USA > Illinois > Ogle County > Sketches of the history of Ogle County, Ill., and the early settlement of the Northwest > Part 4
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In September of the same year, the Governor organized the counties of Madi- son, Gallatin, Pope aud Johnson; and at the same time authorized au election to be held on the 8th, 9th and 10th days of October, to elect members of the Council and House of Representatives .*
Pursuant to the Governor's proclama- tion, the first Territorial Legislature as- sembled at Kaskaskia on the 25th of No- vember, 1812. Benjamin Talbot of Gal- latin county, William Biggs of St. Clair county, Samuel Judah of Madison county, and Pierre Menard of Randolph county, took their seats as members of the Coun- cil. The following gentlemen took their seats as members of the House: George Fisher, Randolph county ; Philip Trom- mel and Alexander Wilson, Gallatin county ; John Grammor, Johnson county; Joshua Oglesby and Jacob Short, St. Clair county, and William Jones of Madison county.
On the night of the 16th of Decem- ber, 1811, commenced a series of earth- quakes, which continued until the fol- lowing February. In these, the town of New-Madrid was almost entirely de- stroyed; the banks of the Mississippi, iu many places, gave way in large masses and fell into the river, while the waters changed to a reddish hue, became thick with mud thrown up from the bottom, and the surface, lashed violently by the agitation of the earth beneath, was cov- ered with foam, which gathered into masses and floated along on the trembling surface. Its vibrations were felt all over the valley of the Ohio, as far. up as Pitts- burg .*
In the year 1712 occurred the massa- cre of Chicago. A small trading post had been established at this point by the French, but no village had been formed. By the treaty of Greenville, iu 1795, the Indians had relinquished a piece of land
*Western Annals.
*Dr. Hildreth.
24
HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY.
The Massacre at Chicago-Dispatches from Gen. Hull-Attack by the Indians.
wix miles square, at the mouth of Chica- go river. In 1804, a small fort was erec- ted here by the United States Govern- ment, and called Fort Dearborn. In 1812, the fort was occupied by a small garrison, few of the men being effective. John H. Kinzie and his family were residing at the fort, as well as a few Canadians and their wives and children.
On the 17th of April, a band of Wij- nebagoes attacked Mr. Lee's settlement at Hardscrabble, about four miles from Chicago, and killed a Mr. White and a Frenchman in his employ. There were signs of hostile Indians for some days after this, but the whole passed off in quietness until all alarm had disappeared.
On the 17th of August, Winnemeg, a trusty Pottawatomie chief, arrived at the fort, with dispatches from General Hull, the Commander-in-chief in the North- west. From these dispatches Captain Heald, commander of the fort, learned that war had been declared between En- gland and the United States; that Gen- eral Hull, at the head of the army in the Northwest, was on his way from Fort Wayne to Detroit; and that the British troops had taken Mackinac. General Hull's orders to Captain Heald were, "to evacuate the post, if practicable, and in that event, to distribute the property be- longing to the United States, and in the fort, and in the factory or agency, to the Indians in the neighborhood."
After having delivered his dispatches, Winnemeg privately informed Mr. Kin- zie that he knew their contents, and strongly advised that the post should not be vacated. If it was to be done, how-
ever, he advised that it be done imme- diately, as the Indians were ignorant of his mission, and a forced march might be made through their country. Captain Heald, however, disregarded this advice, and resolved to carry out the orders he had received. By this means the Indians were informed of their intentions, and prepared to massacre them.
On the 13th, the goods were distribu- ted. the extra ammunition being thrown into an old well, and the spirits poured upon the ground.
On the morning of the 15th of Au- gust, the party set out, accompanied by five hundred Pottawatomies, who had pledged their honor to escort them safely. On reaching a range of sand hills within the present limits of Chicago, the Pot- tawatomies defiled to the right, so as to bring the sand hills between them and the Americans. They had marched a mile and a half from the fort, when Captain Wells, who, with his Miamis, was in ad- vance, rode back and exclaimed, "They are about to attack us; form instantly and charge upon them." He had scarce- ly finished speaking when a volley of balls was showered upon them. The troops charged up the bank, and the bat- tle became general. The Miamis fled at the first ontset, though Captain Wells used every endeavor to make them stand their ground. Overpowered by numbers, the whites surrendered after the loss of two-thirds of their force, stipulating for the preservation of their lives and those of the remaining women and children, and for their delivery at some of the Bri- tish posts, unless ransomed by traders in
25
HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY.
Revenue of Illinois in 1811-14-Admission into the Union-Julien Dubuque-Treaty of 1804.
the Indian country. Notwithstanding these stipulations, the wounded wer hor- ribly mutilated and inhumanly killed, and the children, twelve of whom were placed together in a baggage wagon, were butch- ered by the merciless savages. The next morning the fort was burned by the In- dians. The prisoners were afterwards liberated.
In the Territorial Legislature of 1814, the Committee on Revenue reported that from January 1st, 1811, to November 8th, 1814, the revenue from taxes received was $4,875.45; of which there had been paid into the Treasury $2,516.89, and remained in the hands of delinquent Sheriffs, $2,378.47. As a matter for comparison, we may state here that the total amount collected for the various revenue purposes, in the State of Illinois, for the year 1858, was $4,867,792.90 !
On the 18th of April, 1818, the people of Illinois were authorized by Congress to forin a State Constitution, and 42 deg. and 30 min. north latitude was fixed upon as the Northern boundary. For this pur- pose a convention assembled in July following, at Kaskaskia, where fifteen counties were represented, viz : Johnson, Edwards, St. Clair, Randolph, Madison, Gallatin, White, Monroe, Pope, Jackson, Crawford, Bond, Union, Washington and Franklin.
CHAPTER VI.
At a council with the Indians in 1786, Julien Dubuque procured a grant of 140,- 000 acres of land, including the present 4
city of Dubuque, near which lie the re- mains of this hardy pioneer.
In the possession of this grant, which, however, was to revert to the Indians at his death, he married an Indian woman, adapted himself to their style of life, and amassed immense wealth by mining and trading with them. Dubuque's first visit to the Upper Mississippi country was made as early as 1786. He died in 1810, and was buried about a mile below the present city of Dubuque, where his grave may still be seen.
In 1804, General Harrison purchased from the Sac and Fox Indian tribes, trea- ting with Quash-que-ma, or Pumpkin Chief, a tract of land fifteen miles square, on the east side of the Mississippi, where the city of Galena is now situated. For this the Indians did not receive all their pay until 1829, and in this negligence may lie one of the eauses which led to the War of 1812. As this action of Quash- que-mna was done without consulting Black Hawk, the great chief felt himself insulted ; for he, as he had been aid-de- camp to the brave Tecumseh, was cer- tainly a man of dignity, and was not thus to be passed over as a eypher in the prominent transactions of his nation. Dissensions therefore arose, and a tem- porary division was made. Keokuk, a cotemporary of Black Hawk, became chief of the southern portion of the nation, Black Hawk retaining supervision of the northern. They made yearly visits to the diggings, and thus having a good oppor- tunity, they could wateh the movements of the whites with all the carefulness that jealousy might dictate.
26
HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY.
Trading Post on Fever River-Discovery of Galena Lead Mines-Early Pioneers in the Mining Region.
About the month of April, 1819, Jesse W. Shull established a trading post on an island a few miles above the mouth of the Mecapiasipo, the Indian name for Fever River. He was soon after informed that the Indians had discovered a lead near where Galena now stands, and as this promised to be something of impor- tance-which proved true, as it turned out to be the noted "buck lead"-at the request of the Indians he moved down to the point. IIere he was joined in the following summer, by Mr. A. P. Van Me- tre, and a little later by Dr. Samuel Mure, who has the honor of giving Galena its name .*
Previous, however, to cither of these, a gentleman named Boutillier built and occupied a shanty on the east side of Fe- ver River during the summer of 1819, and to him must be given the honor of being the first white inhabitant of Galena. In regard to the first settlements of the city and its vicinity, we quote from the matter-of-fact Red Clay correspondent of the Galena Sentinel, to whom we are indebted for much valuable information :
"In the fall of the year 1819, our old friend Captain D. G. B. started from St. Louis, with a French crew, for Fever River, Upper Missis- sippi Lead Mines. Ilis vessel was a keel boat, the only way of conveyance, then, for heavy burthens on the Upper Mississippi, and boatmen in those days were some of them
'half horse, half alligator;' but the merry French, after arriving off Pilot Knob, com- menced their march for Fever River. Af- ter a search of three days, they found the mouth; and on the 17th of November, after pushing through the high grass and rice lakes, they arrived safe at where Galena now stands, where they were greeted by some of the na- tives, from the tall grass, as well as by our old acquaintances, J. B. Shull and A, P. Van Me- tre, who had taken to themselves wives of the daughters of the land, and were traders for their brethren. They were received in the true spirit of the age. As the French have more tact with the Indian character than oth- ers, they caused feasting rather than envy. Dr. Mure, likewise, was just establishing a trading house ; he had been induced, while in the army, to take a wife of the aborigines; as- sociated with an Indian trader at Rock Island, Davenport, they made up the principal head men and chiefs now in the diggins with uncle Da- vy's crew. Captain B., after disposing of or leaving his cargo in exchange for lead, furs, &c., returned to St. Louis for another cargo.
"The next year he had awakened a spirit of enterprise. Col. J. Johnson, with no small pomp, for those days, had procured per- mission, either directly from the President or Secretary of War-as the war department sometimes assumes the prerogative here-(Mr. Calhoun, I think, ) Col. J. claimed almost the exclusive privilege of mining. The Col. start- ed with two large barges and some seventy men. Our friend Meeker had procured per- mission from headquarters to mine and smelt about this time. He was accompanied by Mr. Harris and family. B. Hunt, J. S. Miller and family, J. Smith, now at Dubuque. By this time our Capt B. has made a second trip, con- cludes to settle, turn into mining, merchandising and smelting. Ile formed an addition-Tou- lison, a Frenchman, A. Farran, and perhaps llarvey. They were closely allied to the In- gians, and looked quite savage atJohnson's crew, Lieutenant Burdwine, having the appointment
* Doubtless from the Greek, Gulanus, a name applied to a "particular species of lead-ore." Whether the mineral in the vicinity of Gale- na is the same as the "particular specie" to which the ancients applied this name, we are unable to say.
27
HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY.
"The " Suckers "-Discoveries by the Indians-Jesse W. Shull Bargains with them to work the Mines.
of Superintendent of Lead Mines, or acting as Superintendent. On his arrival here, Col. Johnson sent word to his camp, for him to re- pair to head-quarters. Uncle D. sent back word to Johnson, if he wanted to see him more than he did, to call; he declined the summons, and soon a file of men came to command his presence. But as Uncle Davy was one of those who had long been a boatman, he con- elnded to take his time. After dropping his boat below the point, he deliberately, after they had set up a shout that they had left, suddenly in the midst of their rejoicings, made his appearance, and informed Lieut. Burd- wine, if he had any commands for him, he was at his 'sarvice.'
"I have been thus particular in the outset, at the commencement as well as the present, that my readers, if any, may see that at all times there has been a little extra swell-work of this pretended sovereignty. After a while, things settled down. Uncle Davy unpacked and commenced sales; tea, $5 a pound, coffee, $1, sugar, 75 cts. ; all other articles in pro- portion.
"Now, I have got the early particulars of this year. In '23 and '24, a few more came- Captain Low, with a company of sol liers, sta- tioned at Low's Point, from which it took its name. Addition 1st. John Connelly, the In- dian Agent, established his office here. Some mining had been done. Col. Johnson worked the old 'Buck Lead,' and sowed a great deal of float, or gravel mineral, as I am told by his nephew, Matthew, to get the miners further out to mine and prospect. Johnson sold out some prospects-by it some leads were found. This I name, just as I had it from him."
There are a kind of fish which, in the spring of the year, run up the rivers and streams of our State, and often going as far north as the very source of the streams in which they may happen to be. These are called "suckers." So the people from the southern portion of the State used to
come up to the Upper Mississippi with provisions for the miners, remaining through the summer, and returning in the fall ; therefore, they were called "suck- ers," which, growing in the extent of its application, became the general name of the natives of the State.
Mr. Shull, in the fall of 1825, was in- formed by an Indian that he had found traces of leal beyond the limits of the tract sold to the whites, and that he would disclose it to him, providing that he should receive compensation for his services, and the privilege of working. Ilis proposi- tion was accepted, but after visiting the spot designated by the red skin, and find- ing nothing particularly attractive, Mr. Shull returned to Galena, where he re- main until the following spring without taking any further notice of the Indian's discovery. Then he returned and found, after a little digging, an immense bed of lead. One day, while intently at work in his new-found mine, he happened to raise his eyes from his work, when he discovered a troop of Winnebagoes, headed by Wabokieshiek, the prophet, coming toward him at full speed. They immedi- ately commanded him to desist, asking him how he had dared to leave the pro- per boundaries of the whites, and tres- pass on their grounds. They told him that no one of their tribe had any right to sell the property of the nation, but as he was a friend, they would permit him to dig with them if he chose. With this, they all set to work, and soon rolled out several large blocks of the shining ore. After some bartering, Shull suc- ceeded in purchasing the land in that
28
HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY.
Land Titles-Troubles with the Indians-Visit to Winneshiek Village-Treaty with the Indians.
vicinity, and this was the commencement of the "Shullsburg diggings."*
In the summer of 1826, George Fer- guson and Robert Clayton discovered the "New Diggings," and in the fall of the same year, "East Fork Diggings" were found. Captain Thomas, in 1827, sur- veyed the village, and the government permitted individuals to occupy and im- prove lots, provided they would surrender their claims on thirty days' notice from the proper authorities. This was the only title the citizens had for their land up to the year 1838.
CHAPTER VII.
The same restive spirit which has marked the character of the red man, ever since the pale-face was planted on American soil, was not yet quite asleep. The number of miners had, in 1827, in- creased to about sixteen hundred ; and, proud of their numbers, they had com- mitted some depredations well calculated to kindle the smouldering flime, besides trespassing beyond their own properly prescribed limits. The whites and Indians viewed each other with jealous eyes, and the latter only waited for an opportunity to show their ill-will. Finally, matters grew worse. A keel boat was attacked while passing down the Mississippi. The Indians murdered a family at Prairie du Chien ; and when the murderers were demanded, they refused to give them up. It suddenly became apparent that a war could not be
avoided, and the people in all parts of the mining country began to prepare for de- fence. Major General Gaines, in com- mand of the regular troops, scoured the country, in order to learn what to expect from the Indians, and General Henry Dodge raised several companies of volun- teers, and assisted in this work. In one. of his expeditions, General Dodge visited the Winneshiek village, situated where the city of Freeport now stands, and found that the old chief, who had always been firm in his friendship to the whites, had gone with his band to attend the great- council which, it was reported, was being held on the Wisconsin.
At the time of General Dodge's visit, the Winneshiek band numbered almost two hundred. The chief himself was near sixty years of age, and is described as "a short fleshy man, very taciturn, very honest, and, more wonderful than all for an Indian, very temperate." Winneshiek is still living at Blue Earth, Minnesota, and is about ninety years old.
Finding effective measures taken against them, the Indians began to retreat, as was supposed, for the Chippewa country. They were pursued up the Wisconsin to near Fort Winnebago, where they were overtaken. An attempt to meet the whites in a contest would be useless. They were more than a match for the In- dians in arms and numbers. A treaty was made, by which they were to receive $20,- 000 for the damages they had sustained, and the whites were to be allowed to oc- enpy a part of the mineral lands. Thus ended the Winnebago difficulty. "About a year afterwards, a large tract of mine-
*History of Stephenson County.
29
HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY.
Country Purchased-The Early Miners-Attempt to possess Dubuque's Mines-Next Neighbors.
ral country was purchased from the In- dians. Two strips of land, the one ex- tending along the Wisconsin and Fox rivers, from the east to the west, giving a passage across the country from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi, and the oth- er reaching from Roek Island to the Wis- consin, were at the same time pur- chased."*
When the Winnebagoes were told that they must cross the Wisconsin, and at some not very far distant period the Mis- sissippi also, because they and the whites could not live in peace together, they replied, "We have to do just as you say ; we are now weak and cannot help our- selves ; we once were a powerful nation. Those blue hills you see yonder used to echo far and wide with our war-cries, while the smoke of our council-fires as- cended to the blue vault of heaven to the Great Spirit, the Father of the red man. But our bow is now unstrung, our hatchet is buried, our warriors sleep on yonder mounds ; their leaf is withered, and the green turf covers their bosoms; our ar- rows sleep in the quiver. Tell our great father, the President, we must submit to his wishes."
The miners had no time to till the soil, and, as a consequence, were dependent on the provisions brought up the Mississippi. They were sometimes reduced to sore ex- tremities, particularly when the navi- gation opened very late in the Spring. As a community, they were governed by such laws as would suit their particu- lar emergencies; for when the commission of any crime occurred, they organized a
court, proceeded to investigation, and ad- ministered such punishment as the ex- igency seemed to demand.
In 1829, an attempt was made by some Galena miners to take possession of Du- buque's old mining grounds, but they were frightened away by some one from St. Louis, who pretended to have claims against Dubuque's property ; but when they afterwards learned that at Dubuque's death his interest there reverted to the Indians, and any other claim could not be sustained, they returned to the works, making such temporary arrangements with the Indians as from time to time might be required. Since the first move- ments in the Upper Mississippi Lead mines, a company had been formed con- sisting of Farnham, Davenport and Far- rar, the first of whom had located a tra- ding post at Flint Hills, now Burlington. The second, Col. Davenport, had estab- lished a post at Rock Island, and Farrar was the manager of the interests of the company, at Galena.
The next neighbors our Galena friends had, south of them, at the period of which we are speaking, were at Peoria; and be- tween the two places was a vast wilder- ness of uninhabited territory, to the set- tlements of Vandalia and the region just about it. In 1830, this territory was here and there dotted with habitations which occupied the most attractive and inhabitable situations along the banks of the ereeks and rivers. Settlers were sparsely located along the Mississippi up to Galena, and even the rough country above, sometimes at a distance of a hun- dred miles from each other; and, like-
*History of Stephenson County.
30
HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY.
Early Steamboat Navigation-First Grist Mill in the Northwest-Mails-First Newspapers-Protestant Missionaries.
wise, on the Illinois up to Chicago. The country lying between Galena and Chi- cago, embracing nearly one-third of the State, and the part, too, which is now regarded as most desirable for habitation, was yet to be peopled.
As the West thus began to open her resources to civilization, the institutions of civilization must of necessity follow in its train. The old manner of navigation by the slow and tedious keel-boats had to give way to the steamboats, of which, the first to aseend the river so far as the Des Joines Rapids, was the Western En- gineer, in 1819. The Virginia was the first steamboat to touch at Galena. Thus early introduced, the navigation of the Mississippi by steam became a prominent feature of western improvement, and to it we are not a little indebted for the rapid strides of advancement in this portion of the country. But, living in so rich a country, it was poor policy for the miners to depend entirely upon importation for their subsistence. Grain was produce i which must be ground, aud consequently grist-mills must be built; the first of these erected in the Northwest, was at Galena-a corn-eracker-the hopper con- taining about a peck, and the building containing it was a dry-goods box. Besides the mail coming up the river from St. Louis, a one horse mail was established from Galena to Vandalia, to pass over the route every two weeks; this was in 1826. The Miners' Journal was published at Galena, commencing July 4th, 1826, by James Jones, who, in 1832, sold out to Dr. Philleo, who changed the name to the Galenean. In 1829, Newhall, Philleo
& Co. commenced the publication of the Galena Advertiser, which is still a suc- cessful and popular newspaper in the hands of II. II. Houghton. In the southern portion of the State, the Vanda- lin Intelligencer commenced its publica- tion about the time Vandalia was made the seat of government. Mr. Rice started the first school in the Northwest, at Ga- lena, in 1829.
Rev. A. Kent, a Presbyterian missiona- ry, arrived at Galena early in 1829; and about a week later, Rev. Mr. Dow, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, also came, and together they at once set about the great work before them. Four years la- ter, a missionary arrived at Chicago. At their own expense, the early missionaries traversed the wilderness, slept in the open air, swam rivers, suffered cold and hun- ger, traveled on foot and ou horsebaek, to. preach the Gospel, to establish churches. and schools, in short, to make the West what it now is, so far as their exertions have had any influence.
Rev. Mr. Kent commenced a school af- ter two or three others had been start- ed. He relates, as an incident of these school-teaching days, that on one occa- sion he had punished a girl for some in- fringement of the rules, and was brought before the usual tribunals on a charge of assault and battery, but was triumphantly acquitted. As an evidenec that the former animosities have died away, Mr. K. says that he was recently called upon to perform the marriage ceremony for the same girl and her lover.
Chicago, up to 1829 or '30, was noth- ing more than a military station and tra-
31
HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY.
Organization of the State Government-Population in 181S and '30-Gov. Reynolds-Kellogg's Trail.
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