USA > Minnesota > Nobles County > An illustrated history of Nobles County, Minnesota > Part 3
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The Wakpatootas, or People of the Shot Leaf. were in villages on Cannon lake, a short distance from the present city of Faribault, and at a few other points. They numbered about too war- riors. The lower Wakpatons. or People of the Leaf, were located at Little Rap- ids. Sand Prairie and on the banks of
'Do not confound with Jean Nicollet, an American pioneer from France who visited the
the Minnesota, not far from Belle Plaine. The lower Sisetons occupied the regions around Traverse des Sioux. Swan lake and the Cottonwood, extending to the Cotean des Prairies. It was this band which claimed jurisdiction over the pres- cnt day counts of Nobles. The upper Wakpaton tril had its villages on the shores of the lae qui Parle. The upper Sissetons were on Big Stone lake and lake Traverse.
Portions of Minnesota had been vis- ited by whites at a very early day. but the southwestern portion was unvisited until long after other parts were fairly well known. Catlin. Schoolcraft. Feath- erstonhaugh. Allen. Keating and Long were early explorers to the wilds of Minnesota, but they confined themselves lo the ready routes of travel, passing through the country in a single season. But in the late thirties appeared one who crossed the upper Mississippi coun- try in all directions, spending several years, winters included. in procuring data for his map. This was Josoph Nicolas Nicollet.' who, so far as I am able to learn. was the first white man io set foot on the soil of Nobles county. Ilp gave names to many lakes and phy- sical features or adopted those which were current, and his map, issued in 1812. shows The scope of his explorations.
The country of which Nobles county forms a part was labeled "Sisseton Coun- fry" on his map. he finding that that branch of the Dakotas were in possession He found that the region west of the Mississippi had several plateaus, or ele- vated prairies, which marked the limits of the various river basins. The most remarkable of these he called Plateau du l'olean des Prairies (plateau of prairie heights) and Coteau du Grand Bois country nearly 200 years earlier.
35
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
(wooded heights). Nicollet described the Coteau des Prairies as a vast plain. elevated 1,916 feet above the level of the ocean and 890 feet above Big Stone lake, lying between latitude> 43 and 46 degrees, extending from northwest to southeast for a distance of 200 miles, its width varying from 15 to 40 miles.2 lle described it as a beautiful country, from whose summit grand views were afforded. and said that at the eastern border par- ticularly the prospect was magnificent beyond description, extending over the immense green turf that forms the basin of the Red River of the North, the forest elad summits of the Hauteurs des Terres that surround the sources of the Missis- sippi, the gigantic valky of the upper Minnesota, and the depressions in which are lake Traverse and Big Stone lake. That Nicollet visited Nobles county and other portions of the southwestern part of Minnesota is evidenced by the fact that several physical features of the country with which we are familiar were ยท given names and more or less accurately located. "Okchene" Jake has a place on the map, as also has "Spirit lake," "Ocheyedan lake." "Ocheyedan Hillock, or Mourning Ground." "Okoboji river and lake," and "Karanzi river, where the Kansas were killed."
For several years after the visit of Nicollet the future county of Nobles was visited by white men only occa- sionally. In fact the whole of southwest- ern Minnesota remained the country of the red man up to the middle fifties and nearly to the time when Minnesota was admitted to the union as a state. Even then, although the settlements extended up to the borders of Nobles county on the south, east and north, Nobles county
"On the map it is marked as extending from a point a short distance northwest of lako Traverse in a southeasterly direction into
was without actual settlers. It was sev- eral years behind its neighboring coun- ties, and permanent settlement did not begin until 1861.
While the settlement of the south- western part of the state-to-be was not attempted until a late day, other por- tions received some settlement. and Min- nesota territory was created in 1849. Three years later the boundary line be- tween the new territory and Iowa was surveyed. The territory from which, later, Nobles county was formed, being on the southern boundary of Minnesota, was visited at that time by surveyors, and on August 5, 1852. the first line was run that marked a boundary of the county-to-be. That day the line along Grand Prairie township was surveyed ; the following day that along Little Rock : on the seventh the surveyors completed Ransom and part of Bigelow; on the eighth Bigelow was finished, and the line along the southern boundary of Indian Lake was completed. and the surveyors continued their way eastward.3
Although the permanent settlement of the western counties of southwestern Minnesota was backward, trappers oper- ated over the whole country for many years prior to actual settlement. The abundance of game that roamed over the region drew hunters and trappers ro- gularly to its lakes and streams. Some of these later took claims in the coun- try they had trapped over and became the first settlers.
In 1856 there was a great tide of (migration "toward the setting sun" from the eastern states, and Minnesota territory grew rapdily in population. This inpouring of settlers continued dur- ing the following year. Then came the lowa, and including the present Nobles county. 2Surveyors' field notes.
36
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
panic of 1857, and the influx of set- cump bring near the present site of ther- almost completely ceased. Times Adrian. His brother's camp was some five miles distant. also on the creek. 1 terrible cloudburst raised the Kanaranzi to a raging flood. Jude Phillips bare- ly escaped with his life. The morning after the disaster he started out to look for his brother, but found no trace of him, and never did. The raging Kanaranzi had claimed its first victim. were very hard all through the country. and especially was this condition of af- fair- telt in the Northwest. It was dur- ing this activity in the settlement of Minnesota that the first settlement was made in the southwestern part of the territory. During the years 1855, 1856 and 1852. a few hardy pioneers found their way to and made settlements in territory which now forms Faribault. Martin. Jackson and Cottonwood coun- ties. in Minnesota, and the Spirit Lake country4 in lowa. In some of these counties substantial settlements were be- gun : villages were founded : counties wore organized : civilization took its first ad- vancing stride into the frontier.
During this period of activity in southwestern Minnesota the future No- bles county had no active part : it was just beyond the "jumping off place." The greater part of the settlers engaged in trapping for furs, and in the pur- suit of this avocation they frequently visited the lakes of Nobles county. Un- fortunately data of the doings of those men have not been preserved. They were trappers, not historians, and they left no record of their adventures. Only a few of these early day trappers are left. Of a nomadic temperament, when permanent settlement was begun, the majority of these frontiersmen pushed on to still unsettled countries to the west.
One of these trappers who operated in what is now the western part of Nobles county was Jude Phillips, and one of his adventures is worth relating. In company with a brother, he was trap- ping one season on Kanaranzi creek. his
'The Spirit Lake setthe ment was only twenty-
As before stated. the financial panic of 1857 retarded the growth of the ter- ritory and brought to a standstill the activities in southwestern Minnesota. But there was another event of that year that changed the whole history of the country. That was the Inkpadutah massacre. The Indians. under the leadership of Ink- padutah, went on the war path and ruthlessly murdered settlers at Spirit Lake, towa, and along the Des Moines river in Jackson and Cottonwood coun- ties Minnesota. Had the settlement at that time been extended to Nobles coun- ty there can be no doubt that it's soil would have been drenched in blood. as the savages operated in the county dur- ing the famon- massacre.
The women and children of Inkpadu- tali's band were camped on Indian lake, in the southeastern corner of the county, while the warriors were committing their deeds of violence. After the massacre at Spirit Lake part of the murderers re- treated to the northwest and made their camping place at the same point. It is said that a force of soldiers, who were in pursuit of the redskins, came as close to this band as lowa lake. Had they struck the Indians on Indian lake, No- bles county would doubtless have played an important part in the history of the massacre. When the first white settlers five miles from the Nobles county line.
37
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
came to the Indian lake country in 1869 the remains of the Indian camp were plainly seen.3
The massacre proved to be a serious blow to the growth and development of this region. The counties in which set- tlement had been made were depopu- lated. The pioneers fled for their lives; everything was abandoned. Troops were soon stationed in the country, but it took time to restore confidence, and for some time all of those counties lying west of Faribault county remained al- most wholly devoid of inhabitants.
During the boom days of 1856 and the carly part of 185: the people of Minnesota were optimistic. Thousands of people were pouring into the terri- tory and building themselves homes in the heretofore frontier sections. Elabor- ate schemes for big ventures were plan- ned: nothing was done in a niggardly manner. Frenzied finance reigned su- preme. Railroad rumors filled the air. and it was indeed an out of the way place that did not look forward to the coming of the iron horse in the immedi- ate future. Paper roads covered the territory from one end to the other. and southwestern Minnesota was no excep- tion to the rule. The territorial legis- lature caught the fever, granted bonuses to various contemplated railways, and in- discriminately created counties in all parts of the territory-in many of which there was not at the time a single rest- dent.
And Nobles county came into exis-
5An incident of these days was recalled by the finding of a revolver on the shore of lake Okabena in 1872. The Western Advance of Aug. 31, 1872. said:
"A revolver was found on the shores of the lake last week, which was lost there fifteen years ago by A. II. Pullis, of Winnebago City. Minn. Mr. Bullis, in company with a friend. had been to Yankton on horseback. and while on their return stopped at the lake to cook
tence under these conditions. It had no settlers at the time, but abundant pros- ports. Hlad it not been for the panic and the Indian outbreak, there can be no doubt that the county would have been inhabited and in a prosper- ons condition within a very short time after its creation in the spring of 185%. As it was, it was ten years later when permanent settlement was begun and thirteen when the organi- zation was perfected. Before consid- ering the creation of the county let us take a backward glance and trace the structural history of Minnesota territory from the date of its creation. insofar as is relates to Nobles county.
When the first legislature convened after the organization of the territory in 1849 it divided Minnesota into nine counties, named as follows: Benton, Dakota, Itasca, C'ass. Pembina. Ramsey. Washington. Chisago and Wabasha. The whole of southern Minnesota was in- eluded in Wabasha and Dakota, and of these two. Dakota had the bulk of the territory. Wabasha included that part of the territory "lying cast of a line running due sonth from a point on the Mississippi river known as Medicine Bottle village, at Pine Bend." to the lowa line." Dakota county (created Oct. 21. 1819) was "all that part of said territory west of the Mi-sissippi and lying west of the county of Wa- basha and south of a line beginning at the month of Crow river. and up said river and the north branch thereof
and rat some fish. While the horses were quietly grazing Mr. Bullis espied a party of Indians approaching. and as this happened near the time of the Spirit Lake massacre, the white men were naturally shy of the Sioux, so they hastily mouted their beasts and fed. The revolver is silver mounted, but rust and decay have ruined it for use."
"Near St. Paul.
38
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
to its source, and thence due west to the Missouri river."?
Although Dakota county was larger than many of the eastern states its pop- ulation was almost nothing, and it was declared "organized only for the purpose of the appointment of justice of the peace, constables and such other judi- cial and ministerial officers as may be specially provided for." For judicial purposes it was attached to the county of Ramsey.
The future Nobles county remained a part of Dakota county until March 5. 1853. when there was a readjustment of Wabasha and Dakota county boundaries. and Blue Earth county came into exis- tence. The boundaries of the latter were described as follows: "So much ter- ritory lying south of the Minnesota river as remains of Wabasha and Dakota conn- ties undivided by this act." As the boundaries of the two older counties as defined by this act was very indefi- nite, it is impossible to state exactly what the dimentions of Blue Earth coun- ty were. It is known, however, that it included all of southwestern Minnesota.
For two years the unknown Nobles county country remained a part of Blue Earth county. and then come another change. By an act approved Feb. 20, 1855, the county of Blue Earth was re- duced to its prosent boundaries, Fari- bault was created with the boundaries it now has, except that it then extended one township farther west than now, and the new county of Brown came in- to being. It was described as follows:
Minnesota territory then extended west to the Missouri river. In this mammoth county of Dakota were the following present day conn- ties tor parts of countles) in Minnesota, in addition to many in what Is now the state of South Dakota: Rock. Nobles, Jackson. Martin, Farbaitt, Freeborn, Steele, Waseca. Blue Earth, Watonwan, Cottonwand, Murray,
Pipestone. Lincoln, Lyon, Redwood Brown.
Nicollet, Lesueur. Rler. Dakota (part), Scott, Sibley. Renyllle. Yellow Medicine, Tar qui
"That so much of the territory as was formerly included within the county of Blue Earth, and has not been included within the boundaries of any other county as berein established, shall be known as the county of Brown." All of the terri- tory lying south of the Minnesota river and west of a line drawn south from the western boundary of the present day Blue Earth county now became Brown county, and Nobles remained a part of this un- til two years later, when it became a political division of itself."
The conditions which led up to the creation of Nobles county and the many others in the southwestern corner of the territory have been briefly referred to. Among the other contemplated enterpris- (~ of the boom days of 1856-1 was the building of a railroad into the southwes- tern part of the territory. This enter- prise was, of course, arrested by the pan- ic. But it had not prevented the build- ing of air castles in the young country prior to the financial crash. Although no survey for the railroad had been made. it had been learned that it was to be built through the Graham lakes country. and an imaginary town came into ex- istence there. This was known as Gretchtown, and in the very early days it found itself on the maps of the fron- fier country. It was located on the south bank of West Graham lake-on land which in time came into the pos- session of Hon. A. B. Wakefield, of Blue Earth City. Gretchtown was lit- orally a "paper town." It was never "ven platted, nor did it rise to the dig-
Parle, Chippewa, Kandischi (except small corners, Mecker (part, Melcod. Carver, len- ne pin. Wright (parti, Stearns (small part). Pope (part), Swift, Stevens (parto, Blg Stone End Traverse (rib).
Brown county was not organized at once, lol by an act of the legislature of Feb. 1], 154, it was permitted to organize. New Ulm was meumed as the county seat.
39
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
nity of having a trapper's hut there- cial purposes, and to the tenth council on. Yet it became the county scat of a county-a county without inhabi- tants.
On the 23rd day of May. 185 ;. the bill was passed creating the county of Nobles and tight others in the south- western corner of the territory.9 It was named in honor of Col. W. Il. Nobles.10 of St. Paul. Nection three of the act describes the boundaries :
Sec. Il1. That so much of the territory of Minnesota as i embraced in the following boundaries be, and the same is hereby, es- tablished as the county of Nobles: begin- ning at the southeas corner of township 101 north. of range 39 west; thence north to the northeast corner of towrship 104 north, of range 39 west; thenee west to the northwest corner of township 104. fange 43 west: thence south to the southwest corner of town-hip 101 north. of range 43 we-t: thence east to the place of beginning.
Of the nine counties created by the act only Martin, Jackson. Noblo- and Big Sioux were declared to be organized counties and "invested with all the im- munities to which organized counties are entitled by law." They were attached to the third judicial district for judi-
"The territory at this time extended west to the Big Sioux river. The other counties created by the act were Martin, Jackson. Murray, Pipestone, Big Sioux. Cottonwood. Rock and Midway. The first three named were given the boundaries they now have. The boundaries of Pipestone county were de- scribed as including the present Rock county and the eastern portion of the present Min- nehaha county. S. D. The boundaries of Rock county were described as including the present Pipestone county and a small part of the eastern portion of the present Moody
county, S. D. This transposition of the names Rock and Pipestone in the description of their boundaries in the original art of IN5+ may have heen due to a lack of knowledge of the physical features of this part of the coun- try. or it may have been due to a clerical error. The mistake was corrected later. Big Sioux county took in part of the present Minnehaha county, S. D., and extended from the Big Sioux river eastward to Pipestone ( Rock ) county. Cottonwood had the same boundaries as now. except that it did not then have three townships in the northwest corner which it now has. Midway county in- cluded that part of the present Moody county, S. D., that lies beteen the Big Sioux river and the western boundary of the original Rock (Pipestone) county.
1Col. Nobles was noted as the discoverer of the pass in the Rocky mountains which short -
district for elective purposes. Provision was made for the carly organization of the four counties named. Commission- ers residing within the respective coun- ties were to be appointed by the governor to perfect the organizations.11 These commissioners were to meet during the first week in July, 1852. at the county -eat and set in motion the machinery of the county government. The county seat of Nobles county was temporarily lo- cated at Gretchtown. that mythical city in Graham Lakes township, but provision was made for the selection of the per- manent seat of government by the vot- ers.12
It is needless to say that the organi- zation did not take place as provided. Only a short time later. there were not only no settlers in Nobles county, but the whole of southwestern Minnesota .was che sorted. County government was not begun in Nobks county until 1820; then it was organized under the provisions of the act of 1852. The panie and Indian troubles had caused a setback of thir- teen years.
ened the emigrant route to the Pacific side so.re 500 miles, and through which the Union Pacific now passes. The people of California raised a purse of $10.000 and presented it to Col. Nobles in appreciation of this discovery. During the year 1861 he was president of the Minnesota Old Settlers' association. The late Daniel Rohrer is my authority for the state- ment concerning the naming of the county.
"Sertion eleven of the act reads: "The governor shall appoint three persons for each of the respective organized counties, bring residents and legal voters thereof. commission- ers for each of said counties, with full power and authority to do and perform all acts ard duties devolving upon the board of county commissioners of any organized county in this territory, the said board of commissioners shall have power to appoint all other officers that may be required to complete the organization of their respective counties."
""On the petition if twenty legal voters in any of said counties at any time after the passage of this act it shall be the duty of the county commissioners to order the legal voters of any of the said counties to vote at any gen- eral election for the location of the county seats of said counties, and the point receiving the highest number of votes shall be the county seat of said county."
40
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
It will be remembered that so early as sus July 16, 1860. These were located 1852 surveyors had established the line in the Graham Lakes country, and Jack- son was their postoffice address. The enumerator stated that he had visited eleven dwelling houses, and that there were the same number of families. On fol- lowing page are names of the inhabiants, their ages, occupations and places of birth as listed by Marshal Brummer : 14 between Minnesota and lowa, and for a few days had operated in Nobles county. That was the only surveying done for several years. But after the territorial legislature had divided southwestern Minnesota into counties, it was deemed advisable to establish their boundaries. A surveying party visited the county in September, 1858, and marked its boun- daries. Guide meridian No. 5, along the eastern boundary of the county was surveyed, as was also standard parallel No. 1, which was the county'> northern boundary. It was nine years later when the county was divided into townships, and one and two years after that when the section lines were run.
So soon as confidence was restored after the Spirit Lake massacre, settle- ment was begun again in portions of southwestern Minnesota, and in the late fifties and very early sixties quite a number of settlers had founded homes in Martin, Jackson, Cottonwood, Murray and Nobles counties. Some of the coun- ties cast of these had not been seriously affected by the Indian outbreak, and had substantial settlements.13
Eleven families, comprising thirty-five people, had pushed out to the heretofore unknown Nobles county country. That was the number found by Elias D. Brun- or, assistant marshal, who took the cen-
13The federal census of 1860 showed the fal- lowing populations:
Faribault 1.335
Blue Earth 1,203
Brown
2,339
Watonwan
Martin
151
Jackson
Cottonwood
12
Murray
29
Nobles
35
Rock
23
Pipestone
14The list was obtained from the director of the census at Washington through the kind- ness of Hon. W. S. Hammond.
All of these were white, free inhabi- tants. Being squatters, they did not have title to real estate, but four of the number had personal property, as fol- lows: John Oleson, $200; Uriah Kush- man, $125; William Hertwinkle, $275; John Hertwinkle, $100. Other informa- tion contained in the schedule is to the offeet that none had been married within the year. none had attended school with- in the year, only one person over twenty years of age (Thomas Marks) could not read or write, and none was deaf and dumb, blind, idiotic, pauper or convict.15
The development of this frontier re- gion was destined to delay. It had only fairly recovered from the effects of the Inkpadutah, or Spirit Lake, massacre and the hard times period when the outbreak of the civil war in 1861 again set a brake on emigration. Then in Angust. 1862. was inaugurated the ter- rible Sioux war, which again depopu- lated the western part of Minnesota and crimsoned the fair soil with the blood of so many innocent men, women and
15It is greatly to be regretted that nothing further can be learned of this attempted early settlement. Although I have made extensive research for information concerning it. I have been able to find little more than is contained in the bare census returns. These people doubtless came to Nobles county some time after the Spirit Lake massacre, and probably only a short time before the census was taken. This Is made evident from the fact that in three different families were children of two years of age or younger, and none of them was born in Minnesota, How they happened to locate in this frontier land, stories of their adventures, when and why they left, will probably always remain a mystery. We can only surmise.
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