fO ADDKESS DHLITHRHP BF.PORE THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, y SIXTH ANNIVERSARY, FEBRUARY 1st, 1856. HON. H. H. SIBLEY. R£L£ASEO BY „ '19 aUKTO. ADDKESS. la the Note from the Secretary of this Society, inviting me to deliver the Annual .Address, there was contained an intimation that the state of the country now comprised within our territorial limits, from the year 1819, when a Military Post was first estab- lished at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, until 1849, when Congress gave to Minnesota a distinct existence and a name, would be an appropriate subject. I have acted upon that suggestion in part only ; not having confined myself to the particular period referred to, nor have I attempted any thing irke a continuous narrative of events. On the contrary, I have picked up a waif here and there, as fur- nished from memory, or otherwise brought within my reach, and I have enunciated some opinions of my own, which will be found not to accord with those generally entertained by the community at large. AKTE-mSTORIC PERIOD. While reviewing what is usually termed the early history of Mianesota,~which has reference to a time subsequent to its discovery by white men — the mind is naturally led to speculate upon the condition of things as they existed at a much more remote pe- riod, and before the present race of red men acquired possession of this country. That the entire West was inhabited by a more civilized people than the Indians, we do net learn from tradition, nor have we the testimonials even of rude hieroglyphics, which may be deciphered sooner or later by the antiquarian. Nevertheless, there is other evidence of the fact, of an indisputable character. In the bowels of the earth there have been sought for and found, the relics of a past age. Earthen vessels of con- venient form — weapons and implements of labor made from copper — other articles never fashioned by Indian hands — together with the proofs of mechanical skill in the copper mines of Lake Superior lately discoverd, where masses of that metal of many tons weight have been raised from their beds, and wooden supports introduced beneath them with a view to their removal — these are a few of the evidences which satisfy us of the existence of a race long since, in the region now occupied by us, who were far superior to the Indian tribes, but whose fate is left entirely to conjecture. Fancy may picture to us communities of simple and industrious people, un warlike in their character, happy in the possession of a fertile and beautiful country, and blessed with all the comforts of life, suddenly and successively invaded, overwhelmed and exterminated by hordes of merciless savages, leaving behind them no other traces of their history than are afforded by a few specimens of their ingenuity in the mechanic arts. The mystery which envelops their fate will never be penetrated unless indeed there should be discovered, at a future day, some record which has hitherto baffled the diligent search of the historian, A— *B 4 ADDRESS. THE IXDIAX CHARACTEB. Tlie cbaractor of tlio wild rnoe who succeeded them in the jx)8session of the MiBsissippi Valley is well portrayed by Alison in his partial, but eloquent, " History of Europe.'' He describes the Xorih American Indian " as neither the child of Japhet, daring, indus trions, indefatignble. exploring the world by his enterprise and subduing it by his exer- tions ; nor the oftspring of Ishniael, sober, ardent, enduring, trayersing the desert on his steetls, and issuing forth at appointeil intervals from his solitudes to punish and re- generate mankind. He is the hunter of the forest ; skilled to perfection in the craft necessary for that primitive occupation, but incapable of advancing beyond it. Civili- zation in vain endeavored to thiow its silken fetters over his limbs ; lie avoids the smi- ling i)lantation, and Hies in horror before the advancing hatchet of the weodman. He does well to shun the approaclrof the European race; he can neither endure its fatigues, nor withstand its temptations; and faster than before the sword and the bayonet his race is melting under tlio fire-water, the first gift, and last cnrse of civilization." IKIHAI, COXUITIOX OK THE INDIAN'S. It i.** not my intention to expatiate at length upon this topic, but in the Annual Ad- dress of your Society, a passing glance may be permitted, at the tribal condition ©f that jicople who have so long roamed through our forests and our prairies, and who are now disappearing under the ojieration of the same influences which long since swept their Eastern brethren from the earth. The sub-divisions of the respective Dakota and Algonquin stocks have been opposed to each other for centuries. Tradition, as well as the testimony of the early writers ni>on thi.s country, informs us that active hostilities have existed between them from titne immemorial, except when occasional temporary truce has been agreed upon by the parties. Sometimes it hashapjKrned tliat some of the offshoots from the parent stem have combined with its ^-ncmics against it. 1'hus the Assincboines, a revolted tribe of the Dakota?, have allied themselves with the Chipjicwas against them. On the other hand, the Sacs and Foxes, of Algonquin extraction, were foimerly on such friendly termf: with the Dakotas that with tln-ni they made furious war upon the Chippewas. These were, however, but signal exceptions io the general rule. Not one whit more bitter was the hat<» of Ifamilcar to th<^ Human name, wlirii ho comjielled his son Hannibal to swear «-t*»ni:d hor-lilily to it upon lln- ;il(ar, than is that which is harliored by Dakota against rhip|»ewH, and (jliij>]icwa iigiiinnt Dakota even to this day. From thf informalixn wrvatioM, anil from statistics of a reliable nature, I am contincwl thjit tho lives bacrificod in the petty contostH between the Dakotas and (/hip|>ewM h«r« not aiBi>unt«d, is the aggregat*. (• au annual average of iifty, for the ADDRESS. 5 past century. The partisan who leads an expcditiou agaiuBt an euemj is exceedingly careful of the lives of his men, for his reputation as a medicine-iuau or prophet, and his influence as a leader, depend entirely upon the amount of injury he can inflict upon the foe without any corr«si>oiulin.ii,- sacrilico on his own side. Again, a Avar party, whether large or small, almost invariably rotra< e their steps after taking one or more scalps at the first onset. They .■sock to strike no second blow, unless urged forward by the pressure of some peculiar and extreme exasjK'ratiow. RELTOIOK 0«^ THE rlAKOi.■^^ The religiou of the Dakota.s is a mere myth. It has been ofieii sissorted that the Indian race are raonotheLsts, and therefore far in advaiu^c of otiior pagans who believe in a multiplicity of deitie.", that they look forward also to a future state and to its retri- butions. I regret to be obliged to express an opinion on this .subject, which must con- flict with such favorable impressions. The ))elieC attributed 1<> the lilastern tribes, of happy hunting grounds for the good, and wastes devoid of gauK! for the bad in another sphere of existence, linds uo response in the bieast of a Dakota. He seeks to pro pitiate what he calls the Great Sj)irit, and a multitude of luinor si)irits, especially those embodied in oval shaped stones, by sacrifices of tobacco and other trifling articles, uot because he hopes or cares for a reward in a higJier state of beiug, but because he depre- cates the visitations of their anger upon earth, in the form of disease, accident or death to himself or his family. I have no reason to believe that any Dakota, among the very many with whom I hare conversed on the subject, was ever deterred from the commission of a crime by a fear of ^^unishment in another world, nor have 1 been able to satisfy myself that their impressions of a future state are any thing but shadowy, uncertain and unsatisfactory. UEfAV OV THE INOlAX TKlBfit^. The decay of the Dakotas in our midst may be dated fiom the time of their treaty in 1837, by which the U. S. Government acquired their lauds on the East of the Missis- sippi River. Ceasing gradually to rely upon their own eSbrts for support, they looked forward with more and more anxiety to the pittance annually doled out to them in money, goods and provisions, until they have become the miserable and dependent Creatures frequently seen about your streets. The policy which has been pursued to secure the land of the Indian, and then to oS'er him no inducement to improve his con- dition, has been the bane ot his race. Recourse to liquor, and other evil habits, are but the natural consequences of that system which drives him from his home, interferes with his habits of life, and regards him as au outcast from the laud of his fathers, w^ithout holding out to him any promise for the future. INOIAN XRADEK* THEIH REFLTEIl, AND TIIEIK TRUE CHAHACTER. About two hundred years have elapsed since Minnesota was first explored by white men. Two Frenchmen, long before the visit of Father Hennepin to th« Falls of St. Anthony, had reached the region of lakes lying Westward from Lake Superior. How far they penetrated towards the sources of the Mississippi we know not, as the informa- |.ion we possess, relative to their movements, is very limited They were Indian traders, Ih© pioneers of that bold ,wd hardy cUssi, of men, who, despising the com forte mi the 6 ADDRESS. seductions of civilized life, have, since that period, explored the recesses of our forests, and the wide expanse of our prairies, and gazed with rapture upon the beauty and magnificence of our lakes, while they have extended the influence of the children of Japhet, far and wide among the tribes of the Northwest. Canada was the principal nursery of this class of adventurers, who, fascinated by the unrestrained liberty of action offered by the trade with Indians, and by the novelty connected with it, entered upon the vocation with great ardor. Stimulated less by a prospect of gain than by the excitement of new scenes, and the hope of new discover- ies, the Indian trader was arrested by no difficulties or dangers, discouraged by no fa- tigue or exposure, from the accomplishment of the object he had in view. Perhaps no body of men have ever been so misunderstood and misrepresented as those of which he formed a component part. To them have been ascribed not only all the evils und out- rages that are the accompaniments of extreme frontier life, where law is unfelt and unknown, but they have been charged with fraud and villainy of every conceivable description. The very accusations made against them in many cases contained their own refutation. While nothing was more certain to destroy his hopes of success in trade than a state of active hostilities between the Indians he had dealings with and other bands of savages, he has been a thousand times accused of inciting war between them. Never hesitating for a moment to save a captive from violence, at any peril to his own life, or at any sacrifice of his property, he has been denounced as devoid of all feelings in common with civilixed man, and as a mere trafficker in human blood. With too much self respect to contradict charges so absurd and improbable, and with an undue contempt for public opinion, it is not surprising that scarcely a voice has been raised, or a pen wielded in his behalf. . There is an unwritten chapter yet to be contributed to the records of the ^s'orthwest, which will place the Indian trader in a proper light before the country, while it Avill not seek to extenuate cither his defects or his vices This is neither the time nor the place for such a production, but it will doubtless be a grateful task, and peculiarly within the lirovince of this Society, to cause the memory of the men, who, of all others, are most intimately identified with the early history of Minnesota, to be relieved frOm the weight of oblorjuy so unjustly heaped upon them. They were a class of men eminently distinct from all others in their modes of thought and of life, and they cannot, therefore, be justly measured by the standard which ob- tains in civilized communities. They were, for the most part, individuals of little or no education, but remarkable for their energy and for fidelity to their eugagemeuUs. In fact, the whole system of Indian triide was nece.s.-;arily based upon the personal integrity of the employer and the cnrployc*!. CJonerally siKjaking, the former resided hundreds, or even thousands of inilm di.stant from tho jtlace of trndf, and he furnished large amount.'^ of merchandize to his agent or clerk, for which he hold no security but his plighted faith. With the rorjni*ito number of men to perform the labor of transporting his goods and supplies in bark canoes, thi.s tru.stod individual wtMidcd hi.s way, in August or September, to the ■OMM of o|K(rtttions, wlicrc Im nrt'cled his wintering Iiou.sc, furnished his Indians with norouBQry clothing and ammunition, and dcHpatnhed them to their hunts. In many cases bi« principal rouM obtnio no knowh-dgc of his niovomonts until liin return in the sprinfr ADDRESS. 1 '■ with the fruits of his exchanges. If a clerk, he was theu paid the amoimt of his salary as agreed upon, if trading on his own account, the sum of his peltries was made up, and the difference between that sum and the invoice of goods furnished him added to tlie wages of his men, which were always paid l)y the principal, told the story of his proQt or his loss. Furs being of no intrinsic value, but entirely subject to the fluctuations of fashion, it often happened that a poor trader, who had succeeded in the collection of an unusual number of one kind or another of the skins of fur-bearing animals, and flattered himself with the hope of having made money by his winter's operations, had that hope dispelled by finding that prices had gone down to a low figure, and that he had plunged himself into debt. In such oases the sufferer consoled himself with the hope that the next season would show a different result, and he returned to his winter- ing ground by no means a despondent man. But while a departure from strict honesty on the part of the principal and clerk, one towards the other, was so rare an occurrence as to be almost unknown, no scruples were felt in taking any advantage of an opponent in trade, whether fair or unfair. There was a state of warfare perpetually existing between rival establishments in the Indian country, except in case of sickness or scarcity of provisions, when hostihtics ceased for a time, and the opposite party came to the rescue of those who were in dis- tress, and afforded every assistance possible. Such exhibitions of ((ualities so contra- dictory were characteristic of all the old class of Indian traders. In times of famine or of sickness among the Indians themselves, the trader was to them a ministering angel. Xo one was sent away unrelieved, so long as his stores lasted. The consequence of such generosity Ijorc its legitimate fruit. The reliance of the savage upon his trader became, in the course of time, ahuost without limit, and he took no important step without first consulting him. The white man was the confidant of his joys and his sorrows, and his influence was augmented in proportion. That this influence was not often used to accomplish selfish and unworthy purposes, I do not pre- tend to assert. That it was more frequently employed for the benefit of the Indian and of his race, I most unhesitatingly believe. As the trader received his goods on credit, at a stipulated price above the cost, cither from individual merchants, or from associations, so he in turn made advances to the Indian hunters, as his knowledge of their characters for honesty and skill in the chase justified him in so doing. The system of credits was adopted more or less generally throughout the Northwest, and has not entirely ceased even at this day, but it must soon come to an end, for civilization, with all its blessings, can aflbrd no substitute for the simple Indian trader of the olden time ; who, equally with honest Leatherstock- ing, shunned the society of his fellow white men, and above all, despised the whole machinery of the law; and the contact of the Indian with the whites has so far demor- alized him as to render it unsafe longer to trust his honesty. SKETCHES OF SOME OK THE EARLY TRADERS. Having indulged in these general remarks, with reference to the Indian traders, 1 shall proceed to particularize a very few of the class I have described, with whom it was my fortune to become personally acquainted. Joseph Renville wa? one of these men, and as a memoii' of him has heretofore been pnblished in your annals, I will merely mention the fact in connection with him, that he 8 ADDRESS was the first etock raiser of Minnesoia, for more thuu tweuty-five years ago, at Lac quj Parle, he owued sheep by the huuLlreds, aud cattle by the score. Louis Provcncalle was a man of even less educatioQ than Renville, but like him, ho v,as e^ifted with a strong natural intellect. He kept his Indian credit books by hiero- glyphics, having a particular figure for eacli article of merchandise, understood only by himself, and in marking down peltries received from the Indians he drew the form of the animal the skin of which was to be represented. lie had also a mode of indica- ting the names of his Indian debtors on his account books peculiar to himself. For- tunately he had mastered the mystery of figures sufficiently well to express by them ihe amount he wished to designate, and the "general correctness of his accounts did not admit of question, He it is of whom it is truly related, that when threatened by a baud of wild Dako- tas with the pillage of his goods, he seized a firebrand, aud holding it within a few inches of an open keg filled with gunpowder, bo declared his determination to blow them with himself, into the air, if they seized upon a single article. It is hardly neces- sary to mention that his reckless conduct had the desired effect, and he sufl'ercd no further annoyance of a like kind. Another adventure in which he participated terminated less successfully. I have often heard the recital of it from his own lips. In company with one of his mou,he was engaged in a search for an Indian camp, where he had been informed there was a large number of bnflalo robes. Fatigued aud hungry, they found themselves near a herd of buffalo, and not suspecting that there were Indians near, they shot a cow and brougtit her to the ground. The report of the guns put the animals to flight, and in a few moments Provencallc and his companion were assailed by the Indians, knocked down, severely beaten with their bows, and otherwise maltreated. It appeared that the baud of which he was in search, were about comiiletiug a cane, or surround, of the buffalo, the men crawling cautiously to their appointed stations, when the interference of the white men disconcerted all their arrangements, for which the puuishmcut al)Ovc detailed was sum- marily inflicted. Nevertheless, the coveted robes were secured, although the old gen- tleman declared he would not undergo another castigation of iho same kind for all the roV)es in the country. Mr. Provunc?lle came to this country before the close of the last century. Ho died at Mcndota in 18.50.1 .lean JJaptist Faribault is the last surviver of ihc old traders. He is now more than hO yoarK of age, :uid resides at Farilwult, in Kicc county, with his sous. He is a native of Canada, and removed to this country in 1708, 57 years ago. Ho enjoj-ed consider- abli) aflvati(ag<>K of education in early youth. His career in this region has been marked with more of adverse fortune than usually occurs, ovcu in the perilous life of 4n Indian trader. Shortly after the close of the war with Great Britain, ho was rohliod by the Winnebugots at Prairio du Chien, of a large stock of goods, for which In; never rcroivtd any remuneration. Some years subscciucntly he fixed his residence \i\ton Pike's Inland, near Vnrl Saint Anthony, (now Snoiiing,) and had barely estab- lished hims/'If in his vo<'n.tiou of trailer when he was forced by tlu* mandate of the Commaiuiant of the Kor|. Vq abandon his buildings, and to l)otako himself, with bis raov*ftbl« property, (o the. bottom land ou \)]o Kast «)dc of the MiiHlssinpl^ yvhcvQ he ADDRESS. i> erected new tenements. The following spring, the water, wliich was unusually high, carricfl off his houses and live stock, he and his family escaping in boats, by means of wliich he was fortunately enabled to save his goods and furs from destrnction. Still nndisconragod, he l)uilt a house at the point now known as Mondota, where he resided many years, except during the winter months, when he assumed charge of his trading post at liittle Uapids, on the Minnesota river. In 1834 he narrowly escaped death from the knife of a savage Dakota, the blade of which penetrated the cavity of the lungs, and from the effects of which wound he has never entirely recovered. ]To is emphatically one of the pioneers of Minnesota. Alexis Bailly, now a resident of Wabashaw, is well known as one of the earlv settlers of the Territory, although not belonging to the same category with those already mentioned. In 1821 he went to the Red River of the North with Trancois Tiabolhe, now a resident of Nicollet county, and two hired men. Mr. Bailly had in charge a herd of cattle, which were in great demand at the Colony, and commanded high prices. He and his party had several remarkable escapes from war parties of sav- ages, who on one occasion stole all their horses, sevente^^u in number. They Anally reaehed their destination without other loss. Mr. Bailly sold milch cows at the Colony for $100 to $135 each, and other cattle in proportion. Returning from the North, Mr. Bailly made arrangements with the American Fnr Company, whereby he was placed in charge of an extensive district of trade on the Minnesota, Cannon, and Desmoines rivers. lie was also at one time connected with the Columbia Fur Company. Joseph R. Brown has also been engaged in the Indian trade more or less continuously for more than thirty years. He is said to have brought down the first raft of pine lumber that ever descended the St, Croix river. When in the employ of the Ameri- can Fur Company, at Lac Travers, in 1 8B5, he v\'as shot at, and severely wounded in the shoulder, by a Dakota Indian ; and during the winter of the same year, Louis Proveucalle, Junior, also a clerk, having charge of a trading station on the Conteau de Prairie, was barbarously murdered by one of the same band. Benjamin F. Baker, Alexander Faribault, James AVells, Norman W. Kittson, Hazen Mooers, Philander Prescott, Augustiu Rock, Joseph Laframboise and Francoise Labothe were among the prominent Indian traders of the country, when I came into it in 183-4. Martin McLeod, William H. Forbes and Franklin Steele date their arrival in Minne- sota in the same year, to wit : 183 7. All of these gentlemen are still alive, with the single exception of Mr. Baker, who died in St. Louis in 1840. William A. Aitkin, Allan Morrison, Clement Beaulieu and Donald McDonald were among the few traders with the Chippewas with whom I had an acquaintance. Hon. H. M. Rice, now Delegate to Congress, came here for the first time in 1839 or 1840. He went from Fort Snelling to Prairie du Chien after a few months residence, and there engaged in trade with the Winnebago Indians, whom he accompanied to their lands on the Crow Wing River in 1841 He was extensively engaged in the trade with the Chippewas also. VOVAOE IN MACKIN.VC BOATS FROM I'RAIRIE DL' CHIF.K tO KEO RIVER COI.OifV . la 1820, on the I5tli day of April, three Mackinac boats, manned with six hands each, laden with 200 bushels of wheat, 100 bushels of oats, and 30 bushels of peas, under the charge of Messrs. (iraham & Laidlaw, left Prairie du CWen for Selkirk's 10 • ADDRESS. colouy, ou the K«d River of the North. They were detaiucd by ice at Lake Pepin, aud the crews planted the May-pole thereon. On the third of May, the ice was suffi- ciently broken up to allow of the passage of the boats through the Lake. The voyage was continued up the Minnesota river to Big Stone Lake, from which a portage was made into Lake Travers, abont one and a half miles distant, the boats being drawn across on wooden rollers. Traversing the latter body of water, and descending the Sioux Wood river to the Red river, the party arrived at Pembina in safety, with their charge, on the 3rd day of June. Pembina was, at that time, as now, a small hamlet, the rival companies of the North West and of Hudson Bay's, having each a trading- post at the confluence of the stream with the Red river, but on opposite sides. The crop at Selkirk's colony having entirely failed the previous year, the grain was much needed for seed the ensuing season, and of course command a high price. The trip per- formed in these boats is worthy of mention, as it is the only instance of heavy article? being transported the entire distance from Prarie du Chien to the Red River Settlement, with tlie exception of the portage between Big Stone and Traverse Lakes, by water. C-'harles St. Antoine, who was one of the crew, is now a citizen of Dakota county, and is one of the few survivors of that eventful voyage. The party returned across the plains on foot, as far as Big Swne Lake, from which point they descended to Prairie du Chien, in canoes. iN'bl.vS' TREATIES The publications of the Society already contain the particulars of tiie visit of liieut. Pike, to the Upper Mi.ssi.ssippi, in 1805-6, which resulted in the acquisition by the government, from the Dakota Bands, of the first tract of land ceded by any Indian tribe within our present territorial limits. Lieut. Pike was eminently fitted for the deli- cate task allotted to him by President Jefferson. With his small command of twenty men, he penetrated into the midst of the powerful tribes of the Dakota and Chippewa Indians — arrested their hostile movements towards each other — negotiated a treat}' of cession with the former — threatened evil disposed tribes and Indians with punishment — tore down the ]>ritish (lag whenever displayed, and elicited the respect and admiration of savages who were entirely under IJritish influence, and who had but a faint knowledge of the power of the American Government. Tliere is little doubt that, but for the im- pression produced by his visit, there would have been a far more powerful demonstration on tin* part of tlio Dakotas, tlian was really made in favor of the British government, ill the war of IS 12 14, during the continuance of which, Pike, then elevated to the rank of P>rigadier General, lost his life M'hilc gloriously leading his army to the capturo of Littl.1 York. In IHJ."), and again in IRHd, treaties of pacification were made by^tho oommissionors of the United States, witii the Northwestern tribes, at I^rairio du Chien. In the last mentioned treaty, the grant to the Dakota half breeds, of the tract of land at Lake Pepin, was mado, the srttlemont of the title to which is still locked for with so much interest, l»y the j)cop]c of the tcnilory generally. In 1837, (fovernor Dodge, of Wisconsin, concluded a treaty at Port Sneliiiig, with the (Miippcwa.s, which opened to the enterprise of the white men, tlie great pine forests of the St. Croix and Chippewa rivers. In the same year, a delegation of Dakotas, being callod to Wanhiiigton city, transferred to the governmont by trenly, all the lands belong- ing to thftl tri1>ft, lying eant of the Missessijipi river. ADDRESS. 11 In the year 1841, Governor i>oty, of Wisconsin, negotiated treaties on the part of the United States, at Traverse des Sioux, Mendota and Wabashaw, for the purchase of about 25,000,000 of acres of the land owned by the Dakotas, on the West of the Missis- sippi, but the treaties failed of confirmation by the Senate. Nearly the same area was embraced in the treaties made by Messrs. Lea and Ramsey, in 1851, but as these were negotiated after the organization of the Territory, they do not come within the purview of this address. TUK Bi;iI.DIN(; OK FORT SNEI.I.ING. I am not able to state the number of United States troops, who, under the command of Col. Leavenworth, first occupied a spot near the mouth of the Minnesota river, in 1819. They erected temporary barracks, — 'the remains of which are still visible, — on the South side near the present ferry, in which they passed tlie winter. Daniel W. Hub- bard was the first man who felled a tree on the campaign ground. During the winter of 1819-20, the scurvy btoke out in a most malignant form, and raged so violently that, for a few days, garrison duty was suspended, there being barely well men enough in the command to attend to the sick, and to the interment of the dead. So sudden were the attacks, that soldiers in apparent good health when they went to bed, were found dead in the morning. One man who was relieved from his tour of sentinel duty, and stretched himself upon the bench of the guard room, four hours after, when he was ^called upon to resume his post, was discovered to be lifeless. Col. Leavenworth made every effort possible to arrest the disease, and he finally suc- ceeded in doing so by administering decoctions of spruce, and other vegetable production.*, which were obtained by sending parties to the St. Croix and Chippewa rivers. Vinegar and other anti-corbulics were also procured from Prairie du Chien, but before the reme- dies could be made available, nearly one half of the command perished. The fatality caused by the land scurvy is the more unaccountable, as it was, I believe, the sole instance of its appearance in this part of the country. It was doubtless caused by the bad quality of the provisions, especially of the pork, which was spoiled by the villainy of the con ■ tractors, or their agents, in drawing the brine from the barrels that contained it, after leaving St. Louis, in order to lighten the load, and causing the barrels to be refilled with river water, before their delivery at the post, to avoid detection. The troops were compelled to live on this unwholesome fare for two successive seasons, before the fraud was discovered. In May, 1820, the command removed to Camp Coldwater, below the site of the present St. Louis House, where they remained during the summer, but the following winter was spent in their old quarters. Fort Snelling (then Fort St. Anthony) wa.*j being Ijuilt in the meanwhile, and as rapidly as rooms could be prepared, they were occupied by the troops, but the whole number could not be accommodated until 1824, when the work was finally completed. A large portion of the lumber used in its con- struction was cut out with whipsaws, from pine logs brought down from the Rum river, in 1821. The small saw mill near the Falk was not finished until about the same period with the Fort itself. It is stated there was such a lack of W'rlting paper in the Fort during 1820-21, that Lieut. Camp, commissary or quarter master, was compelled to make out his quarterly accounts for transmission to Washington, on strips of birch bark, 12 ADDRESS. ♦ ^ In 1824, Col. Suelliuy, who bud previously arrived uud UhSuiued the coniuiaud, under- took to raise wheat, wherewith to furnish flour for the troops, but the crop failed, and as a consequenf^e the fjflirison were p1:ucd for thrco montlis on half rations. THK TKOLKI.E.S or 1 82T. The amicable relation.s existing lietwcen the governuicut officers and the Dakota.^, received a severe shock in IS'21. A party of Chipi)cwas having descended the Missis- sippi, on a Tisit to t)ic commandin;;' officer of the Fort, were allowed to encamp on the outside of the walls, and under the protection of the guns. During the night they were fired upon by a small numl>er of Dakotas, and two of their party wounded. Col. Snel- ling was informed of the outrage, and on the following morning he paraded his men under anas raarcheti toward the prairie, where a large numljcr of the Dakotas were assembled, and seized .some of the principal men as hostages, for the surrender of the guilty parties, and placed them under guard. During the next day, three of the young men, said to have participated in the night attack, were brought in and delivered up. They were immediately turned over to the Chippewas, wdio put them to death in the presence of Ihe troops; and two days after a fourth, having also been surrendered, met a like fate. The Ixxlies were suflfered to remain where they fell, without burial, until, becoming offen sive, they were thrown over the steep bluft', near the Fort. It subsequently appeared that but two out of the four were really guilty. One of the innocent men had sacrificed himself to shield his brother, who was a mere boy, and the other was not of the attack- ing party. The excitement which was produced by so unusual a proceeding, was pro digious, not only among the Dakotas, but among their white friends in the country. Tlie commandant was charged with nnjustifiablc haste in the summary execution of innwent men, and for a short time there was a fair prospect of an Indian war. Col. Snelling justified the steps lie had taken, on the ground that the American flag had been insulted, by the violence offered to Indians under its immediate protection, and it was hifl duty to punish the offenders. As a mere cjuestion of policy, there is no doubl that Col. Snelling committed a grave ftrror, in sacrificing four Dakota lives as an atonement for the wounding of two Chippe- was, ^-oth of whom recovered. True, the severity of the measure tended to prevent future onlbreak.s of a like kind, in the immediate vicinity of the Fort, but it also excited a far deeper exasi>eration in the minds of the Dakotas agaiaat their hereditary euemiea the Chippewa*-, and a spiiit of revenge njiainst the soldiers, l)oth of which found vent in bleod. Many u Chippewa sculp wnii lorn fr(nn the rucking iiead by the friends of the victims^ which, but for their unhappy fate, would have remained where Providence had placed it — atid a nunil>cr of American soldier^; supposed by their officers and comrads to have aUiuncfully deserted tbcir colors hud in nnlifv l)r(M rnthU'sdy sIhI'i, ;ind their bodies eoMealed by Dakota hands. SoTcrul of stjch cas«}.s were hrouglil Lo I glit iii alter ycar.s, by the traders, and avowei^ hj the ludians tlieir,.selves. One soldier was shot, and his body secreted near Lake ('alhoun— another wan dispowd of in like manner, about two miles below Mendota— and 1 inysflf di-voverfd the skeleton of a white man, not far from my present place of Tmidf:Xic; which (mh* Ihe nmrk f>f i< bullAt in the (♦kull, and which was rntogDized ae ADDRESS. IS the remains of a soldier, hy the strips of clothing fuund in tbe immediate ^ icinity. On one occasion, Alexaudei* Faribault, while descending the MiKsif-sip[)i in a boat, in cons- pany with others, found, at the head of Lake Pepin, four dead bodies of soldiers, partly devoured by birds of i>rey. The fate of the«e men elicited but little sympathy, for they were engaged in an attempt to desert, when they were St;t uiwn and bntchered, by cer- tain Dakotas of the Red Wing Band. Other instances no doubt occurred oC ihe .same kind, for the dchire of I'cvenge when owe aroused in the savage breast, is not easily Sittiated. Our fellow citizen, Josepli R. Brown, was at Lake Travers, when the Dakotas were delivered over to the Cbippewas for execution, and on his way back he narrowly escaped death, at Lac ^ui Parle, Traverse de Sioux and Six's Village, it being the avowed inten- tion of the friends of the victims to destroy him. UEGINXIN'G OF STEAM XAVIGATIOX. The rirst steamer that ever ascended the Upper Mississippi to Fort Snelling, was the " Virginia," a stern wheeled boat, which arrived at the post in the early part of May, 1823. It is related, that a sentinel on duty firs't heard the souud made by the escaping f'teara, before the boat was disceruiblc. He cried out most vociferously, and when officers and meu crowded around him for information, it happeued that the sounds were no longer audible. The poor fellow was in imminent danger of being put uuder guard, when the " Virginia" made her appearance, and her arrival was greeted by the Ixjominar oi' cauuou and by shouts of welcome from the whole command. Previous to the introduction of steamers upon the waters of the Upper Mis.si86ippi, keel boats were used exclusively for the transportation of troops and supplies. Sixty days time from St. Louis to Fort Snelling, was considered a good average trip. MISSIO.VARY OPEKATIONS. Samuel W. Pond and Gideon H. Pond, both of whom aru now highly rcbpected preachers of the gospel in Minnesota, came to this country in the spring of 1834, from New England. They resided with the Lake Calhoun Band of Dakotas for some time, teaching them how properly to cultivate the soil, while they at the .same time endea- vored to instil into the minds of these savages the truths of the Christian Religion. This attempt may be considered us the germ of rnodorn missionary enterprize in this Territory. Dr. AVilliamson was sent out with Mr. lluggins in 1835, by the A. B. C. F. M., and a station was formed at liaojui Parle. S. R. Riggs followed a short time after, and commenced operations at Travers de Sioux, but he was subsequently replaced at that point by Mr. Hopkins, Mr. R's i)ics6nco being required at Lac qui Parle. Dr. AVilliamson removed to Kaposia, a few miles below St. Paul, and commenced his labors there. Messrs. Denton and Gavin were despatched to this missionary field by a Swiss Society. Their sphere of operations was principally confined to the Red Wing Band of Dakotas, but their efforts were soon discontinued. Mr. Denton is now a citizen of Illinois, while his associate was ordered by the Society to which he was attached, to take up his residence among the New York Indians. The Catholic denomination have confined their labors to the Winn.-^bagoes, they never having made any locations in thr Dakota conntry. 14 ADDRESS. The missionaries have zealously devoted themselves to the work allotted to them, but it is to be regretted that there has been no good result produced in the I^orthweet, ex- cept at particular points, commensurate with the amount of money expended and the labor bestowed upon the enterprise. PIONEER LUMBER.MEX. The lumber trade, now so important in its character, may be said to have been origi- nated in 1839 or 1840, when Orange Walker and his partners, erected the marine mill on the St. Croix river. They were folio ved by John McKusick, who built a saw mill at Stillwater, in 1844, and by xVIowers and Loomis, who commenced the areola mills about the same time. These geatlemen, with Elam Greeley and the brothers Taylor, were the pioneers of the commerce in pine lumber in Minnesota. PIONEER FARMERS. Messrs. Haskell and Norris are eutitled to be considered the first farmers who made M nnesota their home, and who demonstrated that our lands are equal to any other in the West for the production of the cereals, a fact which was denied not only by men not resident in the territory, but by individuals among us. The agricultural and lumber interests are to be the great levers to raise us in our career of prosperity, and the origi- nators of each, the men " who have borne the burthen and heat of the day," should be remembered with honor, in the history of Minnesota . VISITS OF NOTAnLE CHARACTERS. Since the establithmeut of Fort Suelling, this region has been visited at various times by men distinguished for their public position, or for their literary or scientific attainments. In 18^0, Lewis Cass, with a small party, traversed Lake Superior in a bark canoe, under the orders of the government, made the i)ortage to Sandy Lake, and after various explorations, during which he visited the fine body of water that bears his name, he descended the Mississippi to the mouth of the Wisconsin river. In 1823, Major S. H. Long, with a few scientific men and an escort of soldiers, ex- plored the valley of the Minnesota, and the country lying between the sources of that stream and Pembina, where, or rather near which point he designated the line of 49'^ "North latitude, between the United States Territories and the British Possessions, by flxin-T a prominent post, with suitable inS(;riptions, deep in the earth. Ilcnry R. Schoolcraft, in 1832, was placed in charge of an e.xpedition, by the govern- ment, to examine the region between Lake Superior and the Miississippi. On this trip he discovered the source of the Grciit Father of waters — Itasca Lake. He also added much other valuable information to what was known of the valley of the Mississippi, and of its tributary streams. Jean N. Nicollet, the man to whose labors this Territory is so deeply indebted, first visited it in 1835. When in the employ of the government in 1839, he came across from Fort Pierre on the Missouri, to Mendota, and with him was John 0. Fremont, that being the first experience of the latter in prairie life. They were my guests for several weeks, and Fremont thm acconipnniod me on one <»f iny annual hunting excursions with the IndianBjto the ll'-A Cednr river, from whence I r-onducted hiin to Prairie du Chien. ADDRESS. 15 In the same year, George Catliu made bis appearance, a, luau wbutse work uu iLe North Ameriean Indians produced much sensation in this country, as well as in Europe. Of all those who have visited the wilds of the Northwest, no one was received with greater attention than George Cfttlin, by resident white men, and no one deserved it so little OS be did. His intention to devote a long time to the .study of Indian life and character and his eminent fitness for such an undertaking were made the subject of frequent editorials in the columns of the Xew York Commercial Advertiser, then under the char-rc of Col. Stone, and of other leading prints. According to t'.cir representations, tlie read- ing world was at length to be blessed with such a production as the interest and impor- tance of the subject required. Being furnished with letters to military ofRcei-s and civilians on the frontier, he was aided in every manner pos&iblo. His o>)ject in comin"- here was to visit the Pipe Stone Quarry, and I furnished horses, without charge, for himself and his companion, Mr. Wood, an English gentleman of intelligence, provided them with a trusty Indian guide, and gave them also letters to the gentlemen at the head of my trading poots on the route, which rendered it (juito certain that they would meet with no impediment from the Indians. They were questioned by the Dakotas at Traverse des Sioux, as to their intentions, but through the interference of Mr. Proveu- calle at that station, they were allowed to proceed without molestation. To judge from Catliu's description of the trip one Avould suppose that he had been kept close prisoner for some time, and that nothing but his own heroic daring saved him from being devoured by a band of blood-thirsty savages. His letters purporting to have been written at the Pipe Stone Quarry, but which did not appear in the Xew York papers until after his departure from the Upper Mississippi, contained severe reflections upon the military and upon traders alike, because the Indians were not better tutored than to interfere with an American citizen in his passage through their country. His letters abounded with mis-statements, and the voluminous work subsc(|ucntly produced by him was equal to them iu that respect. The people in this (juarter were absolutely astounded at his misrepresentations of men and things. There is but one redcemiD" feature in his book, and that is his sketches of Indian faces, and scenes, which arc suffi- ciently faithful, as he was skilful in that line, and his pencil could not, therefore, like his pen, vary much from the truth. He was followed, during the same season, by (}. W. Featherstouaugh, wlio styled himself U. S. Geologist, then on his way to the head of the St. Peters or Minnesota"' river. His appearance and manners were ill calculated to ensure him a favorable recep- tion among plain republicans. He was both aristocratic and conceited. His produc • tions are characterized by abuse of American society and of particular individuals. All the information embodied in it of any value to Minnesota, was the result of the labor of Lieut. Mather, a scientific officer, who accompanied him, but to whom he vouchsafed no credit whatever in his printed volumes. Capt. Maryatt, an English naval officer, known as the author of Peter SimpV, and other works of fiction, arrived at Mendota in 1837, and was my visitor for several weeks. He had little of the gentleman cither in his manners or appearance, nor can reliance be placed upon his statements of facts in his printed work. Like Feather- sonaugh, he was a thorough aristocrat in feeling, and like him, he manifested anything bnt friendship for the United States and its iustitntions. 16 ADDRESS. HISrORIC SKETCH OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A TERRITORIAL OOVERNMEXT. The first move ia Cougrcss for the establishment of a temporary government in Min- nesota took place during the session of 1846-7. A Bill for that purpose was intro- tlaced in the House of Representatives by Morgan L. Martin, Delegate from Wiscon- sin, iu anticipation of the admission of the State of Wisconsin into the Union, which Bill was referred to the Committee of Territories, Mr. Douglas being the Chairman. It happened that I was in Washington at the time the bill was discussed in committee, and I was consulted by Mr. Martin as to the propriety of the name, he stating that there had been four names proposed by different members, to wit : "Minnesota," as in the original bill, "Itasca," "Algonquin" aud "Chippewa, i urged him to use his best efforts to retain the name, it being the Indian term to designate the principal river tvhich took its rise and debouched within the proposed territorial limits, aud was there- fore iu accordance with the precedent set iu other cases, — aud he promised to do so. The Committee reported in favor of the Bill, with the change of Minnesota to Itasca, and with material alterations in the Eastern boundary. When it came up for consider- ation iu the House, Houston, of Delaware, proposed " Washington'' as the name of the new Territory ; Thompson, of Mississippi, was in favor of "Jackson," while AVinthrop, of Massachusetts, manifested much anxiety for the adoption of " ChippcAva," in lieu of " Itasca." The efi'ect of so much diversity of opinion on the part of prominent mem- bers was to cause the House to agree without a coimt to the motion of Mr. Martin, who proposed to substitute " Minnesota." The Bill, thus amended, passed the House, but was lost in the Senate. The admission of the Stale of Wisconsin was not effected without a severe struggle in fixing the Northwestern boundary. Some members were in favor of a line drawn due West from Lake Superior to the Mississippi, others advocated Rum river, others the St Croix, and still others the line from Rush river of Lake Pepin to Lake Superior. The adoption of either of the two first mentioned would have been attended with calami- tous results to the Territory, by excluding from its limits all of the region East of the Mississippi below, and more or less of that above the Falls of St. Anthony. The Rush river line was'by far the most just and reasonable, as it would have left the whole St. Croix valley which is identical in interest, within the .'^^amc political organization, instead of being divided as it now is. The utmost that could be obtained by the friends of the Territory, was the St. Croix line, and we have great reason to be thankful to them that we were not delivered over entirely to the mercies of our Wisconsin neigh- bors, whose affections for us was so great that they would willingly have swallo^ved all of us who resided on tiic East side of the river without manifesting any fear of nausea or indigestion. In 1848, the people of tljc lesiduuui of WiscuUbiu, not inchided within the state organization, determined to assort their rights to bo represented in Congress, and they wore aidwl by tliosc who lived on the West side of the Mississippi. The first meeting of which 1 have any knowledge, for the agitation of Ihe subject, was held in IFcnry Jack- »on's building, on Bcncli street, Ik; hiniKclf, Augu.ste Larpeuteur, Alexander McLeod, .[. W. Baftfl, David [^ambort, James .McJJoal, and several others, being present. There werfi .'Lppoloted a cliainnan and .'.efrotary, sumo speeches were ma •^ to an indefinite e.ttent, by details of personal adventures, and of incidents of wild life in the We.st. But I have already trespassed too much upon your time and patience, and 1 close with th« single remark, that I may, at no distant day, so far comply with the wishes of some of my friends, as to lay before the public the results of my experience and obserTation since my arrival in this country, with such other facts as may be connected with the history of the Northwest. F THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW. HericH !»4H2 3 1205 02529 5096 AA 000 879 098 2