Winchell's 1877 Pipestone Letter & Accounts

On October 23, 1877, Newton Winchell wrote a letter to his mother, parts of which described his visit two days earlier to the Pipestone Quarry. His visit coincided with that of a Yankton band visiting the Pipestone Quarry to exercise their quarrying rights under the 1858 Treaty that confirmed Yankton possession of the quarry. Winchell undoubtedly acquired the pipestone slab from those Yankton quarriers rather than collecting it himself as the slab has a saw cut indicating the slab was in the process of being sawn into blocks for carving when Winchell acquired it.

Winchell’s account of his Pipestone visit was published in his sixth Annual Report of the Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota. That is the only published report of the visit but Winchell’s letter to his mother is preserved in the collections of the Minnesota Historical Society. The society also has Winchell’s account book for that year which bears three entries tied to the quarry visit. For Monday, Oct. 22, Winchell entered ‘Pipestone (Sunday) - $2.50. The following day had two entries: Box + nails for thirty-five cents and Halter repaired for five cents.

The box and nails were used to prepare the pipestone slab for shipping, while the halter repair suggests Winchell may have run into some difficulties hauling the slab out of the quarry. The real question is whether the $2.50 entry was payment for the slab or Winchell’s payment for lodging in the nearby city of Pipestone. Other entries higher on the page are clearly lodging charges for Sleepy Eye, Lamberton, and Currie, but Winchell often camped out while in the field and may have done so on Saturday the 21^st as there is no entry that day. Hence, the notation ‘Pipestone $2.50’ could either be lodging costs for two nights in the town of Pipestone or renumeration to the Yankton quarriers for the pipestone slab. 

However, given the predilections of the time as well as the known generosity of Yankton people, I suspect the money was for lodging and Winchell received the pipestone gratis. 

Text of Winchell’s Oct. 23, 1877, Letter to his mother.

Lu Verne, Minn. Oct 23, 1877

Dear Ma, 

I reached this place last night about dark, coming from the north, having spent Sunday at the famous Pipestone Quarry, about 28 miles from here in Pipestone County. I left Mr. Herrick at Lake Shetek (Currie) to kill ducks + geese + brant, where they are more abundant (even pelicans) than at any other place we shall see. I shall pass that way back and take him home with me. I found here your two letters of Oct 12, + 15 written from Salisbury, before starting for Adrian. I also found Mr. Cowing’s Card saying he can furnish butter, delivered at Windom, for 16^c per pound. I cannot get it for less than 20 c. here, and shall order 100 pounds at once of Cowing.

My last letter to you was in response to yours about “things”, written from Battle Creek, & I directed it to Battle Creek, about the time I left Minneapolis, care of C.H. Crosby. Hortie’s I sent to Pentwater I think. This I venture to send to Adrian, although it is at random. You never tell me where to send letters. I hope you will not stay at Dr. Stephenson’s so long again as to ‘make them twice glad”. Give them my regards, and say that unless they visit us in Minneapolis you will never visit them again.

I shall stay in this county something less than a week, and then shall start home. I have procured about a ton of the pipestone, + must see to shipping it. 

I think it may be later than Nov 1^st when I get home, but if you will tell me where to write I can have Prof Rhame send you some money about that date. I am just going to the Post Office + will close this, as I only wrote to let you know where I am. I had some new [?] set before I left home. 

                              Affectionately

                                                   N. H. Winchell