Fifty Years In The Northwest
Anthony. Treaty with the Chippewas at Fond du Lac, August 2d. Treaty
with the Pillagers at Leech Lake, August 21st.
1848. May 29th, Wisconsin admitted. August 26th, the "Stillwater
Convention" held, to take measures for a separate territorial
organization. October 30th, H. H. Sibley elected delegate to Congress.
1850. Great flood on the Mississippi. Minnesota river navigated by
steamboats. Census of Minnesota shows population of 4,780.
1851. Permanent location of the capital of Minnesota at St Paul.
Treaty of the Traverse des Sioux, opening territory west of the
Mississippi to settlement July 23d. Treaty at Mendota with the Sioux
August 5th.
1852. President Pierce appoints Willis A. Gorman governor of
Minnesota.
1854. Real estate mania commenced. Treaty with the Chippewas at La
Pointe, September 30th.
1855. Treaty at Washington, District of Columbia, with the Chippewas,
and cession of lands in Minnesota, February 22d.
1857. Enabling act to admit Minnesota passed Congress. President
Buchanan appoints Gen. Sam Medary governor of Minnesota. Ink-pa-dootah
massacre in April. Minnesota constitutional convention met in June.
Constitution adopted in October.
1858. Minnesota admitted as a state. State loan of $250,000
guaranteed. The $5,000,000 loan bill adopted.
1859. Hard times. Work on the land grant road ceases. Collapse of the
$5,000,000 scheme. First export of grain this fall.
1860. Federal census, 172,123.
1861. April 13th. President's proclamation for troops received. The
First regiment recruits at once. June 22d it embarks at Fort Snelling
for the seat of war.
1862. Call for 600,000 men. August 17th, massacre at Acton; 18th,
outbreak at Lower Sioux agency; 19th, New Ulm attacked; 20th, Fort
Ridgely attacked; 25th, second attack on New Ulm; 30th, Fort
Abercrombie besieged; September 1st, the bloody affair at Birch
Coolie; 19th, first railroad in Minnesota in operation between St.
Paul and Minneapolis; 22d, battle of Wood Lake; 26th, captives
surrendered at Camp Release; military commission tries 321 Indians for
murder, rape, etc.; 303 condemned to die; December 26th, 38 hanged at
Mankato.
1863. Gen. Sibley's expedition to the Missouri river. July 3d, Little
Crow killed; 24th, battle of Big Mound; 26th, battle of Dead Buffalo
Lake; 28th, battle of Stony Lake. Treaty at crossing of Red Lake river
with Chippewas, and cession of Dakotah lands, October 2d.
1864. Large levies for troops. Expedition to Missouri river under
Sully. Inflation of money market. Occasional Indian raids.
1865. Peace returns. Minnesota regiments return and are disbanded; in
all 25,052 troops furnished by the State. Census shows 250,000
inhabitants.
1866-72. Rapid railroad building everywhere, immigration heavy, "good
times" prevail, and real estate inflated.
1873. January 7th, 8th and 9th, polar wave sweeps over the State;
seventy persons perish. September, the Jay Cooke failure creates
another panic. Grasshopper raid begins and continues five seasons.
1876. September 7th, armed outlaws from Missouri attack a Northfield
bank. Three killed, three prisoners.
1877. Minnesota legislature adopts biennial sessions.
1878. May 2d, three flouring mills at Minneapolis explode; eighteen
lives lost.
1880. November 15th, hospital for the insane at St. Peter partly
destroyed by fire; twenty-five lives lost.
1881. March 1, capitol at St. Paul destroyed by fire.
1886. Cyclone destroys Sauk Rapids. Wisconsin legislature adopts
biennial sessions.
THE BOUNDARY QUESTION.
The question of the western boundary of Wisconsin had been agitated
since the Martin bill for the organization of the State had been
introduced in 1846. This bill established the present boundary. The
majority of the people residing in the valley of the St. Croix were
opposed to it on the ground that the interests of the valley on both
sides were identical, and that it was not proper that the two sides
should be separated by a state line. The question became a political
one, and at the election of delegates for the constitutional
convention of Oct. 5, 1846, Wm. Holcombe was elected over Joseph
Bowron, as representing the sentiments of the people of the valley as
opposed to the proposed boundary line.
In convention Mr. Holcombe advocated a boundary line commencing at
Mount Trempeleau on the Mississippi, running due north to Lake
Superior. Failing in this, he advocated a boundary line to be
established at a point fifteen miles due east of the most easterly
point on Lake St. Croix, said line extending from that point due south
to the Mississippi and due north to the tributary waters of Lake
Superior. In this he was successful, and the constitution in which
this boundary line was thus fixed went to the people and was rejected,
greatly to the disappointment of the people of the St. Croix valley,
who felt that they had been unjustly dealt with. There seems, indeed,
to be but little excuse for the attitude of the majority of the
citizens of Wisconsin with regard to this boundary. Certainly but
little attention was shown to the interests of the people in the
western section of the Territory.
Prior to the meeting of the second constitutional convention, Dec. 15,
1847, public meetings were held at St. Croix Falls and in Stillwater,
at which latter place enthusiastic resolutions were passed
remonstrating against this unnatural boundary, which resolutions were
signed by nearly all the citizens of the St. Croix valley, and a few
in and around St. Paul, asking the convention to establish the western
boundary on a line running due north from the foot of Lake Pepin to
Lake Superior. George W. Brownell was elected from the St. Croix
district to the second convention, with instructions to work for this
boundary. Joseph Bowron, Brownell's opponent, was defeated by a large
majority. The following is the abstract of votes:
BOWRON. BROWNELL.
Willow River (now Hudson) 7 4
Lake St. Croix 7 14
Stillwater 9 39
St. Paul 41 40
Marine Mills ... 22
St. Croix Falls 26 18
Clam River 6 17
Apple River 1 6
Wood Lake 2 6
Rush Lake 2 8
Osceola (no election) --- ---
Totals 101 174
Mr. Brownell made strong and persistent efforts to have the boundary
line adjusted in accordance with the sentiments of the people of the
valley, but in vain. Morgan L. Martin, delegate to Congress from
Wisconsin Territory, had framed the bill establishing the present
boundary, and it was urged that any effort to change the line would
tend to prevent the immediate admission of the State, and it was
thought a political necessity that the State should be admitted at
once, that it might take part in the ensuing presidential election.
Under such pressure the convention made haste to adopt, and the people
to accept, a constitution with boundary lines that should never have
been made. The State was admitted in time to cast its electoral vote
for Gen. Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore.
At a meeting held by the people of the St. Croix valley, subsequent
to this convention and prior to its adoption by the people, the
following resolutions were passed, and we append them as expressing
very generally the sentiments of the people of the valley:
WHEREAS, By the establishment of the St. Croix river as a part of the
boundary line between the State and territory of Wisconsin, the
inhabitants of our remote settlements are greatly aggrieved, our local
rights and privileges neglected and abridged, our geographical,
material and natural political alliance with our neighbors of the new
territory will be cut off; and
WHEREAS, Our oft repeated remonstrances and appeals to the authorities
of the new state have been unavailing; therefore
_Resolved_, That the establishment of the St. Croix river as a part of
the boundary of the state of Wisconsin, against the will of the
inhabitants of the valley of said river, is unjust, unreasonable and
contrary to the principles upon which our government is founded.
_Resolved_, That in establishing the present boundary, our known and
acknowledged wishes and interests are invaded by the might of a
majority; that as the boundary is now established, so great is the
distance and obstacles intervening, severing us, together with the
people of Lake Superior, from the seat of government, that we can not
enjoy a prompt and equitable share in representation, and we would
respectfully admonish our brethren that equal representation involves
a principle which is deeply and peculiarly American.
_Resolved_, That the interests of the inhabitants of St. Croix, being
identical from the nature of the staple business of the country, the
river being the natural centre to which all the business of the valley
tends, a boundary severing the natural ties in connection is uncalled
for, inconvenient and vexatious.
_Resolved_, That the inhabitants of the territory of the whole
Northwest are deeply interested in procuring a just and wise
alteration of the present line of divisions, because from the
geography of the country, the line as now established, we are robbed
of a future star in the galaxy of the American sisterhood of states.
_Resolved_, That we pledge ourselves to stand united and unceasingly
use all honorable means in our power to procure the establishment of a
boundary east of St. Croix valley.
_Resolved_, That a committee of three be appointed to prepare and
forward a memorial to the present legislature on this subject.
The resolutions as a whole were unanimously adopted.
In accordance with the last resolution the chair appointed Wm. R.
Marshall, G. W. Brownell and W. H. C. Folsom, Esqs., a committee.
On motion the secretary was instructed to forward copies of the
proceedings of the meeting to the Prairie du Chien _Patriot_, Galena
_Gazette_ and Wisconsin _Argus_, requesting their publication.
H. H. PERKINS,
_Chairman_.
R. V. D. SMITH,
_Secretary_.
No attention was paid to the action of the public meeting. It is
possible that none was expected. It was some satisfaction to the
people of the valley to give such an expression of their opinion of
the wrong done them. The admission of Wisconsin with the St. Croix as
a boundary line left the country immediately west of that river
virtually without law. Nevertheless, Wisconsin territorial laws were
acknowledged west of the St. Croix and were generally considered
binding until a new territorial government should be organized. The
territorial governor, Gen. Henry Dodge, had been elected United States
senator and therefore could not claim jurisdiction over this part of
the territory lying beyond state limits. John Catlin, territorial
secretary, held that the territorial government still existed in the
part of the original territory excluded.
At a public meeting held in Stillwater, Aug. 26, 1848 (a preliminary
meeting having been held August 24th, at which an understanding was
effected with Mr. Catlin and he invited to exercise authority as a
territorial officer), steps were taken for the organization of a new
territory, and Mr. Catlin, having removed to Stillwater, issued a
proclamation in his official capacity, ordering an election to be held
for the selection of a delegate to Congress. To facilitate this