Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/425

 HISTORY. OF GOODHUE COUNTY. :^57 particle of baggage excepl what the passengers had in their seals with them, was burnt. In due time another train brought us to Chicago, where the railroad company immediately offered to pay all losses, as soon as lists of the property destroyed could be made out and properly verified. I did all the work without the aid of counsel, lawyer or clerk, collecting nearly $20,000 for old trunks, spinning wheels, copper kettles, etc. Having lost nothing myself, I, of course, received nothing, and as the company did not con- sider it their duty to pay me for my trouble, one of the emigrants suggested that they should cfo something. The hat was passed around and the collection realized the magnificent sum of $2.60, which was paid me for being their interpreter during that long journey and for collecting that large sum of money. But I raised no complaint. In due time my own family and friends arrived at Moline. .Minnesota was then a territory but little known; yet we had heard of its beautiful lakes, forests and prai- ries. There were many of the party who decided to find a place for a Swedish settlement where lands could be had cheap, Mr. Willard and myself among them. And it was finally agreed that a few of us should go to Minnesota and select a suitable place. Being the only, one of the party who could speak the English language, I naturally became the leader of the explorers. My father went with us and so did Mr. Willard and his wife, my sister, the whole party taking deck passage on a Mississippi steamer, arriving at St. Paul during the month of August. St. Paul was then a town of a few hundred inhabitants. There we found Henry Russell, Johan Tidland and a few other Swedish pioneers. We learned that near Red Wing, places could be found with both timber and prairie, and an abundance of good water. After looking in various places we finally decided on the present town of Vasa, about twelve miles west of Red AVing. Claims were staked out on Belle creek, north of White Rock, near where a large brick church now stands. After selecting this land, my father returned to Ililnois. I went with the other explorers to St. Paul, where a council was held in which our whole party participated, and it was decided that three of us, Messrs. Roos, Kemp and myself, should proceed to our claims that fall and do such work as w T e could until the others could join us in the following spring. Red Wing was an old missionary station, containing only half a dozen American families, among them Rev. J. AY. Hancock, who had been some years a missionary among the Indians. William Freeborn, Dr. AY. AV. Sweney, H. L. Bevans, John Day. and Calvin Potter were the other settlers. There were also two Swedes. Peter Green and Nels Nelson ; also a Norwegian named Peterson. On the river about between Alain street and the levee was a large Indian camp