Author Archives: PrayThroughHistory

19th Century, History, Intercession, Jesus, Minnesota

Louisiana Purchase Apr 30, 1803

The French sell their claims west of the Mississippi, including much of Minnesota, to the United States.*

Jesus, I simply ask that You bless the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. Will You come powerfully and establish Your grace and truth here in the intersection of the nations of France, the United States, and the First Nations?

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  The current URL is www.dipity.com/Minnesota/History/Minnesota-History/ and only works if typed, not pasted, in browser. It is worth the effort!

images

Standard
History, Prayer, Uncategorized

Grand Portage is established 1784

Unknown-6

 

 

 

 

 

“Grand Portage on Lake Superior becomes the western headquarters of the new North West (fur) Company. From here the British dominate the North American fur trade until Americans arrive in the early 1800s.” *

Grand Portage is both a place and a route. The route refers to an 8 1/2 mile portage that starts at the settlement and ends at the Pigeon River, above its waterfalls. Traveling from there through the many lakes along the Canadian Shield, a person could reach the Pacific or the Arctic Ocean without carrying a canoe much farther than the Grand Portage itself.

People and goods could reach Grand Portage, the place, from the East via the Great Lakes, from the South by the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers, and from the West by the Grand Portage route. That location had been a central meeting point for trade long before Europeans came looking for furs. Once the fur trade began, Grand Portage also became a port–the westernmost point where goods could be delivered from the east coast by ship.

It is hard for us to imagine in this present era why fur could be so sought after. For moderns, it is a luxury that is contentious and risky to wear despite its  beauty. Most of us don’t know that our world experienced a small “Ice Age” and these European explorers were driven to find furs, like native Minnesotans, because of their warmth.

Will you forgive any judgments of North West Company? We show loyalty to our beloved brands of outerwear like: Columbia, North Face, Filson, Orvis, L.L. Bean etc. We buy these brands because we are convinced they are the best for our purpose. Yet, we have hated those companies who saw the beaver and said, “This is the best source material for warmth, comfort, and style.” Will You forgive our arrogance towards a company that saw an opportunity, provided work to both Native and European Minnesotans, and created useful and beautiful items for trade?

This brings me to ponder that You created fur to shield Your beloved creatures: the mink, the beaver, and the fox to name a few. I am in awe of your artistry in these first “fur coats”?! This day I thank You for the meaning of fur: first to the animals, then to Native Americans, European explorers and traders, and finally to the state of Minnesota!

Not only did You create this astonishingly warm fur, but provided a waterway to it! Thanks that you revealed Grand Portage to Indians, who shared it with the French and English who further established this trade route and town! Will You forgive our conflicts over the fur trade? Will You forgive our grudges, past, present, and leave a blessing?

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  The current URL is www.dipity.com/Minnesota/History/Minnesota-History/ and only works if typed, not pasted, in browser. It is worth the effort!

Standard
18th Century, Health, History, Intercession, Jesus, Medicine, Minnesota

Smallpox Epidemic 1782  

Google Images

Smallpox Epidemic

 

“Smallpox epidemic reaches Minnesota region.” *

Everlasting Father, thank you that You know how to keep Your creation in balance! Forgive our judgements of your goodness based on the trials caused by disease. I mourn the incredible pain caused by this smallpox epidemic! I remember their horrors to You, especially the emotion of powerlessness, as they watch loved ones die!

Father will You forgive  our sins and judgments towards You carried forward from this event? Help Minnesotans’ as we deal with any future epidemics. May we learn to look to You first for our healing, and not despise the great contributions to medicine received from: the Mayo brothers, the U of MN., Medtronic, and so many more contributors that I can recall!

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  The current URL is www.dipity.com/Minnesota/History/Minnesota-History/ and only works if typed, not pasted, in browser. It is worth the effort!

Standard
18th Century, Culture, Exploration, History, Intercession, Jesus, Minnesota

Carver Winters in Minnesota 1766 to 1767  

Jonathan Carver

Jonathan Carver

 

“Jonathan Carver, a former shoemaker from Massachusetts who claims to be a mapmaker, spends a winter in Minnesota as part of a western expedition. His mostly plagiarized account of his travels becomes a best seller in Europe. The book, “Travels through the Interior Parts of North America in the Years 1766, 1767, & 1768″, will be read in five different languages.” *

What a thoroughly human story: a man attaining significance mostly by borrowing the work of others! Father, I acknowledge the selfish ambitions of my heart! I too often strive for recognition, and forget that the King of the Universe has already accepted me; warts and all!!!

Lord I want to remember to You the hurts of those who Carver plagiarized. Will you free us from any bitterness resulting from his betrayal or their betraying in return through unforgiveness? Thank you for the good resulting from these stories. Thank you that You listen to our stories in spite of our glaring hypocrisies!

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  The current URL is www.dipity.com/Minnesota/History/Minnesota-History/ and only works if typed, not pasted, in browser. It is worth the effort!

Standard
18th Century, government, History, Intercession, Jesus, Minnesota, war

England claims 1763

Battle_of_Zorndorf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“England acquires France’s claims east of the Mississippi and all of Canada through the treaty that ends Europe’s Seven Years’ War.” *

Father, You have given us boundaries: as individuals, families, and nations! You  are a gentleman, and respect our self-imposed limits. You allow us to make good choices. You allow us to make bad choices. Thanks that You are our good dad who lets us learn through following our desires to their ends!

Lord will You unravel the tangle imposed by this claim? Lord, will you forgive any harsh judgments of the people of England, France, and their disputes surrounding the Mississippi? Will You forgive their land-based rivalries in Canada? Will You unite Minnesota in the heavens so we can be united as a people in our familial, social, political, and ethnical realms?

We judge each other so quickly and easily, forgetting that we too have betrayed. Have mercy on our assessments of other Minnesotans! Have mercy on the grudges of this state’s past, present, and future!

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  The current URL is www.dipity.com/Minnesota/History/Minnesota-History/ and only works if typed, not pasted, in browser. It is worth the effort!

 

Standard
18th Century, Catholic, Culture, government, History, Intercession, Jesus, law, Minnesota, Native Americans, Transference, war

Spanish Claims 1763  

Louis XV France

Louis XV France

“Half of Minnesota passes to Spain when France gives up her trade west of the Mississippi. The exchange happens not because of activity in the Americas but as the result of a war in far away Europe.

No Spanish representatives are known to have visited the area after this trade and the Dakota and Ojibwe know nothing of it. Spain will return the land to France in 1800.” *

Charles III of Spain

Charles III of Spain

Allow me to amplify this story? Louis XV had just lost the French and Indian War to Britain. This meant that Canada was claimed by England. Simultaneously, France was losing the Seven Years War on the Continent. He contacted his cousin, King Charles III of Spain, and secretly ceded his rights to all New France west of the Mississippi to Spain.

These facts are plain, Lord, but why would France yield such a massive stake in lucrative North America stretching from Louisiana through Minnesota? Was it pure politics and resentment of Britain? Was it born of familial ties between these men, or the bonds of the Catholic faith? It did bring an absence of war, but is absence of war the same as peace?

Lord, I don’t know how this transaction affected our state in this era. Help me see. It seems that Spain ruled with such a light touch that most Minnesotans were not aware of the change. Will You forgive any bondage or bitter roots created in this specific geographical territory because of the judgments held by Britain, France or Spain, Dakota or Ojibwe?

Whether these men were kind-hearted or connivers, that is Your judgment, but I acknowledge that we are no different today. We use or perhaps misuse whatever measure of authority or influence at our disposal when we feel our claims are threatened. We, like these two cousins, may secretively craft plans to block the advances of the opposing team to “keep it in the family.”

Will You teach us Your humility in our diplomacy? When we lose in life, may it not be doubled by the vow, “I will lose to anybody else, but not them.” Christ have mercy on us. May we become the generation that is content to be the humble, temporary tenants of Your land!

 

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  The current URL is www.dipity.com/Minnesota/History/Minnesota-History/ and only works if typed, not pasted, in browser. It is worth the effort!

 

Standard
18th Century, Culture, History, Intercession, Jesus, Minnesota, Native Americans, Transportation

Horses Arrive 1740 to 1760

“By the mid-1700s, thUnknown-1e Dakota are riding horses, obtained in trade with other tribes, on their buffalo hunts on the prairie. They can now follow the herds farther west on the plains.

Horses had been extinct in the Americas for about 8,000 years. Columbus reintroduced them when he carried European breeds to the continent in 1493. Nearly 200 years later, horses were abundant on the plains, where they transformed the lives of the region’s inhabitants.” *

Master, thank You for the creation that You allow us to live and thrive in! Thank You that horses have blessed the lives of the Dakota and immigrant alike! Thank You for the gift of the buffalo to our forbearers! Thank You for reintroducing the horse to North America, and for it’s profound impact on Dakotans’ survival!

Why did You use Europeans to bless North America with the horse? It is good to remember that European explorers were not solely the “exploiters”  of North America as some revisionists may hold. In this case, will You remember those who brought the horse as “contributors?” Thank you, Father, that all cultures are free to choose to contribute and be blessed by those they may not yet know!

Will You bless both horse and rider in Minnesota forever? Will You make us better as a people in our treatment of all horses? Will You give us insight into Your masterpiece; the horse?

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  The current URL is http://www.dipity.com/Minnesota/History/Minnesota-History/ and only works if typed, not pasted, in browser. It is worth the effort!

 

Standard
18th Century, Catholic, Culture, Exploration, History, Intercession, Jesus, Minnesota, Native Americans, Transportation

La Vérendrye & Grand Portage Trail 1731

Google Images

Google Images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Using a map made on birch bark by Assiniboin guide Ochagach, Pierre La Vérendrye follows the Grand Portage trail from Lake Superior to Lake of the Woods. It is not a way to the western sea, as he has hoped, but fur traders will follow this trail for the next 100 years.” *

Sometimes the easy way is the hard way. A portage is an overland pathway that avoids dangerous rapids or falls for those traveling by river. Ochagach likely thought that the “western sea” that La Verendrye sought was Lake Winnipeg. Regardless of his disappointment, La Verendrye and the voyageurs respected and appreciated the wisdom in taking this 8.5mile trail past the dangers of the Pigeon River.

We often balk at the delays of modern life, even though we have such incredible technologies that serve our whims and convenience. Will You make us like Ochagach, so that we can see the dangers of convenience in our lives? Will You make us like La Verendrye, that we may heed the warnings of our friends to not try to foolishly “shoot the rapids?”

Father, thanks that You lead us on our way. Thanks that You delight in sharing your mysteries with us. Bless the Assiniboin people, Ochagach, and P. La Verendrye for the gift of this trail. Thank you that these two men showed trust to each other! Thanks for the lessons of the portage!

**Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  Currently the timeline seems to be unavailable.

Standard
17th Century, Catholic, Culture, Exploration, History, Intercession, Jesus, Minnesota

Hennepin publishes book about his travels 1683 

UnknownHennepin exaggerates his exploring feats in a book he writes after returning to France. In one colorful chapter he romanticizes St. Anthony Falls, turning it into a dream destination for adventure travelers. Hennepin becomes famous as his book is translated and read throughout Europe.

Hennepin writes that the falling water “of itself is terrible, and has something in it very astonishing.” Printed in multiple languages and editions, the book’s original title translates to Description of Louisiana: newly discovered to the southwest of New France, by order of the King. With a map of the land: the customs and the way of life of the natives. Dedicated to His Majesty by the R.P. Louis Hennepin, Franciscan missionary and apostolic notary.*

Thank you for choosing Father Hennepin to relay this story to France and the Continent! Often, You choose a spokesman who is imperfectly perfect for the job. In this way, we the recipients automatically relate to the humanity of the message.

Where Hennepin may have exaggerated his adventures; will You forgive him? Will You also forgive those of us like him who may embellish the truth because we lack the trust that the straight story is enough? Will You credit him with the fortitude to put pen to paper, and at least attempt to record what he experienced?

Lord, we are trapped at times by the limitations of words, and especially we historians who wrestle with tone and style. If we insert our voice into historical writing, we may be taken as “too passionate”, or “not impartial.” If we attempt to remain a transparent, neutral reporter, our personality still can betray us through our unspoken biases, our framing of events, and even the limitations or vastness of our vocabulary!

Will You bless those, like Hennepin, who may record our history for those a continent away? Will You give humility to reader and writer to appreciate the limitations of one human’s perceptions? Will You give present and future generations of explorers the bravery to simply write: whether ornamented or truncated?

Lord Jesus, thanks for Your book! Thanks for the power of story to connect head and heart! Will You give power to the stories of Minnesota, and help us to know each other better?

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  Currently the timeline seems to be unavailable.

Standard
17th Century, Catholic, Culture, Exploration, France, History, Intercession, Minnesota, Native Americans

Hennepin at Falls of St. Anthony 1680  

 

 

Source:Google Images

“Early explorer who named St. Anthony Falls” copyright Ken Fox

 

“Louis Hennepin, a missionary with the La Salle expedition in Illinois, is sent up the Mississippi to explore the country. The Dakota stop him and his two companions and take them to a village near Lake Mille Lacs. While Hennepin is with the Dakota, he sees a great waterfall on the Mississippi and names it after his favorite saint–Saint Anthony.” *

Lord, thanks that You position us to encounter Your mystery! I don’t know if Hennepin was stopped by force or friendliness, but thank You that You moved him to see the Falls, and the Dakotas to lead him! What a gift these Dakotas’ shared with a total stranger?! What a generosity of spirit! Will You remember their willingness to share the findings of their exploration? Release us from any false judgments or assumptions, Hennepin to Dakota, or vice versa, that stem from this event. Release Your blessings on both groups; the explorers and first residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Amen.

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL:mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  Currently the timeline seems to be unavailable. I am hopeful that it will be back up in the future, as it was a valuable, user-friendly tool for anyone wishing to explore Minnesota history.

Standard