Compendium of history and biography of Minneapolis and Hennepin County, Minnesota, Part 21

Author: Holcombe, R. I. (Return Ira), 1845-1916; Bingham, William H
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago : H. Taylor & Co.
Number of Pages: 1190

USA > Minnesota > Hennepin County > Minneapolis > Compendium of history and biography of Minneapolis and Hennepin County, Minnesota > Part 21

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

THE CANVASS AND ELECTION OF 1850.

In 1850 political party lines as between Whigs, Democrats, and Free Soilers were not very strictly drawn. The issues practically were as they had been in 1848, between H. M. Rice and H. H. Sibley, the chief factors of the two rival fur companies of Ewing & Co., and Pierre Chouteau, Jr., & Co. Rice was then the wealthiest man in the Territory, a distinction that gave him great influence. He was said to be

worth $50,000, and to be out of debt, but had many debtors !

Mr. Rice had political ambitions. Sibley had de- feated him for Delegate to Congress in 1848 and now, in 1850, Sibley was again a candidate for the place. Mr. Rice had caused a Democratic Convention to be called in St. Paul in October, 1849. This convention declared for the organization of the Democratic party in the Territory, and that in the future it would nominate straight Democrats for office. This was a move of Mr. Rice's to get control of the majority of the Democrats and to injure Delegate Sibley, who was certain to be a candidate for re-election. Sibley ex- pressly stated that as Delegate he represented no political party or faction, and the convention was held to force him to avow or disavow his allegiance to the Democratic party to which he had always claimed to belong.

Sibley's friends presented him to the voters for re- election in the canvass of 1850, bringing him out, somewhat against his protest, in July. The Rice fac- tion of the Democracy had declared for straight-out Democratic nominations, but now, in order to defeat Sibley, they brought about against him the candidacy of a Whig, Col. Alex. M. Mitchell, the Marshal of the Territory, a wounded hero of the Mexican War, and an accomplished gentleman. In the canvass that re- sulted the Rice Democrats and the Rice Whigs sup- ported Mitchell; also some "old hunker" Whigs voted for him. The Sibley Democrats and the Sibley Whigs supported the "tall trader," as the Indians called him. Even Gov. Ramsey and other staunch Whigs, like Col. John II. Stevens, were for Sibley. Great ef- forts to win were made by each party.

The election came off September 2. For the first time officers and soldiers composing the garrisons of Forts Snelling and Ripley voted. The Fort Snell- ing soldiers voted in the Mendota precinct; those of Fort Ripley voted at Sauk Rapids. In both precincts they voted almost solidly for Mitchell, the candidate of the Rice faction. At Sauk Rapids the vote stood : For Mitchell, 60; for Sibley, 3. At Sauk Rapids was Mr. Rice's trading post and his employes voted to please him. In the St. Anthony precinct Sibley was popular enough and Frank Steele worked hard for him; but the Whigs were largely in the majority and voted for Col. Mitchell, a staunch Whig. The vote resulted : For Sibley, 64; for Mitchell, 110. The re- sult in the Territory was, for Sibley, 649 ; for Mitchell, 559 ; majority for Sibley, 90. Total vote in the Terri- tory, 1,208. Under all the circumstances, Sibley's election was a great personal triumph, although he was disappointed that he did not receive a larger majority.

At the same election local candidates were also chosen. No party nominations were made, but at St. Anthony the outspoken Sibley men endorsed him, nominated Ard Godfrey for County Commissioner, Caleb D. Dorr for Surveyor of Lumber, and Pierre Bottineau for one of the road supervisors. St. An- thony and Little Canada werc still in the same Legis- lative district. At the election the voting at St. An- thony resulted :

HISTORY OF MINNEAPOLIS AND HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA

For Representatives in the Legislature, two to be chosen, Edward Patch, 158; John W. North, 116; Chas. T. Stearns, 55; Louis M. Olivier, 9.

For County Commissioner, Roswell P. Russell, 165; Ard Godfrey, 130.

For Assessors, three to be chosen, 1. 1. Lewis, 154; Sam J. Findley, 148; S. H. Sergent, 143; Geo. C. Nichols, 135; Albert H. Dorr, 135; Thos. P. Reed, 103.

The vote of Little Canada for Representatives was Louis M. Olivier, 42; Ed Patch, 38; John W. North, 5. For Delegate Sibley received 44 and Mitchell 8. From Dakota County, which then extended from the Mississippi to the Missouri, Alexander Faribault, the mixed-blood trader and founder of the little city which yet bears his name, and Ben H. Randall, then clerk in Steele's sutler store at Fort Snelling, were elected Representatives in the Legislature. Mr. Ran- dall has been called the founder of Hennepin County, because he more than any one else pressed to passage in the Legislature the bill which created the county and provided for its organization. He died :t Winona in October, 1913.

ST. ANTIIONY MEN TAKE PROMINENT PARTS.

The citizens of St. Anthony made active partici- pation in the political contest of 1850. Franklin Stecle, the brother-in-law and friend of Sibley, exerted himself to the utmost in behalf of his relative. Sib- ley was in Washington and Steele conducted his cam- paign. John II. Stevens, then Steele's clerk and practically his factotum, was also his political lieu- tenant. Stevens was a Whig, but a Sibley Whig. Sibley had written that he cared nothing personally about being a candidate, but Steele and others wrote him that he must be. July 24 Stevens wrote him :

"Much excitement and agitation reign throughout Minnesota now, but Rice and Mitchell prospects do not present so flattering a show as tlicy did a few weeks since. Goodhue will bring you out to-morrow in the Pioneer as an independent candidate, and we will try to put you through."

But not until August 8th did the Pioneer "bring out" Mr. Sibley "as an independent candidate" with an editorial endorsement. Thence forward it sup- ported the tall trader by printing proceedings of pub- lic meetings strongly endorsing him and which had been held at Stillwater, Cottage Grove, St. Paul, Wellsville, and elsewhere, and by strong editorials. In one editorial Mr. Goodhuc argued that it was not wrong or reprehensible for a man to be engaged in the fur trade, and that, "honesty and capacity make the man-not the employment of the man. Any at- tempt to exclude any man from participation in gov- ernment on account of his trade and business is con- trary to the genius of true democracy." No doubt Goodhue so wrote to silence the cry made by dema- gogues that Sibley ought not to be elected because he was the agent of the Chouteau fur company, which it was alleged had a "monopoly" of the fur trade in Minnesota. "Even at that day," says Gov. Marshall, in an address made many years later, "the cry was, Anti-Monopoly !"

It was conceded that Frank Steele's exertions ef- fected the election of Sibley. Writing to the latter in November, and discussing what he called "the schemes of the Rice-Mitchell party," John H. Ste- vens asserted :

"The fact is that had it not been for Mr. Steele, Mitchell would have been elected. When we all gave up, as you may say, in despair, Mr. Steele came to the rescue and took bets against odds. Together with Paul R. George and J. H. Mckinney, he drove the team safe through, giving Mitchell, Rice, and their followers their just dues. In taking this course Mr. Stcele has obtained the most bitterly vindictive ene- mies; yet we all earnestly hope he will ride rough- shod over all of those who attempt to put him down."

Mr. Stevens himself wanted to be a candidate for the Legislature from the Dakota County, or Fort Snelling, district, called the Seventh Council Dis- trict, and which included, by the terms of Gov. Ram- sey's proclamation, the country and settlements west of the Mississippi, except the country up about Crow Wing and along the Mississippi below Little Crow's village. The voting place for the electors of Mendota, Fort Snelling, Black Dog's Village, Prairieville (or Shakopee) Oak Grove, Traverse des Sioux, and Little Crow's village was "at the lower ware-house in Men- dota." The election booth for the western end of the district or for the voters at Lac qui Parle, Big Stone Lake, and the Little Rock was "at the house of Martin McLeod, at Lac qui Parle." The residence of Mr. Ste- vens was then at Fort Snelling, where he was Frank Stecle's agent. Alexander Faribault and Ben H. Randall had been "brought out" by the Sibley men for the Legislature and had Steele's endorsement. Stevens tried but without success to induce one of them to withdraw in his favor. He was greatly dis- satisfied when both refused.

Col. Mitchell and certain other of the Whig Terri- torial officers had united with H. M. Rice and his Democratic faction in an effort to control political interests in Minnesota, and they had succeeded in securing the favor of the Taylor administration at Washington. Gov. Ramsey had taken the side of the Sibley wing of the Democrats and there was utter lack of harmony between him and Col. Mitchell, Secretary Smith, and the other Whig Territorial officers. It was finally determined by the Governor and his friends to send John H. Stevens to Washington to induce the administration to take a proper and an unprejudiced view of the situation in Minnesota. It was believed. or at least hoped, that Stevens' representations would cause the Administration to adopt the views of Gov. Ramsey and his Whigs, and to denounce the course of Col. Mitchell and his Whigs as deceptive before the country and wrong in fact.

But Stevens at first refused to go. Ile got mad because he was not elected to the Legislature by the Whigs and the Sibley Democrats. In a letter to Sib- ley dated at St. Anthony, Jan. 6, 1851, he explained and sought to justify his course, saving :

"I wrote you, some weeks since, that a Whig from this Territory would spend the winter in Washington endeavoring to counteract the unhallowed purposes of

HISTORY OF MINNEAPOLIS AND HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA

Col. Mitchell and his confederates, who are doing so much to injure the fair prospects of the Territory by working for their own aggrandizement. As I was the one selected by Governor Ramsey for this purpose, I deem it proper that you should be made acquainted with the reason why I have not left home, and why probably I shall not.

"When the Governor first wanted me to, it was with the understanding that I should be elected to the Leg- islature and go in the authority of a Whig member. as he thought it would give me more power. But Alex. Faribault would not resign, and it would have been perfectly useless to ask Ben Randall to do so.

* * ** He is a new-comer, without the requisites necessary to make a good member; but he is a Demo- crat, which suited Mr. Steele, who has lost a good deal of sympathy on that account, and so he was kept and elected. So I could not go to Washington in the capacity of a member of the Territorial Legislature. Then the Governor said he would give me an appoint- ment, for which I have waited till now-and now it is too late to go.

"Had such a thing been thought of last summer, I would have run from here, (St. Anthony) but felt satisfied that a trap was set for me which caught poor Pettijohn, after I declined to run. But by Mr. Steele's say-so Randall could have been choked off and thus saved all of the present difficulty. But we hope for better times."

Notwithstanding Mr. Stevens's expressed opinion that it was "too late to go" on the 6th, he was induced to start on the 22d for Washington to secure certain appointments in Minnesota desired by the Sibley Democrats and the anti-Mitchell Whigs. He went by sleigh on the Mississippi ice to Prairie du Chien, from thence by stage to Chicago, via Galena : from Chicago to Detroit by the Michigan Central Railroad: from Detroit, by a long stage ride through Canada. to Buffalo and Niagara, and thence by rail to Washing- ton, via New York. This was the route and the mode of travel at that period from Minnesota to Washing- ton in the winter season.

Arriving at the National Capital Mr. Stevens and Simeon P. Folsom, escorted by Delegate Sibley, waited upon Daniel Webster, then Secretary of State, and Stevens with a batch of strongly written papers presented the case of the anti-Mitchell and Rice forces in Minnesota. Webster assured the delegation that the back of the Administration's hand was against the Mitchell men, and that the Sibley and Ramsey party would be recognized in future Territorial appointments. Accordingly Joseph W. Furber, of Washington County, was promised and received the Marshalship. in place of Col. Mitchell: Frank Steele was retained in the sutlership and as postmaster at Fort Snelling, etc. The anti-Rice faction controlled the National patronage, but the pro-Rice people had contrived to secure the appointments of the Terri- torial Legislature, so that the honors were fairly easy.

MR. STEVENS RETURNS.

Mr. Stevens returned from his Washington trip to St. Anthony on the 4th of April. En route at

New York he purchased a supply of goods for Steele's sutler store at Fort Snelling and another stock to be opened in a new store owned by him and Steele at St. Anthony. At Galena he bought for the Whigs of Minnesota an entire outfit for a printing-office, which was to be shipped to St. Paul by the first steam- boat that spring.

The river was not open at Galena when Mr. Stevens was there, and he came home over Hon. Wyram Knowlton's new mail route from Prairie du Chien to St. Paul, riding in a hack, passing through a great hail storm and many other privations. The ronte ran on the Wisconsin side, along the river, terminating at Hudson. Waking the next morning after his ar- rival in St. Paul, he found to his chagrin that a steam- boat from Galena had arrived the previous night. Had he waited four days at Galena, he could have come in comfort on the boat and arrived at St. Paul as soon as Judge Knowlton's two-horse wagon got in.

ST. ANTHONY NOTES FOR 1849.

According to Col. Stevens's list the following men, the majority of whom had families, became perma- nent residents of St. Anthony during the year 1849 : Amos Bean, John Bean, Reuben Bean, L. Bostwick, Chas. A. Brown, Ira Burroughs, Narcisse Beauleau, F. X. Crapeau, Wm. P. Day, Albert Dorr, Rufus Farnham, Sr., Rufus Farnham, Jr., Samuel Fernald, A. J. Foster, Moses W. Getchell, Wm. W. Getchell, Isaac Gilpatrick, Francis Huot, John Packins, Dr. Ira Kingsley, Charles Kingsley, Isaac Lane, Silas Lane, Isaac Ives Lewis, Eli F. Lewis, Jos. M. Marshall, Hon. B. B. Meeker, Elijah Moulton, Dr. J. H. Mur- phy, James MeMullen, Owen McCarty, J. Z. A. Nick- erson, John W. North, L. N. Parker, Stephen Pratt, William Richardson, J. G. Spence, Chas. T. Stearns, Lewis Stone, Elmer Tyler, Wm. H. Welch, Wm. Worthingham.

And Col. Stevens says that all these citizens were- "far above the average in regard to merit and enter- prise, " and that those who came in 1850 "'were men of equal merit."

Prominent among those that came in 1850 were :

Isaac Atwater, Joel B. Bassett, Simon Bean, War- ren Bristol, Baldwin Brown, Henry Chambers, Thos. Chambers. Geo. W. Chowen, Chas. W. Christmas, Stephen Cobb, Joseph Dean, Stephen E. Foster, Wil- liam Finch, Reuben B. Gibson, Chas. Gilpatrick, Chris. C. Garvey, Ezra Hanscombe, C. F. Harmon. Chandler Harmon, E. A. Harmon, Win. Harmon, Allen Harmon, Eben How, John Hinkston, Wm. L. Larned, Joseph Le Duc, G. G. Loomis, John S. Mann, Justus H. Moulton, Edward Murphy, A. C. Murphy, Chas. Mansur, Chas. Miles, Capt. B. B. Parker, Peter- Poncin. Rufus S. Pratt, Col. Wm. Smith. Wmn. Smiley, Simon Stevens, Wm. Stevens, Daniel Stanchfield, ( ?) Waterman Stinson, G. W. Tew, R. P. Upton. Geo. T. Vail, W. W. Wales, John Wensinger, Horace Web- ster, Thos. Warwick, Joseph P. Wilson, A. R. Young. "All these," says Stevens, "were citizens who would do honor to any part of the Union." They lived to justify Stevens's assertions, and with such

HISTORY OF MINNEAPOLIS AND HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA

men as its founders no wonder St. Anthony became a great city.

THE FIRST SCHOOLS.

Generally when New Englanders made a settlement on the American frontier, the first thing they built after they had put up their cabins was a school house, and soon a "school-ma'am," as she was called, was installed in it and a school opened. In 1850 two sehool districts were organized in St. Anthony and named for the two great capitalists of the region at the time, Steele and Rice. Miss Electa Backus was the first principal school teacher in St. Anthony, and under her superintendency the schools were very successful. She first had a school in the village in the summer of 1849-of course a private school. Some Canadian French children were among the brightest and best pupils. The St. Paul Pioneer of Oct. 31, 1850, contained this paragraph, noting two schools in St. Anthony :

"Our neighbors of the lovely village of St. Anthony are determined not to be behind the world in educa- tional progress. They are about to have established there two schools, to be taught by ladies-the one a primary school by Miss Thompson, of whom we hear an exeellent report, and the other by Miss M. A. Schofield, a lady with whom we are acquainted, one of the pioneer teachers of our Territory and a lady who well deserves the character she has gained for talents and character as a teacher of the advanced studies. ''

Prior to this, however, there had been at least one private school. This was established some time in 1849 by a Prof. Lee, who, according to Goodhue's Pioneer of December 12, was "a gentleman of schol- astic attainments and long experience." At the time, too, his school was called the "St. Anthony Academy," and the Pioneer said it was in most successful operation.

It is agreed that Miss Electa Backus taught the first private school in St. Anthony in 1849, and was also one of the first principals of a public school here. Hudson's History (p. 90) says: "Soon after the settlement of St. Anthony Miss Electa Backus taught a private school in a frame shanty on Second street, and about 1850 the first public school of the village was built near by and was taught for a time by a Mr. Lee."

But the notice in the Minnesota Pioneer of Decem- ber 12, 1849, shows that Prof. Lee's "academy" was a private school, and no record can be found that he "taught for a time" in "the first public school of the village." The record is plain that the Rice and Steele Schools were the first public schools, that they were established simultaneously, late in 1850, and that Miss Thompson and Miss Schofield were the teachers, and Mr. Lee had nothing to do with them.

ST. ANTHONY'S INDIAN NEIGHBORS IN 1850.

In the summer of 1850, and for a year or more thereafter, St. Anthony's Indian neighbors were fre- quent visitors, but gave no trouble. The Lake Cal-

houn bands, as Cloud Man's and Good Road's bands were sometimes called, had removed their villages from Lakes Calhoun and Harriet. From time to time, how- ever, certain families came back to the old scenes and pitched their tepees on the former camping ground.

In July, 1850, when Editor Goodhue went up the St. Peter's on the Anthony Wayne, he noted that Black Dog's village had been moved from the west side of the river, near the lake which still bears the chieftain's name, to the crest of the bluff on the east side. The village was now a line of huts and tepees extending along the bluff, which, though running parallel with the river, was 200 or 300 yards back from the stream. It was about three miles above Fort Snelling. Between the tepees and the river bank, growing in the warm, sandy loam and in well kept truck-patches, were thrifty crops of corn and beans, which the Indian women were industriously hoeing.

A little above Black Dog's village, and on the same side, was Cloud Man's. It was now very small and consisted of only a dozen tepecs and huts. But every family had patches of corn and beans, which the women had kept well hoed and which promised abun- dant vields.

Nine miles by land from Fort Snelling, also on the east side, was the town of old Good Road (or Ta-chankoo-wash-tay) and this was a larger and more pretentious village then. The appearance of the steamboat caused great excitement among the red people, many of whom had never before seen a pay- tay wahtah or "fire canoe." Here, as at the other villages, the population, men and women, boys and girls, some blanketed and well clad and others in a state of nature, came running to the river bank to see the strange but interesting sight of a huge boat, radiant and gleaming in its white paint, but puffing like a tired gigantic monster. All gazed as if entranced till the boat sounded its whistle with a terrifying scream, when everybody but the stoutest hearted war- riors fled in terror and dismay back to the tepees and cabins.

The next village above was Shakopee's-where the town now is-and this was the largest of the four, in point of population. Here also was at the time Samuel Pond's mission station.

STEAMBOATS AT ST. ANTHONY IN 1850.

In the spring and summer of 1850 the steamboats made several excursions to St. Anthony and to points very near the Falls. Passengers were carried on each occasion and a fair sum realized by the boats. The trips were, however, mainly for the purpose of show- ing off or advertising; but while they advertised the boats they at the same time advertised St. Anthony. as demonstrating that the place was really the head of navigation.

May 7 the Anthony Wayne ran up from St. Paul to very near the cataract-the Pioneer said "almost to the foot of the Falls:" the Chronicle and Register said it came within 300 yards of them. The Wayne was temporarily commanded by a Captain Rogers. in

HISTORY OF MINNEAPOLIS AND HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA

the absence of Capt. Dan Able. The Sixth U. S. Infantry Band, from Fort Snelling, was on board and there were very nearly 150 excursionists. The boat tied up just above Spirit Island, and numbers of St. Anthony people went on board as the guests of the boat. Capt. Rogers was a royal entertainer. At night he gave a ball in the boat's fine and spacious cabin, the band's orchestra furnishing the music. There was an uproarious but a glorious good time! "It is said that the Wayne broke the temperance pledge," said the Minnesota Pioneer, putting it mildly.

The hospitable captain furnished an abundance of refreshments and was so princely courtecus. and so overwhelmingly entertaining generally, that his guests were enthusiastic in their appreciation and admira- tion. It was necessary to hold a formal meeting in the cabin to express their gratitude sufficiently. Hon. John Rollins was chairman and the mellifluent- voiced Wm. R. Marshall was secretary. The staid and impressive John W. North, usually so self-con- tained, was chairman of the committee that reported a series of resolutions exuberantly grateful to Capt. Rogers for his "enterprise in demonstrating with his boat, the Anthony Wayne, the practicability and ease with which steamboat navigation may be continued to the Falls." They also declared that he had with his boat "performed the first steamboat trip to this place, " and by that feat had "earned an immortality which is justly due to those that lead the way in all useful achievements." In gratitude for his exploit the resolutions went on to say that, "in the future advancement of our now infant city his name will be ever associated with the greatest of our benefactors."

Unfortunately John North and his associates-Ellis Whitall, Ard Godfrey, Joe Marshall, and Ed. Patch -were so overcome by the gallant navigator's hos- pitality that they forgot to learn his Christian namne, and it is lost. So then it cannot properly be asso- ciated with the greatest benefactors, but must go down to history and posterity as simply "Captain" Rogers. As a substantial reward for what he had done, how- ever, Mr. North, on behalf of the citizens of St. Anthony, presented him with a purse of $200, which must have helped in defraying the extraordinary expenses of the excursion. No matter what hap- pened on the boat this trip-it was the first steam- boat venture up within the spray of the Falls.

STEAMBOATS ALSO ASCEND THE MINNESOTA.

The Pioneer of July 4, 1850 announced that on Friday, June 28, "The enterprising steamboat, the Anthony Wayne, enrolled her name in the historic annals of our Territory," because with a boatload of passengers it had ascended the St. Peter's as far as the Little Rapids, near Carver. There were on board over 100 ladies and gentlemen of St. Paul, Fort Snell- ing, and other local points, and 70 ladies and gentle- men from St. Louis. Wm. R. Marshall was a promi- nent representative from St. Anthony. It was claimed that this was the first time a steamboat had ascended the Minnesota above Shakopee's village. Editor Goodhue was one of the passengers and wrote

a lively description of the trip. One paragraph reads : "If we had been supplied with wood, the general disposition was to run up the stream as long as we could find water; but as we ran out of wood, liquors, [ !] and provisions, and as the sun was about to dip his blazing bulk into the blue Pacific, the Wayne reluctantly turned her bow down stream, retracing the winding channel of the river at a flying pace, and reaching St. Paul at midnight. Dancing was almost continuously indulged in to the music of the Sixth Regiment Band, from Fort Snelling."

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Compendium of history and biography of Minneapolis and Hennepin County, Minnesota, Part 21

Author: Holcombe, R. I. (Return Ira), 1845-1916; Bingham, William H Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Chicago : H. Taylor & Co. Number of Pages: 1190

Author: Holcombe, R. I. (Return Ira), 1845-1916; Bingham, William H
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago : H. Taylor & Co.
Number of Pages: 1190