Fifty Years In The Northwest Part 74

1846. August 6th, the Wisconsin enabling act pa.s.sed.

1847. The Wisconsin const.i.tutional convention meets. The town of St.

Paul surveyed, platted and recorded in the St. Croix county register of deeds' office. First improvement of the water power at falls of St.

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 pa.s.sed Congress. President Buchanan appoints Gen. Sam Medary governor of Minnesota. Ink-pa-dootah ma.s.sacre in April. Minnesota const.i.tutional convention met in June.

Const.i.tution 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, ma.s.sacre 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 b.l.o.o.d.y 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. Gra.s.shopper 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 const.i.tutional 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 const.i.tution 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 att.i.tude 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 const.i.tutional convention, Dec. 15, 1847, public meetings were held at St. Croix Falls and in Stillwater, at which latter place enthusiastic resolutions were pa.s.sed 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 const.i.tution 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 pa.s.sed, 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_.