Minnesota and Early American History

When people think of early American history, Minnesota probably doesn't come to mind. On the east coast, there are a wealth of historical events and people that we think of, pushing their way from the Atlantic Ocean, over the Appalachian Mountains, onward toward the Mississippi.

But, Minnesota? What was happening there?

For me, when I think of early American history, I almost always think of Minnesota first. Why? Because I've been studying my state's history since I was a teenager, and there are a surprising number of important historical events and people who impacted not only early Minnesota history, but also a broader scope of American history.

The five biggest influences in early Minnesota history were explorers, fur traders, missionaries, warring Native American tribes, and the military presence.

Father Hennepin discovering St. Anthony Falls on the
Mississippi (present-day Minneapolis), in 1680

Minnesota is blessed with two significant bodies of water that impacted early American history. Lake Superior and the Mississippi River. The first European to find Lake Superior is Etienne Brule in 1623. He was a French fur trader and explorer. Some believe he made it all the way to present day Duluth, MN. In 1659, two more French fur traders and explorers made it to what is present day Minnesota. They were Medart Chouart des Groseilliers and Pierre Esprit Radisson. On their heels were French explorers and missionaries, Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette, who found and mapped the upper portion of the Mississippi River from Minnesota to what is now Arkansas.

French explorers and fur traders on Lake Superior.

With the discovery of those significant bodies of water, other explorers, missionaries, and fur traders soon followed.

One notable explorer was Zebulon Pike, for whom Pike's Peak is named in Colorado. In 1805, he was sent by the United States government to find the source of the Mississippi and to locate an ideal spot for a military fort. He met with some success, as he acquired over 100,000 acres of land where Fort Snelling (near present-day St. Paul) was built in 1819. While traversing up the Mississippi, an early winter set in and he built a fort and stockade near present-day Little Falls, MN (my hometown). His men wintered there while Pike continued north. He thought he had found the source of the Mississippi, however, he was proven wrong in later years.

Zebulon Pike

Fur trading and missionary work make up the bulk of European involvement in early Minnesota history. But Native American history is also an important aspect of that time period.

Ojibwe Chiefs in the early 1800's.

Around the time of European entrance into Minnesota, the Ojibwe Indians, who had been occupying parts of Canada and Michigan, and working with the French fur traders, acquired weapons and moved into the Upper Mississippi region, pushing their enemies, the Sioux, to southern Minnesota. For over two centuries, the Ojibwe and Sioux fought, and the area where I live in central Minnesota was a contested zone that both tribes claimed. Another military presence was needed in this area, so in 1849, Fort Ripley (then called Fort Gaines) was built.

This is just a tiny glimpse into Minnesota history and all the people and events that helped shape this beautiful and diverse state. Maybe, just maybe, Minnesota will come to mind the next time you think of early American history.

Your Turn: Are you surprised at how early Europeans discovered Minnesota? Did you realize so much was happening in this Midwest state at such an early date? Do you have any questions about Minnesota history?

Gabrielle Meyer lives in central Minnesota on the banks of the Mississippi River with her husband and four young children. As an employee of the Minnesota Historical Society, she fell in love with the rich history of her state and enjoys writing fictional stories inspired by real people and events. Gabrielle's next release, A Mother in the Making, will be available in September from Love Inspired Historical. She can be found at www.gabriellemeyer.com where she writes about her passion for history, Minnesota, and her faith.              

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How a Small Group of Moravian Missionaries Changed America

The Moravian Church is a small Christian denomination in the United States, but it had a major influence on the spiritual life of Colonial America. On August 13^th, 1727, a revival broke out with a small sect of Christians in Germany called the Moravians. On that day, they started a 100 year round-the-clock prayer meeting that launched the missionary movement that is still going strong today.

A group of persecuted Moravians first landed in Pennsylvania and another group in Savannah, Georgia in 1735. The ship to Georgia also carried John and Charles Wesley, brothers who planned to preach in America. During the voyage a fierce storm caused havoc, but John Wesley noticed the Moravians, even the women and children, weren’t afraid. When he asked a Moravian pastor about it, the pastor said that his people were not afraid because they knew Jesus. Wesley admitted that, although he knew about God, he didn’t have a witness within him that he was saved. Wesley credited this conversation with his eventual salvation. The Moravian colony in Savannah didn’t last long. Within a few years, the Moravians fled Georgia because of pressure to serve in militia to defend Florida against Spanish raids.

Christian Henry Rauch started the first mission to convert native peoples in New York City. Mahican chiefs Tschoop and Shabash invited Rauch to visit their village and teach them. Two of the chiefs became Christians, and within two years, the first native Christ congregation was established.

Several missionaries and their families joined Rauch, including Gottlob Buettner and his daughter Anna, and more missions were established. Rumors were started that the Moravians were really Catholic Jesuits allied with the French, and in 1744, Governor Clinton expelled the missionaries from New York.

In Pennsylvania, Revivalist George Whitefield invited the Moravians to Pennsylvania to preach. There they established a colony in Nazareth, but when they had a falling out with Whitefield, they moved on to other colonies. Pennsylvania had religious freedom in its charter, so the Moravians did better there. They founded also established colonies in the towns of Bethlehem, Nazereth, Emmaus, and Lititz there. The Moravians also established colonists in Maryland and North Carolina.

Many of the Pennsylvania Moravians learned the language of the Lenape (Delaware) Indians and translated a Bible into a written language for them. When the Lenape were forced into Ohio, some of the Moravians moved with them and founded the first Ohio settlement (Schoenbrunn) and school in 1772. A year later, they founded another nearby settlement of Gnadenhutten. Converted Lenape populated much of the villages and sat on the councils for the towns.



Schoenbrunn Village

During the Revolutionary War, the leader of the Moravian villages in Ohio, David Zeisberger, was accused by the British of passing along information to the colonial army. Although the Moravians were pacifist and wanted to remain neutral, the accusations were probably true. The Moravian villages were forced to relocate in 1781. The following year, a band of Moravian Lenape went back to Gnadenhutten to harvest their crops and collect food and supplies they left there.

160 Pennsylvania militia led by Lieutenant Colonel David Williamson surprised the Christian Lenape, rounded them up, and accused them of raiding towns in Pennsylvania. Although the Lenape denied the charges, Williamson held a council that voted to kill them. Some of the militiamen left the area, outraged by the decision.



Gnadenhutten Massacre Memorial

The Lenape were informed and requested time to prepare themselves. They spent the night praying and singing hymns. The next morning, the militia brought the Lenape to two buildings called killing houses, the men in one and the women and children in another. The militia murdered and scalped 28 men, 29 women, and 39 children before piling their bodies in the mission buildings. Then they burned both Moravian villages to the ground. Two boys, on of who had been scalped, survived and lived to tell about it.

Reactions from the massacre were mixed. Some were appalled at the way Christian men, women, and children were treated. Others figured the Lenape were deserved no better because they were Indians. The Lenape of the area decided to fight with the British against the Americans causing further deterioration of Indian relations.

Although Moravians continued to minister in America and established missions in Alaska and Canada, many missionaries from the Moravian Church decided to focus their efforts on Africa, but they influenced our nation's early days. They brought awareness of the treatment of Native Americans. They made a profound impact on preachers of the Great Awakening like the Wesleys and George Whitefield. The missionary movement they started moved through the United States which became the nation with the largest amount of missionaries throughout the world. The Moravian denomination continues today in 18 states with headquarters in Bethlehem and Winston-Salem.

 

In A Christmas Promise, you can read a fictional novella about the Moravian missionaries in Schoenbrunn.

The Modern Missionary Movement started in Colonial Times

Tamera Lynn Kraft

America is well known for the modern missionary movement. The missionary movement is credited with starting in the mid 1800s, but it really started with a 100 year prayer movement in colonial times. The people who started this movement were called the Moravians.

In 1727, a group of Moravians in Saxony started a round the clock prayer meeting that lasted 110 years. By 1737, Moravians had settled in Savannah, Georgia to share the Gospel. At this time, they met John Wesley, from the first Great Awakening and had a profound impact on his ministry.

In 1741, the Moravians moved to an estate owned by John Whitfield, another preacher from the Great Awakening, and started ministering to the Delaware Indians in the region. They established the town of Bethlehem and Nazareth in Pennsylvania and moved throughout the colonies sharing the Gospel wherever they went.

By 1772, the Delaware were being pushed into Ohio, and the Moravians followed them. They set up two villages there, one in Schoenbrunn and one in Gnadenhutten. They risked great dangers, not only from the other tribes but from the British forces once the Revolutionary War began. The British accused the Moravians of informing the colonialist about troop movements, a charge that was true.

The Moravians finally abandoned their villages to move on because of the dangers, but when the converted Delaware returned to Gnadenhutten to harvest their crops, they were massacred by American soldiers who mistakenly thought they were raiders.

There aren't that many Moravian in the United States today because the left America to evangelize other parts of the world. But they are a huge part of the missionary movement in America and paved the way for other missionaries.

On December 1st, my Christmas novella published by Harbourlight is being released. It's about one missionary family in Schoenbrunn and they dangers they faced. It's called A Christmas Promise.

Schoenbrunn Village - Moravian Missionaries

Tamera Lynn Kraft

In the 1770s, Moravian missionaries moved to Ohio from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to settle a village called Schoenbrunn which means Beautiful Spring. Their goal was to bring the Gospel to the Delaware Indians. After the Delaware would convert to Christianity, they moved into Schoenbrunn. Within a year, the village grew so large, they started another settlement and Gnadenhutten.

Schoenbrunn, in many ways, was ahead of its time. The settlers of the village, including the Delaware, created their own code of conduct and opened a school. The school taught both boys and girls when other colonial schools at the time only accepted boys. The students learned to read both English and Lenape out of a Bible that was translated in the Lenape language.

The Moravians built a church there with painting on the walls of Biblical scenes. They used these painting to teach about the Bible. They had church every morning and twice on Sunday. On special occasions they would have Lovefeasts where they served coffee, juice, and sweet buns. The Christmas Eve Lovefeasts were the most special because the Moravians were the first to have Christmas Eve candlelight services.

The settlement only lasted a few years. When the Revolutionary War broke out, British troops suspected the Moravians of giving information to the colonial army. These charges against them were true. After a time, they moved to protect themselves from reprisals.

Schoenbrunn Village is still open today for visitors and tourists to learn about some of the earliest missionaries in America.

In November, my Christmas novella called A Christmas Promise is due to be released by Harbourlight Press in e-book format as part of their Christmas Extravaganza.

Truly the Lord Has Been With Me

Robert Rundle and wife

In celebration of Canada Day, I have decided to look to Canada's colonial experience through the eyes of the missionary, Robert Terrill Rundle. In his journal dated September 7, 1840 he writes:

"Truly the Lord has been with me. I feel He will be my guide even unto death."

He wrote that line on the day of his departure from Norway House, a community north of Lake Winnipeg. Having lived a year on the western side of Lake Winnipeg I can well imagine how difficult it would have been in that harsh land. Indeed, he had a difficult time finding interpreters who would enable him to share the Gospel with the natives in the area. Still, he counted his time there prosperous.

The land he would be traveling to via the Saskatchewan River to what is now Alberta would be just as fierce as Manitoba. Seven years later, he established a mission on the shores of Pigeon Lake in Alberta. Poor health and an injury led to him returning to England. There, he continued as a Methodist minister.

On his journey, he recorded a fierce wind he called a hurricane, a wildfire he described as impressive, and a hailstorm that led him to pen:

"Felt blessed whilst waiting on God in the forest. Thought it was the first time God had been acknowledged in that place and was impressed with the idea that He who created and sustained the forest in which I knelt would also support and sustain me. Felt encouraged to pursue my Mission. May He go with me and ever hold me in His right Hand." (The Rundle Journals, September 25, 1840).

What courage missionaries like Robert Rundle had. They faced nature and man with the same courage that enabled Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9

Today we have access to the same faith and the same courage. We also venture into the uncharted regions of our future. Only God knows what dangers we may face, what fear enemies will use to stop or hinder us, and because He knows, we have no cause to fear. He will sustain us. To Him be all glory and honor and praise. Let us all be as brave and confident as missionaries like Robert Rundle.

"I charge thee therefore before God, and the lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." II Timothy 4:1-2