Philander Prescott
Encyclopedia
Philander Prescott. He was a native of Phelps
Phelps, New York
Phelps, New York may refer to either:*Phelps , New York, located in Ontario County*Phelps , New York, located within the Town of Phelps...

, Ontario County, New York
Ontario County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 people per square mile . There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 66 per square mile...

. He headed west in the spring of 1819, stopping a few months in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

, before continuing west to Fort Snelling.

He married in 1823 Na-he-no-Wenah (Spirit of the Moon), also known as Mary Ke E Hi, daughter of Man-Who-Flies, a Dakota
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...

 subchief who lived near Lake Calhoun
Lake Calhoun
Lake Calhoun is the biggest lake in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and part of the city's Chain of Lakes. Surrounded by city park land and circled by bike and walking trails, it is popular for many outdoor activities...

. She was born around 1804-1806 and died on March 29, 1867 at Shakopee, Minnesota
Shakopee, Minnesota
Shakopee is a city southwest of downtown Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Scott County. Located on the south bank bend of the Minnesota River, Shakopee and nearby suburbs comprise the southwest portion of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the thirteenth largest...

. They had sons, William Prescott, Hiram Prescott (b. December 21, 1831 or 1832); Lorenzo Taliferro Prescott (born about 1839; d. January 2, 1869) a daughter, Lucy Prescott Pettijohn, and two more children.

During his life on the frontier he served as a government interpreter of the Dakota language (including for the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux
Treaty of Traverse des Sioux
The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was a treaty signed on July 23, 1851, between the United States government and Sioux Indian bands in Minnesota Territory by which the Sioux ceded territory. The treaty was instigated by Alexander Ramsey, the first governor of Minnesota Territory, and Luke Lea,...

). He worked as a miner, a trapper, and on a steamboat on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

. He also ran trading posts in several locations, and farmed.

From 1839 to 1862 he operated a trading post along the St. Croix River
St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota)
The St. Croix River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The lower of the river form the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota. The river is a National Scenic Riverway under the protection of the National Park Service. A...

 - its location became the town of Prescott, Wisconsin
Prescott, Wisconsin
Prescott is a city in Pierce County, Wisconsin at the confluence of the St. Croix River and Mississippi River. The population was 4,258 at the 2010 census, making it the second-largest city in the county after River Falls, and the largest entirely within Pierce County.Prescott was home to the...

, named for him.

He was killed at the Lower Sioux (or Redwood) Agency during the Dakota War of 1862
Dakota War of 1862
The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...

; he was buried in Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery in Minneapolis, as was his wife and son.

His papers are in the Minnesota Historical Society
Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society is a private, non-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota...

http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P2285.html library.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK