| Summary: | 40 HISTORY OF GRANn FORKS COUNTY company was organized by J. C. Burbank, Russell -Blakely and their associates, to put on a line of stage coaches between St. Cloud and Fort Abercrombie, the route being by way of Sauk Center, Osakis, Alexandria and Breckenridge. This stage line resulted from mail contracts of 1858, whereby mail was to be carried by way of the places named to Fort Abercrombie and oilier northwestern points. An expedition was sent out in June to bridge streams and open the road. This being done and stations established, the stages began running in the fall of 1859. 'I.'he next spring the stage line was extended down to the Georgetown post. There accompanied the road-making expedition a party of ladies and gentlemen from Great Britain bound for the Hudson Bay posts in British America. Of the party were the Misses Ellenora aud Christina Sterling, of Scotland. Tbe party, it seems, expected to travel by boat to Fort Garry, but Captain Northup having refused to run the steamer, a flatboat was built at Fort Abercrombie and the party proceeded down the river, the flatboat being in charge of Geo. W. Northup. On the trip down one morning a small band of Chippeway Indians fired several shots at the party. George asked why and what reason they had for shooting at them. Their answer was: "You must not talk our enemies' language if you don't want to be shot at." It took twenty-two days to reach Fort Garry, and the ladies went on to Lake Athabasca where they arrived just as winter set in. While, on his return to St. Paul, Capt. Blakely learned of the purchase of the Anson Northup by his associate, Mr. Burbank. He appears to have returned at once to the valley. Under her new ownership tlie boat made another trip to Fort Garry. The water now being low the boat could not get through the Goose rapids. Her cargo was unloaded, the intention being to have it taken to its destination by McKey's carts, when the timely arrival of Capt. Blakely resulted in the construction of wing dams, and the goods being reloaded, the boat proceeded safely to Fort Garry, but the crew returned to St. Paul by a cart train. In. the spring of 1860, Capt. Blakely and associates completed a contract with Sir George Simpson for the transportation of 500 tons of freight annually from St. Paul to Fort Garry for a period of five years. Tlie steamer was refitted the same spring, was renamed the Pioneer, and was commanded that summer by Capt. Sam Painter, with Alden Bryant, clerk. Nick Huffman said in the sketch written by him: ''Stations had been built along the [stage] road, and teams by tlie hundred were hauling freight lor Fort Garry and Georgetown. The old steamer Ans Northup was then making regular trips from Georgetown to Fort Garry. There was life and good pay everywhere. John Campbell and Bill Kerr were batching at Campbell station. I got work and good pay haying. Captain Mtinn sent for me to Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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