FIRST TERRITORIAL LEGISLATURE.
The first legislature convened at St. Paul on Monday, the 3d of September, 1849, in the Central House, which for the occasion served for both capitol and hotel. The quarters were limited, but the legislature was small. The council had nine members and the house of representatives eighteen. The usual officers were elected, and on Tuesday afternoon both houses assembled in the dining-room of the hotel. Prayer was offered by the Rev. E. D. Neill, and Governor Ramsey delivered his message, which was well received both at home and abroad.
It may be interesting to give the names of the men constituting this body, and the places of their nativity. The councillors were:
- James S. Norris, Maine.
- Samuel Burkleo, Delaware.
- William H. Forbes, Montreal.
- James McBoal, Pennsylvania.
- David B. Loomis, Connecticut.
- John Rollins, Maine.
- David Olmsted, Vermont.
- William Sturgis, Upper Canada.
- Martin McLeod, Montreal.
The members of the House were:
- Joseph W. Furber, New Hampshire.
- James Wells, New Jersey.
- M. S. Wilkinson, New York.
- Sylvanus Trask, New York.
- Mahlon Black, Ohio.
- Benjamin W. Bronson, Michigan.
- Henry Jackson, Virginia.
- John J. Duvey, New York.
- Parsons K. Johnson, Vermont.
- Henry F. Stetzer, Missouri.
- William R. Marshall, Missouri.
- William Dugas, Lower Canada.
- Jeremiah Russell, Lower Canada.
- L. A. Babcock, Vermont.
- Thomas A. Holmes, Pennsylvania.
- Allen Morrison, Pennsylvania.
- Alexis Bailly, Michigan.
- Gideon H. Pond, Connecticut.
David Olmsted was elected president of the council, with Joseph R. Brown as secretary. In the House, Joseph W. Furber was elected speaker, and W. D. Phillips clerk.
Many of these men became very prominent in the subsequent history of the state, and it is both curious and interesting to note the varied sources of their nativity, which shows that they were all of that peculiar and picturesque class known as the American pioneer.
The work of the first legislature was not extensive, yet it performed some acts of historical interest. It created eight counties, named as follows: Itasca, Wabashaw, Dakota, Wahnahtah, Mankato, Pembina, Washington, Ramsey and Benton. The spelling of some of these names has since been changed.
A very deep interest was manifested in the school system. A joint resolution was passed ordering a slab of red pipestone from the famous quarry to be sent to the Washington monument association, which was done, and now represents Minnesota in that lofty monument at the national capital.