USA > Michigan > Kent County > Grand Rapids > Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan: History and Account of Their Progress from First. Vol. I > Part 6
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As often shown in his writing, McCoy was intolerant and re- garded the Catholics, particularly, as enemies of his work, and be- lieved that the followers of that faith were on the highway to eternal damnation ; nevertheless, when he, in his desperation, set forth through the deep snow in search of food for his well-nigh famished flock, it was a Roman Catholic, Bertrand, a French trader, who came to his relief. While floundering through the snow, he met Bertrand and explained the situation. The trader said it would be impossible to get food from the Indians. "But," said he, in broken English, "I got some corn, some flour; I give you half. Suppose you die, I die too." The noble act of this trader in dividing his scant store with the Protestant missionary does not seem to have impressed McCoy greatly, but he was moved to give thanks to Providence, saying : "Thus we had scarcely eaten our last meal, when God sent us an- other."
The mission managed to survive the winter and, on May 26, McCoy started for the contemplated station among the Ottawas. A Frenchman named Paget acted as guide and an Indian pupil and a government laborer made up the party. Paget proved worthless as a pilot and the party was happy to reach an Indian camp after swim- ming the Kekemazoo River (which McCoy insists to be the correct spelling for the Kalamazoo). He found the natives drinking in one of the Ottawa villages which he passed the following day, with the women drinking in a house by themselves. On May 30, by the help of an Indian and his canoe, they crossed the Grand River at the vil- lage of Kewikishkum, who was absent. A commissioner, appointed by Governor Cass for the location of the mission, and Mr. Sears had previously been to the Grand River country and Mr. Sears had de- scribed to McCoy the proposed site for the Ottawa station. McCoy found no place answering the description, and after searching nine miles down the river, reconnoitered in order to select a building place, and lodged at a trading house. Mr. McCoy does not give the name of this trader, nor any description by which the location may be identi-
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fied, except that it was in the immediate vicinity of Kewikishkum's village. Rix Robinson's post was established in the vicinity of Ada, in 1821, while Louis Campau is not supposed to have come to the Grand River Valley until 1826.
The missionary's account of his first visit to the Grand River Valley is so graphic and gives such an interesting picture of Indian customs, and incidents it is here quoted. After mentioning the fact that he lodged at a trading house, Mr. McCoy wrote: "At this place an old woman, evidently a white woman, brought her son to me that I might heal him of the disease of convulsive fits, with which he had been afflicted from infancy, and by which he had become an idiot. She said that a relation of hers had informed her that one of her children had been afflicted in the same manner and that a Catholic priest had cured the disease by his prayers. She had taken this young man to an Indian who was reputed to be skilled in such cases, but the conjurer had not succeeded in this. He alleged, as the cause of his failure, that this disease was under the influence of the moon, and he could not control the moon. She had applied with no better suc- cess to a second conjurer, who also attributed the affliction to the influence of the moon. Both physicians, however, had united in opinion that I could control the moon and heal the diseased, and, accordingly, they had advised her to bring her son to me, which she had done. She believed that I had power to heal her son, as the Indian doctors had reported, in which opinion she was confirmed by discovering a favourable change in the symptoms of the disease since my arrival. I patiently listened to the old woman's tale before I said anything in reply, and the purport of my answer may easily be conjectured."
The expedition to the Grand River Valley returned to Carey, on June 5, having been unsuccessful in establishing a mission for the rea- sons noted by Mr. McCoy. The mission at Carey prospered and, by July 1, sixty acres were fenced, and there was a large school of both Indian boys and girls. It was not until September that a second ef- fort was made to establish the mission on the Grand River. In rela- tion to this, Mr. McCoy said: "Times being pretty hard in relation to pecuniary matters, it behooves us not to leave a stone unturned that might possibly offer relief. We therefore determined that, notwith- standing the onerous duties which devolved on us at Carey, we would make a vigorous effort to get matters into operation among the Otta- was. We could receive no government allowance for the Ottawas until we actually commenced, and we should also be repaid for all the property, such as wagons, oxen, etc., purchased for the station, and which was still on hand. Notwithstanding we needed at Carey, one or two others like Mr. Lykins, the necessity seemed to demand his attention to the Ottawas, which he gave, in the hope that the Gov- ernor would confer on him the appointment of teacher and thus secure to him a salary of $400, which sum would be applied to the support of the mission. In order to allay the prejudice of the savages, it was proposed to commence with a smithery on the line between the Otta- was and the Pottawatamies; and preparations were made accord- ingly ; but, although a delegation of Ottawas called and appeared much pleased with the proffered assistance, nothing was done until
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November, when a blacksmith shop was erected on the Kalamazoo river, among the Ottawas. One Indian followed the party, threaten- ing them and forbidding them to proceed through the Ottawa lands, but a council of the chiefs quieted the trouble and the Ottawas were soon much pleased with the work of the missionaries. In spite of the government aid, the Carey mission was faced by continued financial difficulties. McCoy made a trip to the East to solicit funds, securing enough to pay the debts of the mission and to procure some additional supplies. He returned by way of Detroit, and with him came Robert Simerwell, who took an active part in the work of the missions. Iron and steel for the smitheries was bought at Detroit and loaded on a vessel which Simerwell accompanied to the mouth of the St. Joseph river, while McCoy went on horseback through the wilderness. McCoy arrived at the Carey station to find the vessel delayed and the sup- plies almost exhausted. There were supplies for but one day, and the Indian pupils were sent to keep up a fire in order that the smoke, be- ing seen from the vessel, might point out the place of landing. The vessel opportunely arrived and William Polke, who had joined the mission, superintended the loading of the supplies into pirogues for transportation from the mouth of the river to the mission. At De- troit, McCoy obtained from Governor Cass the appointment of Polke as teacher for the Ottawas in place of Mr. Sears. Polke had visited the Ottawas once, but had not made any definite arrangement with them, excepting that the government laborers had afforded them some assistance in improving their land. Mr. Polke set out for the Ottawa station, on June 29, 1824, with tools for the smithery, a blacksmith, and an Indian pupil as an apprentice. He had a wagon and two yokes of oxen, driven by another Indian boy. He left two public laborers to work for the Ottawas, but soon returned to Carey. These repeated efforts made a favorable impression among the Ottawas and a delega- tion visited the Carey mission and reported that their tribe was deeply interested and desired that the smithery be located on the Grand Riv- er, in a central and more eligible place. This was the effect which McCoy had desired to produce by establishing the smithery on the Kalamazoo River, and, by September, the Ottawas again expressed their desire for the establishment of a mission and urged a personal visit from McCoy. He was unable to comply with this request, but sent letters by three Indian pupils to the blacksmith, who was to read them to the inhabitants of each village, to be interpreted by the Indian boys. "This measure," said McCoy, "tended to cherish kind feeling among the Ottawas. Assisted by one of the United States laborers, a stack of prairie hay was made before their return for the subsist- ence of our oxen through the succeeding winter. They brought home with them for our school an Ottawa girl, about seven years old." In November, 1824, the Carey mission was visited by John L. Leib, of Detroit, as a special commissioner of the Government, to examine the affairs of the mission. He was accompanied by Colonel Godfroy. The commissioner found the Carey mission in excellent condition and, relative to the Thomas mission, said: "I should have proceeded to the Grand River, had I not learned that the contemplated establish- ment there had not as yet been effected. There can be no doubt that great pains had been taken to prejudice the Ottawas against any loca-
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tion at Grand River, under the direction of a Protestant association ; and they have been made to say that a Catholic establishment would be welcome. It can be easily conceived how this feeling has been produced; but it can not exist long, in as much as a policy has been pursued by the superintendent at Carey by which not only the salu- tary purpose contemplated by the government will be achieved with- out opposition, but a settlement courted. A temporary smithery, the most important of all, in the view of the Indians, has been erected at the river Kekemazoo, about midway between St. Joseph's and Grand Rivers, at which much work has been done for the Ottawas and some for the Putawatomies. The hands employed by the Indian Depart- ment have built for one of the Ottawas a considerable cabin and, besides assisting others, have made coal for the smithery and hay for cattle. The superintendent was about to repair to Grand River as soon as I left St. Joseph with the purpose of erecting buildings there- at, suitable to the objects of the intended institution. No opposition was apprehended, as the benefits derived from the temporary smith- ery on Kekemazoo, and the extensive usefulness of the establishment on the St. Joseph made many of the Ottawas desirous of a settlement for like purposes in their own neighborhood."
It was soon after this that Gosa, who was one of the most friend- ly of the Ottawas, arrived at the mission with a message from the In- dians of Grand River, earnestly requesting McCoy to visit them. The missionary responded to this invitation and left Carey, Nov. 24, 1824, accompanied by Sawyer, the blacksmith; C. Mettez, a laborer, and Gosa. They found the smithery on the Kekemazoo destroyed, and it was said that in the absence of the smith the Indians had undertaken to work at the forge and had fired and nearly burnt up the house. The party encamped at Gun Lake and, the following day, McCoy had an interview with Naoqua Keshuck, an Ottawa chief, who said he had long desired to see McCoy and had sent a messenger to learn why the visit had been so long delayed. He urged McCoy to make a settle- ment at his village at the rapids of Grand River, declaring that he and some others desired to adopt the habits of civilized life and would be glad to avail themselves of the mission. He said he was anxious for the establishment of a school for the benefit of the youth, and wished also to hear preaching. He added: "I am an Indian; nevertheless, I think of God and of religion, and had we a preacher among us, per- haps I could become good." McCoy told the chief what he proposed to do, but the Indian feared that McCoy would deceive him as other white men had done and asked that he commit his proposals to writ- ing. This McCoy did, and the chief said: "In token of friendship I take hold of your hand; I take fast hold of it. God sees us take hold of each other's hands and will be witness against him who shall de- ceive." Mr. McCoy said, continuing the narrative of this journey : "We camped on the following day, Nov. 29, and proceeded toward the rapids of Grand River. At twelve o'clock, we were joined by Noon- day, alias Naoqua Keshuck, Gosa having left us. That night I was violently attacked by dysentery, effected by the mode of living, nec- essary on my journey. I usually carried medicines with me, but at this time, happening to have none, the skill of both Noonday and my- self was put in requisition in seeking vegetable remedies in the forest.
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I spent the night in great distress. But with some abatement of pain, I became able to sit on my horse on the following day, but remained continually indisposed during the remainder of the tour." Thus it will be seen that it was Noonday who welcomed the white missionary and urged that the mission be located at the rapids of the Grand River. Thus the location of the village, first adopted by the Mound Builders, and later used by the Indians, was brought to the notice of the whites. It was the value of the Grand River for transportation purposes which influenced the Mound Builders, the Indians, and the missionaries; it remained for the white settlers to conceive the idea that the swiftly flowing rapids could furnish almost unlimited power for the handi- craft of man. Thus, while Grand Rapids owes much to the energy and enterprise of the pioneers, the first debt of gratitude owed by citi- zens of Grand Rapids is due to Nature-to the great glaciers by which the bed of Grand River was formed, and along which its waters forced their way over the rocky channel to seek the lower level of the lakes; and every citizen should remember that, primarily, all the greatness of Grand Rapids, its vast enterprises, its costly public buildings, its beautiful streets and parks, its comfortable, happy homes, are due to the swiftly flowing waters of the Grand River rap- ids. Latterly, they owe a debt to Noonday, the wise and friendly chief, who welcomed the missionary in such kindly fashion, and to Isaac McCoy, who had the good judgment to act upon Noonday's ad- vice. Continuing the narrative, Mr. McCoy said :
"Two days later, we reached Grand River, which it was necessary that we should cross. Noonday had two canoes hid in the brush, smaller than I had ever before seen. He brought one on his shoul- der and, placing it in the river, directed me to lie down in it, as in a sitting posture there would be danger of capsizing. When I was thus adjusted, he said he believed he could get me across, as I did not ap- pear to be so heavy as a deer he had once taken over in the same canoe. I spent the night encamped and, assisted by the chief, made examination on horseback for the purpose of selecting a site for our mission station. Having marked out a place, and giving the chief some advice in relation to buildings and fields which he desired to make, on Dec. 2, I set out for home."
McCoy employed Gosa to assist the blacksmith and the French laborer in taking the smith's tools from the Kekenmazoo to the new location at the rapids of Grand River. The attempt failed, however, on account of ice in the waters which they were required to navigate, and McCoy returned to Carey on Dec. 17, but the blacksmith, William Sawyer, with two laborers soon left Carey to improve the Grand River station. The blacksmith did not return to Carey until February, 1825, having spent the winter on the Grand River. On March 10, 1825, Mr. Polke, with the blacksmith, an Indian apprentice and a la- borer, set out in pirogues for the Grand River station, availing them- selves of the assistance of Gosa. Polke found a majority of the Ot- tawas well disposed toward the mission and the prospects for its use- fulness very pleasing. At the same time, some malicious persons had resolved on breaking up the establishment. From time imme- morial the rapids of Grand River had been a place of great resort in the spring on account of the facility with which fish could be caught, I-4
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and, in accordance with this custom, many were now encamped there. A council having been proposed, the opposers of the mission delayed, with the design that Mr. Polke should leave for the St. Joseph before it should be convened. These men had brought whiskey on the ground to aid in making disturbances. All, however, appeared friend- ly toward Mr. Polke, except one, who, as was afterwards learned, had previously meditated mischief. Mr. Polke, in his journal, said: 'I had been requested by some of the Indians to remain at the place an- other day, in the hope of being able to have a council. I was unde- cided, when a circumstance occurred which induced me to remain. Many Indians near our house were in a state of intoxication. The blacksmith, our apprentice, and Gosa were on the margin of the river, while I was standing on the river bank, near our door, looking at some canoes of the fishermen in the river, when more noise than usual occurred in an Indian camp near. At this instant the fishermen in the canoes, who could perceive what was going on in the camp, hal- looed lustily to us on the bank. I could not understand them; but Gosa, who understood them, rushed up the river bank toward the men. On turning my eyes toward the camp, I discovered an Indian running toward me with a gun in his hand. I apprehended that his intention was to shoot me, and I resolved that, as he raised his gun to fire, I would try to save myself by a sudden leap down the bank. He ap- proached within about eighteen yards, when he abruptly halted to fire. In the attempt to raise his gun he was seized by Gosa. The fel- low made a violent effort to accomplish his purpose. The Indian ap- prentice boy came to Gosa's assistance and they disarmed the wicked man, who was taken away by some of the people of his camp."
Despite these dangers and discouragements Mr. Polke again vis- ited the Grand River mission and returned to Carey, May 17, 1825. He reported that he found the Indians friendly ; many expressed regret that he had been insulted on a previous visit and hoped nothing of the kind would again occur. Even the man who had made the attempt upon his life had, since that time, indicated a disposition to conciliate those connected with the mission. Mr. Polke also found a favorable attention to public religious exercises, which he had the happiness of performing while at the station. The blacksmith and the two work- men for the Ottawas were laboring to great advantage. Improve- ments in the erection of dwellings, in the making of fences, and in plowing were advancing. The Indians themselves were becoming ani- mated with their prospects of better conditions and began to labor with their own hands much more than they had previously done. "We stated to them that the government had placed under our control only two white men to labor for them. These could do but little, com- pared with the amount of labor needed by the neighborhood. They must therefore take hold themselves, and if, for instance, they could not manage a plow and oxen themselves, let them furnish a man to work with the laborers, and by this means they would learn to man- age the plow and oxen, and two plows, instead of one, could be kept constantly moving by the two laborers. To two families we had loaned milch cows for their encouragement. The Ottawas also expressed a desire to avail themselves of the advantages of schools and solicited the establishment of one among them as soon as practicable, which,
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we assured them would be done. Three children had been sent by them, from Grand River, to the school at Carey. Soon a small mill was made, with materials obtained in the neighborhood, which was turned by hand. One strong man at this constantly was able barely to make a meal, of a poor quality, sufficient for bread of Indian corn, but wheat flour could not be ground."
The nearer approach of the whites and the unrestricted sale of liquors warned the good missionary that, if the Indian was to be pre- served, he must be removed from white influence. McCoy also had financial difficulties ; government pay was sure, but slow, and he was forced to go to Ohio to solicit support. Gosa, his Ottawa friend, ac- companied him on this tour, which was extended to Washington and to New York. In July, Mr. Polke resigned from the mission and Mr. Lykins was appointed government teacher for the Ottawas. At this time Mr. McCoy writes: "Settlements of white people were rapidly multiplying near us, attended with ruinous effects upon the Indian. We were almost invariably treated respectfully, but the devil and whiskey sellers appeared to pull down faster than we could build up. In August, intoxication prevailed to such an extent on Grand River that our young men, employed as smiths and laborers, requested leave to abandon the station. An attempt had been made on the life of our friend Gosa, and, in one case, he and his family took refuge in the house with our young men, where the whole party remained watching all night. Recovering from a bacchanalian revel and finding the young men inclined to leave them, they sent Gosa as messenger to us to entreat us to continue our efforts for them, promising better man- ners in the future and requesting me to visit them." They charged that their disturbances had been prompted by a white man, who, Mc- Coy declared, was the same who had protested against the establish- ment of the Protestant mission at the time of the Chicago treaty. McCoy replied, encouraging the young men not to abandon the station and promising to visit them. The missionary also told of the diffi- culty in delivering supplies to the distant station at Grand River and said: "The navigation of these upper lakes was at this time in its incipient state, and supplies by this route were often attended with great expense. Sundry articles of importance to us had been left at Chicago, and we had the expense of sending a barge for them. On Sept. 5, 1825, we started a pirogue to Grand River with iron and steel and other articles needed at that station. On the following day, with Naoquett, a Frenchman, and an Indian, we set out for the same place by land with five head of cattle. On the way our Indian sickened and we had to send him ten miles to find a shelter in an Indian village. Reaching Grand River in five days, having suffered not a little incon- venience at some of our encampments on account of the scarcity of water, I delivered to the Indians, plows, yokes, chains and other farm- ing utensils, and mechanical tools forwarded by the Government. The articles were not of good quality, disturbing the confidence of the In- dians, but they, nevertheless, seemed inspired with new hope and made new promises to endeavor to do well. Some who had been induced to oppose the mission at Grand River visited me while there and ap- peared to have become entirely satisfied. We had as yet little im- provement in buildings or farming at this station."
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Hands were now set to work to erect permanent log buildings, the people entreated that a school be furnished and the missionary was deeply impressed by their earnestness and the improvements be- ing made. Regarding the Grand River mission he said: "The place we had selected for the establishment of the mission, we could easily perceive, would one day become a place of importance, much more so than that which had been selected for it by the commissioner of the United States. That our estimate of the local advantages of the new site was not erroneous will be seen in the sequel." By Dec. 26, 1826, the missionary was able to report the erection of three neat buildings at Grand River, one being for a school, but Mr. McCoy was im- pressed with the importance of removing the Indians and was pre- paring to accompany them west.
Relative to the Mound Builders, Chief Gosa related an interest- ing legend, which was, probably, believed by many: "Three ages ago, that is, when the grandfather of him who is now an old man was born, some Ottawas at this place (Rapids of Grand river, Michigan) experiencing great inconvenience on account of having no vessel in which they could prepare their food, set about making a pot of earth. The vessel, being placed over the fire, broke. Other trials were made to construct a substantial vessel, all of which were unsuccessful; none yet could be made impervious to fluids, or that would resist the action of fire. After two days' fruitless labour, and when the work- men were hungry for want of a vessel in which to prepare their food, they sat down in despair and wept. On a night, not long after, a spirit appeared to one of them in a dream, and inquired, 'Why do you weep?' The sleeper answered, 'Because I am poor-I have no pot. Why did you create me and place me here, to suffer poverty and disappointment, without remedy?' The spirit pointed down to the lakes, and said, 'Go in that direction, and I will accompany you, and you shall find relief.' They set off, and the spirit, unperceived by day, accompanied them and conversed with them every night. They passed the islands of Mackinaw and Montreal and reached Quebec. At the latter place they found the French, who extended to them the hand of friendship, and who furnished them with an iron pot, to which were added other useful articles of which they had previously been destitute. Their Spiritual guide, having fulfilled his errand of kindness, now discontinued his communion."
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