As the Pleasant Hill Library and Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) both remain closed on account of the pandemic with limited services available, here at The Hastings Journal made use of the digital archives at the Minnesota Historical Society to finally bring our readers some historical content. A more comprehensive history section in The Hastings Journal will likely take some time to establish in its fullness, so that we ask for your patience in this undertaking.

-Joseph Back

157 Years Ago THE HASTINGS CONSERVER Hastings, Dakota County, Minnesota, Tuesday, July 7, 1863 Volume III.—No. 13.

The News.

The Army of the Potomac has at last covered themselves with glory. They have fought one of the hardest battles of the war at Gettysburg, Pa, and reported to have obtained entire success. Lee is said to be in full retreat, and some prospect of his being entirely cut off. Dispatches from Jeff Davis to Lee have been intercepted, commanding him to return to Richmond. Gen. Longstreet is killed and within our lines. The loss in killed and wounded is not known. We have taken 8,000 prisoners, the enemy surrendering by brigades. The rebels fought with desperation, but were driven back with terrible loss. Our troops have acquitted themselves honorably.

Latest from Vicksburg reports everything going on cheerily. // Single copies of the Conserver may be obtained at this office, or at the Bookstore. Price Five Cents. // Educational./ By Prof. T. P. Thickstun./ A Bit of Experience.

At the beginning of the present term we had cards of invitation printed, and sent a boy to leave one at every house in town, saying that we desired a visit from every member of the family.

We confidently thought that we had hit upon THE expedient which would procure the frequent attendance of patrons at the scene of our labors. We expected about one visitor per day for the term….We therefore began school with no inconsiderable amount of pedagogical satisfaction.

But days, weeks, and months even rolled away, and not a patron stepped over the threshold…thus we passed the term.

On the last day of the school we were perfectly overwhelmed with astonishment. An unusual thing indeed happened. Our classes were moving on in their wonted rounds, when the door opened and –mirabile, dictu, visu! (wondrously said, the sight!)—a real, living, appreciating patron walked in and took her seat. We have nothing more to say, except that we were intensely glad. We hope the good lady will always remember us; we shall never forget her. It was an event upon which to build a life memory.

Don’t Snub the Child: Many a child has been wilted into silence, and frightened out of success, simply by being snubbed. It is very easy to snub a child; equally easy to encourage the child, and lend him the accomplishment of something meaningful.

Children have strong sympathies—warm and tender hearts. They soon form attachments to those who are placed in authority over them, or else they regret them with a feeling very nearly allied to hatred. What child ever loved a cross, snappish teacher? What child ever hated a teacher or parent who showed a loving interest in the child’s success?

Very easy, indeed, is it to discourage the little student. He has spent an hour or two at home over a lesson which seems dull to him. Father, mother, and big brothers, not being well versed in the subject, give him no assistance. He goes to school, hoping that he will make a very good recitation. He is not up to the mark. “Dunce,” “booby,” “blockhead” says the unwise teacher. The poor little fellow’s heart sinks all the way to his ankles. What use is there of his trying? He is a booby. Why should he learn anything? Has not his teacher, who certainly knows him, told him he is a dunce? Is not his head made of mahogany? He despairs of ever succeeding, sits down in a fit of despondency, and makes a positive failure in his lesson for the next day. Had the teacher encouraged him a little, kindly pointed out to him his faults right, he might have come the next day with a merry heart, a cheerful face, and a learned lesson.

Another little disciple comes bouncing home from school in high glee. He has done well in his lessons. He has had a good time with the other boys, coasting or skating. Who can sympathize with him and enjoy his enjoyments so well as his parents. He rushes into their presence. “There now, you noisy calf!” “Wipe your feet this moment, sir.” “How dare you?” An extinguisher is put upon him. Whether his sins be great or small, he feels the condemnation great, and sulkily sneaks off to his room by himself, or goes to the kitchen corner, behind the stove, where he soothes over his ruffled feelings by stroking the cat, assured that there is some sympathy between them, even if human beings do snarl at him and discourage him.—School Visitor

Territorial Dispatch 163 Years Ago THE EMIGRANT AID JOURNAL

Nininger City, Minnesota Territory, December 1, 1856 Volume 1, Number 1 Motto line: “Dost thou know how to play the fiddle?” “No,” answered Themistocles, “but I understand the art of raising a little village in a great city.”

Editors and Proprietors, Ignatius Donelly and Philip Rohr Terms, $2.00 per annum, payable in advance.

All communications to be addressed care of LOUIS LOICNES?, Postmaster, Ninninger, Dakotah Co, M. T., or to Messrs. DONNELY and ROHR, 106 Walnut St., Philadelphia. // THE EXODUS WEST FROM EUROPE.

The number of emigrants to the United States since 1819, has amounted to a total of 4,212,264, of whom 2,343,445 were born in the United Kingdom. The year of the greatest immigration was 1854, the number then having been increased to 427,833 by the influx of 206,054 Germans. Last year the total was only 200,877, including 66,219 Germans.—Of the entire immigration since 1819, 1,747,930 out of the 2,343,445 British subjects are believed to have been Irish. Germany has contributed 1,242,082; France, 188,725; Switzerland, 81,071; Norway and Sweden, 29,441; China, in consequence of the attraction to California, 16,714; Mexico, 15,969; (and) Italy 7,158. From all other countries the number… NOTICE.

St. Paul, October 8, 1856 The undersigned, Proprietor of the City of Nininger, Dakota County, Minnesota, hereby gives Public Notice to all parties who have purchased lots in the said City, under and subject to the ordinary covenant expressed in the deeds, to wit, to commence a certain amount of improvement therein stipulated, within six months from the date of the same, and to finish the said improvements within two years therefrom; that a noncompliance with a part of the said covenant, will be considered a non-compliance with the terms of the whole, and that every lot for which at the expiration of the said period of six months, no improvement has been commenced, will be considered forfeited, and reversed to the undersigned, and will be by him resold, the same as though no deed had ever been executed by him for the same.

JOHN NININGER For sale: One thousand cords of wood. Enquire at the Landing, at Nininger.

ADVERTISEMENTS (in the English or German language,) under one square— eight brevier lines—are charged ONE DOLLAR, for two insertions. Other advertisements in proportion. Special contracts will be made for yearly or half-yearly advertisements, which are payable at the time of contract. // For the benefit of the lovers of good eating who may contemplate emigration to Minnesota, we make the following extracts from “The Emigrant’s Guide to Minnesota in 1856.” They show that even epicures will be at home in our Territory:— BUCKWHEAT.—There was a large crop of this article raised in the Territory last year. Buckwheat cakes are now as plenty as “pan cakes.” Buckwheat flour sells for six dollars per hundred lbs. This is a pretty good price. Where honey is plenty there will be good living—buckwheat cakes and honey, with venison.

VENISON.—Deer are plenty in the vicinity of St. Anthony; venison is brought in for sale to our people in great abundance. It is very delicious; we never saw better quality before. It sells readily at ten to eleven cents per pound. The Indians in Hennepin County are faring sumptuously now-a-days. They will soon make venison scarce, yet the white people will eat venison even if the Indians do the butchering.

BEES.—Our old friend, John P. Miller, formerly of this vicinity, now of township one hundred and seventeen, range twenty-one, has thirty seven families of bees. He informs us that they do much better here than they did in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The “big woods” are full of wild bees. A tree was cut down in Carver county a few weeks since, that contained two hundred and seventy pounds of honey. The first frosts after the leaves fall is the time for hunting wild honey. Mr. Miller says that bees are profitable. He commenced from a wild swarm found in the woods. He has four flour barrels full of honey, gathered by young swarms since June.

AGRICULTURAL FAIR IN MINNESOTA “The enterprising farmers of the rapidly growing Territory of Minnesota, have just been holding a Territorial Fair, at St. Paul. It is said to have been a highly creditable exhibition, and to have been well attended. Ex-Gov. Ramsey delivered the address.”— Phila. Morning Times.

OUR PROSPECTUS He that would commence a new journal in the older States should have strong reasons to urge in his own defense (defence). Nothing but great means or great energy should justify such an attempt. The ranks are full and competition great, and an honorable position can only be obtained by long and laborious struggles. But a new newspaper, in a new town in the great West, is the natural result of the growth of the town and indicative of it. So much do we find this to be the case that in St. Paul, a town of ten thousand inhabitants, there are five newspapers, while in Philadelphia, with five hundred thousand inhabitants or fifty times the number, there are but forty. That is to say, if there were the same number of newspapers in Philadelphia in proportion to the population, as in St. Paul, we should have two hundred and fifty journals instead of forty.

A paper in the West is the voice by which the new town makes its merits and its claims known to the surrounding world. It is the voice by which those afar off are attracted towards it, and once interested, by their business, their interests and their success are made public. To the new town the newspaper becomes an agent in its efforts, a herald in its prosperity and a stay in its adversity.

All this, and more, we propose to become to Nininger City (then located northwest of present-day Hastings on the Mississippi River), in whose ultimate and great success we have an abiding confidence. Whatever energy, tact, skill and industry can, through the columns of a newspaper, do for a town, shall, within the limits of our capacity, be done through the Emigrant Aid Journal for Nininger… The paper will be continued in the same style as the present number. It will be published monthly until May next, after which it will appear every two weeks… The second and all subsequent numbers will contain a map of the Territory, showing the relations of Nininger with the surrounding country. The engraving of it was not finished in time for this number. It will also show, from time to time, all new towns commenced in the Territory, with the changes of county boundaries, & c.

With the second number will likewise commence a variety of important information as regards the different parts of the Territory not yet located—the quantities of government land yet open for entry in the different land offices—the different routes of travel leading to the Territory, with their advantages and disadvantages, and the cost of travel, together with every other species (kind) of information which can be of service to the emigrant.

Possibly, during the winter, and certainly upon the opening of navigation in the spring, both the editors of the paper will be permanently located in Nininger and able to give the interests of the paper their personal supervision and attention. As to its future success there can be no question.

Compiled by Joseph Back – [email protected]

The Hastings Conserver was published weekly on Tuesdays between May 1863 and November 1866, when it merged with the Hastings Independent to form the Hastings Gazette.