On to Fort Ridgely and points beyond

With my disappointment in Minneapolis (finding Fort Snelling closed on Monday) behind me, I called some long time friends - dairy farmers - in the southern part of the state. I told them I would be arriving at their farm on Tuesday evening after an overnight stay in the campground at Fort Ridgely State Park.

Their suggestion that I should try their favorite authentic German restaurant in nearby New Ulm was a good one.

Fort Ridgely was a relatively short 100 miles or so from Minneapolis. I arrived there in mid-afternoon, set up my trailer, and then drove to New Ulm, only about 16 miles away.

It was a little too early for dinner, so I stopped by the local tourist information center and asked what they recommended for a tourist with a free hour or so.

I was directed to the top of the hill on Center Street, where I found the Hermann Monument. Check out this tab for the history of the monument and some interesting background.

I can personally verify that there are 100 steps to the top. Here are a few pictures of my adventure.

Hermann Monument in New Ulm, MN

I climbed, and carefully counted the stairs, until I was standing at the railing just under Hermann's feet. The view from the top will give you some idea of what the local terrain is like - gently rolling hills.

New Ulm, and the Minnesota River Valley from Hermann Monument

So, now it was time for dinner. I went to the authentic German restaurant recommended by my friends and enjoyed a good dinner.

Authentic Bavarian Restaurant

Fort Ridgely - History in a cemetery

It was back to the campground, where I discovered that there was nearby graveyard associated with the Fort of years past.

You can learn a lot about the history of a place by studying the monuments and headstones in a cemetery. Here was a very informative monument at Ft. Ridgely for a pioneer named Hazen Mooers.

Hazen Mooers - First White Settler

 The inscription on the top reads:

• "Hazen Mooers, one of the pioneers of the fur trade with the Sioux, came to the No. West in 1816 conducted a trading post at Big Stone Lake for 15 years. In 1835, established a post at Little Rock, 5 miles below Fort Ridgely. In 1853 secured contract for erecting the first govt. bldgs. at Lower Sioux Agency. This work completed, retired to a small farm home in the valley just below Fort Ridgely. There he died Apr. 3, 1857. Age 68 yrs."

Might Jerome have met Hazen Mooers? He was at the fort for the last year of Hazen's life, so it's possible.

The face of the monument reveals even more about life in the 1800s in Minnesota.

I noted the boat depicted in this scene resembles the dugout canoes that were key to the success of the Lewis and Clark expedition. This blog provides some history of such boats.

More history of the 10th Regiment

Jerome's time at Ft. Ridgely included a call for his Company D to respond to a massacre that occurred during March, 1857. Word reached the fort on March 19th.

Jerome's unit sees action

• "Captain B. E. Bee with "D," numbering forty-eight rank and file, left the post at noon of the same day and proceeded down the valley of the Minnesota River to South Bend."

The history goes on to describe the conditions, which included deep drifts that had thawed so they would not support the men and sleds. The company made slow progress over several days.

• "By marching the command in column of fours and relieving the men at the head of the column, at short intervals, they were able to break a road through the deep and heavy snow. They would then stack arms, and the soldiers would fall back to the assistance of the sleds. In spite of these difficulties the command marched fifteen or eighteen miles a day."

The unit reached the area of the Massacre in March 28th

• "On the afternoon of March 28th, after a weary march of twenty miles, the command arrived in sight of the Indian village, which was situated in a thick grove of timber and apparently consisted of about thirty lodges.

Not surprisingly, the small Sioux band, led by war chief Inkpaduta, had fled. Capt. Bee had the unit continue the pursuit for another three days, but finally:

• "...his men being foot-sore and weary from a march of one hundred and forty miles under difficulties not easily portrayed, Captain Bee was obliged to return disappointed to his main camp.

Back to the present

It was Tuesday morning. Having spent a night near the fort where Jerome had served, I was now ready to trace his path to Spirit Lake, where the massacre took place.

 

On the way, I would finally meet and spend a couple of days with, my friends of twelve years. Until this day, we only knew each other through phone conversations, emails, and letters - mostly discussing electrical problems on their dairy farm. They were gracious hosts, as you will see in my next post.