Thence following the Turtle lakes and river he paddled down to Cass lake and from there followed the Mississippi back to Fort Snelling. Thence following up Red Lake River he crossed lower Red Lake, ascended Mud River to Mud Lake and portaged to a little lake which he believed to be the source of the Mississippi River and which he named in honor of his sweetheart in far off France, "Lake Julia". This was left for an adventurous young man named Beltrami, Italian by birth, French by adoption and wanderer by choice, who deserted the party at about the location of the present town of Hallock, and struck across country, alone, to Thief River, which he descended in a canoe to the site of this city, Thief River Falls. On the map accompanying his report of this journey he notes: "Thief R.", probably the first time the name was set down in the English language. Long, of the United Sates army, in 1823, headed an expedition which explored the Red River as far north as Winnipeg. The Chippewas translated the name into their own language but retained the meaning.ĭuring this time the agents of the Hudson Bay company penetrated into this region and in 1800, Alexander Henry, a fur trader, writes of "Lac aux Voleurs" and "River aux Voleurs" that is in French "Lake and River of Thieves". ![]() The first white men who set foot in this region found the lake and river so called and learned the Indian tradition of the origin of the name, learned how a grim Sioux murderer, long before his tribe had been driven out by the Chippewas, had concealed himself in the vicinity of this river, lived an outlaw's life of pillage and robbery, defying capture through surrounded by enemies.Ībout the year 1750 the Chippewas (Ojibways) drove the Sioux (Dakotas) out of Northern Minnesota, although for years thereafter, bands of Sioux warriors continued to roam this country as far east as Red Lake and to give battle to their hereditary enemies. It is an ancient name, hoary with the traditions of centuries, and was, without doubt, the proper title of this stream before Columbus discovered the new world. ![]() ![]() Let no one point the finger of scorn at Thief River. (Why Named Thief River Falls) Thief River Falls News-Press
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