driven our stock down. in our wagon was stored what little we could bring of our household goods, the rest was left. on thanksgiving day of we reached my uncle's house in the neighborhood where we now live. keewaydin chapter minneapolis miss marion moir mrs. gideon pond-- . on the twenty-third day of august, , i was married to robert hopkins. he was preparing to come to the northwest as an assistant missionary in the dakota mission, and in march , we started on our long journey from ohio to fort snelling, sent out by the american board. we came down the ohio and up the mississippi in a steamboat, stopping off for sabbath and had to wait a long time for a boat at galena after spending sunday there. we reached fort snelling in may after a tedious journey. from fort snelling we started up the minnesota river in an open boat propelled by oars. at night we camped on the banks and cooked our supper. in the party were mr. and mrs. steven riggs and their two children and his wife's brother. dr. riggs was just returning from the east where he had had some books printed in the dakota tongue. we also had three men to row the boat. we suffered much from the myriads of mosquitoes. we baked our bread each day. it was simply flour and salt and water baked in a frying pan before a smoking camp fire. it was very distasteful to me and i determined to have a loaf of light bread. i had some home made yeast cakes in my luggage as bought yeast cakes were then unknown. i soaked one of them in a pail of river water, stirred in some flour and soon had some nice light yeast. i mixed a loaf of bread and set it where the hot sun would keep it warm. at night it was ready to be baked and i used a little dutch oven which was on the boat to bake it in. the oven was like a black iron kettle flat on the bottom and standing on three little legs about three inches long. we placed coals under the oven and a thick iron cover heavier than any you ever saw, we heated in the fire and placed over the oven to bake the bread on the top, while to bake it on the sides we turned the oven around. i attending the baking of my bread with great solicitude and care. while it was baking an indian man came into the camp and sat down by the fire. i paid no attention to him but attended to my loaf, just as i would have done if he had not been there. mrs. riggs said, "you should not have let that man see your bread." i said, "why not," and she answered, "he may come in the night and steal it," which i thought was preposterous. in the morning i fried some bacon, made coffee, spread the breakfast on the ground and went to get my bread and it was gone. so the breakfast had to wait until i could mix some of the bread i disliked so much and bake it. i remember well i thought "so this is the kind of people i have come to live among." at the point called traverse de sioux we left the river and made the remainder of our journey nearly one hundred miles in wagons which had been sent from the mission at lac qui parle to meet us. a new station was to be started at traverse and mr. riggs and two of the men remained there to build houses for us. we were four or five days going from traverse to lac qui parle and had many thrilling adventures. dr. riggs had been east a year and had taken with him three young indian men that they might see and learn something of civilized life. they were returning with us on their way to their homes. the last morning of our journey two of them proposed to go ahead on foot and reach their friends, as they could go faster so, than in wagons. the other, being sick, remained with us. we had an extra horse and later he was told that he might ride on to meet his friends. after some time he came tearing back. he excitedly told us that his only brother had come to meet him and had been murdered by ambushed ojibway indians. we soon came to where the scalped and bleeding body lay, right across the road. the men of our party carried the body gently to one side and covered it with a canvas. in a short time we met large numbers of indian men armed and very much excited, in pursuit of those who had murdered their neighbor and friend. i could not understand a word they said, but their gestures and words were so fierce that i expected to be killed. they fired at our team and one of the horses was so seriously injured that we had to stop. mrs. riggs and i walked the rest of the journey, five miles, she carrying her fifteen months old baby. this was july , . my first baby was born on the th of the following september. on this last five miles of our journey, indian women came out to meet us. some of them had umbrellas and held them over us. they seemed to know that this was a terrible adventure for us. one of them put her arms around me and tried to help me on and was as kind as any white woman. they offered to carry mrs. riggs' baby, but the little thing was afraid of them and cried so that they could not. mrs. riggs kept saying over and over again, "fear not, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." the indians seemed to me very poor, indeed. they had for many years depended upon the buffalo but now these were growing very scarce and no longer furnished a living for them. the indian women each year planted small patches of corn with only their hoes for plows. they raised only small amounts and they had no store houses. sometimes they buried their supply of food for the coming spring in holes in the ground, but dared not mark the place for fear of having their supplies stolen, so they were not always able to find it when it was wanted. in the fall they gathered wild rice which they threshed by flailing it in buffalo skins. in the spring they made a little maple sugar. they were often very short of food and suffered from hunger. one day i cooked a squash, putting the parings in a swill pail. an old indian woman came in and made loud cries of dismay when she saw my wastefulness, saying, "why did you throw this away?" she then gathered them carefully out of the pail and carried them home in her blanket to cook. pies that were set out on the window sill to cool disappeared also. this first winter was spent at lac qui parle, or medeiadam, (med-day-e-a-da) "the lake that speaks," in both tongues. i was told that it was so named from a remarkable echo about the lake. i kept house in a little room on the second floor of a log house. dr. williamson and his family lived on the lower floor. one day as i was alone sitting at my table writing, the door of my room opened and a hideously painted indian came in. his face, as nearly as i can remember, was painted half red and half black with white streaks across. a band around his head contained a number of large feathers, indicating the number of enemies he had killed. he evidently hoped to frighten me terribly. i determined i would try not to let him know how frightened i was. i sat still at my table and kept on with my writing and in a short time he went down stairs again. this indian was the famous little crow, the leader of the outbreak of . afterwards my second husband, mr. pond, tried to teach little crow to read music and he told me that he had double teeth all around. little crow learned to sing and had a fine voice. he was a fine looking fellow without his paint; tall, slender and strong looking. in the spring of , april , we started on our journey back to traverse de sioux. we had a snow storm on the way but reached our new home in peace and safety. this was a one room log cabin with a little attic above. the indians here were not quite as friendly as those at lac qui parle and seemed to wish we had never come among them. i had a class of all the little indian girls that i could persuade to come to school. their parents seemed very much opposed to having their children learn to read, sew, cook or anything else. i think they had an idea that in some way we would be paid for our trouble in teaching them and that it would be to their disadvantage when they sold their land. at any rate only a few girls came to school. in order to make my task of teaching them less unpleasant i provided basins, towels, soap and combs and requested them to use them each day as they came in. contrary to my expectations they seemed to delight in these morning ablutions, especially if i brought a mirror so they might see themselves. one of these girls was an especial favorite of mine. she came quite regularly and seemed interested in trying to learn all she could. she was about fifteen years old. the girls had to walk about a mile through the deep snow to reach the school. one day this favorite girl was absent. i asked why she was not there, but the other girls did not know. the next day again she was absent and the other girls told me the reason was because she did not wish to marry a man who had bought her and had three wives already. that day her parents went for food from a store of provisions which they had, leaving her at home to care for the younger children. while they were gone she committed suicide by hanging herself. the indian tents were heated by making a fire on the ground in the center, the smoke partially escaping through a hole in the top. on each side of this fire they drove a forked stick into the ground and laying a pole across these sticks hung on it their utensils for cooking. to this pole this poor indian girl had tied a rope attached to a strap about her neck and, the pole being low, had lifted her feet from the ground and hanged herself rather than marry a man she did not love. one day when i was alone in my house at oiyuwega or traverse de sioux an indian man came softly in and sat down by the stove. i soon saw that he was drunk, which frightened me a little. i said nothing to him except to answer his questions because i did not wish to rouse his anger. presently he reached to the stove and lifted a griddle and i thought he was going to strike me. the griddles on the cook stoves then, each had its handle attached instead of having a separate handle. i slipped out of the door and soon he went away. later he came back and said, "they tell me i was going to strike you the other day. i was drunk and that is my reason. i would not have done it if i had been sober." i accepted his apology, thinking it a good one for an unlearned indian. the treaty between the u. s. government and the dakota indians was made in july of . the commissioners of the government three in number, came in june. their chief was luke lee. there were no houses where the white people could be entertained, so they camped in tents on the bluffs of the minnesota river near an old trading house, occupied at that time by mr. le blanc. the bluff was not an abrupt one, but formed a series of terraces from the river to the summit. the camp was on one of these terraces. there was a scarce fringe of trees along the river but from there to the top and as far back as the eye could see, perhaps for two miles back on the bluff, there was not a bush or tree. a great many white men assembled, gov. ramsey, gen. sibley, hon. h. m. rice, editors also from some of our newspapers, among them mr. goodhue of the pioneer press, were there. traders, too, came to collect debts from the indians when they should receive the pay for their land. mr. and mrs. richard chute of st. anthony came. accidentally their tent had been left behind and they found a boarding place with me. the indians were there in great numbers. many of them were from the far west and these were much more uncouth and savage looking than any who lived around us. some of their women wore no garment but the skin of animals which formed a skirt reaching from a few inches above the waist to the knee and hung from the shoulders by straps. the indians pitched their tents on different terraces of the bluff some little distance away from the white people's camp. daily the indians had their feasts, dances and games of different sorts. they seemed a little afraid to treat, were afraid of being wronged and were very cautious. the commissioners were very kind to them and treated them with great respect. they prepared for a great celebration of the fourth of july. the mission families, hopkins and huggins, were invited to be present. mr. hopkins was asked to make an address and lead in the opening prayer. he rose early that fair beautiful morning and went, as was his custom, for a bath in the river. i made haste to prepare breakfast for my family of seven. my youngest child was seven weeks old that day. but the father never came back and the body was found three days later. there were four white women at the place at that time, mrs. huggins, the wife of the other missionary, miss amanda wilson, a mission school teacher, mrs. chute, a fair, beautiful young woman visitor and myself. we were just a short distance from the old crossing called by the dakotas, oiyuwega, (o-e-you-way-ga) and by the french traverse de sioux. in september i went back to my mother in ohio with my three little children. mr. and mrs. riggs were going east, too, for a visit, and again i journeyed with them. as there was a large party of us and the american board which paid our expenses was not wealthy, mr. riggs thought we ought not to travel first class, so we went in the second class coaches. the seats were hard, like benches. my daughter, sadie, then two and a half years old, was taken sick and cried and begged for water but there was none. i was in the deepest distress at not being able to give the poor sick little thing a drink. in the night the train stopped somewhere for water and a young man whom i could not remember ever having seen before got off and bought a cup of water for twenty-five cents and gave it to the poor, sick baby. if i have thought of that young man once i have thought hundreds, perhaps thousands of times of him and wished that i could thank him again and tell him what a beautiful thing he did. i remained with my mother till i was married to mr. pond in april . again this northwest became my home. the indians had sold their land to the government and been sent farther west. the country was filling up with white settlers. bloomington has been my home ever since. when i came to bloomington as a bride there were seven motherless children of the first mrs. pond, the eldest being about fifteen years old. i brought with me my three fatherless children, so our family numbered twelve. our home was a log house of six rooms. there were no schools anywhere within our reach. every morning our children and some of our neighbor's gathered about our long kitchen table which was our dining table as well, for their lessons taught by the mother or one of the older children. there were no sewing machines to make the numerous garments necessary for our family, no lamps, no kerosene. we made our own candles as well as our own bread and butter and cheese and soap. our lives were as busy as lives could be. in the summer of we made bricks on our own place with which we built the house where i have lived ever since. mr. mcleod was our nearest neighbor. north of us i cannot remember that we had any nearer than minneapolis. down toward fort snelling lived mr. quinn in a little bit of a house. one night mr. pond was at the old sibley house at mendota when a number of traders were there. during the evening as they told stories and made merry, many of the traders told of the joys of sleeping out of doors with nothing between them and the starry sky; how they never minded how hard the bed was if they could only see the green trees around them and the stars above. mr. pond, who also had had experience in outdoor sleeping, said that he liked nature too, but he preferred to sleep, when he could, with a roof over him and a good bed beneath him. after some laughter and joking on the subject, the traders, one by one, stole out and gathering up all the feather beds the house afforded, heaped them upon the bed in the attic which mr. pond was to occupy, thinking that he would at once see the joke and return their beds to them. instead, he climbed upon the mountain of feathers, laughing at the joke on his would-be-tormentors and slept comfortably all night while they had to spend the night on hard boards. he loved to tell this story of how the laugh was on them. mrs. e. r. pond-- . after the indian outbreak the different tribes were broken up and outside indians called to the leadership. a little, wavy-haired indian named flute was one of these. he had never learned to wear the white man's foot gear. with a number of others he was taken to washington. he went as a chief and soon after his return came one day to my door. he was a keen observer and, i knew, would have something interesting to tell of his journey, so i was glad to ask him about it. he began by saying that when he had seen the young indians all dressed up in suits of store clothes, especially in long boots, he thought, they must be very comfortable. he was very glad when he reached yankton, to put on a suit of white man's clothes. he said all those who were going on the trip were put into a car where there was not room to lie or sit down and were in it for two nights. when he got off at chicago he found his feet and legs were very sore from his new boots. when he saw all the people in chicago he thought, "it seems very strange that little crow should be such a fool as to think he could conquer the white man. little crow had been to washington and knew how many men 'grandfather' (president) had." he knew he had a great many soldiers but he also knew he was having a big war. "there were so many people in chicago that i thought he must have summoned the young men from all over the country that we might be impressed by their number. and they were all in such a hurry. no one had time to stop anywhere. we finally reached new york and were taken up, up, in a building and allowed to stay there and rest several days. we wondered a good deal what they would do in case of fire, but supposed they never had any. we asked the interpreter about it. one evening there was an unusual noise. it was always noisy, but this was everything noise. then the interpreter came and said, 'come quick now and see how grandfather fights fire.' we went downstairs quick and every man was calling as loud as he could. all of a sudden we heard a great bell ringing and there were a number of those little men with horses hitched to something that looked like buffalo's paunch with entrails rolled around it. they had a great many ladders and how they did it i don't know, but they went to work like squirrels and climbed, one ladder above another, until they reached the top. white men are wonderful. they ran up just like squirrels and took the buffalo entrails with them. threw water, zip! pretty soon, all dark! fire gone!" "we stayed in grandfather's country three or four weeks. tobacco was plenty, very strong, no good! we walked about in washington a good deal. one day we saw some red willow on little island. little bridge led to island. we thought we could cross over and get some red willow to go with strong tobacco. two or three went over to get it. after they began to cut it one looked up and said, 'why grandfather didn't want us to come here,' and there were men with little sticks and they just made a few motions and broke the bridge. then we saw a boat coming. as soon as it got through and the bridge was mended we thought we had better start back, so we started over and pretty soon a train of cars was coming. we couldn't go back, were afraid to stay on bridge, so dropped down and held on to beam while train went by. bridge shook dreadfully. we hurried back and thought we would use white man's tobacco as it was." all the while flute was telling this story he was gesticulating with motions appropriate to the story and often reiterating "little crow is a fool," and crying, "hey!" mrs. john brown-- . the sioux indians did not often give a child to be brought up by white people, but jane williamson--"aunt jane" took little susan and david, two very young dakota children, to see what environment would do for the indian. later they were placed in other families. little susan, though a sioux indian, was dreadfully afraid of indians having always lived with the white people. one day in when all the men about the two places were busy plowing the field back of our house, mrs. whalen, with whom little susan lived, felt nervous as a number of indians had been seen about, so she took little susan and come to spend the day with me, her nearest neighbor. the house was just a small temporary board one. little susan asked for a piece of bread and butter and went out and sat on the indian mound by the house to eat it. here the indians must have seen her, for soon after she went back into the house, twenty indians came into the yard and up to the open doorway--the door not yet being hung. twelve indians filed in and filled the room. my baby was in the cradle by the door. little susan, mrs. whalen and i were also in the room. the braves began to ask questions about little susan, "is she good squaw? we are sioux and love little sioux girl. we want to shake hands with her." they passed her along, one handing her hand to another, till the one nearest the door pushed her out. the indians out doors shot her through the arm and breast and she fell forward. i seized my baby from the cradle and looking out the door, saw that five or six of the indians had their feet on little susan's breast, scalping her. i screamed for the men who were hidden from view by the trees between the house and clearing. when they reached the house the indians--chippewas, were gone. for months afterwards arrow heads and other things which they had dropped in their flight were found about the place. one large bundle was found in the yard. there is a stone in memory of little susan in the bloomington cemetery. often as i came up the hill from the spring with water, an indian would softly cross the path in his moccasined feet and give me such a start that i nearly dropped my pail of water. this spring is the one from which the minneapolis automobile club, situated on the minnesota river draws its supply. just a little west of the club house is the place where little susan was killed, also an indian mound and the marks of an old trail. one day an indian walked into my house and asked me for a whetstone. i gave it, not daring to refuse him. he sat down and sharpened his knife, feeling its edge and pointing often and looking significantly at me. a shakopee indian once said to mr. james brown, keeper of the ferry, "our pond's a good deal better man than your pond. your pond preaches for nothing, but our pond preaches for nothing and gives a good deal to the church." mr. pond once met a shakopee indian on the trail and neither would turn out for the other. they ran into each other "bump." indian said "ho." mr. pond said, "ho." each continued on his way. rochester chapter belle boynton welch (mrs. e. a. welch) miss ida wing marion l. dibble-- . after a tedious journey alternating between steam boats and railroad cars, we arrived at red wing. here father left us and went on foot to his new home. procuring a yoke of oxen from a kind neighbor, he returned to red wing and brought us there. our first work was to cover our bark roof with sods taken from our future garden, and to build a stone fireplace to warm our house and cook our food. the country was wild prairie with some strips of timber along the branches of zumbro river, which ran about a mile east of our house, along the banks of which river could be seen the remains of indian tepees and their paths crossed the country in all directions. game and fish were very plentiful. during our first winter, we had a deer hung on every rafter on the north side of the house. our supply of meat for the first year or two depended upon our success as hunters and fishermen. mr. m. g. cobb-- . in july , i walked from high forest to austin to record a deed. the distance was thirty-five miles, and as there were no roads, i was guided by my compass. i passed only three houses on the way. i found no one at home, and was unsuccessful in my endeavor to get a drink of water. i made the journey on sunday, and a hot july day. there was no means of getting water from the wells, as there were no pumps. water was drawn from the wells by a rope and bucket. i looked into the window of one house and could see the bucket and rope in the kitchen, but the houses were locked. so i traveled wearily on until i reached austin, when my tongue fairly hung out of my mouth, and was so swollen that i could not speak aloud for two hours. i made this trip in one day. i could have mailed the deed, as there was a stage coach carrying the mail once a week, but i was a young man and thought i could easily walk that distance, and then be sure that my business was attended to properly. two rival stage coach lines went from chatfield to winona. it took a whole day to make the trip, a stop being made for dinner at a village called enterprise. the regular fare for the trip was $ . . the stagecoaches started from madarra hotel, chatfield. this hotel is still there, and is called by the same name. walker & co. ran one of the lines. it was mr. walker who first accosted me and said, "if you will go with me, i will take you for c." i answered that i had a lady friend who was going on the same trip, and mr. walker at once agreed to take her also at the same price-- cents. a little later i was accosted by mr. burbank, who had established stage lines on the most important routes in minnesota and he was endeavoring to run out his rival, mr. walker. he asked me to go with him. i told him that walker had agreed to take me for cents, wherewith mr. j. c. burbank declared, "well, i will take you for nothing and pay for your dinner besides." judge lorin cray-- . in the early spring of ' my father and brother-in-law started with teams of oxen and covered wagons from our home near oshkosh, wisconsin, to seek a location in the west, where homes could be had "without money and without price," in the great new state of minnesota. in october of ' all of the earthly belongings of my father, being my mother, seven children and a handful of household goods, were loaded into a wagon drawn by a pair of unbroken steers, and we started for our new home with great anticipations. our two cows were driven behind the wagon. my elder brother drove the steers attached to the wagon, and we, the younger children drove the cows, and in the short period of precisely thirty days we reached our new home in the western part of shelby county. now we make the trip in twelve hours. but our loads were heavy for the teams we had, and through wisconsin sand and good minnesota mud, we made scarcely more than ten miles a day, camping at night in and under our wagons. the year had been a peculiar one in wisconsin. there had been severe frost at some time in every month during the entire summer and corn and other produce was badly frost bitten. by october first all vegetation was brown and dead. but there had been much rain in minnesota, evidently preventing frosts, and when we crossed the great father of waters at la crosse, much swollen and turbid, we were greeted by green foliage and the freshness of spring. vegetation was rank, grass tender, crops good, foliage magnificent, and boy-like, i at once fell in love with minnesota. we entered blue earth county near the southeast corner, and went as nearly directly west as possible, passing minnesota lake near the north shore, camping for the last time very close to the north shore of lura lake, where we spent the night. my recollection of the southern part of this county, is that it was mostly low and level, with a wonderful growth of wild grasses. the lands were nearly all taken and there were seen here and there settlers' shanties, and in some places quite comfortable homes, until we crossed the blue earth river west of shelbyville, when, after leaving the settlers' cabins in or near the river timber, the picture was wild and dreary to the very limit. save a few cabins and claim shanties in the vicinity of the mounds, one could look from the river west, southwest and northwest, and not a sign of human life or habitation could be seen. we were four miles from shelbyville, and to get our mail we must go this distance, and cross the blue earth river, either in a canoe or by fording. i remember one occasion in the very early spring, when the river was scarcely free from ice, and was badly swollen, filling its banks, five or six of us, neighbors, started for shelbyville on foot to get our mail, and to hear the postmaster read the news from the weekly st. paul paper which came to him, there being at that time, i think, no newspaper taken west of the river. we reached the river. the ice had gone out, and the boat was on the other side. we agreed to draw cuts and decide who should swim the river and get the boat. the lot fell upon jonah, and i have had chills ever since. i am not quite certain that the cuts were fairly held. father's claim was not a very desirable one. soon after he had taken it a man named sam tait came into the country and "jumped" a claim which adjoined ours upon the east, and was the making of a much more desirable farm than ours. he succeeded in holding the claim. a few days after our arrival a prairie fire came from the west and with a brisk wind swept the whole country with a very besom of destruction. we came near losing everything we had. sam was a loser, quite a quantity of his hay was destroyed. very shortly after the fire he made us an informal call and in language not the most polite but very emphatic, declared his intention to leave the country at once and offered to sell us his claim. we bought it, one hundred and sixty acres of land, three acres broken, a small stock of hay not burned, his sod stable and board shanty. for the purchase price we gave him a shot gun and hauled two loads of his goods to mankato. this was my first visit to mankato. we removed our shanty to our new purchase at once. two years ago my brother and i sold the farm for $ , and it was well worth it. it seemed at first in those early days impossible to have social relations with anyone. neighbors as we had known them, we had none. the nearest settlers were a mile distant from us, and there were but four or five families nearer than two or three miles distant. but we soon learned that we had neighbors even though the distance was considerable. first one neighbor and then another would extend to every family in the vicinity an invitation to spend an afternoon or an evening. someone would hitch his oxen to his wagon or sled, and going from house to house, gather up a full load well rounded up and then at the usual gait for such conveyances, we rode and visited and sang until we reached the appointed place, where perhaps, eight, ten or a dozen persons spent the afternoon or evening, in the one little room, where the meal was being prepared and the table spread. there were no sets or clans, no grades of society, all belonged to the select four hundred, and all were treated and fared alike. friendships were formed which were never broken, and when recalled always revive tender memories. august th, , the sioux indian troubles began. there were no railroads, no telegraph or telephone lines, but one stage line, and i could never understand how the reports of these troubles traveled as rapidly as they did. on august th this whole country had reasonably reliable information of the uprising. a neighbor came to our house in the night, neighbor went to neighbor and so the news traveled. the men were in a fury of excitement and anxiety, the women and children were quaking with fear. wagons were hastily loaded with women and children, and a little food, animals were turned loose to provide for themselves; houses were left unlocked, oxen were hitched to the wagons, and a general stampede was started toward the east, with all eyes turned toward the west. no one knew whither they were going, they only knew that they dare not stay. a halt was made at shelbyville, the strongest buildings were selected for occupancy, the women and children were placed inside, and the men acted as pickets. in our whole country there were scarcely a dozen guns. the reports came worse and worse, and another pell-mell stampede began for the east, some stopping at wilton, owatonna and rochester. after waiting two or three weeks, and hearing encouraging reports, some of the more venturesome returned to their homes with their families, only to remain a few days, and to be again driven away by the near proximity of the indians, and the sickening reports of their savage murders. this condition continued until late in the fall, when, under the general belief that the indians would not move on the warpath in the winter, the greater number of settlers returned to their homes to save what they could of their nearly destroyed and wasted crops. some never returned. with feelings of partial security, and encouraged by their escape from slaughter thus far, the settlers remained at their homes, under an intense strain of anxiety, but nearly undisturbed until , when the rumblings and rumors of indian troubles were again heard; but the settlers were not so easily terrified as before, and held their ground. on the th day of august, , after quite a long period of comparative repose and freedom from indian disturbances, a party of six or eight indians suddenly appeared in the edge of the timber on the east side of the blue earth, near the town line of shelby and vernon, and taking wholly by surprise mr. noble g. root and his two sons, who were stacking grain, shot and killed mr. root and seriously wounded one, and i think, both of his sons. these indians then crossed the river in a westerly direction, reaching the open country where the willow creek cemetery now is. on that day mr. charles mack of willow creek, with his team and mower had gone to the farm of mr. hindman, a short distance southwest of willow creek to mow hay for mr. hindman, and in exchange mr. hindman had gone to the farm of mr. mack to assist mr. jesse mack in stacking grain. mr. mack and mr. hindman were loading grain directly across the road from the cemetery, when, on looking toward the road, but a few rods away, they saw some indians coming directly toward them. they both hastily got upon the load and mr. mack whipped his horses into a run, when in crossing a dead furrow mr. hindman was thrown from the load, pitchfork in hand, striking upon his face in the stubble and dirt. rubbing the dirt from his eyes as best he could so that he could see, he started to run and when he was able to open his eyes he discovered that he was running directly toward the indians. he reversed the engines somewhat suddenly, put on a little more steam, and made splendid time in the other direction toward the creek bed, less than a quarter of a mile away. once in the creek, the water of which was very shallow at that time, he followed the bed of the creek for nearly a quarter of a mile, and then stopped to rest and to wash the blood and dirt from his face. soon he left the stream and started up the bluff on the opposite side, which was quite steep and covered thickly with timber and brush. when nearly at the top of the bluff he came to a little opening in the brush, and looking ahead about one hundred feet he saw those indians deliberately watching his approach. utterly exhausted and unnerved, he dare not run; he paused, and in a moment a burly indian drew a large knife and started directly toward him. concluding that his day of reckoning had come mr. hindman took the position of a soldier, with his pitchfork at "charge bayonets" and awaited the approach of the indian. the indian came to within a very few feet of mr. hindman and stopped. each stood, looked, and waited for the other to open the meeting; finally the indian turned as if to retreat, and mr. hindman turned again toward the creek. he then followed the creek bed down to the house of mr. charles mack, where he found a pony belonging to himself, which he had ridden there that morning, and started with all speed for his own home, where he arrived just before dark. his children were gone, his house ransacked, nearly everything broken or destroyed, and in the meadow a short distance from the house was the dead body of mr. charles mack. by this time darkness had set in. his wife had gone that day about two miles to the house of mr. jesse thomas to attend a neighborhood quilting. he again mounted his pony and started across the prairie for that place. when about one-half the distance had been made, his pony looked sharply through the semi-darkness in the direction indicated and there about three hundred feet away were the indians; four of them were mounted, the remainder on foot. mr. hindman put whip and spur to his pony and ran him for about a mile, then he stopped in a valley to listen for the indians, but he did not hear or see them. on arriving at the house of jesse thomas he found it deserted, ransacked and nearly everything destroyed. it proved that his children saw the indians attack mr. mack, and ran from the house and secreted themselves in the very tall grass of the slough in which mr. mack was mowing, and escaped with their lives. the ladies at the quilting had a visit from the indians; they saw them approaching from a belt of timber but a few rods away, and escaping by way of a back door to a cornfield which came quite up to the house, all of their lives were saved. the indians secured the horses of mr. root, and also those of mr. charles mack, and those of mr. stevens whose horses were at the place of the quilting. no more honest men, kindhearted and generous neighbors, or hardy pioneers, ever gave their lives in the defense of their property and their families, than were charles mack and noble g. root. a man was asked, why did you return to the west, after having gone back to new york and having spent two years there? his answer was. "neighbors. would you want to spend your life where the people twenty feet away do not know your name or care whether you live or die? we used to have neighbors in the west, but when our baby died in new york, not a person came near us, and we went alone to the cemetery. we thought we would come back home." how very many have had nearly the same experience. in the congested districts it seems to be everyone for himself. on the frontier a settler becomes ill, and his grain is sown, planted and harvested. who by? neighbors. a widow buries her husband and again the neighbors come. it is no light thing for one to leave his own harvest and go miles to save the crop of another, but it is and has been done times without number by those who are tried and true neighbors and the sentiment which prompts such kindly acts counts for something some time, and it means something in making up the sum total of happiness in this short life of ours. what did we have to eat that first year? potatoes and corn. no flour, no meat, some milk. i doubt whether there was a barrel of flour within three miles of our home. no wheat had been raised, no hogs had been fattened; corn and potatoes were the only food. mr. m. r. van schaick-- . i cast my vote for abraham lincoln in in new york and immediately after, with my family, started for minnesota, arriving in rochester late in the season. our household goods were lost for some time, but were recovered at la crosse and hauled by oxen to rochester. one night a man rode into rochester bearing the news that a thousand indians were on their way to massacre all the people west of the mississippi river. great excitement prevailed and most of the farmers and their families rushed into town. i sent my family into town, but my brother and i decided to stay in our homes. after barricading the doors and windows and loading our muskets, we went to bed. about midnight, we heard a stealthy step outside and a moment later someone entered the loft overhead. we sat the rest of the night watching the stairs, but the indian did not appear. just at daylight, i saw him drop silently down by the side of the house and glide away in the shrubbery. the reason of his visit was never known. another time, my near neighbor, mr. jaffeney, who was living alone in a log house was visited by twelve indians on a cold stormy night. at first he saw a dusky face appear at his window, then the form of an indian who silently raised the sash and crept in. he was wet to the skin and his clothes were frozen to his body. he made no sound but sat down on the floor near the fire; soon eleven more followed his example. the man was much frightened, but felt more reassured when the chief lighted a pipe passing it to each of the twelve, and then to the pale face. at the first peep of day, they silently passed through the window and were lost in the shadows. in the early spring when they were breaking up their camp, they left a large deer on his door step to pay for their lodging. wolves and bears were plenty at this time, as well as indians. cattle ran at large, and once when i was yarding my cattle, i was followed for over a mile by wolves. mrs. conrad magnus. several homes near new ulm had been burned by the indians. the women and children left without homes were all sheltered in a warehouse in town. at night the men were on guard. they lacked ammunition, so i sat up all one night melting lead in a teaspoon to make balls. during the night an infant cried incessantly until finally we were afraid it would cry itself to death. there was no milk to give it. at three o'clock in the morning i said i would go out and milk the cow if the men would guard me. several men, with loaded guns, stood around the cow while i got a cupful of milk for the baby. mrs. orin pike-- . we left buffalo late in september, for rochester. as we went on, soldiers came on board the train returning to the country's service, as they said; after a brief furlough at home; votes were then taken from time to time to ascertain the most popular candidate for the presidency resulting, as i recall it now, each time in a large majority for lincoln. this seemed to greatly disturb an elderly man and when apparently he could stand it no longer, he denounced the government as despotic, the draft unconstitutional, the emancipation proclamation as an effort on lincoln's part to flood the whole north with "niggers," characterizing lincoln as a tyrant, who ought to be shot. then there stepped out into the aisle a fine looking young man, who wore shoulder straps and in distinct tones said, "there are three things in this world that i hate--a thousand legged worm, a rattlesnake and a copperhead. a copperhead is the meanest of all." then turning to the old man he went on, "your gray hairs have been your protection while you abused the government. this is a land of free speech, but if you traduce abraham lincoln farther, i will not be answerable for the consequences." votes were afterward taken but the old man was silent contenting himself with looking mad. our train was gone when we reached chicago. we stayed all night, going on early in the morning, reaching la crosse at dusk and leaving the cars to take the boat for winona. the mississippi was very low and the night was spent ere we reached winona. monday morning we again took the cars for st. charles. the railroad then called winona and st. peter, was not completed beyond that point. looking from the car windows, we saw sleds and low looking wagons with one and sometimes two large barrels in them which those who knew, said were for hauling water. the stage took us safely to the "american house" at rochester. monument chapter minneapolis mary frances partridge (mrs. m. e. partridge) anna macfarlane torrance (mrs. ell torrance) mrs. mary e. partridge-- . the pioneers were brave souls, able to cope with emergencies of many kinds. in them, the adage was verified, "as thy days so shall thy strength be." in i left wisconsin, a bride, with my husband, to begin life on a government claim in minnesota. as we passed through what is now the beautiful city of faribault, there was only one frame house, which belonged to a half breed from whom the town was named. we settled eight miles beyond in the township of medford in a small log cabin with bark floors, as there were at that time no saw mills in that locality. soon our simple house was crowded to the utmost with relatives and friends looking for claims in this rare section of the state. there was a scarcity of neighbors, no schools nor places for church or holiday meetings. it was years before i heard a sermon preached. it was plain living in those years of self-denial. only necessities could be gotten, but soon all this changed. neighbors began to settle near. all were willing to share, ever solicitous for the other, all were on a level, simplicity and cordiality prevailed. there were hardships, hard labor and trials of many kinds, but these developed strength of character. all were in the prime of life, of strong manhood and joyous womanhood. "how beautiful is youth, how fair it gleams, with its illusions, aspirations, dreams." there were no complaints or murmurs. children were welcomed gladly. to my home came three before the oldest was four years old. in came the hard times. indian corn was the staple food. few things the farmer raised would bring money. we went without many comforts heretofore deemed indispensable. a little later this first home was sold and another in a southern county better adapted to cattle raising was bought and thither we moved. with a good beginning in horses and cattle and an experience in farming, better than all else, the future held high hopes and bright promises, but, alas for human expectations, the civil war come. already one call had thinned the county of the younger and unmarried men. the second call sounded. the call was urgent, "cease to consult, the time of action calls. war, horrid war, approaches to your walls." all able-bodied patriots enlisted, my husband among the number, with a promise from the stay-at-homes to take care of the crops and look out for the interests of the family. then came hardships and troubles to which pioneer life could not be compared. i was obliged to see crops lost for lack of help to harvest them; cattle and horses well nigh worthless as there was no sale for them, neither was there male help sufficient to cultivate the farm, which went back to former wildness. the government was months behind in paying the soldiers, who at best received only a beggarly pittance. one night, alone with my children, i was awakened by a knock on the window and a call, "hurry! leave at once. the indians are upon us, scalping as they come." with the little ones i fled across the fields to the nearest house, a half mile away, later, to find this a false alarm. another time the alarm was given and again it proved false, but was no easier borne for it was believed the truth. all night long we were kept to the highest pitch of terror expecting every minute to hear the awful war-whoop. the night dragged on without this culmination. my husband died just before the war closed. his nurse at the hospital wrote me of his serious condition and i started at once for the hospital in louisville. there were no railroads in the country at that time, stages and boats were the only means of reaching that point. to show the contrast between traveling then and now, it took me over two weeks to reach louisville and when i arrived at the hospital found that my husband had been buried a week before my arrival. the nurses and officials at the hospital, while exceedingly busy, were most kind and sympathetic in relating to me pleasant recollections of my husband's last days. i recall only two pleasant instances in the otherwise unhappy experience of our separation occasioned by the war. these were the furloughs which brought him home, one while he was stationed at fort snelling lasting for a few days, and later when he was sent home for two or three months as a recruiting officer for his regiment. does the luxurious life men and women of today enjoy, develop character, consideration for others, generosity and sympathy towards the less fortunate neighbor as did the trying pioneer days? if not, where lies the blame? what is the cure? judge loren w. collins-- . in my father visited eden prairie. on arriving they found a lynch court in session. a man named gorman who had squatted upon a very desirable piece of land had gotten into an altercation with a squatter by the name of samuel mitchell. these men were irishmen, gorman a catholic and mitchell a protestant. gorman had filled mitchell's left arm full of shot, and the court gave its judgment that gorman must get out of the country with his family, within twenty-four hours. he had staked out the claim, had built a log house and had ready for crop about two acres of land. my father had $ . in gold with him, probably more money than any other man in the community possessed at that time. gorman sold out to him for the $ . and father took possession. there were then a dozen or fifteen settlers in that vicinity, among them the goulds, the mitchells, mr. abbott and mr. gates. there came about that time, mr. staring, who lived immediately east of us. during that summer some fifteen acres were broken up and the two acres which had been previously made ready for seed by mr. gorman, were planted to corn and potatoes. father hired a yoke of oxen to use during the summer and kept one cow. father returned to massachusetts and in the winter we came to buffalo by rail. in early may we embarked on the steamer "nominee," which was then the fastest boat on the river. at the head of the flagstaff was a new broom which indicated that the boat had beaten every other vessel then running on the river north of galena. the captain was russell blakeley who for many years commanded the best boats belonging to the packet company. we reached st. paul about ten o'clock on may seventh and i remember very well that the thing which attracted my attention more than any other was the newly trimmed cupola of the territorial capitol building. there were at least fifteen steamboats at the lower levee when we arrived there, all busy in unloading. they were packed with passengers and freight coming up the river, but going down they carried very little, for there was nothing to ship. the first shipments of any consequence were potatoes in the spring of . for two or three years after that nearly all the flour and grain used in the territory was brought from galena. father took a pair of oxen and his wagon from the boat and we made our way up a very steep hill from jackson street to third. from there we went up third to the corner of wabasha, where father bought some flour and feed and we drove back to the boat. about five o'clock in the afternoon the nominee steamed up the river as far as fort snelling, taking at least one-fifth of its passengers and freight. we tied up at the ferry boat landing, at the foot of the hill under the old fort, and began to take off our cattle and freight. the hill was very steep leading up to the fort and father, aided by the boys, began to take our goods in small wagon loads to the top of the hill, so that we could properly load them. uncle william, my mother, aunt isabel and the small children had been transferred at st. paul to a small steamboat called the "iola," which was to take them up the minnesota river to hennepin landing, a mile or two from our claim at eden prairie. one of the wagons was left at the top of the hill while father went back for more of the goods. i was told to take care of the cattle. among the cattle was a white heifer, a very wild animal. father put a rope around her horns and gave me the rope to hold, while he went down the hill. i put the rope around one hind wheel of the wagon thinking i could hold the animal that way. while i was standing there in the twilight, six or seven soldiers came out of the fort for guard duty and when they passed me the heifer became frightened, gave a jerk upon the rope and necessarily upon the wheel. the wagon had not been properly coupled, and when the animal at one end of the rope and myself at the other brought pressure upon the wheel, the hind wheels separated from the front, and the wheels, the heifer and the boy, went very hastily to the foot of the hill. part of the time the wheels were off the ground, some of the time it was the heifer, but it seemed to me it was the boy who filled air space the greater portion of the period consumed in the descent. this mishap created great consternation not only among the representatives of uncle sam, but among the people who had just left the boat. it was my first encounter with the united states army and i was badly scared. about ten o'clock after we landed, we started three wagons with a pair of oxen for each and about ten head of cows and young stock. it was a beautiful night, with full moon and after traveling a mile to what was known as bloomington creek, we stopped to graze the cattle and to rest. we all got more or less sleep and it was eight in the morning before we were able to start the cavalcade. we arrived in sight of our future home, under most auspicious circumstances. the weather was mild and the sun shining brightly when we came to a place from where father pointed out the log house in the edge of the woods, with a stovepipe through the roof and the smoke coming out. my uncle sherbuel had remained an occupant of this house all winter, that he might hold this claim of my father's and the one next to it, which had been selected for my uncle william. uncle sherbuel was something of a hunter and trapper, and had made good use of his time during the winter and had a good assortment of furs, otter, wolf, mink, fox and those of smaller animals. he had killed several deer and was tanning the hides at the time we arrived. he had also caught and salted several hundred pounds of bass, pike and pickerel. father had little money left and we were without seed, except potatoes, for about three acres of our land. potatoes were of very little value and it was doubtful if it would pay to plant them, but as we had nothing else to put into the ground father concluded that he would seed the three acres with potatoes, of which he had plenty of the kind known as irish reds, a round potato of exceedingly fine variety. he sowed a few acres of wheat, two or three acres of oats and planted two or three acres of corn and of course, we had a garden. we had to build a yard for the cattle at night, some sort of shelter for them, and we also had to build pig-pens. lumber was almost unobtainable so these structures were largely of logs. they had to be very well built, strong as well as high, in order to keep cattle and hogs out of the fields. i remember that we had one hog that would climb anything in sight and what she could not climb she would dig under. many a time in the summer of ' and ' did i chase that animal and her offspring back into the pig-pen. i had a most tremendous appetite. our food consisted mostly of potatoes, bread, wheat or corn, beans and plenty of game. ducks, chickens or fish could be had by going a few hundred feet in almost any direction. we had no well and all the water we used was hauled from the lake, nearly a half mile distant. father rigged up a crotch of a tree upon which was placed a water barrel and this was dragged back and forth by a yoke of cattle. starting from the lake with a full barrel we had good luck if we reached the house with half of it. in the summer when the corn began to get into the milk stage, we had a great fight with the blackbirds. they would swarm down upon the fields and picking open the heads of the ears, would practically spoil every ear they touched. scare-crows were of no service in keeping the birds off, and finally the boys were put into the fields, upon little elevations made of fence rails, with guns loaded with powder and shot. we killed hundreds of birds in order to save the corn and had good crops of wheat and oats and we also had a most remarkable yield of potatoes; so large in fact, that we had to build a root-cellar in the hillside out of logs. we dug potatoes and picked them up that fall until i was nearly worn out, but in the spring the demand for potatoes was so great that father sold bushels at $ . a bushel. this gave him a large amount of ready money and he bought a pair of horses. there were plenty of sioux indians living in the vicinity of shakopee. a reddish colored stone, about two feet high stood a half mile west of our place on the indian trail leading from minnetonka to shakopee. around this stone the indians used to gather, engaged apparently in some religious exercise and in smoking kinni kinic. my cousin william and i raised that summer a quantity of nice watermelons, the seeds having been brought from springfield. in the fall we loaded up two wagons with them and with oxen as the motive power started one afternoon for st. anthony. we had to make our way down towards fort snelling until we came within two miles of the fort. then we turned towards our destination. it was a long and tedious trip. we camped out over night and did not reach the west bank of the mississippi river opposite st. anthony until three o'clock the next afternoon. we fed our cattle in a grove not far from where the nicollet house now stands, then started for the ferry, which swung across the mississippi river about where the stone arch bridge now is. the island was heavily timbered and the road ran across at an angle, coming out at a bridge on first street south. we got up onto the street just about the time the men were coming out of the mills, sold our watermelons and went home with $ . each, the proceeds of our first farming. it was a three days trip and a very tiresome one for the boys as well as for the cattle. a friend by the name of shatto and i took up a claim but were hailed out. when the storm ceased, i crawled out and looked around. my stove was broken, everything was water soaked, except some provisions which i had in a bucket which had a cover and my cattle had disappeared. i considered matters for a few minutes and concluded that the only thing i could do was to start for the hotel at kenyon, some three miles away. i was drenched. my boots, all wore boots in those days, were soaked with water and very soon hurt my feet so i had to take them off. i made my way into kenyon and there saw the great destruction which had been done by the hail. there was not a whole pane of glass in the little village and the inhabitants were engaged in patching up their windows with boards and blankets, as best they could. the crops were entirely destroyed. many people had suffered by being struck by hailstones, some of which were as large as hens eggs. i had in my pocket $ . , and i told the landlord, mr. bullis, my condition and that i wanted to stay all night. when supper was ready i went to the table and much to my surprise met a hastings lawyer with whom i had some acquaintance, our seagrave smith. smith urged me to give up the idea of becoming a farmer and take up the study of law. so it was this hail storm that made me a lawyer. in the fall of i secured a school and was initiated as a country school-master. the school house was a log building, about two and a half miles up the river from cannon falls. the neighborhood was largely methodist and the pupils were all boys, about twenty-five in number. there was not at that time in the district a single girl over six years of age and under sixteen. mr. hurlbut had one boy charles about fourteen years of age. very soon after my school commenced for a four months term the methodists concluded they would have a revival. they used the school house every evening for that purpose and on sunday it was occupied all day. nearly all of the pupils attended these meetings, began to profess conversion and in three or four weeks had become probationists. i had adopted the new england custom of having each pupil read a verse from the new testament at the opening of school in the morning, and in a short time deacon morrill and elder curray came to me with the suggestion that i open the school with prayer. i replied that it would not be just the thing for me to be very active in this for i was not a professor of religion but that i had considered the matter and if the boys were willing i should be very glad to call upon them in alphabetical order for a prayer each morning. i submitted this question to the pupils and found that, without exception, they were anxious to adopt the plan. i then said that if it was adopted it would have to be followed to the end of school, no matter what their wishes might be. i made out a roll, putting the names down in order and called upon one boy each morning for prayer. this worked well for a few weeks, but one evening mr. hurlbut said to me that charlie had told him, while they were feeding the cattle, that night, that he would refuse to pray next time i called upon him. i had found it unnecessary to inflict corporal punishment upon a single pupil up to that time, but had in my desk a good stout switch. a few mornings afterwards when it was charlie's turn to open the school with prayer, i called upon him and met a point blank refusal. i directed his attention to what had been said at the outset about continuing this as a school exercise when once adopted, and he still refused. it became necessary for me to stop the insurrection without delay. i took the switch, seized charlie by the coat collar, as he was attempting to get out of his seat, switched him around the legs pretty smartly and the rebellion was at an end. charlie prayed briefly, but fervently. after that there was no more trouble but many of the boys had somewhat fallen from grace before school ended. yet they kept up their devotional exercises without any urging on my part. mr. hurlbut was something of a scoffer at religion and my prompt action with his boy made me extremely popular in the district. i boarded around as was the custom in those days and built my own fires in the schoolhouse. some of the pupils are still residents of that neighborhood and i rarely meet one who does not remind me of my whipping charlie hurlbut until, as they say, he dropped on his knees in prayer. for my four months teaching i received a school district order for $ . and in the fall of ' with this as my sole asset, i commenced the study of law in hastings, with the firm of smith and crosby. it is hardly necessary for me to say that we were all poor in those days. there was no money and no work except farming, but in this way we could earn enough to live upon in a very humble manner. i first saw the late judge flandrau at lewiston, he was then indian agent and was making his way on horseback from faribault to hastings. he had a party of twelve or fifteen men with him, all full blood or mixed blood indians, and they stopped for dinner. judge flandrau was very tanned and clad in the garb of the indian as were his associates; it was with difficulty that i determined which one of the party was the white man flandrau. [illustration: early soldiers at fort snelling. (see pages and .) presented by mrs. p. v. collins.] charter oak chapter faribault miss stella cole mr. elijah g. nutting-- . my father's hotel, the hotel de bush, as we derisively called it, was the first hotel in faribault. it may perhaps be called a frame house by courtesy, rather than technically, as it was made by placing boards vertically side by side, battened together by a third board. on the first floor were the family apartments, separated from the dining room and the "office" by partitions of cotton cloth hung on wires. the office, ten feet by twelve, boasted an improvised desk, a stool and a candle. the second floor was called the "school section," a large apartment filled with bedsteads rudely made of boards and supporting straw, hay or coarse grass ticks. here the fortunate early bird took his rest, fully clothed, even to his boots, protected from the snow, which blustered in at the unglazed windows by his horse blankets. later comers took possession of the straw ticks on the floor and made no complaint next morning when, after a breakfast of salt pork, black tea with brown sugar and butter so strong it could seldom be eaten, they were presented with a bill of $ . . in one corner of this "school section" was a tiny enclosure, screened with a cotton cloth partition, containing a bed and two soap boxes, one for a dressing table and the other for a chair. this was called the "bridal chamber" and was to be had at a suitable price, by those seeking greater privacy. we had bread and pork for breakfast, pork and bread for dinner, and some of both for supper. a large sheet iron stove down stairs was kept red hot in the winter and a man was employed to prevent people, coming in from the icy out-of-doors, from rushing too near its heat and thus suddenly thawing out their frozen ears, cheeks or noses. when in or ' my father sold the hotel, its purchaser mortgaged it, paying an interest rate of twenty-four per cent a year. on july fourth, the barron house was formally opened on such a scale of splendor that the days of the faribault house were numbered. the scott brothers built the first saw mill in faribault. it was located on the spot where the new addition to the shoe factory now is. the machinery was brought in from st. louis and came up by boat to hastings at an enormous cost and it took twelve yoke of oxen to haul the boiler from that point. they were a long time getting it from cannon city, as they had to cut a road through the dense woods. a party whom they met after dusk, when he saw the huge cylinder, exclaimed, "well that is the largest saw log i ever saw." mr. j. warren richardson-- . i came with my father and mother from st. anthony where we had lived for a short time, to faribault and settled in walcott where we secured a log house and a claim for $ . . this was on mud creek. while at st. anthony my father had made us such furniture as we needed. from the saw mill he got plank fourteen feet in length, which he cut into strips. he then bored holes in the corners and inserted pieces of pine, taken out of the river, for legs, and thus we were provided with stools. for tables we used our trunks. we slept on ticks full of prairie hay on the floor. these were piled in the corner daytimes and taken out at night. our house on the farm contained one room twenty feet square and as my father used to say "a log and a half story high." we were ourselves a family of five besides three boarders and a stray family of three appearing among us with no home, my mother invited them also to share our scanty shelter. at night she divided the house into apartments by hanging up sheets and the two families prepared their meals on the same cookstove. we made our coffee of potatoes by baking them till there was nothing left in them but a hole, and then crushing them. it was excellent. in winter my father cut timber for his fences. he loaded it onto the bobs which i, a ten year old boy, would then drive back, stringing the logs along the way where they would lie till spring when father split them into rails and built the fence. i have often chased the timber wolves with my whip as i drove along. they would follow the team and then when i turned around to chase them they would turn and run in front of the team. finding that the snow blew in through our covered shake roof, we cut sod and covered the roof with it. the following summer, my father being away, i planted some popcorn, which we had brought from the east, in this sod roof. it grew about fourteen inches high and my father, upon his return, was greatly puzzled by the strange crop which he found growing on his roof. when kindling was needed, my father would raise the puncheons which made our floor and hew some from these. our clothing consisted of kentucky jeans and white shirts for best, with overalls added for warmth in winter. we also wore as many coats as we had left from our eastern outfit. these had to be patched many, many times. the saying always was "patch beside patch is neighborly; patch upon patch is beggarly." i never had underwear or an overcoat until i enlisted. one day i was plowing with a double yoke of oxen. i was driving while mr. whitney was guiding the plow. mr. whitney's brother was across the river hunting for a lost horse. for a long time we heard him shouting, but paid no attention until at last we saw him retreating slowly down the opposite bank before a big bear. he called for help. we got over there in short order. mr. whitney said that the bear had three small cubs up a tree, but when we reached there she had disappeared with one cub. he climbed the tree while his brother and i kept guard below. he caught the two cubs by their thick fur and brought them down and kept them. in , we came into town and i often played with the indian boys, shooting with bows and arrows in "frogtown," which was lined with indian tepees. they always played fair. our log schoolhouse had rude desks facing the sidewall. mrs. henry c. prescott-- . my father, dr. nathan bemis, came to faribault where his father and brother had already settled when i was eight years old. we went first to the nutting house, but as there was only the "bridal chamber" with its one bed for the use of women, mr. john whipple, although his wife was ill, invited my mother, with my baby sister, to stay at his house, which was across the street. my sister, and a young lady who had come with us, slept in the bed in the "bridal chamber." my father and brother laid their straw ticks on the floor outside and i occupied a trundle bed in mrs. nutting's room. we soon moved out to the smallidge house, east of town, where our family consisted of our original seven and four men who boarded with us. there was but one room, and only a small part of the floor was boarded over and on this, at night, we spread our cotton ticks, filled with "prairie feathers" or dried prairie grass, and the men went out of doors while the women went to bed. in the morning the men rose first and withdrew. the ticks were then piled in a corner and the furniture was lifted onto the floor and the house was ready for daytime use. gradually by standing in line at the sawmill, each getting a board a day, if the supply held out, our men got enough boards to cover the entire floor. the next winter general shields offered us his office for our home, if we could stand the cold. he, himself, preferred to winter in the nutting hotel. this winter was a horror to us all. we all froze our feet and the bedclothes never thawed out all winter, freezing lower each night from our breath. before going to bed my brother used to take a run in the snow in his bare feet and then jump into bed that the reaction might warm them for a little while. all thermometers froze and burst at the beginning of the winter so we never knew how cold it was. someone had always to hold my baby sister to keep her off the floor so that she might not freeze. at night my mother hung a carpet across the room to divide the bedroom from the living room. dish towels hung to dry on the oven door would freeze. that winter my father's nephew shot himself by accident and it was necessary to amputate his leg. my father had no instruments and there were no anesthetics nearer than st. paul, so my cousin was lashed to a table while my father and dr. jewett took off the leg with a fine carpenter's saw and a razor. he was obliged to stay in bed all winter for fear the stump would freeze. later we lived, for a time, in a log house. the rain penetrated the chinks, and i remember once when my sister was ill the men had to keep moving the table around, as the wind shifted, to screen her from the rain. there was no butter, eggs, milk or chickens to be had; no canned things or fresh vegetables. my mother once bought a half bushel of potatoes of a man who came with a load from iowa, paying $ . a bushel. when she came to bake them, they turned perfectly black and had to be thrown away. the man was gone. again my father bought half a hog from a man who brought in a load of pork, but my mother had learned her lesson and cooked a piece before the man left town and, as it proved to be bad, my father hunted him up and made him take back his hog and refund the money. the first thanksgiving my mother said she was going to invite some young lawyers to dinner who boarded with "old uncle rundle". what she had i can not remember, except "fried cakes" and rice pudding made without milk or eggs, but the guests said they never had eaten anything so delicious. judge thomas s. buckham-- . in three or four hundred indians on their way to the annual payment, camped in the woods between town and cannon city. one evening we went, in a body, to visit them and were entertained by dancing. however, too much "fire water" caused some fear among the guests. we had several courses of lectures during those early years. one year we had as lecturers, wendell phillips, douglas, beecher, tilton and emerson; following them came the peake family, bell ringers and last of all, a sleight of hand performer from mankato, mr. wheeler, who astonished his audience by swallowing a blunt sword twenty-two inches long. at another time we had a home-made "lecture course" in which mr. cole, mr. batchelder, judge lowell, myself and others took part. one of our first celebrations of the fourth of july ended rather disastrously. we had planned a burlesque procession in which everybody was to take part. it started out fairly well. dr. jewett delivered an oration and frank nutting sang a song called "the unfortunate man," but the enthusiasm was shortly quenched by torrents of rain which in the end literally drove most of the participants to drink. after the panic of - , i was sitting idly one day in front of my office on main street, as there was absolutely no law business. no other man was in sight, and there hadn't been a dollar seen in the town in months, except the "shin-plaster" issued by banks, which must be cashed on the instant lest the bank in question should fail over night. suddenly i saw a stranger walking down the street, and as very few strangers had come to town of late, i watched him idly. as he came up he asked, "young man, do you know of a good piece of land which can be bought?" i spoke of a farm south of town of which i had charge, which was for sale for $ . or $ . an acre. he said, "i'll go and see it." two or three hours later as i still sat dreaming, as there was no other business of any kind for any one to do, the man returned and after asking about the title of the land which its owner had pre-empted, said that he would think about it and went into the bank. having made some inquiries as to my responsibility, he shortly reappeared with a bundle of greenbacks of small denominations and counted out the $ . . they were the first government bank notes i had ever seen and such a sum of money as had not been seen in faribault in many months. my client then said, "now young man, you'll see that land worth $ . an acre some day." today it is part of the weston farm and is valued at $ . an acre and is the nicest farm in the county. the first political machine in the state was organized in faribault the year minnesota became a state. five or six of us young men decided to put a little new life into politics and we prepared a slate. it was five or six against a hundred unorganized voters and we carried the caucus and were all sent as delegates to the convention. here also our modern method produced a revolution, but such a fight resulted that the convention split and some of them went over to vote the democratic ticket. however, we elected a fair proportion of our candidates and defeated those who had been holding the offices by force of habit. mrs. rodney a. mott-- . we came to faribault, i think, the nicest and easiest way. we drove from illinois in a covered immigrant wagon. at first we tried to find lodgings at night, but the poor accommodations and the unwillingness to take us in, led us at last to sleep in the wagon, and we came to prefer that way. after we got away from the really settled country, everyone welcomed us with open arms and gladly shared with us everything they had. we came up through medford. i begged to stay there, but mr. mott insisted on going to faribault as they had planned. our first house was a little cabin on the site of the present cathedral and later we lived in a house where the hay market now stands, but this was lost on a mortgage during the hard times in . mrs. kate davis batchelder-- . as kate davis, a girl of ten, i came with my brother, a lad of eighteen and a sister fourteen, from new york to wisconsin. our father was in fond du lac, wisconsin, where his business as a millwright had called him, and it was thought best to have us go out to be with him. we came in a wagon drawn by a team of spirited horses. we came over the thousand miles between new york and wisconsin, fording unfamiliar rivers, stopping in strange cities, through prairie and forest, with only rough wild roads at best, never doubting our ability to find our father at our journey's end and perhaps because of that unquestioning faith, we did find him. what a journey to remember. we camped in chicago when it was no larger than faribault is now, on the spot near the lake front where the congress hotel now houses the most exclusive of chicago's mob of humanity. milwaukee as we passed through it was a tiny hamlet. when i went to visit my brother who had taken the farm on the east shore of cannon lake, i made the trip to hastings in a boat, and from there in a wagon. as we were driving along, i saw coming towards us, three figures which instinct told me were indians. on coming nearer, i saw each of them had scalps dripping with blood, hanging to his belt. they reassured me by telling me they were only indian scalps. mr. berry, afterward a judge on the supreme bench, started out on foot from janesville, wisconsin with mr. batchelder and after prospecting around and visiting st. paul, shakopee, mankato, cannon falls and zumbrota, they finally walked in here. fifty years afterwards mr. batchelder went out to cannon lake and walked into town over the same road that he had come over as a young man, and he said that while, of course, the buildings had changed things somewhat, on the whole it looked surprisingly as it had the first time he passed over it. mr. berry and mr. batchelder opened a law office in a little one story frame building in the back of which they slept. while coming into town, they had met o. f. perkins, who had opened a law office, and business not being very brisk, he had turned a rather unskillful hand to raising potatoes. at $ . a bushel he managed to do well enough and eked out his scanty income from the law. it was while he was carrying the potatoes to plant that he met mr. berry and mr. batchelder and having become friends, they all, together with mr. randall and mr. perkins' brother, started bachelor's hall back of mr. perkins' office, where they took turns cooking and washing dishes. i have heard mr. batchelder say that "hasty pudding" or what we call corn meal mush, was his specialty and i believe, partly in recollection of those old days when lack of materials as well as unskillful cooks compelled the frequent appearance of this questionable dainty, partly perhaps, because he had learned to like it, "hasty pudding" was served monday on his table for all the later years of his life. during one winter i attended several dances in a rude hall whose walls were lined with benches of rough boards with the result that my black satin dress was so full of slivers that it took all my time to pick the slivers out. we always wore hoops and mine were of black whalebone, covered with white cloth. one day, when at my brother's house, my hoop skirt had been washed and was hanging to dry behind the stove and i was in the little bedroom in the loft. my sister called to me that some young men were coming to call and i was forced to come down the ladder from the loft, to my great mortification without my hoops. there they hung in plain sight all during that call. at cannon lake, near my brother's cabin was a place where the indians had their war dances. one night after we had gone to bed in the little loft over the one down stairs room, i was awakened by my brother's voice in altercation with some indians. it seemed the latch-string, the primitive lock of the log cabin had been left out and these indians came in. they wanted my brother to hide them as they had quarreled with the other indians. this he refused to do and drove them out. the next morning the tribe came by dragging the bodies of those two indians. they had been caught just after leaving the house. the bodies were tied over poles with the heads, arms and legs trailing in the dust. mrs. john c. turner. the nutting hotel was the scene of many a dance when settlers came from miles around to take part in quadrilles and reels to the music of violin. we used to bring an extra gown so that after midnight we might change to a fresh one, for these dances lasted till daylight. when sliding down the hill where st. james school now stands, it was rather exciting to be upset by barricades erected near the foot by mischievous indian boys, who greeted the accident with hoots of joy. josiah edson chapter northfield emily sargent bierman (mrs. c. a. bierman) mr. c. h. watson-- . one hundred and fifty soldiers were sent out from fort ridgely in to bury those in the country around who had been massacred by the indians. i was acting as picket out of fort ridgely and was first to hear the firing sixteen miles distant at birch coolie. it was the indians attacking the burial party. i notified those at the fort and a party was sent out for relief. as they neared birch coolie they found they were outnumbered by the savages and lieut. sheehan returned to fort ridgely for the rest of the regiment. then i accompanied them. they finally came to the small band of soldiers, who had been attacked by the indians, to find twenty-three dead, and forty-five wounded out of the one hundred and fifty-three men. the soldiers horses had been tied close together to a rope to feed. there many of them had been shot, and being so close together many were still standing, or had fallen down on their knees--dead, but they served as a breast-work for the men. the twenty-three soldiers were buried on the spot and the wounded taken to fort ridgely. i was also at camp release, under command of gen. sibley, where a great many indians were taken prisoners. these indians had killed many whites, and had some sixty women and children, prisoners. the soldiers managed to secure the indians' guns and then released the women and children, finally taking the indians prisoners, placing them in a log house, where they were carefully guarded. these, together with others secured at yellow medicine were chained together and taken to mankato, where, in december, thirty-eight were hanged. the old trail afterward stage coach road, known as the hastings-faribault trail, passed through northfield along what is now division street. going north it followed the stanton road. at the entrance of mr. olin's farm it passed along in front of the house--and along through his pasture--east of the pond--on down onto mr. alexander's land--following between two rows of trees, still standing, and crossed the cannon river just above where the waterford dam now stands. thence along what is still known as the hastings road. through mr. olin's pasture there is still about fifteen or twenty rods of the old trail and road left. mrs. augusta prehn bierman. in the spring of ' several of us german families, consisting of the prehn's, bierman's, drentlaws and sumner's, came to minnesota from a settlement fifteen miles west of chicago. we settled on claims near the present city of northfield. we were on the way eleven and one-half weeks. we came by way of joliet, forded the river at la crosse and came up here by way of rochester and kenyon. we carried enough provisions with us to last most of the trip. we had some sixteen yoke of oxen, many cows, calves, and six colts. we slept in the wagons and we baked bread in iron kettles by burying them in hot ashes. our first home and the prehn's was built in this way: we dug down in the earth four feet, very much as we would today for a cellar, but into a side hill. above these four feet, logs were built up, plastered together with mud. for a roof, logs and branches of trees were placed across the side walls and then plastered together with mud. coming up through kenyon we saw many indians camping along the road. the colts and oxen were deathly afraid of them and would turn way out of the road when passing, keeping just as far away as possible. among the earliest marriages recorded in rice county is that of william bierman and augusta prehn . mrs. ann alexander. my husband with his father and a brother, jonas, came in ' and took up claims adjoining the present site of northfield. they drove two ox teams and brought cattle, a couple of sheep and some pigs. my husband's parents kept boarders and had some sixteen or eighteen all of the time and each day brought many extra from the stage coaches plying between here and hastings and here and st. paul. every mouthful of food consumed that first year was brought from hastings, twenty-eight miles away, and it kept one man and an ox team on the road all the time. pork was purchased by the barrel and it would seldom last a week. by the following spring, ' , when i was married and came to minnesota some of the land had been broken, so small gardens were planted and potatoes and other vegetables raised. i believe it was about the time of the civil war that butter sold as low as c a pound and eggs c a dozen. in these early days the indians received annuities at red wing and on their yearly pilgrimages they would often camp in this vicinity as long as five or six weeks. the chiefs spent their time in hunting and fishing. the west side of the river was then not settled at all and there they had their camps. the squaws would come to the settler's homes, set their papooses up against the side of the house and walk into the house to beg. i have seen the large living room of mother's boarding house lined with indians, smoking one pipe--each man taking a few puffs and then passing the pipe along. in those days the mosquitoes were very thick and if anyone was out doors they would literally be eaten alive. mother's boarding house would be filled and people would be begging to be allowed to come and sleep under the tables--anything to get in away from the pests. mr. j. w. huckins. i enlisted from minneapolis in captain strout's company which was sent to guard the frontier at the time of the indian outbreak. we went up the mississippi, then west to litchfield, then to glencoe and hutchinson and were finally at acton, where the first blow fell. the place was thirty-five miles northwest of the lower sioux agency, in meeker county. we soldiers found that our cartridges were not the right calibre. some of the men had personal rifles, and one was found who had a pair of bullet molds of the right size. we took the bullets from the cartridges and busied ourselves, making them over the right size, using the powder and balls separately. during the engagement near acton, the indians managed to completely surround the soldiers. the captain ordered his men to dash through the indian lines. the men ran for their lives, and those on horseback were ordered, at point of guns, to wait for men on foot. this sudden action took the indians unawares and they were so surprised they forgot to keep up the fire. most of us effected an escape. out of sixty men but three were killed, though some twenty were wounded. we fell back to hutchinson where there was a stockade. the indians were getting quite fearless and would come in closer and closer to the stockade. one man had a very rare, long range gun and killed an indian at the distance of a mile, after which the indians kept a better distance. mrs. c. w. gress-- . we landed in st. paul in april ' , making the trip in about three weeks. we started on the boat, minnesota belle, but because of low water our household effects had to be transferred at davenport, iowa, to a small boat. there was a siege of cholera on the first boat, and two bodies were taken ashore and buried in the sand. during the time of transferring the baggage, i had to carry the money for safe keeping. i made a wide belt with pockets of different lengths suspended from it. here, and in the pockets of my skirt was gold of all denominations and some silver, of such weight that for three days i was ill from carrying it. after spending a few days in st. paul we moved to minnetonka mills where we bought a relinquishment for $ and paid $ to prove up--making $ for one hundred and sixty acres or $ an acre; that land fifty years later was well worth $ an acre. for three years we were eaten out by grasshoppers. while here at minnetonka mills i often had indians come to my house. on one occasion i stood churning when an indian stepped in and took the dasher from me indicating that he wanted some of it. i was not afraid of him and took the dasher from him and pushed him aside with my elbow. i had just finished baking and so gave him a large slice of bread, spreading it generously with butter. he dug the center out of the piece crowding it into his mouth, throwing the crust on the hearth. this angered me as my crust was soft and tender and i picked up a broom and started toward him yelling "puck-a-chee" (get out) and he rushed for the door and disappeared. we then concluded, after such bad luck with our crops, we would move back to st. paul, where mr. gress could work at his trade, that of a shoemaker. mr. gress would bring home work at night when i would assist him. we made a very high, cloth, buttoned shoe, called a snow shoe. i would close the seams, front and back, all by hand, as we had no machine; open seams and back, stitch down flat, and would bind the tops and laps and make fifteen or twenty buttonholes, for c a pair. the soles would then be put on in the shop. for slippers i received c for closing and binding the same way. during the war i made shirts and haver-sacks for the soldiers. the shirts were dark blue wool and were well made and finished. i broke the record one day when i made six of these garments and took care of four small children. mr. alvin m. olin-- . we came to minnesota in . we brought with us four yoke of oxen, thirty-five head of cattle and three hogs. we, with a family of three sons and a daughter, were four weeks on the way. we crossed the river on a ferry at prairie du chien and came up through rochester and cannon falls and camped at stanton while i went to a claim near kenyon, that i had taken up the fall before, to find it had been jumped so i came on to northfield and took up a claim on the cannon river. we had with us two covered wagons--known as prairie schooners. in these we had our provisions, composed of flour, smoked meats and a barrel of crackers. we also had our furniture, chairs and chests and two rocking chairs for the mother and daughter. here all of their leisure time, while on the move, was spent industriously applying their knitting needles, meanwhile singing to themselves to the accompaniment of the thud, thud of the oxen. each day was opened with the family prayer, after which we had the morning meal and then the boys took turns starting on ahead with the pigs, this extra time being needed because of the pigs' obstinacy. one morning the boys found they had started back in the same direction from which they had come and had traveled six miles before they found it out. we purchased a barrel of crackers in milwaukee and our noonday meal consisted of crackers and milk, and as milk soured, we fed it to the hogs. butter was made on the way, and bread and biscuits were baked in a kettle. when we staked out our claim, we laid a floor and placed a tent over it where we lived till logs could be procured. these we got on the west side of the river, then government land. for shingles we drove to trim mill ten or twelve miles the other side of prescott, wis. at one time that summer two hundred indians were camped near our farm for two days on their way to st. paul. mrs. pauline hagen. i was four years old when my parents settled in hastings. mother was obliged to return to wisconsin to see about our goods which were delayed in coming, and father wintered here and took care of us three small children. our house had no floor and very little furniture, and this hand-made, save for a small sheet iron stove through the cracks of which the fire could be plainly seen. at bed time father placed us in sacks, firmly tied around our little bodies, and put us on straw beds on the ground and then covered us with straw for warmth. we had no other covering. our food that first winter consisted mostly of corn meal, made up, in a variety of ways. but mother on her arrival in the spring with our lost household goods, found her family fat and rugged and none the worse for the severe winter of ' -' . mrs. catherine meade. we were at fort ridgely at the time of the outbreak. at the fort were gathered all the women and children of the settlers for protection. we could hear the indian war whoops in the distance. the confusion was terrible and twelve of the women were prematurely confined during the first twenty-four hours. i helped dr. miller, post surgeon, and for forty-eight hours i had no sleep and hardly time to eat. finally, completely exhausted i fell asleep on the floor, with my little daughter by my side. when aroused by my husband, saying "the indians are near at hand," i declared i might as well die one place as another. i could not go on and remained where i was. the alarm was a false one and we were all saved. one woman by the name of jones told me she took part of her children into the stockade and returned for the rest. she found herself confronted by two stalwart indians. she rushed into a small closet, and bracing herself between the wall and the door kept it closed in this way until help came. she was nearly exhausted and gave birth to a child before morning. another woman told me that instead of going into the stockade she fled with her two children into a corn field, pursued by an indian. he lost track of her and as one child started to scream she almost smothered it in her effort to conceal their hiding place. the indian after half an hour gave up the search. the stockade at fort ridgely had four entrances--one at each corner, at which a cannon was placed. there was but one man who could load the cannon, sargeant frantzkey, and as he had only unskilled help he was kept very busy running back and forth between the four guns. ammunition was scarce and we had to use everything; nails, screws, sharp pieces of iron and steel were saved and the cannons loaded with this mixture called sharp nails. this was considered much more deadly than cannon balls, for when fired, it would scatter and fly in all directions. the block house--where the ammunition was stored--was located outside the garrison and stockade, as a protection from fire. the only way to replenish the supply was to make a trip to the block house. so a guard was stationed at each end, and one man ran as fast as he could, secured a supply and ran back, of course at the risk of his life. the women also helped secure this ammunition, filling their aprons, while men filled gunny sacks. after the first fight, when the excitement had calmed down, the women busied themselves making bullets and were obliged to remain until help came from st. paul--nearly two weeks. greysolon du lhut chapter duluth marie robertson keith (mrs. chas. keith) mr. glass-- . i came to minnesota in and was later purveyor to the indians. an indian trail extended from fond du lac to st. paul. it ran from fond du lac by trail to knife falls, knife falls by canoe on st. louis river to cloquet, from there to hoodwood, from there to sandy lake, portage from there to grand rapids, from grand rapids by way of the mississippi river to st. paul. mr. john w. goulding of princeton. my first knowledge of indians was when i was about ten years of age. we lived on rum river about three miles above st. francis, where a canoe load of indians landed and camped near us. mo-zo-man-e who was then a chief, was said to be sick and his squaw came to our house asking by signs for pills, of which my sister gave her a box. she was afterward afraid that the indian would take the entire box at one dose and we would be killed in consequence. the taking of the whole box at one dose was probably the fact, as the empty box was at once returned and the patient reported to be cured, but no evil results came to us. in my father, who had been engaged with mcaboy in the construction of the territorial road through princeton to mille lacs lake, thought it best that the family remove to princeton and we came with a six ox team. princeton at that time with the outlying settlements of estes brook, germany and battle brook, had perhaps one hundred and fifty people. indians in blankets and paint were a daily, almost hourly sight. they outnumbered us many times, but gave us no trouble. in the summer of ' two sioux warriors came in by the way of little falls to the falls in rum river just above the mouth of bradbury brook, where they shot and scalped "same day" brother of kay-gway-do-say and returned home to the sioux country south of the mississippi. soon after this occurrence one hundred and twenty-five chippewas came down rum river on foot armed and painted for war. they stayed with us in princeton over night and had a war dance where jay herdliska's house now stands, which was witnessed by the entire population then here. among the indians were mo-zo-man-e, noon-day, kay-gway-do-say, benjamin, keg-wit-a-see and others. the next morning they killed dexter paynes' cow for beef and took their departure down the east side of the river. in about twenty days they came back in a hurry somewhat scattered and badly licked. they had found the sioux at shakopee and had been defeated, it was said with the aid of the whites living near there, which was probably so, as we should have aided the chippewas under similar circumstances. i remember nothing more worth repeating until , the year of the sioux massacre. we, at princeton, had heard of that outbreak, that the chippewas had been urged to join, that "hole-in-the-day" had been sending runners to mille lacs asking that band to join with him in extermination of the whites, and we were all getting nervous. finally all the people in the outlying settlements came into princeton and camped in and about the old log hotel near the big elm (which still stands, the largest and most beautiful tree in the city). captain benedict hippler, an old soldier who had seen service in germany, took command, and men and boys armed with all sorts of guns were drilled continually by the captain, who was a martinet and at one time threatened to shoot me and a companion for sleeping on our post. it was found that stevens the indian trader at mille lacs had a large stock of powder, and h. a. pemberton was sent to haul it away, which he did with stevens mules, bringing it to princeton where it was stored in my brother's cellar. about this time it was determined to build a stockade fort. i hauled the poplar logs from which it was built with my father's oxen from just across the east branch, and i made many loads in a day. we moved a small house within the enclosure for the women and children and had the fort, such as it was, about completed when one day as captain hippler was putting us through one of his drills an indian face appeared at a port hole and kay-gway-do-say said, "what you do here, this no good, pooh!" he then told us that hole-in-the-day had sent his runners to mille lacs urging war and that the mille lacs band had held a council and that "some young men" had urged war but the older heads led by mun-o-min-e-kay-shein (ricemaker) and others had counseled against it and that there would be no trouble. this eased our minds somewhat and the settlers gradually returned to their homes. soon we were reinforced by co. f. of the eighth minn., who stayed with us two winters in "the old quarters" across the river, but, save their effect in overawing the indians, their mission was peaceful. that same fall, ' , the government concluded to make a display of force at a delayed payment to be made to the chippewas at mille lacs and an iowa regiment was sent with several cannon to accompany the paymaster to mille lacs. stevens, the trader at mille lacs had a large stock of indian goods at princeton and just before the payment my father sent me, then sixteen years of age, with four oxen and a wagon to haul these goods to mille lacs some fifty miles over what was then and for twenty years afterwards, was one of the worst roads in the state. after several days on the road i was reaching the trading post at night and as i neared there, was puzzled by the great number of lights to be seen. finally as i approached the post i passed through a line of torches on each side, held by indians who had heard that oxen were coming for beef and were ready to make beef of my team, had not the trader stevens explained to them that their share would come later. the next morning i set out on my return. night found me at the upper crossing of rum river where i drew my wagon a few rods out of the road, tied my oxen and tried to sleep, but was disturbed all night by drunken indians "going to payment." the next day i met the paymaster and an escort, who, after inquiring if i were not afraid passed along up river. that evening i met the troops at the lower crossing of rum river encamped on the east bank. the quartermaster at once told me that in the morning i must turn about and help draw his supplies to mille lacs and upon my refusal i was placed in a tent under guard. the next morning after we had again discussed the matter, i partially assented and gained permission to drive my oxen unyoked to the river for water, which, as soon as they had drank, they waded and struck out for princeton and no one could head them. the quartermaster then used my yokes and wagon for four of his beef oxen and went his way allowing me to come home. after some days, with much labor the troops reached mille lacs, where, it was said, the discharge of the cannon into the lake made a great scattering among the indians, it being the first cannon they had ever seen. upon the return of the troops to princeton the quartermaster returned my yokes and wagon and paid for the use of them. i have spoken several times in this story of kay-gway-do-say, who was always a great friend of mine and of the whites in general. during the sioux war he served with others, as a scout, was always a great friend of captain jonathan chase, whom he always spoke of as "me and jock." he visited in my father's family many times and one of my sisters tried to teach him to read. it was not a success but he was much amused at his own mistakes. a few years before he died he visited me, inquired for my sisters, hunted them out and visited them, and on his return said to me "be-she-ke-o-ge-ma," my indian name, "you and your sisters seem just like my own folks." poor old "kaig," like about all his associates has gone to the "happy hunting ground." peace to his ashes. mrs. colbrath. my father, roswell p. russell came to the region of mendota as a boy and was employed by gen. sibley. at one time, mrs. sibley sent him on an errand to st. paul and he ventured to make the trip on the ice, with a horse and cutter. coming suddenly upon a crack in the ice, he lashed the horse, thinking he might spring over it, but the poor animal was caught and swept under the ice, while he and the cutter remained on the ice and were saved. this narrow escape made a great impression, naturally and the story was handed down to his children. my father married a miss patch of an old family of pioneers and they were the first couple married at the falls of st. anthony. captain richard somers chapter st. peter miss emily brown mrs. mary b. aiton. when the treaty was made at mendota in , the indians who ceded the land gave up their settlement at kaposia, (south st. paul), leaving behind them their dead, buried on the hill, and the land endeared to them by association. with them, when they moved westward to yellow medicine, went their faithful missionary and teacher, doctor thomas williamson. that same year his sister, familiarly know as "aunt jane," made a visit to her old home town in ohio, where i lived, and her interesting accounts of her experiences so filled me with missionary zeal that i went west, with her, as a teacher to the indians. with "aunt jane," i landed at kaposia, and after a short rest, we began the overland journey to yellow medicine. the last night of our journey, two of our horses strayed away, and in the morning the ox-teams with the freight, and us women went on, leaving dr. williamson to search for the runaways. when we rode down into the valley, we saw ahead of us, the missing horses. we two women volunteered to go back to tell dr. williamson, and the rest of the party went on. we found the doctor, and to save us fatigue, he suggested that we take a short-cut across country to the agency, while he followed the road to rejoin the travelers. somehow we failed to follow directions and traveled all the rest of the day, coming at night to a river. here on the bank we decided to rest. in the distance we could see a prairie fire, gradually eating its way towards the river; but we felt safe near the water and lay down to sleep. just after we fell asleep, i was awakened by a loud call, and i realized the joy of knowing that we were found. the men who had been sent in search of us were calling, in hopes that we would answer and we continued our journey without further incident. one morning in the spring of , our little mission house at kaposia was full of bustle and confusion, for we were busy preparing for an indian wedding. the prospective bride was a pretty sioux maiden, and her fiance was a white trader. everything was in readiness for the ceremony, but no groom appeared. the hours wore on; the bride wept; but no news of the groom came until late in the afternoon a rumor reached us that he was celebrating the occasion by a drunken revel, and was not in condition to take his part in the ceremony. a white mother would have wept over daughter's grief, but not this indian mother. when told that the ceremony must be postponed, she replied with stoical indian patience: "it is well; i like his white skin; but i hate his drunken ways." dr. a. c. daniels. when i was agency physician at lac qui parle, i often saw the humorous side of indian life. one day when the indians had received their government allowance, a party of them too freely indulged their appetites for liquor; and one, a big brave, who had adopted the patriotic name of george washington, led a band of indians to the home of the catholic sisters, and demanded food. the sisters saw the indians' condition, barred the door, and told the braves to go away. george, however, was insistent in his demands, and finally put his giant strength against the door, and splintered the upper part. he had put his head into the opening, and was about to crawl through it, when one of the sisters seized a rolling pin, and rained sturdy blows upon his head and shoulders. he raised a yell that brought me to the spot just in time to see a funny sight. just as george was about to beat a retreat, his squaw came running up and began to belabor him from the rear, while the nun continued the assault. there he was with part of his body in the house and part of it out, crying out in a manner most unseemly for an indian brave. when the women desisted, he was both sober and repentant. in early days, the indian agent at lac qui parle hoisted the american flag each morning over the agency. during a serious drought, the indians conceived the idea that the great spirit was displeased at the sight of the flag, and begged the agent to take it down. the patriotic agent tried to reason with them but to no avail, so one afternoon he took the flag down for a time. in a little while, a black cloud appeared and then a heavy downpour of rain followed. the indians, as you know were very superstitious, and they were firmly convinced that the flag was a true barometer, so the agent had to be cautious in his display of the flag. mr. z. s. gault. one morning as i rode a horse down to the minnesota river to water it, i noticed a stolid looking indian, with a gun by his side, sitting on a boulder by the river bank. just as my horse began to drink, the indian raised his gun and fired; the horse kicked up his heels, and i promptly became a baptist by immersion. i can still show you the boulder, but you will have to imagine the indian. when i was a small boy, a party of sioux indians returned to traverse from an attack upon the chippewas at shakopee, and proceeded to celebrate the event with a scalp dance. this dance and the whoops of the indians attracted spectators from traverse and st. peter; and with boyish curiosity, i was as near as possible to the dancers. suddenly i spied one brave, dancing about, with a skunk skin tied to his heel and trailing on the ground behind him. obeying a mischievous impulse, i jumped upon the trailing skin, and stopped the wild dancer. the savage wheeled, quickly raised his tomahawk, and was ready to strike; but when he saw a white boy, he merely kicked me out of the ring, and kept on with the dance. mr. j. c. bryant. when governor mcgill, came to st. peter as a young man, he was obliged to practice strict economy to make both ends meet. the revenue he derived from teaching was so very meager, that he had to do without some of what we regard as actual necessities. late in the fall he was passing jack lamberton's store, when the warm-hearted proprietor noticed that the school-master wore no overcoat. he guessed the reason; but he asked mr. mcgill why he wore no overcoat. "well, i haven't one, and i am not able to buy one yet," he replied with sturdy honesty. "just come right in, and help yourself to one, and pay for it when you can," said mr. lamberton with characteristic generosity. this kindness was a bond that made the two men friends for life, although later they were often arrayed against each other politically. when certain men in the state were trying to steal the capital from st. peter for st. paul, captain dodd is said to have traveled on foot from st. peter to st. paul between sunrise and sunset in the interests of st. peter. this feat would seem to me a physical impossibility, but it was a story current when i was a boy in st. peter. it is a matter of history, too, that all the attempts to save the capital were futile, and the indomitable captain dodd had his long walk in vain. captain dodd was considerable of a mimic and an actor. during a political campaign, he took the platform against a certain tom corwin of ohio, who was considered a great political orator. on one occasion corwin was the first speaker, and to emphasize his speech, he danced about on the stage, gesticulated freely, and made a great impression. when mr. dodd's turn to speak came, he arose, and without a word, gravely gave a pantomimic reproduction of the orator's acts and gestures. then he sat down amid roars of laughter, that completely spoiled the effect of his opponent's speech. mrs. nancy kiethley bean. when edward eggleston, the author of the "hoosier schoolmaster," was obliged to come west for his health, he was, for a number of years, a resident of traverse, and st. peter. here on week days he engaged in the humble occupation of soap-making, and on sundays he went out to the country communities to preach the gospel. his church was often the one room of some farmer's log cabin, and he missed the pulpit upon which to pound, to emphasize the points in his sermon in the good orthodox style of the exhorter. one sunday early in his ministry, he came to our home near cleveland, to preach, and that day he strongly felt the need of a pulpit. "why can't you make me a pulpit?" he asked my father after the service. "i can and i will before you come again," father replied. father went to work, and from the trunk of a tree, he hewed out a rough pulpit! the young preacher exhorted with such fervor from his new pulpit that i was the first convert of the man who afterwards became famous. in the fall of that same year, the annual methodist conference was held at winona, and mr. eggleston prepared to go. before he went my father met him, and asked him whether he was going to the conference. "yes," was the reply, "i am going." now father knew that money was scarce and that mr. eggleston's preaching and soap-making yielded him little revenue, so he went to one of the brethren, a certain mr. arter, who had recently come from the east, bringing with him gold coin, and told of mr. eggleston's desire to go to winona. mr. arter was interested and offered mr. eggleston five dollars to help defray the expense of his trip, but was met with a polite but none the less firm refusal. "i shall not need money," said mr. eggleston. "i can walk part of the way, some one will give me a lift now and then and the brethren will give me food and lodging when i require it." however, mr. arter insisted that he should take the gold, and he finally prevailed, but mr. eggleston started on foot for the conference. upon his return, he gave the gold to its original owner, for with sturdy pioneer independence, he had traveled the distance to winona on foot, except for an occasional lift from some traveler, driving a slow ox team. mrs. mary davis fenton. one summer morning in , a man on horseback rode rapidly up to the door of our farm house, shouted the news of the uprising of the indians, and then rode on to warn others of the danger. we hastily gathered together a few necessary articles, and fled to st. peter. when we returned home after the danger was over, we found that our house had been looted, and father discovered that his pet razor had disappeared. "i will never shave again," he declared, "until the man who stole my razor, brings it back." naturally the thief failed to return, and to the day of his death in , father wore his patriarchial beard, and kept his vow never to shave again. nathan hale chapter st. paul grace randall lyman (mrs. g. c. lyman) gertrude kaercher (mrs. a. b. kaercher) mrs. frederick penny. we lived about four miles from shakopee, at what was called eden prairie. my father was william o. collins. the sioux indians' old camping ground and home was on the river bottoms at shakopee. three miles below our place was hennepin landing where the boats landed coming from st. paul. the trail of the sioux led directly past our house, so we saw a great deal of the indians. at one corner of my father's land was a big boulder called red rock, held sacred by the indians. whenever the sioux were going into battle against the chippewas, they came to this rock and if they were successful, they brought their trophies of war and placed them on the rock. there was room for one indian to lie down close to the rock. the others would dance around or sit in council. as soon as they had gone, the white settlers would take everything of value. one thing we were taught was never to show fear of indians. they knew very quickly and loved to scare anyone who showed they were afraid. chaska and five of his men had been out duck hunting and stopped at our house for supper the night before the outbreak in . the indians were always friendly with all members of my father's family, and never asked for a meal unless they were willing to pay with ducks or in some way. next morning after chaska had supper with us, a man came riding from st. peter telling everyone to flee. twenty families (ours among the others) remained. my oldest brother had enlisted and the very day after chaska was at our house, he was ordered back from fort snelling to go to fort ridgely. the most disgraceful thing to an indian is to be struck with a whip or a stick. one day i was holding the baby in my arms when an indian put his head in through the window close to my face before i knew anyone was near. i was so frightened i ran to my mother. the indians thought we were afraid so started for the garden to destroy the melons, squash and pumpkins growing there. my mother put on father's coat, took a big cane and went after them saying, "get out, these are to feed papoose" over and over. there were forty in the party but they went without further trouble. one day on my way to school, i heard the children calling to me to run, but the grass was so high i could see no one and did not know an indian was near. when i saw him, i was not afraid. i went on to the school house door, but the teacher was so frightened she had locked the door and i could not get in. i stood waiting, and the indian patted me on the head and said, "heap brave papoose" and went on down the trail. one family by the name of dorr and another by the name of horner were both very well to do. when a man rode to their places at the time of the outbreak telling them the indians were coming, they took what they could in wagons and started for eden prairie where the dorr family stayed with the neals. mrs. dorr was a neal girl. the horners stayed with us until the trouble was over. the dorr house and barns were burned to the ground, but the soldiers stopped the indians before they reached the horner place. both families went back and rebuilt what had been destroyed, living there for many years. mr. james clark of st. peter. i came to st. peter in march . i was in the livery business, so was among the indians more or less until the outbreak in . i made the first trip from the agency to faribault with bishop whipple. also the last when we took a number of indian girls from faribault to the sioux agency in august . i had enlisted and was with my company in line at fort snelling, being sworn in when a man came riding in to tell us the indians were on the war path. we were ordered to st. peter at once and found the families all sheltered in stone houses and the men barricading the town with cord wood and digging rifle pits in the bluffs. but none of the families was molested within a radius of about seven miles. everyone who was left in town had to help. all the lead pipes were taken out of the wells and slugs were cut from pieces of iron. jim powell, a young man left in charge of the cattle at the agency, waiting for the indians to receive their pay, said to me when i came up on my last trip, "jim, i am afraid there will be trouble. the indians are getting ugly. they shot an ox and skinned it and we can't say a word." when the outbreak came jim powell was sitting on a mule at the agency. five indians shot at him. he tried to make his mule go down to the ferry. he would not go, so jim slipped off and ran for the ferry. the boat had started across to fort ridgely, but he swam out and climbed on. he went across, then the twelve miles to the fort and enlisted. before this the indians were driven to beg for food, their rations had been so slow in coming from the government. i often think there is many a man that should have a monument to commemorate his brave deeds. there was duncan kennedy of st. peter, one of the bravest men i ever knew. during the outbreak he carried messages back and forth from st. peter to fort ridgely, alone. when asked why he did not take someone with him, he said it was safer alone for if he saw an indian he would know what to do; he would lie down and be quiet. if some one was with him, he would have to tell them to be quiet. mrs. john crippen[ ] was an early settler in the country, coming here by way of the morris trail. there were two trails, one by way of hutchinson, and the other following along the minnesota river, the latter being the trail used during the sibley expedition. [footnote : mrs. kaercher's work begins with mrs. crippen.] mr. and mrs. crippen, with a baby about a year old, came to their homestead, not far from big stone lake where they endured many privations the first few years. the first year the grasshoppers took all the garden and grain. after the first year new settlers began to come in and mr. crippen assisted them in locating claims, and in that way managed to live until another crop was raised. in relating some of the experiences mrs. crippen states that they had a house x and the first shingled roof in this country at that time. at one time, two gentlemen from minneapolis, messrs. hyde and curtiss, had occasion to stay over night with them so they gave these parties their only bed, making one on the floor for themselves, hanging a curtain between. while preparing breakfast she heard one of the gentlemen say--"hello, little fellow, what are you doing with my toe?" her baby had awakened and gone over to their bed. it was over a year before they had any chickens or cow; she used to hunt plover's eggs and several times was without flour, having to grind wheat and corn in a coffee mill. the nearest railroad town was morris forty miles northeast. the first th of july celebration was held near the lake at a place now called "point comfort." the flag staff is still where they placed it. a mrs. tyler roasted a small pig, which they used as a center piece at the picnic dinner, minus the apple in its mouth. one of the young gentlemen, whose father was a minister in minneapolis, had him send him sermons which he read on the sabbath in the schoolhouse. c. k. orton, the founder of ortonville took a homestead adjoining big stone lake. in the spring he returned for his family consisting then of his wife and child, clara, together with several neighbors. they started in the month of july, following the old trail via new ulm, thence to montevideo. when they reached montevideo they discovered the bridges had washed away, so they were obliged to ford the chippewa river which was very deep and rapid. mr. and mrs. orton rode side by side, he carrying a sack of flour which he lost while endeavoring to hold her, but which he afterward recovered. it took the party several days to get their belongings, which consisted of cattle, horses, oxen, etc., on the west side of the river. they were badly frightened a few months later, which was after they had settled in their new home, by a mr. movius, of big stone city, who came to them with a report that the indians, five hundred in number, from the sisseton reservation were on the war path and were headed their way. mrs. orton and another woman, being alone with the children, say that they had a flat bottomed boat which they had planned to get in and get out into the middle of the lake and that if overtaken by the indians, rather than be tortured as they had seen other people near new ulm and other towns, would drown themselves and children, but luckily it was a false report. mr. orton was the first postmaster of this place, the mail being brought once a week from appleton, twenty-five miles east, by mr. lathrop, who had a wagon train hauled by oxen by which he carried flour and provisions to the settlers along the lake shore. there is a log cabin still standing in big stone city, which was built in the year . a. b. kaercher has in his possession the government patent given in and signed by franklin pierce to his father, john kaercher, for acres of land in fillmore county, minnesota, where john kaercher founded the village of preston, and erected the second flouring mill in the territory of minnesota. lyman r. jones of ortonville has a stove door taken from the ruins of the presbyterian mission, built in and which was destroyed by fire march , . mr. roberts, an old timer here, has the powder horn which little crow carried through the sioux massacre. daughters of liberty chapter duluth frances angeline poole woodbridge (mrs. w. s. woodbridge) mrs. nettleton. my husband and i came to this region in . at first we lived in superior, wis., but in september of that year we went down to madeline island to the indian payment when the government bought the duluth property from the indians. my husband got title to the best of minnesota point. this was the same payment where they gave chief buffalo his four square miles of land in duluth. minnesota point is a narrow neck of land seven miles long and about a quarter of a mile wide projecting from the mainland in duluth and separating lake superior from st. louis bay. one day we had a picnic party of superior people over on minnesota point. among them were mrs. post, orator hall and his wife, my husband and the rev. mr. wilson from somewhere near boston and a number of others. during the picnic various names for the new town started on minnesota point were proposed and mr. wilson at last proposed "duluth." he named the city in honor of the first navigator and explorer who ever came up here. when the other proprietors came here and made preemptions and had obtained land they wanted to call it "portland." my husband said "no that his property was in duluth and it should stay in duluth." i had never been in duluth at that time unless it was for a picnic on minnesota point. we moved across the bay to duluth in . my husband and his brother william had a contract for carrying the mail from superior to st. paul. sometimes the mail was carried by team and sometimes the men packed it on their backs. in the spring and fall the roads were so bad that the use of the team was impossible. letters were delivered once a week and papers once a month, perhaps. the military road had been commenced but not finished. mrs. w. s. woodbridge. while the experiences of the early days could be considered a hardship for the men it was ten times more annoying to women. the hardships of housekeeping, for instance and home making, keeping the home tidy and comfortable, not to say attractive, were much greater than any hardships the men were called upon to endure. the first year or two, there was no mirror at the head of the lakes. those who were fortunate enough to have a new tin boiler, or new tin dishes could get along very well. one of the early settlers has told me that he had frequently seen the women combing and arranging their hair by their reflection in the wash boiler or dish pan. ribbons, perfumes and fancy articles were wholly unknown. an old settler who came with his family told me "our whole outfit comprised a feather bed and a lunch basket in which were a knife, fork and two small china dishes. i also bought a single mattress and a pair of blankets in cleveland on my way to duluth. we built our bedsteads out of green tamarack poles peeled, using the bark for ropes to hold it together and made a table of two boards which were found floating in the bay. bed clothing consisted of indian blankets and moccasins answered for shoes, while curtains, carpets and upholstered furniture were unknown." the postoffice was in a small building on first street and first avenue east. the postmaster, mr. richard marvin was a member of the fire brigade. his friend, mr. melvin forbes, who had just started in the paper and stationery business opposite, spent the night with him. the milkman was in the habit of bringing milk to the door in the morning. a lady who had come up by boat and was leaving by train in the early morning for st. paul knocked on the door of the postoffice to inquire if any mail had been forwarded to her there. mr. forbes, supposing the milkman was at the door, leaped out of bed, caught mr. marvin's fireman's helmet and put it on his head, opened the door wide with a flourish and making a profound bow in his short white night shirt said, "good morning." not until he raised his head did he see the lady. i have often wondered what opinion she formed of duluth in her short stay here. i used to watch the indians who were a common sight in those early days in duluth, especially in the winter, when they would come into town with their dog teams, the sledges laden down with skins which they exchanged for provisions. the dog teams were very interesting with their intelligent well trained indian dogs. there were usually three or four dogs driven tandem with a simple harness consisting of a collar and a strap around the body of each. the driver always ran or walked by the side of the sledge never sitting on it. we see pictures of dog teams in alaska, for instance, with a dozen or more dogs, but that would have been impossible in a heavily wooded country as this was in those days. the indians did not know the use of a door bell, neither did they stand on ceremony, but if they found the door of a house unlocked they walked in without knocking. i remember that one new year's day we found on going into the sitting room after dinner, that six indians had quietly taken possession, two men and four squaws. they advanced, offering to shake hands and saying, "'appy new year, ten cents." "'appy new year, ten cents." it was all the english they could speak but they knew well what it meant and did not leave until each one had received a gift. we were glad enough to see them go and to open the windows. i well remember a funeral which occurred in the early days. the coffin was placed in a wagon which was drawn by one horse and the mourners followed on foot. i also remember how very muddy the roads were, consisting of sticky, tenacious red clay which clung to our rubbers and sucked them off our feet as we walked. we bought water by the pailful which was carted up from the lake and placed in a barrel in the kitchen and often on a cold winter morning, we were obliged to chop it out and melt it in the tea kettle. the windows in our house were always covered with half an inch of frost. i remember on one very cold night i was awakened by a fire bell. the windows were red with light from some burning dwelling near and i rushed from window to window trying in vain to see out and locate the fire. st. paul chapter miss k. maude clum mrs. martin jay clum. i accompanied my husband, martin jay clum, a member of company "d," second minnesota volunteers to fort ridgely in . there were left at the fort but few men to guard it, as the greater number of them had been ordered to the frontier to quell the indian outbreaks. my daughter, victoria maria, nine months old, was ill, getting her teeth and although the night was hot and sultry the windows of our quarters had to be kept closed on account of the mosquitoes. it was impossible to obtain any mosquito bar so i walked the floor nearly all night with her on my arm fanning her constantly as the heat was almost unbearable. toward morning, i paused for a few seconds to look out of the window and as i did so, fancied i saw tiny dark objects moving around a huge straw stack some distance away. you can scarcely imagine my horror as the dawn disclosed the truth of my fears. i put down my dear baby--rushed outside--called to a herder to go at once and find out what those objects were, moving about the stack. hastily mounting a mule he made a detour of the straw stack and reported. "if there's one indian there, there's fifty with their ponies buried in and around the stack." he at once gave the alarm but before the guard reached the stack there was not an indian to be seen. interpreter quinn soon sent his son, tom, to warn me not to leave the garrison as i had been in the habit of taking walks with my baby in her carriage. later in the day, the pickets and scouts came in and reported a large camp of over four hundred indians on the opposite bank of the river, waiting, no doubt, as interpreter quinn said, a chance to make a raid, capture and maybe massacre everyone of us. he also told me that while the indians might not perhaps harm me they would be likely to take my baby and it would be as bad to be frightened to death as to be scalped. mr. august larpenteur-- , ninety-three years old. the first day i came, in , i had dinner with mrs. jackson. it was a fine one--ducks, venison, and vegetables raised by the selkirk refugees. here i first tasted pemmican. it was most excellent. the bread was baked in a dutch oven. new year's day, mr. jackson, luther furnell and i took a yoke of oxen to make some new years calls. we first went to mr. gervais' where we talked, took a drink, kissed the girls and then to vital guerin's. next we went up to mrs. mortimer's where we made a sedate call. she lived where the police station now stands. last, near present seven corners, we called on the irvine's. by this time the oxen were tired. we began to feel drowsy, so we returned and took a rest. the indians always called on us on christmas, went through much handshaking and expected a present. index aiton, mrs. mary b., alexander, mrs. ann, anderson, mrs. robert, apgar, mrs. anna simmons, balser, mrs. anna e., batchelder, mrs. kate davis, berry, mrs. helen godfrey, bean, mrs. nancy kiethley, beatty, mrs. j. r., bierman, mrs. augusta p., black, mrs. mahlon, bohanon, mr. charles, bradley, mrs., buell, major s. a., burdick, mrs. c. a., buckham, judge thomas s., buck, mr. h. l., brown, mrs. john, bryant, mr. j. c., brackett, mr. george a., chute, mrs. richard, clark, mr. edwin, clarke, mr. edwin, clifford, mrs. elizabeth, clum, mrs. martin j., cooper, peter, cobb, mr. m. g., colbrath, mrs., connolly, colonel a. p., collins, judge loren w., curtis, mr. theodore, cray, judge lorin, , daniels, dr. a. c., dibble, marion l., dorr, mr. caleb, dowling, mrs. mary e., dow, mr. d. e., dow, mrs. william, dresser, mrs. samuel b., dunsmoor, mr. irving a., ellison, mr. william w., faribault, miss sara, farnham, mrs. rufus, farnham, mrs. silas, farnsworth, mr. austin w., farnsworth, mrs. austin w., favel, mr. henry, fenton, mrs. mary davis, fisher, mrs. george e., foster, doctor lysander p., funk, mrs. margaret rathbun gault, mr. zuriel s., gilpatrick, mrs. martha, gilman, ex-lieutenant gov., gillespie, miss nancy, gillespie, mr. james m., gleason, mrs. harriett., glass, mr., goulding, john w., godfrey, abner crossman, godley, mrs. charles m., gress, mrs. c. w., hagen, mrs. pauline., hanks, captain stephen., harrison, mrs. mary, heffelfinger, major c. b., hern, mrs. margaret, hoefer, mrs. f., hopkins, miss florinda, hopkins, mr. chester l., horton, mrs. helen, huckins, mr. j. w., huston, mrs. anna hennes, ingenhutt, mrs. mary, jones, mr. oliver k., jones, mrs. virginia, jones, mr. john a., keysor, captain clark, keysor, mrs. clark, kennedy, mrs. duncan, kimball, mrs. edmund, layman, mr. isaac, ladd, mrs. j. w., larpenteur, mr. august, lapham, mr. l. l., le duc, general william, loring, mr. charles m., lowell, mrs. nancy, longfellow, colonel levi, massolt, mrs. mary, maxwell, mrs. delilah, magnus, mrs. conrad, meade, mrs. catherine, merrit, mrs. arabella, merrill, mrs. e. a., mcmullen, mr. james, mcmullen, mrs. james, mccormack, captain l. l., mott, mrs. rodney a., moulton, captain isaac, neill, miss minnesota, niemann, mrs. w. l., nettleton, mrs., nutting, mr. elijah, , o'brien, mr. frank g., olin, mr. alvin m., paine, mrs. j. m., partridge, mrs. mary e., pelton, mr. i. a., penney, mrs. frederick, pettijohn, mr. eli, pettit, mrs. c. h., pfeffer, mrs. a. m., phillips, mary sherrard, pike, mrs. orin, pitcher, mrs. mary, plummer, mrs. rebecca, pond, mrs. gideon, , pond, mrs. e. r., pratt, mrs. james, pratt, mrs. missouri rose, pribble, mrs. mary, prescott, mrs. henry c., rochette, mr. stephen, rochette, mrs. stephen, robinson, mr. reuben, randall, major benjamin, robinson, mrs. mary, rye, mr. charles, richardson, j. warren, slocum, mr. frank, starkloff, mrs. paulina, sampson, mrs. leroy, sutherland, mrs. jane, snyder, mrs. margaret a., smith, mrs. mary staring, smith, mrs. c. a., stewart, doctor, stratton, miss carrie, shaver, mr. b. f., turner, mrs. john c., todd, mrs. anna, thorne, mrs. martha, teeter, mr. michael, van der horck, captain john, van sant, ex-governor samuel r., van schaick, mr. m. r., wakefield, mr. warren, watson, mr. c. h., woods, mrs. newman, weeks, mrs. mary, white, mrs. william j., wilder, mrs., winter, mrs. james a., walker, mrs. t. b., way, mrs. georgiana m., woodbridge, mrs. w. s., none none generously made available by the internet archive/american libraries.) [illustration: photo of alfred j. hill and handwritten inscription: "yours truly, alfred j. hill"] history of company e of the sixth minnesota regiment of volunteer infantry. by alfred j. hill. with an appendix by capt. charles j. stees. published by prof. t. h. lewis. st. paul, minn.: pioneer press co. . entered, according to act of congress, in the year , by prof. t. h. lewis, in the office of the librarian of congress, at washington. all rights reserved. preface. it will be remembered by those connected with the military service that towards the end of the late civil war, there went through the camps and barracks of the volunteer soldiers agents of publishing houses busily engaged in procuring material for "company histories," and still more anxiously soliciting subscriptions for the same. these histories were mere broadsides or charts, giving the name and rank of each man, with a few other personal facts, compiled from the muster rolls, and in addition an abstract of campaign movements, battles, and so forth; all the information being brought up to date of subscription. of course as permanent and final records such publications would be failures, there being no "next" in which to "conclude" their stories. while the sixth minnesota infantry regiment lay at new orleans, one of the visitations described occurred to it (this being a very successful one), and thereupon a member of company e proposed to a comrade the getting up of something of the kind among themselves, to be of home manufacture. time permitting, the work was then commenced, continued in the field, and kept up with current events till the order for return home of the command to which the company belonged. serious illness of the compiler, and the scattering of the members of the company, prevented the finishing of the work at the intended time, and caused its indefinite postponement. as a contribution, though humble, to material for some future history of the part taken by minnesota in the war for the union this little book has been completed and published, and the writer would be greatly pleased if its appearance should stimulate the necessary research for the putting on record in somewhat similar form of the histories of other companies of our state regiments. alfred j. hill. st. paul, minn., . part i. origin and organization-- . in the spring of a sixth regiment of infantry had been called for from minnesota by the governor of the state, but, from various causes, the enlistments proceeded very languidly till the disasters of the virginian armies in the summer and the consequent proclamations of the president of the united states for volunteers gave an immense impulse to recruiting. under such circumstances it was that the "sigel guards," afterwards company e of the sixth regiment, were projected and raised. in the month of june, mathias holl, of st. paul, was authorized to recruit for the proposed company; and on the rd of july, twenty men having been enlisted, he received a regular recruiting commission. rudolph schoenemann and christian exel, of the same city, also engaged in the work in connection with lieutenant holl, themselves enlisting in the company on the th and th of august, respectively. many of the members, however, were not obtained particularly by these gentlemen, some having been recruited for other companies or regiments and transferred involuntarily to the sigel guards, others who had purposed enlisting in other companies--that never were filled--having joined it of their own accord, while a large proportion acted as their own recruiting officers, and made it their first choice. the names of those recruited for, or who intended to join, other organizations, are as follows, viz.: ( ) beckendorf, besecke, detert, gropel, mahle, mann, metz, j. j. mueller, schaefer, simon, and temme, were to have belonged to the company projected by messrs. klinkenfus, knauft, and krueger, of lower town, st. paul. they joined in a body. ( ) bast, blesius, blessner, dreis, fandel, greibler, hoscheid, and neierburg were enlisted august th by messrs. julius gross and lieutenant kreitz, of st. paul, for the tenth regiment, but were transferred to the sixth. ( ) george paulson, a recruit for l. c. dayton's company (st. paul) for the eighth regiment, was transferred to the sixth. ( ) john, kilian, kraemer, meyer, praxl, and radke came to fort snelling from winona, as recruits for the seventh regiment, but enlisted instead in the sigel guards. all the recruits were enlisted and sworn in as privates except the drummer, the period of enlistment being "for three years unless sooner discharged." the general rendezvous was at fort snelling, and, the "minimum" number ( ) having been obtained, the company was provisionally organized there, on the th of august, by the enlisted men expressing, by vote, their preference for candidates to fill the commissioned offices, and by the captain, then chosen, appointing the non-commissioned officers. schoenemann and holl were thus respectively elected captain and second lieutenant of the sigel guards, and were commissioned as such, on the th, by the governor of the state, and lieutenant exel, already commissioned (august th), accepted as first lieutenant. by the th of august the aggregate number of members was ; their names, rank, etc., being shown in the following roll: ----------------------------+-----------------------+----------- | | when name | native country | enlisted | | ----------------------------+-----------------------+----------- officers. | | ----------------------------+-----------------------+----------- _captain_ -- | | *rudolph schoenemann | prussia | aug. _first lieutenant_ -- | | christian exel | hesse darmstadt | aug. _second lieutenant_ -- | | mathias holl | hesse darmstadt | july _first sergeant_ -- | | justus b. bell | ohio | aug. _second sergeant_ -- | | george huhn | bavaria | aug. _third sergeant_ -- | | *frederick scheer | prussia | july _fourth sergeant_ -- | | ernst j. knobelsdorff | prussia | july _fifth sergeant_ -- | | *elias siebert | hesse cassel | aug. _first corporal_ -- | | *paul p. huth | prussia | june _second corporal_ -- | | john burch | prussia | aug. _third corporal_ -- | | *mathias mueller | prussia | aug. _fourth corporal_ -- | | *william rohde | hesse cassel | aug. _fifth corporal_ -- | | peter leitner | bavaria | aug. _sixth corporal_ -- | | reinhard stiefel | prussia | aug. _seventh corporal_ -- | | george sauer | bavaria | aug. _eighth corporal_ -- | | richard mueller | prussia | aug. _musician_ -- | | *charles seidel | prussia | july _privates_ -- | | bast, william | luxemburg | aug. beckendorf, peter h. | prussia | aug. becker, mathias | prussia | aug. besecke, ferdinand | prussia | aug. blesius, john | prussia | aug. blessner, charles | luxemburg | aug. boos, michael | bavaria | june bristle, christian | baden | aug. detert, henry | prussia | aug. dreis, nicholas | luxemburg | aug. *eberdt, charles | mecklenb | aug. eheim, joseph | austria | aug. fandel, henry | luxemburg | aug. *ferlein, joseph | bavaria | june fischer, louis | switzerland | aug. gaheen, samuel | canada | aug. *gantner, jacob | switzerland | june goldner, joseph | prussia | july griebler, joseph | prussia | aug. *gropel, henry | prussia | aug. hahn, f. carl | wurtemberg | july harrfeldt, august | holstein | july hauck, jacob | baden | aug. *hellmann, herman | prussia | aug. henricks, frederick | prussia | july henricks, henry | prussia | aug. hill, alfred j. | england | aug. hill, william a. | virginia | july hoscheid, nicholas | luxemburg | aug. jakobi, conrad | hesse darmstadt | july john, jacob | bremen | aug. *juergens, louis | waldeck | aug. *kellermann, august | prussia | aug. kernen, jacob | switzerland | aug. kilian, philip | hesse darmstadt | aug. *klinghammer, louis | prussia | july *kobelitz, frederick | bremen | july *koenig, louis | baden | aug. *kraemer, frederick | wurtemberg | aug. *krueger, henry | schleswig | aug. mahle, william | wurtemberg | aug. mann, jacob | wurtemberg | aug. *martin, frederick | prussia | aug. metz, charles | hanover | aug. maurer, john j. | prussia | aug. meyer, john h. | ohio | aug. mueckenhausen, joseph | prussia | aug. mueckenhausen, mathias | prussia | aug. mueller, john jacob | wurtemberg | aug. munson, john | sweden | june neierburg, michael | luxemburg | aug. parks, thomas m. | pennsylvania | june *[ ]paulson, george | prussia | july paulson, paul | norway | june peterson, ole | norway | july porth, william | prussia | aug. praxl, anthony a. | austria | aug. radke, rudolph | prussia | aug. rehse, august | prussia | aug. *reimers, joachim | holstein | aug. *reuter, henry | hanover | july rossion, jean | belgium | july schafer, henry | canada | aug. schauer, august | prussia | aug. scheibel, augustin | france | aug. schene, william | hanover | aug. schermann, george | austria | aug. schoenheiter, frederick | prussia | aug. simon, john | prussia | aug. smith, joseph | france | aug. smith, william a. | indiana | aug. sproesser, william d. | wurtemberg | july stengelin, gottfried | wurtemberg | july temme, charles | prussia | aug. wetteran, louis | wisconsin | aug. willialms, august | sweden | june *wolf, anton | prussia | june ----------------------------+-----------------------+----------- * in military service before. [ ] this young man's real name was paul bierstach, the other having been assumed to enable him to get sworn in without his parents' consent. with the exception of less than half a dozen, all of the above were residents of minnesota, fifty-four being from st. paul, eight from winona, and the remainder from other parts of the state. twenty-four of the members had been soldiers previously, many of them having seen active service--seventeen in european armies, one in the united states regulars, and six in the united states volunteer forces. wolf--then a boy of sixteen--enlisted in bulow's army corps, fought at quatre blas, and was present at the battle of waterloo. part . services in minnesota against the sioux indians-- - . immediately after the organization of the company the usual recruit life began. military clothing and equipments were issued, squad drill commenced, and light guard duty done in and around the fort. the quarters of the company were two rooms on the northern side of the parade grounds, with a kitchen and dining room below. fritz stirneman, a civilian, but an ex-soldier of the first regiment, assisted by rossion, was hired to do the cooking. the monotony of barrack life, however, did not last long. the news of the outbreak of the sioux indians in the western part of the state turned all thoughts from anticipations of southern campaigns to the necessities of the hour. the regiment was put on a war footing, orders to march were issued, and arms and accoutrements supplied to the men; four sibley tents being allowed for the enlisted men of each company. on the th of august the first battalion of the sixth regiment, consisting of three companies, left fort snelling for the scene of the massacre, and, together with company a, which had been ordered to march across the country, arrived at st. peter on the nd. all being ready, the second battalion, including company e, embarked on the evening of the nd, on the steamboat _wilson_ for the upper minnesota river. at the time of embarkation the aggregate strength of the company was , the number present being ; the absentees being lieutenant exel, on recruiting service; john, harrfeldt, kraemer, martin, meyer, praxl, and radke, on furlough; dreis and fandel, who had not yet joined; and porth, left behind at the fort on account of inability to march. on the morning of the rd we disembarked at shakopee, miles from the fort. from this day commenced the official organization of the regiment, it being the date of colonel william crooks' commission. the route followed was through jordan, belle plaine, and henderson, to st. peter, where we arrived on the th. all the companies of the sixth were now concentrated at this point, where an expeditionary force was collecting for the relief of fort ridgley, then sorely pressed by the indians. on the th the expedition commenced the march, and arrived at the fort on the th; the regiment encamping on the prairie near by. h. henricks was appointed wagoner of the company on the th. also on that day louis thiele, a prussian settler of the neighborhood, whose family had been murdered by the indians, enlisted in the company as a private. on the st an expedition under the command of major joseph e. brown, consisting of the union guards (company a), under captain grant, and a detail of men from the other companies of the sixth regiment, and the cullen guards under captain anderson, was dispatched to the lower agency to bury the dead, and ascertain if possible the position of the enemy. early on the morning of september nd, rapid firing was heard in the direction of the agency. the scouts reported that the detachment under major brown was attacked and surrounded at birch coolie, miles from the fort and miles from the lower agency. a second detachment under colonel mcphail, consisting of the hickory guards (company b), sigel guards (company e), young men's guard (company g), of the sixth regiment, under major mclaren, also some cavalry and one howitzer under captain mark hendricks, was at once sent forward to their relief. when within three miles of the beleaguered force, the demonstrations of the indians became so threatening--coming near enough to shoot one of the horses--that the commander of the relieving party, not daring to fight his way through, made a halt, had the horses unhitched, and disposed the men to meet the expected attack, but, as the enemy did not return any nearer to us, we shortly fell back some distance to a better position. night soon came on and it was spent watchfully by the men behind their corralled wagons, the silence being broken only by the occasional firing of the howitzer. the firing had been heard at the fort and towards morning the little force was strengthened by the arrival of the remainder of the sixth regiment, the seventh regiment, which had just arrived at the fort, and two pieces of artillery. about daylight on the rd, the combined forces were drawn up in line of battle, ready to move; the indians soon appeared and commenced the attack, but the return fire was so heavy, and evidently so unexpected, that they almost immediately retreated to the woods in the coolie, from which they were driven by the heavy fire delivered by the artillery. the indians having been repulsed, the whole force continued their march to birch coolie camp, and the indians then abandoned the attack of the party there, though the soldiers of the first relieving party were not allowed the honor of driving them, which was given to the seventh regiment. after burying the dead and attending to the wounded, the troops returned to their camp at fort ridgley. five men of the company were with the original detachment at the battle of birch coolie. r. mueller and klinghammer were severely wounded, the former in the side and arm, and the latter in the leg. they were cared for at the post hospital. dreis and fandel were there, having accompanied the volunteer cavalry from st. paul; dreis joined on the th and fandel, being wounded in the hand, went to the hospital. thiele, too, was present at this fight. about this time lieutenant exel with the seven furloughed winona men returned. shortly after this affair the order of the adjutant general of the state was received and published, fixing the letters of the companies according to the rank of the respective captains. the sigel guards were the fifth company, and so became e; in position it was therefore the seventh from the right wing of the regiment, and had, when marching during the summer, company a of the ninth regiment in front, and company k of the sixth in the rear. while preparations for the campaign were progressing, the troops were drilled daily in the "school of the soldier" and "of the company;" and, among other things, trenches were dug at the fort, and beyond the camps. about the middle of the month eberdt was detailed as regimental pioneer. on the th of the month the expeditionary force took up the line of march from its base at fort ridgley. crossing at the ferry near by, the route pursued was on the south side of the minnesota river, fording the red wood at the usual place, and touching wood lakes, about three miles from yellow medicine, which was reached on the nd. on the morning of the rd the indians surprised a foraging party half a mile distant from the camp. the third regiment formed in line, and, crossing a ravine, opened fire on the indians, but immediately received orders to fall back. the third recrossed the ravine, and, the renville rangers coming to their support, the indian advance was checked. captain hendricks placed his artillery in a raking position at the head of the ravine, and soon dislodged the enemy. on the right, colonel marshall with five companies of the seventh regiment, and companies a and i of the sixth under lieutenant colonel averill, charged and drove the indians from their position. on the left, a similar flank movement was repelled by major mclaren with companies f and k of the sixth, while the remainder of the regiment was held in reserve. the action lasted about two hours, at the end of which time, the indians being unable to withstand the murderous fire of shot and shell rained upon them, fled with great precipitation, and thus ended the battle of wood lake. the whole plan of battle seems to have been of defense, fought on the old lines of chivalry--man for man, instead of bringing all the troops in line of action and dealing the enemy a crushing blow at the beginning. this mode of action may have been very nice from an indian's point of view, but the men in the reserve who stood in line of battle for nearly two hours, and those engaged at the front who were held back and not allowed to drive the enemy, would have preferred a little less chivalry and a few more dead indians. on the th the line of march was again taken up, and on the th we arrived at the camp of the "so-called" friendly indians, where were most of the white captives taken during the insurrection, and who in a day or two were delivered up. this place was nearly opposite the mouth of the chippewa river, and near by, about a quarter of a mile south of the minnesota river, was formed the camp ever afterwards to be known in local history as camp release, from this memorable surrender of captives there. on the th of october, captain whitney, with two companies of the sixth and one from the seventh, was sent below in charge of the indian prisoners to gather the crops in the vicinity of the yellow medicine agency. on the th all the company present, in number, were mustered into the military service of the united states, "for three years from their respective dates of enrollment." on the th, colonel marshall was sent to the westward with a detachment consisting of company g of the sixth regiment, men of the third, and one howitzer, in quest of the indians reported to be near the headwaters of the lac qui parle river and two lakes (mde-nonpana) in the coteaus. the expedition returned on the st, having penetrated the prairies nearly to the james river, and having in charge about indian prisoners, including men, women and children. by company order of september nd, corporal huth was promoted to fifth sergeant, and privates j. smith and martin appointed seventh and eighth corporals, respectively. on october th warrants bearing the same date were made out and signed by the colonel for all the non-commissioned officers, making the grades agree with said order, but causing them to take effect from the th of august. on the th company f left for yellow medicine to reinforce captain whitney. on the night of the th, captain merriman, with company b and mounted men (including scouts), made a raid beyond the lower lac qui parle, and captured lodges, in all indians. on the th w. a. hill rejoined. while at camp release the duty performed was chiefly guarding the indian prisoners, foraging, and serving on camp guard,--a very strict and irksome one. company drill in the morning and battalion drill in the afternoon were also required. though within sixty miles of depots of supplies, and though the majority of the fighting men of the insurgent indians had either been captured, or had surrendered, or retreated further up the minnesota river, the rank and file of this small army had here to suffer for the want of commissary stores,--truly following the advice of the ancient philosopher to leave off eating with yet a little appetite. had it not been for the potatoes of the indian gardens and cattle of the slaughtered and fugitive settlers--which provisions, though costing nothing to the government at the time, were made to offset the amounts due for non-issued rations, the source of "company funds"--we would have been nearly starved. the return march was begun on the rd of october, on which day the weather turned suddenly cold and a high wind rose, which blew down many of the tents at yellow medicine that night. arrived at the lower agency on the th, and then went into camp at camp sibley; and remained there till the th of november, and then resumed the march. the next day the company was detailed as guard for the prisoners, two men being assigned to each wagon. though the troops left the village of new ulm a mile or more to the left, yet the citizens, exasperated at the sight of the indians in the wagons guarded by the soldiers, lined the road opposite the town in great excitement, hurling stones and endeavoring to get at the indians, in which they partly succeeded. on the th we arrived at blue earth river bridge, and camped a little beyond it, on the townsite of le hillier (l'huillier) and immediately south of the isolated bluff at the mouth of the river,--the camp being called camp lincoln. here eberdt was relieved. fischer left on the th on furlough, from which he never returned; juergens and knobelsdorff, sick, were sent to the hospital at mankato the same day. gaheen, gantner, meyer and parks had been detailed or detached as regimental teamsters during parts of october and november, but by this time were all with the company again for duty. the regiment marched, by the way of mankato, to st. peter, on the th, having traveled to the latter place, since leaving fort snelling in august, as a regiment of the expeditionary brigade, about miles. the campaign being terminated, the companies departed to their various assigned winter stations,--companies a, b, g, h, and k for fort snelling; d for forest city; e for hutchinson, mcleod county; and c, f, and i for glencoe. lieutenant holl was detailed as quartermaster and commissary for the company during its separation from the regiment. on the th of november we left st. peter with companies c, d, and f: four miles beyond new auburn parted with c and f, and with d at hutchinson, where we arrived on the th. this place was already garrisoned by company b of the ninth regiment, quartered in good log houses, but there was no accommodation for the newly-arrived company, and fatigue parties had at once to be set to work cutting and hauling logs for building. the season, however, being too far advanced, the work was abandoned, permission having been obtained to hire quarters at kingston instead. on the th dreis died of diphtheria. he was buried in the village burial-grounds near by. seven men had to be left at hutchinson on departure,--five sick and two as nurses. on the th we left for kingston, traveling by the way of greenleaf, round lake, and forest city, and reaching destination the next day. an old frame store near the mill on the west bank of the crow river was used for barrack purposes, and by the erection of a log kitchen and bake house, with some other improvements, served the purpose very well. duties were light, provisions good and ample in quantity, and the time passed pleasantly enough. a system of furloughs was inaugurated, and every man had the privilege of fifteen days' leave of absence. after the departure of fischer, koenig had to cook alone, and when he went on furlough, december th, gantner and rossion conducted the kitchen in the interim. sergeant burch left on furlough on the th, but being detailed in st. paul at district headquarters he did not return to the company at the expiration of his leave of absence; also griebler, who did not return to kingston either. sergeant scheer was reduced to the ranks at his own request on the th, and on the same day corporal burch was, by company order, promoted to fifth sergeant; also privates neierburg and eheim were appointed, respectively, seventh and eighth corporals, on the th of january, , to fill vacancies, the enlisted men having shown their preferences by special election; the same day also gaheen and hauck were similarly recommended for company cooks, and were detailed as such. juergens rejoined on the th. a. j. hill left for washington, d.c., in obedience to orders from the headquarters of the army requiring him to report there for duty; same day john left on furlough, but, becoming ill, did not return to the company at its expiration. sproesser was detailed as company fifer on february st. klinghammer rejoined, sick, on the th; he having been mustered in at fort ridgley on the th of october. the company being ordered to fort snelling, where the headquarters of the regiment were, left kingston on the th of february, on the arrival of company h, which relieved it, and traveled, in sleighs mostly, by the way of clear water and dayton, reaching the fort on the st of march. quarters were assigned it in the old barracks, near the sutler's store, and the usual routine of drill and guard duty began again. here fandel joined, sick, and griebler rejoined. jakobi was detailed as company bugler on the nd, and john rejoined on the th. private kobelitz was on the st of april honorably discharged, for disability. the regiment went into camp on the river, about a mile above the fort, on the th, and sibley tents were issued as before. george paulson left on detached service for yellow medicine on the th, afterwards (in june) acting as orderly at regimental headquarters. william gabbert, a prussian, resident of st. paul, enlisted as private in the company on the th. privates griebler and maurer left on the th on a (forged) pass, but did not return at the proper time, and were afterwards found to have deserted. privates harrfeldt, w. a. hill, and meyer were, by district order of the st of may, transferred to the third minnesota battery. part . indian campaign in minnesota and dakota-- - . at the end of april, , orders were received to rendezvous at camp pope on the upper minnesota river. fifteen of the men had to be left behind at the fort, viz.: j. j. mueller and reimers, on detached service; and becker, fandel, gantner, john, kellermann, knobelsdorff, koenig, mann, j. mueckenhausen, peterson, schauer, scheer, and wolf, sick. on the th of april companies e and d embarked on the steamboat favorite, but could go no further by water than to within about three miles of mankato, thence going on foot, arriving at their destination on the th of may. camp pope was not an original settlement, but a spot selected especially as a base of operations against the indians; for which purpose storehouses had been erected there. it was situated on the river about a mile and a quarter above the crossing of the red wood river. on the reassembling of the regiment the company held the same rank ( th) and position ( th) as before, but had as neighbors company g on the right and company i on the left. in the latter part of the month (may) a regimental band was formed, and seidel, eberdt, and jakobi were detailed as members of it. j. j. mueller and reimers rejoined on the th. detert was detailed as regimental pioneer on the th. the expedition being ready, those sick and unable to travel were left behind at camp pope; of company e, hellmann and paul paulson remained there. the strength of the company present at this time was , and aggregate number . the second expedition for the chastisement of the dakotas left camp pope on the th of june, . the th and st of the month were spent in camp. on the rd, transportation permitting, the knapsacks of the men were carried in wagons. the valley between big stone lake and lake traverse was reached on the th, and a camp established about a mile from the latter on the south side of the minnesota river (there but a rivulet), which camp was situated near but outside of the state boundary. the camp was called mclaren, and three days were spent there. from here a detachment consisting of three companies of infantry, including company h of the sixth regiment, some cavalry, and one piece of artillery, all under command of lieutenant colonel averill, was dispatched to fort abercrombie for supplies. klinghammer, unable to march, was sent along to the fort. it may be here noted, as a matter of interest to hydrographers, that lake traverse was not at this time an unbroken sheet of water, as a corporal of company g crossed it on foot near the middle, seeing the lake in two parts, to the right and left of him. resumed the march on june th, and forded the sheyenne river on the th of july, camping a little beyond it at a spot three-quarters of a mile northeast of the two mounds called "the bowshot" and in the neighborhood of where the fight occurred about forty years before between the pawnees, shawnees, and sheyennes, which, as i am informed, resulted in the annihilation of the last-named tribe. at this place,--named camp hayes,-- miles distant from camp mclaren, the expedition lay six days, awaiting the supply train, which arrived on the th. resumed the march on the th, on which day lieutenant exel left on furlough. the th was spent in camp. the second crossing of the sheyenne was made on the th. on the th arrived at two lakes named jessie[ ] and leda, miles from camp hayes. an entrenched camp was established on the banks of the former (the more easterly one of these two lakes) which was about three miles long. the camp was called atchison, and a day and one-half were spent there in making arrangements for a vigorous pursuit of the indians. companies c and g of the sixth were stationed there as a part of the garrison, and five of the company were left behind there, viz.: seidel, eberdt, and jakobi, as members of the band, and kraemer and reuter, who were too sick to travel. [ ] this camp was located on the w. / of the n.w. / of section , and the e. / of the n.e. / of section , township north, of range west, on the northeast side of what is now known as lake sibley, and about miles in a direct line to the northwest of cooperstown, griggs county, north dakota.--t. h. l. on the th, all the arrangements having been completed, the expedition began a more rapid advance in pursuit of the enemy, and on the th of july, miles from camp atchison was fought the battle of "big hills" or "big mound." as soon as it was known that the indians were in force, the train was corralled on the margin of a small lake, big mound being directly to the eastward and distant about one and one-quarter miles. the sixth regiment with one company of mounted rangers and a section of artillery occupied the east front, and threw up a line of earthworks for protection. as soon as the attack began, colonel crooks at once deployed companies e, i, and k of the sixth and a of the ninth, under major mclaren, as skirmishers, and they pursued the indians two and one-half miles. three companies of the sixth were also deployed on the left flank, and the indians were repulsed at that point. major mclaren with companies a, b, d, i, and k advanced four miles at a double-quick, having been ordered to support the troops already at the front, but on their arrival they were ordered to return to camp. on the th the expedition moved only about five miles to a better camping place and remained there on account of the jaded horses. on the th, with the sixth regiment in advance, the march was resumed. on arriving at dead buffalo lake, some miles from the last camp, the indians again appeared in force and commenced an attack. colonel crooks immediately deployed a part of the sixth, including company e, as skirmishers, under lieutenant colonel averill, and they advanced steadily, driving the enemy as they went; the remainder of the regiment under major mclaren being held in reserve. after an advance of about one and one-half miles major mclaren with five companies of the sixth was ordered to return to the camp at the lake, three companies remaining at the front. desultory firing was kept up until about p.m., when the indians made a final assault, which was repulsed in fine style by the troops under command of major mclaren. the indians, having been defeated at every point, now withdrew from the field. on the morning of the th the advance was again resumed, and in the afternoon a camp was formed on stony lake. on the th, as the troops were forming in column, the indians again appeared and made their last charge. about one mile beyond the lake the sixth regiment was deployed to skirmish on the right of the train, and they repelled the attack of the indians who threatened it. the firing continued for a time, the indians finally making a rapid retreat in the face of the advancing expedition. the pursuit was continued until apple river was reached, where a camp was formed for the night. on the th the army crossed apple river, continuing the pursuit, and in the afternoon the missouri river was reached, the regiment, under the immediate command of colonel crooks, skirmishing nearly two miles through the woods to it. the indians having crossed to the west bank and hoisted white flags, the battery which had been advanced, and was in good position for shelling, was moved away, as the policy seemed to be to kill indians only when they made an attack. many of the skirmishers ventured to the river bank and began filling their canteens, when suddenly the enemy fired at them from the other side and the men were forced back, but not without sending a volley in return. a camp was formed on the banks of the missouri river near the mouth of apple river. the point on the river struck was in about ° ´ north latitude, miles from fort snelling by the route followed, miles above the mouth of apple river, and miles from the big mound. on the th colonel crooks with companies a, i, and k and details of men from other regiments, proceeded to the indian crossing, and destroyed all the wagons and such other property as would be of service to the indians, and then returned to camp. the return march began on the nd of august. the th and th of the month were spent in camp. passed to the southward of the outward journey, shortening the route some thirty miles, and arrived at camp atchison on the th. rested on the th. reached sheyenne river on the th, and camped three miles beyond it. at this last place the nightly entrenching, commenced on departure from camp pope, was abandoned, the impulse of discontinuance coming from company e. it had been the custom, both in the campaign of and this, to throw up every evening light exterior mounds and ditches for defense, a work necessarily irksome and unpopular with men fatigued with hard marching, and in the presence of an enemy (and some times not) they neither respected nor feared. the traces of these works, slight as they were, will be visible for years, and if properly noted by the surveyors of the public lands as the surveys extend westward, and by future pacific railroad parties, will furnish means for exactly determining the routes of the two expeditions; certainly as regards that of , which lay through trackless wastes, over which not even an odometer passed with this expedition. it is to be regretted that the commanding officer of the expedition, lavish as were the expenses attending it, thought fit to negative a proposition made to form a quasi-topographical force for its use. such a proposition would have involved no other expense than that of a few simple instruments for the use of the surveyor and his assistants (enlisted men) who might be detailed, and their labors would have furnished valuable material for the maps which were afterwards ordered to be constructed, besides contributing to the interests of geographical science in general. the th and th of august were spent in camp. reached fort abercrombie on the st and camped on the west side of it; distance from camp atchison about miles. remained at the fort three days. here klinghammer rejoined. resumed march on the th. spent the th in camp. arrived at sauk centre on the nd of september, and remained there all the next day. here rehse was left behind, sick. at this place the expeditionary forces were divided, the sixth regiment being ordered to fort snelling. we left sauk centre on the th; and spent the next day in camp. the route was by the way of st. joseph, st. cloud, and anoka, and the neighborhood of the fort was reached on the th; the return route from apple river being about miles. john and scher rejoined on arrival at the fort, and seidel, eberdt, and jakobi were relieved, the band being temporarily suspended. corporal eheim was sent to the hospital on the th. companies a, c, e, f, g, and h, being ordered to fort ridgley, left together on september th, going by the way of bloomington, shakopee, jordan, belle plaine, and le sueur. at the latter place gantner rejoined on the nd. passed through traverse, and came to fort ridgley on the th. detert was now relieved. here the destinations of the companies ordered to guard the southwestern frontier of the state were announced. of company e the main body (or two-thirds) was to proceed to the station at lake hanska in brown county ( miles off) and the remainder to the post of cottonwood ( miles), to relieve the troops there in garrison. accordingly on the th the movement took place, the smaller force reaching its assigned position the same day, the main body taking two days for its journey. while at lake hanska, sergeant bell left for st. paul, where, on the th of november, he was commissioned second lieutenant of the company. company e, having been designated (in lieu of company f) as part of the escort to the train fitting out to convey provisions to the indian bands removed from minnesota to crow creek agency or fort thompson on the missouri river, was ordered to rendezvous at new ulm, which was done on the th of october by both the detachments. the smaller one had left big cottonwood on the th under orders to garrison buffalo creek station ( miles northeast of the fort), but immediately on reaching that place received the counter order. by the promotion of sergeant bell to the second lieutenancy, sergeant huhn became first or orderly sergeant, according to company order of the st of november. left new ulm on the rd of the month, and reached mankato, miles distant, the assembling point of the train and escort, the next day. eberdt and jakobi left on the th to report at fort ridgley, and lieutenant holl for st. paul. seidel and sproesser left, on the th, for fort ridgley, corporal steifel was sent there sick, and radke was sent to the hospital at mankato on the same day. the expedition, with captain j. c. whitney in command, started on the th. the escort consisted of companies d, e, and h, of the sixth regiment. the th, th, and th were spent in camp, also the th at leavenworth, where the nuts were taken off the wagons (said to have been done by the men of company d who felt themselves aggrieved). sergeant siebert, sick, left for st. peter on the th, and bast on furlough; from which, falling sick, he did not return at the appointed time. reached des moines river, near the outlet of lake shetek, on the th, and there remained in camp all the next day. here lieutenant holl rejoined and commenced to act as first lieutenant, having been commissioned as such november th; the present strength of the company was now , and aggregate . g. paulson accompanied the expedition, but is not reckoned in this number, as he was on detached service at the headquarters of the expedition. the route of the train was a few miles to the northward of the red pipe stone quarry, and the big sioux river was reached and crossed-- miles from lake shetek--on the rd. crossed the james river, miles from the big sioux, on the th. arrived at fort thompson, miles further, on the nd of december, and remained there three days. this fort is a stockaded inclosure about feet square, built to include and protect the agency and barracks; it is miles, by river road, above fort randall, two miles from the missouri, and about a mile from crow creek. on the th left the fort for return. remained in camp on the th, twelve miles below yankton; corporal leitner was promoted fifth sergeant, and privates juergens, gaheen, and hoscheid appointed to fill the vacant offices of sixth, seventh, and eighth corporal. the th was also spent in camp on account of a terrible snowstorm. reached the neighborhood of sioux city, iowa, on the th, camping two and one-half miles northwest of it. on the st the troops again moved; traveling by the way of melbourne, cherokee, peterson's, spirit lake, and estherville, iowa, they came to fairmont, minnesota, on the th. remained in camp the next two days. passed through winnebago city and arrived at mankato on the rd of january, , when company d left for the north. this journey of about miles-- outward from, and return to, mankato--was accomplished in fifty-four days; and because of the rigor of the northwestern winter, and much of it through a pathless country,--the command sleeping in tents on the snow-covered ground,--the men called it the "moscow journey." the mercury at times stood ° below zero, and never was above the freezing point. companies e and h returned by way of new ulm to fort ridgley, miles, on the th and th of january, having marched since leaving the former place in november about miles. the only company of the sixth regiment at the fort at this time was a. company e was assigned quarters in the stone barracks, on north side. the duties were not heavy and the time passed comfortably enough for soldiers. musicians seidel, eberdt, jakobi, and sproesser now rejoined, but not for duty, being detailed in the band; also sergeant steifel and george paulson. sergeant siebert rejoined on the th. sergeant huhn was detached as acting post hospital steward on the th, being afterwards discharged--on the th of february--to enlist in the same capacity in the regular army. henry steck, enlisted as private in the regiment on the rd of february and assigned to the company, joined for duty march th,--native country of recruit, wurtemberg. bast rejoined on the th, and radke about the th. captain schoenemann left for st. paul april th, and lieutenant holl assumed command of the company. on the th sergeant siebert was promoted to first sergeant and corporal stiefel to fifth sergeant, and privates radke and gabbert appointed seventh and eighth corporals, respectively; but the latter scarcely ever acted as such and was reduced to the ranks, at his own request, on the th of the following month. george paulson was detailed in the regimental band on the th of may. at the beginning of may a detail of about a dozen men of the company, under sergeant huth and corporal radke, were sent from fort ridgley to milford-- miles--to relieve the cavalry at that post. on the th corporal smith replaced corporal radke there. this detachment returned at the end of the month. while there the woods of the big cottonwood and in the neighborhood of milford were thoroughly scouted, both by parties from company e and from company g (posted at fort wilkin and madelia), but by the former traces only of the indians were found. the sixth regiment being ordered to rendezvous at fort snelling, to prepare for their departure to the south, in accordance with the order of the war department of the th of may requiring it to report at helena, arkansas, companies a, e, and h left fort ridgley on the nd of june. the only member of the company left behind there was f. henricks, sick in hospital. traveled by the way of henderson, belle plaine, and shakopee, and arrived at fort snelling on the th, and went into camp about a mile above the fort--camp crooks. between the th and th the following recruits joined the company for duty as privates, viz.: edward bryan, a native of ireland, enlisted november th, ; henry wetterau, native of wisconsin, enlisted february th, ; peter holtzmer, native of luxemburg, enlisted february th; joseph rachel, enlisted february th; michael knopf, native of new york, enlisted february th; charles foglesang, native of baden, and william hildebrandt, native of hanover, enlisted february th; mathias frank, native of luxemburg, enlisted february th; stephen iwan, and francz troska, natives of prussian poland, enlisted february th; john lieber, native of nassau, enlisted june th,--and all were enlisted for three years. of these bryan had been enlisted for the company at st. paul, but having been at once placed on detached service did not join his command till this time (the th); with him, from the same duty--herding mules at glencoe--returned rehse. corporal gaheen was detailed in the regimental color guard on the th; and on the th captain schoenemann resumed command, and burch rejoined. the sum of the distance traveled by the company from its organization to this time was over , miles. part . services at helena, st. louis, and new orleans-- - . on the th of june, , the whole regiment left fort snelling, marched to st. paul, and embarked on the steamboats enterprise and hudson, each having two barges in tow for additional accommodation of the men. arrived at dunleith, illinois, on the th and took the cars to cairo, which point was reached on the th. here wagoner henricks, sick, was left in the hospital. embarked on the steamer empress at midnight, and arrived at helena, arkansas, and landed there, on the rd. by changes in commissions occurring during the spring, the company had now become the third in rank and in regimental position the fifth from the right, with company a in front and company i in the rear or left. its strength at the time of the arrival was, present , aggregate ; the absentees being lieutenant bell and a. j. hill on detached service, the two henricks and schauer sick, and scheer, iwan, and troska left behind at st. paul. the regiment at once went into camp, on the bank of the river, one-half mile above the town. shelter tents were issued now for the first time. the camp was called camp buford, and was the last one that was officially named. troska and iwan rejoined on the th, and also the next day a. j. hill from detached service at washington. detert and scheibel were detailed as regimental pioneers on the th and a. j. hill as company clerk in the beginning of july. from the beginning there was a close guard kept around the limited area occupied by the regiment, and it was maintained several weeks. the duty required by the district commandant was chiefly prison and picket guard. in the first week of july orders were issued to build quarters, and fatigue parties were at once set to work cutting, hauling, and sawing logs for that purpose. wagoner henricks rejoined on the th. companies e and f being detailed to proceed to certain points with a view of obtaining information of the movements of the enemy, the major part embarked, with forty men of the fifteenth illinois cavalry, on the evening of the th, on the steamboat dove, and proceeded up the mississippi river, reaching buck island (no. ) on the next day, and searched it as ordered. returned to the levee at helena the same night, and lay there. next day, the th, went up the st. francis river, some thirty-five miles, to alligator bayou, then returned to helena and into camp again. the mississippi river part of this trip was under command of captain schoenemann, and the other under that of the major of cavalry. no guerrillas or other enemies were seen. the infantry forces did not land, but the cavalry did and scouted between the two rivers. kilian was detached as nurse in the regimental hospital on the st. lieutenant bell returned on the nd, and with him scheer. on the th of july the regiment went out about two miles beyond the picket lines on the little rock road to cover the retreat of some colored troops and cavalry who had been very severely handled that morning at a creek some few miles west of town. on the st of august it went out again on the same road as before, but not quite so far, and remained on picket in the woods on the right of the road during the night, returning to camp the next morning. it was understood that a projected attack by the enemy on the defences of the town was the cause of this movement. nothing of the kind, however, took place. the heat was now intense, and the sickness increased with alarming rapidity. the building of quarters was given up or postponed, and the houses, more or less finished, occupied as well as they could be. company e managed to complete--walls and roof--one of the four prescribed barracks, but, being destitute of chinking, in a rainstorm it afforded but poor shelter. being composed of log and frame houses, board and canvas shanties, the camp of the sixth regiment presented, by autumn, a melancholy variety indeed. bast was detached for provost duty in helena on the th; on the th schafer was detached for provost duty, and praxl as nurse in the post hospital on the th. j. j. mueller was detached as cook in the regimental hospital (now in town) on the th. the following men of the company died while at helena, viz.: jean rossion on july th; joseph rachel, july th; louis wetterau, august th; frederick schoenheiter on the th, michael boos on the th; august willialms on the rd, and henry reuter on the th. the latter was the last of the company that died at helena; all seven dying of disease. they were buried with the rest of the regimental dead on the summit of a rising ground about one-half mile northwest of the camp. properly marked boards were placed at their graves. in september the sick men had become so numerous that large numbers were sent north. of company e there went as follows: on the st of the month, bristle was sent to the hospital at memphis; corporal hoscheid, wagoner henricks, foglesang, metz, mueckenhausen, rehse, thiele, and h. wetterau, sick, were sent to the hospital at jefferson barracks, mo., on the rd; sergeants leitner and stiefel, corporals neierburg, juergens, and radke, and ferlein, gabbert, hauck, holtzmer, john, kilian, kraemer, krueger, m. mueller, munson, schene, steck, and temme, sick, were also sent to jefferson barracks hospital, on the th. f. henricks rejoined on the st, and on the same day sergeant rohde was relieved. at about this time the once strong sixth regiment had become the shadow of its former self, and added little to the effective strength of the garrison of the post. it was pitiable to look at the companies as they marched to dress parade; very often having but half a dozen men in line. gantner was relieved on the th; and bast rejoined on the st of october. the same day the following recruits, who had enlisted as privates for one year in the regiment, joined the company, and were two days afterwards assigned to it by regimental order, viz.: william s. adams, native of minnesota, enlisted august th; henry churchill, native of vermont, enlisted august th; george r. bell, native of ohio, and nelson a. chandler, a native of new york, enlisted september th; melchior steinmann, a native of switzerland, enlisted september th. all of the above but adams (a sioux of mixed blood) were young boys, and incapable of full military duty. on the th, details of men commenced to build barracks on selected regimental grounds located in town, opposite to the church used as a soldiers' home. no order had been received to go into regular winter quarters, but the necessities of the case required this course. george bell was detailed as orderly at regimental headquarters on the st. sergeant stiefel, and foglesang and schene rejoined on the nd. the removal of the company to the log quarters on the east side of the above-named ground took place on the th. company e was now shifted to the extreme left of the regiment, becoming the tenth from the right wing and the second in rank. company i was on the immediate right of it. an order from new orleans requiring the regiment to report at st. louis was received and read on the rd of november and preparations made at once to comply with the same. detert, scheibel, kernen, and j. j. mueller were relieved the same day and schafer rejoined; also burch and praxl (the latter rejoined on the nd) were detached for provost duty in helena. the two latter, with churchill, sick, were all of the company left behind there. on the th, the twenty-third wisconsin having arrived to relieve it, the sixth minnesota embarked on the steamboat thomas e. tutt, truly glad to leave a place so associated with disease, suffering, and death. the number of the company now on the boat was , out of an aggregate of . while lying at memphis, on the th, bristle, wagoner henricks, and ferlein rejoined. arrived at st. louis on the evening of the th, after a tedious voyage. next morning the regiment disembarked and marched through the city. six companies were quartered at winter street barracks, e being among them. at this time the military post of st. louis was under the enlightened command of colonel james h. baker of the tenth minnesota, whose regulations for the government of troops stationed there were liberal and just, and an admirable model for the imitation of officers having volunteer soldiers of the republic under their control. the sojourn in this city would have been generally very pleasant had it not been for the incessant duty, which, consisting almost exclusively of prison guard, was severe, just half of the men's time being taken up by it. the weather, too, was very cold for outside posts of sentinels. j. j. mueller was detailed as orderly at company headquarters on the th, kernen detached as cook in the regimental hospital on the th, and steinmann detailed as company drummer on the nd. the absent members now began rapidly to return. m. mueckenhausen rejoined on the th. sergeant leitner on the st, burch, praxl, corporal radke, and kilian, kraemer, and temme on the th, churchill on the th, m. mueller on the th, and krueger on the th. eberdt was relieved on the th. lieutenant bell was dismissed from service by order of the department commander on the th. knopf left on furlough december th, but sickness prevented him from returning at its expiration. the companies in winter street barracks moved into schofield barracks no. on the th of december; e being quartered in the northern quadrangle. corporal gaheen was relieved on the th, and sergeant leitner detached as keeper at gratiot street military prison on the th. metz rejoined on the th, and holtzmer on the th. lieutenant bell, having been restored to command by order of the president of january rd, , rejoined on the th. kernen rejoined on the th. to fill vacancies occasioned by the death of neierburg and reduction of gabbert, bast and beckendorf were appointed seventh and eighth corporals on the th, and confirmed as such on the th. having been ordered to report at new orleans, la., the regiment left st. louis on the th of january, and traveled by rail to cairo, where it was put on board the steamboat w. r. arthur, which left the next evening. the boat then had on board over , souls in all. reached new orleans the th of february, and marched to quarters in louisiana cotton press no. , used as a camp of distribution. lieutenant holl was detailed as assistant regimental quartermaster, and corporal gaheen again on color guard, on the th. the northern soldiers found much to amuse and instruct them when they arrived at this southwestern satrapy, for such--from its isolated position, its semi-tropical products, its swarthy and varied population, strange tongues, manners, and customs, and from its form of government--the military division of west mississippi might well be termed. they, however, soon discovered the difference between new orleans and st. louis. the former was under the strictest rule of a martinet of the regular army. the accidental absence of a pass, even in daytime, or the slightest divergence from the prescribed dress, whether occurring on or off duty, rendered enlisted men subject to ruthless fine or imprisonment, and the other offending articles to confiscation by the provost marshal. no duty was called for till the th, when, for two days, fatigue parties were set to work on the military railroad on st. joseph street. on the th details for miscellaneous guard duty were furnished. corporal hoscheid and john rejoined on the th. musician chandler was transferred to company b on the th, there being more than the regular number of musicians in company e. wagoner henricks was detailed in regimental quartermaster's depot on the th. on the th the regiment moved into the barracks formerly terrill's cotton press, opposite the southeast corner of annunciation square, just vacated by the seventh vermont. sergeant rohde was detailed as sergeant of police on the th. eberdt and gropel were detached to guard stores on steamboats, under command of an ordnance officer, on the th. stengelin, sick, was sent to the general hospital on the th. towards the end of the month the regiment received orders to repair to chalmette, and to report to the sixteenth army corps, to which it had been assigned, as soon as relieved by a certain colored regiment. on the rd of march, having been relieved, the regiment moved into the square immediately opposite, where, having a few days previously been supplied with shelter tents, a camp was established. j. j. mueller was relieved on the th. the strength of the company was now as follows: present, ; absent, ,--aggregate . by this time it was authoritatively known that the sixth regiment belonged to the second brigade of the second division, sixteenth army corps, major general a. j. smith commanding. part . services in alabama; and conclusion-- . the regiment left new orleans on the th of march and proceeded along the river six miles to the plain of chalmette, where at a point a little below the old battlefield, and exactly opposite the present rebel earthworks, it embarked on the small ocean steamship cromwell. lieutenant holl and wagoner henricks did not go along with the company. this was a wretched voyage. the men were packed as closely as negroes on a slave-ship; the majority being unable to get more than sitting room, and no chance to lie at full length for sleep. in the afternoon of the th the troops were landed at fort gaines, alabama, whence they marched to a camping ground on the south shore of the island (dauphin) about two miles west of the fort. mahle was detached to serve on brigade provost guard by order issued on the th; knopf and stengelin rejoined on the th; and scheibel was detached to serve in the division pioneer company, by order issued on the th. while at dauphin island the system of company cooking was abandoned, and that of distributing to each man his proportion of the rations, for disposal at will, adopted instead. company cooks, consequently, were no longer required. broke camp on the th, and embarked at fort gaines on a gunboat (tin clad). lay all night in navy cove near fort morgan. next day the fleet crossed to fish river and ascended it several miles to dalney's mill landing, on the west side, where the force disembarked and went into camp, the second brigade being about a mile from the river on the south side of a small but rapid creek. while at this place breastworks were commenced to the west, but soon discontinued. lieutenant holl and wagoner henricks rejoined on the st, the former having been relieved by the return of the regimental quartermaster. on the th the forward march of the troops began, and eight miles were made. the next day the second brigade was in front and the sixth minnesota was detailed for skirmishing, company e being employed to cover the left flank of the brigade while marching. the enemy's skirmishers hovered in front the whole time and an incessant fusillade was kept up. by noon the creek on which cyrus sibley's house and mills were was reached and crossed, and at about a mile beyond the company was halted, and remained, with some other companies, on picket there the whole night. the enemy's pickets and ours were often in view of each other and exchanged many shots. next morning, the th, the rest of the regiment moved up and camped there; and breastworks were thrown up and a battery stationed on the right flank. on the th the regiment fell back; to the south side of the creek, where the camp of the second division was entrenched, immediately opposite sibley's house. here there was very little to do or see, but time enough to listen to the almost continuous cannonading at the spanish fort, which however soon ceased to be an object of remark except when, occasionally, the rush of the enormous shells from the rebel gunboats drew every one's attention. a reconnoissance on the blakely road, to a point three miles out, was made on the nd of april by the brigade. near the place of return two torpedoes were exploded by the feet of the horses at the head of the column. on the same day klinghammer, who had been arrested on dauphin island, for very insubordinate conduct, and subsequently tried by court-martial, found guilty, and sentenced to one year's hard labor at a military prison, was turned over to the provost marshal, and the company saw him no more. on the rd the division broke camp and moved, by the way of origen sibley's mills, to the front, near blakely, on the tensas river, about twelve miles from mobile, taking position on the left of the thirteenth corps, which had appeared before the enemy's defenses there a few days previously. about a mile and a half to the eastward of the rebel works immediately defending the town are some private graves among the pine trees, apparently the commencement of a cemetery, but without fencing or other general improvements. the tomb of one of general marion's men, godbold, is there; and, immediately to the north of it a couple of rods, a local family, the wilkinsons, have a little plot of land, about fifteen paces square, surrounded by a low brick wall. here, shortly before sunset on the rd of april, the brigade encamped, the sixth minnesota being a couple of hundred paces distant from the brick graveyard, to the east and southeast of it. the troops were told to pitch no tents, light no fires, but lie on their arms, keep as quiet as possible, and await further orders. it was rumored that the enemy's works were to be stormed that night, but we were not disturbed. the musicians, however, were called out and held subject to the surgeon's orders. next day, the th, tents were pitched and the usual camp arrangements recommenced, except that all calls were discontinued lest the sound of the bugles and drums should reach the enemy's ears and guide them in shelling our camp. while here a large detail was furnished every day by the regiment for duty in the trenches and on the skirmish line. before sunrise each morning the soldiers filed off through the gloomy ravines to their posts in the trenches and pits of the advance, some half a mile away, there to lie and exchange shots with the enemy, and subject to their shells, till relieved. fortunately during the week spent in this camp not a man of the company was injured, and it is understood that but two casualties (slight wounds) occurred in the regiment the whole time the siege of blakely lasted. on two or three occasions shells reached the brigade camp, one of which cut off a thick pine near to godbold's grave, but did not injure either living or dead. these shots were provoked by men climbing the tall pine trees to get sight of the enemy's works. the bombardment of the spanish fort on the evening of the th was very plainly heard. it lasted from : o'clock to , and the reports averaged about thirty a minute, by count. in the afternoon of the next day tents were struck and the regiment left camp, knapsacks packed, at o'clock, and moved silently through the woods to the line of trenches used by the reserve of the picket guard, and there, knapsacks being unslung and with other impediments piled together, the men were stationed to await orders. immediately to the right of the sixth was a battery and beyond that another regiment, also posted in reserve; and on the left there was nothing. from this position to the enemy's redoubts it was about half a mile in a direct course westward, and from the advanced skirmish line to the same works some yards. about : p.m. the various batteries of the union forces opened fire upon the enemy's lines, but their guns did not reply for about ten minutes, when the cannonading became brisk on both sides, lasting until minutes to ; the battery near the regiment sharing in it. now it ceased suddenly on our side, and in its place were heard the ringing cheers of the soldiers as they rose, in full view of the reserves, from their trenches in the front and rushed towards the confederate fortifications. by o'clock the noise of the cannon had ceased and a white flag was visible, which told of the enemy's surrender; and shortly the stars and stripes superseded it. thus, on the evening of the th of april, , took place the battle of blakely, which, like that of new orleans in , was fought after the necessity for it had passed away. the regiment returned to the original camp for the night. next morning if crossed the battle grounds and encamped immediately within the former hostile earthworks, about a quarter of a mile from the village, but remained there only two days, returning on the th to the neighborhood of the cemetery. here ferlein, unable to march, was left behind. without the men having any idea as to where they were going, the line of march was taken up on the morning of the th of april, but a few hours proved that it was neither to mobile nor to pensacola, but to the north, showing that the sixteenth corps was on one of its characteristic marches again. the strength of the company was now: present, ; aggregate, . for over sixty miles the route lay through pine forests, with very few clearings; and the villages then successively passed were burnt corn, midway, activity, greenville, and sandy ridge. no enemy was seen, but, on the contrary, when the settled country was reached, every house displayed a white flag or cloth, generally with the words "the union forever" on it. on the th, a few miles south of midway, the official news of the surrender of lee's army overtook the expedition; and at camp on the th the rumor of mr. lincoln's death, not at first believed, met it. for thirteen days, to the th, the troops marched each day, arriving then at a stream five miles south of montgomery, having traveled a distance of miles, from the cemetery near blakely. the th was spent in camp, to rest and wash. on the th the troops moved through the city,--the cradle of the rebel government,--and encamped beyond it. the camp of the brigade was just beyond a swamp on the river road, about two miles northeastward of the city. from the th to the th, as the transports had not arrived, the soldiers were supplied by foraging parties with cornmeal, supplies of fresh beef, and a little bacon. f. henricks and knopf, sick, were sent to the hospital in the city, may nd. ferlein rejoined on the th. on the th of may the regimental camp was moved about a mile further from the river, nearly to the wetumka road, to get higher ground and purer water. sergeant leitner rejoined on the nd. lieutenant holl left on sick furlough on the th. eberdt and gropel rejoined on the th, the former being detailed in the band on the th. on the st sergeant steifel was honorably discharged for disability contracted while in the service. the same day a review of the second division took place. private ferlein was honorably discharged on the st of june, his term of service having expired. on the same day mahle and scheibel rejoined, and huth was sent to the hospital. on the th soft bread was issued for the first time in three months. jakobi was sent to the hospital in town on the th. sergeant huth (in hospital) and privates gantner and parks were honorably discharged on the th, their terms of service having expired. on the th krueger was sent to the division hospital in town. the same day schermann died of disease. he was buried near the second mile-post on the wetumka road. on the th corporals sauer and joseph smith were promoted fourth and fifth sergeants, respectively, and j. mueller and blesius seventh and eighth corporals,--to take effect on the th of june. knopf rejoined july st. private jakobi was honorably discharged on the th for disability contracted while in the service; and on the same day the regiment acted as guard at a military execution. private schene died of disease on the th, and was buried in the city cemetery. musician seidel was honorably discharged on the th, his term of service having expired. he was the last man discharged previous to the general mustering out. on the th the men whose terms of service did not expire before the st of october were transferred to and ordered to join the fifth regiment; those from company e being as follows: bryan, foglesang, frank, hildebrandt, holtzmer, iwan, knopf, lieber, and troska. while at montgomery, by change of captains in company d, company e became the first in rank, its appropriate position in regimental line being the first on the right flank, with company i on the left. after much weary waiting the regiment at last received orders to proceed to vicksburg, to be mustered out, and, joyfully striking tents for the last time, on the th embarked on the steamer coquette for selma, which place was reached next morning. here, instead of proceeding at once, the regiment remained three days by reason of change of opinions in regard to the recruits just transferred. the order transferring them was revoked, and they were returned to their companies to be mustered out with the main body. the strength of company e was now as follows: present, ; absent, ,--aggregate, . on the th, left selma by railroad. reached demopolis in the afternoon, and descended the river there, on a steamboat, four miles to the continuation of the railroad on the west bank, which place was known as mcdowell's landing. here camped for the night. the next day arrived at meridian, mississippi, and lay there over night, and on the day after, the nd, arrived at pearl river opposite jackson. owing to the destruction of the bridge over this stream, and that of the big black, there was a gap of over thirty miles in the railroad communication, which had to be traversed the best way possible. most of the men walked, having hired teams for their things. by the th nearly all of the regiment had rendezvoused on the west side of the big black river, near the railroad. the next day took cars for vicksburg. the regiment was now, it seems, ordered to report at st. louis, and accordingly, on the evening of the th, embarked at vicksburg on the steamboat missouri for that place. having arrived at st. louis on the st, it received orders to proceed to fort snelling, and on the st of august started on the steamboat brilliant for st. paul. private w. smith was found dead in his place on the deck on the morning of august rd, and his body was left at burlington, iowa, for interment. on the th arrived at st. paul, where a most cordial reception by the citizens was experienced, and after being entertained at the capitol, re-embarked and went to fort snelling. here lieutenant holl, and f. henricks, krueger, schauer, simon, and some others who had remained at jackson, rejoined. the company was mustered out, with the rest of the regiment, on the th of august, at the fort. of the original members there were now discharged , who had served their full three years. their names were as follows, viz.: bast, beckendorf, j. b. bell, besecke, blesius, blessner, bristle, burch, detert, eberdt, gaheen, goldner, gropel, hahn, f. henricks, h. henricks, a. j. hill, holl; hoscheid, john, kernen, kilian, kraemer, krueger, leitner; mahle; martin, metz, m. mueckenhausen, j. j. mueller, m. mueller, g. paulson, praxl, radke, reimers, rohde, sauer, schafer, scheer, scheibel, schoenemann, siebert, simon, j. smith, sproesser, stengelin, and temme, the recruits discharged numbered , and were: g. bell, bryan, churchill, foglesang, frank, hildebrandt, holtzmer, iwan, knopf, lieber, steinmann, and troska. * * * * * although the foregoing pages are but a history of one company of the sixth regiment, yet in general the account of its movements applies generally to all. the lot of this regiment, as an organization, was somewhat peculiar, and, in respect to military glory, unfortunate. it boasts of no hard won victories, laments no disheartening defeats, but it did faithfully its assigned duty; and, in so doing, deserved well of the republic. part . tables and statistics. composition of original company. _nationality_: men were of german blood, born in north america; of american (u.s.); of scandinavian; of french; of magyar; and of british. _religions_: proportion of lutheran and methodist, per cent.; roman catholic, per cent.; rationalistic, per cent.; and per cent. were unclassified. _occupations_: proportion of farmers, per cent.; mechanics, per cent.; professional men, per cent.; and miscellaneous and unknown, per cent. statistics of disease. previous to the summer of the health of the regiment had always been very good. at the time of the departure for the south the proportion of sick in the whole company was under per cent., the cases being mostly of a trivial nature. the following table, compiled from the monthly returns, will show how rapidly the ratio increased during the sojourn at helena: whole number aggregate percentage day. of sick. of company. of sick. ------------------------------------------------------- june july august september october the "daily" and "extra" duty men would swell the last column somewhat if their health had been generally reported, but it is not customary to enter their names in the "sick" book. every man of the company was sick at one time or another while in the south. the poor economy of sending the regiment to helena immediately from a northern climate at the commencement of the summer, and keeping it there so long, is plainly seen in the following calculation (and other companies showed a similar state of things to company e): if we take the sum of the "aggregates" of the morning reports during each month the product is the maximum number of days' service the government can expect for that period, but which, however, it really never gets. by similarly adding together the columns of "sick" we have a figure representing loss of service, and which should be within reasonable limits. while in minnesota this loss never amounted to per cent. of the whole service due, and generally fluctuated between and . in a space of time equal to and immediately preceding the time spent at helena,--nineteen weeks,--it was as low as per cent.; while there it was ; and for the same length of time immediately after leaving helena, it was . in march, , it was ; in april, ; in may, ; and in june, . as no morning reports were made after the middle of july, the figures for the remainder of the term of service cannot be obtained, but undoubtedly they would result in at least per cent. the number of deaths occurring while in helena, and traceable to disease contracted while at that point and montgomery, is , equal to per cent., or nearly one-sixth of the whole company. numerical summaries. members. resigned, ; transferred, ; discharged previous to expiration of service, ; died, ; deserted, ; missing, ; mustered out at expiration of service in june and july, , ; mustered out in corpore august th, , ; in military prison and unknown, . total number of members, . occupation of time. en route, on campaigns and expeditions, days. en route, changing stations, days. stationary, at posts and barracks, days. stationary in camp, days. total, or entire term of service, years. distances traveled, approximately. on foot, , miles; in wagons, miles; by steamboat, , miles; by railroad, miles. total, , miles. limits and extent of country traversed. _latitude_: from ° ', at lake jessie, d. t., approximate position, to °, at the mouth of the mississippi; being ° ' difference, equal to , statute miles, measured on a meridian line. _longitude_: from ° ', at montgomery, ala., to ° ', at the mouth of apple river, d. t., approximate position; being ° ' difference, equal to statute miles on the line of middle latitude. _greatest included right line_: from lake jessie, d. t., approximate position, to the mouth of the mississippi; course s. ° e., distance , miles. an air line drawn from montgomery, alabama, the last station, to st. paul, minnesota, would be miles in length, course n.n.w. the water route to the latter place, via mississippi sound and new orleans, is about , miles; while that actually traveled, via vicksburg, is about , miles. appendix. lieut. col. marshall's raid into dakota-- .[ ] by capt. charles j. stees. after the memorable release of the captives at camp release, the scouts were very diligent in searching out and locating the numerous small bands of hostile indians who were scattered through the country to the north and west of the camp. upon learning that there were several lodges of indians to the westward in the vicinity of wild goose nest lake, general sibley, under date of october th, , directed lieutenant colonel marshall of the seventh regiment to take command of an expedition detailed to capture any bands to be found along the upper lac qui parle valley, and, if necessary, to go as far as the western side of the coteaus, about miles distant. [ ] from the journal of charles j. stees, late captain of company g, sixth regiment, minnesota volunteer infantry, and formerly major of the fourth regiment, third brigade, first division, pennsylvania infantry. october th ( ). cold, windy day. company g was ordered to be ready to move at o'clock, midnight, with six days' rations. the men thought they were going below with the prisoners, but were disappointed on learning that we were off on an indian hunt. the expedition under lieutenant colonel marshall consisted of company g, of the sixth regiment, under command of captain valentine; men of the third regiment-- mounted--under lieutenant swan; company b, seventh regiment, captain curtis; a mountain howitzer with men under sergeant o'shea; major joseph r. brown and scouts (bell, quinn, and indians). left camp release at p.m. for the lac qui parle valley. it was very cold traveling, so much so that the water froze in our canteens. october th. we made a very rapid march during the night, and reached the lac qui parle river before daybreak, made a bridge, using the wagons for the purpose, and all crossed over. soon after passed a deserted bark village. the scouts reported that there were indians ahead with eight ox teams, but there was nothing to be seen but the sky and prairie. the indians, discovering that they were pursued, now fired the prairie in front of us with the evident intention of retarding our movements and to prevent our horses from having forage. the wind being high, it carried the burnt dirt and ashes along in clouds, flying into our eyes, and they became very painful and bloodshot. was appointed officer of the guard for the night, and, by using three reliefs of men each, dug six rifle-pits for the protection of the camp. october th. aroused the camp at o'clock, struck the tents, and was on the march by a.m. following up the lac qui parle, at o'clock we captured four prisoners,--an indian warrior, a half-breed boy, and two squaws. the half-breed was a son of roubillard, a frenchman who lived back of us in st. paul, in . i used to play with him. he speaks french, english, and sioux, and gave us much information about what we were after. a short distance beyond we crossed the state line into dakota territory. william wallace, e. j. van slyke, and i visited one of the line posts, which was marked, " miles from big stone lake" (located about miles north of gary, south dakota); and the other three sides were marked "minnesota," "dakota," and " ." wallace was on the survey and helped plant the post. in order to celebrate the event, each of us, with one foot in dakota and the other in minnesota, shook hands together. we were now in sight of re wakan or spirits hill (so named by the dakotas). although distant, the appearance of the coteau des prairies, as they loom up like a dark wall against the clear western sky, is very beautiful. halted in a hollow for a lunch. the scouts returned and reported indian lodges ahead, which made the men feel joyful at the prospect of a fight. marched three miles further and camped for the night in a beautiful dell at the headwaters of the lac qui parle. one wagon and six indians were brought in. of those captured up to this time, the young men were held as prisoners, and the squaws and children were given into the custody of the old men and ordered to report at camp release, and they faithfully followed the instructions. october th. during the night wolves were howling in the vicinity of the camp. left camp before daylight and commenced ascending the coteau des prairies, the highest table-land in this section of the united states, and full of lakes. a chain of twenty or more lakes could be seen from the highest point, which form the headwaters of the lac qui parle, yellow medicine, and whetstone rivers, on one side, and furnish many tributary streams to the big sioux on the west side,--many miles of land and bluffs, prairies, and lakes seeming as not ten miles distant. at various points we passed through fields of buffalo bones. arrived at "two lakes" (mde-nonpana), where the indians camped last night and left a sign indicating that they had moved to the westward two days previously. in order to overtake them, colonel marshall took the mounted men, howitzer, and the best teams, and pushed ahead, leaving the infantry and baggage train, under command of captain valentine, to follow on his trail and camp at the next creek for the night, with instructions to continue the forward movement if he did not return. instead of following instructions, captain valentine crossed the creek, and, ascending the next hill, perceived what appeared to be a beautiful lake a few miles distant; he continued the march, intending to camp there; so we marched and marched, but no lake appeared; the men, worn and fatigued, lagged behind, some straggling back for five miles, and curses, loud and deep, were heard on every hand,--the lake turned out to be a mirage, a sight not uncommon in this region. failing to arrive at the lake, we finally camped in the prairie grass, without wood or water; and, the rations being short, we went to sleep, supperless, after marching until o'clock at night. october th. the morning found us camped on the top of the coteaus with no sign of colonel marshall and his men. struck tents before daylight and were on the march without breakfast. at about two miles from the last camp we arrived at the big sioux river (here very narrow, with marshy banks), and halted for breakfast; but there was no feed for the horses. the men of the third regiment dealt out their last crackers, and company g had one ration of flour, sugar, and coffee. flour mixed with water and fried in fat was indeed and in truth a great luxury, of which even a white plumed knight might well be proud,--at this stage of the game. the expedition was now four days' march from camp release, and the provisions were all gone. the scouts returned and reported that they had seen "nothing of marshall or any other man." we again resumed the march, and at sundown arrived at hawk's nest lake. here we met quinn (the scout), and some mounted men, who brought the cheering news of the capture of indians, including warriors. on leaving the main body of the expedition, colonel marshall had moved forward as rapidly as possible, and soon after midnight on the th overtook and surrounded the indians, who, not anticipating such an event, were camped down and peacefully enjoying a good night's rest. the baying of their dogs was the first intimation that they had of the presence of the troops. the scouts informed them that they would not be harmed, and demanded their immediate surrender, which was complied with. a few of the younger men attempted to get away, but were overtaken and all made prisoners. by this capture much stolen property, in the way of goods, oxen, horses, and wagons, was recovered. only one white child was found among them. the prisoners (warriors) were brought in under guard, their weapons having been taken from them, and they were securely tied. among them was one chief, wa-ka-mo-no (wa-kan-mane), spirit walker, or walking spirit. at p.m. william quinn and two mounted men were dispatched to camp release to obtain a reinforcement to meet the expedition with provisions and forage. in honor of the successful termination of the pursuit and capture of the indians, colonel marshall changed the name of hawk's nest lake[ ] to captive lake. the lake is very long, winding, and deep, and was very high, trees standing in the water feet from the shore. very singularly it rises and falls without any apparent assistance from the rains or snows, as if it had a connection with some underground system of streams. [ ] this lake is probably the most eastern one of the two lakes now known as twin lakes, situated in township north, of range west, in coddington county, south dakota, as no other lake in this region corresponds with the description. its dakota name is chan-nonpa (two wood lake), and that of the western one is tizaptona (five lodge lake). "wild goose nest" (magaiticage) and "hawk's nest" (hecaoti) lakes are "on the minnesota coteaus," and not over thirty miles west of the state line.--t. h. l. october th. according to the estimates of the scouts and others we were about miles from camp release and miles from james river, or half way between the big sioux and the james. left captive lake bright and early, and halted on the big sioux for dinner, at the place where we breakfasted (?) the day previous. took coffee with the third regiment. at the request of major brown, we took his sister-in-law (a squaw by the name of sinte, the wife of captain james gorman of the renville rangers) into our wagon. in order to have a little fun as a side diversion, a race with our mules was commenced, the tailor george driving. his position was lubricous as he drove over the rough ground, shaking the squaw and the old man well. having gotten some distance ahead, we halted at a creek for target practice; and some good shots were made. homeward bound, as viewed from a high ridge, the appearance of our train was romantic and picturesque. the indian warriors with their mounted guard were in the advance, and then the infantry with their arms and bayonets shining brightly. the mounted men with their sharps rifles, contrasting with the springfields carried by company g; then comes the "little barker" (the mountain howitzer on wheels in a wagon), the gunners riding alongside; then our teams laden with camp equipage, tents, kettles, etc., the whole cavalcade ending with the indian camp following in true indian style. ponies loaded almost to the ground: cows, oxen and wagons the same; and squaws loaded as if their backs would break. a pretty squaw, with a snow-white blanket around her, is perched high on top of a big load on a little pony; then there are other ponies with papooses on their backs, followed by any quantity of dogs. a simple strap is thrown across the back of a pony, ox, or cow, supporting the ends of two poles, while the other ends drag on the ground; midway between the ends are perched the teepee skin, camp traps, etc., and on top of the whole are placed the children, who are riding as gaily as if they were on a honeymoon; a string of bells around the pony's neck, with the bellowing of the cattle, the bright blue sky above, the surrounding hills (some black with burnt grass, others green and waving), with the beautiful lakes contrasted,--combined to make it one of the strangest, wildest, and most beautiful and romantic pictures i ever witnessed. camped at sundown on a creek between two high hills, where a cow was shot,--a promise of fresh beef for to-morrow. sunday, october th. it was cold sleeping last night; water frozen in canteen; but the day was ushered in with the sun shining bright. breaking camp in the valley was a beautiful sight, as viewed from the top of the adjoining hill,--fires burning, tents taken down, mounted men starting off at a brisk trot. infantry looked lively and cheerful at the prospect of soon greeting their comrades at camp release, with their good success, prisoners, spoils, etc., they march straight up the hill, while the teams and "moccasin train" wind around the sides to make the ascent more easy. such a scene as here witnessed carries one back to the days when he read fancy sketches of such expeditions in novels. with a party of friends we were now in advance of the train, and during the day shot geese, brant, ducks and snipes. it was indeed a grand sight to see thousands of white brant flying between us and the burned and blackened hills. arrived at our old camp "hollow" at the head of the lac qui parle at p.m.,--one hour in advance of the train,--and took advantage of the occasion to cook and feast on some of our game. the train arrived, having in charge more prisoners, who had been out hunting, and, on returning and finding their band all gone, followed our trail and gave themselves up. october th. more indians joined us last night; they attempted to slip in past the guard, but were caught. struck tents at daylight and resumed the march, crossing the line into minnesota at a.m. met the relief train under quinn at a.m. after leaving captive lake, and at a point some miles distant, william quinn's horse gave out, and was abandoned. he walked all the rest of the way to camp release beside of the other horses, reaching there at o'clock saturday night (making good time). he took a short nap, started on the return trip sunday morning, and met the train as above stated. he brought the news of the capture of more lodges ( indians) near the lower lac qui parle by captain merriman and a detachment of the sixth regiment, who took them to camp release. at o'clock, noon, we arrived at the camping place first used on our outward trip. took dinner with the artillery. the prairie took fire from company g's cook-fire, making us skedaddle at a double-quick. the flames spread with fearful rapidity, causing consternation and alarm, and inducing the moccasin train to move at a lively gait. there was a feeling of real joy when all had reached burned ground. quinn now led us by a new route. the prairie was on fire all around us, and at one point we passed between two fires. the camp for the night was established on a beautiful spot near the bank of the lac qui parle river. was appointed officer of the guard. during the night there were indications of the prisoners trying to escape. c. j. sudheimer and peter molitor were placed as sentinels on the top of the edge of the plateau, near the camp. the wind was blowing at a or mile gait, so they finally took post on the more sheltered slope near the top. about p.m. an indian with a halter in his hand appeared and crossed the line some feet distant, when he was halted by sudheimer, who, finding that he was a prisoner trying to make his escape, promptly arrested him. i immediately doubled the guard and had all the prisoners (warriors) searched, which resulted in the finding of a pocket-knife, which was duly confiscated. the job of searching them was very disagreeable. ugh! what filth. this task being completed, they were securely tied, placed in a sibley tent, and a double guard stationed over them. visited the indian camp with george brown to see the sights. found them in their teepees spread out around the fire, which was located in the center. october st. broke camp before daybreak, and was on the march before sunrise. the day proved to be a horrible one, the wind blowing a perfect hurricane; the black dust of the burnt prairie filling and blinding our eyes, the lashes on which the dust accumulated creating a cutting, grinding pain, causing us to suffer much pain. being near our journey's end, we moved forward as fast as it was possible under the circumstances, and arrived at camp release at p.m., where we joined our comrades, who were very glad to see us. but our arrival did not improve matters so far as we were concerned, for the camp was a perfect wreck,--tents ripped up and chimneys blown down. there was not much news at the camp, the most important event during our absence having been the arrival of the sutler, on which occasion nearly all hands got tight, with the result that one colonel, six captains, and any quantity of lieutenants were put under arrest. with all our forced marches, cold nights, windy days, and fasting, the trip was a most successful one; for, besides those who voluntarily surrendered themselves, we captured men and women and children, not to mention the horses, cattle, wagons, and plunder, which were also brought in. the lost trail by edward s. ellis author of "seth jones," "the forest spy," etc., etc. [illustration: "that indian has carried cora away!"--_frontispiece_.] contents. chapter i. the shadow ii. the adventures of a night iii. the jug acquaintances iv. an ominous rencounter v. gone vi. the lost trail vii. a hibernian's search for the trail viii. the trail of death ix. the dead shot x. conclusion list of illustrations. he held his long rifle in his right hand, while he drew the shrubbery apart with his left, and looked forth at the canoe. "a purty question, ye murtherin haythen!" "where does yees get the jug?" dealt the savage a tremendous blow "well, at-to-uck," said he, kindly, "you seem troubled." the trail was lost! "and so, teddy, ye're sayin' it war a white man that took away the missionary's wife." "it's all up!" muttered the dying man. "i am wiped out at last, and must go under!" "harvey richter--don't you know me?" he gasped. the lost trail. chapter i. the shadow. ye who love the haunts of nature, love the sunshine of the meadow, love the shadow of the forest, love the wind among the branches, and the rain-shower and the snow-storm, and the rushing of great rivers. listen to these wild traditions.--hiawatha. one day in the spring of , a singular occurrence took place on one of the upper tributaries of the mississippi. the bank, some fifteen or twenty feet in height, descended quite abruptly to the stream's edge. though both shores were lined with dense forest, this particular portion possessed only several sparse clumps of shrubbery, which seemed like a breathing-space in this sea of verdure--a gate in the magnificent bulwark with which nature girts her streams. this green area commanded a view of several miles, both up and down stream. had a person been observing this open spot on the afternoon of the day in question, he would have seen a large bowlder suddenly roll from the top of the bank to bound along down the green declivity and fall into the water with a loud splash. this in itself was nothing remarkable, as such things are of frequent occurrence in the great order of things, and the tooth of time easily could have gnawed away the few crumbs of earth that held the stone in poise. scarcely five minutes had elapsed, however, when a second bowlder rolled downward in a manner precisely similar to its predecessor, and tumbled into the water with a rush that resounded across and across from the forest on either bank. even this might have occurred in the usual course of things. stranger events take place every day. the loosening of the first stone could have opened the way for the second, although a suspicious observer might naturally have asked why its fall did not follow more immediately. but, when precisely the same interval had elapsed, and a third stone followed in the track of the others, there could be no question but what human agency was concerned in the matter. it certainly appeared as if there were some _intent_ in all this. in this remote wilderness, no white man or indian would find the time or inclination for such child's play, unless there was a definite object to be accomplished. and yet, scrutinized from the opposite bank, the lynx-eye of a veteran pioneer would have detected no other sign of the presence of a human being than the occurrences that we have already narrated; but the most inexperienced person would have decided at once upon the hiding-place of him who had given the moving impulse to the bodies. just at the summit of the bank was a mass of shrubbery of sufficient extent and density to conceal a dozen warriors. and within this, beyond doubt, was one person, at least, concealed; and it was certain, too, that from his hiding-place, he was peering out upon the river. each bowlder had emerged from this shrubbery, and had not passed through it in its downward course; so that their starting-point may now be considered a settled question. supposing one to have gazed from this stand-point, what would have been his field of vision? a long stretch of river--a vast, almost interminable extent of forest--a faint, far-off glimpse of a mountain peak projected like a thin cloud against the blue sky, and a solitary eagle that, miles above, was bathing his plumage in the clear atmosphere. naught else? close under the opposite shore, considerably lower down than the point to which we first directed our attention, may be descried a dark object. it is a small indian canoe, in which are seated two white men and a female, all of whom are attired in the garb of civilization. the young man near the stern is of slight mold, clear blue eye, and a prepossessing countenance. he holds a broad ashen paddle in his hand with which to assist his companion, who maintains his proximity to the shore for the purpose of overcoming more deftly the opposition of the current. the second personage is a short but square-shouldered irishman, with massive breast, arms like the piston-rods of an engine, and a broad, good-natured face. he is one of those beings who may be aptly termed "machines," a patient, plodding, ox-like creature who takes to the most irksome labor as a flail takes to the sheafs on the threshing-floor. work was his element, and nothing, it would seem, could tire or overcome those indurated muscles and vice-like nerves. the only appellation with which he was ever known to be honored was that of "teddy." near the center of the canoe, which was of goodly size and straight, upon a bed of blankets, sat the wife of the young man in the stern. a glance would have dissipated the slightest suspicion of her being anything other than a willing voyager upon the river. there was the kindling eye and glowing cheek, the eager look that flitted hither and yon, and the buoyant feeling manifest in every movement, all of which expressed more of enthusiasm than of willingness merely. her constant questions to her husband or teddy, kept up a continual run of conversation, which was now, for the first time, momentarily interrupted by the occurrence to which we have alluded. at the moment we introduce them the young man was holding his paddle stationary and gazing off toward his right, where the splash in the water denoted the fall of the third stone. his face wore an expression of puzzled surprise, mingled with which was a look of displeasure, as if he were "put out" at this manifestation. his eyes were fixed with a keen, searching gaze upon the river-bank, expecting the appearance of something more. teddy also was resting upon his paddle, and scrutinizing the point in question; but he seemed little affected by what had taken place. his face was as expressionless as one of the bowlders, save the ever-present look of imperturbable good-humor. the young woman seemed more absorbed than either of her companions, in attempting to divine this mystery that had so suddenly come upon them. more than once she raised her hand, as an admonition for teddy to preserve silence. finally, however, his impatience got the better of his obedience, and he broke the oppressive stillness. "and what does ye make of it, miss cora, or master harvey?" he asked, after a few moments, dipping his paddle at the same time in the water. "arrah, now, has either of ye saan anything more than the same bowlders there?" "no," answered the man, "but we may; keep a bright look-out, teddy, and let me know what you see." the irishman inclined his head to one side, and closed one eye as if sighting an invisible gun. suddenly he exclaimed, with a start: "i see something now, _sure_ as a bally-ma-gorrah wake." "what is it?" "the sun going down in the west, and tilling us we've no time to shpare in fooling along here." "teddy, don't you remember day before yesterday when we came out of the mississippi into this stream, we observed something very similar to this?" "an' what if we did, zur? does ye mane to say that a rock or two can't git tired of layin' in bed for a thousand years and roll around like a potaty in a garret whin the floor isn't stiddy?" "it struck us as so remarkable that we both concluded it must have been caused _purposely_ by some one." "me own opinion was, ye remember, that it was a lot of school-boys that had run away from their master, and were indulging themselves in a little shport, or that it was the bears at a shindy, or that it was something else." "ah! teddy, there are times when jesting is out of place," said the young wife, reproachfully; "and it seems to me that when we are alone in this vast wilderness, with many and many a long mile between us and a white settlement, we should be grave and thoughtful." "i strives to be so, miss cora, but it's harder than paddling this cockle-shell of a canoe up-shtream. my tongue will wag jist as a dog's tail when he can't kape it still." the face of the irishman wore such a long, woebegone expression, that it brought a smile to the face of his companion. teddy saw this, and his big, honest blue eyes twinkled with humor as he glanced upward from beneath his hat. "i knows yees _prays_ for me, misther harvey and miss cora, ivery night and morning of your blessed life, but i'm afeard your prayers will do as little good for teddy as the s'arch-warrant did for micky, the praist's boy, who stole the praist's shirt and give it away because it was lou--" "_look!_" from the very center of the clump of bushes of which we have made mention, came a white puff of smoke, followed immediately by the faint but sharp report of a rifle. the bullet's course could be seen as it skipped over the surface of the water, and finally dropped out of sight. "what do you say, now?" asked the young man. "isn't that proof that we've attracted attention?" "so it saams; but, little dread need we have of disturbance if they always kaap at such a respictable distance as that. whisht, now! but don't ye saa those same bushes moving? there's some one passing through them! mebbe it's a shadow, mebbe it's the divil himself. if so, here goes after the imp!" catching up his rifle, teddy discharged it toward the bank, although it was absolutely impossible for his bullet to do more than reach the shore. "that's to show the old gintleman we are ready and ain't frightened, be he the divil himself, or only a few of his children, that ye call the poor injuns!" "and whoever it is, he is evidently as little frightened as you; that shot was a direct challenge to us." "and it's accepted. hooray! now for some limerick exercise!" ere he could be prevented, the irishman had headed his canoe across stream, and was paddling with all his might toward the spot from which the first shot had been fired. "stop!" commanded his master. "it is fool-hardiness, on a par with your general conduct, thus to run into an undefined danger." teddy reluctantly changed the course of the boat and said nothing, although his face plainly indicated his disappointment. he had not been mistaken, however, in the supposition that he detected the movements of some person in the shrubbery. directly after the shot had been fired, the bushes were agitated, and a gaunt, grim-visaged man, in a half-hunter and half-civilized dress, moved a few feet to the right, in a manner which showed that he was indifferent as to whether or not he was observed. he looked forth as if to ascertain the result of his fire. the man was very tall, with a face by no means unhandsome, although it was disfigured by a settled scowl, which better befitted a savage enemy than a white friend. he held his long rifle in his right hand, while he drew the shrubbery apart with his left, and looked forth at the canoe. [illustration: he held his long rifle in his right hand, while he drew the shrubbery apart with his left, and looked forth at the canoe.] "i knew the distance was too great," he muttered, "but you will hear of me again, harvey richter. i've had a dozen chances to pick you off since you and your friends started up-stream, but i don't wish to do _that_. no, no, not that. fire away; but you can do me no more harm than i can you, at this moment." allowing the bushes to resume their wonted position, the stranger deliberately reloaded his piece and as deliberately walked away in the wood. in the meantime, the voyagers resumed their journey and were making quite rapid progress up-stream. the sun was already low in the sky, and it was not long before darkness began to envelop wood and stream. at a sign from the young man, the irishman headed the canoe toward shore. in a few moments they landed, where, if possible, the wood was more dense than usual. although quite late in the spring, the night was chilly, and they lost no time in kindling a good fire. the travelers appeared to act upon the presumption that there were no such things as enemies in this solitude. every night they had run their boat in to shore, started a fire, and slept soundly by it until morning, and thus far, strange as it may seem, they had suffered no molestation and had seen no signs of ill-will, if we except the occurrences already related. through the day, the stalwart arms of teddy, with occasional assistance from the more delicate yet firm muscles of harvey, had plied the paddle. no attempt at concealment was made. on several occasions they had landed at the invitation of indians, and, after smoking, and presenting them with a few trinkets, had departed again, in peace and good-will. not to delay information upon an important point, we may state that harvey richter was a young minister who had recently been appointed missionary to the indians. the official members of his denomination, while movements were on foot concerning the spiritual welfare of the heathen in other parts of the world, became convinced that the red-men of the american wilds were neglected, and conceding fully the force of the inference drawn thence, young men were induced to offer themselves as laborers in the savage american vineyard. great latitude was granted in their choice of ground--being allowed an area of thousands upon thousands of square miles over which the red-man roamed in his pristine barbarism. the vineyard was truly vast and the laborers few. while his friends selected stations comparatively but a short distance from the bounds of civilization, harvey richter decided to go to the far northwest. away up among the grand old mountains and majestic solitudes, hugging the rills and streams which roll eastward to feed the great continental artery called the mississippi, he believed lay his true sphere of duty. could the precious seed be deposited there, if even in a single spot, he was sure its growth would be rapid and certain, and, like the little rills, it might at length become the great, steadily-flowing source of light and life. harvey richter had read and studied much regarding the american aborigines. to choose one of the wildest, most untamed tribes for his pupils, was in perfect keeping with his convictions and his character for courage. hence he selected the present hunting-grounds of the sioux, in upper minnesota. shortly before he started he was married to cora brandon, whose devotion to her great master and to her husband would have carried her through any earthly tribulations. although she had not urged the resolution which the young minister had taken, yet she gladly gave up a luxurious home and kind friends to bear him company. there was yet another whose devotion to the young missionary was scarcely less than that of the faithful wife. we refer to the irishman, teddy, who had been a favorite servant for many years in the family of the richters. having fully determined on sharing the fortunes of his young master, it would have grieved his heart very deeply had he been left behind. he received the announcement that he was to be a life-long companion of the young man, with an expression at once significant of his pride and his joy. "be jabers, but teddy mcfadden is in luck!" and thus it happened that our three friends were ascending one of the tributaries of the upper mississippi on this balmy day in the spring of . they had been a long time on the journey, but were now nearing its termination. they had learned from the indians daily encountered, the precise location of the large village, in or near which they had decided to make their home for many and many a year to come. after landing, and before starting his fire, teddy pulled the canoe up on the bank. it was used as a sort of shelter by their gentler companion, while he and his master slept outside, in close proximity to the camp-fire. they possessed a plentiful supply of game at all times, for this was the paradise of hunters, and they always landed and shot what was needed. "we must be getting well up to the northward," remarked the young man, as he warmed his hands before the fire. "don't you notice any difference in the atmosphere, cora?" "yes; there is a very perceptible change." "if this illigant fire only keeps up, i'm thinking there'll be a considerable difference afore long. the ways yees be twisting and doubling them hands, as if ye had hold of some delightsome soap, spaaks that yees have already discovered a difference. it is better nor whisky, fire is, in the long run, providin' you don't swaller it--the fire, that is." "even if swallowed, teddy, fire is better than whisky, for fire burns only the body, while whisky burns the soul," answered the minister. "arrah, that it does; for i well remimbers the last swig i took a'most burnt a hole in me shirt, over the bosom, and they say that is where the soul is located." "ah, teddy, you are a sad sinner, i fear," laughingly observed mrs. richter, at this extravagant allusion. "a _sad_ sinner! divil a bit of it. i haven't saan the day for twinty year whin i couldn't dance at me grandmother's wake, or couldn't use a shillalah at me father's fourteenth weddin'. teddy _sad_? well, that is a--is a--a mistake," and the injured fellow further expressed his feelings by piling on the fuel until he had a fire large enough to have roasted a battalion of prize beeves, had they been spitted before it. darkness at length fairly settled upon the wood and stream; the gloom around became deep and impressive. the inevitable haunch of venison was roasting before the roaring fire, teddy watching and attending it with all the skill of an experienced cook. while thus engaged, the missionary and his wife were occupied in tracing the course of the mississippi and its tributaries upon a pocket map, which was the chief guide in that wilderness of streams and "tributaries." who could deny the vastness of the field, and the loud call for laborers, when such an immense extent then bore only the name of "unexplored region!" and yet, this same headwater territory was teeming with human beings, as rude and uncultivated as the south sea islanders. what were the feelings of the faithful couple as their eyes wandered to the left of the map, where these huge letters confronted them, we can only surmise. that they felt that ten thousand self-sacrificing men could be employed in this portion of the country we may well imagine. as the evening meal was not yet ready, the missionary folded the map and fell to musing--musing of the future he had marked out for himself; enjoying the sweet approval of his conscience, higher and purer than any enjoyment of earth. all at once came back the occurrence of the afternoon, which had been absent from his thoughts for the hour past. but, now that it was recalled, it engaged his mind with redoubled force. could he be assured that it was a red-man who had fired the shot, the most unpleasant apprehension would be dissipated; but a suspicion _would_ haunt him, in spite of himself, that it was not a red-man, but a white, who had thus signified his hostility. the rolling of the stones must have been simply to call his attention, and the rifle-shot was intended for nothing more than to signify that he was an enemy. and who could this enemy be? if a hunter or an adventurer, would he not naturally have looked upon any of his own race, whom he encountered in the wilderness, as his friends, and have hastened to welcome them? what could have been more desirable than to unite with them in a country where whites were so scarce, and almost unknown? was it not contrary to all reason to suppose that a hermit or misanthrope would have penetrated thus far to avoid his brother man, and would have broken his own solitude by thus betraying his presence? such and similar were the questions harvey richter asked himself again and again, and to all he was able to return an answer. he had decided who this strange being might possibly be. if it was the person suspected, it was one whom he had met more frequently than he wished, and he prayed that he might never encounter him again in this world. the certainty that the man had dogged him to this remote spot in the west; that he had patiently plodded after the travelers for many a day and night; that even the trackless river had not sufficed to place distance between them; that, undoubtedly, like some wild beast in his lair, he had watched richter and his companions as they sat or slumbered near their camp-fire--these, we may well surmise, served to render the missionary for the moment excessively uncomfortable, and to dull the roseate hues in which he had drawn the future. the termination of this train of thought was the sudden suspicion that this very being was at that moment in close proximity. unconsciously, harvey rose to the sitting position and looked around, half expecting to descry the too well remembered figure. "supper is waiting, and so is our appetites, be the same token in your stomachs that is in mine. how bees it with yourself, mistress cora?" the young wife had risen to her feet, and the husband was in the act of doing the same, when the sharp crack of a rifle broke the stillness, and harvey plainly heard and felt the whiz of the bullet as it passed before his eyes. "to the devil wid yer nonsense!" shouted teddy, furiously springing forward, and glaring around him in search of the author of the well-nigh fatal shot. deciding upon the quarter whence it came, he seized his ever-ready rifle, which he had learned to manage with much skill, dashed off at the top of his speed, not heeding the commands of his master, nor the appeals of mrs. richter to return. guided only by his blind rage, it happened, in this instance, that the irishman proceeded directly toward the spot where the hunter had concealed himself, and came so very near that the latter was compelled to rise to his feet to escape being trampled upon. teddy caught the outlines of a tall form tearing hurriedly through the wood, as if in terror of being caught, and he bent all his energies toward overtaking him. the gloom of the night, that had now fairly descended, and the peculiar topography of the ground, made it an exceedingly difficult matter for both to keep their feet. the fugitive, catching in some obstruction, was thrown flat upon his face, but quickly recovered himself. teddy, with a shout of exultation, sprung forward, confident that he had secured their persecutor at last, but the irishman was caught by the same obstacle and "floored" even more completely than his enemy. "bad luck to it!" he exclaimed, frantically scrambling to his feet, "but it has knocked me deaf and dumb. i'll have ye, owld haythen, yit, or me name isn't teddy mcfadden, from limerick downs." teddy's fall had given the fugitive quite an advantage, and as he was fully as fleet of foot as the irishman, the latter was unable to regain his lost ground. still, it wasn't in his nature to give in, and he dashed forward as determinedly as ever. to his unutterable chagrin, however, it was not long before he realized that the footsteps of his enemy were gradually becoming more distant. his rage grew with his adversary's gradual escape, and he would have pursued had he been certain of rushing into destruction itself. all at once he made a second fall, and, instead of recovering, went headlong down into a gully, fully a dozen feet in depth. teddy, stunned by his heavy fall, lay insensible for some fifteen or twenty minutes. he returned to consciousness with a ringing sensation in his ears, and it was some time before he could recall all the circumstances of his predicament. gradually the facts dawned upon him, and he listened. everything was oppressively still. he heard not the voice of his master, and not even the sound of any of the denizens of the wood. his first movement was to feel for his rifle, which he had brought with him in his descent, and which he found close at hand. in the act of rising, he caught the sound of a footstep, and saw, at the same instant, the outlines of a person that he knew at once could be no other than the man whom he had been pursuing. the hunter was about a dozen feet distant, and seemed perfectly aware of the irishman's presence, for he stood with folded arms, facing his pursuer. the darkness prevented teddy's discovering anything more than his enemy's outline but this was enough for a shot to do its work. teddy cautiously brought his rifle to his shoulder, and lifted the hammer. pointing it at the breast of his adversary, so as to be sure of his aim, he pulled the trigger, but there was no response. the gun either was unloaded, or had been injured by its rough usage. the dull click of the lock reached the ear of the target, who asked, in a low, gruff voice: "why do _you_ seek me? you and i have no quarrel." "a purty question, ye murtherin' haythen! i'll settle with yees, if yees only come down here like a man. jist play the wolf and belave me a sheep, and come down here for your supper." [illustration: "a purty question, ye murtherin haythen!"] "my quarrel is not with you, i tell you, but with your psalm-singing _master_--" "and ain't that _meself_?" interrupted teddy. "what's mine is his, and what's his is mine, and what's me is both, and what's both is me, barring neither one is my own, but all belong to master harvey, and miss cora, god bless their souls. don't talk of quarreling wid _him_ and being friendly to _me_, ye murtherin' spalpeen! jist come down here a bit, i say, if ye's got a spick of honor in yer rusty shirt." "my ill-will is not toward you, although, i repeat, if you step in my way you may find it a dangerous matter. you think i tried to shoot you, but you are mistaken. do you suppose i could have come as near and _missed_ without doing so on _purpose_? to-night i could have brought you and your master, or his wife, and sent you all out of the world in a twinkling. i've roamed the woods too long to miscarry at a dozen yards." teddy began to realize that the man told the truth, yet it cannot be said that his anger was abated, although a strong curiosity mingled with it. "and what's yer raison for acting in that shtyle, to as good a man as iver asked god's blessing on a sunny morning, and who wouldn't tread on one of yer corns, that is, if yer big feet isn't all corns, like a toad's back, as i suspict, from the manner in which ye leaps over the ground." "_he_ knows who i am, and he knows he has given me good cause to remind him of my existence. _he_ can tell you, if he chooses; i shall not. but let yourself and him take warning from what you already know." "and be the same token, let yourself be taking warning. as sure as i'm the ninth son of the seventh mother, i'll--" the hunter was gone! chapter ii. the adventures of a night. the echoing rock, the rushing flood, the cataract's swell, the moaning wood; the undefined and mingled hums-- voice of the desert never dumb! all these have left within this heart a feeling tongue can ne'er impart; a wildered and unearthly flame, a something that's without a name.--ettrick shepherd. with extreme difficulty, teddy made his way out of the ravine into which purposely he had been led by the hunter. he was full of aches and pains when he attempted to walk, and more than once was compelled to halt to ease his bruised limbs. as he painfully made his way back to the camp he did a vast deal of cogitation. when in extreme pain of body, produced by a mishap intentionally conceived by another, it is but following the natural law of cause and effect to feel a certain degree of exasperation toward the evil-doer; and, as the irishman at every step experienced a sharp twinge that ofttimes made him cry out, his ejaculations were neither conceived in charity nor uttered in good-will toward all men. still, he pondered deeply upon what the hunter had said, and was perplexed to know what could possibly be its meaning. the simple nature of the irishman was unable to fathom the mystery. he could not have believed even had harvey richter himself confessed to having perpetrated a crime or a wrong, that the minister had been guilty of anything sufficient to give cause of enmity. the strange hunter whom they had unexpectedly encountered several times, must be some crack-brained adventurer, the victim of a fancied wrong, who, most likely, had mistaken harvey richter for another person. what could be the object in firing at the missionary, yet taking pains that no harm should be inflicted? that was another impenetrable mystery; but, let it be comprehensible or not, the wrathful servitor inwardly vowed that, if the man crossed the path of himself or his master again, and the opportunity offered, he should shoot him down as he would a wild animal. in the midst of his absorbing reverie, teddy suddenly paused and looked around him. he was lost. shrewd enough to understand that to attempt to extricate himself would only lead into a greater entanglement, from which it might not be possible to escape at all, he wisely concluded to remain where he was until daylight. gathering a few twigs and leaves, with his well-stored "punk-box" he soon started a small fire, by the light of which he collected a sufficient quantity of fuel to last until morning. few scenes of nature are more impressive than a forest at night. that low deep roar, born of silence itself--the sad sighing of the wind--the tall, column-like trunks, resembling huge sentinels keeping guard over the mysteries of ages--the silent sea of foliage overhead, that seems to shut in a world of its own--all have an influence, peculiar, irresistible and sublime. the picket upon duty is a prey to many an imaginary danger. the rustling of a leaf, the crackling of a twig, the flitting shadows of the ever-changing clouds, are made to assume the guise of a foe, endeavoring to steal upon him unawares. again and again teddy was certain he heard the stealthy tread of the strange hunter, or some prowling indian, and his heart throbbed violently at the expected encounter. then, as the sound ceased, a sense of his utter loneliness came over him, and he pined for his old home in the states, which he had so lately left. a tremulous wail, which came faintly through the silence of the boundless woods, reminded him that there were other inhabitants of the solitude besides human beings. at such times, he drew nearer to the fire, as a child would draw near to a friend to shun an imaginary danger. but, finally the drowsy god asserted himself, and the watcher passed off into a deep slumber. his last recollection was a dim consciousness of hearing the tread of something near the camp-fire. but his stupor was so great that he had not the inclination to arouse himself, and with his face buried in the leaves of his bushy couch, he quickly lost cognizance of all things, and floated off into the illimitable realms of sleep--sleep, the sister of death. he came out of his heavy slumber from feeling something snuffing and clawing at his shoulder. he was wide awake at once, and all his faculties, even to his anger, were aroused. "git out, ye owld sarpent!" he shouted, springing to his feet. "git out, or i'll smash yer head the same as i smashed the assassin's, barring i didn't do it!" the affrighted animal leaped back several yards, as lightly as a shadow. teddy caught only a glimpse of the beast, but could plainly detect the phosphorescent glitter of his angry eyes, that watched every movement. the irishman's first proceeding was to replenish the fire. this kept the creature at a safe distance, although he began trotting around and around, as if to seek some unguarded loophole through which to compass the destruction of the man who had thus invaded his dominions. the tread of the animal resembled the rattling of raindrops upon the leaves, while its silence, its gliding motion, convinced the inexperienced irishman of the brute's exceedingly dangerous character. his rifle was too much injured to be of use and he could therefore only keep his precocious foe at a safe distance by piling on fuel until the camp-fire burned defiantly. there was no more sleep for teddy that night. he had received too great a shock, and the impending danger was too imminent for him to do any thing but watch, so long as darkness and the animal remained. several times he thought there was evidence of the presence of another beast, but he failed to discover it, and finally believed he had been mistaken. it was a tiresome and lonely occupation, this incessant watching, and teddy had recourse to several expedients to while away the weary hours. the first and most natural was that of singing. he trolled forth every song that he could recall to remembrance, and it may be truly said that he awoke echoes in those forest-aisles never before heard there. as in the pauses he heard the volume of sound that seemed quivering and swaying among the tree-trunks, like the confined air in an organ, he was awed into silence. "whist, ye son of patrick mcfadden; don't ye hear the responses all around ye, as if the spirits were in the organ loft, thinkin' ye a praist and thimselves the choir-boys. i belaves, by me sowl, that ivery tree has got a tongue, for hear how they whispers and mutters. niver did i hear the likes. no more singin', teddy my darlint, to sich an audience." he thereupon relapsed into silence, but it was only momentary. he suddenly looked out into the darkness which shrouded the still watchful beast from sight, and exclaimed: "ye owld shivering assassin, out there, did yees ever hear till how tom o'reilly got his wife? yees never did, eh? well, then, be aisy now, and i'll give yees the truths of the matter. "tom was a great, rollicking boy, that had an eye gouged out at the widow mulloney's wake, and an ugly cut that made his mouth six inches wide: and, before he got the cut, it was as broad as yer own out there. besides, his hair being of a fire's own red, you may safely say that he was not the most beautiful young man in limerick, and that there wasn't many gals that were dying of a broken heart for the same tom. "but tom thought a mighty sight of the gals and a great deal more of kitty mcguire, that lived close by the brook as yees come a mile or two out of this side of limerick. tom was possessed after that same gal, and it only made him the more determined when he found that kitty didn't like him at all. he towld the boys he was bound to have her, and any one who said he wasn't would get his head broke. "there was a little orphan girl, whose father had gone to ameriky and whose mother was dead, that was found one night, years before, in front of old mrs. mcguire's door. she was about the same age as kitty, and the owld woman took her out of kindness and brought them up together. she got to be jist as ugly a looking a gal as tom was a man. her hair was redder than his, and her face was just that freckled that yees couldn't tell which was the freckle and which was the skin itself. and her nose had a twist, on the ind of it, that made one think it had been made for a corkscrew, or some machine that you bore holes with. "this gal, molly mulligan, used to encourage tom to come to the house, and was always so mighty kind to him that he used to kiss and shpark her by way of compinsating her for her trouble. she used to take this all _very_ well, for she was a great admirer of tom's, and always spoke his praise. but tom didn't make much headway with kitty. it wasn't often that he could saa her, and when he did; she was mighty offish, and was sure to have the owld woman present, like a dumb-waiter, to be sure. she come to tell him at length that she didn't admire his coming, and that he would greatly plaise her if he would make his visits by staying away altogether. the next time tom went he found the door locked, and, after hammering a half-hour, and being towld there was no admittance, he belaved it was meant as a kind hint that his company was not agreeable. be yees listening, ye riptile? "tom might have stood it very well, if another chap hadn't begun calling on kitty about this time. he used to go airly in the evening, and not come out of the house till after midnight, so that one might belave his visits were welcome. this made tom feel mighty bad, and so he hid behind the wall and waylaid the chap one night. he would have killed the chap, his timper was so ruffled, if the man hadn't nearly killed him afore he had the chance. he laid all night in the gutter, and was just able to crawl home next day, while the fellow went a-courting the next night, as if nothing had happened. "tom begun to git melancholy, and his mouth didn't appear quite as broad as usual. molly mulligan thought he had taken slow poison and it was gradually working through his system; but he could ate his pick of praties the same as iver. but tom felt mighty bad; that fact can't be denied, and he went frequently to consult with a praist that lived near this ind of limerick, and who was knowed to cut up a trick or two during his lifetime. when tom came out one day looking bright and cheery, iverybody belaved they had been conspiring togither, and had hit on some thavish trick they was to play on little kitty mcguire. "when the moon was bright, kitty used to walk to limerick and back again of an evening. her beau most likely went with her, but sometimes she preferred to go alone, as she knowed no one would hurt a bonny little gal as herself. tom knowed of these doings, as in days gone by he had jined her once or twice. so one night he put a white sheet around him as she was coming back from limerick, and hid under the little bridge over the brook. it was gitting quite late, and the moon was just gone down, so, when she stepped on the bridge, and he came out afore her, she gave one shriek, and like to have fainted intirely. "'make no noise, or i'll ate ye up alive,' said tom, trying to talk like a ghost. "'what isht yees want?' she asked, shaking like a leaf, 'and who are yees?' "'i'm a shpirit, come to warn ye of your ill-doings.' "'i know i'm a great sinner,' she cried, covering her face with her hands; 'but i try to do as well as i can.' "'do you know tom o'reilly?' he asked, loud enough to be heard in limerick. 'you have treated him ill.' "'that i know i have,' she sobbed, 'and how can i do him justice?' "'he loves you.' "'i know he does!' "'he is a shplendid man, and will make a much bitter husband than the spalpeen that ye now looks on with favor.' "'shall i make him my husband?' "'yis; if ye wish to save yourself from purgatory. if the other man marries yees, he'll murder yees the same night.' "'oh!' shrieked the gal, as if she'd go down upon the ground, 'and how shall i save meself?' "'by marrying tom o'reilly.' "'is that the only way?' "'ay. does yees consint?' "'i do; i must do poor tom justice.' "'will ye marry him this same night?' "'that i will.' "'tom is hid under this bridge; i'll go down and bring him up, and he'll go to the praist's with yees. don't ye shtir or i'll ate yees.' "so tom whisked under the ind of the bridge, slipped off the sheet, all the time kaaping one eye cocked above to saa that kitty didn't give him the shlip. he then came up and spoke very smilingly to the gal, as though he hadn't seen her afore that night. he didn't think that his voice was jist the same. "kitty didn't say much, but she walked very quiet by his side, till they came to the praist's house at this ind of limerick. the owld fellow must have been expecting him, for before he could knock, he opened the door and let him in. the praist didn't wait long, and in five minutes he towld them they were man and wife, and nothing but death could iver make them different. tom gave a regular yell that made the windys rattle, for he couldn't kaap his faalings down. he then threw his arms around his wife, gave her another hug, and then dropped her like a hot potato. for instead of being kitty mcguire, it was molly mulligan! the owld praist wasn't so bad after all. he had told kitty and molly of tom's plans, and they had fixed the matter atween thim. "wal, the praist laughed, and tom looked melancholier than iver; but purty soon he laughed too, and took the praist's advice to make the bist of the bargain. whisht!" teddy paused abruptly, for he heard a prolonged but faint halloo. it was, evidently, the call of his master, and indicated the direction of the camp. he replied at once, and without thinking one moment of the prowling brute which might be upon him instantly, he passed beyond the protecting circle of his fire, and dashed off at top of his speed through the woods, and ere long reached the camp-fire of his friends. as he came in, he observed that mrs. richter still was asleep beneath the canoe, while her husband stood watching beside her. teddy had determined to conceal the particulars of the conversation he had held with the officious hunter, but he related the facts of his pursuit and mishap, and of his futile attempt to make his way back to camp. after this, the two seated themselves by the fire, and the missionary was soon asleep. the adventures of the night, however, affected teddy's nerves too much for him even to doze, and he therefore maintained an unremitting watch until morning. at an early hour, our friends were astir, and at once launched forth upon the river. they noted a broadening of the stream and weakening of the current, and at intervals they came upon long stretches of prairie. the canoe glided closely along, where they could look down into the clear depths of the water, and discover the pebbles glistening upon the bottom. under a point of land, where the stream made an eddy, they halted, and with their fishing-lines, soon secured a breakfast which the daintiest gourmand might have envied. they were upon the point of landing so as to kindle a fire, when mr. richter spoke: "do you notice that large island in the stream, cora? would you not prefer that as a landing-place?" "i think i should." "teddy, we'll take our morning meal there." the powerful arms of the irishman sent the frail vessel swiftly over the water, and a moment later its prow touched the velvet shore of the island. under the skillful manipulations of the young wife, who insisted upon taking charge, their breakfast was quickly prepared, and, one might say, almost as quickly eaten. they had now advanced so far to the northward that all felt an anxiety to reach their destination. accordingly no time was lost in the ascent of the stream. the exhilarating influence of a clear spring morning in the forest, is impossible to resist. the mirror-like sparkle of the water that sweeps beneath the light canoe, or glitters in the dew-drops upon the ashen blade; the golden blaze of sunshine streaming up in the heavens; the dewy woods, flecked here and there by the blossoms of some wild fruit or flower; the cool air beneath the gigantic arms all a-flutter with the warbling music of birds; all conjoin to inspire a feeling which carries us back to boyhood again--to make us young once more. as richter sat in the canoe's stern, and drank in the influence of the scene, his heart rose within him, and he could scarcely refrain from shouting. his wife, also, seemed to partake of this buoyancy, for her eyes fairly sparkled as he glanced from side to side. all at once teddy ceased paddling and pointed to the left shore. following the direction of his finger, richter saw, standing upon the bank in full view, the tall, spare figure of the strange hunter. he seemed occupied in watching them, and was as motionless as the tree-trunks behind him--so motionless, indeed, that it required a second scrutiny to prove that it really was not an inanimate object. the intensity of his observation prevented him from observing that teddy had raised his rifle from the canoe. he caught the click of the lock, however, and spoke in a sharp tone: "teddy, don't you dare to--" his remaining words were drowned in the sharp crack of the piece. "it's only to frighten him jist, master harvey. it'll sarve the good purpose of giving him the idee we ain't afeard, and if he continues his thaiving tricks, he is to be shot at sight, as a shaap-stalin' dog, that he is, to be sure." "you've hit him!" said his master, as he observed the hunter leap into the woods. "thank the lord for that, for it was an accident, and he'll l'arn we've rifles as well as himself. it's mighty little harm, howiver, is done him, if he can travel in that gay style." "i am displeased, for your shot might have taken his life, and--but, see yonder, teddy, what does that mean?" close under the opposite bank, and several hundred yards above them was discernible a long canoe, in which was seated at least a dozen indians. they were coming slowly down-stream, and gradually working their way into the center of the river. teddy surveyed them a moment and said: "that means they're after us. is it run or fight?" "neither; they are undoubtedly from the village, and we may as well meet them here as there. what think you, dear wife?" "let us join them, by all means, at once." all doubts were soon removed, when the canoe was headed directly toward them, and under the propulsion of the many skillful arms, it came like a bird over the surface of the waters. a few rods away its speed was slackened, and, before approaching closer, it made a circuit around the voyageurs' canoe, as if the warriors were anxious to assure themselves there was no decoy or design in this unresisting surrender. evidently satisfied that it was a _bona fide_ affair, the indians swept up beside our friends, and one of the warriors, stretching out his hands, said: "gib guns me--gib guns." "begorrah, but it would be mighty plaisant to us, if it would be all the same to yees, if ye'd be clever enough to let us retain possission of 'em," said teddy, hesitating about complying with the demand. "they might do ye some injury, ye know, and besides, i didn't propose to--" "let them have them," said richter. the irishman reluctantly obeyed, and while he passed his rifle over with his left hand, he doubled up his right, shaking it under the savage's nose. "ye've got me gun, ye old log of walnut, but ye hain't got me fists, begorrah, but, by the powers, ye shall have them some of these fine mornings whin yer eyes want opening." "teddy, be silent!" sharply commanded the missionary. but the indians, understanding the significance of the irishman's gestures, only smiled at them, and the chief who had taken his gun, nodded his head, as much as to say he, too, would enjoy a fisticuff. when the whites were defenseless, one of the savages vaulted lightly into their canoe, and took possession of the paddle. "i'm highly oblaiged to ye," grinned teddy, "for me arms have been waxin' tired ever sin' i l'arned the injin way of driving a canoe through the water. when ye gets out o' breath jist ax another red-skin to try his hand, while i boss the job." the canoes were pulled rapidly up-stream. this settled that the whites were being carried to the village which was their original destination. both harvey and his wife were rather pleased than otherwise with this, although the missionary would have preferred an interview or conversation in order to make himself and intentions known. he was surprised at the knowledge they displayed of the english language. he overheard words exchanged between them which were as easy to understand as much of teddy's talk. they must be, therefore, in frequent communication with white men. their location was so far north that, as richter plausibly inferred, they were extensive dealers in furs and peltries, which must be disposed of to traders and the agents of the american fur and hudson bay companies. the selkirk or red river settlement also, must be at an easily accessible distance. it may seem strange that it never occurred to the captives that the savages might do them harm. in fact, nothing but violence itself would have convinced the missionary that such was contemplated. he had yielded himself, heart and soul, to his work; he felt an inward conviction that he was to accomplish great good. trials and sufferings of all imaginable kinds he expected to undergo, but his life was to be spared until the work was accomplished. of that he never experienced a moment's doubt. our readers will bear in mind that the period of which we write, although but a little more than forty years since, was when the territory west of the mississippi was almost entirely unknown. trappers, hunters and fur-traders in occasional instances, penetrated into the heart of the mighty solitude. lewis and clarke had made their expedition to the head-waters of the columbia, but the result of all these visits, to the civilized world, was much the same as that of the adventurers who have penetrated into the interior of africa. it was known that on the northwest dwelt the warlike blackfeet, the implacable foes of every white man. there, also, dwelt other tribes, who seemed resolved that none but their own race should dwell upon that soil. again, there were others with whom little difficulty was experienced in bartering and trading, to the great profit of the adventurous whites, and the satisfaction of the savages; still, the shrewd traders knew better than to trust to indian magnanimity or honor. their reliance under heaven, was their tact in managing the savages, and their own goodly rifles and strong arms. the sioux were among the latter class, and with them it was destined that the lot of harvey richter and his wife should be cast. the indian village was reached in the course of a couple of hours. it was found to be much larger than richter could have anticipated. the missionary soon made known his character and wishes. this secured an audience with the leading chief, when harvey explained his mission, and asked permission for himself and companions to settle among them. with the ludicrous dignity so characteristic of his people, the chief deferred his reply until the following day, at which time he gave consent, his manner being such as to indicate that he was rather unwilling than otherwise. that same afternoon, the missionary collected the dusky children of the forest together and preached to them, as best he could, through the assistance of a rude interpreter. he was listened to respectfully by the majority, among whom were several whom he inferred already had heard the word of life. there were others, however, to whom the ceremony was manifestly distasteful. the hopeful minister felt that his master had directed him to this spot, and that now his real life-work had begun. chapter iii. the jug acquaintances. with that dull, callous, rooted impudence, which, dead to shame and every nicer sense, ne'er blushed, unless, when spreading vice's snares, he stumbled on some virtue unawares.--churchill. a year has passed since the events recorded in the preceding pages, and it is summer again. far up, beside one of those tributaries of the mississippi, in the western portion of what is now the state of minnesota, stands a small cabin, such as the early settlers in new countries build for themselves. about a quarter of a mile further up the stream is a large sioux village, separated from the hut by a stretch of woods through which runs a well-worn footpath. this arrangement the young missionary, harvey richter, preferred rather than to dwell in the indian village. while laboring with all his heart and soul to regulate these degraded people, and while willing to make their troubles and afflictions his own, he still desired a seclusion where his domestic cares and enjoyments were safe from constant interruption. this explains why his cabin had been erected at such a distance from his people. every day, no matter what might be the weather, the missionary visited the village, and each sabbath afternoon, when possible, service was held. this was almost invariably attended by the entire population, who now listened attentively to what was uttered, and often sought to follow the counsels uttered by the good man. a year's residence had sufficed to win the respect and confidence of the indians, and to convince the faithful servant that the seed he had sown was already springing up and bearing fruit. about a mile from the river, in a dense portion of the wood, are seated two persons, in friendly converse. but a glance would be required to reveal that one of these was our old friend teddy, in the most jovial and communicative of moods. the other, painted and bedaubed until his features were scarcely recognizable, and attired in the gaudy indian apparel, sufficiently explains his identity. a small jug sitting between them, and which is frequently carried to the mouth of each, may disclose why, on this particular morning, they seemed on such confidential terms. the sad truth was that the greatest drawback to harvey richter's ministrations was his own servant teddy. the indians could not understand why he who lived constantly with the missionary, should be so careless and reckless, and should remain "without the fold," when the good man exhorted them in such earnest language to become christians. it was incomprehensible to their minds, and served to fill more than one with a suspicion that all was not what it should be. harvey had spent many an hour with teddy, in earnest, prayerful expostulation, but, thus far, to no purpose. for six months after the advent of the missionary and his wife, nothing had been seen or heard of the strange hunter, when, one cold winter's morning, as the former was returning from the village through the path, a rifle was discharged, and the bullet whizzed within an inch or two of his eyes. he might have believed it to be one of the indians, had he not secured a fair look at the man as he ran away. he said nothing of it to his wife or teddy, although it occasioned him much trouble and anxiety of mind. a month or two later, when teddy was hunting in the woods, and had paused a moment for rest, a gun was discharged at him, from a thick mass of undergrowth. certain that the unknown hunter was at hand, he dashed in as before, determined to bring the transgressor to a personal account. teddy could hear him fleeing, and saw the agitation of the undergrowth, but did not catch even a glimpse of his game. while prosecuting the search, teddy suddenly encountered an indian, staggering along with a jug in his hand. the savage manifested a friendly disposition, and the two were soon seated upon the ground, discussing the fiery contents of the vessel and exchanging vows of eternal friendship. when they separated it was with the understanding that they were to meet again in a couple of days. both kept the appointment, and since that unlucky day they had encountered quite frequently. where the indian obtained the liquor was a mystery, but it was an attraction that never failed to draw teddy forth into the forest. the effect of alcoholic stimulants upon persons is as various as are their temperaments. the american indian almost always becomes sullen, vindictive and dangerous. now and then there is an exception, as was the case with the new-made friend of teddy. both were affected in precisely a similar manner; both were jolly. "begorrah, but yees are a fine owld gintleman, if yer face does look like a paint-jug, and ye isn't able to lay claim to one-half the beauty meself possesses. that ye be," said teddy, a few moments after they had seated themselves, and before either had been affected by the poisonous liquid. "i loves you!" said the savage, betraying in his manner of speech a remarkable knowledge of the english language. "i think of you when i sleep--i think of you when i open my eyes--i think of you all the time." "much obleeged; it's meself that thinks and meditates upon your beauty and loving qualities all the time, barring that in which i thinks of something else, which is about all the time--all the same to yer honor." "loves you very much," repeated the savage; "love mister harvey, too, and miss harvey." "then why doesn't ye come to hear him preach, ye rose of the wilderness?" "don't like preaching." "did yees ever hear him?" "neber hear him." "yer oughter come; and that minds me i've never saan ye around the village, for which i axes yees the raison?" "me ain't sioux--don't like 'em." "whinever yees are discommoded with this jug, p'raps it wouldn't be well for yees to cultivate the acquaintance of any one except meself, for they might be dispoused to relave yees of the article, when yees are well aware it's an aisy matter for us to do that ourselves. where does yees get the jug?" [illustration: "where does yees get the jug?"] "had him good while." "i know; but the contents i mean. where is it ye secures the vallyble contents?" "me get 'em," was the intelligent reply.. "that's what i've been supposing, that yees was gitting more nor your share; so here's to prevint," remarked teddy, as he inverted the jug above his head. "now, me butternut friend, what 'bjections have yees to that?" "all right--all be good--like miss harvey?" teddy stared at the savage, as if he failed to take in his question. "like miss harvey--good man's squaw--t'ink she be good woman?" "the loveliest that iver trod the airth--bless her swate soul. she niver has shpoken a cross word to teddy, for all he's the biggest scamp that iver brought tears to her eyes. if there be any thing that has nigh fotched this ould shiner to his marrowbones it was to see something glistening in her eyes," said the irishman, as he wiped his own. "god bliss miss cora," he added, in the same manner of speech that he had been wont to use before she became a wife. "she might make any man glad to come and live alone in the wilderness wid her. it's meself that ought to be ashamed to come away and l'ave her alone by herself, though i thinks even a wild baste would not harm a hair of her blissid head. if it wasn't for this owld whisky-jug i wouldn't be l'aving her," said teddy, indignantly. "how be 'lone?--mister harvey dere." "no, he isn't, by a jug-full--barring the jug must be well-nigh empty, and the divil save the jug, inny-how; but not until it's impty." "where mr. harvey go, if not in cabin?" asked the savage, betraying a suspicious eagerness that would have been observed by teddy upon any other occasion. "to the village, that he may preach and hould converse wid 'em. i allers used to stay at home when he's gone, for fear that owld thaif of a hunter might break into the pantry and shtail our wines--that is, if we had any, which we haven't. blast his sowl--that hunter i mane, an' if iver i cotch him, may i be used for a flail if i don't settle _his_ accounts." "when mister harvey go to village?" "whin he plaises, which is always in the afternoon, whin his dinner has had a fair chance to sittle. does ye take him for a michanic, who goes to work as soon as he swallows his bread and mate?" said the irishman, with official dignity. "why you not stay with squaw?" "that's the raison," replied teddy, imbibing from the vessel beside him. "but you will plaise not call miss cora a _shquaw_ any more. if ye does, it will be at the imminent risk of havin' this jug smashed over yer head, afther the whisky is all gone, which it very soon will be if a plug isn't put into your mouth." "nice woman--_much_ good." "you may well say that, mister copperskin, and say nothing else. and it's a fine man is mister harvey, barring he runs me purty close once in a while on the moral quishtion. i'm afeard i shall have to knock under soon. if i could but slay that thaif of a hunter that has been poking around here, i think i could go the christian aisy; but whin i thinks of _that_ man, i faals like the divil himself. they's no use tryin' to be pious whin _he's_ around; so pass the jug if ye don't mane to fight meself." "he bad man--much bad," said the savage, who had received an account of him from his companion. "i promised master harvey not to shoot the villain, excipt it might be to save his life or me own; but i belave if i had the chance, i'd jist conveniently _forgit_ me promise, and let me gun go off by accident. st. pathrick! _wouldn't_ i like to have a shindy wid the sn'akin, mean, skulkin' assassin!" "does he want kill you?" "arrah, be aisy now; isn't it me master he's after, and what's the difference? barring i would rather it was meself, that i might sittle it gintaaly wid him;" and teddy, "squaring" himself, began to make threatening motions at the indian's head. "bad man--why not like mr. harvey?" said the savage, paying no attention to teddy's demonstrations. "there yees has me. there's something atween 'em, though what it might be none but mr. harvey himself knows, less it mought be the misthress, that i don't belave knows a word on it. but what is it yer business, mr. mahogany?" "mebbe mr. harvey hurt him some time--do bad with him," added the indian, betraying an evident interest in the subject. "begorrah, if yees can't talk better sinse nor that, ye'd bist put a stopper on yer blab. the idaa of me master harming any one is too imposterous to be intertained by a fraa and inlightened people--a fraa and inlightened people, as i used to spell out in the newspapers at home. but whisht! ye are a savage, as don't know anything about fourth of july, an' all the other affections of the people." "you dunno what mebbe he done." "do ye know?" asked teddy, indignantly. "nebber know what he do--how me know?" "thin what does ye mane by talking in that shtyle? i warns ye, there's some things that can't be passed atween us and that is one of 'em. if ye wants to fight, jist you say that again. i'm aching for a shindy anyhow: so now s'pose ye jist say that again." and teddy began to show unmistakable signs of getting ready. "sorry--didn't mean--feel bad." "oh blarney! why didn't ye stick to it, and jist give me a chance to express meself? but all's right; only, be careful and don't say anything like it again, that's all. pass along the jug, to wash me timper down, ye know." by this time teddy's ideas were beginning to be confused, and his manner maudlin. he had imbibed freely, and was paying the consequences. the savage, however, had scarcely taken a swallow, although he had made as if to do so several times. his actions would have led an inexperienced person to think that he was under the influence of liquor; but he was sober, and his conduct was feigned, evidently, for some purpose of his own. teddy grew boisterous, and insisted on constantly shaking hands and renewing his pledges of eternal friendship to the savage, who received and responded to them in turn. finally, he squinted toward the westering sun. "i told mr. harvey, when i left, i was going to hunt, and if i expects to return to-day, i thinks, mr. black walnut, we should be on our way. the jug is intirely impty, so there is no occasion for us to remain longer." "dat so--me leave him here." "now let's shake hands agin afore we rise." the shaking of hands was all an excuse for teddy to receive assistance in rising to his feet. he balanced himself a moment, and stared around him, with that aimless, blinking stare peculiar to a drunken man. "me honey, isn't there an airthquake agitatin' this solitude?" he asked, steadying himself against a sapling, "or am i standing on a jug?" "dunno--mebbe woods shake--feel him a little--earth must be sick," said the savage, feigning an unsteadiness of the head. "begorrah, but it's ourselves that's the sickest," laughed teddy, fully sensible of his sad condition. "it'll niver do to return to master harvey in _this_ shtyle. there'd be a committee of investigation appointed on the spot, an' i shouldn't pass muster excipt for a whisky-barrel, och hone!" "little sick--soon be well--then shoot." "i wonder now whether i could howld me gun straight enough to drop a buffler at ten paces. there sits a bird in that tree that is grinning at me. i'll t'ach him bitter manners." the gun was discharged, the bullet passing within a few inches of the head of the indian, who sprung back with a grunt. "a purty good shot," laughed teddy; "but it _would_ be rayther tiresome killing game, being i could only hit them as run behind me, and being i can't saa in that direction, i'll give over the idaa; and turn me undivided attention to fishing. ah, divil a bit of difference is it to the fish, whin a worm is on the right ind, whether a drunken man or a gintleman is at the other." the indian manifested a readiness to assist every project of the irishman, and he now advised him to fish by all means, urging that they should proceed to the river at once. but teddy insisted upon going to a small creek near at hand. the savage strongly demurred, but finally yielded, and the two set out, making their way somewhat after the fashion of a yoke of oxen. upon reaching the stream, teddy, instead of pausing upon the bank, continued walking on until he was splashing up to his waist in water. had it not been for the prompt assistance of the indian, the poor fellow most probably would have had his earthly career terminated. this incident partially sobered teddy, and made him ashamed of his condition. he saw the savage was by no means so far gone as himself, and he bewailed his foolishness in unmeasured terms. "who knows but master harvey has gone to the village, and miss cora stands in the door this minute, 'xpacting this owld spalpaan?" "no go till arternoon," said the savage. "what time might it be jist now?" "'tain't noon yit--soon be--bimeby." "it's all the same; i shan't be fit to go home afore night, whin i might bist stay away altogether. and you, mr. copperskin, was the maans of gittin' me in this trouble." "_me_ make you drink him?" asked the savage. "you not ax for jug, eh? you not want him?" "yes, begorrah, it was me own fault. whisky is me waikness. its illigant perfume always sits me wild fur it. mister harvey was belaving, whin he brought me here, that i wouldn't be drinking any of the vile stuff, for the good rais'n that i couldn't git none; but, what'll he say now? niver was i drunker at donnybrook, and only once, an' that was at me father's fourteenth weddin'." "don't want more?" "no!" thundered teddy. "i hope i may niver see nor taste another drop so long as i live. i here asserts me ancient honor agin, an' i defy the jug, ye spalpeen of a barbarian what knows no better." teddy's reassertion of dignity was very ludicrous, for a tree had to support him as he spoke; but he evidently was in earnest. "neber gib it--if don't want it." "they say an indian never will tell a lie to a friend," said teddy, dropping his voice as if speaking to himself. "do you ever lie, mr. what's-your-name?" "no," replied the savage, thereby uttering an unmitigated falsehood. "you give me your promise, then, that ye'll niver furnish me anither drap?" "yis." "give me yer hand." the two shook hands, teddy's face, despite its vacant expression, lighting up for the time with a look of delight. "now i'll fish," said teddy. "p'raps it is best that ye l'ave these parts; not that i intertains inmity or bad-will toward you, but thin ye know----hello! yees are gone already, bees you?" the indian had departed, and teddy turned his attention toward securing the bait. in a few moments he had cast the line out in the stream and was sound asleep, in which condition he remained until night set in. chapter iv. an ominous rencounter. "i will work him to an exploit now rich in my device, under the which he shall not choose but fall." the sun passed the meridian, on that summer day in and harvey richter, the young missionary, came to the door of his cabin, intending to set forth upon his walk to the indian village. it was rather early; the day was pleasant and as his wife followed him, he lingered awhile upon the steps, loth to leave a scene of such holy joy. the year which the two had spent in that wilderness had been one of almost unalloyed happiness. the savages, among whom they had come to labor, had received them more kindly than they deemed it right to anticipate, and had certified their esteem for them in numberless ways. the missionary felt that a blessing was upon his labor. an infant had been given them, and the little fellow brought nothing but gladness and sunlight into the household. ah! none but a father can tell how precious the blue-eyed image of his mother was to harvey richter; none but a mother can realize the yearning affection with which she bent over the sleeping cherub; and but few can enter into the rollicking pride of teddy over the little stranger. at times, his manifestations were fairly uproarious, and it became necessary to check them, or to send him further into the woods to relieve himself of his exuberant delight. harvey lingered upon the threshold, gazing dreamily away at the mildly-flowing river, or at the woods, through which for a considerable distance, he could trace the winding path which his own feet had worn. cora, his wife, stood beside him, looking smilingly down in his face, while her left hand toyed with a stray ringlet that would protrude itself from beneath her husband's cap. "cora, are you sorry that we came into this wild country?" the smile on her face grew more radiant, as she shook her head without speaking. she was in that pleasant, dreamy state, in which it seems an effort to speak--so much so that she avoided it until compelled to do so by some direct question. "you are perfectly contented--happy, are you?" again the same smile, as she answered in the affirmative by an inclination of the head. "you would not change it for a residence at home with your own people if you could?" the same sweet denial in pantomime. "do you not become lonely sometimes, cora, hundreds of miles away from the scenes of your childhood?" "have i not my husband and boy?" she asked, half reproachfully, as the tears welled up in her eyes. "can i ask more?" "i have feared sometimes, when i've been in the village, that perhaps you were lonely and sorrowful, and often i have hurried my footsteps that i might be with you a few moments sooner. when preaching and talking to the indians, my thoughts would wander away to you and the dear little fellow there. and what husband could prevent them?" said harvey, impulsively, as he drew his wife to him, and kissed her again and again. "you must think of the labor before you." "there is scarcely a moment of my life in which i don't, but it is impossible to keep you and him from my mind. i am sorry that i am compelled to leave you alone so often. it seems to me that teddy has acted in a singular manner of late. he is absent every afternoon. he says he goes hunting and yet he rarely, if ever, brings anything back with him." "yesterday he returned shortly after you left, and acted so oddly, i did not know what to make of him. he appeared very anxious to keep me at a distance, but once he came close enough for me to catch his breath, and if it did not reveal the fumes of liquor then i was never more mistaken in my life." "impossible! where could he obtain it?" "the question i asked myself and which i could not answer; nevertheless his manner and the evidence of his own breath proved it beyond all doubt to my mind. you have noticed how set he is every afternoon about going away in the woods. such was not his custom, and i think makes it certain some unusual attraction calls him forth." "what can it all mean?" asked the missionary of himself. "no; it cannot be that he brought any of the stuff with him and concealed it in the boat. it must have been discovered." "every article that came with us is in this house." "then some one must furnish him with it, and who now can it be?" "are there not some of your people who are addicted to the use of liquor?" "alas! there are too many who cannot withstand the tempter; but i never yet heard of an indian who knew how to _make_ it. it is only when they visit some of the ports, or the red river settlement, that they obtain it. or perhaps a trader may come this way, and bring it with him." "and could not teddy have obtained his of such a man?" "there has been none here since last autumn, and then those who visited the village had no liquor with them. they always come to the village first so that i could not avoid learning of their presence. let me see, he has been away since morning?" "yes; he promised an early return." "he will probably make his appearance in the course of an hour or so. watch him closely. i will be back sooner to-day, and we shall probe this matter to the bottom. good-by!" again he embraced his wife, and then strode rapidly across the clearing in the direction of the woods. his wife watched his form winding in and out among the trees, until it finally disappeared from view; and then, waiting a few moments longer, as if loth to withdraw her gaze from the spot where she had last seen him, she finally turned within the house to engage in her domestic duties. the thrifty housewife has seldom an idle moment on her hands, and cora passed hither and thither, performing the numerous little acts that were not much in themselves, but collectively were necessary, if not indispensable, in her household management. occasionally she paused and bent over her child, that lay sleeping on the bed, and like a fond mother, could not restrain herself from softly touching her lips to its own, although it was at the imminent risk of awaking it. an hour passed. she went to the door and looked out to see whether teddy was in sight; but the woods were as silent as if they contained no living thing. far away over the river, nearly opposite the indian village, she saw two canoes crossing the stream, resembling ordinary-sized water-birds in the distance. these, so in harmony with the lazy, sunshiny afternoon, were all that gave evidence that man had ever invaded this solitude. cora richter could but be cheerful, and, as she moved to and fro, she sung a hymn, one that was always her husband's favorite. she sung it unconsciously, from her very blithesomeness of spirits, not knowing she was making music which the birds themselves might have envied. all at once her ear caught the sound of a footstep, and confident that teddy had come, she turned her face toward the door to greet him. she uttered a slight scream, as she saw, instead of the honest hibernian, the form of a towering, painted savage, glaring in upon her. ordinarily such a visitor would have occasioned her no surprise or alarm. in fact, it was rare that a day passed without some indian visiting the cabin--either to consult with the missionary himself, or merely to rest a few moments. sometimes several called together, and it often happened that they came while none but the wife was at home. they were always treated kindly, and were respectful and pleased in turn. during the nights in winter, when the storm howled through the forest, a light burned at the missionary's window, and many a savage, who belonged often to a distant tribe, had knocked at the door and secured shelter until morning. ordinarily we say, then, the visit of an indian gave the young wife no alarm. but there was something in the appearance of this painted sinewy savage that filled her with dread. there was a treacherous look in his black eyes, and a sinister expression visible in spite of vermilion and ocher, that made her shrink from him, as she would have shrunk from some loathsome monster. as the reader may have surmised, he was no other than daffodil or mahogany, who had left teddy on purpose to visit the cabin, while both the servant and his master were absent. in spite of the precaution used, he had taken more liquor than he intended; and, as a consequence, was just in that reckless state of mind, when he would have hesitated at no deed, however heinous. from a jovial, good-natured indian, in the company of the hibernian, he was transformed into a sullen, vindictive savage in the presence of the gentle wife of harvey richter. he supported himself against the door and seemed undecided whether to enter or not. the alarm of cora richter was so excessive that she endeavored to conceal it. "what do you wish?" she asked. "where misser richter?" "gone to the village," she replied, bravely resolving that no lie should cross her lips if her life depended upon it. "when come back?" "in an hour or so perhaps." "where ted?" "he has gone hunting." "big lie--he drunk--don't know nothing--lay sleep on ground." "how do you know? did you see him?" "me gib him fire-water--much like it--drink good deal--tumble over like tree hain't got root." "did you ever give it him before?" asked the young wife, her curiosity supplanting her alarm for the moment. "gib him offin--gib him every day--much like it--drink much." again the wife's instinctive fear came back to her, and she endeavored to conceal it by a calm, unimpassioned exterior. "won't you come in and rest yourself until mr. richter returns?" "don't want to see him," replied the savage, sullenly. "who do you wish to see then?" "you--t'ink much of you." the wife felt as if she would sink to the floor. there was something in the tones of his voice that had alarmed her from the first. she was almost certain this savage intended rudeness, now that he knew the missionary himself was gone. she glanced up at the rifle which was hung above the fireplace. it was charged, and she had learned how to fire it since her marriage. several times she was on the point of springing up and seizing it and placing herself upon the defensive. her heart throbbed wildly at the thought, but she finally concluded to resort to such an act only at the last moment. she might still conciliate the indian by kindness, and after all, perhaps he meditated no harm or rudeness. "come and sit down then, and talk with me awhile," said she, as pleasantly as it was possible. the savage stumbled forward a few feet, and dropped into a seat, where he glared fully a minute straight into the face of the woman. this was the most trying ordeal of all, especially when she raised her own blue eyes, and addressed him. it seemed impossible to combat the fierce light of those orbs, although she bore their scrutiny like a heroine. he had seated himself near the door, but he was close enough for her to detect the fumes of the liquor he had drank, and she knew a savage was never so dangerous as when in a half-intoxicated condition. "have you come a long distance?" she asked. "good ways--live up north." "you are not a sioux, then?" "no--don't like sioux--bad people." "why do you come in their neighborhood--in their country?" "'cause i want to--_come see you_." "you must come again--" at this juncture, the child in the cradle awoke and began crying. the face of the savage assumed an expression of ferocity, and he said, abruptly: "stop noise--me tomahawk if don't." as he spoke he laid his hand in a threatening manner upon his tomahawk, and the mother sprung up and lifted the infant in her arms for the purpose of pacifying it. the dreadful threat had almost unnerved her, for she believed the savage would carry it out upon the slightest pretext. but before that tomahawk should reach her child, the mother must be stricken to the earth. she pressed it convulsively to her breast, and it quickly ceased its cries. she waited until it closed its eyes in slumber and then some impulse prompted her to lay it upon the bed, and to place herself between it and the indian, so that she might be unimpeded in her movements if the savage should attempt harm to her or her offspring. several moments now passed without the indian speaking. the interval was occupied by him in looking around the room and examining every portion upon which it was possible to rest his gaze. the survey completed, he once more fixed his scrutiny upon the young wife, and suddenly spoke in his sententious, abrupt manner. "want sunkin eat." this question was a relief, for it afforded the wife an opportunity of expressing her kindness; but, at the same time, it caused a more rapid beating of her heart, since to procure what was asked, she would be compelled to pass out of the door, and thus not only approach him much more closely than she was willing, but it would be necessary to leave him alone with her infant until her return. she was in a painful dilemma, to decide whether it was best to refuse the visitor's request altogether or to comply with it, trusting to providence to protect them both. a casual glance at the indian convinced her that it would be dangerous to thwart his wishes longer; and, with an inward prayer to god, she arose and approached the door. as she passed near him, he moved and she involuntarily quickened her step, until she was outside. the indian did not follow, and she hurried on her errand. she had gone scarcely a yard, when she heard him walking across the floor, and detected at the same moment, the cry of her infant. fairly beside herself with terror, she ran back in the house, and saw the savage taking down her husband's rifle. the revulsion of her feelings brought tears to her eyes, and she said: "i wish you would go away, i don't like you." "kiss me--den i go!" said he, stepping toward her. "keep away! keep away!" she screamed, retreating to the door and yet fearing to go out. "kiss me--tomahawk pappoose!" said the savage, placing his hand upon the weapon. the young wife placed her hands over her face and sobbed aloud. she did not hear the cat-like footsteps of the savage, as he approached. his long arm was already stretched forth to clasp her, when the door was darkened, a form leaped into the room, and with the quickness of lightning, dealt the savage a tremendous blow that stretched him limp and lifeless upon the floor. [illustration: dealt the savage a tremendous blow.] "move a limb and i will kill you!" shouted the young missionary, his face all ablaze with passion. "cora, has he harmed you?" "no, no, no, harvey; have you not already killed him?" "pity that i haven't. he is not fit to live." "dear harvey, you are carried away by your passion. do restrain yourself." woman-like, the only emotion of cora richter was that of commiseration for the poor wretch that had been stricken down by the hand of her husband. she saw the blood trickling from his face and knew that he was dreadfully injured. the missionary, too, began to become more calm and collected; and yet, while regretting the occasion, he could but think he had done his simple duty to his insulted wife. had he been prepared as he entered the door, he would have shot the savage dead in his tracks. harvey picked up his rifle that lay in the middle of the floor, and approached the prostrate indian. after pushing and shaking, he gave signs of returning consciousness, and at length arose to his feet. his nose had bled copiously, and one eye was "closed," as if he had been under the manipulation of some pugilist. the wife brought a basin of water, and offered a bandage, while harvey proffered his assistance. but the indian, without speaking, motioned them aside, and made his way out the door. on the threshold he paused a moment and looked back--and that look harvey richter will remember to his dying day. both breathed freer when he had gone. they then looked in each other's faces a moment and the wife sunk into her husband's arms. "did i not do right, cora?" "yes; oh, yes; but, harvey, this will not be the last of it. you have made an enemy of that indian, and he can never be made a friend." "such is often the result of doing your simple duty. let us therefore trust to god and say no more about it. ah! here comes teddy." the irishman at this moment entered the door. he was still under the influence of liquor though he made ludicrous efforts to conceal it. the wife found opportunity to communicate to her husband all that had been told her, before the conversation had progressed far. the peril which she had so narrowly escaped decided the missionary to be severely just with his servant. "teddy, where have you been?" "won't that spake for itself?" he replied, holding up a handsome string of fish. "begorrah, but it was mighty poor luck i had hunting." "i should judge you had discovered something unusual from your strange actions." the face of the irishman flushed scarlet, and his confusion was distressing. "teddy," he continued, "i am displeased at the manner in which you have acted for the last week or two. had it not happened that i left the village sooner than usual to-day, most probably my wife and son would have been killed." the fellow was completely sobered. "what is it ye say, mister harvey?" "for several days you have failed to return in the time you promised, so that i have been compelled to leave them alone and unprotected. this afternoon, an indian came in the house and threatened the life of both my wife and child--" "where the divil is he?" demanded teddy, springing up; "i'll brake ivery bone in his body." "he is gone, never to return i trust." "be the powers! if i could but maat him--" "do not add falsehood to your conduct. he said that you and he have met constantly and drank liquor together." the expression of blank amazement was so genuine and laughable that the missionary could hardly repress a smile. he felt that his last remark was hardly fair. teddy finally burst out. "'twas that owld mahogany copperskin; but did i iver 'xpact he was up to _sich_ a trick and he would niver have l'aved me a-fishing. oorah, oorah!" he muttered, gnashing his teeth together. "what a miserable fool i _have_ been. he to come here and insult me mistress after professin' the kindest regards. may i be made to eat rat-tail files for potaties if iver i trust red-skin honor again!" "it strikes me that you and this precious savage had become quite intimate. i suppose in a few weeks longer you would have left us and lived with him altogether." the tears trickled down teddy's cheeks, and he made answer in a meek, mournful tone: "plaise forgive me, mister harvey, and miss cora. yees both knows i would die for yees, and it was little i dr'amed of a savage iver disecrating this house by an ungentlemanly act. teddy never'll sarve yees the like agin." "i have no faith in the promises of a man who is intemperate." the irishman raised his hand to heaven: "may the good father above strike me dead if i iver swallow another drop! do yees belave me now. mister harvey?" "you must not place the reliance in your own power, teddy. ask his assistance and you'll succeed." "i'll do so; but, ye saa, the only mill where i could get the cursed stuff was of this same indian, and as i politely towld him i'd practice wid me gun on him if he offered me anither drop, and, as i'd pick him off now, after this shine, as quick as i would a sarpent, it ain't likely he'll bother me agin." "i hope not, but i have the same apprehension as cora that he will return when we least expect him. we must manage so that we are never both away from the house at the same time. it is now getting well along in the afternoon, teddy; you may prepare your fish for supper." the irishman obediently moved away, and the young missionary and his wife were left together. chapter v. gone! alas, alas, fair inez, she went away with song, in sounds that sang farewell, farewell to her you've loved so long.--hood. alertness or watchfulness is sure to succeed the accomplishment of an enemy's designs. the moment danger is over, then the most vigilant preparations against it are made. the burglar knows better than to visit the same house two nights in succession. he is wise enough to wait until time has lulled the inmates into fancied security. with such an interest at stake as had harvey richter, one may well believe that no precaution was neglected which could operate to defeat the designs of the savage whom he had driven in anger from his door. he changed his hour of visitation from the afternoon to the forenoon. teddy needed no admonition against leaving the house during his absence. he kept watch and ward over the house as if he would atone by vigilance for past shortcomings. the missionary had dwelt long enough among the indians to gain a pretty accurate estimate of their character. what troubled him most, therefore, was a conviction that the savage's revenge, though delayed for ten years, for want of the convenient opportunity, was sure to be accomplished. he might have gone immediately to the north or east, there to remain with his own tribe until convinced that the moment had come to strike the blow--a blow, which no human influence, no personal danger, no suffering, could persuade him from inflicting upon the offending white man. but there was no certainty even of delay. did the savage believe the moment to strike propitious, he would be ready for the trial. even then, he might be skulking in the woods, with his black eyes fixed upon the cabin. it will be perceived, that, did he contemplate the death of either of the parties concerned, he could have compassed it without difficulty. opportunities offered every day for the fatal bullet to reach its mark; but the _insult_ to the indian was so great, that he contemplated a far sweeter compensation than death itself. whatever that might be, time would be sure to develop it, and that, too, at the moment when least expected. this fear became so ever-present and troublesome, that the missionary made it known in the village, where he could command the services of half a hundred warriors. a dozen at once made search through the woods to ascertain whether the savage was concealed anywhere in the vicinity. one of these chanced upon a trail, which, after following some distance, was lost in the river. this, however, he pronounced to be the trail of a _white man_. the suspected indian evidently, had fled, and no trace was discovered of him. another source of annoyance was opened to harvey. since the shot at teddy, nothing had occurred to remind them of the existence of the strange hunter, whose mysterious warnings had accompanied their advent into the country. richter could not believe that the man had left altogether, but regarded his actions with considerable equanimity, as it was apparent that his warning shots were intended rather to frighten than to kill. harvey never would converse with his wife about this white foe, and had cautioned teddy not to allude to him in her presence. the missionary had a strong hope that, some day, he would be brought face to face with this stranger, when an explanation would be secured and the annoyance ended. he therefore repeated his warning to the irishman not to shoot the hunter, unless compelled to do so to save his own life; but rather to use every effort to secure him and bring him to the cabin. about a week after the occurrence narrated, teddy went fishing, leaving the husband and wife together. he followed the shore of the river about a half-mile downward, when he settled himself by a huge rock that projected a few feet into the water. he had just thrown his line into the stream, when he heard the crackling of bushes behind him, and, turning, saw the hunter walking in a direction parallel with the river, with his head bent, as if in thought. apparently he was unsuspicious of the presence of any one. teddy at once sunk down to screen himself as he watched the movements of his old foe, out of all manner of patience with himself that he had left his rifle at home, and possessed only the arms that nature had furnished him. still, he resolved that the man should be secured, if possible. "arrah, now, be aisy!" he whispered, "and yees may cotch a fish that didn't nibble at yer bait. whisht! but do ye _saa_ him? but _isn't_ he a strappin' fellow, to be sure--a raal shark ten foot long, with claws like an alligator!" the hunter walked but a few rods, when he seated himself upon a fallen tree, with his back toward the irishman. this was the coveted opportunity. "yees have got the fellow now, teddy, barring yees haven't got him at all, but that ain't saying ye won't get him. be aisy now, and don't get excited! jist be as wise as a rat and as still as a mouse, and ye'll catch the catamount, if he don't catch you, that is." these self-admonitions were much needed, for the fellow was all tremulous with excitement and scarcely able to restrain himself. waiting a few moments until he could tone down his nerves, he commenced making his way toward his victim. he exercised extreme caution until within a rod, when a twig snapped under his foot. he made ready to spring, for he was certain of being discovered; but, to his surprise, the hunter made no motion at all. he evidently was so absorbed in some matter as to be unconscious of what was passing around. slowly and stealthily teddy glided toward the man, until he arose almost to the standing position, not more than a foot distant. then slowly spreading out his arms, so as to inclose the form of the stalwart woodsman, he brought them together like a vise, giving utterance at the same time to an exultant "whoop." "yer days of thramping _this_ country, and alarming paceable inhabitants are done wid, mister anaconda. so jist kaal over gracefully, say tin ave marias, and consider yourself in the hands of gabriel sint for judgment." all this time teddy had been straining and hugging at the hunter as if determined to crush him, while he, in turn, had taken it very coolly, and now spoke in his gruff bass voice: "let go!" "let go! well now, that's impudint, ye varlet. as if teddy mcfadden would let go hook and line, bob and sinker, whin he had got hold of a sturgeon. be aisy now; i'll squaze the gizzard and liver iv ye togither, if ye doesn't yield gracefully." "let go, i say! do you hear?". "yis, i hears, and that is the extint--" teddy's next sensation was as if a thunderbolt had burst beneath his feet, for he was hurled headlong full half a rod over the head of the hunter. though considerably bruised, he was not stunned by the fall, and quickly recovered. scratching his head, he cried: "begorrah, but yees can't repate _that_ trick!" making a rush toward his antagonist, who stood calmly awaiting his onset. "by heavens, i'll give you something different then!" said the man, as he caught him bodily in his arms, and running to the edge of the river, flung him sprawling into it. the water was deep, and it required considerable struggling to reach the shore. this last prodigious exhibition of strength inspired the irishman with a sort of respect for the stranger. teddy had found very few men, even among frontiersmen and indians, who could compete with him in a hand-to-hand struggle; yet, there was now no question but what he was overmatched, and he could but admire, in a degree, the man who so easily handled his assailant. it was useless to attack the enemy after such a repulse; so he quietly seated himself upon the shore. "would ye have the kindness, ye assassinating disciple of the crowner's jury, whin yees have jist shown how nately ye can dishpose of a man like meself, to tell me why it was you run so mighty harrd whin i took once before after yees? why didn't ye pause, and sarve me then jist as ye have done? i'd jist like to know that before we go any further wid _this_ matter." "it wasn't because i feared you!" said the hunter, turning sullenly away, and walking into the wood. "farewell!" called out teddy, waving his hand toward him. "ye're a beauty, and yees have quite taking ways wid ye; but it wouldn't be safe for me to find yees lurking about the cabin, if i had a rifle in me hand. you'd have trouble to fling a bullet off as ye flung me. be jabers, but _wasn't_ that a nate thing, to be sure. i'll bet a thousand pounds which i niver had, that that fellow could draw the mississippi up-stream if he was fairly hitched on to it. ah, teddy, you ain't much, afther all," he added, looking dolefully at his wet garments. teddy had been so completely outwitted that he was unwilling any one should know it. so he resolved to continue fishing until his clothes were thoroughly dry, and until he had secured enough fish to repay him for his journey. it was near the middle of the afternoon, and, as he had remained at home until the return of the young missionary from the village, there was nothing to disturb his labor, or sport as it might be called, except darkness itself. during this same afternoon, harvey richter and his wife were sitting on a bench in front of their cabin. the day was warm, but, as the bench always was shaded, it was the ordinary resort of the young couple when the weather was sultry. the missionary had been reading, but the volume was laid aside, and he was smilingly watching his wife as she sported with the boy in her lap. the little fellow was in exuberant spirits, and the parents, as a matter of course, were delighted. finally he betrayed signs of weariness, and in a few moments was asleep in his mother's arms. "i think it was a wise thing, for several reasons--that of changing your hour from the afternoon to the forenoon," said the wife. "why do you think so?" "we all feel more wearied and less inclination at this time of day for work than we do during the earlier hours. we could then be little together, but now nothing interferes with our afternoon's enjoyment of one another's society." "that is true; but you see the indians are more likely to be off fishing or hunting during the earlier part of the day. they have willingly conformed, however, to the change." "i think it is more in accordance with your own disposition," smiled the wife, "is it not?" "yes; i am free to admit that my lazy body inclines to quiet and rest after partaking of a hearty dinner, as i have done to-day." "if we think of rest at this early stage in our lives, how will it be when we become thirty or forty years older?" "i refer only to the temporary rest of the body and mind, such as they must have after periods of labor and excitement. such rest the youngest as well as the oldest requires. be careful, cora, you don't drop the little fellow!" "never fear," laughed the mother, as the youngster woke and commenced several juvenile antics more interesting to the parents than to any one else: "how lively!" remarked the proud father. "it seems to me i never saw a child at his age as bright and animated." and what father does not hold precisely the same opinion of his young hopeful? "look!" exclaimed the mother, "some one must be coming to see you." an indian woman was discernible among the trees, walking along the path at a rapid walk, as if she were greatly hurried. her head was bent, but now and then she raised it and glanced toward the cabin, showing that that was her destination. passing from the shadow of the wood into the clearing, the missionary recognized one of the worst women of the tribe. she had scoffed at his preaching, had openly insulted him, and during the first month or two had manifested a disposition approaching violence. to this richter only answered by kindness; he used every means to conciliate her good-will, but thus far with indifferent success. her husband, the-au-o-too, a warrior favorably inclined toward the white man, was thoughtful and attentive; and the good minister wondered that the savage did not restrain these unwomanly demonstrations upon his squaw's part. she approached with rapid step, until she stood directly in front of them. harvey saw that her countenance was agitated. "well, at-to-uck," said he, kindly, "you seem troubled. is there anything i can do for you?" [illustration: "well, at-to-uck," said he, kindly, "you seem troubled."] "me ain't trouble," she answered, using english as well as her very imperfect knowledge would admit. "me ain't trouble--_me_ ain't." "who may it be then?" "the-au-o-too--he _much_ trouble. sick--in woods--die--_berry_ sick." "what do you mean, at-to-uck?" asked the missionary, his interest strongly awakened. "has anything befallen your husband?" "he fall," she answered, eagerly, catching at the helping word, "he fall--much hurt--die--die--won't got well." "where is he?" she spun around on one foot, and pointed deeper into the woods. "he dere--lay on back--soon die." "and he wishes me to see him; is that it?" she nodded her head vigorously, but made no answer for a moment. then she suddenly broke forth: "send at-to-uck to git good man--hurry--berry hurry--he die--won't live. the-au-o-too say hurry--die soon--won't see good man--riher." harvey looked at his wife. "what must i do, cora? it will not do to leave you, as teddy may not return for several hours, and yet this poor indian should be attended in his dying moments." "you should go, harvey; i will not fear." he turned to the squaw in perplexity. "how far away is the-au-o-too?" "not much far--soon find--most dead." "it may be," he said in a low tone, "that he can be got to the house, although it would be no easy matter for us two to bring him." "i think your duty calls you to the dying man." "i ought to be there, but i tell you, cora, i don't like this leaving you alone," said he, impressively. "you know we made up our minds that it should never occur again." "there must be occasions when it cannot be avoided, and this is one of them. by refusing to attend this man, you may not only neglect a great duty, but incur the ill-will of the whole tribe. you know the disposition of this woman." the latter, at this point, began to give evidence of agitation, and to remark in her broken accents that the-au-o-too was dying and would be dead before they could reach him. the missionary, in sore perplexity, looked at his wife. "go," she said, or rather signified without speaking. "i will," he said, rising with an air of decision. "god grant i may never regret this." "i trust you never will." he kissed the infant, embraced his wife and then signified to the squaw to lead the way. "keep up a good heart," he added, turning, as he moved away. the wife smilingly nodded her head but said nothing. it did not escape the notice of her husband that there were tears in her eyes, and he half resolved to remain with her after all, but the next moment he moved on. the squaw took the well-beaten track, walking very rapidly and often looking back to see that she was followed. her strangeness of manner the missionary attributed to her excitement regarding her husband. several times she exhibited hesitation, and once or twice muttered something that was unintelligible to him. when they were about half-way to the village, she paused. "well, at-to-uck, what is the matter now?" "mebbe dead." "oh, i hope not," he answered, cheerfully. "do you turn off here?" she answered in the affirmative and asked him to lead the way. "no; i am unacquainted, and you ought certainly to know where to find your dying husband better than i do." she took the duty of guide upon herself again, and advanced but a rod, when she abruptly paused. "hark! hear groan? me hear him." harvey listened intently but heard nothing. knowing that the hearing of the indians is marvelously acute, he believed the squaw had heard sounds of distress; but, instead of quickening her steps, she now moved more slowly than ever. "have you lost your way, at-to-uck?" "no," she answered, in a significant voice. the suspicions of the missionary that had been slumbering were now fully roused. "what do you mean then?" the squaw turned full around and gave a leer which, if possible, made her face more hideous than ever. without thinking harvey caught her by the arm and shook her sharply. "explain this, at-to-uck. what is the meaning of this?" "he-he-e-e-e! _big_ fool. the-au-o-too hunt--_no hurt_!" a sharp reproof arose to the missionary's lips, but deeming it would be lost upon such a person, he merely turned his back upon her and walked away. she called and taunted him, but he was the last man who could have been roused to anger by such means, and he walked, with his arms folded, slowly and deliberately away toward the path. it had not occurred, as yet, to the mind of richter that anything more than a simple annoyance to himself was contemplated by this proceeding; but, as he resumed his steps homeward, a suspicion flashed upon him which almost checked the beating of his heart. "god save it being so!" was his mental prayer, as he hurried forward. a moment later he was on a full run. the afternoon was well advanced, but he soon caught a glimpse of his cabin through the trees. before this, however, he had detected the outcries of his infant, which struck him as a favorable omen, and he abated his speed somewhat. but, as he came into the clearing, his heart gave a great bound, as he saw his child lying upon the ground some distance from the house. his anxiety was so distressing that he dashed by it into the cabin. "cora, cora, what is the matter? where have you concealed yourself? why this untimely pleasantry?" he came out again, caught up the infant and attempted to soothe it, all the time looking wildly about in the hope of seeing the returning mother. "cora! cora!" he again called in agonized tones, but the woods gave back only the hollow echo. for a few moments he was fairly beside himself; but, at the end of that time, he began to reason more calmly. he attempted to persuade himself that she might return, but it was useless; and with a sort of resigned despair, he looked about him for signs of the manner in which she was taken away. the most convincing evidence was not wanting. the ground was trampled and torn, as if there had been a violent struggle; and, inexperienced as were his eyes, he detected the unmistakable impress of a moccasin upon the soft earth, and in the grass. the settle, too, was overturned and the baby lay in the grass as if tossed there by the act of some other arm, than a mother's. chapter vi. the lost trail. "'twas night--the skies were cloudless blue, and all around was hushed and still, save paddle of the light canoe, and wailing of the whippowill." on that sunny afternoon, the fish in a particular locality of a tributary of the mississippi did not take the bait very well. the spot to which we refer was that immediately surrounding teddy, whose patience was well-nigh exhausted. there he sat for several tedious hours, but had secured only two nibbles at his line, neither of which proved to be anything more. "begorrah, but it must be they'se frightened by meself, when that ould scalliwag give me a fling into the stream. jabers! _wasn't_ it done nately. hallo! there's a bite, not bigger, to be sure, than a lady's fut, but a bull-pout it is i know." he instantly arose to his feet, as if he were about to spring in the water, and stood leaning over and scanning the point where his line disappeared in the stream, with an intense interest which the professional angler alone can appreciate. but this, like all others, proved a disappointment, and he soon settled down into his waiting but necessary attitude of rest. "a half-hour more of sunshine, and then these same pants will be the same as if they've niver saan water, barring it's mighty seldom they have or they wouldn't be in this dirty condition. arrah! what can be the m'aning of that?" faintly but distinctly through the long stretch of woods came the sound of his name. it was repeated again and again until the irishman was convinced beyond all possibility of mistake. "what is up now?" he asked of himself as he drew in his line. "that is mister harvey's voice sure, and he is calling as though he was in a mighty hurry. faith, and i must not linger! if anything _should_ happen whin i was away i'd feel wus'n old boney at watherloo whin he lost the day an' his crown." the line was soon stowed away, and teddy made his way at a half-walk and ran in a homeward direction. he had gone about a hundred rods when he paused and listened. clearer and more distinctly came his name in tones whose earnest entreaty could not be mistaken. teddy rose on his heels and made reply to the hail, to assure his master, if possible, that he was approaching with all speed. the irishman's words were yet lingering in his mouth, when another and more terrible sound reached his ears. it was that of a suppressed, half-smothered woman's scream--a sort of gasp of terror. it was so short and so far away that it was impossible to tell its direction. he stopped, his heart beating like a hammer, but he heard no more. "god protect me, but there's something gone wrong at the cabin!" he exclaimed, dashing forward through the wood at a reckless rate. a few moments later it came in view, and he then saw his master walking to and fro, in front of the house, with the child in his arms. his manner and deathly pale face confirmed the forebodings of teddy's heart. "what's the matter, mister harvey? what's the matter?" "_that indian has carried cora away_!" was the agonized reply. "where has the owld divil carried her?" very naturally asked the hibernian. "i do not know! i do not know! but she has gone, and i fear we shall never see her again alive." "may me owld head be scraped wid a scalping-knife, an' me hands be made into furnace-grates for being away," ejaculated the servant, as the tears streamed down his cheeks. "no, teddy, you are not in the least to blame, nor is it my fault," impetuously interrupted the missionary. "till me how it was, mister harvey." the husband again became composed and related what is already familiar to the reader. at its close, teddy dashed into the house and brought out his rifle. "i'll murther that at-to-uck, be me sowl, and then i'll murther that haythen assassinator, an' iverybody that gits in me way. be the powers of the saints and divils, but i'll murther somebody. may the divil roast me if i--" "hold!" said the missionary, who by this time was himself again. "the first thing to be attended to is pursuit. we must not lose a second. we can never follow them ourselves through the wood. hold the child, while i go to the village and get some of the indians to help us." teddy took the child that had cried itself asleep, and the missionary started on a full run up the river. when he reached the settlement, it required but a moment to make his errand known. a dozen warriors volunteered at once, for these dozen would have laid down their lives for their faithful instructor. many of the squaws also gave utterance to dismal howls upon learning what had befallen their pale-faced sister. had the missionary chosen to tell the part taken by at-to-uck in the affair, it may be reasonably doubted whether her life would have been spared. but he was not the man to do such a thing. knowing how anxious teddy would be to participate in the pursuit, he secured the wife of one of the christian indians to return with him, and take charge of the boy during their absence. at the time of the missionary's visit, the chief and his principal warriors were absent on an expedition to the north. although holding little interest himself in the mission of the minister among his people, he would undoubtedly have led a party to the search for the audacious savage who had abducted the respected white woman; and, had he been overtaken, a swift and merciless retribution would have fallen upon the trangressor's head. harvey richter deemed it best to take but a few indians with him. accordingly he selected five that he knew to be skillful, and with them hurried at once in the direction of his cabin. he saw with a sinking heart, as he returned, that the sun was already low in the horizon, and the woods were becoming dark and gloomy. teddy was at his post chafing like a confined lion. "this woman, teddy, will take care of the boy, so that you may join us in the search." "bliss you for that! it would be the hardest work of me life to stay here when i thought there's a chance of gitting a whack at that thaiving villian. oh, _if_ i could only git howld of him, i wouldn't l'ave a piece of him big enough to spit on." "i think there's little probability of either of us obtaining a glimpse of him. we must rely upon these indians to take the trail and follow it to the end." "they're like the hounds in the owld country, barring they go on two legs an' don't stick their noses in the ground, nor howl whin they git on trail. they're mighty handy to have around ye at such a time as this, if they be savages wid only a spark of christianity in 'em not bigger than a tobaccy pipe." "it will be impossible, i think, for the savage to conceal traces of his flight, and, if there be any chance of coming up with him, these men will surely do so." "but suppose miss cora should be tomahawked and--" "don't mention it," said the missionary, with a shudder. while these words were interchanged, the indians had employed the time more profitably in solving the meaning of the footsteps upon the ground. a slight whoop announced the trail's discovery, and when the missionary turned, he saw the whole five gliding off in a line through the woods. they went in "indian file," and resembled a huge serpent making its way with all swiftness toward its prey. our two friends started at once after them. on reaching the edge of the clearing teddy asked, abruptly: "if the haythen comes back to the cabin while we's be gone?" "impossible! he cannot." "spowsen he hides his track in that manner, he may take a notion to gobble up the little boy." "he would not dare--" nevertheless, the remark of his servant alarmed the missionary, and he hesitated. there might be foundation for what had been said. the savage finding the pursuit too close to escape with his prey, might slay her and then return stealthily to the cabin and dispatch the boy. it would not do to leave him alone with the indian woman. "i can afford little assistance in the hunt, and will remain behind. hurry on, teddy, or they will be too far away for you to follow." the hibernian shot off through the trees, at a rate that soon exhausted him, while harvey richter returned within his cabin, there to keep company with his great woe, until the return of the pursuers brought tidings of the lost one. an indian on the trail is not likely to permit any trivial cause to turn him aside, and the five sioux made rapid progress so long as the light in the wood allowed them to do so. this, however, was a comparatively short time; and, after progressing fitfully and uncertainly for several hundred yards, they finally drew up to wait until the morrow. the trail, instead of taking the direction of the river, as the pursuers believed it would, ran precisely parallel to it. so long as the savage kept away from the stream--that is, so long as he did not take to a canoe--his trail could be followed with absolute certainty, and he be overtaken beyond doubt. impeded by an unwilling captive, he could not avoid a rapid gain upon him by his pursuers; and to escape certain capture, he must either abandon his prey or conceal his flight by resorting to the river. it might be, and the pursuers themselves half believed, that the fleeing indian did not fear a pursuit by any of his own race, in which case he could make a leisurely escape, as the unpracticed white men could not have followed him for a half-mile through the wilderness. if this were really the case, the sioux were confident of coming up with him before the morrow's sun should go down. the indians had paused but a few moments, when a great tearing and scrambling was heard, and teddy came panting upon them. "what be yees waiting for?" he demanded. "tired out?" "can't go furder--dark--wait till next day." "i'm sorry that yees didn't stand it bitter. i can go some ways further meself if yees'll be kind enough to show me the trail. but, yees don't pant or blow a bit, so i can't think ye're too much tired." "too dark--can't see--wait till sun." "oh, begorrah! i didn't understand ye. the injin 'l' git a good start on us, won't he though?" "ain't injin--_white man_!" "a white man, does ye say, that run off wid miss cora?" two of the indians replied in the affirmative. teddy manifested the most unbounded amazement, and for a while, could say nothing. then he leaped into the air, struck the sides of his shoes with his fingers, and broke forth: "it was that owld hunter, may purgatory take him! him and that owld mahogany, what made me drunk--blast his sowl--have been hid around in the woods, waiting for a chance to do harm, and one is so much worse than t'other yees can't tell both from which. och! if i but had him under the sight of me gun." the spot upon which the indians and teddy were standing was but a short distance from the village, and yet, instead of returning to it, they started a small fire and lay down for the night. _they were upon the trail_, and nothing was to turn them aside from it until their work was completed, or it was utterly lost to them. teddy was more loth than they to turn his face backward, but, under the circumstances, he could not forget the sad, waiting husband at home. so he returned to the cabin, to make him acquainted with the result of their labors thus far. "if the indian only avoids the river, he may be overtaken, but if he takes to that, i am fearful he can never be found." "be me sowl, mr. harvey, but thim savages says he's not an injin, but a _white man_, and yees know they cannot be mistook fur they've got eyes like hawks, and sinses sharper than me only needle, which, begorrah, hasn't got a point." "can it be that bra--that that hunter has done me this great wrong?" said the missionary, correcting himself so dextrously that his servant failed to observe it. "has such been the revenge that he has been harboring up for so many years? and he has followed us these hundreds of miles for the purpose of striking the blow!" "the owld haythen assassinator! the bloodthirsty beast, the sneakin' dog, the dirthy jail-bird, the--" "he has not shot either of us when we were at his mercy, for the purpose of lulling us into security, the better to obtain his revenge, and oh, he has succeeded how well!" the strong man, who still sat in the front of his cabin, where he might catch the first sound of returning footsteps, now covered his face, and his whole form heaved with emotion. teddy began to feel uncomfortable. he arose, walked to and fro, and wiped the tears from his own cheeks. despite his tears, however, he recognized in the exclamations of his master a reference to some mystery which he had long suspected, but which had never been cleared up. the missionary must have met this strange hunter before this encounter in the wilderness, and his identity, and the cause of his deadly enmity, must, also, be known. teddy had a great curiosity; but, as his master had repulsed his inquiries upon a previous occasion, he forbore to make any reference to it. he walked backward and forward until the good man's emotion had subsided somewhat, and then he said: "good master harvey, the owld cabin is so lonely wid the form of miss cora gone, that it's meself that couldn't very well stay here till morning. so, wid yer leave jist, i'll return to the injins, so as to be ready to folly the trail bright and early in the mornin'." "and how do you suppose i feel, teddy?" "god save us! it can be no worse than meself." "i am willing that you should go." the missionary had need, indeed, for the sustaining power which can come only from above. the faithful indian woman remained with his child through the night, while he, with bare head, and hands griped together, paced backward and forward until the morrow's sun had risen. how he prayed and agonized in spirit during those long, lonely hours, god and himself only know. when the day had fairly dawned, he entered the house, lay down wearily, and slept a "long and troubled sleep." with a heavy heart teddy made his way back through the woods to where the indians were congregated. they were seated around the camp-fire engaged in smoking, but did not exchange nor utter a syllable. they all understood each other, and therefore there was no need of talk. the irishman seated himself beside them, and joined an hour or two in smoking, when they all lay down and slumbered. all with the exception of teddy, who could not sleep. he rolled hither and thither, drew deep sighs, and took new positions, but it availed nothing. the events of the past day had driven sleep far from his eyelids, and he soon gave over the effort altogether. rising to a sitting position, he scratched his head (which was significant only of abstraction of thought), and gazed meditatively into the smoldering embers. while seated thus, an idea suddenly came to him which brought him instantly to his feet. the fact that it had not occurred to the indians he attributed to their inferior shrewdness and sagacity. he recalled that the abduction of the young wife took place quite late in the afternoon; and, as she must be an unwilling captive of course, she would know enough to hinder the progress of the man so as to afford her friends a chance to overtake them. such being the case, the hunter would find himself compelled to encamp for the night, and therefore he could be but a short distance away. the more the irishman reflected, the more he became convinced that his view was right; and, we may state, that for once, at least, his supposition had a foundation to stand upon. the matter, as has been evident from the first to the reader, rested entirely upon the impossibility of following the trail at night. thus far it had maintained its direction parallel with the river, and he deduced that it must continue to do so. such being the case, the man could be reached as well during the darkness as daylight. teddy concluded not to awaken the savages, as they would hardly coincide with him. so he cautiously rose to his feet, and walking around them, made off in the darkness. he was prudent enough to obtain an idea of the general direction before starting, so as to prevent himself going astray; after which he pressed the pursuit with all possible speed. at intervals he paused and listened, but it seemed as if everything excepting himself was asleep. he heard no sound of animal or man: he kept his eyes flitting hither and thither, for he had hopes of chancing upon the camp-fire of the abductor. it is always a difficult matter to keep one's "reckoning" in the woods. if they be of any extent, it requires extraordinary precautions upon the part of an inexperienced person to prevent himself from being lost. should he endeavor to travel by night, it would be almost a miracle indeed if he could save himself from going totally astray. teddy had every disadvantage to contend against, and he had not journeyed a half-hour, when his idea of his own position was just the opposite of truth. as he had not yet become aware of it, however, it perhaps was just as well as if he had committed no error. he was pressing forward, with that peculiar impelling feeling that it was only necessary to do so ultimately to reach his destination, when a star-like glimmer caught his eye. teddy stopped short, and his heart gave a great bound, for he believed the all-important opportunity had now come. he scanned the light narrowly, but it was only a flickering point, such as a lantern would give at a great distance at night. the light alone was visible, but no flame. it was impossible to form any correct idea of its location, although, from the fact that the nature of the wood must prevent the rays penetrating very far, he was pretty certain it was comparatively close at hand. with this belief he commenced making his way toward it, his movements certifying his consciousness that a mis-step would prove fatal. to his dismay, however, he had advanced but a dozen steps or so when the light disappeared, and he found it impossible to recover it. he moved from side to side, forward and backward, but it availed nothing, and he was about to conclude it had been extinguished, when he retreated to his starting-point and detected it at once. keeping his eye fixed upon it, he now walked slowly, but at the same point as before it disappeared. this, he saw, must arise from some limb, or branch or tree interfering, and it only remained for him to continue advancing in the same line. having proceeded a hundred rods or so, he began to wonder that he still failed to discover it. thinking he might be mistaken in the distance, he went forward until he was sure he had passed far beyond it, when he turned and looked behind him. nothing but the dim figures of the tree-trunks rewarded his gaze. fully a half-hour was spent in wandering to and fro in the further efforts to locate the light that had caught his eye, and he finally sought to obtain his first stand-point. whether he succeeded or not teddy never could tell, but he never saw nor learned anything more regarding the camp-fire to which he was confident that he had been in such close proximity. about this time, which was in the neighborhood of midnight, teddy made the discovery that he was lost, and, like a sensible person, gave up all efforts to right himself. he was so wearied that he did not awake until daylight, when he was aroused by the five indians, whose trail-hunt led them to the spot where he lay sleeping. the trail was now followed rapidly for a half-mile when, as the pursuers had feared all along, it made a sudden bend to the river, upon the banks of which it was totally lost. not to be baffled in this manner, a canoe was produced with which three crossed the river. the entire day was spent by these upon one bank, while the two other indians and teddy pursued the search for traces of the hunter's landing upon their own side of the stream. not the slightest evidence was discovered that he had touched shore after embarking. the man had escaped, and even the eagle-eyed sioux were compelled on the second night to return to their village with the sad announcement that the trail was lost! [illustration: the trail was lost.] chapter vii. a hibernian's search for the trail. "oh i let me only breathe the air, the blessed air that's breathed by thee; and, whether on its wings it bear healing or death, 'tis sweet to me." at the close of a windy, blustering day in , two men were seated by a camp-fire in the depths of the wilderness of the northwest. the wind howled through the branches with a moaning sound such as often heralds the approach of bitter cold weather; and a few feathery flakes of snow that sailed along on the wind, proved that the season of storms was close at hand. the fire was built down deep in a sort of gorge, where its cheery, crackling blaze could not be seen by any one until he was nearly upon it. the men sat with their pipes in their mouths, their rifles beside them and their feet toward the fire. from appearances they were on the best of terms. one of them needs no introduction, as he is our old friend teddy, who evidently feels at home in his new situation. the other is a man of much the same build although somewhat older. his face, where it is not concealed by a heavy, grizzly beard, is covered by numerous scars, and the border of one eye is disfigured from the same cause. his dress and accouterments betray the hunter and trapper. "and so, teddy, ye're sayin' it war a white man that took away the missionary's wife, and hain't been heard on since. let me see, you said it war nigh onto three months ago, warn't it?" [illustration: "and so, teddy, ye're sayin' it war a white man that took away the missionary's wife."] "three months, come day after to-morrow. begorrah, but it's not i that'll forgit that same date to my dying day, if, indade, i forgit it at all, at all, even whin somebody else will be wearin' me clothes." "it was a dirty trick, freeze me if it wasn't; but you can _allers_ find a white man to do a mean trick, when you can't a copperskin; _that_ you may set down as a p'inted fact, teddy." "i belaves ye, mister tim. an indian is a poor mean thing at the bist, an' their squaws--kah! they are the dirtiest beasts that iver jabbered human lingo; an' their babies, i raaly belaves, is caught with a hook an' line in the muddy creeks where the catfish breed; but, fur all that, i don't think they could have been equal to this piece of wickedness. may the divil git howld of his soul. blazes, but won't there be a big squeal in purgatory when the divil gits howld of him!" and teddy seemed to contemplate the imaginary scene in hades with a sense of intense satisfaction. "but it's powerful strange you could never git on the trail. i don't boast of my own powers, but i'll lay if i'd been in the neighborhood, i'd 've found it and stuck to it like a bloodhound, till i'd 've throttled that thievin' wretch." "the sioux spent the bitter part of the day in the s'arch, an' meself an' siveral other savages has been looking iver since, and none of us have got so much as a scint of his shoe, bad luck to him." "but, teddy, what made him do it?" asked the trapper, turning his keen, searching eyes full upon him. "there's where i can't answer yees." "there be some men, i allow, so infarnal mean they'll do a mean thing just 'cause they _like_ to do it, and it might be he's one of them." "it's meself that belaves he howlds some spite agin mister harvey for something done in years agone, and has taken this means of revinging himself upon the good man, as i am sure niver did one of his fellow-creatures any harm." "it may be there's been ill-blood a long time atween 'em, but the missionary couldn't a done nothin' to give the rapscallion cause to run off with his wife, 'less he'd run off with this hunter's old woman before, and the hunter was paying him for it." "git out wid yer nonsense!" said teddy, impatiently. "it couldn't been a great deal, or if it was, it couldn't been done purposely, for i've growed up wid mister harvey, and knowed him ever since he was knee high to a duck, and he was _always_ a boy that did more praying than fighting. the idea of _his_ harming anyone, is _pre-pos-te-trous._ after the haythen had fired at us, the good man actilly made me promise not to do the wretch hurt if the chance was given me; and a mighty foolish thing, for all it was master harvey who towld me, fur i've had a chance or two at the spalpaan since. oh blissed virgin, why _didn't_ i cut his wizzen for him whin i could have done it--that is, if i could!" "and you've been huntin' 'im these three or four months be you?" "the same, yer honor, huntin' constantly, niver losing a day rain or shine, wid indians an' widout 'em, cold, hungry and tired, but not a day of rist." "freeze me then, if you haven't got _grit_. thar ain't many that would track through the woods that ar long. and ye haven't caught a glimpse of the gal nor heard nothin' of her?" "not a thing yet; but it's meself that 'xpacts to ivery day." "in course, or ye wouldn' keep at the business. but s'pose, my friend, you go on this way for a year more--what then?" "as long as i can thravel over the airth and miss cora isn't found, me faat shall niver find rest." the trapper indulged in an incredulous smile. "you'd be doing the same, tim, if yees had iver laid eyes on miss cora or had iver heard her speak," said teddy, as his eyes filled with tears. "god bliss her! she was worth a thousand such lives as mine--" "don't say nothin'" interrupted the trapper, endeavoring to conceal his agitation; "i've l'arned years ago what that business is. the copperskins robbed me of a prize i'll never git agin, long afore you'd ever seen one of the infarnal beings." "was she a swateheart?" "never mind--never mind; it'll do no good to speak of it now. she's _gone_--that's enough." "how do you know she can't be got agin, whin--" "she was tomahawked afore my eyes--ain't that enough?" demanded the trapper, indignantly. "i axes pardon, but i was under the impression they had run away with her as they did with miss cora." "hang 'em, no! if they'd have done that i'd have chased 'em to the pacific ocean and back agin afore i'd give 'em up." "and that's what meself intends to do regarding miss cora." "yer see, yer don't know much about red-skins and their devilments, and therefore, it's my private opine, instead of getting the gal, they'll git you, and there'll be the end on't." "tim, couldn't yees make the s'arch wid me?" asked teddy, in a deeply earnest voice. the trapper shook his head. "like to do't, but can't. it's time i was up to the beaver runs this night and had my traps set. yer see i'm _compelled_ to be in st. louey at the end of six months and hain't got a day to spare." "mister harvey has money, or, if he hasn't, he has friends in st. louis, be the same token, that has abundance of it, and you'd find it paid you bitter in the ind than catching poor, innocent beavers, that niver did yees harm." "i don't foller sich business for money, but i've agreed to be in st. louey at the time i was tellin' you, and it's allers a p'int of honor with me to keep my agreements." "couldn't yees be doing that, and this same thing, too?" "can't do't. s'pose i should git on the trail that is lost, can yer tell me how fur i'd have to foller it? yer see i've been in that business afore, and know what it is. me and three others once chased a band of blackfeet, that had carried off an old man, till we could see the peaks of the rocky mountains, and git a taste of the breath of wind that comes down from their ice and snow in middle summer." "didn't yees pursue the subjact any further?" "we went fur enough to find that the nimble-footed dogs had got into the mountains, and that if we wanted to keep our ha'r, we'd only got to undertake to foller 'em thar. so we just tramped back agin, havin' our trouble for nothin'." "wasn't that about as poor a business, for yees, as this be for me, barring yees was hunting for an old man and i'm hunting for a young woman?" "it warn't as foolish by a long shot, 'cause we _war on the trail_ all the time, and kept it, while you've lost yours, and never'll be able to find it agin. we war so close more nor once that we reached their camp-fires afore the embers had died out and from the tops of two, three hills we got a glimpse on 'em on thar horses. we traveled all night a good many times, but it done no good as they done the same thing, and we found we war further away, if anything, next morning than we war at sundown. if we'd ever lost the trail so as not to find it we'd guv up and come home, but we never done that nor never lost more nor an hour in lookin' for it. you see," added the trapper, impressively, "you never have found the trail, and, therefore, there ain't the shadder of a chance." "begorrah, yees can't blame us whin we tried to the bist of our indeavor to find it and wasn't able." "yer done the best yer knowed, i s'pose; but why didn't four on 'em divide so as to let one go up one side the river and one t'other, and the same way down-stream. yer don't s'pose that feller was able to keep paddlin' forever in the river, do yer? and jist so soon as he landed, jist so sure would one of them sioux find the spot where he touched land, and foller him to his hole." "begorrah, if wees had only thought of that!" "a sioux is as cunning a red-skin as i ever found, and it's jist my opine every one of 'em _did_ think of that same thing, but they didn't try it for fear they might catch the varmint! they knew their man, rest assured o' that." teddy looked up as if he did not comprehend the meaning of the last remark. "'cordin' to yer own showin', one of them infarnal copper-gals was at the bottom of the hull business, and it's like as not the men knowed about it, too, and didn't _want_ to catch the gal!" "there's where yees are mightily mistook, as pat mcguire said whin his landlord called him honest, for ivery one of them same chocolate-colored gintlemen would have done their bist for master harvey. they would have cut that thaif's wizzen wid a mighty good will, i knows." "mebbe so, but i don't believe it!" said the hunter, with an incredulous shake of his head. "would ye have me give up the s'arch altogether?" "can't say that i would; howsumever, the chance is small, and ye'd better go west with me, and spend the winter in l'arning how to trap fur beaver and otter." "what good might result from that?" "none, as i knows on." "then it's meself that thanks yees for the offer and respectfully declines to accept the nomination. i'll jist elict meself to the office of sheriff an' go about these regions wid a s'arch-warrint in my shoes that'll niver let me rist until miss cora is found." "wal, i 'spose we'll part in the mornin' then. as yer say this are the first time you've got as fur north, i'll say i think you're nearer the trail than yer ever war yit." "what might be the reason for that?" eagerly asked teddy. "i can't say what it is, only i kind o' feel it in my bones. thar's a tribe of copperskins about a hundred miles to the north'ard, that i'll lay can tell yer _somethin'_ about the gal." "indians? an' be what token would they be acquaint with her?" "they're up near the hudson bay territory line, and be a harmless kind of people. i stayed among 'em two winters and found 'em a harmless lot o' simpletons that wouldn't hurt a hair o' yer head. thar's allers a lot of white people staying among 'em." "i fails yit to see what they could be doing with miss cora." "mind i tells yer only what i _thinks_--not what i _knows_. it's my private opine, then, that that hunter has took the gal up among them injins, and they're both living thar. if that be so, you needn't be afeard to go right among 'em, for the only thing yer'll have to look out fur will be the same old hunter himself." this remark made a deep impression upon teddy. he sat smoking his pipe, and gazing into the glowing embers, as if he could there trace out the devious, and thus far invisible, trail that had baffled him so long. it must be confessed that the search of the hibernian thus far had been carried on in a manner that could hardly be expected to insure success. he had spent weeks in wandering through the woods, sleeping upon the ground or in the branches of some tree, fishing for awhile in some stream, or hunting for game--impelled onward all the time by his unconquerable resolve to find cora richter and return her to her husband. on the night that the five sioux returned to the village, and announced their abandonment of the pursuit, teddy told the missionary that he should never see him again, until he had gained some tidings of his beloved mistress, or had become assured that there could be no hope of her recovery. how long this peculiar means of hunting would have gone on, it is impossible to tell, but most probably until teddy himself had perished, for there was not the shadow of a chance of his gaining any information of the lost one. his meeting with the trapper was purely accidental, and the hint thrown out by the latter was the reason of setting the fellow to work in the proper way. the conversation was carried on for an hour or so longer, during which the trapper gave teddy more advice, and told him the best manner of reaching the tribe to which he referred. he cautioned him especially against delaying his visit any longer, as the northern winter was almost upon them, and should he be locked in the wilderness by it, it would be almost impossible for him to survive its rigor; but if he should be among the tribe, he could rest in security and comfort until the opening of spring. teddy concluded to do as his companion advised, and, after more unimportant conversation, both stretched themselves out by the camp-fire and slept. just as the earliest light was breaking through the trees, the trapper was on his feet, rekindling the fire. finding, after this was completed, that teddy still slumbered, he brought him to his senses by several forcible applications of his foot. "begorrah, it's meself that's thinking yees 'av a mighty gintle way of coming upon one unawares, barring it's the same as a kick from a wild horse. i was dr'aming jist thin of a blast of powder in a stone quarry, which exploded under me feet, an' sint me up in the ship's rigging, an' there i hung by the eaves until a lovely girl pulled me in at the front door and shut it so hard that the chinking all fell out of the logs, and woke me out of me pleasint delusions." the trapper stared at the irishman incredulously, thinking him demented. teddy's gaping and rubbing of his eyes with his fists, and, finally, his stretching of arms and legs, reassured tim of the fellow's sanity, and he added: "if yer hadn't woke just now, i'd tried ef lammin' yer over the head would've done any good." "yees might have done that, as long as ye plaised, fur me sconce got used to being cracked at the fairs in the owld country." "i thought yer allers lived in this country." "not always, or how could i be an irishman? god plaise i may niver live here long enough to forgit owld ireland, the gim of the sea. what's the matter with yees now?" the trapper having wandered a few yards from the camp-fire, had paused suddenly and stood gazing at the ground. teddy was obliged to repeat his question. "what is it yees have diskivered?" "sign, or ye may shoot me." "sign o' what?" "injins, ye wood-head! what else could i mean?" teddy now approached and narrowly examined the ground. his knowledge of wood-craft had been considerably increased during the past month or two, and he had no difficulty in distinguishing the imprint of a moccasin. "look at the infarnal thing!" exclaimed the trapper, in disgust. "who'd a thort there'd 've been any of the warmints about, whin we took sich pains with our fire. why the chap didn't send a piece of cold lead into each of our bread-baskets is more nor i can tell. it would've sarved us both right." "p'raps thim tracks there was made fornenst the night, and that it's ourselves that was not here first." "don't yer s'pose i know all about _that_?" demanded the trapper, savagely. "them tracks was made not more'n three or four hours ago." as he spoke. tim turned and followed it a rod or two, and then, as he came back, said: "if i had the time i'd foller it; but it goes just t'other way from what i want to go. i think like 'nough it leads to the village that you want to find; so if yer'd like one of 'em to introduce yer to the rest on 'em, drive ahead and make his acquaintance. maybe he kin tell yer something about the gal." teddy determined to follow the trail by all means. he partook of the morning meal with the trapper, exchanged a pleasant farewell, and then the two parted never to meet again. the footprints were distinct and easily followed. teddy advanced with long, loping strides, at a gait considerably more rapid than his usual one. he indulged in curious reveries as he followed it, fancying it to be an unfriendly indian with whom a desperate collision must inevitably take place, or some friendly member of the tribe, of whom the trapper had told him, that would prove a boon companion to him. all at once he reached a small, marshy tract, where the trail was much more palpable; and it was here that he either saw or fancied the toes of the footprints turned _outward_, thus demonstrating that, instead of an indian, he was following a white man. the hibernian's heart throbbed at the thought that he was upon the track of the strange hunter, with all probability of overtaking him. it caused his heart to throb violently to reflect how close he was upon the critical moment. drawing a deep breath and closing his lips tightly, he pressed on ready for the conflict. the trail continued as distinct as ever, and the pursuit suffered no interruption until it entered a deep swamp into which teddy hesitated to enter, its appearance was so dark and forbidding. as he gazed into its gloomy depths, he was almost certain that he had discovered the _home_ of the hunter. that at that moment the criminal was within its confines, where perhaps the beloved cora was imprisoned, a miserable and pining captive. the thought maddened him, and he pressed forward so rashly that he soon found himself completely entrapped in a network of briers and brambles. carefully withdrawing into the open wood, it suddenly occurred to him, that if the hunter had passed through the thicket, there was no earthly necessity of his doing it. he could pass around, and, if the footprints were seen upon the opposite side, it only remained to follow them, while, if they were not visible, it certified that he was still within the thicket and he could therefore shape his actions accordingly. teddy therefore made his way with patience and care around one end of the thicket. he found the distance more considerable than he at first supposed. it was full an hour before he was fairly upon the opposite side. here he made a careful search and was soon rewarded by finding unmistakable footprints, so that he considered it settled that the hunter had passed straight through the thicket. "it's a quaar being he is entirely, when it's meself that could barely git into the thicket, and he might have saved his hide by making a short thramp around, rather than plunging through in this shtyle." teddy pressed on for two hours more, when he began to believe that he was close upon the hunter, who must have traveled without intermission to have eluded him thus far. he therefore maintained a strict watch, and advanced with more caution. the woods began to thicken, and the hibernian was brought to a stand-still by the sound of a rustling in the bushes. proceeding some distance further, he came upon the edge of a bank or declivity, where he believed the strange hunter had laid down to rest. the footprints were visible upon the edge of the bank, and at the bottom of the latter was a mass of heavy undergrowth, so dense as effectually to preclude all observation of what might be concealed within it. it was in the shrubbery, directly beneath him, that teddy believed the hunter lay. he must be wearied and exhausted, and no doubt was in a deep sleep. teddy was sure, in his enthusiasm, that he had obtained a glimpse of the hunter's clothes through the interstices of the leaves, so that he could determine precisely the spot where he lay, and even the position of his body--so eagerly did the faithful fellow's wishes keep in advance of his senses. and now arose the all-important question as to what he should do. he might shoot him dead as he slept, and there is little question but what teddy would have done it had he not been restrained by the simple question of expediency. the hunter was alone, and, if slain, all clue to the whereabouts of mrs. richter would be irrecoverably lost. what tidings that might ever be received regarding her, must come from the lips of him who had abducted her. if he could desperately wound the man, he might frighten him into a confession, but then teddy feared instead of wounding him merely with his rifle, he would kill him altogether if he attempted to shoot. after a full half-hour's deliberation, teddy decided upon his course of action. it was to spring knife in hand directly upon the face of the hunter, pin him to the ground and then force the confession from his lips, under a threat of his life, the irishman mercifully resolving to slay him at any rate, after he had obtained all that was possible from him. teddy did not forget his experience of a few months before when the hunter gave him an involuntary bath in the river. he therefore held his knife firmly in his right hand. now that he had concluded what to do, he lost no time in carrying his plan into execution. he took a crouching position, such as is assumed by the panther when about to spring upon its prey, and then drawing his breath, he leaped downward. a yelping howl, an impetuous scratching and struggling of the furious mass that he attempted to inclose in his arms, told teddy that instead of the hunter, he had pounced down upon an innocent, sleeping bear! it was well for the irishman that the bear was peaceably inclined, else his search for the lost trail might have terminated then and there. the brute, after freeing itself from its incubus, sprung off and made all haste into the woods, leaving teddy gazing after it in stupefied amazement. he rose to his feet, stared at the spot where it had last appeared and then drew a deep sigh, and sadly shook his head. "i say nothing! be jabers! it's meself that can't do justice to the thame!" harvey richter stood in his cabin-door, about five months after his great loss, gazing off toward the path which led to the indian village, and which he had traveled so many, many times. sad and weary was his countenance, as he stood, at the close of the day, looking into the forest, as if he expected that it would speak and reveal what it knew of his beloved partner, who was somewhere concealed within its gloomy depths. ah, how many an hour had he looked, but in vain. the forest refused to give back the lost, nor did it breathe one word of her, to ease the gloom which hung so heavily upon his soul. a footfall caught his ear, and turning, he saw teddy standing before him. the face of the irishman was as dejected as his own, and the widowed man knew there was scarce need of the question: "have you heard anything, teddy?" "nothing, sir, saving that nothing is to be learnt." "not my will, but thine, oh god, be done!" exclaimed the missionary, reverently, and yet with a wailing sadness, that proved how unutterable was his woe. chapter viii. the trail of death. these likelihoods confirm her flight from hence; therefore, i pray you, stay not to discourse, but mount you presently.--shakespeare. the trapper, after separating from the irishman, pursued his way through the woods with a slow tread, as if he were deliberating some matter with himself. occasionally he muttered and shook his head, in a manner that showed his conscience was getting the better of the debate, whatever it might be. finally he paused. "yas, sir; it's a mean piece of business in me. 'cause i want to cotch a few beavers i must let this gal be, when she has been lost to her husband already for three months. it's ongenerous, and _can't be done_!" he exclaimed, emphatically. "what if i does lose a few peltries when they're bringing such a good price down in st. louey? can't i afford to do it, when there's a gal in the matter?" he resumed his walk as slowly and thoughtfully as before, muttering to himself. "if i go, i goes alone; least i don't go with that teddy, for he'd be sartin to lose my ha'r as sure as we got onto a trail. there's no calc'latin' the blunders of _such_ a man. how he has saved his own scalp to this time is more nor i can tell, or himself neither, for that matter, i guess. i've been on many a trail-hunt alone, and if i goes--if i goes, why, _in course_ i does!" he added, impetuously. the resolution once taken seemed to afford him unusual pleasure, as it does with us all when the voice of conscience is a monitor that is heeded. he was tramping toward the west, and now that the matter was decided in his own mind, he paused again, as if he could better debate other matters that must in the circumstances necessarily present themselves. "in the first place, there's no use of going any further on _this_ track, for i ain't gettin' any nigher the gal, that's pretty sartin. from what that teddy told me of his travels, it can't be that she's anywhere in these parts, for if she war, he couldn't have helped l'arning something of her in all this time. there's a tribe up north that i've heard was great on gettin' hold of white gals, and i think i'll make a s'arch in that direction afore i does anything else." nothing more remained for tim but to carry out the resolution he had made, and it was characteristic of the man that he did it at once. five minutes after the above words had been muttered, he was walking rapidly along in a northern direction, his rifle thrown over his arm, and a beaming expression of countenance that showed there were no regrets at the part he was acting. he had a habit of talking with himself, especially when some weighty or unusual matter obtruded itself. it is scarcely to be wondered, therefore, that he became quite talkative at the present time. "i allers admire such adventur's as this, if they don't bring in anything more nor thanks. the style in which i've received them is allers worth more money nor i ever made trapping beavers. the time i cotched that little gal down on the osage, that had been lost all summer, i thought her mother would eat me up afore she'd let me go. i believe i grinned all day and all night for a week after that, it made me think i was such a nice feller. maybe it'll be the same way with this. hello!" the trapper paused abruptly, for on the ground before him he saw the unmistakable imprint of a moccasin. a single glance of his experienced eye assured him upon that point. "that there are injins in these parts is a settled p'int with me, and that red and white blood don't agree is another p'int that is settled. that track wasn't made there more nor two hours ago, and it's pretty sartin the one that made it ain't fur away at this time. it happens it leads to the north'ard, and it'll be a little divarsion to foller it, minding at the same time that there's an injin in it." for the present the trapper was on a trail, and he kept it with the skill and certainty of a hound. over the dry leaves, the pebbly earth, the fresh grass, the swampy hollow--everywhere, he followed it with unerring skill. "that injin has been on a hunt," he muttered, "and is going back home agin. if it keeps in this direction much longer, i'll believe he's from the very village i'm hunting after. heigh! there's something else up!" he suddenly checked himself and began snuffing the air, as though it was tainted with something suspicious. "i hope i may be shot if there ain't a camp-fire within two hundred yards of where i am standing." he looked sharply around in every direction, but saw nothing of the camp, although positive that his olfactories could not have deceived him. "whether it belongs to white or red can't be said, _sartin_; but it's a great deal most likely that it's red, and it's just about as sartin that that injin ahead of me has gone pretty close to the camp, so i'll keep on follering him." a short distance further he became assured that he was in close proximity to the fire, and he began to use extreme caution in his movements. he knew very well how slight an inadvertence would betray his approach, and a betrayal was almost fatal. advancing some distance further, he suddenly came in full view of the camp-fire. he saw three indians seated around it, smoking, and appearing as if they had just finished their morning meal. it seemed, also, as if they were discussing some matter that deeply interested all. the mumbling of their voices could be heard, and one of them gesticulated quite freely, as though he were excited over the conference. there was not even the most remote possibility that what they were saying was of the least concern to the trapper; and so, after watching them a few moments, he moved cautiously by. it was rarely that tim ever had a mishap at such perilous times as these, but to his dismay something caught his foot so dextrously, that in spite of himself he was thrown flat upon his face. there was a dull thump, not very loud, it is true, but he feared it had reached the ears of the savages. he lay motionless, listening for a while, but hearing nothing of their voices or footsteps, he judged that either they had no suspicion of the true cause, or else had not heard him at all. he therefore rose to his feet and moved on, occasionally glancing back, to be sure he was not pursued. the trapper proceeded in this manner until noon. had the case been urgent, he would not have paused until nightfall, as his indurated muscles demanded no rest; he could go a couple of days without nourishment, and experience little inconvenience. but there was no call for haste. he therefore paused at noon, on the banks of a small stream, in quest of some water-fowl. tim gazed up and down-stream, but saw nothing that would serve as a dinner. he could have enticed a fish or two from their element, but he had set his heart upon partaking of a bird, and was not willing to accept anything else. accordingly, he began walking down the bank of the creek in search of one. in such a country as was minnesota forty years ago, the difficult matter would have been to _avoid_ game rather than to find it. the trapper had searched but a short distance, when he caught sight of a single ptarmigan under the opposite bank. in a twinkling tim's rifle was raised, and, as it flashed forth its deadly messenger, the bird made a single struggle, and then floated, a dead object, down the current. although rather anxious for his prize, the trapper, like many a hunter since that day, was not willing to receive a wet skin so long as it was possible to avoid it. the creek could be only of inconsiderable depth, yet, on such a blustering day, he felt a distaste toward exposing himself to its chilling clasp. some distance below he noticed the creek narrowed and made a curve. at this point he hoped to draw it in shore with a stick, and he lost no time in hurrying to the point. arrived there, the trapper stood on the very margin of the water, with a long stick in hand, waiting for the opportune moment. he naturally kept his eye upon the floating bird, as any animal watches the prey that he is confident is coming directly into his clutches. from the opposite bank projected a large, overhanging bush, and such was the bird's position in the water, that it was compelled to float within a foot, at least, of this. tim's eyes happened to be fixed intently upon it at this moment, and, at the very instant it was at the point named, he saw a person's hand flash out, seize the ptarmigan by the neck, and bring it in to shore in a twinkling. indignation upon the part of the trapper was perhaps as great as his surprise. he raised his rifle, and had it already sighted at the point where he was confident the body of the thief must be concealed, when a second thought caused him to lower his piece, and hurry up-stream, to a spot directly opposite where the bird had disappeared. here he searched the shore narrowly, but could detect no sign of the presence of any person. that there was, or had at least been, one there, needed no further confirmation. the trapper was in no mood to put up with the loss of his dinner, and he considered it rather a point of honor that he should bring the offending savage to justice. that it was an indian he did not doubt, but he never once suspected, what was true, that it was the identical one he had been following, and who had passed his camp-fire. in a few moments he found a shallow portion of the creek across which he immediately waded and made his way down the bank, to where the indian had first manifested his presence. here the keen eye of tim at once detected moccasin prints, and he saw that the savage had departed with his prize. there was no difficulty in following the trail, and the trapper did so, with his long, loping, rapid walk. it happened to lead straight to the northward, so that he felt it was no loss of time for him to do so. it was morally certain the savage could be at no great distance; hence the pursuer was cautious in his advance. the american indian would rather seek than avoid an encounter, and he was no foe to be despised in a hand-to-hand contest. the trapper was in that mood that he would not have hesitated to encounter two of them in deadly combat for the possession of the bird which was properly his own, and which he was not willing to yield until compelled to do so by physical force. about a hundred rods brought the trapper to a second creek of larger size than the first. the trail led directly into this, so he followed without hesitation. before doing so, he took the precaution to sling his rifle to his back, so that his arms should be disencumbered in any sudden emergency. the creek proved to be of considerable depth, but not sufficient to cause him to swim. near the center, when it was up to his armpits, and he was feeling every foot of the way as he advanced, he chanced by accident to raise his head. as he did so, he caught a movement among the undergrowth, and more from habit than anything else, dodged his head. the involuntary movement allowed the bullet that was discharged at that moment to pass harmlessly over his crown and bury itself in the bank beyond. the next instant the trapper dashed through the water, reaching the shore before the savage could reload. to his disappointment and chagrin, the indian was gone. tim, however, was not to be baffled in this manner, and dashed on as impetuously as before. he was so close that he could hear the fugitive as he fled, but the nature of the ground prevented rapid progress upon the part of either, and it was impossible to tell for a time who it was that was gaining. "there's got to be an end to this race _some time_," muttered tim, "or i'll chase you up the north pole. you've stole my dinner, and tried to steal my topknot, and now you shall have it or i shall have yours." for some time this race (which in many respects resembled that of teddy and the strange hunter) continued, until the trapper found it was himself that was really losing ground, and he sullenly came down to a walk again. still, he held to the trail with the unremitting perseverance of the bloodhound, confident that, sooner or later, he must come up with the fugitive. all at once, something upon the ground caught his eye. it was the ptarmigan, and he sprung exultingly forward and picked it up. it was unharmed by the indian, and he looked upon it as a tacit surrender, on the part of his adversary, of the matter of dispute between them. at first tim was disposed to keep up the pursuit; but, on second thought, he concluded to partake of his dinner, and then continue his search for his human game. in order to enjoy his dinner it was necessary to have it cooked, and he busied himself for a few moments in collecting a few dried sticks, and plucking the feathers from the fowl and dressing it. while thus occupied, he did not forget to keep his eyes about him, and to be prepared for the indian in case he chose to come back. he discovered nothing suspicious, however, and came to believe there was no danger at all. at length, when the afternoon was well advanced, the trapper's dinner was prepared. he took the fowl from the blaze, and cutting a piece with his hunting-knife, was in the very act of placing it in his mouth, when the sharp crack of a rifle broke the stillness, and he fell backward, pierced through the body by the bullet of the indian whom he had been pursuing. "it's all up!" muttered the dying man. "i am wiped out at last, and must go under!" [illustration: "it's all up!" muttered the dying man. "i am wiped out at last, and must go under!"] the lost trail had been the means of tim, the trapper, discovering what proved to him _the trail of death!_ chapter ix. the dead shot. and now 'tis still i no sound to wake the primal forest's awful shade; and breathless lies the covert brake, where many an ambushed form is laid. i see the red-man's gleaming eye, yet all so hushed, the gloom profound, that summer birds flit heedlessly, and mocking nature smiles around.--lunt. five years have passed. it is the summer of . in that comparatively brief period, what vast changes have taken place! how many have come upon and departed from the stage of life! how many plans, intentions and resolutions have been formed and either failed or succeeded! how many governments have toppled to the earth, and followed by "those that in their turn shall follow them." what a harvest it has been for death! the missionary's cabin stands on the clearing where it was first erected, and there is little change in its outward appearance, save that perhaps it has been more completely isolated from the wood. the humble but rather massive structure is almost impervious to the touch of time. it is silent and deserted within. around the door plays a little boy, the image of his mother, while some distance away, under the shadow of the huge tree, sits the missionary himself. one leg is thrown over the other, an open book turned with its face downward upon his lap, while his hands are folded upon it, and he is looking off toward the wood in deep abstraction of thought. time has not been so gentle with harvey richter. there are lines upon his face, and a sad, wearied expression that does not properly belong there. it would have required full fifteen years, in the ordinary course of events, to have bowed him in this manner. the young man--for he is still such--and his little boy are the only ones who now dwell within the cabin. no tidings or rumors have reached him of the fate of his wife, who was so cruelly taken from him four years before. the faithful teddy is still searching for her. the last two winters he has spent at home, but each summer he has occupied in wandering hither and thither through the great wilderness, in his vain searching for the lost trail. cast down and dejected, he has never yet entirely abandoned hope of finding traces of her. he had followed out the suggestion of the trapper, and visited the indians that dwelt further north, where he was informed that nothing whatever was known of the missing woman. since that time his search had been mostly of an aimless character, which, as we have already stated, could be productive of no definite results. the missionary had become, in a degree, resigned to his fate; and yet, properly speaking, he could not be said to be resigned, for he was not yet convinced that she was entirely lost to him. all traces of the strange hunter seemed irrecoverably gone, but richter still devoutly believed the providence of god would adjust everything in due time. it is true, at seasons, he was filled with doubt and misgiving; but his profession, his devotedness to his work, brought him in such close communion with his divine master that he trusted fully in his providences. on this summer afternoon, thoughts of his wife and of the strange hunter occupied his mind more exclusively than they had for a year past. so constant and preoccupying, indeed, were they, that he once or twice believed he was on the eve of learning something regarding her. while engaged in reading, the figures of his wife and the hunter would obtrude themselves; he found it impossible to dismiss them, so he had laid down the book and gone off into this absorbing reverie. an additional fear or presentiment at times haunted the mind of the missionary. he believed this hunter who could resort to such diabolical means to revenge himself, would seek to inflict further injury upon him, and he instinctively looked upon his boy as the vulnerable point where the blow would be likely to fall. for over a year, while teddy was absent, richter had taken the boy with him, when making his daily visits to the village, and made it a point never to lose sight of him. during these years of loneliness, also, harvey richter had hunted a great deal in the woods and had attained remarkable skill in the use of the rifle--an accomplishment for which he had reason to be thankful for the remainder of his life, as we shall presently see. on a pleasant afternoon, he frequently employed himself in shooting at a target, or at small game in the lofty trees around him, until his aim became so unerring that not a warrior among the sioux could excel him. it may seem singular, but our readers will understand us when we say that this added to his popularity--and, in a manner, paved a way for reaching many a heart that hitherto had remained unmoved by his appeals. the year preceding, an indian had presented the missionary with a goat, to the neck of which was attached a large cow-bell, that probably had been obtained of some trader. where the animal came from, however, he had never been able to tell. it was a very acceptable present, as it became a companion for his charley, who spent many and many an hour in sporting with it. it also afforded for a while a much-valued luxury in the shape of milk, so that the missionary came to regard the animal as an indispensable requirement in his household. the goat acquired a troublesome habit of wandering off in the woods, with an inclination not to return for several days. from this cause the bell became useful as a signal to indicate the animal's whereabouts. it rarely wandered beyond hearing, and caused no more trouble than would have resulted from a cow under the same circumstances. for the last few weeks it had been the duty, or rather privilege, of charley to bring his playmate home, and the child had become so expert that the father had little hesitation in permitting him to go out for it. the parent had misgivings, however, in allowing him to leave the house, so near dark, to go beyond his sight if not beyond his hearing; and for some time he had strenuously refused to permit the boy to go upon his errand; but the little fellow plead so earnestly, and the father's ever-present apprehensions having gradually dulled by their want of realization, he had given his reluctant consent, until it came to be considered the special province of the boy to bring in the goat every evening just before nightfall. the afternoon wore away, and still the missionary sat with folded hands, gazing absently off in the direction of the wood. the boy at length aroused him by running up and asking: "father, it is getting late. isn't it time to bring dolly home?" "yes, my son; do you hear the bell?" "listen!" the pleasant _tink-a-link_ came with faint distinctness over the still summer air. "it isn't far away, my son; so run as fast as you can and don't play or loiter on the way." the child ran rapidly across the clearing in the direction of the sound, shot into the wood, and, a moment later, had disappeared from his father's sight. the father still sat in his seat, and was looking absently toward the forest, when a startled expression flashed over his face and he sprung to his feet. what thus alarmed him? _it was the sound of the goat-bell._ all of my readers who have heard the sound of an ordinary cow-bell suspended to the neck of an animal, have observed that the natural sound is an _irregular one_--that is, there is no system or regularity about the sound made by an animal in cropping the grass or herbage. there is the clapper's tink-a-link, tink-a-link--an interval of silence--then the occasional tink, tink, tink, to be followed, perhaps, by a repetition of the first-named sounds, varied occasionally by a compound of all, caused by the animal flinging its head to free itself from troublesome flies or mosquitoes. the bell in question, however, gave no such sounds _as these_, and it was this fact which filled the missionary with a sudden, terrible dread. suppose a person take one of these bells in his hand, and give a steady, _uninterrupted_ motion. the consequence must be a regular, unvarying, monotonous sound, which any ear can distinguish from the natural one caused by the animal itself. it was a steady tink, tink, tink, that the bell in question sent forth. the missionary stood but a moment; then dashing into the house, he took down his ever-loaded rifle and ran in the direction of the sound. in his hurry, he forgot powder-horn and bullet, and had, as a consequence, but a single charge in his rifle. he had gone scarcely a hundred yards, when he encountered the goat returning home. one glance showed there was _no bell_ to its neck, while that ominous tink, tink, tink, came through the woods as uninterruptedly as before. the father now broke into a swifter run, almost losing his presence of mind from his great, agonizing fear. the picture of the indian, whom he had felled to the floor, when he insulted his wife years before, rose before him, and he saw his child already struggling in the savage's merciless grasp. nearer and nearer he approached the sound, until he suddenly paused, conscious that it was but a short distance away. hurrying stealthily but rapidly several rods to the right, the whole thing was almost immediately made plain to him. two trees, from some cause or other, had fallen to the ground in a parallel direction and within a yard of each other. between the trunks of these an indian was crouched, who held the goat-bell in his left hand, and caused the sound which so startled the father. the savage had his back turned toward the missionary, and appeared to be looking in the opposite direction, as if he were waiting the appearance of some one. while the father stood gazing at this, he saw his boy come to view about fifty feet the other side of the indian, and, as if wearied with his unusual hunt, seat himself upon a log. as soon as the boy was visible, the savage--whom richter recognized at once as the same man that he had felled to the floor of his cabin, four years before--called into use a little common sense, which, if it had been practised somewhat sooner, must have completely deluded the father and accomplished the design meditated. if, instead of giving the bell the monotonous tink, the indian had shaken the clapper irregularly, it would have resulted in the certain capture of the child, beyond the father's power of aid or rescue. the missionary, we say, penetrated the design of the indian almost instantly. although he saw nothing but the head and top of one shoulder, he recognized, with a quick instinct, the villain who had felt the weight of his hand years before, and who had now come in the fullness of time, to claim his revenge. directly in front of the savage rose a small bush, which, while it gave him a view of the boy, concealed himself from the child's observation. the object of the indian seemed to be to lure the boy within his reach, so as to secure him without his making an outcry or noise. if he could draw him close to the logs, he would spring upon him in an instant, and prevent any scream, which assuredly must reach the father, who, with his unerring rifle would have been upon the ground in a few moments. it was an easy matter for the savage to slay the boy. it would not have done to shoot his rifle, but he could have tomahawked him in an instant; hence it was plain that he desired only to take him prisoner. he might have sprung upon his prey in the woods, but there he ran the risk of being seen by the child soon enough for him to make an outcry, which would not fail of bringing immediate assistance. his plan, therefore, was, to beguile the little fellow on until he had walked directly into the snare, as a fly is lured into the web of a spider. this, we say, was the plan of the indian. it had never entered into his calculations that the goat, after being robbed of her bell, might go home and tell a tale, or that there were other ways in which the boy could be secured, without incurring half the peril he already had incurred. the moment the father comprehended what we have endeavored to make plain, he raised his rifle, with the resolve to shoot the savage through the head. as he did so, he recalled the fact that he had but a single charge, and that, as a consequence, a miss would be the death-warrant of himself as well as of his child. but he knew his eye and hand would never fail him. his finger already pressed the trigger, when he was restrained by an unforeseen impediment. while the deadly rifle was poised, the boy stretched himself up at full length, a movement which made known to the father that his child was exactly in range with the indian himself, and that a bullet passing through the head of the savage could not fail to bury itself in the little fellow's body. this startling circumstance arrested the pressure of the trigger at the very moment the ball was to be sped upon its errand of death. the missionary sunk down upon one knee, with the intention of bringing the head of the savage so high as to carry the bullet over the body of his boy, but this he found could not be done without too seriously endangering his aim. he drew a bead from one side of the tree, and then from the other, but from both stand-points the same dreadful danger threatened. the ground behind the tree was somewhat elevated, and was the only spot from which he could secure a fair view of the bronze head of the relentless enemy. two resorts were at the command of richter. he could leave the tree altogether, and pass around so as to come upon the savage from a different direction; but this involved delay during which his boy might fall into the indian's power and be dispatched, as he would be sure to do when he found that the father was close at hand; and from the proximity of the two men, it could hardly fail to precipitate a collision between them. the indian, finding himself at bay, could not fail to prove a most troublesome and dangerous customer, unarmed, as richter was, with weapons for a close encounter. the father might also wait until the boy should pass out of range. still, there was the possibility of his proceeding directly up to the spot where the savage lurked, thus keeping in range all the while. then the attempted rescue would have to be deferred until the child was in the hands of the savage. these considerations, passing through richter's brain much more rapidly than we have narrated them, decided him to abandon both plans, and to resort to what, beyond question, was a most desperate expedient. the indian held the bell in his left hand. it was suspended by the string which had clasped the neck of the goat, and, as it swayed gently back and forth, this string slowly twisted and untwisted itself, the bell, of course, turning back and forth. the father determined to slay the indian and save his son by _shooting this bell_! it is not necessary to describe the shape and make of the common cow-bell in general use throughout our country; but it is necessary that the reader should bear them in mind in order to understand the manner in which the missionary proposed to accomplish this result. his plan was to strike the bell when in the proper position, and _glance the bullet into the head of the savage_! the desperate nature of this expedient will be seen at once. should the gun be discharged when the flat side of the bell was turned toward him, the ball would pass through, and most probably kill his child without endangering the life of the indian. if it struck the narrow side, it accomplished neither harm nor good; while, if fired at the precise moment, and still aimed but an inch too low, the bell would most likely be perforated. consequently, it was requisite that the rifle be discharged at the precise instant of time when the signal brass was in the correct position, and that the aim should be infallibly true. all this richter realized only too painfully; but, uttering an inward prayer, he raised his rifle with a nerve that knew no faltering or fear, holding it pointed until the critical moment should arrive. that moment would be when the string was wound up, and was turning, to unwind. then, as it was almost stationary, he fired. no sound or outcry betrayed the result; but, clubbing his rifle, the father bounded forward, over the trees, to the spot where the indian was crouching. there he saw him in his death-struggle upon the ground the bell still held fast in his hand. in that critical moment, harvey richter could not forbear glancing at it. its top was indented, and sprinkled with white by the glancing passage of the lead. the blood, oozing down the face of the savage, plainly showed how unerringly true had been the aim. something in the upward look of the dying man startled the missionary. "harvey richter--don't you know me?" he gasped. [illustration: "harvey richter--don't you know me?" he gasped.] "i know you as a man who has sought to do me a wrong that only a fiend could have perpetrated. great heaven! can it be? is this you, brazey davis?" "yes; but you've finished me, so there isn't much left." "are you the man, brazey, who has haunted me ever since we came in this country? are you the person who carried away poor, dear cora?" "yes--yes!" answered the man, with fainting weariness. such, indeed, was the case. the strange hunter and the indian known as mahogany were one and the same person. "brazey, why have you haunted me thus, and done me this great wrong?" "i cannot tell. when i thought how you took her from me, it made me crazy when i thought about it. i wanted to take her from you, but i wouldn't have dared to do that if you hadn't struck me. i wanted revenge then." "what have you done with her?" "she is gone, i haven't seen her since the day after i seized her, when a band of indians took her from me, and went up north with her. they have got her yet, i know, for i have kept watch over her, and she is safe, but is a close prisoner." this he said with great difficulty. "brazey, you are dying. i forgive you. but does your heart tell you you are at peace with him whom you have offended so grievously?" "it's too late to talk of that now. it might have done years ago, when i was an honest man like yourself, and before i became a vagabond, bent on injuring one who had never really injured me." "it is never too late for god to forgive--" "too late--too late, i tell you! _there!_" he rose upon his elbow, his eyes burning with insane light and his hand extended. "i see her--she is coming, her white robes floating on the air. oh, god, forgive me that i did her the great wrong! but, she smiles upon me--she forgives me! i thank thee, angel of good----" he sunk slowly backward, and harvey richter eased the head softly down upon the turf. brazey davis was no more. chapter x. conclusion. heart leaps to heart--the sacred flood that warms us is the same; that good old man--his honest blood alike we frankly claim.--sprague. the missionary gazed sadly upon the inanimate form before him. he saw the playmate of his childhood stricken down in death by his own hand, which never should have taken human life, and although the act was justifiable under the circumstances, the good man could but mourn the painful necessity that occasioned it. the story, although possessing tragic interest, was a brief one. brazey davis, as he had always been termed, was a few years older than himself, and a native of the same neighborhood. he was known in childhood as one possessing a vindictive spirit that could never forgive an injury--as a person who would not hesitate at any means to obtain revenge. it so happened that he became desperately enamored of the beautiful cora brandon, but becoming aware, at length, that she was the betrothed of harvey braisted, the young missionary in embryo, the disappointed lover left the country, and was never heard of by the missionary until he made himself known in the singular manner that we have related at the opening of our narrative. he had, in fact, come to be a sort of monomaniac, who delighted in annoying his former rival, and in haunting his footsteps as if he were his evil shadow. the abduction of his wife had not been definitely determined upon until that visit to the cabin, in the garb and paint of an indian, when he received the tremendous blow that almost drove the life from his body. davis then resolved to take the revenge which would "cut" the deepest. how well he succeeded, the reader has learned. the missionary's child stood pleading for an explanation of the strange scene before him. loosening the bell from the grasp of the dead man, the minister took the little hand, and, with a heart overflowing with emotion, set out for his cabin. it was his wish to give the hunter a christian burial; but, for the present, it was impossible. these dying words rung in his ears: "the indians took her from me, and went up north with her, where she now is, _and safe_!" blessed thought! she was then living, and was yet to be restored to his arms. the shadow of death passed away, and a great light illuminated his very being. the lost was found! when the missionary came to be more collected, he concluded that this must be the tribe of which teddy had once spoken, but which had been visited by him without success. the prize was too great to be intrusted in the hands of another, and harvey determined to make the search in person, to settle, if possible, once and forever, the fate of his beloved wife. he soon proceeded to the indian village, where he left his boy and gave notice that he should not be back for several days. he then called one of the most trusty and skillful warriors aside, and asked for his company upon the eventful journey. the savage cheerfully complied, and the two set out at once. it was a good distance to the northward, and when night came down upon them, many miles yet remained to be passed. there was little fear of disturbance from enemies, and both lay down and slept until daylight, when they were immediately on their way again. this journey through the northern wilderness was unvaried by any event worthy of record, and the details would be uninteresting to the reader. suffice it to say that, just as the fourth day was closing in, they struck a small stream, which pursued a short distance, brought them directly upon the village for which they had been searching. the advent of the indian and missionary among them created considerable stir, but they were treated with respect and consideration. harvey richter asked immediately for the chief or leading man, and shortly stood in his presence. he found him a short, thick-set half-breed, whose age must have been well-nigh three-score years, and who, to his astonishment, was unable to speak english, although many of his subjects spoke it quite intelligibly. he understood sioux, however, and the missionary's companion acted as interpreter. our friend made a full statement of his wife's abduction, years before, and of the assertion of the dying man that she had been taken from him by members of this tribe, who had retained her ever since. the chief waited sometime before replying; he seemed debating with himself as to the proper course to pursue. finally he said he must consult with one of his warriors, and departed abruptly from the lodge. ten minutes later, while the missionary, with a painfully-throbbing heart, was gazing around the lodge, with that minute scrutiny of the most trifling objects peculiar to us at such times, he caught the sound of returning footsteps, and turned to the lodge door. there stood the indian, and, directly beside him, his own lost cora! the next day at noon, a camp-fire might have been seen some miles south of the northern village of which we have made mention. an indian was engaged in cooking a piece of meat, while the missionary and his reclaimed jewel, sitting side by side, her head reclining upon his shoulder and his hand dallying with her hair, were holding delightful communion. she looked pale and somewhat emaciated, for these years of absence had indeed been fraught with suffering; but the old sweet look had never departed. it was now changed into an expression of perfect joy. the wife's great anxiety was to reach home and see the child she had left an infant, but who was now a frolicksome boy, and she could hardly consent to pause even when night overtook them, and her lagging limbs told her husband how exhausted she had become. cora never had suspected the identity of the indian and the hunter, until on that sad day when he sprung from behind the cabin and hurried her off into the wood. there was something, however, in his look, when he first felt the weight of her husband's blow, that never left her remembrance. while hurrying her swiftly through the wood he said nothing at all, and at night, while she pretended to sleep, he watched by the camp-fire. it was the light of this fire which had puzzled teddy so much. on the succeeding day the abductor reached the river and embarked in his canoe. a half-hour later he leaned over the canoe and washed the paint from his face and made himself known in his true character, as brazey davis, her former lover. he had scarcely done so, when an indian canoe rounded a bend in the river, and, despite his earnest protestations, the savages took the captive from him, and carried her with them to their village, where she had been ever since. retained very closely, as all prisoners among indians are, she had heard nothing of teddy's visit. she was treated with kindness, as the destined wife of a young chief; but the suit for her consent never was pressed by the chief, as it is in an indian's code of honor never to force a woman to a distasteful marriage. the young brave, with true indian pertinacity, could wait his time, confident that his kindness and her long absence from home would secure her consent to the savage alliance. she was denied nothing but her liberty, and her prayers to be returned to her husband and child. at this point in her narration, an exclamation from the indian arrested attention. all listened and heard but a short distance away: "begorrah, teddy, it's yerself that's entitled to a wee bit of rist, as yees have been on a mighty long tramp, and hasn't diskivered anything but a country that is big enough to hide the atlantic ocean in, wid ireland on its bosom as a jewel. the chances are small of yees iver gitting another glimpse of heaven--that is, of miss cora's face. the darlint; if she's gone to heaven, then teddy mcfadden don't care how soon somebody else wears out his breeches--that is, on the presumption that st. peter will say, 'teddy, me lad, ye can inter an' make yerself at home, to be sure!'" the husband and wife glanced at each other significantly as the fellow rattled on. "wait a moment," said harvey, rising to his feet, and carefully making his way in the direction of the sound. it was curious that the irishman should have paused for his noonday rest in such close proximity to our friends; but, he had learned from a trader who had recently visited the red river country, that there _was_ a white woman, beyond all question, among the tribe in the north, and he was on his way to make them a second visit. the missionary found his servant seated by a tree. teddy looked up as he heard a footstep. it seemed as if his eyes would drop from their sockets. his mouth opened wide, and he seemed, for the moment, confounded. then he recovered his presence of mind in a measure, and proceeded to scratch his head vigorously. that, with him, ever was a sign of the clearing up of his ideas. "how do you do, teddy?" at length the missionary said, after having enjoyed the poor fellow's confusion. "faith, but ye sent the cold shivers over me. _is_ it yerself, mister harvey, out in these woods, or is it yer ghost on the s'arch for misthress cora? i sometimes thinks me own ghost is out on the s'arch without me body, an' i shouldn't be surprised to maat it some day. but i'm mighty glad it's yerself an' not yer ghost, for, to till the thruth, i don't jist like ghosts--they makes a body feel so quare in the stomach." "come with me; i have an indian as company, and you may as well join us." the hibernian followed, a few paces behind, continually expressing his astonishment at seeing his master so far away from home. he did not look up until they were within a few paces of the camp-fire, when richter stepped from before him. "save us! save us! but if there isn't the ghowst of miss cora come to haunt me for not finding her afore!" exclaimed teddy, retreating a step or two in genuine terror. "saint patherick, saint pether, saint virgin mary, protict me! i didn't mane to get dhrunk that day, ye know, nor to make a frind of--" "i am no ghost but my own self, teddy, restored to my husband in safety. can you not welcome me?" "oorah! oorah!" and he danced a moment in uncontrollable joy. then he exclaimed: "god bliss yer own swate self!" taking her in his brawny arms. "god bliss you! no ghost, but yer own swate self. oh, i feel like a blast of powder ready to go off!" and again he danced a singular commixture of the jig and cotillion, much to the indian's amazement, for he thought him crazy. "i knew that i should look upon your face again; but, till me where it is yees have come from?" he finally subsided enough to ask. teddy was soon made to understand all that related to the return of the young wife. when he learned that mahogany, with whom he had so often drank and "hobnobbed," was only the hunter disguised, who was thus plotting his crime, the irishman's astonishment can hardly be described. he was irritated, also, at his own stupidity. "that teddy mcfadden iver should have been so desaved by that rascal of purgatory!" he exclaimed; but, as the evil man had gone to the great tribunal above, there was no disposition, even in teddy's heart, to heap curses on his memory. a few days more, and the three whites passed through the indian village on their way to the clearing. the joy of the savages at the return of their sweet, pale-faced sister was manifested in many ways, and she once feared they would never allow her to leave them and go to her own humble home. finally, however, they reached the clearing, and, as they walked side by side across it, opened the door and sat down within the cabin, and the fond mother took the darling boy in her lap, the wife and husband looked in each other's faces with streaming eyes, and murmured "thank god! thank god!" the end. * * * * * reasons why you should obtain a catalogue of our publications . you will possess a comprehensive and classified list of all the best standard books published, at prices less than offered by others. . you will find listed in our catalogue books on every topic: poetry, fiction, romance, travel, adventure, humor, science, history, religion, biography, drama, etc., besides dictionaries and manuals, bibles, recitation and hand books, sets, octavos, presentation books and juvenile and nursery literature in immense variety. . you will be able to purchase books at prices within your reach; as low as cents for paper covered books, to $ . for books bound in cloth or leather, adaptable for gift and presentation purposes, to suit the tastes of the most critical. . you will save considerable money by taking advantage of our special discounts, which we offer to those whose purchases are large enough to warrant us in making a reduction. _a postal to us will place it in your hands_ hurst & co., _publishers_, , , broadway, new york. * * * * * books by charles carleton coffin author of "boys of ' " "boys of ' " [illustration] charles carleton coffin's specialty is books pertaining to the war. his celebrated writings with reference to the great rebellion have been read by thousands. we have popularized him by publishing his best works at reduced prices. following the flag. charles carleton coffin my days and nights on the battlefield. charles carleton coffin winning his way. charles carleton coffin six in a block house. henry c. watson be sure to get one of each. price, postpaid, fifty cents. obtain our latest complete catalogue. hurst & co., publishers, new york * * * * * c.a. stephens books [illustration] an author whose writings are famous and whose stories are brim-full of adventure. boys delight in reading them. we publish six of his best. camping out fox hunting left on labrador lynx hunting off to the geysers on the amazon sent anywhere, postage paid, upon receipt of fifty cents. our complete list sent you upon receipt of a postal. hurst & co., publishers, new york * * * * * capt. marryat's works [illustration] this writer is celebrated for his sea stories. they are bound to please and entertain their readers and we urgently ask that boys obtain the complete set of six books. no library is complete without them. jacob faithful japhet in search of a father masterman ready mr. midshipman easy peter simple rattlin, the reefer sent anywhere, postage paid, upon receipt of fifty cents. complete catalogue sent when requested hurst & co., publishers, new york * * * * * log cabin to white house series a famous series of books, formerly sold at $ . per copy, are now popularized by reducing the price less than half. the lives of these famous americans are worthy of a place in any library. a new book by edward s. ellis--"from ranch to white house"--is a life of theodore roosevelt, while the author of the others, william m. thayer, is a celebrated biographer. from ranch to white house: life of theodore roosevelt. from boyhood to manhood; life of benjamin franklin. from farm house to white house; life of george washington. from log cabin to white house; life of james a. garfield. from pioneer home to white house; life of abraham lincoln. from tannery to white house; life of ulysses s. grant. success and its achievers. tact, push and principle. these titles, though by different authors, also belong to this series of books: from cottage to castle; the story of gutenberg, inventor of printing. by mrs. e.c. pearson. capital for working boys. by mrs. julia e. m'conaughy. price, postpaid, for any of the above ten books, c. a complete catalogue sent for the asking. hurst & co. publishers, new york transcriber's note. the table of contents is not part of the original book. in page there is an incomplete sentence "poor tad was". this sentence is incomplete in this book as well as the many editions verified. [illustration: [see page the cold breeze enlivened them, the sternness of the swift, cruel river and miles of brown shore made them gravely happy.] the trail of the hawk a comedy of the seriousness of life by sinclair lewis author of our mr. wrenn harper & brothers publishers new york and london the trail of the hawk copyright, , by harper & brothers * * * * * contents chapter page part i chapter i chapter ii chapter iii chapter iv chapter v chapter vi chapter vii chapter viii chapter ix chapter x chapter xi chapter xii part ii chapter xiii chapter xiv chapter xv chapter xvi chapter xvii chapter xviii chapter xix chapter xx chapter xxi chapter xxii chapter xxiii part iii chapter xxiv chapter xxv chapter xxvi chapter xxvii chapter xxviii chapter xxix chapter xxx chapter xxxi chapter xxxii chapter xxxiii chapter xxxiv chapter xxxv chapter xxxvi chapter xxxvii chapter xxxviii chapter xxxix chapter xl chapter xli chapter xlii * * * * * to the optimistic rebels through whose talk at luncheon the author watches the many-colored spectacle of life--george soule, harrison smith, allan updegraff, f. k. noyes, alfred harcourt, b. w. huebsch. * * * * * part i the adventure of youth the trail of the hawk chapter i carl ericson was being naughty. probably no boy in joralemon was being naughtier that october saturday afternoon. he had not half finished the wood-piling which was his punishment for having chased the family rooster thirteen times squawking around the chicken-yard, while playing soldiers with bennie rusk. he stood in the middle of the musty woodshed, pessimistically kicking at the scattered wood. his face was stern, as became a man of eight who was a soldier of fortune famed from the front gate to the chicken-yard. an unromantic film of dirt hid the fact that his scandinavian cheeks were like cream-colored silk stained with rose-petals. a baby norseman, with only an average boy's prettiness, yet with the whiteness and slenderness of a girl's little finger. a back-yard boy, in baggy jacket and pants, gingham blouse, and cap whose lining oozed back over his ash-blond hair, which was tangled now like trampled grass, with a tiny chip riding grotesquely on one flossy lock. the darkness of the shed displeased carl. the whole basic conception of work bored him. the sticks of wood were personal enemies to which he gave insulting names. he had always admired the hard bark and metallic resonance of the ironwood, but he hated the poplar--"popple" it is called in joralemon, minnesota. poplar becomes dry and dusty, and the bark turns to a monstrously mottled and evil greenish-white. carl announced to one poplar stick, "i could lick you! i'm a gen'ral, i am." the stick made no reply whatever, and he contemptuously shied it out into the chickweed which matted the grubby back yard. this necessitated his sneaking out and capturing it by stalking it from the rear, lest it rouse the popple army. he loitered outside the shed, sniffing at the smoke from burning leaves--the scent of autumn and migration and wanderlust. he glanced down between houses to the reedy shore of joralemon lake. the surface of the water was smooth, and tinted like a bluebell, save for one patch in the current where wavelets leaped with october madness in sparkles of diamond fire. across the lake, woods sprinkled with gold-dust and paprika broke the sweep of sparse yellow stubble, and a red barn was softly brilliant in the caressing sunlight and lively air of the minnesota prairie. over there was the field of valor, where grown-up men with shiny shotguns went hunting prairie-chickens; the great world, leading clear to the red river valley and canada. three mallard-ducks, with necks far out and wings beating hurriedly, shot over carl's head. from far off a gun-shot floated echoing through forest hollows; in the waiting stillness sounded a rooster's crow, distant, magical. "i want to go hunting!" mourned carl, as he trailed back into the woodshed. it seemed darker than ever and smelled of moldy chips. he bounced like an enraged chipmunk. his phlegmatic china-blue eyes filmed with tears. "won't pile no more wood!" he declared. naughty he undoubtedly was. but since he knew that his father, oscar ericson, the carpenter, all knuckles and patched overalls and bad temper, would probably whip him for rebellion, he may have acquired merit. he did not even look toward the house to see whether his mother was watching him--his farm-bred, worried, kindly, small, flat-chested, pinch-nosed, bleached, twangy-voiced, plucky norwegian mother. he marched to the workshop and brought a collection of miscellaneous nails and screws out to a bare patch of earth in front of the chicken-yard. they were the nail people, the most reckless band of mercenaries the world has ever known, led by old general door-hinge, who was somewhat inclined to collapse in the middle, but possessed of the unusual virtue of eyes in both ends of him. he had explored the deepest cañons of the woodshed, and victoriously led his ten-penny warriors against the sumacs in the vacant lot beyond irving lamb's house. carl marshaled the nail people, sticking them upright in the ground. after reasoning sternly with an intruding sparrow, thus did the dauntless general door-hinge address them: "men, there's a nawful big army against us, but le's die like men, my men. forwards!" as the veteran finished, a devastating fire of stones enfiladed the company, and one by one they fell, save for the commander himself, who bowed his grizzled wrought-steel head and sobbed, "the brave boys done their duty." from across the lake rolled another gun-shot. carl dug his grimy fingers into the earth. "jiminy! i wisht i was out hunting. why can't i never go? i guess i'll pile the wood, but i'm gonna go seek-my-fortune after that." * * * * * since carl ericson (some day to be known as "hawk" ericson) was the divinely restless seeker of the romance that must--or we die!--lie beyond the hills, you first see him in action; find him in the year , aged eight, leading revolutions in the back yard. but equally, since this is a serious study of an average young american, there should be an indication of his soil-nourished ancestry. carl was second-generation norwegian; american-born, american in speech, american in appearance, save for his flaxen hair and china-blue eyes; and, thanks to the flag-decked public school, overwhelmingly american in tradition. when he was born the "typical americans" of earlier stocks had moved to city palaces or were marooned on run-down farms. it was carl ericson, not a trowbridge or a stuyvesant or a lee or a grant, who was the "typical american" of his period. it was for him to carry on the american destiny of extending the western horizon; his to restore the wintry pilgrim virtues and the exuberant, october, partridge-drumming days of daniel boone; then to add, in his own or another generation, new american aspirations for beauty. they are the new yankees, these scandinavians of wisconsin and minnesota and the dakotas, with a human breed that can grow, and a thousand miles to grow in. the foreign-born parents, when they first come to the northern middlewest, huddle in unpainted farm-houses with grassless dooryards and fly-zizzing kitchens and smelly dairies, set on treeless, shadeless, unsoftened leagues of prairie or bunched in new clearings ragged with small stumps. the first generation are alien and forlorn. the echoing fjords of trondhjem and the moors of finmark have clipped their imaginations, silenced their laughter, hidden with ice their real tenderness. in america they go sedulously to the bare lutheran church and frequently drink ninety-per-cent. alcohol. they are also heroes, and have been the makers of a new land, from the days of indian raids and ox-teams and hillside dug-outs to now, repeating in their patient hewing the history of the western reserve.... in one generation or even in one decade they emerge from the desolation of being foreigners. they, and the germans, pay yankee mortgages with blood and sweat. they swiftly master politics, voting for honesty rather than for hand-shakes; they make keen, scrupulously honest business deals; send their children to school; accumulate land--one section, two sections--or move to town to keep shop and ply skilled tools; become methodists and congregationalists; are neighborly with yankee manufacturers and doctors and teachers; and in one generation, or less, are completely american. so was it with carl ericson. his carpenter father had come from norway, by way of steerage and a farm in wisconsin, changing his name from ericsen. ericson senior owned his cottage and, though he still said, "aye ban going," he talked as naturally of his own american tariff and his own norwegian-american governor as though he had five generations of connecticut or virginia ancestry. now, it was carl's to go on, to seek the flowering. * * * * * unconscious that he was the heir-apparent of the age, but decidedly conscious that the woodshed was dark, carl finished the pile. from the step of the woodshed he regarded the world with plaintive boredom. "ir-r-r-r-rving!" he called. no answer from irving, the next-door boy. the village was rustlingly quiet. carl skipped slowly and unhappily to the group of box-elders beside the workshop and stuck his finger-nails into the cobwebby crevices of the black bark. he made overtures for company on any terms to a hop-robin, a woolly worm, and a large blue fly, but they all scorned his advances, and when he yelled an ingratiating invitation to a passing dog it seemed to swallow its tail and ears as it galloped off. no one else appeared. before the kitchen window he quavered: "ma-ma!" in the kitchen, the muffled pounding of a sad-iron upon the padded ironing-board. "ma!" mrs. ericson's whitey-yellow hair, pale eyes, and small nervous features were shadowed behind the cotton fly-screen. "vell?" she said. "i haven't got noth-ing to do-o." "go pile the vood." "i piled piles of it." "then you can go and play." "i _been_ playing." "then play some more." "i ain't got nobody to play with." "then find somebody. but don't you step vun step out of this yard." "i don't see _why_ i can't go outa the yard!" "because i said so." again the sound of the sad-iron. carl invented a game in which he was to run in circles, but not step on the grass; he made the tenth inspection that day of the drying hazelnuts whose husks were turning to seal-brown on the woodshed roof; he hunted for a good new bottle to throw at irving lamb's barn; he mended his sling-shot; he perched on a sawbuck and watched the street. nothing passed, nothing made an interesting rattling, except one democrat wagon. from over the water another gun-shot murmured of distant hazards. carl jumped down from the sawbuck and marched deliberately out of the yard, along oak street toward the hill, the smart section of joralemon, where live in exclusive state five large houses that get painted nearly every year. "i'm gonna seek-my-fortune. i'm gonna find bennie and go swimming," he vowed. calmly as napoleon defying his marshals, general carl disregarded the sordid facts that it was too late in the year to go swimming, and that benjamin franklin rusk couldn't swim, anyway. he clumped along, planting his feet with spats of dust, very dignified and melancholy but, like all small boys, occasionally going mad and running in chase of nothing at all till he found it. he stopped before the house with mysterious shutters. carl had never made b'lieve fairies or princes; rather, he was in the secret world of boyhood a soldier, a trapper, or a swing-brakeman on the m. & d. r.r. but he was bespelled by the suggestion of grandeur in the iron fence and gracious trees and dark carriage-shed of the house with shutters. it was a large, square, solid brick structure, set among oaks and sinister pines, once the home, or perhaps the mansion, of banker whiteley, but unoccupied for years. leaves rotted before the deserted carriage-shed. the disregarded steps in front were seamed with shallow pools of water for days after a rain. the windows had always been darkened, but not by broad-slatted outside shutters, smeared with house-paint to which stuck tiny black hairs from the paint-brush, like the ordinary frame houses of joralemon. instead, these windows were masked with inside shutters haughtily varnished to a hard refined brown. to-day the windows were open, the shutters folded; furniture was being moved in; and just inside the iron gate a frilly little girl was playing with a whitewashed conch-shell. she must have been about ten at that time, since carl was eight. she was a very dressy and complacent child, possessed not only of a clean white muslin with three rows of tucks, immaculate bronze boots, and a green tam-o'-shanter, but also of a large hair-ribbon, a ribbon sash, and a silver chain with a large, gold-washed, heart-shaped locket. she was softly plump, softly gentle of face, softly brown of hair, and softly pleasant of speech. "hello!" said she. "h'lo!" "what's your name, little boy?" "ain't a little boy. i'm carl ericson." "oh, are you? i'm----" "i'm gonna have a shotgun when i'm fifteen." he shyly hurled a stone at a telegraph-pole to prove that he was not shy. "my name is gertie cowles. i came from minneapolis. my mamma owns part of the joralemon flour mill.... are you a nice boy? we just moved here and i don't know anybody. maybe my mamma will let me play with you if you are a nice boy." "i jus' soon come play with you. if you play soldiers.... my pa 's the smartest man in joralemon. he builded alex johnson's house. he's got a ten-gauge gun." "oh.... my mamma 's a widow." carl hung by his arms from the gate-pickets while she breathed, "m-m-m-m-m-m-y!" in admiration at the feat. "that ain't nothing. i can hang by my knees on a trapeze.... what did you come from minneapolis for?" "we're going to live here," she said. "oh." "i went to the chicago world's fair with my mamma this summer." "aw, you didn't!" "i did so. and i saw a teeny engine so small it was in a walnut-shell and you had to look at it through a magnifying-glass and it kept on running like anything." "huh! that's nothing! ben rusk, he went to the world's fair, too, and he saw a statchue that was bigger 'n our house and all pure gold. you didn't see that." "i did so! and we got cousins in chicago and we stayed with them, and cousin edgar is a very _prominent_ doctor for eyenear and stummick." "aw, ben rusk's pa is a doctor, too. and he's got a brother what's going to be a sturgeon." "i got a brother. he's a year older than me. his name is ray.... there's lots more people in minneapolis than there is in joralemon. there's a hundred thousand people in minneapolis." "that ain't nothing. my pa was born in christiania, in the old country, and they's a million million people there." "oh, there is not!" "honest there is." "is there, honest?" gertie was admiring now. he looked patronizingly at the red-plush furniture which was being splendidly carried into the great house from jordan's dray--an old friend of carl's, which had often carried him banging through town. he condescended: "jiminy! you don't know bennie rusk nor nobody, do you! i'll bring him and we can play soldiers. and we can make tents out of carpets. did you ever run through carpets on the line?" he pointed to the row of rugs and carpets airing beside the carriage-shed. "no. is it fun?" "it's awful scary. but i ain't afraid." he dashed at the carpets and entered their long narrow tent. to tell the truth, when he stepped from the sunshine into the intense darkness he was slightly afraid. the ericsons' one carpet made a short passage, but to pass on and on and on through this succession of heavy rug mats, where snakes and poisonous bugs might hide, and where the rough-threaded, gritty under-surface scratched his pushing hands, was fearsome. he emerged with a whoop and encouraged her to try the feat. she peeped inside the first carpet, but withdrew her head, giving homage: "oh, it's so _dark_ in there where you went!" he promptly performed the feat again. as they wandered back to the gate to watch the furniture-man gertie tried to regain the superiority due her years by remarking, of a large escritoire which was being juggled into the front door, "my papa bought that desk in chicago----" carl broke in, "i'll bring bennie rusk, and me and him 'll teach you to play soldiers." "my mamma don't think i ought to play games. i've got a lot of dolls, but i'm too old for dolls. i play authors with mamma, sometimes. and dominoes. authors is a very nice game." "but maybe your ma will let you play indian squaw, and me and bennie 'll tie you to a stake and scalp you. that won't be rough like soldiers. but i'm going to be a really-truly soldier. i'm going to be a norficer in the army." "i got a cousin that's an officer in the army," gertie said grandly, bringing her yellow-ribboned braid round over her shoulder and gently brushing her lips with the end. "cross-your-heart?" "um-huh." "cross-your-heart, hope-t'-die if you ain't?" "honest he's an officer." "jiminy crickets! say, gertie, could he make me a norficer? let's go find him. does he live near here?" "oh my, no! he's 'way off in san francisco." "come on. let's go there. you and me. gee! i like you! you got a' awful pertty dress." "'tain't polite to compliment me to my face. mamma says----" "come on! let's go! we're going!" "oh no. i'd like to," she faltered, "but my mamma wouldn't let me. she don't let me play around with boys, anyway. she's in the house now. and besides, it's 'way far off across the sea, to san francisco; it's beyond the salt sea where the mormons live, and they all got seven wives." "beyond the sea like christiania? ah, 'tain't! it's in america, because mr. lamb went there last winter. 'sides, even if it was across the sea, couldn't we go an' be stow'ways, like the younger brothers and all them? and little lord fauntleroy. he went and was a lord, and he wasn't nothing but a' orphing. my ma read me about him, only she don't talk english very good, but we'll go stow'ways," he wound up, triumphantly. "gerrrrrrtrrrrrude!" a high-pitched voice from the stoop. gertie glowered at a tall, meager woman with a long green-and-white apron over a most respectable black alpaca gown. her nose was large, her complexion dull, but she carried herself so commandingly as to be almost handsome and very formidable. "oh, dear!" gertie stamped her foot. "now i got to go in. i never can have any fun. good-by, carl----" he urgently interrupted her tragic farewell. "say! gee whillikins! i know what we'll do. you sneak out the back door and i'll meet you, and we'll run away and go seek-our-fortunes and we'll find your cousin----" "gerrrtrrrude!" from the stoop. "yes, mamma, i'm just coming." to carl: "'sides, i'm older 'n you and i'm 'most grown-up, and i don't believe in santy claus, and onc't i taught the infant class at st. chrysostom's sunday-school when the teacher wasn't there; anyway, i and miss bessie did, and i asked them 'most all the questions about the trumpets and pitchers. so i couldn't run away. i'm too old." "gerrrtrrrude, come here this _instant_!" "come on. i'll be waiting," carl demanded. she was gone. she was being ushered into the house of mysterious shutters by mrs. cowles. carl prowled down the street, a fine, new, long stick at his side, like a saber. he rounded the block, and waited back of the cowles carriage-shed, doing sentry-go and planning the number of parrots and pieces of eight he would bring back from san francisco. _then_ his father and mother would be sorry they'd talked about him in their norwegian! "carl!" gertie was running around the corner of the carriage-shed. "oh, carl, i had to come out and see you again, but i can't go seek-our-fortunes with you, 'cause they've got the piano moved in now and i got to practise, else i'll grow up just an ignorant common person, and, besides, there's going to be tea-biscuits and honey for supper. i saw the honey." he smartly swung his saber to his shoulder, ordering, "come on!" gertie edged forward, perplexedly sucking a finger-joint, and followed him along lake street toward open country. they took to the minnesota & dakota railroad track, a natural footpath in a land where the trains were few and not fast, as was the condition of the single-tracked m. & d. of . in a worried manner carl inquired whether san francisco was northwest or southeast--the directions in which ran all self-respecting railroads. gertie blandly declared that it lay to the northwest; and northwest they started--toward the swamps and the first forests of the big woods. he had wonderlands to show her along the track. to him every detail was of scientific importance. he knew intimately the topography of the fields beside the track; in which corner of tubbs's pasture, between the track and the lake, the scraggly wild clover grew, and down what part of the gravel-bank it was most exciting to roll. as far along the track as the arch, each railroad tie (or sleeper) had for him a personality: the fat, white tie, which oozed at the end into an awkward knob, he had always hated because it resembled a flattened grub; a new tamarack tie with a sliver of fresh bark still on it, recently put in by the section gang, was an entertaining stranger; and he particularly introduced gertie to his favorite, a wine-colored tie which always smiled. gertie, though _noblesse oblige_ compelled her to be gracious to the imprisoned ties writhing under the steel rails, did not really show much enthusiasm till he led her to the justly celebrated arch. even then she boasted of minnehaha falls and fort snelling and lake calhoun; but, upon his grieved solicitation, declared that, after all, the twin cities had nothing to compare with the arch--a sandstone tunnel full twenty feet high, miraculously boring through the railroad embankment, and faced with great stones which you could descend by lowering yourself from stone to stone. through the arch ran the creek, with rare minnows in its pools, while important paths led from the creek to a wilderness of hazelnut-bushes. he taught her to tear the drying husks from the nuts and crack the nuts with stones. at his request gertie produced two pins from unexpected parts of her small frilly dress. he found a piece of string, and they fished for perch in the creek. as they had no bait whatever, their success was not large. a flock of ducks flew low above them, seeking a pond for the night. "jiminy!" carl cried, "it's getting late. we got to hurry. it's awful far to san francisco and--i don't know--gee! where'll we sleep to-night?" "we hadn't ought to go on, had we?" "yes! come on!" chapter ii from the creek they tramped nearly two miles, through the dark gravel-banks of the railroad cut, across the high trestle over joralemon river where gertie had to be coaxed from stringer to stringer. they stopped only when a gopher in a clearing demanded attention. gertie finally forgot the superiority of age when she saw carl whistle the quivering gopher-cry, while the gopher sat as though hypnotized on his pile of fresh black earth. carl stalked him. as always happened, the gopher popped into his hole just before carl reached him; but it certainly did seem that he had nearly been caught; and gertie was jumping with excitement when carl returned, strutting, cocking his saber-stick over his shoulder. gertie was tired. she, the minneapolis girl, had not been much awed by the railroad ties nor the arch, but now she tramped proudly beside the man who could catch gophers, till carl inquired: "are you gettin' awful hungry? it's a'most supper-time." "yes, i _am_ hungry," trustingly. "i'm going to go and swipe some 'taters. i guess maybe there's a farm-house over there. i see a chimbly beyond the slough. you stay here." "i dassn't stay alone. oh, i better go home. i'm scared." "come on. i won't let nothing hurt you." they circled a swamp surrounded by woods, carl's left arm about her, his right clutching the saber. though the sunset was magnificent and a gay company of blackbirds swayed on the reeds of the slough, dusk was sneaking out from the underbrush that blurred the forest floor, and gertie caught the panic fear. she wished to go home at once. she saw darkness reaching for them. her mother would unquestionably whip her for staying out so late. she discovered a mud-smear on the side of her skirt, and a shoe-button was gone. she was cold. finally, if she missed supper at home she would get no tea-biscuits and honey. gertie's polite little stomach knew its rights and insisted upon them. "i wish i hadn't come!" she lamented. "i wish i hadn't. do you s'pose mamma will be dreadfully angry? won't you 'splain to her? you will, won't you?" it was carl's duty, as officer commanding, to watch the blackened stumps that sprang from the underbrush. and there was something, 'way over in the woods, beyond the trees horribly gashed to whiteness by lightning. perhaps the something hadn't moved; perhaps it _was_ a stump---- but he answered her loudly, so that lurking robbers might overhear: "i know a great big man over there, and he's a friend of mine; he's a brakie on the m. & d., and he lets me ride in the caboose any time i want to, and he's right behind us. (i was just making b'lieve, gertie; i'll 'splain everything to your mother.) he's bigger 'n anybody!" more conversationally: "aw, jiminy! gertie, don't cry! please don't. i'll take care of you. and if you ain't going to have any supper we'll swipe some 'taters and roast 'em." he gulped. he hated to give up, to return to woodshed and chicken-yard, but he conceded: "i guess maybe we hadn't better go seek-our-fortunes no more to----" a long wail tore through the air. the children shrieked together and fled, stumbling in dry bog, weeping in terror. carl's backbone was all one prickling bar of ice. but he waved his stick fiercely, and, because he had to care for her, was calm enough to realize that the wail must have been the cry of the bittern. "it wasn't nothing but a bird, gertie; it can't hurt us. heard 'em lots of times." nevertheless, he was still trembling when they reached the edge of a farm-yard clearing beyond the swamp. it was gray-dark. they could see only the mass of a barn and a farmer's cabin, both new to carl. holding her hand, he whispered: "they must be some 'taters or 'beggies in the barn. i'll sneak in and see. you stand here by the corn-crib and work out some ears between the bars. see--like this." he left her. the sound of her frightened snivel aged him. he tiptoed to the barn door, eying a light in the farm-house. he reached far up to the latch of the broad door and pulled out the wooden pin. the latch slipped noisily from its staple. the door opened with a groaning creek and banged against the barn. paralyzed, hearing all the silence of the wild clearing, he waited. there was a step in the house. the door opened. a huge farmer, tousle-haired, black-bearded, held up a lamp and peered out. it was the black dutchman. the black dutchman was a living legend. he often got drunk and rode past carl's home at night, lashing his horses and cursing in german. he had once thrashed the school-teacher for whipping his son. he had no friends. "oh dear, oh dear, i wisht i was home!" sobbed carl; but he started to run to gertie's protection. the black dutchman set down the lamp. "_wer ist da?_ i see you! damnation!" he roared, and lumbered out, seizing a pitchfork from the manure-pile. carl galloped up to gertie, panting, "he's after us!" and dragged her into the hazel-bushes beyond the corn-crib. as his country-bred feet found and followed a path toward deeper woods, he heard the black dutchman beating the bushes with his pitchfork, shouting: "hiding! i know vere you are! _hah!_" carl jerked his companion forward till he lost the path. there was no light. they could only crawl on through the bushes, whose malicious fingers stung gertie's face and plucked at her proud frills. he lifted her over fallen trees, freed her from branches, and all the time, between his own sobs, he encouraged her and tried to pretend that their incredible plight was not the end of the world, whimpering: "we're a'most on the road now, gertie; honest we are. i can't hear him now. i ain't afraid of him--he wouldn't dast hurt us or my pa would fix him." "oh! i hear him! he's coming! oh, please save me, carl!" "gee! run fast!... aw, i don't hear him. i ain't afraid of him!" they burst out on a grassy woodland road and lay down, panting. they could see a strip of stars overhead; and the world was dark, silent, in the inscrutable night of autumn. carl said nothing. he tried to make out where they were--where this road would take them. it might run deeper into the woods, which he did not know as he did the arch environs; and he had so twisted through the brush that he could not tell in what direction lay either the main wagon-road or the m. & d. track. he lifted her up, and they plodded hand in hand till she said: "i'm awful tired. it's awful cold. my feet hurt awfully. carl dear, oh, pleassssse take me home now. i want my mamma. maybe she won't whip me now. it's so dark and--ohhhhhh----" she muttered, incoherently: "there! by the road! he's waiting for us!" she sank down, her arm over her face, groaning, "don't hurt me!" carl straddled before her, on guard. there was a distorted mass crouched by the road just ahead. he tingled with the chill of fear, down through his thighs. he had lost his stick-saber, but he bent, felt for, and found another stick, and piped to the shadowy watcher: "i ain't af-f-fraid of you! you gwan away from here!" the watcher did not answer. "i know who you are!" bellowing with fear, carl ran forward, furiously waving his stick and clamoring: "you better not touch me!" the stick came down with a silly, flat clack upon the watcher--a roadside boulder. "it's just a rock, gertie! jiminy, i'm glad! it's just a rock!... aw, i knew it was a rock all the time! ben rusk gets scared every time he sees a stump in the woods, and he always thinks it's a robber." chattily, carl went back, lifted her again, endured her kissing his cheek, and they started on. "i'm so cold," gertie moaned from time to time, till he offered: "i'll try and build a fire. maybe we better camp. i got a match what i swiped from the kitchen. maybe i can make a fire, so we better camp." "i don't want to camp. i want to go home." "i don't know where we are, i told you." "can you make a regular camp-fire? like indians?" "um-huh." "let's.... but i rather go home." "_you_ ain't scared now. _are_ you, gertie? gee! you're a' awful brave girl!" "no, but i'm cold and i wisht we had some tea-biscuits----" ever too complacent was miss gertrude cowles, the good girl in whatever group she joined; but she seemed to trust in carl's heroism, and as she murmured of a certain chilliness she seemed to take it for granted that he would immediately bring her some warmth. carl had never heard of the romantic males who, in fiction, so frequently offer their coats to ladies fair but chill; yet he stripped off his jacket and wrapped it about her, while his gingham-clad shoulders twitched with cold. "i can hear a crick, 'way, 'way over there. le's camp by it," he decided. they scrambled through the brush, carl leading her and feeling the way. he found a patch of long grass beside the creek; with only his tremulous hands for eyes he gathered leaves, twigs, and dead branches, and piled them together in a pyramid, as he had been taught to do by the older woods-faring boys. it was still; no wind; but carl, who had gobbled up every word he had heard about deer-hunting in the north woods, got a great deal of interesting fear out of dreading what might happen if his one match did not light. he made gertie kneel beside him with the jacket outspread, and he hesitated several times before he scratched the match. it flared up; the leaves caught; the pile of twigs was instantly aflame. he wept, "jiminy, if it hadn't lighted!..." by and by he announced, loudly, "i wasn't afraid," to convince himself, and sat up, throwing twigs on the fire grandly. gertie, who didn't really appreciate heroism, sighed, "i'm hungry and----" "my second-grade teacher told us a story how they was a' arctic explorer and he was out in a blizzard----" "----and i wish we had some tea-biscuits," concluded gertie, companionably but firmly. "i'll go pick some hazelnuts." he left her feeding the flame. as he crept away, the fire behind him, he was dreadfully frightened, now that he had no one to protect. a few yards from the fire he stopped in terror. he clutched a branch so tightly that it creased his palm. two hundred yards away, across the creek, was the small square of a lighted window hovering detached in the darkness. for a panic-filled second carl was sure that it must be the black dutchman's window. his tired child-mind whined. but there was no creek near the black dutchman's. though he did not want to venture up to the unknown light, he growled, "i will if i want to!" and limped forward. he had to cross the creek, the strange creek whose stepping-stones he did not know. shivering, hesitant, he stripped off his shoes and stockings and dabbled the edge of the water with reluctant toes, to see if it was cold. it was. "dog-gone!" he swore, mightily. he plunged in, waded across. he found a rock and held it ready to throw at the dog that was certain to come snapping at him as he tiptoed through the clearing. his wet legs smarted with cold. the fact that he was trespassing made him feel more forlornly lost than ever. but he stumbled up to the one-room shack that was now shaping itself against the sky. it was a house that, he believed, he had never seen before. when he reached it he stood for fully a minute, afraid to move. but from across the creek whimpered gertie's call: "carl, oh, _carl_, where are you?" he had to hurry. he crept along the side of the shack to the window. it was too high in the wall for him to peer through. he felt for something to stand upon, and found a short board, which he wedged against the side of the shack. he looked through the dusty window for a second. he sprang from the board. alone in the shack was the one person about joralemon more feared, more fabulous than the black dutchman--"bone" stillman, the man who didn't believe in god. bone stillman read robert g. ingersoll, and said what he thought. otherwise he was not dangerous to the public peace; a lone old bachelor farmer. it was said that he had been a sailor or a policeman, a college professor or a priest, a forger or an embezzler. nothing positive was known except that three years ago he had appeared and bought this farm. he was a grizzled man of fifty-five, with a long, tobacco-stained, gray mustache and an open-necked blue-flannel shirt. to carl, beside the shack, bone stillman was all that was demoniac. gertie was calling again. carl climbed upon his board and resumed his inspection, seeking a course of action. the one-room shack was lined with tar-paper, on which were pinned lithographs of robert g. ingersoll, karl marx, and napoleon. under a gun-rack made of deer antlers was a cupboard half filled with dingy books, shotgun shells, and fishing tackle. bone was reading by a pine table still littered with supper-dishes. before him lay a clean-limbed english setter. the dog was asleep. in the shack was absolute stillness and loneliness intimidating. while carl watched, bone dropped his book and said, "here, bob, what d'you think of single-tax, heh?" carl gazed apprehensively.... no one but bone was in the shack.... it was said that the devil himself sometimes visited here.... on carl was the chill of a nightmare. the dog raised his head, stirred, blinked, pounded his tail on the floor, and rose, a gentlemanly, affable chap, to lay his muzzle on bone's knee while the solitary droned: "this fellow says in this book here that the city 's the natural place to live--aboriginal tribes prove man 's naturally gregarious. what d'you think about it, heh, bob?... bum country, this is. no thinking. what in the name of the seven saintly sisters did i ever want to be a farmer for, heh? "let's skedaddle, bob. "i ain't an atheist. i'm an agnostic. "lonely, bob? go over and talk to his whiskers, karl marx. he's liberal. he don't care what you say. he---- oh, shut up! you're damn poor company. say something!" carl, still motionless, was the more agonized because there was no sound from gertie, not even a sobbing call. anything might have happened to her. while he was coaxing himself to knock on the pane, stillman puttered about the shack, petting the dog, filling his pipe. he passed out of carl's range of vision toward the side of the room in which was the window. a huge hand jerked the window open and caught carl by the hair. two wild faces stared at each other, six inches apart. "i saw you. came here to plague me!" roared bone stillman. "oh, mister, oh please, mister, i wasn't. me and gertie is lost in the woods--we----ouch! oh, _please_ lemme go!" "why, you're just a brat! come here." the lean arm of bone stillman dragged carl through the window by the slack of his gingham waist. "lost, heh? where's t'other one--gertie, was it?" "she's over in the woods." "poor little tyke! wait 'll i light my lantern." the swinging lantern made friendly ever-changing circles of light, and carl no longer feared the dangerous territory of the yard. riding pick-a-back on bone stillman, he looked down contentedly on the dog's deferential tail beside them. they found gertie asleep by the fire. she scarcely awoke as stillman picked her up and carried her back to his shack. she nestled her downy hair beneath his chin and closed her eyes. stillman said, cheerily, as he ushered them into his mansion: "i'll hitch up and take you back to town. you young tropical tramps! first you better have a bite to eat, though. what do kids eat, bub?" the dog was nuzzling carl's hand, and carl had almost forgotten his fear that the devil might appear. he was flatteringly friendly in his answer: "porritch and meat and potatoes--only i don't like potatoes, and--_pie!_" "'fraid i haven't any pie, but how'd some bacon and eggs go?" as he stoked up his cannon-ball stove and sliced the bacon, stillman continued to the children, who were shyly perched on the buffalo-robe cover of his bed, "were you scared in the woods?" "yes, sir." "don't ever for----da----blast that egg! don't forget this, son: nothing outside of you can ever hurt you. it can chew up your toes, but it can't reach you. nobody but you can hurt you. let me try to make that clear, old man, if i can.... "there's your fodder. draw up and set to. pretty sleepy, are you? i'll tell you a story. j' like to hear about how napoleon smashed the theory of divine rule, or about how me and charlie weems explored tiburon? well----" though carl afterward remembered not one word of what bone stillman said, it is possible that the outcast's treatment of him as a grown-up friend was one of the most powerful of the intangible influences which were to push him toward the great world outside of joralemon. the school-bound child--taught by young ladies that the worst immorality was whispering in school; the chief virtue, a dull quietude--was here first given a reasonable basis for supposing that he was not always to be a back-yard boy. the man in the flannel shirt, who chewed tobacco, who wrenched infinitives apart and thrust profane words between, was for fifteen minutes carl's froebel and montessori. carl's recollection of listening to bone blurs into one of being somewhere in the back of a wagon beside gertie, wrapped in buffalo robes, and of being awakened by the stopping of the wagon when bone called to a band of men with lanterns who were searching for the missing gertie. apparently the next second he was being lifted out before his home, and his aproned mother was kissing him and sobbing, "oh, my boy!" he snuggled his head on her shoulder and said: "i'm cold. but i'm going to san francisco." chapter iii carl ericson, grown to sixteen and long trousers, trimmed the arc-lights for the joralemon power and lighting company, after school; then at eddie klemm's billiard-parlor he won two games of kelly pool, smoked a cigarette of flake tobacco and wheat-straw paper, and "chipped in" five cents toward a can of beer. a slender carl, hesitating in speech, but with plenty to say; rangy as a setter pup, silken-haired; his scandinavian cheeks like petals at an age when his companions' faces were like maps of the moon; stubborn and healthy; wearing a celluloid collar and a plain black four-in-hand; a blue-eyed, undistinguished, awkward, busy proletarian of sixteen, to whom evening clothes and poetry did not exist, but who quivered with inarticulate determinations to see minneapolis, or even chicago. to him it was sheer romance to parade through town with a tin haversack of carbons for the arc-lights, familiarly lowering the high-hung mysterious lamps, while his plodding acquaintances "clerked" in stores on saturdays, or tended furnaces. sometimes he donned the virile--and noisy--uniform of an electrician: army gauntlets, a coil of wire, pole-climbers strapped to his legs. crunching his steel spurs into the crisp pine wood of the lighting-poles, he carelessly ascended to the place of humming wires and red cross-bars and green-glass insulators, while crowds of two and three small boys stared in awe from below. at such moments carl did not envy the aristocratic leisure of his high-school classmate, fatty ben rusk, who, as son of the leading doctor, did not work, but stayed home and read library books. carl's own home was not adapted to the enchantments of a boy's reading. perfectly comfortable it was, and clean with the hard cleanness that keeps oilcloth looking perpetually unused, but it was so airlessly respectable that it doubled carl's natural restlessness. it had been old oscar ericson's labor of love, but the carpenter loved shininess more than space and leisure. his model for a house would have been a pine dry-goods box grained in imitation of oak. oscar ericson radiated intolerance and a belief in unimaginative, unresting labor. every evening, collarless and carpet-slippered, ruffling his broom-colored hair or stroking his large, long chin, while his shirt-tab moved ceaselessly in time to his breathing, he read a norwegian paper. carl's mother darned woolen socks and thought about milk-pans and the neighbors and breakfast. the creak of rockers filled the unventilated, oilcloth-floored sitting-room. the sound was as unchanging as the sacred positions of the crayon enlargement of mrs. ericson's father, the green-glass top-hat for matches, or the violent ingrain rug with its dog's-head pattern. carl's own room contained only plaster walls, a narrow wooden bed, a bureau, a kitchen chair. fifteen minutes in this irreproachable home sent carl off to eddie klemm's billiard-parlor, which was not irreproachable. he rather disliked the bitterness of beer and the acrid specks of cigarette tobacco that stuck to his lips, but the "bunch at eddie's" were among the few people in joralemon who were conscious of life. eddie's establishment was a long, white-plastered room with a pressed-steel ceiling and an unswept floor. on the walls were billiard-table-makers' calendars and a collection of cigarette-premium chromos portraying bathing girls. the girls were of lithographic complexions, almost too perfect of feature, and their lips were more than ruby. carl admired them. * * * * * a september afternoon. the sixteen-year-old carl was tipped back in a chair at eddie klemm's, one foot on a rung, while he discussed village scandals and told outrageous stories with eddie klemm, a brisk money-maker and vulgarian aged twenty-three, who wore a "fancy vest" and celluloid buttons on his lapels. ben rusk hesitatingly poked his head through the door. eddie klemm called, with business-like cordiality: "h'lo, fatty! come in. how's your good health? haven't reformed, have you? going to join us rough-necks? come on; i'll teach you to play pool. won't cost you a cent." "no, i guess i hadn't better. i was just looking for carl." "well, well, fatty, ain't we ree-fined! why do we guess we hadn't to probably maybe oughtn't to had better?" "oh, i don't know. some day i'll learn, i guess," sighed fatty ben rusk, who knew perfectly that with a doctor father, a religious mother, and an effeminate taste for reading he could never be a town sport. "hey! watch out!" shrieked eddie. "wh-what's the matter?" gasped fatty. "the floor 's falling on you!" "th--th----aw, say, you're kidding me," said fatty, weakly, with a propitiating smile. "don't worry, son; you're the third guy to-day that i've caught on that! stick around, son, and sit in any time, and i'll learn you some pool. you got just the right build for a champ player. have a cigarette?" the social amenities whereby joralemon prepares her youth for the graces of life having been recognized, fatty rusk hitched a chair beside carl, and muttered: "say, carl, here's what i wanted to tell you: i was just up to the cowleses' to take back a french grammar i borrowed to look at----maybe that ain't a hard-looking language! what d'you think? mrs. cowles told me gertie is expected back to-morrow." "gee whiz! i thought she was going to stay in new york for two years! and she's only been gone six months." "i guess mrs. cowles is kind of lonely without her," ben mooned. "so now you'll be all nice and in love with gertie again, heh? it certainly gets me why you want to fall in love, fatty, when you could go hunting." "if you'd read about king arthur and galahad and all them instead of reading the _scientific american_, and about these fool horseless carriages and stuff----there never will be any practical use for horseless carriages, anyway." "there will----" growled carl. "my mother says she don't believe the lord ever intended us to ride without horses, or what did he give us horses for? and the things always get stuck in the mud and you have to walk home--mother was reading that in a newspaper, just the other day." "son, let me tell you, i'll own a horseless carriage some day, and i bet i go an average of twenty miles an hour with it, maybe forty." "oh, rats! but i was saying, if you'd read some library books you'd know about love. why, what 'd god put love in the world for----" "say, will you quit explaining to me about what god did things for?" "ouch! quit! awwww, quit, carl.... say, listen; here's what i wanted to tell you: how if you and me and adelaide benner and some of us went down to the depot to meet gertie, to-morrow? she comes in on the twelve-forty-seven." "well, all right. say, bennie, you don't want to be worried when i kid you about being in love with gertie. i don't think i'll ever get married. but it's all right for you." * * * * * saturday morning was so cool, so radiant, that carl awakened early to a conviction that, no matter how important meeting gertie might be in the cosmic scheme, he was going hunting. he was down-stairs by five. he fried two eggs, called dollar ingersoll, his dog--son of robert ingersoll stillman, gentleman dog--then, in canvas hunting-coat and slouch-hat, tramped out of town southward, where the woods ended in prairie. gertie's arrival was forgotten. it was a gipsy day. the sun rolled splendidly through the dry air, over miles of wheat stubble, whose gray-yellow prickles were transmuted by distance into tawny velvet, seeming only the more spacious because of the straight, thin lines of barbed-wire fences lined with goldenrod, and solitary houses in willow groves. the dips and curves of the rolling plain drew him on; the distances satisfied his eyes. a pleasant hum of insects filled the land's wide serenity with hidden life. carl left a trail of happy, monotonous whistling behind him all day, as his dog followed the winding trail of prairie-chickens, as a covey of chickens rose with booming wings and he swung his shotgun for a bead. he stopped by prairie-sloughs or bright-green bogs to watch for a duck. he hailed as equals the occasional groups of hunters in two-seated buggies, quartering the fields after circling dogs. he lunched contentedly on sandwiches of cold lamb, and lay with his arms under his head, gazing at a steeple fully ten miles away. by six of the afternoon he had seven prairie-chickens tucked inside the long pocket that lined the tail of his coat, and he headed for home, superior to miles, his quiet eyes missing none of the purple asters and goldenrod. as he began to think he felt a bit guilty. the flowers suggested gertie. he gathered a large bunch, poking stalks of aster among the goldenrod, examining the result at arm's-length. yet when he stopped at the rusks' in town, to bid bennie take the rustic bouquet to gertie, he replied to reproaches: "what you making all the fuss about my not being there to meet her for? she got here all right, didn't she? what j' expect me to do? kiss her? you ought to known it was too good a day for hunting to miss.... how's gert? have a good time in new york?" carl himself took the flowers to her, however, and was so shyly attentive to her account of new york that he scarcely stopped to speak to the cowleses' "hired girl," who was his second cousin.... mrs. cowles overheard him shout, "hello, lena! how's it going?" to the hired girl with cousinly ease. mrs. cowles seemed chilly. carl wondered why. * * * * * from month to month of his junior year in high school carl grew more discontented. he let the lines of his cicero fade into a gray blur that confounded cicero's blatant virtue and cataline's treachery, while he pictured himself tramping with snow-shoes and a mackinaw coat into the snowy solemnities of the northern minnesota tamarack swamps. much of his discontent was caused by his learned preceptors. the teachers for this year were almost perfectly calculated to make any lad of the slightest independence hate culture for the rest of his life. with the earnestness and industry usually ascribed to the devil, "prof" sybrant e. larsen (b. a. platonis), miss mcdonald, and miss muzzy kept up ninety-five per cent. discipline, and seven per cent. instruction in anything in the least worth while. miss muzzy was sarcastic, and proud of it. she was sarcastic to carl when he gruffly asked why he couldn't study french instead of "all this latin stuff." if there be any virtue in the study of latin (and we have all forgotten all our latin except the fact that "suburb" means "under the city"--_i. e._, a subway), carl was blinded to it for ever. miss muzzy wore eye-glasses and had no bosom. carl's father used to say approvingly, "dat miss muzzy don't stand for no nonsense," and mrs. dr. rusk often had her for dinner.... miss mcdonald, fat and slow-spoken and kind, prone to use the word "dearie," to read longfellow, and to have buttons off her shirt-waists, used on carl a feminine weapon more unfair than the robust sarcasm of miss muzzy. for after irritating a self-respecting boy into rudeness by pawing his soul with damp, puffy hands, she would weep. she was a kind, honest, and reverent bovine. carl sat under her supervision in the junior room, with its hardwood and blackboards and plaster, high windows and portraits of washington and a president who was either madison or monroe (no one ever remembered which). he hated the eternal school smell of drinking-water pails and chalk and slates and varnish; he loathed the blackboard erasers, white with crayon-dust; he found inspiration only in the laboratory where "prof" larsen mistaught physics and rebuked questions about the useless part of chemistry--that is, the part that wasn't in their text-books. as for literature, ben rusk persuaded him to try captain marryat and conan doyle. carl met sherlock holmes in a paper-bound book, during a wait for flocks of mallards on the duck-pass, which was a little temple of silver birches bare with november. he crouched down in his canvas coat and rubber boots, gun across knees, and read for an hour without moving. as he tramped home, into a vast minnesota sunset like a furnace of fantastic coals, past the garnet-tinged ice of lakes, he kept his gun cocked and under his elbow, ready for the royal robber who was dogging the personage of baker street. he hunted much; distinguished himself in geometry and chemistry; nearly flunked in cicero and english; learned to play an extraordinarily steady game of bottle pool at eddie klemm's. and always gertie cowles, gently hesitant toward ben rusk's affection, kept asking carl why he didn't come to see her oftener, and play tiddledywinks. on the friday morning before christmas vacation, carl and ben rusk were cleaning up the chemical laboratory, its pine experiment-bench and iron sink and rough floor. bennie worried a rag in the sink with the resigned manner of a man who, having sailed with purple banners the sunset sea of tragedy, goes bravely on with a life gray and weary. the town was excited. gertie cowles was giving a party, and she had withdrawn her invitation to eddie klemm. gertie was staying away from high school, gracefully recovering from a cold. for two weeks the junior and senior classes had been furtively exhibiting her holly-decked cards of invitation. eddie had been included, but after his quarrel with howard griffin, a plato college freshman who was spending the vacation with ray cowles, it had been explained to eddie that perhaps he would be more comfortable not to come to the party. gertie's brother, murray, or "ray," was the town hero. he had captained the high-school football team. he was tall and very black-haired, and he "jollied" the girls. it was said that twenty girls in joralemon and wakamin, and a "grass widow" in st. hilary, wrote to him. he was now a freshman in plato college, plato, minnesota. he had brought home with him his classmate, howard griffin, whose people lived in south dakota and were said to be wealthy. griffin had been very haughty to eddie klemm, when introduced to that brisk young man at the billiard-parlor, and now, the town eagerly learned, eddie had been rejected of society. in the laboratory carl was growling: "well, say, fatty, if it was right for them to throw eddie out, where do i come in? his dad 's a barber, and mine 's a carpenter, and that's just as bad. or how about you? i was reading that docs used to be just barbers." "aw, thunder!" said ben rusk, the doctor's scion, uncomfortably, "you're just arguing. i don't believe that about doctors being barbers. don't it tell about doctors 'way back in the bible? why, of course! luke was a physician! 'sides, it ain't a question of eddie's being a barber's son. i sh'd think you'd realize that gertie isn't well. she wouldn't want to have to entertain both eddie and griffin, and griffin 's her guest; and besides----" "you're getting all tangled up. if i was to let you go on you'd trip over a long word and bust your dome. come on. we've done enough cleaning. le's hike. come on up to the house and help me on my bobs. i got a new scheme for pivoting the back sled.... you just wait till to-night. i'm going to tell gertie and mister howard griffin just what i think of them for being such two-bit snobs. and your future ma-in-law. gee! i'm glad i don't have to be in love with anybody, and become a snob! come on." out of this wholesome, democratic, and stuffy village life carl suddenly stepped into the great world. a motor-car, the first he had ever seen, was drawn up before the hennepin house. he stopped. his china-blue eyes widened. his shoulders shot forward to a rigid stoop of astonishment. his mouth opened. he gasped as they ran to join the gathering crowd. "a horseless carriage! do you get that? there's one _here_!" he touched the bonnet of the two-cylinder car, and worshiped. "under there--the engine! and there's where you steer.... i _will_ own one!... gee! you're right, fatty; i believe i will go to college. and then i'll study mechanical engineering." "thought you said you were going to try and go to annapolis and be a sailor." "no. rats! i'm going to own a horseless carriage, and i'm going to tour every state in the union.... think of seeing mountains! and the ocean! and going twenty miles an hour, like a train!" chapter iv while carl prepared for gertie cowles's party by pressing his trousers with his mother's flat-iron, while he blacked his shoes and took his weekly sponge-bath, he was perturbed by partisanship with eddie klemm, and a longing for the world of motors, and some anxiety as to how he could dance at the party when he could not dance. he clumped up the new stone steps of the cowles house carelessly, not unusually shy, ready to tell gertie what he thought of her treatment of eddie. then the front door opened and an agonized carl was smothered in politeness. his second cousin, lena, the cowleses' "hired girl," was opening the door, stiff and uncomfortable in a cap, a black dress, and a small frilly apron that dangled on her boniness like a lace kerchief pinned on a broom-handle. murray cowles rushed up. he was in evening clothes! behind murray, mrs. cowles greeted carl with thawed majesty: "we are so glad to have you, carl. won't you take your things off in the room at the head of the stairs?" an affable introduction to howard griffin (also in evening clothes) was poured on carl like soothing balm. said griffin: "mighty glad to meet you, ericson. ray told me you'd make a ripping sprinter. the captain of the track team 'll be on the lookout for you when you get to plato. course you're going to go there. the u. of minn. is too big.... you'll _do_ something for old plato. wish i could. but all i can do is warble like a darn' dicky-bird. have a cigarette?... they're just starting to dance. come on, old man. come on, ray." carl was drawn down-stairs and instantly precipitated into a dance regarding which he was sure only that it was either a waltz, a two-step, or something else. it filled with glamour the cowles library--the only parlor in joralemon that was called a library, and the only one with a fireplace or a polished hardwood floor. grandeur was in the red lambrequins over the doors and windows; the bead portière; a hand-painted coal-scuttle; small, round paintings of flowers set in black velvet; an enormous black-walnut bookcase with fully a hundred volumes; and the two lamps of green-mottled shades and wrought-iron frames, set on pyrographed leather skins brought from new york by gertie. the light was courtly on the polished floor. adelaide benner--a new adelaide, in chiffon over yellow satin, and patent-leather slippers--grinned at him and ruthlessly towed him into the tide of dancers. in the spell of society no one seemed to remember eddie klemm. adelaide did not mention the incident. carl found himself bumping into others, continually apologizing to adelaide and the rest--and not caring. for he saw a vision! each time he turned toward the south end of the room he beheld gertie cowles glorified. she was out of ankle-length dresses! she looked her impressive eighteen, in a foaming long white mull that showed her soft throat. a red rose was in her brown hair. she reclined in a big chair of leather and oak and smiled her gentlest, especially when carl bobbed his head to her. he had always taken her as a matter of course; she had no age, no sex, no wonder. that afternoon she had been a negligible bit of joralemon, to be accused of snobbery toward eddie klemm, and always to be watched suspiciously lest she "spring some new york airs on us."... gertie had craftily seemed unchanged after her new york enlightenment till now--here she was, suddenly grown-up and beautiful, haloed with a peculiar magic, which distinguished her from all the rest of the world. "she's the one that would ride in that horseless carriage when i got it!" carl exulted. "that must be a train, that thing she's got on." after the dance he disposed of adelaide benner as though she were only a sister. he hung over the back of gertie's chair and urged: "i was awful sorry to hear you were sick.... say, you look wonderful, to-night." "i'm so glad you could come to my party. oh, i must speak to you about----do you suppose you would ever get very, very angry at poor me? me so bad sometimes." he cut an awkward little caper to show his aplomb, and assured her, "i guess probably i'll kill you some time, all right." "no, listen, carl; i'm dreadfully serious. i hope you didn't go and get dreadfully angry at me about eddie klemm. i know eddie 's good friends with you. and i did want to have him come to my party. but you see it was this way: mr. griffin is our guest (he likes you a _lot_, carl. isn't he a dandy fellow? i guess adelaide and hazel 're just crazy about him. i think he's just as swell as the men in new york). eddie and he didn't get along very well together. it isn't anybody's fault, i don't guess. i thought eddie would be lots happier if he didn't come, don't you see?" "oh no, of course; oh yes, i see. sure. i can see how----say, gertie, i never did know you could look so grown-up. i suppose now you'll never play with me." "i want you to be a good friend of mine always. we always have been awfully good friends, haven't we?" "yes. do you remember how we ran away?" "and how the black dutchman chassssed us!" her sweet and complacent voice was so cheerful that he lost his awe of her new magic and chortled: "and how we used to play pum-pum-pull-away." she delicately leaned her cheek on a finger-tip and sighed: "yes, i wonder if we shall ever be so happy as when we were young.... i don't believe you care to play with me so much now." "oh, gee! gertie! like to----!" the shyness was on him again. "say, are you feeling better now? you're all over being sick?" "almost, now. i'll be back in school right after vacation." "it's you that don't want to play, i guess.... i can't get over that long white dress. it makes you look so--oh, you know, so, uh----" "they're going to dance again. i wish i felt able to dance." "let me sit and talk to you, gertie, instead of dancing." "i suppose you're dreadfully bored, though, when you could be down at the billiard-parlor?" "yes, i could! not! eddie klemm and his fancy vest wouldn't have much chance, alongside of griffin in his dress-suit! course i don't want to knock eddie. him and me are pretty good side-kicks----" "oh no; i understand. it's just that people have to go with their own class, don't you think?" "oh yes. sure. i do think so, myself." carl said it with a spurious society manner. in gertie's aristocratic presence he desired to keep aloof from all vulgar persons. "of course, i think we ought to make allowances for eddie's father, carl, but then----" she sighed with the responsibilities of _noblesse oblige_; and carl gravely sighed with her. he brought a stool and sat at her feet. immediately he was afraid that every one was watching him. ray cowles bawled to them, as he passed in the waltz, "watch out for that carl, gert. he's a regular badix." carl's scalp tickled, but he tried to be very offhand in remarking: "you must have gotten that dress in new york, didn't you? why haven't you ever told me about new york? you've hardly told me anything at all." "well, i like that! and you never been near me to give me a chance!" "i guess i was kind of scared you wouldn't care much for joralemon, after new york." "why, carl, you mustn't say that to me!" "i didn't mean to hurt your feelings, gertie, honestly i didn't. i was just joking. i didn't think you'd take me seriously." "as though i could forget my old friends, even in new york!" "i didn't think that. straight. please tell me about new york. that's the place, all right. jiminy! wouldn't i like to go there!" "i wish you could have been there, carl. we had such fun in my school. there weren't any boys in it, but we----" "no boys in it? why, how's that?" "why, it was just for girls." "i see," he said, fatuously, completely satisfied. "we did have the best times, carl. i _must_ tell you about one awfully naughty thing carrie--she was my chum in school--and i did. there was a stock company on twenty-third street, and we were all crazy about the actors, especially clements devereaux, and one afternoon carrie told the principal she had a headache, and i asked if i could go home with her and read her the assignments for next day (they called the lessons 'assignments' there), and they thought i was such a meek little country mouse that i wouldn't ever fib, and so they let us go, and what do you think we did? she had tickets for 'the two orphans' at the stock company. (you've never seen 'the two orphans,' have you? it's perfectly splendid. i used to weep my eyes out over it.) and afterward we went and waited outside, right near the stage entrance, and what do you think? the leading man, clements devereaux, went right by us as near as i am to you. oh, _carl_, i wish you could have seen him! maybe he wasn't the handsomest thing! he had the blackest, curliest hair, and he wore a thumb ring." "i don't think much of all these hamfatters," growled carl. "actors always go broke and have to walk back to chicago. don't you think it 'd be better to be a civil engineer or something like that, instead of having to slick up your hair and carry a cane? they're just dudes." "why! of course, carl, you silly boy! you don't suppose i'd take clements seriously, do you? you silly boy!" "i'm not a boy." "i don't mean it that way." she sat up, touched his shoulder, and sank back. he blushed with bliss, and the fear that some one had seen, as she continued: "i always think of you as just as old as i am. we always will be, won't we?" "yes!" "now you must go and talk to doris carson. poor thing, she always is a wall-flower." however much he thought of common things as he left her, beyond those common things was the miracle that gertie had grown into the one perfect, divinely ordained woman, and that he would talk to her again. he danced the virginia reel. instead of clumping sulkily through the steps, as at other parties, he heeded adelaide benner's lessons, and watched gertie in the hope that she would see how well he was dancing. he shouted a demand that they play "skip to maloo," and cried down the shy girls who giggled that they were too old for the childish party-game. he howled, without prejudice in favor of any particular key, the ancient words: "rats in the sugar-bowl, two by two, bats in the belfry, two by two, rats in the sugar-bowl, two by two, skip to maloo, my darling." in the nonchalant company of the smarter young bachelors up-stairs he smoked a cigarette. but he sneaked away. he paused at the bend in the stairs. below him was gertie, silver-gowned, wonderful. he wanted to go down to her. he would have given up his chance for a motor-car to be able to swagger down like an eddie klemm. for the carl ericson who sailed his ice-boat over inch-thick ice was timid now. he poked into the library, and in a nausea of discomfort he conversed with mrs. cowles, mrs. cowles doing the conversing. "are you going to be a republican or a democrat, carl?" asked the forbidding lady. "yessum," mumbled carl, peering over at gertie's throne, where ben rusk was being cultured. "i hope you are having a good time. we always wish our young friends to have an especially good time at gertrude's parties," mrs. cowles sniffed, and bowed away. carl sat beside adelaide benner in the decorous and giggling circle that ringed the room, waiting for the "refreshments." he was healthily interested in devouring maple ice-cream and chocolate layer-cake. but all the while he was spying on the group gathering about gertie--ben rusk, howard griffin, and joe jordan. he took the most strategic precautions lest some one think that he wanted to look at gertie; made such ponderous efforts to prove he was care-free that every one knew something was the matter. ben rusk was taking no part in the gaiety of howard and joe. the serious man of letters was not easily led into paths of frivolity. carl swore to himself: "ben 's the only guy i know that's got any delicate feelings. he appreciates how gertie feels when she's sick, poor girl. he don't make a goat of himself, like joe.... or maybe he's got a stomach-ache." "post-office!" cried howard griffin to the room at large. "come on! we're all of us going to be kids again, and play post-office. who's the first girl wants to be kissed?" "the idea!" giggled adelaide benner. "me for adelaide!" bawled joe jordan. "oh, jo-oe, bet i kiss gertie!" from irving lamb. "the idea!" "just as if we were children----" "he must think we're kids again----" "shamey! winnie wants to be kissed, and carl won't----" "i don't, either, so there----" "i think it's awful." "bet i kiss gertie----" carl was furious at all of them as they strained their shoulders forward from their chairs and laughed. he asked himself, "haven't these galoots got any sense?" to speak so lightly of kissing gertie! he stared at the smooth rounding of her left cheek below the cheek-bone till it took a separate identity, and its white softness filled the room. ten minutes afterward, playing "post-office," he was facing gertie in the semi-darkness of the sitting-room, authorized by the game to kiss her; shut in with his divinity. she took his hand. her voice was crooning, "are you going to kiss me terribly hard?" he tried to be gracefully mocking: "oh yes! sure! i'm going to eat you alive." she was waiting. he wished that she would not hold his hand. within he groaned, "gee whiz! i feel foolish!" he croaked: "do you feel better, now? you'll catch more cold in here, won't you? there's kind of a draught. lemme look at this window." crossing to the obviously tight window, he ran his finger along the edge of the sash with infinite care. he trembled. in a second, _now_, he had to turn and make light of the lips which he would fain have approached with ceremony pompous and lingering. gertie flopped into a chair, laughing: "i believe you're afraid to kiss me! 'fraid cat! you'll never be a squire of dames, like those actors are! all right for you!" "i am not afraid!" he piped.... even his prized semi-bass voice had deserted him.... he rushed to the back of her chair and leaned over, confused, determined. hastily he kissed her. the kiss landed on the tip of her cold nose. and the whole party was tumbling in, crying: "time 's up! you can't hug her all evening!" "did you see? he kissed her on the nose!" "did he? ohhhhh!" "time 's up. can't try it again." joe jordan, in the van, was dancing fantastically, scraping his forefinger at carl, in token of disgrace. the riotous crowd, gertie and carl among them, flooded out again. to show that he had not minded the incident of the misplaced kiss, carl had to be very loud and merry in the library for a few minutes; but when the game of "post-office" was over and mrs. cowles asked ray to turn down the lamp in the sitting-room, carl insisted: "i'll do it, mrs. cowles; i'm nearer 'n ray," and bolted. he knew that he was wicked in not staying in the library and continuing his duties to the party. he had to crowd into a minute all his agonizing and be back at once. it was beautiful in the stilly sitting-room, away from the noisy crowd, to hear love's heart beating. he darted to the chair where gertie had sat and guiltily kissed its arm. he tiptoed to the table, blew out the lamp, remembered that he should only have turned down the wick, tried to raise the chimney, burnt his fingers, snatched his handkerchief, dropped it, groaned, picked up the handkerchief, raised the chimney, put it on the table, searched his pockets for a match, found it, dropped it, picked it up from the floor, dropped his knife from his pocket as he stooped, felt itchy about the scalp, picked up the knife, relighted the lamp, exquisitely adjusted the chimney--and again blew out the flame. and swore. as darkness whirled into the room again the vision of gertie came nearer. then he understood his illness, and gasped: "great jumping jupiter on a high mountain! i guess--i'm--in--love! _me!_" the party was breaking up. each boy, as he accompanied a girl from the yellow lamplight into the below-zero cold, shouted and scuffled the snow, to indicate that there was nothing serious in his attentions, and immediately tried to manoeuver his girl away from the others. mrs. cowles was standing in the hall--not hurrying the guests away, you understand, but perfectly resigned to accepting any farewells--when gertie, moving gently among them with little sounds of pleasure, penned carl in a corner and demanded: "are you going to see some one home? i suppose you'll forget poor me completely, now!" "i will not!" "i wanted to tell you what ray and mr. griffin said about plato and about being lawyers. isn't it nice you'll know them when you go to plato?" "yes, it 'll be great." "mr. griffin 's going to be a lawyer and maybe ray will, too, and why don't you think about being one? you can get to be a judge and know all the best people. it would be lovely.... refining influences--they--that's----" "i couldn't ever be a high-class lawyer like griffin will," said carl, his head on one side, much pleased. "you silly boy, of course you could. i think you've got just as much brains as he has, and ray says they all look up to him even in plato. and i don't see why plato isn't just as good--of course it isn't as large, but it's so select and the faculty can give you so much more individual attention, and i don't see why it isn't every bit as good as yale and michigan and all those eastern colleges.... howard--mr. griffin--he says that he wouldn't ever have thought of being a lawyer only a girl was such a good influence with him, and if you get to be a famous man, too, maybe i'll have been just a teeny-weeny bit of an influence, too, won't i?" "oh _yes_!" "i must get back now and say good-by to my guests. good night, carl." "i am going to study--you just watch me; and if i do get to go to plato----oh, gee! you always have been a good influence----" he noticed that doris carson was watching them. "well, i gotta be going. i've had a peach of a time. good night." doris carson was expectantly waiting for one of the boys to "see her home," but carl guiltily stole up to ben rusk and commanded: "le's hike, fatty. le's take a walk. something big to tell you." chapter v carl kicked up the snow in moon-shot veils. the lake boomed. for all their woolen mittens, ribbed red-cotton wristlets, and plush caps with ear-laps, the cold seared them. carl encouraged ben to discourse of gertie and the delights of a long and hopeless love. he discovered that, actually, ben had suddenly fallen in love with adelaide benner. "gee!" he exulted. "maybe that gives me a chance with gertie, then. but i won't let her know ben ain't in love with her any more. jiminy! ain't it lucky gertie liked me just when ben fell in love with somebody else! funny the way things go; and her never knowing about ben." he laid down his cards. while they plowed through the hard snow-drifts, swinging their arms against their chests like milkmen, he blurted out all his secret: that gertie was the "slickest girl in town"; that no one appreciated her. "ho, ho!" jeered ben. "i thought you were crazy about her, and then you start kidding about her! a swell bunch of chivalry you got, you and your galahad! you----" "don't you go jumping on galahad, or i'll fight!" "he was all right, but you ain't," said carl. "you hadn't ought to ever sneer at love." "why, you said, just this afternoon----" "you poor yahoo, i was only teasing you. no; about gertie. it's like this: she was telling me a lot about how griffin 's going to be a lawyer, about how much they make in cities, and i've about decided i'll be a lawyer." "thought you were going to be a mechanical engineer?" "well, can't a fellow change his mind? when you're an engineer you're always running around the country, and you never get shaved or anything, and there ain't any refining influences----" the absorbing game of "what we're going to be" made them forget snow and cold-squeezed fingers. ben, it was decided, was to own a newspaper and support c. ericson, attorney-at-law, in his dramatic run for state senator. carl did not mention gertie again. but it all meant gertie. * * * * * carl made his round trimming the arc-lights next day, apparently a rudely healthy young person, but really a dreamer love-lorn and misunderstood. he had found a good excuse for calling on gertie, at noon, and had been informed that miss gertrude was taking a nap. he determined to go up the lake for rabbits. he doubted if he would ever return, and wondered if he would be missed. who would care if he froze to death? he wouldn't! (though he did seem to be taking certain precautions, by donning a mackinaw coat, two pairs of trousers, two pairs of woolen socks, and shoe-packs.) he was graceful as an indian when he swept, on skees he had made himself, across miles of snow covering the lake and dazzling in the diffused light of an even gray sky. the reeds by the marshy shore were frost-glittering and clattered faintly. marshy islands were lost in snow. hummocks and ice-jams and the weaving patterns of mink tracks were blended in one white immensity, on which carl was like a fly on a plaster ceiling. the world was deserted. but carl was not lonely. he forgot all about gertie as he cached his skees by the shore and prowled through the woods, leaping on brush-piles and shooting quickly when a rabbit ran out. when he had bagged three rabbits he was besieged by the melancholy of loneliness, the perfection of the silver-gowned gertie. he wanted to talk. he thought of bone stillman. it was very likely that bone was, as usual in winter, up beyond big bend, fishing for pickerel with tip-ups. a never-stopping dot in the dusk, carl headed for big bend, three miles away. the tip-up fisher watches a dozen tip-ups--short, automatic fishing-rods, with lines running through the ice, the pivoted arm signaling the presence of a fish at the bait. sometimes, for warmth, he has a tiny shanty, perhaps five feet by six in ground area, heated by a powder-can stove. bone stillman often spent the night in his movable shanty on the lake, which added to his reputation as village eccentric. but he was more popular, now, with the local sporting gentlemen, who found that he played a divine game of poker. "hello, son!" he greeted carl. "come in. leave them long legs of yours up on shore if there ain't room." "say, bone, do you think a fellow ever ought to join a church?" "depends. why?" "well, suppose he was going to be a lawyer and go in for politics?" "look here. what 're you thinking of becoming a lawyer for?" "didn't say i was." "of course you're thinking of it. look here. don't you know you've got a chance of seeing the world? you're one of the lucky people that can have a touch of the wanderlust without being made useless by it--as i have. you may, you _may_ wander in thought as well as on freight-trains, and discover something for the world. whereas a lawyer----they're priests. they decide what's holy and punish you if you don't guess right. they set up codes that it takes lawyers to interpret, and so they perpetuate themselves. i don't mean to say you're extraordinary in having a chance to wander. don't get the big-head over it. you're a pretty average young american. there's plenty of the same kind. only, mostly they get tied up to something before they see what a big world there is to hike in, and i want to keep you from that. i'm not roasting lawyers----yes, i am, too. they live in calf-bound books. son, son, for god's sake live in life." "yes, but look here, bone; i was just thinking about it, that's all. you're always drumming it into me about not taking anything for granted. anyway, by the time i go to plato i'll know----" "d'you mean to say you're going to that back-creek nunnery? that blackhaw university? are you going to play checkers all through life?" "oh, i don't know, now, bone. plato ain't so bad. a fellow's got to go some place so he can mix with people that know what's the proper thing to do. refining influences and like that." "proper! _refining!_ son, son, are you going to get joralemonized? if you want what the french folks call the grand manner, if you're going to be a tip-top, a number , genuwine grand senyor, or however they pronounce it, why, all right, go to it; that's one way of playing a big game. but when it comes down to a short-bit, fresh-water sewing-circle like plato college, where an imitation scholar teaches you imitation translations of useless classics, and amble-footed girls teach you imitation party manners that 'd make you just as plumb ridic'lous in a real _salon_ as they would in a lumber-camp, why----oh, sa-a-a-y! i've got it. girls, eh? what girl 've you been falling in love with to get this plato idea from, eh?" "aw, i ain't in love, bone." "no, i don't opine you are. at your age you got about as much chance of being in love as you have of being a grandfather. but somehow i seem to have a little old suspicion that you _think_ you're in love. but it's none of my business, and i ain't going to ask questions about it." he patted carl on the shoulder, moving his arm with difficulty in their small, dark space. "son, i've learned this in my life--and i've done quite some hiking at that, even if i didn't have the book-l'arnin' and the git-up-and-git to make anything out of my experience. it's a thing i ain't big enough to follow up, but i know it's there. life is just a little old checker game played by the alfalfa contingent at the country store unless you've got an ambition that's too big to ever quite lasso it. you want to know that there's something ahead that's bigger and more beautiful than anything you've ever seen, and never stop till--well, till you can't follow the road any more. and anything or anybody that doesn't pack any surprises--get that?--_surprises_ for you, is dead, and you want to slough it like a snake does its skin. you want to keep on remembering that chicago's beyond joralemon, and paris beyond chicago, and beyond paris--well, maybe there's some big peak of the himalayas." for hours they talked, bone desperately striving to make his dreams articulate to carl--and to himself. they ate fish fried on the powder-can stove, with half-warm coffee. they walked a few steps outside the shack in the ringing cold, to stretch stiff legs. carl saw a world of unuttered freedom and beauty forthshadowed in bone's cloudy speech. but he was melancholy. for he was going to give up his citizenship in wonderland for gertie cowles. * * * * * gertie continued to enjoy ill health for another week. every evening carl walked past her house, hoping that he might see her at a window, longing to dare to call. each night he pictured rescuing her from things--rescuing her from fire, from drowning, from evil men. he felt himself the more bound to her by the social recognition of having his name in the _joralemon dynamite_, the following thursday: one of the pleasantest affairs of the holiday season among the younger set was held last friday evening, when gertrude cowles entertained a number of her young friends at a party at her mother's handsome residence on maple hill. among those present were mesdames benner and rusk, who came in for a brief time to assist in the jollities of the evening, misses benner, carson, wesselius, madlund, ripka, smith, lansing, and brick; and messrs. ray cowles, his classmate howard griffin, who is spending his vacation here from plato college, carl ericson, joseph jordan, irving lamb, benjamin rusk, nels thorsten, peter schoenhof, and william t. upham. after dancing and games, which were thoroughly enjoyed by all present, and a social hour spent in discussing the events of the season in j. h. s., a most delicious repast was served and the party adjourned, one and all voting that they had been royally entertained. the glory was the greater because at least seven names had been omitted from the list of guests. such social recognition satisfied carl--for half an hour. possibly it nerved him finally to call on gertie. since for a week he had been dreading a chilly reception when he should call, he was immeasurably surprised when he did call and got what he expected. he had not expected the fates to be so treacherous as to treat him as he expected, after he had disarmed them by expecting it. when he rang the bell he was an immensely grown-up lawyer (though he couldn't get his worn, navy-blue tie to hang exactly right). he turned into a crestfallen youth as mrs. cowles opened the door and waited--waited!--for him to speak, after a crisp: "well? what is it, carl?" "why, uh, i just thought i'd come and see how gertie is." "gertrude is much better, thank you. i presume she will return to school at the end of vacation." the hall behind mrs. cowles seemed very stately, very long. "i've heard a lot saying they hoped she was better." "you may tell them that she is better." mrs. cowles shivered. no one could possibly have looked more like a person closing a door without actually closing one. "lena!" she shrieked, "close the kitchen door. there's a draught." she turned back to carl. the shy lover vanished. an angry young man challenged, "if gertie 's up i think i'll come in a few minutes and see her." "why, uh----" hesitated mrs. cowles. he merely walked in past her. his anger kept its own council, for he could depend upon gertie's warm greeting--lonely gertie, he would bring her the cheer of the great open. the piano sounded in the library, and the voice of the one perfect girl mingled with a man's tenor in "old black joe." carl stalked into the library. gertie was there, much corseted, well powdered, wearing a blue foulard frenziedly dotted with white, and being cultured in company with dr. doyle, the lively young dentist who had recently taken an office in the national bank block. he was a graduate of the university of minnesota--dental department. he had oily black hair, and smiled with gold-filled teeth before one came to the real point of a joke. he sang in the congregational church choir, and played tennis in a crimson-and-black blazer--the only one in joralemon. to carl dr. doyle was dismayingly mature and smart. he horribly feared him as a rival. for the second time that evening he did not balk fate by fearing it. the dentist was a rival. after fluttering about the mature charms of miss dietz, the school drawing-teacher, and taking a tentative buggy-ride or two with the miller's daughter, dr. doyle was bringing all the charm of his professional position and professional teeth and patent-leather shoes to bear upon gertie. and gertie was interested. obviously. she was all of eighteen to-night. she frowned slightly as she turned on the piano-stool at carl's entrance, and mechanically: "this is a pleasant surprise." then, enthusiastically: "isn't it too bad that dr. doyle was out of town, or i would have invited him to my party, and he would have given us some of his lovely songs.... do try the second verse, doctor. the harmony is so lovely." carl sat at the other end of the library from gertie and the piano, while mrs. cowles entertained him. he obediently said "yessum" and "no, 'm" to the observations which she offered from the fullness of her lack of experience of life. he sat straight and still. behind his fixed smile he was simultaneously longing to break into the musical fiesta, and envying the dentist's ability to get married without having to wait to grow up, and trying to follow what mrs. cowles was saying. she droned, while crocheting with high-minded industry a useless piano-scarf, "do you still go hunting, carl?" "yessum. quite a little rabbit-hunting. oh, not very much." (at the distant piano, across the shining acres of floor, the mystical woman and a dentist had ceased singing, and were examining a fresh sheet of music. the dentist coyly poked his finger at her coiffure, and she slapped the finger, gurgling.) "i hope you don't neglect your school work, though, carl." mrs. cowles held the scarf nearer the lamp and squinted at it, deliberately and solemnly, through the eye-glasses that lorded it atop her severe nose. a headachy scent of moth-balls was in the dull air. she forbiddingly moved the shade of the lamp about a tenth of an inch. she removed some non-existent dust from the wrought-iron standard. her gestures said that the lamp was decidedly more chic than the pink-shaded hanging lamps, raised and lowered on squeaking chains, which characterized most joralemon living-rooms. she glanced at the red lambrequin over the nearest window. the moth-ball smell grew more stupifying. carl felt stuffy in the top of his nose as he mumbled, "oh, i work pretty hard at chemistry, but, gee! i can't see much to all this latin." "when you're a little _older_, carl, you'll _learn_ that the things you like now aren't necessarily the things that are _good_ for you. i used to say to gertrude--of course she is older than you, but she hasn't been a young lady for so very long, even yet--and i used to say to her, 'gertrude, you will do exactly what i _tell_ you to, and not what you _want_ to do, and we shall make--no--more--words--_about_ it!' and i think she _sees_ now that her mother was right about some things! dr. doyle said to me, and of course you know, carl, that he's a very fine scholar--our pastor told me that the doctor reads french better than _he_ does, and the doctor's told me some things about modern french authors that i didn't know, and i used to read french almost as well as english, when i was a girl, my teachers all told me--and he says that he thinks that gertrude has a very fine mind, and he was _so_ glad that she hasn't been taken in by all this wicked, hysterical way girls have to-day of thinking they know more than their mothers." "yes, she is--gertie is----i think she's got a very fine mind," carl commented. (from the other end of the room gertie could be overheard confiding to the dentist in tones of hushed and delicious adult scandal, "they say that when she was in st. paul she----") "so," mrs. cowles serenely sniffed on, while the bridge of carl's nose felt broader and broader, stretching wider and wider, as that stuffy feeling increased and the intensive heat stung his eyelids, "you see you mustn't think because you'd rather play around with the boys than study latin, carl, that it's the fault of your latin-teacher." she nodded at him with a condescending smile that was infinitely insulting. he knew it and resented it, but he did not resent it actively, for he was busy marveling, "how the dickens is it i never heard doc doyle was stuck on gertie? everybody thought he was going with bertha. dang him, anyway! the way he snickers, you'd think she was his best girl." mrs. cowles was loftily pursuing her pillared way: "latin was _known_ to be the best study for developing the mind a long, long time----" and her clicking crochet-needles impishly echoed, "a long, _long_ time," and the odor of moth-balls got down into carl's throat, while in the golden olympian atmosphere at the other end of the room gertie coyly pretended to slap the dentist's hand with a series of tittering taps. "a long, _long_ time before either you or i were born, carl, and we can't very well set ourselves up to be wiser than the wisest men that ever lived, now _can_ we?" again the patronizing smile. "that would scarcely----" carl resolved: "this 's got to stop. i got to do something." he felt her monologue as a blank steel wall which he could not pierce. aloud: "yes, that's so, i guess. say, that's a fine dress gertie 's got on to-night, ain't it.... say, i been learning to play crokinole at ben rusk's. you got a board, haven't you? would you like to play? does the doctor play?" "indeed, i haven't the slightest idea, but i have very little doubt that he does--he plays tennis so beautifully. he is going to teach gertrude, in the spring." she stopped, and again held the scarf up to the light. "i am so glad that my girly, that was so naughty once and ran away with you--i don't think i shall _ever_ get over the awful fright i had that night!--i am so glad that, now she is growing up, clever people like dr. doyle appreciate her so much, so very much." she dropped her crochet to her lap and stared squarely at carl. her warning that he would do exceedingly well to go home was more than plain. he stared back, agitated but not surrendering. deliberately, almost suavely, with ten years of experience added to the sixteen years that he had brought into the room, he said: "i'll see if they'd like to play." he sauntered to the other end of the room, abashed before the mystic woman, and ventured: "i saw ray, to-day.... i got to be going, pretty quick, but i was wondering if you two felt like playing some crokinole?" gertie said, slowly: "i'd like to, carl, but----unless you'd like to play, doctor?" "why of course it's _comme il faut_ to play, miss cowles, but i was just hoping to have the pleasure of hearing you make some more of your delectable music," bowed the dentist, and gertie bowed back; and their smiles joined in a glittery bridge of social aplomb. "oh yes," from carl, "that--yes, do----but you hadn't ought to play too much if you haven't been well." "oh, carl!" shrieked gertie. "'ought not to,' not 'hadn't ought to'!" "'ought not to,'" repeated mrs. cowles, icily, while the dentist waved his hand in an amused manner and contributed: "ought not to say 'hadn't ought to,' as my preceptor used to tell me.... i'd like to hear you sing longfellow's 'psalm of life,' miss cowles." "don't you think longfellow's a bum poet?" growled carl. "bone stillman says longfellow's the grind-organ of poetry. like this: 'life is re-al, life is ear-nest, tum te diddle dydle dum!'" "carl," ordered mrs. cowles, "you will please to never mention that stillman person in my house!" "oh, carl!" rebuked gertie. she rose from the piano-stool. her essence of virginal femininity, its pure and cloistered and white-camisoled odor, bespelled carl to fainting timidity. and while he was thus defenseless the dentist thrust: "why, they tell me stillman doesn't even believe the bible!" carl was not to retrieve his credit with gertie, but he couldn't betray bone stillman. hastily: "yes, maybe, that way----oh, say, doctor, pete jordan was telling me" (liar!) "that you were one of the best tennis-players at the u." gertie sat down again. the dentist coyly fluffed his hair and deprecated, "oh no, i wouldn't say that!" carl had won. instantly they three became a country club of urban aristocrats, who laughed at the poor rustics of joralemon for knowing nothing of golf and polo. carl was winning their tolerance--though not their close attention--by relating certain interesting facts from the inside pages of the local paper as to how far the tennis-rackets sold in one year would extend, if laid end to end, when he saw gertie and her mother glance at the hall. gertie giggled. mrs. cowles frowned. he followed their glance. clumping through the hall was his second cousin, lena, the cowleses' "hired girl." lena nodded and said, "hallo, carl!" gertie and the dentist raised their eyebrows at each other. carl talked for two minutes about something, he did not know what, and took his leave. in the intensity of his effort to be resentfully dignified he stumbled over the hall hat-rack. he heard gertie yelp with laughter. "i _got_ to go to college--be worthy of her!" he groaned, all the way home. "and i can't afford to go to the u. of m. i'd like to be free, like bone says, but i've got to go to plato." chapter vi plato college, minnesota, is as earnest and undistinguished, as provincially dull and pathetically human, as a spinster missionary. its two hundred or two hundred and fifty students come from the furrows, asking for spiritual bread, and are given a greek root. red-brick buildings, designed by the architect of county jails, are grouped about that high, bare, cupola-crowned gray-stone barracks, the academic building, like red and faded blossoms about a tombstone. in the air is the scent of crab-apples and meadowy prairies, for a time, but soon settles down a winter bitter as the learning of the rev. s. alcott wood, d.d., the president. the town and college of plato disturb the expanse of prairie scarce more than a group of haystacks. in winter the walks blur into the general whiteness, and the trees shrink to chilly skeletons, and the college is like five blocks set on a frozen bed-sheet--no shelter for the warm and timid soul, yet no windy peak for the bold. the snow wipes out all the summer-time individuality of place, and the halls are lonelier at dusk than the prairie itself--far lonelier than the yellow-lighted jerry-built shops in the town. the students never lose, for good or bad, their touch with the fields. from droning class-rooms the victims of education see the rippling wheat in summer; and in winter the impenetrable wall of sky. footsteps and quick laughter of men and girls, furtively flirting along the brick walls under the beautiful maples, do make plato dear to remember. they do not make it brilliant. they do not explain the advantages of leaving the farm for another farm. to the freshman, carl ericson, descending from the dusty smoking-car of the m. & d., in company with tumultuous youths in pin-head caps and enormous sweaters, the town of plato was metropolitan. as he walked humbly up main street and beheld two four-story buildings and a marble bank and an interurban trolley-car, he had, at last, an idea of what minneapolis and chicago must be. two men in sweaters adorned with a large "p," athletes, generals, heroes, walked the streets in the flesh, and he saw--it really was there, for him!--the "college book store," whose windows were filled with leather-backed treatises on greek, logic, and trigonometry; and, finally, he was gaping through a sandstone gateway at four buildings, each of them nearly as big as the joralemon high school, surrounding a vast stone castle. he entered the campus. he passed an old man with white side-whiskers and a cord on his gold-rimmed eye-glasses; an aged old man who might easily be a professor. a blithe student with "y. m. c. a. receptn. com." large on his hat-band, rushed up to carl, shook his hand busily, and inquired: "freshman, old man? got your room yet? there's a list of rooming-houses over at the y. m. come on, i'll show you the way." he was received in academe, in arcadia, in elysium; in fact, in plato college. he was directed to a large but decomposing house conducted by the widow of a college janitor, and advised to take a room at $ . a week for his share of the rent. that implied taking with the room a large, solemn room-mate, fresh from teaching country school, a heavy, slow-spoken, serious man of thirty-one, named albert smith, registered as a. smith, and usually known as "plain smith." plain smith sat studying in his cotton socks, and never emptied the wash-basin. he remarked, during the first hour of their discourse in the groves of academe: "i hope you ain't going to bother me by singing and skylarking around. i'm here to work, bub." smith then returned to the large books which he was diligently scanning that he might find wisdom, while carl sniffed at the brown-blotched wall-paper, the faded grass matting, the shallow, standing wardrobe.... he liked the house, however. it had a real bath-room! he could, for the first time in his life, splash in a tub. perhaps it would not be regarded as modern to-day; perhaps effete souls would disdain its honest tin tub, smeared with a paint that peeled instantly; but it was elegance and the hesperides compared with the sponge and two lard-pails of hot water from the ericson kitchen reservoir, which had for years been his conception of luxurious means of bathing. also, there were choicer spirits in the house. one man, who pressed clothes for a living and carried a large line of cigarettes in his room, was second vice-president of the sophomore class. as smoking was dourly forbidden to all platonians, the sophomore's room was a refuge. the sophomore encouraged carl in his natural talent for cheerful noises, while plain smith objected even to singing while one dressed. like four of his classmates, carl became a waiter at mrs. henkel's student boarding-house, for his board and two dollars a week. the two dollars constituted his pin-money--a really considerable sum for plato, where the young men were pure and smoked not, neither did they drink; where evening clothes were snobbish and sweaters thought rather well of; where the only theatrical attractions were week-stand melodramas playing such attractions as "poor but true," or the rev. sam j. pitkins's celebrated lecture on "the father of lies," annually delivered at the i.o.o.f. hall. carl's father assured him in every letter that he was extravagant. he ran through the two dollars in practically no time at all. he was a member in good and regular standing of the informal club that hung about the corner drug store, to drink coffee soda and discuss athletics and stare at the passing girls. he loved to set off his clear skin and shining pale hair with linen collars, though soft roll-collar shirts were in vogue. and he was ready for any wild expedition, though it should cost fifty or sixty cents. with the sophomore second vice-president and john terry of the freshman class (usually known as "the turk") he often tramped to the large neighboring town of jamaica mills to play pool, smoke turkish cigarettes, and drink beer. they always chorused plato songs, in long-drawn close harmony. once they had imported english ale, out of bottles, and carried the bottles back to decorate and distinguish their rooms. carl's work at the boarding-house introduced him to pretty girl students, and cost him no social discredit whatever. the little college had the virtue of genuine democracy so completely that it never prided itself on being democratic. mrs. henkel, proprietor of the boarding-house, occasionally grew sarcastic to her student waiters as she stooped, red-faced and loosened of hair, over the range; she did suggest that they "kindly wash up a few of the dishes now and then before they went gallivantin' off." but songs arose from the freshmen washing and wiping dishes; they chucklingly rehashed jokes; they discussed the value of the "classical course" _versus_ the "scientific course." while they waited on table they shared the laughter and arguments that ran from student to student through mrs. henkel's dining-room--a sunny room bedecked with a canary, a pussy-cat, a gilded rope portière, a comfortable rocker with a plato cushion, a garland stove with nickel ornaments, two geraniums, and an oak-framed photograph of the champion plato football team of . carl was readily accepted by the men and girls who gathered about the piano in the evening. his graceful-seeming body, his puppyish awkwardness, his quietly belligerent dignity, his eternal quest of new things, won him respect; though he was too boyish to rouse admiration, except in the breast of fat, pretty, cheerful, fuzzy-haired, candy-eating mae thurston. mae so influenced carl that he learned to jest casually; and he practised a new dance, called the "boston," which mae had brought from minneapolis, though as a rival to the waltz and two-step the new dance was ridiculed by every one. he mastered all the _savoir faire_ of the boarding-house. but he was always hurrying away from it to practise football, to prowl about the plato power-house, to skim through magazines in the y. m. c. a. reading-room, even to study. beyond the dish-washing and furnace-tending set he had no probable social future, though everybody knew everybody at plato. those immaculate upper-classmen, murray cowles and howard griffin, never invited him to their room (in a house on elm street with a screened porch and piano sounds). he missed ben rusk, who had gone to oberlin college, and joe jordan, who had gone to work for the joralemon specialty manufacturing company. life at plato was suspicious, prejudiced, provincial, as it affected the ambitious students; and for the weaker brethren it was philandering and vague. the class work was largely pure rot--arbitrary mathematics, antiquated botany, hesitating german, and a veritable military drill in the conjunction of greek verbs conducted by a man with a non-com. soul, a pompous, sandy-whiskered manikin with cold eyes and a perpetual cold in the nose, who had inflicted upon a patient world the four-millionth commentary on xenophon. few of the students realized the futility of it all; certainly not carl, who slept well and believed in football. the life habit justifies itself. one comes to take anything as a matter of course; to take one's neighbors seriously, whether one lives in plato or persia, in mrs. henkel's kitchen or a fo'c's'le. the platonians raced toward their various goals of high-school teaching, or law, or marriage, or permanently escaping their parents; they made love, and were lazy, and ate, and swore off bad habits, and had religious emotions, all quite naturally; they were not much bored, rarely exhilarated, always ready to gossip about their acquaintances; precisely like a duke or a delicatessen-keeper. they played out their game. but it was so tiny a game, so played to the exclusion of all other games, that it tended to dwarf its victims--and the restless children, such as carl, instinctively resent this dwarfing. they seek to associate themselves with other rebels. carl's unconscious rebel band was the group of rowdyish freshmen who called themselves "the gang," and loafed about the room of their unofficial captain, john terry, nicknamed "the turk," a swarthy, large-featured youth with a loud laugh, a habit of slapping people upon the shoulder, an ingenious mind for deviltry, and considerable promise as a football end. most small local colleges, and many good ones, have their "gangs" of boys, who presumably become honorable men and fathers, yet who in college days regard it as heroic to sneak out and break things, and as humorous to lead countryside girls astray in sordid amours. the more cloistered the seat of learning, the more vicious are the active boys, to keep up with the swiftness of life forces. the turk's gang painted the statues of the memorial arch; they stole signs; they were the creators of noises unexpected and intolerable, during small, quiet hours of moonlight. as the silkworm draws its exquisite stuff from dowdy leaves, so youth finds beauty and mystery in stupid days. carl went out unreservedly to practise with the football squad; he had a joy of martyrdom in tackling the dummy and peeling his nose on the frozen ground. he knew a sacred aspiration when mr. bjorken, the coach, a former university of minnesota star, told him that he might actually "make" the team in a year or two; that he had twice as much chance as ray cowles, who--while carl was thinking only of helping the scrub team to win--was too engrossed in his own dignity as a high-school notable to get into the scrimmage. at the games, among the gang on the bleachers, carl went mad with fervor. he kept shooting to his feet, and believed that he was saving his country every time he yelled in obedience to the st. vitus gestures of the cheer-leader, or sang "on the goal-line of plato" to the tune of "on the sidewalks of new york." tears of a real patriotism came when, at the critical moment of a losing game against the minnesota military institute, with sunset forlorn behind bare trees, the veteran cheer-leader flung the hoarse plato rooters into another defiant yell. it was the never-say-die of men who rose, with clenched hands and arms outstretched, to the despairing need of their college, and then--lord! they hurled up to their feet in frenzy as pete madlund got away with the ball for a long run and victory.... the next week, when the university of keokuk whipped them, to , carl stood weeping and cheering the defeated plato team till his throat burned. he loved the laughter of the turk, mae thurston's welcome, experiments in the physics laboratory. and he was sure that he was progressing toward the state of grace in which he might aspire to marry gertie cowles. he did not think of her every day, but she was always somewhere in his thoughts, and the heroines of magazine stories recalled some of her virtues to his mind, invariably. the dentist who had loved her had moved away. she was bored. she occasionally wrote to carl. but she was still superior--tried to "influence him for good" and advised him to "cultivate nice people." he was convinced that he was going to become a lawyer, for her sake, but he knew that some day he would be tempted by the desire to become a civil or a mechanical engineer. * * * * * a january thaw. carl was tramping miles out into the hilly country north of plato. he hadn't been able to persuade any of the gang to leave their smoky loafing-place in the turk's room, but his own lungs demanded the open. with his heavy boots swashing through icy pools, calling to an imaginary dog and victoriously running olympic races before millions of spectators, he defied the chill of the day and reached hiawatha mound, a hill eight miles north of plato. toward the top a man was to be seen crouched in a pebbly, sunny arroyo, peering across the bleak prairie, a lone watcher. ascending, carl saw that it was eugene field linderbeck, a plato freshman. that amused him. he grinningly planned a conversation. every one said that "genie linderbeck was queer." a precocious boy of fifteen, yet the head of his class in scholarship; reported to be interested in greek books quite outside of the course, fond of drinking tea, and devoid of merit in the three manly arts--athletics, flirting, and breaking rules by smoking. genie was small, anemic, and too well dressed. he stuttered slightly and was always peering doubtfully at you with large and childish eyes that were made more eerie by his pale, bulbous forehead and the penthouse of tangled mouse-brown hair over it.... the gang often stopped him on the campus to ask mock-polite questions about his ambition, which was to be a teacher of english at harvard or yale. not very consistently, but without ever wearying of the jest, they shadowed him to find out if he did not write poetry; and while no one had actually caught him, he was still suspect. genie said nothing when carl called, "h'lo, son!" and sat on a neighboring rock. "what's trouble, genie? you look worried." "why don't any of you fellows like me?" carl felt like a bug inspected by a german professor. "w-why, how d'you mean, genie?" "none of you take me seriously. you simply let me hang around. and you think i'm a grind. i'm not. i like to read, that's all. perhaps you think i shouldn't like to go out for athletics if i could! i wish i could run the way you can, ericson. darn it! i was happy out here by myself on the mound, where every prospect pleases, and--'n' now here i am again, envying you." "why, son, i--i guess--i guess we admire you a whole lot more than we let on to. cheer up, old man! when you're valedictorian and on the debating team and wallop hamlin you'll laugh at the gang, and we'll be proud to write home we know you." carl was hating himself for ever having teased genie linderbeck. "you've helped me a thundering lot whenever i've asked you about that blame greek syntax. i guess we're jealous of you. you--uh--you don't want to _let_ 'em kid you----" carl was embarrassed before genie's steady, youthful, trusting gaze. he stooped for a handful of pebbles, with which he pelted the landscape, maundering, "say, why don't you come around to the turk's room and get better acquainted with the gang?" "when shall i come?" "when? oh, why, thunder!--you know, genie--just drop in any time." "i'll be glad to." carl was perspiring at the thought of what the gang would do to him when they discovered that he had invited genie. but he was game. "come up to my room whenever you can, and help me with my boning," he added. "you mustn't ever get the idea that we're conferring any blooming favor by having you around. it's you that help us. our necks are pretty well sandpapered, i'm afraid.... come up to my room any time.... i'll have to be hiking on if i'm going to get much of a walk. come over and see me to-night." "i wish you'd come up to mr. frazer's with me some sunday afternoon for tea, ericson." henry frazer, m.a. (yale), associate professor of english literature, was a college mystery. he was a thin-haired young man, with a consuming love of his work, which was the saving of souls by teaching lycidas and comus. this was his first year out of graduate school, his first year at plato--and possibly his last. it was whispered about that he believed in socialism, and the president, the rev. dr. s. alcott wood, had no patience with such silly fads. carl marveled, "do you go to frazer's?" "why, yes!" "thought everybody was down on him. they say he's an anarchist, and i know he gives fierce assignments in english lit.; that's what all the fellows in his classes say." "all the fools are down on him. that's why i go to his house." "don't the fellows--uh--kind of----" "yes," piped genie in his most childish tone of anger, his tendency to stammer betraying him, "they k-kid me for liking frazer. he's--he's the only t-teacher here that isn't p-p-p----" "spit!" "----provincial!" "what d'you mean by 'provincial'?" "narrow. villagey. do you know what bernard shaw says----?" "never read a word of him, my son. and let me tell you that my idea of no kind of conversation is to have a guy spring 'have you read?' on me every few seconds, and me coming back with: 'no, i haven't. ain't it interesting!' if that's the brand of converse at prof frazer's you can count me out." genie laughed. "think how much more novelty you get out of roasting me like that than telling terry he's got 'bats in his belfry' ten or twelve times a day." "all right, my son; you win. maybe i'll go to frazer's with you. sometime." the sunday following carl went to tea at professor henry frazer's. the house was platonian without, plain and dumpy, with gingerbread gothic on the porch, blistered paint, and the general lines of a prairie barn, but the living-room was more nearly beautiful than any room carl had seen. in accordance with the ideal of that era it had mission furniture with large leather cushions, brown wood-work, and tan oatmeal paper scattered with german color prints, instead of the patent rockers and carbon prints of roman monuments which adorned the houses of the other professors. while waiting with genie linderbeck for the frazers to come down, carl found in a rack on the oak table such books as he had never seen: exquisite books from england, bound in terra-cotta and olive-green cloth with intricate gold designs, heavy-looking, but astonishingly light to the hand; books about celtic legends and provençal jongleurs, and japanese prints and other matters of which he had never heard; so different from the stained text-books and the shallow novels by brisk ladies which had constituted his experiences of literature that he suddenly believed in culture. professor frazer appeared, walking into the room _after_ his fragile wife and gracious sister-in-law, and carl drank tea (with lemon instead of milk in it!) and listened to bewildering talk and to a few stanzas, heroic or hauntingly musical, by a new poet, w. b. yeats, an irishman associated with a thing called the gaelic movement. professor frazer had a funny, easy friendliness; his sister-in-law, a diana in brown, respectfully asked carl about the practicability of motor-cars, and all of them, including two newly come "high-brow" seniors, listened with nodding interest while carl bashfully analyzed each of the nine cars owned in plato and jamaica mills. at dusk the diana in brown played macdowell, and the light of the silken-shaded lamp was on a print of a fairy swiss village. that evening carl wrestled with the turk for one hour, catch-as-catch-can, on the turk's bed and under it and nearly out of the window, to prove the value of professor frazer and culture. next morning carl and the turk enrolled in frazer's optional course in modern poetry, a desultory series of lectures which did not attempt tennyson and browning. so carl discovered shelley and keats and walt whitman, swinburne and rossetti and morris. he had to read by crawling from word to word as though they were ice-cakes in a cataract of emotion. the allusiveness was agonizing. but he pulled off his shoes, rested his feet on the foot-board of his bed, drummed with a pair of scissors on his knee, and persisted in his violent pursuit of the beautiful. meanwhile his room-mate, plain smith, flapped the pages of a latin lexicon or took a little recreation by reading the rev. mr. todd's _students' manual_, that gem of the alarm-clock and water-bucket epoch in american colleges. carl never understood genie linderbeck's conviction that words are living things that dream and sing and battle. but he did learn that there was speech transcending the barking of the gang. in the spring of his freshman year carl gave up waiting on table and drove a motor-car for a town banker. he learned every screw and spring in the car. he also made genie go out with him for track athletics. carl won his place on the college team as a half-miler, and viciously assaulted two freshmen and a junior for laughing at genie's legs, which stuck out of his large running-pants like straws out of a lemonade-glass. in the great meet with hamlin university, though plato lost most of the events, carl won the half-mile race. he was elected to the exclusive fraternity of ray cowles and howard griffin, omega chi delta, just before commencement. that excited him less than the fact that the turk and he were to spend the summer up north, in the hard-wheat country, stringing wire for the telephone company with a gang of minneapolis wiremen. oh yes. and he would see gertie in joralemon.... she had written to him with so much enthusiasm when he had won the half-mile. chapter vii he saw gertie two hours after he had reached joralemon for a week's stay before going north. they sat in rockers on the grass beside her stoop. they were embarrassed, and rocked profusely and chattily. mrs. cowles was surprised and not much pleased to find him, but gertie murmured that she had been lonely, and carl felt that he must be nobly patient under mrs. cowles's slight. he got so far as to sigh, "o gertie!" but grew frightened, as though he were binding himself for life. he wished that gertie were not wearing so many combs stuck all over her pompadoured hair. he noted that his rocker creaked at the joints, and thought out a method of strengthening it by braces. she bubbled that he was going to be the big man in his class. he said, "aw, rats!" and felt that his collar was too tight.... he went home. his father remarked that carl was late for supper, that he had been extravagant in plato, and that he was unlikely to make money out of "all this runnin' races." but his mother stroked his hair and called him her big boy.... he tramped out to bone stillman's shack, impatient for the hand-clasp of the pioneer, and grew eloquent, for the first time since his home-coming, as he described professor frazer and the delights of poesy. a busy week carl had in joralemon. adelaide benner gave a porch-supper for him. they sat under the trees, laughing, while in the dimly lighted street bicycles whirred, and box-elders he had always known whispered that this guest of honor was carl ericson, come home a hero. the cycling craze still existed in joralemon. carl rented a wheel for a week from the blue front hardware store. once he rode with a party of boys and girls to tamarack lake. once he rode to wakamin with ben rusk, home from oberlin college. the ride was not entirely enjoyable, because oberlin had nearly two thousand students and ben was amusedly superior about plato. they did, however, enjoy the stylishness of buying bottles of strawberry pop at wakamin. twice carl rode to tamarack lake with gertie. they sat on the shore, and while he shied flat skipping-stones across the water and flapped his old cap at the hovering horse-flies he babbled of the turk's "stunts," and the banker's car, and the misty hinterlands of professor frazer's lectures. gertie appeared interested, and smiled at regular intervals, but so soon as carl fumbled at one of frazer's abstract theories she interrupted him with highly concrete joralemon gossip.... he suspected that she had not kept up with the times. true, she referred to new york, but as the reference was one she had been using these two years he still identified her with joralemon.... he did not even hold her hand, though he wondered if it might not be possible; her hand lay so listlessly by her skirt, on the sand.... they rode back in twilight of early june. carl was cheerful as their wheels crunched the dirt roads in a long, crisp hum. the stilly rhythm of frogs drowned the clank of their pedals, and the sky was vast and pale and wistful. gertie, however, seemed less cheerful. on the last evening of his stay in joralemon gertie gave him a hay-ride party. they sang "seeing nelly home," and "merrily we roll along," and "suwanee river," and "my old kentucky home," and "my bonnie lies over the ocean," and "in the good old summertime," under a delicate new moon in a sky of apple-green. carl pressed gertie's hand; she returned the pressure so quickly that he was embarrassed. he withdrew his hand as quickly as possible, ostensibly to help in the unpacking of the basket of ginger-ale and chicken sandwiches and three cakes (white-frosted, chocolate layer, and banana cake). the same group said good-by to carl at the m. & d. station. as the train started, carl saw gertie turn away disconsolately, her shoulders so drooping that her blouse was baggy in the back. he mourned that he had not been more tender with her that week. he pictured himself kissing gertie on the shore of tamarack lake, enfolded by afternoon and the mystery of sex and a protecting reverence for gertie's loneliness. he wanted to go back--back for one more day, one more ride with gertie. but he picked up a mechanics magazine, glanced at an article on gliders, read in the first paragraph a prophecy about aviation, slid down in his seat with his head bent over the magazine--and the idyl of gertie and afternoon was gone. he was reading the article on gliders in june, , so early in the history of air conquest that its suggestions were miraculous to him; for it was three years before wilbur wright was to startle the world by his flights at le mans; four years before blériot was to cross the channel--though, indeed, it was a year and a half after the wrights' first secret ascent in a motor-driven aeroplane at kittyhawk, and fourteen years after lilienthal had begun that epochal series of glider-flights which was followed by the experiments of pilcher and chanute, langley and montgomery. the article declared that if gasoline or alcohol engines could be made light enough we should all be aviating to the office in ten years; that now was the time for youngsters to practise gliding, as pioneers of the new age. carl "guessed" that flying would be even better than automobiling. he made designs for three revolutionary new aeroplanes, drawing on the margins of the magazine with a tooth-mark-pitted pencil stub. gertie was miles back, concealed behind piles of triplanes and helicopters and following-surface monoplanes which the wizard inventor, c. ericson, was creating and ruthlessly destroying.... a small boy was squalling in the seat opposite, and carl took him from his tired mother and lured him into a game of tit-tat-toe. he joined the turk and the wire-stringers at a prairie hamlet--straggly rows of unpainted frame shanties, the stores with tin-corniced false fronts that pretended to be two stories high. there were pig-pens in the dooryards, and the single church had a square, low, white steeple like the paper cap which labor wears in the posters. farm-wagons were hitched before a gloomy saloon. carl was exceeding glum. but the turk introduced him to a university of minnesota pharmacy school student who was with the crew during vacation, and the three went tramping across breezy, flowered prairies. so began for carl a galloping summer. the crew strung telephone wire from pole to pole all day, playing the jokes of hardy men, and on sunday loafed in haystacks, recalling experiences from winnipeg to el paso. carl resolved to come back to this life of the open, with gertie, after graduation. he would buy a ranch "on time." or the turk and carl would go exploring in alaska or the orient. "law?" he would ask himself in monologues, "law? me in a stuffy office? not a chance!" the crew stayed for four weeks in a boom town of nine thousand, installing a complete telephone system. south-east of the town lay rolling hills. as carl talked with the turk and the pharmacy school man on a hilltop, the first evening of their arrival, he told them the scientific magazine's prophecies about aviation, and noted that these hills were of the sort lilienthal would probably have chosen for his glider-flights. "say! by the great jim hill, let's make us a glider!" he exulted, sitting up, his eyelids flipping rapidly. "sure!" said the pharmacy man. "how would you make one?" "why--uh--i guess you could make a frame out of willow--have to; the willows along the creeks are the only kind of trees near here. you'd cover it with varnished cotton--that's what lilienthal did, anyway. but darned if i know how you'd make the planes curved--cambered--like he did. you got to have it that way. i suppose you'd use curved stays. like a quarter barrel-hoop.... i guess it would be better to try to make a chanute glider--just a plain pair of sup'rimposed planes, instead of one all combobulated like a bat's wings, like lilienthal's glider was.... or we could try some experiments with paper models----oh no! thunder! let's make a glider." they did. they studied with aching heads the dry-looking tables of lift and resistance for which carl telegraphed to chicago. stripped to their undershirts, they worked all through the hot prairie evenings in the oil-smelling, greasy engine-room of the local power-house, in front of the dynamos, which kept evilly throwing out green sparks and rumbling the mystic syllable "om-m-m-m," to greet their modern magic. they hunted for three-quarter-inch willow rods, but discarded them for seasoned ash from the lumber-yard. they coated cotton with thin varnish. they stopped to dispute furiously over angles of incidence, bellowing, "well, look here then, you mutton-head; i'll draw it for you." on their last sunday in the town they assembled the glider, single-surfaced, like a monoplane, twenty-two feet in span, with a tail, and with a double bar beneath the plane, by which the pilot was to hang, his hands holding cords attached to the entering edge of the plane, balancing the glider by movements of his body. at dawn on monday they loaded the glider upon a wagon and galloped with it out to a forty-foot hill. they stared down the easy slope, which grew in steepness and length every second, and thought about lilienthal's death. "w-w-well," shivered the turk, "who tries it first?" all three pretended to be adjusting the lashings, waiting for one another, till carl snarled, "oh, all _right_! i'll do it if i got to." "course it breaks my heart to see you swipe the honor," the turk said, "but i'm unselfish. i'll let you do it. brrrr! it's as bad as the first jump into the swimming-hole in spring." carl was smiling at the comparison as they lifted the glider, with him holding the bars beneath. the plane was instantly buoyed up like a cork on water as the fifteen-mile head-wind poured under it. he stopped smiling. this was a dangerous living thing he was going to guide. it jerked at him as he slipped his arms over the suspended bars. he wanted to stop and think this all over. "get it done!" he snapped at himself, and began to run down-hill, against the wind. the wind lifted the plane again. with a shock carl knew that his feet had left the ground. he was actually flying! he kicked wildly in air. all his body strained to get balance in the air, to control itself, to keep from falling, of which he now felt the world-old instinctive horror. the plane began to tip to one side, apparently irresistibly, like a sheet of paper turning over in the wind. carl was sick with fear for a tenth of a second. every cell in his body shrank before coming disaster. he flung his legs in the direction opposite to the tipping of the plane. with this counter-balancing weight, the glider righted. it was running on an even keel, twenty-five feet above the sloping ground, while carl hung easily by the double bar beneath, like a circus performer with a trapeze under each arm. he ventured to glance down. the turf was flowing beneath him, a green and sunny blur. he exulted. flying! the glider dipped forward. carl leaned back, his arms wide-spread. a gust struck the plane, head on. overloaded at the back, it tilted back, then soared up to thirty-five or forty feet. slow-seeming, inevitable, the whole structure turned vertically upward. carl dangled there against a flimsy sheet of wood and cotton, which for part of a second stuck straight up against the wind, like a paper on a screen-door. the plane turned turtle, slithered sidewise through the air, and dropped, horizontal now, but upside down, carl on top. thirty-five, forty feet down. "i'm up against it," was his only thought while he was falling. the left tip of the plane smashed against the ground, crashing, horribly jarring. but it broke the fall. carl shot forward and landed on his shoulder. he got up, rubbing his shoulder, wondering at the suspended life in the faces of the other two as they ran down-hill toward him. "jiminy," he said. "glad the glider broke the fall. wish we had time to make a new glider, with wing-warp. say, we'll be late on the job. better beat it p. d. q." the others stood gaping. chapter viii a pile of shoes and nose-guards and bicycle-pumps and broken hockey-sticks; a wall covered with such stolen signs as "east college avenue," and "pants presser ladys garments carefully done," and "dr. sloats liniment for young and old"; a broken-backed couch with a red-and-green afghan of mangy tassels; an ink-spattered wooden table, burnt in small black spots along the edges; a plaster bust of martha washington with a mustache added in ink; a few books; an inundation of sweaters and old hats; and a large, expensive mouth-organ--such were a few of the interesting characteristics of the room which carl and the turk were occupying as room-mates for sophomore year at plato. most objectionable sounds came from the room constantly: the gang's songs, suggestive laughter, imitations of cats and fowls and fog-horns. these noises were less ingenious, however, than the devices of the gang for getting rid of tobacco-smoke, such as blowing the smoke up the stove. carl was happy. in this room he encouraged stammering genie linderbeck to become adaptable. here he scribbled to gertie and ben rusk little notes decorated with badly drawn caricatures of himself loafing. here, with the turk, he talked out half the night, planning future glory in engineering. carl adored the turk for his frankness, his lively speech, his interest in mechanics--and in carl. carl was still out for football, but he was rather light for a team largely composed of one-hundred-and-eighty-pound norwegians. he had a chance, however. he drove the banker's car two or three evenings a week and cared for the banker's lawn and furnace and cow. he still boarded at mrs. henkel's, as did jolly mae thurston, whom he took for surreptitious rides in the banker's car, after which he wrote extra-long and pleasant letters to gertie. it was becoming harder and harder to write to gertie, because he had, in freshman year, exhausted all the things one can say about the weather without being profane. when, in october, a new bank clerk stormed, meteor-like, the joralemon social horizon, and became devoted to gertie, as faithfully reported in letters from joe jordan, carl was melancholy over the loss of a comrade. but he strictly confined his mourning to leisure hours--and with books, football, and chores for the banker, he was a busy young man.... after about ten days it was a relief not to have to plan letters to gertie. the emotions that should have gone to her carl devoted to professor frazer's new course in modern drama. this course was officially announced as a study of bernard shaw, ibsen, strindberg, pinero, hauptmann, sudermann, maeterlinck, d'annunzio, and rostand; but unofficially announced by professor frazer as an attempt to follow the spirit of to-day wherever it should be found in contemporary literature. carl and the turk were bewildered but staunchly enthusiastic disciples of the course. they made every member of the gang enroll in it, and discouraged inattention in the lecture-room by dexterous side-kicks. even to his ex-room-mate, plain smith, the grim and slovenly school-teacher who had called him "bub" and discouraged his confidences, carl presented the attractions of professor frazer's lectures when he met him on the campus. smith looked quizzical and "guessed" that plays and play-actin' were useless, if not actually immoral. "yes, but this isn't just plays, my young friend," said carl, with a hauteur new but not exceedingly impressive to plain smith. "he takes up all these new stunts, all this new philosophy and stuff they have in london and paris. there's something besides shakespeare and the bible!" he added, intending to be spiteful. it may be stated that he did not like plain smith. "what new philosophy?" "the spirit of brotherhood. i suppose you're too orthodox for that!" "oh no, sonny, not for that, not for that. and it ain't so _very_ new. that's what christ taught! no, sonny, i ain't so orthodox but what i'm willing to have 'em show me anything that tries to advance brotherhood. not that i think it's very likely to be found in a lot of noo york plays. but i'll look in at one lesson, anyway," and plain smith clumped away, humming "greenland's icy mountains." professor frazer's modern drama course began with ibsen. the first five lectures were almost conventional; they were an attempt to place contemporary dramatists, with reflections on the box-office standpoint. but his sixth lecture began rather unusually. there was an audience of sixty-four in lecture-room a--earnest girl students bringing out note-books and spectacle-cases, frivolous girls feeling their back hair, and the men settling down with a "come, let's get it over!" air, or glowing up worshipingly, like eugene field linderbeck, or determined not to miss anything, like carl--the captious college audience, credulous as to statements of fact and heavily unresponsive to the spirit. professor frazer, younger than half a dozen of the plow-trained undergraduates, thin of hair and sensitive of face, sitting before them, with one hand in his pocket and the other nervously tapping the small reading-table, spoke quietly: "i'm not going to be a lecturer to-day. i'm not going to analyze the plays of shaw which i assigned to you. you're supposed to have read them yourselves. i am going to imagine that i am at tea in new haven, or down in new york, at dinner in the basement of the old brevoort, talking with a bunch of men who are trying to find out where the world is going, and why and when and how, and asking who are the prophets who are going to show it the way. we'd be getting excited over shaw and wells. there's something really worth getting excited over. "these men have perceived that this world is not a crazy-quilt of unrelated races, but a collection of human beings completely related, with all our interests--food and ambitions and the desire to play--absolutely in common; so that if we would take thought all together, and work together, as a football team does, we would start making a perfect world. "that's what socialism--of which you're beginning to hear so much, and of which you're going to hear so much more--means. if you feel genuinely impelled to vote the republican ticket, that's not my affair, of course. indeed, the socialist party of this country constitutes only one branch of international socialism. but i do demand of you that you try to think for yourselves, if you are going to have the nerve to vote at all--think of it--to vote how this whole nation is to be conducted! doesn't that tremendous responsibility demand that you do something more than inherit your way of voting? that you really think, think hard, why you vote as you do?... pardon me for getting away from the subject proper--yet am i, actually? for just what i have been saying is one of the messages of shaw and wells. "the great vision of the glory that shall be, not in one sudden millennium, but slowly advancing toward joys of life which we can no more prevision than the aboriginal medicine-man could imagine the x-ray! i wish that this were the time and the place to rhapsodize about that vision, as william morris has done, in _news from nowhere_. you tell me that the various brands of socialists differ so much in their beliefs about this future that the bewildered layman can make nothing at all of their theories. very well. they differ so much because there are so many different things we _can_ do with this human race.... the defeat of death; the life period advancing to ten-score years all crowded with happy activity. the solution of labor's problem; increasing safety and decreasing hours of toil, and a way out for the unhappy consumer who is ground between labor and capital. a real democracy and the love of work that shall come when work is not relegated to wage-slaves, but joyously shared in a community inclusive of the living beings of all nations. france and germany uniting precisely as saxony and prussia and bavaria have united. and, most of all, a general realization that the fact that we cannot accomplish all these things at once does not indicate that they are hopeless; an understanding that one of the wonders of the future is the fact that we shall _always_, in all ages, have improvements to look forward to. "fellow-students, object as strongly as you wish to the petty narrowness and vituperation of certain street-corner ranters, but do not be petty and narrow and vituperative in doing it! "now, to relate all this to the plays of bernard shaw. when he says----" * * * * * professor frazer's utterances seem tamely conservative nowadays; but this was in , in a small, intensely religious college among the furrows. imagine a devout pastor when his son kicks the family bible and you have the mental state of half the students of plato upon hearing a defense of socialism. carl, catching echoes of his own talks with bone stillman in the lecture, exultantly glanced about, and found the class staring at one another with frightened anxiety. he saw the grim plain smith, not so much angry as ill. he saw two class clowns snickering at the ecstasy in the eyes of genie linderbeck. * * * * * in the corner drug-store, popularly known as "the club," where all the college bloods gather to drink lemon phosphate, an excited old man, whose tieless collar was almost concealed by his tobacco-stained beard, pushed back his black slouch-hat with the g. a. r. cord, and banged his fist on the prescription-counter, shouting, half at the clerk and half at the students matching pennies on the soda-counter, "i've lived in plato, man and boy, for forty-seven years--ever since it wa'n't nothing but a frontier trading-post. i packed logs on my back and i tramped fifty-three miles to get me a yoke of oxen. i remember when the indians went raiding during the war and the cavalry rode here from st. paul. and this town has always stood for decency and law and order. but when things come to such a pass that this fellow frazer or any of the rest of these infidels from one of these here eastern colleges is allowed to stand up on his hind legs in a college building and bray about anarchism and tell us to trample on the old flag that we fought for, and none of these professors that call themselves 'reverends' step in and stop him, then let me tell you i'm about ready to pull up stakes and go out west, where there's patriotism and decency still, and where they'd hang one of these foreign anarchists to the nearest lamp-post, yes, sir, and this fellow frazer, too, if he encouraged them in their crank notions. got no right in the country, anyway. better deport 'em if they ain't satisfied with the way we run things. i won't stand for preaching anarchism, and never knew any decent place that would, never since i was a baby in canada. yes, sir, i mean it; i'm an old man, but i'd pull up stakes and go plugging down the santa fe trail first, and i mean it." "here's your bog bitters, mr. goff," said the clerk, hastily, as a passer-by was drawn into the store by the old man's tirade. mr. goff stalked out, muttering, and the college sports at the soda-counter grinned at one another. but gus osberg, of the junior class, remarked to carl ericson: "at that, though, there's a good deal to what old goff says. bet a hat prexy won't stand for prof frazer's talking anarchy. fellow in the class told me it was fierce stuff he was talking. reg'lar anarchy." "rats! it wasn't anything of the kind," protested carl. "i was there and i heard the whole thing. he just explained what this bernard shaw that writes plays meant by socialism." "well, even so, don't you think it's kind of unnecessary to talk publicly, right out in a college lecture-room, about socialism?" inquired a senior who was high up in the debating society. "well, thunder----!" was all carl said, as the whole group stared at him. he felt ridiculous; he was afraid of seeming to be a "crank." he escaped from the drug-store. when he arrived at mrs. henkel's boarding-house for supper the next evening he found the students passing from hand to hand a copy of the town paper, the _plato weekly times_, which bore on the front page what the town regarded as a red-hot news story: plato professor talks seditiously as we go to press we learn that rumors are flying about the campus that the "powers that be" are highly incensed by the remarks of a well-known member of the local faculty praising socialism and other form of anarchy. it is said that one of the older members of the faculty will demand from the erring teacher an explanation of his remarks which are alleged to have taken the form of a defense of the english anarchist bernhard shaw. those on the que vive are expecting sensational developments and campus talk is so extensively occupied with discussions of the affair that the important coming game with st. john's college is almost forgotten. while the times has always supported plato college as one of the chief glories in the proud crown of minnesota learning, we can but illy stomach such news. it goes without saying that we cannot too strongly disapprove express our disapproval of such incendiary utterances and we shall fearlessly report the whole of this fair let the chips fall where they may. "there, mr. ericson," said mrs. henkel, a plump, decent, disapproving person, who had known too many generations of great platonians to be impressed by anything, "you see what the public thinks of your professor frazer. i told you people wouldn't stomach such news, and i wouldn't wonder if they strongly disapproved." "this ain't anything but gossip," said carl, feebly; but as he read the account in the _weekly times_ he was sick and frightened, such was his youthful awe of print. he wanted to beat the mossy-whiskered editor of the _times_, who always had white food-stains on his lapels. when he raised his eyes the coquette mae thurston tried to cheer him: "it 'll all come out in the wash, eric; don't worry. these editors have to have something to write about or they couldn't fill up the paper." he pressed her foot under the table. he was chatty, and helped to keep the general conversation away from the frazer affair; but he was growing more and more angry, with a desire for effective action which expressed itself within him only by, "i'll show 'em! makes me so _sore_!" * * * * * everywhere they discussed and rediscussed professor frazer: in the dressing-room of the gymnasium, where the football squad dressed in the sweat-reeking air and shouted at one another, balancing each on one leg before small lockers, and rubbing themselves with brown, unclean turkish towels; in the neat rooms of girl co-eds with their banners and cushions and pink comforters and chafing-dishes of nut fudge and photographic postal-cards showing the folks at home; in the close, horse-smelling, lap-robe and whip scattered office of the town livery-stable, where mr. goff droned with the editor of the _times_. everywhere carl heard the echoes, and resolved, "i've got to _do_ something!" chapter ix the day of professor frazer's next lecture, a rain-sodden day at the end of october, with the stubble-fields bleakly shelterless beyond the campus. the rain splashed up from pools on the worn brick walks and dripped from trees and whipped about buildings, soaking the legs and leaving them itchingly wet and the feet sloshily uncomfortable. carl returned to his room at one; talked to the turk, his feet thrust against the side of their rusty stove. he wanted to keep three o'clock, the hour of frazer's lecture, from coming. "i feel as if i was in for a fight and scared to death about it. listen to that rain outside. gee! but the old dame keeps these windows dirty. i hope frazer will give it to them good and hard. i wish we could applaud him. i do feel funny, like something tragic was going to happen." "oh, tie that dog outside," yawned the turk, stanch adherent of carl, and therefore of professor frazer, but not imaginative. "come on, young kerl; i'll play you a slick little piece on the mouth-organ. heh?" "oh, thunder! i'm too restless to listen to anything except a cannon." carl stumped to the window and pondered on the pool of water flooding the graying grass stems in the shabby yard. when it was time to start for professor frazer's lecture the turk blurted: "why don't we stay away and forget about it? get her off your nerves. let's go down to the bowling-alley and work up a sweat." "not a chance, turk. he'll want all the supporters he's got. and you'd hate to stay away as much as i would. i feel cheered up now; all ready for the scrap. yip! come on!" "all right, governor. i like the scrap, all right, but i don't want to see you get all worked up." through the rain, across the campus, an unusual number of students in shining, cheap, black raincoats were hastening to the three o'clock classes, clattering up the stone steps of the academic building, talking excitedly, glancing up at the arched door as though they expected to see something startling. dozens stared at carl. he felt rather important. it was plain that he was known as a belligerent, a supporter of professor frazer. as he came to the door of lecture-room a he found that many of the crowd were deserting their proper classes to attend the frazer event. he bumped down into his own seat, gazing back superciliously at the outsiders who were edging into unclaimed seats at the back of the room or standing about the door--students from other classes, town girls, the young instructor in french, german, and music; a couple of town club-women in glasses and galoshes and woolen stockings bunchy at the ankles. every one was rapidly whispering, watching every one else, peeping often at the platform and the small door beside it through which professor frazer would enter. carl had a smile ready for him. but there was no chance that the smile would be seen. there must have been a hundred and fifty in the room, seated and standing, though there were but seventy in the course, and but two hundred and fifty-six students in the whole college that year. carl looked back. he clenched his fist and pounded the soft side of it on his thigh, drawing in his breath, puffing it out with a long exasperated "hellll!" for the greek professor, the comma-sized, sandy-whiskered martinet, to whom nothing that was new was moral and nothing that was old was to be questioned by any undergraduate, stalked into the room like indignant napoleon posing before two guards and a penguin at st. helena. a student in the back row thriftily gave the greek god his seat. the god sat down, with a precise nod. instantly a straggly man with a celluloid collar left the group by the door, whisked over to the greek professor, and fawned upon him. it was the fearless editor and owner (also part-time type-setter) of the _plato weekly times_, who dated back to the days of washington flat-bed hand-presses and pure jeffersonian politics, and feared neither man nor devil, though he was uneasy in the presence of his landlady. he ostentatiously flapped a wad of copy-paper in his left hand, and shook a spatter of ink-drops from a fountain-pen as he interviewed the greek professor, who could be seen answering pompously. carl was hating them both, fearing the greek as a faculty spy on frazer, picturing himself kicking the editor, when he was aware of a rustling all over the room, of a general turning of heads toward the platform. he turned. he was smiling like a shy child in his hero-worship. professor frazer was inconspicuously walking through the low door beside the platform. frazer's lips were together. he was obviously self-conscious. his motions were jerky. he elaborately did not look at the audience. he nearly stumbled on the steps up to the platform. his hand shook as he drew papers from a leather portfolio and arranged them on the small reading-table. one of the papers escaped and sailed off the platform, nearly to the front row. nearly every one in the room snickered. frazer flushed. a girl student in the front row nervously bounded out of her seat, picked up the paper, and handed it up to frazer. they both fumbled it, and their heads nearly touched. most of the crowd laughed audibly. professor frazer sat down in his low chair, took out his watch with a twitching hand, and compared his time with the clock at the back of the room--and so closely were the amateur executioners observing their victim that every eye went back to the clock as well. even carl was guilty of that imitation. consequently he saw the editor, standing at the back, make notes on his copy-paper and smirk like an ill-bred hound stealing a bone. and the greek professor stared at frazer's gauche movements with a grim smugness that indicated, "quite the sort of thing i expected." the greek's elbows were on the arm of the seat, and he held up before his breast a small red-leather-covered note-book which he superciliously tapped with a thin pencil. he was waiting. like a judge of the inquisition.... "old greek 's going to take notes and make a report to the faculty about what frazer says," reflected carl. "if i could only get hold of his notes and destroy them!" carl turned again. it was just three. professor frazer had risen. usually he sat while lecturing. fifty whispers commented on that fact; fifty regular members of the course became self-important through knowing it. frazer was leaning slightly against the table. it moved an inch or two with his weight, but by this time every one was too high-strung to laugh. he was pale. he re-arranged his papers. he had to clear his throat twice before he could speak, in the now silent, vulturishly attentive room, smelling of wet second-rate clothes. the gusty rain could be heard. they all hitched in their seats. "oh, frazer _can't_ be going to retract," groaned carl; "but he's scared." carl suddenly wished himself away from all this useless conflict; out tramping the wet roads with the turk, or slashing through the puddles at thirty-five miles an hour in the banker's car. he noted stupidly that genie linderbeck's hair was scarcely combed. he found he was saying, "frazer 'll flunk, flunk, flunk; he's going to flunk, flunk, flunk." then frazer spoke. his voice sounded harsh and un-rhythmical, but soon swung into the natural periods of a public speaker as he got into his lecture: "my friends," said he, "a part of you have come here legitimately, to hear a lecture; a part to satisfy the curiosity aroused by rumors to the effect that i am likely to make indecorous and indecent remarks, which your decorum and decency make you wish to hear, and of which you will carry away evil and twisted reports, to gain the reputation of being fearless defenders of the truth. it is a temptation to gratify your desire and shock you--a far greater temptation than to be repentant and reactionary. only, it occurs to me that this place and time are supposed to be devoted to a lecture by henry frazer on his opinions about contemporary drama. it is in no sense to be given to the puling defense of a martyr, nor to the sensational self-advertisement of either myself or any of you. i have no intention of devoting any part of my lecture, aside from these introductory adumbrations, to the astonishing number of new friends whose bright and morning faces i see before me. i shall neither be so insincerely tactful as to welcome you, nor so frightened as to ignore you. nor shall i invite you to come to me with any complaints you have about me. i am far too busy with my real work! "i am not speaking patiently. i am not patient with you! i am not speaking politely. truly, i do not think that i shall much longer be polite! "wait. that sounds now in my ears as rhetorical! forgive me, and translate my indiscretions into more colloquial language. "though from rumors i have overheard, i fancy some of you will do that, anyway.... and now, i think, you see where i stand. "now then. for such of you as have a genuine interest in the brilliant work of bernard shaw i shall first continue the animadversions on the importance of his social thought, endeavor to link it with the great and growing vision of h. g. wells (novelist and not dramatist though he is, because of the significance of his new books, _kips_ and _mankind in the making_), and point out the serious purpose that seems to me to underlie shaw's sarcastic pictures of life's shams. "in my last lecture i endeavored to present the destructive side of present social theories as little as possible; to dwell more on the keen desire of the modern thinkers for constructive imagination. but i judge that i was regarded as too destructive, which amuses me, and to which i shall apply the antidote of showing how destructive modern thought is and must be--whether running with sootily smoking torch of individuality in bakunin, or hissing in nietzsche, or laughing at olympus in bernard shaw. my 'radicalism' has been spoken of. radical! do you realize that i am not suggesting that there might possibly some day be a revolution in america, but rather that now i am stating that there is, this minute, and for some years has been, an actual state of warfare between capital and labor? do you know that daily more people are saying openly and violently that we starve our poor, we stuff our own children with useless bookishness, and work the children of others in mills and let them sell papers on the streets in red-light districts at night, and thereby prove our state nothing short of insane? if you tell me that there is no revolution because there are no barricades, i point to actual battles at homestead, pullman, and the rest. if you say that there has been no declaration of war, open war, i shall read you editorials from _the appeal to reason_. "mind you, i shall not say whether i am enlisted for or against the revolutionary army. but i demand that you look about you and understand the significance of the industrial disturbances and religious unrest of the time. never till then will you understand anything--certainly not that shaw is something more than an _enfant terrible_; ibsen something more than an ill-natured old man with dyspepsia and a silly lack of interest in skating. then you will realize that in the most extravagant utterances of a red-shirted strike-leader there may be more fervent faith and honor, oftentimes, than in the virgin prayers of a girl who devoutly attends christian endeavor, but presumes to call emma goldman 'that dreadful woman.' follow the labor-leader. or fight him, good and hard. but do not overlook him. "but i must be more systematic. when john tanner's independent chauffeur, of whom you have--i hope you have--read in _man and superman_----" * * * * * carl looked about. many were frowning; a few leaning sidewise to whisper to neighbors, with a perplexed head-shake that plainly meant, "i don't quite get that." wet feet were shifted carefully; breaths caught quickly; hands nervously played with lower lips. the greek professor was writing something. carl's ex-room-mate, plain smith, was rigid, staring unyieldingly at the platform. carl hated smith's sinister stillness. * * * * * professor frazer was finishing his lecture: "if it please you, flunk this course, don't read a single play i assign to you, be disrespectful, disbelieve all my contentions. and i shall still be content. but do not, as you are living souls, blind yourself to the fact that there is a world-wide movement to build a wider new world--and that the world needs it--and that in jamaica mills, on land owned by a director of plato college, there are two particularly vile saloons which you must wipe out before you disprove me!" silence for ten seconds. then, "that is all." the crowd began to move hesitatingly, while professor frazer hastily picked up his papers and raincoat and hurried out through the door beside the platform. voices immediately rose in a web of talk, many-colored, hot-colored. carl babbled to the man next him, "he sure is broad. he doesn't care whether they're conservative or not. and some sensation at the end!" "heh? what? him?" the sophomore was staring. "yes. why, sure! whadya mean?" demanded carl. "well, and wha' do _you_ mean by 'broad'? sure! he's broad just like a razor edge." "heh?" echoed the next man down the row, a y. m. c. a. senior. "do you mean to say you liked it?" "why, sure! why not? didn't you?" "oh yes. yes indeed! all he said was that scarlet women like emma goldman were better than a c. e. girl, and that he hoped his students would bluff the course and flunk it, and that we could find booze at jamaica mills, and a few little things like that. that's all. sure! that's the sort of thing we came here to study." the senior was buttoning his raincoat with angry fingers. "that's----why, the man was insane! and the way he denounced decency and----oh, i can't talk about it!" "w-w-w-well by gosh, of all the--the----" spluttered carl. "you and your y. m. c. a.--calling yourself religious, and misrepresenting like that--you and your----why, you ain't worth arguing with. i don't believe you 'came to study' anything. you know it all already." passionate but bewildered, trying not to injure the cause of frazer by being nasty, he begged: "straight, didn't you like his spiel? didn't it give you some new ideas?" the senior vouchsafed: "no, 'me and my y. m.' didn't like it. now don't let me keep you, ericson. i suppose you'll be wanting to join dear mr. frazer in a highball; you're such a pet of his. did he teach you to booze? i understand you're good at it." "you apologize or i'll punch your face off," said carl. "i don't understand professor frazer's principles like i ought to. i'm not fighting for them. prob'ly would if i knew enough. but i don't like your face. it's too long. it's like a horse's face. it's an insult to frazer to have a horse-faced guy listen to him. you apologize for having a horse face, see?" "you're bluffing. you wouldn't start anything here, anyway." "apologize!" carl's fist was clenched. people were staring. "cut it out, will you! i didn't mean anything." "you wouldn't," snapped carl, and rammed his way out, making wistful boyish plans to go to frazer with devotion and offers of service in a fight whose causes grew more confused to him every moment. beside him, as he hurried off to football practice, strode a big lineman of the junior class, cajoling: "calm down, son. you can't lick the whole college." "but it makes me so sore----" "oh, i know, but it strikes me that no matter how much you like frazer, he was going pretty far when he said that anarchists had more sense than decent folks." "he didn't! you didn't get him. he meant----o lord, what's the use!" he did not say another word as they hastened to the gymnasium for indoor practice. he was sure that they who knew of his partisanship would try to make him lose his temper. "dear lord, please just let me take out just one bonehead and beat him to a pulp, and then i'll be good and not open my head again," was his perfectly reverent prayer as he stripped before his locker. carl and most of the other substitutes had to wait, and most of them gossiped of the lecture. they all greedily discussed frazer's charge that some member of the corporation owned saloon lots, and tried to decide who it was, but not one of them gave frazer credit. twenty times carl wanted to deny; twenty times speech rose in him so hotly that he drew a breath and opened his mouth; but each time he muttered to himself: "oh, shut up! you'll only make 'em worse." students who had attended the lecture declared that professor frazer had advocated bomb-throwing and obscenity, and the others believed, marveling, "well, well, well, well!" with unctuous appreciation of the scandal. still carl sat aloof on a pair of horizontal bars, swinging his legs with agitated quickness, while the others covertly watched him--slim, wire-drawn, his china-blue eyes blurred with fury, his fair norse skin glowing dull red, his chest strong under his tight football jersey; a clean-carved boy. the rubber band of his nose-guard snapped harshly as he plucked at it, playing a song of hatred on that hard little harp. an insignificant thing made him burst out. tommy la croix, the french canuck, a quick, grinning, evil-spoken, tobacco-chewing, rather likeable young thug, stared directly at carl and said, loudly: "'nother thing i noticed was that frazer didn't have his pants pressed. funny, ain't it, that when even these dudes from yale get to be cranks they're short on baths and tailors?" carl slid from the parallel bars. he walked up to the line of substitutes, glanced sneeringly along them, dramatized himself as a fighting rebel, remarked, "half of you are too dumm to get frazer, and the other half are old-woman gossips and ought to be drinking tea," and gloomed away to the dressing-room, while behind him the substitutes laughed, and some one called: "sorry you don't like us, but we'll try to bear up. going to lick the whole college, ericson?" his ears burned, in the dressing-room. he did not feel that they had been much impressed. * * * * * to tell the next day or two in detail would be to make many books about the mixed childishness and heroic fineness of carl's partisanship; to repeat a thousand rumors running about the campus to the effect that the faculty would demand frazer's resignation; to explain the reason why frazer's charge that a plato director owned land used by saloons was eagerly whispered for a little while, then quite forgotten, while frazer's reputation as a "crank" was never forgotten, so much does muck resent the muck-raker; to describe carl's brief call on frazer and his confusing discovery that he had nothing to say; to repeat the local paper's courageous reports of the frazer affair, turk's great oath to support frazer "through hell and high water," turk's repeated defiance: "well, by golly! we'll show the mutts, but i wish we could _do_ something"; to chronicle dreary classes whose dullness was evident to carl, now, after his interest in frazer's lectures. * * * * * returning from genie linderbeck's room, carl found a letter from gertie cowles on the black-walnut hat-rack. without reading it, but successfully befooling himself into the belief that he was glad to have it, he went whistling up to his room. ray cowles and howard griffin, those great seniors, sat tilted back in wooden chairs, and between them was the lord of the world, mr. bjorken, the football coach, a large, amiable, rather religious young man, who believed in football, foreign missions, and the democratic party. "hello! waiting for me or the turk?" faltered carl, gravely shaking hands all round. "just dropped up to see you for a second," said mr. bjorken. "sorry the turk wasn't here." carl had an ill-defined feeling that he wanted to keep them from becoming serious as long as he could. ray cowles cleared his throat. never again would the black-haired adonis, blossom of the flower of joralemon, be so old and sadly sage as then. "we want to talk to you seriously about something--for your own sake. you know i've always been interested in you, and howard, and course we're interested in you as frat brothers, too. for old joralemon and plato, eh? mr. bjorken believes--might as well tell him now, don't you think, mr. bjorken?" the coach gave a regally gracious nod. hitching about on the wood-box, carl felt the bottom drop out of his anxious stomach. "well, mr. bjorken thinks you're practically certain to make the team next year, and maybe you may even get put in the hamlin game for a few minutes this year, and get your p." "honest?" "yes, if you do something for old plato, same 's you expect her to do something for you." ray was quite sincere. "but not if you put the team discipline on the bum and disgrace omega chi. of course i can't speak as an actual member of the team, but still, as a senior, i hear things----" "how d'you mean 'disgrace'?" "don't you know that because you've been getting so savage about frazer the whole team 's getting mad?" said the coach. "cowles and griffin and i have been talking over the whole proposition. your boosting frazer----" "look here," from carl, "i won't crawl down on my opinion about frazer. folks haven't understood him." "lord love you, son," soothed howard griffin, "we aren't trying to change your opinion of frazer. we're, your friends, you know. we're proud of you for standing up for him. only thing is, now that he's practically fired, just tell me how it's going to help him or you or anybody else, now, to make everybody sore by roasting them because they can't agree with you. boost; don't knock! don't make everybody think you're a crank." "to be frank," added mr. bjorken, "you're just as likely to hurt frazer as to help him by stirring up all this bad blood. look here. i suppose that if the faculty had already fired frazer you'd still go ahead trying to buck them." "hadn't thought about it, but suppose i would." "afraid it might be that way. but haven't you seen by this time about how much good it does for one lone sophomore to try and run the faculty?" it was the coach talking again, but the gravely nodding mandarin-like heads of howard and ray accompanied him. "mind you, i don't mean to disparage you personally, but you must admit that you can't hardly expect to boss everything. just what good 'll it do to go on shouting for frazer? quite aside from the question of whether he is likely to get fired or not." "well," grunted carl, nervously massaging his chin, "i don't know as it will do any direct good--except maybe waking this darn conservative college up a little; but it does make me so dog-gone sore----" "yes, yes, we understand, old man," the coach said, "but on the other hand here's the direct good of sitting tight and playing the game. i've heard you speak about kipling. well, you're like a young officer--a subaltern they call it, don't they?--in a kipling story, a fellow that's under orders, and it's part of his game to play hard and keep his mouth shut and to not criticize his superior officers, ain't it?" "oh, i suppose so, but----" "well, it's just the same with you. can't you see that? think it over. what would you think of a lieutenant that tried to boss all the generals? just same thing.... besides, if you sit tight, you can make the team this year, i can practically promise you that. do understand this now; it isn't a bribe; we want you to be able to play and _do_ something for old plato in a _real_ way--in athletics. but you most certainly can't make the team if you're going to be a disorganizer." "all we want you to do," put in ray cowles, "is not to make a public spectacle of yourself--as i'm afraid you've been doing. admire frazer all you want to, and talk about him to your own bunch, and don't back down on your own opinions, only don't think you've got to go round yelling about him. people get a false idea of you. i hate to have to tell you this, but several of the fellows, even in omega chi, have spoken about you, and wondered if you really were a regular crank. 'of course he isn't, you poor cheese,' i tell 'em, but i can't be around to answer every one all the time, and you can't lick the whole college; that ain't the way the world does things. you don't know what a bad impression you make when you're too brash. see how i mean?" as the council of seers rose, carl timidly said to ray, "straight, now, have quite a lot of the fellows been saying i was a goat?" "good many, i'm afraid. all talking about you.... it's up to you. all you got to do is not think you know it all, and keep still. keep still till you understand the faculty's difficulties just a little better. savvy? don't that sound fairly reasonable?" chapter x they were gone. carl was full of the nauseating shame which a matter-of-fact man, who supposes that he is never pilloried, knows when a conscientious friend informs him that he has been observed, criticized; that his enthusiasms have been regarded as eccentricities; his affectionate approaches toward friendship as impertinence. there seemed to be hundreds of people in the room, nudging one another, waiting agape for him to do something idiotic; a well-advertised fool on parade. he stalked about, now shamefaced, now bursting out with a belligerent, "aw, rats! i'll show 'em!" now plaintively beseeching, "i don't suppose i am helping frazer, but it makes me so darn sore when nobody stands up for him--and he teaches stuff they need so much here. gee! i'm coming to think this is a pretty rough-neck college. he's the first teacher i ever got anything out of--and----oh, hang it! what 'd i have to get mixed up in all this for, when i was getting along so good? and if it isn't going to help him----" his right hand became conscious of gertie's letter crumpled in his pocket. as turning the letter over and over gave him surprisingly small knowledge of its contents, he opened it: dear carl,--you are just _silly_ to tease me about any bank clerk. i don't like him any more at all and he can go with linda all he likes, much i care! we are enjoying good health, though it is getting quite cold now and we have the furnace running now and it feels pretty good to have it. we had _such_ a good time at adelaide's party she wore such a pretty dress. she flirted terribly with joe jordan though of course you'll call me a cat for telling you because you like her so much better than me & all. oh i haven't told you the news yet joe has accepted a position at st. hilary in the mill there. i have some pretty new things for my room, a beautiful hand-painted picture. before joe goes there is going to be a party for him at semina's. i wish you could come i suppose you have learned to dance well, of course you go to lots of parties at plato with all the pretty girls & forget all about _me_. i wish i was in minneapolis it is pretty dull here, & such good talks you and me had _didn't_ we! oh carl dear ray writes us you are sticking up for that crazy professor frazer. i know it must take lots of courage & i admire you _lots_ for it even if ray doesn't but oh carl dear if you can't do any _good_ by it i hope you won't get everybody talking about you without its doing any good, will you, carl? i do so expect you to succeed wonderfully & i hope you won't blast your career even to stand up for folks when it's too late & won't do any good. we all expect so much of you--we are waiting! you are our knight & you aren't going to forget to keep your armor bright, nor forget, yours as ever, gertie. "mmm!" remarked carl. "dun'no' about this knight-and-armor business. i'd look swell, i would, with a wash-boiler and a few more tons of junk on. mmm! 'expect you to succeed wonderfully----' oh, i don't suppose i had ought to disappoint 'em. don't see where i can help frazer, anyway. not a bit." the frazer affair seemed very far from him; very hysterical. two of the gang ambled in with noisy proposals in regard to a game of poker, penny ante, but the thought of cards bored him. leaving them in possession, one of them smoking the turk's best pipe, which the turk had been so careless as to leave in sight, he strolled out on the street and over to the campus. there was a light in the faculty-room in the academic building, yet it was not a "first and third thursday," dates on which the faculty regularly met. therefore, it was a special meeting; therefore---- promptly, without making any plans, carl ran to the back of the building, shinned up a water-spout (humming "just before the battle, mother"), pried open a class-room window with his large jack-knife, of the variety technically known as a "toad-stabber" (changing his tune to "onward, christian soldiers"), climbed in, tiptoed through the room, stopping often to listen, felt along the plaster walls to find the door, eased the door open, calmly sat down in the corridor, pulled off his shoes, said, "ouch, it's cold on the feets!" slipped into another class-room in the front of the building, put on his shoes, crawled out of the window, walked along a limestone ledge one foot wide to a window of the faculty-room, and peeped in. all of the eleven assistant professors and full professors, except frazer, were assembled, with president s. alcott wood in the chair, and the greek professor addressing them, referring often to a red-leather-covered note-book. "um! making a report on frazer's lecture," said carl, clinging precariously to the rough faces of the stones. a gust swooped around the corner of the building. he swayed, gripped the stones more tightly, and looked down. he could not see the ground. it was thirty-five or forty feet down. "almost fell," he observed. "gosh! my hands are chilly!" as he peered in the window again he saw the greek professor point directly at the window, while the whole gathering startled, turned, stared. a young assistant professor ran toward the door of the room. "going to cut me off. dog-gone it," said carl. "they'll wait for me at the math.-room window. hooray! i've started something." he carefully moved along the ledge to a point half-way between windows and waited, flat against the wall. again he glanced down from the high, windy, narrow ledge. "it 'd be a long drop.... my hands are cold.... i could slip. funny, i ain't really much scared, though.... say! where'd i do just this before? oh yes!" he saw himself as little carl, lost with gertie in the woods, caught by bone stillman at the window. he laughed out as he compared the bristly virile face of bone with the pasty face of the young professor. "seems almost as though i was back there doing the same thing right over. funny. but i'm not quite as scared as i was then. guess i'm growing up. hel-lo! here's our cunning spanish inquisition rubbering out of the next window." the window of the mathematics class-room, next to the faculty-room, had opened. the young professor who was pursuing carl peppered the night with violent words delivered in a rather pedagogic voice. "well, sir! we have you! you might as well come and give yourself up." carl was silent. the voice said, conversationally: "he's staying out there. i'll see who it is." carl half made out a head thrusting itself from the window, then heard, in _sotto voce_, "i can't see him." loudly again, the pursuing professor yapped: "ah, i see you. you're merely wasting time, sir. you might just as well come here now. i shall let you stay there till you do." softly: "hurry back into the faculty-room and see if you can get him from that side. bet it's one of the sneaking frazer faction." carl said nothing; did not budge. he peeped at the ledge above him. it was too far for him to reach it. he tried to discern the mass of the ground in the confusing darkness below. it seemed miles down. he did not know what to do. he was lone as a mateless hawk, there on the ledge, against the wall whose stones were pinchingly cold to the small of his back and his spread-eagled arms. he swayed slightly; realized with trembling nausea what would happen if he swayed too much.... he remembered that there was pavement below him. but he did not think about giving himself up. from the mathematics-room window came: "watch him. i'm going out after him." the young professor's shoulders slid out of the window. carl carefully turned his head and found that now a form was leaning from the faculty-room window as well. "got me on both sides. darn it! well, when they haul me up on the carpet i'll have the pleasure of telling them what i think of them." the young professor had started to edge along the ledge. he was coming very slowly. he stopped and complained to some one back in the mathematics-room, "this beastly ledge is icy, i'm afraid." carl piped: "look out! y're slipping!" in a panic the professor slid back into the window. as his heels disappeared through it, carl dashed by the window, running sidewise along the ledge. while the professor was cautiously risking his head in the night air outside the window again, gazing to the left, where, he had reason to suppose, carl would have the decency to remain, carl was rapidly worming to the right. he reached the corner of the building, felt for the tin water-pipe, and slid down it, with his coat-tail protecting his hands. half-way down, the cloth slipped and his hand was burnt against the corrugated tin. "consid'able slide," he murmured as he struck the ground and blew softly on his raw palm. he walked away--not at all like a melodramatic hero of a slide-by-night, but like a matter-of-fact young man going to see some one about business of no great importance. he abstractedly brushed his left sleeve or his waistcoat, now and then, as though he wanted to appear neat. he tramped into the telephone-booth of the corner drug-store, called up professor frazer: "hello? professor frazer?... this is one of your students in modern drama. i've just learned--i happened to be up in the academic building and i happened to find out that professor drood is making a report to the faculty--special meeting!--about your last lecture. i've got a hunch he's going to slam you. i don't want to butt in, but i'm awfully worried; i thought perhaps you ought to know.... who? oh, i'm just one of your students.... you're welcome. oh, say, professor, g-good luck. g'-by." immediately, without even the excuse that some evil mind in the gang had suggested it, he prowled out to the greek professor's house and tied both the front and back gates. now the fence of that yard was high and strong and provided with sharp pickets; and the professor was short and dignified. carl regretted that he could not wait for the pleasure of seeing the professor fumble with the knots and climb the fence. but he had another errand. he walked to the house of professor frazer. he stood on the walk before it. his shoulders straightened, his heels snapped together, and he raised his arm in a formal salute. he had saluted the gentleness of henry frazer. he had saluted his own soul. he cried: "i will stick by him, as long as the turk or any of 'em. i won't let omega chi and the coach scare me--not the whole caboodle of them. i----oh, i don't _think_ they can scare me...." chapter xi the students of plato were required to attend chapel every morning. president s. alcott wood earnestly gave out two hymns, and between them informed the almighty of the more important news events of the past twenty-four hours, with a worried advisory manner which indicated that he felt something should be done about them at once. president wood was an honest, anxious body, something like a small, learned, scotch linen-draper. he was given to being worried and advisory and to sitting up till midnight in his unventilated library, grinding at the task of putting new wrong meanings into perfectly obvious statements in the bible. he was a series of circles--round head with smooth gray hair that hung in a bang over his round forehead; round face with round red cheeks; absurdly heavy gray mustache that almost made a circle about his puerile mouth; round button of a nose; round heavy shoulders; round little stomach in a gray sack-suit; round dumplings of feet in congress shoes that were never quite fresh-blacked or quite dusty. a harassed, honorable, studious, ignorant, humorless, joke-popping, genuinely conscientious thumb of a man. his prayers were long and intimate. after the second hymn he would announce the coming social events--class prayer-meetings and lantern-slide lectures by missionaries. during the prayer and hymns most of the students hastily prepared for first-hour classes, with lists of dates inside their hymn-books; or they read tight-folded copies of the minneapolis _journal_ or _tribune_. but when the announcements began all plato college sat up to attention, for prexy wood was very likely to comment with pedantic sarcasm on student peccadillos, on cards and v-neck gowns and the unforgivable crime of smoking. * * * * * as he crawled to the bare, unsympathetic chapel, the morning after spying on the faculty-room, carl looked restlessly to the open fields, sniffed at the scent of burning leaves, watched a thin stream of blackbirds in the windy sky. he sat on the edge of a pew, nervously jiggling his crossed legs. during the prayer and hymns a spontaneously born rumor that there would be something sensational in president wood's announcements went through the student body. the president, as he gave out the hymns, did not look at the students, but sadly smoothed the neat green cloth on the reading-stand. his prayer, timid, sincere, was for guidance to comprehend the will of the lord. carl felt sorry for him. "poor man 's fussed. ought to be! i'd be, too, if i tried to stop a ten-inch gun like frazer.... he's singing hard.... announcements, now.... what's he waiting for? jiminy! i wish he'd spring it and get it over.... suppose he said something about last night--me----" president wood stood silent. his glance drifted from row to row of students. they moved uneasily. then his dry, precise voice declaimed: "my friends, i have an unpleasant duty to perform this morning, but i have sought guidance in prayer, and i hope----" carl was agonizing: "he does know it's me! he'll ball me out and fire me publicly!... sit tight, ericson; hold y' nerve; think of good old turk." carl was not a hero. he was frightened. in a moment now all the eyes in the room would be unwinkingly focused on him. he hated this place of crowding, curious young people and drab text-hung walls. in the last row he noted the pew in which professor frazer sat (infrequently). he could fancy frazer there, pale and stern. "i'm glad i spied on 'em. might have been able to put frazer wise to something definite if i could just have overheard 'em." president wood was mincing on: "----and so, my friends, i hope that in devotion to the ideals of the baptist church we shall strive ever onward and upward in even our smallest daily concerns, _per aspera ad astra_, not in a spirit of materialism and modern unrest, but in a spirit of duty. "i need not tell you that there has been a great deal of rumor about the so-called 'faculty dissensions.' but let me earnestly beseech you to give me your closest attention when i assure you that there have been _no_ faculty dissensions. it is true that we have found certain teachings rather out of harmony with the ideals of plato college. the word of god in the bible was good enough for our fathers who fought to defend this great land, and the bible is still good enough for us, i guess--and i cannot find anything in the bible about such doctrines as socialism and anarchism and evolution. probably most of you have been fortunate enough to not have wasted any time on this theory called 'evolution.' if you don't know anything about it you have not lost anything. absurd as it may seem, evolution says that we are all descended from monkeys! in spite of the fact that the bible teaches us that we are the children of god. if you prefer to be the children of monkeys rather than of god, well, all i can say is, i don't! [laughter.] "but the old fellow satan is always busy going to and fro even in colleges, and in the unrestrained, overgrown, secularized colleges of the east they have actually been teaching this doctrine openly for many years. indeed, i am told that right at the university of chicago, though it is a baptist institution, they teach this same silly twaddle of evolution, and i cannot advise any of you to go there for graduate work. but these scientific fellows that are too wise for the bible fall into the pits they themselves have digged, sooner or later, and they have been so smart in discovering new things about evolution that they have contradicted almost everything that darwin, who was the high priest of this abominable cult, first taught, and they have turned the whole theory into a hodge-podge of contradictions from which even they themselves are now turning in disgust. indeed, i am told that darwin's own son has come out and admitted that there is nothing to this evolution. well, we could have told him that all along, and told his father, and saved all their time, for now they are all coming right back to the bible. we could have told them in the first place that the word of god definitely explains the origin of man, and that anybody who tried to find out whether we were descended from monkeys was just about as wise as the man who tried to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." carl was settled down in his pew, safe. president wood was in his stride. "all this evolutionary fad becomes ridiculous, of course, when a mind that is properly trained in clear thinking by the diligent perusal of the classics strips it of its pseudo-scientific rags and shows it straight out from the shoulder, in the fire of common sense and sound religion. and here is the point of my disquisition: "on this selfsame evolution, this bombast of the self-pushing scientists, are founded _all_ such un-christian and un-american doctrines as socialism and anarchism and the lusts of feminism, with all their followers, such as shaw and the fellow who tried to shoot mr. frick, and all the other atheists of the stripe that think so well of themselves that they are quite willing to overthrow the grand old institutions that our forefathers founded on the constitution; and they want to set up instead--oh, they're quite willing to tell us how to run the government! they want to set up a state in which all of us who are honest enough to do a day's work shall support the lazy rascals who aren't. yet they are very clever men. they can pull the wool over your eyes and persuade you--if you let them--that a universal willingness to let the other fellow do the work while you paint pictures of flowers and write novels about the abominations of babylon is going to evolute a superior race! well, when you think they are clever, this shaw and this fellow wells and all of them that copy robert g. ingersoll, just remember that the cleverest fellow of them all is the old satan, and that he's been advocating just such lazy doctrines ever since he stirred up rebellion and discontent in the garden of eden! "if these things are so, then the teachings of professor henry frazer, however sincere he is, are not in accordance with the stand which we have taken here at plato. my friends, i want you all to understand me. certain young students of plato appear to have felt that the faculty have not appreciated professor frazer. one of these students, i presume it was one of them, went so far as to attempt to spy on faculty meeting last night. who that man is i have means of finding out at any time. but i do not wish to. for i cannot believe that he realized how dishonest was such sneaking. "i wish to assure the malcontents that i yield to no one in my admiration of professor frazer's eloquence and learning in certain subjects. only, we have not found his doctrines quite consistent with what we are trying to do. they may be a lot more smart and new-fangled than what we have out here in minnesota, and we may be a lot of old fogies, but we are not narrow, and we wish to give him just as much right of free speech--we wish--there is--uh--no slightest--uh--desire, in fact, to impose any authority on any one. but against any perversive doctrine we must in all honesty take a firm stand. "we carefully explained this to professor frazer, and permit me to inform those young men who have taken it upon themselves to be his champions, that they would do well to follow his example! for he quite agrees with us as to the need of keeping the plato college doctrine consistent. in fact, he offered his resignation, which we reluctantly accepted, very, very reluctantly. it will take effect the first of the month, and, owing to illness in his family, he will not be giving any lectures before then. students in his classes, by the way, are requested to report to the dean for other assignments.... and so you see how little there is to the cowardly rumors about 'faculty dissensions'!" "liar, liar! dear god, they've smothered that kind, straight frazer," carl was groaning. "now, my friends, i trust you understand our position, and--uh----" president wood drew a breath, slapped the reading-stand, and piped, angrily: "we have every desire to permit complete freedom of thought and speech among the students of plato, but on my _word_, when it comes to a pass where a few students can cause this whole great institution to forget its real tasks and devote all its time to quarreling about a fad like socialism, then it's time to call a halt! "if there are any students here who, now that i have explained that professor frazer leaves us of his own free will, still persist in their stubborn desire to create trouble, and still feel that the faculty have not treated professor frazer properly, or that we have endeavored to coerce him, then let them stand up, right here and now, in chapel. i mean it! let them stop this cowardly running to and fro and secret gossip. let them stand right up before us, in token of protest, here--and--now! or otherwise hold their peace!" so well trained to the authority of schoolmasters were the students of plato, including carl ericson, that they sat as uncomfortable as though they were individually accused by the plump pedant who was weakly glaring at them, his round, childish hand clutching the sloping edge of the oak reading-stand, his sack-coat wrinkled at the shoulders and sagging back from his low linen collar. carl sighted back at frazer's pew, hoping that he would miraculously be there to confront the dictator. the pew was empty as before. there was no one to protest against the ousting of frazer for saying what he believed true. then carl was agitated to find that carl ericson, a back-yard boy, was going to rise and disturb all these learned people. he was frightened again. but he stood up, faced the president, affectedly folded his arms, hastily unfolded them and put his hands in his pockets, one foot before the other, one shoulder humped a little higher than the other. the whole audience was staring at him. he did not dare peep at them, but he could hear their murmur of amazement. now that he was up he rather enjoyed defying them. "well, young man, so you are going to let us know how to run plato," teetered the president. "i'm sure everybody will feel much obliged to you." carl did not move. he was aware of genie linderbeck rising, to his left. no one else was up, but, with genie's frail adherence, carl suddenly desired to rouse every one to stand for frazer and freedom. he glanced over at the one man whom he could always trust to follow him--the turk. a tiny movement of carl's lips, a covert up-toss of his head, warned the turk to rise now. the turk moved, started to rise, slowly, as though under force. he looked rather shamefaced. he uncrossed his legs and put his hands on the pew, on either side of his legs. "shame!" trembled a girl's voice in the junior section. "sit down!" two or three voices of men softly snarled, with a rustle of mob-muttering. the turk hastily crossed his legs and slumped down in his seat. carl frowned at him imploringly, then angrily. he felt spiritually naked to ask support so publicly, but he _had_ to get the turk up. the turk shook his head beseechingly. carl could fancy him grunting, "aw, thunder! i'd like to stand up, but i don't want to be a goat." another man rose. "i'll be darned!" thought carl. it was the one man who would be expected not to support the heretic frazer--it was carl's rustic ex-room-mate, plain smith. genie was leaning against the pew in front of him, but plain smith bulked more immovable than carl. no one joined the three. all through the chapel was an undertone of amazed comment and a constant low hissing of, "sssssit down!" the president, facing them, looked strained. it occurred to carl that s. alcott wood had his side of the question. he argued about the matter, feeling detached from his stolidly defiant body. then he cursed the president for keeping them there. he wanted to sit down. he wanted to cry out.... president wood was speaking. "is there any one else? stand up, if there is. no one else? very well, young men, i trust that you are now satisfied with your heroism, which we have all greatly appreciated, i am sure. [laughter.] chapel dismissed." instantly a swirl of men surrounded carl, questioning: "what j' do it for? why didn't you keep still?" he pushed out through them. he sat blind through the first-hour quiz in physics, with the whole class watching him. the thought of the turk's failure to rise kept unhappy vigil in his mind. the same sequence of reflections ran around like midnight mice in the wall: "just when i needed him.... after all his talk.... and us so chummy, sitting up all hours last night. and then the turk throws me down.... when he'd said so many times he just wanted the chance to show how strong he was for frazer.... damn coward! i'll go room with genie. by gosh----oh, i got to be fair to the turk. i don't suppose he could have done much real good standing up. course it does make you feel kind of a poor nut, doing it. genie looked----yes, by the jim hill! there you are. poor little scrawny genie--oh yes, sure, it was up to _him_ to stand up. he wasn't afraid. and the turk, the big stiff, he was afraid to.... just when i needed him. after all our talk about frazer, sitting up all hours----" through the black whirlpool in his head pierced an irritated, "mr. ericson, i said! have you gone to sleep? i understood you were excellent at standing up! what is your explanation of the phenomenon?" the professor of physics and mathematics--the same who had pursued carl on the ledge--was speaking to him. carl mumbled, sullenly, "not prepared." the class sniggered. he devoted a moment to hating them, as pariahs hate, then through his mind went whirling again, "just wait till i see the turk!" chapter xii a notice from the president's office, commanding carl's instant presence, was in his post-office box. he slouched into the waiting-room of the offices of the president and dean. he was an incarnate desire to say exactly what he thought to the round, woolly president wood. plain albert smith was leaving the waiting-room. he seized carl's hand with his plowman's paw, and, "good-by, boy," he growled. there was nothing gallant about his appearance--his blue-flannel shirt dusty with white fuzz, his wrinkled brick-red neck, the oyster-like ear at which he kept fumbling with a seamy finger-nail of his left hand. but carl's salute was a salute to the new king. "how d'you mean 'good-by,' al?" "i've just resigned from plato, carl." "how'd you happen to do that? did they summon you here?" "no. just resigned," said plain smith. "one time when i was school-teaching i had a set-to with a school committee of farmers about teaching the kids a little botany. they said the three r's were enough. i won out, but i swore i'd stand up for any teacher that tried to be honest the way he seen it. i don't agree with frazer about these socialists and all--fellow that's worked at the plow like i have knows a man wants to get ahead for his woman and himself, first of all, and let the walking-delegates go to work, too. but i think he's honest, all right, and, well, i stood up, and that means losing my scholarship. they won't try to fire me. guess i'll mosey on to the u. of m. can't probably live there as cheap as here, but a cousin of mine owns a big shoe-store and maybe i can get a job with him.... boy, you were plucky to get up.... glad we've got each other, finally. i feel as though you'd freed me from something. god bless you." to the dean's assistant, in the waiting-room, carl grandly stated: "ericson, . i'm to see the president." "it's been arranged you're to see the dean instead. sit down. dean's engaged just now." carl was kept waiting for a half-hour. he did not like the transference to the dean, who was no anxious old lamb like s. alcott wood, but a young collegiate climber, with a clipped mustache, a gold eye-glass chain over one ear, a curt voice, many facts, a spurious appreciation of music, and no mellowness. he was a graduate of the university of chicago, and aggressively proud of it. he had "earned his way through college," which all tradition and all fiction pronounce the perfect manner of acquiring a noble independence and financial ability. indeed, the blessing of early poverty is in general praised as the perfect training for acquiring enough wealth to save one's own children from the curse of early poverty. it would be safer to malign george washington and the boy scouts, professional baseball and the y. m. c. a., than to suggest that working one's way through college is not necessarily manlier than playing and dreaming and reading one's way through. diffidently, without generalizing, the historian reports this fact about the dean; he had lost the graciousness of his rustic clergyman father and developed an itchingly bustling manner, a tremendous readiness for taking charge of everything in sight, by acquiring during his undergraduate days a mastery of all the petty ways of earning money, such as charging meek and stupid wealthy students too much for private tutoring, and bullying his classmates into patronizing the laundry whose agent he was.... the dean stuck his little finger far out into the air when drinking from a cup, and liked to be taken for a well-dressed man of the world. the half-hour of waiting gave carl a feeling of the power of the authorities. and he kept seeing plain smith in his cousin's shoe-store, trying to "fit" women's shoes with his large red hands. when he was ordered to "step into the dean's office, now," he stumbled in, pulling at his soft felt hat. with his back to carl, the dean was writing at a roll-top desk. the burnished top of his narrow, slightly bald head seemed efficient and formidable. not glancing up, the dean snapped, "sit down, young man." carl sat down. he crumpled his hat again. he stared at a framed photograph, and moved his feet about, trying to keep them quiet. more waiting. the dean inspected carl, over his shoulder. he still held his pen. the fingers of his left hand tapped his desk-tablet. he turned in his swivel-chair deliberately, as though he was now ready to settle everything permanently. "well, young man, are you prepared to apologize to the president and faculty?" "apologize? what for? the president said those that wanted to protest----" "now we won't have any blustering, if you please, ericson. i haven't the slightest doubt that you are prepared to give an exhibition of martyrdom. that is why i asked the privilege of taking care of you, instead of permitting you to distress president wood any further. we will drop all this posing, if you don't mind. i assure you that it doesn't make----" "i----" "----the slightest impression on me, ericson. let's get right down to business. you know perfectly well that you have stirred up all the trouble you----" "i----" "----could in regard to mr. frazer. and i think, i really think, that we shall either have to have your written apology and your promise to think a little more before you talk, hereafter, or else we shall have to request your resignation from college. i am sorry that we apparently can't run this college to suit you, ericson, but as we can't, why, i'm afraid we shall have to ask you not to increase our inefficiency by making all the trouble you can. wait now; let's not have any melodrama! you may as well pick up that hat again. it doesn't seem to impress me much when you throw it down, though doubtless it was ver-ee dramatically done, oh yes, indeed, ver-ee dramatic. see here. i know you, and i know your type, my young friend, and i haven't----" "look here. why do i get picked out as the goat, the one to apologize? because i stood up first? when prexy said to?" "oh, not at all. say it's because you quite shamelessly made motions at others while you stood there, and did your best to disaffect men who hadn't the least desire to join in your trouble-making.... now i'm very busy, young man, and i think this is all the time i shall waste on you. i shall expect to find your written----" "say, honest, dean," carl suddenly laughed, "may i say just one thing before i get thrown out?" "certainly. we have every desire to deal justly with you, and to always give--always to give you every opportunity----" "well, i just wanted to say, in case i resign and don't see you again, that i admire you for your nerve. i wish i could get over feeling like a sophomore talking to a dean, and then i could tell you i hadn't supposed there was anybody could talk to me the way you have and get away with it. i'd always thought i'd punch their head off, and here you've had me completely buffaloed. it's wonderful! honestly, it never struck me till just this second that there isn't any law that compels me to sit here and take all this. you had me completely hypnotized." "you know i might retort truthfully and say i am not accustomed to have students address me in quite this manner. i'm glad, however, to find that you are sensible enough not to make an amusing show of yourself by imagining that you are making a noble fight for freedom. by decision of the president and myself i am compelled to give you this one chance only. unless i find your apology in my letter-box here by five this evening i shall have to suspend you or bring you up before the faculty for dismissal. but, my boy, i feel that perhaps, for all your mistaken notions, you do have a certain amount of courage, and i want to say a word----" the dean did say a word; in fact he said a large number of admirable words, regarding the effect of carl's possible dismissal on his friends, his family, and, with an almost tearful climax, on his mother. "now go and think it over; pray over it, unselfishly, my boy, and let me hear from you before five." only---- the reason why carl _did_ visualize his mother, the reason why the ericson kitchen became so clear to him that he saw his tired-faced mother reaching up to wind the alarm-clock that stood beside the ball of odd string on the shelf above the water-pail, the reason why he felt caved-in at the stomach, was that he knew he was going to leave plato, and did not know where in the world he was going. * * * * * a time of quick action; of bursting the bonds even of friendship. he walked quietly into genie linderbeck's neat room, with its rose-hued comforter on a narrow brass bed, passe-partouted copley prints, and a small oak table with immaculate green desk-blotter, and said good-by.... his hidden apprehension, the cold, empty feeling of his stomach, the nervous intensity of his motions, told him that he was already on the long trail that leads to fortune and bowery lodging-houses and death and happiness. even while he was warning himself that he must not go, that he owed it to his "folks" to apologize and stay, he was stumbling into the bank and drawing out his ninety-two dollars. it seemed a great sum. while waiting for it he did sums on the back of a deposit-slip: . out of bank . in pocket about . at room ----------------------- tot. . owe tailor . " turk . to mpls. . to chi. probably to . to n. y. to . to europe (steerage) . ---------------------------- total (about) . ----would take me to europe! "golly! i could go to europe, to europe! now, if i wanted to, and have maybe two plunks over, for grub on the railroad. but i'd have to allow something for tips, i guess. maybe it wouldn't be as much as forty dollars for steerage. ought to allow----oh, thunder! i've got enough to make a mighty good start seeing the world, anyway." on the street a boy was selling extras of the _plato weekly times_, with the heading: president crushes student rebellion plato demonstration for anarchist handled without gloves carl read that he and two other students, "who are alleged to have been concerned in several student pranks," had attempted to break up a chapel meeting, but had been put to shame by the famous administrator, s. alcott wood. he had never seen his name in the press, except some three times in the local items of the _joralemon dynamite_. it looked so intimidatingly public that he tried to forget it was there. he chuckled when he thought of plain smith and genie linderbeck as "concerned in student pranks." but he was growing angry. he considered staying and fighting his opponents to the end. then he told himself that he must leave plato, after having announced to genie that he was going.... he had made all of his decision except the actual deciding. he omitted his noonday dinner and tramped into the country, trying to plan how and where he would go. as evening came, cloudy and chill in a low wooded tract miles north of plato, with dead boughs keening and the uneasy air threatening a rain that never quite came, the loneliness of the land seemed to befog all the possibilities of the future.... he wanted the lamp-lit security of his room, with the turk and the gang in red sweaters, singing ragtime; with the frazer affair a bad dream that was forgotten. the world outside plato would all be like these lowering woods and dreary swamps. he turned. he could find solace only in making his mind a blank. sullen, dull, he watched the sunset, watched the bellying cumulus clouds mimic the grand cañon. he had to see the grand cañon! he would!... he had turned the corner. his clammy heart was warming. he was slowly coming to understand that he was actually free to take youth's freedom. he saw the vision of the america through which he might follow the trail like the pioneers whose spiritual descendant he was. how noble was the panorama that thrilled this one-generation american can be understood only by those who have smelled our brown soil; not by the condescending gods from abroad who come hither to gather money by lecturing on our evil habit of money-gathering, and return to europe to report that america is a land of irish politicians, jewish theatrical managers, and mining millionaires who invariably say, "i swan to calculate"; all of them huddled in unfriendly hotels or in hovels set on hopeless prairie. not such the america that lifted carl's chin in wonder---- cities of tall towers; tawny deserts of the southwest and the flawless sky of cornflower blue over sage-brush and painted butte; silent forests of the northwest; golden china dragons of san francisco; old orchards of new england; the oily gulf of mexico where tramp steamers puff down to rio; a snow-piled cabin among somber pines of northern mountains. elsewhere, elsewhere, elsewhere, beyond the sky-line, under larger stars, where men ride jesting and women smile. names alluring to the american he repeated--shenandoah, santa ynez, the little big horn, baton rouge, the great smokies, rappahannock, arizona, cheyenne, monongahela, androscoggin; cañon and bayou; sycamore and mesquite; broadway and el camino real.... he hurled along into plato. he went to mrs. henkel's for supper. he smiled at the questions dumped upon him, and evaded answering. he took mae thurston aside and told her that he was leaving plato. he wanted to call on professor frazer. he did not dare. from a pleasant gentleman drinking tea frazer had changed to a prophet whom he revered. carl darted into his room. the turk was waiting for him. carl cut short the turk's apologies for not having supported frazer, with the dreadful curt pleasantness of an alienated friend, and, as he began packing his clothes in two old suit-cases, insisted, "it's all right--was your biz whether you stood up in chapel or not." he hunted diligently through the back of the closet for a non-existent shoe, in order to get away from the shamefaced melancholy which covered the turk when carl presented him with all his books, his skees, and his pet hockey-stick. he prolonged the search because it had occurred to him that, as it was now eleven o'clock, and the train north left at midnight, the minneapolis train at a.m., it might be well to decide where he was going when he went away. well, minneapolis and chicago. beyond that--he'd wait and see. anywhere--he could go anywhere in all the world, now.... he popped out of the closet cheerfully. while the turk mooned, carl wrote short honest notes to gertie, to his banker employer, to bennie rusk, whom he addressed as "friend ben." he found himself writing a long and spirited letter to bone stillman, who came out of the backwater of ineffectuality as a man who had dared. frankly he wrote to his mother--his mammy he wistfully called her. to his father he could not write. with quick thumps of his fist he stamped the letters, then glanced at the turk. he was gay, mature, business-like, ready for anything. "i'll pull out in half an hour now," he chuckled. "gosh!" sighed the turk. "i feel as if i was responsible for everything. oh, say, here's a letter i forgot to give you. came this afternoon." the letter was from gertie. dear carl,--i hear that you _are_ standing for that frazer just as much as ever and really carl i think you might consider other people's feelings a little and not be so selfish---- without finishing it, carl tore up the letter in a fury. then, "poor kid; guess she means well," he thought, and made an imaginary bow to her in farewell. there was a certain amount of the milk of human-kindness in the frozen husk he had for a time become. but he must be blamed for icily rejecting the turk's blundering attempts to make peace. he courteously--courtesy, between these two!--declined the turk's offer to help him carry his suit-cases to the station. that was like a slap. "good-by. hang on tight," he said, as he stooped to the heavy suit-cases and marched out of the door without looking back. by some providence he was saved from the crime of chilly self-righteousness. on the darkness of the stairs he felt all at once how responsive a chum the turk had been. he dropped the suit-cases, not caring how they fell, rushed back into the room, and found the turk still staring at the door. he cried: "old man, i was----say, you yahoo, are you going to make me carry both my valises to the depot?" they rushed off together, laughing, promising to write to each other. the minneapolis train pulled out, with carl trying to appear commonplace. none of the sleepy passengers saw that the golden fleece was draped about him or that under his arm he bore the harp of ulysses. he was merely a young man taking a train at a way-station. part ii the adventure of adventuring chapter xiii there are to-day in the mind of carl ericson many confused recollections of the purposeless wanderings which followed his leaving plato college. for more than a year he went down, down in the social scale, down to dirt and poverty and association with the utterly tough and reckless. but day by day his young joy of wandering matured into an ease in dealing with whatever man or situation he might meet. he had missed the opportunity of becoming a respectable citizen which plato offered. now he did all the grubby things which plato obviated that her sons might rise to a place in society, to eighteen hundred dollars a year and the possession of evening clothes and a knowledge of greek. but the light danced more perversely in his eyes every day of his roving. the following are the several jobs for which carl first applied in chicago, all the while frightened by the roar and creeping shadows of the city: tutoring the children of a millionaire brewer; keeping time on the italian and polack washers of a window-cleaning company; reporting on an evanston newspaper; driving a taxicab, a motor-truck; keeping books for a suburban real-estate firm. he had it ground into him, as grit is ground into your face when you fall from a bicycle, that every one in a city of millions is too busy to talk to a stranger unless he sees a sound reason for talking. he changed the _joralemon dynamite's_ phrase, "accept a position" to "get a job"--and he got a job, as packer in a department store big as the whole of joralemon. since the street throngs had already come to seem no more personal and separable than the bricks in the buildings, he was not so much impressed by the crowds in the store as by the number of things for women to hang upon themselves. he would ramble in at lunch-time to stare at them and marvel, "you can't beat it!" from eight till twelve-thirty and from one till six or seven, during nearly two months, carl stood in a long, brick-walled, stuffy room, inundated by floods of things to pack, wondering why he had ever left plato to become the slave of a swede foreman. the great world, as he saw it through a tiny hole in one of the opaque wire-glass windows, consisted of three bars of a rusty fire-escape-landing against a yellow brick wall, with a smudge of black on the wall below the landing. within two days he was calling the packing-room a prison. the ceaseless rattle of speckled gray wrapping-paper, the stamp of feet on the gray cement floor, the greasy gray hair of the packer next to him, the yellow-stained, cracked, gray wash-bowl that served for thirty men, such was his food for dreams. because his muscles were made of country earth and air he distanced the packers from the slums, however. he became incredibly swift at nailing boxes and crates and smashing the heavy wrapping-paper into shape about odd bundles. the foreman promised to make carl his assistant. but on the cold december saturday when his elevation was due he glanced out of a window, and farewell all ambition as a packer. the window belonged to the florida bakery and lunch room, where carl was chastely lunching. there was dirty sawdust on the floor, six pine tables painted red and adorned with catsup-bottles whose mouths were clotted with dried catsup, and a long counter scattered with bread and white cakes and petrified rolls. behind the counter a snuffling, ill-natured fat woman in slippers handed bags of crullers to shrill-voiced children who came in with pennies. the tables were packed with over-worked and underpaid men, to whom lunch was merely a means of keeping themselves from feeling inconveniently empty--a state to which the leadlike viands of the florida lunch room were a certain prevention. carl was gulping down salty beef stew and bitter coffee served in handleless cups half an inch thick. beside him, elbow jogging elbow, was a surly-faced man in overalls. the old german waiters shuffled about and bawled, "_zwei_ bif stew, _ein_ cheese-cake." dishes clattered incessantly. the sicky-sweet scent of old pastry, of coffee-rings with stony raisins and buns smeared with dried cocoanut fibers, seemed to permeate even the bitter coffee. carl got down most of his beef stew, attacked and gave up a chunk of hard boiled potato, and lighted a cheap virginia cigarette. he glanced out of the dirty window. before it, making inquiries of a big, leisurely policeman, was a slim, exquisite girl of twenty, rosy-cheeked, smart of hat, impeccable of gloves, with fluffy white furs beneath her chin, which cuddled into the furs with a hint of a life bright and spacious. she laughed as she talked to the policeman, she shrugged her shoulders with the exhilaration of winter, and skipped away. "bet she'd be a peach to know.... fat chance i'd have to meet her, wrapping up baby-carriages for the north shore commuters all day! all day!... well, guess i'm going to honorably discharge myself!" he left the job that afternoon. his satiny norse cheeks shone as he raced home through a rising blizzard, after dinner at the florida lunch room, where he had allowed himself a ten-cent dessert for celebration. but when he lolled in his hall bedroom, with his eyes attracted, as usual, to the three cracks in the blue-painted ceiling which made a rough map of africa, when he visioned lands where there were lions and desert instead of department-store packages, his happiness wilted in face of the fact that he had only $ . , with $ . due him from the store the following tuesday. several times he subtracted the $ . he owed the landlady from $ . , but the result persisted in being only $ . . he could not make $ . appear a reasonable sum with which to start life anew. he had to search for a new job that evening. only--he was so tired; it was so pleasant to lie there with his sore feet cooling against the wall, picturing a hunt in africa, with native servants bringing him things to eat: juicy steaks and french-fried potatoes and gallons of ale (a repast which he may have been ignorant in assigning to the african jungles, but which seemed peculiarly well chosen, after a lunch-room dinner of watery corned-beef hash, burnt german-fried potatoes, and indigestible hot mince-pie). his thoughts drifted off to plato. but carl had a certain resoluteness even in these loose days. he considered the manoeuvers for a new job. he desired one which would permit him to go to theaters with the girl in white furs whom he had seen that noon--the unknown fairy of his discontent. it may be noted that he took this life quite seriously. though he did not suppose that he was going to continue dwelling in a hall bedroom, yet never did he regard himself as a collegian haroun-al-raschid on an amusing masquerade, pretending to be no better than the men with whom he worked. carl was no romantic hero incog. he was a workman, and he knew it. was not his father a carpenter? his father's best friend a tailor? had he not been a waiter at plato? but not always a workman. carl had no conception of world-wide class-consciousness; he had no pride in being a proletarian. though from bone's musings and frazer's lectures he had drawn a vague optimism about a world-syndicate of nations, he took it for granted that he was going to be rich as soon as he could. job. he had to have a job. he got stiffly up from the iron bed, painfully drew on his shoes, after inspecting the hole in the sole of the left shoe and the ripped seam at the back of the right. he pulled tight the paper-thin overcoat which he had bought at a second-hand dealer's shop, and dared a chicago blizzard, with needles of snow thundering by on a sixty-mile gale. through a street of unutterably drab stores and saloons he plowed to the unallied taxicab company's garage. he felt lonely, cold, but he observed with ceaseless interest the new people, different people, who sloped by him in the dun web of the blizzard. the american marveled at a recently immigrated slav's astrachan cap. he had hung about the unallied garage on evenings when he was too poor to go to vaudeville. he had become decidedly friendly with the night washer, a youngster from minneapolis. trotting up to the washer, who was digging caked snow from the shoes of a car, he blurted: "say, coogan, i've beat my job at ----'s. how's chances for getting a taxi to drive? you know i know the game." "you? driving a taxi?" stammered the washer. "why, say, there was a guy that was a road-tester for the blix company and he's got a cousin that knows bathhouse john, and that guy with all his pull has been trying to get on drivin' here for the last six months and ain't landed it, so you see about how much chance you got!" "gosh! it don't look much like i had much chance, for a fact." "tell you what i'll do, though. why don't you get on at some automobile factory, and then you could ring in as a chauffeur, soon 's you got some recommends you could take to the y. m. c. a. employment bureau." the washer gouged at a clot of ice with his heel, swore profusely, and went on: "here. you go over to the lodestar motor company's office, over on la salle, monday, and ask for bill coogan, on the sales end. he's me cousin, and you tell him to give you a card to the foreman out at the works, and i guess maybe you'll get a job, all right." tuesday morning, after a severe questioning by the foreman, carl was given a week's try-out without pay at the lodestar factory. he proved to be one of those much-sought freaks in the world of mechanics, a natural filer. the uninspired filer, unaware of the niceties of the art, saws up and down, whereas the instinctive filer, like carl, draws his file evenly across the metal, and the result fits its socket truly. so he was given welcome, paid twenty-five cents an hour, and made full member of exactly such a gang as he had known at plato, after he had laughed away the straw boss who tried to make him go ask for a left-handed monkey-wrench. he roomed at a machinists' boarding-house, and enjoyed the furious discussions over religion and the question of air _versus_ water cooling far more than he had ever enjoyed the polite jesting at mrs. henkel's. he became friendly with the foreman of the repair-shop, and was promised a "chance." while the driver who made the road-tests of the cars was ill carl was called on as a substitute. the older workmen warned him that no one could begin road-testing so early and hold the job. but carl happened to drive the vice-president of the firm. he discussed bass-fishing in minnesota with the vice-president, and he was retained as road-tester, getting his chauffeur's license. two months later, when he was helping in the overhauling of a car in the repair-shop, he heard a full-bodied man with a smart english overcoat and a supercilious red face ask curtly of the shop foreman where he could get a "crack shuffer, right away, one that can give the traffic cops something to do for their money." the foreman always stopped to scratch his chin when he had to think. this process gave carl time to look up from his repairs and blandly remark: "that's me. want to try me?" half an hour later carl was engaged at twenty-five dollars a week as the ruddy one's driver. before monday noon he had convinced the ruddy one that he was no servant, but a mechanical expert. he drove the ruddy one to his investments and securities office in the morning, and back at five; to restaurants in the evening. not infrequently, with the wind whooping about corners, he slept peacefully in the car till two in the morning, outside a café. and he was perfectly happy. he was at last seeing the great world. as he manoeuvered along state street he rejoiced in the complications of the traffic and tooted his horn unnecessarily. as he waited before tall buildings, at noon, he gazed up at them with a superior air of boredom--because he was so boyishly proud of being a part of all this titanic life that he was afraid he might show it. he gloried in every new road, in driving along the lake shore, where the horizon was bounded not by unimaginative land, but by restless water. then the ruddy one's favorite roads began to be familiar to carl, too familiar, and he so hated his sot of an employer that he caught himself muttering, while driving, "thank the lord i sit in front and don't have to see that chunk of raw beefsteak he calls a neck." while he waited for the fifth time before a certain expensive but not exclusive roadhouse, with the bouncing giggles of girls inside spoiling the spring night, he studied the background as once he had studied his father's woodshed. he was not, unfortunately, shocked by wine and women. but he was bored by box-trees. there was a smugly clipped box-tree on either side of the carriage entrance, the leaves like cheap green lacquer in the glare of the arc-light, which brought out all the artificiality of the gray-and-black cinder drive. he felt that five pilgrimages to even the best of box-trees were enough. it would be perfectly unreasonable for a free man to come here to stare at box-trees a sixth time. "all right," he growled. "i guess my-wandering-boy-to-night is going to beat it again." while he drove to the garage he pondered: "is it worth twenty-five plunks to me to be able to beat it to-night instead of waiting four days till pay-day? nope. i'm a poor man." but at a.m. he was hanging about the railroad-yards at hammond, recalling the lessons of youth in "flipping trains"; and at seven he was standing on the bumpers between two freight-cars, clinging to the brake-rod, looking out to the open meadows of indiana, laughing to see farm-houses ringed with apple-blossoms and sweet with april morning. the cinders stormed by him. as he swung with the cars, on curves, he saw the treacherous wheels grinding beneath him. but to the chuck-a-chuck, chuck-a-chuck, chuck-a-chuck of the trucks he hummed, "never turn back, never tur' back, never tur' back." chapter xiv a young hobo named carl ericson crawled from the rods of an n. & w. freight-car at roanoke, virginia, on a may day, with spring at full tide and the judas-trees a singing pink on the slopes of the blue ridge. "hm!" grunted the young hobo. "i like these mountains. guess i'll stay here awhile.... virginia! plantations and civil war history and richmond and everything, and me here!" a frowzy old hobo poked a somnolent head up from a pile of lumber near the tracks and yawned welcome to the recruit. "hello, slim. how's tricks?" "pretty good. what's the best section to batter for a poke-out, billy?" "to the right, over that way, and straight out." "much 'bliged," said slim--erstwhile ericson. "say, j' know of any jobs in this----" "any _whats_?" "jobs." "jobs? you looking for----say, you beat it. gwan. chase yourself. gwan now; don't stand there. you ain't no decent 'bo. you're another of those unfortunate workmen that's spoiling the profesh." the veteran stared at carl reprovingly, yet with a little sadness, too, at the thought of how bitterly he had been deceived in this young comrade, and his uncombed head slowly vanished amid the lumber. carl grinned and started up-town. he walked into four restaurants. at noon, in white jacket, he was bustling about as waiter in the dining-room of the waskahominie hotel, which had "white service" as a feature. within two days he was boon companion of a guest of the waskahominie--parker heye, an actor famous from cape charles to shockeysville, now playing heavies at roanoke in the great riley tent show, presenting a popular repertoire of famous melodramas under canvas, rain or shine, admittance twenty-five cents, section reserved for colored people, the best show under canvas, this week only. when parker heye returned from the theater carl sat with him in a room which had calico-like wall-paper, a sunken bed with a comforter out of which oozed a bit of its soiled cotton entrails, a cracked water-pitcher on a staggering wash-stand, and a beautiful new cuspidor of white china hand-painted with pink moss-roses tied with narrow blue ribbon. carl listened credulously to heye's confidences as to how jealous was riley, the actor-manager, of heye's art, how heye had "knocked them all down" in a stock company at newport news, and what e. h. sothern had said to him when they met in richmond as guests of the seven pines club. "say," rasped heye, "you're a smart young fellow, good-looking, ejucated. why don't you try to get an engagement? i'll knock you down to riley. the second juvenile 's going to leave on saturday, and there ain't hardly time to get anybody from norfolk." "golly! that 'd be great!" cried carl, who, like every human being since eden, with the possible exceptions of calvin and richard mansfield, had a secret belief that he could be a powerful actor. "well, i'll see what i can do for you," said heye, at parting, alternately snapping his suspenders and scratching his head. though he was in his stocking-feet and coat-less, though the back of his neck was a scraggle of hair, parker heye was preferable to the three swiss waiters snoring in the hot room under the eaves, with its door half open, opposite the half-open door of the room where negro chambermaids tumbled and snorted in uncouth slumber. carl's nose wrinkled with bitter fastidiousness as he pulled off his clothes, sticky with heat, and glared at the swathed forms of the waiters. he was the aristocrat among proletarians, going back to his own people--of the great riley tent show. * * * * * as second juvenile of the tent show, carl received only twelve dollars a week, but mr. riley made him promises rich as the orient beryl, and permitted him to follow the example of two of the bandsmen and pitch a cot on the trampled hay flooring of the dressing-room tent, behind the stage. there also carl prepared breakfast on an alcohol-stove. the canvas creaked all night; negroes and small boys stuck inquisitive heads under the edge of the canvas. but it was worth it--to travel on again; to have his mornings free except for an hour's rehearsal; to climb to upland meadows of virginia and kentucky, among the pines and laurel and rhododendron; tramping up past the log cabins plastered with mud, where pickaninnies stared shyly, past glens shining with dogwood, and friendly streams. once he sat for an hour on easter knob, gazing through a distant pass whose misty blue he pretended was the ocean. once he heard there were moonshiners back in the hills. he talked to bearded dunkards and their sunbonneted wives; and when he found a confederate veteran he listened to the tale of the defense of richmond, delighted to find that the boys in gray were not merely names in the history-books. of all these discoveries he wrote to his mother, wishing that her weary snow-bleached life might know the southern sun. and the first five dollars he saved he sent to her. but as soon as carl became an actor parker heye grew jealous of him, and was gratingly contemptuous when he showed him how to make up, among the cheap actors jammed in the men's dressing-room, before a pine board set on two saw-horses, under the light of a flaring kerosene-torch. carl came to hate heye and his splotched face, his pale, large eyes and yellow teeth and the bang on his forehead, his black string tie that was invariably askew, his slovenly blue suit, his foppishly shaped tan button shoes with "bulldog" toes. heye invariably jeered: "don't make up so heavy.... well, put a _little_ rouge on your lips. what d'you think you are? a blooming red-lipped venus?... try to learn to walk across the stage as if you had _one_ leg that wasn't wood, anyway.... it's customary to go to sleep when you're playing a listening rôle, but don't snore!... oh, you're a swell actor! think of me swallering your story about having been t' college!... don't make up your eyebrows so heavy, you fool.... why you ever wanted to be an actor----!" the great riley agreed with all that heye said, and marveled with heye that he had ever tried an amateur. carl found the dressing-room a hay-dusty hell. but he enjoyed acting in "the widow's penny," "alabama nell," "the moonshiner's daughter," and "the crook's revenge" far more than he had enjoyed picking phrases out of shakespeare at a vaguely remembered plato. since, in joralemon and plato, he had been brought up on melodrama, he believed as much as did the audience in the plays. it was a real mountain cabin from which he fired wonderfully loud guns in "the moonshiner's daughter"; and when the old mountaineer cried, "they ain't going to steal mah gal!" carl was damp at the eyes, and swore with real fervor the oath to protect the girl, sure that in the ravine behind the back-drop his bearded foe-men were lurking. "the crook's revenge" was his favorite, for he was cast as a young millionaire and wore evening clothes (second-hand). he held off a mob of shrieking gangsters, crouched behind an overturned table in a gambling-den. he coolly stroked the lovely hair of the ingénue, miss evelyn l'ewysse, with one hand, leveled a revolver with the other, and made fearless jests the while, to the infinite excitement of the audience, especially of the hyah-hyah-hyahing negroes, whose faces, under the flicker of lowered calcium-carbide lights, made a segregated strip of yellow-black polka-dotted with white eye-balls. when the people were before him, respectful to art under canvas, carl could love them; but even the tiniest ragged-breeched darky was bold in his curiosity about the strolling players when they appeared outside, and carl was self-conscious about the giggles and stares that surrounded him when he stopped on the street or went into a drug-store for the comfortable solace of a banana split. he was in a rage whenever a well-dressed girl peeped at him amusedly from a one-lunged runabout. the staring so flustered him that even the pride of coming from chicago and knowing about motors did not prevent his feeling feeble at the knees as he tried to stalk by the grinning motored aristocracy. he would return to the show-tent, to hate the few tawdry drops and flats--the patch of green spattered with dirty white which variously simulated a daisy-field, a mountainside, and that part of central park directly opposite the fifth avenue residence of the millionaire counterfeiter, who, you remember, always comes out into the street to plot with his confederates. carl hated with peculiar heartiness the anemic, palely varnished, folding garden bench, which figured now as a seat in the moonshiner's den, and now, with a cotton leopard-skin draped over it, as a fauteuil in the luxurious drawing-room of mrs. van antwerp. the garden bench was, however, associated with his learning to make stage love to miss evelyn l'ewysse. it was difficult to appear unconscious of fifty small boys all smacking their lips in unison, while he kissed the air one centimeter in front of miss l'ewysse's lips. but he learned the art. indeed, he began to lessen that centimeter of safety. miss evelyn l'ewysse (christened lena ludwig, and heir presumptive to one of the best delicatessens in newport news) reveled in love-making on and off. carl was attracted by her constantly, uncomfortably. she smiled at him in the wings, smoothed her fluffy blond hair at him, and told him in confidence that she was a high-school graduate, that she was used to much, oh, _much_ better companies, and was playing under canvas for a lark. she bubbled: "_ach_, louie, say, ain't it hot! honest, mr. ericson, i don't see how you stand it like you do.... say, honest, that was swell business you pulled in the third act last night.... say, i know what let's do--let's get up a swell act and get on the peanut circuit. we'd hit broadway with a noise like seventeen marine bands.... say, honest, mr. ericson, you do awful well for----i bet you ain't no amachoor. i bet you been on before." he devoured it. one night, finding that miss evelyn made no comment on his holding her hand, he lured her out of the tent during a long wait, trembled, and kissed her. her fingers gripped his shoulders agitatedly, plucked at his sleeve as she kissed him back. she murmured, "oh, you hadn't ought to do that." but afterward she would kiss him every time they were alone, and she told him with confidential giggles of parker heye's awkward attempts to win her. heye's most secret notes she read, till carl seriously informed her that she was violating a trust. miss evelyn immediately saw the light and promised she would "never, never, never do anythin' like that again, and, honest, she hadn't realized she was doing anythin' dishon'able, but heye is such an old pest"; which was an excuse for her weeping on his shoulder and his kissing the tears away. all day he looked forward to their meetings. yet constantly the law of the adventurer, which means the instinct of practical decency, warned him that this was no amour for him; that he must not make love where he did not love; that this good-hearted vulgarian was too kindly to tamper with and too absurd to love. only----and again his breath would draw in with swift exultation as he recalled how elastic were her shoulders to stroke. it was summer now, and they were back in virginia, touring the eastern shore. carl, the prairie-born, had been within five miles of the open atlantic, though he had not seen it. along the endless flat potato-fields, broken by pine-groves under whose sultry shadow negro cabins sweltered, the heat clung persistently. the show-tent was always filled with a stale scent of people. at the town of nankiwoc the hotel was not all it might have been. evelyn l'ewysse announced that she was "good and sick of eating a vaudeville dinner with the grub acts stuck around your plate in a lot of birds' bath-tubs--little mess of turnips and a dab of spinach and a fried cockroach. and when it comes to sleeping another night on a bed like a gridiron, no--thank--_you_! and believe me, if i see that old rube hotel-keeper comb his whiskers at the hall hat-rack again--he keeps a baby comb in his vest pocket with a lead-pencil and a cigar some drummer gave him--if i have to watch him comb that alfalfa again i'll bite his ears off and get pinched by the s. p. c. a.!" with mrs. lubley, the old lady and complacent unofficial chaperon of the show, eve was going to imitate carl and the two bandsmen, and sleep in the dressing-room tent, over half of which was devoted to the women of the company. every day carl warned himself that he must go no farther, but every night as eve and he parted, to sleep with only a canvas partition between them, he cursed the presence of the show chaperon, and of the two bandsmen, always distressingly awake and talking till after midnight. a hot june night. the whole company had been invited to a dance at the u. c. v. hall; the two bandsmen were going; the chaperon--lively old lady with experience on the burlesque circuit--was gaily going. carl and eve were not. it had taken but one glance between them to decide that. they sat outside the silent tent, on a wardrobe trunk. what manner of night it was, whether starlit or sullen, carl did not know; he was aware only that it was oppressive, and that eve was in his arms in the darkness. he kissed her moist, hot neck. he babbled incoherently of the show people, but every word he said meant that he was palpitating because her soft body was against his. he knew--and he was sure that she knew--that when they discussed heye's string tie and pretended to laugh, they were agitatedly voicing their intoxication. his voice unsteady, carl said: "jiminy! it's so hot, eve! i'm going to take off this darn shirt and collar and put on a soft shirt. s-say, w-why don't you put on a kimono or something? be so much cooler." "oh, i don't know as i ought to----" she was frightened, awed at bacchic madness. "d-do you think it would be all right?" "why not? guess anybody's got a right to get cool--night like this. besides, they won't be back till p.m. and you got to get cool. come on." and he knew--and he was sure that she knew--that all he said was pretense. but she rose and said, nebulously, as she stood before him, ruffling his hair: "well, i would like to get cool. if you think it's all right----i'll put on something cooler, anyway." she went. carl could hear a rustling in the women's end of the dressing-room tent. fevered, he listened to it. fevered, he changed to an outing-shirt, open at the throat. he ran out, not to miss a moment with her.... she had not yet come. he was too overwrought to heed a small voice in him, a voice born of snow-fields colored with sunset and trained in the quietudes of henry frazer's house, which insisted: "go slow! stop!" a louder voice throbbed like the pulsing of the artery in his neck, "she's coming!" through the darkness her light garment swished against the long grass. he sprang up. then he was holding her, bending her head back. he exulted to find that his gripping hand was barred from the smoothness of her side only by thin silk that glided and warmed under his fingers. she sat on his knees and snuggled her loosened hair tinglingly against his bare chest. he felt that she was waiting for him to go on. suddenly he could not, would not, go on. "dearest, we mustn't!" he mourned. "o carl!" she sobbed, and stopped his words with clinging lips. he found himself waiting till she should finish the kiss that he might put an end to this. perhaps he was checked by provincial prejudices about chivalry. but perhaps he had learned a little self-control. in any case, he had stopped for a second to think, and the wine of love was gone flat. he wished she would release him. also, her hair was tickling his ear. he waited, patiently, till she should finish the kiss. her lips drew violently from his, and she accused, "you don't want to kiss me!" "look here; i want to kiss you, all right--lord----" for a second his arms tightened; then he went on, cold: "but we'll both be good and sorry if we go too far. it isn't just a cowardly caution. it's----oh, you know." "oh yes, yes, yes, we mustn't go too far, carl. but can't we just sit like this? o sweetheart, i am so tired! i want somebody to care for me a little. that isn't wicked, is it? i want you to take me in your arms and hold me close, close, and comfort me. i want so much to be comforted. we needn't go any further, need we?" "oh now, good lord! eve, look here: don't you know we can't go on and not go farther? i'm having a hard enough time----" he sprang up, shakily lighting a cigarette. he stroked her hair and begged: "please go, eve. i guess i haven't got very good control over myself. please. you make me----" "oh yes, yes, sure! blame it on me! sure! i made you let me put on a kimono! i'm leading your pure white shriveled peanut of a soul into temptation!... don't you ever dare speak to me again! oh, you--you----" she flounced away. carl caught her, in two steps. "see here, child," he said, gravely, "if you go off like this we'll both be miserable.... you remember how happy we were driving out to the old plantation at powhasset?" "o gawd! won't you men never say anything original? remember it? of course i remember it! what do you suppose i wore that little branch of laurel you picked for me, wore it here, here, at my breast, and i thought you'd _care_ if i hid it here where there wasn't any grease paint, and you don't--you don't care--and we picnicked, and i sang all the time i put up those sandwiches and hid the grape-fruit in the basket to surprise you----" "o darling eve, i don't know how to say how sorry i am, so terribly sorry i've started things going! it is my fault. but can't you see i've got to stop it before it's too late, just for that reason? let's be chums again." she shook her head. her hand crept to his, slid over it, drew it up to her breast. she was swaying nearer to him. he pulled his hand free and fled to his tent. perhaps his fiercest gibe at himself was that he had had to play the rôle of virgin galahad rejecting love, which is praised in books and ridiculed in clubs. he mocked at his sincere desire to be fair to eve. and between mockeries he strained to hear her moving beyond the canvas partition. he was glad when the bandsmen came larruping home from the dance. next day she went out of her way to be chilly to him. he did not woo her friendship. he had resigned from the great riley show, and he was going--going anywhere, so long as he kept going. chapter xv he had been a jolly mechanic again, in denim overalls and jumper and a defiant black skull-cap with long, shiny vizor; the tender of the motor-boat fleet at an ontario summer hotel. one day he had looked up, sweating and greasy, to see howard griffin, of plato, parading past in white flannels. he had muttered: "i don't want them to know i've just been bumming around. i'll go some place else. and i'll do something worth while." now he was on the train for new york, meditating impersonally on his uselessness, considering how free of moss his rolling had kept him. he could think of no particularly masterful plan for accumulating moss. if he had not bought a ticket through to new york he would have turned back, to seek a position in one of the great automobile factories that now, this early autumn of , were beginning to distinguish detroit. well, he had enough money to last for one week in new york. he would work in an automobile agency there; later he would go to detroit, and within a few years be president of a motor company, rich enough to experiment with motor-boats and to laugh at howard griffin or any other platonian. so he sketched his conquering entrance into new york. unfortunately it was in the evening, and, having fallen asleep at poughkeepsie, he did not awake till a brakeman shook his shoulder at the grand central station. he had heard of the old grand union hotel, and drowsily, with the stuffy nose and sandy eyes and unclean feeling about the teeth that overpower one who sleeps in a smoking-car, he staggered across to the hotel and spent his first conquering night in filling a dollar room with vulgar sounds of over-weary slumber. but in the morning, when he stared along forty-second street; when he breakfasted at a childs' restaurant, like a gigantic tiled bath-room, and realized that the buckwheat cakes were new york buckwheats; when he sighted the noble _times_ building and struck out for broadway (the magic name that promised marble palaces, even if it provided two-story shacks); when he bustled into a carburetor agency and demanded a job--then he found the gateway of wonder. but he did not find a job. eight nights after his arrival he quietly paid his bill at the hotel; tipped a curly-headed bell-boy; checked his baggage, which consisted of a shirt, a razor, and an illustrated catalogue of automobile accessories; put his tooth-brush in his pocket; bought an evening paper in order to feel luxurious; and walked down to the charity organization society, with ten cents in his pocket. in the joint application bureau, filled with desks and filing-cabinets, where poor men cease to be men and become cases, carl waited on a long bench till it was his turn to tell his troubles to a keen, kindly, gray-bearded man behind a roll-top desk. he asked for work. work was, it seemed, the one thing the society could not give. he received a ticket to the municipal lodging house. this was not the hygienic hostelry of to-day, but a barracks on first avenue. carl had a chunk of bread with too much soda in it, and coffee with too little coffee in it, from a contemptuous personage in a white jacket, who, though his cuffs were grimy, showed plainly that he was too good to wait on bums. carl leaned his elbows on the long scrubbed table and chewed the bread of charity sullenly, resolving to catch a freight next day and get out of town. he slept in a narrow bunk near a man with consumption. the room reeked of disinfectants and charity. * * * * * the east side of new york. a whirlwind of noise and smell and hovering shadows. the jargon of jewish matrons in brown shawls and orthodox wigs, chaffering for cabbages and black cotton stockings and gray woolen undershirts with excitable push-cart proprietors who had beards so prophetic that it was startling to see a frivolous cigarette amid the reverend mane. the scent of fried fish and decaying bits of kosher meat, and hallways as damnably rotten of floor as they were profitable to new york's nicest circles. the tall gloom of six-story tenements that made a prison wall of dulled yellow, bristling with bedding-piled fire-escapes and the curious heads of frowzy women. a potpourri of russian signs, yiddish newspapers, synagogues with six-pointed gilt stars, bakeries with piles of rye bread crawling with caraway-seeds, shops for renting wedding finery that looked as if it could never fit any one, second-hand furniture-shops with folding iron beds, a filthy baby holding a baby slightly younger and filthier, mangy cats slinking from pile to pile of rubbish, and a withered geranium in a tin can whose label was hanging loose and showed rust-stains amid the dry paste on its back. everywhere crowds of voluble jews in dark clothes, and noisily playing children that catapulted into your legs. the lunger-blocks in which we train the victims of russian tyranny to appreciate our freedom. a whirlwind of alien ugliness and foul smells and incessant roar and the deathless ambition of young jews to know ibsen and syndicalism. it swamped the courage of hungry carl as he roamed through rivington street and essex and hester, vainly seeking jobs from shopkeepers too poor to be able to bathe. he felt that he, not these matter-of-fact crowds, was alien. he was hungry and tired. there was nothing heroic to do--just go hungry. there was no place where he could sit down. the benches of the tiny hard-trodden parks were full.... if he could sit down, if he could rest one little hour, he would be able to go and find freight-yards, where there would be the clean clang of bells and rattle of trucks instead of gabbled yiddish. then he would ride out into the country, away from the brooding shadows of this town, where there were no separable faces, but only a fog of ceaselessly moving crowds.... late that night he stood aimlessly talking to a hobo on a dirty corner of the bowery, where the early september rain drizzled through the gaunt structure of the elevated. he did not feel the hunger so much now, but he was meekly glad to learn from his new friend, the hobo, that in one more hour he could get food in the bread-line. he felt very boyish, and would have confided the fact that he was starving to any woman, to any one but this transcontinental hobo, the tramp royal, trained to scorn hunger. because he was one of them he watched incuriously the procession of vagrants, in coats whose collars were turned up and fastened with safety-pins against the rain. the vagrants shuffled rapidly by, their shoulders hunched, their hands always in their trousers pockets, their shoe-heels always ground down and muddy. and incuriously he watched a saloon-keeper, whose face was plastered over with a huge mustache, come out and hang a sign, "porter wanted in a.m.," on the saloon door. as he slouched away to join the bread-line, a black deuce in the world's discard, carl was wondering how he could get that imperial appointment as porter in a bowery saloon. he almost forgot it while waiting in the bread-line, so occupied was he in hating two collegians who watched the line with that open curiosity which nice, clean, respectable young men suppose the poor never notice. he restrained his desire to go over and quote greek at them, because they were ignorant and not to blame for being sure that they were of clay superior to any one in a bread-line. and partly because he had forgotten his greek. he came back to the bowery briskly, alone, with the manhood of a loaf of bread in him. he was going to get that job as porter. he planned his campaign as a politician plans to become a statesman. he slipped the sign, "porter wanted in a.m.," from its nail and hid it beneath his coat. he tramped the block all night and, as suspicious characters always do to avoid seeming suspicious, he begged a match from a policeman who was keeping an eye on him. the policeman chatted with him about baseball and advised him to keep away from liquor and missions. at a.m. carl was standing at the saloon door. when the bartender opened it carl bounced in, slightly dizzy, conscious of the slime of mud on his fraying trouser-ends. the saloon had an air of cheap crime and a floor covered with clotted sawdust. the bar was a slab of dark-brown wood, so worn that semicircles of slivers were showing. the nasty gutter was still filled with cigar-ends and puddles of beer and bits of free-lunch cheese. "i want that job as porter," said carl. "oh, you do, do you? well, you wait and see who else comes to get it." "nobody else is going to come." "how do you know they ain't?" carl drew the sign from beneath his coat and carefully laid it on the bar. "that's why." "well, you got nerve. you got the nerve of a republican on fourteenth street, like the fellow says. you must want it. well, all right, i guess you can have it if the boss don't kick." carl was accepted by the "boss," who gave him a quarter and told him to go out and get a "regular feed." he hummed over breakfast. he had been accepted again by all men when he had been accepted by the proprietor of a bowery saloon. he was going to hold this job, no matter what happened. the rolling stone was going to gather moss. for three months carl took seriously the dirtiest things in the world. he worked sixteen hours a day for eight dollars a week, cleaning cuspidors, scrubbing the floor, scattering clean sawdust, cutting the more rotten portions off the free-lunch meat. as he slopped about with half-frozen, brittle rags, hoboes pushed him aside and spat on the floor he had just cleaned. of his eight dollars a week he saved four. he rented an airshaft bedroom in the flat of a jewish sweatshop worker for one dollar and seventy-five cents a week. it was occupied daytimes by a cook in an all-night restaurant, who had taken a bath in when at coney island on an excursion of the pip o'gilligan association. the room was unheated, and every night during january carl debated whether to go to bed with his shoes on or off. the sub-landlord's daughter was a dwarfish, blotched-faced, passionate child of fifteen, with moist eyes and very low-cut waists of coarse voile (which she pronounced "voyle"). she would stop carl in the dark "railroad" hallway and, chewing gum rapidly, chatter about the aisleman at wanamacy's, and what a swell time there would be at the coming ball of the thomas j. monahan literary and social club, tickets twenty-five cents for lady and gent, including hat-check. she let carl know that she considered him close-fisted for never taking her to the movies on sunday afternoons, but he patted her head and talked to her like a big brother and kept himself from noticing that she had clinging hands and would be rather pretty, and he bought her a wholesome woman's magazine to read--not an entirely complete solution to the problem of what to do with the girl whom organized society is too busy to nourish, but the best he could contrive just then. sundays, when he was free for part of the day, he took his book of recipes for mixed drinks to the reading-room of the tompkins square library and gravely studied them, for he was going to be a bartender. every night when he staggered from the comparatively clean air of the street into the fetid chill of his room he asked himself why he--son of northern tamaracks and quiet books--went on with this horrible imitation of living; and each time answered himself that, whether there was any real reason or not, he was going to make good on one job at least, and that the one he held. and admonished himself that he was very well paid for a saloon porter. if carl had never stood in the bread-line, if he had never been compelled to clean a saloon gutter artistically, in order to keep from standing in that bread-line, he would surely have gone back to the commonplaceness for which every one except bone stillman and henry frazer had been assiduously training him all his life. they who know how naturally life runs on in any sphere will understand that carl did not at the time feel that he was debased. he lived twenty-four hours a day and kept busy, with no more wonder at himself than is displayed by the professional burglar or the man who devotes all his youth to learning greek or soldiering. nevertheless, the work itself was so much less desirable than driving a car or wandering through the moonlight with eve l'ewysse in days wonderful and lost that, to endure it, to conquer it, he had to develop a control over temper and speech and body which was to stay with him in windy mornings of daring. within three months carl had become assistant bar-keeper, and now he could save eight dollars a week. he bought a couple of motor magazines and went to one vaudeville show and kept his sub-landlord's daughter from running off with a cadet, wondering how soon she would do it in any case, and receiving a depressing insight into the efficiency of society for keeping in the mire most of the people born there. three months later, at the end of winter, he was ready to start for panama. he was going to panama because he had read in a sunday newspaper of the canal's marvels of engineering and jungle. he had avoided making friends. there was no one to give him farewell when he emerged from the muck. but he had one task to perform--to settle with the saloon snob. petey mcguff was the name of this creature. he was an oldish and wicked man, born on the bowery. he had been a heavy-weight prize-fighter in the days of john l. sullivan; then he had met john, and been, ever since, an honest crook who made an excellent living by conducting a boxing-school in which the real work was done by assistants. he resembled a hound with a neat black bow tie, and he drooled tobacco-juice down his big, raw-looking, moist, bristly, too-masculine chin. every evening from eleven to midnight petey mcguff sat at the round table in the mildewed corner at the end of the bar, drinking old-fashioned whisky cocktails made with bourbon, playing canfield, staring at the nude models pasted on the milky surface of an old mirror, and teasing carl. "here, boy, come 'ere an' wipe off de whisky you spilled.... come on, you tissy-cat. get on de job.... you look like sunday-school harry. mamma's little rosy-cheeked boy.... some day i'm going to bust your beezer. gawd! it makes me sick to sit here and look at dose goily-goily cheeks.... come 'ere, lizzie, an' wipe dis table again. on de jump, daughter." carl held himself in. hundreds of times he snarled to himself: "i _won't_ hit him! i will make good on _this_ job, anyway." he created a grin which he could affix easily. now he was leaving. he had proven that he could hold a job; had answered the unspoken criticisms from plato, from chicago garages, from the great riley show. for the first time since he had deserted college he had been able to write to his father, to answer the grim carpenter's unspoken criticisms of the son who had given up his chance for an "education." and proudly he had sent to his father a little check. he had a beautiful new fifteen-dollar suit of blue serge at home. in his pocket was his ticket--steerage by the p. r. r. line to colon--and he would be off for bluewater next noon. his feet danced behind the bar as he filled schooners of beer and scraped off their foam with a celluloid ruler. he saw himself in panama, with a clean man's job, talking to cosmopolitan engineers against a background of green-and-scarlet jungle. and, oh yes, he was going to beat petey mcguff that evening, and get back much of the belligerent self-respect which he had been drawing off into schooners with the beer. old petey rolled in at two minutes past eleven, warmed his hands at the gas-stove, poked disapprovingly at the pretzels on the free-lunch counter, and bawled at carl: "hey, keep away from dat cash-register! wipe dem goilish tears away, will yuh, agnes, and bring us a little health-destroyer and a couple matches." carl brought a whisky cocktail. "where's de matches, you tissy-cat?" carl wiped his hands on his apron and beamed: "well, so the old soak is getting too fat and lazy to reach over on the bar and get his own! you'll last quick now!" "aw, is dat so!... for de love of mike, d'yuh mean to tell me lizzie is talking back? whadda yuh know about dat! whadda yuh know about dat! you'll get sick on us here, foist t'ing we know. where was yuh hoited?" petey mcguff's smile was absolutely friendly. it made carl hesitate, but it had become one of the principles of cosmic ethics that he had to thump petey, and he growled: "i'll give you all the talking back you want, you big stiff. i'm getting through to-night. i'm going to panama." "no, straight, is dat straight?" "that's what i said." "well, dat's fine, boy. i been watching yuh, and i sees y' wasn't cut out to be no saloon porter. i made a little bet with meself you was ejucated. why, y'r cuffs ain't even doity--not very doity. course you kinda need a shave, but dem little blond hairs don't show much. i seen you was a gentleman, even if de bums didn't. you're too good t' be a rum-peddler. glad y're going, boy, mighty glad. sit down. tell us about it. we'll miss yuh here. i was just saying th' other night to mike here dere ain't one feller in a hundred could 'a' stood de kiddin' from an old he-one like me and kep' his mout' shut and grinned and said nawthin' to nobody. dat's w'at wins fights. but, say, boy, i'll miss yuh, i sure will. i get to be kind of lonely as de boys drop off--like boozers always does. oh, hell, i won't spill me troubles like an old tissy-cat.... so you're going to panama? i want yuh to sit down and tell me about it. whachu taking, boy?" "just a cigar.... i'll miss you, too, petey. tell you what i'll do. i'll send you some post-cards from panama." next noon as the s.s. _panama_ pulled out of her ice-lined dock carl saw an old man shivering on the wharf and frantically waving good-by--petey mcguff. chapter xvi the s.s. _panama_ had passed watling's island and steamed into story-land. on the white-scrubbed deck aft of the wheel-house carl sat with his friends of the steerage--sturdy men all, used to open places; old ed, the rock-driller, long, irish, huge-handed, irate, kindly; harry, the young mechanic from cleveland. ed and an oiler were furiously debating about the food aboard: "aw, it's rotten, all of it." "look here, ed, how about the chicken they give the steerage on sunday?" "chicken? i didn't see no chicken. i see some sea-gull, though. no wonder they ain't no more sea-gulls following us. they shot 'em and cooked 'em on us." "say," mused harry, "makes me think of when i was ship-building in philly--no, it was when i was broke in k. c.--and a guy----" carl smiled in content, exulting in the talk of the men of the road, exulting in his new blue serge suit, his new silver-gray tie with no smell of the saloon about it, finger-nails that were growing pink again--and the sunset that made glorious his petty prides. a vast plane of unrippling plum-colored sea was set with mirror-like pools where floated tree-branches so suffused with light that the glad heart blessed them. his first flying-fish leaped silvery from silver sea, and carl cried, almost aloud, "this is what i've been wanting all my life!" aloud, to harry: "say, what's it like in kansas? i'm going down through there some day." he spoke harshly. but the real carl was robed in light and the murmurous wake of evening, with the tropics down the sky-line. * * * * * lying in his hot steerage bunk, stripped to his under-shirt, carl peered through the "state-room" window to the swishing night sea, conscious of the rolling of the boat, of the engines shaking her, of bolts studding the white iron wall, of life-preservers over his head, of stokers singing in the gangway as they dumped the clinkers overboard. the _panama_ was pounding on, on, on, and he rejoiced, "this is just what i've wanted, always." * * * * * they are creeping in toward the wharf at colon. he is seeing panama! first a point of palms, then the hospital, the red roofs of the i. c. c. quarters at cristobal, and negroes on the sun-blistered wharf. at last he is free to go ashore in wonderland--a medley of colon and cristobal, panama and the canal zone of ; spiggoty policemen like monkeys chattering bad spanish, and big, smiling canal zone policemen in khaki, with the air of soldiers; jamaica negroes with conical heads and brown barbados negroes with cockney accents; english engineers in lordly pugrees, and tourists from new england who seem servants of their own tortoise-shell spectacles; comfortable ebon mammies with silver bangles and kerchiefs of stabbing scarlet, dressed in starched pink-and-blue gingham, vending guavas and green toboga island pineapples. carl gapes at panamanian nuns and chilean consuls, french peasant laborers and indignant irish foremen and german concessionaries with dueling scars and high collars. gold spanish signs and spiggoty money and hotels with american cuspidors and job-hunters; tin roofs and arcades; shops open to the street in front, but mysterious within, giving glimpses of the canny chinese proprietors smoking tiny pipes. trains from towns along the canal, and sometimes the black funeral-car, bound for monkey hill cemetery. gambling-houses where it is considered humorous to play "where is my wandering boy to-night?" on the phonograph while wandering boys sit at poker; and less cleanly places, named after the various states. negro wenches in yellow calico dancing to fiddled tunes older than voodoo; indian planters coming sullenly in with pale-green bananas; memories of the spanish main and morgan's raid, of pieces of eight and cutlasses ho! capes of cocoanut palms running into a welter of surf; huts on piles streaked with moss, round whose bases land-crabs scuttle with a dry rattling that carries far in the hot, moist, still air, and suggests the corpses of disappeared men found half devoured. then, for contrast, the transplanted north, with its seriousness about the service; the american avenues and cool breezes of cristobal, where fat, bald chiefs of the i. c. c. drive pompously with political guests who, in , are still incredulous about the success of the military socialism of the canal, and where wives from oklahoma or boston, seated in grand rapids golden-oak rockers on the screened porches of bungalows, talk of hats, and children, and mail-orders, and cards, and the colonel, and malarial fever, and chautauqua, and the culebra slide. colon! a kaleidoscope of crimson and green and dazzling white, warm-hued peoples and sizzling roofs, with echoes from the high endeavor of the canal and whispers from the unknown bush; drenched with sudden rain like escaping steam, or languid under the desert glare of the sky, where hangs a gyre of buzzards whose slow circles are stiller than death and calmer than wisdom. "lord!" sighs carl ericson from joralemon, "this is what i've wanted ever since i was a kid." * * * * * at pedro miguel, which the canal employees always called "peter mcgill," he found work, first as an unofficial time-keeper; presently, after examinations, as a stationery engineer on the roll of the i. c. c. within a month he showed no signs of his bowery experiences beyond a shallow hollow in his smooth cheeks. he lived in quarters like a college dormitory, communistic and jolly, littered with shoes and cube-cut tobacco and college banners; clean youngsters dropping in for an easy chat--and behind it all, the mystery of the bush. his room-mate, a conductor on the p. r. r., was a globe-trotter, and through him carl met the adventurers, whom he had been questing ever since he had run away from oscar ericson's woodshed. there was a young engineer from boston tech., who swore every morning at . (when it rained boiling water as enthusiastically as though it had never done such a thing before) that he was going to chihuahua, mining. there was cock-eye corbett, an ex-sailor, who was immoral and a lancashireman, and knew more about blackbirding and copra and kanakas, and the rum-holes from nagasaki to mombasa, than it is healthy for a civil servant to know. every sunday a sad-faced man with ash-colored hair and bony fingers, who had been a lieutenant in the peruvian navy, a teacher in st. john's college, china, and a sub-contractor for railroad construction in montana, and who was now a minor clerk in the cool, lofty offices of the materials and supplies department, came over from colon, relaxed in a tilted-back chair, and fingered the masonic charm on his horsehair watch-guard, while he talked with the p. r. r. conductor and the others about ruby-hunting and the relief of peking, and where is hector macdonald? and is john orth dead? and shall we try to climb chimborazo? and creussot guns and pig-sticking and swahili tribal lore. these were a few of the topics regarding which he had inside information. the others drawled about various strange things which make a man discontented and bring him no good. carl was full member of the circle because of his tales of the bowery and the great riley show, and because he pretended to be rather an authority on motors for dirigibles, about which he read in _aeronautics_ at the y. m. c. a. reading-room. it is true that at this time, early , the wrights were still working in obscurity, unknown even in their own dayton, though they had a completely successful machine stowed away; and as yet glenn curtiss had merely developed a motor for captain baldwin's military dirigible. but langley and maxim had endeavored to launch power-driven, heavier-than-air machines; lively santos dumont had flipped about the eiffel tower in his dirigible, and actually raised himself from the ground in a ponderous aeroplane; and in may, , a sculptor named delagrange flew over six hundred feet in france. various crank inventors were "solving the problem of flight" every day. man was fluttering on the edge of his earthy nest, ready to plunge into the air. carl was able to make technical-sounding predictions which caught the imaginations of the restless children. * * * * * the adventurers kept moving. the beach-combing ex-sailor said that he was starting for valparaiso, started for san domingo, and landed in tahiti, whence he sent carl one post-card, worded, "what price t. t.?" the engineer from boston tech. kept his oath about mining in chihuahua. he got the appointment as assistant superintendent of the tres reyes mine--and he took carl with him. carl reached mexico and breathed the air of high-lying desert and hill. he found rare days, purposeless and wonderful as the voyages of ancient norse ericsens; days of learning spanish and sitting quietly balancing a . - marlin, waiting for bandits to attack; the joy of repairing machinery and helping to erect a new crusher, nursing peons with broken legs, and riding cow-ponies down black mountain trails at night under an exhilarating splendor of stars. it never seemed to him that the machinery desecrated the mountains' stern grandeur. stolen hours he gave to the building of box-kites with cambered wings, after rapturously learning, in the autumn of , that in august a lanky american mechanic named wilbur wright had startled the world by flying an aeroplane many miles publicly in france; that before this, on july , , another yankee mechanic, glenn curtiss, had covered nearly a mile, for the _scientific american_ trophy, after a series of trials made in company with alexander graham bell, j. a. d. mccurdy, "casey" baldwin, and augustus post. he might have gone on until death, dealing with excitable greasers and hysterical machinery, but for the coming of a new mine superintendent--one of those englishmen, stolid, red-mustached, pipe-smoking, eye-brow-lifting, who at first seem beefily dull, but prove to have known every one from george moore to marconi. he inspected carl hundreds of times, then told him that the period had come when he ought to attack a city, conquer it, build up a reputation cumulatively; that he needed a contrast to platonians and bowery bums and tropical tramps, and even to his beloved engineers. "you can do everything but order a _petit dîner à deux_, but you must learn to do that, too. go make ten thousand pounds and study pall mall and the boulevards, and then come back to us in mexico. i'll be sorry to have you go--with your damned old silky hair like a woman's and your wink when guittrez comes up here to threaten us--but don't let the hinterland enslave you too early." a month later, in january, , aged twenty-three and a half, carl was steaming out of el paso for california, with one thousand dollars in savings, a beautiful new stetson hat, and an ambition to build up a motor business in san francisco. as the desert sky swam with orange light and a white-browed woman in the seat behind him hummed musetta's song from "la bohème" he was homesick for the outlanders, whom he was deserting that he might stick for twenty years in one street and grub out a hundred thousand dollars. chapter xvii on a grassy side-street of oakland, california, was "jones & ericson's garage: gasoline and repairs: motor cycles and bicycles for rent: oakland agents for bristow magnetos." it was perhaps the cleverest garage in oakland and berkeley for the quick repairing of motor-cycles; and newly wed owners of family runabouts swore that carl ericson could make a carburetor out of a tomato-can, and even be agreeable when called on for repairs at a.m. he had doubled old jones's business during the nine months--february to november, --that they had been associated. carl believed that he thought of nothing but work and the restaurants and theaters of civilization. no more rolling for him until he had gathered moss! he played that he was a confirmed business man. the game had hypnotized him for nearly a year. he whistled as he cleaned plugs, and glanced out at the eucalyptus-trees and the sunny road, without wanting to run away. but just to-day, just this glorious rain-cleansed november day, with high blue skies and sunlight on the feathery pepper-trees, he was going to sneak away from work and have a celebration all by himself. he was going down to san mateo to see his first flying-machine! november, . blériot had crossed the english channel; mccurdy had, in march, , calmly pegged off sixteen miles in the "silver dart" biplane; paulhan had gone eighty-one miles, and had risen to the incredible height of five hundred feet, to be overshadowed by orville wright's sixteen hundred feet; glenn curtiss had won the gordon bennett cup at rheims. california was promising to be in the van of aviation. she was remembering that her own montgomery had been one of the pioneers. los angeles was planning a giant meet for january. a dozen cow-pasture aviators were taking credulous young reporters aside and confiding that next day, or next week, or at latest next month, they would startle the world by ascending in machines "on entirely new and revolutionary principles, on which they had been working for ten years." sometimes it was for eight years they had been working. but always they remarked that "the model from which the machine will be built has flown perfectly in the presence of some of the most prominent men in the locality." these machines had a great deal to do with the mysterious qualities of gyroscopes and helicopters. now, dr. josiah bagby, the san francisco physician and oil-burning-marine-engine magnate, had really brought three genuine blériot monoplanes from france, with carmeau, graduate of the blériot school and licensed french aviator, for working pilot; and was experimenting with them at san mateo, near san francisco, where the grandsons of the forty-niners play polo. it had been rumored that he would open a school for pilots and build blériot-type monoplanes for the american market. carl had lain awake for an hour the night before, picturing the wonder of flight that he hoped to see. he rose early, put on his politest garments, and informed grumpy old jones that he was off for a frolic--he wasn't sure, he said, whether he would get drunk or get married. he crossed the bay, glad of the sea-gulls, the glory of mt. tamalpais, and san francisco's hill behind fairy hill. he consumed a pacific sundæ, with a feeling of holiday, and hummed "mandalay." on the trolley to san mateo he read over and over the newspaper accounts of bagby's monoplanes. walking through san mateo, carl swung his cocky green hat and scanned the sky for aircraft. he saw none. but as he tramped out on the flying-field he began to run at the sight of two wide, cambered wings, rounded at the ends like the end of one's thumb, attached to a fragile long body of open framework. men were gathered about it. a man with a short, crisp beard and a tight woolen toboggan-cap was seated in the body, the wings stretching on either side of him. he scratched his beard and gesticulated. a mechanic revolved the propeller, and the unmuffled motor burst out with a trrrrrrrr whose music rocked carl's heart. black smoke hurled back along the machine. the draught tore at the hair of two men crouched on the ground holding the tail. they let go. the monoplane ran forward along the ground, and suddenly was off it, a foot up, ten feet up--really flying. carl could see the aviator calmly staring ahead, working his arms, as the machine turned and slipped away over distant trees. his first impression of an aeroplane in the air had nothing to do with birds or dragon-flies or the miracle of it, because he was completely absorbed in an impression of carl ericson, which he expressed after this wise: "i--am--going--to--be--an--aviator!" and later, "yes, _that's_ what i've always wanted." he joined the group in front of the hangar-tent. workmen were hammering on wooden sheds back of it. he recognized the owner, dr. bagby, from his pictures: a lean man of sixty with a sallow complexion, a gray mustache like a rat-tail, a broad, black countrified slouch-hat on the back of his head, a gray sack-suit which would have been respectable but unfashionable at any period whatsoever. he looked like a country lawyer who had served two terms in the state legislature. his shoes were black, but not blackened, and had no toe-caps--the comfortable shoes of an oldish man. he was tapping his teeth with a thin corded forefinger and remarking in a monotonous voice to a mexican youth plump and polite and well dressed, "wel-l-l-l, tony, i guess those plugs were better; i guess those plugs were better. heh?" bagby turned to the others, marveled at them as if trying to remember who they were, and said, slowly, "i guess those plugs were all right. heh?" the monoplane was returning, for a time apparently not moving, like a black mark painted on the great blue sky; then soaring overhead, the sharply cut outlines clear as a pen-and-ink drawing; then landing, bouncing on the slightly uneven ground. as the french aviator climbed out, dr. bagby's sad face brightened and he suggested: "those plugs went better, munseer. heh? i've been thinking. maybe you been giving her too rich a mixture." while they were wiping the gnôme engine carl shyly approached dr. bagby. he felt frightfully an outsider; wondered if he could ever be intimate with the magician as was the plump mexican youth they called "tony." he said "uh" once or twice, and blurted, "i want to be an aviator." "yes, yes," said dr. bagby, gently, glancing away from carl to the machine. he went over, twanged a supporting-wire, and seemed to remember that some one had spoken to him. he returned to the fevered carl, walking sidewise, staring all the while at the resting monoplane, so efficient, yet so quiet now and slender and feminine. "yes, yes. so you'd like to be an aviator. so you'd like--like----(hey, boy, don't touch that!)----to be an aviator. yes, yes. they all would, m' boy. they all would. well, maybe you can be, some day. maybe you can be.... some day." "i mean now. right away. heard you were going t' start a school. want to join." "hm, hm," sighed dr. bagby, tapping his teeth, jingling his heavy gold watch-chain, brushing a trail of cigar-ashes from a lapel, then staring abstractedly at carl, who was turning his hat swiftly round and round, so flushed of cheek, so excited of eye, that he seemed twenty instead of twenty-four. "yes, yes, so you'd like to join. tst. but that would cost you five hundred dollars, you know." "right!" "well, you go talk to munseer about it; munseer carmeau. he is a very good aviator. he is a licensed aviator. he knows henry farman. he studied under blériot. he is the boss here. i'm just the poor old fellow that stands around. sometimes munseer takes me up for a little ride in our machine; sometimes he takes me up; but he is the boss. he is the boss, my friend; you'll have to see him." and dr. bagby walked away, apparently much discouraged about life. carl was not discouraged about life. he swore that now he would be an aviator even if he had to go to dayton or hammondsport or france. he returned to oakland. he sold his share in the garage for $ , . before the end of january he was enrolled as a student in the bagby school of aviation and monoplane building. on an impulse he wrote of his wondrous happiness to gertie cowles, but he tore up the letter. then proudly he wrote to his father that the lost boy had found himself. for the first time in all his desultory writing of home-letters he did not feel impelled to defend himself. chapter xviii crude were the surroundings where carmeau turned out some of the best monoplane pilots america will ever see. there were two rude shed-hangars in which they kept the three imported blériots--a single-seat racer of the latest type, a blériot xii. passenger-carrying machine with the seat under the plane, and "p'tite marie," the school machine, which they usually kept throttled down to four hundred or five hundred, but in which carmeau made such spirited flights as the one carl had first witnessed. back of the hangars was the workshop, which had little architecture, but much machinery. here the pupils were building two blériot-type machines, and trying to build an eight-cylinder v motor. all these things had bagby given for the good of the game, expecting no profit in return. he was one of the real martyrs of aviation, this sapless, oldish man, never knowing the joy of the air, yet devoting a lifetime of ability to helping man sprout wings and become superman. his generosity did not extend to living-quarters. most of the students lived at the hangars and dined on hamburg sandwiches, fried eggs, and mexican _enchiladas_, served at a lunch-wagon anchored near the field. that lunch-wagon was their club. here, squatted on high stools, treating one another to ginger-ale, they argued over torque and angles of incidence and monoplanes _vs._ biplanes. except for two unpopular aristocrats who found boarding-houses in san mateo, they slept in the hangars, in their overalls, sprawled on mattresses covered with horse-blankets. it was bed at eight-thirty. at four or five carmeau would crawl out, scratch his beard, start a motor, and set every neighborhood dog howling. the students would gloomily clump over to the lunch-wagon for a ham-and-egg breakfast. the first flights began at dawn, if the day was clear. at eight, when the wind was coming up, they would be heard in the workshop, adjusting and readjusting, machining down bearings, testing wing strength, humming and laughing and busy; a life of gasoline and hammers and straining attempts to get balance exactly right; a happy life of good fellows and the achievements of machinery and preparation for daring the upper air; a life of very ordinary mechanics and of sheer romance! it is a grievous heresy that aviation is most romantic when the aviator is portrayed as a young god of noble rank and a collar high and spotless, carelessly driving a transatlantic machine of perfect efficiency. the real romance is that a perfectly ordinary young man, the sort of young man who cleans your car at the garage, a prosaically real young man wearing overalls faded to a thin blue, splitting his infinitives, and frequently having for idol a bouncing ingénue, should, in a rickety structure of wood and percale, be able to soar miles in the air and fulfil the dream of all the creeping ages. in english and american fiction there are now nearly as many aeroplanes as rapiers or roses. the fictional aviators are society amateurs, wearers of evening clothes, frequenters of the club, journalists and civil engineers and lordlings and international agents and gentlemen detectives, who drawl, "oh yes, i fly a bit--new sensation, y' know--tired of polo"; and immediately thereafter use the aeroplane to raid arsenals, rescue a maiden from robbers or a large ruby from its lawful but heathenish possessors, or prevent a zeppelin from raiding the coast. but they never by any chance fly these machines before gum-chewing thousands for hire. in england they absolutely must motor from the club to the flying-field in a "powerful rolls-royce car." the british aviators of fiction are usually from oxford and eton. they are splendidly languid and modest and smartly dressed in society, but when they condescend to an adventure or to a coincidence, they are very devils, six feet of steel and sinew, boys of the bulldog breed with a strong trace of humming-bird. like their english kindred, the americans take up aviation only for gentlemanly sport. and they do go about rescuing things. nothing is safe from their rescuing. but they do not have rolls-royce cars. carl and his class at bagby's were not of this gilded race. carl's flying was as sordidly real as laying brick for a one-story laundry in a mill-town. therefore, being real, it was romantic and miraculous. among carl's class was hank odell, the senior student, tall, thin, hopelessly plain of face; a drawling, rough-haired, eagle-nosed yankee, who grinned shyly and whose adam's apple worked slowly up and down when you spoke to him; an unimaginative lover of dogs and machinery; the descendant of lexington and gettysburg and a flinty vermont farm; an ex-fireman, ex-sergeant of the army, and ex-teamster. he always wore a khaki shirt--the wrinkles of which caught the grease in black lines, like veins--with black trousers, blunt-toed shoes, and a pipe, the most important part of his costume. there was the round, anxious, polite mexican, tony beanno, called "tony bean"--wealthy, simple, fond of the violin and of fast motoring. there was the "school grouch," surly jack ryan, the chunky ex-chauffeur. there were seven nondescripts--a clever jew from seattle, two college youngsters, an apricot-rancher's son, a circus acrobat who wanted a new line of tricks, a dull ensign detailed by the navy, and an earnest student of aerodynamics, aged forty, who had written marvelously dull books on air-currents and had shrinkingly made himself a fair balloon pilot. the navy ensign and the student were the snobs who lived away from the hangars, in boarding-houses. there was lieutenant forrest haviland, detailed by the army--haviland the perfect gentle knight, the well-beloved, the nearest approach to the gracious fiction aviator of them all, yet never drawling in affected modesty, never afraid of grease; smiling and industrious and reticent; smooth of hair and cameo of face; wearing khaki riding-breeches and tan puttees instead of overalls; always a gentleman, even when he tried to appear a workman. he pretended to be enthusiastic about the lunch-wagon, and never referred to his three generations of army officers. but most of the others were shy of him, and jack ryan, the "school grouch," was always trying to get him into a fight. finally, there was carl ericson, who slowly emerged as star of them all. he knew less of aerodynamics than the timid specialist, less of practical mechanics than hank odell; but he loved the fun of daring more. he was less ferocious in competition than was jack ryan, but he wasted less of his nerve. he was less agile than the circus acrobat, but knew more of motors. he was less compactly easy than lieutenant haviland, but he took better to overalls and sleeping in hangars and mucking in grease--he whistled ragtime while forrest haviland hummed macdowell. * * * * * carl's earliest flights were in the school machine, "p'tite marie," behind carmeau, the instructor. reporters were always about, talking of "impressions," and carl felt that he ought to note his impressions on his first ascent, but all that he actually did notice was that it was hard to tell at what instant they left the ground; that when they were up, the wind threatened to crush his ribs and burst his nostrils; that there must be something perilously wrong, because the machine climbed so swiftly; and, when they were down, that it had been worth waiting a whole lifetime for the flight. for days he merely flew with the instructor, till he was himself managing the controls. at last, his first flight by himself. he had been ordered to try a flight three times about the aerodrome at a height of sixty feet, and to land carefully, without pancaking--"and be sure, monsieur, be veree sure you do not cut off too high from the ground," said carmeau. it was a day when five reporters had gathered, and carl felt very much in the limelight, waiting in the nacelle of the machine for the time to start. the propeller was revolved, carl drew a long breath and stuck up his hand--and the engine stopped. he was relieved. it had seemed a terrific responsibility to go up alone. he wouldn't, now, not for a minute or two. he knew that he had been afraid. the engine was turned over once more--and once more stopped. carl raged, and never again, in all his flying, did real fear return to him. "what the deuce is the matter?" he snarled. again the propeller was revolved, and this time the engine hummed sweet. the monoplane ran along the ground, its tail lifting in the blast, till the whole machine seemed delicately poised on its tiptoes. he was off the ground, his rage leaving him as his fear had left him. he exulted at the swiftness with which a distant group of trees shot at him, under him. he turned, and the machine mounted a little on the turn, which was against the rules. but he brought her to even keel so easily that he felt all the mastery of the man who has finally learned to be natural on a bicycle. he tilted up the elevator slightly and shot across a series of fields, climbing. it was perfectly easy. he would go up--up. it was all automatic now--cloche toward him for climbing; away from him for descent; toward the wing that tipped up, in order to bring it down to level. the machine obeyed perfectly. and the foot-bar, for steering to right and left, responded to such light motions of his foot. he grinned exultantly. he wanted to shout. he glanced at the barometer and discovered that he was up to two hundred feet. why not go on? he sailed out across san mateo, and the sense of people below, running and waving their hands, increased his exultation. he curved about at the end, somewhat afraid of his ability to turn, but having all the air there was to make the turn in, and headed back toward the aerodrome. already he had flown five miles. half a mile from the aerodrome he realized that his motor was slackening, missing fire; that he did not know what was the matter; that his knowledge had left him stranded there, two hundred feet above ground; that he had to come down at once, with no chance to choose a landing-place and no experience in gliding. the motor stopped altogether. the ground was coming up at him too quickly. he tilted the elevator, and rose. but, as he was volplaning, this cut down the speed, and from a height of ten feet above a field the machine dropped to the ground with a flat plop. something gave way--but carl sat safe, with the machine canted to one side. he climbed out, cold about the spine, and discovered that he had broken one wheel of the landing-chassis. all the crowd from the flying-field were running toward him, yelling. he grinned at the foolish sight they made with their legs and arms strewn about in the air as they galloped over the rough ground. lieutenant haviland came up, panting: "all right, o' man? good!" he seized carl's hand and wrung it. carl knew that he had a new friend. three reporters poured questions on him. how far had he flown? was this really his first ascent by himself? what were his sensations? how had his motor stopped? was it true he was a mining engineer, a wealthy motorist? hank odell, the shy, eagle-nosed yankee, running up as jerkily as a cow in a plowed field, silently patted carl on the shoulder and began to examine the fractured landing-wheel. at last the instructor, m. carmeau. carl had awaited m. carmeau's praise as the crown of his long flight. but carmeau pulled his beard, opened his mouth once or twice, then shrieked: "what the davil you t'ink you are? a millionaire that we build machines for you to smash them? i tole you to fly t'ree time around--you fly to algiers an' back--you t'ink you are another farman brother--you are a damn fool! suppose your motor he stop while you fly over san mateo? where you land? in a well? in a chimney? _hein?_ you know naut'ing yet. next time you do what i tal' you. _zut!_ that was a flight, a flight, you make a flight, that was fine, fine, you make the heart to swell. but nex' time you break the chassis and keel yourself, _nom d'un tonnerre_, i scol' you!" carl was humble. but the _courier_ reporter spread upon the front page the story of "marvelous first flight by bagby student," and predicted that a new curtiss was coming out of california. under a half-tone ran the caption, "ericson, the new hawk of the birdmen." the camp promptly nicknamed him "hawk." they used it for plaguing him at first, but it survived as an expression of fondness--hawk ericson, the cheeriest man in the school, and the coolest flier. chapter xix not all their days were spent in work. there were mornings when the wind would not permit an ascent and when there was nothing to do in the workshop. they sat about the lunch-wagon wrangling endlessly, or, like carl and forrest haviland, wandered through fields which were all one flame with poppies. lieutenant haviland had given up trying to feel comfortable with the naval ensign student, who was one of the solemn worthies who clear their throats before speaking, and then speak in measured terms of brands of cigars and weather. gradually, working side by side with carl, haviland seemed to find him a friend in whom to confide. once or twice they went by trolley to san francisco, to explore chinatown or drop in on soldier friends of haviland at the presidio. * * * * * from the porch of a studio on telegraph hill, in san francisco, they were looking down on the islands of the bay, waiting for the return of an artist whom haviland knew. inarticulate dreamers both, they expressed in monosyllables the glory of bluewater before them, the tradition of r. l. s. and frank norris, the future of aviation. they gave up the attempt to explain the magic of san francisco--that city-personality which transcends the opal hills and rare amber sunlight, festivals, and the transplanted italian hill-town of telegraph hill, liners sailing out for japan, and memories of the forty-niners. it was too subtle a spirit, too much of it lay in human life with the passion of the riviera linked to the strength of the north, for them to be able to comprehend its spell.... but regarding their own ambitions to do, they became eloquent. "i say," hesitated haviland, "why is it i can't get in with most of the fellows at the camp the way you can? i've always been chummy enough with the fellows at the point and at posts." "because you've been brought up to be afraid to be anything but a gentleman." "oh, i don't think it's that. i can get fond as the deuce of some of the commonest common soldiers--and, lord! some of them come from the bowery and all sorts of impossible places." "yes, but you always think of them as 'common.' they don't think of each other that way. suppose i'd worked----well, just suppose i'd been a bowery bartender. could you be loafing around here with me? could you go off on a bat with jack ryan?" "well, maybe not. maybe working with jack ryan is a good thing for me. i'm getting now so i can almost stand his stories! i envy you, knocking around with all sorts of people. oh, i _wish_ i could call ryan 'jack' and feel easy about it. i can't. perhaps i've got a little of the subaltern snob some place in me." "you? you're a prince." "if you've elevated me to a princedom, the least i can do is to invite you down home for a week-end--down to the san spirito presidio. my father's commandant there." "oh, i'd like to, but----i haven't got a dress-suit." "buy one." "yes, i could do that, but----oh, rats! forrest, i've been knocking around so long i feel shy about my table manners and everything. i'd probably eat pie with my fingers." "you make me so darn tired, hawk. you talk about my having to learn to chum with people in overalls. you've got to learn not to let people in evening clothes put anything over on you. that's your difficulty from having lived in the back-country these last two or three years. you have an instinct for manners. but i did notice that as soon as you found out i was in the army you spent half the time disliking me as a militarist, and the other half expecting me to be haughty--lord knows what over. it took you two weeks to think of me as forrest haviland. i'm ashamed of you! if you're a socialist you ought to think that anything you like belongs to you." "that's a new kind of socialism." "so much the better. me and karl marx, the economic inventors.... but i was saying: if you act as though things belong to you people will apologize to you for having borrowed them from you. and you've _got_ to do that, hawk. you're going to be one of the best-known fliers in the country, and you'll have to meet all sorts of big guns--generals and senators and female climbers that work the peace societies for social position, and so on, and you've got to know how to meet them.... anyway, i want you to come to san spirito." to san spirito they went. during the three days preceding, carl was agonized at the thought of having to be polite in the presence of ladies. no matter how brusquely he told himself, "i'm as good as anybody," he was uneasy about forks and slang and finger-nails, and looked forward to the ordeal with as much pleasure as a man about to be hanged, hanged in a good cause, but thoroughly. yet when colonel haviland met them at san spirito station, and carl heard the kindly salutation of the gracious, fat, old indian-fighter, he knew that he had at last come home to his own people--an impression that was the stronger because the house of oscar ericson had been so much house and so little home. the colonel was a widower, and for his only son he showed a proud affection which included carl. the three of them sat in state, after dinner, on the porch of quarters no. , smoking cigars and looking down to a spur of the santa lucia mountains, where it plunged into the foam of the pacific. they talked of aviation and eugenics and the benét-mercier gun, of the post doctor's sister who had come from the east on a visit, and of a riding-test, but their hearts spoke of affection.... usually it is a man and a woman that make home; but three men, a stranger one of them, talking of motors on a porch in the enveloping dusk, made for one another a home to remember always. they stayed over monday night, for a hop, and carl found that the officers and their wives were as approachable as hank odell. they did not seem to be waiting for young ericson to make social errors. when he confessed that he had forgotten what little dancing he knew, the sister of the post doctor took him in hand, retaught him the waltz, and asked with patent admiration: "how does it feel to fly? don't you get frightened? i'm terribly in awe of you and mr. haviland. i know i should be frightened to death, because it always makes me dizzy just to look down from a high building." carl slipped away, to be happy by himself, and hid in the shadow of palms on the porch, lapped in the flutter of pepper-trees. the orchestra began a waltz that set his heart singing. he heard a girl cry: "oh, goody! the 'blue danube'! we must go in and dance that." "the blue danube." the name brought back the novels of general charles king, as he had read them in high-school days; flashed the picture of a lonely post, yellow-lighted, like a topaz on the night-swathed desert; a rude ball-room, a young officer dancing to the "blue danube's" intoxication; a hot-riding, dusty courier, hurling in with news of an apache outbreak; a few minutes later a troop of cavalry slanting out through the gate on horseback, with a farewell burning the young officer's lips.... he was in just such an army story, now! the scent of royal climbing-roses enveloped carl as that picture changed into others. san spirito presidio became a vast military encampment over which hawk ericson was flying.... from his monoplane he saw a fairy town, with red roofs rising to a tower of fantastic turrets. (that was doubtless the memory of a magazine-cover painted by maxfield parrish.)... he was wandering through a poppy-field with a girl dusky of eyes, soft black of hair, ready for any jaunt.... pictures bright and various as tropic shells, born of music and peace and his affection for the havilands; pictures which promised him the world. for the first time hawk ericson realized that he might be a personage instead of a back-yard boy.... the girl with twilight eyes was smiling. * * * * * the bagby camp broke up on the first of may, with all of them, except one of the nondescript collegians and the air-current student, more or less trained aviators. carl was going out to tour small cities, for the george flying corporation. lieutenant haviland was detailed to the army flying-camp. parting with haviland and kindly hank odell, with carmeau and anxiously polite tony bean, was as wistful as the last night of senior year. till the old moon rose, sad behind tulip-trees, they sat on packing-boxes by the larger hangar, singing in close harmony "sweet adeline," "teasing," "i've been working on the railroad."... "hay-ride classics, with barber-shop chords," the songs are called, but tears were in carl's eyes as the minors sobbed from the group of comrades who made fun of one another and were prosaic and pounded their heels on the packing-boxes--and knew that they were parting to face death. carl felt forrest haviland's hand on one shoulder, then an awkward pat from tough jack ryan's paw, as tony bean's violin turned the plaintive half-light into music, and broke its heart in the "moonlight sonata." chapter xx "yuh, piston-ring burnt off and put the exhaust-valve on the blink. that means one cylinder out of business," growled hawk ericson. "i could fly, maybe, but i don't like to risk it in this wind. it was bad enough this morning when i tried it." "oh, this hick town 's going to be the death of us, all right--and riverport to-morrow, with a contract nice as pie, if we can only get there," groaned his manager, dick george, a fat man with much muscle and more diamonds. "listen to that crowd. yelling for blood. sounds like a bunch of lumber-jacks with the circus slow in starting." the head-line feature of the onamwaska county spring fair was "hawk ericson, showing the most marvelous aerial feats of the ages with the scientific marvels of aviation, in his famous french blériot flying-machine, the first flying-machine ever seen in this state, no balloon or fake, come to onamwaska by the st. l. & n." the spring fair was usually a small gathering of farmers to witness races and new agricultural implements, but this time every road for thirty-five miles was dust-fogged with buggies and democrat wagons and small motor-cars. ten thousand people were packed about the race-track. it was carl's third aviation event. a neat, though not imposing figure, in a snug blue flannel suit, with his cap turned round on his head, he went to the flap of the rickety tent which served as his hangar. a fierce cry of "fly! fly! why don't he fly?" was coming from the long black lines edging the track, and from the mound of people on the small grand stand; the pink blur of their faces turned toward him--him, carl ericson; all of them demanding _him_! the five meek police of onamwaska were trotting back and forth, keeping them behind the barriers. carl was apprehensive lest this ten-thousandfold demand drag him out, make him fly, despite a wind that was blowing the flags out straight, and whisking up the litter of newspapers and cracker-jack boxes and pink programs. while he stared out, an official crossing the track fairly leaned up against the wind, which seized his hat and sailed it to the end of the track. "some wind!" carl grunted, stolidly, and went to the back of the silent tent, to reread the local papers' accounts of his arrival at onamwaska. it was a picturesque narrative of the cheering mob following him down the street ("gee! that was _me_ they followed!"), crowding into the office of the astor house and making him autograph hundreds of cards; of girls throwing roses ("humph! geraniums is more like it!") from the windows. "a young man," wrote an enthusiastic female reporter, "handsome as a greek god, but honestly i believe he is still in his twenties; and he is as slim and straight as a soldier, flaxen-haired and rosy-cheeked--the birdman, the god of the air." "handsome as a greek----" carl commented. "i look like a minnesota norwegian, and that ain't so bad, but handsome----urrrrrg!... sure they love me, all right. hear 'em yell. oh, they love me like a dog does a bone.... saint jemima! talk about football rooting.... come on, greek god, buck up." he glanced wearily about the tent, its flooring of long, dry grass stained with ugly dark-blue lubricating-oil, under the tan light coming through the canvas. his manager was sitting on a suit-case, pretending to read a newspaper, but pinching his lower lip and consulting his watch, jogging his foot ceaselessly. their temporary mechanic, who had given up trying to repair the lame valve, squatted with bent head, biting his lip, harkening to the blood-hungry mob. carl's own nerves grew tauter and tauter as he saw the manager's restless foot and the mechanic's tension. he strolled to the monoplane, his back to the tent-opening. he started as the manager exclaimed: "here they come! after us!" outside the tent a sound of running. the secretary of the fair, a german hardware-dealer with an automobile-cap like a yachting-cap, panted in, gasping: "come quick! they won't wait any longer! i been trying to calm 'em down, but they say you got to fly. they're breaking over the barriers into the track. the p'lice can't keep 'em back." behind the secretary came the chairman of the entertainment committee, a popular dairyman, who was pale as he demanded: "you got to play ball, mr. ericson. i won't guarantee what 'll happen if you don't play ball, mr. ericson. you got to make him fly, mr. george. the crowd 's breaking----" behind him charged a black press of people. they packed before the tent, trying to peer in through the half-closed tent-opening, like a crowd about a house where a policeman is making an arrest. furiously: "where's the coward? fake! bring 'im out! why don't he fly? he's a fake! his flying-machine's never been off the ground! he's a four-flusher! run 'im out of town! fake! fake! fake!" the secretary and chairman stuck out deprecatory heads and coaxed the mob. carl's manager was an old circus-man. he had removed his collar, tie, and flashy diamond pin, and was diligently wrapping the thong of a black-jack about his wrist. their mechanic was crawling under the side of the tent. carl caught him by the seat of his overalls and jerked him back. as carl turned to face the tent door again the manager ranged up beside him, trying to conceal the black-jack in his hand, and casually murmuring, "scared, hawk?" "nope. too mad to be scared." the tent-flap was pulled back. tossing hands came through. the secretary and chairman were brushed aside. the mob-leader, a red-faced, loud-voiced town sport, very drunk, shouted, "come out and fly or we'll tar and feather you!" "yuh, come on, you fake, you four-flusher!" echoed the voices. the secretary and chairman were edging back into the tent, beside carl's cowering mechanic. something broke in carl's hold on himself. with his arm drawn back, his fist aimed at the point of the mob-leader's jaw, he snarled: "you can't make me fly. you stick that ugly mug of yours any farther in and i'll bust it. i'll fly when the wind goes down----you would, would you?" as the mob-leader started to advance, carl jabbed at him. it was not a very good jab. but the leader stopped. the manager, black-jack in hand, caught carl's arm, and ordered: "don't start anything! they can lick us. just look ready. don't say anything. we'll hold 'em till the cops come. but nix on the punch." "right, cap'n," said carl. it was a strain to stand motionless, facing the crowd, not answering their taunts, but he held himself in, and in two minutes the yell came: "cheese it! the cops!" the mob unwillingly swayed back as onamwaska's heroic little band of five policemen wriggled through it, requesting their neighbors to desist.... they entered the tent and, after accepting cigars from carl's manager, coldly told him that carl was a fake, and lucky to escape; that carl would better "jump right out and fly if he knew what was good for him." also, they nearly arrested the manager for possessing a black-jack, and warned him that he'd better not assault any of the peaceable citizens of beautiful onamwaska.... when they had coaxed the mob behind the barriers, by announcing that ericson would now go up, carl swore: "i won't move! they can't make me!" the secretary of the fair, who had regained most of his courage, spoke up, pertly, "then you better return the five hundred advance, pretty quick sudden, or i'll get an attachment on your fake flying-machine!" "you go----nix, nix, hawk, don't hit him; he ain't worth it. you go to hell, brother," said the manager, mechanically. but he took carl aside, and groaned: "gosh! we got to do something! it's worth two thousand dollars to us, you know. besides, we haven't got enough cash in our jeans to get out of town, and we'll miss the big riverport purse.... still, suit yourself, old man. maybe i can get some money by wiring to chicago." "oh, let's get it over!" carl sighed. "i'd love to disappoint onamwaska. we'll make fifteen thousand dollars this month and next, anyway, and we can afford to spit 'em in the eye. but i don't want to leave you in a hole.... here you, mechanic, open up that tent-flap. all the way across.... no, not like _that_, you boob!... so.... come on, now, help me push out the machine. here you, mr. secretary, hustle me a couple of men to hold her tail." the crowd rose, the fickle crowd, scenting the promised blood, and applauded as the monoplane was wheeled upon the track and turned to face the wind. the mechanic and two assistants had to hold it as a dust-filled gust caught it beneath the wings. as carl climbed into the seat and the mechanic went forward to start the engine, another squall hit the machine and she almost turned over sidewise. as the machine righted, the manager ran up and begged: "you never in the world can make it in this wind, hawk. better not try it. i'll wire for some money to get out of town with, and onamwaska can go soak its head." "nope. i'm gettin' sore now, dick.... hey you, mechanic: hurt that wing when she tipped?... all right. start her. quick. while it's calm." the engine whirred. the assistants let go the tail. the machine labored forward, but once it left the ground it shot up quickly. the head-wind came in a terrific gust. the machine hung poised in air for a moment, driven back by the gale nearly as fast as it was urged forward by its frantically revolving propeller. carl was as yet too doubtful of his skill to try to climb above the worst of the wind. if he could only keep a level course---- he fought his way up one side of the race-track. he crouched in his seat, meeting the sandy blast with bent head. the parted lips which permitted him to catch his breath were stubborn and hard about his teeth. his hands played swiftly, incessantly, over the control as he brought her back to even keel. he warped the wings so quickly that he balanced like an acrobat sitting rockingly on a tight-wire. he was too busy to be afraid or to remember that there was a throng of people below him. but he was conscious that the grand stand, at the side of the track, half-way down, was creeping toward him. more every instant did he hate the clamor of the gale and the stream of minute drops of oil, blown back from the engine, that spattered his face. his ears strained for misfire of the engine, if it stopped he would be hurled to earth. and one cylinder was not working. he forgot that; kept the cloche moving; fought the wind with his will as with his body. now, he was aware of the grand stand below him. now, of the people at the end of the track. he flew beyond the track, and turned. the whole force of the gale was thrown behind him, and he shot back along the other side of the race-track at eighty or ninety miles an hour. instantly he was at the end; then a quarter of a mile beyond the track, over plowed fields, where upward currents of warm air increased the pitching of the machine as he struggled to turn her again and face the wind. the following breeze was suddenly retarded and he dropped forty feet, tail down. he was only forty feet from the ground, falling straight, when he got back to even keel and shot ahead. how safe the nest of the nacelle where he sat seemed then! almost gaily he swung her in a great wavering circle--and the wind was again in his face, hating him, pounding him, trying to get under the wings and turn the machine turtle. twice more he worked his way about the track. the conscience of the beginner made him perform a diffident dutch roll before the grand stand, but he was growling, "and that's all they're going to get. see?" as he soared to earth he looked at the crowd for the first time. his vision was so blurred with oil and wind-soreness that he saw the people only as a mass and he fancied that the stretch of slouch-hats and derbies was a field of mushrooms swaying and tilted back. he was curiously unconscious of the presence of women; he felt all the spectators as men who had bawled for his death and whom he wanted to hammer as he had hammered the wind. he was almost down. he cut off his motor, glided horizontally three feet above the ground, and landed, while the cheers cloaked even the honking of the parked automobiles. carl's manager, fatly galloping up, shrilled, "how was it, old man?" "oh, it was pretty windy," said carl, crawling down and rubbing the kinks out of his arms. "but i think the wind 's going down. tell the announcer to tell our dear neighbors that i'll fly again at five." "but weren't you scared when she dropped? you went down so far that the fence plumb hid you. couldn't see you at all. ugh! sure thought the wind had you. weren't you scared then? you don't look it." "then? oh! then. oh yes, sure, i guess i was scared, all right!... say, we got that seat padded so she's darn comfortable now." the crowd was collecting. carl's manager chuckled to the president of the fair association, "well, that was some flight, eh?" "oh, he went down the opposite side of the track pretty fast, but why the dickens was he so slow going up my side? my eyes ain't so good now that it does me any good if a fellow speeds up when he's a thousand miles away. and where's all these tricks in the air----" "that," murmured carl to his manager, "is the i-den-ti-cal man that stole the blind cripple's crutch to make himself a toothpick." chapter xxi the great belmont park aero meet, which woke new york to aviation, in october, , was coming to an end. that clever new american flier, hawk ericson, had won only sixth place in speed, but he had won first prize in duration, by a flight of nearly six hours, driving round and round and round the pylons, hour on hour, safe and steady as a train, never taking the risk of sensational banking, nor spiraling like johnstone, but amusing himself and breaking the tedium by keeping an eye out on each circuit for a fat woman in a bright lavender top-coat, who stood out in the dark line of people that flowed beneath. when he had descended--acclaimed the winner--thousands of heads turned his way as though on one lever; the pink faces flashing in such october sunshine as had filled the back yard of oscar ericson, in joralemon, when a lonely carl had performed duration feats for a sparrow. that same shy carl wanted to escape from the newspaper-men who came running toward him. he hated their incessant questions--always the same: "were you cold? could you have stayed up longer?" yet he had seen all new york go mad over aviation--rather, over news about aviation. the newspapers had spread over front pages his name and the names of the other fliers. carl chuckled to himself, with bashful awe, "gee! can you beat it?--that's _me_!" when he beheld himself referred to in editorial and interview and picture-caption as a superman, a god. he heard crowds rustle, "look, there's hawk ericson!" as he walked along the barriers. he heard cautious predictions from fellow-fliers, and loud declarations from outsiders, that he was the coming cross-country champion. he was introduced to the mayor of new york, two cabinet members, an assortment of senators, authors, bank presidents, generals, and society rail-birds. he regularly escaped from them--and their questions--to help the brick-necked hank odell, from the bagby school, who had entered for the meet, but smashed up on the first day, and ever since had been whistling and working over his machine and encouraging carl, "good work, bud; you've got 'em all going." with vast secrecy and a perception that this was twice as stirring as steadily buzzing about in his blériot, he went down to the bowery and, in front of the saloon where he had worked as a porter four years before, he bought a copy of the _evening world_ because he knew that on the third page of it was a large picture of him and a signed interview by a special-writer. he peered into the saloon windows to see if petey mcguff was there, but did not find him. he went to the street on which he had boarded in the hope that he might do something for the girl who had been going wrong. the tenement had been torn down, with blocks of others, to make way for a bridge-terminal, and he saw the vision of the city's pitiless progress. this quest of old acquaintances made him think of joralemon. he informed gertie cowles that he was now "in the aviation game, and everything is going very well." he sent his mother a check for five hundred dollars, with awkward words of affection. a greater spiritual adventure was talking for hours, over a small table in the basement of the brevoort, to lieutenant forrest haviland, who was attending the belmont park meet as spectator. theirs was the talk of tried friends; droning on for a time in amused comment, rising to sudden table-pounding enthusiasms over aviators or explorers, with exclamations of, "is that the way it struck you, too? i'm awfully glad to hear you say that, because that's just the way i felt about it." they leaned back in their chairs and played with spoons and reflectively broke up matches and volubly sketched plans of controls, drawing on the table-cloth. carl took the sophisticated atmosphere of the brevoort quite for granted. why _shouldn't_ he be there! and after the interest in him at the meet it did not hugely abash him to hear a group at a table behind him ejaculate: "i think that's hawk ericson, the aviator! yes, sir, that's--who--it--is!" finally the gods gave to carl a new mechanic, a prince of mechanics, martin dockerill. martin was a tall, thin, hatchet-faced, tousle-headed, slow-spoken, irreverent irish-yankee from fall river; the perfect type of american aviators; for while england sends out its stately soldiers of the air, and france its short, excitable geniuses, practically all american aviators and aviation mechanics are either long-faced and lanky, like martin dockerill and hank odell, or slim, good-looking youngsters of the college track-team type, like carl and forrest haviland. martin dockerill ate pun'kin pie with his fingers, played "marching through georgia" on the mouth-organ, admired burlesque-show women in sausage-shaped pink tights, and wore balbriggan socks that always reposed in wrinkles over the tops of his black shoes with frayed laces. but he probably could build a very decent motor in the dark, out of four tin cans and a crowbar. in a.d. he still believed in hell and plush albums. but he dreamed of wireless power-transmission. he was a free and independent american citizen who called the count de lesseps, "hey, lessup." but he would have gone with carl aeroplaning to the south pole upon five minutes' notice--four minutes to devote to the motor, and one minute to write, with purple indelible pencil, a post-card to his aunt in fall river. he was precise about only two things--motor-timing and calling himself a "mechanician," not a "mechanic." he became very friendly with hank odell; helped him repair his broken machine, went with him to vaudeville, or stood with him before the hangar, watching the automobile parties of pretty girls with lordly chaperons that came to call on grahame-white and drexel. "some heart-winners, them guys, but i back my boss against them and ev'body else, hank," martin would say. * * * * * the meet was over; the aviators were leaving. carl had said farewell to his new and well-loved friends, the pioneers of aviation--latham, moisant, leblanc, mccurdy, ely, de lesseps, mars, willard, drexel, grahame-white, hoxsey, and the rest. he was in the afterglow of the meet, for with titherington, the englishman, and tad warren, the wright flier, he was going to race from belmont park to new haven for a ten-thousand-dollar prize jointly offered by a new haven millionaire and a new york newspaper. at new haven the three competitors were to join with tony bean (of the bagby school) and walter macmonnies (flying a curtiss) in an exhibition meet. enveloped in baggy overalls over the blue flannel suit which he still wore when flying, carl was directing martin dockerill in changing his spark-plugs, which were fouled. about him, the aviators were having their machines packed, laughing, playing tricks on one another--boys who were virile men; mechanics in denim who stammered to the reporters, "oh, well, i don't know----" yet who were for the time more celebrated than roosevelt or harry thaw or bernard shaw or champion jack johnson. before . a.m., when the race to new haven was scheduled to start, the newspaper-men gathered; but there were not many outsiders. carl felt the lack of the stimulus of thronging devotees. he worked silently and sullenly. it was "the morning after." he missed forrest haviland. he began to be anxious. could he get off on time? exactly at . titherington made a magnificent start in his henry farman biplane. carl stared till the machine was a dot in the clouds, then worked feverishly. tad warren, the second contestant, was testing out his motor, ready to go. at that moment martin dockerill suggested that the carburetor was dirty. "i'll fly with her the way she is," carl snapped, shivering with the race-fever. a cub reporter from the city news association piped, like a fox-terrier, "what time 'll you get off, hawk?" "ten sharp." "no, i mean what time will you really get off!" carl did not answer. he understood that the reporters were doubtful about him, the youngster from the west who had been flying for only six months. at last came the inevitable pest, the familiarly suggestive outsider. a well-dressed, well-meaning old bore he was; a complete stranger. he put his podgy hand on carl's arm and puffed: "well, hawk, my boy, give us a good flight to-day; not but what you're going to have trouble. there's something i want to suggest to you. if you'd use a gyroscope----" "oh, beat it!" snarled carl. he was ashamed of himself--but more angry than ashamed. he demanded of martin, aside: "all right, heh? can i fly with the carburetor as she is? heh?" "all right, boss. calm down, boss, calm down." "what do you mean?" "look here, hawk, i don't want to butt in. you can have old martin for a chopping-block any time you want to cut wood. but if you don't calm down you'll get so screwed up mit nerves that you won't have any control. aw, come on, boss, speak pretty! just keep your shirt on and i'll hustle like a steam-engine." "well, maybe you're right. but these assistant aviators in the crowd get me wild.... all right? hoorray. here goes.... say, don't stop for anything after i get off. leave the boys to pack up, and you hustle over to sea cliff for the speed-boat. you ought to be in new haven almost as soon as i am." calmer now, he peeled off his overalls, drew a wool-lined leather jacket over his coat, climbed into the cockpit, and inspected the indicators. as he was testing the spark tad warren got away. third and last was carl. the race-fever shook him. he would try to save time. like the others, he had planned to fly from belmont park across long island to great neck, and cross long island sound where it was very narrow. he studied his map. by flying across to the vicinity of hempstead harbor and making a long diagonal flight over water, straight over to stamford, he would increase the factor of danger, but save many miles; and the specifications of the race permitted him to choose any course to new haven. thinking only of the new route, taking time only to nod good-by to martin dockerill and hank odell, he was off, into the air. as the ground dropped beneath him and the green clean spaces and innumerous towns of long island spread themselves out he listened to the motor. its music was clear and strong. here, at least, the wind was light. he would risk the long over-water flight--very long they thought it in . in a few minutes he sighted the hills about roslyn and began to climb, up to three thousand feet. it was very cold. his hands were almost numb on the control. he descended to a thousand feet, but the machine jerked like a canoe shooting rapids, in the gust that swept up from among the hills. the landscape rose swiftly at him over the ends of the wings, now on one side, now on the other, as the machine rolled. his arms were tired with the quick, incessant wing-warping. he rose again. then he looked at the sound, and came down to three hundred feet, lest he lose his way. for the sound was white with fog.... no wind out there!... water and cloud blurred together, and the sky-line was lost in a mass of somber mist, which ranged from filmy white to the cold dead gray of old cigar-ashes. he wanted to hold back, not dash out into that danger-filled twilight. but already he was roaring over gray-green marshes, then was above fishing-boats that were slowly rocking in water dully opaque as a dim old mirror. he noted two men on a sloop, staring up at him with foolish, gaping, mist-wet faces. instantly they were left behind him. he rose, to get above the fog. even the milky, sulky water was lost to sight. he was horribly lonely, abominably lonely. at five hundred feet altitude he was not yet entirely above the fog. land was blotted out. above him, gray sky and thin writhing filaments of vapor. beneath him, only the fog-bank, erupting here and there like the unfolding of great white flowers as warm currents of air burst up through the mist-blanket. completely solitary. all his friends were somewhere far distant, in a place of solid earth and sun-warmed hangars. the whole knowable earth had ceased to exist. there was only slatey void, through which he was going on for ever. or perhaps he was not moving. always the same coil of mist about him. he was horribly lonely. he feared that the fog was growing thicker. he studied his compass with straining eyes. he was startled by a gull's plunging up through the mist ahead of him, and disappearing. he was the more lonely when it was gone. his eyebrows and cheeks were wet with the steam. drops of moisture shone desolately on the planes. it was an unhealthy shine. he was horribly lonely. he pictured what would happen if the motor should stop and he should plunge down through that flimsy vapor. his pontoonless frail monoplane would sink almost at once.... it would be cold, swimming. how long could he keep up? what chance of being found? he didn't want to fall. the cockpit seemed so safe, with its familiar watch and map-stand and supporting-wires. it was home. the wings stretching out on either side of him seemed comfortingly solid, adequate to hold him up. but the body of the machine behind him was only a framework, not even inclosed. and cut in the bottom of the cockpit was a small hole for observing the earth. he could see fog through it, in unpleasant contrast to the dull yellow of the cloth sides and bottom. not before had it daunted him to look down through that hole. now, however, he kept his eyes away from it, and, while he watched the compass and oil-gauge, and kept a straight course, he was thinking of how nasty it would be to drop, drop down _there_, and have to swim. it would be horribly lonely, swimming about a wrecked monoplane, hearing steamers' fog-horns, hopeless and afar. as he thought that, he actually did hear a steamer hoarsely whistling, and swept above it, irresistibly. he started; his shoulders drooped. more than once he wished that he could have seen forrest haviland again before he started. he wished with all the poignancy of man's affection for a real man that he had told forrest, when they were dining at the brevoort, how happy he was to be with him. he was horribly lonely. he cursed himself for letting his thoughts become thin and damp as the vapor about him. he shrugged his shoulders. he listened thankfully to the steady purr of the engine and the whir of the propeller. he _would_ get across! he ascended, hoping for a glimpse of the shore. the fog-smothered horizon stretched farther and farther away. he was unspeakably lonely. through a tear in the mist he saw sunshine reflected from houses on a hill, directly before him, perhaps one mile distant. he shouted. he was nearly across. safe. and the sun was coming out. two minutes later he was turning north, between the water and a town which his map indicated as stamford. the houses beneath him seemed companionable; friendly were the hand-waving crowds, and factory-whistles gave him raucous greeting. instantly, now that he knew where he was, the race-fever caught him again. despite the strain of crossing the sound, he would not for anything have come down to rest. he began to wonder how afar ahead of him were titherington and tad warren. he spied a train running north out of stamford, swung over above it, and raced with it. the passengers leaned out of the windows, trainmen hung perilously from the opened doors of vestibuled platforms, the engineer tooted his frantic greetings to a fellow-mechanic who, above him in the glorious bird, sent telepathic greetings which the engineer probably never got. the engineer speeded up; the engine puffed out vast feathery plumes of dull black smoke. but he drew away from the train as he neared south norwalk. he was ascending again when he noted something that seemed to be a biplane standing in a field a mile away. he came down and circled the field. it was titherington's farman biplane. he hoped that the kindly englishman had not been injured. he made out titherington, talking to a group about the machine. relieved, he rose again, amused by the ant-hill appearance as hundreds of people, like black bugs, ran toward the stalled biplane, from neighboring farms and from a trolley-car standing in the road. he should not have been amused just then. he was too low. directly before him was a hillside crowned with trees. he shot above the trees, cold in the stomach, muttering, "gee! that was careless!" he sped forward. the race-fever again. could he pass tad warren as he had passed titherington? he whirled over the towns, shivering but happy in the mellow, cool october air, far enough from the water to be out of what fog the brightening sun had left. the fields rolled beneath him, so far down that they were turned into continuous and wonderful masses of brown and gold. he sang to himself. he liked titherington; he was glad that the englishman had not been injured; but it was good to be second in the race; to have a chance to win a contest which the whole country was watching; to be dashing into a rosy dawn of fame. but while he sang he was keeping a tense lookout for tad warren. he had to pass him! with the caution of the scotchlike norwegian, he had the cloche constantly on the jiggle, with ceaseless adjustments to the wind, which varied constantly as he passed over different sorts of terrain. once the breeze dropped him sidewise. he shot down to gain momentum, brought her to even keel, and, as he set her nose up again, laughed boisterously. never again would he be so splendidly young, never again so splendidly sure of himself and of his medium of expression. he was to gain wisdom, but never to have more joy of the race. he was sure now that he was destined to pass tad warren. the sun was ever brighter; the horizon ever wider, rimming the saucer-shaped earth. when he flew near the sound he saw that the fog had almost passed. the water was gentle and colored like pearl, lapping the sands, smoking toward the radiant sky. he passed over summer cottages, vacant and asleep, with fantastic holiday roofs of red and green. gulls soared like flying sickles of silver over the opal sea. even for the racer there was peace. he made out a mass of rock covered with autumn-hued trees to the left, then a like rock to the right. "west and east rock--new haven!" he cried. the city mapped itself before him like square building-blocks on a dark carpet, with railroad and trolley tracks like flashing spider-webs under the october noon. so he had arrived, then--and he had not caught tad warren. he was furious. he circled the city, looking for the green, where (in this day before the aero club of america battled against over-city flying) he was to land. he saw the yale campus, lazy beneath its elms, its towers and turrets dreaming of oxford. his anger left him. he plunged down toward the green--and his heart nearly stopped. the spectators were scattered everywhere. how could he land without crushing some one? with trees to each side and a church in front, he was too far down to rise again. his back pressed against the back of the little seat, and seemed automatically to be trying to restrain him from this tragic landing. the people were fleeing. in front there was a tiny space. but there was no room to sail horizontally and come down lightly. he shut off his motor and turned the monoplane's nose directly at the earth. she struck hard, bounced a second. her tail rose, and she started, with dreadful deliberateness, to turn turtle. with a vault carl was out of the cockpit and clear of the machine as she turned over. oblivious of the clamorous crowd which was pressing in about him, cutting off the light, replacing the clean smell of gasoline and the upper air by the hot odor of many bodies, he examined the monoplane and found that she had merely fractured the propeller and smashed the rudder. some one was fighting through the crowd to his side--tony bean--tony the round, polite mexican from the bagby school. he was crying: "_hombre_, what a landing! you have saved lives.... get out of the way, all you people!" carl grinned and said: "good to see you, tony. what time did tad warren get here? where's----" "he ees not here yet." "what? huh? how's that? do i win? that----say, gosh! i hope he hasn't been hurt." "yes, you win." a newspaper-man standing beside tony said: "warren had to come down at great neck. he sprained his shoulder, but that's all." "that's good." "but you," insisted tony, "aren't you badly jarred, hawk?" "not a bit." the gaping crowd, hanging its large collective ear toward the two aviators, was shouting: "hoorray! he's all right!"--as their voices rose carl became aware that all over the city hundreds of factory-whistles and bells were howling their welcome to him--the victor. the police were clearing a way for him. as a police captain touched a gold-flashing cap to him, carl remembered how afraid of the police that hobo slim ericson had been. tony and he completed examination of the machine, with tony's mechanician, and sent it off to a shop, to await martin dockerill's arrival by speed-boat and racing-automobile. carl went to receive congratulations--and a check--from the prize-giver, and a reception by yale officials on the campus. before him, along his lane of passage, was a kaleidoscope of hands sticking out from the wall of people--hands that reached out and shook his own till they were sore, hands that held out pencil and paper to beg for an autograph, hands of girls with golden flowers of autumn, hands of dirty, eager, small boys--weaving, interminable hands. dizzy with a world peopled only by writhing hands, yet moved by their greeting, he made his way across the green, through phelps gateway, and upon the campus. twisting his cap and wishing that he had taken off his leather flying-coat, he stood upon a platform and heard officials congratulating him. the reception was over. but the people did not move. and he was very tired. he whispered to a professor: "is that a dormitory, there behind us? can i get into it and get away?" the professor beckoned to one of the collegians, and replied, "i think, mr. ericson, if you will step down they will pass you into vanderbilt courtyard--by the gate back of us--and you will be able to escape." carl trusted himself to the bunch of boys forming behind him, and found himself rushed into the comparative quiet of a tudor courtyard. a charming youngster, hatless and sleek of hair, cried, "right this way, mr. ericson--up this staircase in the tower--and we'll give 'em the slip." from the roar of voices to the dusky quietude of the hallway was a joyous escape. suddenly carl was a youngster, permitted to see yale, a university so great that, from plato college, it had seemed an imperial myth. he stared at the list of room-occupants framed and hung on the first floor. he peeped reverently through an open door at a suite of rooms. he was taken to a room with a large collection of pillows, fire-irons, morris chairs, sets of books in crushed levant, tobacco-jars and pipes--a restless and boyish room, but a real haven. he stared out upon the campus, and saw the crowd stolidly waiting for him. he glanced round at his host and waved his hand deprecatingly, then tried to seem really grown up, really like the famous hawk ericson. but he wished that forrest haviland were there so that he might marvel: "look at 'em, will you! waiting for _me!_ can you beat it? some start for my yale course!" in a big chair, with a pipe supplied by the youngster, he shyly tried to talk to a senior in the great world of yale (he himself had not been able to climb to seniorhood even in plato), while the awed youngster shyly tried to talk to the great aviator. he had picked up a yale catalogue and he vaguely ruffled its pages, thinking of the difference between its range of courses and the petty inflexible curriculum of plato. out of the pages leaped the name "frazer." he hastily turned back. there it was: "henry frazer, a.m., ph.d., assistant professor in english literature." carl rejoiced boyishly that, after his defeat at plato, professor frazer had won to victory. he forgot his own triumph. for a second he longed to call on frazer and pay his respects. "no," he growled to himself, "i've been so busy hiking that i've forgotten what little book-learnin' i ever had. i'd like to see him, but----by gum! i'm going to begin studying again." hidden away in the youngster's bedroom for a nap, he dreamed uncomfortably of frazer and books. that did not keep him from making a good altitude flight at the new haven meet that afternoon, with his hastily repaired machine and a new propeller. but he thought of new roads for wandering in the land of books, as he sat, tired and sleepy, but trying to appear bright and appreciative, at the big dinner in his honor--the first sacrificial banquet to which he had been subjected--with earnest gentlemen in evening clothes, glad for an excuse to drink just a little too much champagne; with mayors and councilmen and bankers; with the inevitable stories about the man who was accused of stealing umbrellas and about the two skunks on a fence enviously watching a motor-car. equally inevitable were the speeches praising carl's flight as a "remarkable achievement, destined to live forever in the annals of sport and heroism, and to bring one more glory to the name of our fair city." carl tried to appear honored, but he was thinking: "rats! i'll live in the annals of nothin'! curtiss and brookins and hoxsey have all made longer flights than mine, in this country alone, and they're aviators i'm not worthy to fill the gas-tanks of.... gee! i'm sleepy! got to look polite, but i wish i could beat it.... let's see. now look here, young carl; starting in to-morrow, you begin to read oodles of books. let's see. i'll start out with forrest's favorites. there's _david copperfield_, and that book by wells, _tono-bungay_, that's got aerial experiments in it, and _jude the ob--, obscure_, i guess it is, and _the damnation of theron ware_ (wonder what he damned), and _mcteague_, and _walden_, and _war and peace_, and _madame bovary_, and some turgenev and some balzac. and something more serious. guess i'll try william james's book on psychology." he bought them all next morning. his other belongings had been suited to rapid transportation, and martin dockerill grumbled, "that's a swell line of baggage, all right--one tooth-brush, a change of socks, and ninety-seven thousand books." two nights later, in a hotel at portland, maine, carl was plowing through the psychology. he hated study. he flipped the pages angrily, and ran his fingers through his corn-colored hair. but he sped on, concentrated, stopping only to picture a day when the people who honored him publicly would also know him in private. somewhere among them, he believed, was the girl with whom he could play. he would meet her at some aero race, and she would welcome him as eagerly as he welcomed her.... had he, perhaps, already met her? he walked over to the writing-table and scrawled a note to gertie cowles--regarding the beauty of the yale campus. chapter xxii (_editor's note_: the following pages are extracts from a diary kept by mr. c. o. ericson in a desultory fashion from january, , to the end of april, . they are reprinted quite literally. apparently mr. ericson had no very precise purpose in keeping his journal. at times it seems intended as _materia_ for future literary use; at others, as comments for his own future amusement; at still others, as a sort of long letter to be later sent to his friend, lieut. forrest haviland, u.s.a. i have already referred to them in my _psycho-analysis of the subconscious with reference to active temperaments_, but here reprint them less for their appeal to us as a scientific study of reactions than as possessing, doubtless, for those interested in pure narrative, a certain curt expression of somewhat unusual exploits, however inferior is their style to a more critical thesis on the adventurous.) _may _, (_ _). arrived at mineola flying field, n. y. to try out new bagby monoplane i have bought. not much accomodation here yet. many of us housed in tents. not enough hangars. we sit around and tell lies in the long grass at night, like a bunch of kids out camping. went over and had a beer at peter mcloughlin's today, that's where glenn curtiss started out from to make his first flight for sci. amer. cup. like my new bagby machine better than blériot in many respects, has non-lifting tail, as should all modern machines. rudder and elevator a good deal like the nieuport. one passenger. roomy cockpit and enclosed fuselage. blériot control. nearer streamline than any american plane yet. span, . ft., length , chord of wing at fuselage ´ ´´. chauviere propeller, ´ ´´, pitch ´ ´´. dandy new gnôme engine, h.p., should develop to m.p.h. martin dockerill my mechanician is pretty cute. he said to me to-day when we were getting work-bench up, "i bet a hat the spectators all flock here, now. not that you're any better flier than some of the other boys, but you got the newest plane for them to write their names on." certainly a scad of people butting in. come in autos and motor cycles and on foot, and stand around watching everything you do till you want to fire a monkey wrench at them. hank odell has joined the associated order of the pyramid and just now he is sitting out in front of his tent talking to some of the grand worthy high mighties of it i guess--fat old boy with a yachting cap and a big brass watch chain and an order of pyramid charm big as your thumb, and a tough young fellow with a black sateen shirt and his hat on sideways with a cigarette hanging out of one corner of his mouth. since i wrote the above a party of sports, the women in fade-away gowns made to show their streamline forms came butting in, poking their fingers at everything, while the slob that owned their car explained everything wrong. "this is a biplane," he says, "you can see there's a plane sticking out on each side of the place where the aviator sits, it's a new areoplane (that's the way he pronounced it), and that dingus in front is a whirling motor." i was sitting here at the work-bench, writing, hot as hell and sweaty and in khaki pants and soft shirt and black sneakers, and the big boss comes over to me and says, "where is hawk ericson, my man." "how do i know," i says. "when will he be back," says he, as though he was thinking of getting me fired p. d. q. for being fresh. "next week. he ain't come yet." he gets sore and says, "see here, my man, i read in the papers to-day that he has just joined the flying colony. permit me to inform you that he is a very good friend of mine. if you will ask him, i am quite sure that he will remember mr. porter carruthers, who was introduced to him at the belmont park meet. now if you will be so good as to show the ladies and myself about----" well, i asked hawk, and hawk seemed to be unable to remember his friend mr. carruthers, who was one of the thousand or so people recently introduced to him, but he told me to show them about, which i did, and told them the gnôme was built radial to save room, and the wires overhead were a frame for a little roof for bad weather, and they gasped and nodded to every fool thing i said, swallowed it hook line and sinker till one of the females showed her interest by saying "how fascinating, let's go over to the garden city hotel, porter, i'm dying for a drink." i hope she died for it. _may _: up at three, trying out machine. smashed landing chassis in coming down, shook me up a little. interesting how when i rose it was dark on the ground but once up was a little red in the east like smoke from a regular fairy city. another author out to-day bothering me for what he called "copy." must say i've met some darn decent people in this game though. to-day there was a girl came out with billy morrison of the n. y. courier, she is an artist but crazy about outdoor life, etc. named istra nash, a red haired girl, slim as a match but the strangest face, pale but it lights up when she's talking to you. took her up and she was not scared, most are. _may _: miss istra nash came out by herself. she's thinking quite seriously about learning to fly. she sat around and watched me work, and when nobody was looking smoked a cigarette. has recently been in europe, paris, london, etc. somehow when i'm talking to a woman like her i realize how little i see of women with whom i can be really chummy, tho i meet so many people at receptions etc. sometimes just after i have been flying before thousands of people i beat it to my hotel and would be glad for a good chat with the night clerk, of course i can bank on martin dockerill to the limit but when i talk to a person like miss nash i realize i need some one who knows good art from bad. though miss nash doesn't insist on talking like a high-brow, indeed is picking up aviation technologies very quickly. she talks german like a native. think miss nash is perhaps older than i am, perhaps couple of years, but doesn't make any difference. reading a little german to-night, almost forgot what i learned of it in plato. _may , sunday_: went into town this afternoon and went with istra to dinner at the lafayette. she told me all about her experiences in paris and studying art. she is quite discontented here in n. y. i don't blame her much, it must have been bully over in paree. we sat talking till ten. like to see vedrines fly, and the louvre and the gay grisettes too by heck! istra ought not to drink so many cordials, nix on the booze you learn when you try to keep in shape for flying, though tad warren doesn't seem to learn it. after ten we went to studio where istra is staying on washington sq. several of her friends there and usual excitement and fool questions about being an aviator, it always makes me feel like a boob. but they saw istra and i wanted to be alone and they beat it. this is really dawn but i'll date it may , which is yesterday. no sleep for me to-night, i'm afraid. going to fly around ny in aerial derby this afternoon. must get plenty sleep now. _may _: won derby, not much of an event though. struck rotten currents over harlem river, machine rolled like a whale-back. istra out here to-morrow. glad. but after last night afraid i'll get so i depend on her, and the aviator that keeps his nerve has to be sort of a friendless cuss some ways. _may _: istra came out here. seems very discontented. i'm afraid she's the kind to want novelty and attention incessantly, she seems to forget that i'm pretty busy. _may _: saw istra in town, she forgot all her discontent and her everlasting dignity and danced for me then came over and kissed me, she is truly a wonder, can hum a french song so you think you're among the peasants, but she expects absolute devotion and constant amusing and i must stick to my last if a mechanic like me is to amount to anything. _may _: istra out here, she sat around and looked bored, wanted to make me sore, i think. when i told her i had to leave to-morrow morning for rochester and couldn't come to town for dinner etc. she flounced home. i'm sorry, i'm mighty sorry; poor kid she's always going to be discontented wherever she is, and always getting some one and herself all wrought up. she always wants new sensations yet doesn't want to work, and the combination isn't very good. it'd be great if she really worked at her painting, but she usually stops her art just this side of the handle of a paint-brush. curious thing is that when she'd gone and i sat thinking about her i didn't miss her so much as gertie cowles. i hope i see gertie again some day, she is a good pal. istra wanted me to name my new monoplane babette, because she says it looks "cunning" which the lord knows it don't, it may look efficient but not cunning. but i don't think i'll name it anything, tho she says that shows lack of imagination. people especially reporters are always asking me this question, do aviators have imagination? i'm not sure i know what imagination is. it's like this stuff about "sense of humor." both phrases are pretty bankrupt now. a few years ago when i was running a car i would make believe i was different people, like a king driving through his kingdom, but when i'm warping and banking i don't have time to think about making believe. of course i do notice sunsets and so on a good deal but that is not imagination. and i do like to go different places; possibly i take the imagination out that way--i guess imagination is partly wanting to be places where you aren't--well, i go when i want to, and i like that better. anyway darned if i'll give my monoplane a name. tad warren has been married to a musical comedy soubrette with ringlets of red-brown hair (istra's hair is quite bright red, but this woman has dark red hair, like the color of california redwood chips, no maybe darker) and she wears a slimpsy bright blue dress with the waist-line nearly down to her knees, and skirt pretty short, showing a lot of ankle, and a kind of hat i never noticed before, must be getting stylish now i guess, flops down so it almost hides her face like a basket. she's a typical wife for a h.p. aviator with exhibition fever. she and tad go joy riding almost every night with a bunch of gasoline and alcohol sports and all have about five cocktails and dance a new calif. dance called the turkey trot. this bunch have named tad's new wright "sammy," and they think it's quite funny to yell "hello sammy, how are you, come have a drink." i guess i'll call mine a monoplane and let it go at that. * * * * * _july _: quebec. lost race toronto to quebec. had fair chance to win but motor kept misfiring, couldn't seem to get plugs that would work, and smashed hell out of elevator coming down on tail when landing here. glad hank odell won, since i lost. hank has designed new rocker-arm for severn motor valves. all of us invited to usual big dinner, never did see so many uniforms, also members of canadian parliament. i don't like to lose a race, but thunder it doesn't bother me long. good filet of sole at dinner. sat near a young lieutenant, leftenant i suppose it is, who made me think of forrest haviland. i miss forrest a lot. he's doing some good flying for the army, flying curtiss hydro now, and trying out muffler for military scouting. what i like as much as anything about him is his ease, i hope i'm learning a little of it anyway. this stuff is all confused but must hustle off to reception at summer school of royal college for females. must send all this to old forrest to read some day--if you ever see this, forrest, hello, dear old man, i thought about you when i flew over military post. _later_: big reception, felt like an awful nut, so shy i didn't hardly dare look up off the ground. after the formal reception i was taken around the campus by the lady president, nice old lady with white hair and diamond combs in it. what seemed more than a million pretty girls kept dodging out of doorways and making snapshots of me. good thing i've been reading quite a little lately, as the lady principal (that was it, not lady president) talked very high brow. she asked me what i thought of this "terrible lower class unrest." told her i was a socialist and she never batted an eye--of course an aviator is permitted to be a nut. wonder if i am a good socialist as a matter of fact, i do know that most governments, maybe all, permit most children to never have a chance, start them out by choking them with dirt and t.b. germs, but how can we make international solidarity seem practical to the dub average voters, _how_! letter from gertie to-night, forwarded here. she seems sort of bored in joralemon, but is working hard with village improvement committee of woman's club for rest room for farmers' wives, also getting up p.e. sunday school picnic. be good for istra if she did common nice things like that, since she won't really get busy with her painting, but how she'd hate me for suggesting that she be what she calls "burjoice." guess gertie is finding herself. hope yours truly but sleepy is finding himself too. how i love my little bed! chapter xxiii (the diary of mr. ericson, continued.--editor) _august _, (_ , as before_): big chicago meet over. they sure did show us a good time. never saw better meet. won finals in duration to-day. also am second in altitude, but nix on the altitude again, i'm pretty poor at it. i'm no lincoln beachey! don't see how he breathes. his , ft. was _some_ climb. tomorrow starts my biggest attempt, by far; biggest distance flight ever tried in america, and rather niftier than even the european circuit and british circuit that beaumont has won. to fly as follows: chicago to st. louis to indianapolis to columbus to washington to baltimore to philadelphia to atlantic city to new york. the new york chronicle in company with papers along line gives prize of $ , . ought to help bank account if win, in spite of big expenses to undergo. now have $ , stowed away, and have sent mother $ , . to fly against my good old teacher m. carmeau, and tony bean, walter macmonnies, m. beaufort the frenchman, tad warren, billy witzer, chick bannard, aaron solomons and other good men. special ny chronicle reporter, fellow named forbes, assigned to me, and he hangs around all the time, sort of embarrassing (hurray, spelled it right, i guess) but i'm getting used to the reporters. martin dockerill has an ambition! he said to me to-day, "say, hawk, if you win the big race you got to give me five plunks for my share and then by gum i'm going to buy two razor-strops." "what for?" i said. "oh i bet there ain't anybody else in the world that owns _two_ razor-strops!" not much to say about banquet, lots of speeches, good grub. what tickles me more than anything is my new flying garments--not clothes but _garments_, by heck! i'm going to be a regular little old aviator in a melodrama. i've been wearing plain suits and a cap, same good old cap, always squeegee on my head. but for the big race i've got riding breeches and puttees and a silk shirt and a tweed norfolk jacket and new leather coat and french helmet with both felt and springs inside the leather--this last really valuable. the real stage aviator, that's me. watch the photographers fall for it. i bet tad warren's norfolk jacket is worth $ , a year to him! i pretended to martin that i was quite serious about the clothes, the garments i mean. i dolled myself all up last night and went swelling into my hangar and anxiously asked martin if he didn't like the get-up, and he nearly threw a fit. "good lord," he groans, "you look like an aviator on a ladies home journal cover, guaranteed not to curse, swear or chaw tobacco. what's become of that girl you was kissing, last time i seen you on the cover?" _august _: not much time to write diary on race like this, it's just saw wood all the time or lose. bad wind to-day. sometimes the wind don't bother me when i am flying, and sometimes, like to-day, it seems as though the one thing in the whole confounded world is the confounded wind that roars in your ears and makes your eyes water and sneaks down your collar to chill your spine and goes scooting up your sleeves, unless you have gauntlets, and makes your ears sting. roar, roar, roar, the wind's worse than the noisiest old cast-iron tin-can vrenskoy motor. you want to duck your head and get down out of it, and lord it tires you so--aviation isn't all "brilliant risks" and "daring dives" and that kind of blankety-blank circus business, not by a long shot it ain't, lots of it is just sticking there and bucking the wind like a taxi driver speeding for a train in a storm. tired to-night and mad. _september _: new york! i win! plenty smashes but only got jarred. i beat out beaufort by eight hours, and aaron solomons by nearly a day. carmeau's machine hopelessly smashed in columbus, but he was not hurt, but poor tad warren _killed_ crossing illinois. _september _: had no time to write about my reception here in new york till now. i've been worrying about poor tad warren's wife, bunch of us got together and made up a purse for her. nothing more pathetic than these poor little women that poke down the cocktails to keep excited and then go to pieces. i don't believe i was very decent to tad. sitting here alone in a hotel room, it seems twice as lonely after the fuss and feathers these last few days, a fellow thinks of all the rotten things he ever did. poor old tad. too late now to cheer him up. too late. wonder if they shouldn't have called off race when he was killed. wish istra wouldn't keep calling me up. have i _got_ to be rude to her? i'd like to be decent to her, but i can't stand the cocktail life. lord, that time she danced, though. poor tad was [see transcriber's note.] oh hell, to get back to the reception. it was pretty big. parade of the aero club and squadron a, me in an open-face hack, feeling like a boob while sixty leven billion people cheered. then reception by mayor, me delivering letter from mayor of chicago which i had cutely sneaked out in chicago and mailed to myself here, n. y. general delivery, so i wouldn't lose it on the way. then biggest dinner i've ever seen, must have been a thousand there, at the astor, me very natty in a new dress suit (hey bo, i fooled them, it was ready-made and cost me just $ . and fitted like my skin.) mayor, presidents of boroughs of ny, district attorney, vice president of u.s., lieut. governor of ny, five or six senators, chief of ordnance, u.s.a., arctic explorers and hundreds like that, but most of all forrest haviland whom i got them to stick right up near me. speeches mostly about me, i nearly rubbed the silver off my flossy new cigarette case keeping from looking foolish while they were telling about me and the future of aviation and all them interesting subjects. forrest and i sneaked off from the reporters next afternoon, had quiet dinner down in chinatown. we have a bully plan. if we can make it and if he can get leave we will explore the headwaters of the amazon with a two-passenger curtiss flying boat, maybe next year. now the reception fans have done their darndest and all the excitement is over including the shouting and i'm starting for newport to hold a little private meet of my own, backed by thomas j. watersell, the steel magnate, and by to-morrow night ny will forget me. i realized that after the big dinner. i got on the subway at times square, jumped quick into the car just as the doors were closing, and the guard yapped at me, "what are you trying to do, billy, kill yourself?" he wasn't spending much time thinking about famous hawk ericson, and i got to thinking how comfortable ny will manage to go on being when they no longer read in the morning paper whether i dined with the governor, or with martin dockerill at bazoo junction depot lunch counter. they forget us quick. and already there's a new generation of aviators. some of the old giants are gone, poor moisant and hoxsey and johnstone and the rest killed, and there's coming along a bunch of youngsters that can fly enough to grab the glory, and they spread out the glory pretty thin. they go us old fellows except beachey a few better on aerial acrobatics, and that's what the dear pee-pul like. (for a socialist i certainly do despise the pee-pul's _taste_!) i won't do any flipflops in the air no matter what the county fair managers write me. somehow i'd just as soon be alive and exploring the amazon with old forrest as dead after "brilliant feats of fearless daring." go to it, kids, good luck, only test your supporting wires, and don't try to rival lincoln beachey, he's a genius. glad got a secretary for a couple days to handle all this mail. hundreds of begging letters and mash notes from girls since i won the big prize. makes me feel funny! one nice thing out of the mail--letter from the turk, jack terry, that i haven't seen since plato. he didn't graduate, his old man died and he is assistant manager of quite a good sized fisheries out in oregon, glad to hear from him again. funny, i haven't thought of him for a year. i feel lonely and melancholy to-night in spite of all i do to cheer up. let up after reception etc. i suppose. i feel like calling up istra, after all, but mustn't. i ought to hit the hay, but i couldn't sleep. poor tad warren. (_the following words appear at the bottom of a page, in a faint, fine handwriting unlike mr. ericson's usual scrawl.--the editor_): whatever spirits there be, of the present world or the future, take this prayer from a plain man who knows little of monism or trinity or logos, and give to tad another chance, as a child who never grew up. * * * * * _september _: off to kokomo, to fly for farmers' alliance. easy meet here (newport, r.i.) yesterday, just straight flying and passenger carrying. dandy party given for me after it, by thomas j. watersell, the steel man. have read of such parties. bird party, in a garden, watersell has many acres in his place and big house with a wonderful brick terrace and more darn convenient things than i ever saw before, breakfast room out on the terrace and swimming pool and little gardens one outside of each guest room, rooms all have private doors, house is mission style built around patio. all the newport swells came to party dressed as birds, and i had to dress as a hawk, they had the costume all ready, wonder how they got my measurements. girls in the dance of the birds. much silk stockings, very pretty. at end of dance they were all surrounding me in semi-circle i stood out on lawn beside mrs. watersell, and they bowed low to me, fluttering their silk wings and flashing out many colored electric globes concealed in wings and looked like hundreds of rainbow colored fireflies in the darkness. just then the big lights were turned on again and they let loose hundreds of all kinds of birds, and they flew up all around me, surprised me to death. then for grub, best sandwiches i ever ate. felt much flattered by it all, somehow did not feel so foolish as at banquets with speeches. after the party was all over, quite late, i went with watersell for a swim in his private pool. most remarkable thing i ever saw. he said everybody has roman baths and pompei baths and he was going to go them one better, so he has an egyptian bath, the pool itself like the inside of an ancient temple, long vista of great big green columns and a big idol at the end, and the pool all in green marble with lights underneath the water and among the columns, and the water itself just heat of air, so you can't tell where the water leaves off and the air above it begins, hardly, and feel as though you were swimming in air through a green twilight. darndest sensation i ever felt, and the idol and columns sort of awe you. i enjoyed the swim and the room they gave me, but i had lost my tooth-brush and that kind of spoiled the end of the party. i noticed watersell only half introduced his pretty daughter to me, they like me as a lion but----and yet they seem to like me personally well enough, too. if i didn't have old martin trailing along, smoking his corn-cob pipe and saying what he thinks, i'd die of loneliness sometimes on the hike from meet to meet. other times have jolly parties, but i'd like to sit down with the cowleses and play poker and not have to explain who i am. funny--never used to feel lonely when i was bumming around on freights and so on, not paying any special attention to anybody. _october _: i wonder how far i'll ever get as an aviator? the newspapers all praise me as a hero. hero, hell! i'm a pretty steady flier but so would plenty of chauffeurs be. this hero business is mostly bunk, it was mostly chance my starting to fly at all. don't suppose it is all accident to become as great a flier as garros or vedrines or beachey, but i'm never going to be a garros, i guess. like the man that can jump twelve feet but never can get himself to go any farther. _december _: carmeau killed yesterday, flying at san antone. motor backfire, machine caught fire, burned him to death in the air. he was the best teacher i could have had, patient and wise. i can't write about him. and i can't get this insane question out of my mind: was his beard burned? i remember just how it looked, and think of that when all the time i ought to remember how clever and darn decent he was. carmeau will never show me new stunts again. and ely killed in october, cromwell dixon gone--the plucky youngster, professor montgomery, nieuport, todd shriver whom martin dockerill and hank odell liked so much, and many others, all dead, like moisant. i don't think i take any undue risks, but it makes me stop and think. and hank odell with a busted shoulder. captain paul beck once told me he believed it was mostly carelessness, these accidents, and he certainly is a good observer, but when i think of a careful constructor like nieuport---- punk money i'm making. thank heaven there will be one more good year of the game, , but i don't know about . looks like the exhibition game would blow up then--nearly everybody that wants to has seen an aeroplane fly once, now, and that's about all they want, so good bye aviation, except for military use and flying boats for sportsmen. at least good bye during a slump of several years. hope to thunder forrest and i will be able to make our south american hike, even if it costs every cent i have. that will be something like it, seeing new country instead of scrapping with fair managers about money. _december _: hoorray! christmas time at sea! quite excite to smell the ocean again and go rolling down the narrow gangways between the white state-room doors. off for a month's flying in brazil and argentine, with tony bean. will look up data for coming exploration of amazon headwaters. martin dockerill like a regular beau brummel in new white flannels, parading the deck, making eyes at pretty greaser girls. it's good to be _going_. * * * * * _feb. , _: geo. w's birthday. he'd have busted that no-lie proviso if he'd ever advertised an aero meet. start of flight new orleans to st. louis. looks like really big times, old fashioned jubilee all along the road and lots of prizes, though take a chance. only measly little $ , prize guaranteed, but vague promises of winnings at towns all along, where stop for short exhibitions. each of contestants has to fly at scheduled towns for percentage of gate receipts. _feb. _: what a rotten flight to-day. small crowd out to see me off. no sooner up than trouble with plugs. wanted to land, but nothing but bayous, rice fields, cane breaks, and marshes. farmer shot at my machine. soon motor stopped on me and had to come down awhooping on a small plowed field. smashed landing gear and got an awful jar. nothing serious though. it was two hours before a local blacksmith and i repaired chassis and cleaned plugs. i started off after coaching three scared darkies to hold the tail, while the blacksmith spun the propeller. he would give it a couple of bats, then dodge out of the way too soon, while i sat there and tried not to look mad, which by gum i was plenty mad. landed in this bum town, called ----, fourth in the race, and found sweet (?) refuge in this chills and fever hotel. wish i was back in new orleans. cheer up, having others ahead of me in the race just adds a little zip to it. watch me to-morrow. and i'm not the only hard luck artist. aaron solomons busted propeller and nearly got killed. _later._ cable. tony bean is dead. killed flying. my god, tony, impossible to think of him as dead, just a few days ago we were flying together and calling on senoritas and he playing the fiddle and laughing, always so polite, like he used to fiddle us into good nature when we got discouraged at bagby's school. seems like it was just couple minutes ago we drove in his big car through avenida de mayo and everybody cheered him, he was hero of buenos aires, yet he treated me as the big chief. cablegram forwarded from new orleans, dated yesterday, "beanno killed fell feet." and to-morrow i'll have to be out and jolly the rustic meet managers again. want to go off some place and be quiet and think. wish i could get away, be off to south america with forrest. _february _: rotten luck continues. back in same town again! got up yesterday and motor misfired, had to make quick landing in a bayou and haul out machine myself aided by scared kids. got back here and found gasoline pipe fouled, small piece of tin stuck in it. martin feels as bad as i do at tony's death, tho he doesn't say much of anything. "gosh, and tony such a nice little cuss," was about all he said, but he looked white around the gills. _feb. _: another man has dropped out, i am third but still last in the race. race fever got me to-day, didn't care for anything but winning, got off to a good start, then took chances, machine wobbled like a board in the surf. am having some funny kind of chicken creole i guess it is for lunch, writing this in hotel dining room. _later_: passed aaron solomons, am now second in the race, landed here just three hours behind walter macmonnies. three letters forwarded here, from forrest, he is flying daily at army aviation camp, also from gertie cowles, she and her mother are in minneapolis, attending a week of grand opera, also to my surprise short note from jack ryan, the grouch, saying he has given up flying and gone back into motor business. there won't be much more than money to pay expenses on this trip. tomorrow i'll show them some real flying. _later_: telegram from a st. l. newspaper. sweet business. says that promoters of race have not kept promise to remove time limit as they promised. doubt if either walter macmonnies or i can finish in time set. _feb. _: bad luck continues but made fast flight after two forced descents, one of them had to make difficult landing, plane down on railroad track, avoiding telegraph wires, and get machine off track as could hear train coming, awful job. nerves not very good. once when up at ft. heighth from which tony bean fell, i saw his face right in air in front of me and jumped so i jerked the stuffings out of control wires. * * * * * _march _: just out of hospital, after three weeks there, broken leg still in splints. glad walter macm got thru in time limit, got prize. too week and shaky write much, shoulder still hurts. _march _: how i came to fall (fall that broke my leg, three weeks ago) was flying over rough country when bad gust came thru hill defile. wing crumpled. up at ft. machine plunged forward then sideways. gosh, i thought, i'm gone, but will live as long as i can, even a few seconds more, and kept working with elevator, trying to right her even a little. ground coming up fast. must have jumped, i think. landed in marsh, that saved my life, but woke up at doctor's house, leg busted and shoulder bad, etc. machine shot to pieces, but martin dockerill has it pretty well repaired. he and the doc and i play poker every day, martin always wins with his dog-gone funeral face no matter tho he has an ace full. _march _: leg all right, pretty nearly. rigged up steering bar so i can work it with one foot. flew a mile to-day, went not badly. hope to fly at springfield, ill. meet next week. will be able to make brazil trip with forrest haviland all right. the dear old boy has been writing to me every day while i've been on the bum. newspapers have made a lot of my flying so soon again, several engagements and now things look bright again. reading lots and chipper as can be. _march _: forrest haviland is dead he was killed to-day. _march _: disposed of monoplane by telegraph. got martin job with sunset aviation company. _march _: started for europe. * * * * * _may , paris_: forrest and i would have met to-day in new york to perfect plans for brazil trip. _may _: am still trying to answer letter from forrest's father. can't seem to make it go right. if i could have seen forrest again. but maybe they were right, holding funeral before i could get there. captain faber says forrest was terribly crushed, falling from ft. i wish i didn't keep on thinking of plans for our brazil trip, then remembering we won't make it after all. i don't think i will fly till fall, anyway, though i feel stronger now after rest in england, titherington has beautiful place in devonshire. england seems to stick to biplane, can't make them see monoplane. don't think i shall fly before fall. to-day i would have been with forrest haviland in new york, i think he could have got leave for brazil trip. we would taken martin. tony promised to meet us in rio. i like france but can't get used to language, keep starting to speak spanish. maybe i'll fly here in france but certainly not for some time, though massage has fixed me all o.k. am studying french. maybe shall bicycle thru france. mem.: write to colonel haviland when i can. _must_ when i can. part iii the adventure of love chapter xxiv in october, , a young man came with an enthusiastic letter from the president of the aero club to old stephen vanzile, vice-president and general manager of the vanzile motor corporation of new york. the young man was quiet, self-possessed, an expert in regard to motors, used to meeting prominent men. he was immediately set to work at a tentative salary of $ , a year, to develop the plans of what he called the "touricar"--an automobile with all camping accessories, which should enable motorists to travel independent of inns, add the joy of camping to the joy of touring, and--a feature of nearly all inventions--add money to the purse of the inventor. the young man was carl ericson, whom mr. vanzile had seen fly at new orleans during the preceding february. carl had got the idea of the touricar while wandering by motor-cycle through scandinavia and russia. he was, at this time, twenty-seven years old; not at all remarkable in appearance nor to be considered handsome, but so clean, so well bathed, so well set-up and evenly tanned, that one thought of the swimming, dancing, tennis-playing city men of good summer resorts, an impression enhanced by his sleek corn-silk hair and small, pale mustache. his clothes came from london, his watch-chain was a thin line of platinum and gold, his cigarette-case of silver engraved in inconspicuous bands--a modest and sophisticated cigarette-case, which he had possessed long enough to forget that he had it. he was apparently too much the easy, well-bred, rather inexperienced yale or princeton man (not harvard; there was a tiny twang in his voice, and he sometimes murmured "gee!") to know much about life or work, as yet, and his smooth, rosy cheeks made it absurdly evident that he had not been away from the college insulation for more than two years. but when he got to work with draftsman and stenographers, when a curt kindliness filled his voice, he proved to be concentrated, unafraid of responsibility, able to keep many people busy; trained to something besides family tradition and the collegians' naïve belief that it matters who wins the next game. his hands would have given away the fact that he had done things. they were large, broad; the knuckles heavy; the palms calloused by something rougher than oar and tennis-racket. the microscopic traces of black grease did not for months quite come out of the cracks in his skin. and two of his well-kept but thick nails had obviously been smashed. the men of the same rank as himself in the office, captains and first lieutenants of business, said that he "simply ate up work." they fancied, with the eager old-womanishness of office gossip, that he had a "secret sorrow," for, though he was pleasant enough, he kept very much to himself. the cause of his retirement from aviation was the theme of many romantic legends. they did not know precisely what it was he had done in the pre-historic period of a year before, but they treated him with reverence instead of the amused aloofness with which an office usually waits to see whether a new man will prove to be a fool or a "grouch," a clown or a good fellow. the stenographers and filing-girls and telephone-girls followed with yearning eyes the hero's straight back. the girl who discovered, in an old _new york chronicle_ lining a bureau drawer, an interview with carl, became very haughty over its possession and lent it only to her best lady friends. the older women, who knew that carl had had a serious accident, whispered in cloak-room confidences, "poor fellow, and so brave about it." yet all the while carl's china-blue eyes showed no trace of pain nor sorrow nor that detestable appeal for sympathy called "being brave about his troubles." * * * * * there were many thoughtful features which fitted the touricar for use in camping--extra-sized baggage-box whose triangular shape made the car more nearly streamline, special folding silk tents, folding aluminum cooking-utensils, electric stove run by current from the car, electric-battery light attached to a curtain-rod. but the distinctive feature, the one which carl could patent, was the means by which a bed was made up inside the car as pullman seats are turned into berths. the back of the front seat was hinged, and dropped back to horizontal. the upholstery back of the back seat could be taken out and also placed on the horizontal. with blankets spread on the level space thus provided, with the extra-heavy top and side curtains in place, and the electric light switched on, tourists had a refuge cleaner than a country hotel and safer than a tent.... the first touricar was being built. carl was circularizing a list of possible purchasers, and corresponding with makers of camping goods. because he was not office-broken he did not worry about the risks of the new enterprise. the stupid details of affairs had, for him, a soul--the adventure of business. to be consulted by draftsmen and shop foremen; to feel that if he should not arrive at . a.m. to the second the most important part of all the world's business would be halted and stenographers loll in expensive idleness; to have the chief, old vanzile, politely anxious as to how things were going; to plan ways of making a million dollars and not have the plans seem fantastic--all these made it interesting to overwork, and hypnotized carl into a feeling of responsibility which was less spectacular than flying before thousands, but more in accordance with the spirit of the time and place. inside the office--busy and reaching for success. outside the office--frankly bored. carl was a dethroned prince. he had been accustomed to a more than royal court of admirers. now he was a nobody the moment he went twenty feet from his desk. he was forgotten. he did not seek out the many people he had met when he was an aviator and a somebody. he believed, perhaps foolishly, that they liked him only as a personage, not as a person. he sat lonely at dinner, in cheap restaurants with stains on the table-cloths, for he had put much of his capital into the new touricar company, mothered by the vanzile corporation; and aeroplanes, accessories, traveling-expenses, and the like had devoured much of his large earnings at aviation before he had left the game. in his large, shabby, fairly expensive furnished room on seventy-fifth street he spent unwilling evenings, working on touricar plans, or reading french--french technical motor literature, light novels, balzac, anything. he tried to keep in physical form, and, much though the routine and silly gestures of gymnasium exercises bored him, he took them three times a week. he could not explain the reason, but he kept his identity concealed at the gymnasium, giving his name as "o. ericson." even at the aero club, where scores knew him by sight, he was a nobody. aviation, like all pioneer arts, must look to the men who are doing new things or planning new things, not to heroes past. carl was often alone at lunch at the club. any group would have welcomed him, but he did not seek them out. for the first time he really saw the interior decorations of the club. in the old days he had been much too busy talking with active comrades to gaze about. but now he stared for five minutes together at the stamped-leather wall-covering of the dining-room. he noted, much too carefully for a happy man, the trophies of the lounging-room. but at one corner he never glanced. for here was a framed picture of the forgotten hawk ericson, landing on governor's island, winner of the flight from chicago to new york.... such a beautiful swoop!... there is no doubt of the fact that he disliked the successful new aviators, and did so because he was jealous of them. he admitted the fact, but he could not put into his desire to be a good boy one-quarter of the force that inspired his resentment at being a lonely man and a nobody. but, since he knew he was envious, he was careful not to show it, not to inflict it upon others. he was gracious and added a wrinkle between his brows, and said "gosh!" and "ain't" much less often. he had few friends these days. death had taken many; and he was wary of lion-hunters, who in dull seasons condescend to ex-lions and dethroned princes. but he was fond of a couple of aero club men, an automobile ex-racer who was a selling-agent for the vanzile corporation, and charley forbes, the bright-eyed, curly-headed, busy, dissipated little reporter who had followed him from chicago to new york for the _chronicle_. occasionally one of the men with whom he had flown--hank odell or walter macmonnies or lieutenant rutledge of the navy--came to town, and carl felt natural again. as for women, the only girl whom he had known well in years, istra nash, the painter, had gone to california to keep house for her father till she should have an excuse to escape to new york or europe again. inside the office--a hustling, optimistic young business man. for the rest of the time--a dethroned prince. such was carl ericson in november, , when a letter from gertrude cowles, which had pursued him all over america and europe, finally caught him: ---- west th st. new york. carl dear,--oh such excitement, we have come to _new york_ to live! ray has such a good position with a big ny real estate co. & mama & i are going to make a home for him even if it's only just a flat (but it's quite a big one & looks out on the duckiest old house that must have been adorning harlem for heaven knows how long,) & our house has all modern conveniences, elevator & all. think, carl, i'm going to study dancing at madame vashkowska's school--she was with the russian ballet & really is almost as wonderful a dancer as isadora duncan or pavlova. perhaps i'll teach all these ducky new dances to children some day. i'm just terribly excited to be here, like the silliest gushiest little girl in the world. and i do hope so much you will be able to come to ny & honor us with your presence at dinner, famous aviator--our carl & we are so _proud_ of you--if you will still remember simple people like us do come _any time_. wonder where you will be when this reaches you. i read in the papers that your accident isn't serious but i am worried, oh carl you must take care of yourself. yours as ever, gertie. p.s. mama sends her best regards, so does ray, he has a black mustache now, we tease him about it dreadfully. g. one minute after reading the letter, in his room, carl was standing on the chaste black-and-white tiles of the highly respectable white-arched hall down-stairs asking information for the telephone number of ---- west th street, while his landlord, a dry-bearded goat of a physician who had failed in the practise of medicine and was now failing in the practise of rooming-houses, listened from the front of the hall. glad to escape from the funereally genteel house, carl hastily changed his collar and tie and, like the little boy carl whom gertie had known, dog-trotted to the subway, which was going to take him home. chapter xxv before the twelve-story bendingo apartments, carl scanned the rows of windows which pierced the wall like bank-swallows' nests in a bold cliff.... one group of those windows was home--joralemon and memories, gertie's faith and understanding.... it was she who had always understood him.... in anticipation he loitered through the big, marble-and-stucco, rug and rubber-tree, negro hallboy and jew tenant hallway.... what would the cowleses be like, now? gertie met him in the coat-smelling private hall of the cowles apartment, greeted him with both hands clasping his, and her voice catching in, "oh, _carl_, it's so good to see you!" behind gertie was a swishing, stiff-backed mrs. cowles, piping in a high, worn voice: "mr. ericson! a friend from home! and such a famous friend!" gertie drew him into the living-room. he looked at her. he found, not a girl, but a woman of thirty, plump, solid, with the tiniest wrinkles of past unhappiness or ennui at the corners of her mouth; but her eyes radiant with sweetness, and her hair appealingly soft and brown above her wide, calm forehead. she was gowned in lavender crêpe de chine, with panniers of satin elaborately sprinkled with little bunches of futurist flowers; long jet earrings; a low-cut neck that hinted of a comfortable bosom. eyes shining, hands firm on his arm, voice ringing, she was unaffectedly glad to see him--her childhood playmate, whom she had not beheld for seven years. mrs. cowles was waiting for them to finish their greetings. carl was startled to find mrs. cowles smaller than he had remembered, her hair nearly white and not perfectly matched, her face crisscrossed with wrinkles deeper than her age justified. but her old disapproval of carl, son of a carpenter and cousin of a "hired girl," was gone. she even laughed mildly, like a kitten sneezing. and from a room somewhere beyond ray shouted: "be right there in a second, old man. crazy to have a look at you." carl did not really see the living-room, their background. indeed, he never really saw it. there was nothing to see--chairs and a table and pictures of meadows and roses. it was comfortable, however, and had conveniences--a folding card-table, a cribbage-board, score-pads for whist and five hundred; a humidor of cigars; a large morris chair and an ugly but well-padded couch of green tufted velvetine. they sat about in chairs, talking. ray came in, slapped carl on the back, roared: "well, here's the stranger! holy mike! have you got a mustache, too? better shave it off before gert starts kidding you about it. have a cigar?" carl felt at home for the first time in a year; for the first time talked easily. "say, gertie, tell me about my folks, and bone stillman." "why, i saw your father just before we left, carl. you know he still does quite a little business. we got your mother to join the nautilus club--she doesn't go very often; but she had a nice paper about 'java and its products,' and she helps us a lot with the rest-room. i haven't seen mr. stillman for a long, long time. ray, what has----" ray: "why, i think old bone's off on some expedition 'r other. fellow told me bone was some kind of a forest ranger or mine inspector, or some darn thing, up in the big woods. he must be pretty well along toward seventy now, at that." carl: "so dad's getting along well. his letters aren't very committal.... oh, say, gertie, what ever became of ben rusk? i've lost track of him entirely." gertie: "why, didn't you know? he went to rush medical college. they say he did splendidly there; he stood awfully well in his classes, and now he's in practise with his father, home." carl: "rush?" gertie: "yes, you know, in chi----" carl: "oh yes, sure; in chicago; sure, i remember now; i saw it when i was there one time. why! that's the school his father went to, wasn't it?" ray: "yes, sure, that's the one." the point seemed settled. carl: "well, well, so ben _did_ study medicine, after----oh, _say_, how's adelaide benner?" gertie: "why, you'll see her! she's coming to new york in just a couple of weeks to stay with us till she gets settled. just think, she's to have a whole year here, studying domestic science, and then she's to have a perfectly dandy position teaching in the fargo high school. i'm not supposed to tell--you mustn't breathe a _word_ of it----" mrs. cowles (interrupting): "adelaide is a good girl....ray! don't tilt your chair!" gertie: "yes, _isn't_ she, mamma.... well, i was just saying: between you and me, carl, she is to have the position in fargo all ready and waiting for her, though of course they can't announce it publicly, with all the cats that would like to get it, and all. isn't that fine?" carl: "certainly is.... 'member the time we had the may party at adelaide's, and all i could get for my basket was rag babies and may flowers? gee, but i felt out of it!" gertie: "we did have some good parties, _didn't_ we!" ray: "don't call that much of a good party for carl! ring off, gert; you got the wrong number that time, all right!" gertie (flushing): "oh, i _didn't_ mean----but we did have some good times. oh, carl, will you _ever_ forget the time you and i ran away when we were just babies?" carl: "i'll never forget----" mrs. cowles: "i'll never forget that time! my lands! i thought i should die, i was so frightened." carl: "you've forgiven me now, though, haven't you?" mrs. cowles: "my dear boy, of course i have!" (she wiped away a few tears with a gentlewoman handkerchief of lace and thin linen. carl crossed the room and kissed her pale-veined, silvery old hand. abashed, he subsided on the couch, and, trying to look as though he hadn't done it----) carl: "ohhhhh _say_, whatever did become of----oh, i can't think of his name----oh, _you_ know----i know his name well as i do my own, but it's slipped me, just for the moment----you know, he ran the billiard-parlor; the son of the----" (from mrs. cowles, a small, disapproving sound; from ray, a grin of knowing naughtiness and a violent head-shake.) gertie (gently): "yes.... he--has left joralemon.... klemm, you mean." carl (hastily, wondering what eddie klemm had done): "oh, i see.... have there been many changes in joralemon?" mrs. cowles: "do you write to your father and mother, carl? you ought to." carl: "oh yes, i write to them quite often, now, though for a time i didn't." mrs. cowles: "i'm glad, my boy. it's pretty good, after all, to have home folks that you can depend on, isn't it? when i first went to joralemon, i thought it was a little pokey, but now i'm older, and i've been there so long and all, that i'm almost afraid of new york, and i declare i do get real lonely for home sometimes. i'd be glad to see dr. rusk--ben's father, i mean, the old doctor--driving by, though of course you know i lived in minneapolis a great many years, and i do feel i ought to take advantage of the opportunities here, and i've thought quite seriously about taking up french again, it's so long since i've studied it----you ought to study it; you will find it cultivates the mind. and you must be sure to write often to your mother; there's nothing you can depend on like a mother's love, my boy." ray: "say, look here, carl, i want to hear something about all this aviation. how does it feel to fly, anyway? i'd be scared to death; it's funny, i can't look off the top of a sky-scraper without feeling as though i wanted to jump. gosh! i----" gertie: "now you just let carl tell us when he gets ready, you big, bad brother! carl wants to hear all about home first.... all these years!... you were asking about the changes. there haven't been so very many. you know it's a little slow there. oh, of course, i almost forgot; why, you haven't been in joralemon since they built up what used to be tubbs's pasture." carl: "not the old pasture by the lake? well, well! is that a fact! why, gee! i used to snare gophers there!" gertie: "oh yes. why, you simply wouldn't _know_ it, carl, it's so much changed. there must be a dozen houses on it, now. why, there's cement walks and everything, and mr. upham has a house there, a real nice one, with a screened-in porch and everything.... of course you know they've put in the sewer now, and there's lots of modern bath-rooms, and almost everybody has a ford. we would have bought one, but planning to come away so soon----oh yes, and they've added a fire-escape to the school-house." carl: "well, well!... oh, say, ray, how is howard griffin getting along?" ray: "why, howard's graduated from chicago law school, and he's practising in denver. doing pretty well, i guess; settled down and got quite some real-estate holdings.... have 'nother cigar, old man?... say, speaking of plato, of course you know they ousted old s. alcott woodski from the presidency, for heresy, something about baptism; and the dean succeeded him.... poor old cuss, he wasn't as mean as the dean, anyway.... say, carl, i've always thought they gave you a pretty raw deal there----" gertie (interrupting): "perfectly dreadful!... ray, _don't_ put your feet on that couch; i brushed it thoroughly, just this morning.... it was simply terrible, carl; i've always said that if plato couldn't appreciate her greatest son----" mrs. cowles (sleepily): "outrageous.... and don't put your feet on that chair, ray." ray: "oh, leave my feet alone!... everybody knew you were dead right in standing up for prof frazer. you remember how i roasted all the fellows in omega chi when they said you were nutty to boost him? and when you stood up in chapel----lord! that was nervy." gertie: "indeed you were right, and now you've got so famous i guess----" carl: "oh, i ain't so----" mrs. cowles: "i was simply amazed.... children, if you don't mind, i'm afraid i must leave you. mr. ericson, i'm so ashamed to be sleepy so early. when we lived in minneapolis, before mr. cowles passed beyond, he was a regular night-hawk, and we used to sit--sit--" (a yawn)--"sit up till all hours. but to-night----" gertie: "oh, must you go so soon? i was just going to make carl a rarebit. carl has never seen one of my rarebits." mrs. cowles: "make him one by all means, my dear, and you young people sit up and enjoy yourselves just as long as you like. good night, all.... ray, will you please be sure and see that that window is fastened before you go to bed? i get so nervous when----mr. ericson, i'm very proud to think that one of our joralemon boys should have done so well. sometimes i wonder if the lord ever meant men to fly--what with so many accidents, and you know aviators often do get killed and all. i was reading the other day--such a large percentage----but we have been so proud that you should lead them all, i was saying to a lady on the train that we had a friend who was a famous aviator, and she was so interested to find that we knew you. good night." they had the welsh rarebit, with beer, and carl helped to make it. gertie summoned him into the scoured kitchen, saying, with a beautiful casualness, as she tied an apron about him: "we can't afford a hired girl (i suppose i should say a 'maid'), because mamma has put so much of our money into ray's business, so you mustn't expect anything so very grand. but you'd like to help, wouldn't you? you're to chop the cheese. cut it into weenty cubes." carl did like to help. he boasted that he was the "champion cheese-chopper of harlem and the bronx, one-thirty-three ringside," while gertie was toasting crackers, and ray was out buying bottles of beer in a newspaper. it all made carl feel more than ever at home.... it was good to be with people of such divine understanding that they knew what he meant when he said, "i suppose there _have_ been worse teachers than prof larsen----!" when the rabbit lay pale in death, a saddening _débâcle_ of hardened cheese, and they sat with their elbows on the modified mission dining-table, gertie exclaimed: "oh, ray, you _must_ do that new stunt of yours for carl. it's screamingly funny, carl." ray rose, had his collar and tie off in two jocund jerks, buttoned his collar on backward, cheerily turned his waistcoat back side foremost, lengthened his face to an expression of unctuous sanctimoniousness, and turned about--transformed in one minute to a fair imitation of a stage curate. with his hands folded, ray droned, "naow, sistern, it behooveth us heuh in st. timothee's chutch," while carl pounded the table in his delight at seeing old ray, the broad-shouldered, the lady-killer, the capable business man, drop his eyes and yearn. "now you must do a stunt!" shrieked ray and gertie; and carl hesitatingly sang what he remembered of forrest haviland's foolish song: "i went up in a balloon so big the people on the earth they looked like a pig, like a mice, like a katydid, like flieses and like fleasen." then, without solicitation, gertie decided to dance "gather the golden sheaves," which she had learned at the school of mme. vashkowska, late (though not very late) of the russian ballet. she explained her work; outlined the theory of sensuous and esthetic dancing; mentioned the backgrounds of bakst and the glories of nijinsky; told her ambition to teach the new dancing to children. carl listened with awe; and with awe did he gaze as gertie gathered the golden sheaves--purely hypothetical sheaves in a field occupying most of the living-room. after the stunts ray delicately vanished. it was not so much that he statedly went off to bed as that, presently, he was not there. gertie and carl were snugly alone, and at last he talked--of forrest haviland and tony bean, of flying and falling, of excited crowds and the fog-filled air-lanes. in turn she told of her ambition to do something modern and urban. she had hesitated between dancing and making exotic jewelry; she was glad she had chosen the former; it was so human; it put one in touch with people.... she had recently gone to dinner with real bohemians, spirits of fire, splendidly in contrast with the dull plodders of joralemon. the dinner had been at a marvelous place on west tenth street--very foreign, every one drinking wine and eating spaghetti and little red herrings, and the women fearlessly smoking cigarettes--some of them. she had gone with a girl from mme. vashkowska's school, a glorious creature from london, nebraska, who lived with the most fascinating girls at the three arts club. they had met an artist with black hair and languishing eyes, who had a yankee name, but sang italian songs divinely, upon the slightest pretext, so bubbling was he with _joie de vivre_. carl was alarmed. "gosh!" he protested, "i hope you aren't going to have much to do with the long-haired bunch.... i've invented a name for them--'the hobohemians.'" "oh no-o! i don't take them seriously at all. i was just glad to go once." "of course some of them are clever." "oh yes, aren't they clever!" "but i don't think they last very well." "oh no, i'm sure they don't last well. oh no, carl, i'm too old and fat to be a bohemian--a hobohemian, i mean, so----" "nonsense! you look so--oh, thunder! i don't know just how to express it--well, so _real_! it's wonderfully comfortable to be with you-all again. i don't mean you're just the 'so good to her mother' sort, you understand. but i mean you're dependable as well as artistic." "oh, indeed, i won't take them too seriously. besides, i suppose lots of the people that go to bohemian restaurants aren't really artists at all; they just go to see the artists; they're just as bromidic as can be----don't you hate bromides? of course i want to see some of that part of life, but i think----oh, don't you think those artists and all are dreadfully careless about morals?" "well----" "yes," she breathed, reflectively. "no, i keep up with my church and all--indeed i do. oh, carl, you must come to our church--st. orgul's. it's too sweet for anything. it's just two blocks from here; and it isn't so far up here, you know, not with the subway--not like commuting. it has the _loveliest_ chapel. and the most wonderful reredos. and the services are so inspiring and high-church; not like that horrid st. timothy's at home. i do think a church service ought to be beautiful. don't you? it isn't as though we were like a lot of poor people who have to have their souls saved in a mission.... what church do you attend? you _will_ come to st. orgul's some time, won't you?" "be glad to----oh, say, gertie, before i forget it, what is semina doing now? is she married?" apropos of this subject, gertie let it be known that she herself was not betrothed. carl had not considered that question; but when he was back in his room he was glad to know that gertie was free. * * * * * at the omega chi delta club, carl lunched with ray cowles. two nights later, ray and gertie took carl and gertie's friend, the glorious creature from london, nebraska, to the opera. carl did not know much about opera. in other words, being a normal young american who had been water-proofed with college culture, he knew absolutely nothing about it. but he gratefully listened to gertie's clear explanation of why mme. vashkowska preferred wagner to verdi. he had, in the mean time, received a formal invitation for a party to occur at gertie's the coming friday evening. thursday evening gertie coached him in a new dance, the turkey trot. she also gave him a lesson in the boston, with a new dip invented by mme. vashkowska, which was certain to sweep the country, because, of course, vashkowska was the only genuinely qualified _maîtresse de danse_ in america. it was a beautiful evening. home! ray came in, and the three of them had coffee and thin sandwiches. at gertie's suggestion, ray again turned his collar round and performed his "clergyman stunt." while the impersonation did not, perhaps, seem so humorous as before, carl was amused; and he consented to sing the "i went up in a balloon so big" song, so that ray might learn it and sing it at the office. it was captivating to have gertie say, quietly, as he left: "i hope you'll be able to come to the party a little early to-morrow, carl. you know we count on you to help us." chapter xxvi the party was on at the cowles flat. people came. they all set to it, having a party, being lively and gay, whether they wanted to or not. they all talked at once, and had delicious shocks over the girl from london, nebraska, who, having moved to washington place, just a block or two from ever so many artists, was now smoking a cigarette and, wearing a gown that was black and clinging. it was no news to her that men had a tendency to become interested in her ankles. but she still went to church and was accepted by quite the nicest of the st. orgul's set, to whom gertie had introduced her. she and gertie were the only thoroughly qualified representatives of art, but beauty and gallantry and wit were common. the conspirators in holding a party were, on the male side: an insurance adjuster, who was a frat-brother to carl and ray, though he came from melanchthon college. a young lawyer, ever so jolly, with a banjo. a bantling clergyman, who was spoken of with masculine approval because he smoked a pipe and said charmingly naughty things. johnson of the homes and long island real estate company, and his brother, of the martinhurst development company. four older men, ranging from thin-haired to very bald, who had come with their wives and secretly looked at their watches while they talked brightly with one another's wives. five young men whom carl could not tell apart, as they all had smooth hair and eye-glasses and smart dress-shirts and obliging smiles and complimentary references to his aviating. he gave up trying to remember which was which. it was equally hard to remember which of the women gertie knew as a result of her girlhood visit to new york, which from their membership in st. orgul's church, which from their relation to minnesota. they all sat in rows on couches and chairs and called him "you wicked man!" for reasons none too clear to him. he finally fled from them and joined the group of young men, who showed an ill-bred and disapproved tendency to sneak off into ray's room for a smoke. he did not, however, escape one young woman who stood out from the _mêlée_--a young woman with a personality almost as remarkable as that of the glorious creature from london, nebraska. this was the more or less married young woman named dorothy, and affectionately called "tottykins" by all the st. orgul's group. she was of the kind who look at men appraisingly, and expect them to come up, be unduly familiar, and be crushed. she had seven distinct methods of getting men to say indiscreet things, and three variations of reply, of which the favorite was to remark with well-bred calmness: "i'm afraid you have made a slight error, mr. uh---- i didn't quite catch your name? perhaps they failed to tell you that i attend st. orgul's evvvv'ry sunday, and have a husband and child, and am not at all, really, you know. i hope that there has been nothing i said that has given you the idea that i have been looking for a flirtation." a thin, small female with bobbed hair was tottykins, who kept her large husband and her fat, white grub of an infant somewhere in the back blocks. she fingered a long, gold, religious chain with her square, stubby hand, while she gazed into men's eyes with what she privately termed "daring frankness." tottykins the fair; tottykins the modern; tottykins who had read _three weeks_ and nearly all of a wicked novel in french, and wore a large gold cross; tottykins who worked so hard in her little flat that she had to rest all of every afternoon and morning; tottykins the advanced and liberal--yet without any of the extremes of socialists and artists and vegetarians and other ill-conditioned persons who do not attend st. orgul's; tottykins the firmly domestic, whose husband grew more worried every year; tottykins the intensely cultured and inquisitive about life, the primitively free and pervasively original, who announced in public places that she wanted always to live like the spirit of the dancing bacchante statue, but had the assistant rector of st. orgul's in for coffee, every fourth monday evening. tottykins beckoned carl to a corner and said, with her manner of amused condescension, "now you sit right down here, hawk ericson, and tell me _all_ about aviation." carl was not vastly sensitive. he had not disliked the nice young men with eye-glasses. not till now did he realize how tottykins's shrill references to the dancing bacchante and the bacchanting of her mud-colored dutch-fashioned hair had bored him. ennui was not, of course, an excuse; but it was the explanation of why he answered in this wise (very sweetly, looking tottykins in the eyes and patting her hand with a brother-like and altogether maddening condescension): "no, no, that isn't the way, dorothy. it's quite _passé_ to ask me to tell you all about aviation. that isn't done, not in . oh dor-o-thy! oh no, no! no-o! no, no. first you should ask me if i'm afraid when i'm flying. oh, always begin that way. then you say that there's a curious fact about you--when you're on a high building and just look down once, then you get so dizzy that you want to jump. then, after you've said that----let's see. you're a church member, aren't you? well then, next you'd say, 'just how does it feel to be up in an aeroplane?' or if you don't say that then you've simply got to say, 'just how does it feel to fly, anyway?' but if you're just _terribly_ interested, dorothy, you might ask about biplanes _versus_ monoplanes, and 'do i think there'll ever be a flight across the atlantic?' but whatever you do, dorothy, don't fail to ask me if i'll give you a free ride when i start flying again. and we'll fly and fly----like birds. you know. or like the dancing bacchante.... that's the way to talk about aviation.... and now you tell me _all_ about babies!" "really, i'm afraid babies is rather a big subject to tell all about! at a party! really, you _know_----" that was the only time carl was not bored at the party. and even then he had spiritual indigestion from having been rude. for the rest of the time: every one knew everybody else, and took carl aside to tell him that everybody was "the most conscientious man in our office, ericson; why, the boss would trust him with anything." it saddened carl to hear the insurance adjuster boom, "oh you tottykins!" across the room, at ten-minute intervals, like a human fog-horn on the sea of ennui. they were all so uniformly polite, so neat-minded and church-going and dull. nearly all the girls did their hair and coquetries one exactly like another. carl is not to be pitied. he had the pleasure of martyrdom when he heard the younger johnson tell of martinhurst, the suburb beautiful. he believed that he had reached the nadir of boredom. but he was mistaken. after simple and pleasing refreshments of the wooden-plate and paper-napkin school, gertie announced: "now we're going to have some stunts, and you're each to give one. i know you all can, and if anybody tries to beg off--my, what will happen----! my brother has a new one----" for the third time that month, carl saw ray turn his collar round and become clerical, while every one rustled with delight, including the jolly bantling clergyman. and for the fourth time he saw gertie dance "gather the golden sheaves." she appeared, shy and serious, in bloomers and flat dancing-shoes, which made her ample calves bulge the more; she started at sight of the harvest moon (and well she may have been astonished, if she did, indeed, see a harvest moon there, above the gilded buffalo horns on the unit bookcase), rose to her toes, flapped her arms, and began to gather the sheaves to her breast, with enough plump and panting energy to enable her to gather at least a quarter-section of them before the whistle blew. it was not only esthetic, but close to the soil. then, to banjo accompaniment, the insurance adjuster sighed for his old kentucky home, which carl judged to have been located in brooklyn. the whole crowd joined in the chorus and---- suddenly, with a shock that made him despise himself for the cynical superiority which he had been enjoying, carl remembered that forrest haviland, tony bean, hank odell, even surly jack ryan and the alien carmeau, had sung "my old kentucky home" on their last night at the bagby school. he felt their beloved presences in the room. he had to fight against tears as he too joined in the chorus.... "then weep no more, my lady."... he was beside a california poppy-field. the blossoms slumbered beneath the moon, and on his shoulder was the hand of forrest haviland.... he had repented. he became part of the group. he spoke kindly to tottykins. but presently tottykins postponed her well-advertised return to her husband and baby, and gave a ten-minute dramatic recital from byron; and the younger johnson sang a swiss mountaineer song with yodels. gertie looked speculatively at carl twice during this offering. he knew that the gods were plotting an abominable thing. she was going to call upon him for the "stunt" which had been inescapably identified with him, the song, "i went up in a balloon so big." he met the crisis heroically. he said loudly, as the shaky strains of the swiss ballad died on the midnight mountain air of th street (while the older men concealed yawns and applauded, and the family in the adjoining flat rapped on the radiator): "i'm sorry my throat 's so sore to-night. otherwise i'd sing a song i learned from a fellow in california--balloon s' big." gertie stared at him doubtfully, but passed to a kitten-faced girl from minnesota, who was quite ready to give an imitation of a child whose doll has been broken. her "stunt" was greeted with, "oh, how cun-ning! please do it again!" she prepared to do it again. carl made hasty motions of departure, pathetically holding his throat. he did not begin to get restless till he had reached ninety-sixth street and had given up his seat in the subway to a woman who resembled tottykins. he wondered if he had not been at the old home long enough. at seventy-second street, on an inspiration that came as the train was entering the station, he changed to a local and went down to fifty-ninth street. he found an all-night garage, hired a racing-car, and at dawn he was driving furiously through long island, a hundred miles from new york, on a roadway perilously slippery with falling snow. chapter xxvii carl wished that adelaide benner had never come from joralemon to study domestic science. he felt that he was a sullen brute, but he could not master his helpless irritation as he walked with adelaide and gertie cowles through central park, on a snowy sunday afternoon of december. adelaide assumed that one remained in the state of mind called joralemon all one's life; that, however famous he might be, the son of oscar ericson was not sufficiently refined for miss cowles of the big house on the hill, though he might improve under cowles influences. he was still a person who had run away from plato! but that assumption was far less irritating than one into which adelaide threw all of her faded yearning--that gertie and he were in love. adelaide kept repeating, with coy slyness: "isn't it too bad you two have me in the way!" and: "don't mind poor me. auntie will turn her back any time you want her to." and gertie merely blushed, murmuring, "don't be a silly." at eightieth street adelaide announced: "now i must leave you children. i'm going over to the metropolitan museum of art. i do love to see art pictures. i've always wanted to. now be as good as you can, you two." gertie was mechanical about replying. "oh, don't run away, addy dear." "oh yes, you two will miss an old maid like me terribly!" and adelaide was off, a small, sturdy, undistinguished figure, with an unyielding loyalty to gertie and to the idea of marriage. carl looked at her bobbing back (with wrinkles in her cloth jacket over the shoulders) as she melted into the crowd of glossy fur-trimmed new-yorkers. he comprehended her goodness, her devotion. he sighed, "if she'd only stop this hinting about gertie and me----" he was repentant of his irritation, and said to gertie, who was intimately cuddling her arm into his: "adelaide's an awfully good kid. sorry she had to go." gertie jerked her arm away, averted her profile, grated: "if you miss her so much, perhaps you'd better run after her. really, i wouldn't interfere, not for _worlds_!" "why, hello, gertie! what seems to be the matter? don't i detect a chill in the atmosphere? so sorry you've gone and gotten refined on me. i was just going to suggest some low-brow amusement like tea at the casino." "well, you ought to know a lady doesn't----" "oh, now, gertie dear, not 'lady.'" "i don't think you're a bit nice, carl ericson, i don't, to be making fun of me when i'm serious. and why haven't you been up to see us? mamma and ray have spoken of it, and you've only been up once since my party, and then you were----" "oh, please let's not start anything. sorry i haven't been able to get up oftener, but i've been taking work home. you know how it is--you know when you get busy with your dancing-school----" "oh, i meant to tell you. i'm through, just _through_ with vashkowska and her horrid old school. she's a cat and i don't believe she ever had anything to do with the russian ballet, either. what do you think she had the effrontery to tell me? she said that i wasn't practising and really trying to learn anything. and i've been working myself into----really, my nerves were in such a shape, i would have been in danger of a nervous breakdown if i had kept on. tottykins told me how she had a nervous breakdown, and had me see her doctor, such a dear, dr. st. claire, so refined and sympathetic, and he told me i was right in suspecting that nobody takes vashkowska seriously any more, and, besides, i don't think much of all this symbolistic dancing, anyway, and at last i've found out what i really want to do. oh, carl, it's so wonderful! i'm studying ceramics with miss deitz, she's so wonderful and temperamental and she has the dearest studio on gramercy park. of course i haven't made anything yet, but i know i'm going to like it so much, and miss deitz says i have a natural taste for vahzes and----" "huh? oh yes, vases. i get you." "(don't be vulgar.)----i'm going to go down to her studio and work every other day, and she doesn't think you have to work like a scrubwoman to succeed, like that horrid vashkowska did. miss deitz has a temperament herself. and, oh, carl, she says that 'gertrude' isn't suited to me (and 'gertie' certainly isn't!) and she calls me 'eltruda.' don't you think that's a sweet name? would you like to call me 'eltruda,' sometimes?" "look here, gertie, i don't want to butt in, and i'm guessing at it, but looks to me as though one of these artistic grafters was working you. what do you know about this deitz person? has she done anything worth while? and honestly, gertie----by the way, i don't want to be brutal, but i don't think i could stand 'eltruda.' it sounds like 'tottykins.'" "now really, carl----" "wait a second. how do you know you've got what you call a temperament? go to it, and good luck, if you can get away with it. but how do you know it isn't simply living in a flat and not having any work to do _except_ developing a temperament? why don't you try working with ray in his office? he's a mighty good business man. this is just a sugges----" "now really, this is----" "look here, gertie, the thing i've always admired about you is your wholesomeness and----" "'wholesome!' oh, that word! as miss deitz was saying just the other day, it's as bad----" "but you are wholesome, gertie. that is, if you don't let new york turn your head; and if you'd use your ability on a real job, like helping ray, or teaching--yes, or really sticking to your ceramics or dancing, and leave the temperament business to those who can get away with it. no, wait. i know i'm butting in; i know that people won't go and change their natures because i ask them to; but you see you--and ray and adelaide--you are the friends i depend on, and so i hate to see----" "now, carl dear, you might let me talk," said gertie, in tones of maddening sweetness. "as i think it over, i don't seem to recall that you've been an authority on temperament for so very long. i seem to remember that you weren't so terribly wonderful in joralemon! i'm glad to be the first to honor what you've done in aviation, but i don't know that that gives you the right to----" "never said it did!" carl insisted, with fictitious good humor. "----assume that you are an authority on temperament and art. i'm afraid that your head has been just a little turned by----" "oh, hell.... oh, i'm sorry. that just slipped." "it _shouldn't_ have slipped, you know. i'm _afraid_ it can't be passed over so _easily_." gertie might have been a bustling joralemon school-teacher pleasantly bidding the dirty ericson boy, "now go and wash the little hands." carl said nothing. he was bored. he wished that he had not become entangled in their vague discussion of "temperament." even more brightly gertie announced: "i'm afraid you're not in a very good humor this afternoon. i'm sorry that my plans don't interest you. of course, i should be very temperamental if i expected you to apologize for cursing and swearing, so i think i'll just leave you here, and when you feel better----" she was infuriatingly cheerful. "----i should be pleased to have you call me up. good-by, carl, and i hope that your walk will do you good." she turned into a footpath; left him muttering in tones of youthful injury, "jiminy! i've done it now!" he was in joralemon. a victoria drove by with a dowager who did not seem to be humbly courting the best set in joralemon. a grin lightened carl's face. he chuckled: "by golly! gertie handled it splendidly! i'm to call up and be humble, and then--bing!--the least i can do is to propose and be led to the altar and teach a sunday-school class at st. orgul's for the rest of my life! come hither, hawk ericson, let us hold council. here's the way gertie will dope it out, i guess. ('eltruda!') i'll dine in solitary regret for saying 'hell'----no. first i'm to walk down-town, alone and busy repenting, and then i'll feed alone, and by eight o'clock i'll be so tired of myself that i'll call up and beg pretty. rats! it's rotten mean to dope it out like that, but just the same----me that have done what i've done--worried to death over one accidental 'hell'!... hey there, you taxi!" grandly he rode through the park, and in an unrepentant manner bowed to every pretty woman he saw, to the disapproval of their silk-hatted escorts. he forgot the existence of gertie cowles and the old home folks. but he really could not afford a taxicab, and he had to make up for it by economy. at seven-thirty he gloomily entered miggleton's restaurant, on forty-second street, the least unbearable of the "popular prices--tables for ladies" dens, and slumped down at a table near the window. there were few diners. carl was as much a stranger as on the morning when he had first invaded new york, to find work with an automobile company, and had passed this same restaurant; still was he a segregated stranger, despite the fact that, two blocks away, in the aero club, two famous aviators were agreeing that there had never been a more consistently excellent flight in america than hawk ericson's race from chicago to new york. carl considered the delights of the cowles flat, ray's stories about plato and business, and the sentimental things gertie played on the guitar. he suddenly determined to go off some place and fly an aeroplane; as suddenly knew that he was not yet ready to return to the game. he read the _evening telegram_ and cheerlessly peered out of the window at the gray snow-veil which shrouded forty-second street. as he finished his dessert and stirred his coffee he stared into a street-car stalled in a line of traffic outside. within the car, seen through the snow-mist, was a girl of twenty-two or three, with satiny slim features and ash-blond hair. she was radiant in white-fox furs. carl craned to watch. he thought of the girl who, asking a direction before the florida lunch room in chicago, had inspired him to become a chauffeur. the girl in the street-car was listening to her companion, who was a dark-haired girl with humor and excitement about life in her face, well set-up, not tall, in a smartly tailored coat of brown pony-skin and a small hat that was all lines and no trimming. both of them seemed amused, possibly by the lofty melancholy of a traffic policeman beside the car, who raised his hand as though he had high ideals and a slight stomach-ache. the dark-haired girl tapped her round knees with the joy of being alive. the street-car started. carl was already losing in the city jungle the two acquaintances whom he had just made. the car stopped again, still blocked. carl seized his coat, dropped a fifty-cent piece on the cashier's desk, did not wait for his ten cents change, ran across the street (barely escaping a taxicab), galloped around the end of the car, swung up on the platform. as he took a seat opposite the two girls he asked himself just what he expected to do now. the girls were unaware of his existence. and why had he hurried? the car had not started again. but he studied his unconscious conquests from behind his newspaper, vastly content. in the unnatural quiet of the stalled car the girls were irreverently discussing "george." he heard enough to know that they were of the rather smart, rather cultured class known as "new-yorkers"--they might be russian-american princesses or social workers or ill-paid governesses or actresses or merely persons with one motor-car and a useful papa in the family. but in any case they were not of the kind he could pick up. the tall girl of the ash-blond hair seemed to be named olive, being quite unolive in tint, while her livelier companion was apparently christened ruth. carl wearied of olive's changeless beauty as quickly as he did of her silver-handled umbrella. she merely knew how to listen. but the less spectacular, less beautiful, less languorous, dark-haired ruth was born a good comrade. her laughter marked her as one of the women whom earth-quake and flood and child-bearing cannot rob of a sense of humor; she would have the inside view, the sophisticated understanding of everything. the car was at last free of the traffic. it turned a corner and started northward. carl studied the girls. ruth was twenty-four, perhaps, or twenty-five. not tall, slight enough to nestle, but strong and self-reliant. she had quantities of dark-brown hair, crisp and glinty, though not sleek, with eyebrows noticeably dark and heavy. her smile was made irresistible by her splendidly shining teeth, fairly large but close-set and white; and not only the corners of her eyes joined in her smile, but even her nose, her delicate yet piquant nose, which could quiver like a deer's. when she laughed, carl noted, ruth had a trick of lifting her heavy lids quickly, and surprising one with a glint of blue eyes where brown were expected. her smooth, healthy, cream-colored skin was rosy with winter, and looked as though in summer it would tan evenly, without freckles. her chin was soft, but without a dimple, and her jaws had a clean, boyish leanness. her smooth neck and delicious shoulders were curved, not fatly, but with youth and happiness. they were square, capable shoulders, with no mid-victorian droop about them. her waist was slender naturally, not from stays. her short but not fat fingers were the ideal instruments for the piano. slim were her crossed feet, and her unwrinkled pumps (foolish footgear for a snowy evening) seemed eager to dance. there was no hint of the coquette about her. physical appeal this ruth had, but it was the allure of sunlight and meadows, of tennis and a boat with bright, canted sails, not of boudoir nor garden dizzy-scented with jasmine. she was young and clean, sweet without being sprinkled with pink sugar; too young to know much about the world's furious struggle; too happy to have realized its inevitable sordidness; yet born a woman who would not always wish to be "protected," and round whom all her circle of life would center.... so carl inarticulately mused, with the intentness which one gives to strangers in a quiet car, till he laughed, "i feel as if i knew her like a book." the century's greatest problem was whether he would finally prefer her to olive, if he knew them. if he could speak to them----but that was, in new york, more difficult than beating a policeman or getting acquainted with the mayor. he would lose them. already they were rising, going out. he couldn't let them be lost. he glanced out of the window, sprang up with an elaborate pretense that he had come to his own street. he followed them out, still conning head-lines in his paper. his grave absorption said, plain that all might behold, that he was a respectable citizen to whom it would never occur to pursue strange young women. his new friends had been close to him in the illuminated car, but they were alien, unapproachable, when they stood on an unfamiliar street-crossing snow-dimmed and silent with night. he stared at a street-sign and found that he was on madison avenue, up in the fifties. as they turned east on fifty-blankth street he stopped under the street-light, took an envelope from his pocket, and found on it the address of that dear old friend, living on fifty-blankth, on whom he was going to call. this was to convince the policeman of the perfect purity of his intentions. the fact that there was no policeman nearer than the man on fixed post a block away did not lessen carl's pleasure in the make-believe. he industriously inspected the house-numbers as he followed the quickly moving girls, and frequently took out his watch. nothing should make him late in calling on that dear old friend. not since adam glowered at the intruder eve has a man been so darkly uninterested in two charmers. he stared clear through them; he looked over their heads; he observed objects on the other side of the street. he indignantly told the imaginary policemen who stopped him that he hadn't even seen the girls till this moment; that he was the victim of a plot. the block through which the cavalcade was passing was lined with shabby-genteel brownstone houses, with high stoops and haughty dark doors, and dressmakers' placards or doctors' cards in the windows. carl was puzzled. the girls seemed rather too cheerful to belong in this decayed and gloomy block, which, in the days when horsehair furniture and bankers had mattered, had seemed imposing. but the girls ascended the steps of a house which was typical of the row, except that five motor-cars stood before it. carl, passing, went up the steps of the next house and rang the bell. "what a funny place!" he heard one of the girls--he judged that it was ruth--remark from the neighboring stoop. "it looks exactly like aunt emma when she wears an alexandra bang. do we go right up? oughtn't we to ring? it ought to be the craziest party--anarchists----" "a party, eh?" thought carl. "----ought to ring, i suppose, but----yes, there's sure to be all sorts of strange people at mrs. hallet's----" said the voice of the other girl, then the door closed upon both of them. and an abashed carl realized that a maid had opened the door of the house at which he himself had rung, and was glaring at him as he craned over to view the next-door stoop. "w-where----does dr. brown live here?" he stuttered. "no, 'e don't," the maid snapped, closing the door. carl groaned: "he don't? dear old brown? not live here? huh? what shall i do?" in remarkably good spirits he moved over in front of the house into which ruth and olive had gone. people were coming to the party in twos and threes. yes. the men were in evening clothes. he had his information. swinging his stick up to a level with his shoulder at each stride, he raced to fifty-ninth street and the nearest taxi-stand. he was whirled to his room. he literally threw his clothes off. he shaved hastily, singing, "will you come to the ball," from "the quaker girl," and slipped into evening clothes and his suavest dress-shirt. seizing things all at once--top-hat, muffler, gloves, pocketbook, handkerchief, cigarette-case, keys--and hanging them about him as he fled down the decorous stairs, he skipped to the taxicab and started again for fifty-blankth street. at the house of the party he stopped to find on the letter-box in the entry the name "mrs. hallet," mentioned by olive. there was no such name. he tried the inner door. it opened. he cheerily began to mount steep stairs, which kept on for miles, climbing among slate-colored walls, past empty wall-niches with toeless plaster statues. the hallways, dim and high and snobbish, and the dark old double doors, scowled at him. he boldly returned the scowl. he could hear the increasing din of a talk-party coming from above. when he reached the top floor he found a door open on a big room crowded with shrilly chattering people in florid clothes. there was a hint of brassware and paintings and silken turkish rugs. but no sight of ruth or olive. a maid was bobbing to him and breathing, "that way, please, at the end of the hall." he went meekly. he did not dare to search the clamorous crowd for the girls, as yet. he obediently added his hat and coat and stick to an uncomfortable-looking pile of wraps writhing on a bed in a small room that had a copley print of sargent's "prophets," a calendar, and an unimportant white rocker. it was time to go out and face the party, but he had stage-fright. while climbing the stairs he had believed that he was in touch with the two girls, but now he was separated from them by a crowd, farther from them than when he had followed them down the unfriendly street. and not till now did he quite grasp the fact that the hostess might not welcome him. his glowing game was becoming very dull-toned. he lighted a cigarette and listened to the beating surf of the talk in the other room. another man came in. like all the rest, he gave up the brilliant idea of trying to find an unpreëmpted place for his precious newly ironed silk hat, and resignedly dumped it on the bed. he was a passable man, with a gentlemanly mustache and good pumps. carl knew that fact because he was comparing his own clothes and deciding that he had none the worst of it. but he was relieved when the waxed mustache moved a couple of times, and its owner said, in a friendly way: "beastly jam!... may i trouble you for a match?" carl followed him out to the hostess, a small, busy woman who made a business of being vivacious and letting the light catch the fringes of her gold hair as she nodded. carl nonchalantly shook hands with her, bubbling: "so afraid couldn't get here. my play----but at last----" he was in a panic. but the hostess, instead of calling for the police, gushed, "_so_ glad you _could_ come!" combining a kittenish mechanical smile for him with a glance over his shoulder at the temporary butler. "i want you to meet miss moeller, mr.--uh--mr----" "i knew you'd forget it!" carl was brotherly and protecting in his manner. "ericson, oscar ericson." "oh, of course. how stupid of me! miss moeller, want you to meet mr. oscar ericson--you know----" "s' happy meet you, miss mmmmmmm," said carl, tremendously well-bred in manner. "can we possibly go over and be clever in a corner, do you think?" he had heard colonel haviland say that, but his manner gave it no quotation-marks. presumably he talked to miss moeller about something usual--the snow or the party or owen johnson's novels. presumably miss moeller had eyes to look into and banalities to look away from. presumably there was something in the room besides people and talk and rugs hung over the bookcases. but carl never knew. he was looking for ruth. he did not see her. within ten minutes he had manoeuvered himself free of miss moeller and was searching for ruth, his nerves quivering amazingly with the fear that she might already have gone. how would he ever find her? he could scarce ask the hostess, "say, where's ruth?" she was nowhere in the fog of people in the big room.... if he could find even olive.... strolling, nodding to perfectly strange people who agreeably nodded back under the mistaken impression that they were glad to see him, he systematically checked up all the groups. ruth was not among the punch-table devotees, who were being humorous and amorous over cigarettes; not among the caustic wits exclusively assembled in a corner; not among the shy sisters aligned on the davenport and wondering why they had come; not in the general maelstrom in the center of the room. he stopped calmly to greet the hostess again, remarking, "you look so beautifully sophisticated to-night," and listened suavely to her fluttering remarks. he was the picture of the cynical cityman who has to be nowhere at no especial time. but he was not cynical. he had to find ruth! he escaped and, between the main room and the dining-room, penetrated a small den filled with witty young men, old stories, cigarette-smoke, and siphons. then he charged into the dining-room, where there were candles and plate much like silver--and ruth and olive at the farther end. chapter xxviii he wanted to run forward, take their hands, cry, "at last!" he seemed to hear his voice wording it. but, not glancing at them again, he established himself on a chair by the doorway between the two rooms. it was safe to watch the two girls in this babel, where words swarmed and battled everywhere in the air. ruth was in a brown velvet frock whose golden tones harmonized with her brown hair. she was being enthusiastically talked at by a man to whom she listened with a courteously amused curiosity. carl could fancy her nudging olive, who sat beside her on the jacobean settee and was attended by another talking-man. carl told ruth (though she did not know that he was telling her) that she had no right to be "so blasted new-yorkishly superior and condescending," but he admitted that she was scarcely to blame, for the man made kindergarten gestures and emitted conversation like air from an exploded tire. the important thing was that he heard the man call her "miss winslow." "great! got her name--ruth winslow!" watching the man's lips (occasionally trying to find an excuse for eavesdropping, and giving up the quest because there was no excuse), he discovered that ruth was being honored with a thrilling account of aviation. the talking-man, it appeared, knew a great deal about the subject. carl heard through a rift in the cloud of words that the man had once actually flown, as a passenger with henry odell! for five minutes on end, judging by the motions with which he steered a monoplane through perilous abysses, the reckless spirit kept flying (as a passenger). ruth winslow was obviously getting bored, and the man showed no signs of volplaning as yet. olive's man departed, and olive was also listening to the parlor aviator, who was unable to see that a terrific fight was being waged by the hands of the two girls in the space down between them. it was won by ruth's hand, which got a death-grip on olive's thumb, and held it, to olive's agony, while both girls sat up straight and beamed propriety. carl walked over and, smoothly ignoring the pocket entertainer, said: "so glad to see you, miss winslow. i think this is my dance?" "y-yes?" from miss winslow, while the entertainer drifted off into the flotsam of the party. olive went to join a group about the hostess, who had just come in to stir up mirth and jocund merriment in the dining-room, as it had settled down into a lower state of exhilaration than the canons of talk-parties require. said carl to ruth, "not that there's any dancing, but i felt you'd get dizzy if you climbed any higher in that aeroplane." ruth tried to look haughty, but her dark lashes went up and her unexpected blue eyes grinned at him boyishly. "gee! she's clever!" carl was thinking. since, to date, her only remark had been "y-yes?" he may have been premature. "that was a bully strangle hold you got on miss olive's hand, miss winslow." "you saw our hands?" "perhaps.... tell me a good way to express how superior you and i are to this fool party and its noise. isn't it a fool party?" "i'm afraid it really is." "what's the purpose of it, anyway? do the people have to come here and breathe this air, i wonder? i asked several people that, and i'm afraid they think i'm crazy." "but you are here? do you come to mrs. salisbury's often?" "never been before. never seen a person here in my life before--except you and miss olive. came on a bet. chap bet i wouldn't dare come without being invited. i came. bowed to the hostess and told her i was so sorry my play-rehearsals made me late, and she was _so_ glad i could come, _after all_--you know. she's never seen me in her life." "oh? are you a dramatist?" "i was--in the other room. but i was a doctor out in the hall and a sculptor on the stairs, so i'm getting sort of confused myself--as confused as you are, trying to remember who i am, miss winslow. you really don't remember me at all? tea at--wasn't it at the vanderbilt? or the plaza?" "oh yes, that must have been----i was trying to remember----" carl grinned. "the chap who introduced me to you called me 'mr. um-m-m,' because he didn't remember my name, either. so you've never heard it. it happens to be ericson.... i'm on a mission. serious one. i'm planning to go out and buy a medium-sized bomb and blow up this bunch. i suspect there's poets around." "i do too," sighed ruth. "i understand that mrs. salisbury always has seven lawyers and nineteen advertising men and a dentist and a poet and an explorer at her affairs. are you the poet or the explorer?" "i'm the dentist. i think----you don't happen to have done any authoring, do you?" "well, nothing except an epic poyem on jonah and the whale, which i wrote at the age of seven. most of it consisted of a conversation between them, while jonah was in the whale's stomach, which i think showed agility on the part of the whale." "then maybe it's safe to say what i think of authors--and more or less of poets and painters and so on. one time i was in charge of some mechanical investigations, and a lot of writers used to come around looking for what they called 'copy.' that's where i first got my grouch on them, and i've never really got over it; and coming here to-night and hearing the littery talk i've been thinking how these authors have a sort of an admiration trust. they make authors the heroes of their stories and so on, and so they make people think that writing is sacred. i'm so sick of reading novels about how young bill, as had a pure white soul, came to new york and had an 'orrible time till his great novel was accepted. authors seem to think they're the only ones that have ideals. now i'm in the automobile business, and i help to make people get out into the country--bet a lot more of them get out because of motoring than because of reading poetry about spring. but if i claimed a temperament because i introduce the motorist's soul to the daisy, every one would die laughing." "but don't you think that art is the--oh, the object of civilization and that sort of thing?" "i do _not_! honestly, miss winslow, i think it would be a good stunt to get along without any art at all for a generation, and see what we miss. we probably need dance music, but i doubt if we need opera. funny how the world always praises its opera-singers so much and pays 'em so well and then starves its shoemakers, and yet it needs good shoes so much more than it needs opera--or war or fiction. i'd like to see all the shoemakers get together and refuse to make any more shoes till people promised to write reviews about them, like all these book-reviews. then just as soon as people's shoes began to wear out they'd come right around, and you'd read about the new masterpieces of mr. regal and mr. walkover and mr. stetson." "yes! i can imagine it. 'this laced boot is one of the most vital and gripping and wholesome shoes of the season.' and probably all the young shoemakers would sit around cafés, looking quizzical and artistic. but don't you think your theory is dangerous, mr. ericson? you give me an excuse for being content with being a commonplace upper-west-sider. and aren't authors better than commonplaceness? you're so serious that i almost suspect you of having started to be an author yourself." "really not. as a matter of fact, i'm the kiddy in patched overalls you used to play with when you kept house in the willows." "oh, of course! in the forest of arden! and you had a toad that you traded for my hair-ribbon." "and we ate bread and milk out of blue bowls!" "oh yes!" she agreed, "blue bowls with bunny-rabbits painted on them." "and giants and a six-cylinder castle, with warders and a donjon keep. and jack the giant-killer. but certainly bunnies." "do you really like bunnies?" her voice caressed the word. "i like them so much that when i think of them i know that there's one thing worse than having a cut-rate literary salon, and that's to be too respectable----" "too upper-west-side!" "----to dare to eat bread and milk out of blue bowls." "yes, i think i shall have to admit you to the blue bowl league, mr. ericson. speaking of which----tell me, who did introduce us, you and me? i feel so apologetic for not remembering." "mayn't i be a mystery, miss winslow? at least as long as i have this new shirt, which you observed with some approval while i was drooling on about authors? it makes me look like a count, you must admit. or maybe like a knight of the order of the bunny rabbit. please let me be a mystery still." "yes, you may. life has no mysteries left except olive's coiffure and your beautiful shirt.... does one talk about shirts at a second meeting?" "apparently one does." "yes.... to-night, i _must_ have a mystery.... do you swear, as a man of honor, that you are at this party dishonorably, uninvited?" "i do, princess." "well, so am i! olive was invited to come, with a man, but he was called away and she dragged me here, promising me i should see----" "anarchists?" "yes! and the only nice lovable crank i've found--except you, with your vulgar prejudice against the whole race of authors--is a dark-eyed female who sits on a couch out in the big room, like a mrs. st. simeon stylites in a tight skirt, and drags you in by her glittering eye, looking as though she was going to speak about theosophy, and then asks you if you think a highball would help her cold." "i think i know the one you mean. when i saw her she was talking to a man whose beating whiskers dashed high on a stern and rock-bound face.... thank you, i like that fairly well, too, but unfortunately i stole it from a chap named haviland. my own idea of witty conversation: is 'some car you got. what's your magneto?'" "look. olive dunleavy seems distressed. the number of questions i shall have to answer about you!... well, olive and i felt very low in our minds to-day. we decided that we were tired of select associations, and that we would seek the primitive, and maybe even life in the raw. olive knows a woman mountain-climber who always says she longs to go back to the wilds, so we went down to her flat. we expected to have raw-meat sandwiches, at the very least, but the savage woman gave us suchong and deviled-chicken sandwiches and pink cakes and nabiscos, and told us how well her son was doing in his old french course at columbia. so we got lower and lower in our minds, and we decided we had to go down to chinatown for dinner. we went, too! i've done a little settlement work----dear me, i'm telling you too much about myself, o man of mystery! it isn't quite done, i'm afraid." "please, miss winslow! in the name of the--what was it--order of the blue bowl?" he was making a mental note that olive's last name was dunleavy. "well, i've done some settlement work----did you ever do any, by any chance?" "i once converted a chinaman to lutheranism; i think that was my nearest approach," said carl. "my work was the kind where you go in and look at three dirty children and teach them that they'll be happy if they're good, when you know perfectly well that their only chance to be happy is to be bad as anything and sneak off to go swimming in the east river. but it kept me from being very much afraid of the bowery (we went down on the surface cars), but olive was scared beautifully. there was the dearest, most inoffensive old man in the most perfect state of intoxication sitting next to us in the car, and when olive moved away from him he winked over at me and said, 'honor your shruples, ma'am, ver' good form.' i think olive thought he was going to murder us--she was sure he was the wild, dying remnant of a noble race or something. but even she was disappointed in chinatown. "we had expected opium-fiends, like the melodramas they used to have on fourteenth street, before the movies came. but we had a disgustingly clean table, with a mad, reckless picture worked in silk, showing two doves and a boiled lotos flower, hanging near us, to intimidate us. the waiter was a harvard graduate, i know--perhaps oxford--and he said, 'may i sugges' ladies velly nize china dinner?' he suggested chow-main--we thought it would be either birds' nests or rats' tails, and it was simply crisp noodles with the most innocuous sauce.... and the people! they were all stupid tourists like ourselves, except for a jap, with his cunnin' sunday tie, and his little trousers all so politely pressed, and his clean pocket-hanky. and he was reading _the presbyterian_!... then we came up here, and it doesn't seem so very primitive here, either. it's most aggravating.... it seems to me i've been telling you an incredible lot about our silly adventures--you're probably the man who won the indianapolis motor-race or discovered electricity or something." through her narrative, her eyes had held his, but now she glanced about, noted olive, and seemed uneasy. "i'm afraid i'm nothing so interesting," he said; "but i have wanted to see new places and new things--and i've more or less seen 'em. when i've got tired of one town, i've simply up and beat it, and when i got there--wherever there was--i've looked for a job. and----well, i haven't lost anything by it." "have you really? that's the most wonderful thing to do in the world. my travels have been cook's tours, with our own little thomas cook _and_ son right in the family--i've never even had the mad freedom of choosing between a tour of the irish bogs and an educational pilgrimage to the shrines of celebrated brewers. my people have always chosen for me. but i've wanted----one doesn't merely _go_ without having an objective, or an excuse for going, i suppose." "i do," declared carl. "but----may i be honest?" "yes." intimacy was about them. they were two travelers from a far land, come together in the midst of strangers. "i speak of myself as globe-trotting," said carl. "i have been. but for a good many weeks i've been here in new york, knowing scarcely any one, and restless, yet i haven't felt like hiking off, because i was sick for a time, and because a chap that was going to brazil with me died suddenly." "to brazil? exploring?" "yes--just a stab at it, pure amateur.... i'm not at all sure i'm just making-believe when i speak of blue bowls and so on. tell me. in the west, one would speak of 'seeing the girls home.' how would one say that gracefully in new-yorkese, so that i might have the chance to beguile miss olive dunleavy and miss ruth winslow into letting me see them home?" "really, we're not a bit afraid to go home alone." "i won't tease, but----may i come to your house for tea, some time?" she hesitated. it came out with a rush. "yes. do come up. n-next sunday, if you'd like." she bobbed her head to olive and rose. "and the address?" he insisted. "---- west ninety-second street.... good night. i have enjoyed the blue bowl." carl made his decent devoirs to his hostess and tramped up-town through the flying snow, swinging his stick like an orchestra conductor, and whistling a waltz. as he reached home he thought again of his sordid parting with gertie in the park--years ago, that afternoon. but the thought had to wait in the anteroom of his mind while he rejoiced over the fact that he was to see his new playmate the coming sunday. chapter xxix like a country small boy waiting for the coming of his city cousin, who will surely have new ways of playing indians, carl prepared to see ruth winslow and her background. what was she? who? where? he pictured her as dwelling in everything from a millionaire's imitation château, with footmen and automatic elevators, to a bachelor girl's flat in an old-fashioned red-brick harlem tenement. but more than that: what would she herself be like against that background? monday he could think of nothing but the joy of having discovered a playmate. the secret popped out from behind everything he did. tuesday he was worried by finding himself unable to remember whether ruth's hair was black or dark brown. yet he could visualize olive's ash-blond. why? wednesday afternoon, when he was sleepy in the office after eating too much beefsteak and kidney pie, drinking too much coffee, and smoking too many cigarettes, at lunch with mr. vanzile, when he was tortured by the desire to lay his head on his arms and yield to drowsiness, he was suddenly invaded by a fear that ruth was snobbish. it seemed to him that he ought to do something about it immediately. the rest of the week he merely waited to see what sort of person the totally unknown miss ruth winslow might be. his most active occupation outside the office was feeling guilty over not telephoning to gertie. at . p.m., sunday, he was already incased in funereal morning-clothes and warning himself that he must not arrive at miss winslow's before five. his clothes were new, stiff as though they belonged to a wax dummy. their lines were straight and without individuality. he hitched his shoulders about and kept going to the mirror to inspect the fit of the collar. he repeatedly re brushed his hair, regarding the unclean state of his military brushes with disgust. about six times he went to the window to see if it had started to snow. at ten minutes to four he sternly jerked on his coat and walked far north of ninety-second street, then back. he arrived at a quarter to five, but persuaded himself that this was a smarter hour of arrival than five. ruth winslow's home proved to be a rather ordinary three-story-and-basement gray stone dwelling, with heavy russian net curtains at the broad, clear-glassed windows of the first floor, and an attempt to escape from the stern drabness of the older type of new york houses by introducing a box-stoop and steps with a carved stone balustrade, at the top of which perched a meek old lion of , with battered ears and a truly sensitive stone nose. a typical house of the very well-to-do yet not wealthy "upper middle class"; a house predicating one motor-car, three not expensive maids, brief european tours, and the best preparatory schools and colleges for the sons. a maid answered the door and took his card--a maid in a frilly apron and black uniform--neither a butler nor a slatternly biddy. in the hall, as the maid disappeared up-stairs, carl had an impression of furnace heat and respectability. rather shy, uncomfortable, anxious to be acceptable, warning himself that as a famous aviator he need not be in awe of any one, but finding that the warning did not completely take, he drew off his coat and gloves and, after a swift inspection of his tie, gazed about with more curiosity than he had ever given to any other house. for all the stone lion in front, this was quite the old-line english-basement house, with the inevitable front and back parlors--though here they were modified into drawing-room and dining-room. the walls of the hall were decked with elaborate, meaningless scrolls in plaster bas-relief, echoed by raised circles on the ceiling just above the hanging chandelier, which was expensive and hideous, a clutter of brass and knobby red-and-blue glass. the floor was of hardwood in squares, dark and richly polished, highly self-respecting--a floor that assumed civic responsibility from a republican point of view, and a sound conservative business established since or . by the door was a huge japanese vase, convenient either for depositing umbrellas or falling over in the dark. then, a long mirror in a dull-red mahogany frame, and a table of mahogany so refined that no one would ever dream of using it for anything more useful than calling-cards. it might have been the table by the king's bed, on which he leaves his crown on a little purple cushion at night. solid and ostentatious. the drawing-room, to the left, was dark and still and unsympathetic and expensive; a vista of brocade-covered french-gilt chairs and a marquetry table and a table of onyx top, on which was one book bound in ooze calf, and one vase; cream-colored heavy carpet and a crystal chandelier; fairly meretricious paintings of rocks, and thatched cottages, and ragged newsboys with faces like daniel webster, all of them in large gilt frames protected by shadow-boxes. in a corner was a cabinet of gilt and glass, filled with dresden-china figurines and toy tables and a carven swiss musical powder-box. the fireplace was of smooth, chilly white marble, with an ormolu clock on the mantelpiece, and a fire-screen painted with watteau shepherds and shepherdesses, making silken unreal love and scandalously neglecting silky unreal sheep. by the hearth were shiny fire-irons which looked as though they had never been used. the whole room looked as though it had never been used--except during the formal calls of overdressed matrons with card-cases and prejudices. the one human piece of furniture in the room, a couch soft and slightly worn, on which lovers might have sat and small boys bounced, was trying to appear useless, too, under its row of stiff satin cushions with gold cords.... well-dusted chairs on which no one wished to sit; expensive fireplace that never shone; prized pictures with less imagination than the engravings on a bond--that drawing-room had the soul of a banker with side-whiskers. carl by no means catalogued all the details, but he did get the effect of ingrowing propriety. it is not certain that he thought the room in bad taste. it is not certain that he had any artistic taste whatever; or that his attack upon the pretensions of authors had been based on anything more fundamental than a personal irritation due to having met blatant camp-followers of the arts. and it is certain that one of his reactions as he surveyed the abject respectability of that room was a slight awe of the solidity of social position which it represented, and which he consciously lacked. but, whether from artistic instinct or from ignorance, he was sure that into the room ought to blow a sudden great wind, with the scent of forest and snow. he shook his head when the maid returned, and he followed her up-stairs. surely a girl reared here would never run away and play with him. he heard lively voices from the library above. he entered a room to be lived in and be happy in, with a jolly fire on the hearth and friendly people on a big, brown davenport. ruth winslow smiled at him from behind the colonial silver and thin cups on the tea-table, and as he saw her light-filled eyes, saw her cock her head gaily in welcome, he was again convinced that he had found a playmate. a sensation of being pleasantly accepted warmed him as she cried, "so glad----" and introduced him, gave him tea and a cake with nuts in it. from a wing-chair carl searched the room and the people. there were two paintings--a pale night sea and an arching japanese bridge under slanting rain, both imaginative and well-done. there was a mahogany escritoire, which might have been stiff but was made human by scattered papers on the great blotter and books crammed into the shelves. other books were heaped on a table as though people had been reading them. later he found how amazingly they were assorted--the latest novel of robert chambers beside h. g. wells's _first and last things_; a dusty expensive book on italian sculpture near a cheap reprint of _dodo_. the chairs were capacious, the piano a workmanlike upright, not dominating the room, but ready for music; and in front of the fire was an english setter, an aristocrat of a dog, with the light glittering in his slowly waving tail. the people fitted into the easy life of the room. they were new-yorkers and, unlike over half of the population, born there, considering new york a village where one knows everybody and remembers when fourteenth street was the shopping-center. olive dunleavy was shinily present, her ash-blond hair in a new coiffure. she was arguing with a man of tight morning-clothes and a high-bred face about the merits of "parsifal," which, olive declared, no one ever attended except as a matter of conscience. "now, georgie," she said, "issa georgie, you shall have your opera--and you shall jolly well have it alone, too!" olive was vivid about it all, but carl saw that she was watching him, and he was shy as he wondered what ruth had told her. olive's brother, philip dunleavy, a clear-faced, slender, well-bathed boy of twenty-six, with too high a forehead, with discontent in his face and in his thin voice, carelessly well-dressed in a soft-gray suit and an impressionistic tie, was also inspecting carl, while talking to a pretty, commonplace, finishing-school-finished girl. carl instantly disliked philip dunleavy, and was afraid of his latent sarcasm. indeed, carl felt more and more that beneath the friendliness with which he was greeted there was no real welcome as yet, save possibly on the part of ruth. he was taken on trial. he was a mr. ericson, not any mr. ericson in particular. ruth, while she poured tea, was laughing with a man and a girl. carl himself was part of a hash-group--an older woman who seemed to know rome and paris better than new york, and might be anything from a milliner to a mondaine; a keen-looking youngster with tortoise-shell spectacles; finally, ruth's elder brother, mason j. winslow, jr., a tall, thin, solemn, intensely well-intentioned man of thirty-seven, with a long, clean-shaven face, and a long, narrow head whose growing baldness was always spoken of as a result of his hard work. mason j. winslow, jr., spoke hesitatingly, worried over everything, and stood for morality and good business. he was rather dull in conversation, rather kind in manner, and accomplished solid things by unimaginatively sticking at them. he didn't understand people who did not belong to a good club. carl contributed a few careful platitudes to a frivolous discussion of whether it would not be advisable to solve the woman-suffrage question by taking the vote away from men and women both and conferring it on children. mason winslow ambled to the big table for a cigarette, and carl pursued him. while they stood talking about "the times are bad," carl was spying upon ruth, and the minute her current group wandered off to the davenport he made a dash at the tea-table and got there before olive's brother, philip dunleavy, who was obviously manoeuvering like himself. philip gave him a covert "who are you, fellow?" glance, took a cake, and retired. from his wicker chair facing ruth's, carl said, gloomily, "it isn't done." "yes," said ruth, "i know it, but still some very smart people are doing it this season." "but do you think the woman that writes 'what the man will wear' in the theater programs would stand for it?" "not," gravely considered ruth, "if there were black stitching on the dress-glove. yet there is some authority for frilled shirts." "you think it might be considered then?" "i will not come between you and your haberdasher, mr. ericson." "this is a foolish conversation. but since you think the better classes do it--gee! it's getting hard for me to keep up this kind of 'dolly dialogue.' what i wanted to do was to request you to give me concisely but fully a sketch of 'who is miss ruth winslow?' and save me from making any pet particular breaks. and hereafter, i warn you, i'm going to talk like my cousin, the carpet-slipper model." "name, ruth winslow. age, between twenty and thirty. father, mason winslow, manufacturing contractor for concrete. brothers, mason winslow, jr., whose poor dear head is getting somewhat bald, as you observe, and bobby winslow, ne'er-do-weel, who is engaged in subverting discipline at medical school, and who dances divinely. my mother died three years ago. i do nothing useful, but i play a good game of bridge and possess a voice that those as know pronounce passable. i have a speaking knowledge of french, a reading knowledge of german, and a singing knowledge of italian. i am wearing an imported gown, for which the house of winslow will probably never pay. i live in this house, and am episcopalian--not so much high church as highly infrequent church. i regard the drawing-room down-stairs as the worst example of late-victorian abominations in my knowledge, but i shall probably never persuade father to change it because mason thinks it is sacred to the past. my ambition in life is to be catty to the newport set after i've married an english diplomat with a divine mustache. never having met such a personage outside of _tatler_ and _vogue_, i can't give you very many details regarding him. oh yes, of course, he'll have to play a marvelous game of polo and have a château in provençe and also a ranch in texas, where i shall wear riding-breeches and live next to nature and have a chinese cook in blue silk. i think that's my whole history. oh, i forgot. i play at the piano and am very ignorant, and completely immersed in the worst traditions of the wealthy micks of the upper west side, and i always pretend that i live here instead of on the upper east side because 'the air is better.'" "what is this upper west side? is it a state of mind?" "indeed it is not. it's a state of pocketbook. the upper west side is composed entirely of people born in new york who want to be in society, whatever that is, and can't afford to live on fifth avenue. you know everybody and went to school with everybody and played in the park with everybody, and mostly your papa is in wholesale trade and haughty about people in retail. you go to europe one summer and to the jersey coast the next. all your clothes and parties and weddings and funerals might be described as 'elegant.' that's the upper west side. now the dread truth about you.... do you know, after the unscrupulous way in which you followed up a mere chance introduction at a tea somewhere, i suspect you to be a well-behaved young man who leads an entirely blameless life. or else you'd never dare to jump the fence and come and play in my back yard when all the other boys politely knock at the front door and get sent home." "me--well, i'm a wage-slave of the vanzile motor people, in charge of the touricar department. age, twenty-eight--almost. habits, all bad.... no, i'll tell you. i'm one of those stern, silent men of granite you read about, and only my man knows the human side of me, because all the guys on wall street tremble in me presence." "yes, but then how can you belong to the blue bowl sodality?" "um, yes----i've got it. you must have read novels in which the stern, silent man of granite has a secret tenderness in his heart, and he keeps the band of the first cigar he ever smoked in a little safe in the wall, and the first dollar he ever made in a frame--that's me." "of course! the cigar was given him by his flaxen-haired sweetheart back in jenkins corners, and in the last chapter he goes back and marries her." "not always, i hope!" of what carl was thinking is not recorded. "well, as a matter of fact, i've been a fairly industrious young man of granite the last few months, getting out the touricar." "what is a touricar? it sounds like an island inhabited by cannibals, exports hemp and cocoanut, see pink dot on the map, nor' by nor'east of mogador." carl explained. "i'm terribly interested," said ruth. (but she made it sound as though she really was.) "i think it's so wonderful.... i want to go off tramping through the berkshires. i'm so tired of going to the same old places." "some time, when you're quite sure i'm an estimable young y. m. c. a. man, i'm going to try to persuade you to come out for a real tramp." she seemed to be considering the idea, not seriously, but---- philip dunleavy eventuated. for some time philip had been showing signs of interest in ruth and carl. now he sauntered to the table, begged for another cup of tea, said agreeable things in regard to putting orange marmalade in tea, and calmly established himself. ruth turned toward him. carl had fancied that there was, for himself, in ruth's voice, something more friendly, in her infectious smile something more intimate than she had given the others, but when she turned precisely the same cheery expression upon philip, carl seemed to have lost something which he had trustingly treasured for years. he was the more forlorn as olive dunleavy joined them, and ruth, philip, and olive discussed the engagement of one mary meldon. olive recalled miss meldon as she had been in school days at the convent of the sacred heart. philip told of her flirtations at the old long beach hotel. the names of new york people whom they had always known; the names of country clubs--baltusrol and meadow brook and peace waters; the names of streets, with a sharp differentiation between seventy-fourth street and seventy-fifth street; durland's riding academy, the rink of a monday morning, and other souvenirs of a new york childhood; the score of the last american polo team and the coming dances--these things shut carl out as definitely as though he were a foreigner. he was lonely. he disliked phil dunleavy's sarcastic references. he wanted to run away. ruth seemed to realize that carl was shut out. said she to phil dunleavy: "i wish you could have seen mr. ericson save my life last sunday. i had an experience." "what was that?" asked the man whom olive called "georgie," joining the tea-table set. the whole room listened as ruth recounted the trip to chinatown, mrs. salisbury's party, and the hero who had once been a passenger in an aeroplane. throughout she kept turning toward carl. it seemed to reunite him to the company. as she closed, he said: "the thing that amused me about the parlor aviator was his laying down the law that the atlantic will be crossed before the end of , and his assumption that we'll all have aeroplanes in five years. i know from my own business, the automobile business, about how much such prophecies are worth." "don't you think the atlantic will be crossed soon?" asked the keen-looking man with the tortoise-shell spectacles. phil dunleavy broke in with an air of amused sophistication: "i think the parlor aviator was right. really, you know, aviation is too difficult a subject for the layman to make any predictions about--either what it can or can't do." "oh yes," admitted carl; and the whole room breathed. "oh yes." dunleavy went on in his thin, overbred, insolent voice, "now i have it on good authority, from a man who's a member of the aero club, that next year will be the greatest year aviation has ever known, and that the wrights have an aeroplane up their sleeve with which they'll cross the atlantic without a stop, during the spring of at the very latest." "that's unfortunate, because the aviation game has gone up completely in this country, except for hydro-aeroplaning and military aviation, and possibly it never will come back," said carl, a hint of pique in his voice. "what is your authority for that?" phil turned a large, bizarre ring round on his slender left little finger and the whole room waited, testing this positive-spoken outsider. "well," drawled carl, "i have fairly good authority. walter macmonnies, for instance, and he is probably the best flier in the country to-day, except for lincoln beachey." "oh yes, he's a good flier," said phil, contemptuously, with a shadowy smile for ruth. "still, he's no better than aaron solomons, and he isn't half so great a flier as that chap with the same surname as your own, hawk ericson, whom i myself saw coming up the jersey coast when he won that big race to new york.... you see, i've been following this aviation pretty closely." carl saw ruth's head drop an inch, and her eyes close to a slit as she inspected him with sudden surprise. he knew that it had just occurred to her who he was. their eyes exchanged understanding. "she does get things," he thought, and said, lightly: "well, i honestly hate to take the money, mr. dunleavy, but i'm in a position to know that macmonnies is a better flier to-day than ericson is, be----" "but see here----" "----because i happen to _be_ hawk ericson." "what a chump i am!" groaned the man in tortoise-shell spectacles. "of course! i remember your picture, now." phil was open-mouthed. ruth laughed. the rest of the room gasped. mason winslow, long and bald, was worrying over the question of how to receive aviators at tea. and carl was shy as a small boy caught stealing the jam. chapter xxx at home, early that evening, carl's doctor-landlord gave him the message that a miss gertrude cowles had called him up, but had declined to leave a number. the landlord's look indicated that it was no fault of his if carl had friends who were such fools that they didn't leave their numbers. carl got even with him by going out to the corner drug-store to telephone gertie, instead of giving him a chance to listen. "hello?" said gertie over the telephone. "oh, hello, carl; i just called up to tell you adelaide is going to be here this evening, and i thought perhaps you might like to come up if you haven't anything better to do." carl did have something better to do. he might have used the whole evening in being psychological about ruth and phil dunleavy and english-basement houses with cream-colored drawing-rooms. but he went up to gertie's. they were all there--gertie and adelaide, ray and his mother, and miss greene, an unidentified girl from minneapolis; all playing parcheesi, explaining that they thought it not quite proper to play cards on sunday, but that parcheesi was "different." ray winked at carl as they said it. the general atmosphere was easy and livable. carl found himself at home again. adelaide told funny anecdotes about her school of domestic science, and the chief teacher, who wore her hair in a walnut on top of her head and interrupted a lecture on dietetics to chase a cockroach with a ruler. as the others began to disappear, gertie said to carl: "don't go till i read you a letter from ben rusk i got yesterday. lots of news from home. joe jordan is engaged!" they were left alone. gertie glanced at him intimately. he stiffened. he knew that gertie was honest, kindly, with enough sense of display to catch the tricks of a new environment. but to her, matrimony would be the inevitable sequence of a friendship which ruth or olive could take easily, pleasantly, for its own sake. and carl, the young man just starting in business, was un-heroically afraid of matrimony. yet his stiffness of attitude disappeared when gertie had read the letter from joralemon and mused, chin on hand, dreamily melancholy: "i can just see them out sleighing. sometimes i wish i was out there. honest, carl, for all the sea and the hills here, don't you wish sometimes it were august, and you were out home camping on a wooded bluff over a lake?" "yes!" he cried. "i've been away so long now that i don't ever feel homesick for any particular part of the country; but just the same i would like to see the lakes. and i do miss the prairies sometimes. oh, i was reading something the other day--fellow was trying to define the different sorts of terrain--here it is, cut it out of the paper." he produced from among a bunch of pocket-worn envelopes and memorandums a clipping hacked from a newspaper with a nail-file, and read: "'the combat and mystery of the sea; the uplift of the hills and their promise of wonder beyond; the kindliness of late afternoon nestling in small fields, or on ample barns where red clover-tops and long grasses shine against the gray foundation stones and small boys seek for hidden entrances to this castle of the farm; the deep holiness of the forest, whose leaves are the stained glass of a cathedral to grave saints of the open; all these i love, but nowhere do i find content save on the mid-western prairie, where the light of sky and plain drugs the senses, where the sound of meadow-larks at dawn fulfils my desire for companionship, and the easy creak of the buggy, as we top rise after rise, bespells me into an afternoon slumber which the nervous town shall never know.' "i cut the thing out because i was thinking that the prairies, stretching out the way they do, make me want to go on and on, in an aeroplane or any old thing. lord, lord! i guess before long i'll have to be beating it again--like the guy in kipling that always got sick of reading the same page too long." "oh, but carl, you don't mean to say you're going to give up your business, when you're doing so well? and aviation shows what you can do if you stick to a thing, carl, and not just wander around like you used to do. we do want to see you succeed." his reply was rather weak: "well, gee! i guess i'll succeed, all right, but i don't see much use of succeeding if you have to be stuck down in a greasy city street all your life." "that's very true, carl, but do you appreciate the city? have you ever been in the metropolitan museum of art, or gone to a single symphony concert at carnegie hall?" carl was convinced that gertie was a highly superior person; that she was getting far more of the good of new york than he.... he would take her to a concert, have her explain the significance of the music. it was never to occur sharply to him that, though gertie referred frequently to concerts and pictures, she showed no vast amount of knowledge about them. she was a fixed fact in his mind; had been for twenty years. he could have a surface quarrel with her because he knew the fundamental things in her, and with these, he was sure, no one could quarrel. his thoughts of ruth and olive were delightful surprises; his impression of gertie was stable as the rockies. * * * * * carl wasn't sure whether upper west side young ladies could be persuaded to attend a theater party upon short acquaintance, but he tried, and arranged a party of ruth and olive and himself, walter macmonnies (in town on his way from africa to san diego), charley forbes of the _chronicle_ and, for chaperon, the cosmopolitan woman whom he had met at ruth's, and who proved to be a mrs. tirrell, a dismayingly smart dressmaker. when he called for ruth he expected such a gay girl as had poured tea. he was awed to find her a _grande dame_ in black velvet, more dignified, apparently inches taller, and in a vice-regally bad temper. as they drove off she declared: "sorry i'm in such a villainous temper. i hadn't a single pair of decent white gloves, and i tore some old black spanish lace on the gown i was going to wear, and my entire family, whom god unquestionably sent to be a trial to test me, clustered about my door while i was dressing and bawled in queries about laundry and other horribly vulgar things." carl did not see much of the play. he was watching ruth's eyes, listening to her whispered comments. she declared that she was awed by the presence of two aviators and a newspaper man. actually, she was working, working at bringing out macmonnies, a shy, broad-shouldered, inarticulate youth who supposed that he never had to talk. carl had planned to go to the ritz for after-theater supper, but ruth and olive persuaded him to take them to the café of the rector's of that time; for, they said, they had never been in a broadway café, and they wanted to see the famous actors with their make-ups off. at the table carl carried ruth off in talk, like a young lochinvar out of the middle west. around them was the storm of highballs and brandy and club soda, theatrical talk, and a confused mass of cigar-smoke, shirt-fronts, white shoulders, and drab waiters; yet here was a quiet refuge for the eternal force of life.... carl was asking: "would you rather be a perfect lady and have blue bowls with bunnies on them for your very worst dissipation, or be like your mountain-climbing woman and have anarchists for friends one day and be off hiking through the clouds the next?" "oh, i don't know. i know i'm terribly susceptible to the 'nice things of life,' but i do get tired of being nice. especially when i have a bad temper, as i had to-night. i'm not at all imprisoned in a harem, and as for social aspirations, i'm a nobody. but still i have been brought up to look at things that aren't 'like the home life of our dear queen' as impossible, and i'm quite sure that father believes that poor people are poor because they are silly and don't try to be rich. but i've been reading; and i've made--to you it may seem silly to call it a discovery, but to me it's the greatest discovery i've ever made: that people are just people, all of them--that the little mousey clerk may be a hero, and the hero may be a nobody--that the motorman that lets his beastly car spatter mud on my nice new velvet skirt may be exactly the same sort of person as the swain who commiserates with me in his cunnin' harvard accent. do you think that?" "i know it. most of my life i've been working with men with dirty finger-nails, and the only difference between them and the men with clean nails is a nail-cleaner, and that costs just ten cents at the corner drug-store. seriously--i remember a cook i used to talk to on my way down to panama once----" ("panama! how i'd like to go there!") "----and he had as much culture as anybody i've ever met." "yes, but generally do you find very much--oh, courtesy and that sort of thing among mechanics, as much as among what calls itself 'the better class'?" "no, i don't." "you don't? why, i thought--the way you spoke----" "why, blessed, what in the world would be the use of their trying to climb if they already had all the rich have? you can't be as gracious as the man that's got nothing else to do, when you're about one jump ahead of the steam-roller every second. that's why they ought to _take_ things. if i were a union man, i wouldn't trust all these writers and college men and so on, that try to be sympathetic. not for one minute. they mean well, but they can't get what it means to a real workman to have to be up at five every winter morning, with no heat in the furnished housekeeping room; or to have to see his woman sick because he can't afford a doctor." so they talked, boy and girl, wondering together what the world really is like. "i want to find out what we can do with life!" she said. "surely it's something more than working to get tired, and then resting to go back to work. but i'm confused about things." she sighed. "my settlement work--i went into it because i was bored. but it did make me realize how many people are hungry. and yet we just talk and talk and talk--olive and i sit up half the night when she comes to my house, and when we're not talking about the new negligées we're making and the gorgeous tea-gowns we're going to have when we're married, we rescue the poor and think we're dreadfully advanced, but does it do any good to just talk?--dear me, i split that poor infinitive right down his middle." "i don't know. but i do know i don't want to be just stupidly satisfied, and talking does keep me from that, anyway. see here, miss winslow, suppose some time i suggested that we become nice and earnest and take up socialism and single tax and this--what is it?--oh, syndicalism--and really studied them, would you do it? make each other study?" "love to." "does dunleavy think much?" she raised her eyebrows a bit, but hesitated. "oh yes--no, i don't suppose he does. or anyway, mostly about the violin. he played a lot when he was in yale." thus was carl encouraged to be fatuous, and he said, in a manner which quite dismissed phil dunleavy: "i don't believe he's very deep. ra-ther light, i'd say." her eyebrows had ascended farther. "do you think so? i'm sorry." "why sorry?" "oh, he's always been rather a friend of mine. olive and phil and i roller-skated together at the age of eight." "but----" "and i shall probably--marry--phil--some day before long." she turned abruptly to charley forbes with a question. lost, already lost, was the playmate; a loss that disgusted him with life. he beat his spirit, cursed himself as a clumsy mechanic. he listened to olive only by self-compulsion. it was minutes before he had the ability and the chance to say to ruth: "forgive me--in the name of the blue bowl. mr. dunleavy was rather rude to me, and i've been just as rude--and to you! and without his excuse. for he naturally would want to protect you from a wild aviator coming from lord knows where." "you are forgiven. and phil _was_ rude. and you're not a lord-knows-where, i'm sure." almost brusquely carl demanded: "come for a long tramp with me, on the palisades. next saturday, if you can and if it's a decent day.... you said you liked to run away.... and we can be back before dinner, if you like." "why--let me think it over. oh, i _would_ like to. i've always wanted to do just that--think of it, the palisades just opposite, and i never see them except for a walk of half a mile or so when i stay with a friend of mine, laura needham, at winklehurst, up on the palisades. my mother never approved of a wilder wilderness than central park and the habit----i've never been able to get olive to explore. but it isn't conventional to go on long tramps with even the nicest new johnnies, is it?" "no, but----" "i know. you'll say, 'who makes the convention?' and of course there's no answer but 'they.' but they are so all-present. they----oh yes, yes, yes, i will go! but you will let me get back by dinner-time, won't you? will you call for me about two?... and can you----i wonder if a hawk out of the windy skies can understand how daring a dove out of ninety-second street feels at going walking on the palisades?" chapter xxxi the iron hudson flowed sullenly, far below the ice-enameled rock on the palisades, where stood ruth and carl, shivering in the abrupt wind that cut down the defile. the scowling, slatey river was filled with ice-floes and chunks of floating, water-drenched snow that broke up into bobbing sheets of slush. the sky was solid cold gray, with no arch and no hint of the lost sun. crows winging above them stood out against the sky like pencil-marks on clean paper. the estates in upper new york city, across the river, were snow-cloaked, the trees chilly and naked, the houses standing out as though they were freezing and longing for their summer wrap of ivy. and naked were the rattling trees on their side of the river, on the palisades. but the cold breeze enlivened them, the sternness of the swift, cruel river and miles of brown shore made them gravely happy. as they tramped briskly off, atop the cliffs, toward the ferry to new york, five miles away, they talked with a quiet, quick seriousness which discovered them to each other. it was too cold for conversational fencing. it was too splendidly open for them not to rejoice in the freedom from new york streets and feel like heroes conquering the miles. carl was telling of joralemon, of plato, of his first flights before country fairs; something of what it meant to be a newspaper hero, and of his loneliness as a dethroned prince. ruth dropped her defenses of a chaperoned young woman; confessed that now that she had no mother to keep her mobilized and in the campaign to get nearer to "society" and a "decent marriage," she did not know exactly what she wanted to do with life. she spoke tentatively of her vague settlement work; in all she said she revealed an honesty as forthright as though she were a gaunt-eyed fanatic instead of a lively-voiced girl in a blue corduroy jacket with collar and cuffs of civet and buttons from venice. then carl spoke of his religion--the memory of forrest haviland. he had never really talked of him to any one save colonel haviland and titherington, the english aviator; but now this girl, who had never seen forrest, seemed to have known him for life. carl made vivid by his earnestness the golden hours of work together in california; the confidences in new york restaurants; his long passion for their brazilian trip. ruth's eyes looked up at him with swift comprehension, and there was a tear in them as he told in ten words of the message that forrest was dead. they turned gay, ruth's sturdy, charming shoulders shrugging like a frenchman's with the exhilaration of fast walking and keen air, while her voice, light and cheerful, with graceful modulations and the singer's freedom from twang, rejoiced: "i'm so glad we came! i'm so glad we came! but i'm afraid of the wild beasts i see in the woods there. they have no right to have twilight so early. i know a big newspaper man who lives at pompton, n. j., and i'm going to ask him to write to the governor about it. the legislature ought to pass a law that dusk sha'n't come till seven, saturday afternoons. do you know how glad i am that you made me come?... and how honored i am to have you tell me--lieutenant haviland--and the very bad carl that lived in joralemon?" "it's----i'm glad----say, gee! we'll have to hurry like the dickens if we're going to catch a ferry in time to get you home for dinner." "i have an idea. i wonder if we dare----i have a friend, sort of a distant cousin, who married her a husband at winklehurst, on the palisades, not very far from the ferry. i wonder if we couldn't make her invite us both for dinner? of course, she'll want to know all about you; but we'll be mysterious, and that will make it all the more fun, don't you think? i do want to prolong our jaunt, you see." "i can't think of anything i'd rather do. but do you dare impose a perfectly strange man on her?" "oh yes, i know her so well that she's told me what kind of a tie her husband had on when he proposed." "let's do it!" "a telephone! there's some shops ahead there, in that settlement. ought to be a telephone there.... i'll make her give us a good dinner! if laura thinks she'll get away with hash and a custard with a red cherry in it, she'd better undeceive herself." they entered a tiny wayside shop for the sale of candy and padlocks and mittens. while ruth telephoned to her friend, mrs. laura needham, carl bought red-and-blue and lemon-colored all-day suckers, and a sugar mouse, and a candy kitten with green ears and real whiskers. he could not but hear ruth telephoning, and they grinned at each other like conspirators, her eyelids in little wrinkles as she tried to look wicked, her voice amazingly innocent as she talked, carl carefully arraying his purchases before her, making the candy kitten pursue the sugar mouse round and round the telephone. "hello, hello! is mrs. needham there?... hello!... oh, hel-_lo_, laura dear. this is ruth. i.... fine. i feel fine. but chillery. listen, laura; i've been taking a tramp along the palisades. am i invited to dinner with a swain?... what?... oh yes, i am; certainly i'm invited to dinner.... well, my dear, go in town by all means, with my blessing; but that sha'n't prevent you from having the opportunity to enjoy being hospitable.... i don't know. what ferry do you catch?... the . ?... n-no, i don't think we can get there till after that, so you can go right ahead and have the biddy get ready for us.... all right; that _is_ good of you, dear, to force the invitation on me." she flushed as her eyes met carl's. she continued: "but seriously, will it be too much of a tax on the biddy if we do come? we're drefful cold, and it's a long crool way to town.... thank you, dear. it shall be returned unto you--after not too many days.... what?... who?... oh, a man.... why, yes, it might be, but i'd be twice as likely to go tramping with olive as with phil.... no, it isn't.... oh, as usual. he's getting to be quite a dancing-man.... well, if you must know--oh, i can't give you his name. he's----" she glanced at carl appraisingly, "----he's about five feet tall, and he has a long french shovel beard and a lovely red nose, and he's listening to me describe him!" carl made the kitten chase the mouse furiously. "perhaps i'll tell you about him some time.... good-by, laura dear." she turned to carl, rubbing her cold ear where the telephone-receiver had pressed against it, and caroled: "her husband is held late at the office, and laura is going to meet him in town, and they're going to the theater. so we'll have the house all to ourselves. exciting!" she swung round to telephone home that she would not be there for dinner. as they left the shop, went over a couple of blocks for the winklehurst trolley, and boarded it, carl did some swift thinking. he was not above flirting or, if the opportunity offered, carrying the flirtation to the most delicious, exciting, uncertain lengths he could. here, with "dinner in their own house," with a girl interesting yet unknown, there was a feeling of sudden intimacy which might mean anything. only--when their joined eyes had pledged mischief while she telephoned, she had been so quiet, so frank, so evidently free from a shamefaced erotic curiosity, that now he instantly dismissed the query, "how far could i go? what does she expect?" which, outside of pure-minded romances, really does come to men. it was a wonderful relief to dismiss the query; a simplification to live in the joy each moment gave of itself. the hour was like a poem. yet he was no extraordinary person; he had, in the lonely hours of a dead room, been tortured with the unmoral longings which, good or bad, men do feel. as they took their seats in the car, and ruth beat on her knees with her fur-lined gloves, he laughed back, altogether happy, not pretending, as he had pretended with eve l'ewysse. happy. but hungry! mrs. needham should have been graciously absent by the time they reached her house--a suburban residence with a large porch. but, as they approached, ruth cried: "'shhhh! there seems to be somebody moving around in the living room. i don't believe laura 's gone yet. that would spoil it. come on. let's peep. let's be indian scouts!" cautioning each other with warning pats, they tiptoed guiltily to the side of the house and peered in at the dining-room window, where the shade was raised a couple of inches above the sill. a noise at the back of the house made them start and flatten against the wall. "big chief," whispered carl, "the redskins are upon us! but old brown barrel shall make many an one bite the dust!" "hush, silly.... oh, it's just the maid. see, she's looking at the clock and wondering why we don't get here." "but maybe mrs. needham 's in the other room." "no. because the maid's sniffing around--there, she's reading a post-card some one left on the side-table. oh yes, and she's chewing gum. laura has certainly departed. probably laura is chewing gum herself at the present moment, now that she's out from under the eye of her maid. laura always was ree-fined, but i wouldn't trust her to be proof against the feeling of wild dissipation you can get out of chewing gum, if you live in winklehurst." they had rung the door-bell on the porch by now. "i'm so glad," said ruth, "that laura is gone. she is very literal-minded. she might not understand that we could be hastily married and even lease a house, this way, and still be only tea acquaintances." the maid had not yet answered. waiting in the still porch, winter everywhere beyond it, carl was all excited anticipation. he hastily pressed her hand, and she lightly returned the pressure, laughing, breathing quickly. they started like convicted lovers as the maid opened the door. the consciousness of their starting made them the more embarrassed, and they stammered before the maid. ruth fled up-stairs, while carl tried to walk up gravely, though he was tingling with the game. when he had washed (discovering, as every one newly discovers after every long, chilly walk, that water from the cold tap feels amazingly warm on hands congealed by the tramp), and was loitering in the upper hall, ruth called to him from mrs. needham's room: "i think you'll find hair-brushes and things in jack's room, to the right. oh, i am very stupid; i forgot this was our house; i mean in your room, of course." he had a glimpse of her, twisting up a strand of naturally wavy brown hair, a silver-backed hair-brush bright against it, her cheeks flushed to an even crimson, her blue corduroy jacket off, and, warmly intimate in its stead, a blouse of blue satin, opening in a shallow triangle at her throat. with a tender big-brotherliness he sought the room that was his, not jack's. no longer was this the house of other people, but one in which he belonged. "no," he heard himself explain, "she isn't beautiful. istra nash was nearer that. but, golly! she is such a good pal, and she is beautiful if an english lane is. oh, stop rambling.... if i could kiss that little honey place at the base of her throat...." "yes, miss winslow. coming. _am_ i ready for dinner? watch me!" she confided as he came out into the hall, "isn't it terribly confusing to have our home and even three toby-children all ready-made for us, this way!" her glance--eyes that always startled him with blue where dark-brown was expected; even teeth showing; head cocked sidelong; cheeks burning with fire of december snow--her glance and all her manner trusted him, the outlaw. it was not as an outsider, but as her comrade that he answered: "golly! have we a family, too? i always forget. so sorry. but you know--get so busy at the office----" "why, i _think_ we have one. i'll go look in the nursery and make sure, but i'm almost positive----" "no, i'll take your word for it. you're around the house more than i am.... but, oh, say, speaking of that, that reminds me: woman, if you think that i'm going to buy you a washing-machine this year, when i've already bought you a napkin-ring and a portrait of martha washington----" "_oh weh!_ i knew i should have a cruel husband who----joy! i think the maid is prowling about and trying to listen. 'shhh! the story laura will get out of her!" while the maid served dinner, there could scarce have been a more severely correct pair, though carl did step on her toe when she was saying to the maid, in her best offhand manner, "oh, leah, will you please tell mrs. needham that i stole a handkerchief from my--i mean from her room?" but when the maid had been unable to find any more imaginary crumbs to brush off the table, and had left them alone with their hearts and the dessert, a most rowdy young "married couple" quarreled violently over the washing-machine he still refused to buy for her. carl insisted that, as suburbanites, they had to play cards, and he taught her pinochle, which he had learned from the bartender of the bowery saloon. but the cards dropped from their fingers, and they sat before the gas-log in the living-room, in a lazy, perfect happiness, when she said: "all the while we've been playing cards--and playing the still more dangerous game of being married--i've been thinking how glad i am to know about your life. somehow----i wonder if you have told so very many?" "practically no one." "i do----i'm really not fishing for compliments, but i do want to be found understanding----" "there's never been any one so understanding." silent then. carl glanced about the modern room. ruth's eyes followed. she nodded as he said: "but it's really an old farm-house out in the hills where the snow is deep; and there's logs in the fireplace." "yes, and rag carpets." "and, oh, ruth, listen, a bob-sled with----golly! i suppose it is a little premature to call you 'ruth,' but after our being married all evening i don't see how i can call you 'miss winslow.'" "no, i'm afraid it would scarcely be proper, under the circumstances. then i must be 'mrs. ericson.' ooh! it makes me think of norse galleys and northern seas. of course--your galley was the aeroplane.... 'mrs. eric----'" her voice ran down; she flushed and said, defensively: "what time is it? i think we must be starting. i telephoned i would be home by ten." her tone was conventional as her words. but as they stood waiting for a trolley-car to the new york ferry, on a street corner transformed by an arc-light that swung in the wind and cast wavering films of radiance among the vague wintry trees of a wood-lot, ruth tucked her arm under his, small beside his great ulster, and sighed like a child: "i am ver-ee cold!" he rubbed her hand protectingly, her mouselike hand in its fur-lined glove. his canny, self-defensive, scotchlike norse soul opened its gates. he knew a longing to give, a passion to protect her, a whelming desire to have shy secrets with this slim girl. all the poetry in the world sounded its silver harps within him because his eyes were opened and it was given to him to see her face. gently he said: "yes, it's cold, and there's big gray ghosts hiding there in the trees, with their leathery wings, that were made out of sea-fog by the witches, folded in front of them, and they're glumming at us over the bony, knobly joints on top their wings, with big, round platter eyes. and the wind is calling us--it's trying to snatch us out on the arctic snow-fields, to freeze us. but i'll fight them all off. i won't let them take you, ruth." "i'm sure you won't, carl." "and--oh--you won't let phil dunleavy keep you from running away, not for a while yet?" "m-maybe not." the sky had cleared. she tilted up her chin and adored the stars--stars like the hard, cold, fighting sparks that fly from a trolley-wire. carl looked down fondly, noting how fair-skinned was her forehead in contrast to her thick, dark brows, as the arc-light's brilliance rested on her worshiping face--her lips a-tremble and slightly parted. she raised her arms, her fingers wide-spread, praising the star-gods. she cried only, "oh, all this----" but it was a prayer to a greater god pan, shaking his snow-incrusted beard to the roar of northern music. to carl her cry seemed to pledge faith in the starred sky and the long trail and a glorious restlessness that by a dead fireplace of white, smooth marble would never find content. "like sword-points, those stars are," he said, then---- then they heard the trolley-car's flat wheels grinding on a curve. its search-light changed the shadow-haunted woodland to a sad group of scanty trees, huddling in front of an old bill-board, with its top broken and the tattered posters flapping. the wanderers stepped from the mystical romance of the open night into the exceeding realism of the car--highly realistic wooden floor with small, muddy pools from lumps of dirty melting snow, hot air, a smell of italian workmen, a german conductor with the sniffles, a row of shoes mostly wet and all wrinkled. they had to stand. most realistic of all, they read the glossy car-signs advertising soap and little cigars, and the enterprising local advertisement of "wm. p. smith & sons, all northern new jersey real estate, cheaper than rent." so, instantly, the children of the night turned into two sophisticated young new-yorkers who, apologizing for fresh-air yawns, talked of the theatrical season. but for a moment a strange look of distance dwelt in ruth's eyes, and she said: "i wonder what i can do with the winter stars we've found? will ninety-second street be big enough for them?" chapter xxxii for a week--the week before christmas--carl had seen neither ruth nor gertie; but of the office he had seen too much. they were "rushing work" on the touricar to have it on the market early in . every afternoon or evening he left the office with his tongue scaly from too much nervous smoking; poked dully about the streets, not much desiring to go any place, nor to watch the crowds, after all the curiosity had been drawn out of him by hours of work. several times he went to a super-movie, a cinema palace on broadway above seventy-second street, with an entrance in new york colonial architecture, and crowds of well-to-do jewish girls in opera-cloaks. on the two bright mornings of the week he wanted to play truant from the office, to be off with ruth over the hills and far away. both mornings there came to him a picture of gertie, wanting to slip out and play like ruth, but having no chance. he felt guilty because he had never bidden gertie come tramping, and guiltily he recalled that it was with her that the boy carl had gone to seek-our-fortunes. he told himself that he had been depending upon gertie for the bread-and-butter of friendship, and begging for the opportunity to give the stranger, ruth winslow, dainties of which she already had too much. when he called, sunday evening, he found gertie alone, reading a love-story in a woman's magazine. "i'm so glad you came," she said. "i was getting quite lonely." she was as gratefully casual as ever. "say, gertie, i've got a plan. wouldn't you like to go for some good long hikes in the country?" "oh yes; that would be fine when spring comes." "no; i mean now, in the winter." she looked at him heavily. "why, isn't it pretty cold, don't you think?" he prepared to argue, but he did not think of her as looking heavily. he did not draw swift comparisons between gertie's immobility and ruth's lightness. he was used to gertie; was in her presence comfortably understanding and understood; could find whatever he expected in her as easily as one finds the editorial page--or the sporting page--in a familiar newspaper. he merely became mildly contentious and made questioning noises in his throat as she went on: "you know it is pretty cold here. they can say all they want to about the cold and all that out in minnesota, but, really, the humidity----" "rats; it isn't so very cold, not if you walk fast." "well, maybe; anyway, i guess it would be nice to explore some." "all right; let's." "i do think people are so conventional. don't you?" said gertie, while carl discerningly stole one of ray's best cigars out of the humidor. "awfully conventional. not going out for good long walks. dorothy gibbons and i did find the nicest place to walk, up in bronx park, and there's such a dear little restaurant, right on the water; of course the water was frozen, but it seemed quite wild, you know, for new york. we might take that walk, whenever you'd like to." "oh--bronx park--gee! gertie, i can't get up much excitement over that. i want to get away from this tame city, and forget all about offices and parks and people and everything like that." "n-n-n-now!" she clucked in a patronizing way. "we mustn't ask new york to give us wilderness, you know! i'm afraid that would be a little too much to ask of it! don't you think so yourself!" carl groaned to himself, "i won't be mothered!" he was silent. his silence was positively noisy. he wanted her to hear it. but it is difficult to be sulky with a bland, plump woman of thirty who remembers your childhood trick of biting your nails, and glances up at you from her embroidery, occasionally patting her brown silk hair or smoothing her brown silk waist in a way which implies a good digestion, a perfect memory of the morning's lesson of her sunday-school class, and a mild disbelief in men as anything except relatives, providers, card-players, and nurslings. carl gave up the silence-cure. he hummed about the room, running over the advertising pages of magazines, discussing plato fraternities, and waiting till it should be time to go home. their conversation kept returning to the fraternities. there wasn't much else to talk about. before to-night they had done complete justice to all other topics--joralemon, bennie rusk, joe jordan's engagement, adelaide benner, and symphony concerts. gertie embroidered, patted her hair, smoothed her waist, looked cheerful, rocked, and spoke; embroidered, patted her hair, smoothed her sleeve, looked amiable, rocked, and spoke--embroidered, pat---- at a quarter to ten carl gave himself permission to go. said he: "i'll have to get on the job pretty early to-morrow. not much taking it easy here in new york, the way you can in joralemon, eh? so i guess i'd better----" "i'm sorry you have to go so early." gertie carefully stuck her embroidery needle into her doily, rolled up the doily meticulously, laid it down on the center-table, straightened the pile of magazines which carl had deranged, and rose. "but i'm glad you could drop up this evening. come up any time you haven't anything better to do. oh--what about our tramp? if you know some place that is better than bronx park, we might try it." "why--uh--yes--why, sure; we'll have to, some time." "and, carl, you're coming up to have your christmas turkey with us, aren't you?" "i'd like to, a lot, but darn it, i've accepted 'nother invitation." that was absolutely untrue, and carl was wondering why he had lied, when the storm broke. gertie's right arm, affectedly held out from the elbow, the hand drooping, in the attitude of a refined hostess saying good-by, dropped stiffly to her side. slowly she thrust out both arms, shoulder-high on either side, with her fists clenched; her head back and slightly on one side; her lips open in agony--the position of crucifixion. her eyes looked up, unseeing; then closed tight. she drew a long breath, like a sigh that was too weary for sound, and her plump, placid left hand clutched her panting breast, while her right arm dropped again. all the passion of tragedy seemed to shriek in her hopeless gesture, and her silence was a wail muffled and despairing. carl stared, twisting his watch-chain with nervous fingers, wanting to flee. it was raw woman, with all the proprieties of joralemon and st. orgul's cut away, who spoke, her voice constantly rising: "oh, carl--carl! oh, why, why, why! oh, why don't you want me to go walking with you, now? why don't you want to go anywhere with me any more? have i displeased you? oh, i didn't mean to! why do i bore you so?" "oh--gertie--oh--gee!--thunder!" whimpered a dismayed youth. a more mature hawk ericson struggled to life and soothed her: "gertie, honey, i didn't mean----listen----" but she moaned on, standing rigid, her left hand on her breast, her eyes red, moist, frightened, fixed: "we always played together, and i thought here in the city we could be such good friends, with all the different new things to do together--why, i wanted us to go to chinatown and theaters, and i would have been so glad to pay my share. i've just been waiting and hoping you would ask me, and i wanted us to play and see--oh! so many different new things together--it would have been so sweet, so sweet----we were good friends at first, and then you--you didn't want to come here any more and----oh, i couldn't help seeing it; more and more and more and _more_ i've been seeing it; but i didn't want to see it; but now i can't fool myself any more. i was so lonely till you came to-night, and when you spoke about tramping----and then it seemed like you just went away from me again." "why, gertie, you didn't seem----" "----and long ago i really saw it, the day we walked in the park and i was wicked about trying to make you call me 'eltruda'--oh, carl dear, indeed you needn't call me that or anything you don't like--and i tried to make you say i had a temperament. and about adelaide and all. and you went away and i thought you would come back to me that evening--oh, i wanted you to come, so much, and you didn't even 'phone--and i waited up till after midnight, hoping you would 'phone, i kept thinking surely you would, and you never did, you never did; and i listened and listened for the 'phone to ring, and every time there was a noise----but it never was you. it never rang at all...." she dropped back in the morris chair, her eyes against the cushion, her hair disordered, both her hands gripping the left arm of the chair, her sobs throat-catching and long--throb-throb-throb in the death-still air. carl stared at her, praying for a chance to escape. then he felt an instinct prompting him to sob with her. pity, embarrassment, disgust, mingled with his alarm. he became amazed that gertie, easy-going gertie cowles, had any passion at all; and indignant that it was visited upon himself. but he had to help. he moved to her chair and, squatting boyishly on its arm, stroked her hair, begging: "gertie, gertie, i did mean to come up, that night. indeed i did, honey. i would have come up, but i met some friends--couldn't break away from them all evening." a chill ran between his shoulder-blades. it was a shock to the pride he took in ruth's existence. the evening in question had found ruth for him! it seemed as though gertie had dared with shrewish shrillness to intrude upon his beautiful hour. but pity came to him again. stroking her hair, he went urgently on: "don't you see? why, blessed, i wouldn't hurt you for anything! just to-night--why, you remember, first thing, i wanted us to plan for some walks; reason i didn't say more about it was, i didn't know as you'd want to, much. why, gertie, _anybody_ would be proud to play with you. you know so much about concerts and all sorts of stuff. anybody'd be proud to!" he wound up with a fictitious cheerfulness. "we'll have some good long hikes together, heh?... it's better now, isn't it, kiddy? you're just tired to-night. has something been worrying you? tell old carl all about---" she wiped her tears away with the adorable gesture of a child trying to be good, and like a child's was her glance, bewildered, hurt, yet trusting, as she said in a small, shy voice: "would folks really be proud to play with me?... we did use to have some dear times, didn't we! do you remember how we found some fool's gold, and we thought it was gold and hid it on the shore of the lake, and we were going to buy a ship? do you remember? you haven't forgotten all our good times, while you've been so famous, have you?" "oh no, no!" "but why don't--carl, why don't you--why can't you care more now?" "why, i do care! you're one of the bulliest pals i have, you and ray." "and ray!" she flung his hand away and sat bolt up, angry. carl retired to a chair beside the morris chair, fidgeting. "can you beat it! is this gertie and me?" he inquired in a parenthesis in his heart. for a second, as she stared haughtily at him, he spitefully recalled the fact that gertie had once discarded him for a glee-club dentist. but he submerged the thought and listened with a rather forced big-brother air as she repented of her anger and went on: "carl, don't you understand how hard it is for a woman to forget her pride this way?" the hauteur of being one of the élite of joralemon again flashed out. "maybe if you'll think real hard you'll remember i used to could get you to be so kind and talk to me without having to beg you so hard. why, i'd been to new york and known the _nicest_ people before you'd ever stirred a foot out of joralemon! you were----oh, please forgive me, carl; i didn't mean to be snippy; i just don't know what to think of myself--and i did used to think i was a lady, and here i am practically up and telling you and----" she leaned from her chair toward his, and took his hand, touching it, finding its hard, bony places and the delicate white hollows of flesh between his coarsened yet shapely fingers; tracing a scarce-seen vein on the back; exploring a well-beloved yet ill-known country. carl was unspeakably disconcerted. he was thinking that, to him, gertie was set aside from the number of women who could appeal physically, quite as positively as though she were some old aunt who had for twenty years seemed to be the same adult, plump, uninteresting age. gertie's solid flesh, the monotony of her voice, the unimaginative fixity of her round cheeks, a certain increasing slackness about her waist, even the faint, stuffy domestic scent of her--they all expressed to him her lack of humor and fancy and venturesomeness. she was crystallized in his mind as a good friend with a plain soul and sisterly tendencies. awkwardly he said: "you mustn't talk like that.... gee! gertie, we'll be in a regular 'scene,' if you don't watch out!... we're just good friends, and you can always bank on me, same as i would on you." "but why must we be just friends?" he wanted to be rude, but he was patient. mechanically stroking her hair again, leaning forward most uncomfortably from his chair, he stammered: "oh, i've been----oh, you know; i've wandered around so much that it's kind of put me out of touch with even my best friends, and i don't know where i'm at. i couldn't make any alliances----gee! that sounds affected. i mean: i've got to sort of start in now all over, finding where i'm at." "but why must we be just friends, then?" "listen, child. it's hard to tell; i guess i didn't know till now what it does mean, but there's a girl----wait; listen. there's a girl--at first i simply thought it was good fun to know her, but now, lord! gertie, you'd think i was pretty sentimental if i told you what i think of her. god! i want to see her so much! right now! i haven't let myself know how much i wanted her. she's everything. she's sister and chum and wife and everything." "it's----but i am glad for you. will you believe that? and perhaps you understand how i felt, now. i'm very sorry i let myself go. i hope you will----oh, please go now." he sprang up, only too ready to go. but first he kissed her hand with a courtly reverence, and said, with a sweetness new to him: "dear, will you forgive me if i've ever hurt you? and will you believe how very, very much i honor you? and when i see you again there won't be--we'll both forget all about to-night, won't we? we'll just be the old carl and gertie again. tell me to come when----" "yes. i will. goodnight." "good night, gertie. god bless you." * * * * * he never remembered where he walked that night when he had left gertie. the exercise, the chill of the night, gradually set his numbed mind working again. but it dwelt with ruth, not with gertie. now that he had given words to his longing for ruth, to his pride in her, he understood that he had passed the hidden border of that misty land called "being in love," which cartographers have variously described as a fruitful tract of comfortable harvests, as a labyrinth with walls of rose and silver, and as a tenebrous realm of unhappy ghosts. he stopped at a street corner where, above a saloon with a large beer-sign, stretched dim tenement windows toward a dirty sky; and on that drab corner glowed for a moment the mystic light of the rose of all the world--before a tammany saloon! chin high, yearning toward a girl somewhere off to the south, carl poignantly recalled how ruth had worshiped the stars. his soul soared, lark and hawk in one, triumphant over the matter-of-factness of daily life. carl ericson the mechanic, standing in front of a saloon, with a laundry to one side and a cigars-and-stationery shop round the corner, was one with the young priest saying mass, one with the suffragist woman defying a jeering mob, one with ruth winslow listening to the ringing stars. "god--help--me--to--be--worthy--of--her!" nothing more did he say, in words, yet he was changed for ever. changed. true that when he got home, half an hour later, and in the dark ran his nose against an opened door, he said, "damn it!" very naturally. true that on monday, back in the office that awaits its victims equally after sundays golden or dreary, he forgot ruth's existence for hours at a time. true that at lunch with two vanzile automobile salesmen he ate _wiener schnitzel_ and shot dice for cigars, with no signs of a mystic change. it is even true that, dining at the brevoort with charley forbes, he though of istra nash, and for a minute was lonely for istra's artistic dissipation. yet the change was there. chapter xxxiii from titherington, the aviator, in his devonshire home, from a millionaire amateur flier among the orange-groves at pasadena, from his carpenter father in joralemon, and from gertie in new york, carl had invitations for christmas, but none that he could accept. vanzile had said, pleasantly, "going out to the country for christmas?" "yes," cal had lied. again he saw himself as the dethroned prince, and remembered that one year ago, sailing for south america to fly with tony bean, he had been the lion at a christmas party on shipboard, while martin dockerill, his mechanic, had been a friendly slave. he spent most of christmas eve alone in his room, turning over old letters, and aviation magazines with pictures of hawk ericson, wondering whether he might not go back to that lost world. josiah bagby, jr., son of the eccentric doctor at whose school carl had learned to fly, was experimenting with hydroaeroplanes and with bomb-dropping devices at palm beach, and imploring carl, as the steadiest pilot in america, to join him. the dully noiseless room echoed the music of a steady motor carrying him out over a blue bay. carl's own answer to the tempter vision was: "rats! i can't very well leave the touricar now, and i don't know as i've got my flying nerve back yet. besides, ruth----" always he thought of ruth, uneasy with the desire to be out dancing, laughing, playing with her. he was tormented by a question he had been threshing out for days: might he permissibly have sent her a christmas present? he went to bed at ten o'clock--on christmas eve, when the streets were surging with voices and gay steps, when rollicking piano-tunes from across the street penetrated even closed windows, and a german voice as rich as milk chocolate was caressing, "_oh tannenbaum, oh tannenbaum, wie grün sind deine blätter._"... then slept for nine hours, woke with rapturous remembrance that he didn't have to go to the office, and sang "the banks of the saskatchewan" in his bath. when he returned to the house, after breakfast, he found a letter from ruth: the day before xmas & all thru the mansion the maids with turkey are stirring--please pardon the scansion. dear playmate,--you said on our tramp that i would make a good playmate, but i'm sure that i should be a very poor one if i did not wish you a gloriously merry xmas & a new year that will bring you all the dear things you want. i shall be glad if you do not get this letter on xmas day itself if that means that you are off at some charming country house having a most katische (is that the way it is spelled, probably not) time. but if by any chance you _are_ in town, won't you make your playmate's shout to you from her back yard a part of your xmas? she feels shy about sending this effusive greeting with all its characteristic sloppiness of writing, but she does want you to have a welcome to xmas fun, & won't you please give the touricar a pair of warm little slippers from ruth gaylord winslow. p.s. mrs. tirrell has sent me an angel miniature jap garden, with a tiny pergola & real dwarf trees & a bridge that you expect an alfred noyes lantern on, & oh carl, an issa goldfish in a pool! miss r. winslow. "'----all the dear things i want'!" carl repeated, standing tranced in the hall, oblivious of the doctor-landlord snooping at the back. "ruth blessed, do you know the thing i want most?... say! great! i'll hustle out and send her all the flowers in the world. or, no. i've got it." he was already out of the house, hastening toward the subway. "i'll send her one of these lingerie tea-baskets with all kinds of baby pots of preserves and tea-balls and stuff.... wonder what dunleavy sent her?... rats! i don't care. jiminy! i'm happy! me to palm beach to fly? not a chance!" he had christmas dinner in state, with the california exiles club. he was craftily careless about the manner in which he touched a letter in his pocket for gloves, which tailors have been inspired to put on the left side of dress-clothes. * * * * * twice carl called at ruth's in the two weeks after christmas. once she declared that she was tired of modern life, that socialism and agnosticism shocked her, that the world needed the courtly stiffness of mid-victorian days, as so ably depicted in the works of mrs. florence barclay--needed hair-cloth as a scourge for white tango-dancing backs. as for her, ruth announced, she was going to be mid-victorian just as soon as she could find a hair-locket, silk mitts, and an elderly female tortoise-shell cat with an instinctive sense of delicacy. she sat bolt-upright on the front of the most impersonal french-gilt chair in the drawing-room and asserted that phil dunleavy, with his safe ancestry of two generations of wholesalers and strong probabilities about the respectability of still another generation, was her ideal of a christian gentleman. she wore a full white muslin gown with a blue sash, her hair primly parted in the middle, her right hand laid flat over her left in her lap. her vocabulary was choice. for a second, when she referred to winter sports at lake placid, she forgot herself and tucked one smooth, silk-clad, un-mid-victorian leg under her, but instantly she recovered her poise of a vicarage, remarking, "i have been subject to very careless influences lately." she called him neither "carl" nor "mr. ericson" nor anything else, and he dared not venture on ruth. he went home in bewilderment. as he crossed broadway he loitered insolently, as though challenging the flying squadron of taxicabs to run him down. "what do i care if they hit me?" he inquired, savagely, of his sympathetic and applauding self. every word she had said he examined, finding double and triple meanings, warning himself not to regard her mood seriously, but unable to make the warning take. on his next call there was a lively ruth who invited him up to the library, read extracts from stephen leacock's _nonsense novels_; turned companionably serious, and told him how divided were her sympathies between her father--the conscientiously worried employer--and a group of strikers in his factory. she made coffee in a fantastic percolator, and played débussy and ragtime. at ten-thirty, the hour at which he had vehemently resolved to go, they were curled in two big chairs eating chocolate peppermints and talking of themselves apropos of astronomy and the touricar and lincoln beachey's daring and mason winslow and patriotism and joralemon. ruth's father drifted in from his club at a quarter to eleven. carl now met him for the first time. he was a large-stomached, bald, sober, friendly man, with a gladstone collar, a huge watch-chain, kindly trousers and painfully smart tan boots, a father of the kind who gives cigars and non-committal encouragement to daughter's suitors. * * * * * it takes a voice with personality and modulations to make a fifteen-minute telephone conversation tolerable, and youth to make it possible. ruth had both. for fifteen minutes she discussed with carl the question of whether she should go to marion browne's dinner-dance at delmonico's, as phil wished, or go skeeing in the westchester hills, as carl wished, the coming saturday--the first saturday in february, . carl won. * * * * * they arrived at a station in the bedford hills, bearing long, carved-prowed norwegian skees, which seemed to hypnotize the other passengers. to carl's joy (for he associated that suit with the palisades and their discovery of each other), ruth was in her blue corduroy, with high-lace boots and a gray sweater jacket of silky wool. carl displayed a tweed norfolk jacket, a great sweater, and mittens unabashed. he had a mysterious pack which, he informed the excited ruth, contained roland's sword and the magic rug of bagdad. together they were apple-cheeked, chattering children of outdoors. for all the horizon's weight of dark clouds, clear sunshine lay on clear snow as they left the train and trotted along the road, carrying their skees beyond the outskirts of the town. country sleigh-bells chinkled down a hill; children shouted and made snow houses; elders stamped their feet and clucked, "fine day!" new york was far off and ridiculously unimportant. carl and ruth reached an open sloping field, where the snow that partly covered a large rock was melting at its lacy, crystaled edges, staining the black rock to a shiny wetness that was infinitely cheerful in its tiny reflection of the blue sky at the zenith. on a tree whose bleak bark the sun had warmed, vagrant sparrows in hand-me-down feathers discussed rumors of the establishment of a bread-crumb line and the better day that was coming for all proletarian sparrows. a rounded drift of snow stood out against a red barn. the litter of corn-stalks and straw in a barn-yard was transformed from disordered muck to a tessellation of warm silver and old gold. not the delicate red and browns and grays alone, but everywhere the light, as well, caressed the senses. a distant dog barked good-natured greeting to all the world. the thawing land stirred with a promise that spring might in time return to lovers. "oh, to-day is beautiful as--as--it's beautiful as frosting on a birthday-cake!" cried ruth, as she slipped her feet into the straps of her skees, preparing for her first lesson. "these skees seem so dreadfully long and unmanageable, now i get them on. like seven-foot table-knives, and my silly feet like orange seeds in the middle of the knives!" the skees _were_ unmanageable. one climbed up on the other, and ruth tried to lift her own weight. when she was sliding down a hillock they spread apart, eager to chase things lying in entirely different directions. ruth came down between them, her pretty nose plowing the wet snow-crust. carl, speeding beside her, his obedient skees exactly parallel, lifted her and brushed the snow from her furs and her nose. she was laughing. falling, getting up, learning at last the zest of coasting and of handling those gigantic skates on level stretches, she accompanied him from hill to hill, through fences, skirting thickets, till they reached a hollow at the heart of a farm where a brooklet led into deeper woods. the afternoon was passing; the swarthy clouds marched grimly from the east; but the low sun red-lettered the day. the country-bred carl showed her how thin sheets of ice formed on the bank of the stream and jutted out like shelves in an elfin cupboard, delicate and curious-edged as venetian glass; and how, through an opening in the ice, she could spy upon a secret world of clear water, not dead from winter, but alive with piratical black bugs over sand of exquisitely pale gray, like lilliputian submarines in a fairy sea. a rabbit hopped away among the trees beyond them, and carl, following its trail, read to her the forest hieroglyphics--tracks of rabbit and chipmunk and crow, of field-mouse and house-cat, in the snow-paved city of night animals with its edifices of twiggy underbrush. the setting sun was overclouded, now; the air sharp; the grove uneasily quiet. branches, contracting in the returning cold, ticked like a solemn clock of the woodland; and about them slunk the homeless mysteries that, at twilight, revisit even the tiniest forest, to wail of the perished wilderness. "i know there's indians sneaking along in there," she whispered, "and wolves and outlaws; and maybe a hudson bay factor coming, in a red mackinaw coat." "and maybe a mounted policeman and a lost girl." "saying which," remarked ruth, "the brave young man undid his pack and disclosed to the admiring eyes of the hungry lass--meaning me, especially the 'hungry'--the wonders of his pack, which she had been covertly eying amid all the perils of the afternoon." carl did not know it, but all his life he had been seeking a girl who would, without apologetic explanation, begin a story with herself and him for its characters. he instantly continued her tale: "and from the pack the brave young hero, whose new norfolk jacket she admired such a lot--as i said, from the pack he pulled two clammy, blue, hard-boiled eggs and a thermos bottle filled with tea into which i've probably forgotten to put any sugar." "and then she stabbed him and went swiftly home!" ruth concluded the narration.... "don't be frivolous about food. just one hard-boiled egg and you perish! none of these gentle 'convenient' shoe-box picnics for me. of course i ought to pretend that i have a bird-like appetite, but as a matter of fact i could devour an english mutton-chop, four kidneys, and two hot sausages, and then some plum-pudding and a box of chocolates, assorted." "if this were a story," said carl, knocking the crusted snow from dead branches and dragging them toward the center of a small clearing, "the young hero from joralemon would now remind the city gal that 'tis only among god's free hills that you can get an appetite, and then the author would say, 'nothing had ever tasted so good as those trout, yanked from the brook and cooked to a turn on the sizzling coals. she looked at the stalwart young man, so skilfully frying the flapjacks, and contrasted him with the effeminate fops she had met on fifth avenue.'... but meanwhile, squaw, you'd better tear some good dry twigs off this bush for kindling." gathering twigs while carl scrabbled among the roots for dry leaves, ruth went on again with their story: "'yes,' said the fair maid o' the wilds, obediently, bending her poor, patient back at the cruel behest of the stern man of granite.... may i put something into the story which will politely indicate how much the unfortunate lady appreciates this heavenly snow-place in contrast to the beastly city, even though she is so abominably treated?" "yes, but as i warned you, nothing about the effect of out-o'-doors on the appetite. all you've got to do is to watch a city broker eat fourteen pounds of steak, three pots of coffee, and four black cigars at a broadway restaurant to realize that the effeminate city man occasionally gets up quite some appetite, too!" "my dear," she wailed, "aside from the vulgarity of the thing--you know that no one ever admits to a real interest in food--i am so hungry that if there is any more mention of eating i shall go off in a corner and howl. you know how those adorable german christmas stories always begin: '_es war weinachtsabend. tiefer schnee lag am boden. durch das wald kam ein armes mädchen das weinte bitterlich._' the reason why she weinted bitterlich was because her soul was hurt at being kept out of the secret of the beautiful, beautiful food that was hidden in the hero's pack. now let's have no more imaginary menus. let's discuss nijinsky and the musical asses till you are ready----" "all ready now!" he proclaimed, kneeling by the pyramid of leaves, twigs, and sticks he had been erecting. he lit a match and kindled a leaf. fire ran through the mass and rosy light brightened the darkened snow. "by the way," he said, as with cold fingers he pulled at the straps of his pack, "i'm beginning to be afraid that we'll be a lot later getting home than we expected." "well, i suppose i'll go to sleep on the train, and wake up at every station and wail and make you uncomfortable, and mason will be grieved and disapproving when i get home late, but just now i don't care. i don't! it's _la belle aventure_! carl, do you realize that never in my twenty-four (almost twenty-five now!) never in all these years have i been out like this in the wilds, in the dark, not even with phil? and yet i don't feel afraid--just terribly happy." "you do trust me, don't you?" "you know i do.... yet when i realize that i really don't know you at all----!" he had brought out, from the pack, granite-ware plates and cups, a stew-pan and a coffee-pot, a ruddied paper of meat and a can of peas, rolls, johnny-cake, maple syrup, a screw-top bottle of cream, pasteboard boxes of salt and pepper and sugar. lamb chops, coiled in the covered stew-pan, loudly broiled in their own fat, and to them the peas, heated in their can, were added when the coffee began to foam. he dragged a large log to the side of the fire, and ruth, there sitting, gorged shamelessly. carl himself did not eat reticently. light snow was falling now, driven by them on the rising wind. the fire, where hot coals had piled higher and higher, was a refuge in the midst of the darkness. carl rolled up another log, for protection from the weather, and placed it at right angles to the first. "you were saying, at mrs. needham's, that we ought to have an old farm-house," he remarked, while she snuggled before the fire, her back against a log, her round knees up under her chin, her arms clasping her legs. "let's build one right here." instantly she was living it. in the angle between the logs she laid out an outline of twigs, exclaiming: "here is my room, with low ceiling and exposed rafters and a big open fireplace. not a single touch of pale pink or rosebuds!" "then here's my room, with a work-bench and a bed nine feet long that i can lose myself in." "then here outside my room," said ruth, "i'm going to have a brick terrace, and all around it heliotrope growing in pots on the brick wall." "i'm sorry, blessed, but you can't have a terrace. don't you realize that every brick would have to be carted two hundred miles through this wilderness?" "i don't care. if you appreciated me you'd carry them on your back, if necessary." "well, i'll think it over, but----oh, look here, i'm going to have a porch made out of fresh saplings, outside of my room, and it 'll overlook the hills, and it 'll have outdoor cots with olive-gray army blankets over them, and when you wake up in the morning you'll see the hills in the first sunlight." "glorious! i'll give up my terrace. though i do think i was w'eedled into it." "seriously, ruth, wouldn't you like to have such a place, back in the wilderness?" "love it! i'd be perfectly happy there. at least for a while. i wouldn't care if i never saw another aigrette or a fat rhine maiden singing in thirty sharps." "listen, how would this be for a site? (let me stick some more wood there on your side of the fire.) once when i was up in the high sierras, in california, i found a wooded bluff--you looked a thousand feet straight down to a clear lake, green as mint-sauce pretty nearly, not a wrinkle on it. there wasn't a sound anywhere except when the leaves rustled. then on the other side you looked way up to a peak covered with snow, and a big eagle sailing overhead--sailing and sailing, hour after hour. and you could smell the pine needles and sit there and look way off----would you like it?" "oh, i can't tell you how much!" "have to go there some day." "when you're president of the vanzile company you must give me a touricar to go in, and perhaps i shall let you go, too." "right! i'll be chauffeur and cook and everything." quietly exultant at her sweet, unworded promise of liking, he hastily said, to cover that thrill, "even a poor old low-brow mechanic like me does get a kind of poetic fervor out of a view like that." "but you aren't a low-brow mechanic. you make me so dreadfully weary when you're mock-humble. as a matter of fact, you're a famous man and i'm a poor little street waif. for instance, the way you talk about socialism when you get interested and let yourself go. really excited. i'd always thought that aviators and other sorts of heroes were such stolid dubs." "gee! it'd be natural enough if i did like to talk. imagine the training in being with the english superintendent at the mine, that i was telling you about, and hearing frazer lecture, and knowing tony bean with his south-american interests, and most of all, of course, knowing forrest haviland. if i had any pep in me----course i'm terribly slangy, i suppose, but i couldn't help wading right in and wanting to talk to everybody about everything." "yes. yes. of course i'm abominably slangy, too. i wonder if every one isn't, except in books.... we've left our house a little unfinished, carl." "i'm afraid we'll have to, blessed. we'll have to be going. it's past seven, now; and we must be sure to catch the . and get back to town about nine." "i can't tell you how sorry i am we must leave our house in the wilds." "you really have enjoyed it?" he was cleaning the last of the dishes with snow, and packing them away. "do you know," he said, cautiously, "i always used to feel that a girl--you say you aren't in society, but i mean a girl like you--i used to think it was impossible to play with such a girl unless a man was rich, which i excessively am not, with my little money tied up in the touricar. yet here we have an all-day party, and it costs less than three really good seats at the theater." "i know. phil is always saying that he is too poor to have a good time, and yet his grandmother left him fifteen thousand dollars capital in his own right, besides his allowance from his father and his salary from the law firm; and he infuriates me sometimes--aside from the tactlessness of the thing--by quite plainly suggesting that i'm so empty-headed that i won't enjoy going out with him unless he spends a lot of money and makes waiters and ushers obsequious. there are lots of my friends who think that way, both the girls and the men. they never seem to realize that if they were just human beings, as you and i have been to-day, and not hide-bound members of the dance-and-tea league, they could beat that beastly artificial old city.... phil once told me that _no_ man--mind you, no one at all--could possibly marry on less than fifteen thousand dollars a year. simply proved it beyond a question." "that lets me out." "phil said that no one could possibly live on the west side--of course the fact that he and i are both living on the west side doesn't count--and the cheapest good apartments near fifth avenue cost four thousand dollars a year. and then one can't possibly get along with less than two cars and four maids and a chauffeur. can't be done!" "he's right. fawncy! only three maids. might as well be dead." the pack was ready, now; he was swinging it to his back and preparing to stamp out the fire. but he dropped his burden and faced her in the low firelight. "ruth, you won't make up your mind to marry phil till you're _sure_, will you? you'll play with me awhile, won't you? can't we explore a few more----" she laughed nervously, trying to look at him. "as i said, phil won't condescend to consider poor me till he has his fifteen thousand dollars a year, and that won't be for some time, i think, considering he is too well-bred to work hard." "but seriously, you will----oh, i don't know how to put it. you will let me be your playmate, even as much as phil is, while we're still----" "carl, i've never played as much with any one as with you. you make most of the men i know seem very unenterprising. it frightens me. perhaps i oughtn't to let you jump the fence so easily." "you _won't_ let phil lock you up for a while?" "no.... mustn't we be going?" "thank you for letting the outlaw come to your party. the fire's out. come." with the quenching of the fire they were left in smothering darkness. "where do we go?" she worried. "i feel completely lost. i can't make out a thing. i feel so lost and so blind, after looking at the fire." her voice betrayed that he was suddenly a stranger to her. with hasty assurance he said: "sit tight! see. we head for that tall oak, up the slope, then through the clearing, keeping to the right. you'll be able to see the oak as soon as you get the firelight out of your eyes. remember i used to hunt every fall, as a kid, and come back through the dark. don't worry." "i can just make out the tree now." "right. now for it." "let me carry my skees." "no, you just watch your feet." his voice was pleasant, quiet, not too intimate. "don't try to guide yourself by your eyes. let your feet find the safe ground. your eyes will fool you in the dark." it was a hard pull, the way back. encumbered with pack and two pairs of skees, which they dared not use in the darkness, he could not give her a helping hand. the snow was still falling, not very thick nor savagely wind-borne, yet stinging their eyes as they crossed open moors and the wind leaped at them. once ruth slipped, on a rock or a chunk of ice, and came down with an infuriating jolt. before he could drop the skees she struggled up and said, dryly: "yes, it did hurt, and i know you're sorry, and there's nothing you can do." carl grinned and kept silence, though with one hand, as soon as he could get it free from the elusive skees, he lightly patted her shoulder. she was almost staggering, so cold was she and so tired, and so heavy was the snow caked on her boots, when they came to a sharp rise, down which shone the radiance of an incandescent light. "road's right up there, blessed," he cried, cheerily. "oh, i can't----yes, i will----" he dropped the skees, put one arm about her shoulders and one about her knees, and almost before she had finished crying, "oh no, _please_ don't carry me!" he was half-way up the slope. he set her down safe by the road. they caught the . train with two minutes to spare. its warmth and the dingy softness of the plush seats seemed palatial. ruth rubbed her cold hands with a smile deprecating, intimate; and her shoulder drooped toward him. her whole being seemed turned toward him. he cuddled her right hand within his, murmuring: "see, my hand's a house where yours can keep warm." her fingers curled tight and rested there contentedly. like a drowsy kitten she looked down at their two hands. "a little brown house!" she said. chapter xxxiv while scientists seek germs that shall change the world, while war comes or winter takes earth captive, even while love visibly flowers, a power, mighty as any of these, lashes its human pack-train on the dusty road to futility. the day's work is the name of that power. all these days of first love carl had the office for lowering background. the warm trust of ruth's hand on a saturday did not make plans for the touricar any the less pressing on a monday. the tyranny of nine to five is stronger, more insistent, in every department of life, than the most officious oligarchy. inspectors can be bribed, judges softened, and recruiting sergeants evaded, but only the grace of god will turn . into . . and mr. ericson of the touricar company, a not vastly important employee of the mothering vanzile corporation, was not entitled to go home at . , as a really rational man would have done when the sun gold-misted the windows and suggested skating. no longer was business essentially an adventure to carl. doubtless he would have given it up and have gone to palm beach to fly a hydro for bagby, jr., had there been no ruth. bagby wrote that he was coming north, to prepare for the spring's experiments; wouldn't carl consider joining him? carl was now, between his salary and his investment in the touricar company, making about four thousand dollars a year, and saving nearly half of it, against the inevitable next change in his life, whatever that should be. he would probably climb to ten thousand dollars in five years. the touricar was promising success. several had been ordered at the automobile show; the chicago, boston, and philadelphia agents of the company reported interest. for no particular reason, apparently, milwaukee had taken them up first; three milwaukee people had ordered cars.... an artist was making posters with beautiful gipsies and a touricar and tourists whose countenances showed lively appreciation of the efforts of the kind touricar manufacturers to please and benefit them. but the head salesman of the company laughed at carl when he suggested that the touricar might not only bring them money, but really take people off to a larger freedom: "i don't care a hang where they go with the thing as long as they pay for it. you can't be an idealist and make money. you make the money and then you can have all the ideals you want to, and give away some hospitals and libraries." * * * * * they walked and talked, ruth and carl. they threaded the sunday-afternoon throng on upper broadway, where on every clear sunday all the apartment-dwellers (if they have remembered to have their trousers pressed or their gloves cleaned in preparation) promenade like stupid black-and-white peacocks past uninteresting apartment-houses and uninspiring upper broadway shops, while two blocks away glorious riverside drive, with its panorama of hudson and hills and billowing clouds, its trees and secret walks and the soldiers and sailors monument, is nearly deserted. together they scorned the glossy well-to-do merchant in his newly ironed top-hat, and were thus drawn together. it is written that loving the same cause makes honest friendship; but hating the same people makes alliances so delightful that one can sit up late nights, talking. at the opening of the flying season carl took her to the hempstead plains aviation field, and, hearing his explanations, she at last comprehended emotionally that he really was an aviator. they tramped through staten island; they had tea at the manhattan. carl dined with ruth and her father; once he took her brother, mason, to lunch at the aero club. ruth was ill in march; not with a mysterious and romantic malady, but with grippe, which, she wrote carl, made her hate the human race, new york, charity, and shakespeare. she could not decide whether to go to europe, or to die in a swoon and be buried under a mossy headstone. he answered that he would go abroad for her; and every day she received tokens bearing new york post-marks, yet obviously coming from foreign parts: a souvenir card from the piræus, stating that carl was "visiting cousin t. demetrieff philopopudopulos, and we are enjoying our drives so much. dem. sends his love; wish you could be with us"; an absurd string of beads from port saïd and a box of syrian sweets; a hindu puzzle guaranteed to amuse victims of the grippe, and gold-fabric slippers of china; with long letters nonchalantly relating encounters with outlaws and wrecks and new varieties of disease. he called on her before her nose had quite lost the grippe or her temper the badness. phil dunleavy was there, lofty and cultured in evening clothes, apparently not eager to go. he stayed till ten minutes to ten, and, by his manner of cold surprise when carl tried to influence the conversation, was able to keep it to the kreisler violin recitals, the architecture of st. john the divine's, and whitney's polo, while carl tried not to look sulky, and manoeuvered to get out the excellent things he was prepared to say on other topics; not unlike the small boy who wants to interrupt whist-players and tell them about his new skates. when phil was gone ruth sighed and said, belligerently: "poor phil, he has to work so hard, and all the people at his office, even the firm, are just as common as they can be; common as the children at my beastly old settlement-house." "what do you mean by 'common'?" bristled carl. "not of our class." "what do you mean by 'our class'?" and the battle was set. ruth refused to withdraw "common." carl recalled abraham lincoln and golden-rule jones and walt whitman on the subject of the common people, though as to what these sages had said he was vague. ruth burst out: "oh, you can talk all you like about theories, but just the same, in real life most people are common as dirt. and just about as admissible to society. it's all very fine to be good to servants, but you would be the first to complain if i invited the cook up here." "give her and her children education for three generations----" she was perfectly unreasonable, and right in most of the things she said. he was perfectly unreasonable, and right in all of the things he said. their argument was absurdly hot, and hurt them pathetically. it was difficult, at first, for carl to admit that he was at odds with his playmate. surely this was a sham dissension, of which they would soon tire, which they would smilingly give up. then, he was trying not to be too contentious, but was irritated into retorting. after fifteen minutes they were staring at each other as at intruding strangers, he remembering the fact that she was a result of city life; she the fact that he wasn't a product of city life. and a fact which neither of them realized, save subconsciously, was in the background: carl himself had come in a few years from oscar ericson's back yard to ruth winslow's library--he had made the step naturally, as only an american could, but it was a step. she was loftily polite. "i'm afraid you can't quite understand what the niceties of life mean to people like phil. i'm sorry he won't give them up to the first truck-driver he meets, but i'm afraid he won't, and occasionally it's necessary to face facts! niceties of the kind he has gr----" "_nice!_" "really----" her heavy eyebrows arched in a frown. "if you're going to get 'nice' on me, of course you'll have to be condescending, and that's one thing i won't permit." "i'm afraid you'll find that one has to permit a great many things. sometimes, apparently, i must permit great rudeness." "have i been rude? have----" "yes. very." he could endure no more. "good night!" he growled, and was gone. he was frightened to find himself out of the house; the door closed between them; no going back without ringing the bell. he couldn't go back. he walked a block, slow, incredulous. he stood hesitant before the nearest corner drug-store, shivering in the march wind, wondering if he dared go into the store and telephone her. he was willing to concede anything. he planned apt phrases to use. surely everything would be made right if he could only speak to her. he pictured himself crossing the drug-store floor, entering the telephone-booth, putting five cents in the slot. he stared at the red-and-green globes in the druggist's window; inspected a display of soaps, and recollected the fact that for a week now he had failed to take home any shaving-soap and had had to use ordinary hand-soap. "golly! i must go in and get a shaving-stick. no, darn it! i haven't got enough money with me. i _must_ try to remember to get some to-morrow." he rebuked himself for thinking of soap when love lay dying. "but i must remember to get that soap, just the same!" so grotesque is man, the slave and angel, for while he was sick with the desire to go back to the one comrade, he sharply wondered if he was not merely acting all this agony. he went into the store. but he did not telephone to ruth. there was no sufficiently convincing reason for calling her up. he bought a silly ice-cream soda, and talked to the man behind the counter as he drank it. all the while a tragic ruth stood before him, blaming him for he knew not what. he reluctantly went on, regretting every step that took him from her. but as he reached the next corner his shoulders snapped back into defiant straightness, he thrust his hands into the side pockets of his top-coat, and strode away, feeling that he had shaken off a burden of "niceness." he had, willy-nilly, recovered his freedom. he could go anywhere, now; mingle with any sort of people; be common and comfortable. he didn't have to take dancing lessons or fear the results of losing his job, or of being robbed of his interests in the touricar. he glanced interestedly at a pretty girl; recklessly went into a cigar-store and bought a fifteen-cent cigar. he was free again. as he marched on, however, his defiance began to ooze away. he went over every word ruth or he had said, and when he reached his room he sat deep in an arm-chair, like a hurt animal crouching, his coat still on, his felt hat over his eyes, his tie a trifle disarranged, his legs straight out before him, his hands in his trousers pockets, while he disconsolately contemplated a photograph of forrest haviland in full-dress uniform that stood on the low bureau among tangled ties, stray cigarettes, a bronze aviation medal, cuff-buttons, and a haberdasher's round package of new collars. his gaze was steady and gloomy. he was dramatizing himself as hero in a melodrama. he did not know how the play would end. but his dramatization of himself did not indicate that he was not in earnest. forrest's portrait suggested to him, as it had before, that he had no picture of ruth, that he wanted one. next time he saw her he would ask her.... then he remembered. he took out his new cigar, turned it over and over gloweringly, and chewed it without lighting it, the right corner of his mouth vicious in appearance. but his tone was plaintive as he mourned, "how did it all start, anyway?" he drew off his top-coat and shoes, and put on his shabby though once expensive slippers. slowly. he lay on his bed. he certainly did not intend to go to sleep--but he awoke at a.m., dressed, the light burning, his windows closed, feeling sweaty and hot and dirty and dry-mouthed--a victim of all the woes since tall troy burned. he shucked off his clothes as you shuck an ear of corn. when he awoke in the morning he lay as usual, greeting a shining new day, till he realized that it was not a shining day; it was an ominous day; everything was wrong. that something had happened--really had--was a fact that sternly patrolled his room. his chief reaction was not repentance nor dramatic interest, but a vexed longing to unwish the whole affair. "hang it!" he groaned. already he was eager to make peace. he sympathized with ruth. "poor kid! it was rotten to row with her, her completely all in with the grippe." at three in the afternoon he telephoned to her house. "miss ruth," he was informed, "was asleep; she was not very well." would the maid please ask miss ruth to call mr. ericson when she woke? certainly the maid would. but by bedtime ruth had not telephoned. self-respect would not let him call again, for days, and ruth never called him. he went about alternately resentful at her stubbornness and seeing himself as a lout cast out of heaven. then he saw her at a distance, on the platform of the subway station at seventy-second street. she was with phil dunleavy. she looked well, she was talking gaily, oblivious of old sorrows, certainly not in need of carl ericson. that was the end, he knew. he watched them take a train; stood there alone, due at a meeting of the aeronautical society, but suddenly not wishing to go, not wishing to go anywhere nor do anything, friendless, bored, driftwood in the city. so easily had the hawk swooped down into her life, coming by chance, but glad to remain. so easily had he been driven away. * * * * * for three days he planned in a headachy way to make an end of his job and join bagby, jr., in his hydroaeroplane experiments. he pictured the crowd that would worship him. he told himself stories unhappy and long about the renewed companionship of ruth and phil. he was sure that he, the stranger, had been a fool to imagine that he could ever displace phil. on the third afternoon, suddenly, apparently without cause, he bolted from the office, and at a public telephone-booth he called ruth. it was she who answered the telephone. "may i come up to-night?" he said, urgently. "yes," she said. that was all. when he saw her, she hesitated, smiled shamefacedly, and confessed that she had wanted to telephone to him. together, like a stage chorus, they contested: "i was grouchy----" "i was beastly----" "i'm honestly sorry----" "'ll you forgive----" "what was it all about?" "really, i do--not--know!" "i agree with lots of the things you----" "no, i agree with you, but just at the time--you know." her lively, defensive eyes were tender. he put his arm lightly about her shoulders--lightly, but his finger-tips were sensitive to every thread of her thin bodice that seemed tissue as warmly living as the smooth shoulder beneath. she pressed her eyes against his coat, her coiled dark hair beneath his chin. a longing to cry like a boy, and to care for her like a man, made him reverent. the fear of phil vanished. intensely conscious though he was of her hair and its individual scent, he did not kiss it. she was sacred. she sprang from him, and at the piano hammered out a rattling waltz. it changed to gentler music, and under the shaded piano-lamp they were silent, happy. he merely touched her hand, when he went, but he sang his way home, wanting to nod to every policeman. "i've found her again; it isn't merely play, now!" he kept repeating. "and i've learned something. i don't really know what it is, but it's as though i'd learned a new language. gee! i'm happy!" chapter xxxv on an april saturday morning carl rose with a feeling of spring. he wanted to be off in the connecticut hills, among the silvery-gray worm-fences, with larks rising on the breeze and pools a-ripple and yellow crocus-blossoms afire by the road, where towns white and sleepy woke to find the elms misted with young green. would there be any crocuses out as yet? that was the only question worth solving in the world, save the riddle of ruth's heart. the staid brownstone houses of the new york streets displayed few crocuses and fewer larks, yet over them to-day was the bloom of romance. carl walked down to the automobile district past central park, sniffing wistfully at the damp grass, pale green amid old gray; marveling how a bare patch of brown earth, without a single blade of grass, could smell so stirringly of coming spring. a girl on broadway was selling wild violets, white and purple, and in front of wretched old houses down a side-street, in the negro district, a darky in a tan derby and a scarlet tie was caroling: "mandy, in de spring de mocking-birds do sing, an' de flowers am so sweet along de ol' bayou----" above the darky's head, elevated trains roared on the fifty-third street trestle, and up broadway streaked a stripped motor-car, all steel chassis and grease-mottled board seat and lurid odor of gasoline. but sparrows splashed in the pools of sunshine; in a lull the darky's voice came again, chanting passionately, "in de spring, spring, _spring_!" and carl clamored: "i've _got_ to get out to-day. terrible glad it's a half-holiday. wonder if i dare telephone to ruth?" at a quarter to three they were rollicking down the "smart side" of fifth avenue. one could see that they were playmates, by her dancing steps and his absorption in her. he bent a little toward her, quick to laugh with her. ruth was in a frock of flowered taffeta. "i won't wait till easter to show off my spring clothes. it isn't done any more," she said. "it's as stupid as bobby's not daring to wear a straw hat one single day after september fifteenth. is an aviator brave enough to wear his after the fifteenth?... think! i didn't know you then--last september. i can't understand it." "but i knew you, blessed, because i was sure spring was coming again, and that distinctly implied ruth." "of course it did. you've guessed my secret. i'm the spirit of spring. last wednesday, when i lost my marquise ring, i was the spirit of vitriol, but now----i'm a poet. i've thought it all out and decided that i shall be the american sappho. at any moment i am quite likely to rush madly across the pavement and sit down on the curb and indite several stanzas on the back of a calling-card, while the crowd galumps around me in an awed ring.... i feel like kidnapping you and making you take me aeroplaning, but i'll compromise. you're to buy me a book and take me down to the maison Épinay for tea, and read me poetry while i yearn over the window-boxes and try to look like nicollette. buy me a book with spring in it, and a princess, and a sky like this--cornflower blue with bunny-rabbit clouds." at least a few in the avenue's flower-garden of pretty débutantes in pairs and young university men with expensive leather-laced tan boots were echoing ruth in gay, new clothes. "i wonder who they all are; they look like an aristocracy, useless but made of the very best materials," said carl. "they're like maids of honor and young knights, disguised in modern costumes! they're charming!" "charmingly useless," insisted our revolutionary, but he did not sound earnest. it was too great a day for earnestness about anything less great than joy and life; a day for shameless luxuriating in the sun, and for wearing bright things. in shop windows with curtains of fluted silk were silver things and jade; satin gowns and shoe-buckles of rhinestones. the sleek motor-cars whisked by in an incessant line; the traffic policemen nodded familiarly to hansom-drivers; pools on the asphalt mirrored the delicate sky, and at every corner the breeze tasted of spring. carl bought for her yeats's poems, tucked it under his arm, and they trotted off. in madison square they saw a gallant and courtly old man with military shoulders and pink cheeks, a debonair gray mustache, and a smile of unquenchable youth, greeting april with a narcissus in his buttonhole. he was feeding the sparrows with crumbs and smiled to see one of them fly off, carrying a long wisp of hay, bustling away to build for himself and his sparrow bride a bungalow in the foot-hills of the metropolitan tower. "i love that old man!" exclaimed ruth. "i do wish we could pick him up and take him with us. i dare you to go over and say, 'i prithee, sir, of thy good will come thou forthfaring with two vagabonds who do quest high and low the land of nowhere.' something like that. go on, carl, be brave. pretend you're brave as an aviator. perhaps he has a map of arcadia. go ask him." "afraid to. besides, he might monopolize you." "he'll go with us, without his knowing it, anyway. isn't it strange how you know people, perfect strangers, from seeing them once, without even speaking to them? you know them the rest of your life and play games with them." the maison Épinay you must quest long, but great is your reward if you find it. here is no weak remembrance of a lost paris, but a french-canadian's desire to express what he believes paris must be; therefore a super-paris, all in brown velvet and wicker tables, and at the back a long window edged with boxes red with geraniums, looking to a back-yard garden where rose-beds lead to a dancing-faun terminal in a shrine of ivy. they sipped grenadine, heavy essence of a thousand berries. they had the place to themselves, save for tony the waiter, with his smile of benison; and carl read from yeats. he had heard of yeats at plato, but never had he known crying curlew and misty mere and the fluttering wings of love till now. his hand rested on her gloved hand.... tony the waiter re-re-rearranged the serving-table.... when ruth broke the spell with, "you aren't very reverent with perfectly clean gloves," they chattered like blackbirds at sunset. carl discovered that, being a new-yorker, she knew part of it as intimately as though it were a village, and nothing about the rest. she had taught him fifth avenue; told him the history of the invasion by shops, the social differences between east and west; pointed out the pictures of friends in photographers' wall-cases. now he taught her the various new yorks he had discovered in lonely rambles. together they explored chelsea village section, and the oxford quadrangles of general theological seminary, where quiet meditation dwells in tudor corridors; upper greenwich village, the home of italian _tables d'hôte_, clerks, social-workers, and radical magazines, of alley rookeries and the ancient jewish burying-ground; lower greenwich village, where run-down american families with italian lodgers live on streets named for kings, in wooden houses with gambrel roofs and colonial fanlights. from the same small-paned windows where frowsy italian women stared down upon ruth, ruth's ancestors had leaned out to greet general george washington. on an open wharf near tenth street they were bespelled by april. the woolworth tower, to the south, was an immortal shaft of ivory and gold against an unwinking blue sky, challenging the castles and cathedrals of the old world, and with its supreme art dignifying the commerce which built and uses it. the hudson was lustrous with sun, and a sweet wind sang from unknown jersey hills across the river. moored to the wharf was a coal-barge, with a tiny dwelling-cabin at whose windows white curtains fluttered. beside the cabin was a garden tended by the bargeman's comely white-browed wife; a dozen daisies and geraniums in two starch-boxes. forging down the river a scarred tramp steamer, whose rusty sides the sun turned to damask rose, bobbed in the slight swell, heading for open sea, with the british flag a-flicker and men chanting as they cleared deck. "i wish we were going off with her--maybe to singapore or nagasaki," carl said, slipping his arm through hers, as they balanced on the stringpiece of the wharf, sniffing like deer at the breeze, which for a moment seemed to bear, from distant burgeoning woods, a shadowy hint of burning leaves--the perfume of spring and autumn, the eternal wander-call. "yes!" ruth mused; "and moonlight in java, and the himalayas on the horizon, and the vale of cashmir." "but i'm glad we have this. blessed, it's a day planned for lovers like us." "carl!" "yes. lovers. courting. in spring. like all lovers." "really, carl, even spring doesn't quite let me forget the _convenances_ are home waiting." "we're not lovers?" "no, we----" "yet you enjoy to-day, don't you?" "yes, but----" "and you'd rather be loafing on a dirty wharf, looking at a tramp steamer, than taking tea at the plaza?" "yes, just now, perhaps----" "and you're protesting because you feel it's proper to----" "it----" "and you really trust me so much that you're having difficulty in seeming alarmed?" "really----" "and you'd rather play around with me than any of the skull and bones or hasty pudding men you know? or foreign diplomats with spade beards?" "at least they wouldn't----" "oh yes they would, if you'd let them, which you wouldn't.... so, to sum up, then, we _are_ lovers and it's spring and you're glad of it, and as soon as you get used to it you'll be glad i'm so frank. won't you?" "i will not be bullied, carl! you'll be having me married to you before i can scream for help, if i don't start at once." "probably." "indeed you will not! i haven't the slightest intention of letting you get away with being masterful." "yes, i know, blessed; these masterful people bore me, too. but aren't we modern enough so we can discuss frankly the question of whether i'd better propose to you, some day?" "but, boy, what makes you suppose that i have any information on the subject? that i've ever thought of it?" "i credit you with having a reasonable knowledge that there are such things as marriage." "yes, but----oh, i'm very confused. you've bullied me into such a defensive position that my instinct is to deny everything. if you turned on me suddenly and accused me of wearing gloves i'd indignantly deny it." "meantime, not to change the subject, i'd better be planning and watching for a suitable day for proposing, don't you think? consider it. here's this young ericson--some sort of a clerk, i believe--no, don't _think_ he's a university man----you know; discuss it clearly. think it might be better to propose to-day? i ask your advice as a woman." "oh, carl dear, i think not to-day. i'm sorry, but i really don't think so." "but some time, perhaps?" "some time, perhaps!" then she fled from him and from the subject. they talked, after that, only of the sailors that loafed on west street, but in their voices was content. they crossed the city, and on brooklyn bridge watched the suburbanites going home, crowding surface-car and elevated. from their perch on the giant spider's web of steel, they saw the long island sound steamers below them, passing through a maelstrom of light on waves that trembled like quicksilver. they found a small italian restaurant, free of local-color hounds and what carl called "hobohemians," and discovered _fritto misto_ and chianti and _zabaglione_--a pale-brown custard flavored like honey and served in tall, thin, curving glasses--while the fat proprietress, in a red shawl and a large brooch, came to ask them, "everyt'ing all-aright, eh?" carl insisted that walter macmonnies, the aviator, had once tried out a motor that was exactly like her, including the italian accent. there was simple and complete bliss for them in the dingy pine-and-plaster room, adorned with fly-specked calendars and pictures of victor emmanuel and president mckinley, copies of the _bolletino della sera_ and large vinegar bottles. the theater was their destination, but they first loitered up broadway, shamelessly stopping to stare at shop windows, pretending to be joe the shoe-clerk and becky the cashier furnishing a bronx flat. whether it was anything but a game to ruth will never be known; but to carl there was a hidden high excitement in planning a flower-box for the fire-escape. apropos of nothing, she said, as they touched elbows with the sweethearting crowd: "you were right. i'm sorry i ever felt superior to what i called 'common people.' people! i love them all. it's----come, we must hurry. i hate to miss that one perfect second when the orchestra is quiet and the lights wink at you and the curtain's going up." during the second act of the play, when the heroine awoke to love, carl's hand found hers. and it must have been that night when, standing between the inner and outer doors of her house, carl put his arms about her, kissed her hair, timidly kissed her sweet, cold cheek, and cried, "bless you, dear." but, for some reason, he does not remember when he did first kiss her, though he had looked forward to that miracle for weeks. he does not understand the reason; but there is the fact. her kisses were big things to him, yet possibly there were larger psychological changes which occulted everything else, at first. but it must have been on that night that he first kissed her. for certainly it was when he called on her a week later that he kissed her for the second time. they had been animated but decorous, that evening a week later. he had tried to play an improvisation called "the battle of san juan hill," with a knowledge of the piano limited to the fact that if you struck alternate keys at the same time, there appeared not to be a discord. "i must go now," he said, slowly, as though the bald words had a higher significance. she tried to look at him, and could not. his arms circled her, with frightened happiness. she tilted back her head, and there was the ever-new surprise of blue irises under dark brows. uplifted wonder her eyes spoke. his head drooped till he kissed her lips. the two bodies clamored for each other. but she unwound his arms, crying, "no, no, no!" he was enfolded by a sensation that they had instantly changed from friendly strangers to intimate lovers, as she said: "i don't understand it, carl. i've never let a man kiss me like that. oh, i suppose i've flirted, like most girls, and been kissed sketchily at silly dances. but this----oh, carl, carl dear, don't ever kiss me again till--oh, not till i _know_. why, i'm scarcely acquainted with you! i do know how dear you are, but it appals me when i think of how little background you have for me. dear, i don't want to be sordid and spoil this moment, but i do know that when you're gone i'll be a coward and remember that there are families and things, and want to wait till i know how they like you, at the very least. good night, and i----" "good night, dear blessed. i know." chapter xxxvi there were, as ruth had remarked, families. when carl was formally invited to dine at the winslows', on a night late in april, his only anxiety was as to the condition of his dinner-coat. he arrived in a state of easy briskness, planning apt and sensible remarks about the business situation for mason and mr. winslow. as the maid opened the door carl was wondering if he would be able to touch ruth's hand under the table. he had an anticipatory fondness for all of the small friendly family group which was about to receive him. and he was cast into a den of strangers, most of them comprised in the one electric person of aunt emma truegate winslow. aunt emma truegate winslow was the general-commanding in whatsoever group she was placed by providence (with which she had strong influence). at a white house reception she would pleasantly but firmly have sent the president about his business, and have taken his place in the receiving line. just now she sat in a pre-historic s chair, near the center of the drawing-room, pumping out of phil dunleavy most of the facts about his chiefs' private lives. aunt emma had the soul of a six-foot dowager duchess, and should have had an eagle nose and a white pompadour. actually, she was of medium height, with a not unduly maternal bosom, a broad, commonplace face, hair the color of faded grass, a blunt nose with slightly enlarged pores, and thin lips that seemed to be a straight line when seen from in front, but, seen in profile, puffed out like a fish's. she had a habit of nodding intelligently even when she was not listening, and another habit of rubbing her left knuckles with the fingers of her right hand. not imposing in appearance was aunt emma truegate winslow, but she was born to discipline a court. an impeccable widow was she, speaking with a broad a, and dressed exquisitely in a black satin evening gown. by such simple-hearted traits as being always right about unimportant matters and idealistically wrong about important matters, politely intruding into everything, being earnest about the morality of the poor and auction bridge and the chaperonage of nice girls, possessing a working knowledge of wagner and rodin, wearing fifteen-dollar corsets, and believing on her bended knees that the truegates and winslows were the noblest families in the social register, aunt emma truegate winslow had persuaded the whole world, including even her near-english butler, that she was a superior woman. family tradition said that she had only to raise a finger to get into really smart society. upon the death of ruth's mother, aunt emma had taken it as one of her duties, along with symphony concerts and committees, to rear ruth properly. she had been neglecting this duty so far as to permit the invasion of a barbarian named ericson only because she had been in california with her young son, arthur. just now, while her house was being opened, she was staying at the winslows', with arthur and a peculiarly beastly japanese spaniel named taka-san. she was introduced at carl, she glanced him over, and passed him on to olive dunleavy, all in forty-five seconds. when carl had recovered from a sensation of being a kitten drowned in a sack, he said agreeable things to olive, and observed the situation in the drawing-room. phil was marked out for aunt emma's favors; mr. winslow sat in a corner, apparently crushed, with restorative conversation administered by ruth; mason winslow was haltingly attentive to a plain, well-dressed, amiable girl named florence crewden, who had prematurely gray hair, the week-end habit, and a weakness for baby talk. ruth's medical-student brother, bobby winslow, was not there. the more he saw of bobby's kind aunt emma, the more carl could find it in his heart to excuse bobby for having escaped the family dinner. carl had an uncomfortable moment when aunt emma and mr. winslow asked him questions about the development of the touricar. but before he could determine whether he was being deliberately inspected by the family the ordeal was over. as they went in to dinner, mr. winslow taking in aunt emma like a small boy accompanying the school principal, ruth had the chance to whisper: "my hawk, be good. please believe i'm not responsible. it's all aunt emma's doing, this dreadfully stately family dinner. don't let her bully you. i'm frightened to death and----yes, phil, i'm coming." the warning did not seem justified in view of the attractive table--candles, cut glass, a mound of flowers on a beveled mirror, silvery linen, and grape-fruit with champagne. carl was at one side of aunt emma, but she seemed more interested in mr. winslow, at the end of the table; and on his other side carl had a safe companion in olive dunleavy. across from him were florence crewden, phil, and ruth--ruth shimmering in a gown of yellow satin, which broke the curves of her fine, flushed shoulders only by a narrow band. the conversation played with people. florence crewden told, to applause and laughter, of an exploratory visit to the college of the city of new york, and her discovery of a strange race, young jews mostly, who went to college to study, and had no sense of the nobility of "making" fraternities. "such outsiders!" she said. "can't you imagine the sort of a party they'd have--they'd all stand around and discuss psychology and dissecting puppies and greek roots! phil, i think it would be a lovely punishment for you to have to join them--to work in a laboratory all day and wear a celluloid collar." "oh, i know their sort; 'greasy grinds' we used to call them; there were plenty of them in yale," condescended phil. "maybe they wear celluloid collars--if they do--because they're poor," protested ruth. "my dear child," sniffed aunt emma, "with collars only twenty-five cents apiece? don't be silly!" mr. winslow declared, with portly timidity, "why, em, my collars don't cost me but fifteen----" "mason dear, let's not discuss it at dinner.... tell me, all of you, the scandal i've missed by going to california. which reminds me; did i tell you i saw that miserable amy baslin, you remember, that married the porter or the superintendent or something in her father's factory? i saw her and her husband at pasadena, and they seemed to be happy. of course amy would put the best face she could on it, but they must have been miserably unhappy--such a sad affair, and she could have married quite decently." "what do you mean by 'decently'?" ruth demanded. carl was startled. he had once asked ruth the same question about the same phrase. aunt emma revolved like a gun-turret getting ruth's range, and remarked, calmly: "my dear child, you know quite well what i mean. don't, i beg of you, bring any socialistic problems to dinner till you have really learned something about them.... now i want to hear all the nice scandals i have missed." there were not many she had missed; but she kept the conversation sternly to discussions of people whose names carl had never heard. again he was obviously an outsider. still ignoring carl, aunt emma demanded of ruth and phil, sitting together opposite her: "tell me about the good times you children have been having, ruthie. i am so glad that phil and you finally went to the william truegates'. and your letter about the beaux arts festival was charming, ruthie. i quite envied you and phil." the dragon continued talking to ruth, while carl listened, in the interstices of his chatter to olive: "i hope you haven't been giving all your time and beauty-sleep doing too much of that settlement work, ruthie--and heaven only knows what germs you will get there--of course i should be the first to praise any work for the poor, ungrateful and shiftless though they are--what with my committees and the truegate temperance home for young working girls--it's all very well to be sympathetic with them, but when it comes to a settlement-house, and heaven knows i have given them all the counsel and suggestions i could, though some of the professional settlement workers are as pert as they can be, and i really do believe some of them think they are trying to end poverty entirely, just as though the lord would have sent poverty into the world if he didn't have a very good reason for it--you will remember the bible says, 'the poor you always have with you,' and as florence barclay says in her novels, which may seem a little sentimental, but they are of such a good moral effect, you can't supersede the scriptures even in the most charming social circles. to say nothing of the blessings of poverty, i'm sure they're much happier than we are, with our onerous duties, i'm sure that if any of these ragamuffin anarchists and socialists and anti-militarists want to take over my committees they are welcome, if they'll take over the miserable headaches and worried hours they give me, trying to do something for the poor, they won't even be clean but even in model tenements they will put coal in the bath-tubs. and so i do hope you haven't just been wearing yourself to a bone working for ungrateful dirty little children, ruthie." "no, auntie dear, i've been quite as discreet as any winslow should be. you see, i'm selfish, too. aren't i, carl?" "oh, very." aunt emma seemed to remember, then, that some sort of a man, whose species she didn't quite know, sat next to her. she glanced at carl, again gave him up as an error in social judgment, and went on: "no, ruthie, not selfish so much as thoughtless about the duties of a family like ours--and i was always the first to say that the winslows are as fine a stock as the truegates. and i am going to see that you go out more the rest of this year, ruthie. i want you and phil to plan right now to attend the charity league dances next season. you must learn to concentrate your attention----" "auntie dear, please leave my wickedness till the next time we----" "my dear child, now that i have the chance to get all of us together--i'm sure mr. ericson will pardon the rest of us our little family discussions--i want to take you and master phil to task together. you are both of you negligent of social duties--duties they are, ruthie, for man was not born to serve alone--though phil is far better than you, with your queer habits, and heaven only knows where you got them, neither your father nor your dear sainted mother was slack or selfish----" "dear auntie, let's admit that i'm a black sheep with a little black muzzle and a habit of butting all sorts of ash-cans; and let phil go on his social way rejoicing." ruth was jaunty, but her voice was strained, and she bit her lip with staccato nervousness when she was not speaking. carl ventured to face the dragon. "mrs. winslow, i'm sure ruth has been better than you think; she has been learning all these fiendishly complicated new dances. you know a poor business man like myself finds them----" "yes," said aunt emma, "i am sure she will always remember that she is a winslow, and must carry on the family traditions, but sometimes i am afraid she gets under bad influences, because of her good nature." she said it loudly. she looked carl in the eye. the whole table stopped talking. carl felt like a tramp who has kicked a chained bulldog and discovers that the chain is broken. he wanted to be good; not make a scene. he noticed with intense indignation that phil was grinning. he planned to get phil off in a corner, not necessarily a dark corner, and beat him. he wanted to telegraph ruth; dared not. he realized, in a quarter-second, that he must have been discussed by the family, and did not like it. every one seemed to be waiting for him to speak. awkwardly he said, wondering all the while if she meant what her tone said she meant, by "bad influences": "yes, but----just going to say----i believe settlement work is a good influence----" "please don't discuss----" ruth was groaning, when aunt emma sternly interrupted: "it is good of you to take up the cudgels, mr. ericson, and please don't misjudge me--of course i realize that i am only a silly old woman and that my passion to see the winslows keep to their fine standards is old-fashioned, but you see it is a hobby of mine that i've devoted years to, and you who haven't known the winslows so very long----" her manner was almost courteous. "yes, that's so," carl mumbled, agreeably, just as she dropped the courtesy and went on: "----you can't judge--in fact (this is nothing personal, you know) i don't suppose it's possible for westerners to have any idea how precious family ideals are to easterners. of course we're probably silly about them, and it's splendid, your wheat-lands, and not caring who your grandfather was; but to make up for those things we do have to protect what we have gained through the generations." carl longed to stand up, to defy them all, to cry: "if you mean that you think ruth has to be protected against me, have the decency to say so." yet he kept his voice gentle: "but why be narrowed to just a few families in one's interests? now this settlement----" "one isn't narrowed. there are plenty of _good_ families for ruth to consider when it comes time for my little girl to consider alliances at all!" aunt emma coldly stated. "i _will_ shut up!" he told himself. "i will shut up. i'll see this dinner through, and then never come near this house again." he tried to look casual, as though the conversation was safely finished. but aunt emma was waiting for him to go on. in the general stillness her corsets creaked with belligerent attention. he played with his fork in a "well, if that's how you feel about it, perhaps it would be better not to discuss it any further, my dear madam," manner, growing every second more flushed, embarrassed, sick, angry; trying harder every second to look unconcerned. aunt emma hawked a delicate and ladylike hawk in her patrician throat, prefatory to a new attack. carl knew he would be tempted to retort brutally. then from the door of the dining-room whimpered the high voice of an excited child: "oh, mamma, oh, cousin ruthie, nurse says hawk ericson is here! i want to see him!" every one turned toward a boy of five or six, round as a baby chicken, in his fuzzy miniature pajamas, protectingly holding a cotton monkey under his arm, sturdy and shy and defiant. "why, arthur!" "why, my son!" "oh, the darling baby!" from the table. "come here, arthur, and let's hear your troubles before nurse nabs you, old son," said phil, not at all condescendingly, rising from the table, holding out his arms. "no, no! you just let me go! i want to see hawk ericson. is that hawk ericson?" demanded the son of aunt emma, pointing at carl. "yes, sweetheart," said ruth, softly, proudly. running madly about the end of the table, arthur jumped at carl's lap. carl swung him up and inquired, "what is it, old man?" "are you hawk ericson?" "at your commands, cap'n." aunt emma rose and said, masterfully, "come, little son, now you've seen mr. ericson it's up to beddie again, up--to--beddie." "no, no; please no, mamma! i've never seen a' aviator before, not in all my life, and you promised me 'cross your heart, at pasadena you did, i could see one." arthur's face showed signs of imminent badness. "well, you may stay for a while, then," said aunt emma, weakly, unconscious that her sway had departed from her, while the rest of the table grinned, except carl, who was absorbed in arthur's ecstasy. "i'm going to be a' aviator, too; i think a' aviator is braver than anybody. i'd rather be a' aviator than a general or a policeman or anybody. i got a picture of you in my scrap-book--you got a funny hat like cousin bobby wears when he plays football in it. shall i get you the picture in my scrap-book?... honest, will you give me another?" aunt emma made one more attempt to coax arthur up to bed, but his majesty refused, and she compromised by scolding his nurse and sending up for his dressing-gown, a small, blue dressing-gown on which yellow ducks and white bunny-rabbits paraded proudly. "like our blue bowl!" carl remarked to ruth. not till after coffee in the drawing-room would arthur consent to go to bed. this real head of the emma winslow family was far too much absorbed in making carl tell of his long races, and "why does a flying-machine fly? what's a wind pressure? why does the wind shove up? why is the wings curved? why does it want to catch the wind?" the others listened, including even aunt emma. carl went home early. ruth had the opportunity to confide: "hawk dear, i can't tell you how ashamed i am of my family for enduring anybody so rude and opinionated as aunt emma. but--it's all right, now, isn't it?... no, no, don't kiss me, but--dear dreams, hawk." phil's voice, from behind, shouted: "oh, ericson! just a second." carl was not at all pleased. he remembered that phil had listened with obvious amusement to his agonized attempt to turn aunt emma's attacks. said phil, while ruth disappeared: "which way you going? walk to the subway with you. you win, old man. i admire your nerve for facing aunt emma. what i wanted to say----i hope to thunder you don't think i was in any way responsible for mrs. winslow's linking me and ruth that way and----oh, you understand. i admire you like the devil for knowing what you want and going after it. i suppose you'll have to convince ruth yet, but, by jove! you've convinced me! glad you had arthur for ally. they don't make kiddies any better. god! if i could have a son like that----i turn off here. g-good luck, ericson." "thanks a lot, phil." "thanks. good night, carl." chapter xxxvii long beach, on the first hot sunday of may, when motorists come out from new york, half-ready to open asphalt hearts to sea and sky. carl's first sight of it, save from an aeroplane, and he was mad-happy to find real shore so near the city. ruth and he were picnicking, vulgar and unashamed, among the dunes at the end of the long board-walk, like the beer-drinking, pickle-eating parties of fishermen and the family groups with red table-cloths, grape-basket lunches, and colored sunday supplements. ruth declared that she preferred them to the elegant loungers who were showing off new motor-coats on the board-walk. but carl and she had withdrawn a bit from the crowds, and in the dunes had made a nest, with a book and a magazine and a box of chocolates and carl's collapsible lunch-kit. not new york only, but all of ruth's relatives were forgot. aunt emma truegate winslow was a myth of the dragon-haunted past. here all was fresh color and free spaces looking to open sea. behind the dunes, with their traceries of pale grass, reveled the sharp, unshadowed green of marshes, and an inland bay that was blue as bluing, a startling blue, bordered by the emerald marshes. to one side--afar, not troubling their peace--were the crimson roofs of fantastic houses, like chalets and california missions and villas of the riviera, with gables and turrets of red tiles. before their feet was the cream-colored beach, marked by ridges of driftwood mixed with small glistening shells, long ranks of pale-yellow seaweed, and the delicate wrinkles in the sand that were the tracks of receding waves. the breakers left the beach wet and shining for a moment, like plates of raw-colored copper, making one cry out with its flashing beauty. then, at last, the eyes lifted to unbroken bluewater--nothing between them and europe save rolling waves and wave-crests like white plumes. the sea was of a diaphanous blue that shaded through a bold steel blue and a lucent blue enamel to a rich ultramarine which absorbed and healed the office-worn mind. the sails of tacking sloops were a-blossom; sea-gulls swooped; a tall surf-fisherman in red flannel shirt and shiny black hip-boots strode out into the water and cast with a long curve of his line; cumulus clouds, whose pure white was shaded with a delicious golden tone, were baronial above; and out on the sky-line the steamers raced by. round them was the warm intimacy of the dune sands; beyond was infinite space calling to them to be big and unafraid. talking, falling into silences touched with the mystery of sun and sea, they confessed youth's excited wonder about the world; carl sitting cross-legged, rubbing his ankles, a springy figure in blue flannel and a daring tie; while ruth, in deep-rose linen, her throat bright and bare, lay with her chin in her hands, a flush beneath the gentle brown of her cheeks, her white-clad ankles crossed under her skirt, slender against the gray sand, thoughtful of eye, lost in happiness. "some day," carl was musing, "your children and mine will say, 'you certainly lived in the most marvelous age in the world.' think of it. they talk about the romance of the crusades and the romans and all that, but think of the miracles we've seen already, and we're only kids. aviation and the automobile and wireless and moving pictures and electric locomotives and electric cooking and the use of radium and the x-ray and the linotype and the submarine and the labor movement--the i. w. w. and syndicalism and all that--not that i know anything about the labor movement, but i suppose it's the most important of all. and metchnikoff and ehrlich. oh yes, and a good share of the development of the electric light and telephone and the phonograph.... golly! in just a few years!" "yes," ruth added, "and montessori's system of education--that's what i think is the most important.... see that sail-boat, hawk! like a lily. and the late-afternoon gold on those marshes. i think this salt breeze blows away all the bad ruth.... oh! don't forget the attempts to cure cancer and consumption. so many big things starting right now, while we're sitting here." "lord! what an age! romance--why, there's more romance in a wireless spark--think of it, little lonely wallowing steamer, at night, out in the dark, slamming out a radio like forty thousand tigers spitting--and a man getting it here on long island. more romance than in all the galleons that ever sailed the purple tropics, which they mostly ain't purple, but dirty green. anything 's possible now. world cools off--a'right, we'll move on to some other planet. it gets me going. don't have to believe in fairies to give the imagination a job, to-day. glad i've been an aviator; gives me some place in it all, anyway." "i'm glad, too, hawk, terribly glad." the sun was crimsoning; the wind grew chilly. the beach was scattered with camp-fires. their own fire settled into compact live coals which, in the dusk of the dune-hollow, spread over the million bits of quartz a glow through which pirouetted the antic sand-fleas. carl's cigarette had the fragrance that comes only from being impregnated with the smoke of an outdoor fire. the waves were lyric, and a group at the next fire crooned "old black joe." the two lovers curled in their nest. hand moved toward hand. ruth whispered: "it's sweet to be with all these people and their fires.... will i really learn not to be supercilious?" "honey! you--supercilious? democracy---- oh, the dickens! let's not talk about theories any more, but just about us!" her hand, tight-coiled as a snail-shell, was closed in his. "your hand is asleep in my hand's arms," he whispered. the ball of his thumb pressed her thumb, and he whispered once more: "see. now our hands are kissing each other--we--we must watch them better.... your thumb is like a fairy." again his thumb, hardened with file and wrench and steering-wheel, touched hers. it was startlingly like a kiss of real lips. lightly she returned the finger-kiss, answering diffidently, "our hands are mad--silly hands to think that long beach is a tropical jungle." "you aren't angry at them?" "n-no." he cradled her head on his shoulder, his hand gripping her arm till she cried, "you hurt me." he kissed her cheek. she drew back as far as she could. her hand, against his chest, held him away for a minute. her defense suddenly collapsed, and she was relaxed and throbbing in his arms. he slipped his fingers under her chin, and turned up her face till he could kiss her lips. he had not known the kiss of man and woman could be so long, so stirring. yet at first he was disappointed. this was, after all, but a touch--just such a touch as finger against finger. but her lips grew more intense against his, returning and taking the kiss; both of them giving and receiving at once. wondering at himself for it, carl thought of other things. he was amazed that, while their lips were hot together, he worried as to what train ruth ought to take, after dinner. yet, with such thoughts conferring, he was in an ecstasy beyond sorrow; praying that to her, as to him, there was no pain but instead a rapture in the sting of her lips, as her teeth cut a little into them.... a kiss--thing that the polite novels sketch as a second's unbodied bliss--how human it was, with teeth and lips to consider; common as eating--and divine as martyrdom. his lips were saying to her things too vast and extravagant for a plain young man to venture upon in words: "lady, to you i chant my reverence and faith everlasting, in such unearthly music as the angels use when with lambent wings they salute the marching dawn." such lyric tributes, and an emotion too subtle to fit into any words whatever, his lips were saying.... then she was drawing back, rending the kiss, crying, "you're almost smothering me!" with his arms easily about her, but with her weight against his shoulder, they and their love veiled from the basket-parties by the darkness, he said, quiveringly: "see, my arms are a little house for you, just as my hand was a little house for your hand, once. my arms are the walls, and your head and mine together are the roof." "i love the little house." "no. say, 'i love _you_."' "no." "say it." "no." "please----" "oh, hawk dear, i couldn't even if--just now, i do want to say it, but i want to be fair. i am terribly happy to be in the house of hawk's arms. i'm not afraid in it, even out here on the dark dunes--which aunt emma wouldn't--somehow--approve! but i do want to be fair to you, and i'm afraid i'm not, when i let you love me this way. i don't want to hurt you. ever. perhaps it's egotistical of me, but i'm afraid you would be hurt if i let you kiss me and then afterward i decided i didn't love you at all." "but can't you, some day----" "oh, i don't know, i don't _know_! i'm not sure i know what love is. i'm not sure it's love that makes me happy (as i really am) when you kiss me. perhaps i'm just curious, and experimenting. i was quite conscious, when you kissed me then; quite conscious and curious; and once i caught myself wondering for half a second what train we'd take. i was ashamed of that, but i wasn't ashamed of taking mental notes and learning what these 'kisses,' that we mention so glibly, really are. just experimenting, you see. and if you were _too_ serious about our kiss, it wouldn't be at all fair to you." "i'm glad you're frank, blessed, and i guess i understand pretty well how you feel, but, after all, i'm fairly simple about such things. blessed, blessed, i don't really know a thing but 'i love you.'" his arms were savage again; he kissed her, kissed her lips, kissed the hollow of her throat. then he lifted her from the ground and would not set her down till she had kissed him back. "you frightened me a lot, then," she said. "did the child want to impress ruth with his mighty strength? well, she shall be impressed. hawk, i do hope--i do hate myself for not knowing my mind. i will try not to experiment. i want you to be happy. i do want to be honest with you. if i'm honest, will you try not to be too impatient till i do know just what i want?... oh, i'm sick of the modern lover! i talk and talk about love; it seems as though we'd lost the power to be simple, like the old ballads. or weren't the ballad people really simple, either? you say you are; so i think you will have to run away with me.... but not till after dinner! come." the moon was rising. swinging hands, they tramped toward the board-walk. the crunch of their feet in the sand was the rhythmic spell of a magician, which she broke when she sighed: "should i have let you kiss me, out here in the wilds? will you respect me after it?" "princess, you're all the respect there is in the world." "it seems so strange. we were absorbed in war and electricity and then----" "love is war and electricity, or else it's dull, and i don't think we two 'll ever get dull--if you do decide you can love me. we'll wander: cabin in the rockies, with forty mountains for our garden fence, and an eagle for our suburban train." "and south sea islands silhouetted at sunset!... look! that moon!... i always imagine it so clearly when i hear hawaiian singers on the victrola--and a hawaiian beach, with fireflies in the jungle behind and a phosphorescent sea in front and native girls dancing in garlands." "yes! and paris boulevards and a mysterious castle in the austrian mountains, with a hidden treasure in dark, secret dungeons, and heavy iron armor; and then, bing! a brand-new prairie town in saskatchewan or dakota, with brand-new sunlight on the fresh pine shacks, and beyond the town the plains with brand-new grass rolling." "but seriously, hawk, would you want to go to all those places, if you were married? would you, practically? you know, even rich globe-trotters go to the same sorts of places, mostly. and we wouldn't even be rich, would we?" "no, just comfortable; maybe five thousand a year." "well, would you really want to keep on going, and take your wife? or would you settle down like the rest, and spend money so you could keep in shape to make money to spend to keep in shape?" "seriously i would keep going--if i had the right girl to go with me. it would be mighty important which one, though, i guess--and by that i mean you. once, when i quit flying, i thought that maybe i'd stop wandering and settle down, maybe even marry a joralemon kind of a girl. but i was meant to hike for the hiking's sake.... only, not alone any more. i _need_ you.... we'd go and go. no limit.... and we wouldn't just go places, either; we'd be different things. we'd be connecticut farmers one year, and run a mine in mexico the next, and loaf in paris the next, if we had the money." "sometimes you almost tempt me to like you." "like me now!" "no, not now, but---- here's the board-walk." "where's those steps? oh yes. gee! i hate to leave the water without having had a swim. wish we'd had one. dare you to go wading!" "oh, ought i to, do you think? wading would be silly. and nice." "course you oughtn't. come on. don't you remember how the sand feels between your toes?" the moon brooded upon the lulled waves, and quested among the ridges of driftwood for pearly shells. the pools left by the waves were enticing. ruth retreated into the shelter of the board-walk and came shyly out, clutching her skirts, her feet and ankles silver in the light. "the sand does feel good, but uh! it's getting colder and colder!" she wailed, as she cautiously advanced into the water. "i'll think up punishments for you. you've not only caused me to be cold, but you've made me abominably self-conscious." "don't be self-conscious, blessed. we are just children exploring." he splashed out, coat off, trousers rolled to the knee above his thin, muscular legs, galloping along the edge of the water like a large puppy, while she danced after him. they were stilled to the persuasive beauty of the night. music from the topaz jeweled hotels far down the beach wove itself into the peace on land and sea. a fish lying on shore was turned by the moon into ivory with carven scales. before them, reaching to the ancient towers of england and france and the islands of the sea, was the whispering water. a tenderness that understood everything, made allowance for everything in her and in himself, folded its wings round him as he scanned her that stood like a slender statue of silver--dark hair moon-brightened, white arms holding her skirts, white legs round which the spent waves sparkled with unworldly fire. he waded over to her and timidly kissed the edge of her hair. she rubbed her cheek against his. "now we must run," she said. she quickly turned back to the shadow of the board-walk, to draw on her stockings and shoes, kneeling on the sand like the simple maid of the ballads which she had been envying. they tramped along the board-walk, with heels clicking like castanets, conscious that the world was hushed in night's old enchantment. as they had answered to companionship with the humble picnic-parties among the dunes, so now they found it amusing to dine among the semi-great and the semi-motorists at the nassau. ruth had a distinct pleasure when t. wentler, horse-fancier, aviation enthusiast, president of the first state bank of sacramento, came up, reminded carl of their acquaintanceship at the oakland-berkeley aero meet, and begged ruth and carl to join him, his wife, and senator leeford, for coffee. as they waited for their train, quiet after laughter, ruth remarked: "it was jolly to play with the personages. you haven't seen much of the frivolous side of me. it's pretty important. you don't know how much soul satisfaction i get out of dancing all night and playing tennis with flanneled oafs and eating _marrons glacés_ and chatting in a box at the opera till i spoil the entire evening for all the german music-lovers, and talking to all the nice doggies from the tennis and racquet club whenever i get invited to piping rock or meadow brook or any other country club that has ancestors. i want you to take warning." "did you really miss piping rock much to-day?". "no--but i might to-morrow, and i might get horribly bored in our cabin in the rockies and hate the stony old peaks, and long for tea and scandal in a corner at the ritz." "then we'd hike on to san francisco; have tea at the st. francis or the fairmont or the palace; then beat it for your hawaii and fireflies in the bush." "perhaps, but suppose, just suppose we were married, and suppose the touricar didn't go so awfully well, and we had to be poor, and couldn't go running away, but had to stick in one beastly city flat and economize! it's all very well to talk of working things out together, but think of not being able to have decent clothes, and going to the movies every night--ugh! when i see some of the girls who used to be so pretty and gay, and they went and married poor men--now they are so worn and tired and bedraggled and perambulatorious, and they worry about biddies and furnaces and cabbages, and their hair is just scratched together, with the dubbest hats--i'd rather be an idle rich." "if we got stuck like that, i'd sell out and we'd hike to the mountain cabin, anyway, say go up in the santa lucias, and keep wild bees." "and probably get stung--in the many subtle senses of that word. and i'd have to cook and wash. that would be fun _as_ fun, but to have to do it----" "ruth, honey, let's not worry about it now, anyhow. i don't believe there's much danger. and don't let's spoil this bully day." "it has been sweet. i won't croak any more." "there's the train coming." chapter xxxviii while the new york june grew hotter and hotter and stickier and stickier, while the crowds, crammed together in the subway in a jam as unlovely as a pile of tomato-cans on a public dump-heap, grew pale in the damp heat, carl labored in his office, and almost every evening called on ruth, who was waiting for the first of july, when she was to go to cousin patton kerr's, in the berkshires. carl tried to bring her coolness. he ate only poached eggs on toast or soup and salad for dinner, that he might not be torpid. he gave her moss-roses with drops of water like dew on the stems. they sat out on the box-stoop--the unfriendly new york street adopting for a time the frank neighborliness of a village--and exclaimed over every breeze. they talked about the charm of forty degrees below zero. that is, sometimes. their favorite topic was themselves. she still insisted that she was not in love with him; hooted at the idea of being engaged. she might some day go off and get married to some one, but engaged? never! she finally agreed that they were engaged to be engaged to be engaged. one night when they sought the windy housetop, she twined his arms about her and almost went to sleep, with her hair smooth beneath his chin. he sat motionless till his arms ached with the strain, till her shoulder seemed to stick into his like a bar of iron; glad that she trusted him enough to doze into warm slumber in the familiarity of his arms. yet he dared not kiss her throat, as he had done at long beach. as lovers do, carl had thought intently of her warning that she did care for clothes, dancing, country clubs. ruth would have been caressingly surprised had she known the thought and worried conscientiousness he gave to the problem of planning "parties" for her. ideas were always popping up in the midst of his work, and never giving him rest till he had noted them down on memo.-papers. he carried about, on the backs of envelopes, such notes as these: join country clb take r dances there? basket of fruit for r invite mason w lunch orgnze tcar tour ny to sf newspaper men on tour probly forbes rem walter's new altitude , r to astor roof rem country c he did get a card to the peace waters country club and take ruth to a dance there. she seemed to know every other member, and danced eloquently. he took her to the josiah bagbys' for dinner; to the first-night of a summer musical comedy. but he was still the stranger in new york, and "parties" are not to be had by tipping waiters and buying tickets. half of the half-dozen affairs which they attended were of her inspiration; he was invited to go yachting at larchmont, motoring, swimming on long island, with friends of herself and her brothers. one evening that strikes into carl's memories of those days of the _pays du tendre_ is the evening on which phil dunleavy insisted on celebrating a yale baseball victory by taking them to dinner in the oak-room of the ritz-carlton, under whose alabaster lights, among the cosmopolites, they dined elaborately and smoked slim, imported cigarettes. the thin music of violins took them into the lonely gray groves of the land of wandering tunes, till phil began to talk, disclosing to them a devotion to beauty, a satirical sense of humor, and a final acceptance of carl as his friend. a hundred other "parties" carl planned, while dining alone at inferior restaurants. a hundred times he took a ten-cent dessert instead of an exciting fifteen-cent strawberry shortcake, to save money for those parties. (out of such sordid thoughts of nickel coins is built a love enduring, and even tolerable before breakfast coffee.) yet always to him their real life was in simple jaunts out of doors, arranged without considering other people. her father seemed glad of that. he once said to carl (giving him a cigar), "you children had better not let aunt emma know that you are enjoying yourselves as you want to! how is the automobile business going?" * * * * * it would be pleasant to relate that carl was inspired by love to put so much of that celebrated american quality "punch" into his work that the touricar was sweeping the market. or to picture with quietly falling tears the pathos of his business failure at the time when he most needed money. as a matter of fact, the touricar affairs were going as, in real life, most businesses go--just fairly well. a few cars were sold; there were prospects of other sales; the vanzile corporation neither planned to drop the touricar, nor elected our young hero vice-president of the corporation. * * * * * in june gertrude cowles and her mother left for joralemon. carl had, since christmas, seen them about once a month. gertie had at first represented an unhappy old friend to whom he had to be kind. then, as she seemed never to be able to give up the desire to see him tied down, whether by her affection or by his work, carl came to regard her as an irritating foe to the freedom which he prized the more because of the increasing bondage of the office. the last stage was pure indifference to her. gertie was either a chance for simple sweetness which he failed to take, or she was a peril which he had escaped, according to one's view of her; but in any case he had missed--or escaped--her as a romantic hero escapes fire, flood, and plot. she meant nothing to him, never could again. life had flowed past her as, except in novels with plots, most lives do flow past temporary and fortuitous points of interest.... gertie was farther from him now than those dancing hawaiian girls whom ruth and he hoped some day to see. yet by her reaching out for his liberty gertie had first made him prize ruth. * * * * * the st of july, , ruth left for the patton kerrs' country house in the berkshires, near pittsfield. carl wrote to her every day. he told her, apropos of touricars and roof-gardens and aviation records and sunday motor-cycling with bobby winslow, that he loved her; he even made, at the end of his letters, the old-fashioned lines of crosses to represent kisses. whenever he hinted how much he missed her, how much he wanted to feel her startle in his arms, he wondered what she would read out of it; wondered if she would put the letter under her pillow. she answered every other day with friendly letters droll in their descriptions of the people she met. his call of love she did not answer--directly. but she admitted that she missed their playtimes; and once she wrote to him, late on a cold berkshire night, with a black rain and wind like a baying bloodhound: it is so still in my room & so wild outside that i am frightened. i have tried to make myself smart in a blue silk dressing gown & a tosh lace breakfast cap, & i will write neatly with a quill pen from the mayfair, but just the same i am a lonely baby & i want you here to comfort me. would you be too shocked to come? i would put a navajo blanket on my bed & a papier maché turkish dagger & head of othello over my bed & pretend it was a cozy corner, that is of course if they still have papier maché ornaments, i suppose they still live in harlem & brooklyn. we would sit _very_ quietly in two wicker chairs on either side of my fireplace & listen to the swollen brook in the ravine just below my window. but with no hawk here the wind keeps wailing that pan is dead & that there won't ever again be any sunshine on the valley. dear, it really _isn't_ safe to be writing like this, after reading it you will suppose that it's just you that i am lonely for, but of course i'd be glad for phil or puggy crewden or your nice solemn walter macmonnies or _any_ suitor who would make foolish noises & hide me from the wind's hunting. now i will seal this up & _not_ send it in the morning. your playmate ruth here is one small kiss on the forehead but remember it is just because of the wind & rain. presumably she did mail the letter. at least, he received it. he carried her letters in the side-pocket of his coat till the envelopes were worn at the edges and nearly covered with smudged pencil-notes about things he wanted to keep in mind and would, of course, have kept in mind without making notes. he kept finding new meanings in her letters. he wanted them to indicate that she loved him; and any ambiguous phrase signified successively that she loved, laughed at, loathed, and loved him. once he got up from bed to take another look at a letter and see whether she had said, "i hope you had a dear good time at the explorers' club dinner," or "i hope you had a good time, dear." carl was entirely sincere in his worried investigation of her state of mind. he knew that both ruth and he had the instability as well as the initiative of the vagabond. as quickly as they had claimed each other, so quickly could either of them break love's alliance, if bored. carl himself, being anything but bored, was as faithfully devoted as the least enterprising of moral young men, he forgot gertie, did not write to istra nash the artist, and when the vanzile office got a new telephone-girl, a tall, languorous brunette with shadowy eyes and fine cheeks, he did not even smile at her. but--was ruth so bound? she still refused to admit even that she could fall in love. he knew that ruth and he were not romantic characters, but every-day people with a tendency to quarrel and demand and be slack. he knew that even if the rose dream came true, there would be drab spots in it. and now that she was away, with lenox and polo to absorb her, could the gauche, ignorant carl ericson, that he privately knew himself to be, retain her interest? late in july he received an invitation to spend a week-end, friday to tuesday, with ruth at the patton kerrs'. chapter xxxix the brief trip to the berkshires was longer than any he had taken these nine months. he looked forward animatedly to the journey, remembering details of travel--such trivial touches as the oval brass wash-bowls of a pullman sleeper, and how, when the water is running out, the inside of the bowl is covered with a whitish film of water, which swiftly peels off. he recalled the cracked white paint of a steamer's ventilator; the abruptly stopping zhhhhh of a fog-horn; the vast smoky roof of a philadelphia train-shed, clamorous with the train-bells of a strange town, giving a sense of mystery to the traveler stepping from the car for a moment to stretch his legs; an ugly junction station platform, with resin oozing from the heavy planks in the spring sun; the polished binnacle of the s.s. _panama_. he expected keen joy in new fields and hills. yet all the way north he was trying to hold the train back. in a few minutes, now, he would see ruth. and at this hour he did not even know definitely that he liked her. he could not visualize her. he could see the sleeve of her blue corduroy jacket; her eyes he could not see. she was a stranger. had he idealized her? he was apologetic for his unflattering doubt, but of what sort _was_ she? the train was stopping at her station with rattling windows and a despairing grind of the wheels. carl seized his overnight bag and suit-case with fictitious enthusiasm. he was in a panic. emerging from the safe, impersonal train upon the platform, he saw her. she was waving to him from a one-seated phaeton, come alone to meet him--and she was the adorable, the perfect comrade. he thought jubilantly as he strode along the platform: "she's wonderful. love her? should say i do!" while they drove under the elms, past white cottages and the village green, while they were talking so lightly and properly that none of the new england gossips could be wounded in the sense of propriety, carl was learning her anew. she was an outdoor girl now, in low-collared blouse and white linen skirt. he rejoiced in her modulating laugh; the contrast of blue eyes and dark brows under her panama hat; her full dark hair, with a lock sun-drenched; her bare throat, boyishly brown, femininely smooth; the sweet, clean, fine-textured girl flesh of the hollow of one shoulder faintly to be seen in the shadow of her broad, drooping collar; one hand, with a curious ring of rose quartz and steel points, excitedly pounding a tattoo of greeting with the whip-handle; her spirited irreverences regarding the people they passed; chatter which showed the world transformed as through ruby glass--a ruth radiant, understanding, his comrade. she was all that he had believed during her absence and doubted while he was coming to her. but he had no time to repent of his doubt, now, so busily was he exulting to himself, slipping a hand under her arm: "love her? i--should--say--i--do!" the carriage rolled out of town with the rhythmic creak of a country buggy, climbed a hill range by means of the black, oily state road, and turned upon a sandy side-road. a brook ran beside them. sunny fields alternated with woods leaf-floored, quiet, holy--miraculous after the weary city. below was a vista of downward-sloping fields, divided by creeper-covered stone walls; then a sun-meshed valley set with ponds like shining glass dishes on a green table-cloth; beyond all, a long reach of hillsides covered with unbroken fleecy forest, like green down.... "so much unspoiled country, and yet there's people herded in subways!" complained carl. they drove along a level road, lined with wild raspberry-bushes and full of a thin jade light from the shading maples. they gossiped of the patton kerrs and the berkshires; of the difference between the professional english week-ender and the american, who still has something of the naïve provincial delight of "going visiting"; of new york and the dunleavys. but their talk lulled to a nervous hush. it seemed to him that a great voice cried from the clouds: "it is beside _ruth_ that you are sitting; ruth whose arm you feel!" in silence he caught her left hand. as he slowly drew back her hand and the reins with it, to stop the ambling horse, the two children stared straight at each other, hungry, tremulously afraid. their kiss--not only their lips, but their spirits met without one reserve. a straining long kiss, as though they were forcing their lips into one body of living flame. a kiss in which his eyes were blind to the enchantment of the jade light about them, his ears deaf to brook and rustling forest. all his senses were concentrated on the close warmth of her misty lips, the curve of her young shoulder, her woman sweetness and longing. then his senses forgot even her lips, and floated off into a blurred trance of bodiless happiness--the kiss of nirvana. no foreign thought of trains or people or the future came now to drag him to earth. it was the most devoted, most sacred moment he had known. as he became again conscious of lips and cheek and brave shoulders and of her wide-spread fingers gripping his upper arm, she was slowly breaking the spell of the kiss. but again and again she kissed him, hastily, savage tokens of rejoicing possession. she cried: "i do know now! i do love you!" "blessed----" in silence they stared into the woods while her fingers smoothed his knuckles. her eyes were faint with tears, in the magic jade light. "i didn't know a kiss could be like that," she marveled, presently. "i wouldn't have believed selfish ruth could give all of herself." "yes! it was the whole universe." "hawk dear, i wasn't experimenting, that time. i'm glad, glad! to know i can really love; not just curiosity!... i've wanted you so all day. i thought four o'clock wouldn't ever come--and oh, darling, my dear, dear hawk, i didn't even know for sure i'd like you when you came! sometimes i wanted terribly to have your silly, foolish, childish, pale hair on my breast--such hair! lady's hair!--but sometimes i didn't want to see you at all, and i was frightened at the thought of your coming, and i fussed around the house till mrs. pat laughed at me and accused me of being in love, and i denied it--and she was right!" "blessed, i was scared to death, all the way up here. i didn't think you could be as wonderful as i knew you were! that sounds mixed but---- oh, blessed, blessed, you really love me? you really love me? it's hard to believe i've actually heard you say it! and i love you so completely. everything." "i love you!... that is such an adorable spot to kiss, just below your ear," she said. "darling, keep me safe in the little house of arms, where there's only room for you and me--no room for offices or aunt emmas!... but not now. we must hurry on.... if a wagon had been coming along the road----!" as they entered the rhododendron-lined drive of the patton kerr place, carl remembered a detail, not important, but usual. "oh yes," he said, "i've forgotten to propose." "need you? proposals sound like contracts and all those other dull forms; not like--that kiss.... see! there's pat kerr, jr., waving to us. you can just make him out, there on the upper balcony. he is the darlingest child, with ash-blond hair cut dutch style. i wonder if you didn't look like him when you were a boy, with your light hair?" "not a chance. i was a grubby kid. made noises.... gee! what a bully place. and the house!... will you marry me?" "yes, i will!... it _is_ a dear place. mrs. pat is----" "when?" "----always fussing over it; she plants narcissuses and crocuses in the woods, so you find them growing wild." "i like those awnings. against the white walls.... may i consider that we are engaged then, miss winslow--engaged for the next marriage?" "oh no, no, not engaged, dear. don't you know it's one of my principles----" "but look----" "----not to be engaged, hawk? everybody brings the cunnin' old jokes out of the moth-balls when you're engaged. i'll marry you, but----" "marry me next month--august?" "nope." "september?" "nope." "please, ruthie. aw yes, september. nice month, september is. autumn. harvest moon. and apples to swipe. come on. september." "well, perhaps september. we'll see. oh, hawk dear, can you conceive of us actually sitting here and solemnly discussing being _married_? us, the babes in the wood? and i've only known you three days or so, seems to me.... well, as i was saying, _perhaps_ i'll marry you in september (um! frightens me to think of it; frightens me and awes me and amuses me to death, all at once). that is, i shall marry you unless you take to wearing pearl-gray derbies or white evening ties with black edging, or kill mason in a duel, or do something equally disgraceful. but engaged i will not be. and we'll put the money for a diamond ring into a big davenport.... are we going to be dreadfully poor?" "oh, not pawn-shop poor. i made vanzile boost my salary, last week, and with my touricar stock i'm getting a little over four thousand dollars a year." "is that lots or little?" "well, it 'll give us a decent apartment and a nearly decent maid, i guess. and if the touricar keeps going, we can beat it off for a year, wandering, after maybe three four years." "i hope so. here we are! that's mrs. pat waiting for us." the patton kerr house, set near the top of the highest hill in that range of the berkshires, stood out white against a slope of crisp green; an old manor house of long lines and solid beams, with striped awnings of red and white, and in front a brick terrace, with basket-chairs, a swinging couch, and a wicker tea-table already welcomingly spread with a service of royal doulton. from the terrace one saw miles of valley and hills, and villages strung on a rambling river. the valley was a golden bowl filled with the peace of afternoon; a world of sun and listening woods. on the terrace waited a woman of thirty-five, of clever face a bit worn at the edges, carefully coiffed hair, and careless white blouse with a tweed walking-skirt. she was gracefully holding out her hand, greeting carl, "it's terribly good of you to come clear out into our wilderness." she was interrupted by the bouncing appearance of a stocky, handsome, red-faced, full-chinned, curly-black-haired man of forty, in riding-breeches and boots and a silk shirt; with him an excited small boy in rompers--patton kerr, sr. and jr. "here you are!" senior observantly remarked. "glad to see you, ericson. you and ruthie been a deuce of a time coming up from town. holding hands along the road, eh? lord! these aviators!" "pat!" "animal!" ----protested mrs. kerr and ruth, simultaneously. "all right. i'll be good. saw you fly at nassau boulevard, ericson. turned my horn loose and hooted till they thought i was a militant, like ruthie here. lord! what flying, what flying! i'd like to see you race weymann and vedrines.... ruthie, will you show mr. ericson where his room is, or has poor old pat got to go and drag a servant away from reading _town topics_, heh?" "i will, pat," said ruth. "i will, daddy," cried pat, jr. "no, my son, i guess maybe ruthie had better do it. there's a certain look in her eyes----" "basilisk!" "salamander!" ruth and carl passed through the wide colonial hall, with mahogany tables and portraits of the kerrs and the sword of colonel patton. at the far end was an open door, and a glimpse of an old-fashioned garden radiant with hollyhocks and canterbury bells. it was a world of utter content. as they climbed the curving stairs ruth tucked her arm in his, saying: "now do you see why i won't be engaged? pat kerr is the best chum in the world, yet he finds even a possible engagement wildly humorous--like mothers-in-law or poets or falling on your ear." "but gee! ruth, you _are_ going to marry me?" "you little child! my little boy hawk! of course i'm going to marry you. do you think i would miss my chance of a cabin in the rockies?... my famous hawk what everybody cheered at nassau boulevard!" she opened the door of his room with a deferential, "thy chamber, milord!... come down quickly," she said. "we mustn't miss a moment of these days.... i am frank with you about how glad i am to have you here. you must be good to me; you will prize my love a little, won't you?" before he could answer she had run away. after half home-comings and false home-comings the adventurer had really come home. he inspected the gracious room, its chintz hangings, four-poster bed, low wicker chair by the fireplace, fresh cherokee roses on the mantel; a room of cheerfulness and open spaces. he stared into woods where a cool light lay on moss and fern. he did not need to remember ruth's kisses. for each breath of hilltop air, each emerald of moss, each shining mahogany surface in the room, repeated to him that he had found the grail, whose other name is love. saturday, they loafed over breakfast, the sun licking the tree-tops in the ravine outside the windows; and they motored with the kerrs to lenox, returning through the darkness. till midnight they talked on the terrace. they loafed again, the next morning, and let the fresh air dissolve the office grime which had been coating his spirit. they were so startlingly original as to be simple-hearted country lovers, in the afternoon, declining kerr's offer of a car, and rambling off on bicycles. from a rise they saw water gleaming among the trees. the sullen green of pines set off the silvery green of barley, and an orchard climbed the next rise; the smoky shadow of another hill range promised long, cool forest roads. crows were flying overhead, going where they would. the aviator and the girl who read psychology, modern lovers, stood hand in hand, as though the age of machinery were a myth; as though he were a piping minstrel and she a shepherdess. before them was the open road and all around them the hum of bees. a close, listless heat held monday afternoon, even on the hilltop. the clay tennis-court was baking; the worn bricks of the terrace reflected a furnace glow. the kerrs had disappeared for a nap. carl, lounging with ruth on the swinging couch in the shade, thought of the slaves in new york offices and tenements. then, because he would himself be back in an office next day, he let the glare of the valley soothe him with its wholesome heat. "certainly would like a swim," he remarked. "couldn't we bike down to fisher's pond, or maybe take the ford?" "let's. but there's no bath-house." "put a bathing-suit under your dress. sun 'll dry it in no time, after the swim." "as you command, my liege." and she ran in to change. they motored down to fisher's pond, which is a lake, and stopped in a natural woodland-opening like a dim-lighted greenroom. from it stretched the enameled lake, the farther side reflecting unbroken woods. the nearer water-edge was exquisite in its clearness. they saw perch fantastically floating over the pale sand bottom, among scattered reeds whose watery green stalks were like the thin columns of a dancing-hall for small fishes. the surface of the lake, satiny as the palm of a girl's hand, broke in the tiniest of ripples against white quartz pebbles on the hot shore. cool, flashing, golden-sanded, the lake coaxed them out of their forest room. "a lot like the minnesota lakes, only smaller," said carl. "i'm going right in. about ready for a swim? come on." "i'm af-fraid!" she suddenly plumped on the earth and hugged her skirts about her ankles. "why, blessed, what you scared of? no sharks here, and no undertow. nice white sand----" "oh, hawk, i was silly. i felt i was such an independent modern woman a-a-and i aren't! i've always said it was silly for girls to swim in a woman's bathing-suit. skirts are so cumbersome. so i put on a boy's bathing-suit under my dress--and--i'm terribly embarrassed." "why, blessed----well, i guess you'll have to decide." his voice was somewhat shaky. "awful scared of carl?" "yes! i thought i wouldn't be, with you, but i'm self-conscious as can be." "well, gee! i don't know. of course----well, i'll jump in, and you can decide." he peeled off his white flannels and stood in his blue bathing-suit, not statue-like, not very brown now, but trim-waisted, shapely armed, wonderfully clean of neck and jaw. with a "wheee!" he dashed into the water and swam out, overhand. as he turned over and glanced back, his heart caught to see her standing on the creamy sand, a shy, elfin figure in a boy's bathing-suit of black wool, woman and slim boy in one, silken-throated and graceful-limbed, curiously smaller than when dressed. her white skirt and blouse lay tumbled about her ankles. she raised rosy arms to hide her flushed face and her eyes, as she cried: "don't look!" he obediently swam on, with a tenderness more poignant than longing. he heard her splashing behind him, and turned again, to see her racing through the water. those soft yet not narrow shoulders rose and fell sturdily under the wet black wool, her eyes shone, and she was all comradely boy save for her dripping, splendid hair. singing, "come on, lazy!" she headed across the pond. he swam beside her, reveling in the well-being of cool water and warm air, till they reached the solemn shade beneath the trees on the other side, and floated in the dark, still water, splashing idle hands, gazing into forest hollows, spying upon the brisk business of squirrels among the acorns. back at their greenwood room, ruth wrapped her sailor blouse about her, and they squatted like un-self-conscious children on the beach, while from a field a distant locust fiddled his august fandango and in flame-colored pride an oriole went by. fresh sky, sunfish like tropic shells in the translucent water, arching reeds dipping their olive-green points in the water, wavelets rustling against a gray neglected rowboat, and beside him ruth. musingly they built a castle of sand. an hour of understanding so complete that it made the heart melancholy. when he sighed, "getting late; come on, blessed; we're dry now," it seemed that they could never again know such rapt tranquillity. yet they did. for that evening when they stood on the terrace, trying to forget that he must leave her and go back to the lonely city in the morning, when the mist reached chilly tentacles up from the valley, they kissed a shy good-by, and carl knew that life's real adventure is not adventuring, but finding the playmate with whom to quest life's meaning. chapter xl after six festival months of married life--in april or may, --the happy mrs. carl ericson did not have many "modern theories of marriage in general," though it was her theory that she had such theories. like a majority of intelligent men and women, ruth was, in her rebellion against the canonical marriage of slipper-warming and obedience, emphatic but vague. she was of precise opinion regarding certain details of marriage, but in general as inconsistent as her library. it is a human characteristic to be belligerently sure as to whether one prefers plush or rattan upholstery on car seats--but not to consider whether government ownership of railroads will improve upholstering; to know with certainty of perception that it is a bore to have one's husband laugh at one's pet economy, of matches or string or ice--but to be blandly willing to leave all theories of polygamy and polyandry, monogamy and varietism, to the clever russian jews. as regards details ruth definitely did want a bedroom of her own; a desire which her mother would have regarded as somehow immodest. she definitely did want shaving and hair-brushing kept in the background. she did not want carl the lover to drift into carl the husband. she did not want them to lose touch with other people. and she wanted to keep the spice of madness which from the first had seasoned their comradeship. these things she delightfully had, in may, . they were largely due to her own initiative. carl's drifting theories of social structure concerned for the most part the wages of workmen and the ridiculousness of class distinctions. reared in the farming district, the amateur college, the garage, and the hangar, he had not, despite imagination, devoted two seconds to such details as the question of whether there was freedom and repose--not to speak of a variety of taste as regards opening windows and sleeping diagonally across a bed--in having separate bedrooms. much though he had been persuaded to read of modern fiction, his race still believed that marriage bells and roses were the proper portions of marriage to think about. it was due to ruth, too, that they had so amiable a flat. carl had been made careless of surroundings by years of hotels and furnished rooms. there was less real significance for him in the beauty of his first home than in the fact that they two had a bath-room of their own; that he no longer had to go, clad in a drab bath-robe, laden with shaving materials and a towel and talcum powder and a broken hand-mirror and a tooth-brush, like a perambulating drug-store toilet-counter, down a boarding-house hall to that modified hall bedroom with a tin tub which his doctor-landlord had called a bath-room. pictures, it must be admitted, give a room an air; pleasant it is to sit in large chairs by fireplaces and feel yourself a landed gentleman. but nothing filled carl with a more delicate--and truly spiritual--satisfaction than having a porcelain tub, plenty of hot water, and the privilege of leaving his shaving-brush in the ericson bath-room with a fair certainty of finding it there when he wanted to shave in a hurry. but, careless of surroundings or not, carl was stirred when on their return from honeymooning in the adirondacks he carried ruth over the threshold and they stood together in the living-room of their home. it was a room to live in and laugh in. the wood-work was white-enameled; the walls covered with gray japanese paper. there were no portières between living-room and dining-room and small hall, so that the three rooms, with their light-reflecting walls, gave an effect of spaciousness to rather a cramped and old-fashioned apartment. there were not many pictures and no bric-à-brac, yet the rooms were not bare, but clean and trim and distinguished, with the large davenport and the wing-chair, chintz-cushioned brown willow chairs, and ruth's upright piano, excellent mahogany, and a few good rugs. there were only two or three vases, and they genuinely intended for holding flowers, and there was a bare mantelpiece that rested the eyes, over the fuzzily clean gas-log. the pictures were chosen because they led the imagination on--etchings and color prints, largely by unknown artists, like windows looking on delightful country. the chairs assembled naturally in groups. the whole unit of three rooms suggested people talking.... it was home, first and last, though it was one cell in one layer of a seven-story building, on a street walled in with such buildings, in a city which lined up more than three hundred of such streets from its southern tip to its northern limit along the hudson, and threw in a couple of million people in brooklyn and the bronx. they lived in the nineties, between broadway and riverside drive; a few blocks from the winslow house in distance, but one generation away in the matter of decoration. the apartment-house itself was comparatively old-fashioned, with an intermittent elevator run by an intermittent negro youth who gave most of his time to the telephone switchboard and mysterious duties in the basement; also with a down-stairs hall that was narrow and carpeted and lined with offensively dark wood. but they could see the hudson from their living-room on the sixth floor at the back of the house (the agent assured them that probably not till the end of time would there be anything but low, private houses between them and the river); they were not haunted by aunt emma truegate winslow; and ruth, who had long been oppressed by late-victorian bric-à-brac and american louis xvth furniture, so successfully adopted elimination as the key-note that there was not one piece of furniture bought for the purpose of indicating that mr. and mrs. carl ericson were well-to-do. she dared to tell friends who before the wedding inquired what she wanted, that checks were welcome, and need not be monogrammed. even aunt emma had been willing to send a check, provided they were properly married in st. george's church. consequently their six rooms showed a remarkable absence of such usual wedding presents as prints of the smugly smiling and eupeptic mona lisa, three muffin-stands in three degrees of marquetry, three electroliers, four punch-bowls, three sets of almond-dishes, a pair of bird-carvers that did not carve, a bust of dante in new art marble, or a de luxe set of de maupassant translated by a worthy lady with a french lexicon. instead, they bought what they wanted--rather an impertinent thing to do, but, like most impertinences, thoroughly worth while. their living-room was their own. carl's bedroom was white and simple, though spotty with aviation medals and silver cups and monoplanes sketchily rendered in gold, and signed photographs of aviators. ruth's bedroom was also plain and white and dull japanese gray, a simple room with that simplicity of hand-embroidery, real lace, and fine linen appreciated by exclamatory women friends. she taught carl to say "dahg" instead of "dawg" for "dog"; "wawta" instead of "wotter" for "water." whether she was more correct in her pronunciation or not does not matter; new york said "dahg," and it amused him just then to be very eastern. she taught him the theory of house-lighting. carl had no fanatical objection to unshaded incandescent bulbs glaring from the ceiling. but he came to like the shaded electric lamps which ruth installed in the living-room. when she introduced four candles as sole lighting of the dining-room table, however, he grumbled loudly at his inability to see what he was eating. she retired to her bedroom, and he huffily went out to get a cigar. at the cigar-counter he repented of all the unkind things he had ever done or could possibly do, and returned to eat humble pie--and eat it by candle-light. inside of two weeks one of the things which carl ericson had always known was that the harmonious candle-light brought them close together at dinner. the teaching, in this period of adjustments, was not all on ruth's part. it was due to carl's insistence that she tried to discover what her theological beliefs really were. she admitted that only at twilight vespers, with a gale of violins in an arched roof, did she really worship in church. she did not believe that priests and ministers, who seemed to be ordinary men as regards earthly things, had any extraordinary knowledge of the mysteries of heaven. yet she took it for granted that she was a good christian. she rarely disagreed with the dunleavys, who were catholics; or her aunt emma, who regarded anything but high church episcopalianism as bad form; or her brother mason, who was an uneasy unitarian; or carl, who was an unaggressive agnostic. of the four it was carl who seemed to have the greatest interest in religions. he blurted out such monologues as, "i wonder if it isn't pure egotism that makes a person believe that the religion he is born to is the best? _my_ country, _my_ religion, _my_ wife, _my_ business--we think that whatever is ours is necessarily sacred, or, in other words, that we are gods--and then we call it faith and patriotism! the hindu or the christian is equally ready to prove to you--and mind you, he may be a wise old man with a beard--that his national religion is obviously the only one. find out what you yourself really do think, and if you turn out a sun-worshiper or a hard-shell baptist, why, good luck. if you don't think for yourself, then you're admitting that your theory of happiness is the old dog asleep in the sun. and maybe he is happier than the student. but i think you like to experiment with life." his arguments were neither original nor especially logical; they were largely given to him by bone stillman, professor frazer, and chance paragraphs in stray radical magazines. but to ruth, politely reared in a house with three maids, where it was as tactless to discuss god as to discuss sex, his defiances seemed terrifyingly new.... she was not the first who had complacently gone to church after reading bernard shaw.... but she did try to follow carl's loose reasoning; to find out what she thought and what the spiritual fashions of her neighborhood made her think she thought. the process gave her many anxious hours of alternating impatience with fixed religious dogmas, and loneliness for the comfortable refuge of a personal god, whose yearning had spoken to her in the gregorian chant. she could never get herself to read more than two chapters of any book on the subject, nor did she get much light from conversation. one set of people supposed that christianity had so entirely disappeared from intelligent circles that it was not worth discussion; another set supposed that no one but cranks ever thought of doubting the essentials of christianity, and that, therefore, it was not worth discussion; and to a few superb women whom she knew, their religion was too sweet a reality to be subjected to the noisy chatter of discussion. gradually ruth forgot to think often of the matter, but it was always back in her mind. * * * * * they were happy, carl and ruth. to their flat came such of ruth's friends as she kept because she liked them for themselves, with a fantastic assortment of personages and awkward rovers whom the ex-aviator knew. the ericsons made an institution of "bruncheon"--breakfast-luncheon--at which coffee and eggs and deviled kidneys, a table of auction bridge and a davenport of talk and a wing-chair of sunday papers, were to be had on sunday morning from ten to one. at bruncheon walter macmonnies told to florence crewden his experiences in exploring southern greenland by aeroplane with the schliess-banning expedition. at bruncheon bobby winslow, now an interne, talked baseball with carl. at bruncheon phil dunleavy regarded cynically all the people he did not know and played piquet in a corner with ruth's father. carl and ruth joined the peace waters country club, and in the spring of went there nearly every saturday afternoon for tennis and a dance. carl refused golf, however; he always repeated a shabby joke about the shame of taking advantage of such a tiny ball. he seemed content to stick to office, home, and tennis-court. it was ruth who planned their week-end trips, proposed at a.m. saturday, and begun at two that afternoon. they explored the tangled rocks and woods of lloyd's neck, on long island, sleeping in an abandoned shack, curled together like kittens. they swooped on a dutch village in new jersey, spent the night with an old farmer, and attended the dutch reformed church. they tramped from new haven to hartford, over easter. carl was always ready for their gipsy journeys; he responded to ruth's visions of foaming south sea isles; but he rarely sketched such pictures himself. he had given all of himself to joy in ruth. like many men called "adventurers," he was ready for anything but content with anything. it was ruth who was finding new voyages. she kept up her settlement work and progressed to an active interest in the women's trade union league and took part in picketing during a panama hat-workers' strike. she may have had more curiosity than principle, but she did badger policemen pluckily. she was studying italian, the montessori method, cooking. she taught new dishes to her maid. she adopted a careless suggestion of carl and voluntarily increased the maid's salary, thereby shaking the rock-ribbed foundations of upper west side society. in nothing did she find greater satisfaction than in being neither "the bride" nor "the little woman" nor any like degrading thing which recently married girls are by their sentimental spinster friends expected to be. she did not whisper the intimate details of her honeymoon to other young married women; she did not run about quaintly and tinily telling her difficulties with household work. when a purring, baby-talking acquaintance gurgled: "how did the ruthie bride spend her morning? did she cook some little dainty for her husband? nothing bourgeois, i'm _sure_!" in reply ruth pleasantly observed: "not a chance. the ruthie bride cussed out the janitor for not shooting up a dainty cabbage on the dumb-waiter, and then counted up her husband's cigarette coupons and skipped right down to the premium parlors with 'em and got him a pair of pale-blue boston garters and a cunning granite-ware stew-pan, and then sponged lunch off olive dunleavy. but nothing bourgeois!" such experiences, told to carl, he found diverting. he seemed, in the spring of , to want no others. chapter xli the apparently satisfactory development of the touricar in the late spring of was the result of an uneconomical expenditure of energy on the part of carl. personally he followed by letter the trail of every amateur aviator, every motoring big-game hunter. he never let up for an afternoon. vanzile had lost interest in the whole matter. whenever carl thought of how much the development of the touricar business depended upon himself, he was uneasy about the future, and bent more closely over his desk. on his way home, swaying on a subway strap, his pleasant sensation of returning to ruth was interrupted by worry in regard to things he might have done at the office. nights he dreamed of lists of "prospects." late in may he was disturbed for several days by headaches, lassitude, nausea. he lied to ruth: "guess i've eaten something at lunch that was a little off. you know what these restaurants are." he admitted, however, that he felt like a symptom. he stuck to the office, though his chief emotion about life and business was that he wished to go off somewhere and lie down and die gently. directly after a sunday bruncheon, at which he was silent and looked washed out, he went to bed with typhoid fever. for six weeks he was ill. he seemed daily to lose more of the boyishness which all his life had made him want to dance in the sun. that loss was to ruth like a snickering hobgoblin attending the specter of death. staying by him constantly, forgetting, in the intensity of her care, even to want credit for virtue, taking one splash at her tired eyes with boric acid and dashing back to his bed, she mourned and mourned for her lost boy, while she hid her fear and kept her blouses fresh and her hair well-coiffed, and mothered the stern man who lay so dreadfully still in the bed.... he was not shaved every day; he had a pale beard under his hollow cheeks.... even when he was out of delirium, even when he was comparatively strong, he never said anything gaily foolish for the sake of being young and noisy with her. during convalescence carl was so wearily gentle that she hoped the little boy she loved was coming back to dwell in him. but the hawk's wings seemed broken. for the first time carl was afraid of life. he sat and worried, going over the possibilities of the touricar, and the positions he might get if the touricar failed. he was willing to loaf by the window all day, his eyes on a narrow, blood-red stripe in the navajo blanket on his knees, along which he incessantly ran a finger-nail, back and forth, back and forth, for whole quarter-hours, while she read aloud from kipling and london and conrad, hoping to rekindle the spirit of daring. one sweet drop was in their cup of iron. as woodland playmates they could never have known such intimacy as hovered about them when she rested her head lightly against his knees and they watched the hudson, the storms and flurries of light on its waves, the windy clouds and the processional of barges, the beetle-like ferries and the great steamers for albany. they talked in half sentences, understanding the rest: "tough in winter----" "might be good trip----" carl's hand was always demanding her thick hair, but he stroked it gently. the coarse, wholesome vigor was drained from him; part even of his slang went with it; his "gee!" was not explosive. he took to watching her like a solemn baby, when she moved about the room; thus she found the little boy carl again; laughed full-throated and secretly cried over him, as his sternness passed into a wistful obedience. he was not quite the same impudent boy whose naughtiness she had loved. but the good child who came in his place did trust her so, depend upon her so.... when carl was strong enough they went for three weeks to point pleasant, on the jersey coast, where the pines and breakers from the open sea healed his weakness and his multitudinous worries. they even swam, once, and carl played at learning two new dances, strangely called the "fox trot" and the "lu lu fado." their hotel was a vast barn, all porches, white flannels, and handsome young jews chattering tremendously with young jewesses; but its ball-room floor was smooth, and ruth had lacked music and excitement for so long that she danced every night, and conducted an amiable flirtation with a mysterious young man of harvard accent, jewish features, fine brown eyes, and tortoise-shell-rimmed eye-glasses, while carl looked on, a contented wall-flower. they came back to town with ocean breeze and pine scent in their throats and sea-sparkle in their eyes--and carl promptly tied himself to the office desk as though sickness and recovery had never given him a vision of play. ruth had not taken the point pleasant dances seriously, but as day on day she stifled in a half-darkened flat that summer, she sometimes sobbed at the thought of the moon-path on the sea, the reflection of lights on the ball-room floor, the wavelike swish of music-mad feet. the flat was hot, dead. the summer heat was unrelenting as bedclothes drawn over the head and lashed down. flies in sneering circles mocked the listless hand she flipped at them. too hot to wear many clothes, yet hating the disorder of a flimsy negligée, she panted by a window, while the venomous sun glared on tin roofs, and a few feet away snarled the ceaseless trrrrrr of a steam-riveter that was erecting new flats to shut off their view of the hudson. in the lava-paved back yard was the insistent filelike voice of the janitor's son, who kept piping: "haaay, bil-lay, hey; billy's got a girl! hey, billy's got a girl! haaay, bil-lay!" she imagined herself going down and slaughtering him; vividly saw herself waiting for the elevator, venturing into the hot sepulcher of the back areaway, and there becoming too languid to complete the task of ridding the world of the dear child. she was horrified to discover what she had been imagining, and presently imagined it all over again. two blocks across from her, seen through the rising walls of the new apartment-houses, were the drab windows of a group of run-down tenements, which broke the sleek respectability of the well-to-do quarter. in those windows ruth observed foreign-looking, idle women, not very clean, who had nothing to do after they had completed half an hour of slovenly housework in the morning. they watched their neighbors breathlessly. they peered out with the petty virulent curiosity of the workless at whatever passed in the streets below them. fifty times a day they could be seen to lean far out on their fire-escapes and follow with slowly craning necks and unblinking eyes the passing of something--ice-wagons, undertakers' wagons, ole-clo' men, ruth surmised. the rest of the time, ragged-haired and greasy of wrapper, gum-chewing and yawning, they rested their unlovely stomachs on discolored sofa-cushions on the window-sills and waited for something to appear. two blocks away they were--yet to ruth they seemed to be in the room with her, claiming her as one of their sisterhood. for now she was a useless woman, as they were. she raged with the thought that she might grow to be like them in every respect--she, ruth winslow!... she wondered if any of them were norwegians named ericson.... with the fascination of dread she watched them as closely as they watched the world with the hypnotization of unspeakable hopelessness.... she had to find her work, something for which the world needed her, lest she be left here, useless and unhappy in a flat. in her kitchen she was merely an intruder on the efficient maid, and there was no nursery. she sat apprehensively on the edge of a chair, hating the women at the windows, hating the dull, persistent flies, hating the wetness of her forehead and the dampness of her palm; repenting of her hate and hating again--and taking another cold bath to be fresh for the home-coming of carl, the tired man whom she had to mother and whom, of all the world, she did not hate. even on the many cool days when the streets and the flat became tolerable and the vulture women of the tenements ceased to exist for her, ruth was not much interested, whether she went out or some one came to see her. every one she knew, except for the dunleavys and a few others, was out of town, and she was tired of olive dunleavy's mirth and shallow gossip. after her days with carl in the valley of the shadow, olive was to her a stranger giggling about strange people. phil was rather better. he occasionally came in for tea, poked about, stared at the color prints, and said cryptic things about feminism and playing squash. her settlement-house classes were closed for the summer. she brooded over the settlement work and accused herself of caring less for people than for the sensation of being charitable. she wondered if she was a hypocrite.... then she would take another cold bath to be fresh for the home-coming of carl, the tired man whom she had to mother, and toward whom, of all the world's energies, she knew that she was not hypocritical. this is not the story of ruth winslow, but of carl ericson. yet ruth's stifling days are a part of it, for her unhappiness meant as much to him as it did to her. in the swelter of his office, overlooking motor-hooting, gasoline-reeking broadway, he was aware that ruth was in the flat, buried alive. he made plans for her going away, but she refused to desert him. he tried to arrange for a week more of holiday for them both; he could not; he came to understand that he was now completely a prisoner of business. he was in a rut, both sides of which were hedged with "back work that had piled up on him." he had no desire, no ambition, no interest, except in ruth and in making the touricar pay. the touricar company had never paid expenses as yet. how much longer would old vanzile be satisfied with millions to come in the future--perhaps? carl even took work home with him, though for ruth's sake he wanted to go out and play. it really was for her sake; he himself liked to play, but the disease of perpetual overwork had hold of him. he was glad to have her desert him for an evening now and then and go out to the peace waters country club for a dance with phil and olive dunleavy. she felt guilty when she came home and found him still making calculations. but she hummed waltzes while she put on a thin, blue silk dressing-gown and took down her hair. "i _can't_ stand this grubby, shut-in prison," she finally snapped at him, on an evening when he would not go to the first night of a roof-garden. he snarled back: "you don't have to! why don't you go with your bloomin' phil and olive? of course, i don't ever want to go myself!" "see here, my friend, you have been taking advantage for a long time now of the fact that you were ill. i'm not going to be your nurse indefinitely." she slammed her bedroom door. later she came stalking out, very dignified, and left the flat. he pretended not to see her. but as soon as the elevator door had clanged and the rumbling old car had begun to carry her down, away from him, the flat was noisy with her absence. she came home eagerly sorry--to find an eagerly sorry carl. then, while they cried together, and he kissed her lips, they made a compact that no matter for what reason or through whose fault they might quarrel, they would always settle it before either went to bed.... but they were uncomfortably polite for two days, and obviously were so afraid that they might quarrel that they were both prepared to quarrel. carl had been back at work for less than one month, but he hoped that the touricar was giving enough promise now of positive success to permit him to play during the evening. he rented a vanzile car for part time; planned week-end trips; hoped they could spend---- then the whole world exploded. just at the time when the investigation of twilight sleep indicated that the world might become civilized, the powers plunged into a war whose reason no man has yet discovered. carl read the head-lines on the morning of august th, , with a delusion of not reading "news," but history, with himself in the history book. ten thousand books record the great war, and how bitterly europe realized it; this is to record that carl, like most of america, did not comprehend it, even when recruits of the kaiser marched down broadway with german and american flags intertwined, even when his business was threatened. it was too big for his imagination. every noon he bought half a dozen newspaper extras and hurried down to the bulletin-boards on the _times_ and _herald_ buildings. he pretended that he was a character in one of the fantastic novels about a world-war when he saw such items as "russians invading prussia," "japs will enter war," "aeroplane and submarine attack english cruiser." "rats!" he said, "i'm dreaming. there couldn't be a war like that. we're too civilized. i can prove the whole thing 's impossible." in the world-puzzle nothing confused carl more than the question of socialism. he had known as a final fact that the alliance of french and german socialist workmen made war between the two nations absolutely impossible--and his knowledge was proven ignorance, his faith folly. he tentatively bought a socialist magazine or two, to find some explanation, and found only greater confusion on the part of the scholars and leaders of the party. they, too, did not understand how it had all happened; they stood amid the ruins of international socialism, sorrowing. if their faith was darkened, how much more so was carl's vague untutored optimism about world-brotherhood. he had two courses--to discard socialism as a failure, or to stand by it as a course of action which was logical but had not, as yet, been able to accomplish its end. he decided to stand by it; he could not see himself plunging into the unutterable pessimism of believing that all of mankind were such beast fools that, after this one great sin, they could not repent and turn from tribal murder. and what other remedy was there? if socialism had not prevented the war, neither had monarchy nor bureaucracy, bourgeois peace movements, nor the church. * * * * * with a whole world at war, carl thought chiefly of his own business. he was not abnormal. the press was filled with bewildered queries as to what would happen to america. for two weeks the automobile business seemed dead, save for a grim activity in war-trucks. vanzile called in carl and shook his head over the future of the touricar, now that all luxuries were threatened. but the middle west promised a huge crop and prosperity. the east followed; then, slowly, the south, despite the closed outlet for its cotton crop. within a few weeks all sorts of motor-cars were selling well, especially expensive cars. it was apparent that automobiles were no longer merely luxuries. there was even a promise of greater trade than ever, so rapidly were all the cars of the warring nations being destroyed. but, once vanzile had considered the possibility of letting go his touricar interest in order to be safe, he seemed always to be considering it. carl read fate in vanzile's abstracted manner. and if vanzile withdrew, carl's own stock would be worthless. but he stuck at his work, with something of a boy's frightened stubbornness and something of a man's quiet sternness. fear was never far from him. in an aeroplane he had never been greatly frightened; he could himself, by his own efforts, fight the wind. but how could he steer a world-war or a world-industry? he tried to conceal his anxiety from ruth, but she guessed it. she said, one evening: "sometimes i think we two are unusual, because we really want to be free. and then a thing like this war comes and our bread and butter and little pink cakes are in danger, and i realize we're not free at all; that we're just like all the rest, prisoners, dependent on how much the job brings and how fast the subway runs. oh, sweetheart, we mustn't forget to be just a bit mad, no matter how serious things become." standing very close to him, she put her head on his shoulder. "sure mustn't. must stick by each other all the more when the world takes a run and jumps on us." "indeed we will!" * * * * * unsparingly the war's cosmic idiocy continued, and carl crawled along the edge of a business precipice, looking down. he became so accustomed to it that he began to enjoy the view. the old carl, with the enthusiasm which had served him for that undefined quality called "courage," began to come to life again, laughing, "let the darned old business bust, if she's going to." only, it refused to bust. it kept on trembling, while carl became nervous again, then gaily defiant, then nervous again, till the alternation of gloom and bravado disgusted him and made ruth wonder whether he was an office-slave or a freebooter. as he happened to be both at the time, it was hard for him to be either convincingly. she accused him of vacillating; he retorted; the suspense kept them both raw.... to add to their difficulties of adjustment to each other, and to the ego-mad world, ruth's sense of established amenities was shocked by the reappearance of carl's pioneering past as revealed in the lively but vulgar person of martin dockerill, carl's former aviation mechanic. martin dockerill was lanky and awkward as ever, he still wrote post-cards to his aunt in fall river, and admired burlesque-show choruses, but he no longer played the mouth-organ (publicly), for he had become so well-to-do as to be respectable. as foreign agent for the des moines auto-truck company he had toured europe, selling war-trucks, or lorries, as the english called them, first to the balkan states, then to italy, russia, and turkey. he was for a time detailed to the new york office. it did not occur either to him nor to carl that he was not "welcome to drop in any time; often as possible," to slap carl on the back, loudly recollect the time when he had got drunk and fought with a policeman in san antonio, or to spend a whole evening belligerently discussing the idea of war or types of motor-trucks when ruth wistfully wanted carl to herself. martin supposed, because she smiled, that she was as interested as carl in his theories about aeroplane-scouting in war. ruth knew that most of carl's life had been devoted to things quite outside her own sphere of action, but she had known it without feeling it. his talk with martin showed her how sufficient his life had been without her. she began to worry lest he go back to aviation. so began their serious quarrels; there were not many of them, and they were forgotten out of existence in a day or two; but there were at least three pitched battles during which both of them believed that "this ended everything." they quarreled always about the one thing which had intimidated them before--the need of quarreling; though apropos of this every detail of life came up: ruth's conformities; her fear that he would fly again; her fear that the wavering job was making him indecisive. and martin dockerill kept coming, as an excellent starting-point for dissension. ruth did not dislike martin's roughness, but when the ex-mechanic discovered that he was making more money than was carl, and asked carl, in her presence, if he'd like a loan, then she hated martin, and would give no reason. she became unable to see him as anything but a boor, an upstart servant, whose friendship with carl indicated that her husband, too, was an "outsider." believing that she was superbly holding herself in, she asked carl if there was not some way of tactfully suggesting to martin that he come to the flat only once in two weeks, instead of two or three times a week. carl was angry. she said furiously what she really thought, and retired to aunt emma's for the evening. when she returned she expected to find carl as repentant as herself. unfortunately that same carl who had declared that it was pure egotism to regard one's own religion or country as necessarily sacred, regarded his own friends as sacred--a noble faith which is an important cause of political graft. he was ramping about the living-room, waiting for a fight--and he got it. their moment of indiscretion. the inevitable time when, believing themselves fearlessly frank, they exaggerated every memory of an injury. ruth pointed out that carl had disliked florence crewden as much as she had disliked martin. she renewed her accusation that he was vacillating; scoffed at walter macmonnies (whom she really liked), gertie cowles (whom she had never met), and even, hesitatingly, carl's farmer relatives. and carl was equally unpleasant. at her last thrust he called her a thin-blooded new-yorker and slammed his bedroom door. they had broken their pledge not to go to bed on a quarrel. he was gone before she came out to breakfast in the morning. in the evening they were perilously polite again. martin dockerill appeared and, while ruth listened, carl revealed how savagely his mind had turned overnight to a longing for such raw adventuring as she could never share. he feverishly confessed that he had for many weeks wavered between hating the whole war and wanting to enlist in the british aero corps, to get life's supreme sensation--scouting ten thousand feet in air, while dozens of batteries fired at him; a nose-to-earth volplane. the thinking carl, the playmate carl that ruth knew, was masked as the foolhardy adventurer--and as one who was not merely talking, but might really do the thing he pictured. and martin dockerill seemed so dreadfully to take it for granted that carl might go. carl's high note of madness dropped to a matter-of-fact chatter about a kind of wandering which shut her out as completely as did the project of war. "i don't know," said he, "but what the biggest fun in chasing round the country is to get up from a pile of lumber where you've pounded your ear all night and get that funny railroad smell of greasy waste, and then throw your feet for a hand-out and sneak on a blind and go hiking off to some town you've never heard of, with every brakie and constabule out after you. that's living!" when martin was gone carl glanced at her. she stiffened and pretended to be absorbed in a magazine. he took from the mess of papers and letters that lived in his inside coat pocket a war-map he had clipped from a newspaper, and drew tactical lines on it. from his room he brought a small book he had bought that day. he studied it intently. ruth managed to see that the title of the book was _aeroplanes and air-scouting in the european armies_. she sprang up, cried: "hawk! why are you reading that?" "why shouldn't i read it?" "you don't mean to---- you----" "oh no, i don't suppose i'd have the nerve to go and enlist now. you've already pointed out to me that i've been getting cold feet." "but why do you shut me out? why do you?" "oh, good lord! have we got to go all over that again? we've gone over it and over it and over it till i'm sick of telling you it isn't true." "i'm very sorry, hawk. thank you for making it clear to me that i'm a typical silly wife." "and thank you for showing me i'm a clumsy brute. you've done it quite often now. of course it doesn't mean anything that i've given up aviation." "oh, don't be melodramatic. or if you must be, don't fail to tell me that i've ruined your life." "very well. i won't say anything, then, ruth." "don't look at me like that, hawk. so hard. studying me.... can't you understand---- haven't you any perception? can't you understand how hard it is for me to come to you like this, after last night, and try----" "very nice of you," he said, grimly. with one cry of "oh!" she ran into her bedroom. he could hear her sobbing; he could feel her agony dragging him to her. but no woman's arms should drug his anger, this time, to let it ache again. for once he definitely did not want to go to her. so futile to make up and quarrel, make up and quarrel. he was impatient that her distant sobs expressed so clearly a wordless demand that he come to her and make peace. "hell!" he crawked; jerked his top-coat from its nail, and left the flat--eleven o'clock of a chilly november evening. chapter xlii dizzy with all the problems of life, he did not notice where he went. he walked blocks; took a trolley-car; got off to buy a strong cigar; took the next trolley that came along; was carried across the fifty-ninth street bridge to long island. at the eighth or tenth stop he hurried out of the car just as it was starting again. he wondered why he had been such a fool as to leave it in a dark street of flat-faced wooden houses with dooryards of trampled earth and a general air of poverty, goats, and lunch-pails. he tramped on, a sullen and youthless man. presently he was in shaggy, open country. he was frightened by his desertion of ruth, but he did not want to go back, nor even telephone to her. he had to diagram where and what and why he was; determine what he was to do. he disregarded the war as a cause of trouble. had there been no extra business-pressure caused by the war, there would have been some other focus for their misunderstandings. they would have quarreled over clothes and aviation, aunt emma and martin dockerill, poverty and dancing, quite the same. walking steadily, with long periods when he did not think, but stared at the dusty stars or the shaky, ill-lighted old houses, he alined her every fault, unhappily rehearsed every quarrel in which she had been to blame, his lips moving as he emphasized the righteous retorts he was almost certain he had made. it was not hard to find faults in her. any two people who have spent more than two days together already have the material for a life-long feud, in traits which at first were amusing or admirable. ruth's pretty manners, of which carl had been proud, he now cited as snobbish affectation. he did not spare his reverence, his passion, his fondness. he mutilated his soul like a hermit. he recalled her pleasure in giving him jolly surprises, in writing unexpected notes addressed to him at the office, as fussy discontent with a quiet, normal life; he regarded her excitement over dances as evidence that she was so dependent on country-club society that he would have to spend the rest of his life drudging for her. he wanted to flee. he saw the whole world as a conspiracy of secret, sinister powers that are concealed from the child, but to the man are gradually revealed by a pitiless and never-ending succession of misfortunes. he would never be foot-loose again. his land of heart's desire would be the office. but the ache of disappointment grew dull. he was stunned. he did not know what had happened; did not even know precisely how he came to be walking here. now and then he remembered anew that he had sharply left ruth--ruth, his dear girl!--remembered that she was not at hand, ready to explain with love's lips the somber puzzles of life. he was frightened again, and beginning to be angry with himself for having been angry with ruth. he had walked many miles. brown fields came up at him through the paling darkness. a sign-board showed that he was a few miles from mineola. letting the coming dawn uplift him, he tramped into mineola, with a half-plan of going on to the near-by hempstead plains aviation field, to see if there was any early-morning flying. it would be bully to see a machine again! at a lunch-wagon he ordered buckwheat-cakes and coffee. sitting on a high stool before a seven-inch shelf attached to the wall, facing an array of salt-castors and catsup-bottles and one of those colored glass windows with a portrait of washington which give to all lunch-wagons their air of sober refinement, carl ate solemnly, meditatively.... it did not seem to him an ignoble setting for his grief; but he was depressed when he came out to a drab first light of day that made the street seem hopeless and unrested after the night. the shops were becoming visible, gray and chilly, like a just-awakened janitor in slippers, suspenders, and tousled hair. the pavement was wet. carl crossed the street, stared at the fly-specked cover of a magazine six months old that lay in a shop window lighted by one incandescent. he gloomily planned to go back and have another cup of coffee on the shelf before washington's glassy but benign face. but he looked down the street, and all the sky was becoming a delicate and luminous blue. he trotted off toward hempstead plains. the aviation field was almost abandoned. most of the ambitious line of hangars were empty, now, with faded grass thick before the great doors that no one ever opened. a recent fire had destroyed a group of five hangars. he found one door open, and three sleepy youngsters in sweaters and khaki trousers bringing out a monoplane. carl watched them start, bobbed his chin to the music of the motor, saw the machine canter down the field and ascend from dawn to the glory of day. the rising sun picked out the lines of the uninclosed framework and hovered on the silvery wing-surface. the machine circled the field at two hundred feet elevation, smoothly, peacefully. and peace beyond understanding came to carl. he studied the flight. "mm. good and steady. banks a little sharp, but very thorough. firs' rate. i believe i could get more speed out of her if i were flying. like to try." wonderingly he realized that he did not want to fly; that only his lips said, "like to try." he was almost as much an outsider to aviation as though he had never flown. he discovered that he was telling ruth this fact, in an imaginary conversation; was commenting for her on dawn-sky and the plains before him and his alienation from exploits in which she could not share. the monoplane landed with a clean volplane. the aviator and his mechanicians were wheeling it toward the hangar. they glanced at him uninterestedly. carl understood that, to them, he was a typical bystander, here where he had once starred. the aviator stared again, let go the machine, walked over, exclaiming: "say, aren't you hawk ericson? this is an honor. i heard you were somewhere in new york. just missed you at the aero club one night. wanted to ask you about the bagby hydro. won't you come in and have some coffee and sinkers with us? proud to have you. my name 's berry." "thanks. be glad to." while the youngsters were admiring him, hearing of the giants of earlier days, while they were drinking inspiration from this veteran of twenty-nine, they were in turn inspiring carl by their faith in him. he had been humble. they made him trust himself, not egotistically, but with a feeling that he did matter, that it was worth while to be in tune with life. yet all the while he knew that he wanted to be by himself, because he could thus be with the spirit of ruth. and he knew, subconsciously, that he was going to hurry back to mineola and telephone to her. as he dog-trotted down the road, he noted the old dutch houses for her; picked out the spot where he had once had a canvas hangar, and fancied himself telling her of those days. he did not remember that at this hangar he had known istra, istra nash, the artist, whose name he scarce recalled. istra was an incident; ruth was the meaning of his life. and the solution of his problem came, all at once, when suddenly it was given to him to understand what that problem was. ruth and he had to be up and away, immediately; go any place, do anything, so long as they followed new trails, and followed them together. he knew positively, after his lonely night, that he could not be happy without her as comrade in the freedom he craved. and he also knew that they had not done the one thing for which their marriage existed. they were not just a man and a woman. they were a man and a woman who had promised to find new horizons for each other. however much he believed in the sanctity of love's children, carl also believed that merely to be married and breed casual children and die is a sort of suspended energy which has no conceivable place in this over-complex and unwieldy world. he had no clear nor ringing message, but he did have, just then, an overpowering conviction that ruth and he--not every one, but ruth and he, at least--had a vocation in keeping clear of vocations, and that they must fulfil it. over the telephone he said: "ruth dear, i'll be right there. walked all night. got straightened out now. i'm out at mineola. it's all right with me now, blessed. i want so frightfully much to make it all right with you. i'll be there in about an hour." she answered "yes" so non-committally that he was smitten by the fact that he had yet to win forgiveness for his frenzy in leaving her; that he must break the shell of resentment which would incase her after a whole night's brooding between sullen walls. on the train, unconscious of its uproar, he was bespelled by his new love. during a few moments of their lives, ordinary real people, people real as a tooth-brush, do actually transcend the coarsely physical aspects of sex and feeding, and do approximate to the unwavering glow of romantic heroes. carl was no more a romantic hero-lover than, as a celebrated aviator, he had been a hero-adventurer. he was a human being. he was not even admirable, except as all people are admirable, from the ash-man to the king. there had been nothing exemplary in his struggle to find adjustment with his wife; he had been bad in his impatience just as he had been good in his boyish affection; in both he had been human. even now, when without reserve he gave himself up to love, he was aware that he would ascend, not on godlike pinions, but by a jerky old apartment-house elevator, to make peace with a vexed girl who was also a human being, with a digestive system and prejudices. yet with a joy that encompassed all the beauty of banners and saluting swords, romantic towers and a fugitive queen, a joy transcending trains and elevators and prejudices, carl knew that human girl as the symbol of man's yearning for union with the divine; he desired happiness for her with a devotion great as the passion in galahad's heart when all night he knelt before the high altar. he came slowly up to their apartment-house. if it were only possible for ruth to trust him, now---- mingled with his painfully clear remembrance of all the sweet things ruth was and had done was a tragic astonishment that he--this same he who was all hers now--could possibly have turned impatiently from her sobs. yet it would have been for good, if only she would trust him. not till he left the elevator, on their floor, did he comprehend that ruth might not be awaiting him; might have gone. he looked irresolutely at the grill of the elevator door, shut on the black shaft. "she was here when i telephoned----" he waited. perhaps she would peep out to see if it was he who had come up in the elevator. she did not appear. he walked the endless distance of ten feet to their door, unlocked it, labored across the tiny hall into the living-room. she was there. she stood supporting herself by the back of the davenport, her eyes red-edged and doubtful, her face tightened, expressing enmity or dread or shy longing. he held out his hands, like a prisoner beseeching royal mercy. she in turn threw out her arms. he could not say one word. the clumsy signs called "words" could not tell his emotion. he ran to her, and she welcomed his arms. he held her, abandoned himself utterly to her kiss. his hard-driving mind relaxed; relaxed was her body in his arms. he knew, not merely with his mind, but with the vaster powers that drive mind and emotion and body, that ruth, in her disheveled dressing-gown, was the glorious lover to whom he had been hastening this hour past. all the love which civilization had tried to turn into normal married life had escaped efficiency's pruning-hook, and had flowered. "it's all right with me, now," she said; "so wonderfully all right." "i want to explain. had to be by myself; find out. must have seemed so unspeakably r----" "oh, don't, don't explain! our kiss explained." * * * * * while they talked on the davenport together, reaching out again and again for the hands that now really were there, ruth agreed with carl that they must be up and away, not wait till it should be too late. she, too, saw how many lovers plan under the june honeymoon to sail away after a year or two and see the great world, and, when they wearily die, know that it will still be a year or two before they can flee to the halcyon isles. but she did insist that they plan practically; and it was she who wondered: "but what would happen if everybody went skipping off like us? who'd bear the children and keep the fields plowed to feed the ones that ran away?" "golly!" cried carl, "wish that were the worst problem we had! maybe a thousand years from now, when every one is so artistic that they want to write books, it will be hard to get enough drudges. but now---- look at any office, with the clerks toiling day after day, even the unmarried ones. look at all the young fathers of families, giving up everything they want to do, to support children who'll do the same thing right over again with _their_ children. always handing on the torch of life, but never getting any light from it. people don't run away from slavery often enough. and so they don't ever get to do real work, either!" "but, sweetheart, what if we should have children some day? you know---- of course, we haven't been ready for them yet, but some day they might come, anyhow, and how could we wander round----" "oh, probably they will come some day, and then we'll take our dose of drudgery like the rest. there's nothing that our dear civilization punishes as it does begetting children. for poisoning food by adulterating it you may get fined fifty dollars, but if you have children they call it a miracle--as it is--and then they get busy and condemn you to a lifetime of being scared by the boss." "well, darling, please don't blame it on me." "i didn't mean to get so oratorical, blessed. but it does make me mad the way the state punishes one for being willing to work and have children. perhaps if enough of us run away from nice normal grinding, we'll start people wondering just why they should go on toiling to produce a lot of booze and clothes and things that nobody needs." "perhaps, my hawk.... don't you think, though, that we might be bored in your rocky mountain cabin, if we were there for months and months?" "yes, i suppose so," carl mused. "the rebellion against stuffy marriage has to be a whole lot wider than some little detail like changing from city to country. probably for some people the happiest thing 'd be to live in a hobohemian flat and have parties, and for some to live in the suburbs and get the missus elected president of the village improvement society. for us, i believe, it's change and _keep going_." "yes, i do think so. hawk, my hawk, i lay awake nearly all night last night, realizing that we _are_ one, not because of a wedding ceremony, but because we can understand each other's make-b'lieves and seriousnesses. i knew that no matter what happened, we had to try again.... i saw last night, by myself, that it was not a question of finding out whose fault a quarrel was; that it wasn't anybody's 'fault,' but just conditions.... and we'll change them.... we won't be afraid to be free." "we won't! lord! life's wonderful!" "yes! when i think of how sweet life can be--so wonderfully sweet--i know that all the prophets must love human beings, oh, so terribly, no matter how sad they are about the petty things that lives are wasted over.... but i'm not a prophet. i'm a girl that's awfully much in love, and, darling, i want you to hold me close." * * * * * three months later, in february, , ruth and carl sailed for buenos ayres, america's new export-market. carl was the argentine republic manager for the vanzile motor corporation, possessed of an unimportant salary, a possibility of large commissions, and hopes like comets. their happiness seemed a thing enchanted. they had not quarreled again. * * * * * the s.s. _sangrael_, for buenos ayres and rio, had sailed from snow into summer. ruth and carl watched isles of palms turn to fantasies carved of ebony, in the rose and garnet sunset waters, and the vast sky laugh out in stars. carl was quoting kipling: "the lord knows what we may find, dear lass, and the deuce knows what we may do-- but we're back once more on the old trail, our own trail, the out trail, we're down, hull down on the old trail--the trail that is always new." "anyway," he commented, "deuce only knows what we'll do after argentine, and i don't care. do you?" her clasping hand answered, as he went on: "oh, say, bles-sed! i forgot to look in the directory before we left new york to see if there wasn't a society for the spread of madness among the respectable. it might have sent us out as missionaries.... there's a flying-fish; and to-morrow i won't have to watch clerks punch a time-clock; and you can hear a sailor shifting the ventilators; and there's a little star perched on the fore-mast; singing; but the big thing is that you're here beside me, and we're _going_. how bully it is to be living, if you don't have to give up living in order to make a living." the end this ebook was produced by jim weiler, xooqi.com. minnesota and dacotah: in letters descriptive of a tour through the north-west, in the autumn of . with information relative to public lands, and a table of statistics. by c. c. andrews, counselor at law; editor of the official opinions of the attorneys general of the united states. "from the forests and the prairies, from the great lakes of the northland, from the land of the ojibways, from the land of the dacotahs." longfellow second edition. w a s h i n g t o n: robert farnham _______ entered, according to act of congress, in the year , by c. c. andrews, in the clerk's office of the district court of the united states, in and for the district of columbia. _______ philadelphia: stereotyped by e. b. mears. printed by c. sherman & son. _______ these "trivial fond records" are respectfully inscribed to the young men of minnesota. _______ introduction. _______ the object of publishing these letters can be very briefly stated. during the last autumn i made a tour into minnesota, upwards of a hundred and thirty miles north-west of st. paul, to satisfy myself as to the character and prospects of the territory. all i could learn from personal observation, and otherwise, concerning its society and its ample means of greatness, impressed me so favorably as to the advantages still open to the settler, that i put down in the form of letters such facts as i thought would be of general interest. since their publication-- in the boston, post-- a few requests, which i could not comply with, were made for copies of them all. i was led to believe, therefore, that if i revised them and added information relative to unoccupied lands, the method of preemption, and the business interests of the territory, they would be worthy of publication in a more permanent form. conscious that what i have written is an inadequate description of that splendid domain, i shall be happy indeed to have contributed, in ever so small a degree, to advance its growth and welfare. here i desire to acknowledge the aid which has been readily extended to my undertaking by the delegate from minnesota-- hon. henry m. rice-- whose faithful and unwearied services-- i will take the liberty to add-- in behalf of the territory, merit the highest praise. i am also indebted for valuable information to earl s. goodrich, esq., editor of the daily pioneer (st. paul) and democrat. in another place i give a list of the works which i have had occasion to consult or refer to. c. c. andrews. washington, january , . _______ list of works which have been consulted or referred to in the preparation of this work. expedition to the sources of the mississippi, by major z. m. pike vol. philadelphia; . travels to the source of the missouri river, by captains lewis and clarke. vols. london: . expedition to the source of the st. peter's river, lake winnepek, &c., under command of major stephen h. long vols. philadelphia: . british dominions in north america. by joseph bouchette, esq. vols. london: . history of the colonies of the british empire. by r. m. martin, esq. london; . report on the hydrographical basin of the upper mississippi, by j. n. nicollet. senate document , d session, th congress. washington: . report, of an exploration of the territory of minnesota, by brevet captain john pope, corps topographical engineers. senate document , st session, st congress. washington: . sketches of minnesota. by e. s. seymour. new york: . report on colonial and lake trade, by israel d. andrews, consul general of the united states for the british provinces. executive document , st session, d congress. washington: . history of the discovery and exploration of the mississippi river. by j. g. shea. new york: . minnesota and its resources. by j. wesley bond. new york: . discovery of the sources of the mississippi river. by henry r. schoolcraft. philadelphia: . exploration and surveys for a railroad route from the mississippi river to the pacific ocean, made under the direction of the secretary of war in - , (including reports of gov. stevens and others.) washington: . the emigrant's guide to minnesota by an old resident. vol. st. anthony: . _______ contents. _______ letter i. baltimore to chicago. anecdote of a preacher-- monopoly of seats in the cars-- detention in the night-- mountain scenery on the baltimore and ohio railroad-- voting in the cars-- railroad refreshments-- political excitement-- the virginian and the fremonters-- a walk in columbus-- indianapolis-- lafayette-- michigan city-- chicago letter ii. chicago to st. paul. railroads to the mississippi-- securing passage on the steamboat-- the lady franklin-- scenery of the mississippi-- hastings-- growth of settlements letter iii. city of st. paul. first settlement of st. paul-- population-- appearance of the city-- fuller house-- visitors-- roads-- minneapolis-- st. anthony-- suspension bridge letter iv. the bar. character of the minnesota bar-- effect of connecting land business with practice-- courts-- recent legislation of congress as to the territorial judiciary-- the code of practice-- practice in land cases-- chances for lawyers in the west-- charles o'connor-- requisite qualifications of a lawyer-- the power and usefulness of a great lawyer-- talfourd's character of sir william follett-- blending law with politics-- services of lawyers in deliberative assemblies letter v. st. paul to crow wing in two days. stages-- roads-- rum river-- indian treaty-- itasca-- sauk rapids-- watab at midnight-- lodging under difficulties-- little rock river-- character of minnesota streams-- dinner at swan river-- little falls-- fort ripley-- arrival at crow wing letter vi. the town of crow wing. scenery-- first settlement of crow wing-- red lake indians-- mr. morrison-- prospects of the town-- upper navigation-- mr. beaulieu-- washington's theory as to norfolk-- observations on the growth of towns letter vii. chippewa indians-- hole-in-the-day. description of the chippewa tribes-- their habits and customs-- mission at gull lake-- progress in farming-- visit to hole-in-the-day-- his enlightened character-- reflections on indian character, and the practicability of their civilization-- their education-- mr. manypenny's exertions letter viii. lumbering interests. lumber as an element of wealth-- quality of minnesota lumber-- locality of its growth-- the great pineries-- trespasses on government land-- how the lumbermen elude the government-- value of lumber-- character of the practical lumberman-- transportation of lumber on rafts letter ix. shores of lake superior. description of the country around lake superior-- minerals-- locality of a commercial city-- new land districts-- buchanan-- ojibeway-- explorations to the sources of the mississippi-- henry r. schoolcraft-- m. nicollet's report-- resources of the country above crow wing letter x. valley of the red river of the north. climate of minnesota-- the settlement at pembina-- st. joseph-- col. smith's expedition-- red river of the north-- fur trade-- red river settlement-- the hudson's bay company-- ex-gov. ramsey's observations-- dacotah letter xi. the true pioneer. energy of the pioneer-- frontier life-- spirit of emigration-- advantages to the farmer in moving west-- advice in regard to making preemption claims-- abstract of the preemption law-- hints to the settler-- character and services of the pioneer letter xii. speculation and business. opportunities to select farms-- otter tail lake-- advantages of the actual settler over the speculator-- policy of new states as to taxing non-residents-- opportunities to make money-- anecdote of col. perkins-- mercantile business-- price of money-- intemperance-- education-- the free school letter xiii. crow wing to st. cloud. pleasant drive in the stage-- scenery-- the past-- fort ripley ferry-- delay at the post office-- belle prairie-- a catholic priest-- dinner at swan river-- potatoes-- arrival at watab-- st. cloud letter xiv. st. cloud-- the pacific trail. agreeable visit at st. cloud-- description of the place-- causes of the rapid growth of towns-- gen. lowry-- the back country-- gov. stevens's report-- mr. lambert's views-- interesting account of mr. a. w. tinkham's exploration letter xv. st. cloud to st. paul. importance of starting early-- judge story's theory of early rising-- rustic scenery-- horses and mules-- surveyors-- humboldt-- baked fish-- getting off the track-- burning of hay stacks-- supper at st. anthony-- arrival at the fuller house letter xvi. progress. rapid growth of the north-west-- projected railroads-- territorial system of the united states-- inquiry into the cause of western progress-- influence of just laws and institutions-- lord bacon's remark the proposed new territory of dacotah. organization of minnesota as a state-- suggestions as to its division-- views of captain pope-- character and resources of the new territory to be left adjoining-- its occupation by the dacotah indians-- its organization and name post offices and postmasters land offices and land officers newspapers published in minnesota table of distances pre-emption for city or town sites _______ part i. letters on minnesota. _______ minnesota and dacotah. _______ letter i. baltimore to chicago. anecdote of a preacher-- monopoly of seats in the cars-- detention in the night-- mountain scenery on the baltimore and ohio railroad-- voting in the cars-- railroad refreshments-- political excitement-- the virginian and the fremonters-- a walk in columbus-- indianapolis-- lafayette-- michigan city-- chicago. chicago, october, . i sit down at the first place where a pen can be used, to give you some account of my trip to minnesota. and if any one should complain that this is a dull letter, let me retain his good-will by the assurance that the things i expect to describe in my next will be of more novelty and interest. and here i am reminded of a good little anecdote which i am afraid i shall not have a better chance to tell. an eminent minister of the gospel was preaching in a new place one sunday, and about half through his sermon when two or three dissatisfied hearers got up to leave, "my friends," said he, "i have one small favor to ask. as an attempt has been made to prejudice my reputation in this vicinity, i beg you to be candid enough, if any one asks how you liked my sermon, to say you didn't stop to hear me through." stepping into the cars on the baltimore and ohio railroad a few evenings ago-- for i am not going to say anything of my trip further east-- i saw as great an exhibition of selfishness as one often meets in travelling. this was in the rear car, the others being all crowded. the seats were spacious, and had high backs for night travelling. a gentleman entered the car and proposed to sit in a seat in which was only one child, but he was informed by a feminine voice in the rear that the whole seat was taken-- so he advanced to the next seat, which was occupied by another child, a boy about eight years old-- again the same voice, confirmed by one of the other sex, informed him in very decided terms that that also was wholly occupied. the gentleman of course did not attempt to take a seat with this lady, but advancing still further, in a seat behind her he saw another child the only occupant. his success here was no better. the fact was, here was a family of a husband, wife, and three children occupying five entire seats. the traveller politely asked if it would not be convenient for two of the children to sit together. "no," said the lady and her husband (and they spoke together, though they didn't sit together), "the children want all the room so as to sleep." the traveller betrayed no feeling until the husband aforesaid pointed out for him a seat next to a colored woman who sat alone near the door of the car, some little distance off. it was quite apparent, and it was the fact, that this colored woman was the servant of the family; and the traveller appeared to think that, although as an "original question" he might not object to the proffered seat, yet it was not civil for a man to offer him what he would not use himself. the scene closed by the traveller's taking a seat with another gentleman, i mention this incident because it is getting to be too common for people to claim much more room than belongs to them, and because i have seen persons who are modest and unused to travelling subjected to considerable annoyance in consequence. moreover, conductors are oftentimes fishing so much after popularity, that they wink at misconduct in high life. somewhere about midnight, along the banks of the potomac, and, if i remember right, near the town of hancock, the cars were detained for three hours. a collision had occurred twelve hours before, causing an extensive destruction of cars and freight, and heavy fragments of both lay scattered over the track. had it not been for the skilful use of a steam-engine in dragging off the ruins, we must have waited till the sun was up. two or three large fires were kindled with the ruins, so that the scene of the disaster was entirely visible. and the light shining in the midst of the thick darkness, near the river, with the crowd of people standing around, was not very romantic, perhaps not picturesque-- but it was quite novel; and the novelty of the scene enabled us to bear with greater patience the gloomy delay. the mountain scenery in plain sight of the traveller over the baltimore and ohio road is more extensive and protracted, and i think as beautiful, as on any road in the united states. there are as wild places seen on the road across tennessee from nashville, and as picturesque scenes on the pennsylvania central road-- perhaps the white mountains as seen from the atlantic and st. lawrence road present a more sublime view-- but i think on the road i speak of, there is more gorgeous mountain scenery than on any other. on such routes one passes through a rude civilization. the settlements are small and scattered, exhibiting here and there instances of thrift and contentment, but generally the fields are small and the houses in proportion. the habits of the people are perhaps more original than primitive. it was along the route that i saw farmers gathering their corn on sleds. the cheerful scene is often witnessed of the whole family-- father, mother, and children-- at work gathering the crops. these pictures of cottage life in the mountain glens, with the beautiful variegated foliage of october for groundwork, are objects which neither weary nor satiate our sight. the practice of taking a vote for presidential candidates in the cars has been run into the ground. by this i mean that it has been carried to a ridiculous excess. so far i have had occasion to vote several times. a man may be indifferent as to expressing his vote when out of his state; but a man's curiosity must have reached a high pitch when he travels through a train of cars to inquire how the passengers vote. it is not uncommon, i find, for people to carry out the joke by voting with their real opponents. various devices are resorted to to get a unanimous vote. for example, a man will say, "all who are in favor of buchanan take off their boots; all in favor of fremont keep them on." again, when there are several passengers on a stage-coach out west, and they are passing under the limbs of a tree, or low bridge, as they are called, it is not unusual far a fremont man to say, "all in favor of fremont bow their heads." i have a word to say about refreshments on railroad routes. it is, perhaps, well known that the price for a meal anywhere on a railroad in the united states is fifty cents. that is the uniform price. would that the meals were as uniform! but alas! a man might as well get a quid of tobacco with his money, for he seldom gets a quid pro quo. once in a couple of days' travel you may perhaps get a wholesome meal, but as a general thing what you get (when you get out of new england) isn't worth over a dime. you stop at a place, say for breakfast, after having rode all night. the conductor calls out, "twenty minutes for breakfast." there is a great crowd and a great rush, of course. well, the proprietor expects there will be a crowd, and ought to be prepared. but how is it? perhaps you are lucky enough to get a seat at the table. then your chance to get something to eat is as one to thirteen: for as there is nothing of any consequence on the table, your luck depends on your securing the services of a waiter who at the same time is being called on by about thirteen others as hungry as yourself. then suppose you succeed! first comes a cup of black coffee, strong of water; then a piece of tough fried beef steak, some fried potatoes, a heavy biscuit-- a little sour (and in fact everything is sour but the pickles). you get up when you have finished eating-- it would be a mockery to say when you have satisfied your appetite-- and at the door stand two muscular men (significantly the proprietor is aware of the need of such) with bank bills drawn through their fingers, who are prepared to receive your c. it is not unusual to hear a great deal of indignation expressed by travellers on such occasions. no man has a right to grumble at the fare which hospitality sets before him. but when he buys a dinner at a liberal price, in a country where provisions are abundant, he has a right to expect something which will sustain life and health. those individuals who have the privilege of furnishing meals to railroad travellers probably find security in the reflection that their patronage does not depend on the will of their patrons. but the evil can be remedied by the proprietors and superintendents of the roads, and the public will look for a reformation in dinners and suppers at their hands. i might say that from benwood, near wheeling-- where i arrived at about four in the afternoon, having been nearly twenty-four hours coming miles-- i passed on to zanesville to spend the night; thinking it more convenient, as it surely was, to go to bed at eleven at night and start the next morning at eight, than to go to bed at wheeling at nine, or when i chose, and start again at two in the morning. the ride that evening was pleasant. the cars were filled with lusty yeomen, all gabbling politics. there was an overwhelming majority for fremont. under such circumstances it was a virtue for a buchanan man to show his colors. there was a solid old virginian aboard; and his open and intelligent countenance-- peculiar, it seems to me, to virginia-- denoted that he was a good-hearted man. i was glad to see him defend his side of politics with so much zeal against the fremonters. he argued against half a dozen of them with great spirit and sense. in spite of the fervor of his opponents, however, they treated him with proper respect and kindness. it was between eleven and twelve when i arrived at zanesville. i hastened to the stacy house with my friend, j. e b. (a young gentleman on his way to iowa, whose acquaintance i regard it as good luck to have made). the stacy house could give us lodgings, but not a mouthful of refreshments. as the next best thing, we descended to a restaurant, which seemed to be in a very drowsy condition, where we soon got some oyster and broiled chicken, not however without paying for it an exorbitant price. i rather think, however, i shall go to the stacy house again when next i visit zanesville, for, on the whole, i have no fault to find with it. starting at eight the next morning, we were four hours making the distance ( miles) from zanesville to columbus. the road passes through a country of unsurpassed loveliness. harvest fields, the most luxuriant, were everywhere in view. at nearly every stopping-place the boys besieged us with delicious apples and grapes, too tempting to be resisted. we had an hour to spend at columbus, which, after booking our names at the neil house for dinner-- and which is a capital house-- we partly spent in a walk about the city. it is the capital of the state, delightfully situated on the scioto river, and has a population in the neighborhood of , . the new capitol there is being built on a scale of great magnificence. though the heat beat down intensely, and the streets were dusty, we were "bent on seeing the town." we-- my friend b. and myself-- had walked nearly half a mile down one of the fashionable streets for dwellings, when we came to a line which was drawn across the sidewalk in front of a residence, which, from the appearance, might have belonged to one of the upper-ten. the line was in charge of two or three little girls, the eldest of whom was not over twelve. she was a bright-eyed little miss, and had in her face a good share of that metal which the vulgar think is indispensable to young lawyers. we came to a gradual pause at sight of this novel obstruction. "buchanan, fillmore, or fremont?" said she, in a tone of dogmatical interrogatory. b. was a fervid fremonter-- he probably thought she was-- so he exclaimed, "vermont for ever!" i awaited the sequel in silence. "then you may go round," said the little female politician. "you may go round," and round we went, not a little amused at such an exhibition of enthusiasm. i remember very well the excitement during the campaign of ; and i did my share with the new hampshire boys in getting up decoy cider barrels to humbug the whigs as they passed in their barouches to attend some great convention or hear daniel webster. but it seems to me there is much more political excitement during this campaign than there was in . flagstaffs and banners abound in the greatest profusion in every village. every farm-house has some token of its polities spread to the breeze. at twenty minutes past one-- less or more-- we left columbus, and after travelling miles, via dayton, we came to indianapolis, the great "railroad city," as it is called, of the west. it was half past nine when we arrived there. i did not have time to go up to the bates house, where i once had the pleasure of stopping, but concluded to get supper at a hotel near the depot, where there was abundant time to go through the ceremony of eating. it strikes me that indianapolis would be an agreeable place to reside in. there are some cities a man feels at home in as soon as he gets into them; there are others which make him homesick; just as one will meet faces which in a moment make a good impression on him, or which leave a dubious or disagreeable impression. that city has , people. its streets are wide, and its walks convenient. all things denote enterprise, liberality, and comfort. it is miles from indianapolis to this city, via lafayette and michigan city. we ought to have made the time in less than twelve hours, and, but for protracted detentions at lafayette and michigan city, we would have done so. we reached the latter place at daylight, and there waited about the depot in dull impatience for the detroit and chicago train. it is the principal lake harbor in indiana. it is about two years since i was last in chicago; and as i have walked about its streets my casual observation confirms the universal account of its growth and prosperity. i have noticed some new and splendid iron and marble buildings in the course of completion. chicago is a great place to find old acquaintances. for its busy population comprises citizens from every section of the united states, and from every quarter of the globe. the number of its inhabitants is now estimated at , . everybody that can move is active. it is a city of activity. human thoughts are all turned towards wealth. all seem to he contending in the race for riches: some swift and daring on the open course; some covertly lying low for a by-path. you go along the streets by jerks: down three feet to the street here; then up four slippery steps to the sidewalk there. here a perfect crowd and commotion-- almost a mob-- because the drawbridge is up. you would think there was a wonderful celebration coming off at twelve, and that everybody was hurrying through his work to be in season for it. last year , , bushels of grain were brought into chicago. five years ago there were not a hundred miles of railroad in the state of illinois. now there are more than two thousand. illinois has all the elements of empire. long may its great metropolis prosper! letter ii. chicago to st. paul. railroads to the mississippi-- securing passage on the steamboat-- the lady franklin-- scenery of the mississippi-- hastings-- growth of settlements st. paul, october, . how short a time it is since a railroad to the mississippi was thought a wonder! and now within the state of illinois four terminate on its banks. of course i started on one of these roads from chicago to get to dunleith. i think it is called the galena and chicago union road. a good many people have supposed galena to be situated on the mississippi river, and indeed railroad map makers have had it so located as long as it suited their convenience-- (for they have a remarkable facility in annihilating distance and in making crooked ways straight)-- yet the town is some twelve miles from the great river on a narrow but navigable stream. the extent and importance of rockford, galena, and dunleith cannot fail to make a strong impression on the traveller. they are towns of recent growth, and well illustrate that steam-engine sort of progress peculiar now-a-days in the west. approaching galena we leave the region of level prairie and enter a mineral country of naked bluffs or knolls, where are seen extensive operations in the lead mines. the trip from chicago to dunleith at the speed used on most other roads would be performed in six hours, but ten hours are usually occupied, for what reason i cannot imagine. however, the train is immense, having on board about six or seven hundred first class passengers, and two-thirds as many of the second class. travelling in the cars out west is not exactly what it is between philadelphia and new york, or new york and boston, in this respect: that in the west more families are found, in the cars, and consequently more babies and carpet bags. it may not be proper to judge of the health of a community by the appearance of people who are seen standing about a railroad station; yet i have often noticed, when travelling through illinois, that this class had pale and sickly countenances, showing too clearly the traces of fever and ague. but i wish to speak about leaving the cars at dunleith and taking the steamboat for st. paul. there is a tremendous rush for the boats in order to secure state-rooms. agents of different boats approach the traveller, informing him all about their line of boats, and depreciating the opposition boats. for instance, an agent, or, if you please, a runner of a boat called lucy-- not long-- made the assertion on the levee with great zeal and perfect impunity that no other boat but the said lucy would leave for st. paul within twenty-four hours; when it must have been known to him that another boat on the mail line would start that same evening, as was actually the fact. but the activity of the runners was needless; for each boat had more passengers than it could well accommodate. i myself went aboard the " lady franklin," one of the mail boats, and was accommodated with a state-room. but what a scene is witnessed for the first two hours after the passengers begin to come aboard! the cabin is almost filled, and a dense crowd surrounds the clerk's office, just as the ticket office of a theatre is crowded on a benefit night. of course not more than half can get state-rooms and the rest must sleep on the cabin floor. over two hundred cabin passengers came up on the lady franklin. the beds which are made on the floor are tolerably comfortable, as each boat is supplied with an extra number of single mattresses. the lady franklin is an old boat, and this is said to be its last season. two years ago it was one of the excursion fleet to st. paul, and was then in its prime. but steamboats are short lived. we had three tables set, and those who couldn't get a seat at the first or second sat at the third. there was a choice you may believe, for such was the havoc made with the provisions at the first table that the second and third were not the most inviting. it was amusing to see gentlemen seat themselves in range of the plates as soon as they were laid, and an hour before the table was ready. but the officers were polite-- as is generally the case on steamboats till you get down to the second mate-- and in the course of a day or two, when the passengers begin to be acquainted, the time wears away pleasantly. we were nearly four days in making the trip. the line of boats of which the lady franklin is one, carries the mail at fifty dollars a trip. during the boating season i believe the fare varies from seven to ten dollars to st. paul. this season there have been two lines of boats running to minnesota. all of them have made money fast; and next season many more boats will run. the "northern belle" is the best boat this season, and usually makes the trip up in two days. the advertised time is thirty hours. [ three weeks after this trip the lady franklin was snagged, and became a total toss.] [ the following is a table of distances from galena to st. paul: dubuque, dunleith, potosi landing, waupaton, buena vista, cassville, guttenberg, clayton, wyalusing, mcgregor's, prairie du chien, red house, johnson's landing, lafayette, columbus, lansing, de soto, victory, badaxe city, warner's landing, brownsville, la crosse, dacotah, richmond, monteville, homer, winona, fountain city, mount vernon, minneiska, alma, wabashaw, nelson's landing, reed's landing, foot of lake pepin, north pepin, johnstown, lake city, central point, florence, maiden rock, westerville, wacouta, red wing, thing's landing, diamond bluff, prescott, point douglass, hastings, grey cloud, pine bend, red rock, kaposia, st. paul, ] the scenery on the upper mississippi is reputed to be beautiful. so it is. yet all river scenery is generally monotonous. one gets tired of looking at high rocky ridges quite as quickly as at more tame and tranquil scenery. the bluffs on either side of the mississippi, for most of the way between dunleith and st. anthony's falls, constitute some of the most beautiful river scenery in the world. it is seldom that they rise over two hundred feet from the water level, and their height is quite uniform, so that from a distant point of view their summit resembles a huge fortification. nor, as a general thing, do they present a bold or rocky front. the rise from the river is gradual. sometimes they rise to a sharp peak, towards the top of which crops out in half circles heavy ridges of limestone. the ravines which seem to divide them into separate elevations, are more thickly wooded, and appear to have been grooved out by the rolling down of deep waters. the most attractive feature of these bluffs-- or miniature mountains, as they might be called-- is their smooth grassy surface, thinly covered over with shade trees of various kinds. whoever has seen a large orchard on a hill side can imagine how the sides of these bluffs look. at this season of the year the variegated foliage of the trees gives them a brilliant appearance. it is quite rare to see a bluff which rises gradually enough to admit of its being a good town site. hence it is that settlements on the banks of the river will never be very numerous. nature has here interposed against that civilization which adorns the lower mississippi. it appears to me that all the available points for town sites on the river are taken up as far as the bluffs extend; and some of these will require a great amount of excavation before they can grow to importance. but there are several thrifty and pleasant villages in minnesota, on the river, before reaching st. paul. the first one of importance is brownsville, where, for some time, was a united states land office. it is miles above dunleith. winona, miles farther up, is a larger town. it is said to contain population. there is a land office there also. but the town stands on land which, in very high water, will run too much risk of inundation. passing by several other landings and germs of towns, we come to wacouta, ninety-eight miles above; which is a successful lumber depot. six miles further on is red wing, a place which delighted me on account of its cheerful location. it is growing quite fast, and is the seat of a large methodist seminary. but the town of hastings, thirty-two miles above, eclipses everything but st. paul. it is finely located on rising ground, and the river is there narrow and deep. the boat stopped here an hour, and i had a good opportunity to look about the place. the town appears to have considerable trade with the back country. its streets are laid out with regularity; its stores and buildings are spacious, durable, and neat. i heard that over $ were asked for several of the building lots. a little way into the interior of the town i saw men at work on a stone church; and approaching the spot, i determined to make some inquiries of a boy who was briskly planing boards. first, i asked how much the church was going to cost? about $ , he replied. "are there any other churches in the place?" "yes, up there, where they are building." "what denomination is that?" "i don't know," he responded. "i only came into the place yesterday." i thought he was doing well to begin to build churches so soon after his arrival. and from his countenance, i have no doubt he will do well, and become a useful citizen of the state. hastings has its democratic press-- the dakota journal, edited by j. c. dow, a talented young man from new hampshire. the population of the town is about two thousand. it is thirty-two miles below st. paul, on the west side of the river. there is nothing of especial interest between the two places. the great panorama which time paints is but a species of dissolving views. it is but as yesterday since the present sites of towns and cities on the shores just referred to showed only the rude huts of indian tribes. to-day, the only vestige left there of the indian are his burying-grounds. hereafter the rudeness of pioneer life shall be exchanged for a more genial civilization, and the present, then the past, will be looked back to as trivial by men still yearning for the future. letter iii. city of st. paul. first settlement of st. paul-- population-- appearance of the city-- fuller house-- visitors-- roads-- minneapolis-- st. anthony-- suspension bridge. fuller house, st. paul, october, . the circumstance of finding a good spring of water first led to the settlement of boston. it would not be unreasonable to suppose that a similar advantage induced the first settler of st. paul to locate here; for i do not suppose its pioneers for a long while dreamed of its becoming a place even of its present importance. and here let me mention that st. paul is not on the west side of the mississippi, but on the east. though it is rather too elevated and rough in its natural state to have been coveted for a farm, it is yet just such a spot as a pioneer would like to plant himself upon, that he might stand in his door and have a broad and beautiful view towards the south and west. and when the speculator came he saw that it was at the head of navigation of what be thought was the upper mississippi, but which in reality is only the middle mississippi. then stores were put up, small and rude, and trade began to increase with settlers and hunters of furs. then came the organization of the territory, and the location of the capital here, so that st. paul began to thrive still more from the crumbs which fell from the government table, as also by that flood of emigration which nothing except the rocky mountains has ever stayed from entering a new territory. and now it has passed its doubtful era. it has passed from its wooden to its brick age. before men are certain of the success of a town, they erect one story pine shops; but when its success appears certain, they build high blocks of brick or granite stores. so now it is common to see four and five story brick or stone buildings going up in st. paul. i believe this city numbers at present about , population. it is destined to increase for a few years still more rapidly than it has heretofore. but that it will be a second chicago is what i do not expect. it would certainly seem that the high prices demanded for building lots must retard the progress of the place; but i am told the prices have always been as high in proportion to the business and number of population. $ and upwards is asked for a decent building lot in remote parts of the town. i have had an agreeable stroll down upon the bluff, south-east from the city, and near the elegant mansion of mr. dayton. the first engraving of st. paul was made from a view taken at that point. as i stood looking at the city, i recalled the picture in mr. bond's work, and contrasted its present with the appearance it had three or four years ago. what a change! three or four steamers were lying at the levee; steam and smoke were shooting forth from the chimneys of numerous manufactories; a ferry was plying the mississippi, transporting teams and people; church steeples and domes and great warehouses stood in places which were vacant as if but yesterday; busy streets had been built and peopled; rows of splendid dwellings and villas, adorned with delightful terraces and gardens, had been erected. i went out on sunday morning too, and the view was none the less pleasant. business was silent; but the church bells were ringing out their sweet and solemn melody, and the mellow sunlight of autumn glittered on the bright roofs and walls in the city. the whole scene revealed the glorious image of that ever advancing civilization which springs from well rewarded labor and general intelligence. like all new and growing places in the west, st. paul has its whiskey shops, its dusty and dirty streets, its up and down sidewalks, and its never-ceasing whirl of business. yet it has its churches, well filled; its spacious school-houses; its daily newspapers; and well-adorned mansions. there are many cottages and gardens situated on the most elevated part of the city, north and west, which would not suffer by a comparison with those cheerful and elegant residences so numerous for six to ten miles around boston. from the parlors of these homes one may look down upon the city and upon the smooth bosom of the river. in the streets, too, you see much evidence of opulence and luxury, in the shape of handsome carriages, which are set out to advantage by a first-rate quality of horses. one element of the success of this city is the public spirit of its leading business men. they have put their hands deep into their pockets to improve and advance the place. in all their rivalry there is an amicable feeling and boundless liberality. they help him that tries to help himself, and help each other in a way that will help them all together; and such kind of enterprises produces grand results. why, here is a new hotel (the fuller house) at which i stop, which is surpassed but by very few hotels in the country. it is a first-class house, built of brick, five stories high, and of much architectural beauty. the building itself cost upwards of $ , , and its furniture over $ , . its proprietor is mr. long, who has already had good success in this sort of business. one can well imagine the comfort of finding such a house at the end of a long and tedious journey in a new country. it is estimated that , people have visited and left st. paul during the present season. during july and august the travel diminishes, but as soon as autumn sets in it comes on again in daily floods. it is really a novel and interesting state of things one finds on his arrival at the hotel. there are so many people from so many different places! then everybody is a stranger to almost everybody, and therefore quite willing to get acquainted with somebody. everybody wants a bit of information on some point. everybody is going to some place where he thinks somebody has been or is going, and so a great many new acquaintances are made without ceremony or delay; and old acquaintances are revived. i find people who have come from all sections of the country-- from the east and the west, and from the south-- not adventurers merely, but men of substance and means, who seek a healthier climate and a pleasant home. nor can i here omit to mention the meeting of my friend, col. a. j. whitney, who is one of the pioneers of minnesota, and with whom i had two years before travelled over the western prairies. a. h. marshall, esq., of concord, n. h., well known as a popular speaker, is also here on a visit. but what are the roads leading from st. paul, and what are the facilities of travel to places beyond? these are questions which i suppose some would like to have answered. there is a road to stillwater, and a stage, which i believe runs daily. that is the route now often taken to lake superior. this morning three men came in on that stage from superior, who have been a week on the journey. the great highway of the territory extends as far as crow wing, miles north of here. it passes st. anthony and several important towns on the eastern bank of the mississippi. in a day or two i intend to take a journey as far as crow wing, and i can then write with more knowledge on the subject. a very pretty drive out of st. paul is by the cave. this is an object worth visiting, and is about two miles out of the city. three or four miles beyond are the beautiful falls of minnehaha, or laughing water. the drive also takes in fort snelling. st. anthony is on the east side of the mississippi; minneapolis is opposite, on the west side. both places are now large and populous. the main street of st. anthony is over a mile in length. one of the finest water powers in the union is an element of growth to both towns. the lumber which is sawed there is immense. a company is undertaking to remove the obstructions to navigation in the river between st. paul and st. anthony. $ , were raised for the purpose; one-half by the steamboat company, and the other half by the people of st. anthony. the suspension bridge which connects minneapolis with st. anthony is familiar to all. it is a fit type of the enterprise of the people. i forget the exact sum i paid as toll when i walked across the bridge-- perhaps it was a dime; at any rate i was struck with the answer given by the young man who took the toll, in reply to my inquiry as i returned, if my coming back wasn't included in the toll paid going over? " no," said he, in a very good-natured way, "we don't know anything about coming back; it's all go ahead in this country." letter iv. the bar. character of the minnesota bar-- effect of connecting land business with practice-- courts-- recent legislation of congress as to the territorial judiciary-- the code of practice-- practice in land cases-- chances for lawyers in the west-- charles o'connor-- requisite qualifications of a lawyer-- the power and usefulness of a great lawyer-- talfourd's character of sir william follett-- blending law with politics-- services of lawyers in deliberative assemblies st. paul, october, . i have not yet been inside of a court of justice, nor seen a case tried, since i have been in the territory. but it has been my pleasure to meet one of the judges of the supreme court and several prominent members of the bar. my impression is, that in point of skill and professional ability the minnesota bar is a little above the average of territorial bars. here, as in the west generally, the practice is common for lawyers to mix with their profession considerable miscellaneous business, such as the buying and selling of land. the law is too jealous a mistress to permit any divided love, and therefore it cannot be expected that really good lawyers will be found in the ranks of general business agents and speculators. in other words, a broker's office is not a lawyer's office. there are some lawyers here who have attended strictly to the profession, who are ornaments of it, and who have met with good success. the idea has been common, and as fatal as common, that success in legal practice could be easily attained in the west with a small amount of skill and learning. it is true that a poor lawyer aided by some good qualities will sometimes rise to affluence and eminence, though such cases are exceptions. there are able layers in the west, and, though practice may be less formal and subtle than in older communities, ability and skill find their relative advancement and reward, while ignorance and incapacity have their downward tendency just as they do everywhere else. the fees for professional services are liberal, being higher than in the east. before an attorney can be admitted to practise he must have an examination by, or under the direction of, one of the judges of the supreme court. the provisions of the territorial statutes are quite strict in their tendency to maintain upright practice. an act of the present congress has created a revolution in the courts of the territory. the organic act, ss , provided that the territory should be divided into three judicial districts; "and a district court shall be held in each of said districts by one of the justices of the supreme court, at such times and places as may be prescribed by law." this meant, i suppose, at such times and places as the territorial legislature should prescribe. accordingly, as population increased and extended, and as counties were established, the territorial legislature increased the places in each district for holding the district court. either on account of the expense or for some other cause congress has just stepped aside from the doctrine of non-intervention (ch. , sec. ), and abrogated the territorial legislation so far as to provide that there shall be but one place in each of the three districts for holding a district court. the act applies to all territories. in a territory of five or six hundred miles in extent it is of course inconvenient to have but three places for holding courts. the minnesotians complain that it is an interference with popular sovereignty. it is possible the legislature might have gone to an extreme in creating places for holding courts; and i suppose the judges were kept on the march a good deal of the time. it also looks as if the remedy by congress was extreme. the people say it is a coercive measure to drive them into a state organization. the administration of justice is secured by a system which is now common to all the territories, with the exception of kansas. the supreme court consists of the three district judges in full bench. they hold nisi prius terms in their respective districts, which are called district courts. the judges have a salary of $ each, and are appointed for a term of four years, subject to removal by the president. the district courts have chancery jurisdiction in matters where there is not a plain, adequate, and complete remedy at law. (stat. of min. ch. , sec. .) there are also probate courts. each county has two justices of the peace, who are elected by the people. and i cannot but remark how much better the practice is to elect or appoint a few justices of the peace rather than to allow the office to be degraded by wholesale appointments, as a matter of compliment, according to the usage too common in some eastern states. the justices of the peace have jurisdiction in civil cases where the amount in question does not exceed $ ; and when the amount at issue is over $ either party may demand a jury of six men to try the case. but there would be little demand for juries if all magistrates were as competent as our enlightened friend judge russell. special pleading never flourished much in the west. it was never "a favorite with the court" out this way; while the regard which the lawyers have cherished for it has been "distant and respectful." it has been laid on the shelf about as effectually as bleeding in the practice of medicine. the science of special pleading, as it is known in these days-- and that in some of the older states-- exists in a mitigated form from what it did in the days of coke and hale. the opportunities to amend, and the various barriers against admitting a multiplicity of pleas, have rendered the system so much more rational than it once was, that it is doubtful if some of the old english worthies could now identify it. once a defendant could plead to an action of assumpsit just as many defences as he chose; first, he could deny the whole by pleading the general issue; then he could plead the statute of limitations, infancy, accord and satisfaction, and a dozen other pleas, by which the plaintiff would be deprived of any clue to the real defence. i suppose it was this practice of formal lying which has given rise to the popular error that a lawyer is in the habit of lying, or is obliged to lie, in his arguments. many people do not know the difference between pleading-- which is a process in writing to bring the parties to an issue-- and the oral arguments of counsel in courts. it is ridiculous to suppose that it is easy or profitable for lawyers to make false statements in their arguments. the opposing counsel is ready to catch at anything of the kind; and if he misstates the evidence, the jury are aware of it; while if he states what is not law, the court generally knows it. so there is no opportunity for lying even if a lawyer should be so disposed. the practice in civil actions as provided by the statutes of minnesota is similar-- if not actually the same-- to the new york code of practice. there is but one form of action, called an action of contract. the only pleading on the part of the plaintiff is, st, the complaint; d, the reply. on the part of the defendant, st, demurrer; or d, the answer. (stats. ch. , sec. .) the complaint must contain, st, the title of the cause, specifying the name of the court in which the action is brought and the names of the parties to the action, plaintiff and defendant; d, a statement of the facts constituting the cause of action in ordinary and concise language, without repetition, and in such a manner as to enable a person of common understanding to know what is intended; d, a demand of the relief to which the plaintiff supposes himself entitled. if the recovery of money be demanded the amount must be stated. (ibid. sec. .) while testifying my approval of this code of practice as a whole, i cannot resist saying that in many respects it is not so systematic as the massachusetts code, which was devised by messrs. curtis (now mr. justice), lord, and chapman. that code is one of the best in the world. and if i may be allowed one word more about special pleading, i would say that there is no branch of law which will better reward study. without mentioning the practice in the u. s. courts, which requires, certainly, a knowledge of special pleading, no one can read the old english reports and text books with much profit, who is ignorant of the principles of that science. a class of business peculiar to new territories and states arises from the land laws. a great many pre-emption cases are contested before the land officers, in which the services of lawyers are required. this fact will partly explain why there are, generally, so many lawyers located in the vicinity of a land office. in a community that is newly settled the title to property must often be in dispute; and however much averse people may be to going to law, they find it frequently indispensable, if they wish to have their rights settled on a firm basis. the opinion prevails almost universally in the east that a lawyer can do best in the west. in some respects he can. if he cannot do a good deal better, he is not compensated for going. i had the pleasure of a conversation last summer with one of the most eminent members of the new york bar (mr. o'connor), on this very subject. it was his opinion that western lawyers begin sooner to enjoy their reputation than the lawyers in the eastern cities. this is true; and results from there being less competition in newer communities. "a lawyer among us," said mr. o'connor, "seldom acquires eminence till he begins to turn gray." nevertheless, there is no field so great and so certain in the long run, in which one may become really a great lawyer, as in some of our large commercial cities, whether of the east or the west. to admit of the highest professional eminence there must be a large and varied business; and a lawyer must devote himself almost exclusively to law. and then, when this great reputation is acquired, what does it amount to? something now, but not much hereafter. the great lawyer lives a life of toil and excitement. often does it seem to "break on the fragments of a reviving dream." his nerves are worn by the troubles of others; for the exercise of the profession, as has been said by a brilliant lawyer, "involves intimate participation with the interests, hopes, fears, passions, affections, and vicissitudes of many lives." and yet merely as a lawyer, he seldom leaves any durable vestige of his fame behind him-- hardly a fortune. but if his fame is transient and mortal, there is some equivalent in the pleasure of triumph and the consciousness of power. there is no man so powerful as the great lawyer. the wealth and the character of his fellow men often depend upon him. his clients are sometimes powerful corporations, or cities, or states. crowded courts listen to his eloquence year after year; and no one has greater freedom of speech than he. the orator and politician may be wafted into a conspicuous place for a brief period, and fall again when popular favor has cooled; yet the lawyer is rising still higher, nor can the rise and fall of parties shake him from his high pedestal; for the tenure of his power is not limited. he is, too, one of the most serviceable protectors of the liberties of his country. it was as a lawyer that otis thundered against writs of assistance. the fearless zeal of somers, in defence of the seven bishops, fanned the torch of liberty at the beginning of the great english revolution. erskine and brougham did more as lawyers to promote freedom of the press, than as statesmen. i cannot refrain from inserting here mr. justice talfourd's interesting analysis of the professional abilities of follett: "it may be well, while the materials for investigation remain, to inquire into the causes of success, so brilliant and so fairly attained by powers which have left so little traces of their progress. erskine was never more decidedly at the head of the common law bar than follett; compared with follett he was insignificant in the house of commons; his career was chequered by vanities and weaknesses from which that of follett was free; and yet even if he had not been associated with the greatest constitutional questions of his time and their triumphant solution, his fame would live by the mere force and beauty of his forensic eloquence as long as our language. but no collection of the speeches of follett has been made; none will ever be attempted; no speech he delivered is read, except perchance as part of an interesting trial, and essential to its story, and then the language is felt to be poor, the cadences without music, and the composition vapid and spiritless; although, if studied with a view to the secrets of forensic success, with a 'learned spirit of human dealing,' in connexion with the facts developed and the difficulties encountered, will supply abundant materials for admiration of that unerring skill which induced the repetition of fortunate topics, the dexterous suppression of the most stubborn things when capable of oblivion, and the light evasive touch with which the speaker fulfilled his promise of not forgetting others which could not be passed over, but which, if deeply considered, might he fatal. if, however, there was no principle of duration in his forensic achievements, there can be doubt of the esteem in which they were held or the eagerness with which they were sought. his supremacy in the minds of clients was more like the rage of a passion for a youthful roscius or an extraordinary preacher, than the result of deliberate consideration; and yet it prevailed, in questions not of an evening's amusement, but of penury or riches, honor or shame. suitors were content, not only to make large sacrifices for the assured advantage of his advocacy, but for the bare chance-- the distant hope-- of having some little part (like that which phormio desires to retain in thais) of his faculties, with the certainty of preventing their opposition. there was no just ground, in his case, for the complaint that he received large fees for services he did not render; for the chances were understood by those who adventured in his lottery; in which after all there were comparatively few blanks. his name was 'a tower of strength,' which it was delightful to know that the adverse faction wanted, and which inspired confidence even on the back of the brief of his forsaken junior, who bore the burden and heat of the day for a fifth of the fee which secured that name. will posterity ask what were the powers thus sought, thus prized, thus rewarded, and thus transient? they will be truly told that he was endowed, in a remarkable degree, with some moral qualities which smoothed his course and charmed away opposition, and with some physical advantages which happily set off his intellectual gifts; that he was blessed with a temper at once gentle and even; with a gracious manner and a social temperament; that he was without jealousy of the solid or showy talents of others, and willingly gave them the amplest meed of praise; that he spoke with all the grace of modesty, yet with the assurance of perfect mastery over his subject, his powers, and his audience; and yet they will scarcely recognise in these excellencies sufficient reasons for his extraordinary success. to me, the true secret of his peculiar strength appeared to lie in the possession of two powers which rarely co-exist in the same mind-- extraordinary subtlety of perception and as remarkable simplicity of execution. in the first of these faculties-- in the intuitive power of common sense, which is the finest essence of experience, whereby it attains 'to something of prophetic strain'-- he excelled all his contemporaries except lord abinger, with whom it was more liable to be swayed by prejudice or modified by taste, as it was adorned with happier graces. the perfection of this faculty was remarkably exemplified in the fleeting visits he often paid to the trials of causes which he had left to the conduct of his juniors; a few words, sometimes a glance, sufficed to convey to his mind the exact position of complicated affairs, and enabled him to decide what should be done or avoided; and where the interference of any other moral advocate would have been dangerous, he often rendered good service, and, which was more extraordinary, never did harm. so his unrivalled aptitude for legal reasoning, enabled him to deal with authorities as he dealt with facts; if unprepared for an argument, he could find its links in the chaos of an index, and make an imposing show of learning out of a page of harrison; and with the aid of the interruptions of the bench, which he could as dexterously provoke as parry, could find the right clue and conduct a luminous train of reasoning to a triumphant close. his most elaborate arguments, though not comparable in essence with those of his chief opponent, lord campbell-- which, in comprehensive outline, exact logic, felicitous illustration, and harmonious structure, excelled all others i have heard-- were delivered in tones so nicely adapted to the minds and ears of the judges, with an earnestness so winning, and a confidence so contagious, that they made a judgment on his side not only a necessity, but a pleasure. "the other faculty, to which, in combination with his subtlety of understanding, the excellence of his advocacy may be attributed, is one more rarely possessed-- and scarcely ever in such association-- the entire singleness of a mind equally present in every part of a cause. if the promotion of the interest of the client were an advocate's highest duty, it would be another name for the exactest virtue; and inasmuch as that interest is not, like the objects of zeal, fixed in character, but liable to frequent change, the faculty of directing the whole power of the understanding to each shifting aspect of the cause in its minutest shadowings without the guidance of an inflexible law, is far more wonderful, if far less noble, than a singleness of devotion to right. it has an integrity of its own, which bears some affinity to that honesty which baillie nichol jarvie attributes to his highland kinsman. such honesty-- that is, the entire devotion of all the faculties to the object for which it was retained, without the lapse of a moment's vanity or indolence, with unlimited vision and unceasing activity-- was follett's beyond all other advocates of our time. to the presentment of truth, or sophism, as the cause might require, he gave his entire mind with as perfect oblivion of self as the most heroic sufferer for principle. the faculty which in gladstone, the statesman, applied to realities and inspired only by the desire to discover the truth and to clothe it in language, assumes, in the minds of superficial observers, the air of casuistry from the nicety of its distinctions and the earnest desire of the speaker to present truth in its finest shades-- in follett, the advocate, applied indiscriminately to the development of the specious shows of things as of their essences, wore all the semblance of sincerity; and, in one sense, deserved it. no fears, no doubts, no scruples shook him. of the license which advocacy draws from sympathy with the feelings of those it represents, he made full use, with unhesitating power; for his reason, of 'large discourse,' was as pliable as the affections of the most sensitive nature. nor was he diverted from his aim by any figure or fancy: if he neither exalted his subject by imagination, nor illustrated it by wit, nor softened its details by pathos, he never made it the subject of vain attempts at the exhibition of either. he went into the arena, stripped of all encumbrance, to win, and contended studious only and always of victory. his presence of mind was not merely the absence of external distraction, nor the capacity of calling up all energies on an emergency, but the continued application of them equally to the duty of each moment. there are few speakers, even of fervid sincerity and zeal, whose thoughts do not frequently run before or beside the moment's purpose; whose wits do not sometimes wander on to some other part of the case than that they are instantly discussing; who do not anticipate some future effect, or dally with some apprehension of future peril, while they should consider only the next word or sentence. this momentary desertion of the exact purpose never occurred to follett; he fitted the thought to its place; the word to the thought; and allowed the action only to take care of itself, as it always will with an earnest speaker. his, therefore, was rather the artlessness than the art of advocacy-- its second nature-- justly appreciated by those to whose interests it was devoted; but not fully understood even by the spectator of its exertion; dying with the causes in which it was engaged, and leaving no vestiges except in their success. hence the blank which is substituted for the space he filled in human affairs. the modest assurance, the happy boldness, the extemporaneous logic, all that 'led but to the grave,' exist, like the images of departed actors, only in the recollection of those who witnessed them, till memory shall fade into tradition, and tradition dwindle down to a name." (supplement to vacation rambles, p. .) the eagerness with which the talents of sir william follett were sought, forcibly illustrates the truth of a remark, made to me in the course of some friendly advice, by one who may be ranked among the most brilliant advocates who have adorned the american bar (now in the highest office in the nation), that to attain the highest rank in the legal profession, a lawyer must have such abilities and character as will "compel" patronage. he, however, who enters the profession here or elsewhere merely as a stepping stone to political preferment, need not expect great success, even though he may acquire some temporary advancement. the day is past when lawyers could monopolize every high place in the state. the habit of public speaking is not now confined to the learned professions. our peculiar system of education has trained up a legion of orators and politicians outside of the bar. now-a-days a man must have other qualifications besides the faculty of speech-making to win the prize in politics. he must be a man of comprehensive ability, and thoroughly identified with the interests of the people, before he can secure much popular favor, or else he must be possessed of such shining talents and character that his fellow men will take a pride in advancing him to conspicuous and responsible trusts. let a man have a part or all of these qualifications, however, and with them the experience and tact of a lawyer, and he will of course make a more valuable public servant, especially if he is placed in a deliberative body. the british cabinets have always relied vastly on the support afforded them in the house of commons by their attorneys and solicitors general, whether it consisted in the severe and solemn logic of romilly, in the cool and ready arguments of scarlett, or the acute and irresistible oratory of sir william follett. the education of a lawyer;-- his experience as a manager; his art of covering up weak points, his ready and adroit style of speaking;-- all serve to make him peculiarly valuable to his own party, and dangerous to an opposition in a deliberative body. but the fact that a man is a lawyer does not advance him in politics so much as it once did. fortunate it is so! for though learning will always have its advantages, yet no profession ought to have exclusive privileges. nor need the lawyer repine that it is so, inasmuch as it is for his benefit, if he desires success in the profession, to discard the career of politics. the race is not to the swift, and he can afford to wait for the legitimate honors of the bar. i will conclude by saying that i regard minnesota as a good field for an upright, industrious, and competent lawyer. for those of an opposite class, i have never yet heard of a very promising field. letter v. st. paul to crow wing in two days. stages-- roads-- rum river-- indian treaty-- itasca-- sauk rapids-- watab at midnight-- lodging under difficulties,-- little rock river-- character of minnesota streams-- dinner at swan river-- little falls-- fort ripley-- arrival at crow wing. crow wing, october, . here i am, after two days drive in a stage, at the town of crow wing, one hundred and thirty miles, a little west of north, from st. paul. i will defer, however, any remarks on crow wing, or the many objects of interest hereabout, till i have mentioned a few things which i saw coming up. between st. paul and this place is a tri-weekly line of stages. the coaches are of concord manufacture, spacious and comfortable; and the entire equipage is well adapted to the convenience of travellers. next season, the enterprising proprietors, messrs. chase and allen, who carry the mail, intend establishing a daily line. i left the fuller house in the stage at about five in the morning. there was only a convenient number of passengers till we arrived at st. anthony, where we breakfasted; but then our load was more than doubled, and we drove out with nine inside and about seven outside, with any quantity of baggage. the road is very level and smooth; and with the exception of encountering a few small stamps where the track has been diverted for some temporary impediment, and also excepting a few places where it is exceedingly sandy, it is an uncommonly superior road. it is on the eastern bank of the mississippi, and was laid out very straight. but let me remark that everybody who travels it seems conscious that it is a government road. there are several bridges, and they are often driven over at a rapid rate, much to their damage. when minnesota shall have a state government, and her towns or counties become liable for the condition of the roads, people will doubtless be more economical of the bridges, even though the traveller be not admonished to walk his horse, or to "keep to the right," &c. emerging from st. anthony, the undulating aspect of the country ceases, and we enter upon an almost unbroken plain. a leading characteristic of the scenery is the thin forests of oak, commonly called oak openings. the soil appears to be rich. seven miles from st. anthony is a tidy settlement called manomin, near the mouth of rice river. but the first place of importance which we reached is anoka, a large and handsome village situated on rum river. it is twenty-five miles from st. paul. the river is a large and beautiful stream and affords good water-power, in the development of which anoka appears to thrive. a vast number of pine logs are annually floated down the river and sawed into lumber at the anoka mills. the settlers are principally from maine. by the treaty of d february, , with three bands of the chippewa indians, an appropriation of $ was set apart for the construction of a road from the mouth of rum river to mille lac. the road is half completed. we took an early dinner at itasca, having come thirty-two miles. itasca is quite an unassuming place, and not so pretty as its name. but i shall always cherish a good-will for the spot, inasmuch as i got a first-rate dinner there. it was all put upon the table before we sat down, so that each one could help himself; and as it consisted of very palatable edibles, each one did help himself quite liberally. we started on soon afterwards, with a new driver and the third set of horses; but with the disagreeable consciousness that we had still before us the largest part of the day's journey. in about three hours we came to big lake, or, as it is sometimes called, humboldt. the lake is anything but a big lake, being the size of a common new england pond. but then all such sheets of water are called lakes in this part of the country. it is a clear body of water, abounding with fine fish, and has a beautiful shore of pebbles. several similar sheets of water are passed on the journey, the shores of which present a naked appearance. there is neither the trace of a stream leading from or to them, nor, with few exceptions, even a swamp in their vicinity. sauk rapids is miles from itasca, and it was late when we reached there. but, late as it was, we found a large collection of people at the post office waiting for the mail. they appeared to have had a caucus, and were discussing politics with much animation. there is at sauk rapids a local land office. that is of more advantage to a place than being the county seat. in a short time, however, some of the land offices will be removed further west for the convenience of settlers. the village is finely situated on rising ground, and contains some handsome residences. it was midnight when we arrived at watab, where we were to lodge. the weather had been delightful during the day, but after nightfall a high wind rose and filled the air with dust. i descended from the stage-- for i had rode upon the outside-- with self-satisfied emotions of having come eighty-two miles since morning. the stage-house was crowded. it is a two-story building, the rooms of which are small. i went to bed, i was about to say, without any supper. but that was not so. i didn't get any supper, it is true, neither did i get a bed; for they were all occupied. the spare room on the floor was also taken. the proprietor, however, was accommodating, and gave me a sort of a lounge in rather a small room where three or four other men, and a dog, were sleeping on the floor. i fixed the door ajar for ventilation, and with my overcoat snugly buttoned around me, though it was not cold, addressed myself to sleep. in the morning i found that one of the occupants was an ex-alderman from the fifth ward of new york; and that in the room over me slept no less a personage than parker h. french. i say i ascertained these facts in the morning. mr. french came to watab a few weeks ago with a company of mechanics, and has been rushing the place ahead with great zeal. he appears to make a good impression on the people of the town. a heavy rain had fallen during the night; the stage was but moderately loaded, and i started out from watab, after breakfast the next morning, in bright spirits. still the road is level, and at a slow trot the team makes better time than a casual observer is conscious of. soon we came to little rock river, which is one of the crookedest streams that was ever known of. we are obliged to cross it twice within a short space. twelve miles this side we cross the beautiful platte river. it would make this letter much more monotonous than it is, i fear, were i to name all the rivers we pass. they are very numerous: and as they increase the delight of the traveller, so are they also a delight and a convenience to the settler. like the rivers of new england, they are clear and rapid, and furnish abundant means for water-power. the view which we catch of the mississippi is frequent, but brief, as the road crosses its curves in the most direct manner. much of the best land on either side of the road is in the hands of speculators, who purchased it at public sale, or afterwards plastered it over with land warrants. there is evidence of this on the entire route; for, although we pass populous villages, and a great many splendid farms, the greater part of the land is still unoccupied. the soil is dark colored, but in some places quite mealy; everywhere free from stones, and susceptible of easy cultivation. we arrived at swan river at about one o'clock, where we dined on wild ducks. that is a village also of considerable importance; but it is not so large as little falls, which is three miles this side. at that place the mississippi furnishes a good water power. it has a spacious and tidy hotel, several stores, mechanics' shops, a saw-mill, &c. at belle prairie we begin to see something of the chippewas. the half-breeds have there some good farms, and the school-house and the church denote the progress of civilization. it was near sunset when we reached fort ripley. the garrison stands on the west bank of the mississippi, but the reservation extends several miles on both sides. the stage crosses the river on the ferry to leave the mail and then returns. the great flag was still flying from the high staff, and had an inspiring influence. like most of our inland military posts, port ripley has no stone fortifications. it is neatly laid out in a square, and surrounded by a high protective fence. three or four field-pieces stand upon the bank of the river fronting it, and at some distance present a warlike attitude. the rest of the trip, being about five miles, was over the reservation, on which, till we come to crow wing, are no settlements. here i gladly alighted from the coach, and found most comfortable and agreeable entertainment at a house which stands on the immediate bank of the river. letter vi. the town of crow wing. scenery-- first settlement of crow wing-- red lake indians-- mr. morrison-- prospects of the town-- upper navigation-- mr. beaulieu-- washington's theory as to norfolk-- observations on the growth of towns. crow wing, october, . i am highly gratified with the appearance of this place. mr. burke says-- " in order that we should love our country, our country should first be lovely," and there is much wisdom in the remark. nature has done so much for this locality that one could be contented to live here on quite a moderate income. the land is somewhat elevated, near the bank of the mississippi, affording a pleasant view over upon the western side, both above and below the two graceful mouths of the crow wing river. towards the east and north, after a few miles, the view is intercepted by a higher ridge of land covered with timber; or, by the banks of the mississippi itself, as from this point we begin to ascend it in a northeasterly course. crow wing was selected as a trading post upwards of twenty years ago. mr. mcdonnald, who still resides here, was, i believe, the first white settler. till within a recent period it was the headquarters of the mississippi tribe of chippewas, and the principal trading depot with the chippewas generally. here they brought their furs, the fruits of their buffalo and their winter hunts, and their handicraft of beads and baskets, to exchange for clothing and for food. thus the place was located and settled on long before there was a prospect of its becoming a populous town. mr. rice, the delegate in congress, if i mistake not, once had a branch store here with several men in his employ. the principal traders at present are mr. abbee and mr. beaulieu, who have large and well selected stocks of goods. the present population of white persons probably numbers a hundred souls. the place now has a more populous appearance on account of the presence of a caravan of red lake indians, who have come down about four hundred miles to trade. they are encamped round about in tents or birch bark lodges, as it may happen to be. in passing some of them, i saw the squaws busily at work on the grass outside of the lodge in manufacturing flag carpets. the former indian residents are now removed to their reservation in the fork of the mississippi and crow wing rivers, where their agency is now established. the houses here are very respectable in size, and furnished in metropolitan style and elegance. the farms are highly productive, and the grazing for stock unequalled. there is a good ferry at the upper end of the town, at a point where the river is quite narrow and deep. you can be taken over with a horse for twenty-five cents; with a carriage, i suppose, the tariff is higher. perhaps one cause of my favorable impression of crow wing is the excellent and home-like hotel accommodations which i have found. the proprietor hardly assumes to keep a public-house, and yet provides his guests with very good entertainment; and i cannot refrain from saying that there is no public-house this side of st. paul where the traveller will be better treated. mr. morrison-- for that is the proprietor's name-- came here fifteen years ago, having first come into this region in the service of john jacob astor. he married one of the handsomest of the chippewa maidens, who is now his faithful wife and housekeeper, and the mother of several interesting and amiable children. mr. m. is the postmaster. he has been a member of the territorial legislature, and his name has been given to a large and beautiful county. i judge that society has been congenial in the town. the little church, standing on an eminence, indicates some union of sentiment at least, and a regard for the higher objects of life. spring and summer and autumn must be delightful seasons here, and bring with them the sweetest tranquillity. nor are the people shut out from the world in winter; for then there is travel and intercourse and traffic. so are there pleasures and recreation peculiar to the season. but the serene and quiet age of the settlement is near its close. enterprise and speculation, with their bustle and turmoil, have laid hold of it. the clank of the hammer, the whistle of steamboats, the rattling of carts, heaps of lumber and of bricks, excavations and gratings, short corners and rough unshapen walks, will usurp the quiet and the regularity of the place. indeed a man ought to make a fortune to compensate for residing in a town during the first years of its rapid building. the streets appear, on the map, to be well laid out. a number of purchasers of lots are preparing to build; and a few new buildings are already going up. as near as i am able to learn, the things which conduce to its availability as a business place are these-- first, it is the beginning of the upper mississippi navigation. from this point steamboats can go from two to three hundred miles. but they cannot pass below, on account of the obstructions near fort ripley, at little falls, and at sauk rapids. this of course is a great element in its future success, as the country above in the valley of the river is destined to be thickly settled, and boats will run between this point and the settlements along the river. it will also be a large lumber market, for the pine forests begin here and extend along the river banks for hundreds of miles, while the facility of getting the logs down is unexceptionable. the territory north of crow wing is now open for settlers to a great distance, the indian title having been extinguished. two land districts have also been established, which will be an inducement for fresh emigration. there is no other place but this to supply these settlements; at least none so convenient. a great deal of timber will also come down the crow wing river, which is a large stream, navigable three months in the year. arrangements are complete for building a steamboat the ensuing winter, at this very place, to begin running in the spring as far up as ojibeway. next season there will be a daily line of stages between this and st. paul. i understand also that it is intended next summer to connect crow wing with the flourishing town of superior by stage. it will require considerable energy to do this thing; but if it can be done, it will be a great blessing to the traveller as well as a profit to the town. the journey from st. paul to lake superior via crow wing can then be performed in three days, while on the usual route it now occupies a week. such are some of the favorable circumstances which corroborate the expectation of the growth of this place. the southern or lower portion of the town is included within the fort ripley reserve, and though several residences are situated on it, no other buildings can be put up without a license from the commanding officer; nor can any lots be sold from that portion until the reserve is cut down. with the upper part of the town it is different. mr. c. h. beaulieu, long a resident of the place, is the proprietor of that part, and has already, i am informed, made some extensive sales of lots. he is one of those lucky individuals, who have sagacity to locate on an available spot, and patience to wait the opening of a splendid fortune.[ ] [ since this letter was written, mr. thomas cathcart has purchased a valuable claim opposite crow wing at the mouth of the river, which i should think was an available town site.] my observation and experience in regard to town sites have taught me an important fact: that as much depends on the public spirit, unity of action, and zeal of the early proprietors, as upon the locality itself. the one is useless without these helps. general washington wrote an able essay to prove the availability of norfolk, va., as the great commercial metropolis of the country. he speculated upon its being the great market for the west. his imagination pictured out some such place as new york now is, as its future. the unequalled harbor of norfolk, and the resources of the country all around it, extending as far, almost, as thought could reach, might well have encouraged the theory of washington. but munificence and energy and labor have built up many cities since then, which had not half the natural advantages of norfolk, while norfolk is far behind. a little lack of enterprise, a little lack of harmony and liberality, may, in the early days of a town, divert business and improvements from a good location, till in a short time an unheard-of and inferior place totally eclipses it. knowing this to be the case, i have been careful in my previous letters not to give too much importance to many of the town sites which have been commended to me along my journey. i do not discover any of these retarding circumstances about crow wing. i must conclude at this paragraph, however, in order to take a horseback ride to the chippewa agency. in my next i intend to say something about the indians, pine timber, and the country above here in general. letter vii. chippewa indians.-- hole-in-the-day. description of the chippewa tribes-- their habits and customs-- mission at gull late-- progress in farming-- visit to hole-in-the-day-- his enlightened character-- reflections on indian character, and the practicability of their civilization-- their education-- mr. manypenny's exertions. crow wing, october, . i consider myself exceedingly fortunate in having had a good opportunity for observing the condition of the chippewa indians. sometime ago i saw enough of the indians in another part of the country to gratify my curiosity as to their appearance and habits; and as i have always felt a peculiar interest in their destiny, my present observations have been with a view to derive information as to the best means for their improvement. the whole number of chippewas in minnesota is not much over . they are divided into several bands, each band being located a considerable distance from the other. the mississippi band live on their reservation, which begins a few miles above here across the river, while the pillagor and lake winnibigoshish bands are some three hundred miles further north. the agency of the chippewas is on the reservation referred to, a little north of the crow wing river, and six miles distant from this town. to come down more to particulars, however, and adopt words which people here would use, i might say that the agency is on gull river, a very clear and pretty stream, which flows from a lake of that name, into the crow wing. i passed the agency yesterday, and two miles beyond, in order to visit pug-o-na-ke-shick, or hole-in-the-day, the principal and hereditary chief of the chippewas. mr. herriman, the agent, resides at the agency, in compliance with the regulation of the indian bureau, which requires agents to reside among the indians. i strongly suspect there are many people who would think it unsafe to travel alone among the chippewas. but people who live about here would ridicule the idea of being afraid of violence or the slightest molestation from them, unless indeed the fellows were intoxicated. for my part, a walk on boston common on a summer morning could not seem more quiet and safe than a ramble on horseback among the homes of these indians. i spoke to a good many. though naturally reserved and silent, they return a friendly salutation with a pleasant smile. their old costume is still retained as a general thing. the blanket is still worn instead of coats. sometimes the men wear leggins, but often go with their legs naked. a band is generally worn upon the head with some ornament upon it. a feather of the war eagle worn in the head-band of a brave, denotes that he has taken the scalp of an enemy or performed some rare feat of daring. an indian does not consider himself in full dress without his war hatchet or weapons. i meet many with long-stemmed pipes, which are also regarded as an ornamental part of dress. they appear pleased to have anything worn about them attract attention. they are of good size, taller than the winnebagoes, and of much lighter complexion than tribes living five hundred miles further south. herein the philosopher on the cooking of men is confirmed. their hair is black, long, and straight; and some are really good-looking. there are but few who still paint. those in mourning paint their faces black. what i have seen of their houses raises high hopes of their advancement in civilization. we can now begin to lay aside the word lodge and say house. over a year ago, mr. herriman promised every one a good cooking stove who would build himself a comfortable house. this promise had a good effect, for several houses were built. but the want of windows and several other conveniences, which are proper fixtures, gives their dwellings a desolate appearance to one who looks to a higher standard of comfort. of course i saw a few of the men at the store (for there is a store at the agency), spending their time, as too many white men do in country villages. eight miles beyond the agency, on gull lake, is a mission. it has been under the charge of rev. j. l. breck, a gentleman of high culture, and whose enlightened and humane exertions in behalf of the indians have received much commendation both from the agent and gov. gorman, the superintendent. he has been at the mission four years. while he had the benefit of the school-fund, he had in his school, under his own roof, pupils; since that was withheld, the number of pupils has been . mr. breck will soon remove to leech lake, and will be succeeded by a gentleman who comes well recommended from a theological institution in wisconsin. i desired very much to go as far as the mission, but from crow wing and back it would have been thirty miles, and it was otherwise inconvenient on account of the rain. the indians are beginning to farm a little. they begin with gardens. their support is chiefly from the annuities paid by the united states, which are principally received in some sort of dry goods. the goods are furnished by contract, and the price paid for them is about enough, if all stories are true. they also derive some support from their fur hunts and by fishing. buffaloes are still hunted successfully beyond the red river of the north. they bring home the furs, and also the best parts of the meat. the meat is preserved by being partially cooked in buffalo fat, cut into small pieces, and sewed up very tight in the hide of the animal. it is called pemmican, and sells here for twenty-five cents a pound. it is broken to pieces like pork scraps, and the indians regard it as a great luxury. from the agency i hastened on to see hole-in-the-day (pug-o-na-ke-shick, his indian name, means, literally, hole-in-the-sky). he is a famous chief, having in his youth distinguished himself for bold exploits and severe endurance. but what most entitles him to attention is the very exemplary course he has pursued in attempting to carry out the wishes of the government in bringing his race to the habits of civilized life. it was principally through his influence that a treaty was made between his tribe and the united states, and after it went into effect he turned his attention to farming. previous to the treaty he was supported as chief by the tribal revenue. he has succeeded well. over a year ago the receipts of what he sold from his farm, aside from what his household needed, amounted to over two hundred dollars. at length, after riding a mile and a half without passing a habitation, over a fertile prairie, i came in sight of his house. he lives near a small lake, and north of him is a large belt of heavy pine timber. he has an excellent farm, well fenced and well cultivated. his house is in cottage style, and of considerable length; spacious, neat, and well furnished. arriving at the door i dismounted, and inquired of his squaw if he was at home. she sent her little girl out into the field to call him. there, indeed, in his cornfield, was he at work. he met me very cordially; and invited me into a room, where he had an interpretor. we held a protracted and agreeable conversation on indian matters. he invited me to dine with him, and nothing but want of time prevented my accepting his polite invitation. he was very neatly dressed, and is quite prepossessing in his appearance. he is younger than i supposed before seeing him. i judge him to be about thirty-four. he is a man of strong sense, of great sagacity, and considerable ambition. there is no reason why the indians should not speedily become civilized. those who have longest lived amongst them, and who best understand their character, tell me so. i fully believe it. the indian follows his wild habits because he has been educated to do so. the education of habit, familiar from infancy, and the influence of tradition, lead him to the hunt, and as much to despise manual labor. he does what he has been taught to consider as noble and honorable, and that is what the most enlightened do. certainly his course of life is the most severe and exposed; it is not for comfort that he adheres to his wild habits. he regards it as noble to slay his hereditary foe. hence the troubles which occasionally break out between the chippewas and the sioux. to gain the applause of their tribe they will incur almost any danger, and undergo almost any privation. thus, we see that for those objects which their education has taught them to regard as first and best, they will sacrifice all their comforts. they have sense enough, and ambition enough, and fortitude enough. to those they love they are affectionate almost to excess. only direct their ambition in the proper way, and they will at once rise. teach them that it is noble to produce something useful by their labor, and to unite with the great family of man to expand arts and to improve the immortal mind-- teach them that it is noble, that there is more applause to be gained by it, as well as comfort, and they will change in a generation. they will then apply themselves to civilization with spartan zeal and with spartan virtues. in a communication to the secretary of war by gen. cass in , relative to his expedition to the sources of the mississippi, he makes the following interesting extract from the journal of mr. doty, a gentleman who accompanied the expedition:-- "the indians of the upper country consider those of the fond-du-lac as very stupid and dull, being but little given to war. they count the sioux their enemies, but have heretofore made few war excursions. "having been frequently reprimanded by some of the more vigilant indians of the north, and charged with cowardice, and an utter disregard for the event of the war, thirteen men of this tribe, last season, determined to retrieve the character of their nation, by making an excursion against the sioux. accordingly, without consulting the other indians, they secretly departed and penetrated far into the sioux country. unexpectedly, at night, they came upon a party of the sioux, amounting to near one hundred men, and immediately began to prepare for battle. they encamped a short distance from the sioux, and during the night dug holes in the ground into which they might retreat and fight to the last extremity. they appointed one of their number (the youngest) to take a station at a distance and witness the struggle, and instructed him, when they were all slain, to make his escape to their own land, and relate the circumstances under which they had fallen. "early in the morning they attacked the sioux in their camp, who, immediately sallying out upon them, forced them back to the last place of retreat they had resolved upon. they fought desperately. more than twice their own number were killed before they had lost their lives. eight of them were tomahawked in the holes to which they had retreated; the other four fell on the field. the thirteenth returned home, according to the directions he had received, and related the foregoing circumstances to his tribe. they mourned their death; but delighted with the bravery of their friends, unexampled in modern times, they were happy in their grief. "this account i received of the very indian who was of the party and had escaped."-- [see schoolcraft, p. .][ ] [ pride is a characteristic trait in indian character. on a recent occasion when several bands of the chippewas were at washington to negotiate a treaty with the united states, they had an interview with their great father the president. he received them in the spacious east room of the executive mansion, in the presence of a large collection of gentlemen who had gathered to witness the occasion. each chief made a speech to the president, which was interpreted as they spoke. when it came to the turn of eshkibogikoj (flat mouth) that venerable chief began with great dignity, saying: "father! two great men have met!" here he paused to let the sentence be interpreted. his exordium amused not only the whites but the indians.] in the contest between the athenians and the dorians, an oracle had declared that the side would triumph whose king should fall. codrus the athenian king, to be more sure of sacrificing himself, assumed the dress of a peasant, and was soon killed; and the event soon spread dismay among the enemies of athens. his patriotism was accounted so great, that the athenians declared that there was no man worthy to be his successor, and so abolished the monarchy. i think the history of the indians would show instances of heroism as praiseworthy as can be found in the annals of the ancients. let it be remembered, too, that the spartans knew that an imperishable literature would hand down their valor to the praise of the world through all the future. but the indian looked for the preservation of his exploits only in the songs and the traditional stories of his tribe. i allude to these traits because i think it will be agreed, that whatever race possesses those elements of character which lead them to pursue with zeal and courage things they have been taught to regard most creditable, is capable of being civilized. we now pay the indian for his lands in agricultural tools, in muskets and powder, in blankets and cheap calico-- and in education; but the smallest item is education. if half the money which the government is liable to pay for indian troubles during the last year, could be appropriated to a proper system of education, we should hear of no more serious indian wars. but i have not time to pursue the subject. i will say, however, that the present commissioner of indian affairs, mr. manypenny, is doing a very good work in advancing their condition. the press ought to bestow some attention on the subject. there are nearly , indians within the united states and territories. if the philanthropy of the age could spare the blacks for a little while, and help civilize the indians, it would be better for all parties. here is an enterprise for genuine humanity. letter viii. lumbering interests. lumber as an element of wealth-- quality of minnesota lumber-- locality of its growth-- the great pineries-- trespasses on government land-- how the lumbermen elude the government-- value of lumber-- character of the practical lumberman-- transportation of lumber on rafts. crow wing, october . it seems to have been more difficult for countries which abound in precious metals to attain to great prosperity than for a rich man to secure eternal felicity. witness, for instance, the sluggish growth and degenerate civilization of the south american states. but timber is a fundamental element of colonial growth. the mines of potosi cannot compare with it in value. an abundance of timber and a superabundance of it are two very different things. some of the middle, and what were once western states, were originally covered with forests. so of the greater part of new england. in ohio and in michigan timber has been an encumbrance; for there was great labor to be performed by the settler in clearing the land and preparing it for the plough; and at this day we see in travelling through each of those states, as well as in kentucky, tennessee, and missouri, fields planted amidst heavy timber trees which have been belted that they may wither and die. by an abundance of timber i mean an ample supply not only for domestic but foreign market; and with this understanding of the word i will repeat what has often been said, and what i suppose is well known, that minnesota has an abundance of excellent timber. unlike the gorgeous forests in new hampshire, which behind high cliffs and mountain fastnesses defy the woodman, the timber of minnesota grows in the valleys of her great rivers and upon the banks of their numerous tributaries. it is thus easily shipped to a distant market; while the great body of the land, not encumbered with it, but naked, is ready for the plough and for the seed. most of the timber which grows in the region below this point is hard wood, such as elm, maple, oak, and ash. there is considerable scrub oak also thinly scattered over large portions of fertile prairie. to a casual observer these oaks, from their stunted appearance, would be taken as evidence of poor soil. but the soil is not the cause of their scrubby looks. it is the devouring fires which annually sweep over the plains with brilliant though terrific aspect, and which are fed by the luxuriant grass grown on that same soil. if the oaks did not draw uncommon nourishment from the soil, it must be difficult for them to survive such scorchings. it is a consoling thought that these fires cease in proportion as the country is settled up. the rock maple is indigenous to the soil; and the indians have long been in the habit of making sugar from its sap. the timber most used for fences is tamarack. the pineries may be said to begin at the mouth of the crow wing river; though there is a great supply on the rum river. for upwards of a hundred miles above here on the mississippi-- more or less dense, the pine forests extend. captain john pope, in the interesting report of his expedition to the red river of the north, in , says-- " the pineries of the upper mississippi are mostly upon its tributaries, and i think are not found on the west side further south than the parallel of degrees n. latitude." (the latitude of this place is degrees ' ".) "they alternate, even where most abundant, with much larger tracts of fertile country." again he says-- "as might be expected from its alluvial character, there is no pine timber in the valley of the red river, but the oak and elm there attain to a size which i do not think i have ever seen elsewhere." in another place he remarks that "the pineries along the crow wing river are among the most extensive and valuable found on the tributaries of the mississippi." mr. schoolcraft says of this river, "the whole region is noted for its pine timber." in speaking of the country on the st. louis river, a few miles from where it empties into lake superior, the same gentleman remarks: "the growth of the forest is pines, hemlock, spruce, birch, oak, and maple." i had heard considerable about minnesota lumber, it is true, but i was not prepared to see the pine timber so valuable and heavy as it is above and about here. the trees are of large growth, straight and smooth. they are not surpassed by "the tallest pine, hewn on norwegian hills to be the mast of some great admiral." cujus est solum ejus est usque ad caelum-- whose the soil, his to the sky-- is a maxim in these pine regions of literal importance. there is something besides utility also to be mentioned in this connection. with the exception of swamps, which are few and far between, the timber land has all the beauty of a sylvan grove. the entire absence of underbrush and decayed logs lends ornament and attraction to the woods. they are more like the groves around a mansion in their neat and cheerful appearance; and awaken reflection on the muses and the dialogues of philosophers rather than apprehension of wild beasts and serpents. the relative importance of the lumber business would hardly be estimated by a stranger. it has been carried on for at least six years; and considerable has found its way as far down as st. louis. it will be asked, i imagine, if all this timber land, especially the pine, has been sold by the government; and if not, how it happens that men cut it down and sell it? i will answer this. the great region of pineries has not yet been surveyed, much less sold by the government. but notwithstanding this, men have cut it in large quantities, sold it into a greedy market, and made money, if not fortunes in the business. as a sort of colorable excuse for cutting timber, those employed in the business often make a preemption claim on land covered with it, and many people suppose they have the right to cut as much as they please after the incipient steps towards preemption. but this is not so. all that a claimant can do in this respect is to cut wood enough for his fuel, and timber enough for his own building purposes, until he receives a patent from the government. of course it is altogether reasonable and proper that men should be precluded from doing so until their title in the soil is complete. because, until a preemption claim is perfect, or, until the land has been acquired by some legal title, it is not certain that the claimant will ultimately secure it or pay any money to the government. but does not the government do anything to prevent these trespasses? yes, but all its attempts are baffled. for example, last spring a large quantity of splendid lumber was seized by the united states marshal and sold at public auction. it was bid off by the lumbermen themselves, who had formed a combination to prevent its falling into the hands of other purchasers. this combination had no resistance as i am aware of in the public opinion of the territory, and the timber was sold to those who had it cut at a price so far below its value that it didn't pay the expense of the legal proceedings on the part of the government. this is accounted for in the fact of the exhaustless quantity of pine timber towards the north; in the demand for it when sawed; and in the disposition to protect enterprising men, though technically trespassers, who penetrate into the forest in the winter at great expense, and whose standing and credit are some guaranty of their ultimate responsibility to the government, should they not perfect their titles. the business of getting out the timber is carried on in the winter, and affords employment for a large number of athletic young men. the price of timber, i ascertained of mr. p. d. pratt, a dealer at st. paul, is, for the best, $ per m.; for common, $ . most people have seen or been told something of the lumbermen of maine. allowing this to be so, it will not be difficult to comprehend the condition and character of the lumbermen of minnesota and the northwest. but if there is anybody who fancies them to be a set of laborers, such as build our railroads and dig coal and minerals, he is greatly mistaken. the difference is in birth and education; between foreigners and native-born citizens. a difference not in rights and merits, so much as in habits and character. born on american soil, they have attended our common schools, and have the bearing and independence of sovereigns. none but very vigorous men can endure, or at least attempt to endure, the exposure of living in the woods all winter and swinging the axe; though by proper care of themselves, such exercise is conducive to health and strength. accordingly we find the lumberman-- i mean of course the practical lumberman-- to be a thick-set, muscular young man, with a bright eye and florid cheek; in short, one whom we would call a double-fisted fellow. he is not one of your california boys, but more affable and domestic, with a shorter beard, and not so great a profusion of weapons. his dress is snug and plain-- the regular pioneer costume of boots over the pants, and a thick red shirt in lieu of a coat. his capital stock is his health and his hands. when in employment he is economical and lays up his wages. when out of employment and in town, his money generally goes freely. as a class, the lumbermen are intelligent. they are strong talkers, for they put in a good many of the larger sort of words; and from their pungent satire and sledge-hammer style of reasoning, are by no means very facile disputants. they are preeminently jokers. this is as they appear on their way to the woods. during the season of their active labor they usually spend the evening, after a day of hard work, in storytelling or in a game of euchre. their wages amount to about two dollars a day, exclusive of board. they have good living in the woods, the provisions, which are furnished on an ample scale, being served by male cooks. while on the subject of lumber, which may possibly interest some people who wish to redeem the fortunes they have lately lost in maine lumber, i ought not to leave unmentioned the valuable cargoes of it which are floated down the mississippi. when coming up in the boat i was astonished to see such stupendous rafts. large logs are transported by being made into rafts. at a landing where the boat stopped, i on one occasion attempted to estimate the number of logs comprised in one of these marine novelties, and found it to be about eight hundred; the logs were large, and were worth from five to six dollars each. here then was a raft of timber worth at least $ . they are navigated by about a dozen men, with large paddles attached at either end of the raft, which serve to propel and steer. often, in addition to the logs, the rafts are laden with valuable freights of sawed lumber. screens are built as a protection against wind, and a caboose stands somewhere in the centre, or according to western parlance it might be called a cabin. sometimes the raft will be running in a fine current; then only a couple of hands are on the watch and at the helm. the rest are seen either loitering about observing the country, or reclining, snugly wrapped up in their blankets. some of these rafts must cover as much as two acres. birnam wood coming to dunsinane was not a much greater phenomenon. letter ix. shores of lake superior. description of the country around lake superior-- minerals-- locality of a commercial city-- new land districts-- buchanan-- ojibeway-- explorations to the sources of the mississippi-- henry r. schoolcraft-- m. nicollet's report-- resources of the country above crow wing. crow wing, october , . there is one very important section of this territory that i have not yet alluded to. i mean that part which borders on lake superior. this calls to mind that there is such a place as superior city. but that is in wisconsin, not in minnesota. from that city (so called, yet city in earnest it is like to be) to the nearest point in this territory the distance by water is twelve miles. the st. louis river is the dividing line for many miles between minnesota and wisconsin. the country round about this greatest of inland seas is not the most fertile. it is somewhat bleak, on the northern shore especially, but is nevertheless fat in minerals. on the banks of the st. louis river the soil is described, by the earliest explorers as well as latest visiters, to be good. the river itself, though it contains a large volume of water, is not adapted to navigation, on account of its rapids. those who have sailed across lake superior to the neighborhood of fond-du-lac appear to have been charmed by the scenery of its magnificent islands and its rock-bound shores. most people, i suppose, have heard of its beautiful cluster of islands called the twelve apostles. one peculiar phenomenon often mentioned is the boisterous condition of its waters at the shore, which occurs when the lake itself is perfectly calm. the water is said to foam and dash so furiously as to make it almost perilous to land in a small boat. this would seem to be produced by some movement of the waters similar to the flow of the tide; and perhaps the dashing after all is not much more tumultuous than is seen on a summer afternoon under the rocks of nahant, or along the serene coast at phillips beach. the resources of that part of the territory bordering on the lake, however, are sufficient to induce an extensive, if not a rapid, settlement of the country. the copper mines afford occupation for thousands of people now. i have known a young man to clear $ a month in getting out the ore. but the labor is hard. somewhere near fond-du-lac is destined to be a great commercial city. whether it will be at superior, which has now got the start of all other places, or whether it will be at some point within this territory, is more than can be known at present. but a great town there is to be, sooner or later; and for this reason, that the distance from buffalo to fond-du-lac by navigation is about the same as from buffalo to chicago, affording, therefore, as good facilities for water transportation of merchandise between fond-du-lac and the east, as between chicago and the east. moreover, the development of this new agricultural world will tend to that result. a railroad will then run from that point directly west, crossing the upper mississippi as also the red river of the north at the head of its navigation, which is at the mouth of the sioux wood river. during the last summer, congress established two new land districts in the upper part of the territory, called the north-eastern and the north-western. the former includes the country lying on lake superior, and its land office has been located at buchanan, a new place just started on the shore of the lake. the land office for the north-western district has been located at ojibeway, a town site situated sixty miles above here, on the mississippi, near the mouth of muddy river. this district includes the head waters of the mississippi, and extends west as far as the red river of the north. the surveyors have been engaged in either district only a few weeks. i don't expect there will be any land offered for sale in either district till spring. while on the subject of land offices, let me observe that the appointments in them are among the most lucrative under the patronage of the general government. there is a register and receiver for each office. they have, each, $ per annum and fees; the whole not to exceed $ . aside from the official fees, they get much more for private services. they have more or less evidence to reduce to writing in nearly every preemption case, for which the general land office permits them to receive private compensation. it is rather necessary that the local land officers should be lawyers, as they have frequent occasion to decide on litigated land claims. many explorations have been made of the region around the head waters of the mississippi, the reports of which have conveyed to the world attractive information of the country, but information which only approximated to accuracy. in , lieut. pike explored the river as far as turtle lake, and returned, thinking, good easy man, full surely he had discovered the real source of the river, and yet the source of the river was more than a hundred miles off in another direction. lewis and clarke had ascended the river previously. in , general cass, accompanied by mr. schoolcraft, explored the river to cass lake; being obliged to stop there on account of the low stage of water which they heard existed a few days' journey beyond. again, in , mr. schoolcraft, then superintendent of indian affairs, made another expedition, which resulted in his discovery of the true sources of the river; it being a lake which he named itasca. it has been said that he manufactured this beautiful word out of the last syllables of veritas and the first syllable of caput (the true head). but i have been told that the word was suggested to his mind by an indian word signifying breast. dr. johnson says, that a traveller in order to bring back knowledge should take knowledge with him. that is, that he should have posted himself up to some extent on the country he visits. i hope it will not require an affidavit for me to prove that i availed myself of the suggestion. but i must say i have found great pleasure and profit in perusing mr. schoolcraft's narratives of both his expeditions. though he had the encouragement of the government, his undertaking was surrounded by many obstacles and some dangers. his account of the whole country is pleasant and instructive to the reader, and shows that all he saw produced on his mind a favorable impression. the arduous services of this gentleman as an explorer have been of great advantage to the country, and his fine literary talents have given his adventures an historic fame. not less deserving of applause either have been his efforts to promote the welfare of the indians. he now lives in affluent circumstances at washington, and, though suffering under some bodily infirmities, appears (or did when i saw him) to enjoy life with that serene and rational happiness which springs from useful employment, and a consciousness that past opportunities have been improved. "for he lives twice who can at once employ the present well and e'en the past enjoy." there have been other explorations of this part of the country at different times by messrs. long, nicollet, and pope. m. nicollet was accompanied and assisted by mr. (then lieutenant) fremont. the reports made of these explorations afford information which, if extensively known among the people, would tend to direct a larger emigration into the upper part of the territory. they often launch off into exclamations as to the beautiful surface of the country; while their account of native fruits and the bracing climate and fertile soil picture to the imagination all the elements of a home. m. nicollet was a foreign gentleman who possessed superior scientific knowledge and a rare zeal to prosecute researches. he made an exploration through the valley of the st. peter's and the missouri; and from thence to the sources of the mississippi, in the year . the official report which he made is a valuable document, but difficult to be obtained. i shall therefore make a few extracts from it. i should here remark that m. nicollet died before he had completed the introduction to his report. "the mississippi," he says, "holds its own from its very origin; for it is not necessary to suppose, as has been done, that lake itasca may be supplied with invisible sources, to justify the character of a remarkable stream, which it assumes at its issue from this lake. there are five creeks that fall into it, formed by innumerable streamlets oozing from the clay-beds at the bases of the hills, that consist of an accumulation of sand, gravel, and clay, intermixed with erratic fragments; being a more prominent portion of the great erratic deposit previously described, and which here is known by the name of 'hauteurs des terres'-- heights of land. "these elevations are commonly flat at top, varying in height from to feet above the level of the surrounding waters. they are covered with thick forests, in which coniferous plants predominate. south of itasca lake, they form a semicircular region with a boggy bottom, extending to the south-west a distance of several miles; thence these hauteurs des terres ascend to the north-west and north; and then, stretching to the north-east and east, through the zone between degrees and degrees of latitude, make the dividing ridge between the waters that empty into hudson's bay and those which discharge themselves into the gulf of mexico. the principal group of these hauteurs des terres is subdivided into several ramifications, varying in extent, elevation, and course, so as to determine the hydrographical basins of all the innumerable lakes and rivers that so peculiarly characterize this region of country. "one of these ramifications extends in a southerly direction under the name of coteau du grand bois; and it is this which separates the mississippi streams from those of the red river of the north. "the waters supplied by the north flank of these heights of land-- still on the south side of lake itasca-- give origin to the five creeks of which i have spoken above. these are the waters which i consider to be the utmost sources of the mississippi. those that flow from the southern side of the same heights, and empty themselves into elbow lake, are the utmost sources of the red river of the north; so that the most remote feeders of hudson's bay and the gulf of mexico are closely approximated to each other." of the country above crow wing, he makes the following observations, which are not less interesting than instructive: "over the whole route which i traversed after leaving crow wing river, the country has a different aspect from that which the banks of the mississippi above the falls present. the forests are denser and more varied; the soil, which is alternately sandy, gravelly, clayey, and loamy, is, generally speaking, lighter excepting on the shores of some of the larger lakes. the uplands are covered with white and yellow pines, spruce and birch; and the wet lowlands by the american larch and the willow. on the slopes of sandy hills, the american aspen, the canoe birch (white birch), with a species of birch of dwarfish growth, the alder, and wild rose, extend to the very margin of the river. on the borders of the larger lakes, where the soil is generally better, we find the sugar maple, the black and bar oaks (also named overcup white oak, but differing from the white oak), the elm, ash, lime tree, &c. generally speaking, however, this woodland does not extend back farther than a mile from the lakes. the white cedar, the hemlock, spruce, pine, and fir, are occasionally found; but the red cedar is scarce throughout this region, and none, perhaps, are to be seen but on islands of those lakes called by the indians red cedar lakes. the shrubbery consists principally of the wild rose, hawthorn, and wild plum; and raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and cranberries are abundant. "the aspect of the country is greatly varied by hills, dales, copses, small prairies, and a great number of lakes; the whole of which i do not pretend to have laid down on my map. * * * * the lakes to which i have just alluded are distributed in separate groups, or are arranged in prolonged chains along the rivers, and not unfrequently attached to each other by gentle rapids. it has seemed to me that they diminish in extent on both sides of the mississippi, as we proceed southwardly, as far as degrees of north latitude; and this observation extends to the arctic region, commencing at bear's lake; or slave lake, winnipeg lake, &c. it may be further remarked that the basins of these lakes have a sufficient depth to leave no doubt that they will remain characteristic features of the country for a long time to come. several species of fish abound in them. the white fish (corregonus albus) is found in all the deep lakes west of the mississippi-- and, indeed, from lake erie to the polar sea. that which is taken in leech lake is said by amateurs to be more highly flavored than even that of lake superior, and weighs from three to ten pounds.* * * of all the indian nations that i have visited, the chippewas, inhabiting the country about the sources of the mississippi, are decidedly the most favored. besides their natural resources (to which i have already referred) of fish, wild rice, and maple sugar, with the addition of an abundance of game, the climate is found to be well adapted to the culture of corn, wheat, barley, oats, and pulse. the potato is of superior quality to that of the middle states of the union. in a trading point of view, the hunt is very profitable. the bear, the deer and elk, the wolf, the fox, the wolverine, the fisher raccoon, muskrat, mink, otter, marten, weasel, and a few remaining beavers, are the principal articles of this traffic." (pp. , .) to those who are desirous of perusing this valuable report, and who have access to the congressional documents, i would say that it may be found in senate document , d session of th congress. letter x. valley of the red river of the north. climate of minnesota-- the settlement at pembina-- st. joseph-- col. smith's expedition-- red river of the north-- fur trade-- red river settlement-- the hudson's bay company-- ex-gov. ramsey's observations-- dacotah. crow wing, october, . a celebrated geographer of the first century wrote, "germany is indeed habitable, but is uninhabited on account of the cold." i am not so certain, but some people have a similar idea of the upper portion of minnesota. if there are any, however, thus distrustful of its climate, they probably live out of the territory. i have no means of knowing what the climate is here in winter, except from hearsay and general principles. it seems to be an approved theory, that the farther we approach the west in a northern latitude the milder becomes the winter. the stage-drivers tell me that the snow does not fall to such a depth as in the northern part of new england; that the weather is tolerably uniform; and that the roads are at all times kept open and much travelled. after all, it is a great way before we come to the home of the esquimaux, and the desert of ice where sir john franklin perished. i will here subjoin the following extract from a letter addressed to gov. stephens by the hon. henry m. rice, the able delegate from minnesota. it is dated d june, : "navigation of the mississippi river closes from the th to the th of november, and opens from the st to the th of april. that of the red river of the north closes from the st to th november, and opens from th to th april. i have often travelled in the winter from st. paul to crow wing, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, with a single horse and sled, without a track, and have never found the snow deep enough to impede my progress. i have also gone from crow wing, beyond the head waters of the mississippi, to the waters of the hudson's bay, on foot and without snow-shoes. i spent one entire winter travelling through that region, and never found the snow over eighteen inches deep, and seldom over nine inches. "for several years i had trading-posts extending from lake superior to the red river of the north, from degrees to degrees north latitude, and never found the snow so deep as to prevent supplies being transported from one post to another with horses. one winter, north of crow wing, say degrees north latitude, i wintered about sixty head of horses and cattle without giving them food of any kind except such as they could procure themselves under the snow. between the th and th degrees north latitude, the snow does not fall so deep as it does between the th and th degrees; this is easily accounted for upon the same principle that in the fall they have frosts much earlier near the th than they do near the th degree. i say this in reference to the country watered by the mississippi river. owing to its altitude the atmosphere is dry beyond belief, which accounts for the absence of frosts in the fall, and for the small quantity of snow that falls in a country so far north. voyageurs traverse the territory from lake superior to the missouri the entire winter with horses and sleds, having to make their own roads, and yet with heavy loads are not detained by snow. lumbermen in great numbers winter in the pine regions of minnesota with their teams, and i have never heard of their finding the snow too deep to prosecute their labors. i have known several winters when the snow at no time was over six inches deep." the hon. h. h. sibley, ex-delegate from minnesota, in a letter dated at mendota says: "as our country is for the most part composed of prairie, it is of course much exposed to the action of the winds. it is, however, a peculiarity of our climate, that calms prevail during the cold weather of the winter months; consequently, the snow does not drift to anything like the extent experienced in new england or northern new york. i have never believed that railroad communication in this territory would be seriously impeded by the depth or drift of snow, unless, perhaps, in the extreme northern portion of it." (see explorations and surveys for the pacific railroad, i., .) a few facts in regard to the people who live four or five hundred miles to the north, will best illustrate the nature of the climate and its adaptedness to agriculture. it is common to say that settlements have not extended beyond crow wing. this is only technically true. there is a settlement at pembina, where the dividing line between british america and the united states crosses the red river of the north. it didn't extend there from our frontier, sure enough. if it extended from anywhere it must have been from the north, or along the confines of that mystic region called rainy lake. pembina is said to have about inhabitants. it is situated on the pembina river. it is an indian-french word meaning cranberry. men live there who were born there, and it is in fact an old settlement. it was founded by british subjects, who thought they had located on british soil. the greater part of its inhabitants are half-breeds, who earn a comfortable livelihood in fur hunting and in farming. it sends two representatives and a councillor to the territorial legislature. it is miles north-west of st. paul, and miles distant from this town. notwithstanding the distance, there is considerable communication between the places. west of pembina, about thirty miles, is a settlement called st. joseph, situated n. of a large mythological body of water called miniwakan, or devil's lake; and is one of the points where col. smith's expedition was intending to stop. this expedition to which i refer, started out from fort snelling in the summer, to explore the country on both sides of the red river of the north as far as pembina, and to report to the war department the best points for the establishment of a new military post. it is expected that col. smith will return by the first of next month; and it is probable he will advise the erection of a post at pembina. when that is done, if it is done, its effect will be to draw emigrants from the red river settlement into minnesota. now let me say a word about this red river of the north, for it is beginning to be a great feature in this upper country. it runs north, and empties into lake winnipeg, which connects with hudson's bay by nelson river. it is a muddy and sluggish stream, navigable to the mouth of sioux wood river for vessels of three feet draught for four months in the year. so that the extent of its navigation within the territory alone (between pembina and the mouth of sioux wood river) is miles. buffaloes still feed on its western banks. its tributaries are numerous and copious, abounding with the choicest kinds of game, and skirted with a various and beautiful foliage. it cannot be many years before this magnificent valley shall pour its products into our markets, and be the theatre of a busy and genial life. one of the first things which drew my attention to this river was a sight of several teams travelling towards this vicinity from a north-westerly direction. i observed that the complexion of those in the caravan was a little darker than that of pure white minnesotians, and that the carts were a novelty. "who are those people? and where are they from?" i inquired of a friend. "they are red river people, just arrived-- they have come down to trade." their carts are made to be drawn by one animal, either an ox or a horse, and are put together without the use of a particle of iron. they are excellently adapted to prairie travelling. how strange it seems! here are people who have been from twenty to thirty days on their journey to the nearest civilized community. this is their nearest market. their average rate of travelling is about fifteen miles a day, and they generally secure game enough on the way for their living. i have had highly interesting accounts of the red river settlement since i have been here, both from mr. ross and mr. marion, gentlemen recently from there. the settlement is seventy miles north of pembina, and lies on both sides of the river. its population is estimated at , . it owes its origin and growth to the enterprise and success of the hudson's bay company. many of the settlers came from scotland, but the most were from canada. they speak english and canadian french. the english style of society is well kept up, whether we regard the church with its bishop, the trader with his wine cellar, the scholar with his library, the officer with his sinecure, or their paper currency. i find they have everything but a hotel, for i was particular on that point, though not intending just yet to go there. probably the arrivals do not justify such an institution, but their cordial hospitality will make up for any such lack, from all i hear. they have a judge who gets a good house to live in, and l sterling a year; but he has nothing of consequence to do. he was formerly a leading lawyer in canada. the great business of the settlement, of course, is the fur traffic. an immense amount of buffalo skins is taken in the summer and autumn, while in the winter smaller but more valuable furs are procured. the indians also enlist in the hunts; and it is estimated that upwards of $ , worth of furs are annually taken from our territory and sold to the hudson's bay company. it is high time indeed that a military post should be established somewhere on the red river by our government. the hudson's bay company is now a powerful monopoly. not so magnificent and potent as the east india company, it is still a powerful combination, showering opulence on its members, and reflecting a peculiar feature in the strength and grandeur of the british empire-- a power, which, to use the eloquent language of daniel webster, "has dotted over the whole surface of the globe with her possessions and military posts-- whose morning drum-beat, following the sun, and keeping company with the hours, circles the earth daily with one continuous and unbroken strain of martial music." the company is growing richer every year, and its jurisdiction and its lands will soon find an availability never dreamed of by its founders, unless, as may possibly happen, popular sovereignty steps in to grasp the fruits of its long apprenticeship. some time ago i believe the canadas sought to annex this broad expanse to their own jurisdiction. there are about two hundred members in the hudson's bay company. the charter gives them the power to legislate for the settlement. they have many persons in their employ in england as well as in british america. a clerk, after serving the company ten years, with a salary of about $ per annum, is considered qualified for membership, with the right to vote in the deliberations of the company, and one share in the profits. the profits of a share last year amounted to $ , ! a factor of the company, after serving ten years, is entitled to membership with the profits of two shares. the aristocracy of the settlement consists principally of retired factors and other members of the company, who possess large fortunes, dine on juicy roast beef, with old port, ride in their carriages, and enjoy life in a very comfortable manner. two of the company's ships sail up into hudson's bay every year to bring merchandise to the settlement and take away furs. [ ] but the greatest portion of the trade is done with minnesota. farming is carried on in the neighborhood of the settlement with cheerful ease and grand success. i was as much surprised to hear of the nature of their agriculture as of anything else concerning the settlement. the same kind of crops are raised as in pennsylvania or maine; and this in a country, be it remembered, five hundred miles and upwards north of st. paul. stock must be easily raised, as it would appear from the fact that it is driven down here into the territory and sold at a great profit. since i have been here, a drove of fine-looking cattle from that settlement passed to be sold in the towns below, and a drove of horses is expected this fall. the stock which comes from there is more hardy than can be got anywhere else, and therefore is preferred by the minnesotians. [ "the hudson's bay company allows its servants, while making a voyage, eight pounds of meat a day, and i am told the allowance is none too much." (lieutenant howison's report on oregon, p. .)] the following extract from ex-governor ramsey's address, recently delivered before the annual fair at minneapolis, wherein he gives some results of his observations of the red river settlement during his trip there in , will be read with much interest:-- "re-embarking in our canoes, we continued descending the river for some fifteen miles further, through the french portion of the settlement, lining mainly the west or left bank of the river, until we arrived about the centre of the colony, at the mouth of the assinniboin tributary of red river, where we landed and remained a few days, viewing the colony and its improvements. i was at that time, and am even now, when i look back upon it, lost in wonder at the phenomena which that settlement exhibits to the world, considering its location in an almost polar region of the north. imagine a river flowing sluggishly northward through a flat alluvial plain, and the west side of it lined continuously for over thirty miles with cultivated farms, each presenting those appearances of thrift around them which i mentioned as surrounding the first farms seen by us; but each farm with a narrow frontage on the river of only twenty-four rods in width, but extending back for one or two miles, and each of these narrow farms having their dwellings and the farm out-buildings spread only along the river front, with lawns sloping to the water's edge, and shrubbery and vines liberally trained around them, and trees intermingled-- the whole presenting the appearance of a long suburban village-- such as you might see near our eastern sea-board, or such as you find exhibited in pictures of english country villages, with the resemblance rendered more striking by the spires of several large churches peeping above the foliage of the trees in the distance, whitewashed school-houses glistening here and there amidst sunlight and green; gentlemen's houses of pretentious dimensions and grassy lawns and elaborate fencing, the seats of retired officers of the hudson's bay company occasionally interspersed; here an english bishop's parsonage, with a boarding or high school near by; and over there a catholic bishop's massive cathedral, with a convent of sisters of charity attached; whilst the two large stone forts, at which reside the officers of the hudson's bay company, or of the colony once called upper fort garry, and situated at the mouth of the assinniboin, and the other termini the lower fort garry, which is twenty miles farther down the river, helped to give additional picturesqueness to the scene. i had almost forgotten to mention what is, after all, the most prominent and peculiar feature of that singular landscape, singular from its location-- and that is the numerous wind-mills, nearly twenty in all, which on every point of land made by the turns and bends in the river, stretched out their huge sails athwart the horizon, and seemingly looked defiance at us as invading strangers, that were from a land where steam or water mills monopolize their avocation of flour making. one morning as we passed down the principal high road, on our way to lower fort garry, the wind, after a protracted calm, began to blow a little; when presto! each mill veered around its sails to catch the propitious breeze, and as the sails began to revolve, it was curious to observe the numerous carts that shot out from nearly every farm-house, and hurried along the road to these mills, to get ground their grists of spring wheat, with which they were respectively loaded. "another incident during the same trip that struck us oddly, was seeing two ladies driving by themselves a fine horse hitched to a buggy of modern fashion, just as much at home apparently as if they were driving through the streets of st. paul, or st. anthony, or minneapolis, instead of upon that remote highway towards the north pole; but this was not a whit more novel than to hear the pianoforte, and played, too, with both taste and skill. while another 'lion' of those parts that met our view was a topsail schooner lying in the river at the lower fort, which made occasional trips into great lake winnepeg of the north, a hundred miles below. "i took occasion during my visit to inquire what success the farmers met with in securing good crops, and the profits of farmers generally. as to wheat, i learned that the yield of the spring variety was quite equal in quantity and quality to the crop of that grain on any more southern farms; that in raising barley they could almost surpass the world; and the cereals generally, and all the esculent roots, were easily raised. indian corn was not planted as a field crop, though it was grown in their gardens. in a word, the capacity of their land to produce almost everything plentifully and well, was established; but for all this, farming did not afford much profit. for want of a sufficient market; beyond a small demand by the hudson's bay company, there was no outlet for their superabundance; and to use an austrian phase in regard to hungarians, the selkirkers are metaphysically 'smothering in their own fat.' to remedy this state of things they were beginning, when i was there, to turn their attention towards raising cattle and horses, for which their country is well calculated; and the first fruits of this new decision given to their farming energies, we have already experienced in the droves of both which have recently been driven from thence and sold in this vicinity." i think the facts which i have herein hastily set downhill dispel any apprehension as to the successful cultivation of the soil in the northern part of the territory. it has a health-giving climate which before long, i predict, will nourish as patriotic a race of men as gave immortality to the noble plains of helvetia. there is one thing i would mention which seems to auspicate the speedy development of the valley of the north red river. next year minnesota will probably be admitted as a state; and a new territory organized out of the broad region embracing the valley aforesaid and the head waters of the mississippi. or else it will be divided by a line north and south, including the western valley of that river, and extending as far to the west as the missouri river. i understand it will be called dacotah, though i at first thought it would be called pembina. there is always a rush into new territories, and the proposed new territory of dacotah will present sufficient inducements for a large immigration. when the valley of the north red river shall be settled, and splendid harvest fields adorn its banks; when great factories take the place of wind-mills, and when railroads shall take the place of red river carts, then we will have new cause to exclaim, "westward the course of empire takes its way!" letter xi. the true pioneer. energy of the pioneer-- frontier life-- spirit of emigration-- advantages to the farmer in moving west-- advice in regard to making preemption claims-- abstract of the preemption law-- hints to the settler-- character and services of the pioneer. crow wing, october, . i desire in this letter to say something about the pioneer, and life on the frontier. and by pioneer i mean the true pioneer who comes into the west to labor and to share the vicissitudes of new settlements; not the adventurer, who would repine at toil, and gather where he has not sown. as i have looked abroad upon the vast domain of the west beyond the dim missouri, or in the immediate valley of the mississippi, i have wondered at the contrast presented between the comparatively small number who penetrate to the frontier, and that great throng of men who toil hard for a temporary livelihood in the populous towns and cities of the union. and i have thought if this latter class were at all mindful of the opportunities for gain and independence which the new territories afforded, they would soon abandon-- in a great measure at least-- their crowded alleys in the city, and aspire to be cultivators and owners of the soil. why there has not been a greater emigration from cities i cannot imagine, unless it is owing to a misapprehension of western life. either it is this, or the pioneer is possessed of a very superior degree of energy. it has been said that the frontier man always keeps on the frontier; that he continues to emigrate as fast as the country around him becomes settled. there is a class that do so. not, however, for the cause which has been sometimes humorously assigned-- that civilization was inconvenient to them-- but because good opportunities arise to dispose of the farms they have already improved; and because a further emigration secures them cheaper lands. the story of the pioneer who was disturbed by society, when his nearest neighbor lived fifteen miles off, even if it be true, fails to give the correct reason for the migratory life of this class of men. it almost always happens that wherever we go somebody else has preceded us. accident or enterprise has led some one to surpass us. many of the most useful pioneers of this country have been attracted hither by the accounts given of its advantages by some one of their friends who had previously located himself here. ask a man why he comes, and he says a neighbor of his, or a son, or a brother, has been in the territory for so many months, and he likes it so well i concluded to come also. a very respectable gentleman from maine, a shipowner and a man of wealth, who came up on the boat with me to st. paul, said his son-in-law was in the territory, and he had another son at home who was bound to come, and if his wife was willing he believed the whole family would come. indeed the excellent state of society in the territory is to be attributed very much to the fact that parents have followed after their children. it is pretty obvious too why men will leave poor farms in new england, and good farms in ohio, to try their fortunes here. the farmer in new england, it may be in new hampshire, hears that the soil of minnesota is rich and free from rocks, that there are other favorable resources, and a salubrious climate such as he has been accustomed to. he concludes that it is best to sell out the place he has, and try ploughing where there are no rocks to obstruct him. the farmer of ohio does not expect to find better soil than he leaves; but his inducements are that he can sell his land at forty or fifty dollars an acre, and preempt as good in minnesota for a dollar and a quarter an acre. this operation leaves him a surplus fund, and he becomes a more opulent man, with better means to adorn his farm and to educate his children. those who contemplate coming west to engage in agricultural employment should leave their families, if families they have, behind till they have selected a location and erected some kind of a habitation; provided, however, they have no particular friend whose hospitality they can avail themselves of till their preliminary arrangements are effected. it will require three months, i judge, for a man to select a good claim (a quarter section, being acres), and fence and plough a part of it and to erect thereon a cabin. there is never a want of land to preempt in a new country. the settler can always get an original claim, or buy out the claim of another very cheap, near some other settlers. the liberal policy of our government in regard to the disposal of public lands is peculiarly beneficial to the settler. the latter has the first chance. he can go on to a quarter section which may be worth fifteen dollars an acre, and preempt it before it is surveyed, and finally obtain it for $ . an acre. whereas the speculator must wait till the land is surveyed and advertised for sale; and then he can get only what has not been preempted, and at a price which it brings at auction, not less than $ . an acre. then what land is not sold at public sale is open to private entry at $ . an acre. it is such land that bounty warrants are located on. thus it is seen the pioneer has the first choice. why, i have walked over land up here that would now bring from ten to twenty dollars an acre if it was in the market, and which any settler can preempt and get for $ . an acre. i am strongly tempted to turn farmer myself, and go out and build me a cabin. the speculation would be a good one. but to acquire a title by preemption i must dwell on the soil, and prove that i have erected a dwelling and made other improvements. in other words, before a man (or any head of a family) can get a patent, he must satisfy the land officers that he is a dweller in good faith on the soil. it is often the case, indeed, that men get a title by preemption who never intend to live on their quarter section. but they do it by fraud. they have a sort of mental reservation, i suppose, when they take the requisite oaths. in this way many valuable claims are taken up and held along from month to month, or from year to year, by mock improvements. a pretender will make just improvements enough to hinder the actual settler from locating on the claim, or will sell out to him at a good profit. a good deal of money is made by these fictitious claimants. it is rather hard to prevent it, too, inasmuch as it is difficult to disprove that a man intends some time to have a permanent home, or, in fact, that his claim is not his legal residence, though his usual abiding place is somewhere else. nothing could be more delightful than for a party of young men who desire to farm to come out together early in the spring, and aid each other in preempting land in the same neighborhood. the preemptor has to pay about five dollars in the way of fees before he gets through the entire process of securing a title. it is a popular error (much like the opinion that a man cannot swear to what he sees through glass) that improvements of a certain value, say fifty dollars, are required to be made, or that a certain number of acres must be cultivated. all that is required, however, is evidence that the party has built a house fit to live in, and has in good faith proceeded to cultivate the soil. the law does not permit a person to preempt acres but once; yet this provision is often disregarded, possibly from ignorance, i was about to say, but that cannot be, since the applicant must make oath that he has not before availed himself of the right of preemption. i will insert at this place an abridgment of the preemption act of th september, , which i made two years ago; and which was extensively published in the new states and territories. i am happy to find, also, that it has been thought worth copying into one or more works on the west. i. lands subject to preemption. by sec. of said act it is provided that the public lands to which the indian title had been extinguished at the time of the settlement, and which had also been surveyed prior thereto, shall be subject to preemption, and purchase at the rate of one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. and by the act of d july, , sec. , the preemption of unsurveyed lands is recognised as legal. lands of the following description are excepted: such as are included in any reservation, by any treaty, law, or proclamation of the president of the united states, or reserved for salines or for other purposes; lands included within the limits of any incorporated town, or which have been selected as the site for a city or town; lands actually settled and occupied for the purposes of trade and not agriculture; and lands on which are situated any known salines or mines. ii. the amount designated is any number of acres not exceeding one hundred and sixty. iii. who may preempt. "every person being the head of a family, or widow, or single man over the age of twenty-one years, and being a citizen of the united states, or having filed his declaration of intention to become a citizen, as required by the naturalization laws." but no person shall be entitled to more than one preemptive right, and no person who is the proprietor of three hundred and twenty acres of land in any state or territory of the united states, and no person who shall quit or abandon his residence on his own land to reside on the public land in the same state or territory, shall acquire any right of preemption. iv. the method to perfect the right. the preemptor must make a settlement on the land in person; inhabit and improve the same, and erect thereon a dwelling. and when the land has been surveyed previous to settlement the preemptor shall, within thirty days of the date of the settlement, file with the register of the proper district a written statement describing the land settled upon, and declaring the intention of such person to claim the same under the provisions of the preemption law. and within twelve months of the date of the settlement such person shall make the requisite proof, affidavit, and payment. when unsurveyed lands are prompted (act of ), notice of the specific tracts claimed shall be filed with the surveyor general, within three months after the survey has been made in the field. and when two or more persons shall have settled on the same quarter section, the right of preemption shall be in him or her who made the first settlement; and questions arising between different settlers shall be decided by the register and receiver of the district within which the land is situated, subject to an appeal to and revision by the secretary of the interior of the united states. and the settler must make oath before the receiver or register that he or she has never had the benefit of any right of preemption under the preemption act: that he or she is not the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of land in any state or territory of the united states, nor hath he or she settled upon and improved said land to sell the same on speculation, but in good faith to appropriate it to his or her own exclusive use or benefit: and that he or she has not directly or indirectly made any agreement or contract in any way or manner with any person or persons whatsoever, by which the title which he or she might acquire from the government of the united states should enure in whole or in part to the benefit of any person except himself or herself; and if any person talking such oath shall swear falsely in the premises, he or she shall be subject to all the pains and penalties of perjury, and shall forfeit the money which he or she may have paid for such land, and all right and title to the same; and any grant or conveyance which he or she may have made, except in the hands of bona fide purchasers for a valuable consideration, shall be null and void. proof of the requisite settlement and improvement shall be made by the preemptor to the satisfaction of the register and receiver, in the district in which the lands so claimed lie, who shall each be entitled to receive fifty cents from each applicant for his services rendered. as aforesaid; and all assignments and transfers of the right hereby secured prior to the issuing of the patent, shall be null and void. (see u. s. stat. at large, vol. , - .) but i was on the point of advising the settler what he should bring with him into a new country and what leave behind. he should not bring much furniture. it is very expensive and troublesome to have it transported. nor will he need much to begin with, or have room for it. it will cost nearly as much to transport it seventy miles through the territory as it will to bring it from whence he started within the limits of the territory. let him pack up in a small compass the most precious part of his inanimate household, and leave it ready for an agent to start it after he shall have found a domicil. this will save expensive storage. then let his goods be directed to the care of some responsible forwarding merchant in a river town nearest to their final destination, that they may be taken care of and not be left exposed on the levee when they arrive. st. paul is now a place of so much mercantile importance and competition that one may buy provisions, furniture, or agricultural tools cheaper there than he can himself bring them from the east. the professional man, however, will do well to bring his books with him. let us assume now that the settler has got his house up, either a frame house or of logs, with a part of his farm fenced; and that be has filed his application for preemption at the land office in the district in which he resides. let us suppose further, that he is passing his first autumn here. his house, if he is a man of limited means, has but two rooms, and they are both on the basement story. he has just shelter enough for his stock, but none for his hay, which is stacked near by. the probability is, that he lives in the vicinity of some clear stream or copious spring, and has not, therefore, needed to dig a well. the whole establishment, one would think, who was accustomed to the eastern style of living, betrayed downright poverty. but let us stop a moment; this is the home of a pioneer. he has been industrious, and everything about him exhibits forethought. there is a cornfield all fenced in with tamarack poles. it is paved over with pumpkins (for pumpkins flourish wonderfully in minnesota), and contains twenty acres of ripe corn, which, allowing thirty-five bushels to an acre, is worth at ninety cents per bushel the sum of $ . there are three acres of potatoes, of the very best quality, containing three hundred bushels, which, at fifty cents a bushel, are worth $ . here then, off of two crops, he gets $ , and i make a moderate estimate at that. next year he will add to this a crop of oats or wheat. the true pioneer is a model farmer. he lays out his work two weeks in advance. every evening finds him further ahead. if there is a rainy day, he knows what to set himself about. be lays his plans in a systematic manner, and carries them into execution with energy. he is a true pioneer, and therefore he is not an idle man, nor a loafer, nor a weak addle-headed tippler. go into his house, and though you do not see elegance you can yet behold intelligence, and neatness, and sweet domestic bliss. the life of the pioneer is not exposed to such hardships and delays as retarded the fortunes of the settlers in the older states. they had to clear forests; here the land is ready for the plough. and though "there is society where none intrude," yet he is not by any means beyond the boundaries of good neighborhood. in many cases, however, he has left his dearest friends far away in his native village, where his affections still linger. he has to endure painful separations, and to forego those many comforts which spring from frequent meetings under the parental roof, and frequent converse with the most attractive scones of youth. but to compensate for these things he can feel that the labor of the pioneer, aside from its pecuniary advantage to himself, is of service to the state, and a helpmate to succeeding generations. "there are, who, distant from their native soil, still for their own and country's glory toil: while some, fast rooted to their parent spot, in life are useless, and in death forgot!" letter xii. speculation and business. opportunities to select farms-- otter tail lake-- advantages of the actual settler over the speculator-- policy of new states as to taxing non-residents-- opportunities to make money-- anecdote of col. perkins-- mercantile business-- price of money-- intemperance-- education-- the free school. crow wing, october, . it is maintained by the reviewers, i believe, that the duller a writer is, the more accurate he should be. in the outset of this letter, i desire to testify my acquiescence in the justice of that dogma, for if, like neighbor dogberry, "i were as tedious as a king," i could not find it in my heart to bestow it all without a measure of utility. i shall try to answer some questions which i imagine might be put by different classes of men who are interested in this part of the west. my last letter had some hints to the farmer, and i can only add, in addition, for his benefit, that the most available locations are now a considerable distance above st. paul. the valley of the st. peter's is pretty much taken up; and so of the valley of the mississippi for a distance of fifteen miles on either side to a point a hundred miles above st. paul. one of the land officers at minneapolis informed me that there were good preemption claims to be had fifteen miles west, that being as far as the country was thickly settled. one of the finest regions now unoccupied, that i know of, not to except even the country on the crow wing river, is the land bordering on otter tail lake. for forty miles all round that lake the land is splendid. more than a dozen disinterested eye-witnesses have described that region to me in the most glowing terms. in beauty, in fertility, and in the various collateral resources which make a farming country desirable, it is not surpassed. it lies south of the picturesque highlands or hauteurs des terres, and about midway between the sources of the crow wing and north red rivers. from this town the distance to it is sixty miles. the lake itself is forty miles long and five miles in width. the water is clear and deep, and abounds with white fish that are famous for their delicious flavor. the following description, which i take from captain pope's official narrative of his exploration, is a reliable description of this delightful spot, now fortunately on the eve of being settled-- " to the west, north-west, and north-east, the whole country is heavily timbered with oak, elm, ash, maple, birch, bass, &c., &c. of these the sugar maple is probably the most valuable, and in the vicinity of otter tail lake large quantities of maple sugar are manufactured by the indians. the wild rice, which exists in these lakes in the most lavish profusion, constitutes a most necessary article of food with the indians, and is gathered in large quantities in the months of september and october. to the east the banks of the lake are fringed with heavy oak and elm timber to the width of one mile. the whole region of country for fifty miles in all directions around this lake is among the most beautiful and fertile in the world. the fine scenery of lakes and open groves of oak timber, of winding streams connecting them, and beautifully rolling country on all sides, renders this portion of minnesota the garden spot of the north-west. it is impossible in a report of this character to describe the feeling of admiration and astonishment with which we first beheld the charming country in the vicinity of this lake; and were i to give expression to my own feelings and opinions in reference to it, i fear they would be considered the ravings of a visionary or an enthusiast."[ ] but let me say to the speculator that he need not covet any of these broad acres. there is little chance for him. before that land can be bought at public sale or by mere purchasers at private sale, it will, i feel sure, be entirely occupied by actual settlers. and so it ought to be. the good of the territory is promoted by that beneficent policy of our public land laws which gives the actual settler the first and best chance to acquire a title by preemption. [ to illustrate the rapid progress which is going on constantly, i would remark that in less than a month after leaving crow wing, i received a letter from there informing me that messrs. crittenden, cathcart, and others had been to otter tail lake and laid out a town which they call otter tail city. the standing and means of the men engaged in the enterprise, are a sure guaranty of its success.] speculators have located a great many land warrants in minnesota. some have been located on lakes, some on swamps, some on excellent land. of course the owner, who, as a general thing, is a nonresident, leaves his land idle for something to "turn up" to make it profitable. there it stands doing no good, but on the contrary is an encumbrance to the settler, who has to travel over and beyond it without meeting the face of a neighbor in its vicinity. the policy of new states is to tax non-resident landholders at a high rate. when the territory becomes a state, and is obliged to raise a revenue, some of these fellows outside, who, to use a phrase common up here, have plastered the country over with land warrants, will have to keep a lookout for the tax-gatherer. now i do not mean to discourage moneyed men from investing in minnesota lands. i do not wish to raise any bugbears, but simply to let them know that hoarding up large tracts of land without making improvements, and leaving it to increase in value by the toil and energy of the pioneer, is a way of doing things which is not popular with the actual settler. but there is a great deal of money to be made by judicious investments in land. buying large tracts of land i believe to be the least profitable speculation, unless indeed the purchaser knows exactly what he is buying, and is on hand at the public sale to get the benefit of a second choice. i say second choice, because the preemptor has had the first choice long ago, and it may be before the land was surveyed. what i would recommend to speculators is to purchase in some good town sites. buy in two or three, and if one or two happen to prove failures, the profits on the other will enable you to bear the loss. i know of a man who invested $ at st. paul six years ago. he has sold over $ , worth of the land, and has as much more left. this is but an ordinary instance. the advantage of buying lots in a town arises from the rapid rise of the value of the land, the ready market, and withal the moderate prices at which they can be procured during the early part of its history. to such persons as have a desire to come west, and are not inclined to be farmers, and who have not capital enough to engage in mercantile business, there is sufficient employment. a new country always opens avenues of successful business for every industrious man and woman; more kinds even than i could well enumerate. every branch of mechanics needs workmen of all grades; from the boy who planes the rough boards to the head workman. teaming affords good employment for young men the year round. the same may be said of the saw-mills. a great deal of building is going on constantly; and those who have good trades get $ . per day. i am speaking, of course, of the territory in general. one of the most profitable kinds of miscellaneous business is surveying. this art requires the services of large numbers; not only to survey the public lands, but town sites and the lands of private individuals. labor is very high everywhere in the west, whether done by men, women, or children;-- even the boys, not fourteen years old, who clean the knives and forks on the steamboats, get $ a month and are found. but the best of it all is, that when a man earns a few dollars he can easily invest it in a piece of land, and double his money in three months, perhaps in one month. one of the merchant princes of boston, the late col. t. h. perkins, published a notice in a boston paper in , he being then , that he would soon embark on board the ship astrea for canton, and that if any one desired to commit an "adventure" to him, they might be assured of his exertions for their interests. the practice of sending " adventures" "beyond the seas" is not so common as it was once; and instead thereof men invest their funds in western prizes. but let me remark in regard to the fact i relate, that it shows the true pioneer spirit. col. perkins was a pioneer. his energy led him beyond his counting-room, and he reaped the reward of his exertions in a great fortune. i have now a young man in my mind who came to a town ten miles this side of st. paul, six months ago, with $ . he commenced trading, and has already, by good investments and the profits of his business, doubled his money. everything that one can eat or wear brings a high price, or as high as it does in any part of the west. the number of visitors and emigrants is so large that the productions of the territory are utterly inadequate to supply the market. therefore large quantities of provisions have to be brought up the river from the lower towns. at swan river, miles this side of st. paul, pork is worth $ . knowing that pork constitutes a great part of the "victuals" up this way, though far from being partial to the article, i tried it when i dined at swan river to see if it was good, and found it to be very excellent. board for laboring men must be about four dollars a week. for transient guests at crow wing it is one dollar a day. i have heard it said that money is scarce. it is possible. it certainly commands a high premium; but the reason is that there are such splendid opportunities to make fortunes by building and buying and selling city lots. a man intends that the rent of a house or store shall pay for its construction in three years. the profits of adventure justify a man in paying high interest. if a man has money enough to buy a pair of horses and a wagon, he can defy the world. these are illustrations to show why one is induced to pay interest. i do not think, however, money is "tight." i never saw people so free with their money, or appear to have it in so great abundance. there is one drawback which this territory has in common with the greater part of the west, and in fact of the civilized world. it is not only a drawback, but a nuisance anywhere; i mean drinking or whiskey shops. the greater proportion of the settlers are temperate men, i am sure; but in almost every village there are places where the meanest kind of intoxicating liquor is sold. there are some who sell liquor to the indians. but such business is universally considered as the most degraded that a mean man can be guilty of. it is filthy to see men staggering about under the influence of bad whiskey, or of any kind of whiskey. he who sends a young husband to his new cabin home intoxicated, to mortify and torment his family; or who sells liquor to the uneducated indians, that they may fight and murder, must have his conscience-- if he has any at all-- cased over with sole leather. mr. gough is needed in the west. minnesota is not behind in education. ever since governor slade, of vermont, brought some bright young school mistresses up to st. paul (in ), common school education has been diffusing its precious influences. the government wisely sets apart two sections of land-- the th and th-- in every township for school purposes. a township is six miles square; and the two sections thus reserved in each township comprise acres. other territories have the same provision. this affords a very good fund for educational uses, or rather it is a great aid to the exertions of the people. there are some nourishing institutions of learning in the territory. but the greatest institution after all in the country-- the surest protection of our liberties and our laws-- is the free school. letter xiii. crow wing to st. cloud. pleasant drive in the stage-- scenery-- the past-- fort ripley ferry-- delay at the post office-- belle prairie-- a catholic priest-- dinner at swan river-- potatoes-- arrival at watab-- st. cloud. st. cloud, october, . yesterday morning at seven i took my departure, on the stage, from crow wing. it was a most delightful morning, the air not damp, but bracing; and the welcome rays of the sun shed a mellow lustre upon a scene of "sylvan beauty." the first hour's ride was over a road i had passed in the dark on my upward journey, and this was the first view i had of the country immediately below crow wing. no settlements were to be seen, because the regulations of military reservations preclude their being made except for some purpose connected with the public interests. a heavy shower the night before had effectually laid the dust, and we bounded along on the easy coach in high spirits. the view of the prairie stretching "in airy undulations far away," and of the eddying current of the mississippi, there as everywhere deep and majestic, with its banks skirted with autumn-colored foliage, was enough to commend the old fashioned system of stages to more general use. call it poetry or what you please, yet the man who can contemplate with indifference the wonderful profusion of nature, undeveloped by art-- inviting, yet never touched by the plough-- must lack some one of the senses. indeed, this picture, so characteristic of the new lands of the west, seems to call into existence a new sense. the view takes in a broad expanse which has never produced a stock of grain; and which has been traversed for ages past by a race whose greatest and most frequent calamity was hunger. if we turn to its past there is no object to call back our thoughts. all is oblivion. there are no ruins to awaken curious images of former life-- no vestige of humanity-- nothing but the present generation of nature. and yet there are traces of the past generations of nature to be seen. the depressions of the soil here and there to be observed, covered with a thick meadow grass, are unmistakeable indications of lakes which have now "vanished into thin air." that these gentle hollows were once filled with water is the more certain from the appearance of the shores of the present lakes, where the low water mark seems to have grown lower and lower every year. but if the past is blank, these scenes are suggestive of happy reflections as to the future. the long perspective is radiant with busy life and cheerful husbandry. new forms spring into being. villages and towns spring up as if by magic, along whose streets throngs of men are passing. and thus, as "coming events cast their shadows before," does the mind wander from the real to the probable. an hour and a half of this sort of revery, and we had come to the fort ripley ferry, over which we were to go for the mail. that ferry (and i have seen others on the river like it) is a marvellous invention. it is a flat-boat which is quickly propelled either way across the river by means of the resistance which it offers to the current. its machinery is so simple i will try to describe it. in the first place a rope is stretched across the river from elevated objects on either side. each end of the boat is made fast to this line by pullies, which can be taken up or let out at the fastenings on the boat. all that is required to start the boat is to bring the bow, by means of the pully, to an acute angle with the current. the after part of the boat presents the principal resistance to the current by sliding a thick board into the water from the upper side. as the water strikes against this, the boat is constantly attempting to describe a circle, which it is of course prevented from doing by the current, and so keeps on-- for it must move somewhere-- in a direction where the obstruction is less. it certainly belongs to the science of hydraulics, for it is not such a boat as can be propelled by steam or wind. i had occasion recently to cross the mississippi on a similar ferry, early in the morning, and before the ferryman was up. the proprietor of it was with me; yet neither of us knew much of its practical operation. i soon pulled the head of the boat towards the current, but left down the resistance board, or whatever it is called, at the bow as well as at the stern. this, of course, impeded our progress; but we got over in a few minutes; and i felt so much interested in this new kind of navigation, that i would have been glad to try the voyage over again. on arriving within the square of the garrison, i expected to find the mail ready for delivery to the driver; but we had to wait half an hour. the mail is only weekly, and there was nothing of any consequence to change. we repaired to the post office, which was in a remote corner of a store-room, where the postmaster was busy making up his mail. some of the officers had come in with documents which they wished to have mailed. and while we stood waiting, corporals and privates, servants of other officers brought in letters which lieutenant so-and-so "was particularly desirous of having mailed this morning." the driver was magnanimous enough to submit to me whether we should wait. we all felt accommodating-- the postmaster i saw was particularly so-- and we concluded to wait till everything was in, and perhaps we would have waited for some one to write a letter. i could not but think it would be a week before another mail day; and still i could not but think these unnecessary morning hindrances were throwing a part of our journey into the night hours. returning again to the eastern bank of the river by our fine ferry, we soon passed the spacious residence of mr. olmsted, a prominent citizen of the territory. we made a formal halt at his door to see if there were any passengers. mr. olmsted has a large farm under good cultivation, and several intelligent young men in his service. in that neighborhood are some other as handsome farms as i ever saw; but i think they are on the reservation, and are cultivated under the patronage of the war department. the winter grain was just up, and its fresh verdure afforded an agreeable contrast with the many emblems of decaying nature. it was in the middle of the forenoon that we reached belle prairie, along which are many good farm houses occupied by half-breeds. there is a church and a school-house. in the cemetery is a large cross painted black and white, and from its imposing appearance it cannot fail to make a solemn impression on minds which revere any tangible object that is consigned sacred. a very comfortable-looking house was pointed out to me as the residence of a catholic priest, who has lived for many years in that section, spreading among the ignorant a knowledge of christianity, and ministering to their wants in the hour of death. and though i am no catholic, i could not but regard the superiority of that kind of preaching-- for visiting the sick, consoling the afflicted, and rebuking sin by daily admonitions, is the true preaching of the gospel-- over the pompous declamation which now too often usurps the pulpit. the dinner was smoking hot on the table when we drove up to the hotel at swan river; and so charming a drive in the pure air had given me a keen appetite. the dinner (and i speak of these matters because they are quite important to travellers) was in all respects worthy of the appetite. the great staple article of minnesota soil appears to be potatoes, for they were never known to be better anywhere else-- eastport not excepted-- and at our table d'hote they were a grand collateral to the beef and pork. the dessert consisted of nice home made apple pies served with generosity, and we had tea or milk or water, as requested, for a beverage. after partaking of a dinner of this kind, the rest of the day's journey was looked forward to with no unpleasant emotions. the stage happened to be lightly loaded, and we rolled along with steady pace, and amidst jovial talk, till we reached the thriving, but to me not attractive, town of watab. three houses had been put up within the short time since i had stopped there. we got into mr. gilman's tavern at sundown. i was rejoiced to find a horse and carriage waiting for me, which had been kindly sent by a friend to bring me to st. cloud. it is seven miles from watab to this town. it was a charming moonlight evening, and i immediately started on with the faithful youth who had charge of the carriage, to enjoy my supper and lodging under the roof of my hospitable friend at st. cloud. letter xiv. st. cloud.-- the pacific trail. agreeable visit at st. cloud-- description of the place-- causes of the rapid growth of towns-- gen. lowry-- the back country-- gov. stevens's report-- mr. lambert's views-- interesting account of mr. a. w. tinkham's exploration. st. cloud, october, . if i follow the injunction of that most impartial and worthy critic, lord jeffrey, which is, that tourists should describe those things which make the pleasantest impression on their own minds, i should begin with an account of the delightful entertainment which genuine hospitality and courtesy have here favored me with. i passed blannerhasset's island once, and from a view of the scenery, sought something of that inspiration which, from reading wirt's glowing description of it, i thought would be excited; but the reality was far below my anticipation. if applied to the banks of the mississippi river, however, at this place, where the sauk rapids terminate, that charming description would be no more than an adequate picture. the residence of my friend is a little above the limits of st. cloud, midway on the gradual rise from the river to the prairie. it is a neat white two-story cottage, with a piazza in front. the yard extends to the water's edge, and in it is a grove of handsome shade trees. now that the leaves have fallen, we can sit on the piazza and have a full view of the river through the branches of the trees. the river is here very clear and swift, with a hard bottom; and if it were unadorned with its cheerful foliage-covered banks, the view of it would still add a charm to a residence. there is a mild tranquillity, blended with the romance of the scene, admirably calculated to raise in the mind emotions the most agreeable and serene. for nature is a great instructor and purifier. as talfourd says in that charming little volume of vacation rambles, "to commune with nature and grow familiar with all her aspects, surely softens the manners as much, at the least, as the study of the liberal arts." st. cloud is favorably located on the west bank of the river, seventy-five miles above st. paul. it is just enough elevated to have good drainage facilities, should it become densely populous. for many years it was the seat of a trading post among the winnebagoes. but the date of its start as a town is not more than six months ago; since when it has been advancing with unsurpassed thrift, on a scale of affluence and durability. its main street is surely a street in other respects than in the name; for it has on either side several neatly built three-story blocks of stores, around which the gathering of teams and of people denotes such an activity of business as to dispel any idea that the place is got up under false pretences. the st. cloud advertisements in the st. paul daily papers contain the cards of about forty different firms or individuals, which is a sort of index to the business of the place. a printing press is already in the town, and a paper will in a few days be issued. there are now two hotels; one of which (the stearns house), it is said, cost $ . a flourishing saw-mill was destroyed by fire, and in a few weeks another one was built in its place. an episcopal church is being erected. the steamer "h. m. rice" runs between here and st. anthony. it is sometimes said that this is the head of the upper mississippi navigation, but such is not the case. the sauk rapids which terminate here are an obstruction to continuous navigation between st. anthony and crow wing, but after you get to the latter place (where the river is twenty feet deep) there is good navigation for two hundred miles. there are several roads laid out to intersect at st. cloud, for the construction of which, i believe, the government has made some appropriation. town lots are sold on reasonable terms to those who intend to make improvements on them, which is the true policy for any town, but the general market price ranges from $ to $ a lot. the town is not in the hands of capitalists, though moneyed men are interested in it. general lowry is a large proprietor. he lives at arcadia, just above the town limits, and has a farm consisting of three hundred acres of the most splendid land, which is well stocked with cattle and durably fenced. a better barn, or a neater farmyard than he has, cannot be found between boston and worcester. and while speaking of barns i would observe that the old new england custom of having good barns is better observed in minnesota than anywhere else in the west. general lowry has been engaged in mercantile business. he was formerly a member of the territorial council, and is a very useful and valuable citizen of the territory. it would not be more surprising to have eastern people doubt some of the statements concerning the growth of western towns, than it was for the king of siam to doubt that there was any part of the world where water changed from liquid to a hard substance. his majesty knew nothing about ice. now, there are a good many handsome villages in the east which hardly support one store. not that people in such a village do not consume as much or live in finer style; but the reason is that they are old settlers who produce very much that they live on, and who, by great travelling facilities, are able to scatter their trading custom into some commercial metropolis. suppose, however, one of your large villages to be so newly settled that the people have had no chance to raise anything from their gardens or their fields, and are obliged to buy all they are to eat and all that is to furnish their dwellings, or equip their shops, or stock their farms; then you have a state of things which will support several stores, and a whole catalogue of trades. it is a state of affairs which corresponds with every new settlement in the west; or, indeed, which faintly compares with the demand for everything merchantable, peculiar in such places. then again, besides the actual residents in a new place, who have money enough in their pockets, but nothing in their cellars, there is generally a large population in the back country of farmers and no stores. such people come to a place like this to trade, for fifteen or twenty miles back, perhaps; and it being a county seat they have other objects to bring them. at the same time there is an almost constant flow of settlers through the place into the unoccupied country to find preemption claims, who, of course, wish to take supplies with them. the settler takes a day, perhaps, for his visit in town to trade. time is precious with him, and he cannot come often. so he buys, perhaps, fifty or a hundred dollars worth of goods. these are circumstances which account for activity of business in these river towns, and which, though they are strikingly apparent here, are not peculiar to this town. at first, i confess, it was a mystery to me what could produce such startling and profitable trade in these new towns. it was in the immediate vicinity of st. cloud that gov. stevens left the mississippi on his exploration, in , of a railroad route to the pacific. several crossings of the river had been previously examined, and it was found that one of the favorable points for a railroad bridge over it was here. i might here say that the country directly west lies in the valley of sauk river, and from my own observation i know it to be a good farming country; and i believe the land is taken up by settlers as far back as twelve miles. it is a little upwards of a hundred miles in a westerly direction from st. cloud to where the expedition first touched the bois des sioux (or sioux wood river). gov. stevens says in his report-- " the plateau of the bois des sioux will be a great centre of population and communication. it connects with the valley of the red river of the north, navigable four hundred miles for steamers of three or four feet draught, with forty-five thousand square miles of arable and timber land; and with the valley of the minnesota, also navigable at all seasons when not obstructed by ice, one hundred miles for steamers, and occasionally a hundred miles further. the head of navigation of the red river of the north is within one hundred and ten miles of the navigable portion of the mississippi, and is distant only forty miles from the minnesota. eastward from these valleys to the great lakes, the country on both sides of the mississippi is rich, and much of it heavily timbered." i will also add another remark which he makes, inasmuch as the character of the country in this latitude, as far as the pacific shore, must have great influence on this locality; and it is this: " probably four thousand square miles of tillable land is to be found immediately on the eastern slopes of (the rocky mountains); and at the bottoms of the different streams, retaining their fertility for some distance after leaving the mountains, will considerably increase this amount." mr. john lambert, the topographer of the exploration, divides the country between the mississippi and columbia rivers, into three grand divisions. the first includes the vast prairies between the mississippi and the base of the rocky mountains. the second is the mountain division, embracing about five degrees of longitude. the third division comprises the immense plains of the columbia. of the first division-- from here to the foot of the rocky mountains-- let me quote what mr. lambert in his official report calls a "passing glance." "undulating and level prairies, skirted with woods of various growth, and clothed everywhere with a rich verdure; frequent and rapid streams, with innumerable small but limpid lakes, frequented by multitudes of waterfowl, most conspicuous among which appears the stately swan; these, in ever-recurring succession, make up the panorama of this extensive district, which may be said to be everywhere fertile, beautiful, and inviting. the most remarkable features of this region are the intervals of level prairie, especially that near the bend of red river, where the horizon is as unbroken as that of a calm sea. nor are other points of resemblance wanting-- the long grass, which in such places is unusually rank, bending gracefully to the passing breeze as it sweeps along the plain, gives the idea of waves (as indeed they are); and the solitary horseman on the horizon is so indistinctly seen as to complete the picture by the suggestion of a sail, raising the first feeling of novelty to a character of wonder and delight. the following outlines of the rolling prairies are broken only by the small lakes and patches of timber which relieve them of monotony and enhance their beauty; and though marshes and sloughs occur, they are of too small extent and too infrequent to affect the generally attractive character of the country. the elevation of the rolling prairies is generally so uniform, that even the summits between streams flowing in opposite directions exhibit no peculiar features to distinguish them from the ordinary character of the valley slopes." i think i cannot do a better service to the emigrant or settler than to quote a part of the report made by mr. a. w. tinkham, descriptive of his route from st. paul to fort union. his exploration, under gov. stevens, was made in the summer of ; and he has evidently given an impartial account of the country. i begin with it where he crosses the mississippi in the vicinity of st. cloud. the part quoted embraces the route for a distance of two hundred and ninety-five miles; the first seventy miles of which was due west-- the rest of the route being a little north of west. "june . ferried across the mississippi river, here some six hundred to eight hundred feet wide-- boating the camp equipage, provisions, &c., and swimming the animals; through rich and fertile prairies, variegated with the wooded banks of sauk river, a short distance on the left, with the wooded hills on either side, the clustered growth of elm, poplar, and oak, which the road occasionally touches; following the 'red river trail,' we camp at cold spring brook, with clear, cool water, good grass, and wood. "june . cold spring brook is a small brook about ten feet across, flowing through a miry slough, which is very soft and deep, and previous to the passage of the wagons, had, for about two hundred feet distance, been bridged in advance by a causeway of round or split logs of the poplar growth near by; between this and the crossing of sauk river are two other bad sloughs, over one of which are laid logs of poplar, and over the other the wagons were hauled by hand, after first removing the loads. sauk river is crossed obliquely with a length of ford some three hundred feet-- depth of water four-and-a-half to five feet; goods must be boated or rafted over, the river woods affording the means of building a raft; camped immediately after crossing; wood, water, and grass good and abundant. "june . over rolling prairies, without wood on the trail, although generally in sight on the right or left, with occasional small ponds and several bad sloughs, across which the wagons were hauled over by hand to lake henry-- a handsome, wooded lake; good wood and grass; water from small pond; not very good. "june . passing over rolling prairies to a branch of crow river, the channel of which is only some twenty feet wide and four or five feet deep; but the water makes back into the grass one hundred feet or more from the channel as early in the season as when crossed by the train. goods boated over; wagons by hand and with ropes; no wood on the stream; several small lakes, not wooded, are on either side of the trail, with many ducks, geese, and plovers on them: encamp at lightning lake, a small and pretty lake, sufficiently well wooded on the borders for camping purposes; good water, wood, and grass, and abounding with fish. "june . over rolling prairie with small pools and marshes, to a swift running stream about twenty feet wide, three feet deep, a branch of chippewa river; heavily rolling ground with stony knolls and granite boulders, to white bear lake, a large handsome lake, with mingled open and woodland. "broken rolling ground to camp, a mile off the red river trail, and near a small wooded lake. two small brooks have to be crossed in the interval, and being somewhat deep and with abrupt sides, are troublesome crossings. "june . rolling prairie country, with small marshes and ponds to a tributary of south branch. swift running stream, gravelly bottom, fifteen feet wide, three to four feet deep; with care in selection good crossing was obtained for the wagons; a wooded lake is a short distance to the right of trail. "small rivulet, whose banks are marshy and soft. "prairies, with small marshes and ponds to a swift running brook, six feet wide. "prairie to pike lake and camp of st. grover; a handsome lake of about a mile in diameter, said to abound in pike; well wooded on its south border; grass, water, and wood, for camping, abundant and good. "rolling prairie with knolls; several ponds and marshes, with an intervening brook about six feet wide, and rather difficult of passage, from the abruptness of its banks, to a small brook, the outlet of a small and partially wooded lake or pond. "rolling prairie, with grassy, swelling knolls, small ponds and marshes, to chippeway river; camp of odometer wagon on edge of river; water and grass good; no wood. "june . crossed chippeway river, one hundred and twenty-four feet wide, three to six feet deep; goods boated over, and the animals swimming; wagon hauled through the water by a rope attached to the tongue, and with the aid of the mules; camped on elk lake, a small and pretty lake, well wooded, and with luxuriant grass; good water. "june . trail passes over prairies with a rich heavy grass (this is a hundred miles west of the mississippi river), about eighteen inches high, winding between wooded lakes to a heavy ravine, with a small and sluggish rivulet in its bottom; sides steep, and laborious for the wagon train. "prairie sloping towards the western branch of the chippeway river; a stream when crossed, about one hundred and forty feet wide, three or four feet deep, with a marked current and firm bottom; no wood. "camp on a small lake, fairly wooded, with luxuriant grass, and good water. "june . undulating prairie, rich soil, covered with a heavy growth of grass, with small ponds and marshes; woods continue in sight a short distance on the left of elbow lake, a well wooded lake, of form indicated by its name. "rolling prairie, with two bad sloughs, to rabbit river, which is crossed with the wagon with but little difficulty, where it issues from a small lake. it is a small stream, but spreads out from one hundred to three hundred feet, with marshy borders; camp on the small lake, with good grass, wood, and water. "june . rolling ground, with small ponds and marshes, to a small brook twelve feet wide; the bois des sioux prairie, a smooth, flat prairie, without knoll or undulation-- an immense plain, apparently level, covered with a tall, coarse, dark-colored grass, and unrelieved with the sight of a tree or shrub; firm bottom, but undoubtedly wet in spring; small brook, when the train made a noon halt. "same smooth prairie as above to bois des sioux river, sometimes soft and miry; camp on river bank; wood and grass good-- river water fair; many catfish caught in the river. "june . cross bois des sioux river; seventy feet wide, four to seven feet deep; muddy bottom; steep and miry banks; goods boated over; wagons hauled through, light, with ropes; bad crossing, but passable; smooth flat prairie, as on the east side of bois des sioux, occasionally interrupted with open sloughs to wild rice river, and camp with wood, water, and abundant grass. "june . wild rice river, about forty feet wide and five and a half feet deep, with muddy and miry bottom and sides, flowing in a canal-like channel, some twenty feet below prairie level; river skirted with elm-- bridged from the steep banks, being too miry to sustain the animals, detaining the train but little more than half-a-day; small brook without wood, flowing in a broad channel cut out through the prairie; crossing miry, but made passable for the wagon by strewing the bottom with mown grass. "firm prairie to camp on edge of above small stream; good grass and water; no wood; elk killed by hunter. "july . smooth prairie extending to shayenne river; sand knolls, ponds, and marshes frequent as the river is approached. the marshes were not miry-- firmer bottom; good wagon road; night encampment on bank of river; sufficient grass for train; wood abundant; river water good; many catfish caught in river. "july . shayenne river, sixty feet wide, fourteen feet deep; river had been previously bridged by red river train, from the poplars and other trees growing on the river, and this bridge we made use of in crossing our wagons; camp on the west bank of the river; water, wood, and grass good. "july . prairie undulation, interrupted with marshes, small ponds and occasional small rivulets, to maple river, about twenty-five feet wide, three and a half feet deep, firm bottom, and easily passed by the wagons; river tolerably well wooded, and the camp on its edge is furnished with water, wood, and good grass. the rich black soil of the valley of this stream is noticeable. "july . to a small stream thirty feet wide, two feet deep, clayey bottom, easily crossed by the wagons; prairie high, firm, and almost level for some thirteen miles, becoming more rolling and with small ponds in the last seven miles of the march; on the edge of some of the ponds are salt incrustations; camp on the river; water good; grass good; no wood, and the bois de vache is used for fuel. "july . country wet and marshy; not a tree in sight; prairie with low ridges and knolls, and great number of ponds and marshes; night's camp by a small pond; no wood, but plenty of bois de vache; grass good. "july . approaching the shayenne; country as yesterday for some half dozen miles; bordering on the river the ground is broken with deep coulees and ravines, and to keep away from them the train kept at some distance from the river, encamping by a small marshy pond; no wood; plenty of bois de vache; grass good; water tolerable; first buffalo killed to-day. "july . prairie swelling with ridges; descend to the shayenne, which flows some one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet below the prairie by a steep hill; camp in the bottom of the river; wood and water good; grass rather poor; the bottom of the shayenne, some half a mile wide, is often soft and miry, but when crossed by the train firm and dry. "july . cross the shayenne, fifty feet wide, three and a half feet deep; immediate banks some ten feet high, and requiring some digging to give passage to the wagons. "prairie with swelling ridges and occasional marshes to camp, to a slough affording water and grass; no wood; buffalo very abundant. "july . prairie swelling into ridges and hills, with a frequency of marshes, ponds, and sloughs; camp at a pretty lake, near lake jessie; fairly wooded, with water slightly saline; grass scanty, having been consumed by the buffalo. prairies covered with buffalo." i take this valuable sketch of the natural features of the country from volume of explorations and surveys for the pacific railroad (page - ); for which i am indebted to the learned secretary of war. letter xv. st. cloud to st. paul. importance of starting early-- judge story's theory of early rising-- rustic scenery-- horses and mules-- surveyors-- humboldt-- baked fish-- getting off the track-- burning of hay stacks-- supper at st. anthony-- arrival at the fuller house. st. paul, october, . i was up by the gray dawn of the morning of yesterday, and after an early but excellent breakfast, crossed the river from st. cloud, in order to meet the stage at sauk rapids. as we came up on the main road, the sight of a freshly made rut, of stage-wheel size, caused rather a disquieting apprehension that the stage had passed. but my nerves were soon quieted by the assurance from an early hunter, who was near by shooting prairie chickens while they were yet on the roost, that the stage had not yet come. so we kept on to the spacious store where the post office is kept; where i waited and waited for the stage to come which was to bring me to st. paul. it did not arrive till eight o'clock. i thought if every one who had a part to perform in starting off the stage from watab (for it had started out from there that morning), was obliged to make the entire journey of miles to st. paul in the stage, they would prefer to get up a little earlier rather than have the last part of the trip extended into "the dead waist and middle of the night." i remarked to the driver, who is a very clever young man, that the stage which left st. paul started as early as five o'clock, and i could not see why it was not as necessary to start as early in going down, inasmuch as the earlier we started the less of the night darkness we had to travel in. he perfectly agreed with me, and attributed his inability to start earlier to the dilatory arrangements at the hotel. when jogging along at about eleven at night between st. anthony and the city, i could not help begrudging every minute of fair daylight which had been wasted. the theory of judge story, that it don't make much difference when a man gets up in the morning, provided he is wide awake after he is up, will do very well, perhaps, except when one is to start on a journey in the stage. i took a seat by the driver's side, the weather being clear and mild, and had an unobstructed and delightful view of every object, and there seemed to be none but pleasant objects in range of the great highway. though there is, between every village, population enough to remind one constantly that he is in a settled country, the broad extent yet unoccupied proclaims that there is still room enough. below sauk rapids a good deal of the land on the road side is in the hands of speculators. this, it is understood, is on the east side of the mississippi. on the west side there are more settlements. but yet there are many farms, with tidy white cottages; and in some places are to be seen well-arranged flower-gardens. the most attractive scenery to me, however, was the ample corn-fields, which, set in a groundwork of interminable virgin soil, are pictures which best reflect the true destiny and usefulness of an agricultural region. we met numerous teams heavily laden with furniture or provisions, destined for the different settlements above. the teams are principally drawn by two horses; and, as the road is extremely level and smooth, are capable of taking on as much freight as under other circumstances could be drawn by four horses. mules do not appear to be appreciated up this way so much as in missouri or kentucky. nor was it unusual to meet light carriages with a gentleman and lady, who, from the luggage, &c., aboard, appeared to have been on somewhat of an extensive shopping expedition. and i might as well say here, if i havn't yet said it, that the minnesotians are supplied with uncommonly good horses. i do not remember to have seen a mean horse in the territory. i suppose, as considerable pains are taken in raising stock, poor horses are not raised at all; and it will not pay to import poor ones. a company of surveyors whom we met excited a curiosity which i was not able to solve. it looked odd enough to see a dozen men walking by the side or behind a small one-horse cart; the latter containing some sort of baggage which was covered over, as it appeared, with camping fixtures. it was more questionable whether the team belonged to the men than that the men were connected with the team. the men were mostly young and very intelligent-looking, dressed with woollen shirts as if for out door service, and i almost guessed they were surveyors; yet still thought they were a party of newcomers who had concluded to club together to make their preemption claim. but surveyors they were. the town of humboldt is the county seat for sherburne county. it lies between the mississippi and snake rivers. the part of the town which i saw was a very small part. mr. brown's residence, which is delightfully situated on the shore of a lake, is at once the court house and the post office, besides being the general emporium and magnate of humboldt business and society. furthermore, it is the place where the stage changes horses and where passengers on the down trip stop to dine. it was here we stopped to dine; and as the place had been a good deal applauded for its table-d'hote, a standard element of which was said to be baked fish, right out of the big lake, i at least had formed very luxurious expectations. mr. brown was away. we had met his lively countenance on his way up to a democratic caucus. perhaps that accounted for our not having baked fish, for fish we certainly did not have. the dinner was substantial, however, and yielded to appetites which had been sharpened by a half day's inhalation of serene october air. we had all become infused with a spirit of despatch; and were all ready to start, and did start, in half an hour from the time we arrived at the house. we had not proceeded far after dinner before meeting the monticello stage, which runs between the thriving village of that name-- on the west bank of the mississippi-- and st. paul. it carries a daily mail. there were several passengers aboard. one little incident in our afternoon travel i will mention, as it appeared to afford more pleasure to the rest of the passengers than it did to me. where the stage was to stop for fifteen or twenty minutes, either to change mail or horses, i had invariably walked on a mile, if i could get as far, for the sake of variety and exercise. so when we came to the pretty village of anoka (at the mouth of rum river), where the mail was to be changed, i started on foot and alone. but unfortunately and unconsciously i took the wrong road. i had walked a mile i think-- for twenty minutes at least had expired since i started-- and being in the outskirts of the town, in the midst of farms and gardens, turned up to a garden-fence, on the other side of which a gentleman of professional-- i rather thought clerical appearance-- was feeding a cow on pumpkins. i had not seen pumpkins so abundant since my earliest youth, when i used to do a similar thing. i rather thought too that the gentleman whom i accosted was a yankee, and after talking a few minutes with him, so much did he exceed me in asking questions, that i felt sure he was one. how thankful i ought to be that he was one! for otherwise it is probable he would not have ascertained where, and for what purpose, i was walking. he informed me i was on the wrong road; that the stage took a road further west, which was out of sight; and that i had better go on a little further and then cross the open prairie. then for the first time did i notice that the road i had taken was but a street, not half so much worn as the main road. i followed his friendly advice, and feeling some despair i hastened on at a swift run, and as i advanced towards where i thought the right road ought to be, though i could neither see it nor the stage, "called so loud that all the hollow deep of"-- the prairies might have resounded. at last, when quite out of breath and hoarse with loud vociferation, i descried the stage rolling on at a rapid rate. then i renewed my calls, and brought it up standing. after clambering over a few fences, sweating and florid, i got to the stage and resumed my seat, amidst the pleasant merriment of the passengers. the driver was kind enough to say that he began to suspect i had taken the wrong road, and was about to turn round and come after me-- that he certainly would not have left me behind, &c. i was happy, nevertheless, that my mistake did not retard the stage. but i do not intend to abandon the practice of walking on before the stage whenever it stops to change horses. just in the edge of twilight, and when we were a little way this side of coon creek, where we had changed horses again, we came in sight of a large fire. it was too much in one spot to be a prairie fire; and as we drove on the sad apprehension that it was a stack of hay was confirmed. the flames rose up in wide sheets, and cast a steady glare upon the landscape. it was a gorgeous yet a dismal sight. it always seems worse to see grain destroyed by fire than ordinary merchandise. several stacks were burning. we saw that the usual precaution against prairie fires had been taken. these consist in ploughing several furrows around the stack, or by burning the grass around it to prevent the flames from reaching it. it was therefore suspected that some rascal had applied the torch to the hay; though for humanity's sake we hoped it was not so. the terrible prairie fires, which every autumn waste the western plains, are frequently started through the gross carelessness of people who camp out, and leave their fires burning. some of us took supper at st. anthony. i cannot say much of the hotel de facto. the table was not as good as i found on the way at other places above. there is a hotel now being built there out of stone, which i am confident will exceed anything in the territory, if we except the fuller house. it is possible we all felt invigorated and improved by the supper, for we rode the rest of the way in a very crowded stage without suffering any exhibition of ill temper to speak of, and got into st. paul at last, when it was not far from eleven; and after seventy-five miles of staging, the luxurious accommodations of the fuller house seemed more inviting than ever. letter xvi. progress. rapid growth of the north-west-- projected railroads-- territorial system of the united states-- inquiry into the cause of western progress-- influence of just laws and institutions-- lord bacon's remark. st. paul, october, . the progress which has characterized the settlement of the territory of minnesota, presents to the notice of the student of history and political economy some important facts. the growth of a frontier community, so orderly, so rapid, and having so much of the conservative element in it, has rarely been instanced in the annals of the world. in less time than it takes the government to build a custom house we see an unsettled territory grown to the size of a respectable state, in wealth, in population, in power. a territory, too, which ten years ago seemed to be an incredible distance from the civilized portions of the country; and which was thought by most people to be in a latitude that would defeat the energy and the toil of man. today it could bring into the field a larger army than washington took command of at the beginning of our revolution! in , the year of its organization, the population of the territory was ; now it is estimated to be nearly , . in there were post offices in the territory, now there are . the number of acres of public land sold during the fiscal year ending th june, , was , . for the year ending th june, , the number of acres sold was , , . when we contemplate the headlong progress of western growth in its innumerable evidences of energy, we admit the truth of what the roman poet said-- nil mortalibus ardum est-- that there is nothing too difficult for man. in the narrative of his exploration to the mississippi in , along with general cass, mr. schoolcraft tells us how chicago then appeared. "we found," says he, "four or five families living here." four or five families was the extent of the population of chicago in ! in it had inhabitants. in its population was , . the history of many western towns that have sprung up within ten years is characterized by much the same sort of thrift. unless some terrible scourge shall come to desolate the land, or unless industry herself shall turn to sloth, a few more years will present the magnificent spectacle of the entire domain stretching from this frontier to the pacific coast, transformed into a region of culture, "full of life and splendor and joy." at present there are no railroads in operation in minnesota; but those which are already projected indicate, as well as any statistics, the progress which is taking place. the chicago, st. paul, and fond-du-lac railroad was commenced some two years ago at chicago, and over miles of it are completed. it is to run via hudson in wisconsin, stillwater, st. paul, and st. anthony in minnesota to the western boundary of the territory. recently it has united with the milwaukee and la cross road, which secures several millions of acres of valuable land, donated by congress, and which will enable the stockholders to complete the road to st. paul and st. anthony within two years. a road has been surveyed from the head of lake superior via st. paul to the southern line of the territory, and will soon be worked. the milwaukee and mississippi railroad company will in a few weeks have their road completed to prairie du chien, and are extending it on the east side of the mississippi to st. paul. another road is being built up the valley of the red cedar river in iowa to minneapolis. the keokuck road is in operation over fifty miles, and will soon be under contract to st. paul. this road is to run via the valley of the des moines river, through the rich coal fields of iowa, and will supply the upper mississippi and lake superior region with coal. the green bay and minnesota railroad company has been organized and the route selected. this road will soon be commenced. the active men engaged in the enterprise reside in green bay and stillwater. a company has been formed and will soon commence a road from winona to the western line of the territory. the st. anthony and st. paul railroad company will have their line under contract early the coming season. the milwaukee and la cross company propose continuing their road west through the valley of root river, through minnesota to the missouri river. another company has been formed for building a road from the head of lake superior to the red river of the north.[ ] such are some of the railroad enterprises which are under way, and which will contribute at an early day to develop the opulent resources of the territory. a railroad through this part of the country to the pacific is among the probable events of the present generation. _______ [ the following highly instructive article on navigation, i take from the pioneer and democrat (st. paul), of the th november: "growth of the steamboating business-- the season of . -- about ten years after the first successful attempt at steamboat navigation on the ohio river, the first steamboat that ever ascended the upper mississippi river to fort snelling, arrived at that post. this was the 'virginia,' a stern-wheel boat, which arrived at the port in the early part of may, . from to there were but few arrivals each year-- sometimes not more than two or three. the steamers running on the upper mississippi, at that time, were used altogether to transport supplies for the indian traders and the troops stationed at fort snelling. previous to the arrival of the virginia, keel boats were used for this purpose, and sixty days' time, from st. louis to the fort, was considered a good trip. "by a reference to our files, we are enabled to present, at a glance, the astonishing increase in steamboating business since . the first boat to arrive that year, was the otter, commanded by captain harris. the following table presents the number of arrivals since that time:-- year first boat no. of arrivals river closed april nov. april nov. march dec. april nov. april dec. april dec. april dec. april nov. april nov. april nov. april nov. april nov. april nov. "in , three boats went up the minnesota river, and in , one boat ran regularly up that stream during the season. in , the business required an average of one boat per day. in , the business had largely increased, and in , the arrivals of steamers from the minnesota, amounted to . "the present season, on the mississippi, has been a very prosperous one, and the arrivals at st. paul exhibit a gratifying increase over any preceding year, notwithstanding the season of navigation has been two weeks shorter than last season. owing to the unusually early gorge in the river at hastings, upwards of fifty steamers bound for this port, and heavily laden with merchandise and produce, were compelled to discharge their cargoes at hastings and stillwater. "navigation this season opened on the th of april. the lady franklin arrived on the evening of that day from galena. previous to her arrival, there had been eighteen arrivals at our landing from the head of lake pepin, and twelve arrivals at the foot of the lake, from galena and dubuque. "during the present season, seventy-eight different steamers have arrived at our wharf, from the points mentioned in the following table. this table we draw mainly from the books of the city marshal, and by reference to our files. from st. louis. boats no. of trips. ben coursin a. g. mason metropolitan audubon golden state laclede luella cheviot james lyon vienna new york delegate mansfield forest rose ben bolt j. p. tweed fire canoe carrier julia dean resolute gossamer thomas scott gipsey w. g. woodside york state mattie wayne brazil dan convers henrietta editor minnesota belle rochester oakland grace darling montauk fairy queen saint louis americus atlanta jacob traber white bluffs arcola conewago lucie may badger state sam young violet ---- total arrivals from st. louis, from fulton city. falls city diamond h. t. yeatman time and tide ---- total from fulton city, from galena and dunleith. lady franklin galena alhambra royal arch northern belle banjo war eagle city belle golden era ocean wave granite state greek slave ---- total from galena and dunleith, from dubuque. excelsior kate cassel clarion tishimingo fanny harris flora hamburg ---- total from dubuque, from minnesota river. h. t. yeatman globe clarion reveille h. s. allen time and tide wave equator minnesota valley berlin ---- total from minnesota river, recapitulation. number of arrivals from st. louis fulton city galena and dunleith dubuque minnesota river head of lake pepin ---- whole number of boats, . whole number of arrivals, "it will be seen from the above, that ten more steamers have been engaged in this trade during the present year than last; while in the whole number of arrivals the increase has been two hundred and sixty-seven. "the business on the minnesota has greatly increased this year. this was to have been expected, considering the great increase in the population of that flourishing portion of our territory. "a thriving trade has sprung up between the southern counties of minnesota, and galena and dubuque. during the greater portion of the summer, the war eagle and tishimingo run regularly to winona. "on the upper mississippi there are now three steamers, the gov. ramsay, h. m. rice, and north star (new). daring the season these boats ran between st. anthony and sauk rapids."] _______ it may be well to pause here a moment and inquire into the causes which contribute so wonderfully to build up empire in our north-western domain. the territorial system of the united states has some analogy, it is true, to the colonial system of great britain-- not the colonial system which existed in the days of the stamp act-- but that which a wiser statesmanship has more recently inaugurated. the relation between the general government and our territories is like that of guardian and ward-- the relation of a protector, not that of a master. nor can we find in the history of antiquity any such relationship between colonies and the mother country, whether we consider the system of phoenicia, where first was exhibited the doctrine of non-intervention, or the tribute-paying colonies of carthage. that system which was peculiar to greece, "resting not on state contrivances and economical theories, but on religious sympathies and ancestral associations," came as near perhaps in spirit to ours as any on record. the patronage which the government bestows on new territories is one of the sources of their growth which ought not to be overlooked. instead of making the territory a dependency and drawing from it a tax, the government pays its political expenses, builds its roads, and gives it a fair start in the world. another cause of the successful growth of our territories in general, and of minnesota in particular, is the ready market which is found in the limits of the territory for everything which can be raised from a generous soil or wrought by industrious hands. the farmer has a ready market for everything that is good to eat or to wear; the artisan is driven by unceasing demands upon his skill. this arises from extensive emigration. another reason, also, for the rapid growth of the territory, is, that the farmer is not delayed by forests, but finds, outside of pleasant groves of woodland, a smooth, unencumbered soil, ready for the plough the first day he arrives. but if a salubrious climate, a fertile soil, clear and copious streams, and other material elements, can be reckoned among its physical resources, there are other elements of empire connected with its moral and political welfare which are indispensable. why is it that italy is not great? why is it the south american republics are rusting into abject decay? is it because they have not enough physical resources, or because their climate is not healthy? certainly not. it is because their political institutions are rotten and oppressive; because ignorance prevents the growth of a wholesome public opinion. it is the want of the right sort of men and institutions that there is "sloth in the mart and schism within the temple." "let states that aim at greatness," says lord bacon, "take heed how their nobility and gentlemen do multiply too fast; for that maketh the common subject to be a peasant and base swain, driven out of heart, and, in effect, but a gentleman's laborer." he who seeks for the true cause of the greatness and thrift of our northwestern states will find it not less in the influence of just laws and the education of all classes of men, than in the existence of productive fields and in the means of physical wealth. "what constitutes a state? not high raised battlement, or labored mound, thick wall, or moated gate; not cities proud, with spires and turrets crowned; not bays and broad armed ports, where, laughing at the storm, proud navies ride; but men, high minded men. _______ part ii. territory of dacotah. _______ "populous cities and states are springing up, as if by enchantment, from the bosom of our western wilds."-- the president's annual message for . _______ the proposed new territory of dacotah. _______ organization of minnesota as a state-- suggestions as to its division-- views of captain pope-- character and resources of the new territory to be left adjoining-- its occupation by the dacotah indians-- its organization and name. the territory of minnesota according to its present boundaries embraces an area of , square miles exclusive of water;-- a domain four times as large as the state of ohio, and twelve times as large as holland, when her commerce was unrivalled and her fleets ruled the sea. its limits take in three of the largest rivers of north america; the mississippi, the missouri, and the red river of the north. though remote from the sea board, ships can go out from its harbors to the ocean in two if not three different channels. its delightful scenery of lakes and water-falls, of prairie and woodland, are not more alluring to the tourist, than are its invigorating climate and its verdant fields attractive to the husbandman. it has been organized seven years; and its resources have become so much developed, and its population so large, there is a general disposition among the people to have a state organization, and be admitted into the confederacy of the union.[ ] a measure of this kind is not now premature: on the contrary, it is not for the interest of the general government any longer to defray the expenses of the territory; and the adoption of a state organization, throwing the taxes upon the people, would give rise to a spirit of rivalry and emulation, a watchfulness as to the system of public expenditures, and a more jealous regard for the proper development of the physical resources of the state. the legislature which meets in january ( ), will without doubt take the subject into consideration, and provide for a convention to frame a constitution. [ on the th of december mr. rice, the delegate in congress from minnesota, gave notice to the house that he would in a few days introduce a bill authorizing the people of the territory to hold a convention for the purpose of forming a state constitution.] this being the condition of things, the manner in which the territory shall be divided-- for no one can expect the new state will embrace the whole extent of the present territory-- becomes a very interesting question. some maintain, i believe, that the territory should be divided by a line running east and west. that would include in its limits the country bordering, for some distance, on the missouri river; possibly the head of navigation of the red river of the north. but it is hardly probable that a line of this description would give minnesota any part of lake superior. others maintain that the territory should be divided by a line running north and south; say, for instance, along the valley of the red river of the north. such a division would not give minnesota any of the missouri river. but it would have the benefit of the eastern valley of the red river of the north; of the entire region surrounding the sources of the mississippi; and of the broad expanse which lies on lake superior. the question is highly important, not only to minnesota, but to the territory which will be left outside of it; and it should be decided with a due regard to the interests of both.[ ] [ i take pleasure in inserting here a note which i have had the honor to receive from captain pope, of the corps of topographical engineers i have before had occasion to quote from the able and instructive report of his exploration of minnesota. washington, d. c. dec. , . dear sir:-- your note of the th instant is before me; and i will premise my reply by saying that the suggestions i shall offer to your inquiries are based upon my knowledge of the condition of the territory in , which circumstances beyond my acquaintance may have materially modified since. the important points to be secured for the new state to be erected in the territory of minnesota, seem to be:-- first a harbor on lake superior, easily accessible from the west; second, the whole course of the mississippi to the iowa line; and, third, the head of navigation of the red river of the north. it is unnecessary to point out the advantages of securing these features to the new state; and to do so without enclosing too many square miles of territory, i would suggest the following boundaries, viz.: commencing on the th parallel of latitude, where it is intersected by the red river of the north, to follow the line of deepest water of that river to the mouth of the bois des sioux (or sioux wood) river; thence up the middle of that stream to the south-west point of lake traverse; thence following a due south line to the northern boundary of the state of iowa ( degrees ' north latitude); thence along this boundary line to the mississippi river; thence up the middle of the mississippi river to the mouth of the st. croix river; thence along the western boundary line of the state of wisconsin to its intersection with the st. louis river; thence down the middle of that river to lake superior; thence following the coast of the lake to its intersection with the boundary line between the united states and the british possessions, and following this boundary to the place of beginning. these boundaries will enclose an area of about , square miles of the best agricultural and manufacturing region in the territory, and will form a state of unrivalled advantages. that portion of the territory set aside by the boundary line will be of little value for many years to come. it presents features differing but little from the region of prairie and table land west of the frontier of missouri and arkansas. from this, of course, are to be excepted the western half of the valley of the red river and of the big sioux river, which are as productive as any portion of the territory, which, with the region enclosed between them, would contain arable land sufficient for another state of smaller dimensions. as you will find stated and fully explained in my report of february, , the valley of the red river of the north must find an outlet for its productions towards the south, either through the great lakes or by the mississippi river. the necessity, therefore, of connecting the head of its navigation with a harbor on lake superior, and a port on the mississippi, is sufficiently apparent. as each of these lines of railroad will run through the most fertile and desirable portion of the territory, they will have a value far beyond the mere object of transporting the products of the red river valley. the construction of these roads-- in fact the mere location of them-- will secure a population along the routes at once, and will open a country equal to any in the world. as these views have been fully elaborated in my report of , i refer you to that paper for the detailed information upon which these views and suggestions are based. i am sir, respectfully, your obedient servant; jno. pope. c. c. andrews, esq., washington, d. c.] _______ if the division last mentioned-- or one on that plan-- is made, there will then be left west of the state of minnesota an extent of country embracing more than half of the territory as it now is; extending from latitude degrees ' to the th degree; and embracing six degrees of longitude-- th to d-- at its northern extreme. the missouri river would constitute nearly the whole of its western boundary. in the northerly part the mouse and pembina rivers are among its largest streams; in the middle flows the large and finely wooded shayenne, "whose valley possesses a fertile soil and offers many inducements to its settlement;" while towards the south it would have the jacques, the big sioux, the vermillion, and the head waters of the st. peter's. in its supply of copious streams, nature seems there to have been lavish. of the big sioux river, m. nicollet says, its indian name means that it is continuously lined with wood; that its length cannot be less than three hundred and fifty miles. "it flows through a beautiful and fertile country; amidst which the dacotahs, inhabiting the valleys of the st. peter's and missouri, have always kept up summer establishments on the borders of the adjoining lakes, whilst they hunted the river banks. buffalo herds are confidently expected to be met with here at all seasons of the year." the jacques (the indian name of which is tchan-sansan) "takes its rise on the plateau of the missouri beyond the parallel of degrees north; and after pursuing nearly a north and south course, empties into the missouri river below degrees. it is deemed navigable with small hunting canoes for between five hundred and six hundred miles; but below otuhuoja, it will float much larger boats. the shores of the river are generally tolerably well wooded, though only at intervals. along those portions where it widens into lakes, very eligible situations for farms would be found." the same explorer says, the most important tributary of the jacques is the elm river, which "might not deserve any special mention as a navigable stream, but is very well worthy of notice on account of the timber growing on its own banks and those of its forks." he further observes (report, p. ) that "the basin of the river jacques, between the two coteaux and in the latitude of otuhuoja, may be laid down as having a breadth of eighty miles, sloping gradually down from an elevation of seven hundred to seven hundred and fifty feet. these dimensions, of course, vary in the different parts of the valley; but what i have said will convey some idea of the immense prairie watered by the tchan-sansan, which has been deemed by all travellers to those distant regions perhaps the most beautiful within the territory of the united states." the middle and northern part comprises an elevated plain, of average fertility and tolerably wooded. towards the south it is characterized by bold undulations. the valley of the missouri is narrow; and the bluffs which border upon it are abrupt and high. the country is adapted to agricultural pursuits, and though inferior as a general thing to much of minnesota, affords promise of thrift and properity in its future. it is blessed with a salubrious climate. dr. suckley, who accompanied the expedition of gov. stevens through that part of the west, as far as puget sound, says in his official report: "on reviewing the whole route, the unequalled and unparalleled good health of the command during a march of over eighteen hundred miles appears remarkable; especially when we consider the hardships and exposures necessarily incident to such a trip. not a case of ague or fever occurred. such a state of health could only be accounted for by the great salubrity of the countries passed through, and their freedom from malarious or other endemic disease." governor stevens has some comprehensive remarks concerning that part of the country in his report. "the grand plateau of the bois des sioux and the mouse river valley are the two keys of railroad communication from the mississippi river westward through the territory of minnesota. the bois des sioux is a river believed to be navigable for steamers of light draught, flowing northward from lake traverse into the red river of the north, and the plateau of the bois des sioux may be considered as extending from south of lake traverse to the south bend of the red river, and from the rabbit river, some thirty miles east of the bois des sioux river, to the dead colt hillock. this plateau separates the rivers flowing into hudson's bay from those flowing into the mississippi river. the mouse river valley, in the western portion of minnesota, is from ten to twenty miles broad; is separated from the missouri river by the coteau du missouri, some six hundred feet high, and it is about the same level as the parallel valley of the missouri." (report, ch. .) m. nicollet was a scientific or matter of fact man, who preferred to talk about "erratic blocks" and "cretaceous formations" rather than to indulge in poetic descriptions. the outline which follows, however, of the western part of the territory is what he considers "a faint description of this beautiful country." "the basin of the upper mississippi is separated in a great part of its extent from that of the missouri, by an elevated plain; the appearance of which, seen from the valley of the st. peter's or that of the jacques, looming as it were a distant shore, has suggested for it the name of coteau des prairies. its more appropriate designation would be that of plateau, which means something more than is conveyed to the mind by the expression, a plain. its northern extremity is in latitude degrees, extending to degrees; after which it loses its distinctive elevation above the surrounding plains, and passes into rolling prairies. its length is about two hundred miles, and its general direction n. n. w. and s. s. e. its northern termination (called tete du couteau in consequence of its peculiar configuration) is not more than fifteen to twenty miles across; its elevation above the level of the big stone lake is eight hundred and ninety feet, and above the ocean one thousand nine hundred and sixteen feet. starting from this extremity (that is, the head of the coteau), the surface of the plateau is undulating, forming many dividing ridges which separate the waters flowing into the st. peter's and the mississippi from those of the missouri. under the th degree of latitude, the breadth of the coteau is about forty miles, and its mean elevation is here reduced to one thousand four hundred and fifty feet above the sea. within this space its two slopes are rather abrupt, crowned with verdure, and scolloped by deep ravines thickly shaded with bushes, forming the beds of rivulets that water the subjacent plains. the coteau itself is isolated, in the midst of boundless and fertile prairies, extending to the west, to the north, and into the valley of the st. peter's. the plain at its northern extremity is a most beautiful tract of land diversified by hills, dales, woodland, and lakes, the latter abounding in fish. this region of country is probably the most elevated between the gulf of mexico and hudson's bay. from its summit, proceeding from its western to its eastern limits, grand views are afforded. at its eastern border particularly, the prospect is magnificent beyond description, extending over the immense green turf that forms the basin of the red river of the north, the forest-capped summits of the haugeurs des terres that surround the sources of the mississippi, the granitic valley of the upper st. peter's, and the depressions in which are lake traverse and the big stone lake. there can be no doubt that in future times this region will be the summer resort of the wealthy of the land." (pp. , .) i will pass over what he says of the "vast and magnificent valley of the red river of the north," having before given some account of that region, and merely give his description of the largest lake which lies in the northern part of the territory: "the greatest extension of devil's lake is at least forty miles,-- but may be more, as we did not, and could not, ascertain the end of the north-west bay, which i left undefined on the map. it is bordered by hills that are pretty well wooded on one side, but furrowed by ravines and coulees, that are taken advantage of by warlike parties, both for attack and defence according to circumstances. the lake itself is so filled up with islands and promontories, that, in travelling along its shores, it is only occasionally that one gets a glimpse of its expanse. this description belongs only to its wooded side; for, on the opposite side, the shores, though still bounded by hills, are destitute of trees, so as to exhibit an embankment to the east from ten to twelve miles long, upon an average breadth of three-quarters of a mile. the average breadth of the lake may be laid down at fifteen miles. its waters appear to be the drainings of the surrounding hills. we discovered no outlets in the whole extent of about three-quarters of its contour we could explore. at all events, if there be any they do not empty into the red river of the north, since the lake is shut up in that direction, and since we found its true geographical position to be much more to the north than it is ordinarily laid down upon maps. a single depression at its lower end would intimate that, in times of high water, some discharge might possibly take place; but then it would be into the shayenne." (p. .) such are some of the geographical outlines of the extensive domain which will be soon organized as a new territory. what will it be called? if the practice hitherto followed of applying to territories the names which they have been called by their aboriginal inhabitants is still adhered to, this new territory will have the name of dacotah. it is the correct or indian name of those tribes whom we call the sioux; the latter being an unmeaning indian-french word. dacotah means "united people," and is the word which the indians apply to seven of their bands.[ ] these tribes formerly occupied the country south and south-west of lake superior; from whence they were gradually driven towards the missouri and the rocky mountains by their powerful and dreaded enemies the chippewas. since which time they have been the acknowledged occupants of the broad region to which they have impressed a name. several of the tribes, however, have crossed the missouri, between which and the rocky mountains they still linger a barbaric life. we may now hope to realize the truth of hiawatha's words:-- "after many years of warfare, many years of strife and bloodshed, there is peace between the ojibways and the tribe of the dacotahs." [ the following description of the dacotahs is based on observations made in . "the dacotahs are a large and powerful nation of indians, distinct in their manners, language, habits, and opinions, from the chippewas, sauks, foxes, and naheawak or kilisteno, as well as from all nations of the algonquin stock. they are likewise unlike the pawnees and the minnetarees or gros ventres. they inhabit a large district of country which may be comprised within the following limits:-- from prairie du chien, on the mississippi, by a curved line extending east of north and made to include all the eastern tributaries of the mississippi, to the first branch of chippewa river; the head waters of that stream being claimed by the chippewa indians; thence by a line running west of north to the head of spirit lake; thence by a westerly line to the riveree de corbeau; thence up that river to its head, near otter tail lake; thence by a westerly line to red river, and down that river to pembina; thence by a south-westerly line to the east bank of the missouri near the mandan villages; thence down the missouri to a point probably not far from soldier's river; thence by a line running east of north to prairie du chien. this immense extent of country is inhabited by a nation calling themselves, in their internal relations, the dacotah, which means the allied; but who, in their external relations, style themselves the ochente shakoan, which signifies the nation of seven (council) fires. this refers to the following division which formerly prevailed among them, viz.:-- . mende-wahkan-toan, or people of the spirit lake. . wahkpa-toan, or people of the leaves. . sisi-toan, or miakechakesa. . yank-toan-an, or fern leaves . yank-toan, or descended from the fern leaves. . ti-toan, or braggers. . wahkpako-toan, or the people that shoot at leaves. -- long's expedition to sources of st. peter's river &c., vol. , pp. , .] if it be asked what will be done with these tribes when the country comes to be settled, i would observe, as i have said, that the present policy of the government is to procure their settlement on reservations. this limits them to smaller boundaries; and tends favorably to their civilization. i might also say here, that the title which the indians have to the country they occupy is that of occupancy. they have the natural right to occupy the land; but the absolute and sovereign title is in the united states. the indians can dispose of their title to no party or power but the united states. when, however, the government wishes to extinguish their title of occupancy, it pays them a fair price for their lands according as may be provided by treaty. the policy of our government towards the indians is eminently that of protection and preservation; not of conquest and extermination. dacotah is the name now applied to the western part of minnesota, and i am assured by the best informed men of that section, that such will be the name of the territory when organized. _______ part iii. table of statistics. _______ i. list of post offices and postmasters in minnesota. ii. land offices, &c. iii. newspapers published in minnesota. iv. table of distances. _______ i. post offices and postmasters. _______ i have been furnished, at brief notice, with the following accurate list of the post offices and postmasters in minnesota by my very excellent friend, mr. john n. olivier, of the sixth auditor's office: list of post offices and postmasters in the territory of minnesota, prepared prom the books of the appointment office, post office department, to december , . post office. postmaster. benton county. belle prairie calvin c. hicks. big lake joseph brown. clear lake f. e. baldwin. crow wing allen morrison. elk river john q. a. nickerson. itasca john c. bowers. little falls c. h. churchill. royalton rodolph's d. kinney. sauk rapids c. b. vanstest. swan river james warren. watab david gilman. blue earth county. kasota isaac allen. mankato parsons k. johnson. liberty edward brace. pajutazee andrew robertson. south bend matthew thompson. winnebago agency henry foster. brown county. new ulm anton kans. sioux agency asa w. daniels. carver county. carver joseph a. sargent. chaska timothy d. smith. la belle isaac berfield. scandia a. bergquest. san francisco james b. cotton. young america r. m. kennedy. chisago county. amador lorenzo a. lowden. cedar creek samuel wyatt. chippewa j. p. gulding. chisago city henry s. cluiger. hanley john hanley. rushseby george b. folsom. sunrise city george s. frost. taylor's falls peter e. walker. wyoming jordan egle. dakota county. athens jacob whittemore. centralia h. p. sweet. empire city ralph p. hamilton. farmington noredon amedon. fort snelling franklin steele. hampton james archer. hastings john f. marsh. lakeville samuel p. baker. le sueur kostum k. peck. lewiston stephen n. carey. mendota hypolite dupues. ninninger louis loichot. ottowa frank y. hoffstott. rosemount andrew keegan. vermillion leonard aldrich. waterford warren atkinson. dodge county. avon noah f. berry. ashland george townsend. claremont goerge hitchcock. concord james m. sumner. montorville john h. shober. wasioga eli. p. waterman. fairbault county. blue earth city george b. kingsley. verona newell dewey. fillmore county. bellville wilson bell. big spring william walter. chatfield edwin b. gere. clarimona wm. f. strong. deer creek william s. hill. elkhorn jacob mcquillan. elliota john c. cleghorn. etna o. b. bryant. fairview john g. bouldin. fillmore robert rea. forestville forest henry. jordan james m. gilliss. lenora chas. b. wilford. looking glass lemuel jones. newburg gabriel gabrielson. odessa jacob p. kennedy. peterson knud peterson. pilot mound daniel b. smith. preston l. preston. riceford wm. d. vandoren. richland benjn. f. tillotson. rushford sylvester s. stebbins. spring valley condello wilkins. uxbridge daniel crowell. waukokee john m. west. freeborn county. albert lea lorenzo murray. geneva john heath. st. nicholas saml. m. thompson. shell rock edward p. skinner. goodhue county. burr oak springs henry doyle. cannon river falls george mckenzie. central point charles w. hackett. pine island john chance. poplar grove john lee. red wing henry c. hoffman. spencer hans mattson. wacouta george post. westervelt evert westervelt. hennepin county. bloomington reuben b. gibson. chanhassen henry m. lyman. dayton john baxter. eden prairie jonas staring. elm creek charles miles. harmony james a. dunsmore. excelsior charles p. smith. island city william f. russell. maple plain irvin shrewsbury. medicine lake francis hagot. minneapolis alfred e. ames. minnetonka levi w. eastman. osseo warren samson. perkinsville n. t. perkins. watertown alexander moore. wyzata w. h. chapman. houston county. brownsville charles brown. caledonia wm. j. mckee. hamilton charles smith. hackett's grove emery hackett. hokah edward thompson. houston ole knudson. loretta edmund s. lore. looneyville daniel wilson. la crescent william gillett. mooney creek cyrus b. sinclair. portland alexr. batcheller. sheldon john paddock. spring grove embric knudson. san jacinto george canon. wiscoy benton aldrich. yucatan t. a. pope. lake county. burlington chas. b. harbord. la sueur county. elysium silas s. munday. grandville bartlet y. couch. lexington henry earl. waterville samuel d. drake. mcleod county. glencoe surman g. simmons. hutchinson lewis harrington. meeker county. forest city walter c. bacon. morrison county. little falls orlando a. churchill. mower county. austin alanson b. vaughan. frankford lewis patchin. high forest thos. h. armstrong. le roy daniel caswell. nicollet county. eureka edwin clark. hilo william dupray. saint peter george hezlep. travers des sioux william huey. olmstead county. durango samuel brink. kalmar james a. blair. oronoco samuel p. hicks. pleasant grove samuel barrows. rochester phineas h. durfel. salem cyrus holt. springfield almon h. smith. waterloo robert s. latta. zumbro lucy cobb. pembina county. cap lake david b. spencer. pembina joseph rolette. red lake sela g. wright. saint joseph's george a. belcourt. pierce county. fort ridgeley benjn. h. randall. pine county. alhambra herman trott. mille lac mark leadbetter. ramsey county. anoka arthur davis. centreville charles pettin. columbus john klerman. howard's lake john p. howard. little canada walter b. boyd. manomine joseph a. willis. otter lake ross wilkinson. red rock giles h. fowler. st. anthony's falls norton h. hemiup. st. paul charles s. cave. rice county. cannon city c. smith house. faribault alexander faribault. medford smith johnson. morristown walter norris. northfield calvin s. short. shieldsville joshua tufts. union lake henry m. humphrey. walcott joseph richardson. saint louis county. falls of st. louis joseph y. buckner. oneota edmund f. ely. twin lakes george w. perry. scott county. belle plaine nahum stone. louisville joseph r. ashley. mount pleasant john soules. new dublin dominick mcdermott sand creek william holmes. shak-a-pay reuben m. wright. sibley county. henderson henry pochler. prairie mound morgan lacey. stearns county. clinton john h. linneman. neenah henry b. johnson. saint cloud joseph edelbrook. torah reuben m. richardson. steele county. adamsville hiram pitcher. aurora charles adsit. dodge city john coburn. ellwood wilber f. fiske. josco james hanes. lemond abram fitzsimmons. owatana samuel b. smith. st. mary's horatio b. morrison. swavesey andrew j. bell. wilton david j. jenkins. superior county. beaver bay robert mclean. french river f. w. watrous. grand marias richard godfrey. grand portage h. h. mccullough. wabashaw county. greenville rodman benchard. independence seth l. mccarty. lake city harvey f. williamson. mazeppa john e. hyde. minneska nathaniel f. tifft. minnesota city samuel e. cotton. mount vernon stephen m. burns. reed's landing fordyce s. richard. wabashaw j. f. byrne. west newton austin r. swan. wahnatah county. fort ripley solon w. manney. washington county. cottage grove stephen f. douglass. lake land freeman c. tyler. marine mills orange walker. milton mills lemuel bolles. point douglass r. r. henry. stillwater harley curtis. winona county. dacota nathan brown. eagle bluffs william w. bennett. homer john a. torrey. new boston william h. dwight. richmond samuel c. dick. ridgeway joseph cooper. saint charles lewis h. springer. saratoga thomas p. dixon. stockton william c. dodge. twin grove oren cavath. utica john w. bentley. warren eben b. jewett. winona john w. downer. white water falls miles pease. wright county. berlin charles w. lambert buffalo amasa ackley. clear water simon stevens. monticello m. fox. northwood a. h. kelly. rockford joel florida. silver creek abram g. descent. _______ ii. list of land offices and officers in minnesota. _______ general land office, december , . sir: your two letters of the th instant, asking for a list of the land offices in minnesota territory, with the names of the officers connected therewith,-- also the number of acres sold and the amount of fees received by such officers, during the fiscal year, ending th june, , have been received. in reply, i herewith enclose a statement of the information desired, save that the amount of fees for the fiscal year cannot be stated. very respectfully, thomas a. hendricks, commissioner, c. c. andrews, esq. list of land offices and officers in minnesota. land districts. name of register name of receiver. number of acres sold during the fiscal year ending th of june, . amount of purchase-money received therefor. stillwater thos. m. fullerton wm. holcomb , . , . sauk rapids geo. w. sweet wm. h. wood , . , . chatfield (late brownsville) john r. bennet jno. h. mckenny , . , . minneapolis marcus p. olds roswell p. russell , . , . winona diedrich upman lorenzo d. smith , . , . red wing wm. p. phelps chr. graham , . , . , , . $ , , . since the th june, , the following offices have been established and officers appointed. buchanan saml. clark john whipple ojibeway saml. plumer wm. sawyer _______ iii. list of newspapers published in minnesota. pioneer and democrat st. paul daily and weekly minnesotian st. paul daily and weekly times st. paul daily and weekly financial advertiser st. paul weekly union stillwater weekly messenger stillwater weekly express st. anthony weekly republican st. anthony weekly democrat minneapolis weekly frontiersman sauk rapids weekly northern herald watab weekly independent shakopee weekly republican shakopee weekly democrat henderson weekly courier st. peter weekly dakota journal hastings weekly sentinel red wing weekly gazette canon falls weekly journal wabashaw weekly argus winona weekly republican winona weekly southern herald brownsville weekly carimona weekly democrat chatfield weekly republican chatfield weekly rice county herald faribault weekly st. cloud weekly owatonia watchman and register owatonia weekly. _______ iv. table of distances. _______ table of distances from st. paul. miles to st. anthony / rice creek / st. francis, or rum river itasca elk river big lake big meadow (sturgis) st. cloud (sauk rapids) watab little rock platte river swan river little falls belle prairie fort ripley crow wing river sandy lake savannah portage across the portage down savannah river to st. louis river fond-du-lac lake superior crow wing river otter tail lake rice river sand hills river grand fork, red river pembina sandy lake leech lake red lake pembrina stillwater arcola marine mills falls st. croix pokagema fond-du-lac red rock point douglass red wing winona's rock, lake pepin wabashaw prairie du chien cassville peru dubuque mouth of fever river rock island burlington keokuk st. louis cairo new orleans mendota black dog village sixe's village traverse des sioux little rock lac qui parle big stone lake fort pierce, on missouri table of distances from st. cloud. to minneapolis superior city, on brott and wilson's road traverse des sioux henderson fort ridgley long prairie otter tail lake the salt springs fort ripley mille lac city distances from crow wing. to chippeway mission ojibeway superior city otter tail city st. cloud _______ part iv. preemption for city or town sites. _______ preemption for city or town sites. at a late moment, and while the volume is in press, i am enabled to present the following exposition of the preemption law, addressed to the secretary of the interior by mr. attorney-general cushing. (see "opinions of attorneys general," vol. , - -- in press.) preemption for city or town sites. portions of the public lands, to the amount of three hundred and twenty acres, may be taken up by individuals or preemptioners for city or town sites. the same rules as to proof of occupation apply in the case of municipal, as of agricultural, preemption. the statute assumes that the purposes of a city or town have preference over those of trade or of agriculture. attorney general's office july , . sir: your communication of the th may, transmitting papers regarding superior city (so called) in the state of wisconsin, submits for consideration three precise questions of law; two of them presenting inquiry of the legal relations of locations for town sites on the public domain, and the third presenting inquiry of another matter, which, although pertinent to the case, yet is comprehended in a perfectly distinct class of legal relations. i propose, in this communication, to reply only upon the two first questions. the act of congress of april , , entitled "an act to appropriate the proceeds of the sales of the public lands and to grant preemption rights," contains, in section th, the following provisions: "no lands reserved for the support of schools, nor lands acquired by either of the two last treaties with the miami tribe of indians in the state of indiana, or which may be acquired of the wyandot tribe of indians in the state of ohio, or other indian reservation to which the title has been or may be extinguished by the united states at any time during the operation of this act; no sections of lands reserved to the united states alternate to other sections of land granted to any of the states for the construction of any canal, railroad, or other public improvement; no sections or fractions of sections included within the limits of any incorporated town; no portions of the public lands which have been selected for the site of a city or town; no parcel of a lot of land actually settled or occupied for the purposes of trade and not agriculture; and no lands on which are situated any known salines or mines, shall be liable to entry under or by virtue of this act." (v stat. at large, p. .) an act passed may , , entitled "an act for the relief of citizens of towns upon the lands of the united states under certain circumstances," provides as follows: "that whenever any portion of the surveyed public lands has been or shall be settled upon and occupied as a town site, and therefore not subject to entry under the existing preemption laws, it shall be lawful, in case such town or place shall be incorporated, for the corporate authorities thereof, and if not incorporated, for the judges of the county court for the county in which such town may be situated, to enter at the proper land office, and at the minimum price, the land so settled and occupied, in trust for the several use and benefit of the several occupants thereof, according to their respective interests; the execution of which trust, as to the disposal of the lots in said town, and the proceeds of the sales thereof, to be conducted under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the legislative authority of the state or territory in which the same is situated; provided, that the entry of the land intended by this act be made prior to the commencement of a public sale of the body of land in which it is included, and that the entry shall include only such land as is actually occupied by the town, and be made in conformity to the legal subdivisions of the public lands authorized by the act of the twenty-fourth of april, one thousand eight hundred and twenty, and shall not in the whole exceed three hundred and twenty acres; and provided also, that the act of the said trustees, not made in conformity to the rules and regulations herein alluded to, shall be void and of none effect:" * * * (v stat. at large, p. .) upon which statutes you present the following questions of construction: " st. what is the legal signification to be given to the words, 'portions of the public lands which have been selected as the site for a city or town,' which occur in the preemption law of , and which portions of the public lands are by said act exempted from its provisions? do they authorize selections by individuals with a view to the building thereon of a city or town, or do they contemplate a selection made by authority of some special law? "do the words in the act of d may, , 'and that the entry shall include only such land as is actually occupied by the town,' restrict the entry to those quarter quarter-sections, or forty acre subdivisions, alone, on which houses have been erected as part of said town, or do they mean, only, that the entry shall not embrace any land not shown by the survey on the ground, or the plat of the town, to be occupied thereby, and not to exceed acres, which is to be taken by legal subdivisions, according to the public survey, and to what species of 'legal subdivisions' is reference made in said act of ?" these questions, as thus presented by you, are abstract questions of law,-- namely, of the construction of statutes. they are distinctly and clearly stated, so as not to require of me any investigation of external facts to render them more intelligible. nor do they require of me to attempt to make application of them to any actual case, conflict of right, or controversy either between private individuals or such individuals and the government. it is true that, accompanying your communication, there is a great mass of representations, depositions, arguments, and other papers, which show that the questions propounded by you are not speculative ones, and that, on the contrary, they bear, in some way, on matters of interest, public or private, to be decided by the department. but those are matters for you, not for me, to determine. you have requested my opinion of certain points of law, to be used by you, so far as you see fit, in aid of such your own determination. i am thus happily relieved of the task of examining and undertaking to analyze the voluminous documents in the case: more especially as your questions, while precise and complete in themselves, derive all needful illustration from the very instructive report in the case of the present commissioner of public lands and the able brief on the subject drawn up in your department. i. to return to the questions before me: the first is in substance whether the words in the act of ,-- " portions of the public land which have been selected as the site for a city or a town,"-- are to be confined to cases of such selection in virtue of some special authority, or by some official authority? i think not, for the following reasons: the statute does not by any words of legal intendment say so. the next preceding clause of the act, which speaks of lands "included within the limits of any incorporated town," implies the contrary, in making separate provision for a township existing by special or public authority. the next succeeding clause, which speaks of land "actually settled or occupied for the purposes of trade and not agriculture," leads to the same conclusion; for why should selection for a town site require special authority any more than occupation for the purposes of trade? the general scope of the act has the same tendency. its general object is to regulate, in behalf of individuals, the acquisition of the public domain by preemption, after voluntary occupation for a certain period of time, and under other prescribed circumstances. in doing this, it gives a preference preemption to certain other uses of the public land, by excluding such land from liability to ordinary preemption. among the uses thus privileged, and to which precedence in preemption is accorded, are, . "sections, or fractions of sections included within the limits of any incorporated town;" . "portions of the public land which have been selected for the site of a city or town;" and, . "land actually settled or occupied for the purposes of trade, and not agriculture." now, it is not easy to see any good reason why, if individuals may thus take voluntarily for the purposes of agriculture,-- they may not also take for the purposes of a city or town. the statute assumes that the purposes of a city or town have preference over those of trade, and still more over those of agriculture. yet individuals may take for either of the latter objects: a fortiori they may take for a city or town. why should it be assumed that individual action in this respect is prohibited for towns any more than for trade or agriculture? it does not concern the government whether two persons preempt one hundred and sixty acres each for the purposes of agriculture, or for the purpose of a town, except that the latter object will, incidentally, be more beneficial to the government. nor is there any other consideration of public policy to induce the government to endeavor to discourage the formation of towns. why, then, object to individuals taking up a given quantity of land in one case rather than in the other? finally, the act of definitively construes the act of , and proves that the "selection" for town sites there spoken of may be either by public authority or by individuals:-- that the word is for that reason designedly general, and without qualification, but must be fixed by occupation. that act supposes public land to be "settled upon and occupied as a town site," and "therefore" not subject to entry under the existing preemption laws. this description identifies it with the land "selected for the site of a city or town," in the previous act. it limits the quantity so to be selected, that is, settled or occupied, to three hundred and twenty acres, and otherwise regulates the selection as hereinafter explained. it then provides how such town site is to be entered and patented. if the town be incorporated, then the entry is to be made by its corporate authorities. if the town be not incorporated, then it may be entered in the name of the judges of the county court of the county, in which the projected town lies, "in trust for the several use and benefit of the several occupants thereof, according to their respective interests." here we have express recognition of voluntary selection and occupancy by individuals, and provision for means by which legal title in their behalf may be acquired and patented. i am aware that by numerous statutes anterior to the act of , provision is made for the authoritative selection of town sites in special cases; but such provisions do by no means exclude or contradict the later enactment of a general provision of law to comprehend all cases of selections for town sites, whether authoritative or voluntary. i think the act of , construed in the light of the complementary act of , as it must be, provides clearly for both contingencies or conditions of the subject. among the anterior acts, however, is one of great importance and significancy upon this point, more especially as that act received exposition at the time from the proper departments of the government. i allude to the act of june d, , entitled "an act to grant preemption rights to settlers on the public lands." this act, like that of , contains a provision reserving certain lands from ordinary preemption, among which are: "any portions of public lands, surveyed or otherwise, which have been actually selected as sites for cities or towns, lotted into smaller quantities than eighty acres, and settled upon and occupied for the purposes of trade, and not of agricultural cultivation and improvement, or any land specially occupied or reserved for town lots, or other purposes, by authority of the united states." (v stat. at large, p. .) here the "selection" generally, and the "selection" by authority are each provided for eo nomine. it is obvious that the provision in the latter case is made for certainty only; since, by the general rules of statute construction, no ordinary claim of preemption could attach to reservations made by authority of the united states. the effective provision in the enactment quoted, must be selections not made by the authority of the united states. in point of fact the provision was construed by the department to include all voluntary selections: lands, says the circular of the general land office of july , , "which settlers have selected with a view of building thereon a village or city." it seems to me that the same considerations which induced this construction of the word "selection" in the act of , dictate a similar construction of the same word in the subsequent act. besides which, when a word or words of a statute, which were of uncertain signification originally, but which have been construed by the proper authority, are repented in a subsequent statute, that is understood as being not a repetition merely of the word with the received construction, but an implied legislative adoption even of such construction. ii. the second question is of the construction of the act of , supplemental to that of ; and as the construction of the elder derives aid from the language of the later one, so does that of the latter from the former. the question is divisible into sub-questions. . does the phrase "that the entry (for a town-site) shall include only such land as is actually occupied by the town," restrict the entry to those quarter quarter-sections, or forty acre subdivisions alone, on which houses have been erected as part of said town? . what is the meaning of the phrase in the act "legal subdivisions of the public lands," in "conformity" with which the entry must be made? i put the two acts together and find that they provide for a system of preemptions for, among other things, agricultural occupation, commercial or mechanical occupation, and municipal occupation. in regard to agricultural occupation, the laws provide that, in certain cases and conditions, one person may preempt one hundred and sixty acres, and that in regard to municipal occupation a plurality of persons may, in certain cases and conditions, preempt three hundred and twenty acres. in the latter contingency, there is no special privilege as to quantity, but a disability rather; for two persons together may preempt three hundred and twenty acres by agricultural occupation, and afterwards convert the land into a town site, and four persons together might in the same way secure six hundred and forty acres, to be converted ultimately into the site of a town; while the same four persons, selecting land for a town site, can take only three hundred and twenty acres. in both forms the parties enter at the minimum price of the public lands. the chief advantage which the preemptors for municipal purposes enjoy, is, that they have by statute a preference over agricultural preemptors, the land selected for a town site being secured by statute against general and ordinary, that is, agricultural preemption. in all other respects material to the present inquiry, we may assume, for the argument's sake at least, that the two classes stand on a footing of equality, as respects either the convicting interests of third persons, or the rights of the government. now, the rights of an agricultural preemptor we understand. he is entitled, if he shall "make a settlement in person on the public lands," and "shall inhabit and improve the same, and shall erect a dwelling thereon," to enter, "by legal subdivisions, any number of acres not exceeding one hundred and sixty, or a quarter-section of land, to include the residence of such claimant." (act of , s. .) and of two settlers on "the same quarter-section of land," the earlier one is to have the preference. (sec. .) now, was it ever imagined that such claimant must personally inhabit every quarter quarter-section of his claim? that he must have under cultivation every quarter quarter-section? that he must erect a dwelling on every quarter quarter-section? and that, if he failed to do this, any such quarter of his quarter-section might be preempted by a later occupant? there is no pretension that such is the condition of the ordinary preemptor, and that he is thus held to inhabit, to cultivate, to dwell on, every quarter quarter-section, under penalty of having it seized by another preemptor, or entered in course by any public or private purchaser. he is to provide, according to the regulations of the land office or otherwise, indicia, by which the limits of his claim shall be known,-- he must perform acts of possession or intended ownership on the land, as notice to others; and that suffices to secure his rights under the statute. it is not necessary for him to cultivate every separate quarter of his quarter-section; it is not necessary for him even to enclose each; it only needs that in good faith he take possession, with intention of occupation and settlement, and proceed in good faith to occupy and settle, in such time and in such manner, as belong to the nature of agricultural occupation and settlement. why should there be a different rule in regard to occupants for municipal preemption? the latter is, by the very tenor of the law, the preferred object. why should those interested in it be subject to special disabilities of competing occupancy? i cannot conceive. it is obvious that, in municipal settlement, as well as agricultural, there must be space of time between the commencement and the consummation of occupation. there will be a moment, when the equitable right of the agricultural settler is fixed, although he have as yet done nothing more in the way of inhabiting or improving than to cut a tree or drive a stake into the earth. and it may be long before he improves each one of all his quarter quarter-sections. so, in principle, it is in the case of settlement for a town. we must deal with such things according to their nature. towns do not spring into existence consummate and complete. nor do they commence with eight houses, systematically distributed, each in the centre of a forty-acre lot. and in the case of a town settlement of three hundred and twenty acres; as well as that of a farm site of one hundred and sixty acres, all which can be lawfully requisite to communicate to the occupants the right of preemption to the block of land, including every one of its quarter quarter-sections,-- is improvement, or indication of the improvement of the entire block,-- acts of possession or use regarding it, consonant with the nature of the thing. that, in a farm, will be the erection of a house and outhouses, cultivation, and use of pasturage or woodland: in a town, it will be erecting houses or shops, platting out the land, grading or opening streets, and the like signs and marks of occupation or special destination. the same considerations lead to the conclusion that it would not be just to confine the proofs of occupation to facts existing at its very incipiency. the inchoate or equitable right, as against all others, begins from the beginning of the occupation: the ultimate sufficiency of that occupation is to be determined in part by subsequent facts, which consummate the occupation, and also demonstrate its bona fides. if it were otherwise, there would be an end of all the advantage expressly given by the statute to priority of occupation. take the case of agricultural preemptions for example. a settler enters in good faith upon a quarter-section for preemption; his entry, at first, attaches physically to no more than the rood of land on which he is commencing to construct a habitation. is that entry confined in effect to a single quarter quarter? can other settlers, the next day, enter upon all the adjoining quarter quarters, and thus limit the first settler to the single quarter quarter on which his dwelling is commenced? is all proof of occupation in his case, when he comes to prove up his title, to be confined to acts anterior to the date of conflict? clearly not. the inchoate title of the first occupant ripens into a complete one by the series of acts on his part subsequent to the original occupation. in the statement of the case prepared in your office, it is averred that numerous precedents exist in the land office, not only of the allowance of town preemptions as the voluntary selection of individuals, but also of the application to such preemption claims of the ordinary construction of the word "occupation" habitually applied to agricultural preemption claims. that is to say, it has been the practice of the government, not to consider municipal occupation "circumscribed by the forty-acre subdivisions actually built upon; * * but that such occupation was (sufficiently) evidenced, either by an actual survey, upon the ground, of said town into streets, alleys, and blocks, or the publication of a plat of the same evidencing the connection therewith of the public surveys, so as to give notice to others of the extent of the town site:" all this, within the extreme limits, of course, of the three hundred and twenty acres prescribed by the statute. i think the practice of the land office in this respect, as thus reported, is lawful and proper: it being understood, of course, that thus the acts of alleged selection, possession, and occupation are performed in perfect good faith. something is hinted, in the report of the commissioner, as to the speculation-character of the proposed town settlement,-- and, in the official brief accompanying your letter, as to the speculation-character of the proposed agricultural preemption. i suppose it must be so, if the land in question has peculiar aptitude for municipal uses. but how is that material? the object, in either mode of attaining it, is a lawful one. two persons may lawfully preempt a certain quantity of land under the general law, and intend a townsite without saying so; or they may preempt avowedly for a town site. as between the two courses, both having the same ultimate destination, it would not seem that there could be any cause of objection to the more explicit one. so much for the first branch of the second question. as to the second branch of it, the same line of reasoning leads to equally satisfactory results. the municipal preemptor, like the agricultural preemptor, is required to take his land in conformity with "the legal subdivisions of the public lands." i apprehend the import of the requirement is the same in both cases. neither class of pre-emptors is to break the legal subdivisions as surveyed. the preemptor of either case may take fractional sections if he will, but he is in every case to run his extreme lines with the lines of the surveyed subdivisions. in fine, as it seems to me, there is nothing of the present case, in so far as appears by the questions presented, and the official reports and statement by which they are explained, except a convict of claim to two or three sectional subdivisions of land between different sets of preemptors, one set being avowed municipal preemptors, and the other professed agricultural preemptors, but both sets having in reality the same ulterior purposes in regard to the use of the land. the government has no possible concern in the controversy, except to deal impartially between the parties according to law. the agricultural preemptors contend that different rules of right as to the power of individual or private occupation, and as to the criteria of valid occupation, apply to them, as against their adversaries. the municipal preemptors contend that the same rules of equal right, inceptive and progressive, in these respects, apply to both classes of preemptors. i think that the latter view of the law is correct, according to its letter, its spirit; and the settled practice of the government. the investigation of the facts of the case, and the application of the law to the facts, are, of course, duties of your department. i leave here the first and second questions; and, proposing to reply at an early day on the third question, i have the honor to be, very respectfully, c. cushing. hon. robert mcclelland, secretary of the interior. the end. _______ advertisement. the official opinions of the. attorneys general of the united states. edited by c. c. andrews, esq. volume vii. ( vo.) now ready. washington: published by r. farnham. "in this series the proudest names of american law have found some appropriate record of their labor and their wisdom. * * no student of the law can find more valuable reading than in these opinions. we would urge upon him to turn now and then from the common place reading of the profession to the great studies which impart, to the law the dignity of a science. if less immediate in the rewards they bring, they are the only studies which can win for the legal aspirant the true glory of a great lawyer."-- monthly law reporter. "mr. andrews is entitled to the thanks of his professional brethren for the very satisfactory manner in which he has presented these opinions."-- american law register. "on such examination as i have been able to give it (volume vi.), the volume seems to me to be full of instruction; the argument most clearly and fairly conducted; the researches thorough, and the conclusions, in so far as i can form a judgment, just."-- rufus choate. "but we should fail entirely in our object, of calling attention to this work if we did not particularly commend it to the notice of the statesman and the general reader. * * these volumes constitute a great treatise on constitutional law; the work, not of one man, but of a succession of able men from the age of washington, who have examined and revised each other. we regard it, therefore, as one of the most valuable publications which has embellished our political and legal literature."-- national intelligencer. a treatise on the revenue laws of the united states, in one volume, vo. by c. c. andrews, esq. (soon to be published by little, brown and company. see their list of new law books.) reflections on the operation of the present system of education. by c. c. andrews, esq. boston: crosby, nichols and company: . "the substance of the pamphlet appeared some time since in a monthly journal, and the author has now revised it and published it in a more permanent form. his views are sensible, and well deserve attention."-- boston daily advertiser. "this is an earnest and well written essay; designed to remedy what the writer justly regards an important defect in the present system of education-namely, the want of a proper degree of moral instruction. his observations evince an enlightened mind, as well as a philanthropic spirit; and they deserve to be considerately pondered by all whom they may concern."-- puritan recorder. "his practical remarks are of particular value, and show that the author has devoted much thought to the topic of which he treats."-- boston daily atlas. "we have perused this publication with more than ordinary interest. the object of the author is to suggest some remedies for the acknowledged defects in the operation of our system of education. this object is pursued by a masterly hand, in a lucid and comprehensive manner."-- evening transcript. "this contribution to the cause of common school education is highly creditable to the author, and we have no doubt, if it can be extensively circulated, will be productive of very beneficial results."-- christian witness. reminiscences of pioneer days in st. paul a collection of articles written for and published in the daily pioneer press. by frank moore newspaper struggles of pioneer days. a brief narration of incidents and events connected with the early days of st. paul, daily newspapers. if james m. goodhue could revisit the earth and make a tour among the daily newspaper offices of st. paul he would discover that wonderful strides had been made in the method of producing a newspaper during the latter half of the past century. among the first things to attract the attention of this old-timer would be the web-perfecting press, capable of producing , impressions an hour, instead of the old hand press of impressions an hour; the linotype machine, capable of setting , to , ems per hour, instead of the old hand compositor producing only to , ems per hour, and the mailing machine, enabling one man to do the work of five or six under the old method. think of getting out the sunday pioneer press with the material in use fifty years ago. it would take hand presses, hand pressmen and boys three hours to print the edition, and as there were no means of stereotyping in those days the forms would have to be set up times, requiring the services of , compositors. papers printed under these conditions would have to be sold for one dollar each, and there would not be much profit in it at that. the first daily papers printed in st. paul were not conducted or a very gigantic scale, as the entire force of one office generally consisted of one pressman, five or six compositors, two editors and a business manager. a few reminiscences of the trials and tribulations of the early newspaper manager, editor and compositor may not be wholly devoid of interest. * * * * * in there occurred in minnesota an election of delegates to the constitutional convention to provide for the admission of minnesota into the galaxy of states. the election was so close, politically, that when the delegates met there was a division, and the republicans and democrats held separate conventions. at the conclusion of the work of the two conventions the contract for printing was awarded to the two leading papers of the state--the pioneer and the minnesotian--the pioneer to print the proceedings of the democratic body and the minnesotian that of the republican. this contract called for the expenditure of considerable money for material with which to perform the work. mr. moore, the business manager of the minnesotian, went to new york and purchased a hoe press, the first one ever brought to the state, and a large quantity of type; also a hoe proof press, which is still in use in the pioneer press composing room. when the book was about completed the business manager of the minnesotian was informed that an injunction had been issued prohibiting him from drawing any money from the state until the question of the right of the minnesotian to do any state printing had been determined by the district court. mr. goodrich was state printer and claimed he had a right to print the proceedings of both constitutional bodies. this action on the part of the pioneer produced great consternation in the minnesotian office, as most of the men had not received more than half pay for some time, and now, when the balance of their pay was almost in sight, they were suddenly compelled to await the slow and doubtful action of the courts before receiving pay for their summer's work. the district court, subsequently confirmed by the supreme court, decided in favor of the minnesotian, and the day following the decision mr. moore, of the minnesotian, brought down a bag of gold from the capitol containing $ , , and divided it up among his employes. * * * * * in , when the first atlantic cable was laid, the news was anxiously looked for, and nearly every inhabitant of the city turned out to greet the arrival of the gray eagle and itasca, two of the fastest boats on the river, which were expected to bring the news of the successful laying of the cable. the gray eagle started from dubuque at o'clock in the morning and the itasca started from prairie du chien, about miles farther up the river, at noon of the same day. when the boats reached the bend below the river they were abreast of each other, and as they reached the levee it was hardly possible to tell which was ahead. one of the passengers on the gray eagle had a copy of the dubuque herald containing the queen's message, tied up with a small stone on the inside of it, and as he threw it to the shore a messenger from the minnesotian caught it and ran up bench street to the minnesotian office, where the printers were waiting, and the minnesotian had the satisfaction of getting out an extra some little time before their competitors. * * * * * in the summer season the newspapers had to rely, to a considerable extent, on the steamboats for late dubuque and chicago papers for telegraph news. there were three or four daily lines of steamers to st. paul, and every one of them could be distinguished by its whistle. when it was time for the arrival of the boat bringing the newspapers from which the different papers expected to get their telegraphic news, messengers from the different offices would be at the levee, and as the boat neared the shore they would leap for the gangplank, and there was always a scramble to get to the clerk's office first. james j. hill and the late gus borup were almost always at the levee awaiting the arrival of the steamers, but as they were after copies of the boats' manifest they did not come in competition with the adventurous kids from the newspaper offices. * * * * * the minnesotian was probably the first daily paper in the west to illustrate a local feature. during the summer of a man by the name of jackson was lynched by a mob in wright county, and gov. sibley called out the pioneer guards to proceed to the place where the lynching occurred and arrest all persons connected with the tragedy. the pioneer guards was the crack military company of the state, and the only service any of its members ever expected to do was in the ballroom or to participate in a fourth of july parade. when they were called out by the governor there was great consternation in the ranks. one of the members, who is still a prominent politician in the city, when told that his first duty was to serve his country, tremblingly remarked that he thought his first duty was to provide for his wife and family. a number of them made their wills before departing, as they thought the whole of wright county was in open rebellion. after being absent for about a week they proudly marched back to the city without ever firing a gun or seeing an enemy. the late j. fletcher williams was city editor of the minnesotian, and he wrote an extended account of the expedition, and it was profusely illustrated with patent medicine cuts and inverted wood type and border, the only available material at that time that could be procured. * * * * * the year was a memorable one in the political history of minnesota. alexander ramsey and george l. becker, both now living in this city, were the rival candidates for governor. the republicans made extraordinary efforts to elect their state and legislative tickets, as both governor and united states senator were at stake. among the speakers imported by the republicans were the hon. galusha a. grow of pennsylvania and hon. schuyler colfax of indiana. mr. grow, then as now, represented the congressional district in pennsylvania in which i formally resided, and i was very anxious to hear him, as the first political speech i had ever heard was made by him in a small village in pennsylvania. the speakers were announced to speak at the old people's theater, on the corner of fourth and st. peter streets, and i was among the first to enter. the theater was packed to overflowing. mr. grow had made a very interesting speech of about an hour's duration, and mr. colfax was to follow for an equal length of time. after mr. colfax had spoken about ten minutes an alarm of fire was sounded and in less than fifteen minutes the entire structure was burned to the ground. this happened about : o'clock in the evening, and, strange to relate, not one of the morning papers had an announcement of the fact the next day. the morning papers at that time were something like an evening paper of to-day. they were set up and made up in the afternoon and generally printed in the early part of the evening. the result of that election was very gratifying to the republicans. i can see old dr. foster now writing a double column political head for the minnesotian, the first two lines of which were: "shout, republicans, shout! we've cleaned the breech clouts out!" dr. foster was the editor of the minnesotian and was quite a power in the republican party. he wielded a vigorous pen and possessed a very irascible temper. i have often seen him perform some horace greeley antics in the composing room of the old minnesotian. at the time of the execution of john brown for his attempted raid into virginia, i remember bringing the chicago tribune to the doctor, containing the announcement of the execution. i had arranged the paper so that the doctor could take in the contents of the heading at the first glance. the doctor looked at the headlines a second and then exclaimed, loud enough to be heard a block, "great god! in the nineteenth century, a man hung for an idea!" at another time the doctor became very much enraged over some news that i had laid before him. in the early 's galusha a. grow, of pennsylvania, introduced into the house of representatives the first homestead law and the republican party soon afterward incorporated the idea into their platform as one of their pet measures. after superhuman effort the bill passed the house of representatives, that body being nearly tie politically, and was sent to the senate. the democratic majority in the senate was not very favorably impressed with the measure, but with the assistance of the late president johnson, who was senator from tennessee at that time, the bill passed the senate by a small majority. there was great rejoicing over the event and no one supposed for a moment that the president would veto the measure. when i laid the chicago tribune before the excitable doctor containing the announcement of buchanan's veto the very air was blue with oaths. the doctor took the paper and rushed out into the street waving the paper frantically in the air, cursing the president at every step. * * * * * from , the date of the starting of the three st. paul daily papers, until , the time of the completion of the winslow telegraph line, there was great strife between the pioneer, minnesotian and times as to which would be the first to appear on the street with the full text of the president's message. the messages of pierce and buchanan were very lengthy, and for several days preceding their arrival the various offices had all the type of every description distributed and all the printers who could possibly be procured engaged to help out on the extra containing the forthcoming message. it was customary to pay every one employed, from the devil to the foreman, $ . in gold, and every printer in the city was notified to be in readiness for the approaching typographical struggle. one year one of the proprietors of the minnesotian thought he would surprise the other offices, and he procured the fastest livery team in the city and went down the river as far as red wing to intercept the mail coach, and expected to return to st. paul three or four hours in advance of the regular mail, which would give him that much advantage over his competitors. owing to some miscalculation as to the time the stage left chicago the message was delivered in st. paul twenty-four hours earlier than was expected, and the proprietor of the minnesotian had the pleasure of receiving a copy of his own paper, containing the complete message, long before he returned to st. paul. the management always provided an oyster supper for the employes of the paper first out with the message, and it generally required a week for the typos to fully recover from its effect. * * * * * as an evidence of what was uppermost in the minds of most people at this time, and is probably still true to-day, it may be related that in the spring of , when the great prize fight between heenan and sayers was to occur in england, and the meeting of the democratic national convention in charleston, in which the minnesota democrats were in hopes that their idol, stephen a. douglas, would be nominated for president, the first question asked by the people i would meet on the way from the boat landing to the office would be: "anything from the prize fight? what is the news from the charleston convention?" * * * * * "the good old times" printers often talk about were evidently not the years between the great panic of and the breaking out of the civil war in . wages were low and there was absolutely no money to speak of. when a man did occasionally get a dollar he was not sure it would be worth its face value when the next boat would arrive with a new bank note reporter. married men considered themselves very fortunate when they could get, on saturday night, an order on a grocery or dry goods store for four or five dollars, and the single men seldom received more than $ or $ cash. that was not more than half enough to pay their board bill. this state of affairs continued until the press was started in , when gov. marshall inaugurated the custom, which still prevails, of paying his employes every saturday night. * * * * * another instance of the lack of enterprise on the part of the daily paper of that day: during the summer of a large party of republican statesmen and politicians visited st. paul, consisting of state senator w.h. seward. senator john p. hale, charles francis adams, senator nye, gen. stewart l. woodford and several others of lesser celebrity. the party came to minnesota in the interest of the republican candidate for president. mr. seward made a great speech from the front steps of the old capitol, in which he predicted that at some distant day the capitol of this great republic would be located not far from the falls of st. anthony. there was a large gathering at the capitol to hear him, but those who were not fortunate enough to get within sound of his voice had to wait until the new york herald, containing a full report of his speech, reached st. paul before they could read what the great statesman had said. * * * * * in the fall of the first telegraph line was completed to st. paul. newspaper proprietors thought they were then in the world, so far as news is concerned, but it was not to be so. the charges for telegraph news were so excessive that the three papers in st. paul could not afford the luxury of the "latest news by associated press." the offices combined against the extortionate rates demanded by the telegraph company and made an agreement not to take the dispatches until the rates were lowered; but it was like an agreement of the railroad presidents of the present day, it was not adhered to. the pioneer made a secret contract with the telegraph company and left the minnesotian and the times out in the cold. of course that was a very unpleasant state of affairs and for some time the minnesotian and times would wait until the pioneer was out in the morning and would then set up the telegraph and circulate their papers. one of the editors connected with the minnesotian had an old acquaintance in the pressroom of the pioneer, and through him secured one of the first papers printed. this had been going on for some time when earle s. goodrich, the editor of the pioneer, heard of it, and he accordingly made preparation to perpetrate a huge joke on the minnesotian. mr. goodrich was a very versatile writer and he prepared four or five columns of bogus telegraph and had it set up and two or three copies of the pioneer printed for the especial use of the minnesotian. the scheme worked to a charm. amongst the bogus news was a two-column speech purporting to have been made by william h. seward in the senate just previous to the breaking out of the war. mr. seward's well-known ideas were so closely imitated that their genuineness were not questioned. the rest of the news was made up of dispatches purporting to be from the then excited southern states. the minnesotian received a pioneer about o'clock in the morning and by the entire edition was distributed throughout the city. i had distributed the minnesotian throughout the upper portion of the city, and just as i returned to bridge square i met the carrier of the pioneer, and laughed at him for being so late. he smiled, but did not speak. as soon as i learned what had happened i did not do either. the best of the joke was, the times could not obtain an early copy of the pioneer and set up the bogus news from the minnesotian, and had their edition printed and ready to circulate when they heard of the sell. they at once set up the genuine news and circulated both the bogus and regular, and made fun of the minnesotian for being so easily taken in. * * * * * the pioneer retained the monopoly of the news until the press was started, on the st of january, . the press made arrangements with mr. winslow for full telegraphic dispatches, but there was another hitch in the spring of and for some time the press had to obtain its telegraph from proof sheets of the st. anthony falls news, a paper published in what is now east minneapolis. gov. marshall was very much exercised at being compelled to go to a neighboring town for telegraph news, and one night when news of unusual importance was expected he had a very stormy interview with mr. winslow. no one ever knew exactly what he told him, but that night the press had full telegraphic reports, and has had ever since. * * * * * gov. marshall was a noble man. when the first battle of bull run occurred the earlier reports announced a great union victory. i remember of going to dan rice's circus that night and felt as chipper as a young kitten. after the circus was out i went back to the office to see if any late news had been received. i met gov. marshall at the door, and with tears rolling down his cheeks he informed me that the union force had met with a great reverse and he was afraid the country would never recover from it. but it did, and the governor was afterward one of the bravest of the brave in battling for his country's honor. * * * * * printers were very patriotic, and when father abraham called for "three hundred thousand more" in july, , so many enlisted that it was with much difficulty that the paper was enabled to present a respectable appearance. the press advertised for anything that could set type to come in and help it out. i remember one man applying who said he never had set any type, but he had a good theoretical knowledge of the business. one evening an old gentleman by the name of metcalf, father of the late t.m. metcalf, came wandering into the office about o'clock and told the foreman he thought he could help him out. he was given a piece of copy and worked faithfully until the paper went to press. he was over eighty years old and managed to set about , ems. mr. metcalf got alarmed at his father's absence from home and searched the city over, and finally found him in the composing room of the press. the old man would not go home with his son, but insisted on remaining until the paper was up. * * * * * although minnesota sent to the war as many, if not more, men than any other state in the union in proportion to its population, yet it was necessary to resort to a draft in a few counties where the population was largely foreign. the feeling against the draft was very bitter, and the inhabitants of the counties which were behind in the quota did not take kindly to the idea of being drafted to fight for a cause they did not espouse. a riot was feared, and troops were ordered down from the fort to be in readiness for any disturbance that might occur. arrangements for the prosecution of the draft were made as rapidly as possible, but the provost marshal was not in readiness to have it take place on the day designated by the war department. this situation of affairs was telegraphed to the president and the following characteristic reply was received: "if the draft cannot take place, of course it cannot take place. necessity knows no law. a. lincoln." the bitterest feeling of the anti-drafters seemed to be against the old st. paul press, a paper that earnestly advocated the vigorous prosecution of the war. threats were made to mob the office. a company was organized for self-defense, and capt. e.r. otis, now of west superior, one of the press compositors at that time, was made post commander. capt. otis had seen service in the early part of the war and the employes considered themselves fortunate in having a genuine military man for a leader. the office was barricaded, fifteen old springfield muskets and rounds of ammunition was brought down from the capitol and every one instructed what to do in case of an attack. i slept on a lounge in the top story of the old press building overlooking bridge square, and the guns and ammunition were under my bed. i was supposed to give the alarm should the mob arrive after the employes had gone home. as there was no possible avenue of escape in case of an attack, it looks now as if the post commander displayed poor judgment in placing a lone sentinel on guard. but there was no riot. the excitement gradually died away and the draft took place without interruption. * * * * * before and some time after the war the daily newspapers took advantage of all the holidays and seldom issued papers on the days following christmas, new year's, washington's birthday, fourth of july and thanksgiving. on the fourth of july, , the pioneer made arrangements to move from their old quarters near the corner of third and cedar streets to the corner of third and robert. it happened that on that day two of the greatest events of the civil war had occurred--the battle of gettysburg and the surrender of vicksburg. the pioneer being engaged in moving their plant could not issue an extra on that occasion, and the press had the field exclusively to itself. the news of these two great events had become pretty generally known throughout the city and the anxiety to get fuller particulars was simply intense. the press, having a clear field for that day, did not propose to issue its extra until the fullest possible details had been received. a great crowd had assembled in front of the old press office, anxiously awaiting details of the great union victories. i had helped prepare the news for the press and followed the forms to the press room. as soon as a sufficient number of papers had been printed i attempted to carry them to the counting room and place them on sale. as i opened the side door of the press room and undertook to reach the counting room by a short circuit, i found the crowd on the outside had become so large that it was impossible to gain an entrance in that direction, and undertook to retreat and try another route. but quicker than a flash i was raised to the shoulders of the awaiting crowd and walked on their heads to the counting room window, where i sold what few papers i had as rapidly as i could hand them out. as soon as the magnitude of the news got circulated cheer after cheer rent the air, and cannon, anvils, firecrackers and everything that would make a noise was brought into requisition, and before sundown st. paul had celebrated the greatest fourth of july in its history. * * * * * i arrived in st. paul on the morning of the th of april, , and immediately commenced work on the daily minnesotian, my brother, geo. w. moore, being part owner and manager of the paper. i had not been at work long before i learned what a "scoop" was. congress had passed a bill admitting minnesota into the union, but as there was no telegraphic communication with washington it required two or three days for the news to reach the state. the pioneer, minnesotian and times were morning papers, and were generally printed the evening before. it so happened that the news of the admission of minnesota was brought to st. paul by a passenger on a late boat and the editors of the pioneer accidentally heard of the event and published the same on the following morning, thus scooping the other two papers. the minnesotian got out an extra and sent it around to their subscribers and they thought they had executed a great stroke of enterprise. it was not long before i became familiar with the method of obtaining news and i was at the levee on the arrival of every boat thereafter. i could tell every boat by its whistle, and there was no more scoops 'till the telegraph line was completed in the summer of . * * * * * during the latter part of the civil war the daily newspapers began to expand, and have ever since kept fully abreast of the requirements of our rapidly increasing population. the various papers were printed on single-cylinder presses until about , when double-cylinders were introduced. in the first turtle-back press was brought to the city, printing four pages at one time. in the different offices introduced stereotyping, and in linotype type-setting machines were installed. the next great advance will probably be some system of photography that will entirely dispense with the work of the printer and proofreader. who knows? the five million loan election. early steamboating--celebration of the successful laying of the first atlantic cable--a fight between the chippewas and siouxs. "right this way for the fuller house!" "right this way for the winslow house!" "right this way for the american house!" "merchants hotel on the levee!" "stage for st. anthony falls!" these were the announcements that would greet the arrival of travelers as they would alight from one of the splendid steamers of the galena, dunleith, dubuque and minnesota packet company during the days when traveling by steamboat was the only way of reaching points on the upper mississippi. besides the above hotels, there was the central house, the temperance house, the city hotel, minnesota house, the western house, the hotel to the wild hunter, whose curious sign for many years attracted the attention of the visitor, and many others. the merchants is the only one left, and that only in name. messengers from newspaper offices, representatives of storage and commission houses, merchants looking for consignments of goods, residents looking for friends, and the ever alert dealers in town lots on the scent of fresh victims, were among the crowds that daily congregated at the levee whenever the arrival of one of the packet company's regular steamers was expected. at one time there was a daily line of steamers to la crosse, a daily line to prairie du chien, a daily line to dubuque and a line to st. louis, and three daily lines for points on the minnesota river. does any one remember the deep bass whistle of the gray eagle, the combination whistle on the key city, the ear-piercing shriek of the little antelope, and the discordant notes of the calliope on the denmark? the officers of these packets were the king's of the day, and when any one of them strayed up town he attracted as much attention as a major general of the regulars. it was no uncommon sight to see six or eight steamers at the levee at one time, and their appearance presented a decided contrast to the levee of the present time. the first boat through the lake in the spring was granted free wharfage, and as that meant about a thousand dollars, there was always an effort made to force a passage through the lake as soon as possible. traveling by steamboat during the summer months was very pleasant, but it was like taking a trip to the klondike to go east during the winter. merchants were compelled to supply themselves with enough goods to last from november till april, as it was too expensive to ship goods by express during the winter. occasionally some enterprising merchant would startle the community by announcing through the newspapers that he had just received by burbank's express a new pattern in dress goods, or a few cans of fresh oysters. the stages on most of the routes left st. paul at o'clock in the morning, and subscribers to daily newspapers within a radius of forty miles of the city could read the news as early as they can during these wonderful days of steam and electricity. * * * * * probably no election ever occurred in minnesota that excited so much interest as the one known as the "five million loan election." it was not a party measure, as the leading men of both parties favored it; although the republicans endeavored to make a little capital out of it at a later period. the only paper of any prominence that opposed the passage of the amendment was the minnesotian, edited by dr. thomas foster. that paper was very violent in its abuse of every one who favored the passage of the law, and its opposition probably had an opposite effect from what was intended by the redoubtable doctor. the great panic of had had a very depressing effect on business of every description and it was contended that the passage of this measure would give employment to thousands of people; that the rumbling of the locomotive would soon be heard in every corner of the state, and that the dealer in town lots and broad acres would again be able to complacently inform the newcomer the exact locality where a few dollars would soon bring to the investor returns unheard of by any ordinary methods of speculation. the campaign was short and the amendment carried by an immense majority. so nearly unanimous was the sentiment of the community in favor of the measure that it was extremely hazardous for any one to express sentiments in opposition to it. the city of st. paul, with a population of about , , gave a majority of over , for the law. there was no australian law at that time, and one could vote early and often without fear of molestation. one of the amusing features of the campaign, and in opposition to the measure, was a cartoon drawn by r.o. sweeney, now a resident of duluth. it was lithographed and widely circulated. the newspapers had no facilities for printing cartoons at that time. they had to be printed on a hand press and folded into the papers. it was proposed, by the terms of this amendment to the constitution, to donate to four different railroad companies $ , per mile for every mile of road graded and ready to iron. work was commenced soon after the passage of the law, and in a short time a demand was made by the railroad companies upon gov. sibley for the issuance of the bonds, in accordance with their idea of the terms of the contract made by the state. gov. sibley declined to issue the bonds until the rights of the state had been fully protected. the railroad companies would not accept the restrictions placed upon them by the governor, and they obtained a peremptory writ from the supreme court directing that they be issued. the governor held that the supreme court had no authority to coerce the executive branch of the state government, but on the advice of the attorney general, and rather than have any friction between the two branches of the government, he, in accordance with the mandate of the court, reluctantly signed the bonds. judge flandrau dissented from the opinion of his colleagues, and had his ideas prevailed the state's financial reputation would have been vastly improved. dr. foster did not believe gov. sibley was sincere in his efforts to protect the interests of the state, and denounced him with the same persistence he had during the campaign of the previous fall. the doctor would never acknowledge that gov. sibley was the legal governor of minnesota, and tie contended that he had no right to sign the bonds: that their issuance was illegal, and that neither the principal nor the interest would ever be paid. the minnesotian carried at the head of its columns the words "official paper of the city," and it was feared that its malignant attacks upon the state officials, denouncing the issuance of the bonds as fraudulent and illegal, would be construed abroad as reflecting the sentiment of the majority of the people in the the community in which it was printed, and would have a bad effect in the east when the time came to negotiate the bonds. an effort was made to induce the city council to deprive that paper of its official patronage, but that body could not see its way clear to abrogate its contract. threats were made to throw the office into the river, but they did not materialize. when gov. sibley endeavored to place these bonds on the new york market he was confronted with conditions not anticipated, and suffered disappointment and humiliation in consequence of the failure of the attempt. the bonds could not be negotiated. the whole railway construction scheme suddenly collapsed, the railroad companies defaulted, the credit of the state was compromised, "and enterprise of great pith and moment had turned their currents awry." the evil forbodings of the minnesotian became literally true, and for more than twenty years the repudiated bonds of minnesota were a blot on the pages of her otherwise spotless record. nearly miles of road were graded, on which the state foreclosed and a few years later donated the same to new organizations. during the administration of gov. pillsbury the state compromised with the holders of these securities and paid per cent of their nominal value. will she ever pay the rest? * * * * * in the latter part of may, , a battle was fought near shakopee between the sioux and the chippewas. a party of chippewa warriors, under the command of the famous chief hole-in-the-day, surprised a body of sioux on the river bottoms near shakopee and mercilessly opened fire on them, killing and wounding fifteen or twenty. eight or ten chippewas were killed during the engagement. the daily papers sent reporters to the scene of the conflict and they remained in that vicinity several days on the lookout for further engagements. among the reporters was john w. sickels, a fresh young man from one of the eastern cities. he was attached to the times' editorial staff and furnished that paper with a very graphic description of the events of the preceding days, and closed his report by saying that he was unable to find out the "origin of the difficulty." as the sioux and chippewas were hereditary enemies, his closing announcement afforded considerable amusement to the old inhabitants. * * * * * the celebration in st. paul in honor of the successful laying of the atlantic cable, which took place on the first day of september, , was one of the first as well as one of the most elaborate celebrations that ever occurred in the city. the announcement of the completion of the enterprise, which occurred on the th of the previous month, did not reach st. paul until two or three days later, as there was no telegraphic communication to the city at that time. as soon as messages had been exchanged between queen victoria and president buchanan it was considered safe to make preparations for a grand celebration. most of the cities throughout the united states were making preparations to celebrate on that day, and st. paul did not propose to be outdone. the city council appropriated several hundred dollars to assist in the grand jubilation and illumination. an elaborate program was prepared and a procession that would do credit to the city at the present time marched through the principal streets, to the edification of thousands of spectators from the city and surrounding country. to show that a procession in the olden time was very similar to one of the up-to-date affairs, the following order of procession is appended: the procession. escort of light cavalry. band. pioneer guard. city guard. city battery. floral procession with escort of mounted cadets, representing queen victoria, president buchanan, the different states of the union, and other devices. the governor and state officers in carriages. the judges of the state in carriages. the clergy. officers of the army. officers of the navy. the municipal authorities of neighboring cities. the board of education in carriages. the mayor and city council. knights templars on horseback. band. odd fellows. druids. typographical corps. band. officers and crews of vessels in port. turners. german reading society. german singing society. attaches of postoffice department. citizens in carriages. citizens on horseback. brewers on horseback. butchers on horseback. col. ac jones, adjutant general of the state, was marshal-in-chief, and he was assisted by a large number of aides. the pioneer guards, the oldest military company in the state, had the right of line. they had just received their minie rifles and bayonets, and, with the drum-major headgear worn by military companies in those days, presented a very imposing appearance. the pioneer guards were followed by the city guards, under capt. john o'gorman. a detachment of cavalry and the city battery completed the military part of the affair. the fire department, under the superintendence of the late charles h. williams, consisting of the pioneer hook and ladder company, minnehaha engine company, hope engine company and the rotary mill company was the next in order. one of the most attractive features of the occasion was the contribution of the pioneer printing company. in a large car drawn by six black horses an attempt was made to give an idea of printers and printing in the days of franklin, and also several epochs in the life of the great philosopher. in the car with the representatives of the art preservative was miss azelene allen, a beautiful and popular young actress connected with the people's theater, bearing in her hand a cap of liberty on a spear. she represented the goddess of liberty. the car was ornamented with flowers and the horses were decorated with the inscriptions "franklin," "morse," "field." the pioneer book bindery was also represented in one of the floats, and workmen, both male and female, were employed in different branches of the business. these beautiful floats were artistically designed by george h. colgrave, who is still in the service of the pioneer press company. one of the unique features of the parade, and one that attracted great attention, was a light brigade, consisting of a number of school children mounted, and they acted as a guard of honor to the president and queen. in an open barouche drawn by four horses were seated two juvenile representatives of president buchanan and queen victoria. the representative of british royalty was miss rosa larpenteur, daughter of a.l. larpenteur, and the first child born of white parents in st. paul. james buchanan was represented by george folsom, also a product of the city. col. r.e.j. miles and miss emily dow, the stars at the people's theater, were in the line of march on two handsomely caparisoned horses, dressed in continental costume, representing george and martha washington. the colonel looked like the veritable father of his country. there were a number of other floats, and nearly all the secret societies of the city were in line. the procession was nearly two miles in length and they marched three and one-half hours before reaching their destination. to show the difference between a line of march at that time and one at the present day, the following is given: the line of march. up st. anthony street to fort street, up fort street to ramsey street, then countermarch down fort to fourth street, down fourth street to minnesota street, up minnesota street to seventh street, down seventh street to jackson street, up jackson street to eighth street, down eighth street to broadway, down broadway to seventh street, up seventh street to jackson street, down jackson street to third street, up third street to market street. ex-gov. w.a. gorman and ex-gov. alex. ramsey were the orators of the occasion, and they delivered very lengthy addresses. it had been arranged to have extensive fireworks in the evening, but on account of the storm they had to be postponed until the following night. it was a strange coincidence that on the very day of the celebration the last message was exchanged between england and america. the cable had been in successful operation about four weeks and messages were received from england and sent from america. in a new company succeeded in laying the cable which is in successful operation to-day. four attempts were made before the enterprise was successful--the first in , the second in , the third in and the successful one in . cyrus w. field, the projector of the enterprise, received the unanimous thanks of congress, and would have been knighted by great britain had mr. field thought it proper to accept such honor. * * * * * some time during the early ' s a secret order known as the sons of malta was organized in one of the eastern states, and its membership increased throughout the west with as much rapidity as the vandals and goths increased their numbers during the declining years of the roman empire. two or three members of the pioneer editorial staff procured a charter from pittesburg in and instituted a lodge in st. paul. it was a grand success from the start. merchants, lawyers, doctors, printers, and in fact half of the male population, was soon enrolled in the membership of the order. there was something so grand, gloomy and peculiar about the initiation that made it certain that as soon as one victim had run the gauntlet he would not be satisfied until another one had been procured. when a candidate had been proposed for membership the whole lodge acted as a committee of investigation, and if it could be ascertained that he had ever been derelict in his dealings with his fellow men he was sure to be charged with it when being examined by the high priest in the secret chamber of the order--that is, the candidate supposed he was in a secret chamber from the manner in which he had to be questioned, but when the hood had been removed from his face he found, much to his mortification, that his confession had been made to the full membership of the order. occasionally the candidate would confess to having been more of a transgresser than his questioners had anticipated. the following is a sample of the questions asked a candidate for admission: grand commander to candidate, "are you in favor of the acquisition of the island of cuba?" candidate, "i am." grand commander, "in case of an invasion of the island, would you lie awake nights and steal into the enemy's camp?" candidate, "i would." grand commander, "let it be recorded, he will lie and steal," and then an immense gong at the far end of the hall would be sounded and the candidate would imagine that the day of judgment had come. the scheme of bouncing candidates into the air from a rubber blanket, so popular during the days of the recent ice carnivals was said to have been original with the sons of malta, and was one of the mildest of the many atrocities perpetrated by this most noble order. some time during the summer a large excursion party of members of the order from cincinnati, chicago and milwaukee visited st. paul. among the number was the celebrated elocutionist, alf. burnett of cincinnati, and gov. alexander randall of wisconsin. they arrived at the lower levee about midnight and marched up third street to the hall of the order, where a grand banquet was awaiting them. the visitors were arrayed in long, black robes, with a black hood over their heads, and looked more like the prisoners in the play of "lucretia borgia" than members of modern civilization. on the following day there was an immense barbecue at minnehaha falls, when the visitors were feasted with an ox roasted whole. this organization kept on increasing in membership, until in an evil hour one of the members had succeeded in inducing the rev. john penman to consent to become one of its members. mr. penman was so highly indignant at the manner in which he had been handled during the initiation that he immediately wrote an expose of the secret work, with numerous illustrations, and had it published in harper's weekly. the exposition acted like a bombshell in the camp of the philistines, and ever after empire hall, the headquarters of the order, presented a dark and gloomy appearance. the reverend gentleman was judge of probate of ramsey county at the time, but his popularity suddenly diminished and when his term of office expired he found it to his advantage to locate in a more congenial atmosphere. * * * * * the minnesotian and times, although both republican papers, never cherished much love for each other. the ravings of the eatanswill gazette were mild in comparison to the epithets used by these little papers in describing the shortcomings of their "vile and reptile contemporary." after the election in , as soon as it was known that the republicans had secured a majority in the legislature, the managers of these rival republican offices instituted a very lively campaign for the office of state printer. both papers had worked hard for the success of the republican ticket and they had equal claims on the party for recognition. both offices were badly in need of financial assistance, and had the republican party not been successful one of them, and perhaps both, would have been compelled to suspend. how to divide the patronage satisfactorily to both papers was the problem that confronted the legislature about to assemble. the war of words between foster and newson continued with unabated ferocity. the editor of the minnesotian would refer to the editor of the times as "mr. timothy muggins newson"--his right name being thomas m. newson--and the times would frequently mention dr. foster as the "red-nosed, goggle-eyed editor of the minnesotian." to effect a reconciliation between these two editors required the best diplomatic talent of the party leaders. after frequent consultations between the leading men of the party and the managers of the two offices, it was arranged that the papers should be consolidated and the name of the paper should be the minnesotian and times. it can readily be seen that a marriage contracted under these peculiar circumstances was not likely to produce a prolonged state of connubial felicity. the relations between foster and newson were no more cordial under one management than had hitherto existed when the offices were separate. this unhappy situation continued until about the time the legislature adjourned, when the partnership was dissolved. dr. foster assumed entire control of the minnesotian and maj. newson was manager of the times. george w. moore was associated with dr. foster in the publication of the minnesotian prior to the consolidation, but when the offices separated it was stipulated that mr. moore should have the printing of the journals of the two houses of the legislature as part payment of his share of the business of the late firm of newson, moore, foster & co., thus entirely severing his relations with the paper he helped to found. after the arrangement was made it was with the greatest difficulty that it was carried into effect, as orville brown of faribault had entered the field as a candidate for state printer and came within a few votes of taking the printing to that village. the times continued under the management of mr. newson until the first of january, , when he leased the office to w.r. marshall and thomas f. slaughter, who started the st. paul daily press with its material. the press proved to be too much of a competitor for the minnesotian, and in a short time dr. foster was compelled to surrender to its enterprising projectors, they having purchased the entire plant. this ended the rivalry between the two republican dailies. dr. foster and maj. newson, some time afterward, received commissions in the volunteer service of the army during the civil war, and george w. moore was appointed collector of the port of st. paul, a position he held for more than twenty years. * * * * * does any one remember that st. paul had a paper called the daily north star? the historians of st. paul and ramsey county do not seem to ever have chronicled the existence of this sprightly little sheet. during the presidential campaign of we had two kinds of democrats--the douglas and the breckinridge or administration democrats. there were only two papers in the state that espoused the cause of mr. breckinridge--the chatfield democrat and the henderson independent--and as they had been designated by the president to publish such portion of the acts of congress as it was customary to print at that time, it was quite natural that they carried the administration colors at the head of their columns. they were called "bread and butter papers." the supporters of mr. breckinridge thought their cause would present a more respectable appearance if they had an organ at the capital of the state. accordingly the late h.h. young, the editor of the henderson independent, was brought down from that village and the daily north star soon made its appearance. it was not necessary at that time to procure the associated press dispatches, a perfecting press and linotype machines before embarking in a daily newspaper enterprise, as a washington hand press and five or six cases of type were all that were necessary. this paper was published regularly until after election, and as the returns indicated that the officeholders would not much longer contribute toward its support it soon collapsed. st. paul had another paper that is very seldom mentioned in newspaper history. it was called the st. paul weekly journal, and was edited by dr. massey, formerly of the ohio statesman and private secretary to gov. sam medary. this paper was started in , but on account of its violent opposition to the prosecution of the war did not meet with much favor, and only existed about eight months. * * * * * some time during the year the minnesotian office received about half a dozen cases of very bad whisky in payment of a very bad debt. they could not sell it--they could not even give it to any one. occasionally the thirst of an old-time compositor would get the better of him and he would uncork a bottle. the experiment was never repeated. think of half a dozen cases of whisky remaining unmolested in a printing office for more than two years. during the campaign of the wide awakes and the little giants were the uniformed political organizations intended to attract the attention of voters. one dreary night one of the attaches of the minnesotian office, and an active member of the wide awakes, met the little giants near bridge square as they were returning to their hall after a long march. in order to establish a sort of entente cordiale between the two organisations the little giants were invited over to the minnesotian office in hopes they would be able to reduce the supply of this nauseating beverage. it was a golden opportunity. the invitation was readily accepted, and in a short time fifty ardent followers of the advocate of squatter sovereignty were lined up in front of a black republican office, thirsting for black republican whisky. bottle after bottle, was passed down the line, and as it gurgled down the throats of these enthusiastic marchers they smacked their lips with as much gusto as did rip van winkle when partaking of the soporific potation that produced his twenty years' sleep. one of the cardinal principles of the democracy, at that time was to "love rum and hate niggers." as the entire stock was disposed of before the club resumed its line of march, the host of the occasion concluded that at least one plank of their platform was rigidly adhered to. the great sioux outbreak in . narration of some of the exciting events that occurred during the great sioux outbreak in --fort ridgely, new ulm and birch coulie--other day and wabasha--great excitement in st. paul. in july and august, , president lincoln issued proclamations calling for the enlistment of , volunteers for the purpose of reinforcing the army, then vainly endeavoring to suppress the southern rebellion. it was probably one of the most gloomy periods in the history of the civil war. mcclellan had been compelled to make a precipitous and disastrous retreat from the vicinity of richmond; the army of northern virginia under pope had met with several severe reverses; the armies in the west under grant, buell and curtis had not been able to make any progress toward the heart of the confederacy; rebel marauders under morgan were spreading desolation and ruin in kentucky and ohio; rebel privateers were daily eluding the vigilant watch of the navy and escaping to europe with loads of cotton, which they readily disposed of and returned with arms and ammunition to aid in the prosecution of their cause. france was preparing to invade mexico with a large army for the purpose of forcing the establishment of a monarchical form of government upon the people of our sister republic; the sympathies of all the great powers of europe, save russia, were plainly manifested by outspoken utterances favorable to the success of the confederate cause; rumors of foreign intervention in behalf of the south were daily circulated; the enemies of the government in the north were especially active in their efforts to prevent the enlistment of men under the call of the president; conspiracies for burning northern cities had been unearthed by government detectives, and emissaries from the south were endeavoring to spread disease and pestilence throughout the loyal north. it was during this critical period in the great struggle for the suppression of the rebellion that one of the most fiendish atrocities in the history of indian warfare was enacted on the western boundaries of minnesota. * * * * * it can readily be seen that the government was illy prepared to cope with an outbreak of such magnitude as this soon proved to be. by the terms of the treaty of traverse des sioux and mendota in the sioux sold all their lands in minnesota, except a strip ten miles wide on each side of the minnesota river from near fort ridgely to big stone lake. in ten miles of the strip lying north of the river was sold, mainly through the influence of little crow. the selling of this strip caused great dissatisfaction among the indians and little crow was severely denounced for the part he took in the transaction. the sale rendered it necessary for all the indians to locate on the south side of the minnesota, where game was scarce and trapping poor. there was nothing for them to live upon unless they adopted the habits of civilization and worked like white men. this was very distasteful to many of them, as they wanted to live the same as they did before the treaty--go where they pleased, when they pleased, and hunt game and sell fur to traders. the government built houses for those who desired to occupy them, furnished tools, seed, etc., and taught them how to farm. at two of the agencies during the summer of the outbreak they had several hundred acres of land under cultivation. the disinclination of many of the indians to work gradually produced dissension among themselves and they formed into two parties--the white man's party, those that believed in cultivating the soil; and the indian party, a sort of young-man-afraid-of-work association, who believed it beneath the dignity of the noble dakotan to perform manual labor. the white man's, or farmer's party, was favored by the government, some of them having fine houses built for them. the other indians did not like this, and became envious of them because they discontinued the customs of the tribe. there was even said to have been a secret organization among the tepee indians whose object it was to declare war upon the whites. the indians also claimed that they were not fairly dealt with by the traders; that they had to rely entirely upon their word for their indebtedness to them; that they were ignorant of any method of keeping accounts, and that when the paymaster came the traders generally took all that was coming, and often leaving many of them in debt. they protested against permitting the traders to sit at the pay table of the government paymaster and deduct from their small annuities the amount due them. they had at least one white man's idea--they wanted to pay their debts when they got ready. * * * * * for several weeks previous to the outbreak the indians came to the agencies to get their money. day after day and week after week passed and there was no sign of paymasters. the year was the the second year of the great rebellion, and as the government officers had been taxed to their utmost to provide funds for the prosecution of the war, it looked as though they had neglected their wards in minnesota. many of the indians who had gathered about the agencies were out of money and their families were suffering. the indians were told that on account of the great war in which the government was engaged the payment would never be made. their annuities were payable in gold and they were told that the great father had no gold to pay them with. maj. galbraith, the agent of the sioux, had organized a company to go south, composed mostly of half-breeds, and this led the indians to believe that now would be the time to go to war with the whites and get their land back. it was believed that the men who had enlisted last had all left the state and that before, help could be sent they could clear the country of the whites, and that the winnebagos and chippewas would come to their assistance. it is known that the sioux had been in communication with hole-in-the-day, the chippewa chief, but the outbreak was probably precipitated before they came to an understanding. it was even said at the time that the confederate government had emissaries among them, but the indians deny this report and no evidence has ever been collected proving its truthfulness. * * * * * under the call of the president for , men minnesota was called upon to furnish five regiments--the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth--and the requisition had been partially filled and the men mustered in when the news reached st. paul that open hostilities had commenced at the upper agency, and an indiscriminate massacre of the whites was taking place. * * * * * the people of minnesota had been congratulating themselves that they were far removed from the horrors of the civil war, and their indignation knew no bounds when compelled to realize that these treacherous redskins, who had been nursed and petted by officers of the government, and by missionaries and traders for years, had, without a moment's warning, commenced an indiscriminate slaughter of men, women and children. it was a singular fact that farmer indians, whom the government officers and missionaries had tried so hard to civilize, were guilty of the most terrible butcheries after hostilities had actually commenced. * * * * * a few days previous to the attack upon the whites at the upper agency a portion of the band of little six appeared at action, meeker county. there they murdered several people and then fled to redwood. it was the first step in the great massacre that soon followed. on the morning of the th of august, without a word of warning, an indiscriminate massacre was inaugurated. a detachment of company b of the fifth regiment, under command of capt. marsh, went to the scene of the revolt, but they were ambushed and about twenty-five of their number, including the captain, killed. the horrible work of murder, pillage and destruction was spread throughout the entire sioux reservation, and whole families, especially those in isolated portions of the country, were an easy prey to these fiendish warriors. * * * * * the wyoming massacre during the revolution and the black hawk and seminole wars at a later period, pale into insignificance when compared to the great outrages committed by these demons during this terrible outbreak. in less than one week , people had been killed, several million dollars' worth of property destroyed and , people rendered homeless. the entire country from fort ripley to the southern boundary of the state, reaching almost to the mouth of the minnesota river, had been in a twinkling depopulated. how to repel these invaders and drive them back to their reservations and out of the state as they had forfeited all rights to the land they had occupied, was the problem that suddenly confronted both the state and national authorities. * * * * * shortly after the news of the outbreak at redwood had been received, word was sent from fort ripley to the effect that the chippewas were assuming a warlike attitude, and it was feared that the sioux and chippewas--hereditary enemies--had buried the hatchet, or had been influenced by other causes, and were ready to co-operate in an indiscriminate massacre of the whites. indian agent walker undertook to arrest the famous chief hole-in-the-day, but that wily warrior had scented danger and suddenly disappeared, with his entire band, which caused grave apprehension among the settlers in that locality, and they were in daily dread of an attack from these hitherto peaceable tribes. * * * * * the suddenness with which the outbreak had occurred and the extraordinary rapidity with which it spread, driving the defenseless settlers from their homes and causing desolation and ruin on every side, rendered it necessary for the governor to call an extra session of the legislature for the purpose of devising means to arm and equip volunteers, and assist the homeless refugees in procuring places of shelter where they would be safe from molestation by these dusky warriors. could anything be more terrible than gov. ramsey's picture of the ravages of these outlaws in his message to the legislature? "nothing which the brutal lust and wanton cruelty of these savages could wreak upon their helpless and innocent victims was omitted from the category of their crimes," said the governor. "helplessness and innocence, indeed, which would inspire pity in any heart but theirs, seemed to inspire them only with a more fiendish rage. infants hewn into bloody chips of flesh or torn untimely from the womb of the murdered mother, and in cruel mockery cast in fragments on her pulseless and bleeding breast; rape joined to murder in one awful tragedy; young girls, even children of tender years, outraged by these brutal ravishers till death ended their shame; women held into captivity to undergo the horrors of a living death; whole families burned alive; and, as if their devilish fancy could not glut itself with outrages on the living, the last efforts exhausted in mutilating the bodies of the dead. such are the spectacles, and a thousand nameless horrors besides which this first experience of indian warfare has burned into the minds and hearts of our frontier people; and such the enemy with whom we have to deal." * * * * * the old saying that the only good indians are dead ones had a noble exception in the person of other day, who piloted sixty-two men, women and children across the country from below yellow medicine to kandiyohi, and from there to hutchinson, glencoe and carver. other day was an educated indian and had been rather wild in his younger days, but experienced a change of heart about four years before the outbreak and had adopted the habits of civilization. other day arrived in st. paul a few days after he had piloted his party in safety to carver, and in the course of a few remarks to a large audience at ingersoll hall, which had assembled for the purpose of organizing a company of home guards, he said: "i am a dakota indian, born and reared in the midst of evil. i grew up without the knowledge of any good thing. i have been instructed by americans and taught to read and write. this i found to be good. i became acquainted with the sacred writings, and thus learned my vileness. at the present time i have fallen into great evil and affliction, but have escaped from it, and with sixty-two men, women and children, without moccasins, without food and without a blanket, i have arrived in the midst of a great people, and now my heart is glad. i attribute it to the mercy of the great spirit." other day had been a member of the church for several years and his religion taught him that the great spirit approved his conduct. * * * * * it was apparent that the indian war was on in earnest. ex-gov. sibley, on account of his long familiarity with indian character, was placed in command of the troops ordered to assemble at st. peter, and in a few days, with detachments of the regiments then forming, half-uniformed, poorly armed and with a scant supply of ammunition, commenced offensive operations against the murderous redskins. the newspapers and the people were crying "on to ridgely!" which was then beleaguered, with the same persistency as did horace greeyley howl "on to richmond!" previous to the disaster at bull run. * * * * * any one who has seen the thrilling realistic indian play of "the girl i left behind me" can form some idea of the terrible suspense of the little garrison at port ridgely previous to being relieved by the forces under command of gen. sibley. fort ridgely was a fort only in name, and consisted of two or three stone and several wooden buildings, surrounded by a fence, which did not afford much protection when attacked by a large force. the garrison was under the command of lieut. t.j. sheehan. his force consisted of about men from the fifth regiment, fifty men of the renville rangers, and a number of civilians. he was surrounded by or sioux, fully armed and equipped. although there were only two attempts made to capture the garrison by assault, yet the siege was kept up for several days. in addition to about refugees who had gathered there for support and protection, the $ , of annuity money, which had been so long expected, arrived there the day before the outbreak. after bravely defending the fort for more than a week, the little garrison was relieved by the arrival of about mounted volunteers under command of col. mcphail, being the advance of gen. sibley's command. during the siege many of the men became short of musketry ammunition, and spherical case shot were opened in the barracks and women worked with busy hands making cartridges, while men cut nail rods in short pieces and used them as bullets, their dismal whistling producing terror among the redskins. almost simultaneously with the attack on fort ridgely the indians in large numbers appeared in the vicinity of new ulm, with the evident intention of burning and pillaging the village. judge charles e. flandrau of this city, who was then residing at st. peter, organized a company of volunteers and marched across the country to the relief of that place. the judge received several acquisitions to his force while en route, and when he arrived at new ulm found himself in command of about men, poorly armed and wholly without military experience. they arrived at new ulm just in time to assist the inhabitants in driving the indians from the upper part of the village, several citizens having been killed and a number of houses burned. two or three days afterward the indians appeared in large force, surrounded the town and commenced burning the buildings on its outskirts. after a desperate encounter, in which the force under command of judge flandrau lost ten killed and about forty wounded, the indians retired. there were in the village at the time of the attack about , or , noncombatants, and every one of them would have been killed had the indian attack been successful. provisions and ammunition becoming scarce, the judge decided to evacuate the town and march across the country to mankato. they made up a train of about wagons, loaded them with women and children and the men who had been wounded in the fight, and arrived safely in mankato without being molested. nearly two hundred houses were burned before the town was evacuated, leaving nothing standing but a few houses inside the hastily constructed barricade. the long procession of families leaving their desolated homes, many of them never to return, formed one of the saddest scenes in the history of the outbreak, and will ever be remembered by the gallant force under the command of judge flandrau, who led them to a place of safety. * * * * * as soon as gen. sibley arrived at fort ridgely a detail of company a of the sixth regiment, under command of capt. h.p. grant of st. paul, and seventy members of the cullen guards, under the command of capt. jo anderson, also of st. paul, and several citizen volunteers, all under the command of maj. joseph r. brown, was sent out with instructions to bury the dead and rescue the wounded, if any could be found, from their perilous surroundings. they were st. paul organizations and most all of their members were st. paul boys. they never had had an opportunity to drill and most of them were not familiar with the use of firearms. after marching for two days, during which time they interred a large number of victims of the savage sioux, they went into camp at birch coulie, about fifteen miles from fort ridgely. the encampment was on the prairie near a fringe of timber and the coulie on one side and an elevation of about ten feet on the other. it was a beautiful but very unfortunate location for the command to camp, and would probably not have been selected had it been known that they were surrounded by or hostile warriors. maj. brown had about one hundred and fifty men under his command. about o'clock on the following morning the indians, to the number of or , well armed and most of them mounted, commenced an indiscriminate fire upon the almost helpless little command. for two days they bravely defended themselves, and when relief finally arrived it was found that about half their number had been killed or wounded. when the news of the disaster reached st. paul there was great excitement. relatives and friends of the dead and wounded were outspoken in their denunciation of the civil and military authorities who were responsible for this great sacrifice of the lives of our citizens. it was feared that the city itself was in danger of an attack from the savages. home guards were organized and the bluffs commanding a view of the city were nightly patrolled by citizen volunteers. there was no telegraph at that time and rumors of all sorts were flying thick and fast. every courier reaching the city would bring news of fresh outrages, and our panic-stricken citizens had hardly time to recover from the effect of one disaster before the news of another would be received. settlers fleeing from their homes for places of safety were arriving by the score, leaving crops to perish in the field and their houses to be destroyed. the situation was appalling, and many of our citizens were predicting the most direful results should the army fail to check the savage hordes in their work of devastation and ruin. every boat from the minnesota river would be crowded with refugees, and the people of st. paul were often called upon to assist in forwarding them to their place of destination. home guards were organized in almost every village of the threatened portion of the state, but the authorities could not furnish arms or ammunition and their services would have been of little account against the well-armed savages in case they had been attacked. advertisements appeared in the st. paul newspapers offering rewards of $ a piece for sioux scalps. * * * * * gov. ramsey endeavored to allay the apprehensions of the people and published in the papers a statement to the effect that the residents of the capital city need not be alarmed, as the nearest approach of the indians was at acton, meeker county, miles away; fort ripley, miles away, and the scenes of the tragedy in yellow medicine county, miles distant. this may have been gratifying to the residents of the capital city, but was far from reassuring to the frontiersmen who were compelled to abandon their homes and were seeking the protection of the slowly advancing militia. * * * * * about o'clock one night during the latter part of august a report was circulated over the northern and western portion of st. paul that the savages were near the city, and many women and children were aroused from their slumber and hastily dressed and sought the protection of the city authorities. it was an exciting but rather amusing episode in the great tragedy then taking place on the frontier. rumors of this character were often circulated, and it was not until after the battle of wood lake that the people of st. paul felt that they were perfectly safe from raids by the hostile sioux. * * * * * as soon as gen. sibley had collected a sufficient force to enable him to move with safety he decided upon offensive operations. he had collected about , men from the regiments then forming, including the third regiment, recently paroled, and a battery under command of capt. mark hendricks. the expedition marched for two or three days without encountering opposition, but on the morning of the d of september several foraging parties belonging to the third regiment were fired upon in the vicinity of wood lake. about of the command were engaged in the encounter and were opposed by about an equal number of indians. after a spirited engagement col. marshall, with about men, made a double-quick charge upon the sioux and succeeded in utterly routing them. our loss was four killed and forty or fifty wounded. this was the only real battle of the war. other day was with the whites and took a conspicuous part in the encounter. after the battle gen. pope, who was in command of the department of the northwest, telegraphed the war department that the indian war was over and asked what disposition to make of the troops then under his command. this request of gen. pope was met with a decided remonstrance by the people of minnesota, and they succeeded in preventing the removal of any of the troops until they had made two long marches through the dakotas and to montana. gen. sibley's command reached camp release on the th of september, in the vicinity of which was located a large camp of indians, most of whom had been engaged in the massacres. they had with them about two hundred and fifty mixed bloods and white women and children, and the soldiers were very anxious to precede at once to their rescue. gen. sibley was of the opinion that any hostile demonstration would mean the annihilation of all the prisoners, and therefore proceeded with the utmost caution. after a few preliminary consultations the entire camp surrendered and the captives were released. as soon as possible gen. sibley made inquiries as to the participation of these indians in the terrible crimes recently perpetrated, and it soon developed that a large number of them had been guilty of the grossest atrocities. the general decided to form a military tribunal and try the offenders. after a series of sittings, lasting from the th of september to the th of november, of the fiends were found guilty of the offenses charged, of whom were sentenced to death and the rest condemned to various terms of imprisonment according to their crimes. all of the condemned prisoners were taken to mankato and were confined in a large jail constructed for the purpose. after the court-martial had completed its work and the news of its action had reached the eastern cities, a great outcry was made that minnesota was contemplating a wholesale slaughter of the beloved red man. the quakers of philadelphia and the good people of massachusetts sent many remonstrances to the president to put a stop to the proposed wholesale execution. the president, after consulting his military advisers, decided to permit the execution of only thirty-eight of the most flagrant cases, and accordingly directed them to be hung on the th of december, . * * * * * previous to their execution the condemned prisoners were interviewed by rev. s.r. riggs, to whom they made their dying confessions. nearly every one of them claimed to be innocent of the crimes charged to them. each one had some word to send to his parents or family, and when speaking of their wives and children almost every one was affected to tears. most of them spoke confidently of their hope of salvation, and expected to go at once to the abode of the great spirit. rattling runner, who was a son-in-law of wabasha, dictated the following letter, which is a sample of the confessions made to dr. riggs: "wabasha, you have deceived me. you told me if we followed the advice of gen. sibley and gave ourselves up, all would be well--no innocent man would be injured. i have not killed or injured a white man or any white person. i have not participated in the plunder of their property; and yet to-day i am set apart for execution and must die, while men who are guilty will remain in prison. my wife is your daughter, my children are your grandchildren. i leave them all in your care and under your protection. do not let them suffer, and when they are grown up let them know that their father died because he followed the advice of his chief, and without having the blood of a white man to answer for to the holy spirit. my wife and children are dear to me. let them not grieve for me; let them remember that the brave should be prepared to meet death, and i will do as becomes a dakotah." wabasha was a sioux chief, and although he was not found guilty of participating in any of the massacres of women and children, he was probably in all the most important battles. wabasha county, and wabasha street in st. paul were named after his father. after the execution the bodies were taken down, loaded into wagons and carried down to a sandbar in front of the city, where they were all dumped into the same hole. they did not remain there long, but were spirited away by students and others familiar with the use of a dissecting knife. little crow, the chief instigator of the insurrection was not with the number that surrendered, but escaped and was afterward killed by a farmer named lamson, in the vicinity of hutchinson. his scalp is now in the state historical society. little crow was born in kaposia, a few miles below st. paul, and was always known as a bad indian. little crow's father was friendly to the whites, and it was his dying wish that his son should assume the habits of civilized life and accustom himself to the new order of things, but the dying admonitions of the old man were of little avail and little crow soon became a dissolute, quarrelsome and dangerous indian. he was opposed to all change of dress and habits of life, and was very unfriendly to missionaries and teachers. he was seldom known to tell the truth and possessed very few redeeming qualities. although greatly disliked by many of the indians, he was the acknowledged head of the war party and by common consent assumed the direction of all the hostile tribes in their fruitless struggle against the whites. * * * * * between the conviction and execution of the condemned indians there was great excitement throughout the minnesota valley lest the president should pardon the condemned. meetings were held throughout the valley and organizations were springing into existence for the purpose of overpowering the strong guard at mankato and wreaking summary justice upon the indians. the situation became so serious pending the decision of the president that the governor was compelled to issue a proclamation calling upon all good citizens not to tarnish the fair name of the state by an act of lawlessness that the outside world would never forget, however great was the provocation. when the final order came to execute only thirty-eight there was great disappointment. petitions were circulated in st. paul and generally signed favoring the removal of the condemned indians to massachusetts to place them under the refining influence of the constituents of senator hoar, the same people who are now so terribly shocked because a humane government is endeavoring to prevent, in the philippines, a repetition of the terrible atrocities committed in minnesota. * * * * * the balance of the condemned were kept in close confinement till spring, when they were taken to davenport, and afterward to some point on the missouri river, where a beneficent government kindly permitted them to sow the seed of discontent that finally culminated in the custer massacre. when it was known that the balance of the condemned indians were to be transported to davenport by steamer. st. paul people made preparations to give them a warm reception as they passed down the river, but their intentions were frustrated by the government officers in charge of their removal, as they arranged to have the steamer favorite, on which they were to be transported, pass by the city in the middle of the night. st. paul people were highly indignant when apprised of their escape. little six and medicine bottle, two sioux chiefs engaged in the outbreak, were arrested at fort gary (winnipeg), and delivered at pembina in january, , and were afterward taken to fort snelling, where they were tried, condemned and executed in the presence of , people, being the last of the indians to receive capital punishment for their great crimes. little six confessed to having murdered fifty white men, women and children. * * * * * one of the most perplexing problems the military authorities had to contend with was the transportation of supplies to the troops on the frontier. there were, of course, no railroads, and the only way to transport provisions was by wagon. an order was issued by the military authorities requesting the tender of men and teams for this purpose, but the owners of draft horses did not respond with sufficient alacrity to supply the pressing necessities of the army, and it was necessary for the authorities to issue another order forcibly impressing into service of the government any and all teams that could be found on the streets or in stables. a detachment of company k of the eighth regiment was sent down from the fort and remained in the city several days on that especial duty. as soon as the farmers heard that the government was taking possession of everything that came over the bridge they ceased hauling their produce to the city and carried it to hastings. there was one silver-haired farmer living near the city limits by the name of hilks, whose sympathies were entirely with the south, and he had boasted that all of uncle sam's hirelings could not locate his team. one of the members of company k was a former neighbor of the disloyal farmer, and he made it his particular duty to see that this team, at least, should be loyal to the government. a close watch was kept on him, and one morning he was seen to drive down to the west side of the bridge and tie his team behind a house, where he thought they would be safe until he returned. as soon as the old man passed over the bridge the squad took possession of his horses, and when he returned the team was on the way to abercrombie laden with supplies for the troops at the fort. of course the government subsequently reimbursed the owners of the teams for their use, but in this particular case the soldiers did not think the owner deserved it. gov. ramsey's carriage team was early taken possession of by the military squad, and when the driver gravely informed the officer in charge that the governor was the owner of that team and he thought it exempt from military duty, he was suavely informed that a power higher than the governor required that team and that it must go to abercrombie. and it did. * * * * * it was necessary to send out a large escort with these supply trains and it was easier to procure men for that purpose than it was for the regular term of enlistment. on one of the trains that left st. paul was a young man by the name of hines. he was as brave as julius caesar. he said so himself. he was so heavily loaded with various weapons of destruction that his companions called him a walking arsenal. if little crow had attacked this particular train the indian war would have ended. this young man had been so very demonstrative of his ability to cope with the entire sioux force that his companions resolved to test his bravery. one night when the train was camped about half way between st. cloud and sauk center, several of the guards attached to the train painted their faces, arrayed themselves in indian costume and charged through the camp, yelling the indian war hoop and firing guns in every direction. young hines was the first to hear the alarm, and didn't stop running until he reached st. cloud, spreading the news in every direction that the entire tribe of little crow was only a short distance behind. of course there was consternation along the line of this young man's masterly retreat, and it was some time before the panic-stricken citizens knew what had actually happened. * * * * * in response to the appeal of gov. sibley and other officers on the frontier, the ladies of st. paul early organized for the purpose of furnishing sick and wounded soldiers with such supplies as were not obtainable through the regular channels of the then crude condition of the various hospitals. notices like the following often appeared in the daily papers at that time: "ladies aid society--a meeting of the ladies' aid society for the purpose of sewing for the relief of the wounded soldiers at our forts, and also for the assistance of the destitute refugees now thronging our city, is called to meet this morning at ingersoll hall. all ladies interested in this object are earnestly invited to attend. all contributions of either money or clothing will be thankfully received. by order of the president, "mrs. stella selby. "miss m.o. holyoke, secretary." mrs. selby was the wife of john w. selby, one of the first residents of the city, miss holyoke was the clara barton of minnesota, devoting her whole time and energy to the work of collecting sanitary supplies for the needy soldiers in the hospitals. scores of poor soldiers who were languishing in hospital tents on the sunburnt and treeless prairies of the dakotas, or suffering from disease contracted in the miasmatic swamps of the rebellious south have had their hearts gladdened and their bodies strengthened by being supplied with the delicacies collected through the efforts of the noble and patriotic ladies of this and kindred organizations throughout the state. many instances are recorded of farmers leaving their harvesters in the field and joining the grand army then forming for the defense of the imperilled state and nation, while their courageous and energetic wives have gone to the fields and finished harvesting the ripened crops. * * * * * by reason of the outbreak the sioux forfeited to the government, in addition to an annual annuity of $ , for fifty years, all the lands they held in minnesota, amounting in the aggregate to about , acres, worth at the present time something like $ , , . had they behaved themselves and remained in possession of this immense tract of land, they would have been worth twice as much per capita as any community in the united states. firemen and fires of pioneer days. a brief history of the st. paul, fire department--pioneer hook and ladder company--hope engine company and minnehaha engine company--a large number of hotel fires. when we ran with the old machine. * * * * * brave relics of the past are we, old firemen, staunch and true, we're thinking now of days gone by and all that we've gone through. thro' fire and flames we've made our way, and danger we have seen; we never can forget the time when we ran with the old machine. in numbers now we are but few, a host have pased away, but still we're happy, light and free, our spirits never decay we often sigh for those old days whose memory we keep green, oh! there was joy for man and boy, when we ran with the old machine. --gus wiliams. * * * * * instruments for extinguishing fires were introduced in various parts of europe more than three hundred years ago. the fire laddies of that period would probably look aghast if they could see the implements in use at the present time. one of the old time machines is said to consist of a huge tank of water placed upon wheels, drawn by a large number of men, and to which was attached a small hose. when the water in the tank became exhausted it was supplied by a bucket brigade, something on the plan in use at the present time in villages not able to support an engine. the oldest record of a fire engine in paris was one used in the king's library in , which, having but one cylinder, threw water to a great height, a result obtained by the use of an air chamber. leather hose was introduced into amsterdam in , by two dutchmen, and they also invented the suction pipe at about the same period. about the close of the seventeenth century an improved engine was patented in england. it was a strong cistern of oak placed upon wheels, furnished with a pump, an air chamber and a suction pipe of strong leather, through which run a spiral piece of metal. this engine was little improved until the early part of the last century. in the united states bucket fire departments were organized in most of the cities in the early part of the last century, and hand engines, used by the old volunteer firemen, did not come into general use until about fifty years later. the new york volunteer fire department was for a long time one of the institutions of the country. when they had their annual parade the people of the surrounding towns would flock to the city and the streets would be as impassible as they are to-day when a representative of one of the royal families of europe is placed on exhibition. at the new york state fairs during the early ' s the tournaments of the volunteer fire department of the various cities throughout the state formed one of the principal attractions. many a melee occurred between the different organizations because they considered that they had not been properly recognized in the line of march or had not been awarded a medal for throwing a stream of water farther than other competitors. a berlin correspondent of the pioneer press many years ago, said that when an alarm of fire was sounded in the city, the members of the fire companies would put on their uniforms and report to their various engine houses. when a sufficient number had assembled to make a showing the foreman would call the roll, beer would be passed down the line, the health of the kaiser properly remembered and then they would start out in search of the fire. as a general thing the fire would be out long before they arrived upon the scene, and they would then return to their quarters, have another beer and be dismissed. to cincinnati belongs the credit of having introduced the first paid steam fire department in the united states, but all the other large cities rapidly followed. * * * * * in the fall of the town fathers of st. paul passed an ordinance requiring the owners of all buildings, public or private, to provide and keep in good repair, substantial buckets, marked with paint the word "fire" on one side and the owner's name on the other, subject to inspection by the fire warden and to be under his control when occasion required. the first attempt at organizing a fire brigade, was made by r.c. knox in the fall of . mr. knox raised a small sum of money by subscription, with which he purchased several ladders, and they were frequently brought into requisition by the little band of men whom mr. knox had associated with him. mr. knox was a man of enormous stature, and it was said he could tire out a dozen ordinary men at a fire. * * * * * two public-spirited citizens of st. paul, john mccloud and thompson ritchie, purchased in the east and brought to the city at their own expense the first fire engine introduced in the northwest. although it was a miniature affair, on numerous occasions it rendered valuable assistance in protecting the property of our pioneer merchants. mr. ritchie is still living, his home being in philadelphia. * * * * * in november, , pioneer hook and ladder company no. was organized under provisions of the city charter. a constitution and by-laws were adopted and the members agreed to turn out promptly on all occasions of fire alarms. as compensation for their services they were excused from jury duty, poll tax, work on the roads, or state military service, for the period of five years. the original constitution of the pioneer hook and ladder company contained the following membership roll: foreman, isaac a. banker; assistant foremen, h.b. pearson and george f. blake; treasurer, richard galloway; secretary, robert mason; members, henry buell, john w. cathcart, charles d. elfelt, edward heenan, thompson ritchie, philip ross, wash. m. stees, j.w. stevenson, benjamin f. irvine, r.i. thomson, john mccloud, j.q.a. ward, charles j. williams. of the above john mccloud is the only one living in the city at the present time. mr. mccloud was a member of the firm of mccloud & bro., hardware dealers, and they occupied the building on the southwest corner of third and cedar streets. this was the first full-fledged fire organization in the city, and as mr. mccloud took the initiative in forming this company he may justly be called the "father of the volunteer fire department of st. paul." the old hook and ladder company was one of the representative institutions of the city. from the date of its organization up to the time of the establishment of the paid fire department many of the most prominent men of the city were enrolled among its members. all of the property of the company was owned by the organization, but in , having become somewhat financially embarrassed, their accounts were turned over to the city and they were thereafter under the control of the city fathers. at that time they possessed one truck, hooks and ladders, and one fire engine with hose. washington m. stees was made chief engineer and charles h. williams assistant. this scanty equipment did not prove adequate for extinguishing fires and petitions were circulated requesting the council to purchase two fire engines of the more approved pattern, and also to construct a number of cisterns in the central part of the city, so that an adequate supply of water could be readily obtained. the city fathers concluded to comply with the request of the petitioners and they accordingly purchased two double-deck hand fire engines and they arrived in the city in august, . they were soon tested and pronounced satisfactory. our citizens then congratulated themselves upon the possession of a first-class fire department and they predicted that thereafter a great fire would be a thing of the past. one of the most irrepressible members of pioneer hook and ladder company in the early days was a little red-headed irishman by the name of a.d. martin. he was foreman of the daily minnesotian office and he usually went by the name of "johnny martin." now johnny always kept his fire paraphernalia close at hand, and every time a fire bell sounded he was "johnny on the spot." after the fire was over johnny generally had to celebrate, and every time johnny celebrated he would make a solemn declaration that it was his duty to kill an irishman before he returned to work. he would accordingly provide himself with an immense derringer and start out in quest of a subject upon whom he proposed to execute his sanguinary threat. strange to relate he never succeeded in finding one of his unfortunate countrymen, and it generally required two or three days to restore him to his former equilibrium. if johnny was a member of the fire department to-day he would probably discover that the task of finding one of his countrymen would not be so difficult. * * * * * in hope engine company no. was organized, and they petitioned the common council to purchase feet of hose for their use. in the fall of this company was given possession of one of the new engines recently purchased and it was comfortably housed at their headquarters in an old frame building on the southwest corner of franklin and fourth streets, and in a short time removed to a new brick building on third street, fronting on washington. michael leroy was made the first foreman and r.c. wiley and joseph s. herey were his assistants. the membership contained the names of john h. dodge, porteus dodge, john e. missen, joseph elfelt, fred whipperman, john t. toal, j.h. barstow, j.c. grand, charles riehl, john raguet, e. rhodes, b. bradley, charles hughes, bird boesch, t.f. masterson, john j. williams and v. metzger. during the fall of a large number of the most prominent business men in the vicinity of seven corners joined the organization and continued in active membership until the arrival of the first steamer. * * * * * in the winter of - minnehaha engine. company no. was organized, and it was provided with an engine house near the corner of third and jackson streets. the first officers were h.p. grant, foreman; m.j. o'connor and h.b. terwilliger, assistants; members, harry m. shaw, nicholas hendy, john b. oliver, f.a. cariveau, h.a. schlick. c.d. hadway, n. nicuhaus, l.r. storing, william t. donaldson, daniel rohrer, j. fletcher williams, n. w. kittson, alfred bayace, john mccauley and a number of others. the minnehahas were a prosperous organization from the first, and their engine house was always kept open and served as a general lounging and reading-room for such of its members as had nothing particular to do. * * * * * rotary independent company no. was the third engine connected with the st. paul fire department, but that was a private institution and was only used when there was a general alarm and on the days of the annual parade of the department. this engine was purchased from the government by john s. prince when fort snelling was abandoned, and was used for the protection of the property of the mill, which was located on lower third street. * * * * * by the formation of minnehaha engine company the city fathers thought they were possessed of quite a respectable fire department, and from that time on the annual parade of the st. paul fire department was one of the events of the year. the first parade occurred on the th of september, , and was participated in by the following organizations: pioneer hook and ladder company no. . hope engine company no. . minnehaha engine company no. . rotary independent company no. . these four companies numbered men, and after completing their line of march were reviewed by the mayor and common council in front of the old city hall. in the legislature passed an act requiring the sextons of the different churches to ring the church bells fifteen minutes whenever there was an alarm of fire. the uptown churches would ring their bells, the downtown churches would ring their bells, and the churches in the central part of the city would ring their bells. there was a regular banging and clanging of the bells. "in the startled air of night, they would scream out their afright, too much horrified to speak, they could only shriek, shriek, out of tune." every one turned out when the fire bells rang. unless the fire was of sufficient volume to be readily located, the uptown people would be seen rushing downtown, and the downtown people would be seen rushing uptown, in fact, general pandemonium prevailed until the exact location of the fire could be determined. whenever there was a large fire the regular firemen would soon tire of working on the brakes and they would appeal to the spectators to relieve them for a short time. as a general thing the appeal would be readily responded to, but occasionally it would be necessary for the police to impress into service a force sufficient to keep the brakes working. any person refusing to work on the brakes was liable to arrest and fine, and it was often amusing to see the crowds disperse whenever the police were in search of a relief force. * * * * * upon the breaking out of the war a large number of the firemen enlisted in the defense of the country and the ranks of the department were sadly decimated. it was during the early part of the war that the mayor of st. paul made a speech to the firemen at the close of their annual parade in which he referred to them as being as brave if not braver than the boys at the front. the friends of the boys in blue took serious umbrage at this break of the mayor, and the press of the city and throughout the state were very indignant to think that the capital city possessed a mayor of doubtful loyalty. the excitement soon died away and the mayor was re-elected by a large majority. * * * * * there was not much change in the condition of the department until the arrival of the first steamer, aug. , . the new steamer was lodged with hope engine company, and an engineer and fireman appointed at a salary of $ , per year for the two. the boys of hope engine company did not like the selection of the engineer of the new steamer and took the matter so seriously that their organization was disbanded and st. paul hose company no. was organized, and they took charge of the new steamer. the rapid growth of the city necessitated the frequent purchase of new fire apparatus, and at the present time the st. paul fire department has paid men, steamers, chemicals, hook and ladder companies and horses. * * * * * the volunteer fire department had no better friend than the late mrs. bartlett presley. she was the guardian angel of the fire department. no night so cold or storm so great that mrs. presley was not present and with her own hands provide coffee and sandwiches for the tired and hungry firemen who had been heroically battling with the flames. she was an honored guest at all entertainments with which the firemen were connected, and was always toasted and feasted by the boys at the brakes. she will ever be remembered, not only by the firemen, but by all old settlers, as one of the many noble women in st. paul whose unostentatious deeds of charity have caused a ray of sunshine in many sad homes. mrs. presley's death was deeply regretted, not only by the fire department, but by every resident of the city. * * * * * among the many brilliant members of the legal fraternity in st. paul in early times no one possessed a more enviable reputation than the hon. michael e. ames. he was the very personification of punctiliousness and always displayed sublime imperturbability in exigencies of great moment. one dreary winter night his sleeping apartment in uppertown was discovered to be on fire, and in a short time the fire laddies appeared in front of his quarters and commenced operations. as soon as mr. ames discovered the nature of the disturbance he arose from his bed, opened the window, and with outstretched arms and in a supplicating manner, as if addressing a jury in an important case, exclaimed: "gentlemen, if you will be kind enough to desist from operations until i arrange my toilet, i will be down." the learned counsel escaped with his toilet properly adjusted, but his apartments were soon incinerated. * * * * * hotel fires. * * * * * list of hotels destroyed by fire during st. paul's early history. daniels house, near seven corners. sintominie hotel, sixth street. rice house, near rice park. new england hotel, third street hotel to the wild hunter, jackson street. montreal house, robert street. canada house, robert street. winslow house, seven corners. american house, third street. international hotel, seventh and jackson streets. franklin house, marshall avenue. dakota house, seven corners. washington house, seven corners. cosmopolitan hotel, third street. western house, third street. garden city house, fourth street. city hotel, fourth street. central house, bench street. emmert house, bench street. st. paul house, bench street. luxemborg hotel, franklin street. farmers' hotel, fourth street. greenman house, fifth street. mansion house, wabasha street. haine's hotel, lake como. aldrich house, lake como. park place hotel, summit avenue. carpenter house, summit avenue. paul faber's hotel, third street. * * * * * the first hotel fire of any importance was that of the daniels house, located on eagle street near seven corners, which occurred in . the building had just been finished and furnished for occupancy. a strong wind was raging and the little band of firemen were unable to save the structure. the names of rev. d.d. neill, isaac markley, bartlett presley and w.m. stees were among the firemen who assisted in saving the furniture. * * * * * the sintominie hotel on the corner of sixth and john streets, was the second hotel to receive a visit from the fire king. this hotel was constructed by the late c.w. borup, and it was the pride of lower town. howard ward and e.c. rich were preparing to open it when the fire occurred. owing to the lack of fire protection the building was totally destroyed. * * * * * early in the winter of the rice house, commonly supposed to be the first brick building erected in st. paul, was burned to the ground. it was three stories high, and when in process of building was considered a visionary enterprise. the building was constructed by henry m. rice, and he spared no expense to make it as complete as the times would allow. it was situated on third street near market, and in the early days was considered st. paul's principal hotel. in its parlor and barroom the second session of the territorial legislature was held, and the supreme court of the territory also used it for several terms. * * * * * the canada house and the galena house, two small frame structures on robert near third, were the next hotels to be visited by the fiery element. these hotels, though small, were well patronized at the time of their destruction. * * * * * on the th of march, , the most destructive fire that had ever occurred in st. paul broke out in a small wooden building on third street near jackson, and though the entire fire department--three engines and one truck, manned by one hundred men--were promptly on hand, the flames rapidly got beyond their reach. nearly all the buildings on third street at that time from robert to jackson were two-story frame structures, and in their rear were small houses occupied by the owners of the stores. when the fire was at its height it was feared that the whole of lower town would be destroyed before the flames could be subdued, but by dint of superhuman effort the firemen managed to cut off the leap across robert street and soon had the immense smouldering mass under control. thirty-four buildings, the largest number ever destroyed in st. paul, were in ashes. of the two blocks which lined the north and south sides of third street above jackson, only three buildings were left standing, two being stone structures occupied by beaumont & gordon and bidwell & co., and the other a four-story brick building owned and occupied by a.l. larpenteur. the new england, a two-story log house, and one of the first hotels built in st. paul was among the ruins. the new england was a feature in st. paul, and it was pointed out to newcomers as the first gubernatorial mansion, and in which gov. and mrs. ramsey had begun housekeeping in . the empire saloon was another historic ruin, for in its main portion the first printing office of the territory had long held forth, and from it was issued the first pioneer, april , . the hotel to the wild hunter was also destroyed at this fire. * * * * * in the fall of the winslow house, located at seven corners, was entirely destroyed by fire. a defective stovepipe in the cupola caused the fire, and it spread so rapidly that it was beyond the control of the firemen when they arrived upon the scene. a few pieces of furniture, badly damaged, was all that was saved of this once popular hotel. the winslow was a four-story brick building, and with the exception of the fuller house the largest hotel in the city. the hotel was constructed in by the late j.m. winslow. mr. winslow was one of the most ingenious hotel constructors in the west. in some peculiar manner he was enabled to commence the construction of a building without any capital, but when the building was completed he not only had the building, but a bank account that indicated that he was a financier as well as a builder. the proprietors of the winslow were arrested for incendarism, but after a preliminary examination were discharged. * * * * * the american house, on the corner of third and exchange streets, was one of the landmarks of the city for a good many years. it was built in , and the territorial politicians generally selected this hotel as their headquarters. although it was of very peculiar architecture, the interior fittings were of a modern character. on a stormy night in the month of december, , an alarm of fire was sent in from this hotel, but before the fire department reached the locality the fire was beyond their control. the weather was bitter cold, and the water would be frozen almost as soon as it left the hose. finding their efforts fruitless to save the building, the firemen turned their attention to saving the guests. there were some very narrow escapes, but no accidents of a very serious nature. as usual, thieves were present and succeeded in carrying off a large amount of jewelry and wearing apparel belonging to the guests. * * * * * in the year of mackubin & edgerton erected a fine three-story brick building on the corner of third and franklin streets. it was occupied by them as a banking house for a long time. the business center having been moved further down the street, they were compelled to seek quarters on bridge square. after the bank moved out of this building it was leased to bechtner & kottman, and was by them remodeled into a hotel on the european plan at an expense of about $ , . it was named the cosmopolitan hotel, and was well patronized. when the alarm of fire was given it was full of lodgers, many of whom lost all they possessed. the linden theatrical company, which was playing at the athenaeum, was among the heavy sufferers. at this fire a large number of frame buildings on the opposite side of the street were destroyed. when the cosmopolitan hotel burned the walls of the old building were left standing, and although they were pronounced dangerous by the city authorities, had not been demolished. dr. schell, one of the best known physicians of the city, occupied a little frame building near the hotel, and he severely denounced the city authorities for their lax enforcement of the law. one night at o'clock the city was visited by a terrific windstorm, and suddenly a loud crash was heard in the vicinity of the doctor's office. a portion of the walls of the hotel had fallen and the little building occupied by the doctor had been crushed in. the fire alarm was turned on and the fire laddies were soon on the spot. no one supposed the doctor was alive, but after the firemen had been at work a short time they could hear the voice of the doctor from underneath the rubbish. in very vigorous english, which the doctor knew so well how to use, he roundly upbraided the fire department for not being more expeditious in extricating him from his perilous position. after the doctor had been taken out of the ruins it was found that he had not been seriously injured, and in the course of a few weeks was able to resume practice. * * * * * during the winter of the emmert house, situated on bench street near wabasha, was destroyed by fire. the emmert house was built in territorial times by fred emmert, who for some time kept a hotel and boarding house at that place. it had not been used for hotel purposes for some time, but was occupied by a colored family and used as a boarding-house for colored people. while the flames were rapidly consuming the old building the discovery was made that a man and his wife were sick in one of the rooms with smallpox. the crowd of onlookers fled in terror, and they would have been burned alive had not two courageous firemen carried them out of the building. it was an unusually cold night and the colored people were dumped into the middle of the street and there allowed to remain. they were provided with clothing and some of the more venturesome even built a fire for them, but no one would volunteer to take them to a place of shelter. about o'clock on the following day the late w.l. wilson learned of the unfortunate situation of the two colored people, and he immediately procured a vehicle and took them to a place of safety, and also saw that they were thereafter properly cared for. * * * * * on the site of the old postoffice on the corner of wabasha and fifth streets stood the mansion house, a three-story frame building erected by nicholas pottgieser in early days at an expense of $ , . it was a very popular resort and for many years the weary traveler there received a hearty welcome. a very exciting event occurred at this house during the summer of . a man by the name of hawkes, a guest at the hotel, accidentally shot and instantly killed his young and beautiful wife. he was arrested and tried for murder, but after a long and sensational trial was acquited. * * * * * the greatest hotel fire in the history of st. paul occurred on the night of feb. , . the international hotel (formerly the fuller house) was situated on the northeast corner of seventh and jackson streets, and was erected by a.g. fuller in . it was built of brick and was five stories high. it cost when completed, about $ , . for years it had been the best hotel in the west. william h. seward and the distinguished party that accompanied him made this hotel their headquarters during their famous trip to the west in . gen. pope and gen. sibley had their headquarters in this building, and from here emanated all the orders relating to the war against the rebellious sioux. in the property came into the possession of samuel mayall, and he changed the name of it from fuller house to international hotel. col. e.c. belote, who had formerly been the landlord of the merchants, was the manager of the hotel. the fire broke out in the basement, it was supposed from a lamp in the laundry. the night was intensely cold, a strong gale blowing from the northwest. not a soul could be seen upon the street. within this great structure more than two hundred guests were wrapped in silent slumber. to rescue them from their perilous position was the problem that required instant action on the part of the firemen and the hotel authorities. the legislature was then in session, and many of the members were among the guests who crowded the hotel. a porter was the first to notice the blaze, and he threw a pail water upon it, but with the result that it made no impression upon the flames. the fire continued to extend, and the smoke became very dense and spread into the halls, filling them completely, rendering breathing almost an impossibility. in the meantime the alarm had been given throughout the house, and the guests, both male and female, came rushing out of the rooms in their night clothes. the broad halls of the hotel were soon filled with a crowd of people who hardly knew which way to go in order to find their way to the street. the servant girls succeeded in getting out first, and made their way to the snow-covered streets without sufficient clothing to protect their persons, and most of them were without shoes. while the people were escaping from the building the fire was making furious and rapid progress. from the laundry the smoke issued into every portion of the building. there was no nook or corner that the flames did not penetrate. the interior of the building burned with great rapidity until the fire had eaten out the eastern and southern rooms, when the walls began to give indications of falling. the upper portion of them waved back and forth in response to a strong wind, which filled the night air with cinders. at last different portions of the walls fell, thus giving the flames an opportunity to sweep from the lower portions of the building. great gusts, which seemed to almost lift the upper floors, swept through the broken walls. high up over the building the flames climbed, carrying with them sparks and cinders, and in come instances large pieces of timber. all that saved the lower part of the city from fiery destruction was the fact that a solid bed of snow a foot deep lay upon the roofs of all the buildings. during all this time there was comparative quiet, notwithstanding the fact that the fire gradually extended across jackson street and also across seventh street. besides the hotel, six or eight other buildings were also on fire, four of which were destroyed. women and men were to be seen hurrying out of the burning buildings in their night clothes, furniture was thrown into the street, costly pianos, richly upholstered furniture, valuable pictures and a great many other expensive articles were dropped in the snow in a helter-skelter manner. although nearly every room in the hotel was occupied and rumors flew thick and fast that many of the guests were still in their rooms, fortunately no lives were lost and no one was injured. the coolest person in the building was a young man by the name of pete o'brien, the night watchman. when he heard of the fire he comprehended in a moment the danger of a panic among over two hundred people who were locked in sleep, unconscious of danger. he went from room to room and from floor to floor, telling them of the danger, but assuring them all that they had plenty of time to escape. he apparently took command of the excited guests and issued orders like a general on the field of battle. to his presence of mind and coolness many of the guests were indebted for their escape from a frightful death. the fire department worked hard and did good service. the city had no waterworks at that time, but relied for water entirely upon cisterns located in different parts of the city. when the cisterns became dry it was necessary to place the steamer at the river and pump water through over two thousand feet of hose. among the guests at the hotel at the time of the fire were gen. c.c. andrews, judge lochren, capt. h.a. castle, gen. w.g. le duc, selah chamberlain, gov. armstrong and wife, charles a. gilman and wife, dr. w.w. mayo, i.w. webb, dr. charles n. hewitt, m.h. dunnell, judge thomas wilson and more than two hundred others. * * * * * the park place hotel on the corner of summit avenue and st. peter street, was at one time one of of the swell hotels of the city. it was a frame building, four stories high and nicely situated. the proprietors of it intended it should be a family hotel, but it did not meet with the success anticipated, and when, on the th of may, , it was burned to the ground it was unoccupied. the fire was thought to be the work of incendiaries. the loss was about $ , , partially insured. four firemen were quite seriously injured at this fire, but all recovered. * * * * * the carpenter house, on the corner of summit avenue and ramsey street, was built by warren carpenter. mr. carpenter was a man of colossal ideas, and from the picturesque location of his hotel, overlooking the city, he could see millions of tourists flocking to his hostelry. the panic of , soon followed by the great civil war, put a quietus on immigration, and left him stranded high on the beach. mr. carpenter's dream of millions were far from being realized, and when on the th of january, , the hotel was burned to the ground, it had for some time previous passed beyond his control. * * * * * at one time there were three flourishing hotels on bench street. the average citizen of to-day does not know that such a street ever existed. the central house, on the corner of bench and minnesota streets, was the first hotel of any pretension built in the city, and it was one of the last to be burned. the first session of the territorial legislature of minnesota was held in the dining room of this old hotel building, and for a number of years the hotel did a thriving business. as the city grew it was made over into a large boarding house, and before the war mrs. corbett was manager of the place. it was afterward kept by mrs. ferguson, george pulford and ben ferris, the latter being in possession of it when it was destroyed by fire. the building was burned in august, . * * * * * a hotel that was very popular for some time was the greenman house, situated on the corner of fifth and st. peter streets, the site of the windsor hotel. it was a three-story frame structure and was built in the early seventies. mr. greenman kept the hotel for some time, and then sold it to john summers, who was the owner of it when it was burned. * * * * * the merchants is the only one of the old hotels still existing, and that only in name, as the original structure was torn down to make room for the present building many years ago. * * * * * aside from the hotel fires one of the most appalling calamities that ever occurred at a fire in st. paul took place in may, , when the old concert hall building on third street, near market, was destroyed. concert hall was built by the late j.w. mcclung in , and the hall in the basement was one of the largest in the city. the building was three stories high in front and six or seven on the river side. it was located about twenty-five feet back from the sidewalk. under the sidewalk all kinds of inflamable material was stored and it was from here that the fire was first noticed. in an incredibly short time flames reached the top of the building, thus making escape almost impossible. on the river side of the building on the top floor two brothers, charles and august mueller, had a tailor shop. the fire spread so rapidly that the building was completely enveloped in flames before they even thought their lives were endangered. in front of them was a seething mass of flames and the distance to the ground on the river side was so great that a leap from the window meant almost certain death. they could be plainly seen frantically calling for help. there was no possible way to reach them. finally charles mueller jumped out on the window sill and made a leap for life, and an instant later he was followed by his brother. the bewildered spectators did not suppose for a moment that either could live. they were too much horrified to speak, but when it was over and they were lifted into beds provided for them doctors were called and recovery was pronounced possible. after months of suffering both recovered. august mueller is still living in the city. a lady by the name of mcclellan, who had a dressmaking establishment in the building, was burned to death and it was several days before her body was recovered. the following named men have been chiefs of the st. paul fire department: wash m. stees, chas. h. williams, j.c.a. pickett, w.t. donaldson, j.b. irvine, j.e. missen, luther h. eddy, b. rodick, m.b. farrell, j.c. prendergast, bartlett presley, frank brewer, r.o. strong, john t. black, hart n. cook, john jackson. the first amusement halls in st. paul. incidents connected with the early amusement halls of st. paul--irvine hall--dan emmet and dixie--the hutchinsons--mazurka hall, mozart hall, etc. very few of the , inhabitants of st. paul are aware that the three-story, three-cornered building on third street at seven corners once contained one of the most popular amusement halls in the city. it was called irvine hall, and at one time melodeon hall. dan emmet had a minstrel company at this hall during the years and , and an excellent company it was, too. there was frank lombard, the great baritone; max irwin, bones, and one of the funniest men who ever sat on the stage; johnny ritter, female impersonator and clog dancer, and a large number of others. frank lombard afterward achieved a national reputation as one of the best baritone singers in the country. he was much sought after for patriotic entertainments and political conventions. his masterpiece was the star-spangled banner, and his great baritone voice, which could be heard for blocks, always brought enthusiastic applause. some time during the summer of the hutchinson family arranged to have the hall for a one-night entertainment. by some means or other the troupe got separated and one of the brothers got stalled on pig's eye bar. when their performance was about half over the belated brother reached the hall and rushed frantically down the aisle, with carpetbag in hand, leaped upon the stage, and in full view of the audience proceeded to kiss the entire tribe. the audience was under the impression they had been separated for years instead of only twenty-four hours. the next evening max irwin was missing from his accustomed place as one of the end men, and when the performance had been in progress for about fifteen minutes max came rushing down the aisle with carpetbag in hand and went through the same performance as did the lost brother of the hutchinson family. the effect was electrical, and for some time max's innovation was the talk of the town. dan emmet, though a wondering minstrel, was a very superior man and was his own worst enemy. he was a brother of lafayette s. emmett, chief justice of the supreme court of the state of minnesota. the judge, dignified and aristocratic, did not take kindly to the idea of his brother being a minstrel. dan was not particularly elated because his brother was on the supreme bench. they were wholly indifferent as to each other's welfare. they did not even spell their names the same way. dan had only one "t" at the end of his name, while the judge used two. whether the judge used two because he was ashamed of dan, or whether dan used only one because he was ashamed of the judge, no one seemed to know. dan emmet left a legacy that will be remembered by the lovers of melody for many years. what left the judge? when emmet's company left st. paul they got stranded and many of them found engagements in other organizations. dan turned his attention to writing negro melodies. he wrote several popular airs, one of them being "dixie," which afterward became the national air of the confederate states. when "dixie" was written emmet was connected with bryant's minstrels in new york city, and he sent a copy to his friend in st. paul, the late r.c. munger, and asked his opinion as to its merits and whether he thought it advisable to place it in the hands of a publisher. mr. munger assured his friend that he thought it would make a great hit, and he financially assisted mr. emmet in placing it before the public. one of the first copies printed was sent to mr. munger, and the first time this celebrated composition was ever sung in the west was in the music store of munger bros, in the old concert hall building on third street. "dixie" at once became very popular, and was soon on the program of every minstrel troupe in the country. dan emmet devoted his whole life to minstrelsy and he organized the first traveling minstrel troupe in the united states, starting from some point in ohio in . the father of the emmets was a gallant soldier of the war of , and at one time lived in the old brown frame house at the intersection of ramsey and west seventh streets, recently demolished. a correspondent of one of the magazines gives the following account of how "dixie" happened to become the national air of the confederate states: "early in the war a spectacular performance was being given in new orleans. every part had been filled, and all that was lacking was a march and war song for the grand chorus. a great many marches and songs were tried, but none could be decided upon until 'dixie' was suggested and tried, and all were so enthusiastic over it that it was at once adopted and given in the performance. it was taken up immediately by the populace and was sung in the streets and in homes and concert halls daily. it was taken to the battlefields, and there became the great song of the south, and made many battles harder for the northerner, many easier for the southerner. though it has particularly endeared itself to the south, the reunion of american hearts has made it a national song. mr. lincoln ever regarded it as a national property by capture." * * * * * the hutchinson family often visited st. paul, the enterprising town of hutchinson, mcleod county, being named after them. they were a very patriotic family and generally sang their own music. how deliberate the leader of the tribe would announce the title of the song about to be produced. asa hutchinson would stand up behind the melodeon, and with a pause between each word inform the audience that "sister--abby--will--now--sing--the--beautiful--song--composed-- by--lucy--larcum--entitled--'hannah--is--at--the--window--binding-- shoes.'" and sister abby would sing it, too. during the early part of the war the hutchinson family was ordered out of the army of the potomac by gen. mcclellan on account of the abolition sentiments expressed in its songs. the general was apparently unable to interpret the handwriting on the wall, as long before the war was ended the entire army was enthusiastically chanting that beautiful melody to the king of abolitionists-- "john brown's body lies moldering in the grave and his soul is marching on." gen. mcclellan was at one time the idol of the army, as well as of the entire american people. before the war he was chief engineer of the illinois central railroad and made frequent trips to st. paul to see the future mrs. mcclellan, a miss marcy, daughter of maj. r.b. marcy of the regular army, who lived in the old henry m. rice homestead on summit avenue. when gen. mcclellan was in command of the army of the potomac maj. marcy was his chief of staff. one of the original hutchinsons is still living, as indicated by the following dispatch, published since the above was written: "chicago, ill., jan. , .--john w. hutchinson, the last survivor of the famous old concert-giving hutchinson family, which was especially prominent in anti-bellum times, received many congratulations to-day on the occasion of his eighty-first birthday, mr. hutchinson enjoys good health and is about to start on a new singing and speaking crusade through the south, this time against the sale and us of cigarettes. mr. hutchinson made a few remarks to the friends who had called upon him, in the course of which he said: 'i never spent a more enjoyable birthday than this, except upon the occasion of my seventy-fifth, which i spent in new york and was tendered a reception by the american temperance union, of which i was the organizer. of course you will want me to sing to you, and i think i will sing my favorite song, which i wrote myself. it is "the fatherhood of god and the brotherhood of man." i have written a great many songs, among them "the blue and the gray," "good old days of yore," and some others that i cannot remember now. i sang the "blue and the gray" in atlanta six years ago, at the time of the exposition there, and mckinley was there. i had the pleasure of saying a few words at that time about woman's suffrage. i wrote the first song about woman's suffrage and called it "good times for women." this is the , th concert which i have taken part in.'" the venerable singer is reputed to be quite wealthy. a few years ago one of the children thought the old man was becoming entirely too liberal in the distribution of his wealth, and brought an action in the new york courts requesting the appointment of a guardian to his estate. the white-haired musician appeared in court without an attorney, and when the case was about to be disposed of made a request of the judge, which was granted, that he might be sworn. after mr. hutchinson had made his statement to the court the judge asked a few questions. "how is your memory?" said the judge. "memory," replied the old man. "i remember the flavor of the milk at the maternal fountain." the judge concluded that mr. hutchinson was fully capable of managing his own affairs. * * * * * concert hall, built in by j.w. mcclung, had room for or people, but it was somewhat inaccessible on account of its being in the basement of the building and was not very much in demand. horatio seymour made a great speech to the douglas wing of the democracy in the hall during the campaign of , and tom marshall, the great kentucky orator, delivered a lecture on napoleon to a large audience in the same place. on the night of the presidential election in a number of musicians who had been practicing on "dixie" and other music in munger's music store came down to the hall and entertained the republicans who had gathered there for the purpose of hearing the election returns. there was a great deal more singing than there was election returns, as about all the news they were able to get was from the four precincts of st. paul, new canada, rose and reserve townships and west st. paul. we had a telegraph line, to be sure, but mr. winslow, who owned the line, would not permit the newspapers, or any one else, to obtain the faintest hint of how the election had gone in other localities. after singing until or o'clock, and abusing mr. winslow in language that the linotype is wholly unable to reproduce, the crowd dispersed. nothing could be heard of how the election had gone until the following afternoon, when gov. ramsey received a dispatch from new york announcing that that state had given mr. lincoln , majority. as that was the pivotal state the republicans immediately held a jollification meeting. * * * * * tom marshall was one of the most eloquent orators america ever produced. he was spending the summer in minnesota endeavoring to recover from the effects of an over-indulgence of kentucky's great staple product, but the glorious climate of minnesota did not seem to have the desired effect, as he seldom appeared on the street without presenting the appearance of having discovered in the north star state an elixer fully as invigorating as any produced in the land where colonels, orators and moonshiners comprise the major portion of the population. one day as marshall came sauntering down third street he met a club of little giants marching to a democratic gathering. they thought they would have a little sport at the expense of the distinguished orator from kentucky, and they haulted immediately in front of him and demanded a speech. they knew that mr. marshall was a pronounced whig and supported the candidacy of bell and everett, but as he was from a slave state they did not think he would say anything reflecting on the character of their cherished leader. mr. marshall stepped to the front of the sidewalk and held up his hand and said: "do you think douglas will ever be president? he will not, as no man of his peculiar physique ever entered the sacred portals of the white house." he then proceeded to denounce douglas and the democratic party in language that was very edifying to the few republicans who chanced to be present. the little giants concluded that it was not the proper caper to select a casual passer-by for speaker, and were afterward more particular in their choice of an orator. * * * * * one night there was a democratic meeting in the hall and after a number of speakers had been called upon for an address, de witt c. cooley, who was a great wag, went around in the back part of the hall and called upon the unterrified to "holler for cooley." the request was complied with and mr. cooley's name was soon on the lips of nearly the whole audience. when mr. cooley mounted the platform an irishman in the back part of the hall inquired in a voice loud enough to be heard by the entire audience, "is that cooley?" upon being assured that it was, he replied in a still louder voice: "be jabers, that's the man that told me to holler for cooley." the laugh was decidedly on cooley, and his attempted flight of oratory did not materialize. cooley was at one time governor of the third house and if his message to that body could be reproduced it would make very interesting reading. * * * * * the athenaeum was constructed in by the german reading society, and for a number of years was the only amusement hall in st. paul with a stage and drop curtain. in peter and caroline richings spent a part of the summer in st. paul, and local amusement lovers were delightfully entertained by these celebrities during their sojourn. during the war a number of dramatic and musical performances were given at the athenaeum for the boys in blue. the cantata of "the haymakers," for the benefit of the sanitary commission made quite a hit, and old residents will recollect mrs. winne, mrs. blakeley and prof. perkins, who took the leading parts. prof. phil roher and otto dreher gave dramatic performances both in german and english for some time after the close of the war. plunkett's dramatic company, with susan denin as the star, filled the boards at this hall a short time before the little old opera house was constructed on wabasha street. during the sioux massacre a large number of maimed refugees were brought to the city and found temporary shelter in this place. * * * * * in market hall, on the corner of wabasha and seventh streets, was built, and it was one of the principal places of amusement. the hough dramatic company, with bernard, c.w. couldock, sallie st. clair and others were among the notable performers who entertained theatergoers. in the wide awakes used this place for a drill hall, and so proficient did the members become that many of them were enabled to take charge of squads, companies and even regiments in the great struggle that was soon to follow. * * * * * in the ingersoll block on bridge square was constructed, and as that was near the center of the city the hall on the third floor was liberally patronized for a number of years. many distinguished speakers have entertained large and enthusiastic audiences from the platform of this popular hall. edward everett, ralph waldo emerson and john b. gough are among the great orators who have electrified and instructed the older inhabitants, and the musical notes of the black swan, mlle. whiting and madame varian will ever be remembered by those whose pleasure it was to listen to them. mrs. scott siddons, an elocutionist of great ability and a descendant of the famous english family of actors of that name, gave several dramatic readings to her numerous admirers. when sumter was fired on, capt. w.h. acker used this hall as a rendezvous and drill hall for company c, first regiment of minnesota volunteers, and many rousing war meetings for the purpose of devising ways and means for the furtherance of enlistments took place in this building. in february, , the ladies of the different protestant churches of st. paul, with the aid of the young men's christian association, gave a social and supper in this building for the purpose of raising funds for the establishment of a library. it was a sort of dedicatory opening of the building and hall, and was attended by large delegations from the different churches. quite a large sum was realized. a room was fitted up on the second story and the beginning of what is now the st. paul library soon opened up to the public. about books were purchased with the funds raised by the social, and the patrons of the library were required to pay one dollar per year for permission to read them. dr. t.d. simonton was the first librarian. subsequently this library was consolidated with the st. paul mercantile library association and the number of books more than doubled. a regular librarian was then installed with the privilege of reading the library's books raised to two dollars per annum. * * * * * the people's theater, an old frame building on the corner of fourth and st. peter streets, was the only real theatrical building in the city. h. van liew was the lessee and manager of this place of entertainment, and he was provided with a very good stock company. emily dow and her brother, harry gossan and azelene allen were among the members. during the summer of mr. and mrs. j.w. wallack came to st. paul and played a two weeks' engagement. they were the most prominent actors who had yet appeared in this part of the country. "the man in the iron mask" and "macbeth" were on their repertoire. probably "macbeth" was never played to better advantage or to more appreciative audiences than it was during the stay of the wallacks. mrs. wallack's lady macbeth was a piece of acting that few of the present generation can equal. col. r.e.j. miles was one of the stars at this theater, and it was at this place that he first produced the play of "mazeppa," which afterward made him famous. a.m. carver, foreman of the job department of the st. paul times, often assisted in theatrical productions. mr. carver was not only a first-class printer, but he was also a very clever actor. his portrayal of the character of uncle tom in "uncle tom's cabin," which had quite a run, and was fully equal to any later production by full fledged members of the dramatic profession. mr. carver was one of the first presidents of the international typographical union, and died in cincinnati many years ago, leaving a memory that will ever be cherished by all members of the art preservative. this theater had a colored gallery, and the shaded gentry were required to pay as much for admission to the gallery at the far end of the building as did the nabobs in the parquet. joe rolette, the member from "pembina" county, occasionally entertained the audience at this theater by having epileptic fits, but joe's friends always promptly removed him from the building and the performance would go on undisturbed. * * * * * on the second story of an old frame building on the southeast corner of third and exchange streets there was a hall that was at one time the principal amusement hall of the city. the building was constructed in by the elfelt brothers and the ground floor was occupied by them as a dry goods store. it is one of the very oldest buildings in the city. the name of elfelt brothers until quite recently could be seen on the exchange street side of the building. the hall was named mazurka hall, and all of the swell entertainments of the early ' s took place in this old building. at a ball given in the hall during one of the winter months more than forty years ago, j.q.a. ward, bookkeeper for the minnesotian, met a miss pratt, who was a daughter of one of the proprietors of the same paper, and after an acquaintance of about twenty minutes mysteriously disappeared from the hall and got married. they intended to keep it a secret for a while, but it was known all over the town the next day and produced great commotion. miss pratt's parents would not permit her to see her husband, and they were finally divorced without having lived together. for a number of years napoleon heitz kept a saloon and restaurant in this building. heitz had participated in a number of battles under the great napoleon, and the patrons of his place well recollect the graphic descriptions of the battle of waterloo which he would often relate while the guest was partaking of a tom and jerry or an oyster stew. * * * * * during the summer of charles n. mackubin erected two large buildings on the site of the metropolitan hotel. mozart hall was on the third street end and masonic hall on the fourth street corner. at a sanitary fair held during the winter of both of these halls were thrown together and an entertainment on a large scale was held for the benefit of the almost depleted fundes of the sanitary commission. fairs had been given for this fund in nearly all the principal cities of the north, and it was customary to vote a sword to the most popular volunteer officer whom the state had sent to the front. a large amount of money had been raised in the different cities on this plan, and the name of col. marshall of the seventh regiment and col. uline of the second were selected as two officers in whom it was thought the people would take sufficient interest to bring out a large vote. the friends of both candidates were numerous and each side had some one stationed at the voting booth keeping tab on the number of votes cast and the probable number it would require at the close to carry off the prize. col. uline had been a fireman and was very popular with the young men of the city. col. marshall was backed by friends in the different newspaper offices. the contest was very spirited and resulted in col. uline capturing the sword, he having received more than two thousand votes in one bundle during the last five minutes the polls were open. this fair was very successful, the patriotic citizens of st. paul having enriched the funds of the sanitary commission by several thousand dollars. * * * * * one of the first free concert halls in the city was located on bridge square, and it bore the agonizing name of agony hall. whether it was named for its agonizing music or the agonizing effects of its beverages was a question that its patrons were not able to determine. * * * * * in anti-bellum times washington's birthday was celebrated with more pomp and glory than any holiday during the year. the pioneer guards, the city guards, the st. paul light artillery, the st. paul fire department and numerous secret organizations would form in procession and march to the capitol, and in the hall of the house of representatives elaborate exercises commemorative of the birth of the nation's first great hero would take place. business was generally suspended and none of the daily papers would be issued on the following day. in adalina patti appeared in st. paul for the first time. she was about sixteen years old and was with the ole bull concert company. they traveled on a small steamboat and gave concerts in the river towns. their concert took place in the hall of the house of representatives of the old capitol, that being the only available place at the time. patti's concert came near being nipped in the bud by an incident that has never been printed. two boys employed as messengers at the capitol, both of whom are now prominent business men in the city, procured a key to the house, and, in company with a number of other kids, proceeded to representative hall, where they were frequently in the habit of congregating for the purpose of playing cards, smoking cigars, and committing such other depradations as it was possible for kids to conceive. after an hour or so of revelry the boys returned the key to its proper place and separated. in a few minutes smoke was seen issuing from the windows of the hall and an alarm of fire was sounded. the door leading to the house was forced open and it was discovered that the fire had nearly burned through the floor. the boys knew at once that it was their carelessness that had caused the alarm, and two more frightened kids never got together. they could see visions of policemen, prison bars, and even stillwater, day and night for many years. they would often get together on a back street and in whispered tones wonder if they had yet been suspected. for more than a quarter of a century these two kids kept this secret in the innermost recesses of their hearts, and it is only recently that they dared to reveal their terrible predicament. * * * * * a few days after maj. anderson was compelled to lower the stars and stripes on sumter's walls a mass meeting of citizens, irrespective of party, was called to meet at the hall of the house of representatives for the purpose of expressing the indignation of the community at the dastardly attempt of the cotton states to disrupt the government. long before the time for the commencement of the meeting the hall was packed and it was found necessary to adjourn to the front steps of the building in order that all who desired might take part in the proceedings. hon. john s. prince, mayor of the city, presided, assisted by half a dozen prominent citizens as vice presidents. hon. john m. gilman, an honored resident of the city, was one of the principal speakers. mr. gilman had been the democratic candidate for congress the fall previous, and considerable interest was manifested to hear what position he would take regarding the impending conflict. it was very soon apparent that mr. gilman was in hearty sympathy with the object of the meeting and his remarks were received with great demonstrations of approbation. hon. j.w. taylor followed mr. gilman and made a strong speech in favor of sustaining mr. lincoln. there were a number of other addresses, after which resolutions were adopted pledging the government the earnest support of the citizens, calling on the young men to enroll their names on the roster of the rapidly forming companies and declaring that they would furnish financial aid when necessary to the dependant families of those left behind. similar meetings were held in different parts of the city a great many times before the rebellion was subdued. * * * * * the first republican state convention after the state was admitted into the union was held in the hall of the house of representatives. the state was not divided into congressional districts at that time and col. aldrich and william windom were named as the candidates for representatives in congress. col. aldrich did not pretend to be much of an orator, and in his speech of acceptance he stated that while he was not endowed with as much oratorical ability as some of his associates on the ticket, yet he could work as hard as any one, and he promised that he would sweat at least a barrel in his efforts to promote the success of the ticket. * * * * * aromory hall, on third street, between cedar and minnesota, was built in , and was used by the pioneer guards up to the breaking out of the war. the annual ball of the pioneer guards was the swell affair of the social whirl, and it was anticipated with as much interest by the four hundred as the charity ball is to-day. the pioneer guards disbanded shortly after the war broke out, and many of its members were officers in the union army, although two or three of them stole away and joined the confederate forces, one of them serving on lee's staff during the entire war. col. wilkin col. king, col. farrell, capt. coates, capt. van slyke, capt. western, lieut. zernberg and lieut. tuttle were early in the fray, while a number of others followed as the war progressed. * * * * * it was not until the winter of - that st. paul could boast of a genuine opera house. the old opera house fronting on wabasha street, on the ground that is now occupied by the grand block, was finished that winter and opened with a grand entertainment given by local talent. the boxes and a number of seats in the parquet were sold at auction, the highest bidder being a man by the name of philbrick, who paid $ for a seat in the parquet. this man philbrick was a visitor in st. paul, and had a retinue of seven or eight people with him. it was whispered around that he was some kind of a royal personage, and when he paid $ for a seat at the opening of the opera house people were sure that he was at least a duke. he disappeared as mysteriously as he had appeared. it was learned afterward that this mysterious person was coal oil johnny out on a lark. the first regular company to occupy this theater was the macfarland dramatic company, with emily melville as the chief attraction. this little theater could seat about , people, and its seating capacity was taxed many a time long before the grand opera house in the rear was constructed. wendell philips, henry ward beecher, theodore tilton, frederick douglass and many others have addressed large audiences from the stage of this old opera house. an amusing incident occurred while frederick douglass was in st. paul. nearly every seat in the house had been sold long before the lecture was to commence, and when mr. douglass commenced speaking there was standing room only. a couple of enthusiastic republicans found standing room in one of the small upper boxes, and directly in front of them was a well-known democratic politician by the name of w.h. shelley. mr. shelley had at one time been quite prominent in local republican circles, but when andrew johnson made his famous swing around the circle shelley got an idea that the proper thing to do was to swing around with him. consequently the republicans who stood up behind mr. shelley thought they would have a little amusement at his expense. every time mr. douglass made a point worthy of applause these ungenerous republicans would make a great demonstration, and as the audience could not see them and could only see the huge outline of mr. shelley they concluded that he was thoroughly enjoying the lecture and had probably come back to the republican fold. mr. shelley stood it until the lecture was about half over, when he left the opera house in disgust. mr. shelley was a candidate for the position of collector of customs of the port of st. paul and his name had been sent to the senate by president johnson, but as that body was largely republican his nomination lacked confirmation. * * * * * about the time of the great heenan and sayers prize fight in england a number of local sports arranged to have a mock engagement at the athenaeum. there was no kneitoscopic method of reproducing a fight at that time, but it was planned to imitate the great fight as closely as possible. james j. hill was to imitate sayers and theodore borup the benecia boy. they were provided with seconds, surgeons and all the attendants necessary for properly staging the melee. it was prearranged that theodore, in the sixth or seventh round, was to knock hill out, but as the battle progressed, theodore made a false pass and hill could not desist from taking advantage of it, and the prearranged plan was reversed by hill knocking theodore out. and hill has kept right on taking advantage of the false movements of his adversaries, and is now knocking them out with more adroitness than he did forty years ago. printers and editors of territorial days. capt.e.y. shelley the pioneer printer of minnesota--a large number of printers in the civil war--few of. the old timers left. territorial printers. * * * * * e.y. shelly, george w. moore, john c. devereux, martin williams, h.o. bassford, geo. w. benedict, louis e. fisher, geo. w. armstrong, j.j. noah, m.j. clum, samuel j. albright, david brock, d.s. merret, richard bradley, a.c. crowell, sol teverbaugh, edwin clark, harry bingham, william wilford, ole kelson, c.r. conway, isaac h. conway, david ramaley, m.r. prendergast, edward richards, francis p. mcnamee, e.s. lightbourn, william creek, alex creek, marshall robinson, jacob t. mccoy, a.j. underwood, j.b. chaney, james m. culver, frank h. pratt, a.s. diamond, frank daggett, r.v. hesselgrave, a.d. martin, w.g. jebb, r.f. slaughter, thos. slaughter, william a. hill, h.p. coates, a.j. sterrett, richard mclagan, ed. mclagan, robert bryan, jas. wright, o.g. miller, j.b.h. mitchell, chas. r. stuart, wm. f. russell, d.l. paine, benj. drake, j.c. terry, thomas jebb, francis p. troxill, j.q.a. ward, a.j. morgan, m.v.b. young, h.l. vance, a.m. carver, w.h. wheeler, j.m. dugan, luke mulrean, h.h. young, w.g. allen, barrett smith, thos. c. schenck. of the above long list of territorial printers the following are the only known survivors: h.o. bassford, george w. benedict, david brock, john c. devereux, barrett smith, j.b.h. mitchell, david ramaley, m.r. prendergast, jacob t. mccoy, a.s. diamond, r.v. hesselgrave, h.p. coates, j.r. chaney, m.j. clum. capt. e.y. shelly. much has been written of the trials and tribulations of the pioneer editors of minnesota and what they have accomplished in bringing to the attention of the outside world the numerous advantages possessed by this state as a place of permanent location for all classes of people, but seldom, if ever, has the nomadic printer, "the man behind the gun," received even partial recognition from the chroniclers of our early history. in the spring of james m. goodhue arrived in st. paul from lancaster, wis., with a washington hand press and a few fonts of type, and he prepared to start a paper at the capital of the new territory of minnesota. accompanying him were two young printers, named ditmarth and dempsey, they being the first printers to set foot on the site of what was soon destined to be the metropolis of the great northwest. these two young men quickly tired of their isolation and returned to their former home. they were soon followed by another young man, who had only recently returned from the sunny plains of far-off mexico, where he had been heroically battling for his country's honor. capt. e.y. shelly was born in bucks county, pa., on the th of september, . when a mere lad he removed to philadelphia, where he was instructed in the art preservative, and, on the breaking out of the mexican war, he laid aside the stick and rule and placed his name on the roster of a company that was forming to take part in the campaign against the mexicans. he was assigned to the third united states dragoons and started at once for the scene of hostilities. on arriving at new orleans the third dragoons was ordered to report to gen. taylor, who was then in the vicinity of matamoras. as soon as gen. taylor was in readiness he drove the mexicans across the rio grande, and the battles of palo alto, monterey and buena vista followed in quick succession, in all of which the american forces were successful against an overwhelming force of mexicans, the third dragoons being in all the engagements, and they received special mention for their conspicuous gallantry in defending their position against the terrible onslaught of the mexican forces under the leadership of santa ana. soon after the battle of buena vista, santa ana withdrew from gen. taylor's front and retreated toward the city of mexico, in order to assist in the defense of that city against the american forces under the command of gen. scott. peace was declared in and the third dragoons were ordered to jefferson barracks, st. louis, where they were mustered out of the service. capt. shelly took passage in a steamer for st. paul, where he arrived in july, , being the first printer to permanently locate in minnesota. the pioneer was the first paper printed in st. paul, but the register and chronicle soon followed. capt. shelly's first engagement was in the office of the register, but he soon changed to the pioneer, and was employed by mr. goodhue at the time of his tragic death. when col. robertson started the daily democrat capt. shelly was connected with that office, and remained there until the pioneer and democrat consolidated. capt. shelly was a member of the old pioneer guards, and when president lincoln called for men to suppress the rebellion the old patriotism was aroused in him, and he organized, in company with major brackett, a company for what was afterward known as brackett's battalion. brackett's battalion consisted of three minnesota companies, and they were mustered into service in september, . they were ordered to report at benton barracks, mo., and were assigned to a regiment known as curtis horse, but afterward changed to fifth iowa cavalry. in february, , the regiment was ordered to fort henry, tenn., and arrived just in time to take an important part in the attack and surrender of fort donelson. brackett's battalion was the only minnesota force engaged at fort donelson, and, although they were not in the thickest of the fight, yet they performed tremendous and exhaustive service in preventing the rebel gen. buckner from receiving reinforcements. after the surrender the regiment was kept on continual scout duty, as the country was overrun with bands of guerrillas and the inhabitants nearly all sympathized with them. from fort donelson three companies of the regiment went to savannah, (one of them being capt. shelly's) where preparations were being made to meet gen. beauregard, who was only a short distance away. brackett's company was sent out in the direction of louisville with orders to see that the roads and bridges were not molested, so that the forces under gen. buell would not be obstructed on the march to reinforce gen. grant. this timely precaution enabled gen. buell to arrive at pittsburg landing just in time to save gen. grant from probable defeat. for three months after this battle capt. shelly's company was engaged in protecting the long line of railroad from columbus, ky., to corinth, miss. on the th of august, , fort donalson was attacked by the rebels and this regiment was ordered to its relief. this attack of the rebels did not prove to be very serious, but on the th of february, , the rebels under forrest and wheeler made a third attack on fort donelson. they were forced to retire, leaving a large number of their dead on the field, but fortunately none of the men under capt. shelly were injured. nearly the entire spring and summer of was spent in scouring the country in the vicinity of the tennessee river, sometimes on guard duty, sometimes on the picket line and often in battle. they were frequently days and nights without food or sleep, but ever kept themselves in readiness for an attack from the wily foes. opposed to them were the commands of forest and wheeler, the very best cavalry officers in the confederate service. a number of severe actions ended in the battle of chickamauga, in which the first cavalry took a prominent part. after the battle of chickamauga the regiment was kept on duty on the dividing line between the two forces. about the st of january, , most of capt. shelly's company reinlisted and they returned home on a thirty days' furlough. after receiving a number of recruits at fort snelling, the command, on the th of may, , received orders to report to gen. sully at sioux city, who was preparing to make a final campaign against the rebellious sioux. on the th of june the expedition started on its long and weary march over the plains of the dakotas toward montana. it encountered the indians a number of times, routing them, and continued on its way. about the middle of august the expedition entered the bad lands, and the members were the first white men to traverse that unexplored region. in the fall the battalion returned to fort ridgley, where they went into winter quarters, having marched over , miles since leaving fort snelling. capt. shelly was mustered out of the service in the spring of , and since that time, until within a few years, has been engaged at his old profession. capt. shelly was almost painfully modest, seldom alluding to the many stirring events with which he had been an active participant, and it could well be said of him, as cardinal wolsey said of himself, that "had he served his god with half the zeal he has served his country, he would not in his old age have forsaken him." political preferment and self-assurance keep some men constantly before the public eye, while others, the men of real merit, who have spent the best part of their lives in the service of their country, are often permitted by an ungrateful community to go down to their graves unhonored and unsung. * * * * * other printers in the civil war. capt. henry c. coates was foreman of the job department of the pioneer office. he was an officer in the pioneer guards, and when the war broke out was made a lieutenant in the first regiment, was in all the battles of that famous organization up to and including gettysburg; was commander of the regiment for some time after the battle. after the war he settled in philadelphia, where he now resides. jacob j. noah at one time set type, with robert bonner. he was elected clerk of the supreme court at the first election of state officers; was captain of company k second minnesota regiment, but resigned early in the war and moved to new york city, his former home. frank h. pratt was an officer in the seventh regiment and served through the war. he published a paper at taylor's falls at one time. after the war he was engaged in the mercantile business in st. paul. john c. devereux was foreman of the old pioneer and was an officer in the third regiment, and still resides in the city. jacob t. mccoy was an old-time typo and worked in all the st. paul offices before and after the rebellion. mr. mccoy was a fine singer and his voice was always heard at typographical gatherings. he enlisted as private in the second minnesota and served more than four years, returning as first lieutenant. he now resides in meadeville, pa. martin williams was printer, editor, reporter and publisher, both before and after the war. he was quartermaster of the second minnesota cavalry. robert p. slaughter and his brother, thomas slaughter, were both officers in the volunteer service and just previous to the rebellion were engaged in the real estate business. edward richards was foreman of the pioneer and minnesotian before the war and foreman of the old st. paul press after the war. he enlisted during the darkest days of the rebellion in the eighth regiment and served in the dual capacity of correspondent and soldier. no better soldier ever left the state. he was collector of customs of the port of st. paul under the administration of presidents garfield and arthur, and later was on the editorial staff of the pioneer press. the most remarkable compositor ever in the northwest, if not in the united states, was the late charles r. stuart. he claimed to be a lineal descendant of the royal house of stuart. for two years in succession he won the silver cup in new york city for setting more type than any of his competitors. at an endurance test in new york he is reported to have set and distributed , ems solid brevier in twenty-four hours. he was originally from detroit. in the spring of he wandered into the minnesotian office and applied for work. the minnesotian was city printer and was very much in need of some one that day to help them out. mr. stuart was put to work and soon distributed two cases of type, and the other comps wondered what he was going to do with it. after he had been at work a short time they discovered that he would be able to set up all the type he had distributed and probably more, too. when he pasted up the next morning the foreman measured his string and remeasured it, and then went over and took a survey of mr. stuart, and then went back and measured it again. he then called up the comps, and they looked it over, but no one could discover anything wrong with it. the string measured , ems, and was the most remarkable feat of composition ever heard of in this section of the country. it was no uncommon occurrence for mr. stuart to set , ems of solid bourgeois an hour, and keep it up for the entire day. mr. stuart's reputation as a rapid compositor spread all over the city in a short time and people used to come to the office to see him set type, with as much curiosity as they do now to see the typesetting machine. in mr. stuart enlisted in the eighth regiment and served for three years, returning home a lieutenant. for a number of years he published a paper at sault ste marie, in which place he died about five years ago. he was not only a good printer, but a very forceful writer, in fact he was an expert in everything connected with the printing business. e.s. lightbourn was one of the old-time printers. he served three years in the seventh minnesota and after the war was foreman of the pioneer. m.j. clum is one of the oldest printers in st. paul. he was born in rensselar county, new york, in , and came to st. paul in . he learned his trade in troy, and worked with john m. francis, late minister to greece, and also with c.l. mcarthur, editor of the northern budget. mr. clum was a member of company d, second minnesota, and took part in several battles in the early part of the rebellion. j.b. chancy came to minnesota before the state was admitted to the union. at one time he was foreman of a daily paper at st. anthony falls. during the war he was a member of berdan's sharpshooters, who were attached to the first regiment. s j. albright worked on the pioneer in territorial days. in he went to yankton, dak., and started the first paper in that territory. he was an officer in a michigan regiment during the rebellion. for many years was a publisher of a paper in michigan, and under the last administration of grover cleveland was governor of alaska. m.r. prendergast, though not connected with the printing business for some time, yet he is an old time printer, and was in the tenth minnesota during the rebellion. a.j. underwood was a member of berdan's sharp-shooters, and was connected with a paper at fergus falls for a number of years. robert v. hesselgrave was employed in nearly all the st. paul offices at various times. he was lieutenant in the first minnesota heavy artillery, and is now engaged in farming in the minnesota valley. william a. hill came to st. paul during the early ' s. he was a member of the seventh minnesota. ole johnson was a member of the first minnesota regiment, and died in a hospital in virginia. william f. russel, a compositor on the pioneer, organized a company of sharpshooters in st. paul, and they served throughout the war in the army of the potomac. s. teverbaugh and h.i. vance were territorial printers, and were both in the army, but served in regiments outside the state. there were a large number of other printers in the military service during the civil war, but they were not territorial printers and their names are not included in the above list. territorial printers in civil life. one of the brightest of the many bright young men who came to minnesota at an early day was mr. james mills. for a time he worked on the case at the old pioneer office, but was soon transferred to the editorial department, where he remained for a number of years. after the war he returned to pittsburgh, his former home, and is now and for a number of years has been editor-in-chief of the pittsburgh post. among the numerous printers of st. paul who were musically inclined no one was better known than the late o.g. miller. he belonged to the great western band, and was tenor singer in several churches in the city for a number of years. mr. miller was a d degree mason, and when he died a midnight funeral service was held for him in masonic hall, the first instance on record of a similar service in the city. george w. moore came to st. paul in , and for a short time was foreman for mr. goodhue. in he formed a partnership with john p. owens in the publication of the minnesotian. he sold his interest in that paper to dr. foster in , and in was appointed by president lincoln collector of the port of st. paul, a position he held for more than twenty years. louis e. fisher was one of god's noblemen. when he first came to st. paul he was foreman of the commercial advertiser. for a long time he was one of the editors of the pioneer, and also the pioneer press. he was a staunch democrat and a firm believer in jeffersonian simplicity. at one time he was a candidate for governor on the democratic ticket. had it not been for a little political chicanery he would have been nominated, and had he been elected would have made a model governor. george w. armstrong was the beau brummel of the early printers. he wore kid gloves when he made up the forms of the old pioneer, and he always appeared as if he devoted more attention to his toilet than most of his co-laborers. he was elected state treasurer on the democratic ticket in , and at the expiration of his term of office devoted his attention to the real estate business. another old printer that was somewhat fastidious was james m. culver. he was the first delegate from st. paul to the international typographical union. old members of the sons of malta will recollect how strenuously he resisted the canine portion of the ceremony when taking the third degree of that noble order. who has not heard of david ramaley? he is one of the best as well as one of the best known printers in the northwest. he has been printer, reporter, editor, publisher and type founder. although he has been constantly in the harness for nearly fifty years, he is still active and energetic and looks as if it might be an easy matter to round out the century mark. h.o. bassford, now of the austin register, was one of the fleetest and cleanest compositers among the territorial printers. he was employed on the minnesotian. francis p. mcnamee occupied most all positions connected with the printing business--printer, reporter, editor. he was a most estimable man, but of very delicate constitution, and he has long since gone to his reward. the genial, jovial face of george w. benedict was for many years familiar to most old-time residents. at one time he was foreman of the old st. paul press. he is now editor and publisher of the sauk rapids sentinel. the old st. paul times had no more reliable man than the late richard bradley. he was foreman of the job department of that paper, and held the same position on the press and pioneer press for many years. d.l. paine was the author of the famous poem entitled "who stole ben johnson's spaces." he was employed in several of the st. paul offices previous to the rebellion. the late john o. terry was the first hand pressman in st. paul. he formed a partnership with col. owens in the publication of the minnesotian. for a long time he was assistant postmaster of st. paul, and held several other positions of trust. j.b.h. mitchell was a, member of the firm of newson, mitchell & clum, publishers of the daily times. for several years after the war he was engaged as compositor in the st. paul offices, and is now farming in northern minnesota. among the freaks connected with the printing business was a poet printer by the name of wentworth. he was called "long haired wentworth." early in the war he enlisted in the first minnesota regiment. when col. gorman caught sight of him he ordered his hair cut. wentworth would not permit his flowing locks to be taken off, and he was summarly dismissed from the service. after being ordered out of the regiment he wrote several letters of doubtful loyalty and secretary stanton had him arrested and imprisoned in fort lafayette with other political prisoners. he never returned to minnesota. marshall robinson was a partner of the late john h. stevens in the publication of the first paper at glencoe. at one time he was a compositor on the pioneer, and the last heard from him he was state printer for nevada. andrew jackson morgan was brought to st. paul by the late col. d.a. robertson and made foreman of the democrat. he was a printer-politician and possessed considerable ability. at one time he was one of the editors of the democrat. he was said to bear a striking resemblance to the late stephen a. douglas, and seldom conversed with any one without informing them of the fact. he was one of the original jacksonian democrats, and always carried with him a silver dollar, which he claimed was given him by andrew jackson when he was christened. no matter how much democratic principle jack would consume on one of his electioneering tours he always clung to the silver dollar. he died in ohio more than forty years ago, and it is said that the immediate occasion of his demise was an overdose of hilarity. another old timer entitled to a good position in the hilarity column was j.q.a. ward, commonly known as jack ward. he was business manager of the minnesotian during the prosperous days of that paper. the first immigration pamphlet ever gotten out in the territory was the product of jack's ingenuity. jack created quite a sensation at one time by marrying the daughter of his employer on half an hour's ball room acquaintance. he was a very bright man and should have been one of the foremost business men of the city, but, like many other men, he was his own worst enemy. another jack that should not be overlooked was jack barbour. his theory was that in case the fiery king interfered with your business it was always better to give up the business. a.m. carver was one of the best job printers in the country, and he was also one of the best amateur actors among the fraternity. it was no uncommon thing for the old time printers to be actors and actors to be printers. lawrence barrett, stuart robson and many other eminent actors were knights of the stick and rule. frequently during the happy distribution hour printers could be heard quoting from the dramatist and the poet, and occasionally the affairs of church and state would receive serious consideration, and often the subject would be handled in a manner that would do credit to the theologian or the diplomat, but modern ingenuity has made it probable that no more statesmen will receive their diplomas from the composing room. since the introduction of the iron printer all these pleasantries have passed away, and the sociability that once existed in the composing room will be known hereafter only to tradition. the late william jebb was one of the readiest debaters in the old pioneer composing room. he was well posted on all topics and was always ready to take either side of a question for the sake of argument. possessing a command of language and fluency of speech that would have been creditable to some of the foremost orators, he would talk by the hour, and his occasional outbursts of eloquence often surprised and always entertained the weary distributors. at one time jebb was reporter on the st. paul times. raising blooded chickens was one of his hobbies. one night some one entered his premises and appropriated, a number of his pet fowls. the next day the times had a long account of his misfortune, and at the conclusion of his article he hurled the pope's bull of excommunication at the miscreant. it was a fatal bull and was mr. jebb's reportorial finish. a fresh graduate from the case at one time wrote a scurrilous biography of washington. the editor of the paper on which he was employed was compelled to make editorial apology for its unfortunate appearance. to make the matter more offensive the author on several different occasions reproduced the article and credited its authorship to the editor who was compelled to apologize for it. in two different articles on nationalities by two different young printer reporters, one referred to the germans as "the beer-guzzling dutch," and the other, speaking of the english said "thank the lord we have but few of them in our midst," caused the writers to be promptly relegated back to the case. bishop willoughby was a well-known character of the early times. a short conversation with him would readily make patent the fact that he wasn't really a bishop. in an account of confirming a number of people at christ church a very conscientious printer-reporter said "bishop willoughby administered the rite of confirmation," when he should have said bishop whipple. he was so mortified at his unfortunate blunder that he at once tendered his resignation. of course it was not accepted. editors and printers of territorial times were more closely affiliated than they are to-day. meager hotel accommodations and necessity for economical habits compelled many of them to work and sleep in the same room. all the offices contained blankets and cots, and as morning newspapers were only morning newspapers in name, the tired and weary printer could sleep the sleep of the just without fear of disturbance. nearly all the early editors were also printers. earle s. goodrich, editor-in-chief of the pioneer: thomas foster, editor of the minnesotian; t.m. newson, editor of the times, and john p. owens, first editor of the minnesotian, were all printers. when the old press removed from bridge square in to the new building on the corner of third and minnesota streets, earle s. goodrich came up into the composing room and requested the privilege of setting the first type in the new building. he was provided with a stick and rule and set up about half a column of editorial without copy. the editor of the press, in commenting on his article, said it was set up as "clean as the blotless pages of shakespeare." in looking over the article the next morning some of the typos discovered an error in the first line. the decisive battle of mill springs. the first battle during the civil war in which the union forces scored a decisive victory--the second minnesota the heroes of the day--the rebel general zollicoffer killed. every minnesotian's heart swells with pride whenever mention is made of the grand record of the volunteers from the north star state in the great struggle for the suppression of the rebellion. at the outbreak of the war minnesota was required to furnish one regiment, but so intensely patriotic were its citizens that nearly two regiments volunteered at the first call of the president. as only ten companies could go in the first regiment the surplus was held in readiness for a second call, which it was thought would be soon forthcoming. on the th of june, , gov. ramsey received notice that a second regiment would be acceptable, and accordingly the companies already organized with two or three additions made up the famous second minnesota. h.p. van cleve was appointed colonel, with headquarters at fort snelling. several of the companies were sent to the frontier to relieve detachments of regulars stationed at various posts, but on the th of october, , the full regiment started for washington. on reaching pittsburgh, however, their destination was changed to louisville, at which place they were ordered to report to gen. w.t. sherman, then in command of the department of the cumberland, and they at once received orders to proceed to lebanon junction, about thirty miles south of louisville. the regiment remained at this camp about six weeks before anything occurred to relieve the monotony of camp life, although there were numerous rumors of night attacks by large bodies of confederates. on the th of november, , gen. buell assumed command of all the volunteers in the vicinity of louisville, and he at once organized them into divisions and brigades. early in december the second regiment moved to lebanon, ky., and, en route, the train was fired at. at lebanon the second minnesota, eighteenth united states infantry, ninth and thirty-fifth ohio regiments were organized into a brigade, and formed part of gen. george h. thomas' first division. on jan. , , gen. thomas started his troops on the mill springs campaign and from the st to the th day of january, spent most of its time marching under rain, sleet and through mud, and on the latter date went into camp near logan's cross roads, eight miles north of zollicoffer's intrenched rebel camp at beech grove. on the night of jan. , company a was on picket duty. it had been raining incessantly and was so dark that it was with difficulty that pickets could be relieved. just at daybreak the rebel advance struck the pickets of the union lines, and several musket shots rang out with great distinctness, and in quick succession, it being the first rebel shot that the boys had ever heard. then all was quiet for a time. the firing soon commenced again, nearer and more distinct than at first, and thicker and faster as the rebel advance encountered the union pickets. the second minnesota had entered the woods and passing through the tenth indiana, then out of ammunition and retiring and no longer firing. the enemy, emboldened by the cessation and mistaking its cause, assumed they had the yanks on the run, advanced to the rail fence separating the woods from the field just as the second minnesota was doing the same, and while the rebels got there first, they were also first to get away and make a run to their rear. but before they ran their firing was resumed and minnesotians got busy and the fifteenth mississippi and the sixteenth alabama regiments were made to feel that they had run up against something. to the right of the second were two of kinney's cannon and to their right was the ninth ohio. the mist and smoke which hung closely was too thick to see through, but by lying down it was possible to look under the smoke and to see the first rebel line, and that it was in bad shape, and back of it and down on the low ground a second line, with their third line on the high ground on the further side of the field. that the second minnesota was in close contact with the enemy was evident all along its line, blasts of fire and belching smoke coming across the fence from mississippi muskets. the contest was at times hand to hand--the second minnesota and the rebels running their guns through the fence, firing and using the bayonet when opportunity offered. the firing was very brisk for some time when it was suddenly discovered that the enemy had disappeared. the battle was over, the johnnies had "skedaddled," leaving their dead and dying on the bloody field. many of the enemy were killed and wounded, and some few surrendered. after the firing had ceased one rebel lieutenant bravely stood in front of the second and calmly faced his fate. after being called on to surrender he made no reply, but deliberately raised his hand and shot lieut. stout through the body. he was instantly shot. his name proved to be bailie peyton, son of one of the most prominent union men in tennessee. gen. zollicoffer, commander of the confederate forces, was also killed in this battle. this battle, although a mere skirmish when compared to many other engagements in which the second participated before the close of the war, was watched with great interest by the people of st. paul. two full companies had been recruited in the city and there was quite a number of st. paulites in other companies of this regiment. when it became known that a battle had been fought in which the second had been active participants, the relatives and friends of the men engaged in the struggle thronged the newspaper offices in quest of information regarding their safety. the casualties in the second minnesota, amounted to twelve killed and thirty-five wounded. two or three days after the battle letters were received from different members of the second, claiming that they had shot bailie payton and zollicoffer. it afterward was learned that no one ever knew who shot peyton, and that col. fry of the fourth kentucky shot zollicoffer. lieut. tuttle captured peyton's sword and still has it in his possession. this sword has a historic record. it was presented to bailie peyton by the citizens of new orleans at the outbreak of the mexican war, and was carried by col. peyton during the entire war. col. peyton was on gen. scott's staff at the close of the war, and when santa anna surrendered the city of mexico to gen. scott, col. peyton was the staff officer designated by scott to receive the surrender of the city, carrying this sword by his side. it bears this inscription: "presented to col. bailie peyton, fifth regiment louisiana volunteer national guards, by his friends of new orleans. his country required his services. his deeds will add glory to her arms." there has been considerable correspondence between the government and state, officials and the descendants of col. peyton relative to returning this trophy to col. peyton's relatives, but so far no arrangements to that effect have been concluded. it was reported by tennesseeans at the time of the battle that young peyton was what was known as a "hoop-skirt" convert to the confederate cause. southern ladies were decidedly more pronounced secessionists than were the sterner sex, and whenever they discovered that one of their chivalric brethren was a little lukewarm toward the cause of the south they sent him a hoop skirt, which indicated that the recipient was lacking in bravery. for telling of his loyalty to the union he was insulted and hissed at on the streets of nashville, and when he received a hoop skirt from his lady friends he reluctantly concluded to take up arms against the country he loved so well. he paid the penalty of foolhardy recklessness in the first battle in which he participated. a correspondent of the cincinnati commercial, who was an eye-witness of the battle, gave a glowing description of the heroic conduct of the second minnesota during the engagement. he said: "the success of the battle was when the second minnesota and the ninth ohio appeared in good order sweeping through the field. the second minnesota, from its position in the column, was almost in the center of the fight, and in the heaviest of the enemy's fire. they were the first troops that used the bayonet, and the style with which they went into the fight is the theme of enthusiastic comment throughout the army." it was the boast of confederate leaders at the outbreak of the rebellion that one regiment of johnnies was equal to two or more regiments of yankees. after the battle of mill springs they had occasion to revise their ideas regarding the fighting qualities of the detested yankees. from official reports of both sides, gathered after the engagement was over, it was shown that the confederate forces outnumbered their northern adversaries nearly three to one. the victory proved a dominant factor in breaking up the confederate right flank, and opened a way into east tennessee, and by transferring the union troops to a point from which to menace nashville made the withdrawal of gen. albert sidney johnston's troops from bowling green, ky., to nashville necessary. confederate loss, in killed, wounded and prisoners. union loss, in killed and wounded. twelve rebel cannon and caissons complete were captured. two hundred wagons with horses in harness were captured, as were large quantities of ammunition, store and camp equipments--in fact, the union troops took all there was. col. fry's version of the killing of zollicoffer is as follows: while on the border of "old fields" a stranger in citizen clothes rode up by his side, so near that he could have put his hand upon his shoulder, and said: "don't let us be firing on our own men. those are our men," pointing at the same time toward our forces. col. fry looked upon him inquiringly a moment, supposing him to be one of his own men, after which he rode forward not more than fifteen paces, when an officer came dashing up, first recognizing the stranger and almost the same instant firing upon col. fry. at the same moment the stranger wheeled his horse, facing col. fry, when the colonel shot him in the breast. gen. zollicoffer was a prominent and influential citizen of nashville previous to the war, and stumped the state with col. peyton in opposition to the ordinance of secession, but when tennessee seceded he determined to follow the fortunes of his state. the day before the battle gen. zollicoffer made a speech to his troops in which he said he would take them to indiana or go to hell himself. he didn't go to indiana. the poet of the fourth kentucky perpetrated the following shortly after the battle: "old zollicoffer is dead and the last word he said: i see a wild cat coming. up steps col. fry. and he hit him in the eye and he sent him to the happy land of canaan. ho! boys, ho! for the union go! hip hurrah for the happy land of freedom." the loyal kentuckians were in great glee and rejoiced over the victory. it was their battle against rebel invaders from tennessee, mississippi and alabama, who were first met by their own troops of wolford's first cavalry and the fourth kentucky infantry, whose blood was the first to be shed in defense of the stars and stripes; and their gratitude went out to their neighbors from minnesota, indiana and ohio who came to their support and drove the invaders out of their state. on feb. , , the second minnesota was again in louisville, where the regiment had admirers and warm friends in the loyal ladies, who as evidence of their high appreciation, though the mayor of the city, hon. j.m. dolph, presented to the second regiment a silk flag. the mayor said. "each regiment is equally entitled to like honor, but the gallant conduct of those who came from a distant state to unite in subduing our rebel invaders excites the warmest emotions of our hearts." on jan. president lincoln's congratulations were read to the regiment, and on feb. , at waitsboro, ky., the following joint resolution of the minnesota legislature was read before the regiment: whereas, the noble part borne by the first regiment, minnesota infantry, in the battles of bull run and ball's bluff, va., is yet fresh in our minds; and, whereas, we have heard with equal satisfaction the intelligence of the heroism displayed by the second minnesota infantry in the late brilliant action at mill springs, ky.: therefore be it resolved by the legislature of minnesota, that while it was the fortune of the veteran first regiment to shed luster upon defeat, it was reserved for the glorious second regiment to add victory to glory. resolved, that the bravery of our noble sons, heroes whether in defeat or victory, is a source of pride to the state that sent them forth, and will never fail to secure to them the honor and the homage of the government and the people. resolved, that we sympathize with the friends of our slain soldiers, claiming as well to share their grief as to participate in the renown which the virtues and valor of the dead have conferred on our arms. resolved, that a copy of these resolutions, having the signature of the executive and the great seal of the state, be immediately forwarded by the governor to the colonels severally in command of the regiments, to be by them communicated to their soldiers at dress parade. the battle at mill springs was the first important victory achieved by the union army in the southwest after the outbreak of the rebellion, and the result of that engagement occasioned great rejoicing throughout the loyal north. although the battle was fought forty-five years ago, quite a number of men engaged in that historic event are still living in st. paul, a number of them actively engaged in business. among the number are j.w. bishop, j.c. donahower, m.c. tuttle, r.a. lanpher, m.j. clum, william bircher, robert g. rhodes, john h. gibbons, william wagner, joseph burger, jacob j. miller, christian dehn, william kemper, jacob bernard, charles f. myer, phillip potts and fred dohm. the great battle of pittsburg landing. a brief description of one of the greatest and most sanguinary battles of the civil war--terrible loss of life--gallant action of the first minnesota battery--death of capt. w.h. acker. the battle of pittsburg landing on the th and th of april, , was one of the most terrific of the many great battles of the great civil war. it has been likened to the battle of waterloo. napoleon sought to destroy the army of wellington before a junction could be made with blucher. johnston and beauregard undertook to annihilate the army of the tennessee, under gen. grant, before the army of the cumberland, under buell, could come to his assistance. at the second battle of bull run gen. pope claimed that porter was within sound of his guns, yet he remained inactive. at pittsburg landing it was claimed by military men that gen. buell could have made a junction with grant twenty-four hours sooner and thereby saved a terrible loss of life had he chosen to do so. both generals were subsequently suspended from their commands and charges of disloyalty were made against them by many newspapers in the north. gen. porter was tried by court-martial and dismissed from the service. many years after this decision was revoked by congress and the stigma of disloyalty removed from his name. gen. buell was tried by court-martial, but the findings of the court were never made public. gen. grant did not think gen. buell was guilty of the charges against him, and when he became commander-in-chief of the army in endeavored to have him restored to his command, but the war department did not seem inclined to do so. about two weeks before the battle of pittsburg landing gen. grant was suspended from the command of the army of the tennessee by gen. halleck, but owing to some delay in the transmission of the order, an order came from headquarters restoring him to his command before he knew that he had been suspended. gen. grant's success at fort henry and fort donelson made his superiors jealous of his popularity. he was ordered arrested by gen. mcclellan, but the order was held up by the war department until gen. grant could be heard from. the reason for his arrest was that he went to nashville to consult with buell without permission of the commanding general. dispatches sent to grant for information concerning his command was never delivered to him, but were delivered over to the rebel authorities by a rebel telegraph operator, who shortly afterward joined the confederate forces. many years after the war gen. badeau, one of grant's staff officers, was in search of information for his "history of grant's military campaigns," and he unearthed in the archives of the war department the full correspondence between halleck, mcclellan and the secretary of war, and it was not until then that gen. grant learned the full extent of the absurd accusations made against him. after the battle of pittsburg landing gen. halleck assumed personal command of all the forces at that point and gen. grant was placed second in command, which meant that he had no command at all. this was very distasteful to gen. grant and he would have resigned his commission and returned to st. louis but for the interposition of his friend, gen. w.t. sherman. gen. grant had packed up his belongings and was about to depart when gen. sherman met him at his tent and persuaded him to refrain. in a short time halleck was ordered to washington and grant was made commander of the department of west tennessee, with headquarters at memphis. gen. grant's subsequent career proved the wisdom of sherman's entreaty. when gen. halleck assumed command he constructed magnificent fortifications, and they were a splendid monument to his engineering skill, but they were never occupied. he was like the celebrated king of france, who "with one hundred thousand men, marched up the hill and then down again." gen. halleck had under his immediate command more than one hundred thousand well equipped men, and the people of the north looked to him to administer a crushing blow to the then retreating enemy. the hour had arrived--the man had not. "flushed with the victory of forts henry and donelson," said the envious halleck in a dispatch to the war department, previous to the battle, "the army under grant at pittsburg landing was more demoralized than the army of the potomac after the disastrous defeat of bull run." soon after the battle the venerable gen. scott predicted that the war would soon be ended--that thereafter there would be nothing but guerrilla warfare at interior points. gen. grant himself in his memoirs says that had the victory at pittsburg landing been followed up and the army been kept intact the battles at stone river, chattanooga and chickamauga would not have been necessary. probably the battle of pittsburg landing was the most misunderstood and most misrepresented of any battle occurring during the war. it was charged that grant was drunk; that he was far away from the battleground when the attack was made, and was wholly unprepared to meet the terrible onslaught of the enemy in the earlier stages of the encounter. gen. beauregard is said to have stated on the morning of the battle that before sundown he would water his horses in the tennessee river or in hell. that the rebels did not succeed in reaching the tennessee was not from lack of dash and daring on their part, but was on account of the sturdy resistance and heroism of their adversaries. according to gen. grant's own account of the battle, though suffering intense pain from a sprained ankle, he was in the saddle from early morning till late at night, riding from division to division, giving directions to their commanding officers regarding the many changes in the disposition of their forces rendered necessary by the progress of the battle. the firm resistance made by the force under his command is sufficient refutation of the falsity of the charges made against him. misunderstanding of orders, want of co-operation of subordinates as well as superiors, and rawness of recruits were said to have been responsible for the terrible slaughter of the union forces on the first day of the battle. * * * * * the battle of pittsburg landing is sometimes called the battle of shiloh, some of the hardest lighting having been done in the vicinity of an old log church called the church of shiloh, about three miles from the landing. the battle ground traversed by the opposing forces occupied a semi-circle of about three and a half miles from the town of pittsburg, the union forces being stationed in the form of a semi-circle, the right resting on a point north of crump's landing, the center being directly in front of the road to corinth, and the left extending to the river in the direction of harrisburg--a small place north of pittsburg landing. at about o'clock on sunday morning, col. peabody of prentiss' division, fearing that everything was not right, dispatched a body of men beyond the camp for the purpose of looking after any body of men which might be lurking in that direction. this step was wisely taken, for a half a mile advance showed a heavy force approaching, who fired upon them with great slaughter. this force taken by surprise, was compelled to retreat, which they did in good order under a galling fire. at o'clock the fire had become general along the entire front, the enemy having driven in the pickets of gen. sherman's division and had fallen with vengeance upon three ohio regiments of raw recruits, who knew nothing of the approach of the enemy until they were within their midst. the slaughter on the first approach of the enemy was very severe, scores falling at every discharge of rebel guns. it soon became apparent that the rebel forces were approaching in overwhelming numbers and there was nothing left for them to do but retreat, which was done with considerable disorder, both officers and men losing every particle of their baggage, which fell into rebel hands. at : o'clock the fight had become general, the second line of divisions having received the advance in good order and made every preparation for a suitable reception of the foe. at this time many thousand stragglers, many of whom had never before heard the sound of musketry, turned their backs to the enemy, and neither threats or persuasion could induce them to turn back. the timely arrival of gen. grant, who had hastened up from savannah, led to the adoption of measures that put a stop to this uncalled-for flight from the battle ground. a strong guard was placed across the thoroughfare, with orders to hault every soldier whose face was turned toward the river, and thus a general stampede was prevented. at o'clock the entire line on both sides was engaged in one of the most terrible battles ever known in this country. the roar of the cannon and musketry was without intermission from the main center to a point extending halfway down the left wing. the great struggle was most upon the forces which had fallen back on sherman's position. by o'clock quite a number of the commanders of regiments had fallen, and in some instances not a single field officer remained; yet the fighting continued with an earnestness that plainly showed that the contest on both sides was for death or victory. the almost deafening sound of artillery and the rattle of musketry was all that could be heard as the men stood silently and delivered their fire, evidently bent on the work of destruction which knew no bounds. foot by foot the ground was contested, a single narrow strip of open land dividing the opponents. many who were maimed fell back without help, while others still fought in the ranks until they were actually forced back by their company officers. finding it impossible to drive back the center of our column, at o'clock the enemy slackened fire upon it and made a most vigorous effort on our left wing, endeavoring to drive it to the river bank at a point about a mile and a half above pittsburg landing. with the demonstration of the enemy upon the left wing it was soon seen that all their fury was being poured out upon it, with a determination that it should give way. for about two hours a sheet of fire blazed both columns, the rattle of musketry making a most deafening noise. for about an hour it was feared that the enemy would succeed in driving our forces to the river bank, the rebels at times being plainly seen by those on the main landing below. while the conflict raged the hottest in this quarter the gunboat tyler passed slowly up the river to a point directly opposite the enemy and poured in a broadside from her immense guns. the shells went tearing and crashing through the woods, felling trees in their course and spreading havoc wherever they fell. the explosions were fearful, the shells falling far inland, and they struck terror to the rebel force. foiled in this attempt, they now made another attack on the center and fought like tigers. they found our lines well prepared and in full expectation of their coming. every man was at his post and all willing to bring the contest to a definite conclusion. in hourly expectation of the arrival of reinforcements, under generals nelson and thomas of buell's army, they made every effort to rout our forces before the reinforcements could reach the battle ground. they were, however, fighting against a wall of steel. volley answered volley and for a time the battle of the morning was re-enacted on the same ground and with the same vigor on both sides. at o'clock there was a short cessation in the firing of the enemy, their lines falling back on the center for about half a mile. they again wheeled and suddenly threw their entire force upon the left wing, determined to make the final struggle of the day in that quarter. the gunboat lexington in the meantime had arrived from savannah, and after sending a message to gen. grant to ascertain in which direction the enemy was from the river, the lexington and tyler took a position about half a mile above the river landing, and poured their shells up a deep ravine reaching to the river on the right. their shots were thick and fast and told with telling effect. in the meantime gen. lew wallace, who had taken a circuitous route from crump's landing, appeared suddenly on the left wing of the rebels. in face of this combination the enemy felt that their bold effort was for the day a failure and as night was about at hand, they slowly fell back, fighting as they went, until they reached an advantageous position, somewhat in the rear, yet occupying the main road to corinth. the gunboats continued to send their shells after them until they were far beyond reach. this ended the engagement for the day. throughout the day the rebels evidently had fought with the napoleonic idea of massing their entire force on weak points of the enemy, with the intention of braking through their lines, creating a panic and cutting off retreat. the first day's battle, though resulting in a terrible loss of union troops, was in reality a severe disappointment to the rebel leaders. they fully expected, with their overwhelming force to annihilate grant's army, cross the tennessee river and administer the same punishment to buell, and then march on through tennessee, kentucky and into ohio. they had conceived a very bold movement, but utterly failed to execute it. gen. albert sidney johnston, commander of the confederate forces, was killed in the first day's battle, being shot while attempting to induce a brigade of unwilling confederates to make a charge on the enemy. gen. buell was at columbia, tenn., on the th of march with a veteran force of , men, and it required nineteen days for him to reach the tennessee river, eighty-five miles distant, marching less than five miles a day, notwithstanding the fact that he had been ordered to make a junction with grant's forces as soon as possible, and was well informed of the urgency of the situation. during the night steamers were engaged in carrying the troops of nelson's division across the river. as soon as the boats reached the shore the troops immediately left, and, without music, took their way to the advance of the left wing of the union forces. they had come up double quick from savannah, and as they were regarded as veterans, the greatest confidence was soon manifest as to the successful termination of the battle. with the first hours of daylight it was evident that the enemy had also been strongly reinforced, for, notwithstanding they must have known of the arrival of new union troops, they were first to open the ball, which they did with considerable alacrity. the attacks that began came from the main corinth road, a point to which they seemed strongly attached, and which at no time did they leave unprotected. within half an hour from the first firing in the morning the contest then again spread in either direction, and both the main and left wings were not so anxious to fight their way to the river bank as on the previous day, having a slight experience of what they might expect if again brought under the powerful guns of the tyler and lexington. they were not, however, lacking in activity, and they were met by our reinforced troops with an energy that they did not anticipate. at o'clock the sound of the artillery and musketry fully equaled that of the day before. it now became evident that the rebels were avoiding our extreme left wing, and were endeavoring to find a weak point in our line by which they could turn our force and thus create a panic. they left one point but to return to it immediately, and then as suddenly would direct an assault upon a division where they imagined they would not be expected. the fire of the united forces was as steady as clockwork, and it soon became evident that the enemy considered the task they had undertaken a hopeless one. notwithstanding continued repulses, the rebels up to o'clock had given no evidence of retiring from the field. their firing had been as rapid and vigorous at times as during the most terrible hours of the previous day. generals grant, buell, nelson and crittenden were present everywhere directing the movements on our part for a new strike against the foe. gen. lew wallace's division on the right had been strongly reinforced, and suddenly both wings of our army were turned upon the enemy, with the intention of driving the immense body into an extensive ravine. at the same time a powerful battery had been stationed upon an open field, and they poured volley after volley into the rebel ranks and with the most telling effect. at : o'clock the roar of battle almost shook the earth, as the union guns were being fired with all the energy that the prospect of ultimate victory inspired. the fire from the enemy was not so vigorous and they began to evince a desire to withdraw. they fought as they slowly moved back, keeping up their fire from their artillery and musketry, apparently disclaiming any notion that they thought of retreating. as they retreated they went in excellent order, halting at every advantageous point and delivering their fire with considerable effect. at noon it was settled beyond dispute that the rebels were retreating. they were making but little fire, and were heading their center column for corinth. from all divisions of our lines they were closely pursued, a galling fire being kept up on their rear, which they returned at intervals with little or no effect. from sunday morning until monday noon not less than three thousand cavalry had remained seated in their saddles on the hilltop overlooking the river, patiently awaiting the time when an order should come for them to pursue the flying enemy. that time had now arrived and a courier from gen. grant had scarcely delivered his message before the entire body was in motion. the wild tumult of the excited riders presented a picture seldom witnessed on a battlefield. gen. grant himself led the charge. * * * * * gen. grant, in his memoirs, summarizes the results of the two days' fighting as follows: "i rode forward several miles the day of the battle and found that the enemy had dropped nearly all of their provisions and other luggage in order to enable them to get off with their guns. an immediate pursuit would have resulted in the capture of a considerable number of prisoners and probably some guns...." the effective strength of the union forces on the morning of the th was , men. lew wallace brought , more after nightfall. beauregard reported the rebel strength at , . excluding the troops who fled, there was not with us at any time during the day more than , men in line. our loss in the two days' fighting was , killed, , wounded and , missing. beauregard reported a total loss of , , of whom , were killed, , wounded and missing. on the first day of the battle gen. prentiss, during a change of position of the union forces, became detached from the rest of the troops, and was taken prisoner, together with , of his men. gen. w.h.l. wallace, division commander, was killed in the early part of the struggle. the hardest fighting during the first day was done in front of the divisions of sherman and mcclernand. "a casualty to sherman," says gen. grant, "that would have taken him from the field that day would have been a sad one for the union troops engaged at shiloh. and how near we came to this! on the th sherman was shot twice, once in the hand, once in the shoulder, the ball cutting his coat and making a slight wound, and a third ball passed through his hat. in addition to this he had several horses shot during the day." during the second day of the battle gen. grant, col. mcpherson and maj. hawkins got beyond the left of our troops. there did not appear to be an enemy in sight, but suddenly a battery opened on them from the edge of the woods. they made a hasty retreat and when they were at a safe distance halted to take an account of the damage. in a few moments col. mcpherson's horse dropped dead, having been shot just back of the saddle. a ball had passed through maj. hawkins' hat and a ball had struck the metal of gen. grant's sword, breaking it nearly off. on the first day of the battle about , fresh recruits who had never before heard the sound of musketry, fled on the approach of the enemy. they hid themselves on the river bank behind the bluff, and neither command nor persuasion could induce them to move. when gen. buell discovered them on his arrival he threatened to fire on them, but it had no effect. gen. grant says that afterward those same men proved to be some of the best soldiers in the service. gen. grant, in his report, says he was prepared with the reinforcements of gen. lew wallace's division of , men to assume the offensive on the second day of the battle, and thought he could have driven the rebels back to their fortified position at corinth without the aid of buell's army. * * * * * at banquet hall, regimental reunion or campfire, whenever mention is made of the glorious record of minnesota volunteers in the great civil war, seldom, if ever, is the first minnesota battery given credit for its share in the long struggle. probably very few of the present residents of minnesota are aware that such an organization existed. this battery was one of the finest organizations that left the state during the great crisis. it was in the terrible battle of pittsburg landing, the siege of vicksburg, in front of atlanta and in the great march from atlanta to the sea, and in every position in which they were placed they not only covered themselves with glory, but they were an honor and credit to the state that sent them. the first minnesota battery, light artillery, was organized at fort snelling in the fall of , and emil munch was made its first captain. shortly after being mustered in they were ordered to st. louis, where they received their accoutrements, and from there they were ordered to pittsburg landing, arriving at the latter place late in february, . the day before the battle, they were transferred to prentiss' division of grant's army. on sunday morning, april , the battery was brought out bright and early, preparing for inspection. about o'clock great commotion was heard at headquarters, and the battery was ordered to be ready to march at a moment's notice. in about ten minutes they were ordered to the front, the rebels having opened fire on the union forces. in a very short time rebel bullets commenced to come thick and fast, and one of their number was killed and three others wounded. it soon became evident that the rebels were in great force in front of the battery, and orders were issued for them to choose another position. at about o'clock the battery formed in a new position on an elevated piece of ground, and whenever the rebels undertook to cross the field in front of them the artillery raked them down with frightful slaughter. several times the rebels placed batteries in the timber at the farther end of the field, but in each instance the guns of the first battery dislodged them before they could get into position. for hours the rebels vainly endeavored to break the lines of the union forces, but in every instance they were repulsed with frightful loss, the canister mowing them down at close range. about o'clock the rebels succeeded in flanking gen. prentiss and took part of his force prisoners. the battery was immediately withdrawn to an elevation near the tennessee river, and it was not long before firing again commenced and kept up for half an hour, the ground fairly shaking from the continuous firing on both sides of the line. at about o'clock the firing ceased, and the rebels withdrew to a safe distance from the landing. the casualties of the day were three killed and six wounded, two of the latter dying shortly afterward. the fight at what was known as the "hornet's nest" was most terrific, and had not the first battery held out so heroically and valiantly the rebels would have succeeded in forcing a retreat of the union lines to a point dangerously near the tennessee river. capt. munch's horse received a bullet in his head and fell, and the captain himself received a wound in the thigh, disabling him from further service during the battle. after capt. munch was wounded lieut. pfaender took command of the battery, and he had a horse shot from under him during the day. on the morning of april , gen. buell having arrived, the battery was held in reserve and did not participate in the battle that day. the first battery was the only organization from minnesota engaged in the battle, and their conduct in the fiercest of the struggle, and in changing position in face of fire from the whole rebel line, was such as to receive the warmest commendation from the commanding officer. it was the first battle in which they had taken part, and as they had only received their guns and horses a few weeks before, they had not had much opportunity for drill work. their terrible execution at critical times convinced the rebels that they had met a foe worthy of their steel. * * * * * among the many thousands left dead and dying on the blood-stained field of pittsburg landing there was one name that was very dear in the hearts of the patriotic people of st. paul,--a name that was as dear to the people of st. paul as was the memory of the immortal ellsworth to the people of chicago. capt. william henry acker, while marching at the head of his company, with uplifted sword and with voice and action urging on his comrades to the thickest of the fray, was pierced in the forehead by a rebel bullet and fell dead upon the ill-fated field. before going into action capt. acker was advised by his comrades not to wear his full uniform, as he was sure to be a target for rebel bullets, but the captain is said to have replied that if he had to die he would die with his harness on. soon after forming his command into line, and when they had advanced only a few yards, he was singled out by a rebel sharpshooter and instantly killed--the only man in the. company to receive fatal injuries. "loved, almost adored, by the company," says one of them, writing of the sad event, "capt. acker's fall cast a deep shadow of gloom over his command." it was but for a moment. with a last look at their dead commander, and with the watchword 'this for our captain,' volley after volley from their guns carried death into the ranks of his murderers. from that moment but one feeling seemed to possess his still living comrades--that of revenge for the death of their captain. how terribly they carried out that purpose the number of rebel slain piled around the vicinity of his body fearfully attest. the announcement of the death of capt. acker was a very severe blow to his relatives and many friends in this city. no event thus far in the history of the rebellion had brought to our doors such a realizing sense of the sad realities of the terrible havoc wrought upon the battlefield. a noble life had been sacrificed in the cause of freedom--one more name had been added to the long death roll of the nation's heroes. capt. acker was born a soldier--brave, able, popular and courteous--and had he lived would undoubtedly been placed high in rank long before the close of the rebellion. no person ever went to the front in whom the citizens of st. paul had more hope for a brilliant future. he was born in new york state in , and was twenty-eight years of age at the time of his death. he came to st. paul in and commenced the study of law in the office of his brother-in-law, hon. edmund rice. he did not remain long in the law business, however, but soon changed to a position in the bank of minnesota, which had just been established by ex-gov. marshall. for some time he was captain of the pioneer guards, a company which he was instrumental in forming, and which was the finest military organization in the west at that time. in he was chosen commander of the wide-awakes, a marching-club, devoted to the promotion of the candidacy of abraham lincoln, and many of the men he so patiently drilled during that exciting campaign became officers in the volunteer service in that great struggle that soon followed. little did the captain imagine at that time that the success of the man whose cause he espoused would so soon be the means of his untimely death. at the breaking out of the war capt. acker was adjutant general of the state of minnesota, but he thought he would be of more use to his country in active service and resigned that position and organized a company for the first minnesota regiment, of which he was made captain. at the first battle of bull run he was wounded, and for his gallant action was made captain in the seventeenth united states regulars, an organization that had been recently created by act of congress. the sixteenth regiment was attached to buell's army, and participated in the second day's battle, and cat. acker was one of the first to fall on that terrible day, being shot in the identical spot in the forehead where he was wounded at the first battle of bull run. as soon as the news was received in st. paul of the captain's death his father, hon. henry acker, left for pittsburg landing, hoping to be able to recover the remains of his martyred son and bring the body back to st. paul. his body was easily found, his burial place having been carefully marked by members of the second minnesota who arrived on the battleground a short time after the battle. when the remains arrived in st. paul they were met at the steamboat landing by a large number of citizens and escorted to masonic hall, where they rested till the time of the funeral. the funeral obsequies were held at st. paul's church on sunday, may , , and were attended by the largest concourse of citizens that had ever attended a funeral in st. paul, many being present from minneapolis, st. anthony and stillwater. the respect shown to the memory of capt. acker was universal, and of a character which fully demonstrated the high esteem in which he was held by the people of st. paul. when the first grand army post was formed in st. paul a name commemorative of one of minnesota's fallen heroes was desired for the organization. out of the long list of martyrs minnesota gave to the cause of the union no name seemed more appropriate than that of the heroic capt. acker, and it was unanimously decided that the first association of civil war veterans in this city should be known as acker post. the death of president lincoln. * * * * * the terrible and sensational news that abraham lincoln had been assassinated, which was flashed over the wires on the morning of april , (forty years ago yesterday), was the most appalling announcement that had been made during the long crisis through which the country had just passed. every head was bowed in grief. no tongue could find language sufficiently strong to express condemnation of the fiendish act. the entire country was plunged in mourning. it was not safe for any one to utter a word against the character of the martyred president. at no place in the entire country was the terrible calamity more deeply felt than in st. paul. all public and private buildings were draped in mourning. every church held memorial services. the services at the little house of hope church on walnut street will long be remembered by all those who were there. the church was heavily draped in mourning. it had been suddenly transformed from a house of hope to a house of sorrow, a house of woe. the pastor of the church was the rev. frederick a. noble. he was one of the most eloquent and learned divines in the city--fearless, forcible and aggressive--the henry ward beecher of the northwest. president lincoln was his ideal statesman. the members of the house of hope were intensely patriotic. many of their number were at the front defending their imperiled country. scores and scores of times during the desperate conflict had the eloquent pastor of this church delivered stirring addresses favoring a vigorous prosecution of the war. during the darkest days of the rebellion, when the prospect of the final triumph of the cause of the union seemed furthest off, mr. noble never faltered; he believed that the cause was just and that right would finally triumph. when the terrible and heart-rending news was received that an assassin's bullet had ended the life of the greatest of all presidents the effect was so paralyzing that hearts almost ceased beating. every member of the congregation felt as if one of their own household had been suddenly taken from them. the services at the church on the sunday morning following the assassination were most solemn and impressive. the little edifice was crowded almost to suffication, and when the pastor was seen slowly ascending the pulpit, breathless silence prevailed. he was pale and haggard, and appeared to be suffering great mental agony. with bowed head and uplifted hands, and with a voice trembling with almost uncontrollable emotion, he delivered one of the most fervent and impressive invocations ever heard by the audience. had the dead body of the president been placed in front of the altar, the solemnity of the occasion could not have been greater. in the discourse that followed, mr. noble briefly sketched the early history of the president, and then devoted some time to the many grand deeds he had accomplished during the time he had been in the presidential chair. for more than four years he had patiently and anxiously watched the progress of the terrible struggle, and now, when victory was in sight, when it was apparent to all that the fall of richmond, the surrender of lee and the probable surrender of johnston would end the long war, he was cruelly stricken down by the hand of an assassin. "with malice towards none and with charity to all, and with firmness for the right, as god gives us to see the right," were utterances then fresh from the president's lips. to strike down such a man at such a time was indeed a crime most horrible. there was scarcely a dry eye in the audience. men and women alike wept. it was supposed at the time that secretary of state seward had also fallen a victim of the assassin's dagger. it was the purpose of the conspirators to murder the president, vice president and entire cabinet, but in only one instance did the attempt prove fatal. secretary seward was the foremost statesmen of the time. his diplomatic skill had kept the country free from foreign entanglements during the long and bitter struggle. he, too, was eulogized by the minister, and it rendered the occasion doubly mournful. since that time two other presidents have been mercilessly slain by the hand of an assassin, and although the shock to the country was terrible, it never seemed as if the grief was as deep and universal as when the bullet fired by john wilkes booth pierced the temple of abraham lincoln. an allegorical horoscope * * * * * in two chapters. * * * * * chapter i.--an optimistic forecast. as the sun was gently receding in the western horizon on a beautiful summer evening nearly a century ago, a solitary voyageur might have been seen slowly ascending the sinuous stream that stretches from the north star state to the gulf of mexico. he was on a mission of peace and good will to the red men of the distant forest. on nearing the shore of what is now a great city the lonely voyageur was amazed on discovering that the pale face of the white man had many years preceded him. "what, ho!" he muttered to himself; "methinks i see a paleface toying with a dusky maiden. i will have speech with him." on approaching near where the two were engaged in some weird incantation the voyageur overheard the dusky maiden impart a strange message to the paleface by her side. "from the stars i see in the firmament, the fixed stars that predominate in the configuration, i deduce the future destiny of man. 'tis with thee. o robert, to live always. this elixer which i now do administer to thee has been known to our people for countless generations. the possession of it will enable thee to conquer all thine enemies. thou now beholdest, o robert, the ground upon which some day a great city will be erected. thou art destined to become the mighty chief of this great metropolis. thy reign will be long and uninterrupted. thou wert born when the conjunction of the planets did augur a life of perfect beatitude. as the years roll away the inhabitants of the city will multiply with great rapidity. questions of great import regarding the welfare of the people will often come before thee for adjustment. to be successful in thy calling thou must never be guilty of having decided convictions on any subject, as thy friends will sometimes be pitted against each other in the advocacy of their various schemes. thou must not antagonize either side by espousing the other's cause, but must always keep the rod and the gun close by thy side, so that when these emergencies arise and thou doth scent danger in the air thou canst quietly withdraw from the scene of action and chase the festive bison over the distant prairies or revel in piscatorial pleasure on the placid waters of a secluded lake until the working majority hath discovered some method of relieving thee of the necessity of committing thyself, and then, o robert. thou canst return and complacently inform the disappointed party that the result would have been far different had not thou been called suddenly away. thou canst thus preserve the friendship of all parties, and their votes are more essential to thee than the mere adoption of measures affecting the prosperity of thy people. when the requirements of the people of thy city become too great for thee alone to administer to all their wants, the great family of okons, the lineal descendants of the sea kings from the bogs of tipperary, will come to thy aid. take friendly counsel with them, as to incur their displeasure will mean thy downfall. let all the ends thou aimest at be to so dispose of the offices within thy gift that the okons, and the followers of the okons, will be as fixed in their positions as are the stars in their orbits." after delivering this strange astrological exhortation the dusky maiden slowly retreated toward the entrance of a nearby cavern, the paleface meandered forth to survey the ground of his future greatness and the voyageur resumed his lonely journey toward the setting sun. * * * * * chapter ii.--a terrible reality. after the lapse of more than four score of years the voyageur from the frigid north returned from his philanthropic visit to the red man. a wonderful change met the eye. a transformation as magnificent as it was bewildering had occurred. the same grand old bluffs looked proudly down upon the father of water. the same magnificent river pursued its unmolested course toward the boundless ocean. but all else had changed. the hostile warrior no longer impeded the onward march of civilization, and cultivated fields abounded on every side. steamers were hourly traversing the translucent waters of the great mississippi; steam and electricity were carrying people with the rapidity of lightning in every direction; gigantic buildings appeared on the earth's surface, visible in either direction as far as the eye could reach; on every corner was a proud descendant of erin's nobility, clad in gorgeous raiment, who had been branded "st. paul's finest" before leaving the shores of his native land. in the midst of this great city was a magnificent building, erected by the generosity of its people, in which the paleface, supported on either side by the okons, was the high and mighty ruler. the okons and the followers of the okons were in possession of every office within the gift of the paleface. floating proudly from the top of this great building was an immense banner, on which was painted in monster letters the talismanic words: "for mayor, , robert a. smith," verily the prophecy of the dusky maiden had been fulfilled. the paleface had become impregnably intrenched. the okons could never be dislodged. with feelings of unutterable anguish at the omnipresence of the okons, the aged voyageur quietly retraced his footsteps and was never more seen by the helpless and overburdened subjects of the paleface. spelling down a school. * * * * * when i was about twelve years of age i resided in a small village in one of the mountainous and sparsely settled sections of the northern part of pennsylvania. it was before the advent of the railroad and telegraph in that locality. the people were not blessed with prosperity as it is known to-day. neither were they gifted with the intellectual attainments possessed by the inhabitants of the same locality at the present time. many of the old men served in the war of , and they were looked up to with about the same veneration as are the heroes of the civil war to-day. it was at a time when the younger generation was beginning to acquire a thirst for knowledge, but it was not easily obtained under the peculiar conditions existing at that period. a school district that was able to support a school for six months in each year was indeed considered fortunate, but even in these the older children were not permitted to attend during the summer months, as their services were considered indispensable in the cultivation of the soil. reading, writing and arithmetic were about all the studies pursued in those rural school districts, although occasionally some of the better class of the country maidens could be seen listlessly glancing over a geography or grammar, but they were regarded as "stuck up," and the other pupils thought they were endeavoring to master something far beyond their capacity. our winter school term generally commenced the first week in december and lasted until the first week in march, with one evening set apart each week for a spelling-match and recitation. we had our spelling match on saturday nights, and every four weeks we would meet with schools in other districts in a grand spelling contest. i was considered too young to participate in any of the joint spelling matches, and my heart was heavy within me every time i saw a great four-horse sleigh loaded with joyful boys and girls on their way to one of the great contests. one saturday night there was to be a grand spelling match at a country crossroad about four miles from our village, and four schools were to participate. as i saw the great sleigh loaded for the coming struggle the thought occurred to me that if i only managed to secure a ride without being observed i might in some way be able to demonstrate to the older scholars that in spelling at least i was their equal. while the driver was making a final inspection of the team preparatory to starting i managed to crawl under his seat, where i remained as quiet as mouse until the team arrived at the point of destination. i had not considered the question of getting back--i left that to chance. as soon as the different schools had arrived two of the best spellers were selected to choose sides, and it happened that neither of them was from our school. i stood in front of the old-fashioned fire-place and eagerly watched the pupils as they took their places in the line. they were drawn in the order of their reputation as spellers. when they had finished calling the names i was still standing by the fireplace, and i thought my chance was hopeless. the school-master from our district noticed my woebegone appearance, and he arose from his seat and said: "that boy standing by the fireplace is one of the best spellers in our school." my name was then reluctantly called, and i took my place at the foot of the column. i felt very grateful towards our master for his compliment and i thought i would be able to hold my position in the line long enough to demonstrate that our master was correct. the school-master from our district was selected to pronounce the words, and i inwardly rejoiced. after going down the line several times and a number of scholars had fallen on some simple word the school-master pronounced the word "phthisic." my heart leaped as the word fell from the school-master's lips. it was one of my favorite hard words and was not in the spelling book. it had been selected so as to floor the entire line in order to make way for the exercises to follow. as i looked over the long line of overgrown country boys and girls i felt sure that none of them would be able to correctly spell the word. "next!" "next!" "next!" said the school-master, and my pulse beat faster and faster as the older scholars ahead of me were relegated to their seats. at last the crucial time had come. i was the only one left standing. as the school-master stood directly in front of me and said "next," i could see by the twinkle in his eye that he thought i could correctly spell the word. my countenance had betrayed me. with a clear and distinct voice loud enough to be heard by every one in the room i spelled out "ph-th-is-ic--phthisic." "correct," said the school-master, and all the scholars looked aghast at my promptness. i shall never forget the kindly smile of the old school-master, as he laid the spelling book upon the teacher's desk, with the quiet remark: "i told you he could spell." i had spelled down four schools, and my reputation as a speller was established. our school was declared to have furnished the champion speller of the four districts, and ever after my name was not the last one to be called. on my return home i was not compelled to ride under the driver's seat. half a century with the pioneer press. pioneer press, april , :--frank moore, superintendent of the composing room if the pioneer press, celebrated yesterday the fiftieth anniversary of his connection with the paper. a dozen of the old employes of the pioneer press entertained mr. moore at an informal dinner at magee's to celebrate the unusual event. mr. moore's service on the pioneer press, in fact, has been longer than the pioneer press itself, for he began his work on one of the newspapers which eventually was merged into the present pioneer press. he has held his present position as the head of the composing room for about forty years. frank moore was fifteen years old when he came to st. paul from tioga county, pa., where he was born. he came with his brother, george w. moore, who was one of the owners and managers of the minnesotian. his brother had been east and brought the boy west with him. mr. moore's first view of newspaper work was on the trip up the river to st. paul. there had been a special election on a bond issue and on the way his brother stopped at the various towns to got the election returns. mr. moore went to work for the minnesotian on april , , as a printer's "devil." it is interesting in these days of water works and telegraph to recall that among his duties was to carry water for the office. he got it from a spring below where the merchants hotel now stands. another of his jobs was to meet the boats. whenever a steamer whistled mr. moore ran to the dock to get the bundle of newspapers the boat brought, and hurry with it back to the office. it was from these papers that the editors got the telegraph news of the world. he also was half the carrier staff of the paper. his territory covered all the city above wabasha street, but as far as he went up the hill was college avenue and ramsey street was his limit out west seventh street. there was no st. paul worth mentioning beyond that. when the press absorbed the minnesotian in , mr. moore went with it, and when in the press and pioneer were united mr. moore stayed with the merged paper. his service has been continuous, excepting during his service as a volunteer in the civil war. the pioneer press, with its antecedents, has been his only interest. while mr. moore's service is notable for its length, it is still more notable for the fact that he has grown with the paper, so that to-day at sixty-five he is still filling his important position as efficiently on a large modern newspaper as he filled it as a young man when things in the northwest, including its newspapers, were in the beginning. successive managements found that his services always gave full value and recognized in him an employe of unusual loyalty and devotion to the interests of the paper. successive generations of employes have found him always just the kind of man it is a pleasure to have as a fellow workman. [illustration: minnehaha, laughing water.] minnesota; its character and climate. likewise sketches of other resorts favorable to invalids; together with copious notes on health; also hints to tourists and emigrants. by ledyard bill, _author of "a winter in florida" etc., etc._ . entered according to act of congress, in the year , by ledyard bill, in the office of the librarian of congress, at washington. to my nieces this volume of sketches _is affectionately dedicated_ by the author preface. by general consent minnesota has enjoyed a superior reputation for climate, soil, and scenery beyond that of any other state in the union, with, perhaps, a single exception. the real ground of this pre-eminence, especially in climate, has not been well understood, owing, probably, in part, to the slight acquaintance with the general features and characteristics of the state itself, and, in part, to that want of attention which the subject of climatology and its effects on the health of mankind has deserved. lying to the north of the heretofore customary lines of travel, the state has been visited by few comparatively, except those whose immediate interests necessitated it, and even they have gleaned but an imperfect knowledge of either the climate or of the unusual beauty and interest which so distinguish minnesota from all other western states. instead of the low, level, treeless plain usually associated with one's ideas of the west, there is the high, rolling country, extending many miles back from the eastern frontier, while the general elevation of the state is upward of one thousand feet above the sea--abounding in pleasant and fertile valleys, large and valuable forests, together with many beautiful lakes, nearly all of which are filled with the purest of water and with great numbers of the finest fish. while the attractions of minnesota for the tourist and emigrant have been duly considered in these pages, those of the climate for the invalid have received especial consideration, and we have added such hints and suggestions as circumstances seemed to demand; together with observations on other localities and climates favorable to pulmonic complaints. brooklyn, n.y., . contents. introductory chapter. leading characteristics of the state. the water system of the state.--its pure atmosphere.--violations of hygienic laws.--a mixed population.--general features of the country.--intelligence of the population.--the bountiful harvests.--geographical advantages. chapter ii. the upper mississippi. the source of the river.--the importance of rivers to governments as well as commerce.--their binding force among peoples.--the rapids at keokuk.--railroad and steamboat travelling contrasted.--points at which travellers may take steamers.--characteristics of western steamboats.--pleasuring on the upper mississippi.--the scenery and its attractions. chapter iii. river towns. brownsville, the first town.--the city of la crosse.--victoria and albert bluffs.--trempeleau and mountain island.--the city of winona.--its name and origin.--the winona and st. peters railroad--the air-line railroad.--her educational interests.--advancement of the west.--the towns of wabasha and reed's landing.--lake pepin and maiden's rock.--romantic story.--an old fort.--lake city and frontenac.--red wing and hastings.--red rock. chapter iv. st. paul. as seen from the deck of the steamer.--the pleasant surprise it gives the visitor.--impressions regarding new places.--the beauties of the city.--the limestone caves.--père louis hennepin.--the population of st. paul.--its public buildings and works.--a park wanted.--the geological structure of the country.--st. paul, the capital city.--its railroad connections.--the head of navigation.--impressions. chapter v. climate. the climatic divisions of the country.--periodical rains.--prevailing winds of the continent.--changes of temperature.--consumption in warm climates.--cold, humid atmospheres.--what climate most desirable for the consumptive.--the dry atmosphere of the interior.--dry winds of the interior.--table of rainfall of the whole country. chapter vi. climate--_continued_. the atmosphere of minnesota.--its dryness.--falling snow.--equability of temperature.--rain-fall for spring.--the constitutional character of the climate.--the lakes and rivers of the state.--the northeast winds.--where the northeasters begin.--their general direction and limit.--the atmospheric basin of iowa.--neglect of meteorology.--its importance to the country. chapter vii. consumption. consumption mapped out.--the east winds.--comparative statistics.--number of original cases of consumption in minnesota.--consumption can be cured.--rev. jeremiah day.--fresh air the best medicine.--the benefit of a dry atmosphere.--equability of temperature.--the power of the mind over disease.--kinds of consumption.--danger in delays. chapter viii. causes of consumption. prevention better than cure.--local causes of disease.--our school system objectionable.--dr. bowditch's opinion.--location of our homes important.--damp soils prolific of lung troubles.--bad ventilation.--value of sunshine.--city girls and city life.--fashionable society.--tight lacing fatal to sound health.--modern living.--the iron hand of fashion. chapter ix. hints to invalids and others. indiscretions.--care of themselves.--singular effect of consumption on mind.--how to dress.--absurdities of dress.--diet.--habits of people.--how english people eat.--what consumptives should eat.--things to be remembered.--the vanity of the race.--pork an objectionable article of diet.--characteristics of the south.--regularity in eating.--the use of ardent spirits by invalids.--the necessity of exercise.--the country the best place to train children.--examples in high quarters.--sleep the best physician.--ventilation.--damp rooms.--how to bathe. chapter x. where to go and what to see and expect. the best localities for invalids and others.--the city of minneapolis.--its drives and objects of interest.--cascade and bridal falls.--fort snelling.--minnehaha falls.--the city and falls of st. anthony.--anoka and st. cloud.--fishing and hunting.--wilmar and litchfield.--lake minnetonka.--experience in fishing.--some "big fish."--white bear lake.--the minnesota valley.--le sueur--st. peters and mankato.--minneopa falls.--southwestern minnesota.--its agricultural wealth and capabilities.--northern pacific railroad and its branches--the red river country.--trade with manitoba.--western life and habits. chapter xi. duluth. its location and rapid growth.--who named for.--enterprise of its people.--its fine harbor.--duluth bay.--the steamship connection with eastern cities.--pleasure travel up the lakes.--the lake superior and mississippi railroad.--the shortest route east for grain.--public improvements.--the fishing, lumber, and mining interests. chapter xii. the northern pacific railroad. the northwest.--its great extent and character.--j. cooke, esq.--the northern pacific railroad and its advantages.--the general line of the road.--the shortest route to asia.--the red river valley.--puget sound.--the future of our country. chapter xiii. other climates than minnesota. sketches of other climates and localities favorable to invalids.--california.--mortuary statistics of san francisco.--the wet and dry seasons.--san diego the best place.--florida and its reputation.--nassau as a resort.--fayal and its climate.--english and american visitors.--means of access. minnesota. introductory chapter. leading characteristics of the state. the water system of the stare.--its pure atmosphere.--violations of hygienic laws.--a mixed population.--general features of the country.--intelligence of the population.--the bountiful harvests.--geographical advantages. the interest attaching to the state of minnesota, as compared with other of the western states, is two-fold. while all are well known for their great fertility and prosperity, minnesota alone lays special claim to prominence in the superiority of her climate. how much this may be due to her peculiar geographical position is not wholly evident, but its influence must be great; and it is important to observe that the position of the state is central, being, in fact, the very heart of the continent. it is likewise remarkable for the vast water systems which have their origin within its boundaries, and their outlet through three of the great interior valleys, namely, the red river, northward to hudson's bay; the st. lawrence, eastward through the lakes; the mississippi river, southward, and all having one grand terminus where, through the powerful agency of the great river of the ocean, the "gulf stream," their reunited waters are borne away to the tropics, again to be returned, in gentle rains, to this central and elevated plateau known as the state of minnesota. since the first settlement of the state it has become gradually known as possessing an extremely salubrious climate. there was no scientific or official board of weatherwise people to proclaim the advantages of this young state, either in this or any other particular; but, by a continued succession of extremely favorable reports from the early settlers immigrating from adjoining districts, and from unhealthful and malarious localities in the older and more eastern states, her reputation steadily increased until the sanitary fame of this "far northwest" is now coextensive with its civil history. the chief characteristics of a healthful climate are pure atmosphere and pure water. these are seldom found in conjunction, except in the temperate latitudes; though there are a few localities in the sub-tropical regions where these conditions may be found, such as fayal, off the coast of spain; the high altitudes of some of the bahama and philippine islands; also at san diego in california; and likewise at st. augustine, on the east coast of florida. there are others which do not as readily occur to us at this writing. these two elements are always absolutely necessary to insure a good degree of health, but they do not secure it; quite far from it, as is well known, since the most careless observer must have noticed the varying sanitary degrees of localities in temperate latitudes, that are even contiguous to each other; the one, perhaps, being highly malarious, while the other is measurably healthful. and, again, great districts, occupying a half of a state, are so detrimental to sound health that half their population are whelmed with fevers--bilious, intermittent, and typhoid--from year's end to year's end. such a locality is the valley of the wabash river, in indiana. in passing through that country, after a season of prolonged wet summer weather, we have seen more of the inhabitants prostrate from disease, incidental to the climate, than there were well ones to care for them. it is seen that the selection of a home for ourselves and families is a matter of the very highest moment to all who desire to prolong life and enjoy the full possession of all their powers. very trifling attention has been given this question, as a rule, since we see on all hands multitudes crowding into unhealthy precincts, to say nothing of those more pestilential-breeding apartments which are everywhere inhabited by the poorer class, as well as by thousands of the well-to-do and intelligent people of both town and country. it is noteworthy, however, to observe the increasing interest manifested of late in all things pertaining to the laws of hygiene; and yet the alphabet of the subject remains a profound mystery to the greater masses of men. much praise should be awarded the daily press for its dissemination of valuable hints and arguments upon all the vital questions of health; and, but for newspapers, indeed, there would be no practical means of reaching the millions who, more than all others, so much need to be taught these invaluable, first lessons of life. the tide of emigration from the seaboard to the west has usually followed parallel lines; so that we find the state of texas settled, for the most part, by people from the states lying upon the gulf, while in missouri they hail largely from the carolinas, and from what were once known as the border slave states. going farther north, to minnesota, a preponderance of the new england element is found; though people from all the various states of the union are encountered to a greater extent than in any of the others lying in the northwest; and this fact is important as one of the circumstantial evidences of the great repute this state bears, _par excellence_, in the matter of her climate. we cannot suppose that this minor and miscellaneous population were attracted hither from any special attachment either to the people or the institutions of the commonwealth, but rather in quest of that health and vigor lost within their own warm, enervating, or miasmatic homes, which so abound in all the central and southern portions of the union. finding their healths measurably benefited by a residence here, they have brought their families, engaged in their various callings, and may now be found settled permanently in their new homes throughout all the towns and villages of the state. minnesota is known as the new england of the west, this appellation growing out of the fact that the great preponderance of her citizens, as before stated, are either of new england birth or origin; and this well-merited _sobriquet_ has, likewise, an additional application, since the general face of the country is diversified and quite in contrast with the endless stretch and roll of the shrubless prairies of some of the other great western and adjoining states. the traveller has but to pass over the flat surface of the state of illinois, and the nearly treeless country of iowa, to duly appreciate the pleasing contrast which the state of minnesota affords. while there is an utter absence of anything like mountain ranges (excepting upon the north shore of lake superior, where a belt of granite lifts itself above the surrounding woodlands), yet there is, everywhere, either a patch of timber, a valley bounded by gently receding country, or some gem of a lake set in the more open rolling prairie--all adding beauty and endless variety to the generally picturesque landscape. it might be entirely safe to assume that the people of minnesota, as a whole, are distinguished by a more aesthetic character than their neighbors living in the nearly dead level country below them. it is but reasonable to suppose that some, at least, in seeking new homes, would give a preference to attractive localities, even at the sacrifice of something of fertility; which is, to some extent, the case; as the low flat lands of the rivers below are unrivalled in their power of production--whether it be of the grains of wheat or disease. it is well known that scores of those moving into the west seek only the rich level lands which are easily manipulated; requiring no application, during their natural lives, of any restorative. and, if it only be free from surface obstructions at the outset, they are content--asking no questions relating to the more important matters of life, such as concern the health, companionship, and education of either their families or themselves, and accounting all the influences of the surrounding prospect as of no value. perhaps the ratio of increase in population is not greater in minnesota than in some of her adjoining sister states, notwithstanding her superior attractions of climate and scenery. yet, if this be true, it is readily accounted for in that the majority of the people moving westward do not readily consent to make their new homes north of the parallel of their old ones. on the contrary, the general tendency is to drop southward, desiring to escape as much as may be the protracted cold of winter; forgetting, or never knowing, that the isothermal lines have a general northwest direction as they cross the continent. many, also, as before mentioned, who seek solely a fertile soil, or those who wish to engage in a purely pastoral life (where the open and unreclaimed country is so favorable), move, as a rule, to points south of a due west course; thus leaving the more northern latitudes to such only as have an eye for them on account of their varied attractions, and who are quite willing to exchange a few dollars of extra income for a few pounds of extra flesh, and who count health as first-rate capital stock and the full equivalent of any other kind which a settler can possess. notwithstanding this general tendency of things, we believe the net increase in both population and wealth, for the last decade, to be relatively as great in the state of minnesota as in that of any other state in the union; or, at least, far above the average in the aggregation of those things which make up their power and importance. it would be a grave error, however, if the mind of the reader was left with the impression that this state was lacking in the fertility of her soil, and in those other elements so essential to the foundation, true prosperity, and greatness, such as can only come from a well-ordered system of agriculture and from prolific fields. far from this,--on the contrary, she is widely known at home and abroad as presenting as many inducements on the score of husbandry alone as any of the most highly favored of states. there doubtless is a percentage of advantage in richness of soil; but this is more than counterbalanced by the living springs and flowing streams that everywhere dot and cross her surface. ask the farmer on the distant plains what consideration he would give for pure and abundant water as against soil. her grasses are more tender and sweeter, and her beef better than is that of those localities which rival her in fertility. go walk through the waving fields of golden grain in summer-time, spread almost endlessly up and down her beautiful valleys, and far out over the rolling prairies, and then answer if eye ever beheld better, or more of it, in the same space, anywhere this side of the sierras. wheat is the great staple product of the west, and is the chief article of export. it is this, more than all things else, which puts the thousands of railway trains in motion, and spreads the white wings of commerce on all the lakes and oceans. this important grain is, in the valley of the mississippi, nowhere so much at home as in this state. the superior quality of the berry, and the abundant and steady yield of her acres, long since settled the question of her rank as a grain-producing state. the future has in store still greater triumphs in this same department for this young and noble commonwealth. she is at present in her veriest infancy, and, indeed, can scarcely be said to have taken the first step in that career which is so full of brilliant promise and grand capabilities. lest it be thought we have an overweening love for our subject, beyond its just deserts, let us add here that the state has, in its geographical position, most extraordinary advantages, which, at present, are little known and of little worth, but which the future must inevitably develop. the vast and fertile region lying to the northwest of minnesota, drained and watered by the red. assiniboine, and saskatchawan rivers respectively, and well known to be capable of maintaining a dense population, must draw its supplies, and seek outlet for its products, always paying tribute at the gates of this commonwealth in both cases. then there is the great national enterprise known as the north pacific railroad, on which already the iron horse has commenced his race, and which is being rapidly and determinedly carried forward, giving augury of a successful and speedy conclusion. this road passes through the central zone of the state, and, with its briearian arms, must cumulate untold wealth and power, only to be emptied into this "lap of empire." chapter ii. the upper mississippi. the source of the river.--the importance of rivers to governments as well as commerce.--their binding force among peoples.--the rapids at keokuk.--railroad and steamboat travelling contrasted.--points at which travellers may take steamers.--characteristics of western steamboats.--pleasuring on the upper mississippi.--the scenery and its attractions. the great central watershed of the continent is found within the boundaries of the state of minnesota, and the rains precipitated on this elevated plateau move off in opposite directions, becoming the sources of some of the principal rivers of this vast interior basin, with their waters flowing both to the arctic and equatorial seas. the chief of these is that of the "father of waters," rising in lake itaska, and emptying in the mexican gulf, separated by a distance of more than two thousand miles, washing in its course the shores of nine states, all embraced by this, the most fertile and important valley known to mankind. as an aid to civilization and to commerce, its value can never be fully estimated or completely comprehended. rivers are frequently important, in connection with mountain ranges, as supplying natural boundaries for governments and peoples who dwell on either side; but, they likewise perform the more important office of binding with indissoluble bonds communities living along their banks and tributaries, from origin to outlet, making their interests common and population kin. the european carlyles and believers in the divine rights of kings have, in view of the influx of discordant races and the jarring elements within, together with the cumbrous machinery of our government, prophesied that disintegration and ruin would ere long be ours. but they took no note of the harmony and fraternal feeling that must come between peoples so differing, when all have equal share in a government founded in justice, and on the broad principles of human right; and, last but not least, the important influence of those commercial relations which we sustain to each other, growing out of the general configuration and accessibility of the country occupied and governed. the mississippi river is the natural outlet and grand highway to the northwest, and contributed everything toward its early settlement; so that a sketch of it seems indispensable in connection with that of the state in which it has its rise, and with which its chief interest and history are intertwined. it is practically divided into two sections, that below keokuk being known as the _lower_, and that above (the part of which we now propose to consider) as the upper mississippi. this designation comes from having well-defined boundaries, in consequence of a ledge of rocks lying across the river immediately above the city of keokuk, which, during the lower stages of water, wholly prevents the passage of the larger class of steamers plying on the river below. from this point, there are about six hundred miles in one continuous stretch of navigation, up to the city of st. paul. on this upper river a smaller class of steamers are usually employed; though, at good stages of water, the larger boats are abundant; and, indeed, one of the most important lines in the upper river, the northwestern union packet company, employs five large steamers, which run between st. louis and st. paul, except in the very dry seasons. the small steamers, so called, are really large and commodious; but so constructed--as are in fact all of the steamers plying on our western rivers--that they draw but little water, being large and nearly flat-bottomed, sitting on the surface like a duck, and moving along, when lightly loaded, with apparent ease and at a comparatively high rate of speed. it is always a pleasing reflection to the tourist, and a comforting one to the invalid, to know that at least a portion of their journey may be performed on board of a well-kept and convenient steamship. they contrast so favorably with the dusty train, that we wonder the latter are half as well patronized as they are, when the two means of conveyance are running on parallel lines. but then we know very well that the man of business and people in haste do that which saves most time, regardless entirely of themselves, and more frequently of their neighbors, who have, in consequence of open windows, taken a thousand colds, and suffered pains, neuralgic and rheumatic, sufficient to have atoned for the sins of a world of such as these--their inconsiderate fellow-travellers. then the quantity of dust and smoke and cinders to be swallowed and endured, the damage to eyes of those who would beguile the mind into that forgetfulness of self; so painfully reminded of both the strait-jacket and the old-time, cruel stocks. then the utter obliviousness to all hygienic law in the packing of a score or more of people, like so many herrings in a box, into sleeping cars, over-heated and worse ventilated, and not--if measured by the rules of any common sense--more than sufficient for a fourth of the number occupying. how often have we risen in the morning, after spending the night in this manner, with a feeling akin to that which we fancy would come from being knocked in the head with a sack of meal, then gently stewed, and all out of pure fraternal regard to supply any deficiencies in our original bakings. the operation is certainly quite neat, and entirely successful, since all who have tried it are left in no sort of doubt as to their having been, at least once, thoroughly cooked. perhaps a philosophical view is best, and all feel grateful for the double service rendered, while the charge for transportation only is incurred. this is, however, too serious a business for much of jesting, as thousands are made to feel who have had occasion to travel much; and who is there of this restless, moving population of ours that does not, either on business or pleasure, make, sooner or later, extensive journeys? we are not unmindful of the many and important improvements made in the construction of railway carriages within the last decade, greatly tending to the conservation of both the health and comfort of the passenger; but there is still a good chance for inventors to attain both fame and fortune, if only the dust and cinders be kept out and fresh air kept in, without hazarding the health of any one by exposure to its draughts. these drawbacks to health and comfort in travelling are measurably avoided when journeying in or to the northwest during the season of navigation. the ohio river furnishes such an escape to the invalid seeking this region from the central belt of states; and the great lakes supply a more northern range of country; while less than a half day's ride from chicago places one at either dubuque, prairie du chien, or la crosse, where daily boats may be had for st. paul or any of the towns intermediate. these steamers differ widely from those in use on any of the rivers in the eastern states, and while not as substantial, seem better adapted to the trade and travel on these interior rivers. beyond occasional violent winds there is nothing in the elements for them to encounter, and hence they are built low to the water, of shallow draft, and an entire absence of all closed bulwarks used to keep out the sea by those plying in stormy waters. these western river boats would scarce survive a single passage on any large body of water, yet, for all the purposes for which they are required here, they seem admirably fitted. in making the journey from dubuque to st. paul and return, one of these steamers--and yet not of the largest class--requires a supply of five hundred bushels of coal, and full one hundred and twenty-five cords of wood, to keep its devouring furnaces ablaze and its wheels in motion. the round trip between these two points is made, including the landings, in about three days. the _up_-trip is performed with as great speed as that is down, owing to the greater economy of time in making the landings. in going up these are easily made, with bows on shore (they have no wharves); in coming down stream the ship is compelled, for her own safety, to turn in the river before reaching the landing, and then run "bows on," the same as when going up, else, if this was not done, the current of the river, which is often quite powerful, might drive the vessel too high on the shore, or wheel it around to its damage. this evolution requires a few minutes for its performance at each landing, and thus the whole time is about equally divided in the going and returning. the average dimensions of the class of steamers employed in this trade may be said to be about two hundred and forty feet in length and thirty-five in breadth, drawing from two to four feet of water, with accommodations for about one hundred and fifty cabin and as many more second-class passengers. the first deck is wholly devoted to the machinery and freight; and all is exposed to view from every side. the great furnaces occupy the centre of this deck, and their lungs of fire roar and breathe flames eagerly and dangerously out, like a serpent's forked, flashing tongue. the sides glow and swell from the increasing heat, and the iron arms of the machinery tremble and quake with the pent-up and rapidly accumulating forces, running unseen to and fro, only too ready to lend a helping hand--at anything. the seat of power in all this is, like the seat of power everywhere, hot and revolutionary, and those who occupy it must be vigilant, as only one head can control, though that is not unfrequently, on these western waters, the cylinder head. the fuel is in front and along, next the furnaces; while the freight is stacked on the bows and along the sides and aft, which is likewise the place where the ship's crew sleep, in bunks ranged on either hand above each other, like shelves, sheltering the sleeper only from the rains. the live stock is usually crowded into close quarters on the after and outlying guards, having a high railing and strong supports. by a staircase from the main deck in front the grand saloon is reached. this is the interesting feature of all these large river steamers. fancy a saloon one hundred and fifty feet in length, richly carpeted and upholstered, having large pendant chandeliers, glittering with all the known prismatic colors, the whole overarched by fancy scroll-work in pleasing combination with the supports to the ceiling and floor above; and, as is frequently the case, all being highly ornate, makes a fancy scene not unworthy of association with the famous palace of aladdin, as given us in the charming stories of the _arabian nights_. this, with some slight exaggerations in style, perhaps, is the home of the traveller while journeying on this upper and most interesting portion of the entire river. at night, with the saloon and ship all lighted, the scene is both inspiriting and brilliant. above the roll of the machinery and noise of the dashing waters comes the grateful melody of happy voices, lulling the tired traveller to repose and chasing away from other faces all recollection of painful responsibilities and cares. a sail on this upper river is a beautiful one, and all who can should make it. the scenery is not as varied or striking as is that of the hudson, of which one is constantly reminded; but it is nevertheless attractive and quite peculiar. the banks of the lower mississippi have risen here to high towering bluffs, giving a highly picturesque character to the landscape. this is the region of the lower magnesian limestone; and as it builds up these bluffs and crops out along their sides and at the tops, worn by the winds and rains of centuries--these rock exposures, gray and moss covered, have rounded into striking resemblances of old ruins, as if buried by convulsions in some unknown age, the homes of some possible race of montezumas, of which these are the only monuments and records. they often rise to the height of four and sometimes five hundred feet above the river, standing singly or in groups, and again stretch for long distances like the palisades of the hudson, differing from them in that they are not as abrupt and have their sides covered with the most luxuriant sward. those who can should climb to the summit of one of these cliffs and get a glimpse of as lovely a picture as it is possible to find in a journey round the world. the winding river, dotted all over with islands and fringed along its shores with forest-trees, expanding now into some miniature lake, then lost and broken by some intervening bluff, to the right or left of which stretches the distant prairie; the whole forming a panoramic view unrivalled in interest and beauty by any we have ever seen elsewhere. it is impossible for us adequately to describe to the reader these varying scenes of beauty in the landscapes which present themselves as we sail. they should come and see for themselves, and bask in the pure, bracing atmosphere, and the genial sunshine of these bluest of blue skies. chapter iii. river towns. brownsville, the first town.--the city of la crosse.--victoria and albert bluffs.--trempeleau and mountain island.--the city of winona.--its name and origin.--the winona and st. peters railroad.--the air-line railroad.--her educational interests.--advancement of the west.--the towns of wabasha and reed's landing.--lake pepin and maiden's rock.--romantic story.--an old fort.--lake city and frontenac.--red wing and hastings.--red rock. the first landing in minnesota, going up the river, is made at brownsville, a very small village, nestled close in under the hillside, and overshadowed by the high bluffs which seem to threaten its existence, and would quite exterminate it should land-slides ever become possible with these silicious limestone battlements. beyond being an outlet for surplus products of the back country, it has no importance and no attractions. the traveller is now one hundred and thirty miles above dubuque, one of the points of embarkation for those from the east who visit the state by the way of the river. if the sail is made by daylight between these places, most suggestive impressions are made on the mind of the immense area of iowa; for, while constantly expecting soon to catch a glimpse of "dakota land," you are all day baffled by the presence of this intervening state, which, somehow, seems determined to travel with you up the river, and, by its many attractions, woo you to residence and rest. the fertile fields of wisconsin, on the other hand, do not seem at all obtrusive, since you expect them on your right soon after leaving dunleith; and, when the city of la crosse comes in view, its bright aspect of industrial life, its busy streets, spacious warehouses, fine shops, and thronging commerce, challenge our love of the good and beautiful in civilized life. indeed, this handsome and prosperous city is one of the most pleasant and interesting places which attract the traveller's attention along the two thousand miles of this navigable river. many, in coming to the "northwest" by the way of chicago, travel as far as la crosse by rail, where abundant opportunities are had for steam transportation to st. paul, and all intervening towns. the islands have now so multiplied that here, and for some distance above, the river seems more an archipelago than anything else. islands of all sizes and shapes, wooded and embowered with a great variety of shrubs and vines, so that in springtime they seem like emeralds set in this "flashing silver sea;" and when summer is ended, and the frost-king has come, they are robed in royal splendor--in crimson and purple and gold--seeming to be the fanciful and marvellous homes of strangest fairies, who, during this season of enchantment hold, it is said, at midnight, high carnival on the islands of this upper and beautiful river. be that as it may, they certainly add to the attractions of a sail along this "father of waters," and give picturesqueness to the landscape which, before seeing, we had not credited with so much of interest and beauty as we found it to possess. a couple of hours' additional steaming brings us to the lofty peaks standing on the left of the river, one of which, from the resemblance of its crest to the crown of england, has given rise to the names of victoria and albert. they are over five hundred feet in height, and believed to be the tallest of any of the cliffs along the river. beyond, on the right, stands boldly the lone sentinel of mountain island, at the base of which is the small village of trempeleau, where a moment's halt is made, and the wheels of the great ship splash through the water again, all tremulous with nervous energy and pent-up power as they bend slowly to their slavish labor; and, the only labor that man has any right to make a slave of is that with iron arms and metallic lungs. he may compel these to work and groan and sweat at every pore with honor to himself and the added respect of all mankind. a few miles further and the city of winona is in view. this is the most populous town in the state of minnesota south of st. paul. it occupies a low, level tract projecting from the base of the bluffs, which circle its rear in the shape of an ox-bow, and, in times of high water, becomes an island, owing to its great depression at its junction with the bluffs. the town stands on the front of this low plateau, along the channel of the river, and has a population of nine thousand people, counting the nomadic lumbermen, who live half the year in the piny woods many hundred miles to the north, and the other half are floating on the rafts down the river; a rough but useful people, who betimes will lose their heads and winter's wages in a single drunken fray, which they seem to consider the highest pleasure vouchsafed to them each season as they return to the walks of civilized life. the pleasant sounding name of winona is one of the many dakota words abounding along the river and over the state, and was the appellation of the beautiful indian girl who so tragically ended her life by leaping from the top of maiden's bluff, bordering the eastern shore of lake pepin above, and of which we shall presently speak more in detail. it is a name always given by the dakotas to the first-born female child of a family. as was the maiden, celebrated in song and story, so is the town, quite handsome and interesting in many points of aspect. it is the objective point for great quantities of freight by boat up the river, to be from thence distributed through the whole southern section of minnesota by means of the important railway line extending from this city to the interior, tapping the st. paul and milwaukee road at owatanna, and the st. paul and sioux city at st. peter's and mankato; draining one of the most fertile districts in the commonwealth of its immense stores of wheat and other grains seeking an outlet and an eastern market. this road is known as the winona and st. peter's, and is a trunk line, with the sure promise of increasing importance to the state and profit to its projectors. by means of it the great lumber marts of minneapolis and st. anthony, and likewise the capital, are brought in close proximity to this commercial city of winona; and much of the trade and travel of the fertile valley of the minnesota river must, by means of this line, prove tributary to the rapid growing town. the march of progress is never ended in the life of the west; and, ere the present year passes, an entirely new line both north and east will have been completed, and then a new era of prosperity will be inaugurated. we refer to the st. paul and chicago air-line railway, which, starting at st. paul, follows the river banks to this place, where it is to cross to wisconsin, thence direct to chicago, leaving la crosse forty miles below, and out of the line. heretofore the means of travel to chicago and the east has been either by rail to owatanna, far to the west, or the more common practice of going by steamer in summer and stage in winter to la crosse, thus of necessity paying both compliments and costs to this rival town, which has not been highly relished by the winonians. the new route will make them entirely independent of the denizens of la crosse. but both places have resources peculiar to themselves and quite sufficient to insure prosperity and fame. those visiting winona are impressed with the general neatness of the place, and the number and finish of its business blocks and private residences. there are many fine churches erected, whose capacity, though large, is not much greater than seems demanded by the church-going inhabitants, which affords both a commentary and index to their general high character. among the public buildings worthy of special attention is that of their normal school, recently finished at a cost of over one hundred thousand dollars, being a model of elegance and convenience. this is a state institution, free to pupils of a certain class, and is one of three--all of the same character--erected under the patronage of the state, and for the location of which towns were invited to compete. winona secured this, mankato another, and st. cloud the third, all noble buildings, as we can personally testify, and which give to the people of this state opportunities such as those of the older commonwealths were utterly destitute, and are still, so far as scope, scale, and affluence are concerned. then there is the city school, costing over half a hundred thousand dollars, and likewise highly ornamental, as well as useful. new england long boasted of her superiority in the rank of her schools; especially was this the case in connecticut, where a school fund existed, reducing somewhat the expense attending their maintenance; but they used no part of this fund toward the building of school-houses, and it is a question if it has not had there an opposite effect of what originally it was intended to accomplish. the same old shabby school-houses, fifteen by twenty, still do duty, and the district committee annually figure with the many youthful candidates for teachers--who, it used to be said, came there on a horse--to make the per-head allowance of the school fund, with boarding around thrown in, pay for their three months' services. had the people understood they must hand out the whole school expenses, and seen personally to the education of their children, they would have had a livelier interest in the whole business; and this, with compelled liberality, would have paved the way for greater expenditure and effort. neighborhood rivalries of suitable buildings would have followed, and, instead of incompetent teachers being the rule, they would have been the exception, and those of us whose fortune it has been to be born in new england would not now be such "jacks of all trades and masters of none" as we are. the west deserves great commendation for their lively interest in all that relates to the education of the young. why, almost any of these states excel those of new england in school matters, outside of two or three of the great universities which they happen to possess. several years ago, in passing through indiana and visiting several of the village schools, we were surprised and astonished at the superior class of text-books that were in use, and the improved methods of teaching in practice; and, likewise, the prompt and intelligent manner of the scholar in his exercises and examples, as compared with similar schools at the east; all a proof of the superior methods and facilities in vogue. the new states have had it in their power to do what most of the older ones had not, and after all they cannot claim all the credit of their advancement in these matters, for the general government shares part of the honor in this wise provision for the education of the people, having donated one section of land in every township in some of the newer states. this was the case in minnesota. these lands are to be used in establishing a school fund, and this has already amounted to a large sum--two million five hundred thousand dollars; and these normal school buildings are an evidence alike of the wisdom of the measure and magnitude of this fund. the site of the town--while ample for a large city, having an area of several miles in extent--seems rather too low to insure that dryness essential to good health, though we believe its general sanitary reputation is as good as any of the towns along the river, and this is more than could be expected, since its general elevation scarce exceeds a dozen feet above the river when at a fair stage of water. its levee accommodations are extensive and excellent, and the place must always remain the most important in southern minnesota. passing several minor towns and landings, along the river, we next come to wabasha, a village of about fifteen hundred inhabitants, with the prettiest location of any that we have yet seen. it stands on an elevated table, about forty feet above the river, and invites the tourist and invalid, by its pleasant quietness, to tarry and inspect the place. the hospitable-looking hotel, with its ample lawn and grounds close by the banks of the river, give promise of abundant rest and recreation. the grain interest is the all-absorbing one at this point, as it is everywhere along the river. a short distance above, and reed's landing appears. this town is at the foot of lake pepin, and likewise at the foot of a huge bluff. this place becomes in spring the terminus of the steamers which are prevented from proceeding farther in consequence of the heavier ice of the lake remaining an obstruction to commerce for a period of ten days or two weeks longer than that in the river proper. lake pepin is nearly thirty miles in length, with an average width of about three miles, presenting an unbroken sheet of water; bounded on both its sides by tall perpendicular bluffs, with here and there isolated peaks towering far above their companions, having something of the dignity of mountain ranges. this lake is famed for its great attractions of natural beauty, and is not disappointing to the traveller. it is a singular body of water, and while it is a part of the river still it differs from it in so many aspects that it is fairly entitled to be termed a lake. below, the river is divided into numerous and devious channels by intervening islands of an irregular and picturesque character, uniting to give a grand, kaleidoscopic variety to the journey; but here, at lake pepin, the waters have free scope, and rise and swell under the pressure of storms sufficient to move and sway the heaviest fleets. the water is remarkably clear and cold, and is said to be over a thousand feet in depth at some points. it is a tradition among the indians that the bed of the river, with its islands, sank during a great storm, in which the earth trembled and shook for many leagues around. this seems quite possible, and the general formation of the lake indicates that their tradition is founded on actual fact. the chief point of interest attaching to this locality is that known as the maiden's rock, a perpendicular cliff midway of the lake on the eastern shore. were there no legend connected with it, the eye would be arrested by its lofty and impressive form, as it stands alone frowning on the dark, deep waters of the lake below. chief wapashaw, whose village once occupied the site of the present city of winona, had a daughter, _weenonah_, the beauty and pride of all his tribe. this fair maiden had been thwarted in her affections by powerful and cruel hands, and rather than submit to unite her young life with one, other than he whom she so fondly loved, resolved to sacrifice herself. a fishing party, of which she was a member, proceeded to this lake, and while resting on the eastern shore she fled away, and to the top of this high eminence, where, discovering herself to the company below, she recited the story of her broken heart and undying love for him whose name she had been even forbade to speak, and, closing by chanting a wild death-song, flung herself down the sides of this terrible precipice, and was dashed in pieces. her father and friends, guessing her intent, on being hailed by her from the top of this rock, dispatched, as the story goes, their fleetest of foot to her rescue, but unavailingly. no indian passes by this place of tragedy without uttering mournful wails in memory of their beautiful and loved weenonah. along the base of these cliffs are numerous caverns, once the abode of wild beasts, and, even as late as carver's visit, in , numbers of bears were found wintering in them, and in the minor caves numberless rattlesnakes were seen by him. in his explorations in this immediate neighborhood he discovered, on the edge of the prairie, the outlines of an old fortification, which was distinctly traceable, and extended for nearly a mile, in its sweep enveloping an area ample for five thousand men. its form was semi-circular, with the flanks resting on the river. the whole appearance was as if it had been built full a century before his visit, and while the ditch was indistinguishable, its angles were, and "displayed as much of science as if built by a pupil of vauban himself." what race could have originally constructed it is a mystery, certainly not any of the known tribes inhabiting this country. carver could not have misjudged the character of these intrenchments, since he had himself received a military education, and was therefore, of all explorers, not likely to be misled in his estimate. the pleasure seeker will find it convenient to visit any portion of lake pepin from any of the villages along its shores. from lake city a steamer usually plies to all interesting points, up and down the lake. those wishing to halt in a locality of rare beauty and refined society, will choose frontenac above. half a dozen miles above the north end of the lake comes red wing, named after one of the great dakota chiefs. it is attractively situated on the esplanade adjoining the famous barnes' bluff, with an amphitheatre of hills in the rear completely sheltering and hedging the place from view as it is approached from the south. the bluff is between four and five hundred feet in height, and on its summit lies buried the remains of the great chief, red wing. the place has an increased importance, now that the "air-line" railway between st. paul and chicago passes through, giving speedy and constant communication to those cities all the year round. on reaching the mouth of the st. croix, thirty miles above, both banks of the mississippi belong to minnesota; the former watercourse filling out the eastern boundary of the state. the st. croix river is an important tributary to the upper mississippi, and penetrates one of the great pine districts of the northwest. the principal business done on this stream is lumbering, which gives employment to many hundreds of people, and amounts in the aggregate to many thousands of dollars annually. navigation extends to taylor's falls, some sixty-five miles from its mouth. there is a regular line of steamers plying between st. paul and the head of navigation, making daily trips, and doing a prosperous business. they are, however, quite small and apparently inadequate to the increasing trade. the most important of all the towns on the st. croix is stillwater, with a population of several thousand souls. the chief object of interest, statewise, is the penitentiary, which we did not care particularly to examine. the city can boast, however, of a noble school edifice, and county court-house, either of which would adorn any place in the country. there is at present no rail connection with st. paul, though this want is soon to be supplied, and when completed it is expected to extend the line toward the railway system of wisconsin and the east. the st. croix is famed among tourists for its beautiful scenery and attractive falls at the head of navigation. pleasure parties make frequent excursions from st. paul, and the trip is truly enjoyable if you are always sure of so urbane and obliging an officer as is captain william kent. just above the junction of these two rivers is the town of hastings, one of the great wheat marts of the northwest. it has several thousand inhabitants, the foreign element preponderating, we should judge. there are no specially interesting features either in or about the immediate neighborhood, if we except the vermilion falls. the only remaining object worthy of attention, aside from the scenery of the river, between this town and the city of st. paul, is red rock camping-ground, situated on the east shore, on a level stretch of land six feet above the river at high water. this tract is quite extensive, and for the most part free of any timber beyond a grove or two, all of which is now owned by the methodist association, and occupied by them annually as a camp-ground. this same ground was formerly used by the indians as a camp-ground on the assembling of the various tribes of the dakotas in general council, or on grand holidays, celebrated by all the various national bands. it derives its name from a rock, which is about six feet in diameter and nearly round, lying a few rods only from the river and in plain sight as the steamer passes. this rock was mysteriously striped with red paint every year by the indians, and was known by them as the red rock. long after the occupation of the country by the whites, the custom of painting it was regularly kept up while any of the race remained, and it still bears marks of their work. no one ever saw them paint it, and it is believed the work was secretly done at night. it was held sacred by them as the abode of some good spirit, and received a certain homage, such as these superstitious, polytheistic people were accustomed to render their gods. chapter iv. st. paul. as seen from the deck of the steamer.--the pleasant surprise it gives the visitor.--impressions regarding new places.--the beauties of the city.--the limestone caves.--père louis hennepin.--the population of st. paul.--its public buildings and works.--a park wanted.--the geological structure of the country.--st. paul, the capital city.--its railroad connections.--the head of navigation.--impressions. our first visit to the apostolic city was on the morning of one of those golden days in early autumn, any one of which might have inspired longfellow's little poem, "a day of sunshine," they were so perfect. the goodly ship on which we came was rounding a tract of low meadow-land, skirted by some forest growths, when suddenly the streaming sunlight was flashed back to us from the spires of the city of st. paul itself, sitting like a queenly crown at the head of this noblest of all rivers. all were surprised and delighted to find that, in the matter of its location and general appearance, it so far exceeded what our fancies had painted it. no correct idea had been conveyed by any representation of it that we had ever seen, nor had any sketch sufficiently outlined it for the imagination to fill up; yet we were prepared to see a _pretty_ city, though not looking for a _grand_ one. the view from the deck of the steamer, as the traveller approaches the place, is one of the best. the river makes an abrupt turn to the westward, in front of the city, which is situated on the northern side of this elbow, immediately at the turn, with its face full southward down the river. it would, after all, fail to be as imposing as it is but for its location, which is greatly elevated above the river, rising from it in irregular grades, with intervening tables, back fully a mile to the summit of the high bluffs forming the rear of the city. the common impression in relation to all towns in the new states, and with reason, too, is, that they are of such rapid growth, under speculative influences, as to often possess no solid elements of prosperity, and that, after the first wave of excitement dies out, they collapse; but if they have real advantages of position and enterprise combined, the prize is as surely theirs. the critical period for st. paul has passed, like that in the life of its great namesake, and the visitor, as he walks along the streets of the town, finds evidences of its substantial and permanent growth on every hand. probably no place of the same population in the entire valley, from new orleans up, can boast of as many substantial and costly stores, or as many elegant and tasteful houses, as can st. paul. the fine prospect to be had from every portion of the town is likewise a noted feature peculiar to itself, and is what neither wealth nor art can create. back, on the edge of the bluff, which surrounds the city in a semi-circular form, runs summit avenue, already a fashionable quarter, but which, ere long, must be famed as commanding one of the most interesting landscapes in a country abounding in many natural beauties. from dayton's bluff, on the left, likewise an attractive point in itself, the best view of the city can be had. under this bluff is a cave, which was used as the council-chamber of the red men, and has been the witness of many a notable event. it is a subterraneous cavern formed by the running water wearing away the soft, white, calcareous sand, which, everywhere in this section, underlies the strata of blue limestone next to the surface. there are several of these caves near the town, but of no great interest beyond serving to while away an idle hour, or to give some additional zest to a morning's ramble. st. paul received its name from père louis hennepin, a european, belonging to the order of franciscans, who landed on the present site of the city while on a voyage of exploration and discovery up the mississippi river, in april, . he was an extensive traveller and prolific writer; but of all things done by him, that of giving the name of the famous apostle to this locality, and now city, was by far the best. the next hundred and fifty years passed by and still all a blank, and not till , the year following the territorial organization of minnesota, can it be said to have assumed the appearance of a permanent settlement, with a population of perhaps a thousand adventurous souls. the present enumeration of st. paul, as given by the census of , just completed, shows a trifle over twenty thousand. this is not as high a figure as the people had hoped for and counted upon; but yet this shows an increase of about seventy-five per cent. for the last five years. no one can walk the city and not believe that this recent and rapid growth has substantial foundation in the enlarging business and increasing importance of the town itself. the public buildings and works of the city are worthy of note in any sketch; and we would first call attention to the capitol, which stands obscured from the river, and back of the centre of business, on the table between the front and rear bluffs. it is a plain structure of brick, in the form of a cross, with wings of equal length. this must eventually give room to a more suitable and dignified structure, yet for all present needs, and during the infancy of the state, it is not at all inappropriate. the most costly building, when finished, will be the custom-house of the general government. it is being built of granite, brought from st. cloud, and is estimated to cost the handsome sum of three hundred thousand dollars. the interests of education are well looked after in the half-dozen public school buildings; and the religious element has abundant spiritual food dispensed from the full score of costly and well-ordered church edifices, some of which contribute much to the architectural grace and ornament of the town. a notable feature in the landscape, as the city is approached by either railroad or river, is the wooden bridge spanning the river just at the steamboat landing. it is over a fourth of a mile in length, and built upon an _inclined plane_, at a cost of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. the first abutment on the side of the city starts on a level with the bluff, giving seventy-five feet between the bridge and the river, and then falls rapidly away, supported by nine stone piers, to the low flat land on the opposite shore. this is used as a carriage road, and connects st. paul with all the adjacent country on the opposite side of the river. a half-mile beyond this bridge, the companion bluff to that on which the city stands begins, rising to an equal height with it. these bluffs, however, it should be stated, are not of such imposing appearance as are those on the river below, and concerning which we have written in a preceding chapter. they seem to gradually lessen in height from four and five hundred feet at lake pepin, where the greatest altitude occurs, to about one-third of that here at st. paul. the city's supply of water is fine, and at all times abundant; a lake back of the town being the natural reservoir of this supply. what has been to many towns a great labor and burden, has here required but a trifling expense. hotels are usually the traveller's thermometer by which he judges the culture, beauty, and general characteristics of the town. it is quite singular that people remember a town either with delight or disgust, just in proportion as the entertainment furnished at their hotel is good or bad, but there is more of truth in this than any of us would care at first to acknowledge. the good people of st. paul have, however, nothing to fear in this respect. there are several fine establishments, chief of which is the "metropolitan," and then the "park place," with its cool and ample verandahs, inviting travellers to repose and rest. the question of a public park is being agitated, and with every hope that it will be carried to successful results. but little attention has been given this matter by any of our cities until a very recent period; and now their beauty and utility having been established, many towns are moving in this most important matter. st. paul can afford to issue bonds liberally to this end; and should the district under consideration be secured, including the beautiful lake como, little elaboration will suffice to make it immediately a notable feature of the town. the strata of blue limestone near the surface, and on which the city practically stands, is of great value, and quarries can be opened anywhere, from which good building material in unlimited quantities can be had at small cost; easily competing with lumber in the market, which is likewise plentiful, as we shall see when we come to look into the history and growth of the sister city on the river, above. this stone already constitutes the chief material used in the erection of all the better class of buildings in the city, and, indeed, third street, the principal business thoroughfare, has even now little else than this honest and solid-looking material to represent it. the sandstone underlying the magnesian limestone, and which is so soft as to be easily crushed, could be used we judge in the manufacture of glassware at great profit to the manufacturer; but as yet, there is nothing done that we know, and it is not strange when we reflect that it is but a score of years since st. paul was really occupied and settled. all of this various strata of rock and sand belongs, geologically speaking, to what is known as the lower silurian system, extending from near the western shores of lake michigan, and sweeping over all the lower half of minnesota, westward and upward along the valley of the great red and assinniboin rivers to the north, marking one of the most prolific grain growing belts on the continent, if not in the world. while this limestone underlying the surface is valuable for the purposes heretofore named, it performs a still greater service to mankind in having contributed much of those qualities which have given in certain departments of agriculture, highest prominence to the state. st. paul is both the political and commercial capital of minnesota, and must always remain such without doubt, though it does not occupy a central geographical position, still it is the practical centre of the commonwealth, made such by the enterprise of her people in extending the system of railways in all directions, with this point as a pivotal centre. there are already seven important roads[a] radiating from this city, either completed or in rapid course of construction, giving at the present time a total of about seven hundred miles of finished road, over which daily or more trains run, and all within the boundaries of the state. other lines beginning and ending elsewhere, yet likewise in the state, are not included, of course, in this consideration. these roads penetrate already, or will when completed, the principal centres of trade and agriculture lying in the northwest. daily communication is already had by rail with the cities of chicago, milwaukee, and duluth, and in the near future another, and, perhaps, in some respects; the most important link of all, that connecting st. paul with omaha and the union pacific railway, known as the st. paul and sioux city road. this line traverses the most fertile district in the state, as well as the most populous, following up the rich valley of the minnesota to mankato, where it leaves the river, holding a southwest direction for sioux city in iowa. the road is now completed as far as madelia, one hundred and twelve miles from st. paul, leaving a gap of about one hundred and fifty miles to be finished in order to make the proposed connection with the great central trunk road to the pacific coast. we do not think that there is a single township of poor land along its entire route. on the other hand, speaking from personal observation, we know that the land is uniformly above the average in fertility, productiveness, and beauty. another, a more recent link of road, binding the city to the northeast and east as firmly as does the other to the southwest, is that known as the lake superior and mississippi road, reaching one hundred and fifty miles to the young city of duluth, standing at the head of the great lakes, whence cheap transportation to the atlantic seaboard may be had for all the products of the northwest. then there are the two lines in progress, which, with the one already running, will make three routes to chicago and milwaukee. by the present one, the st. paul and milwaukee, a whole day is consumed in making the journey, while by either of the others, sixteen hours only will be required. this saving of time will insure to the new routes a prosperous career. one of these new roads, the st. paul and chicago, nearly an air-line, is already done as far as red wing. this road follows the river to winona, where it crosses, thence to madison, making connection with a completed line to chicago. when done, this will be the most desirable _all rail_ route from the latter city to st. paul and the principal towns along the river in minnesota. these truly great enterprises, of which st. paul is the centre, form a just commentary on the prescience and industry of her people, who, while watchful of their own, do not forget the general interest of all, thereby giving to individual life a zest and recompense which mark only the highest and best purposes of our race. thus we see the iron arms of this possible future capital of the nation reaching out in all directions from this central seat of empire, binding firmly to it the great resources and vast wealth of the outlying and now tributary country, which as yet is only in the alphabet of its development. time was when a visit to st. paul was accounted an era in the life of the traveller, since its remoteness and general inaccessibility involved a special journey; but now, few fail to make the tour while passing through the west, since both the facilities and pleasures are so great. to stand at the head of two thousand miles of steamboat navigation along the line of a single river is in itself, were there no city, an inspiration. and when we contemplate that more than ten thousand miles of inland navigation attaches to this great river and its tributaries, at the head of which stands the beautiful city of st. paul, we do not marvel at the dreams of splendor and of power already haunting the thinking population of this vast interior valley. a few brief years and the sceptre of political empire will have passed forever into the hands of this people without question, and ere long thereafter we confidently predict that the seat of government will surely follow. we know that the population along the atlantic coast deride this idea; and, while having shared heretofore like opinions with them, yet, on reflection, we believe the child is born who will live to see this an accomplished fact. footnotes: [a] we have counted the pacific main line and the branch line as separate roads, and likewise have assumed, that the milwaukee and st. paul terminates here. these roads are now owned by the north pacific railroad company. chapter v. climate. the climatic divisions of the country.--periodical rains.--prevailing winds of the continent.--changes of temperature.--consumption in warm climates.--cold, humid atmospheres.--what climate most desirable for the consumptive.--the dry atmosphere of the interior.--dry winds of the interior.--table of rain-fall of the whole country. until a comparatively recent date the climate of the continent was held, by all of the more learned in matters of physical geography and climatic law, to have but one general characteristic; but these conclusions have been found to be utterly erroneous, and now it is known to be susceptible of division into three great and entirely distinct areas, each being highly marked, and leaving, on these various surfaces, peculiar evidence of their existence. instead of an _oceanic_ climate prevailing over the entire continent, it is found to have but very narrow limits along the pacific coast of the united states, being broken entirely from the interior by the elevated mountain ranges, conforming to them throughout their entire extent, and having a sweep from near the thirty-sixth parallel to sitka and the aleutian islands, away to the extreme northwest. the second division embraces the great interior basin lying between the ranges of one hundred and twenty degrees and ninety-two degrees west longitudes, having a general trend from the southwest, at san diego, to hudson's bay in british america, in the northeast. this vast district is paralleled by that of the interior climate and character of the continent of asia in its elevation, aridity, and great extent, and may be known as the true continental or asiatic climate of the united states. it is on the edge of this district, and visibly under its influence, that the state of minnesota, for the most part, lies. but we pass, for the present, to the brief consideration of the third grand division, embracing the entire country east of a line drawn from near central texas to the centre of wisconsin, including the immediate region surrounding all the great lakes. here we have an association of elements constituting a highly variable climate, which prevails over all its surface at all seasons, with remarkable uniformity. the wide range in both vegetable and animal life over this area is one of its chief distinguishing characteristics, partaking of the semi-tropical on the one hand, with a low winter temperature on the other, but traversing neither range so far as to prove directly destructive in its effects. all over this eastern area are scattered lakes and rivers, with an ocean boundary line, and uniform forest ranges with a great variety of deciduous trees known to the temperate and sub-tropical latitudes; and it is quite remarkable to note that some of the latter forms extend in their acclimation to near the northern boundary lines of the union, while the pine, walnut, and chestnut may be found at or near the extreme southern limits. in all of these three grand divisions of climate, however, exceptional localities exist where there is a marked nonconformity to the prevailing characteristics. the peninsula of florida is such an exception, owing to its peculiar location, and the great humidity of its atmosphere during a considerable fraction of the year. here we have a fully developed season of periodical rains, beginning usually in june and ending in the latter part of september. the winter is the dry season, being contrary to the general rule applying to tropical and sub-tropical areas, and forms, with the mild temperature, the principal ground for the reputation which that state has as a resort for special classes of invalids.[b] the sudden and extreme variations of temperature in this eastern climatic tract, whether from local disturbing causes, as is not unfrequently the case, or otherwise, are usually accompanied by cold draughts of air, chilling and generating all manner of ills, of which rheumatism and consumption are the separate and highest types. while it is generally understood that the prevailing winds of the whole continent embraced within the limits of the united states are uniformly from the west, still, over this eastern division, counter-winds of a lower character disturb, modify, and elevate the course of this great westerly current, giving rise to the exceeding variability of the surface winds, which, as is well known, may blow within the brief space of twenty-four hours from all directions of the compass, at almost any time and point whatsoever. changes of temperature, while essential in some circumstances to health, may be, if of a certain specific character, infinitely damaging, and such are the cold humid winds from the northeast with easterly inclinations. these are the dreadful scourges of all the atlantic slope above the carolinas, and there is scarce any portion east of the mississippi valley free from their occasional visitation. in the extreme southern limits, along the gulf, and on the peninsular state, the poison, so to speak, of this wind, is so far modified by the greater temperature of these localities as measurably to disarm it of danger; yet, even in those latitudes, it is to be (during and after a prolonged storm) avoided by all, and especially weak and enfeebled constitutions. the cases of consumption found in these warmer climates have been cited as disproving the heretofore accepted theory that this disease was limited in range to the middle and eastern portion of the union; and it has been further assumed that the liability to its attack was as great there as at any point further north. these conclusions have little foundation in fact, as is well known by all who have taken pains to investigate the question with that thoroughness which the subject demands. the catalogue of ills belonging to all warm climates is not only long enough, but likewise sufficiently dreadful, without adding to it that scourge, which is the child of the northeast winds, with its home in the changeful temperature along the upper atlantic coast. it is quite true that cases occur in even tropical districts, but they are the stray offspring of some unusual departure of the cold and humid northerly currents. it must not, however, be taken as a sequence of this proposition that any and all warm countries would prove a sovereign balm and remedy; but, that there are a few localities of this condition in temperature, where patients of the class under consideration may reside with positive advantage, and not unfrequent restoration to health follow, we both believe and know. but there is so great a liability to contract some of the many fatal febrile, and other diseases of hot countries, together with their usually excessive humid character and greatly enervating effects, especially on those who have been born and reared in cooler and higher latitudes, that it comes to be a serious question for consideration whether the chances of remedy hoped for in a residence at such places is not more to be dreaded than the disease itself. in what direction, then, can the invalid turn with any immediate or ultimate hope of either relief or a permanent cure? we answer, that any place where a dry, equable climate can be found, all other things being equal, will give the desired relief and probable cure, if resorted to in season, and if certain hygienic regulations be carefully and persistently observed. the next question is, have we a climate answering this important requirement, and, at the same time, outside of the range of epidemics and fatal fevers; easily accessible, and affording, when reached, the necessary comforts and aids incidental to a restoration? to this we have an affirmative reply to give, coupled with some modifications, and point to the central climatic division of the continent as possessing, in its dry elastic atmosphere and generally equable temperature, the requisite desideratum. minnesota lies within this division, and, while upon the outer edge, is still markedly under the influence of the prevailing climate which distinguishes the whole of this middle area. other sections within its limits there may be, and, indeed, doubtless are, just as favorable, if not more so, than is that of minnesota, but they are lacking either in facilities for reaching them, or in the needed comforts, and perhaps in the commonest necessities which are absolute in all cases,--a wholesome diet being one of the great essentials to recuperation. minnesota affords, of course, all of these aids in large abundance, and is likewise quite easy of access, thus answering, in these particulars at least, the ends desired. it may now be well to examine the chief characteristics belonging to this central climatic division, on the northeastern edge of which lies the state under special consideration. we have already observed that the prevailing and prominent winds of the continent blow uniformly from the pacific toward the atlantic coast, having a slight northerly tendency. it is important that this fact be kept in mind. this wind is constantly sweeping across the north pacific ocean, by which it is tempered and ladened with a vast amount of moisture, which is borne to the shores of the continent, and, but for the elevated mountain ranges along the whole of that coast, would be quite evenly distributed over the interior, giving to all of the western and central area such an abundance of fertilizing rains as the western half of the continent of europe now possesses, and to which this would then be in climate almost an exact counterpart. but instead we have only a slender breadth of territory answering to the oceanic climate of western europe, embracing that which lies between the pacific shores and the sierra and rocky mountain ranges. within this belt is precipitated nearly all of the moisture contained in the atmosphere. the warm, humid westerly winds, driven against the lofty and cool mountain sides, have their moisture suddenly and rapidly condensed, and the rain-fall on their western slope is found by measurement to be prodigious, reaching as high as sixty-five cubic inches for the year, being equal in quantity to that falling in many tropical districts, and greatly exceeding that of any other portion of the united states. these mountains have a determining influence on the climate, both of the coast and of that in the interior. they act on the clouds as they sweep against and over them, like a comb, extracting all possible moisture, leaving a cool, elastic, and arid continental atmosphere for this central area under present review. the effect is at once pronounced and everywhere visible. less than two degrees of longitude _east_ of these mountain ranges there is but about (taking the whole line from the thirty-fifth parallel to the northern boundary) an average fall of seven and a half cubic inches of rain, a difference of over fifty-five cubic inches within the year, in districts separated by less than one hundred miles in a straight line from each other. the consequence is, that, while in one there is a luxuriant growth in all kinds of vegetation, in the other barren plains (destitute of all except the lowest forms of vegetable life) exist, with a gradual but slow return, as the eastern course of the winds are followed, to that normal condition which prevails in districts where an abundant supply of moisture is furnished. this is not fully found till the western limit of the third climatic division is reached, where again we see on all hands a general distribution of rivers and forests over the whole of this area, with copious rains at all seasons, and humid and cool conditions of the atmosphere, following each other in rapid alternations; producing what we have seen fit to call the variable climatic district, embracing the whole eastern half of the continent. the extreme high temperature of the interior division equals that of points lying a dozen degrees south in other longitudes, and the desiccated winds from the west, as they blow over this parched and heated surface, have their aridity rather than their humidity increased, as would be the case in other circumstances; and not till they reach within perhaps five hundred miles of the eastern boundary of this continental division do they increase in humidity, as indicated by the rain-fall, which rises in quantity from the low minimum of seven and a half cubic inches per annum in the "great basin," and fifteen on the "great plains," to about twenty in dakota territory and twenty-five in minnesota, the eastern limit of this continental climate. the effect of these dry winds on the humidity of the atmosphere in minnesota is unquestioned and demonstrable by the records kept of the various governmental posts over the whole country. in contrast, the amount of rain falling annually in this state is shown by these statistics to be much below that of any lying east of the mississippi, in the variable-climatic district; and, indeed, below that of every other in the entire union, excepting nebraska, which averages about the same amount of rain-fall, though without the same amount of dryness and elasticity, which are such notable features in the atmosphere of the former state. the mean annual amount of rain falling in new england is about forty-three inches, nearly double that of minnesota, exhibiting the vast difference in the humidity of the two localities, and this, in connection with the cold easterly winds before referred to as prevailing there at intervals, together with the severe changes (and which, it should not be forgotten, add to the quantity of moisture), may be ascribed the primal cause of all pulmonic diseases. it should not be understood, however, that the _quantity_ of moisture precipitated in any given district determines of itself the prevalence or non-prevalence of phthisic complaints; not at all, for we see in florida the rain-fall is very great, and as much exceeds that of new england as the latter does that of minnesota, and consumption has no home on the peninsula of florida. why it has not, inheres in this fact, that the climate does not, or rarely, experience any of those violent and chilling changes of temperature that are almost constantly going on, especially in the fall, winter, and spring months, and which do the fatal work of death. but, some one says, the northeast winds reach florida, and why do not the inhabitants suffer from it? for the reason that they are greatly changed in character, becoming mild and only pleasantly cool in temperature, offering no shock as a rule; and really the northeast trades, which almost daily blow, are the invigorating and healthful winds, sweeping away the miasma of the hot season, cooling the atmosphere, and preserving equability throughout the year. then there are other matters; the drainage qualities of the soil, which is so great on that peninsula; then, too, is the distribution of the falling rain, whether it is filtered slowly through all the year, keeping things constantly drowned out, or in a state of flabbiness, or whether it is mainly confined to a single season or an inconsiderable fraction of the whole year, as in florida. these become important inquiries, as all have a bearing on the question of the _healthfulness_ of climates. we have stated the rain-fall to be less in minnesota than in any other state in the entire union, with one exception; and while this is true, it is still great enough for all agricultural uses, coming chiefly in the summer months, at a time when the crops are growing; and, by the middle of september, as a rule, the quantity has fallen off to a very low mean, accompanied by that elastic, invigorating atmosphere for which the state is so justly famed. this season of charming weather continues, with little interruption, only accompanied by a gradual diminishing scale of thermometric registration, up to the advent of winter, and even then the moisture falling in snow is less than is generally supposed or believed. since these matters are of vital character in determining the salubrity of the climate of this state, we append the following table, both for the purpose of comparison with other places and definiteness concerning this. this table gives a sweep of country from ocean to ocean, and exhibits the rain-fall of the three climatic divisions very faithfully. the great quantity precipitated at astoria, in oregon, is observed, where the oceanic climate prevails, with the mountain barriers limiting its extent inland; while, at port laramie, in wyoming territory, is an average representation of the whole interior district possessing the dry and elastic continental climate, in which lies the state of minnesota. the other portions of the table give a more extended view of the variable climate, covering the eastern area as previously defined. _average annual fall of water (rain and snow, given in inches) for a series of years, as ascertained from official sources_. ________________________________________________________________ places. | winter.| spring.| summer.| autumn.| year. ________________________________________________________________ fort snelling, minn.| . | . | . | . | . fort ridgely, " | . | . | . | . | . astoria, oregon | --- | --- | --- | --- | . fort laramie, wy. | . | . | . | . | . fort crawford, wis. | . | . | . | . | . fort gratiot, mich. | . | . | . | . | . new harmony, ind. | . | . | . | . | . cincinnati, ohio | . | . | . | . | . st. louis, missouri | . | . | . | . | . chicago, illinois | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- philadelphia, penn. | . | . | . | . | . lambertville, n.j. | . | . | . | . | . fredonia, new york | . | . | . | . | . utica, " " | . | . | . | . | . albany, " " | . | . | . | . | . brooklyn, " " | . | . | . | . | . providence, r.i. | . | . | . | . | . new bedford, mass. | . | . | . | . | . worcester, " | . | . | . | . | . cambridge, " | . | . | . | . | . hanover, n.h. | . | . | . | . | . portland, maine | . | . | . | . | . ---------------------------------------------------------------- the fall of snow has been in this statement reduced to a water basis, allowing, as is the usual custom, ten inches of snow for one of water. this calculation is not entirely reliable for all points; as, at the extreme southern snow-line, a less, while a larger amount is required for a more northerly district--say about eleven inches to make one of water in minnesota. this would give a depth of about two and a half feet (snow) over the surface of the state for the entire winter months, while in central new york--to which in mean annual temperature minnesota parallels--the depth of all water falling, for the same season, would (in snow) amount to full five feet, or double that of the state under consideration. footnotes: [b] for further particulars of florida climate, see _a winter in florida_, by the author of this volume, published by messrs. wood & holbrook. chapter vi. climate.--continued. the atmosphere of minnesota.--its dryness.--falling snow.--equability of temperature.--rain-fall for spring.--the constitutional character of the climate.--the lakes and rivers of the state.--the northeast winds.--where the northeasters begin.--their general direction and limit.--the atmospheric basin of iowa.--neglect of meteorology.--its importance to the country. the atmosphere in minnesota in the winter is like a wine, so exhilarating is its effects on the system; while its extreme dryness and elasticity prevents any discomfort from the cold which is such a bugbear to many. the extreme cold does not last but for a few days, and should the invalid choose to be domiciled during this brief interval, no great harm would come; but we apprehend that, once there, they could not be kept in-doors in consequence of it. why, laboring men in the lumber districts to the north of st. paul perform their work without overcoats, and frequently, and indeed commonly, without a coat of any kind, simply in their shirt-sleeves; nor need this seem incredible, as in a dry, cold climate the body maintains a much greater amount of animal heat, and if exercise is had, a profuse perspiration may be easily induced, and a fine glow of health inspired; with the extremities warm, sensitive, and throbbing with life. we once spent the winter on the island of prince edward, lying in the gulf of st. lawrence. this island is quite narrow, and between one and two hundred miles in length; all the northerly winds having a tremendous sweep over it, and the mercury in winter creeps down for a few days to a point where it is frozen stiff. on such occasions we found it far less inconvenient to go out, indeed, it was not an inconvenience at all, but rather a positive pleasure; daily walks and fishing through the ice gave constant amusement. but when the mercury was above zero, with the wind from any quarter, coming damp and chilling, a feeling of discomfort would drive you to shelter. the raw, damp wind off of the surrounding seas being a natural conductor of both animal and electrical heat rapidly carries of the vital warmth of the body to the destruction of life. in illustration of this, and as giving greater force to the practical experience of men everywhere, we are induced to quote the statement made by dr. kane, that often when the mercury was congealed, both he and his men found it not at all unpleasant, and by moderate walking were able to keep entirely comfortable; while, at and above zero, with a brisk wind blowing they suffered greatly. let us look fairly in the face this winter temperature in minnesota, and see how it compares with that of central new york. the tabular statement below is from official records.[c] _the mean winter temperature at st. paul and utica_. places. winter. spring. summer. autumn. year. st. paul ° ' ° ' ° ' ° ' ° ' utica ° ' ° ' ° ' ° ' ° ' the difference in range for the winter between the two points, is a fraction over eight degrees in favor of utica, while the mean annual range is but one degree and a fraction higher than the yearly average at st. paul. there can be no doubt in our minds, that the cold of winter is more trying to all classes at utica than it is at st. paul; and, that a greater amount of warm clothing is necessary to maintain an equal feeling of comfort, at the former, than is required at the latter place, notwithstanding the mercury ranges through the three months of winter at an average of eight degrees less at st. paul. the reason is found in the fact of a more humid atmosphere existing at utica, and, indeed, at all points in the variable-climatic district, whether north or south of either the thermal lines or latitudes in which minnesota rests. "there is no rain falling during the winter months in the state as a rule, the temperature being too cold, while the snow accumulates gradually, falling in the finest of flakes, and light as down itself. the average monthly snow-fall of the three winter months reduced to water, is but a little over half an inch, or about six inches of snow per month. a uniform line of low temperature--averaging near sixteen degrees, unbroken by thaws except under the occasional warm glare of a noonday sun--usually keeps this thin covering on the ground all winter so dry, that the deerskin moccasins, which many persons habitually wear, are scarcely moistened the season through. there are occasional upward oscillations of temperature; and, once in a series of years, a thaw in january or february; but these are rare occurrences. rain has not fallen in winter but once in many years. the whole winter is a radiant and joyous band of sunny days and starlight nights. this inaugurates the carnival season when sleighing and merrymaking parties in both town and country form one unbroken round of pleasure." the advantages of this winter season is that, while a cold climate, it still admits of the invalid taking constant daily exercise with an entire freedom from liability to "catch cold," the system freed from sudden shocks incident to the coquetting climate of the east; the lungs and whole body strengthened and braced by the tonic effect of this continental climate. "it is the most normal climate on the continent. no other is so exquisitely symmetrical in its entire annual development. in no other are the transitions of temperature and moisture so completely in harmony with nature, so accommodated to the laws of organic life and growth. thus the entire physical organism of minnesota is, so to speak, emblematical of the * * * relations which attach to its geographical position." the advance of spring does not, here, bring those unending floods and winds which drown men out and blow the universe to tatters, as is the case in new england and other areas lying eastward. the months of march and april rack very low in their rain-fall in comparison with any point situated along the same thermal lines; while may is scarce up to the average, but yet sufficient to supply the seeds and grasses with all the moisture required. for the purpose of exactness the following table is annexed, giving a view of the question and illustrating it far better than any discussion can hope to do. _mean water precipitation for spring (in inches)_ places. march. april. may. total st. paul . . . . utica . . . . providence . . . . this furnishes a most striking commentary on this particular season for the localities named, and warrants the statement that the first two-thirds of it can be considered a continuation of the dry climate which we have now traced from about the middle of september to the first of may, a period of seven and one-half months, in which the rain-fall is but a third of the entire quantity precipitated throughout the whole year; while that of the entire year, even, is seen to be but a trifle over the half of that falling over any portion of the variable district, occupying so large a portion of the whole united states. it is an astonishing development, and would be scarcely credible, but for the array of actual facts and figures, through a long series of years, by persons entirely unbiased, and who in the employment of the general government had no other ends to serve but that of accuracy. previous favorable reports had gained much reputation for the state, but it seemed to lack official backing, until the searching in the published files of the war department set the topic at rest, and proved the climate of this state out of that division to which the great valley of the mississippi had been assigned, and to which the state of minnesota had been thought, heretofore, to belong. the great isothermal lines, beginning along the atlantic coast at the fortieth, forty-first, and forty-second latitudes--with their initial points between long island and the northern boundary line of massachusetts--sweep westward with an upward tendency, striking minnesota at the forty-fifth parallel (st. paul), when a sharp curve to the north distinguishes their course, thence bearing away gradually westward along the valleys of the red and saskatchawan rivers to the pacific ocean. if there are any doubts by our readers as to the continental character of the climate of minnesota, let them answer how it is that this sharp curve of the thermal line happens in its westward course just on the frontier of that state. and likewise the reason of the arid climate prevailing for nearly three-fourths of the year, so unlike that for a thousand miles eastward or southward of it. two-thirds of the entire fall of water for the year (whether snow or rain) descends during the summer, with the addition of a part of may and september. the quantity is a trifle over that in parts of michigan, while much less than the average of all points east or south. with regard to that of central new york at utica, a type of the eastern area, and previously referred to--it is two inches less. thus the summer, while not a dry one, fortunately, is below the mean of the variable district. it would be a wrong conclusion should any one decide that the summer was lacking in those qualities of atmosphere which so happily characterizes other portions of the year. true, there is a diminution of aridity, but no disappearance, and the effect on the invalid is beneficial and decided. the humidity of the atmosphere is not always determined by the rain-fall. there may be considerable water precipitated during a single season, and the air of the locality be, before and after the rains, dry and elastic, as the case at santa fé, in new mexico, and at other points which might be mentioned. among these is that of minnesota. its geographical position and physical structure is such as to insure these elements in large measure, even for the climate of her summers. if the quantity of rain and snow falling at all seasons in a given district depended on itself for the supply, then the amount of water precipitated would, were the winds out of consideration, be determined by the amount of lake, river, and ocean surface within its own boundaries. in this event minnesota would among the states occupy the very highest place on the scale,--with, perhaps, a single exception,--since the whole face of the commonwealth is dotted all over with lakes, sliced with rivers, and skirted in addition by a great inland sea. to many who travel over the state it seems a marvel that the atmosphere should have any elasticity or any tonic properties. it is, however, known that countries are usually dependent, for the beneficent rains falling over them, on oceans quite remote, where the sun, in its tropical splendor and power, lifts high in air immense volumes of water in a state of evaporation, which, borne on the "wings of the wind," speeds rapidly away to supply the drying rivers and fountains of the globe. this aerial pathway supplies the link in the great circuit by which all the waters of all the oceans pass over our heads, returning again under our feet to their natural home. of course the water area of all sections of the temperate latitudes contribute something to the precipitation; yet it is but a fractional part of the whole, and quite inconsiderable. still its influence is sufficient to make it observable near large seas like our own inland system, where the quantity falling is, in the cooler portions of the year, increased in consequence of the then higher temperature of the water of the lakes over that of the adjacent land districts. in summer, the only effect is to increase the humidity of the atmosphere and frequency of rains, without adding to the quantity. this phenomenon is seen on the shores of all the lakes, and especially in the lake superior region. but this influence does not extend westward to exceed the distance of, we should say, fifty miles, and does not consequently effect to any important degree the climate of minnesota, except the outlying rim described. the small lakes and rivers do not contribute much to the precipitation of rain within the state boundaries. they may add slightly to that of the lake district to the eastward, whither their moisture is borne by the southwesterly and westerly currents. they do undoubtedly have an influence on the temperature, modifying that of the winter very much, and in this respect are valuable as well as beautiful. the southerly winds, and those having a slight westerly tendency, prevailing a portion of the summer, do not bring hither much of moisture, though at their outset they are heavily ladened with it, as it is borne across the gulf, in a southwesterly direction, to the open valley of the mississippi, where, coming in contact with the edge of the great westerly winds, and broken probably somewhat by the elevated district of mexico and by the foot-hills of the rocky mountains, which extend to the northern boundaries of texas, this humid wind drives, unresisted by any vertical obstruction, up the valley of the "great river," shedding on either hand its waters profusely; but their force and character, in this long march, become spent, and they add only their proportionate amount of rain to the minnesota annual fall, while the intermediate districts are chiefly dependent on them. the northeast winds of spring and autumn, which sweep at times half across the continent, usually begin at a low point along the atlantic coast--driving sometimes furiously, and always persistently, its hurried, chilling current inland,--is baffled by this southwesterly current of the gulf, and always, sooner or later, turned, as it moves up the coast and interior by the overpowering and underlying continental winds which drive it back, bringing these northeasterly storms to us, nearly always from a southwest quarter. we enlarge upon this class of rain-storms for the purpose of showing, though imperfectly, their non-prevalence over the state of minnesota. this is important if it can be, even but partially, established; since it is this particular class of storms and winds, last referred to, that are to be so much avoided and to which can be traced the initial point of most pulmonic troubles. these storms from the northeast may begin in texas, their course being north and eastward; as that by the time they reach so northerly a point as new york, their westward limit may not exceed st. louis; and, in further illustration, when quebec feels the force of the storm, chicago is at its extreme western limit. this supposed course will convey the general idea of the track of a northeaster when it envelops the whole variable-climatic district of the union. there is a singular eddy known to all climatologists to exist in iowa, where the annual precipitation of water is great, exceeding that of all the surrounding states. there has been no positive theory advanced, to our knowledge, explaining this circumstance, but the mystery is solved, to our minds, quite clearly. this eddy makes the key-point of contact of the humid gulf winds with the cool winds of the westerly current, and likewise being the northwestern terminal point of the course of the great northeasters, the contact being the cause of the excess in precipitation. we were fortunate, while visiting last autumn this special wet district of iowa, to experience one of these triangular storms. we were at dubuque while the wind was blowing gently from the south-southwest, with low scattering clouds, and before night it began to thicken and rain, while, in the night, the wind shifted to the east, blowing the rain briskly before it. this continued a part of the following forenoon, when, taking the train west to rockford, northwest of dubuque, we reached nearly the edge of the easterly storm, which had been here simply a drizzling rain. the next day the rain had ceased, the wind had shifted to the northwest, rapidly drying the earth, and the clouds, both of the upper and lower strata, were all driving hurriedly east-southeast. we left the following day for fort dodge and sioux city. at the former place they had had a slight shower only, with shifting winds; while at sioux city not a particle of rain had fallen, the roads being not only dry but quite dusty. this was not a merely local storm, but was the only great easterly one covering any extent of territory and time, answering to the equinoctial, which visited the united states during last autumn. this special limit of storms, this eddy of the winds in iowa, deviates more or less in the district assigned to it, and, at times, some of these northeasters undoubtedly blow over minnesota, but they are few, and much modified in kind and character. the elevation of the state over other portions of the great valley south of it adds something probably in determining the outline of the iowa basin of precipitation. the range of the thermometer in the hot season is, in minnesota, above that of places occupying the same lines of latitude; this is caused, in part, by the arid continental winds and by a less cloud-obstructed sunshine, but the heat is not correspondingly oppressive with that of other localities, since the atmosphere is not as humid. the evaporation under this heat of summer rises out of the immediate region of the surface, and is borne away on the prevailing winds to the lake district and eastward. it is unfortunate that there have been no tests of a hygrometic character maintained through any great period, whereby reliable data could be adduced, since it would have seemed as easy for the government to have undertaken that branch of meteorology as any other, it only requiring a more careful and accurate hand than do the other observations. the delicacy of these experiments have proved too wearisome for private parties, and there is over the whole country a lack of this scientific evidence. the last report of one of the cabinet ministers at washington calls attention to the need, and benefit arising from reliable testimony, under this head, and asks an appropriation, which it is hoped may be granted, in the interests of both health, agriculture, and science generally. the question of climatic treatment and cure for certain ills is receiving yearly increased attention, and this will continue until a specific climate is found for many of the most destructive diseases afflicting the race. footnotes: [c] the various tables are chiefly from blodgett's _climatology_, to which we are otherwise much indebted. chapter vii. consumption. consumption mapped out.--the east winds.--comparative statistics.--number of original cases of consumption in minnesota.--consumption can be cured.--rev. jeremiah day.--fresh air the best medicine.--the benefit of a dry atmosphere.--equability of temperature.--the power of the mind over disease.--kinds of consumption.--danger in delays. to all who are afflicted or threatened with pulmonic troubles the climate of minnesota becomes, in view of its reputed freedom from this scourge, an interesting subject of inquiry. for a long time it was maintained that this disease was not affected by climate, but that it was the child of other causes, and that its cure was impossible; and dread of its visitation became as great as at the approach of any of the great maladies afflicting mankind. later and wiser investigation has proved it to be so much controlled by climate that it may be practically located on a chart of the globe, if all the climatic conditions are fully known. of course, it is not absolutely confined to any given limit, more than is the yellow fever, which sometimes makes its appearance as high as the forty-second degree of latitude, while its actual home, so to speak, is, on this continent, below the thirty-fifth parallel. in a medical chart of this country, which we had occasion to examine many years since, the district where consumption attained its maximum range was outlined along the coast, beginning with the state of maine, having a semi-circular sweep to fortress monroe in virginia, with an inland limit varying from one to two hundred miles. this is well known, now, to all the medical profession, to be the territory where _phthisis pulmonalis_ has greatest sweep, and this is conceded to be, for the most part, caused by the marked peculiarities of climate existing over all this area. these peculiarities have, in some of the immediately preceding chapters, been duly though briefly set forth, and we now proceed to the consideration of the sanitary value of the minnesota air and its effects on lung diseases as experienced by sufferers and observed by others, together with some of its leading characteristics. if it has been sufficiently shown that the temperature of the district in which consumption prevails most is a highly variable one, passing almost daily from a low to a high point in the thermometric scale, with the prevailing winds to be those in which east largely enters; and that these winds come laden with a cold moisture, borne from off the surface of the north atlantic, which, when exposed to their sweep, chill the person and pave the way to colds, catarrhs, rheumatism, pneumonia, and a score of other ills scarcely less harassing and destructive, and all of which give rise to the "great destroyer," as it has been sometimes called. if, as we have said, these points have been proved to be the leading ear-marks of this special locality, what, we may ask, are the characteristics, briefly stated, of the climate of the state, which is known to be comparatively free from, and, in very many instances, to have wrought for the sufferer a complete restoration of health and strength? they have been seen to be almost the exact antipodes of that of the consumptive district before named. instead of the northeast wind, there is the northwest, or at least the prevailing winds from some point into which _west_ enters; bringing, in place of the cold, humid atmosphere of the north atlantic, the dry continental winds from the interior, which, in conjunction with the high altitude and peculiar geographical position of the state, give, instead of the extreme variable temperature, an equable and a relatively dry atmosphere, having a bracing, tonic effect on the whole man, affording opportunity for unrestrained exercise in the open air, causing good digestion to wait on appetite, and with these the advent of fresh wholesome blood, which is _the_ physician to heal the diseased portions of the lungs, and restore healthful action to all of the inflamed parts. in confirmation of the high value of this state as a residence for invalids of the class to which special reference is made, we extract from the last census report the following statistics, showing the average number of deaths from consumption in the following states to be one in in massachusetts, one in in new york, one in in virginia, one in in minnesota. this speaks for the climate more of praise than it is possible for any scientific speculation to do, since it is the practical and final test as well as the most satisfactory. undoubtedly, the relative disproportion would be very much greater if the number of deaths of those who go from other states, after it is too late for them to receive any benefit, could be eliminated from the actual number that die from among the inhabitants themselves. the question may arise right here among some of the more skeptical, how it is that any of the population are afflicted with this disease, if the climate is such an enemy to it? we answer--that full half of the deaths reported from phthisis are of those who come too late--as before stated--and a fourth of the whole number we know to be from among those who are not natives, but yet are of the _regular_ inhabitants, whose lives have been prolonged here, and who from improper exposure or neglect of wholesome rules (which they at first rigidly followed, but growing better, neglected to maintain), have paid the penalty. not over one-third of the entire list of inhabitants of the state, up to the present time, are natives; hence deaths from consumption among the remaining two-thirds cannot be attributed, by any fair inference, to the direct influence of the climate. this still leaves a fourth of the whole number of deaths from this scourge to fall on those who "are to the manner born." this is a very trifling percentage, and might be waived as not being a fraction sufficiently important to merit much attention; but we may frankly admit that these cases appear here, and are the result of a want of a _perfect_ equability in the climate, and to this extent it must be held answerable. we might, however, conclude that even this final fraction could be accounted for in the hereditary taint, but we forbear, as we likewise do to claim entire exemption here from this complaint. no climate, perhaps, in any portion of the whole habitable earth, could be found to be utterly exempt. then, too, consumption is to general debility a natural sequence, almost as much as flame is to powder when exploded; and as there are likely in all climates, however favorable, to be found worn-out and exhausted humanity, why, there must be expected untimely deaths culminating in this disease. the curability of consumption is now a settled question. every medical student has either seen for himself or been assured by his professor that post mortem examinations have disclosed this truth beyond all cavil. numerous cases might be cited where, at an early period in life, tubercles had formed, and by-and-by, probably in consequence of a change in the habits of life, these disappeared, leaving naught but old cicatrices as evidence of their previous diseased condition. these tubercular deposits must have disposed of themselves in one of three ways: _first_, they might soften down and be expectorated; _second_, they might soften and be absorbed; or, _thirdly_, they might become calcined and remain as inert foreign material. in many cases all these processes might unite in the removal, and a long life follow, as is well known in some instances to be true. an eminent instance in point occurs to us as we write, and which is worthy of citation in these pages. the lamented rev. jeremiah day, once president of yale college, when a young man, had "consumption," and was expected to die, but by a rigid observance of the laws of health, and self-imposition of stated exercise of a vigorous nature in the open air, he, by these means and without much of travel, restored his debilitated frame and healed the diseased lungs, and died at the rare age of ninety-five, having lived a life of uncommon usefulness and activity. he could not have accomplished his restoration without many and daily sacrifices compared with the lot of his fellow-men. a post mortem showed plainly that both apices of the lungs had been diseased. there are many cases, of which no knowledge exists outside of a small circle, of restored health, though with impaired power of respiration and consequent endurance of great hardships, which latter, of course, must be entirely avoided by those thus situated. there is, too, even greater liability to a fresh attack than with persons who have never been afflicted, but the vigilance necessary to maintain health fortifies against its repetition. one of the essentials in effecting a cure is fresh air; and if this can be had in such form as to give more of oxygen--the vital element--than is usually found, the healing processes must be accelerated, beyond doubt. the family physician will tell you this. now, under what circumstances is a larger amount of oxygen found? what climate affords most, all other things being equal? it certainly is not a _hot_ climate, nor a variable moist one such as prevails all over the consumptive district which we have indicated at the beginning of this chapter. it is found in a cool, dry climate, and this condition is had in minnesota with greater correlative advantages than in any other section of the union known up to this time. the atmosphere is composed of two gases, oxygen and nitrogen, and in every one hundred parts of common air there are about seventy-five parts of nitrogen and twenty-five of oxygen, subject to expansion from heat and of contraction from cold. this accounts in part for the general lassitude felt in a warm atmosphere, while a corresponding degree of vigor obtains in a cold one. the condensation, the result of a cool temperature, gives to the lungs a much larger amount of oxygen at a single inspiration, and, of course, for the day the difference is truly wonderful. the blood is borne by each pulsation of the heart to the air-cells of the lungs for vitalization by means of the oxygen inhaled--the only portion of the air used by the lungs--giving it a constantly renewing power to energize the whole man. if a cold climate is attended with great humidity, or raw, chilling winds, the object is defeated and the diseased member aggravated, as would also be the case even if the climate was not a cold, raw one, but was a _variable_ cold one; as then the sudden changes would induce colds, pneumonia, and all the train of ills which terminate in this dire calamity we are so anxious to avoid. _equability_ and _dryness_ are the essentials of a climate in which consumptives are to receive new or lengthened leases of life. the following testimony is of such a high value that no apology need be offered for its introduction here. it is, in the first case, from one who was sick but is now well, and, in the other, from a party whose observation and character give weight to opinions. the able and celebrated divine, the rev. horace bushnell, d.d., of hartford, conn., in a letter to the _independent_, says:-- "i went to minnesota early in july, and remained there till the latter part of the may following. i had spent a winter in cuba without benefit. i had spent also nearly a year in california, making a gain in the dry season and a partial loss in the wet season; returning, however, sufficiently improved to resume my labors. breaking down again from this only partial recovery, i made the experiment now of minnesota; and submitting myself, on returning, to a very rigid examination by a physician who did not know at all what verdict had been passed by other physicians before, he said, in accordance with their opinions, 'you have had a difficulty in your right lung, but it is healed.' i had suspected from my symptoms that it might be so, and the fact appears to be confirmed by the further fact, that i have been slowly, though regularly, gaining all summer. "this improvement, or partial recovery, i attribute to the climate of minnesota. but not to this alone, other things have concurred. "first, i had a naturally firm, enduring constitution, which had only given way under excessive burdens of labor, and had no vestige of hereditary disease upon it. "secondly, i had all my burdens thrown off, and a state of complete, uncaring rest. "thirdly, i was in such vigor as to be out in the open air, on horseback and otherwise, a good part of the time. it does not follow, by any means, that one who is dying of hereditary consumption, or one who is too far gone to have any powers of endurance, or spring of recuperative energy left, will be recovered in the same way. a great many go there to die, and some to be partially recovered and then die; for i knew two young men, so far recovered as to think themselves well, or nearly so, who by over-violent exertion brought on a recurrence of bleeding, and died. * * * the general opinion seemed to be that the result was attributable, in part, to the over tonic property of the atmosphere. and i have known of very many remarkable cases of recovery there which had seemed to be hopeless. one, of a gentleman who was carried there on a litter, and became a hearty, robust man. another, who told me that he coughed up bits of his lungs of the size of a walnut, was there seven or eight months after, a perfectly sound-looking, well-set man, with no cough at all. i fell in with somebody every few days who had come there and been restored; and with multitudes of others, whose disease had been arrested so as to allow the prosecution of business, and whose lease of life, as they had no doubt, was much lengthened by their migration to that region of the country. of course it will be understood that a great many are sadly disappointed in going thither. * * * "the peculiar benefit of the climate appears to be its dryness. there is much rain in the summer months, as elsewhere, but it comes more generally in the night, and the days that follow brighten out in a fresh, tonic brilliancy, as dry, almost, as before. the winter climate is intensely cold, and yet so dry and clear and still, for the most part, as to create no very great degree of suffering. one who is properly dressed, finds the climate much more agreeable than the amphibious, half-fluid, half-solid, sloppy, gravelike chill of the east. the snows are light--a kind of snow-dew, that makes about an inch, or sometimes three, in a night. real snowstorms are rare; there was none the winter i spent there. a little more snow, to make better sleighing, would have been an improvement. as to rain in winter it is almost unknown. there was not a drop of it the season i was there, from the latter part of october to the middle, or about the middle, of march, except a slight drizzle on thanksgiving day. and there was not melting snow enough, for more than eight or ten days, to wet a deerskin moccasin, which many of the gentlemen wear all winter." the rev. h.a. boardman, d.d., of philadelphia, writes under date of october, , to a public journal, the following: "* * * the question is often asked, 'how far is st. paul to be recommended as a resort for invalids?' if one may judge from indications on the spot, invalids themselves have settled this question. i have never visited a town where one encounters so many persons that bear the impress of delicate health, present or past. in the stores and shops, in the street and by the fireside, it is an every-day experience to meet with residents who came to minnesota, one, two, five, or ten years ago, for their health, and having regained, decided to remain. i have talked with some who, having recovered, went away twice over, and then made up their minds that to live at all they must live here. * * * * *" the statements of these observing and reflecting men are of the first importance, and require no scientific deductions to prove the benefit certain classes of consumptives may receive by a residence in minnesota; but if it is found that whatever of data in meteorology there is bearing on the climate of this state, confirms the universal public judgment, this then becomes a matter of most agreeable interest. it seems that the _dryness_ and _equability_ are the important features, as before observed. a gentleman, given somewhat to investigation, made the statement to us, while in st. paul, that he had carefully watched the ice-pitcher on his table during the summers, and that it was rare that any moisture accumulated upon the outside of the same, as is commonly the case elsewhere. this is itself a most interesting scientific fact, and completely demonstrates the great dryness of the atmosphere during even the wet season of the year, as we have found the rain-fall in summer to be about two-thirds of the whole annual precipitation. physicians have not generally thought that the _summer_ atmosphere of this state was any improvement upon that of other localities of like altitude, judging from the rain-fall, which, being up to the average of this latitude elsewhere, left as much of moisture, they have concluded, floating near the surface as at other points, and they are led to send patients into less dry districts, or even, as is sometimes the case, to the sea-shore. graver mistakes could not well occur than these, and it is to be ascribed to the little definite knowledge we as a people have on medico-meteorology. except for debilitated constitutions, which, it is true, precede many cases of consumption, the sea-shore is to be avoided, especially in every instance of diseased lungs. doubtless, the habit of advising a trip to the sea-side for the relief and cure of whooping-cough in children has led in great part to this error. the trip to the mountains, if a location is well selected, is likely to be, and usually is, in summer a real benefit. but then, the physician should know something of the reputation of the particular locality to which he sends his patient. to illustrate:--suppose a patient afflicted with phthisis is sent to the white mountains, and in company or alone, he reaches that region, and we will assume that he settles down at the "profile house," or at any portion of the hills on their eastern slope, or immediate vicinity, and the result is almost certain to be unfavorable, since constant showers and violent changes of temperature are transpiring throughout the entire summer. if, however, a moderate elevation, away from the immediate influence of the mountains, out of the range of the frequent showers, with a southwest exposure of landscape, where the cool westerly winds have play, decided advantage will come to the sufferer. it would not likely be at once perceptible, but a gradual toning up of the system might be looked for, with an improvement of the general health. indeed, any change to either the sick or overworked, for that matter, who are able to withstand the fatigue of a journey, is of benefit, even if the climate and location are not improved, as it is well known that a change of scene is a relief and recreation to the mind, which often plays an important part in the recovery of invalids. we all remember the story of the prisoner who had been condemned to suffer death, and at the appointed hour was led blindfolded to the dissecting hall, where were assembled the physicians who were to conduct the experiment. being duly disrobed and placed, he was informed that an artery was to be opened, and left to bleed till life expired. an incision in the flesh at the back of the neck was made, as a mere feint, and warm water allowed at the same moment to trickle slowly down his shoulder and back, when, in a brief time, spasms set in, and death ultimately followed. this gives a clear view of the will power inhering in the mental man, and its wonderful influence on the body. sudden news of misfortune, or great attacks of fear, have produced instant prostration and bodily suffering, and these cases occur so frequent that all within the range of an ordinary life are familiar with them. an english author speaks of the potent power of the mind over the body, and declares that the act of coughing can be, very often, wholly restrained by mere force of will. this should not be lost sight of by any who are attacked with colds or bronchial troubles, or even in the incipient stages of lung difficulties; as thereby they may lessen the inflammation, and defer the progress of the disease. we have seen people, who, having some slight irritation in the larynx, have, instead of smothering the reflex action, vigorously scraped their throats, and coughed with a persistence entirely unwise, inducing inflammation, from which they might date, perhaps, their subsequent bronchial troubles. it is not in coughs alone that the will exerts a mastery. in a case of fever, by which an elder brother was brought very low, scarce expected by either his friends or physician to survive, a neighbor calling, was allowed to enter the sick-room. the patient was too ill to take much notice of the visitor, and the visitor likely felt that what he might say would not effect the result, and, being rough in manners and coarse of speech, bawled out, in a loud tone, that "he wouldn't give much for his (the patient's) chances," and stalked out of the room. happening to be present, and fearing the effect of this ill-bred visitor's remark, we drew near the bedside to hear the prostrate invalid whisper out that he was determined to live, if only to spite the old fellow. his recovery seemed to date from that event, and in a few weeks he was in possession of good health. consumption is divided into several classes; the more common forms are the inflammatory, the hereditary, the dyspeptic, and the catarrhal. there are others, but these suffice for purposes of brief mention of the leading characteristics of all cases. the inflammatory is often the more difficult of management than that of the others, as its attack is violent and prostrating to such a degree as to render the usual aids of exercise and diet out of the question, for the most part. long journeys, for any purpose, are to be avoided, though removals from the immediate sea-coast, to some dry, sandy section in the interior, within a hundred miles or so, is advisable. the robust and strong are equally subject to this class of consumption. contracting a violent cold, such as might be taken when in a state of excitement and great perspiration in a ball-room or at a fire, and without sufficient protection pass out into the chilling air, inflammation of the lungs immediately takes place, and the chances are great of either a fatal termination of life or a shattered constitution. the hereditary class are more frequent, and, by proper treatment of themselves, many may attain to a comparatively long life, and be able to do much of valuable service, if their employment takes them out in the open air. of course many, inheriting this disease and having enfeebled constitutions, cannot be saved, let what will be done, and it is probably a wise provision that they are not. consumptives should be careful to remember their great responsibility in forming alliances whereby this terrible evil is perpetuated. there should be some law enacted prohibiting the marriage of confirmed cases of scrofula, consumption, and insanity, even though complete recovery be had, as frequently happens in these difficulties. the dyspeptic cases are numerous, and arise usually from general debility, caused by insufficient or unwholesome diet, close apartments, a too sedentary life, long depression of spirits, coupled with, perhaps, uncleanliness and irregularities, all contributing to this result. these can all be relieved, and many fully restored, if taken in season, by a counter course of living. the catarrhal forms of consumption are more difficult to treat, and, in numberless instances, baffle all medical skill, and that is very trifling, which can be applied directly to the seat of trouble. repeated "colds in the head," taken and neglected, become by-and-by confirmed, and pass from the rank of common colds to that of chronic catarrh. indeed, catarrh is no more or less than a chronic cold in the head; but after the lapse of time, and this may vary in different persons, from one to a score or more of years, it assumes a more virulent character, involving, perhaps, the whole of the breathing apparatus. its encroachments are insidious, and often are lightly considered, but the general tendency of all cases of catarrhal affections is to the lungs. sometimes this approach is by a sudden leap, in consequence, probably, of a fresh stock of "cold," from the mucous membranes of the nasal organs to the lungs, and we have in such cases known one of the most eminent physicians of the country to declare, when examinations were made at this juncture, that "catarrh had nothing to do with it." this but illustrates the fallibility of men, and we should never be surprised when confronted with any fresh testimony tending to confirm this truth. the dry catarrh, while more aggravating, is less fatal, and life is more secure, and not as offensive either to friends or themselves, while other classes of this disease are offensive and more malignant. it is very obstinate, and yields to no treatment of a specific kind that we know of. the same general course should be pursued, however, as with dyspeptic consumptives. the entire medical fraternity are at their absolute wits' ends, so far as any specific is concerned, for this almost universal disease. we say universal, since it is within our knowledge to be largely true, though, while in a mild form, little heed is given it, and generally the party would deny its presence, even while more than half conscious that it might exist. in addition to a generous diet, fresh air, and other matters, of which we shall speak more in detail as we proceed, a nasal _douche_ before retiring, of tepid water, with salt enough added to make a weak brine, as half a teaspoonful to a tumbler, will be in most instances of some benefit. inhalation and nasal baths must be the specific means of reaching and alleviating this disease. thousands annually die of consumption springing out of this malady. time, it would seem, must discover to the race some more efficient remedy than is now known. cold, humid, and variable climates give rise to and feed this disease, and a change to an equable, warm, or a cool and dry temperature, is essential. where heart disease is complicated with consumption, a warm, dry climate is best; and in some cases, too, as where bronchitis exists in great disproportion to the amount of tubercular deposit and inflammation of the lungs, the climate of florida during the winter would be more bland and agreeable than that of minnesota, but each individual varies so much in constitutional character, that no positive rule can be laid down by which any one case can be judged. this comes within the province of the family physician. we cannot too strongly urge upon the medical faculty, as well as the friends of the afflicted of whom we have written, that delays are dangerous. early action on the first manifestations of lung troubles and tendencies is necessary if lives are to be saved. it is hard to turn from the beaten path and enter new, even when larger health is hoped for and needed, yet that should be resolutely done, though it were far better the confining and unhealthful course had not been originally entered upon. chapter viii. causes of consumption. prevention better than cure.--local causes of disease.--our school system objectionable.--dr. bowditch's opinion.--location of our homes important.--damp soils prolific of lung troubles.--bad ventilation.--value of sunshine.--city girls and city life.--fashionable society.--tight lacing fatal to sound health.--modern living.--the iron hand of fashion. the proverb that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," has been almost totally ignored in its relation to the laws which govern health. it seems quite as essential, however, to examine into the cause of disease as it is to seek for remedies which, in many instances, can work but a temporary cure, so long as the cause is overlooked. one is but the sequence of the other; and, to remove the malady, or prevent its recurrence, they have but to remove the cause. this is freely admitted to be the right principle, yet, is it always the course pursued? do not people mislead themselves much, and, instead of going to the root of difficulty, remain content with what must prove but a temporary restoration? how often, for example, does the physician, when called to the patient suffering from a cold, inquire to see the shoes or boots of the invalid? never; the thing is unheard of. their questions in the direction of causes would not reach half way to the real goal which should be made the point of investigation. not that the insufficient shoes or boots are going to have any part in the restoration of the invalid; but it may be shown, on examination, that they were the real cause of trouble, and, by a change, prevent in the future a similar attack, from that source at least. the same is true of half the diseases afflicting mankind; their prevention may be assured, to a great extent, by attention to the dictates of hygienic laws, which are no more or less than the laws of moderation and common sense, and not, as many suppose, the law of obligation to eat stale bread, or "cold huckleberry-pudding," all the balance of their lives, though this diet might be beneficial if ghost-seeing and spirit-rapping was determined upon. very many cases of fevers can be directly traced to some local cause, which should receive as much attention from the physician as does the patient, and either the one or the other promptly removed. indeed, people must learn for themselves to investigate the laws regulating health, and thus be able, without the aid of any professional, to decide intelligently all of the more obvious questions. it does, in this connection, seem that there is great want of judgment on the part of those having the direction of our public schools, in that there is so trifling attention given both the study and observance of the laws which control our existence. what is education without a sound body? what is life to the creature of broken health? and what is there which is more valuable and priceless to us? the answer is plain to all, and yet the whole advancing generation of boys and girls, beyond a mere inkling in physiology, a possible recollection of the number of bones in the human frame, and that common air is composed of two principal gases, they know of hygienic law practically nothing. worthy pupils of incompetent pedagogues, who, not being required by the public to properly inform themselves with a full knowledge of these important studies, are perhaps in some measure excused for their shortcomings. instead of the inculcation of these useful and more vital lessons of life, they are required to fritter away time and health over a french grammar, or other equally foolish study, which cannot, in a vast majority of cases, be of the least service to them. they had much better be at home making mud-pies (which, by the way, are about the only ones that ever ought to be made), or learning to bake wholesome bread, or even chasing butterflies in summer through the green fields, or braving the cold of winter by joining in some of the healthful out-of-door sports. it would, perhaps, be proper enough for such as proposed to fit themselves for teachers, or who expected to spend their lives abroad, or who, from pure love of a scholastic life,--with the means to follow their inclinations, and necessary leisure at command,--thought to devote theirs to its fullest enjoyment and bent. these form the exceptions; but for all to essay the task, regardless of natural inclination and of the true relation which life bears to their individual cases, is simply absurd, and can only be accounted for in this wise, that _fashion_ seems to demand it, as it does many other outrageous requirements, to some of which, as they concern health, we shall have occasion to refer as we proceed. life is too short, at longest, and is filled with too practical requirements, for the most of mankind to try to master or even familiarize themselves with all the sciences of which the world has knowledge. even the humboldts of the race, favored with long life, good health, and devotedness, declare they have attained to but little more than the alphabet of knowledge, and they--few in number--have experienced few of those restrictions which hedge about the lives of most people. all cannot be great linguists any more than all can be great inventors, and it were just as valuable and reasonable an expenditure of time to teach a child to be one as the other. of what benefit is a smattering of foreign language, except to make people ridiculous? and that class is already sufficiently large; far better that they learned to speak and spell their mother tongue with a commendable degree of accuracy, or that they learn to train future families in consonance with the laws of nature, and save to health the time spent in poorly-ventilated rooms, where, under the pressure of the modern school system, everything valuable and practical seems sacrificed to the ephemeral and non-essential. we do not underrate the good our schools accomplish, not at all; on the other hand, we feel a just pride in the liberality of the country, and realize that in them lies the only security for a republican form of government, and, indeed, our opinions go further in this direction than that of most persons, for we would make it obligatory on the part of parents to school their children to a certain degree, and that no one should be eligible to vote who could not read and write in the common language of the country. it is the administration of the school system which we deprecate. hear what the famous dr. bowditch of boston says upon this question, namely:--"* * * not only does our school system, in its practical operation, entirely ignore the necessity for physical culture, but it at times goes farther, and actually, as we believe, becomes the slayer of our people. * * * we appeal to every physician of ten or twenty years' practice, and feel sure that in reviewing his cases of consumption he will find not a few of them in which he will trace to _overwork_ in our schools the first springs of the malady. "the result of all this school _training_ is as certain as the day. every child who goes through these modern processes must inevitably suffer, but not all alike. some have one complaint, some another, and some, doubtless, finally escape unharmed. at times they only grow pale and thin under the process. but not a few go through to the exhibition, and, after working harder than ever for the two or three last weeks of the term, they gain the much-coveted prize only to break wholly down when it is taken. the stimulus of desire for success is gone. that has sustained them up to the last moment. success having been accomplished, the victim finds, too late, that what he has been striving for is nothing, now that it is won, compared with the vitality lost and the seeds of disease sown." it is true that there are a very few schools in the country where physical culture receives, in connection with other duties, its due share of attention. we know, personally, of but one--the howland ladies' seminary, at union springs, new york, and we understand, on the authority quoted above, that the latin and high schools of boston are of this class. our colleges, however, as a rule, seem as bad as the schools. half the students who complete their course come out broken in health, and those who do not are about the toughest "horned cattle," as horace greeley says, that can be found. another important item involving the economy of life is the location of our homes, which has received little or no consideration, judging from what one may observe who chooses to look about them. circumstances entirely beyond the control of most people conspire to locate for them their places of abode, and when originally selected no regard was paid to sanitary laws, and the result many times has been the forfeiture of precious lives as a penalty. not till a very recent period has the character of the soil figured to so great an extent as is now conceded. it has been proved by statistics, both in new england and the mother country, that a heavy, wet soil is prolific of colds and consumption; while, on a warm, dry soil the latter disease is little found. if we stop to consider what has been written in the previous chapters on climate, and that it was stated that a cold, humid atmosphere, from whatever cause, coupled with variable temperature, was the chief occasion of consumption, we can the more easily understand why a wet soil would tend to produce this disease. whether the dampness arises from excessive shade, or is inherent in the soil, which may be so situated as to receive the drainage water of more elevated surfaces contiguous, is not material, so that it is the prevailing condition, thereby constantly exhaling cold vapors, which sow the seeds of death in many an unsuspecting household. we cannot urge the importance of a right location better than to again quote from dr. bowditch what he once wrote with regard to the residence of two brothers whose healths were equally good, as was that of their wives, but one chose a home upon a dry, sandy soil, while the other settled upon a wet, cold plain--not remote from each other. "large families were born under both roofs. not one of the children born in the latter homestead escaped, whereas the other family remained healthy; and when, at the suggestion of a medical friend, who knew all the facts, * * * we visited the place for the purpose of thoroughly investigating them. * * * these two houses had nothing about them peculiarly noticeable by the passing stranger. they were situated in the same township, and within a very short distance one from the other, and yet scarcely any one in the village with whom we spoke on the subject agreed with us in our opinion that it was location alone, or chiefly that, which gave life or death to the inmates of the two homes." we suppose thousands must continue to pay the penalty of the faulty locations of those who first built, since it is difficult to persuade many to sever the ties which bind them to their early homes, even though they are unhealthful, to say nothing of the expense to be incurred in making a change, yet those who have homesteads to establish encounter none of these drawbacks, and should exercise great care in making selection of a site for their dwellings. a dry soil is indispensable to good health, and if it cannot be found as dry as wished for, it may be remedied by thorough underdraining. a sandy soil, the poorest or dryest on the farm or lot, is the best point to erect a healthful home. the habit of embowering the house with a dense growth of shrubs and trees, even where the soil is naturally dry, defeats the desired end, and provokes disease. there are many places made so cosy and attractive with these aids that, with persons of culture and taste, the tendency is to run into extremes, and, while they render their homes beautiful to the eye, they are fatal to life. a few shade-trees and shrubs properly distributed about the ground can be indulged, and in numbers quite adequate to give an air of grace and beauty to the home, while not endangering its inmates. they should stand at proper distances from the sides and roof, or not to constantly shadow them through the whole summer, but allow, instead, the caressing sunshine to have full, free play over them. again, we have often entered dwellings where it seemed to be the study of the good, ambitious housewife to shut out all the light, and shut in--of course, unconsciously--all the death which comes of dampness and dark, only so that her carpets are kept bright and shining for some--gossip's tongue. sunlight has come to be, of late years, one of the great remedies, and sun-baths are now duly administered in establishments erected for that purpose, and there can be no doubt of their efficacy in giving health and strength to all whose habits of life prevent their exercise in the open air. next to a proper location, by which health is to be promoted, is ventilation, and this covers a multitude of minor matters, but we have only room for considering the subject in its broader aspect. in olden times ample ventilation was secured through the massive open chimneys, which, with their generous hearthstones, was such a distinguishing and healthful feature of the homes of our ancestors. they were, perhaps, "a blessing in disguise," but that they were a real blessing there is no doubt. then, too, they were the grand altars of the family, around which the sweetest recollections of childhood and youth cluster, as does the ivy to the walls of old-time buildings, making them, though rude and rough, to memory most dear. in place of these natural escapes for foul, and the admission of fresh air, we have absolutely nothing in the present day to take its place. on the contrary, air-tight stoves and air-tight furnaces have supplemented the cheerful blaze of the fireplace, and in lieu of fresh air, a great amount of poisonous gases are emitted, which stupefy and promote disease. especially is this the case where the fuel used is any of the coals, instead of wood. the most deleterious of coals is the anthracite. its heat is scorching and drying beyond any other, and the gases are more subtle and pernicious, excepting, possibly, charcoal, which, however, is not used as fuel to any extent. these air-tight coal stoves, such as are in ordinary use, are the worst of all, since their name gives confidence to the public, who do not consider that, while they have the merit of "keeping the fire through the night," they do not keep the gases within. they are sure to creep through the apertures, or, if barred there, will escape through the iron itself, and it need not be very much in quantity to prove offensive to people with delicate lungs or in a debilitated state of the system. the strong and well will scout these opinions doubtless, and hold them of little value, and to them it is not of so much consequence whether they observe strictly the rules which govern health or no, their robust constitutions (thanks to their parents, who did observe these rules, either accidentally or purposely) will carry them along, doubtless, to a ripe old age; but their children are to be reared in health, and the fact of vigorous parentage may not, in their cases, where carelessness prevails, guarantee vigorous lives; and, while the fathers and mothers may escape from the ill effects of the vitiated atmosphere of their apartments by exercise in the open air, their children cannot. and it is well known that the children, in these cases, die one after another, the result of poor ventilation or unhealthful location, or both combined, while the parents wonder what the cause can be, ascribing it to all things but the right. everything about our homes should be subjective to the one central idea of _health_. things of beauty or luxury, whether in or around the dwelling, should, if on close scrutiny they are found prejudicial, be at once removed. the family sitting-room, if no other in the house, ought to be warmed by means of a wood fire if a stove is used, yet a grate is far better, and is the nearest approach to the old-fashioned fireplace attainable in these times. a flue cut in the chimney near the ceiling, with a register affixed, will, where stoves or furnaces are used, be of service, and are quite easily and inexpensively constructed. the windows of sleeping-rooms should be so made that the top sash can be as readily lowered as the bottom one raised, and at night the former should be left down sufficient for the free admission of fresh and the escape of foul air, but it ought not to draw across the sleeper. night air is not as objectionable as the confined air of unventilated rooms. invalids should, however, avoid exposure to it as much as possible, since when out in it, it envelops the whole person, and the chill and humidity may work serious injury. the old saw, that "early to bed and early to rise, makes people healthy, wealthy, and wise," is deserving of more consideration than is accorded it. take any city-bred girl, who has been accustomed to late hours and the excitement of entertainments and parties, and who, by these unhealthful and killing rounds of so-called pleasure, has become emaciated and prematurely old, and place her in a well-regulated home,--the country is by far the best, where early retirement is a rule, with a wholesome diet,--and she will in a few weeks show a marked improvement. mrs. stowe relates a very interesting story of a city-girl who had all to gratify her that fond parents could procure, and, though constitutionally strong, this hothouse, fashionable life had began to undermine her general health, and having exhausted the skill of the regular physician, her condition became so alarming that other counsel was sought; and this new disciple of esculapius was a shrewd, honest man, and wont to get at the root of difficulties. he saw at a glance that the patient's disease was born wholly of _fashion_. he found her waist so tightly laced as to admit of little room for full and free respiration; this, with late hours and unwholesome food, was doing its work. being asked to prescribe, he first cut loose the stays which bound her; then, ordering suitable shoes and apparel, gave directions for her immediate removal to the country, where she was to first rest and lounge in the sunshine, and as health returned, to romp and frolick in the open fields and join in the merry glees of country life. with feelings akin to those coming of great sacrifices, the commands were followed, and this frail, dying girl was, in one brief summer, so far restored as that the glow of her checks and the sparkle of her eyes rivalled those of the farmer's fair daughter whose companion she had been. city life is exceedingly destructive to young people, even when considered aside from all undue excitements, indecorous habits, and improprieties. the custom of late hours, night air, and the vitiated air of apartments where companies assemble together, with the liability to contract colds by being detained in draughts, or from want of sufficient protection while returning from social assemblies; all these things destroy annually a great army of young people, who either do not think of consequences or else willfully neglect their lives to pay homage to fashion--the curse of the world. we cannot think all parents wholly neglectful in teaching their children how to preserve health, and much of responsibility must rest with the young; yet by far the larger portion of parents are so flattered by alluring admirers, and led by the requirements and glamor of foolish fashion, that they seem, to the cool observer, to fairly dig and garland the premature graves of their loved ones. how we wish we might impress one mother who worships at this abominable shrine, set up heretofore--but we now hope forever cast down to make room for an era of good sense and womanly delicacy--in paris, by either a dissolute court, or, as we have often been informed, by the _nymphs du pavé_, who seek to attract by tricks of style till they have come to rule the whole of their sex, or such portions as have not the moral courage to mark out an independent course. the violation of health, contortions of the body, and other absurdities, aside from the vast expense entailed upon the whole people, are perfectly astounding and outrageous beyond belief. let us examine a moment and see if we are presuming. granting that every lady in the land expends on an average of but ten dollars each year for the fashionable make-up of her wardrobe; that this mite goes for style, and necessary little etceteras growing out of it, and not in any way for the material itself, which is really the mountain of difficulty. now, if there are twenty millions of women in our country, it would give the sum of two hundred millions of dollars annually expended for _style_. what a noble charity this would establish every recurring year. what a relief to pauperism it would form, and that too without the sacrifice of anything but "style." what a relief to struggling, disheartened men, whose lives are those of slaves, and families who pinch and starve themselves that they may possess the magical key to fashionable society! but what is fashionable society that it should have such charms for common and honest people? we give in answer what was given us by one who had had for many years access to it. he said, "struggle to avoid it as the worst of calamities." it had swept him and his family from a position of comparative affluence to one of misfortune and distress. fashion is the parent of both--"cussedness" and consumption. we know some young ladies are personally disgusted with all this "fuss and feathers," who at the same time insist that, if they did not follow the lead of "society" they would be thrown in the background, as at most entertainments those who have carefully and elaborately arrayed themselves receive the lion's share of attention and compliment from the opposite sex, whose good opinion and company they wish to share. while there is more of truth in this response than most gentlemen are willing at first to admit, yet, observant people have ever noted the fact that, notwithstanding these fashionable and polite addresses at public assemblies between the beaux and butterflies, the end of the levee usually terminates the hobnobbing. the "gay ladie" has had, quite likely, her hour of triumph over her more modest, quiet, and unassuming rival, now in the background, but whom--when the young man is ready to proffer his hand and fortune--is most likely to be led to the front, blushing with her becoming and well-deserved honors, leaving the doting mothers, with their _dear_ daughters, to reflect on the "strange ways of you men." if the world sees, it does not fully believe what it sees, else a change would surely come. the fact is, while men, especially the young men, delight to do _honor_ to these devotees of the milliner and mantua-maker, they cannot--those who have a fair share of good sense--afford to _marry_ them. their means, their prospects, and their happiness forbid it, and they are right in this conclusion. they prefer to unite their lives with some equally good, and usually more sensible and healthful girl, but of, perhaps, no special prospects or position in society. this decision is certainly founded in wisdom. they are forever relieved from that constant strain on their pride, and the consequent drain on their purse. their style of living may, in this latter case, be squared, without jar or reproach, to their real revenues, and life be to them worth the living, while they gradually and lovingly lay aside, for any future exigency, something each year on which, in old age or disaster, they may confidently lean, and which, though it may not be great, yet shall, in a reasonable life, be sufficient to tide them to, and "over the river." everything, of course, has some exceptions; and where the fashionable lady can sustain the family pride and family coach both at one and the same time, why, then, our remarks and objections have little weight. yet, in what we have written may be found the real cause of the increase of bachelors and old maids in society. there are a few noble souls who rise above the bondage of their sex, and follow the dictates of their own consciences in dress as in other matters. this class embraces usually the very wealthy and the very learned people who compose the polite and refined circles, as distinguished from the flippant and fashionable ones. all honor to them. their example is great, and furnishes the chief hope of any possible reform. some ask, what, indeed, shall we do if we discard all fashion? our reply is, to do as the quakers do. they certainly look quite as presentable and pretty in their "plain clothes" as do any other class of society. but i hear the answer: "yes, and is not their style _fashion_?" we grant that it is, but at the same time insist that it is both a sensible, economical, and becoming one; and such a fashion--a fashion of common sense--is what we indorse, having not the least objection to that sort. like, the old-time mode of cutting boys' hair by use of a bowl clapped over the head, it was a fashion, but a very simple, inexpensive, and proper one enough, considering the circumstances. now they must have the assistance of a professional artist. singular now one extreme follows another. not until quite a recent date were we inclined to advocate "women's rights," which is but another name--as modernly interpreted--for the ballot. now we are persuaded that it would be wise for the states to concede this, and thereby open a new channel to them for thought, at once weakening their hold on fashion, and enlarging their views of life and its requirements. good to the race, it would seem, must come of any change whereby the rising generation shall have less of fashion and its attendant evils, and more of health, with its accompanying blessings. how few of perfectly healthy girls do we see among all those with whom we are each severally acquainted. tight lacing, began in early childhood, is one of the chief of evils. you ask a girl of twelve years if she is not too tightly dressed, and the reply is "no;" and the mother is sure to argue that if the girl does not complain it is none of the father's business to meddle. the fact is, the child has been gradually brought to that state of unconsciousness of any discomfort by having been subjected to this abominable process from a very tender age, and being continued each year, the waist is scarce half the natural size it should have been at womanhood. take a country girl who has grown up free from this practice, and has a well-developed frame, and put on her the harness of her fashionable sister, and draw it to the point the latter is accustomed to wear it, and you shall see whether there is any wincing or no. the argument of these unreasoning mothers is that of the chinese, who dwarf their children's feet by beginning at an early period, and, doubtless, if these youths were similarly questioned, they, too, would complain of no inconvenience. in the management and care of children, fond parents seem, in these later years, little else than a bundle of absurdities. for instance, take children of from three to ten years, and you shall see, in a majority of cases, when dressed for the street, their backs ladened with fold on fold of the warmest clothing, while their poor knees are both bare and blue. ah! we forget, perhaps, that the physician and undertaker must live; and then the army of nurses and others, too, are to be provided for, quite as the fashionable lady would make reply to any _impertinence_ in matters of her dress, that it kept an army of sewing-girls employed who would otherwise be left to starve! one of our most vigorous writers, treating this subject, says:-- "showy wardrobe, excessive work with the needle, where it is done to gratify a taste for display, or morbid fancy for exquisite work, is a crime. shoulders are bent, spines are curved, the blood, lacking its supplies of oxygen, loses vitality and creeps sluggishly through the veins, carrying no vivid color to the cheek and lips, giving no activity to the brain, no fire to the eye. let women throw away their fancy work, dispense to a degree with ruffles and tucks, and, in a dress that will admit of a long breath, walk in the clear bracing air. "mothers should begin early to lay the foundations of health. children should have plenty of vigorous, joyous exercise out of doors. they should have romping, rollicking fun every day, at the same time giving exercise to every part of the body, and a healthy tone to the spirits. the body and soul are so intimately blended that exercise for the one is of little value when the other is repressed. thus the limbs will become well knit and beautifully rounded, the flesh will be firm and rosy, and the whole frame will be vigorous and elastic--vital to the finger tips. better that our youth should have a healthy _physique_, even if they cannot read before they are ten years old, as in this case they would soon overtake and outstrip the pale, narrow-chested child who is the wonder of the nursery and the sunday-school. children are animals that are to be made the most of. give them ample pasturage, and let them be as free as is consistent with the discipline they need; keep the girls out of corsets and tight shoes, give them plain food, fresh air, and plenty of sleep." nothing invites disease so much as the present style of living among the well-to-do people. nearly everything tends among this class to deteriorate general health, and, since their numbers have within the last decade greatly increased, the influence on the country must be markedly detrimental, and, but for the steady flow of vitalizing blood from the old world, the whole yankee race would ere long, inevitably disappear. we have dwelt in this chapter at considerable length on the importance of right training and education of the young, and especially of girls, though no more than the subject seems to demand. boys are naturally more out of doors, since their love of out-of-door life is greater than that of girls, and their sports all lead them into the open air, and by this means they more easily correct the constitutional and natural tendencies to disease, if any there be. then, too, the iron hand of fashion has not fastened itself so relentlessly upon them as to dwarf their bodies and warp their souls, as it has in some degree the gentler and better and more tender half of mankind, to whom the larger share of this chapter seems the more directly to apply. chapter ix. hints to invalids and others. indiscretions.--care of themselves.--singular effect of consumption on mind.--how to dress.--absurdities of dress.--diet.--habits of people.--how english people eat.--what consumptives should eat.--things to be remembered.--the vanity of the race.--pork an objectionable article of diet.--characteristics of the south.--regularity in eating.--the use of ardent spirits by invalids.--the necessity of exercise.--the country the best place to train children.--examples in high quarters.--sleep the best physician.--ventilation.--damp rooms.--how to bathe. it matters not what virtues climates may possess, if certain fundamental laws regulating health are to be disregarded by the invalid. the robust and strong may, perhaps, for a season violate these laws with impunity; but, even in their cases, every serious indiscretion, if not immediately felt, is as a draft on them, bearing some future date, sure of presentation, while the payment is absolute. it may be five, fifteen, or fifty years ere the boomerang of indiscretion returns, but come it will. invalids will need to watch and guard against all pernicious habits, and to forego doing many things which they were accustomed to do while in health, but which under the altered circumstances are extremely injurious. all pulmonic patients will, while taking counsel of some physician, do well to remember that their cases rest largely in their own hands; indeed, more depends on their own care of themselves than on the efficacy of any system of medicine. lung disease is usually of a most flattering character, and its influence on the mind differs from that of any other, in that the patient is lulled into a serene and hopeful condition. this sense of security attends no other ill to the same extent. it is perhaps fortunate that such is the case, since, in many instances, there would be little vantage ground on which to rally. still, while this peculiarity seems to be and is an advantage, there is another aspect of it which is quite as damaging, viz., the neglect and inattention, into which the patient is, too often, betrayed by this fancied security; frequently resulting in fatal consequences. it is, again, a most singular fact that, while the consumptives are thus blinded to their real danger, they become, quite as readily as other people, alarmed concerning friends who happen to be similarly afflicted; and this should serve as a caution against the companionship of invalids. indeed, the influence of mind upon mind is so positive and subtle as to render it important that the invalid's surroundings be made as cheerful and bright as possible. the sunshine of good company rivals that of the day in restorative power. among the more essential matters in the way of hints to invalids, left for brief elaboration in this chapter, is that of dress. this should be easy-fitting and comfortable. woollen under-clothing is required during nine months of the year in our climate; and, except it should disagree with the person, ought to be worn. it carries off the exhalations better, leaving the skin dryer and less liable to colds. the weight of the material can be varied to suit the changing seasons. for the summer months a mixed article, of wool and cotton, is desirable; but in no case should a change be made from all wool to all cotton. it is better to continue in the use of wool altogether than to commit this error. it is not a hardship to wear woollen through the hottest season of the year. half of all our seamen do it, even while sailing in the tropics, and both their health and comfort is undoubtedly increased by it. it is, indeed, essential for many patients to wear it as a guard to some extent against summer complaints. if any inconvenience of heat is experienced at mid-day, it is better to change the outside clothing, adjusting that to the thermometer, rather than to disturb one's underwear. there are some sensitive-skinned people whom, we know, cannot endure the contact of flannel; such can, however, usually wear, without inconvenience, the mixed goods--especially if it be washed once or twice before it is used. it is important that all the clothing worn through the day should at night be laid aside, and a nightdress substituted, which should be a flannel wrapper coming nearly or quite to the feet. changes of underwear ought to be made once each week, and special care taken that it be well aired and dried. never go without a chest protector. considerable relief is afforded by the use of this convenient and inexpensive article. every old asthmatic appreciates their value, and we have known such people, years ago, who wore them. they warm the chest, and thereby loosen and soothe a cough. they may be of any woollen material almost, so that it is soft and warm. the best article is a piece of buckskin, lined upon one side with a single thickness of flannel made in the form and size of a dinner plate, with a piece clipped out to accommodate the throat; and to the corners of the clipping attach pieces of tape. this tied around the neck and over the under-clothing will prove not only a great relief, but will help the system to better resist a cold; and, for gentlemen, it ought to be in constant use, whether well or ill, as it serves to equalize the clothing over the chest, which is now partially exposed by the fashion of their vests. this invaluable little article can be obtained, when there are no loving fingers to make it, at almost any city drug-store. by wearing it in the manner indicated, it will not require to be washed at all. the absurdities and crimes of fashion in dress we have discussed elsewhere, and only stop now to say that they should be laid aside by the invalid. tight lacing, tight collars, knee bands and garters, and thin, tight shoes and boots, are not only foolish, but incompatible with high health. great good sense has, however, characterized both men and women within the last few years in regard to the covering for the feet. every person who has occasion (and all should have) to be out of doors in cold and even wet weather, ought to be provided with strong thick-soled boots or shoes, large enough to admit a patent insole, which will keep the feet dry, and at night this should be removed and dried. the security from colds is almost assured whenever this precaution is taken; at least they are a great preventive of colds, and they give, in addition, a sense of solid comfort beyond that which is derived from anything else, save, perhaps, a warm fire on a cold day, or a generous bank account. they should be an easy fit, as well as thick-soled; and, without this virtue, the other is rendered null. indeed, better have loose thin boots or shoes, with holes in them even, than _tight_ thick ones. but they can and should possess both of the characteristics named. it is safe to say that any consumptive who has neither courage nor sense enough to adopt the kind recommended, might as well be given over at once, and without further ado. persons whose health is so perfect that they can for the time indulge and endure anything, and who cannot be said to have had any experimental knowledge of lame backs, sides, or weak stomachs, and who do not know practically whether they have any such members at all or not, will not be expected, at present, to pay any regard to what we have to offer under the head of diet. the other, and, unfortunately, most numerous class, know how sadly they have fallen from their first estate. there was a time with them when they never dreamed that their stomachs were not as strong as a cider-mill, and could grind anything and everything which their greedy natures and careless habits desired. there is no other living animal, except it be the hog, that can eat and tolerate just the same variety of materials, cooked and raw, as man. their tastes and habits are strikingly alike, it must be confessed, and their ends are not unlike; both die untimely deaths, with this difference, one is in due time killed, while the other, in equally due time, usually kills himself, the advantage being in favor of the porker, since his career, if brief, is, also, to the limit, blissful. the habits of men are a curious mixture of sense and the want of it. endowed with some of the highest attributes, and yet forgetting that they are anything beyond the veriest machines. they who leap from docks and bridges are not the only suicides. these shock the world, and are not uncommonly denied the last kindly offices of the church, while the slower suicides are borne triumphantly from the chancel within to that without--all turning on methods, and that is, indeed, important. method in living should receive our earliest and best attention. all need to become good _methodists_, especially in some senses of that word. the english men and women are the most systematic in their habits of living; and, as a natural result, they are remarkably robust. they take ample time in which to eat. an hour at dinner is as little time as they customarily allow, while those who can, often devote much more. they eat slowly, and talk a great deal, and laugh much, and by the time they have done they are fairly red in the face, and keep so pretty much all the time; and it is as healthy a sign as one can hang out. good digestion waits on appetite with them, and they grow stout and formidable. they not only eat slow, but they know what to eat and what makes good blood. suppose every englishman could be sent into france and obliged to live on french cooking; does any one suppose they would remain the same people they now are? not a bit of it. take from john bull his roast beef, and mode of eating it, and you change the character of the race inside of a century. they must have their favorite dish, and about as often as a friend of ours, dr. m----, who, by the way, is a good type of an englishman, and enjoys the things of this world much more than is common with americans. on asking m---- how often he indulged in roast beef, he replied, that about three hundred and sixty-five times in the year was his rule! invalids may be assured it was not a bad one. of course, he took a great deal of active exercise, seldom using a horse while engaged in the practice of his profession. consumptives, and those who are generally debilitated and who need a fresh stock of good blood, cannot do better than confine themselves, so far as meats are concerned, to beef and mutton. the latter should be well cooked, while the former ought to be eaten rare done. if it is at first distasteful in this manner, proceed by degrees, and by-and-by it will grow in favor; but commence with it rare at the outset, when possible. whether roasted or broiled, beef should not be cooked as to destroy all its natural color. let the inside show some of the blood, the more the better, and the quicker it is assimilated to the needs of the system. general rawlins, the late secretary of war, died of consumption, but his life was prolonged many months by the use of rare and even raw beef. he came to like it better raw than in any other way. once a day is, perhaps, as often as may be required; much, however, depends on the amount of exercise taken. wild game is likewise good, especially venison, and where that can be had, beef and mutton may be dispensed with. fish and eggs furnish a variety to the invalid's diet, and such vegetables as are liked may be indulged, of course. never eat but of one kind of meat at any one meal, and not over two kinds of vegetables, with wholesome, fresh bread (graham preferred), and the coarser the better. insist on having coarse bread; let it be made of unbolted meal. as for drinks, a single cup of very weak tea or coffee, diluted chiefly with milk, will not harm. a glass of milk is better in warm weather, if it agrees. let water alone, except it is that which the system has become familiarized with; then, half a glass is preferable to a larger quantity at meals. sousing the stomach at meal-time with a cold _douche_ is only harmful. after the food has had time to digest and pass out of the stomach, then, if one is a great water-drinker, take a glass, or so much of a glass as you think is required, and it will be of benefit. make the heartiest meal come at noon, and eat a light supper at night, using bread and butter for the most part. _things to be remembered and observed in eating_, are slowness and thorough mastication; never wash your food down with any drink. talk and laugh, taking as much time to do this as you do to eat. a noted humorist says that "every time a man laughs he takes a kink out of the chain of life, and thus lengthens it." that is true philosophy, and it is little understood by our nervous, rushing people. we grin and snicker enough, at ourselves and others, but downright hearty laughter is a stranger to the most of us. it should be cultivated till, in an honest way, it supplants, at least, the universal snicker. there is both comfort and health in rousing peals of laughter. _things to be avoided in eating_, are hot, fresh baked breads of all kinds; also avoid all manner of pies as you would a pestilence, likewise cakes, of every description; they are the crowning curse. women will make it and children will cry for it, probably, for all the generations to come, as they have in the past. but more truthful epitaphs should be inscribed over them than is now done. it is strange how fashion rules in diet as in dress. why, the koohinoor diamond of victoria is not more valued than is a steady supply of poundcake by most of women and children. we know of a family who make it a boast that _they_, when young, had _all they wanted_; which either implies their mother to have been unwisely indulgent, or else the children to have been over-clamorous. it certainly does not imply wealth, and, least of all, culture, for the poorest families have usually the largest display of these things, while those with enlarged means and sense dispense with them out of good judgment. travelling on the cars, a short time since, we had for a companion a shrewd yankee who had the honor to be postmaster of his city, and at the same time was engaged in the boot and shoe trade; one of those stirring men who, if he did not possess genius, had its nearest kin--activity, and illustrated the fact that a man _might_ do two things well at one and the same time. he gave us samples of human nature which is quite apropos to the general subject. in discussing the eccentricities of merchandising, he said that usually wealthy customers entering his store would ask to see his cheaper class of boots, such as would do service, "honest material, but not the most expensive," and from that class would make their selections; but, whenever parties entered whose means were known to him to be limited, and yet whose "pride of family" and personal vanity were in increased ratio to their decreased capital, he never ventured even to suggest the class of goods taken by the wealthy, lest offense be given. his rule was to show to such his very best goods first. they wished to display "a notch above their betters." and so with the cake question. some of even the poorest families of new englanders doubtless eat more of this material than does the royal family of england, if it could but be known. there remains yet another article of food to be proscribed. we refer to the pork question. all ought to be good jews on this subject. their prohibition is, we believe, founded on the intrinsic unhealthfulness of the thing itself. its use is universal in this country, and in the south it forms the chief meat diet. this latter fact comes of their mode of agriculture more than original preference. they devoted all labor to cotton growing, and had their meat and grain to buy. the question with the planter in laying in his supplies was what would go farthest, at a given price, as food for his slaves. bacon and flour were always found to answer the economic query best. the west furnished bountiful supplies, and readily floated these products to a market, where competition was not only not thought of, but entirely out of the question. cattle and sheep raising (outside of texas) had no growth or encouragement among them. the planters soon fell into the habit of using bacon on their own tables, and the result is, it has continued to form the staple article for all classes there for several generations. the darkies have rather flourished upon it, while the whites have suffered greatly in consequence. its use undeniably produces scrofula, salt-rheum, tetter, ringworm, humors in the blood, rheumed eyes, enlarged glands, sore eyes, and lastly, cancer. almost any community in the south will afford several examples of one or all of these diseases, and all directly traceable to the excessive use of salt pork. in a somewhat sparsely settled neighborhood near central georgia, known as social circle, a dozen cases of cancer alone can, in one form or another, be found, and that is one of the most salubrious sections in all the southern country. they have become so enamored of "hog and hominy," that they are fairly superstitious or foolish regarding the use of some other kinds of meat. for instance, mutton, in any form, they are disgusted with as a rule. we tried to get at the reason while sojourning there, but never fairly succeeded, though the impression was, plainly, that they did not think it proper food for white people anyway, and then the "odor was so disgusting," and altogether it was only fit for "trash folks." we scarce hope to be believed when we state, that we have seen young ladies refuse to sit at the table where this dish was served, and served, too, out of compliment to their guests from the north. this same feeling was largely shared by the colored people, and, while it was no infrequent thing for the "smoke-house"--where the bacon was kept--to be broken open in ante-war times, taking the risk of detection and dogs, it was almost an unheard-of occurrence that a sheep was stolen. they roamed, what few there were, at will and unharmed, except by dogs and wild beasts--the special benefit accruing to their owners being simply the wool. during and since the war, matters have been undergoing a change, and sheep raising is receiving more attention, and beginning to be valued as an article of food. still, during weeks last winter, the atlanta markets did not show a single carcass of mutton, notwithstanding the great extent of country tributary to it by means of her railways. this change above referred to, while of slow growth, is, in part, owing to the example our troops set, the experience of their prisoners, their straitened circumstances, and lastly, to the infusion of northern society among them. while there are undoubtedly tenfold more of those diseases in the south consequent on the use of pork, than what there is at the north, yet its consumption is vastly in excess with us of what it should be. there is no doubt of this. scrofula, salt-rheum, and ophthalmia, are among the chief developments at the north. at the north greater and better variety of food among all classes is in use, to say nothing of better cooking, which wards off some of the worst results. the natural tendency is to greater use of pork in the more northern than in the southern states, since the climate would seem to call for it; but we have shown its use at the south to be the result of circumstances more than of _original_ preference and probable inclination, since all peoples of low latitudes, of a high standard of civilization, elect a lighter diet than those of cooler climates. there are some who declaim against the use of any and all kinds of meat for food, and advocate a purely vegetable diet. there is much that can be said in its favor, and it ought, with fruits, to form at least two of the three daily meals. the system would be in better tone, and the mind as well. but there are extremes in all things, and these sometimes govern the conduct of men. a happy medium is usually the best, and for our climate, we believe the use of the right kinds of meat to be not only healthful but eminently proper. the natural law aids to this conclusion. we see the people of the tropics indulging largely in fruit, which an allwise providence has placed there and adapted to their wants; again, at the poles the inhabitants live almost wholly on the fat of animals--a half-dozen tallow candles being eaten at a meal, when supplied by strangers. the intense cold requires this heavy fuel to supply the needed heat and comfort. what would an exclusive vegetable diet be worth to them, exposed as they are? with us, lying between the two extremes, with a climate and country abounding in both fruits and animals, with seasons of cold and heat in nearly equal extremes, it seems quite rational that a mixed diet, regulated by common-sense rules, is the best. certainly the highest civilization to which man has yet attained is found in the temperate zones, where neither the one nor the other extreme in diet has obtained. a manifest advantage and improvement in general health can, however, be effected by paying a more enlightened regard to those things whereof we dine. people with gluttonish inclinations can easily and do make themselves sick while subsisting on an entirely fruit diet; hence, if discretion is needed in the use of the simplest articles of food, of course it cannot be dispensed with while indulging in other sorts. but, in a volume of this character, we cannot amplify the details of this very interesting and important topic to that extent we could wish. suffice it to say, that so far as pork is concerned, we abjure all to leave it severely alone. there is a variety of other meats great enough, from which all may choose, and there are no good elements inherent in pork which cannot be supplied in other meats, or by the free use of good fresh butter, which is at all times a much better _fuel_ for the system than pork. regularity in eating is highly essential, and too much stress cannot be placed upon this injunction to the sick. it is quite as important to those in health who would remain so; but then, few in health believe that, or if they do, their habits do not conform to their belief. the duties of life should conform to the laws of health, and where there is any conflict, shove duties overboard always. indigestion is the result of irregular, hasty, or unwholesome meals, and likewise meals in quantity beyond that required by genuine hunger and health. it is the mother of many evils, some one of which will be sure to visit, in time, all who violate themselves as above indicated. many there are who, troubled with a cough, sore throat, and general debility, think they have the consumption, whereas it is, at the outset, nothing but indigestion. they will go on eating heartily, and continue their pie and cake, these being so pleasant to the palate; they say, "one piece will not do harm," "one swallow never made a summer," and thus they continue till complete prostration takes possession of them. the use of stimulants at or after a meal may be done with advantage in some cases, but it should only be taken when the physician so advises. we have heard of consumption being cured by the free use of whisky; but should the habit of using it become an uncontrolled one, we question whether the life of the individual is worth the saving at this cost to community and friends. some of the most eminent among the faculty recommend it, while others do not. when cod-liver oil is freely used, a spoonful of whisky ought, perhaps, to accompany it. if cream, butter, or the fat of mutton or beef be freely eaten at the noon or morning meal, and they are about as useful as the oil itself, stimulants are not so much needed, except that of exercise, which is really one of the medicines most needed by consumptives, dyspeptics, and hosts of others who are complaining. a daily dose of the saw-horse or wash-tub isn't bad for weak lungs and bodies, or for strong ones who wish to continue thus. take a thoroughly well person, accustomed to an active, out-of-door life, shut them up and confine them to a bed, and a tolerable invalid will soon be the result. the converse of this holds good, namely, take an invalid who is able to walk about the house, but feeble in spirit and body, if exercised daily out of doors, a gradual return to health is apt to follow. the strong, to continue the growth of their powers, must give themselves constant practice. the story of the man who commenced to lift the calf, and continued the task daily till after it had grown to be an ox, illustrates this. moderate and constant labor is the law of both life and health. there are two classes who need counselling--those who overwork either mind or body or both, and there are many such, especially among those who conduct the multitude of our public journals. no profession is so exacting or exhausting as is theirs, or so generally thankless, and none so greatly influential for good or evil. these classes are, however, small compared with those who die for the want of a proper amount of physical exercise. the weak-lunged portion of the world must have physical exercise out of doors, or they must die. there is hope for them if they will but consent to labor in the open air. those who cannot hold a plow and hoe corn, should jolt themselves on the back of a horse at a good round trot. if that is too much, in their debilitated condition, canter the animal; but if only a walking gait can be endured, why, hitch the horse in the stall and go on foot. go briskly--get some errands to do which require to be done daily; take a contract to drive the mail out into the country, or, if no business can be had, ride on horseback to the mountains, spending the whole season in the going and returning. do no studying or letter-writing by the way, and especially none to lady-loves. it will do little good to send the body off on a health trip, and have, meanwhile, the mental arm around your sweetheart. and it works against your recovery even worse when you are situated so as to substitute these mental for real flirtations. this does not so much apply to married men. they who have wives or husbands would be the better of their company and care. invalids who cannot travel, either at home or elsewhere, in consequence of weakness, should sit in the open air in some sheltered corner of the verandah, or of their room, and bathe in the light and sunshine, being careful to avoid all draughts. a young man was just starting out in business. he was to leave his home in new england to engage in active life in one of the large cities situate on lake erie. he had bidden his childhood's home his first adieu, and meeting with a friend, sought some counsel; this friend, at the close of a somewhat lengthy interview, and as the sum of all he had uttered, said: that he should remember to practice three things, if he would have his efforts crowned with success, namely, the first was _perseverance_,--the second was _perseverance_, and the third was _perseverance_. so it is with pulmonic patients: if they would recover, aside from the aids of diet, dress, and all the other etceteras, they must first and all the time continue to _exercise_--exercise--exercise the body in the open air. the distinguished dr. willard parker once said to us that he put a consumptive on the back of a horse at his office-door in new york, and told him to ride for his life. he did ride for his life, and, after a six months' journey of about two thousand miles, having traversed the central states, he returned with the assurance of his physician that he had overcome his disease. there is often criminal fault in parents about the matter of exercise. they who are in affluent circumstances, and others who would be thought affluent; and again, that class (and, we are sorry to say, it is a large one) who are so very tender of their children, and whose mothers do all their own household labor, only so that their daughters may be the admiration of a ball-room, or else through fear they will "get sick" if they put their hands to anything which has kept their mothers so strong and well. if parents did their whole duty, they would place the boys upon the farm, where they might grow strong and lay well the foundations of life, while the girls should bear a hand at making as well as eating bread. the art of cooking is a science, by the way, very little understood, and there is scope and verge enough for any ordinary genius, and as noble a service to mankind may be accomplished by its mastery as any that comes within the pale of human life. health seems almost ignored in these later days by parents, so far as the training of their children is concerned. their overweening pride and love blinds them to what is their true duty. they feel it would be so trying for their "dear boy" to do any kind of manual labor, and it is so bad that his delicate hands should be soiled and hardened by any toil, that they would deny themselves of even the necessaries of life in order their fair-haired boy may be thought such a "nice young man," and so "genteel." their judgment, however, is never in error with regard to some of the neighborhood "rapscallions." their heads are perfectly level on the question of "those rowdy boys." their advice is as sound as it is free. they can predict with greater accuracy than can any of the second-sightseers as to the ultimate end of these embryo ladies' men, good-for-nothings, sharpers, spendthrifts, and paupers. they know the process full well whereby these boys can be transformed into strong, honest, enterprising, and useful citizens. they do not forget, either, though many would but for an occasional gibe from some envious mrs. grundy, that both they and their husbands were the children of obscurity and poverty; which, rather than being any dishonor, as it is often thought, particularly by the vainer sex, is a badge of genuine honor and royal patent of the man's energy and industry. witness the noble example set republicans by the head of the most illustrious empire in the world, and consider how wise a queen and mother may be, while her love for her family is not excelled by that of any other true and devoted mother. she realizes the necessity and value of sound health, if long and useful lives are to be attained. we see her sons doing duty for years in the ranks of the common sailor and soldier, enduring the privations and hardships incident to such service, and they thus secure not only health, but an insight into human life and thought and nature more valuable than any of the lessons learned from books. all excesses in labor are to be reprehended, and not uncommon is it that we hear of health ruined and even life jeopardized by some foolish or thoughtless effort. young men ought to guard against strife in labor, which usually accompanies an ambition to excel. we know of an instance where a company of boys, by lifting against each other, one was ruptured. and again, an "itinerant" came along with a machine known as a lung-tester; one fair-haired, slender youth, having fears he would fall below the average, made so great an effort as seriously to impair his health for the time. another case of a boy, who was frequently into some daring scheme of house-climbing or leaping, sought the crest of a cliff, some thirty feet, and, to astonish his companions, essayed the feat of flying; and, though he flew well enough, the lighting proved too much, since, as he struck the ground, both his legs were broken short off. we cite these various instances, coming within the range of boys' sports, for the purpose of warning others from attempting excesses. leaping, running, climbing, are well enough in their way, and may be practiced in perfect safety, as millions of boys have practiced them with no detriment, but absolute advantage. care should be exercised, and counsel given, to beware of the danger of going to extremes. the race over the meadows for the cows; hoeing in the garden or field; sawing or cutting wood for the fire; riding the horse to mill; a walk to the village post-office; holding plow; raking hay; the most of which are charming things to do, and just what boys should do to become strong and capable men. the renowned of any age usually come from humble life, in which character, both physical and mental, has had opportunity for development. washington was a farmer's boy; so were adams, jefferson, putnam, jackson, webster, clay, douglas, lincoln, and raymond, of the past; and grant, sherman, trumbull, emerson, bryant, buckingham, and greeley, of the present; while nine out of every ten of successful lives in any department of labor have come from the fields of country life. gymnasiums offer a very good substitute for outdoor exercise; and if practice in them is at all times controlled by a careful judgment, the result is undoubted benefit. indeed, the lung power of an individual can be more rapidly enlarged here than elsewhere, since exercise is here adapted and may be directed solely to that end. however, one may not require for this purpose anything beyond a simple and inexpensive apparatus, consisting of a cross-bar and a pair of rings attached to some point above, with just room enough to swing the person clear of the floor. sleep is the "sweet restorer," and invisible physician, playing an important part in the restoration and maintenance of health. without this daily dying, as we are constituted, there could be no daily living; and whatever promotes sound, natural, balmy slumber is beyond all price in the economy of life. chief among these promptings to restful slumber are a clear conscience, proper exercise, a suitable diet, and place. all but the latter have been considered. one-third of the whole time of life is spent in bed. suppose an individual has attained the age of seventy-five years, twenty-five of this, on the average, have been passed in sleeping! how essential, then, it becomes to understand and to have every help which can be afforded, in securing the required rest our wearing frames demand. the first requisite is an airy room, capable of constant ventilation, either by the windows, doors, or flues, or by all. next, a comfortable bed, of almost any material, except cotton and feathers, though the latter might be indulged in during the severest season; but it is better to dispense with them _in toto_, and use instead a mattress of hair, husk, moss, or straw. these even should be frequently aired, but only upon bright sunny days, and occasionally changed altogether for new material. in place of heavy cotton counterpanes use woollen blankets at all seasons. consumptives, and invalids generally, should never sleep under the former, as they are unhealthful. all bed-clothing should be carefully dried before a fire ere it is used. many a one can date their final cold and fatal cough from this neglect of otherwise thoughtful housewives. never put your friend in the northwest bedroom if it has not been duly aired in summer, or warmed in winter. if this is not done, it is almost manslaughter. that corner in our houses should be used for parlors, store-rooms, or anything, rather than for sleeping people in. we have had some experience in this matter and know how utterly defenseless people are when assigned one of these rooms where death dwells. an open attack with a bludgeon is preferable. cold, fresh air is beneficial, but a _cold, fresh_ bed isn't. no one thing, perhaps, serves more to drive away sleep than cold feet. people ought not to go to bed with cold feet. dry them by the fire, or rub them till warmth comes. to avoid cold feet wash them frequently in cold salt water, rub them thoroughly, and wear loose, thick boots or shoes. brisk walking, or chafing them on a rough mat will tend to restore warmth. stockings should be changed often, and when possible, in winter, placed by the fire to dry. there should always be some extra covering upon the bed over the lower extremities in cold weather; it gives, in various ways, additional comfort to the sleeper, and there is less need of covering for the body. an extra blanket over the footboard, in our changeful climate, is a wise measure. all have at some time been awakened in the night by the increasing cold, which would prevent further sleeping if there were no remedy of this sort at hand. no more covering should be used, however, than seems judicious. pernicious habits may be formed in this respect, which should be corrected, though we are aware some natures are more delicate and sensitive to cold than others. many there are, who sleep with their heads covered; this is highly destructive to health, and cases of scrofula may be directly traced to this custom. the poisonous exhalations from the body, together with the constant exhaustion of the oxygen from breathing, renders this confined air foul to the last degree. "the custom of covering the faces of children with the bed-clothes," says the celebrated florence nightingale, "produces a large share of the cases of scrofula found among them." invalids afflicted with catarrhal troubles should be careful to sleep upon their sides with their faces as much downward as possible, and dispense with all proppings, except a small thin pillow, the end of which will serve to give the right inclination to the face. the reasons for this, in these cases, are so obvious that there is no need of their statement here. the side is, for that matter, the best attitude for the sleeper in all cases, as also is a very slight elevation of the head, since the flow of the blood is less obstructed. the habit of throwing yourself down to rest during the day without extra covering, is a source of many colds. the invalids should remove their outer dress wholly and get into bed, and thus secure not only immunity from possible colds, but a better circulation of the blood than they can have if this is not done. avoid the taking of colds in every way possible; and to do this, watchfulness and care is needed. never sit in a draught in either private or public assemblies; no, not even if in church. there is no law of courtesy which requires any one to inflict suffering on themselves, or perhaps to endanger their lives, out of regard to numbskulled architects or incompetent "building committees." if a cold is taken give it prompt attention, and "scotch" it in the bud if possible. as to treatment, all are apt to have some favorite method. pursue any rational course in which you have most faith, only so that you remain in your room, eat little or nothing, and keep the system unobstructed. bathing should not be neglected, and cold water baths in summer are refreshing and should be frequently indulged; but in winter, temper the water so as not to shock the system. this jumping into ice-cold water may do for persons in the highest health, perhaps, but the invalid will have nothing to do with this sort. when the sponge is used then cold water applied to one limb or section of the body will do very well, if followed by brisk rubbing. this should be done in the morning, while tepid baths, tempered that no shock be produced, ought to be taken just before retiring, whether it be the sponge or full bath. the invalid who is much debilitated should take all baths in a warm room, with an assistant, bathing one portion while the other is kept partially dressed. there is always a small current of air moving over the floor, and to protect against this, keep the feet covered, and the first thing to be done on rising in the morning, or at any time, should be to dress your feet, otherwise, even if you do not take cold, cold feet will be apt to keep your company the entire day. we may also add here, that if by any exposure the feet get wet, to prevent taking cold, they should be, on returning home, at once plunged into cold water, rubbed briskly, and dried before the fire. finally, pure air, thick shoes, warm clothing, a nourishing diet, liberal exercise, early to bed and early to rise, with a rigid regularity of habit, and the abolition of fashion in the things specified, and many who are now invalids may live long and be comparatively happy. but, indulge in corsets, thin, shoes, irregular hours, and live in damp and unventilated houses, eating fine-bolted, hot breads, with liberal supplies of pie and pound-cake, and it will not be long ere the undertaker will be cultivating your acquaintance. beware of this advancement on his part. it bodes no good to you. he has an eye to business. if not the pale-horse, he is its rider. take another direction quickly, and give him a cold shoulder, but see that he does not get two. chapter x. where to go and what to see and expect. the best localities for invalids and others.--the city of minneapolis.--its drives and objects of interest--cascade and bridal tails.--fort snelling.--minnehaha falls.--the city and falls of st. anthony.--anoka and st. cloud.--fishing and hunting.--wilmar and litchfield.--lake minnetonka.--experience in fishing.--some "big fish."--white bear lake.--the minnesota valley.--le sueur.--st. peter's and mankato.--minneopa falls.--southwestern minnesota.--its agricultural wealth and capabilities.--northern pacific railroad and its branches.--the red river country.--trade with manitoba.--western life and habits. it is essential for the invalid, before undertaking a journey to minnesota, to know the best points, both as regards matters of accommodation and of location. for there is, even in this state, considerable choice for patients; while for tourists, any point offering attractions is the place for them. we shall briefly consider the whole subject, but first with regard to the former class. the city of st. paul, an account of which has been previously given, is the most natural place to make the first stop; and it is a bright, cheerful, busy city in which to while away the time. its location is healthful, as well as beautiful, and invalids may remain there with perhaps as great advantage as at any point in the state, especially in the winter season. minneapolis, situated on the west bank of the mississippi river, opposite the falls of st. anthony, and less than an hour's ride by rail from st. paul,--with a direct line to milwaukee,--enjoys, at present, the widest celebrity among invalids as a place of resort. this town is on a nearly level plain adjoining the mississippi river at the falls of st. anthony, and possesses a population of thirteen thousand. it is perhaps, _par excellence_, the most wide-awake and flourishing city in the state; and, while not over a dozen years of age, exhibits, in the elegance and cost of its private dwellings, its spacious stores, its first-class and well-kept hotel, the nicollet house, its huge factories and thundering machinery--driven by that more than titanic power of the great and wondrous falls,--evidence of a solid prosperity. scores of invalids may be found in this town at the hotels and various private boarding-houses, of which there are quite a number. many visiting the state for health, leave without that improvement they should have obtained, owing to irregular habits and indulgences, which are directly traceable to their associations, rather than to any objectionable habits they may possess. the temptation, when time hangs heavy on their hands, to join in billiards, euchre, and tea-parties, keeping the mind unduly excited and leading to late hours, is fatal to every benefit derived from the climate. if friends can accompany the invalid, giving society and controlling their life and habits, they thereby insure against these liabilities to a very great extent. there is much in the vicinity of minneapolis to interest the visitor. days may be spent in examining the falls of st. anthony, which roar and surge along the rapids, impressing one with an appalling sense of their mighty power. the suspension bridge, connecting the city with that of st. anthony on the east bank of the river, is an interesting object. it was erected several years since at an expense of over half a hundred thousand dollars, and is the only bridge of its class on the whole river. take the towns of st. paul and minneapolis, together with the intervening country, and perhaps no portion of the union east of the rocky mountains, presents so many objects of interest as does this particular region. st. paul is itself a noble town, and the prospect from its highest elevations quite entertaining; while at the latter city the falls of st. anthony are "a sight to behold," and make up what the town lacks in striking scenery. the country between the two cities is as pleasing in general outline as any to be found. of course, it lacks that romantic element so characteristic of new england, yet its general character is more rolling than that of most of the prairie country found in the west. a drive from either city is "the thing" for the visitor to do. from minneapolis one of the most charming drives in the world, for its length, can be had. passing over the suspension bridge to the east side of the river, and down by it to the silver cascade and bridal-veil falls, which charm from their exquisite beauty, then on to the junction of the mississippi and minnesota rivers at fort snelling, and across by the rope-ferry under the tall battlements of the frowning fort, whose edge is on a line with the towering, perpendicular bluff two hundred feet above your head, round by the road and up to the plain above, and into the inclosure of this old-time fortification, where, leaving your carriage, you proceed to the round tower, or look out of the fort, and on the very pinnacle of both cliff and battlement you may gaze out and over a spectacle more grand and beautiful than anything we know short of the white hills. away to the right stretches the valley of the minnesota river, while before you the "father of waters" receives into his embraces the waters of the minnesota, then, sweeping to the left, rolls slowly and majestically from view behind the companion bluffs of the eastern shore. here, from this crowning tower has floated--for more than half a century--the "star-spangled banner" of our country, giving to the early settler an assurance of protection; proclaiming equality and freedom to all peoples who come hither in search of new homes, and to each and all a sense of increased dignity and importance as they stand underneath its ample folds. a short distance across the open prairie and up the river toward minneapolis--on the return--is the famed minnehaha falls. longfellow's exquisite picture--in words--of these falls seems so perfect and complete that we cannot forbear to quote it. he says: "sweet minne-ha-ha like a child at play, comes gaily dancing o'er her pebbly way, 'till reaching with surprise the rocky ledge, with gleeful laugh bounds from its crested edge." and what can we say of them that shall be new or of fresh interest either to those who have read of, or what is better, have seen them? after viewing and listening to their laughing-leap we easily understand the fitness of the name they bear--the "laughing waters." the first sight of the falls is captivating, and there seems little of praise which you could wish to withhold. they are the very antipodes of those of niagara--instead of volume and power inspiring awe, they win your love and enhance your views of the beautiful and good. the waters "flash and gleam among the oak trees, laugh and leap into the valley," and move gaily and gleefully among the maples, oaks, and vines which line and wreathe its banks; rivalling in song the wild birds that linger in the cool shadows of the embowering trees. minnehaha creek has its rise in lake minnetonka, a dozen miles or more distant, where it is quite a diminutive little brook; from thence runs to and through lakes calhoun and harriet, meandering along the surface of the country, till it makes its graceful leap at the falls to the chasm, some forty feet below, then empties into the mississippi about half-a-mile distant to the eastward. the width of the stream and falls does net much exceed twenty feet. we lingered long, and reluctantly turned our feet away from this enchanting scene where both real and imaginary heroes and heroines have dwelt, and in the bright waters of which their picturesque encampments have been often mirrored. st. anthony--opposite minneapolis--is one of the oldest towns in the state, and was, in _ante bellum_ times, quite a fashionable resort for the southerners. the war ended that, while the latter city gave to it its final _coup de grâce_, and soon after the business set to the west bank of the river. its chief object of interest is the state university, which has but just entered upon its career of usefulness. tourists will enjoy a few days in and around minneapolis. it is the centre of a number of attractive objects of natural curiosity. a drive to lake calhoun and a day's sport in fishing is both practicable and pleasant. we cannot regard the city of st. anthony as equalling minneapolis as a place of residence in point of health. even in the latter city it is important that a home be had as remote from the neighborhood of the falls as is convenient. its adaptability to the needs of the invalid consists more in the walks and drives, the ample boarding-house and hotel accommodations, good markets, and cheerful, pleasant society, than in the particular location of the town itself or in the character of the soil on which it is built. beyond, and on the line of the st. paul and pacific _branch_ railroad--now owned and operated by the northern pacific railroad--the towns of anoka and st. cloud, both on the banks of the "great river," are either more desirable for invalids than most other points in the state within our knowledge, so far as _location_ is concerned. they are high and dry above the river, and possess a soil in and around them of a loose sandy character, for the most part every way favorable to good drainage and dryness. the towns themselves are quite small, yet accommodations might be found for a large number in the aggregate. the hotels offer no special temptation to guests beyond those of the ordinary private family in the way of home comforts and conveniences. the people are kind, intelligent, and obliging to strangers; as, indeed, they are elsewhere in the state. yet there is always a more hearty and cordial salutation among the inhabitants of towns who are anxious to secure good reputations and thereby enlarge their borders. there is some hunting and fishing near both of these places, as, indeed, there is at most all points in the interior. near st. cloud are pleasant, grand, briggs, and rice's lakes, where fishing and rowing may be had, while the country eastward of the town affords fair hunting. it is quite an advantage to any place, from an invalid standpoint, that the surrounding country affords them abundant means whereby the mind may be occupied and kept from crooning over the memories of loved ones far away, or brooding upon their own misfortunes. on the st. paul and pacific _main_ line--also controlled and owned by the northern pacific road--are a number of attractive and healthful places, where ample accommodations may be had for the invalid, and where those who come to construct new homes will find cheap lands and good society. the chief points are, after passing minneapolis, lake minnetonka, dassel, smith lake, litchfield, and wilmar. at the latter place there is a very pretty lake close to the village, with numerous others within a circuit of ten miles, and all are well stocked with fish; and in the spring and fall wild-fowl--ducks, geese, swans, and all our migrating birds, frequent them in great numbers. moose are occasionally seen a few miles west of the town,--between it and the chippewa river in considerable droves. there is a very nice hotel at this point, kept by an obliging host. at litchfield, good society and a somewhat larger village is encountered, but with less of sporting and outdoor amusements. near this place resides the invalid son of senator howard of michigan. he came to the state a confirmed consumptive, having hemorrhages and in that state of "general debility" incident to this disease, but is now in good health, the result of the climate and out-of-door exercise in which he has freely indulged, having taken a farm and rolled up his sleeves, determined to save himself--as he has. it cannot be expected that a brief sojourn in this state will work any marvellous cure. herein lies one of the principal difficulties. a patient comes to minnesota, and, having heard much of its power to restore the enfeebled, expects to become strong and well within a few days. they should disabuse their minds of this error before they start from home. the process of restoration with the consumptive is slow, as a rule, though some recover, it is true, very rapidly, yet with the most a year is as little time as can reasonably be expected for climate and exercise to complete a cure. it is better, if the climate is found to agree, to make the state a permanent home. a return to the old climate and occupation in which the disease originated is only to court its reappearance. lake minnetonka, the place first above mentioned, is, however, _the_ point for both pleasure-seekers and invalids who are well enough to "rough it." an hour's ride from st. paul brings you to this, the most lovely of all the lakes in the state, to our thinking. it is really a series of lakes, all bounded by irregular shores; while, in places, occur deep bays and inlets, giving picturesqueness and beauty beyond all ordinary fancyings. near the railway station are two hotels (the furthest being the best), where good fare, and at reasonable rates, can be had, with row-boats thrown in, _ad libitum_. this lake is one of the pleasure resorts for the people of both st. paul and minneapolis. excursion tickets are sold for every train running thither, and many go up simply to enjoy a day's fishing and sailing. there is a little steamer running from near the railway station, which is close to the edge of the lake, to the village of excelsior, six miles distant, near which lives one of the best guides to the fishing grounds of the lake. but a guide is not at all essential to the amateur, or those in simple quest of fun, pleasure, or health, since the fish here are so plentiful that all will have luck, whether they have experience or not. near "round island," and off "spirit knob," in this lake, are favorite haunts of the fish, yet the "big ones" are not plentiful now at these points, though their resorts are well known to most of the old fishermen. to tell of the size and abundance of the fish here will, perhaps, court disbelief; yet we state "what we know," when we say that a single fisherman starting, with the "guide" before referred to, at eight o'clock in the morning, came to the wharf at noon--after rowing a distance of six miles to make port--with a catch of about one hundred weight of fish, chiefly pickerel, one of which weighed twelve pounds, and measured near three feet in length. another and less successful party of two, instead of catching a "big one," came near being caught by him. it was a funny incident altogether. they were from "down east," where pickerel don't weigh over a pound or so, on the average, unless fed on _shot_ after being hauled in, all out of pure regard for the hungry and worried creatures, of course. well, this party, all enthusiastic and eager, cast the line, when, lo! a monster pickerel gobbled the bait and away he went, carrying the floats under and the fisherman over and into the watery deep, with his heel and head just above water level only. the fish, including the "odd one," were subsequently pulled in by the man in the boat who is accustomed to "takes." boarding can be had, at the hotels and private houses in the vicinity of the lake, at from seven to ten dollars per week. for the summer season, country life should by all means be the rule. in the inclement portions of the year the towns are most desirable; st. paul and minneapolis taking the lead as places of resort, and they are, at these seasons, the most desirable. in the vicinity of st. paul there are a number of lakes. the nearest, lake como, is a pretty sheet of water, and affords one of the fashionable drives out of the city. it is intended, we believe, in the near future, by the authorities of st. paul, to incorporate it, with several hundred acres, into a grand park and pleasure-grounds. it should be done. white bear lake, a dozen miles out on the lake superior and m. railroad, is a favorite place with all classes. its shores are thickly wooded and the fishing rivals that of minnetonka. there are a score of boats anchored on the shore of this lake awaiting visitors; and the two hotels provide for the needful rest and comfort of guests. this point is second in interest only to that of minnetonka lake for both invalids and pleasure-seekers during the summer and fall months. up the minnesota valley, while it is the most attractive in scenery and most fertile in crops, is not quite as desirable for the invalid as the places already named. though shakopee, le sueur, st. peter's, and madelia are not very objectionable in a sanitary point of view. still the valley is sloping, and its villages and towns are, for the most part, situated on the low lands, and cannot have as dry or desirable an atmosphere for patients as some other places. yet the exceptions noted above are, perhaps, above the average in health so far as location is concerned. if, however, any invalid has relatives or friends living in the state and can find a home among them, then, even if the location was not as good as other points, this would be counterbalanced by other advantages such as come from being among them. the principle town of this valley is mankato. this is destined to outstrip many of those places which at present outrank it. it must become the most important railroad centre in the state outside of the capital. situate in the very heart of the most fertile district, and possessing a population both industrious and enterprising, its future is bright and promising to a high degree. its location is unfavorable for invalids, and should, as a rule, be avoided by them. fogs occur here, and the place is low, and soil too rich, and of a generally too wet character to insure the highest health to delicate and enfeebled visitors. the falls of minneopa are near here and are worth a visit from the tourist. some esteem them as excelling in attractiveness any and all others in the state. the prairies beyond mankato, along the st. paul and sioux city railway, afford the best "chicken" shooting that we know of, and much of the hunting for this game is done along the line of this road. the southeastern section of the state, in which are situated rochester, owatonna, and austin, and other budding cities, is, at present, with the valley of the minnesota, the great wheat-growing region. but it is not alone in the cultivation of serials that the farmers may become "fore-handed." the climate is favorable to nearly all of the products of the middle and northern portions of the union, with some kinds of fruit excepted. indeed, we found growing in the garden of horace thompson, in st. paul, the southern cotton-plant, which (while the seed had not been planted by ten days as early as it might have been in the spring) was in bloom in august, and by september it had begun to boll, and another fortnight would have easily matured portions of the same. this illustrates in a general way the length and power of the growing season in this state. the climate, so far as crops are concerned, is perhaps a counterpart of new england. here, in this southeast section, are the handsome homes and well-filled barns of an industrious and thrifty people. the traveller through this beautiful portion of the state can scarce keep from breaking one of the ten commandments as he witnesses a people so well to do and so happy in the possession of their productive acres. here, all immigrants may, by following out to the terminus of the penetrating railways, find cheap and good lands awaiting them, and where just as beautiful homes may be made as in that portion nearer the river--now teeming with life and industries--but which, a few brief years since, was as desolate and untenanted as are the unbroken prairies to the westward. the prices vary, according to location and character, from five to fifteen dollars per acre, though a majority of the wild lands can be had at from six to eight dollars. the "st. paul and sioux city road" have thousands of acres along their line which they are ready and anxious to dispose of to settlers. the value of these lands is usually doubled the moment they are broken and occupied even with but inferior buildings--only so that shelter is obtained. for "new comers," wishing new lands, this road and that of the "st. paul and pacific main line railway," at wilmar, and on to the fertile valley of the red river, afford, in our judgment, the best lands. this latter road, now that it is under the control of the northern pacific railway company, is destined to play an important part in the settlement and development of that vast region--so rich in agricultural wealth--lying along the red, saskatchawan, and assiniboine rivers. it must indeed prove the link which some day, in the near future, will bind the new province of manitoba and the adjacent country to the northwest of it. it is, indeed, the intention of the northern pacific road to construct from the point of junction of the st. paul and duluth arms, on the red river, a branch road, northward to pembina, and it cannot be long ere it will be continued to hudson's bay. the trade and travel between british america and the states, overland from the present terminal points of the arms from st. paul of the n.p.r., is quite considerable, giving constant employment, during the summer and fall, to about one thousand ox-teams. goods from all parts of europe and the states are obliged for the most part to take this route. the distance overland is about four hundred and fifty miles. it is a singular and picturesque sight to witness one of these trains, whether coming in or departing. they sometimes number a hundred teams, though oftener much less. they are all single ox-teams, the vehicles being two-wheeled. a convenient sort of harness is used on the oxen, not unlike, in style, that on our truck horses. one driver--a half-breed usually--manages a half-dozen teams by tying the heads of the five to the rear of each cart and then leading the sixth or foremost team by means of a raw-hide rope attached to the animal's head. one thousand pounds constitutes a load for a strong ox. thus stoves, flour, implements of agriculture, bales of goods, and even boxes of choice wines from france, marked "for the bishop of prince rupert's land, viâ st. paul, u.s.a." either the body of the church or that of the bishop must be large, judging from the quantity of these wet goods which we saw moving to the frontier. there is a freshness in western life that charms one, especially at the first. new scenes, new faces, new customs, new methods of speech, combine to give a delight to this experience of novelty. there is a mental exhilaration that tones the mind to a high pitch of enthusiasm and rich enjoyment, just as there is a marvellous quality in the air to brace the system and strengthen the nervous centres. who that has gone through this double process of acclimation, as one might call it, does not retain a good impression of their experience in memory, and likewise in physique? the dialect of the west differs from that of the east in many of the non-essentials, yet, perhaps, enough of variance is observed to make it noticeable and altogether piquant to the wide-awake yankee, who, in turn, balances the western "reckoning" by his unique "kalkilations." but neither are as absurd as the cockney, who gets off his ridiculous nonsense, as, for example, the following: "ho lord, help us to take hold of the horns of the haltar," etc. the observant mind can, by keeping eyes and ears open, extract much of information and amusement when travelling anywhere--especially through the west--where vigorous thought and action are at all times encountered. chapter xi. duluth. its location and rapid growth.--who named for.--enterprise of its people.--its fine harbor.--duluth bay.--the steamship connection with eastern cities.--pleasure travel up the lakes.--the lake superior and mississippi railroad.--the shortest route east for grain.--public improvements.--the fishing, lumber, and mining interests. away at the head of our lake system stands a most marvellous illustration of the rapid growth, in population and power, of the american people. it is less than ten years since the nearly impenetrable forest was levelled to make way for the infant city of duluth, which, under the inspiring hand of genius and capital, has grown to the importance of chartered rights and privileges more quickly than any other city with which we are familiar. it is situated on the immediate shore of the lake, and across the shoulder of what is known as minnesota point,--a long scythe-shaped sand-bar, six miles in length, caused by the action of the waves, separating the waters of duluth bay from those of the lake,--and extending along the shore of said duluth bay. from the lake back to the top of the bluff, a mile distant, the ascent is easy and regular, affording one of the loveliest sites for the foundation of a great and beautiful city. duluth was named for daniel greyson duluth, a native of france, who was the first white man to explore the head-waters of lake superior. he landed here in , and advanced far into the interior, westward, toward the mississippi, cultivating friendly relations with the tribes inhabiting this portion of the country. from his time to the present little or nothing has been done toward the founding, at this point, of a place suitable to the great possibilities of trade and commerce. thus the spell which seemed to shut from view this key-point of a vast interior country remained till the prophetic eye of capital discovered and possessed it. that this wilderness, heretofore so wrapt in mystery, should now blossom into life, seems quite plain to the commonest observer of us all. how faith is given us when success walks hand-in-hand with enterprise. though the city of duluth is only ten years old, it boasts a population of over three thousand, with many of the conveniences of older settlements. its streets are laid out with great regularity, and the principal one, next the lake, full a mile in length, is lined along nearly its whole extent with stores and warehouses of every kind and description. the sound of the hammer and saw may be heard on every side. buildings so crowd upon the forest that the woodman is hard pressed to clear the way; and thus the brave work goes on of transforming this wilderness into gardens where roses in their season bloom abundantly. we counted not less than five handsome churches, all erected the past year, representing as many different denominations, and, in point of style and interior finish, quite up to the requirements of the most enlightened taste. two convenient and comfortable hotels give rest and refreshment. ample provision is being made for public schools; and the projectors of the town have, in their wisdom, set apart one entire square on which a ladies' seminary is to be erected; in short, everything is being done in a most determined and energetic manner. there is no place for idlers here. such a wide-awake community naturally weeds itself of them; and, consequently, the society is industrious and moral, if not always elegant and pretentious. duluth will in time possess a completely landlocked harbor, and indeed has it already, but not at present as accessible as it will soon be made to the commerce seeking her wharves. the work of cutting a ship channel across the shoulder of the sand-bar before referred to is in progress, the distance being but a few hundred feet of loose earth, which, when completed, will open communication to an immense bay, where all the commerce of the lakes might ride at anchor in perfect safety, were some slight dredging done to increase the present depth of water. this bay is now reached by a circuit of half-dozen miles around the end of this sand-bar, known as minnesota point. the bay of duluth must eventually, we think, be the great harbor, though a breakwater is in course of construction, which, when completed and made permanent, will give ample shelter to all immediate necessities. costly wharves have been constructed on the lake side of the point, and there vessels load and unload almost constantly. since it is the established policy of the government to improve the rivers and harbors of the country, surely the small needs of this place ought not to be overlooked. while private enterprise can and does do much, yet it is a sound theory for the general government, which derives its revenues from the people, to aid them in removing or building such obstructions or guards as the merits of the case and the public interest-demand. already the trade and commerce of the town employs about a dozen steamships, and numerous sailing vessels are also kept in motion, transporting supplies for the great railway enterprise which has its eastern base at this point. there are three lines of propellers plying between this port and buffalo, cleveland, and detroit, each employing three ships, while there is an additional line to and from chicago. they together average four arrivals weekly. the trip from buffalo is performed in little less than a week, that being the most distant of the respective places. these steamers have accommodations for over half a hundred cabin passengers, as a rule, and both invalids and pleasure travellers will find this, in every respect, the most interesting and comfortable means of access to minnesota during the summer season. formerly many availed themselves of such facilities as there then was to make, during the summer, the grand tour of the lakes, but were obliged to return by the route they came. now, however, the tourist is not compelled to turn back from the head of lake superior, as in former days, since the completion of the railway from duluth to st. paul, connecting the head of the great lakes with the navigable head of the great river, permits a sweep of travel through the interior of the continent such as is not enjoyed elsewhere on the globe, either in distance, interest, or variety. each year must give added fame to this route. duluth is at the extreme western limit of all the great lakes of the interior, and must eventually become the commercial centre for the northwest. it is already reaching out its arms to grasp the trade and commerce of that region, which, once in its control, must ever remain tributary to it. the lake superior and mississippi railway--one hundred and fifty-four miles in length--above referred to, inaugurates a new era in the agricultural interests of the state, and opens an entirely new line of travel. by means of this road the products of central and southern minnesota are placed three hundred miles nearer lake transportation eastward than heretofore, since the distance to chicago--the present point of destination for these things--by rail is that much greater. this new outlet connects at st. paul with all of the interior lines of railroad in the state, likewise with the navigation of the mississippi, and on the completion of the st. paul and sioux city road, will drain one of the most fertile valleys, in wealth of exports, to be found in any portion of the west. the great staple of all this region of country is wheat, and the question of its rapid and cheap transportation is a most important one, both to the producer and consumer. combinations have been formed in the past whereby the carriage and price was subject to the control of a few, to the great detriment of the producer; but this wheat oligarchy is now likely to receive its quietus in view of this new and competing outlet to eastern markets by way of duluth. the water transportation eastward from the latter city is at as low a rate as from chicago, while the time is by a day in favor of duluth, owing to the less favorable winds over lake michigan. it is assumed by some that in view of the lower latitude of chicago, the advantage of that city must ever remain pre-eminent, since the ice obstruction would be less, giving to commerce a much longer season than it could enjoy at any other of the great ports on either of the two westernmost lakes. this seems plausible at first view, but is hardly justified by actual facts. the difference, though slight, is not sufficient to hold any valid claim to a monopoly in the carrying trade of these inland seas. while the ice disappears earlier by a few days at chicago than at duluth, in consequence of its geographical position, it will be observed that the course of its lake commerce is due northward, and before that of the two rival lakes meet in the common waters of huron, they must both pass through narrow and contiguous straits, in both of which the ice obstructions leave about the same time. hence the advantages of the one port over that of the other, to the shipper, are not of any great moment, and are more than counterbalanced by the less time occupied in reaching the lake erie ports from duluth, over that consumed by vessels from chicago, growing out of the more favorable winds blowing over superior, as before mentioned. the advantage, then, by this new route to the east (_viâ_ duluth for a portion of northern iowa and southern and central minnesota) is a saving of the three hundred miles of extra rail transportation incurred by way of lake michigan; to say nothing of avoiding the exorbitant tolls and inexplicable delays of the latter route. the difference inhering to the benefit of the public, between the two routes, has been estimated, amounts to about one dollar per barrel in favor of this new outlet. if this can be proved true by practical experience, it must inevitably turn the golden stream of grain into the lap of duluth, since destiny itself is not more certain than that the speediest and cheapest lines will do the world's marketing. anticipating the wants of this route, there has been erected at duluth, during the past season, an immense elevator, with a present capacity of over a third of a million of bushels, which, with a small additional expenditure, can be increased to a half million. its proximity to the docks and railway is such that grain can be taken from the cars upon one side, and loaded directly into vessels upon the other, or stored, as the case may be. the elements of future prosperity surround this new city and lie at her very doors. the north shores of superior are rich in iron, copper, and silver; while the southern already supply the markets of the union with the most of its copper, which has grown from small beginnings (of twenty years ago) to be one of the great interests in all our many valuable mining arts. the fishing interest, which already gives employment to a great number of people, is in the first stages of development. they are now taken chiefly at the straits, but the business may be made extremely profitable at duluth, since the head of the lake is their natural feeding-ground, and thousands swarm these waters. we all have eaten of the lake trout and white-fish, which may be had in the most of our cities and towns, and know how successfully they compete with the best of our salt-water article. it is already an important and growing trade, and highly profitable. each morning during our stay in duluth the tables of the "clark house" were served with both of these delicacies; and these fish certainly surpass, when taken fresh, any fish it was ever our fortune to eat. the cost of living is much cheapened in consequence of their abundance, and surely nothing more wholesome can be placed on the table. if duluth had but the one interest, that of lumber, its prosperity would be assured. it lies in the very heart of a vast district abounding in pine-forests, and which have scarcely been explored, and we believe much of it remains unsurveyed by the general government up to the present time. the st. louis river, which empties into duluth and superior bays, courses, with its branches, a thousand miles among the dense forests of pine; and yet this is but a fraction of the immense tract of valuable timber to the north and west of this young and nourishing city. there is no lack of water-power to reduce the raw material to a marketable condition, since the river above named can turn all the wheels of every mill in the country, could they be planted beside it. the point of contact by the river with the outlying rim of the basin of the great lake is at the village of thompson, some twenty miles distant from duluth, on the st. paul railroad.[d] here the waters of the st. louis river struggle by and over this rim of rocks, downward and onward, roaring and surging in their tumultuous ways, to the level below. these rapids are known as the "dalles of the st. louis," and extend some four and a half miles in an elbow direction. if a canal were cut across this elbow, this splendid water-power could be utilized beyond that of any other in the country. what a field for enterprise is presented to lumbermen! a vast forest, a river furnishing transportation and unlimited power for manufacturing, and, finally, an open sea, with almost countless markets! besides this, there lies among the cliffs and high lands adjoining the rapids of this river inexhaustible quarries of slate, surpassing, we are informed, those of england in quality and quantity, and which must ere long receive that attention they seem to demand at the hands of capital. the now rude village of thompson--named for j. edgar thompson, of philadelphia--with its half dozen extemporized buildings, in the quiet of the woods, will ere long resound with the hum of many industries, and already has considerable importance as being the point of junction of the two great railways entering duluth--the st. paul and the puget sound (northern pacific) roads; the latter traversing a vast territory abounding in everything which contributes to the growth of an agricultural and manufacturing people. the city of duluth, seated at the eastern gate way of this new and splendid domain, holds in her golden horn the destinies of many populous and powerful states. footnotes: [d] known as the lake superior and mississippi railroad. chapter xii. the northern pacific railroad. the northwest.--its great extent and character.--jay cooke, esq.--the northern pacific railroad and its advantages.--the general line of the road.--the shortest route to asia.--the red river valley.--puget sound.--the future of our country. the vast reach of country lying between the bed river and the cascade range of mountains possesses, to some extent, a climate little inferior in healthfulness to that of minnesota itself. the same dry, westerly winds sweep over it, and are even more marked in their continental character. invalids will undoubtedly find as great advantages arising from a residence there as in any other part of the union, yet for the present there are no means of easy access to any portion of this immense district. by-and-by this will be changed. the many natural curiosities abounding in this little-explored region would alone prove sufficient to attract thither great numbers of our people, but when the almost unparalleled attractions of the climate are added, the travel and immigration must eventually become enormous. the northern pacific railroad,--the power which is destined to transform these territories into states,--is being pushed rapidly westward, with the promise of an early completion. to the energy of jay cooke, of philadelphia, the distinguished banker and philanthropist, will belong, perhaps, the chief honor of its completion. not that this great enterprise might not be begun and carried to a triumphal close by others,--since the government subsidies would, in time, together with the demand for this additional highway across the continent, enlist men of resolute character and ample means,--yet, withal, every new and great undertaking has somewhere a correspondingly great spirit, impelling self and co-workers to the contest and achievement of the desired ends, and we recognize in this vast enterprise the hand of this indefatigable man. of course the able and influential associates in the board of directors must share in the honor of this national work, and their names will go down in history as among the benefactors of the country in which they lived.[e] how lightly we speak now of continental roads since one is a veritable fact. novelties, to americans, pass rapidly away. how few realized, in , that the coming decade would witness the completion of one and the beginning of another iron road across the continent. ah! those brief years brought revolution in many things. the social fabric of half the union was not less overturned in this brief period than were the accustomed avenues along which ran the world's trade and commerce. the northern pacific railroad was chartered by congress in , and was approved by president lincoln on the second of july of that year. it has no government aid beyond a right of way and cession of the public lands along its line; each alternate section for a width of twenty miles in the states and forty miles in the territories. this, as is estimated, will give, according to the survey of gen. w.m. roberts, about fifty millions of acres,[f] large portions of which are known to be very fertile, while much will lie in the rich mining districts of montana territory. this generous donation of public lands by the people is well deserved by this second great national enterprise. it is the only method whereby the isolated and distant portions of the interior can become utilized. the value of the remaining lands of the government will become tenfold what the whole would be if left to time and private enterprise for their development. the work was actively begun in on the duluth end of this road; and it is expected that the present year ( ) will see it completed to the red river, a distance of about two hundred and thirty-three miles from the above-named city. quite a number of miles of iron had been laid at the time of our late visit, and as many more miles graded; with half a thousand men actively engaged in forwarding the vast undertaking. the road is already completed to the mississippi above crow wing, and from there will follow in nearly a straight line to fort abercrombie, the head of navigation on the bed river. here it will unite with the st. paul and pacific railroad (owned and operated by the northern pacific railway, a branch of which it now is), already in running order half the distance from st. paul. this line, with all its rights and franchises, has been recently purchased by the northern pacific, and will greatly aid in supporting the main trunk when completed. in addition to the force on the eastern end of this road, there has been assembled at the pacific terminus an able corps of engineers and contractors, who have already commenced the construction there, and thus the great road across the continent will be pushed to final completion, probably within five years from the first commencement of the undertaking. the road, as located by engineer roberts in his report, is laid from the head-waters of lake superior in a nearly due westerly line across the state of minnesota to red river, near fort abercrombie; thence "across the dakota and missouri rivers to the valley of the yellow stone, and along that valley to bozeman's pass, through the belt range of mountains; thence down the gallatin valley, crossing the madison river, and over to the jefferson valley, and along that to the deer lodge pass of the rocky mountains; thence along clarke's valley to lake pend d'oreille, and from this lake across the columbia plain to lewis or snake river; down that to its junction with the columbia; along the columbia to the cowlitz, and over the portage to puget sound, along its southern extremity, to any part which may be selected." a branch road is to follow the columbia river to the vicinity of portland, together with a link connecting the two western arms. by this route, which may be materially departed from in the final location, the distance will swell to near two thousand miles between the two grand termini, and it is estimated will cost, with its equipments, from seventy-five to one hundred millions of dollars. the route of this road is known to be more feasible than was that of the present line to california. its elevations are much less, and the natural obstructions of the mountain ranges more easily surmounted, while the climate invites, on account of its high sanitary character, both the immigrant and invalid. the line from omaha to california shows that for nine hundred miles the road has an average height above the sea of over five thousand feet, the lowest point in that stretch being over four thousand; while the corresponding distance, embracing the mountain ranges, along this northern pacific line, is near two thousand feet lower than the other, giving, in this difference in elevation, according to the usual estimate, over nine degrees advantage in temperature. this becomes important in an agricultural view, as well as in the immediate and constant benefit in the increased facility for operating a railway. in addition, the curvature of the thermal lines of the continent bear away to the northward of the surveyed route of this great enterprise, insuring almost entire freedom from snow obstructions other than is common to any of the principal railway lines in the states themselves. the extent of country tributary to this road is entirely unparalleled by that of any other. along the present finished continental line an uninhabitable alkaline desert stands across and along its pathway for many miles, while the northern line leaps from valley to valley, all more or less productive, and in which large supplies of coal and timber are found sufficient for ages to come. of this region, and the general line of this road, the hon. schuyler colfax writes as follows:-- "along the line of the northern pacific railroad, as it follows up the water-courses, the missouri and the yellowstone on this side, and descends by the valley of the columbia on the other, a vast body of agricultural land is waiting for the plow, with a climate almost exactly the same as that of new york, except that, with less snow, cattle in the larger portion of it can subsist on the open range in winter. here, if climate and fertility of soil produce their natural result, when railroad facilities open this now isolated region to settlement, will soon be seen waving grain-fields, and happy homes, and growing towns, while ultimately a cordon of prosperous states, teeming with population, and rich in industry and consequent wealth, will occupy that now undeveloped and almost inaccessible portion of our continental area. "but this road is also fortunate in its pathway across the two ranges of mountains which tested so severely the pacific railroads built on the central line, and the overcoming of which reflected such well-deserved honor on their energetic builders. at the deer lodge pass, in montana, where it crosses the rocky mountains, its altitude above the sea is three thousand five hundred feet less than the union pacific railroad at sherman, which is said to be the highest point at which a locomotive can be found in the world. and on the pacific side of the continent it is even more fortunate. from arizona up to the arctic circle the columbia is the only river which, has torn its way through that mighty range, the andes of north america, which in california is known as the sierras, but which in oregon changes its name to the cascades. nature has thus provided a pathway for the northern pacific road through these mountains, the scaling of which, on the other line, at an elevation of over seven thousand feet (a most wonderful triumph of engineering), cost the central pacific millions of dollars, and compelled them for seventy miles to maintain a grade of over one hundred feet to the mile--twice the maximum of the northern pacific at the most difficult points on its entire route. "it is fortunate, also, in its terminus on the pacific coast. no one who has not been there can realize the beauty of puget's sound and its surroundings. one hundred miles long, but so full of inlets and straits that its navigable shore line measures one thousand seven hundred and sixty miles, dotted with lovely islets, with gigantic trees almost to the water's edge, with safe anchorage everywhere, and stretching southward, without shoals or bars, from the straits of fuca to the capital and centre of washington territory, it will be a magnificent _entrepôt_ for the commerce of that grandest ocean of the world, the pacific." one of the chief districts to be opened to trade and commerce by the construction of this road is that known as prince rupert's land, in british america. this region of country has been recently organized under the name of manitoba, and embraces the rich and extensive valleys of the red, assiniboine, and saskatchewan rivers. a population of several thousands already inhabit this section, and a branch railway is to be constructed along the valley of the red river from the point of crossing by the northern pacific road, and under its immediate auspices. the influence on this people, whose interests will then be almost wholly identified with those of our own, cannot be doubtful. it requires no prophecy to determine their ultimate destiny. the time is not distant when all of british america must become "one and indivisible" with us, and the knell of parting government is likely to be sooner sounded in the region of the red river than elsewhere along the line of our frontier. an additional advantage inheres in this northern pacific line of prime importance, and that is in the fact of its offering to commerce a shorter route by several hundred miles to the pacific coast than that which now exists. to japan and china, from puget sound, is likewise, by more than half a thousand miles, less than from the port of san francisco. this difference is sufficient to give, eventually, to this route the carrying trade of those countries. who can question the greatness and power which lies slumbering along the line of this royal road, through which, as through a great, pulsing artery, the life,--even now already dawning,--will soon throb with a force which shall vitalize this territory, vast as an empire, and richer than the fabled realms of an arabian tale. footnotes: [e] _board of directors_.--messrs. j. gregory smith, r.d. rice, thomas h. canfield, w.b. ogden, william g. morehead, w.g. fargo, b.p. cheney, geo. w. cass, frederick billings, william windom, james stinson, samuel m. felton, charles b. wright. _trustees_,--messrs. jay cooke and j. edgar thompson. [f] the line, it is now judged, will give about sixty millions of acres. chapter xiii. other climates than minnesota. sketches of other climates and localities favorable to invalids.--california.--mortuary statistics of san francisco.--the wet and dry seasons.--san diego the best place.--florida and its reputation.--nassau as a resort.--fayal and its climate,--english and american visitors.--means of access. other climates and localities than minnesota have for many years enjoyed more or less of a high reputation as healthful resorts for the consumptive, and while the chief purpose of this volume has been the consideration of the character and climate of our northwest, yet it seems not inappropriate that some mention at least should be given to these other places, even though it be extremely brief. beyond a general outlining of some of the prevailing characteristics appertaining to each locality, we do not deem it desirable or necessary to go, since all who contemplate journeys to any one of them will, of course, consult such writers as have considered in detail the various merits or demerits of the several climates. considerable attention has been called the last few years to the reputed healthfulness of the state of california. the first years of its occupation by americans very trifling consideration was given by any one to any data whereby the true character of the climate could be judged. it was a new experience altogether for people of the old states to encounter a region possessing many characteristics of a semi-tropical country in combination with those with which they were familiar in the latitude of their own homes. to see roses blooming in the gardens of san francisco during the winter months, and experiencing in summer cool, restful nights, was quite calculated to call forth much of earnest and cordial compliment, whether any real virtue inhered in the climate of this particular locality or not. while this flattering state of things existed at san francisco, back among the sierras the poor miners had many and doubtful struggles in trying to ward off the severe and frequent storms which prevail throughout the long and tedious winters. the peculiar geographical position of this state, in conjunction with its elevated mountain ranges, gives to it nearly every climate, from that of the equator up to the limit of the temperate zone; and while the atmosphere of one neighborhood is bland and delightful, that of another is quite disagreeable and trying. no general character obtains for that of the whole state. the eastern sides of the mountains are everywhere more dry and elastic than are the western, and for tubercular cases are preferable to the sea-coast, though the vicinity of san francisco would, for simple bronchial affections, be best,--yet we do not regard either of these points as specially desirable as places of resort. an examination of the mortuary statistics of san francisco for , as given by the _pacific medical and surgical journal_, in the february number of this year, discloses an alarming percentage of deaths by consumption. for instance, the population of the city is one hundred and fifty thousand, while the deaths by consumption were five hundred for the year (round numbers), which gives one death to every three hundred inhabitants, being but a shade more favorable than is that of new england for this particular disease. still this is not, perhaps, a fair test of the climate, since a number of the decedents are among those, probably, who came from other portions of the country seeking a restoration on this coast. the general health, however, of san francisco is shown to be, by the same authority, better than that of the average of large cities in the older states. while the temperature in winter at san francisco is maintained at a comparatively high point,--allowing the outdoor cultivation of some of the hardier varieties of flowering shrubs,--the atmosphere, meanwhile, is damp and chilling, and extremely detrimental to most cases of lung difficulties. the climate of california is, in the neighborhood of san francisco, and northward, divided into two distinct seasons,--that of the wet and dry. the wet season begins usually in november, and terminates in may, while the dry season embraces the remaining portion of the year. of course the length of either varies considerably, as do all our seasons everywhere in the temperate latitudes. the quantity of rain falling in this wet season equals that of the entire fall for new england,[g] and coming in the cooler portion of the year has just those demerits, to a considerable, though modified degree, which inhere in the climate of the atlantic coast, of which we have spoken elsewhere in detail. the southern portion of california, however, presents a radical dry climate, and is quite free from those wet and dry seasons which obtain in central and northern california. the amount of annual rain-fall is, in the region of san diego, about ten inches, and while it is true that this precipitation is in sympathy with, and indeed is distributed over a portion of what is known as the "wet season," in upper california, yet it does not amount to enough in quantity to establish a wet season. the balance of the year the air is dry and elastic, and highly favorable, so far as we are able to judge, to all cases of pulmonary troubles. san diego is an old spanish town, and for many years has been neglected, and not till recently has it shown much signs of recuperation. but, now that some yankee pioneers have settled in the town and neighborhood, its prospects brighten. fruits of all kinds, such as peaches, oranges, figs, and plums flourish in the neighborhood, and in time must form one of the chief articles of commerce. few places offer so good an opportunity for stock-grazing as does this fertile region. this old city is, ere long, to become the terminus of one of our great continental lines of railway, namely, the southern pacific. access is had, at the present time, either overland from san jose, or by a monthly steamer from san francisco, the distance being, by water, over three hundred and-fifty miles. florida is certainly the only state among all of those lying east of the mississippi river to which invalids may resort with advantage, so far as the climate is concerned. there are points in others of the southern states, such as aikin, where two years out of three, perhaps, consumptives, in certain stages, may go with benefit; yet there is no atlantic or gulf state with a climate and soil adapted to aid in the cure of bronchial and catarrh troubles and nervous prostration at all comparable to florida in the winter season. in cases of lung difficulties, where tubercles have begun to form, such would find a cool, dry, elastic air best, except when the disease has been induced by some mental or emotional shock: such are benefitted most by a mild, sunny atmosphere, since the depressed spirits are, under these favoring circumstances, more easily rallied. the st. john river is the section most visited, together with st. augustine, on the atlantic sea-coast; yet so soon as tampa bay and key west possess accommodations, they will be found more favorable, since the equability is somewhat greater.[h] there are several islands in the atlantic ocean to the south and eastward of us which have become somewhat celebrated as places of temporary residence for the consumptive. that of nassau (n.p.), the nearest to our coast, has some claims upon our attention. the temperature does not greatly vary from that of southern florida, except that it may have a shade more of equability. the island of new providence, of which nassau is the capital, is one of the group constituting the bahama islands, lying directly east of the florida coast, and about three hundred and fifty miles distant from it. the town is regularly and well built, and during our "late unpleasantness" was the principal rendezvous of the scores of blockade-runners. since the war the place has resumed its calm and peaceful habits, and is again frequented, during the winter, by many invalids from the north and others who seek a temporary home in a genial clime. san domingo, should it be annexed, will probably become a place of resort for many people, but at present, while its climate in winter is charming, and the country in the vicinity of samana bay beautiful, yet its accommodations are wretched, and likely to remain so for some time to come. the benefits arising from the climate of these two islands is practically the same as in florida, while the accommodations are not as extensive, though in nassau are quite acceptable, though limited. regular communication is had by steamer to and from new york once each month. fayal, two thousand miles eastward and near the coast of spain, is little known to the american public, yet it has held a high character among the europeans for several generations in the matter of its climate. this island forms one of the azorean group, and possesses the finest harbor of them all. horta, its capital, is located at the head of this harbor, and is quite a handsome town, situated on the southeastern side of the island. the climate is mild, and, to a high degree, healthful; and invalids derive great benefit from a residence there. england is the most largely represented among them, though a few americans are nearly always to be found, chiefly from boston and vicinity, from which place occasional sailing-packets may be had to the island, though the most direct route is by way of england, whence the steamers of the west india mail company call regularly at horta. the island is of volcanic origin, and its principal elevation is some three thousand feet, while the remaining portion is of a somewhat rugged character, though of the twenty-seven thousand five hundred and twenty acres comprising it, about one-half is under cultivation, and much of this is extremely fertile. the chief products are wheat, corn, potatoes; while wine and oranges are raised in large quantities for exportation. in former times, when the whaling interest of the country was in a flourishing condition, between one and two hundred whale-ships touched, in their outward passage, at this island; and even now many american vessels call here for water and supplies. some years ago, shortly after the conclusion of the trial of dr. webster, his wife and daughters visited fayal, where they remained some considerable time, and where they doubtless hoped to and did for a while escape from all obtrusive notice and observation. however, they were soon known, and the sympathies of the people of horta were much enlisted in their behalf. the daughters were highly cultivated and quite beautiful, and attracted considerable attention, out of sympathy at their distressed situation. visitors will find at horta very comfortable accommodations, and the many curious and interesting features peculiar to the island and its people will serve to interest and instruct them while they remain. nearer home, the adirondack region has been greatly extolled by many as possessing a highly salubrious climate for consumptives, and indeed for all who are suffering from general debility and over-work. there is no doubt that a trip to this mountain region of northern new york, during the latter part of the summer and early fall, would prove of great benefit to many invalids, as indeed a rough camp-life would prove in any high and dry section, especially of interior and northern vermont, or new hampshire, which lie contiguous to the adirondack country. there is, however, an advantage in a district in which pine timber abounds, and all who resolve on camping out for health should not fail to select such localities. there is a subtle and positive balm to weak nerves and sore lungs inhering in the atmosphere of pine forests, wholly unknown to that of any other. invalids should be very cautious about giving too much credence to the benefit to be derived by a residence in any climate. they are apt to expect too much, and the fault is perhaps more theirs than those who extoll various localities, in that they build, unjustifiably, too great expectations on what they hear or read. scores of people go each season into the adirondacks with impaired health, and after a few weeks of roughing it come out immensely improved, both in health and spirit, while, on the other hand, others go who are too feeble for such a journey; and again, others who know nothing how to take care of themselves, whether in the woods or out, and, of course, such must return in disappointment. table of distances, [_approximately determined_.] _from_ dubuque, _or_ dunleith, _to_ st. paul, _by river_: to cassville " guttenburg " clayton " mcgregor " prairie du chien " lynxville " la fayette " lansing " de soto " victory " bad axe " warners " brownsville " la crosse " richmond " trempeleau " homer " winona " fountain city " minneiska " buffalo city " alma " wabasha " reed's landing " north pepin " lake city " florence " frontenac " waconta " red wing " drummond bluff " prescott " hastings " pine bend " st. paul _from_ st. paul _to_ duluth. to white bear lake " forest lake " hush city " kettle river " moose lake " thompson " fond du lac " oneota " duluth _from_ st. paul _to_ st. cloud. to st. anthony " anoka " itasca " elk river " st. cloud _from_ st. paul to wilmar. to st. anthony " minneapolis -- " cedar lake " minnetonka city " wayzata " delano " dassel " litchfield " wilmar _from_ st. paul _to_ mankato. to mendota " shakopee " belle plain " blakely " le sueur " st. peter " mankato _from_ winona. _to_ st. peter. to st. charles " rochester " owatouna " st. peter * * * * * footnotes: [g] for exactness, see chapters on climate. [h] for particulars relating to florida, see _a winter in florida_, published by wood & holbrook, new york. fifty years in the northwest. with an introduction and appendix containing reminiscences, incidents and notes. by w. h. c. folsom. edited by e. e. edwards. published by pioneer press company. . to the old settlers of wisconsin and minnesota, who, as pioneers, amidst privations and toil not known to those of later generation, laid here the foundations of two great states, and have lived to see the result of their arduous labors in the transformation of the wilderness--during fifty years--into a fruitful country, in the building of great cities, in the establishing of arts and manufactures, in the creation of commerce and the development of agriculture, this work is respectfully dedicated by the author, w. h. c. folsom. preface. at the age of nineteen years, i landed on the banks of the upper mississippi, pitching my tent at prairie du chien, then ( ) a military post known as fort crawford. i kept memoranda of my various changes, and of many of the events transpiring. subsequently, not, however, with any intention of publishing them in book form until , when, reflecting that fifty years spent amidst the early and first white settlements, and continuing till the period of civilization and prosperity, itemized by an observer and participant in the stirring scenes and incidents depicted, might furnish material for an interesting volume, valuable to those who should come after me, i concluded to gather up the items and compile them in a convenient form. as a matter of interest to personal friends, and as also tending to throw additional light upon my relation to the events here narrated, i have prefixed an account of my own early life for the nineteen years preceding my removal to the west, thus giving to the work a somewhat autobiographical form. it may be claimed that a work thus written in the form of a life history of a single individual, with observations from his own personal standpoint, will be more connected, clear and systematic in its narration of events than if it were written impersonally. the period included in these sketches is one of remarkable transitions, and, reaching backward, in the liberty accorded to the historian, to the time of the first explorations by the jesuits, the first english, french and american traders, is a period of transformation and progress that has been paralleled only on the shores of the new world. we have the transition from barbarism to civilization; we have the subjugation of the wilderness by the first settlers; the organization of territorial and state governments; an era of progress from the rude habits of the pioneer and trapper, to the culture and refinement of civilized states; from the wilderness, yet unmapped, and traversed only by the hardy pioneer in birch barks or dog sledges, to the cultivated fields, cobwebbed by railways and streams furrowed by steamers. it is something to have witnessed a part, even, of this wonderful transformation, and it is a privilege and a pleasure to record, even in part, its history. i have quoted from the most correct histories within my reach, but the greater part of my work, or of that pertaining to the fifty years just passed, has been written from personal observation and from information obtained directly by interview with, or by written communications from, persons identified in some way with the history of the country. to those persons who have so freely and generously assisted me in the collection of material for this work, i hereby express my thanks. i have relied sparingly on traditions, and, where i have used them, have referred to them as such. introduction. while genealogical tables are of interest chiefly to the families and individuals whose names are therein preserved, i still deem it not amiss to insert here a brief account of my ancestry. among the emigrants from england to the new world in , came john foulsham, then twenty-three or twenty-four years of age, and his wife, to whom he had been married about a year and a half. they came from hingham, england, to hingham, mass., with a colony that probably named the settlement in loving remembrance of the town they had left. they came on account of certain ecclesiastical troubles; their rector, with whom they sympathized, having torn down the altar rails and leveled the altar, an act of irreverence that called down upon them the wrath of their superior, bishop wren, and resulted in rector and people selling out their real estate at half its value and emigrating to america. john received a grant of land consisting of four acres and built himself a house, the frame being constructed of sawed oak timber. this house, built in , stood until , two hundred and thirty-five years, when it was taken down and manufactured into canes and chairs, which were distributed as relics to the american descendants of the family. the family, however, had increased so greatly that the supply was not equal to the demand. the wife of john foulsham was mary gilman. from this couple the american folsoms and their allies from marriages with the female descendants of the family have sprung. the ancestors of john foulsham may be traced backward a period of near six hundred years, and many of the family have honorable mention in english history. the earliest mention is concerning john foulsham of foulsham, prior of a carmelite monastery in norwich, and "præses provincialis" of all england. this foulsham is spoken of in bayle's catalogue of eminent worthies as "no mean proficient in controversial theology, knowing how, by means of syllogystic tricks, to turn white into black and men into donkeys." he died in the great plague at norwich in . a certain john de foulsham is spoken of in blomefield's history of norfolk as an "eloquent, unflinching opponent of the corruptions of the times." it is possible that this may be the carmelite prior above mentioned, though the prefix _de_ leaves the matter somewhat in doubt. as to the original derivation of the family name, hon. george folsom, of philadelphia, in one of the manuscripts left by him, says: "it arose upon the adoption of surnames in england, from the town of foulsham, a village in the county of norfolk, six or eight miles north of hingham, in which county the family was seated for many centuries, possessing estates in fifteen different places." thus john de, or john of foulsham, became john foulsham. the orthography and pronunciation of the name have varied in the family itself, as well as among those writing and pronouncing it. the first anglo-american bearing the name spelled it "foulsham." his son, deacon john, spelled it "fullsam" in , and it is signed "foullsam" in his last will-- . in one instance, in the hingham town records, it is spelled "fulsham," but always afterward, "foulsham." in the exeter records it is written uniformly "folsom" with but one exception, when it is written by the town clerk "foulshame." in the records of the first parish, haverhill, massachusetts, it is written "foulsham," "foulsam," "folsham" and "fulsom." originally it was doubtless spelled "foulshame," its etymological significance being the _fowls' home_, a breeding place or mart. it was probably at first written with a hyphen, as fouls-hame, but the final syllable was eventually shortened. everywhere it is now written _folsom_ by those having the name, and is pronounced like _wholesome_. the characteristics of the family have been quite uniform. far as known they were a religious family, and prominent as such in both catholic and protestant circles, with a strong disposition toward dissent from the established order of things. thus john de foulsham wrote a treatise quite at variance with the doctrines of the church, advocating the marriage of priests. john foulsham, the anglo-american, left england on account of his dissent, preferring a home in the wilderness with freedom to worship god, to dwelling under the rule of a haughty and tyrannical bishop. many of the family espoused the doctrines of whitfield. many of them became baptists, becoming such at a time when the baptists were most unpopular, and afterward becoming free will baptists, in which communion more of the family may to-day be found than in any other. the occupations of the family were mostly, in the early days, mechanical. many were joiners and millwrights. the children and grandchildren were farmers, landholders and lumbermen. of the many who removed to maine, after the revolution, most engaged in lumbering, but turned their attention also to milling and storekeeping. the family have also shown a military tendency, and during the various wars visited upon the country since the early colonial times, this family has borne its full share of the dangers, toils and expense. my father, jeremiah folsom, was born in tamworth, new hampshire, sept. , , and was married to octavia howe, april , . my mother was born in machias, maine, oct. , . my father was a prominent business man, and was engaged in shipping and mercantile pursuits, he owning vessels that plied from st. johns to machias and other american ports. to facilitate his business, st. johns was his home four years, during which time he was associated with william henry carman. this temporary residence and business association account for my being born on british soil, and for the names by which i was christened. according to the record in the old family bible, i was born at st. johns, new brunswick, june , . when i was six months old my parents moved to bangor, maine, thence to foxcroft, maine, thence to ascot, lower canada. when i was five years old my parents moved to tamworth, new hampshire. young as i was, i am still able to recall events that occurred while i lived in canada. i remember falling into a well and being badly bruised. i remember also an adventure with a bear. my parents had gone to church, leaving me at home, greatly against my will. i attempted to follow, but missed the road and wandered off into a wood, perhaps three miles away. when my parents returned they were much alarmed, and parties immediately went in pursuit. when i knew i was lost i set up a vigorous screaming, which had the effect of attracting attention from two very different parties. the first was a huge bear in quest of food, and doubtless delighted at the prospect before him. the second was one of the rescuing parties in quest of the lost boy. both simultaneously approached the screaming youngster and bruin fought stubbornly for his prey, but was vanquished by the clubs of my rescuers, and i was carried home in triumph. i do not clearly recall all the incidents of this scene, and, strangely enough, do not remember seeing the bear. perhaps the terror of being lost drove out every other impression. an excuse for the narration of this apparently trifling incident may be found in the fact that but for the prompt arrival of the rescuing party, this history would never have been written. when i was ten years of age my parents removed to bloomfield, maine. while in tamworth i had excellent opportunities of attending school, which i improved to the utmost. after leaving tamworth my school privileges were well nigh ended, as i never received from that time more than six months' schooling. my father followed lumbering on the kennebec river. during the first winter in maine, he took me to the logging camp as camp boy. during the second winter he hired me to matthew and lewis dunbar as a cook for their wood camp. i cooked for six men and received five dollars a month. i was used very kindly by the dunbars, but that winter in the woods seemed a long, long winter. the only book in camp was the bible. there were, however, newspapers and playing cards. in the spring my father used the fifteen dollars received for my three months' work to purchase a cow. i served the dunbars the third winter, as cook, for six dollars a month, and worked the ensuing summer on farms at about twenty-five cents per day. during the fourth winter i worked for the dunbars and timothy snow at seven dollars per month, and the summer following worked on a farm for benjamin cayford at seven dollars. cayford was a merciless tyrant, and sometimes compelled his men to work in the field till nine o'clock at night. these details of wages paid and work done, uninteresting in themselves, serve to show the value of a boy's work (i was not yet fifteen) and what was expected of the average boy, for mine was no exceptional case nor was my father more exacting than others in his station in life. he was in poor health, and had a large family of boys. we were eight in number, and of these i was one of the most robust and able to assist in the support of the family. this year i persuaded my father to sell me my time, which amounted to five years, which he reluctantly did, accepting two hundred and fifty dollars as an equivalent. it was my ambition to go west. horace greeley had not uttered the talismanic words, "go west, young man," but i believed that by going west i would be better able to advance my own interests and assist my parents. my father signed the necessary paper relinquishing my time, which was printed in the skowhegan _clarion_. from this time until i was nineteen years old i worked on the river and on farms, worked continuously and beyond my strength. i worked another summer for cayford, but have no pleasant recollections of him, for on his farm i was sadly overworked, being often called to work before sunrise and kept at work after sunset. i worked two winters cooking in the woods for capt. asa steward, of bloomfield, one of the best men i ever served, a kind hearted, honest christian. he gave me good counsel and good wages besides. in the fall of i went into the woods to work for capt. eb. snow, of madison. like cayford, he was a merciless tyrant and abusive to his men. i left his camp before my engagement closed, not being able to endure his abuse longer. this is the only time in which i failed to keep a labor engagement. i finished the winter with capt. asa steward, but my eyes became so inflamed from the smoke of the camp that i was obliged to abandon cooking. during this winter occurred an incident that came near having a serious and even fatal termination. there were three of us, simeon goodrich, jimmie able and myself, who went down the kennebec to the forks, a distance of twelve miles from camp. a deep, damp snow had fallen the night previous, and through this snow, reaching above our knees, we trudged wearily till able gave out. we carried him a short distance, but becoming exhausted ourselves, laid him down in the snow. to remain with him would be to imperil the lives of all; by hurrying on we might be able to send a party to bring him in. we carefully made for him a bed of fir boughs and placed loose garments over him and under him, and as he was sick, weak and faint, gave him a draught of liquid opodeldoc, and leaving the bottle with him, hurried on. we traveled the last mile through an opening. snow drifted deeply. we dragged our bodies through the drifts in the direction of a glimmering light, which proved to be sturgis' hotel, which we reached at o'clock p. m. a team was sent back immediately for the lost able by a road of which we knew nothing. the rescuing party met him trudging along with all his baggage. the opodeldoc had revived him, and he had traveled a full mile when he met the rescuing party. at two o'clock the team returned bringing the lost wayfarer. another adventure terminated more disastrously than this. in the spring of i was employed in taking logs across moosehead lake. the logs were in booms, and were moved by a capstan and rope. this was before the days of steamboats, and the moving of the booms was no light task. on this occasion a gale of wind struck us and drifted us across the lake. we threw out an anchor, hoping to check the course of the boom and swing it into cowan's bay. in one of our throws the anchor tripped, or caught fast, and suddenly tightened the line. our whole crew were in an instant hurled headlong. some were thrown into the water. one man (butler) had his ribs broken. all were more or less injured. the capstan went overboard. the old boom swung on and on, and, passing spencer's bay, broke and went to pieces on the shore. the logs were with great difficulty regathered, but were finally brought to the outlet of the lake july th, the last raft of the season. after river driving in the spring of , i went to the penobscot river and found employment at twenty dollars a month at east great works, building a dam. john mills, our superintendent, was a good man. there was a lyceum here, the first i ever attended. in december i returned to the kennebec, and in the spring of went to dead river to drive, but an attack of the measles and general ill health, with symptoms of pulmonary derangement, compelled me to abandon the work. i had lived nine years on the kennebec, years of hard labor and exertion beyond my strength, and in that time had earned enough to pay my father two hundred and fifty dollars. i had been able to purchase a small library, and had two hundred dollars in cash to defray my expenses to the west. reminiscences.--he that leaves the home of his youth for a strange land carries with him memories, pleasant to recall, of scenes and incidents, the influence of which he feels to the latest hour of life. there are some things he can not forget. they may not be an essential part of his own life history, but still they have found a place in his mind and seem a part of himself, and he recurs to them again and again with ever increasing delight. there are other things, may be, not so pleasant to dwell upon, which still have a place in his memory and may be profitably recalled. no one who has ever lived in maine can forget its dark pine forests, its rugged hills, its rushing streams, cold and clear as crystal, its broad lakes, the abundant game of its forests and the fish in its waters. the minnesota and wisconsin pioneers, who with the author of this book claim maine as an early home, will not object to the insertion in this chapter of a few of these reminiscences. moosehead lake.--my first visit to moosehead lake was in the early winter of . at that time it was still in the wilderness, only two settlers having found their way to its shores. we were going with a six ox team to a camp on the brasua and our road led us across the frozen lake. emerging from a beech and maple grove on the margin near haskell's, our sled plunged downward, and in a moment we found ourselves on the gray ice of the lake, with a wonderful panorama spread out before us. the distant islands and the shores, hilly and mountainous, stood out plainly between the winter sky and the ice covered lake. the mirage added its finishing touches to the picture, increasing the brightness and apparent size of distant objects, or lending them brilliant hues, the whole scene sparkling in the frosty sunlit air, making a vision of beauty that could not fade. on we trudged over the ice, the sled creaking, the ice emitting a roaring sound, not unlike the discharge of a park of artillery, sounds produced by the expansion of the ice. we trudged on past islands and craggy, rock-bound shores, passed burnt jacket, squaw and moxey mountains in the east, lily and spencer bays at the southeast, misery and other mountains in the west, while far away to the north of east towered white old katahdin. before us loomed up the flint rock kinneo, its perpendicular face fronting west, on the lake; at the base a beautiful maple interval extending toward spencer bay. the following spring our boom lay wind-bound at the base of kinneo, and we seized the opportunity of climbing the vast pile of flinty rocks composing it, and obtained thence a view of unparalleled beauty, including the broad, bright lake, fairy islands, mountains and hills and vast stretches of pine forests. the tourist might seek far and wide, vainly, for a landscape rivaling this. moose hunting.--the lake and surrounding country offer unrivaled attractions to the sportsman. the lake abounds in fish, of which the lake trout is the most abundant in number and delicious in flavor. specimens are frequently taken weighing from ten to fifteen pounds. the forests at that time abounded in wild animals, chief of which was the moose, the largest and the homeliest of the deer family. with his long, narrow head, small eyes, donkey-like ears, pendant lips, the upper one curling like a small proboscis, with his high shoulders and giraffe-like hips, with his short, round body, long and clumsy legs, he is as distinguished for his want of grace and comeliness as the red deer is for its presence. no animal is better adapted for its own home and mode of life. their heavy coat of hair adapts them to high latitudes. with their curved upper lip they take hold of the branches of the trees, and with their strong teeth and paws they are able to peel off the tender bark of saplings and small trees. the moose, when attacked, is fierce, resolute, defiant, and defends himself in a masterly manner, striking with his fore legs with such precision that the hunter is obliged to keep at a respectful distance. the male moose wears a remarkable pair of horns of annual growth, to which each year a prong is added. the home of the moose is the northern part of the north temperate zone. moose hunting is a healthy though laborious pastime. the hunter must be an expert, and it requires years of practice to become skillful. he must build his camp in the wilderness, packing thither his food, blankets, camp utensils and gun. with his pack of dogs he starts out in search of a moose yard. this is generally in some well timbered district. the snow in winter is generally from three to six feet deep, but the moose has broken paths through this to facilitate his movements through the forest, and here he roams about in fancied security, browsing on the young shrubs, but the hunter finds his hiding place. in such case he conceals himself in the snow near one of these paths and waits patiently till the moose passes, when he fires upon him. if the moose is killed at once the hunter waits patiently in his hiding place till another and another comes up to share a like fate. if the moose is only wounded he starts off as rapidly through the snow as his long legs will carry him, pursued by the hunter and his dogs. the hunter has all the advantages of the position, being mounted on snowshoes, thus being able to move with comparative swiftness, while the moose plunges heavily through the snow, and at last, weakened by loss of blood, he is overtaken and easily killed. mount bigelow.--this is a noble, grand, historical mountain, situated on the south side of dead river, in franklin county. for years it had been my strong desire to make the ascent, and in may, , the desire was gratified. with six others, i left camp, and by evening reached green's hotel, where we obtained lodgings for the evening. at early dawn, having supplied ourselves with lunch, tin cup and hatchet, we began the ascent on the northeast side. we soon passed the thrifty timber and aided our ascent of the craggy sides of the mountain by clinging to the shrubs that found roothold in the crevices of the rocks. it may not be amiss to say that we rested, that we rested frequently, for mountain climbing is no light work for those unaccustomed to it. while toiling wearily upward we found ourselves enveloped in mist, or a cloud, from which we soon emerged to find the heavens above us clear and bright, while leaden clouds shut out the landscape below. at twelve o'clock, noon, we were on the summit. by this time the clouds had been dispersed. the air was clear and cold and beneath us lay, as in a beautiful panorama, the lands and lakes of maine. there are two peaks, about half a mile apart, between which is a valley and a small lake. from the highest of these peaks the view was magnificent. in the far north we imagined we saw canada. the vast, northern expanse was all unoccupied save by a few farms at the foot of the mountain, and by a few camps of lumbermen, hunters and trappers. looking to the northeast, we saw in the blue distance, glittering with snow drifts, mount katahdin. a little north of the divide line to katahdin lay moosehead lake, the largest, most beautiful lake in maine. at this season of the year the snow had disappeared from the valleys and hills, but the summits of the mountains were still white. in all directions the scene was grand and inspiring. we could trace the kennebec river in its windings to the sea and fancied we could see in the dim distance the blue atlantic. to the southwest mountains seemed piled on mountains, while here and there in intermediate vales bright lakes reflected the blue of the upper deep. in this direction there were farms, but they looked like mere dots on the face of the earth. lake umbagog lay coiled in the shade of distant mountains in the southwest. we fancied that we could see the ragged crest of the white mountain still further beyond. the scene had also its historical associations. along the base of this mountain, on the northwestern side, ere his name had been sullied by the foulest treason in our country's history, benedict arnold bravely led the colonial troops in the campaign against canada. with him, as an aid, was col. bigelow, whose name is given to the mountain. the gallant little army halted on the banks of dead river at the base of the mountain, and made their camp. while the army was resting at this camp lieut. col. bigelow ascended the mountain and planted his country's flag upon the highest peak, doubtless the first white man who made the ascent, and the mountain is his monument to-day. around the site of the camp was planted the colony of flagstaff. while we were gazing on the magnificent scene, musing upon its varied beauties and recalling its historical associations, the sun set, and reluctantly we set out on our return, a descent the more perilous because it was growing dark. extreme caution was necessary; nevertheless we made good headway, as we found ourselves sometimes sliding and even rolling down the path that we had ascended with so much difficulty in the forenoon. it was long after nightfall that, tired and hungry, we reached wyman's hotel on the banks of dead river. lumbering in maine.--the practical lumberman did not usually start his teams for the pineries until snowfall and the freezing of the lakes and rivers. the first thing was to select a place for operations. this was done in the open season. when the winter had fairly set in the lumberman, with his ox teams, generally six oxen to a sled, the sleds laden with camp plunder, would start for the pineries. the slow ox teams would consume many days making the journey. the crew of men employed for the winter generally met the teams in camp. the snow would be cleared away for the camp, and a fire built. the cook would prepare a supper of fried pork, fritters or pancakes, tea, syrup and new england apple sauce, the crew meanwhile cutting boughs, wood, etc., and preparing for permanent camp. supper over, the cattle were tied to trees and fed. water was secured for evening use only. a glowing fire would be kept up, around which the crew would gather to spend the evening in talking over the adventures of the day, discussing plans for the morrow or singing camp songs. thus the evening would pass merrily and swiftly. at the hour for retiring parties of two would spread their blankets on a couch of fir or cedar boughs, and lie down to rest. next morning the cook would rise at four o'clock to prepare breakfast, which over, as soon as it was light enough the crew would commence the work of the day. every man goes to his assigned duties, the _boss_ in charge having the general oversight. the life of a lumberman is one of exposure to the elements, yet it is not necessarily unfriendly to the development of character. with a well ordered camp and gentlemanly crew the winter may pass away pleasantly, and the young man engaged in the comparatively hard toil of the camp, may, with books and papers and cheerful converse with the more thoughtful of his elders, improve the long evenings spent around the camp fire. many a maine boy has received here the greater part of his training for the duties of after life. sunday was usually occupied in reading, singing, and doing some of the lighter work of camp, such as repairing sleds, shoeing oxen and making axe helves or visiting neighboring camps. it was a day of rest only so far as the heavier work of the camp was suspended. sanctuary privileges there were none. the work would often close in the sunny days of march. the men would mostly depart for home. a few would remain to drive the logs with the first water from the melting of the snows late in april. driving logs in the rapid waters of maine is hazardous work. scarcely a day passes without imminent risk to life and limb of the hardy and venturesome men engaged in the work of breaking log landings and jams, and running boats. men are exposed to wet and cold from dawn till dark. this work requires active and vigorous men, constitutionally fitted and carefully trained to the work. they are usually sociable, lively and wide awake, these qualities enabling them to endure, and even to enjoy, the life of hardship which they lead, and to which they become so accustomed that they are unwilling to leave it until worn out by its inevitable hardship. list of illustrations. w. h. c. folsom frontispiece james s. anderson opp martin mower john mckusick opp edward white durant william m. blanding reuben f. little oliver wendell holmes hospital john comstock opp hans b. warner opp rev. wm. t. boutwell devil's chair frank n. peterson rev. e. e. edwards smith ellison isaac staples opp jacob bean louis hospes fort snelling william d. washburn opp john s. pillsbury opp st. anthony falls birdseye view of st. paul opp henry h. sibley opp alex. ramsey opp henry m. rice opp edmund rice opp wm. rainey marshall opp wm. h. fisher john b. sanborn opp h. p. hall hon. g. w. le duc lucius f. hubbard opp home of the author state seal seal of old settlers association contents. introduction. biographical. genealogy of the american folsoms vii autobiographical. parentage ix time and place of birth ix earliest recollections ix removal to bloomfield, maine x first essay at logging x commencing life xi lost in the snow xi adventure on moosehead lake xii on the penobscot xii reminiscences of maine xiii moosehead lake xiii ascent of kinneo mountain xiv moose hunting xiv mount bigelow xv lumbering in maine xvi chapter i. going west. lakes huron and michigan chicago and milwaukee on foot to galena the northwestern territory arrival at dubuque reminiscences of dubuque arrival at prairie du chien early history of prairie du chien ancient document forts shelby--mckay--crawford first commissioners at prairie du chien organization of crawford county indian troubles running the gauntlet fort crawford robbed early justice a southward journey new orleans, vicksburg return to prairie du chien privations a perilous journey return to maine--mountains of new hampshire marriage prairie du chien in american residents biographies. james duane doty james h. lockwood indian troubles john s. lockwood samuel gilbert michael brisbois pierre la point joseph rolette hercules dousman rev. david lowry chief justice charles dunn rev. alfred brunson ira brunson john h. folsom ezekiel tainter judge wyram knowlton robert lester thomas pendleton burnett general henry dodge general george w. jones s. g. and s. l. tainter, john thomas chapter ii. stillwater and st. croix county. from prairie du chien to stillwater stillwater in st. croix county first settlement in dismemberment of st. croix valley from crawford county judge irwin's court in events in , first commissioners' meeting election precincts in early history of stillwater the first saw mill copy of agreement of mill company agreement of land claims bateau voyage up the st. croix indian drunks skiff voyage to prairie du chien mail carrying claim and mill at arcola stillwater in , events overland trip to prairie du chien return, adventure a pioneer cat stillwater in territorial election arrest of nodin and ne-she-ke-o-ge-ma visit to sunrise, connor's camp murder of henry rust funeral, indignation meeting first district court in stillwater nodin and ne-she-ke-o-ge-ma acquitted steamer war eagle and raft society ball in stillwater stillwater in chapter iii. biographies. joseph renshaw brown paul carli dr. christopher carli lydia ann carli phineas lawrence jacob fisher james s. anderson emanuel d. farmer col. john greely mrs. hannah greely elam greely himan greely aquilla greely elias mckean calvin f. leach socrates nelson mrs. socrates nelson edward blake walter r vail john e mower martin mower william willim albert harris cornelius lyman david b loomis william e cove john smith john morgan anson northrup robert kennedy harvey wilson andrew jackson short james d mccomb william rutherford albion masterman joseph n masterman mahlon black morton s wilkinson william stanchfield thomas ramsdell charles macey jonathan e mckusick john mckusick william mckusick noah mckusick royal mckusick ivory e mckusick charles e leonard daniel mclean robert simpson william h hooper james h spencer john t blackburn joseph t blackburn horace mckinstry seth m sawyer henry sawyer alvah d heaton john mckenzie george mckenzie henry kattenberg julius f brunswick henry mclean hugh burns sylvanus trask ariel eldridge edward white durant oliver parsons albert stimson abraham van voorhees michael e owens joseph bonin marcel gagnon sebastian marty john marty adam marty michael mchale george watson rev eleazer a greenleaf j b covey john shaesby john s proctor barron proctor henry westing thomas dunn charles j gardiner samuel staples josiah staples joel m darling early river pilots joe perro james mcphail john cormack john hanford john leach stephen b hanks samuel s hanks chapter iv polk county description and history franklin steele, the first pioneer his account of the settlement the st croix falls lumbering company organization and history st croix river, origin of name treaty and purchase of history of polk county county seat located at st. croix falls first election county officers first happenings the liquor traffic melancholy results death of hall and livingston indian "jamboree." frontier justice balsam lake murders execution of an indian population of st. croix falls in natural language drowning of h. h. perkins a quailtown murder mineral permits marriage under difficulties an indian scare the first fire canoe mill building more indian murders indian battle of stillwater the first loggers the first rafting an indian payment indian dancing and theft other thefts hard times puzzled indians, "ugh! ugh!" mrs. worth and muckatice chapter v. polk county--continued. biographies. gov. william holcombe william s. hungerford caleb cushing judge henry d. barron george w. brownell col. robert c. murphy edward worth mrs. mary c. worth maurice m. samuels joseph b. churchill john mclean gilman jewell elisha creech james w. mcglothlin andrew l. tuttle john weymouth b. w. reynolds augustus gaylord james d. reymert william j. vincent thompson brothers william amery lewis barlow levi w. stratton elma m. blanding blanding family frederick g. bartlett michael field alden rev. a. b. peabody v. m. babcock apple river balsam lake beaver black brook clam falls daniel f. smith clayton reuben f. little clear lake pineville frank m. nye eureka charles nevers farmington harmon crandall samuel wall william ramsey hiram r. nason joel f. nason john mcadams charles tea garfield georgetown a double murder george p. anderson laketown lincoln william wilson loraine william w. gallespie luck william h. foster milltown patrick lillis osceola scenery first happenings change of name osceola village daniel mears nelson mccarty william o. mahony richard arnold william kent, sr. robert kent andrew kent william, james, thomas, and john kent samuel close ebenezer ayres dr. carmi p. garlick john s. godfrey william a. talboys charles h. staples j. w. peake george wilson samuel b. dresser frederic a. dresser oscar a. clark oscar f. knapp mrs. elisabeth b. hayes cyrus g. bradley w. hale edgar c. treadwell st. croix falls st. croix falls village west sweden sterling dr. samuel deneen william w. trimmer arnold densmore chapter vi. st. croix county. organization, division, county seat located at buena vista first election division of the county, present limits general description monument rock towns and date of organization st. croix county agricultural society pomona grange agricultural statistics manufactures st. croix poor farm first tax roll of county, hudson city original claimants first survey, etc. first deed recorded city government mayors of the city city schools military institute mills and manufactories banks oliver wendell holmes hospital water works hotels, the great fire, social and benevolent organizations biographies. louis massey peter bouchea william steets capt. john b. page dr. philip aldrich the nobles family james purinton ammah andrews james walstow james sanders j. w. stone joseph bowron moses perin john o. henning moses s. gibson col. james hughes daniel anderson alfred day dr. otis hoyt s. s. n. fuller miles h. van meter philip b. jewell john tobin horace a. taylor jeremiah whaley simon hunt john s. moffatt james h. childs william dwelley james m. fulton marcus a. fulton david c. fulton n. s. holden william h. semmes sterling jones d. r. bailey henry c. baker mert herrick d. a. baldwin john comstock lucius p. wetherby john c. spooner thomas porter herman l. humphrey theodore cogswell frank p. catlin charles y. denniston a. e. jefferson samuel c. symonds john e. glover lemuel north edgar nye william t. price e. b. bundy towns and biographies. baldwin baldwin village woodville village cady cylon eau galle emerald erin prairie forest glenwood hammond hammond village john thayer rev. william egbert hudson james kelly daniel coit james virtue theodore m. bradley william dailey robert and wm. mcdiarmid william martin paschal aldrich kinnikinic duncan mcgregor w. b. and james a. mapes pleasant valley richmond boardman village gridley village new richmond village new richmond city bank, high school benjamin b.c. foster robert philbrick linden coombs eben quinby lewis oaks henry russell joseph d. johnson joel bartlett francis w. bartlett george c. hough silas staples dr. henry murdock steven n. hawkins rush river somerset somerset village gen. samuel harriman st. joseph houlton village burkhardt village springfield hersey village wilson village stanton star prairie huntington village star prairie village hon. r. k. fay troy james chinnock william l. perrin warren james hill village plats chapter vii pierce county. descriptive history, first events county seat changed to ellsworth railroads miscellaneous statistics village plats organization of towns clifton george w. mcmurphy osborne strahl charles b. cox ephraim harnsberger diamond bluff capt. john paine john day sarah a. vance allen r. wilson e. s. coulter james bamber jacob mead charles walbridge charles f. hoyt enoch quinby the first settler el paso ellsworth ellsworth village anthony huddleston perry d. pierce hans b. warner gilman hartland isabelle maiden rock christopher l. taylor martell oak grove lewis m. harnsberger prescott city history platted in first official board statistics, first events churches fair grounds cemetery destructive fires philander prescott george schaser william s. lockwood james monroe bailey adolph werkman joseph manese hilton doe lute a. taylor john huitt john m. rice an indian battle river falls first happenings water powers schools at river falls river falls academy churches associations bank, railroad fires river falls city, organization falls of kinnikinic the cave cabin the fourth state normal school joel foster jesse b. thayer a. d. andrews joseph a. short prof. allen h. weld allen p. weld george w. nichols w. d. parker william powell lyman powell nathaniel n. powell oliver s. powell nils p. haugen h. l. wadsworth rock elm salem spring lake trenton trimbelle m. b. williams union chapter viii. burnett, washburn, sawyer and barron counties. burnett county. location and description organization pine barrens murders old geezhic the first mission the chippewas of wood lake grantsburg canute anderson the hickerson family the anderson family robert a. doty the cranberry marshes washburn county. description, town organization first events shell lake, summit lake first board of county officers shell lake lumber company sawyer creek spooner station veazie village sawyer county. organization, description county indebtedness town of hayward village of hayward first events, schools, churches, etc. bank, lumber company malcomb dobie milton v. stratton barron county. description, organization turtle lake, town and village barron, perley village cumberland village sprague comstock and barronett villages charles simeon taylor chapter ix. ashland, bayfield and douglas counties. ashland county. history, location, description isles of the apostles claude allouez at madeline island early history of la pointe remarkable epitaph la pointe county election john w. bell ashland history, first events asaph whittlesey j. p. t. haskell g. s. vaughn dr. edwin ellis martin beaser hon. sam s. fifield bayfield county. location and history bayfield village washburn, drummond, etc. douglas county. description and history first election superior city history early speculation period of depression west superior the bardon brothers william h. newton judge solon h. clough vincent roy d. george morrison august zachau chapter x. pine county. history description first events finances, railroads losses by fire pokegama lake and mission thomas conner's trading post presbyterian mission mushk-de-winini battle of pokegama cannibalism a noble chief frank confessions a cowardly deed an unjust accusation indian magnanimity rev. frederic ayer rev. william t. boutwell discovery of itasca mrs. hester c. boutwell chengwatana first settlers chengwatana village platted chengwatana town organized louis ayd duane porter s. a. hutchinson hinckley, town of hinckley, village of james morrison sandstone village and quarries wm. h. grant, sr. kettle river, town of john c. hanley mission creek pine city, town of pine city, village of richard g. robinson hiram brackett randall k. burrows john s. ferson samuel millet rock creek enoch horton royalton windermere neshodana, fortuna, st. john's a rock creek murder burning of a jail a disfigured family indian faith cure indian graves indian stoicism old batice an indian dance chapter xi. kanabec, isanti, and mille lacs counties. kanabec county. history, boundaries, etc. description first settlers, first election first events arthur mora, village of stephen l. danforth n. h. danforth alvah j. conger ira conger bronson, village of brunswick, town of brunswick, village of ground house city james pennington george l. staples daniel gordon grass lake, town of isanti county. organization cambridge north branch, town of oxford, town of stephen hewson george w. nesbit rensselaer grant mille lacs county. description mille lacs reservation county organization in first election and officers milacca, village of bridgman, village of princeton, village of samuel ross joseph l. cater m. v. b. cater edwin allen john h. allen a. b. damon c. h. chadbourne chapter xii. chisago county. location, surface, scenery chisago lake dalles of the st. croix origin of the formation the devil's chair the wells settlement and organization joe r. brown to the front prehistoric remains robinet in possession robinet bought off, first improvements death of b. f. baker the first log house built first crops raised first election chisago county named first commissioners county seat located at taylor's falls removed to centre city amador first supervisors thornton bishop william holmes james m. martin branch north branch station henry l. ingalls mrs. lavina l. ingalls chisago lake, first settlers first crops swedish lutheran church centre city andrew swenson john s. van rensselaer axel dahliam nels nord join a. hallberg charles a. bush lars johan stark frank mobeck robert currie andrew n. holm cemetery and other associations incorporation indian dance lindstrom village daniel lindstrom magnus s. shaleen chisago city otto wallmark andrew wallmark fish lake peter berg benjamin franklin franconia franconia village ansel smith henry f. and leonard p. day henry wills the clark brothers david smith jonas lindall william peaslee charles vitalis august j. anderson frank n. peterson harris harris village lent nessell robert nessell stephen b. clark rush seba rush city thomas flynn patrick flynn rufus crocker frank h. pratt voloro d. eddy f. s. christianson shafer jacob shafer peter wickland tuver walmarson andros anderson eric byland jacob peterson ambrose c. seavey sunrise sunrise village kost village chippewa dronthiem nashua washington john a. brown patten w. davis james f. harvey floyd s. bates isaac h. warner charles f. lowe wells farr john g. mold george l. blood joel g. ryder john dean taylor's falls first post office and mail service mills, first events religious organizations bridge company banks, mining companies chapter xiii. biographical. jesse taylor joshua l. taylor nathan c. d. taylor thomas f. morton henry n. setzer patrick fox william f. colby oscar roos samuel thomson susan thomson mears george de attly jacob markley john dobney william dobney henry h. newbury emil munch a. m. wilmarth lucius k. stannard james w. mullen david caneday george b. folsom aaron m. chase peter abear levi w. folsom eddington knowles dr. lucius b. smith william comer e. whiting and brothers frederic tang, sr. ward w. folsom george w. seymour james a. woolley patrick carroll joseph carroll e. e. edwards stephen j. merrill noah marcus humphrey royal c. gray john p. owens andrew clendenning smith ellison wyoming--settlement and organization wyoming village deer garden l. o. tombler dr. john woolman comfort isaac markley joel wright randall wright frederic tepel charles henry sauer chapter xiv. washington county. organization in first board of officers afton afton village south afton valley creek st. mary village joseph haskell lemuel bolles taylor f. randolph elijah bissell andrew mackey baytown settlement baytown village bangor middletown south stillwater mills, etc. docks, factories, cemeteries cottage grove cottage grove village langdon joseph w. furber samuel w. furber theodore furber james s. norris lewis hill jacob moshier william ferguson john atkinson denmark point douglas levi hertzell oscar burris david hone william b. dibble george harris harley d. white thomas hetherington james shearer simon shingledecker caleb truax abraham truax george w. campbell forest lake, history of captain michael marsh forest lake village grant, history of dellwood eagle city mahtomedi wildwood william elliott frederick lamb james rutherford jesse h. soule lakeland, description and history of lakeland village henry w. crosby reuben h. sanderson newton mckusick captain john oliver captain asa barlow green l. a. huntoon marine, origin of settlement first settlers the mill completed marine mills village first lawsuit churches, improvements losses by fire vasa village orange walker lewis walker samuel burkelo asa s. parker hiram berkey george b. judd james hale john holt george holt william town matthias welshance benj. t. otis william clark james r. meredith john d. and thomas e. ward samuel judd frederic w. lammers james r. m. gaskill newport, town of isle pelee red rock mission at red rock gray cloud city newport village john holton john a. ford daniel hopkins, sr. william r. brown william fowler oakdale, town of lake elmo village e. c. gray arthur stephens oneka, town of oneka station shady side village daniel hopkins, jr. stillwater, town of oak park david p. lyman henry a. jackman frederic j. curtis david cover john parker woodbury, town of jacob folstrom alexander mchattie john mchattie the middleton family newington gilbert ebenezer ayers chapter xv. washington county--continued. city of stillwater. stillwater in the freshet of a real estate movement incorporation of stillwater list of marshals post office, mail routes statistics hotels city banks board of trade, water company fire department gas light, telegraph, telephone elevator, express companies, bridge lumbering interests, flour mills manufactories building association churches, etc. public buildings societies, etc. cemeteries agricultural society state prison fires, bonds, indebtedness biographies. isaac staples samuel f. hersey & sons jacob bean charles bean rudolph lehmicke hollis r. murdock george m. seymour frank a. seymour louis hospes david tozer david bronson john maloy mrs. susannah tepass william e. thorne edmund j. butts a. b. easton edwin a. folsom john b. h. mitchell joseph schupp clifford a. bennett samuel mathews john and james mathews peter jourdain james rooney james n. castle abraham l. gallespie john c. gardiner v. c. seward ralph wheeler edward s. brown william lowell albert lowell nelson h. van voorhes andrew j. van voorhes henry c. van voorhes c. a. bromley charles j. butler levi e. thompson george davis william m. mccluer john n. ahl samuel m. register j. a. johnson gold t. curtis harley d. curtis francis r. delano henry w. cannon dwight m. sabin chapter xvi. stearns, anoka and sherburne counties. stearns county. organization and history of st. cloud newspapers and post office village and city organization land office, expenditures the st. cloud dam, improvements banks, public buildings st. john's university la sauk, town of peter schaeler john l. wilson charles t. stearns henry g. fillmore nathaniel getchell james keough loren w. collins henry c. waite gen. s. b. lowry a. and joseph edelbrock john rengel louis a. evans ambrose freeman nathan f. barnes nehemiah p. clark oscar e. garrison charles a. gilman other citizens anoka county. organization first settlers, commissioners anoka, town of anoka, city of incorporation fires, public buildings manufactures, banks bethel, town of blaine, town of burns, town of centreville, town of centreville village columbus, town of fridley, town of john banfil grow, town of ham lake, town of linwood, town of l. s. arnold s. ridge j. g. green s. w. haskell m. m. ryan hurley family oak grove, town of ramsey, town of st. francis, town of an indian riot jared benson james c. frost a. j. mckenney john henry batzle john r. bean a. mcc. fridley william staples capt. james starkey sherburne county. description organization towns of sherburne county villages of sherburne county orono, elk river east st. cloud clear lake becker big lake j. q. a. nickerson henry bittner francis delille mrs. f. delille howard m. atkins b. f. hildreth samuel hayden joseph jerome joshua o. cater j. f. bean j. h. felch james brady joshua briggs robert orrock john g. jamieson a. b. heath dr. b. r. palmer judge moses sherburne charles f. george royal george w. l. babcock chapter xvii. benton, morrison and crow wing counties. benton county. description first settlers, organization towns of benton county villages sauk rapids, incorporation dam and public buildings the cyclone of watab village philip beaupre david gilman james beatty ellis kling george w. benedict j. q. a. wood william h. wood mrs. wm. h. wood a. delacy wood p. h. wood rev. sherman hall jeremiah russell edgar o. hamlin morrison county. description history indian feuds organization winnebago indiana towns of morrison county little falls village little falls water power incorporation schools and churches royalton village incorporation, first officers peter roy william sturgis james fergus nathan richardson moses la fond o. a. churchill john m. kidder warren kobe ola k. black ira w. bouch robert russell peter a. green rodolphus d. kinney john d. logan crow wing county. description first settlers organization reorganization murderers lynched brainerd first settlers northern pacific sanitarium the kindred dam l. p. white allen morrison charles f. kindred chapter xviii. aitkin, carlton, st. louis, lake and cook counties. aitkin county. description organization, officers aitkin village william a. aitkin alfred aitkin nathaniel tibbett carlton county. history and organization towns of carlton county thomson village cloquet village moose lake station barnum station mahtowa station north pacific junction francis a. watkins st. louis county. description picturesque scenery commissioners' meetings list of commissioners duluth, early history growth, population mills, warehouses, shipments duluth harbor fish commission fond du lac village oneota village clifton village portland village endion village middleton village montezuma village buchanan village st. louis falls village fremont island tower george r. stuntz george e. stone charles h. graves ozro p. stearns lake county. description two harbors cook county. history and organization chapter xix. hennepin county. organization and history, towns fort snelling treaty of first land claims, cheever's tower st. anthony village platted first marriage in the territory first courts, school, post office church organizations the suspension bridge built st. anthony incorporated annexation to minneapolis, st. anthony falls la salle's description minneapolis, early settlers early land claims business enterprises mills erected st. anthony water power company minneapolis named, land office incorporation as a city, annexation of st. anthony list of mayors water vs. steam terrific explosion at the flour mills suburban resorts list of public buildings post office statistics lumber manufactured bonded debt, taxes, expenses west minneapolis biographies. calvin a. tuttle cyrus aldrich dr. alfred e. ames dr. albert a. ames jesse ames cadwallader c. washburn william d. washburn joseph c. whitney charles hoag franklin steele roswell p. russell horatio p. van cleve charlotte o. van cleve ard godfrey richard chute lucius n. parker captain john rollins john g. lennon john h. stevens caleb d. dorr rev. edward d. neill john wensignor robert h. hasty stephen pratt capt. john tapper r. w. cummings elias h. conner c. f. stimson william dugas david gorham edwin hedderly louis neudeck andrew j. foster a. d. foster charles e. vanderburgh dorillius morrison h. g. o. morrison f. r. e. cornell gen. a. b. nettleton isaac atwater rev. david brooks prof. jabez brooks john s. pillsbury henry t. welles david blakely william lochren eugene m. wilson r. b. langdon william m. bracket thos. b. and platt b. walker austin h. young henry g. hicks john p. rea john martin john dudley chapter xx. ramsey county. organization, first officers st. paul in , known as pig's eye first settlers father ravoux, henry jackson established a trading post accessions of accessions of first deed accessions of first school second deed, phalen's tract accessions of reminiscences accessions in st. paul platted miss bishop's school first steamboat line accessions of progress in st. paul made the capital of the state the first newspapers early items and advertisements pioneers of some comparisons statistics of population, schools, buildings list of mayors west st. paul towns of ramsey county white bear first settlers indian battle ground town organization white bear lake village hotels and cottages daniel getty south st. paul north st. paul population of st paul post office history chapter xxi. biographical. henry hastings sibley alexander ramsey william h. forbes henry m. rice edmund rice louis robert auguste l. larpenteur william h. nobles simeon p. folsom jacob w. bass benjamin w. brunson abram s. and chas. d. elfelt d. a. j. baker benjamin f. hoyt john fletcher williams dr. john h. murphy william h. tinker george p. jacobs lyman dayton henry l. moss william rainey marshall david cooper bushrod w. lott w. f. davidson wm. h. fisher charles h. oakes c. w. w. borup capt. russell blakely rensselaer r. nelson george l. becker aaron goodrich nathan myrick john melvin gilman charles e. flandrau john b. sanborn john r. irvine horace r. bigelow cushman k. davis s. j. r. mcmillan willis a. gorman john d. ludden elias f. drake norman w. kittson hascal r. brill ward w. folsom gordon e. cole james smith, jr. william p. murray henry hale james gilfillan charles duncan gilfillan alexander wilkin westcott wilkin s. c. whitcher t. m. newson alvaren allen harlan p. hall stephen miller chapter xxii. dakota, goodhue, wabasha and winona counties. dakota county. description hastings farmington ignatius donnelly francis m. crosby g. w. le duc goodhue county. red wing, barn bluff cannon falls indian burying ground hans mattson lucius f. hubbard william colville martin s. chandler charles mcclure horace b. wilson wabasha county. wabasha village bailey and sons nathaniel s. tefft james wells winona county. scenery winona city daniel s. norton william windom charles h. berry thomas wilson thomas simpson wm. h. yale chapter xxiii. miscellaneous biographies. pierre bottineau andrew g. chatfield hazen mooers john mcdonough berry mark h. dunnell james h. baker horace b. strait judson wade bishop john l. mcdonald thomas h. armstrong augustus armstrong moses k. armstrong james b. wakefield william wallace braden reuben butters michael doran andrew mccrea john w. blake knute nelson william r. denny appendix. miscellaneous incidents, indian treaties, etc. brief history of the northwest territory spanish claims french claims louisiana in settlement of marietta, ohio ohio territory statistics boundary question wisconsin constitutional convention, wisconsin constitutional convention, some resolutions under what government? h. h. sibley elected congressional delegate queries minnesota territory created land office at stillwater indian treaties treaty with the sioux (mendota) treaty with the chippewas (mendota) treaty with the sioux (washington) treaty with the winnebagoes (washington) treaty with the chippewas (fond du lac) treaty with the pillager band (leech lake) treaty with the sioux (traverse des sioux) treaty with the sioux (mendota) treaty with the chippewas (la pointe) treaty with the pillagers (washington) treaty with the chippewas (red lake river) gen. pike and the indians treaty of pike's address to the council details of treaty pike hospitably entertained united states surveys in the northwest establishment of land offices establishment of the present system of surveys the first surveyor general's office at marietta, o united states land offices in the northwest list of registers and receivers, wisconsin first entries first auction sale of land list of registers and receivers, minnesota list of wisconsin territorial and state officers, governors, senators, andrepresentatives from st. croix valley legislative representation first and second constitutional conventions governors of wisconsin united states senators united states representatives district judges state legislature list of minnesota territorial and state officers census of the territory in first territorial legislature first prohibition law constitutional convention list of state officers and judicial senators and representatives minnesota state legislatures constitutional convention of division of convention union of conventions on a constitution have we a constitution first, minnesota state legislature protests against legislation five million bill passed and adopted state seal adopted state seal design adjourned session of legislature protests against recognizing gov. medary reports on protests land grants--railroad surveys and construction northern pacific railroad chicago, st. paul, minneapolis & omaha railroad st. paul & duluth railroad minnesota & manitoba railroad stillwater, white bear & st. paul railroad st. paul, stillwater & taylor's falls railroad wisconsin central railroad taylor's falls & lake superior railroad chicago, milwaukee & st. paul railroad a memorial for "soo" railroad organization of minneapolis, sault ste. marie & atlantic railroad mileage of railroads centring in st. paul and minneapolis chicago, burlington & northern railroad congressional appropriations inland navigation george r. stuntz on lake superior and st. croix canal waterways convention, e. w. durant's valuable statistics resolution for st. croix and superior canal early steamboat navigation steamboat accommodations first mississippi steamboat officers first mississippi steamboat organizations list of steamboats later navigation on northwest rivers steamboating on the st. croix ice boats james w. mullen's reminiscences, st. croix boom company surveyors general of logs organization conflict over state boundary language of logs logs cut from to chartered dams lumbering and lumbermen in lumbering and lumbermen in st. croix dalles log jams population of northwest territory in population of wisconsin territory in subsequent census population of minnesota in minnesota state capitol burning of state house selkirk visitors cyclones isanti and chisago cyclone cottage grove and lake elmo cyclone washington county and wisconsin cyclone st. cloud and sauk rapids cyclone curious lightning freaks asiatic cholera on the royal arch first decree of minnesota citizenship international hotel, st. paul, burned grasshoppers ancient mounds lake itasca, schoolcraft and boutwell form the name itasca. description of itasca elk and boutwell lakes capt. glazier's false claim copper mining on st. croix rev. julius s. webber; reminiscences judge hamlin--amusing incident minnesota old settlers association st. croix valley old settlers association newspaper history gen. scott, maj. anderson, and jeff. davis jeff. davis' marriage at fort crawford dred scott at fort snelling incidents in dred scott's history old betz and descendants addenda. military history of the rebellion, to gov. alex. ramsey's address to loyal legion thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth legislative sessions of wisconsin errata. [transcriber's note: errata corrected in the text.] chapter ii, page , read stillwater and st. croix county, instead of counties. page , read cyrus g. bradley, instead of cyrus q. page , read philip b. jewell, instead of philip p. page , read clifford a. bennett, instead of clifton. page , read stearns, anoka and sherburne counties, instead of stearns, anoka and morrison counties. page , read edmund j. butts, instead of edward j. butts. chapter i. going west.--in june, , i again visited the penobscot in quest of employment, in which i was unsuccessful. at stillwater, above bangor, i met my kind friend simeon goodrich, also out of employment. after mature deliberation we concluded to go west. returning to bloomfield, i collected the money held for me by capt. ruel weston and was soon in readiness for the journey. but a few days before the time agreed upon for leaving, i received a letter from simeon goodrich, which contained the unpleasant information that he could not collect the amount due him and could not go with me. truly this was a disappointment. i was obliged to set out alone, no light undertaking at that early day, for as yet there were no long lines of railroad between maine and the mississippi river. the day at last arrived for me to start. my companions and acquaintances chaffed me as to the perils of the journey before me. my mother gave me her parting words, "william, always respect yourself in order to be respected." these words, accompanied with her farewell kiss, were long remembered, and, i doubt not, often kept me from evil associations. the stage took us directly to the steamboat at gardiner. the steam was up and the boat was soon under way. it was the new england, the first boat of the kind i had ever seen. i felt strangely unfamiliar with the ways of the traveling world, but observed what others did, and asked no questions, and so fancied that my ignorance of traveling customs would not be exposed. it was sunset as we floated out into the wide expanse of the atlantic. the western horizon was tinged with fiery hues, the shores grew fainter and receded from view and the eye could rest at last only upon the watery expanse. all things seemed new and strange. next morning a heavy fog hung over the scene. the vessel was at anchor in boston harbor and we were soon on shore and threading the crooked streets of the capital of massachusetts. i was not lost in the wilderness maze of streets, as i had feared i should be, but on leaving boston on the evening train i took the wrong car and found myself uncomfortably situated in a second or third class car, crowded and reeking with vile odors, from which the conductor rescued me, taking me to the pleasant and elegant car to which my first class ticket entitled me. on arriving at providence i followed the crowd to the landing and embarked on the steamer president for new york, in which city we remained a day, stopping at the city hotel on broadway. i was greatly impressed with the beauty of part of the city, and the desolate appearance of the burnt district, concerning the burning of which we had read in our winter camp. i was not a little puzzled with the arrangement of the hotel tables and the printed bills of fare, but closely watched the deportment of others and came through without any serious or mortifying blunder. next morning i left new york on the steamer robert l. stevens for albany, and on the evening of the same day went to schenectady by railroad. some of the way cars were hauled by horses up hills and inclined planes. there were then only three short lines of railroad in the united states, and i had traveled on two of them. at schenectady i took passage on a canal boat to buffalo. i had read about "de witt clinton's ditch," and now greatly enjoyed the slow but safe passage it afforded, and the rich prospect of cities, villages and cultivated fields through which we passed. at buffalo we remained but one day. we there exchanged eastern paper for western, the former not being current in localities further west. at buffalo i caught my first glimpse of lake erie. i stood upon a projecting pier and recalled, in imagination, the brave commodore perry, gallantly defending his country's flag in one of the most brilliant engagements of the war, the fame whereof had long been familiar to the whole country and the thrilling incidents of which were the theme of story and song even in the wilderness camps of maine. the steamer oliver newberry bore me from buffalo to detroit. from detroit to mt. clemens, michigan, i went by stage and stopped at the last named place until october th, when, being satisfied that the climate was unhealthy, fever and ague being very prevalent, i returned to detroit, and on the fifteenth of the same month took passage on the brig indiana, as steamers had quit running for the season. the brig was aground two days and nights on the st. clair flats. a south wind gave us a splendid sail up the detroit river into lake huron. we landed for a short time at fort gratiot, at the outlet of the lake, just as the sun was setting. the fort was built of stone, and presented an impressive appearance. the gaily uniformed officers, the blue-coated soldiers, moving with the precision of machines, the whole scene--the fort, the waving flags, the movement of the troops seen in the mellow sunset light--was impressive to one who had never looked upon the like before. a favorable breeze springing up, we sped gaily out into the blue lake huron. at saginaw bay the pleasant part of the voyage ended. the weather became rough. a strong gale blew from the bay outward, and baffled all the captain's skill in making the proper direction. profane beyond degree was capt. mckenzie, but his free-flowing curses availed him nothing. the brig at one time was so nearly capsized that her deck load had rolled to one side and held her in an inclined position. the captain ordered most of the deck load, which consisted chiefly of chicago liquors, thrown overboard. unfortunately, several barrels were saved, two of which stood on deck, with open heads. this liquor was free to all. the vessel, lightened of a great part of her load, no longer careened, but stood steady against the waves and before the wind. it is a pity that the same could not be said of captain, crew and passengers, who henceforth did the careening. they dipped the liquor up in pails and drank it out of handled dippers. they got ingloriously drunk; they rolled unsteadily across the deck; they quarreled, they fought, they behaved like bedlamites, and how near shipwreck was the goodly brig from that day's drunken debauch on chicago free liquor will never be known. the vessel toiled, the men were incapacitated for work, but notwithstanding the tempest of profanity and the high winds, the wrangling of crew and captain, we at last passed saginaw bay. the winds were more favorable. thence to mackinaw the sky was clear and bright, the air cold. the night before reaching mackinaw an unusual disturbance occurred above resulting from the abundance of free liquor. the cook, being drunk, had not provided the usual midnight supper for the sailors. the key of the caboose was lost; the caboose was broken open, and the mate in the morning was emulating the captain in the use of profane words. the negro cook answered in the same style, being as drunk as his superior. this cook was a stout, well built man, with a forbidding countenance and, at his best, when sober, was a saucy, ill-natured and impertinent fellow. when threat after threat had been hurled back and forth, the negro jumped at the mate and knocked him down. the sailors, as by a common impetus, seized the negro, bound him tightly and lashed him to a capstan. on searching him they found two loaded pistols. these the mate placed close to each ear of the bound man, and fired them off. they next whipped him on the naked back with a rope. his trunk was then examined and several parcels of poison were found. another whipping was administered, and this time the shrieks and groans of the victim were piteous. before he had not even winced. the monster had prepared himself to deal death alike to crew and passengers, and we all felt a great sense of relief when capt. mckenzie delivered him to the authorities at mackinaw. antique mackinaw was a french and half-breed town. the houses were built of logs and had steep roofs. trading posts and whisky shops were well barred. the government fort, neatly built and trim, towered up above the lake on a rocky cliff and overlooked the town, the whole forming a picturesque scene. we remained but a few hours at mackinaw. there were ten cabin passengers, and these, with two exceptions, had imbibed freely of the chicago free liquor. they were also continually gambling. capt. mckenzie had fought a fist fight with a deadhead passenger, capt. fox, bruising him badly. what with his violence and profanity, the brutality of the mate and the drunken reveling of crew and passengers, the two sober passengers had but a sorry time, but the safe old brig, badly officered, badly managed, held steadily on its course, and october th, fifteen days from detroit, safely landed us in chicago. after being so long on the deck of a tossing vessel, i experienced a strange sensation when first on shore. i had become accustomed to the motion of the vessel, and had managed to hold myself steady. on shore the pitching and tossing movement seemed to continue, only it seemed transferred to my head, which grew dizzy, and so produced the illusion that i was still trying to balance myself on the unsteady deck of the ship. chicago, since become a great city, had at that time the appearance of an active, growing village. thence i proceeded, november st and d, by stage to milwaukee, which appeared also as a village, but somewhat overgrown. idle men were numerous, hundreds not being able to obtain employment. here i remained a couple of weeks, stopping at the belleview house. after which i chopped wood a few days for daniel wells. not finding suitable employment, i started west with a mr. rogers, december d. there being no other means of conveyance, we traveled on foot. on the evening of the second we stopped at prairie village, now known as waukesha. on the evening of the third we stopped at meacham's prairie, and on the fifth reached rock river, where i stopped with a mr. st. john. the evening following we stopped at an irish house, where the surroundings did not conduce to comfort or to a feeling of security. several drunken men kept up a continuous row. we hid our money in a haystack, and took our turn sleeping and keeping watch. we ate an early breakfast, and were glad to get away before the men who had created such a disturbance during the night were up. we moved onward on the seventh to blue mound, where we found a cheerful resting place at brigham's. the eighth brought us to dodgeville, where we stopped at morrison's. on the ninth we reached mineral point, the locality of the lead mines, where i afterward lost much time in prospecting. mineral point was then a rude mining town. the night of our arrival was one of excitement and hilarity in the place. the first legislature of the territory of wisconsin had been in session at belmont, near mineral point, had organized the new government and closed its session on that day. to celebrate this event and their emancipation from the government of michigan and the location of the capital at madison, the people from the point, and all the region round about, had met and prepared a banquet for the retiring members of the legislature. madison was at that time a paper town, in the wilderness, but beautifully located on cat fish lake, and at the head of rock river. the location had been accomplished by legislative tact, and a compromise between the extremes. in view of the almost certain division of the territory, with the mississippi river as a boundary, at no very distant day, it was agreed that madison should be the permanent capital, while burlington, now in iowa, should be used temporarily. milwaukee and green bay had both aspired to the honor of being chosen as the seat of government. mineral point, with her rich mines, had also aspirations, as had cassville, which latter named village had even built a great hotel for the accommodation of the members of the assembly. dubuque put in a claim, but all in vain. madison was chosen, and wisely, and she has ever since succeeded in maintaining the supremacy then thrust upon her. in my boyhood, at school, i had read of the great northwest territory. it seemed to me then far away, at the world's end, but i had positively told my comrades that i should one day go there. i found myself at last on the soil, and at a period or crisis important in its history. the great northwest territory, ceded by virginia to the united states in , was no more. the immense territory had been carved and sliced into states and territories, and now the last remaining fragment, under the name of wisconsin, had assumed territorial prerogatives, organized its government, and, with direct reference to a future division of territory, had selected its future capital, for as yet, except in name, madison was not. in assuming territorial powers, the boundaries had been enlarged so as to include part of new louisiana, and the first legislature had virtually bartered away this part of her domain, of which burlington, temporary capital of wisconsin, was to be the future capital. two more days of foot plodding brought us to galena, the city of lead. the greeting on our entering the city was the ringing of bells, the clattering of tin pans, the tooting of ox horns, sounds earthly and unearthly,--sounds no man can describe. what could it be? was it for the benefit of two humble, footsore pedestrians that all this uproar was produced? we gave it up for the time, but learned subsequently that it was what is known as a charivari, an unmusical and disorderly serenade, generally gotten up for the benefit of some newly married couple, whose nuptials had not met with popular approval. at galena i parted with mr. rogers, my traveling companion, who went south. on the fifteenth of december i traveled to dubuque on foot. when i came to the mississippi river i sat down on its banks and recalled the humorous description of old mr. carson, my neighbor, to which i had listened wonderingly when a small boy. "it was," he said, "a river so wide you could scarcely see across it. the turtles in it were big as barn doors, and their shells would make good ferryboats if they could only be kept above water." sure enough, here was the big river, but covered with ice, scarcely safe to venture on. several persons desiring to cross, we made a portable bridge of boards, sliding them along with us till we were safe on the opposite bank. i was now at the end of my journey, on the west bank of the mississippi, beyond which stretched a vast and but little known region, inhabited by indians and wild beasts. as i review the incidents of my journey in , i can not but contrast the conditions of that era and the present. how great the change in half a century! the journey then required thirty days. it now requires but three. i had passed over but two short lines of railroad, and had made the journey by canal boat, by steamer, by stage, and a large portion of it on foot. there were few regularly established lines of travel. from michigan to the mississippi there were no stages nor were there any regular southern routes. travelers to the centre of the continent, in those days, came either by the water route, via new orleans or the fox and wisconsin river route, or followed indian trails or blazed lines from one settlement to another. the homes of the settlers were rude--were built principally of logs. in forest regions the farms consisted of clearings or square patches of open ground, well dotted with stumps and surrounded by a dense growth of timber. the prairies, except around the margins or along certain belts of timber following the course of streams, were without inhabitants. hotels were few and far between, and, when found, not much superior to the cabins of the settlers; but the traveler was always and at all places hospitably entertained. dubuque. dubuque was a town of about three hundred inhabitants, attracted thither by the lead mines. the people were principally of the mining class. the prevailing elements amongst them were catholic and orange irish. these two parties were antagonistic and would quarrel on the streets or wherever brought in contact. sundays were especially days of strife, and main street was generally the field of combat. women even participated. there was no law, there were no police to enforce order. the fight went on, the participants pulling hair, gouging, biting, pummeling with fists or pounding with sticks, till one or the other party was victorious. these combats were also accompanied with volleys of profanity, and unlimited supplies of bad whisky served as fuel to the flame of discord. dubuque was certainly the worst town in the west, and, in a small way, the worst in the whole country. the entire country west of the mississippi was without law, the government of wisconsin territory not yet being extended to it. justice, such as it was, was administered by judge lynch and the mob. my first employment was working a hand furnace for smelting lead ore for a man named kelly, a miner and a miser. he lived alone in a miserable hovel, and on the scantiest fare. in january i contracted to deliver fifty cords of wood at price's brickyard. i cut the wood from the island in front of the present city of dubuque, and hired a team to deliver it. while in dubuque i received my first letter from home in seven months. what a relief it was, after a period of long suspense, spent in tediously traveling over an almost wilderness country,--amidst unpleasant surroundings, amongst strangers, many of them of the baser sort, drinking, card playing, gambling and quarreling,--what a relief it was to receive a letter from home with assurances of affectionate regard from those i most esteemed. truly the lines had not fallen to me in pleasant places, and i was sometimes exposed to perils from the lawless characters by whom i was surrounded. on one occasion a dissolute and desperate miner, named gilbert, came to cannon's hotel, which was my boarding house while in dubuque. he usually came over from the east side of the river once a week for a spree. on this occasion, being very drunk, he was more than usually offensive and commenced abusing cannon, the landlord, applying to him some contemptuous epithet. i thoughtlessly remarked to cannon, "you have a new name," upon which gilbert cocked his pistol and aiming at me was about to fire when cannon, quick as thought, struck at his arm and so destroyed his aim that the bullet went over my head. the report of the pistol brought others to the room and a general melee ensued in which the bar was demolished, the stove broken and gilbert unmercifully whipped. gilbert was afterward shot in a drunken brawl. i formed some genial acquaintances in dubuque, amongst them gen. booth, messrs. brownell, wilson and others, since well known in the history of the country. price, the wood contractor, never paid me for my work. i invested what money i had left for lots in madison, all of which i lost, and had, in addition, to pay a note i had given on the lots. on february th i went to cassville, journeying thither on the ice. this village had flourished greatly, in the expectation of becoming the territorial and state capital, expectations doomed, as we have seen, to disappointment. it is romantically situated amidst picturesque bluffs, some of which tower aloft like the walls and turrets of an ancient castle, a characteristic that attaches to much of the bluff scenery along this point. prairie du chien. i reached this old french town on the twelfth of february. the town and settlement adjacent extended over a prairie nine miles long, and from one to two miles broad, a beautiful plateau of land, somewhat sandy, but for many years abundantly productive, furnishing supplies to traders and to the military post established there. it also furnished two cargoes of grain to be used as seed by the starving settlement at selkirk, which were conveyed thither by way of the mississippi, st. peter and red rivers. the earliest authentic mention of the place refers to the establishment of a post called st. nicholas, on the east bank of the mississippi, at the mouth of the wisconsin, by gov. de la barre, who, in , sent nicholas perrot with a garrison of twenty men to hold the post. the first official document laying claim to the country on the upper mississippi, issued in , has mention of the fort. this document we transcribe entire: "nicholas perrot, commanding for the king, at the post of the nadouessioux, commissioned by the marquis denonville, governor and lieutenant governor of all new france, to manage the interests of commerce amongst the indian tribes and people of the bay des puants (green bay), nadouessioux (dakotahs), maseontins, and other western nations of the upper mississippi, and to take possession in the king's name of all the places where he has heretofore been, and whither he will go. "we, this day, the eighth of may, one thousand six hundred and eighty-nine, do, in the presence of the reverend father marest, of the society of jesus, missionary among the nadouessioux; of monsieur de borieguillot (or boisguillot), commanding the french in the neighborhood of the ouiskonche (wisconsin), on the mississippi; augustin le gardeur, esq., sieur de caurnont, and of messeurs le sueur, hibert, lemire and blein: "declare to all whom it may concern, that, being come from the bay des puants, and to the lake of the ouiskonches, and to river mississippi, we did transport ourselves to the country of the nadouessioux, on the border of the river st. croix, and at the mouth of the river st. pierre (minnesota), on the bank of which were the mantantans; and further up to the interior to the northeast of the mississippi, as far as the menchokatoux, with whom dwell the majority of the songeskitens, and other nadouessioux, who are to the northeast of the mississippi, to take possession for, and in the name of, the king of the countries and rivers inhabited by the said tribes, and of which they are proprietors. the present act done in our presence, signed with our hand and subscribed." then follow the names of the persons mentioned. the document was drawn up at green bay. there is little doubt that this post was held continuously by the french as a military post until , when the french authorities at quebec withdrew all their troops from wisconsin, and as a trader's post or settlement, until the surrender in to the british of all french claims east of the mississippi. it was probably garrisoned near the close of the latter period. it remained in the possession of the french some time, as the english, thinking it impossible to compete for the commerce of the indian tribes with the french traders who had intermarried with them, and so acquired great influence, did not take actual possession until many years later. the post is occasionally mentioned by the early voyageurs, and the prairie which it commanded was known as the "prairie du chien," or praire of the dog, as early as , and is so mentioned by carver. it was not formally taken possession of by the united states until , when gov. clarke with two hundred men came up from st. louis to prairie du chien, then under english rule, to build a fort and protect american interests at the village. at that time there were about fifty families, descended chiefly from the old french settlers. these were engaged chiefly in farming, owning a common field four miles long by a half mile wide. they had outside of this three separate farms and twelve horse mills to manufacture their produce. the fort, held by a few british troops under capt. deace, surrendered without resistance, but soon after the british traders at mackinaw sent an expedition under joe rolette, sr., to recapture the post, which they did after a siege of three days, the defenders being allowed to withdraw with their private property on parole. they were followed by the indians as far as rock island. meanwhile, lieut. campbell, with reinforcements on his way from st. louis, was attacked, part were captured and the remainder of his troops driven back to st. louis. late in maj. zachary taylor proceeded with gunboats to chastize the indians for their attack on campbell, but was himself met and driven back. the following year, on the declaration of peace between great britain and america, the post at prairie du chien was evacuated. the garrison fired the fort as they withdrew from it. the fort erected by the americans under gen. clarke in was called fort shelby. the british, on capturing it, changed the name to fort mckay. the americans, on assuming possession and rebuilding it, named it fort crawford. it stood on the bank of the river at the north end of st. friole, the old french village occupied in by the dousmans. in the new fort crawford was built on an elevated site about midway in the prairie. it was a strong military post and was commanded at this time by gen. zachary taylor. many officers, who subsequently won distinction in the florida indian, mexican, and late civil war, were stationed here from time to time. within a time included in my own recollections of the post, jefferson davis spirited away the daughter of his commanding officer, gen. taylor, and married her, the "rough and ready" general being averse to the match. prairie du chien derived its name from a french family known as du chien, in english "the dog." by this name the prairie was known long prior to the establishment of the french stockade and post. by that name it has been known and recognized ever since. it has been successively under the french, english and united states governments, and lying originally in the great northwestern territory, in the subsequent divisions of that immense domain, it has been included within the bounds of the territories of ohio, indiana, illinois, michigan, and wisconsin. gov. wm. h. harrison, of indiana territory, recognized prairie du chien by issuing commissions to henry m. fisher and ---- campbell as justices of the peace, the first civil commissions issued for the american government in the entire district of country including west wisconsin and minnesota east of the mississippi. prior to this time, about , the inhabitants had been chiefly under military rule. in the county of crawford was organized as a part of michigan territory, and blank commissions were issued to nicholas boilvin, esq., with authority to appoint and install the officers of the new county government. gov. lewis cass established by proclamation the county seat at prairie du chien, and john w. johnson was installed as chief justice of the county court. the entire corps of officers were qualified. in january, , congress passed an act providing for circuit courts in the counties west and north of lake michigan, and james duane doty was appointed judge for the district composed of brown, mackinaw and crawford counties, and a may term was held in prairie du chien the same year. indian troubles.--there were some indian troubles, an account of which is given in the biographical sketch of j. h. lockwood. there were other incidents which may be worthy of separate mention. in an entire family, named methode, were murdered, as is supposed, by the indians, though the murderers were never identified. the great incentive to violence and rapine with the indians was whisky. an intelligent winnebago, aged about sixty years, told me that "paganini," "firewater" (whisky), was killing the great majority of his people, and making fools and cripples of those that were left; that before the pale faces came to the big river his people were good hunters and had plenty to eat; that now they were drunken, lazy and hungry; that they once wore elk or deer skins, that now they were clad in blankets or went naked. this indian i had never seen drunk. the american fur company had huts or open houses where the indians might drink and revel. at an indian payment a young, smart looking indian got drunk and in a quarrel killed his antagonist. the friends of the murdered indian held a council and determined that the murderer should have an opportunity of running for his life. the friends of the murdered indian formed in a line, at the head of which was stationed the brother of the dead man, who was to lead in the pursuit. at a signal the bands of the prisoner were cut, and with a demoniacal yell he bounded forward, the entire line in swift and furious pursuit. should he outrun his pursuers, he would be free; should they overtake and capture him, they were to determine the mode of his death. he ran nearly a mile when he tripped and fell. the brother of the dead indian, heading the pursuit, pounced upon him and instantly killed him with a knife. considering the fact that the indians were gathered together under the guns of a united states fort, and under the protection of a law expressly forbidding the sale of intoxicating liquors to them, the people of the united states were certainly justified in expecting better results, not only in regard to the protection of the frontier settlers but for that of the indians themselves. all came to naught because of the non-enforcement of law. liquors were shamelessly sold to the indians and they were encouraged to drunken revelry and orgies by the very men who should have protected and restrained them. the prosperity of prairie du chien depended upon the indian trade, and upon government contracts which the presence of a military force rendered necessary. the indians gathered here in great numbers. here the winnebagoes, part of the menomonies and some chippewas received their annuities, and here centred also an immense trade from the american fur company, the depot being a large stone building on the banks of the mississippi, under the charge of hercules dousman. fort crawford robbed. two discharged soldiers (thompson and evans) living at patch grove, thirteen miles away, visited the fort often. on a morning after one of their visits a soldier on guard noticed a heap of fresh earth near the magazine. an alarm was given, an examination made, and it was found that the magazine had been burst open with bars and sledge hammers, entrance having been obtained by digging under the corner picket. three kegs of silver, each containing $ , , were missing. the kegs had been passed through the excavation underneath the picket. one keg had burst open near the picket, and the silver was found buried in the sand. the second keg burst on the bank of the mississippi, and all the money was found buried there except about six hundred dollars. the third keg was found months after by john brinkman, in the bottom of the river, two miles below the fort. he was spearing fish by torchlight, when he chanced to find the keg. the keg he delivered at the fort and received a small reward. on opening the keg it was found to contain coin of a different kind from that advertised as stolen. brinkman, however, made no claims on account of errors. thompson, evans, and a man named shields were arrested by the civil authorities on suspicion; their trial was continued from term to term and they were at last dismissed. one man, who had seen the silver in the sand during the day and gone back at night to fill his pockets, was seized by a soldier on guard, imprisoned for a year, and discharged. early justice. a frenchman shot and killed a couple of tame geese belonging to a neighbor, supposing them to be wild. discovering his mistake, he brought the geese to the owner, a dutchman, who flew into a great rage, but took the geese and used them for his own table, in addition to which he had the goose-killer arrested and tried before martin savall, a justice of the peace. the defendant admitted the killing of the geese, the plaintiff admitted receiving them and using them for food, nevertheless the justice gave judgment in favor of plaintiff by the novel ruling that these geese, if not killed, would have laid eggs and hatched about eight goslings. the defendant was therefore fined three dollars for the geese killed, and eight dollars for the goslings that might have been hatched if the geese had been permitted to live, and costs besides. plaintiff appealed to the district court which reversed the decision on the ground that plaintiff had eaten his geese, and the goslings, not being hatched, did not exist. plaintiff paid the costs of the suit, forty-nine dollars, remarking that a dutchman had no chance in this country; that he would go back to germany. the judge remarked that it would be the best thing he could do. a southward journey. my original plan on leaving maine was to make a prospecting tour through the west and south. i had been in prairie du chien for a season, and as soon as my contract to cut hay for the fort and my harvesting work was done. i started, with two of my comrades, in a birch bark canoe for new orleans. this mode of traveling proving slow and tedious, after two days, on our arrival at dubuque, we sold our canoe and took passage on the steamer smelter for st. louis, which place we reached on the seventeenth of october. we remained five days, stopping at the union hotel. st. louis was by far the finest and largest city i had yet seen in the west. its levee was crowded with drays and other vehicles and lined with steamers and barges. its general appearance betokened prosperity. on the twenty-second, i left on the steamer george collier for new orleans, but the yellow fever being reported in that city, i remained several days at baton rouge. on the second of november i re-embarked for new orleans, where i found a lodging at the conti street hotel. new orleans was even then a large and beautiful city. its levee and streets were remarkable for their cleanness, but seemed almost deserted. owing to a recent visitation of the yellow fever and the financial crisis of , business was almost suspended. these were hard times in new orleans. hundreds of men were seeking employment, and many of them were without money or friends. it was soon very evident to me that i had come to a poor place to better my fortunes. after a thorough canvass, i found but one situation vacant, and that was in a drinking saloon, and was not thought of for an instant. i remained fifteen days, my money gradually diminishing, when i concluded to try the interior. i took steamer for vicksburg, and thence passed up the yazoo to manchester, where i spent two days in the vain search for employment, offering to do any kind of work. i was in the south, where the labor was chiefly done by negroes. i was friendless and without letters of recommendation, and for a man under such circumstances to be asking for employment was in itself a suspicious circumstance. i encountered everywhere coldness and distrust. i returned to vicksburg, and, fortunately, had still enough money left to secure a deck passage to the north, but was obliged to live sparingly, and sleep without bedding. i kept myself somewhat aloof from the crew and passengers. the captain and clerk commented on my appearance, and were, as i learned from a conversation that i could not help but overhear, keeping a close eye upon me for being so quiet and restrained. it was true that the western rivers were infested with desperate characters, gamblers and thieves such as the murrell gang. might i not be one of them. i was truly glad when, on the fifth of december, we landed at st. louis. it seemed nearer my own country; but finding no employment there, i embarked on the steamer motto for hennepin, illinois, where i found occasional employment cutting timber. there was much talk here of the murrell gang, then terrorizing the country; and i have good reason to believe that some of them at that time were in hennepin. after remaining about two months, i left, on foot, valise in hand or strapped upon my back, with j. simpson, for galena, which place we reached in four days. finding here mr. putnam, with a team, i went up with him on the ice to prairie du chien, where, after an absence of five months of anxiety, suspense and positive hardships, i was glad to find myself once more among friends. during the summer of i cultivated a farm. i had also a hay contract for the fort. my partner was james c. bunker. i had worked hard and succeeded in raising a good crop, but found myself in the fall the victim of bilious fever and ague. i continued farming in and furnishing hay to the fort, but continued to suffer with chills and fever. myself and partner were both affected, and at times could scarcely take care of ourselves. help could not be obtained, but ague comes so regularly to torture its victims that, knowing the exact hour of its approach, we could prepare in advance for it, and have our water, gruel, boneset and quinine ready and within reach. we knew when we would shake, but not the degree of fever which would follow. the delirium of the fever would fill our minds with strange fancies. on one occasion i came home with the ague fit upon me, hitched my horses with wagon attached to a post and went into the house. banker had passed the shaking stage, and was delirious. i threw myself on the bed, and the fever soon following, i knew nothing till morning, when i found the team still hitched to the post, and, in their hunger, eating it. in november of this year i made a somewhat perilous trip with team to fort winnebago, at the portage of the fox and wisconsin rivers. the weather was cold and the military road, much of the distance, covered with snow. there was scarcely a trail over the rolling prairie to guide me. exposure brought on the chills as i was returning. fatigued, sick and suffering, i coiled myself on the top of the load. the second day, as the sun was setting, i came in sight of parish's grove, but the horses were unwilling to obey my guidance. coming to a fork in the road they insisted on going to the right. i pulled them to the left. had i been guided by their "horse sense" they would have brought me in a few moments to the door of parish's hotel. as it was, i drove on until far in the night, when we came to a steep hill, two steep for descent in the wagon. i unhitched the team, loaded them with the portable things in the wagon to keep them from the wolves that were howling around, mounted one of the horses and descended the hill and found myself at parish's door, the very place i had been trying to find for a day and a night. lieut. caldwell, quartermaster at fort crawford, received the load, and learning something of the perils of the journey, gave me eighty dollars instead of the forty he had promised. return to maine. during the spring and summer of , i fulfilled heavy hay and wood contracts for the fort, and in the autumn of that year concluded to revisit my early home in maine. i set out september d, and reached chicago in seven days, traveling with a team. i traveled thence by steamer to buffalo, by canal boat to rochester, by railroad and stage to albany and boston, by railroad to lowell, and by stage to tamworth, new hampshire. after spending four years amidst the prairies of the west it was indeed a pleasure to look again upon the grand ranges of mountains in this part of new england. when eleven years of age i had lived where i could look upon these mountains, and now to their grandeur was added the charm of old association. i looked with pleasure once more upon "old ossipee," coroway peak, and white face. time had written no changes upon these rugged mountains. there were cottages and farms on the mountain side. sparkling rivulets gleamed in the sunlight, as they found their way, leaping from rock to rock, to the valleys beneath. tamworth is situated on beautiful ridges amongst these mountain ranges. near this place is the old family burying ground containing the graves of my grand parents and other near relatives. these mountain peaks seemed to stand as sentinels over their last resting place. i remained at tamworth a short time, visited the graves of my kindred, and on october th pursued my journey to bloomfield, maine, my old home. i found great changes. some kind friends remained, but others were gone. the old home was changed and i felt that i could not make my future home here. the great west seemed more than ever attractive. there would i build my home, and seek my fortune. i found here one who was willing to share that home and whatever fortune awaited me in the west. on january st i was married to mary j. wyman, by rev. arthur drinkwater, who gave us good counsel on the eve of our departure to a new and still wilderness country. on february th we bade adieu to our friends in maine, visited awhile at tamworth, and march th reached prairie du chien, having traveled by private conveyance, stage and steamer, passing through new haven, new york, philadelphia, baltimore, and frederick city, maryland, over the national road to wheeling, virginia, by steamer down the ohio and up the mississippi to our destination. here we made our home until the autumn of , i continuing in the business in which i had been previously engaged. at this time a failure in my wife's health rendered a change of climate necessary. prairie du chien in - . our history of fifty years in the northwest commences properly at prairie du chien in the years - . the entire country west and north was at that time but little better than a wilderness. prairie du chien was an outpost of civilization. a few adventurous traders and missionaries had penetrated the country above, planting a few stations here and there, and some little effort had been made at settlement, but the country, for the most part, was the home of roving tribes of indians, and he who adventured among them at any distance from posts or settlements did so at considerable peril. prairie du chien, as we have shown, had been for an indefinite period under various governments, at first a french, and later an american settlement, generally under the protection of a military force. it was a primitive looking village. the houses were built for the most part of upright timber posts and puncheons, and were surrounded by pickets. there was no effort at display. every thing was arranged for comfort and protection. american residents. there were living at prairie du chien in the following americans with their families: alfred brunson, thomas p. burnett, joseph m. and thomas p. street, ezekiel tainter, john thomas, milo richards, john h. fonday, samuel gilbert, and william wilson. the following were unmarried: james b. dallam, ira b. brunson, william s. lockwood, and hercules dousman. in addition to these were perhaps near a hundred french families, old residents. among the more noted were the brisbois, la chapelle, rolette and bruno families. we include in the following biographical sketches some names of non-residents, prominent in the early territorial history, and others who came to prairie du chien later than . biographies. james duane doty.--the life of this eminent citizen is so interwoven with the history of wisconsin that it might well claim more space than is here allotted to it. the plan of this work forbids more than a brief mention, and we therefore give only the principal events in his life. mr. doty was born in salem, washington county, new york, where he spent his early days. after receiving a thorough literary education he studied law, and in located at detroit, michigan. in , in company with gov. cass, he made a canoe voyage of exploration through lakes huron and michigan. on this voyage they negotiated treaties with the indians, and returning made a report on the comparatively unexplored region which they had traversed. under his appointment as judge for the counties of michigan west of the lake, which appointment he held for nine years, he first made his home at prairie du chien, where he resided one year, thence removing to green bay for the remainder of his term of office, at which place he continued to reside for a period of twenty years. in he was appointed one of the commissioners to locate military routes from green bay to chicago and prairie du chien. in he represented the counties west of the lake in the michigan legislative council at detroit, at which council the first legislative action was taken affecting these counties. at that session he introduced a bill to create the state of michigan, which was adopted. the result of this action was the creation of the territory of wisconsin in . in mr. doty was chosen territorial delegate to congress from wisconsin, in which capacity he served four years, when he was appointed governor. he served as governor three years. he acted as commissioner in negotiating indian treaties. in he was a member of the first constitutional convention. in he was elected member of congress, and was re-elected in . somewhere in the ' s he built a log house on an island in fox river, just above butte des mortes, and lived there with his family many years. there he gathered ancient curiosities, consisting of indian implements, and relics of the mound builders. this log house still stands and is kept intact with the curiosities gathered there by the present owner, john roberts, to whom they were presented by mrs. fitzgerald, a daughter of gov. doty, in . the cabin overlooks the cities of menasha and neenah, and the old council ground at the outlet of lake winnebago, where the fox and sioux indians held annual councils, also the old battle ground where the fox indians routed the sioux in one of the hardest fought battles on record. in judge doty was appointed superintendent of indian affairs, and subsequently was appointed governor of utah territory, which place he held until his death in . wisconsin had no truer friend nor more faithful and efficient servant. his aims were exalted, and he deservedly held a high place in the affections of his fellow citizens. james h. lockwood.--mr. lockwood was the only practicing lawyer at the organization of judge doty's court. he was the pioneer lawyer in prairie du chien, and the first lawyer admitted to the bar in what is now wisconsin. he practiced in crawford, brown and mackinaw counties. he was born in peru, clinton county, new york, dec. , . he married julia warren in . she died at prairie du chien in . he married his second wife, sarah a. wright, in st. louis, missouri, in . she died at prairie du chien in , much esteemed as one of the pioneer women of the upper mississippi, and respected as a devout christian, whose faith was proven by her works. the early years of mr. lockwood were spent on a farm. he had not the privileges of a classical education, and he may be said to be self educated. in he commenced the study of law. in he was sutler in the united states army, and in at the post at mackinaw. from to he was an indian trader, his home being at prairie du chien. in orders came to abandon the fort at prairie du chien. the soldiers were transferred to fort snelling, but arms and ammunition were left in charge of john marsh, sub-indian agent. mr. lockwood's family was the only american family at the post. on june th of the ensuing year he left for new york by the wisconsin river route, mrs. lockwood remaining at home. the winnebagoes were a little troublesome at this time, the more so as the soldiers were removed from the post, but no serious disturbance was anticipated. the first night after leaving prairie du chien mr. l. met some winnebagoes, and all camped together for the night; but the indians, under their chief, red bird, left the camp stealthily before morning, and, proceeding to prairie du chien, entered the house of mr. lockwood with loaded rifles. mrs. l., greatly frightened, fled to the store, then in charge of duncan graham, an old english trader. the indians followed mrs. l. into the store. graham counseled with them and they left. as they were acting suspiciously a messenger was sent after mr. lockwood in haste. he returned on the twenty-seventh and found the inhabitants assembled, but without ammunition or means of defense. the indians told the people not to go into the fort, as they would destroy it. as the day passed pickets and embankments were built around an old tavern. about sundown a keelboat came down the river and landed, bearing three dead bodies and several wounded. the sides of the boat had been riddled by bullets. this ghastly arrival increased the panic. mr. lockwood urged organization for defense. he was selected as captain but declined, and thomas mcnair was chosen, who ordered an immediate removal to the fort. repairs were made and preparations for successful defense. on the day the fighting commenced red bird and his companions shot and killed gagner and lipcap. mrs. gagner, with rifle in hand, held red bird at bay till she escaped with one child into the rushes, whence she was rescued by a soldier on patrol duty. the soldier went to the house, where he found gagner and lipcap lying dead upon the floor, and an infant child, scalped and with its throat cut, lying under the bed. gov. cass, of michigan, arrived on the fourth of july, greatly to the relief of the besieged garrison, which he mustered into the service of the united states, appointing mr. lockwood quartermaster. another company, under capt. abner field, was sent from galena to their relief. mr. lockwood sent a messenger to col. snelling at fort snelling, who promptly sent down a company in a keelboat. the force thus concentrated at the fort was sufficient to overcome the indians, who were in no plight to engage in a war with the united states. as the result of a council held by the winnebagoes in the presence of the officers of the garrison, the indians agreed to surrender red bird and kee-waw to maj. whistler, the indians asking that the prisoners should not be ironed or harshly treated. maj. whistler promised that they should be treated with consideration, and red bird, rising from the ground, said, "i am ready," and was marched off with his accomplice, kee-waw, to a tent in the rear and placed under guard. the prisoners were handed over to gen. atkinson, and given into the hands of the civil authorities. they were chained and imprisoned, which so chafed the proud spirit of red bird that he drooped and soon died of a broken heart. kee-waw was afterward pardoned by the president of the united states. for this and other outrages perpetrated upon the settlers, not a single indian suffered the penalty of death, excepting red bird, whose pride may be said to have been his executioner. mr. lockwood continued in mercantile business at prairie du chien many years. he held many positions of honor and trust, acquitting himself with credit. he built the first saw mill north of the wisconsin river, on the menomonie river. the famous menomonie mills now occupy the same site. a small mill had been commenced prior to this on black river, but the indians had burned this mill before it was completed. mr. lockwood died at his home, aug. , . john s. lockwood.--john s., the brother of james h. lockwood, was born in in new york; came to prairie du chien in , and thereafter engaged in merchandising. he was a man of exemplary habits and a member of the presbyterian church most of his life. he raised an interesting family. he died at his home at prairie du chien in . samuel gilbert settled at prairie du chien in . he was of kentucky birth, a blacksmith by trade, and a model man in habits. mr. gilbert, in , became one of the proprietors of the chippewa falls mill. he afterward lived at albany. he followed mississippi river piloting, removed to burlington, iowa, and died in . mr. gilbert left four sons, oliver, lumberman in dunn county, wisconsin, john and i. dallam, lumber merchants at burlington, iowa, and samuel. michael brisbois.--we find the names of brisbois and some others mentioned in the proceedings of the commission held by col. isaac lee in , to adjust claims to land in prairie du chien and vicinity. michael brisbois testified that he had been a resident of the prairie thirty-nine years, which would date his settlement as far back as . mr. brisbois lived a stirring and eventful life. he died in , leaving several children. joseph, the oldest, became a man of prominence and held many offices in state and church. charles, the second son, while yet a boy went to mckenzie river, british possessions, in the employ of the northwestern fur company, where he lived thirty years beyond the arctic circle, and raised a large family. in he returned to prairie du chien, but his children, reared in the cold climate of the frozen zone, soon after his return sickened, and most of them died, unable to endure the change to a climate so much milder. bernard w., a third son, was born at prairie du chien, oct. , . he was well educated and grew up a leading and influential citizen. as a child he had witnessed the taking of fort shelby by the british in , and its recapture as fort mckay by the united states troops in . during the red bird indian war he served as second lieutenant, and for several years was stationed at fort crawford. he was also a prominent agent or confidential adviser in the fur company which had its headquarters at prairie du chien. he was sheriff of crawford county and held the office of county treasurer and other positions of trust. in president grant appointed him consul to vernier, belgium, but ill health compelled an early return. mr. brisbois married into the la chapelle family. he died in , leaving an interesting family. pierre lapoint was also before the commission of col. lee as an early resident, having lived at the prairie since . the testimony of these early citizens served to establish the ancient tenure of the lands by french settlers, a tenure so ancient that no one could definitely give a date for its commencement. mr. lapoint was a farmer. he reared a large family of children, and died about . joseph rolette.--joseph rolette was at one time chief justice of the county court of crawford county. he was of french descent and was born in quebec, l. c., in . he was educated for the catholic priesthood. in he came to prairie du chien. in the early part of his mature life he was an active and successful trader with the indians on the upper mississippi. he was a man of keen perceptions and considerable ambition. he joined the british at the siege of detroit, and was an officer at the capture of mackinaw. he was in command of a company in the campaign of the british from mackinaw to prairie du chien, and aided in taking the american stockade. his early education and associations inclined him to espouse the british cause during the war of , which he did with all the ardor and enthusiasm of his nature. to his family he was kind and indulgent, giving his children the best education possible. one daughter, married to capt. hoe, of the united states army, was a very superior woman. one son, joseph, received all the aid that money could give, and might have risen to distinction, but he early contracted intemperate habits which became in later life tenaciously fixed. this son was at one time a member of the minnesota legislature. joseph rolette, sr., died at prairie du chien in . hercules dousman.--the leading indian trader of the upper mississippi, the prominent adviser at indian treaties and payments and the trusted agent of the american fur company, was hercules dousman, a keen, shrewd man, and universally influential with the indians, with whom it might be said his word was law. he understood all the intricacies involved in the indian treaty and the half-breed annuities and payments. his extended favors and credits to the indians, properly proven, of course, would be recognized and paid at the regular payments. he accumulated through these agencies great wealth, which he retained to his dying day. he came to prairie du chien, in the employ of joseph rolette, in . he afterward married the widow of rolette. he died in prairie du chien in . rev. david lowry.--a noble, big hearted kentuckian, a minister of the cumberland presbyterian church, he was located by the government as farmer and teacher of the indians on yellow river, near prairie du chien, in . for years this good man labored with unquestioned zeal for the welfare of the untutored indian. mr. lowry informed me, while at his post, that he was fearful that all his labor was labor lost, or worse than useless. the indian pupil learned just enough to fit him for the worst vices. the introduction of whisky was a corrupting agency, in itself capable of neutralizing every effort for the moral and intellectual advancement of the indian, with whom intoxication produces insanity. he felt quite disheartened as to the prospect of accomplishing any good. he died at st. cloud some time in the ' s. chief justice charles dunn.--when wisconsin territory was organized in , charles dunn was appointed chief justice. he served as judge until wisconsin became a state in . he was of irish descent and was born in kentucky in . he studied law in kentucky and illinois, and was admitted to practice in at jonesboro, illinois. he was chief clerk of the illinois house of representatives five years. he was one of the commissioners of the illinois and michigan canal. in he was one of a party which surveyed and platted the first town of chicago, and superintended the first sale of town lots there. he was captain of a company during the black hawk war in , and was severely wounded through mistake by a sentinel on duty. in he was a member of the illinois house of representatives. in , as judge, he held his first court in crawford county. in this court, in , indictments were found against certain individuals for selling liquor to whites and indians contrary to law, when, by evasions, continuances and technicalities, the suits would go by the board. in one case the charge given to the jury by this dignified and courteous judge dunn was as follows: "gentlemen of the jury: unless you are satisfied that the defendants in this case did deal out, in clear, unadulterated quantities, intoxicating drinks, it is your imperative duty to discharge them." the jury, of course, discharged the defendants. aside from his drinking habits, which interfered much with his usefulness, he was a genial gentleman and regarded by his associates as an eminent jurist. he sometimes kept the court waiting till he should become sober, and on one occasion came near losing his life in a drunken spree. he jumped through an upper window of tainter's hotel, and escaped with only a broken leg. judge dunn was a member of the second wisconsin constitutional convention. he was state senator in - - and . he died at mineral point, april , . rev. alfred brunson, a distinguished pioneer preacher in the west, was born in connecticut, , and received there a common school education. his father died while he was yet a minor, and with commendable zeal and filial love he devoted himself to providing for his mother and her bereaved family, working at the trade of a shoemaker till he was seventeen years of age, when he enlisted as a soldier under gen. harrison and served under him until the peace of , when he entered the methodist ministry, in which, by industry and close application, he became quite learned and eminent as a divine. his active ministry extended to the long period of sixty-seven years. he was the first methodist minister north of the wisconsin river. in he established a mission at kaposia and thence removed to red rock (newport), in washington county, minnesota. in he was a member of the wisconsin legislature. in he was indian agent at lapointe, on lake superior. mr. brunson was very prominent in the councils of his own church, having represented his conference several times in the general conference of that body. he is also the author of many essays and other publications, among them "the western pioneer," in two volumes, a most entertaining and instructive account of life in the west. mr. brunson was married to eunice burr, a relative of the famous aaron burr. she was a woman of great intelligence and of excellent qualities of heart as well as mind. her heart overflowed with sympathy for the sick and distressed, and she won by her care for them the affectionate title of "mother brunson." she died in . rev. alfred brunson, though an itinerant, was so favored in his various fields of labor that he was able to have his permanent home at prairie du chien, where he lived from until the time of his death in . many incidents in mr. brunson's career are worthy of permanent record. he was among the most hardy and daring of the pioneers. he came down the ohio and up the mississippi in a barge to prairie du chien in , the barge laden with household furniture and the material for a frame building which, on landing, he proceeded immediately to erect. this house, which he and his family occupied till his death, is still standing. when he established his mission at kaposia he was greatly in need of an interpreter. an officer at fort snelling owned a negro slave who had been a methodist before going into the army in the service of his master. afterward he had married a dakota woman and by associating with the indians had learned their language. this young negro, james thompson, was a slave, and mr. brunson could only secure his services by purchasing him outright, which he did, paying the price of $ , , the money for which was raised by subscription in ohio. "jim" was presented with his "free papers," and was soon interpreting the gospel to the indians at kaposia. this is the only instance on record of a slave being sold on minnesota soil. it will be remembered, however, that the historical "dred scott" was also the property of an officer at the fort, surgeon emerson. james thompson resided in st. paul in the later years of his life, and died there in . ira brunson.--ira, the eldest son of rev. a. brunson, was born in ohio in , and came to prairie du chien in . he was a member of the legislature during the years - - and . he was also postmaster many years. he was continuously in office in crawford county until his death in . in he was appointed special deputy united states marshal for the purpose of removing the settlers from the fort snelling reservation. these settlers were mostly from selkirk, manitoba. they had been driven out by the grasshoppers and, fleeing southward, had settled about fort snelling to be under the protection of the fort. the government, however, considered them intruders and ordered mr. brunson to remove them outside the reservation, and to destroy all their dwellings and farm improvements, which disagreeable duty he performed as well, perhaps, as it could be performed; he, as he afterward told me, being satisfied in his own mind that the removal would be for their ultimate good, the influences of the fort and of the associations of the motley crowd of hangers on around it being somewhat demoralizing. at any rate the eviction of these western acadians has never aroused the sympathies of the poet and sentimentalist as did that of the acadians of the east. john h. folsom, brother of w. h. c. folsom, was born in machias, maine, dec. , . he was engaged during his youth in clerking. in he made a voyage as supercargo of a vessel to the congo coast. in he came to michigan, and in to prairie du chien, where he has since continuously resided. he was married in to angelica pion, who died in , leaving no children. he has a very retentive memory, and is quoted as an authority in the local history of prairie du chien. the writer is indebted to him for many particulars referring to the early history of that city. ezekiel tainter.--mr. tainter came to prairie du chien in from vermont. he had at first fort contracts, but afterward engaged in merchandising, farming and hotel keeping. he also served as sheriff. he was eccentric and original in his methods, and some amusing stories are told of his prowess in arresting criminals. on one occasion he was about to arrest a criminal. having summoned his _posse_, he followed the man until he took refuge in a cabin with one door and two windows. stationing his men before the door, he thus addressed them: "brave boys, i am about to go through this door. if i fall, as i undoubtedly will, you must rush over my dead body and seize the ruffian." giving the word of command, he plunged through the door and captured the criminal, apparently much astonished at finding himself still alive. at his tavern, one morning, a boarder announced that he had been robbed. uncle zeke quieted him, and, quickly examining his rooms, found one boarder missing. it was gray twilight. he ordered all to retire but the man who had been robbed. the two sat quietly down as they saw a man approaching the house from the bluffs. to their surprise it was the absentee approaching. as he stepped on the piazza, uncle zeke dexterously tripped him up with his stiff leg, and seizing him by the throat, shouted to the astonished miscreant: "where is the money you stole? tell me at once, or you will never get up." the prostrate culprit, thoroughly frightened, tremblingly answered, "i hid it in the bluff." they marched him to the spot, recovered the money and generously allowed the thief his freedom on the condition of his leaving the country. uncle zeke lived to a good old age, and died at the residence of his son andrew, in menomonie, wisconsin. wyram knowlton.--mr. knowlton was born in chenango county, new york, in , came to wisconsin in , and commenced the study of law. he was admitted to practice in platteville, and in came to prairie du chien and opened a law office. in he enlisted and served in the mexican war, after which he resumed practice. in he was appointed judge of the sixth judicial district of wisconsin, and served six years. he held the first court in pierce county in . he was a man of fine ability. he died in the north part of the state in . robert lester.--a melancholy interest attaches to the memory of this man on account of his early tragical death. he had come to prairie du chien in , and in had been elected sheriff. next year his official duties called him to the menomonie and chippewa valleys. on his return he had left lockwood's mills on the menomonie, and had passed through trempealeau and was coasting along the west shore, when an indian hailed him, calling for bread. lester passed on without responding. as he reached a point of land the indian ran across the point and, awaiting his approach, shot him through the heart. lester rose as the ball struck him, and fell overboard. mr. jean bruno, proprietor of the chippewa mills, was on his way up river in a canoe, and witnessed the whole transaction. mr. bruno described the whole tragic scene. popular excitement ran high at prairie du chien. a party of men volunteered to search for lester's body, which was found at the place of the murder and brought back for interment at prairie du chien. the indian, a sioux, was arrested and kept in jail a long time, and although he had acknowledged to some of his indian friends that he had killed lester, he was acquitted. it was a cold blooded and atrocious murder, and the proof of the indian's guilt was overwhelming, as he was, by his own confession, the murderer; still he was not punished. in this case the prisoner did not languish and die in jail of a broken heart as did red bird, the murderer of gagner and lipcap. as a rule the courts dealt very leniently with indian criminals. thomas pendleton burnett was born in virginia in . he studied law and was admitted to the bar in paris, kentucky. he was appointed sub-indian agent under j. m. street, in . he came to prairie du chien in and entered upon the duties of the agency. he also practiced law. in he was a member of the michigan territorial council and its president. in , after his term of office expired, he married a daughter of alfred brunson and, continuing the practice of law, became quite eminent for his skill, and acquired an extensive practice. he was a fluent speaker, well skilled in the management of the cases intrusted to his care. in he removed to a farm at patch grove, grant county. he was a member of the wisconsin constitutional convention which met in . he served but a few weeks when he was called home by the death of his mother and the sickness of his wife. the fatigue of a twenty-four hours' ride of eighty-five miles in a rude lumber wagon was too much for his not very rugged constitution, and four days after his mother's death he followed her to the world of spirits. his devoted wife survived him but three hours. under circumstances of such unusual sadness did this brilliant and promising lawyer and citizen take his departure from earth. his death created a profound sensation throughout the entire northwest, where he was so well and favorably known. henry dodge, the first governor of wisconsin territory, was born in vincennes, indiana, oct. , . he came to the lead mines of wisconsin in . in he took part in the black hawk war, an uprising of the sac and fox indians against the united states government. mr. dodge participated as a general at the battle of bad axe, his regiment occupying the front rank in that battle. april , , he was appointed governor of wisconsin by president andrew jackson, reappointed in by president van buren, and by president polk in , serving three terms. from to , during the presidency of harrison and his successor (tyler), he served as territorial delegate to congress. in he was elected united states senator for the short term, and re-elected in , senator walker being his colleague. on the occasion of the motion to admit california, the wisconsin senators were instructed by the legislature to vote against the measure. senator walker disregarded the instruction and voted for the measure. senator dodge, although extremely ill at the time, had himself carried to the senate chamber that he might record his vote adversely to the bill. gov. dodge rose to the highest position in his state, and chiefly by his own unaided efforts. as a soldier he was brave and efficient, as a governor, congressional delegate and senator he was clear headed, cautious and wise, and altogether a citizen of whom the state might justly be proud. he died in burlington, iowa, june , . george w. jones was born in vincennes, indiana. he graduated at transylvania university, kentucky, in . he was educated for the law, but ill health prevented him from practicing. he, however, served as clerk of the united states district court in missouri in , and during the black hawk war served as aid-de-camp to gen. dodge. in he was appointed colonel of militia, and was promoted to a major generalship. after the war he served as judge of a county court. in he was elected delegate to congress from the territory of michigan, or from that part of it lying west of lake michigan, and remained a delegate until the formation of wisconsin territory, in , when he was elected delegate from the new territory. in he was appointed surveyor general for wisconsin. he was removed in , but reappointed by president polk, and continued in office until elected senator from the state of iowa, which position he held for six years, and was then appointed by president buchanan minister to new granada. during the civil war his sympathies were with the south and he was imprisoned for awhile at fort warren under a charge of disloyalty. he has resided in dubuque, iowa, since the formation of iowa territory. he still lives, a hale and hearty old gentleman, and served as a delegate to the waterways convention held in st. paul, september, . s. g. and s. l. tainter and john thomas (father of hon. ormsby thomas, representative from wisconsin in the congress of - ) with their families came to prairie du chien in . the messrs. tainter and thomas died many years ago. chapter ii. stillwater and st. croix county. in september, , reluctantly i bade adieu to prairie du chien with its picturesque bluffs and historic associations, and embarked on the steamer highland mary, capt. atchison, to seek a home and more salubrious climate further north. the voyage was without incident worthy of note, till we reached st. croix lake, in the midst of a crashing thunder storm and a deluge of rain, which did not prevent us from eagerly scanning the scenery of the lake. the shores were as yet almost without inhabitants. the home of paul carli, a two story house at the mouth of bolles creek, was the first dwelling above prescott, on the west side of the lake. a few french residences were to be seen above on the west side. on the east bank, below the mouth of willow river, where hudson is now situated, were three log houses owned by peter bouchea, joseph manesse, and louis massey. on the high hill west, nearly opposite willow river, stood the farm house of elam greely, and on the same side, on the point, in full view of stillwater, stood the farm house of john allen. with the exception of these few dwellings, the shores of the lake were untouched by the hand of man, and spread before us in all their primitive beauty. there were gently rounded hills sloping to the water's edge, and crowned with groves of shrubby oak, amidst which, especially at the outlet of streams into the lake, the darker pines stood out boldly against the sky. we passed on over the clear, blue expanse of water on which was no floating thing save our boat and the wild fowl which were scared and flew away at our approach, till we reached the head of the lake at stillwater, the end of our journey. november th my family arrived on the steamer cecilia, capt. throckmorton. stillwater in . we landed just in front of the store of nelson & co. just below the landing was a clear, cold spring, bubbling out of the earth, or the rock rather. it was walled in and pretty well filled with speckled trout. on the opposite side of the street walter r. vail had a house and store; north of vail's store the house and store of socrates nelson. up main street, west side, stood anson northrup's hotel and greely & blake's post office and store. one street back was the residence of john e. mower, and north of this the mill boarding house, and in the rear the shanty store of the mill company, where the sawyer house now stands. up a ravine stood the shanty residence of john smith. in a ravine next to nelson & co.'s store was the residence of wm. cove. on main street, opposite greely & blake's store, was the residence of albert harris. on the shore of the lake, north of chestnut street, was john mckusick's saw mill. sylvester stateler's blacksmith shop stood just south of the mill. in brown's dakotah, now schulenberg's addition, near the old log court house, was a log hotel, kept by robert kennedy. this was stillwater in . st. croix county. from to this valley was under the jurisdiction of crawford county, michigan, there being no white inhabitants save indian traders. there was no law dispensed in this region, excepting the law that might makes right. in the territory of wisconsin, comprising all of michigan west of the great lakes; also all that portion of missouri territory out of which was formed the state of iowa, which was organized as a territory in , and admitted as a state in ; also that portion of minnesota which lies west of the present state--yet unorganized--known as dakota, was organized. the year forms a new era in our history. gov. henry dodge, of wisconsin, on the part of the national government, was appointed to negotiate with the ojibways. they met at fort snelling. a treaty was made, the indians ceding to the united states all their lands east of the mississippi, to near the headwaters of the st. croix and chippewa rivers. a deputation of dakotas at washington, the same year, ceded all their lands east of the mississippi to the parent government, thus opening to settlement all this portion of minnesota and wisconsin. but few adventurers made their way into this far off region, however, for many years. a steamer once in two months was the only mode of travel, excepting by birch canoe. in october, , at prairie du chien, i met a party who had ascended the mississippi and the st. croix as far as st. croix falls. according to their account they had found the place where creation ended, where a large river, capable of bearing a steamer, burst out of a rock like that which moses smote. they had seen "the elephant with his quills erect," and were returning satisfied to their new england home. they had entered the since famous dalles of the st. croix, located at the head of navigation on that river. in the year , being the year succeeding the purchase of the lands bordering on the st. croix river and a portion of her tributaries, may be dated the commencement of the settlement of the st. croix valley; but with the exception of the hon. joseph r. brown, the parties that i shall enumerate as opening business, came here for the purpose of lumbering, and in no instance as permanent settlers. the valley was considered too far north and the soil too sterile for cultivation, but many of those who came here in found out their mistake and made choice of the valley for their permanent homes. they were afterward abundantly satisfied with the healthfulness of the climate and the fertility of the soil. several companies were formed this year for the ostensible purpose of lumbering, many members of which became permanent settlers. the first dismemberment of the st. croix valley from crawford county was by the organization of the county of st. croix. joseph r. brown was elected representative to the legislature, from the north part of crawford county. his residence at that time was gray cloud, now in washington county. mr. brown introduced the bill for the organization of st. croix county, which passed and was approved by the governor of wisconsin, jan. , . the writer of these sketches was employed by messrs. brown and brunson (the representatives from this district), in december, , to take them with a team from prairie du chien to madison. one of the indispensable requirements for traveling in those days was a large "black betty," which was the butt of much wit and humor. mr. brown said the contents of old betty must establish a new county away up in the northwest. the deed was done--the act did pass. i don't know whether old betty came back to assist in organizing the county or not. it is well to say mr. brown acquitted himself with honor to his constituents, and was successful in the one great object for which he sought the election. this was the precursor to coming events--a shadow cast before. for it was under this organization that northwest wisconsin and minnesota first obeyed the mandates of law and order. under the provision of the act of organization, hazen mooers, of gray cloud, samuel burkelo, of marine, and joseph r. brown, of dakotah, were constituted a board of county commissioners with county seat located at dakotah. this town was located at the head of lake st. croix, on the west side, on unsurveyed government lands, known as "joe brown's claim." when the wisconsin legislature of made this the county seat of st. croix county it was named dakotah. judge irwin's court in . the first district court north of prairie du chien was called at dakotah, st. croix county. this county had been assigned to judge irwin's district (green bay). the time assigned for the court was june, . judge irwin wended his way up fox river to the portage, down the wisconsin to prairie du chien, up the mississippi to st. paul, and across from st. paul to dakotah with guides. at dakotah the regular officers were all absent, but he found at the court house two young men named brown and six frenchmen from st. paul and little canada, summoned as jurors by sheriff lawrence. judge irwin remained one night, slept in deer skins in the county building, subsisting meanwhile on venison and bear steak. no calendar was to be found and the judge and jurors left for home. the first commissioners' meeting was held oct. , . at this meeting much important work was done. an acre of ground at the county seat was selected for county buildings. a contract to erect a court house according to specifications was let to j. r. brown, he to receive for the same eight hundred dollars. the parties agreed upon a deed or conveyance of ground, a synopsis of which we append. the conveyance cites and reiterates a wisconsin legislative law establishing st. croix county, giving to the people the right to locate the county seat by vote and to the county commissioners power to erect county buildings, the selected location to be the permanent seat of justice of said county. it further provides that the county commissioners shall carry into effect the law of congress of the united states, entitled "an act granting to counties or parishes, in which public lands are situate, the right of pre-emption to one-fourth section of land, for seats of justice within the same." approved may , . it then cites the vote taken aug. , , locating the county seat at "brown's warehouse, at the head of lake st. croix." further conditions are set forth in compliance with the law, confirming the location on joseph r. brown's land claim. this is the first recorded deed in st. croix county. thirty dollars was allowed to j. r. brown and w. b. dibble, each, for carrying election returns to prairie du chien. the first abstract of votes polled in st. croix county was for delegate to congress and for county officers. for delegate to congress the following vote was cast: henry dodge, seventeen; jonathan e. arnold, ten. samuel burkelo, hazen mooers and w. b. dibble were elected county commissioners; william holcombe, county treasurer and register of deeds; phineas lawrence, sheriff; j. r. brown, county clerk and clerk of court, and philander prescott, assessor. the first recorded deed of property in stillwater was from walter r. vail to rufus s. king, transferring for a consideration of $ , a tract bounded east by lake st. croix and south and north by lands owned by churchill and nelson. three election precincts had been established in this portion of crawford county prior to the organization of st. croix county: caw-caw-baw-kank, embracing the county adjacent to st. croix falls; dakotah, the county at the head of lake st. croix, and chan-wak-an the gray cloud settlement, on the mississippi. on july , , the commissioners held a meeting and established voting precincts as follows: _gray cloud_--judges of election, hazen mooers, david howe, joseph haskell. _mouth of st. croix lake_--judges of election, p. prescott, oscar p. burris, john burke. _marine mills_--judges of election, asa parker, samuel burkelo, t. harrington. _falls of st. croix_--judges of election, joseph w. furber, joshua l. taylor, jesse taylor. _pokegama_--judges of election, jeremiah russell, e. myers, e. l. ely. feb. , , st. paul and stillwater were made election precincts by the wisconsin legislature, and stillwater was made the county seat. the constituted authorities were not successful in making out assessments and collecting county revenues. the first estimate of expenditures for the county was for , and amounted to $ . this included the estimate for holding one term of court. up to the time of changing the county seat to stillwater much dissatisfaction existed as to the manner in which the county finances had been managed, and there was a general revolt, a refusal to pay taxes. in consequence, the county building at dakotah remained unfinished and was finally abandoned by the county authorities. j. r. brown lost on his contract on account of this failure and abandonment. the first successful collection of taxes in st. croix county, considered legal, was in . capt. wm. holcombe acted during this period as clerk of the commissioners, and register of deeds. in he deputized w. h. c. folsom as deputy clerk and register of deeds, and transmitted the records from st. croix falls to stillwater. [a] early history of stillwater. in the spring of jacob fisher made a claim on unsurveyed lands at the head of lake st. croix, immediately south of dakotah, spotting and blazing the trees to mark the limits of his claim. mr. fisher thought it a good site for a saw mill, and made an offer to elias mckean and calvin f. leach of the entire claim on condition that they would build a mill. mckusick and greely were looking for a mill site; mr. fisher referred them to mckean and leach. it was agreed that the four should take the claim and erect the mill. greely improved and held the claim, while mckusick went to st. louis and procured mill irons and supplies. mckean and leach operated in the pinery. by april , , the mill was finished and in operation. this was the first frame building erected in stillwater. it stood on the lake shore, east of main street, lot , block . the second frame building was mckusick's boarding house, west of main street, on block . john allen's family was the first to locate in stillwater. mr. allen came in the spring of , and subsequently removed to california. the second family was that of anson northrup coming soon after. mr. northrup built a public house on the west side of main street, just north of nelson's alley. soon afterward came widow edwards and family from ohio, relatives of the northrups; mrs. northrup being a daughter of widow edwards. socrates nelson came about this time and built the first store in stillwater. his family joined him soon afterward. the first marriage was that of jesse taylor and abbie edwards, j. w. furber, esq., officiating justice. the second marriage was that of william cove to nancy edwards in may, . the first white child born was willie taylor, son of jesse taylor, in . a daughter, maud maria, was born to mr. and mrs. paul carli in dakotah (schulenburg's addition to stillwater), in . stillwater derives its name from its appropriate location on the banks of the still waters of lake st. croix. a post office was established in , and elam greely was appointed postmaster. the first business partnership was that of the saw mill company, already noted. we give here in full the articles of agreement as the first written and the oldest on record in washington county. this document is important not only as fixing a date for the origin or founding of stillwater, but as an important event, as it thus early laid the foundation of the future prosperity of the city, and indicated the direction in which its energies should be chiefly turned: [_copy of agreement._] this agreement, made and entered into this twenty-sixth day of october, anno domini eighteen hundred and forty-three, by the following named individuals, viz.: john mckusick, elias mckean, elam greely, and calvin f. leach, for the purpose of building a saw mill near the head of lake st. croix, wisconsin territory, and for carrying on the lumbering business in all its various branches. _article first_--it is understood by this agreement, that the heretofore named individuals form themselves into a company to continue and exist by the name of the stillwater lumber company. _article second_--it is agreed to by the heretofore named individuals, that the whole amount of property owned and business done by the aforesaid company shall be included in fifteen shares, and to be divided and owned by each individual of the aforesaid company as follows, viz.: john mckusick, five-fifteenths; elias mckean, three-fifteenths; elam greely, four-fifteenths; and calvin f. leach, three-fifteenths. _article third_--it is furthermore understood, that each proprietor of the aforesaid company shall pay his proportion of all the expenses arising from all the business done or transacted by the aforesaid company, and to continue the same ratio, so long a time as said company shall exist and continue to do business under the present form, and likewise any gain or loss, arising or accruing from any or all of the business done by the aforesaid company, shall be shared or sustained by each proprietor of the aforesaid company, in the same ratio as above named, in proportion to each above named proprietor's share of stock owned in the aforesaid company. _article fourth_--it is furthermore agreed to, that the whole amount of money or property that each or either of the proprietors of the aforesaid company shall invest, advance, or pay for the benefit or use of the aforesaid company, the same amount shall be credited to the separate credit of the proprietor or either of the proprietors of the aforesaid company making such investments, on the books of accounts kept by the aforesaid company. _article fifth_--it is furthermore understood, that for the amount of money or property that any one of the proprietors of the aforesaid company shall invest, advance, or pay for the benefit or use of the aforesaid company, more than his proportional share of the whole amount of money or property invested by the aforesaid company, the same amount of money, with interest, shall be paid or refunded back to said proprietor by the aforesaid company, out of the first proceeds arising from the business done by the company aforesaid. _article sixth_--it is furthermore understood, that in case any one of the aforesaid proprietors should at any time hereafter be disposed to sell, transfer or dispose of his share of stock owned in the aforesaid company, he shall first pay to said company all the liabilities or indebtedness of said share of stock, and then give said company the preference of purchasing and owning said share of stock, at the same rates by which said proprietor may have an opportunity to sell said shares of stock. _article seventh_--it is furthermore understood that the proprietors of the aforesaid company, individually, shall have no right, or power, to sign any obligation or due bill, make any contract, or transact any business of importance in the name of, or binding on, the aforesaid company, except some one proprietor of the aforesaid company should hereafter be fully authorized by the aforesaid company to act and transact business as agent for the aforesaid company. in testimony whereof, we hereunto set our hands and seals this twenty-sixth day of october, anno domini eighteen hundred and forty-three. john mckusick, elam greely, elias mckean, c. f. leach. attest: c. simonds. this agreement and dates are taken from the original book of records in the possession of john mckusick. after this agreement was signed, until mr. mckusick became the sole owner, the business was conducted by mutual agreement, there being no constituted agent, except in case of an emergency. the mill boarding house, a two story building, erected in , was burned in , and immediately rebuilt. in j. h. brewster built a small store. mckusick's store was built the same year, on the southwest corner of main and myrtle streets. some smaller buildings were erected this year. in a verbal agreement was made with regard to land claims, by which brown's claim was recognized as extending along the lake shore north of battle hollow, where the minnesota state prison now stands. south of battle hollow, along the lake shore to nelson, extending three-fourths of a mile west, was the claim of the mill company, originally held by fisher. south of nelson's alley, one-half mile down the lake, three-fourths of a mile west, was s. nelson's claim. when the government survey was made these claims and lines were amicably adjusted and confirmed. a congressional law was in existence making provisions for villages and cities built on unsurveyed lands, that such lands should be equitably divided and surveyed into lots, and the actual settler or occupant should be protected in his rights. in may, , a desire was expressed by citizens of st. paul and stillwater for the opening of new roads between these cities. the traveled road up to that time was by haskell's and bissell's mounds. louis roberts and the writer examined a route by white bear lake. a road was established south of this route in june. in july i started up the st. croix river with joseph brewster, in a batteau, to put up hay for elam greely on kanabec river. we poled our batteau with outfit and camped where now stands the village of franconia. the next morning early we entered the picturesque dalles of the st. croix, then cordelled our boat over baker's falls, and landed at the village of st. croix falls. this village, the first american settlement on the st. croix, had one large mill with six saws. the water power was utilized by means of a permanent dam with massive piers. a warehouse was perched in a romantic situation amidst the cliffs of the dalles and furnished with a tramway or wooden railway extending to the summit of the cliffs, for the transportation of goods. a boarding house dubbed the "barlow house," another the "soap grease exchange," and a few small tenement houses, constituted the village. the leading business men were james purinton, wm. holcombe, joseph bowron and lewis barlow. we spent half a day in making a portage around the st. croix falls. the wind being fair, on the third day we sailed as far as sunrise island. at wolf creek we passed an indian trading post. in front of sunrise island and on the west side of the st. croix river, a little below the mouth of sunrise river, stood the trading post of maurice m. samuels, long known as one of the most remarkable and notorious men on the frontier. he was a jew, but had married a chippewa woman, claiming that he had married one of his own people, the indians being, according to his theory, descendants of the lost tribes of israel. on the sixth day we came to the farm of jeremiah russell, on pokegama lake. we found him a pleasant gentleman, engaged as an indian farmer. we paddled across the lake to the presbyterian mission. mr. boutwell, the superintendent, was absent. the mission was pleasantly located, the management was excellent, the crops were in fair condition, and well cultivated. everything about the mission betokened good management. next day we went to a hay meadow opposite the mouth of ground house creek, where we put up on this and adjacent meadows sixty tons of hay. we left on the twenty-fourth, camping the first night at chengwatana. on the morning of the twenty-fifth, while passing down kanabec river, our ears were greeted with some most horrible and unearthly noises. on turning a bend in the river we saw a large body of indians cutting indescribable antics, in the river and on the shore, chasing each other, reeling and staggering to and fro, yelling and firing guns. they seemed a lot of bedlamites turned out as if to dispute our passage down the river. pass them now we must. it was too late to retreat. our batteau was light. i was in the bow, brewster was in the stern. the yelling and uproar grew each moment more horrible. brewster said: "keep the bow in the best water and pass them in a hurry." he was of great strength; every set of his pole would almost lift the boat from the water. while we were passing several guns were leveled at us, but such was the noise that if any were fired we did not hear them. we were glad when we passed out of range and hearing. while passing we caught a glimpse of the cause of the unusual disturbance, some whisky barrels, and drunken savages around them, staggering, fighting or lying on the ground in drunken stupor. landing at samuels' camp, we learned of him that one myers had hidden a couple of barrels of whisky on kanabec river, that the indians had found them, and the jollification we had witnessed would last till the whisky was all gone. we arrived at stillwater without further adventure. in july i made another visit to prairie du chien. the mail packet for fort snelling, on which i expected to return, broke her shaft and returned to st. louis for repairs. the postmaster at prairie du chien offered me seventy dollars to carry the mail to the fort, which offer i accepted. i bought a skiff, blankets and provisions, hired one man and started. we poled, paddled and rowed against a strong current, the low water compelling us to keep near the centre of the river. we arrived at bully wells' on lake pepin on the fifth evening and politely asked the privilege of stopping with him and were promptly refused. it was raining very hard at the time. we drew our skiff up on the shore, turned it over for a shelter, and crawled beneath it with the mail. as it was a cold, wet night, we suffered severely. as we were passing an island above red wing, the day following, we saw some sioux indian wigwams, and, as we had no firewater and no food to spare we kept close to the opposite shore. we were, however, observed. an indian appeared on the shore near the wigwams and beckoned to us to cross over. we made no reply but kept steadily on our course, observing, meanwhile, that the indian, with his gun, was skulking along through the brush, apparently bent on overtaking and waylaying us. we kept a respectful distance, and fortunately were able to increase it, but not till we were beyond rifle shot did we dare to pause for rest. that night we camped without striking a light, and next day arrived at point douglas. i went no further. the hardship and exposure of this trip brought on a severe illness. mr. david hone, at whose house i remained for two weeks, under the care of dr. carli, of stillwater, took the mail to fort snelling. soon as able i returned to stillwater. in may of this year i had made a claim of government unsurveyed land, covering springs sufficient for a water power. while i was sick at point douglas, joseph brewster, martin mower and david b. loomis formed a company to build a mill and carry on a logging business. they had agreed upon me as a fourth partner and to build on my claim; mower and loomis to attend to getting logs, brewster and folsom to build the mill. we moved to our claim oct. , , and went to work in earnest. we agreed upon the name of arcola for the new settlement. the mill was not finished until april , , at which time brewster and folsom sold out their interest and returned to stillwater. stillwater in . living in stillwater, jan. , , were the following married men: cornelius lyman, socrates nelson, walter r. vail, robert kennedy, anson northrup, albert harris, john e. mower, william e. cove, john smith, and w. h. c. folsom. among the unmarried men were: john mckusick, c. carli, jacob fisher, elam greely, edward blake, elias mckean, calvin f. leach, martin mower, david b. loomis, albion masterman, john morgan, phineas lawrence, joseph brewster, john carlton, thomas ramsdell, william rutherford, william willim, charles macey, and lemuel bolles. here follows a list of the pioneers of the st. croix valley, in , not mentioned elsewhere: nelson goodenough, who became a river pilot and settled at montrose, iowa; james patten, hugh mcfadden, edwin phillips, a millwright, an ingenious, eccentric man, who left the valley in ; joseph brewster, who left in , and settled in earlville, illinois; sylvester stateler, blacksmith, who removed to crow wing county, minnesota, and o. h. blair, who followed lumbering, a man of talent, but eccentric. he died in . the first school was taught in , by mrs. ariel eldridge, formerly sarah louisa judd. the second school was taught in , by mrs. greenleaf; the third in , by wm. mckusick. a school house was built in . rev. w. t. boutwell, a presbyterian minister, preached occasionally in the reception room of northrup's hotel. rev. eleazer greenleaf, an episcopalian, came the next summer and established regular services. prior to the organization of stillwater, rev. j. hurlbut, a methodist minister, had preached in dakotah, st. croix falls and marine, but organized no societies. the winter of - was very open. all teaming business was done on wheels, except for a few days in december, in which there was snow enough for sledding. a new feature in the trade of the valley this year was the rafting and running of logs to st. louis. in december, , dr. borup, of la pointe, and others went by ice and overland with teams to prairie du chien, i accompanying them. the first day we came to point douglas, at the confluence of the st. croix and the mississippi. between stillwater and point douglas, on the route we followed, some distance west of the lake, we found but one settler, joseph haskell. at point douglas there were david hone, a hotel keeper; hertzell & burris, merchants, and wm. b. dibble, farmer. we reached red wing the second day. at this place lived the famous jack frazier, a sioux half-breed and indian trader, one presbyterian missionary, rev. ---- denton, and a man named bush. james wells, more familiarly known as "bully wells," lived with an indian squaw on the west shore of lake pepin, where stands the town of frontenac. on the third day we went as far as wabasha, on the west side, three miles below lake pepin, where we found several french families. we stopped at cratt's hotel. on the fourth day we reached holmes' landing, now fountain city. there were then but two houses, both unoccupied. about noon we passed wabasha prairie, now the site of winona. it was then covered with indian tepees. at trempealeau, in the evening of the fifth day, we found two french families. on the next day we reached la crosse and found there two american families. two days more brought us to prairie du chien. on the way we passed a few french families, and these, with those previously named, constituted the entire white population between stillwater and prairie du chien. we started on our return with four two horse teams. we took the river road, passing over the ice. in our company was one tibbetts, from fort crawford, and jonathan e. mckusick, emigrating from maine to st. croix valley. they were a social, jovial pair. at capilaux bluff, dibble's team was ahead, and my team second. at this place all halted to allow the thirsty an opportunity of liquoring up, which was done at the rear team. dibble, in going back, left his team unfastened, and while he was "smiling" with his jovial companions the team ran away. the horses soon broke loose from the sled. one horse made for the shore, the other plunged into an air hole in the ice. the entire company rushed to the rescue, and with ropes and poles managed, at last, to float the horse upon the ice in an unconscious condition. all the whisky left by the "smiling" throng was poured down the horse's throat, but in vain. the animal was dead. no other event of interest occurred except some difficulties experienced in the transportation of the first cat ever brought to stillwater. "tom" was caged in a narrow box, and the confinement so chafed his proud spirit that he sickened and at one time was reported dead. at the inquest held over his remains by capt. mckusick, signs of life were discovered, and by liberal blood-letting the cat was restored to consciousness and lived several years afterward, a terror to the rats in stillwater. stillwater in . for about a year the writer had been officiating as justice of the peace with but little official business, but now and then a marriage to celebrate. on one occasion i walked to marine to marry w. c. penny to jane mccauslin. the marriage was celebrated at burkelo's boarding house. the wedding supper consisted of cold water and cold pork and beans. the following morning i did not wait for breakfast but returned to stillwater as i had come, on foot. another day i rode to bissell's mounds and united in marriage john kenny and a mulatto woman. friend kennedy threatened to disown me for thus aiding miscegenation. "such things are intolerable," he said, but from aught i have ever known to the contrary the couple were well assorted. territorial election. on the sixth day of april an election was held for the ratification or rejection of the constitution adopted by the late territorial convention for the anticipated state government; also a resolution relative to negro suffrage, and an election was ordered for sheriff. the vote resulted as follows: for the constitution, ; against, . for equal suffrage to colored persons, ; against, . for sheriff, walter r. vail, ; w. h. c. folsom, . there were five precincts that held elections--stillwater, st. paul, gray cloud, marine, and st. croix falls. i immediately gave bonds and qualified as sheriff, and the same day took charge of two criminals, chippewa indians, who had been committed by me for murder, while acting as justice. i had previously deputized ham gates to take care of them. while in stillwater they were confined in the basement of the post office building. their names were nodin and ne-she-ke-o-ge-ma. the latter was the son-in-law of nodin. they were very obedient and tractable, and i treated them kindly, for which nodin repeatedly told me he would show me a copper mine on kanabec river. nodin died not long after his trial, and before he could redeem his promise. the copper mine is yet undiscovered. fort snelling was, at that time, the receptacle for criminals in this region, and to the fort i carried these prisoners with a team,--ham gates being driver,--unshackled, unbound, my only weapon a pistol without a lock. in may i summoned jurors and visited kanabec river to procure witnesses in the case against nodin and ne-she-ke-o-ge-ma for the murder of henry rust. the first night i stopped with b. f. otis, on the st. croix, where taylors falls is now situated. on the second day i crossed the river and proceeded up the east side to wolf creek, thence crossing to the west side, up as far as sunrise river. there was no inhabitant, samuels having vacated his shanty. i crossed the river with great difficulty. the water was high, the current was strong and swift, and i could not swim. i found a fallen tree, partly under water, cut a pole, waded out as far as i could into the current, and then by the aid of the pole floated down some distance, until by pawing and splashing i was able to reach the other shore. that night i stopped with an old indian trader, mr. connor, who, with his indian wife, welcomed me to his bark shanty, divided into rooms by handsome mats, and made me quite comfortable. he had plenty of good food, and entertained me besides by a fund of anecdotes, incidents in indian history, and adventures of traders, trappers and missionaries in the lake superior and st. croix region. he was a very intelligent and genial man. next day i went to russell's farm, paddled a canoe to ground house river, and traveled thence on foot to ann river, where i found the parties of whom i was in quest, greely, colby, otis and others, a jolly log driving crew, with whom i spent a very pleasant evening. on the return journey, about two miles above the mouth of ground house river, i saw the ruins of the trading house in which henry rust was killed. rust, at the time of his murder, was selling whisky for jack drake. rev. w. t. boutwell gives the following account of the murder: "in the winter of ' and ' i visited the camps of kent & true and greely & blake. on one occasion i met rust, and asked him to come and hear me preach. he did not attend. on this day i preached at three camps. on the following night, at greely's camp, came a midnight visitor with word that rust had been shot. seventy-five men armed themselves with all kinds of weapons, proceeded to the scene of the tragedy, removed the body of rust and all valuables from the house, knocked out the heads of two whisky barrels and fired the house, the whisky greatly aiding the combustion. i removed the body to pokegama and buried it there. forty men attended the funeral. they held a meeting and resolved to clear the country of whisky. they commenced by destroying two barrels of it for jarvis. he begged hard for his whisky, saying he was a poor man, and in debt to frank steele at fort snelling. the response was, 'out with your whisky,' and it was destroyed before his eyes. the whisky of two other trading stations followed. for a brief period there was peace, but the whisky soon put in an appearance again." the first term of district court held in minnesota, then wisconsin, was convened in stillwater, the county seat of st. croix county, june st. it was held in the upper story of john mckusick's store, southwest corner of maine and myrtle streets, hon. charles dunn presiding. the session lasted one week. the bounds of st. croix county then included crawford county, wisconsin, on the south, brown county, wisconsin, and the lake superior country on the east, the region as far as the british possessions on the north, and to the mississippi river on the west. the jurors were found within a circuit of a hundred miles. the grand jury was composed of the following gentlemen: jonathan mckusick, j. w. furber, j. l. taylor, w. r. brown, chas. cavalier, j. a. ford, hazen mooers, c. lyman, c. a. tuttle, hilton doe, elam greely, martin mower, jr., edward blake, w. b. dibble, harmon crandall, jerry ross, james saunders, joseph brown, j. r. irving, j. w. simpson, john holton, pascal aldrich, and albert harris. joseph r. brown acted as clerk of court, jonathan e. mckusick as foreman of the grand jury, and morton s. wilkinson as prosecuting attorney. the attorneys present were: m. s. wilkinson, of stillwater; a. brunson, of prairie du chien; ben c eastman, of platteville, crawford and frank dunn, of mineral point. there were but few civil cases. nodin and ne-she-ke-o-ge-ma were indicted for murder, tried and acquitted on the ground that the killing was the result of a drunken brawl. this season, in addition to attending to my duties as sheriff, i went to st. louis with a raft of logs. the steamer war eagle, capt. smith harris, towed through the two lakes, st. croix and pepin, a fleet containing ten acres of logs. during the winter of - , i was engaged in logging. it was difficult to get supplies to the pineries before the swamps were frozen over. this season my goods were taken by batteaus from stillwater to clam lake. amusements.--society ball in stillwater. a writer in the stillwater _lumberman_, april , , gives a sketchy account of an old time ball, from which we select a few items: anson northrup kept what we called a first class hotel. if a man had blankets he could spread them upon the floor and sleep till the bell rang. if he had none he spread himself on the floor and paid for his lodging by tending stove and keeping the dogs from fighting. it was one of the aristocratic rules of the house that a man who slept in blankets was not to be disturbed by dogs. at one time our popular landlord got up a ball. he sent round a copper colored card,--a half-breed indian boy,--to tell all the folks to come. everybody was invited. at the appointed hour they began to assemble. soon all in town arrived except one smith. frequent inquiries were made for smith, and at last a deputation was sent to inquire the cause of his absence; when it transpired that he had broken his leg. he said he was helping the landlord roll a barrel of whisky from the landing when the barrel slipped, and, rolling back on his leg, broke it. northrup said that he had bet him one gallon of whisky that he could not lift the barrel to his lips and drink from the bung. in attempting to do this the barrel had slipped from his grasp with the result before mentioned. the wife regretted the accident very much, and said that if it had not been for that barrel of whisky, or some other whisky, they might have both attended the dance. she could have put out the fire, locked up the house, tied up the dog and taken her nine days' old baby with her. "there would be younger babies at the dance," she said. everything was ready. the ball opened with three "french fours," or two over. they danced a french two, the music consisting of one old violin with three strings, played by a half-breed from st. croix falls. he played but one tune and called it, "off she goes to miramachee." this carried a "french four" well enough, but when we danced a cotillion or hornpipe there was a great deal of rolling around instead of dancing. we often called for a new tune. "oh, yes, gentlemen, you shall have him," but when we got him it was the same old "off she goes." he worked hard to please the company and the sweat rolled down his manly cheeks like the droppings from the eaves of a saw mill; but all this would not do; it was the same old "off she goes." there were twenty-four couples at the ball. the ladies brought with them their babies, fourteen in number, and ranging from six weeks to six months old. the night passed merrily, uproariously, but without tragic incident. the fiddler became at last so tipsy that he could no longer play "off she goes to miramachee," and staggered off to that locality himself. the only thing direful occurred at the breaking up, about five o'clock in the morning. the fourteen babies had been laid to sleep on a bed, but some malevolent genius during the dance mixed them up and changed their wraps, so that the mothers, in the hurry of their departure, gathered and took home with them each one some other mother's darling, and this deponent saith not that the snarl has ever been untangled and the babies restored to their rightful mothers. with the year a new era dawned upon stillwater and the valley of the st. croix. great changes had taken place in the little town. there were many new citizens, new buildings had been erected and the streets were much improved. slabs had been placed over the quagmires on main street. a stage route had been established to st. paul, on which stages ran regularly. this was the first stage route in minnesota. the correction lines of the government survey had been run in - , chiefly in the latter year. township, range and section lines were run in , and in the early part of . prior to this claims had been made and were held subject to the limitations of the first legal survey. the creation of the new state of wisconsin and the prospective organization of minnesota territory, the development of the lumbering business and the formal opening of the government lands to entry, gave an impetus to immigration. stillwater profited largely by this immigration, it being an objective point. population increased. the village was regularly surveyed and platted in the fall of , harvey wilson, surveyor. stillwater, although it never aspired to be the future capital of the territory, became a headquarters for political characters and a place for public meetings for the discussions of territorial and other public questions. it was convenient of access, and contained up to that time a greater population than was to be found in st. paul, and it seemed likely to become the commercial metropolis of the territory. footnotes: [a] for the facts in this history i am indebted to john mckusick, jacob fisher, elias mckean, and elam greely. chapter iii. biographies. joseph renshaw brown, one of the best known of the pioneers, came to dakotah, schulenberg's addition, in . for items in his history i am personally indebted to him. he was born in , and, when old enough, apprenticed to a printer. on account of ill treatment he ran away and enlisted in the united states army at the age of fourteen years, serving as a drummer boy. he came with the army to the northwest territory in . after enlistment he made his first home at gray cloud on the mississippi, where he married a half-breed woman. wisconsin history says she was the daughter of robert dickson, indian trader and friend of the english in . he learned and spoke the chippewa and sioux languages fluently. in he founded the town of dakotah, at the head of lake st. croix, and erected some log buildings. through his influence, in part, st. croix county was organized, and the county seat located in dakotah. he built here a two story log court house, which, the county failing to pay for, was left upon his hands. he kept a trading station, was clerk of the county court and county commissioner. he filled several offices of trust and was by far the most important and universally serviceable man in the new county of st. croix. in he left dakotah, and returning to gray cloud, continued his indian trade at that point and further west by means of branch houses. he was a member of the territorial wisconsin legislature two sessions at madison. he returned to stillwater in , left again in , and in removed to st. paul, where, in , he purchased of mr. goodhue the _pioneer_, then the leading democratic paper of the territory. mr. brown was chief clerk in the minnesota territorial legislature during the sessions of , and . in and he was a member of the territorial council. in he was a member of the democratic wing of the constitutional convention. during his residence in st. paul he was interested in building up the town of henderson, to which place he ran a stage line from st. paul. about this time, also, he busied himself with the invention of a steam wagon, calculated to traverse the western plains and drag after it trains of cars. financial and other difficulties prevented the completion of his design, which, however, he never entirely abandoned during the remainder of his life. in fact he went east in expressly to get his invention perfected, but from this journey he never returned. he died somewhat suddenly in new york in that year. mr. brown was a man of iron will and muscular frame. he owed but little to schools, but was a close observer of men and of the times in which he lived. he was a genial companion and true friend, and a man of honorable principles. his was a rugged but generous nature. he was public spirited, far seeing and far reaching in his plans. he believed in the great northwest. he predicted its future greatness as a wheat growing and agricultural country, and, as far back as , predicted that a great city would rise at the head of lake st. croix or at the falls of st. anthony. yet so little schooled was he in the wisdom of the speculator that he sold the property in st. paul now known as kittson's addition, and worth several millions of dollars, for one hundred and fifty dollars, and a lot on third street, now valued at $ , , for a box of cigars. paul carli.--mr. carli was of german and italian descent. he was born in italy, july , . his father was a merchant. he was married in chicago, in , to a sister of joseph r. brown, and moved in to the outlet of bolles creek, on the west side of lake st. croix, to a place near the site of afton. in he was accidentally drowned in the lake, within sight of his dwelling. his children, joseph r. and maria, are residents of stillwater. christopher carli, brother of paul, was born at frankfort-on-the-main, germany, dec. , . the youth of christopher was devoted to study. he was educated at heidelberg university, and studied medicine. he came to america in february, . the march following he located in buffalo, where he practiced medicine three years, and returned to europe where he remained two years. returning to america, he practiced a year in chicago, a year in new orleans and another year in chicago. he came to dakotah, st. croix valley, may , . march , , he was married to the widow of paul carli, joseph r. brown officiating as magistrate. he was the first practicing physician north of prairie du chien. his home was at dakotah until the organization of stillwater. he opened his first office on the west side of lower main street, block . his practice extended from lake pepin to lake superior and from menomonie mills, wisconsin, to the mississippi river. his mode of travel was by birch canoe, on horseback, on skates and on foot. he was a member of the first city council in stillwater and has been city and county physician. he opened the first bank in stillwater when fractional currency was in demand. his floating scrip was all redeemed. two children, christopher and socrates n., are married and residents of stillwater. dr. carli died nov. , . lydia ann carli.--mrs. carli has passed through many stirring scenes, and is one of the first female settlers in the st. croix valley. a fluent and interesting talker, her recitals of early incidents and adventures are heart enlivening. lydia ann brown was born in lancaster, penn., march , . in she came with friends to chicago, where in she was married to paul carli. she came to dakotah in , and lived there until . the village was surrounded by indians and there was no white woman nearer than marine, twelve miles distant. in the carlis removed to the mouth of bolles creek, near afton, on lake st. croix, where they built themselves a two story house commanding a picturesque view of the lake and the adjacent prairies and hills. it was a lone tenement, midway between prescott and stillwater. mrs. carli having lost her husband as before narrated, in was married to his brother, dr. christopher carli. [illustration: james s. anderson] phineas lawrence.--but little is known of the early life of mr. lawrence. he had been a river pilot. he was the first sheriff elected in the st. croix valley, or northwest of prairie du chien. he was elected and qualified in . on serving the first and only summons he was ever called upon to serve, he approached the party summoned, holding up to view the documents, and exclaimed: "i, phineas lawrence, high sheriff of st. croix county, in the name of the united states and of the immaculate god, command you to surrender." he was a robust, fleshy, cheerful man, and felt in all their force the responsibilities of the position in which he was placed. his name has been given to a creek in chisago county, where he once logged. he died in stillwater in . jacob fisher.--jacob fisher, a millwright, came to st. croix falls in , and being a skilled mechanic found employment at once on the old mill at the falls. he made the first land claim and framed the first building in stillwater. the building framed was the mill of which mention has been made. this establishes his claim to priority as the first white man who made a movement toward the settlement of stillwater. others were before him in the settlement of dakotah or schulenberg's addition. mr. fisher is a plain, frank, outspoken man, who has no trouble in making his hearers understand exactly what he means. he was born in canada in , and still resides in stillwater. he has a wife and one son in california. james s. anderson was born at marshalltown, west virginia, on the fourth of february, . when he was twelve years old his parents removed with him to burlington, iowa, where he lived for eight years. he came to stillwater in , where he has since resided. in he was married to miss harriet t. mcdonald, at st. louis, by whom he has had four children, three of whom are now living--robert m. anderson, prominently known in lumber circles, and misses sibella s. and ella p. anderson. upon mr. anderson's arrival at stillwater, he engaged in the employ of elias mckean, then a prominent lumberman, now a resident of washington county. in mr. anderson formed a partnership with william mckusick, john a. nelson and alexander johnson, under the firm name of mckusick, anderson & co., which firm built and operated the large saw mill opposite stillwater. four years ago mr. mckusick retired from the firm, since which time the firm has been j. s. anderson & co. in mr. anderson became the senior member of a heavy logging firm known as anderson & o'brien, of which the other members were the well known lumbermen j. s. and john o'brien. in connection with his other business interests mr. anderson was a heavy owner of pine lands, and a stockholder and director in the lumberman's national bank. there were two other well known lumber firms of ancient date with which he was connected, and these were mccomb, simpson & co., organized in , and also delano, mckusick & co., organized in . from to he was also a heavy logger alone. mr. anderson died may , . his death resulted from a mill accident, his rubber coat having caught in the belting of a shaft revolving at a rapid rate. his body was frightfully mangled, but he survived two days, exhibiting, under the circumstances, the most remarkable composure, dictating his will and arranging his business matters as calmly as he might have done on an ordinary occasion. emanuel dixon farmer was born in tennessee in , and came to stillwater in , where he has resided ever since, engaged in the lumbering and saloon business. he was married to parmelia a. collier, in stillwater, . col. john greely.--col. greely was sixty years of age when he came to the west, and although a strong, active and enterprising man in the earlier part of his life, owing to advancing years and ill health was rather a spectator than an active participant in the stirring scenes of his new home. he was born at southampton, massachusetts, april, . he was married to hannah greely, a second cousin, at hopkinton, new hampshire, oct. , . he followed the lumbering business on the merrimac river in early life. he furnished the timber used in erecting the first factory in lowell, massachusetts, cut on the mountains of north new hampshire. in after life he moved to the west end of sebec lake, maine, where he founded the town at first named greely, but afterward willimantic, now the site of extensive manufactories where the famous willimantic thread is made. col. greely came to stillwater in . born during the revolutionary struggle, he lived to witness the marvelous growth and prosperity of his country and died during the first year of the war of the rebellion. aged as he was, having entered upon his eighty-fifth year, he was intensely interested in the issue of that struggle, and ardently desired to live long enough to witness the triumph of his country's cause. it was not to be. he sank peacefully to rest, oct. , , dying as he had lived, an honest man, his memory revered by all who knew him, and cherished by three generations of descendants. his children were three sons and five daughters--sarah, mrs. blake, mrs. greenleaf, and phebe and servia, wives of john mckusick. miss sarah alone survives. mrs. hannah greely.--mrs. greely, the wife of col. john greely, was born in hopkinton, new hampshire, october, , came to stillwater in and died may, , at the advanced age of ninety years. for sixty years she and her husband walked side by side. she survived him seventeen years, and, after a life well spent, resignedly folded her hands and sank to her last repose. elam greely.--elam, son of col. john greely, was born in salisbury, new hampshire, aug. , , and, with his parents, moved to maine, where they made their home on sebec lake. in mr. greely came to st. croix falls, where he was employed by the st. croix falls company the greater part of the time until , when he became a settler at the head of lake st. croix. he was one of the original owners of the first mill at stillwater. in he sold his interest to john mckusick. the same year he was appointed postmaster at stillwater. the office was located at the southwest corner of main and chestnut streets. mr. greely filled many offices of honor and trust meritoriously. he was a member of the third and fourth minnesota territorial councils. in , in company with edward blake, he did an extensive pine log business, running the logs to st. louis, in which business he continued until the death of mr. blake in . mr. greely early identified himself with the interests of stillwater, of which he was one of the founders, and which owes much of its prosperity to his efforts. he was married in kenosha, wisconsin, in , to hannah p. hinman, who, with three children, a son and two daughters, survives him. his oldest son died oct. , . mr. greely had many severe reverses in business, but by indomitable energy recovered from them, and was able not only to care for his aged parents, to bring them from maine and keep them with him until separated by death, but to leave his family well provided for. he died suddenly away from home, sept. , . his body was brought to stillwater for burial. himan greely.--himan, son of col. john greely, was born in franklin, new hampshire, october, . he came to stillwater in , where he followed the business of lumbering. in he was married to lucia darling. after a brief residence in stillwater, he removed to beauford, blue earth county, where he remained until his death in . his wife survived him but a few months. the bodies of both were removed and buried in fairview cemetery, stillwater. mr. greely applied himself closely to business, and was an honest, upright and intelligent man. his education was derived chiefly from reading and observation. he left two sons. aquilla greely.--aquilla, the youngest son of col. greely, was born in greely, maine, june, . during his youth he spent several years with friends in canada, where he learned the art of surveying. he came to minnesota in , and followed surveying and lumbering. he died in stillwater, april , . elias mckean.--a thorough business man, an eccentric man, notably so, an apt man, ready in reply, somewhat harsh, if irritated, but kind in heart and forgiving in spirit, is elias mckean. he was born in bradford county, pennsylvania, june , , and received a practical education. his father was a man of some note, and for twenty-eight years a circuit judge in pennsylvania. elias mckean came to st. croix falls in , and for a year was in the employ of the falls company, but afterward engaged successfully in business for himself. he was one of the original proprietors of the stillwater mill, and one of the founders of stillwater. in he settled on a farm on the west side of lake st. croix. in he was married to the widow of calvin f. leach, and a family of six sons has grown up around them. calvin f. leach.--we are not able to give date or place of birth. mr. leach came to st. croix falls in and soon after came to the head of lake st. croix, and became one of the original owners of the mill, and a founder of the city of stillwater. in he was married to miss ---- smith, of st. anthony. he died in st. louis in . he was modest and retiring in his demeanor, correct in his deportment and respected by all his acquaintances. socrates nelson.--mr. nelson was born in conway, massachusetts, jan. , , received an academic education, was married to mrs. bertha d. bartlett in , at hennepin, ill., and the same year came to stillwater, and engaged in selling goods. previous to his removal to stillwater he engaged in merchandising in illinois, in , and in st. louis from to , where he established a trading post on the mississippi nearly opposite reed's landing, at a place since known as nelson's landing. mr. nelson was the first merchant in stillwater. his store stood on main street. he built a substantial dwelling and lived in it until his death, may , . he filled many public positions, was territorial auditor from to , and was a senator in the second state legislature. as a merchant he was very successful, being fitted by nature for commercial pursuits. in , he, with others, built a saw mill in south stillwater and engaged in lumbering. he was of a free and generous disposition in all his relations of life. he conveyed, as a donation to washington county, a half interest in the block of land on which the court house stands. his liberality and public spirit did much for the prosperity of stillwater. his wife and one daughter, mrs. fayette marsh, survived him, but mrs. marsh died in . she was a woman of great sweetness of disposition, and beloved by all who knew her. his widow died in . mrs. socrates nelson.--bertha d. was born at conway, franklin county, massachusetts, sept. , . she was married to geo. a. bartlett, of conway, in , and removed with him to knoxville, illinois, where he died. she returned to her parents in massachusetts, and removed with them to hennepin, illinois. in the fall of she was married to socrates nelson, and came with him to stillwater. she died oct. , . she was the last of her family, husband and daughter having preceded her to the world of spirits. the large attendance of old settlers from washington county and elsewhere at her funeral, and the beautiful floral tributes contributed by her friends, attested but partially the respect and veneration in which she was held. edward blake.--of mr. blake's early history we have no data. he came to the st. croix valley in company with elam greely in , engaged in lumbering, and died in . walter r. vail.--mr. vail, the second merchant in stillwater, came west in . he built a store, with dwelling attached, just south of socrates nelson's store, which buildings are still standing and occupied ( ). mr. vail was not successful in business and moved away in . [illustration: martin mower. a practical and successful lumberman of stillwater.] john e. mower.--mr. mower was born in bangor, maine, sept. , . he was married to gratia remick, in keokuk, iowa, in , and removed to st. croix falls, where he entered the employ of the falls lumbering company. two years later he removed to stillwater, where he built the second frame dwelling, still standing. mr. mower was a millwright and carpenter, but was engaged in lumbering most of his time. he purchased an interest in the mill property at arcola, in , which place he made his home until his death, which occurred june , . he left a widow and three daughters, helen, wife of the late louis torinus; emily, wife of henry van voorhees; and mary, wife of ---- richardson. one son died after arriving at manhood. mr. mower was a pleasant, reliable man, a kind husband and loving father. he was honored by his fellow citizens with an election to the fifth and sixth territorial councils, and to the seventeenth state legislature (house). the territorial legislature affixed his name to a county. martin mower.--martin, brother of john e. mower, came to st. croix falls in , and worked in the employ of the falls company. afterward he engaged in lumbering and became one of the original proprietors of the arcola mill. he was also engaged in manufacturing and merchandising in stillwater. he built a fine block of buildings on chestnut street, recently burned down and rebuilt on a larger scale. he has been one of the managing owners of the st. croix boom company from its origin. his business interests have been divided between stillwater and arcola, but he has made the latter place his home since . as a business man he is capable and shrewd, giving close attention to his business; in his manner somewhat eccentric. he has done in much to improve the farming and other interests of the country. william willim.--a firm, consistent, worthy citizen and true friend of his adopted country is william willim. he was born in the parish of woolhope, herefordshire, england, june , ; came to america in , and to stillwater in . he was married in to clara g. haskell, and, after her death in , to joanna w. hinman. mr. willim is a stonemason, plasterer and contractor. he was a member of the sixth minnesota territorial legislature, and has filled many responsible positions in stillwater. mr. willim's was the first naturalization that occurred in the limits of minnesota. the oath of allegiance, a somewhat unique and original document of its kind, bears date of june , , stillwater, st. croix county, wisconsin territory, and is signed by joseph r. brown. albert harris.--mr. harris was a native of maine. he was born in and married to miss greenleaf in , who died in . he came to stillwater in , where he died in , leaving one daughter, wife of the late levi thompson, attorney at law in stillwater, and one son in california. mr. harris was a house carpenter and much respected by his neighbors. cornelius lyman.--mr. lyman is of the seventh generation of the lyman family that came over from england in . he was born in brookfield, vermont, aug. , . he was married in brookfield to betsey cushman and came to illinois at an early date, whence he removed to marine mills, in , where he kept a boarding house until , when he removed to stillwater, where he kept a boarding house until . he then removed to his farm three miles above stillwater, where, by industry and economy, aided by his faithful wife, he was able to build a comfortable home, in which they continued to live until at a good old age they were removed by death, which claimed them in the same year, the husband dying january, , and the wife in april. they were members of the presbyterian church from early life, and respected as citizens, honored as christians. mrs. lyman was one of the excellent of the earth. mr. lyman had an inexhaustible fund of humor, and was rather fond of practical joking. many of his jokes were of the rarest description. they left two sons, cornelius storrs and david pride. david b. loomis.--few men have been more active in business and public life than david b. loomis. he was born in wilmington, connecticut, april , . in he came with his parents to alton, illinois, where, at the age of fifteen, he engaged as clerk in a store and served in that capacity five years. mr. loomis was in the building in alton in which lovejoy was shot and killed for the expression of sentiments which the nation has since been compelled to adopt. in he came to the st. croix valley and engaged in lumbering. in he was one of the four original owners of the arcola mill, but in sold his interest to mr. mower, and for four succeeding years was in charge of the st. croix boom. in he was surveyor general of logs and lumber. in he was a member of the minnesota territorial council, and was re-elected in , serving in all four years, during one of which he was president of the council. in he was one of a company that built a mill in south stillwater. he sold out in . in he entered the army as lieutenant, company f, second minnesota volunteers, and was promoted to a captaincy. he served three and a half years. stillwater has been his home since the war. in he represented washington county in the legislature. william e. cove.--the year of mr. cove's birth is not known. he came to stillwater in . his marriage to nancy edwards, elsewhere noted, was the second marriage in the village. he was by trade a house carpenter. he removed to minneapolis in . john smith.--of the eight first families, that of john smith was one. of this particular "john smith" little is known, except that he was sober and industrious, and, in , moved to parts unknown. john morgan.--we have no account of the early days of mr. morgan, except that he was a native of pennsylvania. he was living in stillwater in , in the employ of churchill & nelson. in he was elected sheriff of st. croix county, wisconsin. in the same year he was married to hannah harnish. he settled on a farm and kept a "half way house" on the road from stillwater to st. paul, when the pioneer stages of willoughby & power were placed on this route. in he obtained a charter from the wisconsin legislature for a ferry across lake st. croix at stillwater. this ferry changed ownership repeatedly and was discontinued when the bridge was built. anson northrup.--this gentleman, whose name was borne by the first steamboat ever launched on the red river of the north, and who brought the first drove of cattle through from illinois to st. croix falls, deserves a conspicuous place in the annals of the northwest. he was born in conewango, cataraugus county, new york, jan. , . his education was limited, but he was a man of more than ordinary native ability and energy. he lived in ohio some years, and came west in . in he drove the first herd of cattle through a wilderness country from the wisconsin river to the st. croix. in he removed his family from ohio to st. croix falls. he came by way of st. louis, from that point embarking on the steamer indian queen for the falls. the steamer was three weeks making the trip. above prairie du chien crew and passengers were obliged to cut wood to run the boat. mr. northrup had married betsey edwards, daughter of widow edwards, one of the pioneers of stillwater. charles h., their eldest son, was the first white child born at st. croix falls. in the spring of he moved to stillwater, where he built and kept the first hotel in that place. from to he was part owner of the osceola saw mill along with mahony and kent. in he removed to st. paul, and built the american hotel on third street, east from seven corners. in he removed to st. anthony falls and built there the st. charles hotel. in he removed to minneapolis, and built the bushnell house, the first brick building in the city. subsequently he became a resident at long prairie, swan river and duluth. although mr. northrup's genius tended chiefly in the direction of hotel building, his abilites in other directions were beyond question. with equal facility he turned his hand to lumbering, steamboating and statesmanship. his great steamboat enterprise was the attempted transfer of the steamer north star by water from the mississippi to the red river of the north. the boat was one hundred feet long by twenty wide, and of light draught. starting from st. cloud in the spring of he performed the wonderful feat of ascending the mississippi as far as pokegama falls, hoping to ascend further, and during a high stage of water to float the boat over the height of land into some of the tributaries of the red river. the water was not sufficiently high. the winter following he took the boat to pieces, and removed it by land to red river, opposite the mouth of the cheyenne, where it was reconstructed and launched, taken to fort garry and afterward sold to mr. burbank. this boat, its name being changed to anson northrup, was the first steamboat on the waters of red river. mr. northrup's political career commenced and closed with the first minnesota legislature, - , he representing the counties of morrison, crow wing and mille lacs in the senate. during the rebellion he served as wagon master. he lived in texas three years, returned to st. paul, where he lived in - - , and now lives in bismarck, dakota. robert kennedy.--mr. kennedy, in , located at holmes' landing, now fountain city, on the banks of the mississippi, above winona. in he removed to dakotah, where he kept a hotel in the old tamarack court house, built by joseph r. brown. in he kept a hotel in the northrup house, stillwater; in he kept the american hotel, shakopee. subsequently he returned to st. paul and kept a boarding house, and for three years the hotel known as "moffett's castle." afterward he kept the snelling house, and last the bernard house. from to he was collector of customs for the port of st. paul, and during that time the fees amounted to the enormous sum of forty six dollars and forty-two cents. mr. kennedy spent about thirty years as a landlord, in which capacity he was very popular. harvey wilson.--mr. wilson was born in corinth, saratoga county, new york, december, . he resided in his native county twenty-five years, then removed to st. louis, where, for three years, he engaged in surveying. he came to st. croix falls in and to stillwater in . he acted as j. r. brown's deputy clerk of court, june term, . he was appointed clerk of the first minnesota territorial term of court, aug. , , in which office he continued until his death, nov. , . mr. wilson was married in to widow mary stanchfield. andrew jackson short.--mr. short was born in st. clair county, illinois, in . he came thence to the st. croix valley and located at marine in , and commenced running rafts with w. b. dibble. in and he gathered logs as agent in lake st. croix, rafted and run them below, but lost heavily and was in fact financially wrecked. he afterward engaged in the logging and hardware business in stillwater. in he built the famous dudley mills at point douglas, at a cost of $ , . mr. short made stillwater his home until , when he removed to hastings. much credit is due him for what he has accomplished. when he came to the st. croix valley he could neither read nor write, but by energy, industry and native force of character, notwithstanding a few reverses, he has done far more than many other men in his position could have done. as a man he is genial and social. james d. mccomb.--mr. mccomb was born in washington county, pennsylvania, feb. , , came to stillwater june , , and engaged in mercantile business with john h. brewster three years, when he entered the firm of anderson, mccomb & co., robert simpson being the third member. they did an extensive business for years. they built the large stone store on the corner of main and myrtle streets. mr. mccomb in became clerk in the surveyor general's office, which position he held ten years. he was surveyor general of logs and lumber four years, his accurate knowledge of the various marks used admirably fitting him for the position. he served as deputy sheriff in under james fisher, of prairie du chien, and in under w. h. c. folsom, of stillwater. mr. mccomb has passed all the degrees in odd fellowship. he was married to eliza t. mckusick in stillwater, march , . mrs. mccomb died in stillwater sept. , . william rutherford.--mr. rutherford was born in , in stanton county, new york, and came to stillwater in . he married christina j. holcombe, at jackson, mississippi, in . in he removed to his farm near stillwater, where he has since lived. he has been quite successful as a farmer. mr. rutherford died march , . his name will be remembered with honor. albion masterson.--mr. masterman has also prospered as a farmer. he was born in franklin county, maine, in ; received a common school education; was married to eliza middleton in ; came to stillwater in , and in removed thence to his farm, where he died, aug. , . mr. masterman's life has been an industrious and exemplary one. joseph n. masterman.--mr. masterman came to stillwater, september, . he engaged in lumbering and scaling continuously. he was born in franklin county, maine, in , and spent his youth at home, but his education was somewhat limited. at the age of sixteen years he moved to schoodic, lived there fourteen years, when he married alice m. prescott, and four years later came to stillwater. his two sons, wellington and joseph p., reside in stillwater. wellington is auditor of washington county. mahlon black.--mr. black is of scotch descent. his grandfather was a naval officer during the war of the revolution, and a soldier in the war of . mahlon black was born in hamilton county, ohio, oct. , . he spent his youth on his father's farm, and received a common school and academic education. when seventeen years of age he began the study of medicine in cincinnati medical college, but did not complete the course. in he came to menomonie mills, wisconsin, and engaged in lumbering until . in he was connected with government surveys, and the same year located in stillwater. he was a representative in the first, third, and last territorial legislature, also a member of the extra session in . he was mayor of stillwater in - . in he enlisted in a company of sharpshooters, which was assigned to the army of the potomac. he was promoted to be captain, and provost marshal in the second division of the second army corps, and one of gen. gibbon's staff officers. he was in fifty-four battles and skirmishes, in some of which over , men were engaged on each side. he was wounded four times, once severely, by a bayonet thrust received in a charge at the battle of petersburgh. he served until the close of the war, and received a special and honorable discharge from his commander, gen. smyth, on the face of which are recorded the names of the battles in which he participated. in he removed from stillwater to minneapolis, where he has held the positions of land examiner and auditor of hennepin county. he has the distinction of being the first odd fellow initiated in minnesota. sept. , , he was married to jane m. stough, of pennsylvania. morton s. wilkinson.--the record of mr. wilkinson, though brief, is brilliant. he was born in skaneateles, onondaga county, new york, june , ; received an academic education in his native town; read law; was admitted to the bar at syracuse, new york, in ; commenced practice in eaton rapids, michigan, and in came to stillwater. mr. wilkinson was the first practicing lawyer northwest of prairie du chien, was the prosecuting attorney at judge dunn's court in stillwater, june, , and was a member from washington county of the first territorial legislature in . he removed to st. paul in , to mankato in , and in was elected united states senator. in he was one of the commissioners to compile the state statutes. in he was elected representative to congress and at the close of the term was re-elected. from to , inclusive, he served as state senator from blue earth county. mr. wilkinson is an eloquent and forcible speaker, and a man of unusual ability, a sound and logical reasoner, and withal fluent. he has been twice married. his first wife was a daughter of rev. lemuel nobles, of michigan. mrs. wilkinson died in michigan. he married a second wife before coming west. they reside in wells, minnesota. william stanchfield.--mr. stanchfield was a native of maine, born in the year , was married to mary jackins, in bangor, maine, in , and came to stillwater in , where he engaged in keeping a hotel on main street, which was burned while he was in charge. mr. stanchfield died in , leaving a widow who subsequently married harvey wilson, and an infant daughter, who became, years after, the wife of george davis. thomas ramsdell.--mr. ramsdell was born at falmouth, england, dec. , . he married in england and came to this country with his wife in . he settled in stillwater in , and removed to his farm in , where he has been successful in raising apples and smaller fruits. his wife died in . his second wife was jane willey. mr. ramsdell has been a quiet, good citizen, reliable and trustworthy. charles macy.--an orphan at thirteen years of age, mr. macy's early life was full of changes, adventures and vicissitudes. he was born in canada east in . he lived a somewhat wandering life until , when he came to fort snelling, and shortly after to stillwater, where, in , he made a claim which became his permanent home. he was married in . jonathan e. mckusick.--there was no more genial, pleasant, off-hand man than jonathan e. mckusick. he was the life of public gatherings. his remarks, full of wit and sentiment, would keep his audience in a pleasant frame of mind. at old settlers' meetings his fund of anecdotes, historical incidents and reminiscences were in the highest degree interesting and entertaining. mr. mckusick was born in cornish, maine, in ; was married to minerva king in , and came up the mississippi on the ice, in december, , to stillwater, which he made his home until his death, which occurred aug. , . he took an active interest in the welfare of the city and held many offices of trust. he served his country during the war of the rebellion, and in was appointed quartermaster with the rank of captain, which position he held until mustered out at the close of the war. john mckusick.--prominent amongst the pioneers of the st. croix valley, and deserving of special mention for his enterprise and public spirit, is the subject of this sketch. he was born in cornish, maine, in ; received a common school education; came to illinois in , and to st. croix falls in , where he engaged in the lumbering business, getting logs to the falls mill, and sawing them. through industry and economy he saved enough to enable him to become part owner and builder of the first mill in stillwater. he has held many positions of trust. he served as state senator in - - and . he was active in aiding to secure the land grant to build railroads into stillwater, in the welfare of which city he has ever manifested the deepest interest. he has been one of the largest proprietors, and most liberal in improving and adorning the city, has encouraged a sound system of finances, and has steadily opposed the bonding system. mr. mckusick was married to phebe greely in , who soon afterward died. he married his second wife, servia greely, in november, . he has three children living, newton, chester and ella. mrs. mckusick died feb. , . [illustration: john mckusick] william mckusick, a younger brother of jonathan e. and john mckusick, came to stillwater in , and engaged in lumbering. he was a member of the fifth territorial house, and a senator in the second, sixteenth and seventeenth state legislatures. in , with the firm of mckusick, anderson & co., he built the large saw mill at houlton, opposite stillwater. in he made his home upon a farm at big stone lake. noah mckusick, another brother, came to stillwater in , followed lumbering some years, removed to oregon, and died there in . royal mckusick came to the valley in , and died a few years later, leaving a large and respectable family. ivory e. mckusick.--ivory e., brother of john and j. e. mckusick, was born in maine, july , . in he came to stillwater, with which city he has since been permanently identified. he spent two years working in the old mill, the first built at stillwater, and then engaged in lumbering until . in he was appointed prison guard, and served two years. in he was in the service of the government, and helped build fort wadsworth, dakota. he served as surveyor general several years, and later has engaged in the forwarding and commission business. he was married to sophia a. jewell, feb. , . he is a man of probity and merit. charles e. leonard.--the subject of this sketch was born feb. , , at worthington, massachusetts. his father died when he was four years old. in his early life he experienced some vicissitudes. he tried farming and hotel keeping, but owing to poor health was obliged to give up these employments. he started west in , remained awhile in hancock county, illinois, and in came to stillwater, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits. he removed to st. anthony in , to st. paul in , to point douglas in , to sioux city in , and to princeton, mille lacs county, in . mr. leonard has held several official positions. in he was appointed territorial treasurer, and in , serving four years; was a member of the democratic wing of the constitutional convention. he did some military service during the indian outbreak in . he was married to catherine yendes, of rodman, new york, january, . daniel mclean.--mr. mclean was born in the north of ireland in and came to america in his youth with his brothers. he lived successively in philadelphia, indianapolis and st. louis, whence he embarked for st. croix falls in , in the employ of the falls manufacturing company. he came to stillwater in . through industry and economy he accumulated a handsome fortune, which, at his death, he left to his heirs in stillwater. he was an upright christian man. he died in stillwater in . robert simpson.--mr. simpson was born in sussex, england, in . he married mary ann shelley in and came the same year to the united states. after spending two years in new york and other places, he came to st. croix falls in , where he followed lumbering until , when he came to stillwater. he belonged to the firm of simpson, anderson & mccomb, lumbering and merchandising, and engaged in other branches of business. he was a member from stillwater of the first state legislature. he is a quiet, unobtrusive gentleman, greatly esteemed by those who know him. mrs. simpson and an only child died in stillwater in . william h. hooper.--this gentleman attained considerable notoriety in later life as an influential mormon and a delegate to congress from utah from to . he was a man of unquestioned ability and an eloquent speaker. his plea for "religious liberty," made against the cullom bill, is said to have been one of the most eloquent speeches ever delivered in congress. mr. hooper was born in warwick manor, maryland, dec. , . in he moved to galena and engaged in mercantile business. in the panic of mr. hooper and his partner failed to the amount of $ , , but, after years of struggling, the debt was entirely paid. in mr. hooper engaged in steamboating as clerk on the steamer otter, on the upper mississippi and its tributaries, and was well known at stillwater. his boat in landed the mill irons for mckusick & co.'s mill. in he built the steamer lynx and several other boats, the last being known as the alex. hamilton, of which he was part owner. this was burned at st. louis in , which left him again penniless. in he emigrated to salt lake and there in his business enterprises greatly prospered. although he espoused mormonism and became one of its leaders, he was opposed to polygamy. he died in salt lake city. james h. spencer.--james h. spencer came to stillwater in , a boy of sixteen. his educational privileges had been limited, but he was ambitious and studious, and by his own unaided exertions acquired a practical business education. he followed lumbering and exploring, and was employed as state timber agent for fifteen years. he was born in boone county, missouri, in , and was married to rose m. winters, in stillwater, in . john t. blackburn.--the brothers blackburn were born in cincinnati, ohio, john, the elder, in . he came to stillwater in , and has since been actively engaged in lumbering. his home has been at stillwater, marine, taylor's falls, and shell lake, where he now resides. joseph t. blackburn.--joseph, the younger brother, was born in , and in came to stillwater. he has followed lumbering and indian trading. he has made his home at stillwater, at taylor's falls, and, since , on totogatic river, in douglas county, wisconsin, ten miles from gordon. mr. blackburn enjoys wilderness life, is eccentric in manner, and attends strictly to his own business. horace k. mckinstry.--we have no data of mr. mckinstry's early life. he came to stillwater in . his family consisted of his wife, three daughters, and son, john, who afterward married the eldest daughter of anson northrup. mr. mckinstry was a justice of the peace in and , and was engaged in mercantile business the two succeeding years. he removed to maiden rock, wisconsin, a year or two after and died there march , . seth m. sawyer.--mr. sawyer was born in skowhegan, maine, in . he came to stillwater in , followed lumbering, and afterward engaged in building a saw mill in the firm name of sawyer & heaton. in he was married to eliza mckinstry. mr. sawyer left minnesota in for an extended sojourn in the southern states, and engaged in business there, but nothing is known positively of his present whereabouts. henry sawyer.--henry, the younger brother of seth, came from skowhegan to stillwater in , and engaged in mercantile pursuits for two years in partnership with horace mckinstry. in he built the first stone block in stillwater, on lot , block . in he built the sawyer house, a four story hotel. mr. sawyer married lucy noyes. he died in stillwater, dec. , , and his remains were buried in the kah-ba-kong cemetery, at taylor's falls. alvah d. heaton.--mr. heaton was the partner of seth sawyer in building the second saw mill in stillwater. he came to st. croix in and worked at the osceola mills some time. he was a partner in logging with o. h. blair and afterward with wm. kent. he was a brother-in-law to hon. cyrus aldrich, representative in congress from minnesota. in after years he removed to idaho. john mckinzie.--mr. mckinzie was born at inverness, scotland, in , and came to america in . he located in stillwater in , and followed lumbering until , when he removed to a farm in the lyman settlement. he married rose carlton in and removed to miles city, montana, in . george mckinzie, a younger brother of john, came to stillwater in , and engaged in lumbering and exploring. in he was adjudged insane and sent to the st. peter's hospital, from which he was soon released. he afterward visited california, where he was drowned in san francisco bay. he was unmarried. henry kattenberg.--mr. kattenberg was born in prussia in , and married to arnebia c. silova, at kemper, on the banks of the rhine, in . he came to america in june, , and to stillwater in . mr. kattenberg opened a shop and engaged in the tailoring business. by industry and close application to business, he prospered and secured a pleasant home. by liberality and kindness in extending credits, and an unfortunate venture in lumbering, he lost $ , , which effectually closed his business operations. with characteristic honesty, he turned over to his creditors his homestead and all he had to meet his liabilities. in he removed to taylor's falls and commenced keeping hotel at the falls house, on bench street. in october, , he purchased the dalles house of mrs. c. b. whiting. julius f. brunswick.--mr. brunswick was born in switzerland in ; came to this country in , remained a year in illinois, and came to stillwater in , where he engaged in lumbering, farming, merchandising, and dealing in pine lands. mr. brunswick applied himself closely to business and was successful. feb. , , he married margaret darms, of stillwater. he died at his home in stillwater in , leaving a widow and seven children. henry mclean.--mr. mclean was born in washington county, maine, in , and in came to stillwater, which has since been his home. he is engaged in lumbering. in he married caroline cover. hugh burns.--hugh burns came from ireland to america in , when he was but eight years of age, lived in the province of new brunswick until , when he came to stillwater, where he has since been engaged in lumbering and farming. in he removed to st. anthony, in to st. paul, and in to stillwater. sylvanus trask.--mr. trask was born in otsego county, new york, nov. , . he secured a liberal education, and taught school several years in the state of new york. he came to stillwater in , and in was married to euphenia turner, of st. paul. he represented the stillwater district in the first and second territorial legislatures, - . for many years he has been a surveyor and scaler of logs. ariel eldridge.--mr. eldridge was born in hartford, vermont, june , . he was reared during his minority by an uncle, at cambridge, new york. in he came to the wisconsin lead mines, at platteville, and in to stillwater, where he worked afterward at his trade of house carpenter until , when he opened a book and stationery store. he has held several city and county offices. in he was married to sarah l. judd. mrs. eldridge died in stillwater, oct. , , aged eighty-four years. mrs. eldridge taught the first school in stillwater. [illustration: e. w. durant. a prominent minnesotian of renowned reputation.] edward white durant.--mr. durant is of huguenot descent. during the eighteenth century his ancestors lived in massachusetts and were active participants in the agitation against english oppression. edward durant, jr., an ancestor five generations from the present, was a delegate to the provincial congress of and , and chairman of the committee on commercial correspondence. he died in . others of the family filled prominent places, and were noted for their whole-souled patriotism. mr. durant was born at roxbury, massachusetts, april , . he received a common school education, and a year in the academy. he came to cincinnati in , and in we find him with his parents in albany, illinois. in he left his parents and came to stillwater, where he worked three seasons on the river, running logs. he then became a pilot on the st. croix and mississippi rivers and continued in this business about sixteen years. he acted as salesman for hersey, staples & co. some years. he has been since then engaged in lumbering and a portion of the time as a member of the firm of durant, wheeler & co. the annual sales of this firm amount to over half a million dollars. in he was a candidate on the democratic ticket for lieutenant governor and in was president of the state democratic convention. he represented his district in the fifteenth, seventeenth and twenty-fourth state legislatures. he was several years grand master of the masons of minnesota. he has served as mayor of stillwater, and often as a member of the council. mr. durant, as his record shows him, is one of the most industrious men of the time, and possessed of good executive and business abilities. mr. durant was married dec. , , to henrietta pease, of albany, illinois. oliver parsons.--mr. parsons was born in south paris, maine, and is also descended from revolutionary stock. he came to stillwater in , where he engaged in merchandising and farming. he removed to minneapolis in , where he is at present engaged in selling goods. he was married to c. jewell, april, . mr. parsons has ever been an exemplary man. albert stimson.--a native of york county, maine, mr. stimson spent there his early life, and, after a few years in new brunswick, came to stillwater in . he followed lumbering in his native state and on the st. croix. he served as surveyor general of the first district, minnesota, three years. he was a member of the minnesota territorial councils of and and a member of the house in . he was mayor of stillwater one year, alderman two years, and was also a supervisor of washington county. from to mr. stimson was a citizen of kanabec county, which county he helped organize, and of which he was one of the first commissioners. his present residence is anoka. abraham van voorhees.--mr. van voorhees' ancestors were patriots during the revolution, and lived in new york and new jersey. he was born in washington county, pennsylvania, dec. , . he was reared as a farmer. his school privileges were limited. "the major," as he was familiarly styled, once told me that the educational advantages he had received in youth were very few, and that his desires and ambitions were far beyond his means to satisfy and fulfill, and he remarked with justifiable pride: "and what i am now, if i amount to anything, i owe to strong nerves and will power; god has always sustained me, and i have always acknowledged allegiance to him." the major had an ingenious and inventive mind. being studious and industrious, he accomplished much without scholastic training, and became well versed in the sciences, and an acute reasoner. in he removed to athens county, ohio, where for five years he devoted himself to mechanical pursuits and the study of the sciences. in he removed to athens, and became editor and proprietor of the _hocking valley gazette_, and retained the editorship six years. while living in ohio, he served as county treasurer, county surveyor, member of the legislature, and state senator. in the latter position he served four years. in he was appointed by president taylor register of the united states land office at stillwater, which place he held until . in gov. ramsey appointed him territorial auditor. he was a representative in the territorial legislature of and of the state legislature of - . he was one of the commissioners for locating the capitol and university lands. he was postmaster in stillwater many years, and when he was eighty years of age acted as surveyor of washington county. such is a brief record of an unusually active and useful life. maj. van voorhees was a thoroughly good citizen and christian gentleman. in politics he was whig and republican. his church membership was in the presbyterian church, of which he became a member in . in he was married to mary workman voorhees. he died at his home in stillwater, jan. , , aged eighty-six years, and was buried with christian and masonic honors. michael e. ames, an attorney from boston, came to stillwater in , and became one of the leading lawyers of the territory. he was urbane and dignified, both in society and at the bar. he was a charming conversationalist, and such a ready and fluent speaker that it was a pleasure to listen to him. many of his witty sayings will long be remembered. he was twice married, but his domestic life was by no means a happy one. he died in st. paul in , his life, no doubt, shortened by intemperate habits, but he was polite and genial and witty to the last. joseph bonin is of french descent. he was born in montreal, canada, aug. , . he was married to margaret bruce in . the writer first met mr. bonin in stillwater in . he was then in the employ of john mckusick. he had spent much of his life on the frontier as an employe of the fur companies, and could relate many stirring incidents and perilous adventures. mr. bonin located at baytown at an early day. during the rebellion he was a member of company b, first minnesota heavy artillery. marcel gagnon.--mr. gagnon was born in lower canada, aug. , . on arriving at manhood he came to the united states, and was an employe of the american fur company several years. he removed to stillwater in , engaging in lumbering. in he enlisted in the minnesota volunteer independent battalion, and served three years. mr. gagnon is a polite, pleasant, hard working and independent man. sebastian marty was born in switzerland in , came to america in , to stillwater in , and located on a farm in section , town of stillwater, now known as the jackman homestead. in he made his home in section , town of lakeland, where he resided until his death, nov. , . his widow was formerly christine mamsche. he was a quiet, unobtrusive, thoroughly honest and reliable man. john marty was born in switzerland in . he learned the art of manufacturing straw goods in france. he came to america in , to stillwater in and not long after settled on his farm in baytown. he was married to anna m. henry, in st. paul, . adam marty.--mr. marty was born in switzerland in . in he came with his grandparents to america and located at st. louis. in he came to stillwater and learned the printer's trade. he was employed one year by john mckusick. he enlisted april , , in company b, first minnesota volunteers, was severely wounded at the battle of gettysburg, and honorably discharged. he resides in stillwater, where he has held responsible positions, and has taken a deep interest in the grand army of the republic, of which he has been post commander. michael mchale.--mr. mchale came from ireland in ; located first in quincy, illinois; then, , in galena; in in potosi, wisconsin, and in at stillwater. he was interested in a saw mill (mchale & johnson's), and operated also as a contractor in prison work. he was married to rosanna mcdermott in wisconsin, . she died in . george watson.--mr. watson is, in common parlance, a self-made man. left alone in the world and dependent entirely on his own exertions for a livelihood, he learned the carpenter's trade, learned it well, and followed it industriously through life. mr. watson was born in lycoming county, pennsylvania, sept. , , and came to the st. croix valley in . he lived a few years in hudson, and then removed to stillwater, where he has the credit of building many fine structures. he was married in to frances lyman, of stillwater. rev. eleazer a. greenleaf was educated at bangor theological seminary. he came to stillwater in , and became pastor of the first protestant episcopal church organized north of prairie du chien, excepting at fort snelling and some indian mission charges. mr. greenleaf was married to susan p. greely, of williamsburg, maine, in . he became a great sufferer in the later years of his life. he died in stillwater in . mrs. greenleaf died in minneapolis in . j. b. covey.--dr. j. b. covey came to stillwater in . he was born in duchess county, new york, in . he practiced medicine many years in missouri. he died in stillwater in . john shaesby was born in warwick, england, in ; came to america in , to stillwater in ; removed to st. croix county in , thence to st. joseph, to rush river and to baldwin in , where he died in , leaving two children and his widow in comfortable circumstances. his eldest daughter was the wife of capt. isaac gray. john s. proctor.--mr. proctor is of english descent, and was born in cavendish, windsor county, vermont, feb. , . he was favored with a common school education. in he came to st. louis, missouri, and served as mercantile clerk until , when he came to stillwater and engaged in lumbering and mercantile pursuits. he was a member of the firm of short, proctor & co., hardware merchants. in he was appointed warden of the minnesota state prison, which office he held until . in he was also appointed secretary and treasurer of the st. croix boom company. he performed the duties of both positions, but continued to serve the boom company twenty years. his experience and reliability made him almost the umpire of this company. he was appointed surveyor general for the years to , inclusive. mr. proctor was married to caroline lockwood, daughter of john lockwood, of prairie du chien, in . they have one son, levi. barron proctor, brother of john s. proctor, came to stillwater when a young man, but after a few years removed to new orleans, whence he returned to stillwater, and in engaged in flour manufacturing as one of the firm of cahill, townshend & co. he disposed of his interest in . mr. proctor was married to hettie carson, adopted daughter of socrates nelson and widow of john a. hanford. he lives in st. paul. henry westing is a native of hanover. he emigrated to america in and came to stillwater in . he commenced his business career as a day laborer and by industry, perseverance and tact, rose to a position of wealth and influence. he died in stillwater, feb. , , much esteemed by his associates for his sterling qualities of character. thomas dunn was born in , in queens county, ireland. he emigrated to america in , locating at miramachi, on the northeast coast of new brunswick. he came thence to maine, where he spent two years. he came to the st. croix valley in , located in stillwater, where he has since lived and been engaged in lumbering. he is the owner of a valuable land property at yellow lake, burnett county, wisconsin. he has been a member of the catholic church since infancy. charles j. gardiner was born at charlotte, maine, in , and came to stillwater in , where he followed lumbering and farming. he served as surveyor of the first minnesota district five years. he was married in to pamela jackman. they have five children. samuel staples was born in topsham, maine, september, . he came west from brunswick, maine, in , and located in stillwater, where he died, dec. , . he is the elder brother of isaac, silas and winslow staples. he leaves a widow (his second wife), two daughters, mrs. e. a. folsom and mrs. g. m. stickney, and two sons, josiah and winslow, besides a step-son, william langly. josiah staples, son of samuel, was born in brunswick, maine, june , . he received a good common school education. at the age of thirteen his family removed to penobscot county, and later to the province of new brunswick, but returned to maine in . in he came to stillwater, and has since been continuously engaged in milling and lumbering operations, and, latterly, in steamboating. he was married to lydia mcglaughlin in . his children are six sons and one daughter. joel m. darling was born in madison county, new york, in . he came to galena, illinois, in , and to stillwater in , where he engaged in farming. he served three years during the civil war in company f, seventh minnesota, and has since been pensioned for disabilities incurred in the service. he is unmarried. he lives in south stillwater. early river pilots. joe perro.--"big joe" as he was familiarly called, was large of frame and big-hearted as well, honest, manly, of good report for courage and honesty. he was fearless and prompt in taking the part of the weak and oppressed. we were once passing together up broadway, st. louis, when we passed a peanut stand. a small negro boy was crying piteously and begging the peanut vender to give him back his money, to which appeal the peanut vender was obdurate. we halted. joe perro organized a court, heard the testimony of man and boy, and satisfied himself that in making change the man had wrongfully withheld a dime due the boy. joe decided in favor of the boy and ordered the vender of peanuts to pay him the ten cents. he replied insolently: "it is none of your d----d business." that was enough to kindle the magazine of joe's wrath. a sudden blow of his fist, and the man was prostrate on the sidewalk and his peanuts and apples scattered. the last seen of the discomfited street merchant he was on his hands and knees scrambling with the boys for the possession of his scattered fruits, and casting an occasional vengeful glance at the towering form of "big joe" departing slowly from the scene of conflict. mr. perro is of french parentage, and a native of kaskaskia, illinois. he has been a resident of stillwater since . james mcphail.--mr. mcphail, as his name indicates, is of scotch parentage. he was born in inverness, scotland, in , and came to america in early life. he was one of the first log pilots on the waters of the mississippi and st. croix. he settled in stillwater in , was married to eliza purinton in , and died in st. louis in . mrs. mcphail died in stillwater in . they left no children. john cormack.--mr. cormack commenced piloting on the st. croix in . he was married in to miss jackins. he made his home in stillwater continuously for thirty years, during which time he served as pilot. he died at princeton, mille lacs county, in . john hanford.--mr. hanford was a st. croix river pilot in the ' s. he married an adopted daughter of socrates nelson, of stillwater. he died at stillwater. mrs. hanford subsequently married barron proctor. john leach.--mr. leach made his home at marine many years, during which time he engaged in piloting on the st. croix; subsequently he removed to stillwater. in the later years of his life he has been blind. stephen b. hanks.--mr. stephen b. hanks, formerly of albany, illinois, piloted the first raft from st. croix falls to st. louis in . he followed piloting rafts and steamboats until . samuel s. hanks.--samuel, a brother of stephen b., commenced piloting in the ' s, and is still active. among the early pilots on the st. croix and mississippi rivers were antoine lapoint, augustus barlow, richard whiting, james hickman, george m. penny, and daniel mclean. chapter iv. polk county--description and history. polk county contains , acres of land, well diversified with timber and prairie, uplands and valleys, rivers and lakes, and fertile enough to sustain a large population. the county was established by the wisconsin legislature in , and originally included much more territory than it now contains, new counties having been formed north and east of its present domain. indian traders had visited it at an earlier period, but the first permanent white settlement was made in , and the first pioneer who came with the serious intention of making permanent improvements was franklin steele. as mr. steele's history is in a great part the history of the early settlement, we insert it here, and very nearly in the language of mr. steele himself, as he communicated it to the writer some years since: "i came to the northwest in , a young man, healthy and ambitious, to dare the perils of an almost unexplored region, inhabited by savages. i sought fort snelling (which was at that time an active united states fort) as a point from which to start. in september, , immediately after the treaty was made ceding the st. croix valley to the government, accompanied by dr. fitch, of bloomington, iowa, we started from fort snelling in a bark canoe, also a scow loaded with tools, supplies and laborers, descended the mississippi river and ascended the st. croix to the dalles. we clambered over the rocks to the falls, where we made two land claims, covering the falls on the east side and the approach to it in the dalles. we built a log cabin at the falls, where the upper copper trap range crosses the river and where the old mill was afterward erected. a second log house we built in the ravine at the head of navigation. whilst building, four other parties arrived to make claim to this power. i found the veritable joe brown on the west side of the st. croix, trading with the indians, a few rods from where baker & taylor built their mill (near the end of the present toll bridge). brown had also cut pine logs, part of which, in , were used by baker & taylor, but most of them were burned by forest fires on the ground where they were felled. in february, , i made a trip to the falls with a dog team for the relief of one boyce, who was cutting logs at the mouth of snake river, and had had some trouble with the indians. i helped him until he left the country. peshick, a chief of the chippewas, said, 'we have no money for logs; we have no money for land. logs can not go.' he said he could not control his young men and would not be responsible for their acts. "in the spring of , from fort snelling we descended the mississippi river to prairie du chien in bark canoes, thence by steamer to st. louis, missouri, where a co-partnership was formed by messrs. fitch, of muscatine, iowa, libbey, of alton, illinois, hungerford and livingston, of st. louis, hill and holcombe, of quincy, illinois, and myself. we chartered the steamer palmyra, loaded her with all the materials with which to build a saw mill, including mechanics to do the work, and started for the scene of operations. plans for procedure, rules and by-laws were discussed and adopted during the journey on the steamer, and the new organization was christened the st. croix falls lumbering company. calvin a. tuttle was the millwright." the trip was made in safety, our immediate plans executed, and the palmyra was the first steamboat that ever sailed the st. croix river and lake. mr. steele made an estimate for the construction of the mill and dam at $ , , which he submitted to the company. it was accepted, and calvin a. tuttle, a millwright, was placed in charge of the work, but mr. steele sold his interest to the company before the mill was completed. on examination of the records we find that w. libbey was the first agent of the company. we find also from the same record that libbey knew little or nothing of the business he had undertaken. with a few barrels of whisky and one of beads he busied himself trading with the indians. this was the first whisky sold in the valley, and it was sold in defiance of government law. much could be written about this old pioneer company of the northwest, and its history, could it be truly written, would contain many thrilling incidents and scenes worthy of remembrance; but much is already forgotten and many of the most prominent actors have passed away, leaving no record of their lives. the company, as a corporation, passed through many changes of name and ownership. its history would be a history of litigations, of wranglings and feuds, of losses and gains, of mistakes, of blunders and of wrongs. in the first place, the mill was planned by men practically unfitted for such work, inexperienced in lumbering and unacquainted with the vast expenditures requisite for the opening up of a new country, hundreds of miles from labor and the supplies needed for manufacturing. there were three requisites present, a splendid water power, abundance of timber at convenient distances and a healthful climate; but these alone did not and could not make the enterprise a success. had practical, experienced lumbermen been employed the result might have been different, but impractical methods, enormous expenses, with no profits or dividends, caused most of the company to withdraw, forfeiting their stock in preference to continuing with the prospect of total bankruptcy. goods were brought annually, at great expense, from st. louis by the large steamers which then controlled the trade of the mississippi and the st. croix. the navigation of the st. croix grew annually more difficult, the immense number of logs floated down since wearing away the banks and increasing the number and area of sand bars and not infrequently obstructing the channel with jams. it is not known exactly how or when the name of st. croix came to be applied to the beautiful river bearing it, but la harpe, in his "louisiana," gives the most plausible account of its origin: "this name is not ecclesiastical in its associations, but named after monsieur st. croix, who was drowned at its mouth." le sueur, who explored the upper mississippi in , says he left a large river on the east side, named st. croix, because a frenchman of that name was drowned at its mouth. as duluth was the first white man to embark in the waters of the st. croix, descending it in canoes, from near lake superior, which he did in ; and as hennepin and la salle ascended the mississippi the same year, the name could not have had an earlier origin, but may be fixed as given sometime between and . an old map in my possession, one hundred and twenty-five years old, gives the present name of the river and lake. the st. croix valley embraces an area of territory from to miles in width, and about miles in length. its northern water, upper lake st. croix, is about miles from lake superior. the southern portion is a rich prairie country, interspersed with groves of hardwood timber. the more northern portion is interspersed with groves of pine, tamarack, cedar, balsam and hardwoods. the whole district, with a small exception, is a cereal country. it abounds in wild meadows, and much of the swampy portion will ultimately be utilized by ditching, which will transform it all into a good stock raising country. about eight-tenths of this entire valley is fitted by nature for agriculture. wheat, the leading cereal, averages ten to thirty bushels per acre; the growth of tame grasses can not be excelled; vegetables grow to wonderful size; native wild fruits abound; cultivated fruits are being successfully introduced; cranberries are being cultivated in the northern part. wheat, stock, and pine lumber are the principal articles of export. the southern portion is well watered by the st. croix and its tributaries--kinnikinic, willow, apple, sunrise, and smaller streams, lakes and springs. the northern portion is abundantly watered by the st. croix and tributaries--wolf, trade, wood, clam, yellow, namakagan, rush, kanabec and kettle rivers. small streams and lakes are numerous, of which only the largest are named on the maps. the valley is abundantly supplied with water power, capable of running enough manufactories to work up all the products of the country. the soil is, as a general thing, dry and arable. april and may are the seeding months. crops mature, and are seldom injured by frosts. the whole country adjacent to this valley will answer to this general description. on the twenty-ninth day of july, , our government purchased the valley of the st. croix of the indians at a treaty held at fort snelling, gov. henry dodge and gen. wm. r. smith acting as commissioners. the purchase was ratified in congress in the spring of . polk county, originally a part of crawford, in became a part of st. croix, and in received its present organization and name, the latter in honor of james k. polk, eleventh president of the united states. this country occupies the eastern part of the valley of the st. croix lying between burnett and st. croix counties on the north and south, and barron on the east, the st. croix river forming its western boundary. the surface is agreeably diversified with forest and prairie land, and is supplied with excellent springs, rivers and lakes. most of the underlying rock is sandstone. this rock crops out along the banks of the st. croix and is extensively used for building purposes. lime rock is also found along the river banks, some of which is of a superior grade, notably that below osceola, which is manufactured into lime and exported. the natural scenery can scarcely be surpassed in the west. the towering, precipitous bluffs along the st. croix, the picturesque trap rocks of the dalles, and the bright clear lakes of the interior have long been an attraction to the tourist. the lakes and smaller streams abound in fish, and the latter are famous for their abundance of brook trout. the county seat at the organization of the county was located at st. croix falls. the first election held in the limits of the present county of polk, prior to its organization, was at st. croix falls, then a voting precinct, known as caw-caw-baw-kang, a chippewa name, meaning waterfall. the returns of this election were made to prairie du chien. i was present at the canvassing of these returns. they were found to be accurate. annually since then elections were held at this point and returns made, first to prairie du chien, crawford county, then to stillwater, st. croix county, to hudson, st. croix county, and to osceola mills, polk county. by an election held in polk county just after its organization the county seat was removed to osceola mills, by a unanimous vote. the records of the first elections can not be found, they having been stolen from the safe in . the following county officers were elected in : isaac freeland, clerk of court and register of deeds; e. c. treadwell, sheriff; oscar a. clark, surveyor; wm. kent, county treasurer; harmon crandall, coroner; nelson mccarty, district attorney; j. freeland, clerk of board of supervisors. the first meeting of the board of supervisors was held in osceola, in isaac freeland's building, where the offices were located for many years. the first court was held in the school house, wyram knowlton presiding. both petit and grand juries were in attendance. isaac freeland was the first attorney admitted to practice. isaac w. hale was the first county judge. the first marriage was that of lewis barlow to ---- ----, at st. croix falls. the first birth in the county was that of charles northrup, son of anson northrup, at st. croix falls ( ). the first death was that of john kelly, by drowning ( ), at st. croix falls. the first school in the county was established at st. croix falls by miss tainter, from prairie du chien, in . the first school house was built in osceola in , the second at st. croix falls in . the first mail, established in , was carried up the st. croix river by batteaus in summer and by sleds over the ice in winter. the mail was weekly; the carrier was dr. philip aldrich. the first land mail route was in , from willow river to st. croix falls. the mail was carried by dr. aldrich through the woods. the first stage route was established in . the first deed we find of polk county property is recorded at prairie du chien sept. , , from james purinton to john witherell, of st. louis, missouri, for $ , ,--a deed of trust covering a saw mill at st. croix falls. the second deed is from benj. t. otis to edmond johnson, conveying an undivided interest in a pre-emption claim, known as the northrup or jerusalem claim, about one mile east of st. croix falls, for $ . the first deed recorded in the county of old st. croix was sept. , , from james purinton, of st. croix falls, to john h. ferguson, of the city of st. louis, missouri,--consideration $ , ,--of st. croix falls water power property. the first store was built in st. croix falls in and stocked with goods by the st. croix falls company. the first blacksmith shop and the first hotel were built at st. croix falls. the first grist mill was built at osceola in . the first crops were raised at "jerusalem," the first farm in the county, in . "jerusalem" was the farm now owned by wm. blanding, and was early noted as a resort for pleasure seekers, as a place for picnics and base ball games. the first pre-emption and entry of land was made in , by harmon crandall, of farmington. settlers came into the county slowly until about , since which time the population has more rapidly increased. the liquor traffic. undoubtedly the greatest curse to the pioneers of a new settlement, and to the aborigines as well, is the liquor traffic. the indians, under the influence of whisky, became infuriated and were capable of committing any atrocity; the effects upon the whites were not so violent but just as surely demoralizing, and in time as fatal. among dealers in the vile fluid there was no one more persistent and unscrupulous than capt. m. m. samuels. during the summers of and there was no other whisky selling house at the falls. the character of the whisky sold was vile beyond description. mrs. h---- and son informed me that they were employed by samuels during the summer in compounding various roots with tobacco and boiling them, for the manufacture of a strong drink that was sold for whisky. many, both whites and indians, were poisoned by this compound. as an emphatic evidence against the vileness of the liquor, i append some of the blighting results: a talented young lawyer, hall by name, from philadelphia, became infatuated with the peculiar whisky furnished by samuels, and when insane from its effects ran from barlow's boarding house to a high rock overhanging the st. croix river, just below the falls, plunged in and was drowned. another, named douglas, under the same influence, tried repeatedly to drown himself, when his friends bound him securely with cords. he then managed to stab himself. alexander livingston, a man who in youth had had excellent advantages, became himself a dealer in whisky, at the mouth of wolf creek, in a drunken melee in his own store was shot and killed by robido, a half-breed. robido was arrested but managed to escape justice. livingston, once, when on his way from wolf creek to clam falls, sought refuge in my camp, having with him two kegs of whisky. the indians soon collected at the camp in fighting trim and sung and danced madly about the door of the cabin, and clamored for scoot-a-wa-bo (whisky). i refused to allow any whisky to be issued. the indians were furious. livingston cowered with fear. foreseeing trouble i ordered nat tibbetts and jonathan brawn to take the kegs and follow me. the indians stopped their gymnastic performances and gazed intently. with an axe and with a single blow on each keg i knocked in the heads, and the whisky was soon swallowed up in the snow. the indians sprang forward with demoniac yells and commenced licking up the saturated snow, after which they danced around me, calling me "oge-ma" (captain). i gave them food and they went away sober and apparently satisfied. frontier justice. in the spring of there were two rival whisky sellers at or near balsam lake. miles tornell, a norwegian, was located midway between the lake and the falls. miller, a german, had his post at the lake. miller was an older trader, and claimed exclusive rights. a bitter feeling sprang up between them, which resulted, as the testimony afterward proved, in the murder of tornell. his house was burned, and his body found concealed in a coal pit. one mclaughlin, who was stopping with tornell, was also murdered. an investigation was set on foot. samuels and fields acted as detectives, and fixed the crime upon an indian, whom they arrested on an island in blake's lake, and brought to the falls for trial. h. h. perkins acted as judge, a jury of good men was impaneled, and the trial was held in daniel mears' store. a prosecuting attorney and counsel for the accused were appointed. the indian frankly confessed the killing, and said that he had been hired to do the bloody work by miller. another indian testified to being present on the occasion of the murder. after brief remarks by the lawyers, the jury brought in a verdict of guilty. there was no formal sentence. the indian was kept under guard till next morning, when, by the unanimous consent of all present, he was hanged to a tree, since blighted, that stood near the old burying ground (later louisiana street), and was hanged, samuels officiating as sheriff. the indians present were permitted to take the body, which they buried with indian rites. toward miller, who ought to have been held as principal, the crowd were unexpectedly lenient. instead of being hanged upon the same tree, he was merely lashed to it, and flogged, pat collins administering fifteen strokes on the bare back with a beech withe. he was then placed on a steamboat and ordered to leave the country, never to return. of the more active participants in the hanging, pat collins, who officiated as hangman, and who flogged miller, was undeniably a hard citizen. he had a bitter grudge against miller, and administered the strokes with a will. he was himself hanged some years later in california for highway robbery. chas. f. rowley, who assisted in the hanging, lived for some years on a farm at wolf creek, enlisted in in the union army, and was killed in battle. population of st. croix falls in . the following heads of families resided in st. croix falls in : h. h. perkins, edward worth, g. w. brownell, otis hoyt, j. saunders, r. arnold, l. barlow, a. l. tuttle, m. m. samuels, geo. de attley, moses perin, and w. h. c. folsom. the following single men claimed this as their home: d. mears, j. l. and n. c. d. taylor, p. kelly, a. romain, j. and w. r. marshall, w. f. colby, dr. de witt, w. j. vincent, c. dexter, a. youle, h. h. newberry, j. and o. weymouth, geo. field, w. w. folsom, j. h. tuller, j. dobney, j. paine, and some others whose names i can not readily recall. natural language. the indians, when unable to talk english, nevertheless managed to express themselves intelligibly by gestures, picture writing, and vocal utterances, imitating the sounds which they wished to describe. a kind old chippewa occasionally visited my camp. he would sit by the camp fire and mark out in the ashes the outlines of lakes and streams. in tracing south clam river, at a certain point he drew a line across the stream, and blew his breath between his teeth and lips in such a way as to perfectly imitate the sound of falling water. sometime afterward, in exploring clam river, on rounding a curve i heard the sound of falling water, and found the fall just as he had located it. the drowning of hamlet h. perkins. mr. perkins had been in the village since , acting as agent for the falls company until the winter of - , when he was accidentally drowned while attending to his duties. he was engaged in repairing the dam, and was standing on a block of ice. in an unguarded moment he lost his foothold and was carried by the swift current under the ice. it was two days before his body was recovered. his family left the valley, taking the body with them. a quailtown murder. st. croix falls. the buildings consisted of a dwelling house, whisky shop, bowling alley, indian house and stable, the whole inappropriately styled quailtown, as the name was a gross slander upon the innocent birds. the quails in this "partridge" nest were evil birds. the resort was noted for its riotous disorder. the worst classes met there for revelry and midnight orgies. in the summer of alfred romain and patrick kelly met at quailtown, disputed, fought, were parted, and the neat day met by agreement to continue the fight with pistols. they were to meet at sunrise in front of daniel mears' store. an attempt was made to pacify them, but in vain. only romain appeared at the appointed place, and not finding kelly, hunted through the village for him. about o'clock a. m. he found him at the house of kimball, a mulatto man. romain shot him at sight, fatally. at the inquest, held by dr. hoyt, it was proven that romain fired four shots into the body of kelly, each taking effect, and then crushed his skull with the pistol, and that kelly fired one shot at romain. romain was held for murder, but was never brought to trial. after two years' confinement he escaped from the jail at prairie du chien. romain afterward removed to st. louis, reformed his mode of life and became a steady and respectable man. kelly was a native of ireland, and at the time of his death was engaged to be married to an estimable lady, one of the corps of teachers sent out by gov. slade. mineral permits. in a party of speculators, composed of caleb cushing, rufus choate, robert rantoul, and others, located a mineral permit, one mile square, covering part of the site of the two towns of st. croix and taylor's falls, with the water power as the centre. their permit was filed in the general land office at washington. they located another permit at or near the mouth of kettle river. as no money was ever expended in improving them, these permits were never respected. subsequently the government resurveyed the lands and sold them. the present title to these lands is perfectly good. marriage under difficulties. in the olden time officers could not always readily be found to execute the laws. parties desiring to be married, being unable to secure the services of a minister or justice of the peace, would seek for an officer on the other side of the river, get on a raft or boat, cast off the fastenings and under the concurrent jurisdiction of the state and territorial authorities, would be pronounced "man and wife." parties have had the same rite performed in the winter season while standing on the ice of the st. croix midway between the two shores. an indian scare. during the excitement following the indian outbreak, there was a general feeling of insecurity and alarm. the half-breeds were especially apprehensive of some kind of violence. one bright moonlight evening, at st. croix, a surveyor was taking some observations, and as his instrument glittered brightly in the moonlight, the half-breeds saw it and fled, badly frightened, fancying a sioux behind every bush. the whites seeing them running, as if for their lives, caught the panic, and fled over to the minnesota side. the taylor's falls people were aroused from their peaceful slumbers to find, soon after, that it was a false alarm. some of the fugitives hid underneath the bridge and clung to the trestle work till morning. the first fire canoe. i am indebted to calvin a. tuttle for the following reminiscence: in july, , the steamer palmyra, capt. middleton, of hannibal, missouri, in command, the first steamer on st. croix waters, brought me to st. croix falls, landing in the dalles, east side, opposite angle rock. the snorting of the palmyra brought many curiosity seeking indians to the dalles. they gathered on the pinnacles of the trap rock, peered curiously over and jumped back, trembling with fright at the "scota cheman" or "fire canoe," the first that had ever floated on the placid waters of the st. croix. i had been employed as millwright to erect mills in the new, and, as yet, almost unknown settlement. on the palmyra came the proprietors, steele, fitch, hungerford, libbey, livingston, hill, and russell, with mill irons, tools and provisions for the enterprise. mill building. after climbing over the cragged rocks we came to an indian trail which led to the falls, where we found two men, lagoo and denire holding the claim for steele. the fanciful scheme of building a mill up in the wild land looked now like a reality. the men lived in a log cabin just below the falls, in a small clearing in the timber, near a copper rock range. boyce and his men had been driven in by indians from above. andrew mackey and others of boyce's men went to work with us. thirty-six men had come from st. louis on the steamer palmyra. we moved our machinery from the dalles to the falls by water and commenced work immediately. steele's men had been hindered by the indians from procuring timber for the building of the mill. we obtained a supply from kanabec river, which arrived september th. building the mill and blasting the rock occupied our attention during the winter. the mill was soon completed and running. during this period the work was often interrupted and the men were greatly demoralized by the threatening behavior of the indians. many of them were frightened into leaving the settlement, but their places were supplied by the company whenever practicable. during we received some reliable accessions, among them j. l. taylor, john mckusick, joseph haskell, elam greely, j. w. furber and a. mchattie. some frame houses were built near the mill. washington libbey was our first agent, darnes our second ( ), capt. w. frazer our third ( ), capt. wm. holcombe our fourth ( ). the first death was of a man drowned in . the first white woman who visited the falls was mrs. david hone. rev. boutwell preached here in . a. northrup and family came in . indian murders. in jeremiah russell, the indian farmer at pokegama, pine county, minnesota, sent two chippewa indians to st. croix falls for supplies, who arrived in safety. a band of fifty sioux indians were concealed at this (st. croix falls) settlement for some days. within an hour after the arrival of the two chippewas, the settlement was surrounded by these sioux. the whites, seeing that trouble was brewing, secreted the chippewas for two days, the sioux closely watching. the white men were restless, and afraid to go to work. capt. frazer, rev. ayers and myself held a council and explained the situation to the chippewas, who replied that they would not expose the whites to trouble. they resolved on leaving and started in open day north over the trap rock ridge, thence through the bushes, where they discovered two sioux. the chippewas were armed and fired on the sioux, killing them instantly. the chippewas then started to run. the report of the guns brought squads of sioux immediately in pursuit, who, firing on the chippewas, killed one. the two dead sioux were sons of little crow. they were placed by the sioux in a sitting posture, with backs to a tree, facing the enemy's country, on the second bench near where the mill dam was subsequently built, a double barreled gun standing on the ground between them. they decorated the corpses with war paint, ribbons and mosses. the two chippewas who killed little crow's sons bore the titles julius and wezhaymah. the sioux in pursuit killed julius, and his head was hung up in a kettle before those he had slain. his body was chopped in pieces and scattered to the four winds. from an historical letter, written by mrs. e. t. ayer, who lives at belle prairie, minnesota, and whom we have elsewhere mentioned, we have the following description of the death of the sons of little crow: "julius was of medium height, stout build, very neat, and when in full dress very few indians would favorably compare with him. being a good hunter he had the means of gratifying his taste. his hair was long and abundant, and was kept clean and shining by the frequent use of comb and brush, with the help of a little marrow or bear's oil. three or four of his numerous long braids, studded with silver brooches, hung gracefully on both sides of his face and over his arms--the rest of his dress in a manner corresponding. his hair, like absalom's, did not save him from his enemies. the dakotas may dance around it for generations and never see its equal. "wezhaymah made his appearance at pokegama. as he drew near the houses he gave a salute from his double barreled gun. the ojibways were much frightened. they believed the sioux had returned to make another trial for scalps and plunder. the first impulse of the women was to hide. the chief's wife and oldest daughter being at the mission house, went through a trap door into a dark cellar. but when the supposed dead stood before them, alive and well, there was great rejoicing. "wezhaymah said that julius killed both of little crow's sons; that the sioux followed him but a short distance, then all turned after julius. he took a circuitous route home, traveling in the night and hiding in the day. julius' parents, joseph and eunice, and other members of their family, were members of the mission church. he and his wife made no profession, though they sometimes attended religious worship." about twenty days after, about one hundred sioux came from little crow's band at red rock for the bodies of their dead comrades and the gun, having first, by means of spies, satisfied themselves that there were no chippewas in the vicinity. one morning, as the whites were going to work, they were surprised by the sudden appearance of these indians, who rushed suddenly down upon them from different trails, gorgeously painted and without blankets. their movements were so sudden that the whites were completely surprised, and at the mercy of the indians, who, however, satisfied themselves with searching the camp and appropriating all the victuals they could find, ostensibly searching for the gun which was not to be found where they had left it. complaining bitterly of its loss, they withdrew to a trap rock ledge near by, where they formed a circle, danced, sung and fired several guns into the air. they then asked to see "oge-ma," the agent, and formally demanded the gun. everyone in camp denied any knowledge whatever of the missing article. the indians were at first much dissatisfied, but finally little crow advanced, smoked a pipe and offered it to. capt. frazer, shook hands and withdrew, apparently in peace. as it is not the custom for indians to molest the dead, they firmly believed a white man had taken the gun. little crow applied to maj. plympton at fort snelling, charging the theft upon the whites. the major in turn wrote to capt. frazer at the falls to make an investigation, as a result of which the gun was found in a tool chest belonging to lewis barlow, concealed under a false bottom. barlow professed entire innocence and ignorance of the matter, suggesting that his brother must have placed the gun there. capt. frazer severely reprimanded him for imperiling the lives of all the whites in the settlement by his foolish and thievish act. the gun was sent to maj. plympton, who wrote to capt. frazer cautioning him to be on his guard, as the indians were much irritated. barlow had earned the contempt and dislike of his fellow workmen. indian battle of stillwater mr. tuttle was at the falls at the time of the famous battle between the sioux and chippewas, which was fought in the ravine where the minnesota state prison now stands, july , , and has given me the following account: the chippewas of the st. croix had been invited by the officer in command at fort snelling to a council, the object of which was to effect a treaty of peace. two hundred and fifty or three hundred chippewas, including their women and children, passed down the st. croix in canoes, rested in fancied security in the ravine near the present site of stillwater, and made a portage thence to fort snelling, where, under protection of government soldiers, the council was held. the pipe of peace had been smoked and the chippewas were quietly returning home, and had encamped a second time in the ravine, expecting to re-embark the next morning on the waters of the st. croix. just at the dawn of the ensuing day, and while they were still asleep, a large body of sioux, who had stealthily followed them, fell upon them suddenly, and with wild yells commenced an indiscriminate slaughter. the chippewas rallying, drove the sioux from the ground, thereby retaining possession of their dead, to the number of about thirty. after the smoke of peace at fort snelling it was reported that a sioux had been killed. this incensed them so that they followed in two parties, one party pursuing the st. croix band and another the mille lacs band up rum river. the latter party overtook the chippewas at the point where princeton is now located, and slew sixty of their number. it was afterward ascertained that the sioux killed near fort snelling was killed by a pillager of the upper mississippi, an indian of a band that was not in the council. the sioux and chippewas, it is true, are bitter, relentless, hereditary foes, but this slaughter occurred through a grievous mistake. the chippewas, on their return, rested at the falls. capt. frazer gave them medicine, dressed their wounds and fed them. the indians gave way to the wildest grief at their losses, and when they heard of the sixty killed of the mille lacs band, their mourning cries and moans baffled description. the first loggers. the first logs were cut by j. r. brown on the taylor's falls flat in the winter of - , but the first regular outfit and camp was that of john boyce, who came up in a mackinaw boat from st. louis with eleven men and six oxen, landing at st. croix falls late in the fall of . mr. andrew mackey, who was in his party, has furnished me with some items regarding this adventure. the boat was cordelled over the rapids, and, with poles and lines, taken as far as the mouth of kanabec river, where a camp was established. boyce had considerable trouble with the indians. little six, a chippewa chief, came to the camp with two hundred warriors in a defiant, blustering manner, telling him to "go away," to "go back where they came from." boyce proceeded to the indian mission at lake pokegama and invoked the aid of rev. mr. boutwell, ely, ayers and seymour, who came back with him to the camp and had a "talk" with little six, who claimed that the whites had paid no money. mr. seymour explained to them the provisions of the treaty, of which they would soon hear; that under its provisions the whites had a right to the timber; that they were not usurpers, that they would live peaceably and not disturb their game. the indians granted assent, but refused to allow the whites to remove any of their chingwack (pine). mr. seymour, apprehending trouble, advised mr. boyce to leave. he determined to remain. the indians being still troublesome, mr. boyce descended the river to the falls, the indians following. on going over the falls the boat filled and mr. boyce lost nearly all he had. the palmyra shortly after broke the silence of the dalles with its shrill whistle and brought the news of the ratification of the treaty by congress. boyce sent his boat down the river, built small boats and made haste to return to his camp on kanabec river, where he remained through the fall and winter cutting logs. the first rafting. in april and may of , boyce rafted his logs with poles and ropes made of basswood strings. the high water swept them away. he gathered from the broken rafts enough for one raft, made it as strong as possible, and continued the descent. the raft struck upon the first island and went to pieces. boyce saved the canoe and a part of the provisions. boyce was by this time in a furious rage at his want of success, but tried a third time to make a raft. the crew, tired and hungry, refused to work. a new contract was made and written on a slate, there being no paper. the logs were left in the river. some of them floated down and were sold to the falls company and to the company at marine. boyce lost all his labor and investment; the men got but little for their work. frank steele had assisted in supplying provisions and clothing for the men, the value of which he never received. boyce was disgusted and left the country. an indian payment. levi w. stratton, who came up on the palmyra, july, , gives a few reminiscences from which we select an account of a payment made to the chippewa indians the year of his arrival. the crew and passengers of the palmyra had been greatly annoyed by the indians, who expected their first payment in july, and besieged the boat in great numbers, demanding it at the hands of the first whites who had come up the river, unable to understand the difference between the regularly constituted authorities and those immigrants who had nothing to do with the payments. it was not until the first week of november that their goods came for payment. the place where stillwater now stands was selected as the place where they should assemble. the old stern wheel gipsey brought the goods and landed them on the beach. the chippewas came there to the number of , in their canoes, nearly starved by waiting for their payment. while there receiving it the river and lake froze up, and a deep snow came on; thus all their supplies, including one hundred barrels of flour, twenty-five of pork, kegs of tobacco, bales of blankets, guns and ammunition, casks of mexican dollars, etc., all were sacrificed except what they could carry off on their backs through the snow hundreds of miles away. their fleet of birch canoes they destroyed before leaving, lest the sioux might have the satisfaction of doing the same after they left. many of the old as well as the young died from overeating, they being nearly starved. thus their first payment became a curse rather than a blessing to them, for their supplies soon gave out, the season for hunting was past, they were away from home and had no means of getting there, except by wading through deep snow. many perished in the attempt. as is usual in such cases, i suppose, no one was to blame, but the poor indians had to suffer the consequences of somebody's neglect. the old gipsey had scarcely time to get through the lake before the ice formed. indian dancing and theft. in the rough log cabin at st. croix falls were three females, the wives of messrs. orr and sackett, employes of the company, and miss young, daughter of a widower of that name. life in that cabin was by no means a dream of bliss, for in consequence of the mosquitoes, more relentless persecutors than the indians, a smudge had to be kept burning night and day, or at least by day when the sun was not shining. the old cabin served for a kitchen, while an arbor was improvised outside for a dining room. shortly after the arrival of the immigrants, and before they had learned all the peculiarities of indian character, they were visited by a party of fifteen or twenty braves, who set about adorning themselves, and spent the forenoon in painting and getting themselves up in gorgeous rig, regardless of expense, preparatory to giving a free entertainment. just before dinner was called, they arranged themselves near the table and gave a dance, which was very much applauded, after which they were given presents of bread and meat, and dismissed, apparently highly pleased with the success of their exhibition. the household gathered about the table to enjoy their repast, but to their consternation, not a knife, fork or spoon could be found. while the majority of the indians were riveting the attention of the new comers by their extraordinary antics, the remainder were quietly abstracting the tableware. they were afterward charged with the theft, but protested innocence. the missing articles were never heard of again. a pig of lead, left outside, disappeared at the same time. the poor indians denied ever having seen the lead. mr. stratton remarked, however, that all their war clubs, pipes and gun stocks had been lately and elaborately ornamented with molten lead. other thefts. at another time, shortly before payment, when the indians were unusually hungry and troublesome, two barrels of pork and one of butter mysteriously disappeared. the pork barrels were found empty in the river, and also the butter barrel with one-third of the contents missing. the indians lay all day in camp sick, but protested their innocence. nevertheless, at payment day a claim of two hundred dollars for the pork and one hundred and fifty for the butter was allowed and kept back. they made no objections to paying for the pork, but protested against paying for the butter, as it did them no good and made them all sick. in september, an old indian came to the cabin, begging for something to eat. the agent went to the pork barrel and held up a fine piece of pork weighing about twelve pounds, to which the tail was still attached. at sight of this his countenance fell and he went away silently and sullenly. shortly afterward a yoke of oxen was missing. they had been driven off over some bare ledges of trap to break the trail. an indian was hired to hunt for them. he found that this same beggar who had been so disgusted with the offer of a piece of pork with the tail attached had driven them off and slaughtered them. payment day made all right, and the indians were compelled to pay a good price for rather poor beef. hard times. mrs. mary c. worth communicated to the writer the following incidents, illustrating some of the vicissitudes of the early settlers: it was in the fall of . there were about two hundred people in the village, most of them in the employ of james purinton, company agent. they were already short of provisions and the winter was rapidly coming on, and the expected boat, with its cargo of provisions for the winter supply, was long delayed. september passed, october came and nearly passed, and still no boat. snow covered the ground, and thin ice the river. the ice, in finely broken pieces, floated down the rapids and was beginning to gorge in the dalles, and still no boat. provisions were allotted to the resident families, and the gloomiest anticipations filled all minds at the prospect of the long, dreary winter without food; when, on the twenty-eighth of october, the long expected whistle was heard from the coming steamer. the people rushed frantically down to the old warehouse, but the ice was so gorged in the dalles that no boat could make the landing. no boat was in sight, nor was the whistle heard again. had it all been an illusion? the eager throng were again in despair. another night of cold would blockade the river. just then the voices of white men were heard from the rocks of the dalles, and to their great joy they perceived the boat's officers and passengers clambering down from the rocks, with the glad tidings that the boat had reached the landing, half a mile below, and was then unloading her cargo. the boat, as soon as unloaded, hurriedly departed to avoid being frozen in. the winter passed merrily enough, but clouds and darkness gathered in the spring. provisions were again short, and had to be apportioned sparingly and equally. occasionally a deer or a fish eked out the supply, but starvation was again imminent. on this occasion they were relieved by the reception of condemned pork from fort snelling. the st. louis proprietors sent up another boat load of supplies after the opening of navigation, and all seemed well, when, during the prevalence of high water, the boom and mill race gave way and the logs, their main dependence, were swept down the river and beyond their control. this important occurrence, as it then seemed to be, opened up for the company and people a new trade from the valley below, which has been a source of immense profit. it suggested the idea of booming and rafting their logs for points down the river, and led to the building of the first saw mill at stillwater. ugh! ugh! mr. purinton at one time invited a few noted indians who were begging for food to be seated at his table. he politely asked them if they would have tea or coffee. "ugh! ugh!" (equivalent to yes, yes) replied the whole party. so mr. purinton mixed their tea and coffee. mrs. worth and muckatice. muckatice, a chippewa chief, heard that a barrel of whisky had been stored for safe keeping in the cellar of mrs. worth, at balsam lake. muckatice forced himself into the house and attempted to raise the cellar trap door. mrs. worth forbade him and placed herself upon the door. muckatice roughly pushed her aside. he raised the trap door, and, while in the act of descending, fell. while falling mrs. worth suddenly shut the trap door upon him, by which one of his legs was caught. mrs. worth held the door tightly down. when at last muckatice was released, gathering a crowd of indians he returned and demanded the whisky. thayer, with ropes, managed to get the barrel out of the cellar and out upon the ground, and seeing the peril of giving so much whisky to the indians, knocked in both heads of the barrel with an axe, and the earth drank the poisonous fluid. muckatice then shook hands with mrs. worth, called her very brave, and departed. chapter v. biographies. the biographical histories of the early settlers of polk county considerably antedate the organization of the towns to which they would be referred as at present belonging, and we therefore group together those earliest identified with the history of the valley, and its first settlement at st. croix falls, referring also some, such as joseph r. brown, gov. w. r. marshall and frank steele, to localities in which they had been more intimately connected. gov. wm. holcombe was one of the active resident proprietors and agent of the st. croix falls lumber company from to . he was born at lambertville, new jersey, in ; left home when a boy; went to utica, new york, where he learned the wheelwright trade. he married martha wilson, of utica; moved to columbus, ohio, and was successful in business, but lost all by fire, when he moved to cincinnati, and from thence to galena. while in galena he embarked in steamboating on the mississippi. mrs. holcombe died in galena. from galena he came to st. croix falls, where he devoted his time as agent to selling lumber and keeping books. mr. holcombe took a deep interest in opening the valley to public notice and improvement. he traveled over the wilderness country from prairie du chien to st. croix falls before there was a blazed path, driving horses and cattle. he helped locate the two first roads in the valley from the mouth of st. croix lake, via marine, to st. croix falls and from st. croix falls, via sunrise and rush lakes, to russell's farm, on pokegama lake. he supervised the cultivation of the first crops raised in polk county, at jerusalem. he settled in stillwater in , where he became an active worker in behalf of education, and did much to establish the present excellent system of schools. in he was a member of the first constitutional convention of wisconsin territory, representing this valley and all the country north of crawford county. he was a faithful worker on the boundary question, and effected a change from the st. croix to a point fifteen miles due east, from the most easterly point on lake st. croix, from thence south to the mississippi river and north to the waters of lake superior. his course was approved by his constituents. in he took an active part in the formation of minnesota territory, and was secretary of the first convention called for that purpose in stillwater. he was receiver of the united states land office at stillwater four years. he was a member of the democratic wing of the constitutional convention for minnesota in , and was honored by being elected first lieutenant governor of minnesota in . the name of gov. holcombe will long be remembered in the valley of the st. croix. he died in stillwater, sept. , , and was buried with masonic honors. he left two sons, william w. and edward van buren, by his first wife. he married a second wife in galena, in , who died in . william s. hungerford was born in connecticut, aug. , . he was married to lucinda hart, at farmington, connecticut, in . he came to st. louis, missouri, at an early age and engaged in mercantile pursuits in the firm of hungerford & livingston. in he became one of the original proprietors of the st. croix falls lumbering company, and gave his time and talents to its welfare. he was of a hopeful temperament, and even in the darkest hour of the enterprise in which he had embarked, cherished a most cheerful faith in its ultimate success. hon. caleb cushing, whose name was to be associated intimately with that of mr. hungerford in the future history and litigation of the company, recognizing st. croix falls as a point promising unrivaled attractions to the manufacturer, in purchased an interest in the company, which was at once reorganized with cushing and hungerford as principal stockholders. the acute mind of gen. cushing recognized not only the prospective advantages of the water power, but the probability of the division of wisconsin territory, which might result in making st. croix falls the capital of the new territory, and formed plans for the development of the company enterprise, which might have resulted advantageously had not he been called away to take part in the mexican war and thence to go on a political mission to china. during his absence there was a complete neglect of his american inland projects and the enterprise at st. croix suffered greatly; the new company accomplished but little that was agreed upon in the consolidation. cushing had inexperienced agents, unfitted to attend to his interest. he furnished money sufficient, if judiciously handled, to have made a permanent, useful property here. conflicting questions arose between hungerford and cushing's agents, which terminated in lawsuits. the first suit was in , hungerford, plaintiff. different suits followed, one after another, for over twenty years, which cursed the property more than a mildew or blight. during this time the parties alternated in use and possession, by order of court. hungerford, during these trials, pre-empted the land when it came in market. for this he was arrested on complaint of perjury. hungerford, by order of court, was, on his arrest, taken away in chains. he was soon after released. hungerford was an indefatigable worker. the labor of his life was invested in the improvements of the company. cushing, being a man of talent and influence, could fight the battle at a distance. he employed the best legal talent in the land; he met hungerford at every turn, and hungerford became a foe worthy of his steel. they unitedly accomplished the ruin of their town. mr. hungerford had an excellent family, making their home at the falls during all their perplexities. on the occasion of his arrest he was manacled in presence of his family, who bore it with a fortitude worthy the name and reputation of the father and husband. the litigation ended only with the death of the principal actors. the perishable part of the property, mills and other buildings, has gone to ruin. the whole history is a sad comment on the folly of attempting to manage great enterprises without harmony of action and purpose. mr. hungerford died in monticello, illinois, in . mrs. hungerford died in connecticut in . mr. cushing died in . hon. henry d. barron.--henry danforth barron was born in saratoga county, new york, april , . he received a common school education, studied law, and graduated from the law school at ballston spa, new york. he came to wisconsin in ; learned the printer's trade, and was afterward editor of the waukesha _democrat_. in he removed to pepin, wisconsin, and in received the appointment of circuit judge of the eighth district. in september, , he came to st. croix falls, as agent for caleb cushing and the st. croix manufacturing and improvement company. he was elected to the lower house of the wisconsin legislature in , and served as assemblyman continuously from to , and for the years and . during the sessions of and he was speaker of the assembly. a portion of this time he held the responsible position of regent of the state university, and was also a special agent of the treasury department. in president grant appointed him chief justice of dakota, which honor was declined. the same year he was appointed fifth auditor in the treasury department, which office he resigned in to take a more active part in advancing the interests of his state. he was chosen a presidential elector in , and again in , and served as state senator during the sessions of , and , and was at one time president _pro tem_. of the senate. in he was elected judge of the eleventh judicial circuit. during his service as judge he was highly gratified that so few appeals were taken from his decisions, and that his decisions were seldom reversed in higher courts. he had also held the offices of postmaster, county attorney, county judge, and county superintendent of schools. although formerly a democrat, at the outbreak of the rebellion he became a republican. of late years he was a pronounced stalwart. throughout his life he never received any profit, pecuniarily, from the prominent positions in which he was placed, his only endeavor seeming to be to advance the interests, influence, worth and ability of the younger men with whom he was associated, and hundreds who to-day hold positions of prominence and responsibility, owe their success and advancement to his teachings and advice. of a disposition kind, courteous and generous, he was possessed of a remarkably retentive memory, which, with his intimate associations with leading men, and familiarity with public life, legislative and judicial, afforded a fund of personal sketches, anecdotes and biographies, at once entertaining, amusing and instructive. the judge was twice married, his first wife having died at waukesha, leaving him an only son, henry h. barron, who was with him at the time of his death. his second marriage was to ellen k. kellogg, at pepin, in . for some time she has made her home with her mother in california, on account of ill health. at the time of his death, which occurred at st. croix falls, jan. , , he was judge of the eleventh judicial circuit. his remains were buried at waukesha. george w. brownell.--mr. brownell, though not among the earliest of the pioneers of st. croix valley, yet deserves special mention on account of his scientific attainments, his high character as a man, and the fact that he was an influential member, from the st. croix district, of the wisconsin territorial constitutional convention, he having been elected over bowron on the question of establishing the new state line east of the st. croix. mr. brownell was born in onondago, new york, and when a youth lived in syracuse, where he learned the trade of a carriage maker. he was a resident of galena, illinois, over thirty years, where he engaged in mining and geological pursuits. he spent two years in the lead mines of wisconsin. he was connected with the galena _gazette_ some years. in he visited the superior copper mining region for a boston company. he formed the acquaintance of caleb cushing, rufus choate, horace rantoul, and others, and located for them mineral permits at st. croix falls and kettle river, and became, this year, a resident of st. croix falls. in he was married to mrs. duncan, of galena. he was elected this year to the constitutional convention. in he returned to galena and engaged in the grain trade and cotton planting near vicksburg, mississippi, in which he was not successful. in he visited colorado and made investments there. when on a trip to colorado, in , the stage was attacked by indians. brownell and another passenger alighted to resist the attack. he was armed with a rifle, and, if properly supported, would probably have been saved; but most of the passengers remained in the stage. the driver, getting scared, whipped his horses and drove rapidly away, leaving brownell and companion, who were overpowered and killed. their bodies were recovered, shockingly mutilated. his remains were forwarded to galena for burial. mr. brownell had a scientific mind, and passed much of his life in scientific studies and practical experiments. he attained a good knowledge of geology, mineralogy and chemistry. the foresight of mr. brownell on the wisconsin boundary, and in other public matters, has been, in time, generally recognized. he was a good neighbor and kind friend. col. robert c. murphy.--col. murphy, a man of fine address and admirable social qualities, made his home at st. croix falls in - and , during which time he was in charge of the cushing interest and property, which position he left to accept the colonelcy of the eighth wisconsin volunteer infantry. his military career was not fortunate and its abrupt termination was a sad disappointment to himself and friends. an article in the milwaukee _weekly telegraph_, from the pen of one who knew col. murphy well, thus sums up some of the salient points in his character and career. we make a few extracts: "col. murphy was educated and accomplished. he had been instructed in the patridge military school, and was possessed of some experience in indian fights on the plains with burnside, bearing scars of that experience, and a recommendation of skill and courage from gen. burnside to gov. randall. his great intuitiveness, his ready manner, his cultivation of mind, gained for him the respect and charity of his superiors, and brought him the respect and confidence of his regiment. his father, a native of ireland, was a successful practicing lawyer and politician in ohio, without much education; a man of strong natural talent and integrity. upon his son he showered all his earnings, in the form of that which the father lacked the most--books, schooling and polish. judge murphy (the father) was the bearer of important dispatches to texas from the tyler and polk administrations in connection with the annexation of that republic to this country, and is referred to in benton's 'thirty years' as tyler's 'midnight messenger.' young murphy was appointed by president pierce american consul in china, while gen. caleb cushing was minister to that country, and he discharged important consular and judicial duties there with credit to himself and his government. upon his return gen. cushing selected him to take charge of the cushing interest and property at st. croix falls, in this state. from there he went 'to the front,' and his military career was cut short by his failure at iuka and holly springs. gen. grant dismissed him in brief, terse words, but was willing afterward that he should be heard by a board of army officers detailed for that purpose. stanton was inexorable and refused." after his dismissal from the army he removed to washington and accepted a clerkship in the post office department where he still remains. it is due to him to say that his own version of his military troubles is ingenious and plausible, and would, if sustained, quite exonerate him from the charges that have pressed so heavily upon him. edward worth.--mr. worth came to st. croix falls from new york state in , where he continued to reside the remainder of his life, experiencing the vicissitudes of pioneer life to their fullest extent. he died in , leaving a widow, an only son (henry) and two daughters, myra, wife of w. t. vincent, and sarah, wife of john blanding. mrs. mary c. worth.--mrs. worth was born oct. , , was married to edward worth, dec. , , and came to st. croix falls in , where she lived till jan. , , when she peacefully passed away. she was a woman of rare mental ability, untiring industry and skill in managing her household affairs, and unquestioned courage, as many incidents in her st. croix experience will evidence. she was a member of the episcopal church and went to her grave with the respect and admiration of all who knew her. maurice mordecai samuels, better known as capt. samuels, was born in london, of jewish parentage. it is not known exactly when he came to this country. i first met him in , at prairie du chien, at which time he was a traveling peddler. in i found him in the chippewa country, living with an indian woman and trading with the indians at the mouth of sunrise river. in he established a ball alley and trading post at st. croix falls, where he lived until , when he raised a company (the st. croix rifles) for the united states service, received a commission and served till the close of the war. after the war he became a citizen of new orleans, and in changed his residence to winfield, kansas. while in st. croix he reared a family of half-breed children. he was a shrewd man and an inveterate dealer in indian whisky. capt. samuels was sent as a government agent to the chippewas of st. croix valley and the southern shore of lake superior, in , to ascertain and report their sentiment in regard to the sioux war. it may be said of capt. samuels that, however unprincipled he may have been, he was no dissembler, but outspoken in his sentiments, however repellant they may have been to the moral sense of the community. he died at winfield, kansas, in . joseph b. churchill was born in new york in ; was married in new york to eliza turnbull, and came to st. croix falls in . he has filled various offices creditably, and has the respect and confidence of his acquaintances. his oldest daughter is the wife of phineas g. lacy, of hudson. his second daughter is the wife of joseph rogers. he has one son living. john mclean.--mr. mclean was born , in vermont; was married in to sarah turnbull and settled on his farm near st. croix falls in . through untiring industry and honorable dealing he has secured a sufficiency for life, a handsome farm and good buildings. a large family has grown up around him, and have settled in the county. gilman jewell came from new hampshire; was married in new hampshire and came to the west in . he settled on a farm near st. croix falls. he died in . mrs. jewell died january, . one son, philip, resides on the homestead. ezra, another son, resides at the falls. the other members of the family have moved elsewhere. elisha creech was born in west virginia, . he came to st. croix falls in , and was married to mary m. seeds in . they have four children. mr. creech has been engaged much of his life in lumbering. through industry and temperate habits he has made a good farm and a pleasant home. james w. mcglothlin was born in kentucky; came to st. croix falls in , and engaged successfully in sawing lumber at the st. croix mill in and , but in rented the mill, being sustained by waples & co., of dubuque, iowa, but by reason of bad management, he failed and left the valley in . he afterward went to california, where he met a tragic fate, having been murdered by his teamster. andrew l. tuttle.--mr. tuttle came to st. croix falls in , and was engaged many years as a lumberman and as keeper of a boardinghouse. he settled on his farm at big rock in , where he made himself a comfortable home. he went to montana in , and died there in . mrs. tuttle still resides at the homestead, an amiable woman, who has acted well her part in life. one of her daughters is married to wm. m. blanding. one son, eli, died in , another son, henry, died in montana. perly, john and warren are settled near the homestead. john weymouth was born at clinton, maine, in , and came to st. croix falls in , where he followed lumbering and made himself a beautiful home on the high hill overlooking the two villages of st. croix falls and taylor's falls. by frugality and industry mr. weymouth has accumulated a competence. he was married in st. croix falls in , to mary mchugh. one son, john, is married to miss ramsey, of osceola, and a daughter, mary j., is married to samuel harvey, of st. croix falls. b. w. reynolds, a tall, thin, stoop-shouldered man of eccentric manners, was receiver at the st. croix land office from to . he was a native of south carolina, and a graduate of middlebury college, vermont. he had studied for the ministry, and, if we mistake not, had devoted some years of his life to pastoral work, but devoted later years to secular pursuits. at the close of the war he returned to south carolina as a reconstructionist, but in two or three years came north, and located at la crosse, wisconsin, where he edited the la crosse _star_. he died at la crosse aug. , . augustus gaylord.--mr. gaylord was a merchant in st. croix falls prior to the rebellion. in gov. harvey appointed him adjutant general of the state. in this office he acquitted himself well. he was an efficient public officer and in private life a high minded, honorable gentleman. james d. reymert.--mr. reymert was born in norway in , and came to america and settled in racine in . he was a practical printer, and editor of the first norwegian paper west of the lakes, if not the first in america, and was a man of recognized literary ability. he was a member of the second wisconsin constitutional convention, , from racine. in he was a member of the wisconsin assembly. he came to st. croix falls in , and served two years as agent of the st. croix falls company. he was the organizer of a company in new york city, known as "the great european-american land company," in which count taub, of norway, took an active part. this noted company claimed to have purchased the cushing property, a claim true only so far as the preliminary steps of a purchase were concerned. for a time there was considerable activity. the town of st. croix falls was resurveyed, new streets were opened, and magnificent improvements planned, but failing to consummate the purchase, the company failed, leaving a beggarly account of unpaid debts. william j. vincent.--mr. vincent is of irish descent. he was born june , , and came west when a youth. in , at the age of sixteen, he enlisted in company h, mounted rifles, and served through the mexican war. in he came to st. croix falls, where he followed lumbering and clerking. he was married to myra worth in . in he enlisted in company f, first wisconsin volunteer infantry, of which company he was appointed second lieutenant. he resigned in . he has held the office of county commissioner eleven years, that of county clerk seven years, that of state timber agent four years. in he served as representative in the wisconsin assembly. in he commenced selling goods with his son-in-law, under the firm name of vincent & stevenson. he erected the first brick store building in st. croix falls in . thompson brothers.--thomas thompson was born in lower canada, nov. , , and was married to eliza clendenning in . james thompson was born in lower canada, nov. , , and was married to mary a. gray in . the brothers came to the falls in and engaged in lumbering about ten years, and then in merchandising, jointly, but in formed separate firms. thomas built the first brick dwelling house in st. croix in . mrs. thomas thompson died in . james erected a large flour mill in . william amery was born in london, england, in . he learned the carpenter's trade in london and came to america in , locating at first in stillwater, but the ensuing year removing to st. croix falls. he pre-empted the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section , township , range , and adjoining lands in , and this has been his continuous home since. he has served as county treasurer four years and held many town offices. he was married to sarah hackett in . the town of amery is named in honor of this respected man. mr. amery died sept. , , leaving a widow, two sons and three daughters. lewis barlow.--among the first immigrants to st. croix falls was lewis barlow, an eccentric, sensitive man. he was a millwright, and, being of an unhappy disposition, led a troubled life. he was the first man married at the falls. in he moved to the minnesota side, where he owned considerable land. he lived here until when his family left him. he sold his interests and followed and reunited them at rock island, illinois. here he suffered much and became blind. he traveled with a panorama and so earned a scanty livelihood. in later life he revisited his old home at the falls, but broken and dejected in spirit. he died at rock island in . levi w. stratton.--mr. stratton was one of the passengers of the palmyra in . he worked for the st. croix company two years. after leaving the falls, he changed his residence several times, and finally settled at excelsior, hennepin county, minnesota, where he died in . mr. stratton wrote for the minneapolis papers many interesting reminiscences of pioneer life on the st. croix. elma m. blanding.--mr. blanding was born in harford, susquehanna county, new york, feb. , . he was married to eliza tuttle in . he settled on a farm near st. croix falls in , where he died, sept. , . father blanding, as he was affectionately called in the later years of his life, was a man of exemplary habits, of strong religious convictions, and a consistent member of the presbyterian church. he left a widow, five sons and three daughters. mrs. eliza blanding died jan. , . wm. m. blanding, the oldest son, owns a fine farm near the falls, formerly known as "jerusalem." he is a surveyor, lumberman and farmer, and a prominent citizen. he was married to eliza tuttle. a family of thirteen children has grown up around him. in he was appointed receiver in the st. croix land office. john, the second son, is also a farmer in st. croix falls. he was married to sarah, daughter of edward and mary c. worth. eugene e. is engaged in the drug business at taylors falls, and is also surveyor and express agent. he married joanna ring, of taylors falls, in . fred, the fourth son, was married in to emma sly. he was appointed united states land receiver at st. croix falls in . he died in california, jan. , . frank, the youngest son, was married to annie mccourt, and lives on the homestead. josephine, the oldest daughter, is the wife of wm. longfellow, and resides in machias, maine. flavilla, the widow of charles b. whiting, lives at st. paul, minnesota. her husband died in . mrs. whiting was executrix of the will of dr. e. d. whiting, and successfully controlled a property valued at about $ , . mary, wife of wm. mccourt, died in . [illustration: william m. blanding.] frederick k. bartlett was a native of new england. he came to st. croix falls in , as attorney and land agent for caleb cushing. he was candidate for judge of the district court in , but was defeated. he subsequently settled in stillwater, and later in hudson, where he died in , leaving a wife and one son, who became a civil engineer and died in st. paul in , and one daughter, helen, who achieved some reputation as a writer for periodicals. michael field was born june , . he came from a new england family, his father and mother having resided in connecticut. in early life he removed to new york and resided awhile at rochester. he engaged principally in transportation business. the earliest work he ever did was on the erie canal. he was married in to miss reynolds, who died in . his children are capt. silas wright field (mortally wounded at shiloh), norton, a resident of racine, wisconsin, mrs. fanny nason, wife of hon. joel f. nason, phebe and mary, unmarried and resident in brooklyn. mr. field was married to his second wife, mrs. harriet lee bracken, in . he was appointed register of the land office at st. croix falls by president lincoln in , and served twenty-six years. though over eighty years of age he retains his faculties and general health, and his mind is a store house of the early history of the country. alden. the town of alden embraces township , range , and twenty-four sections of range . it has both prairie and timber land, and is abundantly supplied with water. apple river traverses it from northeast to southwest. there are many tributary small streams, and a large number of small lakes, of which cedar lake is the largest. this lies only partially in alden. the surface is gently undulating. the town of alden was organized in . the first board of supervisors were stephen williams, william folsom and h. sawyer. the first post office was established at wagon landing in , v. m. babcock, postmaster. the first settlers were wm. folsom, v. m. babcock, v. b. kittel, i. l. bridgman, charles vassau, jr., and humphrey sawyer, in . mr. bridgman raised the first crops in . the first marriage was c. vassau to alma kittel, in , by rev. a. burton peabody. the first white child born in alden was p. b. peabody, july , . the first death was that of a child, nicholas w. gordon, june , . alden has two post towns, little falls and alden. rev. a. burton peabody was born may , , in andover, windsor county, vermont. he was the youngest of four minor children, and was left fatherless at eight years of age, and motherless at fifteen. he obtained a good english education in the common schools, and at chester and black river academies. the winter terms he spent in teaching. in he came to janesville, wisconsin, where he spent two years, partly on a farm and partly in a law office, as a student and clerk. in he went to iowa county, and taught school through the winter at mineral point. the next year he went to clarence, green county, wisconsin, where he spent four years in teaching. in he entered the nashotah theological seminary, where he completed the course, and was ordained deacon in the protestant episcopal church, june , , by the rev. bishop kemper, and took temporary charge of grace church, sheboygan. he was married to charity esther kittel, sept. , , at clarence, by the rev. wm. ruger. in november of the same year he removed to mississippi, spending the winter at jackson. in february he went to middleton, mississippi, to take charge of a mission work, including several appointments. he came, the june following, to polk county, wisconsin, and spent the summer at wagon landing, on apple river, where his wife's friends had made a settlement, but in the winter returned to his mission work in the south, and there remained until . owing to the troubled political condition of the south, he did not deem it advisable to remove his family thither, and so returned to wagon landing and obtained mission work, visiting at intervals foster's mills, now new richmond, huntington, cedar valley, and st. croix falls. the intervening country was, much of it, an unbroken wilderness, and he was obliged to make his journeys not infrequently on foot, to cross the swollen streams and dare all the perils of the winter storm. in mr. peabody accepted a call to the rectorship of st. paul's church, plymouth, sheboygan county, but in returned to the valley of the st. croix, and settled on a farm, undertaking meanwhile ministerial work at prescott and other points, in a line extending as far north as st. croix falls. three years later prescott and river falls were made independent, another man taking charge. in mr. peabody undertook additional work on the north wisconsin railroad, including a large number of places, to be visited monthly. in his railroad work was limited to clayton, cumberland and hayward. he still has charge, as rector, of star prairie and wagon landing. few men have led more laborious lives or been more useful in their calling. he has witnessed the erection of eight churches on the field in which he labored, though concerned directly in the building of only four. mr. peabody's family consists of seven sons and seven daughters. one of the latter died in infancy. v. m. babcock settled at wagon landing, town of alden, in . he was born in rensselaer county, new york; married his first wife in new york and his second wife at somerset, st. croix county, wisconsin. they have four children. he has held town offices ever since the organization of the town. he has been sheriff, and was county superintendent of schools for seven years. apple river. the town of apple river includes township , range , and derives its name from its principal river. the town is well watered by apple river and its tributaries, and it also has numerous lakes, the most considerable of which is white ash lake. the surface of the town is gently undulating, and was originally covered with pine, interspersed with hardwood groves. there is good wheat soil, and natural meadows are found in some parts. the town was organized jan. , , having been set off from balsam lake. there are two post offices, apple river on the west, and shiloh on the east town line. balsam lake. the town of balsam lake embraces township , range , and takes its name from a lake within its bounds. it has an undulating surface, covered with heavy oak, pine, and maple timber principally. balsam creek, the outlet of balsam lake, flows through it in a southerly direction, affording fine water powers. about one-sixth of the surface is covered with lakes. the largest of these, balsam lake, in the indian language an-in-on-duc-a-gon, or evergreen place, gives name to the town. deer, long, wild goose, and mud lakes are fine bodies of water with bold, timbered shores, and abundance of fish. the town is near the geographical centre of the county. the first white man, prior to the organization of the town, to locate within its present bounds was a disreputable trader named miller, who in built a shanty on balsam lake, from which he dispensed whisky to the indians. this man was not long afterward driven out of the country. (see history of st. croix falls.) the town was organized in . the first board of supervisors consisted of geo. p. anderson, wright haskins, and joseph loveless. the clerk was h. j. fall; the treasurer, f. r. loveless. the first school was taught by jane husband. aaron m. chase built a shingle mill at the outlet of balsam lake in , and he seems to have been the first actual settler or the first man to make improvements. as he had neither oxen nor horses, the timbers for the mill were hauled by man power with the aid of yokes and ropes. other persons came to the mill and lived there awhile, but the first permanent settlers came in in . they were j. shepherd, joseph loveless, joseph ravett, and john m. rogers. mr. rogers raised the first crops in the town; joseph ravett was the first postmaster. the first marriage was that of j. k. adams to miss l. a. millerman, by w. h. skinner. the first white child born was a daughter to r. s. haskins. the first death, that of a child, occurred in . a first class flouring mill has been erected at the outlet of balsam lake. it is owned by herman corning; a saw mill is also in operation at this point. a methodist church, × feet ground plan, was erected at balsam lake by the methodist society in . beaver. the town of beaver includes township , range . it was set off from apple river and organized nov. , . the name was suggested as being appropriate from the work of the beaver in past ages. beaver dams are numerous on all the creeks. these ancient works will mostly disappear with the progress of agriculture. the town is drained by streams flowing into apple river. horseshoe lake, in the northeast corner, is three miles in length. black brook. the town of black brook includes township , range . apple river, with its tributaries, supplies it with abundant water privileges. black brook, the principal tributary, gives the town its name, and drains the southern portion. there are many small lakes. the surface is undulating and most of the soil good. the post office of black brook is in section . the north wisconsin railroad passes through sections , and . this town was originally a part of alden, but was organized and set off as a new town aug. , . j. c. nelson and g. h. goodrich were the first supervisors. the first settlers ( ) were john gorsuch, john reed and jacob polwer; the first postmaster was ---- gates; the first school teacher, tina starkweather; the first marriage that of s. d. starkweather and mary danforth; the first death that of mrs. ben gilman. clam falls. clam falls comprises township , range , and derives its name from the falls on clam river. the surface is rolling and timbered with hardwood and pine. it is well watered by south clam creek and its tributaries. somers' lake, in section , is the only lake. an upheaval of trap rock on clam creek has caused the waterfall from which the town has taken its name. it is a fine water power. a dam for collecting tolls on saw logs has been placed just above the falls. good specimens of copper ore are found in the trap. the town was set off from luck and organized nov. , . the first town meeting was held april, . the first supervisors were daniel f. smith, john almquist and john bjornson. d. f. smith was the first settler, built the first saw mill, and raised the first crops. daniel f. smith, a peculiar and eccentric man, was born in chautauqua county, new york, in ; emigrated to michigan in , where he married eliza green the following year, and moved to racine county, wisconsin. in he engaged in lumbering on the wisconsin river, his home being at stevens point. he was of the firms of smith & bloomer and smith & fellows. mr. bloomer was accidentally killed, on which account the business of these firms was closed, mr. smith removing to galena to facilitate the settlement of their affairs. in he removed to st. louis; in to memphis, tennessee, where he engaged in the wholesale grocery business, losing heavily, in fact all the accumulations of his life. in the spring of he leased the st. croix falls saw mill, and operated it for two years, when trouble arose and litigation ensued, in which smith obtained a judgment against cushing for $ , . in he removed to clinton, iowa, and thence in the same year to california. he traveled much, visiting mines. he spent some time in mining, and also manufactured shingles. in he returned to st. croix falls and engaged in lumbering for three years. in he built a saw mill at butternut lake, wisconsin. he did much to open that country to settlement. he was the founder of a town which he called "luck." in he was the first settler at clam falls, where he built a saw mill with but one man to assist, and around that mill has sprung up a flourishing settlement. dan smith, with undaunted perseverance, has battled his way through life, and has come out victorious over difficulties and opposition that would have discouraged and turned back other men. mr. smith is a plain, direct, outspoken man; a man of energy and ability. he has ably and satisfactorily filled many places of trust. for many years he has been a commissioner of polk county. clayton. clayton includes township , range . the town was set off from black brook. the surface of a great part of the town is level and was originally marshy, but these marshes have been gradually drained, and fine farms and hay meadows have taken their place. the town was organized nov. , . the first supervisors were morris de'golier, worthy prentice and h. d. west. the first homestead entries were made in by peter bouchea and john mckay, a frenchman, both indian traders, who established a post at marsh lake, but in six months abandoned it and never returned. the next settlers were vandyke, morehouse and tanner, near the west line of the town, about . the first improvements were made by elam greely in , who dug a canal into marsh lake to get water to float logs out of beaver brook, thereby draining great tracts of swamp land. the laying of the north wisconsin railroad track gave a fresh impetus to business, and conduced greatly to the building of the village of clayton in section . the first sermon in the town of clayton was preached by rev. w. w. ames, a baptist; the first school was taught by s. m. de'golier; the first store was opened by a. m. wilcox, . d. a. humbird was the first postmaster. the north wisconsin railway passes through the southeast part and the minneapolis, soo & atlantic passes from the west side to the northeast corner of the town, and has a station, gregory, in the west part. reuben f. little was born june , , in topsham, devonshire county, england. at ten years of age he began to care for himself, working for sixpence per week, carrying pottery in a moulding house. before leaving england his wages had increased to three shillings per week. in the spring of he had saved three pounds sterling, and his grandfather gave him two pounds sterling. this five pounds paid his passage to quebec and montreal, where he got four dollars per month. soon after he apprenticed himself for five years to learn the baker's and confectioner's trade at london, upper canada. subsequently he took a homestead from the british government at trading lake, upper canada. [illustration: reuben f. little.] in the spring of , at detroit, michigan, he enlisted in the united states infantry, regular army, and was promoted successively to first sergeant, to sergeant major, to second lieutenant, to first lieutenant. he resigned in september, . during the war he served continuously in gen. george h. thomas' division, and took part in all the engagements under him, from miles springs, kentucky, to nashville, tennessee. on the twenty-second of september, , mr. little had the honor of being the last man to leave the rossville gap in front of chattanooga after the disastrous fight of chickamauga. he was wounded in the battle of hoover's gap and smyrna, and at the siege of corinth. mr. little was married in , and divorced in , and re-married in st. paul in . he lost his canada homestead, and took another homestead in lincoln, polk county, wisconsin, in . afterward he went to st. paul and became one of the firm of little & berrisford in the wholesale confectionery business. in he returned to clayton, formerly part of lincoln, and reclaimed a swamp of over six hundred acres, making it a productive meadow and tillage farm. mr. little has served several years as clayton's town supervisor. clear lake. clear lake embraces township , range . it derives its name from a beautiful clear lake on the western boundary near clear lake village. the west part of the town is timbered principally with hardwood, and is good farming land. the eastern part is more diversified, and there are some large groves of pine. willow river runs through the town. the north wisconsin railroad traverses the town diagonally from northeast to southwest: the town was organized june , ; s. d. mann, j. c. gates, and w. r. ingalls, supervisors. the first settlers were john hale, l. p. nash, s. d. starkweather, and perry clark. lawrence o'connor was first postmaster; mr. starkweather carried the mail on foot. israel graves, in , built the first saw mill in clear lake village and the first house. there is now at the village a stave mill owned by symme & co. jewett bros. own a saw mill on willow river, three miles from the village, which has a capacity of , , feet. the lumber is delivered to the railway at the village by a wooden tramway. the lots for the village were purchased from the government by a. boody and a. coventry, in . the plat was made by symme, glover & co. the survey was made by g. w. cooley. thomas t. mcgee was the first settler ( ), and stephen h. whitcomb the second. the first school house was built in , and the first school was taught by clara davis in the same year. the village has now a good graded school with three departments, charles irle, principal. its two church buildings, congregational and methodist, were destroyed by the cyclone of , but are being rebuilt. the swedish lutherans have a church a mile from the village. chas. decker was the first postmaster; a. symme & co. were the first merchants; p. gates, m.d., the first practicing physician; f. m. nye the first lawyer. the first marriage was that of john c. gates and ella scovill. the first birth was chas. w. whitcomb, and the first death that of a child of hans johnson. pineville. the town of pineville, a railroad station and village in section , is a lumbering centre. the pineville lumbering company have here a saw mill with a capacity of , , feet. the logs are brought on wooden railways three to ten miles. p. b. lacy & co., of hudson, are the proprietors. frank m. nye was born in shirley, piscataquis county, maine, in . his parents removed to wisconsin in . he was educated at the common schools and at river falls academy. he came to clear lake in , and was elected district attorney for polk county in , and representative in the wisconsin assembly in . he removed to minneapolis in . eureka. eureka embraces township , range and a fractional part of range . the west part is somewhat broken by the st. croix bluffs; the remainder is undulating and capable of agricultural improvement. there are many good farms in this town. there are a few small lakes in the eastern part. eureka was set off from st. croix falls, and organized dec. , . the first supervisors were lucius a. harper, jens welling and william booth. the first settlers were l. a. harper, john c. beede, henry cole and others. there are three post offices in the town,--harper, cushing and north valley. at the mouth of wolf creek, in the extreme northwestern section of this town, j. r. brown had a trading house in the ' s, and louis roberts in the ' s. at this place alex. livingston, another trader, was killed by indians in . livingston had built him a comfortable home, which he made a stopping place for the weary traveler, whom he fed on wild rice, maple sugar, venison, bear meat, muskrats, wild fowl and flour bread, all decently prepared by his indian wife. mr. livingston was killed by an indian in . in carma p. garlick surveyed a quarter section here and laid it off into town lots, and had lithograph maps published, calling the prospective village sebatanna, an indian town signifying "water village." charles nevers settled here about , and has now a fine farm and good buildings. farmington. farmington was organized as a town in . it contains forty-two sections of land, in township , ranges and , with some fractions of sections on the st. croix. it is a rich agricultural town, well diversified with prairie and timber land. its western portion, along the st. croix, has the picturesque bluffs common to that river, with some unusually beautiful cascades and hillside springs, of which the most notable are the well known mineral spring and the springs at the lime kiln. the mineral spring is situated on the st. croix river, at the base of the bluff, and about one mile and a half below osceola mills. a beautiful hotel was built in on the cliff above, at a cost of about $ , , which became quite a popular place of resort until , when it was burned. it has not been rebuilt. the property was improved by currant & stevens, but afterward sold. the following analysis shows the chemical constituents of a gallon of the water of the spring: grains. chloride of sodium . sulphate of soda . bicarbonate of soda . bicarbonate of lime . bicarbonate of magnesia . iron and alumina . silica . organic matter a trace ------- total , south farmington corners has a prosperous cheese factory, owned and operated by koch brothers, erected in , turning out in sixteen tons of cheese and in over twenty tons. south farmington has a catholic church building. the first crops in farmington were raised by wm. kent on a farm near osceola in , and the same year harmon crandall and richard arnold improved land and raised crops not far from the present village of farmington. here, owing to the sandy nature of the soil, well digging proved rather perilous to the two farmers. mr. arnold attempted to dig a well in a depression, a sinkhole, in the prairie. as he dug deeper the sides of the well caved in, almost burying him. he managed by his own utmost exertions and those of his friend crandall to escape, but left his boots deeply imbedded in prairie soil. in the soo railroad company bridged the st. croix, at the cedar bend at the south point of the leaning cedars, and extended their grade along the base of the precipice overlooking the river above, and commanding an extensive view of bold, picturesque and beautiful scenery. biographical. harmon crandall.--the crandall family were the first to settle in osceola prairie, in the town of farmington. mr. crandall moved to his farm in , and lived there many years; sold out and removed to hudson, where, in later life, he became blind. he had three sons born in farmington. in he moved to shell lake, washburn county, where he died, aug. , . mrs. crandall died may , . samuel wall.--mr. wall was born in , in shropshire, england; went as a british soldier to the west indies in ; two years later came to new york city; one year later to st. louis; in to st. paul and in to the st. croix valley, where he made a permanent home at the lime kiln, which he bought of william willim. he was married to anna maria moore in . they had been educated as episcopalians, but are now catholics and have educated their children in that faith in the schools at st. paul. mr. wall served five years in the british army for thirteen pence a day, but west india rum was cheap, only ten pence per gallon, and this, mr. wall pathetically remarked, "was an unfortunate element for the lime-kiln man." after twenty-six years of struggle mr. wall came out victorious and now strongly advises all young men to "touch not, taste not, handle not," anything that can intoxicate. the writer trusts he may stand firm. william ramsey was born in ireland in , and came to america with his parents in his youth, first settling in nova scotia. in he came to washington county, maine. in he was married to sarah stevens, at crawford, maine. in he went to california. in he returned, and located on his farm in farmington, polk county, where he still resides, an efficient citizen, who has borne his full part in the organization of town and county, and filled various offices. hiram w. nason.--mr. nason was born in waterville, maine, in . when of age he settled in crawford, maine. in he was married. he came to polk county, and settled in farmington in . mr. nason died in . mrs. nason died some years later. they were members of the baptist church. their children are joel f., levi, merrill, crocker, albert, james, maria, wife of thos. ford, of farmington, and frances, wife of moses peaselee, of farmington. mr. ford died in . he was a well to do farmer. mr. peaselee, also a farmer, has served as sheriff of polk county. joel f. nason.--mr. nason was born aug. , , in washington county, maine. he was married to bertha hanscomb, of crawford, maine, in july, . their children are everett, fred, louisa, wife of albert thompson, and bertha. mrs. nason died in . mr. nason was married to mary ann godfrey, of osceola, in . mrs. nason died february, . he was married to miss fanny field, of st. croix falls, in . mr. nason settled in farmington in . he engaged in lumbering many years, and was called by his fellow citizens to fill several important offices. he served eight years as county clerk. he was appointed receiver of the united states land office at st. croix falls in , which office he resigned in , when he was elected state senator. john mcadams was born in tennessee in . he was employed for many years on the louisville (ky.) canal. he was married to eliza robinson in . mrs. mcadams died in , leaving one son, melville, born , who came with his father to the st. croix valley in . he first located at osceola, but in removed to farmington, where he died in . mr. mcadams was a mineralogist of some ability. charles tea was born in pennsylvania in ; came into the st. croix valley in ; was married in to mary mcadams, sister of john mcadams, and in the same year settled on a farm in farmington. in he removed to southern iowa. garfield. garfield includes thirty sections of range , and six sections of range , township . it is well watered and has many small lakes, while sucker lake, a lake of considerable size, is about equally divided between its own territory and that of lincoln. garfield was organized in . the first supervisors were abraham sylvester, james t. montgomery and martin hanson. in the minneapolis, soo & atlantic railway built through the town from west to southeast and established one station, deronda, in the southeast corner of the town. the post office of el salem is in garfield. georgetown. georgetown comprises township , ranges and . this town is abundantly supplied with water by apple river and its tributaries, and numerous lakes, some of them of considerable size. the largest are bone, blake, powder and pipe. the timber is hardwood and pine intermingled. immense quantities of pine have been taken from this town, and still much remains. wild meadows are plentiful. georgetown was set off from milltown and organized nov. , . the first supervisors were david h. smith, elisha e. drake and august larbell. george p. anderson was the first settler ( ), and his christian name was affixed to the town. the first school was taught in by john burns. a post office was established in at bunyan, g. p. anderson, postmaster. the first sermon was preached by rev. c. d. scott, a methodist. the first birth was that of lucy anderson; the first marriage that of henry king to etta clark. the first death was that of august larbell. two men murdered. oliver grover and harry knight, two prominent lumbermen of stillwater, on july , , were exploring for timber and hay on pipe lake, section , in georgetown. not returning to their camp, two miles distant, the watchman at the camp, after waiting two days, went to st. croix falls and gave the alarm. many parties went in pursuit of the lost men. some traces of their presence were discovered on the shore of this lake, but the search was finally abandoned. after some months the indians confessed that two of their young men shot the two men, disemboweled them, burned the entrails and sunk the bodies in the lake. their bodies were never found. we append the following newspaper clipping: "finale.--the friends of the two indians that shot grover and knight, last tuesday delivered to p. b. lacy, of st. croix falls, the valuables that were taken from the bodies of the murdered men. they consisted of $ in gold, $ . in greenbacks, $ in silver, one silver watch, one wallet and one pocket knife. this is probably the closing act of the bloody tragedy which cost two innocent men their lives at the hands of indians steeped in liquor, and who, fearing the vengeance of the white man, committed suicide." the two murderers had confessed the crime and shot themselves. george p. anderson.--mr. anderson was born in fulvana county, virginia, ; was educated in the common schools; lived in ohio eighteen and in indiana fifteen years, and came to balsam lake in . few men have been more active in the opening up of a new settlement. mr. anderson has been several times elected to office in the new county, and was a principal actor in the establishment of the polk county agricultural society in . he has a family of fifteen children living. laketown. laketown includes township , range . it is named from the lakes that dot almost every section in the town. trade lake, with its tributary from butternut lake, are the principal streams. the town was set off from sterling and organized april , . the first supervisors were l. bell; s. p. heard and n. fornell. the town was settled largely by swedes, norwegians, danes and alabamians. the latter settled in the northwestern part of the town. in caleb cushing bought the agricultural college lands in the town to the amount of , acres. the first school house was built in , in section . p. tierney taught the first school. lindsey mckee was the first settler. he was also the first to sell out and leave. daniel swensbarger, a german, bought him out, and a number of his countrymen settled near him. jacob swensbarger started a store. n. grondund built the first blacksmith shop. peter olsen built the first saw mill, at the foot of long lake, in . the first marriage was that of l. mckee and mary addington, by l. bell, esq. lincoln. lincoln includes township , range , and the eastern tier of sections of township , range . it is abundantly watered by apple river and its tributaries, and has numerous lakes of which sucker lake is the largest. the soil is well adapted to the culture of wheat. there are many fine farms in this township. the surface, originally covered with timber, is undulating. the town was organized in , being set off from osceola. the first town meeting was held april, . a. a. heald, m. c. lane and john hurness were the first supervisors. the post town is at lincoln centre. the polk county poor farm is pleasantly situated on a lake in lincoln, and has been well managed for a series of years by capt. wilkie. amery village is located on apple river, at the crossing of the "soo line" railway. it has two saw mills and a stave factory. the minneapolis, soo & atlantic railway passes through lincoln from southwest to east, and has a station at apple river crossing, named amery, in honor of william amery, one of polk county's best citizens. wm. wilson was born in , at armagh county, ireland. at four years of age he came to america with his parents, who located at canada west, where he learned the baker's trade. in he came to osceola and followed lumbering eight years. he was married at osceola to leah moody and located on his homestead in lincoln in . he has three sons. mr. wilson has been a useful citizen and has done his full share of pioneer work. loraine. loraine includes townships and , range . it is a heavily timbered district, with hardwood and pine interspersed. the surface is undulating and the soil is much of it good. it is well watered by south clam creek and tributaries, and has a multitude of small lakes. there are some fine farms in the northern part of the township. loraine was organized nov. , . the first town meeting was held april, . the first supervisors were, frank j. williams, george phelps and john klinch. wm. gallespie built the first hotel and opened it in . the first school was taught by georgia lacy. the first marriage was that of james lago and almeda johnson. the first white child was george phillips; the first death that of a child of j. l. ellis. the first settler was c. loraine ruggles. he was somewhat eccentric. he published a book embodying his own adventures during the rebellion, which he called "the great american spy." the town was named after him. n. b. bull and chas. anderson were the next settlers. wm. wallace gallespie was born in louisville, kentucky; lived in his youth in illinois and came to marine mills in . in he married cecilia m. ring, widow of charles turner, of taylor's falls. in he moved to his homestead in loraine, where he has a good farm and hotel. he has two sons and one daughter. luck. luck includes township , ranges and . it is a good agricultural region and contains already many valuable farms. the eastern half of the town was originally a rich pine wood region. much of the timber is yet standing. the town is well watered by upper trade and straight rivers and has many beautiful lakes, the principal of which are butternut and north. luck was organized as a town nov. , . the first supervisors were wm. h. foster, m. c. pederson and j. j. bille. the first settlers were wm. w. gallespie, w. h. foster and d. f. smith ( ). the first marriage was that of w. h. foster, and his oldest child was the first white child born in luck. wm. gallespie raised the first crops. d. f. smith built the first saw mill. w. h. foster was first postmaster. at present there are two post offices, one at the village of luck, the other at west denmark. laura jones taught the first school in luck. the town has been settled chiefly by danes, mostly direct from denmark. a danish high school was established in , k. noregaad, principal, at which different languages are taught. the building cost $ , . it is beautifully located on butternut lake. the lutherans have three flourishing church organizations in this town. william h. foster was born in bangor, maine, in ; came to st. croix valley in ; settled in luck in and engaged in farming and lumbering. he served in the army during the rebellion, and was postmaster at luck for eighteen years. his father, daniel foster, came with him to the st. croix valley in and died in . his native place was new hampshire. milltown. milltown includes township , range . it is a good agricultural and stock growing town. it is watered by the small streams flowing into balsam, half moon and other lakes. the timber is mostly hardwood. there is pine in the eastern part. the patterson post office is located in section , milltown in section . milltown was set off from st. croix falls dec. , . the first town meeting was held jan. , . the first supervisors were john lynch, m. fitzgerald, sr., and john hurley. the roman catholic church was organized here in . their new house of worship was built in . the first settlers were james and john rogers. the first school ( ) was taught by maggie crawford. the first school house was built in . a grange was organized in . the town has now a good brick school house and a saw and flour mill. patrick lillis was born in ireland in . he came to polk county in , and, with his amiable wife and enterprising sons, made a claim on what was afterward styled milltown, an inappropriate name, but given by mr. lillis himself, as he humorously remarked, "because there was not a stream large enough for a mill site in the town," and milltown it remains to this day. mr. lillis prospered and made himself a good home. he died feb. , . mrs. lillis died december, . they left six sons. john c. is in greene county, texas, simon c. is in southern california, and richard is in memphis, tennessee. henry, the youngest, aged twenty-nine years, has for the past six years been a resident of tacoma, washington territory. the residence of martin and james is not known. osceola. osceola contains all of township , range , except the eastern tier of sections, and ten whole sections and some fractions of range , made somewhat irregular by the st. croix river boundary, and the obtrusion of three sections of farmington in the southwestern part. it is a rich agricultural town, consisting chiefly of prairie, the whole forming a tableland, terminating westward on the precipitous bluffs of the st. croix. it has a good steamboat landing and two good water powers, osceola and close's creeks. these are both fine trout brooks. the bluffs overlooking the st. croix are bold and high, and, for a great part, precipitous. most conspicuous of these bluffs is the promontory known as eagle point, situated just below the osceola landing. an escarpment of limestone, about two hundred feet above the river, projects over its base, not much unlike the celebrated table rock at niagara falls. a tall and solitary pine tree stands upon the extreme verge of this rock, the whole forming a conspicuous landmark, visible to a distance of several miles down the river. the cascade on osceola creek, a few rods above its mouth, has scarcely a rival amongst the waterfalls of the west. it has sometimes been called the minnehaha of wisconsin, but while it resembles somewhat in the lower part of its descent that celebrated cascade, the scenery around it is much wilder, perpendicular rocks towering over it to a great height, while the upper part of the fall is over an inclined plain, broken into steps. it is a favorite haunt for artists and photographers. there are several minor waterfalls of great beauty in the vicinity. the trap rock formation crops out in the eastern and northern parts of the town, rich in specimens of copper and silver. silver is also found in ledges at east lake. the first land claim in the town, made may , , by milton v. nobles and lucius n. s. parker, included the cascade and the present site of the village. the claim was made with the intention of building a saw mill at the outlet of osceola creek. the mill company, organized in , consisted of m. v. and w. h. nobles, wm. kent, wm. o. mahony and harvey walker. mr. nobles sold his interest and removed to willow river; wm. parker removed to st. anthony. the mill commenced cutting timber in . it was run at first with a small flutter wheel, which was replaced by a an overshot wheel, feet; that by another, feet, and that by one feet in diameter. in the company built a two story boarding house, also a shop and office, near the mill. after the completion of the mill walker withdrew from the firm and anson northrup was for a short time a member. kent & mahony for a number of years operated the mill, selling lumber in galena and st. louis. mahony left for california in . around this mill, as a nucleus, the settlement of osceola and the village were built up. the mill, with its immense water wheel, for so many years a conspicuous object on the river, has long since disappeared. osceola has had many enterprising business men engaged in merchandising and manufacturing. the first flouring mill was built by kent brothers in , just above the cascade. this mill changed owners several times, and was burned in . it was rebuilt by lovejoy & sutton in . its present capacity is one hundred barrels per day. the second flouring mill was built by dresser & wilson in . it is situated on the same stream, a few rods above the first. it has also changed owners several times. its capacity is fifty barrels per day. the first merchants were wyckoff and stevenson, in . these have been succeeded by rice, webb, clark brothers, armstrong & co., talboys & staples, dresser & wilson, lacy & johnson, w. a. talboys, gridley & co., heald & thing, dresser brothers, and others. dr. gray was the first practicing physician. after him, at different periods, came drs. hilton, brooks, gaskill, garlick, marshall, searles, cornbacker and clark. the first deed recorded of osceola property was a quitclaim from wm. h. nobles to anson northrup, consideration $ , , in . the first lawyer settled here was i. p. freeland. his successors were button, dowling, dyke, mcdill, and others. the first sermon preached in osceola was by rev. lemuel nobles, a methodist minister, in . there are two church organizations; each has respectable church buildings. the first baptist preacher was rev. s. t. catlin, in . the baptists built the first church in the county in osceola, . the first log house in the town was built by richard arnold in the locality of the famous drake troutmere springs. this house was built in . mr. arnold raised the first crops in the town of osceola. the first school house was built in . a high school building was erected in . w. a. talboys taught the first public school in . until the schools were under the town system. in a free high school was established. the first post office was established in , and w. c. guild was postmaster for twenty years. the first town election was held april , , when the following supervisors were elected: wm. ramsey, chairman; nelson mccarty and w. c. guild. at this meeting the town voted a tax of thirty dollars for school and fifty dollars for town expenses. the first sunday-school was organized by w. a. talboys in . the first marriage, that of john buckley to elizabeth godfrey, was in . the first white child born was john francis, in . the first death was that of leroy hubble, by accident, in . change of name. the name of the town was originally leroy, in honor of mr. hubble above mentioned. it is to be regretted that this name was not retained, inasmuch as osceola, though the name of one of the most celebrated indians in american history, is shared by a post town in the eastern part of the state. it was therefore necessary to call this post town osceola mills, a distinction that correspondents and postmasters are not always careful to note. osceola village remained unorganized until aug. , . the first officers were: president, h. b. dyke; trustees, w. c. reilly, r. s. sutton, g. w. de long, h. e. cornbacker, paul filzen, s. c. benjamin; clerk, s. rowcliff; treasurer, c. w. staples; supervisor, g. d. mcdill; justice of the peace, george wilson; police justice, t. post. the village has a splendid situation upon the bluffs overlooking the river, and communicates with points on the river by boat, and with overland points by the minneapolis, soo & atlantic railway, completed to this place aug. , . there is also a branch road from dresser's station to st. croix falls. the village was visited by destructive fires at various times. most prominent of these was the burning of the freeland hotel in , the western hotel in , and the first flouring mill in . biographical. daniel mears.--mr. mears was born in lynn, massachusetts, in . his first wife, emeline mendon, died in , leaving three sons, charles, david, and daniel. in he was married to susan thompson. they have one daughter, lulu, now mrs. wheeler, of stillwater. mr. mears came west in , and sold goods one year at taylor's place (since taylor's falls). in he removed his store to st. croix falls, where he continued merchandising and lumbering until , when he went to willow river as agent in building the first saw mill in what is now hudson. in he made himself a permanent home on a farm near osceola. he served as state senator from the twenty-eighth district in - , and as state timber agent in - . as an officer mr. mears acquitted himself well. in politics he is a democrat, and while in the senate took an active part in debates. the oldest son, charles, is editor and proprietor of the _polk county press_. the three sons are married. nelson mccarty.--mr. mccarty was born july , , in pike county, pennsylvania; in was married to mary mckune, and came to st. croix valley in , where he engaged in piloting and lumbering. in he made him a farm on osceola prairie. he died in . his brother philip came to osceola in , and settled on osceola prairie. william o. mahony, a native of ireland, born about , came to america while he was yet a minor, and to st. croix falls in . he had learned the trade of a baker, but in became one of the proprietors of the saw mill at osceola, and sold his interest in . he was a man of original and eccentric mind. he went to california in , and died there in . richard arnold is of illinois birth. he came to osceola in , and moved to his farm near the village in . in he removed to taylor's falls and built the cascade house. in he was the first farmer in the town of amador, chisago county. in he left the valley for pike's peak, colorado. wm. kent sr., was born in scotland sometime in . he was married in scotland, and, with his wife and two eldest children, came to america in . he seems to have lived awhile in new brunswick, probably till or , when he removed to eddington, maine, whence he removed to the west and made his home at osceola in , where he and his wife died at an advanced age, honored by all who knew them. his family of six sons and five daughters all grew to mature age, and, except andrew, who located in farmington, had homes in osceola the daughters are anna, wife of curtis guild; agnes (deceased), wife of i. w. freeland; jane, wife of jerry mudget; mary (deceased), wife of chapin kimball; and eva, wife of henry c. goodwin. robert kent, oldest son of wm. kent, sr., was born in scotland in ; came to galena, illinois, in , and to osceola in , where he has filled many responsible public positions. his first wife, to whom he was married in galena in , died in , leaving four children. in mr. kent was married to susan babb, of osceola. andrew kent was born in scotland in . he was married in new brunswick in , but his wife died soon after. he came to osceola in and was married to esther hill, of osceola, in . mr. kent followed lumbering for many years but finally settled on a beautiful farm in farmington, where he still resides, an industrious, thrifty farmer. william kent, jr., was born in new brunswick in ; came to galena in and to st. croix falls in . he was one of the original owners and builders of the first mill at osceola. from time to time he purchased the interests of other partners until he became sole owner of mill and town site. in he sold the mill to b. h. campbell, of galena. mr. kent engaged in steamboating for many years and was a popular commander. he built the nellie kent, the helen mar and maggie reany. of late years he has been engaged in mercantile pursuits. he was married to nellie kidder in . they have no children. mr. kent is an influential member of the masonic order, and has filled many positions of public trust. james kent was born in frederickton, new brunswick, in ; came to wisconsin in ; and was married to mary jane wilson at osceola in . in he removed to ashland, wisconsin, where he died in , leaving a wife and five children. thomas kent was born in richmond, new brunswick, in . he came to osceola in and was married in to achsah hale. he was a practical lumberman and a very active man. he was accidentally killed in , while breaking a jam of logs in clam river. he left a wife and one child. john kent was born in eddington, maine, in . he came to wisconsin with his parents in . he was married to jennie kidder in . he was a house carpenter. lived in duluth some years but returned and settled in osceola. samuel close in made a land claim for a mill at the falls of close creek. shortly after he abandoned the claim and left the country, leaving his name to the creek and slough. ebenezer ayres came from maine to the st. croix valley in , and settled on a farm in osceola, where he made his home during the remainder of his active life. during his last years he became very feeble and partially insane, and his friends placed him in the asylum at madison, where he died, aug. , . his wife, familiarly known in later years as "mother ayres," and greatly esteemed for her excellence of character, died two years later. they reared a family of four sons and seven daughters. the sons charles, seth and andrew are farmers on typo for osceola prairie. warren, a fourth son, died in iowa. the daughters were married--elizabeth to ambrose sevey, ruth to walter carrier, mary (deceased) to frank s. eddy, sarah to e. r. st. clair, and to a second husband, h. h. newberry, all of taylor's falls; abigail to wm. e. doe, and to a second husband, the distinguished phrenologist, o. s. fowler, of new york; almena to ---- clough, of osceola prairie, and, after his decease, to wallace, of osceola; and emma to charles p. fenlason, of pipestone, minnesota. carmi p. garlick was born in erie county, pennsylvania, in ; was married in to elizabeth thompson, of ohio, and come to amador, chisago county, minnesota, in , where he built a saw mill. not succeeding as he had expected, he betook himself to farming and to the practice of medicine while in amador. in he removed to osceola, where he practiced medicine until he entered the united states service as surgeon during the war of the rebellion. he died at milwaukee, jan. , , while in the united states service. he was educated in columbus (ohio) medical college. he left a wife, one son (louis), and one daughter, wife of henry jones, of osceola. john s. godfrey was born in sackville, halifax county, nova scotia, dec. , ; was married to sarah wright, in stonnich, nova scotia, in ; came to easton, wisconsin, in , to taylor's falls in , and to their beautiful homestead in osceola in , where he still lives, respected and honored by all his neighbors as an honest, worthy and industrious man. he has sometimes engaged in lumbering, but his chief success has been as a farmer. mr. and mrs. godfrey are members of the baptist church. they have four sons and five daughters. of his sons, george died in . of his daughters, mary ann, wife of joel f. nason, died in . john, the youngest son, was married to mamie maxwell, and died january, . the daughters are married--elizabeth to john buckley, charlotte to s. b. dresser, eunice to george clark, and sarah to joseph a. brown. the two oldest sons are married--james to m. fenlason, arthur to mary j. daniel. william a. talboys was born in bristol, england; was married to mary rowcliff, in london, in ; came to america in , and to osceola in , where for some years he clerked for kent brothers. he taught the first school in osceola and served four years as county treasurer. he has held many positions of trust. for many years he has been engaged in lumbering and merchandising. in he built an elevator for handling wheat. mr. talboys and his wife are members of the methodist church. they have three children living. the oldest, w. e., is editor of the grantsburg _sentinel_, burnett county. frederic c. is in st. paul. adelaide e. was married to benj. knapp, captain of the steamboat cleon. her husband died in . charles h. staples.--mr. staples was born in portsmouth, new hampshire, in . in he came to bunker hill, illinois, and in the same year was married to hannah garland. he was engaged seven years in the milling business, and in came to osceola, where he engaged in lumbering, selling goods and medicines. he has filled several county offices. of their four children, charles w. was married to may foster, of osceola, in , eva is married to h. b. dyke, and frank to ella fiske. j. w. peake was born dec. , , in schoharie county, new york. at the age of twenty-one he settled near la salle, illinois, and kept a hotel. he came to osceola in , and settled on a farm. on july , , he enlisted in the tenth wisconsin battery, and served till the close of the war. he served several years as town supervisor and assessor. he died at his home, march , . george wilson was born in susquehanna county, pennsylvania, in . his privileges for education were good. he taught school in pennsylvania; came to osceola in ; followed clerking and teaching school; was nine years in flouring mill and merchandising; was two years register of deeds, and has filled minor offices. he was married to emma r. fiske in , at osceola. they have two sons and two daughters, one the wife of capt. george knapp. samuel b. dresser.--mr. dresser was born in buxton, maine, in . during his youth he lived with his parents, chiefly at bangor, where he received the rudiments of a good education in the common schools, and in kent seminary at readfield. he came to taylor's falls in , and followed lumbering and merchandising until , when he settled on his farm homestead on osceola prairie. mr. dresser was a member of the twenty-third wisconsin assembly. he was married to charlotte m. godfrey, june , . they have one daughter, helen a., and six sons, elma t., william a., lester b., wyman h., mark s., and frank e. frederic a. dresser, brother of samuel b., was born at moscow, maine, nov. , , came to taylor's falls, minnesota, in , and remained some years, when he removed to osceola. he served three years during the civil war in the thirtieth wisconsin infantry, and left the service with the rank of quartermaster. after the war he was married to mary e. thoms, of biddeford, maine. during his subsequent residence in osceola he engaged in mercantile pursuits, served as county treasurer four years and as register of deeds five years, which office he held at the time of his death which occurred oct. , . oscar a. clark came to taylor's falls in , settled on a farm in osceola in , and brought hither his parents from vermont, both of whom have since died. oscar was a surveyor. he engaged also in the lumbering and commercial business. he was of the firm of clark brothers. he enlisted in a wisconsin regiment during the rebellion, and served till mustered out, but never returned to his home, and as nothing has since been heard from him, his friends have concluded that he must have been murdered after his discharge, possibly on the way home. cornelius, a brother, lives at the clark homestead; george, a brother, married a daughter, of john s. godfrey. he died in . the widow was subsequently married to cornelius. leman, a brother, settled on a farm in osceola, and died in , leaving a large family. andrew, another brother, of the firm of clark brothers, died in osceola. oscar f. knapp.--capt. knapp has been conspicuous as a steamboat maker, owner and captain for the last thirty years. he was born in clinton county, new york, in . at the age of fifteen years he came west and located in delavan, wisconsin. in he removed to osceola, wisconsin, where he engaged in lumbering for about four years. in he was married to miss angeline hayes, of osceola. in the same year he engaged in the business of steamboating, with which he has been since identified more or less. his first steamboat was the h. s. allen, which, in company with e. b. strong, he bought of h. s. allen, of chippewa falls, in , for $ , . in he built the enterprise, a small but serviceable boat of light draft and fair speed. in capt. knapp built the viola, owned by a stock company. in he built the g. b. knapp, in the jennie hayes, and ran these two boats fourteen years. in he entered the employment of the united states government, improving the navigation of the st. croix river, in which work he is still engaged. his two sons, ben and george, succeeded him in the steamboat business. ben, the oldest son, was born in osceola in ; george, the second son, in . these two boys spent their childhood and youth on the river, and have grown up to be expert pilots and captains, and inherit their father's popularity as river men. ben was married to addie talboys, june, ; george to claribel wilson, in . capt. knapp has two other children, viola, now mrs. arthur johnson, and guy, still a minor. mrs. angeline knapp died at her home in osceola, march , , respected and lamented by all who knew her. capt. ben knapp died oct. , , leaving a wife and two children. mrs. elisabeth b. hayes.--mrs. hayes was born in , in dundee, yates county, new york. in she removed with her husband to missouri. after his death, in the fall of the same year, she came with her children to osceola, where she built the osceola house, which she kept a number of years. the daughters were angeline b. (mrs. o. f. knapp), mrs. hubbell and mrs. milroy, of new york, and mrs. truman foster, widow, since the wife of capt. c. g. bradley. her sons were george, frank and david. capt. george hayes followed piloting and steamboating, excepting during the rebellion, when he served as a soldier in the fourth wisconsin volunteers. in the latter part of the war he served as a scout for gen. canby. at the present time he has the appointment of steamboat inspector, with office in st. paul. david has been prominent as a steamboat captain. he now resides in iowa. cyrus g. bradley was born in kaskaskia, illinois, in . in he came to the lead mines in wisconsin and to osceola in . he was married in to the widow of truman foster, of osceola. mr. bradley engaged in lumbering, became a river pilot, running rafts to st. louis, with stems and blades, called oars and sweeps, before steamboat towing was in vogue. when steamboats became useful in running rafts, he built two steamers especially for raft towing. he had much to do in introducing the steamboat towing business. mr. bradley moved to his farm near osceola in , where he still resides. w. hale.--judge hale's early life was spent on a farm. he commenced lumbering in , and followed that business and piloting on the ohio and alleghany rivers until , when he came to osceola prairie and opened a farm. mr. hale was the first county judge of polk county, and held the position eight years. he has also served as county superintendent of schools. he was born in harmony, susquehanna county, pennsylvania, in ; was married to nancy mckeene, of orange county, new york, in . they have four sons, john, isaac, silas f., and reuben w., and three daughters, esther (mrs. treadwell), malvina (mrs. merrick), and achsah (mrs. thomas kent). edgar c. treadwell was born march , , in susquehanna county, pennsylvania. he came with a team from pennsylvania to osceola in , where he engaged in lumbering and piloting until , when he enlisted in company d, second wisconsin cavalry. he was wounded at yazoo river. he returned to osceola in and was married to esther hale in . mr. treadwell was the first sheriff of polk county, and has filled other places of trust. since the war he has resided on his farm. st. croix falls. extended mention has already been made of the village of st. croix falls in the general history of the first settlement of the county. the town includes township , range , and two partial sections of range . it was organized in , but unfortunately no records of its organization can be obtained. the surface is agreeably diversified by hill and plain, and is supplied with many species of timber, including maple, elm, and several varieties of oak. the st. croix river forms its western boundary, and presents here some of its wildest and most beautiful scenery, including the trap rock ledges of the dalles. st. croix falls village. the buildings of the falls company formed the nucleus of a village which took the name of the falls. its history has been given somewhat at length in the history of the settlement, and in "reminiscences." it is situated on the east bank of the river, between the upper and lower falls. it contains one first class flouring mill, owned by james thompson, one wagon and plow factory, owned by comer brothers, one agricultural warehouse, two livery stables (harvey & co., and lillis & co.), two excellent hotels (j. w. mullen, and c. c. fiske), one united states land office, one church building (presbyterian), costing about $ , , one graded school building, costing $ , , one town hall and several commodious stores and dwellings. the village was platted in , by marion t. chandler. the post office was established in . harvey wilson was the first postmaster. the minneapolis, soo & atlantic railway company have a branch road extending to this place from dresser's station, a distance of three miles. the village was incorporated feb. , , with the following board of officers: president, j. h. mccourt; trustees, john comer, jacob berger, george thompson, charles amery, barney o'neal, sidney wall; clerk, thomas peck; treasurer, a. hoagland; assessor, p. b. jewell; supervisor, s. w. blanding; constable, hoover christopher; justice of the peace, w. b. bull; police justice, thomas peck. st. croix village has suffered from fires. the heaviest losses were without insurance. the flouring mill was burned april , ; loss, $ , . the company's hotel was burned may, ; loss, $ , . fiske's hotel was burned sept. , ; loss, $ , . west sweden. west sweden embraces township , range . this is almost exclusively a hardwood timbered district, with some pine in the north. the soil is rich and well watered with spirit creek and upper wood river. the surface is undulating. the north part has numerous lakes and meadows. there is an upheaval of trap rock in section and copper specimens abound. the principal settlers are swedes. the town was organized nov. , . the first supervisors were n. c. johnson, a. larson and a. dolberg. sterling. the town of sterling is composed of township , ranges and . the east part is heavy hardwood timber land, with rich soil suitable for wheat; the west portion is very sandy and covered with a few scattering oaks and black pines. the whole town is well supplied with hay meadows, which afford great advantages to the stock raiser. the first actual settlers were samuel deneen and william trimmer, who came in the fall of . the year following william lowell, from stillwater, entered three hundred and twenty acres in sections and , range , and made extensive improvements. daniel f. smith took up the same amount of land in section , same town and range, and made improvements. the first white child born was the son of james cragin, august, . the first white couple married was john berry and emily stout, in . the first death was that of mrs. dunlap, sister of william trimmer, in . the town was organized in . the first town meeting was held at the residence of william lowell, and samuel deneen was the first chairman of the town. the town was called moscow, which name was changed one year after to that of sterling. it was the largest town in the county then. it was organized into two school districts, but district no. not being able to build a good school house, an old log shanty was fixed up for school purposes, and in this miss fanny trimmer taught the first school. the first saw and grist mill was built by dr. deneen. olaf strandburg established the first blacksmith shop and with it a gun shop. in charles f. rowley built a "stopping place," so called in those days, on the banks of wolf creek, at the old crossing, half a mile west of deneen's, and cultivated a few acres of land. this house was burned one night by a lot of teamsters in a drunken orgie. dr. samuel deneen, the first white settler in sterling, was born dec. , , in youngstown, ohio. he was married in to margaret conly. he studied medicine in michigan, and came to wisconsin in , and to sterling in . dr. deneen practiced his profession, made him a farm, built a saw and grist mill on wolf creek, established a post office and took an active part in the interests of the new settlement. he and his wife still live on the homestead which they have held for the past thirty years. mrs. deneen was born in . william w. trimmer came to sterling in and made a home, building and occupying what was for many years known as "trimmer's hotel." mr. trimmer died in st. croix falls in . arnold densmore was born in nova scotia, in ; was married to matilda wallace in , and came to sterling in , where he died, jan. , , much respected as a neighbor, citizen and christian. chapter vi. st. croix county. jan. , , the wisconsin legislature created a new county out of crawford county, including territory west of the chippewa river, extending northward to the british possessions, and named it st. croix. by the same act, a day was designated for an election, at which a county seat was to be chosen and county officers elected. "mouth of st. croix," now prescott, and caw-caw-baw-kang, now st. croix falls, were designated as voting places. two places only were voted for, "mouth of st. croix," and dakotah, brown's claim, now schulenberg's addition to stillwater. dakotah was chosen by a vote of forty-five to thirteen. the returns were made to prairie du chien, county seat of crawford county, and certificates issued to the county officers elected by c. j. leonard, clerk of crawford county. the legislature had at the time of creating the new county made it a probate district, philip aldrich being appointed judge. the history of the county until has been given elsewhere, as connected with the early history of stillwater. the admission of wisconsin territory as a state in divided the county, giving it the st. croix river and state line as its western boundary. the wisconsin portion of the old county was consequently left without a county seat, while the portion west of the st. croix had a county seat, but was without state or territorial jurisdiction. congress, however, declared wisconsin territorial laws to be still in force in the excluded territory, and they so remained until the organization of minnesota territory. soon after the admission of wisconsin, that part of st. croix county within its limits was reorganized for county and judicial purposes, and a new county seat chosen, located in section , township , range , at the mouth of willow river. this county seat was at first called buena vista. on sept. , , the county commissioners, under the law creating the county, held their first meeting at the county seat, in the house of philip aldrich. the commissioners present were ammah andrews, chairman; w. h. morse, and w. r. anderson, clerk. philip aldrich was appointed treasurer. four voting precincts were established, mouth of st. croix, willow river or buena vista, osceola, and falls of st. croix. these early commissioners performed duties of the most varied character incident to the government of a new county. there was as yet no county seal, and they were required to draw with the pen upon legal documents a scroll representing a seal, and to use other forms, appliances and devices without legal precedent. at the second meeting of the county commissioners osceola was represented by harmon crandall, he having been absent at the first meeting of the board. moses perin was appointed collector. license for selling intoxicating liquors was fixed at twenty dollars per annum. the rate of taxation was fixed at seven mills on the dollar. the first state election in the county was held at buena vista, nov. , . one hundred and fifteen votes were the whole number cast in the county. the following officers were elected: senator, james fisher, of crawford county; representative, joseph bowron, buena vista; county commissioners, wm. h. morse, ammah andrews, harmon crandall, buena vista; county clerk, w. richardson, buena vista; register of deeds, w. r. anderson, buena vista; judge of probate court, alvah d. heaton, osceola; county treasurer, philip aldrich, buena vista; coroner, wm. o. mahony, osceola; surveyor, alex. s. youle, st. croix falls. at the commissioners' meeting, feb. , , the county was divided into the following towns: st. croix falls, buena vista, and elisabeth. at an election held sept. , , hamlet h. perkins received forty-nine votes for judge, and joel foster forty-one. mr. perkins was drowned at st. croix falls soon after, and the governor appointed mr. foster to fill the vacancy. judge foster held his first court at buena vista. daniel noble johnson was appointed prosecuting attorney in . james hughes was appointed in . the first district court was held in august, . at a special meeting of the commissioners in , james hughes and j. m. bailey were appointed a building committee to make estimates for the erection of a courthouse and jail. at the special meeting of the commissioners, jan. , , the town of kinnikinic was organized. they had also under consideration the erection of county buildings, and appointed ammah andrews to erect the same. otis hoyt, for non-attendance at this meeting of the board, was fined fifty dollars, but the fine was subsequently remitted. the legislature of changed the name of the town of buena vista to willow river, also of the town of elisabeth to prescott. at a subsequent meeting the contract with ammah andrews to erect public buildings was rescinded, and daniel mears was made special agent to build a jail, and three hundred and fifty dollars was appropriated for that purpose. the town of rush river was organized nov. , . at the request of petitioners, the town of leroy (now osceola) was organized nov. , . a day was fixed in to vote on the change of name, willow river to hudson. the name hudson was adopted by a two-thirds majority. the legislature of created from the territory of st. croix county the counties of polk, st. croix and pierce, polk being located on the north, pierce on the south, and st. croix occupying the central portion of the original st. croix county, and retaining the county seat. st. croix county, as at present constituted, lies on the east bank of the river and lake st. croix, forming, but for slight irregularities on the western line, a parallelogram. it includes townships to , and ranges to , with fractions of range on the west. the surface varies from gently undulating to hilly. the bluffs along the lake are not precipitous, as on the upper st. croix, but are even and continuous, with gently rounded slopes. from the river, eastward, the country is broken and somewhat hilly; the central portions are rolling prairies on which are fine farms, and the eastern portions are level and originally heavily timbered. the eastern tier of townships is covered by a heavy growth of timber known as the big woods. the timber is composed of basswood, maple, butternut, several species of oak, and a sprinkling of white pine. the soil is a rich clayey loam and well adapted for grass, grain and root crops. good building and limestone crop out in places. the county is well drained by the st. croix and its tributaries, apple, willow and kinnikinic on the west and rush river on the east. of these tributaries apple river is the largest. it rises in polk county, where it is supplied by numerous lakes, enters st. croix county and passes diagonally across the northwest corner and empties into the st. croix river a few miles above stillwater. willow river rises in cylon township and empties into st. croix lake, just above hudson. this river passes through a deep gorge in the limestone rock, a few miles above its mouth, falling in its passage over several ledges of rock, producing falls famed far and near for their wildness and grandeur. kinnikinic river in the south part of the county is famed also for the beauty of its scenery and for its waterfalls. it passes into pierce county and then, uniting with its southern branch, flows into lake st. croix. rush river rises in eau galle, and turns and flows thence to lake pepin. these streams have unfailing supplies from springs and small lakes. there is a remarkable formation in the kinnikinic valley about seven miles above river falls, called the monument. it is a ledge of pure white sandstone rock, nearly circular, and rising to a height of sixty feet. it stands on a natural elevation far above the level of the valley and so forms a very conspicuous and curious object. the base is forty or fifty feet wide, and the summit is a turret-shaped mass of rock about fifteen feet wide and as many high. the part upon which the turret rests is dome-shaped, its sides worn by the rains into deep furrows. years ago a tree grew upon the summit. the soft sandstone is being gradually worn away by the winds and rains. how the school lands were selected. philip aldrich was appointed commissioner in to locate the state school lands in st. croix county, at that time including polk and pierce counties. it is said that dr. aldrich would climb to the summits of the highest mounds, and, casting his eyes east, west, north or south, would proclaim such and such numbers or sections as school lands. where all were so arable and fertile there was no use in discriminating. at the division of the county in the part designated as st. croix county was subdivided into three towns, buena vista or hudson, willow river and kinnikinic or troy. as the population increased these towns were divided and subdivided until they numbered twenty-three. we append their names and dates of organization. where more than one name is given the last is the present name: buena vista, willow river, hudson malone, troy rush river pleasant valley somerset hammond star prairie dayton, malone, kinnikinic cold spring, richmond erin prairie brookville, eau galle st. joseph cylon warren springfield emerald stanton cady baldwin forest glenwood some changes were also made in the boundaries of the towns. no progress was made in the erection of county buildings until , when a contract was made by the commissioners with ammah andrews to build a court house for $ , on the ground originally purchased of moses perin. the final cost was $ , . st. croix agricultural society. an important event to the county was the organization of the st. croix agricultural society, in . beautiful grounds were chosen on the bluffs one-half mile south of the city of hudson. the annual fairs of this association, formerly held in rotation at various points in the county, now limited to the grounds south of the city, have always been well patronized and successful. pomona grange. the pomona grange of st. croix county holds quarterly meetings at various points, alternately. there are subordinate granges at hudson, richmond, hammond, and warren. there is a co-operative store in the city of hudson which is well sustained. these granges are in a flourishing condition. agricultural statistics. at the taking of the last census there were , farms in st. croix county, containing , acres of improved land, valued at $ , , . the farm implements were then placed at a valuation of $ , ; live stock, at $ , ; and all soil products at $ , , . the stock numbered , horses, mules, oxen, , cows, and , other cattle. the average yield of products throughout the county can be fairly placed at these figures: wheat, , , bushels; oats, , bushels; rye and barley, , bushels; corn, , bushels; potatoes, , bushels; hay, , tons; cheese, , pounds; butter, , pounds. during the past few years agriculture has steadily increased while rapid strides have been made in manufactures, so that the totals would be quite materially enlarged now over those of . manufactures. in manufactures the statisticians have the county down for establishments with a capital of $ , , utilizing materials to the amount of $ , , , evolving products to the sum of $ , , , and paying $ , in wages per annum. as to manufactures, in round numbers there is produced in the county: lumber, , , feet; shingles, , , : laths, , , ; furniture, $ , ; barrels, , ; flour, , barrels. st. croix poor farm is located in the northwest part of kinnikinic, section , on each side of the kinnikinic river. it was purchased in for $ , , and the probable present value is $ , . first tax roll of st. croix county, . st. croix falls. =========================================================== names. | amt. property. | total tax. ----------------------------+----------------+------------- john mckusick | $ , . | $ . leach & mckean | , . | . edward johnson | , . | . falls of st. croix company | , . | . dexter & harrington | , . | . a. w. russell | . | . edward worth | . | . peter lombair | . | . serno jonava | . | . j. mclanglin | , . | . wm. town | . | . j. cornelison | . | . george de attley | . | . s. partridge | . | . dan foster | . | . a. livingston & kelly | . | . john powers | . | . thos. foster | . | . george field | . | . adam sebert | . | . weymouth & brother | . | . s. s. crowell | . | . lewis barlow | . | . i. s. kimball | . | . philip b. jewell | , . | . kent & mahoney | , . | . h. crandall | . | . daniel coite | . | . m. m. samuels | . | . w. h. c. folsom | . | . w. w. folsom | . | . j. sanders | . | . g. w. brownell | , . | . richard arnold | . | . wm. r. marshall | . | . dr. palmer | . | . joseph lagroo | . | . j. bascan | . | . b. cheever | , . | . h. h. perkins | , . | . levi lagoo | . | . m. shults | , . | . +----------------+------------ total | $ , . | $ , . ------------------------------------------------------------ willow river. =========================================================== names. amt. property. total tax. ----------------------------+----------------+------------- james purinton | $ . | $ . wm. r. anderson | . | . samuel clift | . | . joseph kelner | . | . p. d. aldrich | . | . moses perin | . | . ammah andrews | . | . john b. page | , . | . lewis massey | . | . joseph lagrew | . | . wm. h. nobles | . | . lemuel nobles | . | . milton e. nobles | . | . john collier | . | . philip aldrich | . | . peter f. bouchea | . | . a. smith | . | . mcknight | . | . wm. steets | . | . joseph abear | . | . +----------------+------------ total | $ , . | $ . ------------------------------------------------------------ mouth of lake st. croix. ================================================================== names. |amt. property. | total tax. ----------------------------+---------------+---------------------- thomas m. finch | $ . | $ . mrs. lockwood | , . | . freeman, larpenteur & co | . | . frank trudell | . | . louis barlow | . | . fog & crownenbald | , . | . i. l. minox | . | . j. r. rice | . | . g. w. mcmurphy | . | . h. doe | . | . wm. kimbrough | . | . w. h. morse | . | . wilson thing | . | . w. c. copley | . | . willard thing | . | . george shagor | , . | . george barron | . | . joseph monjon | . | . joseph monjon, jr. | . | . henry thaxter | . | . aaron cornelison | . | . james cornelison | . | . lewis harnsberger | . | . ----------------------------+---------------+------------------ totals | $ , . | $ . ============================================================== the above roll was published in pamphlet form, certified to by wm. r. anderson, clerk of board of county commissioners, and an order issued to moses perin to collect such taxes, and pay over to the treasurer of st. croix county. the amounts were duly collected. hudson city. the first settlement in st. croix county was made on the present site of hudson city in by peter bouchea, louis massey, wm. steets and joseph lagroo, frenchmen, who subsisted chiefly by hunting and fishing, but who also raised garden crops of corn, beans and other vegetables. these people were contented and jovial, fond of dancing and social enjoyment. beyond the mere pleasure of living they seemed to have but little care and were without enterprise or ambition. more enterprising and industrious people followed them to the new settlement, and as the public lands were not open for entry until , settled upon the lands and made some improvements, awaiting patiently the time when they could acquire a legal title. the original claimants of the town of buena vista in were peter bouchea, louis massey, wm. steets, joseph lagroo, joseph lenavil, ---- revere, ammah andrews, w. h. and m. v. nobles, john b. page, philip aldrich, and w. r. anderson. these parties, after the survey and prior to the entry of the land, made an equitable division of their claims. peter bouchea and louis massey were then delegated to purchase the lands, which they did, bouchea purchasing the southwest quarter of southeast quarter of section , township , range , and massey, the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section , township , range . deeds were then made to the various claimants according to the original agreement. the first individual survey of lots was made on massey's entry, harvey wilson, of stillwater, being the surveyor. the village thus platted was at first called buena vista, but some confusion arising as to the title of lots in , the legislature changed the name of the town and village to willow river, which, by vote of the people in , was changed to hudson. the original proprietors of the village of buena vista were paschal aldrich, james sanders, moses perin, james r. patten and joseph abear. additions were surveyed in and by gibson, henning and others. to avoid confusion we shall discard the earlier names applied to what has since become the city of hudson and speak of it solely by its later and better known name. in the locality, as seen from a passing steamer, seemed a wilderness of orchard oaks and maples, filling the valley of willow river, and clothing the slopes of the hills. a closer view might have revealed an occasional shanty, a cabin of the first french settlers, with small gardens, the whole inclosed by high picket fences as a protection against strolling indians. seven years later loggers were at work on willow river under capt. j. b. page. the same year a couple of frame houses appeared in the oak openings. the first was built by w. h. nobles, which is still standing and is occupied by mrs. col. james hughes. the second was built by ammah andrews and is now occupied by horace champlin. in james purinton commenced a saw mill and dam at the mouth of willow river, which were not, completed until . in wm. h. nobles started a ferry over the lake. james purinton opened a store and moses perin built a hotel and boarding house, which stood opposite champlin's present livery stable. in miss richards, from prairie du chien, taught the first school. mrs. a. m. richardson, the wife of the methodist minister, the second. a school house was not built until . john g. putman built the buckeye house, corner of first and buckeye streets. horace barlow built a residence. mr. stone also put up a store building. the first attorneys, daniel noble johnson and col. james hughes, commenced practice in hudson in . the first public building stood on the lot now occupied by the methodist church. it burned down in the spring of , and an account of the fire, as published at that time, stated that the "court house, methodist, baptist, congregational and episcopal churches, together with the high school buildings, were all consumed." it is but fair to say that there were no regular church organizations at this time, but occasional services by local and transient ministers. rev. lemuel nobles, a methodist minister, preached the first sermon in . the first society organization was that of the baptists, rev. s. t. catlin, pastor, in . in the same year rev. a. m. richardson was regularly appointed as pastor of the methodist episcopal church. in the first presbyterian church was organized under the pastorate of rev. chas. thayer, and rev. wilcoxson became the first rector of the episcopal church. in rev. father mcgee took charge of the catholic church. in rev. c. h. marshall was called to the pastorate of the congregational church. a norwegian lutheran church was organized in . all of these church organizations have good church buildings, and the catholic church has a flourishing school connected with it. school interests were not neglected by the early settlers. a good school house was built in and graded. the first deed recorded covering hudson property was by louis massey and frances, his wife, to wm. h. nobles; warranty; consideration, $ . ; situate in east half of southwest quarter of section , township , range . city government. hudson was incorporated as a city in , and the first municipal election was held in april of that year. the city was divided into three wards. a. d. gay was the first mayor. the following were the first aldermen: first ward, james b. gray, milton v. nobles, j. m. fulton; second ward, alfred day, r. a. gridley, chas. e. dexter; third ward, chas. thayer, n. p. lester, n. perry. the remaining city officers were: city clerk, o. bell; city attorney, cyrus l. hall; surveyor, michael lynch. at the first meeting of the city council, after the appointment of committees on by-laws, bond sales, salaries, etc., license for selling intoxicating liquors was fixed at fifty dollars per annum for hotel keepers, two hundred dollars for wholesale dealers, with various grades for retail saloons. the first license issued was to john cyphers, for keeping saloon and billiard hall. mayors of hudson city. . a. d. gray, . alfred day, . silas staples, . john comstock, . s. n. clough, . a. d. richardson, . c. r. coon, . h. l. humphrey, . j. h. brown, . simon hunt, . lemuel north, . c. h. lewis, . h. a. wilson, . a. j. goss, . p. q. boyden, . d. c. fulton, . m. a. fulton, . samuel hyslop, . sam. c. johnson, m. d. . wm. h. phipps. city schools. graded schools were established in . they have ever maintained an excellent reputation. in charlotte mann was chosen principal, and taught the eight ensuing years. a new school building was completed in at a cost of $ , . this building is devoted to high school purposes. the schools of the city are graded. there are eleven departments and twelve teachers. each ward of the city has a separate building. the school fund amounts to about $ , per annum. the schools are under the control of six commissioners. a military institute was organized at river falls by prof. j. r. hinckley, and shortly afterward removed to hudson, and a building worth $ , erected for its accommodation. in it was purchased by the catholics, and it is now known as st. marys academy. mills and manufactories. the first saw mill, as already noted, was completed in . it was known as purinton's saw mill. other saw mills were built, but destroyed by fire. we have no record of ownership and losses, but estimate the aggregate of the latter as near $ , . the willow river mills, built in , consist of two flouring mills, with a capacity of four hundred barrels per day. connected with these are a large elevator and cooper shop. the present proprietors are cooper, clark & co. the invested capital is $ , . the hudson lumber company, in , built a saw mill, below the steamboat landing. this mill has a capacity of , , feet per annum, and has a planing mill attached. it is complete in all its departments, manufacturing all classes of lumber, from timber to mouldings. the capital stock amounts to $ , . the officers are h. a. taylor, president; c. r. coon, vice president; m. herrick, secretary; f. d. harding, treasurer; s. w. pierce, superintendent. the hudson foundry and machine shop was established in . the north hudson foundry and car shops are doing a fine business. the hudson carriage works were established in , and the hudson furniture manufactory in . the amount invested in this enterprise is $ , , and it furnishes employment to one hundred men. c. r. coon is president of the company. there are two breweries--moctreman's, established in , and yoerg's in . banks. the st. croix valley bank was organized in . it was a bank of issue, payable at gordon, wisconsin. it closed in . the hudson city bank, organized sept. , , went into operation under the general law of wisconsin, capital stock $ , , secured by michigan and missouri state stocks. j. o. henning was president and m. s. gibson, cashier. it soon closed. the farmers and mechanics bank, a state bank, went into operation in and closed the following year. the hudson first national bank was organized in , with a capital of $ , . the first officers were john comstock, president; alfred j. goss, cashier. the officers in are john comstock, president; a. e. jefferson, cashier. the surplus fund is $ , . the directors are h. a. taylor, h. l. humphrey, john c. spooner, a. l. clark, f. d. harding, a. t. goss, and w. h. crowe. the hudson savings bank was organized in , with a capital stock of $ , . alfred goss, president; a. j. goss, cashier. alfred goss died in --, but the bank is in successful operation, the son still retaining his father's name as head of the firm. the oliver wendell holmes hospital. [illustration: oliver wendell holmes hospital.] the beautiful private hospital which takes the name of america's popular poet, oliver wendell holmes, was opened june , . the credit of this hospital scheme is entirely due to dr. irving d. wiltrout, of hudson, who for some years has been assiduously at work maturing the plans. the owners are dr. wiltrout and the johnston brothers, of boardman. the site is upon a beautiful wooded slope of willow river, about a mile from its mouth, overlooking lake mallalieu, an expanse of the river, and a broad sweep of the st. croix with its undulating banks, commanding the most delightful and extensive views. the building is lighted by the mather self regulating, incandescent system of electricity. the dynamo, engine and boilers are located in a fireproof brick structure, some distance from the building proper, communicating with the hospital by an underground passageway. the hospital is under the direction of the following board: president, a. j. goss; first vice president, john comstock; second vice president, john e. glover; secretary, thomas hughes; treasurer, rev. m. benson. water works. the hudson water works, supplied from lake st. croix, are situated upon liberty hill, in the rear of the southern part of the city. they are owned by w. s. evans. the hill is two hundred and seventeen feet above the lake, and commands a magnificent view of the surrounding country. the summit is easily accessible. the city is also well supplied with water from artesian wells, which were sunk to a depth of five hundred feet, and afford a flow of two hundred gallons per minute. hotels. the principal hotels are the chapin house, first built in , but twice destroyed by fire. the last structure was erected in , by h. a. taylor. the tracy house was built in , the seely house in , the commercial hotel in , and the central house in . the great fire. may , , hudson city was visited with a destructive conflagration. sixty-four business houses and twenty-five residences were destroyed. it was probably the result of accident or carelessness. it commenced in the rear of h. a. taylor's furniture rooms and printing office, and spread with such rapidity that it was with the greatest difficulty that merchants and others were able to save their valuable papers. the wind blew a gale and the flames spread and caught in every direction. the fire occurred fortunately in the daytime or it might have been attended with a frightful loss of life. as it was, there were many narrow escapes. the total losses from this fire were $ , , on which there was but $ , insurance. a destructive fire occurred in , destroying the chapin hall house, valued at $ , , and other property to the value of $ , , on which there was but $ , insurance. during the same year another fire occurred, destroying , bushels of wheat and the furniture of the chapin hall house, which had been saved from the previous fire. the loss was estimated at $ , with $ , insurance. social and benevolent organizations. st. croix lodge, a. f. and a. m., founded ; colfax lodge, no. , i. o. o. f., founded ; hudson city lodge, no. , i. o. g. t., founded ; ladies' library association, founded ; st. croix r. a. chapter, founded ; y. m. c. a., founded ; nash lodge, i. o. g. t., founded ; temple of honor, founded ; st. croix commandery, founded ; st. croix lodge, a. o. u. w., founded ; equitable union, founded . in addition to the foregoing there is a volunteer fire company, a boat club, an old settlers' club, a bible society, a building and loan association, and a cemetery association. biographical. louis massey came of a long-lived french-canadian family. his father lived to the age of one hundred and seven and his mother to one hundred and five and he himself lived to the age of ninety-nine years. he was born in canada, near montreal, in . in he left home to enter the service of the british fur traders at detroit. in his eventful life he had many adventures and passed through many perils. he was once arrested with his employer by the american authorities and once made prisoner by the indians. in he entered the employ of the notorious col. dickson, and, while with him, made a trip from detroit by way of mackinaw, green bay, fox and wisconsin rivers to prairie du chien in a birch canoe. he made two trips in mackinaw boats from prairie du chien to new orleans and return. in one trip he was four months making his way from new orleans to st. louis. he made one voyage in a birch canoe from montreal via ottawa river, georgian bay, lake huron, st. marie's river and lake superior to fond du lac, at the mouth of st. louis river, via sandy lake and the mississippi river to lake winnibagoshish, and another from fond du lac to brule river, across to st. croix river, thence to the mississippi, and by way of st. peter's river to lake traverse by canoe. in he entered the service of the american fur company, and lived at fond du lac, the headquarters of the company, for ten years. there he was married to a sister of peter bouchea. in he settled on the reservation near fort snelling, where he was held in such estimation that, on the expulsion of the settlers, the officers of the fort assisted him in his removal to willow river, whither he came in with peter bouchea. wm. steets and joseph lagroo soon followed them. these four were the first settlers in hudson. mr. massey lived at his old home with a son-in-law, richard picard, until his death, oct. , . his only child living is mrs. picard. peter bouchea was born at sault ste. marie, michigan, about . he spent his early life in the neighborhood of lake superior, was married to a daughter of ---- bruce, and came to the mouth of willow river in . mr. bouchea had been educated for the catholic priesthood. he was a truthful, intelligent, reliable man and filled some positions of responsibility. he had many stirring adventures and was once wounded by indians and cared for by gov. cass, of michigan, at detroit and fort gratiot. he died in , at fort edward, on the north shore of lake superior. william streets came to willow river in , a refugee from the fort snelling reservation. he was frozen to death in the winter of . capt. john b. page came from piscataquis county, maine, to the st. croix valley in , and engaged for awhile in cutting pine logs on willow river. while rafting on the mississippi he met, and after a brief courtship married, a woman who returned with him to his home on willow river and who survives him. mrs. page had some reputation as a (thomsonian) physician. they made their home in hudson in . their daughter abigail was the first white child of american descent born in hudson. abigail married george bailey, and their sons, george w. and david, were for a long time residents of hudson, and have but lately deceased. mr. page died feb. , . dr. philip aldrich, although not a permanent settler till , was an occasional or transient visitor, and had made a land claim in section . he took a deep interest in the affairs of the pioneer settlement, and at his house many of the public gatherings, political and social, were held. he was the first postmaster, and, in the exigencies of the service, sometimes carried the mail on foot. while a resident of st. croix falls in , he was appointed probate judge. in he was appointed treasurer of the county of st. croix, and at the election in november of the same year, elected to that office. dr. aldrich was born in new york in , and died at his home in hudson, march , . the nobles family settled in hudson in . rev. lemuel nobles, the father, was a methodist local minister, and in preached the first sermon at the mouth of willow river. he came originally from new york, lived a few years in the valley and removed to michigan, where he died. his children were william h., milton v., john, mrs. battles and mrs. morton s. wilkinson, deceased. wm. h. became a resident of minnesota and a noted man. his biography is given elsewhere. milton v. nobles was born in new york in ; removed to michigan; was married to matilda edwards, sept. , , in stillwater, and came to hudson in , where he followed lumbering until , when he returned to new york and located at elmira, where he resided until his death. while at elmira he became an inventor and took out several valuable patents. his fortunes varied, and as is frequently the case with inventors, at one time he was wretchedly poor. in the midst of his galling poverty he sold one of his patents for a beautiful homestead in elmira. mrs. nobles had not been informed of the transaction, but with her husband had visited the occupants of the homestead. mrs. nobles could not but contrast this pleasant home with her own poverty stricken surroundings, and in inviting her entertainers to return the call, told them plainly that she lived in a very humble home, and feared she could not make a visit pleasant to them. at this point the host stepped forward, and, by a preconcerted arrangement, presented her a deed to the mansion and grounds--a joyful surprise. john nobles, the youngest son, returned to michigan and new york, where he became a methodist minister. some time subsequently he removed to colorado, where he died. james purinton was born in , in tamworth, new hampshire. he was married to mary mann, in sandwich, new hampshire. he afterward removed to maine. he came to st. croix falls in , and leased the st. croix mills, and some time after became part owner. this venture not being successful, he removed to willow river in , where he built a large dam across the river, and with others erected a saw mill on the point of land between the lake and river. this venture was not successful and the mill property passed into other hands. mr. purinton was an experienced lumberman and an active, energetic man. the north side of willow river, in which he was so much interested, became afterward quite valuable on account of the centralization of shops, depots and business of the west wisconsin and north wisconsin railroads. mr. purinton died in hudson in , leaving two married daughters--mrs. ----graves and mrs. james mcphail. ammah andrews was born in herkimer county, new york, in , and passed his early life in that place. in he was married to laura andrews, and in the same year moved to michigan. he came to hudson in . mr. andrews was a carpenter and took some important building contracts. he was one of the first commissioners of st. croix county under the state government, and also one of the first school directors. he has been an active and influential member of the methodist episcopal church the greater part of his life. he has three sons, now living in nebraska, and one daughter, the wife of f. d. harding, of hudson, wisconsin. mr. andrews died jan. , . james walstow.--mr. walstow was born in nottingham, england, in ; was married there, and came to hudson in . he removed to nebraska in . james sanders was born in devonshire, england, in ; came to america in , and lived for years in new york. in he married mary walstow, removed to st. croix falls in and to hudson in , where he opened and improved the first farm in the present st. croix county. mrs. sanders died in . she left two sons, william and walstow. mr. sanders removed to osceola in . j. w. stone was born in connecticut in . he came to hudson in and opened the first store the same year. he died in . joseph bowron was born aug. , , in essex county, new york. his parents were from newcastle on the tyne, england. his mother was a member of the society of friends. she died when joseph was five years old, and he was reared by his aunt until nineteen years of age, when he engaged in business for himself in lower canada. some time afterward he removed to the united states and obtained work on the illinois canal. he next removed to st. louis, and from thence, in , to st. croix falls, where he acted as clerk, scaler of logs and mill superintendent. he was a member of the first state legislature of wisconsin, in . w. r. marshall had received the certificate of election, but mr. bowron successfully contested the election. mr. bowron removed in to hudson, where he attended to general collections, and served as justice of the peace. in mr. bowron was married to celia partridge, of columbia county, wisconsin, who died three years later. in he was married to rosanna partridge, who died in . mr. bowron died april , , leaving two children, who now reside in kansas. moses perin was born in ; came to st. croix falls in and to hudson in . he was the first collector of st. croix county. in he built a warehouse and saw mill at lakeland, minnesota. the warehouse was burned, and the saw mill removed. in mr. perin removed to san diego, california. john o. henning was born at bellefonte, centre county, pennsylvania, in . his great grandfather was the first settler in that county. in his father removed to ithaca, new york, and there the youthful henning received his education at the academy. during the excitement of the jackson administration he became an ardent democrat, and, that he might enter more fully into the political strife of the day, learned the printer's trade and devoted himself more or less to newspaper work. he visited the mississippi valley in , remained some time at st. louis, missouri, springfield, illinois, burlington, iowa, and some other places. in he established the _journal_ at fond du lac, wisconsin, and in removed to hudson, wisconsin, where he still resides. he served eight years as register of the united states land office at that place. he represented st. croix county in the assembly of the fourth wisconsin legislature and has held many other positions of trust. mr. henning was married, jan. , , to fidelia bennet. mrs. henning died june , , aged sixty-six years. moses s. gibson was born in , in livingston county, new york. he received the rudiments of a common school education. he was engaged in mercantile pursuits a large portion of his life. he settled at sheboygan, wisconsin, in , but afterward moved to fond du lac. he represented fond du lac county in the constitutional convention in . he was appointed receiver of the united states land office at hudson in . in he was married to carrie f. gilman. during the rebellion he acted as paymaster, united states army, and was assigned to the department of missouri, with headquarters at st. louis. in he was appointed assistant in the sixth auditor's office, washington, district of columbia. mr. gibson has led a busy and useful life and has acquitted himself well in the various positions of responsibility to which he has been called. col. james hughes.--col. hughes was born in prince edwards county, virginia, oct. , . he received a classical education at hampdon-sydney college, virginia, studied law, and was admitted to practice in virginia. he came to ohio in , and was elected to the legislature in and . he was married in to elisabeth mather, in jackson county. he remained in ohio until , publishing successively the _jackson standard_ and the _meigs county telegraph_, both whig papers. in he came to st. paul and brought with him the first printing press and outfit in that city, and established the _minnesota chronicle,_ which subsequently united with the _register_. the first number bears the date june , . in november of the same year he sold his interest in the _chronicle and register_ and removed to hudson, where he established the _st. croix banner_, the first paper printed and issued in the st. croix valley. mrs. hughes was associated with him in its management. they subsequently published the hudson _republican_. mr. hughes died at hudson in , leaving a widow and eleven children, seven sons and four daughters. of the sons, eleazer is a farmer in st. croix county; geo. r. is engaged in the real estate business in st. paul; edward p. is a lawyer in anoka; james s., a surveyor; chas. v. is manager of the western telegraph company; and lucius a. is a telegraph operator in st. paul. daniel anderson was born in , in new york; received a common school education, and removed with his parents to macoupin county, illinois, in ; was married in to eliza hoxsey; lived in dubuque in and , and moved to hudson in , where he followed merchandising until . he was county treasurer in and part of the year following. he died july , : mrs. anderson died in september of the same year, leaving a daughter, medora, wife of alfred day, of hudson, and one son, jarret, now a resident in montana. alfred day was born in , in vermont, and came to hudson in , where he engaged in the real estate, farming and livery business. mr. day was married in hudson, to a daughter of daniel anderson. he died in st. paul, nov. , , leaving a widow, three sons and two daughters. dr. otis hoyt.--dr. hoyt was born in sandwich, new hampshire, dec. , . his parents were george and mary hoyt. both grandfathers were soldiers in the war of the revolution. he received a common school education; prepared for college in the academy at fryburg, maine; graduated at dartmouth in , and from jefferson medical college, at philadelphia, in . he practiced his profession at mason, new hampshire, and framingham, massachusetts, until , when he entered the service as surgeon in the united states army during the mexican war. in he came to st. croix falls, and practiced medicine. in he removed to hudson. the same year he was elected to the fifth wisconsin legislature, as assemblyman. in he entered the united states service as surgeon of the thirtieth wisconsin volunteer infantry, but was on detached service most of the time. for awhile he had charge of the hospital at camp randall, madison, wisconsin. he was examining surgeon of , recruits, and was medical director at bowling green and louisville, kentucky. he was eminent in his profession, yet public spirited, and engaged at times, successfully, in real estate and railroad enterprises. as a physician, it is said, to his credit, that he was impartial to the last degree, and as prompt and punctilious in visiting the log cabin of the poor man as the parlor of a state or government official. he was married in to mary king. two children were born to them, charles and mary (mrs. h. a. wilson, deceased). mrs. hoyt died at framingham. in dr. hoyt was married to eliza b. king, sister of his first wife. their children are ella frances, married to dr. chas. f. king, hudson; annie, married to dr. eppley, of new richmond; hattie, married to ----wyard, crookston, minnesota; ida, a teacher at stillwater, and lizzie, married to rev. w. r. reynolds, of hudson. dr. hoyt died at his home in hudson, nov. , . mrs. hoyt died oct. , , in boston, massachusetts. her remains were brought to hudson for burial. s. s. n. fuller.--mr. fuller was born in attleboro, massachusetts, in . he removed to harford, pennsylvania, with his parents when six years of age. he was educated at harford. he studied law and was admitted to practice at montrose. he practiced at great bend, pennsylvania. he came to fond du lac county, wisconsin, in , where he was seven years district attorney. he came to hudson in , removed to iowa in and died at logan, harrison county, iowa, in . he was married to clarissa a. day in , who with one son and four daughters, all married and resident in iowa, survives him. he was district judge some years for the st. croix valley district. miles h. van meter was born in kentucky in . he received a common school education and learned the trade of a builder. he was married to mary p. litsey, in kentucky, in , moved to illinois in and to hudson in . he has six sons and two daughters. abe c. is editor of the _st. croix republican_ at new richmond. two of his sons are in illinois, three in dakota. mrs. van meter died in . philip b. jewell was born in hopkinton, new hampshire, oct. , ; was raised on a farm; obtained a common school education; in was married to hannah j. fuller, and in came to st. croix falls, where he lived until , when he removed to hudson. he engaged in lumbering and piloting on the st. croix. at the beginning of the late war he enlisted in the twelfth wisconsin infantry and served during the war. in he was appointed inspector of logs and lumber of the fourth district. mrs. jewell died in . he married, as his second wife, ellen restiaux. john tobin.--mr. tobin was born in ireland in . his father died in , and he came with an uncle to this country. he settled at marine in , and in came to st. joseph's township, where he resided until his death, jan. , . he was married in illinois in and his widow still lives at the old homestead. of twelve children seven are now living. horace a. taylor, son of rev. adolphus taylor, of norfolk, new york, was born in . his father died in . at the age of ten years horace was earning his living on a farm. at thirteen he came to river falls. some time after he returned east and spent four years on a farm. returning to wisconsin he established a stage line between prescott and hudson. in , with his brother lute a., he established the river falls _journal_, and, in , purchased the hudson _chronicle_ and changed its name to the hudson _times_. four years later the _times_ and the _north star_ were consolidated under the title of the _star and times_. mr. taylor is a man of energy and enterprise and has engaged in real estate transactions on a large scale. he is a man of quick perceptions and of ready wit and has been honored with some important public positions. he was for some time state agent of railroad lands. he was appointed consul to marseilles by president garfield in , but resigned the position in . in he was married to lizzie madden, of chicago. jeremiah whaley was born in , in castile, new york. his father dying he aided in caring for his widowed mother. he was married in pike county, new york, in , and came to hudson in , where he engaged in the mercantile and real estate business and acted as postmaster. mr. whaley died in hudson in , leaving a widow, two sons in michigan, one in pipestone, minnesota, and four daughters. simon hunt was born in camden, maine, in . he lived at home until seventeen years old; acquired a common school and academic education; served an apprenticeship of five years at boot and shoe making in georgetown, massachusetts, and came to hudson in . he was married to jane c. arcy in maine in . mr. hunt has served as mayor of hudson and was for several years superintendent of schools. mrs. hunt died in . john s. moffatt was born in tompkins county, new york, in . he received a common school and academic education. in he was married to nancy bennett. he removed to hudson in , and was in the land office several years. he is a lawyer by profession; has served thirteen years as police justice, and eight years as county judge. james h. childs was born in montear county, pennsylvania, in ; came to wisconsin in ; settled in hudson in , and engaged in the real estate and lumbering business. he was married to elisabeth mccartney, in hudson, . william dwelley was born in foxcroft, maine, in ; came to the st. croix valley in , and settled in hudson in . mr. dwelley was an explorer, scaler of logs, and surveyor. he died april , . james m. fulton--the ancestors of mr. fulton came from scotland and settled in new york about . his father served in the army during the war of and died while in the service. james m. fulton with his family came to hudson in , where he died, march , , aged about forty-six. mrs. fulton still lives in hudson. marcus a. fulton, oldest son of james m. fulton, was born in bethel, sullivan county, new york, in . he came with his parents to hudson in , and engaged with his brother in the mercantile and real estate business. he was elected to the state senate in and . in he was elected mayor of hudson. he has also served on the board of education, and as alderman. he was married in to augusta ainsley, who died in . in he was married to adelia frances ainsley. david c. fulton, second son of james m. fulton, was born in new york, february, . he came to hudson with his parents, and, after completing a common school and academic education, engaged in mercantile and real estate business. mr. fulton has been elected to various important positions. he was mayor of hudson one term, supervisor of st. croix county three years, member of the board of education, alderman, and member of the state assembly ( ). he served three years during the civil war as captain in the thirtieth wisconsin infantry, and was promoted to position of major. since the war, he served six years as one of the board of managers of the national home for disabled soldiers, and is now serving, by appointment of president cleveland, as united states marshal for western wisconsin. mr. fulton was married in to minnie champlin. n. s. holden was born in ; was one of the early settlers of the st. croix valley, and for many years a citizen of hudson. he followed surveying and scaling. he died suddenly, july , . he left a widow, two sons and four daughters. william h. semmes was born in alexandria, virginia. he came to hudson in , and practiced law, as a partner of judge mcmillan, in stillwater. he was a young man of great promise, but died early and much lamented, sept. , . sterling jones was born in steuben county, new york, in . he removed to indiana in , and in was married to elisabeth sines. they removed to beloit, wisconsin, in , and to hudson in . mr. jones died in . mrs. jones, five sons and two daughters are still living. edwin b. married a daughter of rev. w. t. boutwell. jerome b. married a daughter of rev. wm. egbert, of hammond, and resides in hudson. he has been sheriff and treasurer of st. croix county and has held town and city offices. the remaining sons, george r., henry b. and harvey j., and the daughters, eunice m. and sarah e., are married and reside in hudson. d. r. bailey was born april , , in vermont. he attended oberlin college, ohio, and graduated in law at albany law school, in . he was collector of customs at highgate, vermont, from to . he practiced law at st. albans, vermont, ten years, and was state representative in and . he was a delegate to the republican national convention in , and a member of the vermont senate from to . he made his residence in st. croix county in , where he resided till , when he removed to sioux falls, dakota. while in st. croix county he engaged in farming, lumbering and manufacturing. henry c. baker was born in , in genesee county, new york; graduated at albany university, new york, in , and was admitted to the bar in , and came to hudson in . he has practiced law continuously since; has also held many town and county offices; has been attorney of the various railroads centring in hudson, and is now attorney of the minneapolis, soo st. marie & atlantic railroad. he was married in to ellen m. brewster. mert herrick was born in orleans county, new york, in . he received a common school education. he came to st. croix in ; was married in to lois p. willard; enlisted at the beginning of the civil war in the thirtieth and later in the fortieth wisconsin volunteer infantry, and served during the war. he has held the office of treasurer of st. croix county for six years. he is at present a member of the hudson lumber company. d. a. baldwin, president of the west wisconsin railroad, built a fine residence on the shore of the lake, north of willow river, in the latter part of the ' s, and did much to promote the interests of north hudson, which he surveyed into village lots in . d. a. and h. a. baldwin erected a commodious hotel in north hudson in . the hotel was subsequently sold to h. a. taylor and removed to hudson, where it was known as the chapin hall house. mr. baldwin removed from hudson when the west wisconsin railroad passed into other hands. john comstock was born in cayuga county, new york, in . when he was twelve years old his parents removed to pontiac, michigan. he here served an apprenticeship of three years to a millwright, and afterward engaged in business at pontiac until . he came to hudson in , and was city contractor six years. in he founded the first national bank of hudson, in which he has ever since been a director. mr. comstock has been engaged in many public enterprises and has been uniformly successful. he is one of the most reliable and substantial of the business men of hudson. he was married in . lucius p. wetherby was born in onondago county, new york, october, . at eighteen years of age, he went to weston, new york, where he studied law with martin grover and w. j. angell. he was married in to sophia antremont, and in removed to hudson. in he was elected judge of the eighth district, wisconsin, and served six years. john c. spooner.--mr. spooner was born in lawrenceburg, indiana, jan. , . he was educated at the district schools until , when his father, judge spooner, removed to madison, wisconsin. this removal afforded the son an opportunity of entering upon a course of classical instruction in the state university, which he would have completed but for the civil war. in he enlisted as a private in the fortieth wisconsin infantry. he did honorable duty at the front until compelled by sickness to retire from the army. after having served a short time as assistant state librarian, and having been restored to health, he raised a company which was attached to the fiftieth wisconsin regiment, and became its captain. his regiment was sent to the missouri river to do service among the indians, and was stationed at fort rice, dakota. in july, , it was mustered out of the service. he then returned to madison and commenced the study of law. [illustration: john comstock] when gen. lucius fairchild was elected governor, mr. spooner was chosen as his private and military secretary. he held this position for eighteen months, when he resigned and entered the office of the attorney general of the state as assistant. in he removed to hudson and began a general law practice. the following year he was elected a member of the state legislature. while a member of this body he vigorously championed the state university, which institution was at that time in sore trouble. his service in this matter was afterward recognized by the governor, who appointed him a member of the board of regents of the university, which position he still retains. he was for twelve years general solicitor of the west wisconsin railroad company and the chicago, st. paul, minneapolis & omaha company. in may, , he resigned. mr. spooner stands deservedly high in his profession, and has acquired eminence also as a political speaker. the wisconsin legislature elected him to the united states senate, january, , and he at once took rank among the most eloquent and able members of that body. he is of small physique, not weighing over one hundred and twenty-five or one hundred and thirty pounds, has a dark complexion and a smoothly shaven face, and is possessed of great bodily as well as mental energy. thomas porter.--mr. porter was born in tyrone, ireland, in ; received a common school education, and learned the trade of wagonmaker. he came to america in ; served three years during the civil war as a private in company a., thirtieth regiment, wisconsin volunteers; moved to hudson in , and represented st. croix county in the assembly in . herman l. humphrey was born at candor, tioga county, new york, march , ; received a public school education, with the addition of one year in cortland academy; became a merchant's clerk at the age of sixteen, in ithaca, new york, and remained there for several years; studied law in the office of walbridge & finch, was admitted to the bar in july, , and removed to hudson, wisconsin, where he commenced practice in january, ; was soon after appointed district attorney of st. croix county, to fill a vacancy; was appointed by the governor county judge of st. croix county, to fill a vacancy, in the fall of , and in the spring of was elected for the full term of four years from the following january; was elected to the state senate for two years, and in february, , resigned the office of county judge; was elected mayor of hudson for one year; was elected in the spring of judge of the eighth judicial circuit, and was re-elected in , serving from january, , until march, . he was elected a representative from wisconsin in the forty-fifth congress as a republican, and was re-elected to the forty-sixth congress. during the past three years he has devoted himself to his profession in hudson. mr. humphrey has been twice married. in june, , he was married to jennie a. cross, in dixon, illinois. mrs. humphrey died in january, , leaving two sons, herman l., jr., and william h., and three daughters, fanny s., mary a., and grace j. mr. humphrey was married to mrs. elvira dove, at oswego, new york, october . in he served again as a member of the assembly. theodore cogswell was born in , at whitehall, new york. he received a common school education and learned the trade of a painter. he removed to stillwater in and to hudson in and to st. paul in . he was married to augusta b. kelly in . his son was for many years editor of the hudson _republican_. frank p. catlin is of revolutionary and connecticut stock. his father entered the war of the revolution at eleven years of age as a musician. he served seven years. his discharge is signed by george washington. mr. frank p. catlin is the youngest of fourteen children. he was born in susquehanna county, pennsylvania, in . he was married in to elizabeth dubois, who died in , leaving three sons, charles l., frank e. and fred. mr. catlin was married to his second wife in , who died in , leaving one son, william w. mr. catlin moved to green bay in , to green lake in , and to hudson in , having been commissioned by president taylor as register of the willow river land office. this position he held four years. mr. catlin spent some time traveling in foreign lands. in he removed to ripon, wisconsin, but returned in to hudson, where he still lives. charles y. denniston was born in orange county, new york, in ; graduated at university of vermont in ; studied law in iowa in - , and came to hudson in , where he engaged in real estate and insurance business, in which he has been quite successful. he was married in to maria a. coit, of hudson. mrs. denniston died aug. , . a. e. jefferson.--mr. jefferson came from genesee county, new york, to hudson in . for the past fifteen years he has officiated as cashier of the hudson first national bank. samuel c. symonds was born in , in hooksett, new hampshire. he graduated at the university of vermont in and the ensuing year came to hudson, where he taught school and studied law for three years and afterward engaged in the real estate business and subsequently officiated as county judge four years. he was married in to mary c. bloomer. in he was commissioned postmaster of the city of hudson by president cleveland. john e. glover, an old citizen and successful lawyer of hudson, has gained a prominent position amongst the solid business men of the city by his untiring industry, combined with rare judgment and knowledge of men. in addition to his law business he is an extensive operator in real estate, flouring and lumber mills. lemuel north, a reliable merchant of hudson, a public spirited citizen and a kind hearted man, merits the respect which his townsmen accord him. he has been successful in business. edgar nye, much better known under his _nom de plume_ "bill nye," was born in . when a boy he came west with his parents to the kinnikinic valley. mr. nye studied law and practiced some years in laramie city, wyoming territory, where he obtained a national reputation as a wit from his connection with the laramie newspaper known as the _boomerang._ mr. nye's mirth-provoking sketches have been published in book form. his parents still live at river falls. william thompson price.--mr. price was born in barre, huntington county, pennsylvania, june , . after receiving a fair education, he came west, and in settled in black river falls, wisconsin, where he at once entered upon the occupation of a lumberman. in he was elected to the assembly as a democrat, but on the organization of the republican party in , he united with the organization, with which he remained during the balance of his life. in and he was judge of jackson county; in he was under sheriff. he was a member of the state senate in , , , , , and ; a member of the assembly in ; was collector of internal revenue from to , and held many local offices in his county. for many years he was president of the jackson county bank. in he was elected to the forty-eighth congress; was re-elected in to the forty-ninth, and in to the fiftieth. he died at his home at black river falls, dec. , . he was a man of immense energy and endurance; and was ever ready to do his full share of labor in all places. as a public man he acquitted himself well. in addition to business tact and energy, and practical common sense, he was a public speaker of unusual readiness and ability. in private life he was a generous hearted man, strongly attached to his friends, and greatly respected for his sterling qualities of character. e. b. bundy.--judge bundy was born in broome county, new york, in . he received a common school and academic education and attended one year at hamilton college. he came to dunn county, wisconsin, where he practiced law until , when he was elected judge of the eighth judicial circuit, to which position he was re-elected and is still serving. he stands high in the estimation of his associates and the people as a judge, and not less high in social life. baldwin. this town is coextensive with township , range . it was set off from the township of springfield and organized dec. , . wm. whewell was chairman of the first board of supervisors. baldwin village, located on the west wisconsin railroad, on the west boundary of the township, has a population of eight hundred, about evenly divided between the norwegian and american elements, the latter being principally from vermont. the _bulletin_, a lively weekly paper, established in , is published by b. peachman. the graded school has three departments, with two hundred and twenty-five scholars, under the control of prof. j. e. brainard. the school building cost $ , . a state bank, organized in , has a capital stock of $ , , and a surplus of $ , . f. a. decker is cashier. baldwin has one elevator, of , bushels capacity, two flour mills--one with a capacity of two hundred and fifty barrels per day, built at a cost of $ , ; the other of one hundred and twenty-five barrels, at a cost of $ , ; one creamery, one cheese factory, one tannery, a good town hall, capable of seating six hundred persons, four good church buildings--lutheran, presbyterian, episcopal and congregational--and over thirty stores or shops. the water supply is ample, the village being furnished with public cisterns and wells, and having an excellent fire department, with hook and ladder company. the village is surrounded by a rich agricultural country. woodville village is situated four miles east of baldwin, on the west wisconsin railroad, at the junction of a branch road extending into pierce county. it is the centre of heavy lumbering operations, and is a flourishing village. it has one church. cady. cady is the southeastern township in st. croix county, and occupies township , range . it is drained by eau galle waters. amongst the first settlers were irving gray, charles, john, and brazer bailey. a post office was established near the centre of the town in . d.c. davis was first postmaster. a branch railroad traverses the town from northwest to southeast. there are two lumber mills. the town was organized in . the supervisors were william holman, charles palmer and mead bailey. the village of brookville is on the west line of the town. cylon, including township , range , lies on willow river. it is a rich and populous township, consisting originally of mixed prairie and timber lands. the first settlement in this town was made in . the early settlers were otto natges, j. smith, h. fouks, e. johnson, george goodrich, s. w. beel, and j. tomlinson. the town was organized in . the supervisors were c. a. hall, chairman; john sweet and john gibson. a post office was established in , mrs. john b. gibson, postmistress. the wisconsin central railroad passes through the southwest, and the north wisconsin through the northwest part of the township. there are four church buildings, one on section , one near cylon post office, and two in deer park village. this village, a station located on the north wisconsin railroad, is a wheat buying centre of considerable importance, and has several business houses. the school house is one of the best buildings in the county outside of hudson. the catholics and methodists have churches here. eau galle, township , range , is drained by the eau galle and rush rivers. we have not the date of the first settlement, but it was amongst the earliest in the county. the first settlers were william holman, andrew dickey, joseph barnish, and uriah briggs. the town was organized in , with the following as supervisors: wm. holman, ---- babcock, and ---- mccartney. a post office was established in , of which w. holman was postmaster. mr. holman built a saw mill the same year, the first in the region. there are now six, mostly lumber mills. the township is traversed from north to south by a branch of the west wisconsin railroad. wildwood, a thriving station on this road is the headquarters of the st. croix land and lumber company, a stock company with a capital of $ , . the town of eau galle has one church building belonging to the evangelical society. emerald includes township , range . it is drained by the waters of willow and menomonie rivers, and was originally covered with pine and hardwood timber. it was organized in . the wisconsin central railroad passes through the northeast part of the township and has one station, emerald. a high mound is a conspicuous object near the centre of the township. erin prairie. erin prairie, township , range , lies on willow river. john casey entered the first land in . the first house was built on section , in may, , by john ring. among the settlers of , of whom there were about twenty families, we have the names of michael hughes, peter queenan and james, michael and thomas mcnamara. the town was organized in , with the following board of supervisors: richard joyce, chairman; alexander stevens and peter queenan, and wm. mcnally, clerk. richard joyce was first school teacher and first postmaster. there are now two post offices, one at erin centre village, and the other at jewett's mills, two and a half miles apart. there are at erin centre one store, one wagon shop, one blacksmith shop, and a catholic church; at jewett's mills a store, a saw, a planing and a flour mill, all run by water. there are six good school houses in the township. it is traversed by the wisconsin central railroad. forest, embracing township , range , occupies the northeast corner of the county. it is heavily timbered with pine and hardwoods, is a new town and is fast being converted into an agricultural district. willow river has its sources in this town. it was organized dec. , , with s. d. love as chairman of the first board of supervisors. glenwood, set off from the town of emerald at its organization in , embraces township , range . it was originally a pine and hardwood region. its waters flow eastward into the menomonie. the wisconsin central railroad crosses the township from east to west. its only station is glenwood. it is being rapidly settled and has already some good farms and several saw mills. h. j. baldwin was the chairman of the first board of supervisors. hammond includes township , range . it is drained by tributaries of the rush river. of the first settlers were the peabodys, james r. ismon, rev. wm. egbert, rev. george spalding, mert herrick, john thayer, mrs. adams, john nelson, and thomas byrnes. the town was organized sept. , , with a. g. peabody as chairman of supervisors and john g. peabody, clerk. it is now a prosperous farming town. the west wisconsin railroad passes through the south part of the township. hammond village, located on the line of this road, in sections and , has seven hundred inhabitants. it is situated on a commanding elevation, giving an extended view of the rich farming country surrounding it. it has a school house, built at a cost of $ , , with rooms for three grades, and one hundred and seventy-five scholars, one elevator of , bushels capacity, one first class hotel, the gardiner house, odd fellows', good templars' and grangers' halls, and three church buildings, with parsonages--the catholic, congregational and methodist. the village contains about twenty-five stores and shops. the water supply, on account of the elevation, is from wells and cisterns. rev. george spalding preached the first sermon and was the first merchant in the village. hammond was incorporated sept. , , with j. b. fithian as president of supervisors and john w. owen, clerk. john thayer was born in , in worcester county, massachusetts, from which place he moved to ohio, and, after residing there fifteen years, came to wisconsin and settled at hammond village. he has been twice married, his second wife still living, and has one son, andrew p. the father and son are engaged in merchandising in hammond. rev. wm. egbert was born in , in oneida county, new york. he obtained a common school and academic education. he spent his early life in new york city; came to indiana in and to hammond, wisconsin, in . the first trial in hammond was before mr. egbert, as justice of the peace, in . he has been for forty-one years a local minister in the methodist episcopal church. he has been twice married, his second wife still living. he has four children. hudson. hudson includes sections to , inclusive, of township , range . willow river flows through the northwest part. the north wisconsin and west wisconsin railroads pass through the township. it is one of the handsomest and richest farming townships in the state. it was organized as a town in . its history is given in that of the county of st. croix and in the biographies of its early inhabitants. james kelly was born at osnabruck, ireland, where he grew to manhood. in he came to hudson and located on a farm, where he prospered, and became an honored citizen. in he married catherine, daughter of wm. dailey. he died at turtle lake, barron county, wisconsin, of injuries received from a rolling log, feb. , , leaving a widow, three sons and one daughter. daniel coit was born in vermont in . he learned the trade of a house carpenter; came west as far as galena, illinois, in , to st. croix valley in , and to hudson in . he died in baldwin in . he was a man of eccentric manners, but upright life. james virtue came to willow river mill in , settled in the town of hudson, and died in . theodore m. bradley was born in , in jackson county, illinois. he lived three years in lafayette county, wisconsin; came to osceola mills in , and to hudson in . he has engaged chiefly in farming. in he was married to margaret wilson. they have two sons and three daughters. mr. bradley died in . william dailey was born in cork, ireland, in ; came to america in , and settled in hudson in , where he lived, a successful farmer, until his death in . he left five sons--william, guy w., jacob, edward, and asa, all farmers, industrious and prosperous, all good citizens, and church members, all married and settled in st. croix county. guy w. represented st. croix county in the state assembly of . in he was president of the st. croix agricultural society. robert and william mcdiarmid, brothers, came from st. stevens, new brunswick, and settled in hudson in , on a farm in sections and . by industry and perseverance they have become independent, and own fine farms, with blooded stock, improved agricultural implements, and all the appliances for successful farming. robert married in , and has three sons and three daughters. william married laura rabold, in , and has three sons and four daughters. william has been chairman of the county board of supervisors several years. william martin was born in vermont, in . in he moved to janesville, wisconsin, and in to hudson, where he engaged in farming. he was an exemplary christian man, and a member of the baptist church. his son, geo. w. martin, succeeds him on the farm. he died in . paschal aldrich was born in the state of new york, in ; came to illinois with his parents in ; was married in illinois, to martha harnsberger, in , and came to marine in the same year. he returned, for a short time, to illinois, and again moved to the valley of the st. croix, settling at hudson in , where he died in , leaving three sons and five daughters. kinnikinic originally included nine towns of townships and , from st. croix lake east. by the setting off of pierce county from st. croix, the towns in township were stricken off, and the territory has since been reduced until comprised in township , range . it is a wealthy agricultural township. its surface is agreeably diversified with undulating prairies and high hills. the kinnikinic, a beautiful and clear winding stream, drains it from the northeast. the famous monument rock, an outlying sandstone formation, is in the centre of this township. from the summit a magnificent view may be obtained of this fine farming region. the farmers have fine dwellings and barns, and the town has numerous school houses; one church is located on section . the history of the town, as far as we were able to obtain it, may be found in the biographies of the mapes brothers. duncan mcgregor was born in perth, scotland, in . his educational advantages were limited. he emigrated to canada while yet a youth, served seven years in the british army, and was one year in canada during the papineau rebellion. he was married to jane morse, in canada, jan. , , and in removed to the united states and settled at river falls, where he still lives on the homestead which he pre-empted. mrs. mcgregor was the first resident white woman, and mr. mcgregor the second person who settled at the falls. his mother, an aged lady living with him at the falls, at one time found the house surrounded by over a hundred sioux indians, who commenced plundering the garden of everything eatable. mrs. mcgregor bravely confronted and drove them away. the only crops in the valley at the time were those of messrs. foster and mcgregor. mr. mcgregor learned in early life the trade of a mason. while a resident of river falls he followed farming except during a few years in which he kept a hardware store. he was three years county commissioner of st. croix county. he has three children living, roderick, malcolm and neville. w. b. and jas. a. mapes, brothers, from elmira, new york, landed at willow river sept. , . they proceeded at once with an ox team and cart, on which last was placed all their worldly goods, to the valley of the kinnikinic. having selected a claim and erected a temporary shanty, william b. returned by river as far as galena, for a breaking team, wagon and plow, and other farm furniture and provisions, while james remained to make hay. after the brother's return, a substantial winter cabin was built. the ensuing spring they broke ground and raised a fair crop, consisting of bushels of oats, of buckwheat, of corn and of potatoes. the winter of their arrival, duncan mcgregor came to the settlement and spent the winter with judge foster. in the fall of came ira parks and family, and settled on lands adjoining the mapes farm. this family and others were entertained by the mapes brothers, with genuine frontier hospitality. among the families coming in at this time were those of dr. whipple, mrs. sprague, lorenzo daggett, and the widow of josephus medley, of stillwater. this year came also the pomeroy brothers, luke and frank, from new york state, and j. g. crowns, james penn, and william tozer, from illinois. during several families settled in the valley, among them james chinnoch and elisha walden, from ohio; alanson day and john scott, from pennsylvania; the brothers w. l. and j. e. perrin, single men, from new york state, and mrs. lynch, from illinois. previous to the settlement of these families there were no young ladies in the town. the arrival of fifteen young ladies, mostly marriageable, produced a flutter of excitement among the lonesome bachelors of the colony, and the services of rev. s. t. catlin were soon called into requisition. the first couple married was james a. mapes and eunice e. walden, in . the next year w. b. mapes and catherine scott were married. in j. w. mapes, a younger brother, joined the colony. in g. w. mapes located a mexican war land warrant on adjoining laud. w. b., j. a. and c. w. mapes had also mexican war land warrants. in j. w. mapes sold his farm and returned to new york, enlisted in the one hundred and first pennsylvania volunteers, and served through the peninsular campaign under mcclellan, and afterward in north carolina, where he was captured at plymouth, april , , and taken to andersonville, where he died, june , . w. b. mapes sold his farm to chas. davies and removed to macon county, mississippi, in , at which place he died in . his widow and five children still reside there. c. w. mapes sold his farm to g. i. ap roberts, and kept store for awhile in the village, and in removed to sussex county, virginia, where he still resides. he has four children living. jas. a. mapes still resides on the old homestead. mr. mapes was honored with an election to the office of treasurer for st. croix county in and . pleasant valley. pleasant valley includes the west half of township , range . it is drained by the headwaters of the kinnikinic. the first settlement was made sept. , . among the first settlers were sheldon gray, asa gray, s. w. mattison, and allen webster. the town was organized march , , with peleg burdick as chairman of supervisors. the first school was taught in , by miss mary munson. a post office was established in with peter hawkins as postmaster. richmond. richmond is a rich agricultural township, consisting chiefly of undulating prairie land. it is included in township , range . willow river flows diagonally through it from northeast to southwest. the following persons settled within the present limits of the town prior to : eben quinby, lewis oaks, james taylor, harvey law, norman hooper, j. j. smith, a. s. kinnie, w. r. anderson, francis kelly, clinton boardman, s. l. beebe, the beal brothers, e. p. jacobs and e. w. darnley. the town of richmond was organized in , with the following officers: supervisors, robert philbrick, chairman; c. a. boardman and harvey law; clerk, w. m. densmore; assessor, w. r. anderson; treasurer, g. w. law. the first post office was established at the house of joel bartlett, who served as postmaster. this post office was known as the richmond post office. it was a small affair. the first mail, brought on a mule's back from maiden rock, contained but one letter. the first quarter's commission amounted to but one dollar and fifty-nine cents. the post office case contained but four boxes, five by six inches in size. this case is preserved at the _republican_ office, as an interesting relic. small as was the office, and meagre as were the receipts, the postmaster was able to employ a deputy, f. w. bartlett. by way of agreeable contrast we give the commission for the first quarter of as $ . . boardman village is located on the east bank of willow river and near the western boundary of richmond. it is a flourishing village. its public buildings are a methodist church and a large school house. boardman has a good flour mill. everything in the village bespeaks enterprise and thrift. gridley village was platted by gridley & day in , and, together with fremont village, platted by henry russell, was incorporated in the village of new richmond in . the first officers of the new village were: president, f. w. bartlett; trustees, b. c. b. foster, wellington pierce, thos. porter, peter schore, s. m. bixby, geo. c. hough. new richmond city was incorporated in . it includes the northwest quarter of section and the northeast quarter of section of township , range , and the south half of section , township , range . this latter half section originally belonged to star prairie, but is now attached to new richmond. the first election was held april , , at which the following officers were elected: president, ward s. williams; aldermen, first ward, f. w. bartlett, geo. a. gault, th. gaskell; second ward, a. l. greaton, a. h. stevens, j. c. sabine; third ward, john halversen, d. h. dodge, h. f. fall; treasurer, l. taft; clerk, w. f. mcnally; assessor, d. a. kennedy. the city is beautifully located on a level prairie. the streets are from eighty to one hundred feet wide and bordered with maple, elm and boxwood trees. the city lots and grounds attached to the residences are beautifully adorned with shrubbery and flowers and are without fences. the commons and unoccupied spaces in the city are covered with a luxuriant growth of white and red clover, filling the air with its pleasant odor, and suggesting the title of "clover city." it has many fine business buildings and tasteful residences. it is in the midst of a fine farming country, on the banks of a beautiful stream, willow river, and two railroads, the north wisconsin and wisconsin central, furnish abundant means of communication with the outer world. it has one steam saw mill with a capacity of , feet per day, and a water power flour mill with a capacity of one hundred barrels per day. the bank of new richmond was organized in , with a paid up capital of $ , . in the bank did a business of about $ , , . the bank had a surplus in of $ , . it has an extensive agency in flour, wheat and other agricultural products, also in lumber and real estate. the officers are: president, f. w. bartlett; vice president, mathias frisk; cashier, john w. mccoy. the annual business of the city amounts to $ , , . the city has a high school, established in , with six departments. the building cost $ , . the baptists, catholics, congregationalists, episcopalians, and methodists have church buildings. there are several fraternities here, including the masonic, the odd fellows, good templars, women's christian temperance union and catholic knights of st. john. there are also a hook and ladder company and a library association. there are two cemeteries, one belonging to the masonic order. biographical. benjamin b. c. foster was born in new portland, maine, in . when seventeen years of age he bought his time of his father and commenced life for himself. he lived eight years in atkinson, maine, where he taught school and engaged in farming. in he was married to charlotte s. gilman. in he went to california where he remained three years. he came to new richmond in and built a saw mill and dam, and a board shanty in which he lived with his wife and two children. around the mill has since grown up the beautiful city of new richmond. the first school taught in new richmond was taught at the house of mr. foster by amanda dayton. in his house was organized the first sunday-school, the first sermon was preached in it and the first school meeting was held there. robert philbrick was born in old town, maine, in . he learned the trade of a millwright, and in moved to north hudson. he was married in to frances cook. they stood on a raft, afloat in the st. croix river, just below the falls, while ansel smith, of taylor's falls, performed the ceremony. mr. philbrick removed to new richmond and built a frame house in . the house is still standing. one daughter of mr. philbrick is the wife of d. l. nye. amaziah, a son by his first wife, is a stonemason. alice m., daughter by his first wife, is married to john mcgregor. mr. philbrick died prior to . linden coombs came to new richmond in , built the first hotel in , and some years later moved away. eben quinby was born in lisbon, new hampshire, in , and came to new richmond in , where he has since continuously been engaged in farming. in he was married to mrs. philbrick, widow of robert philbrick. lewis oaks was born in sangerville, maine, in ; came west in and to new richmond in . he is a farmer. henry russell was born in vermont in . his ancestors took part in the revolution. he was married in vermont, lived seventeen years in new york, came to hudson in , and to new richmond in , where he bought the pre-emption made by robert philbrick, and had it surveyed and platted as the village of fremont. he died in . mrs. russell survives him and is now ( ) eighty-five years of age. their sons alexander and austin are prominent citizens of new richmond. joseph d. johnson was born in huron county, ohio, may , . from eight years of age he was thrown upon his own resources. the greater part of his youth was spent in michigan. in he removed to winnebago, illinois, where he married marcella l. russell. he settled at new richmond in . one son, ezra o., is editor of the _northwestern news_, at hayward, wisconsin, and one daughter is married to frank f. bigelow. joel bartlett was born in hebron, maine, in . he received an academic education and became a teacher. he was principal of a high school in bath, maine, before he was twenty-one years of age. in he went to harmony, maine, where he was engaged in lumbering until . in he was a member of the maine legislature; in and he followed lumbering in fairfield, maine, and then removed to new york where he lived six years. in he came to new richmond, where he has since led an active business life. mr. bartlett was married in maine in . one of his sons, j. a., is a presbyterian clergyman in centreville, iowa. he graduated at waterville college, maine, and practiced law three years in new york city before entering the ministry. francis w. bartlett, the second son of joel bartlett, was born in maine in . he received an academic education, and has been an active and successful business man. he came to new richmond in , and served as register of the land office at bayfield from to . he was married in to mary j. stewart, of pennsylvania. he was engaged in the coal trade in milwaukee three years, and two years at detroit and toledo, but returned to new richmond and is now president of the new richmond bank, and dealer in furniture, hardware, etc. george c. hough was born in fairfax county, virginia, in ----. he has led a somewhat adventurous life. he served awhile as a soldier in the black hawk war under gen. dodge. afterward he went to missouri, graduated at the state university, and engaged in lead mining and prospecting. he went to california in , where he practiced law. he returned in , and located in richmond where he still resides. silas staples was born in lisbon, maine, sept. , . he came to hudson, wisconsin, in , took charge of the willow river mills, buying a quarter interest at $ , , including , acres of land on willow river. in he sold his interest to jewell and bodie, of maine, for $ , , and for three years carried on a banking business in hudson. in the winter of - he removed to new richmond. in he returned to hudson and put up a shingle and lath addition to his saw mill. he built a flouring mill at new richmond in . he built large dams on willow river for driving logs, and carried on lumbering operations until , when he removed to canada and carried on milling and lumbering enterprises four years, at collins' inlet, georgian bay. in he returned to hudson and to a farm, and was also engaged with mr. gibson in mercantile business. in he returned to new richmond, and, buying a half interest in the mill, took charge of it for one year, then removed to stillwater and took charge of his brother's (isaac staples) saw mill. in he removed to elk river, minnesota, and took charge of a farm. the next year he returned to new richmond, where he settled his family and bought a half interest in a saw and grist mill at jeweltown. he also built an elevator there with a capacity of , bushels. mr. staples was married in to hannah williams, of bowdoinham, maine, who died in . he was married in to abigail ann rogers of oldtown, maine, who died in the spring of . he was married in the fall of to nancy d. gilman, who died in . he was married to mrs. nancy b. jamison in the fall of . he has six children, charles a., silas g., nellie b., nettie, edward p, and lizzie g. henry m. murdock.--dr. murdock was born at antwerp, new york, in october, . his father, dr. hiram murdock, moved to gunning, at which place the son attended school till he was fifteen years of age. the father moved to pulaski, new york. henry studied medicine with his father until he was nineteen years of age, then attended medical lectures at castleton, virginia, where he graduated at the age of twenty-one. after practicing three years at dexter, and after a co-partnership of seven years with his father in a drug store at pulaski, he came west and settled in stillwater, where he bought the drug store and business of dr. carli. in he went to taylor's falls and practiced medicine until the spring of , when he removed to hudson and formed a partnership with dr. hoyt. in the fall of he accepted the position of assistant surgeon of the eighth wisconsin, and served during the war, having been promoted meanwhile to the position of brigade surgeon. in he removed to new richmond, where he has since resided, having now retired from business. he was twice married, in to cornelia a. sandford, who died childless, and in to sarah j. allan. his children are cornelia a. and henry a. steven n. hawkins was born in galway, ireland, dec. , , but while he was a mere child his parents emigrated to america; remained a few years in connecticut; came west in , and made their home in pleasant valley, st. croix county. his early life was marked by the usual vicissitudes of life in a new country. he tried for a time various occupations--farm work, rafting, sawing lumber, teaching, and, during the later months of the war, was a volunteer soldier. he managed to secure a good education in the common schools and at the river falls academy. he studied medicine and surgery a few months, but devoted himself chiefly to teaching until , when he engaged in a mercantile enterprise at which he continued four years, but at the close of that period found himself obliged to suspend, with an aggregate of $ , against him. this he afterward paid, but he concluded, perhaps wisely, to change his occupation. he studied law, and was admitted to the bar, july, . in this profession he has achieved an enviable success. in he was married to margaret early, of alleghany county, new york. they have had four children, the first of which died in infancy. rush river occupies the east half of township , range . the first settlement was made in . the following came in - : daniel mccartney, amos babcock, joseph king, stephen claggitt and z. travis. the town was set off from kinnikinic and organized in , with daniel mccartney as chairman of the board of supervisors. at his house was held the first election. woodside has one church and several buildings, is near the centre of the town, and new centreville in the southern part. the date of settlement is second to that of hudson. it was traversed by the old hudson and prairie du chien stage route. it was originally a mixed timber and prairie district. somerset occupies sections to , inclusive, of township , range , two sections of township , range , and all of township , range , lying east of the st. croix river. the surface is generally undulating, but along the st. croix and apple rivers abrupt and hilly. the first settlers were french colonists at apple river falls in . they built a school house and catholic church upon the bluffs below the falls. the latter is a conspicuous object as seen from the st. croix river. the falls of apple river, about one and a half miles above its junction with the st. croix, is one of the finest of the wisconsin waterfalls. apple river traverses the county from northeast to southwest. the wisconsin central railroad crosses the southern part. the town of somerset was organized sept. , , with thomas j. chappell as chairman of supervisors. mr. chappell was also appointed postmaster in at apple river falls. somerset village, located about three miles above the falls, has a good improved water power, a flour mill with a capacity of one hundred and fifty barrels per day, and a saw mill, built and owned by gen. sam harriman, the founder of the village. in a church and school house were erected at a cost of about $ , . samuel harriman.--gen. harriman was born in orland, maine. he spent four years in california, engaged in mining and lumbering, and dug the second canal in the state for sluicing purposes. he came to somerset in , and has ever since made it his residence. he is one of the founders and platters of the village, and built most of the houses, including the hotel and two stores on the east side of apple river, and all the dwelling houses on the west side. he has been remarkably successful in the various pursuits to which he has turned his attention, and may well be considered a man of remarkable executive ability. he has a farm of five hundred and fifty-five acres, and his agricultural and stock products are second to none. as a lumberman he has cut , , feet per year. he has a rotary saw mill with a planing, lath and shingle mill attached, and under the same roof he has a flouring mill and six run of stone; he has a large store in which he keeps a general stock of merchandise; he has also a cooper shop, where he makes his own barrels, a warehouse and a blacksmith shop. he has also an excellent stone quarry on his premises. we look in vain for his name in the wisconsin blue book, or among the list of office holders. he has been too busy to turn aside in quest of political preferment. we believe, however, that he was commissioned as notary public by govs. taylor and smith. when men were needed for the defense of the country he left his interests to enlist as a private. his military record is brilliant. he enlisted in company a, thirtieth wisconsin volunteer infantry, june , , was made captain on the organization of the company, which position he held till feb. , , when he was commissioned colonel of the thirty-seventh wisconsin infantry. this regiment was recruited by col. harriman, he having been commissioned for that purpose. its services on many a hard fought field, and especially about petersburg, is a matter of well known history. its most memorable action occurred on the thirtieth of july, just after the explosion of the mine under the enemy's fort. col. harriman, with the thirty-seventh wisconsin, was ordered to occupy the dismantled fort, which he did under a heavy fire, and the walls had been so leveled as to afford but slight protection from the enemy's batteries. while in possession they repelled all attempts to dislodge them until four o'clock the next morning, when, receiving no support, the thirty-seventh regiment, "all that was left of them," fell back to the line. at roll call that evening, of two hundred and fifty men that answered to their names before the action, only ninety-five responded. the remnant of the regiment was attached to a new brigade, of which col. harriman was commissioned commander. on the tenth of september, the war having ended, the tattered flag of the thirty-seventh was returned to the governor of the state and brig. gen. harriman returned to private life and his business enterprises. the general is a genial, kind hearted man, fond of a good joke and story, even though they are at his own expense. he narrates of himself, that when mustered out of the service at washington he was addressed as _general_ harriman; on his way home he was saluted as _colonel_; when nearing wisconsin, he was hailed as _major;_ in the state, as _captain_; in st. croix county and at home as mr. harriman; when met by the boys, they greeted him with "_hello, sam._" st. joseph includes the three lower tiers of sections of township , range , fractions of range , and the six upper sections of township , range . willow river traverses the southeast corner. the surface varies from undulating to hilly. in the eastern part of the town is balsam lake, a picturesque body of water two miles in length. there are also two high elevations of land, or ridges, that serve as conspicuous landmarks. the earliest settlers came in , and located on farms in different parts of the town. st. joseph was organized in . the north wisconsin railroad passes through the southeast corner of the town. houlton. opposite stillwater, on the shore of the lake, is a platted village known as houlton, which has improved much during the last few years. j. s. anderson & co. built a large saw mill at this place, which has changed ownership several times. the residences of the village are on the high bluffs overlooking the lake, and commanding from a point two hundred feet above the level of the water a most magnificent view, including stillwater, hudson and lakeland. burkhardt village is situated upon willow river, just above the falls. joseph bowron and others built a mill here in . the mill property changed hands many times, and finally passed into the hands of burkhardt. in march, , the mill was consumed, with a loss to mr. burkhardt of $ , , an immense loss, representing the earnings of a lifetime; but with tireless energy mr. burkhardt went to work rebuilding, and, it is to be hoped, will soon re-establish his thriving business. there is one church near burkhardt. springfield, at its organization in , embraced its own territory and that of baldwin, set off in . it now includes township , range . it was originally covered with pine and hardwood timber. within the last few years it has been improved and much of the timber land is used for farming. it is drained by the headwaters and tributaries of rush and menomonie rivers. the west wisconsin railroad passes through the southern tier of sections, and a branch road, leading southward into a pine district, has a junction at hersey. most of the early settlers were union soldiers. among them were s. t. adams, thomas ross, isaac burgitt and capt. rogers. springfield was organized nov. , , with j. r. ismon as chairman, and perrin and hall as supervisors. hersey. the village of hersey, located on section , is a station on the west wisconsin and branch railroad, has a lumber mill, and is a flourishing village. wilson village, section , is also a station on the west wisconsin road, and an important manufacturing place. the village is owned and controlled by the wilson manufacturing company, which has a capital stock of $ , . there is one church in the village. stanton was set off from star prairie and organized dec. , , with trueworthy jewell as chairman of supervisors. it is a rich prairie town, well drained by the waters of apple and willow rivers, and well cultivated. the north wisconsin railroad passes southwest to northeast through this town. star prairie village lies partly in this town and partly in the town of star prairie. there are two church buildings in the town of stanton. star prairie, township , range , was organized jan. , . at its organization it included township , ranges and , and north half of township , ranges and . the first election was held at the house of b. c. b. foster, in new richmond. apple river flows through the town from northeast to southwest. cedar lake, in the northeast part, furnishes at its outlet a good water power. among the first settlers were the jewell brothers, ridder and sons. huntington village is located near the outlet of cedar lake and on the stream by which the waters of the lake are borne to apple river. it has a large flouring mill. star prairie village, lying partially in sections and and partially in stanton, has a saw and flouring mill, a hotel, a school house and two churches, with some fine residences. hon. r. k. fay, born in , came from new york to wisconsin in , locating at princeton, where he resided for nine years, most of the time engaged as the principal of the high school at that place. he was a man of sterling character, who is remembered as an able teacher and public spirited citizen. he has been assemblyman from adams and st. croix counties, and a county superintendent of schools, and has taught school forty-nine terms. when a member from st. croix county, he introduced the bill requiring the constitutions of the united states and of wisconsin to be taught in the common schools. he died at his home in star prairie, jan , . five sons and five daughters survive him. his wife died about three years ago. troy, township , range , and fractional township , range , consisting of about three sections, lying along the shore of lake st. croix, has a fine frontage of bluffs overlooking the lake, with rich, level prairie lands stretching away eastward. the kinnikinic river flows through the southeast corner of the township. it was organized in as malone, the name having been chosen by the perrin brothers, who came from malone, new york, in . the name, some years later, was changed to troy. the hudson & ellsworth railroad passes diagonally through the township from northwest to southeast. the village of glenmont, section , township , range , lies on the shore of lake st. croix. it contains a large saw mill, built by the lord brothers. it has since changed hands. the village of east troy, in section , has recently been annexed by legislative enactment to the city of river falls. james chinnock, the first settler in troy, was born in somersetshire, england, in . he officiated twelve years at bristol harbor, england, as superintendent of docks and vessels. he was married in england to harriet owens; came to america in , lived in ohio until , when he came to hudson and immediately located a claim within the present limits of troy. he raised the first crop in the town, and built the first house, of stone, for greater protection from the indians. mr. chinnock made his home upon this farm until his death in . he left a widow and four sons, three of them farmers in troy. one son, james t., has been register of deeds for st. croix county from to . william lewis perrin was born in , and with his brother came to troy in , where he has since lived. he has been a successful farmer and public spirited citizen, and has filled offices in the town organization. he was married in to julia f. loring. they have three sons and one daughter. warren, township , range , is a rich prairie town, drained by the tributaries of kinnikinic and willow river. george longworth and family, of waukegan, illinois, settled here in october, . in the year following, lyman and david sanford, brothers, came from ohio, and made their home here. mr. longworth, in , broke the first ground on land now within the limits of hudson. henry m. sanford came in the spring of . warren was organized as a town in , with the following supervisors: beach sanford, george frissell and seth colbeth; l. j. sanford, clerk. a post office was established in , and mrs. beach sanford was appointed postmistress, at warren village, now roberts. the village of roberts is located on the west wisconsin railroad, which traverses sections to , inclusive, of this town. it contains one elevator, one storage house, one feed mill, one cheese factory, one machine shop, one syrup mill, several stores and shops, one hotel, one school house, one public hall, and one church building belonging to the congregationalists. no intoxicants are sold in the village. the first school was taught in , by jane sanford. james hill was born in hillsborough, new hampshire, feb. , , and settled in warren, st. croix county, in , where he engaged in farming and dealing in grain. he represented st. croix county in the wisconsin assembly of - - . town plats located in st. croix county. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ name of | town | date of plat. | surveyor. | proprietors. village. | location. | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ buena vista |hudson | in | harvey wilson |louis massey & | | | | co. new centreville|rush river | mch. , | geo. strong |daniel | | | | mccartney. hammond |hammond | july , | a. w. miller |hammond & | | | | spaulding. de soto |hudson | aug. , | |aptemards | | | | burkhart. somerset |somerset | aug. , |geo. strong |harriman & reed. glenmont |troy | jan. , |c. n. bates |m. bank, lake | | | | st. cx. huntington |star prairie| sept. , |e. w. mcclure |john brown. gridley, new} | | | | richmond and} |richmond | | |gridley & day. fremont } | | | | troy |troy | dec. , |j. a. short |cox & powell. boardman |richmond | july , |w. r. anderson |beebe & | | | | boardman. star prairie |star prairie| june , |john mcclure |simonds & | | | | millard. baldwin |baldwin | mch. , |h. j. baldwin |d. r. bailey. roberts |warren | jan. , |geo. strong |comstock, platt | | | | & co. deer park |cylon | jan. , |j. w. remmington|j. a. humbird. new saratoga} | | | | springs } |stanton | sept. , |john mcclure |a. p. muggey. hersey |springfield | dec. , |geo. strong |l. t. adams. cylon |cylon | sept. , |alfred pierce |beebe & | | | | mcnarama. emerald |emerald | july , |alfred pierce |hurd brothers. glenwood |glenwood | jan. , |h. j. baldwin |glenwood manf. | | | | co. wilson |springfield | | |west wis. manf. | | | | co. woodville |baldwin | | |woodville lumber | | | | co. wildwood |eau galle | | |st. cx. l. & | | | | manf. co. brookville |eau galle | | |wood & decker. houlton |st. joseph | not recorded | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ chapter vii. pierce county. this county, named in honor of president pierce, was separated from st. croix county in , and organized by the same act that created polk county, and gave to st. croix its present limits. it contains about six hundred square miles of territory, lying east of the mississippi river and lake st. croix. it is somewhat triangular in shape, the river and lake forming the hypotenuse, and st. croix, dunn and pepin bounding it by right lines on the north and east, pepin also forming a small part of its southern boundary. the scenery is picturesque and varied. along the river and lake is a series of limestone bluffs, broken at intervals by ravines and valleys, and leaving the impression upon the mind of the traveler on the mississippi of a rough, broken and inhospitable country, than which nothing could be further from the truth. beyond these rugged escarpments of limestone and out of sight of the traveler, the country stretches away toward the interior as an undulating prairie, with meadows and rich pasturelands, with occasional forests, the whole watered and drained by an intricate network of streams tributary to the lake and river, and the three larger streams, the kinnikinic, which empties into the st. croix and big rivers, trimbelle and rush, that empty into the mississippi. some branches of the chippewa also take their rise in this county. these streams uniformly have their source in springs and their waters are consequently pure, cold and invigorating, flowing over beds of white sand or pebbles, and in their downward course forming many ripples, rapids, cascades and some beautiful waterfalls. their total descent to the bed of the mississippi is about four hundred feet. pierce county has no inland lakes within its limits, nor any indications of their previous existence. the soil is formed chiefly from decomposed rocks or ledges worn down by the abrading forces of water and wind, of frost and heat. the rivers in their downward course have excavated broad valleys, having originally precipitous bluffs on either side, and even bluffs once islands in the midst of the streams. these, by later agencies, have been smoothed to gentle slopes and rounded into graceful mounds, towering sometimes as much as eighty feet above the valley or plains. in some places mere outlines of sandstone or limestone rock are left, turret-like, on the summit of a mound, as monuments on which the geologist may read the record of ages gone. as the character of the soil of a country depends upon the composition of the rocks underlying it, and those removed from the surface, reduced to soil and widely distributed, we give what may be considered as the section of any one of the mounds near prescott in the order of the superposition of strata: at the base--lower magnesian limestone feet. above the plain--upper sandstone feet. on the summit--trenton, or shell limestone feet. over a great part of the county the trenton and limestone are worn almost entirely away, and their former existence is attested only by a few mounds, bluffs and outlines. drift is not often met with. the soil may be considered as formed out of drift, now removed from its original position, and out of the sandstone and limestone. it is, therefore, soil of the richest quality. by the same act that created the county of pierce, passed march , , prescott was declared the county seat. the town board of prescott was constituted the county board. the commissioners were osborn strahl, chairman; silas wright and sylvester moore. at the first county election, nov. , , one hundred and ten votes were cast. the following were the officers elected: county judge, w. j. copp; sheriff, n. s. dunbar; treasurer, j. r. freeman; clerk of court, s. r. gunn; clerk of board, henry teachout; coroner, j. olive; district attorney, p. v. wise; surveyor, j. true; register of deeds, j. m. whipple. mr. whipple was authorized to transcribe the records of st. croix county up to date of the organization of pierce. the first assessment in the county, in , amounted to $ , . at the meeting of the supervisors, jan. , , the district attorney was allowed forty dollars per annum as salary. courts were held wherever suitable buildings could be obtained. during this year judge wyram knowlton, of prairie du chien, held the first district court at prescott. the first records of the court were kept on sheets of foolscap paper, and fastened together with wafers. the first case before the court was that of "the state of wisconsin, pierce county, wm. woodruff _vs._ chas. d. stevens, august lochmen, and chas. peschke, in court of said county. in equity." on reading and filing the bill in complaint, in this case, on motion of s. j. r. mcmillan and h. m. lewis, solicitors for counsel, j. s. foster, it was ordered that a writ of injunction be issued in the case, pursuant to the prayer of said bill, upon said complainant. some one, in his behalf, filed with the clerk of said court, a bond for damages and costs in the sum of $ , , with surety to be approved by the clerk or judge of said court. the first document recorded in the county is an agreement between philander prescott and philip aldrich, wherein aldrich agrees to occupy lands adjoining prescott's, at the mouth of st. croix lake on the west, and david hone on the east. the second document is a deed, conveying a tract of three hundred and twenty acres of land from francis chevalier to joseph r. brown, the land lying near the mouth of lake st. croix, and marked by stakes planted in the ground, and adjoining francis gamelle's claim, dated july , . in county treasurer ayers became a defaulter to the county in the sum of $ , . , and to the prescott bank, $ , . in , by act of the legislature, the question of changing the county seat from prescott to ellsworth was submitted to the people. the vote as declared was six hundred for removal and three hundred and seventy-three against it. technical objections having been raised as to the legality of the vote, the subject was submitted to the people a second time in . the vote for removal was confirmed. in the district system was adopted and three districts were established by legislative enactment, but in the county returned to the original system by which the board of supervisors was made to consist of a chairman from each one of the town boards. a poor farm was established near ellsworth in , at a cost of $ , . the county board also appropriated $ , for county buildings at ellsworth. the finances of the county have been admirably managed. in there was no indebtedness, and a surplus in the treasury of $ , . the educational interests are well cared for. there are over one hundred school districts in the county, with well conducted schools, and generally with good substantial buildings. the school lands of st. croix, then including pierce county, were appraised in by dr. otis hoyt, ---- denniston and james bailey, and the lands at once offered for sale. settlers' rights were respected. the county issued $ , in bonds to aid in establishing the normal school at river falls. railroads. river falls has direct communication with hudson by a branch of the chicago & st. paul railroad. in the burlington & northern railroad route was surveyed and established, entering the county on the shore of lake pepin, and running nearly parallel with lake and river to prescott, where it crosses lake st. croix near its mouth, on a bridge, the total length of which is . feet, with one draw span . feet in length, and one piled span of feet. this bridge was completed, and the first train entered prescott, may , . the grade of this road does not exceed fifteen feet to the mile. miscellaneous statistics. the grand army of the republic have posts at the following places: no. , a. w. howard post rock elm. no. , i. m. nichols post river falls. no. , ellsworth post ellsworth. no. , r. p. converse post prescott. no. , u. s. grant post maiden rock. no. , plum city post plum city. the following are the village plats of pierce county, with date of survey and location: prescott, town of prescott kinnikinic, town of river falls monte diamond (diamond bluff), town of diamond bluff saratoga, town of isabelle river falls (greenwood and fremont), town of river falls maiden rock, town of maiden rock warren, town of maiden rock trimbelle, town of trimbelle franklin, town of trimbelle martell (rising sun), town of martell beldenville, town of trimbelle trenton, town of trenton plum city, town of union el paso, town of el paso esdaile, town of hartland rock elm, town of rock elm centre hogan, town of trenton bay city, town of isabelle organization of towns. the following is the chronological order in which the towns of pierce county were organized: prescott[b]. greenwood (now river falls) martell isabelle trimbelle diamond bluff clifton oak grove perry (ellsworth) spring valley (maiden rock) trenton el paso hartland union salem rock elm deerfield (gilman) spring lake clifton, situated in the northwestern part of the county, contains a little over thirty full sections of land, those on the st. croix having a somewhat irregular boundary. the surface is somewhat broken where traversed by the kinnikinic and its tributaries. it includes twenty-four sections on the west side of township , range , and fractional township , range . it was established in . its first board of officers were: supervisors--geo. w. mcmurphy, chairman; osborne strahl and g. w. teachout. c. b. cox was the first postmaster, in , at a place called clifton mills, from which the town afterward derived its name. this post town is situated on the kinnikinic, in section , township , range west. it has one grist mill and two saw mills, belonging to cox, king & goodsall. no intoxicants are sold here. the glenwood saw mills, having a capacity of , , feet, are located on the lake shore. in a limestone quarry was opened on the lake shore, by oakley & nichols. in the firm became oakley & hall. they have a patent kiln and good machinery, and some seasons have manufactured as much as , barrels of lime. george w. mcmurphy was born at newcastle, delaware, in . in he came to st. croix falls, and in to clifton, where he pre-empted the beautiful homestead which he still holds, and where he has successfully followed the business of farming. he has been repeatedly elected to town and county offices. in he was married to maria a. rice. their children are augustus (resident of st. paul), george (a physician living in ortonville, minnesota), james a., robert, albert and edward, and two married daughters. mr. mcmurphy is a member of the congregational church. osborne strahl was born in belmont county, ohio, in ; came to galena, illinois, in , in to mauston and stevens point, wisconsin, and to chippewa falls in . during these years he followed lumbering. in he came to the town of elisabeth, st. croix county, which on subsequent division of towns and counties left mr. strahl in clifton, where he has been engaged in farming. he was married in to rebecca mcdonald. they have two sons, wm. day, living in dakota, howard p., in river falls; three daughters, mabel, wife of joseph m. smith, banker at river falls, and two daughters unmarried. mr. strahl filled various town and county offices. charles b. cox was born june , , in chenango county, new york. he learned the trade of a miller, lived in ohio seventeen years and came to clifton in . he built at clifton the first saw and grist mill in the kinnikinic valley, in . he changed his residence to river falls in , where he lived till , when he removed to california. during the year he ground three hundred bushels of wheat, the sole product of the valley. ephraim harnsberger was born in kentucky, nov. , , moved with his parents to illinois in , and to prescott in , where he pre-empted a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres. he was married at alton, illinois, in , to lizzie johnson. their children are charles, sarah etta, and jennie. diamond bluff is a triangular shaped town, the hypotenuse being formed by the mississippi river. it contains ten sections and three fractional sections in town , range , and five sections and five fractional sections in town , range . it is traversed in the eastern part by trimbelle river. the town was established in , and the first town meeting was held that year at the home of david comstock. the town board consisted of: supervisors--james akers, chairman; wilson thing and c. f. hoyt; justice, s. hunter. susan rogers taught the first school. this town has the honor of claiming the first white settler, aside from traders, in the upper mississippi valley. he came to the site of the present village of diamond bluff in , and named it monte diamond. we give elsewhere a somewhat extended account of this ancient pioneer, with some speculations concerning him and his descendants that are plausible enough to warrant their insertion. in historic times a post office was established here in , called at the time, hoytstown, from c.f. hoyt, the first postmaster. on the organization of the town the name was changed to diamond bluff. quite a village has since grown up around it. the first frame house was built in , by enoch quinby. the first sermon was preached by rev. j. w. hancock, a presbyterian minister, for some years a missionary among the indians. the first birth was that of mary day, in , and the first death that of daniel crappers, in . capt. john paine.--jack paine, as he is familiarly called, was born in england, and for the greater part of his life has been a seafaring man. for the past thirty years he has been a steamboat man on the ohio, mississippi and missouri rivers. he has been married three times: first in rhode island, second to mrs. la blond, of st. louis, and last to miss ressue, of diamond bluff. he came to diamond bluff in , with four children of his first wife, his second wife having died childless. he is now living with his third wife in la crosse. they have three children. john day was born in martinsburg, virginia. in he and his wife and three children, with allen b. wilson and his wife, came to diamond bluff. mr. day is well known as a fearless and enthusiastic hunter. in he had a close encounter with a large black bear, which, after a desperate struggle, he killed with an axe. the indians considered mr. day as "waukon," supernatural, averring that their bravest warriors would not have attacked singly so large an animal. sarah a. vance, the wife of mr. day, was born in kentucky. the vance family were famous pioneers, and some of them were noted methodist preachers. miss vance's first marriage was to john r. shores, by whom she had two children, one of whom, isabella, became the wife of a. r. wilson. allen r. wilson.--mr. wilson was born in kentucky; spent his early boyhood in shawneetown, illinois; was married to miss shores at potosi, wisconsin, april , , and in came to diamond bluff. mr. wilson took great interest in politics, was an ardent republican, and was among the first to volunteer his services for the suppression of the rebellion in . he enlisted in company b, sixth regiment, wisconsin volunteers, and fell in battle, sept. , , at south mountain. mr. wilson was well informed, a close observer of political events at home and abroad, and was a brave and efficient soldier. he left five children. e. s. coulter.--mr. coulter is a virginian by birth. in early manhood he traveled extensively as a book agent, and finally settled at diamond bluff, where he successfully engaged in farming and dealing in wheat and merchandise. james bamber, ex-musician in the british and united states armies. jacob mead, ex-shoemaker, ex-soldier and miner, a man of superior natural and acquired talent. charles walbridge came to diamond bluff in . jacob mead died in , leaving a large property. charles f. hoyt, with his wife and one child, came to diamond bluff from illinois, in . enoch quinby was born at sandwich, new hampshire; was married to matilda leighton, originally from athens, maine. mr. quinby and his wife came from pittsfield, illinois, to diamond bluff in . the first settler. there is a pretty well grounded tradition that the first white man who found his way to diamond bluff was a french vendean loyalist of the army of jacques cathelineau; that he fled from france in or , landed at quebec, and was traced by his enemies to mackinaw and chicago, where they lost his trail. he came to diamond bluff in , and named it "monte diamond." he had for his housekeeper the daughter of an indian chief. he died here about . after his death the indians always called the place the "old white man's prairie." e. quinby, of diamond bluff, to whom we are indebted for this account, adds: "all the additional evidence i can give in regard to this pioneer is that prior to his wife died, leaving him one daughter, who was deformed. a former friend of his had a beautiful daughter of about the same age of his own. after the uprising and defeat of the vendeans, they became enemies, and he, to save his life, took his former friend's daughter, instead of his own, and fled to this country. the father pursued them as far as chicago, where he saw his daughter in company with some indian girls, and having on her person some ornaments once worn by her mother. he at once seized her and carried her back with him to france, and the old frenchman found his way to diamond bluff." faribault's son,[c] now living somewhere in minnesota, wrote me a few years since, inquiring about the old frenchman, saying that his grandmother claimed that her husband was a french nobleman, and that he lived near lake pepin. he believed the old frenchman was his grandfather. the above statements were communicated to the late capt. orin smith, of galena, illinois, allen b. wilson and myself, in , or in , by an old frenchman then residing at potosi, wisconsin, who claimed to have seen and gathered these facts from the old man himself. capt. smith was well acquainted with the frenchman at potosi, and gave the fullest credence to his account. el paso occupies township , range . it is drained chiefly by rush river and its tributary, lost creek, on the west. the two post villages in this town are, el paso, located in section , and lost creek, in section . george p. walker was the first settler. he built the first house and raised the first crop; thomas t. magee came in . in the town was organized, thomas hurley and geo. p. walker being supervisors. in mr. magee built a saw and flour mill in section , and platted the village of el paso. in he removed to clear lake, polk county, of which town he was the first settler. clara green taught the first school in el paso, in . there is one catholic and one lutheran church in the village. the name el paso signifying a crossing, is of somewhat obscure derivation. ellsworth was organized under the name of perry, march , , but in it received its present name. it occupies a central position in the county and includes township , range . this is a rich farming town, originally timbered with hardwood. the surface is elevated and gently undulating. it is drained on the east by the tributaries of rush river, but has no large or important streams. the first supervisors were: p. m. simons, chairman; caleb bruce and wilson kinnie. the first settler was anthony huddleston, who came april , , and pre-empted the southeast quarter of section . on november th, of the same year, came caleb, elihu w. and eli t. bruce, who pre-empted farms on sections and . during the same year wilson and norris kinnie and david klingensmith pre-empted farms in sections and . lilly, miscen, russ, and campbell came also in . the first log house in the town was built by anthony huddleston in . norris kinnie built the first in what was afterward the village of ellsworth. the first school house, a log building, built was in , and mary filkins, now mrs. g. h. sargeant, of minnesota, taught the first school. the first marriage was that of charles stannard and mary leonard, in . the first birth, that of the twin children of wilson. both died. the first death of an adult was that of mrs. jacob youngman in the winter of . the post office was opened in , with seely strickland as postmaster. ellsworth village. the original owners of the southern half of section , and the northern half of , norris kinnie, eli t. bruce, henry p. ames, and wm. crippin laid out and platted the village of ellsworth in . wm. crippin, built a frame hotel there in . c. s. dunbar opened a store in . the prospect of ellsworth becoming the county seat gave a great impetus to business enterprises. this was decided by a popular vote in , but owing to some technical defects was resubmitted to the people of the county in , and then definitely decided. in the year the citizens of ellsworth built a log house in which the first terms of court were held; meanwhile the county officers had their offices in the basement of crippin's hotel. the permanent county buildings were not erected until . they are built of stone and cost $ , . in a frame schoolhouse took the place of the old log structure, and in a commodious brick building was erected, at a cost of $ , . the methodists, lutherans and catholics have church buildings. there is one newspaper, the _pierce county herald_, edited by e. f. case and e. s. doolittle. the barnes saw mill built in , burned down and rebuilt, has a capacity of about , feet per day. a branch railroad, built from hudson to river falls, was extended to ellsworth in . the depot is one mile from the village. the pierce county central fair grounds, containing seventeen acres, are located near the village. the grounds are inclosed and are covered with a fine maple grove, in the midst of which is a large flowing spring. d. w. woodworth was first president of the fair association. ellsworth has two handsome cemeteries, maplewood and the catholic. the village itself is beautifully situated on an elevated plateau originally covered with hardwood timber. the streets are tastefully adorned with maple trees. anthony huddleston.--mr. huddleston is of irish descent. he was born in west virginia in ; had but limited educational privileges; lived for a part of his life in ohio and indiana, and settled in ellsworth in , being the first settler in the town. he was a house carpenter for over sixty years. he was a member of the dunkard church sixty-two years. he was married in , in ripley, indiana, to susannah whetstone. they have three sons and six daughters living. perry d. pierce was born in harpersfield, delaware county, new york. he traces his lineage to ancestors who came across in the mayflower and landed at plymouth rock. he received an academic education, studied law with a. reckor, oswego, new york, and was admitted to practice at cooperstown in , practiced in albany three years, and in came to the st. croix valley, locating first at prescott, where he served as district attorney for four years, and county judge eight years. he was married in , to lua e. searsdall. he is now a resident of ellsworth. [illustration: _very respectfully hans b. warner_] hans b. warner, of ellsworth, pierce county, was born at gulbrandsdalen, norway, july , ; received a common school education; is by occupation a farmer; emigrated and settled in dodge county, wisconsin, in , and thence removed to pierce county in , where he has since resided. he enlisted in march, , as a private, in company g, thirty-seventh regiment, wisconsin volunteer infantry; was wounded and captured in front of petersburg, virginia, july , , and was held a prisoner of war in danville and libby prisons until paroled, september, ; was discharged from service on account of wounds received in battle july , . he has held various local offices, and the position of county clerk of pierce county from january, , to dec. , , when he resigned, to assume the duties of secretary of state, to which office he was elected in , and was re-elected in , serving in all four years. he was elected to the state senate in and served until . his home business is farming and real estate. he was married in , to julia e. hudson. gilman. the town of gilman includes township , range . the postal villages are gilman, section , and olivet, section . gilman was organized as the town of deerfield, in , but in the name was changed to gilman. the first supervisors were oliver purdy, caleb coon, bardon jensen. the first school was taught in , by m. l. maxgood. a norwegian lutheran church was built in , at a cost of $ , . there are six school houses with an aggregate cost of $ , . the first marriage was that of caleb coon and cenith preston, in . the first birth was a child of this married couple. the first death was that of mrs. rufus preston. the first post office was at gilman, u. f. hals, postmaster. the first settlers were b. f. gilman, in , still a resident; n. b. lawrence, soon after, now removed; rufus preston and family; joseph and caleb coon and families, in , still resident. j. r. maxgood, b. jensen and son, e. b. jensen, the matthieson brothers, z. sigursen, h. bredahl, s. j. goodell, nels gulikson, m. o. grinde, albert martin, p. vanosse, and t. b. forgenbakke are among the oldest citizens. hartland. hartland occupies township , range . it has one post village, esdaile. it has one saw mill and a factory for the manufacture of hubs and bent wood work, operated by charles betcher, of red wing, minnesota, which gives employment to seventy-five men and ten teams the year round. the village of esdaile has also two general merchandise stores and a hotel. hartland was organized in . the first supervisors were a. harris, chairman; joseph sleeper and r. m. sproul. amongst the first settlers were augustus e. hodgman, section , ; james buckingham, section , ; lewis buckmaster, section , . the first school was taught in , by mary ann stonio. the first post office was at esdaile, hiram patch, postmaster. there are three church organizations, presbyterian, methodist and lutheran (norwegian), with buildings valued at from $ to $ , . there are nine school houses, ranging in cost from $ to $ , . the good templars have an organization. isabelle. isabelle consists of the two upper tiers of section , township , range , the lower tier being much broken in outline by lake pepin on the south. it contains also fractions of sections in the third tier. bay city, on the shore of the lake, is the postal town. it was organized in . in it was annexed to hartland, but in it was re-established. the first chairman of supervisors was john buckingham. the election was held at the house of abner brown. charles r. tyler and lorenzo d. philips settled here in , and built a saw mill where now stands the thriving village of bay city. saratoga plat was laid out upon this ground in , by a. c. morton. a. j. dexter was the original claimant of the land. mr. morton purchased the land which covered a part of bay city from the government. a surveyor named markle was employed by morton to run the lines, which mr. dexter considered an intrusion upon his rights, and he shot markle. dexter was tried before judge s. s. n. fuller, in , was convicted, and sentenced to prison for life. after a few years he was pardoned by gov. barstow. maiden rock. maiden rock occupies the four upper tiers of sections of township , ranges and , except such portions on the southwestern corner as are cut off by lake pepin. it contains about forty sections. the town was organized under the name of spring valley, in . its postal villages are maiden rock, on the lake shore, section , range , and warren, also on the lake shore, section , range . the site of maiden rock village was purchased from the government in , by albert harris and j. d. trumbull. in they erected the first house, and in built a saw and shingle mill. j. d. trumbull platted the village in , and christened it maiden rock, from the celebrated rock of that name a few miles further down the lake. among the first settlers in the village were j. h. steel, j. d. brown, john foster, and joseph b. hull. the first hotel was run by g. r. barton, in a house built by j. d. trumbull. this hotel has since been enlarged and is now the lake view house. the first marriage was that of a. j. smith and corinda eatinger, in ; the first birth was that of ida trumbull, in , and the first death that of william trumbull, in . the first school was taught by lottie isabel, of batavia, illinois. the first sermon was preached by rev. james gurley, a methodist preacher from north pepin. a post office was established in , of which j. d. trumbull was postmaster. the receipts the first year were eleven dollars, the expenses, fifty dollars, paid by the postmaster. the town of maiden rock has six school houses, one saw and one grist mill. christopher l. taylor was born in oneida county, new york, in ; came to chicago at an early day, and to maiden rock in , where he engaged in manufacturing. he served as county supervisor for eight years, and as member of the wisconsin legislature in . he removed to st. paul in , where he still resides. he is a dealer in real estate. martell. martell occupies township , range . joseph martell, john dee, louis lepau and xerxes jock, frenchmen, were the first settlers. they located here in , and remained till , when they moved further west, allured by the attractions of frontier life. martell was organized in , with the following supervisors: amos bonesteel, chairman; m. statten and r.j. thompson. the first school was taught in , by w. bewel. martell is the postal village. the first postmaster was o. rasmunson. there are two evangelical lutheran churches in the town, built at a cost of $ , and $ , . there is also a good town hall, valued at $ . the martell mutual insurance company is in successful operation. oak grove. oak grove includes township , range (with the exception of section and parts of and ), and six sections of range , in all about forty sections. it is drained by big river. it was set off from clifton in . hart broughton was the first chairman of supervisors. it contains a flouring mill on big river; catholic, lutheran, and methodist church buildings; that of the catholic cost $ , , and has a school attached. there are seven school houses. big river is the postal village. john berry was first postmaster. the first settlers were ( ) the thing brothers, the harnsberger brothers, the cornelius brothers, rice, schaser, mcmurphy, rissue, and the miner brothers. lewis m. harnsberger was born in kentucky, april , , and moved with his parents to illinois, where he lived nine years. he came to prescott in , and pre-empted a farm in oak grove, where he has since continuously resided. he has filled many public positions creditably. he was married to annie jeffreys, of illinois, in . their sons are ephraim, lewis and john. prescott city is beautifully located at the junction of the st. croix and mississippi rivers. the business portion of the city is on a terrace at the base of the bluff, and between it and the river and lake. the public buildings, churches, school house and residences are chiefly on the upper terrace, or bluff, and command an extensive view of the valley of the two rivers, the whole forming a landscape of unrivaled beauty. the advantages of the position are by no means limited to its picturesque surroundings. prescott, from its position at the junction of the two rivers, was early recognized as an important point for the reshipping of freight and re-embarkation of passengers. the st. croix, which comes in from the north, rises within a few miles of lake superior, and after running a course of two hundred miles, empties its waters into lake st. croix, twenty-four miles above its outlet. the lake is navigable at all times to stillwater and to taylor's falls at the dalles. the mississippi comes in from the northwest, and is navigable to st. paul, a distance of thirty miles. the two channels at the junction are each about , feet wide, with an average depth of fifteen feet, and the banks slope to the water's edge, or stand in some places in vertical ledges, thus forming a natural quay along the entire front of the city. the quay, or landing, is semicircular in shape, the upper terrace, or bench, about one hundred feet in height, is likewise semicircular, the convexity being toward the river and lake. the crest of the terrace is worn down by the rains into ravines, leaving rounded points, or promontories, on the summit of which the ancient mound builders have left traces of their peculiar art. the first settlement of prescott was made by philander prescott, col. thompson, dr. emerson, and capt. scott, the three last named being army officers at fort snelling. mr. prescott, acting as agent for the others, made the claim in , remaining three years to hold it, when it was left in the care of joseph mosier until . in seven acres were broken and fenced, constituting the entire landed improvements within the present bounds of pierce county. in one hundred and fifty acres were improved. geo. schaser and h. doe were the first resident farmers. from to a trading post for indian supplies was kept by persons holding the claim. w. s. lockwood opened a store in , and other improvements were made. as the army officers were called to other fields of labor, mr. prescott soon found himself in sole possession of the original claim, he purchasing their interests, and in , when the lands had been surveyed by the government, he entered sixty-one acres. in dr. o. t. maxon and w. j. copp purchased a greater part of the town site and surveyed and platted it as the city of prescott. a charter was obtained in . a post office had been established here in , called the "mouth of st. croix," but it was removed across the lake and named point douglas. the post office was re-established at prescott in . dr. o. t. maxon was first postmaster. the number of persons who came that year to prescott is estimated at about one hundred and fifty.[d] mr. schaser platted an addition to the city of sixty-one acres in . when the city received its charter the following officers were elected: mayor, j. r. freeman; aldermen, first ward, n. s. dunbar, thomas dickerson and seth ticknor; second ward, hilton doe, george w. oakley, n. a. miller; president of the council, seth ticknor; justices of the peace, i. t. foster, o. edwards; city attorney, p. v. wise; city surveyor, wm. howes; superintendent of schools, thomas dickerson. wm. schaser built the first frame house, and mrs. wm. schaser was the first white woman. their daughter eliza was the first white child born in the new settlement. the first marriage was that of g. w. mcmurphy to a daughter of mr. rice, april , . the first death was that of w. s. lockwood, in . when the county of pierce was organized prescott was designated as the county seat, and so remained until , when, by popular election, ellsworth was chosen. in messrs. silverthorn & dudley started a saw mill, which they operated until , when mr. dudley purchased his partner's interest, and erected a flouring and saw mill. a wagon and carriage manufactory was established by f. menicke, in , the prescott brewery in , by n. p. husting, and the prescott machine shops in , by h. b. failing. the city bank of prescott was organized in , charles miller, president; w. p. westfall, cashier; capital stock, $ , . it closed in . the national bank was established in , by w. s. miller. the first school in pierce county was taught by a missionary named denton, at prescott, in . in miss oliver taught a private school. in the first district school was established. the school board were: directors, m. craig, george w. mcmurphy; treasurer, n. s. dunbar; clerk, dr. o. t. maxon; teacher, miss matthews. the first school house was built in . a building for a graded school was erected in . a high school building was erected in , at a cost of $ , . the first religious society was that of the methodists, organized in , under the labors of rev. norris hobart. their first building was erected in . its dimensions were × feet, ground plan. in they erected a building × feet, ground plan, at a cost of $ , . in the baptist church was organized by rev. e. w. cressy. in the congregationalists organized, with rev. p. hall as pastor, and in built a brick church, × feet, ground plan. in the presbyterians organized, and in built a church. the lutheran church was organized in , by rev. c. thayer. under the preaching of rev. m. guild the episcopal church was organized in . previous to this date revs. breck, wilcoxson and peabody had labored from time to time. the catholic church was organized by rev. father vervais in . in a church edifice was built. the following social and benevolent orders have organizations in prescott: northwestern lodge, a. f. and a. m organized prescott lodge, i. o. o. f " lodge no. , i. o. g. t " prescott juvenile temple, no. " prescott temple of honor " converse post, g. a. r. " pierce county agricultural society, o. t. maxon, president " the agricultural society has fair grounds just east of the city, well arranged, with a half mile race track, and buildings in good condition. fairs are held annually. pine glen cemetery is situated on the bluff half a mile below the city. it was established in . nature has done much for the site. the view of the mississippi valley is unobstructed for a distance of from twelve to twenty miles on the south, and to the bend of the river bluffs above hastings. the grounds are handsomely laid out and adorned with shrubbery. destructive fires. prescott has suffered severely from fires. the following is a partial list of losses: lowry & co., saw mill loss $ , todd & horton's mill " , stevens, lechner & co. ( ) " , fire on main street ( ) loss $ , fire on main street ( ) " , fire on main street ( ) " , redman, cross & co., flour mills ( ) " , the latter was insured for $ , . total loss, nearly $ , . biographical. philander prescott was born in , at phelpstown, ontario county, new york. late in the year he came to fort snelling and remained there, or in the vicinity, the greater part of his life. from his constant association with the indians, especially with the sioux, he learned to speak their language. he was also related to them by his marriage with a sioux woman. this fact, added to his influence among them, and being a man not only of a high character for integrity, but well educated and intelligent, he was able to render the officers of the fort much service. he made a translation into the sioux dialect of a number of english and french hymns for the use of the mission schools near prescott. he gave his children an english education. in , while acting as indian interpreter, he came to the present site of prescott, and in conjunction with several officers of the fort, he acting as their agent, laid claim to considerable territory, and made some improvements in the shape of log buildings. when the army officers were sent to other posts, mr. prescott purchased their interests and held the claim. in , after the government survey, he pre-empted sixty-one acres and laid out what he called the city of prescott. he resided here and at the fort alternately until his death, which occurred in . he had been sent by the government on a peace mission to the indians in rebellion, met them at a point near mankato, and was cruelly assassinated by those to whom he had ever proven a true friend, and whom he had every reason to suppose friendly to him. george schaser is a native of austria, and came to the mouth of the st. croix in . in he returned to st. louis and married christine bucher. mrs. schaser was the first white woman resident in prescott. mr. schaser built the first frame house in the settlement, in . this house was regarded for many years as the finest house between prairie du chien and st. paul. in mr. schaser surveyed an addition to prescott on land he had pre-empted in . in he built the brick hotel known as the st. nicholas. mr. schaser died may , , leaving a widow, three sons and one daughter. his sons are henry, edward and george a. his daughter emma was married to capt. john e. ball (deceased ). an older daughter, eliza, the first child born in pierce county, was married to e. w. haviland, and died in , near new orleans. william s. lockwood, a native of new york state, came to prairie du chien in , and to prescott in . the year following his family followed. mr. lockwood died in . his widow, georgiana barton, was married to orange b. walker, of marine mills, and died at marine, oct. , . james monroe bailey was born in , in sullivan county, new york, where his youthful days were passed. he came to prescott in , where he has since been engaged in farming, mercantile and real estate business. he was married in , in prescott, to nettie crippin. they have one son, victor, and two daughters, myrtle, wife of e. l. meacham, of prescott, and jessamine. mr. bailey has a very pleasant home in prescott. he has filled various offices, among them that of treasurer and clerk of st. croix county, prior to the organization of pierce. adolph werkman was born in germany in ; came to america in , and to prescott in . he was married at prescott in . joseph manese (alias joseph abear) was of french extraction and a native of lower canada. while yet a youth he came into the lake superior region, where he was employed most of his time in hunting and trapping by the fur companies. his history, if written in full, would abound in stirring incidents and adventures. he was a man of unusual strength and activity, and in disposition light hearted, vivacious and gay even to hilarity. he died in prescott in . hilton doe was a native of new york state, and came to red wing, as indian farmer, about . he settled in prescott in , in sections and , pre-emptions subsequently surveyed into town lots. mr. doe married miss daily, in illinois, in . mrs. doe died in , mr. doe in . lute a. taylor, a young man of decided talent, a good classical scholar, a brilliant writer and humorist, came to river falls in , and in , with his brother horace, established the river falls _journal_, which they continued to publish jointly for three years, when horace removed to hudson and established the _times_. lute a. removed to prescott, taking with him the material of the _journal_ office, and established the prescott _journal_, which he edited and published until , when he removed to la crosse and published the la crosse _leader_ until his death, which occurred in . mr. taylor was a correspondent of various papers and an entertaining lecturer. as a conversationalist and wit, he was without a rival. a slight impediment in his speech, if anything, added to the humorous effect of his pithy sayings. he is well remembered in the valley of the st. croix. a volume containing his biography and some characteristic sketches has been published since his death. john huitt, a canadian, came to prescott in , and erected the first blacksmith shop in the village. he was married in prescott to a daughter of joseph mosier, and subsequently pre-empted a quarter section of land on prescott prairie. he built a saw and planing mill on trimbelle river. he died at trimbelle in . john m. rice was born in sudbury, massachusetts, in ; was married in , in massachusetts, to mary a. goodenough; came in to marine, illinois, and in to prescott. mr. rice was a house carpenter, but followed also the business of farming. he was an upright man and a member of the congregational church. he died in , leaving one son, david o., living in prescott; a daughter, maria a., wife of g. w. mcmurphy, of prescott, and a daughter in illinois. an indian battle. the feud between the sioux and chippewas originated in prehistoric times and from causes not now known. it has been a tribal vendetta, continuous and relentless, with the advantages in favor of the chippewas, who, in the course of time, have steadily forced the sioux westward from the sault ste. marie to the mississippi at prescott. we give the following account of one of their battles, being an indian version, translated and written out by philander prescott. this fight occurred in , on the site of the city of prescott. as the indians had been supplied by the french with firearms as early as , there is nothing improbable in their alleged use on this occasion. but for the story: "the chippewas, a thousand strong, attacked a camp of eighteen sioux lodges by night and killed most of the warriors. the women and children fled to the canoes, and, jumping in, pushed from the shore, but, in their hurry, without paddles. a large eddy in the river carried the canoes round and round, and, as they swept near the shore, the chippewas seized them, pulled them to the shore and butchered the women and children. a few sioux warriors had fled up the bank of the lake, where they hid in crevices and caves of the rocks. the chippewas discovered their hiding places and killed all but one, who rushed from his retreat, and, diving again and again in the lake, swam for the opposite shore. as often as his head appeared above the water the chippewas fired a volley of bullets, which fell around like hail, but harmlessly. the bold swimmer finally reached the opposite shore unharmed, when he gave a whoop of joy and disappeared in the thicket. the chippewas, filled with admiration at his daring exploit, returned his farewell whoop with interest." river falls occupies township , range , and a tier of two sections from range . trimbelle river drains the eastern portion and the kinnikinic the northwest. its early history is identified with the history of river falls city, its first settlement. it was organized in , as greenwood, but in the name was changed to river falls. as river falls city was not incorporated until , we shall give its early history in connection with that of the town. the first settler was joel foster, in the fall of . in , came d. mcgregor, james and walter mapes; in , messrs. hayes, tozer, penn and parks, and not long after the powells and clark green. these early settlers chose locations at, or near, the present site of river falls city, and along the banks of the kinnikinic, which here, owing to its numerous waterfalls, offered unusual facilities for milling and manufacturing. the first crop was raised by joel foster, in . the first saw mill was built in by the brothers n. n. and o. s. powell, just below the site of the present greenwood mill. this was burned in . in the powell brothers platted the village of river falls, called at first, kinnikinic, setting apart for that purpose two hundred acres of land. this plat included the upper waterfalls within the present city limits. the largest water power they donated to c. b. cox as a mill site, to encourage settlement in the village. the brothers co-operated in building up the village, amongst other things building a frame store and stocking it with goods. this was the first store in the kinnikinic valley. they dealt also in real estate and lumber. the name of river falls, as applied to the village, dates from the establishment of the first post office, in . charles hutchinson was the first postmaster, and the office was held in this pioneer store. j. s. rounce, in , built the first foundry in pierce county. the water powers of river falls have been extensively utilized, many saw and flouring mills having been erected at various times on the kinnikinic. of these, in , the more notable are, the junction mills, owned by freeman, rhyder & co., with a capacity of barrels daily, and a barrel manufactory attached, which gives employment to men and turns off from to barrels daily. the greenwood mills, owned by geo. fortune & co., capacity barrels; the cascade mills, owned by the baker estate, capacity barrels; the prairie mill, built by c. b. cox in , and now owned by j. d. putnam, capacity barrels. in educational matters river falls has taken and maintained an advanced position. the first school house was built in , by seven men, at a cost of five hundred dollars. helen flint taught the first school. in a joint stock association was incorporated as "the river falls academy." a building was erected, × feet, ground plan, and two stories in height. prof. wilcox was the first principal. this school was maintained as an academy until , at which time it was superseded by the free schools. in the fall of the building was destroyed by fire. subsequently a commodious brick structure was erected in its place at a cost of $ , . excellent private schools were maintained by hinckley, cody and baker, for five years during the ' s. the state normal school, of which a more extended account is given elsewhere, was established here, and a building erected in , at a cost of about $ , , the people of river falls and other towns contributing to this fund $ , , with private subscriptions to the amount of $ , , and a donation of ten acres of land. of the $ , river falls gave $ , , troy $ , , clifton $ , , while pierce county contributed $ , , and kinnikinic, st. croix county, gave $ , . the building, a handsome brick, four stories high, including the basement, stands on an elevated plat of ground in the southeastern part of the city. the first board of instruction consisted of w. d. parker, president, with the following assistants: j. b. thayer, conductor of teachers' institute; a. earthman, history, geography, music; lucy e. foot, english literature, reading, spelling; julia a. mcfarlan, mathematics; margaret hosford, latin and english literature. model department, ellen c. jones, teacher, grammar grade; mary a. kelley, teacher, intermediate grade; lizzie j. curtis, teacher, primary grade. the following are the churches of river falls, with date of establishment and name of first pastor when known: congregational, , rev. james stirratt; baptist, , rev. a. gibson; methodist, ; episcopal, , rev. chas. thorpe; catholic, , rev. father connelly; seventh day adventist, . with the exception of the last named, these church organizations have good buildings. the congregational church building erected in was superseded by a building in that cost $ , . this was destroyed by a tornado in , but has since been rebuilt at the cost of the building destroyed, and a parsonage has been added at a cost of $ , . a sunday-school was established in river falls in , and the first sermon was preached, in or , by rev. julius s. webber, a baptist missionary. rev. john wilcoxson, an episcopalian, held occasional services as early as . associations. the following are the social and benevolent associations of river falls, with dates of organization: masonic lodge, june, ; i. o. o. f., ; i. o. g. t., march , ; juvenile temple of honor, march , ; temple of honor, march , ; a. o. u. w., . the hall, fixtures and charter of the odd fellows lodge was destroyed in the fire of , but the lodge was rechartered the same year. the bank of river falls was organized jan. , . ---- bartlett, president; joseph m. smith, cashier. capital, $ , . it was reorganized in , under state law, r. s. burhyte, president; w. d. parker, vice president; j. m. smith, cashier. capital stock, $ , . total business in , $ , , . . hudson & river falls railroad. this road was built in , the people of river falls contributing $ , to its construction. the road is ten miles in length. in it was extended to ellsworth, a distance of twelve miles. river falls board of trade was established in . a. d. andrews, president; c. h. keys, secretary. fires. in the metropolitan hotel, costing $ , , and other buildings were burned; loss $ , . the insurance was light. in a large portion of the town was destroyed by fire. river falls city. river falls was incorporated as a city in . at the first election for city officers, held april th, three hundred and nineteen votes were cast, and the following persons were declared duly elected to the positions named: mayor, a. a. andrews; treasurer, g. e. pratt; assessor, e. h. daniel; aldermen, first ward, w. w. wadsworth; second ward, l. m. rosenquist; third ward, r. n. jenson; fourth ward, l. styles; marshal, r. n. bevens; city clerk, allen h. weld. the license for the sale of intoxicants was fixed at $ . the population of river falls in was , . it is a lively, prosperous city, planned on a liberal scale, with wide streets, well shaded with ornamental trees. the mills have reservations by which they are separated from the business part of the city. the beauty of the original waterfalls is somewhat marred by the mills and their debris. originally they were very beautiful and picturesque, and were widely celebrated, and much visited by the lovers of nature. of these falls there are four, two on the south branch, one on the north branch, and one some rods below the junction of the two streams. the falls were not noted for their grandeur, but rather for their quiet beauty, the water falling over ledges but a few feet in height, and so broken in two of them as to present the general appearance of a succession of stairs, or steps, of unequal elevation, over which the water falls. an interesting feature at the junction of the two rivers is the cave in which the pioneer settler, judge joel foster, with his negro boy, spent the winter of - . from his cave cabin he had full view of the falls on the two streams, no less beautiful in their winter dress of gleaming icicles, with the frost-whitened boughs of the willow and alder drooping over them, than in their summer brightness. the judge has told me that he loved, almost worshiped, this spot. the cave cabin stood about one hundred feet from the sparkling stream. there, in the early morning, he could cast his line, and have for his regal breakfast the speckled trout. above him towered a precipice crowned with evergreen trees, and around him, on the borders of the streams, were the elm and maple, and an undergrowth of alder and birch. there certainly could have been no fairer scene in the west. to-day no traces remain of the old cave cabin. the junction mills have effaced the more beautiful and poetic features of the scene. the judge has passed away, and found a grave on an elevation overlooking his old home and the scenes he loved so well. the judge, although a friend to progress, and active in advancing the material interests of the locality in which he lived, was unalterably opposed to the movement to incorporate river falls, and did all he could to defeat the measure. when the incorporative act had been passed, he moved outside of the city limits, declaring that he would neither live nor die within them; but having been fatally injured by an accident, he was brought back to his old home, and died within the city. the fourth state normal school at river falls--history. the constitution of the state, adopted in , provides "that the revenue of the school fund shall be exclusively applied to the following objects: "_first_--to the support and maintenance of common schools in each school district, and the purchase of suitable libraries and appurtenances therefor. "_second_--that the residue of the income of the school fund shall be appropriated to the support of academies and normal schools, and suitable libraries and appurtenances therefor." no effort was made to take advantage of this provision of the constitution for the endowment of normal schools until , when an act was passed providing "that the income of twenty-five per cent of the proceeds arising from the sale of swamp and overflowed lands should be appropriated to normal institutes and academies, under the supervision and direction of a 'board of regents of normal schools,'" who were to be appointed in pursuance of the provisions of that act. under this law, the income placed at the disposal of the regents was distributed for several years to such colleges, academies and high schools as maintained a normal class, and in proportion to the number of pupils in the class who passed satisfactory examinations, conducted by an agent of the board. the law under which these schools are organized provides that "the exclusive purpose of each normal school shall be the instruction and training of persons, both male and female, in the theory and art of teaching, and in all the various branches that pertain to a good common school education, and in all subjects needful to qualify for teaching in the public schools; also to give instruction in the fundamental laws of the united states and of this state, and in what regards the rights and duties of citizens." regulations for admission to the normal schools. tuition is free to all students who are admitted to these normal schools under the following regulations of the board of regents: _first_--each assembly district in the state shall be entitled to eight representatives in the normal schools, and in case vacancies exist in the representation to which any assembly district is entitled, such vacancies may be filled by the president and secretary of the board of regents. _second_--candidates for admission shall be nominated by the superintendent of the county (or if the county superintendent has not jurisdiction, then the nomination shall be made by the city superintendent) in which such candidate may reside, and shall be at least sixteen years of age, of sound bodily health and good moral character. each person so nominated shall receive a certificate setting forth his name, age, health and character. _third_--upon the presentation of such certificate to the president of a normal school, the candidate shall be examined, under the direction of said president, in the branches required by law for a third grade certificate, except history, theory and practice of teaching, and if found qualified to enter the normal school in respect to learning, he may be admitted after furnishing such evidence as the president may require of good health and good moral character, and after subscribing to the following declaration: i, ---- ----, do hereby declare that my purpose in entering this state normal school is to fit myself for the profession of teaching, and that it is my intention to engage in teaching in the schools of the state. _fourth_--no person shall be entitled to a diploma who has not been a member of the school in which such diploma is granted, at least one year, nor who is less than nineteen years of age; a certificate of attendance may be granted by the president of a normal school to any person who shall have been a member of such school for one term; provided, that in his judgment such certificate is deserved. as an addition to the work of the normal schools, the board of regents are authorized to expend a sum not exceeding $ , annually, to sustain teachers' institutes, and may employ an agent for that purpose. institutes are regarded as important auxiliaries and feeders to the normal schools. at present one professor from each normal school is employed conducting institutes every spring and fall. the normal school fund now amounts to over $ , , , and yields an annual income of about $ , . it will be increased by the further sale of swamp lands, and will prove ample for the objects for which it is set apart. in the legislature divided the swamp lands and swamp land fund into two equal parts, one for drainage purposes, the other to constitute a normal school fund. the income of the latter was to be applied to establishing, supporting and maintaining normal schools, under the direction and management of the board of regents of normal schools, with a proviso that one-fourth of such income should be transferred to the common school fund, until the annual income of that fund should reach $ , . during the same year, proposals were invited for extending aid in establishment of a normal school, and propositions were received from various places. in the board of regents was incorporated by the legislature. joel foster.--judge foster was born at meriden, connecticut, dec. , . he was liberally educated. he came to edwardsville, illinois, in , and to hudson, then known as buena vista, in . after a careful exploration of the country he made choice of the valley of the kinnikinic, and made him a home in the fall of , at the junction of the two branches of that stream, and within sound of its beautiful cascades. he was the pioneer settler of the river falls of to-day. he built the first dwelling house, raised the first crops, and ever proved himself a worthy citizen, first in every good work and enterprise. he was a man of far more than ordinary intelligence and moral worth, was temperate, industrious, public spirited, sagacious and independent. he has filled many positions of responsibility, amongst them that of judge of st. croix county. during the mexican war he served as a quartermaster in col. bissell's second illinois regiment. judge foster was married at chicago in to charlotte porch. he died at his home in river falls, aug. , . jesse b. thayer was born oct. , , in janesville, wisconsin; was educated at milton college in , and is by profession a teacher. during the rebellion he served in the fortieth and forty-ninth wisconsin volunteers as a private. he served five years as principal of the public schools in menomonie, and since has been connected with the state normal school at river falls as conductor of institutes. in he was elected to represent pierce county in the state assembly. a. d. andrews.--dr. a. d. andrews was born in lowell, maine, sept. , . he graduated at the chicago medical college in , and in was commissioned assistant surgeon of the sixth wisconsin infantry, of the famous iron brigade, with which he served up to the battle of gettysburg. after retiring from the army he came to river falls and engaged in milling, in which business he successfully continued until , when he retired. he was elected state senator in . he was appointed a regent of the fourth state normal school in . he died at his home an river falls, after a short illness, july , . he was mayor of the city at the time of his death. joseph a. short.--mr. short was born in madison county, new york, april , . he learned the trade of a millwright. he visited the east and west indies. he came to milwaukee in . in he went to california, but returned in , and settled in river falls, where he built a saw and planing mill, laid out an addition to the village and in various ways promoted the interests of the settlement. mr. short was a member of the methodist church sixty years, and of the masonic fraternity fifty years. he was married aug. , , in new york, to olive prossen. he died at his home, may , , aged eighty years, leaving a son and three daughters. allen h. weld.--prof. a. h. weld, widely known as a pioneer educator, and as the author of an excellent grammar, was born in vermont in . he graduated at yale college. he came to river falls in and taught the first graded school in the village. for two years he was principal of the high school at hudson, and for six years was superintendent of schools in st. croix county. he was a member of the state board of regents nine years, and was prime mover in securing the location of the state normal school at river falls. the excellent character of the schools in st. croix county, and the high educational position of river falls, are due to his untiring effort and wise direction. mr. weld was a member of the congregational church and a consistent christian as well as a progressive, public spirited man. he died in , at his home in river falls, leaving a widow and one son, allen p. allen p. weld was born in north yarmouth, maine, in . in he graduated at dartmouth college. he studied law and was admitted to practice in , at albany, new york. he taught school at albany three years, and came to river falls in , where he is a dealer in real estate. he was married in to alice powell, daughter of lyman powell. george w. nichols was born in , at braintree, vermont. his father was a soldier in the revolution. at the age of seventeen he enlisted and served in the war of . he lived in vermont fifty years, in massachusetts ten years, and in came to river falls, where he engaged in farming until he was eighty years of age. he was married in vermont to deborah hobart, who died in . his sons george h. and william h. reside in river falls. they were soldiers during the war of the rebellion. his son isaac n. was a member of capt. samuels' company, and was killed at perrysville, kentucky. the grand army of the republic post at river falls has his name. he died in . w. d. parker--prof. parker was born in bradford, orange county, vermont, in . he received a common school and academic education. at the age of sixteen years he entered the janesville high school, and four years later graduated. he taught two years in janesville, four years at delavan, and one year in monroe, green county, wisconsin. in he visited europe, after which he taught two years at lake geneva, wisconsin. he was superintendent of schools five years at janesville. in he was elected to the presidency of the fourth state normal school at river falls. in he was elected state superintendent of public instruction. prof. parker was married to justine b. hewes, of chicago, in . the powell family.--william powell, the father, came to river falls in , where he lived with his sons until his death, nov. , . his second wife was the widow of ---- taylor, and the mother of horace and lute taylor, the well known journalists. mrs. powell died in july, . lyman powell came to river falls with his family in . he was married to lucinda taylor, sister of horace and lute taylor. mr. powell died at river falls, nov. , , leaving a wife, two sons and five daughters. nathaniel n. powell, the second son, born may , , in st. lawrence county, new york, came to river falls in , and pre-empted the northeast quarter of section , now a part of the site of river falls city. he was married to martha ann hart, sept. , , at hudson. he died at river falls, sept. , , leaving one son and one daughter. oliver s. powell, the youngest son, was born june , , and came to hancock county, illinois, in , where he lived eight years. he had no great opportunities for gaining an education. he came to stillwater in , bringing with him the first threshing machine north of prairie du chien. he threshed the first grain threshed in the county in the fall of that year, for fiske, on a farm three miles below stillwater. in november, , he located in river falls, pre-empting the south half of the southeast quarter of section , town , range , lands lying just north of those claimed by his brother, and which afterward became a part of river falls. mr. powell was a representative in the state assembly in - - , and was a county commissioner many years. he was married in to elmira nichols. they have three sons, harvey c., newell n. and lyman t., and four daughters, lucy m., sarah h., amy e., and miriam. nils p. haugen was born in norway in ; came to america in and to river falls in . he graduated in the law department of michigan state university in . mr. haugen was phonographic reporter of the eighth and eleventh judicial circuits for several years, and a member of the assembly from pierce county in and . he was elected railroad commissioner for wisconsin in , and re-elected in . in he was elected representative to congress. h. l. wadsworth was born july , , in erie county, new york. he learned the trade of a shoemaker, came west in , and settled at river falls some time in the ' s, and engaged in farming. he has filled many positions of trust in the st. croix valley, and in represented st. croix county in the assembly. in he was married to miss a. r. baldwin. eight children have been born to them. rock elm includes township , range . it was organized as a town nov. , . the first town meeting was held at the house of j. prickett. the first commissioner was sylvester fox, chairman. the post offices are at rock elm, on the western line of the town, section , and rock elm centre, sections and . at the latter place is located rock elm institute, a school of high grade, founded in . harrison lowater is the principal. the town is well supplied with schools, there being as many as nine within its limits. among its first settlers were loomis kellogg, charles a. hawn and sylvester fox. salem. salem occupies township , range . it is drained by rush river. it was organized as a town jan. , . first board of supervisors, c. c. carpenter, eben white and j. h. shults. the first school was taught in , by thompson mccleary. the first marriage was that of harvey seeley and kate mckinstry. the first child born was sarah fuller. the first death was that of john mccleary, sept. , . the first post office was established at rush river, may , joseph seeley, postmaster. the first settlers were jeremiah fuller, from ohio, and w. wells, ; harvey seeley, ; thomas boyle and james white, ; john f. davis from ireland, (town clerk twenty years); john h. brasington, from pennsylvania (town treasurer fifteen years); eben white, james walsingham, john strong, h. m. hicks, from pennsylvania, ; john foley and brothers, from ireland, ; james h. shults, joseph seeley, h. c. brown, john mcclure, from ireland; c. c. and ira w. carpenter, from connecticut, . mrs. fuller, the wife of the pioneer, was here over six months, during which time she did not see a white woman. spring lake is the extreme northeastern town of the county, occupying township , range . the post offices are oak ridge and spring valley. the town was organized nov. , . the first town meeting was held at the house of a. m. wilcox. the first supervisors were: w. d. akers, chairman; jonas nebb; levi hess, clerk. the first school was taught in , by agnes harriman. the methodist and baptist churches have organizations, and the methodists have a building worth five hundred dollars. the first marriage was that of h. m. wilcox to mrs. kate rice, of lake city, by w. d. akers, justice of the peace. the first child born was a daughter of ole p. gardner. the first death was that of leota wilcox, in . the first postmaster was b. h. preston, . the first settlers in the order of their coming were james gilmore, o. p. gardner, george wilcox, john francisco and w. d. akers. trenton. trenton contains about twenty-eight sections, those on the mississippi having very irregular boundaries. twenty-four whole sections lie in township , range , and the remainder in township , range . trenton, in section , township , is its post village. trenton was organized in ; james akers, chairman of supervisors. wilson thing, the pioneer settler, came in . trimbelle. trimbelle includes township , range . its post villages are trimbelle and beldenville. it was organized march , . its supervisors were f. otis, chairman, and aaron cornelison. among its earliest settlers were the cornelisons, f. otis and m. b. williams. it has four saw mills and one flouring mill, five school houses and one church (methodist). martin b. williams was born in new york in . he received a common school education, and at the age of sixteen years was thrown upon his own resources. he learned the trade of blacksmith. he was married in new york, and has four sons, clark m., frank t., g. glen and a. judd. mr. williams is one of the pioneer settlers of trimbelle, and has held many public town and county positions. he served as treasurer of pierce county four years. he has been a local preacher in the methodist episcopal church for over thirty years. union. union consists of township , range . it is drained by plum creek. it has two post offices, plum creek, in section , and ono, section . it was organized aug. , . among its first settlers were eleazer holt, hiram n. wood, and capt. horst, who made their homes here in the early ' s. footnotes: [b] in the town of elisabeth was organized by st. croix county, and included what is now pierce county. the first board of supervisors were william thing, chairman; aaron cornelius, and l. m. harnsberger; clerk, hilton doe; treasurer, geo. w. mcmurphy. in , by legislative enactment, the name elisabeth was changed to prescott. [c] a member of the well known faribault family, after whom the town of faribault has been named. [d] note.--when i touched at prescott in , it was generally known as the "mouth of st. croix," though by some called "prescott's landing." the residents were hilton doe, a farmer; geo. schaser, boarding house keeper; w. s. lockwood, merchant; joseph mosier, an indian trader or storekeeper. the principal trade was with indians. chapter viii. burnett, washburn, sawyer and barron counties. burnett county. burnett county was named in honor of a genial, kind hearted and eccentric lawyer, thomas pendleton burnett, of prairie du chien. it is somewhat irregular in outline, and is bounded on the north by douglas, on the east by barron, on the south by polk and barron counties, and on the west by the st. croix river. it includes townships to , range ; from to , range ; from to , ranges and ; from to , ranges and ; from to , range . seven of these townships bordering on the st. croix are fractional. much of the soil of the county is a sandy loam admirably suited to cereals and vegetables. some townships in the southeast are first class wheat lands. the timber is mostly a thicket-like growth of small pines, constituting what is called pine barrens. the southeast portion of the county is timbered with hardwoods. it is drained by the st. croix, trade, wood, clam, yellow, and namakagon rivers, with their tributaries, and with the wood lakes (big and little), mud hen, trade, yellow, spirit, and numerous other lakes. there are besides many thousand acres of marsh land. these marsh lands are by no means valueless, as they have given rise to a very important industry--the growing of cranberries. there are fine deposits of iron. large tracts of bog ore are found in townships to , ranges to . there is an abundance of wild meadow land, easily drained and profitable to stock growers. the settlers of this county are, for the greater part, swedish and norwegian emigrants, an intelligent, moral and religious class of people who, while they cherish the traditions, manners, customs and language of their native country, still readily adapt themselves to american institutions, taking kindly to our common school system and to other distinctive features of their adopted country. a liberal spirit has characterized these people in building roads, bridges, school houses, churches, and making other public improvements. they have succeeded well also in their private enterprises, the cultivation of farms and the building of homes. organization. the county, originally a part of polk, was set off march , , and included also at that time, and till the year , the present county of washburn. it was organized in . the first county officers, appointed by the governor, were: judge, nimrod h. hickerson; clerk of court, canute anderson; register of deeds, peter anderson; treasurer, s. thompson; sheriff, martin b. johnson; district attorney, jacob larson. grantsburg was selected as the county seat. the first county supervisors, consisting of michael jenson, chairman, thore ingebritson and peter anderson, met jan. , . the first election was held at the house of nimrod h. hickerson, nov. , . the first frame house in the county was built at grantsburg in , by w. h. peck. the first crops were raised in township , range , by charles ayer. the finances of the county have been managed discreetly. the state drainage fund was judiciously expended. the first deed recorded in burnett county was a tax deed from polk county to simon estonson, of the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section , township , range . it bears date jan. , . the pine barrens. so prominent a feature in burnett and other counties in northwest wisconsin, consist of sandy stretches of undulating, though sometimes of level lands, sparsely covered with a growth of young pines, generally of the black prince variety. in some places, where the trees are crowded thickly together, they are not unlike immense cane-brakes. the trees, from their proximity, have grown very tall and slender. the lateral branches, crowded together and deprived of sunshine, have perished early and the growth of the young trees is chiefly vertical. the lower dead limbs remaining attached to the trunks give the young forest a peculiarly ragged and tangled appearance. there is abundant evidence to prove the existence of ancient pine forests where these pine barrens are now the only growth. in fact some of the larger trees are still standing, and the charred trunks and decaying remnants of others. the gradations from the younger to the older growth may be very plainly seen. fire is undoubtedly the efficient cause of the stunted and irregular growth of the pine barrens. the matured forests are destroyed by fire, and are succeeded by the young pines which are further reduced and injured by annual fires. it is a mistake to suppose that the soil of these barrens is necessarily poor. many of them have a black, sandy soil, capable of producing fine crops. in most of them there is a dense undergrowth of blueberry bushes, producing annually millions and millions of bushels of their small but luscious fruit. murders. burnett county is not without the traditions of lawlessness and murder that tarnish so many frontier settlements, and here, as elsewhere, the primal cause of most of such crimes is whisky. whisky maddens the brain and nerves the arm of the assassin. whisky hardens the heart and blinds the eyes to what is right, and the sale of whisky on the frontier, authorized or unauthorized, in nearly all cases the latter, is the bartering of the human life for gold. the money received for it is the price of blood, although in some instances the seller himself may be the victim. it is whisky that does the work. jack drake, a whisky seller at wood lake, whose outfit was supplied by samuels & partridge, naturally of a quarrelsome disposition, was especially so when under the influence of liquor. on one of these occasions he was killed by a half-breed known as robideau, and his body was buried on the shores of little wood lake. robideau was imprisoned a short time at st. croix falls, but being carelessly guarded, easily made his escape and was not heard of afterward. what did it matter? it was only the result of a drunken row. the body of a murdered stranger was found by a crew of men working on little wood river, in the spring of . he had left superior city with an indian guide for st. paul, and was not afterward seen alive. his land warrants and watch, which had been taken from him, were afterward recovered, and the indian who had been his guide was himself mysteriously assassinated the following spring. geezhic.--at wood lake, burnett county, wisconsin, lived in an aged and blind indian woman who calculated her pilgrimage on earth by moons. all traces of her traditional beauty as an indian maiden had long since departed. shriveled, decrepit, bent, she was the impersonation of all that is unlovely and repulsive in age. taciturn and sullen, her mind lethargic and dull, she seemed but little more than half alive, and could not easily be aroused to the comprehension of passing events, or to the recognition of those around her. she must have been very old. when aroused to consciousness, which was but seldom, she would talk of things long past. a light would come into her sightless eyes as she recounted the traditions, or described the manners and customs of her people, and spoke with evident pride of their ancient power and prowess when her people planted their tepees on the shores of the "shining big sea water" (lake superior) and drove their enemies, the dakotahs, before them. her people wore blankets made from the skins of the moose; elk and buffalo, with caps from the skins of the otter and beaver. there was then an abundance of "kego" (fish) and "wash-kish" (deer). there were no pale faces then in all the land to drive them from their tepees and take their hunting grounds. of course there had been occasional whites, hunters, trappers and missionaries, but the formidable movements of the now dominant race had not fairly commenced. counting the years of her life on her fingers, so many moons representing a year, she must have numbered a score beyond a century, and she had consequently witnessed, before her eyes were dimmed, the complete spoliation of her people's ancestral domain. the physical features of the country have undergone a change. the towering pines have decayed or been leveled by the woodman's axe. some of the small lakes have receded, and tall grasses wave and willows grow where once the "kego" sported in the clear blue waters. "the sun drew the waters up into the heavens," but the old shores may still be traced, by the fresh water shells that are crushed by the foot of the explorer, and by the ineffaceable mark of the water breaking upon the beach and undermining the rocky ledges. a few indians still linger on the old hunting grounds and about the graves of their fathers, but as a race they are doomed, and the time is not far distant when their only memorials will be the printed or striped rocks that are found along the streams and lakes, and here and there the sunken graves of the vanquished race. the first mission. in the autumn of the year the first mission was established in the st. croix valley, at the outlet of yellow lake, in burnett county. this may be considered the first actual movement in opening the way for white settlements in the st. croix valley. the good and indefatigable laborers, who came away into these western wilds, spent many years in this valley endeavoring to improve the benighted aborigines. their labors were successful, until the bane of the human family--alcoholic drinks--was introduced by the corrupt border traders. rev. fred ayer (since a resident of belle prairie, minnesota, and a member of the convention that framed our constitution), mrs. ayer, with miss crooks (afterward mrs. boutwell) as teacher, arrived at yellow lake sept. , . miss crooks opened her school on the twenty-fourth, with eight scholars. this was evidently the first school in the st. croix valley. this mission was under the patronage of the american board of commissioners for foreign missions. thirty or forty indians came to the trading house, a mile from the mission, for the purpose of obtaining ammunition and moccasins for making what is called the fall hunt. during their visit at the traders', mr. ayer had the opportunity of explaining the object of his mission--schooling their children, and aiding them in agriculture, planting their gardens, and furnishing them with seeds. to the objects of the mission all listened with interest, but, as the chiefs were not present, no reply was made to mr. ayer. after obtaining their supplies from the traders, they dispersed for their fall hunt. the school in the meantime progressed, and frequent opportunities occurred for giving religious instructions to adults during the winter. in april some twenty-five families encamped near the mission; many were interested in the objects which the mission proposed. in the spring of four families made gardens by the mission and schooled their children; three of the families belonged to the influential in the band. one of these, the chief who visited washington during the administration of adams, was gis-kil-a-way, or "cat ear." the indian mind is suspicious of the white man. waiingas, "the wolf," another chief of considerable note, was prejudicing the minds of his friends against the whites. he openly declared that if the indians would join him, he would burn the mission house and drive the teachers from his country. on one occasion a party of indians, including this hostile chief, passed the evening at mr. ayer's. the chief closed his speech at midnight with these words: "the indians are troubled in mind about your staying here, and you must go--you shall go; not only i say so, but all here present say so!" the next morning all the indians assembled. the trader, the late dr. borup, and his wife were present. the wolf and his party were determined to expel all the whites. the friend of the white man, cat ear, took the floor and shaking hands with dr. borup and mr. ayer, began a speech of half an hour's length. pointing to the wolf and to two other chiefs sitting side by side, he says: "i speak for them. look at them. to them belong this land. since last evening we have considered this subject. we have changed our minds. the great spirit made us all--made us red--you white. he gave you your religion, manners and customs--he gave us ours. before we saw white man we dressed in skins and cooked with stones. you found our land on the map and come--since then you have clothed and provided for us. why should we send you away? we only should be the sufferers--all of us tell you to stay--again we say, stay. we do not wish you to go; no, no--we say to you all, stay; you may plant and build, but the land is ours. our great father has sent you here--we are glad--we will tell you why we fear the whites--we fear you will get our land away. if this room were full of goods we would not exchange our lands for them. this land is ours and our children's; it is all we have." the mission at yellow lake had been in progress two years. several families had listened with glowing interest to religious instruction, schooled their children, and cultivated gardens near the mission, when mr. ayer visited the band of indians at pokegama. here were some thirty-five or forty families in the year . the chief and two or three families expressed to him a desire to settle down and school their children. they requested him to come and bring all with him who wished to come from yellow lake. the reasons that induced him to pokegama were, first, the means of subsistence were more abundant, both for the indians and the mission family--wild rice and fish in particular; this being the case the indians could be more stationary and send their children to school. second, the soil for agricultural purposes was superior to that of yellow lake. as one of the leading objects of the mission was to induce the indians to settle down and adopt habits of civilization, this object could be better attained at this place than at yellow lake, where it was comparatively sterile and sandy. a third object gained would be to locate in the midst of a larger number of indians, with whom we could come in more frequent contact, and last, but not least, put the mission in a nearer point of communication with st. peter, from whence all the family necessaries were obtained at that day. these reasons, together with the solicitation of one of the chiefs, and his permission to build on his land, and use his wood, water and fish, led mr. ayer, in the fall of , to remove to pokegama. for the continued history of this mission the reader is referred to the history of pine county. chippewas of wood lake.--a small band of chippewas, as late as , lingered about big wood lake, unwilling to leave their old hunting grounds. though brought directly in contact with civilization, they adopted its vices, otherwise remaining savages, taking no part in cultivating the soil or educating their children, contented to live and die in the old fashion of their race. they subsist, as far as possible, by hunting and fishing, and are by no means above begging when occasion may offer. they retain their annual dances and festivals, at the occurrence of which other bands join them from a distance. a dance with its accompanying feasts occupies generally about ten days, and is conducted according to rigid formulas. these dances are intended as representations of hunting, fishing or fighting, and are honored accordingly. they are accompanied with music upon rude instruments, and a weird chant in guttural and nasal tones, which may be understood as a poetic recital of their deeds or expression of their feelings. their dead are buried in conspicuous places. the graves are decorated with splints of timber. a pole with rags and trinkets is planted near the graves. there is nothing that can long mark their resting places or keep them from being desecrated by the share of the plowman. grantsburg was founded by canute anderson, in , in section , town , range . he built a flour and saw mill, the first in the county, a good hotel, and opened a store. it became the centre of trade for the county, prospered continuously, and now (in ) contains a good court house, built at a cost of $ , (burned december, ), a school house, four churches, two hotels, five stores and numerous shops and dwellings. there are two resident lawyers and one physician. grantsburg is the terminus of the st. paul & duluth (branch) railroad, completed in . the scheme of building a branch road to connect with the st. paul & duluth railroad at rush city was long cherished by canute anderson, and through his efforts the road was finally built. the county voted $ , bonds, at seven per cent interest, which bonds the state of wisconsin cashed. the road was graded from grantsburg to the st. croix river in , from rush city to st. croix in . the st. paul & duluth railroad company built the railroad and assumed the bonded indebtedness, payable in fifteen annual installments. cars ran to the st. croix river in . the bridge over the st. croix, completed in , cost $ , . the road was opened to grantsburg jan. , . at this opening over a thousand persons were present, five hundred of whom came in on the train. canute anderson made an address of welcome, followed by james smith, president of the road. congratulatory letters were read from hons. s. s. fifield, henry m. rice, and w. h. c. folsom, the tenor of which was highly complimentary to mr. anderson, and full of hope for the future of the railroad and its terminus. canute anderson was born in norway, . he came to america in , and three years later settled in the northeast quarter of section , township , range , making a large stock farm, part of it being a fine natural meadow, with running stream. in the first post office in the county (called anderson) was established at his house, and he was appointed postmaster. in he represented ashland, barron, bayfield, burnett, douglas, and polk counties in the legislature. he is and ever has been a master spirit in his county, using all his influence to further the interests of his adopted home. many of the early settlers were poor,--strangers in a strange land,--and for them mr. anderson's house was ever a resort. it was also an intelligence office, where the inquiring immigrant could obtain reliable information as to the country and its resources, and facilities to the settler. in mr. anderson was married to catharine nelson, daughter of magnus nelson, one of burnett county's first settlers. the hickerson family came from ohio to wisconsin. nimrod h., the oldest brother, settled on wood river in , built a saw mill, kept a hotel and established a post office on the st. paul and bayfield stage route in . mr. hickerson went to california in , and died there. joel, the second brother, is a merchant at grantsburg. he served during the later years of the civil war as a soldier, company c, seventh minnesota volunteers, and was pensioned for disabilities. he was married in to mary anderson. perry d., the third brother, keeps a hotel in grantsburg. he was also a member of company c, seventh minnesota volunteers, and with his brother was mustered out at the close of the war, and has received a pension for disabilities. he was married to ellen m. anderson, daughter of peter anderson. they have eleven children. newton, the fourth son, lives in grantsburg. he was a soldier in company d, twenty-first ohio, during the war. was wounded and totally disabled. he has no pension. he is unmarried. the anderson family.--the four brothers, peter, george, hans and martin, with their aged parents, came from norway and settled in grantsburg in . the father but recently died. the mother is still living, having reached the extreme age of ninety-seven years. during the last six years she has been blind. peter anderson was married in norway in . his wife died in , leaving three sons and four daughters. he was married to his second wife in . peter has served as county supervisor, and filled other offices. the brothers have been active in promoting the interests of their town and county. robert a. doty was born in niagara county, new york; lived some years in genesee county, michigan, and settled in sterling, polk county, in . he subsequently became the first settler in the town of marshfield, burnett county. he was accidentally killed in by being thrown from his wagon. his widow and two sons live in grantsburg. john h., the oldest son, resides on the old homestead in sterling. the cranberry marshes. the cultivation of the cranberry is an important industry in burnett county. the berry is raised chiefly in townships and , ranges and . the writer of these sketches visited the localities named in , and although there have been many changes and improvements since then, the description quoted from an essay read before the horticultural society will still be generally applicable: "the scene on approaching these marshes, where the native cranberry was found, before the white man had commenced to improve them, was picturesque in the extreme to those who have a taste for nature's handiwork. there are extensive tracts of land covering thousands of acres, dotted here and there with islands of young pine and points of highland projecting in various shapes into the marshes. it reminded me of an ocean bay, in a calm, only changing the ocean water color to endless green. there are in these marshes somewhere from one to two townships of land, on which cranberries were then growing, or susceptible of being improved so that cranberries can be raised thereon. one township contains , acres. the parties operating on the marshes i visited already have some or miles of ditch made, averaging feet at the top, feet at the bottom, with an average depth of feet, at a cost of about cents per rod. these ditches are to drain the water from the marshes when desired. they have dams across these ditches, to flood the marshes when desired. the flooding of the marshes aids in subduing the wild grasses and other incumbrances, also is essential to the growth of the berries. on these marshes, wherever the flowage is killing the grass, the vine is rapidly spreading, without transplanting. undoubtedly they would yield a quicker return by transplanting. large tracts of these lands, which, at this time have no vines, are bought by companies, mostly from the cranberry lands in eastern wisconsin, who are experienced in this business, and know what they are doing. they openly declare that vines can be grown on these marshes, where sufficient water can be obtained and controlled to flow the lands. mr. irvine informed me that this flooding process, and the manner in which it was controlled, was the key to success. i examined the effect which one year alone had accomplished, as these companies commenced operations in . it surprised me when i saw the mode, and heard it explained, that so little was generally known of this business. after the marshes are subdued, dams and ditches built, there is comparatively small cost in raising the fruit until the harvest, when men, women and children flock in from the farming countries to pick, to pack, to store, to dry, to box, and convey to market. an expert will pick from five to ten bushels per day by hand, no rakes being allowed. in these marshes had an abundant yield. these companies paid to outsiders one dollar and fifty cents per bushel. there are several companies operating in burnett county. they have made and are making substantial improvements, in building roads, dry houses, dwelling houses, etc. the past year a saw mill was erected for sawing staves for barrels, lumber for boxes, etc. these marshes are about twenty miles east of the superior railroad." washburn county. washburn county was organized in , and embraces townships to , inclusive, and ranges to , inclusive, a total of townships. it is drained by st. croix waters with the exception of the southeast corner, which is drained by a branch of the chippewa river. it has been a rich timbered region and large forests of pine still remain. the greater part of the county is adapted to agriculture, and is settling rapidly. two lines of railway traverse the county, one from south to north, and the other from southwest to northeast, giving the county excellent facilities for transportation and marketing of products. the county is divided into two towns, bashaw in the south and veasie in the north. these towns were organized in , while washburn was a part of burnett county. the first supervisors of bashaw were: l. e. thomas, chairman; john arbuckle and john mcmullen. the town of bashaw was the first settled. john mcmullen settled in township , range , in , in bashaw valley. he married a member of the hart family, old settlers of the town. he died in . l. e. thomas was the second settler in bashaw and in washburn county, and has been officially connected with the town and county organization. he is a native of michigan, and has followed lumbering and farming. l. e. thomas built the first house. nellie raberge taught the first school in bashaw, in . miss raberge has since become the wife of milton stratton. the first post office was established in , mrs. malcolm dobie, postmistress. the first sermon was preached by rev. ellingwood. g. p. pearly was the first physician; a. l. bugbee, the first lawyer. messrs. hart, baker, gardner and others have large farms in bashaw valley. by the act organizing the county, shell lake was made the county seat. it is beautifully located on the shores of summit lake. it has a court house, built at a cost of $ , , in , one of the most tasteful buildings of the kind in the st. croix valley. the town is built on railroad lands, purchased by the shell lake lumber company, and by them surveyed into lots. the streets are from sixty-six to eighty feet wide. a restriction in the deeds to the lots and lands against the sale of alcoholic drinks has been continuously violated. in the town board fixed license at five hundred dollars, a plain violation of the original agreement. a fine school building with four apartments was built in , at a cost of $ , . prof. halphyde is principal of the schools. the episcopalians and catholics have church buildings. the baptists, methodists, lutherans and presbyterians have church organizations. the masons, good templars and knights of labor have organizations. summit lake, on the west bank of which the town is situated, is about two and a half miles broad by three and a half long. it has bold, gravelly shores. the water is deep, clear and pure. the slopes surrounding it are covered with evergreen, and hardwood timber. one small steamer floats upon its waters. the first board of county officers was as follows: treasurer, leander e. thomas; clerk, frank b. nelson; sheriff, james wynne; attorney, frank gudette; register of deeds, albert l. bugbee; judge, l. h. mead; clerk of court, a. gibson; superintendent of schools, clara stratton; surveyor, patrick kelly. the first circuit court was held in june, , hon. s. s. clough, presiding. the county has two court terms for the year, in june and december. the shell lake lumber company was organized in , under iowa laws. it is composed of c. lamb and david joice and sons, of clinton, iowa; laird, norton & co., of winona; weyerhauser & dinkeman, of rock island, illinois; s. t. mcknight, of hannibal, missouri; d. r. moore, eau claire, wisconsin. their mills are located on the northwest side of summit lake. they have a capacity of , , feet per year. the capital stock amounts to $ , . employment is furnished to men. in the hour system of labor was adopted. a narrow gauge railroad, twelve miles long, supplied with two locomotives and fifty cars, is used for bringing logs to mill. this road has a steel track and , feet of piling. the refuse burner of the mill is feet in diameter and in height. there are tenement houses to accommodate the laborers. a. h. earle superintends this vast concern. sawyer creek obtained its name from seth m. sawyer, of stillwater. this stream flows into yellow river, five miles from summit lake. it rises from springs three hundred feet from the lake, and one hundred feet lower down, and may be considered its subterranean outlet, as visible outlet there is none. the lake, literally a summit lake, the receding and descending slopes, the springs uniting to form a larger stream, form a peculiar landscape, quite park-like in some of its features, and worthy of being converted into a park. spooner, in the township of veazie, on the north branch of the yellow river, township , range , is a dinner station on the north wisconsin railroad. the railroad company have fitted up an elegant eating house, and a few neat buildings, the nucleus of a much larger village, cluster around it. veazie village is in township , range , and has a post office. the town of veazie, occupying the northern part of the county, was organized in . millions of feet of pine timber have been gathered and marketed from this town, and it is estimated that , , feet still remain. ames and sinnot station are in the township of veazie. sawyer county. sawyer county was organized march , . it is comprised of townships to , and ranges to , inclusive. of these townships twenty-five are drained by chippewa waters and five by namakagon river. the county is heavily timbered with pine, though vast quantities have been taken and marketed. the county seat was located at hayward in the bill organizing the county. the county officers, appointed by gov. rusk, were: sheriff, a. blaisdell; clerk, c. h. clapperton; register of deeds, h. e. ticknor; treasurer, r. l. mccormack; county judge, h. w. hart; attorney, n. e. ticknor; superintendent of schools, miss m. mears; surveyor, w. j. moulton; coroner, e. g. gregg. the court house was built in , at a cost of $ , . the county at its organization assumed the following indebtedness: to ashland county $ , to town of ashland, ashland county , to town of butternut, ashland county , to chippewa county , to town of flambeau, chippewa county (disputed claim) , to town of big bend, chippewa county , to town of sigel, chippewa county , outside indebtedness, total $ , all this indebtedness, with the exception of the unsettled claim of flambeau, chippewa county, has been paid. since its organization the county has expended $ , on roads to chippewa waters. this, added to the cost of the court house, $ , , a school house for the town of hayward, $ , , town hall for hayward $ , , makes a total of expenditures for the county within the past three years of $ , , a remarkable sum for a new county with so sparse a population to pay, but not so remarkable when we take into account the immense value of its lumber products and standing timber. hayward is the only town in the county. its first board of supervisors were: a. j. hayward, chairman; thos. manwarin and michael jordan. a. l. mccormack was first treasurer, and c. c. claghorn, clerk. the village is situated in sections and , township , range , upon a level pine plateau on the north side of namakagon river, a tributary of the st. croix. the village was platted in , but a post office had been established the year before, c. h. clapperton being the first postmaster. the first marriage in the town of hayward and county of sawyer was that of fred emmons and mary lindmark, in . the first birth was that of a daughter to al. blaisdell. the first death was that of nels j. eggin. rev. a. safford preached the first sermon. anna shafer taught the first school. e. g. gregg opened the first store. h. e. ticknor was the first lawyer and j. b. trowbridge the first physician. the first school house, built at a cost of $ , , was burned. there was an insurance of $ , . a new building was erected at a cost of $ , , with three departments, and with steam heating apparatus. prof. f. a. nichols was the principal. the congregational church at hayward is one of the finest church buildings in the northwest. it is built in the queen anne style, with circular seats, the whole finished in exquisite taste. senator sawyer, after whom the county was named, contributed a town clock and bell worth $ , . the catholics have a church here, and the lutherans an organization. the odd fellows and knights of labor have organizations. the sawyer county bank was organized march , , with a capital stock of $ , , divided equally between three stockholders, r. l. mccormack, a. j. hayward and e. h. halbert, the latter being general manager and cashier. the bank deals in real estate, abstracts, insurance and general monetary business. the business transacted for the year ending june , , amounted to $ , , . the bank building is a substantial brick. the hayward lumber company has a mill on the namakagon river. the water power has a fall of eighteen feet and a flowage of about three miles. a sixty foot channel has been left through the flowage for slucing logs. the saw mill has a capacity of , , feet per annum. it has a planing mill attached. the company is composed of t. f. robinson, weyerhauser & dinkeman and r. l. mccormack. mr. weyerhauser is president of the company. mr. weyerhauser is also president of the rock island lumber company and of weyerhauser, dinkeman & co., of rock island, and is a stockholder in renwick, crosset & co., cloquet, minnesota, shell lake, barronett, masons, white river, and chippewa falls lumber companies, and is president of the beef slough boom and chippewa and mississippi logging companies. mr. weyerhauser is the most extensive holder and owner of unoperated pine lands in the west, or probably on the continent. the stockholders of the hayward lumber company are all men of wealth accumulated by their own industry. mr. r. l. mccormack, the resident stockholder and manager, is admirably adapted for the position he holds. mr. mccormack was a citizen of minnesota for fourteen years, and a member of the minnesota legislature in . he was born in pennsylvania in . dobie & stratton, contractors for pine stumpage on the lac oreilles indian reservation, reside in hayward. they cut , , feet of logs in the winter of - . malcomb dobie, of this firm, is a native of canada. he came to the st. croix valley in , and was married to harriet stratton, at st. croix falls, in . milton v. stratton, brother of mrs. dobie, was raised at st. croix falls, and engaged in business with mr. dobie. in , his health failing, he removed to california. barron county. barron county was formerly a heavily timbered tract of country, but is now being rapidly cleared and settled. it is well watered by the red cedar and its tributaries, and has many beautiful lakes, among them turtle, beaver, chetek, red cedar, rice, bear, and long lakes. the county was first established as dallas county, in , and attached to polk for judicial purposes. in it was organized for county and judicial purposes, and the county seat was changed from manhattan to barron, section , township , range . by act of legislature in , the name of the county was changed to barron, and the county seat was called by the same name, in honor of hon. henry d. barron, then judge of the eleventh circuit. it comprises townships to , inclusive, and ranges to , in all townships. barron county has three railroads, on the lines of which thriving settlements have sprung up. the railroads are three, the north wisconsin, a branch line of the omaha, and the minneapolis, soo ste. marie & atlantic. the north wisconsin railroad passes through the northwestern part of the county. the chippewa falls & superior city branch of the omaha enters the southeast corner, and traverses the county in a direction west of north. the minneapolis, soo ste. marie & atlantic passes through the middle of the county in a direction from east to west. turtle lake town was organized in . the village of turtle lake is situated in sections and , township , range . it contains a large saw mill with a capacity of , , feet per annum; a union depot, used by the north wisconsin, and minneapolis, soo ste. marie & atlantic railroads, and stores, shops and dwellings, all new. the minneapolis, soo ste. marie & atlantic railroad was built through the county in , and completed in . barron, the county seat, is a growing lumber town, with farming lands to the south. it has a population of over , . the "soo line" railway has a station here. perley village is located also in turtle lake town, in section , township , range , and on the line of the north wisconsin railroad. it has a large saw mill with a capacity of , , feet per annum. the village is beautifully located on horse shoe lake. cumberland village is situated in the town of cumberland, section , township , range , on beaver dam lake. it is pleasantly situated, and is the largest village on the line of the northwestern railroad. its appearance gives evidence of enterprise and thrift on the part of its citizens. the beaver dam lumber company have here a saw mill with a capacity of , , feet per annum. cook & co. have a saw mill (burned and rebuilt) with a capacity of , , feet. the village has a bank and one newspaper, the cumberland _advocate_, first issued in as the _herald_. cumberland was organized as a village in , and organized under a city charter in . the population is now about , . the mercantile business will aggregate about $ , annually. the aggregate output of lumber is , , feet, while other industries aggregate $ , per annum. there are four churches, one graded school of five departments in which students are prepared to enter college. there is here one banking house. sprague is a village in cumberland, on the northwestern railroad. it has a saw mill with a capacity of about , , feet per annum. comstock, in cumberland, on the northwestern railroad, has a shingle mill and saw mill, the latter having a capacity of about , , feet. barronett, in cumberland, is located in township , range , in the midst of a well timbered region. its saw mill, directly on the county line, has a capacity of , , feet. m. bowron has a farm adjoining the village of acres, improved and yielding tame grass. de graw and granite lake mills are also located on the northwestern railroad. turtle lake, scott's siding, cosgrove, barron, the county seat, cameron and canton, are on the minneapolis, soo ste. marie & atlantic railroad. chetek, cameron junction, rice lake and bear creek are located on the omaha branch. charles simeon taylor.--mr. taylor was born in geneva, wisconsin, october, ; graduated at the wisconsin state university; studied law and settled at barron, barron county, in , where he practices his profession and edits the _barron county shield_. he was elected member of the thirty-seventh wisconsin assembly in - and represented the counties of barron, bayfield, burnett, douglas, and washburn. chapter ix. ashland, bayfield and douglas counties. ashland county. ashland was originally a part of crawford county, afterward of st. croix and la pointe, and was set off from the latter march , . it is bounded on the north by lake superior and montreal river, on the east by oneida, on the south by price and chippewa, and on the west by bayfield and chippewa counties. it includes townships to , ranges , , and east of the fourth principal meridian, and townships to west of the same; the northern towns bordering on montreal river and lake superior are fractional. the group of apostle islands belongs to this county. the surface is generally level except where broken by the iron and copper ranges in the middle and southern part of the county. the gogebic range, southeast of ashland, is especially rich in iron. a railroad along this range connects ashland with the michigan roads. the soil is somewhat varied, ranging from sandy loam in the interior, to red clay on the lake shore. the county is drained by bad, white and montreal rivers and their tributaries, and the headwaters of the chippewa. the timber is pine, fir, birch, etc. the apostle islands, situated in lake superior at the mouth of chequamegon bay, form a fine natural harbor. the group consists of twenty-two islands, the most considerable of which are madeline, oatez, oak, hemlock, rice, basswood, presque, bear, sand, and michigan. the islands range in area from a very few acres up to , . they are heavily timbered with hardwood, have fertile soil, and are well adapted to farm and garden culture. the largest of these islands is madeline, situated directly at the entrance to chequamegon bay, and noted as containing the oldest settlement on the lake. claude allouez, a jesuit missionary, landed at madeline island oct. , , and erected a bark chapel at the place now known as la pointe, and commenced instructing the indians of the algonquin and huron tribes. since that time the island has been held by missionaries and trading companies, with some pretty long intervals of abandonment. in , m. cadot, a french trader, came to la pointe, erected fortified dwellings and lived here till his death, in . at the commencement of the present century the american fur company made its headquarters on the southern part of the island, and occupied a post there until , when they removed to la pointe. rev. sherman hall, of the presbyterian church, established a mission here in . in rev. father baraga, a catholic missionary, arrived, and built a church which he occupied until , when he built a better one, which still stands in the inclosure of an ancient burying ground. this church contains a painting said to be over two hundred years old. some of the graves are quite ancient, and have quaint inscriptions upon their tombstones. one that has often been copied and commented on by tourists is as follows: "erected to the memory of abraham beaulieau who was accidentally shot as a mark of affection by his brother." these islands are becoming a fashionable resort for tourists, and many of them have been utilized as pleasant summer residences. some of them are occupied by lighthouses of which there are five in all. the islands abound in brown stone, which is being quarried extensively for building purposes. the stone for the milwaukee court house was taken from the quarries on basswood island. la pointe county election.--in la pointe county was set off from st. croix county, and at an election held nov. , , john h. wells and leonard wheeler were elected justices of the peace, and j. f. hughes was elected clerk of the board of county commissioners. returns of their election and that of members of the legislature were made to hudson, county seat of st. croix county. hon. john w. bell, born in new york city in , in his eighth year went to canada with his parents, learned to be a watchmaker, a ship builder and a cooper, and came to la pointe in , where he has since resided. he carried on the coopering business first, for the american fur company, and then for himself established a trading post, became interested in mining stocks, and filled various county offices, having served as county judge and register of deeds a great many years. in later life he was postmaster at la pointe. he was married in to miss margaret brahant, in the catholic chapel, by bishop baraga. he died in . ashland is situated on a plateau of about thirty feet elevation, on the south shore and near the head of chequamegon bay. the first house, a cabin, was built in . other cabins were added the same year. in the cabin erected by mr. asaph whittlesey, in the winter of - , was preached the first sermon in ashland by rev. l. h. wheeler, of the odanah mission. a post office was established in march, , mr. whittlesey, postmaster. the first american child born was the second daughter of asaph whittlesey. the name of ashland was conferred upon the town by martin beaser, an ardent admirer of henry clay, it being the name of mr. clay's homestead. the village and post office was first known as whittlesey, but on the organization of the county in , the name of ashland was applied to both. the new town was not destined to immediate and continuous prosperity, and at one time, in , had decreased so much in population that its post office was discontinued for a period of nine years. after that date it entered upon an era of prosperity. julia wheeler taught the first school in . the methodists organized the first protestant society in . the catholics commenced a church building in . in the first newspaper in ashland, the _press_, was established by sam s. and hank o. fifield, under whose charge it remained until , when s. s. fifield bought his brother's interest in the paper and has since published it continuously, and in established a daily. in the wisconsin central railroad commenced work at the bay, and the outlay for improvements that year amounted to $ , . the wisconsin central railroad built the hotel chequamegon in . it is built in the form of an l, feet front and feet deep with feet of veranda, and accommodations for guests. there are numerous other hotels in the city, and several boarding houses receive guests during the summer season. ashland has vast lumber interests. the ashland lumber company built the first mill, in , which had a capacity of about , , feet per annum. the union mill, built in , has a capacity of about , , feet. mueller & richie's mill, built in , has a capacity of about , , feet. there is also a planing mill belonging to geo. white. ashland has become a railroad centre. the wisconsin central, st. paul & omaha, milwaukee & lake shore and northern pacific concentrate a heavy freight for their elevators and lake docks. the largest dock in the world was built in ashland in . it was built almost expressly for iron ore shipments from penoka and gogebic ranges. asaph whittlesey selected the site of ashland in , and in conjunction with george kilborn built the first dwelling. he was the first postmaster. he was appointed in . he represented ashland, burnett, douglas, la pointe, polk, and st. croix in the wisconsin assembly in . j. p. t. haskell was the second settler in ashland. he came with his wife, nov. , , but did not long remain. s. s. vaughn was born in cuyahoga county, ohio, sept. , . he came with his brother to la pointe in , and engaged in the fishing and fur trade until , when he returned to ohio. after taking a course in a commercial college, he returned to wisconsin in , took a claim of one hundred and sixty acres at ashland and opened a store at bayfield. in he surveyed and platted what is known as vaughn's addition to ashland. in he represented ashland, barron, bayfield, burnett, douglas, and polk counties in the wisconsin assembly. at ashland he built docks, warehouses and a store, and in later years dealt largely in iron mines and in lumber. he was married to miss e. patrick, of ohio, in . he died at ashland, february, . he induced the wisconsin central railroad company to make ashland their lake terminus. he did more for that city than any other man. edwin ellis, m.d., was born in oxford county, maine; was educated in farmington academy, colby university and bowdoin college, where he graduated and afterward completed a medical course at the university of new york. he came west in , and located first at st. paul, but in removed to ashland where he made a claim, which, in part, became in ellis' addition to ashland. he practiced his profession at ashland and ontonagon, michigan. he was married in to martha b. baker, of sharon, maine. martin beaser, one of the pre-emptors of the site of ashland, was born in erie county, new york, oct. , . for many years he was a seafaring man. he spent seven years in whaling, at the close of which time he came to ontonagon in a sailing vessel, and thence with three companions in a dog sledge to ashland, arriving february, . here he pre-empted land, and assisted in laying out the village. he engaged in the mercantile business. he was drowned in november, , while trying to cross chequamegon bay in an open boat during a storm. mr. beaser was a public spirited man and freely used his wealth in attempting to build up ashland. he never lost faith in the ultimate prosperity of his adopted home. hon. sam s. fifield was born in corinna, penobscot county, maine, june , . his early days were spent in bangor, and he had but limited school privileges. he was early thrown upon his own resources and learned lessons in the rough school of life. he spent his time variously, as errand boy, hotel clerk, night watch on a steamboat, toll keeper; but finally, having served a brief apprenticeship in a printing office, he became the proprietor of the _polk county press_ in . in he and his brother hank o. established the ashland _press_, of which he is now sole editor and publisher. mr. fifield entered the political arena as a republican and has been remarkably successful. his record from the wisconsin blue book is as follows: - --assembly proof-reader and assistant sergeant-at-arms. - --assembly sergeant-at-arms. - - --member of assembly from ashland, barron, burnett, douglas, and polk counties. --speaker of the assembly. --member of the senate. - --member of the senate. - --lieutenant governor. mr. fifield was married to stella grimes, at prescott, . considering the disadvantageous circumstances of his youth, mr. fifield's career has been a notable one. bayfield county. bayfield county includes townships to , except as affected by the irregular outline of its lake boundary on the north, and ranges to . it has seventy-five miles of lake shore, with some fine harbors, the finest of which are those in the shelter of the apostle islands, on the northeast. the country is covered with dense growths of evergreen and hardwood timber. numerous streams flow into the lake on the north, and into the tributaries of the st. croix on the south. the chippewa indians formerly occupied the country. the red cliff indian reservation is located at buffalo bay, a short distance north of bayfield city. the territory of bayfield county has been successively in the bounds of crawford, st. croix and la pointe. by subsequent subdivisions douglas and ashland counties were set off from la pointe, and the apostle islands given to ashland, and the remaining part of la pointe was organized as bayfield county, with the county seat at bayfield, in . aside from traders and adventurers and the occasional advent of a missionary, the first settler was elisha pike, who came with his family in , and settled in section , township , range , not far from bayfield. bayfield was named in honor of admiral bayfield of the british navy, who made a survey of lake superior in - . bayfield. the village of bayfield was platted in , by h. m. rice. it has since been incorporated. it is beautifully situated. the site slopes gently from high timbered regions to the shores of the bay. the waters of the bay are deep, clear, and, from the shelter afforded by the apostle islands, almost unruffled. the harbor thus afforded is among the best on the lake. bayfield was made a port of entry in . the city is well supplied with stores, mills, hotels, school houses, and churches. there are many pleasant homes, with fountains playing in front, lawns, shade trees and ornamental shrubs. the landscape, especially to those residing in the rear of the city on the higher grounds, is exquisitely beautiful. there are many beautiful trout brooks and ponds in the suburbs. as a summer resort bayfield is becoming every year better appreciated. the bayfield _press_, established in , is the local newspaper. it is edited and published by currie c. bell. washburn is a new town on the west side of chequamegon bay. it is the lake terminus of the omaha railroad. it has a fine harbor, large mills and other enterprises that mark it as a growing town. drummond, pratt and mason are prosperous manufacturing villages, with large saw mills, located on white river, on the line of the north wisconsin railroad. cable station, on the railroad, in township , range , contains about a dozen buildings. mathews, olson & co. are working a silver mine near cable which yields twenty-three dollars per ton. there are several other villages and stations on the line of the two railroads passing through this county. douglas county. this county occupies the extreme northwestern corner of the state, having a frontage of six townships on the lake by six on the minnesota state line, making a total of thirty-six whole townships and five fractional, the latter lying along the lake. the northern part of the county is drained by the tributaries of st. louis river and lake superior, the principal streams being the nemadji, middle and brule rivers. the southern part is drained by the st. croix and tributaries. the omaha railroad intersects the county from south to north, having its northern terminus at west superior. the northern pacific crosses the upper tier of towns, having its principal station at superior. thriving villages are growing up along these lines of railroad, and the county is being rapidly settled. it was organized as a county in february, , from territory originally belonging successively to crawford, st. croix and la pointe counties. the first election was held nov. , . the following officers were elected: county judge, j. a. markland; sheriff, asa a. parker; district attorney, r. r. nelson; register of deeds, f. a. whitaker; county treasurer, bradley salter; supervisors, frank perfect, chas. h. kimball and alexander paul; supervisors' clerk, c. h. kingsbury; superintendent of schools, j. j. post; coroner, r. h. barrett. judge j. a. markland held the first term of court, june , . the first deed filed in the county was from william herbert to geo. l. becker, being a warranty in section , township , range . consideration, $ . the deed was recorded february, . at the organization of the county, superior was made the county seat. superior city. the site is on a beautiful plateau originally covered with pine, lying on the southern shore of lake superior, separated, however, from it by the waters of superior bay, a fine natural harbor shut in from the lake by tongues of land called minnesota and wisconsin points. these approach within a half mile of each other, the space thus left being the original outlet of the bay. between wisconsin point and the main land lie the waters of allouez bay, extending in length a distance of three miles, and in width in its widest part about one mile. the nemadji river flows into superior bay near its outlet. the bay of st. louis finds an outlet into superior bay between rice's point and a tongue of land a mile or more in length, projecting from the wisconsin main land. minnesota point, which separates superior bay from superior lake, is a strip of land seven miles in length, with an average width of seven hundred feet, beautifully fringed with pines. at the outlet of superior bay two piers have been constructed, extending into the lake three-fourths of a mile. on one of these piers is a forty-day lighthouse, constructed by the government. the bay forms one of the finest harbors in the world. the plateau on which superior city is located is about thirty-five feet above the waters of the bay. the site occupies the triangular space lying between st. louis bay and the bays of allouez and superior, and has at least eleven miles of frontage on these bays, along which numerous docks and piers have been built and projected, some of them costing as much as $ , . the government surveys were made in , by george r. stuntz. in july of the same year j. addison bulmer made a location on allouez point. in august, john t. morgan settled at the mouth of the nemadji river. they were followed by wm. h. newton, george e. nettleton, benjamin thompson, col. d. a. robertson, r. r. nelson, and d. a. j. baker, of st. paul. in september the roy brothers and ---- cadott came. the same autumn frank roy, abraham emmuit and louis souvenard made pre-emptions of frontage on superior bay. several buildings were erected. mr. roy and others give to col. robertson the honor of building the first house in superior. it is still standing. in the fall of mineral explorations were made, and mines were worked during the ensuing winter. an indian trail was widened and a road opened into the st. croix valley by which supplies were brought from st. paul. this road was not wide enough for wagons, but was traveled during the winter in dog sledges and on snowshoes. the winter following the opening of the road, messrs. robertson, nelson and baker went over it to st. paul on foot. in the spring of newton and others made additional surveys of the town site of superior city, and the same was recorded nov. , . settlers came in rapidly. o. k. hall built a hotel. at the organization of douglas county, in , superior was made the county seat, the proprietors donating twelve acres of land for county buildings. two lots for every eight blocks were donated for schools, twenty lots for churches, and a square for a park. a weekly mail to and from st. paul was established in july of that year. a saw mill was erected. a land office was established at superior that year. rev. david brooks, a pioneer methodist minister, preached the first sermon, using a carpenter's shop as an audience room. an old settlers' association was organized september, , known as the fond du lac historical society. its officers were: r. b. carlton, president; w. h. norton and e. f. ely, vice presidents; e. w. perry, secretary. the superior _chronicle_ issued its first number june , . it was the first newspaper published at the head of lake superior. ashton & wise were the publishers. the second number contained the announcement of the opening of the ste. marie canal and the passage through it of the first boat, the steamer illinois. it contained also the astonishing announcement, from the st. anthony _express_, that a salt lake had been discovered by w. h. ingersoll, one hundred and fifty miles west of st. cloud. the salt was said to be of good quality, and in such quantity that it could be gathered by the bushel. large beds of coal had also been discovered near the lake. the _chronicle_ was discontinued in and succeeded by the superior _gazette_ in . the _gazette_ has been succeeded by the superior _times_, now edited by j. lute, thomas bardon, proprietor. superior city has passed through periods of depression as well as of advancement. at an early period speculators were lured to the spot by the manifest advantages it presented for the building of a great city. the favorable site attracted attention throughout the union. wealthy men and men prominent in the political history of the country invested largely. amongst these we find the names of w. w. corcoran, of washington; robert j. walker, of new york; g. w. cass, of pittsburgh, pennsylvania; horace s. walbridge, of toledo, ohio; the breckenridges of kentucky; the rice brothers, of st. paul; and james stinson, of chicago. with the influence of these names, and the means furnished, the new city had a rapid, if not healthy growth. the prosperity was short lived. the adjacent country was not sufficiently developed, the shipping interests languished, and those who had been attracted hither by dreams of becoming suddenly rich, were discouraged and moved away, till, in , the city was half deserted. the period of depression continued through the civil war, and for years afterward, until, by the building of railroads and the consequent development of the country, the claims of superior as a centre of trade were again acknowledged, and the tide of emigration was turned back. with allouez, superior and duluth bays for its harbor, with its railroads already built, building or projected, its enterprising people are ready to contest with duluth for the sovereignty of the unsalted seas. superior, being a combination of old superior and west superior under one municipality, was organized as a village aug. , , and held her first village election sept. , , with a population of , people. it was organized with the following officers: president, l. f. johnston; trustees, wm. munro, neil smith, l. g. moran, a. lederman, a. a. cross, and howard thomas. west superior was platted in . the first buildings were erected in october of the same year. the city has now a population of , . it has excellent graded schools, under the supervision of prof. g. glen williams. the catholics, presbyterians and congregationalists have church buildings, and the methodists are about to build. a hotel is in process of building that will cost when completed $ , . west superior is supplied with water works, the electric light, extensive coal docks and elevators, and has three newspapers, the superior _inter-ocean_, established june , ; the west superior _news_, established june , ; and the _sunday morning call_, established july, . the bardon brothers.--james, thomas and john a. bardon came early to superior city and upheld her doubtful fortunes in the days of trial, never losing faith in her prospective greatness. they have not toiled and watched and waited in vain. the expected railways have been built; the improved harbor, with dredge boats, well built piers and lighthouse, has been completed. surveys and terminal approaches of other roads insure the commercial prosperity of the city. thomas has for some years been a resident of ashland, wisconsin. wm. h. newton, an early citizen of superior city, is among those who have never lost faith in its future prosperity, believing the head of the lake to be the natural terminus of european trade and a centre of american commerce. he is an engineer, surveyor, real estate dealer, and is interested in some of the converging lines of railroad at superior city. solon h. clough.--mr. clough was born in madison county, new york, aug. , ; was educated at fulton academy, since known as falley seminary, oswego county, new york. he attended for a short time hamilton college, new york, studied law, and was admitted to the bar at syracuse in . he came to hudson, wisconsin, in the fall of ; in was elected mayor of hudson; in , judge of the eleventh circuit, and removed to osceola. in he removed to superior city; in returned to hudson, but removed again to superior in , where he still resides. he was re-elected circuit judge in , and in was appointed by gov. rusk to fill the vacancy caused by the death of judge barron. at the conclusion of his term he was re-elected for the ensuing term. judge clough was married in to kate taylor, of new york. vincent roy, a brother of peter roy, well known among the pioneers of the northwest, was born in fort francis in ; came to la pointe in ; attended school a few terms, and engaged in the fur trade. in he came to superior, where he still resides, and is an active, enterprising merchant. d. george morrison, a son of william morrison, the discoverer of the source of the mississippi, resides at superior city, where he has served as register of deeds for douglas county since , a period of thirty-one years. he came to superior an . august zachau came to superior in , from chicago, where he had been for three years, working at the carpenter's trade. he was then twenty-seven years of age, and a prussian by birth. he was engaged by the superior town site company to superintend the building improvements going on at what is now the east end. when he came up, no ste. marie canal had been dug, and a portage was necessary between lakes superior and huron, involving a change in the line of vessels. he built the first hotel in superior, the old pioneer house, which burned in , and also the present nicollet house, which was built of logs, cut on what is now tower slip. he also built the quebec pier, the first dock ever built at the head of lake superior. he also assisted in cutting the old government trail through to the st. croix river. he was an active participant in the defense of the town site people in their battles with the claim jumping pre-emptioners, who had settled on the lands adjoining, and who filed contests on much of the town site as soon as the plats were returned to the land office at willow river, now known as hudson. in cutting the sixty miles of trail to the st. croix, every able-bodied man turned out, except enough to guard the homes and cut kindling wood. the axemen ground their axes at fond du lac, the only trading station of importance at that time on the st. louis river. he pre-empted, in the interest of his fellow sufferers on the town site, eighty acres of land, now part of superior. he has always led a quiet, laborious life; now runs a small general store at the east end, and does a little general contracting for ties and bridge timbers and dock piling. he has a family of five boys and one girl now living, all in superior. among the first settlers were judge hiram hayes, ---- ritchie and ---- gates. chapter x. pine county. prior to the organization of minnesota territory, in , pine county was included within the limits of st. croix county, wisconsin. until the organization of chisago county, in , it was within the limits of ramsey, and from thence until , within the limits of chisago, when it was organized under its present name. until it included the territory of the present counties of kanabec and carlton. it is bounded on the north by carlton county, on the east by the st. croix river and the state line, and on the west by aitkin and kanabec counties. it is well watered by the st. croix, kettle and kanabec rivers with their numerous tributaries. there are many fine lakes within its borders. the finest of these are cross, pokegama, pine and sturgeon lakes. this county was originally heavily timbered with pine, from which fact it derived its name. though immense quantities have been removed, the supply is still great enough to make this region a lumberman's paradise for years to come. the facilities for floating logs to the st. croix are scarce equaled elsewhere. since the kanabec river has been a principal feeder to the lumber trade of the st. croix valley. in some of the forests a new growth has succeeded the old, and should the land be not otherwise used, the lumberman may yet reap successive harvests in periods ranging from eight to fifteen years. much of the land in this county is well adapted for agriculture. the soil is chiefly a sandy loam with clay subsoil. much of the county will eventually become a good grazing and cereal growing region. the southern townships are heavily timbered with hardwood and are rapidly being converted into good wheat farms. a large quantity of cordwood, piles and ties is annually marketed by means of the railroad. kanabec river is navigable from chengwatana and pine city to brunswick, in kanabec county. the same steamboat that since has navigated the kanabec, also makes trips, six miles up the rice and pokegama rivers. the first crops raised in the county, except those raised by traders and missionaries, were raised on the greeley farm, kanabec river, near the western limits of the county, by royal c. gray. at the organization of the county, herman trott, george w. staples and royal c. gray were appointed commissioners. the county was attached for judicial purposes to chisago until , at which date the county seat, located at chengwatana by legislative enactment, was changed by a popular vote to pine city. the first district court was held in october, , judge crosby, presiding; john d. wilcox, clerk; edward jackson, sheriff. the first marriage license, issued in , was to john kelsey and mary hoffman. the first board of county officers, after the removal of the county seat, were: commissioners, hiram brackett, george goodwin and edward jackson; auditor, adolph munch; register of deeds, don willard; county attorney, treasurer and superintendent of schools, john d. wilcox. the first article recorded by the register of pine county was a military land warrant, no. , in the name of prudence rockwell, located by william orrin baker upon the southeast quarter of section , township , range , subject to forty days' pre-emption, dated stillwater, june , ; t. m. fullerton, register. assigned, june , , to enos jones. the second record is of a warranty deed from john f. bradford to w. a. van slyke, of ramsey county, of the west half of the northwest quarter of section , township , range , and the west half of the northwest quarter of the same section. the finances of the county were in good condition until , from which time, owing to heavy expenditures for new roads, with possibly injudicious management, and two defalcations of county auditors, considerable embarrassment ensued. in the state legislature bonded the county indebtedness of $ , , in ten year bonds, at ten per cent interest. these bonds were readily received by the creditors, and the county is now free from debt. during the last year a bridge feet long was built across the kanabec river near pine city, at a cost of $ , , for which the state appropriated $ , and the county $ , . the lake superior & mississippi railroad was completed to kanabec river in , and in extended northwest to the county line. the building of this road was speedily followed by the erection of numerous mills along its line, a list of which is appended, with the very remarkable statistics of the losses by fire, from which but four of these mills were exempt: north branch, swenson & co., flour mill; burned; loss, $ , . rush city, taylor & co., capacity , , feet yearly; burned; loss, $ , . rock creek, edgerton & co., capacity , , feet yearly; burned; loss, $ , ; rebuilt. rock creek, strong & co., capacity , , feet yearly; burned; loss, $ , ; rebuilt. rock creek, long & co., capacity , , feet yearly; removed. pine city, ferson & co., capacity , , feet yearly; burned; loss, $ , ; rebuilt. pine city, ferson & co., capacity , , feet yearly; burned; loss, $ , ; rebuilt. pine city, munch & burrows, stave mill; burned; loss, $ , . pine city, brackett & co., capacity , , feet yearly. mission creek, taylor & co., capacity , , feet yearly; burned; loss, $ , ; rebuilt. mission creek, taylor & co., capacity , , feet yearly; burned; loss, $ , . hinckley, grant & co., capacity , , feet yearly; burned; loss, $ , . hinckley, mckean & butler, capacity , , feet yearly; burned; loss, $ , ; rebuilt. miller station, robie & co., shingle mill; burned; loss, $ , . kettle river, s. s. griggs & co., capacity , , feet yearly; never operated; loss, $ , . moose lake, mcarthur & co., capacity , , feet yearly; burned; loss, $ , . barnum, cooley & co., capacity , , feet yearly; burned; loss, $ , . barnum, bliss & co., capacity , , feet yearly. northern pacific junction, payne & co., two mills burned; loss, $ , ; rebuilt the third time. pokegama lake. this beautiful lake lies in township , range . it is about five miles in length by one in breadth and finds an outlet in kanabec river. it is celebrated for its historical associations. thomas conner, an old trader, informed the writer of these sketches, in , that he had had a trading post on the banks of this lake thirty years before, or about the year . this was before fort snelling was built. mr. conner said that there was a french trading post at pokegama long before he went there. it was in the spring of , after a wearisome day's tramp, that i made his acquaintance and shared his unstinted hospitality. his post, at that time, was located at the mouth of goose creek, chisago county, on the banks of the st. croix. his rude, portable house was built of bark, subdivided with mats and skins into different apartments. although at an advanced period in life, his mind was clear and he conversed with a degree of intelligence which caused me to ask him why he lived thus secluded, away from all the privileges of a civilized life. his reasons, some of them, were forcible; he liked the quiet of the wilderness, away from the turmoils of the envious white race. i learned from him many interesting facts connected with travelers, traders and explorers of our st. croix valley. this was the last season he spent on the river. in , when i visited pokegama, jeremiah russell, an indian farmer, had a very pretty farm on a point of land on the southwest side of the lake, and between the lake and the river. a frenchman, jarvis, lived a short distance from russell. across the lake from russell's were the neat and tasteful log buildings and gardens of the presbyterian mission. the mission was established in the spring of , by rev. frederic ayer and his associates, under the auspicies of the american board of foreign missions. mr. ayer had been laboring at yellow lake mission, but, owing to the growing unfriendliness of the indians, had been removed to pokegama. much pertaining to the mission work, both at pokegama and elsewhere, will be found in the biographies of the principal missionaries. we mention here only such incidents as may be of more general interest. for many of these incidents we are indebted to mrs. elisabeth j. ayer, of belle prairie, the widow of rev. frederic ayer, for a long time missionary to the ojibways. this estimable lady has passed her eighty-fifth year, but her mind is still clear and her hand steady, her manuscript having the appearance of the work of a precise young schoolmistress. she mentions an old canadian, who had been in the country sixty years, and for seven or eight years had been entirely blind. he was known as mushk-de-winini (the-old-blind-prairie-man), also the old trader, thomas conner, the remains of whose mud chimney and foundation of the old trading house may still be seen on the southern shore of the lake. franklin steele was the first white man to visit the mission. in the spring of the mission aided three or four families in building. february, , rev. mr. hall, of the la pointe mission, visited pokegama, and organized a church of seven members,--three of whom were natives,--administered the ordinance of baptism to eight persons, and solemnized two marriages, probably the first in the valley of the st. croix. revs. boutwell and ely came to the mission in . a school had been opened, some indian houses built, and gardens enlarged, and the future of the mission seemed assured. mrs. ayer relates the following account of the battle of pokegama. in the sioux selected this settlement as the place to avenge the wrongs of the ojibways--some of recent date; the principal of which was the killing of two sons of little crow (done in self defense) between pokegama and the falls of the st. croix. the sioux arrived at pokegama in the night, and stopped on the opposite side of the lake, two miles from the mission. the main body went to the main settlement, and, after examining the ground where they intended to operate, hid among the trees and brush back of the indian gardens, with orders that all keep quiet on both sides of the lake till a given signal, when the indians were busy in their gardens, and then make quick work. but their plans failed. most of the ojibways of the settlement had, from fear of the sioux, slept on an island half a mile out in the lake (i mean the women and children), and were late to their gardens. in the meantime a loaded canoe was nearing the opposite shore and the few sioux who had remained there to dispatch any who, in time of battle, might attempt to escape by crossing over, fired prematurely. this gave the alarm, and saved the ojibways. the chief ran to mr. ayer's door and said, expressively: "the sioux are upon us," and was off. the indians seemed at once to understand that the main body of the enemy was at hand. the missionaries stepped out of the door and had just time to see a great splashing of water across the lake when bullets came whizzing about their ears, and they went in. the sioux had left their hiding place and the battle commenced in earnest. most of the women and children of the settlement were yet on the island. the house of the chief was well barricaded and most of the men gathered in there. the remainder took refuge in a house more exposed, at the other end of the village. the enemy drew up very near and fired in at the window. one gun was made useless, being indented by a ball. the owner retired to a corner and spent the time in prayer. the mother of the house, with her small children, was on her way to the island under a shower of bullets, calling aloud on god for help. the missionaries seeing from their windows quantities of bloody flesh upon stumps in the battle field, thought surely that several of their friends had fallen. it proved to be a cow and calf of an ojibway. the mission children were much frightened and asked many questions, and for apparent safety went up stairs and were put behind some well filled barrels. in the heat of battle two ojibways came from the island and landed in front of mr. ayer's house. they drew their canoe ashore and secreted themselves as well as the surroundings would permit. not long after three sioux ran down the hill and toward the canoe. they were fired upon and one fell dead. the other two ran for help but before they could return the ojibways were on the way back to the island. not having time to take the scalp of their enemy, they hastily cut the powder horn strap from his breast, dripping with blood, as a trophy of victory. the sioux drew the dead body up the hill and back to the place of fighting. the noise ceased. the battle was over. the missionaries soon heard the joyful words, quietly spoken: "we still live." not a warrior had fallen. the two school girls who were in the canoe at the first firing in the morning were the only ones killed, though half the men and boys in the fight were wounded. the sioux women and boys who had come with their warriors to carry away the spoils had the chagrin of returning as empty as they came. the ojibways were careful that no canoe should be left within reach of the sioux. from necessity they took a canoe, made by mr. ely, and removed their dead two miles up the river, dressed them (seemingly) in the best the party could furnish, with each a double barreled gun, a tomahawk and scalping knife, set them up against some large trees and went on their way. some of these articles, including their head-dresses, were sent to the museum of the american board, in boston. in the closing scene the missionaries had the opportunity of seeing the difference between those indians who had listened to instruction and those who had not. the second day after the battle the pagan party brought back to the island the dead bodies of their enemies, cut in pieces, and distributed parts to such ojibways as had at any time lost friends by the hands of the sioux. one woman, whose daughter was killed and mutilated on that memorable morning, when she saw the canoes coming, with a head raised high in the air on a long pole, waded out into the water, grabbed it like a hungry dog and dashed it repeatedly on the stones with savage fierceness. others of the pagans conducted themselves in a similar manner. they even cooked some of the flesh that night in their kettles of rice. eunice (as she was named at her baptism) was offered an arm. at first she hesitated; but for reasons, sufficient in her own mind, thought best to take it. her daughter-in-law, widow of her son who had recently been killed and chopped into pieces by the sioux, took another, and they went into their lodge. eunice said: "my daughter, we must not do as some of our friends are doing. we have been taught better," and taking some white cloths from her sack they wrapped the arms in them, offered a prayer, and gave them a decent burial. about this time a mr. kirkland was sent from quincy, illinois, by a party who wished to plant a colony not far from the mission station. he arrived at pokegama very soon after the battle. notwithstanding what had happened he selected a location on cross lake, just where a railroad has now been in operation for some years. he worked vigorously for two or three weeks, and then went to consult the indian agent and the military at fort snelling. they gave him no encouragement that the two tribes would ever live in peace; and he went home. the ojibways lived in constant fear, and the place was soon deserted. this was a great trial to the missionaries; but they did not urge them to stay. they separated into small parties and went where they could get a living for the present and be out of danger. the teachers remained at their post, occasionally visiting the indians in their retreat, hoping they might soon think it safe to return to their homes. in this they were disappointed. these visits were not always very safe. on one of these trips mr. ayer was lost, and from cold and hunger came near perishing. not finding the party he sought, he wandered about for a day or two. in the meantime the weather became much colder. not expecting to camp out he took only one blanket and food enough for one meal. in crossing kettle river on a self-made conveyance, and there being ice on the opposite shore, he got wet. the indians, anticipating his visit, had sent a young man to the mission station to guide him to, their new locality. he returned in haste, fell on mr. ayer's track, and a light sprinkle of snow enabled him to follow it until he was found. mrs. ayer relates several incidents illustrative of indian character. as her husband had been stationed at yellow lake, and afterward at red lake, these incidents are not necessarily located at pokegama: a noble chief. the red lake indians were a noble band--they had a noble chief. in civilization he led the way, in religion he did not oppose. he shouldered a heavy axe, and could be seen chopping on one side of a large tree, in perspiration, while his wife was on the other side, helping all she could with her hatchet. this chief was also an advocate of temperance. not that he didn't love whisky, but he hated the effect of it on his band. he dictated a letter to the president, begging him not to let the white faces bring any more firewater to his people, giving as one reason that they had teachers among them who must be protected, and if they had whisky he did not know what might happen. frank confessions. in the church there was much childish simplicity. once when mr. ayer was lecturing on the eighth commandment, he paused, and without expecting an answer, said: "now who is there among you who has not stolen?" one woman began to confess--another followed, then another. one thought she had stolen about seven times. another entered more into particulars, mentioning the things she had stolen, till the scene was quite amusing. another rose to confess, but was cut short by her husband, who said: "who knows how many times he has stolen? we are a nation of thieves." and with a few remarks the meeting closed. a cowardly deed. after a medicine dance, according to indian custom, they proposed a feast, but there was nothing on which to feast. there was a large company and all were hungry. mr. ayer's cow was in the barnyard near. three daring fellows sitting by themselves began to taunt each other in regard to their comparative prowess. after an excitement was created, one of them, to show his bravery, shot the cow. mr. ayer was in his garden and witnessed the performance. two or three of the leading men in this pagan party came immediately to mr. ayer to learn whether he would take the cow for his own use. while they were talking (perhaps twenty minutes) the cow was cut in pieces, and in the indians' kettles preparatory to a good time. after the indians had sold their land they paid for the cow. an unjust accusation. indians are said to be revengeful. they are. so are white men. they fight for their rights. so do white men. they are thieves and liars. so are white men. quarrelsome, envious, jealous. so are white men. experience teaches that according to their knowledge they compare favorably with anglo-saxons. sin is none the better, nor less mischievous, for being civilized. a missionary, a good man, too, he was, accused an innocent woman of stealing his shirts that were laid out on the snow to whiten. his wife, not remembering that she had brought them in early in the morning, asked him to go out and get them. but they were not to be found! "who has been here this morning?" was asked. "ekwazans; i don't remember any other." "well, she shan't have those shirts. i'll overtake her before she gets home." he followed her four miles, determined to have his shirts. the woman declared her innocence, and told him to search the wigwam. he did so, but said himself that it was done rather roughly. in the meantime the wife espied the shirts just where she had put them. this affair was ever after a source of regret to them. some of the indians laughed heartily; others made remarks rather sarcastic. the woman herself felt disgraced by the accusation, but never manifested signs of wanting to "pay back," or in any way to avenge the wrong. indian magnanimity. an employe of the american fur company, a "green hand," was crossing a portage. the load on his back was topped off with a bag of flour. the hill was steep and long. steps were cut in it like a flight of stairs. as he reached the top a mischievous indian touched the bag, and it went tumbling to the foot of the hill. the frenchman immediately sent the indian tumbling after it. some of the company advised the frenchman to run away, for the indian might kill him. he told them boldly that he would not run away. the indian gathered himself up, came to the top of the hill, told the frenchman he had done just right, offered his hand and they were firm friends. magnanimous had it been a white man. rev. frederic ayer was born in stockbridge, massachusetts, in . when he was two years old the family moved to central new york. his father was a presbyterian minister, and they intended that their son should follow the same profession; but before he was prepared his health failed and he turned his attention to other business. he commenced his labors for the indians in , by teaching the mission school at mackinaw, under the superintendency of rev. m. ferry. the pupils of this school were not all ojibways but were from many different tribes, and spoke different languages. mackinaw was then a general depot of the north american fur traders. they brought not only their own children to the school but such others as parents among whom they were trading wished to send. they were gathered from lake winnipeg, british america north, to prairie du chien and the head of lake michigan south. they were taught in english only. in the summer of mr. ayer went to la pointe, lake superior, with mr. warren, opened a school and commenced the study of the ojibway language. in he met at mackinaw, revs. hall and boutwell, who were sent out by the american board of commissioners for foreign missions to the indians, and he returned with mr. and mrs. hall and their interpreter to spend another winter at la pointe. the next year, , mr. ayer wintered with another trader at sandy lake. he opened a school there and completed a little ojibway spelling book which was commenced at la pointe. in the spring of he left sandy lake for utica, new york, to get the book printed. mr. aitkin, with whom he had wintered, gave him eighty dollars, and with a pack on his back and an experienced guide, he started on his journey. before they reached sault ste. marie the ice on lake superior was so weak that mr. ayer broke through and was saved only by carrying horizontally in his hands a long pole to prevent his sinking. mr. ayer hastened on to complete the object of his journey, that he might return to mackinaw in time to go up lake superior with the traders. mr. ayer, hitherto an independent worker, now put himself under the direction of the "american board," and was sent to yellow lake, within the present bounds of burnett county, wisconsin. miss delia cooke, whose name should never be forgotten among the early missionaries of the american board to the indians, and miss hester crooks, a girl educated at mackinaw, and who had some experience in teaching, were among the number who coasted up lake superior in a mackinaw boat; the former to la pointe mission, the latter to yellow lake with mr. and mrs. ayer. they wintered in dr. borup's family. mrs. borup also had, for some years, been a pupil at mackinaw. the next year miss crooks married rev. mr. boutwell and went to leech lake, and j. l. seymour and miss sabrian stevens, also henry blatchford, an interpreter from mackinaw, were added to yellow lake mission. when mr. ayer told the indians his object in coming among them, they gave him a welcome. but six months later, seeing two or three log houses in process of building, they were much troubled, and met in a body to request him to go away. a menomonie from the region of green bay had stirred them up, not against the missionaries, but against the general government. the speaker said: "it makes the indians sad to see the white man's house go up on their land. we don't want you to stay; you must go." further on he said: "you shall go!" mr. ayer answered him. the party left at midnight, and the missionaries went to bed with heavy hearts, thinking they might be thurst out almost immediately. but before sunrise the next morning about two-thirds of the same party returned, and said they had come to take back what they said the night before. the war chief was speaker, but his words were mild. "why," said he, "should we turn these teachers away before they have done us any harm?" they would like to have us stay, he said, but added that they did not want any more to come, for the result might be the loss of their lands. we might use whatever their country afforded, but they would not give us any land, or sell us any. "for," said the speaker, "if we should sell our land where would our children play?" mr. ayer finished his school house, and went on with his work as though nothing had happened. but evidently things were not as they should be. the chief seemed to "sit on the fence," ready to jump either way. the war chief was always friendly, but he had not so much control over what concerned us. he did what he could without giving offense, and was anxious that his daughter of fourteen years should be taken into the mission family. mr. ayer remained two years longer at yellow lake. in the meantime the chief of the snake river band sent messages inviting the teachers to come and live among them. accordingly in the spring of the mission was removed to pokegama lake, eighteen miles up the river. the chief did all he had promised, and showed himself a man. nothing was said here to remind the missionaries that they were using the indians' wood, water and fish. on the contrary, when they sold their land, it was urged that the teachers' children should be enrolled for annual payment, the same as their own. the chief said that as they were born on the land it was no more than right, and he wished it might be done. in mr. ayer went with his family to the states; and in oberlin was ordained preacher to the ojibways. he soon returned to the indian country, and david brainard spencer, an oberlin student, with him. they spent the winter of - in traveling from one trading post to another, selecting locations for missionary labor. for their own field they chose red lake. when mrs. ayer, with her two little boys, six and eight years old, went to join her husband at the new station, alonzo barnard and wife and s. g. wright, all of oberlin college, went with her. other missionaries soon followed, and that station was for many years supplied with efficient laborers. more recently the work there was assigned to bishop whipple, and is still carried on. mr. and mrs. ayer, in , offered their services to the freed-men of the south and were employed at atlanta, georgia. mr. ayer organized a congregational church and a baptistry connected with the house of worship, that he might baptise by immersion or otherwise, according to the wishes of the candidate. he also formed a temperance society, which some months before his death numbered more than six hundred members. there was great grief at his death amongst all classes. an aged man, who had lost a small fortune in his devotion to the confederacy, embraced the corpse, and said: "if he had not holpen me, i should have before gone him." many others, in word or action, expressed a similar feeling. all classes of people were represented at his funeral. his remains were buried in the atlanta cemetery, oct. , . thus passed away one who had spent a life for the benefit of others. mr. and mrs. ayer in some instances taught three generations of ojibway blood, and north and south, they were, in the course of their labors, associated for a longer or shorter time, with more than eighty different missionaries,--a noble band,--with few exceptions worthy the name they bore. most of them have passed away, and their graves are scattered here and there from british america to georgia. rev. william t. boutwell, who figures so prominently in the history of the early missions in the st. croix valley, was born in hillsborough county, new hampshire, feb. , . he was educated at dartmouth and andover colleges, and in , the year of his graduation at andover, he came to the northwest as a presbyterian missionary. he spent one year at mackinaw, learning the chippewa language, under the instruction of rev. w. m. ferry, father of senator ferry, of michigan. in our government sent an embassy of thirty men, under the control of the indian agent at ste. marie, henry r. schoolcraft, to tranquilize the tribes and effect some advantageous treaties. the embassy was accompanied by an outfit of soldiers under the command of lieut. allen, dr. houghton, physician, george johnson, interpreter, and mr. boutwell. the embassy had a liberal outfit of provisions, equipages and trinkets for the indians, and was conveyed in a large bateau of several tons capacity, and some birch canoes, the largest of which was thirty feet long, and capable of containing nine persons. on arriving at fond du lac, the head of navigation on the st. louis river, mr. boutwell wrote as follows to the missionary board: [illustration: william t. boutwell.] "on arriving here i was not a little surprised to find four hundred souls, half-breeds and white men. the scene at our landing was such as i never before witnessed, and enough to fill one, unaccustomed to the like as myself, with wonder, if not with fear. the yelling of indians, barking of dogs, crying of children, running of the multitude, discharge of musketry, and flourish of flags, was noise in the extreme. at ten o'clock i preached to about forty in english, the first sermon ever preached here, and at p. m. i addressed, through mr. johnson, more than twice that number of french, half-breeds and indians; many of the latter of whom for the first time listened to the word of life. all listened with attention and interest. my interpreter sat on my right, while a chief occupied a seat at my left. around and below me, on the floor, sat his men, women and children, in a state of almost entire nudity, many of whom had no more than a cloth about the loins, and a blanket, but some of the children not even a blanket,--all with their pipes and tobacco pouches, painted with all the variety of figures that can be imagined." from fond du lac he proceeded with the expedition up the st. louis river, crossing the falls by a portage, and ascending to the point nearest sandy lake, which was reached by a portage. the expedition proceeded up the mississippi to leech lake. learning from the indians at this point that cass lake, the reputed source of the mississippi, was not the real source, the expedition proceeded, under the guidance of a chief and a number of his tribe, to ascend the river further. when they reached the lake, now known as itasca, five of the party, lieut. allen, schoolcraft, houghton, johnson, and boutwell, were sent in canoes with indian guides to explore the shores of the lake. no inlet being found the party came to the conclusion that this was, as the indians claimed, the true source of the mississippi river. mr. schoolcraft being satisfied as to the correctness of the observations, landed his party on an island near the middle of the lake. he was puzzled to know what name to give the lake, and asked mr. boutwell if he knew of any word that would express the term "true head of the river." mr. boutwell said he could think of no single word that would express it, but there were two latin words that would answer the purpose, and those were _veritas_--true, and _caput_--head. mr. schoolcraft immediately wrote on a piece of paper the two words, and then erasing the first syllable of the first word and the last syllable of the latter, joined the remaining syllables. he then planted the stars and stripes on a little eminence, and formally christened the lake "itasca." they then proceeded to descend the mississippi. "as we were passing through the outlet of the lake," said mr. boutwell, "i stopped my canoe on the shore and jumped across the mississippi. i considered that a great thing to relate in after years." the party with their own boats descended the mississippi, distributing tobacco, medals and flags to indians on their way.[e] "when i see the great cities of minneapolis and st. paul now," said mr. boutwell, "i have to reflect that when we made our memorable trip down the river in we stopped at st. anthony falls, and i stood on the east bank and looked across the river in profound admiration of the most beautiful landscape i had ever seen, with only a few head of government cattle belonging at fort snelling grazing upon it. the whole country on both sides of the river was as god had made it. when we passed the locality of st. paul there was not even an indian tepee to be seen." the party halted at a sioux indian village at kaposia, a few miles below st. paul, and after a short consultation proceeded to the mouth of the st. croix, and ascending the st. croix to its source, made a portage of two miles to the source of the burnt wood river, which they descended to lake superior, and thence returned to their starting place. in the following year mr. boutwell established a mission at leech lake. in giving an account of his reception by the indians, he says: "when i arrived the men, with a few exceptions, were making their fall hunts, while their families remained at the lake and its vicinity to gather their corn and make rice. a few lodges were encamped quite near. these i began to visit, for the purpose of reading, singing, etc., in order to interest the children and awaken in them the desire for instruction. i told them about the children at mackinaw, the sault, and at la pointe, who could read, write and sing. to this they would listen attentively, while the mother would often reply: 'my children are poor and ignorant.' to a person unaccustomed to indian manners and indian wildness it would have been amusing to have seen the little ones, as i approached their lodge, running and screaming, more terrified, if possible, than if they had met a bear robbed of her whelps. it was not long, however, before most of them overcame their fears; and in a few days my dwelling, a lodge which i occupied for three or four weeks, was frequented from morning till evening by an interesting group of boys, all desirous to learn to read, sing, etc. to have seen them hanging, some on one knee, others on my shoulder, reading and singing, while others, whether from shame or fear i know not, who dared not venture within, were peeping in through the sides of the cottage, or lying flat upon the ground and looking under the bottom, might have provoked a smile; especially to have seen them as they caught a glance of my eye, springing upon their feet and running like so many wild asses colts. the rain, cold and snow were alike to them, in which they would come, day after day, many of them clad merely with a blanket and a narrow strip of cloth about the loins. the men at length returned, and an opportunity was presented me for reading to them. the greater part listened attentively. some would come back and ask me to read more. others laughed, and aimed to make sport of both me and my mission." he continued to labor here until , when the indians becoming troublesome, and having murdered aitkin, an agent of the fur company, he deemed it advisable to remove the mission to pokegama lake. he labored here faithfully, much respected by the indians for his firmness and christian devotion. in he removed to stillwater and settled on a farm near the city, where he is spending the remainder of his days, cared for by his affectionate daughter kate and her kind husband, ----jones. though infirm in body on account of advanced age his mind is clear and his memory retentive. he enjoys the respect accorded to venerable age, and that which pertains to an early and middle life spent in unusual toils and hardships in the noblest work intrusted to the hands of man. mrs. hester crooks boutwell deserves honorable mention as the early companion of the devoted missionary. she was the daughter of ramsey crooks, of new york, an indian trader. her mother was a half-breed ojibway woman. hester crooks was born on drummond island, lake huron, may , . her father gave her a superior education at mackinaw mission. she was a woman of tall and commanding figure, her black hair and eyes indicating her indian origin. she was a fluent conversationalist, and careful and tidy in her personal appearance. she died in stillwater in , leaving a family of seven children. chengwatana. this town derived its name from the chippewa words, "cheng-wa" (pine) and "tana" (city), applied to an indian village which from time immemorial had been located near the mouth of cross lake. this locality had long been a rallying point for indians and traders. when the writer visited it, in , it had the appearance of an ancient place of resort. half-breeds and whites with indian wives settled here, and in there were several log houses, and a hotel kept by one ebenezer ayer. there was also a dam built for sluicing logs. among the early settlers were duane porter, george goodwin, herman trott, john g. randall, emil, gustave and adolph munch. mr. trott built a fine residence on the shore of cross lake, afterward the home of s. a. hutchinson. the munch brothers built a store and made other improvements. john g. randall, in - - , manufactured lumber, ran it down the kanabec and st. croix rivers to rush seba, sunrise and taylor's falls. in , and soon after the building of the government road to superior city, a post office and a stage route from st. paul to superior city were established. the dam, to which reference has been made, was built in , by elam greely. it is at the outlet of cross lake and has ten feet head. the flowage covers many thousands of acres. the ownership has changed several times. the tolls levied amount to from ten to fifteen cents per thousand feet. the chartered operators control the flowage completely, opening and shutting gates at their pleasure. many of the first settlers removed to other localities. mr. trott and the munch brothers to st. paul, j. g. randall to colorado, and louis ayd to taylor's falls. in an effort was made to found a village on the site of the old indian town of chengwatana. judd, walker & co. and daniel a. robertson surveyed and platted the village of alhambra, but the name was not generally accepted, and the old indian name of chengwatana superseded it. the town of chengwatana was organized in . the first supervisors were duane porter, resin denman and ferdinand blank. louis ayd was born in germany in ; came to america in and settled in chengwatana. he served three and a half years as a soldier during the rebellion, and was seriously injured in the service. on his return he settled in taylor's falls. he is a well-to-do farmer and dealer in live stock for the meat market. he has been a member of the roman catholic church from childhood. he was married to rosabella hoffman, of hudson, wisconsin, in . duane porter, the son of a surgeon in the united states army in the war of , was born in washington county, new york, in ; came west as far as illinois in , and to st. croix falls in . he was married in to mary lapraire, and in the same year located at chengwatama. his occupation is that of an explorer and lumberman. he has ten children living. s. a. hutchinson.--mr. hutchinson was a native of maine, and while yet a youth came to the valley of the st. croix, and located at chengwatana, where he married a chippewa woman, and raised a family of half-breed children. "gus" hutchinson, as he was familiarly called, had many noble traits of character and was very popular with his associates. he had a well trained mind; was skilled as a lumberman and explorer, and was of a genial disposition, honest in heart and true in his friendships. he was elected sheriff of pine county, and served four years. on the night of aug. , , he was found in a sitting posture on his bed, lifeless, a rifle ball having pierced his heart. it appeared, on investigation, that his oldest son wanted to marry an indian girl, to which his father objected. on the night after the murder the marriage took place in indian style. suspicion pointing strongly toward mother and son, they were arrested, and an indictment found by the grand jury against the son. he was tried and acquitted. hinckley. the township of hinckley was organized in . it includes a large area of land; heavily timbered with pine and hardwood. the soil is varied, consisting of black and yellow sand loam with clay subsoil. it abounds in meadows, marshes, tamarack swamps, pine and hardwood ridges, and is capable of cultivation. the village of hinckley lies midway between st. paul and duluth, on the st. paul & daluth railroad. it was founded soon after the completion of the road. the manitoba railroad passes through the village, running from st. cloud to superior. it was incorporated in . the following were the first officers: president, james j. brennan; recorder, s. w. anderson; trustees, james morrison, nels parson, john perry; treasurer, john burke; justices of the peace, john brennan, a. b. clinch; constable, andrew stone. prior to this incorporation, hinckley had suffered considerably from the lawlessness of its occasional or transient residents and visitors, and the large majority of the vote in favor of incorporation is justly considered as a triumph of law and order. the village has a saw mill doing a large business, a good depot, round house, four hotels, several stores, shops, and fine residences, a commodious school house, and two churches--a lutheran and catholic. the minneapolis & manitoba railroad connects here with the st. paul & duluth railroad, and is being extended to superior. james morrison was born on cape breton island in . mr. morrison was one of the first settlers of hinckley, having come to the settlement in , in the employ of the st. paul & duluth railroad. he has followed farming and hotel keeping. he is an active and industrious man, the proprietor of a large hotel, and a member of the presbyterian church. sandstone village is located in the northwest quarter of section , township , range . it contains about forty dwellings, three large boarding houses, two stores, one hotel and a stone saw mill with diamond-toothed saw, built by ring & tobin, at a cost of $ , . the stone quarries of the kettle river & sandstone company are located on sections , and , in township , range , and extend two and three-quarters miles on each side of kettle river. the first work in opening the quarries was done aug. , . the village plat was surveyed in june, , and a post office established there the february preceding, w. h. grant, jr., being the first postmaster. the saw mill and the quarries give employment to about four hundred men. sandstone is located on the old site of fortuna. the kettle river railroad was built to the quarries in , from the st. paul & duluth railroad, a distance of five miles. the manitoba railroad, running to superior, passes through the village. william h. grant, sr., one of the founders of hinckley, and the proprietor and founder of the sandstone enterprise, was born dec. , , at lyndborough, new hampshire. he received his education at hancock academy, new hampshire, and yates academy, orleans county, new york. he studied law and was admitted to practice in at hillsborough, new hampshire. he came to st. paul in , where he still resides, his property interests at sandstone being immediately under the super vision of his son, w. h. grant, jr. he sold his interest in may, , for $ , . he was married to martha mckean in new hampshire, january, . kettle river. the town of kettle river, including townships and , lying on the west line of the county, was organized in . s. s. griggs was chairman of the first board of supervisors. the town contains but one school district. the first settler was s. s. griggs, who, in company with john s. prince, of st. paul, built a saw mill at the st. paul & duluth railroad crossing on kettle river, in - . this was not a successful venture. a post office was established at the mill, and s. s. griggs was appointed postmaster. the manitoba and st. paul & duluth railroads pass through the town from south to north. the township now has no settlement except about twenty-four families at the station and village. it is heavily timbered with pine and hardwood. there are meadows, marshes and tamarack swamps, fine streams and beautiful lakes, and much excellent farming land besides. the pine lakes in township , range , are beautiful sheets of water. there are no good roads or public improvements. john c. hanley was born in covington, kentucky, and was educated at oxford college, ohio. he came to st. paul in , as a machinist and millwright. he was married in , at st. anthony, to sophia ramsdale. in he enlisted in company m, minnesota mounted cavalry, a company recruited principally at sunrise, chisago county, by capt. james starkey. he was commissioned second lieutenant and was with gen. sibleys expedition against the sioux. subsequently he received a captain's commission, and recruited company m, second minnesota cavalry, stationed on the frontier. he was mustered out in . he resides at kettle river. mission creek was organized as a town in . the first supervisors were m. thomas, t. johnson, wm. mckean; messrs. h. a. taylor and philip riley & co., of st. paul, were the first operators here. they built a saw mill with a capacity of , , feet per annum. this property has changed owners, and is now held by the john martin lumber company, of st. paul. it was burned down in , but was immediately rebuilt. pine city. the town of pine city was organized in . the first supervisors were hiram brackett, h. b. hoffman and james griffith. the village of pine city was platted in . the original proprietors were james and stephen h. petrie, catherine sloan and luther mendenhall. the survey was made by b. w. brunson. wm. branch acted as attorney and the acknowledgment was made by j. j. egan, notary public, of st. louis county. the village was organized in , but the officers did not qualify until the following year. the oldest settler was probably a mr. kirkland, of quincy, illinois, who worked for some time on the banks of cross lake, on the present site of pine city, hoping to be able to plant a colony there, but, according to the testimony of mrs. e. t. ayer, the missionary became disheartened by the indian troubles, and left in , abandoning his scheme. the completion of the railroad which crosses the kanabec river at this point gave a great impetus to the prosperity of the village and neighborhood. it now contains a fine court house, built at a cost of $ , , roman catholic, presbyterian and lutheran churches, good buildings for graded and common schools, and three hotels. pine city has besides a pleasant park, the gift of capt. richard g. robinson, which has been adorned and embellished and named after the donor, "robinson park." richard g. robinson was born in jackson county, iowa, in ; he moved thence with his parents to illinois, and to st. croix falls in , where he followed lumbering, scaling, surveying and exploring. he lived at st. croix and taylor's falls until , when he received the appointment of land examiner for the lake superior & mississippi railroad company. he was in the employ of the company twelve years, making his home at pine city, where he still lives, engaged in lumbering and real estate. he was married to catharine a. fullenwider, of iowa. mrs. robinson died at pine city in . hiram brackett was born in , in china, maine, and came to pine city in from aroostook county, maine. he was among the first to make improvements. he built a hotel and was the first postmaster in the town. he died in , leaving an estimable widow, three sons, john, albert and frank, and two daughters, emily, married to henry a. linn, of milwaukee, and louise, married to henry d. crohurst, of pine city. randall k. burrows, a native of connecticut, came to pine city in , and, with adolph munch, built a large stave mill on the shores of cross lake. this proved an unfortunate investment, resulting in litigation, during the progress of which the mill was destroyed by fire, in . mr. burrows was an active, enthusiastic man, and worked hard for the interests of pine city, filling many positions of trust. he was elected to the state senate from the twenty-eighth district, in . his seat was contested by john hallburg, of centre city. the senate referred the question to the people, but in the election that followed ( ) he was defeated. in he removed to dakota, where he died three years later. john s. ferson came from michigan to pine city in . during that and the succeeding year he was principal in building a first class steam saw mill. it was located on a bay in the western part of the city. this mill was burned in , rebuilt and burned again. mr. ferson has since removed to dakota. samuel millet settled in pine city in , and in erected the bay view house, on an elevated plateau commanding a fine view of cross lake and kanabec river. mr. millet died in , leaving a widow, two sons and three daughters. rock creek was organized march, . the first supervisors were enoch horton, frank england, and s. m. hewson. obadiah hewsom was town clerk. enoch horton and c. w. gill were justices of the peace. mr. horton was the first settler, he having come to the county in . the year following he raised the first crop. mr. horton was from colchester, new york. he was born in , and came to minnesota in . he was the first postmaster at rock creek. other settlers came in slowly. edgerton, gill & co. built a saw mill in , with a capacity of , , feet. this property has changed hands several times. capt. enoch horton commenced official life at the age of twenty-two years, in new york, where he served twenty-eight years as justice of the peace and county judge. he served during the rebellion as captain of a company of sharpshooters. royalton was organized in . the first supervisors were edward peterson, alexis kain and joseph heiniger. it is a good farming township with many good farms. the first settlement was made by elam greely, in , who made a farm and built a large barn, hauling the lumber from marine mills, a distance of seventy miles. the town was named in honor of royal c. gray, who located on the greely farm in , in the northwest quarter of section , township , range , on the banks of the kanabec river. windermere was organized as a town jan. , . the first supervisors were august schog, william champlain and frank bloomquist. the towns of kettle river, hinckley and pine city were organized, and chengwatana reorganized by special act of the legislature in , and at that time embraced all the territory in the county. since , mission creek, rock creek and royalton have been set off from pine city and windermere from kettle river. the following villages were platted at the dates named: neshodana, by clark, cowell & foster, in townships and , ranges and , in ; fortuna, by w. a. porter, surveyor, at the crossing of kettle river and the military road, january, ; st. john's, by m. l. benson, surveyor, in section , township , range , october, ; midway, by frank b. and julia l. lewis, proprietors, in the northwest quarter of section , township , range , september, . a rock creek murder. a man passing under the name of harris had been arrested for stealing horses. george hathaway started with the prisoner to sunrise. five days afterward hathaway's dead body was found, and the inquest decided that he probably met his death by stabbing or shooting at the hands of his prisoner, who made his escape, and was never again heard from. hathaway was a native of passadumkeag, maine. the burning of a jail. march , , a couple of young men, john cope and william leonard, were arrested for drunkenness and disorderly conduct, and confined in the pine city jail, a wooden structure. about three o'clock the next morning the jail was found to be on fire. all efforts to extinguish the flames or rescue the unhappy prisoners were unavailing. the fire originated from within, in all probability from the careless action of the prisoners themselves in striking matches, either for the purpose of smoking or of exploring their cells. a disfigured family. mr. redman, the agent at the kettle river railroad station, called my attention to the fact that old batice is singularly disfigured. he was born without thumbs or big toes. the fingers and remaining toes resemble birds' claws. two of the fingers of each hand and two of the toes on each foot are united to the tips but have distinct nails. of his four children three are disfigured like the father. his grandchildren are many of them worse than himself, one having but one finger. indian faith cure. a woman at pokegama was badly burned by the explosion of gunpowder while she was putting it in a flask. her face became terribly swollen and black. the missionaries did what they could for her, but thought she must die. after two days the indian doctors held a medicine dance for her benefit. after they had gone through with their magic arts the woman arose, and, without any assistance, walked around distributing presents to the performers of the ceremony. it was truly wonderful. she recovered rapidly. indian graves. the chippewas bury their dead much as the whites do. the body is deposited in a grave and covered with earth. a low wooden covering, somewhat like the roof of a house, is reared above it, the gables resting on the ground. the roof is covered with white or bleached muslin, and surmounted by a board cross. an aperture about six inches square is left in each end of the structure. the head of the grave is toward the west, and here are deposited offerings of fruits and trinkets of various kinds. we found at one grave a broken saucer, an oyster can filled with blueberries, a large red apple, and a pair of old shoes. friends of the deceased visit the graves for one or two years, renewing their tributes of affection, and bringing offerings of fruit according to the season, and various foods, from acorns to dried venison, but in time these visits are discontinued and the graves are neglected and forgotten. stoicism of the indian. on the banks of the kettle river a five-year-old boy burned his hand badly. the mother, after examining the wound, decided that it was incurable, ordered the boy to place his hand upon a block, and by a single blow from a common hatchet severed it from the wrist. the boy endured the suffering without flinching. old batice, _alias_ "kettle," lived on kettle river in . counting by moons he claims to have lived there ninety-nine years. he is certainly very old. he says that he has always been a friend to the whites, and that in the sioux outbreak of he counseled his people to remain quiet; that he was the enemy of the sioux, three of whom he had killed and scalped. to commemorate his warlike deeds in slaughtering his enemies, he wore three large eagle feathers in his gray hair. he claims to be half french. an indian dance. in june, , the indians were practicing a new dance near the kettle river railroad station, part of which it was my privilege to witness. the dance house was a rudely constructed pole frame covered with birch bark, fastened down with willow twigs. about thirty dancers, male and female, and of all ages, were crowded in the dance house, sweating, grunting, hopping and bounding at the tap of a deer skin drumhead, and the "chi-yi-chi-yi-chi-hoo" of a quartette of boys and girls, squatted in a corner of the bark house. the din was incessant, the chant of the singers, or howlers, monotonous and wearisome, yet the dancers stepped and bounded to their rude music as readily as do civilized dancers to the more exquisite music of stringed instruments. this dance was the same that so frightened the burnett county people, and required at least ten days for its complete performance. a few minutes' observation amply satisfied us, and we gladly withdrew. footnotes: [e] several years prior to this william morrison had a trading station upon the shores of this lake, and is probably the first white man who visited it, but it does not appear that he identified it as the source of the mississippi. chapter xi. kanabec county. kanabec county, prior to , was included in st. croix county, wisconsin; thence until it was a part of ramsey county, minnesota; until a part of chisago county; and thence until its organization in , a part of pine county. it was attached for judicial purposes at various times to chisago, isanti and pine counties. in it was organized for judicial purposes, judge crosby holding the first term of court at brunswick. the second term was held at mora in , in the new court house. the writer, when a member of the minnesota senate in , selected the name and introduced the bill for the formation of the county. its boundaries are aitkin county on the north, pine on the east, isanti on the south, and mille lacs on the west. it is well watered and drained by the kanabec and its tributaries. this river is navigable to brunswick, and one of its tributaries, rice river, is navigable six miles from its mouth to rice lake. the soil is a rich, sandy loam, deep, strong and productive. one-fifth of the entire surface was originally covered with pines. about , acres are natural meadows, while much of the remainder is covered with hardwood, and a small portion is brush prairie, which can be easily rendered fit for cultivation. the best crops are wheat, oats and potatoes, but indian corn can be grown profitably as compared with other localities in minnesota. small fruits, wild and cultivated, grow luxuriantly. cranberries have been shipped in considerable quantities. redtop, clover, and timothy grow rank, and are profitably cultivated. upward of , tons of hay are cured annually. the lumbering interests are still important, about , , feet of logs being annually driven to the stillwater boom. this county is spotted with lakes and abounds in streams capable of being utilized as water powers. good building granite is found on the kanabec river above mora, which will eventually be quarried and exported. the first permanent settlers were george l. staples and james pennington, who came in . they were followed by stephen w. tolman, alvin de wolf, john l. spence and others. gov. sibley appointed the following as the first board of officers, june , : county commissioners, geo. l. staples, chairman; daniel gordon, benj. l. gifford; clerk and register of deeds, james c. morrison; treasurer, alvah lougee; sheriff, benj. l. gifford. the first election was held in october, . the following were elected county officers: county commissioners, geo. l. staples, chairman; james pennington, geo. morrison; auditor, benj. bill. in the bill organizing the county, brunswick was designated as the county seat, and so remained until , when by popular vote mora was selected. in the county built a court house at a cost of $ , , and a jail costing $ , . in the county built a bridge across the kanabec at brunswick, the bridge and its approaches being , feet in length, at a cost of $ , . in the county built a bridge across the kanabec at grass lake at a cost of $ , . as this bridge obstructed navigation in , the county, at a cost of $ , , rebuilt it in such a way that steamers could pass underneath. in another bridge was built across the kanabec in the town of arthur at a cost of $ , . the first post office was established at brunswick in , geo. l. staples, postmaster. the first mail was from anoka via cambridge to brunswick. in rev. w. s. boutwell preached the first sermon within the present limits of the county. the first deed recorded was a warranty deed from ralph potter to john a. snyder, both of illinois, in june, , conveying lands in sections and , township , range . the second deed recorded was from david bagley to hersey, hall, whitney and fenno, of boston, and isaac staples of stillwater, conveying the northeast quarter of section , township , range , and other lands. arthur. the town of arthur includes township , ranges , and . it was organized in . the first supervisors were: ira a. conger, andrew e. westling and charles a. staples; clerk, stanton d. seavey. the village of mora was the first settlement. anna c. larson was the first child born in the town. the first marriage was that of frederick g. turner and edith perkins. the first death was that of henry rust, in , killed by indians. there is one house of worship, at what is known as the swedish mission. mora, a village, platted in , is located in section , township , range , on the hinckley branch of the manitoba railroad. myron r. kent, owner of the town plat, made the first improvements, building a hotel and post office, of which he became postmaster. alvah j. conger opened the first store in . the village now contains a court house, school house, two hotels, five stores, three saloons, and many fine residences. lake mora, a lovely sheet of deep, blue water, about one hundred and fifty acres in extent, is located within the village limits. the village is beautifully situated on a plateau on the east side of kanabec river. stephen l. danforth lived in the county of kanabec during the ' s. his occupation was that of a farmer or lumberman. he died in stillwater in . n. h. danforth, brother of s. l., also settled here in the ' s, and still resides here, an active business man. alvah j. and ira conger are cousins. they came from maine to minnesota in . alvah j. kept the tombler house in wyoming. subsequently he removed to cambridge, where he kept a hotel and store, and thence removed to pine city, where he kept a store until , when he moved to mora. he was married to charlotte pennington. they have no children. ira conger has been actively engaged in business at cambridge and other places, and moved to mora in , where he is proprietor of a hotel and store. his oldest son, john, has charge of his business interests. bronson. this village is yet unplatted. it is located in section , range , on the line of the manitoba railroad. a post office was established here in , of which frank p. burleigh is postmaster. adjoining and including this village is the large farm of isaac staples, including , acres, of which six hundred and fifty acres are under cultivation. the improvements on the farm are two large barns, one store, one blacksmith shop, one wood working shop, and commodious dwellings for employes. this farm is headquarters for the lumbering interests of mr. staples in kanabec county. brunswick includes township , ranges and . the town was organized in . the first supervisors were eric hokansen, john rines and haquin ekman. the first school was taught by charlotte pennington, in . the first death was that of ---- cowan, killed accidentally, in . there are two church organizations, swedish baptist and swedish lutheran. stephen e. tallman built a saw mill in , and a flour mill in . the village of brunswick is located in the southwest quarter of section , township ; range . it was platted in , by isaac and george staples. it was originally designated as the county seat. ground house city was platted by isaac staples for hersey, staples & co., jan , , in section , township , range . james pennington was born in queensborough, new brunswick, in . he lived in houlton, maine, fifteen years, and came to kanabec county in with his family, who were the first permanent settlers in the county. mr. pennington farmed and lumbered. he died in december, . mrs. pennington died in . six sons and three daughters are living. the sons are residents of minnesota. the daughters are married as follows: elisabeth to ---- grant, of detroit, minnesota; charlotte to a. j. conger, of mora, minnesota; augusta to b. c. newport, of pipestone, minnesota. george l. staples settled in section , township , range , in . he lived there eight years and filled various responsible offices. he was an upright, conscientious man, much respected by all who knew him. in he removed to monticello, minnesota, and died in , leaving a widow, five sons and a daughter. mr. staples raised the first crop in the county, opened the first store, and gave the name of brunswick to the town. isaac edwin staples, son of george, was the first white child born in the county. he was clerk of court in morrison county in . daniel gordon was born in readfield, maine, in . in he settled in the southeast quarter of section , township , range . he was married to widow tallman in brunswick. this was the first marriage in the town. mrs. gordon died in june, . grass lake includes township , range . it was organized in . it is thickly settled, mostly by swedes. they have good farms, roads and schools. the first settler was solomon anderson; the second, benjamin norton; both were farmers. there are in this town three houses of worship, two belonging to the swedish mission, and one to the baptists. there are five school houses. the remainder of the county, consisting mostly of pine lands, and including nine townships, is without organization or township government. it is divided into three assessment districts over which the county exercises jurisdiction, making levies and collecting taxes. isanti county. isanti county lies directly west of chisago and south of kanabec. it is bounded on the west and south by sherburne, mille lacs and anoka counties, and contains about fourteen towns. the soil is well adapted for agriculture. the county has no large lakes, but is well watered by tributaries of rum and sunrise rivers. it is well timbered in the north with sugar maple. the settlers are chiefly scandinavians, who, by their industry, have made the plains and oak ridges to blossom with clover and the cereals. the county was organized feb. , . it took its name from a tribe of indians who some time ago occupied the country about mille lacs. the first board of county commissioners consisted of oscar smith, hugh wylie and elbridge g. clough. the first county officers were: william tubbs, auditor; f. h. moon, treasurer; g. g. griswold, register of deeds; stephen hewson, judge of probate; h. m. davis, clerk; george l. henderson, sheriff. the first court was held by judge c. e. vanderburgh in october, . prior to this time isanti had been attached to auoka county for judicial purposes. cambridge, the county seat of isanti, was incorporated as a village in . it is pleasantly located on the west side of rum river. it has one flouring mill, a newspaper office, and several stores, shops, dwellings and churches. the county buildings are neat and convenient. the new court house cost $ , . it is worthy of mention that b. a. latta, as county treasurer, paid the first money into the hands of the state treasurer for war purposes. the first postmasters in the county were van vliet ainsley, of spencer brook, and g. g. griswold, in . north branch town lies on the headwaters of the sunrise river. it was settled, as early as , by john p. owens, w. a. hobbs, b. t. huntley, and john schinler. it was organized as a town in , john p. owens being chairman of the first board of supervisors. john schinler raised the first crop, in . schools were established in . oxford. rensselaer grant, m. hurley and stephen hewson settled within the present limits of this town in . at that time the town was not organized. in it was included within the limits of north branch, but in the town of oxford was set off as now defined. the first supervisors were john bachelor, p. lillygrin and p. berg. stephen hewson was town clerk, and has retained the office ever since. a post office was established in . stephen hewson was postmaster, and has held the office continuously ever since. the town is well settled by farmers. in a cyclone passed through the town, destroying everything in its track, which was about twenty rods wide. not a building was left on the homestead of mr. hewson. his fine large barn was torn to pieces and the fragments scattered for the distance of a mile. stephen hewson is a native of england, which he left in . he resided in canada a few years, then came to chicago, and later to minnesota. he was for awhile a partner in the publishing firm of e. s. goodrich & co., then proprietors of the st. paul _pioneer_. he made his present home in oxford in , and has since that time been intimately identified with its history and that of the county of isanti. he was a representative from the fourth district in the legislature of . he has filled the offices of county auditor, county commissioner and judge of probate court. as an ordained minister of the methodist church he takes an active interest in religious matters, serving as superintendent of the sunday-school, and occasionally filling the pulpit. five of his daughters are school teachers, one of whom, mary, in , taught the first school in oxford. he remains hale and hearty in his seventy-seventh year. george w. nesbit was born in , in delaware county, new york. he received an academic education. he came in to st. francis, anoka county, minnesota, and in to isanti county. he has been engaged in farming and selling goods, and is an energetic, busy man. he made the first pre-emption timber claim on the mille lacs reservation, which was rejected. mr. nesbit was married in new york and has a family of six children. rensselaer grant was born in new york in . his father was a native of scotland but emigrated to the united states and took part in the war of . mr. grant was married in saratoga county, new york, in , to libiah mitchell. the grants moved to illinois in , and to isanti county in . mr. and mrs. grant died at north branch, in , leaving, three married sons, two living in isanti county, and one at rush city, and three daughters, the eldest married to j. w. delamater, the second to w. h. hobbs, the third living in st. paul. mille lacs county. this county is bounded on the north by mille lacs lake and aitkin county, on the east by isanti, kanabec and aitkin, on the south by sherburne and on the west by morrison and benton counties, and includes about townships extending from south to north a distance of miles, and having a breadth of miles, excepting the two upper series of towns, which have a width of miles. it is, excepting two agricultural towns in the south, heavily timbered, chiefly with pine. it is well watered by rum river and its tributaries, and by the body of water known as mille lacs, a large picturesque lake, which covers over one hundred and five sections of aitkin, crow wing and mille lacs counties. the tributaries of the st. croix also drain the northeastern part of the county. the southern townships consist of prairies and oak openings, the northern and central parts being covered with hardwood and pine. immense quantities have been already marketed. the hardwood ridges and flats offer good farming lands, and the wild meadows, scattered over the county, excellent hay and pasturage. mille lacs lake, the largest inland lake in minnesota, is a beautiful and picturesque sheet of water, with receding wooded shores, with but little low land adjoining. the waters are deep and clear and abundantly supplied with fish. this lake, when reached by railways, will be one of the most pleasant summer resorts in the northwest. it already attracts the attention of the tourist. a steamer built in floats upon its waters. the lake is about eighteen miles long by from twelve to fifteen wide, and covers about six townships. three small islands gem its surface, one of which, from its columnar appearance, seems to be of volcanic or igneous formation. the mille lacs reservation covers about four fractional towns, bordering the southern shore of the lake. since the treaty these lands have been covered by pre-emptions, soldiers' warrants and half-breed scrip, but are held by a doubtful tenure owing to the uncertain and various rulings of the land department. under the provisions of the treaty, the indians, a band of chippewas, were allowed to retain possession until ordered to remove. in anticipation of this order settlements have been made at various periods, and patents have been issued to the pre emptors in a few cases, but in many cases refused. half-breed scrip has been laid upon thousands of acres under one administration at washington, the permission to be countermanded by another. meanwhile the indians, not having received the order for removal, claim to be the owners of the land, and with some show of justice. in the manitoba railroad company built a road through the county from east to west, through township , ranges and . in the early divisions of minnesota into counties, the territory of mille lacs was included in ramsey and benton counties. prior to its present organization, a county called monroe, covering the territory of mille lacs, was established but never organized. by legislative enactment in mille lacs county was established and organized by the people in , the counties of which its territory was originally a part concurring, and princeton was made the county seat. in there had been effected the organization of one town in the county, known as princeton. this has since been subdivided into princeton greenbush, and milo. the officers of the town organization in were: supervisors, c. w. houston, charles pratt, joseph l. cater. the first county election, held april, , resulted in the election of the following officers: county commissioners, joseph l. cater, chairman; samuel orton, c. s. moses; auditor and register of deeds, w. w. payne; clerk of court, s. m. byers; treasurer, e. j. whitney; sheriff, wm. mccauley; probate judge, samuel ross. the first term of court was held june , , e. c. vanderburgh, presiding judge. the first recorded deed was from e. j. whitney to isaac staples, and bears date aug. , . milacca has a pleasant site on the manitoba railroad, on the banks of rum river at the crossing of the manitoba & superior and the junction of the elk river & princeton railroad. the manitoba company have a good saw mill here, with a capacity of , feet per day, built at a cost of $ , . a planing mill is attached. there is a good three story hotel, well kept, here. the village was surveyed and platted march , ; chas. keith, surveyor; james j. hill, president of the mille lacs lumber company, proprietor. it is located in the town of greenbush. bridgman village, located in the town of milo, has a steam saw mill, spoke and hub factory, around which are several residences. princeton. the village of princeton is located at the junction of the two branches of the rum river, on a beautiful prairie, surrounded by rich prairie and timber lands. the first log house was built in , and kept as a stopping place by a mulatto known as "banjo bill." this house is still standing. the first permanent settlers were a. b. damon, o. e. garrison, c. h. chadbourne, edwin allen, john w. allen, chas. whitcomb, joseph l. cater, w. f. dunham, and samuel ross. they were also the first settlers in the county, and came in - . in messrs. damon and allen farmed on the present site of the village. the village was surveyed and platted feb. , , by s. ross & co. s. ross also built a hotel where the north star hotel now stands. this year the first frame building was erected and used as a store. w. f. dunham built a steam saw mill. the first school house was built, although school organization was not effected until . james m. dayton taught the first school. a post office was established with o. e. garrison as postmaster. samuel ross brought the mail once a week from anoka. a congregational church was established, of which rev. royal twichell was chosen as pastor. the methodists organized a society the following year. the village was incorporated march , , by legislative enactment. the commissioners appointed under the organic act were e. c. giles, h. b. cowles, c. h. rines, b. f. whiting, and charles keith. at the election ordered by them the following officers were chosen: president, c. h. rines; trustees. f. m. campbell, isaiah s. mudgett, thomas f. caly; recorder, silas l. staples; treasurer, d. h. murray; justices of the peace, scott m. justice, charles keith. the princeton _appeal_ was established by rev. john quigley in , but discontinued in . in december, , robert c. dunn started the princeton _union_, which he still publishes. the manitoba branch railroad from elk river to milacca village passes through princeton. the first train arrived nov. , . the county contributed $ , in bonds at five per cent interest for twenty years, to aid in building the road. the st. paul, mille lacs, brainerd, leech lake & crookston railroad will, when completed, pass through princeton. an excellent school building was erected in , at a cost of about $ , . guy ewing is principal of the school, which is graded. the grand army of the republic have a post here known as the wallace rines post. the masons have an organization, with a splendid hall. a three story hotel, built by samuel ross, is kept by his only daughter, mrs. barker. a two story brick hotel, the commercial house, henry newbert, proprietor, a handsome structure, was built in . the mille lacs county bank, located here, has a paid up capital of $ , . charles erickson is president; l. p. hyberg, vice president; frank hewse, clerk. princeton has one steam saw mill, two flouring mills, one feed mill, two elevators with a capacity of , bushels, and one brewery. a court house and jail are in process of erection at an estimated cost of $ , . biographical. samuel ross was born aug. , . he attended western reserve college, but through ill health did not graduate. he came to iowa in , where he was married to mary vaughn in . he came to princeton in , where he took an active part in building up the town and county, filled many prominent and responsible positions in the village and county, and served as representative of the first state legislature. mrs. ross died in ; mr. ross died in , leaving an only daughter, olive r., widow of a. p. barker, who was a prominent lawyer of princeton. mrs. barker was elected superintendent of schools in , to which position she has been re-elected and is at present filling the office efficiently. she was the first female superintendent elected in minnesota. joseph l. cater was born in strafford county, new hampshire, in . he came to princeton in and engaged in farming. his name appears in all the original organizations of town and county. m. v. b. cater and sons have also been active and prominent citizens of princeton. m. v. b. cater died some years since. edwin allen, originally from welton, maine, came to princeton in and engaged in farming. john h. allen came from maine to princeton in , engaged in farming and became prominent as a public spirited citizen. he held various positions of trust in the county and was appointed receiver of the land office at fergus falls by president hayes, and resides there. a. b. damon came from maine to princeton in and made the first claim on the town site. c. h. chadbourne was born at lexington, massachusetts. at the age of sixteen he embarked in a seafaring life in which he continued nine years. mr. chadbourne, wishing to abandon his seafaring ways, and to put himself beyond danger of resuming them, came to the centre of the continent and located on a farm near princeton in . he has since followed farming continuously. his farm consists of acres under cultivation, of which is devoted to tame grass and pasturage, on which he feeds head of blooded stock. he has a large dairy which nets him $ , annually. he was a member of the state legislatures of - and was seven years county commissioner of sherburne county. mr. chadbourne was married in to deborah crowell. they have three sons and two daughters. chapter xii. chisago county. location--surface--scenery. chisago county, located on the west bank of the st. croix river, between the counties of pine on the north and washington on the south, the st. croix river on the east and the counties of isanti and anoka on the west, presents an agreeable variety of surface, upland and generally undulating, covered with hard and soft wood timber, well watered by lakes and streams. its principal streams are the st. croix and its tributaries, rush and sunrise rivers and goose creek, and its principal lakes are chisago, sunrise, green, rush, and goose lakes. its lake scenery is unsurpassed in beauty. the county takes the name of its largest and most beautiful lake. in its original, or rather aboriginal, form it was ki-chi-sago, from two chippewa words meaning "kichi," large, and "saga," fair or lovely. for euphonic considerations the first syllable was dropped. chisago lake. this lake is conspicuous for its size, the clearness of its waters, its winding shore and islands, its bays, peninsulas, capes, and promontories. it has fully fifty miles of meandering shore line. its shores and islands are well timbered with maple and other hard woods. it has no waste swamps, or marsh borders. when the writer first came to taylor's falls, this beautiful lake was unknown to fame. no one had seen it or could point out its location. indians brought fish and maple sugar from a lake which they called ki-chi-sago sagi-a-gan, or "large and lovely lake." this lake, they said, abounded with "kego," fish. in the writer, with bart emery, made a visit to this beautiful sheet of water. we found it what its indian name imports, "fair and lovely water." the government had, the year before, completed a survey of the lake, and it was high time that it should be given a name by which it should be designated on the map and recognized by civilized visitors. what name more beautiful and appropriate than that which the indians had already given it. that name we at once recognized and used all our influence to perpetuate under somewhat adverse influences; for swedish emigrants having settled in its neighborhood, a strong effort was made to christen it "swede lake," but the lake is to-day known as chisago, and chisago it is likely to remain. we believe in the policy of retaining the old indian names whenever possible. as a rule they are far more musical and appropriate than any we can apply. the indians have left us their lands, their lakes, their streams; let us accept with them the names by which they were known. some have been translated into english and appear on the maps as goose, elk, beaver and snake. by all means let us retranslate them in memory of the race that once owned them. dalles of st. croix. chisago county shares with polk county in the ownership of the wildest and most peculiar scenery in the valley of the st. croix. at taylor's falls, the head of navigation, the river flows between ledges of trap rock, varying in height from fifty to two hundred and fifty feet, for the most part perpendicular, but wildly irregular, as is common in trap rock formations. these ledges are crowned with pine trees and a dense undergrowth of bushes and vines. the prevailing color of the rock is a cold or bluish gray, but broken occasionally by brilliant patches of coloring, red, yellow or green, as they may be stained by oxides of the metals, or covered with lichens and mosses. this formation is known as "the dalles," sometimes improperly styled "dells." the rocks composing it are porphyritic trap, an igneous rock forced upward from the interior of the earth through crevices in the crust while still in a liquid state and then solidifying in masses, sometimes prismatic but oftener in irregular polygons, and broken by parallel lines of cleavage. some geological experts claim that these rocks are "in place" as forming a part of the original crust of the earth, but the balance of evidence seems to be in favor of their having been erupted at a comparatively modern period. this is evidenced by the presence of water-worn boulders and pebbles, imbedded in the trap, somewhat like plums in a pudding, while it was yet plastic; and now forming a species of conglomerate as hard and compact as the trap itself. these rocks are supposed to be rich in copper and silver, and miners have spent much time in prospecting for these metals. whatever the origin of the rocks, it is conceded that they were once plastic, at which time this region could not have been a safe or pleasant dwelling place for such beings as now inhabit the world. the theory of a comparatively recent eruption of these rocks is not a pleasant one, for the suggestion forces itself upon the mind that that which has been, at least in recent times, may occur again. the occasional recurrence of earthquakes on our western coast, and the recent severe disturbances in south carolina and georgia, raise the query whether this region may not again be visited with an outburst and overflow of trap, terrible and destructive as the first. the foundations, however, seem firm enough to last forever. the rocks are of unusual hardness, and the crust of the earth is probably as solid and thick here as elsewhere. the dalles proper are about one mile in length. the river, in its passage through them, varies in width from one hundred and fifty to three hundred feet. it was formerly reported unfathomable, but in recent years, owing to a filling up process caused by the debris of the log drivers, it is found to be not more than a hundred feet in its deepest place. the river makes an abrupt bend about a bold promontory of trap known as angle or elbow rock. to the first voyageurs this seemed to be the end of the river, and gave rise to the story that at this point the river burst out of the rocks. much of the frontage of the rocks upon the river is smooth and perpendicular, and stained with oxides of iron and copper. in places it is broken. the upper rocks are disintegrated by the action of rain and frost, and, where far enough from the river, have fallen so as to form a talus or slope of angular fragments to the water's edge. [illustration: the devil's chair.] the devil's chair. there are some instances in which, by the breaking away and falling of smaller rocks, larger rocks have been left standing in the form of columns. most notable of these are the "devil's pulpit," and the "devil's chair." the former, owing to surrounding shrubbery, is not easily seen. the latter is a conspicuous object on the western shore of the river a few rods below the lower landing. it stands on the slope formed by the debris of a precipice that rises here about feet above the river. its base is about feet above low water mark; the column itself reaches feet higher. it is composed of many angular pieces of trap, the upper portion bearing a rude resemblance to a chair. it is considered quite a feat to climb to the summit. the face of the rocks is disfigured by the names of ambitious and undeserving persons. the nuisance of names and advertisements painted upon the most prominent rocks in the dalles is one that every lover of nature will wish to have abated. to spend an hour climbing amongst these precipices to find in some conspicuous place the advertisement of a quack medicine, illustrates the adage: "there is but one step from the sublime to the ridiculous." the wells. a more remarkable curiosity may be found on that bench or middle plateau of the dalles, lying between the upper and the lower taylor's falls landings, in what has been not inaptly styled "the wells." these are openings, or pits, not much unlike wells, in places where the trap is not more than feet above water level, varying in width from a few inches to or feet, the deepest being from to feet. these seem to have been formed by the action of water upon pebbles or boulders, much as "pot holes" are now being formed in the rocky bottoms of running streams. the water falls upon the pebbles or boulders in such a way as to cause them to revolve and act as a drill, boring holes in the rock proportioned to the force of the agencies employed. some of these boulders and pebbles, worn to a spherical shape, were originally found at the bottoms of these wells, but have been mostly carried away by the curious. some of the wells are cut through solid pieces of trap. the walls of others are seamed and jointed; in some cases fragments have fallen out, and in others the entire side of the wells has been violently disrupted and partly filled with debris. the extreme hardness of the trap rock militates somewhat against the theory of formation above given. it is, however, not improbable that this hardness was acquired after long exposure to the air. settlement and organization. in the history of st. croix falls mention has been made of some of the pioneers of chisago county. st. croix falls and taylor's falls, the pioneer settlement of chisago county, though a river divides them which is also the boundary line of two states, have much that is common in their early history. the inhabitants were always greatly interested in what was going on over the river. we may add, that although they now stand in the attitude of rival cities, their interests are still identical, and we believe that, but for the unwise policy of making st. croix river a state line, they might be to-day under one city government, and as compact and harmonious as though no st. croix river rolled between them. the river is their joint property; both have the same heritage of trap rocks and pines, the same milling privileges, the same lumbering interests, and, it must be confessed, they remain up to the present time about equally mated. j. r. brown was unquestionably the pioneer of the settlement. frank steele says he found j. r. brown trading, in , on the spot now the site of taylor's falls. he was not, however, the first white man upon the soil. there is some documentary evidence of the establishment by the french of a fort forty leagues up the st. croix some time between the years and . this fort was in all probability erected on the plateau below the dalles, the distance given, forty leagues, being exaggerated after the fashion of the early voyageurs. it was called fort st. croix. there was also a prehistoric settlement, the ruins of which the writer noted as early as , on the school land addition to taylor's falls. these were the foundations of nine houses, plainly visible. over some of them trees two feet in diameter were growing. the rock foundations ranged in size from twenty to thirty feet, with the hearth containing ashes underlying the debris of ages, on smooth hearthstones showing years of service, being apparently a century old. these were the homes, undoubtedly, of a civilized people, and we may claim for taylor's falls, chisago county, one of the first improvements made by whites in the limits of minnesota. during the last half of the last century a prominent trading post was established and maintained for many years on the st. croix river, which was founded by pierre grinow, and during the close of the last century it was in the charge of one james perlier, who afterward became one of the most useful citizens of green bay, wisconsin. lawrence barth was also here in . the evidence of the existence of this trading post rests upon traditions and the ruins referred to. recurring to the pioneer brown, the most irrepressible of all the advance guard of civilization, we find him only a transient inhabitant. he stayed long enough to cut , feet of pine logs from the present site of taylor's falls, when the neighborhood lost its attractions. these were the first pine saw logs cut in the st. croix valley. in a french trader, robinet, was located at the same place, but in the summer of the same year came mr. jesse taylor from fort snelling where he had been following the business of a stonemason. he had heard of the ratification of the indian treaty by congress, and he greatly coveted some of the rich lands brought into market by that treaty. mr. taylor, with an indian guide, came to the dalles of the st. croix. as mr. steele had already claimed the east side, mr. taylor concluded that he would claim the west side. returning to fort snelling he reported to an associate, benjamin f. baker, formed a partnership and returned with men, boats, provisions and building material, but on his return to the falls he found robinet, the trader, in a bark shanty (at the present junction of bridge and river streets). robinet was in actual possession of the coveted acres. robinet having no other function than that of a trader, and consequently having no serious designs on the lands was easily bought off, and baker & taylor, in august, , commenced improvements, building a log house, a blacksmith shop, a mill, and commencing a mill race which had to be blasted. they also built piers and a wing dam just above the present location of the bridge. the mill was located at what has since become the upper steamboat landing. mr. taylor named the lower falls baker's falls, and the settlement, taylor's place. when the town was platted, in , it was called taylor's falls. the name came also to be applied to the lower falls. the mill enterprise was a melancholy failure. the builders were not practical mill men. the improvements were expensive. the work of blasting rock and building made slow progress. there was no income as long as the mill was in process of building. in the midst of these embarrassments, in , mr. baker died. mr. taylor took entire possession with no other right than that of a squatter sovereign. in mr. taylor sold the unfinished mill to parties in osceola, and in everything movable was transferred to that place. the double log cabin remained, and there mr. taylor lived for eight years on the proceeds of the sale, performing in all that time no work more worthy of the historian's notice than fixing his name upon the settlement and falls. many of the later residents query as to why it was ever called taylor's falls. it takes a keen eye to discover any fall in the river at the point named. the falls indeed were once far more conspicuous than they are now, owing to the fact that a large rock rose above the water at the ordinary stage, around which the crowded waters roared and swirled. that rock, never visible in later days, was called death rock, because three hapless mariners in a skiff were hurled against it by the swift current and drowned. the old log house, the sole remnant of the baker and taylor project, if we may except some holes in the rock made by blasting, and some submerged ruins of the wing dam and pier, has passed through various changes. it has been used as a store, as a boarding house, as a warehouse, as a church, as a school house, and as a stable. part of it still remains and is habitable. it is located on lot , block . in jesse taylor sold his claim to joshua l. taylor for two hundred dollars. this claim, like most of the claims made prior to the survey of government lands, was not accurately defined. it included, however, all the lands, on the west side of the river, extending northward to the st. croix company's claim, at the upper falls, and including the present site of taylor's falls. aside from mill building, nothing was done in the way of improvements until , when jerry ross and benjamin f. otis commenced farming on what was subsequently known as the morton and colby farms. both raised potatoes and garden vegetables and built houses. this was the first cultivation of the soil in chisago county. in mr. otis sold his improvements to wm. f. colby, who, in that year, raised the first corn grown by white men in the county. in thornton bishop commenced improvements on a farm at the head of the rapids, six miles above taylor's falls. j. l. taylor, in , built a pre-emption shanty midway between the upper and lower falls. in he proved up his pre-emption to lots , and , section , township , range . n. c. d. taylor pre-empted the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section , and the west half of the same quarter section; also lot , section , township , range . in lewis barlow and wm. e. bush became citizens. an abstract of the canvassed returns of an election held november th shows but six votes in the settlement. in w. f. colby pre-empted the northeast quarter of section , township , range , and w. h. c. folsom the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of the same. at a regular meeting of the st. croix county board, held at stillwater, april , , the following judges of election were appointed within the present limits of chisago county: st. croix falls precinct, wm. f. colby, wm. holmes, n. c. d. taylor; rush lake precinct, levi clark, walter carrier and richard arnold. at a meeting, held oct. , , the petition of lewis barlow and ten others, of st. croix falls precinct, was presented, asking for a special election, to elect two justices of the peace. their petition was granted. the poll was: wm. e. bush, one vote; john h. reid, six votes; ansel smith, five votes. reid and smith were declared elected. the first survey of town lots was made in , by theodore e. parker, of stillwater, and under this survey the village was legally established as taylor's falls. the first deeds recorded in chisago county were transcripts from washington county of lands consisting of town site property, dated , conveyed to w. h. c. folsom by j. l. and n. c. d. taylor. the movement for the organization of a new county from the northern part of washington commenced in the winter of - . a formidable petition to the legislature to make such organization, drawn up and circulated by hon. ansel smith, of franconia, and the writer, was duly forwarded, presented and acquiesced in by that body. the writer had been selected to visit the capital in the interest of the petitioners. some difficulty arose as to the name. the writer had proposed "chi-sa-ga." this indian name was ridiculed, and hamilton, jackson, franklin and jefferson were in turn proposed. the committee of the whole finally reported in favor of the name, chisaga, but the legislature, in passing the bill for our county organization, by clerical or typographical error changed the last "a" in "saga" to "o," which, having become the law, has not been changed. the eastern boundary of the county was fixed as the st. croix river; the southern boundary, the line between townships and ; the western, the line between ranges and , for three townships south, and the line between ranges and for the remaining townships north. to show how little was known of the geography of the section we refer to the record of the county commissioners of washington county, dated dec. , , at which st. croix district, the present chisago county, was established as "bounded on the north by sunrise river and on the west by line between ranges and "--an utter impossibility, as the sunrise river flows in a northerly direction entirely through the county and at its nearest point does not come within three miles of the range line mentioned. the election for the first board of county officers was held at the chisago house, oct. , . twenty-three votes were polled at this election. the following officers were elected: commissioners, samuel thomson, chairman; n. c. d. taylor, thomas f. morton; clerk of board and register of deeds, f. w. abbott; treasurer, w. h. c. folsom. the bill establishing the county provided that "the seat of justice of the county of chisago shall be at such point in said county as the first board of commissioners elected in said county shall determine." in accordance with this law, at the first meeting of the commissioners, held at the office of n. c. d. taylor in taylor's falls, jan. , , the town of taylor's falls was chosen as the county seat, "agreeable to the revised statutes, chapter st, section th." as the population of the county increased the project of moving the county seat to a more nearly central position was agitated. in a vote was taken which resulted in favor of its removal to centre city. the matter of the legality of the vote was referred to the court, and decided by judge welch adversely, on the ground that a majority of the voters of the county had not voted. the county seat consequently remained at taylor's falls. in another vote was taken by which the county seat was removed to chisago city, and there it remained under somewhat adverse circumstances. chisago city having but a small population and no conveniences for such a purpose, and being for several years without even a post office, repeated efforts were made for another removal, until in a vote to remove it to centre city carried. in january, , the records were removed. the county authorities issued $ , bonds for a court house which was erected on a point of land extending into chisago lake, a beautiful situation. the bonds have been paid and the county is without indebtedness, and has a surplus of about $ , . the town of amador comprises two eastern tiers of sections of township , range , and two fractional sections of township , range , fractional township , range , and one fractional section of township , range . the st. croix river forms its boundary on the north and east. the surface is undulating. the western and southern part is covered with hardwood timber and has rich soil. the northern part has oak openings and prairie, with soil somewhat varied, in some places more or less sandy. it is well watered and drained. thornton bishop, the first settler, came in , and located a farm on the banks of the st. croix, at the head of the rapids, in section . richard arnold settled on amador prairie in , and was followed by james p. martin, carmi p. garlick and others. garlick was a practicing physician, but engaged in other work. he built a steam saw mill and made many other improvements, among them laying out the village of amador in section , township , range . h. n. newbury, surveyor, not succeeding in his undertaking, issued the prospectus of a paper to be called the _st. croix eagle_ and to be published at taylor's falls. this failing he removed to osceola. amador was organized in . the first supervisors were c. p. garlick, r. arnold and james martin. a post office was established in ; henry bush, postmaster. mr. bush had a small farm at the mouth of deer creek, where he built a large public house, two stories high. this house burned down. he established a ferry across the st. croix. he had a large family of boys who roamed the woods freely until one of their number was lost. the other boys came home as usual but of one they could give no account. parties were organized for the search, which at last was given up as unsuccessful. a year afterward the bones of the missing boy were found some miles away, by the side of a log, where the little wanderer had doubtless perished of starvation and exposure. mr. bishop raised the first crops of the town. the first marriage was that of charles s. nevers and mary snell, by john winans, esq., feb. , . thornton bishop was a native of indiana. he came to st. croix falls in and was married to delia wolf in , by rev. w. d. boutwell, at the pokegama mission. this wife was a well educated half-breed. they raised a large family of children. he came to amador in and farmed for some time at the head of the rapids, when he sold his farm and moved to sunrise. in he removed to kettle river station. in - - - he served as commissioner for pine county. william holmes came to amador and settled on a farm at the head of the rapids in . the farm is now held by john dabney. mr. holmes married a sister of mrs. thornton bishop. she was educated at pokegama mission. they raised a large family of children. in mr. holmes removed to sunrise and thence to trade river, wisconsin, in , where he sickened. his brother-in-law, bishop, came to his relief, removed him to his own home and cared for him till he died, may, . james m. martin was one of the first settlers in amador. he came originally from missouri, where he was married. he died july , ; mrs. martin dying some years prior. their sons are james m., harvey, charles, isaac, and theodore. their daughters are mrs. cowan, mrs. wilkes, mrs. nordine and mrs. lanon. branch. the town of branch, occupying township , range , was set off from sunrise, and organized in . the first supervisors were william winston, peter delamater and frank knight. a post office was established in ; geo. w. flanders, postmaster. the surface is mostly undulating, and the soil a sandy loam. there are oak openings, and along the course of the north branch of the sunrise river, which flows through the town from west to east, there are many excellent wild meadows. the north part originally contained pine forests; about , , feet have been cut away. branch contains some pretty and well cultivated farms. the st. paul & duluth railroad traverses the town from south to north. north branch station. the only village in the town of branch was platted in january, , the proprietors being the western land association, l. mendenhall, agent. the plat includes the north half of the northwest quarter of section , and the northeast quarter of section , township , range . the first settler was g. m. flanders, who opened a store here in , which was burned in . henry l. ingalls erected a good hotel and other buildings. in gurley & bros. established a store; b. f. wilkes built a hotel; winston, long & co. established a store. in j. f. f. swanson built a flouring mill, which was burned in . the loss was about $ , , with but little insurance. the village now contains two elevators, three hotels, six stores and the usual proportion of dwellings. there are two churches, the episcopalian building, erected in ; and the congregational, in . there is also a good school house. the village was incorporated in . in december, , the store of singleton & bonnafon was burned; loss estimated at $ , , with but little insurance. henry l. ingalls was born in abingdon, connecticut, in . in he was married to lavina l. child, of woodstock, connecticut, and with his wife and younger brother emigrated to illinois, settling at chandler, cass county. there he remained seventeen years, when, his impaired health necessitating a change, with his son henry he went to california. in he returned and settled on sunrise prairie, then an unbroken wilderness. for seventeen years he lived on his farm and kept a popular country hotel. in he removed to north branch and built a large frame residence, where he lived until his death, which occurred sept. , . mr. ingalls left three sons, ephraim, henry and van rensselaer. mrs. lavina l. ingalls, whose maiden name was childs, was born in connecticut in ; was married as above stated in , from which time she cheerfully and uncomplainingly shared the fortunes of her husband in the west, undergoing the usual toils and privations of the pioneer. while at sunrise, during part of the time she had no neighbors nearer than taylor's falls. the first post office in chisago county north of taylor's falls was at her house, and was known as muscotink. she and her husband, during the later years of their lives, were spiritualists, and derived great comfort from their peculiar phase of belief. mrs. ingalls was a talented and kind hearted woman, charitable in act and beloved by her associates. she died dec. , . chisago lake. the town of chisago lake includes the four western tiers of sections of township , range , and township , range . a permanent characteristic of this town is its unrivaled lake scenery, rendering it not only attractive for residences but a favorite resort of visitors. its principal lake has already been described. the first settler was john s. van rensselaer, who located on an island opposite the present site of centre city in the spring of , and raised a crop of corn and vegetables. he built him a cabin and lived there three years. eric norberg, a prominent swede, came to the lake from bishop's hill, illinois, in april, , and being pleased with the locality, came back with a colony of swedes, including peter berg, andrew swenson, peter anderson, peter shaline, daniel rattick, and others. they came by steamboat, landed at taylor's falls june , , cut a road to chisago lake and took undisputed possession of its shores, finding no trace of human occupancy save some deserted indian tepees and the claim cabin of mr. van rensselaer on the island. mr. berg settled on the west part of lot , section , and southwest quarter of southwest quarter of section , township , range . peter anderson on the east part of lot , and northwest quarter of northeast quarter of section , township , range . andrew swenson on lot , section , township , range . mr. norberg had come first to the country at the invitation of miles tornell, who was murdered in , near st. croix falls, by some indian assassins, hired to commit the deed by one miller, a whisky seller. mr. norberg originally intended to make his home at chisago lake, but died at bishop's hill, illinois, while on a visit in . the colony in raised the first rye, barley and flax in the county. they also raised potatoes, green corn and vegetables, cut out roads, cleared timber, and made other improvements. peter berg raised flax and made linen thread in , the first made in minnesota. settlers came in rapidly. among the arrivals in and soon after were the petersons, strands, johnsons, frank mobeck, dahliam, porter, and others. a post office was established in ; a. nelson, postmaster. the town was organized in . the first supervisors were: ephraim c. ingalls, chairman; frank mobeck and daniel lindstrom. the first church organization in the county was that of the swedish evangelical lutheran, in . here was built the first church edifice in , a frame structure subsequently enlarged, but in superseded by a fine brick building, costing $ , . its dimensions are × feet, ground plan, and the spire is feet in height. a fine organ was purchased at a cost of $ , . this church building is an ornament to the town and the state, and would be creditable even to our great cities. the first pastor was rev. p. a. cedarstam. his successors are revs. c. a. hedengrand and john j. frodeen, the present incumbent. the communicants number about , . in the st. paul & duluth railroad extended a branch road from wyoming to taylor's falls. this passes through the town of chisago lake, from west to east, crossing three arms of the lake. to secure this road the town gave $ , in twenty year bonds. it obtains in exchange an outlet for the products of its farms and forests. the bridge across chisago lake was built in , at a cost of $ , . it has since been made an embankment bridge at an additional cost of $ , . of this the state furnished $ , and the county $ . centre city, the county seat of chisago county, was platted may, , on lot , section , township , range ; andrew swenson, proprietor; alex. cairns, surveyor. it is located on a peninsula midway on the east shore of chisago lake. few villages are more beautifully situated. it contains two hotels, three stores, a saw and feed mill, two church buildings, a swedish lutheran and swedish methodist, a school house and many pleasant residences. the court house was built in , at a cost of $ , , on a promontory commanding a fine view of the lake. the depot of the branch of the st. paul & duluth railroad is located half a mile south of the village. summer excursionists assemble here in goodly numbers, and the location bids fair to become very attractive as a summer resort. during the indian outbreak in , and the period of uncertainty as to the probable attitude of the chippewa indians, the people of chisago lake built breastworks for protection, on the isthmus connecting centre city with the mainland, and planted cannon upon them for defense. the remains of these old fortifications may still be seen. andrew swenson.--mr. swenson, the founder of centre city, came to the shores of the lake in , and made his home on the present site of the city. he was born in sweden in ; came to america in , and remained a short time in new orleans before coming to minnesota. he was a farmer and a member of the methodist church. he was married to catharine peterson in . he died in july, , leaving two sons and two daughters. john s. van rensselaer came to chisago lake in the spring of , and settled on an island, where he lived three years in hermit-like seclusion, raising corn and vegetables. his cabin, always neat and tasteful, was furnished with a choice library. in he removed to sunrise lake, where he lived fifteen years, engaged in farming. he removed thence to sunrise city. mr. van rensselaer was the founder of the first cheese factories in the county, at sunrise city and centre city. he is an honorable and upright man, whose high aim is to exemplify the golden rule in his life and deportment. axel dahliam settled on the west shore of east chisago lake in . mr. dahliam had been an officer in the swedish army. he was a cultivated gentleman. he died in . nels nord was born in lindhopsing, sweden, in . in his eighteenth year he enlisted in the swedish army and served twelve years. he came to america in and located on chisago lake, in the northeast quarter of section , township , range . he was married in sweden to lisa anderson. they have one son, john p., who has been for seven years the popular and efficient auditor of chisago county. he was married in to hildah, daughter of rev. c. a. hedengrand. they have one daughter. john a. hallberg was born at smolland, sweden, in . he came to america in and to centre city in . in he purchased a saw and feed mill of shogren brothers. in he built a hotel. he has held the office of justice of the peace many years and has served four years as county commissioner. he was married to matilda e. carlson in . chas. a. bush is of german descent. his father, wm. h. bush, lived in wyoming. his great grandfather came to this country in and fought on the side of the colonies. chas. a. came to minnesota in from pennsylvania. he has served as treasurer of chisago county four years. lars johan stark was born in sweden in ; came to america in , and settled at chisago lake in . he was married in , and again in . he has eleven children living. in sweden he served as clerk ten years. in his american home he has followed farming chiefly. he has served as justice of the peace and county commissioner, and has filled some town offices. he was engrossing clerk of the house of representatives in . he was a member of the house in the sessions of and . in he moved to the town of fish lake, and in to harris. frank mobeck was born in sweden in . he came to america in , and in to chisago lake, where he settled on lot , section , township , range . his home is on a beautiful elevation, on a point of land projecting into the lake. mr. mobeck served in the swedish army seventeen years. he has raised a large family of children, all of whom are good citizens. robert currie was born in ayrshire, scotland. after reaching manhood he was employed many years as superintendent of a fancy manufacturing company. he was married in scotland. in , after the death of his wife, he came to america, and in selected a place for a home on the north shore of west chisago lake, where he lived till his death by drowning in . the site of his home was well chosen. it commanded a beautiful view of the lake, and in the summer months was luxuriantly adorned with flowers. mr. currie was a man of fine intellect, well cultivated, and an ardent admirer of his countryman burns, from whom, and from shakespeare and other masters of english literature he could quote for hours. mr. currie's occupation was farming, but he filled several offices acceptably. he was superintendent of schools, judge of probate and clerk of district court. though somewhat eccentric, he was a social, kind hearted man. andrew n. holm, formerly andrew nelson, his name having been changed by legislative enactment in , was born in sweden in . he learned the trade of carpenter, came to america in and located in centre city in , of which city he was first postmaster. he served as a soldier during the civil war and at its close removed his family to taylor's falls, which is still his home. lindstrom village, located on the line of the taylor's falls branch of the st. paul & duluth railroad, on lot , section , town , range , was platted in by g. w. sewall, surveyor. the proprietors are james and elisabeth smith. it is situated on high ground and almost surrounded by the waters of lake chisago. it would be difficult to find a lovelier site. maurice tombler built the first store and elevator here, in . there are now three stores, one hotel, one railroad station and several shops and dwellings. a post office was established at lindstrom in ; charles h. bush, postmaster. daniel lindstrom was born in , in helsingland, sweden. he had no early advantages for obtaining an education, and spent most of his youth herding goats amongst the mountains in the north part of sweden. in he came to america and located on chisago lake, choosing a beautiful location, which has since been laid out as a village, and bids fair to become a place of popular resort. mr. lindstrom was married first in sweden, and now lives with his second wife, the first having died in . he has a family of three children. he has filled official positions in his town acceptably. magnus s. shaleen was born in sweden in ; came to america in , and made a homestead near lindstrom in section , town , range , where he died in . mrs. shaleen died in . john, the oldest son, resides on the family homestead. he has served as sheriff of chisago county six years, and state senator eight years. peter, the second son, has served as postmaster of centre city fourteen years, and clerk of the district court five years. sarah, the eldest daughter, married john swenson. they have three sons, john h., henry a. and oscar, industrious, reliable young men, all in the employ of the st. paul & duluth railroad company. mary married andrew wallmark at chisago lake, in . one daughter is unmarried. chisago city. the village of chisago city is located on a hardwood ridge, between chisago and green lakes, in sections and , township , range . it was platted by isaac bernheimer & co., of philadelphia, on lot , section , township , range , in . they built a hotel, several dwellings, and a saw and grist mill on the banks of chisago lake, at an expense of about $ , . these mills were burned in . a stave factory was built on the site of the burned mills, which was operated successfully for many years under the management of george nathan, otto wallmark, w. d. webb and others. this stave mill gave a new impetus to the prosperity of the village, under the influence of which the county seat was transferred to it. its subsequent growth, however, did not justify expectations. it was for many years without even a post office. in the county seat was removed to centre city. the lutherans have here one of the finest church buildings in the county. the branch railroad depot is located one mile north, and quite a village has grown up around it. otto wallmark was born dec. , , in the province of halland, sweden. in his minority he was nine years clerk in a store. he received a common school education. in he came to america and directly to chisago city, where he lived many years, making a homestead, which has since been his permanent home. he served eighteen years as chisago county auditor. he served several years as postmaster at chisago city, and in was elected state senator for four years. his first wife was mary helene, his second wife, eva palmgreen. they have one son and one daughter. andrew wallmark, brother of otto, was born in sweden in ; received a liberal education, and came to chisago lake from sweden in . he has filled several town offices; has been register of deeds for chisago county nineteen years; was married to mary shaleen in . they have two sons and three daughters. fish lake. the town of fish lake includes township , range . it was originally well timbered, chiefly with hardwood, but , , feet of pine timber has been cut from it and mostly manufactured in the town. there are some fine lakes in the town, of which the largest and finest are horseshoe and cedar. the soil is black clay loam with subsoil of clay. the town was cut off from the town of sunrise and organized in . the first supervisors were chas. f. stark, benjamin franklin and john a. hokanson. a post office was established in ; benjamin franklin, postmaster. the first settlers were peter olaf and peter bergland, in section . the first school was taught by miss mattison. the first marriage was that of john hokanson and matilda samuelson. the first death was that of john erickson. the population is mostly from sweden. there is a good swedish lutheran church built near the centre of the town. there are also a swedish methodist and a swedish baptist society. the people are a well-to-do, independent class. fish lake has a saw mill with a capacity of about , , feet. in hosburg, the watchman of this mill, was killed by priestly, an englishman. hosburg, in accordance with the rules, had ordered him not to smoke on the premises. the englishman was arrested, tried for murder and acquitted. peter berg was born in sweden in ; came to america in , and settled at chisago lake in . some time subsequently he settled on the north shore of fish lake. in , at the age of eighty-five years, he is still a vigorous, active man. mr. berg was married in sweden. he has one daughter, katharine, who married sam hamilton, of taylor's falls. mr. hamilton died in . she married as her second husband swain g. yongren. benjamin franklin, though he bears the name of america's most illustrious philosopher, is a native of sweden, whence he came with a swedish colony in , settled at taylor's falls, and subsequently removed to the northern shore of fish lake. by way of explaining how he came by his american name we add that soon after his arrival he came to the writer somewhat puzzled as to how he should write his swedish name in english. he gave it as "ben franz norel," but pronounced it in such a way that it sounded rather like benjamin franklin. we suggested that name as a happy solution of the difficulty, telling him something about the illustrious man who had made it honorable. he adopted it at once, and has never disgraced it. he is still a worthy, industrious and honorable citizen of fish lake. franconia includes the two eastern tiers of sections of township , range , and fractional township , range , including about fifteen whole sections, and four fractional. the soil is good, and originally supported a growth of hardwood. the surface is undulating. it is well watered by lawrence and several other small creeks tributary to the st. croix, and has several small but clear lakes. ansel smith was the first settler of the town and village, which he named after franconia in the white mountains. he came here in , and located a claim on the present site of the village, on the st. croix river, section , township , range . he did much for the prosperity of the village and town. he raised the first crops and was the first postmaster ( ). the town was organized in . the first supervisors were ansel smith, leonard p. day and a. j. adams. the town is now well settled and has many excellent farms. the branch st. paul & duluth railroad has a depot three-fourths of a mile from the village of franconia. a german methodist church is located near the centre of the town. franconia village was platted in , by ansel smith. it was incorporated in . paul munch, in , erected a first class, three storied flouring mill on lawrence creek. a saw mill, erected in by the clark brothers and ansel smith, has passed through many changes of ownership. it is now the property of matthews & jourdain. henry f. and leonard p. day built the first good dwelling in the village, on the banks of the st. croix, just above the steamboat landing. margaret smith taught the first school. the first death in the village was that of neil monroe. ansel smith came from vermont to st. croix falls in and engaged in teaching. in he helped erect the chisago house in taylor's falls. in he made a claim on the st. croix river, in section , township , range , and there platted the village of franconia, clearing away the worst of the timber with his own hands. he was an energetic, active business man, and took an interest not only in the affairs of his town and neighborhood, but in the country at large. he represented his district in the fifth, sixth and seventh legislatures. he was appointed register of the united states land office at duluth in and served till . mr. smith died at his residence in duluth in , leaving a wife and three promising sons, two of them practicing attorneys in duluth; one cashier of a bank in duluth. henry f. and leonard p. day.--the day brothers came from st. lawrence, new york, to the st. croix valley in , and settled in franconia in . henry married margaret smith, daughter of david smith. during the rebellion he served in company c, seventh minnesota volunteers. he moved to florida in . leonard p. was married to mary mitchell in . he died in , leaving a widow, two sons and two daughters. his widow (in ) is the wife of henry wills, of osceola. henry wills was born in , in illinois, and married his first wife in missouri in , who died in , leaving nine children. mr. wills was one of the first farmers in franconia, and has been active in promoting improvements in his town and county. he moved to osceola in . the clark brothers came from maine and located in franconia in , where they built the first mill in the village. subsequently they became citizens of taylor's falls, engaging in the mercantile, livery, saw and stave mill business. james, the oldest, married carrie jellison in , and moved to windom, minnesota. rufus, the next in age, married kate strand in , and died may, , leaving a widow, three sons and one daughter. charles, the youngest, was married to martha j. gray in , and removed to fergus falls. david smith was born in scotland. he came to franconia in , where he has now one of the best farms in chisago county. his youngest son, james, lives on the old homestead with him. his second son, john, has made his home in rush city. andrew, his oldest, served during the rebellion in company c, seventh minnesota. his oldest daughter, margaret, is the wife of h. f. day. his daughter nancy is the wife of n. h. hickerson and resides in california,. barbary, the third daughter, is the wife of john grove of burnett county. jonas lindall was for many years an enterprising and prosperous business man in franconia. he opened up an extensive wood trade with st. paul, in which c. j. vitalis is his successor. mr. lindall represented his county in the senate of the fifteenth and sixteenth state legislatures. he was accidentally drowned from a barge of wood at hastings in may, . his widow is married to chas. j. vitalis. wm. peaslee came from maine to the st. croix valley and settled in franconia in , and followed mercantile pursuits at that place and at taylor's falls. he died at the latter place in . mr. peaslee was married at palmyra, maine, to sophia e. harriman, who, with clarence, an only son, survives him. his widow resides in taylor's falls and superintends a millinery and fancy store. clarence succeeds his father in the grocery and dry goods business at taylor's falls. he married rosa, a daughter of patrick fox. charles vitalis was born in smolland, sweden, in ; came to america in and settled in franconia village. he was for five years employed as clerk. in he embarked in the mercantile and wood business. in one year he shipped , cords of wood, and has averaged for the last years , cords, making a total of , cords. he was married to josephine nelson, widow of jonas lindall, in . they have three children. elof, john, elias and hans are brothers of charles vitalis, residing in the town of franconia. august j. anderson was born near wexico, sweden, in ; came to america with his parents in , and to franconia. at thirteen years of age he commenced clerking for c. vitalis, with whom he continued until , when he associated himself with him in the mercantile business. he visited europe in . frank n. peterson.--mr. peterson came to america in , and in settled in the valley of the st. croix. he attended school at carver, minnesota, one year, when he became a traveling salesman for leopold & co., of chicago, and in settled in franconia. he organized the lumbering firm of borens brothers & peterson, which continued until , when a new organization was formed, called the franconia lumber company, consisting of p. jordan, sam mathews, of stillwater, and the subject of our sketch. [illustration: frank n. peterson.] mr. peterson has been the president of franconia since its incorporation. in he married miss ingur johnson, daughter of eric johnson, a pioneer of st. peter, minnesota, and is the father of two children, axel, a promising son, who died in february, , at fourteen years of age, and maria, now a student in the ladies' seminary at faribault, who is developing marked ability as a pencil artist. mr. peterson owns one of the finest houses in the valley, romantically situated, which is supplied with pure spring water. it is a pride to the village and attracts general attention. he is also the inventor and patentee of the lindholm & peterson adding machine. harris. the town of harris contains twenty-four sections of township , range , the four western tiers of sections. the soil is a sandy loam with clay subsoil. the town is well watered and drained by goose creek, which entering the town from the northwest, and bending at first southward, then eastward, leaves the town near its southeastern line in section . the timber consisted originally of oak openings and pine; , , feet of the latter have been removed from the southeastern portion. luxuriant wild meadows are found along goose creek. the first improvement was a farm, made by w. h. c. folsom in sections and in . the first permanent settler was henry h. sevy, who located on this farm in . the town of harris was organized in . harris village. a charter organizing harris village was granted by the district court, under the general law, in . a question arose as to the legality of the act. a subsequent legislature, by legislative act, confirmed all similarly organized villages in the state. the supreme court decided the organization of such villages illegal and the legislative act sanctioning it unconstitutional. it was subsequently organized legally. the village was surveyed by a. d. miller and platted in may, , in the south half of section , township , range , philip s. harris and n. d. miller, proprietors. it derived its name from philip s. harris, a prominent officer of the st. paul & duluth railroad. fred wolf was the first settler, in , and first merchant and first railroad agent, in . he acted as postmaster subsequently and filled other offices of trust. his interests are intimately blended with those of the village. isaac savage was the second settler and merchant. he was the first postmaster, in . the first school was taught by mary gwinn, in . the first marriage was that of m. p. smith and charlotte swenson. the first child born was brague, son of w. d. sayers. the first death was that of isaac morrill. a good school house was built in . the village is rapidly growing. it has an extensive trade in hay, wood, ties and piles. wheat shipments are large. it has four stores, two hotels, three elevators, three hay presses, two wagon and smith shops, one agricultural warehouse, one skating rink, one livery stable, two saloons, one meat shop and a railroad depot. lent. this town includes the whole of township , range . it is well watered and drained by sunrise river, but has no lakes. the soil is a sandy loam; the timber chiefly oak openings. the early settlers were harvey lent, from whom the town derived its name, william robinson, james buchanan, who raised the first crops in , joshua dawson, jesse moore and others. the town was organized in . the first supervisors were dawson, moore and robinson. the first post office was established in , at stacy, a railroad station on the st. paul & duluth railroad, which traverses this town from south to north. frank dawson was the first postmaster. nessell. nessell includes township , range . the surface was originally covered with a growth of hardwood, with some pine. of the latter, about , , feet has been cut. the soil is adapted to wheat culture. it is well watered. rush lake occupies a nearly central position, and is a beautiful sheet of water with about fourteen miles of meandering shore line, crystal clear, and deep, well stocked with fish, and bordered with groves of maple, oak and linden. the town was set off from rush lake and organized in . the first supervisors were wm. h. mccray, john h. breit and matts colleen. the town is settled by a class of industrious, upright people. there are three churches, with prosperous societies, the swedish baptist, the swedish lutheran and german lutheran. martin linnell was the first child born. the first marriage was that of wm. vanetta and anna johnson, in . alice draper taught the first school. rev. cedarstam preached the first sermon. robert nessell was the oldest settler. the town was named for him. he was born in germany in ; came to america in , and to minnesota in . he was married at sunrise to kate torbert, of shafer, in , and the same year located his present home. other early settlers are john h. breit, john lindsey, p. kelley, and the jarchow brothers. stephen b. clark made nessell his home in . mr. clark was born in vermont in ; came to marine in . he served three years during the rebellion in the second wisconsin cavalry. he removed to rush city in . rush seba. rush seba comprises township , range , and fractional part of township , range , consisting of about ten sections, irregularly bounded by the st. croix river. it is timbered with hardwood, has good soil, chiefly a black clay loam, with clay subsoil, and is well watered by rush river and rock creek and tributaries. wild meadows and marshes are intermingled with the timber. the town was organized in , with george b. folsom, robert newell and timothy ward as supervisors. a post office was established in , in section , george b. folsom, postmaster. george b. folsom was the first settler, raising the first crops in the town in . the st. paul & duluth railroad traverses the town from south to north. it was built in , and a branch road to grantsburg, wisconsin, was built in . josephine blanding taught the first school, in . the first death was that of james ward, who died from accidental poisoning. rush city. in , at the completion of the st. paul & duluth railroad, a depot was built and a station established at the crossing of rush river, around which rapidly grew up the village of rush city. it was surveyed and platted by benjamin w. brunson, surveyor, in january, , in the northeast quarter of section , township , range . the western land association, l. mendenhall, agent, was proprietor. thomas flynn was the first settler, he having in pre-empted the land which afterward became the site of the village. among the improvements in was a steam saw mill, built by taylor & co. this mill was burned in , at a loss of $ , . rush city was incorporated in . frank h. pratt was president of the first village council. rush city has now a commodious town hall, an exchange bank, one elevator, one foundry, a good school house, built at a cost of $ , ; a good graded school, under the supervision of prof. v. d. eddy; a lodge of ancient order united workmen (no. ), a board of trade, a woman's christian temperance union association, a sons of temperance lodge, a post of the grand army of the republic (ellsworth post, no. ), and a masonic organization (jasper lodge). the following denominations have churches and societies: catholic, episcopalian, german lutheran, swedish lutheran, and swedish evangelical. the catholics are building a church at a cost of $ , . thomas flynn was born in county mayo, ireland, . he came to america in , and lived in canada east until ; when he located in minnesota, pre-empting the northeast quarter of section , township , range . his farm became the site of the village of rush city in , and in he built the first frame house in its limits. mr. flynn has been married three times, losing each of his wives by death. he has two sons living, james h. and frank a. patrick h. flynn was born in county mayo, ireland, in ; came to america in ; lived in canada east until , and coming to minnesota pre-empted the northwest quarter of section . he was married in to margaret kelly, of illinois. they have two sons and two daughters living. mr. flynn, in , erected the globe hotel in rush city, where he now resides. rufus crocker was the second settler in rush seba. he was the first justice of the peace and held other offices. mr. crocker was married to miss mercy hewson, of isanti county. he is now a citizen of rock creek. frank h. pratt was born in skowhegan, maine, in . his father, henry p. pratt, a veteran editor, who had served twenty years on the kennebec _journal_, and later was connected with the somerset _journal_ and skowhegan _people's press_, came to st. paul in with his family, and was associated with john p. owens as assistant editor of the st. paul _minnesotian_. on sunday, may , , mr. pratt went on board the steamer royal arch, which had landed at the st. paul levee that morning with a cargo of passengers, sick, dying and dead of cholera. thirteen had already died on the boat. mr. pratt, sr., went on board to alleviate the sufferings of the sick and dying, and in consequence, within two days, himself sickened and died. the writer and his family were passengers on the royal arch, and witnesses to these scenes of suffering and death and mr. pratt's heroic self-devotion. after his father's death frank continued in the office of the _minnesotian_ as printer. he worked also in the offices of the st. paul and st. peter _tribune_ and the prescott _transcript_. in - he served as local editor and foreman in the _transcript_ office. in he removed to taylor's falls, and established the taylor's falls _reporter_, the first newspaper published in chisago county. in he enlisted in company c. of the seventh minnesota volunteer infantry; was commissioned second lieutenant, and served until he resigned his office in the latter part of , having been promoted to the captaincy of company c. after the war he located in sunrise city, and engaged in mercantile pursuits. in he removed to rush city, continued in mercantile business, and took an active part in all enterprises looking to the welfare of the city. he built a store, elevator and a fine residence, which was burned in . mr. pratt represented his district in the sixteenth legislature. he was married to helen a. bossout, at st. paul, in . they have one son, fred, and three daughters. mr. pratt moved to st. paul in , where he died, march , . fred, his son, succeeds him in business in rush city. he is married to a daughter of jonathan chase, of east minneapolis. voloro d. eddy was born in java, wyoming county, new york, sept. , ; received a common school education supplemented by two years' attendance at griffith institute, springfield, new york; gave up his school to enlist in his country's service, as a member of the "ellsworth avengers" (the forty-fourth new york volunteers). the regiment was mustered into service at albany, new york, aug. , . he served in this regiment until june , , when he was taken prisoner at old church, virginia. he endured the horrors of prison life until feb. , , and was discharged from service may , . in he came to taylor's falls and engaged in teaching, which he has made his profession, having taught continuously since . he has been county superintendent of schools for twelve years, during which time he has resided at rush city. mr. eddy was married to frances cowley, at taylor's falls, sept. , . mrs. eddy died june, . he was married to anna r. olmstead, july , , at arcadia, new york. ferdinand sweedorff christianson was born in copenhagen, denmark, april , ; came to the united states in , to minnesota in , and to chisago county in . he was married to selma a. willard, at red wing, minnesota, dec. , . he represented chisago county in the legislature of . he was assistant secretary of state from to . in he established the rush city bank. in he was appointed member of the state board of equalization, and in was one of the committee for selecting a location for the third hospital for the insane. shafer comprises all of the territory of township , range , excepting the plat of taylor's falls, and fractional sections in the northeast corner of the township. it was at first heavily timbered with hardwood, interspersed with marshes and meadows. the soil is good. lawrence and dry creeks drain the greater part of the township. it is now well settled, and has many fine farms. a swedish colony settled here in , consisting of peter wyckland, andros anderson, eric byland, tuver walmarson, and others. the town organized first as taylor's falls, but the name was changed to shafer in . john g. peterson, john nelson and john carlson were the first supervisors. the first school was taught by ella wyckoff, in the marshall district, in . the first marriage was that of peter abear to kittie wickland. the branch st. paul & duluth railroad passes through the southern part of this township. the township contributed to this road $ , in bonds. a railroad station in the southwest quarter of section bears the name of shafer, derived, together with the name of the township, from jacob shafer, who, as early as , cut hay in sections and . he seems to have been in no sense worthy of the honor conferred upon him, as he was but a transient inhabitant, and disappeared in . no one knows of his subsequent career. the honor ought to have been given to some of the hardy swedes, who were the first real pioneers, and the first to make substantial improvements. peter wickland came from sweden in , and settled in the northeast quarter of section . he moved to anoka in , and was drowned in rum river in . his son peter is a prominent merchant in anoka. tuver walmarson was born in sweden in . he was a member of the swedish colony of , settled in the northwest quarter of section . mr. and mrs. walmarson reared a fine family of children. nelson tuver walmarson, the eldest son, inherits the industry and frugality of both parents. by hard work and close attention to business the family has prospered abundantly. andros anderson came also from sweden in and settled in the east half of the northeast quarter of section . mr. anderson moved to taylor's falls in and died there in . he left but one child, the wife of daniel fredine, of shafer. mr. anderson was a born humorist and fond of practical jokes. on one occasion his ready wit was exercised at the expense of a man to whom he had mortgaged his farm. deeming the house in which he lived his own, in the absence of the mortgagee he removed it to taylor's falls. the mortgagee, e. w. holman, told him that he had stolen the house and must replace it. anderson told holman to take the house and replace it himself, but if he took his (anderson's) family along with it he would have him sent to the penitentiary. mr. holman did not see his way clear and the house was not disturbed. eric byland, another of the swedish colony, settled in the west half of the southeast quarter of section . in he sold out and moved further west. the farm he left is now owned by john nelson and is one of the finest farms in chisago county. jacob peterson was born in and came with his parents to chisago county in . they located on a beautiful spot in franconia, on the shore of a small lake, where they made a farm and where jacob passed his boyhood and youth. in he commenced business at shafer station as a merchant and dealer in wood. he was the first postmaster at shafer. he was married in to mary heline. ambrose c. seavey was born in machias, maine, in ; was married to elizabeth ayers, in crawford, maine, in , and came to st. croix falls in . in he removed to taylor's falls, and opened the first blacksmith shop. he was absent two years in colorado, and when he returned settled on a farm in the town of shafer. he has a family of four sons and six daughters. sunrise. the town of sunrise includes the two eastern tiers of sections of township , range , one whole and eight fractional sections of township , range , and all of township , range , except the two eastern tiers of sections. it is well watered by the st. croix and sunrise rivers and their tributaries. the latter river rises in washington county, having for its principal source forest lake, and flows through the town in a northerly direction into the st. croix. it has three considerable tributaries from the west known as north, middle and south branches. st. croix river has, as tributary, goose creek, which flows through the northern part of the town. the soil varies from a rich sandy loam to a sandy soil. the town contains many fine farms. the old government road from point douglas to superior passes through the town. sunrise was incorporated as a town oct. , ; isaac a. parmenter, david lovejoy and a. c. mattison, supervisors. a post office was established in ; george s. frost, postmaster. the first marriage was that of robert nessell and kate torbert, by j. d. wilcox, esq. the first child born was joshua taylor gallaspie. the first death was of an unknown man who died from the kick of a horse. wm. holmes, the first settler, located on sunrise prairie in , and raised crops on fifteen acres that year. john a. brown and patten w. davis cultivated thirty-five acres the same year on sunrise prairie. messrs. brown, davis and ingalls made a wagon road from sunrise to st. paul in . john a. brown, in the same year, built a hotel and opened a store. the hotel was built of logs, the store was a frame, the first erected in sunrise. in he built a saw mill. his hotel was burned in . these buildings were the nucleus of sunrise village. sunrise village was platted july, , in the north half of the northeast quarter of section , and the west half of the southwest quarter and the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section , and the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section , all of township , range . the proprietors were john a. brown, j. s. caldwell and c. l. willis; surveyor, w. f. duffy. it contains a first class roller flour mill, a saw mill, both owned by caspar spivac, two stores, a school house and several shops and dwellings. in a colony from western new york settled in and around sunrise village. the wilcoxes, wilkes, collins, gwynne, smith, and others were of this colony. the village has suffered greatly from fires. the buildings lost at various times were one flouring mill, valued at $ , , four hotels and several private dwellings. the flouring mill was the property of mrs. j. g. mold. two lives were lost at the burning of the mill. in the fall of , immediately after the sioux outbreak, and while considerable apprehension was felt as to the attitude of the chippewas toward the white settlers, a company of volunteers under capt. anderson was stationed at sunrise. this company built temporary quarters of logs, and were very comfortably fixed during the winter. they had presumably a very good time, but repelled no savage foes. kost village is located in the west half of section , township , range . it has a first class roller flouring mill, owned by ferdinand a. kost, erected in at a cost of $ , , and a saw mill, also owned by f. a. kost, erected the same year. it has two stores, a number of shops and dwellings and a post office, established in , of which f. a. kost is postmaster. chippewa was platted march, , by benj. dinsmore, surveyor, in the northwest quarter of section , and the west half of the northeast quarter of section , township , range . the proprietors were james starkey, charles s. patteys, michael e. ames, isaac van etten, and moses sherburne. it makes a fair farm. drontheim was platted in , in the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter and the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section , township , range ; c. c. p. myer, proprietor. it is still a brush and swamp plat. nashua was platted july, , h. h. newbury, surveyor, on lots and of section , and lot in section , township , range . proprietors, n. f. taylor, w. h. c. folsom, l. k. stannard and n. c. d. taylor. it has made two fair farms. washington was platted august, , w. f. duffy, surveyor, in the south half of section , township , range . proprietors, james y. caldwell and l. c. kinney. on this site the starkey indian battle was fought. john a. brown.--mr. brown, a native of pennsylvania, came to sunrise in , and was for awhile quite prominent, building a store, hotel and other buildings. in he was married to emeline hartwell. he prospered in business, but owing to some domestic difficulties, in left suddenly for parts unknown. his property was sacrificed to meet obligations, and his wife left helpless. mrs. brown died in minneapolis in . patten w. davis was a native of virginia. he came to stillwater in , and soon after removed to osceola mills, where he lived two years. in he removed to sunrise, and was associated in business for two years with john a. brown. he has held the positions of postmaster, town clerk, treasurer, county commissioner, supervisor, and assessor. in he married a virginia lady, and returned to his native state. james f. harvey was born in , in penobscot county, maine. he came west in and settled at marine mills. in he removed to sunrise and located in the northeast quarter of section , township , range , at what was known as goose creek crossing. his first wife, whom he had married in maine, died shortly after their arrival at sunrise, leaving one daughter, maria, wife of leonard clark, of stillwater. mr. harvey was married in to widow patience knight, the mother of mrs. floyd s. bates, albert s. and frank e., of taylor's falls, and ella medora harvey, wife of j. a. shores, of minneapolis. mr. harvey died at his home in . mrs. harvey died at taylor's falls in . floyd s. bates, originally from maine, has been since a prominent lumberman on the st. croix, living first at sunrise, and in later years at taylor's falls. he owns an extensive farm in cass county, dakota. of his three brothers, e. hines resides in taylor's falls, and j. herrick and charles in dakota territory. isaac h. warner was born in new york in , was married in and came to sunrise in , where he followed farming and selling goods. he has served as postmaster, justice of the peace and held other positions. he has three children. his eldest, a daughter, wife of samuel mcclure, a lumberman of sunrise, died february, . mr. warner removed to dakota in . charles f. lowe was born in in concord, new hampshire, received a collegiate education and came to sunrise in . he interested himself in real estate but devoted about one-half of his time to travel, of which he was passionately fond. he made one trip around the globe, writing back interesting letters descriptive of what he had seen. he made his last annual tour in , and, while sailing in a small boat in some of the waters of florida, the boat was struck by a squall, capsized and mr. lowe was drowned. mr. lowe was a member of the minnesota constitutional convention. wells farr came from new york state to sunrise prairie in , where he has since lived in a comfortable home, a successful farmer. he has a family of four sons and two daughters. his oldest daughter is the wife of ephraim c. ingalls. his second daughter is the wife of frank dawson, of lent. mr. farr died in march, . john g. mold came to sunrise in , where he engaged in milling, hotel keeping and mercantile business. he was the proprietor of the sunrise city mills, since burned. he died in , aged fifty years, leaving a widow, two sons and two daughters. george l. blood, during his early life, was a seafaring man, spending many years upon the ocean, and visiting during this time many foreign ports, keeping a daily record of his journeyings. mr. blood had learned the trade of house joiner, but coming to sunrise in , attempted farming, at which he was not successful. in he removed to taylor's falls, where he died in . his life was an exemplary one, and his death that of a christian. his family returned to their old home in connecticut. his two sons reside in st. paul. joel g. ryder came from new york to the st. croix and settled in the town of sunrise, near the village, about the year . he was energetic and able, and was called to fill many town and county offices. he was a representative in the fifteenth state legislature. in he was married to lizzie perkins. john dean was born in --; was married to mary draper in ; came to minnesota in --; served some time as river pilot, and settled on his farm near sunrise city in . mr. dean represented his district in the house of the twenty-first and twenty-second legislatures. taylor's falls. the village of taylor's falls was platted in , a survey of lots having been made at that time by theodore s. parker, of stillwater. additions were made from time to time as the increasing population demanded. a year before the survey a frame building was erected on what was subsequently the northwest corner of river and first streets. in and some streets were opened, but with considerable difficulty, on account of the trap rock, which to be removed required blasting. bowlders that could not be removed were buried. the work of cutting a street to the upper steamboat landing was specially difficult. there were no roads to the village, and the only means of travel was by steamboat, bateaux, or birch bark canoes, until the government road was opened sometime in . a post office was established in march, , and a weekly mail was ordered from stillwater. prior to this time a semi-monthly mail had been carried between the points named. of the office established in , n. c. d. taylor was first postmaster. the office was in w. h. c. folsom's store, folsom acting as deputy postmaster. the successors of mr. taylor have been, porter e. walker, edward p. wyman, thomas holmes, oscar roos, george w. seymour, and n. m. humphrey; not a long list for thirty-five years. the location of the office was changed with each successive incumbent. the mail carrier in was the hon. warren bristol, since then four times a representative and senator from goodhue county in the state legislature, and united states judge in arizona. the mail service has passed through all the gradations from a semi-monthly to a semi-daily mail. the mail has been carried in canoes or bateaux, on foot, on horseback, on steamboat and rail car. it is now carried by rail. of the baker & taylor mill an account has been given elsewhere. the next mill, a grist mill, was built by n. c. d. taylor, w. h. c. folsom and the day brothers, in . it was several years later remodeled and changed into a carding mill, and is now the property of jonas gray. kingman brothers built a saw mill in , with a capacity of , feet per day. several parties succeeded to the ownership and control of the mill, but, after doing good service for many years, it was abandoned. clark brothers built a lumber and stave mill in . after ten years this mill was removed. the first merchant was daniel mears, who sold goods as early as . w. h. c. folsom opened a store in ; taylor & fox in . the chisago house was built by thomson & smith in , on the corner of bench and first streets. in the name was changed to dalles house. it has changed landlords many times, the last being henry kattenberg. the cascade house was built in , on the corner of walnut and bench streets, by richard arnold. it is no longer used. the falls house was built in , on bench street near walnut, by erastus guard, and converted into a hotel in , with henry kattenberg as proprietor, by whom it was conducted as a temperance house. it is now in charge of eugene fitzgerald. the first physician was lucius b. smith. susan thomson taught the first school. the first marriage was that of charles d. turney and cecilia ring, ansel smith, justice of the peace, tying the knot. wm. colby was the first white child born in the village. the first death was that of a three-year-old daughter of ansel smith, in . rev. w. t. boutwell preached the first sermon, in . in three young episcopal ministers, revs. breck, myrick and wilcoxson, alternated in holding services, but did not organize a society. rev. julius s. webber, baptist, preached occasionally in and ; rev. w. miner, congregationalist, in and became the first resident minister. in april, , rev. silas bolles, a methodist, organized a society, the first in the village. in june, , rev. a. m. torbet organized a baptist society and served as pastor four years. the society built a church in at a cost of $ , . in the swedish evangelical lutherans built a church on the corner of mulberry and government streets, at a cost of $ , . rev. c. a. cedarstam was pastor in - - , rev. ---- tornell the three succeeding years, and three other pastors have served since. in rev. john g. hall organized a presbyterian society, and built a church in , on the corner of river and chisago streets, at a cost of $ , . mr. hall served as pastor four years. the roman catholics erected a church on the corner of walnut and centre streets in , at a cost of $ , . they have as yet no settled priest or parish school. the st. croix bridge company was organized in . the incorporators were w. h. c. folsom, patrick fox, joshua l. taylor, w. s. hungerford, wm. kent, nelson mccarty, john dobney, w. f. colby, orange walker, fred w. lammers, and n. c. d. taylor. the bridge was built in ; w. s. sewall, st. paul, was the engineer. the capital stock amounted to $ , , and was divided into shares at $ each. the bridge was rebuilt in , on the same plan, and in was replaced by an iron bridge, at a cost of $ , . the bridge has a span of feet and is a light and graceful structure. it was the first bridge that spanned the st. croix and mississippi rivers. the chisago county bank was organized in , under the state banking law; capital stock, $ , ; levi w. folsom, president; s. c. gould, cashier. it was closed in . the taylor's falls copper mining company was organized dec. , ; w. h. c. folsom, president; george w. seymour, secretary; l. w. folsom, treasurer; d. a. caneday, mining agent. the operations of this company extended to sinking a shaft to a depth of one hundred and thirty feet. the kahbakong cemetery association was organized in . the first board of officers were w. h. c. folsom, president; joshua l. taylor, secretary. the cemetery is located a mile and a half from the village and contains fifteen acres of ground beautifully located. zion lodge, no. , a. f. &. a. m., was organized march , . sherman post, no. , g. a. r., was organized in july, , caspar hauser, commander. taylor's falls library association was organized oct. , , e. d. whiting, president; j. a. mcgowan, secretary. within two years the library numbered , volumes and since that time the number has been increased to , . in the village of taylor's falls was regularly incorporated with the following board of officers: trustees, patrick fox, president; w. h. c. folsom, e. d. whiting, l. w. folsom; recorder, h. h. newbury; treasurer, wm. comer. an indian dance. the last indian dance in taylor's falls was given by a party of chippewas in . they had come down the st. croix in birch canoes with furs and cranberries to exchange with samuels in st. croix village for "scootawabo," or whisky. they remained about a week, drinking and carousing in their peculiar style. one sabbath, and when, for a wonder, they were quite sober, they visited taylor's falls and gave a series of grotesque and laughable dances in the street, opposite folsom's store, after which they called for presents as tokens of friendship and appreciation, kindly and gravely shook hands and recrossed the river. "thus departed hiawatha." chapter xiii. biographical. jesse taylor, the first permanent settler of taylor's falls, came to the falls in , as narrated in the general history of the village. nothing is known of his life before coming to the falls, except that he was originally from kentucky, and lived at fort snelling, where he was employed as a stonemason. by the death of his associate, b. f. baker, he came into possession of the mill property and its belongings. this he sold to joshua l. taylor in , and removed to stillwater, where he took a contract for stone work on the prison walls. his name appears as a member of the house from stillwater in the territorial legislature for and . he was married in to abigail, daughter of widow edwards, of stillwater. he left stillwater in . joshua l. taylor was born in sanbornton, new hampshire, in . in he removed to alton, illinois, where he lived until , when he came to taylor's falls in the employ of the st. croix falls lumber company. in he purchased the property of jesse taylor. he engaged in logging until , meanwhile pre-empting portions of the site of taylor's falls. in the fall of he went to california, and was fairly successful in his mining ventures. he returned to taylor's falls in , where he has since resided. he was married in october, , at skowhegan, maine, to clarinda wyman. mrs. taylor died may , , leaving no children. mr. taylor built a fine residence in , on block , river street, taylor's falls, commanding a beautiful view of the river. mrs. gilmore, a sister of mr. taylor, and her daughter mary, lived with him many years. mrs. gilmore died in . mary gilmore was married to d. g. sampson in and now lives in ashland. mr. taylor had many opportunities of entering public life, but, with a solitary exception, declined them. at the organization of the territory of minnesota, in , he was appointed united states marshal, but declined. he was afterward appointed warden of the penitentiary at stillwater, and served two years. nathan c. d. taylor, elder brother of joshua, was born in sanbornton, new hampshire, in ; removed to alton, illinois, in and was for several years in the employ of godfrey, gilman & co., merchants of alton. mr. taylor came to st. croix falls in . he was one of the original pre-emptors of the site of taylor's falls. in he engaged with patrick fox in the mercantile business. they carried on an extensive trade in goods and logs until . the firm of taylor & fox erected a good store building on lot , block . he was a member of the house in the fifth and seventh territorial legislatures, and speaker of the fifth. in he was elected county treasurer of chisago county, and thereafter to the same office continuously for ten years. mr. taylor never married. he died at taylor's falls, march , . thomas f. morton was born in south carolina. he came to st. croix falls in . in he settled on a farm adjoining taylor's falls, known as the jerry ross claim. he pre-empted the southwest quarter of section . in he was married to mrs. margaret boyce, his second wife, mother of silas boyce, of amador. he followed farming successfully a few years, and in enlisted in his country's service, as a private in company c, seventh minnesota volunteer infantry, and along with his friends colby and guard did noble service, participating in several battles, in one of which, the battle of nashville, he was wounded by the bursting of a shell. he remained with the regiment, however, until, disabled by his wound and by sickness at the siege of spanish fort, he was compelled to return home. he never recovered his health, but in peacefully passed away. he was a good man, a brave soldier, and an exemplary christian. henry n. setzer.--mr. setzer is a descendant of a north german family. he was born in montgomery county, missouri, oct. , , and received his education at home, which he left at the age of fourteen years, and afterward at st. charles college, missouri. in mr. setzer came to the st. croix valley, where he engaged in lumbering for himself and others, and devoted some time to public affairs. from to he resided alternately at stillwater, marine, taylor's falls and chengwatana. mr. setzer represented the fourth district, including marine, rush lake, rice river and snake river precincts, in the house of the first territorial legislature, and the first district, including the counties of washington, itasca, chisago, superior and doty, in the council of the seventh and eighth territorial legislatures. he was a member of the democratic wing of the constitutional convention in . in he was appointed warden of the state prison at stillwater, which position he held until , when he was appointed register of the land office at cambridge, isanti county. he held this position until april, . having devoted his leisure time to the study of law, and having been admitted to practice in the supreme court of minnesota, he concluded to devote himself entirely to practice. he established a law office in taylor's falls with l. k. stannard. he removed to superior city in , to duluth in , and returned to taylor's falls in . he has served as town and county attorney in chisago county for many years, and has an extensive practice in the higher courts. patrick fox was born in tipperary county, ireland, in ; came with his parents to america in , and to davenport, iowa, in . in he came to st. croix falls, where he lived three years, moving thence to stillwater, where he engaged in logging until , when he removed to taylor's falls and engaged in lumbering for a year, then entered into a mercantile partnership with n. c. d. taylor. the firm closed business in . mr. fox has been a public spirited citizen, contributing freely of his means for the improvement of the village, aiding in opening roads, building levees and bridges, and school houses, before such enterprises could be paid for out of tax revenues. mr. fox represented chisago county in the second legislature, . mr. fox is a good neighbor, industrious and temperate. he was married at davenport, iowa, to elisabeth riley. they have three sons and two daughters. the eldest daughter is the wife of clarence peaslee; the second daughter became the wife of winfield p. larcy, of dakota, in . w. f. colby was born in whitefield, maine, june , . in his early life he was a sailor. he came to st. croix falls in . he was married to salina de attly in , and removed to the west side of the river, where he located on the otis farm which he had previously bought. he followed lumbering and farming and kept a lodging house for travelers. he built a good house, and the first frame barn in chisago county. he sold his property, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres and improvements, for $ , . in mr. colby enlisted in company c, seventh minnesota volunteer infantry, and served until the close of the war as sergeant. mr. colby is a bluff, square, outspoken man, hearty in his manner, and somewhat sailor-like in his expressions though almost a lifetime has passed since he trod the deck of a vessel. oscar roos was born in west gothland, sweden, in . he came to america in , and located in taylor's falls, where he has since resided continuously, taking an active part in public affairs, and a deep interest in everything pertaining to the growth of the village and county. mr. roos was postmaster at taylor's falls years, register of deeds years, register of the land office years, and county treasurer years. he is engaged in exchange, loaning money, etc., and has a branch office in centre city. he was married to hannah swanstrom in . samuel thomson, a pennsylvanian by birth, came to taylor's falls in , and in company with ansel smith built the chisago house, a notable enterprise at that time, as neither the resources of the village or surrounding country had been developed in such a way as to give any assurance of success. mr. thomson removed in to polk county; and settled on a farm in osceola, where he made himself an attractive and pleasant home. his farm has long been celebrated for its trout pond. mr. thomson has given much attention and been quite successful in fish culture. the farm was sold in , and mr. thompson removed to arkansas, where he died nov. , . susan thomson, sister of samuel thomson, taught the first school in taylor's falls, in . she had just come from pennsylvania, and had traveled on horseback from stillwater, there being no carriage roads above marine. she was married to daniel mears, of osceola, in . george de attly, a native of virginia, came to st. croix falls with his family in , and removed to taylor's falls in , locating in section , and making a pre-emption. he was a carpenter. he raised a large and respected family. one son is in the black hills, dakota territory. his oldest daughter is the wife of wm. f. colby, of taylor's falls. his second daughter was the widow of jacob markley. his third daughter is the wife of alvah brown. one son, george, resides in taylor's falls. mr. de attly died in nebraska. jacob markley came from virginia to the st. croix valley in , settling first at st. croix falls, and in locating at taylor's falls, where he pre-empted the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section . he went to montana in , where he died a tragic death. his widow and two children reside in the black hills, dakota. john dobney was born in england in ; came to america when a child, to stillwater in , and to taylor's falls in . he followed logging for many years, and made himself a permanent home on a farm in amador, on the banks of the st. croix river, in . he was married to eveline page, in michigan, in . william dobney, younger brother of john, came to taylor's falls from michigan in , and engaged, with characteristic energy, in lumbering and selling goods until his death, which was the result of an accident, he having been thrown violently from a wagon which he was driving, in the spring of . he was married in to fanny m. gray, who with two children survives him. the oldest, a son, is married and resides in minneapolis. the daughter is the wife of dr. greely murdock, of taylor's falls. henry h. newbury came to st. croix falls in , and to taylor's falls in . mr. newbury is a practical surveyor and explorer. he served as county surveyor and commissioner many years. he was married first to sarah ayers, widow of e. r. st. clair, who died in . in he was married to fanny m. gray, widow of wm. dobney. emil munch was born in prussia in ; came to america in , and to taylor's falls in , where, until , he worked at the carpenter's trade, when he removed to chengwatana, pine county, and engaged in lumbering and dealing in pine lands. he served as register of deeds in pine county, and represented washington, chisago, pine and kanabec counties in the house of the third legislature in . he enlisted at fort snelling, minnesota, oct. , , as a private in the first minnesota battery, and was chosen captain on the following month; was wounded at shiloh, april , ; returned to his battery in september of the same year, took part in the battle of corinth, october th and th, and in the after campaign was appointed chief of artillery, in october, , and from effects of exposure on the march was forced to resign in the december following, but again entered the service to fight the sioux indians on the minnesota frontier in may, june and july, . he entered the veteran reserve corps in august, . at the close of the war, in , he settled in st. paul and acted as deputy state treasurer. in he was elected state treasurer and held the office until . mr. munch lost most of his property in a long litigation, in consequence of some unfortunate ventures in buying pine lands. subsequent to his term of office as state treasurer he removed to lakeland and engaged in the lumber business. in he removed to afton where he took charge of a flouring mill. he was married in to bertha segar. he died aug. , . alvin mason wilmarth.--mr. wilmarth came from massachusetts to the valley of the st. croix in , and to taylor's falls in . he has followed lumbering and farming. mr. wilmarth is a steady, temperate man. lucius kingsbury stannard was born in franklin county, vermont, july , . he had good educational advantages and improved them. he completed his literary course at barkersfield academic institute, vermont, afterward studied law at st. albans, and was admitted to the bar in . in he came west and located at taylor's falls, where for some years he had charge of the business of taylor & fox. in he was a member of the territorial legislature, representing in the house the counties of washington, itasca, chisago, superior, and doty. he was a member of the republican wing of the constitutional convention of . he represented chisago, pine and isanti counties in the state senate of - . he was a member of the house of the thirteenth legislature, , representing washington, chisago, pine and kanabec counties. he held the position of receiver in the united states land office at taylor's falls from to . he was the first lawyer admitted to practice in the courts of chisago county. he was associated in his law practice for several years with h. n. setzer. he has served as prosecuting attorney and probate judge. he served several years as county surveyor. he has, in later years, been engaged in the lumbering and mercantile business, in the firm of ellison & stannard. in october, , he was appointed register in the land office, which position he now holds. mr. stannard has a very pleasant home within the village limits, but some distance beyond the settled portion. he is a man of sound judgment, of grave and almost severe demeanor, outspoken and positive in his views, but withal a reliable citizen and kind neighbor. he was married in to harriet stevenson, in st. louis. they have one son, luke. james w. mullen was born in nova scotia in . he came to davenport, iowa, in . he commenced life on a steamboat at the age of fourteen years. he was employed on the steamer boreas, plying between st. louis and keokuk, and followed river life most of the time until . in he built the vincent house, st. croix. taylor's falls has been his home at different times since his marriage in . he was married to margaret riley, of davenport, iowa. their children are william, edward and elsa. david caneday was born in vermont in , and settled in taylor's falls in . mr. caneday has devoted much of his time to prospecting as a mineralogist. during the years - he edited the _st. croix monitor_, and from - the _st. croix dalles_. in he enlisted in company c., seventh minnesota infantry, and served till the close of the war. his record as a soldier was good. after the battle of tupelo he volunteered to remain with the wounded, of whom there were about sixty, in the hands of the enemy. two of these wounded were comrades and friends in company c., andrew j. colby and john s. swenson. the former died. mr. caneday remained at great personal risk, and saw the inside of several prisons before being exchanged. after his return mr. caneday engaged in mining and prospecting, except such time as he edited the _st. croix dalles_. he is now mining on kettle river, in pine county, minnesota, and in burnett county, wisconsin. he was married in to laura, daughter of judge n. m. humphrey. george b. folsom was born in st. johns, new brunswick, april , . he was married to deborah sawyer, october, , and came to taylor's falls in , where he engaged in lumbering. in he removed to rush seba, locating in section . he was the first settler in the town and raised the first crops; built the first log and the first frame house, and was prominent in advancing the educational and other interests of the town. he was appointed postmaster in , and held the office fourteen years. he held the office of county commissioner ten years. in he was appointed receiver of the land office at taylor's falls, which office he held for ten years, since which time he has resided in the village. aaron m. chase was born in machias, maine, april , . he received a home and common school education. in the fall of he came to st. anthony and engaged in lumbering. he and sumner farnham ran the first logs down the mississippi from rabbit river to fort ripley and st. anthony, in . in the spring of , in company with pat morin, he built a tow boat, clearing for that purpose a tow path on the eastern side of the river a distance of eighty miles. he carried freight for the american fur company, but the introduction of steamboats put an end to this enterprise. in the fall of he went to st. louis and remained there till august, , when he returned north, locating at the outlet of balsam lake, polk county, wisconsin, where he built a saw mill. he built a dam and mill, bringing the materials together without other team than himself and five men. after completing the mill he engaged for some years in lumbering. he located at taylor's falls in . in he supervised the building of a series of dams on streams tributary to the upper st. croix, the water collected by them to be used at low stages to float logs to the st. croix and down that stream to stillwater. these dams are operated under a charter from the state of wisconsin, and have proved a great benefit to the lumbermen. mr. chase is president of the company. he is a man of strong, clear mind, deliberate in action, positive in his opinions and pointed in his expressions, and withal a kind hearted, generous and true man. mr. chase is unmarried. peter abear was born in canada east in ; came to stillwater in , but subsequently removed to taylor's falls where, in , he was married to kitty wickland, who died in , leaving a son, franklin e., merchant at anoka. mr. abear married again. his second wife died in , leaving a daughter, mary. mr. abear married a third wife, who died in , leaving no children. mr. abear is a machinist but has given much of his attention to farming. levi w. folsom was born in tamworth, carroll county, new hampshire, sept. , . he was fitted for college at gilmanton, entered penn college at gettsyburg, pennsylvania, and graduated in . returning to new england, he studied law at cornish, maine, with caleb r. ayer, and was admitted to practice in the county of carroll, new hampshire. he came to taylor's falls in , and was admitted to practice in the supreme court of minnesota, and practiced law for a period of fifteen years, when he engaged in real estate and other business. he is a pleasant and agreeable speaker, stands high in the masonic fraternity, is an ardent and uncompromising democrat, a positive man with strong home and social feelings. he has been vice president of the taylor's falls branch of the st. paul & duluth railroad since its organization. he was married in to abbie shaw, in st. paul. eddington knowles was born in kentucky in ; came to st. croix falls in , and followed lumbering. he was married to ann carroll at taylor's falls in , and made his residence at taylor's falls. he enlisted for service during the rebellion in the third minnesota volunteers, but was discharged for disability before the close of the war. he died at hayward, wisconsin, in , leaving a widow and three children. his oldest daughter is the wife of douglas greely, of stillwater. his body was brought to the taylor's falls cemetery for interment. dr. lucius b. smith.--dr. smith was the first regular physician in taylor's falls, having located here in . he was born in berlin, erie county, ohio, in the year . he was married in , and after some years' practice of medicine in his native town he came west and located in taylor's falls, where he resided until , when he was appointed surgeon of the seventh minnesota volunteer infantry, in which regiment were many of his friends and associates. he performed well his duties in that position, but was killed on the day preceding the battle of tupelo, the division to which he belonged having been ambuscaded by forrest's troops. his remains were carried to the field of tupelo and there buried, but have since been removed to kahbakong cemetery, at taylor's falls. dr. smith was a tall man, of fine presence, with the air of an officer, for which reason, doubtless, some sharpshooter singled him out for destruction. dr. smith left a widow, one son, charles, and one daughter, mary, the wife of j. w. passmore. his widow was married to e. d. whiting. both are deceased. william comer was born in cheshire county, england, in ; was married to elisabeth davis; came to america in and located in st. louis, where he remained until , when he removed to pike county, illinois. in he removed to st. croix falls and in to taylor's falls, where he has since resided. he has been treasurer of chisago county two terms, and four years register of the united states land office. for a number of years he has held the position of town and bridge treasurer. he and his two sons, george and william, are engaged in the mercantile business. his daughter, eleanor, is the wife of benj. thaxter, of minneapolis. dr. erastus d. whiting.--the whiting family, consisting of three brothers, erastus d., selah and charles b., came to taylor's falls in , and for many years were prominent merchants and business men in the village. erastus d. whiting was born in vernon centre, massachusetts, in . he was educated in the common schools and at westfield academy. at the age of sixteen he commenced reading medicine and graduated at the ohio medical college in . he practiced three years in ashtabula, ohio, and twenty years in pike county, illinois. when he came to taylor's falls he retired from practice and engaged in the mercantile and lumbering business until . during this time he served in two sessions of the minnesota legislature as representative, - . in he visited europe. he died in taylor's falls in . he was twice married; first in , to emily bradley, who died in ; and second in ----, to mrs. smith (widow of dr. l. b. smith), who died in . selah whiting was born in connecticut; came west to pike county, illinois, in , and to taylor's falls in . he engaged in the mercantile business. his wife died in . he died in . charles b. whiting was born in litchfield county, connecticut; came to pike county, illinois, in , and to taylor's falls in . he was associated with his brothers in the mercantile business. he was register of the land office four years and served as united states marshal during the war. his first wife died in taylor's falls. he was married to flavilla blanding in --. mr. whiting died in . frederic tang was born in prussia in . he learned the trade of house carpenter and served in the prussian army one year. he was married in germany, in ; came to america in and to taylor's falls in . he served three years in company c, seventh minnesota, during the rebellion. one son, frederic, resides at taylor's falls, engaged in lumbering. his oldest daughter, pena, is the wife of ernest leske, of taylor's falls. his second daughter, bertha, is the wife of david bowsher, of dakota. mr. tang died in november, . ward w. folsom was born in , in tamworth, new hampshire; was married to matilda stedman in ; came to taylor's falls in , where he kept a boarding house for several years. he died at his home, sept. , . his eldest son, charles w., was editor of the taylor's falls _reporter_ for several years. he was married to luella gray in . he died in . edward h., his second son, for some years has edited the taylor's falls _journal_. he started and conducted for some years the stillwater _lumberman_. he was married to susie way, in september, . george w. seymour was born in susquehanna county, pennsylvania, in , and came to taylor's falls in , where he has since resided, following the occupation of druggist, but occasionally holding a town office. mr. seymour held the positions of postmaster and justice of the peace for several years, and has been secretary of the taylor's falls & lake superior railroad since its organization. mr. seymour is an active member of the masonic fraternity, an ardent democrat and thoroughly trustworthy and reliable as a man and friend. he is unmarried. james a. woolley, a native of england, came to taylor's falls in . he was an engineer and in my employ as engineer and foreman in the pinery for fourteen years, during which period our association was quite intimate, and i learned to know him and esteem him as a true friend, and faithful to all his obligations as a man. he was a true christian and died in full hope of immortality. he promised, when he knew himself to be dying, to return to earth and revisit me if possible, but so far has not returned. he died in . his family removed to dakota. his oldest son, john alley, was killed in washington territory by a premature explosion of a blast in a mine, by which nineteen others were killed at the same time. alida married william mckenzie and resides at grand forks, dakota. frank w. f., the youngest son, also lives in dakota. patrick carroll, was of irish birth. his wife is a sister of patrick fox. he is about ninety years of age. they have had two sons, joseph and one drowned, and three daughters, one the wife of e. knowles, deceased, the other two becoming respectively the first and second wife of john o'brien. mr. o'brien has two daughters, minnie and lizzie, and three sons, william, joseph and daniel. joseph carroll was born at davenport, iowa, in ; came to st. croix when a boy, early in the 's, and worked for his uncle, patrick fox, in the pinery; was married to mary cotter at davenport, iowa, in . he resided at taylor's falls until , when he enlisted in a kansas regiment. he was severely wounded at springfield, missouri. he was subsequently transferred to a heavy artillery company of colored troops from tennessee, and commissioned a lieutenant. he was at fort pillow during the massacre, was taken prisoner and confined at andersonville eighteen months. after his dismissal he went to memphis and was employed in the police service until , when he and his wife died of yellow fever, leaving two daughters, one the wife of edward st. john, of marine, the other of geo. w. booth, of taylor's falls. rev. e. e. edwards was born in delaware, ohio, jan. , ; was educated at indiana asbury university, and has been employed most of his life in educational work, serving as president of whitewater college, indiana, professor of latin in hamline university, professor of natural sciences at st. charles and mckendre colleges, and president of the colorado state agricultural college. mr. edwards came to taylor's falls in the winter of , and remained two years as pastor of the methodist episcopal church, and teacher in the chisago seminary. during the last year of the war he was chaplain of the seventh minnesota volunteer infantry. in the winter of he again became pastor of the taylor's falls methodist episcopal church. he was married in to alice l. eddy, of cincinnati, ohio. his family consists of four sons and one daughter. stephen j. merrill was born in schoharie county, new york, in ; came to the st. croix valley in , and to taylor's falls in . he was married to caroline nelson in . they have six sons and one daughter. he has a beautiful and well improved homestead within the town limits, adjoining the cemetery. [illustration: rev. e. e. edwards.] noah marcus humphrey was born in , at goshen, smithfield connecticut. he removed to ohio in , served in the ohio legislature in and , and was for six years judge of probate court in summit county. he was married twice, the second time to mrs. young, in . his first wife left two children, mark, for some time a resident of taylor's falls, now deceased, and laura, wife of david caneday. judge humphrey has been justice of the peace in taylor's falls for twenty years, and postmaster for as many more. he was judge of probate court for ten years, and has recently been re-elected to that position. royal c. gray was born in bakersfield, vermont, october, . he spent his early life in vermont and massachusetts. he came west in , and located in kanabec county, where he farmed and kept a public house at greely station, on kanabec river, until , when he returned to massachusetts. in he returned to the st. croix valley and located in taylor's falls, where he still resides. he has been employed by the st. paul & duluth railroad company for ten years as surveyor and explorer, and holds some valuable pine lands. in mr. gray was married to ann eliza johnson, in massachusetts. they have one son, orin. john philip owens.--william owens, the father of john philip, came to america from north wales, and served as a soldier in the war of . john philip was born jan. , . his father died seven years later, and the son was brought up on a farm by a stepfather. he received an academic education at cincinnati, ohio. at the age of seventeen he commenced learning the printer's trade, served as an apprentice four years, and graduated on his twenty-first birthday. having some means inherited from his father, he commenced a newspaper enterprise at cincinnati, invested and lost all his money. for several years he was engaged as a reporter and assistant editor on various papers in cincinnati, louisville, vicksburg and new orleans. in he formed a business partnership with nat. mclean, of cincinnati, to establish a paper at st. paul. he arrived at st. paul may th of that year. the first number of the _minnesota register_ was printed in cincinnati and brought to st. paul for distribution in july. in october the paper was united with the _minnesota chronicle_, and so published until july, , when it was discontinued. in mr. owens and g. w. moore started the _weekly minnesotian_, adding in a daily and tri-weekly edition. the _minnesotian_ was ably edited, and was republican in politics. owing to poor health, mr. owens sold his interest in the _minnesotian_. in he was appointed quartermaster of the ninth minnesota volunteer infantry. this regiment did service in the state during the sioux war, but in was ordered south and attached to the sixteenth army corps. mr. owens served as regimental and brigade quartermaster until the close of the war. in april, , he was appointed register of the united states land office, which position he held until his death, sept. , . he was first grand master of the i. o. o. f. in minnesota; he left at his death an unpublished manuscript, "the political history of the state of minnesota." his first wife was helen mcallister, whom he married in ohio in . she left an only daughter, mary helen. mr. owens' second wife was frances m. hobbs, whom he married oct. , , in new york city. andrew clendenning was born in , in the north of ireland. he was a protestant, united with the methodist church when a young man and proved ever after a consistent christian, strong in his religious convictions and a faithful worker. he crossed the ocean in , locating first at new brunswick. in he came to michigan, in to st. croix falls, in to taylor's falls, where he resided until his death, in . he left three sons in taylor's falls, andrew, james and george, and one son in oregon. one son, joseph, died in the service of his adopted country, having enlisted in company c, seventh minnesota. one daughter, the wife of thomas thompson, of st. croix falls, died in . smith ellison was born in marine, madison county, illinois, march , . he came to marine mills in . for two years he was in the employ of judd, walker & co. the next three years he spent at osceola, wisconsin. in he engaged in logging and continued in that business for many years. in he settled on and improved a farm in sunrise. in he removed to taylor's falls and formed a partnership with l. k. stannard in the mercantile and lumbering business. mr. ellison was a representative in the eighth legislature, and served as county commissioner eight years. in late years he has been interested in a saw, planing and flour mill at stillwater. he is a stockholder and director in the first national bank at stillwater and owns large tracts of pine lands. he has applied himself closely to business, is energetic, cautious and thoroughly reliable. mr. ellison is unmarried. wyoming includes township , range . the eastern half is well timbered, the west has oak openings. sunrise river flows in a northerly direction through the township, and with its tributaries and numerous lakes supplies it abundantly with water. there are some wild meadows and tamarack swamps. green lake, in the eastern part of the township, is a picturesque sheet of water, five miles in length by one and a half broad, with sloping timbered shores and cedar points projecting into the lake, in one place forming a natural roadway nearly across, which is connected with the mainland opposite by a bridge. [illustration: smith ellison.] a colony from eastern pennsylvania settled the western part of the township in . the colony was composed of l. o. tombler, dr. john w. comfort, e. k. benton, and some others, in all ten families. the eastern part had been previously settled by swedes. the township was organized in . the supervisors were j. w. comfort, l. o. tombler and fred tepel. a post office was established at wyoming with j. engle as postmaster. the catholics and methodists erected churches in . the st. paul & duluth railroad was completed in , and in the branch road to taylor's falls. the township was settled rapidly after the completion of the railroad. at the junction of the two roads there is a good depot, two stores and a fine hotel, the latter kept by l. o. tombler. wyoming village was surveyed and platted by ben. w. brunson in , in portions of sections , and , township , range ; proprietors, western land association, l. mendenhall, agent. deer garden village was surveyed and platted by alex. cairns, october, , in sections and , township , range ; proprietor, erastus s. edgerton. lucius o. tombler was born in bethlehem, pennsylvania, in . his ancestors were moravians, who, driven from germany in the eighteenth century, came to america, and founded the colony of bethlehem, a colony famed for its thrift, advancement in educational matters, and high morality. mr. tombler and his wife, christiana brown, to whom he was married in , were educated in the moravian schools. they came with the colony from bethlehem to wyoming in , and built a two story log hotel on the st. paul and lake superior stage road, which was long noted as a rest for the weary traveler and a home for the invalid. mr. tombler was an energetic, worthy man, genial in his manners, a good farmer, a good landlord, and an accomplished musician besides. mrs. tombler possessed superior endowments as a landlady, and the house soon gained widespread popularity with the traveling public. the first hotel was burned in , but the year following a more commodious building was erected on the grounds, which, with its modern improvements within, and its park-like surroundings, is more popular with the traveling public than its predecessor. the tombler family consists of charles a., the father of lucius o., born in , but still hale and vigorous, in the possession of all his faculties, two sons, maurice and milton, and one daughter, laura. charles a., the grandfather, has received the thirty-third degree scottish masonic rite. dr. john woolman comfort was born in bucks county, pennsylvania, in . he graduated at jefferson medical college, philadelphia, in , and practiced medicine continuously, and, although an accomplished graduate of an allopathic school, was a zealous advocate and exponent of the thompsonian system, in favor of which he published several works. he was also for some years editor of the _thompsonian medical journal_. as a physician he was untiring, and impartial in the performance of his duties, never refusing a medical call on account of the poverty of the patient. he was especially kind to the poor. he came to wyoming with the colony in , and died there feb. , , leaving a widow, since deceased, one son in philadelphia, and two daughters, mrs. markley, of wyoming, and mrs. carter, of melbourne, australia. isaac markley was born in montgomery county, pennsylvania, april , . in the spring of he came westward, and engaged in steamboating. he commanded the uncle toby, and in october, , ran his steamboat from st. louis to taylor's falls for the writer of this work. he engaged in mercantile pursuits for some time in st. paul, and in came to wyoming and located on a farm. he was married to frances, a daughter of dr. comfort. he died at his home, february, . joel wright was born in pennsylvania in , and came to wyoming with the bethlehem colony in . he is a blacksmith by trade, but has also devoted himself to hunting and trapping. mr. wright has been married three times, and has three children. randall wright, second son of the foregoing, was born in pennsylvania in ; was married to anna montgomery in , and came to wyoming in . he is a house carpenter by trade. frederic tepel was born in hanover, germany, in ; received a fair education and learned the trade of blacksmithing. he came to america in , lived in new orleans one year, in st. louis ten years, in st. paul one year, and settled in wyoming in . in he was married to fredrica wilmina, of st. louis. they have seven children. mr. tepel has held many town offices to the satisfaction of his townsmen. he has been for forty years a member of the methodist church. charles henry sauer was born in germany in ; served as a soldier in the german army three years, and in the twenty-fourth year of his age came to america. the year following he returned to europe and was married. in he took up his residence in chicago, and in came to wyoming, and engaged in farming. he has three sons, fred, henry and harvey, and a daughter married to a lutheran minister. chapter xiv. washington county. the early history of washington county is to be found in the history of st. croix county, wisconsin, of which it was a part until the organization of minnesota territory in . at the first session of the territorial legislature washington county was established in full for county and judicial purposes. it included all that part of the territory lying east of the range line between ranges and and north of the mississippi as far as the british possessions and fractional parts of townships and , range . the courts held prior to this organization are referred to elsewhere. the first territorial court in washington county was held aug. , , judge aaron goodrich, presiding; judge david cooper, associate. it continued in session six days. there were sixty cases on the calendar. harvey wilson was clerk of court; a. m. mitchell, of st. paul, united states marshal; henry l. moss, district attorney; john morgan, sheriff. the lawyers present were h. l. moss; m. s. wilkinson, m. e. ames, a. m. mitchell, l. babcock, and david lambert. the second court house (the first under the new organization) was built in stillwater, corner of fourth and chestnut streets, in , at a cost of $ , . this was the first court house in the territory of minnesota. the lot was donated by john mckusick. in this building were held all the courts from to . in that year churchill & nelson donated a city block on nelson hill, a fine location overlooking the city and lake, and the county erected upon it a fine stone structure costing $ , , including jail and ground improvements. the first election was held nov. , . the following board of county officers was elected: commissioners, john mckusick, hiram berkey, joseph haskell; treasurer, socrates nelson; register of deeds, john s. proctor; judge of probate, harvey wilson; sheriff, jesse taylor. at the same election the following persons were elected justices of the peace in their various precincts: st. croix falls, jerry ross; point douglas, martin leavitt; stillwater, albert harris and h. k. mckinstry; marine, james moore and w. h. johnson. the territory of the county has been from time to time divided and subdivided for the organization of new counties. washington county, however, was divided but once. in the county of chisago was set off in the north, since which time its boundaries have been, chisago on the north, the st. croix river and lake on the east, the mississippi river on the south, anoka and ramsey counties and the mississippi river on the west. it includes the following townships: from to inclusive, ranges and , and fractional parts of townships and , range , and fractional part of township , range . afton was organized as a town in . joseph haskell, g. w. cutler and h. l. thomas were the first supervisors; minor h. thomas, clerk. it includes a fractional part of township , range . it is well watered by bolles and valley creeks, streams tributary to the st. croix. the southwestern part of the township is rolling prairie, the remainder somewhat broken. the soil is all productive and the streams afford good water powers. the township had french settlers as early as ,--baptist fornier and others. joseph haskell commenced his farm in . prior to a. mackey, l. bolles, p. j. carli, t. f. randolph, e. bissell, n. h. johnson, james getchell, and a. mchattie located in the town. the first crops were raised by the french settlers. the first marriage was that of andrew mackey to mrs. hamilton, in . the first child born was helen m. haskell, daughter of joseph haskell. the first death was that of paul j. carli, in , accidentally drowned in the lake. the first road was located between stillwater and point douglas, in . a military road was surveyed from point douglas to superior through this town in . lemuel bolles erected a flouring mill on bolles creek, in the winter of - , the first to grind wheat north of prairie du chien. the old mill was long since replaced by a new one, and the mill property has changed owners many times, emil munch being the last owner. the present mill is a fine structure with a capacity of fifty barrels per day. the first post office was at the old mill; l. bolles, postmaster. the first organized school was in the haskell district, in . the scandinavian methodists have a church in section , built in . the german lutherans have a church in section , and a parochial school. afton village. in may, , afton village was surveyed and platted by haskell, getchell & thomas, in section ; emerson & case were the surveyors. the village is beautifully located on the shore of the lake and contains one hotel, one church (congregational), one school house, an academy building, and several stores, shops and dwellings. the academy, known as the st. croix academy, was established in , and the building, a handsome three story brick structure, erected the same year. mr. gorrie was the first principal. simon putnam was the first pastor of the congregational church. south afton is located one mile south of afton, on the shores of the lake. it has an elevator, store, warehouses and other buildings. a saw mill was built by lowry & co., between afton and south afton; in , and rebuilt in by thomas & sons. the getchell brothers built a mill in , which was burned. valley creek is a small village on bolles creek, in sections and . erastus bolles located here in , and improved the water power, built a machine shop and manufactured edge tools. he sold out to his son, c. e. bolles, who further improved the property by building a corn and feed mill. in gilbert & buswell erected a flour mill with three run of stone. the post office in this village was established in , with erastus bolles as postmaster. st. mary village was platted in , on lots , and , section . thomas w. coleman, proprietor; james a. carr, surveyor. joseph haskell was born jan. , , in kennebec county, maine. during his minority he worked with his father on a farm at skowhegan, maine. in he came west, stopping two years in indiana. july , , he arrived at fort snelling on the steamer ariel, obtained employment of frank steele for whom he, with others, rowed a mackinaw boat from fort snelling to st. croix falls. while at the falls he worked on the dam and mill, then in process of building. in the fall of he made a trip to fort snelling and returned to the falls, carrying the mail in a birch canoe to catfish bar, and then across by indian trail to the fort. while on this trip he made the claim for his homestead in afton. in he put three acres under cultivation, raising corn and potatoes. this was the first attempt at farming, except by the french pioneers, who raised only garden crops, north of prairie du chien. september, , he made a trip to maine, and returned bringing three sisters with him. they kept house for him until he married. mr. haskell was married to olive furber, sister of j. w. furber, in . they have four children, helen m., mary e., henry pitt and hiram a. mr. haskell was a representative in the state legislatures of and . he was of most exemplary habits. he died at his home jan. , . lemuel bolles was born in new york. he came to st. croix falls in . in he opened a grindstone quarry in the soft, coarse sandstones, a short distance below the dalles. in - his grindstones were much used. he made stillwater his home in - , when he removed to afton. he was industrious, ingenious and eccentric. he died in stillwater in . taylor f. randolph was the first school teacher in washington county. he and his wife taught at red rock in - - - , under the supervision of the methodist mission at that place. in he settled on a farm in a valley near bissell's mounds, afton, where he and his wife died in . elijah bissell, in , located a farm near the three mounds in section , which now bear his name. he left the county in . andrew mackey.--mr. mackey, of whom some mention is made in the chapter concerning the early history, is one of the first pioneers, having come in with john boyce to the valley of the st. croix in a mackinaw boat, towed from st. louis to the mouth of lake st. croix by a steamer, from which point they poled their boat up to the st. croix falls, where they landed on the west side. from this point they made a portage and cordelled their boat, and with poles and lines ascended to snake river. he engaged for some time in lumbering, and worked at the falls until , when he settled on a beautiful farm, on a part of which afton is now situated. mr. mackey was born in kilkenny, ireland, in , and (in ) is still living. his wife died in . baytown comprises the north half of fractional township , range . the surface is somewhat uneven and broken, owing to the lake bluff formation, but there is much good farming land. originally it was covered with oaks or oak openings. it derives its name from a bay indenting the western shore of lake st. croix. at south stillwater village a considerable stream, known as spring creek, flows from some large springs and forms a good water power in its descent to the lake. two flour mills are located on this stream. in francis bruce built a house on the present site of the office of the st. croix lumber company. in the same year norman kittson built a trading post at what has been since known as kittson's point. both of these parties left in and john allen built a house and cultivated a field on the east side of kittson's point. allen sold the place in and removed to california. he raised the first crops in the town. in joseph pero became a prominent settler and made him a good home on spring creek. other parties made claims and abandoned or sold them. fiske & marty located here in . in came ambrose secrest and some others. in nelson, loomis & co. built a steam saw mill on the bay. in secrest & booth built a flour mill on spring creek. in baytown was organized as a town. the first supervisors were ambrose secrest, john parker and w. h. crosby; john j. hale, clerk. baytown village. socrates nelson, d. b. loomis, levi churchill, daniel mears, and james w. hinton, in february, , platted the village of baytown. harvey wilson was the surveyor. the location was on the lake shore, lots and , section , and lot , section . in a post office was established called south stillwater; william graves, postmaster. bangor village was platted may. , by c. i. and j. e. whitney, albert and edwin caldwell, wm. hollinshead, isaac staples, and a. j. short; j. j. carleton, surveyor. it was situated on the shore of the lake south of baytown. middletown village was platted in july, , in parts of sections and , by william holcomb; myron b. shepard, surveyor. south stillwater was platted in january, , by the st. croix railway improvement company; peter berkey, president; a. b. stickney, secretary; j. s. sewall, surveyor. south stillwater was made to include the platted villages of baytown, bangor and middletown. it has prospered greatly as a manufacturing village. in torinus, staples & co. built a steam saw mill, to which from time to time they added various manufacturing establishments. subsequently the firm became the st. croix lumber company. in the spring of this company sustained a loss by fire on their mill and appurtenances to the value of $ , , which was not insured: with indomitable energy they rebuilt, and prospered. the two leading business men in this firm were louis torinus and william chalmers. turnbull's steam saw mill, on the lake shore, has a capacity of , feet per day. the property is valued at $ , . the south stillwater lumber company has a mill with a capacity of , feet per day, with planer and other machinery attached, in which they have invested $ , . the firm consists of d. tozer, a. t. jenks, h. mcglinn, e. w. durant, and r. wheeler. the mills of the herschey lumber company, valued at $ , , have a capacity of , feet per day. the proprietor, ---- herschey, lives in muscatine, iowa. the stillwater dock company was organized in . the company consists of durant, wheeler & co., st. croix lumber company and jonah bachelder. they have built many fine steamers and barges. their repairing docks are a great convenience to steamboat lumbermen. the south stillwater soap factory, owned by mckenzie & co., deserves honorable mention. the construction of the branch railroad from stillwater in , and the st. paul & milwaukee railroad, built in , have greatly increased the prosperity of the village. aside from mills and manufactories there are many private residences, one hotel, stores, shops, a lutheran church, and a school house. there are three cemeteries in the village limits known as hazlewood, st. michael's, and the potter's field. the block for the former was contributed by secrest & pero, in . st. michael's was established by the catholics in . the potter's field was established by the city of stillwater in . the first death in the limits of south stillwater was that of sylvester, son of joseph pero. south stillwater was organized in . first board of officers were: president, b. e. meigs; clerk, edward ivison; councilmen, richard burns, c. m. anderson, charles kregor; justice of the peace, ambrose secrest. south stillwater has a graded school with four departments. cottage grove includes township and a fractional part of township , range . it was organized as a town in october, ; james s. norris, moderator; william watson, clerk; john atkinson, jacob moshier, joel munger, judges of election; william watson, john atkinson, b. winant; supervisors. wm. ferguson, lewis hill, james s. davis, jonathan brown, and jacob moshier were the first settlers, locating here in . the first marriage was that of henry w. crosby to hannah waterman, in . the first child born was nathan, son of john atkinson, in ; the first death was that of mehitable, wife of p. p. furber, in . a post office was established at cottage grove village in ; j. w. furber was postmaster. the chicago, milwaukee & st. paul railroad was completed through the town in . with its fine natural advantages of soil, and its convenient access to markets, cottage grove is well settled and prosperous. cottage grove village is situated in section . it is a pleasant inland village, well supplied with stores, shops and dwellings. it has one hotel, one school house and three churches, congregational, evangelical german lutheran and methodist. the congregational society was organized in , rev. b. hall, pastor; the evangelical in ; the methodist some years later. the universalists also have an organization. the village was platted in april, , by john p. and s. w. furber, james a. mcclusky, margaret m. ellwell and clarence smith, in the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section ; j. w. furber, surveyor. langdon village was platted in december, , in the southwest quarter of section , on the line of the chicago, milwaukee & st. paul railroad. it contains an elevator, hotel, three stores, a school house, catholic church and other buildings. the catholic church was erected in . father huxley is the officiating clergyman. the village was platted by joseph j. dodge; c. b. lowell, surveyor. joseph w. furber was born in new hampshire in . his ancestors came to this country with the early colonists of new england. his father was a soldier in the war of . during his minority he worked at farming, obtaining, meanwhile, an education in the common schools and at foxcroft academy, maine. he emigrated to the valley of the mississippi in , locating at alton, illinois, where he remained for two years. in he came to st. croix falls and engaged in lumbering until , when he located in cottage grove. in mr. furber represented crawford county in the wisconsin legislature as representative. he traveled on foot as far as prairie du chien on his way to the capital of the territory. he represented the first district in the first minnesota territorial legislature and was elected speaker of the house; was again a representative in the eighth territorial legislature in ; was a member of the tenth and seventeenth state legislatures. in he was commissioned major general of minnesota militia. he was also appointed united states marshal of minnesota by president fillmore. he died at his residence in cottage grove in . he was a man of strong intellect, sound judgment and high moral character. his widow, sarah wimples, to whom he was married in , one son, william w., and two daughters survive him. samuel w. furber was born in stafford county, new hampshire, in . he removed with his parents to milo, maine, and came to cottage grove in . theodore furber was born in , in farmington, new hampshire; came west in and located at st. croix falls. in the following year he moved to cottage grove. mr. furber was married to sarah j. hale in , in skowhegan, maine. mr. and mrs. furber visited california in . in they removed to california. james s. norris.--james s. norris was born in monmouth, kennebec county, maine, in . he was married at newport in to miss haskell. mr. norris came to st. croix falls in , removed to washington county in , where he settled on a farm at cottage grove, and lived continuously till his death, march , . he raised the first crops in cottage grove, and though he made farming his chief business, his abilities were such that his fellow citizens intrusted him with many official positions, in all of which he acquitted himself with honor. he acted as county commissioner, was a member of the first territorial council, member of the sixth and seventh territorial house of representatives, and speaker of the sixth, a member of the democratic wing of the constitutional convention, and of the twelfth state legislature (house). lewis hill was born at hollis, maine, in . in he came to the valley of the st. croix and located at st. croix falls. in he came to cottage grove and engaged in farming, and, excepting a few years spent in dakota county, has resided there since. he was married to abbie welch in . their living children are emma c., jessie l. and frederick e. g. jacob moshier was born in nova scotia in . he removed with his parents in to canada west. in he removed to illinois, in to st. croix falls, and in to cottage grove, where he still resides. he is a house carpenter, and has also been engaged in farming. he was married in to maria shatto. their children are annie f., mahala, william, addie, grant, laura, and george. william ferguson came to cottage grove in , and made a claim in section . john atkinson was born in lewiston, maine, april , . he remained in his native town until , resided in pittsfield until , when he came west and located in cottage grove. he pre-empted eighty acres of land, purchased additions to it from time to time, and made for himself a very attractive home, where he resided thirty years. mr. atkinson was twice married, first to hannah moore, at lewiston, maine, who died in , then to mrs. a. b. fiske, of baytown, at which place he now resides, an aged, much respected citizen. his first wife left four sons and two daughters. denmark. this town is located on the point of land between the mississippi river and lake st. croix, and includes the territory lying south of afton, and between cottage grove and lake st. croix, fractional townships and , range . the surface is elevated, somewhat rolling, without lakes or streams, and the soil rich and well adapted to agricultural purposes. the early history of the town is substantially that of its earliest settlement, point douglas. it was organized in . supervisors, john shearer, thomas wright and david hone. point douglas. levi hertzell and oscar burris, young men, located in on the extreme point of the delta between the mississippi and st. croix lake, where they cut wood and sold it to the steamboats. they built a log cabin and store, under one roof, and traded with indians, discharged soldiers and french settlers. they were diligent and industrious, and prospered. in they built a frame store building. their trade increased and they grew wealthy. messrs. levi hertzell, oscar burris and david hone, in , platted the village of point douglas, harvey wilson acting as surveyor. it was named in honor of stephen a. douglas. the following settlers came to point douglas prior to : wm. b. dibble, the truaxes, harley d. white, david barber, e. h. whittaker, james shearer, martin leavitt, simon shingledecker, h. a. carter, thomas hetherington, geo. w. campbell, john allibone, mark wright, john h. craig, john o. henry, and george harris. the first post office north of prairie du chien was established in , on the site of prescott, at that time known as "mouth of st. croix." this office was removed to the opposite side of the lake in , and levi hertzell was appointed postmaster. the first school was taught in , by john craig. rev. joseph hurlbut, a methodist minister, preached here in . in rev. t. wilcoxson, episcopalian, established "st. paul's parish." mr. woodruff erected a saw mill in . the enterprise was not successful. a. j. short built a saw mill in , which eventually passed into the hands of john dudley. the first road to point douglas was the stillwater county road, located in . the point douglas and lake superior military road was built in . a ferry was established in from point douglas to prescott, which was chartered in , and controlled by w. b. dibble, who also established a ferry from point douglas to hastings in . the first marriage was that of oscar burris to amanda m. henry, nov. , . the first birth was that of emmet m. hone, born in , son of david and mary g. hone. levi hertzell came to point douglas in , and was quite successful in business. in he was married to rhoda c. pond, an adopted daughter of cornelius lyman, of stillwater. in , in company with burris and hone, he platted the village of point douglas. in the spring of , while in new york, whither he had gone to purchase goods, he mysteriously disappeared, and nothing has since been heard from him. mrs. hertzell and her three children were left in a dependent condition, she being able to realize but little from the property held in point douglas. she soon after married again. of her subsequent history nothing is known. oscar burris, associated with levi hertzell as one of the first settlers of point douglas and pioneer merchants and traders, left in for california. david hone.--the following statement was given me, on request, by mr. hone himself: "i was born in cherry valley, otsego county, new york, april , , and was married to mary henry in . we came by stage over the mountains of pennsylvania to pittsburgh and by steamboat from there to cairo, illinois, and stopped at the marine settlement until sept. , . at that time i embarked on the steamboat ariel, at st. louis, and in twenty-five days reached the head of lake st. croix, from which point i proceeded on a flatboat, propelled by poles, to st. croix falls, the trip occupying two days. i made a pine timber claim on an island opposite the mouth of kettle river. on my return, which was made with eight companions in birch canoes, i stopped at marine and made a claim where the marine mill now stands, intending to build a saw mill. we then proceeded in our canoes to galena, where we took passage on the ariel for st. louis, landing there november th, after an absence of two months, more than half of which had been spent on the water. we reported favorably, and, organizing a company of thirteen at marine settlement, illinois, with a capital of $ , , got our material together at st. louis during the winter, and embarked on the fayette, may , , for the point afterward known as marine mills, minnesota. we arrived may th and commenced at once to work upon the projected mill, which was completed sept. , . i remained at the mill until march, , when i removed to gray cloud. i made a claim at point douglas in , and moved upon it in april of that year. in i built the union house, the first frame house built in the territory now embraced in minnesota. at gray cloud i acted as justice of the peace. i was appointed deputy sheriff by sheriff r. d. lester of crawford county, and held the office until minnesota territory was organized. my first wife died in november, , leaving three sons, edwin a., john h. and emmet m. in i was married to electa barnes, of st. paul. in i removed to hastings, my present home." mr. hone died at hastings, july , . william b. dibble was born in the state of new york in . he spent part of his early life in pennsylvania, georgia, alabama and illinois. he came to the st. croix valley in , and was one of the founders of marine, minnesota, from whence he removed to point douglas in , and established ferries across lake st. croix to prescott, and across the mississippi river to hastings. he also engaged in farming. he was twice married, first in , to eliza mccauslin, who died in , then to mary wright, who, with nine children, survives him. mr. dibble died in . george harris was born in pennsylvania in . in his father removed to illinois and was killed during the black hawk war while acting as sentry. at the age of eight years george commenced working on a farm, and continued nine years. he then removed to missouri and remained until , when he came to stillwater and engaged in lumbering. soon afterward he settled on a farm near point douglas, where he still resides. his family consists of a wife (formerly alice white) and seven children. harley d. white was born in orange county, vermont, in ; came to prairie du chien in and engaged in selling goods; removed to red rock in where he sold goods in partnership with daniel hopkins, and settled on a farm at point douglas in . some years later he removed to beattie, kansas. he was married to mrs. e. tainter, of st. croix falls, in . she died in , leaving a daughter, who was adopted into the family of w. h. tinker, of st. paul. this daughter became a teacher and taught in the public schools of st. paul for a period of eighteen years, and with her earnings purchased a home for her foster parents. mr. white married a second time and reared two sons, one an editor, now residing in alameda, california. the other is engaged in farming in kansas. mr. white died in april, . thomas hetherington was born in northumberland, england, in ; came to canada at the age of sixteen years and to point douglas in and settled on a farm at basswood grove, where he died in , leaving his family in good circumstances. he was held in great esteem as an upright man by those who knew him. james shearer was born at palmer, massachusetts, oct. , . he was engaged in the mercantile business from to , when he sold out and went to canada. he came to point douglas may , , and engaged in farming. he held various offices of trust in the county and town. he served as county commissioner for years, postmaster years, chairman of town board of denmark for years, and town treasurer years. mr. shearer was married to minerva j. taylor, march , . their children are marcus, martha and irvin. simon shingledecker was born in germany in ; came to america in and located in ohio, where he worked nine years as a farmer. he removed thence to illinois, then to st. louis, and in came to hudson, wisconsin, where he engaged in lumbering. in he located on a farm near point douglas, which is still his home. in he was married to margaret truax. they have eight children. caleb traux was born in mohawk valley in . he became a citizen of montreal and was there married to elisabeth morehouse. he removed to point douglas in , where he followed the business of farmer and house carpenter. he was a representative in the fourth territorial legislature. he died at his home in , leaving seven sons and three daughters. abraham truax was born in brooklynn, canada west. he came to point douglas in ; removed to hastings in . while there he was elected sheriff of dakota county. he returned to point douglas in , where he still resides. he was married to mary lahey in . mrs. truax died in , leaving five children. george w. campbell was born in canton, new york, april , . he received a common school and academic education. his father died in , leaving to george w. the care of the family and the management of the estate. he was married in , at cornwell, canada west, to margaret harriet robinson. he came to point douglas in , where he has lived since, engaged in farming and lumbering. he was a representative in the first state legislature, - . mrs. campbell died at her home in point douglas in , aged seventy-four years. she had been a member of the episcopal church for sixty years. six of her seven surviving children with the aged husband and father attended the funeral. mr. campbell died in . forest lake. this town includes township , range . the surface was originally covered with hardwood timber, interspersed with wild meadows; the western part with oak, maple, poplar and tamarack. the first settlers were louis schiel, wilson, rice and cyrus gray. later came simmons, posten, marsh, york, and banty. the first marriage was that of francis cartwright to mary long, in . the first child born was rebecca simmons. the first death was that of frederic veith, in . in the first school district was organized. a methodist church was organized in by rev. adam ringer. the forest lake lodge, i. o. g. t., was organized in . a post office was established in ; michael marsh, postmaster. the town of forest lake was organized in ; w. d. benedict, a. c. york and george simmons, supervisors; louis schiel, clerk. forest lake village was platted may, , in the northwest part of the town, by luther mendenhall, agent of the western land company, and surveyed by b. w. brunson. it is beautifully located on the shore of forest lake and is rapidly becoming a popular place of resort for summer tourists and pleasure parties. the lake is almost separated into three distinct parts by points or capes. it is five miles from the northwest to the southeast extremity and is nearly two miles wide at the widest point. its shores are well timbered and approach the water's edge in gravelly slopes. the indications are that the lake was once much larger. in the south lakes the water is deepest, averaging twenty feet. the south lakes have also higher banks. the lake covers territory in sections to , inclusive, of township , range . capt. michael marsh is a native of wesemburg, germany, and has resided at this lake nineteen years. he has done much to make it attractive as a place of resort. he has built a hotel with seventy-five rooms for the accommodation of summer visitors, and has placed a steamer, the germania, upon the lake. capt. marsh was married in germany and has a family of two sons and three daughters. grant. this town was organized in , under the name of greenfield. in the name was changed to grant. it comprises township , range . the soil is a sand and clay loam, with clay gravel subsoil. the surface varies from undulating to rolling, and was originally well timbered with white, black and burr oak. white bear lake lies partly within the township, occupying about , acres. other and smaller lakes are pine, stone quarry, deep, ben's, and long. the first officers of the town were: moderator, joseph crane; clerk, jesse h. soule; supervisors, albion masterman, james rutherford and joseph crane. the first settlers were albion masterman and william rutherford, in . soon after came james rutherford, thomas ramsdell and george bennett. albion masterman built the first house, and his wife, formerly eliza middleton, was the first woman in the settlement. the first public highway through the town was the rum river road. the first child born was castinea o. rutherford. the first death was that of james, son of james rutherford. the first school house was built in section , in . joseph crane taught the first school. the first sermon was preached by rev. ---- hamlin, a free will baptist, but the first religious organization was that of the german protestant lutheran. rev. siegrist was the first pastor. the church building is in section , and was built in . the spiritualists had an organization in , of which jesse h. soule was president, and george walker secretary. summer meetings were held, and lecturers from abroad invited to address them. dellwood village was platted in september, , on the line of the stillwater & white bear railroad, on the shore of white bear lake; augustus k. and carrie barnum, proprietors; simon & morton, surveyors. eagle city was platted in ; proprietors, k. starkey and chas. g. pettys; surveyor, daniel s. turpen. it is located in the southwest quarter of section . mahtomedi was platted in july, ; proprietors, mahtomedi assembly; surveyors, hone & holland. white bear lake has become a noted resort for tourists and pleasure parties. a steamboat plies regularly upon its waters during the open months, and the stillwater & white bear, the st. paul & duluth and the wisconsin central railroads render it easy of access. it is made attractive by the beauty of its scenery, the clearness and brightness of its waters and its convenient distance from st. paul, minneapolis and stillwater. the mahtomedi association have erected here a fine hotel, assembly houses and numerous cottages for the accommodation of summer visitors. summer schools are held here under the auspices of the chautauqua association. the grounds are also adapted to camp meetings, conventions and military parades. wildwood park was platted in , by the park association; elmer & newell, surveyors. it is located on white bear lake, on the line of the stillwater & white bear railroad. william elliott was born in ireland in . his parents removed to new brunswick in , whence he came to minnesota in , and located in grant in , devoting himself to farming. he had been a pilot and a lumberman. his second wife was mary crawford. they have eight children. frederick lamb was born in prussia in ; served three years in the prussian army, traveled some time for a manufacturing firm in germany through switzerland, france, england, and italy; came to america in , and to stillwater in . for some time he was unsettled as to his location, but in made his home in stillwater, where he remained until , when he located in grant. he was married in to lena laroche. a son and a daughter lost their lives by accident. three daughters are living. james rutherford was born in the parish of elsdon, northumberland county, england, in . in he came with his parents to america. in he came to the valley of the st. croix and located in what is now the town of grant. he built a flour mill on brown's creek. he engaged in farming and also in lumbering for many years. he was married to elisabeth smith in . he died at his residence sept. , . four children survive him. jesse h. soule has been a prominent and enterprising citizen of grant since . he was born at avon, franklin county, maine, in . mr. soule came to grant when there were but six families in the town, and pre-empted one hundred and fifty acres of land, where he made him a pleasant and attractive home. he has held many positions of trust, having been elected town clerk, which office he held twenty-two years, justice of the peace, assessor, superintendent of schools and county commissioner. he represented his district in the house of the sixth state legislature in . mr. soule has been married three times. his first wife left one daughter, his second wife two sons, twins, osmar and winfield; his third wife, who still lives, rachel michener, to whom he was married in , has three children, alice, olive and reuel. albion masterman and william rutherford, the first settlers of grant township, are mentioned among the biographies of the chapter on stillwater. lakeland. this town includes the south half of fractional township , range , and comprises about , acres. the surface is quite diversified, ranging from undulating prairie land to hills. before settlement there were prairies and oak openings. the soil is productive and is well cultivated. the first settlers were french, who located along the lake shore in - . these early settlers raised the first crops, but were gardeners rather than farmers, and were transient. the first american settler was henry w. crosby, who came in , and located on the site of the present village of lakeland. george clark, a young man, came with him and made a claim near the ferry, but was drowned not long afterward. this was the first death in the town of which we have any mention. the first marriage was that of wm. oliver and mrs. mary davis, a sister of joseph haskell, in ; the next was that of a. b. green to eliza m. oliver, oct. , . a ferry was established in . moses perrin built a hotel and saw mill the ensuing year, and platted the village of lakeland. another mill was built by ballard & reynolds. in stearns, watson & co. built an extensive saw mill at a cost of $ , . this mill changed hands many times, finally passing into the hands of c. n. nelson, who enlarged it to a capacity of , , feet per annum, a $ , investment. the st. paul & milwaukee railroad traverses this town near and parallel to the lake shore. the town contributed $ , in ten per cent bonds to the building of the road, for which they received an equal amount of railroad stock. the st. paul & omaha railroad crosses the lake and a part of the northeastern part of the township of lakeland. the railroad bridge has its western terminus in lakeland, a short distance above the village. lakeland was organized as a town oct. , . the first board of supervisors consisted of charles a. oliver, elias megean and a. d. kingsley. lakeland village, situated on the lake shore, nearly opposite hudson, wisconsin, was platted in by moses perrin. a school was taught in by harriet e. newell. a post office was established in ; freeman c. tyler was the first postmaster. lakeland has the following benevolent and social societies: masons, golden rule lodge, no. , organized in ; temple of honor, organized ; the independent order of good templars, no. , organized in . it has a baptist and congregational church. henry w. crosby was born in albany, new york, in . he spent his youth in buffalo. in he came to st. croix falls, and in to the banks of lake st. croix, and located on the site of the village of lakeland where he resided ten years. during the ensuing thirteen years he followed his trade as machinist at various places, besides serving three years as a volunteer in the eighth minnesota volunteer infantry. he was married in cottage grove in , to hannah waterhouse. he has four sons. reuben h. sanderson.--mr. sanderson was born in genesee county, new york, in . he received a common school education and studied one year in brockport collegiate institute. he came to lakeland in , and followed the business of a house carpenter. mr. sanderson has filled many town offices, and was a member of the democratic wing of the state constitutional convention in . newton mckusick, the oldest son of john mckusick, was born in stillwater in . he received a good education in the city schools, completed at the minnesota state university, and located on a farm in lakeland in . he was married to jennie l. green, of stillwater, june , . his home and farm display taste and thrift worthy of commendation. capt. john oliver.--john oliver was born march , , at land's end, england. he was bred to a seafaring life, and the early part of his life was well spiced with adventure. he escaped from the british service to enter the american, but was twice captured, and after the second capture suffered a rigorous imprisonment at dartmoor, england. at the close of the war he came to the united states and became a boston harbor pilot, a responsible calling which he followed for thirty-three years. he came to the west in , and settled in lakeland. in he was married to sarah spear, whose father was one of the celebrated boston tea party in . capt. oliver, after his removal to lakeland, busied himself in farming. he died on the homestead in , leaving a widow who survived until , and five sons, two having died prior to . of his seven sons, six were in the union army in minnesota regiments during the rebellion: wm. h., thomas e., charles a., george a., walter j., and howard f. walter j. died in the army. asa barlow green.--the name of capt. green was once familiar on the st. croix. he was a man of varied talents and striking characteristics, who, in a public life extending over a period of many years, figured as a lawyer, sheriff, probate judge, steamboat captain, minister, chaplain, and missionary. he was born at warren, vermont, , and during his minority lived at home. he had a common school education, and by his own efforts attained a knowledge of the law and was admitted to practice in minnesota and wisconsin in . he served as sheriff in washington county, held the office of probate judge, and some minor offices. he commanded the steamer equator in , when that boat was wrecked on lake st. croix. he was part owner of the boat. in he was ordained as a minister of the calvinist baptist church. in he entered the united states service as chaplain of the third wisconsin volunteers, and served three years, after which he devoted himself to ministerial and missionary labors. he died in whitewater, wisconsin. l. a. huntoon located in lakeland in , and engaged in mercantile pursuits. he served as town clerk and postmaster, filling the latter position fifteen years. he represented his district in the house of the seventh and nineteenth legislatures. he died suddenly at his home in , leaving a wife and three children. his oldest son, samuel, a promising young man, principal of the hammond high school, and fitting himself for the medical college, was drowned oct. , , in cutter's lake, at the age of twenty-one. he was much esteemed and lamented. marine. the town of marine includes townships and , range , and fractional townships and , range . the surface is somewhat rolling, and before settlement was timbered chiefly with hardwood. it is dotted with beautiful lakes, some of which have abrupt and hilly shores. the more noted of these lakes are big, carnelian, square, bony, terrapin, long, fish, and hay. next to st. croix falls, marine contains the earliest settlement in the valley. in september, , lewis judd and david hone were deputized by a company of men residing in marine, illinois, to visit the northwest and examine the region recently secured by treaty from the chippewas, and to return the same year and report upon its advantages of climate, soil and other resources. they were authorized also to locate a claim for a future settlement, if they found one entirely suitable. they embarked on the steamer ariel at st. louis, september th, and were twenty-five days reaching the head of lake st. croix, whence they proceeded in a flatboat propelled by poles up the st. croix as far as the falls, and thence to the mouth of kettle river. returning by birch canoes, they stopped at the site of the present village of marine, and there made a mill claim. they then returned to marine, illinois, where they arrived november th, and reported favorably on the location chosen. during the following winter a verbal agreement was made by thirteen persons, all of marine settlement, to start in the spring and build a saw mill on the distant st. croix. on april th this company left st. louis on the steamer fayette for the new settlement, which they reached on the thirteenth of may. the fayette was chartered expressly for this voyage. they took with them mill irons, farming tools, household goods, three yoke of oxen, and cows. the members of the party were lewis, george and albert judd, david hone, orange walker, asa s. and madison parker, samuel burkelo, wm. b. dibble, dr. lucius green, joseph cottrell, and hiram berkey. when they landed they found jeremiah russell and levi w. stratton in possession of the claim, they having taken possession during the preceding winter. these men demanded and received three hundred dollars for relinquishing the claim to its rightful owners. the colonists set to work immediately to build a log cabin as a temporary shelter, which being completed, they commenced the mill, and worked with such energy that it was finished in ninety days. the first wheel used was a flutter wheel, which, not proving satisfactory, was replaced by an overshot with buckets. this mill sawed the first lumber in the st. croix valley. orange walker was the first clerk and chieftain of the concern, and when anything was wanted a call of the company would be made, and the members assembled. no article of agreement existed. only one book was kept for a series of years--a unique affair, no doubt. the first installment was $ ; second, $ ; third, $ ; all within two years, after which the company became self sustaining. no partner forfeited his stock. one by one the partners sold out their interest, until orange walker and g. b. judd were the owners. the company was first known as the marine lumber company. in the name was changed to judd, walker & co., the firm consisting then of the judd brothers, orange walker, samuel burkelo, asa parker, and h. berkey. in , when orange walker was sole owner, he associated with him samuel judd and w. h. veazie, and the firm name has since been walker, judd & veazie. the colonists raised, during the first year, corn, potatoes and garden vegetables. they found the indians peaceably inclined toward the settlers, though the chippewas and sioux kept up a constant warfare with each other. during the winter of - four members of the company, parker, berkey, green and dibble, were sent to the mouth of kettle river to cut logs. marine was organized as a town in , with the following supervisors: j. r. m. gaskell; john e. mower and b. f. allen. marine mills village. the settlement gradually grew into the village of marine mills, which was not platted, however, until , nor incorporated until . the following was the first board of officers: president, orange walker; councilmen, j. r. m. gaskell, ola westergreen and asa s. parker. until the mail was received from ft. snelling by private conveyance, when a monthly mail service was established from point douglas, and samuel burkelo was appointed postmaster. the first jury trial in the st. croix valley was held at marine, in , before joseph r. brown, justice of the peace. the case was that of philander prescott against chas. d. foote, plaintiff charging defendant with jumping a claim. the jury consisted of samuel burkelo, orange walker, h. berkey, david hone. j. haskell, j. s. norris, a. mchattie, a. mackey, h. sweezy, francis nason, and two others. the claim in dispute was located near prescott. the court adjourned to allow the jury to visit prescott to ascertain if the claim had been made in accordance with custom. on viewing the premises the jury failed to agree, and the matter was compromised by prescott allowing foote eighty acres of the claim. the first white child born in marine was sarah anna waterman, in . dr. wright, the first physician, located in marine in . the first marriage was that of wm. b. dibble to eliza mccauslin, in . the first death was that of a child of w. h. nobles, in . the first sermon preached was by rev. j. hurlburt, a methodist missionary, jan. , . the first school was taught by sarah judd, in . the swedish evangelical lutherans built the first church in the town of marine, in section , in , a log structure afterward used as a school, its place being supplied by a new structure in section in . in a large church × feet, ground plan, and with steeple feet high, succeeded the second structure. a fine parsonage was attached. this church was blown down by a cyclone in , but was rebuilt. the swedish methodists built a church on the south side of long lake in ; c. p. agrelius, pastor. the congregationalists commenced the first church and perfected the first organization in marine village, in . the church was completed and dedicated in . rev geo. spaulding was the first pastor. the second congregational church was erected in , in section . the swedish lutherans have a church and congregation in the village of marine. the church was built in . rev. l. o. lindh was the first pastor. oakland cemetery association was organized in and the cemetery located near marine village. improvements. a passable road was opened from stillwater to marine in . the government road from point douglas to superior was built through marine in - . the company built the first frame dwelling, on a point above the mill, in . the mill company built a frame store in the same year. this building was burned in ; loss, $ , . the only hotel until was a log building, when the marine store was built. the lightner house was built in , the st. croix house in . the marine flour mill was built in by gaskell & co. the first flour was manufactured in . the mill is four stories high and is furnished with a turbine wheel. the water is brought a distance of , feet by an elevated race. the arcola saw mills were built in the winter of - , by martin mower, david b. loomis, joseph brewster and w. h. c. folsom. they were located on the river shore three miles below marine mills. the motive power is an overshot wheel, propelled by water from two large springs. the mill is now the property of martin mower. the losses by fire in marine have been: the marine saw mill, sept. , , loss $ , ; judd & gaskell's store, jan. , , loss $ , ; samuel b. judd's dwelling, april, , loss $ , ; w. h. veazie's dwelling, april, , loss $ , . a heavy financial failure occurred in the winter of - . the firm of walker, judd & veazio were compelled to make an assignment; indebtedness, $ , . in the ensuing may, by order of the court, the mill property with its assets passed into the hands of a newly constituted organization, styled the marine lumber company. this company was composed of the creditors of judd, walker & veazie; b. c. keater, president; ed. st. john, superintendent; capital stock, $ , . in the property passed into the hands of anderson & o'brien. vasa village was platted in , in section , township , range , by b. f. and mary jane otis and john columbus; w. p. payte, surveyor. james russell, james cilley and frank register in built a steam saw mill. james russell built a three story hotel. a saloon and other buildings were erected, but the village did not prosper, and the site is now abandoned. there are several ancient mounds in the town site which have been utilized to some extent as burial mounds. one in the rear of the school house contains the remains of caroline reid, a sister of mrs. b. f. otis, and hiram otis, a son of the latter. a mound on the farm of john copas contains the remains of john columbus, buried there at his own request with the body of his favorite dog. a post office was established at scandia, in the northern part of marine, in ; john m. johnson, postmaster. the upper part of the town of marine was at one time organized as a town called vasa, but has since been merged in marine. orange walker was born at st. albans, vermont, sept. , . his ancestors were of english stock and revolutionary fame. he received a good common school education, and at the age of sixteen entered as an apprentice in a tanner and currier's establishment in st. albans. after learning the trade he worked at it some time in milton, vermont. in he came west, and located at jacksonville, illinois, where he worked at his trade and also engaged in farming until , when he became a member of the marine lumber company, and came with them to marine, where he resided a period of forty-eight years. during that time he has been the most active and influential man in the company, having been in almost constant service as its president or principal agent. mr. walker was well known to the earlier dwellers in the st. croix valley as a hale, hearty, well informed man, prompt in fulfilling his engagements, and liberal in everything that pertains to the general good. mr. walker filled many public positions. he was county commissioner ten years, postmaster twenty-five years, and represented his district in the house of the second minnesota legislature in - . he was married sept. , , to mrs. georgiana lockwood, of prescott, formerly miss barton, a native of wilkesbarre, pennsylvania. mrs. walker died oct. , . mr. walker died aug. , . lewis walker, brother of orange walker, was born in st. albans, vermont, in ; in early life removed to marine, illinois, and in came to marine mills, minnesota. he spent many years at the st. croix upper boom, and the last fifteen years of his life he lived in osceola. he was a quiet, peaceable citizen, exemplary in his habits and respected by all his acquaintances. he died in osceola in . mr. walker was married in to calphrunia white, who, with two daughters, survives him. the oldest daughter, ella, has been for many years a teacher in the minneapolis and st. paul and other schools. emma is the wife of henry fifield, a printer and journalist of northern michigan. samuel burkelo was born in kent county, delaware, march , . he came to marine in , being one of the thirteen constituting the marine lumber company. he remained with the company ten years, removed to stillwater and engaged in the mercantile business. in he removed to a farm in lakeland, where he died in . he was one of the commissioners appointed in to organize st. croix county, and represented his district in the council of the first and second territorial legislatures. he was married dec. , , to susan mccauslin, at point douglas. four children survive him. asa s. parker was born in windsor county, vermont, july , . his youth was spent in vermont, new york and illinois. he was by trade a brickmaker. he joined the marine company and came to marine in . he continued a member of the company until , since which time he has been engaged in farming and selling goods at marine. mr. parker is a quiet, unobtrusive gentleman, well posted in general matters. he was a very useful member of the company. he was eight years county commissioner, and has filled responsible town and county positions. he was married in to isabella thompson. archie i., an only son, living with his parents, was married to lena smith in . hiram berkey was born in somerset county, pennsylvania, oct. , . he came to st. louis, missouri, in , but made collinsville, illinois, his home, and engaged in farming. he came to marine mills in , and was one of the original company that founded marine. he sold his interest in , since which time he has been engaged in hotel keeping and farming. he served as county commissioner four years, and filled local offices. he was married to jennie mccarty, of pennsylvania, oct. , . they have one son, john r. geo. b. judd was born in farmington, connecticut, oct. , . in he came to illinois and engaged in farming and merchandising. in he became a member of the marine company, and came up on the fayette, but did not make his residence there until . he retained his interest in the company until about . he removed to st. louis in , and became a member of the enterprising commission firm of judd & hammond. after his removal to marine he engaged in the mercantile and lumbering business. mr. judd died at his home in marine in . james hale was born in , in putnam county, indiana; lived five years in illinois, and came to marine mills in , where he engaged in farming. he was married to mary finnegan in . mr. hale died feb. , . john holt was born in jefferson county, kentucky, in . he came to marine in . in he was married to mary jane ward, and removed to stillwater, where for two years he kept the minnesota house, at the southwest corner of main and chestnut streets. returning to marine in he followed lumbering and farming many years. during the latter portion of his life he was afflicted with partial blindness. he died jan. , , leaving two children. george holt, brother to john holt, was born in kentucky in , where he spent his early life. after spending a year at prairie du chien, in he came to marine and obtained employment with the marine company. in he removed to stillwater, and engaged in the livery stable and hotel business until , when he returned with his brother to marine. he claims to have carried, in , the first leathern mail pouch from stillwater to taylor's falls. during the rebellion he served one year in company g, fourth minnesota volunteer infantry. while residing in marine he has been engaged chiefly in farming, rafting and lumbering. in he was married to melinda ward. they have five children. william town was born in rome, n. y., . in he removed to warren county, illinois, and in he was married to louisa robinson. he came to marine in ; removed to st. croix falls in ; to osceola prairie in , and to taylor's falls in , where he died in . his first wife died at osceola in , leaving three daughters, one the wife of w. j. seavey, of taylor's falls, one the first wife of henry mallen, of farmington, wisconsin, and one the wife of e. hines bates, of taylor's falls. mr. town was married in to mrs. mary collins, formerly mary talboys. a daughter of mrs. town, by her first husband, is the wife of n. p. bailey, of taylor's falls. mr. town's aged mother came to osceola prairie in , and died in june, , aged ninety-seven years. mrs. abbott, of moorhead, and mrs. richmond, of farmington, are her daughters. matthias welshance was born in , in pennsylvania, where he lived during his minority and learned the carpenter's trade. in he removed to galena, illinois, in to st. croix falls and in to marine mills, where he worked at his trade until . from that time until his death, may , , he was engaged in hotel keeping. he was for nine years keeper of the marine hotel and has since been proprietor of the st. croix house. he was married nov. , , to mary j. hooper. they have five children living. one daughter, mrs. tolan, met a tragic death at the hands of an insane husband, in . mr. welshance died in . benjamin t. otis was born in fairfield, maine, in . he came to st. croix falls in , and engaged in lumbering. in he located on what is known as colby flat, on the site of taylor's falls, and improved a farm. in he removed to marine. his first wife died suddenly at marine. he was married to mrs. church, of stillwater, in . henry f., a son by his first wife, enlisted in , in the seventh minnesota volunteers, was wounded in , and honorably discharged. william clark was born in new brunswick, july, . he came to marine mills in , and since has followed lumbering. he married elisa jane nelson in . mrs. clark died in , leaving two daughters. james r. meredith was born aug. , , in white county, illinois, where he lived until eighteen years of age, when he removed to galena, where he spent five years in mining. he went thence to burlington, iowa, and in located in marine, and was employed by the marine company several years. in he located upon his present farm. in he was married to eleanor freeman. they have three children living. john d. and thomas e. ward. the ward brothers are natives of massachusetts. they came to the st. croix valley with their brothers-in-law, john and george holt. they have engaged chiefly in steamboating and river business. samuel judd, son of lewis judd, was born in illinois in . he graduated at mckendrie college, lebanon, illinois, and came to marine in , and became a member of the firm of walker, judd & veazie. in he was married to amelia d. flaherty, at st. louis. their children are orange w. and lucille m. in he changed his residence to st. paul. frederic w. lammers was born in germany in . he came to america in , locating first at st. louis, where he remained two years. in he removed to the st. croix valley, and for several years engaged in lumbering. in he settled on a farm in taylor's falls, and was married to helen c. nelson, of marine. in he sold his farm and removed to big lake marine. mr. lammers has been a public spirited and excellent citizen. his family consisted of fifteen children; of these thirteen are living. james r. m. gaskill was born in madison county, illinois, in ; graduated from mckendrie college in ; graduated from the medical department of the missouri state university in ; practiced medicine a short time at centralia, illinois, and came to marine in , where he practiced medicine and interested himself in milling, lumbering and merchandise. he represented his district in the house of the first legislature of minnesota, - , and of the fourteenth and fifteenth, - . he served during the rebellion as surgeon of the forty-fifth illinois volunteers. he was for many years a trustee of the minnesota state prison. in he was married to clara e. hughes. they have one son and one daughter. newport. the town of newport includes fractional townships and , range , and part of sections , and , in township , range : it was organized as a town oct. , . the first supervisors were william fowler, e. b. schofield and john willoughby. the surface is mostly prairie. this town has some points of great historic interest. gray cloud island, in the southern part, in the mississippi river, separated from the mainland by a slough, is the place where, according to some historians, le sueur planted a french fort in . it was styled the "isle pelee," and was described as a beautiful "prairie island." the description of the island tallies precisely with that of gray cloud, and is applicable to none of the other conjectured localities. it is mentioned by many antiquarian writers as a place of rendezvous for french traders during the french domination in this part of the continent. gray cloud has been known as a trading post for the last hundred years, and has the credit of being the first white settlement in washington county, and probably in minnesota. here came joseph r. brown in , and here he married the daughter of dickson, the trader. hazen mooers, one of the commissioners of st. croix county in , joseph boucher and others were living at gray cloud when the methodist mission was established at kaposia in . gray cloud is the translation of the indian name of the island. it was also borne by an indian maiden, who became the wife of hazen mooers, who seems to have been a man of excellent repute and considerable influence. the browns cherished for him a very warm feeling of regard. red rock, another historic locality, derives its name from a painted rock which seems to have been held in great reverence by the sioux indians. according to rev. chauncey hobart, a veteran pioneer and preacher still living in minnesota, it was the custom among the sioux to worship the boulders that lie scattered along the hills and valleys. when a dakotah was in danger, it was his custom to clear a spot from grass and brush, roll a boulder upon it, paint it, deck it with feathers and flowers, and pray to it for needed help. the peculiarity of the painted boulder from which red rock took its name is that it was a shrine, to which from generation to generation pilgrimages were made, and offerings and sacrifices presented. its indian name was "eyah shah," or "red rock." the stone is not naturally red, but painted with vermillion, or, as some say, with the blood of slaughtered victims. the indians call the stone also "waukan," or "mystery." it lies on a weathered stratum of limestone, and seems to be a fragment from some distant granite ledge. the dakotahs say it walked or rolled to its present position, and they point to the path over which it traveled. they visited it occasionally every year until , each time painting it and bringing offerings. it is painted in stripes, twelve in number, two inches wide and from two to six inches apart. the north end has a rudely drawn picture of the sun, and a rude face with fifteen rays. red rock is noted as the site of a mission planted here in by the methodist episcopal church, by alfred brunson, a distinguished pioneer preacher and missionary. the mission was originally established at kaposia, on the western bank of the river, in , but removed by alfred brunson in the same year to red rock. rev. b. t. kavanaugh, of this mission, and afterward a bishop of the methodist episcopal church south, superintended the erection of the first buildings. taylor f. randolph and wife were teachers here, as assistants in the indian school, and also in a school of mixed bloods and whites. b. t. kavanaugh was postmaster in . john holton was mission farmer in , under a commission from maj. taliaferro, of fort snelling. the mission was discontinued in . mr. randolph and wife made them a home in the town of afton, where both died in . the first marriage was that of john a. ford to mary holton, daughter of john holton, in . the first birth was that of franklin c. ford, september, . the first death was that of a child of rev. b. t. kavanaugh. the village of newport was platted in . w. r. brown's addition was platted in . a steam saw mill was built in by e. m. shelton & brothers. the mill was destroyed by fire in . a flour mill was built in its place by joseph irish. the first baptist church was organized jan. , . the first commodious house of worship was built in . the red rock camp meeting association was organized in . a plat of ten acres, beautifully situated in a natural grove near the village, and on the line of the chicago, milwaukee & st. paul railroad, was donated to the association by john holton. these grounds have been improved, and adorned with tasteful cottages. the camp meetings held during the summer are largely attended. gray cloud city was platted in june, , by j. r. brown and truman w. smith, and surveyed by j. donald mccullom. newport village was platted may , , by joseph h. huganin, r. c. knox, wm. and james fowler, and surveyed by b. densmore. john holton came to red rock in , with the methodist missionaries; served some years as indian farmer under maj. taliaferro, indian agent, and afterward settled on a farm just above the mission ground. he donated ten acres of this farm to the methodists for camp meeting grounds. mr. holton died in , leaving two children, mrs. ford and mrs. winters. john a. ford was born in utica, new york, in . he learned the trade of edge tool and rifle making, and in came west with his father, locating a land claim where chicago now stands. in the son came to red rock and erected a store building in which he sold goods for twelve years. subsequently he engaged in farming. with the exception of the traders mr. ford was the first merchant in washington county. mr. ford was a representative in the second territorial legislature. he was married to may holton in . their children are franklin and willis. franklin, the eldest son, was married to addie witherspoon in , and resides in newport. daniel hopkins, a native of new hampshire, came west at an early age. he was a gunsmith by trade. he located in green bay in , and removed to prairie du chien in , where he built a stone shop with a large double window over his workbench and overlooking a spot where he kept his money buried. a large mullein growing over it sufficiently indicated that his treasure was still undisturbed. growing somewhat doubtful of the security of his hoard, he removed and placed a thousand dollars in a stone quarry as a safer place of deposit. unexpectedly to him, the quarry was reopened and a well placed blast scattered the old gentleman's treasure to the four winds. he recovered but a portion of it. in he left prairie du chien and came to red rock. he was three years associated with john a. ford in selling goods, after which, in , he removed to st. paul, where he opened a store. he died in , aged sixty-five years. william r. brown was born in urbana, ohio, in . he spent his boyhood at home on a farm and served as an apprentice to a carpenter in mt. carmel, illinois. in april, , he came to red rock mission in company with rev. b. t. kavanaugh, charles cavalier and julia bosnell. he lived upon a farm until , when he sold out and removed to st. paul, where he dealt in real estate. during the rebellion he served three years in company c, sixth minnesota volunteers. he was married in to martha neuman. he died nov. , . william fowler settled in newport in and has become a prominent farmer and successful stockman. his farm, which originally cost him $ , , he sold in for $ , . he was for two years president of the minnesota agricultural society, and five years of the dairymen's association. he was a member of the house of representatives in . during the war he served as lieutenant in the eighth minnesota volunteers. oakdale. oakdale includes township , range . originally it was covered with white, black and burr oak timber; the surface is rolling, and the soil well adapted to the cultivation of wheat. it is well watered and has numerous lakes, among which lake elmo is favorably known as a summer resort. oakdale was organized as a town november, . the first supervisors were e. c. gray, john bershen and e. l. morse. the clerk was w. armstrong. the first settler was b. b. cyphers, who kept a hotel or stopping place on sun fish lake in . the year following john morgan built a more commodious house a mile and a half west on the stage road, and this was afterward known as the "half-way house," it being nearly midway between st. paul and stillwater. at this well known station the pioneer stages of willoughby & powers changed horses at noon, and the passengers took dinner. in the property passed into the hands of e. c. gray. the malones, lohmans, grays, day, stevens, and gardiner located here in the ' s. the first post office established was in , in the south part of the town, in section . arthur stephens was for ten years postmaster. the office was called oakdale, and was discontinued and another established at the half-way house, and called lohmanville post office. in it was transferred to the oakdale station on the railroad. it was discontinued in , and re-established at bass lake station, where it has since remained but is now known as the lake elmo post office. the st. paul & stillwater railroad passes through this town from east to west. it has three stations, lake elmo, oakdale and midvale. the churches of oakdale are the st. john's lutheran and the church of the holy angels. these churches have fine buildings and good congregations. the buildings are located on the line of the old stage road, and have spacious burial grounds attached. lake elmo is the only village in the town. it is handsomely located on lake elmo. the company that platted the village has expended over $ , on improvements. the hotel is an elegant and spacious building, and a favorite resort for summer tourists. the lake was originally known as bass lake, and the station was known as bass lake station. in the lake and station were rechristened elmo, a name certainly more musical and charming than the original, and inferior only to the aboriginal name, which ought to have been retained. e. c. gray came originally from pennsylvania, and located in oakdale in , having purchased the half-way house of john morgan. he died in , leaving a large family of children. two of his sons, m. p. and w. h., remain on the family homestead. others are in st. paul. all are known as men of good business ability. arthur stephens was born in scotland in . he came to america in , lived awhile in illinois, learned the trade of a mason and plasterer, came to st. paul in , worked at his trade until , when he removed to oakdale, where, with the exception of six years' residence at stillwater, he has since lived. mr. stephens served as postmaster ten years, as county commissioner three years, and has filled town offices. he was married to marie payden in . their children are harris s., arthur, elizabeth and emma. oneka. the town comprises township , range . it was organized as a town in . a. j. soule was the first moderator, george walker the first clerk and treasurer. the eastern and southern portions are diversified, being quite rugged and uneven. the western part is quite level, and was originally timbered with burr oak and poplars. the town abounds with lakes. bald eagle lies partly in the town; oneka; rice, egg, eagle, horseshoe, and others are within the town. small springs and rivulets abound. a tamarack swamp, varying in width from a few rods to a half mile, traverses the town from north to south, forming a natural barrier between the eastern and western divisions. the principal lake is oneka, located in sections and . rice lake has been celebrated as the resort of indians from mendota, who camped here annually to gather wild rice for the st. paul and minneapolis markets. the first settlers were fayette tainter and john chester, young men who came together in for the purpose of locating claims and baling hay. they carried on a stock farm for five years. the next settlers, lewis sempler and his son-in-law, joseph freeman, came in . they were followed by dunn, barnum, hatch and beecroft. the st. paul & duluth railroad passes through the western part of the town, entering in section , and leaving in section . there is but one station upon the road, centreville, a thriving little village, having a hotel, store, school house, etc. its post office was established in . the first school district was organized in . ruth miller taught the first school. the first marriage was that of joseph lambert and mary courtone. the first child born was hoyt e., son of o. l. kinyon, dec. , . the first death was that of herbert, son of o. l. kinyon, may , . oneka, located in the northeast quarter of section , was platted may, , by franklin jones; chas. b. lowell, surveyor. shady side village, located on bald eagle lake, was platted in , by chas. p. hill; brinckerhoff & phillips, surveyors. daniel hopkins, sr., son of daniel hopkins, of whom biographical mention is made in the history of newport, was born in new hampshire. he came to st. paul in , and engaged in the mercantile business on third street until , when he removed to a farm between st. anthony and st. paul, and dealt extensively in blooded stock until about - , when he purchased the farms of austin and tainter, on rice creek near the railroad. his farm consists of about acres. the railroad has a flag station at the farm known as hopkins station. stillwater. stillwater comprises fractional township , range , excepting the site of the city of stillwater. the surface is rolling and the soil good. it is well watered with rivulets and small lakes. the first settlers in the town outside the city limits were the lymans, consisting of the father (cornelius) and two sons, c. storrs and d. p., charles macy, w. t. boutwell, sebastian marty, wm. rutherford, j. j. mckenzie, albion masterman, and dr. james carey. the first white child born in the town was emily s., daughter of c. s. lyman, in . the first death was that of betsey, daughter of c. s. lyman, in . the first marriage was that of abraham click and jane sample, in . the first school was taught by cynthia pond, in . the first road through the town was from dakota village via carnelian lake and marine to st. croix falls. messrs. rutherford & booth in built a flour mill on brown's creek, which empties into the st. croix near the head of the lake. the mill was located above mckusick's lake, and has been for some years abandoned. brown's creek originally passed through sections , , and to the river, but was turned in from its natural course, and made to connect mckusick's lake with the st. croix by a new channel cut through sections and , thus giving to stillwater its initial advantages as a manufacturing centre. the washington county poor farm, consisting of acres of improved laud with good buildings and other conveniences, was located in this town in . oak park was platted may , . it is situated between the city of stillwater and south stillwater, with frontage on the lake. the proprietors were john parker, wm. dorr, gold t. curtis, mary curtis, olive a. b. anderson, and wm. m. mccluer. the surveyor was a. van voorhes. the township of stillwater was organized april , , with the following board of officers: moderator, cornelius lyman; judges of election, h. packard, w. t. boutwell, d. p. lyman; supervisors, c. storrs lyman, h. packard, henry a. jackman; clerk, sylvanus trask. david p. lyman was born in st. lawrence county, new york, in . in he came with his parents to marine. in he removed to his present residence in the town of stillwater. he was married to anna j. hannah, at farmingdale, illinois, in . they have five children. mr. lyman is an upright, reliable citizen, and a consistent member of the presbyterian church. henry a. jackman, a native of robbinstown, maine, was born july , . he was married to sarah blanchard in . mr. jackman, with his family, his father and his wife's parents, came west in and located in stillwater. in he removed to his farm. he has since engaged in farming and lumbering, and has filled several important positions. he served as school trustee for years, as county commissioner years, as warden of state prison years, as state prison inspector years, and was a representative in the territorial legislature of , and the state legislature of . mr. jackman's father, a native of brunswick, maine, died at his son's residence in stillwater, april, , aged seventy-four years. he was a man honored for his kindness and sterling integrity. his wife, the mother of henry a., died in maine in . three sons and four daughters survive them. the children of henry a. jackman are mary e. (mrs. russell pease), james e. and alice (mrs. wm. a. boxwell). frederic j. curtis, a native of ireland, was born in . before coming to america he learned the trade of boot and shoe making. he came to america in , and spent two years in new york city working at his trade. he also spent two years in st. louis and new orleans. he came to stillwater in and settled on his farm in section , where he has since lived. he held the office of sheriff two years. he was one of the first police of the city of stillwater and has been town treasurer and school director. he was married to bridget fenton in . their children are daniel, thomas, james, elisabeth, mary, maggie, and ellen b. david cover was born in westmoreland county, pennsylvania, may , . in he came with his parents to st. louis, missouri, where he became a river pilot, and engaged in lumbering for eight years, when he came to stillwater, and for some years gave his attention largely to selling logs and lumber between stillwater and st. louis. during the years between and his business transactions were heavy, involving hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, and from some injudicious movements, due to lack of experience, resulted in disastrous failure. after his failure he devoted himself to farming and fire insurance business. he was married in to elisabeth harrold. they are the parents of three sons. mr. cover was accidentally drowned in lake st. croix sept. , . his life was insured for $ , . john parker came from vermont to the valley of the st. croix in , located for a couple of years at st. croix falls, and came to oak park, town of stillwater, about . in mr. parker was married to susan, daughter of david cover, who bore him three children: edwin e., the oldest, killed by the explosion of the boilers of the steamer penn wright, near winona; john e., living at home with his mother, and ella, wife of henry pevey, of stillwater. mr. parker was a kind hearted, genial man. he was one of the early river pilots, and came to his death in june, , while in the performance of his duties as a pilot. in handling a line to "snub" a raft, he was caught in its coils and so bruised that he died. woodbury, as at present organized, includes township , range . at the date of its organization, in , it was named red rock, and made to include a little over two sections of fractional township , range . this fragment contains the famous painted rock, now included in the town of newport, and from this rock, familiarly called red rock, the town received its first name. the first board of town officers consisted of john colby; moderator; david little and c. schmeiding, judges of election; john colby, john a. ford, j. j. miller, supervisors; ebenezer ayers, clerk. the town held the name of red rock until , when, by notification from the legislature that another town bore the same name, the board changed the name to woodbury, a name given in honor of judge woodbury, of new hampshire, a particular friend of mr. colby, at that time chairman of the board. the fraction containing the painted rock was set off by order of the board of county commissioners, meeting at stillwater in , and added to newport. it is said that this act did not meet with the hearty approval of the citizens of the town. the town was originally timbered with various species of oak. the surface is undulating, and in the western part there are abrupt hills or bluffs. it is a fine agricultural town, well watered with creeks, springs and small lakes. the first settlers were the mchatties, middletons, robert cummings, john towner, and joseph cooper. the first marriage was that of john mchattie and jane middleton, jan. , . the first child born was sarah middleton, afterward the wife of anthony fritz, of newport. the first death was that of sarah middleton, may , . the first traveled road in the town was from stillwater to st. paul via bissell's mound. the first post office was established in , at oakdale, in the northern part of the town; g. hartoung, postmaster. the first school was taught in by miss a. f. colby. the german methodist church was organized in ; rev. jacob young, pastor. the church and parsonage are built of stone. the salem evangelical lutheran church was organized in ; rev. j. w. huffman, pastor. jacob folstrom.--the history of jacob folstrom reads like a romance. he was born in sweden june , , and when he was nine years of age left home as cabin boy on a steamer commanded by his uncle. the steamer was wrecked on the coast of england. he escaped with his uncle to london, and there lost sight of him. what was his uncle's fate he never knew. he understood nothing of the english language, and applied to the swedish consul for aid. lord selkirk was then raising a company of men to go to his settlement on red river, british america, and selkirk, who could speak swedish, spoke kindly to the friendless lad, and offered to take him with him to the new world. he, not knowing what else to do, consented to go. after his arrival he found employment with the hudson bay company for a time, and subsequently came down to the fort snelling reservation. when the settlers were driven from the reservation in ; he made a farm in what is now woodbury, washington county. at lake superior, in , he had been married to margaret burgo, a woman of fine mind. with her limited educational privileges, very few of any age or race can be found her equal. mr. and mrs. folstrom were both consistent christians, and members of the methodist church for many years. he lived a stirring, adventurous life, and, during his service as mail carrier between prairie du chien and fort snelling, he had many hairbreadth escapes from hostile indians. he died in july, . his wife survived him till feb. , . alexander mchattie.--at the age of sixteen mr. mchattie left his home and worked as a teamster and farmer for about five years; and in came from scotland, his native country, to america. he lived a couple of years in vermont, a short time in new york, ohio and indiana. in he came to galena, illinois, and migrated thence in the same year to st. croix falls. he also made a short stay at gray cloud island; was in prescott in ; in made a home in afton, and in at woodbury. he married margaret middleton in . john mchattie.--john, the oldest brother of alexander mchattie, came from scotland to this country in , and settled in woodbury in . he was married in to jane middleton. the middleton family.--james middleton, sr., with his wife, three sons, william, samuel, and james, and five daughters, came to this country from ireland. william, the oldest, inspired by filial duty, came first, it being his ambition to secure for his parents a home on american soil. he was not of age when, in , he left ireland, full of hope and enthusiasm for his project. he found his way to st. louis in , and came thence with hungerford & livingston to st. croix falls. he remained with them two years and then, removing further south, made a claim on unsurveyed government land in what is now the town of woodbury. during the succeeding year, , he and his brother samuel worked for john mckusick, and by diligence and self denial succeeded in earning enough to pay the passage of his father and his family to the united states, and to bring them to their claim on the prairie. it was a joyful day when the parents arrived, and since then the united family have their home at and near the selected homestead, a model family in their unity of purpose and affectionate regard for each other. william visited california. he died at his home in . samuel enlisted and did gallant service in the union army during the late civil war as a member of company e, tenth minnesota volunteers, and died in the hospital at memphis, feb. , . james, a younger brother, was born in . he made a claim near that of his brother, and is prominent in the community, in which he lives. he was sergeant-at-arms in the legislature, a member of the house in , and served five years in washington county as county commissioner. mr. middleton removed to st. paul in , where he now resides. the father died in , the mother in . newington gilbert was born in onondaga county, new york, feb. , . mr. gilbert settled in woodbury in . in company with mr. buswell he built the north star flouring mill in . he operated this mill eleven years. mr. gilbert was a member of the democratic wing of the constitutional convention in . he was married to celestia bangs in . they have two children. ebenezer ayers was born in herkimer county, new york. his early life was devoted to hard labor, still such was his zeal for study and the acquisition of general knowledge, that he managed to acquire a very respectable and thorough education. in he came with his parents to fort wayne. he commenced teaching school soon after and taught eight years. in he removed to shelby county, kentucky. he was married in to lucy connelly, of shelby county. he removed to buffalo, new york, in , and sold goods until the spring of , when he located in woodbury and engaged in farming. he was a man of energy, and possessed of great will power. he took a deep interest in town and county affairs, and served as town clerk in woodbury eleven years. he was a representative in the minnesota state legislature in and , and while in that capacity proved himself a ready debater. he had natural ability as an organizer. he was an active member of the greenback party, and was rigidly opposed to monopolies. he died in . chapter xv. washington county--continued. city of stillwater. the organization of the territory of minnesota in naturally gave a new impetus to settlement, and marked an era in the progress of the settlements already made. none profited more by the new order of things than did stillwater. the future metropolis of the st. croix valley, though yet unorganized even as a village, and governed by town and county law, in presented a scene of unwonted activity. out of nearly a hundred arrivals we find the names of john c, gardiner, samuel m. register, h. c. van voorhees, john n. ahl, ralph wheeler, dr. e. g. pugsley, dr. morey, dentist, and theodore e. parker, a lawyer. this year was rendered notable by the establishment of a livery stable, by holcomb & johnson, a new store by burkelo & mower, a bakery by r. hersey, by the building of the second saw mill by sawyer & heaton, by the commencement of remmick's brewery, by the advent of antonio brothers' circus, and the occurrence of a remarkable freshet, on which occasion the steamer lamartine, taking advantage of the high water, made a pleasure excursion up the river, and over the shallows at the mouth of apple river and a short distance up that stream. morton wilkinson and michael ames were amongst the excursionists, and, looking out from the steamboat upon the broad, deep expanse of the swollen river, congratulated their fellow passengers upon the discovery of a hitherto unknown navigable stream, tributary to the majestic st. croix. the swiss bell ringers were on board, and added greatly to the pleasure of the occasion by their weird and peculiar music. the lamartine, on returning to stillwater, found the shores and levees submerged, and passing over them landed her passengers directly from the boat upon the floor of the minnesota house, on the southwest corner of chestnut and main. the water was four or five feet deep in the street before the hotel. the streets in the lower part of the city have since been raised several feet, so that a flood of the same dimensions would not overflow them as it did then. there has, however, in the memory of the oldest inhabitant, been no other flood equal to that of . allusion has been made in the history of stillwater town to the diversion of the waters of mckusick's lake by a new outlet to the river. this device, so beneficial to the city of stillwater in other respects, came near resulting in disaster. the old outlet of the lake had been obstructed by a dam, while the waters were conducted by a new outlet down a deep ravine and confined to their channel by dikes consisting of a mixture of clay, sand and gravel. this extended to within six hundred feet of the mill on the lake shore. on may , , during a terrible storm, the dam at the new outlet gave way and a tremendous body of water, carrying with it the debris of dikes and dams, rushed tumultuously down the ravine, covering the low shores of the lake beneath, and depositing a new geological stratum of drift over a surface of at least six acres to an average depth of about ten feet. it was wittily said at the time that such an extraordinary movement in real estate had never before been known; but, although a downward movement, that seemed very much like ruin to all concerned, especially to the mill, the machinery of which was completely buried, it nevertheless heralded a rise in prices. quagmires were filled, unsightly obstructions buried or swept away and a fine plateau for buildings was formed along the lake. the dam was replaced and greatly strengthened, and the water was conducted through pipes and hydrants to the city. occasionally, for years afterward, the diggers of cellars or cisterns in the buried region would unearth interesting antediluvian relics. three barrels of pork were exhumed from the cellar of mckusick's store, and found in a good state of preservation. some years later remains of a far more ancient character were also unearthed near the corner of third and myrtle streets. the tusk of a mastodon was brought up from a depth of thirty-six feet below the surface. city government. stillwater was incorporated as a city in . the following officers were elected on the first monday in april of that year: mayor, john mckusiek; recorder, c. d. gilfillan; treasurer, w. h. mower; councilmen, j. c. york, j. n. masterman, c. carli. we append a list of mayors from to the present time: john mckusick, ; john fisher, ; wm. willim, - - ; albert stinson, ; a. b. gorgas, ; t. m. fullerton, ; mahlon black, - ; f. r. delano, ; david bronson, - ; wm. grover, ; c. j. butler, ; wm. holcombe, - ; wm. mckusick, - ; a. k. doe, ; wm. g. bronson, - - ; e. w. durant, ; john s. proctor, - - ; samuel mathews, - - - ; hollis r. murdock, ; isaac staples, ; george m. seymour, - . city marshals. the following is a complete list of city marshals since : jonathan e. mckusick, ; john parker, ; john cilly, ; dennis sullivan, ; robert hasty, ; thomas sinclair, ; duncan chisholm, - - - ; john shortall, - ; john may, , six months; p. e. keefe, ; john may, , six months; john shortall, ; h. mcintyre, ; duncan chisholm, ; john lyons, - , eighteen months; mathew shortall, , and continuously to the present time. mr. shortall's long term of office proves him an effective and popular officer. f. l. mckusick is police court officer. he is a veteran of the police force and has acquitted himself to the satisfaction of the people of stillwater. the post office, established in , was located first at the corner of main and chestnut streets. the first postmaster was elam greely. his successors were john mckusick, john s. proctor, harley d. curtis, mahlon black, abraham van voorhes, h. d. cutler, e. j. butts, and ---- mccarthy. during a citizens' mail was brought from point douglas. its regularity depended somewhat on the season. during the winter it was brought some times as infrequently as once a month. in a government line was established from point douglas, and the mail was brought with greater regularity. in a mail coach line was established between stillwater and st. paul. the year following a weekly mail was established. the rapid increase of settlements on the upper mississippi created a demand for more frequent mails; consequently from to the completion of the railroad leading into stillwater, a daily mail was brought into stillwater during the summer by steamboats, and by the wisconsin overland route during the winter. rapid growth. as an evidence of the growth of the city we append post office statistics of salaries, expenses and income for the year : receipts. sales of postage stamps, envelopes, newspaper wrappers, postal cards, etc. $ , box rent received , ----------- total $ , expenses. postmaster's salary $ , expenses for rent, fuel, lights, clerk hire, etc. , $ , ---------- net income $ , money order business. received for domestic orders $ , received for fees on same received for international orders , received for fees on same ---------- $ , money orders paid $ , certificates of deposit , $ , registry business. domestic and foreign letters and packages registered , registered matter in transit , ----- total pieces handled , number of pouches dispatched daily number of pouches dispatched semi-weekly number of pouches received daily number of pouches received semi-weekly hotels. the following hotels were built in stillwater prior to : northrup house, built by anson northrup, northwest corner main street and nelson alley, . stillwater house, built by anson northrup, lot , main street, . minnesota house, built by elam greeley, southwest corner main and myrtle, . lake house, built by john w. brewster, east side of main street between nelson and chestnut, . of the hotels built subsequently to , the most popular and well known is the sawyer house, on the northwest corner of chestnut and third streets. it was built in , by henry sawyer, opened by g. e. b. whitcher, and kept in succession by j. and a. lowell, isaac staples, a. lowell and a. k. doe. the other hotels built during this period were the liberty house, by john n. ahl, ; farmers home, ; williams house, ; wexio hotel, ; the keystone house, ; the mansion house, ; central house, ; elliott's hotel, . city banks. to christopher carli is due the honor of conducting the first banking operations in stillwater. in he issued and redeemed fractional currency. darling, caswell & scheffer, jan. , , opened a private banking house, and from to operated it as a state bank, when it was changed into the first national bank of stillwater. the capital stock was $ , . the first officers were: charles scheffer, president; o. r. ellis, cashier. the officers in were: louis hospes, president; c. n. nelson, vice president; f. m. prince, cashier. the capital stock is $ , . the gross amount of debits and credits during the year closing june , , were $ , , . we append the annual report of : resources. loans and discounts $ , overdrafts , united states bonds to secure circulation , due from approved reserve agents $ , due from other national banks , due from state banks and bankers , , real estate, furniture and fixtures , current expenses and taxes paid , premiums paid , checks and other cash items , bills of other banks , fractional paper currency, nickels and pennies specie , legal tender notes , , redemption fund with united states treasurer (five per cent of circulation) , ----------- total $ , liabilities. capital stock paid in $ , surplus fund , undivided profits , national bank notes outstanding , dividends unpaid individual deposits subject to check $ , demand certificates of deposit , time certificates of deposit , cashier's checks outstanding due to other national banks , due to state banks and bankers , , notes and bills rediscounted , ---------- total $ , lumberman's national bank, organized jan. , . capital stock, $ , . first officers: isaac staples, president; h. w. cannon, cashier. in the bank had in capital stock $ , and a surplus of $ , . the present officers are: president, isaac staples; vice president, r. f. hersey; board of directors, isaac staples, r. f. hersey, e. s. edgerton, david tozer, e. w. durant, david bronson, j. mckusick, matt clark, wm. g. bronson, e. l. hersey, r. s. davis. stillwater savings bank, organized jan. , , under an act of the legislature of , with the following board of trustees: isaac staples, president; david bronson, dwight m. sabin, lewis e. torinus, wm. willim, i. e. staples, and h. w. cannon. st. croix lumbermen's board of trade was incorporated march , . the first officers were: president, david cover; vice president, louis hospes; secretary, e. w. durant; treasurer, david bronson, jr.; surveyor, ivory e. mckusick. stillwater board of trade. the board was organized in january, . the first officers were: president, david bronson; vice president, c. j. butler; secretary, d. w. armstrong; treasurer, c. n. nelson; board of directors, john mckusick, isaac staples, j. e. schlenk, j. o'shaughnessy, m. moffatt, e. w. durant, j. n. castle, b. g. merry, g. m. seymour, l. e. torinus. stillwater water company. the site of the city abounds in beautiful springs. charles hathaway, while excavating on his lot near third street, struck a large vein capable of supplying , barrels per day. he constructed a reservoir with an elevation of about fifty feet above the street, and from this source supplies the city with water for sprinkling streets and other purposes. the stillwater water company was organized april , , with a capital stock of $ , , and commenced at once the work of improvement. this company has never yet declared a dividend, having applied all its surplus earnings upon improvements. they have now / miles of water mains, hydrants and about taps. the water supply is obtained from lake mckusick, which is supplied from brown's creek. the lake is feet above the business portion of the city and is about a mile distant from the same. the water is pumped into a reservoir on the highest spot of ground in the city, which is feet above the lake. the system is similar to that of st. paul, the city being supplied in part by gravitation, and in part by direct pressure. the elevation of the reservoir results in a saving to the city in the matter of fire engines, etc. any fire in the business part of the city can be extinguished with the use of hose alone. one fire engine answers the purposes of the city. the first board of officers were: president, edward durant; vice president, r. f. hersey; secretary and treasurer, h. w. cannon. fire department. futile efforts had been made as early as for the organization of a fire department. in a fire company of sixty was organized and an engine worth $ , was purchased. the first officers of the company were: chief engineer, david bronson; first assistant, b. g. merry; second assistant, h. p. west; engineer, c. c. johnson; secretary; n. t. lee; treasurer, fayette marsh. the st. croix hook and ladder company was organized in , by the election of the following officers: foreman, charles mcmillan; assistant, d. b. loomis; secretary and treasurer, a. k. doe. the company has received awards of honor for meritorious performance of duty. stillwater gaslight company. this company was organized may , , with a capital stock of $ , and the exclusive right to the sale and manufacture of gas for a period of forty years. their buildings are located on third street. the first officers were: president, isaac staples; manager, h. w. cannon; board of directors, john mckusick, d. m. sabin, isaac staples, david bronson, l. e. torinus, h. w. cannon, c. h. nash. telegraph office. in a telegraph office was located in stillwater by a a. c. lull, and a line extended to st. paul. the office is on main street between chestnut and myrtle. the national bell telephone company established a line from stillwater to st. paul in january, . it has a branch to marine. union elevator company built an elevator near the stillwater & white bear depot in - . it has a capacity of , bushels. the officers are: president, louis huspes; secretary and treasurer, h. w. cannon. express companies. the first office was established by the northwestern express company, in ; short, proctor & co. were agents. this company was succeeded in by the american, and in the united states also established an office here. the stillwater bridge. a charter was obtained from the legislature in to build a bridge across lake st. croix, from stillwater to houlton. the bridge was completed the ensuing year at a cost of $ , . it is , feet long, and is furnished with a pontoon draw feet in length, operated by an engine. lumbering interests. stillwater is the metropolis of the lumbering interests of the st. croix valley, and is indebted to them chiefly for its welfare. these are considered separately in other parts of this history. the local interests are centred chiefly in mills and manufactories, of themselves an important element in the prosperity of the city. the principal proprietors of the saw mills since the first settlement of stillwater have been mckusick & co., sawyer & heaton, mchale. & co., schulenberg & co., hersey, staples & co., hersey, bean & brown, isaac staples, seymour, sabin & co., herschey lumbering company and turnbull lumbering company. flouring mills. in j. h. townshend and w. f. cahill erected a flouring mill on third street. it was run by water brought from mckusick creek, the motive power being an overshot wheel forty-five feet in diameter. in d. m. sabin became interested in the firm. the capacity of the mill was increased from fifty to three hundred barrels per day. a corliss engine and other improvements were added, and the mill was run on the hungarian roller system. the firm name was changed to townshend & co. the st. croix flouring mill was built in , on upper main street, near the lake, by isaac staples. its dimensions were × feet. its capacity was two hundred and fifty barrels per day. it was removed to make way for the buildings of the car company. the stillwater flour mill company was organized under state laws in , and mills were erected on the lower levee, × feet, ground plan, and five stories high. these mills were run on the hungarian roller system. the cost was $ , . their capacity is four hundred barrels per day. the motive power is a corliss engine of one hundred and seventy-five horse power. the principal owners are r. f. hersey, smith ellison, d. m. sabin and l. hospes. manufactories. swain's machine shop, d. m. swain, proprietor, was established in , on third street between myrtle and chestnut. geo. swain established a foundry on third street in . his manufactures consist chiefly of engines, mill machinery and farm utensils. the st. croix iron works, door, sash and blind factory, established originally as a machine shop in , on the river bank, near the chicago & omaha round house, has been owned by various parties. a foundry was added in , and in isaac staples added a sash and blind factory. carriage manufactories. richard daw established the novelty carriage works in , one door east of the sawyer house. d. j. sullivan established the stillwater carriage works in , one door east of the sawyer house, but afterward removed to a better location on second street. wm. miller erected the pioneer carriage manufactory in , on main street. albert saeker in established a wagon shop on second street between myrtle and chestnut. frederick steinacker commenced the manufacture of brick in , in a yard located in ramsey & carter's addition, but afterward removed to the lower end of sunfish lake. it is claimed that herman tepass' brewery is the outgrowth of the first in the county, if not in the state, a still having been located at the corner of third and chestnut streets in . the present site is on lower main street. joseph wolff's brewery is located on the corner of main and nelson streets, and was established in . heitman & becker established a bakery in . messrs. muller brothers established a boat factory in . a vinegar factory was commenced by ciopac & tuor in , and is continued by the latter. of the several livery stables in stillwater the first was established by c. a. bromley in . the stillwater building association, organized under the laws of the state, march , , has done much for the prosperity of the city, affording as it does to persons of limited capital an opportunity of building suitable homes and business houses. private enterprise has done much in the erection of substantial blocks for business purposes. henry sawyer, in , built the first stone block in the city. it is located on main street. other fine blocks were built by mccomb, eldridge, bernheimer, elam greely, wm. holcombe, schlenk, l. e. torinus, hersey & staples, mckusick, and others. many of these blocks are fireproof and built of stone, and are fine specimens of architecture, convenient and commodious. church societies and buildings. stillwater has sixteen church organizations and fifteen buildings, the latter having a total valuation of $ , . the ascension church (episcopal) originated in the labors of rev. e. a. greenleaf, in . the corner stone of the first building was laid in . rev. joseph a. russell was the first rector. in the corner stone of the present edifice was laid by bishop welles of wisconsin. this building cost $ , , and was burned in and rebuilt in . the first presbyterian church grew out of the missionary labors of rev. w. t. boutwell, in and . the church was organized in ; rev. j. s. whitney, pastor. the first building was erected in , and the second, the armory, in . the present edifice, located on the corner of myrtle and third, was built in , at a cost of $ , , and the total value of building and ground is $ , . the methodist episcopal church dates its beginning from a society formed by rev. james harrington in . it was organized regularly in by rev. t. m. fullerton. the first house of worship was a small frame on myrtle street, between second and third streets. it was enlarged and improved in . the present edifice on third street near myrtle, with the parsonage adjoining, cost about $ , . the church has a membership of two hundred. st. michael's (catholic) church was organized in , the first services being held by rev. father peyragrosse, a missionary. the first edifice was built on fourth and mulberry streets, and rev. father fisher was the first clergyman in charge. the building was enlarged and improved in . the present commodious edifice was commenced in and dedicated in . the church property, including the school parish buildings and cemetery of twelve acres in south stillwater, is worth $ , . there are now two resident clergymen, revs. murphy and gaughan. st. mary's (catholic) church, rev. p. alphonse krusle, pastor, was organized in , and owns a church building on fifth street, near pine, valued at $ , . the total value of church and parish buildings, and of the six lots on which they are located, amounts to $ , . the universalist church society was incorporated june , , and the first preaching was by rev. e. a. hodsdon, of st. anthony. the edifice is on third street south; cost about $ , . swedish lutheran. the society was organized in ; the church building was erected in - , at a cost of $ , . the pastor is rev. a. f. tornell. the first german lutheran church was organized in . the church building and parsonage are on third street, near olive, and are valued at $ , . the pastor is rev. j. j. weiss. the norwegian lutheran society uses the german lutheran church buildings, corner of olive and fourth streets. the german methodist congregation worships in a frame building, corner of linden and everett streets. the salem german lutheran church was formed by the withdrawal of a part of the members of the first german lutheran church for separate worship. the swedish church and school, on the corner of olive and fourth streets, were purchased for $ , . to this a parsonage was added at a cost of $ , . rev. l. f. frey is the pastor. the danish lutheran church has a cosy frame edifice on laurel, between williams and owen, but is not holding services at present. the edifice cost $ , and the membership is one hundred and fifty. swedish congregational. the swedish congregational church occupies a frame building on fourth street, between hickory and elm streets, which cost $ , and has sixty members. the st. joseph's (catholic) church was organized by the present pastor, rev. father e. roe, in , with seventeen members, which has since been increased to eighty families. a frame edifice was erected in , with a seating capacity of four hundred, costing about $ , , corner of olive and greely streets. the church property consists of the edifice and the priest's house, and cost $ , . the swedish methodist church was organized in by rev. c. s. carlander. the church building is located on myrtle and fourth streets, and cost $ , . the young men's christian association has a membership of seventy-five and a frame building erected in at a cost of $ , . public buildings. the court house and other public buildings of the city are creditable specimens of architecture, rooms convenient and well adapted to the purposes of their construction. the present court house building is the third erected. its cost, including that of the jail buildings, the wall around them and other improvements, has been something over $ , . the city hall, at the corner of myrtle and third streets, is a substantial and convenient building. it contains also room for the city officers. the public school buildings have kept pace with the growth of the city. in the summer of the city erected a high school building at a cost of $ , . the engine house is a good building, centrally located. an elegant union depot was built in , of brown stone from the apostle islands, at a cost of $ , . the opera house.--the opera house occupies the site of the old lake house, on main street between nelson and chestnut streets. it was commenced in and finished in , under the supervision of l. w. eldred, architect. its size is × feet, ground plan, and four stories in height, or seventy-one feet from lower floor to cornice. the style of architecture is a blending of the queen anne, victoria and gothic. the entrance to the upper part of the building is by a stairway twelve feet wide, in a lofty, ornamental turret. the auditorium is × feet, and beautifully and elaborately finished and furnished, and is capable of seating over , persons. it is well lighted, being supplied with gas jets, warmed by steam, and well ventilated. the stage is × feet, complete in all its appointments, and supplied with all the necessary stage scenery, wings, border bridge, balcony, interior and other decorations. the ceiling of the auditorium is superbly frescoed and the cornice is adorned with medallions of shakespeare, haydn, schiller, goethe, dickens, handel, scott, longfellow, mozart, tennyson, and beethoven. the parts of the building not occupied for stage purposes are appropriated to halls, offices and stores. societies and associations. i. o. o. f.--lodge no. , organized june, ; stillwater lodge, no. , organized january, . masonic.--st. john's lodge no. , organized ; washington, royal arch chapter, no. , organized march, ; bayard commandery, k. t., no. , organized march, . knights of pythias.--stillwater lodge, no. , organized november, . a. o. u. w.--st. croix lodge, no. , organized july, . sons of herman.--stillwater lodge, no. , organized january, ; concordia lodge, no. , organized january, . temperance societies.--i. o. g. t. lodge of stillwater, organized in ; l'etoile du nord lodge, no. , organized may, ; temple of honor, no. , organized september, ; father matthew temperance society, organized november, . miscellaneous.--st. ann's society, organized november, ; st. vincent de paul conference, organized october, ; st. joseph benevolent society, organized november, ; y. m. c. a., organized in ; washington county bible society, organized in ; northwestern benefit society, no. , organized in ; subordinate union penn equitable association, no. , organized in ; stillwater city hospital, organized march, ; stillwater mannerchoir, organized in ; the stillwater turnverein, organized in ; g. a. r., stillwater post, no. , organized march, . cemeteries. the first burial ground was selected in . ten years later, by a survey of the city, these grounds were included in what is now known as block . these grounds were used until the organization of the fairview cemetery association in , when the bodies were removed to the new cemetery in the burial ground in south stillwater. fairview cemetery is beautifully located on undulating or hilly ground and is adorned with shrubbery and made attractive by the hand of art. its location is within the city limits, near the corner of orleans and fourth streets. washington county agricultural society. an attempt was made at organization in , but it proved premature. the present society was organized in february, , at cottage grove, and incorporated the same year. the first board of officers consisted of j. w. furber, president; j. s. norris, vice president; t. elwell, secretary, and james middleton, treasurer. in the fair grounds were established near stillwater, under the joint control of the agricultural society and the driving park association. in the fair grounds were established at lake elmo. but one fair had been held there when a cyclone struck the grounds and swept away all the improvements. the society again effected an arrangement by which their fairs were held on the grounds near stillwater. minnesota state prison. at the organization of minnesota territory congress appropriated $ , for a territorial prison. the legislature expended the money thus appropriated in building a prison at stillwater. the site was located by a commission appointed by the legislature in , consisting of john mckusick, e. a. c. hatch and lewis robert. the commission was also authorized to locate the territorial university and select a site in st. paul for the capitol. their task was not completed until the ensuing year. their selection of a location for the university and of a site for the capitol were satisfactory, but it was generally conceded that the site for the prison was badly chosen. the ground, nine acres, was mostly quagmire, and was, moreover, crowded in a ravine between high bluffs. however, it was convenient to the lake and steamboat landing, and was well watered with pure spring water. in jesse taylor, f. r. delano, martin mower, j. e. mckusick, and jacob fisher entered into contract with the commissioners, under the firm name of jesse taylor & co., to build one stone wing of the prison building, to be inclosed with a stone wall. the dimensions of the wing were × feet and three stories high. in an addition was built, and francis r. delano was appointed warden. until the expenditure of the public money used in building and other expenses was under the control of the warden. under state rule the warden was relieved of this burden of responsibility. the legislature had provided that prisoners might be received in the penitentiary not yet convicted of crime, on condition that their board should be defrayed by the counties from which they were sent. when this expense was not promptly met by the counties the prisoners thus held were set at liberty. the washington county grand jury investigated the matter and memorialized the ensuing legislature, which effected a change in the laws regarding such commitments. wings were added to the prison, walls were built, shops and other accessories added from year to year, and appropriations were made from time to time. in an appropriation of $ , was made for extending the building. outside companies were permitted to build shops and manufactories within the prison limits that they might avail themselves of convict labor. the following are the wardens who have served since the prison was built: territorial, f. r. delano; state government: francis o. j. smith, appointed march , ; henry n. setzer, aug. , ; john s. proctor, jan. , ; joshua l. taylor, feb. , ; a. c. webber, march , ; henry a. jackman, oct. , ; john a. reid, aug. , ; h. g. stordock, . the following table shows the number of convicts each year up to the present time: , mar. the prison on the whole has been well and humanely managed. there have been occasional outbreaks, easily suppressed, or cases of individual insubordination, two or three with fatal results to the insubordinates. the prison buildings have been several times visited by damaging and disastrous fires. the most serious were in . the first occurred january th, by which the large workshop and machinery owned by the state and the northwestern car company were destroyed. the second occurred january th, and destroyed the main prison buildings, including the cells, from which the prisoners were rescued with the greatest difficulty. one perished of suffocation. on this occasion guards, prison officials and some of the convicts displayed heroism worthy of the highest commendation. the convicts on the whole behaved well. mr. reid, the warden of the prison, behaved with great coolness and decision, and so averted what might have been a fearful disaster. fires. stillwater has suffered occasionally from fires. the first house burned was the mckusick boarding house, in . the northrup hotel was burned in . in a fire occurred on the west side of main street, between myrtle and chestnut, in which twelve buildings were burned, principally frame structures. in the lake house and four adjacent buildings were burned. the schulenburg mill was burned in . two great fires occurred in the penitentiary in . the episcopal church building and the mills of hersey & bean were burned in . numerous smaller fires occurred at intervals, but owing to the efficiency of the fire companies they were easily suppressed. bonds and indebtedness. up to the bonded indebtedness of the city has aggregated the sum of $ , . the bonds were issued at various times for railway and levee improvements, city bridge, city buildings, water works and current funds. the interest on these bonds has always been promptly met, and the expenditures for improvements have been more than repaid to the taxpayers by the increased valuation of property within the city limits. issac staples, son of rev. winslow staples, was born in topsham, maine, sept. , . at eighteen years of age he bought his time of his father for three hundred and sixty dollars. he found employment on the penobscot river at lumbering for two years, when he engaged in selling goods at old town, but soon after went into the lumbering business with s.f. hersey. in mr. staples was appointed agent for the penobscot indians living at old town, twelve miles above bangor, on the penobscot. in october, , mr. staples came to minnesota for the purpose of purchasing pine lands, and located at stillwater, moving his family here in . mr. staples represented a wealthy company, composed of himself, s. f. hersey and some massachusetts men, who furnished all the money needed to buy pine land or make any other investments deemed advisable. they, through the agency of mr. staples, purchased immense quantities of pine timber. they built a large saw mill in stillwater, and dealt in any and all branches of business considered remunerative. the advent of isaac staples in stillwater gave to the city new life. mr. staples was indefatigable in his labors, full of vigor and in prime health. his ambition was unlimited, his judgment good. backed up by a successful lumbering experience in maine, and with money sufficient to meet all necessary calls, he was financially progressive and prosperous. in after years messrs. staples & hersey purchased the entire interest of the firm of hersey, staples & co. subsequently the firm changed to hersey & staples and hersey, staples & bean, and finally a division of property was agreed upon. since the division mr. staples has been just as extensively engaged in the name of isaac staples in doing business as at any period in his past life. in mr. staples purchased the property of the cushing company, located at st. croix and taylor's falls, for $ , . this property has long been in litigation and consequently has been unimproved. the advent of mr. staples, as proprietor, opens a new era in the history of the two villages at the head of navigation on the st. croix. in addition to his lumbering and real estate interests, mr. staples has also engaged in farming and stock raising on an extensive scale. he owns one farm of six hundred and forty acres within the limits of stillwater. this farm is well stocked and supplied with stores, barns, shops and other buildings. it is used as a stork farm, and as a headquarters for supplying his lumbering camps. mr. staples has another farm located on the line of the minneapolis, soo & atlantic railway, eleven miles northwest of stillwater, known as the maple island farm, which contains , acres of land, inclosed and supplied with barns, farm houses and other buildings. there are fine wells and lakes and some well stocked fish ponds. he owns a flouring mill on this farm. mr. staples has a third farm at bronson, kanabec county, containing , acres of land, well under cultivation. ann river flows through this farm, and is supplied with a dam to facilitate the driving of logs into fish lake. the farm is also made a fitting-out place for the lumbering camps. these three farms are valued at $ , . mr. staples has lived an unusually busy life, and has been unusually successful. though past the ordinary limit of human life, he is still active, and will probably continue to plan and work as long as he lives. he is happiest when most busily employed. his mind is of the active type. he is restless, alert, far-seeing, systematic, and persistent. without these qualities he never could have achieved the success that has crowned his career. he has been twice married; first in , to miss caroline b. rogers, of old town, maine, by whom he had one child, who is still living. mrs. staples died in . he was again married, jan, , , to miss olivia j. pettengill, of old town, maine, by whom he has had eight children,--four sons and four daughters,--four of whom are living. samuel f. hersey, of the late firm of hersey, staples & co., was born in sumner, maine, in . at an early day he became a citizen of bangor, maine, and wisely invested in pine timber lands on the penobscot waters, when lands were cheap. their true value was not appreciated by many. the business interests of the county had not been developed and lumber dealing was not profitable. the increase in value on his investments made him a wealthy man. he was a banker, merchant and lumberman. his investments always yielded a rich return. his associates and townsmen often elected him to posts of honor and trust. in - - - and he was in the maine state legislature. when he died, feb. . , he was serving his second term (four years) as representative in congress, from the bangor or fourth district of maine. he died at his home in bangor. both houses of congress paid fitting tributes to his high business, social and christian standing, and his worth as a legislator and statesman. mr. hersey was not a citizen of minnesota, but as early as became a member of the firm of hersey, staples & co., of stillwater, and interested himself greatly in minnesota and stillwater enterprises. amongst other things he aided in building two railroads, and gave liberally for the erection of the universalist church and to its library. he was thrice married, and left a family of four sons, the children of his second wife. roscoe f. hersey, the oldest son, was born july , , in milford, maine; was educated at the graded school in bangor, and clerked in his father's store until , when he volunteered as a soldier in company a, eighteenth maine infantry. he was appointed second lieutenant and rose to the rank of captain in , but on may , , was severely wounded at the battle of spottsylvania court house, was confined in the hospital nine months, and discharged with the brevet rank of colonel. col. hersey spent two years in new orleans, engaged in the shipping and commission business, and in the spring of came to stillwater and thence to lake city, where he had charge of the lumber and mercantile business of hersey, staples & co. in that city for five years. in he returned to stillwater, entered the firm of hersey, brown & bean, dealers in lands, lumber and merchandise. in he was elected state senator and served one term. he has held many responsible positions. he married eva c. wardwell, of bangor, maine, jan. , . they have one son, clinton, an enterprising, public spirited man, inheriting much of his father's will power. dudley h. hersey, the second son, was born in bangor, dec. , . he was educated at westbrook seminary, maine, and came to stillwater at an early age in the employ of his father. in he became one of the firm of hersey, bean & brown. mr. hersey was married to estella wardwell, of bangor, maine, in . they have one son, samuel f. eugene m. hersey, the third son, was born in bangor, maine, may , . he was educated at the high school in bangor. with his brother he has been interested in milling and lumbering operations. he was married in . edward l. hersey, the youngest son, was born in bangor, maine, april , ; graduated at westbrook seminary in , and was married to mary l. merrill, of chicago, in . [illustration: jacob bean.] jacob bean was born in upper stillwater, maine, in . in that centre of the lumbering interests he early and easily took to lumbering, and pursued the business continuously until , when he came to stillwater, where he became an active member of the firm of hersey, staples & bean, and of hersey, bean & brown. charles bean was born in sandwich, new hampshire, in ; removed to orono, maine, in ; followed lumbering on the penobscot river for a few years. he came to stillwater in , and some years later sent for his aged parents, giving them a home until their death. in he became one of the firm of hersey, staples & bean, dealers in pine land. he is at present with his oldest son in california, where both are interested in real estate and irrigation enterprises. mr. bean has been twice married and has a family of eight children. the oldest daughter married jerry brown, now deceased. mr. bean moved to california in . rudolph lehmicke was born in prussia in . he learned the trade of cabinet and organ making; came to america in , and to stillwater in , working at his trade until . he served one year as justice of the peace, and having studied law was admitted to practice in . in the fall of he was elected county auditor and served until . he was elected judge of the probate court, in which position he continued until . he has served as inspector of the prison, superintendent of public schools, and member of the board of education. judge lehmicke was married in , in coldwater, michigan, to jane tackeberry. they have a family of five sons and two daughters. hollis r. murdock was born in governeur, new york, aug. , . he graduated at williams college, massachusetts, in , came to stillwater in , and was admitted to the practice of law in , since which time he has been in continuous practice. he has held many offices of trust. has been judge of the probate court and member of the legislature from washington county, and director of a bank and railroad company. mr. murdock was married to sarah a. rice, nov. , . george m. seymour was born in onondaga county, new york, march , . part of his early life he spent on a farm, but later he learned the carpenter's trade and became a builder and contractor. while in syracuse he engaged for some years in the manufacture of lumber and staves, and later, of salt. he was married to anna b. kingsley in . in he came to stillwater, and in was awarded the prison contract, and engaged in making cooperage. he was one of the founders of the firms of seymour, webster & co. and seymour, sabin & co. (the northwestern car company). he was sheriff of washington county for two years. frank a. seymour, only son of george m., was cashier of the first national bank of stillwater for four years, and subsequently cashier of the merchants bank, st. paul. marion o., only daughter of george m. seymour, graduated from mount holyoke seminary in . [illustration: louis hospes] louis hospes, for many years identified with the schulenberg-boeckeler lumber company, and father of a. c. hospes, surveyor general of logs and lumber, e. l. hospes of the schulenberg-boeckeler company, and otto g. hospes of the hardware firm of a. c. hospes & co., died april , . the deceased was born in the landgravate of hesse-cassel, germany, feb. , , and attended school in the city of witzenhausen until he was sixteen years old. he then became a farmer, which avocation he followed for four years. he then entered the university of gottingen, where he made a special study of the theory and practice of agriculture and of veterinary medicine and surgery. retiring from the university, for two years he took charge of the farms on some large estates. in he sailed from bremen for america, arriving at new york on september th of that year. leaving that city on the eleventh of the same month, he arrived in st. louis on october th. from that city he went to st. charles county, where he engaged in agriculture and other pursuits until . during his residence there he married elvira wurdeman, who survives him. in he removed to green county, southwest missouri, where he made his home for the next six years among the ozark mountains, where he and two brothers engaged in the distilling business. in mr. hospes went to st. louis and entered the employ of schulenberg & boeckeler, where he remained until oct. , , when he came to stillwater to take charge of the business of his employers here. in he became a partner in the concern, and continued so until , when the firm reorganized as the schulenberg-boeckeler lumber company. when he retired, his son, e. l. hospes, succeeded to his interest, which he now holds. in mr. hospes visited europe with his family, spending a year abroad. in , with his associates, he organized the first national bank of stillwater, of which he has been president for twenty years. his life in this city has been that of an active, energetic and generally successful business man, and though conservative in his business operations has always been ready to lend a helping hand to any deserving or practical business enterprise. he was marked for that fixed and reliable character which made his name a tower of strength to any enterprise with which he was connected, and his integrity, extending to little things, became proverbial. besides the sons named he left two daughters, mrs. h. e. mann, of milwaukee, and mrs. j. schlenk, of st. paul. david tozer was born in miramachi, new brunswick, in . his early opportunities for obtaining an education were somewhat limited, and he obtained only three months' schooling. he came to stillwater in and engaged in lumbering, working by the month for five years, and afterward independently or in partnership with his brother albert, and in the firm of sauntry & tozer, cutting and rafting lumber. he was married in canada, in , to margaret mckay. mr. tozer has been an industrious and successful man. david bronson was born in anson, maine, in . he clerked in boston from to , when he came to stillwater, where he has since been engaged in selling goods, lumbering and manufacturing. he was married in to ianthe davis. john maloy is of irish descent. he was born in ireland, and emigrated to new brunswick. he came to stillwater with his family in , and engaged in lumbering. his family consisted of nine sons and three daughters. the daughters are married. four of the sons are living; two of them. patrick and william, in oregon, and the others, james and robert, in stillwater. mrs. susannah tepass, _nee_ burkhart, was born in germany, aug. , . her parents emigrated to america in and settled in freeport, illinois, where she was married, in , to n. kimmick, and the same year came to stillwater. mr. kimmick died in . in she was married to frank aiple. mr. aiple died nov. , . dec. , , she was married to her present husband, herman tepass. her children are mary, herman and frank aiple. william e. thorne came to stillwater in . he has been an attentive and successful merchant, a polite and honorable gentleman, and a good citizen. edward j. butts was born in delaware county, new york, in ; graduated at the albany normal school in , and taught school awhile during his minority, and some years after studied law (in ), and was admitted to practice in broome county, new york. in he enlisted in a new york regiment and served his full time of enlistment. in he was appointed clerk in the third auditor's office, washington, which position he resigned in and came to stillwater to practice his profession. he served some time as justice of the peace, and for ten years as judge of probate in washington county. he was collector of internal revenue one year, and was eight years postmaster in stillwater, completing his term of service in . mr. butts was married to augusta miller in . mrs. butts died in , leaving one son and one daughter. mr. butts married ida ellsworth in . they have one son and two daughters. his oldest son is in the military school at west point. a. b. easton was born at mesopotamia, trumbull county, ohio, march , . his parents were natives of massachusetts, tracing their lineage to the pilgrim fathers. at the age of fourteen years he was clerk in a store, but at the wish of his parents, left the store and attended school, finishing his studies by a course at the high school. soon after he again assumed the position of clerk, in which he continued two years, when, in , he took charge of his father's hotel. two years subsequently he came to stillwater, beginning work as a compositor for the stillwater _messenger_, a. j. van voorhes, proprietor. during the absence of the proprietor mr. easton was manager. finally, in , he and a. b. stickney rented the paper, which they operated one year, then carried it on alone until . during this time mr. van voorhes had been filling the position of quartermaster, and on his return made mr. easton foreman, where he continued until . the st. paul _dispatch_ had just been established, and he was connected with the interests of this paper until his return to stillwater in . aug. , , he issued the first number of the stillwater _gazette_. his son william e. was taken as a partner in . mr. easton and son have through their ability and industry made the _gazette_ a readable, reliable and popular paper. mr. easton was married to julia burke, oct. , . they have four sons and three daughters. edwin a. folsom was born in exeter, new hampshire, june , . he spent most of his youth with his parents in bangor, maine, where he was educated in the common schools. in he came to stillwater and for six years was book-keeper for hersey, staples & co. in he enlisted in company c, eighth minnesota volunteers, and was commissioned as captain. he left the service at the close of the war with the rank of brevet colonel. returning to stillwater, he served six years as county treasurer, and has since been engaged in lumbering and selling goods under the firm name of bronson & folsom. he was married oct. , , to frances e. staples. john b. h. mitchell.--the ancestors of mr. mitchell were revolutionary patriots, originally scotch covenanters, who settled in north carolina, but who in after years freed their slaves and came to the northern states. mr. mitchell was born nov. , , in monroe county, kentucky. his education was obtained chiefly in the printing office of h. h. houghton, of galena, illinois. he came to st. paul in , and was employed two years in the _pioneer_ printing office. in , in company with t. m. newson and others, he published the st. paul _daily times_. in he located on a farm near south stillwater. during the early part of the civil war he was in nashville, tennessee, and reported proceedings of secession conventions to northern papers. in he was elected a member of the minnesota legislature. mr. mitchell has filled other offices of trust. he was married in to mariana b. fiske, a daughter of david fiske, of baytown. joseph schupp was born in baden, germany, in ; received a college and general business education and came to america in , locating first at buffalo, new york, and thence at toledo, ohio, whence he removed to stillwater in , and engaged in the mercantile business. commencing moderately, he extended his operations and now owns several buildings and blocks, and conducts a heavy wholesale trade. he was married in to mary fuller, of toledo, ohio. they have three sons living, joseph a., thomas o. a. and frank. clifford a. bennett was born in portage county, ohio, sept. , . he received a common school and collegiate education. he attended hiram college during the time that president james a. garfield presided over it. april , , he enlisted in company d, twenty-third ohio volunteers. he was subsequently promoted to the staff of gen. w. d. hazen and served until mustered out at the close of the war. he came to illinois in , read law and was admitted to practice in ; came to stillwater in , and for ten years was in the office of the surveyor general. in he was elected clerk of court. samuel mathews was born in new brunswick, july , . his opportunities for schooling were limited, and he is practically self educated. he came to stillwater in october, , since which time he has been engaged in lumbering, dealing in pine lands and in the mercantile business. he is a member of the firm of mathews & jourdain, and has been quite successful in his business undertakings. mr. mathews has been called upon to fill many positions of trust. he has served over twenty-five years as manager, receiving and disbursing agent of the stillwater fire department. he served four years as mayor of stillwater, was county commissioner for twelve years, and for many years director in the first national bank of stillwater. he was married to elisabeth foley in . their children are samuel, thomas, james, mollie, adie, stella, and may. john and james mathews, brothers of samuel, came to stillwater in , and are active, enterprising business men and good citizens. their business is farming and lumbering. peter jourdain is a native of canada. he came to stillwater about the year , and successfully engaged in lumbering. he is a member of the firm of mathews & jourdain, a firm engaged in dealing in logs and in manufacturing them into lumber. mr. jourdain has a family. james rooney was born in new richmond, canada east, in . he remained in canada until , when he removed to maine, coming thence to stillwater in . he engaged in lumbering, working at first by the month, and gradually acquiring means and influence for independent work. he is well situated, has a happy home and prosperous business. he was married to elisabeth mcguire, of stillwater, in . they have five children. james n. castle is a native of sheffield, sheffield county, province of quebec. he received a common school education; read law four years and was admitted to practice. he came to minnesota in , and taught school part of the time at afton until , when he was elected county attorney of washington county. mr. castle served as state senator in the eleventh, twelfth, twenty-first, twenty-second, twenty-third and twenty-fourth legislatures of minnesota. he settled in stillwater in . abraham l. gallespie was born at shiloh, randolph county, illinois, in . he came to osceola, polk county, wisconsin, in . in he moved to stillwater, since which time, with the exception of a year spent in colorado, and two years in the army as a member of company d, second wisconsin cavalry, he has followed the business of lumbering and dealing in logs. he has filled the position of alderman in stillwater. he was married to adelia f. wilson, of osceola, in . john c. gardiner came to stillwater in , from washington county, maine. he was born jan. , . on coming to stillwater he located on a homestead near the city, and followed farming and lumbering for some years. in he was appointed prison guard, which position he held until a recent date. in he was married to mary r. jackman, in maine. they have two sons living, frederic and albert l. mrs. gardiner died in august, . v. c. seward was born july , , at laketon, wabash county, indiana. he came to mankato at the age of ten, served an apprenticeship at printing in the office of the mankato _independent_, subsequently attended the western reserve college, ohio; and then became editor of the cleveland (ohio) _leader_. he returned to minnesota in , and founded the redwood falls _mail_. in he came to stillwater and purchased the stillwater _messenger_ in company with s. s. taylor. he has had entire control continuously since, and has been successful in its management. he was married to lily m. lumbard, at shakopee, minnesota, in . ralph wheeler, one of stillwater's early citizens, commenced piloting an the st. croix in , and has been continuously engaged in the piloting, steamboating, log and lumber business since. he is one of the original proprietors of the opera house. he was born in chautauqua county, new york, in . w. h. h. wheeler, brother of ralph, has long been a prominent citizen of stillwater. he married lura, daughter of daniel mears, of osceola. edward scott brown, of the firm of hersey, bean & brown, was born feb. , , at orono, maine. he received a good education in the common schools and at foxcroft academy. he learned the trade of millwright, and in went to puget sound, washington territory, via panama and san francisco, and was employed two years in building mills. he returned to orono in , and in came to st. anthony, minnesota, and engaged in the manufacturing and millwright business. he came to stillwater in , entered the firm of hersey, bean & brown, and in was appointed receiver of the northwestern car works. mr. brown represented his district in the state senate of . william lowell was born in concord, maine, april , . mr. lowell was raised on a farm, but followed lumbering after he was twenty-one years old, with the coburns on the kennebec river, and afterward took a vessel around cape horn to san francisco, california, with a cargo of manufactured lumber, consisting of ready made houses. he returned in by the overland route. two years later he came to taylor's falls, but in settled in stillwater, where he engaged in lumbering as a partner of s. m. sawyer. he made a fine farm in sterling, polk county, wisconsin, and lived upon it three years. he was interested in locating pine lands in company with the colburns of maine, on the st. croix waters. he was a member of the minnesota legislature in . he was married in concord, maine, in , to rhoda heald. she died in , leaving two daughters. in he was married to mrs. elisabeth rich, sister of isaac staples. mr. lowell died in stillwater, july , , leaving a widow and four children. albert lowell was born at concord, maine, july , . he was married feb. , , to miss abby reed, at kendall's mills, maine. from this union there were four children, of whom three are living, elmore, charles g. and ernest. mr. lowell spent his early days in farming on the banks of the kennebec river. in he came to stillwater and settled on a farm near lily lake, a portion of which farm is now used as a driving park. may , , he took charge of the noted sawyer house in stillwater, which he afterward purchased. himself, mrs. lowell and their son elmore have by their invariable courtesy and close attention to business made this hotel one of the most popular in the state. they sold and left the hotel, december, . nelson holmes van voorhes, eldest son of abraham van voorhes, settled in ohio and became a respected and useful citizen, at one time representing his district in congress. andrew jackson van voorhes, the second son, born june , , came to stillwater in , and in founded the stillwater _messenger_ and conducted it until , excepting two years which he spent in the army during the civil war. he was a member of the minnesota legislature in - , and served as clerk of the minnesota supreme court for one year. from to he served as quartermaster in the army, with the rank of captain. he died in stillwater in . henry clay van voorhes, the youngest son, was born in athens, ohio, in , and came with his father to stillwater in . during the war he was a member of company b, first minnesota volunteers, for about eighteen months, when he was discharged for disabilities. he afterward returned to the field with his brother, capt. a. j. van voorhes, but was not on active duty. at the close of the war he returned to stillwater, which has since been his home. he was married at arcola, feb. , , to emily mower, daughter of john e. and gracia mower. in he went to alaska. louisa, eldest daughter of abraham van voorhes, was married to c. a. bromley. she died in --. maria, the youngest daughter, was married to d. h. cutler, of stillwater. c. a. bromley was born in plattsburg, new york, oct. , . he came to minnesota in . he erected a fine livery and sale stable on chestnut street in . mr. bromley served in the war of the rebellion as captain of company b, first minnesota, and afterward of company i, sixth minnesota volunteers. he was married to louisa van voorhes, who died some years ago. he was married a second time, to a miss king. charles j. butler was born in pittsburgh, pennsylvania, march , . he was educated at the western university of pennsylvania. he removed to st. louis in , where he remained for ten years. he was married to margaret e. lansing, of madison, wisconsin, in may, . the following july he went as paymaster's clerk, under his father, maj. john b. butler, to mexico, in the chihuahua expedition, commanded by gen. john e. wool. returning to st. louis, he engaged in the wholesale grocery business until the spring of , when he disposed of his stock and went to california, where he engaged in mining operations. in august, , he came to marine as book-keeper for judd, walker & co., remaining with them until he was appointed secretary of the st. croix boom company, which position he held until . in he removed to stillwater. in he was elected delegate to the constitutional convention. he served one term as mayor of stillwater. in he served as first lieutenant under david bronson as captain, and with s. j. r. mcmillan as second lieutenant, in the chengwatana expedition sent from stillwater to prevent the chippewas from rising and joining in the sioux insurrection. he purchased the nelson warehouse, and, with capt. isaac gray as partner, engaged in the towboat business until . of late years mr. butler has been engaged in business ventures in western minnesota, but he still retains his residence at stillwater. mr. butler has always been a lover of field sports and his prowess as a sportsman is well remembered by his old friends. he has four children--two sons and two daughters. levi e. thompson was born in st. lawrence county, new york, may , ; educated at troy wesleyan seminary, new york; commenced studying law at the age of fourteen; was admitted to practice by the supreme court at the age of twenty, and, coming to stillwater in , commenced practice, having associated with him at various times t. e. parker, allen dawson and john vanderburgh. he was married, october, , to martha g. harris, daughter of albert harris, an early settler of stillwater. mr. thompson died nov. , . george davis was born in lancaster, massachusetts, sept. , . he received a good school and academic education. he removed to st. louis in , and to stillwater in , where he served some years as a mercantile clerk, then as deputy sheriff, then ten years as sheriff of washington county. he also served as clerk of the district court, and in as county auditor. in he was married to georgiana stanchfield, of stillwater. mr. davis died in and mrs. davis in , leaving five children. wm. monroe mccluer was born sept. , , in franklinville, new york. he graduated from temple hill academy, geneseo, new york, in ; studied law in moscow, new york; graduated at the state and national law school at poughkeepsie in , and, removing to stillwater the same year, engaged in the practice of his profession, in which he has been eminently successful. in november, , he was appointed additional judge for the first district, an office created by the legislature at its special session. judge mccluer served one term in the house of representatives. he was married to helen a. jencks, of waterford, saratoga county, new york, sept. , . they have one son, charles m., practicing law in stillwater. john nicholas ahl was born at strasburg on the rhine, oct. , . after seven years' study he was graduated as a physician at strasburg medical college in . he emigrated to america and located in galena, illinois, in , where he practiced medicine some years. he was married in to lucretia hartman. in he removed to stillwater. in he built the washington hotel (afterward changed to liberty house), on south main street. he practiced medicine and followed lumbering and hotel keeping in stillwater until his death, which occurred in . samuel m. register is a native of dover, delaware. he is of french descent, and some of his ancestors took part in the revolutionary war. he was born in , and came to stillwater in , where he engaged actively in business, dealing in lumber and pine lands, piloting, steamboating and farming. he was at one time a member of the city council, and a representative in the territorial legislature of - . he was married to minerva causlin in . j. a. johnson was born near the city of wexio, sweden, april , . in he emigrated with his parents to the united states, arriving at marine mills, washington county, minnesota late in the fall of that year. he remained at marine and stillwater till , attending school a large portion of the time. in the fall of that year he went to school at dubuque, iowa. after completing the course of study he learned the trade of locomotive engineer, which occupation he followed till , being in the employ of the united states government the last years of the war, in alabama, georgia and tennessee. after the close of the war, in , he returned north as far as st. louis, missouri, where he married miss agnes a. coler, of that city. he has children, boys and girls. his health having been impaired in the government service, he returned to marine in , where he remained till jan. , . in the fall of he was elected to the office of sheriff of washington county, which position he held for six years, and has been twice re-elected without opposition. retiring from the sheriff's office in , he removed to fargo, dakota, and engaged in the sale of agricultural implements, in which business he has remained up to the present time. during his residence in the city of fargo he has held various offices, such as alderman, member of the board of education, etc. in the fall of he was nominated for the territorial senate and received a majority of , votes in cass county, and out of a total of , in the city of fargo. in the spring of he was elected mayor of fargo by over majority, after one of the most hotly contested campaigns in the political history of the city. in he declined a re-election. while sheriff of washington county he devoted his leisure moments to the study of law, and was admitted to practice in all the courts of minnesota. although not in active practice his knowledge of law has been of great value to him in the business in which he has been engaged since that time. gold t. curtis was born in morrisville, new york, aug. , . at the age of eighteen he graduated at hamilton college, new york, and entered upon the study of law with judge morrill, chenango county, new york. he commenced practicing law at belleville, new york, in . during the same year he was married to abigail anderson, a descendant of gen. john stark, of revolutionary fame, and of the protestant branch of the royal house of the stuarts, some of whom came from scotland to america in . mrs. curtis is a lineal descendant of the unfortunate mary, queen of scots. mr. curtis removed to stillwater in and entered upon a lucrative law practice. he was elected a member of the minnesota constitutional convention. in he was also nominated for the position of district judge, but was defeated by s. j. r. mcmillan. he was much respected and held some offices of trust in the city and county. at the breaking out of the rebellion he enlisted in company i, fifth minnesota, and was promoted to the captaincy of the company, but his health failed and he died in st. louis july , . his remains were brought to stillwater and interred with military and masonic honors, aug. , . harley d. curtis, a native of new york and a brother of gold t. curtis, came to stillwater in . he held the positions of postmaster and justice of the peace. francis roach delano.--the ancestors of mr. delano came to america in , and were active participants in the stirring scenes and controversies preceding the revolution. francis roach, after whom mr. delano was named, was the owner of the ship dartmouth, one of the vessels out of which the tea was cast into boston harbor, on the memorable occasion of the tea party of . notwithstanding the affair of the tea, the family, who were ardent patriots, have preserved as a precious relic some of the tea rescued from the general destruction. mr. delano is one of sixteen children in his father's family. he was born in worcester, massachusetts, nov. , ; received a common school and academic education, and was employed in a machine shop some years. at the age of twenty he was employed in an engineering corps and served two years. he was for two years superintendent of the boston & worcester railroad. in he came to st. louis, missouri, and was variously employed until , when he removed to minnesota and was engaged for a year in st. anthony (now minneapolis), in running the government mill. the mill had been leased for five years. mr. smith fulfilled the contract, and mr. delano, being released from it, came to stillwater in and entered into contract with jesse taylor, martin mower, jonathan e. mckusick, and jacob fisher, under the firm name of jesse taylor & co., to build the territorial prison. mr. delano was appointed first warden, march, , and served until . he was intrusted with the expenditure of public moneys from territorial authorities, in caring for and improving the prison. when the state government was organized he was released. he was afterward a member of the firm of delano, mckusick & co., sawing and selling lumber. j. e. mckusick and robert simpson were members of this firm. mr. delano moved to st. paul in , and was afterward engaged in railroad employment. in he was commissioned colonel to take command of five companies during the indian outbreak. the command was stationed at chengwatana, pine county. he died february, . he was married oct. , , to calista ann cavander, who, with two sons, survives him. henry w. cannon was born in delhi, new york, sept. , . he was educated at delaware literary institute. he came to st. paul in , and in to stillwater, where he accepted the position of cashier of the stillwater lumberman's bank. in he was appointed by president arthur united states bank comptroller. he was removed by president cleveland. he is now a resident of new york city, and is engaged in banking. dwight m. sabin was born at marseilles, la salle county, illinois, april , . the ill health of the father, who was an extensive land owner and stock raiser, necessitated a removal to the seaside in connecticut in . in consequence of the continued ill health of the father and his death in , young dwight was deprived of the thorough education to which he aspired, and, being the oldest son, found the cares and responsibilities of managing his father's business thrown upon his shoulders while he was yet a boy. in he removed with his mother and younger brother to minnesota, the year following to stillwater, where he engaged in business with the firm of seymour, sabin & co. this firm contracted for the convict labor in the state prison, and engaged in the manufacture of doors, sash, blinds and cooperage. the business in was extended and made to include the manufacture of agricultural implements, including also a machine, boiler shop and foundry, until it is now one of the most extensive establishments in the country. mr. sabin is also interested in other manufactures, among them the c. n. nelson lumber company and the duluth iron company. in mr. sabin was the prime organizer of the northwestern car company, with a capital of $ , , . the company was to receive a bonus from the city of stillwater of $ , in bonds, on certain conditions. the company purchased the interests of seymour, sabin & co., thereby coming into possession of their immense manufactories, including those managed under the prison contracts, and elected mr. sabin president, and was making rapid progress toward the completion of its plans, when, owing to the stringency of the financial world, it was compelled to make an assignment. while mr. sabin has been busy with the management of his vast manufacturing establishments, he has been no less active and conspicuous as a public spirited citizen, ever taking a great interest in the affairs of his adopted city, of the state and country at large, and his talents and efficiency have been recognized by his fellow citizens, who elected him to the state senate in - - , and to the house of representatives in and . he has several times been a delegate to the national republican convention, and was chairman of the convention at which james g. blaine was nominated for the presidency. he was elected to the united states senate in as the successor of hon. wm. windom. chapter xvi. stearns, anoka and sherburne counties. stearns county. stearns county derived its name from hon. charles t. stearns, a prominent citizen of st. cloud, a representative of the precinct of st. anthony falls in the fifth and sixth territorial councils. it is bounded on the north by todd and morrison counties, on the east by benton, sherburne and wright counties, the mississippi forming the dividing line against benton and sherburne, and clearwater against wright county, on the south by kandiyohi and mecker, and on the west by pope county. it contains an area equal to thirty-six townships. it is a fine agricultural county and is well watered by the tributaries of the mississippi, the principal of which is sauk river. it has also an abundance of small lakes. its oldest settlement and principal city is st. cloud, and among its most flourishing villages are sauk centre, fair haven, clearwater, melrose, st. joseph, albany, paynesville, richmond, and cold springs. the county was organized in , under the legislative act of that year. gov. willis a. gorman appointed the following commissioners: david t. wood, john ferschniller and john l. wilson. they held their first meeting at the house of john l. wilson, april , . j. l. wilson acted as chairman. the board appointed the following county officers: charles ketchum, clerk; robert b. blake, treasurer; l. b. hammond, sheriff; n. n. smith, judge of probate; r. b. blake, surveyor; and john harry weltshimer, assessor. the board established three precincts, viz.: st. augusta, st. cloud and tamarack. the judges of election for st. augusta were john m. feble, john g. lodenbeck and anton emholt; for st. cloud, joseph demil, l. b. hammond and battise arsenan; for tamarack, henry foster, louis amel and john smith. license was granted to joseph p. wilson, george f. brott, l. b. hammond, and o. carter to run a ferry across the mississippi river. april , , farmington precinct was established. john m. lindeman, jacob c. staples and d. t. wood were judges of election. july , , the first rate of taxation was fixed for the county at one per cent. the first license to sell spirituous liquors was granted to anton edelbrock. the first order issued was to pay for county books, $ . , to john l. wilson. ordered that washington avenue and st. augusta street be adopted as county roads. aug. , , it was ordered that chippewa agency precinct (now in crow wing county) be and remain as it was when a part of benton county, and j. d. crittenden, truman warren and d. b. herriman were appointed judges of election. it was ordered that long prairie precinct (now in todd county) remain as it was when a part of benton county, and anson northrup, lewis stone and harman becker were appointed judges of election. on jan. , , a new board of commissioners qualified, consisting of anton edelbrock, chairman, reuben m. richardson, and m. j. orth. h. c. waite was appointed prosecuting attorney. the county was organized for judicial purposes in , and the counties of crow wing and todd were attached. the first term of court was held june , ; hon. moses sherburne, presiding, taylor dudley, clerk, and joseph edelbrock, sheriff. the writer is indebted to the efficient clerk of court of , a. l. cramb, for collecting data, as the old records are quite unintelligible. judge e. o. hamlin held the first term of court under the state organization. at the session of the commissioners in july, , the first bonds of the county were ordered for building a court house, amounting to $ , , at twelve per cent interest for eight years. the bonds were offered in new york city by an agent. these bonds were lost, and only two of them were recovered. at the session of the commissioners for august, the donation of john l. wilson of four blocks of ground, containing eight acres, for court house purposes, was accepted. three-fourths of the ground was sold by the county, and the funds received from the sale, together with $ , in bonds issued in , and other bonds issued later, were used in erecting the court house. st. cloud. the eastern side of the mississippi river was the first settled. as early as david gilman had located at a point now called watab. during the ensuing year, jeremiah russell, philip beaupre and james beatty were keeping trading posts at sauk rapids. in j. q. a. and w. h. wood, brothers, located there. in the rapids had become quite a point with its indian trading posts, its stores and its united states land office. among the early residents were many subsequently identified with the interests of st. cloud. in the spring of john l. wilson crossed the river at the point now known as the upper landing, then covered with a dense growth of trees and underbrush. on the adjoining prairie, a norwegian, ole burgerson by name, had staked out a claim and put up a shanty. mr. wilson purchased his interest and in june of the same year erected a frame dwelling (still standing) near the railroad bridge. nicholas lake put up a blacksmith shop near by. during this year james hitchins put up a small log dwelling for gen. s. b. lowry, who platted the township of acadia, now lowry's addition to st. cloud. a post office was established here through his influence. the same year brott & co. laid out st. cloud city. the earliest claimants of the town site, owning claims fronting on the river, were s. b. lowry, ole burgerson, martin woolley, and michael zoms. john l. wilson having purchased the claim of ole burgerson, platted the village of st. cloud, and this was the first recorded of any of the st. cloud plats. the village of st. cloud made but little progress until , when a hotel known as the stearns house, now used in connection with the normal school, was built, a ferry established and other improvements made. a notable incident connected with this ferry is the fact that the rev. abbot alexius edelbrock, now president of st. john's university, then a lad of thirteen years of age, was ferryman, he being the son of the proprietor of the ferry. the craft was swung back and forth like a pendulum, by the current acting against its keel, being fastened by a long rope some distance up the river. it was not therefore beyond the ability of so youthful a ferryman to manage. the post office, established first at acadia, became the st. cloud post office and joseph edelbrock was appointed postmaster. he was reappointed by president cleveland to the same position in . the first newspaper in st. cloud was the _visitor_, established in , by the gifted and somewhat erratic journalist and reformer, jane grey swisshelm. this paper had but a brief and troubled career--the advanced views and dictatorial style of its publisher and editor proving somewhat distasteful to the community at large. mrs. swisshelm, who had already won a national reputation, went to washington, became a contributor to the new york _tribune_, and had thereafter a somewhat variable, and upon the whole brilliant, career as a lecturer, editor and reformer. she was amongst the strongest, though not the most radical, of the advocates of woman's rights. she was not a woman suffragist, but directed her efforts chiefly toward establishing the legal identity of married women. she was also very pronounced in her anti-slavery views. the first records of the organization of st. cloud as a village have been lost. it was reorganized by legislative enactment in , and the following were the first officers: mayor, judge l. a. evans; councilmen, h. c. burbank, john w. tenvoorde, joseph broker and barney overbeck; clerk, a. b. curry. st. cloud was organized as a city in , under the following officers: mayor, judge e. o. hamlin; aldermen, l. a. evans, president; peter smith, thomas smith, t. c. alden, leander gorton, t. r. bennett, o. tenny, c. bridgman, andrew fritz, l. r. roberts, lewis clarke, h. c. burbank; clerk, n. f. barnes. the city government has been judiciously managed. the united states land office, established first at sauk rapids in , was removed to st. cloud in may, . the first receiver was w. h. wood. his successors have been s. b. hayes, c. a. gilman, w. b. mitchell, h. g. burbank, ole peterson, and c. f. mcdonald, the present incumbent. the first register was george w. sweet. his successors have been w. a. caruthers, t. c. mcclure, h. c. waite, h. l. gordon, j. a. brower, and d. h. freeman. the city has paid for various improvements as follows: city water works on the holly system, $ , ; city bridge over the mississippi, feet in length, $ , ; to the manitoba railroad in real estate and bonds, $ , ; in cash, $ , ; gas works, $ , . the fire department is well equipped. an electric light plant has been established. considerable money and work have been expended in dredging lake george, a beautiful lake about fifty-five acres in extent, lying in the heart of the city, and surrounding it with parks. street cars have been introduced and altogether the city has made most commendable advancement in all those things that pertain to beauty and comfort. not less rapid and substantial are its advances in commerce and manufactures. before the completion of the railway it had regular communication by water with all river points, and since its facilities for transportation have made it the peer of any inland city of its size in the state. the railroads of st. cloud are the manitoba with its various branches and the northern pacific, the latter passing through east st. cloud. among the improvements of which its citizens are justly proud we may mention the st. cloud dam, constructed in , at a cost of $ , . the city gave $ , for this improvement. the dam has for its foundation the underlying granite of this section. it is intended as a permanent structure and must conduce largely to the growth and prosperity of the city. the dam has feet head of water and furnishes , horse power. a flour mill with a capacity of barrels per day is run by the water power. the phoenix iron works, established at a cost of $ , , give employment to men. bridgman's steam saw mill has a capacity of about , feet of lumber per day. st. cloud is backed by a rich agricultural and timbered district. in the vicinity are valuable quarries of jasper, and of gray and red granite. two granite polishing works, operated by steam, are located near the city. these quarries stretch away to the northeast, through the counties of benton, morrison, mille lacs and kanabec. they give employment to , men. the manitoba railroad company has purchased recently about acres of land, on which to build extensive shops and stock yards, calculated to give employment, when completed, to , men. the principal hotels are the grand central and the west house. the first bank in st. cloud was established by waite & mcclure in . this bank, a private institution, was the beginning of the banking system in st. cloud. it is now operated by n. p. clarke. the first national bank was organized as a private bank in , with a capital stock of $ , ; james a. bell, president; joseph g. smith, cashier. it was reorganized as a state bank in , with a capital stock of $ , . in it was reorganized as a national bank. the first board of officers have served continuously to date. the business of the bank amounts to over $ , . the german american national bank was organized in ; chas. a. hull, president; edgar hull, cashier; capital stock $ , . the business (in ) amounts to $ , . the present board of officers are: f. e. searle, president; john cooper, vice president; f. m. morgan, cashier. st. cloud has many fine buildings. the court house cost $ , , and four school buildings an aggregate of $ , . the bishop's cathedral cost $ , , and the catholic church $ , . the episcopalians, presbyterians, baptists, methodists, congregationalists, and lutherans have organizations and good church buildings. the normal school buildings located here cost $ , . st. cloud university is a flourishing institution. st. john's university, although located in the adjoining town of st. joseph, has been identified more or less with the interests of st. cloud, and deserves mention in its history. it was originally located two miles south of st. cloud, but was subsequently removed to a point northwest, a mile distant from the thriving village of collegeville. the university owes its existence to the zeal, energy and self devotion of the benedictine fathers, a colony of whom came to america in . this colony settled first in westmoreland, pennsylvania, but in , at the invitation of bishop cretin, came to minnesota, where, the year following, they commenced their educational work on the banks of the mississippi near st. cloud. the school was commenced as a seminary, but in the state legislature granted authority to confer degrees, and in formally changed the name from st. john's seminary to st. john's university. the buildings are ample and commodious, and located pleasantly on the banks of a beautiful lake. the faculty consists of rt. rev. alexius edelbrock and twenty-two professors. in st. benedict's hospital was erected at a cost of about $ , . it is under the supervision of the benedictine nuns. the state reformatory was located at east st. cloud in . la sauk, formerly st. joe, adjoining st. cloud on the north, had a saw and flour mill erected in . these mills were burned in , and rebuilt in . amongst the early settlers were j. h. lineman in , j. a. upham and george rieder in . peter schaeler, a farmer, a native of germany, came to america in , and to st. joseph in . john, his only son, retains the old homestead, and was in engaged in the insurance business in st. cloud. john l. wilson was born in columbia, washington county, maine, in . he came to minnesota in , locating at st. anthony, but in the following year removed to sauk rapids and in to st. cloud. the first deed on record in stearns county was from john l. wilson to l. c. kenna, and bears date of . in he was married to harriet n. corbett. they have three children living. charles t. stearns, from whom the county took its name, has been for many years a resident of louisiana, and is a wealthy planter. henry g. fillmore, a nephew of president fillmore, was born in the state of new york in the ' s, and came to watab in . he has lived in st. cloud many years. nathaniel getchell was born in washington county, maine, in . he came to st. anthony in , and to stearns county in . james keough came from ireland to america in , and directly to watab. he settled in st. cloud in , was married in , and has a large family. loren w. collins was born in lowell, massachusetts, aug. , . he received a common school education; came to hastings, minnesota, some time prior to the rebellion, studied law with smith & crosby and was admitted to practice, but in august, , entered the service of his country in company f, seventh minnesota volunteers, of which company he was commissioned second lieutenant, and a year later first lieutenant. he was discharged with his regiment at the close of the war, and returned to his law practice. in he removed to st. cloud and practiced law. he served as county attorney a number of years; was a member of the minnesota house of representatives in - ; was appointed judge of the seventh judicial district april , , and elected to that office in . nov. , , he was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of judge berry, an appointment that gives general satisfaction, judge collins having won an enviable reputation as a jurist and as a man. henry c. waite was born in albany county, new york, in ; graduated at union college, schenectady, new york; was admitted to practice law in , and the same year came to iowa. a year later he removed to wisconsin, and located at madison, where he practiced law two years. in may, , he came to st. cloud, where he has since continuously resided. the first ten years of his residence in st. cloud he devoted to the practice of his profession, after which he devoted his time to farming and milling. mr. waite was a member of the constitutional convention in . he also served several terms in the senate and house. during president lincoln's administration he served as register of the land office. he was married to maria d. clark in . he has two sons. gen. s. b. lowry was the son of the devoted and zealous missionary, rev. david lowry, who labored among the winnebagoes in northern iowa in the ' s and ' s. he located first at brockway, ten miles above st. cloud, and established a trading post, but in removed to st. cloud, where he surveyed and platted the village of acadia, afterward known as "lowry's addition." he made st. cloud his home until his death, which occurred in . anthony edelbrock was the first resident of st. cloud. his oldest son was the first child born there. this son died in infancy. his second son became the abbot of st. john's university. mr. edelbrock is now a resident of missouri. joseph edelbrock was born in westphalia, prussia, in . he learned the trade of a carpenter, came to america in , and lived in chicago until , when he came to st. cloud and engaged in mercantile pursuits. he is the oldest merchant continuously in business in the city. he served as sheriff two years and as register of deeds four years. he was married in chicago in , and has six children living. a daughter, the second child born in st. cloud, is the wife of peter e. kaiser. john rengel, made a claim here in . he has been and still is a prosperous citizen. he has a family of ten children. louis a. evans was born near philadelphia, nov. , . his forefathers came to america with william penn and bought of him a township of land, on which still reside many of his descendants. his father served as a soldier in the war of . louis was educated at the graded schools in philadelphia; was apprenticed to a piano maker, and worked at his trade at cincinnati, ohio, clinton, mississippi, and new orleans until , when he came to st. cloud, where he still resides. during his residence he has served as postmaster, judge of probate, clerk of the district court, editor of the st. cloud _times_, mayor of st. cloud, and president of the council and member of the house and senate of the state legislature. he was married to elisabeth w. libby in . ambrose freeman.--we have no datum as to when mr. freeman came to st. cloud, but it was probably prior to . he was a stonemason, and while working on a cellar wall heard the report of the sioux uprising and massacre (in ), and, dropping his tools, hurried off to satisfy himself as to the truth of the reports, called a meeting of citizens, and organized a company of twenty-five volunteers to assist in caring for the wounded and burying the dead. on his return he was commissioned captain of the northern rangers and marched with his command to the relief of forest city and fort abercrombie. he was with gen. sibley's command in , and while riding over the prairie was shot with an arrow by an indian, and expired instantly. nathan f. barnes has lived a somewhat eventful life. he was born at portland, maine, june , ; received an academic education; served as a midshipman in the navy from to , visiting many parts of the globe. in he commenced the study of law, was admitted to practice in and practiced awhile at conway, new hampshire, where in he was married. in he was appointed mail agent on the isthmus route to california, served six years, and then located in california. two years later, in , he removed to alexandria, minnesota. during the sioux massacre he and andreas darling were the only persons remaining in the neighborhood who escaped being killed. in he came to st. cloud, where he has been an active and prominent citizen. he served many years as city clerk and city justice and was elected to the house of the state legislature in . he was influential in securing the location of the normal school in st. cloud. one son, percival s., died in the saulsbury prison during the civil war. he has one son and one daughter living. nehemiah p. clark was born in worcester county, massachusetts, april , . in his youth he attended school in kentucky and at seventeen years of age was clerking in a store at fond du lac, wisconsin. in he came to st. cloud and engaged actively in business, selling goods, farming, staging, lumbering, and dealing in pine lands. he has a farm in le sauk of , acres, a creamery, a cheese factory, and one of the largest and best herds of cattle, horses, hogs and sheep in the state. for office and official honors he has no taste. he served, however, as president of the state agricultural society in . oscar e. garrison was born at fort ann, new york, in , and was early thrown upon his own resources. he came to minnesota in , and built the first house on the shores of lake minnetonka where wayzata is now located. in he surveyed and platted the village of wayzata. in he came to st. cloud. he made a land claim in polk county in and narrowly escaped being murdered by the sioux at their uprising. his house and property were destroyed. while hiding with his wife and four-year-old son, indians passed within twenty feet of him. after a perilous night journey, during which he came almost within touching distance of sleeping indians, he arrived safely at sauk centre. the gilman family.--the gilman family of which charles a. is a descendant came to america from hingham, england, with the folsoms, in , and are the founders of the town of hingham, massachusetts. the gilmans were renowned for their loyalty to the colonies, and later to the state and national government. charles a. gilman was born in gilmanton, new hampshire, feb. , . his youth was spent at home, where he received a common school and academic education, the latter at gilmanton academy. he taught school during the winters. in he came to sauk rapids, benton county, where he engaged in farming and real estate business; he also filled the offices of auditor and register of deeds. in he removed to st. cloud, having been appointed register of the united states land office for that place. he served seven years as register and receiver. he studied law, and was admitted to practice in . mr. gilman has lived a busy life, and besides his real estate, law, surveying and exploring business, he has taken a conspicuous position in the politics of his state, having served as state senator in the years - , and as representative from to . in - he served as speaker of the house. from to he was lieutenant governor of the state. he was elected to the legislature several times as a republican, when the district was strongly democratic, a high compliment to his ability and integrity. he was married to hester cronk, at sauk rapids, jan. , . they have six children living. he has lived at st. cloud since , where he has a delightful home. of st. cloud citizens not elsewhere mentioned in this work, and who have been prominent in advancing its interests, are charles bridgman, henry g. mitchell and son, c. f. mcdonald, lewis clark, alonzo f. cramb, c. f. davis, levi s. geer, josiah g. hayward, david l. kiehle, a. montgomery, overbeck brothers, john h. owen, and john cooper. st. cloud has furnished three able jurists for the supreme bench in this district, e. o. hamlin, j. m. mckelvy and l. w. collins. anoka county. anoka county was organized in , the nucleus or first settlement being a small village on the mississippi, at the month of rum river, named anoka, from a chippewa word meaning work or labor. the county has a fine location on the east bank of the mississippi. its boundaries on the north are isanti county, on the east chisago and washington counties, on the south ramsey county, and on the west sherburne county and the mississippi river. rum river flows in a southeasterly direction through the county, and by this river, its tributaries and those of the mississippi and st. croix, the county is well watered and drained. the valleys of these streams furnish many fine natural meadows. the soil is a black sandy loam with clay subsoil. townships , and , range , are drained by the tributaries of the st. croix. originally consisting of oak openings, natural meadows and tamarack swamps, interspersed with small lakes, with excellent roads, school houses, churches and town organizations, the county is well settled and has many fine farms under a high state of cultivation. its proximity to the pineries of rum river and to the markets of minneapolis and st. paul makes it a desirable location for the lumbermen and farmers. the county is subdivided into the following townships: anoka, bethel, blaine, burns, centreville, columbus, fridley, grow, ham lake, linwood, oak grove, ramsey, and st. francis. the northern pacific and st. paul, minneapolis & manitoba railroads traverse this county near its western boundary, following the course of the mississippi river. outside of anoka the first settlement in the county was within the bounds of the present town of ramsey. nathan shumway, cornelius pitman and daniel hawthorne settled there in . the first county commissioners were appointed by the governor. they were e. c. h. davis, j. p. austin and silas o. lum. they met june , , and appointed the following officers: sheriff, james c. frost; treasurer, james m. mcglauflin; coroner, joseph c. varney; assessors, daniel robbins, s. l. guice, francis peeler. the first deed on record in the county bears date of june , . it conveys the northwest quarter of section , township , range , from nathaniel s. davis to mary s. small, for a consideration of five hundred dollars. there is, however, a transcript of a deed from ramsey county bearing original date of sept. , , conveying the north half of the northwest quarter of section , township , range , from abel bloodgood, of minnesota territory, to henry m. rice, for a consideration of two hundred dollars. the first town plat, that of anoka, bears date of july , . anoka. this town lies on the east shore of the mississippi and includes part of fractional township , range . it is watered by rum river, which traverses the northwestern part, and by coon creek in the eastern part. the town originally was chiefly prairie. its early history is included in that of anoka county. anoka city. the county seat of anoka county is located on the mississippi at the mouth of rum river and dates its settlement to the year , when thomas holmes located on the east bank of the river, and built the first log house for a trading post. aaron betts, in the employ of holmes, brought his family with him, the first family in the town. in the winter of - holmes sold out to simeon p. folsom, whose family was the second in the town. mr. folsom raised the first crop in the township. in september, , mr. folsom removed to sherburne county, selling out his claim to louis roberts. in the winter of the same year wm. dahl took possession for mr. roberts. in the spring of antoine roberts, brother of louis, came from prairie du chien, took possession of the home, and lived there some years, when he was killed by an indian. when the land on which the improvements were made was brought into market louis roberts entered it. in anton guion entered a quarter section of land on the west side. he immediately sold his claim to henry m. rice, who bought it with the intention of platting it as a town site. his brother, orrin rice, occupied it and made improvements. rum river has a fall of five feet, which is fully utilized at anoka. in geo. w. branch took up a claim on the west side, and built a house near what is now the corner of main and ferry streets. this was the first frame house in anoka, which, from this time forward, grew almost imperceptibly into a village, till in the census showed nearly inhabitants. in the population was , and in , , . anoka was incorporated as a city in , with the following board of officers: mayor, g. w. church; aldermen, d. c. dunham, d. h. lane, l. g. browning, a. davis, h. n. seelye, and j. h. pierce; treasurer, h. e. lepper; justices of the peace, w. w. fitch and e. s. teller; constables, george geddes and norman mclean. at that time the city was divided into two wards, the first including the east side, and the second the west side, of rum river. in the west side was changed to the first ward, and the east side became the second and third wards. in ed. i. shaw built and opened the first store. it was on the west side, and the building still stands, and is known as the schuler building. it is now the hospital: caleb and w. h. woodbury erected a saw mill on the east side. it was subsequently owned by woodbury, shaw & farnham. during the same year a bridge was built across rum river by the government; orrin rice, contractor. the first flour will was finished in . it was burned ten days after with $ , worth of wheat and corn a total loss, as there was no insurance. it was owned by a. p. lane, caleb and henry woodbury. the mill was rebuilt by caleb woodbury and wm. l. barnes. in h. l. ticknor erected and opened the first store on the east side. rev. royal twitchell preached the first sermon and taught the first school. the first mill was utilized on sundays as a church. the congregationalists organized the first church in anoka in , and erected a church building in . the baptists and catholics organized in , the methodists and episcopalians in , the universalists in , the swedish lutherans in , the adventists in , and the free methodists in . the masons organized a lodge in , the knights of pythias in , the united workmen in , the patrons of husbandry in , and the odd fellows in . anoka has suffered from time to time by fires. a flour mill, two saw mills, half a dozen hotels, and a large number of stores have been burned at different times, and twice the business part of the city has been destroyed. aug. , , the entire business portion of the city, including business blocks and the washburn mills, was consumed. the loss amounted to $ , , on which there was an insurance of $ , . the burnt district has since been handsomely rebuilt, and the washburn flour mill has been replaced with a superior building, five stories high, × , ground plan, and rising to the height of feet. this is one of the finest mills in the state. the court house is valued at $ , , the city hall at $ , , and four school buildings at $ , . the bridge across the mississippi, a fine structure, feet long, was built at a cost of $ , . street cars have been introduced on some of the streets. the principal manufactories are the lincoln flouring mill, with a capacity of seven hundred bushels per day, owned by the washburn mill company; four saw mills belonging to the washburn mill company, with a capacity of , , feet per year; the anoka sash and door factory, one of the most thriving industries in the city, jonas morell, manager; a starch factory, a boot and shoe company, with a capital of $ , , recently organized. other industries are well represented; the whole giving employment to over , men. the first national bank of anoka was organized as a private banking institution in . it became a state bank in , with a capital stock of $ , , and a national bank in , with a paid up capital of $ , . the officers are: president, h. l. ticknor; cashier, b. f. pratt. the anoka national bank was organized in , with a paid up capital of $ , . the officers are: president, w. d. washburn; vice president, c. c. crane; cashier. c. s. guderian. bethel includes township and the twelve south sections of township , range . its surface is partially prairie land, and is dotted with small lakes. the first settlers were quakers, with the exception of rice, price, o. evans and robert minard, who came in . bethel post office is located at what is known as bethel corners. the town was organized in . the first supervisors were o. evans, w. dickens and r. price. blaine, named in honor of james g. blaine, embraces township , range . it was originally included in anoka, but was set off and organized in . the first supervisors were moses ripley, george tisdale and richard de long. the records have not been kept with sufficient accuracy to enable us to determine who were the first settlers. it appears, however, that the first comers abandoned their claims. green chambers is the first settler recorded. he came in . burns includes township , range , and is in the northwestern part of the county. the soil is clay loam, and in the western part are many lakes. of these twin lakes are ninety feet in depth. the first settler was john derigan, who was also one of the first settlers of elk river township, in sherburne county. the town was organized in . the supervisors were john d. keen, john a. mussey and w. d. le clair. a german lutheran church was built in . centreville includes township , range . it is the oldest settlement in the county, alphonse jarvis having located here in . frank lamott settled here in . the first considerable settlement was made on rice lake, in , by f. w. traverse and other german families. a french colony settled in the eastern part of the town in . prominent among these colonists were francis x. levalle and brother, oliver and frank dupre, francis lamott and oliver peltier. the town was organized in , with the following commissioners: oliver peltier, chairman; francis lamott, treasurer, and stephen ward. the town was originally a timbered and meadow district. it has a good black loam soil, and is well watered by rice lake and numerous small streams. it contains a number of ancient mounds. its nearest railroad station is centreville, on the st. paul & duluth road, an washington county. centreville village was platted in , by peltier, lavalle & lamott. it contains a substantial brick church known as the church of st. genevieve of paris, built in . the congregation numbers about four hundred. columbus, township , range , was settled in by james starkey, isaac conway, john kleiner and henry batzle. mr. conway became a dealer in real estate, and removed to california where he died. james starkey figured prominently in the early history of the territory and state, but may be mentioned here as the founder of the village of columbus, in and . he expended $ , in building a hotel and other improvements, not a vestige of which now remains. fridley. this town, including fractional township , range , was organized as manomin county in , and held that organization, with a. m. fridley as chairman of county commissioners, until , when it was disorganized and attached to anoka county, retaining manomin as its town name until , when it was changed to fridley by legislative enactment. john sullivan, g. w. thurber and thomas casey were the first supervisors. the town contains about thirteen sections of land in the eastern part of township , range , pleasantly located on the east bank of the mississippi. it is traversed by rice creek. john banfil settled here in and was the first postmaster of the village of manomin, of which he was proprietor. he represented the twenty-fourth district as senator in the first state legislature. he removed to bayfield, wisconsin, and died there in . it has been improved by the introduction of large manufacturing establishments. a flouring mill was built in . in $ , was expended in manufactories, and real estate to the amount of $ , changed hands. it has one church building (episcopal), erected in . grow includes township , range . it is watered by rum river and coon creek. george branch settled here in , and about the same period, j. c. frost, joseph mckinney, andrew j. smith and walter d. gary. the town was organized in as round lake, but changed to grow in , in honor of senator grow of pennsylvania. the first supervisors were silas o. lum, w. w. hank and wm. staples. the town records were burned in . in the catholics erected a church building. ham lake, formerly a part of grow, was set off and organized in . it includes township , range . it was settled chiefly by swedes and norwegians, of whom matts gilbertson, of norway, was first to locate here. there were many transient persons among the first comers, but the first permanent settler of any nationality was josiah hart, from vermont, who came in . he died in . john scully came in . the first supervisors were john rowe, a. b. lingard and c. olsen. the swedes and norwegians have each a house of worship. linwood. this town, consisting of township , and twelve sections of township , range , lies in the northeastern part of the county. it is well watered and traversed by a chain of lakes. the first settlement was by joseph sanson, a german, who located here in . w. dickens, an englishman, came in . linwood was set off from bethel and columbus, and organized september, . the first town officers were j. g. green, f. mcgregor and michael hurley. there is a post office in the village of linwood. a methodist church was built in , and a saw and feed mill, by shanton & haskell, in . l. s. arnold, a native of montreal, canada, born in , came to minnesota in . he seems to have made his home at linwood, which he left, but after living some years in michigan and missouri, he again returned in . samuel ridge came to linwood in . j. g. green, born in , located here in , and since has served as postmaster in linwood village. he has served several years as county commissioner. the green brothers are descendants of the plymouth pilgrims. g. w. haskell was an early settler. he originally came from skowhegan, maine. he died in . michael m. ryan was born in ireland in . he came to america in and settled in linwood with his father's family. two brothers enlisted as volunteers during the civil war, and died in the service. the hurley family come to linwood some time in the ' s. the sons are prominent business men at north branch, pine city and hinckley. the father moved to north branch in . oak grove includes township , range . it abounds in small lakes and the rum river drains the western portion. the first settlers were david rogers, moses seeley and james nutter, in . dennis mahoney, of ireland, born in , came to oak grove in , held the office of supervisor fourteen years, and that of justice of the peace continuously to the present. the town was organized in , with the following supervisors: a. w. norris, dennis e. mahoney and peter brennan. rose, daughter of william smith, was the first child born. ramsey, named in honor of the first territorial governor, occupies fractional township , range , in the western part of the county, on the mississippi river. it was organized in as watertown, which name was changed to dover, and then to ramsey, in . in an indian trading house was opened in section , by t. a. holmes and thomas beatty. the first permanent settlement was made by a new england colony in , amongst whom were p. shumway and sons (john and peter), nathan and benjamin shumway, and cornelius pitman. in the town plat of itasca was surveyed in sections and . william vincent, thomas miller and j. c. bowers came to ramsey in . mr. bowers was postmaster for twenty-five years at itasca, and died oct. , . the first supervisors were jared benson, isaac varney and cornelius pitman. st. francis includes the two southern tiers of sections of township , ranges and . the first settlers were george armsby and e. fowler, in . the town was organized in , but the records have been lost. dwight woodbury, who has been prominent in the history of the county, located a water power flour and saw mill and built a hotel on rum river where the village of st. francis has since been built, and surveyed the village plat. the mills were destroyed by fire in , but were immediately rebuilt. in a bridge across rum river was built at an expense of $ , . mr. woodbury's investments have been over $ , . mr. streetly opened the first store and was first postmaster at st. francis. an indian riot. in the fall of a german baron, a single man, and wm. noot and wife settled on big island, in the mississippi, about two miles above the mouth of rum river. they were traders. in march, , in consequence of the revolution in germany, the baron returned to his native land. noot remained until june, when the winnebago indians were removed by gen. fletcher. pending their removal the winnebagoes made a raid on the trading post, confiscated the whisky and provisions and fastened noot in a stable and his wife and child in a small cabin, where they were found by s. p. folsom the same day, surrounded by drunken indians and in imminent peril. noot appealed to folsom for aid. the indians, however, were furious and threatened folsom's life. the chief, "whistling thunder," used his influence in a novel way to quiet the turbulent, by placing before them all that remained of the barrel of whisky, which they eagerly drank. folsom then released noot. the wife, who had been previously released, ran with her child, frightened out of her wits, no one knew whither. after a long search the captain found her, and at great risk took her across a slough to the mainland in a canoe, which nearly sank before the shore was reached. noot afterward went to st. paul and purchased eighty acres of land, now in the heart of the city. he was a member of the house, fourth and fifth minnesota legislatures. at present he resides at big lake, sherburne county. jared benson.--mr. benson was the son of jared and sallie taft benson, and was born in blackstone. massachusetts, nov. , . the farm on which he was born was purchased of the indians by his great, great grandfather. his paternal grandfather, benoni benson, and his maternal grandfather, ebenezer taft, served in the revolutionary war, the former as a lieutenant. jared benson, his father, served in the war of . mr. benson had a fair common school education and occupied himself in farming until , when he joined the corps of engineers who were locating the providence & worcester railroad. he was afterward agent for the company and superintendent of transportation. in he came to minnesota, locating at anoka and engaging chiefly in farming and stock raising. he has served his townsmen as justice of the peace and county commissioner. for some years he has been a director of the st. paul & pacific railroad. he served as clerk of the house of representatives in - , and was afterward member and speaker of the house for three years, including the extra session of . he was revenue collector for his district in - , and was again elected to the legislature in . he was married to martha taft, of mendon, massachusetts, feb. , . they have five children. james c. frost was born in rumford, oxford county, maine, in . he was raised on a farm. on reaching his majority he came to jefferson county, wisconsin, where he lived fourteen years. in he came to st. anthony and in to anoka. he held the office of postmaster several years and was again reappointed in ; served fifteen years as sheriff and as a member of the legislature in - . he was in the employ of the st. paul & pacific railroad company for nine years. he was married in and has a family of eight daughters. a. j. mckenney, born in lowell, maine, feb. , , came to st. anthony in and followed lumbering until , when he came to ramsey, anoka county, and located in section as a farmer. he has been a prominent citizen. john henry batzle was born in wurtemburg, germany, in ; came to america in ; lived in new york until , when he came to minnesota and located in what is now the town of columbus, anoka county, where he engaged in farming. he has been a member of the methodist church for twenty-five years. he is in every way much esteemed as a citizen. he was married in , but has no children. john r. bean was born at salmon falls, new hampshire, april , ; came to st. anthony in and to ramsey, anoka county, in , where he made a farm in section . he says this was the first farming done in anoka county. from to he lived alternately at his home in st. anthony and his farm in ramsey. in he removed to anoka city, where he is engaged in lumbering. william staples was born in , in york county, maine, where he was married in . he came to st. anthony in . he has lived in the town of grow, of which he was one of the founders, for many years. he is a farmer and brickmason. abraham mccormack fridley was born may , , at corning, steuben county, new york. his parents were pennsylvanians, of german descent. he received a common school education. at the age of twenty-one years he was appointed deputy sheriff of steuben county, and was afterward collector of canal tolls at corning. in april, , he was appointed by president fillmore agent for the winnebago indians then at long prairie, todd county. in that year he was also admitted to practice law. in he removed to st. paul and was elected sheriff of ramsey county. the next year he removed to st. anthony falls and was elected to the house of the territorial legislature. a little later he removed to manomin, now fridley. he was elected a representative in the legislatures of - - and . for many years he cultivated a large farm at becker. for ten years he has been in the employ of the manitoba railroad as land agent. he is a democrat, and in was delegate to the conventions at charleston and baltimore. mr. fridley died march , , leaving a widow and three sons, henry c., frank and david h. capt. james starkey was born in england in . he came to america in and located in st. paul in . he removed to the town of columbus, anoka county, in , and was active in promoting its interests. his first enterprise, the building up of the village of columbus, was not successful. in , by order of gov. medary, he commanded a military expedition against the chippewas at sunrise prairie, the object being to compel them to return to their reservation, an expedition attended with some tragical results, as elsewhere narrated. capt. starkey took part in the civil war as captain of a cavalry company. he was the first to survey a road through the country lying between st. paul and lake superior. he was a representative of the first state legislature. since capt. starkey has resided at st. paul, and is at present prominent as a citizen and as an official in west st. paul. sherburne county. prior to its organization, sherburne was part of benton county. it was named in honor of judge moses sherburne, an appointee to the bench of the supreme court of minnesota territory. the county is bounded on the north by benton, on the east by anoka and isanti counties, and on the south by the mississippi river. it is somewhat irregularly timbered with pine and hardwood, interspersed with oak openings, rolling prairie lands and natural meadows. the surface is generally undulating. a prominent ridge of high land, from three to five miles wide, extends from elk river in a northeasterly direction into anoka county. the county is well watered by tributaries of the mississippi, elk and st. louis rivers, and has besides many clear and sparkling lakes. the soil is mostly sandy loam with clay subsoil, and valuable granite quarries are found in the northern tier of towns. david faribault was the first settler or trader, he having established a post on the elk river in , where he made a garden and raised potatoes. in september, , h. m. rice and s. p. folsom bought faribault's improvements, and folsom moved his family to the place and built a log cabin on what is now auditor's addition to elk river village. he was succeeded in the ownership by pierre bottineau. the county was organized in , under territorial law. the governor, willis a. gorman, appointed j. h. stevenson, ephriam nickerson and eli j. cutter commissioners (stevenson being chairman); eli houghton, treasurer; h. j. putnam, register of deeds; andrew boyington, judge of probate; john g. jamieson, county attorney; orlando bailey, sheriff. the first commissioners' meeting was held at the house of joseph brown, at the village of humboldt, which was made the county seat and so remained until , when it was removed to elk river village. the county was attached to benton for judicial purposes until . prior to this mr. brown's house was used for county commissioners' meetings and for courtrooms until burned down some years later, when the commissioners met at the house of john e. putnam. a court house was built at elk river on lots donated by j. q. a. nickerson, the village donating $ , and the county the remainder necessary for the building. prior to the formation of the state government, the county was divided into election precincts. the first term of district court was held at humboldt in december, ; judge c. e. vanderburgh, presiding; j. e. putnam acting as clerk. the first commissioners who held their meeting at elk river were h. houlton, chairman; a. boyington and o. bailey. the first meetings were held at the house of j. q. a. nickerson. in the st. paul, minneapolis & manitoba railroad was completed through the county on a line parallel with the general course of the mississippi river. the north pacific railroad, since built, runs parallel on the same grade. the depots were built upon the same plan and placed on opposite sides of the two tracks. the stations are elk river, big lake, becker, clear lake, and east st. cloud. the manitoba has a branch line from elk river to princeton and milacca, built in . the first deed recorded was transcribed from the benton county records, transfers of property from james beatty to richard chute and david olmstead, and bears date of july , . towns. the towns in sherburne are: baldwin, deriving its name from f. eugene baldwin, an old citizen; big lake, from the lake on which located; becker, from hon. g. l. becker, of st. paul; blue hill, from a high hill in the town; clear lake, from a lake of that name; elk river, from the river on the shore of which it is located; haven, from hon. john ormsby haven, who represented his district in the state senate in - ; livonia, from the christian name of the wife of an old citizen; orrock, from reuben orrock, a pioneer, originally from scotland; and palmer, from dr. palmer, of sauk centre. elk river was the first town organized, and included the whole county. the first election was held sept. , , at which the following board of officers was elected: moderator, alden b. heath; supervisors, j. g. jamieson, alden b. heath, j. q. a. nickerson; clerk, george h. davis. villages of sherburne county. orono, a post office, was established at orono in . the office was merged into the elk river post office in . this post office, with the mills erected in , became the nucleus of the elk river settlement, which some years later became elk river village, within the corporate limits of which orono is now situated. orono was surveyed and platted may, ; ard godfrey, proprietor. elk river, located originally about a mile below orono, was not platted as a village until . j. q. a. and julia nickerson were the proprietors. it is on the east bank of the mississippi, at its junction with elk river, above which it now extends a distance of two miles. it has a pleasant location. it was incorporated in , with c. s. wheaton, president; w. t. struble, recorder; n. k. whittemore, h. p. burrell and l. pollard, commissioners. elk river affords a fine water power with ten feet head. mills were erected here in . a great fire in may, , destroyed mill property valued at $ , . since the fire a flour mill with a capacity of barrels a day has been completed at a cost of $ , . a saw mill is also in process of construction. the village has an elevator with a capacity of , bushels, town halls, churches, episcopal, free will baptist and congregational; a first class school building, with rooms for four departments; a school building at orono, with two departments; and two railroad depots, built at a cost of $ , . in june, , a private bank was incorporated as the bank of elk river. east st. cloud, in the town of haven, is a thriving village. it has one of the best granite quarries in the state. the state, in , located here its reformatory school, receiving a donation of two hundred acres of land, covered with gray and variegated granite. the village was surveyed and platted in august, ; geo. f. brott & co., proprietors. clear lake was surveyed and platted march , ; alanson potter and wife, proprietors. becker was surveyed and platted dec. , ; j. freeman and h. c. fridley, proprietors. mr. vadnais was the first settler, in . big lake, originally humboldt village, is located on elk river, ten miles above its junction with the mississippi. its first settler was joseph brown, a veteran pioneer, but not to be confounded with the invincible joe r. brown, elsewhere referred to. mr. brown came here in , and made substantial improvements. he died in . his family still reside here. james ely and newell houghton also settled here in . mr. houghton was killed at the new ulm massacre in . john quincy adams nickerson was born in new salem, franklin county, maine, march , . he received an academic education; taught school and followed farming in maine. in he came to st. anthony falls, and in settled at elk river, which then contained but one house, a hewed log structure, which he, in company with b. f. hildreth, purchased for a hotel. the house has been enlarged from time to time, and has been continuously under the charge of mr. nickerson. he has besides employed much of his time in farming and lumbering, and has dealt in village lots. he was appointed postmaster at an early day. he has filled various responsible offices, among them that of county treasurer and town and county supervisor. he was married to julia a. farnham, of st. anthony falls, oct. , . they have five children. henry bittner was born in bavaria in ; came to america in his boyhood; enlisted in the united states army in ; served in the mexican war; was present at the battle of buena vista, and when the american forces were surrounded performed a daring feat, carrying a dispatch from gen. taylor through the mexican lines to an american fort. he was a target for the bullets of the mexican army, but arrived at his destination severely wounded. he was discharged on account of his wounds. in he came to clear lake and made him a home. he offered himself as a volunteer during the late civil war, but was not received on account of age and disability. he died at his home at clear lake in . francis de lille, of french descent, was born in canada in . he came with his family to st. anthony in , and in to elk river, where he occupied the first house built in the lower town. he settled on a farm, where he lived the remainder of his life. he died april , , under peculiar circumstances. he was a devout catholic, and died suddenly in the church while kneeling during a part of the service. his widow and youngest son reside at the old homestead. mrs. de lille, formerly catharine queenan, of ireland, is one of the oldest settlers of sherburne county. she has eight children living, mary f., married and living in dakota; frank, agnes; elisabeth, married to peter trump of taylor's falls; harriet, wife of joseph holt, of taylor's falls; joseph f., rosanna and sarah, all married. howard m. atkins was born in new sharon, franklin county, maine, may , . his father was stricken down by lightning, leaving him at the age of thirteen to assist in taking care of the family. howard was near his father and was struck senseless by the same flash that deprived him of a father. recovering, he set himself earnestly and seriously to the duties of life, performed his allotted tasks about the household, and succeeded in obtaining a good high school education. he came to princeton, mille lacs county, in , studied law and was admitted to practice in mille lacs county in . subsequently he practiced law five years in st. cloud. he came to elk river in . he has held official positions in mille lacs, stearns and sherburne counties. mr. atkins has acquired an honorable position through his own exertions and richly deserves the respect of his fellow citizens. he was married in to virginia sinclair, of illinois. they have two sons and four daughters. b. f. hildreth was born in milford, maine, march, . he learned the trade of a blacksmith and came to st. anthony in , and the year following did part of the crew work of the first steamer launched on the mississippi above the falls. since then he has engaged chiefly in lumbering and farming. in he was married to m. e. farnham, of st. anthony. he removed to elk river in . samuel hayden was born oct. , , at madison, maine. he came to livonia, sherburne county, in . he has a family of four sons and three daughters, residents of minnesota. his brother, the hon. wentworth hayden, was a member of the constitutional convention of . the writer of these sketches had known mr. samuel hayden in early life, and distinctly remembered seeing him the winter of , driving an ox team in the pineries on dead river, maine. he was then a young man of twenty-one, and the writer was a boy of ten. sixty years later they met in sherburne county, and the writer recognized in the aged man of eighty-one years the young man of twenty-one, though for the moment unable to call his name. it is seldom that memory bridges so wide a chasm. joseph jerome settled in the town of haven in , and is therefore among the first of the pioneers. in he sold his property to samuel sturgis and removed to michigan. joshua o. cater came from stafford county, new hampshire, and was one of the earliest settlers of the town of haven, where he still lives. j. f. bean also came from new hampshire to sherburne county, and is now a resident of livonia, and postmaster at lake fremont. j. h. felch, of maine, an early settler of livonia, is now living at elk river. james brady came to palmer in . he died about . joshua briggs settled in palmer in , and died there in . robert orrock, for whom the town of orrock was named, died at his home, at a good old age, january, . john g. jamieson died at elk river in . a. b. heath removed to oregon in , where he still lives. dr. b. r. palmer, for whom the town of palmer was named, was a resident of sauk centre and died there in . judge moses sherburne, for whom the county was named, died at elk river in . chas. f. george, who settled in santiago in , is at present chairman of the board of county commissioners. royal george, a pioneer of the same date, returned to vermont, where he died in . w. l. babcock, a merchant of santiago, still resides here. chapter xvii. benton county. at the organization of minnesota territory three counties were created, of which benton was one. its eastern boundary followed the course of rum river from its mouth to its junction with the west branch and thence a line due north to the mississippi river. the boundary line upon the west followed the windings of the mississippi down to its junction with rum river, making a county large and irregular in outline, extending from north to south about one hundred miles, and about forty at its widest point from east to west. the formation of new counties since that time has left it with less than eleven townships lying east of the mississippi river and bounded on the north by morrison, on the east by mille lacs, and on the south by sherburne counties. the soil is diversified. there is black sandy loam in the plains and a black vegetable mould in the timber, with clay subsoils. it is a fair agricultural district, having groves of pine and hardwood in the east and natural meadows, prairies and oak openings in the central and western portions. it is well watered by the mississippi and its tributaries, elk, little rock and platte rivers. it has some fine lakes, of which mayhew, briggs and little rock are the largest. a granite formation underlies most of this county and crops out in many places, furnishing valuable quarries. the granite is plain and variegated and is being worked and shipped extensively. near the village of watab there is a rich upheaval. the st. paul custom house is made of the watab granite. the northern pacific railway passes through this county parallel with the channel of the mississippi river. the manitoba, st. cloud & hinckley branch passes through the southern tier of towns. the organized towns are alberta, gilmanton, glendorado, granite lodge, maywood, minden, sauk rapids, st. george, and watab. the villages are east st. cloud, foley, oak grove, rice's, and watab. the first settlers were philip beaupre, in ; david gilman, in ; jeremiah russell, wm. h. wood, james beatty, ellis kling, wm. smith, and j. c. mayhew, in . sauk rapids was made the county seat, then watab, then sauk rapids. the first board of officers, qualified jan. , , were: commissioners, wm. a. aitkin, chairman; joseph brown and james beatty; assessors, truman a. warren and reuben m. richardson; attorney, w. d. phillips. the voting precincts were at sauk rapids, swan river and crow wing. the judges of election were: for sauk rapids, j. russell, wm. sturgis and curtis bellows; for swan river, philip beaupre, james green and duncan stewart; for crow wing, allen morrison, wm. morrison and sylvester stateler. the first election was held at pierre bottineau's house, now in sherburne county. george egbert and thomas holmes were judges of election. the first court in the county was held nov. , ; bradley b. meeker, presiding. david gilman was the first sheriff, john c. hawley the second. the first deed recorded was from james hitchins to wm. f. coblett. it bore date of oct. , . taylor dudley was register of deeds. the land conveyed was a tract lying at the foot of sauk rapids, being a land claim of one hundred and sixty acres, purchased from calvin potter. sauk rapids. the site of the village of sauk rapids was judiciously chosen. it slopes gently to the river's east bank, giving a pleasant frontage to the rapids. philip beaupre came here first in . his son, william p., was the first white child here, born may , . geo. o. sweet was the second, born aug. , . several indian traders located here and at watab. following mr. beaupre came t. a. holmes, james beatty, j. russell, calvin potter, james hitchins, curtis bellows, and charles webb. the first plat of sauk rapids was made and recorded in . the proprietors were j. russell, g. m. sweet and s. van nest. the surveyor was c. b. chapman. the village was incorporated in . the commissioners appointed under the general act to effect the organization were alphonso j. demenles, erasmus cross, b. k. knowlton. a wagon bridge built across the mississippi at this point cost $ , . it was greatly damaged by a storm, and partially destroyed by the cyclone of . the dam across the mississippi at sauk rapids was built in at a cost of $ , . the east wing is owned by the commodore davidson estate; the west, by the sauk rapids manufacturing company. the rapids are formed by the eruption of granite ledges across the channel of the river. a flour mill built here with a capacity of three hundred barrels per day was totally destroyed by the cyclone of april , , which was one of the most destructive on record. the estimated loss in sauk rapids was $ , , of which $ , was made up by voluntary contributions from st. paul, minneapolis and other portions of the state. the public buildings, including the court house, school buildings and several churches, were destroyed, together with many fine stores and dwellings. since the cyclone the village has been handsomely rebuilt. a new court house has replaced the old one at a cost of $ , , a new school house has been built at a cost of $ , --a model building with rooms for five departments. there are five new church buildings, an episcopal, congregational, methodist and two lutheran. watab. watab appears to have been a noted indian trading post from to . asa white, d. gilman, c. w. borup, n. myrick, gen. lowry, and others were located, or had stations here. watab was for a short time the county seat of benton county. a bridge was once built across the mississippi here, but it has disappeared. the village site was surveyed and platted, and a post office established in . p. lamb was postmaster. a steam saw mill was erected here, but was afterward removed. the first improved farm in benton county was located in the vicinity. david gilman, benjamin bright and george goodhue were early settlers. philip beaupre was born in lower canada, in . as his name indicates, he is of french descent. he received a french education. he came west in ; entered the employ of the fur company in , and located at sauk rapids in . when he arrived there were no white inhabitants, save indian traders, on the mississippi north of st. anthony. mr. beaupre built a log house in , and was continuously engaged in trade until succeeded by his sons. he assisted in forming the county, town and village organizations, filling many offices of trust and honor. in he served as judge of the probate court, and since as collector of customs at pembina. in he was married to teresa de noyes, of st. louis, and has a family of seven sons and six daughters, all residing in benton county. david gilman.--hon. david gilman, of watab, was born april , , at saratoga, new york. he was left fatherless at the age of six months, and his mother subsequently placed him in the family of a neighbor to be brought up and cared for until the age of twenty-one. as he grew older he was not pleased with this arrangement, and at the age of fourteen left his home to adventure for himself. his opportunities for securing an education were limited. in he came to michigan. in he married nancy w. lamb, of woodstock, vermont. in he came to watab, minnesota, and made him a permanent home, making himself a useful, influential and public spirited citizen, filling many positions of trust in his town, county and state governments. amongst the offices filled by him were those of deputy united states marshal, member of the second territorial legislature, and of the constitutional convention. he was postmaster at watab from the establishment of the office in until , when he died, greatly lamented by his friends and honored by all who knew him. mrs. gilman and four children survive him. james beatty was born in fairfield county, ohio, april , . when fourteen years of age he went to cass county, michigan. he farmed for the winnebago indians near fort atkinson, iowa, for several years, and coming to minnesota in located at sauk rapids, which he made his permanent home. he has been engaged as indian trader, hotel keeper, merchant and farmer. he was a member of the minnesota territorial legislatures of , and . he was married to eliza foscet, of new york, in . they have three children living. ellis kling was born in dauphin county, pennsylvania, oct. , . he was brought up as a farmer, and has made farming his occupation through life. he came to sauk rapids in . in he was married to lucy lewis, of belle prairie. they have five sons and one daughter. george w. benedict.--mr. benedict was born at rochester, new york, in . he served an apprenticeship to a printer in canada for five years. in he was married to anna cronk, a native of prince edward county, canada. for four years he published the tecumseh (mich.) _herald_ and in , having removed to sauk rapids, established the _frontiersman_ for jeremiah russell. this paper he conducted for three years. he then conducted the _new era_ for one year. in he established the sauk rapids _sentinel_, which he conducted four years, when he started the alexandria _post_ and also became a member of a company that published the st. cloud _press_, with which he was connected one year. in he re-established the sauk rapids _sentinel_, which he sold to w. l. nieman, but repurchased after the cyclone of . mr. benedict was in the united states revenue service ten years, and served as a member of the state senate one term. j. q. a. wood was born in chichester, new hampshire, in . he graduated at union college, new york, in ; studied law with president franklin pierce; was admitted to practice in , and made his home at sauk rapids in , which has been his home ever since, with the exception of some years spent in kentucky as editor of the _southern kentucky shield_. this paper was suppressed in . returning to sauk rapids in , he engaged in the practice of law, in which he has since continued. during this period he served eleven years as county attorney, and also a term as probate judge. mr. wood was seriously injured in the great cyclone, having been buried in the debris of the court house, from which, with great difficulty, he extricated himself. mr. wood is a poetical writer of some reputation, many of his productions having been received with great favor. among them we may mention "father is growing old, john," "ode to new hampshire," and "the wine of cyprus." he has one son, a resident of dakota, and one daughter, the wife of d. c. roberts of west superior. william h. wood was born in london, new hampshire, feb. , . when he was fourteen years of age his father removed to tecumseh, michigan. he graduated at dartmouth college in and afterward took a course in union college, new york, graduating in . he then returned to tecumseh, michigan, where he studied law with judge stacy. in he was admitted to the bar in lenawee county, michigan. during the presidential campaign of the year following he edited a paper in kentucky, the _rough and ready_, advocating the claims of gen. taylor for the presidency. in he located in greensburg, kentucky, and in was married to a lady of refinement, known to the literary world under the _nom de plume_ of "minnie mary lee." in he removed to sauk rapids, minnesota. he was there editor of the pioneer paper, the _frontiersman_. he afterward owned, and with his gifted wife edited, the _new era_, in which he was an ardent supporter of mr. lincoln for the presidency in . meanwhile he practiced his profession and held the office of county attorney for many years. when the land office was established at sauk rapids he was appointed receiver and served a number of years. he was a member of the first state legislature. in he was elected president of the new athens college, greensburg, kentucky, and served a short time, when he contracted the disease that afterward terminated his earthly career. mr. wood was a man of more than ordinary ability, an eloquent speaker, a fluent and gifted writer, whose influence will long be felt. he left a widow and three children. mrs. w. h. wood has been a liberal contributor to magazines and the author of several volumes, of which a list is here appended: "the heart of myrrha lake;" "into the light of catholicity;" "hubert's wife;" "the brown house at duffield;" "strayed from the fold;" "three times three; or, basil, beatrice, ethel;" "story of annette;" "hazel green's rival." a. de lacy wood, son of mrs. w. h. wood, edits the two harbor _iron post_, in lake county. p. h. wood, second son of mrs. w. h. wood, edits the sauk rapids _free press_. rev. sherman hall was born in weathersfield, vermont; was educated at exeter academy, dartmouth college and andover theological seminary. he was married to betsey parker in , and ordained the same year as a missionary to the chippewa indians at la pointe. with them he remained until , when he transferred his residence to sauk rapids and organized a congregational church, of which he continued pastor until his death, sept. , . mr. hall made a translation of parts of the bible into the ojibway tongue. he was greatly beloved amongst his people for his firm, christian demeanor and publicly recognized as a man of integrity and sound judgment. he served the people of benton county as judge of probate court and county superintendent of schools. jeremiah russell was born in eaton, madison county, new york, feb. , . he received a common school and academic education, and learned to set type in the office of the chautauqua _gazette_. he subsequently taught school and worked for awhile in printing offices. removing to palmyra, he clerked in a store several years. in he came to michigan, and thence to the lake superior country, where he superintended a copper mine for a couple of years, at left hand river, near the head of the lake. in he came to fort snelling, and in accompanied frank steele and others to st. croix falls, and engaged in building a saw mill. in he went to pokegama mission as government farmer and blacksmith. about , at the closing up of the pokegama mission in consequence of indian disturbances, he purchased the old connor trading post and farm. in , with elam greely, he went down the st. croix and up the mississippi and rum rivers in a birch canoe, exploring for pine timber. they found rum river blockaded at one place a distance of three-quarters of a mile, with drifts or rafts of trees, consolidated and held together by the roots of grasses and water willows, the accumulations apparently of ages. around this raft they made a portage, and ascended a tributary of rum river to its source, thence down the kanabec or snake river to pokegama. in mr. russell came to crow wing, minnesota, as agent for borup & oakes, indian traders and fur dealers. in the autumn of he established himself at a point two miles above sauk rapids, and opened up a farm of one hundred and thirty acres. at the end of four years he moved down the river and made a land claim on the west side, including the water power of sauk rapids. he owned an interest also in the water power on the east side. in he was one of the company that surveyed and platted the village of sauk rapids. he established the pioneer newspaper, the sauk rapids _frontiersman_. mr. russell for several years held the office of county auditor and treasurer, and in was elected to the territorial legislature. his name appears in the list of members, but he was present only at the opening sessions, and voted for but a single measure. he had told his constituents before his election that he would not serve. at this time he was democratic in politics but in later life voted the republican ticket. mr. russell possessed a warm, generous nature, combined with integrity of character, which gained for him the love and esteem of his many friends. ever ready to extend a willing hand to those in need, and, as far as lay in his power, to assist those in distress, he will ever be remembered with kindly feelings by all who knew him. though exposed to all the temptations and vicissitudes of an early settler's life, coming in contact with all kinds of social conditions, he never departed from the path of christian rectitude, and those with whom he came in contact will ever remember him for his kind heartedness and gentlemanly bearing. sept. , , he was united in marriage to miss sophia oakes (daughter of the late chas. h. oakes), who survives him. seven children were born unto them, but only three are now alive. these are mrs. w. l. nieman, miss julia a. and mr. j. a. russell. mr. russell died at his home in sauk rapids in . edward oscar hamlin was born at bethany, wayne county, pennsylvania, june , . he received his preparatory education at his native place; entered hamilton college, clinton, new york, in , and graduated in , third in his class, and in three years received the degree of a.m. he read law first at wilkesbarre, pennsylvania, with hon. geo. w. woodward (afterward one of the judges of the supreme court of pennsylvania); at honesdale, pennsylvania, later with earl wheeler, esq., and was admitted to the bar sept. , . after practicing for two years at honesdale, he decided to go west, and in settled in sauk rapids. he was admitted to practice in the territorial courts, and in was admitted to practice by the supreme court. judge hamlin was elected the first mayor of the city of st. cloud. he was nominated by the democratic party for governor, and subsequently for judge of the supreme court. he was also, in , appointed by gov. ramsey "a regent of the university of the state of minnesota," and was subsequently an efficient and zealous member of the state board of normal instruction. soon after the outbreak of the rebellion, in , gov. ramsey tendered him the commission of major of the seventh regiment, minnesota volunteers, but his eyesight being defective, he was obliged to decline it. in judge hamlin was chosen by the democratic party as one of the delegates to the democratic national convention. he was appointed as one of the committee on platform, and openly denounced, with three others, the platform before it was adopted, because it declared the war for the union a failure. judge hamlin was a war democrat, and hung out the stars and stripes over his residence in sauk rapids, the first one in that town to do so. in , being an only child and yielding to the solicitations of his parents, judge hamlin returned to his native county and opened an office in honesdale. after a short residence there he removed to bethany, which has since been his home. he continued the practice of his profession in honesdale until june, , when failing health compelled him to retire. judge hamlin has been twice married. his first wife was mary a., daughter of judge eldred, who for a quarter of a century graced the bench of pennsylvania. she died at st. cloud, sept. , . in october, , judge hamlin married ella f., daughter of e. b. strong, esq., for years clerk of the district court of stearns county. morrison county. morrison county is somewhat irregular in outline. it is bounded on the north by crow wing and cass, on the east by mille lacs, on the south by benton and stearns, on the west by stearns and todd counties. the portion east of the mississippi originally belonged to benton county, and the portion on the west side to todd county. it contains , square miles. the eastern part is well covered with pine and hardwood forests. the west and central portions consist of oak openings and brush prairies. the groves are interspersed with poplar. the surface is generally level, but is well drained by the mississippi and its tributaries, mostly small streams. it has some fine lakes in the northern and central parts. the soil is well adapted to farming. a granite range, an extension of the range of sauk rapids and st. cloud, passes through the county. william nicholson was probably the first settler in this county. he first came to swan river in , in company with ten other men. they forded the mississippi near the mouth of swan river, made a raft and floated down the river a few miles, where they abandoned it on account of low water, and returned south, whence they came. the next summer nicholson returned with twenty-two men, crossed the river at the same place, and cut a road through to the winnebago agency at long prairie. returning the same year to the crossing, he found wm. aiken had made a claim and was building a hotel and store on the east bank of the river. mr. nicholson remained some years in the vicinity, but is now a resident of little falls. wm. aiken permanently located at swan river in , one year after nicholson's arrival at that point. he died in , aged about sixty-five years. he had two indian wives. they quarreled and fought savagely at the funeral as to which was entitled to the position of chief mourner, wife number one coming off victorious. james green made a squatter's claim in , and built a saw mill on the east side of the mississippi by the island at the falls. wm. knowles located at the mouth of rabbit river in . john stillwell came to swan river in . he was a carpenter and worked at his trade until , when he went into the hotel business. he now resides at little falls. he and nicholson are the only old settlers of swan river remaining in the county. at the organization of the county in , little falls, located on the mississippi a short distance above swan river, became the county seat. the year before and the two years following were years of wild speculation. the chief ambition of the speculators was to found a city. during these years twenty-four village or town plats were recorded in the office of the register of deeds in morrison. not all, however, were located within the bounds of the county, some being platted on unsurveyed government lands. of these towns, the only one remaining, or of note, is fergus falls, otter tail county, platted by a company from little falls. of the towns located in morrison county, every one vanished except little falls, though swan river, belle prairie and granite city kept up an appearance of prosperity for a time. the early history of morrison county is enlivened by many thrilling incidents of indian warfare, chiefly of contests between the sioux and chippewas. the sioux had claimed the territory from time immemorial, but over a hundred years ago the chippewas had driven them westward across the mississippi and were in possession of the soil. the tribal hostility of the two races continued to manifest itself in predatory and retaliatory raids, and from these the early settlers were often sufferers. nathan richardson, the historian of morrison county, an authority to whom we are greatly indebted, says that the country was acknowledged to be chippewa ground before and during the settlement by the whites, but that the sioux made frequent raids through the counties in parties of from five to twenty-five, their principal object being to possess themselves of chippewa scalps. the chippewas retaliated by pursuing the sioux into their own prescribed limits. mr. richardson avers that the chippewas were seldom known to treat the white settlers uncivilly, while the sioux would kill stock to supply their wants, for which the settlers were left without compensation from indians or government. the winnebagoes were for some years located within the bounds of todd and morrison counties. in gen. fletcher removed them from fort atkinson, iowa, to long prairie, west side of the mississippi; but although the agency was located at long prairie, the indians occupied the swan river valley within the present limits of morrison and todd counties for a period of seven years, where they engaged partly in hunting and partly in farming, having about two hundred acres under cultivation, when they became dissatisfied and were removed to the blue earth country. when the winnebago indians were brought to long prairie and the swan river valley, in , the government built fort ripley on the west bank of the mississippi, about twenty miles above the mouth of swan river. the government still owns the fort and reservation around it, and keeps a garrison there. fort ripley, however, has other associations than those connected with the winnebagoes. it was necessary to place a force here during the indian outbreak in , the object being to overawe and hold in check the chippewas, who were more than suspected of an intention to make common cause with the sioux in their warfare against the whites. there the seventh regiment, minnesota volunteers, had its headquarters for a time. morrison county was named in honor of hon. allen w. morrison, who came to minnesota some time in the ' s, and was prominent in the early history of the territory. it was organized april , , by the election of the following county officers: commissioners, wm. trask, elliott j. kidder and w. w. stebbins; register of deeds and clerk of board of commissioners, nathan richardson; judge of probate, james fergus; sheriff, jonathan pugh; district attorney, w. b. fairbanks; assessors, w. b. tuttle and john fry. the first term of court was held may , ; judge moses sherburne, presiding. the first deed recorded was dated june , , conveying from william shelafoo to louis robair the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter, and lots , and of section , township , range . morrison county is subdivided into the following towns: agram, belle prairie, buckman, bellevue, culdrum, elmdale, green prairie, little falls, morrill, motley, parker, pierz, pike creek, ripley, swan river, and two rivers. little falls village, the county seat of morrison county, is located on the east bank of the mississippi river, in sections , , and of township , range . it derives its name from a rapid in the mississippi river, formed by the extension across the river of the slate stone ledges of the st. louis. the site is a prairie, sloping gently to the water's edge. the first survey was made in , by s. m. putnam. the village grew rapidly from the first, and in the best lots were selling for $ , each. previous to the only houses in the place were two cabins, a frame building in which e. j. kidder lived, and a school house. two hotels were built that year, one by joseph batters, the other by w. b. fairbanks and nathan richardson. the first settlers were the kidders, fairbanks, batters, richardson, james green, william sturgis, william butler, and o. a. churchill. james green came as early as , and took a squatter's claim on the east bank, including the water power, and built a saw mill, but soon after died, and the property passed into the hands of h. m. rice and capt. todd, who in sold their right to wm. sturgis. in john m. kidder pre-empted the mill power, transferring it to the little falls company, consisting of wm. sturgis and calvin tuttle, organized in for the improvement of the falls. this company purchased about , acres of adjoining land from the government, and in merged into a stock company with a capital of $ , , of which the original company retained one-half, the remaining half being converted into cash. the stock rose in value at one time two hundred and fifty per cent. the company built a new dam and mills, but the revenue did not keep the property in good condition after the expenditures. these valuable improvements, including the dam and mills, were all swept away by high water in ; the firm became bankrupt, and the valuable power became nearly worthless and entirely useless, until , when a new company, known as the little falls water power company, was formed with a paid up capital of $ , , which is distributed among eastern and western capitalists. the company is now constructing very extensive works, the power of which will have a head, or fall, of twenty feet, thus making it the largest water power, next to minneapolis, to be found in the whole northwest. the dam, now about completed, has cost about $ , . so thoroughly convinced are the people of morrison county of the great future before it, that, by a majority of over to , they voted a subscription of $ , in per cent bonds as a bonus to be delivered to the company upon the completion of the work. the village of little falls also entered into a contract with the company, agreeing to pay annually a sum of money equal to the taxes imposed upon that corporation, and also to exempt from taxation any manufactory using the water power for a period of five years. the improvements under process of construction consist, first, of a dam across the entire river, resting, however, against the head of mill island; second, a canal on the west side, starting from a point opposite the head of mill island, and extending , feet down stream. this canal is feet wide and feet deep, is lined with a retaining wall, and provided with head gates at the upper end and with a waste way at the lower end; third, a wheel house, races, and, if found desirable, a wire rope tower for transmitting power to mill island and to the east shore. basing the rental of this power on that of the water power at lowell, massachusetts, it would be worth $ , per annum. the officers of the company are w. h. breyfogle, of louisville, kentucky, president; m. m. williams, of little falls, secretary and treasurer. little falls was incorporated as a village in , louis houde president of the board. the improvement of the water power has given a strong impulse to the prosperity of the village. it numbers now amongst its public buildings a court house, school house having rooms for six grades, two catholic churches, one congregational, one episcopal and one methodist church. in belle prairie, four miles distant, there is also a catholic church, school and a nunnery. a bridge, built at a cost of $ , , crosses the mississippi at this point. the bridge is feet in length. the little falls & dakota railroad, a branch of the northern pacific, is finished from little falls to morris in stevens county, a distance of miles. in addition to the mills connected with the water power there is also a steam saw mill. royalton village is located in an oak grove on the northern pacific railroad, twenty miles above sauk rapids, and ten below little falls near the south line of morrison county. it includes some lands in benton county. platte river flows through the village and furnishes a water power of feet head, improved by a dam, supplying a flour mill which has a capacity of barrels per day, and a saw mill with a capacity of , feet. there is feet fall on the platte within five miles of royalton below, and feet above the village, yet unimproved. james hill, of baldwin, st. croix county, wisconsin, with putney and nobles erected the flour mill, john d. logan, the proprietor, having donated the water power and grounds for manufacturing purposes. mr. logan has a steam saw mill with a capacity of , feet per day. the platte is spanned by an iron bridge. the village has, in addition to its mills, a weekly newspaper, a large elevator, a good graded school with six departments, and three churches, episcopal, presbyterian and methodist. it was surveyed and platted in by john d. logan, and incorporated in . the first officers were: president, j. d. logan; recorder, john holmes; trustees. j. c. wakefield, j. c. higgins, r. lambert; treasurer, g. e. putney; justices, robert brown, wm. jones; constables, wm. roller, c. o. brannen. peter roy, a mixed blood of french and chippewa parentage, was born in rainy lake, in . he was educated at la pointe, wisconsin. at the age of twenty-one he came to the agency at long lake, where he served as interpreter until , when he was elected to the territorial legislature. he opened a farm at belle prairie in ; became a member of the state legislatures of and . in he removed to little falls, where he resided until his death, in . he was a man of large frame and of generous impulses, liberal and open-handed, even to his own pecuniary disadvantage. wm. sturgis came to this county from big meadow, sherburne county, minnesota, in , and located at little falls, where he put a ferry across the mississippi. he also laid out a town and built a saw and grist mill at the mouth of little elk river. he was a member of the territorial council from crow wing and sauk rapids precincts in and ; of the territorial house in , and of the constitutional convention, democratic wing, in . some years later he removed, first to montana, and then to sturgis, michigan. james fergus was born in the parish of glassford, lanarkshire, scotland, oct. , . his parents were well-to-do farmers, and gave him a good education along with excellent moral and religious training. in his youth he was noted for his thoroughness in whatever work he undertook, and his fondness for good books. at the age of nineteen years he came to america to improve his fortunes, locating first in canada, where he spent three years, and learned the trade of a millwright. becoming involved in some political troubles just before the outbreak of the papineau rebellion, he left canada for the united states, and spent a couple of years in green bay and milwaukee, wisconsin, and at chicago and buffalo grove, illinois, going thence to iowa, and thence to moline, illinois, where he found employment in the machine shops and foundries of buford, sears & wheelock. in he removed to little falls, and in company with c. a. tuttle built a dam across the mississippi and platted the village. he subsequently owned the site of fergus falls, now a thriving city, that has done well in assuming his name. in he drove his own team from little falls to bannock, then in idaho, now in montana territory. he became prominent in territorial affairs; was influential in the organization of the new county of madison, and held many positions of trust and responsibility. he was the commissioner appointed for madison county, served two terms in the montana legislature, and was a member of the constitutional convention of . at one time he lived in lewis and clark counties; he now resides in meagher county, near fort maginnis, where he is engaged in stock raising. his main characteristics are an aptitude for mechanical enterprises, a sturdy independence of thought, a strict integrity of purpose, and an ardent love of study and good books. he is a typical pioneer, and in the mellow light of his declining days has the respect and love of his contemporaries to a remarkable degree. he is the first president of the montana pioneer association, a position which he worthily fills. mr. fergus was married march , , to parnelia dillin, of jefferson county, new york. mrs. fergus died oct. , . he has one son and three daughters, the latter married and living in montana. nathan richardson was born in wayne county, new york, in . he was raised on a farm, educated at romeo, michigan, and came to little falls in . he served as register of deeds for morrison county eight years, and was postmaster eleven years. he also served as county surveyor and county attorney, having been admitted to the bar in . he was notary public twenty-five years. he was a representative in the minnesota legislatures of , and . during his first term in the house he represented nineteen counties, nearly one-half the territory of the state. he served as judge of probate two terms. mr. richardson has prepared, by order of the board of county commissioners, and published in the local papers, a complete and valuable history of morrison county, to which we are greatly indebted. he was married to mary a. roof in , and has a family of three sons and two daughters. moses la fond, a canadian frenchman, came to morrison county in , and located at little falls, where he commenced as a teamster for the little falls manufacturing company. he found more lucrative employment, became a butcher, then a merchant, then a legislator, having been elected a representative in the legislature of . o. a. churchill.--orlando a. churchill was born in windsor county, vermont, in . he came to illinois in , and to little falls in , where he engaged in mercantile pursuits. he was elected to the legislature of , but did not serve, as no session of the legislature was held that year. he served several years as auditor of morrison county. he removed to st. paul a few years ago, and later to california, but is now again a resident of little falls. john m. kidder made a claim of government land on the east side of the mississippi, on the site of little falls. he died in , before the land was entered, and the claim was purchased by wm. sturgis, a son-in-law of mr. kidder, and by him sold to the little falls company. elliott j., a son of john m. kidder, is still a resident of little falls. warren kobe located at royalton in and built an elevator, store and first class hotel. mr. kobe is a public spirited citizen and has expended much in improving the town. ola k. black, of norwegian birth, was one of the first settlers. ira w. bouch came from buchanan county, iowa, in , and opened the first store in royalton. robert russell, living on a farm near the village, came from scotland to america in and settled here in . mr. russell died in july, ; mrs. russell died in . three sons and five daughters survive them. peter a. green, a farmer, pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres in , a part of which is surveyed into town lots. he built the second building on the town site. mr. green was born in , in green county, new york, where he married. he died january, . his widow and two sons survive him. rodolphus d. kinney was the first settler on the town site of royalton, in , erected the first house and was the first postmaster, in . mr. kinney gave the name of royalton to the post office, the name being that of his birthplace, in the state of vermont. he was born in ; had good educational advantages in youth and attended fairmount theological seminary in cincinnati; was an associate of the early presbyterian missions and was the first school teacher in morrison county, in and , at belle prairie. he was married in st. paul in . his eldest son, jonathan, was born in . one daughter lives in alabama and his youngest son is a physician at royalton. john d. logan came to minnesota from philadelphia in and located in hastings; served during the war in company g. first minnesota regular volunteers. in he came to royalton and devoted himself to the development of the water power and the building up of the village. he has a wife and three children. crow wing county. the county of crow wing was organized in . prior to this period it was included in benton and other counties. it now includes eleven whole and eight fractional townships in townships to , ranges to , inclusive. the mississippi river bounds it on the west and northwest, aitkin county on the east and morrison on the south. its soil ranges from a light sandy to a dark loam, with clay subsoil, and the timber includes the pines and the hardwoods common to the latitude. there are also fine meadows and burr oak openings. it is watered by the tributaries of the mississippi and its surface is dotted with lakes. it is well adapted to stock raising and agriculture. c. h. beaulieu appears to have been the first white man to locate within its boundaries. he established a trading post as early as , near the mouth of crow wing river. his successors in trade were allen morrison and donald mcdonald. philip beaupre was here in . when fort ripley was built s. b. olmstead, with his family, built a house and improved a farm opposite the fort on the east bank of the mississippi. mr. olmstead came from prairie du chien in . while residing here he served as a member of the second, fifth and sixth territorial legislatures, and in was elected president of the council. after living here several years, he removed to texas, and died there some years ago. mr. olmstead kept a hotel and managed to secure most of the hay, beef and wood contracts for the fort. henry m. rice had a trading post at one time at crow wing village, about eight miles above the fort. john h. fairbanks ran a ferry at the village. other settlers were wallace bean, henry whipple, f. m. campbell, w. b. wakefield, ed. lyndes, albert fuller, thomas cathcart, daniel s. mooers, s. c. abbe, and members of the beaulieu family. james a. parish was the first justice of the peace. john mcgillis, who lived at crow wing in , was the second and served about fifteen years. in the first farm was opened on government land, not far from crow wing village, by wallace bean. the second farm was taken by david mcarthur, a canadian, originally from scotland. george van valkenburg opened a blacksmith shop at crow wing in , lived there two years and was then employed as government blacksmith by the indian department, and served as such for twelve years. crow wing county was organized in , with the following board of officers: county auditor, c. h. beaulieu; register of deeds, f. m. campbell; county treasurer, robert fairbanks; county commissioners, j. h. fairbanks, allen morrison, s. b. olmstead; judge of probate court, dennis shaff. the county organization took effect jan. , . the county was attached for judicial purposes, first to ramsey, and then to morrison county. f. w. peake came to crow wing in , and opened a trading post, and was afterward one of the mercantile firm of peake & wakefield. rev. e. s. peake, an episcopal clergyman, came to crow wing about the same time, built a church and remained as rector till the breaking out of the war, when he accepted the chaplaincy of a wisconsin regiment. after the war he removed to california, and carried on a mission a few years, but later returned to minnesota and is now stationed at detroit. rev. francis pierz, a catholic priest, officiated at crow wing and belle prairie until , when he returned to his home in austria. the first district court was held at crow wing in , j. m. mckelvey officiating as judge, chas. beaulieu as clerk of court, and wm. wood as sheriff. soon after the county organization was abandoned, to be reresumed in by legislative enactment. the county officers at the organization were: commissioners, wallace bean, henry whipple and f. w. peake; treasurer, e. b. snyder; auditor, j. w. campbell; clerk of court, chas. h. beaulieu; sheriff, wm. wood. murderers lynched. in , ellen, daughter of david mcarthur, living near crow wing village, was murdered by indians. the murderers were arrested and placed in jail at brainerd, from which they were taken by a mob and hanged. brainerd is situated on the east bank of the mississippi, and is a prosperous city. the settlement commenced with the opening of the northern pacific railroad. this road has a branch from brainerd to st. paul. the railroad company have made brainerd headquarters for repairing shops; have expended large amounts in improvements, and employ in their business here nearly , men. the first through train arrived at brainerd march , . in several claims were made for purposes of speculation, and afterward sold to mrs. hester gilman, of st. cloud, and other parties, but the greater part of the city site was purchased of the government in , by hester gilman and thomas h. campbell. the lake superior & puget sound company, organized under the laws of maine, and duly authorized by the laws of minnesota, purchased gilman's and campbell's claims and made the original survey and plat of the town on sept , . the name, brainerd, was given to the new town in honor of mrs. brainerd swift, wife of the first president of the northern pacific road. in a new survey was made by heinze brothers. the site was a handsome plain, originally covered with prince pine trees, many of which were left standing as ornamental trees. among the first settlers we find the names of charles darby, e. h. bly, l. p. white, w. p. spalding, w. w. hartley, stuart seely, f. w. peake, s. w. taylor, e. b. lynde, john bishop, t. c. barnes, and john martin. the first permanent dwelling, a log house, was built by charles darby, the next was built by stuart seely, and the third by l. p. white. e. h. bly built the first store. the headquarters hotel, subsequently destroyed by fire, was built in . many of the buildings of ancient crow wing were moved to brainerd. the leland house was built in - ; the merchants in . the post office was established in , with s. w. thayer as postmaster. the county seat was removed to this place in , and a court house and jail built by l. p. white, at an expense of $ . . the first marriage, that of joseph gronden and miss darby, occurred in . a city charter was obtained jan. , . the following were the first officers: mayor, eber h. bly; aldermen, l. p. white, m. tuttle, w. s. heathcote, wm. murphy, t. x. goulett; president of the council, l. p. white. brainerd has a court house, built at a cost of $ , , and school buildings worth $ , . the northern pacific depot and shops were built at a cost of $ , , and the northern pacific sanitarium at a cost of $ , . the sanitarium is a hospital for the sick or disabled employes of the entire line of road, and is supported by monthly installments from the employes. dr. beger is superintendent. brainerd has one steam saw mill with a capacity of , , feet per annum, another with a capacity of , , feet, and many fine business blocks and tasteful residences. it has also electric lights, water works, and street cars, and is making rapid progress as a city. in a charter was obtained by charles f. kindred & co. to build a dam across the mississippi. the dam has been completed at a cost of $ , . it has a head of feet, with sufficient flow to secure , horse power, and a boomage overflowing , acres, forming a reservoir miles in length, with side lakes, the whole capable of holding , , , feet of logs. the whole city machinery, including electric lights, water works, street cars, and northern pacific railroad shops, will be attached to this water power. crow wing county contributed $ , in bonds to the building of this dam. brainerd has an opera house, and is well supplied with churches, the catholics, presbyterians, baptists, congregationalists, episcopalians, lutherans, and methodists having organizations and buildings. l. p. white was born in vermont in . he was self educated. he was married in vermont, came to chicago in , and engaged in railroading until arriving at brainerd, in , where he built the first frame house. his wife was the first white woman resident of the city. since locating at brainerd, mr. white has been the acting agent of the lake superior & puget sound company, which has laid out all the town sites from northern pacific junction to moorhead with the exception of detroit. allen morrison was one of a family of twelve, seven boys and five girls. his father was born in scotland, but emigrated to canada, where he died in . two of the boys were in the english navy, and killed at the battle of trafalgar, in egypt. william morrison, a brother of allen, and several years his senior, was among the early explorers of northern minnesota, having visited the territory as early as , and was one of the party who discovered lake itasca, the source of the mississippi river. allen's first visit to this region was in , when he came to fond du lac, as a trader in what was then known as the "northern outfit." for several years he was associated with his brother william in the fond du lac department, during which time he was stationed at sandy lake, leech lake, red lake, mille lacs, and crow wing, and when the indians were removed to white earth, went there also, and remained until his death. in he was married to miss charlotte chaboullier, who died at crow wing in the fall of . she was a daughter of a member of the old northwestern fur company, who was a trader on the saskatchewan, and died in canada in . mr. morrison was the father of eleven children. caroline, now in brainerd, was married to chris. grandelmyer in april, . rachel resides with her sister, mrs. grandelmyer. john j. and allen, at white earth; mary, the eldest, now mrs. j. r. sloan, at st. cloud; and louisa, now mrs. john bromley, at northern pacific junction. mr. morrison died on the twenty-eighth of november, , and was buried at white earth, in the historic valley where he had passed so many eventful years. his name, however, will not perish, nor his virtues be forgotten. in the first territorial legislature he represented the district embracing the voting precincts of sauk rapids and crow wing, and when the present county of morrison was set off, the legislature named it in honor of this esteemed veteran pioneer. charles f. kindred, an active, enterprising citizen of brainerd, is doing for his adopted city all that one man can do. mr. kindred, for many years after his arrival in minnesota, was a trusted agent of the northern pacific railroad company, and while in their employ acquired a thorough knowledge of the resources of north minnesota, which he uses to the best interest of the section in which he has made his home. he is at present superintending the building of the kindred dam. chapter xviii. aitkin county. this county consists of an oblong section, six towns in width, lying between mille lacs and kanabec counties on the south, and itasca on the north. it is a heavily timbered region, upon which the lumberman has drawn for hundreds of millions of feet of lumber, with but little apparent diminution in the quantity of the supply. the whole surface is dotted with lakes and variegated with natural meadows. the southern portion of the county affords good farming lands. mille lacs, in the southern part of the county, is the largest lake, and settlements have already been made along its shores. sandy lake is second in size. it lies on the great portage route from winnipeg, by way of st. louis river to lake superior, and has been a noted point on that route for two hundred years. the missions of the jesuits, and later, of the presbyterians and methodists, had been located here and abandoned. the fur trader and the indian trader have made their headquarters here. sandy lake has become historic. the county contains about one hundred and three townships, which are drained chiefly by the mississippi and its tributaries. the mississippi is navigable from aitkin to pokegama falls, a distance of over one hundred miles. aitkin county was created may , , but was not organized until july , . the first officers chosen were: county commissioners, nathaniel tibbetts, chairman; wm. hallstrom, wm. wade; treasurer, geo. clapp; register of deeds, wm. hallstrom; auditor, w. e. crowell; sheriff, james w. tibbetts. that part of the county including the village of aitkin was organized into a town in ; n. tibbetts, chairman. the northern pacific railroad passes through six townships of this county, namely: townships and , range to , inclusive. while the road was in process of building in , nathaniel tibbetts made a claim where the village of aitkin now stands, and built the first house, a hotel known as the ojibway house, and the next spring built the aitkin house. he moved his family here in . he was appointed the first postmaster at the organization of the county. the county and village of aitkin were named after wm. a. aitkin, who was a prominent trader on the upper mississippi for a number of years. aitkin village. aitkin was made the county seat at the organization of the county. it is pleasantly situated on the west branch of ripple creek, near the east branch of the mississippi. it is now a prosperous and thriving village with heavy mercantile establishments, two first class hotels, a good school house, and pleasant homes. one newspaper, the aitkin _age_, is published here. warren potter, richard mills, william wade and george jenkins are early citizens. in capt. houghton built a steamer, called the pokegama, to run from aitkin to pokegama falls. this steamer was burned in . capt. houghton replaced it with a new boat called the city of aitkin, which still plies the mississippi river between the points named. pokegama falls is a headquarters for lumbermen and a place for general trade. wm. a. aitken.--the date and place of mr. aitkin's nativity are not positively known. he came to the chippewa country when a boy of fifteen, as servant to a trader named john drew, and in time became a successful and well known trader. he died at sandy lake in . his life, in common with that of the early traders, was adventurous. he witnessed many stirring scenes, among them the battle of stillwater ravine, in . although raised among the indians, and continually on the frontier, he was noted for his urbanity and geniality, and is well spoken of by the early explorers. alfred aitkin, son of the foregoing, was killed by a chippewa indian at cass lake in . he had stolen the wife of the indian, and refusing to return her to the enraged husband, was shot by him. the murderer was arrested, taken to prairie du chien for trial, tried before judge drum's court and acquitted. nathaniel tibbetts was born in new sharon, maine, march , . while a mere boy he moved to piscataquis county, and in came to plover, wisconsin, and two years later to stillwater, minnesota. he engaged in lumbering until , when he moved to st. anthony, and soon afterward made a claim at the mouth of elk river, then in benton county, where he remained until the civil war, when he enlisted in company a, eighth minnesota, of which company he was commissioned first lieutenant, and was afterward appointed regimental quartermaster. he was mustered out with his regiment at the close of the war, when he returned to his home at elk river, and resumed his old business of lumbering. in he was engaged in the preliminary survey of the northern pacific railroad, and located the same year at aitkin, of which village he was the pioneer, building the first house and barn, keeping the first hotel and serving as the first postmaster. he served four years as county commissioner. he has also served as register of deeds and sheriff. ten years after his location at aitkin he removed to morrison county, where he now resides. his health is somewhat impaired from the exposure and fatigue of army life. carlton county. carlton county lies between st. louis county on the north, pine on the south, douglas county, wisconsin, on the east and aitkin on the west, and contains twenty-four townships. it is abundantly watered by the st. louis river and its many tributaries on the northeast, by the tributaries of the nemadji and kettle rivers on the south. it is well timbered with pine and hardwoods. the st. louis river affords one of the finest water powers in the northwest. the rapids of this stream extend from the falls at cloquet to fond du lac, a distance of twelve miles. the channel is rocky, the rocks being of a trappean or slaty formation, not easily worn by the water, and capable of furnishing good foundations for dams and mills. the first settlers were a. k. lovejoy, cephas bradley, joseph meyers, sexton lyons, and some others. mr. lovejoy died at thomson, feb. , , aged sixty-three years, leaving a wife. they had been the parents of twenty-four children, twelve pairs of twins. the county was named in honor of r. b. carlton, who was a representative in the first state legislature. mr. carlton died at fond du lac, sept. , . the county was organized in , and the county seat located at twin lakes, but changed by act of legislature to thomson. it is subdivided into five towns, knife falls, mahtowa, moose lake, thomson, and twin lakes. it has a well defined slate stone range running from northeast to southwest. the same range crops out at little falls, morrison county. thomson. the village of thomson, the county seat of carlton county, is located on the st. louis river. the northern pacific railroad crosses at this point. a. m. miller erected a steam saw mill here in . the mill has a capacity of , feet per day, and has been a profitable enterprise. a. k. lovejoy operates a saw mill six miles northwest, which has a capacity of , feet. the village of thomson has a good graded school with two departments. cloquet, located on the st. louis river, was surveyed and platted in . in charles d. harwood erected a steam saw mill at this point with a capacity of , feet. this was the beginning of a thriving manufacturing village. in the knife falls lumber company rebuilt the harwood mill, increasing its capacity to , feet per day. in the property was transferred to renwick, crossett & co. james paine, mcnair and others built a water power saw mill in , with a capacity of , feet per day. the c. n. nelson company, in , built two steam saw mills with a capacity of , feet per day. a post office was established in ; c. d. harwood, postmaster. the village was platted and incorporated in ; william p. allen was the first president of the council. it has two newspapers, the _pine knot journal_, established by ed. gottry and j. h. page in , and the _industrial vidette_, established in . it contains three church organizations with good buildings, the catholic, methodist and presbyterian. moose lake station, on the st. paul & duluth railroad, is surrounded by a good farming country, and is a pretty, prosperous village. it has a post office, about sixty dwellings and a saw mill. barnum station, on the line of the same road, contains a post office, a saw mill with a capacity of about , feet daily, a few fine residences, with fine farms adjoining. mahtowa station, on the same road, has a saw mill and about twenty dwellings. an extensive stock farm is located here. north pacific junction is situated on the st. louis river, at the junction of the st. paul & duluth and northern pacific railroads. there are about one hundred buildings here including a large saw mill built by paine & co., having a capacity of , , feet per annum; one school house, one church, and hotels, stores, shops and dwellings. the village was organized in ; cephas bradley, president. francis asbury watkins is a native of the state of new hampshire. he was born in ; came to baraboo, wisconsin, in , to north pacific junction in ; was married to anna wicks, of pine city, minnesota, in , and was admitted to practice law in . he is a graduate of lawrence university, appleton, wisconsin. he has served as auditor of carlton county four years. st. louis county. st. louis county takes its name from st. louis river, the river itself having been named by some of the early french travelers or jesuit missionaries, possibly by duluth or buade. the county is bounded on the north by rainy lake and the british boundary, on the east by lake county, on the south by lake superior, st. louis river and carlton, and on the west by aitkin county. the surface is variegated, much of it being broken with deep ravines. it is well watered by streams tributary to rainy lake and superior, and by innumerable small lakes. portions of it are heavily timbered with pines and hardwoods, and the northern portion is traversed by a rich mineral belt extending through the vermillion lake region. the settlements are chiefly along the shores of lake superior and st. louis river, and on the shores of vermillion lake. the falls and rapids of st. louis river are noted for their wildness and grandeur. the scenery on its northern boundary, including the dalles of the rainy lake waters, is not surpassed or even equaled at any point east of the rocky mountains. the geological formation consists largely of primitive or igneous rocks, trappean, basaltic and granite, and the scenery has a peculiarly grand and sombre appearance. notwithstanding the igneous character of the formation there is much excellent farming land on plains and intervales, while the more abrupt and rocky portions are rich in iron and the precious metals. the region about vermillion lake has become a centre of mining operations. the region is rich in iron ores. gold has also been discovered. a mineral region abounding in gold, silver and iron extends from vermillion lake to thunder bay. st. louis county was organized in . the territorial governor appointed the following officers: clerk of district court, j. b. culver; sheriff, j. b. ellis; register of deeds, r. h. barrett; auditor, j. e. brown. the first board of county commissioners elected were c. e. martin, vose palmer and z. j. brown. the first meeting was held at portland, jan. , . at an adjourned meeting held jan. , , the commissioners drew a grand and petit jury. the meetings were held sometimes at portland and sometimes at duluth. at a meeting held april , , the county was divided into four towns--duluth, martin, carp river and carlton. at an adjourned meeting three assessor's districts, six school districts and four road districts were formed. the records do not show any previous division into districts or precincts, nor does the name of any clerk appear until the meeting of september th, when a. b. robbins attests as clerk. at a meeting held sept. , , the village of oneota was established. november st e. h. brown was appointed clerk in place of a. b. robbins. november th a bill allowing r. h. barrett compensation for services as clerk prior to september st was passed. his name does not appear prior to this entry. the records show that a court was held in , s. j. r. mcmillan officiating as judge. also that a road was made from oneota to buchanan and the mouth of knife river, through fremont, portland and endion, following a trail to lester's river and across french river to montezuma, and another from oneota to fond du lac. the town of milford is mentioned as accepting the report. the assessment for st. louis county for amounted to $ , . . at a special meeting of the county commissioners held jan. , , a resolution was adopted asking the legislature to grant authority to st. louis county to issue $ , to aid in building the lake superior & mississippi railroad. the legislature granted the request and twenty year bonds were issued. we append a list of county commissioners to the year : e. c. martin, vose palmer, zach t. brown, ; e. c. martin, vose palmer, w. e. wright, ; w. e. wright, s. a. forbes, sidney luce, ; e. f. ely, joseph b. culver (first meeting), ; e. f. ely, harvey fargo, levi b. coffrey (second meeting), ; e. f. ely, r. b. carlton, h. fargo, ; h. fargo, r. b. carlton, e. g. swanstrom, . names of villages that appear in the old records of the board have entirely disappeared. those villages nearest to duluth have been absorbed by that vigorous young city. we find a record, bearing date , authorizing an election to decide upon the question of the removal of the county seat from duluth to port byron. there is no record of the result of the election, nor is port byron found in a recent map. duluth. the site of duluth was visited as long ago as , by two adventurous frenchmen, grosselier and redission. this was twenty-one years prior to the coming of greyson duluth, in whose honor the city of duluth was named two hundred years later. capt. duluth visited the western end of the lake in . three or four years later jean duluth, a brother of the captain, established two trading posts, one at the mouth of pigeon river, the other on minnesota point. le sueur followed in , accompanied by a french surveyor, franquelin, who made a fairly correct map of the region. the attraction to the early voyageurs was the rich furs to be obtained in the wild regions adjacent. the great american fur company early established posts along the northern shore of lake superior, and later the astor fur company made its northwestern headquarters at fond du lac, a few miles above the present site of duluth. nothing was done toward permanent settlement until about the year , when the tide of immigration set in toward the head of the lake, and it became evident that here was to rise cities of no mean importance, one upon the western shore of the lake, rising from the base of minnesota point, and the other superior city, across the gleaming waters of st. louis bay. for several years the growth of duluth was slow, and sometimes its fortunes seemed on the wane, but the construction of a railroad to st. paul, completed in , and a sudden influx of capital consequent upon this new outlet of trade, and more than all this, the proposed construction of the great northern pacific railroad, gave a new impetus to the growth of the city. the three years succeeding were years of great activity and progress. the population increased from , to , , and many of the finer older buildings of the city were constructed. the canal was cut through minnesota point, thus giving to duluth the most magnificent harbor on the lake, if not in the world. in the failure of jay cooke, who had largely contributed the means for the construction of the northern pacific railroad, caused a financial depression similar in its effects to that of . banks failed, merchants became bankrupt, and the population of the city was reduced to , souls. the "hard times" lasted until some time in , when the opening up of the great wheat fields in the red river valley, and the completion of the northern pacific railroad, again brought prosperity to the more than half deserted city. the population increased in from , to , souls. two years later the census showed , ; and a year later, , . in the population had increased to , ; in to , ; in to , ; in to , , and in to , souls. duluth has now a well organized board of trade, produce exchange and chamber of commerce. it has four banks, the american exchange, duluth national, merchants national, and bell & eyster's. these banks had, in , an aggregate capital of $ , , with deposits of $ , , , amounts greatly increased during the year . the taxable valuation of property in duluth for the year was $ , , . the taxes paid in amount to $ , . duluth has one immense flour mill, with a capacity of barrels per day. it is five stories in height, and favorably situated; having the lake upon one side and the railroads upon the other, so that loading and unloading can be carried on at once from vessels and cars. duluth has also two large flour warehouses with a capacity of , barrels each. large warehouses are also being built by the northern pacific and omaha railroad companies. the annual shipment of flour from duluth has ranged from , barrels in to , , in , making an aggregate of , , barrels in that time. the lumber industry of duluth is no small factor in the prosperity of the city. the cut of the duluth district for the past season amounts to , , feet of lumber, , , shingles, and , , lath, of which the city mills have manufactured one-third. much of this lumber has been shipped to chicago and the east, and a new district, the tower mining region, has lately been opened for shipment. we have alluded to the harbor of duluth as one of the best on the lake. it consists of what is known as the bay of superior, a body of water about seven miles long by one mile in width, almost entirely shut off from the lake by a narrow strip of land known as minnesota point. the original entrance to this bay was through a channel on the southeast of the point, separating it from wisconsin point, a similar tongue of land in the same line of direction. as this entrance was inconvenient and difficult, a canal was cut across the point near the mainland, sufficiently large to admit all vessels that pass through ste. marie's canal. since the construction of the canal through minnesota point, the old landing in front of the city has been abandoned, and elevators have been built on the shores of the bay. these elevators are the best of their class, and have a total capacity of , , bushels. they were ten in number, exclusive of several warehouses; two, however, have been destroyed by fire. the walls of the canal have been extended in the form of piers , feet into the lake. one of these piers is supplied with a lighthouse and a fog horn. the canal is feet long and feet in width. the arrivals and clearances for the port of duluth in were , . the fish trade is no inconsiderable part of the industries of duluth. two large firms have their headquarters here and the amount of capital invested in the business amounts to $ , . during , , pounds of fish were shipped to duluth for reshipment to other places, from the various fisheries of these companies. the united states fish commissioners, realizing the value of lake superior as a reservoir for food fish, have projected the largest fish hatchery on the lakes, to be located at lester's park. it is to be under government and state control and will supply the lakes of superior and michigan with about , , eggs yearly. duluth was organized and laid out as a village under the town site law of ; richard ralf, surveyor; geo. e. nettleton, j. b. culver, o. w. rice, wm. nettleton, and robt. e. jefferson, proprietors. the date of this organization is not known. we have a statement from hon. w. g. le duc, of hastings, to the effect, that in the winter of - , a. ramsey, h. m. rice, maj. watrous and himself, with two others whose names he can not recall, organized as a company and projected a town site at the west end of the lake, on the present site of duluth. maj. watrous, the indian agent, was instructed to take necessary measures to secure the land. watrous failed to secure the property and the scheme failed. mr. le duc projected and introduced a charter in the territorial legislature, which was passed, for a railroad to duluth. in the city of duluth was first incorporated, and five years later a portion of the same territory was incorporated as the village of duluth, and the two municipal corporations were still in existence feb. , , when the act imposing certain political obligations upon the then existing city of duluth became a law. the second day of march another law went into effect incorporating both the city and village of duluth as the present city. fond du lac, located at the head of navigation on st. louis river, and at the foot of the rapids, is a point of considerable historical interest, it having long been in use as a trading post. it has been a place of outfit and departure for trading expeditions for two hundred years. the old stone trading house of the astor fur company still remains. it is surrounded by about twenty buildings of more recent date. it is now better known as a station on the northern pacific railroad. it was surveyed in by richard ralf and platted into village lots. the plats were signed by james a. markland, attorney for the proprietors. fond du lac is now a village of some magnitude. oneota was settled some time in the ' s, by edmund f. ely and others, and became a village of some note, containing a post office, church and other evidences of prosperity. it was platted as a village in ; h. w. wheeler, surveyor; marcus w. mccracken, bion w. bacon, edmund f. ely, proprietors. the first recorded deed in st. louis county is a quitclaim deed from b. h. baer to e. f. ely, of the town site of ely; consideration, $ , . the deed bears date of april , . oneota is now included in the plat of duluth. clifton. this village was platted in , by john s. watrous, on the shores of the lake north of duluth. it is now within the duluth city limits. portland, a village on the lake shore above duluth, was platted in . the proprietors were aaron b. robbins, james d. ray, c. marshall and j. j. post. it is now within the duluth city limits. endion, located on the north shore, was surveyed dec. , , by chas. martin; m. p. niel and others, proprietors. it is now within the duluth city limits. middleton, located on minnesota point, was surveyed aug. , ; proprietors, robert reed, t. a. markland. montezuma, located on the north shore, was surveyed in may, , by vose palmer; proprietor, frederic ottoman. buchanan, located on the north shore, was surveyed in october, ; proprietor, w. g. cowell. st. louis falls was surveyed in , by c. e. clark; thos. h. hogan, attorney for proprietors. fremont island. a peculiar feature of st. louis bay has been the formation of floating islands, possibly the result of the collection of driftwood and other debris at the mouth of st. louis river. the rafts thus formed in time became consolidated by the deposition of earthy materials, leaves, twigs and vegetable matter, and are covered with a rank growth of vegetation, at first shrubby, but at last arboreous. the roots of the shrubs and trees interlace, and hold the material of the raft more tightly together. these island rafts are sometimes loosened and float into the bay, and are driven about by the winds from one side of the bay to the other. one of these islands, supposed to be stationary, known as fremont island, was surveyed and platted in , by c. p. heustis and chas. a. post. on the completion of the canal it broke loose from its moorings, floated away and disappeared, in all probability going to pieces in the rough waters of the lake. tower, located on the southern shore of vermillion lake, was surveyed aug. , . the proprietors are the minnesota iron company, of which charlemagne tower is president. the iron mines located in this vicinity are amongst the richest on the continent. attention was first called to the vermillion by the reported discovery of gold. machinery for crushing and smelting was transported thither, but the thousands who rushed to the reputed gold field expecting to become suddenly rich, returned disappointed and disheartened. attention had long before been called to the fact that there were rich iron mines in the district, but the circumstances were unfavorable for their development. they were in a remote position and accessible only by a journey of several days through woods and swamps. these mines could be reached and developed only by state aid, which was given in the shape of a grant of swamp lands, to be applied to building a railway from the lake to the mines. this grant having been obtained, mr. tower and other capitalists at once invested their millions in the mines, purchasing some , acres of land, covering the larger portion of the iron deposits in the district, embracing the present site of the village of tower. a railroad sixty-eight miles in length was constructed from tower to two harbors, a point twenty-seven miles north of duluth. this road was completed in the spring of , and the first shipment was made july d of that year, the total shipments for the year being , tons. the shipments for were , tons, and for , , tons. over $ , , was paid to laborers in the tower mines in . col. george e. stone, of duluth, is deserving of praise for his foresight and energy in opening the tower mines. mr. stone labored with untiring zeal after the land grant to aid in building the road was given until the road was built and the mines opened. george r. stuntz is well known as the government surveyor of the lake superior region, whose work covers thousands of miles of north wisconsin lands, lying along the southern shore of the lake, and who has accurately mapped the meanderings of the influent streams, the bays and shaggy projecting shores of the great "unsalted sea." there is no better topographical authority than mr. stuntz, and no one better posted as to the location and value of the northern wisconsin areas and the vermillion mines. having early made superior city and duluth his home, and for nearly forty years having been identified with the interests of the west superior country, he is an oft-quoted authority. many of his published articles contain most valuable information concerning the feasibility of connecting st. croix and superior waters. his assertions concerning the mineral wealth of the lake country, made before the development of the mines, have since been verified. mr. stuntz is a typical, sensible frontiersman, of american birth, aged about seventy years. charles hinman graves, a native of springfield, massachusetts, born in , received a liberal education, and in enlisted as a private in the fortieth massachusetts volunteers, but was promoted step by step to the rank of lieutenant colonel. he was severely wounded at the battle of gettysburg. in he was commissioned as a colonel in the regular army, but resigned in , and located at duluth. from to he was a member of the state senate. he has held several public positions in duluth, and stands deservedly high as a citizen. he has labored zealously and efficiently for the prosperity of duluth. ozro p. stearns was born jan. , , at de kalb, lawrence county, new york. in his youth he was dependent upon his own resources. he graduated at michigan university in , after which he visited california, tried mining for a short time, and returning graduated in the law department of michigan university. in he came to rochester, minnesota, and opened a law office. in he enlisted in company f, ninth minnesota volunteers, of which he was commissioned first lieutenant, but in was promoted to the colonelcy of the thirty-ninth united states infantry (colored). he served through many battles and campaigns, and was mustered out at the close of the war. in january, , he returned to rochester; in was appointed register in bankruptcy for southern minnesota; in january, , he was elected to the united states senate for a short term to fill the vacancy caused by the death of d. s. norton. in he removed to duluth, and in was appointed judge of the eleventh judicial district, to which office he was elected in the fall of the same year, which position, by re-election, he still holds. judge stearns was married in february, , to sarah burger, of detroit, michigan. lake county. this county lies on the north shore of lake superior, between the counties of cook and st. louis, extending northward to the british line. the whole region is abrupt, broken into hills and valleys, and rich in silver, iron and other metals. the great vermillion iron mines of st. louis county find an outlet through this county by the duluth & iron range railroad, which finds a lake station at two harbors. the road was built from two harbors to vermillion lake in , from two harbors to duluth in . the entire road and extensive mines were sold in june, , for $ , , , to porter and others, who are now extending the road from vermillion lake eastward to thunder bay and port arthur. it is already completed to ely, a distance of twenty miles. emigration during the years - to this county has been very extensive. the two counties, lake and cook, have many features in common. they are similar in geological formation, produce the same metals in the same generous abundance, and being in the same latitude, and bordering upon the same lake, differ in no wise in climate and but little in productions. large quantities of pine timber may be found in these counties, and saw mills are located along the lake shore where an accessible harbor can be found. there are several harbors between duluth and thunder bay that might be improved by the government, greatly to the advantage of the country. the silver mines of isle royal and along the national boundary are extensive, and yield rich returns to the companies working them. two harbors, a flourishing village located on the shore of lake superior, takes its name from two small harbors bearing that name. the vermillion iron company have built extensive piers into the lake to facilitate the shipping of ores. they have large shops for railroad purposes, with an electric light plant. the company employ about two hundred men. two harbors is the county seat of lake county. cook county. grand marais is the county seat of cook county. it is a round, land-locked harbor. it has a lighthouse, and the government has built a breakwater four hundred feet long, thus making it a harbor of refuge, so that boats can lie with safety in any storm. grand marais is one hundred and ten miles from duluth, on the north shore of lake superior. it is the best harbor that minnesota has except duluth. it is thirty miles south of the international boundary line, and forty-five miles northeast of the line by lake superior. it is the natural outlet for the mineral deposits north. there are large quantities of iron ore within thirty-five miles of the harbor. a railroad line has been run, and men are now at work on the iron deposits with a view of shipping the ore from grand marais to points where it is wanted for smelting purposes. grand marais was in early days one of the northwest fur company's trading posts, but of late years has been used as a fishing station. streets in the town are now being laid out, and from present indications cook county, with its pine lands, iron ore and other mineral resources, will be one of the most thriving counties in the state, with grand marais as not only a harbor of refuge, but one of the competing ports for the shipment of iron ore. h. mayhew, to whom we are indebted for items of interest concerning cook county, is the oldest resident of grand marais, and one of the town proprietors. chapter xix. hennepin county. hennepin county was organized march , . prior to the organization of minnesota territory it was in clayton county, iowa. at the organization of the territory, in , it was included in dakota county, and so remained until set off in . hon. bradley b. meeker held the first court within the present limits of the county, at the old government mill, in . taylor dudley was clerk of court, franklin steele, foreman of grand jury. the first board of commissioners were alex. moore, chairman, john jackins and joseph dean. the first election was held oct. , , at the house of col. john h. stevens, on the west side. the county is a rich agricultural region, abounding with beautiful lakes, of which minnetonka is the largest and finest. the county is bounded on the north by the mississippi river and wright county, on the east by the mississippi river and ramsey county, on the south by the minnesota river and carver county, on the west by wright and carver counties. it is subdivided into the following towns: bloomington, brooklyn, champlin, crystal lake, corcoran, dayton, eden prairie, excelsior, greenwood, hasson, independence, maple grove, medina, minneapolis, minnetonka, minnetrista, osseo, plymouth, richfield, and st. anthony. [illustration: fort snelling, on line of c., m. & st. p. ry.] fort snelling. fort snelling owes its origin to the encroachments of british traders on our northern frontier. as early as lieut. zebulen montgomery pike, united states army, was sent with a detachment of troops to explore the upper mississippi river to expel british traders who might be found encroaching upon our territory, and to secure by treaty a military reservation. sept. , , he encamped on pike island, at the junction of the minnesota and mississippi rivers, and, being pleased with the situation, forthwith made a treaty with chiefs of the sioux nation to include all that tract of land lying from below the confluence of the two rivers, up the mississippi, including the falls of st. anthony, nine miles in width on each side of the river. the price paid was $ , . the reserve thus purchased was not used for military purposes until , when a detachment of the fifth united states infantry, commanded by lieut. col. henry leavenworth, was sent to occupy the reservation and build a fort. the building of the fort, with its various stone and wooden buildings, was the work of years. the site of the fort was selected in , by col. josiah snelling, who named it fort st. anthony, but at the suggestion of gen. winfield scott, in the name was changed to fort snelling as a worthy compliment to its founder and builder. notwithstanding the treaty made by col. pike in , the indian claim to the reservation was not extinguished until the treaty of , ratified by the senate in . in , before the extinction of the indian title, many settlers located on the reservation on the left bank of the mississippi. these were forcibly removed by the united states government in , under the act of march , , an act to prevent settlements being made on ceded lands until duly authorized by law. the reservation was reduced from time to time, portions being sold. in franklin steele purchased the entire reservation, with the exception of two small tracts, including the fort itself, for the sum of $ , , to be paid in three yearly installments. the first payments were actually made, the troops were withdrawn, and mr. steele assumed possession. default having been made in the two remaining payments, the government resumed possession of a small portion of the reservation and fort in . the year following, by act of congress, the reservation was reduced. in it was permanently reduced to , . acres. a suit at law between mr. steele and the united states government was compromised by releasing him from further payments and granting him a large tract of land lying along the right bank of the mississippi, north of the fort, with a portion of pike's island. maj. plympton and other officers of the fort, in company with franklin steele, made the first land claim, by permit of the government, at east st. anthony, in . they built a shanty and hired a frenchman to occupy it. steele bought out the interests of the officers associated with him and in secured a title from the united states. the first saw mill built on this claim was commenced by mr. steele, in conjunction with boston parties in , but was not completed until the following year. the next land claim on the river was made further up, by r. p. russell and s. j. findley. this was sold to bottineau and afterward passed to other parties. the land claim adjoining steele's, below, was purchased of a frenchman by c. a. tuttle in . this claim is now partially occupied by the state university. w. henry cheever made a claim south of tuttle's, on which, in , he built a hotel and a huge wooden tower or observatory, nearly one hundred feet in height, over the entrance to which was a rhyming couplet: "pay your dime and climb." franklin steele, before completing his mill and dam, became sole owner of the water power on the east side of the river. during the periods following the property has often changed owners, and sometimes the change has resulted in unprofitable litigation. james j. hill, in later years, has become the owner of most of the water power of nicollet and hennepin islands and of the east shore, and is making valuable improvements. st. anthony falls. st. anthony falls was platted as a village in , and was included in ramsey county until . in the legislature established satisfactory boundaries, annexing part of town , range , to hennepin county. among the first settlers of the falls was ard godfrey. the first white child born here was a son of c. a. tuttle, millwright. the luther patch family, consisting of four sons and two daughters, was the first resident american family at the falls. mr. patch's sons were edward, wallace, gibson, and lewis; the daughters, marion, who became the wife of r. p. russell, the first marriage at the falls, oct. , , and cora, who became the wife of joseph marshall. an earlier marriage was celebrated at fort snelling may , , that of lieut. edmund a. ogden and eliza edna loomis; rev. thos. s. williamson officiating. this was the first marriage north of prairie du chien. the first store was opened by r. p. russell in , the second, in , by joseph marshall. we find jacob fisher, of stillwater, here in , building the dam from nicollet island to the east shore. among the operators of the mill who have been prominent citizens of st. anthony falls are sumner w. farnham, john rollins, caleb w. dorr, john mcdonald, and robert w. cummings. some of these men brought their families here. the building of the mill was somewhat delayed by the sinking in the erie canal of the boats containing the machinery, hardware, etc. standing pine to be used in the mill was purchased of hole-in-the-day, a chippewa chief, cut and floated down from sauk rapids to the falls. some timber was also brought from rum river, the first cut on that stream, except for government use. at the land sale in , mr. steele secured all the land above tuttle's to the north limits of the city. amongst the settlers in were the getchells, smiths, rogers' and huse. in , at the organization of the territory of minnesota, a number of others arrived, among them judge b. b. meeker, dr. john h. murphy, john w. north, j. p. wilson, and john g. lennon. during this year the west half of sec. , range , was surveyed and platted into town lots by w. r. marshall, b. w. bronson and s. p. folsom. anson northrup commenced the erection of the first hotel, the st. charles. john rollins was elected to the territorial council, w. r. marshall and wm. dugas to the house of representatives. the district was comprised of st. anthony falls and little canada. the first school was taught by miss electa bachus, in the summer of . a post office was established and ard godfrey was appointed postmaster. there were occasional mails brought in john rollins' passenger wagon. in willoughby & powers ran a daily stage line from st. paul and the mail thenceforth was carried regularly. john w. north built a dwelling on nicollet island, which became a social centre, and was made attractive by a piano. in a public library was established, the first in minnesota. rev. e. d. neill, the historian of minnesota, delivered the first public lecture and preached the first sermon in . the following year, the baptists, methodists, congregationalists and presbyterians organized societies, and in the episcopalians and universalists. amongst the accessions to the population were judge isaac atwater, w. w. wales, j. b. bassett, c. w. christmas, and joseph dean. col. alvaren allen opened a livery stable. the st. anthony _express_, the first newspaper, was established may , ; e. tyler, proprietor, judge i. atwater, editor. measures were taken to locate the university in st. anthony falls. citizens contributed $ , aid to in the erection of the building. facilities of communication with the surrounding country were none of the best, yet communication was early established with the red river country, a dog train having arrived from pembina, distant four hundred miles, in sixteen days. on this train kittson, rolette and gingras came down to attend the territorial legislature at st. paul as representatives of pembina county. franklin steele, in , established a ferry above the falls. in the minnesota bridge company was organized, consisting of franklin steele, h. t. wells, r. p. russell, and others. a handsome suspension bridge was finished in . this bridge remained in the control of the company fifteen years, when by an act of the legislature the value was assessed and hennepin county purchased the bridge, and it became a free thoroughfare. april , , st. anthony falls was incorporated as a city with the following officers: mayor, h. t. welles; clerk, w. f. brawley; aldermen, b. f. spencer, john orth, daniel stanchfield, edward lippincott, caleb w. dorr, and robert cummings. in st. anthony falls was annexed to minneapolis, and placed under the same government, a movement which has resulted in great benefit to both cities. st. anthony falls. the earliest written descriptions of st. anthony falls were by the roman catholic missionaries, hennepin and lasalle. the former with accault and du gay ascended the river in a canoe until captured by a band of sioux indians. these indians left the river at a point now the present site of st. paul and took their prisoners to mille lacs. in september, when the indians set out on their annual hunt, the captives were left to go where they pleased. accault preferred remaining with the indians. hennepin and du gay obtained a small canoe and commenced the descent of the rum and mississippi rivers to the falls, then called by the indians ka-ka-bi-ka irara or "severed rock." they reached the falls about the first of october, and named them after st. anthony of padua. the description given by la salle, a second hand one, was probably derived from hennepin, accault or du gay, as la salle did not visit the falls, and these voyageurs were his subordinates, and had been sent by him to explore the upper mississippi. he says: "in going up the mississippi again, twenty leagues above the st. croix is found the falls, which those i sent named st. anthony. they are thirty or forty feet high, and the river is narrower here than elsewhere. there is a small island in the midst of the chute, and the two banks of the river are bordered by hills which gradually diminish at this point, but the country on each side is covered by thin woods, such as oaks and other hardwoods, scattered wide apart." this description corresponds very well with the earliest pictures of the falls, which with "the small island in the midst of the chute" make them resemble slightly a niagara considerably diminished in height. the historic falls have almost entirely disappeared or so changed as to become unrecognizable. spirit island, if this be the island referred to by la salle as in the midst of the chute, is now so far below the falls that it can scarcely be brought into the same picture with them. the falls have undoubtedly receded, by a process easily explained by a geologist, some distance up the river, and have diminished somewhat in altitude. the movement of the falls up stream, caused by the breaking off of limestone ledges, overlying sandstone, easily washed from beneath by the falling water, threatened the total obliteration of the cataract unless arrested by artificial means, as the dip or inclination of the rock is such that the altitude of the falls diminishes with the wearing away of these ledges: it has been found necessary to strengthen the ledges and prevent further erosion by means of aprons, till the present appearance of the falls is not unsuggestive of a series of dams. the entire cost of these improvements has amounted to more than $ , , . the shores of the islands and mainlands have been covered with mills and manufactories, while the scene is still further disfigured by a maze of railway and other bridges, waterways and flumes. scarce a vestige of the original falls remain to recall their appearance as they were when the sandaled and robed franciscan, hennepin, first gazed upon them. in the midst of this solitude, and on the banks once covered by a sparse growth of trees, one of the finest cities in the west has sprung up as if by magic, and the scene is one of busy life. this marvelous change has occurred within a space of fifty years. minneapolis. from the establishment and occupation of fort snelling in , to the settlement of the county in , numerous traders and adventurers, generally of french or canadian origin, and not infrequently intermarried with indians, and semi-indian in their habits of life, occupied transient homes on or near the military reservation; but these have exercised so little influence upon the development of the country that they merit no recognition or record from the historian. as a general thing, they disappeared before the march of civilization. a few, wiser, stronger, more far-seeing than the rest, adapted themselves to the new order, made claims, engaged in the enterprises of civilized life, and thus obtained an honorable position amongst the pioneers of the country. of these, joseph r. brown, by far the most distinguished, by permission of the military authorities, located in hennepin county near the falls of minnehaha, in . he is the first white settler. maj. taliaferro, then in command of the fort, in the same year made a farm on the shores of lake calhoun, and placed philander prescott in charge. in the pond brothers, missionaries, located on lake calhoun and erected the first dwelling worthy of the name within the present limits of the county of hennepin. in philander prescott made a claim on what is now minnehaha avenue. frank steele obtained permission from the secretary of war to occupy this claim, whereupon mr. prescott abandoned it, and made another on laud adjoining. this he was allowed to retain. charles mosseaux, by permission of the military authorities, made a claim on lake calhoun in . this claim is now occupied by the pavillion. rev. e. g. gear, chaplain at fort snelling, by permission of the military authorities, made a claim near lake calhoun and employed edward brissett to live upon it. afterward a contest arose as to the ownership. chaplain gear, by the aid of judge black and h. m. rice, secured a congressional enactment allowing him to purchase the land from the government. david gohram made a claim on the lake of the isles, but subsequently sold out to r. p. russell. john berry, the blaisdells, pierce lowell and many others located in the vicinity of lakes calhoun and harriet, and in were followed by settlers on nearly all the lands lying immediately west of the mississippi, in the vicinity of the falls. in there were twelve farm houses scattered widely from the falls to the vicinity of the lakes. it had been evident for some time that a city of considerable pretensions must arise somewhere in the vicinity of the fort and the falls. the locality of the coming city was decided largely by advantages of situation, and these were in favor of the locality immediately adjoining the falls, the water power there afforded being a powerful attraction. for the first recognition of these advantages we must go back to a period several years anterior to the location of these claims and there find a starting point in the history of minneapolis. in the military authorities at fort snelling had erected a stone mill for sawing their own lumber and grinding the grain shipped from st. louis. they also built a log house and cultivated a few acres of adjacent ground. this mill, run by the water of the falls, was located a short distance below. this was the first utilization of the water power. the mill, which has long since disappeared, was located on the present site of sidle, fletcher & holmes' flouring mill. in one saw mill, the first in minneapolis aside from the old government mill, was located just below the falls. it had a capacity of , , feet per annum and besides manufactured great quantities of shingles. it was under the direction of c. king. a steam saw mill was built at the mouth of bassett's creek, above the falls, in , and another the following year, half a mile further up the river. thus began the great lumber business of minneapolis, in there being three mills with an aggregate capacity of , , feet per annum. the attitude of the government with regard to the lands reserved about the fort, the act of , driving off those who had settled upon them and destroying their property, and the uncertainty with regard to the tenure of land claims, acted as an effectual bar to further improvement until ten years later, when hon. robert smith, member of congress from alton district, illinois, and col. john h. stevens, the pioneer of minneapolis, each obtained permits from the secretary of war and the officers of the fort to occupy one hundred and sixty acres of the reservation. smith's location included the stone mill, which he agreed to use in grinding fort snelling grain. mr. smith engaged c. a. tuttle to operate the mill and hold the claim. mr. tuttle was to have an interest for his labor. this interest he afterward sold to smith, who, when the government relinquished the reservation, transferred his claim to anson northrup and others, who were organized into an association for the entry of land. soon as the entries were completed the land passed into the hands of the minneapolis water power company, which proceeded at once to improve the water power. col. j. h. stevens meanwhile located in person on his permit, and in built the first frame house in minneapolis, on the ground now occupied by the union depot. j. b. bassett purchased the fraction of land on the river above stevens, col. emanuel case the fraction above bassett's, a. e. ames the eighty where the court house stands, and edwin hedderly the fraction below the water power. mr. stevens made the first survey of village lots in the spring of ; chas. w. christmas, surveyor. the smith claim was surveyed by w. r. marshall in the fall of . in atwater's addition was surveyed. other additions were added from year to year as the growth of the city demanded. at the release of the reservation in , the entire present site of the city was covered with claims. the name minneapolis, derived from an indian word _minne_, meaning _water_, and a greek word _polis_, meaning _city_, had been early applied to the new village, chas. hoag having first suggested the name. in march, , the commissioners of hennepin county adopted the name as that of a territorial precinct. a government land office had been established in , of which m. l. olds was register and r. p. russell receiver. the first, newspaper, the minneapolis _democrat_, was established in . during the same year the masons and odd fellows organized lodges, the presbyterians, baptists and methodists organized societies, and public schools were established. in the court house, at a cost of $ , , a school house, and several churches were erected. the village of minneapolis was organized in . h. t. welles was the first president. in minneapolis obtained a city charter. minneapolis and st. anthony falls were united under the same government, by act of legislature, approved feb. , , under the name of minneapolis, st. anthony falls being recognized in the directory as east minneapolis. the united cities elect in common a mayor and city council, but each is financially responsible as to contracts existing previous to the union, and each maintains its own schools. we append a list of mayors of the two cities prior and subsequent to the union: mayors of st. anthony falls. . h. t. welles. . alvaren allen. . wm. w. wales. . orrin curtis. . orrin curtis. . r. b. graves. . o. c. merriman. . o. c. merriman. . edwin s. brown. . o. c. merriman. . wm. w. wales. . o. c. merriman. . o. c. merriman. . winthrop young. . w. w. mcnair. . w. w. mcnair. . edwin s. brown. mayors of minneapolis. . dorillius morrison . hugh g. harrison. . dorillius morrison. . eli b. ames. . eli b. ames. mayors of minneapolis subsequent to the union with st. anthony falls. . eugene m. wilson. . george a. bracket. . eugene m. wilson. . o. c. merriman. . albert a. ames. . john delittre. . a. c. rand. . a. c. rand. . a. c. rand. . a. c. rand. . a. a. ames. . a. a. ames. . geo. pillsbury. . geo. pillsbury. . a. a. ames. . a. a. ames. . a. a. ames. water versus steam. some wonder has been expressed that in the vicinity of one of the finest water powers on this continent there should be found so many saw mills run by steam. the question is partly an economical one, as owing to the heavy expenses entailed upon mill owners to prevent the retrogression of the falls, it may be cheaper for saw mill owners to use steam, especially as they can feed their furnaces with but little expense from the slabs and debris of their own lumber; but in this case a weightier reason may be found in the fact that the west side of the river has been occupied chiefly by flouring mills, and the saw mills are moved to less eligible localities, and find it more convenient and economical to use steam instead of water. terrific explosion at the flour mills. one of the most remarkable mill disasters of modern times occurred may , , in the washington a mill. about p. m. the sound of a terrific explosion was heard and the city was shaken as by an earthquake. the mill in which it occurred was utterly demolished, as were also the humboldt, the zenith and the palisade, while several others were badly wrecked. there were fourteen lives lost and the property destroyed amounted in value to over $ , , . the cause of the explosion was at first not understood, but on thorough investigation was finally attributed to a mixture of exceedingly fine grain and flour dust with the air of the mills, in such proportion as to form a combustible mixture, which was accidentally ignited. the mills destroyed have since been replaced by better ones. the great pilsbury a mill, which is perhaps beyond question the largest in the world, was begun in the following year. a canal was cut to supply it with power, and it was equipped with two victor turbine water wheels of , horse power each and a , horse power engine; it was furnished with pairs of rollers, middlings purifiers, run of stone, bolting reels and other devices in keeping. suburban resorts--lake minnetonka. this magnificent lake is miles southwest of minneapolis, and miles from st. paul. its extreme length is about miles, varying in width from to miles. its water area is about , acres, and its shore line is estimated at nearly miles. a glance at the map will show what a variety of scenery it must have, being so broken and irregular. its banks and islands are covered with forest trees except at a few points where villages have been located, or where some farmer had, years ago, cleared himself a farm. there are three villages on minnetonka, viz.: excelsior, wayzata and mound city. excelsior was settled in , by a colony from new york state, and named from the title adopted by the organization before leaving home. it was incorporated about . it is located on a range of hills on the south shore of lake minnetonka, of which it has a commanding view. its present population is about . it has two railways, the minneapolis & st. louis and the st. paul, minneapolis & manitoba, and a motor line. it is distant miles from minneapolis. the oldest settlement on the lake is wayzata, on the north shore of lake minnetonka, miles from minneapolis, via the st. paul, minneapolis & manitoba railway, which passes through the village. the name wayzata is a corruption of the indian word wy-ze-a-ta, meaning north shore, or north side. the village contains about inhabitants, and commands considerable trade from the surrounding country. there are several fine hotels upon the lake, equal if not superior to the famous hotels of eastern watering places. prominent among these are the hotel lafayette, built at a cost of $ , , the lake park hotel and excelsior house. railways reach the lake at several points, and steamers make regular trips for tourists. minnehaha falls, rendered famous in longfellow's poems of hiawatha, is located on minnehaha creek, midway between fort snelling and st. anthony falls. it is deservedly a favored resort. public buildings in minneapolis costing $ , and upward. court house (not completed) $ , , post office , exposition hall , science hall , library building , soldiers' home, near minnehaha falls , state university , chamber of commerce , temple court , masonic temple , city market house , athenæum , hennepin avenue theatre , washburn orphan asylum , house of good shepherd , loan and trust company , guaranty life and trust , lumber exchange , builders' exchange , knights of labor exchange , s. c. hall lumber company , bank of commerce , union elevator , minneapolis & pacific elevator , st. anthony elevator , boston block , nicollet house block , albert johnson block , globe block , wright block , mutual block , glen block , langdon block , central block, terrace , syndicate block , west hotel , , gates' tenements , lowry's residence , eastman & cook's saw mill , soo & st marie shops , north minneapolis pumping station , tubular car works , buel tenement block , pillsbury a flour mill , , washburn a flour mill , washburn b flour mill , morrison flour mill , christian & co.'s flour mill , high school building , church of the dominican fathers , aggregate value of school property , , aggregate value of church property , , aggregate value of parks and boulevards , , post office statistics for . general business $ , money orders , , income , expense , history of the post office at minneapolis, minn. postmasters. established jan. , hezekiah fletcher. dec. , carlos wilcoz. april , alfred e. ames. april , samuel hidden. aug. , william p. ankeny. april , david morgan. july , daniel bassett. nov. , william w. mcnair. march , cyrus aldrich. april , geo. h. keith. june , orlo m. laraway. june , john j. ankeny. the bonded debt of the city is $ , , . the city can not create a debt nor issue bonds to a greater amount than five per cent of the assessed valuation of city property, and the charter prohibits a floating debt. the tax assessments for $ , , barrels of flour manufactured , , value of other manufactures $ , , feet of lumber manufactured , , elevator capacity (bushels) , , bushels of wheat received , , eight bridges span the river at minneapolis as crossings for the various railroads. the stone arch viaduct of the st. paul, minneapolis & manitoba cost $ , . municipal expenses, $ , , . the following table gives the cut of lumber in minneapolis for the last sixteen years: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , west minneapolis. west minneapolis is located about eight miles from the court house, in sections and of township , range , and is not included within minneapolis' city limits. the chicago, milwaukee & st. louis, the hastings & dakota, and the st. paul, minneapolis & manitoba railroads have stations here. it was surveyed in , and organized shortly after. it has two threshing machine and other extensive manufactories. the hennepin county poor farm is located near by. calvin a. tuttle.--mr. tuttle was born in holland, connecticut, in . he received an academic education, and remained with his parents until of age. he learned the trade of millwright with his father. in he went to bangor, maine, and worked at his trade until , when he removed to alton, illinois. he came to st. croix in , and superintended the building of a mill. in he returned to alton, where he was married to charlotte winkler. he lived in davenport, iowa, four years and one year at chippewa falls. in he removed to st. anthony falls, where he helped build the first saw mill. here he worked eight years almost continuously at his trade. he purchased two hundred acres of land here, including university lands, which he sold for $ , . he removed to west st. anthony in , to robert smith's government permit, and then ran the old government flouring mill, grinding only for the government. the grain, about , bushels annually, was brought from st. louis. for holding smith's permit, and grinding, he received one-eighth of the property. the government grinding was done for the privilege of making a claim on the government reservation. this claim, eighty acres in extent, located in what was then called west st. anthony, now in the heart of minneapolis, is worth millions of dollars. mr. tuttle sold his interest for $ , . the old mill was built of stone, x feet, ground dimensions, two stories in height, with one run of stone. the mill was built in . there was a farm near the mill, cultivated by soldiers. mr. tuttle returned to east st. anthony in , and removed to minnetonka in , where he lived five years. thence he removed to twin rivers, morrison county. he has a saw mill, farm and good home at twin rivers. in he returned to minneapolis to spend the remainder of his days. cyrus aldrich.--the subject of this memoir was born june , , in smithfield, rhode island. his father was dexter aldrich, and was engaged in shipping and merchandising. his mother's maiden name was hannah white. she was a descendant of peregrine white, the first male child born after the landing of the pilgrim fathers. he received such an education as could be obtained at the common schools until he was eighteen years of age, when he left home to engage for a few years in a seafaring life. this life not proving to his taste, he abandoned it and engaged in other pursuits. at the age of twenty-nine he emigrated to illinois and located at alton, where he took a contract on the michigan and erie canal. in , or about four years later, he removed to galena, illinois, where he secured employment with the firm of galbraith & porter, and engaged in staging and mail contracts. in he was elected to the illinois legislature. the same year he was married to clara heaton, of indiana, who, with one son and one daughter, survives him. in he was elected register of deeds of joe daviess county; in was appointed receiver of the land office at dixon, illinois; and in ran for congress on the whig ticket against long john wentworth, but was defeated by a small majority. he removed to minnesota in , locating at minneapolis, then but a small village. in he was elected a member of the republican wing of the constitutional convention, where his ability for leadership soon brought him to the front. in he was nominated and elected representative to congress, minnesota having meanwhile become a state. in he was re-elected. this was a trying time, but mr. aldrich acquitted himself well, and was especially commended for his devotion to the interests of the soldiers. in he declined a re-election, but allowed his name to be used (though unsuccessfully) as a candidate for the senate. he did not, however, entirely withdraw from public affairs, but accepted an appointment from president lincoln as a member of the indemnity committee to adjust claims of settlers who had suffered during the indian outbreak of . he also devoted much of his time and energy to the establishment of the northern pacific railway. in he was elected to the minnesota legislature. in he was appointed postmaster of minneapolis, which position he held for four years. his long and busy life has been spent chiefly in public service. he had not quite reached the scriptural limit of human life, but it was evident that his iron constitution had been overtasked and that he needed rest. the retirement and rest came too late. his health gradually failed until oct. , , when he closed his eyes upon the scenes of earth. his funeral, conducted from the universalist church, of which he was a member, was one of the largest ever held in the state. citizens of all parties and classes, the masonic and other social and civil bodies combined in paying the last tribute of respect to one who for fifteen years had been the most active, best known and most respected of their number. alfred elisha ames, m.d., was born at colchester, vermont, dec. , . he was the oldest son of billy and phebe (baker) ames, whose ancestors were early colonists from england. alfred e. commenced the study of medicine in . he occasionally taught school and worked at his trade of brickmason. he also varied his labors by publishing an arithmetic. he came west in , locating first at springfield, illinois; concluded his medical studies at rush medical college, chicago, in . before leaving illinois he was elected to the state senate. in he came to st. anthony falls, made a claim, and entered into partnership with dr. j. h. murphy. in he served as surgeon at fort snelling, and in was elected to the territorial legislature as a member of the house. in he was elected probate judge; in member of the democratic wing of the constitutional convention, and in became a member of the state normal board. during the remainder of his life he devoted himself to the practice of medicine, but also served the public in many positions of trust. he died dec. , . his wife and five children survive him. albert alonzo ames, son of dr. a. e. and martha (pratt) ames, was born at garden prairie, illinois, jan. , . he received a high school education at minneapolis, studied medicine at rush medical college, chicago, and graduated february, . in august, , he enlisted in the ninth minnesota volunteers, but shortly after was commissioned assistant surgeon of the seventh minnesota volunteers. he served for awhile in the indian campaigns. in the fall of the regiment was ordered south. in july, , he was commissioned as surgeon of the seventh regiment in place of dr. l. b. smith, killed at tupelo. he was mustered out of service at the close of the war with an excellent record as a physician and surgeon. after the war he devoted himself to the practice of his profession and to public services in minneapolis, excepting a period of six years spent in editorial life in california, first on the staff of the _daily times_, and later as managing editor of the _alta californian_. at the death of his father, in , he returned to minneapolis and resumed practice. he has filled the following positions of trust: , member of the minnesota legislature (house); , member of the city council; , mayor of minneapolis; , democratic nominee for lieutenant governor (not elected); , democratic candidate for governor (not elected); - - , again mayor of minneapolis. dr. ames is a member of such prominent fraternities as the masonic, odd fellows, druids, knights of pythias, and order of elks. dr. ames was married april , , to sarah, daughter of capt. richard strout, of minneapolis. jesse ames was born in vinalhaven, maine, feb. , . from the age of fourteen till his retirement in , mr. ames devoted himself to a seafaring life. at the age of twenty-three he was captain of a schooner, and afterward of different ships, brigs, barks or schooners, all of them in the mercantile trade. he made between twenty and thirty voyages to europe, circumnavigated cape horn several times, and sailed twice round the globe. few men have seen more of the world. his last voyage was from new zealand to london, where he sold his ship, and, coming to america, found him a beautiful home in the north star state. he is a resident of northfield, and is, with his son john t., the owner of the well known flouring mills at that place. he was married oct. , , to margaret tolman, of rockland, maine. they have two sons, one of whom, john t., is a resident of northfield. the other son, adelbert a., won distinction during the civil war, leaving the service with the brevet rank of major general. since the war he has served as senator from mississippi, and as governor of that state. cadwallader c. washburn.--hon. c. c. washburn was a man of rare nobility of character and possessed of an acute and powerful mind. he used his great talents for the good of the country. he was a man of philanthropic impulses and great generosity, as the following munificent gifts to the public will attest: _first_--to the state of wisconsin, in , an astronomical observatory, located on the university lands at madison, in style of architecture and apparatus to carry into execution the design of the institution, equal, if not superior, to that of any like institution in the world. _second_--the donation of his "edgewood home," near madison, wisconsin, for educational purposes. _third_--the generously established school located on the shores of lake harriet, near minneapolis, "the washburn home for orphans," for the poor and unfortunate children of minnesota. mr. washburn was born in livermore, maine, april , ; lived at home until , and devoted some time to obtaining a classical education. in and he taught school and clerked in hallowell and wiscassett, maine. in the spring of he came west to davenport, iowa, and was employed a few months with david dale owen, on geological work. in and he studied law at rock island. illinois. in he settled in mineral point, wisconsin, and was admitted to practice law at lancaster, grant county, in judge dunn's court. he continued in practice at mineral point; also engaged in real estate and dealing in land warrants, and in established the bank of mineral point. mr. washburn was elected representative to the thirty-fourth, thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth, and fortieth congresses. in february, , the house appointed a special committee of thirty-three members on the state of the union. a majority of the committee reported an amendment to the constitution of the united states, making slavery perpetual. mr. washburn and others made a minority report against making slavery perpetual. on this report we subjoin his remarks: "if this union must be dissolved, whether by peaceable process or through fire and blood or civil war, we shall have the consolation of knowing that when the conflict is over those who survive will be what they never have been--inhabitants of a free country." mr. washburn changed his residence to la crosse in . he received a colonel's commission to recruit a cavalry regiment that year, and subsequently was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. he was elected governor of wisconsin in . in he erected a large flour mill at minneapolis, which burned in . it was soon after rebuilt. in this mill he introduced the first hungarian patent process for making flour used in america. mr. washburn died at eureka springs, arkansas, may , . his body was brought to wisconsin and buried at la crosse. [illustration: w. d. washburn] william drew washburn, the youngest of the washburn brothers, was born at livermore, maine, jan. , . he worked upon his father's farm until twenty years of age; prepared himself for college by his own unaided efforts, entered bowdoin college, and graduated in . he studied law and was admitted to the bar in , and in the same year came to minneapolis as agent of the minneapolis mill company, of which he became a partner. in president lincoln appointed him surveyor general of minnesota. during his term of office, which continued four years, he lived in st. paul. on his return to minneapolis he built a large saw mill and engaged extensively in the lumber trade. he was the chief mover in the minneapolis & st. louis and minneapolis & pacific railways. he has a large lumber and flour mill at anoka, and with others erected the palisade flour mill at minneapolis. in he was elected representative to congress from the third district and re-elected in . he has also served in the state legislature. he was a principal proprietor of the minneapolis, sault ste. marie & atlantic railway, and was elected president of the company in . mr. washburn has been successful in his business ventures, has accumulated a handsome property, and been liberal in using his means in the interests of minneapolis and the state. he is eminently practical in his business ideas and methods, and affable and prepossessing in his manners. he married lizzie muzzy, of bangor, maine, in , and has two sons and two daughters living. joseph clinton whitney was born in springfield, vermont, april , . in he removed with his parents to lower canada, where he remained till he was twenty years of age. he went to oberlin, ohio, ; graduated from the college in , and from union theological seminary in . the same year he removed to stillwater, where he organized the first presbyterian church, of which he served as pastor until , when he was called to the pastorate of the first presbyterian church at minneapolis, where he remained four years. he removed to forest city, meeker county, but returned to minneapolis in . in he enlisted in company d, sixth minnesota volunteers, and served three years. in president lincoln appointed him quartermaster with the rank of captain. in he returned to minneapolis and engaged in business. in he was elected state senator from the fifth district. mr. whitney has been greatly interested in the cause of education. he was a principal mover in establishing the public schools of minneapolis, of bennett seminary for young ladies, and of macalester college. he is president of the board of bennett seminary, and is one of the members of the state normal board. he was married july , , to eliza baird. they have three sons and two daughters. charles hoag was born in sandwich, new hampshire, in . he received a good education and taught school fifteen years. he came to minneapolis in , and occupied various positions of trust, having been a member of the first town council, the second treasurer of hennepin county, and the superintendent of schools four years, commencing with . mr. hoag suggested the name of minneapolis for the growing young city of his adoption. he was a man of marked ability and refinement, and although a strong partisan his many admirable personal qualities won the esteem of those who most radically differed from him. he was twice married, his first wife dying in . in he was married to miss susan f. jewett who, with a daughter, mrs. c. h. clark, and one son, levi, survives him. mr. hoag died february, . franklin steele.--no other pioneer has been more prominent in the early history of minneapolis than franklin steele. a bold, sagacious, enterprising man, he came in the very vanguard of civilization, and promptly and fearlessly availed himself of the splendid opportunities that this, then almost unknown, frontier afforded. we have not many data of his early life, but his history since he set foot in fort snelling is elsewhere given as a part of the early history of the section in which he located, and need not be here repeated. franklin steele was born in lancaster county, pennsylvania. he came west by the advice of president andrew jackson, and arrived at fort snelling just after the conclusion of the treaty by which the indians ceded their st. croix lands to the government; whereupon mr. steele visited st. croix falls, made a claim and proceeded to make further improvements, such as building mills, as elsewhere narrated. when appointed sutler of the army at fort snelling, he sold his st. croix claims and identified himself thereafter with the interests of st. anthony falls and the section adjacent thereto, where he made claims and improvements. among other enterprises illustrative of the faith of steele and others in the future greatness of the prospective river cities, the fact may be mentioned that an organized company built a wire suspension bridge over the river just above the falls, a work projected while the adjacent lands were still in the hands of the government, and completed in , at a time when such a structure was most needed and advantageous. mr. steele was a man of far more than ordinary ability. col. j. h. stevens says of him: "he has been a good friend to hennepin county, and as most of the citizens came here poor they never had to ask mr. steele a second time for a favor. fortune has favored him, and while many a family has reason to feel thankful for his generosity and kindness, he constantly made money." the county of steele was named after him. mr. steele was married to miss barney, a relative of the distinguished naval officer of that name. he died in minneapolis in . roswell p. russell was born in richland, vermont, march , . his privileges for education were limited. he came to michigan in and to fort snelling in . he came from prairie du chien to the fort in a mackinaw boat, part of the way on foot over the ice, and suffered much for want of food, sleep and from exposure. mr. russell remained at fort snelling until , engaged for two years in the indian trade, made a claim at st. anthony falls in , and opened the first store, in a log building, at that place. in he was appointed receiver of the land office at minneapolis. he has since been actively engaged in farming, merchandising and real estate transactions. he was the first chairman of the st. anthony falls town board, and has served one term as representative in the state legislature. he was a true and steadfast friend to his adopted city. he was married at st. anthony falls, oct. , , to marion patch. they have a family of seven sons and three daughters: lucy c., wife of w. c. colbrath; charles m., roswell p., mary bell, wife of f. m. prince, of stillwater; carrie e., wife of f. l. lovejoy, of fargo, dakota; frank and fred, twin brothers; geo. b. mc----, died in ; william and edward e. horatio phillips van cleve was born in princeton, new jersey, nov. , . he was educated at princeton college and west point, graduating from the latter institution in . he served five years in the army, resigning in . he followed farming and engineering in michigan until , when he came to morrison county, minnesota. in he enlisted as a volunteer in the second regiment, minnesota infantry, of which regiment he was commissioned colonel. he served during the war and left the service with a major general's commission, and has since served as adjutant general of the state of minnesota. he was the postmaster of st. anthony falls prior to the union of that city with minneapolis. he was married to charlotte o. clarke, daughter of maj. gen. clarke of the united states army. they have seven children. charlotte ouisconsin van cleve, a daughter of gen. clarke of the united states army, was born at fort crawford, prairie du chien, wisconsin, in . soon after her birth her father came up the river on a flatboat to the site of fort snelling. they were six weeks making the voyage. miss charlotte grew up amidst military surroundings, and on a remote frontier, and was married at fort winnebago, wisconsin, to horatio p. van cleve, when she had barely attained the age of sixteen years. her husband resigned his position in the army about the time of his marriage, and removed to michigan, but since her home has been in minnesota. of her children six sons are living in hennepin county. a daughter is the wife of h. v. hall, a missionary to the sandwich islands. besides her own family she has reared five orphans. she is intellectually active and vigorous, takes great interest in the reforms of the day, and is a noble specimen of the pioneer women of the state. she is the founder of the bethany home in minneapolis. she has specially interested herself in the poor, the downtrodden and the outcast classes of human society, and has exercised in this direction an untold influence for good. ard godfrey was born at orono, maine, jan. , . he came to st. anthony falls in , and was among the first to make improvements in utilizing the water power furnished by the falls. he built a dam and mill, and subsequently engaged in lumbering. in he settled on a claim near minnehaha falls, where he built a saw and grist mill, some years later destroyed by fire. he was married in maine, january, , and has a family of six children. he still lives at his old homestead near minnehaha falls. richard chute was born in cincinnati, ohio, sept. , . he first visited st. anthony falls in , and built a trading house. he was one of the firm of w. g. ewing & co. in he located permanently at the falls where he has been engaged in real estate operations, milling and other branches of business. he has been successful in his undertakings, and is a man of excellent standing in the community. lucius n. parker was born in chester, vermont, dec. , . he came to illinois in his boyhood and remained there till eighteen years of age, when he came to marine, minnesota, and engaged in lumbering. in he was one of the proprietors of the osceola (polk county, wisconsin) mills. in he sold out his interest, removed to st. anthony falls and carried the mail between st. paul and that city. he removed to the west side of the river, known now as minneapolis, and has since resided there. he was married to amanda huse in . capt. john rollins was born in march, , at new sharon, maine. while in maine he followed lumbering and hotel keeping. in he came to the falls and engaged in lumbering, steamboating, milling and farming. he was a member of the first territorial council of minnesota, in - . he was married to betsey martin at newport, maine, in . they have seven children living. capt. rollins died in . john g. lennon was born in bolton, england, july , . he came to america in as supercargo of a vessel bound to new orleans. in he located at st. croix falls, removed to st. paul in , and in to st. anthony falls, where he entered the service of the st. anthony outfit. in he engaged in the lumbering and mercantile business and in removed to a stock farm in sibley county. during the civil war he served as assistant commissary, and through gen. sibley's indian campaign. at the suppression of the indian revolt his regiment was transferred south and attached to the sixteenth army corps, under gen. a. j. smith and division commander gen. joseph mower and he served as quartermaster until mustered out at the close of the war, when he returned to civil life and commenced dealing in real estate. in he returned to minneapolis. he was married to mary d. mclain in . he died in august, , leaving a widow and two children. john h. stevens.--col. stevens traces his ancestry to the moors who, during the wars of the alhambra were carried captive to france, where they became known as huguenots. driven by persecution from france to england, they emigrated thence with the puritans on the mayflower to america. col. stevens was born june , , in lower canada, whither his parents had emigrated from vermont. his father gave him an excellent education. at an early day john h. came to the lead mines of south wisconsin. during the war with mexico he served as a soldier, and after the war, in , came to the northwest and located on the west bank of the mississippi, at st. anthony falls, where he built the first frame house on the west side, on ground that afterward became the site of the union depot. he was a member of the lower house of the legislature of , and has filled other public positions with honor to himself. he has been influential in municipal affairs, and always a staunch advocate of the interests of his city, county and state. he is the author of a book of "reminiscences of pioneer life." he was married at rockford, illinois, in , to frances helen miller. they have one son, francis h. g., and three daughters, orma, sarah and kittie d., wife of p. b. winston. caleb d. dorr was born at east great works, penobscot county, maine. he became a practical lumberman, and, coming to the falls in , bought of hole-in-the-day, a chippewa chief at swan river, one hundred trees at five dollars per tree, for st. anthony falls improvements, the first timber floated down the mississippi above the mouth of rum river. mr. dorr was in the employ of the government for ten years, locating state and school lands. he has followed the business of scaling logs, and has also been boom master. he was married to celestia a. ricker, of maine, march , . rev. edward duffield neill, the well known author of the "history of minnesota," was born in philadelphia aug. , . he was educated at the university of pennsylvania and amherst college, massachusetts, graduating from the latter in . he studied theology at andover theological seminary, massachusetts, and in preached as a missionary amongst the miners in and around galena, illinois. he was transferred to st. paul in april, , where he organized a society and erected the first protestant church building in minnesota not on mission grounds. it was situated on third and market streets. he also built for himself, on the corner of fourth and washington streets, the first brick house in the city. in he organized the house of hope society and acted as its pastor five years. he was also the prime mover in establishing the baldwin school. in he secured the building of the st. paul college, for some years conducted as a classical school and afterward consolidated with the baldwin school. he was the first territorial superintendent of public instruction, in - , and served as state superintendent from to . he was called to fill many educational trusts. april , , he was appointed chaplain of the first minnesota volunteers, and served as such over two years. he was with his regiment at the battles of bull run, fair oaks and malvern hill. president lincoln appointed him hospital chaplain, he became one of the president's private secretaries, and continued in that relation during the presidency of andrew johnson. in president grant appointed him united states consul at dublin, where he resided two years. returning to minnesota in , he removed to minneapolis and conducted the baldwin school and st. paul college, under the title of macalester college, and located his school in the old winslow house, minneapolis. in january, , mr. neill connected himself with the reformed episcopal church. mr. neill has been a busy worker in literary, chiefly historical, fields. editions of his "history of minnesota" were published in , and . he has published many other valuable historical works. he is a ready and versatile writer, and is an authority on the subjects concerning which he treats. mr. neill was married to nancy hill, at snow hill, maryland. their children are samuel henry, edward duffield and john selby martin. john wensignor, a native of switzerland, was born may , ; came to america in , to st. anthony falls in , and engaged successfully in mercantile pursuits. mr. wensignor has been a generous man to the poor, and although public spirited, has persistently declined office. mr. wensignor died in . robert h. hasty was born in york county, maine, dec. , . he came to stillwater in , and engaged in lumbering. he was surveyor general of the first district two years. he enlisted in company i, sixth minnesota, at the organization of the regiment in , was commissioned second lieutenant, promoted to first lieutenant, and resigned jan. , . in he removed to crystal lake, minnesota. stephen pratt, a native of penobscot county, maine, was born, in ; came to st. anthony falls in october, , where he followed lumbering until . he was a member of the first minnesota cavalry during the rebellion. in he removed to a farm. he died in . capt. john tapper was born in dorsetshire, england, march , ; came to america in , and to prairie du chien and fort snelling in . he served as a soldier during the mexican war. he was the first toll collector on the st. anthony falls wire suspension bridge. he finally located on steele's farm near minnehaha falls, and is now living in clayton county, iowa. r. w. cummings was born in lycoming, pennsylvania, june, . he settled at cottage grove, minnesota, in , and in made a claim in st. anthony, and improved it as a farm until the city required it for lots, since which time he has been engaged in the real estate business. elias h. conner was born in new sharon, maine, in . in he came to lakeland, minnesota, and in to st. anthony falls, where he had charge of the work on the first suspension thrown across the mississippi at that point. he also built the first bridge that spanned the st. croix at taylor's falls. in he was married to hannah rollins. c. f. stimson was born in maine, april , . he came to stillwater in june, , and thence to st. anthony falls, where he followed lumbering. he was treasurer of ramsey county for one year. in he moved to his farm near elk river. he has a wife and two children. william dugas was born in three rivers, canada east, may , . he came to new york in . he spent some time traveling, visiting africa, new orleans, indian territory, iowa, and illinois, and other places more or less remote. he came to minnesota in , and was a representative in the first territorial legislature. later he removed to st. anthony falls. he afterward removed to dayton, minnesota. he was married at prairie du chien in . davis gorham was born in quebec; came to virginia, where he spent two years, and thence to maine, where he lived twelve years. in april, , he came to st. anthony falls, and made valuable land claims near lake calhoun. he followed lumbering for about twelve years. in he started for california, but was driven back by the sioux indians. in he settled in plymouth, where he has been supervisor for ten years. edwin hedderly was born in philadelphia in . in he came to st. anthony falls and in made a claim of one hundred and sixty acres west of the river, within the present bounds of minneapolis. he served on various committees for selecting a name for the new city and its streets, and until his death was ever active and influential in all matters pertaining to the welfare of the city. he was married to mary j. kennard, of philadelphia. eight children of this union survive him and are residents of the city. mr. hedderly died in . louis neudeck, born december, , came to st. anthony falls in . he subsequently lived in missouri, illinois and at stillwater, but in returned to the falls. he died in . he was supposed to have been killed by indians while absent in montana, the only clue to his sad fate being the recovery of his revolver having his name inscribed on it, from an indian. he left a widow and five children. andrew j. foster was born in cooper, maine, june, , and came to the falls in , where he engaged in the lumbering, grocery, gardening, and real estate business. he married mrs. mary averill, of stillwater. their children are ada, william, owen and elmer. a. d. foster, a pennsylvanian, born in , came to st. anthony falls in . he assisted in building the gov. ramsey, the first boat above the falls. he has engaged in fruit culture and merchandising. he was married in pennsylvania and has three children; josiah, resident in indianapolis; lysander, a physician in minneapolis; and a daughter, married. charles e. vanderburgh, a native of clifton, parke county, new york, born dec. , , graduated at yale college an , and served for awhile as principal of oxford academy, new york. he studied law and was admitted to practice in . in he came to minneapolis, which has since been his home. in he was elected judge of the district court, which at that time embraced all the territory west of the mississippi from fort snelling to the north boundary line. he has been continuously re-elected, an evidence of the high estimation in which he is regarded by his fellow citizens. judge vanderburgh has been twice married. his first wife, julia m. mygatt, wedded sept. , , died april , , leaving two children, william henry and julia m. his second wife was anna culbert, married april , . they have one child, isabella mcintyre. his daughter julia was accidentally drowned sept. , . dorillius morrison was born at livermore, oxford county, maine, dec. , . he received a common school and academic education. he taught school awhile, and then engaged in the mercantile business, the last eleven years at bangor, when in the spring of he came to minneapolis, where he became prominent as a business man, following lumbering, dealing in real estate, milling and railway building. he is one of the projectors and proprietors of the minneapolis mill company. he is also sole owner and proprietor of a cotton mill costing $ , . he was deeply interested in the northern pacific railroad. he was the first mayor of minneapolis, in , and served as senator in the sixth legislature in may, . he was married to harriet putnam whitmore, a descendant of gen. israel putnam. they have three children, clinton and george henry, residents of minneapolis, and grace e., the wife of dr. h. h. kimball, of minneapolis. h. g. o. morrison, brother of dorillius, was born in livermore, maine, jan. , . he graduated at the bangor high school. he worked at printing in his youth, read law and was admitted to practice in , locating afterward at sebre, maine. he was a member of the maine senate in . in he came to st. anthony falls. he moved to dakota county soon after, and represented that county in the state legislatures of - . he resided in dakota county for twelve years. he was assessor of internal revenue from to , during which time he lived in st. paul. in he removed to minneapolis, where he has since resided. he has been twice married. his second wife was rebecca newell. they have three children, daniel w., samuel b. and stanford. judge f. r. e. cornell was born in , in chenango county, new york; was educated at union college, new york; studied law and was admitted to practice in . he came to minneapolis in . during his residence in new york he was a member of the state senate. in january, , he took his seat as associate justice of the supreme court of minnesota, which office he held until his death, which occurred in . gen. a. b. nettleton came from ohio, and became one of the editors of the minneapolis _tribune_. he served during the civil war, participated in seventy-three battles, and was promoted through the various grades from private to brigadier general. judge isaac atwater was born in homer, cortland county, new york. he graduated at yale college in , practiced law in new york city until , when he came to st. anthony falls and practiced law with g. w. north as partner. he was one of the first regents of the state university; edited the st. anthony _express_ from to ; served as district attorney from to ; was elected associate justice of the supreme bench in , resigned the position in , and removed to california, where he practiced law. after an absence of three years he returned to minneapolis, where he has been honored with the offices of alderman, president of the board of education, etc. he was married to pamelia a. sanborn in . their son john b. is associated with his father in law practice. rev. david brooks, a venerable pioneer clergyman of the methodist episcopal church, was born in england in . he was educated there and preached ten years in the wesleyan connection. he came to america in , and joined the methodist episcopal church, which he has served faithfully since as pastor and presiding elder in northern illinois, wisconsin and minnesota. he was among the pioneer preachers in the latter state. in he was presiding elder of a district that included all of the present minnesota conference. in he secured the charter for hamline university, and was instrumental in obtaining a donation of $ , from bishop hamline for its endowment. rev. jabez brooks, d.d., son of rev. david brooke, was born in england, and came to america in . he is a graduate of middleton wesleyan university. for several years he was professor of greek, and later president, of hamline university. he served also as professor of greek in lawrence university, appleton, wisconsin. he has for many years been professor of greek in the state university. john s. pillsbury was born in new hampshire, july , . he received a new england common school education. he came to the falls in , and by close application to business acquired a position of wealth and influence. he has occupied many prominent positions in minneapolis and the state. he served five terms as state senator, from the sixth to the tenth legislatures. in he was appointed a regent of the state university. he was elected governor of the state in , and re-elected in . he was married in november, , to mahala fisk, of warner, new hampshire. their children are ada, susie, may, sadie belle, and alfred fisk. henry t. welles was born in connecticut, april , , graduated at trinity college, and came to st. anthony falls in , where he engaged successfully in the lumbering, banking and real estate business. he is a liberal, public spirited citizen, contributing freely to all enterprises looking to the growth and welfare of the city as well as to charitable objects. david blakely has been prominent in journalism, having been connected at various times with papers in minneapolis, st. paul and chicago: he was one of the founders of the minneapolis _tribune_. william lochren, a native of tyrone, ireland, was born april , ; was brought to america when he was two years old; was educated in vermont; admitted to the bar, and came to the falls in , where he has since practiced law, excepting a term of service in the army during the rebellion as first lieutenant of company e, first minnesota volunteers. since the war he has served as city attorney, as state senator in , and as district judge from to the present time. in he was married to mrs. martha demmen, who died in . eugene m. wilson was born in , in monongalia county, virginia. his ancestors were scotch-irish, who came to this country at an early date. his grandfather served in the revolutionary war. mr. wilson graduated at jefferson college, cannonsburg, pennsylvania, in , read law with his father, was admitted to practice in , and came to minneapolis in . he served as united states district attorney during president buchanan's administration. during the rebellion he was captain of company a, first minnesota cavalry, serving on the frontier until , when the company was discharged by the completion of term of enlistment. [illustration: j. s. pillsbury] mr. wilson was a member of the united states house of representatives in - and state senator in . he served four years as mayor of minneapolis, from to . mr. wilson was married sept. , , to mary e. kimball, of minneapolis. they have three children, mary o., helen k. and eugenia. r. b. langdon, born in vermont in , received an academic education, and at twenty-two years of age commenced railroading on the rutland & burlington road. he has since been continuously engaged in superintending the construction of railroads in ten states of the union, and in supervised the grading of the st. paul & pacific, the first railroad enterprise in minnesota. he served as state senator for seven terms, commencing in and closing in (excepting the term of ). he has a wife and three children. wm. m. bracket, the originator of the minneapolis fire department, was born in maine in . his father served six years as consul at halifax, nova scotia, during which time william resided at that place. during the rebellion he served two years as a musician in the sixth maine volunteers, and was then appointed paymaster's clerk at washington, district of columbia. in he came to minneapolis, where he has since been continuously connected with the fire department. thomas b. and platt b. walker are natives of ohio. thomas b. came to minneapolis in , and engaged in surveying, railroad engineering and examining lands. by close application and sound judgment he has accumulated wealth, from which he dispenses liberally to worthy enterprises. he has contributed largely to the building of the athenæum. his wife is a prominent contributor to, and upholder of, the charitable enterprises of the city. platt b., a younger brother of thomas, is a fluent speaker, a popular lecturer and a kind hearted, genial man. he has been till lately editor and publisher of the _mississippi valley lumberman_, and has taken an active part in the improvements of the waterways of the west. austin h. young, a native of fredonia, new york, born dec. , , received his education at waukegan, illinois; removed to prescott, wisconsin, in ; commenced the practice of law in and served as state senator in wisconsin in . he came to minneapolis in and practiced law. he was elected judge of the fourth judicial district in . henry g. hicks was born in wyoming, new york, in . he learned the trade of harness maker; was educated at oberlin, ohio; served as a soldier during the war of the rebellion, and was wounded at the battle of missionary ridge. in he came to minneapolis. he was admitted to the bar in ; has served as sheriff, as city justice and as a representative in the twentieth, twenty-first and twenty-second state legislatures. he was elected district judge in . john p. rea was born oct. , , in chester county, pennsylvania. he received a common school education. in he enlisted in company b, eleventh ohio volunteers, and was breveted major for meritorious services. in he graduated at ohio wesleyan college; studied law and was admitted to the bar in . in he removed to minneapolis; edited the _tribune_ one year; continued his law practice in ; was elected probate judge, served four years, and in was elected district judge without opposition. he has been an active grand army man, a member of geo. n. morgan post, and has served as commander of minnesota state department, also as senior vice commander-in-chief of the national department. in he was elected commander-in-chief of the national department of the grand army. in he was married to miss emma gould, of ohio. john martin was born in caledonia county, vermont, in . his educational advantages were limited to the common schools. he was raised on a farm, but at eighteen years of age bought his time of his father for sixty dollars. for twelve years he followed steamboating, seven on the connecticut river and five on the neuce river in north carolina. in he went to california, but returned to vermont the following year, and for two years engaged in farming. he came to minneapolis in , where he engaged in lumbering and dealing in pine lands. in the past twelve years he has been interested in railroad enterprises. he has been vice president of the minneapolis & st. louis, and minneapolis, sault ste. marie & atlantic railway companies. mr. martin is an enterprising and sagacious business man, and is highly esteemed for his many excellent qualities. he was married in vermont in , to jane gilfillan, and has one daughter. john dudley was born in penobscot county, maine, in . he came to minneapolis in , where he engaged in business, dealing in logs and lumber. he built mills in prescott in . the flour mill at prescott has a capacity of one hundred barrels per day, and the saw mill a capacity of , , feet per annum. he recently purchased the saw mill at point douglas built by a. j. short. this mill has a capacity of , , feet. [illustration: st. anthony falls in . view of suspension bridge above the falls, and st. paul, minneapolis & manitoba railway bridge below the falls.] chapter xx. ramsey county. ramsey county, named in honor of gov. ramsey, includes an area of about four whole towns lying between anoka county on the north, washington on the east and the mississippi river on the southwest. it was organized by the first territorial legislature. its surface is undulating, and somewhat abruptly hilly along the mississippi. it is well watered and drained by the tributaries of the mississippi, and has besides many beautiful lakes. its first officers were: register of deeds, david day; sheriff, p. c. lull; judge of probate, henry a. lambert; treasurer, james w. simpson; county attorney, w. d. phillips; county surveyor, s. p. folsom; coroner, j. e. fullerton; clerk of court, j. k. humphrey; auditor, alexander buchanan; court commissioner, oscar malmros; district judge, e. c. palmer; common pleas judge, w. s. hall; county commissioners, ard godfrey, louis robert; senator, w. h. forbes; representatives, b. w. brunson, john l. dewey, henry jackson, parsons k. johnson. rev. lucian galtier, a catholic priest who visited the upper mississippi in the spring of , has the honor of naming the then unpromising city of st. paul. others had been on the site before him. a few families had been banished from the vicinity of fort snelling and had found homes a few miles further down the river. these were not all reputable people, for amongst them was one pierre parrant, who, on account of the appearance of one of his eyes, which was sightless, was known as "pig's eye." parrant sold whisky, and was, from all accounts, an unscrupulous and worthless fellow. as a matter of course, his establishment being to many the chief attraction of the place, it was called by his nickname. the indians would travel hundreds of miles to _the place where they sell minne waukan_ (whisky). the location was near the once well known fountain cave. the name of "pig's eye" might have been perpetually fastened upon the young city but for the timely arrival of father galtier, who gave to it the name of st. paul, because, as he says in a letter to bishop grace, referring to the fact that the name st. peter (mendota) had already been affixed to a place some miles above, "as the name of st. paul is generally associated with that of st. peter, and the gentiles being well represented in the new place in the persons of the indians, i called it 'st. paul.'" it does not appear that father galtier was ever a resident of st. paul, as he only came at stated times to hold services and administer the sacraments. the name pig's eye was subsequently transferred to a place several miles below, where it is still retained. the best known of the first settlers of st. paul are b. gervais, vetal guerin and pierre bottineau. the two former gave to father galtier the ground necessary for a church site and cemetery. "accordingly," writes the good father, "in the month of october logs were prepared and a church erected so poor that it would well remind one of the stable at bethlehem. it was destined, however, to be the nucleus of a great city. on the first day of november in the same year i blessed the new _basilica_ and dedicated it to st. paul, the apostle of nations. i expressed a wish at the same time that the settlement would be known by the same name, and my desire was obtained." during the fall of father augustin ravoux arrived from below and became a resident of minnesota and later of st. paul. in rev. b. t. kavanaugh established a mission at red rock. henry jackson came from galena the same year, established a trading post and did well. he was afterward a member of the first territorial legislature and of the first town council. jackson street perpetuates his name. sergt. mortimer and stanislaus bilanski also came in . the accessions of were john r. irvine. c. c. blanchard, j. w. simpson, a. b. coy, wm. hartshorn, a. l. larpenteur, scott campbell, antoine pepin, alexander mege, a. r. mcleod, alexis clautier, joseph gobin, david t. sloan, joseph desmarais, louis larrivier and xavier delonais. these mostly engaged in trade. messrs. irvine, blanchard, hartshorn and coy, and later, mege, were associated together. some of the last named accessions of were canadian french, half-breeds, or allied by marriage to the indians. there were other settlers of whom we can find only casual mention, probably transients or adventurers. the prominent accessions of were capt. louis robert, charles bazille, wm. dugas, francis mccoy and joseph hall. louis robert was a trader, bazille was a carpenter and built this summer for capt. robert the first frame house in st. paul. this house was built of hewn lumber, sawed lumber not being obtainable. it was on the lower levee, and was used as a warehouse but was moved to east fourth street, where, as no. , it was still standing a few years ago. dugas was a millwright and built a saw and grist mill on phalen's creek (spelled in an old deed faylin's creek). the mill was a failure. dugas was a man of some prominence and represented the new canada precinct in the first territorial legislature. mccoy and hall were carpenters. this year the governor of wisconsin territory appointed henry jackson a justice of the peace. jackson, before his commission arrived, married an eager couple by bond, they giving bond to reappear when he should receive his commission and be legally united. jackson was justice of the peace, postmaster, hotel keeper, legislator, and clerk of court combined in one. this fall father galtier was transferred to keokuk and father a. ravoux took charge of the churches at mendota and st. paul. rev. j. hurlbut, a methodist missionary, held the first protestant service, using the house of henry jackson for that purpose. the first deed on record bears date of april , , and transfers from henry jackson, st. croix county, wisconsin territory, to william hartshorn, of st. louis, missouri, for a consideration of $ , , half of the following tract of land in st. croix county, wisconsin territory, being the place where the said jackson now lives, situate immediately on the mississippi river and known as the st. paul landing, containing three acres, with all buildings and improvements thereon. the permanent accessions of were francis chenevert, david benoit, leonard h. la roche, francis robert, augustus and david b. freeman, w. g. carter and charles cavileer. la roche was a carpenter, but engaged in trade. he bought the land on which the merchants hotel now stands for $ , and the year following built a cabin of tamarack logs, which was known as the st. paul house. this property he sold to s. p. folsom. la roche died at crow wing in . w. g. carter, better known as "gib" carter, was a member of the stillwater convention in . he died in . francis robert was a younger brother of louis robert. he died in , from an injury received while running the st. croix rapids in a birch canoe. chenevert clerked for capt. robert. he was unmarried, and died in . of benoit little or nothing is known. the freeman brothers were engaged in trade in connection with hartshorn and randall. david died in , and was buried by the odd fellows, the first odd fellow funeral in the territory. augustus freeman died in new york. cavileer was a saddler, and was connected at first with the red rock mission. he was territorial librarian for awhile, and is now a resident of pembina. miss matilda ramsey opened a school (the first in st. paul) and taught a short time, when she was married to alexander mege, and the school was abandoned. alexander r. mcleod, who came from selkirk settlement in with pierre bottineau, erected in and a log house between the catholic church and jackson's store. this was the first house built in st. paul expressly for a hotel. it was afterward enlarged and called the central house, and was kept by robert kennedy and others. the second deed on record bears date of may , , and transfers, for a consideration of $ , from william douglass to h. h. sibley, of clayton county, iowa, lands situate on what is known as faylin's (phalen's) creek, and more fully known as faylin's falls, acres, where said douglass now lives. this was a mortgage deed. a subsequent deed conveys the same premises from edward faylin to wm. douglass, for a consideration of $ . in february, , a quitclaim deed conveys the same tract to alexander mcleod. the settlers in were william h. and william randall, jr., father and son, james mcboal, thos. s. odell, john banfil, harley d. white, david faribault, louis denoyer, jo monteur, and charles roleau. randall, sr., engaged in trade and became immensely rich, but was wrecked in the financial panic of . he died in . randall, jr., is best remembered as an artist and caricaturist of no mean ability. he died in . mcboal was also an artist, the first who pursued that calling in st. paul. he was a member of the territorial council in - , and was adjutant general of the territory during gov. ramsey's administration. he died in mendota in . odell had been a soldier, but on being mustered out at fort snelling came to st. paul. he died in . we have made mention of white in biographical sketches. crittenden went to crow wing and represented the twenty-first district in the first state legislature. denoyer married a sister of louis robert and in removed to belle plaine. david faribault was a son of jean baptiste faribault. he now resides in dakota. banfil removed to manomin, and represented his district as senator in the first state legislature. the writer of these sketches visited st. paul in , and was entertained at jackson's hotel, which he well remembers as a log building, one story high, with store and post office in the east end, a dining room in the west end, with small, low sleeping rooms in the rear. the hotel stood on a romantic elevation, a precipitious bluff, and commanded a magnificent view of the river and valley. louis robert's tamarack pole store was located east of jackson's, under the bluff, and directly on the bank of the river, a good steamboat landing in front. west of jackson's was j. w. simpson's store, and still further west the store of faribault & co., beyond which were two small dwellings, all these buildings fronting the river. still further west, alexander mcleod was building a handsome hewed log house. on the next rise of ground stood the catholic church. on the next plateau the store of wm. hartshorn, and near a small creek the dwelling of john r. irvine. there were two residences on a plateau a short distance north of jackson's hotel. there were in all five stores, one tavern and a few dwellings, mostly built of logs. a few united states soldiers and indians were lounging about the stores, some drunk, some sober. such was st. paul in . the settlers of were jacob w. bass, harriet e. bishop, benj. w. brunson, dr. j. j. dewey, g. a. fonrnier, simeon p. folsom, w. h. forbes, aaron foster, daniel hopkins, parsons k. johnson, c. p. v. lull, and w. c. renfro. bass and johnson had been in the lumber business at chippewa falls. on arriving at st. paul mr. bass leased a hotel on the corner of third and jackson streets, known as the st. paul house. he was appointed postmaster in , and in opened a commission and forwarding warehouse on the levee. mr. brunson was a surveyor, and, assisted by his brother, ira b., laid off the town plat of st. paul, also a plat known as brunson's addition, in the fall of . he was a member of the first and second territorial legislatures, and justice of the peace for several years. [illustration] miss bishop was one of the company of teachers sent west by gov. slade. she organized the first permanent day school and the first sunday-school in st. paul. the school house was a cabin on the corner of third and st. peter streets. miss bishop, later mrs. mcconkey, was the author of a valuable book of frontier sketches entitled "floral homes." she died in . of mr. forbes mention is made in biographical sketches. aaron foster came from stillwater. he was a carpenter by trade. he married fanny mortimer, daughter of sergt. mortimer. he died in . s. p. folsom is mentioned in biographical sketches. dr. dewey, the first practicing physician in st. paul, was a member of the first territorial legislature, and established the first drug store in minnesota. parsons johnson, a descendant on his mother's side of jonathan carver, engaged in tailoring, the first of his trade in st. paul. he was a member of the first territorial legislature. cornelius v. p. lull was a carpenter. he served as sheriff in , and still lives in the city. daniel hopkins engaged in general merchandising. he died in . w. o. renfro, a cousin of henry jackson, had studied medicine, was a young man of ability but addicted to drinking habits. the winter after his arrival he wandered forth, suffering from _mania a potu_, and froze to death near the bend in phalen's creek. this year was memorable for the organization of a regular steamboat line from galena to mendota and fort snelling. the steamer argo was purchased for the trade. m. w. lodwick was made commander and russell blakely, clerk. the argo was designed to make weekly trips, but sank before the close of the season, and the dr. franklin was purchased to take her place the ensuing year. st. paul had not increased largely in population this year. one hotel and two dwellings had been built. some progress had been made in farming and gardening, and there was much lively talk on the subject of making claims. the prospective separation of minnesota into a territory, and the opening of the country for settlement gave a new impetus to business. the wisconsin convention for the adoption of a state constitution was held dec. , . its effects, however, were not greatly felt until toward the middle of the ensuing year. among the prominent accessions in to the population were henry m. rice, henry c. rhodes, david olmsted, w. d. phillips, e. a. c. hatch, bushrood w. lott, w. h. nobles, nathan myrick, a. h. cavender, benjamin f. hoyt, william freeborn, david lambert, w. c. morrison, lot moffett, and w. d. brown. of these rice, noble, hoyt and myrick are referred to in biographical sketches. mr. olmsted was a trader, and in the summer of the year established a trading post at long prairie, whither the winnebagoes had removed. he was a member of the first and second territorial councils, and the first mayor of st. paul, in . he removed to winona in , and died in . olmsted county, minnesota, is named in his honor. w. d. phillips, better known as "billy" phillips, was a somewhat eccentric character who passed for awhile as a lawyer in st. paul, and in drifted off into a clerkship at washington, since which time nothing has been heard of him. e. a. c. hatch was appointed indian agent to the blackfeet indians by president pierce in . in he was commissioned as major in the volunteer service, and acquitted himself creditably. while stationed at pembina, by strategy he captured the insurgent indians, shakopee and medicine bottle, who were hanged at fort snelling in . he died in . h. o. rhodes was engaged in trade with david olmsted. he died in california some years ago. a. h. cavender was a blacksmith and wagonmaker on robert street in . wm. freeborn was quite a prominent citizen and member of the town council. he is better known as one of the founders of red wing, to which place he removed in . he represented his district in the territorial councils of , , and . he removed to california in . freeborn county is named for him. david lambert, a prominent member of the stillwater convention, was a young man of promise, but addicted to drink. in , while suffering from a delirious paroxysm induced by drink, he jumped from the deck of a steamer and was drowned. w. c. morrison originally came from new york, thence to cleveland, detroit, chicago, galena, dubuque, and other places and lastly to st. paul, where he is widely and favorably known as a business man. lot moffett will be remembered as the builder and proprietor of the picturesque heap of rocks known as "moffett's castle," where he kept a temperance hotel for several years. he was a man of patriarchal appearance, wearing a long, white beard. he was known as an honest, kind hearted, benevolent man. he died in . w. b. brown came from wisconsin and purchased the corner on which the warner block now stands. he died some years ago. to enumerate the accessions to the population in would require more space than we are allowed. the fact that st. paul was this year designated as the territorial capital brought in a great number of official personages, and an army of traders, boarding house keepers, builders and adventurers. heretofore mendota had seemed to be the objective point of steam navigation. it also aspired to be the capital of the new territory. senator douglas, chairman of the committee on territories, favored mendota. gen. sibley, the territorial delegate, favored st. paul, and earnestly solicited the senator to yield, which, along with the personal appeals of h. m. rice, finally secured his acquiescence, and the bill to form minnesota territory, with st. paul as its capital, finally passed march , . the news, however, did not reach the capital until april th, it having been brought up on the dr. franklin, no. , the first boat of the season. on may th the newly appointed governor, alexander ramsey, arrived with his wife, but not being able to obtain accommodations in st. paul went for the time to mendota, where they were entertained by hon. h. h. sibley. every succeeding boat was crowded with emigrants. a newspaper was an immediate necessity. the first steps had been taken the year before by dr. a. randall, of owen's geological survey. dr. randall was not immediately able to carry his project into effect, and not till april , , did the promised paper, the _minnesota register_, appear. the first copy had, however, been printed at cincinnati two weeks earlier. of this paper maj. john p. owens was publisher. the first number of the second paper in the city was issued april th. this was the st. paul _pioneer_, james m. goodhue, publisher and editor. these papers and others established later became faithful chroniclers of the progress of the city, and invaluable as historical documents. the first number of goodhue's paper, the st. paul _pioneer_, bearing date of april , , contains what we may designate as the earliest news. we cull a few items that maybe of interest to antiquarians: it announces congressman sibley's return from washington, rev. e. d. neill's removal to st. paul, and that the latter would preach the following sabbath at the school house. an editorial paragraph calls attention to the fact that the _pioneer_ is printed in a building situated on third street near robert, and that the building has five hundred apertures through which the daylight is streaming. the arrival of steamer franklin, no. , bringing the tidings of the passage of the bill organizing minnesota territory, is announced. the steamer was greeted by a large crowd of eager and excited citizens, whose shouts re-echoed amongst the adjacent hills. arrival of steamers cora and dr. franklin, no. , is announced. the following advertisements will show who were the most enterprising of the early settlers: h. jackson, postmaster; d. lambert, real estate dealer; w. h. nobles, wagonmaker; j. j. dewey, m.d.; w. d. phillips, lawyer; j. monteur, d. c. taylor, blacksmiths; j. r. irvine, plasterer; b. l. sellers, stonemason; lot moffett, anson northrup, hotel keepers; james pomeroy, francis mccoy, house builders; mcboal & gilbert, stock dealers; henry jackson, w. h. forbes, daniel hopkins, freeman, larpenteur & co., j. w. simpson, olmsted & rhodes, fuller & brothers, r. p. russell, merchants. a road notice completes the list. among the prominent citizens who arrived in , david day became the first register of deeds in ramsey county. he served in the territorial house in and , and was speaker during the last session. he served as postmaster from to . d. f. brawley established the first brickyard in the territory, and made the brick for the first brick building north of prairie du chien, which was built by rev. e. d. neill. willoughby & powers introduced the first stage coaches, and established the first livery stable. nathaniel mclean came as a sioux indian agent and served four years. he died in , aged eighty-four years. henry f. masterman, a prominent lawyer, died in . j. d. crittenden, who served in the late war and rose to the position of colonel. orlando simmons, a useful citizen and sound jurist, still lives in st. paul. wm. hollinshead, a brother-in-law of edmund and h. m. rice, died some time in the ' s. j. w. bond was the author of the first history of minnesota. chauncey hobart was chaplain of the first legislature. john b. spencer, carpenter and contractor, built the first breakwater and dock at duluth. thomas foster became editor of the _minnesotian_, and subsequently issued a paper at duluth. he gave the name of "the zenith city of the unsalted sea" to duluth. he was too much of a critic to be popular. he died near washington, district of columbia, in . the first masonic, odd fellows and sons of temperance lodges were organized this year. the bank of st. croix, with headquarters at st. paul, was established this year. its paper was the first issued in the form of bank notes in the city and territory. nevertheless it was a fraud. its paper was quoted in new york at one per cent. the proprietors were young & sawyer. for a few terse comparisons and statistics with regard to the st. paul of the past and of the present we are indebted to a writer in the "soo line edition" of the _st. croix standard_: "twenty-six years ago there were no railroads in st. paul, now there are trunk lines entering the city, with over , miles of track and more than , miles of mileage, , cars in use and , men employed. beside this is the river trade, which employs two lines of boats and affords a very considerable commerce to st. paul. in the manufacturing interests st. paul has shown a great increase, and in every department of trade manufactories are springing up in all directions, and the business has already reached the large sum of $ , , , with not less than , factories and , men employed. forty-six hotels accommodate the traveling public. the fire department is one of the best in the west, consisting of steam fire engines, chemical engines, hose carts, men, horses, etc., and the value of all the property belonging to the fire department is $ , . the city is abundantly supplied with good, pure water, obtained from several lakes. one year ago there were , miles of mains and , new water connections, so it is safe to say that at present there are , miles of mains and , connections. the receipts of the department for the past year were $ , , . . the real estate sales in will reach as high as $ , , ." beyond this year we shall not follow the history of the city, except so far as a few tables of statistics and the biographies of a few of its leading citizens may be concerned. population of st. paul. , april , june , , , , , , , , schools in . number of school houses, ; valuation, $ , ; number of teachers, ; number of scholars, , . statistics of buildings costing $ , and over. capitol $ , custom house , court house , , hotel ryan , , merchants hotel , metropolitan hotel , globe building , pioneer press building , chamber of commerce , high school building , hamline university , macalester college , baptist church , german catholic church , central park methodist episcopal church , new york life insurance company building , , german life insurance company building , northern pacific office building , manitoba office building , omaha office building , union depot , german american bank , germania bank , first national bank , watson block , hale block , mcmurrin block , willius block , gilfillan block , drake block , drake block , union block , albion block , gotzian block , wilder block , mayhall block , decoster & clark block , sherman block , astoria block , steele block , shuter block , dawson block , j.j. hill's residence , kittson's residence , wilder's residence , stickney's residence , griggs' residence , merriam's residence , opera house , united states army headquarters , lindeke flour mill , elevator a , elevator b , bohn manufacturing company , mayors of st. paul. . david olmsted. . alex. ramsey. . george l. becker. . j. b. brisbin. . n. w. kittson. . d. a. robertson. . dr. j. h. stewart. . dr. j. h. stewart. . dr. j. h. stewart. . j. t. maxfield. . j. t. maxfield. . j. t. maxfield. . john s. prince. . john s. prince. . j. e. warren. . dr. j. h. stewart. . j. s. prince. . j. s. prince. . george l. otis. . dr. j. h. stewart. . j. t. maxfield. . william lee. . william lee. . william dawson. . william dawson. . william dawson. . edmund rice. . edmund rice. . edmund rice. . c. d. o'brien. . edmund rice. . edmund rice. . robert a. smith. . robert a. smith. miscellaneous statistics. number of churches value of school property $ , , value of stockyards, west st. paul , , value of products manufactured , , amount of lumber sales , , capital of thirteen banks , , aggregate post office business , , bonded indebtedness , , annual valuation of city property , , west st. paul. the flourishing suburb of west st. paul is rapidly approaching metropolitan dimensions. the original settlement took place almost simultaneously with that of st. paul, but its growth until late years has not been rapid. it was originally within the limits of dakota county, but that portion included in its plat has been annexed to ramsey county, and west st. paul has become a part of st. paul and has been placed under the municipal government of that city. the city is connected with st. paul by two free bridges for carriages and pedestrians and by several railroad bridges. towns of ramsey county. after the state organization in , ramsey county was subdivided into the following towns: little canada, mclean, mounds view, reserve, rose, st. paul, and white bear. from year to year the city of st. paul has made encroachments upon the towns adjacent--little canada, mclean, reserve, and rose--until they have been in part or wholly absorbed. of the remaining towns we shall refer only to white bear, which, owing to the beauty of its lake scenery and its attractiveness as a place of popular resort, deserves special mention. white bear. white bear, the northeastern township of ramsey county, contains thirty-six sections. its surface is agreeably diversified with lakes. about six sections in all are occupied by these lakes, of which there are several large and beautiful ones, among which may be mentioned white bear, bald eagle, pleasant, lambert's, vadnais, birch, goose, otter, etc. the surface is undulating, and in no place actually hilly, while there is much level and very desirable land. extensive meadows border some of the lakes, and are found in most of the intervales watered by running streams. these produce enormous crops of hay. portions of these marshy localities are thickly grown with tamaracks, which were invaluable to the early settler, furnishing him with a supply of logs and poles for his improvements. the timber consists principally of red, white and black oak, sugar maple, tamarack, poplar, elm, elder, and ash. the township derives its name from white bear lake. this lake was so named, it is asserted, by the dakota indians, a tradition existing amongst them that a grizzly bear once made its appearance on the island, with which one of their bravest hunters engaged in mortal conflict, each slaying the other. the indians called this a grizzly, polar or white bear, and named an adjacent locality "mah-to-me-di" or (m'de), _i. e._, mahto, gray polar bear, and m'de, lake. it is not probable, however, that a polar bear ever reached this spot, and a visit from a grizzly is nearly as improbable. indian legends are very frequently made to order by those who succeed them as owners of the soil. not much is known of white bear prior to . no human habitations, save those of indians, were to be seen. there were no roads to this region, and none nearer than little canada. the lake itself seems to have been little known to white men. j. fletcher williams, in a sketch contributed to the _pioneer_, and to which we are indebted for many of our statements, says that hugh i. vance, a typo employed in the _pioneer_ office at that time, was probably about the first settler of white bear; that in the spring of he wended his way to this region in search of a claim, selected a piece of land on bald eagle lake, erected a cabin, resided here with his family several years, and was probably the first man to drive a plowshare in this locality. mr. vance joined the union army in , and with his two sons was killed in missouri the year following. in the spring of v. b. barnum selected a tract on the south shore of white bear lake, and hired geo. o. nichols to run out the lines. mr. barnum entered one hundred and seventy-five acres. on this land he built a cabin near the present leip house, which burned down in . jas. b. clewett, one of the pioneers of st. paul as early as , drove his stakes at white bear in the spring of . he afterward built a house on the island, where he yet resides, a mile north of the lake. soon after wm. freeborn and b. f. hoyt entered a tract of land in sections and . isaac banta built a cabin on it, near the point by the island, resided there three or four years, and moved to forest lake. this land was afterward bought by the murray family. thomas milner came in about the same time. daniel getty came and located on the east side of the lake at a later day, becoming a resident of the village proper, of which he is now postmaster, superintendent of the sunday-school, elder in the church, school trustee, etc. mr. barnum opened a hotel, which he kept till , and then sold out to john m. lamb. in james f. murray, his three sons and o. r. stratton settled at white bear. w. w. webber, john aubery, joseph freeman, ross wilkinson, frank perfect, fred whittaker, george starbuck, duncan ross, charlie a. morgan, and others came here in . the early settlers were much disturbed by roving bands of chippewa and sioux indians. white bear being debatable ground, and sometimes a battlefield between hostile parties. the sioux claimed the right, under the treaty of , to hunt, fish and gather berries and rice in that region. in the fall of a party of sioux from kaposia went by the lake on a hunting expedition. near oneka lake, a few miles above, they fell in with some chippewas, one of whom they killed and scalped, but had two of their own number mortally wounded. returning, they camped on goose lake, just about where st. john's church was first built, and had a scalp dance, lasting two days and nights. it was from time immemorial a grand battle field for them. hardly a foot of the soil around the lake but what has been ensanguined with the blood of the hereditary foes. many are the tales told of their encounters. "spirit island" seems to have been the hardest fought spot, and to this day it is honeycombed with the remains of rifle pits, redoubts and earth works made by the contending parties, while innumerable bodies of the slain have enriched its soil. it is a perfect golgotha--an island cemetery. if but a fraction of these savage combats and sieges were truly narrated, no romance could equal it in thrilling interest. these fierce combats continued as late as . miss mary stiles, daughter of william stiles, was the first white child born at white bear. miss mary e. barnum was married to richard mclagan--being the first wedding which occurred at white bear. 'squire jacob j. noah, justice of the peace of st. paul, tied the knot. the first death was that of clara murray, aged four years, daughter of mr. and mrs. j. c. murray, in july, . j. g. riheldaffer preached at the funeral service at mr. murray's house the first sermon in the settlement. a lay methodist named hoffman held services on the sabbath several times at barnum's hotel. a baptist clergyman from diamond bluff, wisconsin, named messer, also occasionally held services in the early days, at the school house, a log house built in . the episcopal church of st. john in the wilderness was built in and consecrated in august of the same year. it was located at the lower end of the lake, but in was moved to its present site on clarke avenue. the presbyterian church was organized may , , with eight members, two of whom were elected ruling elders, james f. murray and daniel getty. the corner stone of the present church edifice was laid nov. , , and the foundation laid in the following spring. the church was completed in . a catholic church was built in , on a block between first and second streets and bald eagle avenue, in which services are held every two weeks. the post office of white bear was established in november, , and j. c. murray appointed postmaster. the township of white bear was organized may , , with the following officers: clerk, g. schnabel; supervisor, j. f. murray; assessor, v. b. barnum; justices of the peace, j. r. clewett and alex. pepin. the village is easy of access, and abundantly supplied with railroad facilities. the st. paul & duluth railroad company has built a double track to st. paul. this company built a road to stillwater known as the stillwater & white bear railroad. there is in addition to this road an extension to minneapolis known as the minneapolis & white bear railroad. the sault ste. marie passes through the north part of the village. white bear lake is one of the most famous pleasure resorts in the vicinity of st. paul. its clear waters, gently sloping wooded shores, and the entire absence of marsh or swamp lands adjoining, render the situation at once pleasant and salubrious. it has an extreme length of - / miles, and a width of - / . it has, according to survey meanders, a shore line of over miles, and its area is , acres, or square miles. beautiful parks surround the lake. prominent among these are wildwood park and mahtomedi, the latter renowned as a camp ground, and later as the site of a summer school, modeled after that at chautauqua, and one of a system of schools of which the chautauqua school is the principal and central institution. spirit island, connected with the mainland by a bridge, is also a charming resort. the lake shore is crowded with hotels and cottages for the use of summer visitors. among these the leip house is especially worthy of mention, the proprietor having beautified the grounds and built around the hotel a small village of cottages for excursionists. other houses are the ramaley, the williams, the chateaugay, the dellwood, etc., with pleasant surroundings. the appearance of this resort during the summer months is one of great animation. tourists and summer visitors crowd the hotel, or gather in groups along the lake shore, while the lake is dotted with their sailing vessels. a small steamer makes regular trips to points of interest about the lake. white bear lake village was incorporated by the legislature in , the following being chosen as the first officers under their charter: daniel getty, chairman of council; james c. murray, luke h. bacon, abel e. leaman, and fred w. benson, councilmen; b. e. mcgurk, recorder; h. k. getty, treasurer; wm. clark, village justice; reuben clewett, marshal. daniel getty was born in the north of ireland in . his ancestors were scotch-irish. he came with his parents to philadelphia in ; was educated in the common schools, and learned the trade of a cabinet maker. he came to white bear in , and opened the first store in the place. he has four sons associated with him in business. he has done much to promote the prosperity of white bear, and by enterprise and close attention to business, both as a merchant and a dealer in real estate, he has been successful. south st. paul is located in the northeastern corner of dakota county, four and a half miles below st. paul, the site of the presbyterian and methodist missions of old kaposia. it is situated on a plateau considerably above high water mark, in the rear of which the grounds rise gradually to a rich agricultural plain. it is connected with st. paul by an hourly motor line of cars. it has communication with st. paul by the chicago, st. paul & kansas city railway, and also has communication by water. the famous st. paul union stockyards are located here, and occupy two hundred acres of land. this great enterprise was founded by a. b. stickney and ansel oppenheim, president of the company. w. m. littell is general superintendent; arnold kalman, secretary and treasurer. the stockyards were located here in , and now ( ) possess a capital of $ , , in grounds and necessary buildings pertaining to such an enterprise. there are eight miles of railroad track upon the grounds. the stock is brought from montana, dakota, minnesota, wisconsin, and iowa by railroad. the city was organized in , with the following board of officers; joseph h. lawrence, mayor; george w. wentworth, philip crowley, j. w. mcgrath, and irwin marshall, aldermen. a post office was established in , of which h. m. littell is postmaster. the city embraces south park, and there are five churches, english and german methodist, a congregational and two baptist churches. an electric motor line is being established. the city of south st. paul has about , inhabitants. its progress is upward. north st. paul. this rapidly growing suburb of st. paul is situated on the shores of silver lake, a lovely sheet of water lying six miles northeast of the court house. the grounds about the lake were converted into farms soon after the settlement of st. paul. in the wisconsin central railroad company extended their st. paul branch through the neighborhood. capt. h. a. castle established suburban residences near the lake. in march, , the north st. paul land company was formed for the purpose of encouraging manufactures and furnishing homes and facilities for business. their plant was located on the farm of capt. castle. the company consists of h. a. castle, lane k. stone, frederick driscoll, w. s. morton, and george a. sexias. the capital stock of the company was fixed at $ , , . under their enterprising management twenty miles of street has been graded, a boulevard extended around the lake, five miles of sidewalk completed and numerous cottages erected. a railroad depot has been built at a cost of $ , ; two hotels and fifteen manufacturing establishments have been erected. there are (in may, ) , inhabitants, with eight church organizations and six buildings, and a school house, built at a cost of $ , . the growth of this village since its commencement in has been remarkable. new, populous and important suburbs of st. paul are merriam park, st. anthony park, and st. paul park in washington county. the following table gives the population of st. paul from to may, . year. population. , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , (estimated) , post office. the following figures will show the amount of business transacted at the post office, st. paul, minnesota, for the year ending dec. , , as compared with the year : general business. . . from sale of stamps, envelopes, etc $ , $ , from sale of newspapers and periodical stamps , , from sale of unpaid letter stamps , , from box rent , , from sale of waste paper, twine and packing boxes from other offices (deposited) , , sent assistant treasurer united states, new york , , paid route agents, messengers, etc , , paid letter carriers , , paid letter carriers' expenses and horse hire , , ----------- ----------- total postal funds $ , $ , money order business. no. amount. no. amount. domestic orders and postal notes issued , $ , , $ , fees on same , , foreign orders issued , , , , fees on same domestic orders and postal notes paid , , , , foreign orders paid , , , , surplus money order funds received from other offices , , , , surplus money order funds remitted chicago and new york , , , , ------------ ------------ total money order funds $ , , $ , , total postal funds , , ------------- ------------ grand total financial transactions $ , , $ , , post office history. the names and date of the commission of the postmasters of st. paul are as follows: henry jackson, april , ; jacob w. bass, july , ; wm. h. forbes, march , ; chas. s. cave, march , ; wm. m. corcoran, march , ; chas. nichols, april , ; jacob h. stewart, march , ; jos. a. wheelock, march , ; david day, july , . net yearly income, being balance on quarterly returns from its establishment to the present time: $ , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , gross yearly income of the st. paul post office from to : $ , , , , , , , , , , , , , [illustration: brig. gen. henry h. sibley.] chapter xxi. biographical. henry hastings sibley.--the father of gen. sibley, judge solomon sibley, of massachusetts, was a well known pioneer of the northwest. he settled in ohio in , but two years later removed to michigan, which he represented as delegate to congress in . in he served as member of the first legislature of the northwest territory. he was judge of the supreme court from to , and died in , universally lamented. the mother of gen. sibley was the daughter of col. ebenezer sproat, and a granddaughter of commodore whipple of the american navy. she was a cultured lady, of unusual personal beauty and of rare accomplishments. she was married to judge sibley in , and died at detroit jan. , . henry h. sibley was born in detroit, michigan, feb. , . he received an academic education, and two years' tuition in the classics. in he came to the sault ste. marie and secured employment as a clerk. in he entered the service of the american fur company at mackinaw. in he came to the mouth of st. peter's river, to the post afterward known as mendota, as the agent of the american fur company. he made the journey from prairie du chien, a distance of nearly three hundred miles, on horseback. at that time there was but a single civilized habitation on the way. in he built a stone house at mendota, the first in minnesota, in which he resided twenty-four years. this house is still standing. he continued to act as agent for the american fur company until called to act as delegate to congress for wisconsin territory west of the st. croix, in . mr. sibley, when elected, was a citizen of mendota, clayton county, iowa, but the question of citizenship was not raised. he was recognized as the ablest and best representative that could be chosen for the difficult task of securing the organization of minnesota territory. in this he was successful. in the fall of he was re-elected as a delegate from the new territory he had been instrumental in forming, and served in that capacity until march , , rendering the territory important services. in he was elected a member of the minnesota territorial legislature from dakota county, and in was a member and president of the democratic wing of the constitutional convention. on the admission of minnesota as a state he was elected governor, taking his seat may , . his term expired jan. , . aug. , , his successor, gov. ramsey, appointed him commander of the forces sent to quell the sioux outbreak. he marched with his command in pursuit of the indians, defeating them in several skirmishes and battles, releasing captives held by them and capturing about , prisoners, over of whom were tried by court martial and sentenced to be hanged. of this number thirty-eight were executed at mankato, dec. , , president lincoln having pardoned the remainder. col. sibley was commissioned brigadier general for his gallant services, and retained in command of the frontier. in he led another expedition into the indian country, driving the hostiles across the missouri river, and returning to fort snelling in september. the years and were employed in securing the defense of the frontier. nov. , , gen. sibley was commissioned major general for efficient and meritorious services. he continued in the service until august, , when he was relieved of his command and detailed as a member of the commission to negotiate treaties with the hostile sioux and other bands on the upper missouri river. in gen. sibley was elected to represent the fifth ward, st. paul, in the legislature. he became a resident of st. paul in , but, in company with louis robert and a. l. larpenteur, had entered land for the town site there as early as . gen. sibley has been for several years president of the gas company, director of the first national bank, director of the sioux city railway, etc. he has at different times filled other responsible positions; has been park commissioner, president of the historical society, president of the chamber of commerce, and was once the candidate of his party for congress, but unsuccessful. he has contributed many valuable papers to the state historical society and has written much on topics relating to the welfare of the state, of which, with the exception of his personal friend, w. t. boutwell, he is now the oldest resident. [illustration: alex. ramsey] gen. sibley, for his integrity, persistent devotion to the welfare of the state, for his indomitable persistence in upbuilding its interests, has won a lasting place in the confidence and respect of the people. his history is inseparably interwoven with the history of the state, and he is justly regarded as one of its first and best citizens. the town and county of sibley bear his name. he was married may , , to sarah j., sister of frank steele. mrs. sibley died may , , much respected for her many virtues and rare accomplishments. alexander ramsey, the first territorial governor of minnesota, was born in harrisburg, pennsylvania, sept. , . his paternal ancestors were scotch-irish. his mother was of german descent. his parents were thomas and elisabeth (kelker) ramsey. his father was an officer in the war of , and died when the son was but ten years old. frederic kelker, an uncle, assisted in the education of the son, who in turn assisted as salesman in the store of his uncle. at the age of eighteen he entered lafayette college; at easton, pennsylvania; attended college but a short time, when he commenced the study of law with hon. hamilton alricks, of harrisburg, graduating afterward in the law school at carlisle, and commenced the practice of law in . he commenced his political life in , the year of the harrison campaign, and was made secretary of the electoral college. in he was appointed clerk of the pennsylvania house of representatives. he was in the lower house of congress from to , and was renominated for a third term, but declined. in he was made chairman of the whig state central committee, and the following year was appointed governor of the newly formed territory of minnesota by president taylor. he entered upon his duties as governor in may, . the territorial government was organized in june, and the governor issued his proclamation establishing three judicial districts, and providing for the election of members of the first legislature. he served as governor four years. in he was elected mayor of st. paul. in he was candidate for governor of the state, but was not elected. he was elected to that office in , and re-elected in . in , before the expiration of his second term, he was elected to the united states senate, and re-elected in . march , , he accepted the position of secretary of war in the cabinet of president hayes, and for a time was acting secretary of the navy. in he was appointed chairman of the utah commission under the edmunds bill. in the various departments of public service to which he has been called, gov. ramsey has acquitted himself well, displaying rare qualities of statesmanship. he is remarkable for his caution, which leads him sometimes almost into conservatism, but results have generally proved the sagacity of his apparently tardy movements. he is a master in the exercise of a wise caution in the conduct of public affairs. he has, in fact, great political sagacity. he has made several favorable treaties with the indians, being empowered during his term as governor to act also as superintendent of indian affairs. during his two terms as state governor, he rendered the country great service by his prompt response to the calls for volunteers and his decisive and unwavering support of the general government. he also acted with great promptness and resolution in the suppression of the indian outbreak. as a senator he supported all measures for the prosecution of the war for the preservation of the union; advocated the abolition of the franking privilege and assisted in procuring aid for the building of the northern pacific railroad, favoring the project of three trunk lines between the mississippi and the pacific states and the general plan of aiding these roads by the donation of alternate sections of public land, and was also active in promoting the improvement of the upper mississippi and navigable tributaries. in person gov. ramsey is a hale, hearty, and well preserved gentleman, who is passing gracefully into what with many is the season of the sere and yellow leaf. he is genial and pleasant in his manners, and would impress the ordinary observer as one whose "lines have fallen in pleasant places," and who is the happy possessor of a good digestion, a serene temper and a clear conscience. on sept. , , he was married to anna earl jenks, daughter of hon. michael h. jenks, for many years judge of bucks county, pennsylvania, a lady of rare accomplishments, and in every way fitted to shine in the society into which she was introduced as the wife of a governor, senator and cabinet officer. in private life she was not less noted for her kindness of heart, amiability and christian virtues. this estimable lady died in , leaving a daughter, marion, the wife of charles elliott furness, of philadelphia. maj. wm. h. forbes was born on montreal island, canada, nov. , . his father was a scotchman by birth, and was a member of the hudson bay company as early as . maj. forbes was educated at montreal, where he also served an apprenticeship at the hardware business, and afterward became junior partner in the same establishment. at that time montreal was the chief depot of supplies for the indian trade of the northwest, and the reports which continually came to him of that romantic region, together with the sight of the indians and voyageurs returning with their furs, so excited his love of adventure that he resigned his position as partner in the hardware business and accepted a clerkship with the american fur company. john jacob astor was then president. the conditions were that the clerk should speak and write the french language, which mr. forbes could do with facility. having engaged as clerk, his outfit was conveyed in bark canoes from montreal, in charge of fifty men enlisted for a three years' cruise. their route lay by way of the lakes to la pointe, on lake superior, and up the brule river, from which the canoes and baggage were carried across to the waters of the st. croix, and descended thence to the mississippi. from the sault ste. marie to la pointe they were transported on one of the company's schooners. they arrived at mendota in . gen. sibley was then in charge at mendota. mr. forbes clerked for him ten years, and in took charge of an establishment belonging to the company (called the st. paul outfit), and became a resident of st. paul until his death, twenty-eight years later. mr. forbes was a member from st. paul of the first territorial council, and served four terms. in march, , he was appointed postmaster at st. paul by president pierce, and held the office three years. in he also formed a business partnership with norman w. kittson for the general supplying of the indian trade. in mr. kittson retired from the firm, but the business was continued by maj. forbes until , when the indian outbreak put an end to the trade. during the campaign he served as a member of gen. sibley's staff, and acted as provost marshal at the trial of the three hundred indians condemned to death. at the close of this campaign he was commissioned by president lincoln commissary of subsistence in the volunteer service with the rank of captain. he was elected auditor of ramsey county in , and served two years, though sometimes absent on military duty. in he was ordered to the district of northern missouri as chief commissary, remained two years and was breveted major. in he was appointed indian agent at devil's lake reservation, which position he held at the time of his death, july , . maj. forbes was twice married; first in , to miss agnes, daughter of alexander faribault, by whom he had one daughter, the wife of capt. j. h. patterson, united states army; again in , to miss a. b. cory, of cooperstown, new york, by whom he had four children, three of whom are living. henry m. rice.--the family of mr. rice came originally from hertfordshire, england, to sudbury, massachusetts, in . members of the family figured conspicuously in the struggle for american independence. his parents were edmund and ellen durkee rice. his grandfather durkee was in the french war of . mr. rice was born in waitsfield, vermont, nov. , ; attended common school three months in the year and a private school and academy in burlington. he went to detroit, michigan territory, in ; was engaged in making the first survey of the sault ste. marie canal, made by the state of michigan in , and went to fort snelling in . he was post sutler in , united states army, fort atkinson, iowa territory, and was connected with the old fur company for several years. he was elected delegate to congress in for minnesota territory and re-elected in . he was elected first united states senator for minnesota, in , admitted to his seat may , , and served until march , . in he was a member of the senate special committee of thirteen on the condition of the country. during his term in the senate he was a member of the following standing committees: indian affairs, post office and post roads, public lands, military, finance. he was on the last four named committees at the expiration of the term of march , . [illustration: henry m. rice] in he was nominated for governor but was defeated by gen. w. r. marshall. in he was delegate to the philadelphia union convention. he also served in the following various capacities: united states commissioner in making several indian treaties; as a member of the board of regents of the university of minnesota; as president of the minnesota state historical society; as president of the st. paul board of public works; and as treasurer of ramsey county, minnesota. he is the author of the law extending the right of pre-emption over unsurveyed lands in minnesota. he has obtained land grants for numerous railroads in minnesota, and, with the assistance of senator douglas, framed the act authorizing minnesota to form a state constitution preparatory to admission, fixing boundary, etc. as a public man mr. rice has pursued a policy at once independent and outspoken, not hesitating to express his convictions on the great national questions of the day, and to place himself upon a national rather than a party platform. during the war he upheld the administration in a vigorous prosecution of the war, as the speediest and most honorable means of obtaining peace. his letter to the st. paul _press_ of nov. , , contains sentiments that must commend themselves to every true lover of his country. we quote a few extracts: "i believe gen. mcclellan and mr. lincoln both desire peace--both the restoration of the union. the one favors the return of the southern states with slavery; the other wishes these states to return without that institution. i believe that the revolted citizens forfeited all rights they had under the constitution when they turned traitors; that the emancipation proclamation legally and rightfully set every slave free. i am as much opposed to again legalizing that institution in the south as i would be to its introduction in the northern states." * * * "i am in favor of the return of the southern states, and think the day is not far distant when the same flag will float over us all, and when that happy day shall arrive, i hope that the rights we enjoy will be freely accorded to them, and no more." * * * "when the southern states return i shall be in favor of their voting population being equally represented with our own, and no further." * * * "i think that in the long future, when all other of mr. lincoln's acts shall be forgotten, his emancipation proclamation will adorn history's brightest page. i am opposed to slavery for the reason that _i am in favor of the largest human liberty_, and i can not understand why some of our fellow citizens who come here that they might be free can deny freedom to others." * * * "i think it illy becomes those who took up arms to defend their homes, their country, yea, liberty! to make overtures to armed rebellion. i believe that by a rigorous prosecution of the war peace will soon come, our liberties will be secured forever, and that prosperity will follow. union with slavery will be only a temporary cheat, and can not last. dissolution will bring ruin, anarchy and an endless effusion of blood and money." he has been a liberal contributor to the various public enterprises of the city, to churches, public institutions and private parties. he has built warehouses, business blocks and hotels. the park in front of the city hall was donated by him. his name is inseparably interwoven with the history of st. paul and the state. rice county bears his name. he was married to matilda whitall, of richmond, virginia, in . edmund rice, brother of hon. henry m. rice, was born in waitsfield, vermont, feb. , . his father died in . he received a somewhat limited common school education and spent most of his early life clerking. in he came to kalamazoo, michigan, where he read law with stuart & miller, and was admitted to the bar in , making commendable progress in his profession. while a resident of michigan he was master in chancery, register of court of chancery and clerk of the supreme court. in he enlisted in company a, first michigan volunteers, of which company he was made first lieutenant, and served through the mexican war until its close. in july, , he came to minnesota territory, locating in st. paul, where he became one of the firm of rice, hollinshead & becker until , when he embarked in railroad enterprises. in he was elected president of the minnesota & pacific railroad company, and afterward of its successors, the st. paul & pacific and the st. paul & chicago railroad companies. he has been long regarded as one of the most energetic and competent railroad men in the state. mr. rice has figured largely in the politics of the state, having served several terms in the territorial and state legislatures. he was a representative in the territorial legislature of , a senator in the state legislatures of , , , , and a representative in the sessions of , and . [illustration: edmund rice] in he was elected mayor of st. paul, and in was chosen representative in congress. mr. rice is an uncompromising democrat in his politics, and is so recognized by his party, which he served as chairman of the state central committee in the presidential campaign of , and elector at large in the campaign of . he was married in november, , to anna m. acker, daughter of hon. henry acker, of kalamazoo, michigan. of eleven children, the fruit of this union, all are living but the second daughter, jessie, who married frank h. clark, of philadelphia, in , and died in october, . the eldest daughter, ellen, is the wife of henry a. boardman, of st. paul. louis robert.--capt. louis robert was a descendant of the french settlers who occupied kaskaskia and st. louis when they were in the territory of louisiana, then a french province. he was born at carondelet, missouri, jan. , , and his early life was spent in that region and on the upper missouri river. in he went to prairie du chien, and in the fall of visited st. paul and removed thither the ensuing year, identifying himself with the interests of that growing young city. to say the least, he was a remarkable character. he possessed all the politeness and suavity of his nationality, was impulsive, warm hearted, generous and yet, as a business man, far-seeing and loquacious. his broken english added a peculiar charm and quaintness to his conversation, and he will be long remembered for his odd expressions and his keen but homely wit. he was generous in aiding any worthy object, and, as a devoted catholic, gave liberally to the support of his church. he donated valuable property to church building and gave the bells to the french catholic church and the cathedral in st. paul. his private charities were also liberal. in capt. robert was one of the original proprietors of st. paul. he took a prominent part in the stillwater convention of . in he was appointed commissioner on territorial buildings. in he engaged in steamboating, and at different times owned as many as five steamers. he was also largely engaged in the indian trade until the massacre of . he died, after a painful illness, may , , leaving an estate valued at $ , . he was married in , at prairie du chien, to mary turpin, who, with two daughters, survives him. auguste louis larpenteur, the son of louis auguste, and malinda (simmons) larpenteur, was born in baltimore, maryland, may , . his grandfather, louis benoist larpenteur, left france about the time of the banishment of napoleon bonaparte to st. helena, determined not to live under the rule of the bourbons. auguste l., the grandson, was reared in the family of his grandfather, his mother having died while he was an infant. at the age of eighteen years, with his uncle, eugene n. larpenteur, he came to st. louis. two years later he came to st. paul as clerk for wm. hartshorn and henry jackson, indian traders. the firm of hartshorn & jackson gave place to freeman, larpenteur & co. mr. larpenteur has been continuously engaged in commercial pursuits since his arrival in st. paul in . he has seen the city grow from a hamlet of five cabins to its present metropolitan dimensions, and has been from the first one of its most enterprising and reliable citizens. he was married dec. , , to mary josephine presley. they have five sons and five daughters. william h. nobles.--william h., son of rev. lemuel nobles, was born in the state of new york in . in his early life he learned the trade of a machinist and became a skilled artisan. in he came to marine mills, but soon removed to st. croix falls and assisted in putting up the first mill there. he lived successively at osceola, at the mouth of willow river, and at stillwater. he was part owner of the osceola mills in , and it is claimed that he built the first frame house in hudson. in he removed from stillwater to st. paul, and opened the first blacksmithing and wagon shop in that city. he made the first wagon in the territory. he was a member of the house, fifth territorial legislature, in , from ramsey county. in he made an overland trip to california, and discovered one of the best passes in the mountains. he returned and surveyed a government wagon road through that pass. as a recognition of his services the pass received the name of "noble's pass," and a county in minnesota was also named after him. in he laid out a government road from st. paul to the missouri river. in he entered the army and was appointed lieutenant colonel of the seventy-ninth new york volunteers, better known as the "highlanders." while on duty in south carolina, a personal collision with another officer led to his resignation. he was afterward cotton collector for the government, united states revenue officer, and master of transportation at mobile. his health failing during his arduous service, he returned to st. paul, and died at st. luke's hospital, on eighth street, aged sixty years. col. nobles was a man of immense vitality and energy, with a strong inventive genius, by which he himself failed to profit; restless, fond of travel, a little hasty and irritable, but possessing many admirable traits. mr. noble was married in illinois, prior to his location in minnesota, to miss parker, who survives him. mrs. nobles resides with her family in california. simeon p. folsom, a younger brother of the author of this book, was born in lower canada, near quebec, dec. , . his father was a native of new hampshire, and while he was yet young returned to that state, removing subsequently to maine. mr. folsom came west in , settled in prairie du chien, and not long after engaged as clerk to henry m. rice at fort atkinson. in he returned to prairie du chien and for two years acted as deputy sheriff, one year as surveyor of public lands, and two years as surveyor of county lands. in he volunteered as a soldier in the mexican war, but the company was sent instead to garrison fort crawford, where he remained one year. on july , , he landed in st. paul, and has been engaged most of the time since in the surveying and real estate business. he was city surveyor of st. paul in , member of the school board in - and , and served three years as a soldier in the seventh minnesota during the civil war. he has one son, simeon pearl, jr., and one daughter, wife of j. b. pugsley. jacob w. bass was born in vermont in ; came west in and made his home at prairie du chien, where he kept a hotel and ferry and engaged in general business. while a resident of prairie du chien he was married to martha d., daughter of rev. alfred brunson. in he purchased an interest in the chippewa falls mills, but in sold out, and removed to st. paul, where he engaged in hotel keeping in a building made of tamarack poles, on the site of the present merchants hotel, and known as the st. paul house. in july, , he was commissioned postmaster, as the successor of henry jackson, the first postmaster in st. paul. he held the office four years. he left the hotel in . he has since resided in st. paul, where he has been engaged at different times in the real estate and commission business and at farming. he has two sons. the oldest, a graduate of west point, holds a commission in the united states army; the youngest is in business at st. paul. benjamin w. brunson, son of rev. alfred brunson, of prairie du chien, was born in detroit, michigan, may , . he came with his parents to prairie du chien in . he purchased an interest in the chippewa falls mills in , and in came to st. paul and assisted in surveying the first town plat. he laid out what was known as "brunson's addition." he was a representative in the first and second territorial legislatures. he served three years during the civil war as a member of company k, eighth minnesota infantry, first as a private, then as an orderly sergeant, and later as second lieutenant. he has followed surveying many years, and has held several responsible positions. he was married at st. paul and has two sons and one daughter. charles d. and abram s. elfelt.--the parents of the elfelt brothers came from san domingo to the united states in , on the establishment of a negro republic on that island, and settled in pennsylvania, where abram s. was born in and charles d. in . in the brothers removed to st. paul and established the first exclusively dry goods store in minnesota, their building standing near the upper levee at the foot of eagle street. they also built the hall in which the first theatrical performances in st. paul were held. this was the building now standing on third and exchange streets, which was erected in . at that time it was the largest building in the city, and many of the old residents remember the ceremonies attendant upon the raising of the frame. the dramatic hall was in one of the upper stories, being known as mazourka hall. the materials used in its construction were brought from long distances, coming up the river by boat, and the laborers employed on the building were paid five dollars a day for their services. into this building the elfelt brothers transferred their store, stocking it at first with both dry goods and groceries, but afterward limiting their trade to dry goods exclusively. mr. abram elfelt originated the first board of trade, in , and when that body was merged into the chamber of commerce became one of its directors. the brothers were public spirited and enterprising, and always took a great interest in the welfare of the city. abram s. elfelt died in st. paul in february, . d. a. j. baker was born in farmington, maine, in ; attended school at new hampton, new hampshire; studied law and was admitted to the bar in kennebec county, maine, in ; came to st. paul in , and in made his home in the locality now known as merriam park. it is on record that judge baker taught one of the first public schools in the territory of minnesota. he, with others, pre-empted the land and located what is now superior city, wisconsin, but sold his interests in that city. he was appointed to a judgeship in douglas county, wisconsin, in , and served three years; was county superintendent of schools in ramsey county for twelve years, and was a member of the democratic wing of the constitutional convention in . he has been a dealer in real estate. he was married to miss cornelia c. kneeland, a sister of mrs. dr. t. t. mann, and late widow of james m. goodhue, in . mrs. baker died in . maj. newson, in his "pen portraits," says of her: "she was an affectionate wife and a devoted mother, and amid all the trials and vicissitudes incident to the ups and downs of an old settler's career, she never murmured, never complained, never fretted, never chided; always cheerful, always hopeful, casting sunshine into the home and weaving about all those she loved golden chains of unbroken affection." b. f. hoyt.--rev. b. f. hoyt, a local minister of the methodist church, and a prominent pioneer of , was born at norwalk, connecticut, jan. , . he removed to new york state, and later to ohio, where he married and resided until , when he removed to illinois, and in to st. paul. he purchased the property bounded now by jackson, broadway, eighth and the bluff for three hundred dollars. the following spring he laid it out as "hoyt's addition." he dealt largely in real estate and at various times held property, now worth millions. he was instrumental in the erection of the jackson street methodist church, and aided in, the endowment of hamline university. he died sept. , . john fletcher williams, secretary of the minnesota state historical society, is of welsh descent, john williams, a paternal ancestor of the seventh remove, having come to this country from glamorganshire, wales. he was born in cincinnati, ohio, sept. , . he was educated at woodward college and ohio wesleyan university, graduating from the latter institution in . he came to st. paul in and engaged in journalism and reporting for about twelve years, during which time he acquired a thorough knowledge of city and state affairs and an acquaintance with the pioneers of the state, which knowledge he utilized in writing biographical and historical, sketches, his principal work in this line being the "history of st. paul," published in . in he was elected secretary of the state historical society. upon him devolved the duty of arranging its volumes and collections and editing its publications. most of the memoirs, and historical sketches are from his pen. he has gathered manuscripts and material for a history of the state which will ultimately be of great value. he is the honorary corresponding secretary of the old settlers association, not being eligible to active membership in that body, which requires a residence dating back to . various diplomas have been conferred upon him by the historical societies of other cities and states. in he was appointed by president grant a member of the united states centennial commission from minnesota, and served as such to the close of the international centennial exposition in philadelphia in . john henry murphy was the first medical practitioner in st. anthony falls, he having made that city his home in . mr. murphy was born jan. , , at new brunswick, new jersey. his father, james murphy, a shipbuilder, was a native of ireland; his mother, sarah (allen), belonged to an old new jersey family. his parents removed to quincy, illinois, in , where john henry obtained a good high school education. he studied medicine and graduated from the rush medical college in chicago in , and returned to st. anthony falls, which he had made his home the year before. in this place he lived and practiced his profession till near the close of the war, when he removed to st. paul. in the summer of , when dr. stewart, surgeon of the first minnesota infantry, was captured at bull run, dr. murphy took his place and served for six months, and afterward as surgeon of the fourth and eighth minnesota infantry. dr. murphy was a representative in the territorial legislature of , and a member of the constitutional convention, republican wing, in . as a man and a physician dr. murphy has an enviable reputation. he was married to mary a. hoyt, of fulton county, illinois, june , . they have five children. w. h. tinker was born at hartford, connecticut, in ; was married to elisabeth barnum, at rockford, illinois, in ; came to prairie du chien in , and to st. paul in . he engaged for awhile in tailoring, then in selling groceries, then clerked for s. p. folsom & co., and also in the recorder's and marshal's offices. at one time he owned eight acres in the heart of st. paul, for which he paid two hundred and eighty-four dollars, which is now worth a quarter of a million. george p. jacobs was born in virginia in ; was educated at the virginia military institute; came to pierce county, wisconsin, and engaged in lumbering, afterward in farming and lumbering. he has resided in st. paul since . lyman dayton was born aug. , , in southington, connecticut, and was early thrown upon his own resources. he commenced as a clerk in a store in providence, rhode island, and by faithfulness and industry became in time a wholesale dry goods merchant. his health failing, he sought the west in , and selected for his home a high bluff, to which his name has been affixed, near the city of st. paul. he purchased over , acres of land in the vicinity. the bluff is now covered with palatial residences, business, church and school buildings. mr. dayton lived much of his time at a village founded by himself at the junction of crow river with the mississippi. the village bears his name. he was one of the proprietors and first president of the lake superior & mississippi railway company, and gave much of his time and means to promote its interests. he died in , leaving a widow (formerly miss maria bates) and one son, lyman c., a heavy dealer in real estate. henry l. moss.--mr. moss is of english descent. his ancestors came over prior to the revolution, in which later members of the family took a prominent part in behalf of the colonies. he was born in augusta, new york, and graduated at hamilton college, new york, in ; studied law, and was admitted to practice in at sandusky, ohio, where he practiced until , when he removed to platteville, wisconsin, where he became an associate with benj. c. eastman until , when he removed to stillwater. he was the second lawyer in this place. in he moved to st. paul. he served as the first united states district attorney for minnesota territory, holding the office from until . he was reappointed to this office under the state government in , and served four years. mr. moss is a worthy member of the presbyterian church. his moral character and natural abilities have commended him for the positions he has so satisfactorily filled. mr. moss was married to amanda hosford, sept. , . william rainey marshall is of scotch-irish descent, and of good fighting stock, both his grandfathers participating in the revolutionary struggle. his father, joseph marshall, was a native of bourbon county, kentucky, and his mother, abigail (shaw) marshall, was born in pennsylvania. william r. was born in boone county, missouri, oct. , . he was educated in the schools of quincy, illinois, and spent some of his early years mining and surveying amidst the lead regions of wisconsin. in september, , he came to st. croix falls, and made a land and timber claim near the falls on the wisconsin side (now included in the phillip jewell farm). while at st. croix falls he sold goods; dealt in lumber, was deputy receiver of the united states land office, and took an active part in the boundary meetings. he was elected representative in the wisconsin assembly for the st. croix valley in , but his seat was successfully contested by joseph bowron on the ground of non-residence, he residing west of the line marking the western limit of the new state of wisconsin. during the latter part of the year he had made a visit to st. anthony falls and staked out a claim and cut logs for a cabin, but partially abandoning the claim, he returned to st. croix falls. in he returned to st. anthony falls and perfected his claim. in the same year he was elected representative to the first minnesota territorial legislature. in he removed to st. paul and engaged in mercantile pursuits, becoming the pioneer iron merchant in that place. during this year he was also engaged in surveying public lands. in , with other parties, he established a banking house, which did well till overwhelmed by the financial tornado of . he then engaged in dairy farming and stock raising. in he purchased the st. paul _daily times_ and the _minnesotian_ and merged them in the _daily press_. in he enlisted in the seventh minnesota volunteer infantry, and was made lieutenant colonel of the regiment. on the promotion of col. stephen miller in , he succeeded to the command of the regiment, and remained connected with it to the close of the war, participating in the battles of tupelo and nashville, and in the siege of spanish fort. gen. marshall won for himself an enviable record as a soldier, and was breveted brigadier general for meritorious services. in he was elected governor of minnesota, and re-elected in . on vacating the gubernatorial chair he resumed banking, and was made vice president of the marine national bank, and president of the minnesota savings bank. [illustration: wm. r. marshall] in he was appointed a member of the board of railway commissioners. in november, , he was elected state railroad commissioner, and re-elected in . in politics he is republican, in his religious views he is a swedenborgian, being one of the founders of that society in st. paul. he is a liberal supporter of religious and benevolent enterprises, and a man universally esteemed for sterling qualities of mind and heart. he was married to miss abbey langford, of utica, new york, march , . they have one son, george langford. david cooper was born in brooks reserve, frederic county, maryland, july , . he enjoyed good educational advantages, first in the common schools and later had as a tutor rev. brooks, a methodist clergyman, an accomplished gentleman and scholar, who gave him thorough instruction in the sciences and classics. in he entered penn college, where he became a ready writer and pleasant speaker. after leaving college he studied law with his brother, senator cooper, and in was admitted to practice. he practiced in several counties, showed rare ability, espoused with enthusiasm the politics of the whig party, and on the accession of gen. taylor to the presidency, in , was appointed by him first assistant judge of the supreme court for the territory of minnesota. he arrived in minnesota in june, , and located in stillwater; was assigned by gov. ramsey to the second judicial district, and held his first court at mendota. he changed his residence to st. paul in , and, leaving the bench, devoted himself to law practice in st. paul. he was a republican candidate for congress in , at the first session of the state legislature. he left minnesota for nevada in , then went to salt lake city, where he died in a hospital in . he was twice married but left no children. bushrod w. lott was born in pemberton, new jersey, in . he was educated at the st. louis university, and studied law in quincy, illinois, being admitted to practice in . a year later he accompanied gen. samuel leech to st. croix falls, and was clerk during the first land sales in that region, while gen. leech was receiver. the same year he came to st. paul, settling down to the legal profession. he was a democrat in politics, and held the office of chief clerk of the house in the legislature of , being elected in and re-elected in as a representative. in he was beaten for the speakership by dr. david day, after balloting for twenty-two days. about ten years after this he became president of the town council for two years, and was city clerk for a year and a half. president lincoln appointed him consul to tehuantepec, mexico, in , where he served until . mr. lott was a charter member of the st. paul lodge, i. o. o. f. he died of apoplexy in . w. f. davidson, better known as "commodore" davidson, was born in lawrence county, ohio, feb. , . he was early associated with his father in canal boating and river life and acquired a strong predilection for the pursuit in which he afterward became distinguished. his father was a baptist preacher, and the influence of his teachings was apparent in many acts of the son's later life. his advantages for education were limited, as his chief training was on board the boats on which he was employed. in he came to st. paul. before coming west he was interested in boating on the ohio river, and was the owner of several steamers. his first work in minnesota was on the minnesota river, but soon afterward he became president of a company known as the la crosse & minnesota packet company. his experience and superior ability placed him at the head of river navigation, and for many years he had scarce a rival, earning by this supremacy the familiar cognomen of "commodore," first applied to him, we believe, by john fletcher williams. during ten years of his river life he resided in st. louis. with the increase of railroads and the brisk competition of later days, he gradually withdrew from the river trade and interested himself in real estate in st. paul, buying largely and building many fine blocks. though never an aspirant for office, commodore davidson was public spirited and interested greatly in public enterprises involving the prosperity of st. paul. he was married in ohio in , to a daughter of judge benjamin johnson. he died in st. paul, may , , leaving a widow, one son and one daughter. capt. thomas l. davidson is a brother, and jerry and robert r. are half brothers. col. j. ham davidson, a cousin and a man of considerable oratorical ability, was associated with him in business. [illustration: wm. h. fisher.] william h. fisher was born in new jersey in . he entered the railway service of the dubuque & sioux city railroad as check clerk at dubuque, iowa, in , serving as such and in other positions of responsibility until , when he removed to st. paul, minnesota, entering the service of the st. paul & pacific railroad as superintendent. he built the breckenridge extension in , and was influential in relieving the st. paul & pacific railroad and branches from financial embarrassment, which resulted in the organization of the present st. paul, minneapolis & manitoba system. in june, , he was elected general superintendent, and in june, , president and general superintendent, of the st. paul & duluth railroad company, which position he at present worthily fills. charles h. oakes, the son of a vermont merchant and manufacturer, david oakes, at one time sheriff of windham county, and judge of st. clair county, michigan, was born in the town of rockingham, windham county, july , . he received a common school education, and at twelve years of age went into a store and clerked until eighteen, when he came to chicago as clerk for an army sutler. in he commenced trading with the indians on the south shore of lake superior. in he entered the service of the american fur company, in whose employ he remained until , his headquarters being most of the time at la pointe. in he located in st. paul. in he entered the banking firm of borup & oakes, the first banking firm in st. paul, since which time he has lived a quiet and retired life, that contrasts strongly with the strange and adventurous life he led as an indian trader. mr. oakes' only public life was during the indian outbreak, when he accepted a position as colonel on the staff of gen. sibley. he was a member of the protestant episcopal church. by his first wife mr. oakes had four children, two of them daughters, now living. sophia is the widow of the late jeremiah russell, and eliza is the wife of col. george w. sweet, of minneapolis. a son, lieut. david oakes, was in the civil war, and was killed in battle. the other child died in infancy. mr. oakes was married to his second wife, julia beaulieu, of sault ste. marie, july , . she has had five children, but one of them now living, julia jane, widow of the late gen. isaac van etten. one of her sons, george henry, was in the civil war, and died two years after of disease contracted in the service. charles william wulff borup was born in copenhagen, denmark, dec. , . he received a thorough classical and medical education. in he emigrated to america, and, having abandoned his original intention of becoming a physician, entered into business, at first in the employ of john jacob astor. he became chief agent of the fur company on lake superior, with residence at la pointe. in he removed to st. paul and entered into a partnership with pierre chouteau. in the banking house of borup & oakes, of which he was senior partner, was established. dr. borup died of heart disease, july , , but the banking business was continued under the firm name many years later. he was married july , , to elizabeth beaulieu, a daughter of basil beaulieu, a french trader of mackinaw. his widow died in st. paul several years ago. of a family of eleven children, nine survive. capt. russell blakeley, one of the best known of the early steamboat men, was born in north adams, massachusetts, april , . he spent a part of his early life in genesee county, new york, where he received a common school education; emigrated to peoria, illinois, in , where he engaged in the real estate business; in he removed to galena, where he engaged in mining and smelting; in to southwest virginia, returning to galena in , where he became one of a steamboat transportation company. he was clerk upon the first boat on the line, the argo. this boat sank and he was transferred to the dr. franklin, of which he became captain. he was captain of the nominee in , and of the galena in . this last named boat was burned at red wing, july , . in he was appointed agent at dunleith of the packet company, and soon afterward bought a leading interest in the northwestern express company. the next year he removed to st. paul. in he retired from the company. of late years he has interested himself in railroad enterprises, and has contributed greatly to the prosperity of the city and state. rensselaer r. nelson, united states district judge since minnesota became a state, was born in cooperstown, otsego county, new york, may , . his paternal great-grandfather came from ireland in . his grandfather was born in ireland, but came to this country in his childhood. his father, samuel nelson, was associate justice of the united states supreme court. his father served as a soldier in the war of , and the son located the land warrant given for his services in minnesota. the mother of rensselaer was catharine ann (russell), a descendant of rev. john russell, of hadley, massachusetts, in whose house the regicides goffe and whalley were concealed for years, and where they finally died. rensselaer r. nelson graduated at yale in . in he was admitted to practice law. he came to st. paul in . in president buchanan appointed him territorial judge, and in , united states district judge, which office he still holds. he was married to mrs. emma f. wright, a daughter of washington beebe, of new york state, nov. , . george loomis becker was born feb. , , in locke, cayuga county, new york. his father, hiram becker, was a descendant of the early dutch settlers of the mohawk valley. in his father removed to ann arbor, michigan, where the son entered the state university as a freshman, and graduated in . he studied law with george sedgewick until , when he emigrated to st. paul, arriving late in october. here he commenced the practice of law, being associated with edmund rice and e. j. whitall. subsequently, on the withdrawal of mr. whitall, wm. hollinshead became a member of the firm. the partnership continued until , when mr. becker withdrew to engage in other pursuits, since which time he has been engaged in forwarding the railroad interests of the state and serving in various positions of honor and trust. he served as a member of the constitutional convention in . in he was chosen land commissioner of the st. paul & pacific railroad, and in was elected president of that corporation. in he was the unsuccessful candidate of his party for congress. he is a member of the old settlers association, of which he was president in , and of the minnesota historical society, over which he presided as president in . he was one of the original members of the presbyterian church in st. paul in . he has served in the council of st. paul, and as mayor. he has figured most creditably in the business, political, social and religious life of his adopted city, and is an admirable type of a public spirited citizen. since he has served as railroad commissioner. in , at keesville, new york, he was married to susannah m. ismon, an estimable lady, who has made his home attractive. their family consists of four sons. aaron goodrich.--hon. aaron goodrich, first chief justice of the supreme court of minnesota territory, was born in sempronius, cayuga county, new york, july , . his parents were levi h. and eunice (spinner) goodrich. he traces his ancestry back through the connecticut branch of the goodrich family to a period in english history prior to the advent of william the conqueror. his mother was a sister of dr. john skinner, who married a daughter of roger sherman. in his father removed to western new york, where the son was raised on a farm and educated chiefly by his father, who was a fine scholar and teacher. he then studied law and commenced practice in stewart county, tennessee. in to he was a member of the tennessee legislature. in he was appointed to the supreme bench of minnesota territory. he filled the position for three years. in , at the state organization, he was appointed a member of a commission to revise the laws and prepare a system of pleading for state courts. in he was made chairman of a similar commission. in march, , president lincoln appointed him secretary of the legation at brussels, where he served eight years. while abroad, by his habits of study and opportunities for research, he laid the foundation of his critical and somewhat sensational work, "a history of the character and achievements of the so-called christopher columbus." in politics judge goodrich was originally a whig, and was a presidential elector in . he was next a republican, and served as delegate to the convention of . in he was a delegate to the liberal republican convention which nominated horace greeley for president. in later years he voted with the democratic party. mr. goodrich was deputy past grand master of the grand lodge of freemasons in the state, was one of the corporate members of the state historical society and of the old settlers association, of which he was for many years the secretary. in he was married to miss alice paris, of bogota, new grenada, a descendant of the old castilian family de paris, an accomplished lady, who, with a daughter, survives him. judge goodrich died in st. paul in . nathan myrick was born in westford, essex county, new york, july , . he came to la crosse, wisconsin, in . the writer first met him at prairie du chien in . he was one of the principal founders of the city of la crosse, managing a trading house in company with scoots miller. he also engaged in lumbering on black river. he came to st. paul in , and has since made that city his home. he has been an enterprising and successful trader with the indians, principally with the sioux. much of his trading stock was destroyed by the sioux indians in the insurrection of , but he has been recompensed in part by the government. in he was married to rebecca ismon. they have three children. john melvin gilman, son of john and ruth (curtis) gilman, was born in calais, vermont, sept. , . his father died in . the son received a good common school and academic education, graduating from the montpelier academy in . he read law with heaton & reed, of montpelier, and was admitted to the bar in . during the same year he removed to new lisbon, ohio, where he practiced law eleven years and served one term ( - ) in the state legislature. in mr. gilman came to st. paul, and formed a partnership with hon. james smith, jr., and later became one of the firm of gilman, clough & lane. mr. gilman served four terms as a representative in the state legislature. his affiliations have been with the democratic party, for which he has been twice a candidate for congress and chairman of the state central committee. he was married to miss anna cornwall, of new lisbon, ohio, june , . charles eugene flandrau, son of thomas hunt and elisabeth (macomb) flandrau, was born july , , in new york city. on his father's side he is descended from huguenots driven into exile by the revocation of the edict of nantes; on his mother's side from the macombs of ireland. one of his uncles was gen. alexander macomb, commander-in-chief of the united states army immediately preceding gen. winfield scott. he was educated until thirteen years of age in the private schools at georgetown and washington, after which he spent about three years before the mast; was at new york city about three years, when he went to whitesboro, oneida county, new york, where he read law and afterward entered into partnership with his father, being admitted to practice in . in he came to st. paul with horace r. bigelow and commenced practice in the firm of bigelow & flandrau. in he removed to st. peter and practiced law for several years. this year ( ) he was appointed a notary public by gen. gorman. [illustration: truly yours, john b. sanborn.] in he was elected a member of the territorial council, and in was appointed by president pierce united states agent for the sioux indians. in he served as a member of the democratic wing of the constitutional convention, and in july of the same year was appointed by president buchanan associate justice of the supreme court of minnesota territory. he was elected to the same office, on the admission of minnesota as a state, for a term of seven years. during gov. sibley's administration, he acted as judge advocate general of the state. judge flandrau took an active part in suppressing the sioux outbreak, serving as captain, and later as a colonel, of volunteers. in judge flandrau resigned his place on the supreme bench and went to nevada territory for a year; spent some time in kentucky and st. louis, missouri, and returned to minnesota in , locating at minneapolis, where he opened a law office with judge isaac atwater. he was elected city attorney and was president of the first board of trade. in he removed to st. paul and engaged in law practice with bigelow & clark. in judge flandrau was the democratic nominee for governor of the state, and in for the position of chief justice. in he was chairman of the state central committee, and a member of the national convention that nominated horatio seymour for the presidency of the united states. judge flandrau was married aug. , , to isabella dinsmore, of kentucky, deceased in . his second wife was mrs. rebecca b. riddle, of pittsburgh, pennsylvania, feb. , . his family consists of two daughters by his first wife and two sons by his second. gen. john b. sanborn was born dec. , , in merrimac county, new hampshire, on the farm which had been in the possession of his ancestors for four generations. after a common school education he entered the law office of judge fowler, of concord, new hampshire, where he remained for three years, when he was admitted to practice by the superior court of new hampshire, in . in the following december he came to minnesota, where he has remained, a citizen of st. paul, and in the practice of his profession, except what time he has been absent in the public service. his public career began in - , in the house of representatives. the following year he was sent to the senate, and that had adjourned but a little over a month when he was appointed adjutant general and acting quartermaster general of the state, and entered upon the arduous duties of organizing the first regiment of volunteers in the state for the war of the rebellion. in the following december he was commissioned colonel of the fourth minnesota, and, with headquarters at fort snelling, garrisoned all the posts and commanded all the troops along the minnesota frontier during the winter. early in the spring of he left with his entire command for pittsburgh landing, and was assigned to the command of a demi-brigade, which he commanded till the evacuation of those works, and was thereupon assigned to the command of the first brigade, seventh division, army of the mississippi, afterward the seventeenth army corps. on the nineteenth of september following, with this brigade he fought the battle of iuka and won the victory for which he was promoted by the president to brigadier general of volunteers. he participated in the battles of port gibson, raymond, jackson, champion hills, and the assault on vicksburg--a portion of which time he was in command of a division. after the surrender of vicksburg he was assigned to the command of the southwest district of missouri, where, after the campaign against price, he was promoted to brevet major general. after the close of the war, by a few months' campaign on the upper arkansas and along the smoky hill river, he opened to travel the long lines across the plains to colorado and new mexico, which had been closed for nearly two years, and restored peace to that frontier. upon a mission to the indian territory, to establish the relations which should exist between the slaves of the indians and their former masters, he solved the questions and determined the relations, and established them upon a firm foundation in the short space of ninety days. in he was appointed, with gens. sherman, harney, terry, and senator henderson, a special peace commissioner to the indians, and for eighteen months served upon that board. this commission visited and made treaties with the camanche, cheyenne, arrapahoe, apache, navajo, shoshone, northern cheyenne, northern arrapahoe, and crow tribes; and with the ogalalla, brule, minneconjon, sausauche, black feet, umkapapa, santee, and yankton bands of the sioux nation. they settled upon and recommended to congress a fixed policy to be pursued toward the indians, which, while followed, resulted in comparative safety to the frontier, and greater economy in the service. since these services the general has devoted himself entirely to his profession, and with more than ordinary success. john r. irvine was born in dansville, livingston county, new york, nov. , , and was brought up there till seventeen years of age. his education when a boy was obtained at the common schools, and was quite limited. from seventeen to twenty years of age he lived in carlisle and other places in pennsylvania, during which he learned the trade of plastering, and was married in carlisle in , to miss nancy galbreath. soon after his marriage he returned to dansville. the following spring he went to buffalo, new york; in the spring of emigrated to green bay, wisconsin, and in the spring of removed to prairie du chien. while in prairie du chien mr. irvine kept a grocery. during that time he made two trips to st. paul--the last one with a team loaded with provisions, on the ice the most of the way--and on the third of august, , arrived in st. paul with his family. on his arrival he bought of joseph rondeau a claim of acres of land, afterward converted into rice & irvine's addition, irvine's enlargement and irvine's addition to the city of st. paul, including most of the present city from st. peter street to leech's addition, for about $ . mr. irvine entered it in . the east acres of a quarter included in this claim mr. irvine sold to henry m. rice in , and in the winter they laid off rice & irvine's addition, and commenced selling lots and making improvements on the property. since living in st. paul mr. irvine has been engaged in farming, milling, storekeeping, working at his trade, and managing his estate. he was one of the earliest settlers of st. paul, whose life amidst its many changes has been contemporaneous with its history from the very beginning. mr. irvine has had eight children, seven of whom, namely, six daughters and one son, are living. mr. irvine died in . horace ransom bigelow was born in watervliet, new york, march , . his father, otis bigelow, was a revolutionary patriot and soldier. he received a good education at the schools of sangerfield and the gymnasium at utica. he spent part of his early life in farming and teaching. later he studied law and was admitted to practice in , in utica, where he entered into partnership with e. s. brayton until , when he removed to st. paul, minnesota, in company with charles e. flandrau. he has since devoted himself almost exclusively to his law practice, which includes almost every branch except criminal law. in june, , he was married to cornelia sherrill, of hartford, new york. they have four children. cushman k. davis.--in the quaint little quaker village of henderson, new york, in a small house built partly of logs, and mossy and venerable with age, on june , , cushman kellogg davis, late governor and present senator from minnesota, was born. his father, horatio n. davis, removed to wisconsin in august or september of the same year, and settled on the present site of waukesha. his father was quite prominent; had served during the civil war, and retired from the service with the brevet rank of major; had held various municipal offices, and had been a member of the wisconsin senate. cushman, his oldest son, received as good an education as the times afforded, at the common schools, at carroll college, a waukesha institution, and at ann arbor, michigan, where he graduated in . he read law with gov. randall, was admitted to the bar in , and practiced at waukesha until , when he enlisted in the twenty-eighth wisconsin infantry, going in as first lieutenant of company b, but was adjutant general under gen. gorman most of the time. at the end of two years, with broken health, he resigned his commission and settled in st. paul in partnership with gen. gorman. in he was elected a representative in the state legislature, and served one term. he was united states district attorney from until , when he was elected governor. he served two years, and was the youngest man who has been elected to that office. after leaving the governor's chair he resumed his law practice until the senatorial election of , when he was chosen to succeed senator mcmillan in the united states senate. senator davis has devoted some time to general literature. his lecture on "feudalism" was delivered in , and this lecture probably secured him the nomination for governor in . he has also lectured on "hamlet" and "madam roland," and in delivered a lecture before the army of the tennessee and in a lecture to the graduating class at michigan university. he also published a book entitled "the law in shakespeare," which attracted considerable attention. he was married to miss anna m. agnew, of st. paul, in . s. j. r. mcmillan was born in fayette county, pennsylvania, in . he spent part of his early days in pittsburgh; received a collegiate education; studied law; was admitted to practice in , and came to stillwater in , where he established a law office. in he was elected judge of the first district and served until , when he was appointed to the supreme bench. he was elected to the position in the fall of the same year and served until , when he was elected to the united states senate. he was re-elected in , and was succeeded in by cushman k. davis. he removed to st. paul in . senator mcmillan has had an honorable career and is greatly respected as an upright, conscientious, active and thoroughly practical man. he was married at pittsburgh in , to harriet e. butler. they have three sons and three daughters. willis arnold gorman, second territorial governor of minnesota, was born in fleming county, kentucky, jan. , . he received a good literary education, and his parents having moved to bloomington, indiana, he graduated at the law school connected with the state university at that place. he commenced practice at bloomington and was quite popular as a lawyer, but even more so as a party leader, and was elected to the legislature six times in succession. at the breaking out of the mexican war, in , he enlisted as a private in the third indiana volunteers, but was appointed major. he won the reputation of a gallant, dashing officer, and was promoted to be colonel of the fourth indiana, which he helped recruit. he served till the close of the war. on his return to indiana, in , he was elected to congress, and re-elected in . in may, , he was appointed by president pierce governor of minnesota territory. in , at the close of his term of office as governor, he was elected a member of the constitutional convention, and was also an unsuccessful candidate for the united states senatorship. in the spring of , at the breaking out of the civil war, he was appointed colonel of the first minnesota infantry. for bravery at the first battle of bull run he was commissioned brigadier general. he was mustered out in . returning to minnesota he formed a law partnership with cushman k. davis. in he was elected city attorney and held that office till his death, which occurred at st. paul, may , . he was twice married, first to miss martha stone, of bloomington, indiana, in . she died in march, , leaving five children. in april, , he was married to miss emily newington, of st. paul. john d. ludden was born in massachusetts, april , ; was educated at williston seminary, and came west to the lead mines of wisconsin in . in he came to st. croix falls, wisconsin, remained at this point and at taylor's falls until , when he made his residence at marine mills, minnesota. in he changed his residence to stillwater, and in became a citizen of st. paul, where he still resides. he was a member of the second, third and fourth territorial legislatures. from to the present time he has been engaged chiefly in lumbering. he is a man of pleasing address, of good business talent and thoroughly reliable. elias f. drake is a native of ohio, in which state he lived until , when he came to st. paul. his boyhood days were spent on a farm; later he engaged in mercantile pursuits, and still later studied law under the instruction of justice swayne of the united states supreme court, and was admitted to practice in all the courts of ohio and in the united states court. after a short and successful term of practice, he became cashier of the state bank of ohio, and in that capacity spent ten years of his life. during that time he served three terms in the legislature, being speaker one session, during which the late gov. swift was clerk of the house. in politics mr. drake was a whig, and afterward a republican. during his residence in ohio he was active in promoting the improvements of the country, successfully building several leading turnpike roads and a few railroads. in he came to minnesota, and, put in operation the first railroad in the state, a road between st. paul and st. anthony falls. in he was president of the winona & st. peter railroad during the construction of the first ten miles. soon after, he, with some associates, took hold of the minnesota valley railroad, and completed it to sioux city, iowa, in . he is president and land commissioner of this company. mr. drake represented ramsey county in the state senate in - . norman w. kittson was born at sorel, lower canada, march , . in may, , he engaged as an employe of the american fur company, and in that capacity came to the northwest. from the summer of to that of he occupied the trading post between the fox river and the wisconsin. the following year he operated on the headwaters of the minnesota, after which he spent a year on red cedar river, in iowa. in he came to fort snelling, where he was sutler's clerk till . the winter of - he spent with his friends in canada. on his return in the spring he began business on his own account in the fur trade, at cold springs in the vicinity of fort snelling, which he continued till , when he entered the american fur company as special partner, having charge of all the business on the headwaters of the minnesota, and along the line of the british possessions, and operating in that field till . during that summer he entered into partnership with maj. wm. h. forbes, in the general indian trade, at st. paul, and went there to reside in the fall of that year. the partnership continued till , and mr. kittson continued his northern business till , when he closed out. in he accepted the position of agent for the hudson bay company at st. paul, and went into the steamboat and transportation business on the red river of the north. from to mr. kittson was a member of the territorial council, and was mayor of the city of st. paul in . he was the oldest of the pioneers of minnesota, except joseph dajenais, a french canadian, now residing at faribault. mr. kittson died july , , on a railroad train near chicago. his body was brought to st. paul for burial. hascal russell brill was born in the county of mississquoi, canada, aug. , . he was educated partly at hamline university, then located at red wing, and finished at ann arbor, michigan. he studied law and was admitted to practice at st. paul in december, , and formed a partnership with stanford newel. three years later he was elected probate judge and served two years. in he was appointed by gov. davis to fill the vacancy in the court of common pleas caused by the death of judge w. s. hall, and a few months later was elected by the people to fill the same position. in politics judge brill is republican. he was married aug. , , to cora a. gray, of suspension bridge, niagara county, new york. ward w. folsom, brother of simeon p. and w. h. c. folsom, was born in tamworth, new hampshire, oct. , , but in early life removed with his parents to skowhegan, maine, and in came to arcola, minnesota. in he removed to st. croix falls and in to taylor's falls, where he kept the chisago house and engaged in lumbering until , when he removed to st. paul, which city has since been his home. he was employed for three years during the civil war in the quartermaster's department at st. louis, missouri. in , with health greatly shattered, he returned to st. paul. he was married to sydney puget, of st. louis, in . they have two adopted sons. gordon e. cole was born in berkshire county, massachusetts, june , ; received his education at sheffield academy, massachusetts, and at the dane law school of harvard university, from which school he graduated in . he practiced law two years in his native town, came to minnesota, and located in faribault in . in he was elected attorney general and served three consecutive terms. he served one year as state senator, and a year in compiling state statutes. he has been a railroad attorney and has filled many honorable positions. he was married in august, , to stella c. whipple, of shaftsbury, vermont, who died in june, , leaving three children. feb. , , he was married to kate d. turner, of cleveland, ohio. james smith, jr., was born in mount vernon, knox county, ohio, oct. , . he obtained a good practical, common school education, and was besides largely self taught. he read law three years in lancaster, ohio, was admitted to the bar in , and practiced law in his native town for seventeen years. in he came to st. paul, where he has been associated in practice with judge lafayette emmett, john m. gilman and j. j. egan. since the building of the st. paul & duluth railroad he has been its attorney, general manager and president. mr. smith was in the state senate in - - and , and proved a careful and able legislator. as a lawyer he stands deservedly high. he was married to elisabeth martin, jan. , . they have four children. william pitt murray is of irish descent. he was born in hamilton, butler county, ohio, in ; came to centreville, indiana, in ; attended school there, graduated at the state law school at bloomington in , and the same year came to st. paul, where he has practiced law ever since. he has also taken an active part in the politics of the city and state. he has probably assisted in the passage of more laws than any other man in the state. he was a member of the territorial house of representatives in - and , and of the territorial council of - , acting as president in the latter year. he was a member of the democratic wing of the constitutional convention in ; was a representative in the state legislatures of and , and a state senator in - , - , and has besides served sixteen years in the city council of st. paul. he has been county and city attorney since . he has been honored beyond most public servants and has a county named after him. he was married to carolina s. conwell, of laurel, indiana, april , . they have three children living. henry hale.--judge hale was born in vermont in ; studied law and was admitted to practice in his native state. he came to st. paul in and opened a law office on bridge square. he took an active part in the politics of the state and vehemently opposed the $ , , loan bill. he has since retired from law practice, and is now a successful dealer in real estate. james gilfillan, son of james and janet (gilmor) gilfillan, was born in bannockburn, scotland, march , . his parents came to america in and located at new hartford, new york. he was educated in the common schools, read law and was admitted to practice in . he removed to buffalo, new york, where he practiced law until , when he removed to st. paul and opened a law office. in he enlisted in company h, seventh minnesota volunteer infantry, became its captain and before the close of the war was commissioned colonel of the eleventh minnesota infantry. in he was appointed to a vacancy on the supreme bench of the state and again in . the same year he was elected to the office for seven years, at the end of which time he was re-elected. he was married june , , to miss martha mcmasters, of st. paul. they have six children. charles duncan gilfillan, a younger brother of james, was born in new hartford, new york, july , . he was educated in the common schools, homer academy and hamilton college. after leaving college, in , he located in missouri, and a year later came to stillwater, minnesota, where he read law with michael e. ames, was admitted to the bar in and removed to st. paul in , where he engaged for about twelve years in the practice of his profession. since that period he has been engaged in furthering various public enterprises, among them the st. paul water works, of which he was the founder and for many years manager. he has occupied various public positions, always with credit to himself. he was the first recorder of stillwater; was a member of the state legislatures of - , and , and a member of the senate from to , inclusive. at the session of he was chairman of the railroad committee and the committees on judiciary and education. in politics he is a republican. mr. gilfillan was married to emma c. waage, of montgomery county, new york, who died in , leaving no issue. in he married fanny s. waage, sister of his first wife. they have four children. alexander wilkin was born in orange county, new york, in december, . he studied law with his father, judge samuel j. wilkin, and practiced awhile at goshen. in he enlisted in the tenth new york regulars for service in the mexican war, and was commissioned captain. in the spring of he came to st. paul; practiced law; was appointed united states marshal in , and served until . he visited europe during the crimean war, and studied the art of war before sebastopol. at the breaking out of the rebellion, he raised the first company for the first regiment, acted with conspicuous bravery at the battle of bull run, and was commissioned major of the second minnesota, lieutenant colonel in the same regiment, and colonel of the ninth minnesota, all in the same year, . he took part in the indian campaign, but at its close returned south, his regiment being attached to the sixteenth army corps, under gen. a. j. smith. he was advanced to the position of brigade commander, and was killed at the battle of tupelo, mississippi, july , . wilkin county, minnesota, bears his name. wescott wilken, a brother of alexander, was born at goshen, new york, in , received a good education, graduating at princeton college in , and studied law at new haven law school in . he practiced law in sullivan county, new york, and was county judge four years. in he came to st. paul and formed a partnership with i. v. d. heard; was elected judge of the district court in , and re-elected every succeeding term, without opposition. s. c. whitcher was born in genesee county, new york, in . he came to amador, chisago county, minnesota, in , and to st. paul in . he was married to helen m. olds, in new york, in . their two sons are charles and edward. maj. thomas mclean newson was born in new york city, feb. , , of scotch-irish parentage. his paternal grandfather was paymaster in the army during the war of . his father, capt. george newson, commanded a military company in new york city for seventeen years. three uncles were in the war of . his father removed to new haven, connecticut, in , and both parents died there in . the son, after his parents' death, was placed in a boarding school. when he left the school he learned the printer's trade, and on arriving at his majority entered into partnership with john b. hotchkiss in the publication of the _derby journal_, in birmingham, connecticut. during this period he wrote poetry, delivered lectures, and took an active part in political affairs. he was secretary of the first editorial association in connecticut, and started and conducted for a year the first daily penny paper in the state. he was one of the originators of the reform school and an efficient promoter of its interests. he came to st. paul in , where he was first associated with joseph r. brown in the editorial department of the _pioneer_, but the following spring, in company with others, started the _daily times_, which he edited until , when he leased the material to w. r. marshall. the _press_ was the outgrowth of this movement. he was one of the founders of the republican party in the state and was sole delegate of his party in minnesota to the pittsburgh national convention. at the outbreak of the rebellion he entered the service of his country, was commissioned commissary of subsistence and subsequently appointed acting assistant quartermaster, with the rank of captain. at one time he was chief commissary at st. cloud. he left the army with a splendid record for honesty and capacity, with the brevet rank of major, conferred for meritorious service, and the offer of a position in the regular army, which he declined. in he was commander and president of a company which explored the vermillion lake region prospecting for precious metals. he was the first to assay the iron ores, now so famous, in that region. in later years we find him prospecting amongst the black hills, enjoying the wild life of the frontier and devoting some attention to literature. while there he wrote a drama of "life in the hills" and delivered lectures at various times and places, achieving in this line an enviable success. since this period he has written and published an interesting work, entitled "thrilling scenes among the indians," drawn from his own observation and experience; also "pen pictures and biographical sketches of old settlers of st. paul, from to ," a rich and racy book of seven hundred and thirty-two pages, in which the driest biographical details are enlivened with amusing anecdotes and witty comments, in which naught is set down in malice, but every line glows with the genial spirit of the author. he has in contemplation another volume on the same subject. he has also published "heleopa," "indian legends" and "recollections of eminent men." maj. newson is a man of varied and miscellaneous gifts. he is a ready writer, a fluent and eloquent speaker, a journalist, a historian and the oldest editor in minnesota. he is corresponding secretary of the national editorial association, and the first and only honorary member of the state fire association; he is a geologist, mineralogist and assayer, a member of the g. a. r., of the masonic and odd fellows lodges, and of the junior pioneers. he is broad-gauged and popular in his views and positive in the expression of his opinions. he was married to miss harriet d. brower, in albany, new york, in , and has a family of five girls and one boy, may, hattie, nellie, jessie, grace, and t. m. newson, jr. [illustration: maj. t. m. newson, the oldest editor in the state.] [illustration: capt. henry a. castle, one of minnesota's pioneer editors.] col. alvaren allen was born in new york in ; came to wisconsin in , and to st. anthony falls in , where he engaged in the livery, staging and express business. in he followed railroading; in he bought col. shaw's interest in the merchants hotel of st. paul, for $ , , and col. potter's interest for $ , , property now held at $ , . in he rented the property to mr. welz. col. allen is a genial man, and has friends all over the continent. he was the second mayor of st. anthony falls, and has held various public positions in st. paul. [illustration: h. p. hall.] harlan p. hall.--the writer has been unable to obtain any sketch of the history of mr. hall. we have to say that he has been an enterprising journalist in st. paul. he was the founder of the _daily_ and _weekly_ st. paul _dispatch_; also of the st. paul _daily_ and _weekly globe_. he is a fluent, versatile writer, and a genial associate. stephen miller, a native of perry county, pennsylvania, was born jan. , . being in straitened circumstances he early commenced a life of toil, supported himself and to a great extent educated himself. in he removed to st. cloud, minnesota, and engaged in mercantile pursuits. in he served as delegate to the republican convention at chicago that nominated lincoln for the presidency. in he enlisted as a private soldier, but rose rapidly from the ranks, being commissioned as a lieutenant colonel of the first minnesota infantry, then as colonel of the seventh minnesota infantry. he was in command of this regiment at the execution of the thirty-eight condemned indian murderers at mankato. in he was commissioned as brigadier general but resigned to accept the position of governor of minnesota. in he removed from st. paul to windom. in he was in the minnesota house of representatives. in he was presidential elector. in he was married to margaret funk, of dauphin county, pennsylvania. they have had three sons. one son was killed at the battle of gettysburg. gov. miller died in , at windom, minnesota. chapter xxii. dakota county. this county, a rich farming district, lies on the west bank of the mississippi between ramsey and goodhue counties. it was originally well diversified with timber and prairie lands, and is well watered by the tributaries of the mississippi and minnesota rivers. vermillion river, which flows through this county, has near its junction with the mississippi a picturesque waterfall, now somewhat marred by the erection of mills and manufactories. hastings, lying near the mouth of the vermillion river, is a wide-awake, thriving city, beautifully located on the banks of the mississippi. it has a fine court house, good hotels, manufactories and business blocks. the hastings & dakota railroad has its eastern terminus here. the st. paul & milwaukee, burlington & northern railroads pass through the city. the river is bridged at this place. farmington, near the centre of the county, on the chicago, st. paul & minneapolis railroad, is a thriving business village. west st. paul has encroached largely upon the north part of the county. biographical. ignatius donnelly.--the parents of ignatius donnelly came from the green isle in , settling in philadelphia, where ignatius was born, nov. , . he was educated in the graded and high schools of his native city, graduating at the latter in , and taking his degree of master of arts three years later. he read law with benjamin harris brewster, and was admitted to the bar in philadelphia in , and practiced there until , when he came to minnesota and located at ninninger, and purchasing from time to time nearly , acres of land, devoted himself to farming, not so busily, however, as to prevent him from taking a prominent part in public affairs. a captivating and fluent speaker, and besides a man of far more than ordinary native ability and acquirements, he was not suffered to remain on his dakota farm. in he was elected lieutenant governor of the newly admitted state, and was re-elected in , serving four years. he served his district in the thirty-seventh, thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth congresses. during his congressional term he advocated many important measures, taking an advanced position in regard to popular education, and the cultivation and preservation of timber on the public lands. for his advocacy of the last named measure he was much ridiculed at the time, but has lived to see his views generally understood, and his measures to a great extent adopted in many of the western states. he advocated amending the law relating to railroad land grants, so as to require their sale, within a reasonable period, at low prices. when he entered congress, he gave up his law practice, and since his last term he has devoted himself chiefly to farming, journalism and general literature. in july, , he became editor and proprietor of the _anti-monopolist_, which he conducted several years. within the last decade he has published several works that have given him both national and transatlantic fame. his works on the fabled "atlantis" and "ragnarok" prove him to be not only a thinker and scientist, but a writer, the charms of whose style are equal to the profundity of his thought. his last work on the authorship of the shakespearean plays has attracted universal attention, not only for the boldness of his speculations, but for the consummate ingenuity he has shown in detecting the alleged cipher by which he assumes to prove lord bacon to be the author of the plays in question. the book has excited much controversy, and, as was to be expected, much adverse criticism. mr. donnelly was married in philadelphia, sept. , , to miss catherine mccaffrey of that city. they have three children living. francis m. crosby.--the ancestors of mr. crosby were of revolutionary fame. he was born in wilmington, windham county, vermont, nov. , . he received a common and high school education and spent one year at mount cæsar seminary, at swansea, new hampshire. he studied law and was admitted to practice at bennington, vermont, in . he served in the vermont house of representatives in - . he continued the practice of law until , when he came to hastings and engaged in the practice of law. he served as judge of probate court in - , acted as school commissioner several years in dakota county, and was elected, in , judge of the first judicial district comprising the counties of goodhue, dakota, washington, chisago, pine, and kanabec. he held the first courts in pine and kanabec counties. judge crosby is held in high esteem, not only by the bar, but by the people at large. he is gentlemanly in his manners, yet prompt and decisive in action. he was married to helen a. sprague, in new york, may , . mrs. crosby died in . he married a second wife, helen m. bates, in new york, in . they have two sons and three daughters. hon. g. w. le duc was born at wilkesville, gallia county, ohio, march , . his father, henry savary duc, was the son of henri duc, an officer of the french army, who came over with d'estaing to assist the colonies in the revolutionary struggle. the grandfather, after some stirring adventures in guadaloupe, where he came near being murdered in a negro insurrection, escaped and came to middletown, connecticut, in , where he was married to lucy, daughter of col. john sumner, of duryea's brigade, continental troops, and a member of the sumner family which came to massachusetts in . the father was married to mary stewell, of braintree, new york, in . the family name, originally written duc, was changed to le duc in . the grandfather removed to ohio and founded the town of wilkesville. g. w. le duc, the grandson, spent his early life at this place, but was educated at lancaster academy, a school that numbered amongst its scholars gen. w. t. and senator john sherman, the ewing brothers, and others prominent in the history of the country. he entered kenyon college in , graduated in , and was employed for awhile by the firms of h. w. derby & co., of cincinnati, and a. s. barnes & co., of new york. meanwhile he studied law, and in was admitted to practice in the supreme court of ohio. july , , he came to st. paul and engaged in selling books, supplying the legislature and the government officers at the fort, but gradually turned his attention to practice in land office courts. at the breaking out of the rebellion he enlisted, and was assigned to duty as captain a. z. in the army of the potomac. during his term of service he was promoted to the grades of lieutenant colonel, colonel and brigadier general by brevet. since the war his most important official position has been that of commissioner of agriculture through the administration of president hayes. in he removed to hastings, and has ever since been identified with the progress and prosperity of that city, and is the owner of large property interests there. [illustration: hon. g. w. le duc.] goodhue county. this county lies on the west bank of the mississippi river, between the counties of dakota and wabasha. it derived its name from james m. goodhue, pioneer editor and publisher in st. paul. it is a rich and populous county. the county seat is red wing, a thriving city of , inhabitants, located on the banks of the mississippi a short distance below the mouth of cannon river, and at the outlet of several valleys forming a larger valley, well adapted to become the site of a city. the hills surrounding the city are high, bold and many of them precipitous. mount la grange, commonly known as barn bluff, a large isolated bluff, a half mile in length and three hundred and twenty feet in height, stands between the lower part of the city and the river. part of the county lies upon the shore of lake pepin, and includes the famous point no point, a bold promontory extending far out into the lake, with a curve so gradual that the eye of the person ascending or descending the lake is unable to define the point, which appears to recede before him as he approaches, till at last it disappears, when looking backward he sees it in the part of the lake already traversed. cannon river, a considerable stream, passes through the county from west to east. cannon falls, on this river, once a picturesque and wild waterfall, is now surrounded by the mills, manufactories and dwellings of a flourishing village, named after the falls. goodhue county was organized under territorial law. in the principal point was red wing. there we found a swiss missionary named galvin, an indian farmer name bush and the noted jack frazer, a half-breed trader, all living in log buildings. mr. galvin had a school of indian children. near by was an indian cemetery--burying ground it could not be called, as the bodies of the dead were elevated upon the branches of trees and upon stakes to be out of reach of animals. the bodies were wrapped in blankets and exposed until the flesh had decayed, when the bones were taken and buried. red wing's band of sioux indians had their encampment here. it is said that red wing, the chief for whom the village and city was afterward named, chose for his burial place the summit of barn bluff, and that when he died he was buried there, seated upon his horse, with his face turned to the happy hunting ground, the indians heaping the earth around him till a huge mound was formed. the legend may need confirmation, but a mound is there to this day, on the highest part of the bluff, and the high spirited chief could certainly have wished no nobler grave. red wing city bears few traces of its humble origin. it is a fine, compactly built city, with handsome public and private buildings. it was for some years the seat of hamline university, now removed to st. paul. biographical. hans mattson.--col. mattson is a native of onestad, sweden. he was born dec. , . his parents were matts and ilgena (larson) mattson, both now residents of vasa, minnesota. the son was educated at a high classical school in christianstad, and in his seventeenth year entered the military service as a cadet and served one year. disliking its monotony, and having an adventurous spirit he embarked for america, where he found himself abjectly poor, and worked as a cabin boy on a coasting vessel, as a farm hand, and afterward with a shovel on an illinois railroad until , when he secured a position as an emigrant agent, whose business it was to select homes for swedish colonists. he, with others, came to vasa, goodhue county, minnesota, where he dealt in real estate, studying law meanwhile with warren bristol. he was admitted to the bar in . he was elected county auditor the same year and served till , when he entered the army as captain of company d, third minnesota infantry. at the end of four years he left the service with the rank of colonel. after his return from the war he formed a law partnership with c. c. webster, and a year later he accepted the position of editor of a swedish newspaper in chicago. in gov. marshall appointed him secretary of the state board of immigration, which position he held several years, doing the state excellent service. in he was elected secretary of state, but before his term of office expired resigned to accept the appointment of land agent of railway corporations, which enabled him to spend four years abroad. [illustration: l. f. hubbard] col. mattson was for some time editor of the _staats tidning_, a swedish paper in minneapolis, and a large owner and general manager of the _swedish tribune_ published in chicago. he was a presidential elector in . he was again elected secretary of state for - . he is a versatile writer and a fluent speaker, a frank, outspoken and honorable man. he was married nov. , , to cherstin peterson, a native of bullingslof, sweden. they have five children living. lucius frederick hubbard was born jan. , , at troy, new york. he was the oldest son of charles f. and margaret (van valkenburg) hubbard, his father being a descendant of the hubbard family that emigrated from the mother country and settled in new england in ; his mother coming from the holland dutch stock that has occupied the valley of the hudson river since its earliest history. the father dying early, the son found a home with an aunt at chester, vermont, until he was twelve years old, when he was sent for three years to the academy at granville, new york. at the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to a tinner at poultney, vermont, and completed his trade at salem, new york, in , when he removed to chicago for three years. he then removed to red wing, minnesota, and started the red wing _republican_. in he was elected register of deeds of goodhue county. in he sold out his interest in the _republican_ and ran for the state senate, but was defeated by the small majority of seven votes. in december, , he enlisted in company a, fifth minnesota volunteers, and was elected captain. in march, , he became lieutenant colonel; in august, colonel; and for conspicuous gallantry at the battle of nashville was promoted to the position of brigadier general. he participated in the battles of farmington; of corinth, where he was severely wounded; of iuka, the second battle of corinth; of jackson and mississippi springs; in the siege of vicksburg; in the battle of richmond, louisiana; of greenfield, louisiana; of nashville, where he was wounded and had two horses killed under him, and at the siege of spanish fort. he was mustered out in october, , at mobile, alabama. he was engaged in twenty-four battles and minor engagements and won an enviable record for his intrepidity and coolness. he returned to red wing with broken health, the result of fatigue and exposure. in he engaged in the grain business at red wing, and soon thereafter in milling operations on a large scale in wabasha county. in he purchased an interest in the forest mill, at zumbrota, goodhue county, and in , with others, bought the mills and water power at mazeppa, in wabasha county, the mills soon after being rebuilt and enlarged. in he raised, through his personal influence, the money necessary for the completion of the midland railway, a line extending from wabasha to zumbrota. he subsequently projected and organized the minnesota central railway (cannon valley), to run from red wing to mankato. as president of the company he secured the building of the road from red wing to waterville, about sixty-six miles. in gen. hubbard was nominated for congress in the second district of minnesota, but declined. in he was elected to the state senate, and again in , declining a re-election in . in the senate he was regarded as one of the best informed, painstaking and influential members. he was on the committee to investigate the state treasurer's and state auditor's offices, and was largely instrumental in recommending and shaping legislation that brought about the substantial and much needed reform in the management of those offices. he was also one of the three arbitrators selected to settle the difficulties between the state and the prison contractors at stillwater. he was appointed commissioner, with john nichols and gen. tourtelotte, in , to investigate the status of the state railroad bond, levied in , and finally settled in . on sept. , , gen. hubbard was nominated for governor of minnesota, and was elected by a majority of , , the largest majority ever received by any governor elected in the state. in he was renominated and re-elected by a very large majority. gov. hubbard is an affable, genial, courteous gentleman, whose integrity has never been questioned; a man of the people, and in sympathy with them and the best interests and general prosperity of the state. gov. hubbard was married in may, , at red wing, to amelia, daughter of charles thomas, a merchant of that place. he has three children, two boys, aged seventeen and eleven respectively, and a girl. william colville is of scotch descent on his father's side. the ancient homestead of the family at ochiltree is mentioned by sir walter scott in his novel, "the antiquary." on his mother's side he is of irish descent. his ancestors participated in the american revolution. he was born in chautauqua county, new york, april , ; was educated at the fredonia academy, taught school one winter, read law in the office of millard fillmore and solomon l. haven, of buffalo, and was admitted to the bar in . he practiced law at forestville three years, and then removed to red wing, minnesota. his first winter he spent in st. paul as enrolling clerk of the territorial council, and the winter following was secretary of the council. in the spring of he established the red wing _sentinel_, a democratic paper, and conducted it until the civil war broke out. in he entered the service as captain of company f, first minnesota infantry, and served with that regiment three years, conducting himself with such gallantry as to win promotion. he was wounded at the first battle of bull run, at nelson's farm and at gettysburg, the last wounds received maiming him for life, and necessitating a close of his military career. at the end of three years he left the service with the rank of colonel, and edited the _sentinel_ until january, , when he took his seat as representative in the legislature. at its adjournment he was appointed colonel of the first minnesota heavy artillery which was stationed at chattanooga till the close of the war. col. colville was mustered out of the service with the brevet rank of brigadier general. in the autumn of he was elected attorney general of the state on the union ticket and served two years. in he ran for congress in opposition to the republican nominee. in he was elected as a democrat to the lower house of the state legislature in the strongest republican county in the state. the same year he was appointed by president cleveland register of the land office at duluth, to which place he has removed his residence. he was married to miss jane e. morgan, of oneida, new york, in , a descendant of elder brewster, who came over in the mayflower. martin s. chandler, for twenty-two years sheriff of goodhue county, minnesota, was born in jamestown, new york, feb. , . he came to goodhue county in and engaged for awhile farming at pine island. he was elected county commissioner in , and served until , removing meanwhile to red wing, which has since been his home. in he was elected sheriff of goodhue county, and held the office for eleven consecutive terms, until , when he was elected to the state senate. he was presidential elector in . he was appointed surveyor general in , which office he held until . he was married to fannie f. caldwell, of jamestown, new york, in . his only daughter, florence c., is the wife of ira s. kellogg, of red wing, one of the oldest druggists in the state. charles mcclure was born in virginia in ; was graduated at lewisburg, virginia, in ; studied law and was admitted to practice in . he came to minnesota and located at red wing in , where he opened a law office. in he was a member of the constitutional convention, presidential elector in , state senator in - and in , judge of the first district, filling the vacancy caused by the retirement of judge mcmillan. at the fall election of the same year he was elected judge of the first district and served seven years. this district embraced washington, chisago, goodhue and dakota counties. judge mcclure is a man of unquestionable ability and integrity. horace b. wilson was born in bingham; somerset county, maine, march , . his grandfather settled in maine twenty years prior to the revolution. he had a fair common school education until sixteen years old, when he attended the maine wesleyan seminary, graduating four years later. he devoted himself chiefly to teaching, and studied law meanwhile, but never practiced. he taught in cincinnati, ohio, lawrenceburg and new albany, indiana, until , when he was elected city civil engineer, which position he filled six years. in he removed to red wing, minnesota, and taught, as professor of mathematics, natural science and civil engineering in hamline university four years. in he enlisted in company f, sixth minnesota infantry, was elected captain, and mustered out at the close of the war. his military service was quite arduous, including campaigning against the sioux until , when the regiment was ordered south and attached to the sixteenth army corps. in he was appointed superintendent of schools for goodhue county. in he was appointed state superintendent of schools, which position he held five years. he was elected representative in the state legislature in , and subsequently he served four terms as senator, and was president _pro tem._ of that body during the trial of e. st. julien cox, and in the absence of the lieutenant governor presided during the trial. for the past few years he has devoted himself to civil engineering, and has had charge of the public improvements of red wing. in he was married to mary j. chandler, who died in . among the prominent early settlers of red wing not mentioned in our biographical notices were william freeborn, for whom freeborn county was named, and who was a senator in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth legislatures. judges welch and wilder, w. c. williston and warren bristol, lawyers, both state senators from goodhue, and the latter a judge in arizona. rev. chauncey hobart, d.d., a methodist pioneer preacher, and author of a history of methodism in minnesota and an autobiography; rev. peter akers, d.d., an eminent educator; rev. m. sorin, d.d., an eloquent preacher, and rev. samuel spates and j. w. hancock, prominent as missionaries, the latter the first pastor located in the village. andrew s. durant, first hotel keeper; calvin f. potter, first merchant. w. w. phelps and christopher graham were appointed to the land office in . wabasha county. this county, named in honor of a sioux chief, lies on the west shore of the mississippi river and lake pepin, between goodhue and winona counties. it has a majestic frontage of bold bluffs on the lake and river. from the summit of these bluffs stretch away broad undulating prairie lands, with occasional depressions, or valleys, caused by the streams tributary to the river. wabasha village is the county seat. the county is traversed by the st. paul & milwaukee railway, and the zumbrota valley narrow gauge railroad has its eastern terminus at wabasha village. a railroad from minneiska to eyota, in olmsted county, through plainview, also passes through this county. lake city is a thriving village on the lake shore, beautifully situated. the grand encampment, located about two miles below wabasha village, was once a point of great interest. it was from time immemorial a camping ground for indians. it has an abundance of ancient mounds. the only people in the county in , when the author first visited this section, were the campbell, cratt, bessian, and a few other french families. bailey and sons, dr. francis h. milligan, b. s. hurd, samuel s. campbell, a prominent lawyer, and wm. l. lincoln came later to wabasha. reed's landing, at the foot of lake pepin, was early settled by messrs. reed, fordyce, richards, and others. this point controls an immense trade for the chippewa river, which empties its waters into the mississippi just opposite. nathaniel stacy tefft is a native of hamilton, madison county, new york, where he was born july , . he was educated in the common schools and academy; in commenced studying medicine and received his diploma the same year at cincinnati, after attending lectures at the medical college in that city. in he came to minnesota and located in minneiska, where he practiced medicine, served as postmaster, justice of the peace, and member of the legislature. in he removed to plainview, where he has taken rank as a leading surgeon and physician in that part of the state. he has also served as member of the state senate (in - ). the writer had the pleasure of meeting him in the legislature of and found him a strong opponent of the $ , , bill. dr. tefft was married to hattie s. gibbs, of plainview, nov. , . james wells.--in the writer found mr. wells living in a stone trading house on the west shore of lake pepin, on the first high ground on the shore above lake city. mr. wells had a half-breed family and was very reticent in his manner. he was a member of the first territorial house of representatives. when the country became more thickly settled he went west and was killed by the sioux indians in the massacre of . winona county was named after the daughter of the indian chief who, according to the well known legend, precipitated herself from the famous rock on the eastern shore of lake pepin, which has ever since been known as "maiden's rock." the county lies on the west shore of the mississippi, below wabasha county. the frontage of the bluffs on the river is unsurpassed for grandeur and beauty, the bluffs here attaining an altitude of six hundred feet above the river. the natural castles and turrets crowning these bluffs remind the traveler of the towns on the rhine and danube, and it is difficult to realize that they are the handiwork of nature and not of man. the most striking of these bluffs occupies a position in the rear of the beautiful city of winona, overlooking the city and the valley, and affording from its summit possibly the finest view on the river. the city of winona lies on a spacious plateau between the bluffs and the river. in a solitary log cabin, the resting place of the mail carrier, marked the site, and a large indian village, belonging to the band of chief wapashaw, occupied a portion of the present site of the city. all traces of this village have long since disappeared, and given place to one of the fairest and most flourishing cities on the river. the first state normal school is located here. the st. paul & milwaukee railroad passes through, and the winona & st. peter railroad has its eastern terminus in this city. it is also the western terminus of the green bay & mississippi. the chicago, burlington & northern crosses the river here, and has a depot in the city. daniel s. norton, at the time of his death united states senator from minnesota, was born in mount vernon, ohio, in april, . he was educated at kenyon college, gambier, ohio; enlisted in the third ohio volunteer infantry in for service in the mexican war; had his health seriously impaired in the service; spent two years in california, mexico and central america; returned to ohio and read law with his father-in-law, judge r. c. hurd, practiced in mount vernon, ohio, with hon. william windom and came with him to minnesota in , locating at winona. mr. norton served as senator in the first state legislature, where the writer served with him on several committees, among them the committee on the $ , , bond bill, a bill which mr. norton strongly and earnestly opposed, predicting clearly its disastrous results. he also served as senator in the legislatures of - and , when he was elected to the united states senate, which position he held at the time of his death, in . he was twice married, first in , to miss lizzie sherman, of mount vernon, ohio, who died in . the second time to miss laura cantlan, of baltimore, in . william windom, a native of ohio, came to winona in . he had been admitted to practice in , and formed a partnership with d. s. norton in mount vernon, ohio, who came with him to winona, where they continued their law partnership. mr. windom has been quite prominent in the politics of the state and county, having served in the united states senate two terms, from to . he was also a representative in congress from to . he served as secretary of the treasury to fill a vacancy. during his congressional career he was an ardent supporter of the union, and won the respect of the nation for his unswerving firmness in upholding his principles. he is a man of great executive ability, and has used his talents and his wealth, of which he has accumulated a considerable share, in the interests of the public. he has been heavily interested in the building of the northern pacific and other railroads, and in real estate. his opportunities have been great, he has wisely employed them, and richly deserves the success he has achieved. charles h. berry, the first attorney general of the state of minnesota, was born at westerly, rhode island, sept. , . he received an excellent school and academic education, graduating at canandaigua academy in . he afterward read law and was admitted to practice at rochester in . he practiced his profession at corning, new york, until , when he removed to winona and opened the first law office in that city. he was associated until with c. n. waterman. when minnesota became a state, in , he was elected attorney general and served two years. he was state senator in - and has been united states commissioner since . he takes great interest in local and state affairs, especially in educational matters. he has been for many years connected with the city school board and for eight years its president. he was also largely instrumental in locating the state normal school at winona. mr. berry is a democrat in politics, is prominent in masonic circles and a leading member of the episcopal church. he was married to frances e. hubbell, of corning, new york, nov. , . they have one daughter, kate louise, married to prof. c. a. morey, principal of the state normal school. thomas wilson was born in tyrone county, ireland, may , . he received his education in this country, graduating at meadville college, pennsylvania, in . he studied law, was admitted to the bar in , and in the same year came to winona and entered the law firm of sargent & wilson, known a few years later as sargent, wilson & windom. he was a member of the republican wing of the constitutional convention in . he was elected district judge of the fourth district, taking his seat in , and serving six years. in gov. miller appointed him to a vacancy on the supreme bench, caused by the resignation of judge flandrau, and in the fall of the same year he was elected chief justice for a term of seven years. in he resigned this position to resume his law practice. in he was elected as a representative, and from to , inclusive, as a senator in the state legislature. he was elected as a representative to congress in . thomas simpson is of scotch parentage, but was born in yorkshire, england, may , . he came to america with his parents when a child, to dubuque county, iowa. his educational advantages were good, and he learned, when not in school, to assist his father, who was a miner, smelter and farmer. he studied engineering and surveying with e. s. norris, of dubuque, and was engaged in government surveys from to , when he settled in winona, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in , when he formed a law partnership with judge abner lewis and geo. p. wilson. in addition to his law business he has been a heavy dealer in real estate and money loaning. there are few public enterprises in winona which he has not actively promoted. he was a delegate to the national convention that nominated lincoln for the presidency in , also to the convention that nominated grant in . he served as state senator in - . he has been an influential member of the methodist church. he was married oct. , , to maggie holstein, of lewisburg, pennsylvania. they have three sons. wm. h. yale was born nov. , , at new hartford, connecticut; was educated at sheffield institute; came to winona in , and practiced law. he was state senator in - , - , and lieutenant governor from to . other prominent citizens of winona are: dr. james monroe cole, the oldest physician in the city; royal day cone, one of the first merchants; judge wm. mitchell; ---- norton, a lumberman and county treasurer several years; w. w. phelps, first president of the state normal school; ---- hough, builder of the first large hotel; hodgins, yeomans & laird, lumbermen. chapter xxiii. miscellaneous biographies. pierre bottineau was born in the red river settlement, now dakota, in . his early life was passed amongst the ojibways in the employ of various fur companies. he has lived an eventful life and endured many hardships as a hunter, trapper and guide. he was early noted as a pilot to and from the selkirk settlement. in he removed his family from selkirk to st. paul. in he removed to st. anthony falls, east side, where he laid out an addition to the new village. he was also, in , the first settler at maple grove, or "bottineau's prairie," in hennepin county. when he came to fort snelling he was employed by gen. sibley as a guide. in he assisted in selecting locations for forts. in , after the establishment of fort abercrombie, he located the village of breckenridge, now in wilkin county, minnesota. in he accompanied geologist skinner in his exploring expedition, having for its object the survey and location of salt mines, and was guide to col. w. h. noble's wagon road expedition to frazer river. in he accompanied a military expedition with gov. ramsey to conclude treaties with the northern minnesota chippewas. in he accompanied capt. fisk's idaho expedition, and, in , gen. sibley's expedition to the missouri. mr. bottineau now resides at red lake falls, polk county, minnesota. andrew g. chatfield, a member of the minnesota district bench at the time of his death, was born in the town of butternuts, otsego county, new york, jan. , . in he was a member of the new york assembly; in he removed to racine, wisconsin, where he was elected county judge. in he was appointed associate justice of the supreme court of minnesota territory, and he made his home on a beautiful prairie in scott county, on which he laid out the town of belle plaine. he acted as judge four years and then resumed the practice of law. in january, , he was elected judge of the eighth judicial district, which he held until his death, which occurred oct. , . judge chatfield was married in . his widow and an only daughter, mrs. cecilia irwin, reside at belle plaine. hazen mooers.--biographical details of mr. mooers are scant and unreliable. he was probably born about the year . it is said that he was in the battle of plattsburgh, september, , when he was a youth of eighteen years of age, and that he acted as a guard in protecting government and private property. we find by the minnesota historical collections that he came to gray cloud island in and remained till . it is probable that he remained there till . he was commissioner of st. croix county, wisconsin, in - and . when he came to gray cloud island he was accompanied by a mr. robinson, and located in section . while at gray cloud he was married to a daughter of dickson, the trader, and sister of mrs. joseph r. brown. we have been unable to find mention of him later than . john mcdonough berry was born at pittsfield, new hampshire, sept. , . mr. berry received an excellent education at the pittsfield academy, phillips academy and at yale college, from which he graduated in . he was a member of the phi beta kappa society. he was in the law office of ira paley, later chief justice of new hampshire. in he was admitted to the bar at concord, new hampshire. he commenced practice at alton corners, belknap county, new hampshire. three years later he came west and located at janesville, wisconsin. in he moved to faribault, this state, and at once came into prominence. in he was a member of the territorial house of representatives and chairman of the judiciary committee. in he was sent to the state senate from rice county, and in he was elected associate justice of the state supreme court, a position he has filled with honor to himself and the bar. he removed to minneapolis in and died there, greatly lamented, nov. , . an obituary notice from the daily press gives a fair estimate of his character: "he was not a man that mingled much in society or put himself forward on any occasion, yet he had a very social, genial disposition, and every one that knew him valued the acquaintance highly. as a judge he was universally esteemed. his decisions were always marked by a peculiarly vigorous grasp of bottom facts. his mind was a naturally judicial one. his own ideas were fresh and original, and his way of expressing them unusually vigorous. he devoted himself wholly to his judicial duties and to his family. he was a great reader and student and a great home man. his affections were wholly centred in his wife and children. his distaste for ostentation and publicity is evidenced in his expressed wish for a private funeral." he was married may , , to alice a. parker, of roscoe, illinois, who survives him. mark h. dunnell is of scotch descent. he was born july , , at buxton, maine. he was raised on a farm, but graduated at waterville college, maine, in , and for three years following was engaged in teaching. in he was elected to the maine house of representatives, and afterward served five years as state superintendent of schools. he studied law, was admitted to the bar in , and in practiced his profession in portland. in he was appointed united states consul to vera cruz, mexico. before going to mexico he was appointed colonel of the fifth maine volunteers, and participated in the first battle of bull run. he resigned his consulship in , and returned to maine, where he aided the governor in recruiting and organizing regiments for the military service. in he came to winona, minnesota, was a member of the minnesota house of representatives in , and afterward served three years as state superintendent of instruction. he resigned this office to take a seat in congress, and represented his district a period of ten years. he was married nov. , , to sarah a. parrington, of goshen, maine. they have three children living. james heaton baker, son of rev. henry baker, a methodist preacher, and hannah (heaton) baker, was born in monroe, ohio, may , . he graduated at ohio wesleyan university in . in he purchased the sciota _gazette_, at chillicothe, ohio. in he was elected secretary of state on the ticket headed by salmon p. chase as governor. in he removed to minnesota, where, for two successive terms he was elected to the same office. at the outbreak of the civil war he resigned, and accepted a colonel's commission in the tenth minnesota volunteers. in his command was ordered to the south, and he was detached and made provost marshal of st. louis, and subsequently of the department of missouri, in which position he served until the close of the war, he being meanwhile promoted to a brevet brigadier generalship. at the close of the war he was appointed register of the land office at booneville, missouri, but in two years resigned and returned to his farm in blue earth county, minnesota. in president grant appointed him commissioner of pensions, a position for which he was singularly well fitted. he resigned in , and was appointed by president grant surveyor general of minnesota. gen. baker has been prominent in masonic circles, and has contributed much to the newspaper and periodical press. he was married sept. , , to rose r., daughter of reuben h. thurston, then of delaware, ohio, now of mankato, minnesota. this estimable lady died at washington city, march , , leaving two sons, arthur and harry e. gen. baker, since his appointment as surveyor general, has resided at mankato. he served in and as railroad commissioner for the state. horace burton strait is of virginia revolutionary stock. he was born in potter county, pennsylvania, jan. , . his educational advantages were such only as the common schools afforded, and he is largely self cultured. he came to minnesota in , and engaged in farming near shakopee, but in moved to the county seat, and engaged in mercantile business. in august, , he enlisted in company i, ninth minnesota volunteers, commanded by col. alexander wilkin; was commissioned as captain, and in as major; was mustered out at the close of the war, since which time he has been engaged in milling, banking and farming. he was president of the first national bank of shakopee. he served as mayor of shakopee in - - , when he was elected to congress, and served by continuous re-elections until , when j. l. madonald became his successor. he was emphatically a working member. he has been twice married. his first wife died in , leaving one child. judson wade bishop was born at evansville, new york, june , . he received an academic education at fredonia academy, and at union academy, belleville, new york. leaving school at the age of sixteen, he was employed for several years as clerk and book-keeper and in teaching. having a taste for civil engineering he fitted himself for usefulness in that department at the rensselaer polytechnic institute of troy, new york, and in secured a position as draughtsman on the canadian grand trunk railway. at the completion of the road, in , he obtained employment in railroad surveying, making his residence at chatfield until , where he purchased a newspaper, the chatfield _democrat_. at the first call for troops in he sold his office, volunteered as a soldier, and was mustered in as captain of a company in the second regiment, june , . he was mustered out at the close of the war with the brevet rank of brigadier general, and resumed railroad work, in which he has since been active and conspicuous. for some years he was manager of the st. paul & sioux city. his connection with railroad enterprises necessitated his removal in to le sueur, in to mankato and in to st. paul, which has since been his home. he has also been a heavy dealer in real estate. he was married jan. , , to nellie s. husted, of galena, illinois, who died sept. , , leaving three sons, charles husted, edwin judson and robert haven. john louis mcdonald.--the paternal ancestors of our subject were highlanders, of the clan "mcdonald of the isle." john louis was born in glasgow, scotland, feb. , ; came with his parents to america in , lived a few years in nova scotia, then removed to pittsburgh where he received an academic education. he removed to belle plaine, scott county, minnesota, in , read law with judge chatfield, and was admitted to practice at shakopee in , removing thither three years later, and continuing in practice, serving as probate judge from to and publishing and editing the belle plaine _enquirer_, and later, the shakopee _argus_, serving two years as prosecuting attorney, four years as superintendent of schools, two years as state representative ( - ) and three years as state senator ( - and ). in he was elected district judge, and served seven years. in he took his seat as representative in congress. as a judge he is thoroughly well informed, clear-sighted and impartial. thomas h. armstrong was born in milan, ohio, feb. , . he graduated from western reserve college in , commenced the practice of law at la crosse, wisconsin, in , practiced at high forest, minnesota, until , when he discontinued practice. three years later he moved to albert lea, minnesota, and established the freeborn county bank. mr. armstrong has acted a prominent part in the legislation of the state, having been a representative in the legislatures of and , and, as lieutenant governor, president of the senate for the four succeeding terms. he was elected speaker of the house in the legislature of . as a presiding officer he was courteous, dignified, and fair in his rulings, and an excellent parliamentarian. april , , he was married to mrs. elisabeth m. butman, daughter of john burgess, of cleveland, ohio. augustas armstrong, a younger brother of the foregoing, and a prominent citizen of albert lea, died in . moses k. armstrong, another brother, has represented dakota in congress. james b. wakefield was born at winstead, litchfield county, connecticut, march , . he graduated at trinity college, hartford, in ; studied law, and was admitted to practice in ; came to shakopee, minnesota; practiced law two years and removed to blue earth city. he has been called to fill various and responsible public positions. he was a member of the legislature several terms, serving as representative in , and , and as senator in - - . he served as deputy indian agent at the lower sioux agency from to the indian outbreak, and in was appointed receiver of the winnebago land office, which position he held six years. from to he served as lieutenant governor of minnesota, and from to as member of congress. he served as a delegate to the republican convention which nominated president grant in , and to the convention which nominated president hayes in . mr. wakefield was married in august, , to miss nannette reinhart, of blue earth city. william wallace braden was born in iberia, ohio, dec. , . he was educated in the district schools and reared as a farmer. in november he came to fillmore county with his father, and engaged in farming. he was a member of the legislature in - , and has served three terms as county treasurer. during the civil war he served three years with the rank of lieutenant, and then of captain in company k, sixth minnesota volunteers, and was for some time detached from his command as provost marshal of southern missouri, with headquarters at springfield. capt. braden is prominent as a mason, and as a republican takes an active interest in the politics of the state and nation. he was elected state auditor in , and re-elected in . he was married march , , to addie griswold, of pennsylvania. reuben butters was born in union, lincoln county, maine, may , . he received such education as could be obtained at winter schools, and employed himself chiefly in clerking and mercantile pursuits until , when he came to minnesota and became the first permanent settler in the minnesota valley above shakopee. he made the first claim at le sueur, having, in connection with messrs. thompson and lindsey, a station at that place, also at kasota. he has been engaged chiefly in farming. he has also a stone quarry and store in kasota, and does a fair amount of trading. mr. butters was a member of the first state legislature, and has served seven or eight sessions since. he was county commissioner many years. in politics he is a democrat. mr. butters has been twice married, first in november, , to elizabeth hill, of cleveland, ohio, and second in may, , to mrs. mary e. rogers, of maine. he died march , . michael doran, a most successful business man and prominent in political affairs, having served six terms in the state senate, was born in the county of meath, ireland, nov. , . he received but little education before coming to this country in , when, although over twenty-one years of age, he obtained two years' schooling. he landed in new york city, remained in the state about a year and removed to norwalk, ohio, where he farmed and kept a grocery store. in he came westward and located at le sueur, where he engaged in farming. in he was elected county treasurer and served and held the office eight years. since he has been engaged in banking, farming and real estate operations. he is also one of the owners of the elevator and flouring mill at le sueur. in politics he is a democrat and was an elector on the mcclellan ticket. his senatorial terms were from to and and . he has been twice married. his first wife was ellen brady, of norwalk, ohio, married in may, . his second wife was catherine j. grady, of le sueur, married feb. , . andrew mccrea was born in new brunswick in , received a common school education and learned the business of farming and lumbering. his father having died early, the support of a mother and crippled brother devolved upon him. he was married to jane murphy, in new brunswick, when he was twenty-one years of age. mrs. mccrea died in . he married a second wife in . his family consists of eight sons and one daughter. he came to minnesota in , removed to stearns county in , and to otter tail county in , where he now resides in the town of perham. he was a member of the legislature of - , and of the senate of to , inclusive. in he was appointed one of the commissioners to locate the second state prison. john w. blake was born in foxcroft, maine, in . his parents moved to wisconsin in . he received a good education in the common schools, in milton academy, and wisconsin state university, and became a civil engineer. he served as a soldier during the war of the rebellion. in he came to minnesota, located at marshall, lyon county, and the same year was elected a representative in the legislature. he was a member of the senate during the years , , , and . knute nelson, born in norway, came to america, studied law at wisconsin university, and was admitted to the bar. he came to alexandria in , where he practiced law. he was a senator in the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth legislatures, and was elected representative to congress from the fifth minnesota district in and . mr. nelson is a man of unquestioned ability and force, a strong republican, and an enthusiastic advocate of a modified tariff. w. r. denny was born at keene, new hampshire, in ; received an academic education, and after spending eight years in wisconsin, came to carver, minnesota, in . he served in the state legislatures of , , , and . he was appointed united states marshal from to . he was grand master of the masonic fraternity in - . he was married in wisconsin in , and has a family of four children. [illustration: present home of the author erected by him a.d. .] appendix. miscellaneous incidents, items and statistics, including an accurate account of the various treaties between the united states government and the indian tribes inhabiting the territories of wisconsin and minnesota. brief history of the northwest territory until the creation of wisconsin territory in . spanish claims. the spaniards have made persistent claims to territory lying along the atlantic coast, the shores of the gulf of mexico, and up the valley of the mississippi, basing their claims on discovery and conquest. in juan ponce de leon, a companion of columbus, discovered florida, and planted on its shores the standard of spain. in hernando de soto visited florida and having strengthened the spanish claim adventured west to the mississippi, on which river he died and in which he was stealthily buried by his surviving followers, who returned to florida broken and dispirited with the loss of half their number. by virtue of de soto's discovery of the mississippi, the spaniards now laid claim to the land along that river and its tributaries. they also claimed land lying along the atlantic coast, without limit, northward. this large and somewhat indefinite empire was by them styled florida, after the name of the peninsula on which they gained their first foothold. unable to defend or enforce their claims, they gradually relinquished them, giving up tract after tract, until the peninsula of florida alone remained to them. this was ceded to the united states in . the government of the territory was vested in the discoverers. ponce de leon was governor from until . de soto was governor of florida and cuba until . melendez, by compact with king philip, succeeded him, his commission giving him a life tenure. the history of the spanish possessions is by no means interesting, and illustrates chiefly the spanish greed for gold. french claims. the french early disputed the claims of the spaniards and portuguese to the possession of the new world, and accordingly in sent a florentine, jean verrazzani, who explored the coast from carolina to nova scotia, took possession of it, and called it new france. ten years later cartea continued the work, sailing around new foundland and ascending the st. lawrence as far as the site of montreal. in a french colony located in florida, but were almost immediately exterminated by the spaniards. during the following century the french pushed their explorations to the regions of the mississippi and the great lakes. in the year champlain was engaged in the exploration of the st. lawrence, and in , he, with two other frenchmen, explored lake champlain and the country of the iroquois and took possession of it in the name of henry iv of france. in and he explored lake huron, entered saginaw bay, passed down detroit river, exploring lake erie, and laid the foundation of french sovereignty in the valley of the st. lawrence. champlain for many years prosecuted the fur trade where boston now stands, prior to the landing of the pilgrims at plymouth rock. we have not space for a complete account of the conflicting claims of the french and english, but will give the boundaries of new france as defined by french and english authorities at different times: --l' escartot, in his "histoire de la nouvelle france," defines the french boundaries as extending "on the west to the pacific ocean, on the south to the spanish west indies, on the east to the north atlantic, and on the north to the frozen sea." --baron la honton says, "all the world knows that canada reaches from the th to the th degrees of north latitude and from the th to the th degrees of longitude." [more accurately from about to degrees west, or from cape race to the mississippi.] the french government persistently denied the right of the english to any territory west of the alleghanies. the great northwest, therefore, was for a long time under french rule and influence. we must accord to france the credit of making the first progress in civil government in the northwest. they made many permanent settlements and by a wise and pacific policy so conciliating the indian tribes that they were able to hold their positions on the frontier at will. they were early and persistent explorers, and, under the guidance of pious and devoted jesuit missionaries, planted settlements in the most desirable places. they made a cordon of posts reaching from louisiana to the gulf of st. lawrence, along the mississippi and ohio rivers, and along the chain of the great lakes, completely surrounded the english colonies and disputed with them the possession of the country. the french-english war of to failed to decide satisfactorily the question of the interior domain. in new france was divided into two provinces, that of canada and that of louisiana, the dividing line being the ohio, mississippi and missouri rivers, the mississippi boundary line extending from the mouth of the ohio to the mouth of the missouri river. mobile was made the capital of the southern province. the patent or commission of the new province was issued to crozat, marquis du chatel. the illinois country was afterward added, and it seems probable that the country east of the wabash was also included in it. all north of the boundary named formed part of the province of canada. other boundaries than these have been given by geographers, but these boundaries are sufficiently established by official documents. in all of the territory claimed by france lying east of the mississippi river was ceded to the english, the territory lying west to spain. virginia, by three royal charters, given in , and , by the english government, held a part of the northwest territory, and in established three counties north of the ohio river, named ohio, youghiogheny and monongahela, but in ceded this territory to the united states. its settlement was somewhat impeded by the perils of the wilderness, not the least of which was the doubtful and often unfriendly attitude of the indians, resulting in many cases from the changes in the tenure of the lands, and the influence of french or english emissaries, generally hostile to american claims. the history of these early settlements is replete with thrilling adventures. the first settlement made in the newly ceded territory was at marietta, ohio, in , under the supervision of gen. rufus putnam, nephew of gen. israel putnam, and first surveyor general of the northwest territory. the settlement was named marietta, in honor of queen marie antoinette, who had been a firm friend to the colonies during the revolutionary struggle. gen. arthur st. clair was appointed governor july , , of the newly organized ohio territory. the country claimed by virginia under the royal charters included the land lying between the sea shore on the east, and the mississippi on the west, the ohio river on the south, and the british possessions on the north. it will be seen, therefore, that that part of the northwest territory lying immediately along the eastern banks of the mississippi now comprised in the state of wisconsin and part of minnesota, has been successively claimed by spain, france, england, virginia, and the united states, and under the territorial governments of the northwest--ohio, indiana, illinois, michigan and wisconsin territories. that part of minnesota lying west of the mississippi belonged to the french by right of discovery, but passed into the hands of spain, thence back again into the hands of france, by whom, with the territory known as louisiana, it was sold to the united states in . the original grant to virginia included far more than the area of the state and that of the northwest territory, but was subsequently reduced by grants made by states lying north of virginia, and vexatious disputes arose as to titles, a circumstance calculated to retard rapid settlement. we append the following data concerning the early history of the territory included in the present states of wisconsin and minnesota, tabulated for more convenient reference: . jean nicollet ventured into wisconsin, and explored the country from lake michigan for a considerable distance down the wisconsin river. . two fur traders penetrated to lake superior and wintered there, probably on wisconsin soil. . rev. m. menard with eight companions came to la pointe, lake superior. . claude allouez, an eminent pioneer missionary, succeeded menard, and re-established the mission at la pointe. . father allouez established a mission on the shores of green bay, locating it at depere in . . father allouez made a voyage of the fox and wisconsin rivers to within a short distance of the mississippi--a near approach to the discovery of the father of waters. . in this year the french took formal possession of the whole northwest, confirmed in . . louis joliet, accompanied by father james marquette, discovered the mississippi river. . father marquette coasted lake michigan, from green bay, by milwaukee, to the site of the present city of chicago. . the griffin, a schooner built by la salle, and the first to make a voyage of the lakes above niagara, arrived at the mouth of green bay. capt. duluth held a council, and concluded a peace with the natives of lake superior. . about the first of may father louis hennepin arrived at mille lacs, as prisoner of a dakotah war party, who captured him at lake pepin, while on his way up the mississippi. he remained at mille lacs several months. on his return homeward, after being released, he discovered the falls, which he named for his patron saint, anthony of padua. his book, published after his return to europe, is the first printed account of minnesota. . le sueur made a voyage of the fog and wisconsin rivers to the mississippi. . nicholas perrot first planted the cross and arms of france on the soil of minnesota, and first laid formal claim to the country for france. he built a fort on lake pepin, near lake city. . le sueur built a fort on isle pelee, in the mississippi, below prescott. . le sueur established fort l'huillier, on the blue earth river (near the mouth of the le sueur), and first supplied the sioux with firearms. . le louvigny's battle with the fox indians at butte des morts. . francis renalt explored the upper mississippi with two hundred miners. . previous to this date a french fort had been established at green bay, on the present site of fort howard. . the french established a fort on lake pepin, with sieur de lapperriere as commandant. a trading post, called fort beauharnois, was established on the north side of lake pepin. . there was a great flood in the mississippi, and fort beauharnois was submerged. a french expedition, under de lignery, from mackinaw, punished the foxes. . a battle took place between the french, and the sacs and foxes. . sieur marin, in command at green bay, made a peace with the indians. . capt. balfour and lieut. gorrell, with english troops, took possession of green bay. . the english, under lieut. gorrell, abandoned green bay in consequence of the indian war under pontiac. treaty of paris, by which all the territory of new france, including wisconsin, was surrendered to the english. about this date the canadian-french trading establishment at green bay ripened into a permanent settlement, the first upon any portion of the territory now forming the state of wisconsin. by the treaty of versailles, france ceded minnesota east of the mississippi to england, and west of it to spain. . capt. jonathan carver visited st. anthony falls and minnesota river. he pretended to have made a treaty with the indians the following spring, in a cave near st. paul, known for several years as carver's cave. he also reports a town of three hundred inhabitants at prairie du chien. . a civil government was established over canada and the northwest, by the celebrated "quebec act." . indians from wisconsin join the british against the americans. . julian dubuque explored the lead region of the upper mississippi. . there was an indian council at green bay. permission to work the lead mines was given to dubuque. . lawrence barth built a cabin at the portage of the fog and wisconsin rivers, and engaged in the carrying trade. . french settlement commenced at milwaukee. . the western posts were surrendered by the english to the united states, and the ordinance of extended over the northwest. - . the northwestern fur company established itself in minnesota. . indiana territory organized, including wisconsin. . antoine barth settled at the portage of the fog and wisconsin rivers. . indian treaty at st. louis; southern wisconsin purchased. . michigan territory organized. . thomas nuttall, the botanist, explored wisconsin. illinois territory was organized, including nearly all the present state of wisconsin. . indians assembled at green bay to join the english. . gov. clark took possession of prairie du chien. prairie du chien surrendered to the british. . united states trading post established at green bay. . indian treaty confirming that of . united states troops took possession of prairie du chien, and commenced the erection of fort crawford. col. miller commenced the erection of fort howard, at green bay. . state of illinois was organized; wisconsin attached to michigan. brown, crawford and michillimackinac counties were organized by the territory of michigan which embraced in their boundaries, besides other territory, the whole of the present state of wisconsin. . united states commissioners adjusted land claims at green bay. . the new york indians purchase lands east of lake winnebago. james johnson obtained from the indians the right to dig for lead by negro slaves from kentucky. . january. counties of brown, crawford and michillimackinac made a separate judicial district by congress. first steamboat on the upper mississippi, with maj. taliafero and count beltrami. lieut. bayfield, of the british navy, makes a survey of lake superior. . first term of united states court held at green bay, judge duane doty presiding. . great flood on the red river of the north; a part of the colony driven to minnesota, and settle near fort snelling. . first steamboat on lake michigan. . rush of speculators to lead mines. treaty with menomonies at butte des morts. . fort winnebago built. indian treaty at green bay. lead ore discovered at mineral point and at dodgeville. . black hawk war. schoolcraft explored sources of mississippi river. first mission established at leech lake, by rev. w. t. boutwell, now of stillwater. . the portion of minnesota west of the mississippi attached to michigan. gen. h. h. sibley settles at mendota. . catlin and featherstonhaugh visit minnesota. . the territory of wisconsin organized. nicollet visits minnesota. . gov. dodge, of wisconsin, made a treaty at fort snelling, with the ojibways, by which the latter ceded lands on the st. croix and its tributaries; a treaty was also effected at washington with a deputation of dakotahs for their lands east of the mississippi. these treaties led the way to the first actual settlements in the territory. . the treaty ratified by congress. frank steele makes a claim at st. anthony falls. pierre parrant makes a claim and builds a shanty on the present site of st. paul. . sioux and chippewa battle fought near stillwater. . st. croix county established. the chapel of "st. paul" built and consecrated, giving the name to the capital of the state of minnesota. . stillwater settled. . august th, the wisconsin enabling act passed. . the wisconsin constitutional convention meets. the town of st. paul surveyed, platted and recorded in the st. croix county register of deeds' office. first improvement of the water power at falls of st. anthony. treaty with the chippewas at fond du lac, august d. treaty with the pillagers at leech lake, august st. . may th, wisconsin admitted. august th, the "stillwater convention" held, to take measures for a separate territorial organization. october th, h. h. sibley elected delegate to congress. . great flood on the mississippi. minnesota river navigated by steamboats. census of minnesota shows population of , . . permanent location of the capital of minnesota at st paul. treaty of the traverse des sioux, opening territory west of the mississippi to settlement july d. treaty at mendota with the sioux august th. . president pierce appoints willis a. gorman governor of minnesota. . real estate mania commenced. treaty with the chippewas at la pointe, september th. . treaty at washington, district of columbia, with the chippewas, and cession of lands in minnesota, february d. . enabling act to admit minnesota passed congress. president buchanan appoints gen. sam medary governor of minnesota. ink-pa-dootah massacre in april. minnesota constitutional convention met in june. constitution adopted in october. . minnesota admitted as a state. state loan of $ , guaranteed. the $ , , loan bill adopted. . hard times. work on the land grant road ceases. collapse of the $ , , scheme. first export of grain this fall. . federal census, , . . april th. president's proclamation for troops received. the first regiment recruits at once. june d it embarks at fort snelling for the seat of war. . call for , men. august th, massacre at acton; th, outbreak at lower sioux agency; th, new ulm attacked; th, fort ridgely attacked; th, second attack on new ulm; th, fort abercrombie besieged; september st, the bloody affair at birch coolie; th, first railroad in minnesota in operation between st. paul and minneapolis; d, battle of wood lake; th, captives surrendered at camp release; military commission tries indians for murder, rape, etc.; condemned to die; december th, hanged at mankato. . gen. sibley's expedition to the missouri river. july d, little crow killed; th, battle of big mound; th, battle of dead buffalo lake; th, battle of stony lake. treaty at crossing of red lake river with chippewas, and cession of dakotah lands, october d. . large levies for troops. expedition to missouri river under sully. inflation of money market. occasional indian raids. . peace returns. minnesota regiments return and are disbanded; in all , troops furnished by the state. census shows , inhabitants. - . rapid railroad building everywhere, immigration heavy, "good times" prevail, and real estate inflated. . january th, th and th, polar wave sweeps over the state; seventy persons perish. september, the jay cooke failure creates another panic. grasshopper raid begins and continues five seasons. . september th, armed outlaws from missouri attack a northfield bank. three killed, three prisoners. . minnesota legislature adopts biennial sessions. . may d, three flouring mills at minneapolis explode; eighteen lives lost. . november th, hospital for the insane at st. peter partly destroyed by fire; twenty-five lives lost. . march , capitol at st. paul destroyed by fire. . cyclone destroys sauk rapids. wisconsin legislature adopts biennial sessions. the boundary question. the question of the western boundary of wisconsin had been agitated since the martin bill for the organization of the state had been introduced in . this bill established the present boundary. the majority of the people residing in the valley of the st. croix were opposed to it on the ground that the interests of the valley on both sides were identical, and that it was not proper that the two sides should be separated by a state line. the question became a political one, and at the election of delegates for the constitutional convention of oct. , , wm. holcombe was elected over joseph bowron, as representing the sentiments of the people of the valley as opposed to the proposed boundary line. in convention mr. holcombe advocated a boundary line commencing at mount trempeleau on the mississippi, running due north to lake superior. failing in this, he advocated a boundary line to be established at a point fifteen miles due east of the most easterly point on lake st. croix, said line extending from that point due south to the mississippi and due north to the tributary waters of lake superior. in this he was successful, and the constitution in which this boundary line was thus fixed went to the people and was rejected, greatly to the disappointment of the people of the st. croix valley, who felt that they had been unjustly dealt with. there seems, indeed, to be but little excuse for the attitude of the majority of the citizens of wisconsin with regard to this boundary. certainly but little attention was shown to the interests of the people in the western section of the territory. prior to the meeting of the second constitutional convention, dec. , , public meetings were held at st. croix falls and in stillwater, at which latter place enthusiastic resolutions were passed remonstrating against this unnatural boundary, which resolutions were signed by nearly all the citizens of the st. croix valley, and a few in and around st. paul, asking the convention to establish the western boundary on a line running due north from the foot of lake pepin to lake superior. george w. brownell was elected from the st. croix district to the second convention, with instructions to work for this boundary. joseph bowron, brownell's opponent, was defeated by a large majority. the following is the abstract of votes: bowron. brownell. willow river (now hudson) lake st. croix stillwater st. paul marine mills ... st. croix falls clam river apple river wood lake rush lake osceola (no election) --- --- totals mr. brownell made strong and persistent efforts to have the boundary line adjusted in accordance with the sentiments of the people of the valley, but in vain. morgan l. martin, delegate to congress from wisconsin territory, had framed the bill establishing the present boundary, and it was urged that any effort to change the line would tend to prevent the immediate admission of the state, and it was thought a political necessity that the state should be admitted at once, that it might take part in the ensuing presidential election. under such pressure the convention made haste to adopt, and the people to accept, a constitution with boundary lines that should never have been made. the state was admitted in time to cast its electoral vote for gen. zachary taylor and millard fillmore. at a meeting held by the people of the st. croix valley, subsequent to this convention and prior to its adoption by the people, the following resolutions were passed, and we append them as expressing very generally the sentiments of the people of the valley: whereas, by the establishment of the st. croix river as a part of the boundary line between the state and territory of wisconsin, the inhabitants of our remote settlements are greatly aggrieved, our local rights and privileges neglected and abridged, our geographical, material and natural political alliance with our neighbors of the new territory will be cut off; and whereas, our oft repeated remonstrances and appeals to the authorities of the new state have been unavailing; therefore _resolved_, that the establishment of the st. croix river as a part of the boundary of the state of wisconsin, against the will of the inhabitants of the valley of said river, is unjust, unreasonable and contrary to the principles upon which our government is founded. _resolved_, that in establishing the present boundary, our known and acknowledged wishes and interests are invaded by the might of a majority; that as the boundary is now established, so great is the distance and obstacles intervening, severing us, together with the people of lake superior, from the seat of government, that we can not enjoy a prompt and equitable share in representation, and we would respectfully admonish our brethren that equal representation involves a principle which is deeply and peculiarly american. _resolved_, that the interests of the inhabitants of st. croix, being identical from the nature of the staple business of the country, the river being the natural centre to which all the business of the valley tends, a boundary severing the natural ties in connection is uncalled for, inconvenient and vexatious. _resolved_, that the inhabitants of the territory of the whole northwest are deeply interested in procuring a just and wise alteration of the present line of divisions, because from the geography of the country, the line as now established, we are robbed of a future star in the galaxy of the american sisterhood of states. _resolved_, that we pledge ourselves to stand united and unceasingly use all honorable means in our power to procure the establishment of a boundary east of st. croix valley. _resolved_, that a committee of three be appointed to prepare and forward a memorial to the present legislature on this subject. the resolutions as a whole were unanimously adopted. in accordance with the last resolution the chair appointed wm. r. marshall, g. w. brownell and w. h. c. folsom, esqs., a committee. on motion the secretary was instructed to forward copies of the proceedings of the meeting to the prairie du chien _patriot_, galena _gazette_ and wisconsin _argus_, requesting their publication. h. h. perkins, _chairman_. r. v. d. smith, _secretary_. no attention was paid to the action of the public meeting. it is possible that none was expected. it was some satisfaction to the people of the valley to give such an expression of their opinion of the wrong done them. the admission of wisconsin with the st. croix as a boundary line left the country immediately west of that river virtually without law. nevertheless, wisconsin territorial laws were acknowledged west of the st. croix and were generally considered binding until a new territorial government should be organized. the territorial governor, gen. henry dodge, had been elected united states senator and therefore could not claim jurisdiction over this part of the territory lying beyond state limits. john catlin, territorial secretary, held that the territorial government still existed in the part of the original territory excluded. at a public meeting held in stillwater, aug. , (a preliminary meeting having been held august th, at which an understanding was effected with mr. catlin and he invited to exercise authority as a territorial officer), steps were taken for the organization of a new territory, and mr. catlin, having removed to stillwater, issued a proclamation in his official capacity, ordering an election to be held for the selection of a delegate to congress. to facilitate this movement john h. tweedy, territorial delegate from wisconsin, resigned. the election was held oct. , , and h. h. sibley was elected as a successor to john h. tweedy, his papers being certified by john catlin, secretary of wisconsin territory. mr. sibley proceeded to washington, presented his credentials and patiently awaited recognition, which was not very speedily accorded, there being considerable discussion as to the right of excluded territory to continued political existence. his admission, on the fifteenth of january, as a delegate, settled the question and established a precedent that the creation of a state government does not deprive portions of the territory not included within state limits of the right to existence and representation. mr. sibley ably presented the claims of his constituents and with great difficulty succeeded in procuring the passage of a bill organizing the new territory of minnesota. with all respect to the action of congress in receiving mr. sibley as a legally elected delegate (and, under the circumstances, the action seems wise), the question still rises: "had we a legal territorial government?" if we had, what was the necessity for a new organization? why could not the excluded territory continue under the old _regime_, or inherit, so to speak, the old government machinery? if we had no legal existence, by what authority could mr. sibley represent us? the wisconsin territorial government had ceased to exist. ours had not begun to live. the territory of minnesota was created by act of congress, march , , a little over thirty days after the introduction of the bill creating it. there had been some discussion as to the name. in the bill presented by morgan l. martin it was named minnesota. senator stephen a. douglas, chairman of the committee on territories, recommended the passage of the bill, and that the new territory be named itasca. when the bill was before the house the names chippewa, jackson and washington were proposed, but the name in the original bill was adopted. it is a compound word, taken from the sioux language, and has for its meaning "land of sky-tinted water." the news of the passage of the bill reached stillwater april th, and was received with great rejoicing. the united states land office which had been established at st. croix falls in was removed to stillwater july , . abraham van voorhes was appointed register and william holcombe receiver. indian treaties. sept. , , at the mouth of st. peter's river (now mendota) with the sioux. (for account of this treaty see "gen. pike and the indians.") july , , at st. peter (now mendota), wisconsin territory, the chippewa indians ceded to the united states the following tract of country: beginning at the junction of the crow wing and mississippi rivers, between twenty and thirty miles, above where the mississippi is crossed by the forty-sixth parallel of north latitude, and running thence to the north point of lake st. croix, one of the sources of the st. croix river; thence to and along the dividing ridge between the waters of lake superior and those of the mississippi, to the sources of the ochasua-sepe, a tributary of the chippewa river; thence to a point on the chippewa river twenty miles below the outlet of lake de flambeau; thence to the junction of the wisconsin and pelican rivers; thence on an east course twenty-five miles; thence southerly on a course parallel with that of the wisconsin river to the line dividing the territories of the chippewas and the menomonies; thence to the plover portage; thence along the southern boundary of the chippewa country to the commencement of the boundary line dividing it from that of the sioux, half a day's march below the falls on the chippewa river; thence with said boundary line to the month of the waw-tab[f] river, at its junction with the mississippi; and thence up the mississippi to the place of beginning. henry dodge, _commissioner_. sept. , , at washington, district of columbia, the sioux nation of indians ceded to the united states all their lands east of the mississippi river, and all of their islands in the said river, joel r. poinsett, secretary of war, commanding, which cession embraced all their land east of the mississippi and west of the following lines commencing at the chippewa river, half a day's march below the falls, from thence to red cedar river, immediately below the falls; thence to the st. croix river at a point called the standing cedar, about a day's paddle in a canoe, above the lake at the mouth of that river; thence passing between two lakes called by the chippewas, "green, lakes," and by the sioux, "the lakes they bury the eagles in," thence to the standing cedar, that "the sioux split;" thence to rum river, crossing at the mouth of a small creek called choking creek, a long day's march from the mississippi; thence to a point of woods that project into the prairie, half a day's march from the mississippi; thence in a straight line to the mouth of the first river which enters the mississippi at the east side above the mouth of sac river (watab river). the above boundary line was established between the sioux and chippewa indiana at prairie du chien, aug. , . william clark, lewis cass, _commissioners_. st. paul, east minneapolis and stillwater are embraced within the above limits. nov. , , at washington, district of columbia, with the winnebagoes. the winnebagoes at this treaty ceded all their lands lying east of the mississippi river, and received in return $ , . of this amount $ , was reserved to satisfy the claims of indian traders, and the remaining $ , was paid to certain individuals of the tribe. there was set apart the further sum of $ , , to be paid, by order of the president of the united states, to mixed blood relatives of these indiana. simon cameron, of pennsylvania, and james murray, of maryland, were commissioned to adjust claims, pay debts and partition the amount alloted to the mixed bloods. the winnebagoes, including mixed blood relatives, numbered over , souls. the payments and adjustments were made at prairie du chien, october, . soon after complaints were made of the arbitrary and unjust distribution of these funds. the secretary of war, joel r. poinsett, countermanded the action of the commissioners and appointed judge fleming, of new york, to act as commissioner. the parties were reassembled at prairie du chien in september, , and the unpleasant business was in some way adjusted and closed up. aug. , , at fond du lac of lake superior, the chippewa indians of the mississippi and lake superior ceded to the united states the country beginning at the junction of the crow wing and mississippi rivers, thence up the crow wing river to the junction of that river with the long prairie river; thence up the long prairie river to the boundary line between the sioux and chippewa indians; thence southerly along said boundary line to a lake at the head of long prairie river; thence in a direct line to the sources of the (waw-tab) river; thence down that river to its junction with the mississippi river; thence up the mississippi river to the place of beginning. issac a. verplanck, henry m. rice, _commissioners_. aug. , , at leech lake, the pillager band of chippewa indians ceded to the united states the country beginning at the south end of otter tail lake; thence southerly on the boundary line between the sioux and chippewa indians to long prairie river; thence up said river to crow wing river; thence up crow wing river to leaf river; thence up leaf river to its head; thence in a direct line to the place of beginning. issac a. verplanck, henry m. rice, _commissioners_. july , , at traverse des sioux (now st. peter), the see-see-toan and wah-pay-toan bands of dakotah or sioux indians ceded to the united states all their lands in the state of iowa; and the territory of minnesota, lying east of a line beginning at the junction of the buffalo river and the red river of the north; thence along the western bank of said river to the mouth of the sioux wood river; thence along the western bank of said sioux wood river to lake traverse; thence along the western shore of said lake to the northern extremity thereof; thence in a direct line to the junction of kampeska lake with the tchan-kas-an-data or sioux river; thence along the western bank of said river to its point of intersection with the northern line of the state of iowa, including all the islands in said rivers and lake. luke lea, commissioner of indian affairs, alexander ramsey, governor and _ex-officio_ superintendent of indian affairs, _commissioners_. a small reservation was set apart for said indians, which they forfeited by their attack upon the whites in . aug. , , at mendota, the med-ay-wa-kan-toan and wah-pay-koo-tay bands of dakotah and sioux indians ceded to the united states all of their lands in the territory of minnesota and state of iowa. luke lea, alexander ramsey, _commissioners_. the two treaties made by commissioners lea and ramsey included the following area: beginning at the junction of buffalo river with the red river of the north, in clay county; thence along the western bank of the red river of the north to the mouth of sioux wood river; thence along the western bank of sioux wood river to lake traverse; thence along its western shore to its southern extremity; thence to the head of sioux river; thence along said sioux river to the northern line of the state of iowa; thence along the southern boundary of the state of minnesota to the mississippi river; thence up said river to the mouth of waw-tab river (just north of st. cloud in stearns county); thence up that river to its head; thence to the place of beginning. a part of the state of iowa not included in the above was also ceded to the united states. a large strip of dakota territory is included. this last tract includes nearly one-half of the state of minnesota, containing its now richest and most populous counties. sept. , , at la pointe, lake superior, wisconsin, the chippewas of lake superior ceded to the united states all of their lands lying east of a line beginning at a point where the east branch of snake river crosses the southern boundary line of the chippewa country, running thence up the said branch to its source; thence nearly north in a straight line to the mouth of east savannah river; thence up the st. louis river to the mouth of east swan river; thence up the east swan river to its source; thence in a straight line to the most westerly bend of vermillion river, and thence down the vermillion river to its mouth. henry c. gilbert, david b. herriman, _commissioners_. the foregoing treaty embraced all of the country bordering upon lake superior in the state of minnesota, including the valuable iron and other mines. the city of duluth is within the limits of the cession. owing to the efforts of henry m. rice, then in congress, the commissioners were appointed, and to his personal influence with the chippewas the treaty was made. feb. , , at washington, district of columbia, the mississippi, pillager, and lake winnibigoshish bands of chippewa indians ceded to the united states all the lands owned or claimed by them in the territory of minnesota, and included within the following boundaries, viz.: "beginning at a point where the east branch of snake river crosses the southern boundary line of the chippewa country, east of the mississippi river, as established by the treaty of july , , running thence up the said branch to its source; thence nearly north in a straight line to the mouth of east savannah river; thence up the st. louis river to the mouth of east swan river; thence up said river to its source; thence in a straight line to the most westerly bend of vermillion river; thence northwestwardly in a straight line to the first and most considerable bend in the big fork river; thence down said river to its mouth; thence down rainy lake river to the mouth of black river; thence up that river to its source; thence in a straight line to the northern extremity of turtle lake; thence in a straight line to the mouth of wild rice river; thence up the red river of the north to the mouth of buffalo river; thence in a straight line to the southwestern extremity of otter tail lake; thence through said lake to the source of leaf river; thence down said river to its junction with crow wing river; thence down crow wing river to its junction with the mississippi river; thence to the place of beginning." george w. manypenny, _commissioner_. all lands in minnesota territory east of the foregoing boundary line were ceded to the united states at la pointe, lake superior, sept. , . several reservations were set aside in each purchase for the future residence of various bands of said chippewa and pillager indians. it was by the efforts of henry m. rice, then in congress, that the indians were invited to washington, and through his personal influence that the treaty was made. several treaties were afterward made with the chippewa and pillager indians, merely changing or reducing their reservation. oct. , , at the old crossing of the red lake river, in the state of minnesota, the red lake and pembina bands of chippewa indians ceded to the united states all their right, title and interest in and to all the lands now owned and claimed by them in the state of minnesota and in the territory of dakota within the following boundaries, to wit: "beginning at the point where the international boundary between the united states and the british possessions intersects the shore of the lake of the woods; thence in a direct line southwestwardly to the head of thief river; thence down the main channel of said thief river to its mouth on the red lake river; thence in a southeasterly direction, in a direct line toward the head of wild rice river, to a point where such line would intersect the northwestern boundary of a tract ceded to the united states by a treaty concluded at washington on the twenty-second day of february, , with the mississippi, pillager and lake winnibigoshish bands of chippewa indians; thence along said boundary line of said cession to the mouth of wild rice river; thence up the main channel of the red river to the mouth of the sheyenne; thence up the main channel of the sheyenne river to poplar grove; thence in a direct line to the head of the main branch of salt river; thence in a direct line due north to the international boundary line; thence eastwardly to the place of beginning." alexander ramsey, ashley c. morrill, _commissioners_. all the lands included in the foregoing treaty east of the red river of the north are within the state of minnesota. the heretofore mentioned treaties include all the lands within the state of minnesota originally owned by indian tribes, except the red lake reservation, and for its cession a treaty was negotiated in , which to this date, april, , has not been ratified. gen. pike and the indians. gen. zebulon m. pike, united states army, was sent by the government in - on a tour of inspection, to select sites for forts, and to treat and hold councils with the various indian tribes of the upper mississippi. he met the sioux in council at the junction of the st. peter's and mississippi rivers, sept. , , and informed them that he came to purchase lands for government forts, and to tell them what the great father at washington desired them to know about his people and their government. a part of his speech we subjoin: "brothers: you old men probably know that about thirty years ago we were subject to the king of england, and governed by his laws. but he not treating us as children we refused to acknowledge him as father. after ten years of war, in which he lost , men, he acknowledged us as a free and independent nation. they knew that not many years since we received detroit, michilmackinac, and all the ports on the lakes from the english, and now but the other day, louisiana from the spanish; so that we put one foot on the sea at the east, and the other on the sea at the west, and if once children are now men; yet i think that the traders who come from canada are bad birds amongst the chippewas, and instigate them to make war on their red brothers, the sioux, in order to prevent our traders from going high up the mississippi. this i shall inquire into, and so warn those persons of their ill conduct. "brothers, i expect that you will give orders to all your young warriors to respect my flag and protection, which i may send to the chippewa chief who may come down with me in the spring; for was a dog to run to my lodge for safety, his enemy must walk over me to hurt him. "brothers, i am told that the traders have made a practice of selling rum to you. all of you in your right senses must know that this is injurious and occasions quarrels, murders, etc., amongst yourselves. for this reason your father has thought proper to prohibit the traders from selling you rum. "brothers, i now present you with some of your father's tobacco, and some other trifling things, as a memorandum of my good will, and before my departure _i will give you some liquor to clear your throats_." at this conference the sioux granted to the united states government a tract nine miles square at the mouth of the st. croix, and a similar tract at the mouth of the st. peter's, lying on both sides of the mississippi and including the falls of st. anthony. pike says: "they gave the land required, about , acres of land (equal to $ , ), and promised me a safe passage for myself and any chief i might bring down. i gave them presents to the amount of about two hundred dollars, and as soon as the council was over allowed the traders to present them with liquor which, with what i gave, was equal to sixty gallons." pike in his journeying through the territory ordered dickson and others to haul down the british flag. it is on record that the flags were hauled down, but also that they were hoisted again after pike's departure. from pike's own account of one of his inland tours he was hospitably entertained by his red brothers, as the following paragraph from his journal will show: "after making this tour we returned to the chief's lodge and found a berth provided for each of us, of good soft bear skins nicely spread, and on mine there was a large feather pillow. i must not here omit to mention an anecdote which serves to characterize more particularly their manners. this, in the eyes of the contracted moralist, would deform my hospitable host into a monster of libertinism; but by a liberal mind would be considered as arising from the hearty generosity of the wild savage. in the course of the day, observing a ring on one of my fingers, he inquired if it was gold; he was told it was the gift of one with whom i should be happy to be at that time; he seemed to think seriously, and at night told my interpreter, 'that perhaps his father (as they all called me) felt much grieved for the want of a woman; if so, he could furnish him with one.' he was answered that with us each man had but one wife, and that i considered it strictly my duty to remain faithful to her. this he thought strange (he himself having three) and replied that 'he knew some americans at his nation who had half a dozen wives during the winter.' the interpreter observed that they were men without character; but that all our great men had each but one wife. the chief acquiesced; but said he liked better to have as many as he pleased." the establishment of united states surveys in the northwest--a condensed statement from the records of the books in the surveyor general's office. on the twenty-sixth day of january, , when the american congress was in session at philadelphia, a bill was reported for establishing land offices in the northwestern territory. the bill was ably discussed and there was much variance of opinion as to the disposition of the lands to be surveyed and brought into the market. some favored a proposition to give the lands to actual settlers, and others favored selling the lands at a stipulated price, applying the proceeds to the payment of the national debt. the bill, when agreed upon, bore the following title: "an act providing for the sale of the lands of the united states in the territories northwest of the river ohio, and above the mouth of the kentucky river." the bill was approved by president washington may , . this law established the office of surveyor general with powers specifically limited. it directed him to run lines north and south according to the true meridian, to be known as range lines, and others, crossing them at right angles, to be known as township lines, the townships thus formed to consist of areas six miles square, the whole to be subdivided into sections, each a mile square, each to contain acres of land, as near as may be, and to be subdivided into quarters, containing acres, and these quarters to be further subdivided into forties. marks were to be established at the corners of every township and section. these surveys were not to conflict with indian treaty and military land warrants, or the course of navigable waters. this admirable device for surveying the public lands grew out of a correspondence between gen. rufus putnam and president washington, in , in which the former proposed the division of the public lands into townships six miles square, to be marked by township and range lines. perhaps no more convenient and acceptable plan of survey could have been devised. gen. benjamin tupper was one of a company of surveyors in that established the first lines under this new system. this survey was made in southeast ohio. the first surveyor general's office was opened at marietta, ohio, soon after the approval of the bill, and rufus putnam was appointed surveyor general. in he was removed by president jefferson and the office was located at vincennes. a year later it was removed to cincinnati, in to chillicothe, in to cincinnati, in to detroit, and in to st. paul, where it has since remained. the act for the survey of the public lands has since been modified and improved. in an act was approved providing for the marking of quarter sections on the section lines. by the same law under which the lands were subdivided and opened to the public, one section, no. , in every township was reserved from sale for the support of common schools. two townships were also set apart for the support of a university. this was the beginning of the donations of land for school and other purposes. the united states land office. the first government land office in wisconsin north of mineral point was located at st. croix falls in . township plats were received, lands advertised and offered for sale in september, covering the ground where the cities of stillwater and st. paul are now located, and adjacent country. the office was removed to stillwater in , and the land district divided by the st. croix river. the land office for the east side was located at willow river in , and there remained till , when it was removed to st. croix falls. the following are the receivers and registers: . samuel leach, receiver; charles s. whiting, register. . moses s. gibson, receiver; t. d. catlin, register. . otis hoyt, receiver; john o. henning, register. . j. d. reymert, receiver; j.b. spencer, register: . orpheus evarts, receiver; j. b. spencer, register. . benj. w. reynolds, receiver; michael field, register. . hiram calkins, receiver; michael field, register. . fayette allen, receiver; michael field, register. . joel f. nason, receiver; michael field, register. . alvah a. heald, receiver; michael field, register. . alvah h. heald, receiver; wm. m. blanding, register. the first entry in the new district, aug. , , was by w. s. hungerford. lot , sec. , and lots , , , sec. , t. , r. , where the village of st. croix now stands. the second entry was by george brownell, lot , sec. , t. , r. . the oldest record to be found in the office is the proving up by james purinton of his pre-emption, july , . the first recorded correspondence is a letter from s. leach, receiver, to geo. w. jones, surveyor general, dubuque, iowa. in june, , under the receivership of mr. reynolds, the safe in the office was blown open with powder and the contents stolen. some time afterward, in , fifty land warrants and a bunch of keys from the articles missing were thrown in at the office window. they had the appearance of having been buried in the ground. first entries. july , . james purinton, residence, st. croix falls. lot , in east fractional part sec. , t. north, r. west, and w. / of n. w. / and s. e. / of n. w. / , sec. , t. , r. , - acres; price, $ . ; cost, $ - , silver; pre-emption act, . this pre-emption is where the dam and mills have since been erected at north hudson. aug. , . samuel burkelo, orange walker and hiram berkey. lots and , west of river, sec. , t. , r. , - acres; cost $ - , / gold; pre-emption act, (marine mills). aug. , . richard freeborn. west / of n. w. / and n. e. / of n. w. / , and lot , sec. , t. , r. , st. paul; pre-emption act, . the first land offered at public auction sale was aug. , . . albert henry judd, orange walker, samuel burkelo, hiram berkey, george baldwin judd, asa parker were the purchasers of lots and , sec. , t. , r. , west of river; cost, $ - , gold. . martin mower, david b. loomis; lots and , sec. , t. , r. , west of river; cost, $ - , / gold (now arcola). . john allen; lots and , sec. , t. , r. , west of river; gold (allen's point, now south stillwater). . eleazer r. steves; lots and , sec. , t. , r. , east of river; gold, $ . ; silver, $ . ; $ - (now hudson). and . stephen harris; n. / of s. e. / and e. / of s. w. / , sec. , t. , r. . . himan w. greely; e. / of n. e. / , sec. , t. , r. , gold. and . albert n. judd; w. / of s. e. / and e. / of s. w. / , sec. , t. , r. , gold. and . louis massey; e. / of s. w. and lots and , sec. , t. , r. , silver; east of lake st. croix (now hudson). and . peter f. bouchea, lot , east of river, sec. , t. , r. and lot , sec. , t. , r. ; gold, $ - ; silver, $ --$ - . and . john o'brien; lot , sec. , t. , r. and w. / of s. w. / , sec. , t. , r. , silver and gold (now lakeland). and . albert h. judd; e. / of n. e. / , and w. / of n. w. / , sec. , t. , r. , gold. . himan w. greely; w. / of n. e. / , sec. , t. , r. , gold. the above are all the purchasers at the first sale of land in the valley at st. croix falls. sale was continued from day to day until townships to of ranges and were offered, covering the settlement of st. anthony falls, st. paul, cottage grove, and point douglas. the united states land office was moved from st. croix falls to stillwater in september, . the first public sale of lands at stillwater was oct. , . the office was held in stillwater nine years. in october, , it was moved to cambridge, isanti county; november d the first sale of lands was held at cambridge. april , , the office was burned, many valuable papers were destroyed, and many records were replaced from the archives at washington. july , , the office was moved to sunrise, and oct. , , it was moved to taylor's falls, where it is at the present time ( ). list of officers. receivers. appointed. samuel leech n. green wilcox jonathan e. mckusick william holcomb milton h. abbott william h. mower lucas k. stannard oscar roos george b. folsom peter h. stolberg e. a. umland registers. appointed. charles s. whitney abraham van voorhes a. pierce thomas e. fullerton charles g. wagner henry n. setzer granville m. stickney charles b. whiting william comer john p. owens lucas k. stannard the records do not show the date of commission of any officer; we gather the dates as near as possible from recorded correspondence. territorial government of wisconsin. governors: henry dodge, - ; james duane doty, - ; n. p. talmadge, - ; henry dodge, - . delegates to congress: george w. jones, - ; james d. doty, - ; henry dodge, - ; morgan l. martin, - ; john h. tweedy, - . chief justice: charles dunn, - . first legislature--representatives of crawford county. first session, --council: thomas p. burnett.[g] (rejected by a ruling of gov. dodge, and district left without representation.) house: james h. lockwood, james b. dallam. second session, --house: ira b. brunson, jean brunet.[h] third session, --house: ira b. brunson, jean brunet. second legislature. first session, --council: george wilson. house: alex. mcgregor.[i] second session, --council: george wilson. house: alex. mcgregor, ira b. brunson. third session, - --council: joseph brisbois. house: alex. mcgregor, ira b. brunson. fourth session, --council: charles j. learned. house: alex. mcgregor, ira b. brunson. third legislature--representatives of crawford and st. croix counties. first session, - --council: charles j. learned. house: alfred brunsou, joseph r. brown. second session, - --council: charles j. learned. house: joseph r. brown, theophilus j. lachapelle. fourth legislature. first session, - --council: theophilus la chapelle. house: john h. manahan. second session, - --council: theophilus la chapelle. house: john h. manahan. third session, --council: wiram knowlton. house: james fisher. fourth session, --council: wiram knowlton. house: james fisher. fifth legislature. first session, --council: benj. f. manahan. house: joseph w. furber. crawford, st. croix, chippewa and la pointe counties. special session, --council: benj. f. manahan. house: henry jackson. second session, --council: benj. f. manahan. house: henry jackson. first constitutional convention, oct. , --delegate from st. croix county, wm. holcombe. second constitutional convention, dec. , --delegate from st. croix county, george w. brownell. state government of wisconsin. governors: nelson dewey, - ; l. j. farwell, - ; w. a. barstow, - ; coles bashford, - ; alex. w. randall, - ; louis p. harvey, ; edward salomen, - ; james q. lewis, - ; lucius fairchild, - ; c. c. washburn, - ; wm. r. taylor, - ; harrison luddington, - ; wm. e. smith, - ; jeremiah rusk, - . united states senators. isaac p. walker, june , ; henry dodge, june , ; charles durkee, feb. , ; james r. doolittle, jan. , ; timothy o. howe, jan. , ; matt h. carpenter, jan. , ; angus cameron, feb. , ; philetus sawyer, jan. , ; john c. spooner, jan. , . united states representatives. from districts bordering on the st. croix: mason c. darling, - ; orasmus cole, - ; ben. c. eastman, - ; c. c. washburn, - ; luther hanchett, - ; walter d. mcindoe, - ; c. c. washburn, - ; jeremiah m. rusk, - ; hiram l. humphrey, - ; wm. t. price, - ; nels p. haugan, . district judges presiding in territory originally included in st. croix county: wiram knowlton, of prairie du chien, - ; district--crawford, chippewa, st. croix and la pointe counties. s. s. fuller, of hudson, - ; district--pierce, st. croix, polk, douglas, and la pointe counties. henry d. barron, of north pepin, - ; district--pierce, st. croix, polk, douglas, ashland, and bayfield counties. l. p. weatherby, of hudson, - ; district--pepin, pierce, st. croix, polk, burnett, douglas, bayfield, and ashland counties. herman l. humphrey, of hudson, - ; district--st. croix, pierce, pepin, dunn, and barron counties. solon s. clough, of hudson, - ; district--polk, burnett, douglas, ashland, and bayfield counties. r. p. bundy, of menomonie, - , re-elected until ; district--buffalo, dunn, eau claire, pepin, pierce; and st. croix counties. henry d. barron, of st. croix falls, - ; district--chippewa, barron, polk, burnett, douglas, ashland, and bayfield counties. solon s. clough, of superior, - ; district--ashland, barron, bayfield, burnett, chippewa, douglas, polk, and washburn counties. r. d. marshall, of chippewa falls, . wisconsin state legislature. representatives of territory originally included in st. croix county: first session, --senate: daniel s. fenton. assembly: w. r. marshall. (seat successfully contested by joseph bowron.) second session, --senate: james fisher. assembly: joseph bowron. third session, --senate: james fisher. assembly: john s. watrous. fourth session, --senate: henry a. wright. assembly: john o. henning. fifth session, --senate: henry a. wright. assembly: otis hoyt. sixth session, --senate: benj. allen. assembly: orrin t. maxson. seventh session, --senate: benj. allen. assembly: wm. m. torbert. eighth session, --senate: wm. t. gibson. assembly: smith r. gunn. ninth session, --senate: wm. t. gibson. assembly: almon d. gray. tenth session, --senate: wm. wilson. assembly: orin t. maxson. eleventh session, --senate: daniel mears. house: james b. gray, lucius cannon. twelfth session; --senate: daniel mears. house: moses s. gibson. mr. gibson's seat successfully contested by m. w. mccracken. thirteenth session, --senate: charles b. cox. house: asaph whittlesey. fourteenth session, --senate: charles b. cox. house: john comstock. fifteenth session, --senate: h. l. humphrey. house: george r. stuntz, james w. beardsley. mr. beardsley was elected speaker of the house. sixteenth session, --senate: n. l. humphrey. house: henry d. barron, charles b. cox. seventeenth session, --senate: austin h. young. house: henry d. barron, joseph s. elwell. eighteenth session, --senate: austin h. young. house: amos s. gray (successfully contested by a. c. stuntz). house: marcus a. fulton. nineteenth session, --senate: marcus a. fulton. house: henry d. barron, william j. copp. mr. barron elected speaker of the assembly. twentieth session, --senate: marcus a. fulton. house: henry d. barron, john d. trumbull, h. l. wadsworth. twenty-first session, --senate: wm. j. copp. house: henry d. barron, eleazer holt, marcus a. fulton. twenty-second session, --senate: wm. j. copp. house: henry d. barron, edward h. ives, charles d. parker. twenty-third session, --senate: edward h. ives. house: samuel b. dressor, oliver s. powell, charles d. parker. twenty-fourth session, --senate: edward h. ives. house: samuel s. vaughn, oliver s. powell, ruel k. fay. twenty-fifth session, --senate: joseph e. irish. house: henry d. barron, oliver s. powell, john c. spooner. twenty-sixth session, --senate: joseph e. irish. house: henry d. barron, speaker; james h. persons, david c. fulton. twenty-seventh session, --senate: henry d. barron. house: samuel s. fifield, james h. persons, harvey s. clapp. twenty-eighth session, --senate: henry d. barron, house: samuel s. fifield, thomas s. nelson, philo q. boyden. twenty-ninth session, --senate: henry d. barron. house: samuel s. fifield, speaker; christopher l. taylor, philo q. boyden. thirtieth session, --senate: samuel s. fifield. house: woodbury s. grover, ellsworth burnett, guy w. dailey. thirty-first session, --senate: dana r. bailey. house: canute anderson, charles a. hawn, james hill. thirty-second session, --senate: dana r. bailey. house: wm. j. vincent, nils p. haugen, james hill. thirty-third session, --senate: sam s. fifield. house: nils p. haugen, james hill, lars l. gunderson. thirty-fourth session, --senate: sam s. fifield. assembly: geo. d. mcdill, franklin l. gibson, merton herrick. thirty-fifth session, --senate: james hill. assembly: geo. d. mcdill, franklin l. gibson, speaker; olof a. sangestad. thirty-sixth session, --senate: james hill. assembly: canute anderson, john d. putnam, geo. d. mcdill, james johnston. thirty-seventh session, --senate: joel f. nason. assembly: hans b. warner, frank m. nye, thomas porter; charles s. taylor, j. b. thayer. (for thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth sessions see addenda.) territorial government of minnesota. governors: alexander ramsey, from june , , to may , ; willis a. gorman, from may , , to april , ; samuel medary, from april , , to may , . delegates to congress: henry h. sibley, jan. , , to march , ; henry m. rice, dec. , , to march , ; w. w. kingsbury, dec. , , to may , . chief justices: aaron goodrich, june , , to nov. , ; jerome fuller, nov. , , to dec. , ; henry z. hayner, dec. , , to april , (judge hayner never presided at a single term and gave but one decision, which was to pronounce the prohibition law unconstitutional); william h. welch, april , , to may , . associate justices: david cooper, june , , to april , ; bradly b. meeker, june , , to april , ; andrew g. chatfield, april , , to april , ; moses g. sherburne, april , , to april , ; r. r. nelson, april , , to may , ; charles e. flandrau, april , , to may , . census of the territory--august, . precincts. males. females. total. stillwater lake st. croix marine mills falls of st. croix snake river st. paul little canada and st. anthony falls crow wing and long prairie osakis rapids ----- --- ----- total , , upon the basis of this population the governor established the following legislative districts: first district: st. croix precinct, extending on the west side of the st. croix and mississippi rivers to the iowa line; second district: stillwater; third district: st. paul; fourth district: marine mills and the country north to the british possessions; fifth district: st. anthony falls; sixth district: the country east of the mississippi not embraced in the fourth district, and extending north to the british possessions; seventh district: all the territory on the west of the mississippi river not embraced in the sixth and first districts. first territorial legislature.--held sept. to nov. , . council: david olmsted, president; district no. , james s. norris; no. , samuel burkelo; no. , william h. forbes, james mcc. boal; no. , david b. loomis; no. , john rollins; no. , david olmsted, william sturgis; no. , martin mcleod. house: joseph w. furber, of cottage grove, speaker; district no. , joseph w. furber, james wells; no. , m. s. wilkinson, sylvanus trask, mahlon black; no. , benj. w. brunson, henry jackson, john j. dewey, parsons k. johnson; no. , henry n. setzer; no. , william r. marshall, william dugas; no. , jeremiah russell, allan morrison, lorenzo a. babcock, thomas a. holmes; no. , alexis bailly, gideon h. pond. the limits of this work preclude the insertion of a complete list of the entire state, and we give, therefore, the representation of the st. croix valley. second territorial legislature, . council: james norris, samuel burkelo, d. b. loomis, president. house: john a. ford, michael e. ames, speaker; jesse taylor, john d. ludden. third territorial legislature, . council: elam greely, david b. loomis. house: jesse taylor, mahlon black, martin leavitt, john d. ludden. fourth territorial legislature, . council: elam greely, david b. loomis. house: n. green wilcox, albert stimson, caleb truax, john d. ludden. fifth territorial legislature, . council: albert stimson, john e. mower. house: john fisher, wm. mckusick, robert watson, n. c. d. taylor, speaker. sixth territorial legislature, . council: albert stimson, john e. mower. house: james b. dixon, william willim, james norris, samuel register. seventh territorial legislature, . council: john d. ludden, henry n. setzer. house: james s. norris, abraham van voorhes, n. c. taylor, henry a. jackman. eighth territorial legislature, . council: john d. ludden, henry n. setzer. house: elam greely, mahlon black, joseph w. furber, speaker; l. k. stannard. the legislature of passed a prohibition law and submitted it to the people of the territory, who adopted it by a vote of for to against. this law was declared unconstitutional by judge hayner on the ground that it was unconstitutional to submit a law to the vote of the people. after rendering this decision he resigned his office. at a second appointment in the counties of washington, chisago, superior, itasca, and doty were included in the st. croix district. a special session was held in may, , to accept and make provision to use the magnificent railway land grant donated by congress. the constitutional convention of . in accordance with the enabling act of congress, passed march , , delegates were elected and met in convention at the capital on the second monday of july, . representatives from st. croix valley. washington county: wm. holcombe, james s. norris, henry n. setzer, gould t. curtis, charles e. leonard, charles j. butler, newinton gilbert, r. h. sanderson. chisago county: p. a. cedarstam, charles f. lowe, lucas k. stannard, w. h. c. folsom. the convention continued in session from july to aug. , , and although divided into two wings, accomplished considerable work, such as preparing duplicate state constitutions and redistricting the state. the st. croix valley was redistricted as follows: first district, washington county: twenty-fifth district, chisago, pine and isanti counties. governors of the state of minnesota. henry h. sibley, may , , to jan. , ; alexander ramsey, jan. , , to july , ; henry a. swift, july , , to jan. , ; stephen miller, jan. , , to jan. , ; william r. marshall, jan. , , to jan. , ; horace austin, jan. , , to jan. , ; cushman k. davis, jan. , , to jan. , ; john s. pillsbury, jan. , , to jan. , ; lucius f. hubbard, jan , , to jan. --, ; a. r. mcgill, jan. --, , to ----. supreme court chief justices. lafayette emmett, may , , to jan. , ; thomas wilson, jan. , , to july , ; james gilfillan, july , , to jan. , ; christopher g. ripley, jan. , , to april , ; s. j. r. mcmillan, april , , to march , ; james gilfillan, march, , , to ----. associate justices. charles e. flandrau, may, , , to july , ; isaac atwater, may , , to july , ; s. j. r. mcmillan, july , , to april , ; thomas wilson, july , , to jan. , ; john m. berry, jan. , , to ----; george b. young, april , , to jan. , ; f. r. e. cornell, jan , , to may , ; d. a. dickenson, june , , to ----; greenleaf clark, march , , to jan. , ; william mitchell, march , , to ----; c. e. vanderburgh, jan. , , to ----; l. w. collins, january, , to ----. united states senators from minnesota. james shields, may , , to march , ; henry m. rice, may , , to march , ; morton s. wilkinson, march , , to march , ; alexander ramsey, march , , to march , ; daniel s. norton, march , , died july , ; o. p. stearns, january --, , to march , ; william windom, march , , to march , ; s. j. r. mcmillan, dec. , , to march , ; a. j. edgerton, march , , to oct. , ; william windom, oct, , , to march , ; dwight m. sabin, march , , to march , ; c. k. davis, march , , to ----. representatives in congress. w. w. phelps, may , , to march , ; j. m. cavenaugh, may , , to march , ; william windom, dec. , , to march , ; cyrus aldrich, dec. , , to march , ; ignatius donnelly, dec. , , to march , ; m. s. wilkinson, march , , to march , ; e. m. wilson, march , , to march , ; john t. averill, march , , to march , ; m. h. dunnell, march , , to march , ; h. b. strait, dec. , , to march , ; william s. king, dec. , , to march , ; j. h. stewart, dec. , , to march , ; henry poehler, march , , to march , ; h. b. strait, march , , to march , ; w. d. washburn, march , , to march , ; milo white, march , , to march , ; j. b. wakefield, march , , to march , ; knute nelson, march , , to march , ; j. b. gilfillan, march , to march , : thomas wilson, march , , john lind, march , ; john s. mcdonald, march , ; edmund rice, march , . first state legislature, - . richard g. murphy, president; william holcombe, lieutenant governor. senate: first district--joel k. reiner. twenty-fifth district--w. h. c. folsom. house: first district--j. r. m. gaskill, george w. campbell, robert simpson. twenty-fifth district--john g. randall. second state legislature, - . senate: first district--wm. mckusick, socrates nelson. twenty-fifth district--lucas k. stannard. house: first district--e. d. watson, abraham van voorhes, orange walker. twenty-fifth district--patrick fox. third state legislature, . senate: second district--joel k. reiner. house: second district--h. l. thomas, e. d. whiting, emil munch. fourth legislature, . senate: second district--joel k. reiner. house: second district--wm. h. burt, h. l. thomas, e. d. whitney. fifth state legislature, . senate: second district--john mckusick. house: second district--samuel furber, j. b. r. mitchell, ansel smith. sixth state legislature, . senate: second district--john mckusick. house: second district--jere m. soule, r. r. henry, ansel smith. seventh state legislature, . senate: second district--john mckusick. house: second district--l. a. huntoon, ansel smith, lars j. stark. eighth state legislature, . senate: second district--john mckusick. house: second district--j. b. r. mitchell, robert watson, smith ellison. ninth state legislature, . senate: second district--w. h. c. folsom. house: second district--henry jackman, ebenezer ayres. tenth state legislature, . senate: second district--w. h. c. folsom. house: second district--j. w. furber, william lowell. eleventh state legislature, . senate: second district--james n. castle. house: second district--joseph haskell, w. h. c. folsom. twelfth state legislature, . senate: second district--james n. castle. house: second district--james s. norris, william lowell. thirteenth state legislature, . senate: second district--dwight m. sabin. house: second district--joseph haskell, lucas k. stannard. fourteenth state legislature, . senate: twenty-second district--dwight m. sabin. twenty-eighth district--jonas lindall. house: twenty-second district--ebenezer ayers, j. r. m. gaskill, h. r. murdock. twenty-eighth district--adolph munch. fifteenth state legislature, . senate: twenty-second district--dwight m. sabin. twenty-eighth district--jonas lindall. house: twenty-second district--e. w. durant, j. r. m. gaskill, james huganin. twenty-eighth district--joel g. ryder. sixteenth state legislature, . senate: twenty-second district--wm. mckusick. twenty-eighth district--l. k. burrows. house: twenty-second district--d. b. loomis, chas. eckdahl, j. a. mccloskey. twenty-eighth district--frank h. pratt. seventeenth state legislature, . senate: twenty-second district--wm. mckusick. twenty-eighth district--w. h. c. folsom. house: twenty-second district--j. w. furber, e. w. durant, j. e. mower. twenty-eighth district--lars j. stark. eighteenth state legislature, . senate: twenty-second district--ed. s. brown. twenty-eighth district--w. h. c. folsom. house: twenty-second district--a. fredericks, j. s. middleton, o. w. erickson. twenty-eighth district--w. a. brawley. nineteenth state legislature, . senate: twenty-second district--ed. s. brown. twenty-eighth district--w. h. c. folsom. house: twenty-second district--a. fredericks, a. huntoon, o. w. erickson. twentieth state legislature, . senate: twenty-second district--roscoe f. hersey. twenty-eighth district--john shaleen. house: twenty-second district--dwight m. sabin, wm. fowler, charles peterson. twenty-eighth district--f. s. christensen. twenty-first state legislature, . senate: twenty-second district--james n. castle. twenty-eighth district--john shaleen. house: twenty-second district--a. m. dodd, chas. peterson, andrew peterson. twenty-eighth district--john dean. twenty-second state legislature, . senate: twenty-second district--j. n. castle. twenty-eighth district--john shaleen. house: twenty-second district--dwight m. sabin, andrew peterson, wm. schmidt. twenty-eighth district--john dean. twenty-third state legislature, . senate: twenty-fourth district--j. n. castle. thirty-eighth district--john shaleen. house: twenty-fourth district--dwight m. sabin, c. p. gregory, a. stegman. thirty-eighth district--levi h. mckusick. twenty-fourth state legislature, . senate: twenty-fourth district--j. n. castle. thirty-eighth district--john shaleen. house: twenty-fourth district--e. w. durant, w. h. pratt, arthur stephen. thirty-eighth district--levi h. mckusick. twenty-fifth state legislature, . senate: twenty-fourth district--e. w. durant. thirty-eighth district--otto wallmark. house: twenty-fourth district--f. dornfield, r. m. anderson, c. p. gregory. thirty-eighth district--henry smith. the first legislature continued in session one hundred and forty-eight days. its most important measure was the passage of the $ , , loan bill. at the twentieth session a law was passed changing the sessions of the legislature from annual to biennial. the constitutional convention of . as a delegate to the constitutional convention of , and a member of what was styled the republican wing, the writer considers it not amiss to insert a chapter concerning that somewhat famous and farcical affair. the congress of - passed an enabling act for the formation of a state government in minnesota, providing that a constitutional convention of delegates, chosen by the people, should assemble at midday, july , , at the hall of the house of representatives at the state capitol, and adopt a constitution, subject to the ratification of the people. the territorial governor, samuel medary, ordered an election to be held on the first monday in june, , for delegates, the number to consist of one hundred and eight. the state was nearly equally divided between the republicans and democrats; still the question of politics did not enter largely into the contest, except as a question of party supremacy. the people were a unit on the question of organizing a state government under the enabling act, and in many cases there was but a single ticket in the field. it was a matter, therefore, of some surprise that there should be a separation among the delegates into opposing factions, resulting practically in the formation of two conventions, each claiming to represent the people, and each proposing a constitution. the delegates, although but were called, were numbered on the rolls of the two wings as republican and democratic, a discrepancy arising from some irregularity of enrollment, by which certain memberships were counted twice. the republican members, claiming a bare majority, took possession of the hall of the house at midnight, twelve hours before the legal time for opening the convention, the object being to obtain control of the offices and committees of the convention, a manifest advantage in the matter of deciding upon contested seats. in obedience to the call of the leaders of the party, issued the day before, the writer with other republicans repaired to the house at the appointed hour, produced his credentials as a delegate, and was conducted into the illuminated hall by hon. john w. north. the delegates were dispersed variously about the hall, some chatting together, others reading newspapers, smoking, or snoring, as here and there one had fallen asleep in his seat. occasionally a delegate nervously examined his revolver as if he anticipated some necessity for its use. the democratic delegates were elsewhere probably plotting in secret conclave to capture the hall, and perhaps it might be well enough to be prepared for the worst. thus the remainder of the night passed and the forenoon of july th. as soon as the clock struck twelve, the democratic delegates rushed tumultuously in, as if with the purpose of capturing the speaker's stand. that, however, was already occupied by the republican delegates, and the storming party was obliged to content itself with the lower steps of the stand. both parties at the moment the clock ceased striking were yelling "order" vociferously, and nominating their officers, _pro tem._ both parties effected a temporary organization, although in the uproar and confusion it was difficult to know what was done. the democratic wing adjourned at once to the senate chamber, and there effected a permanent organization. the republicans being left in the undisturbed possession of the hall, perfected their organization, and the two factions set themselves diligently to work to frame a constitution, each claiming to be the legally constituted convention, and expecting recognition as such by the people of the state and by congress. the debates in each were acrimonious. a few of the more moderate delegates in each recognized the absurdity and illegality of their position, and questioned the propriety of remaining and participating in proceedings which they could not sanction. the conventions continued their sessions inharmoniously enough. each framed a constitution, at the completion of which a joint committee was appointed to revise and harmonize the two constitutions, but the members of the committees were as belligerent as the conventions they represented. members grew angry, abusing each other with words and even blows, blood being drawn in an argument with bludgeons between hon. willis a. gorman, democratic, and hon. thomas wilson, republican. an agreement seemed impossible, when some one whose name has not found its way into history, made the happy suggestion that alternate articles of each constitution be adopted. when this was done, and the joint production of the two conventions was in presentable shape, another and almost fatal difficulty arose, as to which wing should be accorded the honor of signing officially this remarkable document. one body or the other must acknowledge the paternity of the hybrid. ingenuity amounting to genius (it is a pity that the possessor should be unknown) found a new expedient, namely, to write out two constitutions in full, exact duplicates except as to signatures, the one to be signed by democratic officers and members, and the other by republicans these two constitutions were filed in the archives of the state and one of them, which one will probably never be known, was adopted by the people oct. , . the question arises in the writer's mind as to the legality of the constitution of minnesota. have we a constitution? if so, which one? the question of legality, however, has never been raised before the proper tribunals, and it is perhaps well to leave it thus unquestioned. first minnesota state legislature, held - . under a provision of the constitution adopted oct. , , the legislature was elected and convened december d of that year, although the state had not then been admitted to the union, and gen. sam medary was still recognized as governor, though not at the time in the territory, and acting through his private secretary. the whole state, judicial and legislative ticket had been elected in october, but none of the state officers could qualify prior to the formal admission of the state. the legality of their proceedings was called in question. the republicans entered a protest against legislation until after the admission of the state, but the democratic party was in the majority, and territorial democratic officers governed the legislature, and the protest was unheeded. notwithstanding the doubtful validity of acts passed by this body, some bold and extravagant measures were proposed and passed, among them the famous $ , , loan bill, authorizing the issue of bonds to that amount, ostensibly to aid in the construction of railroads in minnesota, and to be used as a basis for banking. this bill was passed near the close of the session, which lasted ninety days, and was an amendment to the constitution to be voted on april , .[j] the result proved even worse than had been predicted by the most ardent opposers of the bill, and although adopted by an overwhelming majority, speedily fulfilled the predictions of its opponents. the state was flooded with worthless bank issues, based upon these worthless bonds. financial distress and panic ensued. a reaction followed, and in november, , the amendment to the constitution was expunged. of these bonds, $ , , had already been issued, when the section granting their issue was repealed. these the state subsequently redeemed. this bill, though afterward adopted as an amendment to the constitution by an overwhelming majority, was opposed most vigorously in both houses of the legislature, and characterized at the time as mischievous and infamous. though not present at the time of its passage, on account of sickness, the author fully committed himself as an opponent of the bill, and placed himself on record in an address to his constituents dated march th, at the senate chamber, which address was circulated extensively at the time. the views and predictions therein expressed as to the disastrous character of the bill have been amply justified and verified by subsequent events. hon. chas. f. lowe, when a member of the republican wing of the constitutional convention, had designed and prepared a seal to be used by the incoming state government. it was adopted by that wing of the convention, and mr. lowe hoped to have it formally adopted by the first state legislature. at the request of mr. lowe, it was presented by the writer, then a member of the senate, and was adopted by the senate and house with many encomiums upon its beauty and appropriateness. the design was indeed a beautiful one, and the workmanship of the seal, by buechner, of st. paul, was admirable. the design of the seal was as follows: [illustration: state seal.] a waterfall (supposed to be that of minnehaha) within a shield; this part of the device was intended to symbolize the idea of water for the amount and varied forms of which minnesota is distinguished above any other part of our country. in addition was represented the figure of an indian pointing toward the setting sun, as his course of destiny runs, with his tomahawk, bow and arrows; at his feet opposite the indian was the figure of a white man, with a sheaf of wheat and the implements of agriculture at his feet, representing to the indian that he must partake of the habits of civilized life or depart toward the setting sun. in one corner of the field appeared a distant view of lake superior, with a ship in sail. in another was a view of a river, indicating the minnesota river, running from the westward, with a steamboat ascending its stream. in rear of the shield and waterfall were three trees, which are typical of the three timbered regions, the oak on the left typifying the south and southwest portion of the state, the pine in the centre typifying the great pine regions of lake superior, upper mississippi and st. croix, and the maple on the right typifying the north and northwestern portion of the state. for a motto to accompany the words state of minnesota, a. d. , which were placed upon the upper rim of the seal, the words placed upon the lower rim of the seal were, "liberty and union, now and forever one and inseparable." the act of the legislature went to the governor, who returned it to the senate approved and signed, july , . some length of time elapsed before the appearance of the great seal as appended to official documents, and when it did appear it was very different from the one adopted, and the credit of the design was given to rev. e. d. neill by the newspapers commenting upon it. however beautiful and appropriate the design of the present great seal of the state of minnesota, there seems to be no evidence that it was ever legally adopted, and the question may well be raised as to its validity. it lies, however, in the eternal fitness of things that a state without a legal constitution should also be without a seal. at the joint convention of dec. , , hon. henry m. rice and gen. james shields, of mexican war fame, were elected senators. the republicans supported david cooper and henry d. huff. during this session the presiding officer of the senate was richard g. murphy, a somewhat eccentric character. his decisions were often diverting. when perplexing questions arose he would say gravely, "the chair can not decide more than two questions at oncet." after passing many really important measures, the legislature adjourned march , to meet june , . adjourned session. the legislature met, pursuant to adjournment, june d, the state having been admitted in the interim. lieut. gov. holcombe presided over the senate and proved an acceptable and able presiding officer. the five million amendment having been approved by the people, this legislature passed a banking law, establishing banks in various parts of the state with the five million bonds as a basis. it can do no good at this late day to raise a question as to the validity of the acts of the first state legislature, but it is due to ourselves and others who with us at the time protested against the validity of acts passed at this session, to give a few extracts from senate and house journals tending to show that a feeling of distrust was quite general. the ground of this opinion was the fact that the legislature elected as a state legislature held its first session prior to the admission of the state, and under the administration of the territorial governor, medary, through his secretary, acting in his place. the question was openly discussed, not only in the legislature but in the public press of the state. as early as dec. , , the following protest was presented in the senate: senate chamber, st. paul. we, the undersigned senators of the state of minnesota, do hereby enter and record this, our _solemn_ protest, against the recognition by this body, in any manner, directly or indirectly, of samuel medary, esquire, governor of the territory of minnesota, as the governor of the state of minnesota, or as being invested with any of the rights, authority, privileges, powers or functions of governor of said state of minnesota. and we do _solemnly_ protest against the recognition by this body, in any manner, of the claims of the said samuel medary, to exercise any of the rights, authority, privileges, powers or functions of the governor of the state of minnesota--such claim being wholly unauthorized and unwarranted by the constitution of the state of minnesota; and in violation of the expressed will of the people of the state of minnesota, and an attempted usurpation of office, at war with the fundamental principles of free government, and dangerous to the liberties of the people. d. g. norton, lewis mckune>, geo. watson, edwin m. somers, boyd phelps, j. k. reiner, h. l. thomas, james ridpath, michael cook, charles h. lindsley, e. n. bates, e. hodges, a. g. hudson, jonathan chase, w. h. c. folsom, s. s. beman, delano t. smith. on december th mr. norton offered the following resolution to the senate: "whereas, by the provisions of the constitution the executive officers of the state can not qualify until after the admission of the state by congress, and "whereas, there is no governor of the state of minnesota to whom acts may be submitted, as required by the constitution; therefore, "_resolved_, that this legislature can pass no acts which could become a law until after the admission of the state by congress, and the qualification of the governor elected by the people." the resolution was adopted and referred to the following committee: van etten, streeter, jones, norton, and folsom. the majority of the select committee reported december st, claiming that by the enabling act the people of the territory were empowered to form a state government, which they did, electing their delegates on the second monday in july, , to form a state constitution, and take necessary steps for establishment of a state government; that these delegates met at the time and place appointed, and on the twenty-ninth of august adopted a constitution which was submitted to the people and adopted by a majority of over , votes. that on the thirteenth of october, in conformity with an article (section , article ) of the constitution then adopted, the people had elected representatives to congress, governor and lieutenant governor, judges and members of both houses of the legislature, the latter to meet on the first wednesday in december at st. paul. the majority admitted that the governor elected under the act could not qualify until after the admission of the state, but claimed that the members of the legislature did not rest under the same disability, but were competent to legislate because they derived their power from the constitution itself, and had been directed to meet for that purpose on the first monday in december, and that because they were thus required to meet they were authorized to act. the people were omnipotent in the premises. they had declared that the governor should not qualify until after the admission of the state, and that the members of the legislature should meet. it was absurd to suppose this body should be called together and have no power to act. they held, moreover, that the territorial governor was empowered to act until his successor could legally qualify; that the framers of the constitution of minnesota and the people had declared that he should be continued in office until superseded by a state officer, and that the very time had been specified when he should be thus superseded, namely, on the admission of the state into the union, and therefore that samuel medary was, _de facto_ and _de jure_, governor of minnesota; that minnesota was then a state _out_ of the union, and that the acts of the first legislature would be legalized when the state was admitted. the minority report, signed by d. s. norton and w. h. c. folsom, claimed that the constitution contemplated an admission into the union as a prerequisite to the exercise of state sovereignty, in article , section , where it is enacted that "the term of each of the executive officers named in this article shall commence upon taking the oath of office, _after the state shall be admitted by congress into the union, etc._" section , same article, provides that "laws shall be passed at the first session of the legislature _after the state is admitted into the union_ to carry out the provisions of this article. "section , article , _schedule_, provides that all process which may be issued under the authority of the territory of minnesota previous to its _admission into the union of the united states_, shall be as valid as if issued in the name of the state." section , same article, provides that if the constitution shall be adopted by a vote of the people, the governor of the territory shall forward a certified copy of the same to the president of the united states, "_to be by him laid before the congress of the united states_." the minority claimed that under the first of the above cited sections there can be no qualified governor (_elected under, and according to the provisions of the constitution_) to whom "bills" _must_ be submitted before they can become laws, until _after_ "admission"--nor indeed can there be _any_ executive officers, contemplated to perform the duties of their several offices, until that time. in reference to the provisions of section , article , _schedule_, as inconsistent with that view, it was claimed that the territorial government should continue, and that its officers should exercise the sovereign powers delegated to them by the union, until, upon an admission by congress, and a surrender of sovereignty to the state, its authority should commence. it was claimed that this section ( ) of article , requiring the legislature to convene on the first wednesday of december, , was an oversight or error. after considerable debate the majority report was adopted by a party vote. a similar protest, signed by all the republican members of the house, was presented to that body. in addition to these protests there was in both branches of the legislature continuous and various protests by the minority against the exercise of legislative functions. in the house, on jan. , , mr. sheetz offered a resolution with reference to the causes of the delay in the admission of minnesota, asking that a committee of three be appointed with instructions to investigate the circumstances of this delay and report to this house upon these points: _first_--as to whose duty it was to forward to the president for submission to congress a copy of the constitution. _second_--why an incorrect or incomplete copy of said constitution was forwarded to the president. _third_--what official correspondence, if any, has passed between the governor and the acting governor in regard to this matter. on motion the resolution was adopted. mr. sheetz, from the committee appointed to communicate with the acting governor relative to the admission of the state of minnesota, submitted the following report: _to the honorable house of representatives:_ your committee appointed to inquire into the causes of the probable delay in the admission of minnesota into the union, ask leave to make the following report: your committee find that according to section of the schedule to the constitution, it is made the duty of the governor of the territory, upon the adoption of the constitution by the people, to forward a certified copy of the constitution to the president of the united states, to be by him submitted to congress. your committee have conferred with his excellency, acting gov. chase, and have ascertained from him that at or about the time of the adjournment of the constitutional conventions, there were deposited with him, as acting governor in the absence of gov. medary, two copies of the constitution as adopted by the two branches of the constitutional convention, one copy signed by _fifty-one_ members of the democratic branch of the convention, and the other signed by _fifty-three_ members of the republican branch of the convention, that the two copies were preserved by him in the same safe, side by side where they now are. your committee are further informed that a short time prior to the departure of our senators and representatives elect for washington, the governor caused to be made a transcript of the constitution as requested by the schedule and that instrument, which transcript was forwarded to the president of the united states. no record is known to your committee to exist of the time and manner of making such transcript, and your committee, in the absence of the governor and his private secretary, can not ascertain whether said transcript contained the names of the members of the two branches of the constitutional convention or not. your committee are also informed by acting gov. chase that there has been no official correspondence between the governor and himself upon this subject since the departure of the former for washington. all of which is respectfully submitted and signed. h. w. sheetz, g. l. otis, j. j. cruttenden, _committee_. land grants, railroad surveys and construction. in may, , congress gave to minnesota, then a territory, a magnificent grant of about , , acres of land, to aid in the construction of several projected trunk roads through her bounds. the roads specified were: from stillwater, by way of st. paul and st. anthony falls, to a point between the foot of big stone lake and the mouth of the sioux wood river, with a branch via st. cloud and crow wing to the navigable waters of the red river of the north; from st. paul and st. anthony via minneapolis to a convenient point of junction west of the mississippi to the southern boundary of the territory in the direction of the mouth of the big sioux river, with a branch via faribault to the north line of the state of iowa, west of range ; from winona to a point on the big sioux river south of the forty-fifth parallel of north latitude; also from la crescent via target lake, up the valley of root river, to a point of junction with the last mentioned road, east of range , every alternate section of land designated by odd numbers, for six sections in width on each side of said road and branches. it was enacted that the lands granted were to be subject to the disposal of the legislature. an extra session of the legislature was convened in june, , to accept the grant and devise means to build the road. the financial crisis of and unwise legislation in , notably the attempt to issue $ , , in bonds to aid in building the roads, served to delay the various enterprises projected, and for many years but little work was done, notwithstanding persistent effort at every state legislature to effect favorable changes in the condition of affairs. a few of the $ , , bonds were issued, but the general dissatisfaction, and feeling that they were not issued on a legal or rational basis, depreciated their value, and they were sold at a sacrifice and afterward redeemed by the state. the northern pacific railroad. the idea of a railroad from the atlantic to the pacific was openly discussed as early as , in which year dr. hartwell carver memorialized congress on the subject and promulgated his views through the press and by pamphlets. in asa whitney evolved a plan for the northern route, and awakened considerable popular enthusiasm, but by many the project was considered as a swindling scheme, or at best a visionary enterprise. mr. whitney made a preliminary survey from prairie du chien as far as the rocky mountains. mr. josiah perham, afterward the first president of the northern pacific railroad company, in projected a road from maine to puget sound, to be known as the people's pacific railway, and obtained a charter from the maine legislature, but on bringing his scheme to the attention of congress was prevailed upon by thaddeus stevens to abandon this scheme for another, agreeing to aid him in the passage of a bill for the construction of the present northern pacific route. the bill passed both houses and was signed by president lincoln, july , . the first permanent officers were: josiah perham, president; willard sear, vice president; abiel abbott, secretary; j. s. withington, treasurer. the grants of land voted by congress were accepted, and in the following year the states of wisconsin and minnesota granted right of way. not much was done until , when jay cooke & co. became financially interested in the road, and might have been successful in placing the bonds of the road upon the eastern markets but for the european war, during which time the firm of jay cooke & co. went down overburdened with railroad securities. the financial panic of which followed found the company in possession of miles of completed railroad, of which reached from duluth to bismarck, and from klamath to tacoma on puget sound; but embarrassed by want of funds the enterprise made but little headway, and in henry villard was appointed receiver, and a decree of sale obtained by which the bondholders were enabled to become the preferred stockholders. under the new arrangement and by the powerful aid of henry villard and thomas f. oakes, the public, and especially the capitalists of the country, regained faith in the enterprise, and the work was pushed steadily forward until september, , when the golden spike was driven at gold creek by henry villard. mr. villard resigned the presidency of the road in december of the same year, and robert harris succeeded him. the main line of this road extends from duluth to tacoma, a distance of nearly , miles, and the number of miles on the main and branch lines aggregates , . the magnitude of the work, the leagues of wilderness to be traversed, the mountain ranges to be crossed, the streams to be bridged, the supposed obstructions from wintry storms to be overcome, all these were of such a nature as to make the project seem impossible. it was, nevertheless, through the liberality of the government and the enthusiasm and executive ability of its managers, accomplished in a comparatively short time. the government contributed to this road a land grant of forty sections to the mile. with this liberal basis, bonds for the required amount of money were speedily furnished to build and equip the road from lake superior to the pacific coast. this road has, however, the advantage of southern roads, in that it traverses a rich agricultural and mineral region throughout almost its entire extent, passing through belts of timbered land not excelled in the quantity and quality of their production. the mineral regions are rich in gold, silver, copper, lead and coal. the country along the road is being rapidly settled, and the property in its possession, and that of those who have made improvements along its line, has increased to many hundred times its original value. the chicago, st. paul, minneapolis & omaha railroad. the wisconsin legislature in chartered a company to construct and operate this road, then called the st. croix, superior & bayfield railroad. may , , congress granted twelve sections of land to the mile to aid in building a railroad from hudson in the st. croix valley to bayfield on lake superior, with a branch to superior city. july , , this grant was increased to twenty sections per mile, with indemnity lands to make up deficiencies. these lands were ceded directly to the state. a company was created by the state legislature of wisconsin, to which were consigned the lands and franchises granted by the government for the purpose of building the road. the lands and franchises passed through several organized companies. impediments to construction arising, extension of time was asked and obtained from the united states and wisconsin governments, complications arose, delaying the construction still further, other companies claimed part of the indemnity lands, and litigation ensued. the state legislature upheld the chartered right, and appointed agents to watch the timber and protect the interests of the company. a sum amounting to $ , was collected from trespassers and at once applied to the building of the roads in . the st. paul, stillwater & taylor's falls company in had built a line of railroad from hudson to new richmond. in the st. croix, superior & bayfield company obtained possession of this line of road and continued it in the direction of superior, completing it in to superior city, bayfield, washburn, and ashland. the company have built a road from hudson by river falls to ellsworth in pierce county. the main line to lake superior passes through a rich agricultural and immense pine region. the company have constructed at washburn, on chequamegon bay, extensive docks, elevators, warehouses and shops. there are on the main line wooden bridges from to feet long, from to feet, from to feet, one of them on a branch of white river being feet high. the amount of logs and lumber carried over this road amounts ( ) to , , , feet, and , , , feet remain. there are few trips more enjoyable to the tourist than the one over this road, terminating as it does on the north, in a region attractive for its beautiful scenery, including the lovely bays of ashland, washburn and bayfield, with their picturesque shores, hills green with spruce pine and balsam, and the apostle islands, favorite haunts of summer travelers. the road is splendidly equipped and well officered. the st. paul & duluth railroad (formerly known as the lake superior & mississippi). the first land grant for minnesota was made in , for a road from st. paul to lake superior. this bill gave twenty sections per mile to the company building. while the bill was in the hands of the enrolling committee, some fraudulent changes were made in its provisions, as a consequence of which, after it had passed both houses and was in the hands of the president, it was recalled by the house of representatives, which had originated it, the fraudulent passages were pointed out, and the further consideration of the bill was indefinitely postponed. railroad enterprise received a check from which it did not recover in many years. may , , congress gave ten alternate sections on each side of lands to aid in building the lake superior & mississippi railroad. this grant was increased to twenty sections per mile, and indemnity lands were given. the state of minnesota has also given seven sections of swamp land per mile. the city of st. paul also gave a bonus of $ , in city bonds, to run twenty years, and st. louis county gave $ , in bonds for a like period. from the proceeds of these lands and bonds an excellent thoroughfare has been built and maintained. the franchises pertaining to this road changed holders many times before the road was completed. the original incorporators were mostly citizens of philadelphia who, under the name and title of the "nebraska & lake superior company," obtained their charter from the territorial legislature may , . their chartered rights were amended and their name changed to that of "lake superior & mississippi railroad company." the times for building were extended by congress and the state legislature from time to time, as asked for by the company. the road was commenced in and completed to duluth in , and the name changed to "st. paul & duluth" in . the first cost of building was $ , , . the company have in addition built branch roads from white bear to minneapolis, from white bear to stillwater, from wyoming to taylor's falls, from rush city to grantsburg, from north pacific junction to cloquet, and a branch in pine county to sandstone city. the taylor's falls & lake superior branch road received seven sections per mile of swamp lands from the state, $ , in ten per cent bonds from the town of chisago lake, $ , from the town of shafer, and $ , from the town of taylor's falls. presidents of the st. paul & duluth railroad: lyman dayton, w. l. banning, frank clark, john p. illsley, h. h. porter, james smith, jr., and wm. h. fisher. minnesota & manitoba railroad. under the land grant of a road was projected between st. paul and st. anthony falls, and completed in , the first railroad in minnesota, though others had been projected at an earlier period. this road was afterward extended to breckenridge on red river, and branches were built to st. cloud, and from st. cloud via fergus falls and crookston to the national boundary at st. vincent, and from brekenridge through dakota to the great falls in montana. subordinate branches to various points in northern minnesota, dakota and montana were also built. the roads from minneapolis to st. cloud and breckenridge were built with german capital. after the completion of the main lines a financial depression occurred, the bonds were sold at a low figure and subsequently passed into the hands of j. j. hill and others. the aggregate mileage of this road and its branches amount to , miles. it traverses a wheat growing region not surpassed on the continent. the present terminus, the great falls of missouri, is a mining centre for gold and silver. the country tributary to the road can not fail to make it one of the most important highways of commerce in the great west, and thus far the energy and ability of its managers has made it equal to the immense demands upon it. stillwater, white bear & st. paul railroad. under the grant of , a road from stillwater to st. paul was projected, the road to commence at stillwater and to proceed via st. paul and minneapolis to the western boundary of the state. the company holding the grant, through legislative action effected a change in the conditions of the grant allowing them to commence at st. paul, building west and northwest, as a result of which the road from stillwater to st. paul was not built. after ten years of inactivity upon this portion of the road, the stillwater people demanded, through their representatives in the legislature of , legislation compelling the building of the road as originally devised. at this session hon. john mckusick, not then a member of the legislature, but still an influential man, and representing public sentiment, importuned the company holding the franchises, through the president, hon. edmund rice, either to build the road or to transfer the franchises to some responsible company who would build it. hon. henry a. jackman and the writer, members of the ninth legislature, after conference with the president of the company, introduced a bill conveying the franchises from the original company to a company of st. croix valley men, to be organized forthwith, with the conditions that they at once proceed to build the road from stillwater to white bear, connecting with the st. paul & duluth at that point. a section was placed in the bill locating the railroad lands near kandiyohi lake. these lands were among the most valuable in the grant and were to inure to the new company at the completion of the road. the bill was passed and approved by the governor. the road was completed to stillwater dec. , . the legislature of transferred , acres, or one-half of the kandiyohi lands, to the st. paul, stillwater & taylor's falls railroad. the st. paul, stillwater & taylor's falls railroad. part of the lands originally granted to the stillwater, white bear & st. paul railroad were transferred by the legislature of to the st. paul, stillwater & taylor's falls railroad. the proceeds of the sale were to be applied to the construction of the above named road. the company was organized under the general laws of the state and incorporated sept. , . the route of the road defined in the articles of incorporation is between st. paul and taylor's falls by way of stillwater, passing through or near marine, with a branch road to hudson, wisconsin. length of main line from st. paul to stillwater is seventeen and fifty-four one hundredths miles. hudson branch line from stillwater junction to lake st. croix, three and one-fourth. south stillwater branch line from stillwater to south stillwater, three miles. the first train by this line reached stillwater from st. paul feb. , . the capital stock, $ , , , may be increased at pleasure. the number of shares of capital stock is , of $ each, limit of indebtedness, $ , , . that part of the road to be built from stillwater to taylor's falls up to the present date has not been completed. the wisconsin central (branch) railroad. in the wisconsin central built a branch road from chippewa falls via new richmond to st. paul, passing into ramsey county east and south of white bear. the bridge over the st. croix river about four miles above stillwater, belonging to this road, is a fine piece of workmanship, built entirely of iron and resting on solid stone piers. the total length of the structure is , feet, there being ten spans, each feet long, and a viaduct, feet long, on the wisconsin side. the track is feet above low water mark. the entire cost of the bridge was about $ , . it was damaged by a cyclone in to the amount of $ , . taylor's falls & lake superior railroad. the franchises and swamp land grant of the lake superior & mississippi railroad pertaining to the taylor's falls branch were in , by legislative enactment, transferred to the taylor's falls & lake superior company. in these franchises and lands were transferred to the minneapolis & st. louis railroad company. in the fall of the st. paul & duluth company built a branch road to centre city. in the spring of the minneapolis & st. louis company built three miles of road southward from taylor's falls, accomplishing in that distance as difficult and expensive work of its kind as had been done in the state, the grading being made through the trap rock ledges of the dalles, and along the face of the nearly perpendicular bluffs overlooking the river. in the summer of they transferred their franchises and one-half their swamp land grant to the st. paul & duluth company, by whom the road was completed from centre city to the road already built at taylor's falls, oct. , . chicago, milwaukee & st. paul railroad--river division. the river division of this road follows the west bank of the river from dubuque to hastings, passing through all the river towns. crossing the river at hastings it passes through the towns of newport, cottage grove and denmark, and the cities of st. paul and minneapolis, terminal stations. the line from st. paul to hastings was built in , by the chicago & st. paul railway company, under charter granted to the minnesota & pacific railroad company in . the present management obtained control of the line in . the bridge across the mississippi at hastings was constructed in , and was the first iron railroad bridge in the state. in respect to cost and workmanship it ranked with the important structures of the northwest. the total length of the river bridge is feet, and consists of an iron draw span feet long, two fixed spans each of feet in length, and a combination span on the north shore feet in length. the cost of the structure was $ , . in a branch line was extended from point douglas to stillwater. minneapolis, sault ste. marie & atlantic. the following memorial, introduced by the writer while a member of the state senate of , is the first public mention or suggestion of this road as far as we are aware. it was adopted by the legislature, forwarded to washington, read and duly referred to the committee on railroads: state of minnesota. nineteenth session. s.f. no. . a memorial _introduced by mr. folsom, jan. , ._ to congress for right of way and grant of land for railroad purposes. _to the senate and house of representatives of the united states in congress assembled:_ your memorialists, the legislature of the state of minnesota, respectfully represent that the rapidly increasing settlements of the northwest, the surplus agricultural products and material developments demand greater and cheaper facilities than now existing, and a more direct transit to the atlantic seaboard and european ports, and eastern products transported to the northwest. that the saving in the distance to eastern markets of three hundred miles, by a railroad route from st. paul and minneapolis to sault ste. marie, will tend to more fully develop the great wheat growing region of wisconsin, minnesota, dakota, and montana. the surplus of wheat, which forms one of the most reliable exports from our government, in shortening the distance to european markets three hundred miles will give encouragement to this great source of wealth to our whole land, and deserves aid and protection. that by reason of the facts set forth in this memorial, and many other considerations, the nearest transit makes cheap transportation and thereby develops the country and increases prosperity. to further these objects, we ask congress to donate land to aid, and the right of way through government land to build, a railroad from the cities of st. paul and minneapolis to the falls of st. marie's river. sept. , , a large mass meeting was held at st. croix falls, the object being to consider the feasibility of the "soo" route. over five hundred persons were present, among them delegates from minneapolis, st. paul, stillwater, and superior city. the subject was discussed and resolutions passed favoring the building of the road to sault ste. marie via the dalles of st. croix. not, however, till sept. , , were the articles of incorporation filed in wisconsin and minnesota by w. d. washburn and others of minneapolis, for the minneapolis, sault ste. marie & atlantic railroad company. the road was completed to the "soo" in december, . at that point it connects with a branch of the canadian pacific. the st. marie river is to be crossed on a union bridge built by the roads centring at that point. it is now under construction, and will cost when completed over a million dollars. the length of the line is about miles. the capital stock is $ , , , divided into , shares of common stock, and , shares preferred. the board of directors for the first year is composed of the following persons, all residents of minneapolis: w. d. washburn, president; h. t. welles, john martin, thomas lowry, george r. newell, anthony kelly, m. loring, clinton morrison, j. k. sidle, w. w. eastman, w. d. hale, c. a. pillsbury, and chas. j. martin. the following comparison of distance will be of interest to the people of the northwestern states: miles. miles. st. paul to chicago chicago to new york city new york to liverpool , ----- , st. paul (via sault) to montreal montreal to liverpool , ----- , ----- difference in favor of montreal route chicago, burlington & northern railroad. the chicago, burlington & northern company constructed a road from chicago to savannah, illinois, and from that point up the mississippi, along its east bank to st. paul, crossing the st. croix at prescott. the road from savannah to st. paul is two hundred and eighty-five miles in length, and was completed in . the cost complete, including rolling stock, was $ , per mile. the road was built on a grade of nine and eight-tenths feet to the mile, and its curvature nowhere exceeds three degrees in one hundred feet. the st. croix, chippewa, wisconsin, platte, grant, and fever rivers are crossed by iron bridges. mileage of roads centring in st. paul and minneapolis in . miles. manitoba , northern pacific , hastings & dakota pacific division of the minneapolis & st. louis minneapolis & pacific omaha, western division milwaukee, river division milwaukee, iowa division minneapolis & st. louis burlington & northern northwestern, omaha section minnesota & northwestern (now chicago, st. paul & kansas city) wisconsin central soo ste. marie north wisconsin st. paul & duluth ----- total , congressional appropriations for the improvement of the st. croix river. as early as , when the writer was a member of the minnesota senate, he introduced a memorial to congress for the improvement of the st. croix river, and of the mississippi at beef slough bar, below lake pepin. this was the first memorial presented on this subject. subsequent legislatures continued to memorialize congress, but it was twenty years of continuous pleading before any attention was paid to the subject. in thaddeus c. pound, representing the st. croix valley in congress, secured the first appropriation. mr. pound also secured the first appropriation for the mississippi reservoirs. the following appropriations were made from time to time: , $ , ; , $ , ; , $ , ; , $ , ; , $ , ; , $ , . this money has been expended under the supervision of maj. farquier and charles j. allen of the united states engineering corps, with headquarters at st. paul. the improvements carried out consisted in removing snags and all impediments in the channel or along shore, removing sandbars, thus deepening the channel, building wing dams, and riprapping the shores. the work has been well done, and the expenditure is a most judicious one. inland navigation. as the prosperity of a country depends, next to its natural resources, upon the avenues of communication with other countries, the people of the northwest naturally took a great interest in the improvement of their waterways. the states lying along the mississippi and its tributaries found by these streams an advantageous southern outlet for their produce. but much needed to be done in the direction of improving navigation by clearing away obstructions, deepening the channels, and affording facilities for crossing rapids. as the settlements extended toward the great lakes, it became evident that the prosperity of the country would be greatly enhanced by communication with the lakes. in the absence or scarcity of navigable streams this communication, if obtained, must be by the improvement of navigation of the upper portion of these streams having their source near the lakes and their connection by canals with the lakes or their tributaries. by this means it was thought a better route to the atlantic and to the eastern states would be afforded for grain and other products than that afforded by the mississippi. in the minnesota state legislature of a bill was introduced making an appropriation of $ , for a survey of the route connecting the waters of lake superior with those of the st. croix. this bill met with much opposition, but was finally passed, the amount having been reduced by amendment to $ , . lucas r. stannard and robert b. davis were appointed commissioners, and with the meagre amount did all that was possible to be done in surveying the route. as the author of the bill, i insert here, as a matter of history, and as a sufficient explanation of my own views and those of the friends of the measure, a synopsis of the arguments presented to the senate advocating the measure: "the route from duluth via the lakes and st. lawrence, and the atlantic to england, according to correct computation, is about six hundred miles shorter than the route via chicago and new york. the northern route is being made feasible by the improvements made by the british government on the welland canal and lachine rapids, and by the improvements made by our own government on the st. clair flats and the sault ste. marie canal, by which a depth of water is obtained sufficient to float vessels drawing twenty feet. this route to europe will be traversed in much less time than the new york route. vessels will be constructed for this inland american trade, and starting from the west end of lake superior with a cargo of grain that two weeks before was waving in the sunlight on northwestern prairies, will pass direct to europe without breaking of bulk or reshipping, while the southern route requires reshipments at buffalo and new york. figures can scarcely do justice to the vast business that will be transacted on this open route as the northern part of the united states and the adjacent british possessions are settled. "the opening of this route will tend to create new treaty stipulations and unlooked for interpretations of the old with the dominion government, and establish commercial confidence and secure trade not realized to-day. cheap transportation is the demand of the age, and this route will afford to the hundreds of millions of bushels of wheat and the commerce of central north america the desired outlet to the best markets of the world. to many these ideas may seem chimerical, but we believe that the progress of the country and the development of her commerce in the not distant future will justify them, and that predictions now regarded as fanciful will be fulfilled to the letter. "minnesota as a state is just in the age of development. she is rising to power and influence. much depends upon our legislature, more than depended upon the legislature of new york when, actuated by good counsels it connected the waters of the hudson with those of lake erie by the 'clinton ditch,' so called in derision by the enemies of the measure. but the wisdom of dewitt clinton, the originator of that famous waterway, advanced the settlement of the great west at least a quarter of a century. "minnesota in her location holds the key that will unlock the largest body of fresh water on the globe, and open to it one of the most fertile and extensive wheat growing districts on the continent, a country that will soon vie with the country around the black sea in the quantity and quality of its grain production. "shall we stand idly by whilst our neighboring states are moving to secure cheaper communications with the seaboard states? cheap transportation, the lever that moves the world, is claiming the favorable attention of congress, and men and means have been provided to ascertain the most feasible routes on which to bestow her aid for the transferring of the surplus products of the country to the markets of the east. "the reports made thus far by the national committee make no allusion to minnesota's great gateway to the east by lake superior, nor to the improvement of the sault ste. marie canal. the committee dwelt somewhat elaborately upon the project of connecting the mississippi with the lakes by means of a canal between the waters of wisconsin and fox rivers, neither of them good navigable streams. no authorized survey has ever commended this as a cheap route. only one plan can be adopted by which a thoroughfare can be made profitable to the government and to the northwest over this route, and that is to construct a ship canal along the wisconsin river from the portage to the mouth. "if the government can be prevailed upon to open up this route no one will deny that it will be of incalculable benefit to the people of wisconsin, and to those further up the valley of the mississippi. let its friends do all they can to push forward the great movement. "to minnesotians i would say, let wisconsin have much of our aid. i trust it will not take thirty-five years of the future to open up what thirty-five years of the past has projected. wisconsin alone and unassisted ought to have accomplished this great work years ago, if the work could have been accomplished as cheaply as it has been represented. "let minnesota look nearer home. the headwaters of the st. croix are nearer to lake superior than those of any other navigable stream. large mississippi boats, whenever occasion has demanded, have made their way to the dalles of the st. croix. the falls and rapids above this point for a distance of four miles have a fall of but seventy-four feet, an elevation that could be overcome by means of locks. by means of wing dams at kettle river falls, and other improvements at no very great cost, the river could be made navigable to the mouth of the namakagon. this river, though put down as a tributary, is in reality the main stream, and can be navigated to namakagon lake, which is but thirty miles from ashland, and can be connected by a canal with chequamegon bay, or with white river, a distance of only a few miles. "if we pass up the st. croix from the mouth of the namakagon river, we shall find no serious obstructions to navigation till we reach the great dam built by the lumbermen twenty miles below upper lake st. croix. the conformation here is of such a character that an inexhaustible supply of water can be held--more than three times what is held in the celebrated summit lake in ohio, which feeds the canal connecting the waters of the ohio and lake erie. it is but a mile from the former lake to the source of brule river, an affluent of lake superior, but as the waters of the brule are rapid and the channel rocky, and its outlet is on a bleak and unhospitable stretch of lake shore, destitute of any harbor, we prefer the route from the upper st. croix lake to the bay of superior, a distance of about thirty miles, a route well supplied by reservoirs of water, and with no difficult or insurmountable hills to overcome. "hon. h. m. rice, who was one of the commissioners to survey the st. marie's canal, pronounces this the most feasible and direct route for our contemplated canal. "other routes have been proposed, as from the st. croix to the nemadji and st. louis rivers, but of the feasibility of these i am not so definitely informed. "believing, gentlemen of the senate, that you are in full accord with me that this great northwest demands not only state aid in developing our natural resources, but the assistance of the general government, i recommend the proper presentation of this subject before congress by our senators and representatives until our prayers are granted for the improvement of the same." in the session of the minnesota legislature of i again introduced a memorial to congress asking for an appropriation of $ , to make a government survey of the st. croix and lake superior routes. george r. stuntz, the veteran explorer, surveyor and civil engineer, who accompanied the united states reservoir commission to the upper st. croix waters, and who had made previous scientific examinations for the purpose of forming a correct idea of the contour of the summit dividing the waters flowing north and south, and of the practicability of constructing reservoirs, and of the cost of connecting the lake superior and st. croix waters, makes the following report, which is valuable for the reliable data given: "there are evidences that in the glacial period this was the channel through which flowed a river of ice, and that subsequently for a long period a vast volume of water coursed through this channel from lake superior to and down the mississippi. the valley is everywhere of great width in proportion to the present volume of water, showing evidences of currents of great velocity fifty feet above the high water marks of the present time. these ancient banks of the river are composed of heavy drift gravel and boulders bearing the marks of the glacial action and having their origin north of lake superior. this valley extends across the height of land in township , in range west, and in the northern part of it the brule river rises and flows north into lake superior. "at the copper range in township , range west, section , a ledge of trap rock stands in the valley. in the eddy of this rock and extending to the southward or up the present stream is a well defined moraine of large boulders and gravel showing that the glacial river ran south. to the north of this point the brule river makes a straight cut to the lake through sandy red clay deposits peculiar to that region. "in this ancient valley the lowest point on the summit at the headwaters of these two streams is about feet above lake superior [lake st. croix, at stillwater, is feet higher than lake superior] and feet above lake st. croix. upper lake st. croix is feet below this summit. the st. croix river one mile above the mouth of moose river is feet below this summit. the st. croix river discharges . cubic feet of water per minute at the mouth of moose creek. the brule river discharges about . cubic feet of water per minute in the north part of township , range . the distance from taylor's falls to lake superior by the valley of the st. croix and the valley of the brule river is nearly miles. "there are several exposures of trap rock along these streams and an abundance of brown sandstone of good quality for building purposes, being easily worked. "can lake st. croix, at stillwater, be connected with lake superior by canal and slackwater navigation? yes. this question has been definitely settled by the recent examination of the united states engineers, under the direction of maj. chas. j. allen, of the sources of the st croix river, with reference to the construction of reservoirs to improve the navigation of that river and the mississippi. "by constructing a dam one mile above the mouth of moose creek, on the st. croix, of sufficient height to raise the water feet, cutting a canal feet wide, feet deep, - / miles long, across the summit, and building a dam in township , range , across the brule river, high enough to raise the water to the same height as the dam on the st. croix, and you construct a lake over thirty miles long, affording uninterrupted navigation across the summit for that distance, and utilize the waters of the st. croix and its branches and the brule, and by the capacity before given the amount of water is sufficient to pass vessels through locks feet wide, feet long, - / feet lift, at the rate of per hour, or in hours, at the dryest season of the year. this settles the question of practicability. "the whole improvement will cost less than $ , , , and by placing the lowest dam and lock at prescott so as to always hold lake st. croix at the high water mark will give two hundred miles of slackwater navigation connecting the mississippi river with lake superior, accommodating boats of large size and deep draft, propelled by steam, at the usual rates of speed used on the rivers. average cost per mile, $ , . "it would accomplish another object. the improvement of navigation on the mississippi river by a system of reservoirs on its tributaries would be most effectually accomplished by holding one or two feet of extra head upon each of the thirteen dams proposed, thus storing up during the spring freshets vastly more water than can be held in the small reservoirs on the tributaries of the st. croix. there are no very large natural reservoirs in the upper st. croix valley. "hold a three foot head on the lake as a reserve from the spring freshets and you have stored up , , cubic yards of water to be used in the dry season in august and september. continue this plan to the source and you have in the st. croix valley a continuous reservoir one hundred and fifty miles long. connect the two systems as proposed above and you have a route furnishing the cheapest transportation that can be had and at the same time obtain a system of large reservoirs to improve the navigation of the mississippi river. "this is one of the improvements that the northwest needs for its present, future and more perfect development. "the proposition and figures are given, after a series of examinations extending through a period of over twenty-five years, for the purpose of calling out investigation." the waterways convention of . public discussions of the matter in the legislature and in conventions were not entirely in vain. public attention was aroused and interest awakened in the great question of inland navigation. in the great waterways convention convened in st. paul, at the call of gov. hubbard, of minnesota. this convention was attended by over , delegates from the states of florida, louisiana, missouri, kansas, nebraska, illinois, iowa, wisconsin, and minnesota, and from the territories of dakota and montana. ex-gov. bross, of illinois, acted as temporary chairman. the permanent organization elected maj. wm. warren, of kansas city, president, gen. g. w. jones, of iowa, vice president, and platt b. walker, of minnesota, secretary. various schemes for internal improvement were brought before the convention and ably advocated, but each in the interest of a particular section. the members from florida wanted a ship canal for that state. illinois and eastern iowa advocated the hennepin canal scheme. missouri, kansas, nebraska, western iowa, dakota, and montana demanded the improvement of the missouri river. wisconsin and northern iowa the completion of the fox and wisconsin canal. minnesota and wisconsin agreed with all for the improvement of the mississippi from the falls of st. anthony to the balize, for the improvement of the sault ste. marie canal, and for the internal improvements asked for generally in the states and territories represented. the result was the passage of a series of resolutions recommending a liberal policy in the distribution of improvements, and favoring every meritorious project for the increase of facilities for water transportation, but recommending as a subject of paramount importance the immediate and permanent improvement of the mississippi and missouri rivers and their navigable tributaries. it was recommended that the depth of the mississippi be increased to six feet between cario and the falls of st. anthony. the hennepin canal was strongly indorsed, as was also the improvement of the sault ste. marie, and of the navigation of wisconsin and fox rivers, of the red river of the north, and of the chippewa, st. croix and minnesota rivers. the convention unanimously recommended as a sum proper for these improvements the appropriation of $ , , . some of the papers presented were elaborately prepared, and deserve to be placed on permanent record. the memorial of mr. e. w. durant, of stillwater, contains many valuable statistics. we quote that portion containing a statement of the resources and commerce of the valleys of the mississippi and st. croix: "the northwestern states have not had the recognition that is due to the agricultural and commercial requirements of this vast and poplous territory, whose granaries and fields not only feed the millions of this continent, but whose annual export constitutes a most important factor in the food calculation of foreign nations. during the past decade the general government has expended $ , , on the waterways of the upper mississippi. the improvements inaugurated by the general government in removing many of the serious impediments to navigation warrants the belief that still more extensive improvements should be made. it is an error to suppose that the palmy days of steamboating on western rivers has passed. in demonstration of this take the quantity of lumber sent down the mississippi. there was shipped from the st. croix river during the year to various distributing points along the mississippi river , , feet of lumber, , , of lath, , , of shingles, , , of pickets; from the chippewa river during the same period, , , feet of lumber, , , of shingles and , , of lath and pickets; from black river during the same period was shipped , , feet of lumber, , , shingles, and , , lath and pickets, aggregating , , , feet of lumber, , , of shingles and , , of lath. the tonnage of this product alone foots up over , , tons. the lumber value of raft and cargoes annually floated to market on the mississippi will not vary far from $ , , . the capital invested in steamboats, in number, used for towing purposes is $ , , ; while the saw mills, timber plants and other investments incidental to the prosecution of this branch of industry will foot up fully $ , ; while the labor and their dependences engaged in this pursuit alone will equal the population of one of our largest western states. there are sixteen bridges spanning the river between st. paul and st. louis, and it is important that some additional safeguards be thrown around these bridges to afford greater safety to river commerce." mr. durant says there has been a general cry for some time past that the days of steamboating on the northern mississippi and tributaries were over; but he thinks it will be forcibly shown in the coming convention that, if they are, the only cause for it is the extremely short and uncertain seasons for steamboating, resulting from the neglected and filled up channels. if the channels can be improved, so that steamers can be sure of five months' good running each year, he thinks they will prove to be one of the most important means of transportation in the upper mississippi valley. they will then be used for the transportation up and down stream of all heavy and slow freights in preference to railroads, on account of cheapness. it would prove a new and the greatest era in upper river steamboating. it appears from a report made at the convention, that during the year there were steamboats plying on the mississippi from st. louis to points above. two thousand seven hundred rafts from the st. croix and chippewa passed the winona bridge, and the total number of feet of logs and lumber floated down the mississippi from the st. croix, chippewa and black rivers was , , , . the total passages of steamers through the winona bridge for was , . on the st. croix, above lake st. croix, during the season of there were steamers and barges engaged in freight and passenger traffic only. the steamers made round trips between stillwater and taylor's falls, round trips between marine and st. paul, and round trips between franconia and st. paul. the following is a showing of the lumber, logs, rafting, and towing business on the st. croix during : there were steamers engaged in towing logs and lumber out of the st. croix and down the mississippi, the total number of feet handled by them being , , , board measure: the total number of feet of logs (board measure) which passed through the st. croix boom in was , , . the lumber manufacture of the st. croix during that year was valued at $ , , . resolution introduced at the waterways convention held in st. paul, september, . whereas, the north american continent is penetrated by two great water systems both of which originate upon the tablelands of minnesota, one the mississippi river and its tributaries, reaching southward from the british line to the gulf of mexico, watering the greatest body of fertile land on the globe,--the future seat of empire of the human family on earth,--the other the chain of great lakes flowing eastwardly and constituting with the st. lawrence river a great water causeway in the direct line of the flow of the world's commerce from the heart of the continent to the atlantic; and whereas, between the navigable waters of these continental dividing systems there is but a gap of ninety miles in width from taylor's falls on the st. croix, to duluth on lake superior, through a region of easily worked drift formation, with a rise of but five hundred and sixty feet to overcome, and plentifully supplied with water from the highest point of the water-shed; therefore, _resolved_. that we demand of congress the construction of a canal from taylor's falls to duluth, using the upper st. croix and the st. louis rivers as far as the same can be made navigable, the said canal to be forever free of toll or charge, and to remain a public highway for the interchange of the productions of the mississippi valley and the valley of the great lakes; and should the railway interests of the country prove powerful enough to prevent congressional action to this end, we call upon the states of the northwest to unite and build, at their own cost, such a canal, believing that the increased value of the productions of the country would speedily repay the entire outlay. early steamboat navigation. the pennsylvania was the first steamer that descended the mississippi. she came down the ohio from pittsburgh, creating the utmost terror in the minds of the simple-hearted people who had lately been rather rudely shaken by an earthquake, and supposed the noise of the coming steamer to be but the precursor of another shake. when the pennsylvania approached shawneetown, illinois, the people crowded the river shore, and in their alarm fell down upon their knees and prayed to be delivered from the muttering, roaring earthquake coming down the river, its furnaces glowing like the open portals of the nether world. many fled to the hills in utter dismay at the frightful appearance of the hitherto unknown monster, and the dismal sounds it emitted. it produced the same and even greater terror in the scant settlements of the lower mississippi. in capt. shreve commanded the gen. washington, the fastest boat that had as yet traversed the western rivers. this year the gen. washington made the trip from new orleans to louisville, kentucky, in twenty-five days. when at louisville he anchored his boat in the middle of the river and fired twenty-five guns in honor of the event, one for each day out. the population of louisville feted and honored the gallant captain for his achievement. he was crowned with flowers, and borne through the streets by the huzzaing crowd. a rich banquet was spread, and amidst the hilarity excited by the flowing bowl, the captain made an eloquent speech which was vociferously applauded. he declared that the time made by the gen. washington could never be equaled by any other boat. curiously enough, some later in the season, the tecumseh made the trip in nine days. the time made by the tecumseh was not beaten until , when the shepherdess carried away the laurels for speed. we have but little definite information as to navigation on the mississippi during the ten years subsequent to the trip of the pennsylvania. the solitude of the upper mississippi was unbroken by the advent of any steamer until the year . on the second of may in that year the virginia, a steamer feet in length, in width, with a draught of feet, left her moorings at st. louis levee for fort snelling laden with stores for the fort. she was four days passing the rock island rapids, and made but slow progress throughout. it is heedless to say that the indians were as much frightened at the appearance of the "fire canoe" as the settlers of the ohio valley had been, and made quick time escaping to the hills. judge james h. lockwood narrates (see vol. ii, wisconsin historical collections, page ) that in capt. david g. bates brought a small boat named the putnam up to prairie du chien, and took it thence to fort snelling with supplies for the troops. the steamer neville also made the voyage to prairie du chien in . the following year came the steamer mandan and in the indiana and lawrence. fletcher williams, in his history of st. paul, says that from to as many as fifteen steamers had arrived at fort snelling, and that afterward their arrivals were more frequent. during this primitive period, the steamboats had no regular time for arrival and departure at ports. a time table would have been an absurdity. "go as you please" or "go as you can," was the order of the day. passengers had rare opportunities for observation and discovery, and were frequently allowed pleasure excursions on shore while the boat was being cordelled over a rapid, was stranded on a bar, or waiting for wood to be cut and carried on board at some wooding station. sometimes they were called upon to lend a helping hand at the capstan, or to tread the gang plank to a "wood up" quickstep. when on their pleasure excursion they strayed away too far, they were recalled to the boat by the firing of a gun or the ringing of a bell. it is doubtful if in later days, with all the improvements in steamboat travel, more enjoyable voyages have been made than these free and easy excursions in the light draught boats of the decades between and , under such genial captains and officers as the harrises, atchinson, throckmorton, brasie, ward, blakeley, lodwick, munford, pim, orrin smith and others. before the government had improved navigation the rapids of rock island and des moines, and snags, rocks and sandbars elsewhere were serious obstructions. the passengers endured the necessary delays from these causes with great good nature, and the tedium of the voyage was frequently enlivened by boat races with rival steamers. these passenger boats were then liberally patronized. the cost of a trip from st. louis to st. paul was frequently reduced to ten dollars, and considering the time spent in making the trip (often as much as two or three weeks) was cheaper than board in a good hotel, while the fare on the boat could not be excelled. the boats were frequently crowded with passengers, whole families were grouped about the tables or strolling on the upper decks, with groups of travelers representing all the professions and callings, travelers for pleasure and for business, explorers, artists, and adventurers. at night the brilliantly lighted cabin would resound with music, furnished by the boat's band of sable minstrels, and trembled to the tread of the dancers as much as to the throbbing of the engine. the steamer, as the one means of communication with the distant world, as the bearer of mails, of provisions and articles of trade, was greeted at every village with eager and excited groups of people, some perhaps expecting the arrival of friends, while others were there to part with them. these were scenes to be remembered long, in fact many of the associations of river travel produced indelible impressions. in these days of rapid transit by rail more than half the delights of traveling are lost. before the settlement of the country the wildness of the scene had a peculiar charm. the majestic bluffs with their rugged escarpments of limestone stretched away in solitary grandeur on either side of the river. the perpendicular crags crowning the bluffs seemed like ruined castles, some of them with rounded turrets and battlements, some even with arched portals. along the slopes of the bluffs was a growth of sturdy oaks, in their general contour and arrangement resembling fruit trees, vast, solitary orchards in appearance, great enough to supply the world with fruit. on the slopes of the river bank might have been seen occasionally the bark wigwams of the indian, and his birch canoe gliding silently under the shadow of the elms and willows lining the shore. occasionally a deer would be seen grazing on some upland glade, or bounding away in terror at sight of the steamer. a complete history of early steamboat navigation on the upper mississippi would abound with interesting narratives and incidents; but of these, unfortunately, there is no authentic record, and we can only speak in general terms of the various companies that successively controlled the trade and travel of the river, or were rivals for the patronage of the public. during the decade of the ' s, the harrises, of galena, ran several small boats from galena to st. louis, occasionally to fort snelling, or through the difficult current of the wisconsin to fort winnebago, towing barges laden with supplies for the wisconsin pineries. capt. scribe harris' favorite boat from to was the smelter. the captain greatly delighted in her speed, decorated her gaily with evergreens, and rounding to at landings, or meeting with other boats, fired a cannon from her prow to announce her imperial presence. the smelter and other boats run by the harris family held the commerce of the river for many years. in the first daily line of steamers above st. louis was established. these boats ran independently, but on stated days, from st. louis to galena and dubuque. they were the tempest, capt. john j. smith; war eagle, capt. smith harris; prairie bird, capt. niebe wall; monona, capt. ---- bersie; st. croix, capt. ----; fortune, capt. mark atchinson. these boat owners, with others, subsequently formed a consolidated company. in a company was formed for the navigation of the mississippi above galena. the first boat in the line, the argo, commanded by russell blakeley, was placed upon the river in . the boats in this line were the argo, dr. franklin, senator, nominee, ben campbell, war eagle, and the galena. in the galena & minnesota packet company was formed by a consolidation of various interests. the company consisted of the following stockholders: o. smith, the harrises, james carter, h. corwith, b. h. campbell, d. b. morehouse, h. m. rice, h. l. dousman, h. h. sibley, and russell blakeley. the boats of the new company were the war eagle, galena, dr. franklin, nominee, and the west newton. in a new company was formed, and the dubuque boats, the itasca and key city, were added to the line. this line continued until , and the new boats, dr. franklin, no. , and the new st. paul, were added. the galena had been burned at red wing in the fall of . the following is a list of the earliest arrivals at st. paul after the opening of navigation between the years and : april , , steamer otter, capt. harris; april , , steamer otter, capt. harris; april , , steamer otter, capt. harris; march , , steamer lynx, capt. atchison; april , , steamer cora, capt. throckmorton; april , , steamer senator, capt. harris; april , , steamer highland mary, capt. atchison; april , , steamer highland mary, capt. atchison; april , , steamer nominee, capt. smith; april , , steamer nominee, capt. smith; april , , steamer west newton, capt. harris; april , , steamer nominee, capt. blakeley; april , , steamer war eagle, capt. harris; april , , steamer lady franklin, capt. lucas; may , , steamer galena, capt. laughton; march , , steamer gray eagle, capt. harris. the following list includes boats not named in the packet and company lists with date of first appearance as far as can be ascertained: virginia may , rufus putnam april , mandan neville ---- indiana lawrence may , versailles may , missouri may , frontier palmyra saint peter's rolla sciota - eclipse - josephine - fulton - red river - black rover ---- burlington ariel gypsy fayette warrior enterprise volant glancus pennsylvania knickerbocker otter highland mary gov. ramsey (above the falls) - anthony wayne - yankee - black hawk - ben accord - royal arch - uncle toby - indian queen - di vernon - osprey - lamartine - fannie harris - asia - equator the following made their appearance some time in the ' s: cora, lynx, dr. franklin, no. , and st. anthony. the northern line company organized in and placed the following steamers upon the mississippi, to run between st. louis and st. paul: the canada, capt. ward; pembina, capt. griffith; denmark, capt. gray; metropolitan, capt. rhodes; lucy may, capt. jenks; wm. l. ewing, capt. green; henry clay, capt. campbell; fred lorenz, capt. parker; northerner, capt. alvord; minnesota belle, capt. hill; northern light and york state, capt. ----. commodore w. f. davidson commenced steamboating on the upper mississippi in with the jacob traber. in he added the frank steele, and included the minnesota river in his field of operations. in he added the Æolian, favorite and winona. in he organized the la crosse & minnesota packet company, with the five above named steamers in the line. in the keokuk and northern belle were added. in the la crosse & minnesota and the northern line packet companies were consolidated under the name of the northwestern union packet company, with the following steamers: the moses mclellan, ocean wave, itasca, key city, milwaukee city, belle, war eagle, phil sheridan, s. s. merrill, alex. mitchell, city of st. paul, tom jasper, belle of la crosse, city of quincy, and john kyle. this line controlled the general trade until . there were upon the river and its tributaries during the period named the following light draught boats: the julia, mollie mohler, cutter, chippewa falls, mankato, albany, ariel, stella whipple, isaac gray, morning star, antelope, clara hine, geo. s. weeks, dexter, damsel, addie johnson, annie johnson, g. h. wilson, flora, and hudson. later navigation on the upper mississippi. the northwestern union packet company, more familiarly known as the "white collar line," from the white band painted around the upper part of the smokestacks, and the keokuk packet company, sold their steamers to the keokuk northern line packet company, which continued until , when the st. louis & st. paul packet company was organized. its boats were: the minneapolis, red wing, minnesota, dubuque, rock island, lake superior, muscatine, clinton, chas. cheever, dan hine, andy johnson, harry johnson, rob roy, lucy bertram, steven bayard, war eagle, golden eagle, gem city, white eagle, and flying eagle. steamboating on the st. croix. the steamer palmyra was the first boat to disturb the solitude of the st. croix. in june, , it passed up the st. croix lake and river as far as the dalles. the steamer ariel, the second boat, came as far as marine in . in the fall of , the steamer otter, scribe harris, commanding, landed at stillwater. the steamer otter was laden with irons and machinery for the first mill in stillwater. up to nearly every boat that ascended the mississippi also ascended the st. croix, but in later years, as larger boats were introduced, its navigation was restricted to smaller craft, and eventually to steamboats built for the special purpose of navigating the st. croix. quite a number of these were built at osceola, franconia and taylor's falls. the following is a list of boats navigating the st. croix from the year to the present time: humboldt, ; enterprise, ; pioneer, ; osceola, ; h. s. allen, ; fanny thornton, ; viola, ; dalles, ; nellie kent, ; g. b. knapp, ; minnie will, ; wyman x, ; mark bradley, ; helen mar, ; maggie reany, ; jennie hays, ; cleon, . a number of raft steamers, built at south stillwater and elsewhere, have plied the river within the last ten years. a number of barges were built at south stillwater, osceola and taylor's falls. the passenger travel on the st. croix has decreased since the completion of the railroad to taylor's falls and st. croix falls. an interesting chapter of anecdotes and incidents might be compiled, illustrating the early steamboat life on the st. croix. we find in "bond's minnesota" a notice of one of the first boats in the regular trade, which will throw some light on the subject of early travel on the river. it describes the humboldt, which made its first appearance in : "in addition, some adventurous genius on a small scale, down about oquaka, illinois, last year conceived the good idea of procuring a steamboat suitable to perform the duties of a tri-weekly packet between stillwater and taylor's falls, the extreme point of steam navigation up the st. croix. it is true he did not appear to have a very correct idea of the kind of craft the people really wanted and would well support in that trade, but such as he thought and planned he late last season, brought forth. * * indeed, the little humboldt is a great accommodation to the people of the st. croix. she stops anywhere along the river, to do any and all kinds of business that may offer, and will give passengers a longer ride, so far as _time_ is concerned, for a dollar, than any other craft we ever traveled upon. she is also, to outward appearances, a temperance boat, and carries no cooking or table utensils. she stops at the 'marine,' going and returning, to allow the people aboard to feed upon a good, substantial dinner; and the passengers are allowed, if they feel so disposed, to carry 'bars' in their side pockets and 'bricks' in their hats. a very accommodating craft is the humboldt, and a convenience that is already set down on the st. croix as one indispensable." the diamond jo line of steamers was established in . jo reynolds was president of the company and has served as such continuously to date. under his general supervision the company has been quite successful. the business has required an average of six steamers yearly. in the line consists of the boats the sidney, pittsburgh and mary morton. the st. louis & st. paul packet company, successors of the various old transportation companies, is in successful operation in , employing three steamers. there are but few transient boats now on the river. ice boats. several attempts have been made to navigate the river during the winter months by means of ice boats, but the efforts have uniformly failed. of these attempts we mention the two most notable: noman wiard, an inventor of some celebrity, made an ice boat in and placed it on the river at prairie du chien, intending to run between that point and st. paul. it was elaborately planned and elegantly finished, and resembled somewhat a palace car mounted on steel runners. it failed on account of the roughness of the ice, never making a single trip. it, however, proved somewhat remunerative as a show, and was for some time on exhibition within an inclosure at prairie du chien. martin mower, of osceola, minnesota, invented a boat to run on the ice between stillwater and taylor's falls, in the winter of - . it made several trips, carrying passengers and freight. the rough ice prevented regular trips and the project was abandoned. steamboat life-- . james w. mullen, of taylor's falls, spent much of his early and middle life on the river, and cherishes many pleasant recollections of the early days. we have been favored with a few of these, which will give the reader a vivid idea of the scenes depicted: "a. d. found me a cabin boy on the war eagle at the st. louis levee, with sign board up for stillwater and fort snelling. the levee was a wonder to behold. it was thronged with teams, policemen keeping them in rank. piles of freight were awaiting shipment. steamboats for three-quarters of a mile along the levee were discharging and receiving freight; passengers were rushing frantically to and fro; bells were ringing, and boats leaving for the cumberland, tennessee, missouri and illinois rivers; and new orleans, cincinnati, pittsburgh, keokuk, galena, stillwater, and fort snelling. "it was a delightful june day on which we pulled out from this busy scene and commenced our voyage to the far off north land, then known as wisconsin territory. capt. smith harris gave the last tap of the bell; the lines were loosened; the wheels of the war eagle revolved slowly at first, and we were soon on the broad bosom of the mississippi, heading northward in the wake and black smoke of the steamers ocean wave, tobacco plant and western belle. the luella, the alton packet, followed us closely, racing with us. all was enjoyment. we pass the steamers osprey and di vernon. at nauvoo we note the magnificent mormon temple on the high ground, and also long files of mormons going westward. we pass many fine farms, much beautiful scenery, and many growing towns, among them rock island and davenport, the latter the home of antoine le clair, a half-breed indian trader and heavyweight, tipping the beam at three hundred and fifty pounds avoirdupois. he lives there in sumptuous splendor from his profits made in trade. the villages, or tepees, of sac and fox indians are seen along the shores; their bark canoes glide silently over the waters. further on we ascend for seven miles the sluggish and narrow channel of fever river, and find ourselves at galena, the home of the harrises, river captains. "we find at the levee here the steamers falcon and st. croix, laden with lead for st. louis. back through fever river to the mississippi and past dubuque, an active, rising town; past cassville, the expected but disappointed capital city of wisconsin territory, a lovely location, its castellated hills frowning above it and its fine three story brick hotel and other buildings; past prairie du chien and fort crawford, with soldiers drilling on the green. here amable moreau, a french upper mississippi pilot, came on board. squads of indians were hanging around begging for whisky and tobacco. resuming our way, stemming the current of the river we pass other scenes, other birch canoes gliding over the waves, other tepees and indian villages along the shore. at la crosse we find a few whites and lots of indians on an unimproved prairie, with a background of high bluffs. we pass trempeleau and then winona prairie, on which we find an old indian village, dating back to unknown time. opposite the mouth of the chippewa river we pass nelson's landing with its two log warehouses and mackinaw boats loading for the chippewa river. we pass into lovely lake pepin, maiden's rock or lover's leap rising into a battlement on the right, and the famous point-no-point on the left. out of the beautiful lake again into the river, between low, forest covered islands, till we pass barn bluff or mount la grange, a bold, abrupt and isolated hill just below red wing. we passed more indian tepees, villages and burying grounds,--not that, for the dead bodies of the indians were not buried but fastened upon scaffolds and the limbs of trees, according to sioux custom. at the mouth of st. croix river we pass prescott landing, where lives the old pioneer trader philander prescott. across the st. croix, opposite prescott landing, is point douglas. some miles above point douglas we pass little crow village, a missionary station, where young indian boys ran down to the landing and greeted us with such yells as have not rung through these wilds, perhaps, for ages past. "we find st. paul to be a small village. there are a few houses on a high, almost perpendicular bluff, overlooking the river. at the base of the bluff on the river shore stands a warehouse with the sign 'choteau & valle.' we are soon at mendota and fort snelling. a squad of soldiers guard the freight over night. we have ample time in the morning to visit the post before starting down the river, and the following morning finds the prow of the war eagle resting against the stillwater landing. here capt. harris greets his friends and is warmly welcomed. so far, stillwater seemed the most active and enterprising village on the whole route. joe brown's town, dakota, lies a short distance above at the head of the lake. capt. harris on his return towed a raft comprising ten acres of logs. big joe was one of the pilots on the raft." st. croix boom company. previous to the organization of the boom company, in , the logs were floated down the st. croix and caught in side booms by individual owners, and owners of lake booms would raft them indiscriminately, regardless of log marks, but with the mark side up for the convenience of scaling. the scaling was done by some responsible party in the interest of the various owners, and balances were settled by exchanges, or if not balanced by cash or by note, to be paid out of the profits of the next year's logs. instances of fraud seldom occurred. when minnesota became a territory this system was superseded by another method of handling, assorting or delivering. the legislature established surveyor general districts, of which the st. croix valley was designated as the first. the surveyors general were elected in a joint convention of the two houses of the legislature, and the candidacy for this office, together with questions of salary, became a leading feature in the politics of the district. the surveyors general of the first district have been, robert harsy, samuel winship, charles j. gardiner, ivory mckusick, james d. mccomb, z. wilder chase, john s. proctor, and al. hospice. the law defining the duties of the surveyors general has been awarded from time to time, and the system of scaling improved till it has reached its present form, in which it meets with very general approval. in a law was passed giving to the governor the power of appointing surveyors general. the boom company was organized by the territorial legislature, feb. , , with a capital stock of $ , , with privileges of increase to $ , . the incorporators were orange walker and george b. judd, of marine; john mckusick, socrates nel son and levi churchill, of stillwater; daniel mears and william kent, of osceola; and w. h. c. folsom, of taylor's falls. fred r. bartlett was the first secretary, but was superseded by david b. loomis. the first boom was built near an island lying opposite and above osceola. the surveyor general had his office at stillwater, an arrangement that gave great satisfaction, but as the boom was not advantageously located, the channel of the river above being too narrow for the annually increasing production of logs, the company, in , obtained a new charter with power to construct booms from the head of lake st. croix to taylor's falls. the capital stock was increased to $ , with the privilege of increasing it to $ , . it was subsequently increased to $ , . the incorporators of the new company were martin mower, w. h. c. folsom, isaac staples, christopher carli and samuel burkelo. the company placed a second boom a mile and a half above stillwater. the increase of their business compelled them from time to time to build side booms and shear booms to prevent the logs from lodging against the banks or passing bayous or secondary channels, and also to keep the primary channel free from obstructions to navigation. they built firm and expensive piers, drove piling and made canals for the use of steamboats when the main channel was wanted for booming purposes. notwithstanding all this care, navigation was frequently obstructed by the accumulation of logs. litigation ensued, and heavy expenses were incurred in defending the rights of the company or paying damages. these controversies were not unattended with ill feeling. public meetings were frequently held and denunciating resolutions adopted. in one case, when navigation had been interrupted for fifty-seven days, the damages were estimated at $ , . some controversies also arose as to jurisdiction. st. croix river being the boundary line between two states, the wisconsin authorities claimed concurrent jurisdiction. the boom company was organized under minnesota law and its members were residents of minnesota. the surveyor general of the first district claimed entire jurisdiction and scaled the logs irrespective of the state in which they were cut. the action of the surveyor general had been accepted both by the original owners and purchasers of the logs. in january, , gov. hubbard, of minnesota, appointed a. l. hospes surveyor general, and the appointment creating some dissatisfaction, a lumberman's board of exchange was organized, and judson mckusick was appointed as private scaler. he proceeded, under the direction of the exchange, to scale logs that had already been scaled by hospes. when the members of the exchange proceeded to take possession of their logs and run them out into the lake, hospes commenced a series of injunction cases to prevent them from so doing. the exchange brought suit against hospes in wisconsin courts to prevent him from scaling logs owned by the exchange. the exchange also declared that mckusick was a deputy of the general surveyor of the fourth district, wisconsin. pending these suits, hospes commenced a _quo warranto_ proceeding in the minnesota supreme court to have the articles of incorporation of the exchange annulled, but was defeated on the ground that the exchange could employ a private scaler at will, but held that such scaler could not interfere with the claims of hospes, he being recognized as surveyor general. in july of the same year the claims of the conflicting parties were settled by the parties themselves, outside the courts, and the question of conflicting jurisdiction has therefore never been legally determined. it is true that some courts have passed upon the question, and appeals have been taken to higher courts. the decision of judge nelson of the supreme court has been given, a decision that the surveyor general of the first district of minnesota has a right to scale all logs in his district, yet by his own decision wisconsin has equal rights under concurrent jurisdiction. should both state authorities under their surveyors general claim jurisdiction at the same time, concurrent jurisdiction would lead to a double taxation upon log owners. it seems, however, to be an admitted principle that when suits between the same parties, in relation to the same matter, are pending at the same time in different courts of jurisdiction, a judgment in the one may act as a bar to further proceedings in the other. the question ought to be more definitely and satisfactorily settled. the language of the logs. it may not be amiss to explain somewhat in detail the system of marking adopted by the lumbermen. owners of logs must be able to identify their property or lose the reward of their labor. a system of marking each log has, therefore, become a feature of the lumbering business, and has been in existence ever since lumbering has been prosecuted. when the business was confined to a limited number of firms it was an easy matter, and one of mutual arrangement, to select the property. but firms change; from a score the number of lumber firms increased to hundreds. a record of ownership of log marks is necessary, and a law has been enacted protecting the ownership of a mark as thoroughly as a trade mark is protected. this system of marks in the process of time has become a language in itself deep and intricate to the average mind, but as plain as the alphabet to every man having to do with the manufacture of logs. it is the aim of every lumberman originating a mark to make it simple, containing as many straight lines as possible, so that it can be put on the log speedily. these marks are cut on the logs, through the bark and a few inches into the body of the timber, soon after the tree is felled, by a skilled axeman who is charged with the duty. the cut is made deeper than the bark so it will be preserved after the bark comes off. the mark is made upon the side of the log. this system of marks is a language in itself. every prominent firm has a particular character, which, in a general way, is indicative of his ownership or interest in the log. this mark may be varied by additional or supplementary characters, indicating who cut the log, on whose land it was cut, or under what particular contract it was put into the stream. some idea of the extent and variety of these marks can be formed from the statement that there is recorded in the st. croix district--only a small portion of the entire lumber region of the northwest--over , different and distinct characters. many of these are quaint and interesting, and the whole etymology curious in the extreme. in the books in the surveyor general's office these marks and figures are the only characters used except in the recording of the marks themselves and of instruments and agreements. the identity of mark and its association of ownership necessarily calls into play the utmost familiarity. to one not thoroughly familiar with the method the books are about as intelligible as the figures on the side of a chinese tea chest to the average american. once a man becomes thoroughly familiar with the marks on a river where lumbering is so extensively carried on as on the st. croix, he becomes invaluable in the surveyor general's office, or in the booms, identified in some capacity with the scaling process. the fact that some particular character runs through the varied marks of all the leading firms is a key to the readiest understanding, just as the twenty-six characters in the alphabet are necessarily understood before one can read readily or intelligently. when the logs reach the booms the marks serve as a guide in their distribution by the scaler, whose business it is to measure the logs, call out the number of feet in each log to the tallyman, who records it in a book kept for the purpose, the record, together with the mark attached, to be forwarded to the surveyor general's office, there to be posted and footed. a small army of men is engaged in bringing logs to the gap, a narrow passage admitting scarcely more than one log at a time. a catch mark is a mark representing the original mark and is so placed as to appear always upon the upper side when the log floats at rest. once through the gap, experienced men gather the logs, as they are floated downward by the current, into brills. these are subsequently gathered together in rafts, laid, as a rule, with the logs headed in the direction of the current. rafts may be transported to any distance southward by the current of the stream, and through the waters of the lake, and not infrequently the whole distance by tow boats. amount of logs cut from to . the earliest statistics in the following table are from persons operating, and the later from record books. we have given the figures in round numbers. the table includes logs cut and floated down the st. croix river and tributaries: year. feet. - , - , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , chartered dams. the namakagon totogatic dam company obtained a charter in from the wisconsin legislature empowering them to construct two dams for sheering logs, one to be at the outlet of namakagon lake, the other on totogatic river, a stream tributary to namakagon river, entering that stream about eight miles above its junction with the st. croix. in , by legislative act, the charter was amended by permission to erect sixteen dams, to be built severally on the waters of the upper st. croix, moose, eau claire, namakagon, totogatic, yellow, and clam rivers. the name was changed to the "st. croix dam company," and the capital stock was fixed at $ , . the incorporators were a. m. chase, joel nason, henry d. barron, wm. kent, and s. b. dresser. a. m. chase was the first president. the company had permission under the charter to hold the water during the seasons when it was not necessary to navigation on the st. croix. these dams were usually shut down to gather a head during the months of march and april, with the exception of the dams on the namakagon and eau claire, which have the privilege of gathering and retaining a head of water during any part of the year. the head of water above these dams varied from seven to ten feet, and the average cost of construction was $ , . the tolls per , feet at these dams were as follows: namakagon and clam, and cents; at totogatic, and cents; st. croix, and cents; other dams, to cents. a. m. chase was the original mover in organizing the corporation and forwarding its interests. he was foreman in selecting sites and building the various dams. he was also owner and general agent until within the last few years, when he transferred his interests to other parties. the charter expires in . the dam on clam river, built at a cost of $ , , was, in , blown up by dynamite and destroyed by robert davidson, who claimed that the flowage interfered with his meadow lands. lumbering on the st. croix in . the progress of civilization involving the building of railways, the transformation of the wilderness into cultivated fields, the growth of villages and cities, the increased facilities for manufacturing and the bringing the forest domain under law, has created such changes in the business of lumbering as to justify the insertion of a chapter relating to the life and surroundings of the early lumberman. let us go back to the year . the country, save a few sparse settlements on the navigable streams, is as yet an unbroken wilderness, and tenanted only by wild beasts and roving indians. there are vast regions, densely wooded, in which the sound of the woodman's axe has never been heard, lying about the headwaters of the chippewa, st. croix and other streams. these pineries can only be reached by stemming the currents of the minor streams in bateaux or birch bark canoes, or by traversing the country on foot or with teams. parties operating must purchase their outfit, consisting of teams, supplies of flour, pork, etc., in illinois or missouri. sometimes they drive their teams through unsettled country, without roads, swimming and fording streams, clearing away obstructions, and camping where night overtakes them. sometimes they ship their supplies by steamer to stillwater or st. croix falls. when landed at stillwater the supplies are packed upon flatboats and poled to taylor's falls, where they are to be portaged to the head of the rapids, a distance of six miles, and transferred to bateaux. the portage is a difficult one. the goods are to be hoisted up over the rocks of the dalles and placed upon sleds calculated to run upon the bare ground. considering the inequalities of the surface from the dalles to the head of the rapids, the portage is an immensely difficult one. they are then taken to their place of destination, the bateaux returning to the falls for successive loads, the whole transfer requiring considerable time. sometimes, if late in the season, part or whole of the fleet of bateaux may be caught in the ice, in which case a bushed road must be made, and the supplies transported by teams and men. arriving on the ground, the operators blaze trees on lines surrounding the region which they wish to work during the winter. these claims are generally respected by others. the first work to be done is making a camp, building stables, clearing streams of obstructions, and making roads. incidentally the indians, certain to be visitors at the camps, are to be propitiated with presents of flour, pork and tobacco. these pacified and out of the way, the lumberman may say with alexander selkirk-- "i am monarch of all i survey; my right there is none to dispute." trespassing is unknown. the lumberman is not conscious that he himself is a trespasser on the domain of uncle sam. nor is he. has he not the best title in the world? who is there to dispute it? no government agent ever troubles him, or questions his right to fell the royal trees and dispose of them as he may choose. he is earning by his strong right arm his title to the trees. he endures much, accomplishes much and is the advance courier of civilization. he spends long months away from the common haunts of men. he is cut off from the mails and from home pleasure. he lives an industrious life. cold is the day when the stroke of his axe is not heard. the snow deepens around him, the temperature sinks lower and lower, till it would not discredit labrador; still he toils on unceasingly, and at night builds high his blazing fire, wraps himself up in his buffalo robe and blankets, and sleeps through the night the sleep of the tired and the just. meanwhile his appetite is marvelous. the cooking (done by one of the crew) maybe of the rudest, and the provisions none of the daintiest, but exercise and the cold gives a relish to the food not often found in the fashionable restaurants. the members of the crew have each allotted duties. to one is intrusted the cooking department, to another the position of teamster, to another that of sled tender; some are choppers, some are swampers, some are sawyers. the records of the camp are kept by the foreman or some person detailed for that purpose. the winter over, the teams are returned to the settlements. the log driving crew succeeds the choppers and other workers. the logs, having been hauled upon the ice of the driving streams, with the melting of snow are afloat on the swollen streams, and the drivers commence their work, following the logs in their downward course to the mills or booms, dislodging them when they are driven upon shore, and breaking jams when they occur. this work is difficult and attended by considerable exposure, as the driver is often obliged to go into the stream. it therefore commands higher wages than other work. the drivers are without tents, but a wangan, or small flat boat, containing bedding, provisions and a cooking kit, is floated down the stream so as to be convenient at night. the wangan is managed by the cook alone, and his work, when he ties up for the night, is to take ashore the bedding, cooking material, etc., build a fire and provide a meal for the hungry crew. his cooking utensils are of the rudest kind, consisting of a tin reflector and a few iron pots and pans. the savory repast is scarce finished before the arrival of the crew, cold, wet, tired, and hungry. they are not particular about a table with its furniture, but are satisfied to eat from a tin plate, sitting or lying on the ground. hunger satisfied, they spend their evenings by the blazing fire, drying their clothing, jesting, story telling, or recalling the events of the day, or scanning the open or clouded sky for indications of weather changes. when the sky is clear they trace the constellations, locate the principal stars and planets, or follow the devious windings of the milky way. some of them have studied astronomy, and some have learned from others, and all are intent, though without books or teachers, on learning the wisdom that nature teaches, and some are found who have learned to look "from nature up to nature's god." occasionally some rougher specimen mars the order and pleasantness of this wild-wood converse by an oath or coarse remark, heard, perhaps, but unheeded by the more serious and thoughtful. such men are found everywhere, in the streets, saloons, and even in the wilderness, men who pollute the air in which they move with profanity and obscenity. these are not the men who succeed and build up great fortunes; these are not the true conquerors of the wilderness. the sober, thoughtful man is the man who succeeds. it is not necessary that he have the learning acquired from books, or a smattering of science from the schools. he may acquire great knowledge by close study of men, and observation of the phenomena of nature, and so make himself a peer of the book worm and scholar of the library and schools. the acquaintances formed in these camp scenes and toils often result in life long friendships, and the scenes of camp, river and forest become cherished reminiscences to the actors, who are as fond of recalling them as veteran soldiers are of recounting the hairbreadth escapes and stirring incidents of campaign life. the drive ends with the delivery of the logs at the booms and mills, the men are paid off and devote themselves for the remainder of the summer to other work. lumbering on the st. croix in . the st. croix lumberman, after the lapse of nearly fifty years, is still a picturesque figure, clad, as he is, in coarse, strong woolen garments, these of brilliant red, yellow, blue and green, or in some cases as variegated as joseph's coat of many colors. he is usually a man of stalwart frame, which is set off to advantage by his close fitting garments. his circumstances are, however, widely different from his old time predecessor. the rough, hard work of the wilderness, including the building of dams, the construction of reservoirs and roads, and the improvement of the streams, has been accomplished chiefly by his predecessors. he is abundantly supplied with food, produced almost in the neighborhood of the scenes of his winter's work. he travels by rail almost to his destination or drives blooded teams over comparatively good roads, where his predecessors tediously blazed the way and cleared it of underbrush. his camp accommodations are far superior. he is housed in comfortable cabins, warmed with large stoves and heaters, whereas the cabin of the lumberman of had a fire built on the ground in the centre of the room. the modern camp is well furnished with tables and other conveniences. the cook has a separate room furnished with a cooking stove and modern appliances for cooking. he has his assistant, known as the "cookee" or second cook. the table is spread with a variety of food, and delicacies that would have astounded the lumberman of . each operator is limited to his own special work. his bounds are set and he can go no further, except at the risk of the loss of his labor. the work goes on with clock-like precision and is comparatively easy. everything is done on a larger scale and more economically. the crews are larger and the life is not near so solitary. the various crews employed for the spring drive combine and thereby greatly increase their efficiency. they are supplied with better and covered boats. the cook in the drive has in addition to his "cookee" a wangan man to assist in managing the boat. the drives are larger and yet more easily handled, the conveniences are greater and the expenses less. the men are more independent, and owing to the number employed, and the nearness of settlements and villages, more sociable, and possibly more hilarious and less thoughtful. we shall nevertheless find among them men of character, thoughtful, industrious and earnest men, who would have shone in the associations of the earlier camps and who will doubtless in the future be ranked among the successful and capable men, worthy successors of the veterans now leaving the stage of action. conjecture as to the future of the lumbering industry, and consequently as to the character of the men engaged in it, would be idle. who can tell what a day or another fifty years may bring forth? the pine woods will not last always; already the camps are being pushed further and further to the north and west, and whereever the denuded pine lands are arable the farmer is making his home. the lumbering industry is also passing into the hands of corporations, and with their extensive means and the armies of men employed by them the forests are disappearing more rapidly than ever. it is possible that the present generation of lumbermen may be the last in the valley of the st. croix, and that before another fifty years have passed the last of the number may have shouldered his axe or peavy and passed "over the divide." the log jams of the st. croix. the st. croix river in its passage through the dalles is compressed into a comparatively narrow channel, by which means the logs driven down the stream are crowded closely together, so closely as to sometimes become firmly wedged or jammed together. the jam generally occurs at a point known as angle rock, a huge promontory of massive trap rock extending into the middle of the channel from the minnesota side, and opposite to the st. croix landing. the river makes a bend around this rock nearly at a right angle with the channel above. at this point jams are, under certain conditions, almost inevitable. sometimes they are of small dimensions and are easily broken. sometimes the logs gather in such quantity and become so tightly wedged that it is a labor of weeks to break them. the first jam worthy of note occurred in , during the prevalence of high water. it is, in fact, only during high water that jams can occur, the current being at such time swift and strong, and the logs apt to accumulate in greater number than in the regular drives, from the fact that logs that have been stranded in former seasons or at low water are floated off, and the river is thus filled with logs from bank to bank. these are crowded into the narrow channel of the dalles faster than they can be discharged, and a jam results. an obstruction once formed, the logs continuing to come in from above fill the channel. the tide of logs arrested, crowd downward until they rest upon the bottom of the river, and are heaped upward sometimes to a height of twenty or thirty feet above the surface. the river thus checked in its course rises, wedging the logs more closely and heaping them higher. in the jam of the river channel was filled nearly to the st. croix dam, a distance of a mile and a quarter above angle rock. this being the first of the great jams excited unusual attention. excursionists came up daily in the boats to look upon it. it was indeed a wonderful sight. the logs were heaped together in the wildest confusion, and wedged in at all angles. men and horses were employed to break the jam, which at that time, owing to the inexperience of the workers, was no light task. the _modus operandi_ of jam breaking is to remove logs from the lower part of the jam till some log which serves as a key to the jam is reached. this being removed the logs above commence moving, and, if the haul be a long one, in a short time the movement is extended to the head of the jam. perhaps the logs are so heaped above that no water is visible. it matters not; the tremendous current beneath sweeps downward, carrying the logs along, and the spectator beholds a wonderful scene, a river of logs, the current swiftest in the centre of the stream, the logs rolling, tumbling, crashing, grinding, sometimes snapped in sunder like pipestems. the jam breakers are in the wildest excitement, cheering and hurrahing, and some may be seen out in the current of logs, jumping from one to another, or making their escape to the shore. others on the lower part of the jam at the moment of breaking are carried down the river. though apparently a scene of great danger, comparatively few accidents occur. the workers are cool, experienced men with steady nerves and stalwart arms, a race of men not surpassed for muscular development. in another jam took place nearly as large as that of . this jam came near destroying the beautiful bridge that spanned the river at the head of the dalles. many of the logs carried high in air by the pressure of the logs below struck the bridge, and at times its destruction seemed inevitable. this bridge has since been replaced by an iron structure, much higher than the first, but even this occasionally received a blow from some log carried along by the current at a "present arms." in another jam of considerable dimensions occurred, but it was removed with less labor and expense than its predecessors, and steamboats anchored below were used to aid in breaking it. it cost from $ , to $ , to break these jams. by far the greatest of the jams occurred in june, . the water was high, the current strong and the river above so full of logs that a log driver might have crossed upon them. this abundance was owing to other causes than those mentioned in the account of the jam of . the dams at snake, kettle and other rivers had been simultaneously opened, and the logs in these streams all set free at once in the current of the st. croix. on they came in long procession with but little obstruction till they reached angle rock, where they were suddenly arrested, and, owing to the force of the current, wedged more tightly and heaped higher than on any previous occasion, and the river channel was filled with logs to a point two miles above the st. croix falls formerly known as the dam. to break this jam, two steamers, two engines, several teams of horses and over two hundred men were employed, and during the six weeks that occurred before it was broken, thousands of visitors came by rail and steamboat to look upon it. this jam was estimated to hold during its continuance , , feet of logs. population of wisconsin. the first census of the northwest territory, taken in , does not show the population of the region now known as wisconsin. the census of gave the following figures: ohio, , ; indiana territory, , ; green bay, ; prairie du chien, . according to the census of , the original northwest territory contained a population of , , , or more than one-quarter of the population of the united states. the population of crawford county in was ; in , ; in , ; in , , ; in , ; in , , ; in , , . in , when wisconsin territory was organized, the population of the territory was, , . the whole number of votes cast at the election in was , . the population, according to the census taken at the close of every five years, was as follows: in , , ; in , , ; in , , ; in , , ; in , , ; in , , ; in , , , ; in , , , ; in , , , ; in , , , . the official compilation of the census of wisconsin gives the following details: total population, , , ; white, males, , ; females, , ; negroes, in full, , ; indians, , . the nativities are divided as follows: united states, , , ; germany, , ; scandinavia, , ; ireland, , ; great britain, , ; british america, , ; bohemia, , ; holland, , ; france, , ; all other countries, , ; subject to military duty, , ; soldiers of the late war, , . population of st. croix, pierce, polk, burnett, and sawyer counties. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | .| .| .| .| .| .| .| .| .| .| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ st. croix | | | | , | , | , | , | , | , | , | pierce | | | | , | , | , | , | , | , | , | polk | | | | | , | , | , | , | , | , | burnett | | | | | | | | , | , | , | sawyer | | | | | | | | | | , | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ population of minnesota. in the territory had a population of , . the census taken at periods of every five years shows the following population: in , , ; in , ----; in , , ; in , , ; in , , ; in , , ; in , , ; in , , , . the following table gives the population of the counties on the st. croix waters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | .| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ washington | , | ---- | , | , | , | , | , | , | chisago | ---- | ---- | , | , | , | , | , | , | pine | ---- | ---- | | | | | , | , | kanabec | ---- | ---- | | | | | | , | isanti | ---- | ---- | | | , | , | , | , | carlton | ---- | ---- | | | | | , | , | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ minnesota state capitol. by the organic act of minnesota territory, $ , were appropriated for a capitol building. at the time the territory was organized, however (june , ), the _permanent_ seat of government had not been determined on, and the money was therefore not available. the central house in st. paul, a log tavern weather-boarded, situated at the corner of bench and minnesota streets, where the rear of the mannheimer block now is, was rented for the public offices and legislative assembly. it was for some months known as "the capitol." on the lower floor was the secretary of state's office, and the house of representatives chamber. on the second floor was the council chamber and the territorial library. neither of these legislative halls was over sixteen or eighteen feet square. the rest of the building was used as an inn. the union colors, floating from a flag staff on the bank in front of the building, was the only mark of its rank. during his entire term of office, gov. ramsey kept the executive office in his private residence, and the supreme court met in rented chambers here and there. on sept. , , the first session of the legislature assembled at the above temporary capitol. gov. ramsey delivered his message to the two houses in joint convention assembled, in the hotel dining room. the whole fitting of the assembly rooms was of the plainest description. considerable discussion ensued during the session on this subject, as to whether the territory had a right to expend the $ , appropriated in the organic act, for a capitol building. the question having been submitted to hon. wm. meredith, secretary of the treasury, he replied that the "department can not doubt that the public buildings in question can only be erected at the _permanent_ seat of government, located as described." the second session assembled jan. , , in a brick building, since burned, which occupied the site of the third street front of the metropolitan hotel. at this session the seat of government was fixed at st. paul, as above noted. d. f. brawley, jonathan mckusick, louis robert and e. a. c. hatch were elected building commissioners. charles bazille, a pioneer resident and large property owner of st. paul, donated to the government the block of ground since known as "capitol square," and plans drawn by n. c. prentiss were adopted. the contract was let to joseph daniels for $ , , but the building finally cost over $ , . it was commenced at once, but not completed until the summer of . the third and fourth sessions of the legislature were compelled, therefore, to meet in rented buildings. that of assembled in goodrich's block on third street below jackson, and that of in a two story brick row on third street, where the front of the mannheimer block now is. burning of the capitol. at nine o'clock on the evening of march , , while both houses of the legislature were in session, and all the halls and departments were crowded with visitors, the dome of the building was found to be on fire. the flames spread with too great rapidity to be checked, and all that could be done was to save the contents of the building. the most valuable records and papers of the various offices, and of the legislature, with some of the furniture, were carried out, but the greater part of the contents of the building, including the valuable law library, the supply of state laws, documents and reports, and all the stationery in the secretary of state's store rooms, etc., were a total loss. the historical society's library was mostly saved. the entire loss to the state was fully $ , . fortunately the city of st. paul had just completed a fine and spacious market house, which was still unoccupied, and its use was at once tendered the state by the city authorities, and while the flames were still burning the furniture and effects saved from the old capitol were removed thither. at nine o'clock next morning the state departments and both houses of the legislature were again at work in their new quarters. but two days of the session yet remained. gov. pillsbury immediately secured estimates for rebuilding the burned edifice, using the old walls, and an act appropriating $ , for that purpose was passed. work was commenced at once. it was then found that the old walls were too unsafe to use, and at the extra session in september, , the further sum of $ , was appropriated for the completion of the building. its total cost was about $ , . the dome of the building is two hundred feet above the ground, giving a noble view to the visitor who ascends it. the exterior of the edifice is neat and tasty, and it is altogether creditable to the state, considering its comparatively small cost. selkirk visitors. in the early days a somewhat primitive people inhabited the northwest, making their homes on the banks of the red river of the north and on the shores of winnipeg, in what was known as the selkirk settlement, now included in the province of manitoba. they were a mixed race of scotch, french and indian stock, born and raised under the government of the northwest british fur company. they were a peaceable, partly pastoral and partly nomadic, trading people. they cultivated the ground quite successfully considering the high latitude of their home and the absence of machinery for farm work, raising wheat, vegetables, cattle and horses. they engaged in hunting and trapping and yearly visited st. paul with the surplus products of their labor to be disposed of for money or goods. they came usually in caravans consisting of files of carts drawn by cows, oxen and ponies, and commanded by a captain elected to the position who exercised over them a rigid military rule. their carts were rude, creaking affairs, made entirely without iron, all the fastenings being sinews and leathern thongs. this harness was made of raw hides, indian tanned, and sewed with animal sinews. their costume was a happy cross between the civilized and savage. their caravans included from to carts, which were laden with furs, buffalo robes, buffalo tongues, dried pemmican, etc. as they came a distance of miles, the journey required many days, but was made in good military order. the raising of a flag was the signal for starting, the lowering, for stopping. at night the carts were ranged in a circle about the encampment, and sentinels posted. their encampment within the suburbs of st. paul attracted great crowds of the curious. in their train consisted of carts, and in of , but later, as railroads were built northward and steamers were placed upon the red river of the north, their number gradually diminished and finally their visits ceased altogether. cyclones. recorded and unrecorded, minnesota and wisconsin have had their full share of those atmospheric disturbances that have wrought so much destruction in the western states. in the early days, when the country was sparsely settled and villages and towns were few and far between, they came and went unnoted, or attracting but little attention. they left no traces on the plain, and in the forests only a belt of fallen timber, known as a "windfall." these belts are sufficiently numerous to establish the fact that these storms were probably as frequent in early, even in prehistoric, times as at the present. their movements are more destructive in later times because of the improvements of civilization, the increased number of human habitations and the growth of towns and cities. the tornado has more to destroy, and as a destroying agent, its movements are better known and more widely published. scientists are not agreed as to the cause of these destructive phenomena, but enough is known to overthrow the theory so persistently advanced that it is in consequence of the cutting away of the forests and the substitution of farms. in fact much of the country was already prairie land and abundant evidences of tornadoes are found in the midst of old forests in which have since grown up trees of considerable size, and this at a period long before the lumberman commenced his destructive work. we append a few sketches of cyclones that have occurred in comparatively recent times. the isanti county cyclone. this storm occurred in september, , and spent its fury chiefly in isanti county, but extended beyond and was felt even in wisconsin. the tornado gathered its wrath in the southwestern region of isanti county, in what is called the "lake typo settlement," some forty miles north of st. paul. it was first discovered in the shape of "two clouds," as the people there residing expressed it, "approaching each other from different directions." suddenly the mingling of these counter currents of strong winds appeared to form the blackened heavens into a funnel-shaped mass. the direction of the whirlwind was from southwest to northeast, and after crossing the st. croix river passed through an unsettled portion of timber lands known as "pine barrens," a growth of scattering pines interspersed with black oaks of medium size. on wood river, burnett county, wisconsin, the trunks of pine trees, three feet in diameter and eighty feet high, were twisted into "broom splints" and carried high in air. the intervening oaks were also served the same way; and the whole track of the tornado, from thirty rods to three-fourths of a mile in width, had left no tree standing. pines and oaks were all prostrate, and promiscuously heaped up in winrows over the ground, their branches and trunks interlocked, and in some places piled to the height of thirty feet. the author of this work lost about , , feet of pine logs in wood river in this cyclone. on clam river, wisconsin, for four miles in length and about half a mile in width, the forest was laid in winrows, and parties who came through soon after the tempest had to cut their way. the tornado, traveling with the velocity of lightning to the northeast, overtook dr. comfort, of wyoming, as he was crossing sunrise prairie with a mule team, accompanied by a hired man. the doctor and man saved themselves by clinging to some shrubs near by, but when the fury of the whirlwind had passed, all they could find of their outfit was the poor mules, half frightened to death, and the fore wheels and tongue of the wagon. the hind wheels, box, and the rest of the outfit, together with the doctor's medicine kit, which he had along, when last seen, were bound zenithward. wm. a. hobbs, late quartermaster sergeant of the third minnesota battery, light artillery, and orville grant and brother--sons of r. grant, esq., a farmer living in isanti county--were out hunting, and happened to be caught where the storm passed through the heaviest timber. they saw it approaching, and at first attempted to take shelter in an old school house near by, but soon saw that was no place for them and made for an old pine log which they got behind; soon that commenced to move. hobbs seized hold of an oak, some ten inches in diameter, which immediately commenced to be loosened at the roots and to spin around like a top. the tree was prostrated and he with it--he receiving very severe injuries. the grant boys, were also injured, but none near so badly as hobbs. the log school house shared the fate of the surrounding forest. a resident near by states that he saw one-half the roof sailing upward at least four hundred feet above the tops of the tallest trees. the cottage grove cyclone. on june , , a terrific cyclone visited the town of cottage grove, washington county, minnesota. we append the correct and vivid description taken from the "history of washington county:" "at o'clock p. m. there arose in the southwest a dark and heavy cloud, attended with loud thunder, vivid lightning and a strong wind. the cloud moved forward rapidly; soon the rain began to fall in torrents, when suddenly the wind came dashing with great violence, sweeping everything before it. there seemed to be two currents of wind, one coming from the west and the other from the southwest. these two currents came together in section . the stronger current being from the southwest, the storm took a northwestern direction, and did some damage in section , taking away a portion of the roof of ethan viall's house, and a trunk out of the chamber, no trace of which could be found. a corn cultivator was taken up, some portions of which were never found, while other parts were found two miles from the place of its taking. in section , when the currents met, the destruction of property beggars description. the timber in its track was prostrated; fences were torn up and scattered in every direction; e. welch's house came in the line of desolation; mr. and mrs. welch had stepped out to look after some chickens in which mrs. welch was specially interested, and, startled by the roar of the wind, were in the act of returning to the house. when near the door the wind took up the house, bearing it away, and a stick of timber struck both mr. and mrs. welch, knocking them down. when mr. welch recovered he had hold of his wife, but she was dead. the stick of timber struck her on the head and caused instant death. the next object in the path of destruction was c. d. tuttle's two story dwelling, located in the northwest corner of section . the main part of the house was torn to pieces and scattered in every direction, while the wing was left unmoved. the family, consisting of six persons, fled to the cellar and were miraculously preserved. the large barn a few rods further on was completely destroyed. next in its course was mr. j. c. tucker's barn, the roof of which suddenly passed along on the breeze. at this point the storm turned, taking a northeasterly direction, and struck the house of robert williams, damaging the house and entirely destroying the barn. a horse tied to a girder in the barn was found, uninjured, sixty feet outside of the limits of the building, with the girder lying across him, and the strap still tied to it. next in line was a small lake in the southwest corner of section . it was almost robbed of its treasure. the water and mud was carried a long distance up the bluffs, fifty feet above the level of the lake. next came the fine house of john morey, giving a portion of its roof to the excited wind; then passed into the town of denmark, continuing its destructive course, killing a horse for w. g. wagner, near the town line. a man known as michael schull, a farm hand, was taken up by the wind and dashed against a pile of wood, injuring his brain, causing him to become dangerous. he is now at st. peter in the insane asylum. the destruction of property was great. no accurate account of the amount of damage done has been compiled. mr. tuttle, living in section , suffered the most. he estimated his loss at $ , . his house was situated in a valley surrounded by oak trees, and we would suppose was protected by the strong bulwarks of nature, and yet house, barn, farming utensils, and machinery were scattered over the country. the next morning sheets of tin two feet square, found in mr. tuttle's yard, were supposed to have come from a church in dakota county. portions of mr. tuttle's house were found miles away." the same cyclone visited lake elmo and did great damage, blowing down the depot buildings, lake elmo hotel and other structures. the buildings and trees of the agricultural fair grounds were destroyed. some parts of the buildings were carried miles away by the storm. the cyclone at white bear and marine, minnesota, and clear lake, wisconsin. sept. , , a storm arose in hennepin county and did some damage; continuing to white bear lake, oneka and grant, in washington county, it gathered force and proved very destructive to life and property. as it passed through oneka and grant its path was about ten miles in width. churches, school houses, dwellings, barns, grain stacks, and fences in its way were either partially or wholly destroyed, and the wrecked property was distributed for miles around. the cyclone passed on over marine, big lake and scandia, crossed the st. croix, passed over the town of somerset, star prairie, new richmond, in st. croix county, and over black brook, clear lake, pineville and clayton in polk county and turtle lake in barron, pursuing the usual northeasterly direction common to these cyclones, and disappearing in terrific thunderstorms, in the timbered lands of barron and chippewa counties. an eye witness, mr. ivory hatch, of oneka, thus describes the approach of the storm: "i was standing near a shed in the barnyard, when suddenly the sky became black and threatening. in about five minutes i saw two funnel-shaped clouds descend and approach each other. i started for the house to warn my family, when, as quick as a flash, i was enveloped in the cloud, and while clinging to a post for safety my grain stacks and buildings disappeared. the storm did not continue over a minute and a half. i escaped almost miraculously without a bruise." the testimony of others in the neighborhood is substantially the same. in the town of oneka the destruction was worse than in any other locality. in the track of the storm through washington county not less than fifty houses were demolished. the loss on each averaged $ , making a total of $ , . losses on barns, machinery and stock raised this sum to $ , . the loss at marine was computed roughly at $ , , which made a total of $ , , not including hay and grain. the entire loss to clear lake was estimated at $ , . three persons lost their lives, mrs. p. burdick, willie kavanagh and john saunders. the methodist, congregational and swedish churches were leveled with the ground. the timber losses were close to $ , , ; private property in villages, loss near $ , , and all other losses, such as farm property and the like, in the hundred thousands. the total loss in wisconsin has been placed at six lives and $ , , in property. the st. cloud and sauk rapids cyclone of . the most destructive storm yet recorded occurred on the afternoon of april , . the clouds were first seen from st. cloud to gather a short distance over the basin of the masour cemetery about three o'clock, sunday afternoon, in dark, overhanging masses. then sharp tongues of lightning darted down with terrific force, and the storm with all its fury burst upon the doomed cities. the south end, or beginning of the cyclone track, was located two or three miles south and a little west of st. cloud and its total length was twenty-four miles. the property destroyed amounted to over a quarter of a million of dollars, and the loss of life at st. cloud and sauk rapids was seventy-five. if we include those who died later of injuries from wounds, exposure and fright, we may safely say a hundred. the first victim of the cyclone was nicholas junneman. the cyclone rising, as we have said, over or near calvary cemetery, for a space of about three hundred yards in diameter the trees were uprooted or twisted off, gravestones were thrown flat, and fences demolished. crossing over calvary hill, in a path about one hundred feet wide, it wrecked the small catholic chapel and badly injured the crucifix located there. next in its course was the farm house of nicholas junneman which was left a pile of ruins, and mr. junneman was killed, while his wife was dangerously injured. the first house struck within the city limits was j. w. tenvoorde's. just across the street j. schwartz's two story brick house was almost wrecked. here the path of the tornado was about two hundred feet wide, and increased until by the time it reached the manitoba depot the width was six hundred feet, taking in in its fearful embrace during the length of its course half a hundred or more buildings, which were totally wrecked, moved from their foundations, or more or less damaged. in many instances there was nothing left to show where a house had stood, and the prairie was covered far and wide with the debris of the demolished buildings. over fifty houses in st. cloud were totally destroyed and as many more badly damaged. before striking the river it swerved slightly northward, and thus the costly building blocks and crowded streets in the heart of the city were spared. had the cyclone veered in its course more to the south, the loss of property and life in st. cloud would have been incalculable. striking the river the cyclone appeared to be almost motionless for a few moments, or moved so slowly as to seem to hang over the face of the water, its huge black column rising toward the zenith. then leaving the river, this monster of the air struck sauk rapids at stanton's large flouring mill, which was left a heap of ruins. it then took demeules' store and the northern pacific depot, and passed on through the main business part of the place, leaving but one important business house standing, wood's store, which was badly damaged. court house, church, school building, post office, newspaper offices, hotels, dwelling houses, all went down under the relentless power of the storm. streets were blockaded with the wreck so as to be practically impassable. the list of dead out of a village of about , population included some of the leading county officials and prominent citizens. amongst them were john renard, county auditor, and gregg lindley, register of deeds; also edgar hull, president of the german-american national bank; e. g. halbert, of the new york insurance company, with whom mr. hull had just filed an application for a $ , policy, was so badly injured that he died in a few days. the destruction of property in sauk rapids was far greater than in st. cloud, as the business portion of the city was almost entirely swept away. the loss of life was also proportionately greater. after leaving sauk rapids the cyclone struck rice's, a station on the northern pacific road, about fourteen miles from the former village. some four miles southeast of the station, at the house of a farmer named schultz, a happy wedding party was gathered, a daughter of the farmer having been married to henry friday, chairman of the board of supervisors of langola. almost before they realized it the terrible power of the storm encircled them, and in the twinkling of an eye nine of the goodly company were mangled corpses, among the number being the groom, while the bride was dangerously if not fatally injured. the victims also included the rev. g. j. schmidt, pastor of the german evangelical church of sauk rapids. the rev. mr. seeder, pastor of the two rivers district, was found out on the prairie with both legs broken. at buckman, morrison county, several persons were killed, and six or seven farm houses destroyed. the suffering caused by this most terrible of cyclones evoked the liveliest sympathy, and large contributions of money, food and clothing were forwarded by the citizens of st. paul, minneapolis and other cities throughout the state. g. w. benedict, of sauk rapids, relates his experience in the storm as follows: "i was in the yard at my residence half a mile north of the depot, when i heard a terrible deafening roar, and on looking up i saw what first appeared to be a very heavy black volume of smoke from a railroad engine, but in a moment i realized what it was. the volume of black cloud soon increased to double its size, and had a funnel shape, gyrating in a peculiar zigzag form. untold amounts of debris of houses, fences and everything above the surface were shooting and flying with terrific velocity from the cloud, which took a northerly direction. the horrible writhing demon of destruction, with its deafening roar, increased in volume and force, and hurled to utter destruction everything in its path, a great portion of which was carried miles in the air out of sight as though but trifles of lightest chaff." thos. van etten was walking on the street, going home, when the cyclone struck the town, and he was bodily lifted into the air, carried four hundred feet up a steep hill and landed in a street, literally plastered over with mud. a young man fishing near the end of the bridge, on the opposite side from sauk rapids, says that many of the houses were lifted high in the air, and did not seem to be injured until they were dashed to the ground, when they collapsed, and the pieces were scattered in all directions. none of the very large number of persons who went into a cellar for protection from the storm were badly injured. the fink family, the mother and four children of which were almost instantly killed, were in a house which had an excellent cellar, but the family forgot to utilize it. near the ruins of the carpenter house is a tree about ten inches in diameter, through which a pine board was driven so that it protruded at both sides of the tree. the property loss in benton county was estimated at $ , , and in st. cloud at $ , . struck by lightning. some time in the ' s messrs. oaks, rand, witham, carson, and twelve other men were in a tent on the banks of lake st. croix, just below the mouth of willow river, during a severe thunder storm. it was about o'clock p. m. when lightning struck the tent and passing down killed witham and carson, and severely stunned oaks and rand. the other men were not injured, but, being badly frightened, ran away, and did not return till the following morning, when they found two of the men supposed killed still alive, but dazed and motionless. the two killed were lying close together, while mr. oaks lay upon one side and mr. rand upon the other. the lightning had struck the men who were killed upon the head, and traversing the body had passed out below the ankles. the current of electricity had passed up the arm of mr. oaks and down his body, burning spots the size of a pea, and plowing lines under the skin, the scars of which, after recovery, were raised in welts nearly as large as a whipcord. mr. oaks was nearly a year recovering. he says that during the time he lay motionless and apparently stunned he was in full possession of his faculties. mr. rand had one side of his body burned to a blister. prior to this he had been affected with weak eyes, but the electrical treatment there received effected a complete cure. asiatic cholera. minnesota was early visited by this scourge of the eastern world. it was brought up the river on the crowded steamers and created the utmost consternation, and even panic. no one on board the royal arch, may, , can forget the dreadful scenes upon this boat. the first case occurred at galena, that of a child, and the next at la crosse, that of a woman, who was put ashore in a dying condition twenty miles above. from thence to st. paul the boat was a floating hospital, and thirteen corpses lay under a canvas on the lower deck. notwithstanding the ghastly freight carried by the steamer, and its sick and dying passengers in the cabin above, kind hearts sympathized and kind hands were extended to help; and the dead were buried and every thing possible was done for the sick and suffering survivors, many of whom died after being carried ashore at st. paul. what these good samaritans did was at the risk of their own lives, and more than one, among them henry p. pratt, editor of the st. paul _minnesotian_, sickened and died from infection caught by ministering to the stricken ones. decree of citizenship. the first naturalization papers on record in minnesota are somewhat unique, and for that reason worthy of preservation, and are herewith presented _et literatim_: decree of citizenship. territory of wisconsin, st. croix county. i, william willim, an alien by birth, aged twenty-six years, do hereby, upon my oath, make known that i was born in the county of hereford, in the kingdom of great britain and ireland, on the twenty-sixth day of june, a. d. ; that i emigrated from the kingdom aforesaid, and landed in new york, in the state of new york, on the first day of october, ; that i was at that time a minor aged seventeen years, and that i have since that time resided in the united states of america; that it is my _bona fide_ intention to become a citizen of the united states, to renounce forever all allegiance and fidelity which i, in anywise, owe to any foreign power, potentate, state or sovereignty whatever, and more particularly all allegiance and fidelity which i, in anywise, owe to victoria, queen of great britain, of whom i have heretofore been a subject, and, further that i do not possess any hereditary title, or belong to any of the order of nobility in the kingdom from whence i came; so help me god. william willim. sworn and subscribed to before me on this eighteenth day of june, , in open court. joseph r. brown, _clerk of district court of st. croix county, wisconsin territory._ another oath, such as is now administered, to support the constitution of the united states, was signed and attested in like manner. burning of the international hotel. on a clear, cold night in february, , the international hotel, located at the corner of seventh and jackson streets, took fire and was speedily consumed. the alarm was sounded at two o'clock in the morning. the hotel was crowded with boarders, among whom were many members of the legislature, then in session, and their families. the writer occupied a room on the second floor and was among the first aroused. hastily seizing my trunk i hurried down stairs and returned to assist others, but was stopped by the smoke at the entrance. the guests of the house were pouring from every outlet. a group of ladies had escaped to the sidewalk, partly clad, some with bare feet. ladders were placed to the windows to save those who had failed to escape in the hallway. senators c. a. gilman and seagrave smith, with their wives, were rescued in this manner. many diverting circumstances occurred illustrative of nonchalance, coolness and daring, as well as of bewilderment and panic. senator armstrong tried in vain to throw his trunk from a window in which it was wedged fast and was obliged to leave it to the flames. judge meeker came out of the house carrying his clothing upon his arm, having a shawl wrapped round his head, and bewailing the loss of the maps and charts of meeker's dam. seagrave smith tarried too long searching for a senate bill, and narrowly escaped sharing the fate of the bill. many of the guests escaped in their night clothing, and carrying their clothing with them completed their toilet standing in the snow in the light of the burning building. considering the rapidity of the fire, and the hour at which it occurred it seemed marvelous that no lives were lost. grasshoppers. minnesota has been visited at intervals by that scourge of some of the western states, grasshoppers. the first visitation was from the selkirk (now manitoba) settlement, about - . the pests are said to have accompanied some of the early immigrants from selkirk who came down to the reservation about fort snelling. they made yearly visitations and threatened to become a serious obstacle to the settlement of the country. some seasons they proved quite destructive. in - - - the state legislature made appropriations to relieve those suffering from their ravages in the western and southwestern parts of the state. there were also large private contributions to the relief fund. one of the acts passed at the session of appropriated $ , for bounties to pay for the destruction of grasshoppers and their eggs. townships and villages were also authorized to levy taxes for the destruction of the common enemy, and $ , was appropriated to furnish seed grain for those who had lost their crops, and $ , was voted for a common relief fund. special prayers were offered for an abatement of the scourge. in , when the grasshopper appeared in myriads again, the governor appointed a day of fasting and prayer for riddance from the calamity. from some unknown cause the grasshoppers disappeared, and have not since returned in such numbers as to prove a plague. these grasshoppers were a species known as the rocky mountain locusts. ancient mounds. the valley of the mississippi and the valleys of its tributary streams abound with mounds of various sizes and fashions, circular, oval or oblong, serpentine and sometimes irregular in outline, and all works of intelligence and design, wrought by some ancient people for purposes now not fully known. it is probable, however, that some were used as places of defense, others were built for sacrificial or religious purposes, others for sepulture, and others still may be the remains of dwellings. most of them contain relics, coins or implements made of shells, of flints and in some instances of baked earthenware, and lastly human remains. these relics are not necessarily of cotemporaneous date, and many of them are comparatively modern. such mounds were used for burial places long after their original builders had passed away. that they are very ancient is unquestionable. they outdate the traditions of the indians who inhabited this country at the date of its discovery, while the most ancient remains taken from them indicate as their builders a people widely different from the present aborigines, and possessed of arts unknown to them. conjecture points to a race from the south, probably the aztecs, as the mound builders. this race was exterminated in some way, or driven away by some stronger tribes, who may in turn have given place to our present race of indians. a full description of these ancient works would require volumes; we can therefore allude only to a few that may be considered typical specimens of their class. at prairie village, now waukesha, wisconsin, in , the writer saw a mound six feet high, representing a tortoise, the head, feet and tail being still distinctly traceable. many mounds exist at prairie du chien, some quite large, and of varying shape, some representing inclosures or fortifications, with gateways or openings. these are located on the high bluffs east of the prairie. many of these, very distinct in the early days, are now almost obliterated by the plowshare of the farmer and the spade of the relic hunter. the builders of the ancient mounds certainly exercised great taste in their location, as they are generally found in pleasant localities, on grassy plateaus or elevated lands, and by the shores of lakes and streams. some, originally built on plains, have since been overgrown with trees. in some cases trees of immense size have been found growing even on the summit of the mounds. the most notable mounds of the st. croix valley are at vasa village, in marine township, washington county, minnesota, and in the neighborhood of osceola mills, polk county, wisconsin. we append notes of a survey of the latter, made in . they are sixteen in number and we mention only the most remarkable. no. is of circular form, feet in height and in diameter. trees feet in diameter are found on this mound. mound no. has a diameter of feet, and was originally feet high; at present but . this mound is also of circular formation. mound no. is circular in form, feet in diameter and feet high. mound no. is circular, feet in diameter and feet high. mound no. is oblong and × feet in dimensions, and feet high. the largest and finest of these mounds have been nearly destroyed by the encroachments of the road makers. these mounds are located two miles north of osceola, on close creek. alanson thompson made a homestead of the land on which they are situated, and built his home immediately in the rear of the two larger mounds. his garden included many of the mounds. mr. t. h. lewis, of st. paul, made a later survey of these ancient mounds. in the group north of the creek and near the school house, which he classifies as the upper group, he finds ninety-six well developed mounds, and some of them of peculiar shape and great interest. in the group south of the creek, which he calls the lower group, he finds forty-nine mounds, a total of one hundred and forty-five in the two groups; at least five times as many as has been supposed to be there. but one of the mounds is an effigy mound, and this is not clearly defined, plowing in the field having disturbed the outline of the effigy. the most of them contain bones, as has long been known, and mr. lewis finds in them shell relics, which are rarely found in any mounds; also pottery, and beads made from shells. another peculiar mound not included in this description may be found on the bluff overlooking the st. croix, not far from the close creek series of mounds. it is over one hundred feet in length and serpentine in form, one end being enlarged to represent the head. there are also fine specimens of ancient mounds on chisago lake, near centre city and chisago city. the subject is a fascinating one to the archaeologist, but it behooves him to make haste with his investigations, as these marvelous works are rapidly disappearing, being dug over by the irresponsible and unscientific relic hunter, or worn down by the plow, or carted away for loose earth to mend a roadway or fill a sinkhole. lake itasca. the mississippi appropriately takes its name at the outlet of lake itasca, its reputed source. this lake, although known to the fur company adventurers of the eighteenth, and the early part of the nineteenth centuries, received the name itasca in from schoolcraft and boutwell. a complete account of the naming of the lake will be found in the biography of rev. w. t. boutwell, attached to the history of pine county in this work. itasca lies in range , townships and , and is about three miles in length by one and one-half in width. its title to the distinction of being the true source of the mississippi has been frequently called in question. there are tributary lakes of smaller size lying near it, connected with it by small streams, barely navigable for birch canoes. elk lake, a body of water three-fourths of a mile in length, lying south, is connected with it by a stream links wide and rods in length. elk lake has an influent stream miles in length, which drains a swamp lying south. another stream from the south, two miles in length, flows into itasca, and has its source in a lake one-fourth of a mile long. as this lake has not been named in any original or later township map, united states surveyor chandler, chief clerk b. c. baldwin and the writer, in january, , agreed to give it the name of boutwell, in honor of the devoted missionary who visited itasca in company with schoolcraft in . this lake is really the source of the mississippi, though from its small size is not likely to receive general recognition as such. lakes itasca, elk and boutwell lie in range , township , west of the th principal meridian, united states survey, latitude . , and longitude . west from greenwich united states survey. the lands bordering on and adjacent to these lakes were surveyed in october, , by edwin hall, and lie in beltrami county, which was named after an italian traveler who visited this section in . hon. b. c. baldwin, a member of the minnesota constitutional convention of , told the writer that when surveying government lands in , he discovered in range , township , six miles west of itasca, a lake two and a half miles in length, without inlet or outlet, the waters apparently rising, as trees were standing in the water near the shore and submerged at least eight feet. small lakes of similar character were also discovered. twelve miles west of itasca the tributaries of the red river of the north have their source. the latest claim made as to the discovery of the source of the missispippi is that of capt. willard glazier, who, in , claimed to have discovered elk lake as the source of the mississippi. the minnesota state historical society promptly repudiated his assumptions, and protested against affixing to elk lake the name glazier, as the captain was in no sense a discoverer, either of the lake or its connections with itasca, the adjacent lands having been surveyed in , and partially covered with claims in . with far more justice we might claim for lake boutwell, a more remote lake, the distinguished honor of being the true source of the mississippi. copper mining on the st. croix. as early as , a company, composed of the harris brothers and others, of galena, illinois, prospected in the upper st. croix valley for copper. their superintendent, mr. crosby, located a mineral permit at pine island, one mile above st. croix falls, where he found rich specimens. citizens and operatives at st. croix mills gave liberally to aid the enterprise, but mr. crosby's health having failed he left expecting to spend the winter in cuba, but sickened and died at new orleans, and the mining enterprise of the galena company was never resumed. in , a boston company, composed of caleb cushing, robert rantoul, dexter and harrington, and others, of boston, and some other capitalists, located a mineral permit one mile square at st. croix falls, and another of the same dimensions on the st. croix and kettle river rapids. this proved to be a speculative scheme of boston and washington capitalists and politicians. in , david dale owen, a prominent geologist, made an exploration of the territory now included in minnesota and wisconsin and published a report. his work being done at the order of the government, he was accompanied by a corps of scientific men, and had time and means to make thorough investigations. he reported that the trap rock ranges of the st. croix, a continuation of the copper ranges of superior, are rich in specimens of copper. these ranges crop out every few miles in a southwesterly direction from superior. the most southerly are those known as the dalles of the st. croix, including as a part the franconia ledge three miles below. the kanabec river range crops out near chengwatana. the kettle river range crosses the st. croix further north. in the minnesota legislature placed the sum of $ , in the hands of n. c. d. taylor for the purpose of examining and reporting the different mineral prospects on the st. croix and its tributaries. he reported the kettle river veins as being very promising. mr. taylor sunk a shaft in a locality in taylor's falls to a depth of forty feet and found excellent indications of copper, and some good specimens. he reports most of the rock in the st. croix valley above taylor's falls to be of the different kinds of trap rock, with belts of conglomerate running through them in a direction from northeast to southwest, the conglomerate being most abundant on the kettle river. there are limited patches of sandstone which in places contain marine shells, but no rock in place. prof. hall says of the taylor's falls vein that it is a very distinct vein and shows quite equal to the early showing of many of the best paying mines of superior. he regards the kettle river vein as one of the most promising yet found in the country. other veins have been discovered in the vicinity of the st. croix dalles. considerable money has been spent in prospecting and development, but more capital is needed than miners have yet been able to obtain. taylor's falls copper mining company was organized dec. , , w. h. c. folsom, president; geo. w. seymour, secretary; levi w. folsom, treasurer; david a. caneday, mining agent. they sunk a shaft one hundred and thirty feet deep and found good indications. this mine was worked in - , at an expenditure of over $ , . excellent specimens were found but not in paying quantities. the rock increased in richness as the shaft sunk in depth. the work was suspended for want, of material aid. there is but little doubt that as the valley becomes known and populated, that as wealth increases, the mineral resources of the country are better known, mining will become a prominent and profitable industry. reminiscences of rev. julius s. webber.[k] we reached stillwater, june , , and moved into the elfelt house on north hill. the village contained at that time about thirty dwellings, two hotels, three stores, and a number of saloons. three religious denominations held services each sabbath, the missionaries in charge alternating through the successive sabbaths, and supporting in addition a union prayer meeting and sabbath-school, of which capt. wm. holcomb was the first superintendent. the meetings were held in a school house on third street. my appointments outside of stillwater were at willow river, kinnikinic and prescott, wisconsin, and at cottage grove and point douglas in minnesota. in rev. s. t. catlin was appointed to that part of my field lying east of the st. croix river, and i formed appointments at arcola, marine, taylor's and st. croix falls. we organized a baptist society at stillwater, oct. , , consisting of eight members; rev. j. p. parsons and wife, dean a. h. cavender and wife of st. paul, j. s. webber and wife, constituting a council of recognition. rev. j. p. parsons preached the sermon of recognition, and j. s. webber extended the right hand of fellowship. the first baptism by immersion in the county was administered in a large spring just below nelson's store, jan. , , the waters of the spring being free from ice. the candidate was margaret towner, of pembina. in i made a tour of the minnesota valley to mankato. on the first day, september d, i traveled from fort snelling to shakopee and saw not a human habitation nor a human being on the trail. at shakopee i found a home with judge dowling. on the next day i traveled to le sueur. on sabbath morning i preached at traverse des sioux, and in the afternoon i went to mankato, and stopped at the house of mr. hannah, where i preached in the evening, to a congregation that had come together hastily from the neighborhood, the first sermon preached in mankato. on the twenty-sixth i preached the first sermon at le seuer, and the first sermon at shakopee on my return. in i opened on the south hill, known later as nelson's addition to stillwater, a school known as washington seminary, which received liberal patronage from the citizens of stillwater and surrounding country. in may, , i sold the school to mr. kent, and it passed into the hands of an episcopal clergyman. i returned to new york where i have since lived, pursuing my calling, which has suffered thus far no interruption from sickness or infirmities. the remembrance of my association with the people of the st. croix valley is pleasant. amongst the most pleasant of my recollections are those of the lumbermen of st. croix, who often made up a large portion of my congregation. they were kind and courteous, attentive hearers and valued as friends and associates. an amusing incident. an amusing incident occurred in carver county, in judge e. o. hamlin's district (an account of which was published in "the drawer" of harper's _monthly_, some years after it occurred). judge hamlin, going to chaska to hold his first term of court in carver county, found the sheriff absent, and his deputy, a foreigner who could speak english very imperfectly, ignorant alike of his duties and of the language in which they were to be performed, confessed his entire ignorance of "how to open court," but said he could read writing. therefore judge hamlin wrote out the form for opening court, and instructed him when the order was given for "the sheriff to open court," to stand up and read distinctly the form prepared for him. this was in the usual terms, beginning "hear ye, hear ye, all manner of persons having any business," etc., etc., and ending with "come forward and give your attendance, and you shall be heard." at the hour fixed the court room was reasonably well filled. parties, witnesses and jurors, together with the district attorney (who at that time went with the judge over the whole district) were in attendance. the judge was on the bench, and the deputy sheriff, fully conscious of the dignity of his office, awaited the order of the judge. upon being told to "make proclamation for the opening of court," this officer arose, and holding the written form before his eyes, roared out in stentorian tones: "_here we are! here we are!_" and running through the remainder of the form closed with "come forward and give your attendance, and you _will be sure to be here_!" the air of importance with which it was said, together with his self complacency in the discharge of his new duties, was scarcely less amusing than the mistake he had made. its effect may be better imagined than described. the old settlers association. by an act of the legislature approved may , , the "old settlers association" was incorporated with the following charter members: h. h. sibley, socrates nelson, franklin steele, a. l. larpenteur, wm. holcombe, wm. h. randall, wm. hartshorn, cornelius lyman, lorenzo a. babcock, j. d. ludden, david olmsted, h. m. rice, alex. ramsey, wm. r. marshall, jos. r. brown, chas. w. borup, henry jackson, martin mcleod, norman w. kittson, vetal guerin, j. w. selby, aaron goodrich, and philander prescott. these members, with those whom they might associate with them, were duly empowered to buy, sell, hold property, to sue or be sued, to receive donations, to keep a common seal, and to enjoy all the franchises incident to a corporate body. it was provided that no person should be eligible to a membership who had not been a resident of the territory prior to jan. , . the seal of the association was devised by aaron goodrich. on the two sides of the seal were represented the past and the future. in the background of the side representing the past is delineated a plain; in the distance are seen the last rays of the declining sun; nearer are seen indian hunters, their lodges, women and children, and a herd of buffalo. prominent in the foreground of the side representing the future stands an aged man with silvered hair; he leans upon his staff; he is in the midst of a cemetery; the spire of a church is seen in the distance; as he turns from a survey of the various monuments which mark the resting place of departed old settlers, his eye rests upon a new made grave. it is that of his last associate; _he is the last survivor_; his companions have fallen asleep. a group of children in the foreground represents the rising generation of minnesota which shall reap the fruits of the pioneer's toil. [illustration: seal of the association.] organization. the first meeting of the old settlers association was held, in pursuance of public notice, at the hall of the historical society of minnesota, in the capitol, in st. paul, on saturday, feb. , . on motion of judge goodrich, his excellency henry h. sibley was unanimously elected president. hon. aaron goodrich and hon. l. a. babcock were unanimously elected vice presidents, a. l. larpenteur, esq., secretary, and j. w. bass, esq. treasurer. after which gov. sibley addressed the meeting in a manner able, pertinent and feeling. several other members spoke. on motion a committee of three was appointed by the chair to report by-laws for the government of the association. also a committee of three to report such measures as shall be deemed best calculated to effectuate the objects of the charter. the president appointed h. l. moss, l. a. babcock and t. r. potts committee on by-laws, and aaron goodrich, b. w. lott and chas. s. cave committee on charter. judge goodrich said this occasion was one of deep and abiding interest to the pioneers of minnesota; that there were epochs in our history that should be commemorated. he desired that the first day of june be fixed upon as the day for the future meetings of the association; he named this day for the reason that on the first day of june, , the local organization of this territory took place. the following resolution was adopted: _resolved, that the annual meeting of this association be held_ on the first day of june, providing that when said month shall commence on the sabbath, said meeting shall be held on the following monday. on motion of judge goodrich the following preamble and resolution were adopted: whereas, the object of this association and the individuals composing the same are closely _allied_ to and identified with that of the historical society of minnesota, therefore _resolved_, that up to the period in which this association shall possess a hall in which to meet, its place of meeting shall be the hall of said historical society. as a matter of history we record the names of the members originally and subsequently enrolled. ames, michael e.* ayer, frederick.* abbott, g. s.+ altenberg, william.* armstrong, william.+ atkinson, john w. anderson, john.+ arpin, a.* babcock, lorenzo a.* bailly, alexis.* bass, jacob w. beatty, james. banfill, john.* barton, thomas.* bazille, charles.* becker, george l. berard, antoine.+ bevans, henry l.* black, mahlon. bautien. v.+ beaulieu, clement h. beau, james.+ bishop. thornton. beaupre, philip. blackburn, john t. burns, hugh. berriwick, j.* blair, o. h.* boutwell, w. t. blakeley, russell. bolles, lemuel.* borup, chas. w. w.* bostwiek, lardner.* bradley, j.* brady, patrick.* brawley, daniel j.* brisette, edmond.* bromley, c. b. brown, joseph r.* brown, wm. r.* brunson, benj. w bryant, alden.+ buffit, c.+ burkelo, samuel.* bottineau, pierre. bettington, john c.+ beauchier, francis.+ besour, a. c.* bailly john.+ boal, james mc c.* campbell, george w.* cavalier, charles. cave, chas. s. cavender, a. h. chute, rirchard. clewitt, james r.* colter, william.* conway, chas. r. cooper, david.* cormack, john.* cave, william. culver, george.* culver, j. b.* connell, william.+ cummings, r. w. curtis, harley.* chapman, john j.+ cloutier, a.+ colby, wm. f. colter, charles. carlie, c.* chase, a. m. comer, elias h. church, cal.+ dana, napoleon, j. t. day, david. day, james.* dayton, lyman.* desmarais, louis. desnoyers, stephen.* dewey, john j. dibble, william b.* doe, william e.* day, henry t. day, leonard p.* dorr, caleb d. dobney, john. durant, e. w. day, william p.+ dudley, john. davis, patten w. dresser, horace.+ elfelt, charles d. ely, edmund f.* ellison, smith. eddy, frank s.* eldridge, ariel. eaton, alonzo.+ elfelt, l. c.* faribault, j. b.* faribault, alex.* farrington, g. w.+ fisher, jacob. forbes, w. h.* ford, j. a.+ finch, t. m.+ findley, s. j.* foster, a. d.* foster, thomas.* freeborn, william.* french, a. r.* folsom, s. p. furber, j. w.* furber, p. p.* fuller, a. g.+ folsom, w. h. c. fox, patrick. fairbanks, john h. foster, henry.+ furber, theodore. fisk, frank. folsom, edgar. folsom, ward w. farnham, s. w. fillmore, r. g. fisher, john. finn, william. farnham, rufus, jr. gammel, irenus.* gibbs, h.r. gilman, david.* godfrey, ard. goodrich, aaron.* greely, elam.* guerin, vetal.* gautier, napoleon. guernsey, w.h. glenn, samuel.* getchel, w. w. gervais, benjamin. gardner, charles r. gardner, john c.* gray, isaac. guion, joseph. hartshorn, w.* hartshorn, w. e. hobart, chancey. holcombe, william.* holmes, thomas.* hoyt, b. f.* hoyt, lorenzo. hopkins, daniel.* hopkins, peter. humphrey, j. k. harris, george. holton, john.* houghton, george. houghton, james. haskell, joseph. hone, david.* henkly, j. s.+ hoffman, james.+ haskill, hiram.+ hetherington, thomas,* holcombe, w. w. hill, lewis. irvine, j. r.* irvine, b. f. jackson, henry.* jarvis, w. h.* johnson, p. k. johnson, r. w. jackins, john.* jackman, h. a. kellogg, m. n. kennedy, robert. kittson, n. w.* keogh, james. knox, m. c. kent, william. kattenberg, henry. lambert, h. a.* larpenteur, e. n.* larpenteur, a. l. lennon, j. g.* lennon, j. e. leavitt, martin. lull, c. p. v. lyman, cornelius s.* lott, b. w.* ludden, j. d. leonard, c. e. loomis, d. b. lowry, s. b.* lyman, stoers b. lyman, david p. mckenny, j. h.* mckenzie, j. g. masterson, h. f. mckusick, john. mckusick, j. e. mitchell, j. b. h. marshall, w. r. mcleod, martin.* mccleod, alexander.* mclean, n.* murphy, edward.* meeker, bradley b.* murphy, alfred c.+ mckusick, william. mchattie, alexander. manaege, peter. mackey, andrew. mcdonald, r.+ masier, josiah.* marks, isaac.* moreau, charles.* mahoney, wm.* mahoney, jeremiah. morgan, john.* moffett, lot.* morrison, w. c. morrison, allen.* morton, t. f.* moss, h. l. murray, m. p. murphy, j. w. myrick, nathan. mccomb, j. d. mckean, elias. mcmullen, james.+ mclean, henry.+ masterman, joseph. mause, john. mower, wm.* mower, martin. mower, john e.* mosher, jacob. mchale, m.+ mchattie, john. mclery, charles.+ moulton, e. (jr.)+ mccarty, a.+ manse, charles.+ neill, e. d. nichols, g. c.* nelson, socrates.* nobles, w. h.* norris, j. s.* north, j. w. northrup, anson. newbury, h. h. oakes, c. h.* oakes, david.* odel, t. s.* olmsted, david.* owens, j. p.* parker, rodney.* perin, moses. potts, t. r.* prescott, philander.* presley, bartley.* pomeroy, j. h. proctor, j. s. pond, g. h. powers, simon.* potter, colver.+ perro, joseph. parker, l. n. parsons, oliver. quinn, w. b. quinn, peter.+ randall, b. h. randolph, s. r.* ramsey, alexander. ramsey, j. c.* ravoux, auguste. reed, c. m.* rice, h. m. rice, edmund. robertson, andrew.* rice, c. r.* robert, louis.* robert, joseph.* richardson, r. m. rollins, john.* rose, isaac.* russell, r. p. russell, jeremiah.* riggs, s. r.* robert, alexis.+ roy, peter.* russell, william. rohrer, daniel. robert, nelson. rogers, john. ramsden, thomas. rutherford, wm.* rogers, richard.+ rutherford, james.* selby, j. w.* simons, orlando. simpson, j. w.* simpson, robert. shaffer, c. e. shearer, a. l.* sherman, m. spencer, j. b. spicer, nathan.+ shelley, e. y. steele, franklin.* spencer, john h.+ sawyer, seth m.* spates, samuel.+ somerville, john.+ stevens, j. h. stone, lewis.* sturgis, w.* sweet, g. w. setzer, h. n. stanchfield, sam.* sibley, h. h. stinson, c. f.+ santel, a.+ staples, josiah.+ shamley, john+ sanford, h. s.+ shearer, james. stratton, l. w.* scott, c. p.+ short, a. j. shoasby, john.* stiles, w. l.+ taylor, j. l. taylor, jesse w.* taylor, n. c. d.* terry, j. c. tinker, w. h. thompson, james (colored).* trask, sylvanus. trower, john.+ thompson, g. w.* terry, robert.* van voorhes a.* villaume, thomas.* von tassel, william.* walker, orange.* whitaker, e. h. whitney, j. c. wilkinson, m. s. wilkin, alex.* wells, james.* wilson, harvey.* woodbury, warren.* willoughby, a.* wright, thomas.+ williamson, t. s.* willim, william. wilmarth, alvin m. wallis, john.+ worthingham, wm.+ white, asa.* westing, henry.* welshance, m.* williams, d. d.* whalen, patrick.* yorks, j. c. [note: * deceased.] [note: + unknown.] objects and organization. the society was organized in by a few of the pioneers of the territory, and incorporated by an act of the first territorial legislature, approved oct. , , this being the first literary institution organized in the territory; and its "library," then only a few volumes, was the first ever established in minnesota. the original charter of the society stated its objects to be: "the collection and preservation of a library, mineralogical and geological specimens, indian curiosities, and other matters and things connected with, and calculated to illustrate and perpetuate the history and settlement of said territory." the amended charter of enacted: "the objects of said society, with the enlarged powers and duties herein provided, shall be in addition to the collection and preservation of publications, manuscripts, antiquities, curiosities, and other things pertaining to the social, political and natural history of minnesota, to cultivate among the citizens thereof a knowledge of the useful and liberal arts, science and literature." the work of this society may therefore be formulated thus: i. ( ) the collection, ( ) the preservation, ( ) the publication of materials for the history of minnesota and its people. ii. the collection and management of a library containing useful works of reference on the most valuable departments of knowledge. iii. the diffusion among citizens of the state of useful knowledge. its progress. in the early days of the territory, owing to its want of means, the sparse population and its poverty, and the infancy of the commonwealth generally, the society accomplished but little beyond collecting some information regarding the early history of this region, and printing the same in several pamphlet volumes. in it had only eight hundred and forty volumes in its library. it was then reorganized, and with the aid of a small annual appropriation from the state, since enlarged, has been able to make very gratifying progress. its present condition. it has now comfortable apartments in the state capitol, a building believed to be fireproof; a sufficient income to pay its current expenses, granted partly by the state and partly contributed by its members; one of the largest and most valuable libraries in the state, containing , volumes of choice works, together with a cabinet or museum of historical and archælogical curiosities, and a number of historical pictures, engravings, manuscripts, etc. an endowment fund of several thousand dollars, accumulated by gifts and membership fees; two lots, eligibly situated, on which at no distant day, will be erected a fireproof building. proposed building for the society. reference was made before to the building lots of the society. these were purchased by a subscription of the members in , for the sum of $ , , in hopes that the society would be enabled to erect thereon a fireproof building for its use, but up to this time it has not been able to do so. the lots are now valued at $ , or more. several months ago an effort was made by the president of the society to raise enough by subscription to insure the commencement of a building to cost, completed, $ , ; of this amount $ , was subscribed, and it is believed that there are liberal and public spirited citizens of our state who will contribute the balance when called on, or provide, by will, for bequests in its aid. such an edifice would be a perpetual monument to their generosity and public spirit, and would be an inestimable boon to succeeding generations, who will frequent our library in pursuit of knowledge. presidents of the old settlers association. . henry h. sibley. . socrates nelson. . j. e. mckusick. . wm. h. nobles. . dr. t. r. potts. . frank steele. . r. m. richardson. . john d. ludden. . socrates nelson. . abram van voorhes. . henry h. sibley. . nathaniel mclean. . bartlett presley. . john h. stevens. . george l. becker. . david b. loomis. . henry m. rice. . alex. ramsey. . norman w. kittson. . charles h. oakes. . mahlon black. . charles e. leonard. . benj. h. randall. . s. p. folsom. . jacob w. bass. . benj. w. brunson. . clement h. beaulieu. . henry l. moss. . r. w. johnson. . anson northrup. . david day. judge goodrich was secretary of the old settlers association from until his death, in . the st. croix valley old settlers association. this association was organized nov. , , at the office of durant & wheeler, in the city of stillwater. charles e. leonard was elected president, and david b. loomis, secretary. the latter has been re-elected and served continuously to the present time. it is a requisite that members shall have been residents in the northwest prior to . the following have been presidents of the association, the term of service being limited to one year: . d. b. loomis. . christopher carli. . w. t. boutwell. . john d. ludden. . henry l. moss. . wm. r. marshall. . daniel mears. . henry a. jackman. . w. h. c. folsom. . edward w. durant. . albert stimson. . henry n. setzer. . morton s. wilkinson. the annual meetings are held on or about the middle of september, at stillwater. newspaper history in ramsey county. the st. paul _weekly pioneer_, established by james m. goodhue as the _minnesota pioneer_, issued its first number april , , one day later than the st. paul _register_, but, unlike that paper, it was printed in the place of publication. in march, , earl s. goodrich purchased the _pioneer_, and on may st issued the first number of the _daily pioneer_. on oct. , , the _democrat_ was merged in the _pioneer_, which became the _pioneer and democrat_, which name it continued to bear for six years, when it resumed its former name, the _pioneer_. nov. , , the _pioneer_ was sold to h. p. hall and john x. davidson. july , , the _pioneer_ was sold to capt. h. l. carver, c. w. nash and others. april , , the _pioneer_ became the property of david blakely. april , , the _pioneer_ and _press_ consolidated, and the name was changed to st. paul _pioneer press_, under the management of the pioneer press company, with j. a. wheelock editor-in-chief. the _pioneer press_ now embodies, by consolidation, twenty-five distinct newspapers. its daily issue is about , copies. the stock company is now officered by j. a. wheelock, president; f. driscoll, sr., vice president and treasurer; f. driscoll, jr., secretary. the management is in the hands of j. a. wheelock, editor-in-chief; f. a. carle, managing editor; f. driscoll, business manager; a. w. dunn, city editor. the st. paul _globe_ was established jan. , , by h. p. hall, and conducted as an individual enterprise until july , , when it was made into a stock company with a capital of $ , . its first officers were: president, h. h. sibley; vice president, p. h. kelly; treasurer, albert scheffer; secretary, ansel oppenheim; general manager, h. p. hall. this company, which was called the st. paul globe printing company, was sold to a new company, styled the st. paul globe publishing company, feb. , . the first officers of that company were: president, n. w. kittson; vice president, p. h. kelly; treasurer, albert scheffer; secretary and general manager, lewis baker. all the officers of each company were resident in st. paul. the _globe_ publishes daily and weekly editions. the st. paul _dispatch_ was founded by h. p. hall and david ramaley, feb. , . it has passed through many ownerships. the company publish a weekly and evening daily paper. the st. paul _daily times_ was established in , by t. m. newson, m. j. clum and j. b. h. mitchell. in it was merged into the st. paul _press_. the _register_, _chronicle_ and _democrat_ were published in territorial days, and have been discontinued. _die volkszeitung_, the first german paper of st. paul, was established in . another german paper was subsequently established, and the two were consolidated, sept. , , as _die volkszeitung_. it issues daily and weekly editions. chas. h. lineau is general manager, a. wolff, editor-in-chief; c. newhausen, city editor, and louis hern, literary editor. the _northwest magazine_ is a monthly journal, devoted to the interests of the northwest. it was established in . e. v. smalley is the editor. other st. paul publications. _a. o. u. w. guide_, weekly guide publishing company, established . _pythian advocate_, monthly, pythian company, established . _northwestern chronicle_, weekly (catholic), northwestern publishing company, established . _herald_, weekly, chantler & nichols, established . _der wanderer_ (german), weekly, wanderer publishing company, established . _familien zeitung_ (german), weekly, engel-dreis company, established . _le canadien_ (french), weekly, e. r. dufresne, l. n. dixon, established . _nordvesten_ (scandinavian), weekly, c. h. brandt, established . _skaffaren_ (swedish lutheran), weekly, j. e. osborn, established . _northwestern lancet_, semi-monthly, c. b. witherle, established . _northwest reporter_ (legal), weekly, west publishing company, established . _saturday evening news_, weekly, lewis & bole, established . _western appeal_, weekly, f. d. parker, established . _home gazette_, monthly, s. sherin, established . st. paul _daily evening news_, established . st. paul _labor echo_, eric olson, established . white bear _lake breeze_, a. h. s. perkins, established . hennepin county. the first paper established in hennepin county as now bounded was the st. anthony _express_, e. tyler, publisher, isaac atwater, editor. the first number was issued may , . the minneapolis _democrat_ was established in . neither of these papers is to be found in the directory. papers of minneapolis. _evening journal_, daily, d. b. blakely, established . _evening mercury_, daily, e. ferwald, established . minneapolis _gazette_, daily, w. bickley, established . minneapolis _tribune_, daily, will e. haskell, tribune publishing company, established . _commercial bulletin_, weekly, commercial publishing company, established . minneapolis _life_, weekly, w. e. atkins, established in . _saturday evening spectator_, weekly, c. h. dubois, established . _temperance review_, weekly, l. bixby, established . _budstikken_ (norwegian), johann e. gidde, established . _folkebladt_ (norwegian), weekly, folkebladt publishing company, established . _svenska posten_ (swedish), weekly, svenska-american publishing company, established . _svenska tidning_ (swedish), weekly, svenska publishing company, established . _svenska kistna herolden_, weekly, svenska herolden publishing company, established . _herold_ (german), weekly, german press association, established . _freie presse_ (german), weekly, f. doerr, established . _le progres_ (french), weekly, j. b. a. paradis, established . _echo de l'ouest_ (french), weekly, a. f. carrier, established . _free baptist_, weekly, a. a. smith, established . _northwestern standard_, weekly, ed. o'brien, established . _northwestern presbyterian_, weekly, edgar a. gay, established . _our church_ (unitarian), semi-monthly, rev. l. d. boynton, established . _farm, stock and home journal_, monthly, farm, stock and home company, established . _mississippi valley lumberman_, weekly, platt b. walker, established . _northwestern miller_, weekly, c. m. palmer, established . _northwestern trade_, bi-weekly, e. e. haynes, established . _homestead_, monthly, homestead publishing company, established . _housekeeper_, monthly, buckeye publishing company, established . _medical mirror_, monthly, n. m. cook, m.d., established . _northwestern architect_, monthly, bruce & brundage, established . _pilgrim_ (congregational), monthly, pilgrim publishing company, established . _poultry and farm journal_, monthly, i. i. bachellor, established . _real estate review_, monthly, c. h. dubois & co., established . _temperance educator_, monthly, l. bigby, established . _to-day_ (evangelical), geo. f. wells, a. s. edwards, established . _wood and iron_, monthly, wood and iron publishing company, established . _methodist herald_, weekly, r. h. young, established . excelsior. minnetonka _mirror_, weekly, w. h. mitchell, established . _northwestern tourist_, weekly, a. s. dimond & son, established . washington county. the first newspaper published in washington county was the st. croix _union_, established oct. , , in stillwater. it was continued under the management of cable & easton one year, when f. s. cable sold out to milton h. abbott. soon after mr. abbott bought out the interest of m. s. easton. the paper went down in the crash of . the stillwater _messenger_ made its appearance under the management of a. t. van voorhes, sept. , . it changed ownership several times, and in seward & taylor, the present owners, came into possession. the stillwater _democrat_ succeeded the defunct _union_ in . l. f. spaulding and c. p. lane became the editors and proprietors. it was discontinued in . a. b. easton and j. n. castle established the stillwater _gazette_, the first number appearing aug. , . this paper was successful from the first, and with but few changes in proprietorship is published at the present day as a daily and weekly by clewell & easton. the stillwater _lumberman_ was established april , , by ed. h. folsom. it afterward passed into the hands of a stock company, and was discontinued in . the stillwater _post_, a german paper, was established by w. p. shilling & co. aug. , . two years later it passed into the hands of wm. schermuly, and in it was taken charge of by julius duel, who is succeeded by f. c. neumeier. chisago county. taylor's falls _reporter_, f. h. pratt, established february, ; in the name was changed to taylor's falls _monitor_; in the name was again changed to taylor's falls _journal_; present editor, ed. h. folsom. rush city _pos._, hial p. robie, established in . chisago county _times_, taylor's falls, rowe & walker, established april , . pine county--pine city. _pine county pioneer_, weekly, ed. c. gottry, established . carlton county--cloquet. _pine knot_, weekly, dr. h. b. allen, established . _industrial vidette_, established . st. louis county--duluth. _tribune_, weekly and daily, r. c. mitchell, established . _lake superior news_, weekly, wm. s. woodbridge, established . duluth _daily news_, established . duluth _skandinav_, wesenbergad hurst, established . _paragrapher_, established . _volksfreund_, dworsehak & son, established . _evening journal_, established . tower. tower _press_, c. t. bingham, established . two harbors. _iron post_, a. de lacy wood, established . aitkin county--aitkin. aitkin _age_, weekly, e. f. barrett, established . crow wing county--brainerd. brainerd _dispatch_, weekly, ingersoll & willard, established . brainerd _journal_, weekly, h. c. stivers, established . _northwestern tribune_, weekly, halsted & pennell, . the _news_, daily, established . kanabec county--mora. mora _times_, weekly, r. w. safford, established . mille lacs county--princeton. princeton _union_, weekly, r. c. dunn, established . morrison county--little falls. little falls _sun_, weekly, little falls publishing company, cyrus d. auyer, editor, established . little falls _transcript_, weekly, w. m. fuller, established . _morrison county democrat_, weekly, cyrus d. auyer, established . royalton. royalton _record_, weekly, changed name to royalton _banner_, a. w. swanson, editor, established . the first newspaper in morrison county was the _northern herald_, established in little falls, , suspended in . the little falls _courier_ was established later, but discontinued and the _transcript_ took its place. stearns county--melrose and sauk centre. _herald and record_, weekly, c. f. hendryx, established . sauk centre. _democrat_, weekly, barnum and henshaw, established . _tribune_, weekly, w. c. brower, established . st. cloud. _der nordstern_ (german), weekly, rosenberger & remer, established . _journal-press_, weekly; w. mitchell, established . _times_, weekly, c. f. medonald, established . the first paper in st. cloud, and in stearns county, was styled the _minnesota advertiser_. the first number appeared jan. , , h. cowles, editor, and james mowatt, publisher. mrs. jane g. swisshelm succeeded to the proprietorship in december, , and changed the name to the st. cloud _visitor_, and edited it till the destruction of her press and material by a mob, march , . the paper reappeared under new auspices and with the name changed to the _democrat_. in w. b. mitchell changed the name to the _journal_. in he purchased the _press_ and consolidated it under the name of _journal-press_. the st. cloud _union_ was established in , by c. c. andrews, afterward a general in the union army and minister to sweden and norway. in mr. wood purchased the paper, but sold it in to spafford & simonton, who sold it in to r. c. moore, who published it as the st. cloud _times_. in it was purchased by the present owner, c. f. mcdonald. the _nordstern_ was originally established by peter e. kaiser and peter brieke and has now a circulation of , copies. sherburne county--elk river. _sherburne county star news_, weekly, a. n. dare, established . a. j. clark started the sherburne _weekly_ in , and published it one year, when john w. thompson started the elk river _news_. the _sherburne county star_ was established in , and consolidated with the _news_ in . isanti county--cambridge. _isanti county press_, weekly, c. w. van wormer, established . benton county. watab _reveille_, weekly, j. w. chasanack, editor, established . _free press_, weekly, a. de lacy wood, established . in jeremiah russell and george w. benedict started the sauk rapids _frontiersman_, and continued the publication three years, when the _new era_ made its appearance, published by w. h. wood assisted by g. w. benedict. the _era_ was afterward merged in the st. cloud _times_. in g. w. benedict established the sauk river _sentinel_ which, with a few changes, has continued to the present time. anoka county--anoka. _anoka county union_, weekly, granville s. pease, established . _anoka county herald_, weekly, alvah eastman, established. . dakota county--farmington. _dakota county tribune_, weekly, c. p. carpenter, established . hastings _news_, daily, d. f. chamberlain, established . hastings _banner_, weekly, e. d. barker, established . hastings _gazette_, weekly, irving todd, established . hastings _bugle call_, monthly, chamberlain & smith, established . goodhue county--cannon river falls. _beacon_, weekly, s. s. lewis, established . kenyon. _leader_, weekly, u. curtis, established . pine island. _journal_, weekly, holmes & ingalls, established . red wing. red wing _republican_, daily, red wing publishing company, established . red wing _advance sun_, weekly, red wing publishing company, established . red wing _argus_, weekly, c. l. davis, established . zumbrota. _independent_, weekly, e. a. mitchell, established . _news_, weekly, thompson & bradford, established . wabasha county--mazeppa. _tribune_, weekly, m. schrane, established . plainview. _news_, weekly, ed. a. paradis, established . _wabasha county herald_, weekly, o. f. collier &.co., established . _wabasha county post_, weekly, john p. w. weller, established . winona county--st. charles. st. charles _union_, weekly, j. s. whitten, established . winona _republican_, daily and weekly, sinclair publishing company, established . _adler_, weekly, adler publishing company, established . _herald_, weekly, boynton & metcalf, established . _westlicher herald_, weekly, joseph leicht, established . _wiarus_ (polish), weekly, wiarus publishing company, established . newspapers in wisconsin. pierce county--ellsworth. _pierce county herald_, weekly, case & doolittle, established . _ariel_, weekly, john m. pryse, established . _pierce county plaindealer_, weekly, e. h. ives, established . river falls. _journal_, weekly, s. b. merrick. w. s. fowler, established . the first paper named in prescott was the _paraclete_, published by c. e. young, feb. , . the name was changed in to the _transcript_. in the _northwestern democrat_ was issued by lusk, wise & bailey. in lute a. taylor moved the river falls _journal_ to prescott, changing the name to prescott _journal_. in flint & webber purchased the _journal_. in , after the fire, the river falls _journal_ was revived at river falls by a. morse; the office and material were burned. in m. b. kimball issued the prescott _clarion_ and changed the name to _pierce county plaindealer_. in e. h. ives became editor and proprietor. st. croix county--baldwin. _bulletin_, weekly, ferd. peachman, established . hammond. _hammond review_, weekly, ---- frost, established . hudson. _star and times_, weekly, taylor & price, established . _true republican_, weekly, cline & cogswell, established . new richmond. _st. croix republican_, weekly, abe c. van meter, established . the _voice_, weekly, e. p. huntington, established . the _st. croix banner_, the first paper in the st. croix valley, was issued jan. , , by col. and mrs. james hughes. it was printed in the _pioneer_ office, st. paul. saxton & johnson in the same year commenced publishing the _st. croix enquirer_. these papers were short-lived. in u. b. shaver started the hudson _journal_, afterward edited by col. hughes as the hudson _republican_. the office was destroyed by fire and the paper discontinued in . the _star_ was established by dr. otis hoyt in , and in the same year u. b. shaver established the _chronicle_. in these two papers were purchased by horace a. taylor, and consolidated as the _star and times_. in col. hughes issued the _shield and banner_, which was succeeded by a campaign paper called the _pathfinder_. the hudson _democrat_ was established in by e. o. jones and discontinued in . the _true republican_ was established by m. a. fulton in , and sold to the present owners in . polk county--clear lake. clear lake _herald_, weekly, a. t. churchill, established . _north wisconsin news_, weekly, johnson e. russell. osceola mills. _polk county press_, weekly, charles e. mears, established . st. croix falls. _st. croix valley standard_, weekly, george f. ely, established . the _st. croixian_ was first established at st. croix in by john d. reymert and junius bartlett. s. s. fifield bought the paper in , and removed it to osceola, changing the name to _polk county press_. in c. f. meara succeeded to the ownership. in c. c. jordan established the _new era_ at osceola, but soon discontinued it. the _dalles of the st. croix_ was established at st. croix falls in by d. a. caneday, and discontinued in . the _polk county news_ was established at st. croix falls in by george h. ely, who was succeeded by l. a. ingersoll, who changed the name to _st. croix valley standard_. barron county--barron. _barron county shield_, weekly, charles s. taylor, established . chetek. _alert_, weekly, walter speed, established . cumberland. _advocate_, weekly, cumberland publishing company, established . rice lake. _barron county chronotype_, weekly, p. h. swift, editor, established . _times_, weekly, times publishing company, established . sawyer county--haywood. _north wisconsin news_, weekly, e. o. johnson, established . burnett county--grantsburg. _burnett county sentinel_, weekly, w. a. talboy, established . ashland county--ashland. ashland _press_, weekly and daily, sam s. fifield, established . ashland _news_, weekly, john s. saul, established . glidden. glidden _pioneer_, weekly, r. m. williams, f. a. healy, established . hurley. _montreal river miner_, weekly, gowdey & goodale, established . bayfield county--bayfield. bayfield _press_, weekly, currie g. bell, established . washburn. washburn _bee_, weekly, allan t. williams, established . _itemizer_, weekly, bareger brothers, established . douglas county--superior. superior _chronicle_, john c. wise, established -. superior _times_, bardon brothers, established . _inter ocean_, weekly and daily, street & co., established . superior _sentinel_, m. b. kimball, established . _sunday morning call_, established . washburn county. shell lake _watchman_, william irle, established . an odd chapter in political history--the black hawk war. gen. winfield scott, when a young man, was stationed at fort snelling, at that day perhaps the remotest outpost of the united states. when the black hawk war was inaugurated some militia from illinois proffered their services to aid in conquering the savages. with a view to mustering them into the service of the united states two lieutenants were sent by scott to the then village of dixon. one of these was a very fascinating, good-looking, easy-mannered, affable, and fluent young gentleman. the other equally pleasant, but an exceedingly modest young man. on the morning when the mustering in was to take place a tall, gawky, slab-sided, homely young man, dressed in a suit of home-made blue jeans, presented himself to the two lieutenants as the captain of the recruits, and was duly sworn in. this was he who afterward became the president of the united states--the lamented lincoln. one of the lieutenants, the modest youth, was he who fired the first gun from sumter, maj. anderson. the other, and he who administered the oath, was in after years president of the southern confederacy, jefferson davis. an early runaway match. we have gleaned from the newspapers the particulars of a love romance in which jefferson davis was the central figure. it was down at old fort crawford, whose ruins are still to be seen just south of prairie du chien. it was away back in , when ex-president zachariah taylor, then a colonel in the regular army, was commandant of the post. jeff. davis, who was then a young lieutenant, was assigned to duty under col. taylor, and fell in love with his commander's beautiful daughter. the love making between the young people was the most natural thing in the world under the circumstances, but for some reason col. taylor had taken the most intense dislike to the young lieutenant and frowned upon his suit. in order to prevent his daughter from marrying davis the grim old warrior sent her to a convent at baton rouge. some months afterward the young lieutenant appeared before col. taylor with a document which required his signature. it was an order from gen. wayne granting a furlough to davis. old zach. understood human nature well enough to know that when young davis got his leave of absence he would take a bee line for baton rouge, so he immediately dispatched his swiftest messenger to bring his daughter home by the most circuitous route, and thus thwart the young officer, who he knew would be hurrying to meet her. when davis returned to fort crawford the coldness between himself and his old commander grew more frigid, while the young woman pined away in the seclusion of a log hut, where her father had established his headquarters, until at last she was released from her imprisonment by her lover, who took her from her father's roof by stealth and in the night, and taking her across the river to a spot where a priest was in waiting, they were made man and wife. george green, an old river man, now eighty years old, who still lives at prairie du chien, is the person who rowed them over the river that night. he says that davis took the young woman from an upper window in the log cabin and by the assistance of the chaplain was able to get her beyond the picket lines unobserved. green was at the river bank in waiting with a canoe and took them to the spot where the marriage ceremony was performed. he says the young lady cried a good deal during the voyage across the river, but she leaned her head on the young lieutenant's bosom in a way that assured him that she was not altogether unhappy. soon after the marriage a steamboat from st. paul came down the river and by a preconcerted arrangement halted, took the bridal couple on board and passed on down the mississippi to jeff. davis' home in the south. gen. taylor never did forgive davis for marrying his daughter. he never spoke to him from that time until the evening after the close of the battle of buena vista. jeff. davis had undoubtedly won the battle with his mississippi rifles, and as he lay wounded in his tent that night gen. taylor walked in, extended his hand in friendly greeting and thanked him for his gallant services. but there was no further attempt at reconciliation after that. mrs. davis did not live long, and the lady who now presides over beauvoir is mr. davis' second wife. she was a miss howell, of georgia. dred scott at fort snelling. the following incident connected with the famous dred scott case, taken from a st. paul paper of , may prove of interest to the present generation of readers, few of whom are aware that the principal personage in the case was a resident of fort snelling, or more exactly speaking, the chattel of an american officer at that place: in the year the fifth united states infantry was stationed on the upper mississippi and wisconsin rivers, and, although fort crawford (prarie du chien) was their headquarters, fort snelling was the most important, it being the only military post north of prairie du chien, between lake superior and the pacific ocean, and far from the frontier, as the nearest settlement was several hundred miles away. during the season of open water the post was reached by boats, and in the winter by pony or dog trains, but in the spring before the river was free of floating ice and in the fall before it was frozen, the inhabitants were almost cut off from civilization, as the place was considered inaccessible, by all but the hardy voyageur and the postman, who brought the mail on his back twice a month from prairie du chien. fort snelling was the only post office in what is now minnesota, dakota and montana. it was seldom that a stranger made his appearance after the close of navigation, for the timid did not venture so far from the comforts of life. during the winter the weather was severe, the houses were not so comfortable as now, storm windows and furnaces were unthought of, and stoves were considered luxuries. it happened that on a cold, dreary day in the early winter the quartermaster was distributing stoves, but did not have more than enough to supply the officers and the married men of the command, and not all of the latter. the surgeon, dr. emerson, a giant in body, applied for one for his slave, dred scott, but was told by lieut. mcphail, the quartermaster, who was a man under size, that the darkey would have to wait until the others were supplied, and it was doubtful if there were enough for all. the doctor became very much excited and insinuated that mcphail was lying, whereupon the latter hit the doctor between the eyes, breaking his spectacles and bruising his nose. emerson, very much infuriated, rushed to his quarters, loaded a pair of huge flintlock pistols, returned to mcphail, who was unarmed, and without ceremony presented them to the head of the little quartermaster. he, not liking their looks, sought safety in flight, and with a speed that showed a good condition of body ran across the parade ground, followed by the doctor. as they neared mcphail's company quarters a friend of his, lieut. whitall, and a sergeant, seized firearms and prepared to give their assistance if it was needed. the commanding officer, maj. plympton, armed with a cane, ran after the doctor, and upon overtaking him put him under arrest. by this time the occupants of all the quarters had gathered upon the scene, too excited to feel the cold or think of stoves, and two parties were quickly formed. the smaller party consisted of the young men, who, anxious for a fight, insisted that by running mcphail had brought disgrace upon himself which could be wiped out only by blood. the other and influential side was composed of men with families, who knew that in case of illness no other physician could be had except from prairie du chien, and the roads were such that it might be impossible to get one at all; therefore they urged peace, and after several days of excitement they were able to unfurl the flag of triumph. the terms of settlement between the belligerents were not made known, and those who had hoped for a fight felt that the secrecy added largely to their already heavy disappointment; but the men of peace wore an expression of relief when they realized that if ill, their victory would enable them to obtain the immediate services of the doctor, and that there would not be a repetition of the duel which had been fought there many years before, the first and last duel ever fought in minnesota. although peace was declared, bitter feelings which had risen during the strife still lingered in the heads of all but dred scott, the innocent cause of the trouble, who for the first time in his life became at all conspicuous. shortly after, however, his name was as well known, and oftener heard in social, military and political circles than any other, not only in his own country, but abroad. he left fort snelling with dr. emerson, and was afterward in missouri, where he was one day whipped, as he had often been before. but this proved to be the last time the poor fellow intended submitting as a slave, for immediately after a suit was commenced for assault and battery, claiming that as he had been in a free territory he was a free man. his master dying, his widow and daughter defended the suit, which was decided in their favor two days after the inauguration of president buchanan, and dred scott was remanded to slavery. this was considered a great victory for the south, but in reality was not, for the civilized world became aroused in behalf of freedom, and public opinion, the higher law, was invoked. civil war soon followed; slavery was abolished, and dred scott made free. it was half a century ago that this simple-minded negro lived in slavery in hennepin, the historic county of minnesota. old betz and the st. paul tribe of indians. no history of the early days would be complete without mention of the celebrated and picturesquely homely squaw known as old betz and the tribe to which she belonged. the camp of the latter may still be seen at south st. paul to the number of three or four tepees. the indians are the descendants of the warriors of little crow. they live in canvas tepees of primitive style, but with the exception of moccasins and a few indian trinkets they have conformed somewhat to the costumes of the civilized people around them. the indians living in this vicinity, says a. l. larpenteur in the _pioneer press_, represent a remnant of the minnesota sioux who were not taken to the reservation after the massacre of . there may be nearly a score of families in all, including the inhabitants of the little indian village at south st. paul, the aboriginal residents at mendota, and some red men living near newport. these are mostly descendants of the members of little crow's band. three or four families have descended from the famous old squaw known as "old betz," who died at an advanced age only two years ago. at least two of old betz's daughters are living. they are very large, fleshy squaws, and are frequently seen on the streets of st. paul. when you catch sight of a big squaw with a heavy pack slung over her shoulders, seated in some doorway down street panting for breath, you may make up your mind that it is one of old betz's daughters--either doo-to-win (scarlet female) or pa-zen-ta-win (medicine woman); for such are their names. they obtain a livelihood suitable to their lingering aboriginal tastes and their condition of life, by selling moccasins, ginseng and wild flowers in their season, and the skins of animals which they hunt or trap. these skins are chiefly muskrat skins. they bring several hundred to market in the course of the season. then the squaws do the begging, and the great white packs which these dusky females carry upon their backs as they trudge along the streets of the city are filled with specked fruit, tainted chickens and meat, dried up cranberries and other unsalable stuff that the commission men of the city have kindly bestowed upon them. an indian is not so particular about what he eats as a white person. when meat is tainted he boils it until he gets all the taint out. what remains serves as savory sauce for the meat. the indians are intelligent. they don't have much to say to strangers, but among themselves they are quite sociable, and sit together by the hour smoking pipes and recounting traditions and incidents. they are very fond of story telling. they also discuss topics of interest with a freedom and intelligence worthy of a modern white man's debating society. "i have sat with them in their lodges by the hour," says mr. larpenteur, "and have been vastly entertained by their anecdotes and discussions." so it appears that the indians hereabout are not so glum and reticent as red men in general are credited with being. there are a great many people in st. paul who remember old betz, and the stories that were told in relation to her, quite well. she was said to be one hundred and twenty years old when she died, and, as there was no evidence to the contrary, and she certainly bore the mark of great age, this estimate of her years was generally accepted. mr. larpenteur has reason for thinking that her age has been very much exaggerated. old betz told him one day, a short time before her death, in a confidential way, that when soldiers first came to fort snelling she was still in her teens. that was in , and, therefore, old betz could not have been over eighty-eight when she died. footnotes: [f] note.--the wah-tap--or wa-tab--empties from the west into the mississippi just above sauk rapids--h. m. r. [g] the rejection of thomas p. burnett as a member of the council, by gov. dodge, created great excitement at the time, and the governor was severely criticised for his action. in making the apportionment the governor had made crawford county a district, but had left it without a representative in the council, although two had been assigned to the house, the governor claiming that this was equivalent to one in the senate and one in the house. his action, to say the least, was curious and unprecedented. [h] jean brunet was of french extraction. he made the first manufacturing improvements at chippewa falls. [i] alexander mcgregor, a scotchman, built a large hotel in prairie du chien, and located a claim on the western side of the mississippi rivers opposite which has become the site of the city of mcgregor. in the third session of the territorial legislature he was elected to represent the dubuque district, and charges were preferred against him of accepting a bribe. pending the investigation of the charges he resigned, removed to the east side of the river and was elected to represent the crawford district. the ensuing session, the house, by resolution, declared him unworthy of confidence. [j] the loan amendment was approved by gov. medary, through his private secretary, march , . the amendment was adopted by the people april , , by a vote of , to , . the amount of bonds issued was $ , , . the expunging resolution was adopted nov. , , by a popular vote of , to . [k] rev mr. webber was born in the state of new york in ; was educated for the ministry ordained and sent to minnesota as a missionary by the calvinistic baptist church. he came to stillwater in . he is now a resident of fleming, cayuga county, new york. addenda. a history of the northwest that would omit any mention of the war of the rebellion would be an unfinished work. it was the original intention of the author of this work to add a military history in which should be placed upon record not only some statistics as to the number of troops contributed to the united states service from the parts of minnesota and wisconsin lying along the mississippi river, but some account of incidents connected with the war, which the citizens of the valley would take pride in perusing. the plan was abandoned reluctantly on account of the want of space for such a record. we are able to furnish a synopsis of the military history of minnesota taken from a recent address made by ex-gov. ramsey before the loyal legion at st. paul. it is doubly interesting, coming as it does from the governor of the state during the earlier portion of the war: ex-gov. alexander ramsey was called upon to respond to the toast, "minnesota and the war; for god, our country and the right." he said: "amid the many evidences of harmony and prosperity in all sections of the great republic it is difficult to realize that the citizens of minnesota, within the memory of many still alive, were called upon to preserve the integrity of the united states of america by the force of arms. "there has ever been a community of interest between our own state, in whose midst are found the sources of the mississippi, and the several states on its borders toward the gulf of mexico; the wheat fields of minnesota, the cotton and sugar plantations of mississippi and louisiana must be inseparable, yet it can not be disguised that a short-sighted statesmanship made a vigorous attempt to separate those whom an all-wise providence had joined together. "in the month of april, , upon official business as governor of minnesota, i was called to the city of washington. the knots of earnest men and anxious faces in the corridors and reading rooms of the hotels indicated a widespread belief that there was an impending peril, a serious conspiracy upon the part of some in the cotton producing and slave holding states to secede from the union, although the general government had never infringed upon their rights under the constitution. "on saturday night, april th, the population of washington was deeply moved by the intelligence that fort sumter in the harbor of charleston had been attacked by insurgents, and that the garrison had surrendered. "early sunday morning, accompanied by two citizens of minnesota, i visited the war department, and found the secretary with his hat on and papers in his hand about to leave his office. i said 'my business is simply as governor of minnesota to tender a thousand men to defend the government.' 'sit down immediately,' he replied, 'and write the tender you have made, as i am now on my way to the president's mansion.' "this was quickly done, and thus minnesota became the first to cheer the president by offers of assistance in the crisis which had arrived. "my action and the acceptance of this offer were dispatched to st. paul, and in a few days companies in the different towns in minnesota were being organized, and on the twenty-seventh of the month adjt. gen. john b. sanborn issued an order that more companies had been organized than were necessary to complete the first regiment of minnesota, and on the third of may, having returned to st. paul during april, i sent a telegram to the president offering a second regiment. "on the twenty-first of june the first regiment, under col. gorman, left fort snelling, and in one month, on sunday, the twenty-first of july, distinguished itself as the advance of heintzleman's division in the battle of bull run, virginia. the second regiment, in command of col. h. p. van cleve, a graduate of west point, left fort snelling in october, and on the nineteenth of january was in close conflict with the enemy near mill springs, kentucky, gen. zollicoffer and other insurgent officers having fallen under their fire. a third regiment, under col. h. c. lester, left the state in november, , and a fourth regiment, under col. john b. sanborn, was soon organized, and not long after a fifth, under col. borgersrode, was formed. in the spring of , within a few weeks of each other, the last two left for the seat of war, and were assigned to the army of the mississippi, and before the close of may were, with their comrades of the second, in the action at corinth. "but while minnesota was thus rapidly sending forth her able bodied men, she was called upon to endure a trial greater than any of her sister states. on the nineteenth of august there rushed into the governor's office at the capitol a dusty and exhausted messenger who had been fifteen hours in the saddle with dispatches from galbraith, the sioux agent, containing the startling intelligence that the sioux had risen and were murdering the settlers and plundering and burning their houses. an hour or two later another messenger arrived from forest city with information that the sioux had also killed many whites at acton. it was evident that there was a general uprising, and that no time was to be lost. "i immediately proceeded to fort snelling and consulted as to the best measures to protect our people. here were only raw recruits, without arms or clothing, but at length four companies of the sixth regiment were organized, and that night sent up the minnesota river to shakopee, and ex-gov. h. h. sibley, who had had a long acquaintance with the sioux, was placed in command. "from that point they were directed to proceed by land. telegrams were sent to president lincoln and the governors of wisconsin, iowa, illinois, and michigan relative to the horrible outbreak and asking for aid. "when the troops reached st. peter they were delayed in moulding balls to fit their arms and in preparing canister shot. by september portions of the third regiment, which had returned to the state, and the sixth and seventh regiments, which had been organized, were in the field, and on the twenty-third of the month had a battle with the indians at wood lake, lieut. col. marshall, of the seventh regiment, your late commander of this legion, leading five companies of his own and two of the sixth in a successful charge, clearing a ravine of hostile savages. "never before in the history of the republic had so many settlers fallen from indian barbarity. in ten days in august about eight hundred white men, women and children were killed, and at least , persons fled from the scalping knife to st. paul and other places of security. "during the summer of the eighth, ninth and tenth minnesota regiments of volunteers were organized. in january, , having been elected to represent the state in the united states senate, lieut. gov. swift on and after the tenth of july acted as governor for the unexpired term, who was succeeded by gov. stephen h. miller, both of whom, in every way possible, sustained the general government. "minnesota during the war had surely not more than , citizens able to bear arms. she furnished eleven regiments of infantry, one of heavy artillery, three batteries of light artillery, four cavalry organizations and two companies of sharpshooters, and official returns show that she contributed , soldiers in all." mention of george h. hazzard, of st. paul, unintentionally omitted from the body of the work, is appended below. [illustration: george h. hazzard.] george h. hazzard is one of st. paul's wide awake, energetic young men. he is a native of the state of new york. he came to the west when a youth and located in st. paul in . he has been engaged in general agencies and real estate, and has served as county commissioner of ramsey county and filled other city positions in st. paul. he was a member of the methodist general conference in new york city in . he married a daughter of rev. benjamin f. hoyt, of st. paul. legislative representatives of the st. croix valley--wisconsin side. thirty-eighth session, --senators: hans b. warner, joel f. nason. house: thomas porter, james johnson, charles s. thayer, frank m. nye. thirty-ninth session, --first biennial session--senate: joel f. nason, william a. rust. house: j. b. thayer, john a. murphy, h. l. humphrey, james n. mccourt, charles s. taylor. usda forest service research paper nc- [illustration] ecological studies of the timber wolf in northeastern minnesota north central forest experiment station forest service u. s. department of agriculture foreword the largest population of timber wolves remaining in the united states (excluding alaska) lives in northern minnesota. many of these wolves inhabit the superior national forest, so protecting the habitat of this endangered species is largely a forest service responsibility. as the "age of ecology" broadens into the 's, wolves and wolf habitat will become a subject of concerted research. forest land managers will have to know more about how the timber wolf fits into a forest system. building on nearly years of research in northern forests, we at the north central station intend to expand our studies of wildlife habitat. we are happy to publish the enclosed papers as one step in this direction. d. b. king, director north central forest experiment station d. b. king, director forest service--u.s. department of agriculture folwell avenue st. paul, minnesota ecological studies of the timber wolf in northeastern minnesota l. david mech and l. d. frenzel, jr. (editors) contents movements, behavior, and ecology of timber wolves in northeastern minnesota l. david mech, l. d. frenzel, jr., robert r. ream, and john w. winship an analysis of the age, sex, and condition of deer killed by wolves in northeastern minnesota l. david mech and l. d. frenzel, jr. the effect of snow conditions on the vulnerability of white-tailed deer to wolf predation l. david mech, l. d. frenzel, jr., and p. d. karns the possible occurrence of the great plains wolf in northeastern minnesota l. david mech and l. d. frenzel, jr. the authors dr. mech, formerly with the department of biology, macalester college, st. paul, minnesota, is now employed by the u.s. bureau of sport fisheries and wildlife, twin cities, minnesota. dr. frenzel, formerly with the department of biology, macalester college, st. paul, minnesota, is now employed by the department of entomology, fisheries, and wildlife, university of minnesota, st. paul, minnesota. dr. ream, formerly with the north central forest experiment station (maintained in cooperation with the university of minnesota), forest service, u.s. department of agriculture, is now employed by the school of forestry, university of montana, missoula, montana. mr. winship is with the u.s. bureau of sport fisheries and wildlife, twin cities, minnesota. mr. karns is with the minnesota department of conservation, forest lake, minnesota. for sale by the superintendent of documents, u.s. government printing office, washington, d.c. movements, behavior, and ecology of timber wolves in northeastern minnesota l. david mech, l. d. frenzel, jr., robert r. ream, and john w. winship the largest population of wolves (_canis lupus_) remaining today in the continental united states outside of alaska is in northern minnesota. as of mid- this population was not legally protected, and the species, which once ranged over almost all of north america, is now considered by the u.s. department of the interior to be in danger of extinction in the contiguous states. until the present research, the only field studies of minnesota wolves were those of olson ( a, b) and stenlund ( ). those investigations provided much useful general information about minnesota wolves and gave the present authors an excellent background with which to begin more detailed investigations. this paper reports on the basic aspects of a series of studies that began in , and concentrates primarily on wolf movements and activity, social behavior, hunting behavior, and population organization. most of the data were collected during january, february, and march ; february, november, and december ; and january through august . a total of days was spent in the field. according to a distribution map of wolf subspecies (goldman ), the race of wolves in our study area is _canis lupus lycaon_. however, evidence presented by mech and frenzel (see page ) suggests that there may be strong influence by _c. l. nubilus_, a more western race of wolf formerly thought to be extinct (goldman ). between and the present, wolves in the study area were neither protected nor bountied, and the influence of trapping and hunting is thought to have been negligible. the study area this study was conducted in the superior national forest (fig. ) in northern st. louis, lake, and cook counties of northeastern minnesota ( ° west longitude, ° north latitude), an area well described by stenlund ( ). most of the data were collected from within and immediately south of the boundary waters canoe area, a special wilderness region in which travel by motorized vehicles is restricted. the total study area encompasses approximately . million acres, and numerous lakes and rivers comprise about percent of this area (fig. ). the topography varies from large stretches of swamps to rocky ridges, with altitudes ranging from , to , feet above sea level (fig. ). winter temperatures lower than - ° f. are not unusual, and snow depths generally range from to inches on the level. however, an important exception occurred in early when depths of inches and more accumulated in much of the area. further details on snow conditions in the study area during the period of this investigation are given by mech _et al._ (see page ). conifers predominate in the forest overstory, with the following species present: jack pine (_pinus banksiana_ lamb.), white pine (_p. strobus_ l.), red pine (_p. resinosa_ ait.), black spruce (_picea_ mariana (mill.) b.s.p.), white spruce (_p. glauca_ (moench) voss), balsam fir (_abies balsamea_ (l.) mill.), white cedar (_thuja occidentalis_ l.), and tamarack (_larix laricina_ (duroi) k. koch). however, as a result of extensive cutting and fires much of the conifer cover is interspersed with large stands of white birch (_betula papyrifera_ marsh.) and aspen (_populus tremuloides_ michx.). detailed descriptions of the forest vegetation were presented by ohmann and ream ( ). [illustration: _figure (left half)--map of the study area._] [illustration: _figure (right half)--map of the study area._ boundary waters canoe area superior national forest] [illustration: _figure .--lakes are common throughout most of the study area. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] [illustration: _figure .--ridges, islands, swamps, and bays are part of the variable topography in the superior national forest. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] methods the observations discussed in this paper were all made from aircraft, the method of flying being that reported by burkholder ( ) and mech ( a). the following aircraft were used (in order of size): aeronca champ,[ ] supercub, cessna , cessna , and cessna . the smaller aircraft were excellent for holding in tight circles during observations but had the disadvantage of being slow and cold; the larger planes could cover the study area much more quickly and were more comfortable, but were not as maneuverable during observations. for radiotracking, to be discussed below, the best compromise seemed to be a cessna . to make observations of wolves, we flew over frozen waterways until tracks were found, and then followed the tracks until we lost them or saw the wolves (fig. ). several times we located wolves directly just by scanning the lakes. however, because there seemed to be a number of packs in the area, and because most wolves were the same color (with the exception of a few black or white individuals) (see mech and frenzel, page ), it usually was not possible to follow packs from one day to the next and be certain of identification. moreover, it was impossible to locate any pack at will because most wolves also spent much time inland. [illustration: _figure .--an important technique used in the study involved aerial tracking and observing of wolf packs. (photo courtesy of l. d. frenzel.)_] therefore, to facilitate our observations and to obtain data on wolf movements and extent of range, we began a radiotracking program in - . a professional trapper, robert himes, was employed to capture the wolves. using newhouse no. and steel traps at scent-post sets, he caught two wolves, and captured another with a live-snare similar to that used by nellis ( ); the senior author trapped two additional wolves (fig. ). [illustration: _figure .--a wolf caught in a trap. (photo courtesy of d. l. breneman.)_] the four wolves held in steel traps were restrained by a choker (fig. ), and then anesthetized by intramuscular injections (fig. a, b) of a combination of mg. of phencyclidine hydrochloride (sernylan, parke-davis co.) and mg. promazine hydrochloride (sparine, wyeth laboratories) as prescribed by seal and erickson ( ); these drugs proved most satisfactory. [illustration: _figure .--a choker was used to restrain wolves caught in traps. (photo courtesy of d. l. breneman.)_] [illustration: _figure .--a. a small hypodermic syringe is loaded with drugs. b. the loaded syringe is used on the end of a pole. (photos courtesy of d. l. breneman.)_] the fifth wolf (a female), which was captured around the chest by the live-snare, was handled without drugs. a forked stick was used to hold down her head (kolenosky and johnston ), and she offered no resistance (fig. ). evidently she went into shock or some other psychophysiological state of unconsciousness, for after her release she remained on her side and did not move for . hours, despite our prodding during the first few minutes (fig. ). then suddenly she leaped up and ran off. [illustration: _figure .--once pinned by the forked stick, the wolf ceased struggling. (photo courtesy of richard bend.)_] [illustration: _figure .--after release, the wolf lay still for - / hours before jumping up and running off. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] each wolf was examined, outfitted with a radio transmitter collar inches inside circumference (fig. ) and tagged with identification numbers in both ears (fig. ). each transmitter was of a different frequency in the mh_z range, emitted a pulsed signal ranging from to pulses per minute, and had a calculated life of at least days (fig. ). two types of -inch whip antennas were used on the transmitters: one type extended up the side of the collar and then stuck out above for inches; the other was fully attached inside the collar and extended up one side, around the top, and partly down the other side. the transmitter, batteries, and antenna were molded into a collar of acrylic weighing ounces (mech _et al._ ).[ ] all radio equipment functioned flawlessly for at least months, and one transmitter continued operating for at least months. [illustration: _figure .--a radio transmitter collar was placed around the neck of each trapped wolf. (photo courtesy of d. l. breneman.)_] [illustration: _figure .--each ear of the wolf was tagged with identifying numbers. (photo courtesy of richard bend.)_] [illustration: _figure .--each radio collar had a different frequency tuned to special receivers, which allowed each wolf to be identified. (photo courtesy of d. l. breneman.)_] for tracking radio-equipped wolves, a directional yagi antenna (fig. ) was attached to each of the wing struts of an aircraft and connected inside to a portable receiver. the usual tracking technique was to fly at , to , feet elevation to the last known location of the wolf being sought (fig. ). if a signal was not obtained at that point, the aircraft spiraled upward until the signal was found or until , feet altitude had been reached. if the signal still was not heard, a search pattern was flown at , feet. the range of the signal from this altitude was to miles; at , feet it was to miles. collars with antennas molded fully inside gave only about two-thirds the range of those protruding partly, but could be expected to last longer because the antennas could not break off. it is unknown whether any protruding antennas did break during the study, but on january , , one wolf was recaptured, and its antenna had broken. [illustration: _figure .--directional yagi antennas fastened to the wing struts of the aircraft were necessary to "home in" on the wolves. (photo courtesy of u.s. bureau of sport fisheries and wildlife.)_] [illustration: _figure .--the tracking aircraft was usually flown at altitudes of , to , feet. (photo courtesy of dick shank.)_] when a signal was received, the aircraft was headed in the approximate direction of the source until the signal strength reached a peak; a ° turn was then made in the direction the signal seemed the strongest. a series of these maneuvers soon narrowed the area to the point where visual search was possible. after practice and experience with this technique, we could locate the approximate source of the signal within to minutes after first receiving it. even though the radiotagged wolves spent most of their time inland, often in stands of conifers, they were frequently observed from the aircraft. the technique was to circle at to feet altitude around a radius of a quarter mile from the point where the strongest signal emanated. from december through april, percent of the wolves located by radio were sighted; the rate was much higher for more experienced personnel. a pack of five wolves that was tracked was seen times out of attempts during february and march. whenever wolves were located, radiotagged or not, observations were made from an altitude that did not disturb them. packs varied in the concern shown the aircraft, but only one or two ran from it. the radiotagged wolves, and a pack of to animals, were habituated to the aircraft and usually could be observed from altitudes of feet and less without disturbance (fig. ). almost all the radiotracking was done from aircraft, but when inclement weather prevented flying, some attempts from the ground succeeded when wolves were close enough to roads. the usual range on the ground was . to . miles. one wolf was approached to within feet through radiotracking. [illustration: _figure .--the wolves studied soon became accustomed to the aircraft and could then be observed during their natural activity. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] footnotes: [ ] _mention of trade names does not constitute endorsement by the usda forest service._ [ ] _the acrylic collar was fashioned by the davidson co., minneapolis, minnesota, which also produced some of the transmitters. other transmitters and two radio receivers were manufactured by the avm instrument co., champaign, illinois._ results and observations aerial observations made during this study involved hours distributed as follows: january, february, march -- hours; february -- hours; december through august -- hours. seventy-seven observations involving a total of wolves were made (table ), excluding animals located through radiotracking. one male and four female wolves were radiotagged, and they and their associates were followed intermittently for periods of to months (table ). all except one initially suffered some injury to a foot. three of these animals were seen limping, but only in one case was the limp judged extreme enough to have significantly affected the movements or behavior of the animal. in that one case, the wolf (no. ) was caught in a steel trap on an extremely cold night, and her foot froze. after that she was often seen hopping on three legs. she was not able to keep up with her pack, which consisted of to members, and her movements were much restricted compared with those of other wolves. however, she was frequently observed feeding on fresh kills, and may even have made them herself. _table .--sizes of wolf population units observed in northeastern minnesota_ #: _number_ %: _percent_ +------------------+-------------------------------------------+ | | wolf observations | |population unit[ ]+----------+----------+----------+----------+ |(number of wolves)| winter | winter | total |winters[ ]| | | - | - | | - | +------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ | # % # % # % # % | | | | | | | | -- -- | | | | | | | | | | -- -- | | -- -- | | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | | -- -- | | -- -- -- -- | | --------------------------------------------+ |total number | | of wolves -- -- -- -- | |total number | | of observations -- -- -- -- | |mean population | | unit size . -- . -- . -- . -- | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ footnotes: [ ] because wolf packs sometimes split temporarily, these figures may not strictly represent actual pack sizes; nevertheless they should provide reasonably accurate approximations. [ ] from stenlund ( ). _table .--background information on five radiotagged wolves studied in northeastern minnesota_ #: _number_ --------:---------:-------:--------:--------:-------:-------:----------- wolf :estimated: usual :location: date : last : days : general --------:weight[ ]:associ-:captured:captured: date :located: condition # :sex:(pounds) :ations : : :located: : ----:---:---------:-------:--------:--------:-------:-------:----------- # m none[ ] t n-r w nov. apr. good, but two -s / / toes frozen in trap; animal limped lightly for - wks. f none t n-r w dec. aug. thin; top of -s / / foot cut in trap but no broken bones or frozen toes; limped for at least wks. f another t n-r w jan. may thin; two toes wolf -s / / lightly frozen; intermit- no limp ever tently noticed. f pack of t n-r w jan. apr. thin; front [ ] -s / / foot frozen in trap; lost use of foot and could not stay with pack. f pack t n-r w jan. aug. good but thin; of -s / / captured in snare; no apparent injury. ----:---:---------:-------:--------:--------:-------:-------:------------- footnotes: [ ] wolf , when killed by a trapper on january , , appeared to be of the same size and condition as when radiotagged; she only weighed pounds, however, indicating that probably all the weights are overestimated. [ ] tracks of a pack of at least two other wolves came by trap where was caught; however, there was never any other indication that may have been a member of a pack. [ ] a frozen foot prevented from staying with her pack; but she did associate with other wolves intermittently and with the whole pack when it came by her restricted area. the precise ages of the radiotagged wolves were unknown. all individuals, however, had sharp unworn teeth, indicating that they were all relatively young. no. , the only male studied, had testes . cm. long and . cm. wide; their volume therefore would be less than . cc. the small size of these testes, compared with the to cc. reported by fuller and novakowski ( ) as the volume of the testes from wolves taken during fall, would indicate that had not yet matured. since the animal's testes and canine lengths were considerably greater than those of pups caught in a later study, we presume was or months old. two of the females, no. and no. , both captured in january, had vulvas that seemed to be beginning to swell. no. was killed by a trapper about a year later, on january , , and an examination revealed that she had bred in and carried five fetuses. sectioning her incisors and reading the apparent annulations indicated that she probably was + or + years old.[ ] three of the wolves were basically lone individuals. one of these, no. , was captured on a night when tracks of at least two other wolves came by the trap, and this could mean that he had been part of a pack. however, it is also possible that these were merely tracks of non-associated wolves that were also traveling through the area. in any case, was not seen associating with any other wolf until months after he was caught, and even then the association seemed to be temporary and casual. it could be argued that capture, handling by humans, or wearing a collar prevented him from regaining old associations or making new ones. however, the wolves radiotagged by kolenosky and johnston ( ) were quickly accepted back into their packs, and so were two of ours. thus we conclude that probably was a lone wolf when captured. when was trapped, her tracks were the only ones in the area, and she was never seen closely associating with another wolf. no. probably was with another wolf when captured, as evidenced by tracks. about a month after she was radiotagged she associated with another wolf intermittently for about weeks, after which she was only seen alone. no. and no. were both members of packs. no. was captured during the night after a pack of wolves was seen heading toward the area; days later she was seen with other wolves, which no doubt represented this same pack. this wolf's association with the pack was interrupted, however, because of the foot injury sustained during capture. when was caught, tracks of two other wolves were seen in the immediate vicinity, and one of the animals was seen within a quarter mile of the trapped wolf. three days after 's release, and perhaps sooner, she was back with her pack, with which she remained at least through march. the detailed histories of the associations of the radiotagged wolves will be discussed in a later section. radiotagged wolves were tracked every day that weather permitted during december, january, and february; every week during march, april, and may; and once a month during june, july, and august (fig. ). information was obtained for a total of "wolf-days"--a wolf-day being a day in which one radiotagged wolf was located; a pack of five being located for day would constitute wolf-days. [illustration: _figure .--distribution of the days on which data were obtained for each of the radiotagged wolves. because tracking success was percent, this also represents the distribution of effort. during june, july, and august, wolves and were located day each month._] the last day that animals and were heard from was april , . both had traveled long distances during the previous week and may have moved out of range. signals from wolf were last heard on may ; this animal had also been ranging widely. circles with radii of at least miles around the last known locations of each wolf were searched unsuccessfully for the signals. during all subsequent tracking nights for the remaining wolves, the missing animals were also sought, but to no avail. before the last dates that signals from these animals were heard, attempts to locate marked animals from the air had failed in only three instances. footnotes: [ ] _david w. kuehn, personal correspondence to l. d. mech, ._ daytime activity patterns when radiotagged wolves were located, notes were kept on the type of activity they were engaged in; the results are summarized in figure . in a total of observations made between : a.m. and : p.m., the wolves were resting percent of the time, traveling percent and feeding percent. they tended to travel more before : a.m. and after : p.m., although resting still composed at least percent of the activity during every hour (fig. ). [illustration: _figure .--percentage of time spent by radiotagged wolves in various types of activity throughout the day, from december through april._] [illustration: _figure .--generally the wolves rested during most of the day. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] these results generally agree with the statement by mech ( a) that wolves on nearby isle royale tend to rest about : a.m. and begin traveling again about : p.m. however, it does appear that the minnesota wolves spend much more of the day resting than do the isle royale animals. the difference may be caused by the difference in pack sizes studied. the isle royale pack of to may have had to travel more to find enough food to feed all its members than did the lone wolves and pack of five in the present study. movements and range wolf movement is greatly hindered by deep, soft snow, so during winter travel, wolves frequently use areas where they sink into the snow the least. in our study area, frozen waterways are used extensively where possible, just as reported by stenlund ( ). where few lakes or rivers exist, wolves follow railroad beds and logging roads, often soon after a plow or other vehicle has driven on them. in cutting cross country through deep snow, wolves travel single file and tend to stick to windblown ridges and to trails of deer and moose. wolves that have ranges small enough to cover in a few days form a network of their own trails, which they can maintain merely by traveling regularly over them. packs on isle royale depended a great deal on such a system of trails (mech a), and so did pack no. in our study area. wolf packs can travel up to miles in a day but it is usually larger packs that do so (stenlund , burkholder , mech a, pimlott _et al._ ). in our study area we sometimes saw evidence of long moves by large packs along strings of lakes and waterways. however, most of our movement data pertain to lone wolves and a pack of five. the daily travel of these animals was usually much less than that reported for large packs. our radiotracking data provide an index to the extent of travel for each wolf rather than the actual amount of travel, for it is based on straight line distances between consecutive points at which an animal was found. this measure will be referred to as the "net daily distance." much variation was found in the net daily distances of wolves, with the longest ranging from . miles for to . for (table ). the mean net daily distance for each animal, excluding days with no net movement, varied from . to . miles. the movements of these wolves may have been affected by the snow depth and penetrability, for mean and maximum net daily distances suddenly increased for all animals between february and , when snow penetrability had decreased to a point where walking wolves would be expected to sink in only about inches (table ). other possible explanations for the wolves' sudden increase in movements will be discussed below. the straight line distances traveled between consecutive weekly locations (called the "net weekly distances") showed a similar variation (table ). the maximum net weekly distance for each wolf varied from . miles for to . for , with means ranging from . to . miles for the same wolves. no doubt 's net weekly distances were relatively short because her total range and that of her pack were much smaller than those of the other wolves. it is difficult to obtain comparable measures of the extent of the ranges covered by each of the radiotagged wolves because their patterns of travel varied so much. thus the figures given in table should be regarded only as gross indicators of the minimum range of each animal. the area figures are especially deceiving in the case of , for she had a horseshoe-shaped range, much of which apparently was not used. _table .--straight line distances (miles) between consecutive locations of radiotagged wolves_ #: _number_ %: _percent_ ---------------------------------------------------:---------------------------- : : net weekly : net daily distances : distances :----------------------------------------------:---------------------------- : : : : :mean net : : : : : : : : :distance : : : : : days :days no : days :mean net:per day : :weeks:mean net: wolf: data : net :movement:distance:excluding :range:data :distance: range # :obtained:movement: :per day :days of no: : :per week: : : : : :movement : : : : :--------:--------:--------:--------:----------:-----:-----:--------:------- : # : # % : # % : miles : miles :miles: # : miles : miles . . . - . . . - . . . . - . . . - . . . . - . . . - . . . . - . . . - . . . . - . . . - . ----:--------:--------:--------:--------:----------:-----:-----:--------:------- nevertheless, one major piece of information is obvious from the figures: 's pack of five wolves had a much smaller range than any of the other uninjured animals--approximately square miles when figured by the minimum-area method (mohr ). the next smallest range was that of (excluding the area of his later dispersal--see below), which was some seven times the size of the pack's range. _table .--straight line distances (miles) traveled between consecutive days ("net daily distance") by radiotagged wolves in northeastern minnesota during february _ +-------+-------------------------+-------------------------+ | | mean net | greatest net | | wolf | daily distance | daily distance | |number +------------+------------+------------+------------+ | | feb. - | feb. - | feb. - | feb. - | +-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+ | . . . . | | . . . . | | . . . . | | . . . . | | . . . . | +-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+ there is little published information on the movements and ranges of lone wolves with which to compare our data. mech ( ) summarized information regarding ranges of packs. reported ranges varied from square miles for a pack of two wolves in minnesota (stenlund ) to , square miles for a pack of in alaska (burkholder ). considering only data based on intensive study in the same general region (minnesota, isle royale, and ontario) as our study area, the largest range reported was square miles for a pack of to wolves on isle royale (mech , jordan _et al._ ). on a per-wolf basis, the ranges in this region varied from to square miles per wolf. our pack of five with its range of square miles would have about square miles per wolf. a more accurate assessment of the ranges of the radiotagged wolves requires an individual discussion for each. _no. ._--the range of was composed basically of three distinct areas (fig. ). within days after being released, the wolf left the general area of his capture (area a near isabella lake) and traveled to area b along highway , some miles to the southwest. from december to january wolf remained in area b, which covers about square miles. between january and he returned to area a and stayed in square miles until february . between february and he shifted to area c east of snowbank lake, miles northwest of area a. he remained in that -square-mile area until february , then suddenly left and headed miles to the northeast. _table .--extent of ranges used by radiotagged wolves_ +--------+----------+----------+--------------+----------------------+ | wolf | greatest | greatest | total area[ ]|area[ ] of intense use| | number | length | width | | (before late feb.) | +--------+----------+----------+--------------+----------------------+ | _miles_ _miles_ _sq. miles_ _sq. miles_ | | | | [ ] . . (location a[ ])| | (location b) | | (location c) | | . . | | . . | | . . | | [ ] . . | +--------+----------+----------+--------------+----------------------+ footnotes: [ ] minimum area method (mohr ). [ ] before dispersal. [ ] see text and figure . [ ] pack of five. [illustration: _figure .--locations and range of wolf . lines are not travel routes; rather they merely indicate sequence of locations. only selected lakes are shown._] from february until april the movements of were strongly indicative of dispersal (fig. ). his average weekly straight line move during that period was miles (compared with miles per week before this period), and until march he maintained an almost straight south-southwest heading to a location west of the town of castle danger. after that the animal traveled a series of northwest-southwest alternations that on april took him east of big sandy lake to a point miles southwest of where he had begun the dispersal. there he remained for about weeks, but between april and he traveled miles northwest. we last saw him at : p.m. on april heading northwest through a swamp miles southeast of grand rapids, approximately miles from where he had started. the total of straight line distances between consecutive pairs of locations taken at intervals of from to days was miles, which is the minimum distance the wolf traveled during his dispersal. [illustration: _figure .--dispersal of wolf . lines merely indicate sequence of locations. only selected lakes are shown._] we observed for distances of up to miles during these travels; he maintained a steady trot that seemed faster than usual, and he appeared intent on heading in a straight line. he did chase deer during his travels, and twice was seen feeding on carcasses. in the area where he remained for about weeks, he was twice seen closely associated with another wolf. this relationship will be discussed later. an extensive search was made for 's signals on may in an area of at least miles radius from his last known location, but it was unsuccessful. on each subsequent tracking flight, the wolf's frequency was also monitored with no success. possible explanations for the loss of the signal from this wolf include the following: ( ) premature expiration of the transmitter, ( ) capture of the wolf and breakage of the transmitter, ( ) loss of the exposed antenna and consequent reduction of range, and ( ) travel of the wolf out of range of the tracking aircraft. during 's travels a number of interesting events took place: nov. , --captured and radiotagged dec. , --crossed road in front of tracking truck dec. , --moved to area b dec. , --surprised on the ground at distance of feet dec. , --chased by loggers with axes dec. , --almost shot by trapper who saw collar and withheld fire jan. , --returned to area a jan. , --"bumped" twice on logging road by loggers in auto but no apparent injury feb. , --moved to area c feb. , --began long-range southwest movement considered to be dispersal mar. , --seen feeding on old carcass within yards of houses, dogs, and a man walking mar. , --chased two deer across -lane state highway apr. , --found with another wolf at point farthest south in his range apr. , --last contact with this animal; was seen traveling nw _wolf ._--this wolf was basically a scavenger who subsisted for long periods on the remains of old carcasses. she was known to have visited the remains of at least four deer and three moose, and she stayed near one moose carcass from february to , at least during the day. between her date of capture, december , and february , traveled about in an area of square miles in the arrow lake-maniwaki lake region (fig. ). [illustration: _figure .--locations and range of wolf . only selected lakes are shown._] between february and march she suddenly moved miles to the east-southeast near the sawbill trail, and during the next week she traveled a straight line distance of miles southwest to a point southeast of the town of isabella. her subsequent travels eventually took her over a much larger area. before february , 's average weekly straight line distance was miles, but after that date it increased to miles. _wolf ._--the range of this animal from january , when she was captured, to february covered about square miles near stony lake, slate lake, and the jack pine lookout tower (fig. ), and her mean weekly distance was miles. between february and , however, she traveled miles northeastward, the beginning of a series of long moves. by march , had reached crescent lake, a point miles east-northeast of her previous area of intensive use. she then gradually headed back toward the west and south during the next days and within the next month repeated this pattern. when her signal was heard last on may , was near martin landing in the center of her range. her mean net weekly distance after february had increased to miles. [illustration: _figure .--locations and range of wolf . only selected lakes are shown._] _wolf ._--the movements of cannot be considered normal because freezing of a front foot prevented her accompanying the pack of which she was a member. nevertheless, even data from an abnormal animal can provide some information. on january , days after capture and release on red rock lake, was located miles from the capture point with a pack of other wolves. she was limping and fell behind when they moved. five days later she was again seen with the pack miles away between knife lake and kekekabic lake. she then remained in about square miles of that general area through april (fig. ). [illustration: _figure .--locations and range of wolf . only selected lakes are shown._] suddenly on april , was found in ontario some miles northeast of her location of the previous week. that was the last time we heard her signal even though on may we scanned an area with a radius of miles from her last known location and listened for her signal during every subsequent flight. _wolf ._--this animal was a member of a pack of three to five wolves (see next section). the movements of the group varied little and were concentrated in the august lake, omaday lake, and keeley creek area in about square miles (fig. ). contrary to animals , , and , this pack did not suddenly begin a series of longer weekly movements in late february. both before and after february , the average weekly straight line movement of the pack was just less than miles. [illustration: _figure .--location and range of wolf and pack. only selected lakes are shown._] probably these animals did begin traveling more in late february, for their net daily distances did increase at that time along with those of the other wolves (table ). however, the increased travel took place within the restricted area of the pack's usual range rather than in new areas as occurred with the other wolves. because was later found to have bred and carried five fetuses, her movements during whelping season (late april and early may) are of interest. her locations on both april and may were within yards of each other, which might indicate that she was denning. on may , however, she was . miles east of these locations, on the th and st was miles west of them, and on the th was miles north of them. in early january , wolf was killed by a trapper in the southeast corner of her pack's range. _summer locations._--signals from only and were heard during summer, and then tracking attempts were made only on june , july , and august . locations for on those occasions were near kelly landing and isabella lake, within her previous range. wolf was found each time within miles outside of the southwest corner of the pack's winter and spring range. wolf associations, social behavior, and reproduction in our study area, population units of wolves exist as both single animals (lone wolves) and packs. in a total of observations, lone wolves constituted percent of the sightings (fig. ), with packs of from to members making up the remainder (table ). on the basis of the number of wolves seen, rather than the number of observations, lone wolves accounted for only ( percent) out of . [illustration: _figure .--only percent of the wolves observed were lone wolves. (photo courtesy of l. d. frenzel.)_] these figures compare favorably with reports in the literature as summarized by mech ( ). in five areas studied, lone wolves made up from to percent of the observations of population units, and from to percent of the wolves seen. in our study area during to , lone wolves constituted percent of the observations and percent of the wolves (stenlund ). the average size of the population units observed during our study (total number of wolves seen divided by the number of observations) was . , which is significantly larger ( percent level) than the average seen in this area ( . ) from to . this is also larger than that reported from any other area of comparable size (table ). _table .--mean sizes of wolf population units reported from various areas_ ---------+------------+--------+------------+---------+--------------- | | |mean size of| largest | authority area |observations| wolves | population |pack size|calculated from | | | unit | | ---------+------------+--------+------------+---------+--------------- _number_ _number_ alaska , . kelly alaska , , . r. a. rausch[ ] lapland . pulliainen e. finland . pulliainen minnesota . stenlund minnesota . present study ---------------------------------------------------------------------- footnotes: [ ] r. a. rausch. personal correspondence to l. d. mech, . the largest pack seen in our study area included members, and there apparently were at least two such packs. although larger packs than this have been reported, any group containing more than to members is unusually large (mech ). wolf sociology is a complex subject and is still not well understood, so the following detailed observations of the associations between our radiotagged wolves and others are given. associations are defined as relationships in which two or more wolves relate in a close, positive manner. as mentioned earlier, may or may not have been associated with other wolves when he was captured. however, although this animal was observed times throughout winter and spring, only twice was he seen associating with another wolf. probably the same individual was involved each time, because the location was about the same (the vicinity of the juncture of aitkin, carlton, and st. louis counties). the first occasion was on april . wolf in the previous week had moved miles straight line distance from the northeast. he was then observed lying peacefully within feet of another wolf near a freshly killed deer. the very proximity of the two animals implied a positive relationship. on april , and , was seen mile, miles, and miles from the kill and was alone each time. however, on april , was back in the general vicinity of the kill, and he and another wolf were resting on an open hillside about feet from each other. as we descended for a closer look, the smaller animal arose and headed to the larger, presumably because he had not been disturbed by the aircraft. the larger wolf did not arise for several seconds, but eventually followed the other into the woods. no tail raising or other expressive posturing was seen in either wolf. one week later was miles northwest of the kill traveling alone. wolf was never seen less than yards from another wolf, and there was no evidence that she ever associated with a conspecific. even when she was seen yards from the other wolf, both were resting, and when the strange wolf left, made no attempt to accompany or follow it. no. apparently had been traveling with another wolf when caught on january , and tracks showed that the individual had remained near her until we arrived to handle her. tracks found on january and suggested that was with another animal, but that animal was not seen during any of the six times was observed through february . however, from february to , was with another wolf on eight of the times she was seen. the two animals were observed resting, traveling, hunting, and feeding together. on february , and thereafter, was alone all times she was seen. it is possible that 's associate was killed between february and . about march , a -pound male wolf pup was found dead (by mr. charles wick, usda forest service) within about feet of a highway and less than a mile from where and her associate were seen on february . because of the snow conditions, it was judged that the wolf had been killed (probably by an automobile) sometime in february. wolf , whose foot froze during capture, was a member of a pack of to wolves, and was seen with the pack on january and . after that she was usually found alone, although on at least five occasions she was with one or more wolves: _no. of_ _period_ _observations_ _associations_ jan. other wolves jan. - none jan. or other wolves jan. - none jan. other wolf jan. to feb. none feb. - other wolves feb. other wolf feb. - none feb. other wolves feb. - none feb. to other wolves feb. to apr. none february she was with the pack at a kill in her usual area, and although the pack left that night, remained near the kill the next day. presumably this animal would have traveled with pack if she could have. no. was part of a pack that included three to five members (fig. ). from january , the first time she was observed after release, through april , the animal was seen times with two other wolves, eight times with at least three others, and eight times with four others. she was never seen alone until april ; both times after this when she was seen, may and , was also alone. some insight into the fluctuating size of this pack was obtained on february when the five animals were followed for hours. during that time two members (one of which was larger than the other) often lagged behind the other three by as much as a mile. these two romped and played considerably, with one carrying a stick or a bone part of the time. eventually they caught up again to the other three. the behavior of the two lagging wolves would be consistent with the hypothesis that they were either pups or a courting pair of adults. in either case, they seemed to be an actual part of the pack even though they temporarily traveled separately. [illustration: _figure .--one of the radiotagged wolves was a member of this pack of five. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] the fact that was observed traveling alone three times from april to may may be further evidence that the pack had a den in the area at that time. the presence of a den allows individual pack members to venture off singly and return each day to a known social center, as murie ( ) observed, so they do not need to travel with each other to maintain social bonds. wolves in our area breed during the latter half of february (see below), and the young should be born in the latter half of april. since dens are prepared a few weeks in advance (young ), pack members might be expected to begin traveling singly in mid-april. some information on social relations within our radiotagged pack of five was also obtained. one of the members could often be distinguished from the others by its reddish cast and this individual appeared to be the pack leader or alpha male (schenkel ). in urinating, this animal lifted his leg, a position seen almost exclusively in males. except for only two temporary occasions, this animal always headed the pack, which usually traveled single file. the second wolf in line generally was noticeably small, possible a female, and the third wolf was twice identified as on the basis of sightings of her collar. the leader often gained a lead on the other wolves, especially during a chase (see below), much as reported for a lead wolf on isle royale (mech a). upon returning to the lagging members of the pack, this animal usually held his tail vertically, an expression of social dominance (schenkel ). on two occasions he led chases against strange wolves and demonstrated the highest motivation (see below). the leader was also the most active in his reactions when scent posts were encountered. because the function of scent-marking behavior is still unknown, it is important that detailed descriptions of the natural behavior of free-ranging wolves around scent posts be made available (fig. ). thus the following excerpt from field notes by mech dated february , , is presented: [illustration: _figure .--feces, urine, and scratching in a conspicuous spot indicate a wolf "scent post." (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] "when they [the three wolves] came to a small frozen pond, where the wolf trail [which they had been following] branched and there were some packed down areas, they became quite excited [fig. ]. this was especially true of the reddish wolf. he nosed several spots, and scratched around them. usually his tail was vertical. he defecated at one spot, and right afterwards another wolf did. after about minutes that pack went on. [illustration: _figure .--a pack of wolves investigating a scent post. the raised tails indicate their excitement. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] "about minutes later the 'satellite' wolves arrived at this spot, hesitated, nosed around but continued on after less than a minute. "the three wolves meanwhile came to a junction of logging roads. there they nosed around, scratched, and acted much as described above. again the reddish wolf was most active and had its tail up. "when the last wolves came to this spot, they nosed around, ran back and forth, and defecated. they then headed on a different branch of the trail than the first had gone on just minutes before. "the first wolves meanwhile were running along a logging road but eventually they circled and one other than the reddish one headed across a swamp toward the last . then the reddish one and the other followed this one, and they met the last on a ridge. there was the usual tail wagging, then all headed off together in a new direction. they passed the first scent post again and there was some nosing by the reddish wolf but little hesitation. "when they traveled, one wolf lagged behind by yards. the wolf just ahead of it had its tail vertical part of the time, as did the reddish leader. "soon the pack came upon another area packed with wolf tracks on a pond. there they followed every little trail, nose to the ground, wagged tails, grouped together often, chased each other, rolled over, etc. for minutes. the reddish animal had tail up most of the time. "the wolves continued on, and we left them about mile s.w. of the s.w. arm of bald eagle lake [at : p.m.]." unfortunately it was not known whether the trails that the wolves were following were their own or those made by other wolves. significant aspects of the above observation are ( ) the spirited initiative of the leader, ( ) the amount of time spent in scratching, urinating, and defecating, ( ) the decision of the last two wolves to take a different route from that of the first three even though their goal seemed to be to catch up to the first three, and ( ) the fact that the scent posts were located at trail junctions. in the last regard, we often noted from the ground that wolves urinated at the junction of newly formed human trails heading perpendicularly from roads they were following. copulation in wolves was only observed once during our study, on february , . two members of a group of four were seen coupled for minutes on kekekabic lake. on isle royale, which is at the same latitude, copulations were witnessed on february , and (mech a). on april , a den west of big moose lake known to have been used at least intermittently for years was seen from the air to have fresh activity of some kind in the snow in front of it, and on april we saw a wolf at the mound. a few days later, two local human residents unaware of our interests approached this den and looked in. an adult wolf, presumably the bitch, leaped over their heads and fled the area. the men then dug up the den and removed six pups whose eyes had not yet opened. intraspecific intolerance and indifference instances of chasing or attack by a pack of wolves on conspecifics not a part of their group have been described by murie ( ) and mech ( a). observations of such behavior are important in trying to determine conclusively whether or not wolves are territorial. pimlott _et al._ ( , p. ) wrote "it still is not clear, however, whether or not their use of range should be defined as territorial." mech ( ) summarized the available evidence for territoriality in wolves and postulated that it may be spatiotemporal such that packs might avoid each other at any particular point in time but over a long period might cover the same area at different times. a number of our observations are pertinent to this question, for we have evidence of both, tolerance and intolerance between population units of wolves. two direct cases of intolerance were observed, both involving the radiotagged pack and other wolves within the usual range of the pack. following is a direct quote from the field notes of mech: "feb. , --about : a.m.--aerial and visual-- and other wolves traveling overland about halfway between heart l. and august l. (r w-t n. sect. center). they were traveling quickly and intently along a fresh wolf trail, with a lighter reddish individual in the lead. the other animals were darker colored, and one of them was smaller than the other. one of them must have been . "we soon found that about half a mile ahead of the pack was a dark wolf hurrying away from the three. this animal often looked back and ran whenever it encountered good running conditions. it soon became obvious that the pack of was chasing this individual. because it [the lone wolf] often broke its own trail, the pack gradually gained on this animal. the single wolf flushed a deer which ran when the wolf was about feet away and floundered in the snow, but the wolf continued hurrying on by. "although the deer ran only about yards and stopped, the pack of also hurried on by. the single wolf flushed another deer, ignored it, and continued by, as did the pack of . the chase continued for miles as we watched, into the n.e. corner of sect. and then into the n. central part of sect. , and the pack got to within yards of the single wolf. "however, at this point, the darker members of the pack had fallen about yards behind the lead one. the lead animal stopped and waited for them, as it had done a few times before. it then turned around and headed back to these animals. when they met, the reddish animal's tail was held vertically and there was much tail wagging by all for about minute. then all animals lay down for a minute and then went up on a knoll. there was much activity and 'playing' on the knoll. ( : p.m.) "the single wolf continued running and looking back for at least another mile. we left at : p.m. "at : p.m. we saw a single wolf running across a small lake and looking behind it about miles n.w. of these animals. the creature behaved the same as the one being chased today, and we wondered whether it could be the same animal." on february , , ream made a similar observation, as follows (quoted from his field notes): "got visual sighting on with other wolves at : about a mile west of omaday lake and they were running along fairly fast on a trail. when we circled a second time we saw wolves curled up sleeping on a knoll ahead (south) of the running pack. we then realized the running wolves were on the trail of the sleeping wolves and when the pack of with 'red' in the lead was about yards from the knoll the sleeping wolves jumped up and charged away in the opposite direction full tilt, and split and went in directions. when the pack reached the knoll they started off on the trail of the wolf that headed n.e. and then changed and went after the one that headed s.w. the reddish wolf was in the lead and really picked up the pace. although the reddish wolf seemed to gain on the chased one or times, the pack as a whole couldn't catch up, even though the single was breaking trail. the reddish wolf, after gaining, always stopped and waited for the others or went back to find them. they chased this wolf for - / to miles, all the way down to highway at a point . miles from the lab [kawishiwi field station, u.s. forest service]. there was a dense patch, - acres, of woods just before highway and we lost sight of the chased wolf for a while and also the when they entered it, but shortly we found that the chased one had somehow doubled back and was heading n.e. again. the pack was apparently confused for at one point of them were wandering back and forth on highway , apparently looking for the trail of the chased wolf. two of these paralleled the highway for a couple hundred yards and then stopped on top of a hill, apparently resting. during this chase both the single wolf and the pack chased up deer from their route of travel and didn't seem to pay much attention to them, even though some were really floundering in the deep snow. we finally stopped watching all of this at : p.m. and proceeded on our rounds." on february we also saw a single wolf running and looking behind several times on ojibway lake. even when it saw a fisherman on the lake within / mile, it continued across to the opposite shore seeming most intent on avoiding whatever was on its trail. presumably it had also been chased by a pack. the cases of tolerance or indifference that we witnessed between wolves involved our lone animals. on january , was at a kill he had made the day before, and another wolf was sitting within feet looking toward the carcass. eventually the unidentified wolf left without approaching any closer. a lone wolf was also seen near in the general vicinity of a moose carcass, which probably both were feeding on at different times. three such observations were made, on february , , and ; and on february another wolf was also seen near some . miles away from the moose carcass. in all cases, the two animals were to yards apart in open country and must have been aware of each other's presence. hunting, killing, and feeding behavior the primary prey of most wolves in our study area is the white-tailed deer (fig. ), but some moose (fig. ) are also killed. we have examined the remains of six moose that were eaten by wolves, two of which were killed by them (fig. ). one was found on february , , on gillis lake and the other on march , , on twinkle lake. these locations are within miles of each other, suggesting that a wolf pack in that area may be more accustomed to preying on moose than other packs. the other four moose carcasses were found in other parts of the study area, but circumstances were such that the causes of death of those animals could not be determined. a discussion of the details of wolf-moose relations in our study area must await the collection of additional data. [illustration: _figure .--the main prey of wolves in northern minnesota is the white-tailed deer. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] [illustration: _figure .--moose are also killed by wolves. (photo courtesy of allan taylor.)_] [illustration: _figure .--only a few wolf-killed moose were located during the study. (photo courtesy of laurence pringle.)_] the remains of wolf-killed deer, and probable wolf-kills, were examined for age, sex, and condition and were compared with a sample of hunter-killed deer from the same general area. the wolf-killed deer were generally much older than the hunter-kills and had a significantly higher percentage of jaw and limb abnormalities (see mech and frenzel, page ). until recently the only observations of wolves hunting deer were those reported by stenlund ( ) for northern minnesota. he described two reports of actual observations and two reports of interpretations of tracks in the snow, all successful hunts. since that time several descriptions of successful and unsuccessful hunts have also been published (mech b, rutter and pimlott , pimlott _et al._ , mech ). nevertheless, many more observations must be made before generalizations can be formed. during the present study we were able to witness a number of hunts from the air and piece together others based on tracks. the following descriptions are quoted from the field notes of mech: " january . about / mile n.e. of alice lake. "jack burgess [pilot] and i were following a pack of wolves, when at : they veered from their former line of travel, about °. they were then about yards from deer. they began wagging their tails when about yards from the deer. one deer, on the edge of a steep bank, was lying, but one was standing about yards n. of it in open hardwoods. the wolves continued toward the latter deer. "this deer remained standing in the same place until the wolves approached to within about feet of it. the lead wolf stopped, when that distance from the deer, and the others caught up but also stopped when within about feet behind the lead wolf. by this time the deer, whose body was facing away from the wolves, had its head turned back over its shoulder toward the wolves. the wolves and the deer remained absolutely still while staring at each other, feet apart, for - minutes, while we made several circles. "suddenly the deer bolted, and instantly the wolves pursued. i am fairly certain that it was the deer that bolted first, but could be mistaken. the action was almost simultaneous. the deer headed toward the other deer near the top of the high bank. this animal had been lying but had arisen when the wolves were about yards away. "the lead wolf followed in the deer's trail, but the others cut toward the bank. this flushed the second deer (near the edge of the bank), which ran down the bank. meanwhile when the first deer reached the edge of the bank, it headed due w. along the top of it. only the lead wolf pursued this animal. the other deer had headed down the bank to the s.e., and at least a few of the wolves followed it. "we could not watch both deer, so we continued following the first. the deer had no trouble in snowdrifts, but the wolf was hindered by them. the wolf followed the deer for about yards along the top of the bank, and then gave up after losing ground. the wolf had run a total distance of about - yards. he then lay down and rested. "we noticed at least wolves stopped part way down the bank in the trail of the second deer. however, we did not see the remaining wolves or the second deer. "eventually (after about minutes), these wolves joined the first, and all rested. at : p.m., one wolf started toward a third deer, which had been lying under a tree while the former chase took place. the deer was about yards from where the wolves rested, and it had stood before the wolf started toward it. we could not see whether the deer or wolf bolted first, but suddenly both animals were bounding away. the wolf chased the deer about yards and gave up after losing ground. the other wolves followed slowly in its trail, and all assembled and rested. the deer continued running for at least / -mile." " february . miles n. of august lake. " 's pack of was heading n.e. at : p.m. when they got to within yards of standing deer. the deer had been standing alertly in a shallow draw, and when at least wolves got to within yards, they fled. the wolves began running after them. "the deer were in snow up to their bellies and had to hesitate slightly at each bound. but they ran fast. we could only see one wolf very much [of the time]. it was also having a difficult time in the snow, and after a total run of about yards ( to the deer's original location and after the deer), the wolf lay on the snow and rested about minutes. the deer ran only about yards more and stood alertly for the next minutes at least. the wolves then went on. " march . about miles s.e. of central lakes, minnesota. "at : p.m. while we were following wolf by aircraft in above location, we saw a deer running very quickly on top of the crusted snow and then stand and watch its backtrail. about - / minutes later we saw running along the same route. we did not see when the deer fled again, but saw it running about yards from the wolf and doubling back paralleling its original route. when the wolf got near the approximate doubling-back point, he lay down and rested for about minutes. the deer continued fleeing for about yards, stopped, and for several minutes faced its backtrail. the wolf finally continued on in his original direction, giving up the chase. "at : p.m.-- - / miles s. of central lakes, minnesota--wolf had come to within yards of [four-lane] highway and was hesitant to approach it. several cars were going by in both directions. thus the wolf headed s. parallel with the highway about yards e. of it. "suddenly two deer, which we had noticed s. of the wolf earlier, fled across the highway. the wolf soon got to the point where they crossed, hesitated about a minute and then ran across. no cars came at that time. "we could not always see the deer or the wolf when w. of the road because there were several patches of evergreens. the wolf did head straight w. after crossing the road. then about yards w. of this point we saw a deer come out onto an old woods road which lay in a n.w.-s.e. axis. the deer ran n.w. on the road and then we saw the wolf where the deer had come out onto the road. while the deer ran n.w., the wolf cut into the woods to his right, n.e. we could not see it then but presumed it was running n.w. paralleling the road. "after the deer had run about yards up the road, it also headed n.e. into the evergreens. within a few seconds it fled right back out and started s.e. down the road. the wolf was about feet behind it and began gaining. "when the deer got back to where the wolf had headed into the woods from the road before, it also headed n.e. into the woods. the wolf was then about feet away and the deer was headed n. around in a circle with the wolf closing in on the outside. the wolf did not emerge from the evergreens for at least minutes, nor did we see the deer, so i presume the wolf killed the deer. [but see entry for april .] " april . dan frenzel and i searched the area described on march for hour and found no sign of a kill. old wolf tracks were seen, but only a single wandering track. no concentration such as usually seen at kills. best conclusion is that did _not_ kill the deer where seen from the air march ." we also saw and her associate actually kill a deer, on february , , but we did not realize what was going on and it happened so fast that we only saw a wolf rushing and biting at the front end of the downed animal. the chase had to have lasted only a few seconds. in addition to the above direct observations, we also were able to piece together from tracks in the snow the chase and successful encounter between a single wolf and a deer in two instances. in the first case, on january , ( : a.m.), we arrived at the scene (near grub lake, just n. of snowbank lake) within an hour of the encounter, and the wolf was still feeding on the deer, which had been a - / -year-old female. mech examined the area from the ground and made the following observations: "the deer had come s.w. down the middle of the lake at a fast walk, turned around, backtracked a few yards and headed to the n.w. shore of the lake. meanwhile a wolf had come at a trot along the deer's track, but it had cut to the n.w. shore about yards n.e. of where the deer had. when still on the ice about feet from shore, the wolf began running as evidenced by his long bounds. he continued running inland about feet from shore toward the deer. the deer had walked inland from the shore and may have stood there about feet from shore. suddenly it had bounded away. the bounding wolf track was in the same trail as the deer's for about yards but then it paralleled the deer's about feet away on the inland side. after about yards from where the deer flushed, the deer was pulled down. it was _not_ on its side but rather had sunk into the snow in more-or-less of an upright position. "apparently the deer had just about reached the shore when the wolf noticed it, and it detected the wolf. at this time the wolf must have been up the shore about yards where his tracks first showed he began bounding. there was no sign that the wolf had spotted the deer on the lake and had tried to cut it off from shore by running inland along the shore and then waiting for the deer to come inland. once the wolf had begun bounding, he continued until he pulled the deer down.... sign showed that the deer dropped within about feet of where she had begun bleeding." the second case involved a - / -year-old buck, no. m- , which had arthritis of his right hind foot and probably had defective gait (see mech and frenzel p. ). the attack took place on basswood lake on february , , and excerpts from field notes by mech follow: "a single wolf had killed this deer after chasing, following, or tracking the deer about . miles. the deer's last yards was a fast walk--the tracks were one in front of the other and about feet apart, and there was no leaping or bounding. same with the wolf--a fast trot. "where the tracks came together, the deer apparently had fallen, but there was no blood. from there, the deer dragged its feet or the wolf for about feet and then went down again. the wolf circled the deer, and for the next feet, the animals had fought or scuffled and then the deer had gone down where we found it. "the -mile persistence of this wolf--whether tracking, following, or chasing the deer--is remarkable [compared with most chases] and makes me believe the wolf had good reason to believe it could kill the deer." our observations of wounds on fresh kills confirm the following description by stenlund ( , p. ) of the location and manner of attack of wolves on deer: "no evidence of hamstringing of deer was found on freshly killed carcasses, although the possibility does exist. usually deer are run down from behind, the wolf or wolves biting at the hind flanks and abdomen, or at the hind flanks and head region simultaneously." on each kill, all the flesh and much of the skin and bones were eaten, at least during the winters of - and - . this was also true during december and much of january . however, during february and march when an unusual accumulation of snow had built up, most of the kills were only partly eaten (see mech _et al._, page ). in previous years deer freshly killed by single wolves were sometimes found with only a few pounds of flesh or viscera missing. however, in each case the carcasses were almost completely cleaned up within a few days, often by packs to which the single wolves may have belonged (mech ). usually the first parts of a carcass to be eaten are the hams and part of the viscera from the coelomic cavity. in one case where a wolf was interrupted while feeding it was apparent that the animal had been stripping the omental fat from the carcass. this may be the wolf's favorite part of a deer, for the stomach of one wolf that we examined in january contained nothing but such fat. the average consumption and kill rate of deer by wolves has not yet been determined, but we have some information bearing on the subject. because our data were obtained during a winter of unusually deep snow, and it was obvious that wolves were killing more deer than they could eat at the moment (see mech _et al._, page ), our figures should be considered much higher than average. however, they should be useful in that they probably represent the maximum kill rate not only throughout the year but also throughout a period of many years. by observing each of our radiotagged wolves whenever possible and noting whether or not it was feeding on a kill, we learned that our wolves generally remained close to their kills for periods of from to days, depending on how recently they had eaten (fig. ). thus, when a wolf was found at a new location each day, the assumption could be made that the animal did not currently have a kill. [illustration: _figure .--periods spent by radiotagged wolves and their associates feeding on kills judged to be their own. this does not include periods when they were known to be feeding on carrion._] we assumed that wolves found at fresh kills (fig. ) had made them unless there was evidence to the contrary as with , the scavenger. when a wolf was found at one location for several consecutive days but could not be observed, we assumed it was feeding on a kill, since whenever wolves were observed remaining in the same location for several days they were seen feeding. thus a range of possible number of kills per wolf was determined, with the lower limit being the known minimum and the upper limit the possible maximum. when more than one wolf fed on a kill, as with the pack, the figures were calculated on a per-wolf basis. [illustration: _figure .--radiotagged wolf (upper left) found at kill (lower right). (photo courtesy of l. d. frenzel.)_] in this way we obtained data on a total of wolf-days and found a total kill of to deer (table ). this averages out to a kill rate of one deer per to days per wolf. the figure varied considerably among individuals-- had the highest rate of one kill per . to . days, and each wolf in 's pack had the lowest rate (except for , the scavenger) of one deer per . to . days. it is significant that the pack of five wolves had a lower kill rate per wolf than did single wolves and pairs. this is explainable because the ability of wolves to kill deer during early was much greater than usual (see mech _et al._, p. ). thus single wolves probably could kill deer just as easily as could packs, but they did not need to share them. this differs markedly from the situation on isle royale, where lone wolves usually feed only on moose remains left by packs (mech a, jordan _et al._ ). that lone wolves had more of a food surplus than those in the pack is confirmed by the figures on the average number of days that the various wolves fed on kills (table ). wolf spent an average of only . to . days feeding at each of his kills, whereas 's pack of five spent an average of . to . wolf-days at each kill. further confirmation is found in the fact that even when most wolves were leaving their kills partly uneaten, a pack of to wolves (probably that to which belonged) was seen completely devouring a kill. _table .--kill rate of deer by radiotagged wolves and their associates_ #: _number_ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- wolf-days wolf wolf-days wolf-days wolf-days feeding # wolves dates of data kills per kill[ ] feeding per kill -------------------------------------------------------------------------- # # # mean # # mean # nov. to - . - . - . - . apr. [ ] dec. to - . - . - . - . mar. - jan. to - . - . - . - . mar. - jan. to - . - . - . - . feb. jan. to - . - . . - . mar. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- summary nov. to - [ ] . - . - [ ] . - . apr. before - [ ] . - . - . - . feb. after - . - . - . - . jan. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- footnotes: [ ] kill rate per wolf. [ ] figures for this animal are so low because she was basically a scavenger. [ ] average kill rate per wolf for all radiotagged wolves and their associates, derived by dividing total number of wolf-days by total number of kills. [ ] average number of days that each wolf spent at each kill, derived by dividing total number of wolf-days spent feeding by the total number of kills. [ ] this figure probably is the closest to the actual kill rate during most winters. therefore it is probable that the kill rate per wolf for members of the pack of five is much closer to the usual average winter kill rate. it can still be considered higher than the usual winter rate, however, because this pack also was leaving some of its kills partly uneaten. a reasonable approximation of the average kill rate during most winters would be the rate found for our radiotagged wolves before february , because the relations among the wolves, the deer, and the snow during that period were not unlike those of most winters. the average kill rate per wolf before february was estimated at one deer per . to . days. after this period, the rate increased to about one deer per . to . days, and an estimated percent of the available food was left uneaten (see mech _et al._, page ). this implies that the kill rate during february and march was about twice as high as usual. on this basis, the usual kill rate would be estimated at one deer per . to . days, which checks well with the rate found before february (one deer per . to . days). thus we feel that an estimated kill rate of about one deer per days per wolf is a close approximation of the average kill rate for most winters. this is about percent less than the kill rate of one deer per days estimated by stenlund ( ) for two packs of three wolves (one deer per days per wolf). however, it compares favorably with the actual kill rate of one deer per wolf per . days found for a pack of eight wolves in ontario.[ ] once the average rate of kill is known, the average food consumption per wolf can be calculated. the average deer (considering both fawns and adults) from the superior national forest during winter weighs about pounds (calculated from erickson _et al._ ), and an arbitrary pounds can be deducted from this for inedible portions. this leaves pounds of deer per wolf per days, or . pounds per wolf per day. this figure is much less than the to pounds estimated consumption rate for wolves feeding on moose on isle royale (mech a). however, much variation can be expected in an animal whose physiology must be adapted to a feast-or-famine existence. wolves can be maintained in captivity on . pounds of meat per day, and large active dogs (_canis familiaris_) require . pounds per day, so it is likely that the minimum daily requirement for wolves in the wild is about . pounds per day (mech ). this figure agrees well with the estimated consumption rate for our study area. footnotes: [ ] _kolenosky, g. b. wolf movements, activities and predation impact on a wintering deer population in east-central ontario. (manuscript in preparation for publication.)_ relative population density censusing wolves in a . -million-acre study area is a difficult task, and we have no direct information on which to base a population estimate. however, some deductions can be made about the relative population densities in our study area between the period to and the period of the present study, to . r. a. rausch ( a) hypothesized that the frequency of large packs is higher when population density is high, and presented evidence supporting this idea. on this assumption, a comparison of pack-size distributions between various periods can indicate relative population densities between periods. the advantage of this method is that it eliminates the usual type of year-to-year biases in wolf censuses such as might result from differences in precise census route, type of aircraft, skill of observers, and other conditions. only a difference that would cause a bias in the _size_ of the packs seen would be of importance. therefore, we tested the difference in size distributions of population units between the - study period and the present period (table ), using a kolmogorov-smirnov two-sample test (siegel ). the average "pack" size in the earlier years was . , compared with . at present; thus pack sizes are significantly larger at present ( percent level). this indicates that the population density from to may have been higher than from to . this apparent change may be attributable to a reduction in snaring, trapping, and aerial hunting that took place between the two periods as a result of changes in state game regulations. a similar comparison between our observations from and those from - (table ) shows no significant difference between these years, so it appears that the density of wolves in our area has remained about the same over the period of three winters. this agrees with the results of several other studies summarized by mech ( ) in which wolf populations unaffected by man have been found to remain relatively stable from year to year. discussion and conclusions the movements, behavior, and ecology of the wolves in our study area during winter are variable, and are influenced considerably by snow conditions. this may explain the fact that in late february wolves , , and suddenly extended their travels and range (fig. f- and table ). however, increased travel may have resulted from other factors. for one thing, the wolves apparently did not need to spend so much time hunting as before. because of the deep snow, the ability of wolves to capture deer increased, and the animals had a surplus of food. perhaps under such conditions wolves may use more of their energy for traveling than for hunting. [illustration: _figure .--net weekly (straight-line) distances traveled by three radiotagged wolves._] in this respect it is interesting that moved right out of his area and traveled into country that presumably was unknown to him. wolves and each ventured into an area that was almost devoid of deer and that even had few moose in it. without sufficient fat reserves in all these animals, it would seem disadvantageous for them to have made these travels. evidently wolves can obtain enough food in much smaller areas than these three animals used after february. both 's pack of five and lived in relatively small areas throughout the winter and seemed to survive well. before late february, , , and did also. thus some factor other than food must have influenced the movements of these three animals from late february through april. the fact that the increased movement began during the breeding season makes one suspect a relationship between the two. one possibility is that the factors increasing the hormonal flow associated with breeding in adults stimulate a hormone output in immature or subordinate individuals that causes an increase in their movements. an alternative is that the breeding behavior of resident packs involves the beginning of, or an increase in, aggression toward neighboring nonmembers. this might force the lone animals to shift about over large areas in avoidance of such aggression. whatever the cause of the changes in movements of these animals, the fact that the pack used a much smaller area than any of the lone wolves may be of central importance in trying to understand the organization of the wolf population. the following pieces of information are also pertinent to such an understanding: ( ) the pack, which can be presumed to include a breeding pair (mech ), chased other wolves in its area; ( ) the lone wolves, which apparently did not breed, were tolerant of, or indifferent to, other lone wolves in their areas; ( ) the ranges of the lone wolves overlapped considerably (fig. ); ( ) the lone wolves seemed to avoid certain large areas that one might logically think would have been visited by them (fig. ); and ( ) packs of wolves were sometimes observed in these large areas (fig. ). [illustration: _figure .--locations of all radiotagged wolves and unmarked packs observed during winter - , except dispersal of out of the study area. only selected lakes shown._] from the above information it can be hypothesized that the wolf population consists basically of groups of breeding packs defending territories of limited size, with lone wolves and other nonbreeding population units that are tolerant of each other shifting about in much larger nonexclusive areas among these territories. the information from isle royale (mech a, jordan _et al._ ) is consistent with this idea, but the area of that island ( square miles) is too small to allow untested extrapolations to be made about spacing in much larger wolf populations. data from algonquin park, ontario (pimlott _et al._ ) also strongly suggest this hypothesis. however, the packs studied there could not be identified with certainty, and little information was obtained about nonbreeding population units. to test the proposed hypothesis with certainty, a larger number of identifiable breeding and nonbreeding population units from the same general area must be followed during at least one winter. this will be the main objective of our next study. summary during the winters of - , - , and - , aerial observations of timber wolves (_canis lupus_) were made in the superior national forest in northeastern minnesota, where the primary prey is white-tailed deer (_odocoileus virginianus_). in hours of flying during the study, sightings involving wolves were made. in addition, during - , five radiotagged wolves and their associates were tracked via receivers in aircraft for a total of "wolf-days." visual observations were made during percent of the times the wolves were located from december through april. the average size of each population unit (including single wolves, pairs, and packs) observed was . , although packs of as many as wolves were sighted. radiotagged wolves spent most of their daylight hours resting during winter, and when traveling, hunting or feeding during the day, tended to do so before : a.m. and after : p.m. considerable variation was discovered in the movement patterns of individual wolves, with straight line distances between consecutive daily locations ranging from . to . miles, and between weekly locations, . to . miles. a pack of five wolves used a range about square miles in extent, whereas lone wolves covered areas many times this size. one animal in an apparent dispersal was tracked a straight line distance of miles between extreme points. a reddish male wolf was the leader of the pack of five and led two observed chases after alien wolves in the pack's territory. this animal was also most active during scent marking by the pack. lone wolves were apparently indifferent to other wolves, and thus exclusive areas, or territories, were not observed among lone wolves. hunts involving a total of seven deer were observed and described, and two successful attacks on deer were interpreted from tracks in the snow. wolves generally consumed all the flesh and much of the hair and bones from kills, except during february and march when extreme snow conditions increased the vulnerability of deer to an unusual degree. at that time kills were found that were partly or totally uneaten. the kill rate by radiotagged wolves and associates during the winter of - , based on wolf-days of data, varied from one deer per . days to one per . days per wolf, with the average being one deer per to days. the rate was much lower per wolf for members of the pack of five than for lone wolves, and much lower before february , , than after. the average rate of kill during more usual winters was estimated to be about one deer per days. this is a consumption rate of about . pounds of deer per wolf per day. indirect evidence based on comparisons of pack-size distributions for different periods indicates that the wolf density in the study area may have increased since , but that it has remained the same from to . on the basis of data presented in this paper, the following hypothesis about the organization of the wolf population studied is proposed: the wolf population consists basically of groups of breeding packs defending territories of limited size, with lone wolves and other nonbreeding population units, tolerant of each other, shifting about in much larger nonexclusive areas among these territories. acknowledgments this study was supported by macalester college, the u.s. bureau of sport fisheries and wildlife, the usda forest service, the minnesota department of conservation, and the new york zoological society. special thanks are due the following for their help and cooperation with this project: mr. j. o. wernham, former supervisor, mr. l. t. magnus, wildlife biologist, numerous district rangers, and other supporting personnel of the superior national forest, mr. j. t. morgan, north central forest experiment station; and mr. s. e. jorgensen and mr. c. e. faulkner, u.s. bureau of sport fisheries and wildlife. drs. c. t. cushwa, l. f. ohmann, catherine ream, and d. g. schneider aided in the field work. mr. w. w. cochran provided advice and suggestions on the radiotracking technique, dr. u. s. seal furnished the drugs and the advice on their use with wolves, and mr. r. himes contributed significantly in the wolf trapping. mr. l. ringham, ontario department of lands and forests, granted permission for research personnel to radiotrack wolves crossing into quetico park, canada. numerous students from macalester college also contributed to the field effort. thanks are also due pilots robert hodge, pat magie, ken bellos, don murray, jack burgess, and several others, who along with pilot-biologist john winship, expertly flew the aircraft used in the study. this report was reviewed by the following biologists: mr. g. b. kolenosky, dr. p. a. jordan, mr. m. h. stenlund, and dr. d. l. allen. mr. wallace c. dayton, miss elizabeth dayton, and the quetico-superior foundation, all of minneapolis, generously contributed funds to support mech during the preparation of the paper. literature cited burkholder, b. l. . movements and behavior of a wolf pack in alaska. j. wildl. manage. : - . erickson, a. b., gunvalson, v. e., stenlund, m. h., burcalow, d. w., and blankenship, l. h. . the white-tailed deer of minnesota. minn. dep. conserv. tech. bull. , p. fuller, w. a., and novakowski, n. s. . wolf control operations, wood buffalo national park, - . can. wildl. serv., wildl. manage. bull. ser. , no. , p. goldman, e. a. . the wolves of north america, part ii. classification of wolves, p. - . washington, d. c.: the amer. wildl. inst. jordan, p. a., shelton, p. c., and allen, d. l. . numbers, turnover, and social structure of the isle royale wolf population. amer. zool. : - . kelly, m. w. . observations afield on alaskan wolves. alaska sci. conf. proc. : (and mimeo). kolenosky, g. b., and johnston, d. h. . radio-tracking timber wolves in ontario. amer. zool. : - . mech, l. d. a. the wolves of isle royale. u. s. nat. park serv. fauna ser. . p. mech, l. d. b. hunting behavior of timber wolves in minnesota. j. mammal. : - . mech, l. d. . the wolf: the ecology and behavior of an endangered species. p. new york: natural history press, doubleday. mech, l. d., kuechle, v. b., warner, d. w., and tester, j. r. . a collar for attaching radio transmitters to rabbits, hares, and raccoons. j. wildl. manage. : - . mohr, c. o. . table of equivalent populations of north american small mammals. amer. midl. nat. : - . murie, a. . the wolves of mount mckinley, u. s. nat. park serv. fauna ser. , p. nellis, c. h. . some methods for capturing coyotes alive. j. wildl. manage. : - . ohmann, l. f., and ream, r. r. vegetation studies in the bwca--a brief report on plant communities. naturalist ( ): - . olson, sigurd f. a. organization and range of the pack. ecology : - . olson, sigurd f. b. a study in predatory relationship with particular reference to the wolf. sci. mon. : - . pimlott, d. h., shannon, j. a., and kolenosky, g. b. . the ecology of the timber wolf in algonquin provincial park. ont. dep. lands and forests res. rep. (wildlife) , p. pulliainen, e. . studies of the wolf (_canis lupus_ l.) in finland. ann. zool. fenn. : - . rausch, r. a. . some aspects of the population ecology of wolves, alaska. amer. zool. : - . rutter, r. j., and pimlott, d. h. . the world of the wolf. p. philadelphia and n. y.: j. b. lippincott co. schenkel, r. . expression studies of wolves. behaviour : - . (translation from german by agnes klasson.) seal, u. s., and erickson, a. w. . phencyclidine hydrochloride immobilization of the carnivora and other mammals. fed. (symp. lab. anim. anesthes.) proc. : - . siegel, s. . non-parametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. p. new york: mcgraw-hill. stenlund, m. h. . a field study of the timber wolf (_canis lupus_) on the superior national forest, minnesota. minn. dep. conserv. tech. bull. , p. young, s. p. . the wolves of north america, part i. p. washington, d. c.: the amer. wildl. inst. an analysis of the age, sex, and condition of deer killed by wolves in northeastern minnesota l. david mech and l. d. frenzel, jr. the selective effect of predation on prey populations is of significance in studies of evolution and population dynamics. selective predation can be an important agent in the process of natural selection, and it influences the extent to which predators limit the numbers of their prey. one of the predators most commonly chosen for investigating the selective effect upon prey is the wolf (_canis lupus_). because animals preyed upon by wolves generally are large, their remains can be more easily located and examined. it already has been established that in most areas wolves kill primarily young, old, and other inferior members of such prey populations as dall sheep (_ovis dalli_), moose (_alces alces_), caribou (_rangifer tarandus_), bison (_bison bison_), and musk-oxen (_ovibos moschatus_); evidence for this generalization has been summarized by mech ( ). however, only recently has it been shown that this generalization may extend to predation on the smallest hoofed prey of the wolf in north america, the white-tailed deer (_odocoileus virginianus_). pimlott _et al._ ( ) demonstrated a difference between the age structure of deer killed by wolves during winter in algonquin park, ontario, and deer assumed to represent the actual population in the same area. whereas only percent of the deer from the population at large were estimated to be more than years old, percent of the wolf-kills were in this age category. we employed a similar analysis for deer killed by wolves in northeastern minnesota, but used a more refined aging technique and included comparisons of the age and sex structures of various subsamples of wolf-kills. whereas the ontario research involved a prey population unlimited by man, our work was carried out on both a hunted population and on one relatively unhunted. further comparisons were made between deer killed during periods of normal snow conditions and those taken during unusually high snow accumulations. the incidence of various abnormalities in wolf-killed deer was also compared with that in hunter-killed animals. the study was carried out in the superior national forest in northern st. louis, lake, and cook counties of northeastern minnesota (fig. ), in conjunction with other aspects of wolf research (see mech _et al._ p. ). [illustration: _figure .--the study area showing locations where wolf-killed and hunter-killed deer were taken. line arbitrarily separates the hunted area from the wilderness area._] methods the investigation began in february and continued through march ; the basic objective was to examine as many wolf-killed deer as possible and compare their ages, sex, and condition with a large sample of deer from the population at large in the same area. wolf-kills were examined only during december through march when they could be found from the air. aircraft ranging in size from an aeronca champ to a cessna were used to fly over frozen lakes at altitudes up to , feet to locate wolves (fig. ), wolf tracks, or kills (fig. ). we often discovered kills by tracking a wolf pack. [illustration: _figure .--wolves were located from the air, usually on frozen lakes. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] [illustration: _figure .--wolf-kills were easily spotted from aircraft. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] during the winter of - this method of finding kills was supplemented by radiotracking five wolves and their associates via aircraft (see mech _et al._, p. ). the latter technique resulted in increased discovery of inland kills. a deer carcass was judged killed by wolves if the death had been recent, if tracks or other sign indicated that wolves had fed upon it, and if no other possible cause of death was discovered. carcasses fed on by wolves but not clearly identifiable as kills were labeled "probable" wolf-kills. although the cause of death of the specimens in this latter category could not be determined with certainty, there was no reason to believe other agents were involved. in addition to the wolf-kills examined by project personnel, data and lower jaws from deer judged killed by wolves were contributed by other biologists, game wardens, forest rangers, and others whose competence was known. nevertheless, if certain identification of carcasses as wolf-kills was not possible, the data were relegated to the "probable" wolf-kill category. whenever possible, kills discovered from the air were examined on the ground (fig. ). often only skeletal parts remained, but soft parts were also examined when available. femur marrow, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, reproductive tracts, and omenta were usually inspected in the field for fat, parasites, and abnormalities, and the degree of subcutaneous back fat was also noted. hoofs and lower legs were checked, and those showing pathological conditions or abnormalities were collected and examined by the veterinary diagnostic laboratory of the university of minnesota. all lower jaws found were collected, aged, and examined for dental abnormalities and pathological conditions. [illustration: _figure .--as many wolf-killed deer as possible were examined from the ground. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] in november and hunter-check stations were operated on the study area (fig. ), and deer bagged by hunters were field-checked for age (severinghaus ) and hoof abnormalities. as many lower jaws as possible were collected from field-checked deer and other deer killed in the area for age determination and examination for abnormal dentition. [illustration: _figure .--information about hunter-killed deer in the study area was obtained through hunter-check stations. (photo courtesy of l. d. frenzel.)_] an assumption was made that the age structure and incidence of abnormalities in the sample of hunter-killed deer would be _reasonably representative_ of those in the population at large, an assumption also implicit in a similar comparison made by pimlott _et al._ ( ). in this respect, the following statements by maguire and severinghaus ( , p. ) about deer in new york state are pertinent: "it may be concluded that, considering the open season as a whole, wariness does not significantly distort the age composition of the [deer] kill in relation to that of the corresponding wild population, except possibly for buck seasons of only or days duration.... a reliable appraisal of the age composition of the kill by hunting may be obtained through the operation of roadside checking stations." however, in critically reviewing the present paper severinghaus stated that in states such as minnesota, with fewer hunters and higher hunter success rates, age compositions of deer from checking stations may not be the same as those of wild populations. reviewers peek and downing also made similar comments. nevertheless, for our comparison with wolf-killed deer it is not necessary that the hunter-kill age structure be exactly representative of the age structure of the actual deer population. all that is required is that there be reasonable agreement between the two. the hunting regulations in our study area allow a -day period of taking deer of any age or sex, and a single hunter may legally shoot as many deer as he and his party or associates have permits for. thus there is no reason for selective hunting, and we feel confident that the age structure of the hunter-kill in our study area does basically represent that of the deer herd at large. two laboratory techniques were used for determining the ages of deer from the lower jaws or mandibles--a tooth replacement and wear technique (severinghaus ) and an incisor-sectioning method (gilbert ). the tooth-wear technique requires only the molariform teeth but it is more subjective and inaccurate, particularly in older deer (ryel _et al._ ). incisor sectioning requires only incisors and appears to be much more accurate. however, because the incisors had been lost from many of the wolf-kills, and because the tooth-wear technique was used at checking stations, both methods were applied in the laboratory. mr. david w. kuehn ( ) sectioned and aged the incisors. fortunately there was a sufficiently large sample of mandibles with molariform teeth and incisors from both wolf-killed and hunter-killed deer to enable us to devise a table showing the actual ages (based on incisor-sectioning) of each of the jaws assigned to various tooth-wear classes. this table was then used to distribute the ages of specimens that contained only molariform teeth. for example, because it was found that percent of the jaws aged - / years old by tooth wear were actually - / years old, we assigned percent of the incisorless jaws aged - / by tooth wear to the - / -year category. similarly, another conversion chart comparing field age determinations of hunter-killed deer with ages based on incisor sectioning of the same jaws was employed to distribute the ages of field-aged, hunter-killed deer for which jaws or incisors could not be collected. results we flew a total of hours during this and related research, mainly during january through march and december through march ; about one-third of this time was devoted primarily to searching for kills. jaws were examined from wolf-kills and probable wolf-kills. [illustration: _figure .--all hunter-killed deer examined were checked for age. (photo courtesy of l. d. frenzel.)_] hunter-check stations yielded information from deer (fig. ), and data on additional hunter-killed deer were contributed by other hunters. incisors were collected from of hunter-killed deer checked that were older than yearlings; comparisons were then made between ages of the deer based on incisor sectioning and those based on field checks using the wear method. similarly, incisors were sectioned from wolf-killed and hunter-killed deer older than yearlings that had been aged by the tooth-wear method in the laboratory, so that these two methods could be compared (kuehn ). (note: incisor-sectioning is unnecessary for fawns and yearlings because animals of these ages can be aged objectively by the progress of tooth replacement.) because age or sex distributions might differ in the various subsamples of deer examined during this study, these parameters were compared in subsamples of both wolf-kills and hunter-kills (table ). no significant differences were found in the age or sex structures between the known wolf-kills and "probable" wolf-kills, so these subsamples were pooled and considered wolf-kills for all subsequent comparisons. three significant differences in sex ratio were found among the subsamples of wolf-kills: ( ) wolves killed more female fawns than male fawns, but more male adults than female adults (table ); ( ) more of the adults killed in the hunted area were females, while in the wilderness more males were taken (table ); and ( ) after january , when snow was unusually deep, percent of the deer killed were females, compared with only percent before this date. _table .--results of statistical comparisons between various samples of deer kills from northeastern minnesota_ %: _percent_ ------:-----------:--:------:------------:--------------------:------------ : : : : : results of : : : : : : comparisons: : sample: : :sample: :--------------------: direction size :sample :vs: size :sample : [ ]age :[ ]sex : of :description: : :description :structures: ratios : difference ------:-----------:--:------:------------:----------:---------:------------ wolf-kills:[ ] wolf-kills:[ ] known probable nonsig.[ ] nonsig. -- jan.-mar. dec. - nonsig. nonsig. -- mar. male female nonsig. -- -- wilderness hunted area nonsig. nonsig. -- area adult, adult, -- sig., more wilderness hunted area % females in hunted area lakes[ ] inland nonsig.[ ] nonsig. -- before after nonsig.[ ] sig., more females feb. jan. % after jan. adults fawns -- sig., more female % fawns hunter-kills: hunter-kills: field aged, field aged, nonsig. nonsig. -- field aged lab. aged nonsig. nonsig. -- lab. aged, lab. aged, nonsig. -- -- males females field aged, field aged, -- sig., more male fawns adults % adults --------------------------------------------------------------------------- hunter-kills wolf-kills sig., -- older deer % in wolf-kill hunter-kills wolf-kills sig., -- older deer excluding excluding % in wolf-kill fawns fawns --------------------------------------------------------------------------- footnotes: [ ] kolmogorov-smirnov two-sample test (siegel ). [ ] z test (downie and heath ). [ ] because test showed no significant differences in age or sex structure between sample of known wolf-kills and probable wolf-kills, these were combined for all subsequent tests and the pooled sample considered "wolf-kills." [ ] at percent level or greater. (note: lack of a significant difference does _not_ prove that no difference exists. rather, it means only that the available evidence does not allow the positive conclusion that a difference does exist.) [ ] wolf-kills found on lakes were compared with those located inland because of the possibility that kills on lakes may not be representative of kills in general. [ ] sample too small for test, but no apparent difference. [ ] no significant difference in entire age structures. however, when the percentage of yearlings is compared between the two groups, the difference is almost significant at the percent level. _table .--sex ratios of hunter-killed deer and wolf-killed deer from northeastern minnesota_ -------:--------------------------:------------------------- age : hunter-killed deer : wolf-killed deer -------:--------------------------:------------------------- number percent percent number percent percent male female male female fawns adults ------------------------------------------------------------ in the comparisons of the subsamples of hunter-kills, the only statistically significant difference found was that the adult subsample had a higher proportion of males than the fawn subsample. no significant difference was found in the age structures of the subsamples, so these were all pooled into a sample of hunter-kills for comparison with the wolf-kills. for the same reason, the entire sample of wolf-killed deer was used for a comparison with the hunter-killed sample. _table .--sex ratios of wolf-killed deer from wilderness areas and from hunted areas_ #: _number_ %: _percent_ -------:-------------------:------------------:----------------- age : wilderness area : hunted area : total -------:-------------------:------------------:----------------- # % % # % % # % % male female male female male female fawns adults ---------------------------------------------------------------- wolf-killed deer in our sample, with an average age of . years, were significantly older ( percent level) than hunter-killed deer, with an average age of . years. for example, deer years of age and older made up percent of the wolf-kills but only percent of the hunter-kills (table ). the oldest hunter-killed deer in our sample was - / years old, but the oldest wolf-killed deer was - / (fig. ). [illustration: _figure .--comparison between the age structures of deer killed by wolves, deer killed by hunters, and a theoretical population from the same general area of northeastern minnesota_.] because of a possible bias against fawns in the method of collecting data from wolf-kills (to be discussed later), the age structure of the sample of wolf-kills excluding fawns was tested against that of the sample of hunter-kills excluding fawns. the result once again was a highly significant difference between these two age structures (table ). as an additional test of the degree to which the age structure of the wolf-killed deer might differ from that of the actual population, we compared our wolf-kill age structure with the age structure of a hypothetical deer population. this was considered advisable just in case the hunter-kill data were poorly representative of the age structure of the actual deer herd. several hypothetical age structures were constructed and compared according to advice from downing.[ ] in all cases, the comparisons produced the same basic results as the tests with the hunter-killed sample. an example of one comparison is given in figure . a further result obtained by aging the wolf-killed deer pertained to the young individuals killed. the deciduous first incisors of fawns and the deciduous premolars of yearlings are usually replaced with permanent teeth by december (severinghaus ). of wolf-killed fawns examined, however, three ( percent) taken during january, february, and march had not yet replaced their deciduous first incisors. of the yearlings found during this same period, nine ( percent) had failed to replace their deciduous premolars, and two ( percent) had just replaced them (one deer killed in february and one killed in march). footnotes: [ ] _r. l. downing. personal correspondence to l. d. mech, october , _. _table .--age and sex distribution of deer killed by wolves and hunters in northeastern minnesota_ -------:-------------------------------:------------------------------- : wolf-killed deer : hunter-killed deer age :---------------------------:---:---------------------------:--- (years): number of: : : number of: : :males females unknown total: % :males females unknown total: % -------:---------------------------:---:---------------------------:--- fawns + + + + + -- + -- -- -- + -- -- + -- -- + -- -- -- -- + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + -- -- } -- -- -- -- -- + -- -- -- -- } -- -- -- -- -- + -- -- } -- -- -- -- -- + -- -- } -- -- -- -- -- total ----------------------------------------------------------------------- mandibles from the wolf-killed deer and hunter-killed deer were examined closely for abnormal dentition (table , figs. - ) (mech _et al._ ) and pathological conditions (table ), and the lower limbs of wolf-kills and hunter-kills were also checked for abnormalities and pathology (table , fig. ). statistical comparison showed that the incidence of each condition was significantly higher in the sample from wolf-killed deer (table ). jaw necrosis found in our specimens was similar to that described by murie ( ) for dall sheep and mech ( a) for moose. generally animals with this condition are old, and ours were no exception. [illustration: _figure .--deciduous first premolar (arrow), usually not present in deer, was found in specimen m- ._] [illustration: _figure .--a permanent first premolar (arrow) was discovered in m- ._] [illustration: _figure .--an extra set of fourth premolars (arrows) occurred in specimens m- ._] [illustration: _figure .--the jaws and legs of kills were inspected closely for abnormalities. (photo courtesy of l. d. frenzel.)_] _table .--abnormalities in the mandibular dentition of deer from the superior national forest, minnesota_ --------:---:-------:--------:-------:-------------------------------- specimen: : :cause of:side of: number :sex:age[ ]: death :jaw[ ]: abnormality --------:---:-------:--------:-------:-------------------------------- _years_ m- f + wolves right p_ present (fig. ) left normal; no p_ present outside or inside jaw m- f _ mon._ wolves both deciduous p_ present (fig. ) and permanent p_ present inside left ramus; right side not examined internally m- m _ +_ wolves right p_ rotated ° left p_ absent m- m + wolves right p_ absent left normal m- f _ +_ hunters right permanent p_ s present; both crooked in orientation (fig. ) left p_ diagonal; p_ normal; p_ below gumline, pointed posteriorly and wedged against m_ ; appears to have pushed out original p_ (fig. ) m- m + hunters right third column of m_ reduced m- m + wolves right third column of m_ absent although rudimentary root present left third column of m_ much reduced, peg-like, and almost separate m- -- + wolves right p_ absent left p_ situated diagonally m- f + wolves right third column of m_ reduced m- m + hunters right p_ slightly crooked in orientation left p_ slanting posteriorly and crowding p_ m- m + hunters right third column of m_ reduced, peg-like, and almost separate left third column of m_ peg-like and separated from second column by mm. m- f + wolves right normal left extra permanent p_ crowding original p_ ; much like m- m- m + hunters right permanent p_ still not emerged but appears to be wedged against root of p_ --------:---:-------:--------:-------:-------------------------------- footnotes: [ ] based on incisor sectioning method of gilbert ( ) except that _underlined_ figures are based on tooth replacement or wear (severinghaus ). [ ] where only one side is listed, the other was not available. _table .--pathological conditions in the lower jaws of deer killed by wolves or hunters[ ]_ --------:---:------:--------:-----------:----------------------------- specimen: : :cause of:approximate: number :sex: age : death : date of : condition : : : : death : --------:---:------:--------:-----------:----------------------------- _years_ m- m - / wolves feb. lump in left side of mandible near m_ and m_ m- m - / wolves jan. large lump in left diastema apparently from healed fracture m- m - / wolves jan. light necrosis around base of teeth m- m - / wolves feb. large lump in left diastema apparently from healed fracture m- f - / wolves mar. heavy necrosis around molars and extending into bone; half of each m_ destroyed, both roots and crown m- f - / wolves feb. light necrosis around base of teeth m- f - / hunters nov. heavy necrosis and lumps on both sides of mandible --------:---:------:--------:-----------:----------------------------- footnotes: [ ] not including dental abnormalities, which are described in table . the following organs were excised from wolf-killed deer and examined grossly in the field for parasites and abnormalities (fig. ): lungs (six animals, normal); heart (seven animals, normal); liver (four animals, one small unidentified tapeworm cyst). twin fetuses were found in each of two adult does examined. twelve deer were checked for body fat in one or all of the following areas: back (subcutaneous), kidneys, heart, omenta. of these animals, seven had large amounts of fat, but five were almost depleted of fat from these stores. these five were all killed in february or march ; three were fawns, and two were yearlings that had not yet shed their deciduous premolars. of animals examined for femur marrow condition, two had fat-depleted marrow. one was a fawn killed in march that had not shed its deciduous first incisors, and the other was a - / -year-old buck killed in february . a fawn and a yearling that had died in february from unknown causes also had fat-depleted, marrow. these animals might have been killed by wolves, for wolves had fed on them. however, they could have died from malnutrition and been eaten as carrion. _table .--pathological conditions in the lower limbs of deer killed by wolves or hunters_ --------:---:-----:------:-------------------------------------------- : : :cause : specimen:sex: age : of : condition number : : :death : --------:---:-----:------:-------------------------------------------- _years_ m- m - / wolves right hind foot: "old healed ankylosis of the pastern joint ... a spontaneously healed bacterial arthritis with the destroyed joint cavity filled in by solid bone. this deer probably had defective gait"[ ] (fig. ). m- f - / wolves front foot: "a × × cm. fibrous mass in the subcutis about the digital flexor tendon on the volar surface of the metacarpus. the surface was denuded, ulcerated, and superficially infected by surface bacteria.... probably did detract from the animal's speed of flight"[ ] (fig. ). m- f - / wolves hind foot: "probable that the lesion was at one time an active bacterial bone marrow infection that had eventually fistulated to the skin.... regional tendons and their sheaths were also present among this inflammation and scarring, and it would be fair to assume that the animal's agility was impaired to some extent."[ ] m- m - / hunter right front hoof: broken at tip. m- f - / wolves left front foot: "two severe transverse lacerations on the volar surface. each was approximately cm. in length. one was located at the margin of the heel, and the other was located several cm. proximad. the more proximal wound had severed the flexon tendons, and the consequent uselessness of the limb was suggested by the splayed toes, the unmarred hoof wall and unworn soles"[ ] (fig. ). m- m - / wolves left hind leg: "a diffuse swelling of the distal metatarsal bone, the surface of which was studded with small osteophytic spicules. the major flexor and extensor tendons were forced to assume a convex course over the summits of the dorsal and plantar surfaces of the defect, but the tendon sheaths were clean and the normal wear on soles of the involved toes suggested that functional deficit and pain were probably minimal ... quite certainly a callus from previous fracture"[ ] (fig. ). --------:---:-----:------:-------------------------------------------- footnotes: [ ] d. m. barnes. personal correspondence to l. d. mech, april , . [ ] d. m. barnes. undated laboratory report transmitted to l. d. mech in . discussion and conclusions it has been established that wolves hunting dall sheep (murie ), caribou (crisler ), moose (mech a), and other species usually have a low percentage of success. in the case of a pack of wolves hunting moose on isle royale during winter, only . percent of all the moose detected by the pack were killed; considering only the moose that the wolves caught up to or held at bay, the kill rate was . percent (mech a). what little evidence there is about wolves hunting deer indicates that the success rate is also low with this prey species, at least in winter. the senior author has now observed a total of deer being chased by wolves in northeastern minnesota, mostly by packs of five, seven or eight wolves (mech b, and see mech _et al._, p. ). in only one case ( . percent) did the wolves (a pair) succeed in catching their prey. low hunting success rates imply that the circumstances influencing hunts are seldom favorable enough, or the prey animals encountered are seldom vulnerable enough for the wolves to succeed. when the evidence cited earlier that most wolf-killed animals are inferior members of their populations is considered, the most cogent explanation for the low hunting success of wolves is that relatively few prey animals are vulnerable. _table .--incidence of various abnormalities and pathological conditions in wolf-killed deer compared with that in hunter-killed deer_ #: _number_ %: _percent_ ---------------------:----------------:----------------:------------- : wolf-kills : hunter-kills : :------:---------:------:---------: level of condition : deer : deer : deer : deer : significance : in : with : in : with : :sample:condition:sample:condition: ---------------------:------:---------:------:---------:------------- # # % # # % % dental abnormalities . . [ ] jaw necrosis, lumps, . . [ ] or fractures[ ] pathology of lower . . limbs ---------------------:------:---------:------:---------:------------- footnotes: [ ] two mandibles from wolf-killed deer had large lumps from healed fractures in the region of the diastemas. [ ] if all dental and jaw abnormalities are pooled, the difference between the incidence in the wolf-kill sample ( . percent) and that in the hunter-kill ( . percent) is significant at the percent level. [illustration: _figure .--when internal organs were present in kills, they were examined in the field. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] age structure our data strongly indicate that in northeastern minnesota wolves prey much more heavily on the older members of the deer population, at least during winter (fig. ). substantial vulnerability to wolves seems to begin at about the age of years (fig. ), because the percentage of wolf-killed deer in each year class increases from percent for - / -year-old animals to percent for - / -year-olds (table ). indeed, percent of the wolf-kills were aged - / and over, which compares favorably with the ontario figure of percent for these age classes (pimlott _et al._ ). [illustration: _figure .--relative rates of predation on deer of various ages, based on comparisons of the ages of wolf-killed deer with those of a theoretical population (dashed line) and those of the hunter-killed population. see figure ._] these figures assume added significance when compared with a sample of deer killed by hunters in the same general area (fig. ). only percent of the hunter-killed deer were - / years old or older, and the percent killed in each year class dropped off suddenly from percent aged - / to percent aged - / . if the age structure of the hunter-kill sample is reasonably representative of the age structure of the population at large, the wolf-kill data show that wolf predation in our study area during winter has a definite selective effect on the deer population. there is no direct way of knowing that the age structure of the hunter-killed deer represents the age structure of the deer population at large. however, sampling hunter-kills is the most practical means available for gaining an index to the age structure of the existing herd. further, there are three indirect pieces of evidence indicating that the hunter-kill sample represents the actual age structure of the population, just as maguire and severinghaus ( ) found in new york. first, our sample has the basic theoretical form expected of a stable deer herd; i.e., the youngest year class contained the most members, and each older cohort included fewer (fig. ). second, the age structure of our sample has the same form as most other deer age structures from widely diverse areas, (ontario, pimlott _et al._ ; southern minnesota, erickson _et al._ ; massachusetts, shaw ). third, there is no reason to believe that in our area rifle hunting is especially selective for any particular age classes. in talking with large numbers of hunters, we have learned that most shoot at any and all deer they happen to see. even if the age structure of the hunter-kill sample did not approximate that of the actual herd, the comparison of the wolf-kill with the theoretical population dictates the same conclusion: the rate of kill of older deer by wolves was several times greater than that of younger deer, excluding fawns (fig. ). in any case, if the actual deer population in our study area had an age structure similar to that of our sample of wolf-kills (which would be the only age structure that would contradict our conclusion), its numbers would be declining by orders of magnitude each year, and there would now be only a remnant population. such obviously is not the case. the only other question that might arise from a comparison of the age structure of our wolf-killed deer with that of the hunter-killed deer concerns the area from which each sample was taken. fifty of our wolf-kills came from a region almost inaccessible to hunters (fig. ). however, the other came from the same general area as the hunter-kills. nevertheless, there was no statistically significant difference in age structure between the wolf-kills from the wilderness versus those from the hunted area (table ). this fact also suggests that the human hunting in the area is relatively light and has little effect on the age structure of the deer population in the area. wolves may also be taking a disproportionately high number of fawns, although our data do not show this. nevertheless, there may be a bias against fawns in our method. it is not unusual to discover the remains of a wolf-killed deer so completely eaten that there is no indication left of the animal's age. because fawns often are only about half the size of adult deer, and their skeletons have not yet completely ossified, the chances are better that fawns will be more completely eaten. pimlott _et al._ ( ) also recognized this possible bias, although their data did indicate that wolves were killing a higher percentage of fawns than occurred in the population. our study does support the other conclusion of pimlott _et al._ ( ), based on a study of kills, that wolf predation on deer during winter shows a definite selection for older animals. it does not agree with the tentative conclusion of stenlund ( ) that wolves in the superior national forest do not prey disproportionately on old deer. however, stenlund's conclusion was based on kills and on the assumption that only deer at least years old were "old." deer years old and older composed percent of stenlund's sample, a figure considerably higher than the percent in these age classes in our hunter-kill sample (table ). thus stenlund's data do not contradict our conclusion. the age of years seems to be the beginning of the period of vulnerability for adult deer. although years might not seem especially old, there are two aspects of significance concerning deer of this age and older. first, they are in the second half of the life span for most members of the species, and their alertness and ability to bolt quickly away might be expected to decline. it is of interest in this regard that klein and olson ( , p. ) believed years of age to be "the upper limit of physiological efficiency" of black-tailed deer (_odocoileus hemionus_) in alaska. second, up to the age of at least - / years, and perhaps beyond, the apparent weight-load-on-track of deer increases with age (kelsall ). thus older deer would sink farther into the snow than younger ones, and their escape might be slowed and hindered more. for further discussion of the effect of snow on the vulnerability of deer, see mech _et al._ (p. ). sex ratio statistical tests comparing a number of subsamples of both wolf-killed deer and hunter-killed deer showed a series of significantly different sex ratios (tables - ). the ratio of males to females in the fawn cohort of the hunter-kill, which is probably the most representative of the actual fawn sex ratio, was even (table ). with wolf-kills, however, a significantly higher percentage of females was taken in the fawn subsample ( percent) than in the adult subsample ( percent). these results compare favorably with those of stenlund ( ), who found that from to in the same area as the present study percent of sexable fawn wolf-kills were females and percent of sexable adult wolf-kills were females. if the sex ratio of fawns began even, and more females than males were killed by wolves, then a higher proportion of males would be left in the adult population, unless some other mortality factor kills more male fawns. thus it is not surprising that in the wilderness area, where little or no hunting is done, the sex ratio of wolf-kills in the adult cohort is significantly heavy toward males ( percent: percent). this was also true of the wolf-kills in algonquin provincial park, where males made up percent of the total sexable wolf-kill (pimlott _et al._ ). the latter figure may even have been higher if calculated for adults alone, for a preponderance of female fawns in the algonquin park data (such as occurred in our and stenlund's samples) would tend to obscure the preponderance of males in the adult sample. the adult subsample of hunter-kills also contained a higher percentage of males ( percent : percent). although this might also reflect the influence of wolf predation on female fawns, it probably is more a result of the greater movement of bucks during the hunting season, which overlaps with the rutting season. even the sex ratio of adult deer killed in wolf-free areas shows a preponderance of males (erickson _et al._ ). however, it appears that the higher harvest of bucks by human hunters does markedly affect the sex ratio of the deer population in the hunted area, for the wolf-kill of adults in that area contained a significantly higher percentage of does ( percent) than did the wolf-kill of adults in the wilderness area ( percent). evidently the hunter harvest is not heavy enough to affect the age structure of the deer population to any marked degree, for no significant difference in age structure was found between the wolf-kill in the hunted area and that in the wilderness area (table ). this does not conflict with the conclusion that hunting affects the sex ratio of the deer herd, because it would take much less to influence a population characteristic having two classes (sex) than one having (age). one additional difference in the sex ratio was found between two other subsamples of the wolf-kill--that is, the wolf-kill before and after an unusually high snow accumulation, which reached its peak about february , (table ). of a total of animals killed before this snow condition occurred (including those from previous years), percent were females. of animals killed after the heavy accumulation, percent were females. one possible explanation for this is that females may normally be less vulnerable to wolf predation, for kelsall ( ) has shown that they probably have a lighter weight-load-on-track than males. thus when snow conditions changed greatly, making deer generally much more vulnerable to wolves (see mech _et al._, p. ), a preponderance of does suddenly might have become available. there is some evidence that does may be generally less vulnerable under most conditions, for all seven of our wolf-killed deer over years old were females, and the oldest was over . condition of wolf-killed deer because the data show that wolves in our study area tend to kill a disproportionate number of older deer, it is not surprising to discover that wolves also tend to capture a disproportionate number of individuals with abnormalities and pathological conditions (table ). the explanation for such selection is obvious in regard to the abnormalities of the lower limbs (figs. - ): deer with injured or abnormal limbs simply cannot run as fast or as agilely as normal animals (table ). our observations show that deer usually depend on their alertness and speed to escape approaching wolves (mech b, mech _et al._, p. ). any trait or condition that tended to interfere with either alertness or speed would decrease an individual's chance of escape. it is more difficult to explain how dental abnormalities or pathological conditions of the mandible (figs. - ) would predispose an individual to wolf predation. however, in the case of dental abnormalities the genetic or environmental conditions that caused the abnormality might also have caused some other trait that increased the animal's vulnerability. or the abnormal condition itself may have caused a further, more critical, disruption of the animal's physiology or behavior, which in turn predisposed it to wolf predation. the finding of several wolf-kills with poor fat stores could indicate that primary or secondary malnutrition was a factor in the animals' deaths. however, it would take a statistical comparison between the fat stores of the deer at large and those of the wolf-kills to establish this. the discovery that percent of the fawns and percent of the yearlings killed during january, february, and march had not yet shed their deciduous incisors and premolars, respectively, also fits well with the rest of our information. evidently some unusual factor had caused the delay in tooth development and replacement. one possibility is that the animals were born in august or september, much later than normal. although most deer in minnesota are born in may and june, there are records of births in july and august. in addition, a fetus to days old was found in a doe killed on september (erickson _et al._ ). an alternate explanation for the delay in tooth replacement is that the animals were suffering from malnutrition or nutrient deficiency. severinghaus[ ] has evidence that yearling bucks that have not replaced their deciduous premolars during november, and thus are aged at months (severinghaus ), generally have shorter, narrower antlers and fewer points than -and -month-old individuals. degree of antler development in turn is considered related to nutritional state (latham ). thus it is reasonable to conclude that animals behind in tooth development and replacement, whether this is caused by age or diet, are physiologically inferior. most of the abnormal conditions discussed above pertain to the skeletal parts of wolf-kills. if the soft parts of a large number of kills could be examined thoroughly, one might discover a much higher incidence of diseases and other pathological conditions. in conclusion, our data on both age and condition of wolf-killed deer show that at least during winter, wolves in our study area usually do not kill just any deer they discover, although they do try to. evidently, most deer can usually escape wolf predation. the most frequent exceptions are those - / years old and older, those born late, those suffering from poor nutrition, those with abnormalities or pathological conditions, and possibly fawns. the above conclusions parallel those of murie ( ), crisler ( ), mech ( a), and pimlott _et al._ ( ) for wolves preying on dall sheep, caribou, moose, and deer respectively, and further substantiate the claim by mech ( ) that they can be extended to wolves preying on most, if not all, species of large mammals under most conditions. it is also apparent from the data presented above that deer over years of age and those with abnormalities of the jaw or lower limbs represent such a small percentage of the total population that they are seldom taken by human hunters. in this respect, competition between timber wolves and human hunters appears to be minimal in the study area. footnotes: [ ] _c. w. severinghaus. unpublished data_. [illustration: _figure .--arthritis in right hind foot of specimen m- . (photo courtesy of university of minnesota veterinary diagnostic laboratory.)_] [illustration: _figure .--infection and fibrous mass in a front foot of specimen m- . (photo courtesy of university of minnesota veterinary diagnostic laboratory.)_] [illustration: _figure .--injury to left front foot of specimen m- . (photo courtesy of l. d. mech)._] [illustration: _figure .--healed fracture of left hind leg of specimen m- . (photo courtesy of university of minnesota veterinary diagnostic laboratory.)_] summary white-tailed deer (_odocoileus virginianus_) killed by wolves (_canis lupus_) during winter in a relatively unhunted wilderness area and in an immediately adjacent hunted area of minnesota were compared with deer killed by hunters in the same general area, and with a hypothetical population. deer killed by wolves were significantly older. statistical comparisons also showed the following: ( ) hunters generally killed an even sex ratio of fawns, and a disproportionate number of adult bucks, ( ) wolves took a higher percentage of female fawns than female adults, a disproportionate number of bucks in the wilderness area, and a higher percentage of does in the hunted area. the latter fact evidently reflects the higher hunter success on males in the hunted area. significantly higher incidences of abnormalities and pathological conditions of both mandibles and lower limbs were found in wolf-killed deer than in hunter-killed deer, and these conditions are described. it is concluded that wolf predation on white-tailed deer in the study area during winter generally is selective in that it tends to remove members of the prey population that are old, debilitated, or abnormal. apparently these classes of deer represent such a small percentage of the population that they are seldom taken by human hunters. acknowledgments this study was supported by macalester college, the new york zoological society, the minnesota department of conservation, the usda forest service, and the u.s. bureau of sport fisheries and wildlife. pilots robert hodge, pat magie, john winship, jack burgess, don murray, and walt neumann aided substantially in obtaining jaws from wolf-killed deer. students from the macalester college biology department and personnel of the usda forest service and the minnesota department of conservation helped secure mandibles from both wolf-killed and hunter-killed deer. the interest of mr. john e. peninger and of many deer hunters in contributing the jaws is also greatly acknowledged. mr. david w. kuehn sectioned the incisors of the deer jaws and determined their ages. dr. donald m. barnes of the university of minnesota veterinary diagnostic laboratory examined the abnormal lower limbs, described their pathology, and provided photos of specimens used herein. mr. wallace c. dayton and miss elizabeth dayton and the quetico-superior foundation, all of minneapolis, financed mech during the preparation of this paper. the following individuals read the manuscript and offered many helpful suggestions: mr. r. l. downing, mr. c. w. severinghaus, mr. j. m. peek, dr. c. t. cushwa, mr. m. h. stenlund, and dr. r. r. ream. literature cited crisler, lois. . observations of wolves hunting caribou. j. mammal. : - . downie, n. m., and heath, r. w. . basic statistical methods. p. new york: harper and bros. erickson, a. b., gunvalson, v. e., stenlund, m. h., burcalow, d. w., and blankenship, l. h. . the white-tailed deer of minnesota. minn. dep. conserv. tech. bull. , p. gilbert, f. f. . aging white-tailed deer by annuli in the cementum of the first incisor. j. wildl. manage. : - . kelsall, j. p. . structural adaptations of moose and deer for snow. j. mammal. : - . klein, d. r., and olson, s. t. . natural mortality patterns of deer in southeast alaska. j. wildl. manage. : - . kuehn, d. w. . an evaluation of the wear method as a criterion for aging white-tailed deer. m.s. thesis., univ. minn. latham, r. m. . pennsylvania's deer problem. penn. game news, spec. issue . (cited from: allen, d. l. . our wildlife legacy.) maguire, h. f., and severinghaus, c. w. . wariness as an influence on age composition of white-tailed deer killed by hunters. n. y. fish and game j. : - . mech, l. d. a. the wolves of isle royale. u.s. nat. park serv. fauna ser. , p. mech, l. d. b. hunting behavior of timber wolves in minnesota. j. mammal. : - . mech, l. d. . the wolf: the ecology and behavior of an endangered species. p. new york: natural history press, doubleday. mech, l. d., frenzel, l. d., jr., karns, p. d., and kuehn, d. w. . mandibular dental anomalies in white-tailed deer from minnesota. j. mammal. : - . murie, a. . the wolves of mount mckinley. u.s. nat. park serv. fauna ser. , p. pimlott, d. h., shannon, j. a., and kolenosky, g. b. . the ecology of the timber wolf in algonquin provincial park. ont. dep. lands and forests res. rep. (wildl.) , p. ryel, l. a., fay, l. d., and van etten, r. c. . validity of age determination in michigan deer. mich. acad. sci., art, and letters : - . severinghaus, c. w. . tooth development and wear as criteria of age in white-tailed deer. j. wildl. manage. : - . severinghaus, c. w. . p. r. rep. w- -r- : job a, april , . shaw, s. p. . the effect of insufficient harvests on an island deer herd. n.e. wildl. conf. (mimeo). siegel, s. . non-parametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. p. new york: mcgraw-hill. stenlund, m. h. . a field study of the timber wolf (_canis lupus_) on the superior national forest, minnesota. minn. dep. conserv. tech. bull. , p. the effect of snow conditions on the vulnerability of white-tailed deer to wolf predation l. david mech, l. d. frenzel, jr., and p. d. karns wolves (_canis lupus_) and deer (_odocoileus virginianus_) having evolved together, no doubt have become adapted to contending with each other's physical abilities. thus it is not surprising to learn that deer which succumb to wolf predation are generally weaker, older, or abnormal compared with the total deer population (pimlott _et al._ , also see mech and frenzel, p. ). however, the structural and behavioral adaptations of both species must have evolved under environmental conditions that are average or usual; otherwise, an adjustment of wolf to deer populations, and vice versa, could not have been maintained over long periods. this implies that extreme or unusual conditions might sometimes occur, to which either the wolf or the deer is poorly adapted. one of the most important environmental factors that can influence the interactions of wolves and deer is snow. the total fall, depth on the ground, and the density are all aspects of snow that may vary considerably and affect the ability of wolves to capture deer. recent studies of wolves and deer in northeastern minnesota (see mech _et al._, p. , also mech and frenzel, p. ) afforded us opportunities to investigate the relationships between snow and the interactions of wolves and deer. methods two principal methods of study were used in this investigation. the first involved recording the snow depth and support quality ("penetrability") in feet and tenths of feet (verme ). snow measurements were taken during the winters of - , - , and - , in which large differences in snow conditions existed. ten such measurements were made weekly near isabella, minnesota, in an open aspen (_populus tremuloides_) stand away from influences that might have caused drifting or other unusual snow conditions; the measurements were averaged. penetrability was determined with verme's snow-compaction gauge--a -foot piece of - / -inch (outside diameter) copper tube filled with lead to total pounds, which gives a weight per area of gm./cm.^ . to obtain a measurement, the pipe is held vertically with its lower end just flush with the snow, and then is released. the depth to which it sinks is considered the penetrability of the snowpack by a walking deer. although the snow conditions measured at isabella are not representative of the entire study area, year-to-year comparison in the isabella area should also apply generally throughout the region. the second technique used in this study was observing the movements of wolves and deer. this was usually done from low-flying aircraft, and was facilitated by the use of radiotracking, as described by mech _et al._ (p. ). close inspection of wolf-killed deer was made from the ground (mech and frenzel, p. ). results and observations snow measurements for each winter are shown in figures through . the winter of - was the most extreme of the three in terms of accumulated snow, and was generally regarded as having one of the heaviest snowfalls and accumulations on record for the study area. snow depth on the level near isabella reached . feet at one time, and from january to april it exceeded . feet. the highest snow level reached during - was . feet, and the highest level reached during - was . feet. in the vicinity of ely, some miles from isabella, the - peak accumulation was inches, the highest accumulation since - when records were first kept.[ ] thus we consider the winters of - and - to be within the normal range for the study area, and the - winter as being most unusual (fig. ). [illustration: _figure .--snow depth and penetrability by deer and wolves near isabella, minnesota, - ._] [illustration: _figure .--snow depth and penetrability by deer and wolves near isabella, minnesota, - ._] [illustration: _figure .--snow depth and penetrability by deer and wolves near isabella, minnesota, - ._] the snow penetrability in - remained high throughout january, february, and march. during the following winter, penetrability fluctuated more, but even at its greatest, it was relatively unimportant to deer because the total snow depth was so low. during - , however, penetrability was a very important aspect of snow condition. it was so high during late january and early february, when snow accumulation was also at its peak, that a walking deer would be expected to sink in . to . feet. snow penetrability then decreased through february and march to a point where a walking deer would sink in approximately . foot on march . however, because snow accumulation remained so high through february and march, the lower penetrability during late february and march still afforded no relief to running deer, because they must exert forces several times as great as when walking. on the contrary, the low penetrability (which is an indirect measure of density) could be expected to hinder a running deer in deep snow, for it would cause much more resistance. [illustration: _figure .--during the winter of - , the snow was unusually deep in the study area. (photo courtesy of l. d. frenzel.)_] deer movements, like snow conditions, varied greatly during the three winters of the study. during the first two winters, deer were generally found singly and in groups of two to six, often around the shores of lakes but also scattered about inland. in late january and february , running deer were observed sinking deeply into snow, but their movements still did not seem to be hindered, no doubt because of the high penetrability (low density) of the snow that year (fig. ). however, during late january, february, and march of the deer were much more concentrated, mostly in conifer swamps, along southwest-facing slopes, or on lakes. although groups of two or three animals could be found in scattered inland "pockets" throughout the winter, groups of five or six were not uncommon on lakes during january. the tendency to concentrate continued to increase, and on february , as many as deer were observed on one lake; by march , group size had increased to as high as deer in the same area. throughout february and march, heavy concentrations of deer tracks covered most wilderness lakes, further evidencing much greater use of shorelines than had occurred in the two previous winters (fig. ). no doubt deer tended to concentrate on lakes because travel inland became so difficult. on january , two deer were seen plowing through snow up to their necks. although the snow began settling in february, and the penetrability decreased, by late february running deer still plunged chest-deep and had to hesitate at every bound. these conditions persisted until about march , by which time a surface crust strong enough to hold a running deer had formed. [illustration: _figure .--under unusually deep snow conditions, deer used lake shores heavily. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] in considering wolf mobility in snow, two types of movement must be recognized: the trot used during general travel, and the bounding used while chasing prey. the trot is an easy gait of about m.p.h. on firm footing (mech ), and can be continued for hours at a time. during periods of deep snow and high penetrability, most wolf travel is on frozen waterways, roads, snowmobile trails, and animal trails, including the wolves' own pathways, which become well packed with frequent use (fig. , a, b). such travel was observed during each of the three winters of this study. [illustration: _figure .--wolves travel single file in deep snow. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] [illustration: _figure .--(a) a single wolf must break his own trail through the snow. (photo courtesy of l. d. frenzel.) (b) regular use by a pack keeps trails open. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] the second type of wolf movement affected by snow is the leaping and bounding associated with chasing prey. the shallower angle of the wolf's bound (fig. ) (compared with that of the deer) often causes the wolf to flounder in snow that presents little hinderance to deer (mech ). such was the case in january and february in our study area. during - no observations of wolves chasing deer were made by the authors, but reports by other field workers indicated that running conditions were similar to those of . [illustration: _figure .--wolves run at a shallow angle, thus hindering them in deep snow. (photo courtesy of d. h. pimlott.)_] during the winter of - , wolves also bogged down a great deal in snow when chasing deer. however, after january the snow was so deep that deer were floundering even more than wolves in many cases. the fact that wolves could run in the trail broken by deer probably also gave the wolves an advantage under the conditions that severely restricted deer movements. the above observations of snow conditions, deer movements, and wolf movements during the three winters of the study are in accord with observations made on the differences in the ability of the wolves to capture deer during the same period. two indices support the conclusion that wolves had a much easier time catching deer during february and march than earlier in the winter and in the two previous winters: ( ) the degree of utilization of wolf-killed deer, and ( ) the kill rate of radiotagged wolves. during the winters of - and - , and in december and early january - , most wolf-killed deer found had been thoroughly eaten, and the bones--if present at all--were well chewed and scattered at each kill (fig. ). all skin and flesh from the skull were eaten, and the mandible was usually separated from the skull. during late february and early march , few fresh kills were even found, and wolves were returning several times to old kills that had been cleaned up many days before. [illustration: _figure .--usually the remains of a wolf kill are well chewed and scattered before the wolves abandon them. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] [illustration: _figure .--during a period of especially deep snow, wolves abandoned many kills before pulling apart the skeletons. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] however, in late january a substantial change began taking place. the skeletons of most kills found were almost intact, the flesh having been eaten from around the bones (fig. ). appreciably more skin was usually left on the carcass, especially on the side lying on the snow, and the neck and head were generally intact. this was true even of fawns, which in the past often were almost completely consumed. in several cases, only about half of the flesh had been eaten from the carcasses. on february , , four deer recently killed by wolves were found along a - / -mile stretch of birch lake and nearby polaris lake (minnesota-ontario border). one large doe was completely uneaten and remained so for at least hours after discovery from the air. further, one fawn had only a few pounds of flesh eaten, a yearling doe was half eaten, and another fawn was about percent eaten. hazardous landing conditions during this period severely limited the number of carcasses that could be examined from the ground, but on february a yearling doe was discovered that had only about to pounds of flesh eaten, and on february an adult doe was found that was completely intact except for wounds. in past winters some kills had been located that had been only partly eaten, but in each case the carcasses were soon revisited and cleaned up (mech ). this was often not the case in . for the rest of the winter most of the deer killed by wolves in our study area were not as completely consumed as in previous winters. pimlott _et al._ ( ) found a similar relationship between the severity of the winter and the degree to which wolf-killed deer were utilized. correlated with the above information was the kill history of our radiotagged wolves (mech _et al._, p. ). from december through january no. had killed three or possibly four deer, and generally had spent or days feeding on each. however, throughout most of february this animal visited a new deer carcass (which presumably he killed) every days, and he spent only or days at each. in two cases two new carcasses were found in the immediate vicinity of this animal during the same day, and in each case the wolf spent only day in the area. a second wolf ( ) which had spent most of december and january scavenging on the remains of both deer and moose (_alces alces_) that had died long before, made her first known kill of a deer on january , . the kill rate of the other three radiotagged wolves also increased, although the data for them are less complete. the average kill rate for all radiotagged wolves and their associates was one deer per wolf per to days before february , and one per to days after february (see mech _et al._, p. ). footnotes: [ ] _m. h. stenlund. personal correspondence to l. d. mech, oct. , ._ discussion and conclusions under usual snow conditions throughout most of the range of the white-tailed deer, healthy vigorous individuals can probably escape most attacks by wolves. observations by mech ( ), rutter and pimlott ( ), and mech _et al._ (p. ) indicate that a high percentage of attempts by wolves to kill deer during winter are unsuccessful. this is further implied by the figures of pimlott _et al._ ( ) and mech and frenzel (p. ) showing that at least during winter wolves tend to kill a disproportionate number of old deer as well as those with various abnormalities and pathological conditions. however, during a winter with extremely deep snow, the usual relationships seem to change somewhat. fewer deer are able to escape wolves, and a surplus is killed. this means that some individuals not vulnerable under the usual snow conditions become vulnerable during extreme conditions. there are two main possible reasons for this, the effect of the extreme weather conditions on the health and vigor of the deer, and the physical effect of the snow on the escapability of the deer. in regard to the first possibility, there was limited evidence that during february and march some fawns and yearlings in our study area were losing their fat stores. two of three yearlings, and both fawns intact enough for examination during this period lacked back fat, and the marrow in one of six fawn femurs was partly fat depleted. nevertheless, the third yearling inspected still had back fat, and a - / -year-old doe had heavy omental, renal, heart, and back fat during the same period. thus, although an abnormal decline in the physical condition of some deer in the late winter might partly account for the increased kill by wolves during february and march , the effect of snow on the escapability of the deer probably was also involved. the key difference in snow conditions between the two periods--( ) the winters of - , - , and december-january - , and ( ) february and march --was the heavy, persisting accumulation of snow during the latter period, combined with the increasing density of the snow. as our observations show, this greatly hindered the movements of deer fleeing from wolves. under more usual conditions, a running deer might sink through the snow to the ground and thus obtain a firm footing from which to spring again. in discussing wolf-caribou relations in snow, kelsall ( , p. ) stated the following: "while caribou (_rangifer tarandus_) will sink into snow even deeper than wolves, their longer legs permit them to run efficiently where a wolf will bog down. nasimovich ( ) considered that roe deer and sika deer could be taken by wolves when snow was not more than cm. ( . inches) in depth. at depths above that their pursuit becomes difficult or fruitless." however, it appears that when snow becomes extremely deep, wolves then gain the advantage. with to inches or more of snow to plow through, a deer would have trouble even touching a firm foundation. according to kelsall ( ), deer measure only to inches from hoof tip to chest, with legs extended. it is true that wolves stand even shorter than deer and so might be expected to flounder even more. however, this is where another factor becomes important, the "weight-load-on-track" or total weight per area of track. as kelsall ( ) has pointed out, the mean weight-load-on-track for deer is extremely difficult to measure directly, because the actual under-surface of the deer's foot slants vertically, and a much greater area may be used to support an animal in snow than on a hard surface. this probably explains the discrepancy between kelsall's measurements and work done by verme ( ) in michigan. according to kelsall, deer weight-load-on-track (hoof only) varies between and , gm./cm.^ . however, verme stated that his compaction gauge (with a weight load of about gm./cm.^ , described earlier in this paper) sank in virtually the same amount in snow as did deer. under the snow conditions in our study area, we found that the same type of compaction gauge generally penetrated to a depth within a half inch of that to which deer were sinking. on this basis, it seems reasonable to suggest that a deer in snow is supported by more of its foot than just the hoof, and that the actual weight-load-on-track of deer in snow is about gm./cm.^ . for wolves, this measure varies from to gm./cm.^ (foromozov ). this means that for the same amount of force applied during running, a wolf would have twice as much support as a deer. it also means that in deep snow a walking wolf generally is much less restricted than a walking deer. late in february , for example, when deer were seriously limited in their ability to travel, wolves were able to travel widely (mech _et al._, p. ). even though wolves have much greater support than deer, when running they still sink into the snow almost as much as deer under most conditions, probably because both run with such force that snow usually offers little support. nevertheless, with extremely deep snow, the difference in support factor between wolves and deer could become critical, and this is probably what happened during february and march . with deer seriously restrained by the deep snow, even a slight advantage in favor of the wolf could increase hunting success. a high snow density during that period would accentuate this advantage. this is because until the snow becomes dense enough to hold a running deer, each increase in density would further the advantage of the wolf, which would require only half the density to support it, while it would hinder the deer. one result of the extreme snow conditions of early was that deer tended to gravitate to lakes, where snow was shallow and footing was firm. initially upon disturbance by human beings, and probably by wolves, these deer usually headed inland, but it is apparent from a number of kills examined that when pressed hard by wolves inland, deer headed out onto lakes where possible. apparently they could run there with better footing. however, frozen lakes also provide wolves with good running conditions, and even seem to give them an advantage (rutter and pimlott , mech ), so many of these deer were killed (fig. ). stenlund ( , p. ) reported as follows on years of low snowfall, the opposite condition, which demonstrated the same relationship between snow depth and kills on lakes: "the winters of - and - were abnormally mild with little early snow. as a result, few wolf-killed deer appeared on the lakes and most deer attempted to outrun wolves in the woods." [illustration: _figure .--on frozen lakes, wolves often seem to have the advantage over deer, such as in this case where the wolf (center) has just killed a deer and is trying to discourage a raven from joining him in the feed. (photo courtesy of l. d. frenzel_.)] thus it appears that extreme snow conditions in our study area increase the vulnerability of deer to wolf predation in three ways: ( ) by causing a decline in the health and nutritional state of some members of the deer population; ( ) by hindering the escapability of the deer; and ( ) by causing deer to congregate on frozen lakes where wolves have the advantage in running. summary during the winters of - , - , and - , the interactions of wolves (_canis lupus_) and white-tailed deer (_odocoileus virginianus_) were observed in northeastern minnesota from aircraft. snow depth and supporting ability were also measured during these winters, and the ability of wolves to capture deer was compared for a period of usual snow conditions versus a period of extreme snow conditions. it was found that during february and march , when snow remained from . to . feet deep and failed to support running deer, wolves were able to capture deer more easily. this was evidenced by kills that were left partly or completely uneaten, and by a higher rate of predation by radiotagged wolves and their associates. although both wolves and deer floundered in the extremely deep snow, the relatively lighter weight-load-on-track of wolves evidently gave them a greater advantage than under the usual snow conditions, when wolves were observed floundering more than deer. this factor, plus a decline in the health and vigor of some segments of the deer population and a tendency for deer to congregate on frozen lakes, where wolves have an advantage, help explain the increased vulnerability of deer to wolf predation during the winters of deep snow. acknowledgments this study was supported by macalester college, the minnesota department of conservation, the usda forest service, the u.s. bureau of sport fisheries and wildlife, and the new york zoological society. pilots john winship, pat magie, jack burgess, and don murray flew the observation planes during radiotracking. miss elizabeth dayton, mr. wallace c. dayton, and the quetico-superior foundation, all of minneapolis, financed mech during the writing of this report. thanks are also due l. j. verme, j. p. kelsall, and j. m. peek for their helpful reviews. literature cited foromozov, a. n. . the snow cover as an environment factor and its importance in the life of mammals and birds. (moskovskoe obshchestvo ispytatelei priroda) materialy k poznaniyu fauny i flory sssr, otdel. zool. n. (xx). (translation from russian published by boreal institute, univ. alberta, edmonton, alberta.) kelsall, j. p. . the caribou. can. wildl. serv. monog. , p. kelsall, j. p. . structural adaptations of moose and deer for snow. j. mammal. : - . mech, l. d. . hunting behavior of wolves in minnesota. j. mammal. : - . mech, l. d. . the wolf: the ecology and behavior of an endangered species. p. new york: natural history press, doubleday. nasimovich, a. a. . the role of the regime of snow cover in the life of ungulates in the u.s.s.r. moskva, akademiya nauk sssr. p. pimlott, d. h., shannon, j. a., and kolenosky, g. b. . the ecology of the timber wolf in algonquin provincial park. out. dep. lands and forests res. rep. (wildl.) , p. rutter, r. j., and pimlott, d. h. . the world of the wolf. p. philadelphia and new york: j. b. lippincott co. stenlund, m. h. . a field study of the timber wolf (_canis lupus_) on the superior national forest, minnesota. minn. conserv. dep. tech. bull. , p. verme, l. j. . an index of winter severity for northern deer. j. wildl. manage. : - . the possible occurrence of the great plains wolf in northeastern minnesota l. david mech and l. d. frenzel, jr. the timber wolf (_canis lupus_) of northeastern minnesota occupies an area within the range given by goldman ( ) for the eastern timber wolf (_c. l. lycaon_ schreber). however, this area is within miles of the eastern edge of the former range of the great plains wolf (_c. l. nubilus_ say), and there is some question as to whether the minnesota wolf is really an intergrade between these two subspecies. writing of _nubilus_, goldman ( , p. ) stated: "specimens from eastern minnesota and michigan seem more properly referable to _lycaon_, but relationship to _nubilus_ is shown in somewhat intermediate characters." in describing _lycaon_ as basically a gray wolf, goldman made no mention of the occurrence of black or white color phases in that subspecies. however, in discussing _nubilus_, goldman ( , p. ) wrote the following: "many color variations are presented. individuals may be nearly white at any season, except for a sprinkling of black hairs over the back, a small, narrow, but conspicuous, black patch over the tail gland, and a more or less distinctly black tip. black individuals may occur in the same litter with those normally colored." goldman also referred to _nubilus_ as "now probably extinct." [illustration: _figure .--a few wolves observed in the study area were jet black. (photo courtesy of l. d. mech.)_] in the eastern part of the range of _lycaon_, color phases other than gray appear to be rare as rutter and pimlott ( , p. ) attest: "the uniformity of the color of timber wolves in many areas is evidenced by the work in algonquin park, in ontario. there, over the past eight years, dozens of packs have been observed from the air. however, we have never been able to discriminate between any of them on the basis of the color variation of individual animals." thus it seems significant to report on incidences of black and white color phases in wolves that we have observed in northeastern minnesota during some hours of flying associated with wolf research (mech _et al._, p. ). the observations took place in the superior national forest, in northern cook, lake, and st. louis counties during the winters of - , - , and - . a total of sightings were made of wolves that could be classified by color; of these, ( . percent) were jet black (fig. ) and two ( . percent) were creamish white, with the cream color the most intense on the back. no doubt some of the grays, and perhaps the blacks and whites, were repeated observations, but the figures should provide a reasonable approximation of the incidence of these color phases in this area. all black or white animals except one were observed with gray wolves (table and fig. ). a number of black wolves, and a few white wolves, have been seen by other observers, all in the three counties listed earlier. to gain some idea of the past incidence of these color phases in the same general area, we asked conservation officers robert hodge, robert jacobsen, and frank baltich of the ely, minnesota, area about the numbers of each phase that they took before . they reported killing an approximate total of wolves, of which four were black and three were white or creamish white. _table .--observations of wolves of black and white color phases_ +--------------+-------------------------+--------------------------+ | date | location | color combinations | | | | within each pack | +--------------+-------------------------+--------------------------+ |feb. , t n-r w-s vera lake grays; black; white| |mar. , t n-r w-s lake two grays; blacks | |dec. , t n-r w-s lake insula grays; blacks[ ] | |jan. , t n-r w-s carp lake gray; white | |feb. , t n-r w-s lake insula blacks; grays[ ] | |feb. , t n-r w-s benezie lake black | |feb. , t n-r w-s clear lake grays; black | +--------------+-------------------------+--------------------------+ footnotes: [ ] these animals were near the shore of the lake, so others may have been inland where they could not be seen. [ ] this group might well have been the same as that seen on dec. , . [illustration: _figure .--a pack of four blacks with two grays (first and third). (photo courtesy of john winship.)_] because black and white color phases have rarely if ever been reported for _lycaon_, yet were well known for _nubilus_, it is not unreasonable to conclude that the race of wolves now occupying northeastern minnesota does show strong _nubilus_ influence. goldman examined the skulls only of minnesota specimens assignable to _lycaon_ and only one referable to _nubilus_. because wolves in the known range of _nubilus_ are thought to be extinct, and because the animals in northeastern minnesota are legally unprotected and subject to a control program, it seems highly desirable that the question of their taxonomy be studied intensively while specimens are still available. acknowledgments this study was supported by macalester college, the new york zoological society, the minnesota department of conservation, the u.s. bureau of sport fisheries and wildlife, and the usda forest service. mr. wallace c. dayton and miss elizabeth dayton, and the quetico-superior foundation, all of minneapolis, financed mech during the preparation of this paper. we would also like to thank dr. j. l. paradiso, dr. h. l. gunderson, and mr. m. h. stenlund for reviewing this manuscript. literature cited goldman, e. a. . the wolves of north america, part ii. classification of wolves. p. - . washington, d.c.: the amer. wildl. inst. pimlott, d. h., shannon, j. a., and kolenosky, g. b. . the ecology of the timber wolf in algonquin provincial park. ont. dep. lands and forests res. pap. (wildl.) , p. some recent research papers of the north central forest experiment station tree improvement opportunities in the north-central states related to economic trends, a problem analysis, by david h. dawson and john a. pitcher. usda forest serv. res. pap. nc- , p., illus. . relation between the national fire danger spread component and fire activity in the lake states, by donald a. haines, william a. main, and von j. johnson. usda forest serv. res. pap. nc- , p., illus. . thinning and fertilizing red pine to increase growth and cone production, by john h. cooley. usda forest serv. res. pap. nc- , p., illus. . the impact of estimation errors on evaluations of timber production opportunities, by dennis l. schweitzer. usda forest serv. res. pap. nc- , p., illus. . user evaluation of campgrounds on two michigan national forests, by robert c. lucas. usda forest serv. res. pap. nc- , p., illus. . system identification principles in studies of forest dynamics, by rolfe a. leary. usda forest serv. res. pap. nc- , p., illus. . skiing in the great lakes state: the industry and the skier, by william a. leuschner. usda forest serv. res. pap. nc- , p., illus. . proceedings of the ninth lake states forest tree improvement conference, august - , . usda forest serv. res. pap. nc- , p. . a water curtain for controlling experimental forest fires, by von j. johnson. usda forest serv. res. pap. nc- , p., illus. . wildness ecology: a method of sampling and summarizing data for plant community classification, by lewis f. ohmann and robert r. ream. usda forest serv. res. pap. nc- , p., illus. . about the forest service.... as our nation grows, people expect and need more from their forests--more wood; more water, fish, and wildlife; more recreation and natural beauty; more special forest products and forage. the forest service of the u.s. department of agriculture helps to fulfill these expectations and needs through three major activities: [illustration] · conducting forest and range research at over locations ranging from puerto rico to alaska to hawaii. · participating with all state forestry agencies in cooperative programs to protect, improve, and wisely use our country's million acres of state, local, and private forest lands. · managing and protecting the -million acre national forest system. the forest service does this by encouraging use of the new knowledge that research scientists develop; by setting an example in managing, under sustained yield, the national forests and grasslands for multiple use purposes; and by cooperating with all states and with private citizens in their efforts to achieve better management, protection, and use of forest resources. traditionally, forest service people have been active members of the communities and towns in which they live and work. they strive to secure for all, continuous benefits from the country's forest resources. for more than years, the forest service has been serving the nation as a leading natural resource conservation agency. * * * * * transcriber's notes this is a compilation of four separate reports, each having their own table and figure numbers. i have retained the original table and figure numbers due to all the references made to them within the text. however i did reindex the footnotes for the complete compilation. i made minor punctuation corrections, modified the table formats, moved some illustrations, and made the following typo corrections: table of contents: changed "occurence" to "occurrence". originally: the possible occurence of the great plains wolf in northeastern minnesota page : added missing parenthesis after "individuals". originally: the same color (with the exception of a few black or white individuals (see mech and frenzel, page ) page , deleted repeated word "the". originally: when still on the the ice about feet from shore, page , literature cited: changed "vegetatation" to "vegetation". originally: ohmann, l. f., and ream, r. r. vegetatation studies in the bwca page : changed "repreductive" to "reproductive". originally: lungs, liver, kidneys, repreductive tracts page : changed "wildnerness" to "wilderness". originally: while in the wildnerness more males were taken page : changed "decidous" to "deciduous". originally: the deciduous first incisors of fawns and the decidous page : changed "end" to "and". originally: from wolf-killed deer end examined grossly in the field page , figure : changed "discoverd" to "discovered". originally: a permanent first premolar (arrow) was discoverd in m- . page : changed "wildnerness" to "wilderness". originally: not surprising that in the wildnerness area page , footnote : deleted duplicate "to". originally: personal correspondence to to l. d. mech, oct. , . page : changed "diffference" to "difference". originally: nevertheless, with extremely deep snow, the diffference page , literature cited: changed "roll" to "role". originally: nasimovich, a. a. . the roll of the regime of snow of the digital library@villanova university (http://digital.library.villanova.edu/)) contents introductory. agricultural life. religious and moral view of the question of immigration to the land. a statement in regard to the relations we hold towards immigrants. what they may expect. minnesota. general state statistics. crop statistics. farm statistics. general remarks. catholic colonies in minnesota. swift county colony. graceville colony. st. adrian colony. avoca colony. the best time to come. a chapter for all to read. how to secure government land. advertisements. transcriber's notes. catholic colonization in minnesota. revised edition. published by the catholic colonization bureau of minnesota. under the auspices of the right rev. john ireland, coadjutor bishop of st. paul. st. paul, minnesota, january, . the pioneer press co. introductory. the increase in the number of our catholic colonies in minnesota, and the changes which population and other causes have brought about, make it necessary to publish a revised edition of the immigration pamphlet, issued by the catholic colonization bureau of minnesota, in . we are pleased to notice the increased interest which is manifested all over the country, by catholics, in the matter of catholic immigration from the cities to the land. the sympathy, aid, and words of cheer, we are continually receiving from friends totally unconnected with our local work, assure us of this pleasing fact; which we attribute, in a great measure, to the honest, intelligent advocacy, and generous support our catholic newspapers have given to the question. for ourselves, we are glad to gratefully acknowledge the liberal support the catholic editors have given to our work: the confidence which they placed, from the very beginning, in the purity of our motives and the soundness of our business arrangements, is an indorsement of which we are justly proud. they have recognized that our aim is to do good to the many; and in all cases where our advice has been taken, our instructions followed, our warnings heeded, we do not fear that we have injured one. the approbation of our co-religionists, conveyed to us from all parts of the country, the success which god has been pleased to give to our humble labors, are cheering guarantees that we are on the right road; and we pray god that he will continue to bless our efforts, enlighten us in our present task, and keep our ardor in the cause we have espoused strictly within the bounds of truth. it is an axiom that "they who own the soil own the country." happily, in this country, the people's title to the land is recognized, they are invited to take possession of their own, and the tall, luxuriant grasses of the broad prairie are the messengers it sends forth from its virgin bosom, telling of the wealth it has in store to reward honest, patient labor. there is no angry contest here for the possession of the soil, but there is, and should be, a noble, wise emulation among the various races that have emigrated to these shores, for their just portions of it. the surplus populations in our cities, the depression of business, the scarcity of employment, the poverty, suffering and discontent attending thereon, the magnitude of labor strikes, and the dread of their repetition, have made the question of immigration to the land from our over-crowded cities of pressing, national interest. the policy of our people immigrating in large numbers to the lands of the west, is no longer a theory to discuss, but a necessity, calling for the active support of every good, intelligent catholic. it is not necessary to review the many causes which have heretofore retarded the immigration of our people to the land. among those causes was one which should endear them to every catholic heart, and which stands out in bright contrast to the irreligious indifference of the age. _they feared that if they came west, they would be beyond the reach of church and priest._ the danger of a catholic settling in any of the western states now, and finding himself entirely isolated, by distance, from his church, is scarcely to be apprehended, for the west has now its handsome churches, its priests and catholic schools; but it might come to pass, that coming undirected, and without any catholic organization to which he might apply, the catholic immigrant might find himself settled in a locality inconveniently distant from church and priest, and where he and his family would be separated from catholic associations. bearing this in mind, the religious welfare of those coming to our colonies, was one of the main features to which bishop ireland devoted his attention when organizing the catholic colonization bureau. before the arrival of any of our immigrants, the rule was established that whenever we opened a colony and invited our people to it, the resident priest and church should go in with our first settlers, be their number small or large. to this good rule we attribute, to a great extent, not alone our success in bringing settlers to our colonies, but likewise their general contentment in their new homes and brave cheerfulness in meeting the trials, hardships, and set-backs, which are incident to new settlements. no question is so frequently asked by our correspondents as, "how near can i get land to a catholic church?" in no portion of any of the catholic colonies of minnesota, established by the catholic bureau, under the auspices of the right rev. bishop ireland, shall a settler find himself beyond the easy reach of church and priest. agricultural life. advantages of agricultural life over city life, to the man who makes his living by the sweat of his brow. independence on the land. general prosperity of catholic settlements in minnesota.--individual prosperity. what our early settlers had to go through--how they got through it and came out at the top of the heap. their brave battle for independence--their bountiful reward. "it's na' to hide it in a hedge; it's na' for train attendant; but for the glorious privilege of being independent." thus sung robert burns long ago in praise of independence. this is one of the rewards which the land holds out to the honest, hard-working, persevering settler; and never does it break its promise to industry and perseverance. in the city, dangers surround the poor laboring man; temptations arise on every side to drag him down; insurmountable barriers oppose his advancement. well, he may avoid the dangers--we wish to give the best view of the case, and, thank god, there are thousands of instances to sustain it--spurn the temptations, and even surmount some of the outward barriers to his advancement. he may be respectably housed and clothed; he may have a good boss. ah, there is the rub, good or bad-- he has a boss, a man at whose nod he must come and go. he may have money in a savings bank honestly managed; but if a spell of sickness prostrates him, how much of his hard-earned savings will be left when he rises from his sick bed? and suppose he feels that he has his death sickness, can you, by going into sorrow's counting-house, attempt to estimate the agony of the poor catholic parent when he thinks of the fate which may await his children, left fatherless in a sinful city? there are other pictures of a poor man's city life, which we care not to draw. but we will take this prosperous workingman, with a good boss, from the city, and place him in his first rude house on his own land. he misses many things, many comforts. he misses the society of friends who used to come round from time to time--the milkman's bell, the butcher's cart: everything was so handy in the city. he is lonely: a feeling of desolation comes over him as he stands at the door of his new home, and looks around at the unimproved land. the land is rich and good, and the scene is fair to look at; but the reality is so different from the mental picture he made before setting out for the west, that he feels sad and disappointed. then as he looks around him _at his own_, he misses the boss. at the thought, the spirit of independence which has led this man thousands of miles, perhaps, to seek a new home, and which sadness and disappointment--the first effects of a great change--for awhile subdued, leaps in his heart, and sends the red blood surging through his veins. no boss. his eyes grow bright with pride as he looks out upon the land, a wide circle of which he calls his own. the boss has disappeared, and the man, the owner of a wide stretch of real estate, conscious of a great awaking of self-respect in his being, stands erect at the door of his own house, on his own property, and feels that no one better than he is, shall pass him by all day. how the consciousness of independence, the feeling of self-respect, will sustain this man through many hardships, disappointments and trials! in a short time one or two cows take the place of the dingy cans of the milkman, and some young grunters in the hog pen represent the meat-market. after some years are past we visit the scene again. there is no loneliness here now, for it is harvest time, and the farmer and his sons are busy in the fields, his wife and eldest daughters busy in the house preparing for the keen appetites the men will bring in with them. the first rude shanty has given place to a nice two-story frame house, well sheltered from sun and wind by the healthy young trees the farmer planted with his own hands, and in the rear are the snug barn and granary. where once the wild prairie grass waved, comes the cheery clatter of the harvester, and swath after swath of the golden grain falls down before it. by and by the younger children return from school, rosy and hungry, and a small skirmisher is thrown out and enters the pantry; he is repulsed and falls back on the main body; then, taking advantage of the "good woman," being obliged to run to the oven to keep the bread from burning, the whole force advance, a pie is spiked and carried off in triumph. as the shades of evening fall, a herd of cattle march lazily into the farm yard, and then from the field come the farmer and his sons. lonely, indeed! why the noise of babel is renewed here. dipping his hot face in a basin of cool water, the farmer splutters out his directions; seizing a jack towel, he scrubs his face, and continues to halloo to mike, and tom, and patrick. why, _the boss has come back_. ay, but the man himself is the boss now. all things come to an end, so does the farmer's supper; and as we sit with him on the porch outside we say, "you have a splendid place here." "it will do," he answers quite carelessly; but he can't fool us. we know that he is proud of his success. "i had to work hard for it," he continues, "but god has been very good to us." we are not romancing. we have drawn a picture from the original, which can be duplicated a thousand fold in this state. it is not individual success alone we can point to, but likewise the success of whole farming communities, where the people commenced poor--many of them, perhaps the majority, with scarcely any means at all--under disadvantages that would now appear to us, with railroads and markets on every side, almost insurmountable, and where to-day we cannot find one exceptional case of failure without an exceptional cause for it. thoroughly acquainted with the catholic settlements in minnesota, we cannot call to mind a case where a hard-working, industrious, sober man failed to make a comfortable home for his family. we know of many cases where such a man met with reverses, lost his crop, his cattle, his horses; but never a case where a man met his reverses with a brave heart and trust in god, that he did not overcome them, and come out of the battle a better and prouder man. let a poor man in the city find his all swept away from him, and what does he do? he slinks into its alleys and lanes, his pleasant, decent rooms are changed for one foul room in a tenement house, from whence, after a little, charity carries him to a pauper's grave. we have spoken of the general prosperity of our catholic settlements in minnesota, and we have not to travel far from its capital to find some of them--only into the adjoining county, dakota, one of the very finest in the state. fully two-thirds of the lands of the county are owned (mind, _owned_.) by catholic settlers, irish and german. some twenty-five years ago, a few poor irishmen settled in the timber in this county. it was very generally supposed, at that time, that people could not live on a prairie in minnesota; but by and by, those who had settled in dakota county found out their mistake, and commenced making claims on the adjoining prairie, rosemount prairie, to-day the garden of minnesota. but not before hugh derham, of the county meath, ireland, now the honorable hugh derham, came along and put up his shanty on the prairie. "i had seven hundred dollars," he said to us some time ago, "when i came on here; oxen were dear then, and when i had a yoke bought, together with a cow, and my shanty up, i had little or none of the money left. but i went to work, broke up all the land i could, got seed, put in my first crop, and lost every kernel of it." to-day this man owns four hundred acres of improved land, in a circle round his house. fifty dollars an acre would be a low value to put on his land. some four years ago his neighbor, a man of the name of ennis, bought one hundred and twenty acres of land adjoining, for something like ten thousand dollars. when hugh derham settled here there was not a railroad nearer than two hundred miles of him, now passengers on the milwaukee and st. paul railroad, passing within half a mile in front of his house, point from the windows of the cars to his place, as a model home of a thrifty farmer. his handsome, two-story frame house stands embowered in the orchard and shade trees, sturdy hugh derham planted with his own hands; his barn alone cost three thousand dollars; he has flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, and horses as he requires them; and he has a good wife, who assisted him in his early struggles, healthy, fresh and handsome still. he has had his eldest daughter at a convent school, and bought for her last year a five hundred dollar piano. it is said that he has some ten thousand dollars loaned out at interest. now, is hugh derham's an exceptional case? if you came along, and we were inclined to brag, and show you a specimen of our catholic farmers in minnesota, we would bring you direct to hugh derham, not for his herds, and stock, and well filled granary--he is surpassed by many of our farmers in all these--but for the look of respectable thriftiness all around him. there is his next neighbor, wm. murphy, another well-to-do, respectable farmer, not perhaps as well off as derham, but still able to bear some time ago a loss of five thousand dollars by fire, and to make no poor mouth about it. another neighbor, mich. johnson, a prosperous man, better still, a high spirited, fine fellow, and an earnest worker in the cause of temperance. another neighbor, tom hiland, as rich a man as derham. in the next township, the bennetts--three or four brothers that a poor but good, intelligent, widowed mother, with much struggling, managed to bring west, and locate on government land. these brothers now farm five times as much land as derham, and raise five times as much wheat. and as we have been led into giving individual cases of success,--not at first intended, for such cases must be always in certain features more or less exceptional--we will give one more, that of mich. whalen of whalen township, fillmore county. his history is a remarkable one, as told by himself to us; remarkable in his brave struggle for independence, his sagacity, and final success. we give some points: about thirty years ago mich. whalen landed from ireland in new york. he was then forty years of age, and had a wife and eight children--all his wealth. yes, his wealth, he thought, if he could but reach with them the broad acres of the west. so he sawed wood for seventy-five cents a cord in the city of new york: the more he sawed the less he liked the work, and making a brave effort he found himself, with wife and children, squatted on one hundred and sixty acres of government land in fillmore county, minnesota. when the land came into market he was not able to pay the government price, one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre, but capt. mckenney, the then receiver of the u. s. land office, managed to give him time, and the next year's crop enabled him to pay up. at this time john, his eldest of six sons, was sixteen years of age, and able to help his father. to-day mich. whalen is the owner of thirteen hundred acres of land in fillmore county. the village of whalen with mills and a fine water power, is on his land: or rather, on the land of his son john, for as the boys get married the old man gives them title to portions of the land, on which they build. there is another mill within a few rods of the old homestead, and there is not less than from six thousand to ten thousand bushels of wheat raised on the farm each year. "why, mr. whalen," said a friend some time ago, "you got on splendidly; with such a large and almost helpless family at the beginning, i don't see how you could have managed it." "we put our trust in god, _avourneen_!" replied the old man, "and we stuck together." where were the special advantages in this man's case; which enabled the poor wood-sawyer of new york to become one of the solid men of a rich county? they are to be found in the fact that he was blessed with good children, who, as they grew up and became able to help him, remained at home and did help--and amply are they rewarded for it to day-- "they stuck together." but it is of the general prosperity of our catholic settlements in minnesota that we wish more particularly to speak, for as a general rule there is no business which has not its representative successful men. dakota county being close to the capital of the state, (st. paul,) and possessing the advantage of having, on the mississippi river, a market for its produce, at a time when there was not a mile of railroad in the state, was settled up at an early day. among its settlers were irish and german catholics. from that period out these settlers have not alone held their own, but, year after year receiving fresh additions to their numbers, they have advanced from township to township, buying improved farms and wild land, until, as we have stated before, two-thirds of the lands of the county belong to them. travel which side you will, and you shall find evidence that one "can read as he runs" of their prosperity, intelligence and respectability; handsome houses, good offices, young orchards, ornamental planting, and the grand big wheat fields around, which have supplied the means to build up those pleasant homes. traveling along down the mississippi to the eastern boundary of the state and taking a wide range of country on the minnesota side of the river, we find many prosperous settlements of our people. again southwest, up the beautiful valley of the minnesota river, in scott, sibley, le sueur, nicollet and blue earth counties, there are numerous catholic settlements, both in the woods and on the prairie. so, too, in the midland counties of rice, steele, waseca, olmsted, dodge and mower counties, our people are settled, prosperous and happy, their valuable farms giving ample and cheerful evidence, how bountifully the soil rewards honest labor. nor, in their prosperity, have they forgotten him from whom all blessings flow. where a few years ago the catholic settlers, few and poor, waited anxiously for the visit of the priest, and where the holy sacrifice of the mass was offered up in the settler's cabin, we now find the resident priest, the handsome church, and in many instances, the sisters' school. in those settlements the whole atmosphere is catholic; here, with no bad influences around them, the young people grow up pure and virtuous, with the love of their religion warm in their hearts. an ample reward to their parents, those brave men, the early settlers, who displayed such indomitable perseverance in their battle for independence. they had to steer their way with the compass, over trackless prairies, often while the snow lay upon the ground, to blaze their way through the forest or follow an indian trail, carrying their provisions on their backs, and when the claim shanty was put up and the provisions exhausted, the new settler would often have to return twenty, forty, sixty miles to some place where he could buy a few more pounds of flour, and with this and perhaps half a bushel of potatoes to put in the ground, he would again set off to his new claim. but in all the privations they went through, those connected with religion they felt the most. and, praise be to god, among the earliest evidences of their growing prosperity was the erection of temples to his worship, that to-day, on every side, ornament the state. wherever in the state there is a clustering of catholic settlements, there you will find a clustering of catholic churches. religious and moral view of the question of immigration to the land. to a catholic, this is, after all, the most important view, and must not be overlooked; at the same time it is obvious that it cannot be done justice to in a condensed pamphlet of this kind. there is about the same difference between the moral atmosphere of the rural catholic colonies to which we invite our people, and the back streets and alleys of the over-crowded city, as there is between the pure air of the prairie and the foul air of the city lane. some time ago, a friend from the east, to whom we were showing some of our catholic settlements, said to us, "why, it is not surprising that the people settled out here in the country should be moral and religious, they have much to make them so, and nothing to make them otherwise in their surroundings; but look at our poor people, huddled together in the tenement houses of new york. when you find them good, give them praise." "and many of them are good," we said. "oh, yes," he answered; "but the great danger is to the children. the priest does his best, the catholic parent grounded in his religion before he ever saw a city does his best, but his circumstances compel him to live where the foul air reeks with blasphemy, and low debauchery; vice and drunkenness are ever before their eyes." this is a very sad picture, but a very true one. it is a fearful reality before the eyes of many a poor catholic parent, who obliged to be continually absent from his children, knows but too well the society they are likely to fall into. in our catholic colonies in minnesota a parent has no such dread. he knows where his boys are on week days; they are helping him on the farm. he knows where they are on sundays; they are with him at church. when they are amusing themselves, he knows that they are with the young people of his neighbors, their companions and co-religionists. here, too, the anxious heart of the loving mother is at rest; for she sees her daughters associating with the good and innocent of their own age, and growing up pure and virtuous. "god made the country and man made the town," is an old saying. the immigration of those of our people adapted to agricultural life from the city to the land will be a benefit, not alone to themselves, but to those they leave behind. by this healthful drain the latter will be left more room, and have more opportunities to better their condition. from any side we view it, it is a great and good work to encourage and labor for catholic immigration to the land, where independence shall reward labor, and catholic zeal shall spread our holy faith over the fertile prairies of the west. we would be very sorry to see, even if it was practicable, our people leaving the cities _en masse_. many of them, well adapted for city life, rise to prosperity and social position in the city. some to high professional or business standing, others to moderate respectable independence; others, in humbler walks of life, to decent homes of their own, and the city affords to the well brought up children of such homes, many solid advantages. we want full representation for our people in the city, and full representation on the land. by encouraging those of our people adapted, and best adapted for agricultural pursuits, to seek the land, we benefit them and benefit those who remain behind as well, for we give the latter healthy room and more opportunities: in a word, we improve the condition of our people, both in the city and in the country. a statement in regard to the relations we hold towards immigrants. what they may expect. the class we invite.--the proper timber must be in the man himself. the great drawback to organized colonization is, that people expect too much; therefore we will be explicit, and state exactly what is proposed to be done for those coming to the catholic colonies of minnesota. in the first place, they will get in this pamphlet truthful and full statistics of the state, so far as those statistics are of interest to them; they will also get full details in regard to our colonies, and all the directions and information necessary. when they arrive here (in st. paul,) by calling at the office of the catholic colonization bureau they will be directed to whichever colony they may wish to go. arrived at the colony, they will be shown over its lands. then when the immigrant has made his selection and taken possession, he must depend from thenceforth, on himself, and the more he does so the more he will feel himself a man. the catholic immigrant coming now to minnesota will not be subject to the severe trials and hardships the early settlers encountered, while he will be altogether exempt from the religious and social privations they had to bear through many lonely years. the immigrant is now conveyed to the catholic colony he may select, by railroad train, and finds before him church and priest, market and settlers; nevertheless he should be a man possessing that noble quality which western life so well develops-- self-reliance. under god, it is on himself he must depend for future success. and here is the proper place to speak of the class of persons whom we can confidently invite to our catholic colonies-- farmers alone. not necessarily those who have heretofore been engaged altogether in agricultural pursuits, but persons who come to settle on farms, and who are able and willing to hold the plow. the poor man to succeed on a farm in minnesota, must hold his own plow, and do his own chores; and, above all, have courage and strength to depend upon himself. if he has a good, healthy, cheerful, wife, who prefers the prattle of her children to the gossip of the street, why, all the better--let him come along, and we will put him on the road to prosperity. he has made more than half the journey already, when he has secured a good wife. minnesota. its geographical position--size--opinions of distinguished men--fertility, beauty and healthfulness of the state. the state contains , square miles or , , acres, and is, therefore, one of the largest in the union. it occupies the exact centre of the continent of north america. it lies midway between the arctic and tropic circles--midway between the atlantic and pacific oceans--and midway between hudson's bay and the gulf of mexico. it embraces the sources of three vast water systems which reach their ocean termini, northward through hudson's bay, eastward through the chain of great lakes, and southward via the mississippi river. it extends from - / ° to ° of north latitude, and from ° ' to ° ' of west longitude; and is bounded on the north by the winnipeg district of british america, on the west by the territory of dakota, on the south by the state of iowa, and on the east by lake superior and the state of wisconsin. in official reports before us, we find many interesting extracts from the writings of well-known public men, agriculturists, geologists, professors in various branches of science, engineers, surveyors and government officials, who have visited minnesota at various times on business or pleasure, and who have borne enthusiastic testimony of her resources, the fertility of her soil, the healthfulness of her climate and the beauty of her scenery. a few sentences from all these writings will suffice for us in this place. in the official report of general pope, who was commissioned by the government to make a topographical survey of portions of the state, we find the following sentence, which embraces almost all that can be said in praise. he says: "i know _of_ no country _on_ earth _where so_ many _advantages are presented to the_ farmer and manufacturer." the adaptability of our rich soil for all the staple crops, as proven by experience, the large yield per acre in wheat, oats, potatoes, &c., &c., the immense quantity of good land in large bodies, the truly magnificent water power within the state, and so beneficently located in its different sections; all these advantages, seen beneath a sky always bright, and in a climate at all seasons healthy, may well account for the enthusiasm which inspired the above eulogy on minnesota. the accredited correspondent of the chicago tribune, who visited this state some three years ago, is equally enthusiastic in his published letters to his paper. we give two extracts from those letters. "no wonder the people here wear such smiling countenances. they are full of hope. i have yet to see the first despairing or gloomy face. melancholy belongs to the overcrowded cities, and there is plenty of it in chicago. "is it not astonishing that so many able-bodied men should hang about our large cities doing nothing, because they can find nothing to do, and nearly starving to death, when these broad and fertile prairies are calling upon them to come and release the treasures which lie within the soil. "the resources or this state are immense. it has every variety of wealth, and every facility for profitable exchange. there is no more productive soil in the world. then the state has an abundance of pine timber. it has a vast amount of available water power, and offers every facility and encouragement to manufacturing industry. it has mineral wealth on lake superior of iron and copper, in inexhaustible abundance. there is no region in this country, or any country, that i am aware of, that is so well watered. and the water is everywhere clear and pure. it is a land of great rivers, pellucid lakes, and sparkling streams. "all this may sound enthusiastic, but every word is calmly written and justified by the facts; and it is strictly within the facts. if the advantages of this region were only adequately made known, there would surely be a great flow of labor from the cities and places where it is not wanted, into a region like this, where every variety of labor is needed and where it is certain to meet with a rich reward." in the second extract we give, this correspondent expresses himself in language very similar to that made use of by general pope. he says, still speaking of minnesota: "i know of no other portion of the earth's surface where so many advantages are concentrated, and where the man of industry and small means may so quickly and with so much certainty render himself independent. here you have a climate of exceeding purity, a soil of amazing productiveness, abundance of the clearest water, with groves, and lakes, and rivers and streams wherever they are wanted. then the great railway lines are beginning to intersect this country in all directions, and thus furnish the farmer with a cheap and immediate outlet for his produce." we will close these brief extracts--taken from the writings of persons well qualified to form a sound judgment on the subject they were discussing, and totally unconnected personally with the interests of minnesota--with two extracts from a speech of the distinguished statesman, hon. wm. h. seward, delivered in st. paul, the capital of our state, so far back as . mr. seward said, and america has not produced so far-seeing a statesman: "here is the place--the central place--where the agriculture of the richest region of north america must pour out its tributes to the whole world. on the east, all along the shore of lake superior, and west, stretching in one broad plain in a belt quite across the continent, is a country where state after state is yet to rise, and where the productions for the support of human society in the old crowded states must be brought forth. * * * * * i now believe that the ultimate last seat of government on this great continent will be found, somewhere within a circle or radius not very far from the spot on which i stand, at the head of navigation on the mississippi river." general state statistics. lakes, rivers, timber, climate, soil, stock raising. in the following we have borrowed much from authorized state reports, adding our own comments when necessary. lakes. minnesota abounds in lakes of great beauty. they are from one to fifty miles in diameter, and are well stocked with a variety of fish. those beautiful lakes are found in every portion of the state, sparkling on the open prairie, hidden in groves, or resting calm and pure in the depths of the silent forest. "it may be interesting," says john w. bond, secretary of the minnesota state board of immigration, "to note the areas of a few of the largest lakes in our state. lake minnetonka contains , acres; lake winnebagoshish, , acres; leech lake, , acres; and mille lacs, , acres. red lake, which is much larger than any other in the state, has not yet been surveyed. "the above estimate of , , acres in lakes does not embrace the vast water areas included in the projected boundary lines of the state in lake superior and lake of the woods, and along the great water stretches of the international line." the importance to the state of having lake superior as an outlet for its produce cannot be overestimated. the day is not distant when a large amount of grain will be shipped in bulk from the minnesota harbor (duluth) on lake superior, to the liverpool market in england. rivers. minnesota has five navigable rivers. the mississippi (the father of waters,) having its rise in lake itaska, in the northern part of the state. the st. croix, flowing through a large portion of the lumbering region. the minnesota, rising in dakota territory and flowing through a large portion of the state empties into the mississippi, five miles above st. paul. it is navigable, in favorable seasons, about miles. the red river of the north, forming the northwestern boundary of the state for a distance of miles, and navigable about . the st. louis river, flowing into lake superior on our northeastern boundary, a distance of miles. besides these, the largest rivers are the root, rum, crow, sauk, elk, long prairie, crow wing, blue earth, le sueur, maple, cobb, watonwan, snake, kettle, redwood, wild rice, buffalo, chippewa, marsh, pomme de terre, lac qui parle, mustinka, yellow medicine, two rivers, cottonwood, cannon, zumbro, whitewater, cedar, red lake, straight, vermillion, and others. these, with a vast number of smaller streams tributary to them, ramifying through fertile upland and grassy meadow, in every section of the state, afford invaluable facilities for the various purposes of lumbering, milling, manufacturing and agriculture. in connection with her rivers, we will say that minnesota has perhaps the finest water power, within her bounds, to be found in the world. this power is found all over the state, and though only very partially developed, it serves to manufacture , , barrels of flour annually, and runs saw mills. timber. minnesota is neither a timber nor a prairie state; yet it possesses in a large degree the advantages of both, there being unquestionably a better proportion of timber and prairie, and a more admirable intermingling of the two than in any other state. it is estimated that about one-third of minnesota is timbered land, of more or less dense growth. in iowa, it has been officially estimated that only about one-tenth to one-eight of the state is timbered. on the head-waters of the various tributaries of the extreme upper mississippi and st. croix rivers is an extensive forest country, known as the "pine region," comprising an estimated area of , square miles. extending in a northeasterly and southwesterly direction, about miles long, and an average width of , is the largest body of hard-wood timber between the mississippi and missouri rivers. it lies on both sides of the minnesota river, comprising in all an area of , square miles, and is known as the "big woods." climate. prominent among the questions proposed by the immigrant seeking a new home in a new country, are those concerning the climate, its temperature, adaptation to the culture of the grand staples of food, and its healthfulness. "the climate of minnesota has often been the subject of unjust disparagement. 'it is too far north;' 'the winters are intolerable.' these and other similar remarks have found expression by those who should have known better. to the old settler of minnesota, the seasons follow each other in pleasing succession. as the sun approaches his northern latitude, winter relaxes its grasp, streams and lakes are unbound, flowers spring up as if by the touch of some magic wand, and gradually spring is merged into the bright, beautiful june, with its long, warm days, and short, but cool and refreshing nights. the harvest months follow in rapid succession, till the golden indian summer of early november foretells the approach of cold and snow; and again winter, with its short days of clear, bright sky and bracing air, and its long nights of cloudless beauty, completes the circle." "men," says the late j. b. phillips, commissioner of statistics, "suffer themselves to be deluded with the idea that heat is in some way a positive good, and cold a positive evil. the world is in need of a sermon on the gospel and blessing of cold. "what is there at best in the indolent languor of tropic siestas for any live man or woman to be pining after? macauley, after his residence in india, did not. he said that you boiled there four or five months in the year, then roasted four or five more, and had the remainder of the year to 'get cool if you could.' 'if you could!' no way of refrigerating a tropic atmosphere has ever yet been devised; while you can be perfectly comfortable in any north temperate zone." again he says: "the healthfulness of minnesota is one of its strongest points. having been, for a long time, a sanitary resort for persons threatened with pulmonary complaints, it has disappointed no reasonable expectation. it is equally favorable for those afflicted with liver diseases. thus for the two great organs in the tripod of life, the liver and lungs, that is for two-thirds of life, minnesota offers the most favorable conditions. she is more exempt from paludial fevers then any new state settled in the last half century. the fearful cost of human life it has required to subdue the soil in the states along the line of lat. ° has never been estimated. with a moist, decaying vegetation, and a certain intensity and duration of summer and autumn heat, sickness of that kind is certain to come, no matter what they may _say_ about having 'no sickness here.' it always exists when the requisite conditions are present. freed from the depressing influence of this decimating foe, the average minnesotian eats with a craving appetite, sleeps well, moves with a quick step and elastic spirits, and fights his life-battle sturdily and hopefully to the issue." the mean yearly temperature of our minnesota climate, ( . ,) coincides with that of central wisconsin, michigan, central new york, southern vermont, new hampshire, and maine; but in the dryness of its atmosphere it has, both for health and comfort, at great advantage over those states. it is well known that dampness is the element from whence come sickness and suffering, either in cold or warm weather, and the dry atmosphere of winter in minnesota, at an average temperature of °, makes the cold less felt than in warmer but damper climates several degrees farther south. with the new year generally commences the severe cold of our winter, but for the last few seasons the old minnesota winters seem to be giving place to much milder ones. during last winter the thermometer, in the most exposed places, scarcely ever marked zero, and now, on the st of december--weeks after they have had fierce snow storms south and southwest of us--good sleighing in chicago and st. louis--we are getting our first regular fall of snow, (only a slight sprinkling before,) which is falling unaccompanied with either wind or cold and giving a good promise of merry sleigh rides during the christmas holidays. whether or not there has come a permanent change in our minnesota winters, brought about by causes affected by population and settlement, we cannot say; but that such a change would not be acceptable to many of our old settlers we are convinced; not certainly to the enthusiast who writes as follows of our old, crisp, bright winters: "winter in minnesota is a season of ceaseless business activity, and constant social enjoyment; and by those accustomed to long wintry storms, and continued alternations of mud, and cold, and snow, is pronounced far preferable to the winters in any section of the northern states. here there is an exhilaration in the crisp atmosphere which quickens the blood, and sends the bounding steps over the ringing snow with an exultant flurry of good-spirits akin to the highest enjoyment." doubtless this was written from the stand-point of warm robes, a light cutter, a fast horse, and tingling sleigh-bells; nevertheless it is in the main true. when the surface of the body is warmly clothed, one can enjoy out-door exercise in the winter with every comfort. the greatest and only objection that we find against the winter season in minnesota, is its length.--it is true that, as a general rule, we have all our spring wheat in the ground, and for the most part over ground, before the end of april.--this infringement of winter, as we may term it, upon the domain of spring, is the draw-back to our climate. it is a slight one compared to those of other climates, where spring brings with its flowers, fever, ague, and chills. the summer months are pleasant. we have hot days, as one can judge by bearing in mind that our wheat crop is put into the ground, cut and often threshed, all within three months, but our nights are always beautiful and cool. then comes autumn, when the wayside copse, blushing at the hot kisses of the sun, turns scarlet, and every tint of shade and color is seen in the variegated foliage of the forest; and then the hazy, indian summer--nothing so lovely could last long on earth--when forest and prairie, dell and highland, palpitate with a hushed beauty, and to live is happiness sufficient. pure air is health, life. winter and summer, fall and spring, the air of minnesota, free from all malaria, is pure. we promise to the new settler making a home on land in minnesota, plenty of hard work, and the best of health and spirits--so far as climate has any effect on those blessings, and it has a great deal--while doing it. it will not be necessary for him to get acclimated, but to pitch right in. disturnell, author of a work on the "influence of climate in north and south america," says that "_minnesota may be said to excel any portion of the union in a healthy and invigorating climate_." in connection with this very important subject, health, the following comparative statement as to the proportion of deaths to population, in several countries in europe and states in the union, will be read with interest: minnesota in | wisconsin in great britain and ireland in | iowa in germany in | illinois in norway in | missouri in sweden in | michigan in denmark in | louisiana in france in | texas in switzerland in | pennsylvania in holland in | united states in the above is so conclusive an exhibit in confirmation of the healthfulness of the minnesota climate, that it exhausts the subject. soil. under this head, the late j. b. phillips, commissioner of statistics, from whose work we have already quoted, says: "the soil of the arable part of the state is generally of the best quality, rich in lime and organic matter, and particularly well adapted to the growth of wheat, over , , bushels of which cereal were produced in , and over , , in . although its fertility has never been disputed, these authentic figures prove it beyond question. good wheat lands in a favorable season will produce from to bushels to the acre. i believe the whole county of goodhue, in a yield of between , , and , , bushels, very nearly averaged the first figures in . a great portion of the state is equally adapted to stock raising, and many farmers think it would be more profitable." we will add to this, by way of a note, that in , as will be seen on another page, minnesota with only , , acres of her land under cultivation, produced , , bushels of wheat, almost all no. quality, and that goodhue county, mentioned in the extract quoted, had a yield of , , bushels. stock raising. we know of no country where stock, horses and sheep, do better than in minnesota, and we believe that it will be found true that the climate conducive to the health of human beings is one where all kinds of domestic animals will thrive. we had, some time ago, a very interesting conversation with mr. featherston, an english gentleman residing in goodhue county, on this subject. he informed us that he had farmed in england, in the state of new york, in kansas, and now in minnesota, and he was never in a place where sheep and stock did better than here. "i attribute this," he said, "to the dryness of our winter weather. sheep here are not weighed down with wet fleeces; and as for cattle, they suffer more in southern kansas, where they can remain out all the year, than they do here in the coldest days of winter." "how is that?" we asked. "easily accounted for," he replied. "one part of the day, in kansas, it will be raining, the coats of the cattle will be saturated with wet, then it comes on to freeze, and they become sheeted with ice; this is very injurious to the health of a beast. sheep raising in minnesota i have found very profitable farming indeed." "what about the soil of minnesota?" we asked. "well," he replied, "i was home in england two years ago, traveled about a good deal, and did not see any soil equal to the soil of minnesota." now, in speaking of minnesota for stock-raising, it must be borne in mind that it is more expensive to keep cattle here, where they must be fed many months in the year, than where they can run at large the whole year; but, if properly housed during winter, young cattle fed on wild hay--which can be put up for $ . per ton--will come out in the spring in fine condition. the opportunities of getting wild hay in the localities where our catholic colonies are located, are not surpassed in any part of the state; and it will be borne in mind that if there is extra expense and trouble in raising cattle here, there is also extra good prices to get for them. a steer that will sell for $ in places where, like topsey, he "just grows," will sell here for from $ to $ . the following, taken from a late report of a committee of the chamber of commerce, st. paul, will be read with interest: "our climate and soil appear to be peculiarly adapted for grazing purposes. its healthfulness for cattle of every kind is well established. the abundant and prolific yield of both tame and wild or natural grasses, of every description incident to the west, affords abundant and cheap pasturage during the summer, and the choicest of hay for winter, which is produced at less expense per ton than in most of the states in the union. if necessary, your committee could refer to countless instances in regard to the profit of raising stock in the state. the demand for horses has always been in excess of the supply. thousands are introduced into our midst every year from the adjoining states. the demand will increase as the country west of us becomes settled. choice herds of cattle have been imported into the state during the past few years, attended in every instance, as far as your committee have been able to learn, with much profit to the enterprising parties who embarked in the lucrative business. the dairy is being introduced in the shape of cheese and butter factories in many neighborhoods and attended with much success. it appears that shipments of both these home products have been made to england with satisfactory results. the sheep-fold to some extent has been neglected, but those who have engaged in wool-growing are greatly encouraged. flocks of sheep brought from the east have, with their progeny, improved to such an extent by the influence of our climate, that they have been repurchased by those from whom they were originally bought, and transported back east to improve the breed of their stock. the wool becomes of a finer texture when produced in our state, also an increase in size of the carcass of the sheep." the advantages which our present catholic colonies afford, abounding in nutritious grasses and the best quality of wild hay lands, will we trust turn the attention of settlers to stock raising, butter packing and cheese factories, and we are informed that some enterprising parties are going to establish one of the latter at clontarf, in swift county colony. farming to be prosperous the industry on the farm must be diversified; there should be rotation of crops. it will not do to depend altogether on wheat or to be too ambitious to have a great breadth of it under cultivation; not an acre more than the farmer knows he will be well able to have out of the ground in good season, making no chance calculations. crop statistics. wheat, oats, potatoes, corn, hay, sorghum, fruits. in , minnesota was organized into a territory, and the following year, , she had under cultivation , acres of land. in , she had , , acres. in these twenty-seven years, during which the breadth of her cultivated lands has increased over one thousand five hundred fold, the quality and average quantity per acre of all the great staple crops have been equally satisfactory, until we find her to-day, taking the foremost place as an agricultural state. to quote from the writings of the hon. pennock pusey, than whom there is no more upright gentleman nor one more qualified to deal with statistics, we find that "according to the census of , the entire wheat product of new england was sufficient to feed her own people only three weeks! that of new york sufficient for her own consumption six months; that of pennsylvania, after feeding her own people, afforded no surplus; while the surplus of ohio was but , , bushels for that year, and for the past six years her wheat crop has fallen below her own consumption. in the ten years ending in , the wheat crop of these states decreased , , bushels. "in the light of these facts, the achievements of minnesota in wheat growing, as well as her untaxed capacity for the continued and increased production of that grain, assume a proud pre-eminence." this is not too high praise for minnesota, when we find the great state of ohio for the last six years failing to raise sufficient wheat for her own consumption, while minnesota with but , , acres under wheat, has, after bountifully supplying her own population, exported in over fifteen million of bushels. the important position which minnesota is destined, in the near future, to assume as a great contributor to the supply of the most important article of food used by the human family, is well put forward by mr. pusey in the paper we have already quoted from. he says: "but a more practical as well as serious aspect of the subject pertains to those social problems connected with supplies of bread. the grave significance of the question involved is not susceptible of concealment, when the fact is considered, that while the consumption of wheat, as the choice food of the human race, is rapidly extending, the capacity of wheat-growing regions for its production is rapidly diminishing." we will now give some extracts from the report of the late j. b. philips, commissioner of statistics. we select from his report with great satisfaction, because he has been very careful to make his calculations rather under than over the truth. we find the following under the head of wheat, . the number of bushels of wheat gathered and threshed, according to the returns reported to the commissioner for the year , was , , ; but there were , acres unreported, which at - / bushels per acre, (the general average,) would make a total of , , bushels. the number of acres reported as cultivated in wheat for was , , . illinois, with her large cultivated area, has until recently been the largest wheat-raising state. in she produced , , bushels, and in , , bushels. "in ," says one of her statisticians, "the united states produced , , bushels of wheat, of which , , are assigned to illinois, or about , bushels more than any other state." in the product of the united states was , , bushels, of which illinois had , , , being followed by pennsylvania, ohio, wisconsin and iowa. in illinois produced , , . "but," says the same authority, "we now ( ) find iowa close alongside of us, her product being , , bushels of wheat." it is to be remarked that neither minnesota nor california were deemed worthy of notice in this rivalry of these older states. but in three years from that date minnesota, as well as iowa, was "close alongside" of illinois, raising from millions in to millions in , and , , in . in the wheat product of minnesota was within a fraction of millions. i give her yields in this table: wheat yield for four years in succession. bushels. average per acre. , , . , , . , , . , , . i am not aware that any state ever did, or can, show a better record than this for four successive years. i give below a few of the maximum wheat products of states. ohio, , , california, , , illinois, , , minnesota, , , iowa, , , "it will be observed," remarks the commissioner, "that according to these figures minnesota ranks fourth." true enough, but fast on the heels of comes the crop of , and with a bounce to , , bushels of wheat minnesota stands at the head of all as a wheat-producing state. , , bushels of almost all no. grade. in , bushels of wheat graded in minneapolis, something less than bushels graded no. , and none under that figure. we now give the following condensed statistics for the year . number of acres under cultivation in , , crops. bushels. wheat , , oats , , corn , , barley , , potatoes , , ---------- total , , or - / bushels to every acre under cultivation. but the average is much higher than this, for in the above table no account is taken of the gardens and large breadth of flax under cultivation. the official report, when published, may differ slightly with the above, but not to an extent to make any alteration necessary. we are informed that, in several instances, land giving wheat for the last twenty years, without being fertilized or manured, produced in over twenty bushels of wheat to the acre; a fact creditable to the land, but very discreditable to the farmers engaged in such _land murder_. while minnesota has, without dispute, established her reputation as a great wheat producer, and the dangers which always lie in wait for the growing crops are perhaps less here than in most of the other western states, still it must not be supposed that we can expect to be always free from them. if we had any such idea it would have been dispelled by our experience the past season. never since the state was organized was there a finer prospect of a magnificent wheat yield than we had during the months of may, june and the first half of july, . it was not that the general crop was good, but one could not, in a day's travel, find one poor looking field; but just as the wheat was within a few days of being fit to cut, a fierce, hot sun, lasting a week or so, came and wilted up the grain, so that the crop lost materially in quality, weight and measure. yet this evil had its compensating good. our corn and potato crops were very fine, so that our farmers have learned a lesson in the value of having diversity of crops as a leading feature in their farming system, and be it remembered that without system there is no successful farming. the following statement is taken from the immigration pamphlet, issued by the minnesota board of immigration for : oats. oats is peculiarly a northern grain. it is only with comparatively cool atmosphere that this grain attains the solidity, and yields the return which remunerate the labor and cost of production. the rare adaptation of the soil and climate of minnesota to the growth of this grain, is shown not only by the large average, but the superior quality of the product, the oats of this state being heavier by from three to eight pounds per bushel than that produced elsewhere. the following is an exhibit of the result for the several years named: no. bushels average yield year. no. acres sown. produced. per acre. , , , . , , , . , , , . , , , . , , , . the following is a statement of the product of oats in minnesota, compared with that in the other states named: average bushels to per acre. each inhabitant. ohio, average of years . . iowa . . minnesota . . corn. the foregoing exhibits abundantly sustain the extraordinary capacity of minnesota for the production of those cereals which are best produced in high latitudes. our state is often supposed to be too far north for indian corn. this is a great mistake, founded on the popular fallacy that the latitude governs climate. but climates grow warmer towards the west coasts of continents; and although its winters are cold, the summers of minnesota are as warm as those of southern ohio. _the mean summer heat of st. paul is precisely that of philadelphia_, five degrees further south, while it is considerably warmer during the whole six months of the growing season than chicago, three degrees further south. the products of the soil confirm these meteorological indications. the average yield of corn in was . bushels per acre, and in --a bad year-- bushels. in illinois--of which corn is the chief staple--mr. lincoln, late president of the united states, in the course of an agricultural address in , stated that the average crop from year to year does not exceed twenty bushels per acre. these results, so favorable to minnesota as a corn growing as well as wheat growing state, will surprise no one who is familiar with the fact established by climatologists, that "the cultivated plants yield the greatest products near the northernmost limits at which they will grow." comparison with other states. a comparison with other states affords the following exhibit: bushels per acre. ohio, average of nineteen years . iowa, average of six years . minnesota, average of nine years . potatoes. the average yield in minnesota and other states is here shown: bushels per acre. minnesota, average for five years . iowa, average for five years . ohio, average for nine years . hay. among the grasses that appear to be native to the soil of minnesota are found timothy, white clover, blue grass and red top. they grow most luxuriantly, and many claim that they contain nearly as much nutriment as ordinary oats. so excellent are the grasses that the tame varieties are but little cultivated. the wild grasses which cover the immense surface of natural meadow land formed by the alluvial bottoms of the intricate network of streams which everywhere intersect the country, are as rich and nutritious in this latitude as the best exotic varieties, hence cultivation is unnecessary. the yield of these grasses is . tons to the acre, or per cent more than that of ohio, the great hay state! sorghum. the cultivation of the sugar cane is fast becoming popular among the farmers of minnesota, and one mr. seth h. kenney, of rice county, claims that it can be made more profitable than even the wheat crop. the syrup and sugar produced is of the finest character, possessing an extremely excellent flavor. an acre of properly cultivated land will yield from one hundred and seventy-five to two hundred gallons of syrup, worth seventy cents a gallon. fruits. the following short extracts are taken from a paper written by col. d. a. robertson, of st. paul, a scientific amateur fruit grower; one thoroughly conversant with the subject on which he writes, and to whose disinterested labors in this branch of industry the state owes much: "there is no doubt that minnesota will become a great fruit state, because wherever wild fruits of any species grow, improved fruit of the same or cognate species may be successfully cultivated. the indigenous flora of minnesota, embraces apples, plums, cherries, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, currants and gooseberries. we may, therefore, successfully and profitably cultivate the improved kinds of all these fruits. the conditions of success are only these:--experience, knowledge and perseverance. "all kinds of siberian crab apples, (which are valuable chiefly for preserves,) including the improved transcendant and hyslop, are perfectly adapted to our climate; and flourish in almost every soil and situation where any other tree will grow, and also produce great crops. "at our state fair at st. paul, in october, , there was a magnificent display of home grown fruits, which would have been creditable to any state in the west. among the numerous varieties of excellent fruit exhibited in large quantities were the following: "apples.--duchess of oldenburg, red astracan, saxton or fall stripe, plum cider, fameuse, haas, jefferson county, perry russet, american golden russet, yellow bellflower, ramsdale sweeting, geniton, lucy, winona chief, jonathan, price's sweet, westfield, seek no further, sap, wagner, winter wine tay, english golden russet, dominie, st. lawrence, pomme gris, ben davis, sweet pear, and about thirty other varieties." railroad and population statistics--homestead exemption law in minnesota: tabulations from company reports. length and location. _the railroads of minnesota, with termini and lengths in this state, on june , ._ ========================================================= name of road. | abbrev. ---------------------------------------------+----------- chicago, milwaukee & st. paul-- | river division | a hastings and dakota division | b iowa and minnesota division | c iowa and minnesota division, branch | d iowa and minnesota division, branch | e chicago, dubuque and minnesota | f central railroad of minnesota | g st. paul & duluth | h minneapolis & duluth | i minneapolis & st. louis | j northern pacific | k st. paul & sioux city | l sioux city & st. paul | m st. paul & pacific, first division--main line| n " --branch | o " --st. vincent extension| p " " | q " " | r st. paul, stillwater & taylor's falls | s " --branch | t " --branch | u southern minnesota | v stillwater & st. paul | w winona & st. peter | x winona, mankato & new ulm | y ===================================================================== road abbrev. | termini. | miles. -----------------+-----------------------------------------+---------- a | from la crescent to st. paul | b | " hastings to glencoe | c | " st. paul to southern state line | d | " mendota to minneapolis | e | " austin to lyle | f | " la crescent to southern state line| g | " mankato to wells | h | " st. paul to duluth | i | " minneapolis to white bear | j | " minneapolis to sioux city junction| k | " duluth to moorhead | - / l | " st. paul to st. james | - / m | " st. james to southern state line | - / n | " st. anthony to breckenridge | o | " st. paul to sauk rapids | p | " sauk rapids to melrose | q | " brainerd, - / miles south | - / | " a point miles s. of glyndon to | r | a point miles n. | | of crookston | s | " st. paul to stillwater | - / t | " junction to lake st. croix | - / u | " stillwater to south stillwater | v | " grand crossing to winnebago city | - / w | " white bear to stillwater | x | " winona to western state line | - / y | " junction to mankato | - / +---------- | since the publication of the report of the railroad commissioner as given above, showing miles of railroads in minnesota; there have been miles built in , and miles in --total, miles now operated in the state. in , we had but ten miles of railroad in minnesota; in , sixteen years afterwards, two thousand five hundred and forty-four miles. this past year, the st. paul & pacific railroad has extended its line to the british possessions in manitoba, connecting with a road there and giving us direct railroad communication with the vast country lying north of us; while the southern minnesota, the hastings & dakota, the st. cloud branch of the st. paul & pacific, are extending their lines, like arteries, through the heart of the state. in much less than ten years, minnesota will have the most perfect railroad system on this continent. population. number. population in , population in , population in , homestead exemption law. we are proud of the homestead law of minnesota. the state says to its citizen: you may be unfortunate, even culpably improvident, nevertheless you and your family shall not be left homeless or without means to enable you to retrieve past misfortunes or faults. the law reads-- "that a homestead consisting of any quantity of land not exceeding eighty acres, and the dwelling house thereon and its appurtenances, to be selected by the owner thereof, and not included in any incorporated town, city or village, or instead thereof, at the option of the owner, a quantity of land not exceeding in amount one lot, being within an incorporated town, city or village, and the dwelling house thereon and its appurtenances, owned and occupied by any resident of this state, shall not be subject to attachment, levy, or sale, upon any execution or any other process issuing out of any court within this state. this section shall be deemed and construed to exempt such homestead in the manner aforesaid during the time it shall be occupied by the widow or minor child or children of any deceased person who was, when living, entitled to the benefits of this act." thus the state, in its bountiful protection, says to its citizen, "you may be unfortunate, even blamably improvident, nevertheless the state shall not allow you and yours to be thrown paupers on the world. your homestead is still left to you, a competency at least." there are also reserved for the settler, free from all law processes, all his household furniture up to the value of $ , horses, or in lieu horse and yoke of oxen, cows, sheep, hogs, wagon, harness, and all his farming machinery and implements; also a year's supply of family provisions or growing crops, and fuel, and seed grain not exceeding bushels each of wheat and oats, of potatoes, and one of corn, also mechanics' or miners' tools, with $ worth of stock-in-trade, and the library and instruments of professional men. this is the beneficent protection which the state throws around the poor man's home. yet there is one way in which he may forfeit it. should he have the misfortune to mortgage his homestead the law can no longer protect him; he is in the toils of the money lender, and should poor crops or other set-backs come to him now, there is every probability that he will lose his home. we say to our settlers, avoid this fatal error, misfortune almost always follows it; toil, slave, fast, rather than mortgage your homestead. farm statistics. we come now to a very important part of our work. under this head we have made several calculations, for the guidance of the immigrant. they have been made with care, and are, we think, as nearly correct as it is possible to make such calculations. by a careful study of them the intending immigrant will learn what he has to do when he has secured his land. the various modes he may take to open his farm. the expenses incurred by each method. the expense of living until his first crop comes in. these, with minor details, we have set forth in the following calculations. they embrace the case of the poor man with a small capital and the man with quite a respectable capital, who may wish to put it in a bank that never fails, and in which he will himself be the director and owner. these tables clearly show the least capital a man requires to settle in one of our colonies, and also, if he can afford it, how advantageously he can lay out a considerable sum for which he will receive a quick return. we will take up the poor man's case first, as it is the one we have the most interest in, and we land him on his land in the spring. he puts up a very cheap house; by and by, he will have a better one--but, in the meantime, he can make this one comfortable, warm and clean--much better than a cheap lodging in a city. we will give the dimensions of the house as Ã� ft., to be built of single boards; these to be sodded on the outside to any depth the owner may wish. in this way, he can have a house far warmer than a poorly put up frame house, at the following cost: , feet of lumber $ windows, doors shingles ------ total $ now, we must furnish the house: house furniture. cooking stove $ crockery chairs table bedsteads ------ total $ cattle and farming implements he buys a breaking yoke of oxen, weighing from , to , lbs. at about $ breaking plow wagon ------- total $ then he goes to work and breaks up, we will say, acres of land. he has to live sixteen months before his principal crop comes in, but he can have his potatoes and corn, planted on the sod, within a few months, to help him out in his living; that is, when he breaks his land the first year, he will plant a portion of it under corn, potatoes, and other vegetables, sufficient for his own use, and for feed for his cattle. what it will cost him to live. for a family of four, bushels of wheat, ground into flour, at $ , a bushel $ groceries cow for milk fuel ------ total $ he has besides, vegetables, and corn sufficient, that he raised on his breaking, and two hogs that he raised and fattened on the corn, and for which we should have charged him two or three dollars. in the fall, his hogs weigh lbs. each, and he can sell them or eat them; we recommend the latter course. how he stands the second spring. he has laid out, for a house $ for fuel " furniture " cattle and farming implements cost of living, including price of cow ------- total $ this sum he will absolutely require to have when he arrives on the land. to this, in his calculations, he must add his expenses coming here. railroad fares from different points will be given in another place. we have not here made any calculations in regard to the purchase of his land, in the first place because the lands are different prices in different colonies, and secondly because most of our settlers with small means, buy their farms on time, getting very easy terms of payments. all information in this respect will be found in its proper place, when we come to speak of our colonies. it must be born in mind (and it may be as well said here as elsewhere) that the catholic bureau owns no lands; we but control them and hold them at their original prices for our immigrants. we have also secured advantages in prices and terms of payment which immigrants cannot get outside of our colonies. now having no crop the first year, he works out in the harvest and earns $ . . this he requires now, and more when he puts in his first crop, but, as he will get time for some, perhaps all, of the following charges, we will not charge them to his original capital. second spring's work and expenses. drag to put in the crop, shaking the seed by hand $ seed wheat for acres. bushel and pecks to the acre hires his grain cut and bound shocking, stacking, etc., done by exchanging work with neighbors. machine threshing at cents a bushel extra labor done by exchanging work. ------- $ we have now come down to the harvest and the second year on the land up to this the settler's expenses have been $ . let us see what the land is likely to set off against this sum, acres of wheat bushels to the acre $ , charges --------- balance in favor of crop $ adding to this the sixty dollars the man earned the first harvest, he has in hand $ . . it must be borne in mind that the settler has supported himself and family for sixteen months, his home is made, stock paid for, his farm opened, and at least $ added to the value of his land. we will suppose that he plows the second year fifty acres more and has one hundred acres under his second crop. with this good set off, we leave him. now we will give the cash expenses, for the same number of acres, where a man hires all his work done. he may prefer to do this, to buying cattle or horses to break, as he may be a man who can earn high wages, until his first crop comes in. breaking acres, at $ . per acre $ seed wheat seeding and dragging, at cents per acre cutting and binding, $ . per acre stacking, five days, two men and team threshing and hauling to market, at cents a bushel ------- cash expenses of crop $ credits. fifty acres of wheat, bushels to the acre, at $ per bushel $ , charged to the crop --------- balance in favor of crop $ now, the expense of breaking, by right, should not be charged to the first crop, for it is a permanent value, added to the value of the land, and should be calculated as capital: acres broken on a farm of a , adds fully $ an acre to the value of the property. but in the above calculation, we have not alone charged the first crop with the breaking expenses, but also with the cash price of every dollar's worth of labor expended, until the wheat is in the railroad elevator, and the owner has nothing more to do, unless to receive his money for it; and yet there is a clear profit over all expenses of $ . . in making these calculations, it is necessary to put a certain value on the wheat per bushel, and to allow for a certain amount of bushels to the acre, but it will be obvious to any reader that in both these important items there are continual variations. the calculations we now give appeared in the edition of our pamphlet for , and were based, in a measure, on our fine wheat crop for that year. the crop of , as we have already stated, fell short of , and were we basing our estimate on it we should calculate wheat second grade at cents per bushel, but the crop of may surpass the crop of ; taking the average of many years' crops and prices, our calculations are as near correct as they can be made. second calculation of house building. in our calculation of the smallest sum a man would require, coming to settle on the land, we made an estimate of a very cheap house indeed, nevertheless one that can be made warmer than many a more expensive one. we give an estimate of the cost of a frame house Ã� , a story and a half high, with a t addition, and a cellar by . we give the exact expenses of a house of this kind as it stands at present in one of our colonies. it has three rooms up stairs with a hall, two rooms down stairs with a hall and pantry, and has had one coat of plaster: material for house $ work ---- total $ a man himself helping, can lessen this item for work, say $ , leaving the cost of the house $ . in our first calculation we put down as the lowest sum a man would require to have after his arrival on the land, $ . . but in this calculation we gave him a house, such as it was, for $ . . now, if he wants the better house we have just described, his capital should be $ . what a man with moderate capital can do. we now come to the case of a man with moderate capital, who wishes to start with a complete outfit of farming machinery, &c. coming in the spring, in time to commence breaking, the end of may, he buys three horses $ one sulky plow--seat for driver, breaker attachment seeder harrow harvester and self-binder horse rake and mower wagon --------- total $ , n. b.--it is calculated that the grain saved by the self-binder over hand work, pays for the wire used in binding, and in labor cents an acre is saved, besides the board of two men. we will soon have twine and straw binders perfected, an improvement which will do away with the expense of wire altogether. with a sulky plow and three horses, our farmer breaks acres of land, and puts it under wheat the following year. he has been already at an outlay for horses and machinery of $ , seed wheat costs shocking and stacking threshing and hauling, using his three horses, cents a bushel --------- total $ , credits. , bushels of wheat $ , hay cut by mower --------- $ , expenses , --------- balance in favor of crop $ now, it will be born in mind, that we have charged the first crop with horses and machinery, property that, by right, should come under the head of capital; we have charged it with what will work the farm for years, and help to produce successive crops, not of one hundred acres, but of two or three hundred acres; and yet, with all the charges, the crop shows a profit of $ . what other business can make such a showing as this? as a matter of fact, all the ready money the settler will require to provide himself with machinery, will be ten per cent. on the price; for the balance he will get two years time at per cent. interest. general remarks. while our figures and illustrations in regard to the opening of a farm, and the expenses attending thereon, have been as explicit and full as our space would permit, still we regard them but as a basis for a variety of similar calculations to be made by intending immigrants. for instance, two friends might buy a breaking team between them, and break, say twenty acres, on each one's farm. one could do the breaking, while the other might be doing some other work. in fact, each man's case has its own peculiar features, which he must bring his own judgment to bear upon, and we don't pretend to have done more than to have given him a good guide to assist him in his calculations. twenty acres would be a pretty fair breaking for a poor man the first year, and quite sufficient to enable him to support a small family. we have farmers in the woods, now prosperous men, who for years had not more than from five to ten acres cleared, for it is hard work to clear heavy timbered land, and much easier to plant young trees than to cut old ones down. but heretofore poor men were frequently deterred from going on prairie land on account of the heavy expense attached to fencing their tillage land. this was about the highest item of expense. it is not so now, for in the counties in which our catholic colonies are situated, and in the adjoining counties, a herd law is in force, whereby cattle have to be herded during the day, and confined within bounds during the night. in this way one man or boy can herd the cattle of a whole settlement, and the heavy, vexatious and continual tax of fencing is entirely done away with. all the lands in our catholic colonies are prairie lands, and in the colonies and adjoining counties, as we have already stated, the herd law is in full force. no one, at the present day, who has any experience in farming in the west, would settle on an unimproved timber farm. it takes a lifetime to clear such a farm, and even then a man leaves some stumps for his grandchildren to take out. but we earnestly impress upon our settlers the necessity of setting out trees around their prairie homes. the rapid growth of trees set out on any of our prairies, is absolutely wonderful. in six years after planting, a man will have nice, sheltering, young groves, around his house. one of the first things a settler should do after breaking up his land is to set out some young trees, which he can buy very cheap. all our railroads carry such freight free. if he cannot get the trees he can sow the seed, which will do as well. for comfort on a prairie, trees are a necessity; but it is worse than useless, it is loss of time, to set them out, unless they are taken care of: give them solitude, and keep the weeds and cattle from them for a little while, and they will soon be able to take care of themselves. cord-wood can be bought at any of the railroad stations in our colonies at an average of about five dollars a cord. there is another matter which may well come under the head of general remarks. while we have shown by figures the good profits which may be calculated upon by an industrious farmer, still, he must not look for a great increase of money capital, for some years at least. while he will be enabled under god, by industry, sobriety and perseverance to give his family a good, comfortable living, it must be to the increase in the value of his farm each year, that he must look for an increase of capital, to that and the increase of his live stock. above all things, he must attend to the latter; it is almost incredible the way young stock will increase. a man starting with one cow will have his yard full of young stock in a few years by raising the calves that come to him. it is a fact that men who came to this state without any means whatever, and settled on land, are to-day among our most prosperous farmers; but they came uninvited, at their own risk, and if they had failed, they could only blame themselves. the case is altogether different in regard to persons coming to our catholic colonies. they come invited, and depending upon the information we give to them; therefore, there must be no misunderstanding on either side. we say to the immigrant, with the capital we have specified, you can open a farm in minnesota, and if you are industrious, brave and hopeful, we promise you, under god, an independent home. if you come without this capital, you do so at your own risk. catholic colonies in minnesota. location, population, soil, towns, extracts from interesting letters from residents, &c., &c. we now come to speak of our catholic colonies. in doing so we will be as accurate and as truthful as it is possible to be. at the same time we recognize the difficulty of making others see things as we see them, they are too apt to draw imaginary pictures from our facts. for instance when we speak of settled communities and towns, it should be borne in mind that our oldest settlement was only opened in the spring of , our two latest in the spring of , and that both farms and towns exhibit the rough, unfinished appearance of new places in the west, which it takes time, perseverance and industry to mould into thrifty comeliness; with the aid of the two latter (perseverance and industry) the former (time) will be but a very short period indeed. we have now four catholic colonies in minnesota, two in the western and two in the southwestern part of the state. swift county colony. this is the oldest and doubtless best known of our colonies. the colony lands commence miles west of st. paul and extend for miles on each side of the st. paul and pacific railroad. within the bounds of the colony are four railroad towns, one of them, benson, being the county seat; but the two colony towns proper, are de graff and clontarf, being organized and run, as they say out west, by our own people. in fact, swift county colony may very well be spoken of as two colonies, for the present under one name, the chippewa river dividing the colony lands about in the center, having de graff on the east and clontarf on the west. each town too, has its own catholic church, congregation and resident priest--the rev. f. j. swift, pastor at de graff, and the rev. a. oster, pastor at clontarf. the colony lands on the east side of the chippewa, stretch out from the town of de graff, miles in length and miles in width, and clontarf lands on the west side of the river, have equal proportions. this division and explanation may be of service to correspondents, some of whom frequently write to one or other of the resident priests, for information, in preference to writing direct to the catholic bureau, in st. paul. when bishop ireland in , got control of the unsold railroad lands within the present bounds of swift county colony, there was a large quantity of government lands lying beside these railroad lands, and open for homestead and pre-emption entries, so that a great number of our people were able to secure farms of and acres by merely paying the fees of the u. s. land office. early settlers too, on the railroad lands, had an opportunity by paying cash to get their farms much below the market value, for the st. paul and pacific railroad company (the owner) having fallen behind hand in paying the interest on its bonds held by foreign capitalists, these bonds became depreciated in the market, but were, nevertheless, good for their full amount, in payment of the lands belonging to the company. in this way we were enabled in the first edition of our pamphlet for the year , to offer lands, much below, in some instances more than half below, their average value; but as prices depend altogether on the market value of the bonds, a value which is always fluctuating, we deem it unwise to bind ourselves to arbitrary prices. the average railroad price of lands in swift county colony is $ . per acre; the actual cash price, by buying bonds and paying for the land with same, will be much less than this, and we will, when called upon get the bonds for the immigrant at their then value, but what the exact prices of the bonds may be or how long they will remain in the market available for the purchase of land, we cannot take upon ourselves to say. in this connection we wish to point out to immigrants, that irrespective of paying for land in bonds, for which they must pay cash, they can make contracts, on long time, with the company, for their farms. there are other ways too by which our people can make homes in this well-settled colony. non-catholics who were settled in the county before the colony was established, will be willing to sell out. homesteaders, too, who got their land free from the government, and made improvements, are frequently anxious to realize a little capital by the sale of those improved farms, and go still farther west. there is also a large quantity of school and state lands in the county, which will be in the market in ; so notwithstanding that the greater part of the colony railroad lands have passed from the control of the bureau into the possession of settlers, and that all the government lands have been taken up, we look forward, with pleasure, to see many more of our people settling in swift county next spring. they will find a goodly number of their co-religionists settled before them and anxious to give them a friendly welcome. there are very few of the new england or middle states that have not representatives in the colony. from a communication received from the register of the united states land office at benson, the county seat, we find that since the bureau opened this colony in , catholic settlers have taken up government land in the colony; of these, families were irish, the remainder germans, poles and french. about an equal number of catholics--a large majority irish--have taken railroad lands-- , acres of which have been sold; so that we can claim at least catholic settlers, with their families, in swift county colony at the present writing. driving west from de graff to clontarf, seventeen miles, and still eleven miles farther west from clontarf to the _pomme de terre_ river, one is never out of sight of a settler's house; and some of those farm houses would be a credit to a much older settlement, for we have settlers who farm as much as five hundred acres, while others again farm but eighty acres. the general quality of the soil is a dark loam, slightly mixed with sand and with a clay sub-soil, admirably adapted for wheat, oats, &c., &c., while the bountiful supply of good water and the large quantity of natural meadow lands, scattered all over the colony--there is scarcely a quarter section ( acres) without its patch of natural meadow--give the settler an opportunity to combine stock raising and tillage on his farm. the village or town of de graff has a railroad depot and telegraph office; a grain elevator, with steam power--which is the same as saying, a cash market for all farm produce--six or seven stores, with the general merchandise found in a country town; lumber yard, machine warehouse, blacksmith, carpenter and wagon maker shops; an immigrant house, where persons in search of land can lodge their families until they are suited; a resident doctor, and resident priest, rev. f. j. swift; a fine commodious church; a handsome school house and pastor's residence. no saloon. the business men of the town are our own people, and a catholic fair, for the benefit of the new church, held last fall, and patronized exclusively by the colonists, netted $ , clear. traveling along the railroad and passing through benson, half way between de graff and clontarf, we come to the latter, the youngest town in this young settlement, but it has a very fine class of settlers around it: west of the village the land is as fine as any in the state, known as the hancock ridge. clontarf has two general stores, a grain elevator, an immigrant house, a railroad depot, blacksmith shop, a large church and a very handsome residence for the priest, the rev. a. oster. no part of the colony is settling up more rapidly than the portion around clontarf and several new buildings will go up in the village next summer. swift county colony is fast beginning to wear the features of a settled community. many of our farmers have harvested this year their second crop; our merchants report that they are doing a lively business; bridges are being built, roads laid out, plans of improvement discussed by the settlers; and we challenge any part of the west to produce a more intelligent rural class. true to the memory of the old land and their love for their church, the settlers have given familiar names to many of the townships in the colony, such as kildare, cashel, dublin, clontarf, tara, st. michaels, st. josephs, st. francis, &c., &c. the st. paul and pacific railroad, running through the whole length of the colony, has, by its late extension, become one of the great railroad thoroughfares of the northwest, and added much to the value of the colony lands. commencing at st. paul, the capital of minnesota, it crosses the northern pacific at glyndon in this state and continues on to st. vincent, situated on the line separating the state of minnesota and the british possessions in manitoba. here it connects with a railroad just completed and running to winnipeg, the capital of the british province of manitoba. graceville colony. this colony is located in big stone county, west of swift. it is our homestead colony, and one which we feel very proud of. what is thought of big stone county by western men, in connection with stock raising, is shown by the following extract from a published communication. "stock raising now receives more attention from the prairie farmers than ever before, since the erroneous impression heretofore existing that the wintering of cattle was too expensive, has been entirely disproved. numbers of settlers from the lower part of our state, and from iowa, have removed to big stone county with large droves of cattle, that they herd on the vast natural meadows of that county, which also furnish all the necessary hay for winter food." we will add to this, that the soil of big stone county, for agricultural purposes, is deemed as good as any in the state, without exception. the lands in the county being government lands, we could not of course have any control of them, they were open to all comers; but by prompt action the bureau located during the months of march, april and may, one hundred and seventy-five families in the county. many of those colonists were poor people who were induced to leave minnesota towns and settle on land. but we will let a resident of the colony, one who has examined every quarter section in it and materially aided in its settlement, speak for it. in answer to a letter from us, col. j. r. king, a resident of graceville, and a practical surveyor, who has acted as agent for the bureau since the opening of the colony, writes: "during the months of march and april, , a great number of claims for our people were entered in the united states land office, but before any of them come on to their lands, bishop ireland shipped, in march, five car loads of lumber for erecting a church building; the church was commenced the same month and completed, in the rough, in about three weeks. this is the first instance, in my knowledge, where a church was erected in advance of settlement. our right rev. bishop must have had a foreknowledge of what was to follow. "in the short space of three months there was built, in a radius of six miles from graceville church, over comfortable cabins, and on each claim from five to ten acres broken for a garden and planted with potatoes, corn, beans, turnips, &c., &c., which yielded quite a good supply for the present winter. our colonists had the advantage of being early on the ground and had their gardens planted in may. "the colonists broke during last summer from fifteen to thirty acres per man, so that next spring they will be able to get in wheat sufficient to carry them through the second winter handsomely. they are all in the very best spirits and could not be induced to return to the cities--for they already feel independent and masters of the situation. "the soil here is splendid and the country beautiful. gently rolling prairie, with numerous ponds or small lakes and plenty of the finest hay. "the balance of big stone county, outside of our colony, has all been taken up; a large majority of the claims occupied and substantial improvements made by the settlers, who are first class. traverse county, adjoining us on the north, is fast filling up. "i must not forget to say that we have good water in abundance; my own well is sixteen feet deep, with as fine, pure water as ever was found. "and now to tell you about our little village, graceville, named in honor of our revered bishop, the right rev. thos. l. grace. it is beautifully situated on the north shore of one of the two large lakes known as tokua lakes, and has three general stores, one hotel, one blacksmith and wagon shop, a very handsome little church and the priest's residence attached. around the lake is a fine belt of timber which adds much to the beauty of the place. the village is miles due east from morris, on the st. paul & pacific railroad, but the hastings & dakota railroad, now built close to the line, will run through our county next summer; by and by we will have a cross road running through the colony lands. "our resident pastor is the rev. a. v. pelisson, a veteran missionary, who is doing a wonderful deal of good, temporal and spiritual, among his people, and is 'the right man in the right place,' full of energy and zeal. "the holy sacrifice of the mass is offered up in our church every day, and on sundays we have high mass, for graceville has a sweet church choir. "it is most edifying to see the crowd of men, women and children who flock in from all points of the compass to church on sundays. father pelisson had the first temporary church taken down and in its place he has erected one of the prettiest and neatest churches in the state; a credit both to the good father and his people who so cheerfully assisted in its erection, under many difficulties. "from the roof of the church i can count to-day over houses where last march there was nothing but a bare prairie. if god prospers our people next season with good crops, they will be over their difficulties, in a fair way to prosperity." we do not know that we have anything to add to col. king's very graphic and truthful statement in regard to graceville colony and the prospects of its settlers, very many of whom were so poor when they went in, that it required western pluck to face the prairie. the building of the hastings & dakota railroad last summer, giving them employment, was a great help. no doubt they had and will have a rough time of it for a little longer, but, they are toiling with hope, with the hope of an honest independence in the future. and with this hope in his heart, the settler toils and feels himself "every inch a man." traverse county, mentioned in col. king's letter, has, at the present writing, a large quantity of government land open to homestead and pre-emption entries. (see the homestead law in another place.) there is no doubt too, but that persons, during the land excitement last year, made government claims in big stone county--some within the colony bounds--which, from one cause or another, they will neglect to hold, by not fulfilling the conditions required by the law governing such claims. in all cases of the kind the lands revert to the government and are again subject to entry. yet, so rapidly are those lands taken up that we cannot promise to our people, coming from the east, that when they arrive, they will find any homestead land adjoining or within any of our colonies. st. adrian colony. this colony, situated in nobles county, in the southwestern portion of the state, close to the state line of iowa, on the luverne and sioux falls branch of the sioux city and st. paul railroad, was opened in september, . before going into details in regard to the colony we will give some extracts from an article (lately published) treating of southwestern minnesota, where, as we have stated, st. adrian colony is located. "southwestern minnesota has made rapid progress in stock raising. as capital increases, and the utility and profit of stock raising become better understood by the farmer, we shall see fine flocks and herds, in addition to the fields of waving grain, and our rich prairies teeming with the life they can so amply sustain. the abundance of clear, sweet water, dry atmosphere, its elevation, rich pasturage, freedom from disease, and direct and ready access to all the prominent markets, unite to make minnesota the paradise of stock raisers. good hay can be put in the stack in southwestern minnesota for $ . per ton. it can be secured without other expense than cutting, and with very little labor, enough can be made for the maintenance of a large amount of stock. * * * * * "this section has been settled but seven years, yet it is already teeming with a population of wide-awake, industrious people, whose fields are evidences of the innate wealth of the region. the soil of southwestern minnesota is adapted to the successful cultivation of grain, and so celebrated has its grain producing qualities become, that capitalists have put their money into large tracts of land, and have now immense fields under cultivation, and their investments have proven extremely profitable. there are farms of , , and , acres, all producing minnesota's great staple, wheat. every year, as the success of these investments becomes known, new and large farms are opening. * * * * * "southwestern minnesota is on the move, and to those who wish to locate in a thriving, driving, pushing, growing country, no locality on the green earth promises more faithfully, and none will redeem its pledges with greater pride to the wide-awake, stirring husbandman. the very soil teams with wealth, and the air is laden with the most precious gifts of health." making allowance for the rather high coloring of the above extracts, its facts are correct. southwestern minnesota has many advantages for stock raising, its soil is good, none better. stock raising has been carried on successfully there to the advantage of a great many poor settlers, and men of wealth have opened large grain farms in this section of the state; the largest of these farms adjoins the colony lands of st. adrian. of the , acres of railroad land which bishop ireland holds the control of for colony purposes, , acres have been sold to settlers. the colony lands adjoin the railroad town of adrian. a little over a year ago it had three houses, now it is one of the brightest, liveliest, most bustling little burgs in southwestern minnesota. but, as in the case of graceville, we will let a resident of st. adrian speak for the town and colony. the following is an extract from a letter which we received the other day from the rev. c. j. knauf, the pastor in charge of the st. adrian colony. father knauf resides in the town of adrian--where immigrants, bound for the colony, leave the train--and takes an active part in locating immigrants. father knauf writes: "the village of adrian consisted of three houses when i came here, september , , one year and three months ago to-morrow; now there are houses in the village. we have three hotels, one restaurant (no beer,) three lumber yards, one steam feed mill, four general stores, one drug, two hardware stores, one jewelry store, one barber shop, one large livery stable, two furniture dealers, four dealers in farming machinery, one shoe maker, one tailor, three blacksmiths, one carpenter shop, four wheat and produce buyers; a public school house, costing $ , ; a catholic church, well finished, and the pastor's house, the latter costing $ , . "i sold, up to date, , acres of land. thousands of acres were broken last season. i was the first catholic to arrive here: now we have sixty catholic families in the colony. next spring we will have catholic families, for a great many bought farms last year, had breaking done--some broke extensively, others moderately--and will move on, with their families, to their new farms, next spring, in time to put in their first crop." in explanation of that portion of father knauf's letter which speaks of parties who have purchased farms in the colony but who have not moved on to them as yet, we will say, that since the bureau, at the solicitation of many correspondents, agreed to have land selected and contracts made out for persons anxious to secure land in some one of our colonies, and yet unable, from one cause or another, to come on immediately; a great many have adopted this mode to get land. we find from father knauf's letter that he has on his books the names of one hundred families who have secured land in st. adrian colony, and will move on to their new homes next spring, so that he is looking forward to very lively times. there is also coming out to st. adrian colony in the spring a brave-hearted little lady from brooklyn, n. y., to get in her first crop, and put up her first farm house. she was on here last summer, spent a month or so at st. adrian, bought acres of land, left money to pay for the breaking of acres, and will come on to settle in the spring. she has no doubt but that she will make the venture pay, and prefers to make the trial rather than have her money bearing small interest in the east. lands sell in the colony from $ to $ . per acre. a discount of per cent. from these prices is allowed for cash. the conditions for time contracts are as follows: at time of purchase, one-tenth of principal and interest on unpaid principal; second year, interest only; third year one-fourth of remaining principal and interest on unpaid principal; same for three ensuing years: after the expiration of which the full price of the land is paid. as an instance, showing the value set on land in this part of minnesota, we will state, that school lands, sold last spring, at public sale, in the neighborhood of st. adrian, brought from $ . to $ per acre: the price obtained heretofore having been $ per acre. on stepping from the train at st. adrian, last summer, one witnessed a scene of bustle and activity similar to those frequently described by writers in sketches of western life in new settlements, with some important exceptions, for neither in adrian nor in any of the towns under the control of the catholic bureau, can there be found rowdies, nor the saloons that vomit them forth. this fact may take from the dramatic effect of such sketches, but it is the anchor of family unity and love, the harbinger of prosperity. the town of adrian is miles from st. paul. a daily train from st. paul to sioux falls, d. t., passes through it; it has also railroad communication with sioux city, iowa. the lands of the colony are first-class, both for agriculture and stock raising: and to those of fair capital we strongly recommend st. adrian colony. the colonists are german and irish catholics. avoca colony. this is the latest opened of our colonies, bishop ireland having only secured control of the lands last april. it is situated in murray county (southwestern minnesota,) adjoining nobles county on the north, and in the whole , acres of land secured by the bishop for the colony, we very much doubt if one poor section ( acres) could be found, nor do we suppose that any of the land will remain unsold by the st of next july. while the beauty of the location and fertility of the soil, make avoca one of the most desirable locations in minnesota, the easy terms on which a farm can be secured, are additional and substantial advantages for men of small means. the centre of the colony--the village of avoca, situated on a beautiful lake--is just twenty miles from heron lake, a station on the st. paul and sioux city railroad, miles southwest of st. paul; but the southern minnesota railroad, which will give this portion of the state a direct communication with the milwaukee and chicago markets, is now completed to within forty-five miles of avoca, and we expect to see it running through our colony lands by next fall. this will give to the settlers in avoca colony, a direct southern route to chicago, and a choice of markets for their produce: the latter an advantage which farmers can well appreciate. the price of lands in the colony are from $ to $ . per acre, on the following easy terms of payment. at the time of purchase, interest only, one year in advance, seven per cent., is required; at the end of one year, interest only for another year; at the end of two years, one-tenth of the principal, and a year's interest on the balance; at the end of three years, one-tenth of the principal, and interest on balance; at the end of each year thereafter, twenty per cent. of the principal, and interest on balance; until all is paid. we subjoin a practical illustration of these terms: we will say that january, , a man contracts for acres of land at $ per acre, this will come to $ , with per cent. interest, which sums he will have to pay as follows: jan. st, , at time of purchase, one year's interest in advance, at per cent. $ jan. st, , one year's interest in advance, at per cent. jan. st, , ten per cent. of principal. $ one year's interest on balance $ , at per ct. ------ jan. st, , ten per cent. of principal. one year's interest on balance $ , at per ct. ------ jan. st, , twenty per cent. of principal. one year's interest on balance $ , at per ct. ------ jan. st, , twenty per cent. of principal. one year's interest on balance $ , at per ct. ------ jan. st, , twenty per cent. of principal. one year's interest on balance $ , at per ct. ------ jan. st, , twenty per cent. of principal. ------ total. $ the advantage of the terms is, that the principal payments are all postponed until the farmer has had time to raise several crops from his land. a quarter-section of land will support a family, pay for itself, leave after seven years a balance in cash, and be worth more than twice its original value. we have already selected several and acre farms in avoca for persons not in a position to come on immediately to the land. now let us explain how this operates. an intending immigrant writes to the bureau to have acres of land in avoca at $ per acre, selected for him, (as a general rule a man should take a quarter-section, acres, by doing so he will be likely to have both meadow and tillage land on his farm.) for those acres, he pays down, before getting his contract from the railroad company, one year's interest, $ . he writes on then, next spring, to the bureau, to have acres of his land broken and ready for a crop the following spring-- . his breaking will cost at $ . per acre, $ . he will have paid the first year $ , and have his land ready for the seed; he comes on then the second spring, , pays $ , another year's interest, to the railroad company, puts in his crop and has it saved and ready for market in august. up to this time--not calculating the expenses chargeable to the crop, which we have estimated already in another place--he has paid out $ , and has his farm opened and in a fair way to pay for itself. in soil and location the colony of avoca is not surpassed in the northwest. nine miles from the village of avoca there is a large body of timber. settlers can also get coal from iowa. the rev. chas. koeberl is pastor of the colony, address, avoca, murray county, minnesota. he writes to us under date of december th, : "in regard to this colony it promises, thank god, to be a great success. since june, when the land sales commenced, we have sold , acres, and forty-five catholic families are preparing to move into the colony next spring. immigrants will have in our village of avoca, a building where they can leave their families until they have put up their houses, also a boarding house and store. "in speaking of our climate you can boast honestly of its health. among families belonging to my missionary district, i have not known of one case of internal disease, during my seven months' stay here. it would be well to particularly mention in your forthcoming pamphlet, that this is a prairie, not a timber county. i receive so many letters asking about the cost of clearings, &c., &c. "i expect quite a rush for land in avoca, next spring, and will be glad if our people come on early, in time to plant potatoes, corn, &c." * * * * * in bringing this brief review of our catholic colonies to a close, we again thank the catholic press of this country, for its honest advocacy of catholic immigration to the land. the favorable notices its editors have given to our humble labors in our own field of duty, and the service rendered to our work thereby, can never be forgotten by us. our friend, p. hickey, esq., editor of the _catholic review_, came specially from new york, last summer to visit our colonies, to judge for himself; and what he saw, the favorable impressions he carried away with him, together with sound argument in favor of catholic colonization, have appeared, from time to time, since his return, in able and lucid articles from his pen. * * * * * god has blessed our labors beyond our expectations. we see our colonies fast merging into settled communities, where honest labor goes hand in hand with religion, and where men work not for a mere pittance from a master's hand, to support them for a day or a week, but with the hope, the prospect, of an inheritance for their children, in the future. the best time to come. when to come, what to bring--who should come. railroad fares from different points--half fares from st. paul to our colonies. where to call in st. paul. decidedly the best time for the emigrant to come to minnesota is the spring. if possible, he should not arrive later than the first week in may. he should have his land selected in time to commence to break for garden stuff and corn about the th of may, then he can continue to break, for his next year's wheat crop, up to the early part of july. the month of june is the month for breaking, for then the grass is young and succulent, and will rot readily. a man coming in the early part of june can have land broken for his next year's crop, but he loses the advantages of garden stuff and sod corn to help him out in his living until his first crop comes in. what to bring. all your bedding that is of value. all your bedclothes. all wearing apparel, good clothing of every description: nothing more. do not think of bringing stoves, nor any kind of house furniture. you can get all such at the stores in the colonies, or here in st. paul, new, for nearly what the freight on your old furniture, worthless and broken, perhaps, by the time it arrived here, would come to. the better way is to sell what you have in this line, before leaving, and buy here. who should come. we intend that our closing remarks shall treat fully and clearly on this very important portion of our subject. they will be found under the head of a chapter for all to read. here we will but say what we have already written. we invite farmers only to our colonies. no doubt the country builds up the town, and we look for quite a building up of our young catholic towns next summer; but, in the way of business, stores and mechanics' shops, the home supply is generally fully up to the demand, and at present we would not feel justified in inviting any one to our catholic colonies but a man who wants a farm, and who is able and willing to work one. railroad fares from different points. st class. d class. immigrant. new york $ $ $ philadelphia montreal toronto buffalo cleveland chicago milwaukee n. b.--the above are the fares from the points mentioned to st. paul. doubtless persons coming in a large party from the same place would get special low rates. from st. paul to any of our colonies, immigrants are carried for half fare; about $ for an adult. they also get low rates for baggage &c., &c. where to go on arriving in st. paul. immigrants, on arriving in st. paul, will immediately report themselves at the catholic colonization office, situated in the basement of the cathedral school building, corner of sixth and wabashaw streets. there they will be received by an agent of the bureau, who will give them all necessary information and instructions, also half-fare tickets to railroad points in the catholic colonies, and procure for them half-freight charges on goods and extra baggage. office hours from o'clock a. m. to o'clock p. m. all communications should be addressed to the catholic colonization bureau, st. paul, minn. a chapter for all to read. we wish that this concluding chapter of our pamphlet may be read carefully, and thought well over by intending immigrants. we wish it for their benefit, and our own benefit and protection. it is, we might say, a fearful responsibility to advise another in a matter which contemplates a change in his habits, mode of life, and home, and such a change should never be undertaken, especially by a man of family, without a most thorough investigation, not alone as to the place he intends going to, but likewise as to his own fitness for the change. when you have examined this pamphlet from cover to cover, then commence an examination of yourself, not forgetting your wife, if you have one, who is part of you, and a very important part in connection with this question of your going upon land. this is especially necessary if you and your wife have lived for years in a city and become habituated to city life. it is a great change from city life in the east to country life in the west, especially when the part of the country one moves to is new and settlements just forming. you are not to expect to realize the advantages of the change right off; it is through yourself, through your own grit and industry, those advantages must come. to a western farmer there is nothing bleak or lonely in a prairie; to a man coming fresh from a city and looking on it, for the first time, with city eyes, it may, very likely, seem both. indeed, a sense of loneliness akin to despondency is a feeling which the newly-arrived immigrant has generally to contend against, a feeling which may increase to a perfect scare if he is a man anxious to consult tom, dick and harry--who are always on hand--as to the wisdom of the step he has just taken. we speak from experience, from facts we have a personal knowledge of. our labors in the cause of immigration have brought to us much happiness and some pain. to illustrate: two immigrants arrived here last year, in high spirits, called at our office a few minutes after landing, and so impatient were they to go hunt up land that they were quite disappointed to find they would have to stop over one night in st. paul. well, the next morning they called at the office again, all courage, all desire to go upon land wilted out of them, and informed us that they had changed their minds and were going back to massachusetts. why? well, they had met a man at the boarding house they stopped over night at, who advised them not to go out and settle on a prairie. he told them, too, that "he was fifteen years in minnesota and never could get a dollar ahead." now here were men, rational to all appearance, having traveled two thousand miles or so to settle upon land, when they came within sight of the land, as we may say, losing all desire to visit it, all courage, all confidence in disinterested, experienced friends, and in the information they gave to them; in everything but the word of a loafer, who never did a day's good in his life, nor never will, and who was anxious to shuffle off the onus of his slipshod condition from himself to the country. here is another case, which occurred a few months after swift colony was opened and while the country around looked still wild and lonely. two men arrived here from philadelphia. they went on to the catholic colony in swift county, and in a day or two returned, saying that they had made up their minds to go back to philadelphia. why? did they not find everything as it was reported to them? "oh, yes, the land was good, and there was a good chance for a poor man to make a home on it, if he could content himself, but it was too lonely for them." lonely, to be sure it was; with the noise of the city still ringing in their ears, with its crowds and its gaslights still in their eyes, these men found the prairie lonely, and without pausing to consider all the circumstances, they turned their back upon it. they were both decent, intelligent men, and, had they remained, taken land, gone to work, opened a farm, and seen their first crop ripening, you could no more have got them back to philadelphia than you could get them into the penitentiary. now, we say to those for whose benefit this pamphlet has been written, if you come here you must come fully prepared to feel the effects of a great change. if you come from a city, you will, doubtless, feel lonely for a while, until you get accustomed to prairie life; you will miss many immediate comforts; you will have to put up with discomforts, with disappointments, with trials. the man who feels he can stand up against all such difficulties in the present, and look bravely to the future for his reward, let him come to minnesota. the man who feels within him no such strength, who is easily disheartened and inclined to listen to the idle talk of every man whom he meets, let him stop away and listen; better to listen now, where you are, than after going to the expense of coming here. to the family man we say: we would much prefer that you should come on here in the spring and see for yourself before breaking up your present home and bringing on your family. if you settle down, you can send or go for your family; if you are not pleased with the change, there will not be much harm done. another very important piece of advice we give to you: if your wife is very much opposed to going upon land, do not come out. a discontented wife on a new farm is far worse than the colorado beetle. but if she urges you to come, if, in this matter, she thinks of your welfare and that of her children, rather than of the society of the gossips she will leave behind her; if she says to you, "we will have the children out of harm's way anyhow," then come with a brave heart and the smile of the true wife and mother shall be as a sunbeam in your prairie home. how to secure government land. although we cannot promise government land in any of our colonies, still we give the following synopsis of the laws affecting such land, as likely to be of benefit to those who wish to secure homes in this way. homesteads. . _who may enter._--first, every head of a family; second, every single person, male or female, over the age of twenty-one years, who are citizens of the united states, or have declared their intentions to become such. . _quantity that may be entered._-- acres within ten miles on each side of a land-grant railroad, and acres without. . _cost of entry._--fourteen dollars. . _time for settlement._--after making his entry the settler has six months within which to remove upon his land. . _length of settlement._--the settler must live upon and cultivate his entry for five years. at any time after five, and within seven years, he makes proof of residence and cultivation. . _proof required._--his own affidavit and the testimony of two witnesses. . _residence._--single, as well as married men, are required to live upon their homesteads. . _soldiers' homesteads._--every honorable discharged soldier, sailor or marine, who served for ninety days, can enter acres within railroad limits, upon payment of eighteen dollars. the time spent in the service will be deducted from the five years' residence required. timber culture entry. . _who may enter._--the same qualifications are required as in a homestead entry. . _quantity that may be entered._-- , , or acres. . _limitations._--but one-fourth of any section can be entered. . _requirements._--no settlement is required. by the amended law only ten acres need be broken and set out in trees on acres, (quarter section.) first year, break five acres. second year, break five acres and cultivate in crop first year's breaking. third year, set out trees in first five acres broken and crop second five acres. fourth year, set out trees in latest five acres broken. n. b.--seed or cuttings can be put in in place of trees. if the timber entry be but acres, one-half the quantity before given is planted; if acres, one-fourth. . _proof required._--affidavit of party, and testimony of two witnesses. . _cost of entry._--fourteen dollars for any entry, without regard to quantity. a man making a homestead entry, is also entitled to make a timber-culture entry. this would give him, outside of the ten miles railroad grant, half a section of land; a son or daughter, twenty-one years of age, can also enter under the homestead and timber-claim acts, half a section; and thus one family can secure a whole section of land. pre-emption act. under this act, a man can enter acres of government land, inside the ten miles railroad limits, price $ . per acre; or acres, outside the railroad grant, for which he will have to pay, getting two years time $ . , government price. if he wishes, he can pay up in six months, on proof of actual residence, having made the improvements on the land required by the law, which are easily done, and get his title; having secured this, he can then enter or acres more, under the homestead act. he cannot pre-empt and homestead at the same time. none of the government conditions for securing land are at all burdensome to the actual settler; whether required by law or not, to be a farmer, a man must live upon his land and cultivate it. [advertisement.] the very best line to st. paul or minneapolis, is the chicago, milwaukee & st. paul railway. _it is the only northwestern line connecting in same depot in chicago, with any of the great eastern or southern lines, and is the most conveniently located with reference to reaching any depot, hotel, or place of business in that city._ passengers approaching chicago by any railway, will find parmalee's omnibus checkman on the trains, who will exchange their checks, and give them all requisite information. parmalee's omnibusses are on hand at all depots, on arrival of trains, to convey passengers to the depot of this company. passenger agents of this company are at the several depots, on arrival of connecting trains, for the purpose of directing and assisting passengers. a thoroughly ballasted steel rail track, palace coaches and sleeping cars, and finely upholstered second class cars, all perfect in every particular, equipped with the westinghouse improved automatic air brake, with miller's safety platforms and couplings, are distinguishing features of this popular route. _tickets for st. paul and minneapolis are good either via watertown, sparta, la crosse, winona, and the famed mississippi river division, or via madison, prairie du chien, mcgregor, austin and owatonna._ ticket offices: washington street. boston. clark street, chicago. union depot, cor. canal and west madison streets, chicago. and at all principal ticket offices in the country. _t. e. chandler, agent, chicago._ a. v. h. carpenter, gen'l passenger and ticket agent. [advertisement.] the minnesota chief the crowning success of a century's experience. [illustration] neither vibrator nor apron machine but combines the good qualities of both. _it threshes more grain, separates more perfectly, is lighter running, cleans grain cleaner, than all others, and has no equal for timothy or flax._ it will thresh and separate wet grain as well as dry. it has at the same time both an over and an under blast. in strength, durability, and economy, it has no rival. =improved mounted pitts power=, with a powerful brake and a drop gear attachment. =improved mounted woodbury power=, more strongly and durably built than any other of its kind in the market. for sale at most of the principal towns in the west. for circulars and price lists, address, _manufactured by_ seymour, sabin & co. stillwater, minnesota. [advertisement.] the north-western chronicle. a catholic family newspaper. the catholic newspaper of the north-west. devoted to catholicity, literature and general information. the latest news from all parts of the world relating to the condition and progress of the church. all foreign and domestic news. =farm statistics, local intelligence=, and market reports. =terms.= =$ . per year, payable in advance.= n. w. publishing co. catholic block, third street. st. paul, minnesota. [advertisement.] gammon & deering, harvesting machinery. the marsh harvester and harvester king, with or without their celebrated automatic crane binder attachment for . [illustration] we present, on this page, a cut representing the latest improvements in grain-cutting machinery, as shown in the celebrated _marsh harvester with automatic crane-binder attachment_. the marsh harvester itself is too widely and favorably known to require an extended description or commendation. it was the first of this class of grain-harvesting machines, and, indeed, for some years the only one, forcing itself into favor against the united opposition of the various reaper manufacturers who are now so clamorous in praise of their imitation harvesters. it also made practicable automatic grain binding. all attempts to put self-binding attachments to other reapers proved futile, and have only been successful when attached to harvesters cutting and elevating the grain, as is done by this harvester. the manufacturers of the marsh harvester have been fully alive to the importance of having a self-binding attachment to their harvesters that should be correspondingly for a binder what their harvester is admitted to be--_the best of its class_. to this end they have had skilled labor specially employed for several years, and have invented and patented several important improvements and devices, and have bought others. they have also had their binders in the grain fields for several years past, following the progress of the harvest from texas to manitoba. last season this binder did remarkable work. such minor defects as the most thorough tests and roughest usage developed have been carefully remedied. it is no longer a question of success with this binder, success is a fully demonstrated fact. another thing will be obvious to all who carefully examine this binder, that it is very simple and easily understood. this is an indispensible requisite to a successful machine. farmers are too busy and too much hurried in harvest time to study mechanics or tinker on machinery. they want a machine they can put in the field, and do good work, without bother, loss of time or undue perplexity. this harvester and binder will do good work with certainty. the marsh harvester cuts a five-foot swath the king cuts six feet. all of these harvesters are so made this year that a binder attachment can be put on at any time hereafter, so that a farmer, desiring to divide the expense, can buy the harvester this year and the binder next. look at it! a few years ago it required six or seven men to do, with a self-rake reaper, what the marsh harvester and binder will do with one man or one boy. the harvester also does the work cleaner and better. it binds every straw, and saves enough in this way to nearly or quite pay for the wire. the wire-bound bundles can be made as large or as small as you like. the wire is unobjectionable in threshing, the wire passing through without injury to the thresher. no cattle will eat wire, and no one has ever been known to be injured by it. it requires about three pounds of wire to an acre of grain of average stand. this machine reduces the cost and the labor of grain harvesting to a minimum. no progressive farmer can afford to do his work with an old-fashioned reaper. he might almost as well return to the hand sickle. it is now a question of the best binder. _thus far the manufacturers of the marsh harvester have furnished the best harvester, and now they offer the best binder_, and still propose to keep their machines in the lead, as they have been, and are now. we also manufacture the old and reliable warrior mower, admitted by all to be one of the best mowers in use. apply to the nearest agency or to gammon & deering, chicago, ill., for circulars containing full particulars in regard to those machines. =_w. h. jones & co._=, =_gammon & deering_=, general agents for minnesota manufacturers, chicago, ill. and manitoba. transcriber's notes: the original edition did not include a table of contents. some inconsistent hyphenation (i.e. overcrowded vs. over-crowded) has been retained from the original -- text quoted from different sources may have different standards. within several long quotes, series of asterisks on line ends have been replaced with thought breaks -- these presumably indicate abbreviations to the quotations. page , changed "successs" to "success." page , changed "similiar" to "similar." page , removed stray comma from "average, quantity." page , changed "indegenous" to "indigenous." page , inconsistent capitalization in table retained from original. split table to fit width of text edition; html edition provides better rendering. page , changed "every dollars'" to "every dollar's." page , added missing period after "rev" in "rev. f. j. swift." pages and , normalized "degraff" to "de graff" for consistency. page , changed "$ " to "$ , " for consistency. page , converted oe ligature to oe in "koeberl" for latin- compatibility; html edition retains ligature. page , added period after "minn." page , removed extraneous space from "$ . ." page , changed "to busy" to "too busy." [illustration: white bear lake.] the seat of empire. by charles carleton coffin, "carleton." "i now believe that the ultimate last seat of government on this great continent will be found somewhere within a circle or radius not very far from the spot on which i stand, at the head of navigation on the mississippi river." w. h. seward, _speech at st. paul, _. [illustration] boston: fields, osgood, & co. . entered according to act of congress, in the year , by charles carleton coffin, in the clerk's office of the district court for the district of massachusetts. university press: welch, bigelow, & co., cambridge. to john gregory smith, _governor of vermont during the rebellion_, whom i first saw tenderly caring for the sick and wounded in the hospitals of fredericksburg, and through whose energy and perseverance one of the greatest enterprises of the present century has been successfully inaugurated, ~this volume~ is affectionately inscribed. contents. chapter i. from chicago to minneapolis. page cutting loose from care.--map of the northwest.--leaving chicago.--fourth of july.--at la crosse.--dance on a steamboat.--up the mississippi.--the boundaries of minnesota.--winona.--st. paul.--minneapolis.--the father of waters in harness chapter ii. st. cloud and beyond. st. cloud.--our party.--first night in camp.--a midnight thunder-storm.--sunday in camp.--up the sauk valley.-- white bear lake.--catching a turtle.--lightning lake.-- second sabbath in camp.--the river systems of the northwest --elevations across the continent.--the future chapter iii. the red river country. down the valley of the red river.--breckenridge.--fort abercrombie.--climate.--winters at winnipeg.--burlington. --the emigrant.--father genin.--mackenzie.--harman.--sir john richardson.--captain palliser.--father de smet.-- winters on the saskatchawan.--snow-fall chapter iv. the empire of the northwest. winnipeggers.--ride over the prairie.--dakota city.-- georgetown.--hudson bay company teams.--parting with our friends.--the d parallel.--dakota.--wyoming.-- montana.--idaho.--oregon.--washington.--british columbia. --distances.--fisheries of the pacific.--mr. seward's speech chapter v. the frontier. bottineau.--the leaf hills.--a ride over the plain.--the park region.--settlers.--how they kept the fourth of july.--chippewa indians.--rush lake.--a serenade on the prairie.--german pioneers.--otter-tail lake chapter vi. round the camp-fire. noon lunch.--toasting pork.--a montana dutchman.--emigrant trains.--camping at night--wheat of minnesota.--the state in .--a word to young men.--boys once more.--our last camp-fire chapter vii. in the forest. down-easters.--the eden of lumbermen.--country east of the mississippi.--the climate of the forest region.--white bear lake.--travellers from duluth.--a maine farmer in minnesota.--chengwatona.--pitching of the mud-wagon.-- grindstone.--kettle river.--superior chapter viii. duluth. duluth.--minnesota point.--the projected breakwater.-- comparison with the suez canal.--the town.--period of navigation.--the lake superior and mississippi railroad. --transportation.--elevators.--st. louis river.--minnesota slate quarry.--an indian chief and his followers.-- railroad lands.--manufacturing industry.--terms of the railroad company chapter ix. the mining region. the apostle islands.--bayfield.--the harbor.--breakfast with captain vaughn.--ashland.--big trout.--ontonagon.-- approach to marquette.--the harbor.--the town.--discovery of iron ore.--mining companies.--varieties of ore.--the miners.--the coming years chapter x. a familiar talk. a talk about the northwest.--mr. blotter.--he wants a farm.--government lands.--homestead law of minnesota.-- exemption laws.--the st. paul and pacific railroad.-- liberal terms of payment.--stock-raising.--robbing mother earth.--native grasses.--fruit.--small grains.-- productions of the state, .--schools.--when to emigrate.--prospective development.--the tide of emigration chapter xi. northern pacific railroad. how communities grow.--humboldt.--what i saw in .-- the pacific coast.--river-systems.--lewis and clark.-- jeff davis.--charter of the company.--the projectors.-- the line.--from lake superior to the mississippi.--to the rocky mountains.--deer lodge pass.--the western slope.--mr. roberts's report.--snow blockades.-- elevations.--power of locomotives.--bureau of emigration.--portable houses.--help to emigrants.-- the future the seat of empire. chapter i. from chicago to minneapolis. last summer i cut loose from all care, and enjoyed a few weeks of freedom and recreation with a party of gentlemen on the frontier between lake superior and the missouri river. i was charmed by the beauty of the country, amazed at its resources, and favorably impressed by its probable future. its attractions were set forth in a series of letters contributed to the boston journal. people from every eastern state, as well as from new york and the british provinces, have called upon me since my return, for the purpose of "having a talk about the northwest," while others have applied by letter for additional or specific information, and others still have requested a republication of the letters. in response to these calls this small volume has been prepared, setting forth the physical features of the vast reach of country lying between the lakes and the pacific, not only in the united states, but in british america as well. the most trustworthy accounts of persons who have lived there, as well as of engineers who have been sent out by the united states, british, and canadian governments, have been collated, that those seeking a home in minnesota or dakota may know what sort of a country lies beyond, and what will be its probable future. the map accompanying the volume has been prepared for the most part by the bureau of the united states topographical engineers. it gives me pleasure to acknowledge my indebtedness to major-general humphreys, in charge of the bureau, and to colonel woodruffe, in charge of the map department, for permission to use the same. through their courtesy i am enabled to place before the public the most complete map ever published of the country between the th and th parallel, extending across the continent, and showing not only the entire railway system of the eastern and middle states, but also the union pacific railroad and the northern pacific, now under construction. the figures followed by the letter t have reference to the elevation of the locality above tide-water, thus enabling the reader to obtain at a glance a comprehensive idea of the topographical as well as the geographical features of the country. "all aboard for the northwest!" so shouted the stalwart porter of the sherman house, chicago, on the morning of the th of july, . giving heed to the call, we descended the steps of the hotel and entered an omnibus waiting at the door, that quickly whirled us to the depot of the chicago and northwestern railroad. there were about a dozen gentlemen in the party, all bound for the northwest, to explore a portion of the vast reach of country lying between lake superior and the great northern bend of the missouri river. it was a pleasant, sunny, joyful morning. the anniversary of the nation's independence having fallen on the sabbath, the celebration was observed on monday, and the streets resounded with the explosion of fire-crackers. americans, germans, norwegians, irish, people of all nationalities, were celebrating the birthday of their adopted country. not only in chicago, but throughout the cosmopolitan state of wisconsin, as we sped over its fertile prairies and through its towns and villages during the day, there was a repetition of the scene. settlers from new england and the middle states were having sabbath-school, temperance, or civic celebrations; irish societies were marching in procession, bearing green banners emblazoned with the shamrock, thistle, and harp of erin; germans were drinking lager beer, singing songs, and smoking their meerschaums. all work was laid aside, and all hands--farmers with their wives and daughters, young men with their sweethearts, children in crowds--were observing in their various ways the return of the holiday. our route was by way of la crosse, which we reached late in the evening. we were to go up the mississippi on a steamer that lay moored to the bank. its cabin was aglow with lights. entering it, we found a party of ladies and gentlemen formed for a quadrille. they were the officers of the boat and their friends from the town. a negro with a bass-viol, and two germans with violins, were tuning their instruments and rosining their bows. we were met upon the threshold by a rosy-cheeked damsel, who gleefully exclaimed,-- "o, yeau have arrived at the right moment! we are having a right good time, and we only want one more gentleman to make it go real good. yeau'll dance neaw, won't ye? i want a partner. o, ye will neaw. i know ye will, and ye'll call off the changes tew, won't ye? neaw dew." not having a "light fantastic toe" on either foot, we were forced to say no to this lively la crosse maiden; besides, we were tired and covered with dust, and in sad plight for the ball-room. a member of congress was next appealed to, then a grave and dignified doctor of divinity. a more ungallant party than ours never stood on a western steamboat. governor, judge, parson, members of congress, all shook their heads and resisted the enthusiastic lady. in vain she urged them, and the poor girl, with downcast countenance, turned from the obdurate yankees, and sailed in gloriously with a youth who fortunately entered the cabin at the moment. it was a rare sight to see, for they danced with a will. they made the steamer shake from stem to stern. the glass lamps tinkled in their brass settings, and the doors of staterooms rattled on their hinges, especially when the largest gentleman of the party came to a shuffle. he is the daniel lambert of the mississippi,--immense and gigantic, and having great development round the equator. quadrille, cotillon, and waltz, and genuine western break-downs followed one after the other. there was plenty to eat and drink in the pantry. the first thing we heard in the evening was the tuning of the instruments; the last thing, as we dropped off to sleep, was the scraping of the violins and the shuffling of feet. we are awake in the morning in season to take a look at the place before the boat casts off from its mooring for a trip to winona. a company of norwegian emigrants that came with us on the train from chicago are cooking their breakfast in and around the station. they sailed from christiania for quebec, and have been six weeks on the way. all ages are represented. it is a party made up of families. there are many light-haired maidens among them with deep blue eyes and blonde complexions; and robust young men with honest faces, who have bidden farewell forever to their old homes upon the fiords of norway, and who henceforth are to be citizens of the united states. they will find immediate employment on the railroads of minnesota, in the construction of new lines. they are not hired by the day, but small sections are let out to individuals, who receive a specified sum for every square yard of earth thrown up. there is no discussion of the eight-hour question among them. they work sixteen hours of their own accord, instead of haggling over eight. they have no time to engage in rows, nor do they find occasion. they have had a bare existence in their old home; life there was ever a struggle, the mere keeping together of soul and body, but here hope leads them on. they are poor now, but a few years hence they will be well off in the world. they will have farms, nice houses, money in banks, government bonds, and railway stocks. they will obtain land at government price, will raise wheat, wool, or stock, and will soon find their land quadrupled in value. they will make excellent citizens. their hearts are on the right side,--not physiologically, but morally, politically, and religiously speaking. they are ardent lovers of liberty; they cannot be trammelled by any shackles, political or ecclesiastical. they are frugal, industrious, and honest. already there are several daily papers published in the scandinavian language. the steamer is ploughing the mississippi against the current northward. wisconsin is on our right, minnesota on our left; and while we are moving on toward the region of country which we are to visit, we may while away the time by thinking over the general characteristics of the state of minnesota, in which our explorations are to commence. the southern boundary strikes the river twenty-two miles below la crosse. if i were to go down there and turn my steps due west, i might walk two hundred and sixty-four miles along the iowa line before reaching the southwestern corner of the state. the western side is the longest, and if i were to start from the southwestern corner and travel due north, i should have a journey of three hundred and sixty miles to accomplish before reaching the northern boundary,--the line between the united states and british america. starting from pembina, at the northwest corner of the state, on the red river of the north, and travelling due east eighty miles, i should reach the lake of the woods; sailing across it sixty miles, then entering the river leading to rainy lake, i might pass through the wonderful water-way of lakes and rivers reaching to lake superior,--a distance of about four hundred miles. the eastern boundary formed by the mississippi, st. croix, and lake superior is more irregular. its general outline, as we look at it upon the map, is that of a crescent, cutting into minnesota, the horns turned eastward. the area within the boundaries thus described is estimated at , square miles, or , , acres. it is a territory larger than maine, new hampshire, vermont, massachusetts, rhode island, and connecticut combined. here, upon the mississippi, i gaze upon bluffs of gray limestone wrought into fantastic shape by the winds and storms of centuries and by the slow wearing of the river; but were i to climb them, and gain the general level of the country, i should behold rolling prairies dotted with lakes and ponds of pure water, and groves of oak and hickory. all of minnesota east of the mississippi is a timbered region. here and there are openings; but, speaking in general terms, the entire country east of the river is a forest, which through the coming years will resound with the axe of the lumberman. when we go up the mississippi eighty miles above st. paul to st. cloud, we shall find the sauk river coming in from the west; and there the mississippi is no longer the boundary of the timbered lands, but the forest reaches across the stream westward to otter-tail river, a distance of more than one hundred miles. the sauk river is its southern boundary. all the region north of the sauk, at the head-waters of the mississippi and north of lake superior, is well supplied with timber. a belt of woods forty miles wide, starting from the crow-wing river, extends south nearly to the iowa boundary. it is broken here and there by prairie openings and fertile meadows. the tract is known throughout the northwest as the region of the "big woods." there are fringes of timber along the streams, so that the settler, wherever he may wish to make a home, will generally find material for building purposes within easy reach. in this respect minnesota is one of the most favored states of the union. the formations of the bluffs now and then remind us of old castles upon the rhine. they are, upon an average, three hundred and fifty feet above the summer level of the river. we are far from the gulf of mexico, yet the river at st. paul is only six hundred and seventy-six feet above tide-water. northward of minneapolis the bluffs disappear, and the surface of the river is but a few feet below the general level of the country, which is about one thousand feet above the sea. it is one of the remarkable topographical features of the continent, that from st. paul to the peace river, which empties into the athabasca, the elevation is about the same, though the distance is more than one thousand miles. throughout this great extent of territory, especially in minnesota, are innumerable lakes and ponds of pure fresh water, some of them having no visible outlet or inlet, with pebbly shores and beaches of white sand, bordered by groves and parks of oak, ash, and maple, lending an indescribable charm to the beauty of the landscape. while we are making these observations the steamer is nearing winona, a pleasant town, delightfully situated on a low prairie, elevated but a few feet above the river. the bluffs at this point recede, giving ample room for a town site with a ravine behind it. nature has done a great deal for the place,--scooping out the ravine as if the sole purpose had been to make the construction of a railroad an easy matter. the winona and st. peter's railway strikes out from the town over the prairie, winds through the ravine, and by easy grades gains the rolling country beyond. the road is nearly completed to the minnesota river, one hundred and forty miles. it will eventually be extended to the western boundary of the state, and onward into dakota. it is now owned by the chicago and northwestern railway company, and runs through the centre of the second tier of counties in the state. the southern minnesota railroad starts from la crosse, and runs west through the first tier of counties. it is already constructed half-way across the state, and will be pushed on, as civilization advances, to the missouri. that is the objective point of all the lines of railway leading west from the mississippi, and they will soon be there. this city of winona fifteen years ago had about one hundred inhabitants. it was a place where steamers stopped to take wood and discharge a few packages of freight, but to-day it has a population of nine thousand. looking out upon it from the promenade deck of the steamer, we see new buildings going up, and can hear the hammers and saws of the carpenters. it already contains thirteen churches and a normal school with three hundred scholars, who are preparing to teach the children of the state, though the probabilities are that most of them will soon teach their own offspring instead of their neighbors'; for in the west young men are plenty, maidens scarce. out here-- "there is no goose so gray but soon or late will find some honest gander for her mate." not so in the east, for the young men there are pushing west, and women are in the majority. it is a certainty that some of them will know more of single blessedness than of married life. if they would only come out here, the certainty would be the other way. not stopping at winona, but hastening on board the train, we fly over the prairie, up the ravine, and out through one of the most fertile sections of the great grain-field of the northwest. the superintendent of the road, mr. stewart, accompanies our party, and we receive pleasure and profit by having a gentleman with us who is so thoroughly informed as he to point out the objects of interest along the way. by a winding road, now running under a high bluff where the limestone ledges overhang the track, now gliding over a high trestle-bridge from the northern to the southern side of the deep ravine, we gain at length the general table-land, and behold, reaching as far as the eye can see, fields of wheat. fences are visible here and there, showing the division of farms; but there is scarcely a break in the sea of grain, in flower now, rippling and waving in the passing breeze. farm-houses dot the landscape, and white cottages are embowered in surrounding groves, and here and there we detect a small patch of corn or an acre of potatoes,--small islands these in the great ocean of wheat reaching westward, northward, and southward. we are astonished when the train nears st. charles, a town of two thousand inhabitants, looking marvellously like a new england village, to see a school-house just completed at a cost of $ , ! and still wider open we our eyes at rochester, with a population of six thousand, where we behold a school-building that has cost $ , ! upon inquiry we ascertain that the bulk of the population of these towns is from new england. a ride of about ninety miles brings us to owatona, a town of about three thousand inhabitants. we are in steele county. the little rivulets here meandering through the prairie and flowing southward reach the mississippi only after crossing the state of iowa, while those running northward join the mississippi through the minnesota river. here, as at rochester, we behold charming landscapes, immense fields of grain, groves of trees, snug cottages and farm-houses, and a thrifty town. owatona has a school-house that cost the citizens $ , ; yet nine years ago the population of the entire county was only , ! the census of will probably make it , . so civilization advances, not only here, but all through the northwest, especially where there are railroad facilities. from owatona we turn north and pass through rice county, containing eighteen townships. it is one of the best-timbered counties west of the mississippi; there are large tracts of oak, maple, butternut, walnut, poplar, elm, and boxwood. we glide through belts of timber where choppers are felling the trees for railroad ties, past fields where the industrious husbandman has turned the natural grasses of the prairie into blooming clover. at faribault a company of norwegians, recently arrived from their homes beyond the sea, and not having reached their journey's end, are cooking their supper near the station. to-morrow they will be pushing on westward to the grounds already purchased by the agent who has brought them out. in this entire county had only one hundred inhabitants; the census of next year will probably show a population of twenty-five thousand,--one half americans, one sixth germans, one ninth irish, besides norwegians, swedes, and canadians. faribault has about four thousand inhabitants, who have laid excellent foundations for future growth. they have an episcopal college, a high school for ladies, a theological seminary, a deaf and dumb asylum, two congregational churches, also one baptist, one methodist, and one episcopal. they have excellent water-power on the cannon river. five flouring-mills have already been erected. fourteen miles beyond this place we find northfield with three thousand inhabitants, three fourths of them new-englanders. five churches and a college, two flouring-mills capable of turning out one hundred thousand barrels per annum, excellent schools, a go-ahead population, are the characteristics of this thoroughly wide-awake town. a mile or two beyond northfield we enter dakota county,--one of the most fertile in the state. it was one of the first settled, and in contained , inhabitants. its present population is estimated at , ,--one third of them irish, one third americans, one quarter germans, and the remainder of all nationalities. the largest town is hastings, on the mississippi, containing about four thousand inhabitants. the hastings and dakota railroad, extending west, crosses the milwaukie and st. paul at farmington, a pleasant little town located on a green and fertile prairie. thirty miles of this hastings and dakota road are in operation, and it is pushing on westward, like all the others, to reach the territory of dakota and the missouri river. on over the prairies we fly, reaching the oldest town in the state, mendota, which was a trading-post of the american fur company as long ago as . it was livelier then than now, for in those years indians by the thousand made it their rendezvous, coming in their bark canoes down the minnesota from the borders of dakota, down the st. croix, which joins the mississippi opposite hastings, down the mississippi from all the region above the falls of st. anthony; but now it is a seedy place. the houses have a forlorn look, and the three hundred irish and germans that make up the bulk of the population are not of the class that lay the foundations of empires, or make the wilderness bud and blossom with roses; they take life easy, and let to-day wait on to-morrow. fort snelling, admirably located, looms grandly above the high steep bluff of the northern bank of the minnesota river. it was one of the strongest posts on the frontier, but it is as useless now as a last year's swallow's-nest. the frontier is three hundred miles farther on. upon the early maps of minnesota i find a magnificent city occupying the surrounding ground. it was surveyed and plotted, but st. paul and minneapolis got ahead, and the city of snelling has no place in history. we approach st. paul from the south. stepping from the cars we find ourselves on the lowlands of the mississippi, with a high bluff south of us, and another on the north bank, both rising perpendicularly from the river. we ride over a long wooden bridge, one end of which rests on the low land by the railroad station, and the other on the high northern bluff, so that the structure is inclined at an angle of about twenty degrees, like the driveway to a new england barn where the floor is nearly up to the high beams. we are in a city which in , twenty years ago, had a population of eight hundred and forty, but which now has an estimated population of twenty-five thousand. here that powerful tribe of northern indians, the dakotas, had their capital,--a cave in the sandstone bluffs, which was the council-chamber of the tribe. upon the bluff now stands the capital of the state, and the sanguine citizens believe that the city is to be the commercial metropolis of the northwest. a few months ago i was on the other side of the globe, where civilization is at a stand-still; where communities exist, but scarcely change; where decay is quite as probable as growth; where advancement is the exception, and not the rule. to ride through the streets of st. paul; to behold its spacious warehouses, its elegant edifices, stores piled with the goods of all lands, the products of all climes,--furs from hudson bay, oranges from messina, teas from china, coffee from brazil, silks from paris, and all the products of industry from our own land; to behold the streets alive with people, crowded with farmers' wagons laden with wheat and flour; to read the signs, "young men's christian association," "st. paul library association"; to see elegant school-edifices and churches, beautiful private residences surrounded by lawns and adorned with works of art,--to see this in contrast with what we have so lately witnessed, and to think that this is the development of american civilization, going on now as never before, and destined to continue till all this wide region is to be thus dotted over with centres of influence and power, sends an indescribable thrill through our veins. it is not merely that we are americans, but because in this land christian civilization is attaining the highest development of all time. the people of st. paul may justly take pride in what they have already accomplished, and they also have reason to look forward with confidence to the future. the county is quite small, containing only four and a half townships. the soil is poor, a sandy loam, of not much account for farming purposes, but being at the head of steamboat navigation a good start was obtained; and now that railroads are superseding steamboats, st. paul reaches out her iron arms in every direction,--up the mississippi to st. cloud, westward through minneapolis to the red river of the north, southwest to touch the missouri at sioux city, due south over the line by which we reached the city, down the river towards chicago, and northeast to lake superior. as a spider extends its threads, so st. paul, or perhaps, more properly speaking, st. paul and minneapolis together, are throwing out their lines of communication, making themselves the centre of the great northwest systems of railways. the interests of st. paul are mercantile, those of minneapolis manufacturing. they are nearly five hundred miles distant from chicago,--far enough to be an independent commercial, manufacturing, and distributing centre. that such is to be their destiny cannot be doubted. the outfit of our party had been prepared at minneapolis; and a large number of gentlemen from that city made their appearance at st. paul, to convey us to the town in their own private carriages. it is a charming ride that we have along the eastern bank of the mississippi, which pours its mighty flood,--mighty even here, though so far away from the sea,--rolling and thundering far below us in the chasm which it has worn in the solid rock. on our right hand are fields of waving grain, and white cottages half hidden in groves of oak and maple. we see new england thrift and enterprise, for the six states east of the hudson have been sending their wide-awake sons and daughters to this section for the last twenty years. the gentleman with whom we are riding came here from the woods of maine, a lumberman from the penobscot, and has been the architect of his own fortune. he knows all about the upper mississippi, its tributaries, and the chain of lakes lying northwest of lake superior. he is mayor of minneapolis, a substantial citizen, his hand ready for every good work,--for the building of schools and churches, for charity and benevolence; but on the upper mississippi he wears a red shirt, eats pork and beans, and sleeps on pine boughs. he directs the labor of hundreds of wood-choppers and raftsmen. how different this from what we see in other lands! i find my pen runs on contrasts. how can one help it after seeing that gorgeous and lumbering old carriage in which the lord mayor of london rides from guildhall to westminster? the lord mayor himself appears in a scarlet cloak not half so becoming as a red shirt. he wears a massive gold chain, and a hat which would be most in place on the stage of a theatre, and which would make him a guy in any american town. not so do the lord mayors of the northwest appear in public. they understand practical life. it is one of the characteristics of our democratic government that it makes people practical in all things. in the town of minneapolis contained only , inhabitants, but the population by the census of the present year is , . the fall in the river at this point is sixty-four feet, furnishing , horse-power,--more than sufficient to drive every mill-wheel and factory in new england, and, according to wheelock's report, greater than the whole motive-power--steam and water--employed in textile manufactures in england in . thirteen flouring-mills, fourteen saw-mills, two woollen-mills, and two paper-mills, are already erected. six million dollars have been invested in manufacturing at this point. the only difficulty to be encountered is the preservation of the falls in their present position. beneath the slate rock over which the torrent pours is a strata of soft sandstone, which rapidly wears away. measures have been taken, however, to preserve the cataract in its present condition, by constructing an apron to carry the water some distance beyond the verge of the fall and thus prevent the breaking away of the rock. no one can behold the natural advantages at minneapolis without coming to the conclusion that it is to be one of the great manufacturing cities of the world if the fall can be kept in its present position. cotton can be loaded upon steamers at memphis, and discharged at st. paul. the climate here is exceedingly favorable for the manufacturing of cotton goods. the lumber-mills by and by will give place to other manufactures, and minneapolis will rank with lowell or fall river. our ride brings us to st. anthony on the east bank of the river, where we behold the mississippi roaring and tumbling over the slate-stone ledges, and hear the buzzing and humming of the machinery in the saw-mills. st. anthony was one of the earliest-settled towns in the state. its projectors were southern men. streets were laid out, stores erected, a great hotel built, and extravagant prices asked for land, but the owners of minneapolis offered lots at cheaper rates, and found purchasers. the war came on, and the proprietors of st. anthony being largely from the south, the place ceased to grow, while its rival on the western shore moved steadily onward in a prosperous career. but st. anthony is again advancing, for many gentlemen doing business in minneapolis reside there. the interests of the two places are identical, and will advance together. how can one describe what is indescribable? i can only speak of this city as situated on a beautiful plain, with the mississippi thundering over a cataract with a power sufficient to build up half a dozen lowells; with a country behind it where every acre of land as far as the eye can see, and a hundred or a thousand times farther, is capable of cultivation and of supporting a population as dense as that of belgium or china. wide streets, costly school-houses, church spires, a community in which the new england element largely predominates,--a city where every other door does not open to a lager-beer saloon, as in some western towns; where the sound of the saw and the hammer, and the click of the mason's trowel and sledge, are heard from morning till night; where the streets are filled with wagons from the country, bringing in grain and carrying back lumber, with the farmer, his wife and buxom daughter, and tow-headed, bright-faced little boys perched on top--such are the characteristics of minneapolis. there was a time when pegasus was put in harness, and the ancients, according to fable, tried to put hercules to work. if those days of classic story have gone by, better ones have come, for the people of minneapolis have got the father of waters in harness. he is cutting out one hundred million feet of lumber per annum here. i can hear him spinning his saws. he is turning a score of mill-stones, and setting a million or two of spindles in motion, and pretty soon some of the citizens intend to set him to weaving bags and cloth by the hundred thousand yards! only a tithe of his strength is yet laid out. these men, reared in the east, and developed in the west, will make the old father work for them henceforth. he will not be allowed to idle away his time by leaping and laughing year in and year out over yonder cataract. he must work for the good of the human race. they will use him for the building of a great mart of industry,--for the erection of houses and homes, the abodes of comfort and happiness and of joyful and peaceful life. chapter ii. st. cloud and beyond. st. cloud was the rendezvous of the party, where a grand ovation awaited us,--a band of music at the station, a dinner at the hotel, a ride to sauk rapids, two miles above the town. st. cloud is eighty miles above st. paul, situated on the west bank of the river, and is reached by the st. paul and pacific railroad. the goods of the hudson bay company pass through the town. three hundred tons per annum are shipped from liverpool to montreal, from montreal to milwaukie, from milwaukie by rail to this point, and from hence are transported by oxen to the red river, taken down that stream on a small steamer to lake winnipeg, then sent in boats and canoes up the assinniboin, the saskatchawan, and to all the numerous trading-posts between winnipeg and the arctic ocean. we are getting towards the frontier. we come upon frontiersmen in leggings, slouch hat, and fur coat,--carrying their rifles. indians are riding their ponies. wigwams are seen in the groves. carts are here from pembina and fort garry after supplies. and yet, in the suburbs of the town we see a large normal school building just completed. a magnificent bridge costing $ , spans the mississippi. at sauk rapids the river rolls over a granite ledge, and a chartered water-power company is erecting a dam, constructing a canal, and laying the foundations for the second great manufacturing city upon the mississippi. this section has been a favorite locality for german emigrants. nearly one half of the inhabitants of stearns county, of which st. cloud is the county-seat, are germans. here we bid good by to the locomotive and take the saddle instead, with light carriages for occasional change. we leave hotels behind, and are to enjoy the pleasures of camp-life. our party as made up consists of the following persons:-- gov. j. gregory smith, st. albans, vt. w. c. smith, m. c. " " w. h. lord, d. d., montpelier, vt. f. e. woodbridge, vergennes, vt. s. w. thayer, m. d., burlington, vt. hon. r. d. rice, augusta, me. p. coburn, " " e. f. johnson, middletown, conn. c. c. coffin, boston. p. w. holmes, new york city. a. b. bayless, jr., new york city. w. r. marshall, st. paul, gov. of minnesota. e. m. wilson, m. c., minneapolis. g. a. brackett, " the list is headed by ex-governor smith, president of the northern pacific railroad and of the vermont central. it fell to his lot to be chief magistrate of the green mountain state during the rebellion, and among all the loyal governors there was no one that excelled him in energy and executive force. he was here, there, and everywhere,--one day in vermont, the next in washington, the third in the rear of the army looking after the wounded. i remember seeing him at fredericksburg during those terrible weeks that followed the struggles at the wilderness and spottsylvania,--directing his assistants, laboring with his own hands,--hunting up the sick and wounded, giving up his own cot, sleeping on the bare floor, or not sleeping at all,--cheering the despondent, writing sympathetic letters to fathers and mothers whose sons were in the hospital, or who had given their lives to their country. he has taken hold of this great enterprise--the construction of a railroad across the continent from the lakes to the pacific ocean--with like zeal and energy, and has organized this expedition to explore the country between lake superior and the missouri river. judge rice is from maine. he is president of the portland and kennebec railroad, and a director of the northern pacific. before engaging in the management of railroads he held, for sixteen years, the honorable and responsible position of associate judge of the supreme court of maine. well versed in law, and holding the scales of justice evenly, his decisions have been regarded as wise and just. mr. johnson is the chief engineer of the road, one of the ablest in his profession in the country. as long ago as , before the government surveys were made, he published a pamphlet upon this future highway to the pacific, in which he discussed with great ability the physical geography of the country, not only from lake superior to puget sound, but the entire region between the mississippi and the pacific. the explorations that have since been made correspond almost exactly with his statements. the president of the company has showed forethought for the health, comfort, and pleasure of the party, by taking along two of the most genial men in new england,--dr. thayer, of burlington, to cure us of all the ills that flesh is heir to, whose broad smiling face is itself a most excellent medicine, whose stories are quite as good as his pills and powders for keeping our digestion all right; and rev. dr. lord, from montpelier, for many years pastor of one of the largest churches in the state. with a doctor to keep our bodies right, with a minister to point out the narrow way that leads to a brighter world, and both of them as warm-hearted and genial as sunshine, we surely ought to be in good health. mr. holmes, of new york, is an old campaigner. he had experienced the rough and tumble of life on the upper missouri, with his rifle for a companion, the earth his bed, the broad expanse of sky his tent. governor marshall, chief magistrate of minnesota, mr. wilson, member of congress from the same state, and mr. brackett, of minneapolis, were in sibley's expedition against the indians, and are accustomed to all the pleasures and hardships of a campaign. they are to explore the region lying between the red river of the north and the great bend of the missouri. mr. bayless, of new york, accompanies the party to enjoy the freedom and excitement of frontier life. nor are we without other company. some of the clergymen of minnesota, like their brethren in other parts of the country, turn their backs on civilization during the summer months, and spend a few weeks with nature for a teacher. it is related that the rev. dr. bethune made it a point to visit moosehead lake in maine every season, to meditate in solitude and eat onions! he not only loved them, but had great faith in their strengthening powers. his ministry was a perpetual lent so far as onions were concerned, and it was only when he broke away from society and was lost to the world in the forest that he could partake freely of his favorite vegetable. travelling the same road, and keeping us company, are rev. mr. and mrs. fuller, of rochester, and rev. mr. and mrs. williams, and mr. and miss wheaton, of northfield, minn. they have a prairie wagon with a covered top, drawn by two horses, in which is packed a tent, with pots, kettles, pans, dishes, flour, pork, beans, canned fruit, hams, butter, bed and bedding. they have saddle-horses for excursions, and carry rifles, shot-guns, and fishing-tackle. pulpit, people and parsonage, hoop-skirts, stove-pipe hats, work and care, are left behind. the women can handle the fishing-rod or rifle. it may seem to ladies unaccustomed to country life as a great letting down of dignity on the part of these women of the west to enter upon such an expedition, but they are in search of health. they are not aiming to be amazons. a few weeks upon the prairies, and they will return well browned, but healthful and rugged, and as attractive and charming as the fair maud who raked hay and dreamed of what might have been. our first night is spent at "camp thunder," and why it is so named will presently be apparent. it is nearly night when we leave st. cloud for a four-mile ride to our quarters. we can see in the rays of the setting sun, as we ride over the prairie, our village of white tents pitched by the roadside, and our wagons parked near by. it is an exhilarating scene, bringing to remembrance the many tented fields during the war, and those soul-stirring days when the armies of the republic marched under their great leader to victory. the sun goes down through a blood-colored haze, throwing its departing beams upon a bank of leaden clouds that lie along the horizon. old salts say that such sunsets in the tropics are followed by storms. through the evening, while sitting in the doors of our tents and talking of camp-life and its pleasant experiences, we can see faint flashes of lightning along the horizon. the leaden clouds grow darker, and rise slowly up the sky. through the deepening haze we catch faint glimpses of celestial architecture,--castles, towers, massive walls, and "looming bastions fringed with fire." far away rolls the heavy thunder,--so far that it seems the diapason of a distant organ. we lose sight of the gorgeous palaces, temples, and cathedrals of the upper air, or we see them only when the bright flashes of lightning illume the sky. it is past midnight,--we have been asleep, and are wakened by the sudden bursting of the storm. the canvas roof and walls of our house flap suddenly in the wind. the cords are drawn taut against the tent-pins. the roof rises, settles, surges up and down, to and fro, the walls belly in and then out against the swaying frame. the rain comes in great drops, in small drops, in drifting spray, rattling upon the canvas like a hundred thousand muskets,--just as they rattled and rolled on that awful day at the wilderness when the two greatest armies ever gathered on this continent met in deadly conflict. all the while the tent is as bright with lightning as with the sun at noonday. by the side of my cot is a book which i have been reading; taking it in my hand, i read the finest print, noted the hour, minute, and position of the second-hand upon my watch. looking out through the opening of the fly, i behold the distant woodland, the fences, the bearded grain laid prostrate by the blast, the rain-drops falling aslant through the air, the farm-house a half-mile distant,--all revealed by the red glare of the lightning. all the landscape is revealed. for an instant i am in darkness, then all appears again beneath the lurid light. the storm grows wilder. the gale becomes a tempest, and increases to a tornado. the thunder crashes around, above, so near that the crackling follows in an instant the blinding flash. it rattles, rolls, roars, and explodes like bursting bombs. the tent is reeling. knowing what will be the result, i hurry on my clothing, and have just time to seize an india-rubber coat before the pins are pulled from the ground. i spring to the pole, determined to hold on to the last. [illustration: in the storm.] though the lightning is so fearful, and the moment well calculated to arouse solemn thoughts, we cannot restrain our laughter when two occupants of an adjoining tent rush into mine in the condition of men who have had a sousing in a pond. the wind pulled their tent up by the roots, and slapped the wet canvas down upon them in a twinkling. they crawled out like muskrats from their holes,--their night-shirts fit for mops, their clothing ready for washing, their boots full of water, their hats limp and damp and ready for moulding into corrugated tiles. it is a ludicrous scene. i am the central figure inside the tent,--holding to the pole with all my might, bareheaded, barefooted, my body at an angle of forty-five degrees, my feet sinking into the black mire,--the dripping canvas swinging and swaying, now lifted by the wind and now flapping in my face, and drenching anew two members of congress, who sit upon my broken-down bed, shivering while wringing out their shirts! when the fury of the storm is over, i rush out to drive down the pins, and find that my tent is the only one in the encampment that is not wholly prostrated. the members of the party are standing like _shirted_ ghosts in the storm. the rotund form of our m. d. is wrapped in the oil-cloth table-cover. for the moment he is a hydropath, and complacently surveys the wreck of tents. the rain falls on his bare head, the water streams from his gray locks, and runs like a river down his broad back; but he does not bow before the blast, he breasts it bravely. i do not hear him, but i can see by his features that he is silently singing the sunday-school song,-- "i'll stand the storm, it won't be long." tents, beds, bedding, clothing, all are soppy and moppy, and the ground a quagmire. we go ankle deep into the mud. we might navigate the prairies in a boat. our purveyor, mr. brackett, an old campaigner, knows just what to do to make us comfortable. he has a dry tent in one of the wagons, which, when the rain has ceased, is quickly set up. his cook soon has his coffee-pot bubbling, and with hot coffee and a roaring fire we are none the worse for the drenching. the storm has spent its fury, and is passing away, but the heavens are all aglow. broad flashes sweep across the sky, flame up to the zenith, or quiver along the horizon. bolt after bolt falls earthward, or flies from the north, south, east, and west,--from all points of the compass,--branching into beautiful forms, spreading out into threads and fibres of light, each tipped with golden balls or beads of brightest hue, seen a moment, then gone forever. flash and flame, bolt and bar, bead, ball, and line, follow each other in quick succession, or all appear at once in indescribable beauty and fearful grandeur. we can only gaze in wonder and admiration, though all but blinded by the vivid flashes, and though each bolt may be a messenger of death,--though in the twinkling of an eye the spirit may be stricken from its present tabernacle and sent upon its returnless flight. the display, so magnificent and grand, has its only counterpart in the picture which imagination paints of sinai or the final judgment. in an adjoining county the storm was attended by a whirlwind. houses were demolished and several persons killed. it was terrifying to be in it, to hear the deafening thunder; but it was a sight worth seeing,--that glorious lighting up of the arch of heaven. it required half a day of bright sunshine to put things in trim after the tornado, and then on saturday afternoon the party pushed on to cold spring and encamped on the bank of sauk river for the sabbath. [illustration: camp jay cooke.] the camp was named "jay cooke," in honor of the energetic banker who is the financial agent of the northern pacific railroad company. sweet, calm, and peaceful the hours. religious services were held, conducted by rev. dr. lord, who had a flour-barrel and a candle-box before him for a pulpit; a congregation of teamsters, with people from the little village near by, and the gentlemen composing our party, some of us seated on boxes, but most of us sitting upon the ground. nor were we without a choir. everybody sung old hundred; and though some of us could only sound one note, and that straight along from beginning to end, like the drone of a bagpipe, it went gloriously. old hundred never was sung with better spirit, though there was room for improvement of the understanding, especially in the base. the teamsters, after service, hunted turtle-eggs on the bank of the river, and one of them brought in a hatful, which were cooked for supper. our course from cold spring was up the sauk valley to sauk centre, a lively town with an excellent water-power. the town is about six years old, but its population already numbers fifteen hundred. the country around it is one of the most beautiful and fertile imaginable. the sauk river is the southern boundary of the timbered lands west of the mississippi. as we look southward, over the magnificent expanse, we see farm-houses and grain-fields, but on the north bank are dense forests. the prairie lands are already taken up by settlers, while there are many thousand acres of the wooded portion of stearns county yet in the possession of the government. the emigrant can raise a crop of wheat the second year after beginning a farm upon the prairies, while if he goes into the woods there is the slow process of clearing and digging out of stumps, and a great deal of hard labor before he has any returns. those prairie lands that lie in the immediate vicinity of timber are most valuable. the valley of the sauk, besides being exceedingly fertile, has timber near at hand, and has had a rapid development. it is an inviting section for the capitalist, trader, mechanic, or farmer, and its growth promises to be as rapid in the future as it has been since . a two days' ride over a magnificent prairie brings us to white bear lake. if we had travelled due west from st. cloud, along the township lines, sixty miles, we should have found ourselves at its southern shore instead of its northern. our camp for the night was pitched on the hills overlooking this sheet of water. the vale of tempe could not have been fairer, and arcadia had no lovelier scene, than that which we gazed upon from the green slope around our tents, blooming with wild roses, lilies, petunias, and phlox. the lake stretches southward a distance of twelve miles, indented here and there by a wooded promontory, with sandy beaches sweeping in magnificent curves, with a patch of woodland on the eastern shore, and a green fringe of stately oaks and elms around its entire circumference. as far as the vision extends we behold limitless fields, whose verdure changes in varying hues with every passing cloud, and wanting only a background of highlands to make it as lovely as windermere, the most enchanting of all the lakes of old england. at our feet was the little town of glenwood. we looked down upon a hotel with the stars and stripes waving above it; upon a neat school-house with children playing around its doors; upon a cluster of twenty or thirty white houses surrounded by gardens and flower-beds. three years ago this was a solitude. there is a sail-boat upon the lake, which some gentlemen of our party chartered for a fishing-excursion. thinking perhaps we should get more fish by dividing our force, i took a skiff, and obtained a stalwart norwegian to row it. almost as soon as my hook touched the water i felt a tug at the other end of the line, and in came a pickerel,--a three-pounder! the norwegian rowed slowly along the head of the lake, and one big fellow after another was pulled into the boat. there was scarcely a breath of wind, and the sails were idly flapping against the masts of the larger boat, where my friends were whiling away the time as best they could, tantalized by seeing that i was having all the fun. they could only crack their rifles at a loon, or at the flocks of ducks swimming along the shore. but there was rare sport at hand. i discovered an enormous turtle lying upon the surface of the water as if asleep. "approach gently," i said to the norwegian. he dipped his oars softly, and sent the skiff stern foremost towards the turtle, who was puffing and blowing like a wheezy old gentleman sound asleep. one more push of the oar and he will be mine. too late! we have lost him. down he goes. i can see him four feet beneath us, clawing off. no, he is coming up. he rises to the surface. i grasp his tail with both hands, and jerk with all my might. the boat dips, but a backward spring saves it from going over, and his majesty of white bear lake, the oldest inhabitant of its silver waters, weighing forty-six pounds,--so venerable that he wears a garden-bed of grass and weeds upon his back--is floundering in the half-filled skiff. the boatman springs to his feet, stands on the seat with uplifted oar, undecided whether to jump overboard or to fight the monster who is making at his legs with open jaws. by an adroit movement of an oar i whirl him upon his back, and hold him down while the norwegian paddles slowly to the beach. the captive rides in a meal-bag the remainder of the day, hissing now and then, and striving to regain his liberty. ah! isn't that a delicious supper which we sit down to out upon the prairies on the shores of lightning lake,--beyond the borders of civilization! it is not mock turtle, but the genuine article, such as aldermen eat. true, we have tin cups and plates, and other primitive table furniture, but hunger sharpens the appetite, and food is as toothsome as if served on gold-bordered china. besides turtle-soup we have fresh fish and boiled duck. who is there that would not like to find such fare inside the borders of civilization? beyond pope we entered grant county, containing , acres of land, nearly all open to settlement, and through which the main line of the st. paul and pacific railroad will be constructed the present year. the population of the entire county probably does not exceed five hundred, who are mostly swedes and norwegians. it is on the ridge, or, rather, the gentle undulating prairie, between the waters of the red river of the north and the chippewa river, an affluent of the minnesota. we passed between two small lakes; the waters of one find their way to the gulf of mexico, the other to the arctic sea. our second sabbath camp was upon the bank of the red river of the north,--a beautiful stream, winding its peaceful way through a country as fertile as the delta of the nile. for two days we had journeyed over rolling prairie, seeing no inhabitant; but on saturday afternoon we reached the great thoroughfare leading from the mississippi to the red river,--travelled by the fort abercrombie stage, and by the pembina and fort garry carts, by government trains and the ox-teams that transport the supplies of the hudson bay company. sitting there upon the bank of the red river amid the tall, rank grasses, and watching the flowing stream, my thoughts went with its tide towards the northern sea. it has its rise a hundred miles or more north of us, near lake itasca, the source of the mississippi, flows southward to this point turns westward here, is joined below by a stream issuing from lake traverse, its most southern source, and then flows due north to lake winnipeg, a distance altogether of about five hundred miles. it is the great southern artery of a water-system that lies almost wholly beyond the jurisdiction of the united states. the assinniboine joins it just before reaching lake winnipeg, and up that stream we may steam due west two hundred and thirty miles to fort ellis. from winnipeg we may pass eastward to the intricate rainy lake system towards superior, or westward into lakes manitoba and winnipegosis, which together contain as much water as lake erie. sailing along the western shore of lake winnipeg two hundred miles, we reach the mouth of the saskatchawan, large enough to be classed as one of the great rivers of the continent. professor hind, of toronto, who conducted a government exploring-party through the country northwest of lake superior, says: "the saskatchawan, which gathers the waters from a country greater in extent than the vast region drained by the st. lawrence and all its tributaries, from lake superior to the gulf, is navigable for more than a thousand miles of its course, with the single exception of a few rapids near its confluence with lake winnipeg." professor hind travelled from fort garry northwest over the prairies towards the rocky mountains, and gives the following description of his first view of the stream. he says:-- "the first view, six hundred miles from the lake, filled me with astonishment and admiration,--nearly half a mile broad, flowing with a swift current, and still i was three hundred and fifty miles from the mountains." the small steamer now plying on the red river might, during the season of high water, make its way from fort abercrombie down this river, then through lake winnipeg, and up the saskatchawan westward to the base of the rocky mountains,--a distance altogether of sixteen hundred miles. we are in the latitude of the continental water-system. if we travel along the parallel eastward, one hundred miles will bring us to the mississippi at crow wing, another hundred will take us to lake superior, where we may embark on a propeller of five hundred tons and make our way down through the lakes and the st. lawrence to liverpool, or any other foreign port; or travelling west three hundred miles will bring us to the missouri, where we may take one of the steamers plying on that stream and go up to fort benton under the shadow of the rocky mountains. two hundred and fifty miles farther by land, through the mining region of montana, will bring us to the navigable waters of the columbia, down which we may glide to the pacific. nowhere in the eastern hemisphere is there such a succession of lakes and navigable rivers, and no other country exhibits such an area of arable land so intersected by fresh-water streams. it would be an easy matter by canals to connect the red river, the saskatchawan, and lake winnipeg with the mississippi. we can take a canoe from this point and paddle up to otter-tail lake, and there, by carrying it a mile or so over a sand-ridge, launch it on leaf river, an affluent of the crow-wing, and so reach the father of waters. we may do even better than that. instead of paddling up stream we may float down with the current a few miles to the outlet of lake traverse, row across the lake, and from that into big stone lake, which is the source of the minnesota river, and by this route reach the mississippi below minneapolis. boats carrying two tons have frequently passed from one river to the other during the season of high water. it would not be difficult to construct a canal by which steamers might pass from the mississippi to the base of the rocky mountains in british columbia. railroads are superseding canals, and it is not likely that any such improvement of the water-way will be attempted during the present generation. but a glance at the river and lake systems enables us to obtain a view of the physical features of the country. we see that the northwestern portion of the continent is an extended plain. the red river here by our encampment is about nine hundred and sixty feet above the sea. if we were to float down to lake winnipeg, we should find that sheet of water three hundred feet lower. our camp is pitched to-day about ten miles west of the th meridian. if we were to travel south from this point miles, we should reach omaha, which is feet above the sea, so that if we were sitting on the bank of the missouri at that point, we should be just about as high above tide-water as we are while lolling here in the tall rank grass. by going from omaha to san francisco over the pacific railroad, we see the elevations of the country; then by striking westward from this point to the head-waters of the missouri, and then down the columbia, we shall see at once the physical features of the two sections. the engineers of the pacific railroad, after gaining the top of the bluff behind omaha, have a long and apparently level sweep before them. yet there is a gradually ascending grade. four hundred and eighty-five miles west of omaha we come to the th meridian, at an elevation of , feet. if we go west from this point to that meridian, we shall strike it at the mouth of the yellowstone, , feet above tide-water. near the th meridian is the highest point on the union pacific, at sherman, which is , feet above the sea. three hundred miles beyond sherman, at green river, is the lowest point between omaha and the descent into salt lake valley, , feet above the ocean level. at that point we are about twenty-six miles west of the th meridian. now going northward to the valley of the missouri once more, we find that fort benton is about the same number of miles west of the same meridian, but the fort is only , feet above the sea. just beyond fort benton we come to the rocky mountains,--the only range to be crossed between lake superior and the columbia. we enter the deer lodge pass near the th meridian, where our barometer will show us that we are about five thousand feet above the sea. we find that the miners at work on the western slope have cut a canal through the pass, and have turned the waters of the missouri into the columbia. the pass is so level that the traveller can hardly tell when he has reached the dividing line. going south now along the meridian, we shall find that between green river and salt lake lies the wasatch range, which the union pacific crosses at an elevation of , feet at aspen station, miles west of omaha. from that point the line descends to salt lake, which is , feet above the sea. westward of this, on the th meridian, , miles from omaha, we reach the top of humboldt mountains, , feet above tide-water, while the elevation is only , feet on the same meridian in the valley of the columbia. at humboldt lake, , miles west of omaha, the rails are at the lowest level of the mountain region, , feet above the sea. this is a little west of the th meridian, about the same longitude as walla walla on the great plain of the columbia, which is less than feet above the sea. westward of humboldt lake the central line rises to the summit of the sierra nevadas, crossing them , feet above the sea, then descending at the rate of feet to the mile into the valley of the sacramento. now going back to the plains, to the town of sidney, which is miles west of omaha, we find the altitude there the same as at humboldt lake. this level does not show itself again till we are well down on the western slope of the sierra nevada range. the entire country between omaha and sacramento, with the exception of about miles, is above the level of , feet, while on the line westward from the point where i am indulging in this topographical revery there are not thirty miles reaching that altitude. with this glance at the configuration of the continent i might make an isometric map in the sand with my fingers, heaping it up to represent the black hills at sherman, a lower ridge to indicate the wasatch range, a depression to show the salt lake valley, and then another high ridge to represent the sierra nevadas. i might trace the channel of the missouri and the columbia, and show that most of this territory is a great plain sloping northward,--that it is lower at winnipeg than it is here, as low here as it is at omaha. [illustration: configuration of the country. the upper line represents the elevations between omaha and sacramento, and the lower line between the red river and portland, oregon.] taking this glance at the physical features of the northern and central portions of the continent, i can see that nature has adapted all this vast area drained by the missouri and yellowstone and their tributaries, by the mississippi, by the red river, the assinniboine, the saskatchawan, and the columbia, to be the abode, in the future, of uncounted millions of the human race. it is a solitude now, but the vanguard of the approaching multitude is near at hand. the farmer who lives up the stream and tends the ferry where we crossed yesterday has one neighbor within twelve miles; but a twelvemonth hence these acres will have many farm-houses. to-day we have listened to a sermon by the rev. dr. lord, who preached beneath a canvas roof. we were called together by the blowing of a tin trumpet, but a year hence the sweet and solemn tones of church-bells will in all probability echo over these verdant meadows. the locomotive--that great civilizer of this century--will be here before the flowers bloom in the spring of . it will bring towns, villages, churches, school-houses, printing-presses, and millions of free people. i sit as in a dream. i can hear, in imagination, the voices of the advancing multitude,--of light-hearted maidens and sober matrons, of bright-eyed boys and strong-armed men. the wild roses are blooming here to-day, the sod is as yet unturned, and the lilies of the field hold up their cups to catch the falling dew; but another year will bring the beginning of the change. civilization, which has crossed the mississippi, will soon flow down this stream, and sweep on to the valley of the upper missouri. think of it, young men of the east, you who are measuring off tape for young ladies through the long and wearisome hours, barely earning your living! throw down the yardstick and come out here if you would be men. let the fresh breeze fan your brow, take hold of the plough, bend down for a few years to hard work with determination to win nobility, and success will attend your efforts. is this too enthusiastic? will those who read it say, "he has lost his head and gone daft out there on the prairies"? not quite. i am an observer here, as i have been in other lands. i have ridden many times over the great states of the northwest; have seen the riches of santa clara and napa west of the sierra nevadas; have looked out over the meadows of the yangtse and the nile, and can say, with honest conviction, that i have seen nowhere so inviting a field as that of minnesota, none with greater undeveloped wealth, or with such prospect of quick development. chapter iii. the red river country. monday morning saw us on our way northward,--down the valley of the red river. it was exhilarating to gallop over the level prairies, inhaling the fresh air, our horses brushing the dew from the grass, and to see flocks of plump prairie chickens rise in the air and whirr away,--to mark where they settled, and then to start them again and bring them down, one by one, with a double-barrelled shot-gun. did we not think of the stews and roasts we would have at night? for a dozen years or more every school-boy has seen upon his map the town of breckenbridge, located on the red river of the north. it is off from the travelled road. the town, as one of our teamsters informed us, "has gone up." it originally consisted of two houses and a saw-mill, but the sioux indians swooped down upon it in , and burned the whole place. a few logs, the charred remains of timbers, and tall fire-weeds alone mark the spot. riding on, we reached fort abercrombie at noon. it is situated in dakota, on the west bank of the red river, which we crossed by a rope ferry. it is a resting-place for the thousands of teams passing between st. cloud and fort garry, and other places in the far northwest. the place is of no particular account except as a distributing point for government supplies for forts farther on, and the advancement of civilization will soon enable the war department to break up the establishment. the river is fringed with timber. we ride beneath stately oaks growing upon the bottom-lands, and notice upon the trees the high-water marks of former years. the stream is very winding, and when the spring rains come on the rise is as great, though not usually so rapid, as in the merrimac and connecticut, and other rivers of the east. the valley of the red river is not such as we are accustomed to see in the east, bounded by hills or mountains, but a level plain. when the sky is clear and the air serene, we can catch far away in the east the faint outline of the leaf hills, composing the low ridge between the red river and the mississippi, but westward there is nothing to bound the sight. the dead level reaches on and on to the rolling prairies of the upper missouri. the eye rests only upon the magnificent carpet, bright with wild roses and petunias, lilies and harebells, which nature has unrolled upon the floor of this gorgeous palace. i had been slow to believe all that had been told in regard to the genial climate of the northwest, but through the courtesy of the commandant of the fort, general hunt, was permitted to see the meteorological records kept at the post. the summer of was excessively warm in the western, middle, and atlantic states. here, on one day in july, the mercury rose to ninety degrees, fahrenheit, but the mean temperature for the month was seventy-nine. in august the highest temperature was eighty-eight, the lowest fifty, the mean sixty-nine. in september the highest temperature was seventy-four, the mean forty-seven. a slight frost occurred on the night of the th, and a hard one on the last day of the month. in october a few flakes of snow fell on the th. in november there were a few inches of snow. toward the close of december, on one day, the mercury reached twenty-seven below zero. on the th of january it dropped to thirty below. during this month there were four days on which snow fell, and in february there were ten snowy days. the greatest depth of snow during the winter was about eighteen inches, furnishing uninterrupted sleighing from december to march. on the d of march wild geese and ducks appeared, winging their way to lake winnipeg and hudson bay. the spring opened early in april. there are no farms as yet in the valley,--the few settlers cultivating only small patches of land. i have thought of this section of country as being almost up to the arctic circle, and can only disabuse my mind by comparing it with other localities in the same latitude. st. paul is in the latitude of bordeaux, in the grape-growing district of southern france. here at fort abercrombie we are at least one hundred and fifty miles farther south than the world's gayest capital, paris. it is not likely that northern minnesota will ever become a wine-producing country, though wild grapes are found along the streams, and the people of st. paul and minneapolis will show us thrifty vines in their gardens, laden with heavy clusters. minnesota is a wheat-growing region, climate and soil are alike favorable to its production. on the east bank of the red river we see a field owned by mr. mcauley, who keeps a store and sells boots, pipes, tobacco, powder, shot, and all kinds of supplies needed by hunters and frontiersmen. he sowed his wheat this year ( ) on the th of may, and it is now, on the th of july, heading out. "i had forty-five bushels to the acre last year," he says, "and the present crop will be equally good." [illustration: red river valley.] this red river valley throughout its length and breadth is very fertile. here are twenty thousand square miles of land,--an area as large as vermont and new hampshire combined,--unsurpassed for richness. the construction of the northern pacific railroad and the st. paul and pacific, both of which are to reach this valley within a few months, will make these lands virtually as near market as the farms of central or western illinois. from the red river to duluth the distance is miles in a direct line. it is miles from chicago to springfield, illinois; so that when the northern pacific railroad is constructed to this point, mr. mcauley will be just as near boston or new york as the farmers who live in the vicinity of the capital of illinois; for grain can be taken from duluth to buffalo, oswego, or ogdensburg as cheaply as from chicago. the richness of the lands, the supply of timber on the red river and all its branches, with the opening of the two lines of railway, will give a rapid settlement to this paradise of the northwest. professor hind, of toronto, who was sent out by the canadian government to explore the british possessions northwest of lake superior, in his report says: "of the valley of the red river i find it impossible to speak in any other terms than those which may express astonishment and admiration. i entirely concur in the brief but expressive description given me by an english settler on the assinniboine, that the valley of the red river, including a large portion belonging to its great affluents, is a paradise of fertility." in mr. mcauley's garden we see corn in the spindle. the broad leaves wear as rich a green as if fertilized with the best peruvian guano; and no wonder, for the soil is a deep black loam, and as mellow as an ash-heap. his peas were sown the d of june, and they are already large enough for the table! he will have an abundant supply of cucumbers by the first of august. they were not started under glass, but the dry seeds were dropped in the hills the same day he planted his peas,--the d of june. vegetation advances with great rapidity. mr. mcauley says that vegetables and grains come to maturity ten or fifteen days earlier here than at manchester, new hampshire, where he once resided. general pope was formerly stationed at fort abercrombie; and in his report upon the resources of the country and its climatology, says that the wheat, upon an average, is five pounds per bushel heavier than that grown in illinois or the middle states. we saw yesterday a gentleman and lady who live at fort garry, and who call themselves "winnipeggers." they were born in scotland, and had been home to old scotia to see their friends. "how do you like winnipeg?" i asked. "there is no finer country in the world," he replied. "do you not have cold winters?" "not remarkably so. we have a few cold days, but the air is usually clear and still on such days, and we do not mind the cold. if we only had a railroad, it would be the finest place in the world to live in." we wonder at his enthusiasm over a country which we have thought of as being almost, if not quite, out of the world, while he doubtless looks with pity upon us who are content to remain in such a cooped-up place as the east. most of us, unless we have become nomads, think that there are no garden patches so attractive as our own, and we wonder how other people can be willing to live so far off. this winnipeg gentleman says that the winters are no more severe at fort garry than at st. paul, and that the spring opens quite as early. the temperature for the year at fort garry is much like that of montreal, as will be seen by the following comparison:-- spring. summer. autumn. winter. ° ° ° ° montreal, fort garry, this shows the mean temperatures for the three months of each season. though the mercury is ten degrees lower at fort garry in the winter than at montreal, there is less wind, fewer raw days, much less snow, and, taken all in all, the climate is more agreeable. bidding good by to the courteous commander of the fort, who supplies that portion of our party going to the missouri with an escort, we gallop on through this "paradise," starting flocks of plovers from the waving grass, and bringing down, now and then, a prairie chicken. far away, on the verge of the horizon, we can see our wagons,--mere specks. what a place for building a railway! not a hillock nor a hollow, not a curve or loss of gradient; timber enough on the river for ties. and when built, what a place to let on steam! the engineer may draw his throttle-valve and give the piston full head. here will be the place to see what iron, steel, and steam can do. we pitch our tents for the night in the suburbs of burlington, not far from the hotel and post-office. the hotel, which just now is the only building in town, is built of logs. it is not very spacious inside, but it has all the universe outside! once a week the mail-carrier passes from fort abercrombie to pembina, and as there are a half-dozen pioneers and half-breeds within a radius of thirty miles of burlington, a post-office has been established here, which is kept in a shed adjoining the hotel. the postmaster gives us a cordial greeting. it is a pleasure to hear this bluff but wide-awake german say, "o, i have been acquainted with you for a long while. i followed you through the war and around the world." from first to last, in letters from the battle-field, from the various countries of the world, and in these notes of travel, it has ever been my aim to write for the comprehension of the people; and such spontaneous and uncalled-for commendation of my efforts out here upon the prairies was more grateful than many a well-meant paragraph from the public press. while pitching our tents, a flock of pigeons flew past, and down in the woods along the bank of the river we could hear their cooing. those who had shot-guns went to the hunt; while some of us tried the river for fish, but returned luckless. the supper was good enough, however, without trout or pickerel. who can ask for anything better than prairie chicken, plover, duck, pork, and pigeons? then, when hunger is appeased, we sit around the camp-fire and think of the future of this paradise. near by is another camp-fire. i see by its glimmering light a stalwart man with shaggy beard and a slouched hat. the emigrant's wife sits on the other side of the fire, and by its light i see that she wears a faded linsey-woolsey dress, that her hair is uncombed, and that she has not given much attention to her toilet. two frowzy-headed children, a boy and a girl, are romping in the grass. the worldly effects of this family are in that canvas-covered ox-wagon, with a chicken-coop at the hinder part, and a tin kettle dangling beneath the axle. this emigrant has come from iowa. he is moving into this valley "to take up a claim." that is, he is going to select a piece of choice land under the homestead act, build a cabin, and "make a break in the per-ra-ry," he says. he will be followed by others. the tide is setting in rapidly, and by the time the railway company are ready to carry freight there will be population enough here to support the road. we have an early start in the morning. our route is along a highway, upon which there is more travel than upon many of the old turnpikes of new england for winnipeg, and the hudson bay posts receive all their supplies over this road. at our noonday halt we fall in with father genin, a french catholic priest, who lives on the bank of the river in a log-hut. he comes out to see us, wearing a long black bombazine priestly gown, and low-crowned hat. he is in the prime of life, was educated at paris, came to quebec, and is assigned to the northwest. he has sailed over lake winnipeg, and paddled his canoe on the saskatchawan and athabasca. "my parish," he says, "reaches from st. paul to the rocky mountains." he speaks in glowing terms of the country up "in the northwest,"--as if we, who are now sixteen hundred miles from boston, had not reached the northwest! our talk with father genin, and his enthusiastic description of the saskatchawan valley, has set us to thinking of this region, to which the united states once held claim, and which might now have been a part of our domain if it had not been for the pusillanimity of president polk. mackenzie was the first european who gave to the world an account of the country lying between us and the arctic sea. he was in this valley in , and was charmed with it. he made his way down to lake winnipeg, thence up the saskatchawan to athabasca lake. at the carrying-place between the saskatchawan and athabasca rivers, at portage la loche, he discovered springs of petroleum, which are thus described:-- "twenty-five miles from the fork are some bituminous springs, into which a pole may be inserted without the least resistance. the bitumen is in a fluid state, and when mixed with resin is used to gum the canoes. in its heated state it emits a smell like sea-coal. the banks of slave river, which are elevated, discover veins of the same bituminous quality."[ ] [footnote : general history of the fur-trade, p. .] his winter quarters were near lake athabasca, at fort chippewayan, more than thirteen hundred miles northwest from chicago. he thus writes in regard to the country:-- "in the fall of , when i first arrived at athabasca, mr. pond was settled on the bank of the elk river, where he remained three years, and had as fine a kitchen-garden as i ever saw in canada" (p. ). of the climate in winter he says that the beginning was cold, and about one foot of snow fell. the last week in december and the first week in january were marked by warm southwest breezes, which dissolved all the snow. wild geese appeared on the th of march; and on the th of april the snow had entirely disappeared. on the th he wrote:-- "the trees are budding, and many plants are in blossom" (p. ). mackenzie left the "old establishment," as one of the posts of the hudson bay company was called, on the peace river, in the month of may, for the rocky mountains. he followed the stream through the gap of the mountains, passed to the head-waters of fraser river, and descended that stream to the pacific. he thus describes the country along the peace river:-- "this magnificent theatre of nature has all the decorations which the trees and animals can afford it. groves of poplars in every shape vary the scene, and their intervales are relieved with vast herds of elk and buffaloes,--the former choosing the steeps and uplands, the latter preferring the plains. the whole country displayed an exuberant verdure; the trees that bear blossoms were advancing fast to that delightful appearance, and the velvet rind of their branches reflecting the oblique rays of a rising or setting sun added a splendid gayety to the scene which no expressions of mine are qualified to describe" (p. ). this was in latitude ° ', about fourteen hundred miles from st. paul. the next traveller who enlightened the world upon this region was mr. harman, a native of vergennes, vermont, who became connected with the northwest fur company, and passed seventeen years in british america. he reached lake winnipeg in , and his first winter was passed west of the lake. under date of january th we have this record in his journal:-- "beautiful weather. saw in different herds at least a thousand buffaloes grazing" (p. ). "_february th._--we have now about a foot and a half of snow on the ground. this morning one of our people killed a buffalo on the prairie opposite the fort" (p. ). "_march th._--the greater part of the snow is dissolved."[ ] [footnote : on the th of march, , while these notes were under review, the streets of boston were deep with snow, and twenty-four trains were blockaded on the boston and albany railroad between springfield and albany.] on the th of april mr. harman writes: "i have taken a ride on horseback to a place where our people are making sugar. my path led me over a small prairie, and through a wood, where i saw a great variety of birds that were straining their tuneful throats as if to welcome the return of another spring; small animals were running about, or skipping from tree to tree, and at the same time were to be seen, swans, bustards, ducks, etc. swimming about in the rivers and ponds. all these things together rendered my ramble beautiful beyond description" (p. ). during the month of april there were two snow-storms, but the snow disappeared nearly as fast as it fell. one winter was passed by mr. harman in the country beyond lake athabasca, on the athabasca river, where he says the snow during the winter "was at no time more than two feet and a half deep" (p. ). on may th he writes: "we have planted our potatoes and sowed most of our garden-seeds" (p. ). "_june d._--the seeds which we sowed in the garden have sprung up and grown remarkably well. the present prospect is that strawberries, red raspberries, shad-berries, cherries, etc. will be abundant this season." "_july st._--we have cut down our barley, and i think it is the finest that i ever saw in any country. the soil on the points of land along this river is excellent" (p. ). "_october d._--we have taken our potatoes out of the ground, and find that nine bushels which we planted on the th of may last have produced a little more than one hundred and fifty bushels. the other vegetables in our garden have yielded an increase much in the same proportion, which is sufficient proof that the soil of the points of land along this river is good. indeed, i am of opinion that wheat, rye, barley, oats, peas, etc. would grow well in the plains around us" (p. ). he passed several winters at the head-waters of peace river, in the rocky mountains. in his journal we have these records:-- "_may th._--the weather is very fine, and vegetation is far advanced for the season. swans and ducks are numerous in the lakes and rivers." "_may d._--planted potatoes and sowed garden-seeds." "_october rd._--we have taken our vegetables out of the ground. we have forty-one bushels of potatoes, the produce of one bushel planted last spring. our turnips, barley, etc. have produced well" (p. ). in he writes under date of september d: "a few days since we cut down our barley. the five quarts which i sowed on the st of may have yielded as many bushels. one acre of ground, producing in the same proportion, would yield eighty-four bushels. this is sufficient proof that the soil in many places in this quarter is favorable to agriculture" (p. ). sir john richardson, who explored the arctic regions by this route, says: "wheat is raised with profit at fort liard, lat. ° ' n., lon. ° ' w., and four or five hundred feet above the sea. this locality, however, being in the vicinity of the rocky mountains, is subject to summer frosts, and the grain does not ripen every year, though in favorable seasons it gives a good return." in , captain palliser, of the royal engineers, was sent out by the english government to explore the region between lake superior and the pacific, looking towards the construction of a railroad across the continent, through the british possessions. his report to the government is published in the blue-book. speaking of the country along the assinniboine, he says: "the assinniboine has a course of nearly three hundred miles; lies wholly within a fertile and partially wooded country. the lower part of the valley for seventy miles, before it joins the red river, affords land of surpassing richness and fertility" (p. ). of the south saskatchawan, he says that "it flows through a thick-wooded country" (p. ). the natural features of the north branch of that river are set forth in glowing language:-- "the richness of the natural pasture in many places on the north saskatchawan and its tributary, battle river, can hardly be exaggerated. its value does not consist in its long rank grasses or in its great quantity, but from its fine quality, comprising nutritious species of grasses, along with natural vetches in great variety, which remain throughout the winter juicy and fit for the nourishment of stock. "almost anywhere along the saskatchawan a sufficiency of good soil is everywhere to be found, fit for all purposes, both for pasture and tillage, extending towards the thick-wooded hills, and also to be found in the region of the lakes, between forts pitt and edmonton. in almost every direction around edmonton the land is fine, excepting only the hilly country at the higher level, such as the beacon hills; even there there is nothing like sterility, only the surface is too much broken to be occupied while more level country can be obtained" (p. ). going up the saskatchawan he discovered beds of coal, which are thus described:-- "in the upper part of the saskatchawan country, coal of fine quality occurs abundantly, and may hereafter be very useful. it is quite fit to be employed in the smelting of iron from the ore of that metal, which occurs in large quantities in the same strata" (p. ). two hundred miles north of this coal deposit, mackenzie discovered the springs of petroleum and coal strata along the banks of the streams. harman saw the same. palliser wintered on the saskatchawan, and speaks thus of the climate:-- "the climate in winter is more rigorous than that of red river, and partial thaws occur long before the actual opening of spring. the winter is much the same in duration, but the amount of snow that falls rapidly decreases as we approach the mountains. the river generally freezes about the th of november, and breaks up from the th to the th of april. during the winter season of five months the means of travelling and transport are greatly facilitated by the snow, the ordinary depth of which is sufficient for the use of sleighs, without at the same time being great enough to impede horses. "the whole of this region of country would be valuable, not only for agriculture, but also for mixed purposes of settlement. the whole region is well wooded and watered, and enjoys a climate far preferable to that of either sweden or norway. i have not only seen excellent wheat, but indian corn (which will not succeed in england or ireland), ripening on mr. pratt's farm at the qui appelle lakes in " (p. ). father de smet, a catholic missionary, in crossed the rocky mountains from british columbia, eastward to the head-waters of the south branch of the saskatchawan, and passed along the eastern base of the mountains to edmonton. he characterizes the country as "an ocean of prairies." "the entire region," he says, "in the vicinity of the eastern chain of the rocky mountains, serving as their base for thirty or sixty miles, is extremely fertile, abounding in forests, plains, prairies, lakes, streams, and mineral springs. the rivers and streams are innumerable, and on every side offer situations favorable for the construction of mills. the northern and southern branches of the saskatchawan water the district i have traversed for a distance of about three hundred miles. forests of pines, cypress, cedars, poplar and aspen trees, as well as others of different kinds, occupy a large portion of it. the country would be capable of supporting a large population, and the soil is favorable for the production of wheat, barley, potatoes, and beans, which grow here as well as in the more southern countries." it is a region abundantly supplied with coal of the lignite formation. father genin has a specimen of lignite taken from the banks of maple river, about seven miles from our camp. it is a small branch of the red river flowing from the west. if we were to travel northwest a little more than one hundred miles, we should come to the little souris or mouse river, a branch of the assinniboine, where we should find seams of the same kind of coal. continuing on to the saskatchawan, we shall find it appearing all along the river from fort edmonton to the rocky mountains, a distance of between three and four hundred miles. dr. hector, geologist to the exploring expedition under captain palliser, thus describes the coal on red deer river, a branch of the south saskatchawan:-- "the lignite forms beds of great thickness, one group of seams measuring twenty-five feet in thickness, of which twelve feet consist of pure compact lignite. at one point the seam was on fire, and the indians say that for as long as they can remember the fire at this place has not been extinguished, summer or winter" (p. ). father de smet passed down the river in , and it was then on fire. if we were to travel northward from the red deer to the peace river, we should find the same formation; and if we were to glide down the mackenzie towards the arctic sea, we should, according to the intrepid voyager whose name it bears, find seams of coal along its banks. mr. bourgeau, botanist to the palliser exploring expedition, in a letter addressed to sir william hooker, has the following remarks upon the capabilities of the northwest for supporting a dense population:-- "it remains for me to call the attention of the english government to the advantages there would be in establishing agricultural districts in the vast plains of rupert's land, and particularly in the saskatchawan, in the neighborhood of fort carlton. this district is much better adapted to the culture of staple crops than one would have been inclined to believe from this high latitude. in effect, the few attempts at the culture of cereals already made in the vicinity of the hudson bay company's posts demonstrate by their success how easy it would be to obtain products sufficiently large to remunerate the efforts of the agriculturist. then, in order to put the land under cultivation, it would be necessary only to till the better portions of the soil. the prairies offer natural pasturage as favorable for the maintenance of numerous herds as if they had been artificially created. the construction of houses for habitation and for pioneer development would involve but little expense, because in many parts of the country, independent of wood, one would find fitting stones for building purposes, and it is easy to find clay for bricks.... the vetches found here are as fitting for nourishment of cattle as the clover of european pasturage. the abundance of buffaloes, and the facility with which herds of horses and oxen increase, demonstrate that it would be enough to shelter animals in winter, and to feed them in the shelters with hay.... in the gardens of the hudson bay company's posts, beans, peas, and french beans have been successfully cultivated; also cabbages, turnips, carrots, rhubarb, and currants" (p. ). the winters of the northwest are wholly unlike those of the eastern and middle states. the meteorologist of palliser's expedition says: "along the eastern base of the rocky mountains there is a narrow strip of country in which there is never more than a few inches of snow on the ground. about forty miles to the eastward, however, the fall begins to be much greater, but during the winter rarely exceeds two feet. on the prairies the snow evaporates rapidly, and, except in hollows where it is drifted, never accumulates; but in the woods it is protected, and in spring is often from three to four feet deep" (p. ). captain palliser and party travelled from post to post during the winter without difficulty. in february, , he travelled from edmonton to lake st. ann's. on two nights the mercury was frozen in the bulb,--as it is not unfrequently at franconia, new hampshire. exclusive of those two cold nights, the mean of the temperature was seventeen. he says: "this was a trip made during the coldest weather experienced in the country. if proper precautions are taken, there is nothing merely in extreme cold to stop travelling in the wooded country, but the danger of freezing from exposure upon the open plains is so great that they cannot be ventured on with safety during any part of the winter" (p. ). the wesleyan missionary society of england has a mission at edmonton, under the care of rev. thomas woolsey. the following extracts from his journal will show the progress of the winter and spring season in :-- "nov. . a little snow has fallen for the first time. " . swamps frozen over. " . a little more snow. " . crossed river on the ice. dec. . the past week has been remarkably mild. " . more snow. . jan. to . more like spring than winter. jan. . fine open weather. " . somewhat colder. feb. . weather open. " . snow rapidly disappearing. mar. . more snow. " . firing pasture-grounds to-day. " . thunder-storm. " . ducks and geese returning. " . more snow, but it is rapidly disappearing. " . snow quite gone. april . ploughing commenced. " . first wheat sown." the succeeding winter was more severe, and three feet of snow fell during the season, but the spring opened quite as early as in . the comparative mildness of the winter climate of all this vast area of the west and northwest, at the head-waters of the missouri, and in the british dominions, as far north as latitude °, is in a great measure due to the warm winds of the pacific. in the autumn of i crossed the pacific, from japan to san francisco, in the pacific mail-steamer colorado. soon after leaving the bay of yokohama we entered the kuro-siwo, or the black ocean river of the asiatic coast. this ocean current bears a remarkable resemblance to the gulf stream of the atlantic. along the eastern shore of japan the water, like that along virginia and the carolinas, is very cold, but we suddenly pass into the heated river, which, starting from the vicinity of the philippine islands, laves the eastern shore of formosa, and rushes past the bay of yeddo at the rate of eighty miles per day. this heated river strikes across the northern pacific to british columbia and puget sound, giving a genial climate nearly up to the arctic circle. no icebergs are ever encountered in the north pacific. the influence of the kuro-siwo upon the northwest is very much like that which the gulf stream has upon england and norway. it gives to oregon, washington, british columbia, and vancouver island winters so mild that the people cannot lay in a supply of ice for the summer. roses bloom in the gardens throughout the year. so the water heated beneath the tropics, off the eastern coast of siam and north of borneo, flows along the shore of japan up to the aleutian isles, imparting its heat to the air, which, under the universal law, ascends when heated, and sweeps over the rocky mountains, and tempers the climate east of them almost to hudson bay. so wonderfully arranged is this mighty machinery of nature, that millions of the human race in coming years will rear their habitations and enjoy the blessings of civilization in regions that otherwise would be pathless solitudes. in the meteorological register kept at carlton house, in lat. ° ', on the eastern limit of the saskatchawan plain, eleven hundred feet above the sea, we find this entry: "at this place westerly winds bring mild weather, and the easterly ones are attended by fog and snow." by the following tabular statement we see at a glance the snow-fall at various places in the united states. we give average depths for the winter as set down in blodget's climatology. oxford county, maine inches. dover, new hampshire " montreal, canada " burlington, vermont " worcester, massachusetts " cincinnati, ohio " burlington, iowa " beloit, wisconsin " fort abercrombie, dakota " from this testimony i am impelled to believe that the immense area west of lake superior and south of the th parallel is as capable of being settled as those portions of russia, sweden, and norway south of that degree, now swarming with people. that parallel passes through st. petersburg, stockholm, christiania, and the shetland isles on the eastern hemisphere, fort liard and central alaska on the western. chapter iv. the empire of the northwest. hundreds of winnipeggers were upon the road, either going to or returning from st. cloud, from whence all groceries and other supplies are obtained. the teams consist of a single horse or ox, not unfrequently a cow, harnessed to a two-wheeled cart. the outfit is a curiosity. the wheels are six or seven feet in diameter, and very dishing. a small rack is affixed to the wooden axle. the concern is composed wholly of wood, with a few raw-hide thongs. it is primitive in design and construction, and though so rude, though there is not an ounce of iron about the cart, it serves the purpose of these voyagers admirably. our teams have been stuck in the mud, at the crossings of creeks, half a dozen times a day; but those high-wheeled carts are borne up by the grass roots where ours go down to the hub. there is a family to each cart,--father, mother, and a troop of frowzy-headed, brown-faced children, who, though shoeless and hatless and half naked, are as happy as the larks singing in the meadows, or the plover skimming the air on quivering wings. they travel in companies,--fifteen or twenty carts in a caravan. when night comes on, the animals are turned out to graze; the families cook each their own scanty supply of food, smoke their pipes by the glimmering camp-fire, tell their stories of adventure among the buffaloes, roll themselves in a blanket, creep beneath their carts,--all the family in a pile if the night is cool,--sleep soundly, and are astir before daylight, and on the move by sunrise. the journey down and back is between eight and nine hundred miles; and as the average distance travelled is only about twenty miles a day, it takes from forty to fifty days to make the round trip. no wonder the people of that settlement are anxious to have a railroad reach the red river. leaving the pembina road and striking westward to the river, we descend the bank to the bottom-land, which is usually about twenty-five feet below the general surface of the valley. we cross the river by a rope ferry kept by a half-breed, and strike out upon the dakota plain. the trail that we are upon bears northwest, and is the main road to fort totten, near lake miniwakan, or the "devil's lake," and the forts on the upper missouri. here, as upon the minnesota side, the wild-flowers are blooming in luxuriance. our horses remorselessly trample the roses, the convolvulus, and the lilies beneath their feet. the prairie chickens are whirring in every direction, and one of our bluff and burly teamsters, who is at home upon the prairies, who in the first minnesota regiment faced the rebels in all the battles of the peninsula, who was in the thickest of the fight at gettysburg, who has hunted indians over the upper missouri region, who is as keen-sighted as a hawk, takes the grouse right and left as they rise. his slouched hat bobs up and down everywhere. he seems to know just where the game is; now he is at your right hand, now upon the run a half-mile away upon the prairies. he stops, raises his gun,--there is a puff of smoke, another, and he has two more chickens in his bag. we are sure of having good suppers as long as he is about. we reach dakota city,--another thriving town of one log-house,--peopled by monsieur marchaud, a french canadian, his chippewa wife and twelve children. while our tents are being pitched, we cross the river by another ferry to georgetown,--a place consisting of two dwellings and a large storehouse owned by the hudson bay company. this is the present steamboat landing, though sometimes the one steamer now on the river goes up to fort abercrombie. the river is narrow and winding south of this point, and not well adapted to navigation. we find an obliging young scotchman with a thin-faced wife in possession of the property belonging to the company. he takes care of the premises through the year on a salary of two hundred dollars, and has his tea, sugar, and groceries furnished him. he can cultivate as much land as he pleases, though he does not own a foot of it,--neither does the company own an acre. it belongs to the people of the united states, and any brave young man with a large-hearted wife may become possessor of these beautiful acres if he will, with the moral certainty of finding them quadrupled in value in five years. this great highway of the north lies along the eastern bank of the river. we have travelled over it all the way from fort abercrombie, passing and meeting teams. here we see a train of thirty wagons drawn by oxen, loaded with goods consisting of boxes of tea, sugar, salt, pork, bacon, and bales of cloth, which are shipped by steamer from this landing. the teas come from england to montreal, are there shipped to milwaukie, and transported by rail to st. cloud. each chest is closely packed in canvas and taken through in bond. the transportation of the hudson bay company between this place and st. cloud amounts to about seven hundred tons per annum. in addition, the red river transportation carried on by the indians and half-breeds is very large. about twenty-five hundred carts pass down and up this highway during the year, each one carrying upon an average nine hundred pounds. besides all this there is the united states government transportation to fort abercrombie and the forts beyond, amounting last year to eighteen hundred tons. the rates paid by the war department government for transportation are $ . - / per hundred pounds for every hundred miles. all of this traffic will be transferred at once to the northern pacific railroad upon its completion to the red river. the estimated value of the red river trade is ten millions of dollars per annum, and it is increasing every year. the keen-eyed hunters of our party have been on the lookout for a stray buffalo or a deer, but the buffaloes are a hundred miles away. we hear that they have come north of the missouri in great numbers, and those who are to go west anticipate rare sport. for want of a buffalo-steak we put up with beef. it is juicy and tender, from one of mr. marchaud's heifers, which has been purchased for the party. it is a supper fit for sovereigns,--and every one is a sovereign out here, on the unsurveyed lands, of which we, in common with the rest of the people, are proprietors. we are lords of the manor, and we have sat down to a feast. our eggs are newly laid by the hens of dakota city, our milk is fresh from the cows whose bells are tinkling in the bushes along the bank of the river, and the cakes upon our table are of the finest flour in the world. hunger furnishes the best relish, and when the cloth is removed we sit around the camp-fire during the evening, passing away the hours with wit, repartee, and jest, mingled with sober argument and high intellectual thought. our tents are pitched upon the river's bank. far away to the south we trace the dim outline of the timber on the streams flowing in from the west. turning our eyes in that direction, we see only the level sea of verdure,--the green grass waving in the evening breeze. at this place our company will divide,--governor marshall, mr. holmes, and several other gentlemen, going on to the missouri, while the rest of us will travel eastward to lake superior. it would be a pleasure to go with them,--to ride over the rolling prairies, to fall in with buffaloes and try my pony in a race with a big bull. it would be thrilling,--only if the hunted should right about face, and toss the hunter on his horns, the thrill would be of a different sort! we sit by our camp-fires at night with our faces and hands smeared with an abominable mixture prepared by our m. d., ostensibly to keep the mosquitoes from presenting their bills, but which we surmise is a little game of his to daub us with a diabolical mixture of glycerine, soap, and tar! our tents are as odorous as the shop of a keeper of naval stores. there is an all-pervading smell of oakum and turpentine. clouds of mosquitoes come, take a whiff, and retire in disgust. we can hear them having a big swear at the doctor for compounding such an ointment! i think of the country which those who are going west will see, and of the region beyond,--the valley of the yellowstone, the missouri, the slopes of the rocky mountains, and the hills of montana,--territory to be included in the future empire of the northwest. i have written the word, but it bears no political meaning in these notes. it has the same signification as when applied to the state of new york. the empire of the northwest will be the territory lying north of the central ridge of the continent. milwaukie may be taken as a starting-point for a survey of this imperial domain. that city is near the d parallel; following it westward, we see that it passes over the mountain-range on whose northern slopes the southern affluents of the yellowstone take their rise. all the fertile valleys of the columbia and its tributaries lie north of this parallel; all the streams of the upper missouri country, and the magnificent water-system of puget sound, and the intricate bays and inlets of british columbia, reaching on to alaska, having their only counterpart in the fiords of norway, are north of that degree of latitude. i have already taken a view of the region now comprised in the british dominions east of the rocky mountains; but equally interesting will be a review of the territories of the republic,--dakota, montana, idaho, oregon, and washington, also british columbia and vancouver. dakota contains a little more than a hundred and fifty thousand square miles,--nearly enough territory to make four states as large as ohio. "the climate and soil of dakota," says the commissioner of public lands, general wilson, in his report for , "are exceedingly favorable to the growth of wheat, corn, and other cereals, while all the fruits raised in the northern states are here produced in the greatest perfection.... the wheat crop varied from twenty to forty bushels to the acre. oats have produced from fifty to seventy bushels to the acre, and are of excellent quality" (p. ). settlements are rapidly extending up the missouri, and another year will behold this northern section teeming with emigrants. the northern section of the territory is bare of wood, but the southern portion is well supplied with timber in the black hills. two thousand square miles of the region of the black hills, says professor hayden, geologist to the united states exploring expedition under general reynolds, is covered with excellent pine timber. that is an area half as large as the state of connecticut, ample for the southern section; while the settlers of the northern portion will be within easy distance by rail of the timbered lands of minnesota. the northern half of wyoming is north of the line we have drawn from milwaukie to the pacific, and of this territory the land commissioner says: "a large portion of wyoming produces a luxuriant growth of short nutritious grass, upon which cattle will feed and fatten during summer and winter without other provender. those lands, even in their present condition, are superior for grazing. the climate is mild and healthy, the air and water pure, and springs abundant" (p. ). beyond the th meridian lies montana, a little larger than dakota, with area enough for four states of the size of ohio. at st. paul i was fortunate enough to fall in with major-general hancock, who had just returned from montana, and who was enthusiastic in its praise. "i consider it," he said, "to be one of the first grazing countries in the world. its valleys are exceedingly fertile. it is capable of sustaining a dense population." wheat grows as luxuriantly in the valleys at the base of the rocky mountains as in minnesota. the territory appears to be richer in minerals than any other section of the country, the gold product surpassing that of any other state or territory. more than one hundred million dollars have been taken from the mines of montana since the discovery of gold in this territory in . coal appears upon the yellowstone in veins ten, fifteen, and twenty feet in thickness. it is found on the big horn and on the missouri. "from the mouth of the big horn," says professor hayden, "to the union of the yellowstone with the missouri, nearly all the way, lignite (coal) beds occupy the whole country.... the beds are well developed, and at least twenty or thirty seams are shown, varying in purity and thickness from a few inches to seven feet" (report, p. ). the mountains are covered with wood, and there will be no lack of fuel in montana. the timber lands of this territory are estimated by the land commissioner to cover nearly twelve millions of acres,--an area as large as new hampshire and vermont combined. the agricultural land, or land that may be ploughed, is estimated at twenty-three million acres, nearly as much as is contained in the state of ohio. the grazing lands are put down at sixty-nine millions,--or a region as large as new york, pennsylvania, and new jersey together! isn't it cold? are not the winters intolerable? are not the summers short in montana? many times the questions have been asked. the temperature of the climate in winter will be seen from the following thermometrical record kept at virginia city:-- . dec. mean for the month, ° above zero. . jan. " " " °. " " " feb. " " " ° " " the summer climate is exceedingly agreeable, and admirably adapted to fruit culture. in july last mr. milnor roberts, mr. thomas canfield, and other gentlemen of the pacific exploring party, were in montana. mr. roberts makes our mouths water by his description of the fruits of that territory. "missoula," he says, "is a thriving young town near the western base of the rocky mountains, containing a grist-mill, saw-mill, two excellent stores, and from twenty-five to thirty dwellings, a number of them well built. i visited mcwhirk's garden of five acres, where i found ripe tomatoes, watermelons, muskmelons, remarkably fine potatoes, beans, peas, and squashes; also young apple-trees and other fruit-trees, and a very fine collection of flowers; and all this had been brought about from the virgin soil in two years, and would this year ( ) yield the owner over two thousand dollars in gold, the only currency known in montana" (report, p. ). this fruit and flower garden is about one hundred miles from the top of the divide between the atlantic and the pacific. deer lodge city, fifteen miles from the dividing ridge, is situated in the deer lodge valley, and its attractions are thus set forth by mr. roberts:-- "the deer lodge valley is very wide, in places ten to fifteen miles from the hills on one side to the hills on the other, nearly level, and everywhere clothed with rich grass, upon which we observed numerous herds of tame cattle and horses feeding. the deer lodge creek flows through it, and adds immensely to its value as an agricultural region. some farms are cultivated; but farming is yet in its infancy, and there are thousands of acres of arable land here and elsewhere in montana awaiting settlement" (p. ). west of montana is idaho, containing eighty-six thousand square miles,--large enough for two states of the size of ohio. nearly all of this territory lies north of the d parallel. it is watered by the columbia and its tributaries,--mountain streams fed by melting snows. "the mountains of idaho," says the land commissioner, in his exhaustive report for , "often attain great altitude, having peaks rising above the line of perpetual snow, their lower slopes being furrowed with numerous streams and alternately clothed with magnificent forests and rich grasses. the plains are elevated table-lands covered with indigenous grasses, constituting pasturage unsurpassed in any section of our country. numerous large flocks of sheep and herds of domestic cattle now range these pastures, requiring but little other sustenance throughout the entire year, and no protection from the weather other than that afforded by the lower valleys or the cañons, in which many of the streams take their way through the upland country. the valleys are beautiful, fertile depressions of the surface, protected from the searching winds of summer and searching blasts of winter, each intersected by some considerable stream, adjoining which on either bank, and extending to the commencement of the rise of table-land or mountain, are broad stretches of prairies or meadows producing the richest grasses, and with the aid of irrigation, crops of grain, fruit, and vegetables superior to those of any of the eastern states, and rivalling the vegetation of the mississippi valley. the pastures of these valleys are generally uncovered with snow in the most severe winters, and afford excellent food for cattle and sheep, the herbage drying upon the stalk during the later summer and autumn months into a superior quality of hay. as no artificial shelter from the weather is here required for sheep or cattle, stock-raising is attended with but little outlay and is very profitable, promising soon to become one of the greatest sources of wealth in this rapidly developing but still underrated territory. it was considered totally valueless except for mining purposes, and uninviting to the agriculturist, until emigration disclosed its hidden resources. "it is the favorite custom of herdsmen in idaho to reserve their lower meadows for winter pastures, allowing the stock to range the higher plains during spring, summer, and autumn; the greater extent of the table-lands, and the superior adaptability of the valleys for agriculture presenting reasons for the adoption of this method as one of economical importance. "the climate of idaho varies considerably with the degrees of latitude through which its limits extend, but not so much as would naturally be supposed from its great longitudinal extension; the isothermal lines of the territory, running from east to west, have a well-defined northward variation, caused by the influence of air currents from the pacific ocean. throughout the spring, summer, and autumn months, in the northern as well as the southern sections, the weather is generally delightful and salubrious; in the winter months the range of the thermometer depends greatly upon the altitude of the surface,--the higher mountains being visited by extreme cold and by heavy falls of snow; the lower mountain-ranges and the plains having winters generally less severe than those of northern iowa and wisconsin or central minnesota, while greater dryness of the atmosphere renders a lower fall of the thermometer less perceptible; and the valleys being rarely visited by cold weather, high winds, or considerable falls of snow. considered in its yearly average, the climate is exactly adapted to sheep-growing and the production of wool, the herding of cattle, and manufacture of dairy products, the raising of very superior breeds of horses, as well as the culture of all northern varieties of fruits, such as apples, pears, plums, cherries, peaches, grapes, and all of the ordinary cereals and vegetables" (p. ). this is all different from what we have conceived the rocky mountains to be. when the government reports of the explorations of were issued, jeff davis was secretary of war, and he deliberately falsified the report of governor stevens's explorations from lake superior to the valley of the columbia. governor stevens reported that the route passed through a region highly susceptible of agriculture; but the secretary of war, even then plotting treason, in his summary of the advantages of the various routes, asserted that governor stevens had overstated the facts, and that there were not more than , square miles, or , acres, of agricultural lands. the land commissioner in his report estimates the amount of agricultural lands at , , acres. the amount of improved lands in ohio in was , , acres, or more than , , less than the available agricultural lands in idaho. these are lands that need no irrigation. of such lands there are , , acres, which, in the language of the commissioner, are "redeemable by irrigation into excellent pasture and agricultural lands." the grazing-lands are estimated at , , acres, the timbered lands at , , acres, besides , , acres of mineral lands. although the population of idaho probably does not exceed , , half of whom are engaged in mining, the value of the agricultural products for amounted to $ , , , while the mineral product was $ , , . passing on to oregon we find a state containing , square miles, two and a half times larger than ohio. "oregon," says general wilson, in his report upon the public lands, "is peculiarly a crop-raising and fruit-growing state, though by no means deficient in valuable mineral resources. possessing a climate of unrivalled salubrity, abounding in vast tracts of rich arable lands, heavily timbered throughout its mountain ranges, watered by innumerable springs and streams, and subject to none of the drawbacks arising from the chilling winds and seasons of aridity which prevail farther south, it is justly considered the most favored region on the pacific slope as a home for an agricultural and manufacturing population" (p. ). of "western oregon," he says, "the portion of the state first settled embraces about , square miles, or , , acres, being nearly one third of the area of the whole state, and contains the great preponderance of population and wealth. nearly the whole of this large extent of country is valuable for agriculture and grazing; all of the productions common to temperate regions may be cultivated here with success. when the land is properly cultivated, the farmer rarely fails to meet with an adequate reward for his labors. the fruits produced here, such as apples, pears, plums, quinces, and grapes, are of superior quality and flavor. large quantities of apples are annually shipped to the san francisco market, where they usually command a higher price than those of california, owing to their finer flavor. "the valleys of the willamette, umpqua, and rouge rivers, are embraced within this portion of the state, and there is no region of country on the continent presenting a finer field for agriculture and stock-raising, because of the mildness of the climate and the depth and richness of the soil. farmers make no provision for housing their cattle during winter, and none is required; although in about the same latitude as maine on the atlantic, the winter temperature corresponds with that of savannah, georgia" (p. ). north of oregon lies the territory of washington, containing , square miles, lacking only , to make it twice as large as ohio. our camp, where i am taking this westward look, is pitched very near the th parallel, may be five or six miles north of it. if i were to travel due west along the parallel a little more than twelve hundred miles, i should reach olympia, the capital of the territory, situated on puget sound,--the name given to that vast ramification of waters known as the strait of juan de fuca, admiralty inlet, hood's canal, and puget sound, with a shore line of , miles. "there is no state in the union," says the land commissioner, "and perhaps no country in the world of the same extent, that offers so many harbors and such excellent facilities for commerce" (p. ). the timbered lands of washington are approximately estimated at , , acres, and the prairie lands cover an area equally great. the forests embrace the red and yellow pine of gigantic growth, often attaining the height of three hundred feet, and from nine to twelve feet in diameter. it is said that a million feet have been cut from a single acre! says the commissioner, "the soil in the river-bottoms is thinly timbered with maple, ash, and willow. these lands yield heavy crops of wheat, barley, and oats, while vegetables attain enormous size. the highlands are generally rolling, and well adapted to cultivation.... the average yield of potatoes to the acre is six hundred bushels, wheat forty, peas sixty, timothy-hay five tons, and oats seventy bushels" (p. ). mr. roberts, who explored this region last year, says that the great plain of the columbia is "a high rolling prairie, covered everywhere abundantly with bunch-grass to the summits of the highest hills; treeless, excepting along the streams. this is an immense grazing area of the most superior character, interspersed with the valleys of perennial streams, along which are lands that, when settled by industrious farmers, will be of the most productive character, as we have seen in the case of a number of improvements already made; while the climate is not only salubrious, but remarkably attractive" (report, p. ). he gives this estimate of the area suited to agriculture and grazing:-- "in washington territory alone, on its eastern side, there are at least , square miles, or , , acres of the finest grazing-lands, on which thousands of cattle and sheep will be raised as cheaply as in any other quarter of the globe, and this grass is so nutritious that the cattle raised upon it cannot be surpassed in their weight and quality. snow rarely falls to sufficient depth to interfere seriously with their grazing all through the winter. such may be taken as a general view upon this important point, respecting a territory nearly half as large as the state of pennsylvania" (p. ). along the shores of puget sound, and on the island of vancouver, are extensive deposits of bituminous coal, conveniently situated for the future steam-marine of the pacific. large quantities are now shipped to san francisco for the use of the pacific mail-steamers. not only in washington, but up the coast of british columbia, the coal-deposits crop out in numerous places. an explorer on simpson river, which next to the fraser is the largest in british columbia, thus writes to governor douglas: "i saw seams of coal to-day fifteen feet thick, better than any mined at vancouver" (parliamentary blue-book). coal in montana, in idaho, in washington, on vancouver, in british columbia; coal on the missouri, the yellowstone, the columbia, the fraser; coal on simpson river, coal in alaska! measureless forests all over the pacific slope! timber enough for all the world, masts and spars sufficient for the mercantile marine of every nation! great rivers, thousands of waterfalls, unequalled facilities for manufacturing! an agricultural region unsurpassed for fertility! exhaustless mineral wealth! fisheries equalling those of newfoundland,--salmon in every stream, cod and herring abounding along the coast! nothing wanting for a varied industry. unfold the map of north america and look at its western coast. from panama northward there is no harbor that can ever be available to the commerce of the pacific till we reach the bay of san francisco. from thence northward to the columbia the waves of the sea break against rugged mountains. the columbia pours its waters through the coast range, but a bar at its mouth has practically closed it to commerce. not till we reach puget sound do we find a good harbor. north of that magnificent gateway are numberless bays and inlets. like the coast of maine, there is a harbor every five or ten miles, where ships may ride in safety, sheltered from storms, and open at all seasons of the year. there never will be any icebound ships on the coast of british columbia, for the warm breath of the tropics is felt there throughout the year. while the map is unfolded, look at puget sound, and think of its connection with japan and china. latitude and longitude are to be taken into account when we make long journeys. liverpool is between the d and th parallels, or about two hundred and sixty miles farther north than puget sound, where a degree of longitude is only thirty-five miles in length. puget sound is on the th parallel, where the degrees are thirty-eight and a half miles in length. san francisco is near the th parallel, where the degrees are nearly forty-nine miles in length. liverpool is three degrees west of greenwich, from which longitude is reckoned. the d meridian passes through puget sound and also through the bay of san francisco. it follows from all this that the distance from liverpool in straight lines to these two magnificent gateways of the pacific, in geographical miles, is as follows:-- liverpool to san francisco , miles. " " puget sound , " ----- difference, " looking across the pacific we see that yokohama is on the th parallel, where a degree of longitude is forty-nine miles in length. reckoning the distance across the pacific between yokohama and the western gateways of the continent, we have this comparison:-- san francisco to yokohama , miles. puget sound " " , " ----- difference, " adding these differences together, we see that longitude alone makes a total of nine hundred and fifty-four miles in favor of puget sound between liverpool and yokohama. when the northern pacific railroad is completed, chicago will be fully six hundred miles nearer asia by puget sound than by san francisco. vessels sailing from japan to san francisco follow the kuro-siwo, the heated river, which of itself bears them towards puget sound at the rate of eighty miles a day. they follow it into northern latitudes till within three or four hundred miles of the coast of british columbia, then shape their course southward past puget sound to the golden gate. in navigation, then, asia is nearly, if not quite, one thousand miles nearer the ports of puget sound than san francisco. the time will come when not only puget sound, but every bay and inlet of the northwest coast, will be whitened with sails of vessels bringing the products of the orient, not only for those who dwell upon the pacific slope, but for the mighty multitude of the empire of the northwest, of the mississippi valley, and the atlantic states. from those land-locked harbors steamships shall depart for other climes, freighted with the products of this region, spun and woven, hammered and smelted, sawed and planed, by the millions of industrious workers who are to improve the unparalleled capabilities of this vast domain. there is not on the face of the globe a country so richly endowed as this of the northwest. here we find every element necessary for the development of a varied industry,--agricultural, mining, manufacturing, mercantile, and commercial,--all this with a climate like that of southern france, or central and northern europe. "the climate," says mr. roberts, "of this favored region is very remarkable, and will always remain an attractive feature; which must, therefore, aid greatly in the speedy settlement of this portion of the pacific coast. even in the coldest winters there is practically no obstruction to navigation from ice; vessels can enter and depart at all times; and the winters are so mild that summer flowers which in the latitude of philadelphia, on the atlantic coast, we are obliged to place in the hot-house, are left out in the open garden without being injured. the cause of this mildness is usually, and i think correctly, ascribed to the warm-water equatorial current, which, impinging against the pacific coast, north of the strait of juan de fuca, passes along nearly parallel with the shore, diffusing its genial warmth over the land far into the interior. of the fact there is no doubt, whatever may be the cause" (report, p. ). the climate of eastern washington, amid the mountains, corresponds with that of pennsylvania; but upon the sea-coast and along the waters of puget sound roses blossom in the open air throughout the year, and the residents gather green peas and strawberries in march and april. in a former view we looked at the territory belonging to great britain lying east of the rocky mountains, we saw its capabilities for settlement; but far different in its physical features is british columbia from the saskatchawan country. it is a land of mountains, plains, valleys, and forests, threaded by rivers, and indented by bays and inlets. the main branch of the columbia rises in the british possessions, between the cascade range and the rocky mountains. there is a great amphitheatre between those two ranges, having an area of forty-five thousand square miles. we hardly comprehend, even with a map spread out before us, that there is an area larger than ohio in the basin drained by the northern branch of the columbia. but such is the fact, and it is represented as being a fertile and attractive section, possessed of a mild and equable climate. the stock-raisers of southern idaho drive their cattle by the ten thousand into british columbia to find winter pasturage. the general characteristics of that area have been fully set forth in a paper read before the royal geographical society of london by lieutenant palmer of the royal engineers. he says:-- "the scenery of the whole midland belt, especially of that portion of it lying to the east of the th meridian, is exceedingly beautiful and picturesque. the highest uplands are all more or less thickly timbered, but the valleys present a delightful panorama of woodland and prairie, flanked by miles of rolling hills, swelling gently from the margin of streams, and picturesquely dotted with yellow pines. the forests are almost entirely free from underwood, and with the exception of a few worthless tracts, the whole face of the country--hill and dale, woodland and plain--is covered with an abundant growth of grass, possessing nutritious qualities of the highest order. hence its value to the colony as a grazing district is of the highest importance. cattle and horses are found to thrive wonderfully on the 'bunch' grass, and to keep in excellent condition at all seasons. the whole area is more or less available for grazing purposes. thus the natural pastures of the middle belt may be estimated at hundreds, or even thousands, of square miles. "notwithstanding the elevation, the seasons exhibit no remarkable extremes of temperature; the winters, though sharp enough for all the rivers and lakes to freeze, are calm and clear, so that the cold, even when most severe, is not keenly felt. snow seldom exceeds eighteen inches in depth, and in many valleys of moderate elevation cattle often range at large during the winter months, without requiring shelter or any food but the natural grasses.... judging from present experience, there can be no doubt that in point of salubrity the climate of british columbia excels that of great britain, and is indeed one of the finest in the world." in regard to the agricultural capabilities of this mountain region, the same author remarks:-- "here in sheltered and well-irrigated valleys, at altitudes of as much as , feet above the sea, a few farming experiments have been made, and the results have thus far been beyond measure encouraging. at farms in the san josé and beaver valleys, situated nearly , feet above the sea, and again at fort alexander, at an altitude of , feet, wheat has been found to produce nearly forty bushels to the acre, and other grain and vegetable crops in proportion.... it may be asserted that two thirds at least of this eastern division of the central belt may, when occasion arrives, be turned to good account either for purposes of grazing or tillage." probably there are no streams, bays, or inlets in the world that so abound with fish as the salt and fresh waters of the northwest pacific. the cod and herring fisheries are equal to those of newfoundland, while every stream descending from the mountains literally swarms with salmon. in regard to the fisheries of british columbia, lieutenant palmer says:-- "the whole of the inlets, bays, rivers, and lakes of british columbia abound with delicious fish. the quantity of salmon that ascend the fraser and other rivers on the coast seems incredible. they first enter fraser and other rivers in march, and are followed in rapid succession by other varieties, which continue to arrive until the approach of winter; but the great runs occur in july, august, and september. during these months so abundant is the supply that it may be asserted without exaggeration, that some of the smaller streams can hardly be forded without stepping upon them." (journal of the geographical society.) ah! wouldn't it be glorious sport to pull out the twenty-five-pounders from the foaming waters of the columbia,--to land them, one after another, on the grassy bank, and see the changing light upon their shining scales! and then sitting down to dinner to have one of the biggest on a platter, delicately baked or boiled, with prairie chicken, plover, pigeon, and wild duck! we will have it by and by, when governor smith and judge rice, who are out here seeing about the railroad, get the cars running to the pacific; they will supply all creation east of the rocky mountains with salmon! there are not many of us who can afford to dine off salmon when it is a dollar a pound, and the larger part of the crowd can never have a taste even; but these railroad gentlemen will bring about a new order of things. when they get the locomotive on the completed track, and make the run from the columbia to chicago in about sixty hours, as they will be able to do, all hands of us who work for our daily bread will be able to have fresh salmon at cheap rates. what a country! i have drawn a hypothetical line from milwaukie to the pacific,--not that the region south of it--missouri, kansas, nebraska, or california--does not abound in natural resources, with fruitful soil and vast capabilities, but because the configuration of the continent--the water-systems, the mountain-ranges, the elevations and depressions, the soil and climate--is in many respects different north of the d parallel from what it is south of it. we need not look upon the territory now held by great britain with a covetous eye. the th parallel is an imaginary line running across the prairies, an arbitrary political boundary which nature will not take into account in her disposition of affairs in the future. sooner or later the line will fade away. railway trains--the constant passing and repassing of a multitude of people speaking the same language, having ideas in common, and related by blood--will rub it out, and there will be one country, one people, one government. what an empire then! the region west of lake michigan and north of the latitude of milwaukie--the d parallel extended to the pacific--will give to the nation, to say nothing of alaska territory, forty states as large as ohio, or two hundred states of the size of massachusetts! i have been accustomed to look upon this part of the world as being so far north, so cold, so snowy, so distant,--and all the other imaginary so's,--that it never could be available for settlement; but the facts show that it is as capable of settlement as new york or new england,--that the country along the athabasca has a climate no more severe than that of northern new hampshire or maine, while the summers are more favorable to the growing of grains than those of the northern atlantic coast. it is not, therefore, hypothetical geography. following the d parallel eastward, we find it passing along the northern shore of the mediterranean, through central italy, and through the heart of the turkish empire. nearly all of europe lies north of it,--the whole of france, half of italy, the whole of the austrian empire, and all of russia's vast dominions. the entire wheat-field of europe is above that parallel. the valleys of the alps lying between the th and th parallels swarm with an industrious people; why may not those of the rocky mountains at the head-waters of the missouri and columbia in like manner be hives of industry in the future? if a christiania, a stockholm, and a st. petersburg, with golden-domed churches, gorgeous palaces, and abodes of comfort, can be built up in lat. in the old world, why may we not expect to see their counterpart in the new, when we take into account the fact that a heated current from the tropics gives the same mildness of climate to the northwestern section of this continent that the gulf stream gives to northern europe? with this outlook towards future possibilities, we see minnesota the central state of the continental republic of the future. with the map of the continent before me, i stick a pin into minneapolis, and stretch a string to halifax, then, sweeping southward, find that it cuts through southern florida, and central mexico. it reaches almost to san diego, the extreme southwestern boundary of the united states,--reaches to donner pass on the summit of the sierra nevadas, within a hundred miles of sacramento. stretching it due west, it reaches to salem, oregon. carrying it northwest, i find that it reaches to the rocky mountain house on peace river,--to that region whose beauty charmed mackenzie and father de smet. the peace river flows through the rocky mountains, and at its head-waters we find the lowest pass of the continent. the time may come when we of the east will whirl through it upon the express-train bound for sitka! it is two hundred miles from the rocky mountain house to that port of southern alaska. the city of mexico is nearer minneapolis by nearly a hundred miles than sitka. trinity bay on the eastern coast of newfoundland, puerto principe on the island of cuba, the bay of honduras in central america, and sitka, are equidistant from minneapolis and st. paul. when mr. seward, in , addressed the people of st. paul from the steps of the capitol, it was the seer, and not the politician, who said:-- "_i now believe that the ultimate last seat of government on this great continent will be found somewhere within a circle or radius not far from the spot on which i stand, at the head of navigation on the mississippi river!_" chapter v. the frontier. bottineau is our guide. take a look at him as he sits by the camp-fire cleaning his rifle. he is tall and well formed, with features which show both his french and indian parentage. he has dark whiskers, a broad, flat nose, a wrinkled forehead, and is in the full prime of life. his name is known throughout the northwest,--among americans, canadians, and indians. the chippewa is his mother-tongue, though he can speak several indian dialects, and is fluent in french and english. he was born not far from fort garry, and has traversed the vast region of the northwest in every direction. he was governor stevens's guide when he made the first explorations for the northern pacific railroad, and has guided a great many government trains to the forts on the missouri since then. he was with general sully in his campaign against the indians. he has the instinct of locality. like the honey-bee, which flies straight from the flower to its hive, over fields, through forests, across ravines or intervening hills, so pierre bottineau knows just where to go when out upon the boundless prairie with no landmark to guide him. he is never lost, even in the darkest night or foggiest day. there is no man living, probably, who has more enemies than he, for the whole sioux nation of indians are his sworn foes. they would take his scalp instantly if they could only get a chance. he has been in many fights with them,--has killed six of them, has had narrow escapes, and to hear him tell of his adventures makes your hair stand on end. he is going to conduct a portion of our party through the sioux country. the indians are friendly now, and the party will not be troubled; but if a sioux buffalo-hunter comes across this guide there will be quick shooting on both sides, and ten to one the indian will go down,--for bottineau is keen-sighted, has a steady hand, and is quick to act. the westward-bound members of our party, guided by bottineau, will be accompanied by an escort consisting of nineteen soldiers commanded by lieutenant kelton. four indian scouts, mounted on ponies, are engaged to scour the country in advance, and give timely notice of the presence of sioux, who are always on the alert to steal horses or plunder a train. bidding our friends good by, we watch their train winding over the prairie till we can only see the white canvas of the wagons on the edge of the horizon; then, turning eastward, we cross the river into minnesota, and strike out upon the pathless plain. we see no landmarks ahead, and, like navigators upon the ocean, pursue our way over this sea of verdure by the compass. after a few hours' ride, we catch, through the glimmering haze, the faint outlines of islands rising above the unruffled waters of a distant lake. we approach its shores, but only to see islands and lake alike vanish into thin air. it was the mirage lifting above the horizon the far-off groves of buffalo creek, a branch of the red river. far away to the east are the leaf hills, which are only the elevations of the rolling prairie that forms the divide between the waters flowing into the gulf of mexico and into hudson bay. wishing to see the hills, to ascertain what obstacles there are to the construction of a railroad, two of us break away from the main party and strike out over the plains, promising to be in camp at nightfall. how exhilarating to gallop over the pathless expanse, amid a sea of flowers, plunging now and then through grass so high that horse and rider are almost lost to sight! the meadow-lark greets us with his cheerful song; the plover hovers around us; sand-hill cranes, flying always in pairs, rise from the ground and wing their way beyond the reach of harm. the gophers chatter like children amid the flowers, as we ride over their subterranean towns. they are in peaceful possession of the solitude. five years ago buffaloes were roaming here. we see their bones bleaching in the sun. here the sioux and chippewas hunted them down. here the old bulls fought out their battles, and the countless herds cropped the succulent grasses and drank the clear running water of the stream which bears their name. they are gone forever. the ox and cow of the farm are coming to take their place. sheep and horses will soon fatten on the rich pasturage of these hills. we of the east would hardly call them hills, much less mountains, the slopes are so gentle and the altitudes so low. the highest grade of a railroad would not exceed thirty feet to the mile in crossing them. here we find granite and limestone bowlders, and in some places beds of gravel, brought, so the geologists inform us, from the far north and deposited here when the primeval ocean currents set southward over this then submerged region. they are in the right place for the railroad. the stone will be needed for abutments to bridges, and the gravel will be wanted for ballast,--provided the road is located in this vicinity. on our second day's march we come to what might with propriety be called the park region of minnesota. it lies amid the high lands of the divide. it is more beautiful even than the country around white bear lake and in the vicinity of glenwood. throughout the day we behold such rural scenery as can only be found amid the most lovely spots in england. think of rounded hills, with green slopes,--of parks and countless lakes,--skirted by forests, fringed with rushes, perfumed by tiger-lilies--the waves rippling on gravelled beaches; wild geese, ducks, loons, pelicans, and innumerable water-fowl building their nests amid the reeds and rushes,--think of lawns blooming with flowers, elk and deer browsing in the verdant meadows. this is their haunt. we see their tracks along the sandy shores, but they keep beyond the range of our rifles. so wonderfully has nature adorned this section, that it seems as if we were riding through a country that has been long under cultivation, and that behind yonder hillock we shall find an old castle, a mansion, or, at least, a farm-house, as we find them in great britain. i do not forget that i am seeing minnesota at its best season, that it is midsummer, that the winters are as long as in new england; but i can say without reservation, that nowhere in the wide world--not even in old england, the most finished of all lands; not in _la belle france_, or sunny italy, or in the valley of the ganges or the yangtse, or on the slopes of the sierra nevadas--have i beheld anything approaching this in natural beauty. how it would look in winter i cannot say, but the members of our party are unanimous in their praises of this portion of minnesota. the nearest pioneer is forty miles distant; but land so inviting will soon be taken up by settlers. it was a pleasure, after three days' travel over the trackless wild, to come suddenly and unexpectedly upon a hay-field. there were the swaths newly mown. there was no farm-house in sight, no fenced area or upturned furrow, but the hay-makers had been there. we were approaching civilization once more. ascending a hill, we came in sight of a settler, a pioneer who is always on the move; who, when a neighbor comes within six or eight miles of him, abandons his home and moves on to some spot where he can have more elbow-room,--to a region not so thickly peopled. he informed us that we should find the old trail we were searching for about a mile ahead. he had long matted hair, beard hanging upon his breast, a wrinkled countenance, wore a slouched felt hat, an old checked-cotton shirt, and pantaloons so patched and darned, so variegated in color, that it would require much study to determine what was original texture and what patch and darn. he came from ohio in his youth, and has always been a skirmisher on the advancing line of civilization,--a few miles ahead of the main body. he was thinking now of going into the "bush," as he phrased it. settlers farther down the trail informed us that he was a little flighty and queer; that he could not be induced to stay long in one place, but was always on the move for a more quiet neighborhood! the road that we reached at this point was formerly traversed by the french and indian traders between pembina and the mississippi, but has not been used much of late years. striking that, we should have no difficulty in reaching the settlements of the otter-tail, forty miles south. emigration travels fast. as fires blown by winds sweep through the dried grass of the prairies, so civilization spreads along the frontier. we reached the settlement on saturday night, and pitched our tents for the sabbath. it was a rare treat to these people to come into our camp and hear a sermon from rev. dr. lord. the oldest member of the colony is a woman, now in her eightieth year, with eye undimmed and a countenance remarkably free from the marks of age, who walks with a firm step after fourscore years of labor. sixty years ago she moved from lebanon, new hampshire, a young wife, leaving the valley of the connecticut for a home in the state of new york, then moving with the great army of emigrants to ohio, illinois, missouri, and iowa in succession, and now beginning again in minnesota. last year her hair, which had been as white as the purest snow, began to take on its original color, and is now quite dark! there are but few instances on record of such a renewal of youth. the party have come from central iowa to make this their future home, preferring the climate of this region, where the changes of temperature are not so sudden and variable. the women and children of the four families lived here alone for six weeks, while the men were away after their stock. their nearest neighbors are twelve miles distant. on the th of july all hands--men, women, and children--travelled forty-five miles to celebrate the day. "we felt," said one of the women, "that we couldn't get through the year without going somewhere or seeing somebody. it is kinder lonely so far away from folks, and so we went down country to a picnic." store, church, and school are all forty miles away, and till recently the nearest saw-mill was sixty miles distant. now they can get their wheat ground by going forty miles. the settlement is already blooming with half a dozen children. other emigrants are coming, and these people are looking forward to next year with hope and confidence, for then they will have a school of their own. in our march south from detroit lake we meet a large number of chippewa indians going to the reservation recently assigned them by the government in one of the fairest sections of minnesota. among them we see several women with blue eyes and light hair and fair complexions, who have french blood in their veins, and possibly some of them may have had american fathers. nearly all of the indians wear pantaloons and jackets; but here and there we see a brave who is true to his ancestry, who is proud of his lineage and race, and is in all respects a savage, in moccasons, blanket, skunk-skin head-dress, and painted eagle's feathers. they are friendly, inoffensive, and indolent, and took no part in the late war. they have been in close contact with the whites for a long time, but they do not advance in civilization. all efforts for their elevation are like rain-drops falling on a cabbage-leaf, that roll off and leave it dry. there is little absorption on the part of the indians except of whiskey, and in that respect their powers are great,--equal to those of the driest toper in boston or anywhere else devoting all his energies to getting round the prohibitory law. our halting-place for monday night is on the bank of the otter-tail, near rush lake. the tents are pitched, the camp-fire kindled, supper eaten, and we are sitting before a pile of blazing logs. the dew is falling, and the fire is comfortable and social. we look into the glowing coals and think of old times, and of friends far away. we dream of home. then the jest and the story go round. the song would follow if we had the singers. but music is not wanting. we hear martial strains,--of cornets, trombones, ophicleides, and horns, and the beating of a drum. torches gleam upon the horizon, and by their flickering light we see a band advancing over the prairie. it is a march of welcome to the northern pacific exploring party. not an hour ago these musicians heard of our arrival, and here they are, twelve of them, in our camp, doing their best to express their joy. they are germans,--all young men. three years ago several families came here from ohio. they reported the soil so fertile, the situation so attractive, the prospects so flattering, that others came; and now they have a dozen families, and more are coming to this land of promise. take a good long look at these men as they stand before our camp-fire, with their bright new instruments in their hands. they received them only three weeks ago from cincinnati. "we can't play much yet," says the leader, mr. bertenheimer, "but we do the best we can. we have sent to toledo for a teacher who will spend the winter with us. you will pardon our poor playing, but we felt so good when we heard you were here looking out a route for a railroad, that we felt like doing something to show our good-will. you see we are just getting started, and have to work hard, but we wanted some recreation, and we concluded to get up a band. we thought it would be better than to be hanging round a grocery. we haven't any grocery yet, and if we keep sober, and give our attention to other things, perhaps we sha'n't have one,--which, i reckon, will be all the better for us." plain and simple the words, but there is more in them than in many a windy speech made on the rostrum or in legislative halls. just getting started! yet here upon the frontier art has planted herself. the flowers of civilization are blooming on the border. as we listen to the parting strains, and watch the receding forms, and look into the coals of our camp-fire after their departure, we feel that there must be a bright future for a commonwealth that can grow such fruit on the borders of the uncultivated wilderness. now just ride out and see what has been done by these emigrants. here is a field containing thirty acres of as fine wheat as grows in minnesota. it is just taking on the golden hue, and will be ready for the reaper next week. beside it are twenty acres of oats, several acres of corn, an acre or two of potatoes. this is one farm only. on yonder slope there stands a two-storied house, of hewn logs and shingled roof. see what adornment the wife or daughter has given to the front yard,--verbenas, petunias, and nasturtiums, and round the door a living wreath of morning-glories. cows chew their cud in the stable-yard, while "drowsy tinklings lull the distant field" where the sheep are herded. we shall find the scene repeated on the adjoining farm. sheltered beneath the grand old forest-trees stands the little log church with a cross upon its roof, and here we see coming down the road the venerable father and teacher of the community, in long black gown and broad-brimmed hat, with a crucifix at his girdle. it is a catholic community, and they brought their priest with them. in the morning we ride over smiling prairies, through groves of oak and maple, and behold in the distance a large territory covered with the lithe foliage of the tamarack. here and there are groves of pine rising like islands above the wide level of the forest. at times our horses walk on pebbly beaches and splash their hoofs in the limpid waters of the lakes. we pick up agates, carnelians, and bits of bright red porphyry, washed and worn by the waves. wild swans rear their young in the reeds and marshes bordering the streams. they gracefully glide over the still waters. they are beyond the reach of our rifles, and we would not harm them if we could. there is a good deal of the savage left in a man who, under the plea of sport, can wound or kill a harmless bird or beast that cannot be made to serve his wants. it gives me pleasure to say that our party are not bloodthirsty. ducks, plover, snipe, wild geese, and sand-hill cranes are served at our table, but they are never shot in wanton sport. the stream which we have crossed several times is the otter-tail and flows southward into otter-tail lake; issuing from that it runs southwest, then west, then northward, taking the name of the red river, and pours its waters into lake winnipeg. from that great northern reservoir the waters of this western region of minnesota reach hudson bay through nelson river. looking eastward we see gleaming in the morning sunlight the leaf lakes, the head-waters of the crow-wing, one of the largest western tributaries of the upper mississippi. the neck of land between these lakes and the otter-tail is only one mile wide. here, from time out of mind among the indians, the transit has been made between the waters flowing into the gulf of mexico and into hudson bay. when the jesuit missionaries came here, they found it the great indian carrying-place. mackenzie, lord selkirk, and all the early adventurers, came by this route on their way to british america. for a long time it has been a trading-post. the french jesuit fathers were here a century ago and are here to-day,--not spiritual fathers alone, but according to the flesh as well! the settlement is composed wholly of french canadians, their indian wives and copper-colored children. there are ten or a dozen houses, but they are very dilapidated. a little old man with twinkling gray eyes, wearing a battered white hat, comes out to welcome us, while crowds of swarthy children and indian women gaze at us from the doorways. another little old man, in a black gown and broad-brimmed hat, with a long chain and crucifix dangling from his girdle, salutes us with true french politeness. he is the priest, and is as seedy as the village itself. around the place are several birch-bark indian huts, and a few lodges of tanned buffalo-hides. filth, squalor, and degradation are the characteristics of the lodge, and the civilization of the log-houses is but little removed from that of the wigwams. the french canadian takes about as readily to the indian maiden as to one of his own race. he is kinder than the indian brave, and when he wants a wife he will find the fairest of the maidens ready to listen to his words of love. chapter vi. round the camp-fire. our halting-place at noon furnishes a pleasing subject for a comic artist. behold us beneath the shade of old oaks, our horses cropping the rank grass, a fire kindled against the trunk of a tree that has braved the storms of centuries, each toasting a slice of salt pork. [illustration: toasting pork.] governor, members of congress, minister, judge, doctor, teamster, correspondent,--all hands are at it. salt pork! does any one turn up his nose at it? do you think it hard fare? just come out here and try it, after a twenty-five-mile gallop on horseback, in this clear, bracing atmosphere, with twenty more miles to make before getting into camp. we slept in a tent last night; had breakfast at a. m.; are camping by night and tramping by day; are bronzed by the sun; and are roughing it! the exercise of the day gives sweet sleep at night. we had a good appetite at breakfast, and now, at noon, are as hungry as bears. salt pork is not of much account in a down-town eating-house, but out here it is epicurean fare. just see the ex-governor of the green mountain state standing before the fire with a long stick in his hand, having three prongs like neptune's trident. he is doing his pork to a beautiful brown. now he lays it between two slices of bread, and eats it as if it were a most delicious morsel,--as it is. a dozen toasting-forks are held up to the glowing coals. a dozen slices of pork are sizzling. we are not all of us quite so scientific in our toasting as the ex-governor in his. although i have had camp-life before, and have fried flapjacks on an old iron shovel, i am subject to mishaps. there goes my pork into the ashes; never mind! i shall need less pepper. i job my trident into the slice,--flaming now, and turning to crisp,--hold it a moment before the coals, and slap it on my bread in season to save a little of the drip. do i hear some one exclaim, how can he eat it? ah! you who never have had experience on the prairies don't know the pleasures of such a lunch. now, because we are all as jolly as we can be, because i have praised salt pork, i wouldn't have everybody rushing out here to try it, as they have rushed to the adirondacks, fired to a high pitch of enthusiasm by the spirited descriptions of the pleasures of the wilderness by the pastor of the boston park street church. what is sweet to me may be sour to somebody else. i should not like this manner of life all the time, nor salt pork for a steady diet. wooded prairies, oak openings, hills and vales, watered by lakes and ponds,--such is the character of the region lying south of otter-tail. over all this section the water is as pure as that gurgling from the hillsides of new hampshire. minnesota is one of the best-watered states of the union. the thousands of lakes and ponds dotting its surface are fed by never-failing springs. this one feature adds immeasurably to its value as an agricultural state. in illinois, iowa, and nebraska the farmer is compelled to pump water for his stock, and in those states we see windmills erected for that purpose; but here the ponds are so numerous and the springs so abundant that far less pumping will be required than in the other prairie states of the union. we fall in with a dutchman, where we camp for the night, who has taken up a hundred and sixty acres under the pre-emption act. he has put up a log-hut, turned a few acres of the sod, and is getting ready to live. his thrifty wife has a flock of hens, which supply us with fresh eggs. this pioneer has recently come from montana. he had a beautiful farm in the deer lodge pass of the rocky mountains, within seven miles of the summit. "i raised as good wheat there as i can here," he says,--"thirty bushels to the acre." "why did you leave it?" "i couldn't sell anything. there is no market there. the farmers raise so much that they can hardly give their grain away." "did you sell your farm?" "no, i left it. it is there for anybody to take." "is it cold there?" "no colder than it is here. we have a few cold days in winter, but not much snow. cattle live in the fields through the winter, feeding on bunch-grass, which grows tall and is very sweet." here was information worth having,--the experience of a farmer. the deer lodge pass is at the head-waters of the missouri, in the main divide of the rocky mountains, and one of the surveyed lines of the northern pacific railroad passes through it. we have thought of it as a place where a railroad train would be frozen up and buried beneath descending avalanches; but here is a man who has lived within seven miles of the top of the mountains, who raised the best of wheat, the mealiest of potatoes, whose cattle lived in the pastures through the winter, but who left his farm for the sole reason that he could not sell anything. montana has no market except among the mining population, and the miners are scattered over a vast region. a few farmers in the vicinity of a mining-camp supply the wants of the place. farming will not be remunerative till a railroad is completed up the valley of the yellowstone or missouri. what stronger argument can there be, what demonstration more forcible, for the immediate construction of the northern pacific railroad? it will pass through the heart of the territory which is yielding more gold and silver than any other territory or state. this farmer says that montana is destined to be a great stock-growing state. cattle thrive on the bunch-grass. the hills are covered with it, and millions of acres that cannot be readily cultivated will furnish pasturage for flocks and herds. this testimony accords with statements made by those who have visited the territory, as well as by others who have resided there. we have met to-day a long train of wagons filled with emigrants, who have come from wisconsin, illinois, indiana, and some from ohio. look at the wagons, each drawn by four oxen,--driven either by the owner or one of his barefoot boys. boxes, barrels, chairs, tables, pots, and pans constitute the furniture. the grandmother, white-haired, old, and wrinkled, and the wife with an infant in her arms, with three or four romping children around her, all sitting on a feather-bed beneath the white canvas covering. a tin kettle is suspended beneath the axle, in which a tow-headed urchin, covered with dust, is swinging, clapping his hands, and playing with a yellow dog trotting behind the team. a hoop-skirt, a chicken-coop, a pig in a box, are the most conspicuous objects that meet the eye as we look at the hinder part of the wagon. a barefooted boy, as bright-eyed as whittier's ideal,--now done in chromo-lithograph, and adorning many a home,--marches behind, with his rosy-cheeked sister, driving a cow and a calf. to-night they will be fifteen miles nearer their destination than they were in the morning. some of the teams have been two months on the road, and a few more days will bring them to the spot which the emigrant has already selected for his future home. they halt by the roadside at night. the oxen crop the rich grasses; the cow supplies the little ones with milk; the children gather an armful of sticks, the mother makes a cake, and bakes it before the camp-fire in a tin baker such as was found in every new england home forty years ago; the emigrant smokes his pipe, rolls himself in a blanket, and snores upon the ground beneath the wagon, while his family sleep equally well beneath the canvas roof above him. another cake in the morning, with a slice of fried pork, a drink of coffee, and they are ready for the new day. not only along this road, but everywhere, we may behold just such scenes. a great army of occupation is moving into the state. the advance is all along the line. towns and villages are springing up as if by magic in every county. every day adds thousands of acres to those already under cultivation. the fields of this year are wider than they were a year ago, and twelve months hence will be much larger than they are to-day. in all new countries, no matter how fertile they may be, breadstuffs must be imported at the outset. it was so when california was first settled; but to-day california is sending her wheat all over the world. the first settlers of minnesota were lumbermen, and up to there was not wheat enough produced in the state to supply their wants. the steamers ascending the mississippi to st. paul were loaded with flour, and the world at large somehow came to think of minnesota as being so cold that wheat enough to supply the few lumbermen employed in the forests and on the rivers could never be raised there. see how this region, which we all thought of as lying too near the north pole to be worth anything, has developed its resources! in the number of acres under cultivation in the state was only fifteen thousand, or about two thirds of a single township. fifteen years have passed by, and the tilled area is estimated at about two million acres! in she imported grain; but her yield of wheat the present year is estimated _at more than twenty million bushels_! i would not make the farmers of new england discontented. i would not advise all to put up their farms at auction, or any well-to-do farmer of massachusetts or vermont to leave his old home and rush out here without first coming to survey the country; but if i were a young man selling corsets and hoop-skirts to simpering young ladies in a city store, i would give such a jump over the counter that my feet would touch ground in the centre of a great prairie! i would have a homestead out here. true, there would be hard fare at first. the cabin would be of logs. there would be short commons for a year or two. but with my salt pork i would have pickerel, prairie chickens, moose, and deer. i should have calloused hands and the back-ache at times; but my sleep would be sweet. i should have no theatre to visit nightly, no star actors to see, and should miss the tramp of the great multitude of the city,--the ever-hurrying throng. the first year might be lonely; possibly, i should have the blues now and then; but, possessing my soul with patience a twelvemonth, i should have neighbors. the railroad would come. the little log-hut would give place to a mansion. roses would bloom in the garden, and morning-glories open their blue bells by the doorway. the vast expanse would wave with golden grain. thrift and plenty, and civilization with all its comforts and luxuries, would be mine. are the colors of the picture too bright? remember that in minnesota had less than five thousand inhabitants, and that to-day she has nearly five hundred thousand. i am writing to young men who have the whole scope of life before them. you are a clerk in a store, with a salary of five hundred dollars, perhaps seven hundred. by stinting here and there you can just bring the year round. it is a long, long look ahead, and your brightest day-dream of the future is not very bright. now take a look in this direction. you can get a hundred and sixty acres of land for two hundred dollars. if you obtain it near a railroad, it will cost three hundred and twenty dollars. it will cost three dollars an acre to plough the ground and prepare it for the first crop, besides the fencing. but the first crop, ordinarily, will more than pay the entire outlay for ground, fencing, and ploughing. five years hence the land will be worth fifteen or twenty-five dollars per acre. this is no fancy sketch. it is simply a statement as to what has been the experience of thousands of people in minnesota. think of it, young men, you who are rubbing along from year to year with no great hopes for the future. can you hold a plough? can you drive a span of horses? can you accept for a while the solitude of nature, and have a few hard knocks for a year or two? can you lay aside paper collars and kid gloves, and wear a blue blouse and blister your hands with work? can you possess your soul in patience, and hold on your way with a firm purpose? if you can, there is a beautiful home for you out here. prosperity, freedom, independence, manhood in its highest sense, peace of mind, and all the comforts and luxuries of life, are awaiting you. there is no medicine for a wearied mind or jaded body equal to life on the prairies. when our party left the east, every member of it was worn down by hard work. some of us were dyspeptic, some nervous, while others had tired brains. it is the misfortune of americans to be ever working as if they were in the iron-mills, or as if the philistines had them in the prison-house! we have been a few weeks upon the frontier,--been beyond the reach of the daily newspaper, beyond care and trouble. the world has got on without us, and now we are on our way back, changed beings. we are as good as new,--tough, rugged, hale, hearty, and ready for a frolic here, or another battle with life when we reach home. behold us at our halting-place for the night; a clear stream near by winding through pleasant meadows, bordered by oaks and maples. the horses are unharnessed, and are rolling in the tall grass after their long day's work. the teamsters are pitching the tents, the cook is busy with his pots and kettles. already we inhale the aroma steaming from the nose of the coffee-pot. the pork and fish and plover over the fire, like a missionary or colporteur or sunday-school teacher, are doing good! what odor more refreshing than that exhaled from a coffee-pot steaming over a camp-fire, after twelve hours in the saddle,--the fresh breeze fanning your cheeks, and every sense intensified by beholding the far-reaching fields blooming with flowers or waving with ripening grain? the shadows of night are falling, and though the sun has shone through a cloudless sky the evening air is chilly. we will warm it by kindling a grand bivouac-fire, where, after supper, we will sit in solemn council, or crack jokes, or tell stories, as the whim of the hour shall lead us. there was a time when the gray-beards of our party were youngsters and played "horse" with a wooden bit between the teeth, the reins handled by a white-haired schoolmate. how we trotted, cantered, reared, pranced, backed, and then rushed furiously on, making the little old hand-cart rattle over the stones! it was long ago, but we have not forgotten it, and to-night we will be boys once more. yonder by the roadside lies a fallen oak, a monarch of the forest, broken down by the wind,--by the same tempest that levelled our tents. it shall blaze to-night. we will sit in its cheerful light. it would be ignoble to hack it to pieces and bring it into camp an armful at a time; we will drag it bodily, lop off the limbs and pile them high upon the trunk, touch a match to the withered leaves, and warm the chilly air. "all hands to the harness!" it is a royal team. how could it be otherwise with the ex-governor of the green mountain state for leader, matched with our judge, who, for sixteen years, honored the judiciary of maine, with three members of congress past and present, a doctor of divinity and another of medicine,--all in harness? we have a strong cart-rope of the best manilla hemp, which has served us many a turn in pulling our wagons through the sloughs, and which is brought once more into service. a few strokes of the axe provide us with levers which serve for yokes. we pair off, two and two, and take our places in the team. "are you all ready? now for it!" it is the voice of our leader. "gee up! whoa! whoa! hip! hurrah! now she goes!" we shout and sing, and feel an ecstatic thrill running all over us, from the tips of our fingers down into our boots! what a deal of power there is in a yell! the teamster screams to his horses; the plough-boy makes himself hoarse by shouting to his oxen; the fireman feels that he is doing good service when he goes tearing down the street yelling with all his might. he never would put out the fire if he couldn't yell. a hurrah elected general harrison president of the united states, and it has won many a political battle-field. a hurrah starts the old oak from its bed. see the executive as he sets his compact shoulders to the work, making the lever bend before him. notice the tall form of the judge bowing in the traces! if the rope does not break, the log is bound to come. the two are good at pulling. they have shown their power by dragging one of the greatest enterprises of modern times over obstacles that would have discouraged men of weaker nerve. the public never will know of the hard work performed by them in starting the northern pacific railroad,--how they have raised it from obscurity, from obloquy, notwithstanding opposition and prejudice. the time will come when the public will look upon the enterprise in its true light. when the road is opened from lake superior westward, when the traveller finds on every hand a country of surpassing richness, a climate in the northwest as mild as that of pennsylvania, when he sees the numberless attractions and exhaustless resources of the land, then, and not till then, will the labors of governor smith and his associates in carrying on this work be appreciated. to-night they enter with all the zest of youth into the project of building a camp-fire, and tug at the rope with the enthusiasm of boyhood. it is a strong team. our doctor of divinity, whether in the pulpit or on the prairie, pulls with "a forty parson power," to use byron's simile. and our m. d., whether he has hold of a gnarled oak or the stump of a molar in the mouth of a pretty young lady, is certain to master it. [illustration: a strong team.] a member of congress "made believe pull," as we used to say in our boyhood, but complacently smoked his pipe the while; the correspondent tipped a wink at the smoker, seized hold of a lever, shouted and yelled as if laying out all his strength, and pulled--about two pounds! but _we_ dragged it in amid the hurrahs of the teamsters, wiped the sweat from our brows, and then through the evening sat round the blazing log, and made the air ring with our merry laughter. so we rubbed out the growing wrinkles, smoothed the lines of care, and turned back the shadow creeping up the dial. chapter vii. in the forest. in preceding chapters the characteristics of the country west of the mississippi have been set forth; but many a man seeking a new home would be lonely upon the prairies. the lumberman of maine, who was born in the forest, who in childhood listened to the sweet but mournful music of the ever-sighing pines, would be home-sick away from the grand old woods. the trees are his friends. the open country would be a solitude, but in the depths of the forest he would ever find congenial company. there the oaks, the elms, and maples reach out their arms lovingly above him, sheltering him alike from winter's blasts and summer's heats. even though he may have no poetry in his soul, the woods will have a charm for him, for there he finds a harvest already grown and waiting to be gathered, as truly as if it were so many acres of ripened wheat. it is not difficult to pick out the "down-easters" in minnesota. when i hear a man talk about "stumpage" and "thousands of feet," i know that he is from the moosehead region, or has been in a lumber camp on the chesuncook. he has eaten pork and beans, and slept on hemlock boughs on the banks of the madawaska. when he cocks his head on one side and squints up a pine-tree, i know that he has blodget's table in his brain, and can tell the exact amount of clear and merchantable lumber which the tree will yield. his paradise is in the forest, and there alone. the region east of the mississippi and around its head-waters is the eden of lumbermen. the traveller who starts from st. paul and travels westward will find a prairie country; but if he travels eastward, or toward the northeast, he will find himself in the woods, where tall pines and spruces and oaks and maples rear their gigantic trunks. it is not all forest, for here and there we see "openings" where the sunlight falls on pleasant meadows; but speaking in general terms, the entire country east of the mississippi, in minnesota and northern wisconsin, and in that portion of michigan lying between lake superior and lake michigan, is the place for the lumberman. the soil is sandy, and the geologist will see satisfactory traces of the drift period, when a great flood of waters set southward, bringing granite bowlders, pebbles, and stones from the country lying between hudson bay and lake superior. the forest growth affects the climate. there is more snow and rain east of the mississippi than west of it. the temperature in winter on lake superior is milder than at st. paul, but there is more moisture in the air. the climate at duluth or superior city during the winter does not vary much from that of chicago. notwithstanding the difference of latitude, the isothermal line of mean temperature for the year runs from the lower end of lake michigan to the western end of lake superior. probably more snow falls in minnesota than around chicago, for in all forest regions in northern latitudes there is usually a heavier rain and snow fall than in open countries. the time will probably come when the rain-fall of eastern minnesota and northern michigan will be less than it is now. when the lumbermen have swept away the forests, the sun will dry up the moisture, there will be less rain east of the mississippi, while the probabilities are that it will be increased westward over all the prairie region. orchards, groves, corn-fields, wheat-fields, clover-lands,--all will appear with the advance of civilization. they will receive more moisture from the surrounding air than the prairie grasses do at the present time. everybody knows that the hand of man is powerful enough to change climate,--to increase the rain-fall here, to diminish it there; to lower the temperature, or to raise it. the ohio river is dwindling in size because the forests of ohio and pennsylvania are disappearing. palestine, syria, and greece, although they have supported dense populations, are barren to-day because the trees have been cut down. if this were an essay on the power of man over nature, instead of the writing out of a few notes on the northwest, i might go on and give abundant data; but i allude to it incidentally in connection with the climate, which fifty years hence will not in all probability be the same that it is to-day. having in preceding pages taken a survey of the magnificent farming region beyond the mississippi, it remains for us to take a look at the country between the mississippi and lake superior. leaving our camp equipage and the horses that had borne us over the prairies, bidding good by to our many friends in minneapolis and st. paul, we started from the last-named city for a trip of a hundred and fifty miles through the woods. the first fifty miles was accomplished by rail, through a country partially settled. upon the train were several ladies and gentlemen on their way to white bear lake, not the white bear of the west, but a lovely sheet of water ten miles north of st. paul. it is but a few years since wabashaw and his dusky ancestors trolled their lines by day and speared pickerel and pike by torchlight at night upon its placid bosom, but now it is the favorite resort of picnic-parties from st. paul. here and there along the shores are low grass-grown monuments, raised by the chippewas when they were a powerful nation among the red men. "but now the wheat is green and high on clods that hid the warrior's breast, and scattered in the furrows lie the weapons of his rest." the lake is six miles long and dotted with islands. it was a general gathering-place of the indians, as it is now of the people of the surrounding country. its curving shores and pebbly beaches, bordered by a magnificent forest, present a charming and peaceful picture. we are accompanied on our trip by the president of the lake superior and mississippi railroad, and other gentlemen connected with the railroads of the northwest. at wyoming we leave our friends, bid good by to the locomotive, and say how do you do to a bright new mud-wagon! it is set on thorough-braces, with a canvas top. there are seats for nine inside and one with the driver outside. carpet-bags and valises are stowed under the seats. we have no extra luggage, but are in light staging order. we are bound for superior and duluth. "you will have a sweet time getting there," is the remark of a mud-bespattered man sitting on a pile of lumber by the roadside. he has just come through on foot with a dozen men, who have thrown down the shovel to take up the sickle, or rather to follow the reaper during harvest. what he means by our having a sweet time we do not quite comprehend. "you will find the road baddish in spots," says another. a german, with bushy beard and uncombed hair, barefooted, and carrying his boots in his hands, exclaims, "it ish von tam tirty travel all the time!" we understand him. with a crack of the whip we roll away, our horses on the trot, passing cleared fields, where cattle are up to their knees in clover, past wheat-fields ready for the reaper, reaching at noon our halting-place for dinner. whenever you find a farm-house anywhere out west where there are delicious apple-pies, or anything especially nice in the pastry line, on the table, you may be pretty sure that the hostess came from maine; at least, such has been my experience. i remember calling at a house in central missouri during the war, and, instead of having the standard dish of the southwest "hog and hominy," obtaining a luxurious dinner, finishing off with apple-pie, the pastry moulded by fair hands that were trained to housework on the banks of the penobscot. last year i found a lady from maine among the sierra nevadas; i was confident that she was from the pine-tree state the moment i saw her pies; for somehow the daughters of down east have the knack of making pastry that would delight an epicure. and now in minnesota we sit down to a substantial dinner topped off, rounded, and made complete by a piece of maine apple-pie. the daughters of new hampshire and of vermont may possibly make just as good cooks, but it has so happened that we have fallen in with housewives from maine when our appetite was sharpened for something good. our dinner is at the house of a farmer who came to minnesota from the kennebec. he knew how to swing an axe, and the oaks and maples have fallen before his sturdy strokes; the plough and harrow and stump-puller have been at work, and now we look out upon wheat-fields and acres of waving corn, inhale the fragrance of white clover, and hear the humming of the bees. we see at a glance the capabilities of the forest region of minnesota. we understand it just as well as if we were to read all the works extant on soil, climatology, natural productions, etc. here, as well as westward of the mississippi, wheat, corn, potatoes, clover, and timothy can be successfully and profitably cultivated. "i raised thirty-five bushels of wheat to the acre last year, and i guess i shall have that this year," said the owner of the farm. this well-to-do farmer and his wife came here without capital, or rather with capital arms and strong hearts, to rear a home, and here it is: a neat farm-house of two stories; a carpet on the floor, a sofa, a rocking-chair, pictures on the walls; a large barn; granary well filled,--a comfortable home with a bright future before them. when the timber has disappeared from eastern minnesota, the land will produce luxuriantly. the country will not be settled quite as rapidly here as west of the mississippi; but it is not to be forever a wilderness. the time will come when along every stream there will be heard the buzzing of saws, the whirring of mill-stones, and the click and clatter of machinery. this vast area of timber will invite every kind of manufacturing, and the same elements which have contributed so largely to build up the eastern states--the manufacturing and industrial--will here aid in building up one of the strongest communities of our future republic. clearings here and there, cabins by the roadside, bark wigwams which have sheltered wandering ojibwas, and a reach of magnificent forest, are the features of the country through which we ride this glorious afternoon, with the sunlight glimmering among the trees, till suddenly we come upon chengwatona. it is a small village on snake river, with a hotel, half a dozen houses, and a saw-mill where pine logs are going up an incline from the pond at one end, and coming out in the shape of bright new lumber at the other. the dam at chengwatona has flooded an immense area, and looking toward the descending sun we behold a forest in decay. the trees are leafless, and the dead trunks rising from the water, robbed of all their beauty, present an indescribable scene of desolation when contrasted with the luxuriance of the living forest through which we have passed. with a fresh team we move on, finding mud "spots" now and then. we remember the remarks of the fellows at the railroad. we dive into holes, the forward wheels going down _kerchug_, sending bucketsful of muddy water upward to the roof of the wagon and forward upon the horses; jounce over corduroy which sets our teeth to chattering; then come upon a series of hollows through which we ride as in a jolly-boat on the waves of the sea. the wagon is ballasted by two members of congress on the back seat, and by our rotund physician and the vice-president of the northern pacific on the middle seat. the president is outside with the driver, on the lookout for breakers, while the rest of us, like passengers on shipboard, stowed beneath the hatches, must take whatever comes. the members of congress bob up and down like electric pith-balls between the negative and positive poles of a galvanic battery,--only that the positive is the prevailing force! when the forward wheels go down to the hub, they go up; and then, as they descend, the seat, by some unaccountable process, comes up, meets them half-way,--and with such a bump! then we who are shaking our sides with laughter on the front seat, congratulating ourselves, like the pharisees, that we are not as they are, suddenly find ourselves sprawling on the floor. when we regain our places, the m. d. and vice-president come forward with a rush and embrace us fraternally. we get our legs so mixed up with our neighbors' that we can hardly tell whether our feet belong to ourselves or to somebody else! the light weights of the party are knocked about like shuttlecocks, while the solid ones roll like those ridiculous, round-bottomed, grinning images that we see in the toy-shops! i find myself going up and down after the manner of sancho panza when tossed in a blanket. our dinners are well settled when we reach grindstone,--our stopping-place for the night. the town is located on grindstone creek, and consists of a log-house and stable, surrounded by burnt timber. half a dozen men who have footed it from duluth are nursing their sore feet in one of the three rooms on the ground-floor. the furniture of the apartment consists of a cast-iron stove in the centre and three rough benches against the walls, which are papered with pictorial newspapers. the occupants are discussing the future prospects of duluth. "it is a right smart chance of a place," says a tall, thin-faced, long-nosed man stretched in one corner. we know by the utterance of that one sentence that he is from southern illinois. "they have got their _i_-deas pretty well up though, on real estate, for a town that is only a yearlin'," says another, who, by his accent of the _i_, has shown that he too is a western man. an amazon in stature, with a round red face, hurries up a supper of pork and fried eggs; and then we who are going northward, and they who are travelling southward,--sixteen of us, all told,--creep up the narrow stairway to the unfinished garret, and go to bed, with our noses close to the rafters and long shingles, through the crevices of which we look out and behold the stars marching in grand procession across the midnight sky. it is glorious to lie there and feel the _tire_ and weariness go out of us; to look into the "eternities of space," as carlyle says of the vault of heaven. but our profound thoughts upon the measureless empyrean are brought down to sublunary things by four of the sleepers who engage in a snoring contest. the race is so close, neck and neck, or rather nose and nose, that it is impossible to decide whether the deep sonorous--not to say _snorous_?--bass of the big fellow by the window, or the sharp, piercing, energetic snorts of the thin-faced, lantern-jawed, long-nosed man from southern illinois, is entitled to the trumpet or horn, or whatever may be appropriate to signalize such championship. either of them would have been a power in the grand chorus of the coliseum jubilee, and both together would be equal to the big organ! we are off early in the morning, feeling a little sore in spots. the first thump extorts a sudden oh! from a member of congress, but we are philosophic, and accommodate ourselves to circumstances, tell stories between the bumpings, and make the grand old forest ring with our laughter. it is glorious to get away from the town, and out into the woods, where you can shout and sing and let yourself out without regard to what folks will say! the fountain of perennial youth is in the forest,--never in the city. its healing, beautifying, and restoring waters do not run through aqueducts; they are never pumped up; but you must lie down upon the mossy bank beneath old trees and drink from the crystal stream to obtain them. we quench our thirst from gurgling brooks, pick berries by the roadside, walk ahead of the lumbering stage, and enjoy the solitude of the interminable forest. eighteen miles of travel brings us to kettle river crossing, where we sit down to a dinner of blackberries and milk, bread and butter, and blackberry-pie, in a clean little cottage, with pictures on the walls, books on a shelf, a snow-white cloth on the table, and a trim little woman waiting upon us. "may i ask where you are from?" "manchester, new hampshire." it was lord morpeth or the duke of argyle, i have forgotten which, who said that new england looked as if it had just been taken out of a bandbox; so with this one-storied log-house and everything around it. we had sour-krout at grindstone, but have blackberries here; and that is just the difference between dutchland and new england, whether you seek for them on the atlantic slope or in the heart of the continent. space is wanting to tell of all the incidents of a three days' forest ride,--how we trolled for pickerel on a little lake, seated in a birch-bark canoe, and hauled them in hand over hand,--bouncing fellows that furnished us a delicious breakfast; how we laughed and told stories, never minding the bumping and thumping of the wagon, and came out strong, like mark tapley, every one of us; how we gazed upon the towering pines and sturdy oaks, and beheld the gloom settling over nature when the great eclipse occurred; and how, just as night was coming on, we entered superior, and saw a horned owl sitting on the ridge-pole of a deserted house in the outskirts of the town, surveying the desolate scene in the twilight,--looking out upon the cemetery, the tenantless houses, and the blinking lights in the windows. superior has been, and still is, a city of the future, rather than of the present. it was laid out before the war on a magnificent scale by a party of southerners, among whom was john c. breckenridge, who is still a large owner in corner lots. it has a fine situation at the southwestern corner of the lake, on a broad, level plateau, with a densely timbered country behind it. the st. louis river, which rises in northern minnesota, and which comes tumbling over a series of cascades formed by the high land between lake superior and the mississippi, spreads itself out into a shallow bay in front of the town, and reaches the lake over a sand-bar. government has been erecting breakwaters to control the current of the river, with the expectation of deepening the channel, which has about nine feet of water; but thus far the improvements have not accomplished the desired end. the bar is a great impediment to navigation, and its existence has had a blighting effect on the once fair prospects of superior city. dredges are employed to deepen the channel, but those thus far used are small, and not much has been accomplished. the citizens of superior are confident that with a liberal appropriation from government the channel can be deepened, and that, when once cleared out, it can be kept clear at a small expense. superior has suffered severely from the reaction which followed the flush times in . a large amount of money was expended in improvements,--grading streets, opening roads, building piers, and erecting houses. then the war came on, and all industry was paralyzed. the southern proprietors were in rebellion. the growth of the place, which had been considerable, came to a sudden stand-still. the situation of the town, while it is fortunate in some respects, is unfortunate in others. it is in wisconsin, while the point which reaches across the head of the lake is in minnesota. the last-named state wanted a port on the lake in its own dominion, and so duluth has sprung into existence as the rival of its older neighbor. the st. paul and superior railroad, having its terminus at duluth, lies wholly within the state of minnesota, and comes just near enough to superior to tantalize and vex the good people of that place. but the citizens of that town have good pluck. i do not know what motto they have adopted for their great corporate seal, but _nil desperandum_ would best set forth their hopefulness and determination. they are confident that superior is yet to be the queen city of the lake, and are determined to have railway communication with the mississippi by building a branch line to the st. paul and superior road. our party is kindly and hospitably entertained by the people of the place, and to those who think of the town as being so far northwest that it is beyond civilization, i have only to say that there are few drawing-rooms in the east where more agreeable company can be found than that which we find in one of the parlors of superior; few places where the sonatas of beethoven and mendelssohn can be more exquisitely rendered upon the pianoforte, by a lady who bakes her own bread and cares for her family without the aid of a servant. it is the glory of our civilization that it adapts itself to all the circumstances of life. i have no doubt that if minnie, or winnie, or georgiana, or almost any of the pale, attenuated young ladies who are now frittering away their time in studying the last style of _paniers_, or thrumming the piano, or reading the last vapid novel, were to have their lot cast in the west,--on the frontiers of civilization,--where they would be _compelled_ to do something for themselves or those around them, that they would manfully and _womanfully_ accept the situation, be far happier than they now are, and worth more to themselves and to the world. i dare say that nine out of every ten young men selling dry-goods in retail stores in boston and elsewhere have high hopes for the future. they are going to do something by and by. when they get on a little farther they will show us what they can accomplish. but the chances are that they will never get that little farther on. the tide is against them. one thing we are liable to forget; we measure ourselves by what we are going to do, whereas the world estimates us by what we have already done. how any young man of spirit can settle himself down to earning a bare existence, when all this vast region of the northwest, with its boundless undeveloped resources before him, is inviting him on, is one of the unexplained mysteries of life. they will be nobodies where they are; they can be somebodies in building up a new society. the young man who has measured off ribbon several years, as thousands have who are doing no better to-day than they did five years ago, in all probability will be no farther along, except in years, five years hence than he is now. chapter viii. duluth. embarking at a pier, and steering northwest, we pass up the bay, with the long, narrow, natural breakwater, minnesota point, on our right hand, and the level plateau of the main-land, with a heavy forest growth, on our left. before us, on the sloping hillside of the northern shore, lies the rapidly rising town of duluth, unheard of twelve months ago, but now, to use a western term, "a right smart chance of a place." one hundred and ninety years ago duluth, a french explorer, was coasting along these shores, and sailing up this bay over which we are gliding. he was the first european to reach the head of the lake. he crossed the country to the upper mississippi, descended it to st. paul, where he met father hennipen, who had been held in captivity by the indians. it is suitable that so intrepid an explorer should be held in remembrance, and the founders of the new town have done wisely in naming it for him, instead of calling it washington or jackson, or adding another "ville" to the thousands now so perplexing to post-office clerks. the new city of the northwest is sheltered from northerly winds by the high lands behind it. the st. louis river, a stream as large as the merrimac, after its turbulent course down the rocky rapids, with a descent altogether of five hundred feet, flows peacefully past the town into the bay of superior. the river and lake together have thrown up the long and narrow strip of land called minnesota point, reaching nearly across the head of the lake, and behind which lies the bay. it is as if the titans had thrown up a wide railway embankment, or had tried their hand at filling up the lake. the bay is shallow, but the men who projected the city of duluth are in no wise daunted by that fact. they have planned to make a harbor by building a mole out into the lake fifteen hundred or two thousand feet. it is to extend from the northern shore far enough to give good anchorage and protection to vessels and steamers. the work to be done is in many respects similar to what has been accomplished at both ends of the suez canal. when m. lesseps set about the construction of that magnificent enterprise, he found no harbor on the mediterranean side, but only a low sandy shore, against which the waves, driven by the prevailing western winds, were always breaking. the shore was a narrow strip of sand, behind which lay a shallow lagoon called lake menzaleh. there was no granite or solid material of any description at hand for the construction of a breakwater. undaunted by the difficulties, he commenced the manufacture of blocks of stone on the beach, mixing hydraulic lime brought from france with the sand of the shore, and moistening it with salt water. he erected powerful hydraulic presses and worked them by steam. after the blocks, which weighed twenty tons each, had dried three months, they were taken out on barges and tumbled into the ocean in the line of the moles, one of which was , feet, nearly a mile and a half, in length; the other , feet, enclosing an area of about five hundred acres. more than , blocks of manufactured stone were required to complete these two walls. they were not laid in cement, for it has been found that a rubble wall is better than finished masonry to resist the action of the waves. having completed the walls, dredges were set to work, and the area has been deepened enough to enable the largest vessels navigating the mediterranean to find safe anchorage. these breakwaters were required for the outer harbor, but an inner basin was needed. to obtain it, m. lesseps cut a channel through the low ridge of sand to lake menzaleh, where the water upon an average was four feet deep. a large area has been dredged in the lake, and docks constructed, and now the commerce of the world between the orient and the occident passes through the basin of port said. the suez canal, the construction of a large harbor on the sand-beach of the mediterranean, and another of equal capacity on the red sea, is one of the wonders of modern times,--a triumph of engineering skill and of the indomitable will of one energetic man. the people of duluth will not be under the necessity of manufacturing the material for the breakwater, for along the northern shore there is an abundant supply of granite which can be easily quarried. it is proposed to make an inner harbor by digging a canal across minnesota point and excavating the shallows. the difficulties to be overcome at duluth bear slight comparison with those already surmounted on the mediterranean. the commercial men of chicago contemplate the fencing in of a few hundred acres of lake michigan; and there is no reason to doubt that a like thing can be done at the western end of lake superior. two years ago duluth was a forest; but in this month of may, , it has two thousand inhabitants, with the prospect of doubling its population within a twelvemonth. the woodman's axe is ringing on the hills, and the trees are falling beneath his sturdy strokes. from morning till night we hear the joiner's plane and the click of the mason's trowel. you may find excellent accommodation in a large hotel, erected at a cost of forty thousand dollars. we may purchase the products of all climes in the stores,--sugar from the west indies, coffee from java, tea from china, or silks from the looms of france. the printing-press is here issuing the duluth minnesotian, a sprightly sheet that looks sharply after the interests of this growing town. musical as the ripples upon the pebbly shore of the lake are the voices of the children reciting their lessons in yonder school-house. i am borne back to boyhood days,--to the old school-house, with its hard benches, where i studied, played, caught flies, was cheated swapping jack-knives, and got a licking besides! glorious days they were for all that! presbyterian and episcopal churches are already organized, also an historical society. during the last winter a course of lectures was sustained. the stumps are yet to be seen in the streets, but such is the beginning of a town which may yet become one of the great commercial cities of the interior. a meteorological record kept at superior since shows that the average period of navigation has been two hundred and sixteen days, which is fully as long as the season at chicago. year. opening. close. no. of days. april december " november may " march " may " april december june " april " may " april " " " may " april " steaming up the river several miles to the foot of the first rapids, and landing on the northern shore, climbing up a wet and slippery bank of red clay we are on the line of the railroad, upon which several hundred men are employed. grades of fifty feet to the mile are necessary from the lake up to the falls of the st. louis, but the tonnage of the road will be largely eastward, down the grade, instead of westward. the road will be about a hundred and forty miles in length, connecting the lake with the network of railroads centring at st. paul. it is liberally endowed, having in all , , acres of land heavily timbered with pine, butternut, white oak, sugar-maple, ash, and other woods. there is no doubt that this line of road will do an immense amount of business. such is the estimation in which it is held by the moneyed men of philadelphia, that mr. jay cooke obtained the entire amount of money necessary to construct it in four days! the bonds, i believe, were not put upon the market in the usual manner, by advertising, but were taken at once by men who wanted them for investment. a single glance at the map must be sufficient to convince any intelligent observer of the value of such a franchise. the wheat of minnesota, to reach chicago now, must be taken by steamers to la crosse or prairie du chien, and thence transported by rail across wisconsin, but when this road is put in operation, the products of minnesota, gathered at st. paul or minneapolis, will seek this new outlet. think of the scene of activity there will be along the line, not only of this road, but of the northern pacific, when the two are completed to the lake, of an almost continuous train of cars, of elevators pouring grain from cars to ships and steamers. think of the fleet that will soon whiten this great inland sea, bearing the products of the immense wheat-field eastward to the atlantic cities, and bringing back the industries of the eastern states! it is only when i sit down to think of the future, to measure it by the advancement already made, that i can comprehend anything of the coming greatness of the northwest,-- , , bushels of wheat this year; , inhabitants in the state, yet scarcely a hundredth part of the area under cultivation. what will be the product ten years hence, when the population will reach , , ? what will it be twenty years hence? how shall we obtain any conception of the business to be done on these railways when dakota, montana, washington, and oregon, and all the vast region of the assinniboine and the saskatchawan, pour their products to the nearest water-carriage eastward? we are already beyond our depth, and are utterly unable to comprehend the probable development. the men who are building this railroad from st. paul to duluth have not failed to recognize this one fact, that by water duluth is as near as chicago to the atlantic cities. wheat and flour can be transported as cheaply from duluth to buffalo or ogdensburg as from the southern end of lake michigan, while the distance from st. paul to lake superior is only one hundred and forty miles against four hundred and eighty to chicago. we may conclude that the wheat of minnesota can be carried fifteen or twenty cents a bushel cheaper by duluth than by lake michigan,--a saving to the eastern consumer of almost a dollar on each barrel of flour. twenty cents on a bushel saved will add at least four dollars to the yearly product of an acre of land. the difference in freight on articles manufactured in the east and shipped to minnesota will be still more marked, for grain in bulk is taken at low rates, while manufactured goods pay first-class. the completion of this railway will be a great blessing to the people of new england and of all the east, as well as to those of the northwest. anything that abridges distance and cheapens carriage is so much absolute gain. i do not think that there is any public enterprise in the country that promises to produce more important results than the opening of this railway. an elevator company has been organized by several gentlemen in boston and philadelphia, and the necessary buildings are now going up. the wheat will be taken directly from the cars into the elevator, and discharged into the fleet of propellers running to cleveland, buffalo, and ogdensburg, already arranged for this lake superior trade. the region around the western end of the lake has resources for the development of a varied industry. the wooded section extends from central wisconsin westward to the leaf hills beyond the mississippi, and northward to lake winnipeg. this is to be the lumbering region of the northwest, for the manufacture of all agricultural implements,--reapers, mowers, harvesters, ploughs, drills, seed-sowers, wagons, carriages, carts, and furniture,--besides furnishing lumber for fencing, for railroad and building purposes. upon the st. louis river there is exhaustless water-power,--a descent of five hundred feet, with a stream always pouring an abundant flood. its source is among the lakes of northern minnesota, which, being filled to overflowing by the rains of spring and early summer, become great reservoirs. with such a supply of water there is no locality more favorably situated for the manufacture of every variety of domestic articles. undoubtedly the water-power will be largely employed for flouring-mills. the climate is admirably adapted to the grinding of grain. the falls being so near the lake, there will be cheap transportation eastward to buffalo, cleveland, philadelphia, new york, and boston, while westward are the prairies, easily reached by the railroads. the geological formation on the north side of lake superior is granite, but as we follow up the st. louis river we come upon a ridge of slate. it forms the backbone of the divide between the lake and the mississippi river. a quarry has been opened from which slates of a quality not inferior to those of vermont are obtained, and so far as we know it is the only quarry in the northwest. it is almost invaluable, for nebraska, kansas, iowa, western minnesota, and dakota have very little wood. shingles are costly, but here is abundant material to cover the roofs of the millions of houses that are yet to rise upon the prairies. this slate formation is thus referred to by thomas clark, state geologist, in his report to the governor of minnesota, dated december, (pp. , ):-- "these slates are found in all degrees of character, from the common indurated argillaceous fissile to the highly metamorphosed and even trappous type. the working of these slates demands the attention of builders; their real value is economically of more importance to the prairie and sparsely timbered valley of the mississippi than any other deposit in the state's possession on the lake. the annual draught of hundreds of millions of lumber upon the pine forests of the st. croix and upper mississippi and tributaries will exhaust those regions before the close of this century. the trustees of our young commonwealth are emphatically admonished to encourage and foster the working of these slates, and to bring them into use at the earliest time possible. a hundred square feet of dressed slates at the quarries of vermont, new york, and canada are worth from one and a half to two dollars; the weight ranges from four to six hundred pounds, or about four squares to the ton. a ton of this roofing may be transported from the st. louis quarry to the mississippi, by railway, at three dollars, and thence by river to the landings as far down as st. louis or cairo; but the article may be at all points in this state accessible by boats or railway, at an average cost of fifteen dollars per ton, or, at most, four dollars per square,--little, if any, more than pine shingles; the former as good for a century as the latter is for a decade. the supply of these cliffs is literally inexhaustible; if one fourth of this slate area in the st. louis valley proves available,--and doubtless one half will,--it will yield one thousand millions of tons. "the demand for this slate at ten roofs to the square mile, and for forty thousand square miles, would be one million of tons, or one thousandth part of the material. the annual demand for slates in the mississippi valley may be reasonably estimated at one hundred thousand tons, an exportable product of two hundred thousand dollars, besides the element of a permanent income to the railways and water-craft of the state of a half-million of dollars annually." to-day the country along the st. louis is a wilderness. climb the hills, and look upon the scene, and think of the coming years. "thou shalt look upon the green and rolling forest tops, and down into the secrets of the glens and streams, that with their bordering thickets strive to hide their windings. thou shalt gaze at once, here on white villages, and tilth and herds, and swarming roads, and there on solitudes that only hear the torrent, and the wind, and eagle's shriek." here, through the bygone centuries, the indians have set their nets and hooks without ever dreaming of laying their hands upon the wealth that nature has ever in store for those who will labor for it. a few of the original lords of the forests are here, and they are the only idlers of this region. they lounge in the streets, squat in groups under the lee of buildings, and pick animated _somethings_ from their hair! their chief appears in an old army coat with three stars on each shoulder, indicating that he ranks as a lieutenant-general among his people. he walks with dignity, although his old black stove-pipe hat is badly squashed. the warriors follow him, wrapped in blankets, with eagle feathers stuck into their long black hair, and are as dignified as the chief. labor! not they. pale-faces and squaws may work, they never. squaw-power is their highest conception of a labor-saving machine. they have fished in the leaping torrent, but never thought of its being a giant that might be put to work for their benefit. it is evident that a great manufacturing industry must spring up in this region. at minneapolis, st. cloud, and here on the st. louis, we find the three principal water-powers of the northwest. the town of thompson, named in honor of one of the proprietors, mr. edgar a. thompson of philadelphia, has been laid out at the falls, and being situated on the line of the railroad, and so convenient to the lake, will probably have a rapid growth. the st. paul and mississippi railroad, which winds up the northern bank of the river, crosses the stream at that point, and strikes southward through the forests to st. paul. the road, in addition to its grant of land, has received from the city of st. paul $ , in city bonds, and this county of st. louis at the head of the lake has given $ , in county bonds. the lands of this company are generally heavily timbered,--with pine, maple, ash, oak, and other woods. the white pines of this region are almost as magnificent as those that formerly were the glory of maine and new hampshire. norway pines abound. besides transporting the lumber from its own extensive tracts and the lands of the government adjoining, it will be the thoroughfare for an immense territory drained by the snake, kettle, st. louis, and st. croix rivers. the lands that bear such magnificent forest-trees are excellent for agriculture. nowhere in the east have i ever seen ranker timothy and clover than we saw on our journey from st. paul. the company offers favorable terms to all settlers. men from maine and new hampshire are already locating along the line, and setting up saw-mills. they were lumbermen in the east, and they prefer to follow the same business in the west, rather than to speed the plough for a living. i doubt not that the chances for making money are quite as good in the timbered region as on the prairies, for the lumber will pay for the land several times over, which, when put into grain or grass, yields enormously. chapter ix. the mining region. the sun was throwing his morning beams upon the tree-tops of the apostle islands, as our little steamer, chartered for the occasion at superior, rounded the promontory of the main-land, turned its prow southward, and glided into the harbor of bayfield, on the southern shore of the lake. we had made the passage from superior city during the night, and were on deck at daybreak to see the beauties of the islands, of which so much has been written by explorers and tourists. the scenery is not bold, but beautiful. perhaps there is no place on the lake where more charming vistas open to the eye, or where there is such a succession of entrancing views. the islands, eighteen in number, lie north of the promontory. they would appear as high hills, with rounded summits, crowned with a dense forest growth, if the waters were drained off; for all around, between the islands and the mainland, are deep soundings. there is no harbor on the atlantic coast, none in the world, more accessible than bayfield, or more securely land-locked. it may be approached during the wildest storm, no matter which way the wind is blowing. when the northeasters raise a sea as terrible as that which sometimes breaks upon nahant, the captains of steamers and schooners on lake superior run for the apostle islands. bayfield is about sixty miles from superior city, and is the first harbor where vessels can find shelter east of the head of the lake. the apostle islands seem to have been dumped into the lake for the benefit of the mighty tide of commerce which in the coming years is to float upon this inland sea. "it is," said our captain, "the only first-class harbor on the lake. it can be approached in all weathers; the shores are bold, the water deep, the anchorage excellent, and the ice leaves it almost two weeks earlier in spring than the other harbors at the head of the lake." the town of bayfield is named for an officer of the royal engineers, who was employed years ago in surveying the lake. his work was well done, and till recently his charts have been relied on by the sailing-masters; but the surveys of the united states engineers, now approaching completion, are more minute and accurate. the few houses that make up the town are beautifully located, on the western side of the bay. madeline island, the largest of the group, lies immediately in front, and shelters the harbor and town from the northeast storms. the scream of the steamer's whistle rings sharply on the morning air,--while main-land and island, harbor and forest, repeat its echoes. it wakes up all the braves, squaws, and pappooses in the wigwams and log-houses of the chippewa reservation, and all the inhabitants of bayfield. the sun is just making his appearance when we run alongside the pier. it is an early hour for a dozen strangers, with sharp-set appetites, to make a morning call,--more than that, to drop in thus unceremoniously upon a private citizen for breakfast. there being no hotel in the place, we are put to this strait. possibly old nokomis, who is cooking breakfast in a little iron pot with a big piece knocked out of its rim, who squats on the ground and picks out the most savory morsels with her fingers, would share her meal with us, but she does not invite us to breakfast, nor do we care to make ourselves at home in the wigwam. but there is rare hospitality awaiting us. a gentleman who lives in a large white house in the centre of the town, captain vaughn, though not through with his morning nap when we steam up the harbor, is wide awake in an instant. i wonder if there is another housewife in the united states who would provide such an ample repast as that which, in an incredibly short space of time, appeared on the table, prepared by mrs. vaughn,--such a tender steak, mealy potatoes, nice biscuit, delicious coffee, berries and sweet milk; a table-cloth as white as the driven snow; and the hostess the picture of health, presiding at the table with charming ease and grace, not at all disturbed by such an avalanche of company at such an hour! where the breakfast came from, or who cooked it so quickly, is an unexplained mystery; and then there was a basketful of lunch put up by somebody for us to devour while coasting about the bay, and the hostess the while found time to talk with us, to sit down to the parlor organ and charm us with music. so much for a bayfield lady, born in ohio, of stanch yankee stock. embarking on captain vaughn's little steam-yacht, we go dancing along the shores, now running near the bluffs to examine the sandstone formation like that of the hudson, or looking up to the tall pines waving their dark green plumes, or beholding the lumbermen felling the old monarchs and dragging them with stout teams to the bayfield saw-mills. a run of about fifteen miles brings us to the city of ashland, situated at the head of the bay. it makes quite an imposing appearance when you are several miles distant, and upon landing you find that you have been _imposed_ upon. somebody came here years ago, laid out a town, surveyed the lots, cut out magnificent avenues through the forest, found men who believed that ashland was to be a great city, who bought lots and built houses; but the crowd did not come; the few who came soon turned their backs upon the place, leaving all their improvements. one german family remains. two pigs were in possession of a parlor in one deserted house, and a cow quietly chewing her cud in another. a mile east of ashland is bay city, another place planned by speculators, but which probably might be purchased at a discount. the country around bayfield is in a primitive condition now, but the time is rapidly approaching for a change. by and by this will be a great resort for tourists and seekers after health. nature has made it for a _sanitarium_. no mineral springs have been discovered warranted to cure all diseases, but nowhere in this northwest has nature compounded purer air, distilled sweeter water, or painted lovelier landscapes. the time will come when the people of chicago, milwaukie, and other western cities, seeking rest and recreation during the summer months, will flee to this harbor of repose. the fish are as numerous here, and as eager to bite the hook, as anywhere else on the lake, while the streams of the main-land abound with trout. by and by this old red sandstone will be transformed into elegant mansions overlooking the blue waters, and it would not be strange if commerce reared a great mart around this harbor. the charter of the northern pacific railroad extends to this point, and as the road would pass through heavily timbered lands, the company will find it for their interest to open the line, as it will also form a connecting link between the west and the iron region of lake superior. but whether a city rises here, whether a railroad is constructed or not, let me say to any one who wants to pull out big trout that this is the place. an indian who has been trying his luck shows a string of five-pounders, caught in one of the small streams entering the bay. there is no sport like trout-fishing. think of stealing on tiptoe along the winding stream, dropping your hook into the gurgling waters, and feeling a moment later something tugging, turning, pulling, twisting, running, now to the right, now to the left, up stream, down stream, making the thin cord spin, till your heart leaps into your throat through fear of its breaking,--fear giving place to hope, hope to triumph, when at length you land a seven-pounder on the green and mossy bank! you find such trout in the streams that empty into the lake opposite the apostle islands,--trout mottled with crimson and gold! bidding good by to our generous host and hostess we take an eastward-bound steamer in the evening for a trip down the lake, stopping for an hour or two at ontonagon, then steaming on, rounding keweenaw point during the night, and reaching marquette in the morning. fishing-boats are dancing on the waves, yachts scudding along the shore, tourists rambling over the rocks at our right hand, throwing their lines, pulling up big trout, steamers and schooners are lying in the harbor, and thrift, activity, and enterprise is everywhere visible. we see an immense structure, resembling a railway bridge, built out into the harbor. it is several hundred feet in length, and twenty or more in height. a train of cars comes thundering down a grade, and out upon the bridge, while men running from car to car knock out here and there a bolt or lift a catch, and we hear a rumbling and thundering, and feel the wharf tremble beneath our feet. it is not an earthquake; they are only unloading iron ore from the cars into bins. a man by means of machinery raises a trap-door, and the black mass, starting with a rush, thunders once more as it plunges into the hold of a schooner. it requires but a few minutes to take in a cargo. and then, shaking out her sails, the schooner shapes her course eastward along the "pictured rocks" for the st. mary's canal, bound for cleveland, erie, or chicago with her freight of crude ore to be smelted and rolled where coal is near at hand. the town is well laid out. although the business portion was destroyed by fire not many months ago, it has been rebuilt. there are elegant residences, churches, school-houses, and stores. men walk the streets as if they had a little more business on hand than they could well attend to. the men who used to frequent this region to trade with the indians knew as early as that iron existed in the hills. but it was not till , just a quarter of a century ago, that any attempt was made to test the ore. dr. jackson, of boston, who visited lake superior in , pronounced it of excellent quality. he informed mr. lyman pray, of charlestown, mass., of its existence, and that the indians reported a "mountain" of it not far from marquette. mr. pray at once started on an exploring expedition, reached lake superior, obtained an indian guide, penetrated the forest, and found the hills filled with ore. about the same time a gentleman named everett obtained half a ton of it, which the indians and half-breeds carried on their backs to the carp river, and transported it to the lake in canoes. it was smelted, but was so different from that of pennsylvania that the iron-masters shook their heads. some declared that it was of no particular value, others that it could not be worked. the pittsburg iron-men pronounced it worthless. but mr. everett persevered, sent a small quantity to the coldwater forge, where it was smelted and rolled into a bar, from which he made a knife-blade, and was convinced that the metal was superior in quality to any other deposit in the country. the jackson company was at once formed for mining in the iron and copper region. the copper fever was at its height, and the company was organized with a view of working both metals if thought advisable. a forge was erected on the carp river in , making four blooms a day, each about four feet long and eight inches thick. another was built, in , by a company from worcester, mass., but so small was the production that in the shipment only reached five thousand tons. the superior qualities of the metal began to be known. other companies were formed and improvements made; railroads and docks were constructed, and the production has had a steady increase, till it has reached a high figure. there are fourteen companies engaged in mining,--two have just commenced, while the others are well developed. the production of the twelve principal mines for the year will be seen from the following figures:-- tons. jackson, , cleveland, , marquette, , lake superior, , new york, , lake angeline, , edwards, , iron mountain, , washington, , new england, , champion, , barnum, , _______ total, , the increase over the previous year is between forty and fifty thousand tons. the yield for was about , tons. the entire production of all the mines up to the close of is , , tons. iron mining in this region is in its infancy; and yet the value of the metal produced last year amounts to _eighteen million dollars_. the cause for this rapid development is found in the fact that the lake superior ore makes the best iron in the world. persistent efforts were made to cry it down, but those who were engaged in its production invited rigid tests. its tenacity, in comparison with other qualities, will be seen by the following tabular statement:-- swedish, english cable bolt, russian, lake superior, - / when this fact was made known, railroad companies began to use lake superior iron for the construction of locomotives, car-wheels, and axles. boiler builders wanted it. those who tried it were eager to obtain more, and the result is seen in the rapidly increasing demand. the average cost of mining and delivering the ore in cars at the mines is estimated at about $ per ton. it is shipped to cleveland at a cost of $ . , making $ . when laid on the dock in that city, where it is readily sold for $ , leaving a profit of about $ . per ton for the shipper. perhaps, including insurance and incidentals, the profit may be reduced to about $ . per ton. it will be seen that this is a very remunerative operation. about one hundred furnaces in ohio and pennsylvania use lake superior ore almost exclusively, while others mix it with the ores of those regions. a large amount is smelted at lake superior, where charcoal is used. the forests in the vicinity of the mines are rapidly disappearing. the wide-spreading sugar-maple, the hardy yellow birch, the feathery hackmatack and evergreen hemlock are alike tumbled into the coal-pit to supply fuel for the demands of commerce. the charcoal consumed per ton in smelting costs about eleven cents per bushel. for reducing a ton of the best ore about a hundred and ten bushels are required; for a ton of the poorest about a hundred and forty bushels, giving an average of $ per ton. the cost of mining is, as has already been stated, about $ per ton. to this must be added furnace-labor, interest on capital employed, insurance, freight, commission, making the total cost about $ a ton. as the iron commands the highest price in the market, it will be seen that the iron companies of lake superior are having an enormous income. some men who purchased land at government price are on the high road to fortune. one man entered eighty acres of land, which now nets him _twenty-four thousand dollars per annum_! a railroad runs due west from marquette, gaining by steep gradients the general level of the ridge between superior and michigan. it is called the marquette and ontonagon railroad, and will soon form an important link in the great iron highway across the continent. it is about twenty miles from marquette to the principal mines, which are also reached by rail from escanaba, on green bay, a distance of about seventy miles. the ore is generally found in hills ranging from one to five hundred feet above the level of the surrounding country. the elevations can hardly be called mountains; they are knolls rather. they are iron warts on dame nature's face. they are partially covered with earth,--the slow-forming deposits of the alluvial period. there are five varieties of ore. the most valuable is what is called the specular hematite, which chemically is known as a pure _anhydrous sesquioxide_. this ore yields about sixty-five per cent of pure iron. it is sometimes found in conjunction with red quartz, and is then known as mixed ore. the next in importance is a soft hematite, resembling the ores of pennsylvania and connecticut. it is quite porous, is more easily reduced than any other variety, and yields about fifty per cent of pure iron. the magnetic ores are found farther west than those already described. the michigan, washington, champion, and edwards mines are all magnetic. sometimes the magnetic and specular lie side by side, and it is a puzzle to geologists and chemists alike to account for the difference between them. as yet we are not able to understand by what subtle alchemy the change has been produced. another variety is called the silicious hematite, which is more difficult of reduction than the others. it varies in richness, and there is an unlimited supply. the fifth variety is a silicious hematite found with manganese, which, when mixed with other ores, produces an excellent quality of iron. very little of this ore has been mined as yet, and its relative value is not ascertained. the best iron cannot be manufactured from one variety, but by mixing ores strength and ductility both are obtained. england sends to russia and sweden for magnetic ores to mix with those produced in lancashire, for the manufacture of steel. the fires of sheffield would soon go out if the manufactures in that town were dependent on english ore alone. the iron-masters there could not make steel good enough for a blacksmith's use, to say nothing of that needed for cutlery, if they were cut off from foreign magnetic ores. here, at lake superior, those necessary for the production of the best of steel lie side by side. a mixture of the hematite and magnetic gives a metal superior, in every respect, to any that england can produce. this one fact settles the question of the future of this region. it is to become one of the great iron-marts of the world. it is to give, by and by, the supremacy to america in the production of steel. it is already settled, by trial, that every grade of iron now in use in arts and manufactures can be produced here at lake superior by mixing the various ores. the miners are a hardy set of men, rough, uncouth, but enterprising. they live in small cottages, make excellent wages, drink whiskey, and rear large families. how happens it that in all new communities there is such an abundance of children? they throng every doorway, and by every house we see them tumbling in the dirt. nearly every woman has a child in her arms. we cannot expect to see the refinements and luxuries of old communities in a country where the stumps have not yet been cleared from the streets, and where the spruces and hemlocks are still waving above the cottages of the settlers, but here are the elements of society. these hard-handed men are developing this region, earning a livelihood for themselves and enriching those who employ them. towns are springing into existence. we find ishpeming rising out of a swamp. imagine a spruce forest standing in a bog where the trees are so thick that there is hardly room enough for the lumbermen to swing their axes, the swamp being a stagnant pool of dark-colored water covered with green slime! an enterprising town-builder purchased this bog for a song, and has laid out a city. here it is,--dwelling-houses and stores standing on posts driven into the mud, or resting on the stumps. he has filled up the streets with the _débris_ from the mines. frogs croak beneath the dwellings, or sun themselves on the sills. the town is not thus growing from the swamp because there is no solid land, but because the upland has exhaustless beds of iron ore beneath, too valuable to be devoted to building purposes. i have seen few localities so full of promise for the future, not this one little spot in the vicinity of marquette, but the entire metallic region between lake superior and lake michigan. look at the locality! it is half-way across the continent. lake michigan laves the southern, superior the northern shore, while the st. lawrence furnishes water-carriage to the atlantic. a hundred and fifty miles of rail from bayfield will give connection with the navigable waters of the mississippi. through this peninsula will yet lie the shortest route between the atlantic and pacific. westward are the wheat-fields of the continent, to be peopled by an industrious and thriving community. there is no point more central than this for easy transportation. here, just where the future millions can be easiest served, exhaustless deposits of the best ore in the world have been placed by a divine hand for the use and welfare of the mighty race now beginning to put forth its energies on this western hemisphere. towns, cities, and villages are to arise amid these hills; the forests and the hills themselves are to disappear. the product, now worth seventeen millions of dollars per annum, erelong will be valued at a hundred millions. i think of the coming years when this place will be musical with the hum of machinery; when the stillness of the summer day and the crisp air of winter will be broken by the songs of men at work amid flaming forges, or at the ringing anvil. from marquette, and bayfield, and ontonagon, and escanaba, from every harbor on these inland seas, steamers and schooners, brigs and ships, will depart freighted with ore; hither they will come, bringing the products of the farm and workshop. heavily loaded trains will thunder over railroads, carrying to every quarter of our vast domain the metals manufactured from the mines of lake superior. we have but to think of the capabilities of this region, its extent and area, the increase of population, the development of resources, the construction of railways, the growth of cities and towns; we have only to grasp the probabilities of the future, to discern the dawning commercial greatness of this section of our country. chapter x. a familiar talk. "i have called to have a little talk about the west, and think that i should like a farm in minnesota or in the red river country," said a gentleman not long since, who introduced himself as mr. blotter, and who said he was "clerking it." "i want to go out west and raise stock," said another gentleman who stopped me on the street. "where would you advise a fellow to go who hasn't much money, but who isn't afraid to work?" said a stout young man from maine. "i am a machinist, and want to try my luck out west," said another young man hailing from a manufacturing town in massachusetts. "i am manufacturing chairs, and want to know if there is a place out west where i can build up a good business," said another. many other gentlemen, either in person or by letter, have asked for specific information. it is not to be expected that i can point out the exact locality suited to each individual, or with which they would be suited, but for the benefit of all concerned i give the substance of an evening's talk with mr. blotter. "i want a farm, i am tired of the city," said he. well, sir, you can be accommodated. the united states government has several million acres of land,--at least , , in minnesota, to say nothing of dakota and the region beyond,--and you can help yourself to a farm out of any unoccupied territory. the homestead law of gives a hundred and sixty acres, free of cost, to actual settlers, whether foreign or native, male or female, over twenty-one years old, or to minors having served fourteen days in the army. foreigners must declare their intention to become citizens. under the present pre-emption law settlers often live on their claims many years before they are called on to pay the $ . per acre,--the land in the mean time having risen to $ or $ per acre. a recent decision gives single women the right to pre-empt. five years' residence on the land is required by the homestead law, and it is not liable to any debts contracted before the issuing of the patent. the state of minnesota has a liberal law relative to the exemption of real estate from execution. a homestead of eighty acres, or one lot and house, is exempt; also, five hundred dollars' worth of furniture, besides tools, bed and bedding, sewing-machine, three cows, ten hogs, twenty sheep, a span of horses, or one horse and one yoke of oxen, twelve months' provisions for family and stock, one wagon, two ploughs, tools of a mechanic, library of a professional man, five hundred dollars' worth of stock if a trader, and various other articles. you will find several railroad companies ready to sell you eighty, or a hundred and sixty, or six hundred and forty acres in a body, at reasonable rates, giving you accommodating terms. "would you take a homestead from government, or would you buy lands along the line of a railroad?" that is for you to say. if you take a homestead it will necessarily be beyond the ten-mile limit of the land granted to the road, where the advance in value will not keep pace with lands nearer the line. you will find government lands near some of the railroads, which you can purchase for $ . per acre, cash down. the railroad companies will charge you from $ to $ , according to location, but will give you time for payment. "what are their terms?" the st. paul and pacific railroad, the main line of which is to be completed to the red river this year, and which owns the branch line running from st. paul up the east bank of the mississippi to st. cloud, have a million acres of prairie, meadow, and timber lands which they will sell in tracts of forty acres or more, and make the terms easy. suppose you were to buy eighty acres at $ per acre, that would give you a snug farm for $ . if you can pay cash down, they will make it $ per acre,--$ saved at the outset; but if you have only a few dollars in your pocket they will let you pay a year's interest at seven per cent to begin with, and the principal and interest in ten annual payments. the figures would then run in this way:-- eighty acres at $ per acre, $ interest. principal. total. st year, $ . d " . $ . $ . d " . . . th " . . . th " . . . th " . . . th " . . . th " . . . th " . . . th " . . . th " . . "the second year will be the hardest," said mr. blotter, "for i shall have to fence my farm, build a cabin, and purchase stock and tools. is there fencing material near?" that depends upon where you locate. if you are near the line of the railway, you can have it brought by cars. if you locate near the "big woods" on the main line west of minneapolis, you will have timber near at hand. numerous saw-mills are being erected, some driven by water and others by steam. the timbered lands of the company are already held at high rates,--from $ to $ per acre. the country beyond the "big woods" is all prairie, with no timber except a few trees along the streams. it is filling up so rapidly with settlers that wood-lands are in great demand, for when cleared they are just as valuable as the prairie for farming purposes. many settlers who took up homesteads before the railroad was surveyed now find themselves in good circumstances, especially if they are near a station. in many places near towns, land which a year ago could have been had for $ . per acre is worth $ to-day. "is the land in the mississippi valley above st. paul any better than that of the prairies?" perhaps you have a mistaken idea in regard to the mississippi valley. there are no bottom-lands on the upper mississippi. the prairie borders upon the river. you will find the land on the east side better adapted to grazing than for raising wheat. the company do not hold their lands along the branch at so high a figure as on the main line. some of my minnesota friends say that stock-growing on the light lands east of the mississippi is quite as profitable as raising wheat. cattle, sheep, and horses transport themselves to market, but you must draw your grain. if you are going into stock-raising, you can afford to be at a greater distance from a railroad station than the man who raises wheat. it would undoubtedly be for the interest of the company to sell you their outlying lands along the branch line at a low figure, for it would enhance the value of those nearer the road. you will find st. cloud and anoka thriving places, which, with st. paul and minneapolis, will give a good home demand for beef and mutton, to say nothing of the facilities for reaching eastern markets by the railroads and lakes. "do the people of minnesota use fertilizers?" no; they allow the manure to accumulate around their stables, or else dump it into the river to get rid of it! they sow wheat on the same field year after year, and return nothing to the ground. they even burn the straw, and there can be but one result coming from such a process,--exhaustion of the soil,--poor, worn-out farms by and by. the farmers of the west are cruel towards mother earth. she freely bestows her riches, and then, not satisfied with her gifts, they plunder her. men everywhere are shouting for an eight-hour law; they must have rest, time for recreation and improvement of body and mind; but they give the soil no time for recuperation. men expect to be paid for their labors, but they make no payment to the kind mother who feeds them; they make her work and live on nothing. farming, as now carried on in the west and northwest, is downright robbery and plunder, and nothing else. if the present exhaustive system is kept up, the time will come when the wheat-fields of minnesota, instead of producing twenty-five bushels to the acre upon an average throughout the state, will not yield ten, which is the product in ohio; and yet, with a systematic rotation of crops and application of fertilizers, the present marvellous richness of the soil can be maintained forever. "do the tame grasses flourish?" splendidly; i never saw finer fields of timothy than along the line of the st. paul and pacific railroad, west of minneapolis. white clover seems to spring up of its own accord. i remember that i saw it growing luxuriantly along a pathway in the red river valley, and by the side of the military road leading through the woods to lake superior. hay is very abundant, and exceedingly cheap in minnesota. i doubt if there is a state in the union that has a greater breadth of first-class grass-lands. hon. thomas clarke, assistant state geologist, estimates the area of meadow-lands between the st. croix and the mississippi, and south of sandy lake, at a million acres. he says: "some of these are very extensive, and bear a luxuriant growth of grass, often five or six feet in height. it is coarse, but sweet, and is said to make excellent hay." i passed through some of those meadows, and can speak from personal observation. i saw many acres that would yield two tons to the acre. the grasses are native, flat-leaved, foul-meadow and blue-joint, just such as i used to swing a scythe through years ago in a meadow in new hampshire which furnished a fair quality of hay. the time will come when those lands will be valuable, although they are not held very high at present. a few years ago the kankakee swamps in illinois and indiana were valueless, but now they yield many thousand tons of hay, and are rising in the market. "how about fruit? i don't want to go where i cannot raise fruit." those native to the soil are strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, huckleberries, cherries, and plums. i picked all of these upon the prairies and along the streams while there. the wild plum is very abundant, and in the fall of the year you will see thousands of bushels in the markets at st. paul and minneapolis. they make an excellent sauce or preserve. minnesota may be called the cranberry state. many farmers make more money from their cranberry-meadows than from their wheat-fields. the marshes in the northern section of the state are covered with vines, and the lands along the st. croix yield abundantly. mr. clarke, the geologist, says: "there are , acres of cranberry-marsh in the triangle between the st. croix and mississippi, and bounded north by the st. louis and prairie rivers! the high price paid for this delicious fruit makes its cultivation very profitable in minnesota, as well as in new jersey and on cape cod." "can apples be raised? i am fond of them, and should consider it a drawback if i could not have an apple-orchard," said the persistent mr. blotter. i understand that till within a year or two the prospect for apples was not very encouraging. the first orchards were from illinois nurseries, and it was not till native stocks were started that success attended the fruit-growers' efforts; but now they have orchards as thrifty and bountiful as any in the country. at the last state fair held at rochester, one fruit-grower had fifty bushels on exhibition, and two hundred more at home. it was estimated that the yield in winona county last year was thirty thousand bushels.[ ] [footnote : these and many other facts relating to minnesota are obtained from "minnesota as it is in ," by j. w. mcclung, of st. paul,--an exceedingly valuable work, crammed with information.] the st. paul press, noticing the display of fruits at the ramsay and hennipen county fair, says: "these two fairs have set at rest the long-mooted question, whether minnesota is an apple-growing state. over two hundred varieties of the apple, exclusive of the crab species, were exhibited at minneapolis, and a large number at st. paul, of the finest development and flavor, and this fact will give an immense impetus to fruit-growing in our state." the following varieties were exhibited at the last meeting of the fruit-growers' association, of winona county: the duchess of oldenburg, utter's large, early red, sweet june, perry russet, fall stripe, keswick codlin, red astracan, plum cider, phoenix, wagner, ben davis, german bough, carolina red june, bailey sweet, st. lawrence, sops of wine, seek-no-further, famuse, price sweet, pomme grise, tompkins county king, northern spy, golden russet, sweet pear, yellow ingestrie, yellow bellflower, lady finger, raule's jannet, kirkbridge white, janiton, dumelow, winter wine sap, chronicle, fall wine sap, rosseau, colvert, benoni, red romanite. many of the above are raised in new england, so that those people who may cut loose from the east need not be apprehensive that they are bidding good by forever to the favorite fruits that have been a comfort as well as a luxury in their former homes. "i take it that grapes do not grow there; it must be too far north," said my visitor. on the contrary, they are indigenous. you find wild grapes along the streams, and in the gardens around st. paul and minneapolis you will see many of the cultivated varieties bearing magnificent clusters on the luxuriant vines. "how about corn, rye, oats, and other grains; can they be raised with profit?" the following figures, taken from the official report made to the last legislature of the products for , will show the capabilities of the soil:-- average per acre. wheat, , , bushels, - / corn, , , " oats, , , " potatoes, , , " barley, , " . rye, , " buckwheat, , " hay, , tons, . wool, , pounds. butter, , , " cheese, , " sorghum, , gallons syrup. maple sugar, , pounds. flax, , " from this it would seem that the state is destined to be one of the most productive in the union. "have they good schools out there?" just as good as in new england. two sections of land are set aside for the common-school fund. the entire amount of school lands in the state will be three million acres. these are sold at the rate of five dollars per acre, and the money invested in state or government bonds. governor marshall, in his last message, estimated the sum ultimately to be derived from the lands at sixteen million dollars. a school tax of two mills on the dollar is levied, which, with the interest from the fund, gives a liberal amount for education. "at what season of the year ought a man to go west?" that depends very much upon what you intend to do. if you are going to farming, and intend to settle upon the prairies, you must be there in season to break up your ground in july. if the sod is turned when the grass is full of juices, it decays quickly, and your ground will be in good condition for next year's ploughing. if you go into the timbered lands along the lake superior and mississippi railroad, or along that of the northern pacific, you can go any time; but men having families will do well to go in advance and select their future home, and make some preparations before cutting loose from the old one. "which is the best way to go?" you will find either of the great trunk railroads leading westward comfortable routes, and their rates of fare do not greatly vary. "do you think that the state will have a rapid development?" if the past is any criterion for the future, its growth will be unparalleled. twenty years only have passed since it was organized as a territory. the population in was , ; in it was , ; in , by the state census, , . the census of will give more than half a million. the tide of emigration is stronger at the present time than it ever has been before, and the construction of the various railroads, the liberal policy of the state, its munificent school-fund, the richness of the lands, the abundance of pure, fresh water, the delightful climate, the situation of the state in connection with the transcontinental line of railway, altogether will give minnesota rapid advancement. of the northwest as of a pumpkin-vine during the hot days and warm nights of midsummer, we may say that we can almost see it grow! look at the increase of wealth as represented by real and personal estates:-- $ , , , , , , , , , from the report of the assistant secretary of state made to the legislature in january, , we have the following facts:-- total tilled acres, , , value of real estate, $ , , " " personal property, , , " " live stock, , , " " agricultural productions, , , " " annual manufactures, , , amount of school-fund, , , not only is minnesota to have a rapid development, but dakota as well. civilization is advancing up the missouri. emigrants are moving on through yankton and taking possession of the rich lands of that section, and the present year will see the more northern tide pouring into the red river valley, which professor hind called the paradise of the northwest. "how much will it cost me to reach minnesota, and get started on a farm?" the fare from boston to st. paul will be from $ to $ . if you go into the timbered regions, you will have lumber enough near at hand to build your house, and it will take a great many sturdy strokes to get rid of the oaks and pines. if you go upon the prairies, you will have to obtain lumber from a distance. the prices at minneapolis are all the way from $ to $ per thousand, according to quality. shingles cost from $ . to $ . . most of the farmers begin with a very small house, containing two or three rooms. they do not start with much furniture. we who are accustomed to hot and cold water, bath-room, and all the modern conveniences of houses in the city, might think it rather hard at first to use a tin wash-basin on a bench out-doors, and ladies might find it rather awkward to go up to their chamber on a ladder; but we can accommodate ourselves to almost anything, especially when we are working towards independence. settlers start with small houses, for a good deal of lumber is required for fencing. a fence around forty acres requires , rails, posts, and a keg of large nails. the farmers do not dig holes, but sharpen the lower ends of the posts and drive them down with a beetle. two men by this process will fence in forty acres in a very short time. such fences are for temporary use, but will stand for several years,--till the settler has made headway enough to replace them with others more substantial. you will want horses and oxen. a span of good farm horses will cost $ ; a yoke of good oxen, $ . cows are worth from $ to $ . carpenters, masons, and mechanics command high prices,--from $ to $ . per day. farm laborers can be hired for $ to $ per month. "what section of the northwest is advancing most rapidly?" the southern half of minnesota. as yet there are no settlements in the northern counties. draw a line from duluth to fort abercrombie, and you will have almost the entire population south of that line. a few families are living in otter-tail county, north of that line, and there are a few more in the red river valley. two years hence there will probably be many thousand inhabitants in the northern counties; the fertility of the red river lands and the construction of two railroads cannot fail of attracting settlers in that direction. there is far more first quality of agricultural land now held by government in the northwestern counties than in any other section of the state. the land-office for that region is at alexandria in douglas county. the vacant land subject to pre-emption as per share in the eleven counties composing the district amounts to , , acres, nearly the same area as massachusetts and new hampshire together. take a glance at the counties. _douglas._--four years ago it did not contain a single inhabitant, but now it has a population of about , ! the county has an area of twenty townships, , acres, and about , are still held by government. _grant._--it lies west of douglas. we passed through it on our way to the red river. the main line of the st. paul and pacific railroad will run through the southwestern township this year. there are , acres still vacant. _otter-tail._--we travelled through this county on our return from dakota, and were serenaded by the germans in our camp on the bank of rush lake. it contains , , acres, of which , are held by government. this county is abundantly supplied with timber,--pine as well as oak, and other of the hard woods. there are numerous lakes and ponds, and several fine mill-sites. the soil is excellent. the lakes abound with whitefish. in the population was . now it may be set down at , . _wilkin._--this county is on the red river. it was once called andy johnson, but now bears the name of wilkin. there you may take your choice of , acres of fertile lands. you can find timber on the streams, or you may float it down from otter-tail. the st. paul and pacific railroad will be constructed through the county during the year . _clay._--north of wilkin on the red river is clay county, containing , acres of government land, all open to settlement. the northern pacific railroad will probably strike the red river somewhere in this county. the distance from duluth will be two hundred and twenty-five miles, and the settler there will be as near market as the people of central illinois or eastern iowa. _polk._--the next county north contains , , acres, unsurpassed for fertility, well watered by the red, the wild rice, marsh, sand hill, and red lake rivers. the county is half as large as massachusetts, and is as capable of sustaining a dense population as the kingdom of belgium or the valley of the ganges. the southern half will be accommodated by the northern pacific railroad. salt springs abound on the wild rice river, and the state has reserved , acres of the saline territory. _pembina._--the northwestern county of the state contains , , acres, all held by government. _becker._--this county lies north of otter-tail we passed through it on our way from the red river to the head-waters of the buffalo. (description, p. .) it is a region surpassingly beautiful. the northern pacific railroad will pass through it, and there you may find , acres of rolling prairie and timbered hills. probably there are not fifty settlers in the county. a large portion of these northwestern counties are unsurveyed, but that will not debar you from pre-empting a homestead. "how about the southwestern section of the state?" asked my visitor. i cannot speak from personal observation beyond blue earth county, where the minnesota river crooks its elbow and turns northeast; but from what i have learned i have reason to believe that the lands there are just as fertile as those already settled nearer the mississippi, and they will be made available by the railroad now under construction from st. paul to sioux city. "can a man with five hundred dollars make a beginning out there with a reasonable prospect of success?" yes, provided he has good pluck, and is willing to work hard and to wait. if he can command one thousand dollars, he can do a great deal better than he can with half that sum. if you were to go out sixty miles beyond st paul to darsel, on the st. paul and pacific railroad you would see a farm worked by seven sisters. the oldest girl is about twenty-five, the youngest fifteen. they lived in ohio, but their father and mother were invalids, and for their benefit came to minnesota in april, , and secured a hundred and sixty acres of land under the homestead law. the neighbors turned out and helped them build a log-house, and the girls went to work on the farm. last year ( ) they had forty acres under cultivation, and sold bushels of potatoes, bushels of corn, of wheat, of turnips, of beets, besides , cabbage-heads, and about two hundred dollars' worth of other garden products. they hired men to split rails for fencing, and also to plough the land; but all the other work has been done by the girls, who are hale and hearty, and find time to read the weekly papers and magazines. the mother of these girls made the following remark to a gentleman who visited the farm: "the girls are not fond of the hard work they have had to do to get the farm started, but they are not ashamed of it. we were too poor to keep together, and live in a town. we could not make a living there, but here we have become comfortable and independent. we tried to give the girls a good education, and they all read and write, and find a little spare time to read books and papers." these plucky girls have set a good example to young men who want to get on in the world. perhaps i am too enthusiastic over the future prospects of the region between lake superior and the pacific, but having travelled through kansas, nebraska, utah, and nevada, i have had an opportunity to contrast the capabilities of the two sections. kansas has magnificent prairies, and so has nebraska, but there are no sparkling ponds, no wood-fringed lakes, no gurgling brooks abounding with trout. the great want of those states is water. the soil is exceedingly fertile, even in utah and nevada, though white with powdered alkali, but they are valueless for want of moisture. in marked contrast to all this is the great domain of the northwest. for a few years the tide of emigration will flow, as it is flowing now, into the central states; but when the lands there along the rivers and streams are all taken up, the great river of human life, setting towards the pacific, will be turned up the missouri, the assinniboine, and the saskatchawan. the climate, the resources of the country, the capabilities for a varied industry, and the configuration of the continent, alike indicate it. * * * * * i am not sure that mr. blotter accepted all this, but he has gone to minnesota with his wife, turning his back on a dry-goods counting-house to obtain a home on the prairies. chapter xi. northern pacific railroad. the statesman, the political economist, or any man who wishes to cast the horoscope of the future of this country, must take into consideration the great lakes, and their connection with the mississippi, the missouri, and the columbia rivers, and those portions of the continent drained by these water-ways. communities do not grow by chance, but by the operation of physical laws. position, climate, mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, arable lands, coal, wood, iron, silver, and gold are predestinating forces in a nation's history, decreeing occupation, character, power, and influence. lakes and navigable streams are natural highways for trade and traffic; valleys are natural avenues; mountains are toll-gates set up by nature. he who passes over them must pay down in sweat and labor. humboldt discussed the question a third of a century ago. "the natural highways of nations," said he, "will usually be along the great watercourses." it impressed me deeply, as long ago as , when the present enormous railway system of the continent had hardly begun to be developed. spreading out a map of the western hemisphere, i then saw that from cape horn to behring's strait there was only one river-system that could be made available to commerce on the pacific coast. in south america there is not a stream as large as the merrimac flowing into the pacific. the waves of the ocean break everywhere against the rocky wall of the andes. in north america the colorado rises on the pinnacle of the continent, but it flows through a country upheaved by volcanic fires during the primeval years. its chasms and cañons are the most stupendous on the globe. the course of the stream is southwest to the gulf of california, out of the line of direction for commerce. the only other great stream of the pacific coast is the columbia, whose head-waters are in a line with those of the missouri, the mississippi, the red river of the north, and lake superior. this one feature of the physical geography of the continent was sufficient to show me that the most feasible route for a great continental highway between the atlantic and the pacific must be from lake superior to the valley of the columbia. in childhood i had read the travels of lewis and clark over and over again, till i could almost repeat the entire volume, and, remembering their glowing accounts of the country,--the fertility of the valley of the yellowstone, the easy passage from the jefferson fork of the missouri to the columbia, and the mildness of the winters on the western slope, the conviction was deepened that the best route for a railway from the lakes to the pacific would be through one of the passes of the rocky mountains at the head-waters of the missouri. doubtless, many others observant of the physical geography of the continent had arrived at the same natural conclusion. seven years later the government surveys were made along several of the parallels, that from lake superior to the columbia being under the direction of governor i. i. stevens. jeff davis was then secretary of war, and his report set forth the northern route as being virtually impracticable. it was, according to his representation, incapable of sustaining population. a careful study of governor stevens's report, and a comparison with the reports along the more southern lines, showed that the secretary of war had deliberately falsified the statements of governor stevens and his assistants. while the surveys were being made, mr. edwin f. johnson, of middletown, conn., the present chief engineer of the pacific railroad, published a pamphlet which set forth in a clear and forcible manner the natural advantages of the route by the missouri. in the british government sent out an exploring expedition under captain palliser, whose report upon the attractions of british america, the richness of the soil, the ease with which a road could be constructed to the pacific through british territory, created great interest in parliament. "the accomplishment of such a scheme," said mr. roebuck, "would unite england with vancouver island and with china, and they would be enabled widely to extend the civilization of england, and he would boldly assert that the civilization of england was greater than that of america." "already," said the colonial secretary, lord lytton, better known to american readers as bulwer, "in the large territory which extends west of the rocky mountains, from the american frontier and up to the skirts of the russian dominions, we are laying the foundations of what may become hereafter a magnificent abode of the human race." there was a tone about these speeches that stirred my blood, and i prepared a pamphlet for circulation entitled "the great commercial prize," which was published in . it was a plea for the immediate construction of a railway up the valley of the missouri, and down the columbia to puget sound, over the natural highway, giving facts and figures in regard to its feasibility; but i was laughed at for my pains, and set down as a visionary by the press. it is gratifying to have our good dreams come to pass. that which was a dream of mine in is in process of fulfilment in . the discovery of gold in california and the building up of a great city demanded the construction of a railroad to san francisco, which was chartered in , and which has been constructed with unparalleled rapidity, and is of incalculable service to the nation. the charter of the northern pacific was granted, in , and approved by president lincoln on the d of july of that year. government granted no subsidy of bonds, but gave ten alternate sections per mile on each side of the road in the states and twenty on each side of the line in the territories through which it might pass. though the franchise was accompanied by this liberal land-grant, it has been found impossible to undertake a work of such magnitude till the present time. nearly every individual named as corporators in the charter, with the exception of governor j. g. smith, its present president, judge r. d. rice, the vice-president, and a few others, abandoned it under the many difficulties and discouragements that beset the enterprise. the few gentlemen who held on studied the geography of the country, and their faith in the future of the northwest was strengthened. a year ago they were fortunate enough to find other men as enthusiastic as themselves over the resources and capabilities of the region between lake superior and the pacific,--messrs. jay cooke & co., the well-known bankers of philadelphia, whose names are indissolubly connected with the history of the country as its successful financial agents at a time when the needs of the nation were greatest; messrs. edgar thompson and thomas a. scott, of the pennsylvania central railroad; mr. g. w. cass, of the pittsburg and fort wayne; mr. b. p. cheney, of wells, fargo, & co.; mr. william b. ogden, of the chicago and northwestern road; mr. stinson, of chicago; and other gentlemen, most of whom are practical railroad men of large experience and far-reaching views. mr. cooke became the financial agent of the company, and from that hour the advancement of the enterprise may be dated. it required but a few days to raise a subscription of $ , , among the capitalists of the country to insure the building of the road from lake superior to the red river, to which place it is now under construction. the year will probably see it constructed to the missouri river, thus opening easy communication with montana. the gentlemen who have taken hold of the work contemplate its completion to the pacific in three years. the line laid down upon the accompanying map only indicates the general direction of the road. it is the intention of the company to find the best route across the continent,--direct in course, with easy grades,--and this can only be ascertained by a thorough exploration of the valley of the yellowstone, the passes at the head-waters of the missouri, the valley of the columbia, and the shores and harbors of puget sound. the engineers are setting their stakes from lake superior to the red river, and laborers with spade and shovel are following them. imagination bounds onward over the prairies, across the mountains, down the valley of the columbia, and beholds the last rail laid, the last spike driven, and a new highway completed across the continent. i think of myself as being upon the locomotive, for a run from the lakes to the western ocean. our starting-point on the lake is feet above the sea. we gain the height of land between the lake and the mississippi by a gentle ascent. thirty-one miles out from duluth we find the waters trickling westward to the mississippi. there we are feet above lake superior. it is almost a dead level, as the engineers say, from that point to the mississippi, which is feet above the lake at crow wing, or , feet above tide-water. the distance between the lake and crow wing is about a hundred miles, and the country is so level that it would be an easy matter to dig a canal and turn the mississippi above crow wing eastward into the waters that reach the sea through the st. lawrence. the leaf hills are feet higher than the mississippi, and the ascent is only seven feet to the mile,--so slight that the engineers on the locomotive reckon it as level grade. these hills form the divide between the mississippi and the red river. straight on, over the level valley of the red river, westward to the summit of the rolling prairies between the red river and the missouri, the locomotive speeds its way. gradually we rise till we are , feet above tide-water,--the same elevation that is reached on the union pacific miles west of omaha. a descent of feet carries us to the missouri. we wind up its fertile valley to the richer bottom-lands of the yellowstone, over a route so level that at the mouth of the big horn we are only , feet above tide-water. the yellowstone flows with a swifter current above the big horn. we are approaching the mountains, and must pass the ridge of land that separates the yellowstone from the upper waters of the missouri. it lies miles west of lake superior, and the summit is , feet above the sea. through the entire distance, thus far, there have been no grades greater than those of the illinois central and other prairie railroads of the west. crossing the missouri we are at the back-bone of the continent, depressed here like the vertebra of a hollow-backed horse. we may glide through the deer lodge pass by a grade of fifty feet, at an altitude of only , feet above tide-water. mr. milnor roberts, civil engineer, approached it from the west, and this is his description of the pass:-- "considered as a railroad route, this valley is remarkably favorable, the rise from deer lodge city to the pass or divide between the waters of the pacific and atlantic being quite gentle, and even on the last few miles, the summit, about , feet above the sea, may be attained without employing a gradient exceeding fifty feet to the mile, with a moderate cut. the whole forty miles from deer lodge city to the summit of the rocky mountains by this route can be built as cheaply as roads are built through prairie countries generally. a little more work will be required in passing to the east side from this side, down divide creek to wisdom or big hole river; but the line will be highly favorable on an average all the way to the jefferson fork of the missouri river. this favorable pass comes into connection more particularly with the yellowstone valley route to the main missouri valley. a remarkable circumstance connected with this pass will convey a very clear view of its peculiarly favorable character. private parties engaged in gold mining, in the gold-fields which exist abundantly on both sides of the rocky mountains, have dug a ditch across this summit which is only eighteen feet deep at the apex of the divide, through which they carry the waters of 'divide creek,' a tributary of the missouri, across to the pacific side, where it is used in gold-washing, and the waste water passes into the pacific ocean. this has been justly termed highway robbery." there are half a dozen passes nearly as low,--mullan's, blackfoot, lewis and clark's, cadotte's, and the marias. going through the deer lodge pass, we find that the stream changes its name very often before reaching the pacific. the little brook on the summit of the divide, turbid with the washings of the gold-mines, is called the deer lodge creek. twenty-five miles farther on it is joined by a small stream that trickles from the summit of mullan's pass, near helena, and the two form the hell gate, just as the pemigewasset and winnipesaukee form the merrimac in new hampshire, receiving its name from the many indian fights that have taken place in its valley, where the blackfeet and nez perces have had many a battle. the stream bears the name of hell gate for about eighty miles before being joined by the blackfoot, which flows from the mountains in the vicinity of cadotte's and lewis and clark's passes. a little below the junction it empties into the bitter root, which, after a winding course of a hundred miles, is joined by the flathead, that comes down from flathead lake and the country around marias pass. the united streams below the junction take the name of clark's river, which has a circuitous course northward, running for a little distance into british america, then back again through a wide plain till joined by the snake, and the two become the columbia, pouring a mighty flood westward to the ocean. the line of the road does not follow the river to the boundary between the united states and the british possessions, but strikes across the plain of the columbia. the characteristics of clark's river and the surrounding country are thus described by mr. roberts:-- "clark's river has a flow in low water at least six times greater than the low-water flow of the ohio river between pittsburg and wheeling; and while its fall is slight, considered with reference to railroad grades, it is so considerable as to afford a great number of water-powers, whose future value must be very great,--an average of eleven feet per mile. "around lake pend d'oreille, and for some miles westward, and all along clark's river above the lake as far as we traversed it, there is a magnificent region of pine, cypress, hemlock, tamarack, and cedar timber, many of the trees of prodigious size. i measured one which was thirty-four feet in circumference, and a number that were over twenty-seven feet, and saw hundreds, as we passed along, that were from twenty to twenty-five feet in circumference, and from two hundred to two hundred and fifty feet high. a number of valleys containing large bodies of this character of timber enter clark's river from both sides, and the soil of these valleys is very rich. clark's river valley itself is for much of the distance confined by very high hills approaching near to the stream in many places; but there are sufficient sites for cities and farms adjacent to water-powers of the first class, and not many years can elapse after the opening of a railroad through this valley till it will exhibit a combination of industries and population analogous to those which now mark the lehigh, the schuylkill, the susquehanna, and the pomroy region of the ohio river. passing along its quiet scenes of to-day, we can see in the near future the vast change which the enterprise of man will bring. that which was once the work of half a century is now the product of three or four years. indeed, in a single year after the route of this northern pacific railroad shall have been determined, and the work fairly begun, all this region, now so calm and undisturbed, will be teeming with life instilled into it by hardy pioneers from the atlantic and from the pacific. "passing along the flathead river for a short distance, we entered the valley of the jocko river. the same general remarks concerning clark's river valley are applicable to the flathead and bitter root valleys. the climate, the valleys, the timber, the soil, the water-powers, all are here, awaiting only the presence of the industrious white man to render to mankind the benefits implanted in them by a beneficent creator." the entire distance from lake superior by the yellowstone valley to the tide-waters of the pacific below the cascades of the columbia will be about eighteen hundred miles. it is nearly the same distance to seattle, on puget sound, by the snoqualmie pass of the cascade range. the union pacific line has had no serious obstruction from snow since its completion. it has suffered no more than other roads of the country, and its trains have arrived as regularly at omaha and sacramento as the trains of the new york central at buffalo or albany. that the northern pacific road will be quite as free from snow-blockades will be manifest by a perusal of the following paragraphs from the report of mr. roberts:-- "there is evidence enough to show that the line of road on the general route herein described will, in ordinary winters, be much less encumbered with snow where it crosses the mountains than are the passes at more southerly points, which are much more elevated above the sea. the difference of five or six degrees of latitude is more than compensated by the reduced elevation above the sea-level, and the climatic effect of the warm ocean-currents from the equator, already referred to, ameliorating the seasons from the pacific to the rocky mountains. an examination of the profile of the union pacific and central pacific lines between omaha, on the missouri river, and sacramento, california, a distance of , miles, shows that there are four main summits,--sherman summit, on the black hills, about miles from omaha, , feet above the sea; one on the rocky mountains, at aspen summit, about miles from omaha, , feet; one at humboldt mountain, about , miles from omaha, , feet; and another on the sierra nevada, only miles from the western terminus at sacramento, , feet; whilst from a point west of cheyenne, miles from omaha, to wasatch, miles from omaha, a continuous length of miles, every portion of the graded road is more than , feet above the sea, being about , feet on this long distance higher than the highest summit grade on the northern pacific railroad route; whilst for the corresponding distance on the northern pacific line the average elevation is under , feet, or _three thousand feet_ lower than the sherman summit on the pacific line. "on the union pacific road the profile also shows that for continuous miles, from sidney westward, the road has an average height of over , feet, and the lowest spot on that distance is more than , feet above the sea, whereas on the northern route only about sixty miles at most are as high as , feet, and the corresponding distance of miles, extending from the mouth of the yellowstone to the valley of clark's river, is, on an average, about , feet lower than the union pacific line. allowing that , feet of elevation causes a decrease of temperature of three degrees, this would be a difference of nine degrees. there is, therefore, a substantial reason for the circumstance, now well authenticated, that the snows on the northern route are much less troublesome than they are on the union pacific and central pacific routes" (report, p. ). that the northern pacific can be economically worked is demonstrated by a comparison of its grades with those of the line already constructed. the comparison is thus presented by mr. roberts:-- "the grades on the route across through the state of minnesota and territory of dakota to the missouri river will not be materially dissimilar to those on the other finished railroads south of it, passing from chicago to sioux city, council bluffs, etc.; namely, undulating within the general limit of about forty feet per mile, although it may be deemed advisable, at a few points for short distances, to run to a maximum of one foot per hundred or fifty-three feet per mile. there is sufficient knowledge of this portion of the route to warrant this assumption. and beyond the missouri, along the valley of the yellowstone, to near the bozeman pass, there is no known reason for assuming any higher limits. in passing bozeman summit of the belt range, and in going up the eastern side of the rocky mountains, it may be found advisable to adopt a somewhat higher gradient for a few miles in overcoming those summits. this, however, can only be finally determined after careful surveys. "the highest ground encountered between lake superior and the missouri river, at the mouth of the yellowstone, is only , feet above the sea; the low summit of the rocky mountains is but little over , feet, and the bozeman pass, through the belt range, is assumed to be about feet lower. the height of the country upon which the line is traced, and upon which my estimate of cost is based, may be approximately stated thus, beginning at lake superior, going westward:-- miles. average height above the sea. to dakota valley, , feet. yellowstone river, , " along yellowstone, , " flathead valley, , " lewis or snake river, , " puget sound, " ----- , "compare this with the profiles of the finished line of the union and central pacific roads. properly, the comparison should be made from chicago, the eastern water terminus of lake michigan, of the omaha line. there are, on that route, approximately, as follows:-- miles. average height above the sea. from chicago to omaha, , feet. near cheyenne, , " cooper's, , " promontory point, , " humboldt, , " reno, , " auburn, , " sacramento, " san francisco, " ----- chicago to san francisco , "on the northern pacific line there need be but two principal summits, whilst on the other there are four, the lowest of which is about a thousand feet higher than the highest on the northern route. if, therefore, the roads were the same length between the pacific waters and the great lakes and navigable rivers east of the rocky mountains, the advantage would be largely in favor of the northern route; but this actual distance is three hundred and seventy-five miles less, and the equated distance for ascents and descents in its favor will be very considerable" (report, p. ). from the explorations and surveys already made by the engineers, it is believed that there need be no gradient exceeding sixty feet per mile between lake superior and the pacific ocean. if such be the fact, it will enable the company to transport freight much more cheaply than the central line can carry it, where the grades are one hundred and sixteen feet to the mile, over the sierra nevada range. to those who never have had time to examine the subject, the following tabular statement in regard to the power of a thirty-ton engine on different grades will be interesting. an engine weighing thirty tons will draw loaded cars on different grades as follows:-- on a level cars feet per mile ascending " " " " " " " " " " - / " " " " " " " " " " - / " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " - / " " " " " " " " " " - / " " " " " " a full car-load is reckoned at seven tons. it has been found in the operation of railroads that an engine which will move one hundred and seventeen tons on a grade sixty feet per mile will move only about fifty tons on a grade of one hundred and sixteen feet. a second glance at the diagram (p. ) shows us that the sum of ascents and descents on the line already constructed must be vastly greater than that now under construction; and inasmuch as it is impossible to carry a load up or down hill without costing something, it follows that this road can be operated more economically than a line crossing four mountain-ranges, and the ultimate result will be a cheapening of transportation across the continent, and a great development of the asiatic trade. throughout the entire distance between lake superior and the pacific ocean along the line, the husbandman may turn the sod with his plough, the herdsman fatten his flocks, the lumberman reap the harvest of the forests, or the miner gather golden ore. a bureau of emigration is to be established by the company, which will be of invaluable service to the emigrant. many persons in the eastern and middle states are desirous of moving to the northwest, but it is hard to cut loose from old associations, to leave home and friends and strike out alone upon the prairie; they want company. the human race is gregarious. there are not many who care to be hermits, and most of us prefer society to solitude. this feature of human nature is to be kept in view, and it will be the aim of the bureau of emigration to offer every facility to those seeking new homes to take their friends with them. upon the completion of every twenty-five miles of road, the company will be put in possession of forty sections of land per mile. the government will hold the even-numbered sections, and the company those bearing the odd numbers. the land will be surveyed, plotted, and the distinctive features of each section described. emigration offices are to be established in our own country as well as abroad, where maps, plans, and specifications will be found. one great drawback to the settlement of the prairie lands of illinois and iowa has been the want of timber for the construction of houses. persons with limited means, having only their own hands, found it hard to get started on a treeless prairie. their first work is to obtain a house. the bureau propose to help the man who is anxious to help himself on in the world, by putting up a portable house for him on the land that he may select. the houses will be small, but they will serve till the settler can get his farm fenced in, his ground ploughed, and two or three crops of wheat to market. the abundance of timber in minnesota will enable the company to carry out this new feature of emigration. it will be an easy matter for a family from lowell, another from methuen, a third from andover, a fourth from reading, a fifth from haverhill, to select their land in a body and start a massachusetts colony in the seat of empire. far better this method than for each family to go out by itself. going as a colony they will carry the moral atmosphere of their old homes with them. they will have a school in operation the week after their arrival. and on sabbath morning, swelling upward on the summer air, sweeter than the lay of lark amid the flowers, will ascend the songs of the sunday school established in their new home. looking forward with ardent hope to prosperous years, they will still look beyond the earthly to the heavenly, and sing,-- "my heavenly home is bright and fair, nor pain nor death shall enter there." this is no fancy sketch; it is but a description of what has been done over and over again in ohio, indiana, illinois, iowa, and all the western states. the northern pacific railroad company want their lands settled by an industrious, thrifty, energetic people, who prize everything that goes to make up the highest grade of civilization, and they are ready to render such help as no colonies have yet had. the land will be sold to actual settlers at low rates, and on liberal terms of payment. the portable houses will be sold at cost, transported on the cars, and set up for the colonists if they desire it. the bureau will be put in operation as soon as it can be systematically organized, and i doubt not that thousands will avail themselves of its advantages to establish their future homes near a railroad which will give the shortest line across the continent, marked by low gradients, running through the lowest passes of the rocky mountains, through a country capable of cultivation all the way from the lakes to the pacific. am i dreaming? across this belt of land between lake superior and the pacific lies the world's great future highway. the physical features of this portion of the continent are favorable for the development of every element of a high civilization. take one more look at the map, and observe the situation of the st. lawrence and the lakes, furnishing water-carriage for freight half-way from ocean to ocean,--the prairies extending to the base of the rocky mountains,--the one summit to be crossed,--the bays, inlets, and harbors of the pacific shore laved by ocean currents and warmed by winds wafted from the equator to the arctic sea. observe also the shortest lines of latitude. the geographical position is in the main axial line of the world's grand commercial movement. san francisco and puget sound are the two western gateways of the continent. rapid as has been the advancement of civilization around the golden gate, magnificent as its future may be, yet equally grand and majestic will be the northern portal of the great republic. not only will it be on the shortest possible route between england and asia, but it will be in the direct line between england and the asiatic dominions of russia. while we are building our railroads westward from the atlantic to the pacific, the emperor of russia is extending his from the ural mountains eastward, down the valley of the amoor, to open communication with china and japan. the shortest route of travel round the world a few years hence will lie through the northern section of this continent and through siberia. the himalaya range of mountains and the deserts of central asia will be impassible barriers to railroads between india and china, or central europe and the east; but the valley of the amoor is fertile, and there is no fairer section of the czar's dominions than siberia. from puget sound straight across the pacific will be found, a few years hence, the shortest route around the world. farm-houses dot the landscape, roses climb by cottage-doors, bees fill the air with their humming, bringing home to their hives the sweets gathered from far-off prairie-flowers; the prattle of children's voices floats upon the air, the verdant waste becomes an eden, villages, towns, and cities spring into existence. a great metropolis rises upon the pacific shore, where the winter air is laden with the perfume of ever-blooming flowers. the ships of all nations lie at anchor in the land-locked bays, or shake out their sails for a voyage to the orient. steamships come and go, laden with the teas of china and japan, the coffee of java, the spices of sumatra. i hear the humming of saws, the pounding of hammers, the flying of shuttles, the click and clatter of machinery. by every mill-stream springs up a town. the slopes are golden with ripening grain. the forest, the field, the mine, the river, alike yield their abundance to the ever-growing multitude. such is the outlook towards the future. will the intellectual and moral development keep pace with the physical growth? if those are wanting, the advancement will be towards sodom. the future man of the northwest will have american, norse, celtic, and saxon blood in his veins. his countenance, in the pure, dry, electric air, will be as fresh as the morning. his muscles will be iron, his nerves steel. vigor will characterize his every action,--for climate gives quality to the blood, strength to the muscles, power to the brain. indolence is characteristic of people living in the tropics, and energy of those in temperate zones. the citizen of the northwest will be a freeman. no shackles will bind him, nor will he wear a lock upon his lips. to the emigrant from the old world the crossing of the ocean is an act of emancipation; it is like the marseillaise,--it fires him with new hopes and aspirations. "here the free spirit of mankind at length throws its last fetters off, and who shall place a limit to the giant's unchained strength, or curb his swiftness in the forward race? for like the comet's way through infinite space, stretches the long untravelled path of light into the depth of ages; we may trace, distant, the brightening glory of its flight, till the receding rays are lost to human sight." i do not look with desponding eyes into the future. the nations everywhere,--in europe and asia,--the new and the old, are moving onward and upward as never before, and america leads them. railroads, steamships, school-houses, printing-presses, free platforms and pulpits, an open bible, are the propelling forces of the nineteenth century. it remains only for the christian men and women of this country to give the bible, the sunday and the common school to the coming millions, to insure a greatness and grandeur to america far surpassing anything in human history. it will not be for america alone; for, under the energizing powers of this age the entire human race is moving on towards a destiny unseen except to the eye of faith, but unmistakably grand and glorious. i have been an observer of the civilization of europe, and have seen the kindlings of new life, at the hands of england and the united states, in india and china; and through the drifting haze of the future i behold nations rising from the darkness of ancient barbarism into the light of modern civilization, and the radiant cross once reared on calvary throwing its peaceful beams afar,--over ocean, valley, lake, river, and mountain, illuming all the earth. situated where the great stream of human life will pour its mightiest flood from ocean to ocean, beneficently endowed with nature's riches, and illumed by such a light, there will be no portion of all earth's wide domain surpassing in glory and grandeur this future seat of empire. cambridge: printed by welch, bigelow, and company. great central route via niagara falls. michigan central & great western railroads. from boston and new york to chicago, connecting there with all the great railways, north, south, and west. =four trains daily.= pullman's palace, hotel, drawing-room, and sleeping cars on express trains. freight trains. freight taken through by the "=blue line=" without breaking bulk, and in as short time as by any other line. passenger agents. p. k. randall, boston. charles e. noble, new york. henry c. wentworth, chicago. * * * * * the first division of the st. paul and pacific railroad company. land department. the company now offers for sale = , , acres of land=, located along their two railroad lines, viz.: from st. paul, via st. anthony, anoka, st. cloud, and sauk rapids, to watab; and from st. anthony, via minneapolis, wayzata, crow river, waverly, and forest city, to the western boundary of the state. =these lands comprise timber, meadow, and prairie lands,= and are all within easy distance of the railroad, in the midst of considerable settlements, convenient to churches and schools. inducement to settlers. the attention of persons whose limited means forbid the purchase of a homestead in the older states, is particularly invited to these lands. the farms are sold in tracts of or acres and upwards, at prices ranging from $ . to $ . per acre. cash sales are always one dollar per acre less than credit sales. in the latter case years are granted if required. example.-- acres at $ . per acre, on long credit,--$ . . a part payment on the principal is always desired; but in case the means of the settler are very limited, the company allows him to pay only one year's interest down, dividing the principal in ten equal annual payments, with seven per cent interest each year on the unpaid balance: int. prin. st payment $ . d " . $ d " . th " . th " . th " . th " . th " . th " . th " . th " the purchaser has the privilege to pay up any time within the years, thereby saving the payment of interest. the same land may be purchased for $ . cash. any other information will be furnished on application in person, or by letter, in english, french or german, addressed to =land commissioner, first division st. paul & pacific r. r. co., saint paul. minn.= * * * * * lake shore and michigan southern railway. the great south shore line between =buffalo and chicago.= all trains on the new york central hudson river railroad, and all trains on the erie railway, form sure and reliable connections at buffalo with the great lake shore line all the great railways in the northwest and southwest connect at chicago, toledo, or cleveland with this line. palace, drawing-room, sleeping coaches daily between new york and chicago, through without change. fast freight lines. the following lines transport freight between boston, new york, and principal points in new england to cleveland, toledo, chicago, and principal points in the southwest and northwest, _without break of bulk or transfer_. red line, white line, south shore line, empire line, commercial line from baltimore. passengers or shippers of freight will find it to their interest to call on the agents of these lines. f. e. morse, _gen'l western pass'r ag't_, chicago, ill. chs. f. hatch, _gen'l superintendent_, cleveland, o. j. a. burch, _gen'l eastern pass'r ag't_, buffalo, n. y. * * * * * vermont central r. r. line. the =great northern line= and =most direct= route from =boston= and =all points= in =new england= to the =canadas, detroit, chicago=, and =all points west, northwest, & southwest=. new sleeping-cars, the most elegant from =boston=, and =splendid drawing-room cars= run on every express train, connecting on the =grand trunk railway= with =pullman's palace, hotel, and sleeping cars=; this being the =only line= affording such comfort and luxury to the passenger between the east and west. time freight via national despatch line. =freight= taken for =chicago=, =st. louis=, and =all points west without breaking bulk or transfer=, in as =short time= as any other line. --> for full information relating to time contracts, tickets, &c., &c., please address or call at =no. washington street (sears building), boston. lansing millis, general agent.= (=montreal office, no. great st. james st.=) (=new york office, no. astor house.=) * * * * * lake superior & mississippi railroad. the line of this road is from st. paul, the head of navigation on the mississippi river, to the head of lake superior, a distance of miles. it connects at st. paul with each of the long lines of railroad traversing the vast and fertile regions of minnesota in all directions, and converging at st. paul. it connects the commerce and business of the mississippi and minnesota rivers, the california central railroad, and the northern pacific railroad, with lake superior and the commercial system of the great lakes, and makes the outlet or commercial track to the lakes, over which must pass the commerce of a region of country second to none on the american continent in capacity for production. the land grant made by the government of the united states and by the state of minnesota, in aid of the construction of this road, is the largest in quantity and most valuable in kind ever made in aid of any railway in either of the american states. this grant amounts to seventeen square miles or sections [ , acres] of land for each mile of the road, and in the aggregate to =one million, six hundred and thirty-two thousand acres of land=. these lands are for the most part well timbered with pine, butternut, white oak, sugar maple, and other valuable timber, and are perhaps better adapted to the raising of stock, winter wheat, corn, oats, and most kinds of agricultural these lands are well watered with running streams and innumerable lakes, and within the limits of the land belonging to the company there is an abundance of water-power for manufacturing purposes. a glance at the map, and an intelligent comprehension of the course of trade, and way to the markets of the eastern cities and to europe, for the products of this section of the northwest, will at once satisfy any one who examines the question that the lands of this company, by reason of the low freights at which their products reach market, have a value--independent of that which arises from their superior quality--which can hardly be over-estimated. twenty cents saved in sending a bushel of wheat to market adds four dollars to the yearly product of an acre of wheat land, and what is true of this will apply to all other articles of farm produce transported to market, and demonstrates that the value of lands depends largely on the price at which their products can be carried to market. =the lands of this company are now offered to= ~immigrants and settlers~ =at the most favorable rates, as to time and terms of payment=. =w. l. banning, president and land commissioner, saint paul, minnesota.= "carleton's" works. [illustration: our nagpore coach.] our new way round the world; or, =where to go and what to see=. by charles carleton coffin. containing several full-page maps, showing steamship lines and routes of travel, and profusely illustrated with more than engravings, reproduced from photographs and original sketches. crown octavo. morocco cloth, $ . ; half calf, $ . ; library edition, $ . . "in mr. charles c. coffin we have a traveller after the latest and best transatlantic pattern. he has thrown himself thoroughly into the spirit of his age and race; yet, while loyal to the backbone, and indorsing to the full his country's claims to present grandeur and future pre-eminence, he has a corner in his soul for the merits of other lands, and is open to the lessons of old-world wisdom. rapid as was his flight, and superficial as was his purview of the multitudinous objects that daily crowded his path, his powers of observation are, we are bound to say, keen and vigorous, and his judgments upon men and things both shrewd and impartial. be it the aspects of nature, the historical monuments, the national traits, or the social idiosyncrasies that come before him, we find him invariably alive to what is most beautiful or august or original or piquant, as the case may be. he is at all times happy in hitting off the salient features, or picking out the weak spots, in local life and manners.... the history of british rule in india, and the tokens of material and social advancement everywhere beside his path, are themes after the american's own heart. we have never seen a more graphic or telling sketch of anglo-indian life and characteristics within anything like the compass of mr. coffin's flying experiences.... mr. coffin's studies of life in china are eminently piquant and original. nothing is too old or too new to escape his notice.... the wood-cuts interspersed among his pages deserve a word of commendation. they are drawn with vigor and truth, often showing touches of quaint and quiet humor. altogether, if there is nothing new under the sun, our new way round the world shows there may be much novelty and freshness in the mode of telling even a thrice-told tale."--_saturday review (london)._ "the author of this interesting and valuable tour of the globe starts from new york, visits every city of note in europe, sails from marseilles to alexandria, thence to cairo, and suez canal, india, china, and japan, returning by the way of california. through this wide field for observation and research, his keen habits of characterization, and his vivid powers of description make him an exceedingly agreeable travelling companion. mr. coffin has the very happy faculty of giving to a really thrice-told tale of travel a freshness that carries the reader to the end of the volume with unabated interest. his tour in the interior of the british possessions in india is full of interest,--and his elaborate pictures of china at the present time are valuable, showing the actual character of the people; the tenacity of their prejudices, which appear to resist all innovation from 'outside barbarians,' is most graphically depicted, and is worthy the attention of our politicians and speculative philanthropists. the book on the whole is a valuable addition to our native literature, written as it is from a distinctive american stand-point view of foreign nations. numerous spirited designs, illustrative of habits and manners, adorn the work, together with maps in abundance."--_n. y. express._ "a model record of travel, over fields comparatively unknown. it combines, in a remarkable degree, skill and judgment in the selection of facts and points, with clearness, accuracy, and proportion in their statement: a natural ease and grace of expression, with a genial spirit, and a broad, true sympathy with everything human. a very large amount of instructive and attractive matter is compressed in its pages. the illustrations, too, are numerous, and all in admirable keeping with the narrative. in these, and in the clear, fair, readable type, the publishers have well done their part. "we confess to a deeper, and consciously healthier interest in the perusal than in the reading of any similar volume. very heartily, therefore, do we commend the book to the winter-evening family circle, sure that it will instruct and charm alike both young and old."--_n. y. christian world._ "the book has many excellent illustrations, and is written with all the loveliness and instructiveness for which 'carleton' became famous during the war, as a war correspondent of the boston journal. the book is gossipy and entertaining in a high degree, and will interest young and old."--_new york evening post._ *** _for sale by all booksellers, or sent, post-paid, to any address, by the publishers_, =fields, osgood, & co., tremont street, boston.= [illustration] four years of fighting. a volume of personal observation with the army and navy, from the first battle of bull run to the fall of richmond. vol. vo. with steel portrait of the author, and numerous illustrations. cloth, $ . ; sheep, $ . . =from senator yates, of illinois.= ...from the accuracy with which you relate those incidents which fell under my personal observation, i am persuaded that the whole volume forms a very valuable addition to the historic literature of the heroic age of the republic. i am, sir, your obliged friend, =rich'd yates= *** _for sale by all booksellers. sent, post-paid, on receipt of price by the publishers_, =fields, osgood, & co., boston.= [illustration] my days and nights on the battle-field. a book for boys. by "carleton." vol. mo. illustrated. $ . . "it is written by one of the best of the war correspondents, 'carleton,' of the _boston journal_, whose opportunities for observing all the celebrated battles of the war were unsurpassed. the book is really a history of the first year of the war, and describes the principal battles of that period,--bull run, fort henry, fort donelson, pittsburg landing, columbus, new madrid, island no. , and memphis, in part of which the writer was, and all of which he saw."--_buffalo express._ *** _for sale by all booksellers. sent, post-paid, on receipt of price by the publishers_, =fields, osgood, & co., boston.= [illustration] following the flag. from august, , to november, , with the army of the potomac. by "carleton." vol. mo. illustrated. $ . . "'carleton' is by all odds the best writer for boys on the war. his 'days and nights on the battle-field' made him famous among the young folks. to read his books is equal in interest to a bivouac or a battle, and is free from the hard couch and harder bread of the one, and the jeopardizing bullets of the other. to be entertained and informed, we would rather peruse 'following the flag' than study a dozen octavo volumes written by a world-renowned historian."--_indianapolis journal._ *** _for sale by all booksellers. sent, post-paid, on receipt of price by the publishers_. =fields, osgood, & co., boston.= winning his way. by "carleton." vol. mo. illustrated. $ . . clement, clinton co., illinois. mr. carleton. _dear sir,_--is "winning his way" a true story? is the story published in book form? where does paul live? i am very much interested in the story, but my father thinks it is all fiction as he calls it. if you will answer this you will oblige a boy ten years old, who has read it four times, and who means to read it again when i go over to aunt leach's. paul's ardent admirer, john w. scott. april , . boston, may , . john w. scott. _my dear young friend,_--i am very much gratified to hear that you are so much interested in "winning his way," which has been published in book form by messrs. fields, osgood, & co. you ask if it is a true story. i will tell you about it: i knew a brave boy who went into the army and fought just as paul fought, who was left on the field for dead, and who was taken to a rebel prison, and i had him in mind all the time i was writing the story. that is all true about painting the pigs, and shutting the school-house door, and tying the hay in front of the old horse's nose. so you can tell your father that the things did not happen just in the order they are given in the book, but that i tried to make the story true to life. your friend, carleton. "a story of a poor western boy who, with true american grit in his composition, worked his way into a position of honorable independence, and who was among the first to rally round the flag when the day of his country's peril came. there is a sound, manly tone about the book, a freedom from nam-by-pambyism, worthy of all commendation."--_sunday school times._ "one of the best of stories for boys."--_hartford courant._ *** _for sale by all booksellers. sent, post-paid, on receipt of price by the publishers_, =fields, osgood, & co., boston.= transcriber's note footnotes have been moved to the end of the paragraphs to which they refer. illustrations have been moved near the relevant section of the text. "=" is used in the text to indicate bolded text, and "~" is used to indicate a fancy font. on page , "-->" is used to denote a hand with the finger pointing right. in the advertisements at the end of the book, "***" is used to denote an inverted asterism. i have separated the ads by asterisks. inconsistencies have been retained in spelling, hyphenation, punctuation, and grammar, except where indicated in the list below: - page number added to table of contents on page v - dash added after "mud-wagon." on page vi - dash added after "railroad." on page vii - period moved from before to after bracket on page - "timber" changed to "timber" on page - "spot" changed to "sport" on page - "offer" changed to "offers" on page - quotation mark added before "the" on page - quotation mark added before "compare" on page - "agricul tural" changed to "agricultural" on page - single quote added after "carleton" on page transcriber's note: table of contents added by transcriber. contents i. the lumberjacks and the lumberjack sky pilot. ii. the work at barnum, minnesota. iii. in the heart of the logging district. iv. the lumberjack in the camps. v. a view of the camp services. vi. itinerating in the camps. vii. work in the lumber towns. viii. muscular christianity. ix. the field and its possibilities. [illustration: the lumberjack sky pilot and his team, flash and spark] the lumberjack sky pilot by thomas d. whittles chicago the winona publishing company copyright, the winona publishing company foreword the intent of this little volume is not to glorify a man, but to present the parish of the pines. imagination has little part in its pages, for the incidents are actual happenings and the descriptions are taken from life. the condition of the foresters is really the theme, although the title draws attention to the missionary. because the rev. frank e. higgins has given himself devotedly to the men of forest and river, i have chosen his experiences as hooks on which to hang the pictures of pinery life. mr. higgins has labored with no thought of fame, but with devotion to god and man; and so i write not to exalt the missionary, but to introduce you to his interesting parishioners. i have written with love because i know the sky pilot. i have written with prayerful longing because i know the lumberjacks. if through my unskilled effort you become interested in the isolated, wayward woodsmen, i shall be fully repaid. march, . t. d. w. "men who plow the sea, spend they may--and free, but nowhere is there prodigal among those careless jacks who will toss the hard won spoil of a year of lusty toil like the prodigals of pickpole and the ishmaels of the ax." --_holman day._ introduction by the rev. john e. bushnell, d. d. it has long been felt by those familiar with the human side of the forest life that its call should be heard, and that the efforts of devoted hearts to minister to the peculiar needs of the men behind the axe and the saw should be made known. this volume is a timely response to that desire. through a veritable forest of material the author safely arrives with us at the camp-fire and heart-fire of the lumberjack. most writers must create their own heroes; ours found his awaiting him, for god created frank e. higgins, the hero of this book. it is just like god to make such a man when there is such a work to be done. it shows us how busy providence is in human affairs. the least we can do in return is to know that man and get his message. the dumb creatures of the wood have just now almost a superfluity of exponents and disciples. the humanity of the woods is just beginning to have its champions. the lure of the wild has long prevailed to call men forth to kill, or prospect, or sin, but in a lovelier guise it will possess the readers of this book to make them enter the wild to pity, love, and save. to most of them this narrative will come as a surprise. it may even raise the question of possible exaggeration as to the extent of human suffering and degradation involved in the simple task of felling the forests to meet the needs of a growing nation. to those, however, who have been over the trail, it will appeal as a moderate but faithful picture of scenes of intensest pathos and tragedy which are but commonplace in the parish of the sky pilot to the lumberjacks. the fierceness with which evil hunts its human prey, and makes strong men of our own day and nation no better than the old galley-slave, toiling to enrich their brutal masters, can be only partially set forth in the limits of these pages. we shall all be made better neighbors to our homeless brothers in the wilderness by following mr. whittles' surprising and fascinating story and by walking in the footsteps of the modest missionary of the cross, of whom he writes, on his round of mercy through camp and brush, for whose zeal the winter's blast is never too severe, and whose love for souls melts a pathway through drifted snow. we shall be reminded afresh of how rough is the work and how great the human sacrifice by which the wants of civilization are satisfied. we shall also be moved to resolve that the amount of the vicarious suffering of men for this end shall be reduced of all that portion of it that comes through our indifference and the activity of evil. this narrative adds a unique and valuable chapter to the records of our country. it will be read with gratitude by every one, who for whatever cause seeks wider knowledge of his fellowmen. most of all will it appeal to the christian hearts of our land to whom these men of the woods will seem as brothers, having more than their share of life's hardships and temptations and less than their share of its privilege and its opportunity. it is most earnestly to be hoped that it may reach all the homes of our land and cause them to rest a while from the fiction of the hour, that, in the glow of these human realities, stranger than the inventions of fancy, we may learn henceforth to suffer in the afflictions of our exceptional members and relieve the conditions which make them helpless without our aid. this little book i lovingly dedicate to sarah. my wife. chapter i. the lumberjacks and the lumberjack sky pilot. while i waited for a train, a woodsman entered the station. he was dressed in a rough mackinaw jacket; coarse socks held his trousers close to his legs, and on his hands were heavy woolen mittens. everything proclaimed him to be a man of the camps. "hello, jack," i said in greeting, "how were the woods this winter? anything new in the camps?" jack jammed the peerless into his strong-smelling pipe, struck a match and replied: "snowed so blank hard that half the gang jumped the job, and us fools that stayed worked up to our necks trying to get out the stuff. this winter was hades, but not quite so warm--no, not by a jugfull. why say, neighbor, in our camp the whisky froze up and kept the bunch sober until we got a new supply." he paused, looked me over, and began again: "you're a preacher, ain't you?" "i am," i replied. "well, then, here's news you'll enjoy. we're all thinking of joining the church--us fellows in the camps. funny, ain't it? the gospel sharks are in the tall timber and are getting bags of game that would shame a pot hunter. the cloth has donned overalls and is preaching at us. savvy, preacher?--we've actually got so civilized that they're preaching at us god-forsaken lumberjacks. how does that strike you for news?" he paused to see the effect this intelligence was having on me, then continued: "the sermons we get are the real thing. no sun-proof paint on them, no 'by-your-leave,' but the straight goods, the pure stuff--chips, bark and timber. everything we get is government sealed, punk proof, top-loaded and headed for the landing--which is us. it all comes our way and we hold our noses and take the medicine. what party do you happen to hitch to?" "denomination?" i asked, "i am a presbyterian." "good! so am i. i don't happen to belong yet, but if they keep on hewing to the line, i'll have to join--or hike. our sky pilot, frank higgins, belongs to your crowd. probably you know him?" "i have known him a long time," i replied. "shake! if you're a friend of his you'll do. he's onto his job, and if this keeps up, the guy that splashes ink on the church roll will be kept busy adding our names. there's my train." he was gone. may the day soon come when the half jesting prophecy of the lumberjack will be fulfilled. * * * * * stately and green is the forest of the north star state. from lake superior the great pineries of minnesota extend unbroken until the fertile silt of the red river valley limits the growth of the pines. two hundred miles is the width of the forest and the evergreen covers the northern half of the state. this is "the woods" of minnesota--the center of the logging industry. about five hundred camps mar this beautiful region with their rude shacks and temporary shelters, some of them being scores of miles from the permanent settlements. during the winter months twenty thousand men labor in the scattered camps of this vast territory, removing the growth of ages that the farms and cities may have comfort and protection. the primeval forest has been invaded, and on the zero air of the north the ring of the ax, the tearing of saws and the strange oaths of the teamsters mingle with the crash of falling trees. the workers of the forest are called lumberjacks. in all the country there is scarcely a more interesting group of men--interesting because so wayward and prodigal in life and habit, while their forest home appeals to every leaf-loving soul. they are the nomads of the west--farm hands and railroad constructionists in summer, woodsmen in winter--with no settled abode, no place they call home. a few years ago michigan claimed them; later their habitat was in the forests of wisconsin; now the woods of minnesota is their rendezvous. [illustration: lumber camp in the long, lace-like norways] the typical lumberjack is a man of large heart and little will. he sins with willing freedom, because he has almost lost the power to check his evil desires, and it is so easy to yield to the vultures who make sin convenient and righteousness hard. the saloon and brothel are ever alluringly near, while the church and bethel are slow to approach. the harpies of sin wait at every turn to prey upon the woodsman--though they damn his soul it matters not, if they obtain the cash. the railroads push their iron arms into the heart of the wooded lands, and the villages follow the railways, desiring to be near the camps for the trade they bring. almost without exception the first places of business are the saloons, to which are attached the outfits of the gamblers, and conveniently near are the places of shame. one new town in the pineries had between forty and fifty saloons (forty-six i believe is the number), five large brothels, and the gambling hells were many, yet the population of the place was little over two thousand. it was evident to the casual visitor that its chief industry was to separate the campmen from their earnings by preying on their weaknesses. another village is beautifully situated at the junction of two rivers. all around it is well timbered land, and from the nature of the soil the place is destined to be of importance in the coming years, but at the time of this writing the village with its adjacent territory only contains a population of about two hundred. the village has less than a dozen houses, but six saloons do a thriving business and the brothel has appeared. you ask where the places obtain their patronage? from the camps. the foresters are the source of profit; the population of the town would not be able to keep one saloon in business. nor are these solitary instances. the same conditions are to be found in almost every hamlet and village in the woods. day and night they ply their sinful trade, and soon the gold, which the lumberjack risked his life to win, jingles in the coffers of the shameless or gleams in the till of the saloon or gambling hell. sunday is the harvest day of iniquity. the men are released from labor and pour into the villages to spend the hours of rest. the wheel, whisky and women separate them from their earnings, and like the withered leaves of autumn the strong wielders of the ax and canthook fall easy victims. one night "to blow in the stake," regrets for a moment--then back to the loneliness of the winter woods again. he is said to be a poor lumberjack who can keep his wages over night. jack is not always a willing victim. often by knockout drops he is reduced to insensibility and robbed. he may complain of the treatment, but he is helpless through lack of evidence, and is told to "go up river," or is hustled unfeelingly out of town. "he's only a lumberjack and is better off when all in." this is all the sympathy the ishmaelite receives. no place is open to him except the one he should avoid. the churches are too weak to meet the large demands, and so no place of refuge opens its doors of hope to the prodigal. the balm of sympathy comes to him limitedly; humanity is as cold as the frozen streams of his winter's retreat. civilization is viewed only as a place of unbridled license where the law favors the spoiler. god is dead. christ is only a word of convenient profanity. the church has forgotten the prodigal while caring for the souls of the saved. thus he views life. in his wretchedness he labors for the keepers of the gates of death and is satisfied, if, by the sweat of his brow, he can win an hour of forgetfulness in the place of riot and shame. no picture was ever painted so dark as to exclude all light. god made it so. even in the neglected sons of the lumber-camps is seen a hopeful ray--for their hearts are as rich in charity as their lives are dark with sin. their sympathies can easily be touched. it is through the open freedom of their generous nature that the reforming power of the gospel can enter. the only remedy for the campmen is the sustaining power of the man of nazareth. when they shall learn to know the christ of god as the savior of men, the darkened lives of the foresters will be transformed, and the fruits they shall bring forth will be the wished for deeds of righteousness. when the rev. francis edmund higgins, the lumberjack sky pilot, began his work among these neglected ishmaelites, no religious society was making an effort to raise the moral and spiritual condition of the campmen. the catholic church, then as now, devoted itself to the hospital work in the nearby towns, but no denomination invaded the camps to lead the bunkmen to right living. at the time of this writing the presbyterian church is the only religious organization having special missionaries in the lumbercamps. regardless of denominational prejudice, the work of frank higgins appeals to the whole christian church, not only on account of its peculiar type, but also because of the interesting man conducting it. fitted by nature and training for his work, he is striving with heart and hand in a large and lonely field. he is the pastor of a large and scattered flock which for long and weary years has known no shepherd. depraved men are being reached, lifted and kept for god through him--men alone are his parishioners. seldom is a pastor more beloved by his people. the rough but kindly hearts of the lumberjacks go out to this fearless minister who self-sacrificingly breaks the bread of life to the husk-fed prodigals of the far north country. the lumberjacks will fight for their sky pilot; and even the ranks of the enemy--the saloonmen, the gamblers, the brothel keepers--are compelled to admire this earnest christian minister who is valiantly fighting a hard battle for god and righteousness. the rev. frank higgins is a resolute character, full of zeal and undaunted courage. god gave him a strong body and he is using it for the giver. that rare virtue we call tact, or sanctified common sense, shows itself in all his dealings with men. false dignity is absent from him, but the dignity of sterling purpose and determined endeavor is ever present. he is no slave to custom, but is a man who does things in his own way, and does them well. the title the loggers have conferred upon him is one of affection; he is the lumberjack sky pilot, and if you heard his forest parishioners speak that name, you would realize that his ordination was threefold--ordained of god, by the presbytery and by the lumberjacks. frank e. higgins was born in the queen city of the west, toronto, ontario, on the nineteenth day of august, . he was the seventh child to come into the home, but the only one to survive the vicissitudes of infancy. his parents were both irish, but his father, samuel higgins, was born in the dominion, and for some years prior to his death kept a hotel in toronto on the site where the walker house now stands. in this house frank was born. ann higgins, the mother, first saw the sun in the ulster settlement of ireland, her parents bringing her to canada when she was four years old. samuel higgins died when frank was seven years of age. two years after the death of frank's father, ann higgins married john castle, an englishman, who shortly afterwards moved the family to shelburne, dufferin county, ontario. here in the untouched wilderness the settlers began to force an opening for cabin and crops. the country was new. few white families were near, but on the higgins homestead were several camps of sioux indians. the land was forest covered, the towering cedar and hemlock stretched their graceful fingers heavenward, the spreading maples delighted the eye, and the white robes of the slender birch lent variety to the sylvan scene. with painful effort the sentinels were felled and squared for cabin and sheds, and fields of grain succeeded the fallen forest. the companions of frank higgins were the children of the sioux indians, whose tepees were near the homestead. with the children of the indians he took his lessons in woodcraft, learned to draw the bow, or childishly labored at the tasks of the growing braves. one of his early recollections is of secretly carrying a loaf of bread from his home to trade with an indian youth for bow and arrows. perhaps the subsequent strapping he received had something to do with the permanency and vividness of the recollection. for three years the indians were his constant playmates. from the warlike sioux, fearlessness was imbibed, their love of the forest became his, and an ineffaceable delight in tree and stream was stamped in the character of the growing boy. "i feel it now," he said to me, but recently when we were in the city together, "i want to get back to the solitudes where the trees have voices and every stream a story. i love the camps rather than the cities. i have never passed from my boyhood love--my first love--the trees, the hills, the brooks. in the pineries i feel as if i were a boy back in the old days again." [illustration: steam-jammer at work] these were days of gold and purple when the child was learning the mysteries of life, days of ceaseless roaming in which nature taught her truths through leaf and twig, through dew and whispering breeze. he was nature taught--all that touches "the wild and pillared shades" belongs to his free, frank nature. unknowingly he was beholding the beauty of his future kingdom and unconsciously equipping himself for the years of zealous toil among the white nomads whose weapons are the ax, the saw and the peavey--a change in equipment and complexion, with the same stage setting. few school privileges came to the forest lad. when he should have been at his studies there was no school to attend; when the school came, only brief periods were allowed to him. at twelve he took his place by his stepfather's side and assisted in supporting the family. every hand was needed, and the boy's little counted for much. there was ground to clear of trees and underbrush, there were rails to split and fields to fence, and in the winter logging, claimed his labor for the cash it gave in return. dufferin county could offer few advantages in those days. its sparsely settled condition meant absence of amusements and communal privileges. most of the new settlers were of english blood, and while they were willing to stint and sacrifice, yet they demanded the presence of the church. a church was organized near the castle home, to which john and ann castle gave their united support. frank's stepfather was a godly man, in whose life was reflected the spirit of our master's teaching. service and fellowship were the watchwords of the home. of material wealth the cabin could not boast, but in spiritual gifts its occupants were far from poor. it was largely through these examples of christian living that frank higgins acquired a knowledge and interest in the things of god. when frank was eighteen years old a wave of religious awakening swept through the community, and the stepson of john castle was one of the first to surrender to the master. immediately he interested himself in the welfare of his companions, doing personal work among them. the result was that most of his companions joined the company of believers. these young men then organized a semi-weekly prayer meeting in the schoolhouse and frank higgins led the first meeting. nine of those who attended those prayer meetings have since gone forth to preach the everlasting gospel. there must have been good stuff among the settlers of dufferin county. the ministry always had its charms for frank higgins. long before he united with the church, the desire to preach had possessed him. many were the sermons he delivered to the cattle, stumps and trees, while going the rounds of his daily labor. on one occasion the stepfather and hired man hid behind the stumps that they might receive edification from the discourses that so often wasted their sweetness on the desert air. unaware of their presence, frank worked a while, then, laying aside his ax, mounted a log and began his sermon to the stumps. vigorously he chided them for their inactivity. emphatic were the woes he pronounced upon them who were at ease, while the harvest called loudly for workers. enthusiastically he bade the stumps march forward and with unsheathed sword take possession of the promised land. the hidden ones, suppressing mirth that almost injured them, silently thrust their heads above the hiding place and looked with forced solemnity at the big, lonely preacher. so unexpected was their appearance, that he, who a moment before was willing to lead an army of stumps to victory, retreated to the cover of the forest, pursued by the convulsing laughter of his friends. years afterwards, when commenting on the above incident, he said: "you see, it was a sermon to men after all. i had intended it for stumps, but it produced action among men." he laughed. men have always been his auditors. from the time of his stump sermon they have listened to his story of the cross, and today among the stumps of the pineries he preaches with results that cause the angels to laugh in gladness. at the age of twenty frank higgins returned to toronto, the city of his birth, where he resided with relatives. he there entered the public schools, taking up the studies which the conditions in dufferin county prevented him from acquiring in boyhood. it took courage to enter the sixth grade of the city schools, a big brawny man among babes. unaccustomed to cities and civilization, he felt ill at ease away from his native woods. his hands were better acquainted with the ax than with the pen and pencil, but he stuck to his task while the blush of shame mounted his cheek as he sat among the little children of the grade. his teachers did not find him an apt scholar, but they bowed before the originality of his untutored mind. three years were spent in the grades and two in the high school, after which he left the dominion of canada and came to minnesota, at the age of twenty-five. in the fall of he began lay preaching in the methodist episcopal church at annandale, minnesota, and for two years labored in that field; doing very successful work. he was fortunate in the companionship of dr. a. m. ridgeway, a young physician who had recently begun to practice in the village. this friend did all he could to cover the defects of the frontiersman and to aid him to self-improvement. it was largely through dr. ridgeway's persuasion that higgins gave up his work at annandale and went to hamline university to continue his studies. for two years he applied himself to books, but owing to the scarcity of funds he was compelled to preach on the sabbaths, and the small salary thus obtained helped to support him in the university. the name of the late rev. l. m. merritt, of onesta m. e. church, duluth, minnesota, is held by him in revered memory for the timely encouragement and assistance rendered him at this period. in the way opened for him to enter the service of his mother church. the presbyterian church at barnum, minnesota, was offered to him and the layman found himself in the denomination of his youth. the work at barnum, minnesota, changed the whole course of his life. [illustration: river crew on lake bemidji] chapter ii. the work at barnum, minnesota. the new field to which mr. higgins went was a lumber town. barnum, minnesota, had a population of less than four hundred, but the nearby lumber camps added considerably to its business interests. the presbyterian church at that place was weak, and when presbytery sent the young canadian there to advance the cause of christ, it also took him under its care as a student for the ministry, and assigned studies suited to his special case. at barnum, frank higgins first came into touch with the loggers of minnesota. on all sides were the camps crowded with men who felled the forests during the winter, and in the spring floated the logs over lake and river to the large sawmills farther south. shortly after he changed his residence to the lumber town, he went with several friends across the country to where the river drivers were at work on the kettle river drive. it was spring. the ice-locked lakes and rivers were once more open, and now the accumulated logs that had been placed on the icy lakes and streams were floating with the current to the city mills. after several hours traveling through a rough and new country, parts of which were cut over lands, scenically uninviting, the party arrived at the point of the river where the men, who, in the parlance of the loggers are called "riverpigs," were at work. in midstream the men were sacking logs with peavey, or directing with pike pole. from log to log the skillful drivers leaped, now riding on the huge timbers, now wading in the shallows, or following the logs from the shore. it seemed an easy thing to do, to ride the swift moving logs, but only a master can keep his place on the unsteady, rolling steed. in a bend of the river, below the place where the drivers were working, the large flat-boat called the wannigan, was tied. the wannigan is a floating bunkhouse, cookshed and store combined. in it the men make their home during the drive. the supper hour was near when the visitors arrived at kettle river; the journey had been long, so the disturbing blast of the cookee's horn was a welcome sound. in response to the call the rivermen hastily made for shore, and headed for the grassy place near the wannigan. the example of the workers was followed by the visitors, who helped themselves to iron knives and forks, tin spoons, cups and dishes. the wet drivers sat around the campfire and ate with a heartiness that comes from a life spent in "god's own open air." the men lounged about the fire after the meal, and the topics of the village and the happenings of the river were discussed. just as the sun was tossing back his lingering kisses at the sleepy forest and ever wakeful river, the riverpigs requested mr. higgins to give them a gospel service. it was a surprising request, coming from such a source, for the river drivers looked and acted as if they cared not for these things. the preacher had heard their fluent profanity as they directed the logs, and when they asked for the gospel he could not veil his surprise. but the request was in harmony with the hour. nature was worshiping. the solemn hush of the evening was upon tree and stream and even the ceaseless babble of the river came only in whispers. man felt a desire to join in the creator's praise, and where is there a better sanctuary than in the cloistered halls of the greenwood, on the banks of a crystal stream? taking a log for a platform, unaided by bible or hymn book, mr. higgins began the service. "nearer my god to thee" was the hymn, and the men of the pickpole joined heartily in the song, "jesus lover of my soul;" they sang until it seemed that the sunset joined in the praise and the trees of the field clapped their hands in timely melody. over the running river the tall pines caught up the music and bowed in reverence, while the echoes answered back, "oh, receive my soul at last." with what supreme interest the men about the camp-fire listened to the old, old story of christ who loves the wanderer! the shades of night fell low upon the darkening earth while the preacher spoke of the light of the world, and the men sat wrapped in thoughts of things they had forgotten or never known. recollections of the home tree came back to some, and the sweet lullaby of a mother stole into minds long forgetful of home and other days. at the spring of boyhood they drank again, and the counsels of youth came with hallowed sweetness to the men seated in the playing shadows of the dying fire. faces long strange to tears were furrowed. wishes were born that later became realities of good. like a voice from another world came the benediction to the group about the bright glowing embers. from across the stream the echo floated back, and the "amen" of nature came like a mother's tender prayer. on the morrow when the visitors were returning, several of the rivermen went to the preacher and spoke of the pleasure they had derived from the service. "we're away out here in the timber and it ain't often the church comes our way," said one. "if some preacher would come here once in a while, he could give us a lift. the lord knows we need it," added another. "can't you come and give us a turn?" they asked. in response to the extended invitations, mr. higgins often went to the drive on kettle river. an appreciative audience was always waiting--an audience that would gladden the heart of any minister who was anxious to deliver god's message. prior to his visit to kettle river, mr. higgins had never been on the drive. everything about the work was new to him, but he joined the riverpigs on the stream, and added to their merriment by his unskilled attempts at logdriving. taking the long pickpole, the preacher mounted the floating log, while every driver looked out of the tail of his eye for the soon-coming moment when "his reverence" would descend to the depths--"so far," said one of the men, "that he would draw down the log with a suction." in the midst of their work the drivers shouted advice and encouragement. but a laugh does not deter a man like frank higgins. the love of the forest and river was in his blood, and the strong body and determined will welcomed the difficulties of the river. even the discomforts of a sudden bath did not cool his zeal. he believed that if these men were to be his hearers he must know how to appreciate their labors, and that appreciation could only be acquired by passing through the intricacies of the calling. so skill came with practice, and a knowledge of the drive after many sudden descents into the flowing waters. this was a part of the equipment for ministering--a strange preparation--but men whose labors demand strength of limb and skill of body are more likely to listen to him who can prove his physical ability. in the estimation of some, manual labor may not preserve the dignity of the cloth, but it adds to the dignity of the man. the lumberjacks and rivermen have no admiration for him who is fearful of hardship, or succumbs before the strenuous labor which they themselves must daily perform. the pineries is no place for weaklings, nor the drive for the fearful. among these men physical prowess wins where mental powers fail to get a hearing, but the combination of both, backed by a strong desire to serve, is a combination sure of success. "when you are in barnum i want you men to remember me," said the preacher to the drivers. "my home and church are open to you. you are just as welcome as the people of the village." shortly after the above invitation the boys came to town. it was sunday, and the hour of the morning service. three big rivermen entered the church and took seats in the rear of the building. they were dressed as the necessities of their vocation require, flannel shirts resplendent in fighting colors, broad belts, and heavy spike-soled boots. it was no small sensation their presence created. barnum was a lumber town, but although accustomed to the lumberjacks and drivers, it had never seen them in church. the saloons were their known retreats. before beginning the service mr. higgins went down to the drivers and bade them welcome. "we thought we'd drop in and see if you'd make us as welcome in the gospel shop as we made you in the bunkhouse," said the spokesman. "i guess he has, bill," he said, turning to his friend. after that they came to the little church whenever they sundayed in town. with the trio came others, for they knew they would be hospitably received. this proved to the minister that the man who wants a larger parish has only to remove the fence that encloses his present one. as often as his pressing duties would allow it, the missionary followed his new found flock. the distance was great to kettle river, yet he walked to the camp that service might be held on the bank of the stream. from the memories of the men who heard and of him who preached, the pleasure of those sunset gatherings will never be effaced. kettle river drive was more fruitful than preacher or logger dreamed. although mr. higgins grew to manhood in a timber country, yet he never had visited a large lumbercamp until the winter following his residence at barnum. in his youth he had logged in the forests of dufferin county, ontario, but the lumbering was on a small scale--it was only the logging of farmers. around barnum, minnesota, the camps were operated by the lumber kings of the west. the winter's cut was counted in millions of feet, not by hundreds or thousands. in the fall of a delegation of lumberjacks came to the sky pilot's home in barnum and asked to be taken into the circle of his ministration. "we need you just as much as the camp of drivers you preached to in the spring," they said, and they looked the part they professed. camp after camp petitioned for his services, and so the work grew until all the logging camps around the village were receiving occasional services from the unordained man who served the presbyterian mission church at barnum. the field was large, white for a willing harvest, but the laborers were few, few indeed--only one. mr. higgins had recently married, and through the union encouragement and effectiveness was given to his work in village and camp. in october of mr. higgins was married to miss eva l. lucas of rockford, minnesota. miss lucas was an active church worker in her own town, and after her marriage the bride often went with her husband to the filthy camps and furnished music on the little portable organ. her presence was appreciated by the foresters, and with the lead of the organ the music was bettered. these were days of exacting labor and little pay. in his spare moments frank higgins was trying to supplement the loss of university and seminary training, and the midnight lamp glowed in the study as he sought to prepare himself for ordination. there were sermons to prepare, calls to make, the dead to bury, and a thousand unexpected duties that are ever attendant on a village pastorate. but louder than all the demands was the ever increasing macedonian cry from the camps for services and assistance. so much to be done and so little one could do in comparison to the demand! frank higgins never asked for "flowery beds of ease." his physical strength was unlimited, and he loved action rather than repose. with the joy of a strong man he attacked his work and found an increasing happiness in duty done. a few days after one of his visits to the camps, two lumberjacks came to his door. "we want you quick," they said, "we've brought one of the boys from the camp to his homestead. he's asking for you. he's a very sick man." in company with the woodsmen mr. higgins went through the forest to the log cabin of the homesteader. the doctor had just arrived. turning to mr. higgins, the physician said: "if we could get him to st. luke's hospital in duluth there would be a chance for him. he cannot obtain the necessary care here in his shack." mr. higgins volunteered to accompany the sick man. they bundled the patient snugly into a sleigh, drove to the depot, and in a short time were in the hospital. only a few minutes passed before the physician in charge came to mr. higgins and said: "there is no chance for your friend's recovery. you had better break the news to him, for he is beyond our help." gently, tenderly, the rough camp preacher told the dying man of his condition and asked him to make preparation for the nearing end. [illustration: a small congregation] the lumberjack looked up at the weeping minister, and smilingly said: "thank god you came to the camp that night. i heard you preach of a savior, and all my being longed to know him. it was the first time in twenty years i had heard the gospel. i was raised in a christian home, and that night all the lessons of childhood came back to me. when the lanterns were put out, and the bunkhouse was silent, i got on my knees and prayed the forgiving god to forgive the past, and make me a better man. that night jesus christ brought his strong salvation to me, and i was forgiven." he paused through weakness and was still, then opening his eyes, now clouded with the mists of death, he looked at the minister. "brother higgins, go back to the camps and tell the boys of my savior. go back and tell the old story to the lumberjacks. they need you worse than the towns do. tell them of jesus who can make them live, go back to the lonely camps." he ceased to speak. more feebly came the breath, and soon the spirit returned to the god who gave it. the minister was left with a problem greater than any he had yet attempted to solve. in the corridors of the hospital he walked through the long night, carrying a sense of duty and sacrifice he had never known before. "can it be possible that god wants me to take up this work?" he asked. "has god spoken his will through the dying man?" ambition rebelled against the sacrifice; fond wishes refused to be set aside, but with every tempting prospect came the command of the dying man, "go back to the boys and carry the story of jesus." it sounded clearly. no man could misunderstand it. that night all his plans were changed. ambitions, such as come to all young men, were swept away. the large pulpits of which he had dreamed were superseded by the log or barrel which held the bible in the camp services, and the future audiences were men rough clothed, rough visaged, who dwelt not in homes of opulence, but slept in the hay-filled bunks in the log camps. that night in the hospital he consecrated himself to the service of god in the logging camps. he now began to look about the field in which his life work was to be done. the extent of the field and the intensity of the need was appalling. while there were christian men in the camps, and many whose lives were moral, yet these were few in comparison to the crowd who wasted their lives as did the younger son in the parable. ordination was now his great desire, for he wished to go to the men as one who could minister to all their spiritual needs. but ordination was far off. the studies were not completed, and would not be for several years. the spring after his decision, he was surprised on entering his home to find it filled with a crew of lumberjacks who were returning from the camps. "mr. higgins," began the spokesman, "we've dropped in today to tell you how we've enjoyed the preaching in our camp. the boys want me to make a spiel, but the saw is more in my line. you've treated us white, have given us more advice than we've digested, and never asked to see the color of our money. but this is no one-sided affair. the boys have all chipped in, and here's your stake for service rendered." as he closed he handed the minister a check for fifty-one dollars. in all his work the missionary had not asked for financial assistance. the boys at first thought he was preaching for "what there was in it," but when he asked not for money, they realized that love and devotion was the impelling cause. "the lumberjack is no cheap skate," so they gladly gave in return. through the benevolence of the woodsmen, mr. higgins saw a new possibility. he was willing to give himself to the work, but it was necessary that living and incidental expenses should be met. how to finance the mission work was the question, but now he saw the boys would pay a large part of the attendant expenses if some one would organize the work. the barriers were being removed; the doors were opening. only, ordination had yet to be received. the work at barnum was followed by his taking charge of a church in new duluth, where the mill hands formed a large part of the population. acquaintance with the men and their work led to an interest in him, and soon the church was on its feet. the same success that was seen at barnum followed the new duluth work, and after a short period of labor there, he was asked to take the bemidji church. here in the heart of the logging district the real work of his life began, for as never before he learned the ways of the lumberjack. chapter iii. in the heart of the logging district. in the spring of , frank e. higgins began his work in bemidji. the home missions committee of duluth presbytery had invited him to assist the little group of christians in the new town, where assistance was badly needed, for the place was in the heart of the logging district, and was infamous for its traffic in evil. the hosts of sin were well organized, but righteousness needed the encouragement of a strong man. the bemidji field was first opened to christian work by mr. s. a. blair, the sabbath school missionary of duluth presbytery, in . in those days no railway reached the place, but the pine forest beckoned to the logging companies and the mississippi river offered an outlet for the logs. bemidji could only be reached by following the rough trails through the swamps and around the hills from walker, minnesota, thirty-five miles away. most of the supplies were carried up the lakes and rivers and toted over the portages to the new village. when mr. blair started on his thirty-five mile tramp to bemidji, the baptist denomination also decided to send a man to organize for them. but the rains descended and the floods came, until the poorly made roads were more impassable than ever. not relishing the flooded condition, the immersionist gave up the task--for once water interfered with the baptist growth. but mr. blair, prior to his conversion, had been a lumberjack, and none of these things moved him. wading the depths and fording the streams, he at last arrived at the hamlet on lake bemidji, and organized the work. later a church was partly built by mr. blair, and occasional services were held. it was to take charge of this field that mr. higgins turned his steps to the north. he had seen the conditions of the woodsmen in barnum and other towns, yet he needed the bemidji experience to show him their real poverty of soul, and their utter helplessness in the face of open, alluring vice. here he saw them at their worst, given over to shame, encouraged in degradation. they were as sheep without a shepherd, a prey to every spoiler and evil designer. it would require one whose ability is far above mine to pen a picture that would adequately set forth the low plane of life found in the early days of bemidji. since that time it has changed for the better, but it is still influenced by the past and is far from a moral utopia. nature has done everything to make the place attractive and restful. lake bemidji and lake irving are inviting sheets of water with a shore line of nearly fifty miles. the great father of waters joins their crystal bodies, and at the point of meeting the little city of bemidji is built. every part of the city is pine-covered. those who platted the place removed only the larger trees, and the homes rest in the shelter of the constant green. like a huge emerald in a setting of purest silver is the green sheltered city with its rippling lakes and flowing river. nature had contributed lavishly, but when man came he brought with him the defects of humanity and painted the fair location with the blackness of unlicensed vice, filling the eden of beauty with the blight of sodom. it was a town with a wide open policy, in which saloons abounded, brothels flourished and gamblers worked unmolested. it was known as one of the most shameless places in the state, and in those days seemingly lived up to its reputation. the police force was little more than a name, for the saloon men were "the powers that be." it was to the interest of the liquor men that the town be run as wide open as possible, and the business interests as represented by the liquor sellers were far from the puritan mould. a convenient double blind was on justice. the law was roped and thrown. rum was the real owner of the town. it was above the law. it was master. gambling was connected with most of the saloons and numerous devices were in sight to attract the indifferent. not satisfied with what came to them, the runners of the saloons and dens went into the camps to drum up trade for their respective places of business--creating a sentiment that would induce the boys to visit their dens of vice. the brothels were large and accessible, being near the center of the town. in one of the places a large number of negresses was kept to pander to the bestial instincts of the men. it would be difficult to give a description of those early day conditions. a citizen of the town remarked, "you can't put enough black in the picture when you try to paint the early bemidji." in justice to the moral element of the place we must add that there were always those who strove for better conditions, and the efforts they made have met with some success, for the moral conditions of bemidji in are vastly superior to the conditions at the time of which we write. it was early in when mr. higgins became a resident of bemidji. the presbyterian church had been organized but a short time, yet it was in a state of coma that was rapidly passing into death. only two members could be found. a church building had been erected, but because of financial difficulties it had not been finished and was far from attractive or comfortable. frank higgins' task was to find the scattered adherents, then complete the building. for want of a more suitable place of residence, the unfinished edifice became the meeting place and manse combined. the few houses obtainable were mostly rude shacks whose exteriors were covered with tar paper, instead of weather boards, and even these temporary structures, poor and inadequate, were hard to obtain. during the early part of the bemidji ministry, marguerite, the only child of mr. and mrs. higgins, came to bless the parents' hearts and add joy to the missionary home. the years at bemidji were strenuous, but successful. the unfinished edifice was enlarged and completed during the first year of the layman's work. the year following found him building the cozy manse, while the membership grew with increasing steadiness. in connection with the church at bemidji was a station at farley, and during the third year a little chapel was erected there. by this time the bemidji congregation had outgrown the capacity of the building and in the fourth year a more commodious and suitable church was built. in these full years the camps had not been neglected. with the erection of the numerous buildings, to which he had contributed manual labor as well as superintendence, mr. higgins' hands were seemingly well filled. in addition to these duties, however, he every winter gave his personal attention to nine camps and regularly visited three of them each week. the seven addresses a week, the miles between the camps, and the pastoral calls consumed the hours, leaving no time for leisure and idleness, while from all sides came the demands of the foresters for religious instruction and services. one morning when he returned from the camps, mrs. higgins told him of an urgent call from the sisters' hospital. hastily he went to the ward and there found will mcdonald, a highland scotchman, at the point of death. mcdonald had met with a serious accident in the camps. the sky pilot and the teamster were well acquainted. mcdonald's boyhood days were spent among the bonny hills of the homeland, in a quiet christian home. in early manhood he came to minnesota and followed the winter woods. there, amidst the rough life he forgot his early instruction and traveled the ways to which temptation so readily pointed. on entering the ward the preacher tried to cheer the dying man, but the woodsman turned to him and said: "it's no use, frank, the jig is up. i've got to go. i'm nearing the landing with a heavy load. do you think i'll make the grade?" he was a teamster and had hauled many heavy loads up the grade, and now he was thinking of the unknown way he was traveling and the possibilities of the journey. "yes, you can make the grade, will, but you will have to look for help," said the preacher. "you mean i'll have to get another team of leaders to help me up the grade?" he asked. "that is it," said mr. higgins, "but thank god, mcdonald, you have the greatest leader to give you a lift--the lord jesus christ. every man he has helped has made the grade. listen, will, while i read you something." taking out his pocket testament, he read the story of the prodigal, and how by the father's help he made the grade. then came the strengthening text setting forth god's love for a lost world and the needlessness of perishing. "turn to him, will, and the grade will be easy." kneeling by the bed, the missionary prayed to the loving god for help, asking that the poor broken prodigal might make the grade and safely arrive at the heavenly landing. in the ward the other lumberjacks heard the prayer, and while the tears fell over faces unaccustomed to them, the boys uttered in silence a sympathetic prayer that will mcdonald might reach the hill-top. a few hours later mr. higgins called again at the hospital. the screen was around the bed and by the side sat the sister of charity with book and beads. the sky pilot knelt by the scotchman's side, and when the dying man saw the visitor a smile came upon his face. "you're right, frank, a great leader is jesus christ. i couldn't have made the grade without him. i needed his help, and he is strong. i'm going up the grade easily, we're going to make it sure." a moment more--the missionary bent close to catch the words, for mcdonald was passing rapidly away. "tell the boys i've made the grade," he whispered, and with a smile was gone. he had left the valley; the unfading green of heavenly plains was before him. he was with the great leader, through whose divine strength many a poor prodigal has made the grade. the presbyterian church has always stood for an educated ministry. the demands it makes of its candidates for ordination are of the highest order, and it is well that this should continue. the system of doctrine taught by it demands thorough preparation for the effort of presbyterianism has ever been directed to the intellect rather than to the emotions. it believes that men should be educated into the kingdom rather than persuaded into it. ever since the night of consecration in st. luke's hospital, where the dying man pleaded with him to "go back to the camps and tell the boys of jesus christ," frank higgins had desired to devote all his efforts to missionary work among the lumberjacks. he felt that he could labor more successfully if he went into the camps as an ordained minister rather than as a layman. there were many who felt that a layman could do the work as effectively as an ordained man, and some even claimed that a layman could do better work in such a field. frank higgins did not agree with the latter, and results have proven the correctness of his judgment. "the lumberjacks want no flunkey, but the real thing," as one expressed it. "we don't want a sunday school teacher, but a full baked sky pilot who has got all the degrees agoin'." mr. higgins knew this, and wished to go to them as an ordained man, hence his persistence in the pursuit of ordination. systematic theology has its difficulties to the seminarian, but more for him who attempts to master it alone. this and other studies composed the task that presbytery had placed before frank higgins, and it was necessary that a knowledge of these be obtained before the coveted "laying-on-of-hands" be granted. in the presence of his studies he saw the handicap in which he was placed through lack of scholastic training, and with the multitudinous demands of his large field he lacked the time for mental attainments. the nearest presbyterian pastor was ninety miles away, so he could look for little assistance from that quarter. he could not get advice and instruction from others, he must labor alone. for seven long years he struggled with his studies, often with disappointing results and with the feeling that it would never be said of him as of paul, "much learning doth make thee mad,"--although his unsuccessful attempts to acquire the desired learning threatened to this end. time and again the presbytery refused to grant the petitioner's request for ordination. meeting after meeting he came before them for examination, but still they did not feel that they could solemnly set him aside to the work of the christian ministry. the action of the presbytery must not be misunderstood. the members saw the lack of training, the mental defects of the man, the rough exterior of the petitioner--for there was little about him to suggest the pulpit--and while they loved and admired the hearty, consecrated missionary, they hesitated to confer the rite of ordination upon him. they were men who knew the standards of the church and felt that, measured by the plumb-line of presbyterian custom, he did not meet all its requirements. they were only men, and as such were compelled to judge by exteriors. it was not strange that they hesitated, for the sentiment of the church is against the ordination of men who have not qualified in the full course. stones there are, however, that no contrivance of man can make to shine, yet they fill a niche in the building where a glazed surface would be a conspicuous defect. such is frank higgins. try to polish him and he is still the same, but a rough ashler is as necessary to the building as a smooth and perfect one. one of his examiners asked him, "what seminary did you attend?" "i never saw a seminary," he answered. "what is your college?" was asked. "my college is the bible and yonder forest, as i believe god intended," he replied. "i do not ask for ordination because i am qualified by the schools, but because god calls me, and there is a work waiting for me." according to custom, the candidate was asked to withdraw while the discussion was held. for three hours the presbyters discussed his case and when the vote was taken the desired privilege was withheld. later in the session, in his remarks before the gathering, mr. higgins said: "i need not tell you that the decision of this body is disappointing, for i have long desired the boon of ordination. during the last seven years i have appeared before you many times, and asked to be set aside to the ministry. i know my insufficiencies; no man can know them better. i do not blame you for with-holding "the-laying-on-of-hands," but i was ordained of god long years ago to preach the unsearchable riches of christ, and although unsanctioned by man, i shall still preach the message with which he has provided me. i have asked ordination for the last time. i am satisfied with the call of god. it is sufficient for me. i ask no more." while he spoke, the spirit of god told of the inner life of the candidate and the brethren saw the consecrated heart. at a special meeting held shortly afterwards, the presbytery reconsidered its action, and frank e. higgins was ordained. while the presbytery had hesitated, it has never regretted its final action. it has never ceased to rejoice in the labors of the determined, undiscouraged man who amidst manifold labors and difficulties, worked, waited and prayed seven years, like jacob of old. his oft-repeated prayer for ordination having been answered, he looked to the camps as the field of his future endeavor. "lord, open the door," he had asked, and the door was opened. at the time of his ordination the bemidji congregation was building the new church. mr. higgins helped in the manual labor. one day while he was shingling the tower a boy brought him a letter requesting him to come to winona lake, indiana, and consult with the evangelistic committee relative to the conditions in the logging camps. as a result of the conference frank higgins was commissioned to take charge of this work in minnesota. the appointment was made in august, , and with it came the real opportunity for which he had waited since the night in the hospital. he was going "to tell the boys of jesus christ." shortly after his return to bemidji the rev. frank higgins took a strange ministerial, or rather, unministerial vacation. the woodsmen of winter are farm hands, railroad constructionists and wanderers in summer, and mr. higgins decided that he would acquaint himself with the summer life of the men. his visits to the camps during the past seven years had already given him a knowledge of their winter conditions. donning the clothes of a laboring man, he mounted a freight train and started on a long western trip of quiet investigation. in western north dakota he labored for several days as a harvest hand, meeting many of the men he had preached to in the minnesota camps. from this place he shipped with a gang of laborers and worked as a scraperman on a new railway in montana. shortly afterwards he was with the pick and shovel gang at the dalles in oregon, only to leave and work as a deck hand on a boat going down the columbia river. portland, oregon, ended his western trip. in all parts of his hobo trip he found the winter woodsmen, some laboring, some leisurely passing the warm and sunny days in idleness. mr. higgins visited the larger churches wherever he stopped and as a workingman entered their doors to see the reception they would tender to a man who apparently belonged to the wanderers. the trip broadened his experience and gave an insight into the life of the nomads among whom he was shortly to take up permanent work. he saw the life as one who had lived and experienced a portion of it. he felt the pangs of hunger, encountered the slights and rejections, the hardships and lovelessness to which their lives were subjected, and out of the knowledge came a broader sympathy, a more ready ability to help. when he returned to bemidji the new church was ready for dedication and after a few weeks he left the pastorate to give himself wholly to the twenty thousand men of minnesota's camps. the field was ready and he now became in reality, "the lumberjack sky pilot." [illustration: filling the water-tank--the street sprinkler of the forest] chapter iv. the lumberjack in the camps. a brief description of the camps and of the camp life will add to the interest of the reader who is unacquainted with the logging industry. when a lumber company contemplates logging in a given locality, a cruiser is sent through the forest to estimate the amount of lumber it will cut. after the report of the cruiser has been received, a crew of experienced woodsmen follows, and selects the place for the camp or camps, and lays out the logging roads. this latter is not an easy task, although to the inexperienced it seems to be, for the road must be as nearly level as the possibilities of the land will allow. a hill to be surmounted means a reducing of the size of the load and an increase in the cost of hauling; a grade scarcely enough to be noticed in ordinary traffic also adds danger and uncertainty to the haul. if there is a grade, its descent must be towards the landing, hence the need of skilled road-makers. it is in the early fall of the year that these logging roads are made. trees are felled, every stump is removed and the little hills are leveled until there appears in the forest a broad, level, often winding avenue that suggests a city speedway. when the cold binding wind of the north has frozen hill and glen and the swamp lands have become resistant to the tread, the rut cutter is sent over the newly made roads. this heavy, unsightly piece of mechanism cuts a deep groove or rut in each side of the road. later these ruts are partly filled with water and in the icy track the great runners of the heavy logging sleds travel with ease and safety. the logging sleds are huge affairs. the runners are eight feet long. the weight of the sled with its chains is about thirty-five hundred pounds--a good load in itself under normal conditions. on these sleds the logs are hauled to the landing, and from there pass by stream or rail to the distant sawmills. the camp is generally placed near the center of the land or on an elevation convenient to water. the buildings of the camp consist of a cookshed made large enough for cooking and dining-room purposes, a bunkhouse to house the men, a blacksmith shop, barns and office. all these are built of logs chinked with clay, and are quite warm, if properly constructed. a view of the interior of the cookshed is always interesting and visitors to the camp are apt to journey in that direction first of all, not simply because of appetite, but to satisfy their curiosity relative to the comforts of the crew. at one end of the room stands a large stove. the walls of the place resemble the interior of a country store, where all for man or beast is offered to the buyer. the rest of the space is reserved for the dining-room, and the tables present the appearance of a sea of oilcloth. the table dishes are of tin, but in a few camps enamelware has very acceptably been introduced. substantial iron knives and forks, and unsubstantial tin spoons are instruments of adornment and utility. the condiments or relishes are in boxes of large capacity or in bottles that once did duty for a favorite brand of whisky or a much-lauded patent medicine. often the labels remain on the bottles and the visitor is uncertain as to the sociability of the place or its unhealthfulness, and if not enlightened by the knowing ones he is apt to go without the desired vinegar or catsup--unless he is so constituted as to be ever on the lookout for a chance "to wet his whistle." the interior is substantial in appearance, but not altogether conducive to good appetite. "we use oleomargarine all the time," says a large placard adorning the walls, and the writer has never doubted the statement; in fact, he is willing to make an affidavit that it was used in every camp he visited, or at least a substitute whose dissembling he was willing to believe. [illustration: said to be the largest load of logs ever hauled out of a camp, . feet] "no talking at the tables" is conspicuous in some camps, and this is probably a wise precaution for it saves time, keeps the men from quarreling, and in case the food is not up to the standard the grumbler is silent until after he has left the table. but the food is generally better than the outsider would expect. it is strong, substantial, abundant, and of good quality, to which is added variety. the fastidious would hardly be satisfied with the service, but it is not intended for the fastidious. he who labors in the pine-laden air is not likely to quarrel with the service if the quality is right and the quantity abundant. beef, pork, potatoes, beans, peas and other seasonable vegetables form the bill of fare of the camps. the bunkhouses are large and roomy. on the long sides of the building double-decked bunks are built with the ends toward the center of the room, "muzzle-loaders," the boys call them. owing to the unsanitary conditions, it does not take long to generate a goodly number of "company," to use the name by which the woodsmen designate the vermin. fortunately, some of the camps are better kept and the men escape this additional irritation. a large cylindrical wood-stove is installed in the center of the room, and above it is built a rack for drying the clothes of the men. since every lumberjack wears several pairs of socks to keep out the cold, this rack in the evening holds several hundred pairs. in the heat of the place the drying socks begin to blossom, and it has been noticed by others than botanists that roses and socks do not produce a like aroma. few of the bunkhouses have any tables. water and tin basins are near the door for the use of those acquainted with the custom of bathing. in the office where the clerk, the bosses, scalers and others of more pretentious occupation sleep, one corner is set apart for the wannigan, as the small camp store is called. here the workers buy clothing, shoes, tobacco and the few articles needed in the camp. the stock is not extensive, but the price of the articles is far reaching. one of the clerks said, "i have charge of the wannigan--the first graft of the lumberjack." where once the timid deer cropped the tender herbage, the rough camps of the lumbermen are seen. before the mighty swing of the keen blades the solitudes are passing away. in minnesota, two billion board feet of lumber represent the cut of the winter months, and in the camps and mills almost forty thousand men are employed. logging is an extensive industry, and it has been brought to a high degree of efficiency in minnesota. every day the tote teams pass between the camps and the village carrying provisions for man and beast. these teams are the means of communication between the foresters and civilization. where there are several camps owned by the same company, the most important personage is the representative of the company who is known among the men as the "walking boss," because he is always passing from camp to camp, seeing to the interests of the firm. the "walking boss" gives his orders to the subordinate boss who has charge of an individual camp. this subordinate is known as the "push." under the "push" is another who goes by the name of the "straw push." the camps have their own nomenclature, and some of the names are interesting and humorous. the carpenter is the "wood butcher;" the clerk is the "ink splasher," or the "bloat that makes the stroke;" the man who tends the logging roads and keeps them free from anything that would interfere with the heavy sleds is called the "road monkey;" the workman who keeps the fires in the bunkhouse and does odd jobs around the camp goes by the title of "bull cook," because, in the old days when oxen were used his duty was to see to their comfort; the missionary is known as the "sky pilot," and the top-loader is called the "sky hooker." besides these named there are the cook and cookees, skidders, teamsters, sawyers, swampers, the barn boss and the blacksmith. "in the works" where the trees are felled, the men work in crews. the sawyers bring the giants to the earth and the swampers clear the trunk of its branches and make the openings through which the logs are drawn to the skidways. after the tree has fallen, a man called the "punk hunter" examines it to see if it be sound and marks the dimensions into which the log is to be sawn. the loads hauled from the skidways to the landings average differently in the camps, owing to the condition of the roads. where the roads are the best the amount drawn by two or four horses is almost incredible. in a load of logs was hauled into tenstrike, minnesota, which scaled over twenty thousand feet. one of the camps situated near shell lake, wisconsin, is said to have hauled the largest load of logs ever drawn out of a camp by four horses. the load contained thirty-one thousand four hundred and eighty feet. a thousand feet in the green log, with its attendant slabs and bark, will weigh nearly eight thousand pounds. the above figures will give some idea of the great weight of the loads, and also of the perfection to which the road-making must be carried to make such results possible. into these camps with the coming of winter the lumberjacks crowd. "why is it that they are willing to go into isolation and hardship?" you ask. we can only answer, "why does the sailor go down to the sea in ships?" it seems to get into the blood. douglas malloch, in "the calling of the pine," says: "when i listen to the callin' of the pine, when i drink the brimmin' cup of forest wine-- then the path of life is sweet to my travel-weary feet when i listen to the callin' of the pine." there are lots of men who have followed the camps from boyhood. i met one man who had spent forty-four winters in the woods and his brother almost as many. it had become a second nature to them and the lure of the camps was irresistible. in the towns and villages adjacent to the camps the lumberjacks are seen at their worst because civilization only welcomes them to its vices; in the camps the woodsmen are seen at their best because the causes of their depravity are absent. these big, hearty fellows may be strong in vices, but they are by no means lacking in virtues. they have their code of honor, and the man who departs from it will find it necessary to depart from the camp. depraved as are most of them, yet in many ways they command the respect of the men who are acquainted with their better natures. the old lumberjack will not tolerate the least word of slander against a good woman. if she is entitled to his respect she is entitled to his defense. he may be steeped in vice himself, but he esteems those whose lives are clean, and a good woman appeals to his chivalry. a woman is as safe in the camps as in her own home; her purity is her protection and his respect goes out to her. the sisters of charity go through the camps soliciting for the hospitals and schools. between the camps they are often miles from any habitation and when night overtakes them they sleep in the camps. i have never heard of one of them being molested in these lonely trips, and among the rough, profane foresters they are as safe as behind the carefully locked doors of the convent. the lumberjack who would molest one of them, or any good woman, would probably not leave the camp alive. shielded by her womanhood, she is safe even among the men who are foreign to restraint. on one occasion a camp foreman with his wife entered the caboose of a logging train. in the car a number of men were drinking. the bottle was passed around and all drank, the foreman included. as the bottle went the rounds it was offered to the foreman's wife, but scarcely had the bottle been extended to her when the husband floored the donor with his fist and proceeded to kick him out of the car. he was not going to allow any man to treat his wife as a woman of the street. in the settling of disputes, nature's weapons are the sole instruments used. the fist is the arbiter, although the boot is sometimes called into exercise. the gloves and wrestling help to pass many lonely hours, but sometimes these friendly bouts generate a battle in which hate is the ruling passion. fights due to personal animosity are to be expected where men are free from the restraints of civilization. in one of the camps an ex-convict worked and for some unknown reason made life unbearable to a pleasant, easy-going irishman. the ex-convict was ever trying for a fight, but the irishman's blood was more sluggish than that of the average son of erin. at last the attacks were more than the peace-loving fellow could stand. (how does the proverb read? "beware of the wrath of the silent man.") he went to his bunk and put on his spike boots and rushed out to meet the ex-convict. with a blow of his fist he floored the former prisoner and, beside himself with rage, kicked him until the body of his tormentor was a bloody jelly. had not the loggers interfered the ex-convict would have been murdered. the wounded man was taken to the hospital, where he remained for several weeks, and on recovering he left for other parts, to the satisfaction of all concerned. though the labor is hard and the hours long, for the men are at work when the sun appears and it is dark when they leave the works, yet there is a constant variety in their lives. it takes little to amuse them, and less to make them "jump their jobs." the lumberjack is not apt to complain when things go wrong, but rather to walk into the office and demand his wages, after which he will proceed to another camp. sometimes a whole camp will suddenly leave because of some imposition or provocation that may in itself seem slight. one of the men last winter "took the cake" in this. he went into the cookshed for his breakfast, but being a little late found that the pancake dough was all gone and there were no cakes for him. he immediately went to the clerk and demanded his wages. here is another case: something had gone wrong and jack olson was ready to leave the camp. he proceeded to the office and demanded the amount due him, but the clerk was a surly bully and in reply tossed the little norwegian out of the office. against such physical tactics olson felt he could do nothing, so he sat around the bunkhouse until his bunkmate returned from the works. "the bloat wouldn't give you your stake, hey?" said bunky. "and he kicked me out of the office," added olson. bunky was interested, very interested. his eyes twinkled as he thought of the splendid opening the action of the clerk had given him for a little added excitement. "come on, john, old boy," he said, affectionately taking olson by the waist and leading him to the office. "come on and watch the free show while the bloat makes out your check and mine." arriving at the office, bunky entered it with a jar. "sit down there, john, in that reserved seat while i raise the curtain and turn on the red fire." stepping close to the clerk, olson's husky bunkmate shook his monstrous fist under the nose of the astonished time-keeper, and said: "are you the guy that splashes ink? then sprinkle out my walk and do it infernally quick. sprinkle out olson's, too, and if you don't hurry this little shack will look like hades upset. splash the ink blank lively or i'll make a blotter out of you." without a word the "guy that splashes ink" began his work and the walks were sprinkled out in record time. bunky and olson left the office with the air of victorious generals and traveled to the nearest town to blow in the stake in fitting celebration. card playing is a great time killer in some of the camps and when the towns are not accessible the woodsmen often spend the whole of the sabbath playing with the greasy cardboards. some of the proprietors do not allow card playing and they say the prohibition has caused a more peaceful state. since the logging camp mission now distributes large quantities of literature a number of the workmen spend their spare moments in reading. many of them will discuss spiritual matters, and in language that is shockingly contrasted with the subject, for so habituated are they to profanity that it does not appear to the speaker as in the least incongruous. after one of the meetings it was discovered that mr. higgins had left a hymn book. the forgotten book fell into the hands of a lumberjack who could read music and who possessed a good voice. the following evening he began to sing the hymns and the camp gathered to listen. "that's a d--n fine song," said the singer enthusiastically, "the show don't reach it, not by a hades of a sight." he sang another and remarked on closing, for the sentiment of the song appealed to him: "how the devil do they think of such fine things? it's the prettiest little son of (the nameless) that i ever heard." this was said admiringly, and with the intention of expressing appreciation, but the habit of the man was profane and he knew not how to express his feelings unless with verbal gestures. profanity is so common to some of them that they seem to swear with every breath they draw. an old-timer told the writer of an incident he had witnessed. they were loading cars with a steam jammer. the sky-hooker, or top-loader, who was exceptionally profane, was at his post on the top of the car. one of the logs did not come up in the way that suited him and he broke into a stream of profanity that startled even the lumberjacks. the sky-hooker ended his profanity with a direct appeal to all the persons of the god-head--a most unspeakable oath. "it was the most blasphemous sentence i ever heard," said the old-timer, "and we stood around startled." less than ten minutes afterwards the hook broke, and an enormous log weighing several tons crushed the body of the hooker to pulp. "the father had answered," reverently remarked the woodsman. "i used to swear in those days but i never have since." if you wish to meet generous-hearted fellows, visit the logging camps. anyone who has dealings with the lumberjacks will testify to the truth of the above statement. the typical lumberjack is large-hearted, touched with generous impulse and responsive in his desire to ameliorate suffering. often he will impoverish himself to give to the causes that help humanity. money is of little value to him; it only represents the power of producing a short-lived pleasure, and he is therefore willing to share with others that they may be happy. as the following incidents will illustrate: one of the men had taken his family to the camp and built a little shack in which to house them during the winter. mr. higgins had held services in the camp, and the logger requested him to baptize their baby when he next visited them. happening to be in the city shortly afterwards the missionary mentioned the fact of the coming baptism and the ladies of the church in which he was speaking thought they would contribute to the happiness of the occasion by sending the baby a bundle of clothing. the missionary presented the package after the baptismal service was concluded and the parents hastened to view the contents. a crowd of campmen had been invited to witness the christening of "our kid," as they called the baby, and when they saw that the articles sent to the child were second-hand garments their wrath kindled. "our kid" was insulted and every man resented it. "we're no paupers," they cried. "what do the city folks mean by insulting the kid with duds like these?" "that kid has got to have the best glad rags. no make-overs for him." a collection was immediately taken, and every generous soul cast in his two bits so that the kid of the camp could hold up his head. b---- r---- was taken sick and had to leave the camp. for a year disease held him in its grip. he was a man of family, having a wife and seven children who were dependent on his labors. death visited the home and took one of the children, adding to the financial burden. the news of the family's needs came to wilson bros.' camps and , and immediately ninety dollars was raised and sent to mr. r---- to help him along. the boys were willing to respond and gave gladly. many a poor fellow has found true charity among these men, for their hearts are large and given to generosity. the dead lumberjack does not find a corner in the potter's field, the boys see that he is decently interred; the sick do not often fall on the community, for they are helped by their fellows. say what you will about the lumberjack, but put the grace of charity to his credit, and let it cover a multitude of sins. there is little chance for personal cleanliness in the camps. no facilities are there for bathing unless one is willing to do so in the presence of the whole camp; the clothing is often worn much longer than is conducive to health, and many of the things we consider so essential are missing, yet few of the men are affected with sickness. unsanitary are the surroundings, but the hours in the pure air and the hard, active lives of the workers seem to counteract the disease-breeding conditions. most of the cases that go to the hospitals are due to accidents rather than to disease. accidents are all too common in the camps. felling the large trees is never without hazard and the loading of the logs is more dangerous still. the heavy hauling adds an element of uncertainty, particularly where there are grades to be run on the way to the landing. it requires skill to let a load down the grade. this is done by means of sand or hay being placed in the ruts so that the runners of the sled are retarded in the descent, but if the load be checked suddenly it will cause the logs to shift, endangering the life of man and beast. from what has been written in the foregoing chapters we do not desire to convey the impression that all the campmen are depraved and sunken in vice. there are all kinds and conditions of men among them. many of them have been well educated, have come from homes of refinement and ease, but through adversity have gone to lower plains of life. others have followed the woods from youth and feel that they are not fitted for any other class of labor, yet amidst surroundings that tempt to viciousness they have kept their moral virtues with scrupulous care. the campmen are a neglected class of men. no one has in past years tried to touch them with the elevating power of good. they are what they are because their labors have isolated them from civilization and its agencies for good, while the vices of the provinces have followed them because there were dollars to be gained. the railway men of a few years ago were almost in the same condition as the lumberjacks of today. the saving power to the railroader was the restraint that their homes cast about them, and through their homes the gospel and other adjuncts of civilization were possible, but these are men who are separated from their homes or unblessed with home ties. when christian indifference was supplanted with christian activity a change was soon noted among the workers on the railroad and they became a respectable class of men, of whom the nation is justly proud. y. m. c. a.s were established for their benefit, missions were opened where they congregated, the church held out its hand in welcome, and under the stimulus of gospel encouragement they arose. but what has been done for the lumberjack? almost nothing. in the camps he works through the dreary, cruel winter, and when he returns to civilization in the spring only the hand of the depraved is extended in welcome. [illustration: interior of bunk-house] chapter v. a view of the camp services. "the woods were god's first temples." i cannot pass through the pineries, beholding the long fingers of cooling green pointing to the eternal blue, without feeling an exaltation of spirit, a desire to praise the creator. the shrub and towering tree, the aisles of the woods and the sweet soothing comfort of the silence all conduce to prayer and adoration. no temple is more suggestive of worship than that whose dome is of sheltering leaves and whose columns are living, graceful trees. but the camps are the destroyers of the primitive temples, and their denizens are not suggestive of devoutness; yet in the rude hewn shacks of the lumberjacks nature is heard speaking and her voice is persuasively calling to worship. in the gray of dawn her call is clear and sweet, and as the loggers tighten their heavy belts and view the new-born day she whispers, "praise." in the busy noon day, amidst the bruised and broken tops, the playing winds repeat the echo of the morning, "praise." then when the hush of evening falls o'er the dying day and the purple of the west shows through the crown of richest green, the evening shadows take up the chorus, "praise him for his goodness, for his love to the children of men." on visiting a camp for the first time frank higgins is apt to inquire, "ever had any preachers up this way?" "no. nobody cares whether we make the landing in hades or not," is likely to be the answer. "preachers are only after the stake," said one. "they don't care for us poor devils. heaven was made for the rich, and not for us lumberjacks. we're only welcome down the slide." "well, here is one who isn't after the stake," replied the minister, "and his interest is in the lumberjack." "where is the guy? i'd like to meet him," remarked the woodsman, evidently thinking such a preacher must be an unknown variety. "i'm the fellow," returned the missionary, "and i'll prove it by preaching in the bunkhouse tonight. what time will suit? : , you say? well, let all the boys know and come prepared to sing. that's your part of the service." the rev. frank higgins has not much suggestion of "the cloth" about him. if you met him on the logging road there is nothing in his dress to stamp him as a minister, but everything to proclaim him a lumberjack. his dress is that of his parishioners, mackinaw jacket, belt, boots, socks and cap suggest the logger. his physical appearance is in keeping with the camp; he is broad-shouldered and built for endurance. he is not a tall man, being but five feet nine or ten, but his weight is two hundred pounds of muscle. he does not look the preacher, but ask the lumberjacks about it and they will tell you "there is no other." the supper is over and the men have crowded into the bunkhouse where the meeting is to be held. what an audience! it is cosmopolitan; the ends of the earth have contributed, except the far east. all classes and conditions are in the group, evidences of the best and worst, but on all of them the stamp of isolation--they are far from the accustomed haunts of men, and everything proclaims it. sixty to one hundred and sixty men are in the log shack. the benches at the end of the bunks are filled with waiting men, the bunks above contain many who are lounging in attitudes of individual fancy. no straight, erect or formal audience is this; it is as free as the forest air, as informal as eden, but not so cleanly. the congregation is coatless, collarless, often bootless, for probably half of them are in their stocking feet, while the temporarily discarded boots are heaped around the huge stove to dry. pipes send forth long streams of smoke, and in various parts of the room card games are in progress. extra lanterns hang around the shack, sending out a dim uncertain light that only partly dissipates the gloom of the interior. the cylindrical stove contains the crackling logs and the emitted warmth is the only note of cheer. the rank odor of cheap tobacco mingles with the nauseating aroma of the myriad socks hung above the stove and the poorly ventilated place is stifling, oppressive and depressing. everything is unsuggestive of the sanctuary, but the father of men meets with his children in the heavy smelling bunkhouse the same as in the bright, costly cathedral. behind the upturned barrel, whose altar cloth is a coarse horse blanket, stands the preacher. no genevan gown lends its grace to his figure, but coatless he stands, an earnest man, physically fearless, powerful in the love for god and man. the hymnbooks have been passed around, some familiar hymn is announced and the command to sing is given. not such music as kisses the ear of the worshiper in the fashionable churches, where the trained voices blend in superb harmony, is the music in the camps. it lacks in sweetness, but is not deficient in volume and heartiness. scripture is read, or rather recited, for it is nearly impossible to read in the dim light emitted by the lanterns, then the sky pilot tells what the gospel can do for the loggers and what the christ can accomplish in them. he speaks plainly of their wasted lives, the folly of spending their money in the saloons, in gambling dens, in brothels, and points them to christ, who can keep a man from all that links him to the pit. do the men listen to the story of the savior? yes, with an interest that can only come from soul-starved men. they have been feeding on the husks, have known the companionship of swine in the form of men and vampires who resembled women, have wanted love and found only vice; so they listen gladly to the news of another life, another world, another love that is clean and pure. their dreams have been of heaven, but their lives have been lived in hell, and the sky pilot's story seems to make the dream attainable. i well remember a sermon he preached on the prodigal son, but the environment must be present if one is to reproduce the sermon. it was well suited to the audience, plain, too plain for a city audience, but an unmistakable message for the men of the forest. figures of speech had little place in it; of poetry there was little except the poetry of direct simplicity; it was unadorned anglo-saxon with the crash and clang of the language in its strength, but it was a story full of love, hope and cheer that appealed to the hundred men who breathlessly listened while the wind of winter beat the drifting snow against the camp. here are some extracts given wholly from memory: "one of the boys stayed at home and one left the old homestead. now it wasn't the fellow that stayed at home that the father was worrying about, but the fellow that packed his "turkey" and went out to blow his stake. you lumberjacks are in that youngster's place and the old folks are wondering where you are and what you are doing. because a man leaves home it isn't necessary to be a prodigal, but his chances to make a fool of himself are better if he is away from the old home and its memories." then came the story of his own home-leaving and how the mother watched him until the turn in the road hid him from view. "that mother's prayers have followed me through life. my story is yours with the names changed. some one wants to hear that you still live. write a letter tonight. "because the fellow had money he found friends, but there never was a friend worth having who was made or bought through money. this young fellow in the parable reminds me of the lumberjack coming down the river in the spring and landing in one of the logging towns. men who have never heard of him become his friends at once; the barkers of the dens wait at the train to give him the glad hand; he has friends galore and is the most popular man that enters the town--he has money. then they bleed him to a finish, as they did the prodigal in the bible. there are men in these towns who have your wages figured up already and they smile and chuckle as they toast their shins at the base burner, thinking what a good time they will have with your money when you come down in the spring. don't think you are working for yourselves; the saloonmen and their crowd are the ones who cash your checks and bank your coin. some of the men in the saloon business that came to these parts when i did and were as poor as i am, are now living in the finest houses in the north and eat the best the land affords. the wives of these men are dressed in silks, and their hands and necks glisten with the jewels you bought with your winter's labor--but you still wear the coarse socks and haven't a cent in the bank. now, men, were you ever invited into the homes you built for the saloonmen, gamblers and brothel keepers? were you ever given an introduction to the wives whom you dressed in silks and jewels? no, and you never will be. they don't want you; they are after your cash. that's how they treated the prodigal of old; that's how they treat the prodigal lumberjack of today. "well, after awhile the prodigal was broke and he asked his friends for a lift, but his friends weren't in the lifting business. it was their business to help him to spend, but not to spend for him. do you remember when you had spent all at the bar, the wheel, or the brothel, how you asked a loan for a lodging of the man in whose till your winter's earnings rested, and he gave you a hunch to go up river and earn more? well, the prodigal was in the same boat, for they said to him as they said to you, 'go up the river, old man. it's the husks and the hogs for you now.' "but when the men who rob and spoil will not give you a hand, the father will. in the father's home was the only place the prodigal found a hearty reception, and in the lord jesus christ you will find a welcome." then came the gospel message with its cheer and loving hope, the story of how god gave christ to die that the prodigal might have light and love, and how through him the homestead opens, where love undefiled and almighty help is given unstintedly. it was a homely sermon, a plain message, a description of life they too well understood because they had too often experienced it. many a head was bowed in shame as the story of the prodigal's life was told, for the listeners knew it was a tale, not of the times of christ, but taken from their own lives. when the preacher spoke of the loving father who warmly welcomes the wanderers there was expectancy in the faces of the auditors. it was after mr. higgins had preached this sermon on a former occasion that a young man came to him for a private conversation. the sermon had awakened a longing for a better life in which real love was to take the place of shame. he had been carried back to the old home, and heard the mother praying for the absent boy. "pilot," he said, "i want to pray for myself. tell me how and i'll do it." "come on, my boy," said the pilot, "and under the pines we'll pray together." out under the tall sentinels they went, and there on the frozen snow they knelt while the prayers of the minister and the lumberjack ascended to the ever-approachable throne. the next day the lad wrote home to his old mother in quebec, telling her of his hope in christ and his new relation to god. she had not heard from him in months, and now the news he sent made her join in the raptures of the angel chorus. immediately she wrote a letter of gratitude to mr. higgins and when the missionary read, "for this my son was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found," he saw a new figure in the parable--it was the prodigal's mother. after the meeting is over and the shack is lighted only by the stray gleams that steal through the chinks of the stove, some of the men will continue to talk to the minister of their far-off homes and the loved ones they have not seen for years. the years are reviewed and there is a wish that life were different. by the burning fires of the bunkhouse many a long closed heart has been opened and many a life surrendered to god. sometimes a man will come to mr. higgins after the services and invite the missionary to sleep with him in the bunkhouse. since the missionaries are generously accorded the privileges of the office by almost all of the proprietors, the invitation of the lumberjack is one that holds in itself no allurement. the bunks in the sleeping quarters of the men are often filled with small annoyances that are fruitful and multiply and disturb the occupants of the bunks. but when such an invitation is given the missionary seldom refuses it. he knows that the man who gives it means more than to share the discomforts of his lodging--he wishes to get near the messenger so that in the darkness and quiet he can secure spiritual aid. in the bunks men have been helped over difficulties and have freely surrendered themselves to the divine son. there may be distasteful things to encounter, but the chance to help a man is worth more than the sacrifice of comfort. it was after a camp service that a young man came to the pilot and asked: "isn't there any way that i can make my life count? i'm sick of going on this way, pilot. i'm sledding in the wrong direction. tonight i'm disgusted, so give me a lift." as a result of the lift he was led to god and encouraged to save his money for future schooling. during the evenings of that winter the young man spent his time in study and when spring came a large part of his earnings were deposited in the bank. the following summer he procured work in the saw mill and books were the companions of his leisure hours. so absorbed did he become in his new purpose that he carried his book to the mill and when the machinery stopped to make repairs out came the book. the proprietor of the mill observed the diligence of the new hand and changed him to the sawdust pile where he could have more time for his books. so absorbed would he become that often he allowed the sawdust to take care of itself. the men called him "the book worm in the sawdust." school followed his winter's work, and now he is a successful civil engineer. in the bunkhouse on the night of his surrender a soul and a life were saved. that sweet old favorite hymn, the favorite of the home and prayer meeting, the source of comfort in the house of mourning, is the favorite in the camps--"jesus, lover of my soul." those unloved men of the distant places feel the influence of the hymn which speaks of the tender christ opening his bosom to the outcast as well as the respected. its plaintive melody appeals to them, and the lonely men of the forest sing it with the spirit of those who long for sympathy and unselfish love. the night before they had sung the old song over and over again. the whole camp had joined in with hearty spirit. after the breakfast was over the men went to the bunkhouse to wait for the word of the "push" ordering them to the morning's labor in the works. while they waited one of the men who possessed a rich tenor voice struck up the hymn, "jesus lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly." one by one the men joined in the song, and the solo passed into a chorus of one hundred voices. out through the twilight of the morning the melody rolled, waking the sleeping pines and crossing the frozen streams. the men in the stables, harnessing their horses, heard the song and softly whistled it; the cook, busy with his pots and pans, hummed in unison, and the swearing cookee closed his profane mouth and listened in wonder. over in the office where the proprietor and others of the higher grade of labor made their quarters, the song caused silent amazement, for it did not seem like the morning hour of the camp, where usually only profane sounds break the stillness. "other refuge have i none, hangs my helpless soul on thee," sang the men. "leave, ah, leave me not alone," and it came from the hearts of men who knew the weight of lonely weeks and months. the sky pilot in the office turned his face to the wall and prayed while they sang. "all out," cried the "push," and from the bunkhouse streamed the men, singing the song of comfort. into groups they separated, each going his appointed way, but the song still continued in all parts of the forest, until the sweet melody of the hymn died to tender murmurs and was lost in the distant evergreens. in all that north state no happier body of men went forth to toil, for with them went the spirit of the song. sometimes disturbances mar the meetings. but they are not as frequent as in the early days, when it was considered the proper thing in some camps to create a row. the earnestness of the man and the strength of his body has gained respect for this teacher of righteousness. the work, also, is better understood and a realization of the value of missionary effort has brought about a change in sentiment. when mr. higgins first began his work he used a little muscular christianity as well as persuasion in regulating the deportment of the men during the services; now he has learned a better way. the frenchman who undertook to create a rough house, and suddenly found himself standing on his head in a barrel of water, having been put there by the rev. frank higgins, will not feel like disturbing one of his services again. the persuasion of a man who can physically take care of a religious gathering is a great incentive to undisturbed worship, even though the meeting be held in the forest. the day after the meeting is the time for personal work, for hand-picked fruit, for heart-to-heart conversations. while the service is in progress the quick eye of the evangelist singles out those who are most receptive to the word of life, and on the morrow he goes to assist by private word the work done in the public meeting. from the clerk he finds where they are working in the forest and goes to join them in their labors. here is where the finely developed body comes into play for the king. one of the secrets of aiding workingmen is to understand their labors; they admire the man who is capable in their individual line, and frank higgins is a woodsman who knows how to swing the ax and pull the saw. while working with them he talks of christ and tries to draw the worker to him. in the bunkhouse, during one of the services, an old man sat in his bunk with his little nondescript dog in his lap. loneliness was written on his deep-lined face; while the others sang he was silent. "don't you sing?" asked the missionary, handing him a book. "none of your blank business," gruffly mumbled the old man. all through the service the old fellow was silent, seemingly hearing no word of the sermon. the next day the missionary went to the "ink splasher" and inquired where the old man could be found. "that's old grouchy. he's the road monkey and you'll find him on the east road about this time of day," directed the clerk. "good morning," was the greeting of the missionary as he came up to the road monkey. "mornin'," answered old grouchy, in non-committal tones. "your roads are in fine shape, almost perfect," said the missionary, sparring for an opening. "bad, infernally bad," answered the road monkey. "like the job?" asked the preacher to encourage conversation. "yes, the way the damned like their lodgings," burst out old grouchy. "but what is it to you whether i like it or not? you can't change it." before the preacher could make reply the little dog came out of the woods, where he had been in pursuit of a pine squirrel, and came to the minister for attention. it was a dog of many breeds, but the road monkey's eyes fell upon it lovingly and the minister saw the look. "a good friend of yours, i suppose," said the sky pilot. "the only friend i have," and the tone was soft and reflective. the minister knew that he had found the opening to the old man's heart and began to talk of his own dog team, the faithfulness and intelligence of the animals and the companionship they freely gave. old grouchy joined in the conversation and discussed with freedom the love he felt for the dumb creatures. from this they drifted to matters more personal until the whole story of the man's life was narrated and the cause of his cynicism was bared. it was a story of startling disappointment, of a home wrecked through unfaithfulness and broken trust. no man could hear the story and remain unsympathetic. "no wonder you see the world darkened," said the preacher; "if i had your experience i might feel as you do today." the missionary talked to the man and tried to lead him to the bright paths of peace, but nothing appealed to the sad soul of the lonely man. the gospel gave him no hope, the sun was set, and all was covered with the curtains of night. god to him was dead and in all the world the only love he knew was the dumb affection of the forlorn yellow dog. when mr. higgins went back to that camp in later days the road monkey would listen attentively to the presentation of the loving christ and seemed to wonder if it were possible that god could care for him. "sing, brother," said the missionary. but the old man only shook his head. he would not sing. nay! he could not. his heart strings were withered; melody had left him through the unfaithfulness of woman. he had passed into the starless night where no glimmer of hope entered, and in his solitude he caressed his little dog and perhaps wondered if the great god cared, if any being was interested in him besides the faithful little animal. the rev. frank higgins was preparing for the evening service. he had rolled the barrel into the center of the room where it was to do duty as a pulpit. the proprietor of the camp came in and seeing the barrel, but not knowing its intended purpose, appropriated it as a seat. not wishing to disturb the proprietor, mr. higgins stood by his side and conducted the service. the place was well filled and the interest was intense. the men entered heartily into the singing, and when the sermon came it was full of keen home thrusts. the errors of the lumberjacks were pointed out with freedom and a remedy forced with conviction. the proprietor sitting on the pulpit enjoyed the straightforward way in which the preacher dealt with the lumberjacks, and at every telling shot heartily applauded and added some words of encouragement to the speaker. "now you're getting them, higgins; keep the chips a-flying. give them another whirl, pilot; you have them where the hide is thin." with these and other suggestions he added his encouragement. it happened that while the proprietor was a man whose record as a logger was one of the best in the state, being able to get out his logs where others would fail, yet his morals were far below his business reputation. his son was following in his footsteps, much to the sorrow of the mother and the disgust of the father. after the proprietor had applauded several times and given his advice as to the style of preaching suited to the lumberjacks, mr. higgins turned his guns on the proprietors, contractors and foremen for the example some of them set before the men. "i do not wonder that you lumberjacks live shameless lives, for the leaders of the work often set you the worst examples. some of the proprietors, contractors and bosses are to be found drinking, gambling and carousing in the villages and towns, and they who should lead you into better things are only examples of riot and immorality. they are your examples and you are responding to them." the proprietor sat silent. "why don't you applaud that sentiment also?" asked the preacher of the proprietor. "it's just as true as the others." when mr. higgins went into the office that night the proprietor was there, and as he entered the logger looked up and said: "that was pretty blank plain, pilot." "i always preach so the audience will understand me," replied the minister. "but you needn't have shouted the whole blank thing before the crowd," returned the proprietor. "i didn't tell them a thing but what they already knew, mr. blank. the boys know how you are living and that your son is following pretty close in your footsteps. it's time to call a halt, for you can't be proud of the example you're setting." before the missionary left the camp the proprietor came and thanked him for not only fearlessly preaching to the lumberjacks but for being equally ready to preach to the lumber kings. while many refuse the word of life, yet the seed sown often springs up in later days to show that a dormant seed may yet come to fruitage. one who had often attended the services came to no decision as the result of the sowing. shortly afterwards he was seriously hurt and carried to the hospital. mr. higgins visited him and tried to bring him to a decision. since there was no hope of recovery he was carried to his canadian home to die among his kinsmen. there in the long days of pain and waiting the seed scattered in the meetings began to spring and come to full fruitage, for the dying man passed over the river lighted by the presence of one who said, "i am the light of the world." while the sky pilot preached in a certain camp there was a wondrous quiet, for the spirit of god brooded above the place, and his presence always brings life. no one was surprised when a woodsman walked up to the preacher and said, "mr. higgins, i want you to pray for me right now." the sermon closed without another word and prayer was offered for the desiring man who had boldly taken a stand for righteousness. when the minister had closed his prayer the man said, "i want to pray for myself," and in presence of the watching camp the man made his petition for pardon and received it. turning to his workmates he told them that this was the end of his old life and its works and that in the future he would work for christ as well as trust him. after supper was over the next evening the men of the camp received a new idea of christian service. the convert of the previous night took out his violin and began to play the favorite of the camps--"jesus lover of my soul." the lumberjacks listened and their interest turned to astonishment when the convert drew out a bible and began to read a chapter to the crowd. but if they were astonished at the reading they were dumbfounded when he announced that he was going to give them a talk. he had learned the principles of scripture in his youth and now he gave the boys the old gospel which was doubly precious to him because of his recent experience. through the winter he continued to hold meetings with the men, and in all the north woods there was no prouder camp, for it claimed to be the only one having a settled pastor. when mr. higgins returned to the camp he found the men happy in the new condition, stimulated with the encouragement the convert had given them and more ready to learn of the transforming power of the divine man of galilee. "the woods were god's first temples," and in the green solitudes, under the unchanging pines, men are worshiping. chapter vi. itinerating in the camps. in all parts of northern minnesota are found the logging camps. the distances traversed by the missionaries in reaching these outposts demand determined purpose, strength of body and love for humanity. the lumberjacks that are in a camp this winter are scattered all through the north with the opening of the next logging season, for there is little to tie a man to one employer in preference to another, and those who received the services of the mission workers one year are ever ready to claim them in their new place of labor. the result of this scattering is that requests come to mr. higgins from all parts of the lumber district, asking for the services of the missionaries. the demand is greater than the possibilities of the exchequer and many who ask meet with disappointment. a mission worker is placed over a group of camps, from eight to twenty, and from camp to camp he goes with his tidings of salvation, holding meetings every night in a different camp. the work is strenuous, and he must have a heart warm with the love for souls of men who would willingly, faithfully brave the dangers and privations consequent to the long distances between the camps. it would be hard to find a more devoted set of men than these hardy camp preachers, who set at naught the dangers that they may serve god and assist their fellows. rev. frank e. higgins is superintendent of the camp work and tries to reach every camp in which any of his workers are laboring. he is constantly on the go, "a sort of walking boss for the sky route co." the scattered flock is loved by the shepherd and he will brave any danger to serve the people he has chosen to reach. minnesota's winters are severe. it seldom thaws after november and the thermometer often registers thirty degrees below zero, not seldom reaching a much lower mark. if a strong wind is blowing when the temperature is low the cold penetrates even the warmest furs and pierces the wayfarer with its keen arctic shafts. [illustration: toting with flash] beautiful is the deep mantle of pinery snow. no soot or stain is on the bosom of the earth, only the long stretch of "the white silence." but too often the work of the missionaries is increased by the heavy snows, and the delight of the forest is lost in the heart-breaking labor of the journeys from camp to camp. put your "turkey" on your back and try the trudge through the deep snows, and see if the romance does not depart as weariness enters the limbs. step forward in the early morning through the new fallen snow. the north wind is visiting the earth, and his breath is penetrating even the furry clothing. go on! the camp that ends the journey is only the little distance of ten long, lonely, humanless miles. the pack may be heavy when you start, but before long you are transporting a mountain that has developed from a peak to an endless range of himalayas. the fun has departed and only the hard spirit of fatigue is your company. every step is an effort, every blast of the wind reaches the marrow: the exposed face feels like cold onyx, and the wind-inflamed eyes look through frozen lashes for the smoke of the cookshed above the distant trees. the fingertips send to the brain their protest against the numbing cold that stiffens them, and the arms are swinging to aid the frozen blood to reach the pained extremities. mile after mile, endlessly the trail stretches into the forest; mile after mile the pain and suffering continue; mile after mile the weary feet drag the heavy burden to carry the message of a savior to the neglected men who, far from civilization, work in the pine forests of the north star state. at last, yonder above the green sea of norway lances, the column of smoke rises like a beacon to tell of warmth and food, and the safe companionship of men. the sight of the unconscious smoke acts like a stimulant. at last the view of the crude camp breaks in fulness on your eyes. moses saw the promised land from a distance, but the sight of that collection of log shacks means more to you, tired and almost frozen, than the land beyond muddy jordan did to the writer of the pentateuch. it means a chance to rest, to warm--and to the missionary, who is daily making this journey through the frozen forest, a chance to preach the unsearchable riches of the world's savior. night after night the missionary holds his meetings, each night in a different camp. the day is spent in passing from one camp to another, for often the camps are far apart and transportation is primitive; it depends on first principles. during the first three years of mr. higgins' work he found that while a man could do much, a man and two dogs could do more. he secured two large st. bernard dogs and by means of his dog team made the long journey between the camps. the idea of using a dog team is a very practical one. it furnished an easy means of locomotion, the task of stabling was not difficult and the cost of food nothing. when the run was to be made between points on the railway the dogs and sled could easily be placed in the baggage car and be ready for the drive to the camp as soon as the train stopped. in all new work prejudice must be met, and in this respect the mission to the camps was no exception. some thought it a new species of graft, others desired to be left to the old ways and many had a prejudice due to another form of religion. it is not often that dogs assist in breaking religious prejudices, but flash and spark had a large part in assisting the logging camp mission into easy paths. the lumberjacks are passionately fond of animals, and the advent of the dog team made a favorable first impression in almost every camp. the doors of many bunkhouses are secured by a sliding latch, and when pressure is brought to bear against the outside of the door it will open without the raising of the latch. on arriving at the camp in the evening the missionary would drive his team against the door and right into the bunkhouse. the sudden, unexpected arrival immediately created interest, and while the men crowded around the handsome dogs the minister would explain his business and announce the time of meeting. the dogs were protectors as well as workers and at the beginning of this work the faithful animals silenced many a menace. the dogs were good travelers. over the rough forest trails they would drag their sled at the rate of six or eight miles an hour and be none the worse for thirty or forty miles. on a journey from northome to international falls, minnesota, the sky pilot lost his way on the little fork river. when night came on and it was evident that no sheltered lodging could be found the minister and his dogs prepared to camp under the zero sky. a large fire was built around a pine stump and wood collected for the night. the only food mr. higgins had with him was a rabbit he had shot, and this was divided between himself and the dogs. it was the only food since breakfast. the sweet green boughs of the pines furnished a bed above the snow and the robes from the sled gave a degree of comfort to the resting place, whose canopy was the frozen dome of heaven. by his side the dogs pressed closely for the warmth. the dark depths of night hung like a spangled sheet above, but nearer than the shades which surrounded the sleeper was the one who never slumbereth. during the night the howling of the timber wolves awakened the missionary and in the dark circle around him he could see the fireballs of their eyes, while their voices were distinct and near. arising, the missionary replenished the fire, and when it broke into a cheery blaze the howling of the disappointed wolves grew fainter until the silence of the forest again took up its interrupted reign. early the next morning the minister was on his way and soon arrived at the village of little forks, where he conducted the first religious service ever held in that place. on another occasion, when passing from one distant camp to another, mr. higgins was overtaken by a severe snowstorm and in a few minutes all sense of direction was lost in the raging blizzard. the dog team wandered from the beaten path into the muskeg and in the swamp they were compelled to spend most of the day. toward evening the worst of the blizzard had passed and he was able to complete his long and weary journey. after supper mr. higgins went to the barn to feed his dog team, but to his astonishment the dogs refused all food. he had driven them hard and long, so when they refused to eat he naturally thought it was due to overwork and reproached himself for being thoughtless of his friends. later he went to them again, but they would not touch a morsel of food. with a sore heart the preacher retired to his bed, but his rest was disturbed with dreams of the overdriven dogs. he arose early, and when going towards the barn met the proprietor, whose face was red with anger. "is them blank dogs yours?" asked the angry man. "they are," said the missionary, wondering if the man was going to add to the reproach by telling him that the dogs were dead. "then pay for the pork that the brutes chewed up while you were at supper last night. the hungry cannibals swiped half a hog and ate it. i ain't got nothin' but eggs and salt meat to give the boarders today." while the enraged hotel keeper was narrating his tale of woe a load of anxiety passed from the preacher's mind and before, the proprietor had finished he found his auditor laughing with hearty spirit. mr. higgins paid for the meal of the "hungry cannibals," but he remarked in telling it: "i did not object, for it was the only time i was ever asked to pay their board, and i assure you they earned it while we were trying to find our way in the blizzard." snow storms come up suddenly, and when the wind whirls the sheet of fallen flakes, all points of the compass are soon lost even to the well tried woodsman. the description of a blizzard may form an interesting page in fiction, but the experience adds to gray hairs and unending memory. in january, , rev. frank higgins was crossing red lake, when the snow began to fall. the uninterrupted wind, as it swept down the long stretch of ice, caught the loose snow and filled the air with its choking mass. the wooded shore was soon hidden by the veiling snow and all sense of direction had disappeared. down the twenty miles of the lake the crystal clouds swept with increasing volume. night was coming on, and yet the darkness could scarcely add to the helplessness of the wanderers. to the father, who ruleth the rain of summer and the snow of winter, the missionary raised his prayer for help, and what man could not do was done by the leading of the ever-helpful god. he who guideth the stars in their courses led the lost to the wooded shore. on the shore not a human habitation was to be seen, neither did the minister know the direction to the nearest village. for several hours he wandered in the unbroken forest, and near the low hour of midnight he came to the miserable shack of an indian squaw. his scanty knowledge of the indian tongue came into happy use and the lonely inhabitant granted him permission to sleep on the floor until morning came and the blizzard had spent itself. when the camp mission first began to distribute literature, it caused a change in the means of transportation, for there were heavy boxes of old magazines to carry to the camps and horses were needed to haul the loads. mr. higgins had noticed that there was little to amuse the men of the camps and nothing helpful for their leisure hours. he therefore wrote to the churches in the state asking them to collect old magazines and ship them to him for distribution. the churches responded and soon he and his helpers were distributing literature to about one hundred camps. from five to seven tons of magazines are distributed in a season. great good has come from this feature of the work; it gave the mind another channel for vent, the filthy conversation so common in the camps has largely passed away, and through reading the men are less inclined to quarrels. it has been noticed by the logging contractors that even the illiterate find recreation in the illustrations and many a dark hour has been brightened to the men who never read a line. on going into a camp which he was visiting for the first time, mr. higgins held his service and afterwards distributed his magazines. immediately there was a rush for the reading matter and then for the wannigan to buy lanterns by which to read. in a few minutes the clerk had sold every lantern he had in stock and could have disposed of several more, had they been on hand. "what are you doing?" asked the cranky clerk when the sky pilot entered the office a little later. "are you trying to turn the bunkshack into a night school? i've sold every lantern in the place and the jacks are crying like fiends for more." "i've only distributed a few magazines so the boys can read a little improving matter," said the minister. "lumberjacks improving their minds?" sarcastically replied "the guy that splashes ink." "this neck of the woods will have a university extension course next, if this thing keeps up." "you surely don't object to the boys reading?" asked the minister. "not at all," said the clerk sulkily, "but you might have remembered that a clerk has lots of time to read and have left a few of your mind-improvers for his use also." the clerk received his share of the reading matter before the pilot left the camp. often when a box of magazines is brought into the camp the men who have gone to their bunks will arise and greedily come forward to receive their share in the distribution. these magazines are passed from one to another until they are read and reread, or worn out from much handling. of the lonely lives cheered by them, god only could give the number. in a warehouse in akeley, minnesota, a bundle of magazines addressed to rev. frank e. higgins was waiting for the tote-team to carry it to a neighboring camp. the tote-team driver came in, somewhat the worse for the liquid refreshment he had taken. while looking over the bundles waiting for his load he espied the one addressed to the rev. frank e. higgins. the bundle interested him and he read aloud: "the rev. frank e. higgins. say, penpusher, who is this for? is it for our frank higgins, the sky pilot?" "that's the man," replied the clerk. "the rev. frank e. higgins," read again the driver, "some mistake here, penpusher, the sky pilot's no reverend, he's a christian. that man's no reverend, he's a christian." shouldering the bundle he carried it to the sleigh, still mumbling, "he's no reverend, he's a christian." pertaining to the use of the title "sky pilot," a little story is told. a minister who was going through the camps investigating the work of the mission referred to the various workers as "sky pilot davis," "sky pilot date," and others. he had heard the term used in reference to mr. higgins and naturally assumed that it was a title common to all the camp preachers. the push in one of the camps heard him, and turning to the clerk, asked: "what the devil does he mean by sky piloting around that way? you'd think the woods were full of sky pilots, while we all know there's only one, that's higgins." the tendency of the lumberjack is to give the title to mr. higgins alone, although it is occasionally given to the others, but seldom by the old time lumberjacks. higgins alone is the sky pilot to them. among the rigid catholics there is naturally a prejudice against protestant work, but it seems that the work must be done by protestants or left undone. a priest could hardly do the work. it would be difficult to go through the forms and ceremonies of catholicism in the camps. forms and ceremonies are not successful when interruptions are common and likely to occur at any time. but mike sullivan was no bigot. he could appreciate the idea that all men were striving to please god and hoping to reach the same heaven. "this idea of having many churches don't bother me any more," he said. "i think i get the idea. it's like this: these camps around here's all working for one company. o'brien is push on section nine, johnson's boss at camp on fourteen, kirk is foreman on the north half of twenty-six and white sees to the cuttin' on thirty-six, while every gang is landing its stuff on the same lake and in the spring they'll make the drive together down the river. gettin' out logs is what they're paid for and the lumber king in minneapolis foots the bill for the whole works. so what's the use of jawin' if the push in our camp wears a different kind o' shirt than the push on thirty-six. logs is what the man in minneapolis wants and he don't care how them different foremen skids the logs so long as they get the stuff to the landing. that's my way of looking at the churches." now the work has proved itself, it is much better understood and more highly appreciated by men of all religious persuasions. many of the catholics are deeply interested in the progress of the work, for they know that it does not strive to make protestants of them, but that its end and aim is to lead the lumberjacks to a better life through the simple presentation of jesus christ. the result is that all classes and conditions crowd into the place of meeting and give respectful attention to the word of life. one night at stewart's camp, out from blackduck, minnesota, the meeting was in full swing when two teamsters entered the bunkhouse and took their seats by the fire. it was after eight o'clock, and they had just returned from blackduck where they had been with their loads. on returning to the camp they learned that the sky pilot was holding service and came in supperless to enjoy the meeting. few of our towns people would forego the pleasures of the table, after the appetite had been sharpened by hours of labor in the keen air of winter, in order to attend a religious service. such a desire for the gospel on the part of the men fills the missionary with a desire to impart the truth. it is an inspiration to preach to an eager audience. the toil of the missionary increases with each day. exposure robs the body of its vitality, the severe temperature and the strong breath of the wind diminish the powers of the men who must endure them, be they ever so strong. the sky pilot had been hard at work for several months and the arduous labor had told on his unusual strength. he had taken cold through exposure, but the work was calling and he pushed on to the waiting camps. it was storming and the pack he was carrying grew heavier with every tired step. he thought that the exercise of the journey would in itself work a cure, but the pain increased and the wretchedness was accentuated by the cold. drearily he plodded on, hoping that some tote-team would come that way and carry him to the camp, but no welcome conveyance appeared. unable to proceed any further, he at last sat down in the drifted snow to rest. through the cut over lands the cold wind swept its unobstructed way, chilling the sick man to the marrow. off in the far north the tall norways lifted their long arms to heaven, while the blasts of the wind waved them like the grain fields of the treeless prairie. miles to the southward lay the habitations of men, and yonder in the hiding groves to the north was the camp he was hoping to reach. there was warmth there, and to the sick man the uninviting camp seemed a palace of comfort. if he could only reach the shacks, if he could reach the boys, that was all he asked. gathering his remaining strength, he struggled to his feet and pressed slowly towards the goal. at last he entered the uncut timber where the strength of the blast was broken by the trees. on through the untrodden snow he tramped, bent with weariness, worn and pained, pressing on in spite of illness until the smoke of the cookshed showed itself above the hollow in which the buildings were located. there the lumberjacks found him and assisted him to the shelter of the camp, where they tenderly worked to warm and comfort the man who had so often stood between them and death. everything that they could do for the missionary was gladly done, but they were limited by isolation and the minister was very sick. after supper the men in the bunkhouse discussed the situation: "the sky pilot's a pretty sick man," said the bull cook, "and we ought to do something to help the poor devil." this was rough but affectionate. "whiskey's a good thing for one that's ailin'," suggested one. "whiskey?" remarked another, "what's the use of talking about whiskey in this camp? you know that sweeny's tongue has been hanging out for a week and that's proof there isn't a drop in the camp." various remedies were suggested but they were not to be found. the men were discouraged in their helplessness. "we ought to do something for him," said a christian sawyer, "we can't give him any medicine for we haven't it, but i'll tell you boys, we can pray for the man that is always praying for us." the men were silent for a moment, then a driver said, "i guess it's the only thing we can do, but we've never logged much on that land. you start the deal, johnson, for you're onto that game more than the rest of the push. you say it aloud, johnson, and we'll sort of keep you company." reverently the men stood with bowed heads while the christian lumberjack led in a rude prayer, and silently the men, who prayed not for themselves, joined in the petition for the man who "was always praying for them." that night when the missionary heard of the praying lumberjacks he thanked god and wept himself to sleep. the morning brought a brighter day to the men, for they heard that their prayers had been answered,--the sky pilot was on the way to recovery. whiskey, the wheel and women are the three fates of the woodsmen. if the lumberjacks could be separated from these the chances for lifting them to a higher level would be increased. whiskey is the worst of them and leads to the others. for self protection the proprietors and contractors of the camps are compelled to watch that no liquor enters; with its introduction trouble begins and a reduced output of logs is the result. yet in spite of the care exercised by respectable foremen, it makes its way into the camp, being carried by the tote-teams, the bootlegger, and the men when returning from the neighboring towns. men with strong appetites generally find a way to satisfy their desires. the camp may be miles from civilization, but the curse of olympic gods and depraved men makes its way into the inaccessible places. where a camp is near a village alcohol is easy to obtain, and sunday, being a day of rest, is likely to be a day of carousing and shame. there were several camps near island lake, and on the sunday that frank higgins visited the camps there the boys had been "tanking up" with squirrel whiskey from early morn. at the afternoon meeting the spirit of whiskey showed itself in many disturbances. one intoxicated man was worse than the others and was finally thrown out of the bunkhouse by the minister, and after that things went smoothly. later in the day the missionary was in the village of island lake and while talking to a friend, the lumberjack he had ejected from the camp came staggering up. the campman was accompanied by a score of his mates who were also under the influence of liquor. "are you the blank preacher that fired me out of the camp?" asked the man of the sudden exit. there was passion in his tone and he was evidently anxious for a row. "i am the man," replied the brawny preacher, drawing himself up and advancing toward the lumberjack, "what have you to say against it?" the drunken man looked at the minister as steadily as his unsteady legs would allow him, and suddenly changed his mind about the intended row. [illustration: the sky pilot taking a man to the hospital] "not a word, preacher, not a word. i ain't got a word to say against it. preacher, don't you ever think i want to say anything against it. i just wanted to know if you was the man, that's all. you're all right, preacher, you're all right. 'twas a blank good throw. i ain't got nothin' against it." turning to the other lumberjacks, mr. higgins said: "boys, did you ever know higgins to do you a bad turn? can you show me where i have not tried to help you? yet for the sport of the thing you try to get this poor, drunken fellow to cause trouble, just for a moment's laughter. is that a proper return?" the men made no answer, but shame rested on many a winter beaten cheek. that night in a nearby camp almost every man of them came to the preacher after the meeting. "forget it, pilot," said the spokesman, "we're ashamed of the way we came at you, but you know it wasn't us, it was whiskey. that's your only enemy in these woods. say you'll forget it and shake." "thanks, boys, i have already. give me your hands." the pastorate has its trials, as every minister knows, but for unbounded variety of the unexpected the camp missionary has the city man far in the rear. church quarrels have bounds, but where are the limits of the quarrels of the lumberjacks? from words they readily pass to blows and in a moment's flight blood-shed results. in february of this year the writer received a letter from mr. higgins, describing a railway trip. a portion is appended: "i recently left deer river on the itasca logging railroad for fourtown, and experienced the worst trip it was ever my lot to take. the car was crowded with lumberjacks, few of whom were sober. the woodsmen had over twenty quarts of deer river squirrel whiskey, and in a short time things were moving at a terrific rate. you may call it a tempest in a teapot, but never have i seen anything like the affair; no human tongue could describe the sight. the irish, the swedes and the glengarry scotch were filled with whiskey, and every man was out for blood, and blood they had,--an abundance of it. an old time lumberjack said that in all his days in the woods he has yet to see the equal of the scene. "i took a hand in trying to keep the boys in order and although i succeeded in preventing three fights, the conditions were soon beyond me, for it was impossible, even for a traveling missionary, to be in more than one part of the car at the same time and the performance was more than a three ring affair. "when matters got to this pace i had to content myself with taking a hand only when it seemed that permanent injury would be done to the participants. one old man, very much under the influence of liquor, had his face battered beyond recognition. i pulled off the chastiser, but did not succeed in releasing the old man before one of his eyes had been closed and the mouth and face were covered with blood. no sooner had the champion of this affair been separated from the old man than another lumberjack was at the bully and the bully was taking the same medicine he had so liberally given to the old fellow. this second scrap placed another patient on my hands. "when we came to the different camps and the men began to get off the train, i had to literally drag them through the snow away from the track, so they would not be killed, for many of them were too drunk and excited to realize the danger. "i hope i shall never see such a condition again. was it not paul who said, 'i have fought with beasts at ephesus.' i had a like experience on that logging train. a sober woodsman who saw the fight of the drunken lumberjacks said, 'pilot, why do you continue to work among such men?' and i made answer, 'because my master died to save such.' this is to me a sufficient answer. the conditions need changing, and the only thing that will bring about a change is the gospel." in the sleigh of the sky pilot antiseptic bandages and a few medicines are carried. through them he is able to relieve the wounded and assist the sick. his sleigh is often converted into an ambulance and men who have met with accidents are carried to the nearest hospital for treatment. if the accident is severe he visits the wounded to give cheer and hope. there, in the hospital, the men have time to think of eternal things, and the comfort of christ is often the stimulus of the recovering and the solace of the dying. when death is approaching, the last letters are written and assurance of decent interment is given. the poor lumberjack may have no money to meet the expense, but the minister makes all arrangements for the funeral and after the body is entombed he goes back to the camp and tells the boys of their comrade's request for christian burial. the campmen pay back every cent the sky pilot has expended. "tell the boys that in this hour jesus christ brought his strong salvation to me," said a dying man. "ask them to trust him." when the missionary goes back to the camp with such a message from the dead the interest is profound. coming from one of themselves it seems more real than if it were the message of the preacher. when the testimony comes from their own mates they are more receptive to the gentle gospel of the cross. often in death a lumberjack, by his message to the foresters, has accomplished more than in his years of life. while speaking of this itinerating work we must add a paragraph concerning the homesteaders. in this forest region is much land that is open to settlement. the little cabins of the homesteaders, who have taken up claims, are seen in many parts of the forest, and the small clearings tell of man's presence. when the settlers hear that rev. frank e. higgins is to hold services in a neighboring camp they are often found at the bunkhouse meetings. mr. higgins is practically the only pastor who visits the scattered peasantry; he conducts their marriage ceremonies, baptizes their children and speaks the last words over their dead. into these homes he alone comes bearing spiritual tidings. some of these homesteaders work their farms in summer and in the winter help out the scanty increase of the little fields by working in the logging camps. so in passing the new homes he leaves the literature, "speaks a good word for jesus christ," adds a sentence of comfort and passes along the trail,--like a true servant of him who was gladly received by the common people because he went about doing good. "go ye into the highways and hedges," said the nazarene. work in the lumber towns chapter vii. work in the lumber towns. in the camps the missionary is largely a preacher; in the lumber towns the work he must do is cut to no design or pattern. one might call it pastoral work, and in a free use of the term it is, but i know of no pastor who is doing work of this nature unless it be the men in the city missions. it is work which consists largely of the unexpected--changing a chance circumstance into christian activity. the villages and towns have followed the railways, bringing in the many alluring vices of civilization. through the approaches of vice the campmen have been demoralized, their lives made almost worthless, and their characters seared with the brand of iniquity. the contractors find it a task to obtain suitable men for their crews, for the saloon and its concomitant evils have made many of the lumberjacks irresponsible and incapable. the men will leave their work on the least provocation to spend a few days in debauchery. often a contractor finds himself, in the parlance of the camps, "with one crew coming to camp, another working, and another leaving camp." this means loss on the part of the men and inability on the part of the contractor to deliver his contract of logs. as one contractor expressed it: "the jacks work until their hides begin to crack, then follow their tongues to the nearest irrigation plant, tank up until the stake is blown, then mosey to a camp to dry out again." the village and town saloons are largely the cause of this. the rum shops, and worse, are ever on the lookout for the boys, and he who escapes the clutches of the godless crowd must indeed be immune to temptation. mr. higgins was in a hotel in tenstrike, minnesota, when a lumberjack who had finished his winter's work came into the house to wait for the train going south. immediately the saloon men and gamblers were after him but he resisted and left the village with his check uncashed. the gamblers learned that he was going to bemidji so they wired to the gamblers of that place to meet him. when the woodsman left the train he was hailed by a waiting "toot." the "toot" was genial, gracious, sympathetic, and to cement the friendship, the one must treat and the other do likewise. while they drank the attendant at the wheel made music with the roulette ball and soon in response to the siren's singing the lumberjack was seated at the wheel where he lost in a few hours the wages it had taken him months to earn. when he left the place he was drunken, penniless, forsaken. the writer and frank higgins were going through a gambling den in one of the northern towns. at the roulette wheel sat a young traveling man playing his chips with liberal hand. merrily the ivory rattled in the groove and settled in the space. now he lost, now he won. joy or anguish was on his face as he played to increase his winnings or retrieve his losses. it was interesting to watch the play of the man's passions as expressed in his countenance. hour after hour the game dragged on. we visited other resorts of the lumberjack and returned at midnight, but the traveling man was still at the wheel. hope still lingered, but from the haggard, drawn expression of his face we could tell that he had lost heavily. it was : a. m., when the game ended and the man was without a cent. mr. higgins spoke to him in the lobby of the hotel. despair was depicted on the man's face. worn with anxiety, he staggered like one under the power of liquor, although not a drop had passed his lips, and the wild look of his eyes suggested the haunted mien of one who might attempt his own life. when mr. higgins spoke to him, he replied: "i am an embezzler tonight. i have spent all my own money and all the money with which my employer had trusted me. i deserve the penitentiary." continuing, he told us his story. he was trained to a profession but the confinement of his vocation brought on ill health and he had begun to travel for a well known firm. he was the only child of respectable parents, and in his present wretchedness he thought of the disappointment and grief coming to these aged ones as a result of his folly. i could not but admire the handsome fellow, foolish though he was, for his apparent love for his home. "i have disgraced them," he said in anguish, "and when they hear of my dishonesty it will kill them." he went to the desk and wrote a letter to the firm telling them of his fall and how he had lost their money in gambling. when he was about to mail the letter mr. higgins went to him again and tried to induce him to go to bed. "no," he said, "i could not sleep, and if i could, i have no money to pay for a room. i have been dishonest enough already without wronging the proprietor." "clerk, give him a room and charge it to me," said mr. higgins, taking the matter into his own hands. "now, brother, you go to bed and stay there until i call you, and we'll see what we can do. don't mail that letter. perhaps it won't be necessary in the morning." he went to breakfast with us. after the meal the missionary went out to interview the town and county officials. the result of the conference was that the gambler turned over to the traveling man the amount of money embezzled and took his note for the same. the traveling man pledged his word never to gamble again and went on his way sadder, and we hope wiser, because of the experience. the same night on which the above incident occurred, we entered a palatial saloon and gambling place and found but few men present, for it was a season when most of the men were in camp after spending the christmas holidays in town. we entered into conversation with the proprietor of the place. "things are pretty quiet," said mr. higgins, "i suppose you are not making expenses just now?" "hardly," answered the proprietor, "but i needn't worry, it will come in later." he nodded to the camps west of town, "all the boys are working." this is the attitude of these keepers. they consider the earnings of the lumberjack as their legitimate spoil and part of their yearly income. the wife of one of the saloon proprietors, overhearing a remark concerning her jewels and apparel, said: "i can afford to wear rich clothing. my husband has about a thousand men working for him in the woods." the meaning was obvious: that these men would spend their earnings in the saloon, at the gaming table, and in the retreats connected with her husband's establishment. the brazen effrontery of those engaged in this business is indescribable. the flesh and blood of men is to be lowered to the level of the brutes, appetites of lust are to be satisfied, passions of evil are to be encouraged, and no shade of shame is to be found on the countenances of this depraving element. where money is to be had the souls of men are not to be considered. human misery is nothing. there is money in the damning business--then damn the soul and get the money is the policy. an extensive self-satisfaction, a mantle of self-righteousness, clothes the men of this vocation. "bad? of course it's a bad business," said one, "but if we don't sell the stuff some one else will. as long as there are fools to buy it we intend to supply them. it's their lookout, not ours." "but don't you think you are morally responsible for tempting men?" i asked. "all a man is responsible for is being honest," he replied. "i have been honest in all i have done. no man was ever robbed in my place, and the games are straight. i may go to hell when i am through here, but my job will be shoveling coal to make it hotter for the hypocrites who profess to be honest and then steal when they get the chance." they talked freely of their business and one gambler had the courage to make this assertion: "there isn't a more honest set of men in the country than the professional gamblers. they are all right, but the associations are bad." the above may be a description of some gamblers, but not of all, for it is well known that the games are often crooked and by mechanical devices are made a sure thing for the house. in one of the range towns a cruiser entered a gambler's place with several thousand dollars in his possession. it was not long before he had lost all. satisfying himself that the game was not "on the square," he drew his gun and shot up both the gambler and the wheel, took his money from the till and left the place. the gambler was maimed for life. the saloons and gambling places are palatial and attractive. they are fitted with the best the town affords, resplendent with glitter and flash of lights, showy woodwork and decorated walls. courtesy and attention await the victims, for an army of men is ready to respond to any desire the lumberjacks may express, no matter how low. everything is designed to allure. no wonder the men who have known only the discomforts of the camps, with their hard, grinding labor and unaesthetic surroundings, are easily caught in the net that is spread at their feet. because of this lawless element so common in the lumber towns, and the unrestrained ways in which almost all of the towns are run, the "open" policy being the common one, there is work for the camp missionary to do. the rev. frank higgins goes into the saloons to find the stray sheep. his errands of mercy have led him into hundreds of dram shops and gambling places. the writer was with him in one of the towns and the following incidents are only a part of that day's work of helpfulness: having heard from a contractor that one of the boys had been reduced to helplessness through drink, and more than drink, mr. higgins started for the saloons and continued his search through many groggeries until at last he found the man. the poor drunken wretch was lying on the floor behind the stove, and the missionary put his strong arms around the besotted being and almost carried him to a lodging place where his needs were supplied. after that we visited the hospital to call on the camp boys. there he heard of a lumberjack who had been dismissed from the hospital that morning. the man was able to be around but too weak to work, and was penniless. so the second search began and the man was located in the lobby of a cheap hotel. mr. higgins went to the proprietor, guaranteed him against loss, and went on his way leaving the lumberjack free from care while regaining his strength. the man had been converted in the camps that winter, but so miserable had been his morals that no one trusted him. that was two years ago; today he is a respected christian worker. later came the assisting of another helpless lumberjack and the day closed with the incident of the gambling traveling man, described in this chapter. it is helpfulness that counts. on the banks of the galilean lake our master, who never wearied of doing good, met his disciple peter and said unto him, "simon, lovest thou me?" peter replied to the question, "yea, lord, thou knowest that i love thee." then the divine lips opened and gave to peter and to us the end and aim of the christian's relation to man--"feed my sheep." if we love our master, christian activity in the form of assisting men should be an ever-present result. in instances like the following the flesh may rebel, but the command still remains: for three weeks mike had been on a drunken spree; during the days and nights of debauchery he had not changed his clothes or even washed his hands. this was his condition when mr. higgins found him senseless with drink in the "snake room." the missionary took him to a lodging house and bathed the body from which the cleansing water had so long been absent. the man's feet were so swollen that the heavy boots were removed with difficulty and when the socks were taken off the skin came with them. it was no wonder that the effluvium drove the minister from the room. it was a hard task, against which the flesh rebelled, but the master gave the command, "feed my sheep," and here was one who needed attention. tenderly the sky pilot watched over the poor fellow, supplying his needs until a few days later he was able to return to the camp. the man thus helped had been educated for the catholic priesthood and drink had ruined him. actions such as these may not result in the great end of conversion, but they do result in aiding the cause of christ, for the men see in the missionary the spirit of the helpful master. many times during the period of mr. higgins' residence at bemidji, mrs. higgins was awakened at night by some poor, spent lumberjack who came to the sky pilot's home to ask for assistance. although she was alone, mr. higgins being in the camps, she would arise and feed the hungry man and then direct him to some place where he could spend the night. "who is that man?" asked a stranger who had been watching mr. higgins as he went among the lumberjacks in the village street. [illustration: loading from a lake] "that's the lumberjack sky pilot, a fellow who never turned a lumberjack down," said the woodsman, and added, "his job is keeping us out of hell." it was crudely expressed, but it represents the sentiment of the boys; with them christianity must act as well as speak. when a lumberjack is in trouble with the police he is quite sure to send for mr. higgins if the sky pilot happens to be in the village. mr. higgins is well known in these communities and the officials respect him for the interest he shows in his wayward flock. many a poor fellow, who awakens from a drunken sleep to find himself in the lockup, wonders if the sky pilot is near. the missionary has often pleaded for a light sentence or asked for the case to be annulled. on one occasion he had been called to the justice court to plead for a woodsman who was charged with being drunk and disorderly. the preacher asked the justice to make the sentence as light as possible and to allow the man to go after giving him a reprimand. the judge was an old friend of the missionary, and at the time of the trial could hardly be called sober. often he would appear in his office the worse for liquor and dispense justice to the petty offenders. in spite of his failing, the justice had a shrewd sense of right and a great respect for the dignity of his office. after hearing the plea that mr. higgins made for the lumberjack the judge decided to reprimand the man and dismiss the case. he tried to sober himself that the dignity of the law might not suffer through the weakness of the dispenser. he knew that the office called for erect deportment, so the bench straightened his figure and impressively began the reprimand: "w-whiskey is-s a bad thing. it ma-akes a f-fool of an h-honest man and a d-d--n f-fool of a f-fool. it s-shouldn't be used by l-lumberjacks; t-they belong to the l-last c-class already. it ma-akes a f-fool of every man t-that touches it. if you don't believe it, j-just l-look at the j-judge who has the p-power of sentencing you. see w-what w-whiskey has done for him. b-because of my f-friend higgins i'll let y-you off this t-time, but remember the j-judge and let w-whiskey alone. dis-dismissed." the example was a good one. even solomon could not have chosen a more timely illustration, for the judge vividly set forth in his own person what whiskey could do for a man, and the woodsman appreciated the force of the advice. taking the missionary with him, the lumberjack went to the hotel and drew off his shoes. from the toes of the shoes he extracted a roll of bills containing one hundred and fifty dollars. "if those blood suckers, who made me drunk, had known i had this, they would have robbed me of it the same as they did of the rest and i wouldn't have a cent now. well, pilot, i'm through with it. by god's help, this is the last." the man went to north dakota and settled on a farm. today he is the proud owner of three hundred and twenty acres, and is prospering. the writer is only trying to pen a brief picture of the field as it presents itself to the missionary. no man can give a full description of the wide privilege that is open to the minister in these places where the lumberjacks congregate. he is required to perform varying duties whether they are related to the minister's calling or not. often, in the regular ministrations, elements are introduced that suggest the burlesque rather than the solemn services common to the ministry, as the following incident will illustrate: it was the last day of the drive and the riverpigs were coming into town after their labors on the lakes and rivers. the town was reaping its harvest--at least the saloons and other evils were. as the rev. frank e. higgins walked the street, he was approached by a drunken riverpig. "say, pilot," he began, "one of our crew fell off a log, pulled the hole in after him and is at the coffin shop ready for the boneyard. we uns want him planted like a decent christian; he wa'n't no squaw man or indian. see to the trimmings, will you? do the job up right if you have to buy out every wannigan in town. are you on, pilot? when you're ready call for us at blank's saloon, for we want to go with you to jim's bunking place." the driver left him and entered blank's saloon to report progress to the boys and the minister proceeded to the undertaker's establishment to make the necessary arrangements for the funeral. he ordered a plain pine coffin, and after procuring a dray for a hearse, drove up to blank's saloon for the boys. out on the sidewalk the riverpigs came noisily, but when they saw the dray with its burden they stopped abruptly. "it won't go, pilot," said the one who had made the arrangements. "this is no jack-pine farmer's funeral; we're no cheap skates. this camp's got money and intends to blow it. see? give us a run for our money." then another rum-soaked riverpig spoke up: "if this was a tin-horn gambler or a bloated saloon-keeper they'd have a hearse and a brass band. jim's only a riverpig, but he's got to be planted with the frills just the same." "get a decent box and hearse and call again, pilot," they shouted as they backed into the saloon to "keep their hides from cracking." the funeral procession had a more imposing appearance when it drew up a second time at blank's saloon. a hearse led the procession and six carriages completed the cortege. by this time the mourners were in a state of intoxication, in which feelings of the sublime and the ridiculous blend without effort. "this is the way to do it," cried one of the riverpigs as he viewed the hearse and carriages. "wouldn't jim be tickled to death if he saw this show and knew that he was the whole blank thing?" "say, pilot," said one whom mr. higgins was helping into a carriage, "when we meet jim later he'll say, 'i'm proud of the way you fellows rid me out of town.'" "pretty near two months' wages gone for a box, but what's expense when we're planting jim," weepingly commented his bunkmate. "he'd 'a done as much for me if i'd 'a give him a show. it's his last blow out anyway." all the way to the cemetery the mourners talked in the above strain, constantly expressing their satisfaction over the "frills" of the obsequies and the "agony" they were showing for jim. there was an undertone of complaint because poor drowned jim did not come forward and personally thank them for the honor they had conferred. around the grave the riverpigs staggered and it looked as if more than jim were going to occupy the grave, for with difficulty they were kept from tumbling in on the corpse. the minister spoke a few words on the uncertainty of life and the need of preparation for eternity, but his brief address was interrupted by the weeping of the drunken attendants and their interjected praises of the dead. "speak a good word for jim, pilot," said a weeping poleman. "tell the lord he could ride a log as well as the best of us." "get him through if you can; he wasn't so bad," was the parenthesis of a french-canadian. "good bye, jim. our turn's comin'." the last words were said, the benediction pronounced, and the sky pilot turned to leave the cemetery. "hold on, there," cried the foreman to the minister. "this is no pauper you buried, but a man whose friends ain't broke." taking off his hat, he turned to the crew. "shell out, you blank sons of the nameless. jim's been planted o. k., now pay the sky pilot for the words he shed over his bones. this is no poor farm job." the boys shelled out eight dollars and sixty cents for the preacher's services. the lumberjacks, the homesteaders, the saloon men and the prostitutes claim the missionary as their spiritual friend. it is on him they call when sickness enters their places of abode, and his response is willing and natural. he, as the servant of christ, is the messenger to the poor and outcast; conditions of life are not considered. one night, when the pilot was in a brothel praying with a woman who was passing through the dark waters, the girls of the house crowded around to listen to the prayers and see the end. one of the girls invited him to a private conversation and in it told him the story of her life and the nearness of her death. the physician had informed her that six months was all she could hope to live. "i'll make a short six months of it, for this life is hell, and hell can't be any worse than this," she said. when the church service closed on the following sunday evening a messenger was waiting at the bemidji church to ask him to come at once to the brothel. there he found the girl with whom he had talked. she had taken blue vitrol and this was the end. she had been true to her statement and had made a short six months of it. the scarlet women turn to him naturally for aid, for they know that he will do all he can to assist in their reformation. his ready sympathy appeals to the outcasts. on a train leaving blackduck the sky pilot was sitting several seats from a woman whose business was unmistakable. the car was filled with men and the scarlet one was known to many in the coach. as the train started she beckoned to the preacher to come and sit beside her. a smile passed over the faces of the wise ones as the missionary took a seat at her side. but this is the woman's story: she had recognized mr. higgins, having seen him when he visited a woman who was dying in a brothel. she was leaving the place of her sin and degradation and did not know which way to turn for help. would he assist her? she was tired of it all and wanted to live a better life, but knew of no place that would open except such as linked her to the old. mr. higgins knew of a place where the hands of christians would welcome her and the doors were always open--a christian refuge in the city of duluth. acting on his advice, and assisted by a letter of introduction, she went to the place and today leads a respectable life under the influence of a savior. did not the one of nazareth say unto such, "go, and sin no more?" such is the condition that confronts the missionary in the towns and villages near the camps. you may ask, "are not the spoilers unfriendly, antagonistic to the missionary, since they see that his work is in opposition to theirs?" while they recognize mr. higgins as against their nefarious traffic, yet they admire his sincerity and honesty, and prove their respect for him by calling for his services in case of death. they know that their business is under the ban, but they also know that his christian zeal causes him to love the men while he is still an enemy to the business. in one of the saloons where the writer accompanied frank higgins, the saloon man asked us to take a drink of seltzer water. "i wouldn't take even a drink of water in one of your saloons," replied mr. higgins. "you know i am against your whole business." "we know it," returned the saloon man, "but while you fight us, you do it fair, and although you hurt us, we like you in spite of it." so without enemies, even among his opponents, he goes from place to place, helping pointing to christ the lumberjacks, the saloon men, the gamblers and the prostitutes, doing a work few are fitted to do. the logging camp mission work must of necessity be a disconnected one, and the missionary often does not see the final results of his labors as in a settled pastorate, but the churches reap the benefit of what is accomplished in the camps. many are brought to christ who would never have been touched by his saving power if it had not been for the itinerating work of the pineries. the church has too long neglected this large field. now she is attempting to redeem the time, but the present effort is a small supply for such a large demand. what is being done to counteract the influence that is thrown around the lumberjacks in the towns? at present there is practically nothing outside the two bethels at duluth, to help them, with the exception of a small effort in the way of reading rooms, and i know of only two of these, one in the town of akeley, minnesota, and the other in bemidji, minnesota. about a year ago mrs. t. b. walker and the m. e. church of akeley opened a public reading room particularly for the mill hands and employees of the red river lumber company. a little later mrs. thomas shevlin established the crookston lumber company's club room in the town of bemidji. here the men can congregate and read the papers and magazines provided. but these are lonely exceptions of helpfulness. the particular need of the lumbertown is a well-equipped, furnished and up-to-date bethel, for at present the only places open to the lumberjacks are degrading--tending to produce poverty of soul and of purse. the churches of these towns are not strong enough to carry on the work unaided. if the demands are to be met, outside help must be extended. the churches are willing, for the members see the need of bethels, but their own work calls for larger finances than at present they are able to command. if there is no place for him to enter except the saloons, then of course we must expect the lumberjack to go where he will find a welcome. open a place where he can find rest apart from the tentacles of temptation and we shall have done our part, and the forester will do his. a bethel will be to him a haven towards which his weary feet and hungering social nature will turn with readiness, and in many cases with more readiness than they now turn to the saloons. all men are social creatures; the lumberjack is no exception. he wants to be where his fellows are, to join in their conversations and to take part in their interests, but the saloon is the only place that furnishes a convenient rallying point. "i don't like the saloon, i don't care to drink," said one, "but all the fellows who are willing to talk to me are there and i must go where they are." to meet the needs of the homeless the bethel must be substituted for the saloon. since something is bound to grow, plant a virtue where you uproot a vice. the bethel is not an untried theory, but a proven success. where these institutions have been introduced they have been well patronized and great good has been accomplished. a gentleman of duluth, minnesota, told of being on the bowery in that city, and noticed a lumberjack looking at every sign as he passed along. the man wondered if he was having difficulty in finding a saloon where saloons were so numerous. suddenly the woodsman's face lighted up as he came in sight of a building bearing the sign of "branch bethel," and as he entered he seemed to say, "thank god, this is for me. here i shall find friends." once such rest places are opened they can be made self-supporting, or very nearly so. the lodging part of the plan would pay a good return, an employment agency could be carried on that, in itself, would be very helpful both to the men and employers, and add to the profits, while the missionary and christian woodsmen would advertise the effort and largely add to its support. but apart from this, the good they would accomplish can only be appreciated by those who know the present surroundings of the campmen in town. when temptation is reduced the increase in virtue is proportionate, where the stimulus to righteousness is given men must respond. to prevent evil is as much a christian work as saving the fallen, and prevention would give less need for cure. in the establishment of a system of bethels in the logging centers there is a fine opening for christian philanthropy. the men who have made their fortunes through the labors of the woodsmen should be the first to look to the uplifting of the fallen men in their employ. in dollars and cents it would pay the lumber kings, and many of the difficulties now present in the employment of men would be gradually reduced. the lumbermen are becoming interested, but it is a work that calls forth the interest of every lover of humanity. [illustration: clark and jacksons landing on the st. louis river. , , feet] chapter viii. muscular christianity. muscular christianity has a rather far-off sound in this matter-of-fact age where indifference is present and many a church is under the blight of apathy. but on the part of the logging camp missionary there is no apathy. his ministry is twofold: it is spiritual and muscular. let some one who is more interested in the dead past write the story of the rough but earnest crusaders, who fought in the name of the gentle christ with flesh-piercing spear and blood-letting sword. that is a tale, foreign, distant and past; the narrative i bring is native, near and present. this warfare is not with the weapons which are the product of the fire and anvil, yet it is muscular and strenuous; its purpose is not death, but life, and its spirit is love. the banner alone is the same--the sign of the cross. physical fitness of no common order is required of the missionary of the forest. in our northern pineries strength of limb, endurance and hardiness are the necessary capital of the workers. when the frolicsome winds drive the mercury thirty or forty degrees below zero and hold it in that low retreat for days, the men who work under the open sky must be vigorous to stand the taunts of the north wind and strong to resist the fettering cold. the pineries is no place for weaklings, either as pastor or logger. brawn is an asset not despised, muscle is honored, and endurance is the ideal of the lumberjack. the city pastor finds that head and heart predominate in his work for souls; the missionary of the logging camps soon realizes that the first essential is bodily excellency--heart and head are secondary in the estimation of the woodsmen. they pity a weakling, they respect a strong man. but to strength must be added devotion if the man who comes as christ's messenger is to win. they will willingly listen to the rough address of a rough and ready man who can fell a tree with precision and ease; the argument of the man who is scientific of fist and nimble of leg is sure of a ready reception. it follows that the same kind of ministry we look for in the city is not asked for in the camps. the object of the work is the same--the souls of men--but the methods and means are more varied. the man of tact soon sees that the body can be used to do a glorious work for the king, and that he who is fearful of manual exercise cannot be a winning ambassador for his master. physical christianity sounds like a story of the middle ages, but this form of godliness is being used successfully to point men to christ in the great north woods. it is not forcing men to accept his teaching, but doing with physical might for him whatever the hands find to do. of more value than discussion will be the narrative, and so i present to the reader a few plain tales of the lights and shadows, the labors and losses in the life of the missionary who spends his all for the men who are far from civilization, far from christ, lonely, wayward, rough, but still our brothers for whom our master died. the village was little more than a collection of rude shacks. in its confines two hundred people made their homes. even in the logging district one would search long for a place more under the influence of open sin. the camps were near and the village traffic was evil--almost exclusively evil. nine saloons were the ornaments of the place and the large brothel occupied a prominent place in the social life. there was little in the village to commend, much to condemn. its influence was vicious and its efforts were to impoverish the campmen. it was nearing the spring of . the camps would soon break up for the winter, and the rev. frank e. higgins, while making his rounds, found himself, after nightfall, in the village described above. the lunchroom was in the rear of a saloon and there the missionary took his belated meal. many drinking lumberjacks were at the bar and soon they crowded around the minister with invitations to drink with them. "i'll tell you what i'll do, boys; if my dog will drink the stuff you fellows are imbibing i'll drink with you," said mr. higgins. he called his dog to him, and at his command bess placed her front feet on the bar, but on smelling the beverage turned away. "can't do it, boys; i'd hate to set a bad example to my dog. you had better follow her lead. she has good sense, as you all know." the men enjoyed the incident, and the tired preacher went to his room. the sleeping place was over the barroom, but in spite of the carousing, he was soon asleep. shortly after midnight the minister was awakened by a loud noise in the room below. the sound of breaking glass and furniture, the curses and cries of men rang loudly through the house. a fight was in progress and it was evident to the missionary that it was more than a trivial affair. hastily he drew on some clothing and rushed down the stairway which opened into the barroom. in the middle of the saloon stood f----, a foreman from a nearby camp. he was crazed with liquor and his powerful frame shook with the excitement of the contest. over his head he held a heavy barroom chair, and lying near him were three men whom he had felled with the ready weapon. the bartender had taken refuge under the counter and outside of the open door were four lumberjacks who had fled into the cold, but now inviting, street. f---- was in possession of the field and the chair was both a weapon and a banner of victory. "canada against the world! the scotch and nae ithers!" cried the drunken logger in delight as he viewed the vanquished. rushing in, mr. higgins grabbed the foreman. "f----, think what you're doing, old man. do you want to kill some one?" "a hooligan struck me. think of a canadian being struck by a hooligan! its mair than flesh an' bluid can stan'," replied the foreman as he menacingly moved in the direction of the door where the enemy had retreated. "you can't afford to become a murderer because a man lost his temper," said the preacher. "put down that chair and show that you can control yourself, even if others can't." placing the chair on the floor, f---- watched mr. higgins assist the others to their feet, but the men in the street did not venture into the room until the preacher had led f---- up stairs. the sky pilot took the foreman to his room, and when he saw him soundly sleeping, crept in beside him and soon was lost to the day's tasks and disturbances. but the missionary's sleep was not destined to be undisturbed, for soon drunken oaths, the shriek of a terrified woman and the heavy blows of an ax falling on a door made the preacher rush from his bed into the hall, where he found the proprietor of the place trying to break into his wife's room. during the previous afternoon the proprietor's wife had learned that her husband was in a disreputable place and had gone to the brothel to persuade him to accompany her home. her efforts were unavailing and he remained there drinking and carousing until midnight. when he returned home under the influence of liquor, his offended dignity sought retaliation in the murder of his wife. with the assistance of the bartender, who by this time had gotten over his previous fright, mr. higgins disarmed the drunken proprietor and led him into another room, where the missionary remained with him until sleep held him fast. the next day was the sabbath. when the missionary had finished his breakfast he placed his phonograph on the table of the roulette wheel and started "rock of ages." the crowd of loungers had increased to a considerable number by the time several selections had been played, and when the song, "where is my wandering boy tonight," came to a close, it was in a receptive mood. portions of the old book were read and a heart to heart talk followed. the proprietor refused to serve any drinks while this strange service was being held, and at the close of the meeting he asked the minister to remember him in prayer. shortly after the affair in the saloon the sky pilot was in the camp where f---- was foreman. it was the time when the annual offering was to be given for the support of the mission work. mr. higgins arrived at the hour of the evening meal and learned that the sisters of charity had been in the camp at noon soliciting for the hospital work. when the intelligence came to him he decided to defer his request for an offering and visit the camp a few days later. after service mr. higgins said to the men: "it was my intention to ask you to contribute to this work tonight, but since the sisters have canvassed the camp today we will let it go until my next visit." the preacher had scarcely finished the announcement when f----, the foreman, sprang to his feet. "sit doon, pilot," he said. "you dinna need to ask ony collection in this shanty. we ken a guid thing an' are willin' to pay for't. i'll tak' up the collection, although it's a new job to me. shell oot, lads; remember the lord and f---- love a cheerfu' giver." when f---- had completed his self-imposed task he handed the missionary forty-seven dollars and fifty cents. * * * * * there is persuasiveness in a well-rounded muscular development. some people are impervious to argument and some to courtesy, but few will fail to respond to the persuasiveness of a strong man with a mighty arm. now i am not attempting to prove that this is best, nor would i care even to leave that intimation, but i remember the days when the rod properly applied was far more productive of good than all the homilies--in fact, the homilies were heard only because of the birch that, like damocles' sword, was ever waiting to fall. but this is not autobiography. some men remain children, and only the potentials that produced results in childhood will aid to fruitage in their manhood. corporal punishment was effective for good then, and if you read the next incident you will realize that it has its force after they have passed through the vicissitudes of youth and have attained the physical weight of manhood. the bunkhouse meeting was in full swing. the singing was hearty, strong and free. when the lumberjacks wish to sing they produce a volume that is inspiring in spite of discords. well, these men in parker's camp felt the spirit of song--but not all of them. an undertone of discontent came from a group of frenchmen who sat together at the end of the shack. they did not relish the protestant religion and intended to show their indigestion. the majority of the camp was in harmony with the preacher, but a small minority can easily turn peace into turmoil. [illustration: a camp crew] as the service progressed the opposition grew louder and remarks came freely from the french end of the house. mr. higgins went to the disturbers while the rest were singing and requested them to allow the others to enjoy the service. a second time the preacher solicited their sympathy and all went well until the address began. as the missionary proceeded in his message the rumble of the disturbers grew in volume until the address could not be heard. patience was no longer a virtue, but an assistant to evil. rolling up his sleeves, for he was preaching with his coat off, the minister left his barrel pulpit and visited the frenchmen, not as an angel of mercy, but as a son of mars. taking a position that could not be misunderstood, he addressed them: "you pea soup eaters will do one of two things," said the brawny evangelist, "you are going to listen to the gospel or take a thrashing. speak up, which do you want?" "throw them through the roof, pilot, we'll see fair play," cried a sympathizer. "take them one at a time, they won't last long," came from another. "give them both the thrashing and the preaching," said the swamper. "you've got to puncture the hide of that outfit to get any decency into their heads." then came a deep silence. only the winter wind outside and the roar of the stove within were heard. during the quiet the frenchmen carefully viewed this muscular exponent of christianity. on the preacher's arms stood the muscles in rounded hills and in his face was depicted determination and fearlessness. the examination was satisfactory; it was easy to decide in favor of a gospel message under such circumstances. the eyes of the frenchmen dropped and the preacher had won. "i would rather preach anyway," said the minister as he walked back to the barrel and took up the interrupted discourse. among the firm friends of the sky pilot that group of frenchmen are now to be found. the coatless figure, burning with righteous indignation, powerful in right and backed with physical prowess, won the admiration of the disturbers. conviction and fearlessness always open a way for him who is desirous of carrying the cross. even the opponents learn the lesson of respect. * * * * * on every fruit-bearing tree the worthless fruit clings with the good and mellow. every effort is not a success, as all can testify. some seed falls by the wayside and is trodden down. again, the sower is not even allowed to sow by the wayside. the devil is not dead and his agents are faithful to their commander. as long as man is sinful, opposition will show itself, but the darkness of night makes the day more resplendent by contrast. in the month of january, , our missionary procured a letter of introduction from the proprietor of a camp near kelliher, minnesota to the foreman in charge. the letter gave mr. higgins the privilege of holding service in the bunkhouse. armed with this letter, and accompanied by mr. f. e. davis, one of the camp workers, mr. higgins entered the camp. on arriving they went immediately to the office and left their personal effects and a box of literature, and then proceeded to find the foreman in order to present their credentials. near the cookshed they came across a burly irishman who immediately bristled up and without waiting for any greeting began: "are you higgins?" "i am," answered the missionary. "is this--" "i am g--," he interrupted. "i was looking for you mr. g--. i have a letter of introduction from the proprietor," said the missionary, at the same time producing the letter. "i don't care a d--n if you have a letter from god almighty," profanely burst out the push; "you can't preach in this camp. get your things out of the office blank quick and get to hades out of these works. i won't have any blank preachers among my men." mr. higgins looked at the profane man and quietly answered: "i am in no haste about leaving, mr. g--, in fact this camp has an added interest since i met you." "get out, or i'll throw you to hades out of here," said the wrathy foreman. "not so hasty, mr. g--," said the sky pilot. "i should be present during the disturbances and some one might get hurt. is your hospital ticket good?" while the minister looked at the cursing foreman he felt a strong desire to enforce a lesson in common courtesy,--that part of the foreman's education having evidently been neglected. but he thought, if i should do this physical duty the lumberjacks who are my friends will refuse to work for the foreman and the proprietor's kindness will be repaid with loss. he therefore decided to forego the privilege of improving the foreman's manner's, and for the proprietor's sake to say nothing that would come to the ears of the lumberjacks. when the missionaries left the camp mr. g-- was not through with the incident, for the foreman's remarks had been overheard by some of the men and were soon the common property of the camp. the next day the foreman went into the blacksmith shop, and not being over civil to the vulcan in charge, was suddenly seized, dragged over the anvil and kicked out into the snow by the wrathy smith. as g-- was gathering himself up, the man of metals gave him an extra kick and accompanied it with this enlightening remark: "there, blast your hades seared hide, is an extra one for the glad hand you gave the sky pilot yesterday. you son of the nameless, i'll teach you how to treat your betters and make your blank soul respect the clergy." as a result of the incident a number of the men quit the camp, refusing to work for a "push who ain't got no decency." * * * * * men who serve the master will at the same time serve men. it seems but proper to demand of the christian that he prove his profession by his love of humanity. the religion that is only preached meets few demands, the religion that is lived satisfies human wants. jesus christ bore a relation of helpfulness to the burdened world; the disciples of the nazarene cannot do less than follow the example of the man loving master. at least, this is the expectancy of the men, they simply take the christian at his word. mr. higgins has instanced this many times, for his parishioners feel that when a man is needed the christian should be the first to respond. "pilot," said a lumberjack to mr. higgins, "i've got a friend in the saloon over yonder and the drunken fool is blowing his stake as fast as he can throw it over the bar. i ain't able to get him out and the bar tender would give me a hunch to get out myself if i tried. will you help me?" "come on," said the preacher. "we'll see what we can do together." as they entered the barroom the woodsman pointed out his friend. paddy was in that hilarious state of intoxication where liberality knows no bounds. he staggered up to the bar and in drunken happiness cried: "here, bung swater, set up to the house. hades while the dough lasts. turn the spigot and give us a beer bath." paddy generously emptied his pockets on the metal counter and a roll of bills and a handful of silver lay before the crowd. the bar tender reached for the cash to sweep it into the till, but he was not quick enough, for the large hand of the missionary covered the roll of bills. "i'll take this for my treat, paddy," said mr. higgins in a quiet but decisive tone. "no you don't," said the saloon man and he hastened to attack the intruder. "stand back," said the preacher. "you're not in my class, and i can't reduce my heft to accommodate a middle weight at this late hour." the bar tender was full of fight and menacingly waved a weapon at the preacher, and several seconded him in the contest. "sit down, you heated fools," cried a campman; "that's the sky pilot, and the man that tackles him tackles me and some others." "paddy has had more than enough liquor already," continued the preacher, "the silver i left on the bar is more than sufficient to treat the crowd at his expense, so i'll keep the rest as paddy's banker until he is in a condition to know the value of it." turning to the saloonman, he said, "you call yourself a man and yet you would take all the winter's earnings of a poor fellow who is not in his right mind. you are a scoundrel or you would have sent this fellow away long ago." mr. higgins and his friend got paddy on the train and carried him to bemidji where they put him to bed. next morning paddy wandered into the lobby where the preacher was sitting. "some one robbed me last night," he began; "they took every cent i had and pinched my hat and coat. what am i goin' to do?" "go home. that's what you're going to do," said the preacher with decision. "nobody robbed you paddy, nobody needed to. when i met you last night you were throwing your money away faster than they could take it from you. you had already lost your coat and you threw your hat out of the car window on the way here. but we managed to save a little for you, enough to get you back home." the preacher handed him the roll of bills he had saved. it contained forty dollars. paddy took the advice of the sky pilot and left at once for home, never again to appear among his old associates in the pineries. he is the brother of a respected catholic priest, and comes of a prominent family. * * * * * the proverb reads, "a man is known by the company he keeps." in the main the proverb is true, but it is not always applicable. a slum worker differs from his associates; a camp worker is with the worst element of the camps more than with the men who walk straight; he goes where he is needed, and, like the master, he is a friend of publicans and sinners. but he who lifts another does not lower himself, even if he has to stoop in order to lift. in fact, i doubt if there be even the suggestion of stooping. although the physical figure implies the act--i rather believe that the good man lifts himself when he extends his hand down to another. let me tell you a story, one that is well known in the northern woods: a---- was built for doing things, and looked the part. if you were judging from appearances you would say that he was one of the best, and if you asked for confirmation of your opinion the lumberjack would answer regarding him, "none better in all the north woods,"--a high physical certification. for some time a---- had been a foreman. his abilities won the admiration of the men and his habits of life made him feared,--it was another case of what whiskey can do with a man. once when mr. higgins was preaching in a----'s camp, a---- came into the meeting and drunkenly listened to the minister as he pleaded with the men to forsake evil and get right with god. a tense stillness hung over the bunkhouse and all the audience listened in sympathy. suddenly another voice broke into the harmony. it was a---- crying in fervid encouragement: "lace it to them, higgins, give them hell, old boy, the drunken sons of the nameless need a dose of religion to make them log right." "don't notice him, boys," said mr. higgins; "that is whiskey that is talking. a---- would be ashamed of that sort of thing if he were sober, but whiskey isn't ashamed of anything." at the end of frank higgins' first year in bemidji, when the camps were pouring their men into the towns, he happened to visit the little town of farley, minnesota. the lumberjacks owned the town. the long drought of winter was turned into a deluge and it was the evident intention of the foresters to consume in a day enough to make up for the enforced abstinence. a stream of coin passed over the bar and a tide of liquor came from the other side. near a saloon a laughing crowd watched the antics of a powerful fellow who drunkenly wallowed in the mud. bewilderingly fluent and ingeniously profane was the man in the gutter, and his drunken comrades raised their laughter of approval at his antics and remarks. pushing his way through the crowd, mr. higgins came upon the object of their mirth--it was a----, the foreman, too drunk to care about or to understand his degradation. the missionary helped the foolish fellow to his feet and, leaning him against a building for support, scraped the filth from his garments with a shovel. the father and brother-in-law of a---- were in the village and to them the missionary, took his drunken charge. a---- had been working but a few miles from home but had not visited his people for two years. when the relatives saw their son and brother, at the same time realizing his helplessness in the presence of temptation, they asked the missionary to take him to the keeley cure at minneapolis, two hundred miles away. mr. higgins was not anxious for the task, but he knew that there was a chance for at least a partial reformation, and anything was an improvement on the present way of living. the only way to accomplish the journey with an unwilling patient was to keep the man drunk and get him to the institute while under the influence of his enemy--this was beating the devil with his first lieutenant. so the minister packed his grip with unministerial baggage--whiskey--and patiently waited his train. it took three men to get the logger into the car, and with the beginning of the journey the real troubles of the temperance worker began. on one side was the grip loaded with bottles, on the other a man loaded with whiskey. the only thing that suggested the ministry was the half fare permit, and that was out of sight. no wonder the conductor smiled when the minister presented his credentials. as the railroader punched the ticket, he said: "are you on your way to presbytery with a lay delegate, or are you both bound for a distillery convention?" the smoking car was crowded with woodsmen on their way to the city. a---- was in fighting trim and only the ever present bottle could keep him from stirring up the crowd. every few minutes the minister passed him the bottle and it acted like paregoric on a colicky baby. "it was the only time i tended bar all day, and i am not anxious to repeat the experience," said mr. higgins. at spur , a---- was sufficiently sober to recognize a friend who was waiting on the platform, and immediately he cried to the ministerial bar tender, "here, sky pilot, give kirk a drink. hand him the glass works and let him sample the cold tea." between farley and walker the effluvia from bodies long immune to water, the disregard of sanitary requirements, the expectorations and the foul air of the crowded car became unbearable. the missionary felt it very necessary that he should go elsewhere and breathe a cleaner atmosphere, so he called a teamster and installed him as bartender while he went into the day coach to breathe. a----'s father was in the day coach but did not dare to approach his drunken son. the missionary had not counted all the possible exigencies when he pressed the teamster into service. the substitute bartender had solaced himself with the liquid goods before entering the train, and was soon in a rapturous state from the mixture brought about from imbibing a----'s whiskey. every time a---- demanded a drink the driver took one himself, and being a frugal soul, drank largely because another was paying the bill. he was a happy jack and expressed himself in song. it was the eighteenth of march, the day after st. patrick's day. on the platform at walker a crowd of irishmen were lounging, the green ribbons of yesterday's celebration adorning their lapels. the maudlin teamster was a protestant irishman, and the green streamers aroused in his befuddled mind visions of glorious londonderry days where the fist played a larger part in religion than it does in minnesota. leaning far out the window, until he seemed to balance on his belt buckle, he began the soul stirring melody "protestant boys." at least it was soul stirring to the catholic irish. at the depot the old scenes of londonderry were renewed and a blow drove the teamster across the car and jammed him between the seats on the filthy floor. the feet of the orangeman stuck high in the air, and though the trainmen tried to release him, they could not. unaware of what was happening in the next car, the minister was talking with a----'s father when the conductor broke into the conversation. "come into the smoker and take care of your parishioners, mr. higgins," he said hurriedly, "we can't handle that booze-soaked crew." when mr. higgins entered the car he found that he had two patients that needed his immediate attention. at brainerd they changed cars and waited two hours for the minneapolis train. the minister took his charge into the station. here a---- gave an exhibition of drunken hilarity that drove out the self-respecting loungers and caused the station master to demand a----'s exit. the streets received the minister and his charge, but after a few improper acts and worse remarks an officer ordered them off the streets. the only places open to the strollers were the saloons, and the minister led his companion into one of them. the saloonmen, because of the natural results of their business can stand considerable of the unusual, but this woodsman was able to give the denizens of billingsgate advance instruction in the unprintable and nauseating. not having lost all sense of the fitness of things, the saloon keeper escorted the woodsman to the door and mr. higgins again linked himself to the staggering man. from one side of the walk to the other the powerful logger dragged the husky preacher, and as they continued through the streets the blasphemy and filth flowed on. it was the expected that happened; a representative of law and order threatened to lock up both pedestrians in the city jail--for the logger dragged the minister in his zig-zag course and both appeared drunken. but in spite of the rough clothes, the policeman soon recognized the sky pilot and placed the city jail at his disposal while waiting for the south bound train. when a---- realized he was in the police station his temper suddenly arose and he rushed with closed fist at his companion. mr. higgins anticipated the attack and deftly stepped aside. the heavy blow fell on the panel of the station door, and a split panel and bruised knuckles were the results. after some hours minneapolis was reached, a cab took them to the institute and the worst was over. the minister and the patient entered the big rest room of the institute just as the bell signaled the patients to prepare for treatment. the inmates began to remove their coats and to roll up their shirt sleeves so that the treatment could be injected into their arms. the removing of coats pleased a----, for it savored of a fight and he began to prepare for a conflict. hastily he removed his coat and with raised guard and closed fist staggeringly advanced towards the coatless men who had fallen into line to march past the doctor. instead of the anticipated fight, a---- received his first treatment,--the course in the keeley cure had begun. several years have passed since the above incident, but a---- is still a sober man. respected for his ability, honored by those who employ him, he stands high in the confidence of one of the largest lumber companies, and large interests are in his hands. while not a professing christian, yet he is a strong advocate of temperance, for, having known the degradation of drink, he now appreciates the virtue of sobriety. * * * * * quebec, with its french population, raises many loyal catholic sons. the training of the province does not develop a bias towards protestantism. anything savoring of it is distasteful to them, due to centuries of training. when these sons migrate to the woods of minnesota the inherited and trained prejudice is likely to accompany them. on the above paragraph a story hinges. in the north woods of tenstrike worked a french canadian, whom, for obvious reasons as well as convenience, we will call "old quebec." now, "old quebec" was neither a scholar nor a fool. he knew a few things, and the many things of which he knew nothing did not disturb his mental bias or unsettle his decision. he was a man of likes and dislikes and he gave his whole strength to either; he never asked himself whether his likes or dislikes were reasonable, he was simply satisfied to be out-and-out in opposition or comradeship. what he hated he cursed; what he respected he was always on hand to assist. well, he cursed the sky pilot whenever he saw him. "old quebec" had no love for religion of any kind, but if a man wished to profess any spiritual relationship, quebec was so trained that only catholicism was acceptable to him. therefore, when the rev. frank e. higgins came to the camp in which old quebec worked the frenchman thought him a non-entity because he was religious and a fool because he was not a catholic. if you had asked old quebec, "aren't you prejudiced?" he would have laughed, probably have sworn you out of countenance, and in his blasphemous way have given you the information, "what i know i know." his answer would have satisfied him and his profanity have settled you. so, at the meeting, on the missionary's first appearance, old quebec did all he could to disturb and interfere. when asked to give the others the privilege of hearing, he replied with a torrent of invective, blasphemy and vulgarity that shocked the ears of every decent man in the camp. now there are some men whom one can not easily eject. old quebec was probably one of these, at least, the missionary decided that discretion was the better part of valor. for once there were two speakers at the meeting, and mr. higgins, being more accustomed to public speaking, won out. few men could equal old quebec with the peavy. when there were logs to sack in the shallows of the river he was the man to keep the stuff from jamming, or when they jammed, to find the key log and break the obstruction. he was strong as hammered steel and bore himself as the king of the crew. he satisfied himself by cursing the missionary on all occasions, and the missionary was satisfied to talk him to a stand still. true, the missionary had tried to win the man, but old quebec was unapproachable. one sunday night the missionary went to a hotel in tenstrike and after spending some time in conversation with the loungers, he started for the barn to see if his dog team was comfortable for the night. on the way to the barn he passed the ice house, before which lay several cakes of ice. as he passed between the cakes the missionary stumbled over the body of a man. the body was motionless and cold, and although he felt for evidence of life he could discover none. rushing into the hotel saloon, the preacher called for assistance. old quebec was at the bar drinking. "come on, quebec," cried mr. higgins, "get the lantern and help me with a dead or dying man." procuring a lantern, the missionary and the frenchman hurried into the yard. "take hold of his feet, quebec," said the preacher as he put his arms around the cold body, but old quebec, true to his superstition, refused to touch what was apparently a dead body. the missionary got the body on his back, quebec held the lantern, and the body was carried into the saloon. fortunately the man was not dead, but was drunk and frozen, and, had it not been for the timely aid would soon have succumbed. in the saloon the missionary worked over the helpless man until consciousness returned. "take care of him," said the minister to the hotel man, "for i must leave early. charge the expense to me." old quebec heard the remark. in the course of a few days the sky pilot visited the camp in which old quebec worked. the service began, but no word from the old man, although he sat in a prominent place. "i suppose quebec's waiting till the preaching commences," whispered one of the boys to a neighbor. the preaching began. through it all quebec listened with attention, no sign of interruption came from him. "what's the matter with old quebec?" the minister asked himself, "is the fellow sick, there's so little action in him?" after the meeting was over the frenchman beckoned to the preacher. wonderingly, mr. higgins approached him. "there it is, pilot," said the frenchman, extending his hand, "that's yours now. will you shake it? i've been pretty rough on you. i ain't got much time for religion, but after what i saw that sunday night in tenstrike, i'm settled. you're willing to do for us poor fools what we ain't got sense enough to do for ourselves. anything i can do for you, pilot, i do. what i know i know. i'm with you." as strong in his friendship as he was in his hatred is old quebec, ever ready to give a helping hand to the missionary, and as a contrast to the past he now feels that he is responsible for the decorum of the camp. woe be it to the jack who dares to interfere with one of mr. higgins' meetings if old quebec is present. once in bemidji a crowd of lumberjacks was standing on the sidewalk when old quebec, who was in the group, saw mr. higgins approaching. "open up the road for the pilot," cried old quebec, "he's made the sledding easy for many a one of us, so i'll road monkey for him." (the road monkey is the man who keeps the ice roads clean.) the old fellow listens now, and others listen at his bidding,--faith cometh by hearing, so old quebec's chances are bettered, for the word is like leaven. * * * * * it is not preaching alone that is needed in the solitudes of the forest; even here pastoral work has its place, often a large place. had the apostle paul been visiting the lumber camps of asia minor when he wished to be all things to all men, or had he just beheld the ancient lumberjacks as they poured into the athenian bowery after a winter's chopping on the slopes of god forsaken olympia? whatever the cause of the thought, it expresses the need of the missionary who would work in the camps. but paul was himself a missionary, and that explains why he knew the qualities of heart and hand essential to successful work. frank higgins is a pastor, preacher, friend and brother to his heterogeneous flock. their concerns are his interests and they know that if they need assistance this minister will extend it gladly. the following incident will illustrate this point: a. m. was a man who had followed the camps for years. in his years of logging he had acquired a little property, was happily married, and several children came to lighten his home. his wages were above his expenditures and he was making financial progress. but if you wish to introduce a change in the even march of progress, introduce drink. this is what a. did. [illustration: a homesteader's shack] it was then the old, old story of retrogression through alcohol. the property he prized as the fruit of industry gradually passed into other hands and a darker side of life was seen, in which the woodsman, his wife and children were all involved. the saloons handled his wages and a respected man sank into the maw of appetite. in one of the saloons the rev. f. e. higgins found the rum-soaked scotchman on the verge of delirium tremens. the missionary took the helpless man to his home in the forest and began to nurse him back to health and sobriety. two days and nights he sat beside the bed until the drunken visions passed and reason began to return. while the missionary was attending his self-assumed patient he gathered every piece of the man's clothing into a bundle and sent them over to the home of a neighbor. not a single garment belonging to the man was left in the house. it was a course of heroic treatment that was in store for the patient. when m. began to regain his reason he was besides himself for liquor, but there was none to be had. leaping from the bed he sought in all parts of the house for his clothing so he could return to the saloons and quench the consuming thirst, but no successful find rewarded his diligence. he begged for his clothing, but the man who sat beside his bed was deaf to entreaty. it was a seige in which the besieged could not even claim the primitive fig leaf. if the watcher had not restrained him he would have rushed out of the house, but the man who had sent his clothes away never relaxed his vigilance the house was a prison. the hours passed and the man became milder. the sky pilot drew out memories of better days; the long-closed chambers of memory slowly opened, and with the return came the recollections of the days when freedom crowned the life and evil habits were as yet unborn. such remembrances create the desire to reproduce again the life of freedom. while m. was sighing for the past joys, mr. higgins was pointing him to the one who said, "i came that ye might have life, and have it more abundantly." at last in the shadow of the sin absorbing cross the brawny preacher and weakened slave knelt side by side. to him who proclaimed liberty to the captive and to them that are bound they prayed, and when they arose two freemen clasped hands in friendship and christian fellowship. m. realized that while he was free, yet sin had weakened him, so he gathered his belongings together and with his family left the place of his temptation and fall and emigrated to manitoba. while i write, a letter is on my desk. it is from m.'s wife telling of his later life. she who wrote the letter was a catholic, but she tells of the god-given strength that came to m., how during the years since his conversion he had lived under the sustaining grace of christ. "both my husband and son united with the presbyterian church here, and when at last they brought the father from a northern camp, bruised and dying, his faith held fast to the savior who took him from the pit." chapter ix. the field and its possibilities. the evangelistic committee of the presbyterian church has been active in the logging camp work since , when it first sent missionaries to preach in the camps of minnesota and wisconsin. the first missionaries it appointed to this work were rev. jos. oliver buswell and rev. f. e. higgins, the former taking the work in wisconsin and the latter in minnesota. both these men had been carrying on private work in the camps near their pastorates. prior to the work was largely experimental and on a small scale, but in the summer of the above-named year a strong sub-committee of the evangelistic committee took charge of the logging camp mission work and an aggressive campaign was inaugurated. in the foregoing pages of this little volume we have considered the work in minnesota exclusively and presented only the part which came directly under the hand of mr. higgins: now we desire to give a brief view of a more extended field. the sub-committee known as the lumberman's evangelistic council is composed of men who are individually interested in this work. they are prominent lumbermen or well-known ministers, as the personnel of the committee shows: mr. w. a. holt, oconto, wis. mr. arthur d. wheeler, chicago, ill. mr. c. a. barton, minneapolis, minn. mr. e. t. buxton, duluth, minn. dr. j. m. gray, chicago, ill. dr. w. o. carrier, waukesha, wis. mr. dewitt van ostrand, philips, wis. dr. j. beveridge lee, chicago, ill. dr. w. j. darby, evansville, ind. the officers of the council are: hon. hugh h. hanna, chairman, indianapolis, ind. mr. j. e. defebaugh, vice chairman, chicago, ill. dr. p. e. zartman, secretary and treasurer, winona lake, ind. rev. f. e. higgins, superintendent of camp work, rockford, minn. rev. j. o. buswell, general superintendent, lumber exchange, minneapolis, minn. the desire of the lumberman's evangelistic council is to place the services of the missionaries at the disposal of all the lumber camps in the west, so that the general morals of the workers may be raised and a corresponding plain of righteousness and ability be reached. [illustration: the steam hauler] the superintendents of this work are well equipped for the task before them. mr. buswell has been an interested worker in the camps for some years. he felt that god called him to this particular work, and has been instrumental in leading many of the foresters to christ. the reader of these pages knows that mr. higgins brings to the work the practical experience of twelve years, and a devotion to god and man that brings results. through mr. buswell and mr. higgins the claims of the lumberjacks have been presented to the churches and by their efforts almost all the money used to carry on the work in the past, except their own salaries, has been raised. under their direction a number of helpers have been at work in the field, the superintendents being individually responsible for their salaries and expenses. beyond the states of minnesota and wisconsin, a little work was also done in michigan and washington. in the state of washington mr. higgins spent the last two summers, taking with him, in , two of his best camp chaplains. the future is ruddy with promise. with the more extensive organization come hopes of greater efficiency and broader possibilities. the desires of a few men have become the wishes and prayers of a greater number. the sub-committee's intention is to reach all the western and southwestern states in which the men of ax and peavey are at work. as yet only the edges of the field have been approached; even in minnesota where the work is more extended, only one hundred camps are touched, while four hundred other camps are left entirely to themselves. many of the states are without any organized work in the lumber regions. a view of the states west and south will reveal larger timber districts where this mission work will find a welcome and where aggressive extension is immediately imperative. western montana has its camps on the tree-covered mountain slopes. idaho computes its timbered acres at ten millions. timber is one of the principal resources of the state of washington. the western slopes of the cascades are heavily wooded with fir and on the eastern side blue and yellow pine predominate. oregon is proud of its pine forests, the density of the woods is inviting to industry and solitude. the douglas spruce has made this state a world-famous mart for masts and spars. california is the home of the redwood, and all the world reads of its mammoths of the forest; but in the northern part of the state pine, oak and fir lure the lumber companies, and there the lumberjacks are calling for services. southwest of minnesota the numerous camps of the timbered black hills catch the eye, then come the sixteen million mountain acres of forest land in the neighboring state of wyoming, and an almost equal stretch in colorado. missouri is also well wooded, in all except the northern and western parts, and the state of arkansas has twenty-five million acres of timber wealth. louisiana has more than half of the timber acreage of arkansas. the state of texas does not count its wooded lands by acres; it presents the figures of sixty-four thousand square miles. the possibilities of this evangelistic work are noticeable in the above sketch of the western and southern forests. where the lumber is to be obtained, there are the lumber camps and the lumberjacks. the surroundings of the men are much the same as in minnesota, with the restraints of civilization removed and the agents of viciousness always at hand. the foresters present a picture at which the angels weep and the devils are joyful. lumbering has been a prominent industry for many years in michigan, wisconsin and minnesota, and it will continue to play a large part in the industry of these states for twenty years to come. in such states the camps are large, grouped and accessible therefore the mission work can be done with greater ease and economy than in the older states of the east where the lumbercamps are far apart and small. in the west a camp chaplain can serve as high as fifteen camps, giving them each a service at least twice a month. seventy-five dollars a month will support a chaplain. since the logging season is short, in minnesota about five and a half months, it will be seen that a large amount of good can be accomplished at a small expenditure. a chaplain will preach to from sixty to one hundred and sixty men every night in the week and on sunday perhaps preach in three different camps. he is the representative of spiritual truths to from six hundred to one thousand men. where, at so little cost, are the possibilities of good so great? where are these camp preachers to be obtained? "i believe that god will call to this work the men of the pineries rather than the men of the seminaries," said the rev. f. e. higgins. this has been so in the past. the men who are converted in the camps are equipped with a knowledge of conditions through experience, and where mental and spiritual ability are present they can do excellent work. several of the successful workers in the camp mission were once lumberjacks. mr. fred davis, who, since the promotion of mr. higgins, is superintendent of the minnesota work, was at one time a lumberjack. mr. davis refused an excellent business position in order to spend his life reaching the foresters. another worker is mr. l. c. michells, a former cruiser and estimator. mr. michells is not only a strong preacher, but is physically able to care for himself when opposition is presented,--to this the ex-mayor of a lumber town can testify to his sorrow, as can others who saw the fallen political boss hauled home on a dray after the encounter with right and might. at the time of writing, mr. michells is preaching in the camps of washington. god is raising up men. will the christian church raise the means? through the work done in minnesota and wisconsin an introduction has been secured to all the western states; the timber lands of the west are owned largely by the firms who have exploited the woods adjacent to the great lakes, and these companies know the good accomplished here, hence a ready welcome is given to the missionary going to more western fields. the lumberjacks are naturally wanderers and in the camps of the pacific slopes the minnesota and wisconsin woodsmen are already there to give the chaplains welcome. mr. higgins tells of preaching in a town on the tacoma eastern railway in washington: "in one town where no religious organization was at work, i held services in a dance hall, and seventy-five persons were present, sixty of whom were loggers. after the service two lumberjacks came up to me and said: 'hello, pilot, don't you know us? we're a couple of your minnesota boys. don't you remember preaching in the clearwater camps on 'the chances a fellow has if he'll take them?' well, we broke away from the gang, came out here, have saved our money, and are the ones who rustled the crowd for you tonight.' "on another occasion i was to speak in the open air, when an old minnesota campman brought a pitcher of lemonade and placed it by my side. after the meeting he invited me to his home and wanted me to make it mine while i labored in that place. such kindness from the men who had been my boys in the north star pineries did much to make my work in washington a pleasure." by the past work the doors of the present have been forced open. the waiting men are inviting the bearers of good tidings to enter--shall we refuse? where there is a need shall not the christian church supply it? douglas malloch, the lumbermen's poet, presents us a picture of the field in the following poem: the parish of the pines "where the winter's chill is deep and still, where summer days are long, where sighing breeze and branches fill the air with sob and song, there lies a parish of the lord no wall or street confines: there 'waits the coming of the lord the parish of the pines. "no tower uplifts its gilded spire above a house of prayer, no organ tower or swaying choir makes sweetest music there, for 'tis a vineyard choked with weeds and lush with tangled vines; yea, much it lacks and much it needs-- the parish of the pines. "yet word of god is word of god in camp or pulpit told, and men of forest and of sod await the story old. 'tis time to hew away the sin that now the soul confines, and let a little sunshine in the parish of the pines." transcriber's notes: punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. simple typographical errors were corrected. images of public domain material from the google print project.) connie morgan in the lumber camps by james b. hendryx author of "connie morgan in alaska," "connie morgan with the mounted" [illustration] _illustrated_ g. p. putnam's sons new york and london the knickerbocker press copyright, by james b. hendryx the knickerbocker press, new york [illustration] contents chapter page i.--connie morgan goes "outside" ii.--hurley iii.--into the woods iv.--connie tames a bear-cat v.--hurley lays out the new camp vi.--the i. w. w. shows its hand vii.--the prisoners viii.--the boss of camp two ix.--saginaw ed in the toils x.--connie does some trailing xi.--connie finds an ally xii.--shading the cut xiii.--saginaw ed hunts a clue xiv.--a pair of socks xv.--hurley prepares for the drive xvi.--slue foot "comes across" xvii.--heinie metzger xviii.--connie sells some logs xix.--the unmasking of slue foot magee xx.--connie delivers his logs [illustration] illustrations page hurley mike gillum took connie to the river where miles of booms held millions of feet of logs "come on, tell them what you told them a minute ago" swiftly the boy followed the tracks to the point where the man had struck into the clearing the boy hastened unnoticed to the edge of a crowd of men that encircled frenchy lamar "what in the name of time be you doin' here?" exclaimed saginaw "phy don't yez tell me oi'm a big liar?" he roared "phwat d'yez want?" he whined "what's this?" asked the boy, pushing up a small bundle slue foot turned. "think y're awful smart, don't ye?" he leaned back in his chair and stared at connie through his glasses, as one would examine a specimen at the zoo very gingerly he donned the garments and for some moments stood and viewed himself in the mirror hurley had remained at the upper camp, and as the drive at last began to thin out, he came floating down, standing erect upon a huge log connie placed his hand affectionately upon the arm of the big boss who stood at his side grinning broadly connie morgan in the lumber camps chapter i connie morgan goes "outside" [illustration] with an exclamation of impatience, waseche bill pushed a formidable looking volume from him and sat, pen in hand, scowling down at the sheet of writing paper upon the table before him. "i done give fo' dollahs fo' that dictionary down to faihbanks an' it ain't wo'th fo' bits!" "what's the matter with it?" grinned connie morgan, glancing across the table into the face of his partner. "the main matteh with it is that it ain't no good. it's plumb full of a lot of wo'ds that no one wouldn't know what yo' was talkin' about if yo' said 'em, an' the common ones a man has got some use fo' is left out." "what word do you want? i learned to spell quite a lot of words in school." "gillum." "what?" "gillum--i want to write a letteh to mike gillum. they ain't no betteh man nowheahs than mike. he's known all along the tanana an' in the loggin' woods outside, an' heah's this book that sets up to show folks how to spell, an' it cain't even spell mike gillum." connie laughed. "gillum is a proper name," he explained, "and dictionaries don't print proper names." "they might a heap betteh leave out some of the impropeh an' redic'lous ones they've got into 'em, then, an' put in some of the propeh ones. i ain't pleased with that book, nohow. it ain't no good. it claims fo' to show how to spell wo'ds, an' when yo' come to use it yo' got to know how to spell the wo'd yo' huntin' fo' oah yo' cain't find it. the only wo'ds yo' c'n find when yo' want 'em is the ones yo' c'n spell anyhow, so what's the use of findin' 'em?" "but, there's the definitions. it tells you what the words mean." waseche bill snorted contemptuously. "what they mean!" he exclaimed. "well, if yo' didn't know what they mean, yo' wouldn't be wantin' to use them, nohow, an' yo' wouldn't care a doggone how they was spelt, noah if they was spelt at all oah not. fact is, i didn't give the matteh no thought when i bought it. if it had be'n a big deal i wouldn't have be'n took in, that way. in the hotel at faihbanks, it was, when i was comin' in. the fellow i bought it off of seemed right pleased with the book. why, he talked enough about it to of sold a claim. i got right tired listenin' to him, so i bought it. but, shucks, i might of know'd if the book had be'n any good he wouldn't have be'n so anxious to get red of it." "where is this mike gillum?" connie asked, as he folded a paper and returned it to a little pile of similar papers that lay before him on the table. "i don't jest recollec' now, but i got the place copied down in my notebook. it's some town back in minnesota." "minnesota!" "yes. fact is we be'n so blamed busy all summeh right heah in ten bow, i'd plumb forgot about ouh otheh interests, till the nippy weatheh done reminded me of 'em." "i didn't know we had any other interests," smiled the boy. "it's this way," began waseche bill, as he applied a match to his pipe and settled back in his chair. "when i was down to the hospital last fall they brought in a fellow fo' an operation an' put him in the room next to mine. the first day he stuck his nose out the do', i seen it was mike gillum--we'd prospected togetheh oveh on the tanana, yeahs back, an' yo' bet yo' boots i was glad to see someone that had been up heah in the big country an' could talk sensible about it without askin' a lot of fool questions about what do the dawgs drink in winteh if everythin's froze up? an' ain't we afraid we'll freeze to death? an' how high is the mountains? an' did you know my mother's cousin that went up to alaska after gold in ' ? while he was gettin' well, we had some great old powwows, an' he told me how he done got sick of prospectin' an' went back to loggin'. he's a fo'man, now, fo' some big lumbeh syndicate in one of theih camps up in no'the'n minnesota." "one day we was settin' a smokin' ouh pipes an' he says to me, 'waseche,' he says, 'you've got the dust to do it with, why don't you take a li'l flyeh in timbeh?' i allowed minin' was mo' in my line, an' he says, 'that's all right, but this heah timbeh business is a big proposition, too. jest because a man's got one good thing a-goin', ain't no sign he'd ort to pass up anotheh. it's this way,' he says: 'up to'ds the haid of dogfish riveh, they's a four-thousand-acre tract of timbeh that's surrounded on three sides by the syndicate holdin's. fo' yeahs the syndicate's be'n tryin' to get holt of this tract, but the man that owns it would die befo' he'd let 'em put an axe to a stick of it. they done him dirt some way a long time ago an' he's neveh fo'got it. he ain't got the capital to log it, an' he won't sell to the syndicate. but he needs the money, an' if some private pahty come along that would take it off his hands an' agree to neveh sell it to the syndicate, he could drive a mighty good ba'gain. i know logs,' mike says, 'an' i'm tellin' yo' there ain't a betteh strip of timbeh in the state.' "'why ain't no one grabbed it befo'?' i asks. "'because this heah mcclusky that owns it is a mighty suspicious ol' man, an' he's tu'ned down about a hund'ed offehs because he know'd they was backed by the syndicate.' "'maybe he'd tu'n down mine, if i'd make him one,' i says. "mike laughed. 'no,' he says, 'spite of the fact that i'm one of the syndicate's fo'men, ol' man mcclusky takes my wo'd fo' anything i tell him. him an' my ol' dad come oveh f'om ireland togetheh. i'd go a long ways around to do ol' mac a good tu'n, an' he knows it. fact is, it's me that put him wise that most of the offehs he's had come from the syndicate--my contract with 'em callin' fo' handlin' loggin' crews, an' not helpin' 'em skin folks out of their timbeh. if i'd slip the we'd to mac to sell to you, he'd sell.'" waseche refilled his pipe, and connie waited eagerly for his big partner to proceed. "well," continued the man, "he showed me how it was an awful good proposition, so i agreed to take it oveh. i wanted mike should come in on it, but he wouldn't--mike's squah as a die, an' he said his contract has got three mo' yeahs to run, an' it binds him not to engage in no private business oah entehprise whateveh while it's in fo'ce. "befo'e mike left the hospital he sent fo' mcclusky, an' we closed the deal. that was last fall, an' i told mike that as long as the timbeh was theah, i might's well staht gettin' it out. he wa'ned me to keep my eye on the syndicate when i stahted to layin' 'em down, but befo'e he'd got a chance to give me much advice on the matteh, theah come a telegram fo' him to get to wo'k an' line up his crew an' get into the woods. befo'e he left, though, he said he'd send me down a man that might do fo' a fo'man. said he couldn't vouch for him no mo'n that he was a tiptop logman, an' capable of handlin' a crew in the woods. so he come, jake hurley, his name is, an' he's a big red irishman. i didn't jest like his looks, an' some of his talk, but i didn't know wheah to get anyone else so i took a chance on him an' hired him to put a crew into the woods an' get out a small lot of timbeh." waseche bill crossed the room and, unlocking a chest, tossed a packet of papers onto the table. "it's all in theah," he said grimly. "they got out quite a mess of logs, an' in the spring when they was drivin' 'em down the dogfish riveh, to get 'em into the mississippi, they fouled a syndicate drive. when things got straightened out, we was fo'teen thousan' dollahs to the bad." the little clock ticked for a long time while connie carefully examined the sheaf of papers. after a while he looked up. "why, if it hadn't been for losing our logs we would have cleaned up a good profit!" he exclaimed. [illustration: hurley] waseche bill nodded. "yes--if. but the fact is, we didn't clean up no profit, an' we got the tract on ouh hands with no one to sell it to, cause i passed ouh wo'd i wouldn't sell it--o' co'se mcclusky couldn't hold us to that acco'din' to law, but i reckon, he won't have to. i got us into this heah mess unbeknownst to you, so i'll jest shouldeh the loss, private, an'----" "you'll _what!_" interrupted connie, wrathfully. and then grinned good-humouredly as he detected the twinkle in waseche bill's eye. "i said, i c'n get a raise out of yo' any time i'm a mind to try, cain't i?" "you sure can," laughed the boy. "but just so you don't forget it, we settled this partnership business for good and all, a couple of years ago." waseche nodded as he glanced affectionately into the face of the boy. "yes, son, i reckon that's done settled," he answered, gravely. "but the question is, now we ah into this thing, how we goin' to get out?" "fight out, of course!" exclaimed the boy, his eyes flashing. "the first thing for us to find out is, whether the fouling of that drive was accidental or was done purposely. and why we didn't get what was coming to us when the logs were sorted." "i reckon that's done settled, as fah as _knowin'_ it's conse'ned. provin' it will be anotheh matteh." he produced a letter from his pocket. "this come up in the mail," he said. "it's from mike gillum. mike, he writes a middlin' sho't letteh, but he says a heap. it was wrote from riverville, minnesota, on july the tenth." "friend waseche: "just found out hurley is on pay roll of the syndicate. look alive. "mike." "double crossed us," observed the boy, philosophically. "yes, an' the wo'st of it is, he wouldn't sign up without a two-yeah contract. said some yeahs a boss has bad luck an' he'd ort to be give a chance to make good." "i'm glad of it," said connie. "i think he'll get his chance, all right." waseche looked at his small partner quizzically. "what do yo' mean?" he asked. "let's go to bed. it's late," observed the boy, evasively. "maybe in the morning we'll have it doped out." at breakfast the following morning connie looked at waseche bill, and waseche looked at connie. "i guess it's up to me," smiled the boy. "yo' mean----?" "i mean that the only way to handle this case is to handle it from the bottom up. first we've got to get this jake hurley with the goods, and when we've got him out of the way, jump in and show the syndicate that they've run up against an outfit it don't pay to monkey with. that timber is ours, and we're going to have it!" "that sums the case right pert as fa' as talkin' goes, but how we goin' to do it? if we go down theah an' kick hurley out, we've got to pay him fo' a whole winteh's wo'k he ain't done an' i'd hate to do that. we don't neitheh one of us know enough about loggin' to run the camp, an' if we was to hunt up anotheh fo'man, chances is he'd be as bad as hurley, mebbe wo'se." "there's no use in both of us going. you're needed here, and besides there wouldn't be much you could do if you were there. hurley don't know me, and i can go down and get enough on him by spring to put him away where he can think things over for a while. i've just finished a year's experience in handling exactly such characters as he is." waseche bill grinned. "i met up with dan mckeeveh comin' in," he said. "from what i was able to getheh, heahin' him talk, i reckon they cain't be many bad men left oveh on the yukon side." "dan was prejudiced," laughed connie. "i did just what any one else would have done--what good men any place you put 'em have _got_ to do, or they wouldn't be good men. after i'd found out what had to be done, i figured out the most sensible way of doing it, and then did it the best i knew how. i haven't lived with men like you, and dan, and macdougall, and the rest of the boys, for nothing----" "jest yo' stick to that way of doin', son, an', i reckon, yo'll find it's about all the bible yo'll need. but, about this heah trip to the outside. i sho' do hate to have yo' go down theh, so fah away from anywhehs. s'posin' somethin' should happen to yo'. why, i don't reckon i eveh would get oveh blamin' myself fo' lettin' yo' go." "any one would think i was a girl," smiled the boy. "but i guess if i can take care of myself up here, i can handle anything i'll run up against outside." "what do yo' aim to do when yo' get theah?" "the first thing to do will be to hunt up mike gillum and have a talk with him. after that--well, after that, i'll know what to do." waseche bill regarded the boy thoughtfully as he passed his fingers slowly back and forth along his stub-bearded jaw. "i reckon yo' will, son," he said, "from what i know of yo', an' what dan done tol' me, comin' in, i jest reckon yo' will." when connie morgan made up his mind to do a thing he went ahead and did it. inside of a week the boy had packed his belongings, bid good-bye to ten bow, and started upon the journey that was to take him far from his beloved alaska, and plunge him into a series of adventures that were to pit his wits against the machinations of a scheming corporation. chapter ii hurley with a long-drawn whistle the great trans-continental train ground to a stop at a tiny town that consisted simply of a red painted depot, a huge water tank, and a dozen or more low frame houses, all set in a little clearing that was hardly more than a notch in one of the parallel walls of pine that flanked the railroad. the coloured porter glanced contemptuously out of the window and grumbled at the delay. the conductor, a dapper little man of blue cloth and brass buttons, bustled importantly down the aisle and disappeared through the front door. connie raised his window and thrust his head out. other heads protruded from the long line of coaches, and up in front men were swinging from the platforms to follow the trainmen who were hurrying along the sides of the cars. connie arose and made his way forward. two days and nights in the cramped quarters of the car had irked the boy, used as he was to the broad, open places, and it was with a distinct feeling of relief that he stepped to the ground and breathed deeply of the pine-scented air. upon a siding stood several flat cars onto which a dozen or more roughly dressed men were busily loading gear and equipment under the eye of a massive-framed giant of a man in a shirt of brilliant red flannel, who sat dangling his legs from the brake wheel of the end car. a stubble of red beard covered the man's undershot jaw. the visor of a greasy plush cap, pushed well back upon his head, disclosed a shock of red hair that nearly met the shaggy eyebrows beneath which a pair of beady eyes kept tab on the movements of his crew. to the stalled train, and the people who passed close beside him, the man gave no heed. up ahead, some eight or ten rods in front of the monster engine that snorted haughty impatience to be gone, connie saw the cause of the delay. a heavy, underslung logging wagon was stalled directly upon the tracks, where it remained fixed despite the efforts of the four big horses that were doing their utmost to move it in response to a loud string of abusive epithets and the stinging blows of a heavy whip which the driver wielded with the strength of a husky arm. a little knot of men collected about the wagon, and the driver, abandoning his vain attempt to start the load, addressed the crowd in much the same language he had used toward the horses. the train conductor detached himself from the group and hurried toward the flat cars. "hey, you," he piped, "are you the boss of this crew?" the huge man upon the brake wheel paid him no heed, but bawled a profane reprimand for the misplacing of a coil of wire line. "hey, you, i say!" the little conductor was fairly dancing impatience. "you, red shirt! are you the boss?" the wire line having been shifted to suit him, the other condescended to glare down into the speaker's face. "i be--what's loose with you?" "get that wagon off the track! you've held us up ten minutes already! it's an outrage!" "aw, go chase yersilf! whad'ye s'pose i care av yer tin minutes late, er tin hours? i've got trouble av me own." "you get that wagon moved!" shrilled the conductor. "you're obstructing the united states mail, and i guess you know what that means!" reference to the mail evidently had its effect upon the boss, for he very deliberately clambered to the ground and made his way leisurely toward the stalled wagon. "give 'em the gad, ye wooden head! what ye standin' there wid yer mout' open fer?" once more the driver plied his heavy lash and the big horses strained to the pull. but it was of no avail. "they can't pull it, it ain't any good to lick 'em," remonstrated the engineer. "a couple of you boys climb up and throw some of that stuff off. we can't wait here all day." the fireman and the brakeman started toward the load, but were confronted by the glowering boss. "ye'll lay off a couple av trips while they fan ye back to life, av ye try ut!" he roared. the men turned back, and the boss addressed the engineer. "you try ut yersilf, av ye're lookin' fer a nice little lay-off in the hospital. av ye lay here all day an' all night, too, ye've got no wan but yer company to thank. who was ut put them rotten planks in that crossin'?" the engineer possessed a certain diplomacy that the conductor did not. "sure, it's the company's fault. any one can see that. they've got no business putting such rotten stuff into their crossings. i didn't want to butt in on you, boss, but if you'll just tell us what to do we'll help you get her out of there." the boss regarded him with suspicion, but the engineer was smiling in a friendly fashion, and the boss relented a little. "mostly, ut's the company's fault, but partly ut's the fault av that blockhead av a teamster av mine. he ain't fit to drive a one-horse phaeton fer an owld woman's home." while the boss talked he eyed the stalled wagon critically. "come over here, a couple av you sleepwalkers!" he called, and when the men arrived from the flat cars, he ripped out his orders almost in a breath. "git a plank befront that hind wheel to ride ut over the rail! you frog-eater, there, that calls yersilf a teamster--cramp them horses hard to the right! freeze onto the spokes now, ye sons av rest, an' roll 'er!" once more the big horses threw their weight into the traces, and the men on the wheels lifted and strained but the wagon held fast. for a single instant the boss looked on, then with a growl he leaped toward the wagon. "throw the leather into 'em, frenchy! make thim leaders pull up!" catching the man on the offending hind wheel by the shoulder he sent him spinning to the side of the track, and stooping, locked his thick fingers about a spoke, set his great shoulder against the tire and with legs spread wide, heaved upward. the load trembled, hesitated an instant, and moved slowly, the big boss fairly lifting the wheel up the short incline. a moment later it rolled away toward the flat cars, followed by the boss and his crew. "beef and bluff," grinned connie to himself as the crowd of passengers returned to the coaches. connie found mike gillum busily stowing potatoes in an underground root cellar. "he's almost as big as the man with the red shirt," thought the boy as he watched mike read the note waseche bill had given him before he left ten bow. the man paused in the middle to stare incredulously at the boy. "d'ye mane," he asked, in his rich irish brogue, "thot ut's yersilf's the pardner av waseche bill--a kid loike you, the pardner av _him_?" connie laughed; and unconsciously his shoulders stiffened. "yes," he answered proudly, "we've been partners for two years." still the man appeared incredulous. "d'ye mane ye're the wan thot he wuz tellin' thrailed him beyant the ogilvies into the lillimuit? an' put in the time whilst he wuz in the hospital servin' wid the mounted? moind ye, lad, oi've be'n in the narth mesilf, an' oi know summat av it's ways." "yes, but maybe waseche bragged me up more than----" mike gillum interrupted him by thrusting forth a grimy hand. "br-ragged ye up, is ut! an-ny one thot c'n do the things ye've done, me b'y, don't nade no braggin' up. ut's proud oi am to know ye--waseche towld me ye wuz ondly a kid, but oi had in me moind a shtrappin' young blade av mebbe ut's twinty-foor or -five, not a wee shtrip av a lad loike ye. come on in the house till oi wash up a bit, thim praties has got me back fair bruk a'ready." the big irishman would not hear of the boy's putting up at a hotel, and after supper the two sat upon the foreman's little veranda that overlooked the river and talked until far into the night. "so ye've got to kape yer oye on um, lad," the irishman concluded, after a long discourse upon the ins and outs, and whys and wherefores of the logging situation on dogfish. "ut's mesilf'll give you all the help oi can, faylin' raysponsible fer sindin' him to waseche. there's divilmint in the air fer this winter. the syndicate's goin' to put a camp on dogfish below ye, same as last winter. oi've wor-rked fer um long enough to know ut's only to buck you folks they're doin' ut, fer their plans wuz not to do an-ny cuttin' on the dogfish tract fer several years to come. whin oi heard they wuz goin' to put a camp there oi applied fer the job av bossin' ut, but they towld me oi wuz nayded over on willow river." mike gillum knocked the dottle from his pipe and grinned broadly. "'twuz a complimint they paid me," he said. "they know me loike oi know thim--av there's crooked wor-ruk to be done in a camp, they take care that oi ain't the boss av ut. but willow river is only tin miles back--due narth av the mcclusky tract." [illustration: mike gillum took connie to the river where miles of booms held millions of feet of logs] the next morning mike gillum took connie to the river where miles of booms held millions of feet of logs which awaited their turn at the sawmills whose black smoke belched from stacks at some distance downstream where the river plunged over the apron of the dam in a mad whirl of white water. "how can they tell which mill the logs are to go to?" asked the boy, as he gazed out over the acres of boomed timber. "each log carries uts mark, they're sorted in the river. we'll walk on down where ye c'n see um jerked drippin' to the saws." "does hurley live here?" asked connie, as the two followed the river bank toward the dam. "naw, he lives at pine hook, down the road a ways. ut's about time he wuz showin' up, though. he lays in his supplies an' fills in his crew here. he towld me last spring he wuz goin' to run two camps this winter." they were close above the dam and had to raise their voices to make themselves heard above the roar of the water that dashed over the apron. "look!" cried connie, suddenly, pointing toward a slender green canoe that floated in the current at a distance of a hundred yards or so from shore, and the same distance above the falls. "there's a woman in it and she's in trouble!" the big irishman looked, shading his eyes with his hands. "she's losin' ground!" he exclaimed. "she's caught in the suck av the falls!" the light craft was pointed upstream and the woman was paddling frantically, but despite her utmost efforts the canoe was being drawn slowly toward the brink of the white water apron. with a roar the big irishman sprang to the water's edge and raced up the bank toward a tiny wharf to which were tied several skiffs with their oars in the locks. connie measured the distance with his eye. "he'll never make it!" he decided, and jerking off coat and shoes, rushed to the water. "keep paddling, ma'am!" he called at the top of his lungs, and plunged in. with swift, sure strokes the boy struck out for the canoe. the woman saw him coming and redoubled her efforts. "come back, ye idiot!" bellowed a voice from the bank, but connie did not even turn his head. he had entered the water well upstream from the little craft, and the current bore him down upon it as he increased his distance from shore. a moment later he reached up and grasped the gunwale. "keep paddling!" he urged, as he drew himself slowly over the bow, at the same time keeping the canoe in perfect balance. "where's your other paddle?" he shouted. "there's--only--this," panted the woman. "give it here!" cried the boy sharply, "and lie flat in the bottom! we've got to go over the dam!" "no, no, no!" shrieked the woman, "we'll be killed! several----" with a growl of impatience, connie wrenched the paddle from her hands. "lie down, or i'll knock you down!" he thundered, and with a moan of terror the woman sank to the bottom of the canoe. kneeling low, the boy headed the frail craft for a narrow strip of water that presented an unbroken, oily surface as it plunged over the apron. on either hand the slope showed only the churning white water. connie gave one glance toward the bank where a little knot of men had collected, and the next moment the canoe shot, head on, straight over the brink of the falls. for an instant it seemed to hang suspended with half its length hanging over, clear of the water. then it shot downward to bury its bow in the smother of boiling churning, white water at the foot of the apron. for a moment it seemed to connie as though the canoe were bound to be swamped. it rolled loggily causing the water it had shipped to slosh over the clothing and face of the limp form of the woman in the bottom. the boy was afraid she would attempt to struggle free of it, but she lay perfectly still. she had fainted. the canoe hesitated for a moment, wobbling uncertainly, as the overroll at the foot of the falls held it close against the apron, then it swung heavily into the grip of an eddy and connie at length succeeded in forcing it toward the bank, wallowing so low in the water that the gunwales were nearly awash. eager hands grasped the bow as it scraped upon the shore, and while the men lifted the still form from the bottom, connie slipped past them and made his way to the place he had left his coat and shoes. mike gillum met him at the top of the bank. "arrah! me laddie, ut's a gr-rand thrick ye pulled! no wan but a _tillicum_ av the narth country c'ud of done ut! oi see fer mesilf how ut come ye're the pardner av waseche bill. av oi had me doubts about yer bitin' off more thin ye c'ud chaw wid hurley, oi've got over 'em, now, an'--" he stopped abruptly and glanced toward the river. "shpakin' av hurley--there he comes, now!" he whispered, and connie glanced up to see a huge man advancing toward them at the head of a little group that approached from the point where he had landed the canoe. the boy stared in amazement--it was the red-shirted giant of the stalled wagon. "so that's hurley," said he, quietly. "well, here's where i strike him for a job." chapter iii into the woods the upshot of connie morgan's interview with hurley, the big red-shirted camp boss, was that the boss hired him with the injunction to show up bright and early the following morning, as the train that was to haul the outfit to the dogfish spur would leave at daylight. "'tiz a foine job ye've got--wor-rkin' f'r forty dollars a month in yer own timber," grinned big mike gillum, as he packed the tobacco into the bowl of his black pipe, when the two found themselves once more seated upon the syndicate foreman's little veranda at the conclusion of the evening meal. connie laughed. "yes, but it will amount to a good deal more than forty dollars a month if i can save the timber. we lost fourteen thousand dollars last year because those logs got mixed. i don't see yet how he worked it. you say the logs are all branded." "who knows what brands he put on 'em? or, wuz they branded at all? they wuz sorted in th' big river but the drive was fouled in the dogfish. s'pose the heft of your logs wuz branded wid the syndicate brand--or no brand at all? the wans that wuz marked for the syndicate w'd go to syndicate mills, an' the wans that wuzn't branded w'd go into the pool, to be awarded pro raty to all outfits that had logs in the drive." "i'll bet the right brand will go onto them this year!" exclaimed the boy. mike gillum nodded. "that's what ye're there for. but, don't star-rt nawthin' 'til way along towards spring. jake hurley's a boss that can get out the logs--an' that's what you want. av ye wuz to tip off yer hand too soon, the best ye c'd do w'd be to bust up the outfit wid nawthin' to show f'r the season's expenses. keep yer eyes open an' yer mout' shut. not only ye must watch hurley, but keep an eye on the scaler, an' check up the time book, an' the supplies--av course ye c'n only do the two last av he puts ye to clerking, an' oi'm thinkin' that's what he'll do. ut's either clerk or cookee f'r you, an most an-ny wan w'd do f'r a cookee." the foreman paused, and connie saw a twinkle in his eye as he continued: "ye see, sometimes a boss overestimates the number av min he's got workin'. whin he makes out the pay roll he writes in a lot av names av min that's mebbe worked f'r him years back, an' is dead, or mebbe it's just a lot av names av min that ain't lived yet, but might be born sometime; thin whin pay day comes the boss signs the vouchers an' sticks the money in his pockets. moind ye, i ain't sayin' hurley done that but he'd have a foine chanct to, wid his owner way up in alaska. an' now we'll be goin' to bed f'r ye have to git up early. oi'll be on willow river; av they's an-nything oi c'n do, ye c'n let me know." connie thanked his friend, and before he turned in, wrote a letter to his partner in ten bow: "dear waseche: "i'm o.k. how are you? got the job. don't write. mike gillum is o. k. see you in the spring. "yours truly, "c. morgan." before daylight connie was at the siding where the two flat cars loaded at pine hook, and two box cars that contained the supplies and the horses were awaiting the arrival of the freight train that was to haul them seventy miles to dogfish spur. most of the crew was there before him. irishmen, norwegians, swedes, frenchmen, and two or three indians, about thirty-five in all, swarmed upon the cars or sat in groups upon the ground. hurley was here, there, and everywhere, checking up his crew, and giving the final round of inspection to his supplies. a long whistle sounded, and the headlight of a locomotive appeared far down the track. daylight was breaking as the heavy train stopped to pick up the four cars. connie climbed with the others to the top of a box car and deposited his turkey beside him upon the running board. the turkey consisted of a grain sack tied at either end with a rope that passed over the shoulder, and contained the outfit of clothing that mike gillum had advised him to buy. the tops of the cars were littered with similar sacks, their owners using them as seats or pillows. as the train rumbled into motion and the buildings of the town dropped into the distance, the conductor made his way over the tops of the cars followed closely by hurley. together they counted the men and the conductor checked the count with a memorandum. then he went back to the caboose, and hurley seated himself beside connie. "ever work in the woods?" he asked. "no." "be'n to school much?" "yes, some." "'nough to figger up time books, an' keep track of supplies, an' set down the log figgers when they're give to you?" "i think so." "ye look like a smart 'nough kid--an' ye've got nerve, all right. i tried to holler ye back when i seen ye swimmin' out to that canoe yeste'day--i didn't think you could make it--that woman was a fool. she'd ort to drownded. but, what i was gettin' at, is this: i'm a goin' to put you to clerkin'. clerkin' in a log camp is a good job--most bosses was clerks onct. a clerk's s'posed to make hisself handy around camp an' keep the books--i'll show you about them later. we're goin' in early this year, 'cause i'm goin' to run two camps an' we got to lay out the new one an' git it built. we won't start gittin' out no timber for a month yet. i'll git things a goin' an' then slip down an' pick up my crew." "why, haven't you got your crew?" connie glanced at the men who lay sprawled in little groups along the tops of the cars. "part of it. i'm fetchin' out thirty-five this time. that's 'nough to build the new camp an' patch up the old one, but when we begin gittin' out the logs, this here'll just about make a crew for the new camp. i figger to work about fifty in the old one." "do you boss both camps?" hurly grinned. "don't i look able?" "you sure do," agreed the boy, with a glance at the man's huge bulk. "they'll only be three or four miles apart, an' i'll put a boss in each one, an' i'll be the walkin' boss." the cars jerked and swayed, as the train roared through the jack pine country. "i suppose this was all big woods once," ventured the boy. "naw--not much of it wasn't--not this jack pine and scrub spruce country. you can gener'lly always tell what was big timber, an' what wasn't. pine cuttin's don't seed back to pine. these jack pines ain't young pine--they're a different tree altogether. years back, the lumbermen wouldn't look at nawthin' but white pine, an' only the very best of that--but things is different now. yaller pine and spruce looks good to 'em, an' they're even cuttin' jack pine. they work it up into mine timbers, an' posts, an' ties, an' paper pulp. what with them an' the pig iron loggers workin' the ridges, this here country'll grow up to hazel brush, and berries, an' weeds, 'fore your hair turns grey." "what are pig iron loggers?" asked the boy. "the hardwood men. they git out the maple an' oak an' birch along the high ground an' ridges--they ain't loggers, they jest think they are." "you said pine cuttings don't seed back to pine?" "naw, it seems funny, but they don't. old cuttin's grow up to popple and scrub oak, like them with the red leaves, yonder; or else to hazel brush and berries. there used to be a few patches of pine through this jack pine country, but it was soon cut off. this here trac' we're workin' is about as good as there is left. with a good crew we'd ort to make a big cut this winter." the wheels pounded noisily at the rail ends as the boss's eyes rested upon the men who sat talking and laughing among themselves. "an' speakin' of crews, this here one's goin' to need some cullin'." he fixed his eyes on the boy with a look almost of ferocity. "an' here's another thing that a clerk does, that i forgot to mention: he hears an' sees a whole lot more'n he talks. you'll bunk in the shack with me an' the scaler--an' what's talked about in there's _our_ business--d'ye git me?" connie returned the glance fearlessly. "i guess you'll know i can keep a thing or two under my cap when we get better acquainted," he answered the reply seemed to satisfy hurley, who continued, "as i was sayin', they's some of them birds ain't goin' to winter through in no camp of mine. see them three over there on the end of that next car, a talkin' to theirselfs. i got an idee they're i. w. w.'s--mistrusted they was when i hired 'em." "what are i. w. w.'s?" connie asked. "they're a gang of sneakin' cutthroats that call theirselfs the industrial workers of the world, though why they claim they're workers is more'n what any one knows. they won't work, an' they won't let no one else work. the only time they take a job is when they think there's a chanct to sneak around an' put the kibosh on whatever work is goin' on. they tell the men they're downtrod by capital an' they'd ort to raise up an' kill off the bosses an' grab everything fer theirselfs. alongside of them birds, rattlesnakes an' skunks is good companions." "aren't there any laws that will reach them?" "naw," growled hurley in disgust. "when they git arrested an' convicted, the rest of 'em raises such a howl that capital owns the courts, an' the judges is told to hang all the workin' men they kin, an' a lot of rot like that, till the governors git cold feet an' pardon them. if the government used 'em right, it'd outlaw the whole kaboodle of 'em. some governors has got the nerve to tell 'em where to head in at--washington, an' california, an' minnesota, too, is comin' to it. they're gittin' in their dirty work in the woods--but believe me, they won't git away with nothin' in my camps! i'm just a-layin' an' a-honin' to tear loose on 'em. them three birds over there is goin' to need help when i git through with 'em." "why don't you fire 'em now?" "not me. i _want_ 'em to start somethin'! i want to git a crack at 'em. there's three things don't go in my camps--gamblin', booze, an' i. w. w.'s. i've logged from the state of maine to oregon an' halfways back. i've saw good camps an' bad ones a-plenty, an' i never seen no trouble in the woods that couldn't be charged up ag'in' one of them three." the train stopped at a little station and hurley rose with a yawn. "guess i'll go have a look at the horses," he said, and clambered down the ladder at the end of the car. the boss did not return when the train moved on and the boy sat upon the top of the jolting, swaying box car and watched the ever changing woods slip southward. used as he was to the wide open places, connie gazed spellbound at the dazzling brilliance of the autumn foliage. poplar and birch woods, flaunting a sea of bright yellow leaves above white trunks, were interspersed with dark thickets of scarlet oak and blazing sumac, which in turn gave place to the dark green sweep of a tamarack swamp, or a long stretch of scrubby jack pine. at frequent intervals squared clearings appeared in the endless succession of forest growth, where little groups of cattle browsed in the golden stubble of a field. a prim, white painted farmhouse, with its big red barn and its setting of conical grain stacks would flash past, and again the train would plunge between the walls of vivid foliage, or roar across a trestle, or whiz along the shore of a beautiful land-locked lake whose clear, cold waters sparkled dazzlingly in the sunlight as the light breeze rippled its surface. every few miles, to the accompaniment of shrieking brake shoes, the train would slow to a stop, and rumble onto a siding at some little flat town, to allow a faster train to hurl past in a rush of smoke, and dust, and deafening roar, and whistle screams. then the wheezy engine would nose out onto the main track, back into another siding, pick up a box car or two, spot an empty at the grain spout of a sagging red-brown elevator, and couple onto the train again with a jolt that threatened to bounce the cars from the rails, and caused the imprisoned horses to stamp and snort nervously. the conductor would wave his arm and, after a series of preliminary jerks that threatened to tear out the drawbars, the train would rumble on its way. at one of these stations a longer halt than usual was made while train crew and lumberjacks crowded the counter of a slovenly little restaurant upon whose fly swarming counter doughnuts, sandwiches, and pies of several kinds reposed beneath inverted semispherical screens that served as prisons for innumerable flies. "the ones that wiggles on yer tongue is flies, an' the ones that don't is apt to be blueberries," explained a big lumberjack to connie as he bit hugely into a wedge of purplish pie. connie selected doughnuts and a bespeckled sandwich which he managed to wash down with a few mouthfuls of mud-coloured coffee, upon the surface of which floated soggy grounds and flakes of soured milk. "flies is healthy," opined the greasy proprietor, noting the look of disgust with which the boy eyed the filthy layout. "i should think they would be. you don't believe in starving them," answered the boy, and a roar of laughter went up from the loggers who proceeded to "kid" the proprietor unmercifully as he relapsed into surly mutterings about the dire future in store for "fresh brats." during the afternoon the poplar and birch woods and the flaming patches of scarlet oak and sumac, gave place to the dark green of pines. the farms became fewer and farther between, and the distance increased between the little towns, where, instead of grain elevators, appeared dilapidated sawmills, whose saws had long lain idle. mere ghosts of towns, these, whose day had passed with the passing of the timber that had been the sole excuse for their existence. but, towns whose few remaining inhabitants doggedly clung to their homes and assured each other with pathetic persistence, as they grubbed in the sandy soil of their stump-studded gardens, that with the coming of the farmers the town would step into its own as the centre of a wonderfully prosperous agricultural community. thus did the residents of each dead little town believe implicitly in the future of their own town, and prophesy with jealous vehemence the absolute decadence of all neighbouring towns. toward the middle of the afternoon a boy, whom connie had noticed talking and laughing with the three lumberjacks hurley suspected of being i. w. w.'s, walked along the tops of the swaying cars and seated himself beside him. producing paper and tobacco he turned his back to the wind and rolled a cigarette, which he lighted, and blew a cloud of smoke into connie's face. he was not a prepossessing boy, with his out-bulging forehead and stooping shoulders. apparently he was about two years connie's senior. "want the makin's?" he snarled, by way of introduction. "no thanks. i don't smoke." the other favoured him with a sidewise glance. "oh, you don't, hey? my name's steve motley, an' i'm a bear-cat--_me!_ i'm cookee of this here camp--be'n in the woods goin' on two years. ever work in the woods?" connie shook his head. "no," he answered, "i never worked in the woods." "whatcha done, then? you don't look like no city kid." "why, i've never done much of anything to speak of--just knocked around a little." "well, you'll knock around some more 'fore you git through this winter. we're rough guys, us lumberjacks is, an' we don't like greeners. i 'spect though, you'll be runnin' home to yer ma 'fore snow flies. it gits forty below, an' the snow gits three foot deep in the woods." connie seemed unimpressed by this announcement, and steve continued: "they say you're goin' to do the clerkin' fer the outfit. hurley, he wanted me to do the clerkin', but i wouldn't do no clerkin' fer no man. keep all them different kind of books an' git cussed up one side an' down t'other fer chargin' 'em up with somethin' they claim they never got out'n the wanagan. not on yer life--all i got to do is help the cook. we're gettin' clost to dogfish spur now, an' the camp's twenty-seven mile off'n the railroad. guess you won't feel lost nor nothin' when you git so far back in the big sticks, hey?" connie smiled. "that's an awfully long ways," he admitted. "you bet it is! an' the woods is full of wolves an' bears, an' bobcats! if i was figgerin' on quittin' i'd quit 'fore i got into the timber." the train was slowing down, and steve arose. "y'ain't told me yer name, greener! y'better learn to be civil amongst us guys." connie met the bullying look of the other with a smile. "my name is connie morgan," he said, quietly, "and, i forgot to mention it, but i did hold down one job for a year." "in the woods?" "well, not exactly. over across the line it was." "acrost the line--in canady? what was _you_ doin' in canady?" "taming 'bear-cats' for the government," answered the boy, dryly, and rose to his feet just as hurley approached, making his way over the tops of the cars. "you wait till i git holt of you!" hissed steve, scowling. "you think y're awful smart when y're around in under hurley's nose. but i'll show you how us guys handles the boss's pets when he ain't around." the boy hurried away as hurley approached. "be'n gittin' in his brag on ye?" grinned the boss, as his eyes followed the retreating back. "he's no good--all mouth. but he's bigger'n what you be. if he tries to start anything just lam him over the head with anything that's handy. he'll leave you be, onct he's found out you mean business." "oh, i guess we won't have any trouble," answered connie, as he followed hurley to the ground. chapter iv connie tames a bear-cat as the cars came to rest upon the spur, plank runways were placed in position and the horses led to the ground and tied to trees. all hands pitched into the work of unloading. wagons appeared and were set up as if by magic as, under the boss's direction, supplies and equipment were hustled from the cars. "you come along with us," said hurley, indicating a tote wagon into which men were loading supplies. "i'm takin' half a dozen of the boys out tonight to kind of git the camp in shape. it'll take four or five days to haul this stuff an' you can help along till the teams start comin', an' then you've got to check the stuff in. here's your lists--supplies on that one, and equipment on this. don't o. k. nothin' till it's in the storehouse or the cook's camp or wherever it goes to." connie took the papers and, throwing his turkey onto the load, climbed up and took his place beside the men. the teamster cracked his whip and the four rangy horses started away at a brisk trot. for five miles or so, as it followed the higher ground of a hardwood ridge, the road was fairly good, then it plunged directly into the pines and after that there was no trotting. mile after mile the horses plodded on, the wheels sinking half-way to the hubs in the soft dry sand, or, in the lower places, dropping to the axles into chuck holes and plowing through sticky mud that fell from the spokes and felloes in great chunks. creeks were forded, and swamps crossed on long stretches of corduroy that threatened momentarily to loosen every bolt in the wagon. as the team swung from the hardwood ridge, the men leaped to the ground and followed on foot. they were a cheerful lot, always ready to lend a hand in helping the horses up the hill, or in lifting a wheel from the clutch of some particularly bad chuck hole. connie came in for a share of good-natured banter, that took the form, for the most part, of speculation upon how long he would last "hoofing it on shank's mares," and advice as to how to stick on the wagon when he should get tired out. the boy answered all the chafing with a smiling good humour that won the regard of the rough lumberjacks as his tramping mile after mile through the sand and mud without any apparent fatigue won their secret admiration. "he's a game un," whispered saginaw ed, as he tramped beside swede larson, whose pale blue eyes rested upon the back of the sturdy little figure that plodded ahead of them. "yah, ay tank hay ban' valk befoor. hay ain' drag hees foot lak he gon' for git tire out queek. ay bat ju a tollar he mak de camp wit'out ride." "you're on," grinned saginaw, "an', at that, you got an even break. i can't see he's wobblin' none yet, an' it's only nine or ten miles to go. i wished we had that wapple-jawed, cigarette-smokin' cookee along--i'd like to see this un show him up." "hay show ham up a'rat--ju yoost vait." twilight deepened and the forest road became dim with black shadows. "the moon'll be up directly," observed hurley, who was walking beside connie. "but it don't give none too much light, nohow, here in the woods. i've got to go on ahead and pilot." "i'll go with you," said the boy, and hurley eyed him closely. "say, kid, don't let these here jay-hawkers talk ye inter walkin' yerself to death. they don't like nawthin' better'n to make a greener live hard. let 'em yelp theirself hoarse an' when you git tuckered jest you climb up beside frenchy there an' take it easy. you got to git broke in kind of slow to start off with an' take good care of yer feet." "oh, i'm not tired. i like to walk," answered the boy, and grinned to himself. "wonder what he'd think if he knew about some of the trails i've hit. i guess it would make his little old twenty-mile hike shrink some." as they advanced into the timber the road became worse, and connie, who had never handled horses, wondered at the dexterity with which frenchy guided the four-horse tote-team among stumps and chuck holes, and steep pitches. every little way it was necessary for hurley to call a halt, while the men chopped a log, or a thick mat of tops from the road. it was nearly midnight when the team swung into a wide clearing so overgrown that hardly more than the roofs of the low log buildings showed above the tops of the brambles and tall horseweed stalks. "all right, boys!" called the boss. "we won't bother to unload only what we need for supper. don't start no fire in the big range tonight. here, you, saginaw, you play cook. you can boil a batch of tea and fry some ham on the office stove--an' don't send no more sparks up the stovepipe than what you need to. if fire got started in these weeds we'd have two camps to build instead of one; swede, you help frenchy with the horses, an' yous other fellows fill them lanterns an' git what you need unloaded an' cover the wagon with a tarp." "what can i do?" asked connie. hurley eyed him with a laugh. "gosh sakes! ain't you petered out yet? well, go ahead and help saginaw with the supper--the can stuff and dishes is on the hind end of the load." the following days were busy ones for connie. men and teams laboured over the road, hauling supplies and equipment from the railway, while other men attacked the weed-choked clearing with brush-scythes and mattocks, and made necessary repairs about the camp. it was the boy's duty to check all incoming material whether of supplies or equipment, and between the arrival of teams he found time to make himself useful in the chinking of camp buildings and in numerous other ways. "i'll show you about the books, now," said hurley one evening as they sat in the office, or boss's camp, as the small building that stood off by itself was called. this room was provided with two rude pine desks with split log stools. a large air-tight stove occupied the centre of the floor, and two double-tier bunks were built against the wall. the wanagan chests were also ranged along the log wall into which pins had been inserted for the hanging of snow-shoes, rifles, and clothing. the boss took from his desk several books. "this one," he began, "is the wanagan book. if a wanagan book is kep' right ye never have no trouble--if it ain't ye never have nawthin' else. some outfits gouge the men on the wanagan--i don't. i don't even add haulin' cost to the price--they can git tobacker an' whatever they need jest as cheap here as what they could in town. but they've be'n cheated so much with wanagans that they expect to be. the best way to keep 'em from growlin' is to name over the thing an' the price to 'em after they've bought it, even if it's only a dime's worth of tobacker. then jest name off the total that's ag'in' 'em--ye can do that by settin' it down to one side with a pencil each time. that don't never give them a chanct to kick, an' they soon find it out. i don't run no 'dollar you got, dollar you didn't get, an' dollar you ort to got' outfit. they earn what's comin' to 'em. some augers they might as well gouge 'em 'cause they go an' blow it all in anyhow, soon as they get to town--but what's that any of my business? it's theirn. "this here book is the time book. git yer pen, now, an' i'll call ye off the names an' the wages an' you can set 'em down." when the task was completed the boss continued: "ye know about the supply book, an' here's the log book--but ye won't need that fer a while yit. i've got to cruise around tomorrow an' find a location fer the new camp. i want to git it laid out as quick as i can so the men can git to cuttin' the road through. then they can git to work on the buildin's while i go back an' fill me out a crew. "wish't you'd slip over to the men's camp an' tell saginaw i want to see him. i'll make him straw boss while i am gone--the men like him, an' at the same time they know he won't stand for no monkey business." "what's a straw boss?" asked the boy. "he's the boss that's boss when the boss ain't around," explained hurley, as connie put on his cap and proceeded to the men's camp, a long log building from whose windows yellow lamplight shone. the moment he opened the door he was thankful indeed, that hurley had invited him to share the boss's camp. although the night was not cold, a fire roared in the huge box stove that occupied the centre of the long room. a fine drizzle had set in early in the afternoon, and the drying racks about the stove were ladened with the rain-dampened garments of the men. steam from these, mingled with the smoke from thirty-odd pipes and the reek of drying rubbers and socks, rendered the air of the bunk house thick with an odorous fog that nearly stifled connie as he stepped into the superheated interior. seated upon an upper bunk with his feet dangling over the edge, one of the men was playing vociferously upon a cheap harmonica, while others sat about upon rude benches or the edges of bunks listening or talking. the boy made his way over the uneven floor, stained with dark splotches of tobacco juice, toward the farther end of the room, where saginaw ed was helping frenchy mend a piece of harness. as he passed a bunk midway of the room, steve rose to his feet and confronted him. "ha! here's the greener kid--the boss's pet that's too good to bunk in the men's camp! whatchu doin' in here? did hurley send you after some strap oil?" as the two boys stood facing each other in the middle of the big room the men saw that the cookee was the taller and the heavier of the two. the harmonica stopped and the men glanced in grinning expectation at the two figures. steve's sneering laugh sounded startingly loud in the sudden silence. "he made his brag he used to tame bear-cats over in canady!" he said. "well, i'm a bear-cat--come on an' tame me! i'm wild!" reaching swiftly the boy jerked the cap from connie's head and hurled it across the room where it lodged in an upper bunk. some of the men laughed, but there were others who did not laugh--those who noted the slight paling of the smaller boy's face and the stiffening of his muscles. with hardly a glance at steve, connie stepped around him and walked to where saginaw ed sat, an interested spectator of the scene. "the boss wants to see you in the office," he said, and turning on his heel, retraced his steps. steve stood in the middle of the floor where he had left him, the sneering smile still upon his lips. "i believe he's goin' to cry," he taunted, and again some men laughed. "what is it you say you are? i don't believe they all heard you." again connie was facing him, and his voice was steady and very low. "i'm a bear-cat!" connie stretched out his arm: "give me my cap, please, i'm in a hurry." the boy seized the hand roughly, which was just what connie expected, and the next instant his other hand closed about steve's wrist and quick as a flash he whirled and bent sharply forward. there was a shrill yelp of pain as the older boy shot over connie's lowered shoulder and struck with a thud upon the uneven floor. the next instant connie was astride the prostrate form and with a hand at his elbow and another at his wrist, slowly forced the boy's arm upward between his shoulder blades. "o-o-o, o-w-w!" howled steve. "take him off! he's killin' me!" roars of laughter filled the room as the lumberjacks looked on with shouts of encouragement and approval. the cookee continued to howl and beg. "once more, now," said connie, easing up a bit on the arm. "tell them what you are." "le' me up! yer broke my arm!" "oh, no i didn't." connie increased the pressure. "come on, tell them what you told them a minute ago. some of them look as if they don't believe it." [illustration: "come on, tell them what you told them a minute ago"] "o-w-w, i'm a-a bear-cat--o-w-w!" whimpered the boy, with such a shame-faced expression that the men roared with delight. connie rose to his feet. "climb up there and get my cap, and bring it down and hand it to me," he ordered tersely. "and the next time you feel wild, just let me know." for only an instant the boy looked into the blue-grey eyes that regarded him steadily and then sullenly, without a word, he stepped onto the lower bunk, groped for a moment in the upper one and handed connie his cap. a moment later the boy, accompanied by saginaw ed, stepped out into the night, but saginaw saw what connie did not--the look of crafty malevolence that flashed into steve's eyes as they followed the departing pair. "by jiminetty, kid, y're all right!" approved the man, as they walked toward the office. "that was as handy a piece of work as i ever seen, an' they ain't a man in camp'll fergit it. you're there! but keep yer eye on that cookee--he's a bad egg. them kind can't take a lickin' like a man. he'll lay fer to git even, if it takes him all winter--not so much fer what you done to him as where you done it--with the men all lookin' on. they never will quit raggin' him with his bear-cat stuff--an' he knows it." chapter v hurley lays out the new camp "want to go 'long?" asked hurley, the morning after the "bear-cat" incident, as he and connie were returning to the office from breakfast at the cook's camp. "i've got to locate the new camp an' then we'll blaze her out an' blaze the road so saginaw can keep the men goin'." the boy eagerly assented, and a few moments later they started, hurley carrying an axe, and connie with a light hand-axe thrust into his belt. turning north, they followed the river. it was slow travelling, for it was necessary to explore every ravine in search of a spot where a road crossing could be effected without building a bridge. the spot located, hurley would blaze a tree and they would strike out for the next ravine. "it ain't like we had to build a log road," explained the boss, as he blazed a point that, to connie, looked like an impossible crossing. "each camp will have its own rollways an' all we need is a tote road between 'em. frenchy lamar can put a team anywhere a cat will go. he's the best hand with horses on the job, if he is a jumper." "what's a jumper?" asked connie. "you'll find that out fast enough. jumpin' a man generally means a fight in the woods--an' i don't blame 'em none, neither. if i was a jumper an' a man jumped me, he'd have me to lick afterwards--an' if any one jumps a jumper into hittin' me, he'll have me to lick, too." when they had proceeded for four or five miles hurley turned again toward the river and for two hours or more studied the ground minutely for a desirable location for the new camp. up and down the bank, and back into the woods he paced, noting in his mind every detail of the lay of the land. "here'd be the best place for the camp if it wasn't fer that there sand bar that might raise thunder when we come to bust out the rollways," he explained, as they sat down to eat their lunch at midday. "there ain't no good rollway ground for a half a mile below the bar--an' they ain't no use makin' the men walk any furthur'n what they have to 'specially at night when they've put in a hard day's work. we'll drop back an' lay her out below--it ain't quite as level, but it'll save time an' a lot of man-power." as connie ate his lunch he puzzled mightily over hurley. he had journeyed from far off alaska for the purpose of bringing to justice a man who had swindled him and his partner out of thousands of dollars worth of timber. his experience with the mounted had taught him that, with the possible exception of notorious bishop whose consummate nerve had commanded the respect even of the officers whose business it was to hunt him down, law-breakers were men who possessed few if any admirable qualities. yet here was a man who, connie was forced to admit, possessed many such qualities. his first concern seemed to be for the comfort of his men, and his orders regarding the keeping of the wanagan book showed that it was his intention to deal with them fairly. his attitude toward the despicable i. w. w.'s was the attitude that the boy knew would have been taken by any of the big men of the north whose rugged standards he had unconsciously adopted as his own. he, himself, had been treated by the boss with a bluff friendliness--and he knew that, despite hurley's blustering gruffness, the men, with few exceptions, liked him. the boy frankly admitted that had he not known hurley to be a crook he too would have liked him. luncheon over, the boss arose and lighted his pipe: "well, 'spose we just drop back an' lay out the camp, then on the way home we'll line up the road an' take some of the kinks out of it an' saginaw can jump the men into it tomorrow mornin'." they had proceeded but a short distance when the man pointed to a track in the softer ground of a low swale: "deer passed here this mornin'," he observed. "the season opens next week, an' i expect i won't be back with the crew in time for the fun. if you'd like to try yer hand at it, yer welcome to my rifle. i'll dig you out some shells tonight if you remind me to." "i believe i will have a try at 'em," said connie, as he examined the tracks; "there were two deer--a doe, and a half-grown fawn, and there was a _loup-cervier_ following them--that's why they were hitting for the river." hurley stared at the boy in open-mouthed astonishment: "looky here, kid, i thought you said you never worked in the woods before!" connie smiled: "i never have, but i've hunted some, up across the line." "i guess you've hunted _some_, all right," observed the boss, drily; "i wondered how it come you wasn't petered out that night we come into the woods. wherever you've hunted ain't none of my business. when a man's goin' good, i b'lieve in tellin' him so--same's i b'lieve in tellin' him good an' plain when he ain't. you've made a good start. saginaw told me about what you done to that mouthy cookee. that was all right, fer as it went. if i'd be'n you i'd a punched his face fer him when i had him down 'til he hollered' 'nough'--but if you wanted to let him off that hain't none of my business--jest you keep yer eye on him, that's all--he's dirty. guess i didn't make no mistake puttin' you in fer clerk--you've learnt to keep yer eyes open--that's the main thing, an' mebbe it'll stand you good 'fore this winter's over. there's more'n i. w. w.'s is the matter with this camp--" the boss stopped abruptly and, eyeing the boy sharply, repeated his warning of a few days before: "keep yer mouth shet. there's me, an' saginaw, an' lon camden--he'll be the scaler, an' whoever bosses number two camp--slue foot magee, if i can git holt of him. he was my straw-boss last year. if you've got anythin' to say, say it to us. don't never tell nothin' to nobody else about nothin' that's any 'count--see?" "you can depend on me for that," answered the boy, and hurley picked up his axe. "come on, le's git that camp laid out. we won't git nothin' done if we stand 'round gassin' all day." the two followed down the river to the point indicated by hurley where the banks sloped steeply to the water's edge, well below the long shallow bar that divided the current of the river into two channels. as they tramped through the timber connie puzzled over the words of the boss. well he knew that there was something wrong in camp beside the i. w. w.'s. but why should hurley speak of it to him? and why should he be pleased at the boy's habit of observation? "maybe he thinks i'll throw in with him on the deal," he thought: "well, he's got an awful jolt coming to him if he does--but, things couldn't have broken better for me, at that." at the top of the steep bank hurley blazed some trees, and with a heavy black pencil, printed the letter r in the centre of the flat, white scars. "that'll show 'em where to clear fer the rollways," he explained, then, striking straight back from the river for about twenty rods, he blazed a large tree. turning at right angles, he proceeded about twenty five rods parallel with the river bank and made a similar blaze. "that gives 'em the corners fer the clearin', an' now fer spottin' the buildin's." back and forth over the ground went the man, pausing now and then to blaze a tree and mark it with the initial of the building whose site it marked. "we don't have to corner these," he explained, "saginaw knows how big to build 'em--the trees marks their centre." the sun hung low when the task was completed. "you strike out for the head of the nearest ravine," said hurley, "an' when you come to the tree we blazed comin' up, you holler. then i'll blaze the tote road to you, an' you can slip on to the next one. straighten her out as much as you can by holdin' away from the short ravines." connie was surprised at the rapidity with which hurley followed, pausing every few yards to scar a tree with a single blow of his axe. the work was completed in the dark and as they emerged onto the clearing hurley again regarded the boy with approval: "you done fine, kid. they's plenty of older hands than you be, that would of had trouble locatin' them blazes in the night, but you lined right out to 'em like you was follerin' a string. come on, we'll go wash up an' see what the cook's got fer us." after supper saginaw ed received his final instructions, and early next morning hurley struck out on foot fer dogfish spur. "so long, kid," he called from the office door. "i left the shells on top of my desk an' yonder hangs the rifle. i was goin' to give you a few pointers, but from what i seen yeste'day, i don't guess you need none about huntin'. i might be back in a week an' it might be two 'cordin' to how long it takes me to pick up a crew. i've got some men waitin' on me, but i'll have to rustle up the balance wherever i can git 'em. i told saginaw he better move his turkey over here while i'm gone. you'll find saginaw a rough-bark piece of timber--but he's sound clean plumb through to the heart, an' if you don't know it now, before this winter's over yer goin' to find out that them's the kind to tie to--when you kin find 'em." connie gazed after the broad-shouldered form 'til it disappeared from sight around a bend of the tote road, then he turned to his books with a puzzled expression. "either mike gillum was wrong, or hurley's the biggest bluffer that ever lived," he muttered, "and which ever way it is i'll know by spring." saginaw put his whole crew at work on the tote road. saplings and brush were cleared away and thrown to the side. trees were felled, the larger ones to be banked on the skidways and later hauled to the rollways to await the spring break-up, and the smaller ones to be collected and hauled to the new camp for building material. connie's duties were very light and he spent much time upon the new tote road watching the men with whom he had become a great favourite. tiring of that, he would take long tramps through the woods and along the banks of the numerous little lakes that besprinkled the country, searching for sign, so that, when the deer season opened he would not have to hunt at random, but could stalk his game at the watering places. "whar's yer gun, sonny?" called out a lanky sawyer as the boy started upon one of these excursions. "hay ain' need no gun," drawled swede larson, with a prodigious wink that distorted one whole side of his face. "ay tank he gon fer hont some bear-cat." and the laughter that followed told connie as he proceeded on his way, that his handling of steve had met the universal approval of the crew. it was upon his return from this expedition that the boy witnessed an actual demonstration of the effect of sudden suggestion upon a jumper. frenchy lamar pulled his team to the side of the roadway and drew his watch from his pocket. at the same time, pierce, one of the i. w. w. suspects, slipped up behind him and bringing the flat of his hand down upon frenchy's shoulder, cried: "_throw it_." frenchy threw it, and the watch dropped with a jangle of glass and useless wheels at the foot of a tree. the next instant frenchy whirled upon his tormentor with a snarl. the man, who had no stomach for an open fight, turned to run but the frenchman was too quick for him. the other two i. w. w.'s started to their pal's assistance but were halted abruptly, and none too gently by other members of the crew. "fight!" "fight!" the cry was taken up by those nearby and all within hearing rushed gleefully to the spot. the teamster was popular among the men and he fought amid cries of advice and encouragement: "soak 'im good, frenchy!" "don't let 'im holler ''nough' till he's down!" the combat was short, but very decisive. many years' experience in the lumber woods had taught frenchy the art of self-defence by force of fist--not, perhaps, the most exalted form of asserting a right nor of avenging a wrong--but, in the rougher walks of life, the most thoroughly practical, and the most honourable. so, when the teamster returned to his horses a few minutes later, it was to leave pierce whimpering upon the ground nursing a badly swollen and rapidly purpling eye, the while he muttered incoherent threats of dire vengeance. chapter vi the i. w. w. shows its hand "changed yer job?" inquired saginaw ed, sleepily a few mornings later when connie slipped quietly from his bunk and lighted the oil lamp. "not yet," smiled the boy. "why?" "no one but teamsters gits up at this time of night--you got an hour to sleep yet." "this is the first day of the season, and i'm going out and get a deer." saginaw laughed: "oh, yer goin' out an' git a deer--jest like rollin' off a log! you might's well crawl back in bed an' wait fer a snow. deer huntin' without snow is like fishin' without bait--you might snag onto one, but the chances is all again' it." "bet i'll kill a deer before i get back," laughed the boy. "better pack up yer turkey an' fix to stay a long time then," twitted saginaw. "but, i won't bet--it would be like stealin'--an' besides, i lost one bet on you a'ready." the teamsters, their lanterns swinging, were straggling toward the stable as the boy crossed the clearing. "hey, w'at you gon keel, de bear-cat?" called frenchy. "deer," answered connie with a grin. "ho! she ain' no good for hont de deer! she too mooch no snow. de groun' she too mooch dry. de deer, she hear you comin' wan mile too queek, den she ron way ver' fas', an' you no kin track heem." "never mind about that," parried the boy, "i'll be in tonight, and in the morning you can go out and help me pack in the meat." "a'm help you breeng in de meat, a'ri. ba goss! a'm lak a'm git to bite me on chonk dat _venaison_." connie proceeded as rapidly as the darkness would permit to the shore of a marshy lake some three or four miles from camp, and secreted himself behind a windfall, thirty yards from the trail made by the deer in going down to drink. just at daybreak a slight sound attracted his attention, and peering through the screen of tangled branches, the boy saw a large doe picking her way cautiously down the trail. he watched in silence as she advanced, halted, sniffed the air suspiciously, and passed on to the water's edge. lowering her head, she rubbed an inquisitive nose upon the surface of the thin ice that sealed the shallow bay of the little lake. a red tongue darted out and licked at the ice and she pawed daintily at it with a small front foot. then, raising the foot, she brought it sharply down, and the knifelike hoof cut through the ice as though it were paper. pleased with the performance she pawed again and again, throwing the cold water in every direction and seeming to find great delight in crushing the ice into the tiniest fragments. tiring of this, she paused and sniffed the air, turning her big ears backward and forward to catch the slightest sound that might mean danger. then, she drank her fill, made her way back up the trail, and disappeared into the timber. a short time later another, smaller doe followed by a spring fawn, went down, and allowing them to pass unharmed, connie settled himself to wait for worthier game. an hour passed during which the boy ate part of the liberal lunch with which the cook had provided him. just as he had about given up hope of seeing any further game, a sharp crackling of twigs sounded directly before him, and a beautiful five-prong buck broke into the trail and stood with uplifted head and nostrils a-quiver. without taking his eyes from the buck, connie reached for his rifle, but just as he raised it from the ground its barrel came in contact with a dry branch which snapped with a sound that rang in the boy's ears like the report of a cannon. with a peculiar whistling snort of fear, the buck turned and bounded crashing away through the undergrowth. connie lowered the rifle whose sights had been trained upon the white "flag" that bobbed up and down until it was lost in the thick timber. "no use taking a chance shot," he muttered, disgustedly. "if i should hit him i would only wound him, and i couldn't track him down without snow. i sure am glad nobody was along to see that, or they never would have quit joshing me about it." shouldering his rifle he proceeded leisurely toward another lake where he had spotted a water-trail, and throwing himself down behind a fallen log, slept for several hours. when he awoke the sun was well into the west and he finished his lunch and made ready to wait for his deer, taking good care this time that no twig or branch should interfere with the free use of his gun. at sunset a four-prong buck made his way cautiously down the trail and, waiting 'til the animal came into full view, connie rested his rifle across the log and fired at a point just behind the shoulder. it was a clean shot, straight through the heart, and it was but the work of a few moments to bleed, and draw him. although not a large buck, connie found that it was more than he could do to hang him clear of the wolves, so he resorted to the simple expedient of peeling a few saplings and laying them across the carcass. this method is always safe where game or meat must be left exposed for a night or two, as the prowlers fear a trap. however, familiarity breeds contempt, and if left too long, some animal is almost sure to discover the ruse. packing the heart, liver, and tongue, connie struck out swiftly for camp, but darkness overtook him with a mile still to go. as he approached the clearing a low sound caused him to stop short. he listened and again he heard it distinctly--the sound of something heavy moving through the woods. the sounds grew momentarily more distinct--whatever it was was approaching the spot where he stood. a small, thick windfall lay near him, and beside it a large spruce spread its low branches invitingly near the ground. with hardly a sound connie, pack, gun, and all, scrambled up among those thick branches and seated himself close to the trunk. the sounds drew nearer, and the boy could hear fragments of low-voiced conversation. the night prowlers were men, not animals! connie's interest increased. there seemed to be several of them, but how many the boy could not make out in the darkness. presently the leader crashed heavily into the windfall where he floundered for a moment in the darkness. "this is fer enough. stick it in under here!" he growled, as the others came up with him. connie heard sounds as of a heavy object being pushed beneath the interlaced branches of the windfall but try as he would he could not catch a glimpse of it. suddenly the faces of the men showed vividly as one of their number held a match to the bowl of his pipe. they were the three i. w. w.'s and with them was steve! "put out that match you eediot! d'ye want the hull camp a pokin' their nose in our business?" "'tain't no one kin see way out here," growled the other, whom connie recognized as pierce. "it's allus fellers like you that knows more'n any one else, that don't know nawthin'," retorted the first speaker, "come on, now, we got to git back. remember--'leven o'clock on the furst night the wind blows stiff from the west. you, steve, you tend to swipin' frenchy's lantern. pierce here, he'll soak the straw, an' sam, you stand ready to drive a plug in the lock when i come out. then when the excitement's runnin' high, i'll holler that frenchy's lantern's missin' an' they'll think he left it lit in the stable. i tell ye, we'll terrorize every business in these here united states. we'll have 'em all down on their knees to the i. w. w.! then we'll see who's the bosses an' the rich! we'll hinder the work, an' make it cost 'em money, an' pierce here'll git even with frenchy, all in one clatter. we'll be gittin' back, now. an' don't all pile into the men's camp to onct, neither." connie sat motionless upon his branch until the sounds of the retreating men were lost in the darkness. what did it all mean? "swipe frenchy's lantern." "plug the lock." "soak the straw." "terrorize business." the words of the man repeated themselves over and over in connie's brain. what was this thing these men were planning to do "at eleven o'clock the first night the wind blows stiff from the west?" he wriggled to the ground and crept toward the thing the men had _cached_ in the windfall. it was a five-gallon can of coal-oil! "that's steve's part of the scheme, whatever it is," he muttered. "he's got a key to the storehouse." leaving the can undisturbed, he struck out for camp, splashing through the waters of a small creek without noticing it, so busy was his brain trying to fathom the plan of the gang. "i've got all day tomorrow, at least," he said, "and that'll give me time to think. i won't tell even saginaw 'til i've got it doped out. i bet when they try to start something they'll find out who's going to be terrorized!" a few minutes later he entered the office and was greeted vociferously by saginaw ed: "hello there, son, by jiminetty, i thought you'd took me serious when i told you you'd better make a long stay of it. what ye got there? well, dog my cats, if you didn't up an' git you a deer! slip over to the cook's camp an' wade into some grub. i told him to shove yer supper onto the back of the range, again' you got back. while yer gone i'll jest run a couple rags through yer rifle." when connie returned from the cook's camp saginaw was squinting down the barrel of the gun. "shines like a streak of silver," he announced; "hurley's mighty pernickety about his rifle, an' believe me, it ain't everyone he'd borrow it to. tell me 'bout yer hunt," urged the man, and connie saw a gleam of laughter in his eye. "killed yer deer dead centre at seven hundred yards, runnin' like greased lightnin', an' the underbrush so thick you couldn't hardly see yer sights, i 'pose." the boy laughed: "i got him dead centre, all right, but it was a standing shot at about twenty yards, and i had a rest. he's only a four-prong--i let a five-prong get away because i was clumsy." saginaw ed eyed the boy quizzically: "say, kid," he drawled. "do you know where folks goes that tells the truth about huntin'?" "no," grinned connie. "well, i don't neither," replied saginaw, solemnly. "i guess there ain't no place be'n pervided, but if they has, i bet it's gosh-awful lonesome there." despite the volubility of his companion, connie was unusually silent during the short interval that elapsed before they turned in. over and over in his mind ran the words of the four men out there in the dark, as he tried to figure out their scheme from the fragmentary bits of conversation that had reached his ears. "don't mope 'cause you let one buck git away, kid. gosh sakes, the last buck i kilt, i got so plumb rattled when i come onto him, i missed him eight foot!" "how did you kill him then?" asked connie, and the instant the words were spoken he realized he had swallowed the bait--hook and all. with vast solemnity, saginaw stared straight before him: "well, you see, it was the last shell in my rifle an' i didn't have none in my pocket, so i throw'd the gun down an' snuck up an' bit him on the lip. if ever you run onto a deer an' ain't got no gun, jest you sneak up in front of him an' bite him on the lip, an' he's yourn. i don't know no other place you kin bite a deer an' kill him. they're like old acolyte, or whatever his name was, in the bible, which they couldn't kill him 'til they shot him in the heel--jest one heel, mind you, that his ma held him up by when she dipped him into the kettle of bullet-proof. if he'd of be'n me, you bet i'd of beat it for the doc an' had that leg cut off below the knee, an' a wooden one made, an' he'd of be'n goin' yet! i know a feller's got two wooden ones, with shoes on 'em jest like other folks, and when you see him walk the worst you'd think: he's got a couple of corns." "much obliged, saginaw," said connie, with the utmost gravity, as he arose and made ready for bed, "i'll sure remember that. anyhow you don't need to worry about any solitary confinement in the place where the deer hunters go." and long after he was supposed to be asleep, the boy grinned to himself at the sounds of suppressed chuckling that came from saginaw's bunk. next morning connie helped frenchy pack in the deer, and when the teamster had returned to his work, the boy took a stroll about camp. "let's see," he mused, "they're going to soak the straw inside the stable with oil and set fire to it on the inside, and they'll do it with frenchy's lantern so everyone will think he forgot it and it got tipped over by accident. then, before the fire is discovered they'll lock the stable and jam the lock so the men can't get in to fight it." the boy's teeth gritted savagely. "and there are sixteen horses in that stable!" he cried. "the dirty hounds! a west wind would sweep the flames against the oat house, then the men's camp, and the cook's camp and storehouse. they sure do figure on a clean sweep of this camp. but, what i can't see is how that is going to put any one in terror of the i. w. w., if they think frenchy caused the fire accidentally. dan mckeever says all crooks are fools--and he's right." he went to the office and sat for a long time at his pine desk. from his turkey he extracted the service revolver that he had been allowed to keep in memory of his year with the mounted. "i can take this," he muttered, as he affectionately twirled the smoothly running cylinder with his thumb, "and saginaw can take the rifle, and we can nail 'em as they come out of the woods with the coal-oil can. the trouble is, we wouldn't have anything on them except maybe the theft of a little coal-oil. i know what they intend to do, but i can't prove it--there's four of them and only one of me and no evidence to back me up. on the other hand, if we let them start the fire, it might be too late to put it out." his eyes rested on the can that contained the supply of oil for the office. it was an exact duplicate of the one beneath the windfall. he jumped to his feet and crossing to the window carefully scanned the clearing. no one was in sight, and the boy passed out the door and slipped silently into the thick woods. when he returned the crew was crowding into the men's camp to wash up for supper. the wind had risen, and as connie's gaze centred upon the lashing pine tops, he smiled grimly,--it was blowing stiffly from the west. after supper saginaw ed listened with bulging eyes to what the boy had to say. when he was through the man eyed him critically: "listen to me, kid. nonsense is nonsense, an' business is business. i don't want no truck with a man that ain't got some nonsense about him somewheres--an' i don't want no truck with one that mixes up nonsense an' serious business. yer only a kid, an' mebbe you ain't grabbed that yet. but i want to tell you right here an' now, fer yer own good: if this here yarn is some gag you've rigged up to git even with me fer last night, it's a mighty bad one. a joke is a joke only so long as it don't harm no one----" "every word i've told you is the truth," broke in the boy, hotly. "there, now, don't git excited, kid. i allowed it was, but they ain't no harm ever comes of makin' sure. it's eight o'clock now, s'pose we jest loaf over to the men's camp an' lay this here case before 'em." "no! no!" cried the boy: "why, they--they might kill them!" "well, i 'spect they would do somethin' of the kind. kin you blame 'em when you stop to think of them horses locked in a blazin' stable, an' the deliberate waitin' 'til the wind was right to carry the fire to the men's camp? the men works hard, an' by eleven o'clock they're poundin' their ear mighty solid. s'pose they didn't wake up till too late--what then?" connie shuddered. in his heart he felt, with saginaw ed, that any summary punishment the men chose to deal out to the plotters would be richly deserved. "i know," he replied: "but, mob punishment is never _right_, when a case can be reached by the law. it may look right, and lots of times it does hand out a sort of rough justice. but, here we are not out of reach of the law, and it will go lots farther in showing up the i. w. w. if we let the law take its course." saginaw ed seemed impressed: "that's right, kid, in the main. but there ain't no law that will fit this here special case. s'pose we go over an' arrest them hounds--what have we got on 'em! they swiped five gallons of coal-oil! that would git 'em mebbe thirty days in the county jail. the law can't reach a man fer what he's _goin'_ to do--an' i ain't a goin' over to the men's camp an' advise the boys to lay abed an' git roasted so's mebbe we kin git them i. w. w.'s hung. the play wouldn't be pop'lar." connie grinned: "well, not exactly," he agreed. "but, why not just sit here and let them go ahead with their scheme. i've got a good revolver, and you can take the rifle, and we can wait for 'em in the tote wagon that's just opposite the stable door. then when they've soaked the straw, and tipped over frenchy's lantern, and locked the door behind 'em, and plugged the lock, we can cover 'em and gather 'em in." "yeh, an' meanwhile the fire'll be workin' on that oil-soaked straw inside, an' where'll the horses be? with this here wind a blowin' they ain't men enough in the woods to put out a fire, an' the hull camp would go." connie laughed, and leaning forward, spoke rapidly for several moments. when he had finished, saginaw eyed him with undisguised approval: "well, by jiminetty! say, kid, you've got a head on you! that's jest the ticket! the courts of this state has jest begun to wake up to the fact that the i. w. w. is a real danger. a few cases, with the evidence as clean again' 'em as this, an' the stinkin' varmints 'll be huntin' their holes--you bet!" at nine-thirty saginaw and connie put out the office light, and with some clothing arranged dummies in their bunks, so that if any of the conspirators should seek to spy upon them through the window they would find nothing to arouse their suspicion. then, fully armed, they crept out and concealed themselves in the tote wagon. an hour passed, and through the slits cut in the tarpaulin that covered them, they saw four shadowy forms steal silently toward them from the direction of the men's camp. avoiding even the feeble light of the stars, they paused in the shadow of the oat house, at a point not thirty feet from the tote wagon. a whispered conversation ensued and two of the men hastily crossed the open and disappeared into the timber. "stand still, can't ye!" hissed one of those who remained, and his companion ceased to pace nervously up and down in the shadow. "i'm scairt," faltered the other, whom the watchers identified as steve. "i wisht i wasn't in on this." "quit yer shiverin'! yer makin' that lantern rattle. what they do to us, if they ketch us, hain't a patchin' to what we'll do to you if you back out." the man called sam spat out his words in an angry whisper, and the two relapsed into silence. at the end of a half-hour the two men who had entered the timber appeared before the door of the stable, bearing the oil can between them. the others quickly joined them, there was a fumbling at the lock, the door swung open, and three of the men entered. the fourth stood ready with the heavy padlock in his hand. a few moments of silence followed, and then the sound of the empty can thrown to the floor. a feeble flicker of flame dimly lighted the interior, and the three men who had entered rushed out into the night. the heavy door closed, the padlock snapped shut and a wooden plug was driven into the key hole. "_hands up!_" the words roared from the lips of saginaw ed, as he and connie leaped to the ground and confronted the four at a distance of ten yards. for one terrified instant the men stared at the guns in their captors hands, and then four pairs of hands flew skyward. "face the wall, an' keep a reachin'," commanded saginaw, "an' if any one of you goes to start somethin' they'll be wolf-bait in camp in about one second." a horse snorted nervously inside the stable and there was a stamping of iron shod feet. "jest slip in an' fetch out frenchy's lantern, kid, an' we'll git these birds locked up in the oat house, 'fore the men gits onto the racket." with a light crow-bar which the boy had brought for the purpose, he pryed the hasp and staple from the door, leaving the plugged lock for evidence. entering the stable whose interior was feebly illumined by the sickly flare of the overturned lantern, he returned in time to hear the petty bickering of the prisoners. "it's your fault," whined pierce, addressing the leader of the gang. "you figgered out this play--an' it hain't worked!" "it hain't neither my fault!" flashed the man. "some one of you's blabbed, an' we're in a pretty fix, now." "'twasn't me!" came in a chorus from the others. "but at that," sneered sam, "if you'd a lit that oil, we'd a burnt up the camp anyhow." "i did light it!" screamed the leader, his face livid with rage. "i tipped over the lantern an' shoved it right under the straw." "that's right," grinned connie, from the doorway, as he flashed the lantern upon the faces of the men. "and if you hadn't taken the trouble to soak the straw with water it would have burned, too." "water! whad' ye mean--water?" "i mean just this," answered the boy, eyeing the men with a glance of supreme contempt, "i sat out there beside that windfall last night when you hid your can of oil. i listened to all you had to say, and today i slipped over there and poured out the oil and filled the can with water. you i. w. w.'s are a fine outfit," he sneered: "if you had some brains, and nerve, and consciences, you might almost pass for _men!_" chapter vii the prisoners "i wish't hurley was here," said saginaw ed, as he and connie returned to the boss's camp after locking the prisoners in the oat house. "the men's goin' to want to know what them four is locked up fer. if we don't tell 'em there'll be trouble. they don't like them birds none but, at that, they won't stand fer 'em bein' grabbed an' locked up without nothin' ag'in' 'em. an' on the other hand, if we do tell 'em there's goin' to be trouble. like as not they'd overrule me an' you an' hunt up a handy tree an' take 'em out an' jiggle 'em on the down end of a tight one." "couldn't we slip 'em down to the nearest jail and tell the men about it afterwards, or send for a constable or sheriff to come up here and get them?" saginaw shook his head: "no. if me an' you was to take 'em down the camp would blow up in no time. when the men woke up an' found the boss, an' the clerk, an' three hands, an' the cookee missin', an' the lock pried offen the stable door, work would stop right there. there ain't nothin' like a myst'ry of some kind to bust up a crew of men. we couldn't wake no one else up to take 'em without we woke up the whole men's camp, an' they'd want to know what was the rookus. if we sent fer a constable it'd be two or three days 'fore he'd git here an' then it would be too late. this here thing's comin' to a head when them teamsters goes fer the oats in the mornin', an' i've got to be there when they do." "i hate to see steve mixed up in this. he's only a kid. i wonder if there isn't some way----" saginaw ed interrupted him roughly: "no. there ain't no way whatever. he's a bad aig or he wouldn't do what he done. you're only a kid, too, but i take notice you ain't throw'd in with no such outfit as them is." "i can't help thinking maybe he's getting a wrong start----" "he's got a wrong start, all right. but he got it quite a while ago--this here kind of business ain't no startin' job. they're all of a piece, kid. it's best we jest let the tail go with the hide." "what will hurley do about it? if he agrees with us, won't the men overrule him?" "i don't know what he'll do--i only wish't he was here to do it. but, as fer as overrulin' him goes--" saginaw paused and eyed connie solemnly, "jest you make it a p'int to be in the same township sometime when a crew of men ondertakes to overrule hurley. believe me, they'd have the same kind of luck if they ondertook to overrule mont veesooverus when she'd started in to erup'." the door swung open and hurley himself stood blinking in the lamplight. "this here's a purty time fer workin' men to be up!" he grinned. "don't yous lads know it's half past twelve an' you'd orter be'n asleep four hours?" "i don't hear _you_ snorin' none," grinned saginaw. "an' you kin bet me an' the kid sure is glad to see you." "got through sooner'n i expected. slue foot had the crew all picked out. he'll bring 'em in from the spur in the mornin'. thought i'd jest hike on out an' see how things was gittin' on." "oh, we're gittin' on, all right. tote road's all cleared, camp two's clearin's all ready, an' the buildin's most done. an' besides that, four prisoners in the oat house, an' me an' the kid, here, losin' sleep over what to do with 'em." "prisoners! what do you mean--prisoners?" "them i. w. w.'s an' that cookee that throw'd in with 'em. they tried to burn the outfit--locked the hosses in the stable an' set fire to it, after waitin' 'til the wind was so it would spread over the hull camp." hurley reached for a peavy that stood in the corner behind the door. "ye say they burn't thim harses?" he rasped, in the brogue that always accompanied moments of anger or excitement. "no they didn't, but they would of an' it hadn't be'n fer the kid, here. he outguessed 'em, an' filled their coal-oil can with water, an' then we let 'em go ahead an' put on the whole show so we'd have 'em with the goods." the big boss leaned upon his peavy and regarded connie thoughtfully. "as long as i've got a camp, kid, you've got a job." he bit off a huge chew of tobacco and returned the plug to his pocket, after which he began deliberately to roll up his shirt sleeves. he spat upon the palms of his hands, and as he gripped the peavy the muscles of his huge forearm stood out like steel cables. "jist toss me th' key to th' oat house," he said in a voice that rumbled deep in his throat. "wait!" connie's hand was upon the boss's arm. "sit down a minute and let's talk it over----" "sure, boss," seconded saginaw. "let's have a powwow. if you go out there an' git to workin' on them hounds with that there peavy you're liable to git excited an' tap 'em a little harder'n what you intended to, an' then----" hurley interrupted with a growl and the two saw that his little eyes blazed. "oi ain't got the strength to hit 'em har-rder thin oi intind to! an-ny one that 'ud thry to bur-rn up harses--let alone min slaypin' in their bunks, they can't no man livin' hit 'em har-rd enough wid an-nything that's made." "i know," agreed saginaw. "they ain't nothin' you could do to 'em that they wouldn't still have some a-comin'. but the idee is this: bein' misclassed as humans, them i. w. w.'s is felonious to kill. chances is, the grand jury would turn you loose when they'd heard the facts, but the grand jury don't set 'til spring, an' meantime, where'd you be? an' where'd this camp be? your contract calls fer gittin' out logs, an' don't stipulate none whatever about spatterin' up the oat house with i. w. w.'s. i don't like to spoil a man's fun, but when a mere frolic, that way, interferes with the work, as good a man as you be is a-goin' to put it off a spell. you know, an' i know, there's more than gittin' out logs to this winter's work." saginaw's words evidently carried weight with hurley. the muscles of the mighty arms relaxed and the angry gleam faded from his eyes. also, the brogue was gone from his voice; nevertheless, his tone was ponderously sarcastic as he asked: "an' what is it you'd have me to do, seein' ye're so free with yer advice--pay 'em overtime fer the night work they done tryin' to burn up my camp?" saginaw grinned: "the kid's got it doped out about right. he figgers that it'll show 'em up better if we let the courts handle the case an' convict 'em regular. with what we've got on 'em they ain't no chanct but what they'll get convicted, all right." "you see," broke in connie, "the i. w. w.'s are a law-defying organization. the only way to bring them to time is to let the law do it. as soon as _all_ the i. w. w.'s see that the law is stronger than they are, and that their lawless acts are sure to be punished, there won't be any more i. w. w.'s. the law can't teach them this unless it has the chance. of course, if the law had had the chance and had fallen down on the job because the men behind it were cowardly, it would be time enough to think about other ways. but, you told me yourself that minnesota was beginning to give 'em what's coming to 'em, and she'll never get a better chance to hand 'em a jolt than this is, because we've got 'em with the goods. now, if we'd go to work and let the men at 'em, or if you'd wade into 'em yourself we wouldn't be smashing at the i. w. w.'s, but only at these three men. when you stop to think of it, you can't teach an outfit to respect the law when you go ahead and break the law in teaching 'em." hurley seemed much impressed. "that stands to reason," he agreed. "you're right, kid, an' so's saginaw. i know judge mcgivern--used to go to school with him way back--he ain't much as fer as size goes but believe me he ain't afraid to hand these birds a wallop that'll keep 'em peekin' out between black ones fer many a day to come. i'll take 'em down myself, an' then i'll slip around an' have a talk with mac." hurley tossed the peavy into its corner and proceeded to unlace his boots. "i kind of hate to see steve go along with that bunch. he ain't a regular i. w. w., and----" the boss looked up in surprise as a heavy boot thudded upon the floor. "what d'ye mean--hate to see?" he asked. "why, he might turn out all right, if we kept him on the job and kind of looked after him." the boss snorted contemptuously. "huh! he done you dirt onct didn't he?" "yes, but----" "he throw'd in with these here ornery scum that ain't neither men, fish, nor potatoes, didn't he?" "yes, but----" "'yes' is all right--an' they ain't no 'buts' about it. i had him last winter, an' he wasn't no 'count. i thought they might be some good in him so i hired him ag'in this fall to give him another chanct, but he's rotten-hearted an' twisty-grained, an' from root to top-branch they ain't the worth of a lath in his hide. he's a natural-borned crook. if it was only hisself i wouldn't mind it, but a crook is dangerous to other folks--not to hisself. it ain't right to leave him loose." the other boot thudded upon the floor and hurley leaned back in his chair, stretched out his legs and regarded the toes of his woollen socks. "i've often thought," he continued, after a moment of silence, "that men is oncommon like timber. there's the select, straight-grained, sound stuff, an' all the grades down through the culls 'til you come to the dozy, crooked, rotten-hearted stuff that ain't even fit to burn. there's sound stuff that's rough-barked an' ugly; an' there's rotten-hearted stuff that looks good from the outside. there's some timber an' some men that's built to take on a high polish--don't know as i kin git it acrost to you jest like i mean--but bankers and pianos is like that. then there's the stuff that's equal as sound an' true but it wouldn't never take no polish on account its bein' rough-grained an' tough-fibred--that's the kind that's picked to carry on the world's heavy work--the kind that goes into bridges an' ships, an' the frames of buildin's. it's the backbone, you might say, of civilization. it ain't purty, but its work ain't purty neither--it jest does what it's picked to do. "it's cur'us how fer you kin carry it on if yer a mind to. there's some good timber an' some good men that's started bad but ain't got there yet. the bad habits men take on is like surface rot, an' weather checks, an' bug stings--take that stuff an' put it through the mill an' rip it an' plane it down to itself, an' it's as good as the best--sometimes. the danger to that kind is not puttin' it through the mill quick enough, an' the rot strikes through to the heart. "there's a lot of timber that there ain't much expected of--an' a lot of humans, too. they're the stuff that works up into rough boards, an' cull stuff, an' lath, an' pulp wood, an' cordwood an' the like of that--an' so it goes, folks an' timber runnin' about alike. "it takes experience an' judgment to sort timber, jest like it takes experience an' judgment to pick men. but no matter how much experience an' judgment he's got, as long as _man's_ got the sortin' to do, mistakes will be made. then, a long time afterwards, somewheres somethin' goes wrong. they can't no one account fer it, nor explain it--but the big inspector--he knows." hurley ceased speaking, and connie, who had followed every word, broke in: "couldn't we keep steve here and--put him through the mill?" the boss shook his head: "no--we didn't catch him young enough. i'm responsible, in a way, fer the men in this camp. this here runt has showed he don't care what he does--s'pose he took a notion to slip somethin' into the grub--what then? keepin' him in this camp would be like if i seen a rattlesnake in the bunk house an' walked off an' left it there." connie realized that any further effort on his part to save steve from sharing the richly deserved fate of the i. w. w.'s would be useless. the three turned in and it seemed to the boy that he had barely closed his eyes when he was awakened by the sounds of someone moving about the room. hurley and saginaw ed were pulling on their clothes as the boy tumbled out of bed. "you don't need to git up yet, kid. me an' saginaw's goin' to slip out an' see that the teamsters gits their oats without lettin' no i. w. w.'s trickle out the door. better pound yer ear fer an hour yet, cause you're goin' to be busier'n a pet coon checkin' in slue foot's supplies, an' gittin' his men down on the pay roll." as connie entered the cook's camp for breakfast he noticed an undercurrent of unrest and suppressed excitement among the men who stood about in small groups and engaged in low-voiced conversation. hurley and saginaw ed were already seated, and, as the men filed silently in, many a sidewise glance was slanted toward the big boss. when all were in their places hurley rose from his chair. "we've got three i. w. w.'s an' the cookee locked up in the oat house," he announced bluntly. "an' after breakfast me an' frenchy is goin' to take 'em down to jail." there was a stir among the men, and hurley paused, but no one ventured a comment. "they tried to burn the stable last night, but the kid, here, outguessed 'em, an' him an' saginaw gathered 'em in." "last night!" cried a big sawyer, seated half-way down the table. "if they'd a-burnt the stable last night the whole camp would of gone! let us boys take 'em off yer hands, boss, an' save you a trip to town." the idea gained instant approval among the men, and from all parts of the room voices were raised in assent. "over in westconsin we----" hurley interrupted the speaker with a grin: "yeh, an' if we was over in westconsin i'd say go to it! but minnesota's woke up to these here varmints--an' it's up to us to give her a chanct to show these here other states how to do it. you boys all know judge mcgivern--most of you helped elect him. give him the chanct to hand the i. w. w.'s a wallop in the name of the state of minnesota! if the state don't grab these birds, they'll grab the state. look at north dakota! it ain't a state no more--it's a non-partisan league! do you boys want to see minnesota an i. w. w. lodge?" as hurley roared out the words his huge fist banged the table with a force that set the heavy porcelain dishes a-clatter. "no! no!" cried a chorus of voices from all sides. "the boss is right! let the state handle 'em!" the men swung unanimously to hurley and the boss sat down amid roars of approval. and so it was that shortly after breakfast frenchy cracked his whip with a great flourish and four very dejected-looking prisoners started down the tote road securely roped to the rear of the tote wagon, at the end gate of which sat hurley, rifle in hand and legs a-dangle as he puffed contentedly at his short black pipe. chapter viii the boss of camp two slue foot magee, who was to boss camp two, was a man of ambling gait and a chronic grumble. he arrived with the vanguard of the new crew a half-hour before dinner time, grumbled because grub wasn't ready, growled when he learned that the buildings at camp two were not entirely completed, and fumed because hurley had told him to leave fifteen of his fifty men at camp one. "what's the use of pickin' out a crew an' then scatterin' 'em all over the woods?" he demanded querulously of connie, as they stood in the door of the boss's camp while the men washed up for dinner. "if hurley wants thirty-five men in camp two an' fifty in camp one why don't he send camp one's crew up to two an' leave me have camp one?" "i don't know," answered the boy, and refrained from mentioning that he was mighty glad hurley had not ordered it so. slue foot slanted him a keen glance. "be you the kid hurley was tellin' nailed them i. w. w.'s that he was fetchin' out of the woods when we come in this mornin'?" connie nodded: "yes, saginaw ed and i caught 'em." "purty smart kid, hain't you? what's hurley payin' you?" "forty dollars a month." "an' no rake-off on the wanagan. there's plenty room in the woods to use brains--same as anywheres else." slue foot turned at the sound of the dinner gong. "let's go eat while there's some left. when we come back i'll give you the names." during the meal connie furtively studied the new boss. he was fully as large as hurley, and slovenly in movement and appearance. his restless eyes darted swift glances here, there, and everywhere, and never a glance but registered something of disapproval. but it was the man's words that most interested the boy. why had he asked what hurley was paying him? and what did he mean by his observation that there was no rake-off on the wanagan? also, there was his reference to the fact that in the woods there was plenty of room for brains. that might mean anything or nothing. "at any rate," thought the boy, as he attacked his food, "you're going to be a pretty good man to throw in with--for a while." presently the man pushed back his bench and arose: "if you ever git that holler in under yer ribs filled up we'll go over an' i'll give you the names of the men that stays here an' the ones that goes on with me." "'lead on, macduff,'" grinned connie, misquoting a line from a play waseche bill had taken him to see in fairbanks. "magee's my name," corrected the man gruffly, and led the way to the office. it was only after much deliberation and growling that slue foot finally succeeded in rearranging his crew, but at last the task was completed and connie leaned back in his chair. "so you think there ain't going to be any rake-off on the wanagan?" he asked, as the man sat scowling at his list of names. slue foot glanced up quickly and the boy met the glance with a wink: "i thought maybe----" "it don't make no difference what you thought mebbe!" the man interrupted. "if you know'd hurley like i do you'd know a whole lot better'n to try it." connie looked disappointed and the boss eyed him intently. "they's other ways of killin' a cat without you choke him to death on butter," he observed drily, and lapsed into silence while the restless gimlet eyes seemed to bore into the boy's very thoughts. suddenly the man brought his fist down with a bang upon the top of the pine desk: "why should hurley be drawin' down his big money, an' me an' you our seventy-five an' forty a month?" he demanded. "well, he's the boss, and they say he can get out the logs." "i'm a boss, too! an' i kin git out the logs!" he roared. "i was bossin' camps when hurley was swampin'." again he paused and regarded the boy shrewdly. "mind you, i hain't sayin' hurley hain't a good logger, 'cause he is. but jest between me and you there's a hull lot about this here timber game that he hain't hep to. any one kin draw down wages workin' in the woods--but if you want to make a real stake out of the game you've got to learn how to play both ends ag'in' the middle. an' that's where the brains comes in." "that's why i thought----" "--you could soak it to 'em on the wanagan an' shove the rake-off in your pocket," finished the man. "well, you'd better fergit it! some bosses would stand fer it, but not hurley. he'd tumble to yer game in a minute, an' you'd be hikin' down the tote road with yer turkey on yer back a-huntin' a new job." "do you mean there's nothing in it for me but my forty dollars a month?" asked connie, with apparent disgust. "m-m-m-m, well, that depends," muttered slue foot. "be you goin' to keep the log book, or hurley?" "i am. he told me the other day he'd show me about that later." "they'll be a little somethin', mebbe, in shadin' the cut when the time comes--nothin' big, but enough to double our wages. wait 'til the crew gits strung out an' layin' 'em down an' we'll fix that up." "will the scaler throw in with us?" ventured the boy. "what! lon camden! not on yer life, he won't! hurley picked him, an' he picked saginaw ed, too. what you an' me do we got to do alone." connie smiled: "yes, but he picked you, and he picked me, too." "he did," agreed the other, with a leer. "i don't know nawthin' about why he picked you, but he give me a job 'cause he thinks i done him a good turn onct. over in idaho, it was, an' we was gittin' out logs on the fieldin' slope. old man fieldin' had a contrac' which if he didn't fill it by a certain day, he'd lose it, an' the donahue crowd that was operatin' further down would deliver their logs an' take over the contrac'. that's when i got it in fer hurley. him an' me was working fer fieldin' an' he made hurley boss of a camp he'd ort to give to me. "the donahue crowd worked politics an' got holt of the water rights on elk creek, an' fieldin' couldn't float his logs. it looked like it was good-night fer fieldin' an' his contrac' but hurley grabbed all the men he could git holt of an' started buildin' a flume. old man fieldin' said it couldn't be done, but fer hurley to go ahead, 'cause he was ruint anyhow. so hurley worked us night and day, an' by gosh, he built the flume an' got his logs a-runnin'! "when the flume was up the donahues seen they was beat, so they come to me an' offered me a bunch of coin if i'd blow it up. it was resky 'cause hurley was expectin' some such play, an' he had it guarded. but i got on guardin' nights an' i planted the dynamite and got the wires strung, an' it was all set. then i went an' overplayed my hand. i thought i seen the chanct to git even with hurley, as well as old man fieldin', an' make me a nice little stake besides. so i tips it off to hurley that i seen a fellow sneakin' around suspicious an' he'd better take the shift where i'd be'n, hisself. you see, i made it up with the donahues to send three of their men over to explode the shot so i'd have a alibi, an' i figgered that hurley'd run onto 'em, an' they'd give him an' awful lickin'." the man paused and crammed tobacco into his pipe. "and did he?" asked connie, eagerly "naw, he didn't he!" growled the man. "he run onto 'em all right--an' when the rookus was over the hull three of 'em was took to the horspital. when it comes to mixin' it up, hurley, he's there. he found the dynamite, too, an' after that the guards was so thick along that flume that one couldn't do nawthin' without the next ones could see what he was up to. "fieldin's logs was delivered on time an' the old man handed hurley a check fer twenty-five hundred dollars over an' above his wages. hurley slipped me five hundred fer tellin' him--but i'd of got five thousan' if i'd of blow'd up the flume. i had to skip the country 'fore them three got out of the horspital, an' i've swore to git even with hurley ever since--an' i'll do it too. one more winter like last winter, an' they won't no outfit have him fer a boss." it was with difficulty connie refrained from asking what had happened last winter but he was afraid of arousing the man's suspicion by becoming too inquisitive, so he frowned: "that's all right as far as your getting even with hurley, but it don't get me anything." slue foot leaned forward in his chair: "i see you've got yer eye on the main chanct, an' that shows you've got somethin' in your noodle. folks can talk all they want to, but the only thing that's any good is money. them that's got it is all right, an' them that hain't got it is nowhere. take hurley, he's got the chanct to make his everlastin' stake right here, an' he's passin' it up. the owner of this here trac' lives up in alaska or somewheres, an' he hain't a loggin' man nohow--an' here hurley would set and let him git rich--offen hurley's work, mind you--an' all hurley gits out of it is his wages. an' if you throw in with him you'll go out in the spring with yer forty dollars a month minus yer wanagan tab." "guess that's right," agreed the boy. "i'd like to make a lot of money, but it looks like there's nothin' doing in this camp." "oh, i don't know," replied the man. "i'm a-goin' to git mine, an' the way things is, i kin use a party about your size that kin keep his eyes open and his mouth shet. looks like, from here, they might be considerable in it fer you, long about spring." he paused and glanced about the office. "you sleep in here don't you?" connie nodded, and slue foot seemed satisfied, "i kin use you, 'cause you're right here on the job where you kin keep tab on the boss, an' saginaw, an' lon camden." the man paused abruptly and peered through the window. "what's the game?" asked connie boldly. "i can't do any good going it blind." the man silenced him with a gesture: "shet up! here comes saginaw. that'll keep 'til later. meanwhile, it don't pay fer me an' you to seem none too friendly. when any one's around i'll kick an' growl about the books and you sass me back." he rose from his chair and was stamping about the room when saginaw entered. "here it's took a good hour to git them names down that any one with half sense had ort to got down in fifteen minutes! if you can't check in them supplies no quicker'n what you kin write down names, the grub will rot before we git it onloaded. come on, we'll go up to the camp an' git at it." the man turned to greet the newcomer. "hello saginaw! i hear you're a boss now. well, good luck to you. how's the new camp, 'bout ready?" "yes, a couple of days will finish her up. yer storehouse an' men's camp, an' cook's camp is done, so you can go ahead an' move in." slue foot scowled: "i seen hurley comin' out an' he says i should leave you fifteen men out of my crew, so i done it. seems funny he'd give a green boss the biggest crew, but he's got you right here where he kin keep his eye on you, so i s'pose he knows what he's doin'." "i 'spect he does," agreed saginaw. "when you git to camp send them men back with mine." slue foot nodded. "well come on, kid," he ordered, gruffly. "we'll go up on the tote wagon." connie picked up his book and followed, and as he went out the door he turned to see saginaw regarding him curiously. chapter ix saginaw ed in the toils connie hoped that during the ride to camp two slue foot would further enlighten him concerning his various schemes for defrauding his employers, but the man sat silent, eyeing the tall pines that flanked the roadway on either side. "pretty good timber, isn't it?" ventured the boy, after a time. the boss nodded: "they hain't much of them kind left. if i owned this trac' an' could afford to pay taxes i'd never lay down a stick of it fer ten year--mebbe twenty." "why not?" "why not! 'cause it'll be worth ten dollars where it's worth a dollar now--that's why. pine's a-goin' up every year, an' they've cut the best of it everywheres except here an' there a strip that fer one reason an' another they couldn't git holt of." "the syndicate's cutting theirs now, and surely they can afford to pay taxes." slue foot grinned: "they wouldn't be cuttin' their white pine along dogfish if this trac' wasn't bein' cut." "what's that got to do with it?" "mebbe if you kind of stick around, like i told you, you'll see. i'm one of these here hairpins that never tells no one nawthin' about anythin' 'til the time comes--see?" "you're all right, slue foot," laughed the boy. "i guess i'll stick around." "it's a good thing fer you you got sense enough to know who to tie to. no one never made nawthin' workin' fer wages--an' no one ever will." as they drew into camp two's clearing slue foot cocked a weatherwise eye skyward. "shouldn't wonder an' the snow'll be comin' tonight or tomorrow--them clouds looks like it. come on, le's git at them supplies. they's two wagons in a'ready an' two more comin' an' we want to git 'em onloaded by night." slue foot called a dozen men to help with the unloading and stowing, and for the rest of the afternoon connie had his hands full checking off the goods as they were carried past him at the door. at last the task was completed and after supper the boy struck out for camp one. as he plodded through the jet blackness of the tote road his mind was busy with the problem that confronted him. what should he do? manifestly the easiest course would be to go straight to hurley and tell him just what slue foot had told him, and let the boss deal with him as he saw fit. but, in that case hurley would, in all probability, fly off the handle and either discharge slue foot or "beat him up" or both. in which event the man would go unpunished for last winter's work, whatever that had been, and worst of all, there would be absolutely no evidence against the syndicate. and he had no intention of pocketing last year's loss without at least an attempt to recover it and bring its perpetrators to justice. from what he had seen of hurley, and what saginaw and slue foot had told him, the boy was confident that the big boss was square and honest as the day is long--but there was mike gillum, himself an honest man and a friend of waseche, who had reported that hurley was in the pay of the syndicate; and connie knew that men like mike gillum did not lie about other men, nor would they make an open accusation unless reasonably sure of their ground. therefore there was a bare possibility that, despite all evidence to the contrary, hurley, unknown to either slue foot or saginaw, was playing into the hand of the syndicate. "i wonder what's the matter with saginaw," muttered the boy as he stumbled on through the darkness. "he looked at me kind of funny when we left the office. as if he knows slue foot is crooked, and thinks i have thrown in with him." his fists clenched and his lips drew into a hard, straight line. "i'll get to the bottom of it if it takes all winter!" he gritted. "and when i do, someone is going to squirm." something prickled sharply against his cheek and he glanced upward. he could see nothing in the inky blackness, but the prickling sensation was repeated and he knew that it was snowing. the wind rose and the snow fell faster. by the time he reached the clearing it whitened the ground. the little office was dark as he let himself in. the sound of heavy breathing told him that saginaw was already in bed, and, without lighting the lamp, he undressed and crawled between his blankets. when connie awoke the following morning the fire was burning brightly in the stove and saginaw stood staring out through the little window that showed a translucent grey square against the dark log wall. he turned at the sound of the boy's feet upon the floor. "snow's held off fer a long time this year, but when she come she come a-plenty," he observed. "still snowing?" asked the boy, as he wriggled into his clothing. "it started last night while i was coming down from camp two." "yeh, it's still snowin.' foot deep a'ready an' comin' down in fine flakes an' slantin' like she's a-goin' to keep on snowin'!" "are you going to begin laying 'em down today?" saginaw shook his head: "no. i'm a-goin' to set 'em overhaulin' the sleds, an' the sprinkler, an' the drays, an' gittin' the skidways in shape, an' breakin' out the road. it's cold enough fer to make a good bottom an' things ort to go a-whoopin' when this snow lets up." connie snickered. "i bet slue foot's growling this morning, with no roof on his office and blacksmith shop, and his stable and oat house only about half chinked." "he'd growl if his camp was 'lectric lit an' steam het. i'm ready fer breakfast, if the cook's saved us some. you go on over an' i'll be 'long when i git the men strung out." saginaw filled the stove with chunks and together they left the office, the older man heading for the men's camp, while connie made directly for the cook's camp. as the boy lowered his head to the sting of the sweeping snow and plodded across the clearing, a feeling of great loneliness came over him, for he knew that there lurked in the man's mind a feeling of distrust--a feeling that he had studiously attempted to conceal. nothing in the spoken words revealed this distrust, but the boy was quick to note that the voice lacked something of the hearty comradery that had grown up between them. "this is almost like alaska," connie muttered, as he breathed deeply of the clean, cold air. "i wish i was in ten bow right now--with waseche bill, and macdougall, and dutch henry and the rest of 'em--or else over on the yukon with big dan mckeever, and rickey." the boy's fists clenched within his mittens, as was their habit when he faced a difficult situation. "if it wasn't that waseche is depending on me to straighten out this mess, i'd strike out for ten bow today. but i've just naturally got to see it through--and i've got to go it alone, too. if i should let saginaw in, and it should turn out that hurley is crooked, my chance of nailing him would be shot, because saginaw and hurley are one, two, three. "the first thing i better do," he decided, as he stamped the snow from his boots before the door of the cook's camp, "is to slip up and see mike gillum and find out how he knows hurley is in the pay of the syndicate." during the breakfast the boy was unusually silent and when the meal was finished he returned directly to the office, and stood for a long time staring out into the whirling white smother. as he turned to his desk his eye encountered hurley's snow-shoes hanging from their peg on the opposite wall. "it's only ten miles to willow river," he muttered, "and i've just got to see mike gillum." a moment later he stepped through the door, fastened on the snow-shoes and, hastening across the clearing, plunged into the timber. it was nearly noon when saginaw ed returned to the office and found it empty. almost instantly he noticed that the boss's snow-shoes were missing and he grinned: "kid's out practising on the rackets, i guess." then he stepped to the door. the snow had continued to fall steadily--fine, wind-driven flakes that pile up slowly. the trail was very faint, and as the man's eye followed it across the clearing his brows drew into a puzzled frown. "that don't look like no practice trail," he muttered. "no, sir! they ain't no greener ever yet started off like that." he pinched his chin between his thumb and forefinger and scowled at the trail. "one of two things: either the kid ain't the greener he lets on to be, or else someone else has hiked off on the boss's snow-shoes. an' either which way, it's up to me to find out." crossing swiftly to the cook shack he returned a few minutes later, the pockets of his mackinaw bulging with lunch, and drawing his own snow-shoes from beneath his bunk, struck out upon the fast dimming trail. "i mistrust slue foot, an' i didn't like the way he started to bawl out the kid yeste'day. it seemed kind of like it wasn't straight goods. he's a beefer an' a growler, all right, but somehow, this time it seemed as if it was kind of piled on fer my special benefit." in the timber, sheltered from the sweep of the wind, the track had not drifted full, but threaded the woods in a broad, trough-like depression that the woodsman easily followed. mile after mile it held to the north, dipping into deep ravines, skirting thick windfalls, and crossing steep ridges. as the trail lengthened the man's face hardened. "whoever's a-hikin' ahead of me ain't no greener an' he ain't walkin' fer fun, neither. he's travellin' as fast as i be, an' he knows where he's a-goin', too." he paused at the top of a high ridge and smote a heavily mittened palm with a mittened fist. "so that's the way of it, eh? i heard how the syndicate was runnin' a big camp on willow river--an' this here's the willow river divide. they ain't only one answer, the kid, or whoever it is i'm a-follerin', has be'n put in here by the syndicate to keep cases on hurley's camps--either that, or slue foot's in with 'em, an' is usin' the kid fer a go-between. they're pretty smart, all right, headin' way up to this here willow river camp. they figgered that no one wouldn't pay no 'tention to a trail headin' north, while if it led over to the syndicate camp on dogfish someone would spot it in a minute. an' with it snowin' like this, they figgered the trail would drift full, or else look so old no one would bother about it. they ain't only one thing to do, an' that's to go ahead an' find out. what a man knows is worth a heap more'n what he can guess. they's a-goin' to be some big surprises on dogfish 'fore this winter's over, an' some folks is a-goin' to wish they'd of be'n smarter--or stayed honester." saginaw descended the slope and, still following the trail, walked steadily for an hour. suddenly he paused to listen. distinctly to his ears came the measured thud of pounded iron, punctuated at regular intervals by the metallic ring of a hammer upon an anvil. "it's the syndicate's willow river camp," he muttered, and advanced cautiously. presently he gained the clearing and, skirting it, halted at the edge of a log road that reached back into the timber. the man noted that whoever made the trail had made no attempt to conceal his visit from the syndicate crew, for the tracks struck into the road which led directly into the clearing. not a soul was in sight and, hurriedly crossing the road, saginaw continued to skirt the clearing until he arrived at a point directly opposite a small building that stood by itself midway between the men's camp and the stable. "that had ort to be the office," he said as he studied the lay of the camp and the conformation of the ground. several large piles of tops lay between the edge of the clearing and the small building, against the back of which had been placed a huge pile of firewood. across the clearing upon the bank of the river a crew of men were engaged in levelling off the rollways, and other men were busy about the open door of the blacksmith shop, where the forge fire burned brightly. the storm had thinned to a scarcely perceptible downfall and the rising wind whipped the smoke from the stovepipe of the building. "i've got to find out who's in that office," he decided and, suiting the action to the word, moved swiftly from one pile of tops to another, until he gained the shelter of the woodpile. it is a very risky thing to peer into the window of a small room occupied by at least two people in broad daylight, and it was with the utmost caution that saginaw removed his cap and applied his eye to the extreme corner of the pane. seated facing each other, close beside the stove, were connie and mike gillum. the boss's hand was upon the boy's knee and he was talking earnestly. at the sight saginaw could scarce refrain from venting his anger in words. he had seen enough and, dodging quickly back, retraced his steps, and once more gained the shelter of the timber. "so that's yer game, is it, you sneakin' little spy? takin' advantage of hurley the minute his back's turned! you've got him fooled, all right. an' you had me fooled, too. you're a smart kid, but you ain't quite smart enough. you can't do no harm now we're onto yer game, an' 'fore them logs hits the water in the spring yer goin' to find out you ain't the only smart one in the timber--you an' slue foot, too." it was well past the middle of the afternoon when saginaw took the back trail and struck out at a long swinging walk for the camp on dogfish. the flash of anger, engendered by the sight of the boy in friendly conference with the boss of the syndicate camp, gave way to keen disappointment as he tramped on and on through the timber. he had liked connie from the first, and as the days went by his regard for the boy, whose brains and nerve had won the respect and admiration of the whole camp, grew. "i've a good mind to git him off to one side an' give him a good straight talk. he ain't like that steve. why, doggone it! i couldn't feel no worse about findin' out he's headed wrong, if he was my own boy. an' if he was my own boy, it would be my job to talk things over with him an' try to steer him straight, instead of layin' for to catch him in some crooked work an' send him over the road for it. by gum, i'll do it, too! an' i'll give it to him right straight, without no fancy trimmin's neither. tonight'll be a good time when him an' i'll be alone." his cogitations had carried him to within a mile of camp two, which the trail carefully avoided, when suddenly, at the bottom of a deep ravine, a man stepped in front of him: "hands up!" it was some seconds before saginaw realized that he was staring straight into the muzzle of a rifle that the man held within six inches of his nose. two other men stepped from behind trees and joined the leader. "makes a difference which end of the gun yer at when ye hear them words, don't it?" sneered the man, and in the deep twilight of the thick woods saginaw recognized the men as the three i. w. w.'s that he and connie had arrested in their attempt to burn the stable. also he recognized the boss's rifle. "where's hurley?" he cried, as full realization of the situation forced itself upon him. "i said _'hands up'!_" reminded the man with the gun, "an' i meant it. an' if i wus you i'd put 'em up. i guess when we git through with ye ye'll think twict before ye lock folks up in a oat house to freeze to death all night--you an' that smart alec kid." "where's hurley?" repeated saginaw, with arms upraised. the man laughed, coarsely: "hurley, we fixed his clock fer him. an' we'll fix yourn, too. we'll learn ye to fool with the i. w. w. when it's a-goin' about its business. an' we'll learn everyone else, too. we're stronger 'n the law, an' stronger 'n the government, an' when we git ready we'll show the bosses an' the capitalists where to git off at!" "you're a bunch of dirty crooks, an' thieves, an' murderers--an' you ain't got the brains to show nobody nawthin'." "search him!" commanded the leader, his face livid with rage. "we'll show you somethin', 'fore we git through with you--jest like we showed hurley. come on, now, git a move on. we got to see a party an' git holt of some grub. 'fore we git started, though, ye kin jest take off them snow-shoes, i kin use 'em myself, an' you kin see how it feels to waller through the snow like we be'n doin'." the transfer was soon accomplished, and marching saginaw before them, the three headed off at a right angle from the trail. chapter x connie does some trailing connie morgan halted abruptly and stared down at the snow. at the point where, a couple of hours before, he had emerged into the tote road, another, fresher, snow-shoe track crossed the road and struck out upon his back trail. for some moments he studied the track, his trained eye taking every slightest detail. "whoever it was followed my trail to here, and for some reason didn't want to follow it on into the clearing. so he kept on, and it wasn't long before he took the back trail." he bent closer, and when he once more stood erect his face was very grave. "it's saginaw," he muttered. "i helped him restring that left racket." swiftly the boy followed the tracks to the point where the man had struck into the clearing at the rear of the little office. "he followed me and found me talking to mike gillum." [illustration: swiftly the boy followed the tracks to the point where the man had struck into the clearing.] as connie struck out on the back trail he smiled grimly: "gee, i bet he thinks i'm a bad one. he knows the syndicate put one over on hurley last winter, and now he thinks i'm hand in glove with 'em. i would like to have run this thing down alone, but i guess i'll have to let saginaw in on it now. maybe he won't believe me, and maybe hurley won't, and then i'll get fired! anyhow, he broke a good trail for me," grinned the boy as he swung swiftly through the timber. travelling light, he made rapid progress, and as he walked, his brain was busy trying to solve his riddle of the woods. mike gillum had told him that he had worked on several jobs with hurley, that he was a good lumberman, that he could handle men, and get out the logs. knowing this, he had recommended him to waseche bill, as foreman of his camp. gillum said that by accident he had seen hurley's name on the syndicate pay roll and had asked one of the clerks in the office about it, and that the clerk had winked and told him that hurley was well worth all the syndicate paid him because he was boss of an independent outfit that was logging up on dogfish. it was then that gillum had written to waseche bill. he had known nothing of the latter's loss of last winter until connie had told him at the time of their first meeting. despite the man's statements, connie could not bring himself to believe that hurley was guilty. "there's a mistake somewhere," he muttered as he trudged on, "and i've got to find out where. i can't let hurley in on it, because he's hot-headed and he'd jump in and spoil every chance we had of catching the real culprit, or, if he is mixed up in it, he'd have all the chance in the world to cover his tracks so i never could prove anything on him. but he isn't guilty!" this last was uttered aloud and with the emphasis of conviction. for the life of him the boy could not have given a good and sufficient reason for this conviction. indeed, all reason was against it. but the conviction was there, and the reason for the conviction was there--even if the boy could not have told it--and it ran a great deal deeper than he knew. from the moment three years before, when he had landed, a forlorn and friendless little figure, upon the dock at anvik, he had been thrown among men--men crude and rough as the land they lived in. his daily associates had been good men--and bad. he had known good men with deplorable weaknesses, and bad men with admirable virtues. in his association with these men of the lean, lone land the boy had unconsciously learned to take keen measure of men. and, having taken his measure, he accepted a man at his worth. the boy knew that mike gillum had not lied to him--that under no circumstances would he lie to injure another. but, despite the man's positive statement, connie's confidence in hurley remained unshaken. hurley had assumed a definite place in his scheme of things, and it would take evidence much more tangible than an unsubstantiated statement to displace him. under the heavily overcast sky and the thickly interlaced branches of the pines, daylight passed into twilight, and twilight fast deepened to darkness as the boy pushed on through the forest. suddenly he halted. to his surprise, the trail he was following turned abruptly to the west. he knew that the fresher tracks of saginaw's snow-shoes had been laid over his own back trail, and he knew that he had made no right angle turn in his trip to willow river. bending close to the snow he made out in the deep gloom other tracks--the tracks of three men who had not worn snow-shoes. the three had evidently intercepted saginaw and a powwow had ensued, for there had been much trampling about in the snow. then saginaw had abandoned his course and accompanied the men to the westward. [illustration: the boy hastened unnoticed to the edge of a crowd of men that encircled frenchy lamar.] "camp two is west of here," muttered the boy. "i guess the men were part of slue foot's crew, and he went over to the camp with 'em." darkness prevented him from noting that the trail that led to the westward was a clumsier trail than saginaw would have made, or he never would have dismissed the matter so lightly from his mind. as it was, he continued upon his course for camp one, where he arrived nearly an hour later to find the camp in a turmoil. the boy hastened, unnoticed, to the edge of a crowd of men that encircled frenchy lamar, who talked as fast as he could in an almost unintelligible jargon, which he punctuated with shrugs, and wild-flung motions of his arms. [illustration] "_oui_, dat be'n w'en de las' of de camp two tote teams be'n pass 'bout de half hour. we com' 'long by de place w'er de road she twis' 'roun an' slant down de steep ravine. woof! rat on de trail stan' de leetle black bear, an', _sacre!_ ma leaders git so scare dey stan' oop on de hine leg lak dey gon for dance. dey keek, dey jomp, dey plonge, an', _voila!_ dem wheelers git crazy too. i'm got ma han' full, an' plenty mor', too, an' de nex' t'ing i'm fin' out dey jomp de wagon oop on de beeg stomp an' she teep ovaire so queek lak you kin say jac robinshon. crack! ma reach she brek in two an' ma front ax' she git jerk loose from de wagon an' de nex' t'ing i'm drag by de lines 'cross de creek so fas' dat tear ma coat, ma shirt, ma pants mos' lak de ribbon. i'm bomp ma head, an' lose ma cap, an' scratch ma face, but by gar, i'm hang holt de lines, an' by-m-by dem horse dey git tire to haul me roun' by de mout', and dey stan' still a minute on top de odder side. i'm look back an', _sacre!_ hurley is lay on de groun' an' de boss i. w. w. is hit heem on de head wit' de gon. de res' is cuttin' loose deir han's. i'm yell on dem to queet poun' on de boss head, wit de rifle, an' de nex' t'ing i'm know: zing! de bullet com' so clos' eet mak de win' on ma face, an' de nex' t'ing, zing! dat bullet she sting de horse an' i'm just got tam to jomp oop on de front ax', an' de horses start out lak she got far business away from here queek. dey ron so fas' i'm got to hol' on wit' ma han's, wit' ma feet! dem horses ron so fas' lak de train, dem wheels jomp feefty feet high, an' dey only com' on de groun' 'bout once every half a mile an' den i'm git poun', an' bomp, an' rattle, 'til i'm so black lak de, w'at you call, de niggaire! "de neares' doctaire, she down to birch lak'. i'm leave ma team een de store-keeper stable, an' ol' man niles she say de train don' stop no mor' today, so i can't go to birch lak' 'til mornin'. i t'ink, by gar, i'm mak' de train stop, so i'm push de beeg log on de track an' lay on ma belly in de weeds, an' pret' soon de train com' long an' she see de beeg log an' she stop queek, an' dey all ron opp front an' i'm climb on an' tak' de seat in de smokaire. de train go 'long w'en dey git de log shov' off, an' de conductaire, he com' long an' seen me sit dere. 'we're you git on dis train?' she say, an' i'm tell heem i'm git on to dogfish, w'en de train stop. 'i'm goin' to birch lak' for git de doctaire for man w'at git keel,' i'm say, an' he say de train don' stop to birch lak', neider. she t'rough train, an' we'n we git to de firs' stop, she gon' for hav' me arres'. i ain' say no mor' an' i'm look out de window, an' de conductaire she go an' set down in de back of de car. de train she gon' ver' fas' an' by-m-by she com' to de breege, an' birch lak' is wan half mile. "i'm travel on de car before, an' i'm see dem stop de train mor' as once to put off de lumbaire-jack w'en dey git to fightin' _voila!_ i'm jomp oop on ma feet ver' queek an' pull two, t'ree tam on de leetle rope, an' de las' tam i'm pull so hard she bre'k in two. de train she stop so queek she mak' fellers bomp 'roun' in de seat, an' de conductaire she so mad she lak to bus', an' she holler ver' mooch, an' com' ronnin' down de middle. she ain' ver' beeg man, an' i'm reach down queek, de nex' t'ing she know she light on de head in de middle w'ere four fellers is playin' cards. den, i'm ron an' jomp off de car an' fin' de doctaire. dat gittin' dark, now, an' she startin' to snow, an' de doctaire she say we can't go to dogfish 'til mornin', day ain' no mor' train. i'm see de han' car down by de track, but de doctaire she say we ain' can tak' dat for 'cause we git arres'. but i'm laugh on heem, an' i'm say i'm tak' dat han' car, 'cause i'm got to git arres' anyhow--but firs' dey got to ketch--eh? so i'm tak' a rock an' bus' de lock an' we lif' her on de track an' com' to dogfish. ol' man niles she tak' hees team an' gon' oop an' got hurley an' de cookee, an' breeng heem to de store. de doctaire she feex de boss oop, an' she say eef eet ain' for dat cookee stay 'roun' an' mak' de blood quit comin', hurley she would be dead befor' we com' long. dis mornin' i'm tak' ma team an' ol man niles's wagon an' com' to de camp. hurley she won' go to de hospital, lak de doctaire say, so de doctaire she com' 'long. eet tak' me all day long, de snow she so d'ep, an' by gar----" connie left in the middle of the frenchman's discourse and hurried into the office. in his bunk, with his head swathed in bandages, lay hurley. the doctor stood beside the stove and watched steve feed the injured man gruel from a spoon. the big boss opened his eyes as the boy entered. he smiled faintly, and with ever so slight a motion of his head indicated steve: "an' i said they wasn't the worth of a lath in his hide," he muttered and nodded weakly as connie crossed swiftly to the boy's side and shook his hand. hurley's voice dropped almost to a whisper: "i'll be laid up fer a couple of days. tell saginaw to--keep--things--goin'." "i'll tell him," answered connie, grimly, and, as the boss's eyes closed, stepped to his own bunk and, catching up the service revolver from beneath the blankets, hurried from the room. connie morgan was a boy that experience and training had taught to think quickly. when he left the office it was with the idea of heading a posse of lumberjacks in the capture of the three i. w. w.'s, for from the moment he heard of their escape the boy realized that these were the three men who had intercepted saginaw ed on his return from willow river. his one thought was to rescue the captive, for well he knew that, having saginaw in their power, the thugs would stop at nothing in venting their hatred upon the helpless man. as he hurried toward the crowd in front of the men's camp his brain worked rapidly. fifty men in the woods at night would make fifty times as much noise as one man. then again, what would the men do if they should catch the three? the boy paused for a moment at the corner of the oat house. there was only one answer to _that_ question. the answer had been plain even before the added outrage of the attack upon hurley--and hurley was liked by his men. stronger than ever became the boy's determination to have the i. w. w.'s dealt with by the law. there must be no posse. his mind swung to the other alternative. if he went alone he could follow swiftly and silently. the odds would be three against one--but the three had only one gun between them. he fingered the butt of his revolver confidently. "i can wing the man with the gun, and then cover the others," he muttered, "and besides, i'll have all the advantage of knowing what i'm up against while they think they're safe. dan mckeever was strong for that. i guess i'll go it alone." having arrived at this decision the boy crossed the clearing to the men's camp where he singled out swede larson from the edge of the crowd. "saginaw and i've got some special work to do," he whispered; "you keep the men going 'til we get back." without waiting for a reply, he hastened to the oat house, fastened on his snow-shoes, and slipped into the timber. it was no hardship, even in the darkness, for him to follow the snow-shoe trail, and to the point where the others had left it his progress was rapid. the snow had stopped falling, and great rifts appeared in the wind-driven clouds. without hesitation connie swung into the trail of the four men. he reasoned that they would not travel far because when they had intercepted saginaw there could not have been more than two or three hours of daylight left. the boy followed swiftly along the trail, pausing frequently to listen, and as he walked he puzzled over the fact that the men had returned to the vicinity of the camp, when obviously they should have made for the railway and placed as much distance as possible between themselves and the scene of their crimes. he dismissed the thought of their being lost, for all three were woodsmen. why, then, had they returned? suddenly he halted and shrank into the shelter of a windfall. upon the branches of the pine trees some distance ahead his eye caught the faint reflection of a fire. very cautiously he left the trail and, circling among the trees, approached the light from the opposite direction. nearer and nearer he crept until he could distinctly see the faces of the four men. crouching behind a thick tree trunk, he could see that the men had no blankets, and that they huddled close about the fire. he could see saginaw with his hands tied, seated between two of the others. suddenly, beyond the fire, apparently upon the back trail of the men, a twig snapped. instantly one of the three leaped up, rifle in hand, and disappeared in the woods. connie waited in breathless suspense. had swede larson followed him? or had someone else taken up the trail? in a few moments the man returned and, taking saginaw by the arm, jerked him roughly to his feet and, still gripping the rifle, hurried him into the woods away from the trail. they passed close to connie, and the boy thanked his lucky star that he had circled to the north instead of the south, or they would have immediately blundered onto his trail. a short distance further on, and just out of sight of the camp fire, they halted, and the man gave a low whistle. instantly another man stepped into the circle of the firelight--a man bearing upon his back a heavily laden pack surmounted by several pairs of folded blankets. he tossed the pack into the snow and greeted the two men who remained at the fire with a grin. then he produced a short black pipe, and, as he stooped to pick up a brand from the fire, connie stared at him in open-mouthed amazement. the newcomer was the boss of camp two! chapter xi connie finds an ally "wher's pierce?" asked slue foot magee, as he glanced down upon the two figures that crouched close about the little fire. "he went on ahead to hunt a place to camp. we waited to pack the stuff," lied the man, nodding toward the pack sack that the boss of camp two had deposited in the snow. "i sure was surprised when sam, here, popped out of the woods an' told me ye'd got away an' needed blankets an' grub. wha'd ye do to hurley? an' how come ye didn't hit fer the railroad an' make yer git-away?" "we beat hurley up a-plenty so'st he won't be in no hurry to take no i. w. w.'s nowheres ag'in. an' as fer hittin' fer the railroad, it's too cold fer to ride the rods or the bumpers, an' we hain't got a dollar between us. you'll have to stake us fer the git-away." slue foot frowned: "i hain't got a cent, neither. come into the woods on credick--an' hain't draw'd none." "that's a fine mess we're in!" exclaimed the leader angrily. "how fer d' ye figger we're a-goin' to git on what little grub ye fetched in that pack? an' wher' we goin' to--bein' as we're broke? we hit back fer you 'cause we know'd ye stood strong in the organization an' we had a right to think ye'd see us through." "i'll see ye through!" growled slue foot, impatiently. "but i can't give ye nawthin' i hain't got, kin i?" he stood for a few moments staring into the fire, apparently in deep thought. "i've got it!" he exclaimed. "the syndicate's got a camp 'bout ten mile north of here on willer river. they're short handed an' the boss'll hire anything he kin git. seen him in town 'fore i come out, an' he wanted to hire me, but i was already hired to hurley--got a boss's job, too, an' that's better'n what i'd got out of him. if youse fellers hadn't of be'n in such a hurry to pull somethin' an' had of waited 'til i come, ye wouldn't of botched the job an' got caught." "is that so!" flared the leader. "i s'pose we'd ort to know'd ye was goin' to be hired on this job! an' i s'pose our instructions is not to pull no rough stuff onless you're along to see it's done right!" "they hain't nawthin' in standin' 'round argerin'," interrupted slue foot. "what i was a-goin' on to say is that youse better hike on up to willer river an' git ye a job. there's grub enough in the pack to last ye twict that fer." "wher'll we tell the boss we come from? 'taint in reason we'd hit that fer into the woods huntin' a job." "tell him ye got sore on me an' quit. if they's any questions asked i'll back ye up." the leader of the i. w. w.'s looked at sam, and sam looked at the leader. they were in a quandary. for reasons of their own they had not told slue foot that they had picked up saginaw--and with saginaw on their hands, how were they going to follow out the boss's suggestion? behind his big tree, connie morgan had been an interested listener. he knew why the men stared blankly at each other, and chuckled to himself at their predicament. "what's to hinder someone from camp one a-trailin' us up there?" suggested sam. "trailin' ye! how they goin' to trail ye? it was a-snowin' clean up to the time ye got to camp two, an' if any one sees yer tracks around there i'll say i sent some men up that way fer somethin'. an' besides," he continued, glancing upward where the clouds that had thinned into flying scuds had thickened again, obliterating the stars, "this storm hain't over yet. it'll be snowin' ag'in 'fore long an' ye won't leave no more trail'n a canoe. anyways, that's the best way i kin think of. if you've got a better one go to it--i've done all i kin fer ye." there was finality in slue foot's voice as he drew on his mittens, and turned from the fire. "so long, an' good luck to ye." "so long," was the rather surly rejoinder. "if that's the best we kin do, i s'pose we gotta do it. mebbe if it starts snowin' we're all right, an' if we make it, we'll be safer up there than what we would down along the railroad, anyways. they won't be no one a-huntin' us in the woods." "sure they won't," agreed slue foot, as he passed from sight into the timber. the two beside the fire sat in silence until the sound of slue foot's footsteps was swallowed up in the distance. then sam spoke: "what we goin' to do with this here saginaw?" he asked. the leader glanced skyward. "it's startin' to snow--" he leered and, stopping abruptly, rose to his feet. "wait till we git pierce in here." producing some pieces of rope from his pocket, he grinned. "lucky i fetched these along when i cut 'em off my hands. we'll give him a chanct to see how it feels to be tied up onct." the man stepped into the timber and a few minutes later returned accompanied by pierce, to whom they immediately began to relate what had passed between them and the boss of camp two. the moment they seated themselves about the fire, connie slipped from his hiding place behind the tree and stole noiselessly toward the spot where the men had left saginaw. snow was falling furiously now, adding the bewildering effect of its whirling flakes to the intense blackness of the woods. removing his snow-shoes to avoid leaving a wide, flat trail, the boy stepped into the tracks of the two who had returned to the fire and, a few moments later, was bending over a dark form that sat motionless with its back against the trunk of a tree. "it's me, saginaw," he whispered, as the keen edge of his knife blade severed the ropes that bound the man's hands and feet. [illustration: "what in the name of time be you doin' here?" exclaimed saginaw.] the man thrust his face close to connie's in the darkness. "what in the name of time be you doin' here?" he exclaimed. "sh-sh-sh," whispered the boy. "come on, we've got to get away in a hurry. there's no tellin' how soon those fellows will finish their powwow." "what do you mean--git away? when we git away from here we take them birds along, er my name ain't saginaw ed! on top of tryin' to burn up the camp they've up an' murdered hurley, an' they'd of done the like by me, if they'd be'n give time to!" "we'll get them, later. i know where they're going. what we've got to do is to beat it. step in my tracks so they won't know there were two of us. they'll think you cut yourself loose and they won't try to follow in the dark, especially if the storm holds." "but them hounds has got my rackets." "i've got mine, and when we get away from here i'll put 'em on and break trail for you." "look a here, you give me yer gun an' i'll go in an' clean up on them desperadoes. i'll show 'em if the i. w. w.'s is goin' to run the woods! i'll----" "come on! i tell you we can get 'em whenever we want 'em----" "i'll never want 'em no worse'n i do right now." "hurley's all right, i saw him a little while ago." "they said they----" "i don't care what they said. hurley's down in the office, right now. come on, and when we put a few miles behind us, i'll tell you all you want to know." "you'll tell a-plenty, then," growled saginaw, only half convinced. "an' here's another thing--if you're double crossin' me, you're a-goin' to wish you never seen the woods." the boy's only answer was a laugh, and he led, swiftly as the intense darkness would permit, into the woods. they had gone but a short distance when he stopped and put on his rackets. after that progress was faster, and saginaw ed, mushing along behind, wondered at the accuracy with which the boy held his course in the blackness and the whirling snow. a couple of hours later, connie halted in the shelter of a thick windfall. "we can rest up for a while, now," he said, "and i'll tell you some of things you want to know." "where do you figger we're at?" asked saginaw, regarding the boy shrewdly. "we're just off the tote road between the two camps," answered the boy without hesitation. a moment of silence followed the words and when he spoke the voice of saginaw sounded hard: "i've be'n in the woods all my life, an' it would of bothered me to hit straight fer camp on a night like this. they's somethin' wrong here somewheres, kid--an' the time's come fer a showdown. i don't git you, at all! you be'n passin' yerself off fer a greener. ever sence you went out an' got that deer i've know'd you wasn't--but i figgered it worn't none of my business. then when you out-figgered them hounds--that worn't no greener's job, an' i know'd that--but, i figgered you was all to the good. but things has happened sence, that ain't all to the good--by a long shot. you've got some explainin' to do, an' seein' we're so clost to camp, we better go on to the office an' do it around the stove." "we wouldn't get much chance to powwow in the office tonight. hurley's there, and the doctor, and steve, and lon camden." "the doctor?" "yes, those fellows beat hurley up pretty bad, but he's coming along all right. steve stayed by him, and the doctor said it saved his life." "you don't mean that sneakin' cookee that throw'd in with the i. w. w.?" "yup." "well, i'll be doggoned! but, them bein' in the office don't alter the case none. we might's well have things open an' above board." connie leaned forward and placed his hand on the man's arm. "what i've got to say, i want to say to you, and to no one else. i wanted to play the game alone, but while i was trailing you down from willow river, i decided i'd have to let you in on it." "you know'd i follered you up there?" "of course i knew it. didn't i help you string that racket?" saginaw shook his head in resignation. "we might's well have it out right here," he said. "i don't git you. first off, you figger how to catch them jaspers with the goods an' lock 'em up. then you throw in with slue foot. then you hike up to the syndicate camp an' is thicker'n thieves with the boss. then you pop up in a blizzard in the middle of the night an' cut me loose. then you turn 'round an' let them hounds go when we could of nailed 'em where they set--seems like you've bit off quite a contract to make all them things jibe. go ahead an' spit 'er out--an' believe me, it'll be an earful! first, though, you tell me where them i. w. w.'s is goin' an' how you know. if i ain't satisfied, i'm a-goin' to hit right back an' git 'em while the gittin's good." "they're going up to work for the syndicate in the willow river camp." "know'd they was loose an' slipped up to git 'em a job, did you?" asked saginaw sarcastically. connie grinned. "no. but there's a big job ahead of you and me this winter--to save the timber and clear hurley's name." "what do you know about hurley an' the timber?" "not as much as i will by spring. but i do know that we lost $ , on this job last winter. you see, i'm one of the owners." "one of the owners!" saginaw exclaimed incredulously. "yes. i've got the papers here to prove it. you couldn't read 'em in the dark, so you'll have to take my word for it 'til we get where you can read 'em. waseche bill is my partner and we live in ten bow, alaska. soon after hurley's report reached us, showing the loss, a letter came from mike gillum, saying that hurley was in the pay of the syndicate----" "he's a liar!" cried saginaw wrathfully shaking his mittened fist in connie's face. "i've know'd hurley, man an' boy, an' they never was a squarer feller ever swung an axe. who is this here mike gillum? lead me to him! i'll tell him to his face he's a liar, an' then i'll prove it by givin' him the doggonest lickin' he ever got--an' i don't care if he's big as a meetin' house door, neither!" "wait a minute, saginaw, and listen. i know hurley's square. but i didn't know it until i got acquainted with him. i came clear down from alaska to catch him with the goods, and that's why i hired out to him. but, mike gillum is square, too. he's boss of the syndicate camp on willow river. a clerk in the syndicate office told him that the syndicate was paying hurley, and mike wrote to waseche bill. he's a friend of waseche's--used to prospect in alaska----" "i don't care if he used to prospeck in heaven! he's a liar if he says hurley ever double crossed any one!" "hold on, i think i've got an idea of what's going on here and it will be up to us to prove it. the man that's doing the double crossing is slue foot magee. i didn't like his looks from the minute i first saw him. then he began to hint that there were ways a forty-dollar-a-month clerk could double his wages, and when i pretended to fall in with his scheme he said that when they begin laying 'em down he'll show me how to shade the cut. and more than that, he said he had something big he'd let me in on later, provided i kept my eyes and ears open to what went on in the office." "an' you say you an' yer pardner owns this here timber?" "that's just what i said." "then slue foot's ondertook to show you a couple of schemes where you kin steal consider'ble money off yerself?" connie laughed. "that's it, exactly." saginaw ed remained silent for several moments. "pervidin' you kin show them papers, an' from what i've saw of you, i ain't none surprised if you kin, how come it that yer pardner sent a kid like you way down here on what any one ort to know would turn out to be a rough job anyways you look at it?" "he didn't send me--i came. he wanted to come himself, but at that time we thought it was hurley we were after, and hurley knows waseche so he could never have found out anything, even if he had come down. and besides, i've had quite a lot of experience in jobs like this. i served a year with the mounted." "the mounted! you don't mean the canady mounted police!" "yes, i do." there was another long silence, then the voice of saginaw rumbled almost plaintively through the dark, "say, kid, you ain't never be'n _president_, have you?" connie snickered. "no, i've never been president. and if there's nothing else you want to know right now, let's hit the hay. we've both done some man's size mushing today." "you spoke a word, kid," answered saginaw, rising to his feet; "i wouldn't put no crookedness whatever past slue foot. but that didn't give this here gillum no license to blackguard hurley in no letter." "has hurley ever worked for the syndicate?" asked connie. "no, he ain't. i know every job he's had in minnesoty an' westconsin. then he went out west to idyho, or montany, or somewheres, an' this here's the first job he's had sence he come back." "what i've been thinking is that slue foot has passed himself off to the syndicate as hurley. they know that hurley is boss of this camp, but they don't know him by sight. it's a risky thing to do, but i believe slue foot has done it." "well, jumpin' jerushelam! d'you s'pose he'd of dared?" "that's what we've got to find out--and we've got to do it alone. you know hurley better than i do, and you know that he's hot-headed, and you know that if he suspected slue foot of doing that, he couldn't wait to get the evidence so we could get him with the goods. he'd just naturally sail into him and beat him to a pulp." saginaw chuckled. "yes, an' then he'd squeeze the juice out of the pulp to finish off with. i guess yer right, kid. it's up to me an' you. but how'd you know them i. w. w.'s is headin' fer willer river?" "because i heard slue foot tell them to." "slue foot!" "yes, i forgot to tell you that slue foot is an i. w. w., too. i didn't know it myself 'til tonight. you see, when i got back to camp and found that hurley's prisoners had made a get-away, i knew right then why you had turned off the back trail from willow river. i knew they'd treat you like they did hurley, or worse, so i hit the trail." "wasn't they no one else handy you could of brung along?" asked saginaw, drily. "the whole camp would have jumped at the chance--and you know it! and you know what they'd have done when they caught 'em. i knew i could travel faster and make less noise than a big gang, and i knew i could handle the job when i got there. i had slipped up and was watching when pierce took you into the timber. he did that because they heard someone coming. it was slue foot, and he brought 'em a grub stake and some blankets. they knew he was an i. w. w., and they'd managed to slip him the word that they were loose. they wanted him to stake them to some money, too, but slue foot said he didn't have any, and told them to get a job up on willow river. he told them they'd be safer there than they would anywhere down along the railroad." "yes, but how'd you know they'll go there?" "they can't go any place else," laughed the boy. "they're broke, and they've only got a little bit of grub." "when we goin' up an' git 'em?" persisted saginaw. "we'll let the sheriff do that for us, then the whole thing will be according to law." "i guess that's right," assented the man, as the two swung down the tote road. "we'd better roll in in the men's camp," suggested connie, as they reached the clearing. a little square of light from the office window showed dimly through the whirling snow, and, approaching noiselessly, the two peeked in. mounded blankets covered the sleeping forms of the doctor and lon camden; hurley's bandaged head was visible upon his coarse pillow, and beside him sat steve, wide awake, with the bottles of medicine within easy reach. "half past one!" exclaimed saginaw, glancing at the little clock. "by jiminetty, kid, it's time we was to bed!" chapter xii shading the cut it was nine o'clock the following morning when connie was awakened by someone bending over him. it was saginaw, and the boy noticed that his cap and mackinaw were powdered with snow. "still snowing, eh? why didn't you wake me up before?" "it's 'bout quit, an' as fer wakin' you up," he grinned, "i didn't hardly dast to. if i was the owner of an outfit an' any doggone lumberjack woke me up 'fore i was good an' ready i'd fire him." "oh, you want to see my papers, do you?" grinned connie. "well, i might take a squint at 'em. but that ain't what i come fer. the boss is a whole lot better, an' the doctor's a-goin' back. what i want to know is, why can't he swear out them warrants ag'in them three i. w. w.'s an' have it over with? i didn't say nothin' to hurley 'bout them bein' located, er he'd of riz up an' be'n half ways to willer river by now." "sure, he can swear out the warrants! i'll slip over to the office and get their names out of the time book, and while i'm gone you might look over these." the boy selected several papers from a waterproof wallet which he drew from an inner pocket and passed them over to saginaw, then he finished dressing and hurried over to the office. hurley was asleep, and, copying the names from the book, connie returned to the men's camp. "you're the goods all right," said saginaw, admiringly, as he handed back the papers. "from now on i'm with you 'til the last gap, as the feller says. you've got more right down nerve than i ever know'd a kid could have, an' you've got the head on you to back it. yer good enough fer me--you say the word, an' i go the limit." he stuck out his hand, which connie gripped strongly. "you didn't have to tell me that, saginaw," answered the boy, gravely, "if you had, you would never have had the chance." saginaw ed removed his hat and scratched his head thoughtfully. "that there'll strike through 'bout dinner time, i guess. but i suspicion what you mean, an'--i'm obliged." "here are the names for the doctor--better tell him to swear out warrants both for arson and for attempted murder." "yes, sir," answered saginaw, respectfully. "yes, _what!_" the man grinned sheepishly. "why--i guess--bein' i was talkin' to the owner----" "look here, saginaw," interrupted the boy, wrathfully, "you just forget this 'owner' business, and don't you start 'siring' me! what do you want to do--give this whole thing away? up where i live they don't call a man 'sir' just because he happens to have a little more dust than somebody else. it ain't the 'misters' and the 'sirs' that are the big men up there; it's the 'bills' and the 'jacks' and the 'scotties' and the 'petes'--men that would get out and mush a hundred miles to carry grub to a scurvy camp instead of sitting around the stove and hiring someone else to do it--men that have gouged gravel and stayed with the game, bucking the hardest winters in the world, sometimes with only half enough to eat--men with millions, and men that don't own the tools they work with! my own father was one of 'em. 'the unluckiest man in alaska,' they called him! he never made a strike, but you bet he was a man! there isn't a man that knew him, from skagway to candle, and from candle to dawson and beyond, that isn't proud to call him friend. sam morgan they call him--and they don't put any 'mister' in front of it, either!" saginaw ed nodded slowly, and once more he seized the boy's hand in a mighty grip. "i git you, kid. i know they's a lot of good men up in your country--but, somehow, i've got a hunch they kind of overlooked a bet when they're callin' your pa onlucky." he took the slip of paper upon which connie had written the names. at the door he turned. "we begin layin' 'em down today," he said. "shouldn't wonder an' what slue foot'll be down 'fore very long fer to give you yer first lesson." "hurley will think i'm a dandy, showing up at ten o'clock in the morning." "never you mind that," said saginaw; "i fixed that part up all right--told him you was up 'til after one o'clock helpin' me git things strung out fer to begin work today." connie bolted a hasty breakfast, and, as he made his way from the cook's camp to the office, sounds came from the woods beyond the clearing--the voices of men calling loudly to each other as they worked, the ring of axes, and the long crash of falling trees. the winter's real work had begun, and connie smiled grimly as he thought of the cauldron of plot and counter-plot that was seething behind the scenes in the peaceful logging camp. the boy found hurley much improved, although still weak from the effects of the terrible beating he had received at the hands of the escaped prisoners. the big boss fumed and fretted at his enforced inactivity, and bewailed the fact that he had given the doctor his word that he would stay in his bunk for at least two days longer. "an' ut's partly yer fault, wid yer talk av th' law--an' partly mine fer listenin' to yez," he complained fiercely, in rich brogue, as connie sat at his desk. the boy's shoulders drooped slightly under the rebuke, but he answered nothing. suddenly hurley propped himself up on his elbow. "phy don't yez tell me oi'm a big liar?" he roared. "ye was right, an' oi know ut. don't pay no heed to me, kid. oi've got a grouch fer lettin' them shpalpeens git away. furst oi was thryin' to lay ut on frinchy, an' him the bist teamster in th' woods! ut's loike a sp'ilt b'y oi am, thryin' to blame somewan f'r what c'udn't be helped at all. ut was an accident all togither, an' a piece av bad luck--an' there's an end to ut. bring me over yer book, now, an' oi'll show ye about kaypin' thim logs." [illustration: "phy don't yez tell me oi'm a big liar?" he roared.] connie soon learned the simple process of bookkeeping, and hardly had he finished when the door opened and slue foot magee entered. "well, well! they sure beat ye up bad, boss. i heerd about it on my way down. i'd like to lay hands on them crooks, an' i bet they'd think twict before they beat another man up! but yer a fightin' man, hurley; they must of got ye foul." "foul is the word. when the wagon tipped over my head hit a tree an' that's the last i remember 'til i come to an' the boy, steve, was bathin' my head with snow an' tyin' up my cuts with strips of his shirt." "too bad," condoled slue foot, shaking his head sympathetically; "an' they got plumb away?" "sure they did. it wasn't so far to the railroad, an' the snow fallin' to cover their tracks. but, oi'll lay holt av 'em sometime!" he cried, relapsing into his brogue. "an' whin oi do, law er no law, oi'll bust 'em woide open clane to their dirty gizzards!" "sure ye will!" soothed slue foot. "but, it's better ye don't go worryin' about it now. they're miles away, chances is, mixed up with a hundred like 'em in some town er nother. i started the cuttin' this mornin'. i'm workin' to the north boundary, an' then swing back from the river." hurley nodded: "that's right. we want to make as good a showin' as we kin this year, slue foot. keep 'em on the jump, but don't crowd 'em too hard." slue foot turned to connie: "an' now, if ye hain't got nawthin' better to do than set there an' beaver that pencil, ye kin come on up to camp two an' i'll give ye the names of the men." "if you didn't have anything better to do than hike down here, why didn't you stick a list of the names in your pocket?" flashed the boy, who had found it hard to sit and listen to the words of the double-dealing boss of camp two. "kind of sassy, hain't ye?" sneered slue foot. "we'll take that out of ye, 'fore yer hair turns grey. d'ye ever walk on rackets?" "some," answered connie. "i guess i can manage to make it." slue foot went out, and hurley motioned the boy to his side. "don't pay no heed to his growlin' an' grumblin', it was born in him," he whispered. "i'll show him one of these days i ain't afraid of him," answered the boy, so quickly that hurley laughed. "hurry along, then," he said. "an' if ye git back in time i've a notion to send ye out after a pa'tridge. saginaw says yer quite some sport with a rifle." "that's the way to work it, kid," commended slue foot, as connie bent over the fastenings of his snow-shoes. "i'll growl an' you sass every time we're ketched together. 'twasn't that i'd of made ye hike way up to my camp jest fer to copy them names, but the time's came fer to begin to git lined up on shadin' the cut, an' we jest nachelly had to git away from the office. anyways it won't hurt none to git a good trail broke between the camps." "there ain't any chance of getting caught at this graft, is there?" asked the boy. "naw; that is, 'tain't one chanct in a thousan'. course, it stan's to reason if a man's playin' fer big stakes he's got to take a chanct. say, where'd you learn to walk on rackets? you said you hadn't never be'n in the woods before." "i said i'd never worked in the woods--i've hunted some." the talk drifted to other things as the two plodded along the tote road, but once within the little office at camp two, slue foot plunged immediately into his scheme. "it's like this: the sawyers gits paid by the piece--the more they cut, the more pay they git. the logs is scaled after they're on the skidways. each pair of sawyers has their mark they put on the logs they cut, an' the scaler puts down every day what each pair lays down. then every night he turns in the report to you, an' you copy it in the log book. the total cut has got to come out right--the scaler knows all the time how many feet is banked on the rollways. i've got three pair of sawyers that's new to the game, an' they hain't a-goin' to cut as much as the rest. the scaler won't never look at your books, 'cause it hain't none of his funeral if the men don't git what's a-comin' to 'em. he keeps his own tally of the total cut. same with the walkin' boss--that's hurley. all he cares is to make a big showin'. he'll have an eye on the total cut, an' he'll leave it to saginaw an' me to see that the men gits what's comin' to 'em in our own camps. now, what you got to do is to shade a little off each pair of sawyers' cut an' add it onto what's turned in fer them three pair i told you about. then, in the spring, when these birds cashes their vouchers in town, i'm right there to collect the overage." "but," objected connie, "won't the others set up a howl? surely, they will know that these men are not cutting as much as they are." "how they goin' to find out what vouchers them six turns in? they hain't a-goin' to show no one their vouchers." "but, won't the others know they're being credited with a short cut?" "that's where you come in. you got to take off so little that they won't notice it. sawyers only knows _about_ how much they got comin'. they only guess at the cut. a little offen each one comes to quite a bit by spring." "but, what if these men that get the overage credited to 'em refuse to come across?" slue foot grinned evilly: "i'll give 'em a little bonus fer the use of their names," he said. "but, they hain't a-goin' to refuse to kick in. i've got their number. they hain't a one of the hull six of 'em that i hain't got somethin' on, an' they know it." "all right," said connie, as he arose to go. "i'm on. and don't forget that you promised to let me in on something bigger, later on." "i won't fergit. it looks from here like me an' you had a good thing." an hour later connie once more entered the office at camp one. steve sat beside hurley, and saginaw ed stood warming himself with his back to the stove. "back ag'in," greeted the big boss. "how about it, ye too tired to swing out into the brush with the rifle? seems like they wouldn't nothin' in the world taste so good as a nice fat pa'tridge. an' you tell the cook if he dries it up when he roasts it, he better have his turkey packed an' handy to grab." "i'm not tired at all," smiled connie, as he took saginaw's rifle from the wall. "it's too bad those fellows swiped your gun, but i guess i can manage to pop off a couple of heads with this." "you'd better run along with him, steve," said hurley, as he noted that the other boy eyed connie wistfully. "the walk'll do ye good. ye hain't hardly stretched a leg sense i got hurt. the kid don't mind, do ye, kid?" "you bet i don't!" exclaimed connie heartily. "come on, steve, we'll tree a bunch of 'em and then take turns popping their heads off." as the two boys made their way across the clearing, hurley raised himself on his elbow, and stared after them through the window: "say, saginaw," he said, "d'ye know there's a doggone smart kid." "who?" asked the other, as he spat indifferently into the wood box. "why, this here connie. fer a greener, i never see his beat." "yeh," answered saginaw, drily, his eyes also upon the retreating backs, "he's middlin' smart, all right. quite some of a kid--fer a greener." chapter xiii saginaw ed hunts a clue "hello!" cried saginaw ed, as he stared in surprise at a wide, flat trail in the snow. the exclamation brought connie morgan to his side. the two were hunting partridges and rabbits, and their wanderings had carried them to the extreme western edge of the timber tract, several miles distant from the camps that were located upon the dogfish river, which formed its eastern boundary. despite the fact that the work of both camps was in full swing, these two found frequent opportunity to slip out into the timber for a few hours' hunt, which answered the twofold purpose of giving them a chance to perfect their plans for the undoing of slue foot magee, and providing a welcome addition to the salt meat bill of fare. "wonder who's be'n along here? 'tain't no one from the camps--them's injun snow-shoes. an' they ain't no one got a right to hunt here, neither. hurley posted the hull trac' account of not wantin' no permiscu's shootin' goin' on with the men workin' in the timber. them tracks is middlin' fresh, too." "made yesterday," opined connie, as he examined the trail closely. "travelling slow, and following his own back trail." saginaw nodded approval. "yup," he agreed. "an', bein' as he was travellin' slow, he must of went quite a little piece. he wasn't carryin' no pack." "travelling light," corroborated the boy. "and he went up and came back the same day." "bein' as he headed north and come back from there, it ain't goin' to do us no hurt to kind of find out if he's hangin' 'round clost by. they ain't nothing north of us, in a day's walk an' back, except the syndicate's willer river camp. an', spite of yer stickin' up fer him, i don't trust that there mike gillum, nor no one else that would claim hurley throw'd in with the syndicate." the man struck into the trail, and connie followed. they had covered scarcely half a mile when saginaw once more halted in surprise. "well, i'll be doggoned if there ain't a dugout! an' onless i'm quite a bit off my reckonin', it's inside our line." for several moments the two scrutinized the structure, which was half cabin, half dugout. from the side of a steep bank the log front of the little building protruded into the ravine. smoke curled lazily from a stovepipe that stuck up through the snow-covered roof. the single window was heavily frosted, and a deep path had been shovelled through a huge drift that reached nearly to the top of the door. the trail the two had been following began and ended at that door, and without hesitation they approached and knocked loudly. the door opened, and in the dark oblong of the interior stood the grotesque figure of a little old man. a pair of bright, watery eyes regarded them from above a tangle of grey beard, and long grey hair curled from beneath a cap of muskrat skin from which the fur was worn in irregular patches. "phwat d'yez want?" he whined, in a voice cracked and thin. "is ut about me money?" [illustration: "phwat d'yez want?" he whined.] "yer money?" asked saginaw. "we don't know nothin' about no money. we're from the log camps over on dogfish. what we want to know is what ye're doin' here?" "doin' here!" exclaimed the little old man. "oi'm livin' here, that's what oi'm doin'--jest like oi've done f'r fifteen year. come on in av ye want to palaver. oi'm owld an' like to freeze standin' here in th' dure, an' if ye won't come in, g'wan away, an' bad cess to yez f'r not bringin' me back me money." saginaw glanced at connie and touched his forehead significantly. as they stepped into the stuffy interior, the old man closed the door and fastened it with an oak bar. little light filtered through the heavily frosted window, and in the semi-darkness the two found difficulty picking their way amid the litter of traps, nets, and firewood that covered the floor. the little room boasted no chair, but, seating himself upon an upturned keg, the owner motioned his visitors to the bunk that was built along the wall within easy reach of the little cast iron cooking stove that served also to heat the room. "ye say ye've lived here for fifteen years?" asked saginaw, as he drew off his heavy mittens. "oi have thot." "ye wasn't here last winter." "thot's whut oi'm afther tellin' yez. last winter i wuz to the city." "this here shack looks like it's old, all right," admitted saginaw. "funny no one run acrost it last winter." "ut snowed airly," cut in the little man, "an' if they ain't no wan here to dig her out, she'd drift plumb under on th' furst wind." "who are you?" asked connie. "and what do you do for a living? and what did you mean about your money?" "who sh'd oi be but dinny o'sullivan? 'an' phwat do oi do fer a livin'?' sez ye. 'til last winter oi worked f'r timothy mcclusky, thot owned this trac' an' w'd died befoor he'd av sold ut to th' syndicate. good wages, he paid me, an' oi kep' off th' timber thayves, an' put out foires, an' what not. an' oi thrapped an' fished betoimes an' oi made me a livin'. thin, mcclusky sold th' timber. 'ye betther come on back wid me, dinny,' sez he. 'back to the owld sod. ut's rich oi'll be over there, dinny, an' oi'll see ye'll niver want.' "but, ut's foorty year an' more since oi come to amurica, an' oi'd be a stranger back yon. 'oi'll stay,' oi sez, 'f'r oi've got used to th' woods, an' whin they cut down th' timber, oi'll move on till somewheres they ain't cut.' 'ut's hatin' oi am to lave yez behind, dinny,' sez he, 'but, oi won't lave ye poor, fer ye've served me well,' an' wid thot, he puts his hand in his pocket loike, an' pulls out some bills, an' he hands 'em to me. 'put 'em by f'r a rainy day, dinny,' he sez, an' thin he wuz gone. oi come insoide an' barred th' dure, an' oi counted th' money in me hand. tin bills they wuz, all bright an' new an' clane, an' aich bill wuz foive hunder' dollars. 'twas more money thin oi'd iver see, or thought to see, an' ut wuz all moine--moine to kape or to spind, to t'row away er to save. 'oi'll save ut,' sez oi, 'loike mcclusky said, ag'in' a rainy day.' an' oi loosed a board in th' flure--'tiz th' wan to th' left in under th' bunk, yonder--an' oi put th' bills in a tobaccy tin an' put 'em in th' hole oi'd scooped out, an' put back th' board." the little old man paused and poked noisily at the stove, fumbled in his pockets and produced a short, black cutty pipe and a pouch of tobacco, and continued: "oi've wor-rked hard from six years owld to siventy, but ut's not in th' name av o'sullivan to lay an-nything by. 'twus come hard an' go aisy--but f'r a month oi niver lifted th' board. thin wan day oi tuk 'em out an' counted 'em. th' nixt wake oi done th' same. th' days begun to git shorter, an' th' noights colder, an' th' ducks come whistlin' out av th' narth. ivery day, now, oi'd take thim bills out an' count 'em. oi cut three little notches in the carners wid me knife--'tis the mark oi file on me thraps, so whin an-nyone sees 'em, 'tiz dinny o'sullivan's bill,' they'll say, an' oi can't lose 'em. ''tiz a cowld winter comin', dinny,' sez oi, 'f'r th' mushrats is buildin' airly. yer gittin' owld f'r th' thrappin',' sez oi, but oi know'd 'twuz a loie whin oi said ut; 'beloike ye'd betther go to th' city.' 'ye'll not!' sez oi, moindin' what mcclusky said about a rainy day. an' oi put back th' bills an' covered thim wid th' board. th' nixt day ut wuz cloudy an' cowld, an' oi set be th' stove an' counted me bills. 'th' loights is bright av an avenin' in th' city, dinny,' oi sez, 'an' there's shows an' what not, an' min av yer koind to palaver. ut's loike a mink ye'll be livin' in yer hole in th' woods av ye stay. there's too much money, an-nyhow,' oi sez; 'av ye don't git sick, ye don't nade ut, an' if ye do, 'twill outlast ye, an' whin ye die, who'll have th' spindin' av thim clane new bills? they's prob'ly o'sullivans lift unhung yit in oirland,' sez oi--though av me mimory's good, they's few that aught to be--'oi'll spend 'em mesilf.' th' wind wailed t'rough th' trees loike th' banshee. oi looked out th' windie--'twuz rainin'. ''tis a token,' sez oi; ''tiz th' rainy day thot mcclusky said w'd come.'" the old man chuckled. "'tiz loike thot a man argys whin ut's himself's th' judge an' jury. "so oi put th' bills in me pocket an' tuck th' thrain fer st. paul. oi seen moike gillum on th' thrain an' oi show'd um me money. 'go back to th' woods, dinny,' he sez. 'there's no fool loike an owld fool, ye'll moind, an' they'll have ut away from yez.' 'they'll not!' sez oi. 'an' oi'll be betther fer a year av rist.' he thried to argy but oi'd have none av ut, an' oi put up wid th' widdy macshane, 'twuz half-sister to a cousin av a frind av moine oi know'd in brainard in nointy-sivin. foive dollars a week oi paid fer board an' room an' washin'--oi'd live in style wid no thought fer expince. oi bought me a hat an' a suit wid brass buttons t'w'd done proud to brian boru himsilf." the old man paused and looked out the window. "to make a long story short, be christmas oi wuz toired av me bargain. oi've lived in th' woods too long, an' oi'll lave 'em no more. oi stuck ut out 'til th' spring, but, what wid th' frinds oi'd picked up to hilp me spind ut, an' th' clothes, an' th' shows ut costed me three av me clane new bills. comin' back oi shtopped off at riverville, an' showed mike gillum the sivin oi had lift. 'yez done well, dinny,' sez he. 'an' now will yez go to th' woods?' 'oi will,' sez oi, 'f'r oi'm tired av ristin'. but oi'm glad oi wint, an' oi don't begrudge th' money, f'r sivin is aisier thin tin to count an-nyway an' oi've enough av ut rains f'r a year.' so oi come back an' wuz snug as a bug in a rug, 'til ut's mebbe two wakes ago, an' snowin' that day, an' they comed a frinchy along, an' he sez, 'oi've a noice fat deer hangin'; ut's a matther av a couple av moile from here. av ye'll hilp me cut um up, oi'll give ye th' shoulders an' rib mate--f'r ut's only th' quarters oi want.' oi wint along an' we cut up th' deer, an' he give me th' mate an' oi packed ut home. whin oi got back oi seen somewan had be'n here. ut wuz snowin' hard, an' th' thracks wuz drifted full loike th' wans me an' th' frinchy made whin we started off to cut up th' deer, so oi know'd the other had come jist afther we lift. i dropped me mate an' run in an' pulled up th' board. th' tobaccy tin wuz impty! th' thracks headed narth, an' oi tuck out afther th' dirthy spalpeen, but th' snow got worse an' oi had to turn back. whin ut quit oi wint to willow river where mike gillum is runnin' a syndicate crew, but he said they wuzn't none av his men gone off th' job. 'oi'll do all oi kin to thry an' locate th' thafe,' sez he; 'but yez sh'd put yer money in th' bank, dinny.' well, oi hurd nawthin' more from him, an' this marnin' oi wint up there ag'in. he'd found out nawthin', an' he sez how he don't think ut wuz wan av his min--so oi comed back, an' th' nixt thing oi knows yez two comed along--ye've th' whole story now, an' ye'll know av th' rainy days comes, dinny o'sullivan's a-goin' to git wet." "what d'ye think of yer fine friend, mike gillum now?" asked saginaw ed, breaking a silence that had lasted while they had travelled a mile or so through the woods from denny o'sullivan's cabin. "just the same as i did before," answered connie, without a moment's hesitation. "you don't think mike gillum swiped the old man's money, do you?" saginaw stopped in his tracks and faced the boy wrathfully. "oh, no! i don't think he could possibly have swiped it," he said, with ponderous sarcasm. "there ain't no chanct he did--seein' as he was the only one that know'd the money was there--an' seein' how the tracks headed north--an' seein' how he denied it. it couldn't of be'n him! the old man's got his own word fer it that it wasn't." "if those i. w. w.'s wer'n't locked up safe in jail, i'd think they got the money. i know it wasn't mike gillum," maintained the boy, stoutly. "if you knew mike you wouldn't think that." "i don't know him, an' i don't want to know him! it's enough that i know hurley. an' anyone that would claim hurley was crooked, i wouldn't put it beyond him to do nothin' whatever that's disreligious, an' low-down, an' onrespectable. he done it! an' him writin' like he done about hurley, _proves_ that he done it--an' that's all they is to it." connie saw the uselessness of arguing with the woodsman whose devoted loyalty to his boss prevented his seeing any good whatever in the man who had sought to cast discredit upon him. "all right," he grinned. "but i'm going to find out who did do it, and i bet when i do, it won't be mike gillum that's to blame." saginaw's momentary huff vanished, and he shook his head in resignation, as he returned the boy's grin. "i've saw a raft of folks, take it first an' last, but never none that was right down as stubborn as what you be. but, about findin' out who got the old man's money, you've bit off more than you kin chaw. you ain't got enough to go on." a partridge flew up with a whirr and settled upon the bare branch of a young birch a few yards farther on. saginaw took careful aim and shot its head off. "i got one on you this time, anyhow. that's five fer me, an' four fer you, an' it's gittin' too dark to see the sights." "guess that's right," admitted the boy. "but i'll get even, when i show you who raided the old man's cabin." "'spect i'll do a little projektin' 'round myself, if i git time. it might be such a thing i'll git _two_ on ye." thus they engaged in friendly banter until the yellow lights that shone from the windows of the camp buildings welcomed them across the clearing. the next day connie hunted up frenchy lamar. he found him in the stable carefully removing the ice bangles from the fetlocks of his beloved horses. he had spent the morning breaking trail on the tote road. "why don't you get yourself some real horses?" teased the boy. "one of those log team horses will outweigh the whole four of yours." "log team! _sacre!_ dem hosses fat, lak wan peeg! dey go 'bout so fas' lak wan porkypine! dey drag de log 'roun' de woods. dey got for have de ice road for haul de beeg load to de rollway. but, me--i'm tak' ma four gran' hoss, i'm heetch dem oop, i'm climb on ma sleigh, i'm crack ma wheep, an--monjee! dem hoss she jomp 'long de tote road, de bells dey ring lak de chreestmas tam, de snow fly oop from de hoof, an' dem hoss dey ron t'rough de woods so fas' lak de deer! me--i ain' trade wan leetle chonk ma hoss's tail for all de beeg fat log team w'at ees een de woods." "you're all right, frenchy," laughed the boy. "but, tell me, why didn't you slip me a chunk of that venison you brought in the other day?" the frenchman glanced about swiftly. "_non!_ w'at you mean--de _venaison_? i ain' keel no deer--me. hurley she say you ain' kin keel no deer w'en de season ees close." "sure, i know you didn't kill it. but you brought it in. what i want to know is, who did kill it?" "i ain' breeng no _venaison_ een dis camp since de season git shut." "oh, you took it to camp two! slue foot shot the deer, did he?" "how you fin' dat out? hurley ain' lak i'm tak' de _venaison_ to camp two, no mor' lak camp wan. she fin' dat out she git mad, i'm t'ink she bus' me wan on ma nose." "hurley don't know anything about it," reassured the boy. "and i'll give you my word he never will find out from me. i just happen to want to know who sent you after that meat. i won't squeal on either one of you. you can trust me, can't you?" "_oui_," answered the teamster, without hesitation. "you pass de word--dat good. slue foot, she keel dat deer wan tam, an' hang heem oop to freeze. wan day she say, 'frenchy, you go rat ovaire on de wes' line an' git de deer wat i'm got hangin'.' i ain' lak dat mooch, but slue foot say: 'she startin' for snow an' you track git cover oop. me an' you we have wan gran' feast in de office, an' hurley she ain' gon fin dat out. wan leetle ol' man she got cabin 'bout two mile nort' of where de deer hang by de creek where four beeg maple tree stan' close beside. you git de ol' man to help you cut oop de meat, an' you breeng de hine qua'ter, an' give heem de res'. he ees poor ol' man, an' lak to git som' meat.' i'm t'ink dat pret' good t'ing slue foot lak to giv' som' poor ol' man de meat, so i gon an' done lak he says." "it was snowing that day, was it?" "_oui_, she snow hard all day. i'm git back 'bout noon, an' ma tracks ees snow full." "was slue foot here when you got back?" "_oui_, an' dat night we hav' de gran' suppaire. slue foot say dat better you ain' say nuttin' 'bout dat deer, 'cause hurley she git mad lak t'undaire. i'm tell you 'bout dat 'cause i'm know you ain' gon' try for mak' no trouble. plenty deer in de woods, anyhow." connie nodded. "yes, but orders are orders. if i were you i wouldn't have anything to do with deer killed out of season. suppose hurley had found out about that deer instead of me. you'd have been in a nice fix. when hurley gives an order he generally sees that it's obeyed." "dat rat," agreed frenchy, with alacrity. "dat better i ain' got hurley mad on me, ba goss!" chapter xiv a pair of socks a week later connie was roused from his desk in the little office by the sound of bells. there was a loud "whoa!" and frenchy, wearing his long stocking cap of brilliant red yarn, and clad in his gayest mackinaw, pulled up his four-horse tote-team with a flourish before the door, and stepped smiling from the sleigh. "w'at you t'ink, now, _m's'u l'infant_? s'pose i'm trade ma gran' team for de beeg fat log hoss, de cook she don' git no supply for wan week. den, mebbe-so you got to eat porkypine an' spruce tea. me--i'm back to-mor' night, wit ma gran' tote-team, _bien!_" connie laughed. "i guess you've got the right team for the job, frenchy. but it seems to me you picked out a bad day for the trail." it had turned suddenly warm during the night, and the boy indicated a shallow pool of muddy water that had collected in the depression before the door. "de snow she melt fas' w'ere she all tromp down an' dirty, but on de tote road w'ere she w'ite an' clean she ain' melt so fas'." he paused and cocked an eye skyward. "i'm git to dogfish before she melt an' tonight she gon' for turn col', an' tomor', ba goss, i'm com' back on de ice, lak de log road." [illustration: "what's this?" asked the boy, pushing up a small bundle.] "what's this?" asked the boy, picking up a small bundle done up in brown wrapping paper that lay upon the seat of the sleigh. "oh, dat wan pair wool sock slue foot sen' down to corky dyer for ke'p he's feet wa'm. i'm mak' dat go on de, w'at you call, de express." connie picked up the package and regarded it with apparent unconcern. "who's corky dyer?" he asked, casually. "corky dyer, she ke'p de s'loon down to brainard. she frien' for slue foot, lak wan brudder." as frenchy's glance strayed to steve, who came hurrying toward them with his list of supplies from the cook's camp, connie's foot suddenly slipped, the package dropped from his hand squarely into the middle of the puddle of dirty water, and the next instant the boy came heavily down upon it with his knee. "o-o-o-o!" wailed the excitable frenchman, dancing up and down. "now i'm ketch, w'at you call, de t'undaire! slue foot, she git mad on me now, ba goss! she say, 'you mak' dat leetle package los' i'm bre'k you in two!'" connie recovered the package, from which the wet paper was bursting in a dozen places. he glanced at it ruefully for a moment, and then, as if struck with a happy thought, he grinned. "we'll fix that all right," he said reassuringly, and turned toward the door. "_non_," protested frenchy, dolefully, "dat ain' no good, to put on de new _papier_. de sock she got wet, an' de new _papier_ she bus', too." "you just hold your horses----" "i ain't got for hol' dem hosses. dey broke to stan' so long i want 'em." "come on in the office, then," laughed the boy, "and i'll show you how we'll fix it." frenchy followed him in, and connie opened the wanagan chest. "we'll just make a new package, socks and all, and i'll copy the address off on it, and corky dyer's feet will keep warm this winter just the same." "_oui! oui!_" approved the frenchman, his face once more all smiles. he patted the boy admiringly upon the back. "you got de gran' head on you for t'ink." "you don't need to say anything about this to slue foot," cautioned the boy. the frenchman laughed. "ha! ha! you t'ink i'm gon' hont de trouble? slue foot she git mad jes' de sam'. she lak for chance to growl. i tell him 'bout dat, i'm t'ink he bus' me in two." it was but the work of a few minutes to duplicate the small bundle, and the teamster took it from the boy's hand with a sigh of relief. "so long!" he called gaily, as he climbed into the sleigh and gathered up his reins with an air. "som' tam' you lak you git de fas' ride, you com' long wit' me." his long whip cracked, and the impatient tote-team sprang out onto the trail. footsteps sounded outside the door, and connie hurriedly thrust the package into his turkey. saginaw entered, and, with a vast assumption of carelessness, walked to the wall and took down his rifle. "guess i might's well take a siyou out into the brush an' see what fer meat they is stirrin'." "want a partner?" "sure," answered the man, "i wish't you could go 'long, but i don't guess you better. the log roads is softenin' up, an' i give orders to keep the teams offen 'em. they ain't nothin'll sp'ile a log road like teamin' on 'em soft. the teamsters won't have nothin' to do, an' they'll be hornin' in on ye all day, to git stuff out of the wanagan. hurley an' lon's both up to camp two, so i guess yer elected to stick on the job." "that's so," answered the boy, "but, i bet the real reason you don't want me is because you're afraid i'd kill more game than you do." "well, ye might, at that," laughed saginaw. "but we'll have plenty of chances to try out that part of it. i'm gittin' old, but i ain't so old but what i kin see the sights of a rifle yet." he drew the rackets from under his bunk and passed out, and as connie watched him swing across the clearing, he grinned: "you're hiking out to see if you can't hang a little evidence up against mike gillum, and that's why you didn't want me along. go to it, old hand, but unless i miss my guess when you come in tonight you'll find out that your game has turned into crow." saginaw had prophesied rightly. the wanagan did a land-office business among the idle teamsters, and at no time during the day did connie dare to open the package that lay concealed in his turkey. darkness came, and the boy lighted the lamp. the teamsters continued to straggle in and out, and, just as the boy was about to lock the office and go to supper, saginaw returned. "what luck?" inquired connie. "never got a decent shot all day," replied the man, as he put away his rifle and snow-shoes. "i got somethin' to tell you, though, when we've et supper. chances is, hurley an' lon'll be late if they ain't back by now. we kin powwow in the office onless they come, an' if they do, we kin mosey out an' hunt us up a log." supper over, the two returned to the office and seated themselves beside the stove. saginaw filled his pipe and blew a great cloud of blue smoke toward the ceiling. "i swung 'round by willer river," he imparted, after a few shorter puffs. connie waited for him to proceed. "ye mind, the old man said how it was a frenchy that got him to help cut up that deer? well, they's a raft of french workin' up there fer the syndicate." "any of 'em been deer hunting lately?" asked the boy, innocently. "gosh sakes! how'd ye s'pose i kin tell? if i'd asked 'em they'd all said 'no.' i jes' wanted to see if they was frenchmens there." connie nodded. "that looks bad," he admitted. "yes, an' what's comin' looks worst. on the way back, i swung 'round by the old irishman's. he hadn't heard nothin' more from this here mike gillum, so he went up ag'in yesterday to see him. gillum claimed he hadn't found out nothin', an' then the old man told him how he was broke an' needed grub to winter through on. well, gillum up an' dug down in his pocket an' loant him a hundred dollars!" "good for mike gillum!" exclaimed connie. "that's what i call a man!" "what d'ye mean--call a man?" cried saginaw, disgustedly. "look a-here, you don't s'pose fer a minute that if gillum hadn't of got the old man's pile he'd of loant him no hundred dollars, do ye? how's he ever goin' to pay it back? gillum knows, an' everyone knows that's got any sense, that what huntin' an' fishin' an' trappin' that old man kin do ain't only goin' to make him a livin', at the best. he ain't never goin' to git enough ahead to pay back no hundred dollars." "so much the more credit to gillum, then. what he did was to dig down and give him a hundred." "give him a hundred! an' well he could afford to, seein' how he kep' thirty-four hundred fer himself. don't you think fer a minute, kid, that any one that's low-down enough to blackguard a man like hurley would give away a hundred dollars--he'd see a man starve first. it's plain as the nose on yer face. we've got a clear case, an' i'm a-goin' to git out a search warrant ag'in' him, 'fore he gits a chanct to send that money out of the woods. he's got it, an' i know it!" connie smiled broadly. "he must have got it while we were at supper, then." saginaw regarded him curiously. "what d'ye mean--supper?" he asked. for answer the boy crossed to his bunk, and, reaching into his turkey, drew out the soggy package. "do you know who corky dyer is?" he asked, with seeming irrelevance. "sure, i know who corky dyer is--an' no good of him, neither. he lives in brainard, an' many's the lumberjack that's the worse off fer knowin' him. but, what's corky dyer got to do with mike gillum an' the old man's money?" "nothing, with mike gillum. i was only thinking i hope corky can keep his feet warm this winter, i sent him down a nice pair of wool socks today." saginaw bent closer, and stared at the boy intently. "be ye feelin' all right, son?" he asked, with genuine concern. "sure, i feel fine. as i was going on to say, slue foot felt sorry for corky dyer's feet, so he picked out a pair of nice warm socks----" "thought ye said----" the boy ignored the interruption, "and gave them to frenchy to send to corky by express. when frenchy stopped here for his list i happened to pick up the package and while i was looking at it my foot slipped and i dropped it in a mud puddle and then fell on it. i hated to think of poor corky wearing those dirty wet socks, and i didn't want frenchy to get an awful bawling out from slue foot for not taking care of his package, so i just took a new pair out of the wanagan and sent them to him. i guess, now, we'd better open this package and wring these wet ones out, or they'll spoil." saginaw continued to stare as the boy drew his knife and cut the cord. then he exploded angrily: "what in thunder d'ye s'pose i care about corky dyer's socks? an' what's his socks got to do with gittin' old denny o'sullivan's money back fer him? i thought ye was a better sport than that--ye see yer fine friend's got cornered, an' right away ye switch off an' begin talkin' about slue foot, an' frenchy, an' corky dyer's wet socks! fer my part, corky dyer's feet could git wet an' froze fer six foot above 'em--an' it would be a good thing fer the timber country, at that!" as saginaw raved on, connie unrolled the grey woollen socks and smoothed them out upon his knee. saginaw watched, scowling disapproval as he talked. "they's somethin' in one of 'em," he said with sudden interest. "what's it got in it?" connie regarded him gravely. "i don't know, for sure--i haven't looked, but i think maybe it's denny o'sullivan's missing bills." saginaw ed's jaw dropped, and his hands gripped the chair arms till the knuckles whitened, as the boy thrust his hand into the damp sock. "yes, that's what it is, all right," he said, as he drew forth the missing bills. "they're not quite as new and clean, maybe, as they were, but they're the ones--see the little notches in the corners, just like the marks on his traps." saginaw stared in silence while the boy finished counting: "--five, six, seven." then, as full realization dawned upon him, he burst forth, and the roars of his laughter filled the little log office. "well, dog my cats!" he howled, when at length he found his voice. "'my foot slipped,' says he, 'an' i dropped it in a mud puddle an' fell on it!'" he reached over and pounded the boy on the back with a huge hand. "you doggone little cuss! here you set all the time, with the missin' bills tucked away safe an' sound in yer turkey--an' me trompin' my legs off tryin' to find out what's became of 'em!" he thrust out his hand. "ye sure outguessed me, kid, an' i don't begrudge it. when it comes to headwork, yer the captain--with a capital k. an' believe me! i'd give a hull lot to be where i could see corky dyer's face when he unwrops that package of socks!" connie laughed. "so you see," he said, as he shook the extended hand, "we've got a clear case, all right--but not against mike gillum." chapter xv hurley prepares for the drive the two camps on dogfish hummed with activity. both saginaw ed and slue foot magee had their crews "laying 'em down" with an efficiency that delighted the heart of hurley, who came into the little office of camp one after an inspection of the rollways, fairly radiating approval and good humour. that evening around the roaring stove the big walking boss lighted his pipe, and tilting back in his chair, contentedly wriggled his toes in the woollen socks, cocked comfortably upon the edge of his bunk, the while he held forth upon the merits of his crews to lon camden and saginaw ed and connie morgan who shared the quarters with him: "the best crews ever went into the woods!" he began, "barrin' none. i've logged from westconsin to the coast, an' never i seen the like. it's partly because the men is doin' what they never thought to be doin' again--layin' down white pine. an' it's partly the bosses, an' the cook, an' the scaler, an' the clerk. i'll show the owner a profit this year that'll make him fergit last year's loss like a busted shoestring. i've twict as many logs on the rollways of each camp as i had altogether last year." lon camden shook his head: "yeh, that's so, hurley, but logs on the rollways ain't logs at the mills. ye had enough banked along the river last year to show a good profit--an' ye can bet yer last dollar the syndicate's foulin' our drive wasn't no accident." "but our brands was on the logs," insisted hurley. "even the syndicate wouldn't dare to saw branded logs." the scaler shook his head doubtfully: "i do'no, boss, some one sawed 'em. to my certain knowledge there was better than two million feet on the landin's when we broke 'em out--an' two million feet of white pine ort to showed a good profit." hurley nodded, glumly: "sure it ort," he agreed. "i seen the logs myself on the rollways, an' when they got to the mills, the boom scale was--" the big boss paused and scratched his head thoughtfully, "--well, i ain't got no noodle fer figgers, an' i disremember jest what it was, but it was short enough so it et up the profits an' handed us a fourteen-thousan'-dollar loss, or thereabouts. an' me with the owner way up in alasky, an' thinkin' mebbe i done him out of his money. 'twas a long head i had when i stuck out fer a two-year contrack, an' this year if we don't roll eight million feet in the river my name ain't jake hurley!" "yes," broke in saginaw ed, "an' if we make the same rate of loosin', the loss this year'll figger somewheres up around fifty thousan'." hurley's eyes grew hard "they ain't a-goin' to be no loss this year!" he replied savagely. "the syndicate had more logs in dogfish than me last year, an' a bigger crew, an' more white-water birlers amongst 'em, so long leaf olson, the foreman of the syndicate camp, ordered me to take the rear drive. i tuk it--an' be the time i'd got through cardin' the ledges, an' sackin' the bars, an' shovin' off jill-pokes, the main drive was sorted an' the logs in the logans, an' i was handed me boom scale at the mills. but, this year it's different. i'll have agin as many logs as them, an' two crews, an' when we git to the mills i'll have men of my own at the sortin' gap." "if they was dams on dogfish the rear drive wouldn't be so bad," opined saginaw. "if they was dams on dogfish, we'd be worse off than ever," growled hurley, "because the syndicate would own the dams, an' we'd stand a fat show of sluicin' anything through 'em. no sir! we'll go out with the ice, an' me on the head of the drive, an' if long leaf fouls us, i won't be carin'. i see through the game he done me last year--keepin' me on the rear, an' it worked like this: dogfish runs out with a rush an' then falls as quick as it run out. all the logs that ain't into the big river on the run-out is left fer the rear drive, an', believe me, we had a plenty dry-rollin' to do. for why? because that thievin' long leaf nipped every jam before it started, an' left me with a month's work gittin' the stranded logs out of dogfish. this year, it'll be me that's boss of the main drive, an' if a jam starts i'll let 'em pile up--an' i'll see that one starts, too--that'll back the water up behind 'em an' give the rear plenty of river to float down on, then when everything's caught up, i'll put some canned thunder in under her an' away we go to the next jam." "ye' talk like ye could jam 'em whenever ye wanted to," said lon camden. hurley regarded him gravely: "it's twenty-three miles from here to the big river. there'll be a jam ten miles below here, an' another, one mile above the mouth." the three stared at him in surprise. "you see," the boss continued, with evident satisfaction in their astonishment, "when i got the boom scale last summer, it turned me sick. i made out me report an' sent it to alasky, an' then i went home to pine hook an' hoed me garden a day, an' put in the next one choppin' firewood. it was after supper that day an' the kiddies to bed, the wife comes out to where i was an' sets down on the choppin' log beside me. i smokes me pipe, an' don't pay her no mind, 'cause i was sore in the heart of me. after while she lays a hand on the sleeve of me shirt. 'jake,' she says, 'all the winter an' spring the childer gabbles about the fun they'll be havin' when daddy comes home.'" the man paused and grinned, slyly. "it's like a woman to begin at the backwards of a thing an' work up to the front. i bet when one gits to heaven it'll be the health of adam an' eve they'll be inquirin' about furst, instead of john l. sullivan, roight out. anyway, that's what she says, an' i replies in the negative by sayin' nothin'. 'an' here you be'n home two days,' she goes on, an' stops, like they's enough be'n said. "'an' i've hoed the garden, an' cut the firewood,' says i. 'what would you be havin' me do?'" again hurley grinned: "i dropped a match in the bung of an empty gasoline bar'l onct, that had laid in the sun behind the store, thinkin' to see if it would make a good rain bar'l. it didn't. part of it made fair kindlin's, though, an' i was out an' around in a week. giant powder, gasoline, an' wimmin is all safe enough if ye don't handle 'em careless--but, if ye do, ye git quick action--an' plenty of it. "'do!' she says, in the same tone of voice used by the gasoline bar'l that day. 'well, if you can't think of nothin' else to do, give the poor darlints a beatin' just to let 'em know you're around!' then she gits up an' starts fer the house." hurley held a match to his pipe and puffed deeply for a few moments, "i never believed much in signs," he grinned, "but they's some signs i heed--so i laughed. the laugh come from the throat only, an' not from the heart, an' at the sound of it she turned, an' then she come back slow an' set down agin on the choppin' log. 'tell me what's wrong, jake,' she says. 'two kin carry a load better than one.' so i up an' told her, an' she set for quite a while an' looked out over the slashin'. "'is that all?' she says, after a bit. 'is that what ye've be'n hoein' an' choppin' over fer two days, an' gittin' madder with every whack--an' not payin' no heed to the important things that's been pilin' up to be done.' 'what's to be done?' says i, 'if it ain't the wood an' the garden?' 'it's the first time ye ever come back from the woods an' didn't see fer yerself what's to be done,' she says. 'with two wheels busted off jimmy's tote wagon, an' paddy's logs in the crick an' on his landin's waitin' fer daddy to show him how to build his dam an' sluice, an' jimmy with the timber all out fer his injun stockade, an' waitin' fer daddy to tell him does the logs go in crossways or up an' down!' "so the next week i put in loggin' on the crick behind the pig pen. we put in a dam an' sluice, an' run a season's cut through, an' sorted 'em an' boomed 'em, an even rigged a goat-power saw-mill that would jerk the logs out of the crick but wouldn't cut 'em. an' by gosh, when the week was gone i had some good schemes in me own head, an' takin' five men with me, i went off up dogfish an' studied the stream, an' this spring they'll be jams where i want jams! an' i'm the bucko that'll be on the head end, an' i'll bust 'em when i want to!" "you ain't obstructed navigation, have ye?" asked lon, with concern. "cause if you have the syndicate'll take it up in a minute, an' they'll law ye out of ten seasons' profit. buckin' the syndicate has cost many a little feller his pile. if they can't steal ye poor, they'll law ye poor--an' it's the same thing fer the small operator." "never you fret about the lawin', lon. what i an' me five hearties put into dogfish last summer looks like drift piles from a summer rain, an' the same charge of canned thunder that busts the jam will blow the log-an' rock foundations of the drift piles to smithereens." lon smoked in silence for a few moments, as though pondering the boss's words, and as he smoked his lips gradually expanded into a grin of approval. hurley noted the smile: "an' it all come of me workin' out the problems of a six-year old kid on the little crick behind the pig pen. an' what's more, i've got some of the problems of the big river more clear in me noodle." saginaw ed winked at connie; and leaning over, whispered into the boy's ear: "hurley's done a smart thing," he confided, "an' it'll hurry the drive out of dogfish. but he ain't got to the meat of the trouble--an' that's up to you an' me." as the season progressed hurley had increased his crews until each numbered one hundred and twenty-five men, and the daily work of these men was an unceasing source of interest to connie. every moment that could be spared from his duties, the boy was out among them, swinging an axe with the swampers, riding the huge loads of logs that slipped smoothly over the iced log roads on their trips to the landings, standing beside lon camden as he scaled the incoming loads, or among the sawyers, watching some mighty pine crash to earth with a roar of protest. "i never seen a clerk before that ye could prize away from the office stove with a pickpole," remarked lon camdon, one day, as he and hurley watched the boy riding toward them balanced upon the top log of a huge load. "he'll know more about loggin' be spring," replied the boss, "than many an' old lumberjack. it's the makin' of a fine boss the kid has." "he kin scale as good as me, a'ready," admitted lon. "an' that other kid, too--why just from trottin' 'round with this one he's got so he shows some real stuff. if ever i picked a kid fer a bad egg it was him." "me too," admitted hurley. "but connie stuck up for him, even after he'd throw'd in with the i. w. w's. steve kin have anything i've got," he added, after a pause. "he saved me life, an' after the drive i'm goin' to take him home with me up to pine hook, instead of turnin' him loose to go to the bad around such dumps as corky dyer's where i picked him up. he'd got a wrong start. it's like he was follerin' a log road, an' got switched off onto a cross-haul--but, he's back on the main road again, an' it's jake hurley'll keep him there." "he's all right, an' the men like him--but he ain't got the head the other one has." "sure he ain't!" agreed hurley. "you kin take it from me, lon, before that there connie is thirty, he'll be ownin' timber of his own." "i'd almost bet money on it," said saginaw ed, who had come up in time to hear hurley's prophecy. "say boss, them irons come in fer the cook's bateau; i expect we better put to work on it. month from now, an' we'll be listenin' night an' day fer the boomin' of the ice." the boss assented: "hop to it, fer we don't want no delay when this drive starts." saginaw turned toward the blacksmith shop to give his orders regarding the scow, in which the cook would follow the drive and furnish hot meals for the rivermen. his eye fell upon connie as the boy slid from the load: "better get over to the office, son," he grinned. "slue foot's over there just a-meltin' the snow, 'cause you ain't around to sell him a plug of terbacker." the boy joined him, and saginaw cast a look at the rollways: "lots of logs on the landin's, son," he remarked. "seven million, three hundred thousand feet, up to last night," said the boy proudly. "everything looks fine." "fine as frog hair, son--which some folks holds is too fine to last." "what do you mean?" "well nothin' that i could name--only, what you said about slue foot's bein' mixed up with the i. w. w. it's like i told you, them birds gits jobs just so they kin git a chanct to distroy property. they don't want to work, an' they don't want no one else to work. we caught three of 'em tryin' to burn the stables, which is about their size, an' if the sheriff served doc's warrants, i guess they're in jail now. but how do we know that them three was _all_ the i. w. w.'s in the outfit? an' how do we know that slue foot ain't plottin' some move that'll put a crimp in us somehow er other?" the boy smiled: "i've thought of that, too," he answered. "but i don't think there is much danger from the i. w. w.'s. i've been watching slue foot, and i know that he's not going to start anything. he was glad to get those i. w. w.'s off the works. you see he's got a fish of his own to fry. he belongs to the i. w. w. just because it's natural for him to throw in with crooks and criminals, but he's so crooked himself that he won't even play square with his gang of crooks. he saw a chance to make some crooked money for himself, so he threw his friends over. we're all right, because the more logs we put into the river the bigger his graft is. and we've got him right where we want him. we can nail him in a minute, if we want to, for swiping the old irishman's money--but i don't want to spring that unless i have to until i get the goods on the syndicate." saginaw nodded: "i guess that's good dope, all right. but, if i was you, i'd git a line on his scheme as soon as i could. you can't never tell what'll happen in the woods--an' when it does, it's most generally always somethin' different." as the boy continued his way to the office, after parting from saginaw at the blacksmith shop, he decided to carry out saginaw's suggestion at once. in fact, for a week or ten days connie had been watching for an opportunity to force slue foot to show his hand. and now he decided, the time had come. there was no one in sight; the boss of camp two had evidently gone into the office. chapter xvi slue foot "comes across" as connie pushed open the door he was greeted with a growl: "it's a doggone wonder ye wouldn't stay 'round an' tend to business onct in a while! here i be'n waitin' half an' hour fer to git a plug of terbacker, an' you off kihootin' 'round the woods----" "save your growling, 'til someone's round to hear it," grinned the boy, as he produced the key to the chest. "here's your tobacco, twenty cents' worth--makes thirty-two dollars and sixty cents, all told." "thirty-two sixty!" slue foot glared: "thought hurley's outfits never gouged the men on the wanagan?" he sneered. "my tab ain't over twenty-five dollars at the outside." "get it out of your system," retorted the boy. "you can't bluff me. thirty-two sixty's down here. thirty-two sixty's right--and you know it's right! what's on your mind? you didn't walk clear down from camp two for a twenty-cent plug of tobacco, when you've got the biggest part of a carton in your turkey." with his back to the stove, the boss scowled at the boy! "smart kid, ain't you?" the scowl faded from his face, an' he repeated: "smart kid--an' that's why i tuk a notion to ye, an'--'" he paused abruptly and crossing to the window, took a position that commanded the clearing. "--an' let ye in on some extry money." connie nodded: "yes, and it's about time you were loosening up on the proposition--you haven't let me in yet." "ain't let ye in!" exclaimed slue foot. "what ye mean, 'ain't let ye in'? how about shadin' the cut?" "shading the cut," exclaimed the boy, with contempt. "what's a couple of hundred dollars? that's a piker's job--injun stealing! you promised to let me in on something big--now, come across." slue foot stared at him: "say, who's runnin' this, you? yer all-fired cocky fer a kid. when i was your age a couple hundred dollars looked big as a township o' timber to me." "well, it don't to me," snapped the boy. "and you might as well come across." slue foot advanced one threatening step: "who d'ye think ye're talkin' to?" he roared. "i'll break ye in two!" "and when i break, you break," smiled the boy. "let me tell you this, slue foot magee, i've got these books fixed so that if anything happens to me, your nose goes under, and all that's left is a string of bubbles--see? i've been doing some figuring lately, and i've decided the time's about right for me to get in on the other. according to the talk, it will be twenty or thirty days yet before the break-up. but, suppose the break-up should come early this year--early and sudden? you'd have your hands full and couldn't waste time on me. and besides you'd never let me in then, anyway. you're only letting me in because i'm supposed to furnish the dope on what's going on here. i'm playing safe--see the point?" slue foot glowered: "an' what if i've changed my mind about lettin' ye in?" he asked truculently. "oh, then i'll just naturally sell your cut-shading scheme out to hurley and his boss for what i can get--and let you stand the gaff." slue foot's fists clenched, a big vein stood out upon his reddened forehead, and he seemed to swell visibly: "you--you'd double-cross me, would you?" "sure, i would," said the boy, "if you don't come through. look here, slue foot, business is business. i wouldn't trust you as far as i can throw a saw log, and you may as well get that right now." "how do i know you won't double-cross me on the big deal?" asked the man. "matter of figures," answered connie. "you don't suppose hurley and his boss would pay me as much as we can get out of the logs do you? of course they won't--but they might agree to pay me as much as i'll get out of the cut-shading--especially if i tell them that you've got a bigger game up your sleeve. you might as well be reasonable. it'll be better all around if you and i understand each other. they're beginning to talk in here about the drive. if i don't know what your scheme is, how am i to know what to remember? i can't remember everything they say, and if i'm onto the game i can pick out what'll do us good, and not bother with the rest." once more slue foot took up his place by the window, and for some minutes the only sound in the little office was the ticking of the alarm clock. finally the man spoke: "i figgered you was smart all right--smarter'n the run of kids. but i didn't figger you could out-figger me--or believe me, i'd of laid off of ye." the boss of camp two sat and scowled at the boy for several minutes. then he spoke, sullenly at first, but as he warmed to his topic, the sullenness gave place to a sort of crafty enthusiasm--a fatuous pride in his cleverly planned scheme of fraud. "i was goin' to let ye in anyhow, so i s'pose it might's well be now as later. but, git this, right on the start: ye ain't bluffed me into takin' ye in, an' ye ain't scared me into it. you've augered me into it by common sense ... what ye said about they might come a sudden thaw, an' we'd be too busy to git together--an' about you knowin' what to remember of the talk that goes on here. "it's like this: the logs is paint-branded, an' the mark of this outfit is the block-an'-ball in red on the butt end. they're branded on the landin's, an' i done the markin' myself. last year hurley inspected 'em an' so did lon, an' they know the brands showed up big an' bright an' sassy. but when them logs reached the booms an' was sorted they wasn't near as many of them wearin' the red block-an'-ball as when they started--an' the difference is what i split up with the syndicate--boom-toll free!" "you mean," asked the boy, "that the syndicate men changed the brands, or painted them out and painted their own over them?" slue foot sneered. "ye're pretty smart--some ways. but ye ain't smart enough to change a red block-an'-ball to a green tripple x. an' as fer paintin' over 'em, why if a log hit the big river with a brand painted out they'd be a howl go up that would rock the big yaller ball on top of the capital. no sir, it takes brains to make money loggin'. the big ones has stole and grabbed up into the millions--an' they do it accordin' to law--because they've got the money to make the law an' twist it to suit theirselves. they put up thousands fer lobbys an' legislaters, an' fer judges an' juries, an' they drag down millions. the whole timber game's a graft. the big operators grab water rights, an' timber rights, an' they even grab the rivers. an' they do it legal because they own the dummies that makes the laws. the little operator ain't got no show. if he don't own his own timber he has to take what he can get in stumpage contracks, an' whether he owns it or not they git him on water-tolls, an' when he hits the river there's boom-tolls an' sortin'-tolls, an' by the time he's got his logs to the mills an' sold accordin' to the boom scale he ain't got nawthin' left, but his britches--an' lucky to have them. all business is crooked. if everyone was honest they wouldn't be no millionaires. if a man's got a million, he's a crook. it ain't no worse fer us little ones to steal agin' the law, than it is fer the big ones to steal accordin' to law." fairly started upon his favourite theme, slue foot worked himself into a perfect rage as he ranted on. "this here outfit's a little outfit," he continued. "it ain't got no show, nohow. i seen the chanct to git in on the graft an' i grabbed it--if i hadn't, the syndicate would have had it all. an' besides i got a chance to git square with hurley. they's two kinds of folks in the world--them that has, an' them that hain't. them that has, has because they've retch out an' grabbed, an' them that hain't, hain't because they wasn't smart enough to hang onto what they did have." connie listened with growing disgust to the wolfish diatribe. slue foot's eyes blazed as he drove his yellow fangs deep into his tobacco plug. "but people's wakin' up to their rights," he continued. "there's the socialists an' the i. w. w.'s, they're partly right, an' partly wrong. the socialists wants, as near as i kin make out, a equal distribution o' wealth--that ain't so bad, except that there's only a few of 'em, an' they'd be doin' all the work to let a lot of others that don't do nawthin', in on their share of the dividin'. what's the use of me a-workin' so someone else that don't help none gits a equal share? an' the i. w. w.'s is about as bad. they try to bust up everything, an' wreck, an' smash, an' tear down--that's all right, fer as it goes--but, what's it goin' to git 'em? where do they git off at? they ain't figgered themselves into no profit by what they do. what's it goin' to git me if i burn down a saw-mill? i don't git the mill, do i? no--an' neither don't they. what i'm after is gittin' it off them that's got it, an' lettin' it stick to me. i ain't worryin' about no one else. it's every man fer hisself--an' i'm fer _me!_" the boss prodded himself in the chest, as he emphasized the last word. "an' if you want yourn, you'd better stick with me--we'll gather." it was with difficulty that connie masked the loathing he felt for this man whose creed was more despicable even than the creed of the organized enemies of society, for slue foot unhesitatingly indorsed all their viciousness, but discarded even their lean virtues. for three years the boy's lot had been cast among men--rough men of the great outland. he had known good men and bad men, but never had he known a man whom he so utterly despised as this slue foot magee. the bad men he had know were defiant in their badness, they flaunted the law to its face--all except mr. squigg, who was a sneak with the heart of a weasel, and didn't count. but this man, as bad as the worst of them, sought to justify his badness. connie knew what waseche bill, or big macdougall would have done if this human wolf had sought to persuade them to throw in with him on his dirty scheme, and he knew what hurley or saginaw ed would do--and unconsciously, the boy's fists doubled. then came the memory of mckeever and ricky, the men of the mounted with whom he had worked in the bringing of bad men to justice. what would mckeever do? the boy's fists relaxed. "he'd get him," he muttered under his breath. "he'd throw in with him, and find out all he could find out, and then he'd--_get him!_" "whut's that?" slue foot asked the question abruptly, and connie faced him with a grin: "your dope sounds good to me," he said, "but come across with the scheme. hurley or saginaw may drop in here any time. if the syndicate didn't change the brands, or paint over them, how did they work it?" "they didn't work it--it was me that worked it. all they done was to furnish me the paint an' put their own marks on the logs after i'd got 'em into the big river, brand free. it's this way: brandin' paint will stand water. you kin paint-brand a log here an' the brand will still be on it if it floats clean to new orleans. that's the kind of paint hurley furnished. an' that's the kind of paint that went on some of the logs. but another kind went on the rest of the logs. it was just as red an' just as purty lookin' as the other--while the logs stayed on the rollways. after they'd b'en in the water a while they wasn't no paint on 'em. german chemists mixed that paint--an' water'll take it off, like it'll take dirt offen a floor--easier 'cause you don't have to use no soap, an' you don't have to do no scrubbin'--it jest na'chelly melts an' floats off. hurley bossed the rear end drive, an' when our crews got to the mills, the syndicate had saw to it that all unbranded logs was took care of an' wore the green tripple x." connie nodded and slue foot continued: "pretty slick, eh? but they's more to it than that. it's got to be worked right. i had to slip long leaf olson the word when the rollways would be busted out so he could foul our drive an' git his logs in on the head end. then, there was the dickerin' with the syndicate. it took some rammin' around before i got next to old heinie metzger--he's the big boss of the syndicate. i worked it through passin' myself off fer hurley to a stuck-up young whipper-snapper name of von kuhlmann, that's old heinie's side-kick--confidential secretary, he calls him. them germans is slick, but at last we got together an' made the deal, an' they paid me all right, boom scale, when the logs was in. this here von kuhlmann hisself slipped me the money--he's a funny galoot, always swelled up an' blowin' like he owned the world, an' always noddin' an' winkin', like they was somethin' he was holdin' out on ye, as if he know'd somethin' that no one else know'd--an' brag! you'd ort to hear him brag about germany, like they wasn't no other reg'lar country, the rest of the world just bein' a kind of place that wasn't hardly worth mentionin'. they say the syndicate stock is all owned in germany, an' some of the cruisers that's worked fer 'em say it's a sight the amount of stuff they make 'em put in their reports. accordin' to his job a cruiser or a land-looker is supposed to estimate timber. but the cruisers that works fer the syndicate is supposed to report on everything from the number of box cars an' engines on the railroads, to the size of the towns, an' the number of folks in 'em that's socialists an' i. w. w.'s. an' their name. they don't care nawthin about wastin' postage stamps, neither, 'cause all that stuff is sent over to germany. what do they care over in the old country how many box cars is on some little old branch loggin' road in the timber country, or how many i. w. w.'s. lives in thief river falls? "an speakin' of i. w. w.'s--them germans is slick some ways, an' blamed fools in another. with the i. w. w.'s. threatenin' the timber interests, these here germans, that owns more mills an' standin' timber than any one else, is eggin' 'em on an' slippin' 'em money to keep 'em goin'. the i. w. w.'s., don't know that--an' i wouldn't neither except fer a lucky accident, an' i cashed in on it, too." the man paused and grinned knowingly. "in duluth, it was, we pulled off a meetin' right under the nose of the police, an' not one of 'em in the hall. called it a socialist meetin', an' word was passed that they was a feller name of mueller, from germany, a student that was wised up to every wrinkle from blowin' up dams to wipin' out the government. he come with greetin's from the 'brothers acrost the sea,' he said, an' what was more to the point, he brung along a nice fat package of cash money which he claimed had be'n raised by subscription fer to help the cause over here. i listened an' kep' a studyin' about where i'd saw this here mueller before, but it didn't stand to reason i had, an' him just over from germany. but they was somethin' about him made me sure i know'd him. he was dressed cheap an' wore glasses half an inch thick, an' they hadn't no barber be'n into his hair fer quite a spell; he'd needed a shave fer about three weeks, too, an' he looked like a reg'lar b'ilin' out wouldn't of hurt him none. anyways, before the meetin' was over, i'd spotted him, so 'long about midnight, after the meetin' had be'n over about an hour i loafs down to the hotel. it was a cheap dump, a hang-out fer lumberjacks an' lake sailors, an' i know'd the clerk an' didn't have no trouble gittin' to his room. "'hello, von kuhlmann,' i says, when he opens the door, an' with a wild look up an' down the hall to see if any one had heard, he reaches out an' yanks me in. tried to bluff it out first, but it wasn't no use." slue foot grinned: "i come out in about a half an hour with five hundred dollars in my jeans. these here 'brothers from acrost the sea' is sure some donaters when you git 'em where you want 'em--'course this here student business was all bunk. but, what i ain't never be'n able to git onto is, what in thunder does the syndicate want to be slippin' the i. w. w. money fer?" "are you an i. w. w.?" connie shot the question directly. slue foot hesitated a moment and then answered evasively. "git me right, kid, i'm anything that's agin' capital--an' i'm anything that's agin' the government. first and foremostly, i'm fer magee. no man kin make money by workin'. i've got money, an' i'm a-goin' to git more--an' i don't care how it's come by. i'm a wolf, an' i'll howl while the rabbit squeals! i'm a bird of prey! i'm a government all my own! all governments is birds of prey, an' beasts of prey. what do you see on their money, an' their seals, an' their flags--doves, an' rabbits, an' little fawns? no, it's eagles, an' bears, an' lions--beasts that rips, an' tears, an' crushes, an' kills! "you're lucky to git to throw in with a man like me--to git started out right when yer young. if you wasn't smart, i wouldn't fool with ye, but i'll git mine, an' you'll git yourn--an' some day, von kuhlmann's kind of let it slip, they's somethin' big comin' off. i don't know what he's drivin' at, but it's somethin' he's all-fired sure is a-goin' to happen--an' he's kind of hinted that when it comes he kin use a few like me to good advantage." "what kind of a thing's coming off?" "i jest told ye i don't know--mebbe the syndicate's goin' to grab off all the timber they is, or mebbe it's figgerin' on grabbin' the hull government, or the state--but whatever it is, he kin count on me bein' in on it--if he pays enough--an' by the time he pays it, i'd ort to know enough about the game so's i kin flop over to the other side an' sell him out. it's the ones that plays both ends from the middle that gits theirn--brains makes the money--not hands." slue foot glanced out the window and turned to the boy. "here comes saginaw. when he gits here i'll growl an' you sass. remember to keep your ears open an' find out when hurley's goin' to break out the rollways, an' where he's goin' to deliver the logs. i've tended to the brandin'--if they's anything more i'll let ye know." slue foot paused and scowled darkly: "an' don't try to double-cross me! they ain't nothin' i've told ye that ye could prove anyhow. an' even if ye could, it's just as you said, this outfit won't pay ye as much as what you'll git out of the deal by playin' square with me." the door opened and saginaw ed entered, to interrupt a perfect torrent of abuse from slue foot, and a rapid fire of recrimination from the boy. presently the boss of camp two departed, threatening to have connie fired for incompetence, as soon as he could get in a word with hurley. [illustration: slue foot turned. "think y're awful smart, don't ye?"] on the tote road at the edge of the clearing, slue foot turned and gazed at the little office. and as he gazed an evil smile twisted his lips: "think yer awful smart, don't ye? well, yer in on the scheme--'cause i need ye in. an' i'll use ye fer all there is in ye--but when cashin'-in time comes, yer goin' to be left whistlin' fer yourn--er my name ain't slue foot magee!" then the smile slowly faded from his face, and removing his cap, he thoughtfully scratched his head. "only trouble is, he _is_ smart--an' where'll i git off at, if it turns out he's too _doggone_ smart?" [illustration] chapter xvii heinie metzger saginaw ed listened as connie detailed at length all that slue foot had told him. when the boy finished, the woodsman removed his pipe and regarded him thoughtfully: "takin' it off an' on, i've know'd some consider'ble ornery folks in my time, but i never run acrost none that was as plumb crooked as this here specimen. why, along side of him a corkscrew is straight as a stretched fiddle gut. he ain't square with no one. but, a man like him can't only go so far--his rope is short, an' when he comes to the end of it, they ain't a-goin' to be no knot fer to hang holt of. a man that's double-crossed folks like he has ain't got no right to expect to git away with it. if they don't no one else git him, the law will." "yes," answered the boy, "and we've got enough on him so that when the law gets through with him he's not going to have much time left for any more crookedness." "how d'you figger on workin' it?" asked saginaw. connie laughed: "i haven't had time to dope it out yet, but there's no use starting anything 'til just before the drive. slue foot's crowding 'em up there in camp two, putting every last log he can get onto the landings--he said he'd have close to three million feet branded with his own paint." "expects hurley's goin' to let long leaf boss the drive agin, i s'pose an' the syndicate crew do the sortin'!" "i guess that's what's he's counting on," answered the boy. "hurley will tend to that part. and now we know his scheme, the logs are safe--what we want is evidence. when we get him we want to get him right." saginaw ed rose to go. "it's up to you, son, to figger out the best way. whatever you say goes. take yer time an' figger it out good--'cause you want to remember that the syndicate owes ye some thirty-odd thousand dollars they stoled off ye last year, an'----" "thirty-odd thousand?" "sure--ye stood to clean up twenty thousan', didn't ye? instead of which ye lost fourteen thousan'--that's thirty-four thousan', ain't it? an' here's somethin' fer to remember when yer dealin' with the syndicate: never law 'em if you can git out of it. they've got the money--an' you ain't got no square deal. git the dope on 'em, an' then settle out o' court, with old heinie metzger." when saginaw had gone, connie sat for hours at his desk thinking up plans of action, discarding them, revising them, covering whole sheets of paper with pencilled figures. when, at last, he answered the supper call and crossed the clearing to the cook's camp, a peculiar smile twitched the corners of his lips. "i've got to go up the road a piece an' figger on a couple of new skidways," said saginaw, when the four who bunked in the office arose from the table. "it's good an' moonlight, an' i kin git the swampers started on 'em first thing in the morning." "i'll go with you," decided the boy, "i've been cooped up all the afternoon, and i'll be glad of the chance to stretch my legs." leaving hurley and lon camden, the two struck off up one of the broad, iced log roads that reached into the timber like long fingers clutching at the very heart of the forest. the task of locating the skidways was soon finished and saginaw seated himself on a log and produced pipe and tobacco. "well, son," he said, "what's the game? i watched ye whilst we was eatin', an' i seen ye'd got it figgered out." after a moment of silence, connie asked abruptly: "how am i going to manage to get away for a week or ten days?" "git away!" exclaimed saginaw. "you mean leave camp?" the boy nodded: "yes, i've got to go." he seated himself astride the log and talked for an hour, while saginaw, his pipe forgotten, listened. when the boy finished saginaw sat in silence, the dead pipe clenched between his teeth. "well, what do you think of it?" the other removed the pipe, and spat deliberately into the snow. "think of it?" he replied, "i never was much hand fer thinkin'--an' them big figgers you're into has got me woozy headed. personal an' private, i'm tellin' ye right out, i don't think it'll work. it sounds good the way you spoke it, but--why, doggone it, that would be outfiggerin' the _syndicate!_ it would be lettin' 'em beat theirself at their own game! it can't be did! they ain't no one kin do it. it ain't on." "what's the matter with it?" asked the boy. "matter with it! i can't find nothin' the matter with it--that's why it won't work!" connie laughed: "we'll make it work! all you've got to remember is that if any stranger comes into the camp asking for hurley, you steer him up against slue foot. this von kuhlmann himself will probably come, and if he does it will be all right--he knows slue foot by sight. the only thing that's bothering me is how am i going to ask hurley for a week or ten days off? frenchy's going in tomorrow, and i've got to go with him." saginaw ed slapped his mittened hand against his leg: "i've got it," he exclaimed. "there was three new hands come in today--good whitewater men fer the drive. one of 'em's quick-water quinn. i've worked with him off an' on fer it's goin' on fifteen year. he'll do anything fer me, account of a little deal onct, which he believed i saved his life. i'll slip over to the men's camp an' write a letter to you. then later, when we're all in the office, quick-water, he'll fetch it over an' ask if you're here, an' give it to ye. then ye read it, and take on like you've got to go right away fer a week er so. you don't need to make any explainin'--jest stick to it you've got to go. hurley'll prob'ly rave round an' tell ye ye can't, an' bawl ye out, an' raise a rookus generally, but jest stick to it. if it gits to where ye have to, jest tell him you quit. that'll bring him 'round. he sets a lot of store by you, an' he'll let ye go if ye make him." and so it happened that just as the four were turning in that night, a lumberjack pushed open the door. "is they any one here name o' c. morgan?" he asked. connie stepped forward, and the man thrust a letter into his hand: "brung it in with me from the postoffice. they told me over to the men's camp you was in here." connie thanked the man, and carrying the letter to the light, tore it open and read. at the end of five minutes he looked up: "i've got to go out with frenchy in the morning," he announced. hurley let a heavy boot fall with a thud, and stared at the boy as though he had taken leave of his senses. "go out!" he roared, "what'ye mean, go out?" "i've got to go for a week or ten days. it's absolutely necessary or i wouldn't do it." "a wake er tin days, sez he!" hurley lapsed into brogue, as he always did when aroused or excited. "an' fer a wake or tin days the books kin run theirsilf! well, ye can't go--an' that's all there is to ut!" "i've got to go," repeated connie stubbornly. "if i don't go out with frenchy, i'll walk out!" the boss glared at him. "i know'd things wuz goin' too good to last. but oi didn't think th' trouble wuz a-comin' from ye. ye can tell me, mebbe, what, oi'm a-goin' to do widout no clerk whoilst yer gaddin' round havin' a good toime? ye can't go!" "steve can run the wanagan, and lon, and saginaw, and slue foot can hold their reports 'til i get back. i'll work night and day then 'til i catch up." "they ain't a-goin' to be no ketch up!" roared hurley. "here ye be, an' here ye'll stay! av ye go out ye'll stay out!" connie looked the big boss squarely in the eye: "i'm sorry, hurley. i've liked you, and i've liked my job. but i've got to go. you'll find the books all up to the minute." hurley turned away with a snort and rolled into his bunk, and a few minutes later, connie blew out the lamp and crawled between his own warm blankets, where he lay smiling to himself in the darkness. by lamplight next morning the boy was astir. he placed his few belongings in his turkey, and when the task was accomplished he noticed that hurley was watching him out of the corner of his eye. he tied the sack as the others sat upon the edge of the bunks and drew on their boots. and in silence they all crossed the dark clearing toward the cook's camp. with a great jangle of bells, frenchy drew his tote-team up before the door just as they finished breakfast. connie tossed his turkey into the sleigh and turned to hurley who stood by with lon camden and saginaw ed. "i'll take my time, now," said the boy, quietly. "and good luck to you all!" for answer the big boss reached over and, grabbing the turkey, sent it spinning into the boy's bunk. "ye don't git no toime!" he bellowed. "jump in wid frenchy now, an' don't be shtandin' 'round doin' nawthin'. tin days ye'll be gone at the outsoide, an' av' ye ain't at yer disk here be th' 'leventh day, oi'll br-reak ye in two an' grease saws wid the two halves av ye!" reaching into his pocket, he drew forth a roll of bills. "how much money d'ye nade? come spake up! ye kin have all, or par-rt av ut--an' don't ye iver let me hear ye talk av quittin' agin, er oi'll woind a peavy around yer head." connie declined the money and jumped into the sleigh, and with a crack of the whip, frenchy sent the horses galloping down the tote road. when they were well out of hearing the frenchman laughed. "dat hurley she lak for mak' de beeg bluff, w'at you call; she mak' you scairt lak she gon' keel you, an' den she giv' you all de mon' she got." "he's the best boss in the woods!" cried the boy. "_oui_ dat rat. ba goss, we'n she roar an' bluff, dat ain' w'en you got for look out! me--a'm know 'bout dat. a'm seen heem lick 'bout fifty men wan tam. ovaire on----" "oh, come now, frenchy--not fifty men." "well, was seex, anyhow. ovaire on leech lak' an' _sacre!_ he ain' say nuttin', dat tam--joos' mak' hees eyes leetle an' shine lak de _loup cervier_--an' smash, smash, smash! an', by goss, 'bout twenty of dem feller, git de busted head." connie laughed, and during all the long miles of the tote road he listened to the exaggerated and garbled stories of the frenchman--stories of log drives, of fights, of bloody accidents, and of "hants" and windagoes. at the railroad, the boy helped the teamster and the storekeeper in the loading of the sleigh until a long-drawn whistle announced the approach of his train. when it stopped at the tiny station, he climbed aboard, and standing on the platform, waved his hand until the two figures whisked from sight and the train plunged between its flanking walls of pine. in minneapolis connie hunted up the office of the syndicate, which occupied an entire floor, many stories above the sidewalk, of a tall building. he was a very different looking connie from the roughly clad boy who had clambered onto the train at dogfish. a visit to a big department store had transformed him from a lumberjack into a youth whose clothing differed in no marked particular from the clothing of those he passed upon the street. but there was a difference that had nothing whatever to do with clothing--a certain something in the easy swing of his stride, the poise of his shoulders, the healthy bronzed skin and the clear blue eyes, that caused more than one person to pause upon the sidewalk for a backward glance at the boy. connie stepped from the elevator, hesitated for a second before a heavily lettered opaque glass door, then turned the knob and entered, to find himself in a sort of pen formed by a low railing in which was a swinging gate. before him, beyond the railing, dozens of girls sat at desks their fingers fairly flying over the keys of their clicking typewriters. men with green shades over their eyes, and queer black sleeves reaching from their wrists to their elbows, sat at other desks. along one side of the great room stood a row of box-like offices, each with a name lettered upon its glass door. so engrossed was the boy in noting these details that he started at the sound of a voice close beside him. he looked down into the face of a girl who sat before a complicated looking switchboard. "who do you wish to see?" she asked. connie flushed to the roots of his hair. it was almost the first time in his life that any girl had spoken to him--and this one was smiling. off came his hat. "is--is heinie metzger in?" he managed to ask. connie's was a voice tuned to the big open places, and here in the office of the syndicate it boomed loudly--so loudly that the girls at the nearer typewriters looked up swiftly and then as swiftly stooped down to pick up imaginary articles from the floor; the boy could see that they were trying to suppress laughter. and the girl at the switchboard? he glanced from the others to this one who was close beside him. her face was red as his own, and she was coughing violently into a tiny handkerchief. "caught cold?" he asked. "get your feet dry, and take a dose of quinine, and you'll be all right--if you don't get pneumonia and die. if heinie ain't in i can come again." somehow the boy felt that he would like to be out of this place. he felt stifled and very uncomfortable. he wondered if girls always coughed into handkerchiefs or clawed around on the floor to keep from laughing at nothing. he hoped she would say that heinie metzger was not in. "have you a card?" the girl had recovered from her coughing fit, but her face was very red. "a what?" asked the boy. "a card--your name." "oh, my name is connie morgan." "and, your address?" "ma'am?" "where do you live?" "ten bow." "where? is it in minnesota?" "no, it's in alaska--and i wish i was back there right now." "and, your business?" "i want to see heinie metzger about some logs." a man passing the little gate in the railing whirled and glared at him. he was a very disagreeable looking young man with a fat, heavy face, pouchy eyes of faded blue, and stiff, close-cropped reddish hair that stuck straight up on his head like pig's bristles. "looks like he'd been scrubbed," thought connie as he returned glare for glare. the man stepped through the gate and thrust his face close to the boy's. "vat you mean, eh?" "are you heinie metzger?" "no, i am not _herr_ metzger. _unt_ it pays you you shall be civil to your betters. you shall say _herr_ metzger, _oder_ mister metzger. _unt_ he has got not any time to be mit poys talking. vat you vanted? if you got pusiness, talk mit me. i am _herr_ von kuhlmann, confidential secretary to _herr_ metzger." "i thought you were the barber," apologized the boy. "but anyhow, you won't do. i want to see heinie metzger, or 'hair' metzger, or mister metzger, whichever way you want it. i want to sell him some logs." the other sneered: "logs! he wants to sell it some logs! _unt_ how much logs you got--on de vagon a load, maybe? ve dondt fool mit logs here, exceptingly ve get anyhow a trainload--_unt_ _herr_ metzger dondt mention efen, less dan half a million feets. vere iss your logs?" "i've got 'em in my pocket," answered the boy. "come on, dutchy, you're wasting my time. trot along, now; and tell this metzger there's a fellow out here that's got about eight or nine million feet of white pine to sell----" "vite pine! eight million feets! you krasy?" the man stooped and swung open the little gate. "come along _mit_ me, _unt_ if you trying some foolishness _mit_ _herr_ metzger, you vish you vas some blace else to have stayed avay." he paused before a closed door, and drawing himself very erect, knocked gently. a full minute of silence, then from the interior came a rasping voice: "who is it?" "it is i, sir, von kuhlmann, at your service, _unt_ i have _mit_ me one small poy who say he has it some logs to sell." again the voice rasped from behind the partition--a thin voice, yet, in it's thinness, somehow suggesting brutality: "why should you come to me? why don't you buy his logs and send him about his business?" von kuhlmann cleared his throat nervously: "he says it iss vite pine--eight million feets." "show him in, you fool! what are you standing out there for?" von kuhlmann opened the door and motioned connie to enter: "_herr_ morgan," he announced, bowing low. "connie morgan," corrected the boy quickly, as he stepped toward the desk and offered his hand to the small, grey-haired man, with the enormous eyeglasses, and the fierce upturned mustache. "i suppose you are heinie metzger," he announced. the man glared at him, his thin nostrils a-quiver. then, in a dry, cackling voice, bade connie be seated, giving the extended hand the merest touch. von kuhlmann withdrew noiselessly, and closed the door. metzger opened a drawer and drew forth a box of cigars which he opened, and extended toward the boy. connie declined, and replacing the cigars, the man drew from another drawer, a box of cigarettes, and when the boy declined those he leaned back in his chair and stared at connie through his glasses, as one would examine a specimen at the zoo. [illustration: he leaned back in his chair and stared at connie through his glasses, as one would examine a specimen at the zoo.] "young man, how do i know you have any logs?" the question rasped suddenly from between half-closed lips. "you don't know it," answered the boy. "that's why i came here to tell you." "white pine, you said," snapped the man, after a pause. "eight million feet?" "yes, white pine--at least eight million, maybe nine, and possibly more, if we continue to have good luck." "where are these logs?" "on our landings on dogfish river." "dogfish! you're the man from alaska that bought the mcclusky tract?" "i'm his partner." "show a profit last year?" "no. but we only had one camp then, and this year we have two and each one has cut more than the one we had last year." "who did you sell to, last year?" "baker & crosby." "satisfied with their boom scale?" "well, no, we weren't. that's why we thought we'd offer the cut to you this year, if you want it." "want it! of course we want it--that is, if the price is right." "what will you pay?" _herr_ heinrich metzger removed his glasses and dangled them by their wide black ribbon, as he glanced along his thin nose. "sure you can deliver eight million feet?" he asked. "yes, our foreman reports eight million already on the rollways, or in the woods all ready for the rollways. yes, i can be sure of eight million." "we have a big contract," said metzger, "that is just about eight million feet short of being filled. if we can be sure of getting the entire eight million in one lump, we could afford to pay more--much more, in fact, than we could if there was anything short of eight million feet." connie nodded: "there will be eight million feet, at least," he repeated. "what will you pay?" for a long time the other was silent, then he spoke: "it is a large deal," he said. "there are many things to consider. lest we make haste too quickly, i must have time to consider the transaction in all it's phases. meet me here one week from today, at eleven o'clock, and i will give you a figure." "a week is a long time," objected the boy, "and i am a long way from home." "yes, yes, but there are others--associates of mine in the business with whom i must consult." the boy had risen to go, when the man stayed him with a motion. "wait," he commanded. "your name is----?" "morgan--connie morgan." "to be sure--connie morgan." he picked the receiver from the hook of his desk phone. "get me the laddison hotel," he commanded, and hung up the receiver. "the delay is of my own making, therefore i should pay for it. you will move your luggage into the laddison hotel, which is the best in the city, and shall remain there until our deal is closed, at the expense of this company----" "but," objected the boy, "suppose the deal don't go through?" "the expense will be ours whether the deal goes through or not. you see, i am confident that we can deal." the telephone rang and metzger made the arrangements, and again, turned to the boy. "each evening at dinner time, you are to ask at the desk for an envelope. in the envelope you will receive a ticket to the theatre. this, also, at our expense." he smiled broadly. "you see, we treat our guests well. we do not wish them to become tired of our city, and we wish those with whom we have dealings to think well of us." chapter xviii connie sells some logs connie morgan left the office of the syndicate, and once more upon the sidewalk, filled his lungs with the keen air. "it's going to work!" "it's going to work!" he repeated over and over to himself as he made his way toward the store where he had left his discarded clothing stuffed into a brand new brown leather suitcase. the boy returned unhesitatingly to the store, not by means of street signs, but by the simple process of back-trailing. trained in observation, his eyes had unfailingly registered the landmarks in his brain--even when that brain had been too busy wondering what was to be the outcome of his conference with heinie metzger, to know that it was receiving impressions. it was this trained habit of observation that had enabled him to select his wearing apparel and the brown leather suitcase. he had simply studied the passengers on the train, and selecting a man who looked well dressed, had copied his apparel and even his suitcase. the clerk at the store directed him to his hotel, and a few minutes later he stood in the window of a thickly carpeted room, and stared out over the roofs of buildings. "it's--it's like the mountains," he mused, "stretching away, peak after peak, as far as you can see, and the streets are the canyons and the valleys--only this is more--lonesome." tiring of looking out over the roofs, he put on his overcoat and spent the afternoon upon the streets, admiring the goods in the store windows and watching the people pass and repass upon the sidewalks. it was a mild, sunshiny afternoon and the streets were thronged with ladies, the browns, and greys, and blacks, and whites of their furs making a pretty kaleidoscope of colour. at the union station he procured a folder and after looking up the departure of trains, returned to his hotel. he walked back at the time when factories, stores, and office buildings were disgorging their human flood onto the streets, and the boy gazed about him in wonder as he elbowed his way along the sidewalk. he smiled to himself. "i guess i don't know much about cities. in the store i was wondering where in the world they were going to find the people to buy all the stuff they had piled around, and when i was looking out the window, i wondered if there were enough people in the world to live in all the houses--and now i'm wondering if there is enough stuff to go around, and enough houses to hold 'em all." in this room connie glanced at his watch, performed a hasty toilet, and hurried into the elevator. "gee, it's most six!" he muttered, "i bet i'm late for supper." he was surprised to find men in the lobby, sitting about in chairs or talking in groups, as they had been doing when he left in the afternoon. "maybe they don't have it 'til six," he thought, and seating himself in a leather chair, waited with his eyes on the clock. six o'clock came, and when the hand reached five minutes after, he strolled to the desk. "anything here for me?" he asked. the clerk handed him an envelope. "heinie's making good," thought the boy, and then, trying not to look hungry, he turned to the clerk: "cook hollered yet?" he asked casually. the man smiled: "grill's down stairs," he announced, pointing to a marble stairway at the other end of the room. "i ain't too late, am i?" asked the boy. "too late! too late for what?" "for supper. it ain't over is it?" "the grill is open from eight in the morning until midnight," explained the man, and as connie turned away, he called after him: "oh, mr. morgan----" "connie morgan," corrected the boy gravely. "well, connie, then--you are not to pay your checks, just sign them and the waiter will take care of them." "that suits me," smiled connie, and as he crossed the tiled floor he muttered: "if they hadn't wasted so much space making the office and rooms so big, they wouldn't have to eat in the cellar. in fairbanks or skagway they'd have made four rooms out of that one of mine." at the door of the grill a man in black met him, conducted him through a maze of small tables at which men and women were eating, and drew out a chair at a table placed against the wall. another man in black appeared, filled a glass with water from a fat bottle, and flipped a large piece of cardboard in front of him. connie scanned the printed list with puckered brow. way down toward the bottom he found three words he knew, they were tea, coffee, milk. the man in black was waiting at his side with a pencil poised above a small pad of paper. "go ahead, if you want to write," said the boy, "i won't bother you any--i'm just trying to figure out what some of these names mean." "waiting for your order, sir." "don't 'sir' me. you mean you're the waiter?" "yes, sir." "well, i'm hungry, suppose you beat it out and bring me my supper." "what will it be, sir? i will take your order, sir." "cut out that 'sir,' i told you. if these things they've got down here stand for grub, you'll just have to bring along the whole mess, and i'll pick out what i want." "might i suggest, s----" "look here," interrupted the boy, grasping the idea. "if any of these names stand for ham and eggs, or beefsteak, or potatoes, or bread and butter, you bring 'em along." the man actually smiled, and connie felt relieved. "whose place is that?" he indicated a chair across the table. "not reserved, sir." connie glanced around the room: "you ain't very busy, now. might as well bring your own grub along, and if you can ever remember to forget that 'sir' business, we'll get along all right--i'm lonesome." when the waiter returned with a tray loaded with good things to eat, connie again indicated the empty chair. "against the rules," whispered the waiter, remembering to leave off the "sir." connie did justice to the meal and when he had finished, the man cleared the dishes away and set a plate before him upon which was a small bowl of water and a folded napkin. "what's that?" asked the boy, "i drink out of a glass." "finger bowl," whispered the waiter. "do you wish a dessert?" "might take a chance on a piece of pie," answered the boy, "here take this along. i washed up-stairs." when the waiter presented his check, connie took the pencil from his hand, signed it, and passed it back. "very good. one moment, 'til i verify this at the desk." he hurried away, and returned a moment later. "very good," he repeated. connie handed him a dollar: "i'm going to be here a week," he said, "i want three good square meals a day, and it's up to you to see that i get 'em. no more lists of stuff i can't read. no more 'yes sir,' 'no sir,' 'very good sir.'" the waiter pocketed the dollar: "thank you, s--. very good. always come to this table. i will reserve this place for you. you will find your chair tilted, so. i shall speak to the head waiter." connie went directly to his room and putting on his cap and overcoat, returned to the lobby and again approached the man at the desk: "what time does the show start?" he asked. "curtain rises at eight-fifteen." "where is it?" "which one?" the boy reached for his envelope and handed the ticket to the clerk. "metropolitan," informed the man, with a glance at the cardboard. "marquette, between third and fourth." the boy glanced at the clock. it was a quarter past seven. hurrying to nicollet avenue, he walked rapidly to the depot and accosted a uniformed official: "is the seven-fifty-five for brainard in yet?" "naw, third gate to yer right, where them folks is waitin'." connie turned up his collar, pulled his cap well down over his eyes, and strolled to the edge of the knot of people that crowded close about one of the iron gates. his eyes ran rapidly over each face in the crowd without encountering the object of his search, so he appropriated an inconspicuous seat on a nearby bench between a man who was engrossed in his newspaper, and an old woman who held a large bundle up on her lap, and whose feet were surrounded with other bundles and bags which she insisted upon counting every few minutes. closely the boy scrutinized each new arrival as he joined the waiting group. beyond the iron grill were long strings of lighted coaches to which were coupled engines that panted eagerly as they awaited the signal that would send them plunging away into the night with their burden of human freight. other trains drew in, and connie watched the greetings of relatives and friends, as they rushed to meet the inpouring stream of passengers. it seemed to the lonely boy that everybody in the world had someone waiting to welcome him but himself. he swallowed once or twice, smiled a trifle bitterly, and resumed his scrutiny of the faces. a man bawled a string of names, there was a sudden surging of the crowd which rapidly melted as its members were spewed out into the train shed. a few stragglers were still hurrying through the gate. the hands of a clock pointed to seven-fifty-four, and connie stood up. as he did so, a man catapulted down the stairs, and rushed for the gate. he was a young man, clothed in the garb of a woodsman, and as he passed him, connie recognized the heavy face of von kuhlmann. "that's just what i've been waiting for," he spoke aloud to himself, after the manner of those whose lives are cast in the solitudes. the man glanced up from his newspaper, and the old woman regarded him with a withering scowl, and gathered her bundles more closely about her feet. the play that evening was a musical comedy, and during the entire performance the boy sat enthralled by the music and the dazzling costumes. he was still in a daze when he reached his hotel, and once more stood in his room and gazed out over the city of twinkling lights. he turned from the window and surveyed his apartment, the thick carpet, the huge brass bed, the white bath tub in the tiny room adjoining, with its faucets for hot and cold water, the big mirror that reflected his image from head to foot--it seemed all of a piece with the play. instantly the boy's imagination leaped the snow-locked miles and he saw the tiny cabin on ten bow, the nights on the snow-trail when he had curled up in his blankets with the coldly gleaming stars for his roof; he saw the rough camp on dogfish and in a flash he was back in the room once more. "this ain't real _living_," he muttered, once more glancing about him, "it's--it's like the show--like living in a world of make-believe." undressing, he drew the white tub nearly full of water. "i'm going to make it just as hot as i can stand it. any one can take a bath in cold water." he wallowed in the tub for a long time, dried himself with a coarse towel, and rummaging in his new suitcase, produced a pair of pink pyjamas which had been highly recommended by the clerk at the big store. very gingerly he donned the garments and for some moments stood and viewed himself in the mirror. "gee," he muttered, "i'm sure glad waseche bill ain't here!" and switching out the light, he dived into bed. [illustration: very gingerly he donned the garments and for some moments stood and viewed himself in the mirror.] promptly at eleven o'clock, one week from the day he arrived in minneapolis, connie morgan again presented himself at the office of the syndicate. that he had been expected was evidenced by the fact that the girl at the switchboard did not ask him any questions. she greeted him by name, and touching a button beneath the edge of her desk summoned a boy who conducted him to metzger's private office. the lumber magnate received him with an oily smile: "promptly on the minute," he approved. "that's business. sit here and we will see whether two business men are able to make their minds meet in a contract that will be profitable to both." the man placed the points of his fingers together and sighted across them at connie. "in the first place," he began, "the quantity of logs. you are sure you can deliver here at our mills at least eight million feet?" "yes." "because," continued the man, "owing to the conditions of a contract we have on hand, any less than eight million feet would be practically of no value to us whatever. that is, we have concluded to rely entirely upon your logs to fulfill our big contract, and should you fail us, the other contract would fail, and we would be at the expense of marketing the lumber elsewhere." "how much more than eight million feet could you use?" asked the boy. "as much more as you can deliver. say, anything up to ten million." connie nodded: "that's all right," he assented, "and the price?" "ah, yes--the price." metzger frowned thoughtfully. "what would you say to twenty dollars a thousand?" connie shook his head. "i can get twenty-five anywhere." "well, twenty-five?" again the boy shook his head. "you told me you could pay liberally for the logs if you could be sure of getting them all in one lot," he reminded. "i can get twenty-five, anywhere, and by hunting out my market i can boost it to thirty." metzger's frown deepened. "what is your price?" he asked. "fifty dollars." "fifty dollars!" the man rolled his eyes as if imploring high heaven to look down upon the extortion. "ridiculous! why the highest price ever paid was forty!" "we'll make a new record, then," answered the boy calmly. "forty dollars--if you must have it," offered the man. "forty dollars or nothing. and, even at forty, we must insist on inserting a protective clause in the contract." "a protective clause?" "yes, it is this way. if we assume to pay such an outrageous price for your logs, we must insist upon being protected in case you fail to deliver. suppose, for instance, something prevented your delivering the logs, or part of them at our mills. say, you could deliver only four or five million. we could not pay forty dollars for them, because our price is fixed with the understanding that we are to receive eight million." "that's fair enough," answered the boy; "we'll fix that. if we don't deliver eight million, then you take what we do deliver at twenty dollars." metzger pondered. "and you will bind yourself to sell to us, and not to others, if you deliver a short cut?" "sure we will." "well, there is fairness in your offer. we will say, then, that we are to pay you forty dollars a thousand for any amount between eight and ten million, and only twenty dollars if you fail to deliver at least eight million." "i said fifty dollars," reminded the boy. "and i say we cannot pay fifty! it is unheard of! it is not to be thought of! it is exorbitant!" connie arose and reached for his cap: "all right," he answered. "the deal's off." at the door he paused, "i liked your hotel, and the shows," he said, but metzger cut him short: "the hotel and the shows!" he cried. "bah! it is nothing! come back here. you are an extortionist! you know you have us at your mercy, and you are gouging us! it is an outrage!" "see here, metzger." the man flinched at the use of his name, shorn of any respectful _herr_, or mister. but he listened. "it's my business to get as much for those logs as i can get. there is nothing more to talk about. if you want 'em at fifty dollars, take 'em, if you don't--good-bye." muttering and grumbling, the man motioned him back to his seat. "we've got to have the logs," he whined, "but it is a hard bargain you drive. one does not look for such harshness in the young. i am disappointed. how would forty-five do?" "fifty." "well, fifty, then!" snapped metzger, with a great show of anger. "but look here, if we go up ten dollars on our part, you come down ten dollars on your part! we will pay fifty dollars a thousand for all logs between eight and ten million--and ten dollars a thousand for all logs delivered short of eight million--and you bind yourself to sell us your entire drive on those terms." "that's a deal," answered the boy. "and our crew to work with yours at the sorting gap. when will you have the papers?" "come back at two," growled the man, shortly. when connie had gone, metzger touched one of a row of buttons upon his desk, and von kuhlmann entered, and standing at military attention, waited for his superior to speak. for a full minute metzger kept him standing without deigning to notice him. then, scribbling for a moment, he extended a paper toward his subordinate. "have a contract drawn in conformity with these figures," he commanded. von kuhlmann glanced at the paper. "he agreed? as it iss so said here in america--he bite?" metzger's thin lip writhed in a saturnine grin: "yes, he bit. i strung him along, and he has an idea that he is a wonderful business man--to hold out against me for his price. ha, little did he know that the top price interested me not at all! it was the lesser figure that i was after--and you see what it is, von kuhlmann--_ten dollars a thousand_!" the other made a rapid mental calculation: "on the deal, at five million feet, we make, at the least, more than three hundred thousand!" metzger nodded: "yes! that is business!" he glared into von kuhlmann's face, "this deal is based on _your_ report. if you have failed us----!" von kuhlmann shuddered: "i haff not fail. i haff been on dogfish, and i haff mit mine eyes seen the logs. i haff talk mit hurley, the boss. he iss mit us. why should he not be mit us? we pay him well for the logs from which comes the paint off. he haff brand with the dissolving paint three million feets. mineself i apply vater _unt_ from the ends, i rub the paint, in each rollway, here and there, a log." metzger pencilled some figures on a pad. "if you have failed us," he repeated, "we pay _four hundred thousand_ dollars for eight million feet. _four hundred thousand!_ and we lose forty dollars a thousand on the whole eight million feet. because we expect to pay this hurley ten dollars a thousand for the three million feet branded with the dissolving paint--and also to pay ten dollars a thousand for the five million that will be delivered under the contract." the man paused and brought his fist down on the desk: "ha, these americans!" the thin lips twisted in sneering contempt, "they pride themselves upon their acumen--upon their business ability. they boast of being a nation of traders! they have pride of their great country lying helpless as a babe--a swine contentedly wallowing in its own fat, believing itself secure in its flimsy sty--little heeding the butcher, who watches even as he whets his knife under the swine's very eyes, waiting--waiting--waiting only for--the day!" at the words both metzger and von kuhlmann clicked their heels and came to a stiff military salute. standing metzger, continued: "traders--business men--bah! it is the germans who are the traders--the business men of the world. into the very heart of their country we reach, and they do not know it. lumber here, iron there, cotton, wool, railroads, banks--in their own country, and under protection of their own laws we have reached out our hands and have taken; until today germany holds the death-grip upon american commerce, as some day she will hold the death-grip upon america's very existence. when the butcher thrusts the knife the swine dies. and, we, the supermen--the foremost in trade, in arms, in science, in art, in thought--we, the germans, will that day come into our place in the sun!" "_der tag!_" pronounced von kuhlmann, reverently, and with another clicking salute, he retired. at two o'clock connie found himself once more in metzger's office. the head of the syndicate handed him a copy of a typed paper which the boy read carefully. then, very carefully he read it again. "this seems to cover all the points. it suits me. you made two copies, did you?" metzger nodded. "and, now we will sign?" he asked, picking up a pen from the desk, and touching a button. von kuhlmann appeared in the doorway. "just witness these signatures," said metzger. "if it's just the same to you, i saw mike gillum, one of your foremen, waiting out there; i would rather he witnessed the signing." "what's this? what do you mean?" "nothing--only i know mike gillum. he's honest. i'd like him to witness." "send gillum in!" commanded metzger, glaring at the boy, and when the irishman appeared, he said brusquely. "witness the signature to a contract for the sale of some logs." arranging the papers he signed each copy with a flourish, and offered the pen to connie. the boy smiled. "why, i can't sign it," he said. "you see, i'm a minor. it wouldn't be legal. it wouldn't bind either one of us to anything. if the deal didn't suit me after the logs were here, i could claim that i had no right to make the contract, and the courts would uphold me. or, if it didn't suit you, you could say 'it is a mere scrap of paper.'" metzger jerked the thick glasses from his nose and glared at the boy. "what now? you mean you have no authority to make this contract? you have been jesting? making a fool of me--taking up my time--living at my expense--and all for nothing?" connie laughed at the irate magnate: "oh, no--not so bad as that. i have the authority to arrange the terms because i am a partner. it is only the legal part that interferes. hurley, our walking boss has the power of attorney signed by my partner, who is not a minor. hurley is authorized to sell logs and incur indebtedness for us. i will have to take those contracts up to our camp and get his signature. then everything will be o.k." metzger scowled: "why did you not have this hurley here?" "what, and leave a couple of hundred men idle in the woods? that would not be good business, would it? i'll take the contracts and have them signed and witnessed, and return yours by registered mail within two days." the head of the syndicate shot a keen sidewise glance at the boy who was chatting with mike gillum, as he selected a heavy envelope, slipped the two copies of the contract into it, and passed it over. connie placed the envelope in an inner pocket and, buttoning his coat tightly, bade metzger good-bye, and passed out of the door. alone in the office metzger frowned at his desk, he drew quick, thin lined figures upon his blotting pad: "these americans," he repeated contemptuously under his breath. "to send a boy to do business with _me_--a past master of business! the fools! the smug, self-satisfied, helpless fools--i know not whether to pity or to laugh! and, yet, this boy has a certain sort of shrewdness. i had relied, in case anything went wrong with our plan, upon voiding the contract in court. however, von kuhlmann is clever. he has been this week on the field. his judgment is unerring. _he is german!_" late that evening, clad once more in his woodsman's garb, connie morgan sat upon the plush cushion of a railway coach, with his new leather suitcase at his feet, and smiled at the friendly twinkling lights of the farm-houses, as his train rushed northward into the night. chapter xix the unmasking of slue foot magee connie morgan did not leave the train at dogfish spur, but kept on to the county seat. in the morning he hunted up the sheriff, a bluff woodsman who, until his election to office, had operated as an independent stumpage contractor. "did you arrest three i. w. w.'s in mike gillum's camp on willow river a while back?" he asked, when the sheriff had offered him a chair in his office in the little court-house. "d'you mean those two-legged skunks that tried to brain hurley when he was bringin' 'em in fer tryin' to burn out his camp?" "those are the ones." "they're here. an' by the time they got here they know'd they hadn't be'n on no sunday-school picnic, too. doc swore out the warrants, an' i deputized limber bill bradley, an' blinky hoy to go an' fetch 'em in. 'treat 'em kind,' i tells 'em when they started. but, judgin' by looks when they got 'em out here, they didn't. you see, them boys was brought up rough. limber bill mixed it up with a bear one time, an' killed him with a four-inch jack-knife, an' blinky hoy--they say he eats buzz-saws fer breakfast. so here they be, an' here they'll stay 'til june court. they started hollerin' fer a p'liminary hearin', soon as they got here, but i know'd hurley was strainin' hisself fer a good showin' this year, an' wouldn't want to stop an' come down to testify, so i worked a technicality on 'em to prevent the hearin'." "a technicality?" "yeh, i shuck my fist in under their nose an' told 'em if they demanded a hearing, they'd git it. but it would be helt up in hurley's camp, an' limber bill, an' blinky hoy would chaperoon 'em up, an' provided they was enough left of 'em to bother with after the hearin' them same two would fetch 'em back. so they changed their minds about a hearin', and withdraw'd the demand." connie laughed: "i'm hurley's clerk, and i just dropped down to tell you that if those fellows should happen to ask you how you got wind of where they were hiding, you might tell them that slue foot magee tipped them off." "if they'd happen to ask!" exclaimed the sheriff. "they've b'en tryin' every which way they know'd how to horn it out of me, ever since they got out here. what about slue foot? i never did trust that bird--never got nothin' on him--but always livin' in hopes." "i happen to know that slue foot is an i. w. w., and if these fellows think he doubled-crossed them, they might loosen up with some interesting dope, just to even things up. you see, it was slue foot who advised them to go to willow river." "o-ho, so that's it!" grinned the sheriff. "well, mebbe, now they'll find that they _kin_ pump me a little after all." "and while i'm here i may as well swear out a couple of more warrants, too. you are a friend of hurley's, and you want to see him make good." "you bet yer life i do! there's a man! he's played in hard luck all his life, an' if he's got a chanct to make good--i'm for him." "then hold off serving these warrants 'til just before the break-up. when the thaw comes, you hurry up to hurley's camp, and nab slue foot." the sheriff nodded, and connie continued: "first i want him arrested for conspiring with the syndicate in the theft of thirty-four thousand dollars' worth of logs during april and may of last year." "with the syndicate--stealin' logs!" "yes, if it hadn't been for that, hurley would have made good last year." the sheriff's lips tightened: "if we can only rope in heinie metzger! he ruined me on a dirty deal. i had stumpage contracts with him. then he tried to beat me with his money for sheriff, but he found out that john grey had more friends in the woods than the syndicate had. go on." "then, for conspiring to defraud certain sawyers by shading their cut. then, for the theft of three thousand, five hundred dollars from denny o'sullivan. and, last, for conspiracy with the syndicate to steal some three million feet of logs this year." the sheriff looked at the boy in open-eyed astonishment. "d'you mean you kin _proove_ all this?" "i think so. i can prove the theft of the money, and the shading the cut--when it comes to the timber stealing, with the syndicate's money back of 'em, we'll have a harder time. but i've got the evidence." the sheriff grinned: "well, when slue foot let go, he let go all holts, didn't he? if you've got the evidence to back you up, like you say you have, slue foot'll be usin' a number instead of a name fer the next lifetime er so." shortly after noon of the tenth day, following his departure from camp, connie stepped off the train at dogfish spur, to find frenchy waiting for him with the tote-team. "hurley say, 'you go long an' git de kid. she gon' for com' today--tomor'--sure, an' i ain' wan' heem git all tire out walkin' in.' hurley lak you fine an' saginaw lak you, but slue foot, she roar an' growl w'en you ain' here. bye-m-bye, hurley tell heem 'shut oop de mout', who's runnin' de camp?' an slue foot gon' back to camp two mad lak tondaire." the trip up was uneventful. frenchy's "gran' team" was in fine fettle, and just as the men were filing into the cook's camp for supper, he swung the team into the clearing with a magnificent whoop and flourish. after supper, in the office, lon camden began to shuffle his reports, arranging them day by day for the boy's convenience. saginaw and hurley filled their pipes, and the former, with a vast assumption of nonchalance, removed his boots and cocked his heels upon the edge of his bunk. hurley hitched his chair about until it faced the boy, and for a space of seconds glared at him through narrowed eyes. "ye made a mistake to come back! ye dhirty little thayfe! an' me offerin' to lind ye money!" the blood left connie's face to rush back to it in a surge of red, and his lips tightened. "oh, ye don't nade to pertind ye're insulted," the huge man's voice trembled with suppressed rage. "ye had me fooled. oi'd of soon caught wan av me own b'ys in a dhirty game--oi thought that well av ye. but whin slue foot com' ragin' down whin he heer'd ye'd gon' for a wake er so, oi misthrusted there was a rayson, so oi tuk a luk at th' books, an' ut didn't take me long to find out yer dhirty cut-shadin' scheme." connie met the glare eye for eye. "yes," he answered, "it is a dirty deal, isn't it? i don't blame you fer bein' mad. i was, too, when i threw in with it--so mad i came near spilling the beans." hurley was staring open mouthed. "well, av all th' nerve!" he choked out the words. "but i held onto myself," continued the boy, "and now we've got the goods on slue foot--four ways from the jack. you noticed i kept a record of just how much has been shaved off from each man's cut? if i hadn't you would never have tumbled to the deal, no matter how long you studied the books. we are going to return that money to the sawyers who have it coming--but not yet. we want those false vouchers issued first. by the way, how much do you figure we've got on the landings, now?" "eight million, seven hundred thousan'--and clost to three hundred thousan' layin' down. th' thaw's right now in th' air--'an we're t'rough cuttin'. tomorrow all hands wor-rks gittin' the logs to the rollways. but what's that to ye? an' what d'ye mane settin' there ca'm as a lake on a shtill noight, an' admittin' ye wuz in on a low-down swindle? an-ny wan 'ud think ye wuz accused av shwoipin' a doughnut off the cook!" "i'll come to that directly," answered the boy. "first, i wish you'd sign this contract. saginaw or lon will witness the signature. and we can get it into the mail tomorrow." "contrack!" roared hurley, snatching the paper from the boy's hand. the boss's eyes ran rapidly over the typewritten page, and with a low exclamation he moved the chair to the light. for ten minutes there was tense silence in the little office. then hurley looked up. "fifty dollars a thousan'!" he gasped. "fer an-nything from eight to tin million! tin dollars a thousan', fer an-nything less nor eight million! from th' syndicate!" with a bellow of rage the big boss leaped from his chair and stood over the boy. "niver oi've wanted to paste a man so bad!" he foamed. "oi said ye wuz shmar-rt--an' ye ar-re. but ye ain't shmar-rt enough to put this over on me--ye an' slue fut--yer game is bushted!" he shook the paper under the boy's nose. "somehow, ye figger on soide-thrackin' enough av thim logs to turn in less thin eight million--an the syndicate gits the cut fer tin dollars a thousan'--an' ye an' slue fut divoides up the price av the logs that's missin'." connie laughed. "you've hit the idea pretty well, boss--only you've got the wrong boot on the wrong foot." "what d'ye mane wid yer boots and futs? oi see yer game, an' oi know now ut it wuz slue fut had a hand in the lasht year's loosin'. wait 'til oi git me hands on thot dhirty cur! wait--" in his wrath the man hurled the paper to the floor, and reached for his mackinaw with one hand, and his peavy with the other. lon camden sat looking on with bulging eyes, and beyond the stove saginaw ed shook with silent mirth as he wriggled his toes in his thick woollen socks. "hold on, hurley," said connie, as he rescued the precious contract from the floor. "just sit down a minute and let's get this thing straight. as soon as the thaw sets in, john grey will be up to tend to slue foot. i swore out three or four warrants against him, besides what the i. w. w.'s are going to spill." "john grey--warrants--i. w. w.'s." the man stood as one bewildered. "an' the kid ca'm as butter, flashin' contracks aroun' th' office, an' ownin' up he's a thayfe--an' saginaw a-laughin' to hisself." he passed a rough hand across his forehead as the peavy crashed to the floor. "mebbe, ut's all here," he babbled weakly. "mebbe thim i. w. w.'s give me wan crack too many--an' me brain's let go." "your brain's all right," said connie. "just sit down and light your pipe, and forget you're mad, and listen while i explain." hurley sank slowly into his chair: "sure, jist fergit oi'm mad. jist set by quiet an' let ye ate th' doughnut ye shwoiped off th' cook. don't say nawthin' whoilst ye an' slue fut an' the syndicate steals th' whole outfit. mebbe if oi'd take a little nap, ut wid be handier fer yez." the man's words rolled in ponderous sarcasm. lon camden arose and fumbled in his turkey. a moment later he tendered the boss a small screw-corked flask. "i know it's again' orders in the woods, boss. but i ain't a drinkin' man--only keep this in case of accident. mebbe a little nip now would straighten you out." hurley waved the flask aside: "no, oi'm off thot stuff fer good! ut done me har-rm in me younger days--but ut kin do me no more. av oi ain't going crazy, oi don't nade ut. av oi am, ut's betther to be crazy an' sober, thin crazy an' drunk. go on, b'y. ye was goin' to mention somethin', oi believe--an' av me name's jake hurley, ut betther be a chinful. in the first place, what business ye got wid contracks, an' warrants, an-nyhow?" "in the first place," grinned the boy, "i'm a partner of waseche bill, and one of the owners of this outfit. here are the papers to show it." while hurley studied the papers, connie proceeded: "we got your report, and then a letter from mike gillum saying that you were in the pay of the syndicate----" hurley leaped to his feet: "moike gillum says oi wuz in the pay of th' syndicate! he's a dhirty----" "yes, yes--i know all about that. slue foot is the man who is in the pay of the syndicate--and he borrowed your name." hurley subsided, somewhat, but his huge fists continued to clench and unclench as the boy talked. "so i came down to see what the trouble was. it didn't take me long, after i had been with you for a while, to find out that you are square as a die--and that slue foot is as crooked as the trail of a snake. i pretended to throw in with him, and he let me in on the cut-shading--and later on the big steal--the scheme they worked on you last winter, that turned a twenty-thousand-dollar profit into a fourteen-thousand-dollar loss. when i got onto his game, i asked for a leave of absence and went down and closed the deal with the syndicate--or rather, i let heinie metzger and von kuhlmann close a deal with me. i had doped it all out that, if metzger believed slue foot could prevent the delivery of part of the logs, he'd offer most anything for the whole eight million, because he knew he would never have to pay it, providing he could get the figure way down on anything less than eight million. so i stuck out for fifty dollars a thousand on the eight million, and he pretended it was just tearing his heart out; at the same time i let him get me down to ten dollars a thousand on the short cut--and we don't care how little he offered for that, because _we're going to deliver the whole cut_!" hurley was staring into the boy's face in open-mouthed incredulity. "an' ye mane to say, ye wint to minneapolis an' hunted up heinie metzger hisself, an' let him make a contrack that'll lose him three or foor hundred thousan' dollars? heinie metzger--the shrewdest lumberman in the wor-rld. th' man that's busted more good honest min than he kin count! th' man that howlds th' big woods in the holler av his hand! an' ye--a b'y, wid no hair on his face, done thot? done ut deliberate--figgered out befoor hand how to make heinie metzger bate hisself--an' thin went down an' _done ut_?" connie laughed: "sure, i did. honestly, it was so easy it is a shame to take the money. heinie metzger ain't shrewd--he just thinks he is--and people have taken him at his own valuation. i told saginaw the whole thing, before i went down. didn't i, saginaw?" "you sure did. but i didn't think they was any such thing as puttin' it acrost. an' they's a whole lot more yet the kid's did, boss. fer one thing, he's got them three i. w. w. 's locked in jail. an'----" hurley waved his arm weakly: "thot's enough--an' more thin enough fer wan avenin'. th' rist oi'll take in small doses." he struggled into his mackinaw and reached fer the peavy that lay where it had fallen beside the stove. "where ye headin', boss?" asked saginaw. "camp two. oi've a little conference to howld with the boss up there." lon camden removed his pipe and spat accurately and judiciously into the woodbox. "the kid's right, hurley," he said. "let john grey handle slue foot. all reason says so. if anything should happen to you just before the drive, where'd the kid's contract be? he's done his part, givin' the syndicate the first good wallop it ever got--now it's up to you to do yourn. if you lay slue foot out, when john grey comes he wouldn't have no choist but to take you along--so either way, we'd lose out." "but," roared hurley, "s'pose john grey don't show up befoor the drive? thin slue fut'll be free to plot an' kape us from deliverin' thim logs." "slue foot's done!" cried connie. "he can't hurt us now. you see, the syndicate people furnished him with a paint that looks just like the regular branding paint. when the logs have been in the water a short time the paint all comes off--and, last year, with you bossing the rear drive, by the time they got to the mills all the logs they dared to steal were wearing the green triple x." "an' ye mane he's got thot wash-off stuff on them logs now?" "on about three million feet of 'em," answered the boy. "all we've got to do is to sit tight until john grey comes for slue foot, and then put a crew to work and brand the logs with regular paint and get 'em into the water." the boy laughed aloud, "and you bet i want to be right at the sorting gap, when old heinie metzger sees the sixth, and seventh, and eighth, and ninth million come floating along--with the red block-and-ball bobbing all shiny and wet in the sun! oh, man! old heinie, with his eyeglasses, and his store clothes!" hurley banged the peavy down upon the wooden floor. "an' ut's proud oi'll be to be sthandin' be yer soide whin them logs rolls in. ut's as ye say, best to let th' law deal with slue foot. yez nade have no fear--from now on 'til john grey sets fut in th' clearin'--fer all an-ny wan w'd know, me an' slue foot could be brother-in-laws." chapter xx connie delivers his logs the following days were busy ones in the two camps in dogfish. connie worked day and night to catch up on his books, and while saginaw superintended the building of the huge bateau, and the smoothing out of the rollways, hurley and slue foot kept the rest of the crew at work hauling logs to the landings. spring came on with a rush, and the fast softening snow made it necessary for the hauling to be done at night. the thud of axes, the whine of saws, and the long crash of falling trees, was heard no more in the camps, while all night long the woods resounded to the calls of teamsters and swampers, as huge loads of logs were added to the millions of feet already on the rollways. then came a night when the thermometer failed to drop to the freezing point. the sky hung heavy with a thick grey blanket of clouds, a steady drenching rain set in, and the loggers knew that so far as the woods were concerned, their work was done. only a few logs remained to be hauled, and hurley ordered these peeled and snaked to the skidways to await the next season. the men sang and danced in the bunkhouse that night to the wheeze of an accordion and the screech of an old fiddle. they crowded the few belongings which they would take out of the woods with them into ridiculously small compass, and talked joyfully and boisterously of the drive--for, of all the work of the woods it is the drive men most love. and of all work men find to do, the log drive on a swollen, quick-water river is the most dangerous, the most gruelling, and the most torturing, when for days and nights on end, following along rough shores, fighting underbrush, rocks, and backwater, clothing half torn from their bodies, and the remnants that remain wet to their skin, sleeping in cat-naps upon the wet ground, eating out of their hands as they follow the logs, cheating death by a hair as they leap from log to log, or swarm out to break a jam--of all work, the most gruelling, yet of all work the most loved by the white-water birlers of the north. next morning water was flowing on top of the ice on dogfish, and the big bateau was man-hauled to the bank and loaded with supplies and a portable stove. strong lines were loaded into her, and extra axes, pickpoles, and peavys, and then, holding themselves ready to man the river at a moment's notice, the crew waited. and that morning, also appeared john grey, worn out and wet to the middle by his all night's battle with the deep, saturated slush of the tote road. he had started from dogfish with a horse and a side-bar buggy, but after a few miles, he had given up the attempt to drive through, and had unharnessed the horse and turned it loose to find its way back, while he pushed on on foot. after a prodigious meal, the sheriff turned in and slept until noon. when he awoke, his eyes rested for a moment on connie, and he turned to hurley: "quite some of a clerk you got holt of, this season, jake," he said, with a twinkle in his eye. "yeh," replied hurley, drily. "he's done fairly good--for a greener. i mistrusted, after he'd be'n in here a spell, that he wasn't just a pick-up of a kid--but, i didn't hardly think he'd turn out to be the owner." "owner?" "yup. him an' his pardner owns this timber, an' the kid come down to find out what the trouble was----" "y'ain't tellin' me a kid like him----" "yup--they come that way--up in alasky. he's put in a year with the canady mounted, too. i ain't a-braggin' him up none, but i'm right here to tell you that what that there kid don't know ain't in the books--an' he kin put over things that makes the smartest men me an' you ever heer'd of look like pikers." john grey smiled, and the boss continued: "oh, you needn't laff! old heinie metzger busted _you_, didn't he? an' he busted a-many another good man. but this here kid slipped down an' put a contrack over on him that'll cost him between three an' four hundred thousand dollars of his heart's blood. the contrack is all signed and delivered, an' when dogfish lets go tonight or tomorrow, the logs'll start." "where is slue foot?" asked the sheriff, after listening to hurley's explanation. "up to camp two, we'll be goin' up there now. me an' you an' the kid an' lon'll go long. an' a crew of men with paint buckets and brushes. saginaw, he'll have to stay here to boss the breakin' out of the rollways, in case she let's go before we git back." at the edge of camp two's clearing hurley called a halt: "we'll wait here 'til the kid gits slue foot's signature to them vouchers. when ye git 'em kid, open the door an' spit out into the snow--then we'll come." "i'll just keep out these," grinned slue foot, as he selected the false vouchers from the sheaf of good ones, "so them birds don't git no chanct to double-cross me. you've done yer part first rate, kid. there's a little better than three million feet on the rollways that'll be wearin' the green triple x again they hit the sortin' gap. von kuhlmann was up here hisself to make sure, an' they's goin' to be a bunch of coin in it fer us--because he says how the owner is down to minneapolis an' contracted fer the whole cut, an' old heinie metzger made a contrack that'll bust this here alasky gent. he'll be so sick of the timber game, he'll run every time he hears the word log spoke. an' hurley--he's broke fer good an' all. i be'n layin' to git him good--an' i done it, an' at the same time, i made a stake fer myself." connie nodded, and opening the door, spat into the snow. a moment later there was a scraping of feet. the door opened, and john grey, closely followed by hurley and lon camden, entered the office. "hullo, john," greeted slue foot. "huntin' someone, er be ye up here tryin' to git some pointers on how to make money loggin'?" the sheriff flushed angrily at the taunt: "a little of both, i guess," he answered evenly. "who you huntin'?" "you." "me! what d'you want of me? what i be'n doin'?" "oh, nothin' to speak of. countin' the four warrants the kid, here, swore out, i only got nine agin ye--the other five is on information swore to by yer three friends down in jail." with a roar of hate, slue foot sprang straight at connie, but hurley who had been expecting just such a move, met him half way--met his face with a huge fist that had behind it all the venom of the big boss's pent-up wrath. slue foot crashed into a corner, and when he regained his feet two steel bracelets coupled with a chain encircled his wrists. the man glared in sullen defiance while the sheriff read the warrants arising out of the information of the three i. w. w.'s. but when he came to the warrants connie had sworn out, the man flew into a fury of impotent rage--a fury that gradually subsided as the enormity of the offences dawned on him and he sank cowering into a chair, wincing visibly as he listened to the fateful words. "so you see," concluded the sheriff, "the state of minnesota is mighty interested in you, slue foot, so much interested that i shouldn't wonder if it would decide to pay yer board and lodgin' fer the rest of yer natural life." "if i go over the road there'll be others that goes too. there's them in minneapolis that holds their nose pretty high that's into this as deep as me. an' if i kin knock a few years offen my own time, by turnin' state's evidence, yer kin bet yer life i'll spill a mouthful." suddenly he turned on connie: "an' you," he screamed, "you dirty little double-crosser! what be you gittin' out of this?" "well," answered the boy, "as soon as the crew out there on the rollways get the red block-and-ball in good honest paint on the ends of those logs, i'll get quite a lot out of it. you see i own the timber." [illustration: hurley had remained at the upper camp, and as the drive at last began to thin out, he came floating down, standing erect upon a huge log.] just at daylight the following morning the dogfish river burst its prison of ice and "let go" with a rush and a grind of broken cakes; breakfast was bolted, and the men of the drive swarmed to the bank where they stood by to break-out the rollways as soon as the logs from the upper camp began to thin out. connie stood beside the big bateau with the cook and john grey and watched camp two's drive rush past--a floating floor of logs that spanned the river from bank to bank. hurley had remained at the upper camp and as the drive at last began to thin out, he came floating down, standing erect upon a huge log. when opposite the camp the big boss leaped nimbly from log to log until he reached the bank, where saginaw stood ready to order out the breaking out of the first rollway. many of the men of the upper drive had passed, riding as hurley had done upon logs--others straggled along the shore, watching to see that no trouble started at the bends, and still others formed the rear drive whose business it was to keep the stranded logs and the jill-pokes moving. so busy were all hands watching the logs that nobody noticed the manacled slue foot crawl stealthily from the bateau and slip to the river's brink. a big log nosed into shore and the former boss of camp two leaped onto it, his weight sending it out into the current. the plan might have worked, for the next bend would have thrown slue foot's log to the opposite bank of the river before any one could possibly have interfered, but luck willed otherwise, for the moment the unfortunate slue foot chose as the moment of his escape was the same moment saginaw ed gave the word for the breaking-out of the first rollway. there was a sharp order, a few well-directed blows of axes, a loud snapping of toggle-pins, and with a mighty roar the towering pile of logs shot down the steep bank and took the river with a splash that sent a wave of water before it. then it was that the horrified spectators saw slue foot, his log caught in the wave, frantically endeavouring to control, with his calked boots, its roll and pitch. for a moment it seemed as if he might succeed, but the second rollway let go and hurtled after the first, and then the third, and the fourth--rolling over each other, forcing the tumbling, heaving, forefront farther and farther into the stream, and nearer and nearer to slue foot's wildly pitching log. by this time word had passed to the men at the rollways and the fifth was held, but too late to save slue foot, for a moment later the great brown mass of rolling tumbling logs reached him, and before the eyes of the whole crew, the boss of camp two disappeared for ever, and the great brown mass rolled on. "mebbe ut's best," said hurley, as with a shudder he turned away, "'tis a man's way to die--in the river--an' if they's an-ny wan waitin' fer him um back there, they'll think he died loike a man." in the next breath he bellowed an order and the work of the rollways went on. it was at the first of his cleverly planned obstructions that hurley overtook the head of the drive, and it was there that he encountered long leaf olson and the men of the syndicate crew. long leaf was ranting and roaring up and down the bank, vainly ordering his men to break the jam, and calling malediction upon the logs, the crew, river, and every foot of land its water lapped. hurley had ordered saginaw to the rear drive, promising to hold the waters back with his jams, and now he approached the irate long leaf, a sack of dynamite over his shoulder and a hundred picked men of his two crews at his back. "call yer men off thim logs!" he bellowed, "thim's my logs on the head end, an' i want 'em where they're at." "go on back to the rear end where you belong!" screeched long leaf; "i'll learn you to git fresh with a syndicate drive! who d'you think you be, anyhow?" "oi'll show ye who i be, ye skanjehoovyan swade! an' oi'll show ye who's runnin' this drive! oi'm bossin' th' head ind mesilf an' saginaw ed's bossin' the rear, an' av ye've fouled our drive, ye'll play the game our way! what do oi care fer yer syndicate? ye ain't boss of nawthin' on this river this year--ye' ain't aven boss of the bend-watchers!" long leaf, who's river supremacy had heretofore been undisputed, for the simple reason that no outfit had dared to incur the wrath of the syndicate, stared at the huge irishman in astonishment. then placing his fingers to his lips he gave a peculiar whistle, and instantly men swarmed from the jam, and others appeared as if by magic from the woods. in a close-packed mob, they centred about their boss. "go git 'em!" roared long leaf, beside himself with rage. "chase the tooth-pickers off the river!" "aye, come on!" cried hurley. "come on yez spalpeens! come on, chase us off th' river--an' whoilst yer chasin' ye bether sind wan av ye down to owld heinie fer to ship up a big bunch av long black boxes wid shiney handles, er they'll be a whole lot of lumberjacks that won't go out av the woods at all, this spring!" as the men listened to the challenge they gazed uneasily toward the crew at hurley's back. one hundred strong they stood and each man that did not carry an axe or a peavy, had thoughtfully provided himself with a serviceable peeled club of about the thickness of his wrist. "git at 'em!" roared long leaf, jumping up and down in his tracks. but the men hesitated, moved forward a few steps, and stopped. "they hain't nawthin' in my contrack calls fer gittin' a cracked bean," said one, loud enough to be heard by the others. "ner mine," "ner mine," "ner mine." "let old metzger fight his own battles, he ain't never done nawthin' to me but skinned me on the wanagan." "what would we git if we did risk our head?" "probably git docked fer the time we put in fightin'." rapidly the mutiny spread, each man taking his cue from the utterance of his neighbour, and a few minutes later they all retired, threw themselves upon the wet ground, and left long leaf to face hurley alone. "git out av me road," cried the big irishman, "befoor oi put a shtick av giant in under ye an' blow ye out!" long leaf backed away and, proceeding to a point opposite the jam, hurley seated himself upon a log, and calmly filled his pipe. "if you think you're bossin' this drive, why in tarnation ain't you busted this jam," growled long leaf, as he came up a few minutes later. "they ain't no hurry, me b'y, not a bit of a hurry. they'll be another wan just a moile above th' mouth. ut's a way good river-min has got to let the rear drive ketch up." "you wait 'til metzger hears of this!" fumed long leaf. hurley laughed: "oi'll be there at th' tellin'. an' you wait 'til metzger sees eight er noine million feet av my logs slidin' t'rough his sortin' gap--an' him havin' to pay fifty dollars a thousand fer um. d'ye think he'll doie av a stroke, er will he blow up?" "what do you mean--eight million--fifty dollars----" hurley laughed tantalizingly: "wait an' see. 'twill be worth th' proice av admission." and not another word could long leaf get out of him. during the previous summer hurley had studied his ground well. for several miles above the jam the river flowed between high banks, and it was that fact that made his scheme practicable, for had the land extended back from the river in wide flats or meadows, the backwater from the jam would have scattered his drive far and wide over the country. it was mid-afternoon when the rear-drive crew came up and then it was that hurley, bearing a bundle of yellow cylinders, crept out along the face of the jam. a quarter of an hour later he came crawling back and joined the men who watched from the edge of the timber. five minutes passed and the silence of the woods was shattered by a dull boom. the whole mass of logs that had lain, heaped like jack-straws in the bed of the river, seemed to lift bodily. a few logs in the forefront were hurled into the air to fall with a noisy splash into the river, or with a crash upon the trembling mass that settled slowly into the stream again. for an instant the bristling wall quivered uncertainly, moved slowly forward, hesitated, and then with a roar, the centre shot forward, the sides tumbled in upon the logs that rushed through from behind, and the great drive moved. the breaking of the second jam was a repetition of the first, and when the drive hit the big river there were left on the bars and rock-ledges of the dogfish only a few stragglers that later could be dry-rolled by a small crew into the stream and rafted down. the crew worked indefatigably. lumbermen said it was as pretty a drive as ever took water. in the cook's bateau connie and steve worked like trojans to serve the men with hot coffee and handouts that were kept on tap every minute of the day and night. at the various dams along the great river the boy never tired of standing beside hurley and watching the logs sluiced through, and at last, with anoka behind them, it was with a wildly beating heart that he stepped into a skiff and took his place in the stern beside hurley, while the brawny men of the sorting crew worked their way to the front of the drive. as the black smudge that hovered over the city of mills deepened, the boy gazed behind him at the river of logs--his logs, for the most part; a mighty pride of achievement welled up within him--the just pride of a winter's work well done. news of the drive had evidently preceded them, for when the skiff reached the landing of the syndicate's sorting gap, the first persons the boy saw, standing at the end of the platform, apart from the men of the sorting crew, were metzger and von kuhlmann. the former greeting connie with his oily smile. "ah, here we have the youthful financier, himself," he purred. "he has accompanied his logs all the way down the river, counting them and putting them to bed each night, like the good mother looks after the children. i am prepared to believe that he has even named each log." "that's right," answered the boy evenly. "the first log to come through is named heinie, and the last log is named connie--and between the two of them there are four hundred and fifty thousand dollars' worth of assorted ones--you're going to pay for them--so i left the naming to you." metzger shot him a keen glance: "how many logs have you brought down?" "about nine million feet of mine, and about three million and a half of yours--from your dogfish camp--at least that's what we estimated when we sluiced through at anoka." von kuhlmann had turned white as paper: "where's hurley?" he asked in a shaky voice. [illustration: connie placed his hand affectionately upon the arm of the big boss who stood at his side grinning broadly.] connie placed his hand affectionately upon the arm of the big boss who stood at his side grinning broadly: "this is jake hurley--my foreman," he announced, and then to the boss: "the old one is heinie metzger, and the shaky one's von kuhlmann." "but," faltered von kuhlmann--"there iss some mistake! hurley i haff seen--i know him. i say he iss not hurley! there iss a mistake!" "yes, there's a mistake all right--and you made it," laughed the boy. "and it's a mistake that cost your boss, there, dearly. the man you have been dealing with was not hurley at all. he passed himself off for hurley, and last year he got away with it. your game is up--you crooks! the three million feet that slue foot magee, alias hurley, branded with your disappearing paint, have all been repainted with good, honest, waterproof paint--and, _here they come!_" as the boy spoke, a log scraped along the sheer-boom, and for a moment all eyes rested upon the red block-and-ball, then instantly lifted to the thousands of logs that followed it. several days later when the boom scale had been verified, connie again presented himself at the office of the syndicate and was shown immediately to metzger's private room. the magnate received him with deference, even placing a chair for him with his own hands. "i hardly know how to begin, _herr_ morgan----" "_connie morgan_," snapped the boy. "and as far as i can see you can begin by dating a check for four hundred and forty-eight thousand, three hundred and twenty dollars--and then you can finish by signing it, and handing it over." "but, my dear young man, the price is exorbitant--my stockholders in germany--they will not understand. it will be my ruin." "why did you agree to it then? why did you sign the contract?" "ah, you do not understand! allow me----" "i understand this much," said connie, his eyes flickering with wrath, "that you'd have held me to my bargain and taken my logs for ten dollars a thousand, and ruined me, if i hadn't been wise to your dirty game." "ah, no! we should have adjusted--should have compromised. i would have been unwilling to see you lose! and yet, you would see me lose--everything--my position--my friends in germany--surely your heart is not so hard. there should be fellowship among lumbermen----" "is that the reason you ruined john grey, and lige britton, and lafe weston, and poor old jim buck? every one of them as square a man as ever lived--and every one of them an independent logger, 'til you ruined them! what did you answer when they sat right in this office and begged for a little more time--a little more credit--a little waiver of toll here and there? answer me that! you bloodsucking weasel!" the cowardly whine of the beaten german made the boy furious. he was upon his feet, now, pounding the desk with his fist. a crafty gleam shot from metzger's eyes, and abruptly he changed his tactics: "let us not abuse each other. it is probable we can come to an agreement. you are smart. come in with us. i can use you--in von kuhlmann's place. i paid von kuhlmann eighteen-hundred a year. make a concession to me on the contract and i will employ you with a ten year contract, at ten thousand a year. we are a big corporation; we will crush out the little ones! i can even offer you stock. we will tighten our grip on the timber. we will show these americans----" "yes," answered the boy, his voice trembling with fury, "we'll show these americans--we'll show 'em what _fools_ they are to allow a lot of wolves from across the water to come over here and grab off the best we've got. i'm an american! and i'm proud of it! and what's more, i'll give you just five minutes to write that check, metzger, and if it isn't in my hands when the time's up, i'll get out an attachment that'll tie up every dollar's worth of property you own in the state, from the mills to your farthest camp. i'll tie up your logs on the rollways--and by the time you get the thing untangled you won't have water enough to get them to the river. you've got three minutes and a half left." slowly, with shaking fingers, metzger drew the check, and without a word, passed it over to connie, who studied it minutely, and then thrust it into his pocket. at the door he turned and looked back at metzger who had sloughed low in his chair. "if you'd listened to those other men--john grey and the others you've busted, when they were asking for favours that meant nothing to you, but meant ruin to them if you withheld them--if you'd played the game square and decent--you wouldn't be busted now. and, when you get back to germany, you might tell your friends over there that unless they change their tactics, someday, something is going to happen that will wake america up! and if you're a fair specimen of your kind, when america does wake up, it will be good-bye germany!" and as the door slammed upon the boy's heels, metzger for a reason unaccountable to himself shuddered. the end connie morgan with the mounted by james b. hendryx author of "connie morgan in alaska" _illustrated._ it tells how "sam morgan's boy," well known to readers of mr. hendryx's "connie morgan in alaska," daringly rescued a man who was rushing to destruction on an ice floe and how, in recognition of his quick-wittedness and nerve, he was made a special constable in the northwest mounted police, with the exceptional adventures that fell to his lot in that perilous service. it is a story of the northern wilderness, clean and bracing as the vigorous, untainted winds that sweep over that region; the story of a boy who wins out against the craft of indians and the guile of the bad white man of the north; the story of a boy who succeeds where men fail. connie morgan in alaska by james b. hendryx author of "the promise," "the law of the woods," etc. _ °. over twenty illustrations_ mr. hendryx, as he has ably demonstrated in his many well-known tales, knows his northland thoroughly, but he has achieved a reputation as a writer possibly "too strong" for the younger literary digestion. it is a delight, therefore, to find that he can present properly, in a capital story of a boy, full of action and adventure, and one in whom boys delight, the same thorough knowledge of people and customs of the north. the quest of the golden valley by belmore browne author of "the conquest of mount mckinley" _ °. eight full-page illustrations_ the story of a search for treasure which lies guarded by the fastnesses of nature in the ragged interior of alaska. the penetration of these wilds by the boys who are the heroes of the story is a thrilling narrative of adventure, and with every step of the journey the lore of the open is learned. the reader follows them through the mountains wreathed in misty enchantment, over swollen rivers, into inviting valleys, until the great discovery of gold is made, and then the adventure does not close but may be said to reach its height, for a wily good-for-nothing, who, under false pretenses, has inveigled in his scheme some men innocent of wicked intent, attempts to steal the prize, and there follows a race of days through the northland, involving innumerable dangers and culminating in a splendid rescue. the white blanket by belmore brown author of "the quest of the golden valley," etc. _ °. illustrated_ a sequel to _the quest of the golden valley_, this time taking the chums through the vicissitudes of an alaskan winter. they trap the many fur-bearing animals, hunt the big game, camp with the indians, do dog-driving, snow-shoeing, etc. with the coming of spring they descend one of the wilderness rivers on a raft and at the eleventh hour, after being wrecked in a dangerous canyon, they discover a fabulous quartz lode, and succeed in reaching the sea coast. g. p. putnam's sons new york london transcriber's notes: punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. simple typographical errors were corrected. illustrations have been moved closer to the relevant text.