USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > Valley of the upper Maumee River, with historical account of Allen County and the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Volume I > Part 4
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Francis La Fontaine, whose Indian name was To-pe-ah, perhaps a contraction of the Pottawatomie name, To-pe-na-bin, was the immediate successor of Pe-che-wa (Richardville), as the principal chief of the Miamis. He was the lineal descendant of La Fontaine, who, during the latter part of the eighteenth century, was sent out by the French government in connection with the provincial management of Canada. His father was of French extraction, and at one time a resident of De- troit; his mother was a Miami woman, whose name does not appear very frequently in the history of the tribe, but who was, nevertheless, a woman of considerable force of character, as manifested in the qualities of her son. He was born near Fort Wayne, in ISI0, and spent a great portion of his life in its immediate vicinity. When about the age of twenty-one years, he was married to Catharine (Po-con-go-qua), a daughter of Richardville. In his younger days, he was noted for great strength and activity, and was reputed to be the most fleet of foot in the tribe. His residence was on the south side of the prairie, between Huntington and Fort Wayne, on lands granted by the treaties of October 23, 1834, and November 6, 1838. Manifesting great interest in the wel- fare of his tribe, he became very popular, and, after the death of Chief Richardville, in 1841, he was elected principal chief of the Miamis. Subsequently, he moved to the forks of the Wabash, and resided in the frame building near the road, a few rods west of the fair grounds-the place belonging to his wife, who inherited it from her father.
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When, under the provisions of their final treaty with the United States, his tribe, in the fall of 1846, moved to the reservation set apart to them, west of the Mississippi, he went with them and remained dur- ing the winter. The following spring he started homeward. At that
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THE MIAMIS AT KEKIONGA.
time, the route of travel was from the Kansas Landing (now Kansas City), down the Missouri and Mississippi, to the mouth of the Ohio; up the Ohio to the mouth of the Wabash, and thence up the latter stream to La Fayette-all the way by steamboats. At St. Louis, he was taken sick, and his disease had made such progress that, upon his arrival at La Fayette, he was unable to proceed further, and died there, on the 13th of April, 1847, at the age of thirty-seven years. He was em- balmed at La Fayette, and his remains were brought to Huntington, where he was buried in the grounds now occupied by the Catholic church. His body was subsequently removed to the new cemetery. At the time of the removal of his body, so perfect had been the embalm- ing, little evidence of decay was manifested.
He was a tall, robust man, weighing about 350 pounds, and gener- ally dressed in Indian costume. There are two portraits of him remain- ing, one painted by Freeman, and one by R. B. Croft. About twenty months after his death, his widow married F. D. Lasselle, of Fort Wayne, but lived only a short time. Of her seven children by La Fon- taine, but two are now living - Mrs. Archange Engleman, in Hunting- ton, and Mrs. Esther Washington, who removed to Kansas.
Early History of the Miamis .- At what period in their history the Miamis made Kekionga their "Central City," can not be definitely stated, but it was probably nearly contemporaneous with the early white settlements on the Atlantic coast. This statement is at variance, no doubt, with the opinions entertained by others, who believe that from time immemorial, "when the memory of man runneth not to the con- trary," this typical band of the Algonquin family had inhabited and possessed this, to them, classic ground. The statement made by Little Turtle, in his address to Gen. Wayne, at the treaty of Greenville, in August, 1795, which is confirmed by the narratives of the early French voyageurs, is wholly inconsistent with such an assumption. That intelli- gent Miami chief said: "I hope you will pay attention to what I now say to you. I wish to inform you where your younger brothers, the Miamis, live, and also the Pottawatomies of St. Joseph, together with the Wabash Indians. You have pointed out to us the boundary line be- tween the Indians and the United States; but I now take the liberty to inform you that the line cuts off from the Indians a large portion of country which has been enjoyed by my forefathers from time immemorial, without molestation or dispute. The prints of my ancestors' houses are everywhere to be seen in this portion. I was a little astonished at hear- ing you and my brothers who are now present, telling each other what business you had transacted together heretofore, at Muskingum, con- cerning this country. It is well known to all my brothers who are now present, that my forefather kindled the first fires at Detroit; thence he ex- tended his lines to the west waters of the Sciota; thence to its mouth; from there down the Ohio to the mouth of the Wabash; and thence to Chicago, on Lake Michigan. At this place I first saw my elder brothers, the Shawnees. I have now informed you of the boundaries of the
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Miami nation, where the Great Spirit placed my forefather long ago, and charged him not to sell or part with his lands, but preserve them for his posterity. This charge has been handed down to me." When they left the parent stock in the east, by what route they migrated west- ward, will probably never be known, and their own traditions in regard to it were vague and uncertain.
The first historical account of the tribe since it became known under the distinct name of Miamis, was in the year 1669, when they were found in the vicinity of Green Bay, by the French missionary, Father Allouez, and later by Father Dablon. In 1680, both of these renowned and de- voted priests visited a town of the Miamis and Mascoutins, on the Fox river, above Lake Winnebago. St. Lusson, a French officer in the Canadian forces, found them at Green Bay during the same year. They received him with marked distinction, giving a sham battle for his enter- tainment, as well as the game of la crosse. On his return he gave a marvelous account of the dignity and state of the Miami chief who was his host and entertainer. From there they passed to the southward of Lake Michigan, in the vicinity of Chicago, subsequently locating on the St. Joseph of Lake Michigan, establishing there a village, another on the river Miami (Maumee) of Lake Erie, and a third on the Wabash, called Ouiatenon.
Some part of the tribe seems to have remained after the migration mentioned, for in 1673 Marquette visited the town of the Miamis for- merly visited by Allouez and Dablon. On reaching the village he found a cross planted in its center. The Indians had decorated it with dressed deer skins, red girdles, bows and arrows, and other ornaments, in honor of the great Manitou of the French. He describes the Miamis as wear- ing long locks of hair over each ear, and says of the Mascoutins and Kickapoos, that they were mere boors as compared with their Miami townsmen. It may be, however, that prior to their location at Green Bay, they first assumed the character of a distinct tribe at Detroit, as stated by Little Turtle, and, in various wanderings, spread thence over the valley of the Scioto to the Ohio, and thence to the Wabash and northward, inhabiting from time to time, every portion of the territory they claimed, and of which their proprietorship was recognized by the surrounding tribes.
In 1680, the Iroquois decreed in their councils a war against the Illi- nois, then a numerous and powerful tribe. The chief town of the Mia- mis was on the way, and although the Miamis were kinsmen to the Illinois, the wily Iroquois visited them and induced them to join in the invasion as their allies. This was more easily accomplished, because there had been a jealousy of long standing between the two tribes, and the Miamis were unaware that they were already marked out by their treacherous allies, the Iroquois, as their next victims, and that one purpose of the alliance was doubtless to reduce the fighting number of the Mia- mis by means of this war with the Illinois. About the middle of Sep- tember, the allies approached the Vermilion river, where the Illinois,
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THE MIAMIS AT KEKIONGA.
warned of the invasion, had hastened to meet them, and were posted in the open prairie near the margin of the river. The Iroquois and their allies were numerous, and were armed in great measure with guns, pis- tols, and swords, obtained from the whites, while most of the Illinois were armed only with the primitive weapons of the savage, only about a hundred of them being armed with modern weapons. They exhibited every evidence of bravery and eagerness to meet the invaders, yelling, dancing and brandishing their weapons in the presence of their foes, who responded with similar manifestations of eagerness for the fray. Not- withstanding this apparent eagerness no battle was fought, and yielding to the mediation of La Salle, who had espoused their cause, the Illinois finally withdrew.
Subsequently, the Iroquois crossed to the Illinois side of the river, took possession, and erected a rude fort for immediate protection. Under the guise of making a treaty of peace, they prepared for a merciless slaughter of their victims. The French being withdrawn, the Illinois unfortunately for themselves, separated into different bands and scat- tered. The Iroquois, foiled in finding a living foe, wreaked their ven- geance upon the dead, tearing down the burial scaffolds, and violating the graves, giving the bodies to the dogs or burning them, and fixing the skulls on stakes. They then pursued the fleeing Illinois to the Missis- sippi, scattering the remnants of the once powerful tribe in every direc- tion. Few of the men were killed, but many women and children were captured, and for some time the Iroquois revelled in the tortures they inflicted upon these unhappy victims. At length, sated with their atroci- ties, the conquerers withdrew, taking with them a host of captives whose lives had been spared, not from any instinct of mercy, but because they could make them useful as slaves by incorporating them in their tribe. The total number of their prisoners has been stated as more than seven hundred.
In 1686 the Miamis were located on the Bay des Puans (Green Bay, Wisconsin). There they were attacked by their former allies the Iroquois, and suffered greatly at their hands, these fierce warriors desir- ing by the destruction of the Miamis to make themselves masters of Michillimackinac and of the bay, including in their objects the destruction of the Christian missionaries, and the extinction of the trade by way of the lakes, or the control of it for themselves. During the same year, Denonville writes that the Five Nations are making a large war party, supposed to be against the Oumiamis and other savages of the Bay des Puans, who were attacked this year, one of their villages having been destroyed. by the Iroquois, on receiving notice whereof the hunters of those tribes pursued the Iroquois, whom they overtook and fought with considerable vigor, having recovered several prisoners and killed many of the Iroquois. During the years 1686-7 there were frequent diffi- culties between the Iroquois and Miamis, which occasioned much uneasi- ness among the English colonial officials, and the English governor called a council of his Iroquois allies to ascertain the true condition of affairs.
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It was held at Albany on the 5th of August, 1687, when he proposed to them to send messages to the Ottawas, Twightwees and the further Indians, and some of the prisoners from those tribes were sent to make a covenant chain with them.
On the following day, one of the Maquase (Mohawk) sachems, named Sindachsegie, made a speech to the governor, explaining the cause of the disturbance between them and those nations in alliance with the French. He said: "Wee are resolved to speake the truth, and all the evill we have done them is that about six yeares agoe, some of the Sinnekes and some of the Onnondages went aboard of a French Barke att Onnyagaro, that was come to trade there, and took out of the said Barke a Caske of Brandy and cutt the Cable." It occurred, also, that in September, of the preceding year, the Senecas had visited the coun- try of the Omianies (Miamis), and in a warlike expedition had taken of them 500 prisoners and lost twenty-nine killed, two of them in foray, and twenty-seven when the Touloucks (Outaouacs) and Illinois caught them.
Ten years later, Peter Schuyler and others, on behalf of the Senecas, in a communication to the English governor, Fletcher, dated September 28, 1697, made this statement: " Wee are sorry to have it to tell you the loss of our brethren, the Sinnekes, suffered in an engagement with ye Twichtwichts Indians; our young men killed several of the enemy, but, upon their retreat, some of their chiefe capts. were cut off. You know our custome is to condole ye dead, therefore, we desire you give us some for these Beavours; soe laid down ten Beavr. skins. The Wampum was immediately given them for said skins, and the day fol- lowing appointed for a conference upon the first proposition made by them for powder & lead, &c." Further statement is made concerning the war between the Five Nations and the Miamis, in Robert Living- ston's report to the secretary of Indian affairs, in April, 1700, from which it would seem that the war had been pending between these par- ties for many years, taken in connection with the preceding statement. He recommends " That all endeavors be used to obtain a peace between . the 5 Nations and the Dowaganhaas, Twichtwicks & other far Nations of Indians whom the Governor of Canada stirs up to destroy them, not only the 5 Nations have been mortall enemies to the French & true to the English, but because they hinder his trade with the said far Nations, trucking with them themselves and bringing the beavers hither."
In a subsequent communication by the same writer, on the 29th of August of the same year, a better reason is given, perhaps, for the de- sire to induce a cessation of hostilities between those belligerent nations. " Brethren: You must needs be sensible that the Dowaganhaes, Twichtwicks, Ottawa & Diononades, and other remote Indians, are vastly more numerous than you 5 Nations, and that, by their continued warring upon you, they will, in a few years, totally destroy you."
In 1736, there was an enumeration of the Indian tribes with the num-
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THE MIAMIS AT KEKIONGA.
ber of their warriors and the armorial bearings of each nation, supposed to have been prepared by M. de Joncaire, a Frenchman who had been adopted into the Seneca tribe.
He mentions first the Pottawatomies, who call themselves the gover- nor's eldest sons. They were located at the village of St. Joseph, on the river of that name (the St. Joseph of Lake Michigan) and numbered about one hundred warriors. He mentions that they had with them ten Miamis, who bear in their arms a crane.
He classes the Miamis under the head of " Lake Erie and its depen- dencies on the south side," and says of them: " The Miamis have for their device the hind and the crane. These [the Miamis and Potta- watomies ] are the two principal tribes. There is likewise the device of the bear, and they numbered 200 men bearing arms. The Ouyattanons, Peauguichias, Petikokias are the same nation, though in different vil- lages. They can place under arms 350 men. The devices of these savages are the serpent, the deer, and the small acorn."
In November, 1763, Sir William Johnson gave an account of the present state of the Indians, and mentions as a part of the Ottawa con- federacy, the Miamis or Twightwees, located near the fort on the Miami river, numbering over 250 men. He says: "The Twightwees were originally a very powerful people, who, having been subdued by the Six Nations, were permitted to enjoy their possessions. There are many tribes and villages of them, but these are all that are certainly known."
In 1765, the Miami confederacy was composed of the following branches, situated and having warriors in number, viz .: Twightwees, at the head of the Maumee river, with 250 available warriors; the Ouia- tenons, in the vicinity of Post Ouiatenon, on the Wabash, with 300 warriors; the Piankeshaws, on the Vermillion river, with 300 warriors, and the Shockeys, on territory lying on the Wabash, between Vincennes and Post Ouiatenon, with 200 warriors. At an earlier period, probably, the Miamis, with their confederates, were able to muster a much more formidable force, as the citation from the representatives of the Five Nations would seem to show.
In 1748, the English merchants and traders secured a limited trade with the Miamis, much, it is said, in consequence of the failure of the French traders, who had, during the preceding century, held the suprem- acy, to supply the increasing wants of the Miamis, especially those on the borders of the Ohio and its tributaries. Thus a favorable influence was exerted on the part of the Miamis toward the English, which resulted in a treaty of alliance and friendship between the English and the Twightwees (Miamis) on the 23d of July of the same year, whereby the latter became and were recognized as " Good Friends and Allies of the English Nation, subjects of the King of Great Britain, entitled to the privilege and protection of the English Laws." This treaty was signed by the representatives, " Deputies from the Twightwees (or Miamis) on or about the river Ouabache, a branch of the river Mississippi," three
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in number, the first and principal of whom was Aque-noch-qua, head chief of the Miamis, and the father of Me-che-can-noch-qua ( LittleTurtle), at. that time and for many years previous a resident of the Turtle vil- lage in this vicinity.
By their several treaties with the United States, the Miamis have ceded an aggregate of 6,853,020 acres of land. Aggregate of land given in exchange, 44,640 acres, the aggregate value of which was $55,800. The aggregate consideration paid for these lands, in money and goods, $1,205,907; total consideration paid, $1,261,707, as shown by the records of the department at Washington.
EARLY EXPLORATIONS.
The period when the white man first wended his way through the wilderness, and set his foot upon the spot where was the seat of au- thority among the Miamis, and where now rise the spires of the busy city of Fort Wayne, cannot with any certainty be determined. The first intrepid explorer was doubtless one of that class, who either from love of a life of wild adventure, or from desire to avoid the punishment due for misdemeanors committed, either in France, or the settlements on the St. Lawrence, joined the horde of adventurers known as " coureurs de bois," or wood rangers, and paddled his canoe along the borders of Lake Erie, thence up the Maumee to the portage, and perhaps still fur- ther down the Wabash in search of peltries, which he conveyed back to the settlements, or, if he feared to return, sold them to intermedi- ate traders.
" The Coureur de Bois" was an unique figure in American history. Careless and rollicking in disposition, he fearlessly plunged into the wilds of the interior, freely mingling with the tribes he happened to come in contact with, making himself at home and welcomed in their villages, becoming one of them by adopting their habits and dress, allowing him- self to be painted and sometimes adopted into their tribes, making love to, and contracting a temporary marriage with, the dusky girl who was willing to become the mistress of the wigwam of the pale-face; broke these bonds and ties to form others whenever his fortunes or his fancy took him to another village; returned by long voyages for occasional visits to the old settlements, where he spent his time in wild carousals until he had lost the wealth his peltries had brought him, when he would again plunge into the forest to seek some .one of his deserted wives, and spend another period in amassing the necessary supplies for another visit and another debauch. Sometimes he left the scenes of civilized life behind him forever, and remained among his savage com- panions, becoming one of them, in so far as one born in civilization can become in truth a savage. Wild and reckless as he was, savage as he might become, he was the precursor of the advance of civilization, and blazed the path through hitherto trackless wilds for the entrance of the explorer and the priest, who led the advance, and became the pioneers
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EARLY EXPLORATIONS.
of the western world. Let us treat his follies and his crimes with lenient judgment, for he, unwittingly perhaps, but nevertheless certainly, performed an inestimable service to the world, and to us who now enjoy the blessings of a civilization he seemed to flee from and shun.
That the route by way of the head of the Maumee and its portage to the Wabash was known and traversed at an early date may be said to be known with certainty, although any records of such travels may be wanting. The reader should remember that for many years after the discovery of America, the learned of the world believed it to be a part of the Indies, and they long sought a passage over our continent, to reach the South sea and the treasures of Cathay. It was not till long after La Salle discovered the Mississippi, that it dawned upon their minds that a new continent had been discovered, an unknown half of the world opened for future empire. In the mean time, the explorer and priest had followed fast upon the footsteps of the wood ranger and fur trader, and it is the record of their adventurous footsteps, as they opened and took possession of the valley of the Mississippi, and more particularly of the valley of the Maumee, with which we have to deal.
As early as 1504, and perhaps at an earlier date, the fisheries of Newfoundland were known and visited by the hardy and venturesome fishermen of France, and a map of the St. Lawrence was made in 1506, by Denys, a citizen of Honfleur. In 1508, Thomas Aubert of Dieppe sailed up the St. Lawrence, and from that time commenced an inter- communication and trade between the French and the Indians of the in- terior, which gradually extended to distant points. When Capt. John Smith discovered the Chesapeake, he discovered among the Indians of that region, articles of civilized manufacture, which must have come from the French settlements on the St. Lawrence through the Iroquois. Quebec was founded in 1608, and became the center from which wood ranger, trader, explorer, and priest, radiated in every direction, sowing seeds which were to fructify, and produce a marvelous harvest, far in the future.
The great profits realized from the fur trade were inducements for adventure, and numerous traders and other adventure-loving spirits found their way to the extensive domain of New France. Among these, of course, members of the society of Jesus were found, and, in 16II, a mission had been established among the Indians of that region. From that time forward, vigorous efforts were made for the furtherance of trade in connection with the establishment of missions for the conver- sion of the Indians. By means of the assiduous perseverance of the French traders and priests, these efforts were generally attended with success. As a result, it is stated that up to 1621, 500 convents of the Recollets had been established in New France. In 1635, a Jesuit col- lege was founded at Quebec. During that year, Champlain, the first governor of New France, died, and with him much of the zeal incident to prosperous settlements.
The immediate successor of Champlain as governor, was Chasteau-
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fort, who was superceded by De Montmagny, in 1636. With this lat- ter appointment, a change in the affairs of the government was noticea- ble, the fur trade becoming the principal object of attention. A consequence of this policy was the exploration of other new territory, to enlarge the arena of trade. Rude forts were erected as a means of de- fense to the trading-houses and a protection to the trade. Not far remote - a never-failing auxiliary - was the chapel of the Jesuit, sur- mounted by a cross. Gradually, these explorations extended westward and southward along the margin of the lakes and their tributaries.
Champlain had in 1611-12, ascended as far as Lake Huron, which he called " the Fresh Sea," passing by the Maumee on his way. In 1640, Fathers Charles Raymbault and Claude Pijart were chosen and sent as missionaries to the Algonquins of the north and west. Where they labored is not known, but it is probable that they went little further than here at that early date. In August, 1604, two young and adven- turous fur traders joined a band of Algonquins, and made a voyage of 500 leagues, coming in contact with many tribes, and even with the Sioux beyond Lake Superior.
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