USA > Minnesota > Jackson County > An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota > Part 5
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It was during, and as a result of, this severe winter that the first death occurred in Jackson county. During the summer of 1856 a military mail route had been
established between Mankato and Sioux City. This was a connecting link of a route extending from Fort Ridgely, in Minnesota, to Fort Randall, in Dakota, and traversed a practically uninhabited country. The contraet for carrying the mails over this part of the route was let to Marsh and Babcock, of Mankato, to whom were given, in addition to a money consideration, a half section of land every twenty miles along the route, upon which they were to build and maintain stations for the convenience of the carrier. There were no postoffices along the route. In the fall the contractors mapped out the route, selected their lands and built small cabins thereon, in which were stored hay for the carrier's pony and small supplies of pro- visions for the carrier. One of these sta- tions was built on the river on seetion 17, Belmont township; another was on Round lake, in the southwestern corner of Jack- son county. No one lived in these cabins and the carrier had to secure his fuel, make his fire and prepare his meals after having traveled, perhaps, thirty or forty miles through the winter storms. A man by the name of Hoxie Rathban was em- ployed as carrier, making the trip on a pony twice a month.
Mr. Rathban met his death at the sta- tion in Belmont township on December 26, 1856, after having been exposed to the terrible storms since early December, He had been gone so long on the trip that the contractors feared there must be some- thing wrong, so they sent two men to look for the missing carrier. The story of the finding of this unfortunate man is told in the language of Mr. Jareb Palmer :
Arriving at the mail station on the Des Moines river in this county on the 26th of December, they found the mail carrier there, but in a dying condition, being badly frozen, starving and unable to speak or move. He died a few minutes after he was found. He had evidently been there some time, but had not been able to build a fire, probably being too badly frozen when he reached the cabin
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
to have sufficient use of his hands to do 60. lle had lost his pony, probably in some snow drift, but had the mail sack all right, and in it was a letter postmarked at Sioux City on the 6th day of December. From this circum- stance it was evident that he had been out twenty days before he was found. His suf- ferings during those dreary days must have been terrible indeed, without the company, assistance or solace of a single human being. lle had a wife and family in Mankato who were left to mourn his terrible death.
The men who found Rathban had come through with a horse and jumper. They re- mained in the cabin over night and next morning commenced to retrace their lonesome and perilous journey, taking the frozen corpse with them. As it happened, William Wood and Nathaniel Frost had started to Mankato the same day with ox teams to bring in sup- plies. The two parties met near Elm ervek, about twelve miles northeast of Springfieldl. They eamped together for the night, and be- fore morning another terrible storm set in and they had to lay over all of the next day and night without a fire, the storm putting it out, but on the morning of the second day the storm had abated sufficiently for them to make their way back to Woods' store. and not till then did any of the settlers know of the death of the mail carrier.
The party laid over at Woods' store until the 31st day of December, when they onee more commenced their toilsome journey across the prairie and through the deeply drifted snow, taking the corpse with them. They were four days in reaching Mr. Slocum's, on the Watonwan, twenty-five miles this side of Mankato, his being the first house on the route. The weather was intensely cold and the party suffered severely, some of them freezing their hands and feet. Mr. Frost was among the number that suffered from frost bites. Mr. Wood reached Mankato and pro- cured his supplies, but was unable to haul them through the deep snow, even with ox teams. So he left Mr. Frost to care for the teams and returned alone and on foot to Springfield.
William Wood, who was a man of ex- traordinary grit and endurance, made two trips alone across the prairie to Manka- to during this winter. in addition to the one mentioned. While on one of these journeys he was overtaken by a storm at Cedar lake which put out his fire and drifted him under, covering him with snow to a depth of two feet. In that con- dition he lay two days and two nights. The experience was very painful as ho was unable to turn over. but was compel-
led to remain in one position until the -form abated. Then with great difficulty le dragged his benumbed and stiffened limbs from under the snow, made a fire, dried his clothes and blankets. prepared and ate a frugal meal, and hastened on his journey. It is such incidents as these that show what these pioneers of Jackson euun- ty endured.
Another incident of the winter illus- trates the terrible conditions of the set- tlers about Springfield and brought forth an act of heroism by a self-styled doctor. who performed several successful amputa- tions with improvised instruments.
About the first of February Robert Smith and John Henderson, who, it will be remembered. were living in the Chiffin rabin some distance up the river from the principal settlement, ran short of hay. and rather than sve their stock perish for want of food, decided to drive them to a settlement on the Watonwan river near Mankato. Preparing themselves as well as they could, they started out on foot one bright sunny morning, carrying the necessary provisions and a few blankets, driving the cattle ahead of them. Their progress was slow and they did not make more than ten miles when night came up- on them. The cattle were somewhat weak and were unable to wallow through the deeps drifts. so Smith and Henderson often had to go ahead and break a path for them.
At night the men made camp on the bleak prairie and were without shelter and fire. To their dismay there came up one of those ever dreaded blizzards-the ter- For of the prairie. So violent had the storm become by daybreak that they aban- doned their cattle, nearly all of which per- ished, and sought to save themselves. They endeavored to find their way back to the settlement. but owing to the blinding snow they could not tell in which way to pro-
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
ceed. They became completely lost and wandered about the prairie all that day and all the following night. They at- tempted to secure shelter by digging into the drifts of snow with their hands. Re- alizing that their only hope lay in trav- eling until the fury of the storm abated. they kept on, "going by guess" most of the time.
On the morning of the third day from the time they had left home the weather cleared and the unfortunate Smith and Henderson were able to discern the tim- ber on the Des Moines river. This gave them new hope and they struggled on until. about two o'clock in the afternoon. they arrived at the Wheeler cabin, badly froz- en and completely worn out. Fortunately Mr. J. B. Skinner, whose home was up the river, had just moved down to the Wheeler cabin and was on hand to ren- der what assistance he could to the poor men. Everything was done that kindheart- ed neighbors could do. It was found that one of Mr. Smith's feet was badly frozen, as well as both of Mr. Henderson's, whose hands were also badly frozen.
There was no regular physician in the settlement and it was out of the question to attempt to send for one. Both Mr. Skinner and Mr. Strong bore the title of "doctor." though neither had practiced the profession. The latter cared for the unfortunate men as best he could for about three weeks, when it became appar- ent that if the men's lives were to be saved amputation of the limbs must be made at once. Mr. Strong had only a rudi- mentary knowledge of surgery, but he did not hesitate to take the only course which offered a possibility of saving life. Con- cerning the operation Mr. Jareb Palmer has written :
Dr. Strong had a large medical work and a few common drugs but no surgical instru- ments. However, he seemed equal to the oc- casion and never seemed to doubt his ability
to perform the necessary operations and set about preparing the instruments. He was a wagonmaker by trade and had a chest of tools, and out of these lie manufactured some instruments which he thought would answer the purpose. The back was taken off a car- penter's bucksaw, knives and nippers were made. thread prepared for tying arteries, ete. He talked freely of the ways and wherefores of the different steps in the operation.
Finally, everything being in readiness, on the night before he was to undertake the operations, he administered to each patient a large dose of laudunum, as he said, to deaden the nerves and alleviate the pain. Everything being in readiness, we repaired to the house where the patients were staying and proceed- ed to undertake the unpleasant, painful and dangerous operations. The doctor had called to his assistance Mr. Stewart and Mr. Nelson. } also assisted by holding the torniquet. It was ahont the most unpleasant experience of my life. However, what must be done had to be done. With our assistance the doctor amputated Mr. Smith's leg below the knee, al-o one of Mr. Henderson's, but concluded the latter could not endure another without a season of rest, so he postponed the further operations till the next day, at which time Henderson's other foot was amputated. Hen- derson's hands were so badly frozen that he lost about one-half his fingers. We hardly ex- pected he could survive the double operation, but he did, owing probably to youth and a strong constitution. From the time of the operation both men seemed to get along as well as could be expected and they ultimately recovered. Henderson becoming a minister of the gospel and Smith a baker in a hotel at Fort Dodge, Iowa.
It was here in the month of February, 1857, on the banks of the Des Moines and in the midst of these primeval solitudes and such unpropitious surroundings that the first white child was born in Jackson county. The child was Grace Strong and was born to Dr. and Mrs. E. B. N. Strong.1
Of the residents of the Springfield set- tlement only William Wood and Adam Shiegley had any extensive knowledge of the Indians and their ways; the others were ignorant of Indian customs. None of the settlers had the least fear of the Indians camped near the whites or of those small bands which occasionally pas-
"Grace Strong became a temperance worker of national prominence and was the author of "The Worst Foe," a novel of more than ordi- nary merit. She died at Atlanta, Georgia, in 1890.
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
sed through.15 One such band passing through during the winter was led by that noted chief Sleepy Eye, who with a few warriors of his band took dinner at the home of Dr. Strong. None of these par- ties had ponies with them as the snow was too deep for them to travel. Whenever these roving bands stopped at the settle- ment the whites invited the red visitors to share their shelter and food and invaria- bly treated them with kindness. Nor did the Indians appear in worse than their normal mood.
Inkpaduta and his outlaw band passed through the settlement on their way south during the fall and camped on the river bottom near the site of the lower bridge in Jackson. The members of the band visited from house to house and were everywhere received kindly by the settlers,
""The few settlers trusted the friendship of the Sioux implicitly, as they [the Sioux] at that time boasted that they had never shed white man's blood. During the whole winter I never heard a single expression of fear or doubt of their friendship."-Jareb Palmer.
who shared with them their seanty fare, which had previously been transported over many weary miles of trackless prai- rie. The chief and his warriors were ac- quainted with the Wood brothers and dur- ing their stay they bought some goods at the store, promising to make payment in the spring.
The story of the Springfield settlement has been brought up to the month of March, 185;, at which time the little community was still snowbound, but hop- ing and expecting that spring would soon appear so that the work of farming and improving their claims might begin. Let us now interrupt the story of events at Springfield long enough to consider events that were taking place in other parts of the country-events which were to prove of terrible importance to our little band of frontiersmen, but of which they were at the time ignorant.
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTON, LENOX AND TIDEN FOUNDATIONAL
THE DES MOINES ATT
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CHAPTER III.
THE SPIRIT LAKE
MASSACRE-1857.
T O PROPERLY understand the conditions that preceded, and the causes that led up to, the outbreak of Inkpaduta's little outlaw band of Sioux Indians, culminating in the massacres at the Okoboji lakes and at the Springfield settlement in March, 1857, it is necessary to go back to a very early day for some of our information. While the Indians who participated in the massacres were Sioux, they were members of an outlaw band of that nation, and the outrages of 185: cannot properly be charged to the Sioux nation.
Except for a brief time during the war of 1812 the Sioux of Minnesota had been faithful in their friendship toward the whites from the time of the treaty made with Lieutenant Pike in 1805. This was true with only a few individual excep- tions,1 which can not be charged to the nation as a whole or to any individual tribe. Although all of the recognized Sioux tribes were on friendly terms with the whites until the great outbreak of 1862, in the thirties there separated from the other tribes a lawless band which were enemies to all other Indians and in time came to be troublesome to the whites. This
'The Sisseton Sioux murdered two drovers near Big Stone lake in 1846; the same tribe killed Elijah S. Terry near Pembina in 1852; a drunken Indian killed a Mrs. Keener near Shakopee in 1852.
was the beginning of the band which con- ducted the horrible butcheries at Okoboji lakes and at Springfield. The story of the origin of this band and its early history is interesting.
During the thirties the greater part of the Wahpakoota branch of the Sioux lived in the Cannon river country, and its head chief was Tah-sah-ghce, or His Cane. Un- der him was a sub-chief named Black Eagle, who frequently had a small village in the Blue Earth country. Black Eagle's band was composed largely of desperate characters who frequently made incursions against the Sacs and Foxes in Iowa. The latter retaliated by raiding not only Black Eagle's village on the Blue Earth. but al- so the main body of the Wahpakootas un- der Tah-sah-ghee in the Cannon river country.
About 1839 Tah-sah-ghee was murdered by some members of his own band. It was commonly believed that the murder was done by Inkpaduta :" at any rate that warrior was an accomplice. The killing of their chief caused great consternation and indignation among the Wahpakootas, and Inkpaduta and his accomplices were forced to flee. They went to the Blue
"Inkpaduta. also spelled Inkpadoota, has been variously translated to mean Scarlet End. Red End and Scarlet Point. He was born on the Cannon river about 1800. Mrs. Abbie Gardner-
47
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IHISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Earth country, where Black Eagle and five hundred and to have had eighty lodg- his little band were then located, and took temporary refuge there. The murderers we're soon chased out, however, by the Cannon river Wahpakootas, who vowed vengeance. The coming of Inkpaduta and his fellow murderers broke up the band of Black Eagle and that chief with some of his warriors filed with Inkpaduta to the northern lowa country.
The band was now outlawed and all In- Jian tribes were its enemies. Black Eagle became chief and led his band to many adventures and over a large territory, they seldom comingling with other tribes. From time to time additions were made to the band by the arrival of some desperate character from one of the several Sioux tribes, who fled his own country by reason of some crime committed. and sought ref- uge with the outlaws. Among those who so joined the band at an carly date was Si-dom-i-na-do-ta," or All Over Red, who fled from Sleepy Eye's band of Sisseton Sioux. Black Eagle was murdered after he had been chief only a short time and was succeeded by Si-dom-i-na-do-ta, the second in command being Inkpaduta.
When the outlaw erew began its career it is said to have consisted of only five lodges. The band gradually gained strength by the acquisition of disorderly and turbulent characters until at one time it is said to have numbered above Sharp, who was taken prisoner by him. says in her History of the Spirit Lake Massacre: "As I remember Inkpaduta, he was probably fifty or sixty years of age, about six feet in height, and strongly built He was deeply pit- ted by smallpox, giving him a revolting ap. pearaner and distinguishing him from the rest of the band. Ils family consisted of himself and squaw, four sons and one daughter. His vatural enmity to the white man, his desparate- ly bold and revengeful disposition, his hatred of his enemies, even of his own race, his match- less success on the war path, won for him honor from his own people, distinguished him as a hero, and made him a leader of his race. By the whites especially those who have es- caped the scenes of his brutal carnage, to wear, within, the garb of deepest mourning. from the severing of social, parental nnd filial ties Inkpadria will ever he remembered as a savage monster in human shape, fitted only for the darkest corner of Hades."
2.Also spelled Sinomminer Doota.
es. They were almost constantly at war with neighboring bands, notably with the Pottawattomies, the Sax and the Foxes, and had several bloody battles with these tribes. This constant warfare greatly re- duced the renegade band. and when white settlers began to gather in their territory they had not the power of former years. Later wars with the Winnebagoos reduced their fighting force still more.
Of all the Sioux bands this was the only one that made trouble for carly day white settlers, and they were uniformly hostile to all with whom they came in contact, fear of punishment being the only restraint upon their lawlessness.5 The first instance of its hostility to the whites was in 1846, when the band broke up. plundered and drove away a party of gov- ernment surveyors. Two years later an at- taek was made on another party of sur- veyors under Mr. Marsh, who was run- ning a correction line across the state of Iowa.
#Fulton's Red Men of lowa tells of some of these baltles:
"Before the removal of the Pottawattomies and the Sax and Fox Indians this band had several bloody battles with these tribes, The most noted of which, and that which proved most disastrous to the Sioux, took place near the headwaters of Raccoon river. The Sioux had waylaid and massacred 'n party of Dela- wares who were on their way to visit their friends, the Sacs and Foxes, who were then holding a great dance and festival near the site of the present city of Des Moines. Only and Delaware escaped. He hastened to the camp of his friends. An avenging party led by thal noted chief. Pash-epa-ha. Then eighty years old, was soon on the war path. After A journey of a hundred miles they overlook the Sioux and slow. It Is said, three hundred of them with a loss of only eight of their own braves.
"The band also had several battles with the Pottawattamies. One of these took place at Twin lakes, about fifty miles west of Forl Dodge, and another on the South Lizard in what is now Webster county. The last battle between Indian tribes known to have tokon place on lowa soil was fought in 1952 between a part of this band and a band of Musquaktes. The battle feld is not far from The present town of Algona. There the Sioux were again defeated "
a small band of savages, rene- gades and outlaws from the Sioux, owing neith- or allegience nor obedience to any chief or hand. or other authority, white or red. They were Ishmaelites whose hands were against all other men, and who were particularly hated by their own kindred and nation."-Minnesota in Three Centuries.
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
The surveyors of this party had just crossed to the west side of the Des Moines a little below the present site of Fort Dodge when they were met by Si-dom-i- na-do-ta and a portion of his lawless band. The Indians forbade the surveyors to pro- ceed and ordered them back to the east side of the river, declaring that the land on the west side belonged to them. After making this declaration the Indians left while the whites continued with the work. They had gone but a short distance when the red men returned and broke the in- struments and wagons and robbed the sur- veyors of their horses and provisions. Marsh and his men then made the best of their way home.
After this the few settlers along the Des Moines river were made the victims of repeated robberies and outrages. Such conduet on the part of Si-dom-i-na-do-ta led the government to establish the post at Fort Dodge, which was done in 1850. For a time peace resulted along the Des Moines, but farther west, on the Raccoon and Boyer rivers, the savages continued their old game. In October, 1852, they attacked and robbed a family on Boyer liver and took a young man and young woman prisoners. A detachment of troops from Fort Dodge overtook a portion of the perpetrators of this outrage and made prisoners of Inkpaduta and Umpashota, whom they held as hostages until the cap- tives and stolen property were returned. At another time two or three white pris- oners were taken by the renegades, but were forced by the troops to release them.
In July, 1853, Fort Dodge was aban- doned as a military post, the troops going north and establishing Fort Ridgely in what is now the extreme northwest corner of Nicollet county, Minnesota, on the Minnesota river above New Ulm. Si-dom- i-na-do-ta and his band were not slow to take advantage of the absence of the sol-
diers and they became very troublesome to the settlers along the Des Moines, both above and below Fort Dodge. Retribution overtook the red handed leader of this gang of outlaws in 1854. An excellent account of his taking off and the tragic events which preceded it has been given by Mr. Jareb Palmer :6
There were also wicked and dissolute white men who lived off the appetites and baser passions of the savages. Among these was a man by the name of Henry Lott, who in the fall of 1846 was living and conducting a small trading station on the Des Moines river a short distance below the mouth of Boone river, about twenty-five miles south of where Fort Dodge now is, and I suppose his principal stock in trade was "firewater" or whiskey.
Late in the fall of this year a party of Winnebagoes came to his . place with a span of Indian ponies which they wanted to sell, and they finally made a trade with Loti, who got the ponies, presumably, for what is usual- ly termed a song. Lott's family at this time consisted of his wife, a stepson, about eigh- teen years old, an own son, thirteen years old; and probably two or three small children. Af- ter the Winnebagoes had gone Lott took the span of ponies and started for Fort Des Moines to get supplies for his family and for trade with the Indians. A few days after he went a party of Sioux under Si-dom-i-na-do-ta came there and demanded the ponies, saying the Winnebagoes had stolen them, and when told that the ponies were not there they re- fnsed to believe it and ordered the oldest boy to go ont and get tlem. The boy left and immediately started down the river in the hope of meeting his stepfather. After wait- ing an hour or two and the boy not return- ing, the Indians ordered the younger boy to go and get the ponies, and ke, like his brother, started down the river to meet his father.
By this time it was nearly night, and dark- ness soon setting in and a blinding snow storm coming on, the boy became confused and perished by freezing to death. The older hoy succeeded in reaching his father and they scon reached home and found the younger boy gone. They, in company with some neigh- hors, immediately started a search and soon found the lifeless body stark and eold in death. Lott seems to have taken the loss of his son very deeply to heart, and although there is no evidence of his seeking immediate revenge, he seems to have brooded over it and awaited a favorable opportunity to do so.
In the meantime [in ]853] the soldiers had been removed from Fort Dodge to Fort Ridge- ly, and Lott himself, soon after that event, moved from the mouth of Boone river to near the mouth of Lott's creek. on the cast
GCompiled from Fulton's Red Men of Iowa and from personal interviews.
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