North Woods River: The St. Croix River in Upper Midwest History

Contents

Contents :::: List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction 3 Chapter 1 Valley of Plenty, River of Conflict 10 The Dakota and Their Neighbors 12 French Fur Traders on the St. Croix 21 The Origins of the Dakota–Ojibwe War 24 English Fur Traders on the St. Croix 29 A Social History of the Fur Trade in the St. Croix Valley 33 The Ecological Impact of the Fur Trade 43 The American Fur Company Era 46 Dakota–Ojibwe Relations during the American Era 47 The Treaties of 1837 56 Strangers on the Land: The St. Croix Indians in the Settlement Era 60 Chapter 2 River of Pine 73 From Fur Trade to Fir Trade 75 Frontier Logging: Life in the Forest 79 Frontier Logging: The Importance of Waterpower 85 The St. Croix Boom Company 92 Industrial River 95 The Log Drives 98 A River Jammed with Logs 102 Industrial Logging 105 vii Corporate Control of the St. Croix 111 The Failure of Government Regulation of the St. Croix Pinery 120 Fire in the Forest 123 The Last Days of the Lumber Frontier 127 The Impact of Logging on the St. Croix Valley 133 Chapter 3 “The New Land”: Settlement and Agriculture 139 Dividing the Valley 139 Farmers and the Repopulation of the Valley 150 The Swedish Frontier 160 Land Speculation and Growing Pains 163 The Civil War Years in the St. Croix Valley 170 The Farming Frontier Moves up the Valley 172 Railroads: Regional Rivalry and Growth 175 From Wheat to Dairy Farming 180 Farming the Cutover 188 Chapter 4 Up North:The Development of Recreation in the St. Croix Valley 211 Steamboats and the “Fashionable Tour” 213 Railroads and the Growth of Tourism 220 Hunting, Fishing, and Tourism 226 Interstate Park and the Last Stand of the Steamboat Men 231 Dam the St. Croix! 241 Sportsmen on the Upper St. Croix 244 Government Conservation and the Invention of the North Woods 252 Return of the Tourist 261 Dam the St. Croix, Again 265 Saving the St. Croix 268 Notes 279 Bibliography 309 Index 323 Contents viii ...