USA > Illinois > Illinois, historical and statistical, comprising the essential facts of its planting and growth as a province, county, territory, and state, Vol. I > Part 6
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Tonty, who had been left in command at Fort Crévecœur, had been ordered by LaSalle after his departure to proceed and fortify "le Rocher" or the Rock, a site which had attracted his attention en route, and which he thought was a more desir- able situation for defensive operations than the other. After Tonty had set out, in obedience to this command, taking with him Fathers Membré and Ribourde and three other Frenchmen, those left behind mutinied, and, having taken possession of the ammunition, supplies, and other property, destroyed and deserted the fort.
Tonty remained at the Indian village near the Rock during the summer, and was there when the attack was made by the Iroquois, September 10, as heretofore mentioned. In his efforts to make peace between the belligerents, he was suspected by both parties, and was pretty roughly handled by the Iroquois, narrowly escaping with his life. Having determined to exter- minate the Illinois, the Iroquois prepared to break the treaty which Tonty had been instrumental in making, and ordered him to leave. This he was compelled to do, and after many hardships and wanderings, and the loss of Father Ribourde, who was killed by a Kickapoo Indian, he finally reached a village of the Pottawatomies, where he spent the winter.
The fact of the desertion of a portion of his force was con- veyed to LaSalle by two men, Messer and Laurent, sent to him by Tonty. Having also learned that the deserters had com- mitted like depredations at Fort Miami, and had stolen his furs stored at Mackinac, and that they were making their way back to Montreal, he determined to give them such a reception as their treachery deserved. Being informed that they had divided into two parties, he laid his plans and captured both-the first without resistance, and the other after killing two of them. The prisoners confessed their treason and were placed in irons, to be disposed of by the governor.+
* Margry, I., 496.
+ Margry, I., 500.
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Having satisfactorily passed through this critical episode in his history, on August 10, 1680, with twenty-five men, he set out on his second expedition to the country of the Illinois. By this time he had become exceedingly anxious regarding the fate of Tonty, upon whose strong arm he greatly relied for success, and from whom he had not heard since soon after his departure from Fort Crévecœur. He arrived at the mouth of the St. Joseph River, November 4. At a village of the Miamis near by he was told of the defeat of the Illinois by the Iroquois, which increased his anxiety in regard to the fate of Tonty. . Proceeding on his journey, he arrived at the Illinois village near "the Rock," where he saw the fearful evidences of the Iroquois raid. A great many dead bodies yet unburied and partly eaten by the wolves were seen; but, upon a careful examination, he saw nothing to indicate the death of any Frenchmen.
Arriving at Fort Crévecœur, he found it "almost entirely demolished." The Iroquois had been there, and had taken the nails out of his vessel, but had not otherwise damaged it. At the mouth of the Illinois he attached to a tree a letter for Tonty, advising him of his whereabouts, and leaving near by a canoe, hatchet, and some skins, for his use. Returning, he arrived at Fort St. Joseph the last of January, 1681, where he spent the remainder of the winter. He had repeated con- ferences with various tribes of savages, chiefly the Illinois and Miamis. He enlarged upon the benefits which would accrue to them from a union with the French, whom he portrayed as their natural friends and defenders. His arguments proved so convincing that he was enabled to form important alliances with all the tribes represented.
The following spring he received his first authentic news from Tonty, being informed by some Pottawatomies that the latter had passed the winter among them. On May 25, he left St. Joseph for Mackinac, where-after so long a separation and a succession of so many important events-his eyes were glad- dened by the sight of his ever-faithful second in command, as well as of Father Membré. Here he learned that the machi- nations of his enemies at Montreal rendered it necessary for him to return once more to Frontenac, whither he and Tonty at once proceeded.
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Reaching Montreal, he found that clamorous creditors had threatened to seize upon his property to satisfy debts con- tracted in the furtherance of his schemes of exploration. But his indomitable will and fertility in resource enabled him not only to appease their importunities but even to secure further advances. With the funds thus obtained he procured fresh supplies, and forthwith started on his third voyage, arriving at Fort Miami in November. Here reorganizing his force, which consisted of twenty-three Frenchmen, eighteen Indians, ten squaws, and three children, on December 23, 1681, he again set out on his long journey, this time going by what he called the Chicago River, where his faithful lieutenant, Tonty, had pre- ceded him, and thence by the Desplaines River to the Illinois. Passing down that river, the Indian villages being found depop- ulated, they arrived at its confluence with the Mississippi, Feb- ruary 6, 1682. Being detained by the ice, his journey was not resumed until the 13th. Landing at the third Chickasaw Bluffs on February 26, he built a small fort, calling it Fort Prud- homme, after one of his party supposed to have been lost there, but who was afterward recovered.
He arrived at the mouth of the Arkansas, March 12, passing at that point, as at several others en route, Indian villages, where he had interviews with the braves of different tribes. At length, on April 7, 1682, he was rewarded for his many years of toil, danger, and suffering by beholding the long-sought Gulf of Mexico. Two days thereafter he erected a column bearing the arms of France, and after chanting the Te Deum, amid volleys of musketry and shouts of Vive le Roi, he took possession of the country, which, in honor of the king, had already been called Louisiana,* "and all the nations, peoples, provinces and cities, towns, villages, mines, minerals, fisheries, streams and rivers within the extent of the said Louisiana, and from the mouth of the Ohio, and also along the Mississippi River and the rivers which discharge themselves thereinto, from its source as far as its mouth at the sea, being the first Europeans who have descended and ascended said river;"+ claiming to have acquired this right "by consent of the natives dwelling herein."
* It is claimed that the name "Louisiana" originated with Father Hennepin. + LaSalle's "Procés Verbal. "
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On his return trip, begun on April 9, he was taken sick at Fort Prudhomme. Tonty was sent forward to Mackinac to make known the success of the expedition, and LaSalle, having recovered, joined him there in September. He now proceeded to carry out his plan of establishing a colony at the Rock, just above the Indian town of Lavantum, which "was to answer the double purpose of a bulwark against the Iroquois and as a place of storage for the furs of all the western tribes." Tonty was sent on in advance to begin the work of fortification.
This Rock is an isolated cliff, an offset from the adjoining bluffs, almost round, one hundred and thirty-five feet high, and its top, containing nearly three-fourths of an acre, can be reached only by a steep, rocky ascent on the eastern side. Its other three sides are nearly perpendicular and its northern base is washed by the Illinois River. It was then, and is now, a natural fortress, and properly provisioned could defy any attack- ing force. Situated eight miles from Ottawa, it is a striking landmark, from the top of which an extensive, varied, and beautiful view of hills, river, prairie, forest, villages, and farm- houses is obtained. Stunted trees and brush grow on its top,
as they do from the crevices of the superincumbent layers of stone on its sides. These being cleared away, a block, store, and dwelling-house was erected, outworks thrown up, the re- mains of which are still to be seen, and palisades built around it. Water was drawn from the river by a windlass, and two small cannon were mounted on the wooden rampart, from which a salute was fired as the French flag was displayed to view when the fort was completed. Father Zenobe Membré offered a dedi- catory prayer, and the fort was named St. Louis of the Rock.
At this fort and in its vicinity, in accordance with the arrangement made by LaSalle and in pursuance of his invita- tion, his Indian allies began to assemble, in the summer of 1682, in large numbers. The ancient village near by soon pre- sented a picture of life and animation, in striking contrast to its deserted appearance after the invasion of the Iroquois. Every cabin or lodge of bark and rushes was filled with the families of contented natives, who now felt that their safety and protection were assured.
.
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LaSalle arrived in December, and from his elevated fortress beheld, with a pride and satisfaction new to him, the evidence that his hopes and ambitions were about to be crowned with success. The camps and villages of his allies were on every side. To the south were the Illinois, to the number of six or seven thousand; the Miamis, numbering thirteen hundred war- riors, occupied Buffalo Rock, a high cliff on the north side of the river, two miles off; to the east were the Shawnees, two hundred strong; and near by, the Piankashaws and Weas, six hundred and fifty, and other Miamis, five hundred and thirty strong; in all thirty-eight hundred and eighty warriors, and, including women and children, a population of over twenty thousand .* He beheld not only his allies, but his own country- men, who had come in large numbers to assist in building up the colony. They built houses, of a better class than the Indians had known, and planted large fields with corn and other vege- tables; and the new colony was thus begun with every pros- pect of success.
The securing and carrying on of the fur-trade was the great bone of contention among all the early white settlers of North America. It was chiefly in the hands of the natives, and was the price of the friendship and support of their foreign visitors. Although attended with great difficulties and dangers, the large profits derived from it very soon enlisted a class of immigrants, principally a lower order of French, mostly boatmen, called coureurs des vois or rangers of the wood. They became active participants in the trade. Their experience in the new world had made them hardy, reckless, and improvi- dent, preferring a roaming life in the wild woods to the comforts of a settled home. Their dress, consisting of leg- gins, moccasins, and a blanket girdled by a red sash, so closely resembled that of the natives that it was difficult to distinguish the one from the other. Thus arrayed, and armed with a fusee, a scalping-knife, and hatchet, they were eager for any adven- ture, provided it led them away from the restraints of civilized life.
The articles of trade with the Indians consisted of cotton cloth, blankets, calicos, guns, hatchets, and other implements of
Parkman.
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hardware, and cheap ornaments. No standard of values existed, but there came to be adopted a system of equivalents upon which trades were negotiated; that is, an iron hoe and an ax, a knife and a file, a pocket looking-glass and pair of scissors, were reckoned of equal value.
The terms of the alliance between LaSalle and the Indians, upon which the colony at Fort St. Louis was established, were intended to be reciprocally advantageous. On the part of LaSalle, he undertook to assist his dusky allies in their wars with the Iroquois and other enemies; in return for which the Indians agreed to dispose of their furs to him only, in ex- change for such articles of merchandise as they might need or desire; that is to say, the conditions of the compact were mutual protection and trade. It was confidently expected that this agreement, consummated under such favorable cir- cumstances, could scarcely fail to result in the establishment of a permanent, prosperous settlement, the betterment of the condition of the savages, and last, but perhaps not least, in immense pecuniary profit to LaSalle. But, unfortunately for the latter, such was not to be the case.
The great explorer spent the summer at Fort St. Louis, amid the most encouraging prospects. But in the meantime, Fron- tenac had been succeeded as governor of New France by An- toine Joseph le Febvre de la Barre. The latter soon discovered that the plans and operations of LaSalle had blocked the way for the realization of his own schemes, and that, if permitted to continue, he would soon monopolize the fur-trade, with its enor- mous profits and political possibilities. He therefore took prompt measures to render impossible the further successful prosecution of the great enterprise which LaSalle had at heart. He cut off his supplies, detained his agents, and encouraged the hostility of the Iroquois. Fort Frontenac, the property of LaSalle, was seized, against the protest of his creditors, under the pretext that the conditions of its grant had not been ful- filled. The new governor commissioned Chevalier de Baugis to take possession of Fort St. Louis, although Tonty was permitted to remain as the representative of the colonial interests.
Had the French governor and LaSalle "pooled their is- sues," and, instead of endeavoring to break each other down,
-
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worked together, there was nothing to prevent their building up a colony at Fort St. Louis which would have been of great advantage to the interests of each, and exerted a controlling influence upon the destiny of New France. Had agriculture and permanent settlements been encouraged, in connection with the traffic with the Indians, a prosperous and powerful community might have been established, which, growing and extending to other equally favorable locations in the Illinois country, might in fifty years have constituted a community which would have proved an insuperable barrier against any foreign encroachment, in consequence of its ability to maintain its own integrity. But the rapacity of the one and the ambi- tion of the other prevented the accomplishment of such a result. The time had not yet arrived, nor the people, to settle Illinois.
To meet and overcome the opposition which his enemies had set on foot against him, LaSalle determined once more to make his appeal directly to the French minister in Paris. He took what proved to be his final leave of Fort St. Louis in Septem- ber, 1683, and proceeded to France, where he arrived in the spring of 1684. Here he was again successful beyond his an- ticipations. He was re-instated in favor at court, and secured means for a much larger expedition than he had yet com- manded. It consisted of four vessels and a hundred soldiers, besides mechanics and laborers, and thirty volunteers, "includ- ing gentlemen and burghers of condition." The immediate object of this expedition was the establishment of a fort near the mouth of the Mississippi, where he could cooperate with and assist his colony on the Illinois River, free from the molestation of the authorities at Quebec. The particulars of this voyage, how he sailed to the west of the mouth of the Mississippi, as far as Matagorda Bay in Texas, his disastrous failure, and assassination by two of his men on March 19, 1687, not being facts of history especially relating to Illinois, need not be here detailed.
LaSalle was a man of wonderful energy and indomitable perseverance; but he possessed neither the financial ability nor those natural endowments of leadership essential to the accom- plishment of his great designs. Impracticability was stamped upon his character and written upon all his works, from first to
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last. He planned better than he performed; he was morose distrustful, and unpopular; he quarrelled with his equals and was haughty and overbearing to his inferiors. Visionary, coura- geous, as reckless in daring as he was lavish in expenditure, unscrupulous in the observance of obligations as he was profuse in promises, he was always in debt. His life had been frequently threatened; desertions from his command were a common occur- rence; yet he persevered till the last, and finally fell a victim to the hatred of some of his own followers. Notwithstanding the tragic close of his career, while the plans which he con- ceived were as yet inchoate, it was through his efforts that Louisiana and the Illinois country were secured to the French, and their permanent settlement indirectly effected.
6. Henry de Tonty, next to LaSalle, was the most conspicu- ous figure in the early history of what is now the State of Illinois. He carried a hand made of copper, in lieu of one lost in battle, and this he used against his foes with great effect as occasion might require. He was called "the iron-handed;" he was also strong-hearted, faithful, and brave. He was a soldier of fortune from Italy, and the son of a merchant who was the originator of a plan for raising money, now well known as the Tontine.
Having met LaSalle on one of his visits to France, and, by his accounts, being incited with the prospect of adventures in a new country, Tonty very gladly accepted his invitation to become a member of his company, and sailed with him from Rochelle in 1678. How he proved to be his most trusty lieu- tenant, accompanying him in his expeditions with great fidelity and courage, has already been shown. After the departure of LaSalle for France, in 1683, Tonty and Baugis remained in charge at the fort, representing different interests and having but little sympathy with each other's plans. In the following March, however, the approach of their common enemy, the Iroquois, compelled them to unite in a common defence of their post. They were besieged for six days by their deter- mined foes, who numbered two thousand warriors; but such was the strength of their position, and so adequate their means of defence, that the hitherto victorious Iroquois were repulsed with loss, and compelled to abandon the siege. This was the
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last invasion of the savages from the East. Henceforth, for many years, the Illinois and allied tribes resumed their yearly residence in the vicinity of the fort without molestation. The protecting guns of the French and the presence of Tonty, who made the fort his headquarters for eighteen years, rendered their safety secure. It was also the abode of many French traders and merchants, with their families.
From this point, Tonty ranged the western world over, trad- ing, fighting, and exploring. In 1686, being anxious as to the fate of his great leader LaSalle, from whom he had not heard, at his own expense he fitted out an expedition to the Gulf of Mexico in search of him. And when, after his return, he learned of LaSalle's violent death, he fitted out another in search of the survivors of his command. He made at least six trips down and up the Mississippi. Besides this, he visited Montreal, Mackinac, and points on Lake Michigan, including Fort Chicago, which he says was in command of Oliver Morrell, Sieur de la Durantaye.
In 1687, with a force of two hundred Indians and fifty French, he proceeded to Canada and took part in a victorious campaign with the Marquis de Denonville against the Iroquois, thus aiding in striking them a blow on their own ground. On his return he brought back with him the families of a number of French immigrants, soldiers, and traders. This arrival of the wives, sisters, children, and sweethearts of some of the colonists, after years of separation, was the occasion of great rejoicing, in which it was said that even Father Allouez par- ticipated with unwonted freedom and fervor. Life at the fort, henceforth, though at times not without its perilous aspects, was so mingled with feats of adventurous daring, the pleasures of the hunt, the table, and the cup, as fully to satisfy the desires of the gay and light-hearted children of France.
In 1690, the proprietorship of Fort St. Louis was granted to Tonty, jointly with LaForest, while the fur-trade was carried on with greater or less success until his final departure from the country; these two, being excepted from the royal decree against the coureurs des bois, were permitted to send out two canoes a year with twelve men, for the maintenance of the fort. In 1698-9, he accompanied Rev. J. F. Buisson St. Cosme on his trip, with a company of priests, from Mackinac down
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the Mississippi to Natchez. This missionary speaks of Tonty as follows: "I can not express our obligations to him. He guided us as far as the Akansas and gave us much pleasure on the way. He facilitated our course through several nations, winning us the friendship of some and intimidating those who, from jealousy or a desire to plunder, had wished to oppose our voyage. He has not only done the duty of a brave man, but also discharged the functions of a zealous missionary. He quieted the minds of our employés in the little vagaries that they might have, and supported us by his example in the exer- cises of devotion, which the voyage permitted us to perform, very often approaching the sacraments. * * He is believed by all the voyagers to be the one who best knows the country. He was loved and feared by all."
In 1702, the governor of Canada, claiming that the charter of the fort had been violated, decided to discontinue it. La- Forest was ordered to reside in Canada, and Tonty on the Mississippi. Although it was thus officially abandoned, it seems that it was occasionally occupied as a trading-post until 1718, when it was raided by the Indians and burned, on account of the alleged licentiousness of the French inhabitants. Deprived of his command and property, Tonty engaged in the service of Pierre LeMoyne d' Iberville, to aid him in his efforts to colonize lower Louisiana. Here he was employed in various successful expeditions until in September, 1704, when, according to one account, he died at Mobile .*
But according to the Indian tradition, which, although of doubtful authenticity, is more in harmony with the romantic and poetic life of the old explorer, at the close of a day in the midsummer of 1718 he once more arrived at Fort St. Louis, in a canoe paddled by two faithful followers. His hair frosted by many years of exposure, enfeebled in body, forsaken by those whom he had befriended, he returned at last to the familiar scene of his former triumphs, where, his last hours consoled by
* Another authority states that after his services under Iberville, he returned to Canada, and was employed at Detroit in 1713, and that he was last heard of on , an expedition to some distant Indians in 1717, and probably died in Canada. (French's "Louisiana, " III., 31; VI., 61.) But the Tonty here mentioned was evidently another person, a relative of whom Henry speaks in his memoirs.
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the ministrations of his church, his valiant spirit passed away. Brave, generous, and true, no man contributed more to the advancement of trade and the occupation of the Illinois coun- try at this early period than the poorly-requited Chevalier Henry de Tonty.
Other explorers, whose names have become familiar to the student of the early history of the Northwest, and whose accounts or memoirs, containing more or less valuable infor- mation, have been published, are as follows :
7. Daniel Greysolon du Lhut, called by LaSalle and others du Luth, from whom the city of that name was called. He was from Lyons, France, and was a cousin of Henry de Tonty. His explorations covered a period of over ten years from 1679, and he was the first to reach the Mississippi directly from Lake Superior. His memoirs bear date 1683.
8. Henri Joutel was a fellow townsman of LaSalle and adhered faithfully to his fortunes; he was with him on his last expedition, of which he wrote a full and intelligent account; and on his return, he spent some time at Fort St. Louis with Tonty.
9. Pierre LeSueur was the discoverer of the Minnesota River. An interesting account of one of his voyages up the Mississippi, in 1700, is given by Penicaut, who accompanied him.
IO. Baron la Hontan made an extensive tour in the North- west, passing through Illinois in 1688-9, of which he pub- lished a glowing account in 1703. His book was illustrated, but his pictures and maps bear as little resemblance to the objects which they were intended to represent as the drawings of a child do to a painting by Raphael. His statements were often exaggerated, and his imagination fully employed. His observations are frequently shrewd and just, and his descriptions of what he saw mainly correct, but his Indian stories are gener- ally more entertaining than truthful.
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