USA > Minnesota > Redwood County > The history of Redwood County, Minnesota, Volume I > Part 25
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"On the sixteenth day of December, 1895, I called on Gov. ernor Ramsey again, to talk over old times, forty-five years after my first call. What changes have taken place since then! When I started to leave, I thought I would see how much the governor remembered of the Sioux language. I said, 'Governor, nitonka tepee, washta.' 'What did you say, captain?' asked the gov- ernor. I replied, 'Nitonka tepee, washta,' 'Why, captain,' said he, 'that means, my house is large and good;' and, with a wink, 'Captain, let's have a nip.' Of course we nipped, and said 'Ho!' All old settlers will know the meaning of the Sioux exclamation, 'Ho!'"
A good fall of snow during the winter of 1855-56 caused an
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abundant supply of water in the river next spring. The navi- gation of the Minnesota for the season of 1856 was opened on April 10 by the Reveille, a stern-wheel packet, in command of Capt. R. M. Spencer. Four days later, the Globe, with Nelson Robert as captain, departed from St. Paul for the same river, and she was followed the next day by the H. S. Allen.
The Reveille was considered a fast traveler, and as an in- stance of her speed it is recorded that on her second trip of this year she left St. Paul at 2 p. m. on Thursday, April 17, with 132 passengers and a full load of freight, and arrived at Mankato by Saturday; and that leaving the latter place at 5 a. m. the next day, she reached St. Paul by 8 p. m. that evening, after having made twenty-four landings on the way.
On May 5, the Reveille landed at Mankato a company of set- tlers numbering two or three hundred, known as the Mapleton Colony; and the following Saturday (May 10) the H. T. Yeatman landed at South Bend a company of Welsh settlers from Ohio, numbering 121 souls. The Yeatman was a large stern-wheel boat, about the largest that ascended the Minnesota, and this was her first trip. She continued in the trade only a few weeks, while the water was high. Her captain was Samuel G. Cabbell. Regular trips were made this year by several boats to Ft. Ridgely and the Lower Sioux Agency, and some ascended to the Upper Agency, at the mouth of the Yellow Medicine river.
The time table of Louis Robert's fine packet, the Time and Tide, issued for this season, shows the distance from St. Paul to Yellow Medicine to be 446 miles. To an old settler who actually traveled on a Minnesota river steamboat in those early days, the idea of a time table may seem rather amusing; for if there was anything more uncertain as to its coming and going, or more void of any idea of regularity than a steamboat the old time traveler never heard of it. Now stopping in some forest glen for wood, now tangled in the overhanging boughs of a tree with one or both smoke-stacks demolished, now fast for hours on some sand- bar, and now tied up to a tree to repair the damage done by some snag, while the passengers sat on the bank telling stories, or went hunting, or feasted on the luscious wild strawberries or juicy plums which grew abundantly in the valley, were com- mon occurrences in steamboat travel. Many a pioneer remembers the Time and Tide, and how its jolly captain, Louis Robert, would sing out with sonorous voice, when the boat was about to start, "All aboard! Time and Tide waits for no man," and then add, with a sly twinkle in his eye, "and only a few minutes for a woman." Though we of today may think such method of travel tedious, yet it had many pleasant features, and to the people of that time, unaccustomed to the "flyers" and "fast mails" of today, it seemed quite satisfactory.
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The Minnesota river trade was unusually brisk in 1857 owing to a good stage of water. Two new boats entered this year, the Frank Steele, a side-wheel packet, owned by Capt. W. F. Davidson, and the Jeannette Robert, a large stern-wheel packet, owned by Capt. Louis Robert. The total trips made during the season was 292, of which the Antelope made 105.
The winter of 1857-1858 proved very mild, and the Minnesota river broke up unusually early and was kept in good navigable condition during the season. The Freighter was the only new boat to engage in the trade this year. There were 179 arrivals at Mankato from points above as well as below the former, though did not exceed twenty-five or thirty. The total number of trips was 394, the Antelope again heading the list with 201 to her credit.
In 1859, the river broke up early after a mild winter, and the Freighter arrived at Mankato, the first boat, on March 27, having left St. Paul two days before. An abundant rainfall kept the river in good navigable condition its entire length through most of the season. The Favorite, an excellent side-wheel packet of good size, built expressly for the Minnesota trade by Commo- dore Davidson, entered as a new boat this spring.
As the water was quite high in the upper Minnesota, Capt. John B. Davis, of the Freighter, conceived the idea of crossing his boat over from the Minnesota to Big Stone lake and thence to the Red river, and accordingly, about the last of June he at- tempted the feat. Whether the crew found too much whiskey at New Ulm or the boat found too little water on the divide, authori- ties differ, but all agree that the captain and his crew came home in a canoe about the last of July, passing Mankato on the twenty- fifth of the month, having left his steamboat in dry dock near the Dakota line. The Freighter was a small, flat-bottomed, square- bowed boat. The Indians pillaged her of everything but the hull, and that, half buried in the sand about ten miles below Big Stone lake, remained visible for twenty or thirty years. The captain always claimed that if he had started a month earlier his attempt would have been successful.
The navigation on the Minnesota in 1860, owing to the low water, was mostly confined to the little Antelope, in her trips to Shakopee and Chaska. Of 250 arrivals at St. Paul she had to her credit 198. The new boat Albany, of very light draught, also the Eolian, which had been raised from the bottom of Lake Pepin, where she had lain since the spring of 1858, and the Little Dorrit were put into the trade instead of the Frank Steele, the Time and Tide and the Favorite, which came up as far as St. Peter for a trip or two. The Jeanette Robert managed to get up as far as Mankato a few times, and during a small freshet in July, made one trip to the Sioux Agency.
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The spring of 1861 opened with a big flood in the Minnesota. The first boat, the Albany, left St. Paul on March 30, and arrived at Mankato April 1. She was officered by J. V. Webber, captain (who was now the owner, having purchased her from the David- son company in March), Warren Goulden, first clerk, and Moses Gates, engineer. It was claimed by the older Indians and traders that the upper Minnesota was higher this spring than it had been since 1821. In April the Jeanette Robert ascended farther up the river by two miles than any steamboat had ever done before, and might easily have accomplished what the Freighter attempted and failed to do in 1859, to wit, pass over into the Red river, if she had tried; for the two rivers were united by their high flood between lakes Big Stone and Traverse.
This season the Minnesota Packet Company, of which Capt. Orrin Smith was president, put two first class boats, the City Belle and Fanny Harris, into the river to compete with the Davidson and Robert lines. The Fanny Harris, on her first trip, which occurred during the second week of April, went to Ft. Ridgely, and brought down Major (afterwards General) Thomas W. Sherman and his battery to quell the southern rebellion, which had just started. With her also went the Favorite, and brought down Major (afterwards General) John C. Pemberton, with his command of eighty soldiers, the most of whom being southern men, were much in sympathy with their seceding brethren.
The barges of Captain Cleveland were kept busy in the traffic between Mankato and points below. The first shipment of wheat in bulk from the Minnesota was made in June of this year, 1861, on one of these barges. It comprised 4,000 bushels, and was taken direct to La Crosse. Heretofore it had been shipped in sacks. Wheat had now become the principal export of the val- ley. During the earlier years all the freight traffic on the river had been imported, but by this time the export of trains had grown to be an important item. With so many Indians in the valley the shipment of furs, which at first had been about the only export of the country, still continued valuable; but furs, because of their small bulk, cut but little figure in the boating business. This year the value of the furs from the Sioux agencies was $48,416; and from the Winnebago country, $11,600.
From this time there was a gradual reduction in river traffic. In 1866 the St. Paul and Sioux City railroad reached Belle Plaine, and connections were there made with boats for points higher up the river. In October, 1868, Mankato was reached, and in 1871 the Northwestern railway reached New Ulm, which prac- tically ended the navigation of the Minnesota river.
After the settlers came in 1864, navigation on the Minnesota was of but minor importance, though until 1875 boats continued
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to ply that stream with some regularity, and some of the early pioneers reached this county by boat.
From 1865 to 1876, it was always possible for small boats to make a few trips to Redwood county in the spring.
In 1868 the Pioneer was chartered by D. L. Bigham in the spring, loaded with lumber at St. Paul, and the trip to the Red- wood Falls landing successfully made.
In 1869 the business men of New Ulm bought the Otter for $3,000. This boat had a capacity of some 3,000 bushels of wheat. Trips were made between Mankato and New Ulm several times each week, and a number of trips were made to Redwood county.
Later the St. Anthony, a St. Croix lumber boat, brought lum- ber to D. L. Bigham. Bringing lumber to the upper Minnesota was a hazardous proceding in those days, and the lumber was sometimes scattered along the river banks from Carver to New Ulm.
The Tiger continued to ply the river, and once in a while made a record run. It is recorded that on May 14, 1870, the Tiger made the trip from the Redwood Falls landing to Mankato in thirteen and a half hours.
The Osceola, a small boat, owned by Mark D. Flowers and Captain Hawkins, ascended the Minnesota as far as Redwood once in 1872, twice in 1873 and once in 1874, the water having been low and navigation difficult.
In 1875 a large warehouse was built at the landing on the Minnesota, called Riverside, by a company, for the purpose of pro- viding storage, and to give an outlet by the river for the wheat crop, of which 60,000 bushels were brought and stored during the next fall and winter. In the spring of 1876 two side-wheel steamboats arrived at Riverside, laden with lumber, and took out the wheat in store and a large amount from Redwood and private parties. To warehouse men, and to Daniels & Son, who had opened a general store and built a hotel, the transportation scheme seemed solved, but it proved only a case of inflated hopes. In a few days it was learned that the boats were stranded on a sandbar at the mouth of the Blue Earth river, and the parties who shipped the wheat were called on to furnish sacks and men to transfer the grain to the railroad. This practically put an end to the Riverside and steamboat transportation scheme. The warehouse and hotel were removed to Redwood Falls and used in building an elevator and hotel there.
Capt. Leroy Newton made a further effort to utilize the river. He took a large barge and rigged a wheel at the stern, which was propelled by an ordinary eight-horse thresher power. This, how- ever, proved unsuccessful, though it was of some help to reach New Ulm, which was the end of his run.
In 1876, owing to high water in the spring, the Ida Fulton,
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and Wayman X came up the river ; and ten years later one trip was made by the Alvira. For another ten years no steamboat was seen on the Minnesota until, taking advantage of a freshet in April, 1897, Captain E. W. Durant of Stillwater, ran his boat, the Henrietta, a stern-wheel vessel 170 feet long with forty state- rooms, on an excursion to Henderson, St. Peter and Mankato. (Compiled from articles in the collections of the Minnesota His- torical Society.)
CHAPTER XX.
HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES.
The roads of Redwood county have exerted an important economic and social influence upon its destinies. Along the lines of the roads indicated in the government survey, the pioneers settled, and the existence of the military roads constructed before the Massacre was a powerful factor in the motives which caused many of the pioneers after the Massacre to settle here rather than elsewhere,
The first road in Redwood county was the old Military road, connecting Ft. Ridgely with the two Indian agencies. From Ft. Ridgely this road ran north of the Minnesota until reaching the ferry at the Lower Agency. There it crossed the river, and as- cending the steep bank, reached the location of the principal buildings of the Lower Agency in which is now Sherman town- ship, in Redwood county. Thence it followed the general course of the Minnesota river to the Upper Agency on the Yellow Medi- cine. In places, this road was graded by the government. For the most part, however, it consisted of two wagon-ruts, which in time were worn deep into the prairie sod.
North of the Minnesota, and also following the general course of that stream, was the Military road connecting Ft. Ridgely with Ft. Abercombie. To the eastward, Ft. Ridgely was con- nected with St. Peter and Henderson. From St. Peter and Henderson, roads led in various directions. Thus road communi- cation was early established between Redwood county and the important settlements of the Territory.
The next important road in this region, followed in this county, the course of the Cottonwood. It was termed Col. William Nobles' Wagon Road from Ft. Ridgely to the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains. The road was constructed in 1856-1857 by the United States Government under the direction of Albert H. Campbell, who bore the title of "General Superintendent of Pacific Wagon Roads," but the field work was in charge of Col. William H.
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Nobles. For two years Col. Nobles had a permanent camp at the "Crossing of the Cottonwood" in Lyon county, east of Red- wood county, and there spent two winters.
In his report to the Secretary of the Interior, Jan. 18, 1858, Col. Nobles says : "I have located and built a good wagon road from Ft. Ridgely to the Missouri river, in latitude 43 degrees, 47 minutes, between Bijou hill and 'Fort Lookout.'
"The road has been selected and made with a view to accom- modate the emigrant, by having a pass through a good country, and in the vicinity of wood and water; and also, with these valu- able considerations always in sight, I have been able to complete the road in almost a direct line from Fort Ridgely to the ter- minus of the Missouri river The rivers on the road to be crossed are North Branch of the Cottonwood river (Sleepy Eye creek), Cottonwood river twice, Redwood river, Medary creek, Big Sioux river, Perrine creek, Riviere du Jacques or James river, besides a number of small creeks.
"On the Cottonwood, I have constructed a rough bridge, adapted to the present travel, but it is important that this river should be well bridged at both of the crossings."
Albert H. Campbell in his report to the secretary of the In- terior dated Feb. 19, 1859, says :
"This road was completed only as far as the Missouri river, 254 miles, some time in the fall of 1857, in consequence of the in- sufficiency of the appropriation.
"The general location of this road is as follows: Beginning at the ferry on the Minnesota river, which is 150 feet wide at this place, opposite Ft. Ridgely. The general course of the road is southwestwardly, passing through a marshy region a few miles south of Limping Devil's lake to the north fork of the Cotton- wood (Sleepy Eye creek), a distance of about seventeen miles, thence to the Cottonwood river, over a rolling country, with lakes and marshes, about one and a half miles below the mouth of the Plum creek, distance about nineteen miles. From this point the road continues across Plum creek, and three good watering places, to the crossing of the Cottonwood at Big Wood, about eighteen and a half miles. Thence . . . to the Big Sioux river This road, as far as built, is remarkably direct and is believed, from the description of the country through which it passes, to be the best location which could have been made, securing a plentiful supply of water, grass and timber."
The crossing of the North fork of the Cottonwood (Sleepy Eye creek) and one of the crossings of the Cottonwood, were in this county. The route crossed in this county, Brookville, Sundown, Charlestown, Lamberton, North Hero and Springdale township. In Brookville, a branch extended north, passing through Morgan to the Lower Agency in Sherman township.
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In the late fifties, when settlers pushed out to the Lake Shetek country (in the northeast part of Murray county, and a few miles southwest of Redwood county) they came over the Nobles road to North Hero township, and then switched off, and proceeded southwest along the general course of Plum creek. This route is said to have been taken because water was more easily obtained.
In 1855, Aaron Myers and family established themselves in section 31, Amiret township (township 110-40), some six miles west of the present western boundary of Redwood county. In 1857, Mr. Myers sent one of his men, John Renniker, with his oxen and a wagon, to New Ulm for supplies. Renniker, who had previously lost his position with the Dakota Land Co. (this com- pany in 1857 had platted a village called Saratoga in section 1, Custer township-township 109, range 41-seven miles west of the present Redwood county line, and left Renniker in charge) for selling intoxicants to the Indians, bought a ten gallon cask of whiskey on his own account at New Ulm and started home. John Campbell, a half breed, followed after with a party of seven Sioux warriors, overtook him in North Hero township, near where Col. Noble's wagon road crossed Plum creek, and murdered him, after which they took his goods. Charles Hammer (Swede Charlie), Hoel Parmle and Andrew Koch, friends of the murdered man, found his body, carried it to Saratoga, and buried it on the ridge north of Mr. Myers' house in Amiret township.
Sometime before the Massacre, John F. Burns and Daniel Burns settled in the walnut grove that has given its name to the village of Walnut Grove. They belonged to the Lake Shetek colony, but by fleeing saved their lives at the beginning of the Indian Outbreak.
In 1861, a route was laid out from New Ulm to Lake Shetek, which crossed Redwood county south of the Nobles road, and branched to the southwest two miles east of Walnut Grove.
On the route between New Ulm and Lake Shetek, Charles Zierke, commonly known as "Dutch Charlie" lived near the point where Dutch Charlie creek enters the Cottonwood, in Charlestown township. He was fleeing toward New Ulm with his family at the opening of the Outbreak, when he was overtaken by the In- dians. He managed to escape, reached New Ulm, organized a posse and rescued his family.
The third road projected by the government, followed the general course of the Redwood river through this county. It is mentioned in the government survey, and appears on some of the early maps of the land office, though many of the early settlers declare that nothing was known of it in the days of the early settlement. The route started at the road connecting the two agencies, and extended westward through Redwood Falls, Sheri- dan, Vesta and Underwood townships.
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The earliest settlers after the Massacre reached Redwood county in various ways. Some came by boat. For the most part, however, they came with horses or oxen. Many struck out boldly over the unbroken prairie. There were, however, several regu- larly established routes of travel. Many who came to St. Paul or Minneapolis followed the Minnesota river to St. Peter. From there they struck out across Nicollet county, skirting south of the lakes, stopping three miles south of what is now Nicollet sta- tion, crossing the Redstone ferry below New Ulm and thus reach- ing that city. From there they reached Redwood Falls by follow- ing the old road by way of Golden Gate and Lone Tree Lake. Others coming from St. Peter did not cross the Redstone ferry at New Ulm, but kept along the north side of the river to Ft. Ridgely. From there they could cross the Minnesota at the ferry at that place, at the Martell ferry at the Lower Agency or else went to Beaver Falls and crossed at the Wilcox ferry near the old townsite of Riverside and the present village of North Red- wood. Later a ferry was operated at Vicksburg, which was across the river from the northwest corner of Delhi township. Some early settlers reached Ft. Ridgely by way of Henderson, taking the old government trail from that place.
Many of the early settlers did not go to St. Paul, but came up across the prairies to Waseca and then to Mankato or St. Peter. From Mankato the trip could be made on either side of the river. However, in 1872 when the Winona and St. Peter Railroad was built through the southern part of Redwood county, most of the pioneers began coming to New Ulm or Sleepy Eye by railroad and in 1878 the railroad was built to Redwood Falls itself.
Much of the attention of the county commissioners since the first organization of the county has been devoted to the subject of roads. The earliest settlement being at Redwood Falls, it was natural that the first road action taken should concern the roads connecting Redwood Falls with Ft. Ridgely and New Ulm, and as there were quite a few settlers in Yellow Medicine county, who were then included in Redwood county, and as Swedes Forest began soon to be settled, it was also natural that the next action of the board should concern the roads connecting Redwood Falls with those points. As settlements sprang up in Lyon county, action was taken in regard to a road along the line of the Red. wood river. The earliest roads laid out by the commissioners followed, for the most part, routes previously selected by the government in agency days. In the southern part of the county two east and west roads or trails already existed. As the settle- ments began to grow along the Cottonwood region, the need of roads connecting the northern and southern parts of the county was seen, and roads were laid out from Redwood Falls to Spring- field, and from Swedes Forest to Lamberton. Still later, a road
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was projected from Walnut Creek to Redwood Falls. Thus was the nucleus of a county road system inaugurated.
The first action regarding good roads was taken by the county commissioners at their first meeting, April 19, 1865, when Col. Sam McPhail was appointed road supervisor for the county, and the legislative grant for a state road from New Ulm via Redwood Falls and Yellow Medicine to the Whetstone river was accepted.
On April 20, 1866, the county commissioners declared that a public highway existed eastward from Redwood Falls along the township line between what are now Honor and Paxton town- ships to the southeast corner of Section 34 in what is now Honor township. From that point George Johnston, L. C. D. Brandt, and the county surveyor were to locate a road north to the Minne- sota river, while beginning at that point also John McMillan, Cyrus D. Chapman, and the county surveyor were to locate and survey the road eastward to the Lower Agency ferry. The street between blocks 16 and 17 (original plat), Redwood Falls north to the saw mill, sixty feet wide was declared a public highway. Samuel M. Thompson, Jacob Tippery and the county surveyor were ordered to locate a road from the village of Redwood Falls by the most feasible route to intersect the old military road in the direction of the Yellow Medicine Agency.
Road petition No. 1 was presented to the county commissioners Sept. 4, 1866. David P. Lister and Henry Pratt were appointed to view the road and report. This road was to leave the military road at the house of George Olds, pass the houses of Benjamin Sanders, John Portner, Henry Pratt and the lime kiln and rejoin the military road at the Big Spring. The purpose of this road was to connect the people living in the bottoms with the military road.
Sept. 5, 1866, a road was ordered to commence at the old lime kiln at the Minnesota bottoms and running westward along the Yellow Medicine bottoms to section 31, township 115, range 38, at the old crossing of the Yellow Medicine, thence westward to the state line. I. G. Parks and John Winter were appointed to lo- cate the road. Jan. 1, 1867, that part of this road which extended from the lime kiln to the crossing and the road was ordered sur- veyed from Redwood Falls on or near the line of the old military road to where that road crossed the Yellow Medicine river and thence west to the state line. David Doncaster of Yelow Medicine and Samuel M. Thompson of Redwood Falls were appointed to locate the road.
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