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Le Sueur County, Minnesota

Our ancestors were among the first to homestead in Le Sueur County. However, they were far from being first into the Area.

Historical "finds" indicate that ancient humans of Asian background were in Minnesota before recorded time. Then, quite possibly, the Scandinavians were in Minnesota centuries ago. The Kensington Rune Stone, though still in dispute as to validity, would indicate visitors to the area in the 14th century. 1

In the 17th century, the French first came to the Minnesota River Valley and written records of their experiences among the Sioux Indians were kept by the Jesuits as early as 1640. Among the first French traders in the area were names like Radisson and Groseilliers, who came into Siouxland from French Canada.

Father Hennepin, the Jesuit, was captured by the Sioux at Mendota in 1680 and briefly held prisoner.

The Indians called the present Minnesota River, Wattapaw Menesotor. The French traders decided to rename it Riviere St. Pierre, and it was so known for many years.

About 1689, the man “after whom our county" was named, came to the area as a fur trader. His name was Pierre Charles Le Sueur. In 1693 he was appointed by Count Frontenac and given the responsibility of maintaining peace between the Sioux and Chippewa Indians, since their constant wars were interfering with the fur trade. Le Sueur died of yellow fever in 1704. After Le Sueur there were only sporadic visits of Montreal traders to Siouxland in the Minnesota River Valley. Then on 30 Apr 1803, the Louisianna Purchase was consummated by treaty and the land was conveyed to the United States on 10 Mar 1804 at St. Louis for a price of 3.6 cents per acre. This purchase under Thomas Jefferson from Napolean, brought all land west of the Mississippi, including the Minnesota River Valley, into the United States.

About 1820 the site for Fort Snelling at the confluence of the Minnesota and the Mississippi was selected and within a few years the Fort was completed and staffed. In 1823, the steamboat Virginia, became the first to come up the Mississippi River to Fort Snelling. Later in the century, but before the railroad, Mississippi River traffic became extremely heavy and eventually steamboats began to go up the Minnesota River also.

In 1849 Minnesota Territory became a legal entity and it was evident to the trapper-traders that the farmers would soon be coming. It was not a serious blow to them, however, as the area was pretty well trapped out. The Indian residents, by contrast, were concerned as they could foresee their short future in the valley.

Almost at once interest rose in the East as well as in Europe as the stories of this beautiful country with its rich soil began to spread. Land speculators came "like flies to a picnic."

Jones' The Minnesota. Forgotten River, on page 138 says, "The Minnesota Territorial Legislature in 1855 established in New York an immigration commission whose duty was to meet incoming ships and advertise the great Minnesota Country among those who had left over crowded European homelands."

Then on page 139, Jones has this description. "Joseph O'Keefe, remembering what had brought him from Ireland to Minnesota, said he was indebted to the English and the landlord-made famine of 1846-48. Just as the Welsh had risen in violence in the Chartist riots, the Irish had rebelled against the export of grain and cattle while whole families were dying of either starvation or the typhus that followed Ireland's blighted potato crop of 1846.1 Emigrating in desperation, Irishman found new homes, not only in American cities, but on the frontier. Some of them aimed for the Sioux Country and settled in Jessenland (Le Sueur County) where venturesome Tim Doheny had erected a boat dock to rival Joe Brown's in Henderson. Doheny's brogue was there to greet newcomers when steamboats paused at the new landing. Soon there were Connollys, Donavans, Flynns, Higgins, Grimeses, Mc-Namaras, McSweeneys, Scull s, Shaughnessys, Tierneys, Finnegans and McKeons turning new arms into Auld Sod.

In the 20th century, Irish grandsons keep Jessenland's Town Hall painted a nostalgic emerald green. 'There is a saying', according to Garath Hiebert, a fond chronicler of valley life 'that one doesn't ask a Jessenlander his nationality. If they're Irish, they'll tell you. If not, you'll embarrass them.'"

Also, at this time the government made bounty land available in Minnesota to veterans of previous wars. These veterans had an option; if they didn't want to homestead themselves, they could sell their land patents to others who could then exercise their right to homestead. It was through this avenue that our ancestors, being non-citizens, could homestead. (Note the Daniel Doyle and Cornelius Carney biographies for evidence.)

From 1855 on, homesteaders arrived at a rapidly growing rate. What they discovered was a land of extreme beauty and rich soil. One German immigrant wrote home that he had found the only thing he had ever seen to equal the Valley of the Rhine.

In May, 1856 the influx was so great it was predicted that there would not be an unoccupied claim within 20 miles of Henderson at the end of another month.

Le Sueur County itself had been created on March 5, 1853 by the Minnesota. Territorial Legislature. That same year the first house was built in the County and the Town of Le Sueur was designated the County Seat. Originally known as the "Big Woods", the entire county was one big forest when the first settlers arrived. The first pioneers came by boat up the river or by covered wagon.

Gresham's History of Le Sueur County tells of an A.E. Prosser from Indiana, who started for Minnesota via railroad. At Dubuque, he took the Steamer Lady Franklin and landed at the wharf at St. Peter, Minnesota on May 10, 1855. Could our Doyle ancestors have come from Indiana via this route?

Tyrone Township was originally named Hillsdale Township, but with the arrival of the Irish, it was soon changed to Tyrone. Similarly, Derrynane was originally called Ruggles Township and was changed by the Irish to Derrynane in honor of Daniel O'Connell, the Irish patriot, whose home was in Derrynane, County Kerry, Ireland. Derrynane (Ireland) is a beautiful area, which you must visit when you go to Ireland. (Note-"The Log Church in Derrynane" says Michael O'Connell suggested Derrynane.) It means oak and ivy and was the name of Daniel O'Connell's country estate.

In 1853, potatoes went for $2.00 a bushel. The following year, everyone "put in" potatoes and the over supply caused the price to drop to 100 a bushel. Many went without that winter.
September, 1856 brought a sweeping prairie fire and many farmers in the southern part of Le Sueur County, Elysian Township, lost everything.

In 1857, there was a wild Indian uprising in Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota which frightened the new residents.

It was also in 1857 that the decision was made to apply for statehood and a special census was decided upon preparatory to approval by Congress.

About the -same time-tbe land sp4ctillat3ezin-bubble;,burst and the area was plunged into a depression from which it took several years to recover. Gresham's book says "1857-58 many settlers suffered much from hunger and were compelled to live on corn ground in the family coffee mill."

In May, 1858, Congress passed and President Buchanan signed the Act taking Minnesota into the Union. That same month the "Battle of Shakopee" took place between the Chippewa and Sioux.

Another item of interest in this era was the digging of ginseng root. This root had a ready market in China and was quite plentiful in Le Sueur County. It often became the only source of ready cash for the farmer. Evan Jones, in his book The Minnesota, Forgotten River, tells of a Virginian named Robert Blaine who got off a steamboat and offered 6t a pound for all the ginseng the farmers could produce. At first the locals thought it a hoax. However, because they couldn't be sure, they would individually sneak into the woods and dig ginseng. They would then be surprised to find that Blaine would really buy. Soon destitute farmers were making $2 to $5 a day digging ginseng.

Jones goes on to relate that one summer Blaine failed to appear on his annual buying trip. Someone contacted the Chinese agents direct and learned the price was not 6o, but rather 600 per pound. Ginseng remained a valuable crop for many years. (Note Michael Doyle's biogrophy - year 1891). (Also, see appendex item 41.222.. for 1977 news story on ginseng)

Indian unrest continued to fester until late in the summer of 1862 when it exploded. In August, led by Little Crow, the Sioux swept down the Minnesota Valley from the Lower Sioux Agency near Redwood Falls, raiding and killing over 500 settlers. The biggest and most crucial battle was fought at New Ulm. In the end, the Indians lost and the leaders were rounded up and hung at a site now memorialized in Mankato, Minnesota. Gresham's book states that 38 Indians were hung and that 33 of them were converted to Catholocism while awaiting execution.

An interesting sidelight to this is given in the book Mayo by Dr. Charles W. Mayo. He is describing the early life of his grandfather, Dr. William Worrall Mayo, who practiced briefly (approx. 1858-63) in the town of Le Sueur, Minnesota. He was the father of the future Doctors William J. and Charles Mayo. In fact William J. was born in Le Sueur in 1861. The story continues, "The Sioux were in war paint at that time, and justifiably so, since their lands had been appropriated without proper compensation. Every able-bodied man in the district was mobilized to fight them and Le Sueur was emptied of all but women and children. My resourceful grandmother conceived the brilliant plan of having the women dress in men's clothing and move around the streets with sticks on their shoulders which, from a distance would resemble rifles. She fastened spoons to the ends of the sticks to twinkle in the sunlight like bayonets. I don't know if the Sioux ever studied this ingenuous charade, but there was no attack.

When thirty nine defeated Sioux were hanged in one drop, the day after Christmas, Grandfather took home the body of one them, Cut Nose, an unusual Indian who stood six foot three. He kept the re-articulated skeleton for reference in his office, and must have taken a small relish in Cut Nose's boney presence, since the big Indian and two other braves had once attacked Grandfather when he was making a call on horseback - Grandfather beat them off with his riding whip and escaped. He was tough, as I said before.

An old story in our "clan" would indicate that some members, possibly Michael Doyle and wife Jane, had been killed by the Indians. Gresham's book says 36 persons were killed in Nicollet County (adjoins Le Sueur County on the West), but there is no record that anyone was killed in Le Sueur County.

The remainder of the 1860's passed without major incident. In about 1865 the first church was built at St. Thomas on the site of the present church. (See separate story on the Church at St. Thomas)
By 1870 Le Sueur County had grown to 11,607 people. However, Gresham reports that in the 1870's poor were numerous and the County purchased a poor farm. It didn't work out, and the County sold it to a Michael Sheehy, who for a number of years cared for the poor on a monthly fee basis.

By 1870 Le Sueur County had grown to a population of 13,725. 1873 started off with a January 7th blizzard which was the worst in 50 years and resulted in the death of 70 persons. Then in mid-summer the area was hit with a grasshopper (Rocky Mountain Locust) sweep, which wiped out the crop. Locusts continued to be a problem through 1877 and the years of 1874-75 were serious depression years. In 1874 the County Seat was moved to Cleveland and in 1876 to Le Center, it's present site.

The Minnesota Historical Society Quarterly of June 1930 covering the early history of steamboating on the Minnesota River has this to say. "From 1872 to the close of the century fewer steamboats plied the waters of the Minnesota than had arrived at such ports as Henderson, St. Peter, Mankato, or even Fort Ridgely, in a single week in the "heyday" of navigation 1855 to 1865 when almost 3,000 arrivals were reported at St. Paul Wharves. The banner years in this era were 1858 and 1862 when 394 and 413 trips from the Minnesota River were chronicled at the St. Paul levees. The Packet Antelope, was serving as a daily passenger boat between Chaska and St. Paul in this period."

In 1879 the Catholic Colonization Bureau published a pamphlet by His Excellency John Ireland, Coadjutor Bishop of St. Paul. It was a publicity brochure designed to sell Catholic Immigrants on coming to the Minnesota River Valley area to farm. It speaks of four Catholic Colonies in Swift, Big Stone, Nobles and Murray Counties. Apparently Le Sueur County was filled by then.

Railroad fares from New York City to St. Paul were listed as; 1st class - $35.25, 2nd class - $30.25 and immigrant - $24.00.

The pamphlet offered advice to those men considering bringing wives to the area which quotes as follows: "If your wife is very much opposed to going upon land, do not come out."

A discontented wife on a new farm is far worse than the Colorado Beetle, but if she urges you to come, if in this matter she thinks of your welfare and that of her children, rather than the society of the gossips she will leave behind her, if she says to you, "Our children will be out of harms way anyhow" then come with a brave heart and the smile of the true wife and mother shall be a sunbeam in your prairie home".

It was in September, 1878 that Michael Doyle and Honora Carney married and started their family. The writer, and most of his first cousins, have fond memories of the children of that marriage. In fact, several of these children are still with us.