USA > Minnesota > Washington County > History of Washington County and the St. Croix Valley, including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota > Part 35
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"Commenced looking around to see what we could have for tea besides pork and bread. Dick took his rifle, and I took my rifle, fish-line, and hooks. We passed down the little pasture to the mouth of the spring branch, about 160 yards be- low the falls. I crawled into a large clump of alders to get a view of the main stream, at the mouth of the spring branch, and found it fairly black with trout that would weigh from one- fourth to two and one-half pounds. Commenced to clear away brush to make it convenient to the water, cut a slim alder for a fish-pole, fastened on my line, caught a 'hopper' placed him on the hook, and let him gently touch the water, when there was a great commotion, and out came a trout that would weigh about a pound; took out another, placed my fishing tackle convenient for future use, and returned for tea, satisfied that our future supplies of fish were as sure and handy as any house-keepers's fish barrel.
"Having selected the land now occupied as a driving-park for farming, and the rise of ground now used as a grove, which has grown up since, for Fourth of July purposes, for my building-spot, I went to work at once to get material on the ground for a shanty to winter in, as my first one would be too far from my rail-splitting to be con- venient. We had cut logs, made shakes for cov- ering, got a few rocks out for the chimney, got Uncle Massey's oxen-the only yoke owned in what is now Hudson-got all on the ground, got the house up, covered and ready to daub with mud, when the first snow-storm of the season set in and the snow fell to the depth of about a foot
on the level. The next day was very cold. Cleared away the snow and made a door.
"I told Dick that we would try for deer. Both started out with rifles; Dick returned to camp first: just as he arrived on the bank above the camp, he heard a loud whoop from some one be- low, on the left bank of the stream. Supposing it to be some one in search of our camp he an- swered it, when some one answered from the right hand side of the stream, near the lower falls. They kept up this triangular yelling at each other until finally the man on the left side of the stream, to the left of the lower falls, came to where Dick was standing on the point of the rocks over the camp, leaning on his rifle. He was the head man of a surveying party that had got behind in their job of sub-dividing this section of country up to the lake into sections. Not sup- posing there was any one but themselves, unless it was Indians, in the country, he was greatly sur- prised to find a black man that would weigh 200 pounds leaning on a rifle. 'Where in the name . of did you come from?' 'I lives here.' 'Live where?' 'Oh, down dar,' pointing over the bluff. 'Who do you live with?' 'Mr. Fos- ter.' 'Where is he from?' 'St. Louis.' 'Well, by -- he has got the start of me.' It appears that my brother was correct. Here was a man that had made the same discovery that I had, and was going to return and take advantage of it as soon as he could close up his job and settle with the government.
"That snow remained on the ground until spring, and it was near three months that the snow would not melt on your moccasins.
"The third day after the storm some one whooped to find our camp; it proved to be a man by the name of Webster, who was hunting pine lands. He was very cold. He told me that there was a man dead, or nearly so, at the head of Rocky Branch. It proved to be a man that had started to carry too much whis- key with him from Diamond Bluff to Pres- cott, and had lost his course in the storm.
"We were forced to dig a hole inside our cbain, build a fire, and heat water to make mud to finish the cabin and chimney; the mud froze just as fast as put on and remained frozen till spring. I spent the most of the winter splitting rails in a fine grove of timber in a cove or hollow be-
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tween the mound and the now residence of Mr. Wm. Purves.
"At that time few or no wild bees had been seen in the country. We felled a tall oak ex- pecting to get three cuts for rails, which in fall- ing, struck the stump of another tree, and burst all to pieces, covering the snow with bees and a large amount of fine honey. We cut down a basswood, dug out a trough, gathered up our honey and got it all safe in our cabin, using it for dessert all winter, by sopping fried-cakes or hard-bread in it after sopping them in pork grease, Dick using one end of the trough, and I the other.
"One of us had to go in to the mouth of the Willow, as we called it at that time, for supplies every ten days. The snow got to be very deep, and it was a hard trip, taking from four in the morning until after dark. Having all the coffee and sugar in the place, except Peter's and Un- cle Massey's maple sugar, I always saw all of the settlers, and got all the news, as most of them came for sugar and coffee. On about the first of December, on one of my trips for supplies, I met Joseph Bowron for the first time, at Mr. Wm. R. Anderson's. Mr. Anderson had come down from St. Croix Falls, moved into the building in the cellar of which I kept my supplies. He had no family except a young, energetic, and stirring wife. Before I got warm was posted in all the news. Husband was a surveyor; wasn't at home; member of the legislature; was then trying to get some way to get to Madison. Mr. Bowron came in and introduced us to each other. She said she could give us something to eat if she could get that 'blamed' frozen pork to pieces, pointing to a barrel. Bowron went for the ax, I for wood, and in a short time we had hot bis- cuit, coffee and fried pork.
"Mr. Anderson has been a very useful man in the county from that day to this; he was our first county clerk, a practical surveyor, and has raised up a large family. Mr. Bowron after a good deal of trouble succeeded in getting Mr. Milton Noble to take a horse for packing purposes; they started in the direction of Madison, through the Big Woods. After straying a good deal they arrived at Black River Falls, where Noble hung up until spring, and Bowron got through to Madison. We never knew until spring whether
our important interests were being attended to or not. Mr. Bowron returned in the spring, fetching a wife and his wife's sister, which made a great addition to our society. Mr. Bowron had much to do in giving this section its first start. He was a whole-souled, liberal man, to the extent of injuring himself.
"About the first of January was in for supplies again; met Messrs. Dan. Mears and Kelley, of St. Croix Falls for the first time, and Lane, the fur trader from the mouth of the lake; stopped over night to compare notes and attend a half- breed ball at the cabin of Jo Lagrew, on the lake shore close to the mouth of the Willow river. Peter was manager in chief; there were three ladies from near Cat-fish bar, on the Minnesota side, part negro, part French; they were the lead- ing belles, straight as Indians; having long black hair with a beautiful kink in it, they appeared to realize their superiority over the full and half blood Indian. The balance of the ladies consisted of the squaws and half breed squaws. The danc- ing went off lively, the ladies occasionally clipping the pigeon wing in their beaded moccasins and the gentlemen trying to keep even in their plain moccasins; there was none of that rough coming down on the heel of the young buck of the pres- ent day. They danced reels and cotillions, but the most interesting dance was the one before the nut cakes and black strap, made of whiskey and maple sugar, was served up-a sort of French dance. Uncle Massey led to the middle of the floor an elderly half-breed lady, saluted her in the style of a French dancing master, the music struck up, and they commenced dancing at each other with all the force and energy they could throw into it. A ring was formed at once, the men on one side and the ladies on the other. I did not understand the dance; it appeared that Mears, Kelley and the trader did. They appeared to be getting a good ready for something. Directly Mears stepped in front of Uncle Massey, made a bow to him, turned to the lady and and got right down to work, beautifully. In jumped one of the belles with the beautiful kinky hair, courtsied low to the half-breed lady, turned to Mears and shook her beaded moccasins most beautifully at him. Kelley and the trader followed Mears; the excitement ran high ; the sweat fairly run off the fiddler ; there was a half brother of Peter's pres-
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ent that looked like a full-blooded Indian. Hav- ing some whisky in him he was getting as much excited as he would at a war dance, when he gave a regular war whoop which made the cabin ring. It was like Tam O'Shanter and his witches. All were seated and the ladies and gentlemen ate nut- cakes, drank blackstrap, and shook hands all around to show that all was lovely. After re- freshments the trader and myself left and went to Pascal Aldridge's, at the mouth of the cooley. "What became of the trader I never knew; Kel- ley was killed in some kind of a scrape at St. Croix Falls, that had a woman in it; Mr. Mears has since raised a family, has done much to im- prove the section of country he is in by lumber- ing and farming, and has represented this sena- torial district in Madison.
"Having by the 1st of February made all the rails that I intended to make that winter, I told Dick we would go into the lake and start up something to do until we could go below to St. Louis for horses and tools for summer work. The only horses in the country were a pair of small one ones belonging to Pascal Aldridge, and Uncle Massey's one-eyed pony.
"There was nothing going on on the south side of Willow river but a lawsuit about a hog, between 'old Perrington,' as they called him, and Samuel Worth, of St. Croix Falls. They had had one suit over the boarding of an ox, and Perrington and his side had to go to St. Croix Falls to the trial, but as they had a justice and a constable in the persons of Aldridge and Peter at the mouth of the Willow, they were determined the hog trial should come off there, and the St. Croix Falls people had to come to time. As there were no lawyers on this side of the lake, both parties had to go to Stillwater for lawyers. Wilkinson, since Senator Wilkinson, of Minnesota, was on one side and North, the first settler of Northfield, Minnesota, on the other.
"Dick and myself had taken robes and blankets, and gone in to the Lake. I had persuaded Al- dridge to go in with me and put a lot of wood on the bank for boats-I cut, he haul, and divide equally. The wood was cut on the bottom, now overflowed by the mill pond. Aldridge had to lose a day on account of the hog suit. When I came in in the evening, the suit was in full blast in the little cabin. The room was about 12x15
feet; Mrs. Aldridge and the children in one cor- ner, behind the stove, the court using the balance of the room. As this suit drew all, or nearly all of the settlers on this side of the lake together, except from Prescott, it gave us a chance to get acquainted with each other. We all knew each other by hear-say, but we always examined each other for ourselves when we met to find out if the. new-comer was an educated, smart man, a natural fool, or an educated one. It appeared to be my turn to be examined. The justice stopped pro- ceedings and gave me an introduction all around. Perrington led off, 'Well, Mr. Foster, are you trying to get an honest living?' 'Well, yes! only as an experiment, however, as I saw that was the only business that no one had gone into, as yet. I had some hopes of being able to start an ox boarding house, or fancy hoggery, but I see I am too late.' The court, lawyers and all hands took a hearty laugh, and went on with the trial.
" I see from my book of accounts that I sold my two barrels of beans to Perrington for $1.25 per bushel. Captain Harris made his appearance first in the spring with a new boat, and landed at the foot of the cooley. His favorite old pilot was at the wheel, and when he saw me and Dick in the small crowd on shore, hails the captain and says 'Captain,' pointing to me, 'didn't I tell you we were sure of one passenger in the spring?'" Captain Harris invited me to get on board and go up to the falls with him. I did so, which was the first time I ever saw St. Croix Falls. On our return Dick got on board and we started for St. Louis. The pilot would hardly believe that I was foolhardy enough to try farming in this country.
" I returned from St. Louis about the 10th of June ; had four horses, two cows, three dogs, twelve chickens, one sixteen-inch plow, and seven dollars in money on hand. I broke seven acres of ground as soon as possible to put in oats for horse feed the next winter; could find no seed oats nearer than Stillwater, and I went in to the lake, got a skiff of Peter, pulled up to Still- water, got seven bushels of oats by running all over the place, getting from one to two bushels in a place from the lumbermen, all they had left, and half of that was pigeon-grass, with which I was unacquainted, and thought was millet, and was very careful to sow every seed of it. I broke up a hazel-brush thicket and planted potatoes.
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" The horses were all young, the weather very warm, the buffalo gnats thick, the breasts of the horses became sore ; the gnats were eating them to the extent that they began to look scabby. Finally I told Dick that we must stop breaking except morning and evening, but soon found that was the only time the horses could eat. I got somewhat disgusted with things generally, turned out the team early and went to the lower falls for fish and deer. At that time the fish could come from the lake to the falls, and all kinds of fish such as bass, wall-eyed pike, pickerel, cat- fish and very large trout could be taken to almost any amount at the lower falls. We soon had all the fish we wanted and returned to the shanty, to look to the horses. If they were out of sight long, they were liable to be taken by the Indians for strays to be returned for money, or taken for keeps if not caught next morning. On stepping outside the cabin, I observed a fine deer going from the river toward the mound walking very leisurely indeed. I took my rifle and went nearly to the spot he would pass ; waited for him and gave him the signal that I wanted him to stop while I shot him; hailed Dick to come and help haul him to the cabin.
"I was in a quandary what to do. The horses looked so bad that I did not like to work them, and we had used up all the old pants and coats we could muster to protect their breasts. The pike were very fat, their insides were one mass of fat. The thought struck me that fish-oil would be good to keep off the gnats. We oiled every part where the gnats troubled the horses, took the deerskin, put it the flesh side down un- der the collar on the worst horse, and started to breaking. The gnats left the horses, the fresh deer skin took all the fever and soreness out of the horses shoulders, and we were all right, as we could get all the fish and skins we wanted.
"About this time they had a big arrival on the south side of the Willow, in the person of a Mr. Putnam, from Ohio, who was about to fetch on seventy families to settle the country, and he would build a large hotel at the landing at the mouth of the cooley. The first thing to be done was for a delegation, consisting of the old Dr. Aldridge and others, to fetch him right out to the falls and show him the valley and the back coun- try that was to build up their town site. At the
same time there was a man by the name o Davis, from Michigan, looking over the country in the in- terest of the Goodrich family. One of the brothers was then at St. Paul, in the person of Judge Goodrich. There were four or five brothers of them, and they were prospecting for a future location for the family, and this man Davis appeared to be in their employ. Davis and Putnam had met and got acquainted. While Putnam was out in the valley, Davis was looking over the falls of the Willow river. On their return to Buena Vista, the name of the new town, they compared notes. Putnam told Dayis he had found something worth looking after; it was true there was a fellow squatted on it, but he would not amount to much.
"Davis started out at once, came to my cabin late one Saturday evening, spent the Sabbath with me. After breakfast I told him that I must go to the falls for fish. It was very warm. After tak- ing what fish we needed, we went on to the ground now used as an Episcopal burying ground, to view the falls and stream, and get a cool breeze. There were three deer in the stream in the still water, almost one hundred yards below where the bridge stands. I went for one of them, picked out my deer and fired. The deer went out on the left bank; the grass was very high and thick, I was sure the deer was killed, and I went over to cut its throat. I searched all around but did not find him. When I came back to Davis, he says, 'Why didn't you cut the throat of your deer?' 'Couldn't find him.' 'He fell close to the bank. You went too far around him.' Da- vis returned to Buena Vista, and he and Putnam conferred together again. Davis told Putnam there was something very desirable there, but the man that had located there knew his business, and the less he fooled with him the better.
"Davis reported to the Goodrich family. The result was one evening there was a fine double carriage driven up to my shanty, containing Judge Goodrich, the first landlady of the old American hotel, Mrs. Parker, another lady, and the driver. We gave the ladies the inside of the cabin, and took the outside for sleeping purposes. Mrs. Parker was pleased with what is now called Mann valley, and laid claim to all of it as her future farm. In a short time one of the Good- rich brothers made his appearance, made a claim
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on what was afterwards taken by the Powells; bought part interest in the falls, and made ar- rangements with me to test the country as to growing winter wheat, by agreeing to ship to me three barrels of seed wheat, one barrel to be clear white flint, one, Sewell's, and one, a mixture of all kinds, which he did. It was quite a round-a- bout way to get it here at that time. It had to go down the Illinois river to St. Louis and up the Mississippi to Buena Vista.
"I broke about twenty acres of prairie, and went to work preparing for the next winter. Dick, the black man, would be of age and free in the fall. He had made a claim on what is now Professor Weld's farm, and had made arrangements to go below, marry a wife, return in the spring, and keep house for me and improve his claim. He worked very hard with me in digging and walling a well and a cellar, building a large log house and cutting hay for winter. The house was made of large logs. We used a horse and long rope with long skids, the rope passing over the house. We had got all done but chinking and daubing the house and digging the potatoes, when Dick must go below. I took him in, to the lake, and made arrangements with Captain Harris to see him safe to St. Louis. As we shook hands he was much affected, and the tears ran quite lively. He said, 'I shall be sure to return.' We have never met since. He married, and his wife's friends told him it would be wrong for him to take his wife to such a cold region, where no black people would ever go, and she would never have company. On returning alone to the valley quite a feeling of loneliness came over me, but having so much to do to prepare for winter, there was little time to waste in sympathising with myself.
"One afternoon, two young men made their ap- pearance at my cabin. They said they were hunt- ing a place to locate for themselves, and wanted to go at once to work if they could find a place to suit them. They said their names were Walter and James Mapes. Walter had been in the Mexi- can war. Here was a chance for a neighbor and a brother Mexican soldier. They stayed all night, and I gave them all the information I could to induce them to locate. Next morning we stood in front of my shanty and I pointed the country out to them, describing Mann valley, the main stream towards the monument, which they could
plainly see, the south fork valley, and the fine body of timber handy. They said little after I was through. Walter says, 'How much is to pay?' 'Not anything.' He flushed in the face and says, 'We are no beggars! We want to pay our way.' I replied, I never had charged any- thing yet; did not know how soon I should, but did not want to begin on them. Hoped they would find something to suit them and that they would settle, and it would be all right. They left, going up the main stream toward the monu- ment. When they returned they told me they were satisfied and would locate here. James wanted to stop with me while Walter went below to Galena for supplies. Put James to digging potatoes in my hazel thicket. They were of the old Irish gray kind as we called them, and very large. James worked very well except when he rolled out one that he called a pumpkin, then he would stop to laugh.
"Walter returned and they cut hay, not very good-cut too late, for the breaking team that they meant to get early in the spring, put up a cabin for the winter, and went to keeping house. Walter was 'Mr.' and James, 'Mrs.' Mapes.
"Quite a change had taken place at Buena Vista. They had got a land office, with Messrs. Gibson and Catlin as register and receiver. Mr. J. O. Henning and wife had come to the country. These with the wife and wife's sister of Mr. Bow- ron put their new town far ahead of anything on this side of the lake.
"I at one time had faint hopes, being a common farmer, that I should be able to come into this aristocratic crowd by way of the wife's sister, as Bowron and myself were good democrats together but my hopes were small, as I had Gibson, and a new doctor by the name of Handy to contend with, and the latter made himself entirely too handy to the young lady for both of us. But a circumstance took place that ruined all my hopes of the matrimonial kind at that time. I had worked almost night and day to get my log house ready for winter. Had sent by Dick to have my brother at St. Louis send me a supply of common clothing. I was nearly destitute of clothing, the brush and tall grass had so cut my over garments that they failed to cover my under garments. I had lost my razor, had been three weeks without shaving, did not expect any one of the female
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kind except squaws, had got my hair full of mud in daubing my house, and had got to look like a cross between the lower order of the heathen Chinee and the Digger Indian. Had got out of meat as well as clothes. Would not stop for any- thing until the house was daubed for winter. Started early in the morning for deer; shot a fine buck, came in and got a team and had just got him to the house and thrown him out in front of the door, and gone inside when a carriage drove up in front of the door. There was no window hole cut at that time, there was no chance to get into the brush, and there were Mrs. Henning, the wife's sister from Madison, and some others. Frank Catlin, from the land office, had them in charge, and I think that I have never got ac- quainted with any one that enjoyed anything in the ludicrous order more than he, or made more out of it. He comprehended the situation in a moment, and no exhibitor of wild animals ever took more delight in stirring them up with a long pole than he did exhibiting me. Mrs. Henning saw his game and helped me out somewhat, though the thing was so ludicrous that I could not help laughing myself to see how he enjoyed it; but I was too much like the frog in the fable; it was fun for him but death to me.
"We had got to be somewhat ambitious by this time, and did not like the plan of waiting from fall to spring for our mail and news from below. We had got word that if we would cut a trail through the woods to Eaton and Carson's mill on the Eau Galle river, we could have a mail once a month, on horseback. We in the valley-that is, the Mapes and myself, were ready to do our part. I would supply a team and go myself if I could find some one to keep house while gone.
" A short time before this, one evening, some seven or eiglit men from Canada landed at the log house which they had now named 'Fort Fos- ter.' Mr. McGregor was one of the number. Most of them had on the little scotch cap. They all camped down on the floor and left next day. In a few days McGregor returned and said that he should like to take a claim near me, and move into my house and winter with me. His wife could do the cooking. He said he could come right along. I told him to do so as it would en- able me to go on the road expedition. Ex-Gover- nor Tim Burns was at St. Croix Falls, having
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