4 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



tools, well equipped for pioneer life. There are several pieces 

 of furniture in the "old home" at the present time which were of 

 the above "household goods." I possess two chairs made by- 

 Grandfather Lord, given to father and mother in 1848. 



Father owned the first sawmill in Winona Co., which he built 

 in 1854, and became familiar with the "pranks" of the famous 

 Rollingstone stream. Before 1854, father opened the first lumber 

 yard ever in operation in Winona Co., buying his lumber from 

 mills up the Chippawa and bringing it to Minnesota City by raft. 

 Lumber was not to be obtained at any price from a nearer-by point, 

 and father was quick to see the urgent necessity for lumber in 

 the building of the early homes. He was never idle. When not 

 otherwise employed, he liked to fish and hunt but seldom did so 

 for mere pastime. The game not needed for family use was 

 sold to advantage, while other men were telling stories of the ad- 

 vantages "back east." 



Father was a member of the territorial legislature in 1853-4, 

 walking to St. Paul and returning home by the same route. At 

 this time among the acts of which he secured the passage was the 

 division of Fillmore Co. and creating Winona Co. of which the 

 city of Winona was made the county seat. There- was much op- 

 position, but the outcome is a matter of record of the county 

 history. He also secured the passage for a post-route from Min- 

 nesota City to Traverse des Sioux and was the successful bidder 

 for carrying the mail once a month. Congress had passed an act 

 granting to every mail contractor west of the Mississippi River 

 the right to pre-empt one section of land for every twentv miles 

 cf his mail route. The tjme came when father was "land poor," 

 and he passed many sections on to men seeking homes in a new 

 country. At one time he owned the land where Fyota is located, 

 and in later years he had some difficulty in perfecting titles, which 

 required his presence in Washington for several weeks one winter, 

 a visit he enjoyed aside from his anxiety regarding his business. 



It really didn't "pay" to be a mail carrier in those days. The 

 winter of 1854-5 was a cold one. Nearly three months it did not 

 thaw on the south side of buildings. There were 129 consecutive 

 days of good sleighing. From August until December father 

 carried an empty mail bag, then one package was sent to Traverse 

 des Sioux by the postmaster at Minnesota City. I learned, the 

 above items from an article written in 1899 by Mr. E. B. Drew, a 

 lifelong friend of father's. 



