Of Bread

andMilk

The coulee which runs through the north half of section 8, in Sinnott Township of Marshall County in northwest Minnesota, was a camping site for migrating Indian tribes both before and after the coming of the white man. Evidence in the form of arrowheads and stone implements was often discovered by members of the Sinnott and Whalen families who farmed the land in early days.

In the 1890s, it was not unusual for bands of Indians to camp on the coulee bank near the John Whalen home, on the n.w. 1/4 of the section. They would use the water for cooking and washing and come to the house to ask for firewood from John Whalen's wood lot. On baking days the Indians would sit on the steps until Mrs. Whalen took her freshly baked bread out of the oven. After she gave them a loaf or two, they would smile, nod and leave.

A few years later, in about 1896, Indians were still frequent visitors. Norbert Sinnott, son of the James P. Sinnott's who farmed the s.w. 1/4 of the section, told of an incident which occurred when he was about 6 years old. He and his older brothers had come with pails to milk the family cows, which were pastured along the same coulee. They milked in the field and carried the milk home as it was easier than driving the cows back and forth to the barn. As they were milking, a couple of Indians approached and asked for some of the milk. The boys refused to give them any and hurried off home, splashing the milk over the tops of the pails in their haste. When they reached home, they told their mother what had happened and boasted of how they had stood up to the Indians and saved all the milk for the family. Mrs. Sinnott scolded her sons for their selfishness. She told them that the Indians wanted the milk for their babies and that there was plenty of it to share with those in need. The shamefaced little boys agreed and promised that in the morning, when they went back to the pasture to do the milking, they would give a pailful of milk to the Indians.

The Sinnott boys were up early the next morning. They hurried out to the pasture, eager to make amends with the hungry visitors. As they reached the coulee they saw that the Indians had broken camp and gone. Feeling even more ashamed of themselves, the older boys caught the first two cows, staked them to the ground and sat down on their one-legged stools to milk They pulled and squeezed but could get no milk at all. Suddenly.they realized that the Indians, not knowing of their change of heart, had helped themselves and taken all the milk away with them. The Sinnott boys had a good laugh and they ran home to tell their mother that she needn't worry about the Indian children going hungry that day.

Whalen IndexFrances Mary