Insulting the Competition

Sure, the news outlets of today might be pretty biased. You’ll find just as many Trump supporters over at the Huffington Post as folks looking forward to vote for Hillary on Fox News.

But let me assure you; this brand of pronounced politically partisan press is nothing new.

Let’s flip open the pages of the Stillwater Republican (can you guess what party they supported?) and read their editors literally call one of their Democratic-leaning neighbors a thief.

Stillwater Republican – A New Paper – May 31, 1870

We have heard it rumored on our streets for several weeks that Mr. J. N. Castle is soon to start a Democratic paper in this city, and that he is now “collecting” material for an office. To our brother printers up and down the river we would recommend a vigilant watch of their premises, and bolt and lock, on leaving the office, but on locking their offices to put the keys in their pockets, instead of over the door.

Moving to Washington County in 1850

By Jerry Brosious

The following notes were compiled by Gladys (Rutherford) McAdam during an interview her father, Charles A. Rutherford (1842-1937).

The notes describe the journey he made as an eight-year old boy, with is parents and brothers and sister from Bath, in southwestern New York, to Stillwater, Minnesota Territory, in May-June of 1850. His father James had come first in the prior year, 1849, when the area had just swapped from Wisconsin Territory to Minnesota Territory – but was still calling itself “St. Croix County.” In October of that year, the name would change to the familiar “Washington County”.

On May 27, the Rutherford family was packed and ready. They would depart from Bath for their new frontier home, “out West”.

A few explanatory comments concerning the account of their journey: Railroads traveled little of the route they took. The canal boat taken from Danville, N. Y. would have been on the Genesee River canal line that transported north to the Rochester area, where they would have proceeded on the famous Erie Canal. The Henry Hudson would have been a steamboat that sailed across Lake Erie, and then continued the Great Lakes chain on their journey, from Erie to Huron to the last lake, Michigan.

“Andrew Quinn brought the Rutherfords from Bath to Danville, where they took a canal boat and rode to Buffalo. There they took the Henry Hudson and came to Chicago. At Chicago they went to a hotel and it was so marshy, the hogs were wallowing in the mud in front of the hotel. Father went to John Rutherford’s and brought a team and took us out there. Father, Dan, John, and Dick (brother) went up town and brought a team and covered wagon. In this rig they drove to Galena.

At Galena they took the Yankee steamboat on the Mississippi, and in seven days arrived at Stillwater. Where Winona now stands was an Indian village. And the Indians came running down toward the river to see the steamboat. When the boat whistled, everyone dropped to the ground as though shot.

May 27 left New York; got to Stillwater June 16, 1850. In the party were James and Elizabeth Rutherford, Dominick – 12, Eliza – 10, Charles – 8, Rosella – 4, and Montgomery, 6 months. They drove right out to Rutherford’s settlement. Drove up was it now the ravine between Olive and Myrtle streets and west past Long Lake to where is now Masterman’s crossing; then across country about a mile to the farm that the father bought.”

Jim and Betsy Rutherford and their children settled in what was then Greenfield Township, later renamed Grant Township in 1864. James’ brother, William (called ‘pioneer of pioneers’ in his obituary) had come to the area in 1845. He and Albion Masterman staked claims in Grant Township in 1849, and William built the first house there in that same year.

The James Rutherford farm home was just to the north of his brother’s, at present day manning and Lofton Avenues in Grant Township.

Today, we can jet to New York in under three hours. (Editor’s Note: Of course, you have to add another two to get through the lines at the TSA). But it took the Rutherfords nearly three weeks, using a succession of modes of travel: horse and wagon, canal boat, Great Lakes steamboat, covered wagon, Mississippi steamboat, and finally, as they had began – horse and wagon.