History of Dakota County and the City of Hastings, Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Part 33

Author: J. Fletcher Williams
Publication date: 1881
Publisher:
Number of Pages:

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The barriers which they builded from the soil, To keep the foe at bay."

One of these "barriers to keep the foe at bay," Rev. S. R. Riggs has described as situated a few miles above the mouth of the Yellow Medicine

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HISTORY OF DAKOTA COUNTY.

river, in the Minnesota valley. He does not, however, regard it as the work of such an early people as the so-called Mound Builders, but as the work of Indians a little in advance of the Dakotas in point of civilization, and preceding them in the occupancy of the country.

LATER MOUNDS.

Of the mounds existing in the immediate con- fines of Dakota county, there is no distinct evi- dence of great antiquity. The evidences of the population of the county by a race superior to the Indians, are such as come from just outside its borders, and such as as are deemed sufficient to prove the existence of such a race throughout the entire West.

Of the mounds in Dakota county, there are several on the southern side of the Minnesota river, on the line of the old path from Mendota to Shakopee. There is also a large one south of the location of the old Black Dog village, and others about the lower portion of the Minnesota and on the bluffs of the Mississippi.

These mounds, writes Rev. T. S. Williamson, M. D., appear to be what Dakota tradition says they are, the remains of houses, made of poles and bark, covered with earth, such as were, a few years since, and probably still are, the habitations of the Mandans and some other tribes living on the Missouri. Mounds of this class are found in clusters of from less than half a dozen to up- wards of fifty, arranged irregularly, as we find the bark houses of the Indians at present. Their base usually approaches to an oval form. Their length is from ten to forty feet, and a few exceed this, with a height of one or two feet to three or four. Some of those used for sepulture are more than twice those heights. Back of them we find the land level, or nearly so, dry and fertile. In front it descends towards some water, and almost always there is a lake or morass in sight, indica- ting that the inhabitants depended for a subsist- ence partly on cultivating the earth, and partly on water-fowl or roots, which they obtained from wet swampy ground.

Aside from the mounds mentioned by Dr. Williamson, there are others in Dakota county of purely natural formation. Of this character are the, so-called, mounds in Marshan, which, to

avoid confusion, might better, perhaps, be desig- nated by another name.

That the Indians used those sightly elevations for burial grounds, would be no matter of remark, since the early settlers among the whites, used them for the same purpose, and they still contain unmarked graves.

Still other mounds, have been formed by the refuse of the corn plantings, and the Indian vil- lages, and have grown by accretion, until they resemble irregular fortifications, which they prob- ably were not.

But little attention has been given to these mounds, in the county, which were ultimately all used by the Dakotas for the purposes of sepul- ture. In whatever connection with previous races, they may have had their origin, while a matter of great interest and not a little curiosity, it must be left to the future antiquarian to abso- lutely determine. They are the only relics we possess of departed peoples. Men who, per- chance, built dwellings on the sites occupied by our own, whose origin and whose end is obscured in mystery, but whose existence is unquestioned.

Dakota county is still considered as "new soil," and as "lately settled," but this is true only so far as regards the whites. Other races rose and flourished here, then decayed and passed away, and were succeeded by still another race, long before our own had obtained a footing in this hemisphere. All these early peoples dwindled slowly into oblivion, leaving us only the most un- satisfactory monuments, and those inscriptionless. If they had a literature, or a written record, it is lost with them, and it is left to our imaginations to supply their very name.

Even the humblest historian among these prim- itive peoples, would have been held high, in the estimation of the scholarship of this age, while he embodied, in permanent form, the annals of his race.

INDIAN INHABITANTS.

The adventures of barbarous nations, even if they were preserved, says Hume, could afford little or no entertainment to those born in a more cultivated age. The convulsions of a civilized state usually compose the most instructive and most interesting part of its history; but the sud- den, violent and unprepared revolutions, incident to barbarians, are so much guided by caprice, and

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IOWAS AND DAKOTAS.

terminate so often in cruelty, that they disgust us, by the uniformity of their appearance; and it is rather fortunate for letters, that they are buried in silence and oblivion.

Notwithstanding this opinion of a most culti- vated mind, the fact appears that we are invari- ably and universally interested in anything that pertains to our earlier Indian tribes. The great English historian himself, while inveighing against a chronicle of barbarians, gave whatever information he possessed of those in his own country, and in part apologized for the scantiness of authentic material.

The Barbarians of Dakota county, as fragments of the great Indian family, have a history, which, if it could be written, would be far from lacking, either in the material of interest or instruction.

Comparatively, but little is known, either of them or their progenitors, and it may well be a matter of regret that so little concerning them has been preserved.

On the other hand, it is a matter of congratu- . lation that under the circumstances, the scholar- ship of some in our own state has so unselfishly interested itself, and together with the earlier missionaries and explorers has prevented all from being lost.

In a superb history of Minnesota, by Rev. E. D. Neill, and of which only a limited number of copies were published, there is inserted a series of engravings representing Indian scenes and Indian manners in various localities of Minne- sota, including Dakota county. These must be of great interest in the future, depicting as they do, "the former things" which have passed away forever.

TRADITION AS TO THE IOWAS.

Investigation corroborates, so far as it has ex- tended, the tradition of the Indians, that the Iowas (Ayavois, Aiouis,) once ranged over the prairies of this county, and had their villages on the Minnesota. At first they were on the north side of that river, but the M'de-wa-kan-ton-wan division of the Dakotas, then residing at M'de- wakon, Spirit Lake, the Mille Lacs of our later maps, fell upon them and drove them to the op- posite side.

They were enabled to do this, through the fears of the Iowas, which had been aroused by the de-

struction of their village at Oak Grove, in a fear- ful dispensation of the gods. The Iowas then built another village, on the southern bank of the Minnesota, in what is now Eagan township. Here they resided until the Me-de-wa-kan-ton- wans obtained firearms, from the whites .. A great battle was then fought, on Pilot Knob, just back of Mendota, and the Iowas that escaped were driven far to the southward.

The Dakotas, or Sioux, the Early Missionaries say, called the Iowas Ay-u-k-ba " they sleep or the sleeply ones," from which we probably get Iowa.

THE DAKOTAS,

who have given a name to our county, and who but lately possessed it, have been fully described by Rev. Mr. Neill, in the foregoing pages of this volume. It may, however, fall within the strict province of this article, to make some mention of that portion of the great family, which was known to the early settlers within our boundaries. Also to catalogue in some degree, their later villages, which have disappeared altogether from the sight and almost from the of the memory living.

These Indians were principally of the M'de- wa-kanton-nan (Med-ay'- wa - kawn -twawn), or "People of the Spirit Lake" division of the Da- kotas, although Wahpekutes, (Wok-pay-koo-tays) or the "Leaf Shooters" division, were near us, in the valley of the Cannon river.

The latter, however, have very little connec- tion with our history, and are dismissed with a simple mention.

The former division were brave, and claimed a superiority over other divisions, because of their contact with the whites, which enabled them to procure the deadly fire-arm. They were further sub-divided into various bands and had separate villages.

The Kaposia band had a village from time im- memorial on the bank of the Mississippi, four miles below St. Paul. Until the treaty of 1837, their village was on the east bank of the river, but the land being then ceded to the United States, they removed their lodges to the west side. The earlier name for the east side village was Grand Marais; later it was known by the eupho- nious name of "Pig's Eye." The location of the village on the west side was in section 22 of West St. Paul township.

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HISTORY OF DAKOTA COUNTY.

The signification of Kaposia is "light." The name is supposed to have been applied to the band, because of their light footedness and swift, easy running.

The village was well known to the early ex- plorers, and they make mention of it, almost without exception. In 1805, Lieutenant Pike says: "The village is situated on the east bank of the Mississippi and consists of eleven log huts."

Keating's narrative of Long's expedition in 1823, mentions the village as containing thirty lodges, twenty warriors and three hundred souls. This is not far from its population later.

The chief Big Thunder, was the father of Lit- tle Crow, (Petit Corbeau) who was known to the early settlers as Little Crow senior. He was in- dustrious in applying what he knew of agricul- ture, and seemed anxious that his people should accommodate themselves to circumstances, live at peace with the whites and learn from them their civilized arts.

He was accidently killed at Kaposia, by at- tempting to draw his loaded gun from a wagon. His death was not immediate, and he caused Gen. Sibley at Mendota to be notified of his dying con- dition. That gentleman, accompanied by Dr. Turner from Fort Snelling, and Alexander Fari- bault, as interpreter, repaired to Kaposia, but they were unable to afford the Indian any relief. He was content to die, but expressed himself as dissatisfied at the necessity of appointing Little Crow, junior, as his successor.

In the presence of the white visitors, he gave Little Crow, his son, eloquent and wise advice, reminding him of his shortcomings and counsel- ling their correction.

Ta-o-ya-te-du-ta (His Scarlet People"), or Little Crow, junior, was the last chief of the Kaposia band, and was often seen by the later white in- habitants, up to the time of the Indian outbreak, in 1862. James W. Lynd, whose manuscript, partially destroyed, was found after his death, gives this description of the vigorous chief:

"Among the present living chiefs of the Da- kotas, Ta-o-ya-tay-doo-ta is the greatest man. He possesses a shrewd judgment, great foresight, and a comprehensive mind, together with that greatest of requisites, in a statesman, caution. As an orator, he has not his equal in any living tribe of Indians. His oratory. is bold, impas-

sioned and persuasive; and bis arguments are nearly always forcible and logical. In appear- ance, Little Crow is dignified and commanding, though at times restless and anxious. He is about five feet ten inches in height, with rather sharp features, and a piercing, hazel eye, too small for beauty. His head is small, but his forehead bold. Altogether he reminds me very strikingly, if I may be allowed the expression, of the late Ex-Governor Morehead, of Kentucky, whom he certainly resembles, in physical charac- teristics, evcept tallness."

Little Crow was educated in the mission school, at Lac-qui-Parle, sufficiently to write, at least, and signed his own name to the treaty of 1851.

While robust and determined, he was the vic- tim of many vices, and will be remembered as a liar, a drunkard, and the leader of the bloody massacre of 1862. It is stated, however, by several of the early settlers in the county who were personally acquainted with Little Crow, that just previous to the outbreak, he visited Ka- posia, accompanied by two wives and several of his braves. He asserted that his tribe were for making war upon the whites. He refused his assent, and they threatened his destruction unless he relented. For that reason, he was a fugitive from his people, for a time, hoping that their blood-thirst would be cooled upon reflection. At the end of two days, saying that he had discov- ered "Indian signs," he embarked, with his party, in two canoes, and departed.

Shortly after, about a dozen war painted braves of his band, appeared on the spot in search of him, scarcely two hours after his departure. They stated their object to be to kill Little Crow, if he continued his refusal to engage with them in a war upon the whites. They remained but a short time, and after warning Mrs. Messenger that herself and family would be killed unless they sought safety in the East, they went as si- lently as they came. The authorities were noti- fied of the occurrence, but scouted all thought of its significance.

The narrative is here given as it was received, and as it was corroborated by several settlers.

Of the fate of Little Crow, there is, at least no dispute. As is well known, he met an ignomin- ous death for an Indian warrior, at the hands of young Lampson, in the big woods in 1863.

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VILLAGES-A GAME OF BALL.

It is related of this chief that a deformity of his hands aided in the recognition of his body after death. On the death of his father, a jealous er ,had contested Little Crow's suc- "to the leadership of his people. Defeated. sed and filled with hate. this savage lay in wait for the chief, and determined upon his assassination.

As the latter quietly neared Mendota, one day, in his canoe, the inhuman half-brother rose from the bushes on the river bank and took deadly aim at the chieftain's heart. Little Crow placidly laid one hand on the other, over his breast, and awaited the result. The bullet passed through both his hands, mangling them in a shocking manner, but failed to reach his heart. The sur- geon at Fort Snelling, whither he was conveyed. told him that he must die unless he submitted himself to an amputation.

"Then I would rather die in possession of my hands," said the Little Crow, "for how could I hunt without them in the spirit world!"

He was resolute in his purpose, and the Indians dressed his wounds themselves. They applied the inner bark of the sumac and the slippery elm. These were bound on with loose bandages, al- lowing a free discharge, after the most approved and modern scientific method of dressing gun- shot wounds. The wounds were healed, but the hands remained somewhat deformed.

The skill of the Indians in dressing wounds was remarkable, and the whites of a later day learned much from them in this respect. Until lately, surgeons of the army have found it almost impossible to extract an arrow from the person, which they only did by a resort to the knife. They chanced to see an Indian perform the simple feat, and have since adopted his method of pro- cedure. He inserted the smooth, pithless halves of a split elder stick into the wound, and thus forming a sheath for the points of the arrow- head, drew it easily from its place.

OTHER VILLAGES.

There was an off-shoot of the Kaposia or - C'row village about nine miles below it at Detour de Pin (Pine Bend), on the west bank of the Mississippi. This village consisted of twenty lodges and about one hundred Indians. Medi- cine Bottle, first soldier of the Kaposia band, 13

was the highest in authority here, and the village was often designated by his name. He was hung for his complicity in the massacre of 1862, on the Minnesota river. There were several villages within the present limits of Dakota county. One of the oldest villages was Black Dog's, formerly called Telankataue, (old village), and afterwards Ma-ga-yu-tesh-ni. The principal chief was Ma- za-wla, or Grey Iron, aiso called Pa-wa-ya-zau, or My-Head-Aches. The village was situated about four miles above Mendota, and contained about fifty lodges and from two hundred to two hundred and fifty Sioux. Four miles above Black Dog's village, and also on the south side of the Minnesota river was Good Road's village. He was known among the Dakotas as Ta-can-ku- wash-tay. His people were the O-ya-toy-shee-ka (Bad People) band of the Medawakantonwan di- vision of the Dakotas, and they numbered about two hundred. These villages have been connected with the names of their later chiefs, in the enu- meration given, but the fathers and grand-fath- ers of those chiefs often had villages on the same spot. This has been indicated in the mention of Kaposia and Black Dog's village. Some mention of the earlier chieftains, who held sway over the Sioux in Dakota county, may appear in connec- tion with succeeding topics.

The early Indian inhabitants and owners of the land from which they have disappeared, have left us many names, which will cause them to be associated in the minds of the future dwellers here. with much that is romantic and poetic. Their wild legends. some of them of real beauty, will long attach themselves to particular localities in our midst. and will serve to counteract in mem- .ory much of the savage, cruel and depraved.

A GAME OF BALL.

Their games were exceedingly interesting and often engaged in. In 1852, Rev. Gideon II. Pond records a game of ball at Oak Grove, in which Good Road and Grey Iron, with their bands from this county, joined Sky Man's band at the above place to defeat Shakopay's band for a consider- able stake. Shakopay, or Little Six, had his village at the place which now bears his name. He was well-known in this county, and was hung for his participation in the massacre.

The game was continued for three days, and

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engaged in by two hundred and fifty men and boys. The spectators numbered fully as many more, and the excitement and interest ran high. The first day Little Six's band were the victors, but on the following day a ball was used by their opponents which had been made by Ehakeku, an old war-prophet. and which was therefore re- garded as wakon, or sacred. By this means, as it was thought, Good Road, Sky Man and Grey Iron won the stake.

The 16th day of July the parties had their final meeting, and Little Six lost again. A dispute a rose and the bands separated. $4,600 worth of property, in the form of horses, blankets, guns, beads etc., had changed hands. The separation of the parties was caused not entirely by the dispute, but was further brought about by the arrival of a reinforcement for Shakopay from the village of Little Crow.

WARFARE.

Both before and after the advent of the whites, the soil of Dakota county was frequently sprink- led with Indian blood. Small war parties were constantly sent out by both Dakotas and Ojib- ways, who were deadly and contiguous enemies. It was not often that great loss of life resulted, but in the aggregate, extending over centuries of time, during which an incessant, hereditary war- fare was maintained, the destruction must have been apalling.

The hideous scalp dances have been mentioned elsewhere, and were of frequent occurrence. The battles were characterized by much uniformity. but were not often of any great magnitude. One of the latest, which may properly belong to Da- kota county was waged in June, 1842. At Kapo- sia the facts are still fresh in the minds of some who are living, and from them, as witnesses, and from various sources, the following account has been obtained.

There had been various forays between the Sioux and Ojibways, the year previous, and the Sioux having been the latest aggressors, the Ojib- ways were bent upon retaliations. A party of them left Fond du Lac, and arriving at St. Croix Falls, were reinforced by braves of that band, and from the band at Mille Lac. Noiselessly they traversed the distance, until they concealed themselves, unnoticed in the ravine known as

Pine Coolie; this was on the east side of the river. Sinclair, a half-breed,happened by, at this moment, whereupon the Ojibways inquired if there were any Dakotas near. The half-breed's party took fright, at this juncture and galloped with him to the Mission house at Red Rock. Two Sioux, who were there, hastened to warn their friend at Ka- posia, but the slaughter had already commenced.

A white trader named Gammele, lived on the eastern shore of the river, and his Indian wife was at work in the little corn field near their cabin. She was assisted by a wife of Old Rat- tler from Kaposia, who, with another wife was inside the cabin.

The Ojibways, perceiving the Indian women in the field, and actuated by the cowardly and das- tard instincts of savages, killed Rattler's wife, in a murderous volley, and mortally wounded Mrs. Gammele. Her husband bore the latter to the house, where the Ojibways, rushing in, actually scalped the dying woman in his arms. They offered Gammele, himself, no molestation, although he wounded one of their party. David Gammele, Fran- cis Gammele's son and Ta-ti, Rattler's daughter, escaped unnoticed, and both resided subsequently at Mendota. Rattler's young son, however, was seized by the brutal Chippewas and decapitated. The Dakotas on the opposite side of the river, were aroused by the firing and the war-whoops; but nearly the whole village of warriors were in- toxicated, and the squaws had concealed their weapons. Nevertheless, General Sibley states, that it was the custom of the Dakotas to set apart a few of their young men, whose duty it was to keep sober and to act as a reserve. These ad- vanced bravely across the river. They were joined by their drunken comrades, by degrees, and the battle raged fiercely for two hours. Gen- eral Sibley, who arrived at the scene, during the fight. places the loss of the Sioux at eight or ten, and that of the Ojibways at six or eight. Only fifteen or twenty of the Sioux had guns. Other accounts give the loss of the Sioux, including those who subsequently died of their wounds, as nineteen or possibly twenty.

The Ojibways, numbering fully a hundred, were forced to a slow retreat at noon. They were pursued by the Dakotas, for some distance, but escaped without further injury. The dead Chip- pewas were scalped and their bodies mutilated

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OLD BETS.

by the squaws. "Old Bets," hereafter noticed. was especially active, beating the heads of the fall- en with a bludgeon. Her son, Taopi, (Wounded Man) was wounded in this battle.

After the retreat of the Chippewas, General Sibley, with the eye of a hunter, observed a trail of blood, which. from its direction, he knew to be the trail of a Chippewa. From its color he knew further that the Indian had been wounded in the lung. He thoughtlessly called the atten- tion of the Sioux to this, when they instantly bounded to the pursuit with the eagerness of blood-hounds. But the poor fellow escaped, and eluded his pursuers in some mysterious manner, possibly concealing himself in a cleft of the bluff. He was afterwards known to have died at Little Falls from the effects of this wound.

Thus the battle ended, and the old, drunken Indian life at Kaposia resumed its even course.

SURVIVORS OF THE RACE.

To one who had ascended the Mississippi river in an early day of navigation, and had seen its vine-clad islands, rocky, tempest-splintered bluffs and its more fertile shores, peopled alike with these strange "children of the twilight," the present appearance of the Father of Waters must present an amazing contrast.

Their tepees no longer line these shores. Their burial scaffolds, rude reminders of the decay of their race, have disappeared. Their canoes, float- ing, almost with the lightness of down, upon the stream, have ceased forever to ripple its waters, and everywhere the "higher justice" is conspicu- ous in its results.

There is little disposition to lament the disap- pearance of these tribes. A nobler people have succeeded them. The barbarous arts of the chase have given place to a peaceful and enlight- ened agriculture. Instead of the war-cry there is the hum of a thousand industries, and the savage rites of the medicine man and the orgies of the scalp-dance have been supplanted by high, intellectual enjoyments and the purer offices of religion. Nevertheless, the white race must always admire many characteristics of the red. It would do well to imitate some of its simpler virtues. It must ever bear the stigma of having introduced among these savage people the "fire- water" which crazed and debased them; of hav-

ing debauched their women, which aroused their jealousy, and of having taught them a mercenary love for money, which it played upon in the making and execution of deceptive treaties.

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History of Dakota County and the City of Hastings, Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Part 33

Author: J. Fletcher Williams Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Number of Pages:

Author: J. Fletcher Williams
Publication date: 1881
Publisher:
Number of Pages: