my salary was increased to twelve dollars. About this time an important
thing happened. I married the daughter of Alonzo Leaming, who had come
here in 1853. My wife was the first teacher of a private school in
Minneapolis. The school being located near Minnehaha, she boarded with
the Prescott family who lived on a farm not far from the Falls. After
the Indian outbreak in August 1862, as we were marching up to the Lower
Agency, we found Mr. Prescott's body about twelve miles out from the
fort, and I helped bury him. His wife and children were prisoners at
that time, held by the hostile Sioux.

I think it was in 1858, the people got clamorous for railroads and voted
the State credit for Five Million Dollars. The pamphlet exploiting the
celebrated "Five Million Dollar Loan Bill," was printed in the "St.
Anthony Express" office and I pulled the issue off on a very antiquated
hand press, known as the "Foster". It was too early for railroads. Times
were too hard. But half the issue was made, and a foundation laid for
some of our great railroad systems. The St. Paul and Pacific was built
and operated for a few miles and was the pioneer of the Great Northern
system. The first locomotive landed in St. Paul was the "William
Crooks," named in honor of the Civil Engineer of the road, Col. William
Crooks, who was the Commander of the "Sixth Minnesota," in which I
served. Colonel Crooks is buried in Oakland, St. Paul and the locomotive
is on the retired list.

As I said, one half of these bonds were issued and after several
legislatures had bandied them about and pigeonholed them, the debt was
wiped out at fifty cents on the dollar with interest, which gave the
holders par, and the credit of the state was saved. The bonds were
thrown about as worthless and I had an opportunity to get some of them
at $1 each.

I erected the first street light in St. Paul. You could not see it a
block away. All the rest of the town was in darkness. Minneapolis had
one of these lights also, located on Bridge square. Burning fluid for
lamps was one dollar a gallon. Candles were mostly used. Matches, hand
made, were sold for five cents a bunch--five cents being worth
twenty-five cents now.

In 1858 Minnesota was overrun with "Wild Cat" money. Perhaps I had
better explain this. It had no value outside the state and was not a
sure thing in it. You took money at night, not knowing whether it would
be worth anything in the morning. However, it looked well