Along The Side Roads

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Just Imagine ...












It is 1862 . Minnesota has only been a state for six years and with statehood came an influx of "land hungry white men". Back just 12 years ago there were less than 5,000 white men in the whole state and then Treaties happened. With each treaty, there was more land available for settlement so people came from the east and farms grew up. Why by 1856 when Minnesota became a state there were 100,000 people living in the state.




And by 1862, the Dakota people (some call them Sioux) had only a ten mile wide strip of land on either side of the Minnesota River left on which to live. (On the map above, it is the dark orange strip) With each treaty they lost roaming and hunting land and received promises. With each treaty, some of the Dakota men became angry and wanted Little Crow to lead them into war. They had heard about the war and battles taking place in the south (Civil War) and they knew that many of the young strong men from the newly formed state were away fighting in those battles.


On the morning of August 15, 1862, Little Crow attended church services and met with the government leaders who were going to build a home for him. By nightfall, four Indian Braves had murdered 5 white men at once and wounded many more. Little Crow could no longer negotiate so he decided that now was as good a time as any to "kill the traders and divide their goods". That was the beginning of the "Minnesota Massacre" or "Sioux Uprising", known today as the Dakota War of 1862.



Living in this house in 1862 were the great grandparents of Elmer Gleason, Mike's Uncle. Prior to August of that year, they had helped the Indians when they could. It seemed they were respectful of each other's rights. When the fighting was imminent in the Nicollet area, the Indians came to David and Electa and told them to go north so as not to be harmed. The Indians told them that their crops and livestock would be used for food but that the house would not be touched. They returned to find that it had not. This latch on the cellar door is the original one that was put there when the house was built by David and Electa Currier.


The wainscoating on the cabinet built over 150 years ago, remains today.


In the New Ulm area and up and down the Minnesota River Valley, the battles went on between farmers and those who had lived off the land before them.






On September 12, 1862, Electra wrote to her brother Henry, who remained in Canada, and she said, "I tell you it is awful to think of the terrible distress that is going on here, and the crops and property that is fast going to destruction." "We are 65 miles from our farm, my husband takes the state of affairs very cool, but I cannot. We are all destitute of clothing for, as I have told you, we had to leave everything... We had just got so that we thought we were quite well off a-plenty of everything around us and a good crop, quite a little stock, and then we had to leave it all, and never expect to go back there again." But they did go back. And the house was still there. And the house is still there today.

Fifteen miles from their farm, in the young town of New Ulm, German immigrants had begun Schell's Brewery in 1860. They set about keeping the people in town supplied with beer and they got along with the Indians. They were also told by the Indians to leave and nothing would be harmed while they were gone. When they returned just a few months later, everything was as they left it and production became again with little interruption.



Other buildings in town were burned by white men so that the Indians wouldn't do it... This doesn't seem to make sense, but it happened. In 1862, This home was filled with hay and ready to be burned, but it survived and still sits amid all the modern buildings in downtown New Ulm on Minnesota Avenue across from the Kaiserhoff.


On September 22, 1862, Little Crow and his forces met defeat in a battle in Wood Lake, Minnesota. Over 500 Indians were taken prisoner but the Chief and several of his braves fled to shelter with the Yankton Sioux in the Dakotas. The United States Army court-martialed 303 Indians and sentenced them to hang. It was at that time that Bishop Whipple, from the Episcopal Church in Faribault, Minnesota petitioned President Lincoln to review the records of these braves. President Lincoln himself reviewed the records and sentenced 38 Indians to hang for murder and/or rape.




The hanging that took place in Mankato on December 26, 1862 was the largest mass hanging to ever occur in United States history. Today, there is only a statue of a lone Indian outside the local library that commemorates this sad day


In recent years, a buffalo statue has been placed across the street; it is known as "Reconcilliation" and this poem accompanies the statue.


In the years that followed, there was a strong anti-Indian sentiment in Minnesota. The number of whites to be killed varies but most sources say around 800. The majority of Sioux relocated to an area along the Missouri River in the Dakotas. National laws were enacted and reservations established. From 1863 - 1890, skirmishes continued until they finally ended at the Battle of Wounded Knee in South Dakota.



Meanwhile, Minnesota was growing, farms were being re-established and new villages built. One of those towns was Northfield. And on a warm fall day in September of 1876, the James Gang robbed the bank putting the town on maps for years to come. The bank building is still there and is a museum today.







Mr. Joseph Heywood was the back teller who told the robbers that the safe was time locked and could not be opened... it was open all the time and held $15,000 ($250,000 today). They got away with only $26. Unfortunately Mr. Heywood was shot and died.
On the tour, you walk on the actual floor trod on by the outlaws.



There was only one other person to die that day, and it was a Swedish immigrant who did not understand when people were yelling for him to take cover. We found both their graves in the Northfield cemetery.

The town of Northfield was chosen as a target because of a past grudge; one of the gang members didn't like a fellow who ran the mill. And they thought that with the mill there, the bank would have lots of money.





Around this same time, my great grandparents were homesteading just a few miles south in Nerstrand and Faribault. But that is another story.


So that is your history lesson for the month. Southern Minnesota has a rich history and it is alive in small town museums. Always your family's history blends with that of the area but not always as dramatically as with Uncle Elmer.

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

VBS and VGF



In case you think I am now talking in "texting terms", I am not. The title just popped into my head when I sat down to write tonight. VBS is Vacation Bible School and VGF stands for Very Good Friends. And that is what comes to mind when I reflect on the first 10 days of August.

VBS this year found Mike driving on a fieldtrip to an area farm one night and helping in the kitchen another day. The ladies loved him and told me I had trained him well...



The kids were many; I understand that one night there were 64 students in attendance - a new record. This is the third year that I have helped with VBS and I enjoy the time. How can you not enjoy it, just look at these attentive kids.



With Pastor Shelly in the lead (that's her on the right) how can the kids not enjoy themselves and be attentive! We are fortunate at Our Savior's to have such a dynamic leader.

The topic for the week was the Parable of the Sower... you remember, the one about the seed being scattered and some lands on rocky soil and some is choked out by weeds and some lands in good soil. Anyway, it connected with reduce, reuse, recycle and I had the chance to talk with the kids about sowers (farmers, gardeners and such) and suppliers (all those who get the product to our tables). It was fun for me to prepare (I really did love teaching) and in doing so I became much more aware of where some of the cans on my shelves came from. I found canned frosting that came from Uruguay and way too much "stuff" from china. Anyway, it was a good learning experience... just as teaching always is! Too soon, our two days were complete. Next year I hope to be involved for the whole week



On to Very Good Friends. I have mentioned before the group that gets together for a "spirited" Lutheran Hour on Thursday nights, well, I finally snapped a couple of pictures this last week. I don't think Mel is sleeping in the first picture, although it does look like it. You can see that Mike and Charlie at the end of the table are having a good laugh.



I love the intense look on Corky's face and get a load of all those arms laying on the table - cool huh - what you don't see with the eye, the camera catches.


Going with us to dinner on Thursday was Bonnie and Barry from Tucson and Larry from Nevada who came to spend a few days with us at the campground. While they were in town, we traveled "along the side roads" of southern Minnesota and showed off some of the highlights. (I will bore you with lots of pics and historical stuff in another entry.) We enjoyed treats at the bakery while in Northfield learning about the Jesse James Gang and the bank robbery.

Mike paused on the bridge over the Cannon River



and Larry relaxed in the lobby of the Archer House where we had lunch. After lunch we stopped in a kitchen store and I am sad to admit that we all learned that Minnesotans are not always Minnesota Nice. We had a crazy encounter with a large fellow who thought I was in his way and wasn't going to put up with it - suffice it to say that he was loud and even followed us to the street but Mike put the run on him.

The guys went fishing on Lake Jefferson one day but only came home with stories. While the guys bonded on the lake, Bonnie and I enjoyed lunch at a Mexican place in St. Peter with Adrienne and Corky. After church on Sunday the guys went fishing (from shore since our boat is in the shop) and Larry caught a Northern Pike that weighed at least 8 pounds and was over 34 inches long. Mike caught the smaller one. Barry wasn't as lucky; all he got was teased and teased some more and he took it all in stride.


Another day found us in New Ulm learning about the Dakota War of 1862, touring Schell's Brewery AND enjoying German food at the Kaiserhoff. When we got home that night Mike fried up the fish in bite size pieces while Barry assisted and Larry admired; he was pretty proud of his catch and really enjoyed his first northern.
Granny's pot was pressed into service. Barry gave us this cast iron skillet a few years back and it is ideal for frying fish.





And today, we took a trip to THE SPAM MUSEUM in Austin. For those of you who haven't been there, GO! The museum is free and has everything you could imagine having to do with Spam. Each of us came away with many cans of this food from our childhood; we all shared stories about how we used to enjoy it as kids. My brother, Rich, joined us for lunch at The Old Mill and shared with us stories about Hormel and Austin. When we got home, I fried up some Spam and we had it plain on toothpicks while enjoying a drink and talking smart. Then we enjoyed our third night of homemade ice cream thanks to Larry. It seems that Good Friends and Good Food always go hand in hand.



Tomorrow, Bonnie and Barry head to Mystic Lake for a month and we will join up with them in September to venture east. Larry will relax tomorrow and head out on Thursday; we won't see him until January in Quartszite. It has been a delight having them here and sharing food, fun and frivolity.