Fifty Years In The Northwest Part 86

In 1859 he added the aeolian, Favorite and Winona. In 1860 he organized the La Crosse & Minnesota Packet Company, with the five above named steamers in the line. In 1862 the Keokuk and Northern Belle were added.

In 1864 the La Crosse & Minnesota and the Northern Line Packet companies were consolidated under the name of the Northwestern Union Packet Company, with the following steamers: The Moses McLellan, Ocean Wave, Itasca, Key City, Milwaukee City, Belle, War Eagle, Phil Sheridan, S. S. Merrill, Alex. Mitch.e.l.l, City of St. Paul, Tom Jasper, Belle of La Crosse, City of Quincy, and John Kyle. This line controlled the general trade until 1874.

There were upon the river and its tributaries during the period named the following light draught boats: The Julia, Mollie Mohler, Cutter, Chippewa Falls, Mankato, Albany, Ariel, Stella Whipple, Isaac Gray, Morning Star, Antelope, Clara Hine, Geo. S. Weeks, Dexter, Damsel, Addie Johnson, Annie Johnson, G. H. Wilson, Flora, and Hudson.

LATER NAVIGATION ON THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI.

The Northwestern Union Packet Company, more familiarly known as the "White Collar Line," from the white band painted around the upper part of the smokestacks, and the Keokuk Packet Company, sold their steamers to the Keokuk Northern Line Packet Company, which continued until 1882, when the St. Louis & St. Paul Packet Company was organized. Its boats were: The Minneapolis, Red Wing, Minnesota, Dubuque, Rock Island, Lake Superior, Muscatine, Clinton, Chas. Cheever, Dan Hine, Andy Johnson, Harry Johnson, Rob Roy, Lucy Bertram, Steven Bayard, War Eagle, Golden Eagle, Gem City, White Eagle, and Flying Eagle.

STEAMBOATING ON THE ST. CROIX.

The steamer Palmyra was the first boat to disturb the solitude of the St. Croix. In June, 1838, it pa.s.sed up the St. Croix lake and river as far as the Dalles. The steamer Ariel, the second boat, came as far as Marine in 1839. In the fall of 1843, the steamer Otter, Scribe Harris, commanding, landed at Stillwater. The steamer Otter was laden with irons and machinery for the first mill in Stillwater. Up to 1845 nearly every boat that ascended the Mississippi also ascended the St.

Croix, but in later years, as larger boats were introduced, its navigation was restricted to smaller craft, and eventually to steamboats built for the special purpose of navigating the St. Croix.

Quite a number of these were built at Osceola, Franconia and Taylor's Falls. The following is a list of boats navigating the St. Croix from the year 1852 to the present time: Humboldt, 1852; Enterprise, 1853; Pioneer, 1854; Osceola, 1854; H. S. Allen, 1857; f.a.n.n.y Thornton, 1862; Viola, 1864; Dalles, 1866; Nellie Kent, 1867; G. B. Knapp, 1866; Minnie Will, 1867; Wyman X, 1868; Mark Bradley, 1869; Helen Mar, 1870; Maggie Reany, 1870; Jennie Hays, 1870; Cleon, 1870.

A number of raft steamers, built at South Stillwater and elsewhere, have plied the river within the last ten years. A number of barges were built at South Stillwater, Osceola and Taylor's Falls.

The pa.s.senger travel on the St. Croix has decreased since the completion of the railroad to Taylor's Falls and St. Croix Falls.

An interesting chapter of anecdotes and incidents might be compiled, ill.u.s.trating the early steamboat life on the St. Croix. We find in "Bond's Minnesota" a notice of one of the first boats in the regular trade, which will throw some light on the subject of early travel on the river. It describes the Humboldt, which made its first appearance in 1852:

"In addition, some adventurous genius on a small scale, down about Oquaka, Illinois, last year conceived the good idea of procuring a steamboat suitable to perform the duties of a tri-weekly packet between Stillwater and Taylor's Falls, the extreme point of steam navigation up the St. Croix. It is true he did not appear to have a very correct idea of the kind of craft the people really wanted and would well support in that trade, but such as he thought and planned he late last season, brought forth. * * Indeed, the little Humboldt is a great accommodation to the people of the St. Croix. She stops anywhere along the river, to do any and all kinds of business that may offer, and will give pa.s.sengers a longer ride, so far as _time_ is concerned, for a dollar, than any other craft we ever traveled upon.

She is also, to outward appearances, a temperance boat, and carries no cooking or table utensils. She stops at the 'Marine,' going and returning, to allow the people aboard to feed upon a good, substantial dinner; and the pa.s.sengers are allowed, if they feel so disposed, to carry 'bars' in their side pockets and 'bricks' in their hats. A very accommodating craft is the Humboldt, and a convenience that is already set down on the St. Croix as one indispensable."

The Diamond Jo line of steamers was established in 1867. Jo Reynolds was president of the company and has served as such continuously to date. Under his general supervision the company has been quite successful. The business has required an average of six steamers yearly. In 1888 the line consists of the boats the Sidney, Pittsburgh and Mary Morton.

The St. Louis & St. Paul Packet Company, successors of the various old transportation companies, is in successful operation in 1888, employing three steamers. There are but few transient boats now on the river.

ICE BOATS.

Several attempts have been made to navigate the river during the winter months by means of ice boats, but the efforts have uniformly failed. Of these attempts we mention the two most notable:

Noman Wiard, an inventor of some celebrity, made an ice boat in 1856 and placed it on the river at Prairie du Chien, intending to run between that point and St. Paul. It was elaborately planned and elegantly finished, and resembled somewhat a palace car mounted on steel runners. It failed on account of the roughness of the ice, never making a single trip. It, however, proved somewhat remunerative as a show, and was for some time on exhibition within an inclosure at Prairie du Chien.

Martin Mower, of Osceola, Minnesota, invented a boat to run on the ice between Stillwater and Taylor's Falls, in the winter of 1868-9. It made several trips, carrying pa.s.sengers and freight. The rough ice prevented regular trips and the project was abandoned.

STEAMBOAT LIFE--1846.

James W. Mullen, of Taylor's Falls, spent much of his early and middle life on the river, and cherishes many pleasant recollections of the early days. We have been favored with a few of these, which will give the reader a vivid idea of the scenes depicted:

"A. D. 1816 found me a cabin boy on the War Eagle at the St. Louis levee, with sign board up for Stillwater and Fort Snelling. The levee was a wonder to behold. It was thronged with teams, policemen keeping them in rank. Piles of freight were awaiting shipment. Steamboats for three-quarters of a mile along the levee were discharging and receiving freight; pa.s.sengers were rushing frantically to and fro; bells were ringing, and boats leaving for the c.u.mberland, Tennessee, Missouri and Illinois rivers; and New Orleans, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Keokuk, Galena, Stillwater, and Fort Snelling.

"It was a delightful June day on which we pulled out from this busy scene and commenced our voyage to the far off north land, then known as Wisconsin Territory. Capt. Smith Harris gave the last tap of the bell; the lines were loosened; the wheels of the War Eagle revolved slowly at first, and we were soon on the broad bosom of the Mississippi, heading northward in the wake and black smoke of the steamers Ocean Wave, Tobacco Plant and Western Belle. The Luella, the Alton packet, followed us closely, racing with us. All was enjoyment.

We pa.s.s the steamers Osprey and Di Vernon. At Nauvoo we note the magnificent Mormon temple on the high ground, and also long files of Mormons going westward. We pa.s.s many fine farms, much beautiful scenery, and many growing towns, among them Rock Island and Davenport, the latter the home of Antoine Le Clair, a half-breed Indian trader and heavyweight, tipping the beam at three hundred and fifty pounds avoirdupois. He lives there in sumptuous splendor from his profits made in trade. The villages, or tepees, of Sac and Fox Indians are seen along the sh.o.r.es; their bark canoes glide silently over the waters. Further on we ascend for seven miles the sluggish and narrow channel of Fever river, and find ourselves at Galena, the home of the Harrises, river captains.

"We find at the levee here the steamers Falcon and St. Croix, laden with lead for St. Louis. Back through Fever river to the Mississippi and past Dubuque, an active, rising town; past Ca.s.sville, the expected but disappointed capital city of Wisconsin Territory, a lovely location, its castellated hills frowning above it and its fine three story brick hotel and other buildings; past Prairie du Chien and Fort Crawford, with soldiers drilling on the green. Here Amable Moreau, a French Upper Mississippi pilot, came on board. Squads of Indians were hanging around begging for whisky and tobacco. Resuming our way, stemming the current of the river we pa.s.s other scenes, other birch canoes gliding over the waves, other tepees and Indian villages along the sh.o.r.e. At La Crosse we find a few whites and lots of Indians on an unimproved prairie, with a background of high bluffs. We pa.s.s Trempeleau and then Winona prairie, on which we find an old Indian village, dating back to unknown time. Opposite the mouth of the Chippewa river we pa.s.s Nelson's Landing with its two log warehouses and mackinaw boats loading for the Chippewa river. We pa.s.s into lovely Lake Pepin, Maiden's Rock or Lover's Leap rising into a battlement on the right, and the famous Point-no-Point on the left. Out of the beautiful lake again into the river, between low, forest covered islands, till we pa.s.s Barn Bluff or Mount La Grange, a bold, abrupt and isolated hill just below Red Wing. We pa.s.sed more Indian tepees, villages and burying grounds,--not that, for the dead bodies of the Indians were not buried but fastened upon scaffolds and the limbs of trees, according to Sioux custom. At the mouth of St. Croix river we pa.s.s Prescott Landing, where lives the old pioneer trader Philander Prescott. Across the St. Croix, opposite Prescott Landing, is Point Douglas. Some miles above Point Douglas we pa.s.s Little Crow village, a missionary station, where young Indian boys ran down to the landing and greeted us with such yells as have not rung through these wilds, perhaps, for ages past.

"We find St. Paul to be a small village. There are a few houses on a high, almost perpendicular bluff, overlooking the river. At the base of the bluff on the river sh.o.r.e stands a warehouse with the sign 'Choteau & Valle.' We are soon at Mendota and Fort Snelling. A squad of soldiers guard the freight over night. We have ample time in the morning to visit the post before starting down the river, and the following morning finds the prow of the War Eagle resting against the Stillwater landing. Here Capt. Harris greets his friends and is warmly welcomed. So far, Stillwater seemed the most active and enterprising village on the whole route. Joe Brown's town, Dakota, lies a short distance above at the head of the lake. Capt. Harris on his return towed a raft comprising ten acres of logs. Big Joe was one of the pilots on the raft."

ST. CROIX BOOM COMPANY.

Previous to the organization of the boom company, in 1857, the logs were floated down the St. Croix and caught in side booms by individual owners, and owners of lake booms would raft them indiscriminately, regardless of log marks, but with the mark side up for the convenience of scaling. The scaling was done by some responsible party in the interest of the various owners, and balances were settled by exchanges, or if not balanced by cash or by note, to be paid out of the profits of the next year's logs. Instances of fraud seldom occurred. When Minnesota became a territory this system was superseded by another method of handling, a.s.sorting or delivering. The legislature established surveyor general districts, of which the St.

Croix valley was designated as the First. The surveyors general were elected in a joint convention of the two houses of the legislature, and the candidacy for this office, together with questions of salary, became a leading feature in the politics of the district.

The surveyors general of the First district have been, Robert Harsy, Samuel Winship, Charles J. Gardiner, Ivory McKusick, James D. McComb, Z. Wilder Chase, John S. Proctor, and Al. Hospice. The law defining the duties of the surveyors general has been awarded from time to time, and the system of scaling improved till it has reached its present form, in which it meets with very general approval. In 1867 a law was pa.s.sed giving to the governor the power of appointing surveyors general.

The boom company was organized by the territorial legislature, Feb. 7, 1851, with a capital stock of $10,000, with privileges of increase to $25,000. The incorporators were Orange Walker and George B. Judd, of Marine; John McKusick, Socrates Nel son and Levi Churchill, of Stillwater; Daniel Mears and William Kent, of Osceola; and W. H. C.

Folsom, of Taylor's Falls. Fred R. Bartlett was the first secretary, but was superseded by David B. Loomis.

The first boom was built near an island lying opposite and above Osceola. The surveyor general had his office at Stillwater, an arrangement that gave great satisfaction, but as the boom was not advantageously located, the channel of the river above being too narrow for the annually increasing production of logs, the company, in 1856, obtained a new charter with power to construct booms from the head of Lake St. Croix to Taylor's Falls. The capital stock was increased to $25,000 with the privilege of increasing it to $50,000.

It was subsequently increased to $100,000. The incorporators of the new company were Martin Mower, W. H. C. Folsom, Isaac Staples, Christopher Carli and Samuel Burkelo.

The company placed a second boom a mile and a half above Stillwater.

The increase of their business compelled them from time to time to build side booms and shear booms to prevent the logs from lodging against the banks or pa.s.sing bayous or secondary channels, and also to keep the primary channel free from obstructions to navigation. They built firm and expensive piers, drove piling and made ca.n.a.ls for the use of steamboats when the main channel was wanted for booming purposes.

Notwithstanding all this care, navigation was frequently obstructed by the acc.u.mulation of logs. Litigation ensued, and heavy expenses were incurred in defending the rights of the company or paying damages.

These controversies were not unattended with ill feeling. Public meetings were frequently held and denunciating resolutions adopted. In one case, when navigation had been interrupted for fifty-seven days, the damages were estimated at $146,525. Some controversies also arose as to jurisdiction. St. Croix river being the boundary line between two states, the Wisconsin authorities claimed concurrent jurisdiction.

The boom company was organized under Minnesota law and its members were residents of Minnesota. The surveyor general of the First district claimed entire jurisdiction and scaled the logs irrespective of the state in which they were cut. The action of the surveyor general had been accepted both by the original owners and purchasers of the logs.

In January, 1885, Gov. Hubbard, of Minnesota, appointed A. L. Hospes surveyor general, and the appointment creating some dissatisfaction, a lumberman's board of exchange was organized, and Judson McKusick was appointed as private scaler. He proceeded, under the direction of the exchange, to scale logs that had already been scaled by Hospes. When the members of the exchange proceeded to take possession of their logs and run them out into the lake, Hospes commenced a series of injunction cases to prevent them from so doing. The exchange brought suit against Hospes in Wisconsin courts to prevent him from scaling logs owned by the exchange. The exchange also declared that McKusick was a deputy of the general surveyor of the Fourth district, Wisconsin. Pending these suits, Hospes commenced a _quo warranto_ proceeding in the Minnesota supreme court to have the articles of incorporation of the exchange annulled, but was defeated on the ground that the exchange could employ a private scaler at will, but held that such scaler could not interfere with the claims of Hospes, he being recognized as surveyor general. In July of the same year the claims of the conflicting parties were settled by the parties themselves, outside the courts, and the question of conflicting jurisdiction has therefore never been legally determined. It is true that some courts have pa.s.sed upon the question, and appeals have been taken to higher courts. The decision of Judge Nelson of the supreme court has been given, a decision that the surveyor general of the First district of Minnesota has a right to scale all logs in his district, yet by his own decision Wisconsin has equal rights under concurrent jurisdiction.

Should both state authorities under their surveyors general claim jurisdiction at the same time, concurrent jurisdiction would lead to a double taxation upon log owners. It seems, however, to be an admitted principle that when suits between the same parties, in relation to the same matter, are pending at the same time in different courts of jurisdiction, a judgment in the one may act as a bar to further proceedings in the other. The question ought to be more definitely and satisfactorily settled.

THE LANGUAGE OF THE LOGS.

It may not be amiss to explain somewhat in detail the system of marking adopted by the lumbermen. Owners of logs must be able to identify their property or lose the reward of their labor. A system of marking each log has, therefore, become a feature of the lumbering business, and has been in existence ever since lumbering has been prosecuted. When the business was confined to a limited number of firms it was an easy matter, and one of mutual arrangement, to select the property. But firms change; from a score the number of lumber firms increased to hundreds. A record of ownership of log marks is necessary, and a law has been enacted protecting the ownership of a mark as thoroughly as a trade mark is protected. This system of marks in the process of time has become a language in itself deep and intricate to the average mind, but as plain as the alphabet to every man having to do with the manufacture of logs. It is the aim of every lumberman originating a mark to make it simple, containing as many straight lines as possible, so that it can be put on the log speedily.

These marks are cut on the logs, through the bark and a few inches into the body of the timber, soon after the tree is felled, by a skilled axeman who is charged with the duty. The cut is made deeper than the bark so it will be preserved after the bark comes off. The mark is made upon the side of the log.

This system of marks is a language in itself. Every prominent firm has a particular character, which, in a general way, is indicative of his ownership or interest in the log. This mark may be varied by additional or supplementary characters, indicating who cut the log, on whose land it was cut, or under what particular contract it was put into the stream. Some idea of the extent and variety of these marks can be formed from the statement that there is recorded in the St.

Croix district--only a small portion of the entire lumber region of the Northwest--over 1,700 different and distinct characters. Many of these are quaint and interesting, and the whole etymology curious in the extreme.

In the books in the surveyor general's office these marks and figures are the only characters used except in the recording of the marks themselves and of instruments and agreements. The ident.i.ty of mark and its a.s.sociation of ownership necessarily calls into play the utmost familiarity. To one not thoroughly familiar with the method the books are about as intelligible as the figures on the side of a Chinese tea chest to the average American. Once a man becomes thoroughly familiar with the marks on a river where lumbering is so extensively carried on as on the St. Croix, he becomes invaluable in the surveyor general's office, or in the booms, identified in some capacity with the scaling process. The fact that some particular character runs through the varied marks of all the leading firms is a key to the readiest understanding, just as the twenty-six characters in the alphabet are necessarily understood before one can read readily or intelligently.

When the logs reach the booms the marks serve as a guide in their distribution by the scaler, whose business it is to measure the logs, call out the number of feet in each log to the tallyman, who records it in a book kept for the purpose, the record, together with the mark attached, to be forwarded to the surveyor general's office, there to be posted and footed. A small army of men is engaged in bringing logs to the gap, a narrow pa.s.sage admitting scarcely more than one log at a time.

A catch mark is a mark representing the original mark and is so placed as to appear always upon the upper side when the log floats at rest.

Once through the gap, experienced men gather the logs, as they are floated downward by the current, into brills. These are subsequently gathered together in rafts, laid, as a rule, with the logs headed in the direction of the current. Rafts may be transported to any distance southward by the current of the stream, and through the waters of the lake, and not infrequently the whole distance by tow boats.

AMOUNT OF LOGS CUT FROM 1857 TO 1888.

The earliest statistics in the following table are from persons operating, and the later from record books. We have given the figures in round numbers. The table includes logs cut and floated down the St.

Croix river and tributaries: