| Summary: | 42 HISTORY OF GRAND FORKS COUNTY Russell Blakely says: -'The Indians had protested against the use of the river for steamboats complaining that the boats drove away the game and killed the fish, while the whistle made such an unearthly noise that it disturbed the spirits of their dead and their fathers could not rest in their graves. They demanded four kegs of yellow money to quiet the spirits of their fathers or that the boats be stopped. At this time Clark W. Thompson, superintendent of Indian affairs and Indian Commissioner Dole, were on their way to the mouth of Red Lake river, opposite Grand Forks, to hold a treaty with the Indians. They were turned back by the opening of Indian hostilities in August, 1862." The Sioux Indian outbreak was confined more to central and western Minnesota than to the Red River Valley, though in the upper part of it they killed a few settlers, plundered teams loaded with supplies, burned what there then was of Breckenridge and besieged Fort Abercrombie for six weeks. Most of the settlers then located along the Minnesota side of the river in that part of the valley were warned in time and fled for shelter,both to the fort and the fur trading post at Georgetown. During these troubles the International was taken to Fort Garry. A cart train from St. Paul loaded with Hudson Bay goods had just arrived at Georgetown in charge of Norman . W. Kittson; the teamsters and others were organized into a defensive force consisting of 44 men, but as they were indifferently armed and the post unable to stand a siege, it was decided after keeping guard for two weeks, to abandon it and seek safety at Fort Garry. Pierre Bottineau was sent to Pembina for a relief guard, and the people, carts and goods were ferried "across the river at night. Elm river was crossed tlie first day and the Goose river on the second when the relief party was met. Among these men were Joe Rolette, Wm. Moorhead, Hugh Donaldson and other old time frontiersmen. The third night out, the party camped three miles south of the site of Grand Forks. At the forks of the river they found several hundred Chippeways who had gathered to meet the Indian commission. This band took whatever food they could lay their hands upon and allowed the party to proceed to Fort Garry without further molestation. The Georgetown post remained vacant until 1864 when it was again occupied. Tlie International was brought to Fort Abercrombie in 1863 by Capt. Barrett, and in 1864 was sold to the Hudson Bay company, it having bocome apparant that the country could not be opened up against the interest of that powerful organization. They did not want immigration and trade, nor mails or other appliances of civilization. The boat made but one trip that year. The cart brigades again put in an appearance and tlie country became devastated by grasshoppers.* * Sketch by Capt. Russell Blakely. Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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