USA > Minnesota > Ramsey County > St Paul > A history of the city of Saint Paul, and of the county of Ramsey, Minnesota > Part 8
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The History of the City of Saint Paul, [1839
subsequently, the name became attached to that locality, and it will probably be known as such, until the end of time.
SETTLERS AT "PIG'S EYE" IN 1839.
During the summer of 1839, quite a number of Canadians settled at the locality now known as Pig's Eye, then called the Grand Marais. [PIKE, who was here in 1805, speaks of it by that name in his work.] Among them were: AMABLE TURPIN, MICHEL LECLAIRE, ANTOINE LECLAIRE, FRANCIS GAMMELL, - LASART, JOSEPH LABISINIER, HENRY BEL- LAND, CHEVALIER, AMABLE MORIN, and CHARLES MOUSSEAU. It is possible, however, that some of these may have located there in the fall of 1838, after the ratification of the treaty was known, but at least the above, with perhaps more now forgotten, were living at Pig's Eye in the year men- tioned. They were all in the employ of the Fur Company, as voyageurs, a portion of the year, and, when not needed by the company, cultivated their little farms in quiet.
AMABLE TURPIN Was the father of Mrs. LOUIS ROBERT. He was born at Montreal, Canada, about the year 1766, as, when he died, in 1866, he was in his 100th year-a span of life that falls to the lot of but a small percentage of mortals. While a young man, he went to Mackinac, and thence to Green Bay, and finally to Prairie du Chien, where he was in the employ of the American Fur Company for many years. The date of his settlement in Prairie du Chien is not now remembered accu- rately, but it must have been early during the present century, as when the British captured that place, in 1814, Mr. TURPIN was a citizen of influence and widely known in the Northwest. He had, during his long life, traveled on business for the Fur Company, over every portion of the Northwest, while it was an utter wilderness, only penetrated occasionally by adventur- ous fur-traders or devoted missionaries. He was generally selected by the Fur Company for any mission or voyage of more than usual difficulty, danger and hardship. His ad- ventures, during his many perilous journeys among the Indians, and in the forests and lakes of the Northwest, would fill vol- umes. He possessed a physique of extraordinary power and
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1839] and of the County of Ramsey, Minnesota.
endurance. He lived at Pig's Eye several years, and ultimately removed to Saint Paul, where he died May 4, 1866, having almost rounded out a century. Mrs. TURPIN used to teach the catechism to the half-breed children at the Grand Marais, before the arrival of Father GALTIER-being the first religious teaching in this locality, except the missionary work among the Indians.
MICHEL LECLAIRE and ANTOINE LECLAIRE were, I be- lieve, brothers. They came from Canada-date unascertained by the writer. ANTOINE LECLAIRE, I think, had lived at Mendota several years before settling at Pig's Eye. It is prob- able that MICHEL LECLAIRE was the first settler at the Grand Marais, as the locality was known along the river shortly after that time, as "Point LeClaire." [See letter of Rev. L. GAL- TIER, post.] LECLAIRE had a dispute, several years subse- quent to this date, with PIERRE PARRANT, about the ownership of a claim at the Grand Marais, which is fully narrated a few pages further on. LECLAIRE died at Pig's Eye, about the year 1849, leaving quite a numerous family, some of which still live in this vicinity. He seems to have been a carpenter by trade, as VETAL GUERIN states that he made the doors and windows for his (G.'s) cabin, in 1840.
Of ANTOINE LECLAIRE, or his subsequent history, I have been unable to learn anything.
FRANCIS GAMMEL's history will be found more fully nar- rated in the events of the year 1842, where he plays a some- what conspicuous part.
JOSEPH LABISINIER came from Canada originally, and lived some time at Red River, where he married a Moutinier woman. He came from Red River to Fort Snelling, in 1836, with the same company in which RONDO et als. immigrated to Minne- sota. One or two of his cotemporaries think he settled at Pig's Eye in the fall of 1838-but at least he was living there as early as 1839. In 1842, he made a new claim, occupying a part of Jackson and Robert street hill, and extending down to about Twelfth street. He erected a cabin near the head of Jackson street, which was burned down about three years ago. His claim he sold to JAMES R. CLEWETT, in 1843-considera- tion, a horse-and retired a little further back, toward Lake
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Phelan, where he made a new claim. He died at Osseo, Minnesota, several years since, at quite an advanced age, leav- ing several children, some of whom reside here yet. His widow died about five years ago.
HENRY BELLAND, another resident of the Grand Marais in 1839, subsequently resided in West Saint Paul for many years, and is still a citizen of that locality.
AMABLE MORIN now lives at Wheatland, Rice county.
CHARLES MOUSSEAU was in reality more a resident of Saint Paul than of Pig's Eye, since his claim was on Dayton's Bluff, and not in the Marais at all. MOUSSEAU was a native of Can- ada-born 1807. He came to Minnesota in 1827, as a voya- geur of the Fur Company. In 1836, he was married to FANNY PERRY, at Fort Snelling, and in the fall of 1838, or spring of 1839, made a claim as above stated, in what is now Saint Paul. This claim he sold, in 1848, to EB. WELD, and moved to Hen- nepin county, of which he has been a resident ever since. Mr. MOUSSEAU now resides in Minneapolis, and has had twelve children, nine of them now living.
DENIS CHERRIER came to the Grand Marais in the fall of 1839. He is a native of Prairie du Chien,-born 1816. Late in the fall, he started for Pig's Eye, on a steamer, with a stock of goods, but the river closed with ice at the head of Lake Pepin, so that the boat could not get through, and CHERRIER came on in a canoe. He sold his goods that fall and returned to Prairie du Chien, but came up again the next year, and has been a resident of Saint Paul ever since. He has owned several claims at different times, and, had he held on to any one of them, might be well off, but, like many of our pioneers, he sold them for a mere song, and is still poor. DENNY's violin used to en- liven the dances in early days, and some of the girls of thirty years ago-grandmothers now-may remember how they . danced all night to his music.
JAMES R. CLEWETT.
During this year, JAMES REUBEN CLEWETT became a resi- dent of the little settlement. Mr. CLEWETT was born in England, in 1810, and came to America in 1829. He lived in
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Canada for a couple of years, and, in 1831; was hired by GABRIEL FRANCHERE, an agent of the American Fur Com- pany, to come to Minnesota in the service of that company, as a voyageur, clerk, &c. On arriving at Prairie du Chien, CLEWETT was assigned, by the late HERCULES DOUSMAN, to ROCQUE's Trading Post, below Lake Pepin. At that time he could not speak a word of French, but was soon compelled to learn it, as well as Sioux, because English was not spoken by any one at the post. No one but CLEWETT could read or write, and he kept all the books and accounts of the post. After serving at ROCQUE's two years, in 1834 he was sent to Lake Traverse to " old man" MOOER's Trading Post. He re- mained in that region until the winter of 1838-9, when he came to Grey Cloud Island, below Saint Paul, with JOSEPH R. BROWN, who latterly had been in charge of the Lake Traverse Post. After remaining there, and at Mendota a short time, he went to live at ABRAHAM PERRY's, on his claim in upper Saint Paul, and in April of 1839, married ROSE PERRY, one of the daughters of the old gentleman, being the first marriage in Saint Paul. Soon after, CLEWETT purchased the claim of "JOHNSON," which subsequently (1843) passed into the pos- session of Hon. NORMAN W. KITTSON, and was laid out as "Kittson's Addition." He then purchased a small claim of LABISINIER, on Jackson street hill, where he resided until 1851, when he removed to White Bear Lake, and has resided there since that date. Mr. CLEWETT has had 12 children, eight of whom are married, and have considerable families. He has ยท been engaged in steamboating on Red River for two or three seasons past, and is still active and hearty, bidding fair to live for a score of years yet.
THE FIRST MARRIAGE, BIRTH AND DEATH.
The year 1839 witnessed the first marriage, birth and death, which occurred in the little hamlet that subsequently became Saint Paul-the initial of the long series of those "important events" in the life of each one of its future citizens, which will gladden or sadden households, as long as the stream of hu- manity flows.
7
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The History of the City of Saint Paul, [1839
The first birth of a white child, was in the family of BENJA- MIN GERVAIS. His youngest son, BASIL GERVAIS, was born September 4, 1839, and is now, at the age of 36 years, a re- spected citizen of Centerville, Anoka county.
In a newspaper sketch, which the writer of this published several years ago, it was stated. (on the authority of the late VETAL GUERIN, then our oldest settler,) that his son, DAVID GUERIN, now deceased, was the first white child born in Saint Paul. Mr. GUERIN supposed this was the case. Subsequent investigation of church registers, however, shows this to be an error. DAVID GUERIN was not born until the fall of 1841. The register of Saint Gabriel's Church, at Prairie du Chien, shows BASIL GERVAIS to have been born September 4, 1839, and baptized by Rev. A. RAVOUX, then at Prairie du Chien, May 10, 1840, while his mother was on a visit to that place. Mr. CLEWETT was long under the impression that his oldest son, ALBERT, was the first white child born here, but it was not until January, 1840, some four months after Mr. GERVAIS was born.
The first marriage, conformable to the laws of the land, which occurred in Saint Paul, was that of J. R. CLEWETT, to ROSE PERRY, in April, of this year. The ceremony was performed by Rev. J. W. POPE, a Methodist missionary at Kaposia.
Of the first death we will now proceed to speak.
THE MURDER OF HAYS.
PHELAN and HAYS, who were partners in the claim busi- ness, had been residing in the cabin on PHELAN's claim, since April of this year, 1839. It was in a lonely spot, a mile or more from any other habitation, and but seldom did any one visit the cabin of the two settlers. PHELAN, as before re- marked, was regarded by the other settlers, as a bad, unscrupu- lous, wicked man. HAYS was supposed to have considerable money, received on his discharge from the army, and the two held in common several cattle and other personal property. The two men were as unlike as possible in their disposition,
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1839] and of the County of Ramsey, Minnesota.
character, &c., and it was known that they did not agree very well. Such was the situation of matters in September, 1839.
About the middle of that month, HAYS mysteriously disap- peared. He was missed for several days, and, to inquiries as to his whereabouts, PHELAN gave evasive and unsatisfactory answers. The rumor of his disappearance reached Fort Snel- ling, where HAYS was well known and liked. TALIAFERRO makes this record in his journal :
" Sunday, 15th September, 1839, a man, by name HAYS, an Irishman, lost. Supposed killed-even reported to have been murdered by the Chief Wa-kin-yan-ton-ka, [BIG THUNDER-LITTLE CROW'S father. ] No belief rests with me. I incline to the opinion that his neighbor, PHELAN, knows something. HAYS lived with him, and had money."
On September 27, TALIAFERRO made the following entry : " Wabsheedah, or the DANCER, called at the office to say that his sons had found the body of Mr. HAYS, lost some time ago, in the river near Carver's Cave."
. Maj. TALIAFERRO at once sent Wabsheedah to Maj. PLYMP- TON with the following note :
"AGENCY HOUSE, Saint Peter's, September 27, 1839.
" MAJOR : I have sent the bearer, a good Indian, to go with the gen- tlemen who are in quest of the identity of Mr. HAYS' body, now in the water near CARVER's old cave. The Indian will conduct them to the spot, being so directed by his chief, if requested so to do.
" Very respectfully, your obedient servant, "LAW. TALIAFERRO, Indian Agent."
The body of poor HAYS was at once secured. On examin- ation, his head, jaws and nose were found badly mashed by violent blows, unmistakably indicating a desperate murder. PHELAN was at once arrested, by warrant issued by HENRY H. SIBLEY, as Justice of the Peace, and, on the 28th, was examined before that officer as to his knowledge of HAYS' death. The evidence adduced and the other circumstances known, were sufficient to justify his commitment to answer the charge of murder in the first degree, and he was consequently confined in the guard-house at the fort, until the next steamboat arrived, when he was sent to Prairie du Chien, county seat of Craw- ford county, Wisconsin Territory, in which the crime had been committed, to await trial.
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DID PHELAN MURDER HAYS?
It is somewhat a late day, 36 years after the event, to place PHELAN on trial before the public, as to his guilt in the murder of his partner, but we propose only to advance such facts as . the lapse of time have left, bearing on the case.
Of PHELAN's guilt no one who was resident in this vicinity had any doubt. Hon. H. H. SIBLEY, who carefully sifted the evidence on the examination of PHELAN, says it was such as to leave no doubt of his guilt. Gen. SIBLEY thinks he pre- served a copy of the evidence taken-but has been unable, so far, to find it in his mass of papers. Mrs. BENJ. GERVAIS and WILLIAM EVANS were two witnesses who were subpoenaed to go to Prairie du Chien at the trial, the following spring, and give evidence against PHELAN. What testimony EVANS may have been in possession of, I cannot ascertain. Mrs. GER- VAIS, whose memory is remarkably clear for one so aged, says, among other things, that, a short time before the murder of HAYS, she asked PHELAN how he and HAYS got along. " Very badly," replied PHELAN. "He is a lazy good-for- nothing. But never mind," (he added, with a wicked look,) "I'll soon get rid of him." ALPHONSE GERVAIS stated that he saw blood on PHELAN's clothes, and that, when PHELAN's cabin was searched, bloody clothes were found beneath the floor. He states, moreover, that he found the place, near the cabin, where the act was committed, being led thither by a very sagacious dog he owned, who smelled the blood, and plainly traced the route by which the body was dragged to the river from thence. Others also saw these evidences of a mur- der. J. R. CLEWETT says he thought, at the time, the Indians had committed the murder ; and that one Indian, a few years afterward, just before his death, confessed that he was the murderer of HAYS; also, that some of the Kaposia Indians used to assert that a brother of LITTLE CROW had committed the act. But Gen. SIBLEY says this is impossible. That had any Indian committed the act, he (Gen. S.) would certainly have found it out. Moreover, there was no particular motive for the Indians to have murdered HAYS, more than any one
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1839] and of the County of Ramsey, Minnesota.
else, while two powerful motives would seem to have influ- enced PHELAN-revenge and avarice.
There is, then, no alternative left, but to record PHELAN as the murderer of HAYS. He must stand, on the chronicles of our city, as its CAIN-the first who imbrued his hands with the blood of his brother-a crime too often; alas, repeated since that day.
THE SURVEY OF THE RESERVATION.
Maj. TALIAFERRO, in his journal, under date of October 5, 1839, says :
" Lieut. THOMPSON is engaged in making the lines for the military Reservation around Fort Snelling. 'From Mississippi five miles up the Saint Peter's; thence west to Lake Harriet, seven miles ; thence along Lake Harriet to the Lake of the Isles; thence to the portage landing, above the falls, one-fourth of a mile; across the Mississippi, five miles.' 'The line,' he says further, ' comes below the cave ;' and, in another place, ' that it extends much further east than any survey hitherto.'"
Maj. PLYMPTON, on November 29, transmits this map to the War Department, with the following statement :
" The red lines show the boundaries of the Reservation, and which are conformable to the survey of Lieutenant SMITH, with this slight difference : that, in his survey, the principal lines, from river to river, were necessarily (from the season and weather) left imaginary, which, upon an actual survey, will be found (to embrace the necessary wood- land and to preserve the cardinal points) to cross the Mississippi a little further down than that imaginarily indicated on the map of Lieutenant SMITH'S survey.
" The limits of the Reservation, as now marked, embrace no more ground, I conceive, than is absolutely necessary to furnish the daily wants of this garrison, and, could they be extended further into the country on the east side of the river, it would, no doubt, add to the quiet of this command."
The limits fixed were entirely arbitrary. They were not governed by the " daily wants" of the garrison, for the addi- tional woodland secured was of no value or importance to the post, and was never utilized. The line was extended far be- yond the possible intent of the Reservation. JOHN R. IRVINE states, that when he came here, four years after, the east line
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The History of the City of Saint Paul, [1839
of the Reservation ran about where the Seven Corners now is, thence northwardly to about where the Park Place Hotel stands.
ORDER FOR THE EXPULSION OF THE SQUATTERS FROM THE RESERVE.
But we must return, to preserve the chronological order of events, to the efforts made by the military authorities, for the expulsion of squatters from the Reserve. Hon. JOEL R. POIN- SETT, Secretary of War, after duly considering the letters of Surgeon EMERSON and Gen. WOOL, given in preceding pages, issued the following order :
"WAR DEPARTMENT, October 21, 1839.
"SIR: The interests of the service, and the proper and effective maintenance of the military post at Fort Snelling, requiring that the intruders on the land recently reserved for military purposes, opposite to that post east of the Mississippi River, be removed therefrom, the President of the United States directs that, when required by the com- manding officer of the post, you proceed there, and remove them, under the provisions of the act of March third, 1807, entitled 'An act to pre- vent settlements being made on lands ceded to the United States, until authorized by law.'
"You will satisfy yourself of the shortest period within which the intruders can make their arrangements for removal, and depart from the Reservation, without serious loss or sacrifice of the property which they may have to take with them ; and you will promptly make known to them that it is expected they will not delay beyond that period; as, should they do so, it will become your duty to remove them by mili- tary force. It is hoped, however, that a resort to such force for this purpose, which, by the act above mentioned, the President is authorized to employ, will not be necessary; but that they will promptly depart, on being informed of the determination of the executive, not to permit them to remain. Should you, however, be unfortunately obliged to use force in order to accomplish the object, you are authorized to call for such as you may deem necessary, on the commanding officer at Fort Snelling. In this event, you will act with as much forbearance, consid- eration, and delicacy as may be consistent with the prompt and faithful performance of the duties hereby assigned to you, first fully and mildly explaining the folly of resistance on their part, and your own want of discretion in the matter.
"Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
"J. R. POINSETT.
" EDWARD JAMES, Esq.,
"United States Marshal for the Territory of Wiskonsan, Peru."
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1839] and of the County of Ramsey, Minnesota.
It was probably the intention of POINSETT and PLYMPTON to have ejected the squatters that fall. By an accident, however, the above letter was not received by Mr. JAMES for several months, as his reply below shows :
"MINERAL POINT, WISCONSIN TERRITORY, "February 18th, 1840.
"SIR : By the evening's mail, I have received your instructions of October 21, 1839, relative to the removal of intruders at Fort Snelling. The delay of their receipt has, doubtless, been occasioned by their be- ing directed to Peru, which is in Iowa Territory.
"I have not as yet received any request from the commanding officer of that fort, but shall promptly attend to the duty whenever required. "Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
"EDWARD JAMES, "Marshal of Wisconsin. " Hon. J. R. POINSETT."
ACTION OF THE WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE.
Probably finding there was no stay of execution to be se- cured from any other source, the squatters within the lines of Maj. PLYMPTON'S Reserve, seem to have appealed to the Wis- consin Legislature to interfere in their behalf. That body con- sequently passed the following concurrent resolutions :
" Whereas, the advantages of steamboat landings are of vast impor- tance to an agricultural district, and particularly necessary to the citi- zens of this Territory residing near the head of the navigation of the Mississippi river; and whereas, the military Reservation of Fort Snel- ling, in Iowa Territory, has been so surveyed as to embrace the only convenient steamboat landing east of the Mississippi, for fifteen miles below the head of navigation, and also includes a valuable agricultural district, much of which is under a good state of cultivation, and occu- pied by an industrious and enterprising people, some of whom have made valuable improvements ; and whereas, it appears efforts are being made by the military of said fort to procure a section of the Reserve as lately surveyed, for speculative purposes, and without any regard to the good of the military service : Now be it
" Resolved, by Council and House of Representatives of the Territory of Wisconsin, That our delegate in Congress be requested to protest against the extension of the military Reserve of Fort Snelling to the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi.
" Resolved, That the Governor be requested to forward one copy of
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the foregoing preamble and resolutions to the Secretary of War, and one copy to our delegate in Congress.
" Approved December 16, 1839."
On January 12, 1840, Governor J. D. DOTY addressed the Secretary of War as follows :
" WASHINGTON, January 12, 1840.
"SIR : The Legislative Assembly of Wisconsin has, by a resolu- tion, approved by the Governor on the 16th of December, 1839, requested me to protest against the extension of the military Reservation of Fort Snelling to the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River, with which I have now the honor to comply.
"A question of some importance will arise if the Reservation is made, which I beg leave to state : The United States may reserve any portion of its lands from sale, but can it extend a military jurisdiction over so large a tract of country as is embraced in the limits of this Res- ervation by the simple declaration that it is necessary for military pur- poses ?
" A Territory is a State under a temporary form of government. It may be doubtful with some whether Congress may exercise exclusive jurisdiction over this Reservation, the purchase having been made with- out the consent of the Legislature of that State. Against the exercise of that jurisdiction the legislative power of that State now protests.
" The subdivisions of the territory northwest of the Ohio are de- nominated States in the ordinance of 1787. And in the third section it is ordained that 'the laws to be adopted or made (by the Legislature) shall have force in all parts of the district.' It also requires the Gov- ernor 'to lay out the parts of the district, in which the Indian titles shall have been extinguished, into counties and townships.' An exclu- sive military jurisdiction would be incompatible with the exercise of this power by the Territorial Government.
"I am advised that a copy of the resolution of the Assembly of Wis- consin has been forwarded to the War Department, and I beg leave to refer to the reasons therein stated.
" I have the honor to be, sir, with great respect, your obedient servant, "J. D. DOTY. " Hon. J. R. POINSETT, Secretary of War."
VETAL GUERIN.
A few pages back, mention was made of one VETAL GUERIN, who purchased PARRANT's original claim, but who never came into possession of it, for reasons there stated.
VETAL GUERIN Was born in Saint Remi, Canada, July 17,
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and of the County of Ramsey, Minnesota. 97
1812. His father was LOUIS GUERIN, a voyageur by occupa- tion, who died in 1865, at the ripe age of 83. VETAL grew up into the same occupation as his father. In 1832, when he was 20 years of age, a lithe, sinewy young fellow, VETAL en- listed in the service of the American Fur Company, under
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