After the papers were signed, I returned to my camp, well pleased with what I had accomplished. I sent the supply teams home, and wrote to Mr. Steele what I had done. The camp went up with a rush, and in ten days the teams were hauling logs. We had a good winter for the business and put in one and a half million feet of logs, besides timber for a mile and a half of boom.

We had very little trouble with the Indians during the winter. On one occasion an Indian put up his tepee in the night within a stone's throw of the camp. The next morning, when the teamster was hitching up his team, the Indian said, "If you don't give me some meat, I will kill an ox and get some." I told young Bottineau, who was interpreter, to command him to leave, and to threaten, if he refused, that we would have his scalp. Bottineau took the cook's poker and struck him just as he was about to fire. He knocked the Indian down, and the gun flew out of his hands. The squaw came to his rescue, but the whole crew by this time were out of the camp and ready to take a part in the row. I requested Bottineau to hold the Indian, but not to hurt him, and to tell the squaw to pack up and leave at once. She left with her papoose in double quick time. I reported the Indian's conduct to the chief, and we had no more trouble.

Near the end of the winter, some braves, numbering about twenty, had been out on the warpath for the purpose of punishing the Sioux. They had killed an old squaw, and returned with her scalp. They came into our camp about midnight, and commenced dancing around the camp-fire. The crew, awakened by their howling noise, were alarmed, and each secured some weapon to defend himself. When the Indians saw that we were all armed, they stopped their racket. Bottineau asked them what they wanted. They said that they were hungry, and he told them to sit down and the cook would feed them. After eating, they left for Crow Wing, without making any further disturbance. We had no other difficulties with the Indians during the winter.

EXPLORATION OF THE UPPER STREAMS AND LAKES.

Late in February, Mr. Rice had arranged to visit his trading posts on Leech lake and other lakes at the sources of the Mississippi. I wished to finish my explorations before March,

and therefore I arranged to accompany him. I had received very important information from Mr. Morrison, who knew the lakes and rivers, and had seen the pine growing upon their shores. But I wanted to explore the country myself, and to estimate its amount of pine timber. We started on snowshoes, and had two packers to carry the supplies and the luggage for camping. I found pine in abundance on the trail, and at every trading post gathered all the information the traders could give me. I took notes of the location of pine woods on the lakes and on the main river and its tributaries. All this information led me to believe, and to report to Caleb Cushing, that the pine on the upper waters of the Mississippi would last for several generations to come. As more than fifty years have since passed, this prediction is being proved true.

The exploration that I had engaged to do for Steele and Cushing was thus completed shortly before the end of our work of cutting logs. On the first of March I broke camp, and with part of the crew started for St. Anthony, leaving the remainder of the crew to prepare for the drive.

GROWTH OF THE TOWN OF ST. ANTHONY.

I found that the dam at St. Anthony falls was finished, with the exception of planking. Mr. Godfrey had pushed the work, intending to have the dam closed in before the rise of the water from the snow melting in the spring. There were other improvements and many newcomers.

Proceeding to Fort Snelling, I found Mr. Steele severely ill at this time of my return, early in March, 1848; and in business for him and myself I went onward to Dubuque and Galena. For Mr. Steele I visited Galena bankers, previously known to me, by whom he received two remittances of $5,000 each from Cushing and Company, their investment for lumber manufacturing at St. Anthony.

When I came back, early in June, many other newcomers had arrived in St. Anthony, with their families, to make this place their home. New houses were being built on the corner lots, and the town had put on a domestic appearance. Sumner W. Farnham was making arrangements for his people, who arrived that fall. There was a continued and large immigration until winter.

Among the immigrants were Luther Patch and his family. His eldest daughter, Marian, was married to Roswell P. Russell, October 3d, 1848. This was the first wedding in St. Anthony, and I had the honor of being present. They had done considerable fishing on a large rock below the falls, which was a very romantic place to talk over matters in which the two were most interested. The decision they made that autumn was for a life together, which has proven one of peace and happiness. They and their children have been a blessing to all with whom they have been associated.

The first sawmill that the company built began to saw lumber September 1st, 1848, just one year from the time when the exploring party in the little canoe started up the Mississippi to estimate its supply of pine. Following that exploration, the town was surveyed and lots were placed on sale. The real estate office and the lumber office were together. Later in the autumn a gang sawmill and two shingle mills were to be erected, to be ready for business in the spring of 1849.

Sumner W. Farnham ran the first sawmill during that autumn, until he took charge of one of my logging parties in the winter. As soon as the mill started, it was run night and day in order to supply enough lumber for the houses of immigrants, who were pouring in from the whole country. There was life put into every enterprise. The houses had to be built of green lumber; and all merchandise came from St. Paul, or from the store of Franklin Steele at the fort. Dry lumber was hauled from Stillwater to finish the buildings. Both common and skilled laborers were scarce, as the mill company employed all they could possibly work on their improvements. Before Governor Ramsey proclaimed the organization of the Territory of Minnesota, June 1st, 1849, a busy town had grown up, called St. Anthony, built mostly by New England immigrants, and presenting the appearance of a thriving New England village.

When river navigation opened in 1849, on the first boats, immigration came in small armies. Every boat was full of passengers. The sawmills were all running to supply lumber to build houses for the newcomers, and this was continued through all the year, as long as navigation lasted. About half of the immigrants stopped at St. Paul. Both towns. doubled in houses and families.