H.M. Lyman (Personal Recollections MN book)PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS
or
MINNESOTA AND ITS PEOPLE,
AND
EARLY HISTORY OF ANNEAPOLIS,
I BY
0. JOHN H. STEVENS.
WITH BIOGRAPHICAL MEMORANDA AND LETTERS
TO COL. JOHN H. STEVENS, SELECTED
BY MARSHALL ROBINSON.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.
1890.
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COPYRIGHTED 1-90
BY
MARSFI.,LLL ROBI\�nN.
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THE LIPIZARY
UNIVERSITY OF CALII.ORNU
SANTA BARBARA
w INTRODUCTORY.
I essay to write something of my personal recollections and
present knowledge of Minnesota and its people. Living alone,
as to white men, on the west bank of the Falls of St. Anthony,
I preempted a part of the present site of Minneapolis. I have
witnessed wonderful transformations. With such aid as I can
command, I commence the relation I have long contemplated,
as one of love and legacy to such patient and charitable readers
as I may have. A multitude of loved ones have ,,one before,
but many remain. In spirit they are equally present and in
view. Heroes of the past, brave men of the present, many of
them were, and are. Blessed is their memory, and their presence.
O.
200 PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS
On the 9th of July, Judge A. G. Chatfield, the newly -
appointed judge, held a special term of court in the little
parlor of my house. The only business transacted was the
discharge of two soldiers from the army stationed at Fort
Snelling. They enlisted in the service before they were of
suitable age, at an eastern recruiting -office. They belonged
to families in the highest walk of life, and joined the army
under peculiar circumstances. Their names were H. 0.
Billings and Wyman Williams. Their parents followed them
out west and secured their discharge through the agency of
the United States court. While the commanding officer at
Fort Snelling, Colonel Francis Lee, was convinced that Judge
Chatfield's decision was correct according to law, he and the
other officers stationed there at that time were greatly dis-
turbed at the frequent discharge, by the court, of soldiers at
the Fort. Heretofore these discharges had occurred =r Ram-
sey county. These were the first that took place in H. -iPpill
county, and it was, too, tile first occasion of Judge C. _afield
appearing in a judicial capacity in the county.
The county of Hennepin, during the second week in July,
through the agency of the New York Excelsior colony, received
several permanent settlers of great merit. Among them were
Rev. Mr. Nutting, and his brother Gen. Levi Nutting, iio-%v
of Faribault, Rev. H. M. Nichols, Hon. Arba Cleveland, Geo.
M. Powers, H. M. Lyman, and Joshua Moore, all from Mas-
sachusetts ; and Burritt S. and AVm. S. Judd, from Ohio ;
and Rev. Chas. Galpin, and his brother Rev. Geo. Galpin,
natives of Connecticut; and Peter 11I. Gideon, who has since.
become so widely known as a polnologist, and several other
men of moment, who have occupied high positions in the
country's history. Mr. Bertram, the leader of the colony,
was a Native of Scotland, but for many years previous to his
coming to Minnesota, had been an enterprising business mall
in New York. He certainly accomplished a good work for
Minnesota by iutroducing so many good men into the territory.
The 11Tinuebagoes were particularly restless during this
early summer. They could not be confined to their reserva-
tion at Long Prairie. From their long association with the
whites in the lower country many of them could speak Ellg-
lish. They would complain of their hard lot to every settler
292 PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS
Geo. P. Baldwin, J. C. McCane, James I1I. Jarrett, E. 11".
Cutter, J. C. Johnson, John Glass, Casper Bopp, Geo. A.
Nourse, R. P. Upton, Win. H. Townsend, Thomas T. Newell,
J. H. McHerron, John Lucksinger, Stephen Cobb, C. Keller-
man, Martin Conzet, H. Webber, T. Smith, J. AV. Gillam,
Francis Swett, R. 11". Cummings, Dan S. Balch, E. Lippin-
cott, William Lashelle, Dr. H. AV. Gould, J. B. Hix, 111. W.
Getchell, J. Macomber, and David A. Secombe.
This was a formidable list of prominent men in the two
cities. The Whigs and Democrats were about equally divided
as to those who composed the new party. Such old Whigs
as Isaac Atwater, and A. lI. Fridley, became Democrats.
John W. North had left his home in St. Anthony and taken
up his residence in the new town of Northfield. This accounts
for the omission of his name in the St. Anthony list.
In Richfield the original Republicans were Gen. R. L.
Bartholomew, J. H. Perkins, R. Robinson, William Finch,
William and James Dinsmore, Denison Townsend, George
Gillinore, C. Couilard, Job Pratt, Jesse Richardson, R. Van
Valkenburg, and Samuel Stough. In Bloomington, William
Chambers, R. B. Gibson, S. A. Goodrich, D1. S. Whallon, and
J. Harrison. In Eden Prairie, AV. C. Collins, Captain
Terrell, J. S. P. Ham, and A. D. Rouse. In Excelsior, Ste-
phen Hull, O. Wilcox, P. I11. Gideon, and Rev. C. Galpin.
In Minnetonka, S. Bartow, James Shaver, jr., and H. S.
Atwood. In_ Wayzata, W. B. Harrington, John S. Harring-
ton. In Brooklyn, Rev. J. W. Dow, A. H. Benson, Captain
John C. Plummer, C. D. Kingsley, J. M. Dorman, A. B.
Chaffee, Rufus Pratt, and Dea. Palmer. In Champlin, W.
W. Cate, W. W. Woodman, W. Hayden, John Walker, and J.
M. Mullholland. In Maple Grove, W. E. Evans, G. B.
Brown, and Dea. R. R. Woodward. In Dayton, S. Anderson,
J. B. Hinckley, 1T. Herrick, A. C. Kimball, and A. Clarke.
In Hassan, H. S. Norton, and J. McLenlock.
It should not be supposed that the above list contains all
of the original Republicans in the several towns, but those
led off in the new party. The citizens in the new counties of
Carver and McLeod also became deeply interested in the
Republican party. The leaders in the former county were
Isaac Burfield, Robert Miller, John S. Letford, George M.
OF MINNESOTA AND ITS PEOPLE. 293
Powers, Henry- ll. Lynian, A. All. Adanns, Theo. Bost, L. H.
Griffin, H. H. Williams, S. D. Hurd, and A. Beller. Iii the
letter county James Phillips, P. A. Grilnshaw, Lewis Harring-
ton, A. J. Bell, AN'. 1V. Pendergast, William S. Chapman,
Henry Elliott, B. L. Messer, C. L. Snyder, Janles Chesley,
James Pollock, A. J. Snyder, John Hubbard, acid V. Wilson.
Many in the above list have occupied -sigh positions in both
the civil and militaiT History of the Northwest.
The second annual territorial fair came off in Minneapolis
October S, 9 and 10. Governor Alexander Ramsey, the pres-
ident, gave the annual address. The fair was a success in
every department. It was attended from all parts of the ter-
ritory. The fair grounds were on what is now Tenth street,
Minneapolis. Over two thousand dollars were paid out in
premiums. At least half of this money was received, at the
gates ; the other half was made up by the citizens of _Minne-
apolis, as follows : Steele &, Stevens X50, Henry T. Welles
$25, Parsons & Morgan $25, Snyder & _McFarlane $25, L. 111.
Henry ~25, W. G. Murphy -S25, Savory &- Horton $25, T. L.
Bibbins & Co. S25, Lewis & Pickford x25, E. H. Davie X25,
James Hoffman S25, E. Case $25, Isaac Atwater and Richard
-Martin $25, Hancock A,- Thomas $25, E. H. Crane $25, John
H. Spear & Co. X25, A. E. Ames w25, Martin McLeod X25,
R. Chute 825, R. P. Russell 825, Edward Murphy w30, Charles
Hoag $25, M. L. Olds 530, William Hanson S15, F. R. E.
Cornell 815, Charles Hepp $10, S. S. Crowell X10, -Martin
Ferrant 810, Allen Harmon $10, Ales -Moore 810, .John George
Lennon 8`10, M. L. Cook ' 10, Richard Stout $10, E. S. Jones
$10, AV. D. Babbitt 510, Henry- Chambers X10, L'. F. Balser
$10, A. B. Hartwell 610, Henry S. Plummer X10, Fralicis
Morrison '10, George D. Ricl,ardsoii '10, 11. C. Baker 10;
George All. Chowen, George E. Huy, Sweet AV. Case, William
Dickie, Smith & Charlton, H. S. Birge, C. C. Berkman, AA`il-
liam D. Garland, H. G. O. -Morrison, C. AV. Borup and
C. H. Oakes ten dollars each ; Delano T. Smith :�15, Carlos
Wilcox $15, Alexander Pu nosey S25, H. H. Sibley ,'_,:i0, 11'. A.
Gorman 10, and Calvin _1. Tuttle `15 ; A. L. -Moore, J. B.
Atkinson, C. L. Anderson, Calvin Church, J. R. AN -ebb, \T. E.
Stoddard, E. Hedderley'George A. i ourse, Il. P. Upton,
David Edwards, J. P. Wil•oii, John L. Tenney, `N'. W. Wales,