USA > Illinois > Rock Island County > Rock Island > Early Rock Island > Part 6
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S4
THE POWDER PLOT.
Be it truth or fiction there is connected with the history of Fort Armstrong an incident that to my mind possesses more reasons in favor of its being fact than fiction. At the north side of the lower end of the island was a cave, which is now closed. This cave extended quite a way into the island and was directly underneath the main gate of the fort, the eastern end of the present government bridge being over and at its mouth. This cave was sacred to the Sacs. Black Hawk said, "A good spirit had care of it (meaning Rock Island), who lived in a cave in the rocks immediately under the place where the fort now stands, and has often been seen by our people. He was white, with large wings like a swan's, but ten times larger. We were particular not to make much noise in that part of the island which he inhabited for fear of disturbing him. But the noise of the fort has since driven him away, and no doubt a bad spirit has taken his place."
After the Black Hawk War in 1832, some soldiers happen- ing to enter the cave found three kegs of powder each attached to a fuse. No one seemed to know how these things had come there, but after the war some Indians had said that Black Hawk when he marched up Rock River in April, 1832, stopped overnight at his old village, and during the night of April 12 he, with over two hundred braves, had gone to the island, crossing at the ford between Rock Island and Moline, remaining there nearly all night. It was said his intention was to see if he could not capture the fort. Black Hawk, in his autobiography, does not mention this incident, the reason being that his attempt to blow up the fort proved a failure. It is a fact that Black Hawk was on the island that night. Benjamin F. Pike, the captain of the Rock River Rangers in 1831, and afterwards sheriff of this county, together with two companions, had been selected to do picket and scout duty that night. They took their place near the ford, and some time near midnight saw Black Hawk and his braves cross the slongh to the island. They at once ran to the fort and to the stockade and gave the warning.
The garrison at this time was commanded by Captain Bliss who had with him only two companies of infantry, partly
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full, not over eighty men. The stockade around Colonel Davenport's store was filled with settlers and their families and was crowded to its utmost capacity. By an oversight the only well on the premises had not been enclosed in the stockade. Dreading fire from the Indians' fire arrows, every bucket, tub and barrel was hastily filled with water and the anxious settlers momentarily awaited the attack. An old swivel had been brought up from the fort and this was loaded to the brim and placed in front of the gate, where Sergeant Hanchett of the garrison, with a smoldering fire by his side, stood ready to fire it off at the first approach of the enemy. The night was one of terror to the settlers; a drifting rain and pelting hail storm had set in, and the occasional claps of thunder and flashes of lightning but added new alarm to the already frightened women and children. At about 2 o'clock in the morning the firing of cannon was heard from the direc- tion of the fort and those in the stockade believed the attack had commenced, but they were soon apprized that the firing was from the cannon on board the steamer Chieftain, which brought General Atkinson and his regulars from St. Louis.
It is said that when the people at the stockade heard the firing of cannon and the shouts of the garrison welcoming the reinforcement, they believed it the shouts of triumph of the Indians at the capture of the fort, and Elder Kinney of Rapids City, a devout Presbyterian, advised them all to "unite in an appeal to God as their only hope of safety "; whereupon Antoine Gonquy, Colonel Davenport's French servant, said, "Ze prayer he be good for ze vimmin an ze childer, but he be not wort one cent to fight ze Injins. Wattair, he be bettair zan ze prayer."
Black Hawk had been with the British so much that he well knew the use of gunpowder. He was in the attack on the fort at Detroit and undoubtedly believed he could with a few kegs of powder blow up the fort at its gate and the rock embankment upon which it stood, and then with his braves rush in on the weak garrison. The Sac chief knew that the fort was but weakly garrisoned. The Prophet had several times attempted to enter its gate, but had been kept out on the orders of Major Bliss, who suspected treachery. The last attempt of the Prophet to enter the fort was but a few days
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before Black Hawk's attempt to capture it. He knew that General Atkinson had not arrived and as he went from there down the river and met Black Hawk and his band he certainly communicated to him all the information he had secured.
Caleb Atwater, who visited the fort in 1829, in writing about it said: "Setting down a pair of compasses large enough to extend thirty-five miles around the lower end of Rock Island and taking a sweep around it, you would have within the circle the handsomest and most delightful spot of the same size on the whole globe, so far as nature can produce anything called beautiful. The island lies in latitude 41 degrees 30 minutes, is two miles in lengthi, and contains above two thousand acres of land. The extreme lower end is occupied by Fort Armstrong and the village of Rock Island. After passing through several feet of rich alluvial soil in perforating the earth, you come to limestone rock, which forms the foundation of this island. Passing around this island, which is long and narrow, you everywhere see the rock on which the fort and village stand. The lower end of the island is high and dry above the river, whereas the upper end is overflowed in high waters, and all the upper end of the island is covered with a forest of excellent timber trees. The main channel of the river is on the western side of the island, and that part of the Mississippi is half a mile in width, whereas in a low stage of the water, as when we saw it, the eastern branch of the river is not more than twenty rods wide perhaps, though so deep that it is ferried constantly from the island to the mainland. When we were there, the ground where the fort stood was twenty feet or more above the sur- face of the river ; ten or more feet of it were limestone rock, from the water upwards. The officers have adjoining the fort a most beautiful garden regularly laid out, with graveled walks, in which are cultivated beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, corn, and every vegetable growing in this climate. Nothing could exceed this garden in fruitfulness, and every leaf appeared to shine in luxuriance. The gourd seed corn was fit to roast, the beets had attained a good size, and so had the potatoes, beans and carrots. The village adjoins the fort on the north, and a few families live here, Mr. Davenport, who keeps a store for the American Fur Company, being a princi-
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pal man among them. The sutler has a store here in addition to the company's store. Mr. Davenport is an Englishman, and formerly lived at Cincinnati, where I became acquainted with him. His son-in-law and a few others live on the island. With such persons I was happy to meet in the far west."
THE BURNING OF THE FORT.
For thirty-nine years the fort stood as first constructed, and though evacuated and no longer the abode of the soldier since 1836, it was used as a Government warehouse and was a picturesque sight, being an object of interest to all travelers up and down the river as well as to visitors to this locality.
On Sunday afternoon, October 7, 1855, some vandal set fire to the historic buildings. J. B. Danforth, Jr., agent of the quartermasters department of the army, in charge at that time, in a letter written on the 9th of the month to Major D. H. Vinton, Quartermaster U. S. A. at St. Louis, said, "Sir: The barracks and one block fort at this place were destroyed by fire yesterday (Sunday) afternoon. I was in the city at church at the time the fire originated. I immediately rallied about a hundred men with buckets, and endeavored to quell the flames, but to no purpose. We had no fire engine, and it was impossible to stay the progress of the con- flagration. The buildings were fired by some persons to nie unknown, and in the following manner: About thirty kegs of powder had been stored in the magazine by the contractors for the improvement of the rapids, by permission of the Secretary of War. The magazine had several times been broken open and powder stolen. It was then stored in a safe room, or what was believed to be safe, in the barracks. It had all been taken away, except one keg and one or two parts of kegs. Some persons, while I was at church, had broken open a window and ignited a part of a keg of powder, thus causing the loss of the buildings. I have published an adver- tisement (at my own expense) to endeavor to find out the perpetrators of the outrage, which I hope will meet your approval. I send you a copy of my paper, containing the advertisement and an editorial notice of the fire."
SS
FORT ARMSTRONG AFTER THE FIRE.
When the United States Government (under the Act of 1862) commenced the construction of Rock Island Arsenal in 1863, all that remained of Fort Armstrong was removed. The first building erected stands nearly on the site of the old fort, and the window frames of the basement of this building are made of oak obtained from the old fort.
Fort Armstrong in the early days was quite a military post though no hostile shot was ever fired against its walls. It answered the purposes for which it was built, to keep in check the Indians and offer protection to the American settlers. It has been the home and visiting place of many men who have become prominent in our nation's history.
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Part V
Political Divisions-Our County Once Claimed by Spain, Ruled by France, A British Province, Part of Virginia, Has Been a Part of Six Counties, The First American Flag in the "Upper Mississippi" Valley.
Part V
POLITICAL DIVISIONS.
The fortunes of Rock Island County have been those of the State of Illinois. In 1541 Ferdinand De Soto discovered the Mississippi River, crossing it somewhere near Memphis ; and upon this discovery rested Spain's claim and title to the "far west." The country now known as the State of Illinois is shown on the very early Spanish maps as a part of Florida. Spain made no attempt, however, to plant her settlements in the "Illinois."
In 1673 Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette, the latter a Jesuit priest, were sent from New France (Canada) by the intendant, Jean Talon, to discover the Mississippi River and to explore the regions through which it flowed. In June of that year their great desire was gratified and they floated down the Mississippi to a point near where Helena, Arkansas, now is. From there they retraced their journey, until they came to where the Illinois River empties into the Mississippi. They went up the Illinois and by the then portage to Lake Michigan. In 1680 Robert Cavalier de La Salle erected Fort Creve Coeur at Peoria, and from this time on until 1763 Illinois was a French province.
In 1763, at the close of the French and Indian Wars, Illinois became British Territory, and so remained until July 4, 1778, when Colonel George Rogers Clark and his Virginians captured the British forts and settlements. In October of that year Illinois was by act of the General Assembly of Virginia created the "County of Illinois, " and became a part of the commonwealth of Virginia.
During the Revolutionary War, Illinois and what is now the states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, was
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claimed by each of the states of New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Virginia. In 1785 these states surrendered their claim to the General Government, and then Congress passed an act for the government of this country which was designated "Western Territory," but nothing was done towards organizing a form of government. On July 13, 1787, Congress passed the celebrated ordinance known as the "Ordinance of 1787," for the government of this country, then called the "Northwest Territory." In 1788 the first officers were appointed. In 1790 the country now Illinois, was established as St. Clair County, named after General Arthur St. Clair, the first governor of the Northwest Territory.
In this year Illinois County became part of Indiana Terri- tory, and in 1809 the country west of the Wabash, north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi, was erected into Illinois Territory, which was divided into two counties - Randolph and St. Clair -the territory now Rock Island County forming part of St. Clair County. On September 14, 1812, our county became a part of Madison County, and on January 31, 1821, we were made a part of Pike County. This was the first county erected by the State of Illinois.
January 28, 1823, Fulton County was erected from Pike County, and we became a part of the former, and so remained until January 13, 1825, when we became a part of Peoria County. On February 17, 1827, Jo Daviess County was erected from Peoria County, and Galena became our county seat. We remained part of Jo Daviess County until 1833, when Rock Island County was organized, with the boundaries as they exist today.
The Ordinance of 1787 provided for the forming of one or two states out of the territory now the states of Wisconsin and Illinois. The ordinance provided that the northern boundary of the territory now Illinois should be an east and west line drawn through the southerly bend or extreme of Lake Michigan. Had this provision been carried out when Illinois was erected into a state in 1818, that part of Rock Island County east of Moline would now be in Wisconsin.
When the bill to admit Illinois as a state was presented to Congress and referred to the committee, our northern bound-
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ary was as defined in the Ordinance of 1787, which would have left out of our state the counties of Lake, McHenry, Boone, Winnebago, Stephenson, Jo Daviess, Carroll, Ogle, DeKalb, Kane, Du Page, Cook, Lee, Whiteside, and also a portion of Kendall, Will, La Salle and Rock Island counties.
In 1816 the United States made a treaty with the Ottawa, Chippewa and Pottawattomie Indians, and it became neces- sary to establish the point where a line "due west from the southern extremity of Lake Michigan" would strike the Mississippi River. Such a line was surveyed by John Sulli- van in 1818, and a monument was erected at its terminus, "on the bank of the Mississippi River near the head of Rock Island." This place is between Seventeenth and Eighteenth streets in the City of Moline, and is now occupied by the Moline city waterworks.
Alexander Pope, the representative from Illinois in Con- gress, was fully alive to the interests of his constituency. Mr. Pope asked to strike out of the bill the description which bounded Illinois on the north by a line drawn directly west from the southerly boundary of Lake Michigan, and insert the following : "Beginning at the mouth of the Wabash River, thence up the same and with the line of Indiana to the northwest corner of said state ; thence east with the line of the same state to the middle of Lake Michigan; thence north along the middle of said lake to north latitude 42 degrees 30 minutes ; thence west to the middle of the Missis- sippi River, and thence down along the middle of that river to its confluence with the Ohio River, and thence up the river along its northwest shore to the beginning." This carried.
The northern boundary of Illinois was thus fixed, and was made to include a strip of land sixty-one iniles, nineteen chains and thirteen links wide, extending from Lake Michi- gan to the Mississippi River, embracing a surface of 8,500 square miles. The line surveyed by Sullivan in 1818 was accepted as a true line until 1833, when Captain Talcott, while making the survey of the Ohio-Michigan boundary, was instructed to ascertain the point on the Mississippi River which is due west from the southern extremity of Lake
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Michigan. He established this point as being "about seven miles north of the fort (Armstrong) on Rock Island."
From 1829 to 1848 the question of adding these fourteen northern and a portion of the four other Illinois counties to Wisconsin was a prominent one in the northern part of the state. Strange to say, for many years most of the people living in the northern part of the state were in favor of being added to Wisconsin ; but when Wisconsin was admitted as a state in 1848 its southern boundary line was fixed at the here- tofore established northern boundary of the State of Illinois, and thus was forever settled what for many years was a sub- ject of much dispute.
RAISING THE FIRST FLAG.
On August 9, 1805, Lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike, an officer in the United States army, in command of twenty soldiers, left St. Louis under instructions from the Government to trace the sources of the Mississippi River, ascertain the condition of the Indians, create a better feeling between them and the Americans and to select certain sites upon which to erect forts. The party made the voyage in a keel boat seventy feet long, and on August 9. 1805, the party arrived at the mouth of Rock River.
Black Hawk in his autobiography says :
"Some time afterwards a boat came up the river with a young American chief, at that time Lientenant, and afterwards General Pike, and a small party of soldiers aboard. The boat at length arrived at Rock River and the young chief came on shore with his interpreter. He made us a speech and gave us some presents, in return for which we gave him meat and such other provisions as we could spare.
" We were well pleased with the speech of the young chief. He gave us good advice and said our American father would treat us well. He presented us an American flag which we hoisted. He then requested us to lower the British colors, which were waving in the air, and to give him our British medals, promising to send us others on his return to St. Louis. This we declined to do, as we wished to have two fathers."
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The event related by Black Hawk, and occurring at the old Sac Village on Rock River, in August, 1805, was the first raising and unfurling of the United States flag in the valley of the upper Mississippi River. All the country west of the Mississippi had until October, 1803, belonged to Spain, and Lieutenant Pike was the first American representative to navi- gate the Mississippi north of St. Louis.
OUR PIONEERS.
To know the pioneers of Rock Island County, we must read their reminiscences, and the history of their times. Concern- ing them but little can be found. The pioneer had no news- papers to chronicle events, no time to write a diary of daily happenings. His life was a continuation of struggles to secure food for his family, a constant anxiety for their safety and his own.
Our pioneers came when the edge of civilization was still sixty miles towards the rising sun. This county was the domain of the savage. These men and women formed the outposts of civilization. We cannot realize the dangers they braved, the hardships they endured.
War is dreadful in whatever land or time, but Indian war- fare always possessed a terror unknown to combat among civilized foes. It was the stealthy night attack, the sacking and burning of the home, the butchery of wife and children, the ambush and the scalping knife - these were the incidents that occurred, and which were ever dreaded by our pioneers. When our citizens volunteered in the Black Hawk War, they knew the foe they must contend with. Some met the savage in mortal combat. A few were sacrifices to civilization's onward march. The majority met with no opportunity to test their mettle, but all entered for the contest, all knew what to expect, and all are deserving of the highest praise and honor, because they did what they believed was their duty.
As the welfare of the individual is bound up in the welfare of his community and state, we of today can teach the coming generation no better lesson than to revere and honor the memories of those pioneers whose hardships and struggles made it possible for us to enjoy today the many comforts and blessings met on every hand.
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THE TORCH PRESS BOOK SHOP.
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 977.339M47E C001 EARLY ROCK ISLAND MOLINE
3 0112 025390508
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