USA > Minnesota > Redwood County > The History of Redwood County, Minnesota, Volume II > Part 46
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Samuel Dutton Hinman was born in Pittsburg, Pa., in 1839, son of Thomas and Mary Carrington Hinman, both descended from New England Colonial ancestry. He attended Cheshire Episcopal Academy in Connecticut; came to Faribault, Minn., in 1856; en- tered the Bishop Whipple Seabury Mission and was ordained to the ministry by Bishop Whipple on October 5, 1860. He was mar- ried the same month to Mary Ellen Buery, who died March 12, 1876, daughter of Thomas Hannah and Margaret Buery, of New York City. He removed to Lower Sioux Agency, in what is now Redwood County, and began his labors as missionary to the In- dians and was so engaged at the time of Indian massacre. He was one of the defenders at the battle of Fort Ridgely. When the Indians were removed to Nebraska, Mr. Hinman accompanied them and founded what has since been known as the Santee Indian Mission. He translated much of the Bible, Book of Common Prayer, and Hymnal into the Dakota language. He was connected with and furnished valuable data pertaining to Indians to the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D. C .; was a member of the government Sioux Indian Commission of 1876; also the Dawes Commission of the eighties; and was supervisor of Indian census in 1880. In 1884 he was married to Mary Myrick, daughter of William Myrick. He removed to the present Bishop Whipple In- dian Mission, Redwood County, in 1886. The surviving children by the first marriage are: Henry Whipple, Samuel Dutton, Rob-
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ert Heber Clarkson, William Welsh and Joseph Carrington; by the second marriage, Mary Myrick. March 24, 1890, the Rev. Mr. Hinman entered into rest, after a short illness, and he sleeps be- side the church to which so many cares and toils had been given. Like her husband, Mrs. Hinman also sleeps beside the church at Santee Mission, to whose cause and the spread of Christ's king- dom to the Dakotas she devoted her life work.
James A. Larson was born in Chicago, Illinois, October 9, 1860. He emigrated to Minnesota with his parents in 1877 and settled with them on a farm in Johnsonville township, Redwood county. He assisted his parents in improving that farm. On December 24, 1883, he was married to Johanna Halverson, and on November 1, 1890, he homesteaded a quarter section of land in Westline town- ship, which he improved and later returned to the township of Johnsonville, where he resided for a number of years on his fath- er's farm, which he later acquired by purchase. He held many township offices and took an active interest in all matters per- taining to the upbuilding of that county. In 1903 he moved to Walnut Grove, where he resided until he was appointed as assist- ant secretary of state under Julius A. Schmahl, which position he is holding at the present time. In 1896 he was nominated by the Republicans as their candidate for representative to the legisla- ture and was elected. In 1898 and again in 1900 he was nominated and elected to the same position without opposition. From 1905 until January, 1907, he was postmaster at Walnut Grove. In the legislative sessions of which he was a member he was very active in securing legislation that has been very beneficial to the people of the State of Minnesota. With Senator Miller of Luverne, Rock County, he worked for and secured a reduction of freight rates for southern Minnesota. He also assisted in passing a law pro- viding for loading platforms at all stations where needed. He favored State aid for rural schools and was largely instrumental in securing the passage of a law for that purpose. He worked for and secured legislation that has been beneficial to the stock ship- pers of the State. He also led the fight for the foreign corpora- tion law, which has brought hundreds of thousands of dollars into the State treasury. He is the father of ten children, all of whom were born in Redwood County. Frank Henry, born Septem- ber 20, 1884, died February 20, 1894; Josephine M., who is now the wife of Daniel A. Malloy of Walnut Grove, was born Novem- ber 30, 1885; Bertha L., who is now the wife of T. M. Gjestrum, born November 30, 1887; Fannie E., who is a stenographer in the secretary of state's office, born March 4, 1890; John William, who is now a student at the State University, born November 30, 1891; May Ellen, who is also a stenographer, born December 11, 1892; George Edward, born September 20, 1894; Lillie C., born Septem- ber 22, 1896; Frank Henry, born September 20, 1899; Amelia Jo-
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JAMES A. LARSON
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hanna, born December 4, 1902; have also taken into the family Irvin Johnson, born November 26, 1913.
Lewis Larson was born in Norway, and in 1854 was married to Mary Erickson in that country. In 1856 he emigrated to Amer- ica and settled in the outskirts of Chicago, Illinois, where he en- gaged in dairy and truck farming. In 1861 he enlisted in Com- pany F, 82nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served under Grant until he was seriously wounded at the battle of Peach Tree Creek, and from there was sent north to a hospital, where he was finally discharged on account of disability. In 1877 he emigrated to Redwood County, Minn., and settled on a homestead in the town of Johnsonville. He resided in Redwood County for six years and in 1884 returned to the city of Chicago. His wife died in April, 1900, and he died on March 17, 1907. They had five children : Amelia, who died in infancy; Edward, who is now ranching in South Dakota; Emma, who died in infancy; Henry, who died in the early 90's; James A., the present assistant secretary of state; and Frank, who died in 1895.
The First National Bank of Redwood Falls, Minn., was estab- lished as a private bank under the name and title of the Redwood County Bank by G. W. Braley in 1872 and conducted by him as such until his death in 1880, when the affairs of the bank were closed and discontinued. The building, furniture and fixtures were purchased by Hial D. Baldwin and Clarence T. Ward, who were at that time engaged in the practice of law. They reopened the bank under the name of Redwood County Bank, and conducted same as a private bank under the firm name of Baldwin & Ward, proprietors, until it was incorporated into a State bank in 1891, with a capital stock of $25,000. Its first president was Albert Scheffer of St. Paul, who was president for two years. The first statement published on April 14, 1891, showed deposits of $38,661, and total footings of $65,041. E. A. Hendrickson of St. Paul was its next president and held the office until January, 1896, when W. D. Lines of Redwood Falls was elected his successor for the next two years, and on January, 1898, A. C. Burmeister was elected president and served for several years. In May, 1901, this bank was converted into a national bank and the first state- ment as a national bank showed $88,000 deposits and a total foot- ing of $134,000. Mr. Burmeister continued as president until January, 1910, when H. A. Baldwin was elected his successor and still serves as such. The last statement published previous to this article showed a handsome increase in business, with deposits of $470,051.44 and footings of statement $543,551.44. It has always been the policy of this institution from its establishment to con- duct its affairs along conservative lines, consistent with the very best principles of banking; and at all times to consider the best interests of its patrons and the development of the community;
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has always adopted a progressive policy and devoted its generous support and assistance to anything that meant progress and stable development. Its continued increase in business and usefulness to the community is reflected by the increase of its business and number of patrons, and the general excellent reputation it bears in this section. Its present official staff and directorate are among the very ablest men of the community, as will be noted in the following list: H. A. Baldwin, president; A. C. Burmeister, vice president; Emil Kuenzli, second vice president; Fred W. Zander, cashier; C. H. Baldwin, assistant cashier; Robert V. Ochs, assist- ant cashier; A. H. Hassenstab, bookkeeper; A. C. Burmeister (chairman), H. G. Schmahl, C. A. Luscher, Emil Kuenzli, E. A. Luscher, A. E. Ward, William M. Smith and H. A. Baldwin.
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APPENDIX
Redwood Falls Lake and Redwood River Dams. Redwood Falls is very fortunately situated, having as its surroundings a beautiful prairie for grazing and agricultural purposes, the city itself nestled in beautiful woodland, traversed by the scenic Red- wood River, that has been the pride and joy of its citizens for many years, afforded the primitive settler with abundance of opportunity for enjoyment, fishing, trapping and hunting, and because of its rippling water over its rapids through the city limits, has offered an excellent opportunity for power purposes and privileges.
In 1868 the first dam was built near the present mill by Park Werden, this dam being located about 700 to 800 feet below the present dam. In the year 1869 A. M. Cook, an early settler, con- structed a dam about 1,000 feet above the present one and located his mill downstream about 800 feet. A very amusing story is told in connection with this particular dam, which has been repeated for many years, the circumstances being very well known by the early settlers.
Colonel McPhail, who was stationed at this point, was asked by the government for a report on the water power and mills, and it is said his report was something like this: "I saw a dam by a mill site, but did not see a mill by a dam site."
The two dams mentioned furnished sufficient water power to operate the two mills for the benefit of Redwood Falls and many other towns surrounding, and supplied flour and feed to Yellow Medicine, Renville, Lyon and Redwood counties. But as time passed it was discovered there was a better location for a dam, that would not only supply an abundance of water, but would give to this beautiful city a lake and park that would add greatly to its pleasure and usefulness, and for several years this project for a new dam was a daily subject.
A. C. Burmeister, the present owner, realizing that Redwood Falls and vicinity was fast crowding upon his abilities to serve it with enough power, purchased the abutting property to the pres- ent location of the dam, that the burden of expense of construct- ing the dam and buying the overflowage right would be a material hardship for him to bear alone, the enthusiasm and pride of the citizens was of such a character that a committee, known as the dam committee, of which H. A. Baldwin was chairman, Julius A. Schmahl, F. L. Warner, H. M. Hitchcock, O. L. Dornberg, C. W.
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Mead and C. T. Howard were members of this committee, besides several other citizens who were a great help.
In 1900 the matter of procuring overflowage rights was vigor- ously commenced, some were freely obtained, but others were fought in the courts with strenuous opposition, but after about eighteen months of litigation the committee was successful in closing all overflowage rights. It is at this point where the real evidence of appreciation is presented, many of the citizens and business men signed notes amounting to $2,600, and the money was advanced by a local bank to pay the flowage rights, showing the keen interest and faith that was had in the enterprise.
In 1905 by a special act of the Legislature the city was per- mitted to issue bonds amounting to $3,400 to reimburse the sign- ers of these notes, and an agreement was obtained from Mr. Bur- meister to maintain at all times a specified high level of water. During the progress of the erection of this dam, which was built out of concrete with solid natural stone abutment and founda- tion, the citizens of Redwood Falls and surrounding country were daily visitors. It required Mr. Burmeister from August, 1901, to May, 1902, in which to complete the dam, and it certainly was a great day when the final gate was placed in its position and the filling of the dam commenced. It required four to five days to properly fill the flume so that the water flowed over the top of the dam.
Great credit is due to A. C. Burmeister who had the courage to place his money and labor into the enterprise that must needs be built for many years in the future.
The building of this dam has placed Redwood Falls in the prominent and front ranks among efficient water powers of the State, giving an eighty-eight foot head, which is one of the great- est, if not the greatest fall obtained in the State.
A special phase of the movement, which lends interest to the enjoyment that the people of Redwood Falls got out of the arti- ficial lake, is the organization of the Redwood Falls Lake, Park and Boat Association, the incorporators of which were: Julius A. Schmahl, F. L. Warner, O. L. Dornberg, C. W. Mead, C. Fred Thompson, F. M. Isham, I. N. Tompkins, George Jaehning and H. A. Baldwin. These gentlemen purchased twelve acres of land at the head of the lake, built a dock, pavilion and equipped the park with many other things for amusement. They also purchased two gasoline launches, which had been on Lake Calhoun near Minneapolis, transported them from the city to Redwood Falls and launched them amid great enthusiasm and excitement, putting them into use for transporting excursion parties to the park, a distance of two and one-half miles. Near the foot of the lake substantial boat houses and docks were erected, and the ground in general beautified so as to be attractive.
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The building of the dam, the creation of the lake and the adding of these boat equipments and park, furnished Redwood Falls with an opportunity to entertain the surrounding country in a very pleasant way, and added to this, the City Park affords abundance of pleasure for picnics and parties within walking dis- tance of the business section of our city.
The dam, with auxiliary steam and Diesel oil engine equipment, furnishes sufficient power to supply the wants and needs of the city of Redwood Falls, Morgan, Morton, Franklin and North Redwood, and could still supply more. - By H. A. Baldwin.
Dr. Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa). During a typical Minne- sota blizzard in the late fall season of 1858 there was born an Indian boy, Ohi-Yi-Sa, in a tepee at a temporary camping place on the Redwood County side of the Minnesota River, opposite to where the town of Morton is now located. The parents were caught by this storm as they were returning from a hunting expedition.
In these precarious circumstances began the life of Dr. Charles A. Eastman, who became the most noted of Redwood County born citizens of the United States, with a nation-wide acquaintance and reputation and attaining to a more prominent place in litera- ture than any other of his race. Soon after his birth it became evident that his mother would not recover from her illness and as he was the last to be born in the family he was first named Hakadah, "The Pitiful Last," and it was freely predicted that he would not survive. Four years later at a summer festival and gathering of Sioux and Chippewa tribes, when the chief entertain- ment was feats of athletic skill, the winning of friendly contests by the Sioux was celebrated by re-christening the boy with a new name. The medicine man of the tribe who conducted the cere- mony proclaimed: "Ohiyesa (or Winner) shall be thy name henceforth. Be brave, be patient and thou shalt always win. Thy name is Ohiyesa." From Dr. Eastman's description of the loca- tion of this event it is quite certain that it took place in the open space in the bottom land lying between Tiger Lake and the Min- nesota River about halfway between the towns of North Red- wood and Morton.
The home of this family was in the Sioux Indian Reservation of the Upper Minnesota Valley, near the Redwood Agency head- quarters at the western edge of the present Indian colony and within sight of the present Mission Church and Government School. Had it not been for the strife and contests of an entirely different character which occurred a few weeks later, there would doubtless have followed the usual uneventful life of a reservation Indian, deprived by the encroachments of the white settlers from his former means of self-support and independence, coming in contact with much of the worst and little of the best influences
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of the white civilization and without incentive to useful citizen- ship. A very different destiny, however, awaited Ohiyesa, "The Winner."
The open revolt of Chief Little Crow and his band in 1862, starting at the agency headquarters, was the beginning of the untimely ending of nearly 1,000 lives and the permanent loss to the Sioux tribes of all that remained of their land possessions in Minnesota. As a result of this catastrophe, this Redwood Indian boy, during the formative period of his growth, received the kind of training and discipline that was possible only in the wild, ad- venturous, primitive Indian life as it then existed in the far west Canadian frontier. Then he was suddenly transferred to the oppo- site extreme of environment with opportunity to learn the white man's language and ways. While he grew from a boy to a man he acquired a high type of New England education and culture at the opposite edge of the continent. Dr. Eastman distinctly re- members the tragic occurrences of the Indian outbreak when he was but four years old and the enforced flight through the Dakotas to west Canada, pursued by General Sibley and his troops. His mother, who was reputed to be a woman of unusual attractiveness, when she could not live, chose her husband's mother to care for the child and this proved a fortunate selection.
His father, a full-blooded Sioux, was captured and sentenced to be executed and father and son were so widely separated that neither one learned of the fate or whereabouts of the other for a number of years. The father was pardoned by President Lincoln and after his release from a term of imprisonment, not desiring to return to reservation life, he qualified as a United States citizen and secured a farm with an Indian colony in South Dakota. After securing his own independence, he made search for the boy, who then learned for the first time that his father was still living. The elder Indian had learned that primitive conditions must pass and adjusted himself to the new order and he decided that his son Ohiyesa should have a chance to be a winner and not a loser . in the transition that was inevitable.
Until this time this young Indian lad, just emerging from boy- hood, reared in an atmosphere of hostility to the whites, based on harsh and unjust treatment, had received no intimation that he would be separated from every associate and association that he had known, to learn a new language, adopt a new name, to live a new life in preparation for a career of which he had not hereto- fore imagined. At an age when white boys are well along in their high school course he began in the primary grades to learn to speak, write and think in the English language, rapidly won his way through the common schools. Then he graduated at Dart- mouth College in New Hampshire and secured a degree of Doctor of Medicine in Harvard University. It would seem that this bril-
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liant and rare educational achievement would not have been pos- sible had not his native talent been developed and conserved by an efficient physical and mental character training during his younger years by his old Indian grandmother and by his father's brother in the far western wilds.
After completing a course at Harvard he was ready for the profession he had chosen and located first at St. Paul, Minn., then for several years at a Sioux reservation in Dakota, having in the meantime been married to Elaine Goodale, a former teacher in an eastern college. The dramatic and adventurous circumstances of his earlier years, followed by his school, college and university training, stimulated and maintained a high degree of mental activ- ity that did not entirely subside during the more prosaic con- ditions of his later life. Partly as a diversion and because such a record would be interesting to family and friends, he translated portions of his unusual experiences to the written page and some of this reached the public through contributions to magazines. It was during this time that Roosevelt was a comrade enjoying the friendship of rough riders, both white and red, when a large por- tion of the west was still occupied by ranches and reservations" and there was a friendly acquaintance between Roosevelt and Dr. Eastman. Roosevelt estimated the quality of Eastman's writings sufficiently high that he urged him to discontinue his practice of medicine and develop his talent for literature.
The fate of Eastman's father after his death sentence in the early sixties depended entirely on the word of the best beloved of White Fathers at Washington, at a time when he was heavily burdened with the big quarrel between his white children, North and South, but he took thought of the red men in the west and Lincoln's leniency gave this Indian a chance to demonstrate that he could be good without being dead and Eastman's earlier oppor- tunities to learn the ways of the white man were directly due to Lincoln's reprieve to his father. Nearly forty years later this other, one of the most notable of the White Fathers, made pro- vision for a change in Eastman's occupation, which proved a turning point in his career toward the most important achieve- ments of his life. When Theodore Roosevelt became president, he knew the conditions of the western life better than any of his predecessors in the White House and demonstrated his confidence in Eastman's ability by appointing him to an official commission in the Indian service. During the seven years of this service, under Roosevelt, Eastman's duty was to establish official records and names for individuals and families of the Sioux tribes and he acquired a more intimate personal knowledge and acquaint- ance with the Sioux people and the pioneer settlers in western Minnesota and the Dakotas probably than any other person. In the meantime a group of children had come to the Eastman house-
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hold and neither Mr. nor Mrs. Eastman were content that they should have less early advantages than had been their own privi- lege, so at the close of the Roosevelt administration they moved with their family to Amherst, Mass., for the educational oppor- tunities of that college town. This did not interrupt Dr. Eastman in the study of the history and problems of the aboriginal Amer- icans, which had now become his vocation, and through the medium of series of lectures to college societies and to the gen- eral public and of several books which he has published, he has reached extensively many listeners and readers.
In the summer of 1909, Dr. Eastman took charge of the prepa- ration and presentation of the Indian features of the most elabo- rate historical pageant that has been staged in Minnesota at the St. Paul Auditorium, and impersonated Hiawatha. At this time he visited and lectured at Redwood Falls, later in the year at- tending the World's Congress of Races in London, having been chosen to represent the North American Indian, and delivered a lecture at the speaking program. Dr. Eastman still lives with his family at Amherst, Mass .- By H. M. HITCHCOCK.
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