Laserfiche WebLink
71 ctcleft ae4 <br />In the fall of 1849 John R. Bean and John Simpson established a camp on the <br />island called Cloutier's island in the Mississippi opposite the present City of Ramsey, <br />for the purpose of trading with the Winnebago Indians. They carried on a successful <br />trade and the next spring built a log house on the mainland near the river upon what <br />was later the farm of C. G. Richardson. <br />Thomas A. Holmes and James Beatty visited the trading post on the island, observ- <br />ed a thriving business, and determined to secure a share of the trade. They built a <br />log house the same fall (1849) on section 19, (the Warneke farm) and put in a stock <br />of goods for trading with the Winnebagoes. <br />The Winnebagoes were an offshoot of the Sioux tribe and all of the Indians were <br />aware of the fact. They were settled upon land which had been obtained as a con <br />cession from the Chippeways. But race prejudice was so strong among them in petty <br />disputes between the two large tribes they were constantly inclined to side with the <br />Sioux. The Winnebagoes hastily transferred their families or a large number of there <br />from Long Prairie to Itasca, where they dug deep pits and threw breastworks on a <br />piece of ground covering several acres, upon what was afterward the farm of Charles <br />E. Bowers, now the Reinhard Pearson farm. These pits were circular and used <br />principally as shelter for squaws and papooses. The spot was upon a steep bank of the <br />Mississippi and commanded a view of the river from both directions. The earth works <br />were plainly visible for years after. The trouble was finally settled and no battle took <br />place. <br />The old log cabin built for a trading post was later moved to section 31, Burns <br />township. Holmes and Beatty were later succeeded by other traders, Isaac Marks and <br />David Fuller. <br />8 <br />