Reminiscences of pioneer days in St. Paul

Frank Moore, born in 1843, moved to Minnesota from Pennsylvania when he was fifteen years old. Shortly after arriving in St. Paul, Moore was employed by The Minnesotian, a paper owned and managed by his brother, George W. Moore. After a variety of jobs there he rose to become superintendent of the composing room, a position he held for more than forty years. In 1908, he celebrated his fiftieth year with the Pioneer Press, which had merged with and renamed the Minnesotian. Moore recounts life in Minnesota from the late 1850s through the close of the Civil War and the assassination of President Lincoln. He relates anecdotes from the early days of newspapers in St. Paul, especially the competition among the papers to be the first out with the "telegraph" news, and offers a complete account of the 1862 Sioux uprising from a settler's perspective. Moore reminisces on the development of St. Paul as an urban center, with her fire companies and amusement houses [theaters], where, he recalls, Dan Emmett, the composer of the song "Dixie," had a minstrel company in the late 1850s. There is a chapter listing territorial printers and editors of Minnesota. Two other chapters deal with exploits of Minnesota units in Civil War battles: the Second Minnesota Regiment's conspicuous actions at the battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky, and the First Minnesota battery's contributions to the Union victory at the Battle of Pittsburg Landing (Shiloh) in Tennessee. One of the last chapters details the reaction of some St. Paulites to the assassination of President Lincoln.
Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site.