<1^ il> ^^ :iMJ //^^ ^i t^l^^MkWi r//r> )^m ^«#^ 'W/ ■^( -: if*— -^ xi5 '"> f. m^-'-'i ^^ m 4l; /4 "* •^^ V^^s N*i*i THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE GIFT OF Clifford Wurf el ,:;f^. J> ■■^^ ^ >!: m 12 Progressive Men of Minnesota. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND PORTRAITS LEADERS IN BOSINESS, POLITICS AND THE PROFESSIONS; TOGETHER WITH AN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE SKETCH OF THE STATE. Edited by MARION D. SHUTTER, D. D„ and J. S, MeLAIN, M. A. MINNEAPOLIS: The MlNNEAPOI-IS JOI-KXAL. 1897. 4 F606: Copj'righted by The Minneapolis Journal. 1S97 PKKFACE. Il is a generally accepted proposition that the growth and development ot any coin- munit)- along right lines depend more upon the character of its ])o])ulalion than upon any other causes; and to a correct understanding of the forces which have contributed to the upbuilding of this commonwealth some knowledge of the' men who have been instrumental in making Minnesota what it is, is necessar\-. The population of the state is increasing at a rapid rate and man)- thousands from other states and countries become resiilents every ,\'ear, who are unfamiliar with its history and unacquainted with the men who lia\e made that history. The purpose of this \olume is to furnish a con\-enient and trustworlh)- source from which accurate knowledge of the histor\- of the state may be obtained. .Special efforts have been made to collect information with regard to the men active and foremost in business, professional and official life to-day, and also with regard to those who ha\c.: in the past pla_\-ed leading parts in the making of a great state. In addition to the biographical sketches, the" reader will find here a carefully pre])ared description of Minnesota, \-iewed from the standpoint of its natural resources and from that of its pulilic historw MINNESOTA; Its History and Resources. MARION D. SHUrTER. '"Should you ask me, Whence these stories, Whence these legends and traditions? I should answer, I should tell you, hVom the forests and tlie prairies, I'Voni the g^reat lakes of the Nortldand, From the land of the ( )jil)\vays, hVom the land of the Dakotas." — Lonjrfellow. The writer has undertaken to jiresent, in the following pages, a brief historical sketch of the state of jMinnesota and some account of its pres- ent resources. Just thirt\-eight years have elapsed since the star representing the "land of the sky-tinted water" was placed upon the national banner. There are those living to-day whose nieuKiries go back be\'ond the ftirniation of the state, and even back to the times that antedatetl the organization of the territory. The first governor elected after the state had been admitted to the union is still with us in a hale aiul vigorous old age. He has just presided at the annual meeting of the State Historical Society. Many of those survive who helped to shape the early affairs of the state and to lay the foundations of its after greatness. Some of these are mentioned in this sketch, and also in the body of the ]iresent work. It is, however, more the object of this x'olume to set forth what is being done by those who are making history to-day, who are now directing the course of e\ents. The lives and deeds of the hathers are elsewhere recorded. They have laljored, and the present generation has entered into their labors. They have laid the corner-stone, and it is for those who are taking their places to build a structure that shall be worthy of their toils and sacrifices. L.et us face the future in the same hope and courage with which (.)nr fathers con(|uered the past. That future is bright with promise. The geo- graphical position and natural resources of this state are prophetic of destiny. Some such intima- tion seems to have danced through the brain of the Aborigine : for the Dakotahs used to claim su- periority over their other savage brethren, because their "sacred men asserted that the mouth of the Minnesota river was immediately over the centerof the earth and immediately under the center of the heavens." Dismissing this tribal fancv. it is wortln' of note that liarou D'.Vvagour, while 10 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF MINNESOTA. guvenioi" of Canada, sent to the French govern- ment (August 14, i663ja message in which, after leferring to Lake Huron, he wrote: "JJeyond is met another called Lake Superior, the waters ot which, it is believed, flow into New Spain, and this, according to the general opinion, ought to be the center of the country." To come to more modern times, the words of William H. Seward, at St. Paul in i860, though often quoted, may be referred to once more. "T now believe," he said, after a survey of the country, its place, and its resources, "that the ultimate seat of government on this great continent will be found somewhere within a radius of not very far from the spot on which I now stand, at the head of navigation on the ^lississippi river." These are some of the pre- dictions of Minnesota's destiny, from the wild dreams of the original savage to the sober words of the recent distinguished statesman. But for the present, we must turn from specula- lions concerning the future, to review the history of the past. I. THE ABORIGINES. On the 13th of January, 1851, when Alexander Ramsey was taking the chair as president of the Historical Society, he said: "Minnesota has a history and that not altogether an unwritten one, which can unravel many a page of deep, engrossing interest; which is rich in tales of daring enterprise, of faithful endurances, of high liopcs; which is marked l)y tiie early traveler's foot-prints, and by the ancient explorer's pencil; which is glowing with the myths and traditions of our aboriginal races, sprinkled over with their battle-fields, with the sites of their ancient vil- lages, and with the wah-kaun stones of their teeming mythology.'' With these "original races" our sketch must begin. Even earlier than the year 1634, the Indians arounrl the great lakes had learned to carry their furs to Quebec, where they received in cxcliange such articles of European manufacture as suited tlicir needs or pleased their fancy; but in this \ear (1634), two priests named Brebocuf and Daniel, (ired with zeal ff)r the Church, accom- panied a party of Hurons from Quebec back to their distant home. Neil tells us that they were the first Europeans who erected a house in the neighborhood of Lake Huron; and that "seven years later, a bark canoe containing priests of the same order, passed through the river Ottawa and coasted along the shores of Lake Huron to visit, by invitation, the Ojibways, at the outlet of Lake Superior." It required seventeen days from the time of starting for that bark canoe to reach the l^alls of St. Mary; and here the priests found two thousand of the tribe assembled, waiting to re- ceive them and listen to their message. It was upon this missionary journey that the white men heard, for the first time, of the tribe of the Dakotahs, on the site of whose lodges and wigwams the cities and towns of Minnesota have arisen. The Ojibways informed the priests that the Dakotahs lived eighteen days' journey farther towards the west. This was in 1634. It was twenty years later before the white man pene- trated the Dakotah territory. In this year two young men, "connected with the fur trade, fol- lowed a party of Indians in their hunting excur- sions," and were finally thus conducted to the borders of the Dakotahs. This was in 1654. When they returned to Quebec, they gave such glowing accounts of the lands, lakes, rivers, peo- ple, resources, that both trader and priest became enthusiastic for its conquest. The trader at first fared better than the priest; for good Father Mesnard -was lost in attempting to reach the newly discovered savages; and tradition asserts that only his cassock and prayer-book completed, in some mysterious way, the journey, and were kept for many years by the Dakotahs as amulets. The word Dakotah, by which the original occu- pants of the soil of Minnesota designated them- selves, signifies allied, or joined together, or federated. Nearly two centuries ago, it was writ- ten of them, "For si.xty leagues from the extremity of the up[)er lake towards sunset, and, as it were, in the center of the western nations, they have all united their force by a general league." The name .Sioux which is most familiar to us, origi- nated with the early French discoverers. The Ojibways of Lake Superior had, from time im- memorial, waged war against the Dakotahs, and natm-ally always referred to them as enemies. The term they used was Nadowaysioux. The French, according to Charlevoix, abbreviated this term by PROGRESSIVE MEM OF MINNESOTA. 11 using t)iily tlic latter ])ai"t of it. He sa)s: ''Tlic name of Sioux that we give to these Indiaii.s is entirely of our own making; or, ratlier, it is the last two syllal)les of the name of Xadouessionx, as many nations eall them." There have been three great divisions of the Dakotalis, or Sioux; and these have been still farther sul)clivided. These subdivisions are too numerous to mention in such a sketch as the present one. The lir.st of the three ))rincipal divi- sions was called the Isanyati, whose chief i)and was the .M'dewakantonwan, and tluir territory was around the shores of Alille Lacs and along the borders of Rum river. The second of these divisions was the llianktonwan. most connncjnly called Yankton ; and they are said to have occu- pied the region west of Mille Lacs and north of the Minnesota river. The tliird division is the Titonwan, wIkj dwelt at Lac i|ui I'arle and !'>ig Stone lake. The language of the Lakotahs was different from that of other Indian tribes, and was no more understood by those tribes than by the white men. The first mention of a 1 )akotah word in a Euroijean 1)ook is found in bather Hennepin's accoimt. \\'hen the savages saw him reading his breviary they exclaimed, "W'akan-de!" His com- panions interpreted it as an expression of dis- pleasure and begged b'ather Hennepin to be less public in his devotions, fearing that the Lidians would murder them all. The father complied, althcnigh they afterwards discovered that the word was simpl\- an exjiression of surprise and wonder. A granunar and dictionarv of the Dakotah lan- guage, compiled l)y Rev. S. R. Riggs, of Lac qui Parle, has been published bv tb.e .Smithsonian Institute, under the auspices of the JNIinnesota Historical Society. The language, as embodied in these works, reflects the surroundings, the mental habits, and the state of progress of these savages. Their vocabularv of trees and shrubs "covers probably all, or nearly all, the varieties which grow in their country, . . but they have very few specific names for flowers." The sense of beauty is almost cntireh- lacking. One can not make bows and arrows and tent-poles out of flowers. Fish and liirds all have names, and there are words which show an intimate ac- quaintance with their habits. Engaged in con- stantly dissecting wild animals, "their vocabulary of terms denoting the different parts of the body is extensive and definite." Hut "in terms to de- note abstract ideas, the Dakotah language is un- douljtedly defective," The ideas themselves were absent. In this ctjnnection, Mr. Riggs says: "It is only just to reniark that the language under consideration is possessed of great flexibility; almost all words expressing (piality ma}- be so changed as tcj stand for those (puilities m the abstract." The Dakotah noun is not properly declinable. X'ariations are denoted by afifixing and suffixing pronouns. These are of great num- ber and power of expressicju. ".Xothing can be found anywhere more hill and flexible than the Dakotah verb. The affixes and reduplications and ])ronouns and prepositions all come in to make it of such a stately i)ile of thought as is to be found nowhere else. .\ single paradigm presents more than a thousand variations." In the arrange- ment of predicate and substantive in a sentence, "the Dakotah language is eminently simple and natural. The .sentence 'f iive me bread," a Dakotah transposes to 'Bread me give.' Such is the genius of the language that in translating a sentence or verse from the F.ible, one expects to begin not at tlie beginning, liut at the end. And, such, too, is the conunon practice of their best interpreters; where the person who is speaking leaves off, there they usually commence and jjroceed back- ward to the beginning. In this wav, the connec- tion of a sentence is more easily retained in the mind and more naturally evolved.'' Passing on to the religion of the Dakotahs. \vithout entering into the details of their belief and worship, we may use the comprehensive state- ment of General Sibley: "The religion of the Dakotahs is a mere myth. It has been asserted that the Indian race are monotheists, and there- fore far in advance of other jiagans who believe in a multijilicity of deities; that thev look for- ward to a future state and to its retributions. I regret to be obliged to express an o]iinion on this subject which must conflict with such favorable impressions. The belief attributed to the eastern tribes of a happy lumting-ground for the good and wastes devoid of game for the bad, in another sphere of existence finds no response in the breast of a Dakotah. He seeks to propitiate what he calls the Great .'spirit and a multitude of minor spirits, especially those eiubodied in oval-shaped 12 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF MINNESOTA. stones, by sacrifices of tobacco and other trifling articles, not because he hopes or cares for reward in a higher state of being, but Ijecause he depre- cates the visitations of their anger upon the earth in the form of disease, accident, or death, to him- self or his family. I have no reason to believe that any Dakotah, among the very many with whom I have conversed on the subject, was ever deterred from the conunission of a crime by a fear of pimishment in another world, nor have I been able to satisfy myself that their impressions of a future state are anything but shadowy, uncer- tain and unsatisfactory." The manners and customs of the Dakotah tribes present an interesting field of research ; but our present sketch must lie confined to a hurried survey. The Dakotahs were fond of war, and so relentless in battle that other tribes feared theiu. Their children were cradled to the sound of bat- tle-music: and the first playthings were miniature bows and arrows. War and the chase were the Dakotah's chief employments; and in the intervals he observed the feasts and dances of religion. The domestic life was that of all savages. The wife or wives — for they were polygamous — was ol^tained by purchase and devoted to the service of a slave or drudge. In moving from place to place, the Dakotah wuman carried the lodge, camp-kettles, axe, babies and small dogs upon her back. She erected the teepee, cut the wood, built the fires, and cooked the meals. She was subject to all the whims of her husband, and was usually treated w'ith harshness and cruelty. .'Xs a result, suicides were frequent among Dakotah women. The food of these Indians was principally fish, venison, buf- falo and dog-meat. One of the old chiefs once declared to a party of explorers: "The savage loves dog-meat as well as the white man loves pork." They did not cultivate the soil. -Some- times they used a species of wild rice that grew in the swamps. Dependent upon the stream and the chase, they were constantly oscillating be- tween starvation and gluttony. Without regular hours for eating, they were also without regular hours for sleep. In person they were filthy and full of vermin. Their bodies w'cre more familiar witli paint than with water. .Xdultrrcms and thievish, they were at 'last compelled to enter into certain compacts for self-preservation — upon Sir John Falstaff's ]irincipk' that "thieves nuist be true to each other." "The Siou.K nation," says Culbertson, "has no general council, but each tribe and band determines its own affairs. These bands have some ties of interest analogous to our secret societies. The "Crow-feather-in-cai)' l)and are pledged to ];)rotect each other's wives and to refrain from violating them. If the wife of one of their number is stolen from another of their number, she is returned, the band either paving the thief to restore the stolen property or forcing him to do it. The 'Strong-Heart' band is pledged to protect each other in their horses.' And so on. The Dakotah had his hours of recre- ation, as well as his battles and chase and religious dances. His favorite pastime was a game of l)all CDrrespduding with what school-bovs used to call "shinney." lietting ran high, luindreds of dollars' worth of property was often lost and won on a single game. Guns, horses, blankets, belts and ornaments used to change hands with marvel- ous rapidity. The game usually broke up, as games in more modern times occasionally do, in clamorous disputes and altercations. When, after his precarious existence, enlivened bv war and chase and dance and ])lay, the Dakotah died, his nearest friend was always anxious to go out and kill soniel)ody, especially an enemy, Neil relates that "a father lost his child while the treaty of 1 85 1 was pending at Alendota, and he longed to go and kill an Ojibway." The corpse was always wrapped in its best clothes, and some one ac- quainted with the deceased would harangue the unseen powers as well as the friends of the de- jiarted, upon his virtues. The friends woidd sit with Ijlack ])igment, the sign of mourning, on their faces. Loud lamentations rent the air, and the mourners cut their thighs and legs with their finger-nails or pieces of stone. "The corpse is not buried, but i^lace<] in a box u])on a scaffold some eight or ten feet fi-oni the ground. Hung around the scaffold are such things as would please the spirit, if it were still in the flesh, such as the scalp of an enemy or jxits of food. After the corpse has been exposed for some months, and the bones onI\- remain, they are buried in a heap, and ])rotecled from the wolves by stakes." Such were the tribes who dwilt upon the soil of .Miimesota before the axe of the white man rang Ihrough its forests or his ])lough-sliare had tm-ncd the soil of its ]irairies. So lived the Da- I'KDCRIiSSlVE MBN nl' M INNIiSOTA. 13 ki.)tali, and so lie tlicd. Sonic nf tlic legends of this primitive people still lingci' in unr literatufc, and naines of Dakotali origin arc still Ijorne by our towns and lakes and rivers. These are pleas- ant memorials of a time that is gone and a race that is almost extinct. I'ut, tm the other hand, as we shall see later, the savagery of the 1 )akf>tali has written the record of his conflict with civiliza- tion in letters of Ijlood. Among the historic places of our state are battle-fields where the heroic settler bravely met the insane fury (jf the Dakotah's merciless attacks. There arc men ;ind women living to-day who remember scenes of massacre in which tlieir own friends and relatives went down under the tomahawk and scaljiing- knife! II. VOYAGE AND DISCO\'ERY. We have already described how the white men originally heard of the land of the Dakotahs. and how they first made their way to its borders. Let us now return and follow up the story of voyage and discovers-. Little by little the area of sav- agery is to be opened to civilization. In this work the initiative is always taken by traveler and trader. The emissaries of commerce prepare the way for the priest. The trading-])ost is the center around whicli, later, clmrchcs and schools are built. It will be interesting to trace the processes by which section after section of what is now the state of Minnesota was added to the map of the world. In May, 1671, the most notalde gathering that, uji to that time, had been held upon this con- tinent, assembled at .Sault Ste. Marie. For months before, Nicholas Perrot, at the request of the Canadian authorities, had lieen visiting the vari- ous tribes of the Northwest, inviting them to this council. For months before, DeLusson had been exploring the country around the great lakes to find out its resources — planting the cross of the church and the arms of France wherever he went. The French and the Indians must now have an understanding in regard to trade. At this great conference they meet to form a compact. There were present, on this occasion, the most noted travelers and ecclesiastics of the ay on the loth of July, 1673, and went up the Fox river in birch-bark canoes. They made a portage to the ^^'isconsin: then placed their canoes upon its waters and floated down to the Mississippi, a seven days' journey. Entering the ^lississippi, they went down to the Illinois, and returned to Green Bay by way of the Illinois and Lake ^Michigan, arriving at the place whence they started, the last of September — a remarkable feat. 14 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF MINNESOTA. This voyage of Father Marquette was deeply interesting to a native of Rouen, named La Saile, who was Hving at his trading post, F'ort Frontc- nac, Canada, on the site of tb.e present city of Kingston. La Salle believed that there was a short route to China and Japan from the iiead- waters of the Mississippi. He sailed to France to obtain the patronage of Louis XI\'., and in 1678 received permission "to make discoveries in the western part of New France, to build forts wherever they were necessary, and to enjoy the exclusive right to the trade in buffalo skins which were just beginning to be known and valued in Europe." One of the first things La Salle did, after his return from France, was to build a large vessel for navigating the lakes. It made but one voyage. On its return from Green Bay to the Niagara river, it was lost; for no tidings of it were ever received. After sending out this ship that never returned, La Salle and his followers, among whom was Father Hennepin, coasted with their four birch-bark canoes along the eastern shore of ^^'isconsin, and at last descended the Illinois river to the present site of Peoria, where they built a fort. They also constructed here a vessel for navigating the Mississippi. In this vessel La Salle sent Father Hennepin to discover the sources of the wonderful stream — confident that when he had found these sources, he would also find the new route to China and Japan. On the 29th of February, 1680, with two com- ])anions, Richard du Gay and Michael Accault, Hennepin embarked. He did not discover the sources of the great river or the new loute to the Orient; but he did make discoveries that have identified his name forever with the histoi"\' of Minnesota. It is not easy to determine the order in which ilennepin made his discoveries; but it is proliable that the first of these was Lake Pepin. In the neighborhood of the mouth of the Wis- consin he and his companions were captured by a i)arty of Indians. With them he passed through the Lac des Pluers, which was shortly afterwards called Pepin. He thus describes his experiences: "About thirty leagues above I'lack river, we found the Lake of Tears which ue named so, because the savages who took us, as it will be hereafter related, consulted in this place, what they should do with their prisoners, and those who were for murdering cried all night upon us. to oblige by their tears, their companions to consent to our death. The lake is formed by the 'Aleschasipi,' and may be seven leagues long and five broad." Some miles below the site of St. Paul the Indians landed, at a point opposite Reil Rock, and thence journeyed by trail to Mille Lacs. Afterwards, with a hunting party, Hennepin descended the Rum river, and camped at its mouth. Here they nearly perished of famine, and at last, yielding to his earnest entreaties, the Indians allowed him to go free. After some days' traveling, he came to a cataract which he says "indeed of itself is terrible and hath something very astonishing." He reported this cataract to be sixty feet high. "Near the cataract,'' he says, "was a bearskin upon a pole, a sort of oblation to the spirit in the waters." After carving the cross and the arms of France upon a tree, he called the falls by the name of the patron saint of his expedition. Saint Anthony of Padua. The first white man who looked upon the mighty torrent, now harnessed to the machinery of a great city, was Louis Henne- pin. This was in the month of July, 1680. To this same time belong the names and deeds of several other discoverers. Leaving his post on Lake Superior in the month of June, 1680, Du Luth explored the country to the Lake of the Issati, JNIille Lac, which he afterwards called Lake Buade, from the family name of Frontenac, gov- ernor of Canada. He also ascended the St. Louis river, then called the "Bois Brule," to its source, exploring the country drained by its waters. His name is preserved in the name of the young and vigorous city that has sprung up in the field of his activities. He was the first to plant the arms of France in the land of the Dakotahs. In the spring of 1683, the first trading-]K)st was established in Minnesota, on Lake Peiiin, by Nicholas Pcrrot, and a fort was liuilt which for a long time bore his name. A few \ears later, the Indians, instigated by the Tuiglish, began to make trouble for the French farther cast, and Perrot and his followers, leaving a fi.'w halfbrccds io ]irotect their goods at the trading-post, joined T)u Luth who was in conunand at Green Hay. l\elnrning with fort\- men to Lake Pe])in, in 1688, the next year he formally claimed the cmuitry for France. The document in which this claim is luade is called the Proces-A^erbal. and is the first official docmnent in relation (o Minnesota: for PROGRESSIVE MEN OF MINNESOTA. 15 while its buundarics were not yet defined, it was pari oi ihc immense territory ineluded in llie claim of Xicholas i'errot. \n the ijeginning-, tins document "recites tlie origin and history ol i'er- rot's authority; tiien tells how he and his com- panions entered the counlr) ; enunierales the tribes encountered on the hanks of the upper Mississippi and its l)ranches, the Wisconsin, St. Croix, and Minnesuta; and takes possession of the whole region in the name of the king." In i6y5, Le Sueur established a post on one of the islands of the Mississippi, imt far from tlie present town of Red Wing. He also ascended the Alinnesota river to the mouth of the Man- kato, or Blue Earth river, about 150 miles above the site of Fort Snelling, where he erected an- other fort and estaljlished a trading-post. Le Sueur explored the entire Blue Earth region. With him the h'rench discoveries in Minnesota appear to have ceased. Eor half a century, these enterprising Frenchmen had been penetrating into the country along the great water-courses, and establishing their trading-posts and forts at strategic points. And yet the hold uf the French upon the new territory was slight. D'lberville, in a memorial addressed to the government, says: "The Sioux are too far removed for trade while they remain in their own country," and suggests a plan for their removal to the ^Missouri. He also men- tions the tendenc}- of the voyageurs to become roaming hunters and the interference of Canadian traders with those of Louisiana, as great ditti- culties in the way of securing a stable system of commerce between the tribes and the latter col- ony. However the I'rench government heeded neither the atlvice of l)"Ibervillc nor the schemes of others; but discouraged by its ill success, abolished the system of licenses, and withdrew its garrisons from all the points west of Mack- inaw. This condition of afifairs existed for nearly twenty years. liut, after all, this great territory was not to be relinquished or pernianeiUh- neg- lected; for events were shaping themselves which revived the waning interest. The eyes of the English were upon this part of the continent and they worked through the In- dians to accomplish their designs. A h'rench document of the da\- thus refers to the matter; "It is more and more obvious that the English are endeavoring to interpolate among all the Indian nations, and to attach them to themselves. The)' entertain constantly the idea of becoming masters of Aorth America, pursuaded that the luiropean nation which will be possessor of that section, will, in course of time, be masters of all, because it is there alone that men live in health and have strong, robust children." "Thus it came to pass," says Kirk in his history, "that the song of the Canadian lioatman was again heard on the streams and lakes of .Minnesota, and the fathers of the mission once more performed their sacred ministrations within its borders. But l)riest and vo^ageur were not left to battle alone; for the I'"rench authorities instituted means for the re-establishment (jf the deserted posts and the building of new ones." During the period of struggle which followed, other parts of the ter- ritory to the westward were opened, and more adequate ideas of the extent and resources of the country obtained. I'revious to the breaking out of what is know n in history as the "h'rench and In- dian War,'' the dominion of France was reasserted and her power again became supreme. And even though later, in 1763, the country was ceded to England by the treaty of \ersailles, the French had so strong a hold upon the Indians that the English never established trading-posts west of Alackinaw. An expedition was organized under English auspices l)y Jonathan Carver, a native of Con- necticut, who had been a conunander in the royal service during the I'rench and Indian wars. Leav- ing IJoston in the month of June, 1766, he arrived at Mackinaw in the month of August. Carver simply went over the routes that others had marked out and visited posts and villages already in existence. He added nothing to the area of discovery; but he observed some things in his travels that had escaped the eyes of others, and has given us information that we find nowhere else. He w'as the first one who called the atten- tion of the civilized world to the existence of earthworks or mounds in the valley of the Missis- si])pi. He discovered the cave which bears his name, some miles below the city of St. Paul — a cave whose sides were carved with Tntlian hiero- gly])hics. He tells us that the little island now lielow the Falls of St. Anthony was then in the middle of the cataract. He describes the ])ictur- esque beauty of the country around the falls; he 16 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF MINNESOTA. foresees something of the future greatness of this region. "The future population," he declares, ■■\viJi be able to carry tlicir produce to the sea- ports with great facihty, the current of the river from its source to its entrance into the Gulf of Alexico, being extremely favorable for doing this in small craft. This might also in time be facil- itated by canals or shorter cuts, and a communica- tion opened by water with Xew York by way of the lakes." Carver went to England and inter- ested a member of parliament by the name of Whitworth, in his projects, and would have re- turned to renew his travels had not the breaking out of the Revolutionary War prevented. Xotli- ing further of importance was accomplished until after that portion of .Minnesota lying east of tlie ^Mississippi came into possession of the Lnited States, by the Treaty of Paris, 1783. And this event opens a new chapter in the history of .Min- nesota and of the Northwest Territory. III. THE TRANSITION PERIOD. We have just seen that by the treaty of Paris, that portion of what is now the state of Aiiiinesota, which lay east of the Mississippi, was ceded to the United States. The French-Ameri- can territor}-, assigned to Spain in 1763, was re- turned to Prance in 1800, and by the French, almost immediately after, ceded to the United .States; so that the immense domain west of the .Mississippi, including the other part of our pres- ent state, also came into the hands of the govern- ment. But as yet no boundaries are defined. This whole region, at the beginning of the present century, was just emerging from savagery. The Indians still remained and had always to be reckoned with. The I'Vench were still an im- portant factor in the sparse pvvu erected." While the ft^rl was l)uil(Hii,i;-, the Arts of lY-ace were alstj Iteing cultivated. The seeds of a future civilization were being S(n\'n. In i(S2i,tlH- .\orth- western and Jindsou Hay I'ur ( 'oin[)aiiies^ hitherto at war — united, and the C'ohunhia h'ur Company, with head(|uarters at Lake Traverse, was fcjrnied. The llrst mills erected on .\liniu-- sota soil were huilt by the g(.)vernnient at the l-'alls of St. Anthony, in 1821 and icSjj to manu- facture flour and hunljer for the garrison at I'ort Snelling. This latter year also witnessed the be- ginning of steam navigation on the waters of the upper Mississippi. During the same year, the first distinctively scientific expedition entered Minnesota, under the direction of Major Long. Among the explorers were Samuel Seymour, art- ist; I'rofessor \V. H. Keating, of Pennsylvania University, mineralogist and geologist, and Thomas Say, of the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, zoologist and anti((uarian. It is said that, "the scientific obser\'ations, though rapidly taken, were of great value. The geological and geographical descriptions of the Minnesota and Red rivers were particularly interesting; and to these some information was added relative to the fauna and flora of those valleys." Still later, the labors of Nicollet, in these directions, were im- portant. Progress was also being made in the management of the Indians. On the Kjth of August, 1825, the Northwestern tribes met at Prairie du Chien, where the government was represented by Lewis Cass, of Michigan, and Gov- ernor Clarke of Missouri. The Dakotahs and (Jjibvvays here consented to have definite bounds placed between their hunting-grounds, to prevent future contention. The year following, Mr. Cass attended a council of the Ojibw^ays at Fond du Lac. On the 5th of August a treaty was sealed in which "the Ojibways projnised to sever all allegiance to Great Britain, and acknowledge at all times the United States' supremacy." Still further progress towards the coming civil- ization must now be noted. The year 1833 marks the beginning of schools and mis.eions among the Protestants. They t)riginated with Rev. W. T. Boutwell, among the Ojibways at Leech Lake. In 1834, S. W. Pond and his brother opened a mission for the Dakotahs at Lake Calhoun. In Jiuie, 1835, a Presb)terian church was organized at Port Snelling. [n 1836, Dr. Williamson, Mr. iiiggins and .Miss Poage, located at Lac qui Parle and (jrganized a cinncli. In 1837, they were joined b\' Rev. S. R. Riggs and wife. These were the humlde begiimings. 'J"he toils and sacri- fices of thesefirst teachers and missionaries laidthc found;itions for the work ui others. On these foundations si-hoojs and churches have multi- plied. 'jhe yvdr 1837, eventful in the history of mis- sions, is also eventful in commercial histrjry. (Kitside capital began to llow towards the North- west and towards this [larticular spot of the Northwest. .\ council of the ( Jjibways, held at Port Snelling, this year, ceded to the United States all the pine lands of the St. Croix and its trilnitaries. "Capitalists innnediately began to improve the water power at the P'alls of St. Croix and this was the beginning of the now extensive manufacturing of lumljer, ,so closely related to the conmiercial welfare of the state. 'Die Pal- myra, Captain Holland commander, the first steamer to navigate the St. Croix, brought the machinery for the projected mills. A delegation of the Dakotahs at Washington also ceded to the government all their .Minnesota lanrls east of the Mississippi." The principal event in the closing part of this period was the founding of St. Paul, in 1840. A chapel of that name was first erected, and a small village sprang up around it. Dr. Williamson, writing in 1843, gives a description of the settle- ment as it then appeared: "My present residence is on the utmost verge of civilization, in the north- west part of the United States, within a few miles of the principal village of white men in the terri- tory that we suppose will bear the name of Min- nesota. The village referred to has grown up within a few years in a romantic situation, on a high blufi' of the Mississippi, and has been bap- tised by the Roman Catholics with the name of St. Paul. They have erected in it a small chapel, and constitute much the larger portion of its in- habitants. The Dakotahs call it Im-ni-jas-ka, or 'White Rock,' from the color of the sandstone which forms the bluff on which the village stands. The village contains five stores, as they call them, at all of which intoxicating drinks form a part, and I suppose the principal part, of what they 18 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF MINNESOTA. sell. I would suppose the village contains a dozen or twenty families living near enough to send to school." The period condensed into these few para- graphs, to use the words of Mr. Kirk, "May well be called the period of transition between the times of the voyageurs and the settlements; of romantic adventure, yielding to scientific re- search; of slowly shifting scenes in the prologiie of yet another great drama of modern American life, for which the forces of civilization were stead- ily arranging themselves while the outside world began to look with eyes of eager expectancy for the opening of the first act." IV. THE TERRITORY. That part of Minnesota lying west of the Mis- sissippi came successively under the jurisdiction of Louisiana Province in 1803, Louisiana territory in 1805, Alissouri territory in 1812, Alichigan ter- ritory in 1834, Wisconsin territory in 1836 and Iowa territory in 1838. The part east of the Mississippi secured, as already mentioned, by the treaty of Paris, belonged to the Northwest terri- tory in 1787, Indiana territory in 1800, Illinois ter- ritory in 1809, Michigan territory in 1834, and Wisconsin territory in 1836. Territory after territory, state after state, was organized out of this innnense domain. I'inall}', in 1848, Wisconsin, with boundaries not so in- clusive as those of Wisconsin territory, was ad- mitted as a state. The act was jsassed on the 2ytli of May. The following July, a meeting was held at St. Paul which "proposed the calling of a con- vention to consider the steps proper to be taken by those citizens of the old Wisconsin territory l)eyond the boundaries of the new state of Wis- consin." The first public meeting for this pur- pose was held August 5th, at Stillwater, and Franklin Steele and Ilenry H. Sibley were the only ones who attended from the west side of the Mississippi. At tliis time a call was issued for a general convention to meet at the same place on the 26th of the same month. Si.xty-tvvo dele- gates were present and Ilenry PI. Sibley was aj)- jjointed to proceed to Washington and mge tiic immediate passage of a bill for the organization of Minnesota territory." In the meantime, Mr. Sibley was elected to the House of Representa- tives, and finally succeeded in having a bill passed for the organization of the territory of Minnesota, with the present boundaries, and St. Paul as the capital. L)n Alarch 3, the bill was signed by the president. j\lr. Sibley will always be remembered for this service. He had to battle hard in the House. The measure was opposed on various pretexts, and hampered with embarrassing amendments. An eff^ort was made to append the Wilmot Proviso. "By great exertions on the part of myself and my friends," says Mr. Sibley, "the House was at length persuaded to recede from its amendment." The news was brought to St. Paul by the first packet-boat of the season, which ploughed its way through the icy river in early April. There was great rejoicing in the new- capital. A few days later, James M. Goodhue appeared with his printing press and established the "Pioneer," the first newspaper in the territory. Alexander Ramsey, of Harrisbnrg, Pa., was ap- pointed governor by the president. He arrived before the close of April, and June i issued his first proclamation, declaring the new government duly organized and directing all citizens to hold themselves obedient to its laws. Three judicial districts were formed: The first was the old county of St. Croix ; the second, the northeast section, or La Pointe county, north of the Minne- sota and the right line drawn westward from its headwaters to the Alissouri; the third, comprised the remaining region to the south and westward of tlie former stream. Stillwater, St. Anthony Falls, and Mendota, were the places in which the re- spective courts were held. In July, the governor proclaimed the division of the territory into seven council districts, and issued an order for the first election of members of the council, representatives of the house, and a delegate to congress. The congressional election resulted in the choice of Henry H. Sibley. At this time the population of the territory was only 4,680; but the eyes of mul- titudes from all parts of the country were begin- ning to turn towards the .Star of the North. The first legislature CDUvened Se|)tember 3, 1849. The sessions were held in the Central House, which served the doubU' pur;)y this act the boundaries of the state were defined as at ])resent, and it was granted lands for the sujiport of schools and the erection of i)nblic buildings." By another act of the same session "alternate sections of land were granted for the construction (A railroads within the state." Governor (iorman immediatelv called aii extra session of the legislature; but before it convened. 1 'resident Buchanan appointed .Samuel Mcdary to take his ])lace as governur. A coustitntinnal convention agreed upon a constitution for the coming state, August 29; and October 13 it was ratified by almost unanimous vote of the citizens. On the 7tli of April, 1858, the bill for the admis- sion of Minnesota was carried, and on the i itli of May was signed by the president. Thus Minne- sota entered the great sisterhood of states; and a new star was placed upon the national banner. V. THE STATE. Dark and troubled was the time when Minne- sota entered upon her career as a state, and nearly the whole of the first decade of state history was a period of depression and discouragement. The panic of 1857 had made it almost impossible for the new commonwealth to negotiate loans for the development of its resources. Then, there were mistakes in legislation thai produced evil consequences in after years. I<"or example, the first legislature (1858) pledged the public credit to the amount of five million dollars "to further subsidize the delinquent railroad companies." The constitution of the state was amended so as to permit this to be done. Governor Sibley re- fused to issue the bonds, but was compelled to do so by a mandamus of the Supreme Court. More than two millions of dollars worth of bonds were then thrown upon the luarket, although not a rail I if tliepn ijected road hail lieen laid. Then came the Civil \\'ar in 1861, and the Sioux outbreak in 1862. Calamities followed thick upon the heels I if bkmders, and it was nut until after the close of the war that the state began her real career. We must not conclude, however, that there were no bright spots in this period of our liis- torv. This first state legislature passed the act creating our present Normal .Schools at \\'inona, Mankato and St. Cloud. In lieu of better trans- l>ortation facilities, an overland route was opened, June. 1859, between .St. Paul and Pireckenridge, on the Red River, l-'roni this point a steamer carried goods to the Hudson Hay Comi)any's territory. The failure of the railroad companies to keej) their pledges could not whoUv check the spirit of enterprise. I'ut the attention paid to educational matters is one of the most significant things of this earlv day. We have just mentioned the establishment of normal schools. In the fall of 1851), .'\lcxandcr Ramsey, first governor of the territory, was elected second governor of the state. ( )ne of the first incidents of his adiuinis- tration was the repeal of the old act estal)lishing rKU(;KESSIVli MUN OF MINNESOTA. 21 a territorial university, and on tiic basis of a new grant from congress, the founding of the State University of to-day. Acts were also passed regu- lating the sale of the public school lands, of which "there were two sections in each township ex- clusively devoted to the suppcjrt of the lower or common schools, besides tiie special grants made in favor of the higher education." The founders of Minnesota realized that the jjrosperity and gl(ir\' of a state must he based upim ihi eihuatiim of its children. During Ciovernor Ramsey's first term, the Civil War began; and while the struggle was at its height, and thousands of citizens away from their homes on the fields of battle, the Siou.x perjjetrated their bloody massacres. It was a black and stormy time. So far as the Civil War is concerned, it is a matter of record of which we may lie justlv proud, that Minnesota led the van in the great conflict for the preservation of the Union. Governor Rainsey was in Washington when the flag that waved over Sumter was fired upon. Before the sun went down on that fateful day, he had off'ered — first of all the governors — the aid of the state troops, and President Lincoln had accepted. The news was flashed to the ca])i- tal of Minnesota; the lieutenant governor at once issued a jiroclamation, and by the 2ist of June the First Alinnesota fullv organized and equippeil, under conmiand of Col. W^ A. Gorman, started for the seat of war. From that time onward to Lee's surrender, the Minnesota troops were potent factors in the armies of the North. Twenty- five thousand and fift)'-two, all told, the settlers of Minnesota numbered who enlisted in the cause of freedom and union. Minnesota regiments fought in every great battle of the long contest. The First Minnesota won its initial honors in the first battle of Bull Run; then down to the second battle of Fredericksburg, down to Gettysburg, down to Appomattox, where manv of its original members took part in the closing fight, all along the course of the war the noted regiment made memorable record. The Minnesota sharpshooters were at Malvern FTill, .\ntietam and l*"redericks- burg. The Fourth and Fifth regiments won hon- orable distinction at .Shiloh and Corinth. The Fifth was at the siege of ^^iclief Woods, six miles from LTutchinson. Thus ended one of the saddest chapters in the history of the young commonwealth. The year 1865 marks the close of the war. The surviving troops retm-n to take up again the avo- cations of peace. The Indian f|uestion is settled, and immigration turns once more towartl the North Star state. A new era begins with the ad- ministration of Governor W. R. Marshall, ex- tended through two successive terms. Educa- tional and charitable institutions are founded. The first hospital for the insane is located at St. Peter. Buildings for the school for deaf, duml) and blind are erected at Fariliault. The normal institute at Winona is finislied. The reform school is founded. The state is brought into line with the results of the Civil War, by striking the w'ord "white" from the constitution. It is an epoch of railroad construction. Grants of land for the Southern Miimesota and the Hastings & Dakota are made. The Northern Pacific is begun. The right of the state to 500,000 acres of land for internal im- provements is established. "I am profoundly grateful," says Governor Marshall, in his last message, "to the Providence that connected me with the state government during so interesting and prosperous a period." Under his successor, Governor Horace Austin, there was a steady and rapid growth of the commonwealth. Inmiigra- tion increased, railroad construction was pushed with vigor, and real estate rose rapidly in value. Several important amendments to the constitu- tion signalize Governor Austin's term of office. One provided for increasing the public debt of the state to maintain more effectively our chari- table institutions. Another prevented any city or village or county from granting a bonus of more than ten per cent of its property valuation to any railroad asking for aid. (This was subsequently made five per cent.") Still another amendment preserved the sale of internal improvement lands at the rate obtained for school lands, and pro- vided for the investment of funds so obtained in TTnited States and Minnesota state lionds. The administration of Cushman I\. Davis ("elected in 1873), was characterized by railroad legislation. The regulation of rates and the relation of the railroad to the public, were freelv discussed. Gov- ernor Davis himself says: "The most important political event of my admim'stration was undoubt- edly the culmination of the controversy which had been carried on for some years between the rail- road companies and the ))cople, on the questi