PHILANDER PRESCOTT:
An Inventory of His Reminiscences and Related Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
Part or all of this collection is restricted.
For
details, please see restrictions.
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Prescott, Philander, 1801-1862. | |
| Title: | Philander Prescott reminiscences and related papers. | |
| Dates: | undated and 1861? | |
| Abstract: | Reminiscences (1861?) and an account of actions in the Old Northwest during the War of 1812 (undated) by Philander Prescott, a fur trader and Indian interpreter who came to the Fort Snelling (Minn.) area in 1820. | |
| Quantity: | 0.25 cubic feet (1 box). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description section for shelf location. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Prescott was born (September 17, 1801) in Phelpstown, New York, the son of Joel and Lucy (Reed) Prescott. He joined his brother Zachariah in Detroit in 1820; arrived later that year at Camp New Hope (Fort Snelling, Minn.); married (1823) the daughter of a Dakota chief; engaged in the fur trade with the American and Columbia fur trading companies and in partnership with Alexis Bailly; was associated with Lawrence Taliaferro's Eatonville agricultural colony for the Indians; was an interpreter during the Traverse des Sioux treaty negotiations (1851); and was killed (August 17, 1862) at the beginning of the U.S.-Dakota War.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
The reminiscences (original: 241 pages; typed transcript: 208 pages) describe his life as a fur trader and interpreter; lead mining ventures; his acquantences with a number of early Minnesota fur traders; and his work as an interpreter during the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux (1851) negotiations.
The War of 1812 account (18 pages) seems to be the narrative of an unnamed American Indian describing the participation of the Dakota and other tribes in battles near Detroit and the Sandusky River that was recorded by Prescott.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Access Restrictions:
Originals that have been digitized are closed to general use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Philander Prescott Reminiscences and Related Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 1765E
Processing Information:
Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, May 1998
Catalog ID number: 001735920
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| P2285 | Reminiscences, 1861? Original manuscript: 3 folders (241 pages); typescript: 4 folders (208 pages). | ||||||||||
| Restricted. | |||||||||||
| A detailed reminiscent account of Prescott's life, beginning in 1820 when he left New York for the West, and ending with his account of the proceedings of the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux (1851). | |||||||||||
| Prescott left his home in Phelpstown, New York, in April 1820 to work in the Detroit, Michigan store of his brother Zachariah. The reminiscences contain details on his steamboat trip to Detroit, his brother's store, the journey of the brothers from Detroit to the Camp New Hope settlement (Fort Snelling) and the conditions of life there, the arrival of Colonel Josiah Snelling, the construction of Fort Snelling, and names of persons living at the fort (page 23, page numbers are those found in the typed copy.) | |||||||||||
| The rest of the manuscript details his marriage to an Indian woman, Mary Ke E Hi ("Spirit of the Moon") (pages 56-57); his trips to St. Louis (1823) with furs; his fur camps in the area of Fort Ripley, Red Lake, Sandy Lake, Leech Lake (Ottertail County), and other areas in Minnesota; his employment on a steamer that operated from St. Louis to New Orleans and the surrounding area; his lead mining ventures near the Platte River (1828) (pages 111-118); his association with Lawrence Taliaferro's Eatonville agricultural colony (1820) (pages 123-125); employment by Joseph Rolette to search for beaver near Traverse des Sioux (page 126); a description of the pipestone quarry (pages 135-139); his employment (1843) as an Indian interpreter for the federal government (pages 173-182), mainly attempting to stop the liquor traffic to the Indians; his work as an interpreter at the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux (pages 183-191); and a discourse on Indian life, lore, customs, dances, and Indian life in general (pages 191-208.) | |||||||||||
| Throughout the reminiscences are accounts of Dakota-Ojibwa conflicts, particularly the 1842 war (pages 173-182); Indian-White relations; the education of his son Hiram at the Chocktaw Academy, where he died; weather conditions; competitions among the fur companies; and his acquaintance with a number of early Minnesotans including Alexis Bailly, William Aitkin, Henry M. Rice, Lawrence Taliaferro, and Alexander Faribault. The reminiscences end abruptly in mid-sentence on page 208 of the typed copy (page 241 of the original). | |||||||||||
 Original manuscript, pages 1-81. | |||||||||||
 Original manuscript, pages 82-151. | |||||||||||
 Original manuscript, pages 152-241. | |||||||||||
 Typescript, pages 1-60. | |||||||||||
 Typescript, pages 61-120. | |||||||||||
 Typescript, pages 121-180. | |||||||||||
 Typescript, pages 181-208. | |||||||||||
| P2285 | History of the last war on the frontier from Prairie du Chien to Sandusky, undated. 18 pages. | ||||||||||
| Restricted. | |||||||||||
| The document is signed "P. Prescott, Interpreter," and seems to be an account narrated by an unnamed American Indian of events occurring during the War of 1812. The document relates the journey of about one hundred Dakota Indians from Lake Pepin to Prairie du Chien; thence to Mackinac, Detroit and Sandusky, with descriptions of Lake Pepin, Maiden Rock, and other sites; and the deaths of Indians and other Indian activities during the period. | |||||||||||
| The events may have taken place between May and August 1813. Because the document has no accession information there is no documentary evidence to give more definite information on the narrative. For more information on these events see: Gilpin, Alec R., The War of 1812 in the Old Northwest (Michigan State University Press, 1958), pages 246-249. | |||||||||||
 Digital version. | |||||||||||
RELATED MATERIALS
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Agricultural colonies -- Minnesota -- Eatonville.
- Dakota Indians -- Minnesota -- Government relations.
- Dakota Indians -- Minnesota -- Treaties, 1851.
- Fortification -- Minnesota.
- Fur trade -- Minnesota.
- Indians of North America -- Agriculture -- Lake States.
- Indians of North America -- Lake States -- Government relations.
- Indians of North America -- Mixed descent -- Lake States.
- Indians of North America -- Lake States -- Treaties.
- Indians of North America -- Wars -- Lake States -- 1812-1815.
- Ojibwa Indians -- Minnesota -- Government relations.
- Places:
- Detroit (Mich.).
- Fort Snelling (Minn.).
- Mackinac Island (Mich. : Island).
- Michigan -- History -- to 1837.
- Michigan -- History -- War of 1812.
- Minnesota -- Description and Travel -- to 1858.
- Mississippi River.
- Mississippi River Valley -- History -- 1803-1865.
- United States -- History -- War of 1812 -- Campaigns.
- Wisconsin -- History -- to 1848.
- Persons:
- Aitkin, William Alexander, -1851.
- Bailly, Alexis, 1798-1861.
- Dickson, Robert, 1765?-1823.
- Snelling, Josiah, 1782-1828.
- Taliaferro, Lawrence, 1794-1871.
- Organizations:
- American Fur Company.
- Columbia Fur Company.
- Types of Documents:
- Reminiscences -- Minnesota.
- Occupations:
- Fur Traders -- Minnesota.
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