CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
NATURAL PHENOMENA. PAGE
Location — Area — Water Courses — Surface Features — Ancient River Beds — Elevations — Soil — Forest Trees — Artesian Wells — Sources of Wealth — Native Animals 1
CHAPTER II.
GEOLOGIC AGES.
Formation of the Earth — Cooling of the Crust — The Various Periods as Outlined by Scholars — Appearance of Vegetation — First Animal Life — Geologic* Formations of Goodhue County — Influence of These Dis- tance Periods on Modern Existence 11
CHAPTER III.
EVIDENCE OF THE MOUNDS.
The First Human Inhabitants of Goodhue County — Indications That They Were Indians — Location and Shape of the Mounds — Their Purpose — What Excavation Has Revealed — Fort Sweney — Stone Cairns — The Lowland Mounds — Reign of the Sioux — By Edward W. Schmidt 18
CHAPTER IV.
EARLY DAYS.
Possession by Indians — The Dakota? — Traditions and Opinions — Col. Col- vill's Views — Origin of Name '-Rd ,'i ; — The Raidssjn- Groseillers Allegations — No Proof That These Men Ever Saw Goodhue County — Hennepin Lands at Red Wing's Village — Duluth Passes the Village — LeSueur at Prairie Island — Fort Beauharnois and Its Suc- cessors- — Carver Passes Through Wisconsin Channel — Pike and His Narrative — Meets Red Wing and Calls Him by His English Name — Leavenworth — First Steamers — Denton and Gavin — Aiton and Han- cock — Tribute to Rev. Hancock — Early Schooling — The Pioneers Arrive— By Dr. W. M. Sweney 33
CHAPTER V.
FORTS AT FRONTENAC.
Landing of Count Frontenac — Building of Fort Beauharnois by Du Boucher in 1727 — Work of the Jesuits — Disastrous Freshets — Capture of Father Guingas — Linctot's Stockade — St. Pierre and His Meeting With Washington — Abandonment of Stockade — Marin's Fort in 1750 — Final Evacuation by the French — Modern Evidences 62
CHAPTER VI.
UNDER EUROPEAN KINGS.
French and English Claims — Spanish Rule— The Louisiana Purchase — A Part of Louisiana Territory — Under Successive Jurisdiction of Mis- souri. Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa — No Man's Land — General Sibley's Duties — Minnesota a Territory — In Statehood Days— A Full-
Fledged County 71
