closing of the rivers by winter
there was no other way of getting there except to journey across the
country.

At the time I refer to there was little or no settlement between
Traverse des Sioux and Winona, and no roads. I remember that there were
one or two settlers on the Straight river, where now stands Owatonna,
and about the same number on the Zumbro, where now is Rochester, and one
house at a point called Utica, about fifty miles west of Winona, and a
small settlement at Stockton, on a trout stream which flows through the
bluffs a few miles west of Winona. The latter place, being on the
Mississippi and easy of access, was quite a flourishing town.

That fall I had been elected to the upper house of the territorial
legislature, called the council, and the news reached us that there
would be a contested seat in the council from some district in the
southern part of the territory, but we had no particulars as to the
locality or the person, and gave the matter very little attention.

A controversy had arisen between parties at Mankato as to the right to
enter a quarter section of land which was part of the town site, and
ultimately became a very valuable part of the city. I represented one
side of the fight, but cannot recall the name of my adversary. It was
customary in those days to lump matters by making up a party of those
who had claims to prove up before the land office, and act as witnesses
for each other. On the occasion of this Mankato contest we formed two
parties, one from Mankato and one from Traverse, and started with two
teams, on wheels, there being no snow, and the first day we reached a
point in the woods, somewhere near the present town of Elysian, and
there camped. When morning opened on us we found the ground covered with
from twelve to fifteen inches of snow, which made it impossible to
proceed further with our wagons. We did not hesitate, but accepted the
only alternative that presented itself, and decided to foot it to
Winona. We travelled light in those days, carrying only some blankets
and a change of clothes. We _cached_ our wagons in the timber, packed
our animals with our impedimenta, and started. Such a tramp would seem
appalling at the present time, but we were all accustomed to hardships,
and were equipped with good Red River winter moccasins, two or three
stout flannel shirts, and thought very little of the undertaking. We
drove the horses ahead of us to aid in making a trail, and mad