ing that they send four kegs of yellow money to quiet the spirits of their fathers, or stop running the boats. The money had not been sent, but Indian Commissioner Dole and Superintendent C. W. Thomson were on their way to hold a treaty with them at the mouth of the Red Lake river, opposite what is now Grand Forks, when the Sioux Indian outbreak occurred. The teams with the goods and a military guard had left Fort Abercrombie for the treaty grounds, when a dispatch came from Commissioner Dole for the train to return at once, also informing the officers at Abercrombie that the Sioux were on the war path. Orders were sent to the detachment of troops at Georgetown, to return to the fort, and advising Messrs. Kittson and Murray that they must prepare to defend themselves.

On the 22d of August, the Sioux appeared at Dayton and Old Crossing, killing all they could find. At Breckenridge they killed all persons in the hotel and burned the house; overtook a stage driver, whom they killed; and took his team with about twenty-five hundred pounds of express freight.

A train load of goods had just arrived at Georgetown, and Messrs. Kittson and Murray prepared to defend themselves and property. After many days waiting for the Indians or advice from the fort, they concluded to load their goods on the "International" and a barge, and to abandon the place and go to Garry. The boat was overloaded, the water was very low, she got aground, and they were compelled to reload the goods on the train, and, with their passengers, started by land, abandoning the boat. When the train arrived at the treaty grounds, they found the Indians waiting for the commissioner and half starved. They at once demanded of Mr. Kittson and Mr. Murray that they should deliver them the goods on the train. This, of course, they refused to do, saying that they belonged to the settlers at Garry. The chiefs replied that they did not doubt what they said, but that their wives and children were starving; and, notwithstanding the threats of Kittson and Murray, helped themselves to nearly every thing on the train, before they would allow it to proceed.

The barge, under the charge of Capt. Noble, and the boat crew, got by the Indian camp in the night and arrived safe, ahead of the train. Gov. Alex. Ramsey and Major A. C. Mor

MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, VOL. VIII.

FORT GARRY AND THE STEAMER "INTERNATIONAL;" LOOKING NORTHWARD FROM THE ASSINIBOINE RIVER. (From Alex. J. Russell's Red River Country, etc., 1870.)

rell made a treaty with the Red Lake and Pembina bands, on October 3, 1863, in which provision was made to pay for this depredation. March 2, 1862, Congress increased the mail service to twice a week and extended the contract for three years.

The settlers, on the route from St. Cloud, built small stockades at Sauk Center, Alexandria, and Pomme de Terre, and the road was guarded by companies of troops, through to the fort. In 1863, Capt. Barrett, who was engaged in scouting in the vicinity of the fort, sent a detachment down to the abandoned steamboat and brought her to the fort, where she remained until 1864.

The mails to Pembina were carried with some difficulty, but usually with regularity.

The year 1864 found the Red river relieved of all Indian troubles, but by no means in a satisfactory condition. It had become apparent to J. C. Burbank & Co. that the interest of the Hudson Bay Company and their own interest were not identical. We wanted immigration and trade; they did not want immigration nor mails nor any one to trade in the Hudson Bay Company's territory but themselves. The expectation that the country would be opened proved a delusion. For five years we had followed the contest between the Dominion Government and the Hudson Bay Company, for possession of the country that the Imperial Government had, by resolutions, said should be surrendered to the Imperial Government for Canada.

This delay had proved a serious disappointment to us both, and for all that we could see it would continue. J. C. & H. C. Burbank & Co. took the shortest way to get out, and sold their interest in the steamboat business to Mr. Kittson for the Hudson Bay Company and gave up the fight. The stage company put things under short sail and intended to bide their time. The boat that was tied up at Fort Abercrombie, on account of low water, made but one trip during the season. The cart brigades again made their appearance upon the road between the railroad terminus and Garry; and, to make it still more interesting, that terrible scourge, the grasshoppers, came in immense quantities, destroying all the vegetation in

the valley, and large contributions were made to keep the people from starvation.

In order to make a better fight for their hold of the country, the Hudson Bay Company sold their rights, under the charter, to the "International Financial Association" in the summer of 1862. This company made great professions of their readiness to open up their lands to settlement and build lines of communication from Canada to the Pacific, but did nothing. This kind of procrastination continued until March 9, 1869, when Earl Granville sent them a proposition and notified them, if it was not accepted, that he would ask the Judiciary Committee of the Privy Council to say what were the rights of the Hudson Bay Company under their charter. The company evidently had a high opinion and respect for this committee, and did not like to have them take the trouble to express an opinion about their rights, and, on March 12th, informed Earl Granville that they accepted his proposition. This ended a twelve years' contest between the Hudson Bay Company and the Imperial Government.

The Dominion Government of Canada provided for the organization of a Crown Colony. On the 23d of August, 1870, Col. Wolseley, at the head of the 60th Regiment of Canadian Rifles, entered Fort Garry; and on September 2d, Lieut. Gov. Archibald arrived, and the colony was duly organized. Our consul, Mr. James W. Taylor, arrived early in November.

At this time there was no recognized means of communication between Manitoba and the outside civilization. The only mail that came to them was carried under direction of the Hudson Bay Company, by Mr. Goulet, about once a week, by horse cart or dog train, to and from Pembina, and the cost of freight per hundred was about four dollars, from St. Cloud to Garry. In the spring of 1871, Messrs. Hill and Griggs, of St. Paul, had built and ready for business the steamboat "Selkirk," Alex. Griggs, master, which arrived at Winnipeg on the 19th of April. Notice was given that all goods that were being ordered from Canada or England should be consigned to Hill & Griggs, in St. Paul, who had made arrangements with the United States Government to carry all goods passing through Minnesota to Manitoba in bond, and that all merchandise consigned to them would be delivered without trouble