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
On the sixth day we came to the farm of Jeremiah Russell, on Pokegama
lake. We found him a pleasant gentleman, engaged as an Indian farmer.
We paddled across the lake to the Presbyterian mission. Mr. Boutwell,
the superintendent, was absent. The mission was pleasantly located,
the management was excellent, the crops were in fair condition, and
well cultivated. Everything about the mission betokened good
management. Next day we went to a hay meadow opposite the mouth of
Ground House creek, where we put up on this and adjacent meadows sixty
tons of hay. We left on the twenty-fourth, camping the first night at
Chengwatana. On the morning of the twenty-fifth, while passing down
Kanabec river, our ears were greeted with some most horrible and
unearthly noises. On turning a bend in the river we saw a large body
of Indians cutting indescribable antics, in the river and on the
shore, chasing each other, reeling and staggering to and fro, yelling
and firing guns. They seemed a lot of Bedlamites turned out as if to
dispute our passage down the river. Pass them now we must. It was too
late to retreat. Our batteau was light. I was in the bow, Brewster was
in the stern. The yelling and uproar grew each moment more horrible.
Brewster said: "Keep the bow in the best water and pass them in a
hurry." He was of great strength; every set of his pole would almost
lift the boat from the water. While we were passing several guns were
leveled at us, but such was the noise that if any were fired we did
not hear them. We were glad when we passed out of range and hearing.
While passing we caught a glimpse of the cause of the unusual
disturbance, some whisky barrels, and drunken savages around them,
staggering, fighting or lying on the ground in drunken stupor. Landing
at Samuels' camp, we learned of him that one Myers had hidden a couple
of barrels of whisky on Kanabec river, that the Indians had found
them, and the jollification we had witnessed would last till the
whisky was all gone. We arrived at Stillwater without further
adventure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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