Philander Prescott
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Philander Prescott (September 17, 1801August 18, 1862) was an American trader, interpreter, and pioneer of
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and
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
. The town of
Prescott, Wisconsin Prescott is a city in Pierce County, Wisconsin, United States, at the confluence of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota), St. Croix River and Mississippi River. Prescott is at the edge of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. The pop ...
was first settled by and named after him.


Biography

Philander Prescott was the son of Dr. Joel Prescott and Phildelia Reed. He was a native of Phelps,
Ontario County, New York Ontario County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 112,458. The county seat is Canandaigua. The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state. Ontario County is pa ...
. He headed west in the spring of 1819, stopping a few months in
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
,
Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...
, before continuing west to Fort Snelling, then also in Michigan Territory. In 1823, he married Na-he-no-Wenah (Spirit of the Moon), also known as Mary Ke E Hi, daughter of Man-Who-Flies, a Dakota subchief who lived near Lake Calhoun. She was born –1806 and died on March 29, 1867, at
Shakopee, Minnesota Shakopee ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Minnesota, United States. It is southwest of Minneapolis. Sited on the south bank bend of the Minnesota River, Shakopee and nearby suburbs comprise the southwest portion of Minneap ...
. They had sons, William Prescott; Hiram Prescott (born December 21, 1831 or 1832); and Lorenzo Taliferro Prescott (c. 1839 – January 2, 1869); as well as 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 The Dakota language ( or ), also referred to as Dakhóta, is a Siouan language spoken by the Dakota people of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, commonly known in English as the Sioux. Dakota is closely related to and mutually intelligible with the Lak ...
(including for the
Treaty of Traverse des Sioux The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux () was signed on July 23, 1851, at Traverse des Sioux in Minnesota Territory between the United States government and the Dakota people, Upper Dakota Sioux bands. In this land cession treaty, the Sisseton and Wahpe ...
). He worked as a miner, a trapper, and on a steamboat on the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
. He also ran trading posts, in several locations, and farmed. From 1839 to 1862, he operated a trading post along the St. Croix River – its location became the town of
Prescott, Wisconsin Prescott is a city in Pierce County, Wisconsin, United States, at the confluence of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota), St. Croix River and Mississippi River. Prescott is at the edge of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. The pop ...
, named for him. He was killed at the Lower Sioux (or Redwood) Agency during the
Dakota War of 1862 The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several eastern bands of Dakota people, Da ...
in the
Attack at the Lower Sioux Agency The Attack at the Lower Sioux Agency was the first organized attack led by Dakota people, Dakota leader Little Crow in Minnesota on August 18, 1862, and is considered the initial engagement of the Dakota War of 1862. It resulted in 13 settler de ...
; he was buried in the Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery, as were his wife and son. His papers are in the
Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Educational institution, educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the Minnesota Terr ...
library.


See also

*
Attack at the Lower Sioux Agency The Attack at the Lower Sioux Agency was the first organized attack led by Dakota people, Dakota leader Little Crow in Minnesota on August 18, 1862, and is considered the initial engagement of the Dakota War of 1862. It resulted in 13 settler de ...


Notes


References

*''The Recollections of Philander Prescott, Frontiersman of the Old Northwest, 1819-1862''. Edited by Donald Dean Parker. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 196
''full text of book here''


External links


His house at Fort Snelling
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prescott, Philander People from Phelps, New York People from Prescott, Wisconsin Dakota War of 1862 1801 births 1862 deaths 19th-century American translators People from Michigan Territory People from Wisconsin Territory People from Minnesota Territory