History of Goodhue County, Minnesota, Part 3

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, H.C. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1264

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HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY

position and also the oblique ebb and How structure. 3-The presence of only marine fossils, of shales, mud cracks and ripple marks. The absence of tilting and of the influence of heat shows that they were never disturbed by volcanic eruptions in this quarter. The enormous amount of material deposited shows that long periods of ceaseless activity were consumed to perform such a tremendous amount of erosion. Our limestone formation, for instance. extends from New York to the Rockies. The large quantities of carbon dioxide in the limestones is thought to have been derived from the cooling atmosphere. The sediments were hardened by their own cohesion and the infiltration of cements. The wide extent of country over which some of the formations spread indicates that when submerged it formed a wide, shallow sea bottom. The mud cracks and ripple marks speak of the beach. The compacted layers of sediments have received dif- ferent names. The lowest is the Potsdam sandstone. also called St. Croix. from the St. Croix valley, where it outerops. Over this are spread in succession : 1, 2. the St. Lawrence and Jordan sandstones. by some included in the St. Croix, which can be seen in outerop in Barn bluff. College hill and Twin bluff: 3. lower magnesian limestone. capping our bluffs; 4, New Richmond sandstone at Cannon falls; 5. Shakope limestone, seen at C'annon falls and Northfield; 6, St. Peter sandstone, seen at White rock. Castle rock and the falls of the Cannon; 7, Trenton limestone. seen at Wanamingo and Cannon falls.

"At some period life appeared. Some geologists place this event back as far as 200,000.000 years, so we have a wide range of time to choose from. The archæan rocks contain no clear traces of life, so that the rocks in our immediate neighborhood are of special interest. as they introduce ns to some of the earliest known animals. Other living things, such as lichens and mosses, may have preceded them, but owing to their delicate structure, the physical conditions under which they lived and the long period of time that has elapsed, no definite traces have been left. The St. Croix formation contains traces of plants regarded as sea weeds. There is no evidence of land plants. In the geologie foundations of the county are evidences of all the types known to the animal kingdom except the vertebrates. The combined contribution of animal life to the rock structure of our present home was great. The successive generations were piled up on the tombs of their ancestors, while those whose shells were reduced to powder-and their number was undoubt- edly far greater than those whose remains are unearthed today- furnished the material for the encasing rock. In general it is an accepted proposition that limestones deposited by marine agencies were produced by the calcareous remains of animals

HISTORY OF GOODHICE COUNTY

having the power to abstract lime held in suspension in the water.

"Then came the interval between the Trenton and the glacial periods. The struggle between the ocean and the archaan con- tinent ceased. Minnesota and adjoining areas were raised above the sea, and our county began giving up instead of receiving more. Erosion set in and the debris went elsewhere to build up other states, the archaan rocks in the meantime being completely worn down. The result is in good part embodied in the topog- raphy we have today. The Mississippi carved out its present channel but Howed about 100 feet lower than it does today. As the former periods were useful in building up the material for Red Wing's industries, so this period was useful in exposing and making them easy of access.

"Then came the glacial period. Geologists are very happy because of the fact that an area of 10,000 square miles in Minne- sota, Wisconsin and Illinois was left uncovered by the ice fields. Of the driftless area. 3,000 square miles lie in Minnesota. and we are just about at the upper end of it. Maps of this period show that glaciers bearing down on this region from the northeast seem to have spent their force and died away before they reached the lower driftless area. The glaciers from the Lake Superior and Michigan regions encircled it on the south, but did not cover it, hence. as Prof. Chamberlain said, the driftless area remains an unmarred monument of erosion from the earliest ages to the present time. The driftless area is clearly distinguished from the drifted area in that it is free from lakes, sloughs. or obstructed drainage. Gravel mounds, like those spread over the country from Hastings northward. are absent. No gravel is found beneath the soil except where running water lodged it. The valleys look old. The rivers that run from the glaciated to the drift- less area are lined by high terraces showing the height of the river bottom during the melting period of the glaciers, while the rivers lying wholly within the driftless area lack them. During the last glacial epoch, when the melting glaciers made a larger part of this county a great sea of icy water, gravel and sand were disengaged from the ice and carried forward to lower levels by turbulent waters. 'The valley of the Cannon river was flooded per- manently during the continuance of this whole epoch with waters that came directly from the ice fields of Dakota and Rice counties, and which bore along great quantities of floating ice and of mingled sand, mud and gravel. The Mississippi also was at flood stage. These valleys were filled with alluvial detritus to the height of their highest terrace, and flowed at a permanent level of about 125 to 150 feet higher than now, the bottom of the water being determined by this terrace. On the withdrawal

HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY

of the ice field further north, and the cessation of the supply of such detritus, these streams began to exeavate their present channels in the loose materials over which they had been flowing. This excavation was a process of short duration and continued as long as any glacial condition of the preceding cold epoch lingered in the state. When the rivers were reduced to more nearly their present stage, by the cutting off of the supply from the melting glaciers, a slow process of refilling seems to have been begun, which we see going on at present. This refilling is most evident in the lower portions of the river valleys, and in those parts where the valley is much larger than is now required by the stream flowing there.'

"Such, then, is the geological story in brief, telling us how our environments were formed. They are of interest because the industries of Red Wing are directly dependent upon them. The porous sandstones, containing gallons of water per cubic yard, furnish us with an inexhaustible supply of water for our mills and other establishments. The limestones furnish us lime for mortar and rocks for architectural purposes. We draw upon the gravel bars to grade our roads and our railroads. The soil of our farms is splendidly mixed, by the plowing, grinding and crushing of the glacial mill. The trees of the North and the grasses of the South came in, and furnish us with fuel and with opportunities for dairying. Clay for making bricks is handy in many places, and furnishes material for the pottery industries. The woods keep our saw mills humming and supply our furni- ture factories with materials for various products. The yield of the soil employs many at the malt houses and the mills, while the beauty and the facilities of the place draw to it seats of learning and of training."

Thor K. Simmons, now deceased, was for thirty-three years one of the leading citizens of Red Wing, and his name is still perpetuated in the title of one of the county's leading financial institutions. He served as alderman and as county commissioner, and in other ways showed his publie spirited interest in the welfare of the city and county. Born in Kragers, Norway, August 12, 1832, he received his education in the excellent public schools of that city, and became a school teacher. At the age of twenty-one, in 1853, he left his native land and came to America, locating for a time at Janesville, Wis., where some fellow countrymen had previously settled. In 1856 he followed the influx of immigration to Goodhne county, and homesteaded 160 acres near what is now known as Clay bank, in Goodhue township. A year later he decided to enter business life, and as a preliminary training in American commercial methods, clerked a year in the store of C. J. F. Smith, then one of the leading

T. K. SIMMONS

PUBLIC LIENARY

TILDAN TON ٠٠٧٨

HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY

stores in the city. Thus equipped, Mr. Simmons started a mer- cantile establishment of his own, and continued in business many years, being also a wholesale grain dealer on a large scale, his elevators being located throughout the country. During this time the need of a financial institution was felt, and the Pierce- Simmons bank was organized, with Mr. Simmons as one of the chief promoters. In 1887, he retired from active business, and lived a retired life until his death, May 7, 1890. He was a Republican in politics, and a member of the Swedish Lutheran church. Thor K. Simmons was married June 25, 1858, at Cannon Falls, Minn., to Hannah S. Hawkins, of that city, daughter of Nels and Eva (Carlstrom) Hawkins, natives of Sweden, who came to. America, located in Indiana for three years and then settled at Cannon Falls, where they resided until the time of their deaths, the father dying May 10. 1889, and the mother May 26, the same year. To Mr. and Mrs. Simmons were born nine children. Emma is now Mrs. W. C. Krise, of Red Wing. N. K. Simmons, the second child, lives in this city also, as does Eleda, now Mrs. (Rev.) O. S. Meland. Eva, married to H. J. Brown, lives in Portland, Me. T. N. Simmons lives in Red Wing. Frances is Mrs. J. L. Keenan, of Hammond, La. Marie, now Mrs. H. Van Smith, lives in Oklahoma. Elvira is at home, and T. K. Simmons also lives in Oklahoma. The family is universally respected, and enjoys the heritage of honor left by the father.

CHAPTER III.

EVIDENCE OF THE MOUNDS.

The First Human Inhabitants of Goodhue County-Indications that They Were Indians-Location and Shape of the Mounds -their Purpose-What Excavation Has Revealed-Fort Sweney-Stone Cairns-The Lowland Mounds-Reign of the Sioux-By Edward W. Schmidt.

At what period of the earth's existence the eye of humankind first beheld the beauties of Goodhue county and surrounding territory is a problem which will probably never be absolutely solved. The theory that a prehistoric race, superior in intelli- gence to the Indians, once possessed this locality is not accepted by scholars in general, and it is doubtless true that the first human occupants of this county were the ancestors of the Sioux Indians; though from whence they came is one of the great unanswered questions. Evidences thus far discovered indicate that the Mound Builders, famous in song and romance. who left so many indications of their work in this locality, were prehis- torie Sioux, or at least a race of Indians (possibly the Iowas) closely resembling them, and not an entirely different people, as has sometimes been maintained by scholars of others days.

The mounds! The mounds! Who does not love to spend a day among the silent monuments of a vanished race? Who is not charmed while strolling among these tombs, either when the green of spring covers them as with a carpet, while all around you the hills, lakes, rivers, ponds and woods contribute their beauty to complete the picture of a glorious day in June, or while the dreamy haze of an autumnal day tinges the gorgeous panorama of the many-colored landscape with delieate tint of hhute? To the charms of such a scene the lover of mounds is not a stranger, nor to the pleasant feeling of mystery that steals upon his mind as he gazes at the sepulchres that dot the terrace or stand out boldly on the promontory of a steep and rugged bluff.

HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY

One of the places to see the mounds on a magnificent scale is Goodhue county. Parts of the county are so rieh in mounds that she need not take a back seat in archæology, by any means. Archeologists will be taxed for many years to come before the perplexing problems presented by the relies shall be unraveled into clear and continuous history.

What is the meaning of the mounds? Who made them ? Whence did the mound builders come ? When did they live here ? What sort of life did they lead? What was their state of culture? Who were the first inhabitants of Goodhue county ? These are some of the questions which archeology is busy trying to solve.

While Goodhue county cannot boast of mounds having such gigantie proportions as some other parts of the United States can, nor of such grotesque mounds as the serpent mound of Ohio, yet the mounds of our county are so striking in number, kind and distribution that they present a rich field for archæological inquiry. Our late state archeologist, J. V. Brower, had in mind the publication of another book whose main contents were to be the presentation of all known facts relative to the mounds and Indian relies of Red Wing and vicinity. As it is, the mounds of Goodhue county will make no small showing in the forthcoming volume which is now in preparation under the direc- tion of Prof. N. Winchell, former state geologist. The number of mounds in Goodhue county is considerable. The largest number is found in the vicinity of Red Wing along the banks of the Mississippi, Spring creek and the lower course of the Cannon. Here they frequently oceur in groups of no mean pro- portions, while smaller clusters, sprinkled over the spaces inter- vening between the larger ones. help to make a long, continuous series of mounds, extending many miles in length. Isolated mounds are not uncommon. The larger groups are invariably situated near the water courses and usually on the lofty terraces that give a commanding view of the magnificent valleys. Such a distribution of the mounds finds its explanation in the faet that the rivers offered beautiful sites for habitations and routes of travel in times of peace and war. and above all, two sub- stances absolutely necessary to the maintenance of life, namely, water and food. The mound builder was not slow in picking out picturesque places as a location for his village sites. The distribution of the mounds bears ample proof of this. Anyone who visits the following groups eannot fail to be convinced that the mound builders were certainly guided in the selection of the location for their mounds by an unerring sense of beautiful scenery and a high appreciation and instinctive love of nature as well as by other factors. At Red Wing there used to be some

HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY

fifty mounds. Many of these have been destroyed by building operations of the white man, but some still remain. On the extreme northwest spur of the fair grounds a few nice mounds overlook the Hay creek and Mississippi valleys. The city of Red Wing ought to make it a special object to preserve these and keep them intact as an object lesson for coming genera- tions. There will always be in each generation a certain number of people to whom the mounds will be of special interest, while a much larger number will always derive pleasure and recreation by an occasional visit to these historical remains. On Seminary hill. only two, almost obliterated knolls, remain on the extreme eastern spur of the bluff. These, together with the mound in front of the City hospital and the one on the wooded knoll in front of the ladies' seminary, are all located in places from whence a magnificent view of the valley, river. lake and wooded bluff can be had. The same practically holds true of the 200 mounds near Cannon Junction. some of which are located on the high brow of one of the finest glacial terraces in the country. From there the chain of mound groups extends with few inter- ruptions to Welch, and all of them are situated on the imposing remains which mark the former bottom of the glacial river whose raging flood in the long ago rushed through this valley, carrying with it untold quantities of sand, cobble stones and rocks. filling up the valleys in places to the height of eighty feet. During postglacial times, large portions of this deposit have been swept ont by the Cannon river. and it is chiefly on the remnants of the glacial terraces that the mounds are located.

A beautiful illustration of this is seen at Fort Sweney. Directly south of the Great Western station at Welch is a small area about an acre in extent which erosion has almost detached from the rest of the terrace. A long neck of land serves as an isthmus to unite this area with the rest of the terrace towards the south and thus prevents it from being an isolated knoll. On this unique elevation is the only prehistoric fort known in Goodhue county. but it is one of the nicest in Minnesota. It was discovered in the following manner: In the spring of 1902 the state archaeologist. J. V. Brower, asked the writer to examine the region between Cannon Falls and Welch. On May 1st I walked from Cannon Falls to Weleh without finding a single mound. Having half an hour left before the evening train arrived. I climbed the terrace to see how the valley looked. This brought the mounds on the hill into view, and a rapid inspection of the place revealed all the evidences of a strong fortifieation. Six mounds crowned the inclosed area, while a well pronounced embankment skirts the southern edge facing the terrace, which is separated from the fort by a deep, wide

HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY

gully. The following week Mr. Brower, Dr. W. M. Sweney and myself visited the place and made a careful examination of it. A detailed drawing of the fort appears in Vol. VI, plate XII, "Minnesota Memoirs." The number of pits, mounds, and other earthworks in this locality is forty-one. At Mr. Brower's urgent request that the discoverer give the place a name, I deemed it proper to call it Fort Sweney, in honor of Dr. W. M. Sweney and his father, Dr. W. W. Sweney, for the very valuable services rendered by them to the study of Minnesota archeology. What the former history of Fort Sweney is can at present only be conjectured. Mr. Brower pronounced it the finest fortification he had seen in Minnesota. This is saying a good deal, because he has examined a great number. The absence of other fortifi- cations in Goodhue county seems to tell us that the aborigines who inhabited this region held undisputed sway over this part of the state. Fort Sweney may therefore only indicate a sporadic but powerful attack upon the inhabitants of this region by some roving band or tribe. It may also mark the place where the last possessors of the land, the Sioux, besieged the previous owners, the lowas. At present there are not sufficient data at hand to determine what the exact truth is. Repeated careful observation and searches at the place have so far failed to reveal any implements of war of any kind. The place has never been plowed and the mounds have never been explored. Further research may throw more light on the obscure problem as to who the warring parties were, and whether the conflict was a sanguinary one or not. At any rate. the place chosen was one well calculated to enable a small party to make a stubborn defense. The sides of the hill are as steep as gravel can lie on an incline. The approach from the neck of land where only a few men could approach simultaneously was fortified by pits, an embankment and by a stockade. Traces of the latter are seen in the dent or depression that runs across the approach at right angles to its length. The valley side towards Welch was undoubtedly fortified by the river, which at an earlier period skirted the base of the hill, as is shown by the depression in the plane of the valley at this particular point. A portion of the ancient bed is still filled with water and forms a pond. If this be true, then the construction of the fort must be placed at a considerably remote period of the past. to allow time for the subsequent changes made by the river, which now flows on the other side of the valley. A party besieged in the fort could easily render an approach up the hillside exceedingly dangerous, while the river gave an unfailing supply of water. Some of the pits at Fort Sweney eould accommodate from twelve to twenty- five men. The pottery and other relies which we have found

HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY

on the Hats below are of the ordinary. Sioux type. That the fort was built before the introduction of firearms seems very probable from the fact that rifle bullets can be dropped into it from surrounding hills, but in times when only bows. arrows and war clubs were in use the hill was almost impregnable. If the fort marks the site where the Iowas made a determined stand against the new invaders and later possessors of Goodhue county, then the spot is full of interest to the student of arch- æology, not only from the interesting fort that is there, but also for the historical interest associated with the fact that here the proud and dominant Sioux made a fight to gain possession of Minnesota territory. This, however. is conjecture, and the real history of the fortification may be far different. It is not always easy to read the story of silent stones and heaps of earth.

The extreme northern part of Goodhue county, composed of Prairie Island in the town of Welch and Burnside, is also full of archæological interest. The number of mounds and earth- works along Indian slough, Sturgeon lake, Buffalo slough and Cedar lake amounts to 260. One of the mounds near Indian słough is all of 300 feet long and has projections on it which look as though they were intended to represent the legs of some animal. The whole earthwork has a tadpole-like appearance. If this is an effigy mound, then Goodhue county possesses at least one of the remarkable class of mounds of which many beautiful illustrations can be seen in various parts of Wisconsin. for example, at Madison, where large bird, fox, bear and squirrel mounds can be seen along the lake shores. Across the river from Prairie Island are two more effigy mounds. They are two of a very remarkable group of 300 mounds, the Mero group. To see a more imposing group of mounds than is presented here in the short distance of a mile one would have to travel far. The land is fairly billowy with mounds and in many parts there would scarcely be room enough to build others of a size equal to the existing ones. Baby mounds and large mounds dot the surface everywhere. Those not familiar with the various kinds of mounds may gain an idea of their size from the following figures : An effigy mound lying in the open field was intended to picture some such animal as the wolf or lynx. The head is thirty-nine feet wide. the neck twenty-four feet, the body thirty- seven feet. The tail is forty-six feet long and twenty-two feet wide at the base. The height of the body above the ground is four feet. The annual plowing and harrowing of the field undoubtedly decreased the height of this and other mounds. The beaver mound, which occurs on the northwest corner of the Mero group, lies close to the edge of the terrace facing the river. It is 190 feet long and is even more imposing than the

HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY

one just described. It may be true that this mound represents a beaver emerging from a pond. The dam terminates in a mound six feet high and forty-two feet across. The best time to view these or any other mounds is in the spring before the grass and weeds get a good start.

At the Adams farm, near Ilager, is a group of seventy-four mounds. One of the largest is located in an adjoining cemetery and is so large that no less than twenty-three gravestones, marking intrusive burials by white people, can be counted upon it. About two miles east of Hager is a boulder outline or picto- graph representing a large bow and arrow. It is situated on the talus slope of one of the bluffs on Mr. Shaver's farm and is made up of limestones laid in such a way as to represent a bent bow with the arrow pointing towards Lake Pepin. The bow is 185 feet long and under favorable conditions can be seen at a distance of four or five miles. Near Bay City are a few more mounds. Prof. Hill and I dug trenches through some of these, but failed to find any relics. In Trenton slough there is a long bar jutting out into the water. Here a considerable number of pits dent the ground. In digging into one of these I found a tomahawk, ashes and pottery. The pits probably mark the site of dwelling places where the lodges were partially built below the surface as a protection against the cold of winter. While the prehistoric remains located at Diamond Bluff, Bay City and at the Adams farm near Hager do not lie within Good- hue county, they cannot be omitted in this connection, because they form one harmonious whole with the mounds on the Min- nesota side of the river and help to swell the testimony that this region was long occupied by a race that lived in considerable numbers on both sides of the river and were undisputed masters of the whole region. Where hostile territories in our state touched each other, there the boundary line can be roughly traced by the forts and ramparts. Forts are, however, absent in this region, except the fort at Welch. The similarity, and we may say, identity, of many articles, such as arrows and war clubs, and the similarity of decorations on pottery found at the places mentioned point to the same conclusion. Hay creek and Spring creek also furnish their contingent of 150 or more mounds, so that the total number of tumuli, earthworks. embankments. etc., that occur along the numberless water courses within eleven miles of Red Wing runs up, by actual connt, close to 2,000. Such an array of earthworks may be expected to present eon- siderable variety of size, shape and purpose in construction. By far the larger number are of the round kind so typical of this part of the United States. Others are oblong. A few, as already stated, are of the singular kind called effigy mounds and repre-

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History of Goodhue County, Minnesota, Part 3

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago, H.C. Cooper Number of Pages: 1264

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, H.C. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1264