P2285 PHILANDER PRESCOTT: An Inventory of His Reminiscences and Related Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society Finding aid prepared by Kathryn A. Johnson. Minnesota Historical Society

St. Paul MN.

Manuscripts Collection

Finding aid encoded by Lyda Morehouse, December 13, 1999. Finding aid written inEnglish August 2008Converted from EAD Version 1.0 to Version 2002 by Monica Manny Ralston, Daniel Sher, and Joyce Chapman. OVERVIEW Minnesota Historical Society Prescott, Philander, 1801-1862. Philander Prescott reminiscences and related papers. undated and [1861?]. Reminiscences [1861?]: (original: 241 pp., typed transcript: 208 pp.) 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. 0.4 cu. ft. (1 box). See Detailed Description section for shelf location. BIOGRAPHY OF PHILANDER PRESCOTT

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.

See first folder in the collection for more detailed information.

RELATED MATERIALS

Parker, Donald D., The Recollections of Philander Prescott Frontiersman of the Old Northwest, 1819-1862, is in the Minnesota Historical Society book collection.

A condensed version of the reminiscences is published in Minnesota Historical Society Collections, (6: 475-491).

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--Lake States--Agriculture.Indians of North America--Lake States--Government relations.Indians of North America--Lake States--Mixed descent.Indians of North America--Lake States--Treaties.Indians of North America--Lake States--Wars, 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, d. 1851.Bailly, Alexis, 1798-1861.Dickson, Robert, ca. 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. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION 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: 09-00321317

DETAILED DESCRIPTION P2285 Reminiscences, [1861]: Original manuscript, 241 pp. (3 folders); typed copy, 208 pp. (4 folders).

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 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 (p. 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") (pp. 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) (pp. 111-118); his association with Lawrence Taliaferro's Eatonville agricultural colony (1820) (pp. 123-125); employment by Jospeh Rolette to search for beaver near Traverse des Sioux (p. 126); a description of the pipestone quarry (pp. 135-139); his employment (1843) as an Indian interpreter for the federal government (pp. 173-182), mainly attempting to stop the liquor traffic to the Indians; his work as an interpreter at the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux (pp. 183-191); and a discourse on Indian life, lore, customs, dances, and Indian life in general (pp. 191-208.)

Throughout the reminiscences are accounts of Dakota-Ojibwa conflicts, particularly the 1842 war (pp. 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).

P2285 "History of the Last War on the Frontier from Prairie du Chien to Sandusky," undated. 18 pp. (no accession number), Original and photocopy.

The document is signed "P. Prescott, Interpreter," and seems to be an account narrated by an unnamed Indian of events occurring during the War of 1812. The document relates the journey of one hundred Dakota Indians from Lake Pepin to Prairie du Chien; thence to Mackinac and Detroit, 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 July 1814. Because the document is unaccessioned 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) pp. 246-249.

The collection also includes a folder containing biographical information on Prescott and his wife, including her obituary (1867), and on Robert Dickson; and a photocopy of detailed biographical information on Prescott from Donald D. Parker, The Recollections of Philander Prescott Frontiersman of the Old Northwest, 1819-1862.