Fifty Years In The Northwest: With An Introduction And Appendix Containing Reminiscences, Incidents And NotesFolsom, William H. C. (William Henry Carman)
History
Fifty Years In The Northwest: With An Introduction And Appendix Containing Reminiscences, Incidents And Notes
Folsom, William H. C. (William Henry Carman)
Minnesota -- History; Wisconsin -- History
After climbing over the cragged rocks we came to an Indian trail which
led to the Falls, where we found two men, Lagoo and Denire holding
the claim for Steele. The fanciful scheme of building a mill up in the
wild land looked now like a reality. The men lived in a log cabin just
below the Falls, in a small clearing in the timber, near a copper rock
range. Boyce and his men had been driven in by Indians from above.
Andrew Mackey and others of Boyce's men went to work with us.
Thirty-six men had come from St. Louis on the steamer Palmyra. We
moved our machinery from the Dalles to the Falls by water and
commenced work immediately. Steele's men had been hindered by the
Indians from procuring timber for the building of the mill. We
obtained a supply from Kanabec river, which arrived September 15th.
Building the mill and blasting the rock occupied our attention during
the winter. The mill was soon completed and running. During this
period the work was often interrupted and the men were greatly
demoralized by the threatening behavior of the Indians. Many of them
were frightened into leaving the settlement, but their places were
supplied by the company whenever practicable. During 1840 we received
some reliable accessions, among them J. L. Taylor, John McKusick,
Joseph Haskell, Elam Greely, J. W. Furber and A. McHattie. Some frame
houses were built near the mill. Washington Libbey was our first
agent, Darnes our second (1839), Capt. W. Frazer our third (1840),
Capt. Wm. Holcombe our fourth (1841). The first death was of a man
drowned in 1840. The first white woman who visited the Falls was Mrs.
David Hone. Rev. Boutwell preached here in 1839. A. Northrup and
family came in 1840.
INDIAN MURDERS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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