CLARK W. ORTON:
An Inventory His Reminiscence at the Minnesota Historical
Society
Manuscripts Collection
| | |
| Creator: |
Orton, Clark W.
|
| Title: | Clark W. Orton, A boys [sic] life on
the frontier, |
| Dates: | [1928]. |
| Abstract: | A reminiscent account (typed, 18 chapters, 191 pp.) of
Orton's life and activities while growing up in Ortonville (Big Stone County),
Minnesota, along with research information on Indian life, Indian-White relations,
and early exploration in Minnesota. |
| Quantity: | 3 folders. |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf
location. |
Orton, the son of Cornelius K. (the founder of Ortonville) and Augusta Orton, was
born in Ortonville on March 7, 1872 or 1874, the first white child born in the town.
No additional information could be located on Orton, other than that he later owned
and operated Orton Fruit Orchard, Algona, Iowa. His death date could not be
located.
The year of his birth is in question. In a letter to the Minnesota Historical Society
(1958) he gave his birth date as 1872. The letter also gave the date of the
composition of the reminiscences as 1928. In published sources his birth date is
given as 1874. From information in the 1880 and 1885 census records, the date as
reckoned as 1874.
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A detailed reminiscent account (typed) of Orton's boyhood life in Ortonville, the
typescript describes home life, blizzards, schools, prairie fires, Indians, birds
and animals, and related subjects. The manuscript is in eighteen unnumbered
chapters. Each chapter is filed in its own sub-folder.
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Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Clark
W. Orton, A Boys [sic] Life on the Frontier. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 8357
Processing Information:
Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, July 1998
Catalog ID number: 990017360520104294
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Location | Folder |
| P2301 | 1 | Prehistoric Tribes. 5 pp. |
| | | Orton describes evidence of prehistoric inhabitants in the area and in the
Minnesota River Valley, locating Indian artifacts and mounds, and providing
other cultural data. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | The Sioux Nation. 17 pp. |
| | | He describes the location of Dakota tribes in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska,
North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana, and estimates the number of Indians
in the area in early times. Orton discusses the ravages of smallpox;
treaties; Indian relations with Zebulon Pike, Jonathan Carver, Robert
Dickson, and other whites; Indian activities during the War of 1812;
intertribal wars; the Spirit Lake Massacre (1857); the Dakota War (1862);
and the battles of Little Big Horn (1876) and Wounded Knee (1890). Orton
expresses a sympathetic understanding of the Dakota and their relationships
with whites. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | The Sioux in Iowa and Minnesota. 34 pp. |
| | | Orton gives detailed description of Dakota leader Inkpaduta and the Spirit
Lake Massacre in Iowa and the U.S.-Dakota War in Minnesota (1862),
mentioning treaties, treatment of the Indians, and descriptions of the
conflicts. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | The Story of Bill. 7 p. |
| | | The chapter contains information on Orton's father, describing his adventure
as a 17-year-old teamster who participated in part of the Sully Expedition
again the Dakota (1864). The "Bill" referred to in the title was a hired man
who lived with the family for many years; no other information on him was
found. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | The Outlaws. 3 pp. |
| | | This brief section has information on outlaws in Ortonville in 1880-1881
while his father was mayor, and his management of the situation. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Home Life in the Eighties. 13 pp. |
| | | An informative account of the Ortons home life on the frontier, describing
boys' chores; making cloth for clothes; prices of goods; making of oatmeal,
corn and wheat meal, bread, and syrup; fruits and vegetables available;
women's work; and other aspects of family life. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Location | Folder |
| P2301 | 2 | The Blizzard on the Frontier. 8 pp. |
| | | Descriptions of events during the blizzards of 1879 and 1880, and stories of
individuals lost and found during them. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Early Schools and Health Problems. 4 pp. |
| | | Information on Orton's early school days; descriptions of school buildings
and teachers; boyhood pranks; and the ravages of diphtheria, scarlet fever,
and smallpox, and home remedies for them. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Crops. 5 pp. |
| | | Orton describes the evolution of farm machinery and implements including
scythes, self binders, and threshing machines; breaking prairie sod; and
crop planting. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Prairie Fire. 5 pp. |
| | | Personal recollections of prairie fires in the 1880s. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Early Travel and Explorations. 12 pp. |
| | | He describes early French explorers in the area including Sieur de al
Verendrye, American explorers, and Joseph R. Brown an his family. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Means of Transportation: Vehicles (3 pp.), Railroads (4 pp.), and
Boats (5 pp.). 3 chapters. |
| | | The three sub-folders contain information on Red River carts, which Orton
observed; covered wagons; and the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway's
arrival in Ortonville (1880) and the resulting growth in the city's
population. Orton's father gave a three-mile easement through his land for
the road's right-of-way and was one of the railroad's directors. He also
describes canoes, keel boats, and the arrival of the steamboat Helen Black at Ortonville (1879). Orton's father
held a half interest in the vessel. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Location | Folder |
| P2301 | 3 | The North Flight: Bird Life in Western Minnesota and Dakota Territory
from 1880 to 1890. 21 pp. |
| | | A detailed description of the many birds found in the region, including
ducks, geese, cranes, swans, pelicans, and herons. Pages 20-21 list the
birds he had seen. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | The Game Animals of Western Minnesota and Dakota Territory, 1870 to
1900. 26 pp. |
| | | Describes the many animals in the area including elk, antelope, buffalo,
deer, wolves, otters, beavers, badger, and muskrats. He also describes
Indians coming to trade skins. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Fish and Fishing. 12 pp. |
| | | This chapter has information on the many types of fish found in the area. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | The Herd Grounds. 7 pp. |
| | | Describes an area south and east of Ortonville in the 1880s, which included
all kinds of game, birds, and other animals and contains a description of a
cattle stampede. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Biographical information and miscellaneous papers. |
| | | Typed extracts from the 1880 and 1885 census records for Ortonville, listing
the Orton family; biographical sketches from newspapers and other published
sources; a poem by Clark Orton: "Memories of Home"; and two letters (1928)
to Clark Orton expressing interest in Orton's "A Boys [sic] Life on the
Frontier." |
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 machinery -- Minnesota -- Big Stone
County.
- Agriculture -- Big Stone County.
- Birds -- Minnesota -- Big Stone County.
- Blizzards -- Minnesota -- Big Stone County.
- Buffalo -- Minnesota.
- Dakota Indians -- Treaties.
- Dakota Indians -- Wars, 1862-1865.
- Dakota Indians -- Wars, 1876.
- Dakota Indians -- Wars, 1890-1891.
- Family -- Minnesota -- Big Stone County.
- Fishing -- Minnesota -- Big Stone County.
- Frontier and pioneer life -- Minnesota -- Big Stone
County.
- Game and game-birds -- Minnesota -- Big Stone
County.
- Indians of North America -- Government relations,
1789-1869.
- Indians of North America -- Government relations,
1869-1934.
- Indians of North America -- Treaties.
- Manners and customs.
- Pioneers -- Minnesota -- Big Stone County.
- Railroads -- Minnesota -- Big Stone County.
- Spirit Lake Massacre, Iowa, 1857.
- Steamboats -- Minnesota River.
- Sully Expedition, 1863-1865.
- Transportation -- Minnesota -- Big Stone
County.
- Persons:
- Brown, Joseph Renshaw,
1805-1870.
- Inkpaduta, -approximately
1879.
- Orton family.
- Organizations:
- Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul
Railway Company.
- Places:
- Big Stone County (Minn.).
- Minnesota River (S.D. and Minn.).
- Ortonville (Minn.).
- Document Types:
- Reminiscences.
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