USA > Michigan > Monroe County > History of Monroe County, Michigan : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests Volume I > Part 18
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The ponies which abounded in the woods, were quite serviceable for traveling through the country over the trails. These exceedingly tough and sagacious animals ran at large on the openings and prairies, and droves of them, branded with the name of some owner, or reputed owner, were to be met with frequently near the settlements. When the seasons were dry they would come to the streams for water in large troops, often galloping through the streets of Monroe with a tremendous clatter of hoofs upon the hard roads, during hours when the temptations of a salt barrel left exposed in front of a grocery overcame their prudence, and led to freer indulgence in the luxury than was agreeable or profitable to the owner.
When on a journey, in numbers, they were usually tied in groups of two or four together, and at night fettered, when the bell which each one wore was freed from the straw that had bound the clapper through the day. They rarely strayed far from a camp, perhaps their fear of prowling wolves or other predatory animals kept them near to human society for protection. They usually lived upon what they could pick up, and did not appear to care whether the fare was good, bad or indifferent so long as there was enough of it. They were re- markably free from the diseases which attack animals more tenderly
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reared and cared for. They made most excellent pack horses-hardy, tractable and enduring.
In March, 1818, shoes and other supplies were sent up from Detroit to Green Bay for the troops by pack-ponies. That town had been garrisoned in September, 1817, and the American jurisdiction had never before been exercised effectually unless by Judge Reaume, whose authority seems to have belonged to universal jurisprudence. The use of pack animals instead of vessels, shows the limited extent of water transportation. The abundance of horses, and the small expense of their maintenance made this less costly than might be supposed. The winter carriage in the upper country was for many years done by means of dogs, and people were very expert in devising contrivances for their animals. When the government removed the Indians west of the Mis- sissippi river, it was done generally by contract, and one of the French merchants in Monroe secured a part of this contract; he purchased every pony or vagrant horse in that part of the country, amounting to hundreds, and the Indians were thus sent forward in this, to them, familiar mode of travel.
HORNER SUCCEEDS MASON AS GOVERNOR
The activity and zeal of Stevens T. Mason the acting governor and secretary of the territory of Michigan in the discharge of his duties ap- peared to be very displeasing to President Andrew Jackson and he was superseded by the appointment of Judge Charles Shaler of Pennsylvania. Had the congress been in session his appointment would have doubtless been promptly confirmed, but as it was not, Shaler, knowing that but a short time could elapse before the citizens' demand for statehood must be granted, he declined, and on September 8, 1835, John S. Horner, of Virginia was appointed secretary of the territory, and accepted. Arriv- ing at Detroit, shortly after, he reported to the secretary of state of the United States, as follows :
"Detroit, Saturday Night, September 19, 1835.
"SIR: I arrived at Cleveland, Ohio, late on Thursday night, and early on Friday morning took passage in a boat, the Michigan, for Detroit. My arrival here was unavoidably delayed until near night by our run- ning aground at the mouth of the river. Late this evening I called on Mr. Mason to whom I delivered the communications from the department. On Monday morning next I contemplate taking charge of the territorial government, and should have insisted on it this evening, had the emer- gency made it necessary. Assurances have been made from all quar- ters here, (Detroit) that Michigan is now and is likely to continue quiet. Such I believe to be the pervading opinion here. The Detroit newspapers received by the Department will give an account of the Mich- igan expedition to Toledo on the 1st inst. Mr. Mason has this moment handed me the enclosed memoranda in his own handwriting, of the events of the 13th. I hear that a large meeting was held anticipating my arrival, and a committee is shortly to call on me to ascertain the principles on which I shall administer the territorial government. I shall strive to effect.the views of the government, and to do so with as little excitement, and in the best terms I can. I feel some confidence of a favorable issue. I shall discharge my duties under all circumstances.
"I have the honor to be your obedient, humble servant,
"JOHN S. HORNER.
"Hon. John Forsyth."
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The appointment of Mr. Horner by President Jackson is stated to have been influenced by his great admiration for a beautiful Virginia lady, who was living in Washington temporarily, and to whom Horner was paying ardent attention. One evening at a reception in the capitol, President Jackson was in conversation with the fair Virginian, when he asked her why she did not marry. She gave the stereotyped reply that she could find no one who would have her. The old warrior answered quickly : "Well, you get married, and I will make your hus- band a governor." She married John Horner, and he was appointed Governor of Michigan territory. It did not prove a very happy nor valuable wedding present, which the groom bitterly realized. He occu- pied the gubernatorial chair just twenty-five days which were not en- joyable ones. He arrived on the scene of operations at an inopportune time. Mason, the deposed, was the idol of the people, who were in no mood to receive a stranger into their territory, to govern them, and took no pains to conceal their unfriendly feelings. Some personal en- counters were precipitated by Horner's lack of tact, which were very near to disagreeable results. On the 12th of July, 1836, a public meet- ing was held at the city hall in Detroit which was addressed by Secre- tary Horner, giving his views and announcing his policy in governing the territory. Near the close of the meeting a series of resolutions were adopted, one of which ran as follows:
"Resolved, that if our present secretary of the territory should find it beyond his control, either from the nature of his instructions, his feelings of tenderness towards those who have for a long period of time set at defiance the laws of the United States, as well as those of the territory, or any feelings of delicacy entertained towards the execu- tive of a neighboring state, who has in vain endeavored to take forcible possession of a part of our territory, it is hoped he will relinquish the duties of his office, and return to the land of his nativity." In October, 1835, Governor Horner wrote a letter to a friend in Washington relating the difficulties of his office, and complaining of the obstacles constantly thrown in his way by the people, and the general ill-feeling that he encountered. A portion of this letter will serve to illustrate the exist- ing state of the temper of the state :
"Under the most disadvantageous and embarrassing circumstances which anarchy could present, the wishes, the instructions of the gov- ernment have been constitutionally complied with. * * * On Satur- day noon Judge Swayne and myself left Tecumseh for Detroit, and on our arrival at Ypsilanti were mobbed, the house in which we were was injured and every indignity offered; no bones, however, were broken, and not a word was said by me on the subject. * * * My labours, both mental and bodily have been very arduous, almost insupportable. It was two days before I could procure a clerk or private secretary, such was the state of the public mind, from some cause or other. I mention mobs and details only to show the state of things; personally I care nothing for them. Effigies, burnings, threats and other manifes- tations of excitement have constantly surrounded me. The source of all
this I am apprized of, as well as the actors. * * * There never was a government in Christendom with such officers, civil and military and filled with doctrines as Michigan. 'Turn out' is what everybody desires, and one of the judges at Monroe expressed publicly his desire to be- come a martyr to the cause. The demonstrations here at Monroe have been especially exasperating and disagreeable. I could not find a man to obey an order nor to respectfully grant a request. On one occasion so excited became a small mob that I and my companion barely escaped being thrown bodily into the River Raisin. * * * There are no
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funds within my control, and, to discharge the duties of my office, I have exhausted my own pecuniary resources."
At Ypsilanti in such disfavor was the new governor held that he was obliged to make his bed on the floor of the hotel room in which he slept-or tried to sleep-directly under the window, to escape the flying missiles and unsavory eggs hurled at him by the furious citizens. To add insult to injury, the landlord of the tavern where he lodged added to his bill the amount of damages, estimated by himself, committed by the mob. Such was the reception given by Michigan to its newly appointed secretary and acting governor, and his brief but lively tenure of office.
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT VOTED DOWN
The population of Michigan had early in 1837 reached the number authorized under the ordinance, to form a representative government. It having been submitted to a popular vote in the spring of 1818, whether this step should be taken, it was voted down by a large majority. It is difficult for us, educated under a system of self government, to fully comprehend the feelings or sentiments of those who have been brought up under a paternal government. The brief period of representation in the assembly of the northwest territory had not habituated the French settlers to our notions, and the absence of any local system in county and township administration left them entirely ignorant of its advan- tages. Those who reached middle age before the people of the terri- tory became entitled to vote for their own officers were not in all cases, pleased with the change and some of them who survived to a very recent period never ceased to sigh for the "good old days," when the commanding officer was the whole government. General Cass was quite in advance of any statesman of his time in his ideas of popular in- terference in the selection of public officers. There is, to-day, still, much difference of opinion concerning the policy of electing by general vote, those officers whose functions are not representative.
EXTINGUISHMENT OF INDIAN TITLE
In 1817 it was deemed advisable by the government to attempt the extinguishment of the Indian title to all the land claimed by them within the limits of the state of Ohio. Governor Cass was selected by the Presi- dent to ascertain by personal interview with the chiefs and head men of the several tribes who claimed the lands, how far it would be prac- ticable to carry into effect the wishes of the government. The manner of procedure was left discretionary with the governor. If he should find that it would be impossible or impolitic to endeavor to obtain all the country claimed, his negotiations were to be confined to an attempt to procure the relinquishment of a portion. Accordingly, in April, 1817, the governor proceeded to Sandusky, Ohio, to ascertain the views of the Indians on the subject of his mission. Here he learned that there was very little doubt that the Indians would consent to cede a very considerable portion of their country. Upon submitting his report to the acting secretary of war, a commission was issued in May, author- izing Governor Cass and Gen. McArthur to negotiate a treaty without instructions any further than that the commissioners should keep in view the desire of the government for the peaceable removal of the Indians from the Lake Erie region to lands west of the Mississippi river. Everything else was left to the judgment and discretion of the commissioners. The treaty which they then negotiated was one of the most important ever negotiated with the Indians in the United
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States. By its terms the tribes ceded to our government nearly all the lands which they claimed within the limits of Ohio, a part of Indiana, a portion of the Michigan territory. It attached the isolated population of Michigan to the 500,000 inhabitants of Ohio, it made the territory of Michigan, in a fuller sense, a constituent part of the Amer- ican union, and removed for all time, the apprehension which had for a long time existed, of a powerful and inimical confederacy among the Indian tribes. The difficulties surrounding these negotiations required all the experience and sagacity, tact and diplomacy of the commissioners and the final accomplishment of this mission was a most important achievement. In the note of the war department acknowledging the receipt of the treaty at Washington, the secretary said: "The extent of the cession far exceeds my most sanguine expectation and there can be no real or well-founded objections to the amount of compensation made for it, except it be that it is inadequate. This treaty may be con- sidered, in its fiscal, political and moral effects, as the most important of any that we have hitherto made with the Indians." Below is a state- ment showing the treaties negotiated by General Cass, from July 1814, to April 1832, inclusive :
Names of tribes and the date of treaty :
Wyandottes, Delawares, Shawnees, Miamies-July 22, 1814.
Wyandottes, Delawares, Shawnees, Ottawas, Pottawattomies and Chippewas, September 29, 1817.
Delawares, October 3, 1818.
Miamies, October 6, 1818.
Pottawattomies, October 2, 1819.
Chippewas of Saginaw, September 24, 1819.
Chippewas of Sault Ste. Marie, Lake Superior, June 16, 1820.
Ottawas of L'Arbre, Lake Michigan, July 6, 1820.
Chippewas, Ottawas and Pottawattomies of Illinois, August 29, 1821.
Sioux, Chippewas, Sacs and Foxes, Iowas, Winnebagoes, Menominees and Pottawattomies, August 19, 1825.
Chippewas of Lake Superior and northwest, August 5, 1826.
Miamies of the Wabash, October 23, 1826.
Pottawattomies, October 16, 1826.
Chippewas, Menominees and Winnebagoes, August 11, 1827. Sacs, Foxes, Winnebagoes, Pottawattomies, Ottawas and Chippewas, August 25, 1828.
Chippewas, Ottawas, Pottawattomies of the Illinois, Milwaukee and Manitowoc, July 29, 1829.
Creeks, April 4, 1832.
THE CASS INDIAN EXPEDITION
An estimate of the number of Indians within the superintendency of General Cass, at the time of his appointment as the executive, at Detroit, in 1813, shows that there were 41,000, of whom 8,890 were warriors. In the absence of any knowledge of the Indian tribes, occupy- ing the lands eastward of the Mississippi, their attitude towards the gov- ernment, or their views in regard to their future, it became necessary to obtain reliable information on these points, as well as to ascertain the state of the British Fur Trade within this part of our jurisdiction, and other facts pertinent to the cause of the United States and especially of Michigan, To obtain the best results from an examination into these matters, it involved the selection of expert, reliable men to conduct it.
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The matter met the approval of the government at Washington, and to aid in accomplishing the objects of an expedition, a topographical en- gineer, also a mineralogist and geologist were appointed to accompany the expedition.
On Wednesday, May 24, 1820, arrangements for the expedition ac- cording to the plans projected by Governor Cass having been completed, the governor started from Detroit, accompanied by Captain Douglass of the Engineer Corps, Lieutenant Mckay of the Artillery Corps, Dr. Wol- cott of the Indian Department, Henry R. Schoolcraft, a scientific geolo- gist, and three other persons, citizens of Detroit, forming a company of eight. Their conveyances consisted of three large canoes propelled by voyageurs and Indians; each canoe carried at its stern the flag of the United States.
The departure of this party caused a decided sensation, and the wharves and banks of the river were lined with interested spectators who sent up hearty cheers, and shouts of encouragement. The novelty and hazardous nature of the expedition and its significance was appreciated by all, while the characteristic costumes of the voyageurs and Indians, and the music of their boatsmen's exhilarating songs as they vied with each other in taking the lead, and sending their canoes through the water with tremendous force and speed. They arrived at Mackinac on June 10, the route covering about four hundred miles. Here they procured larger and stronger canoes, a large batteau, and certain necessaries, and con- tinued their journey to the Sault de Ste Marie, where the Governor se- cured from the Chippewas a cession of sixteen square miles of land, as instructed by the Secretary of War, for the purpose of establishing a military post. This was an important and valuable acquisition; one necessary, in fact, for the preservation of friendly feeling on the part of the Indians inhabiting the upper country. The Sault de Ste. Marie was the key to the country around and north of Lake Superior; it was the thoroughfare through which the Indians passed to receive their presents and medals at the British post on Drummonds Island near the mouth of St. Mary's river.
On the occasion of effecting this treaty, Governor Cass met with an incident which called for the traits of personal courage, and indifference to danger, which characterized him at all times. We have the particulars from the personal reminiscences of one of the gentlemen who accompanied the expedition :- "A chief who was called the 'Count,' in deference to his pompous manner and predilections to showy attire and disposition to 'lord it' over his associates of lesser note, appeared at the council as- sembled at the Sault, in the full uniform of a British officer of rank, and during the conference, showed the greatest aversion and contempt for the Americans. The council was not altogether harmonious, and the 'Count' had more or less to do with this. When the information was given that it was the intention to build a fort on the land acquired there was a hostile demonstration of disapproval. The 'Count' made a fiery speech, during which he planted his war lance in the ground with wild gesture and kicked away the presents which the visitors had laid out on the ground before them. On leaving the council, which had been held in the Governor's tent, the Indians went to their own encampment situated on an eminence some five hundred yards distant, where the old French fort had stood, and defiantly run up the British flag in the middle of the Indian village in front of the 'Count's' wigwam. On discovering this insolent action Governor Cass, deliberately walked over, with no other escort but his interpreter, hauled down the flag, placed it under his feet, and informed the 'Count' that no other flag but the stars and stripes must be raised on our territory, and that if another offense like that
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should be attempted, the United States would put a heavy foot on their necks, and wipe them off the earth. This intrepid action of the Governor struck the Indians dumb with astonishment. He called his interpreter and through him vigorously remonstrated with the chiefs upon the im- propriety of their conduct, and upon the hostile feelings which they displayed by this act toward the United States adding also that they must be aware of the inevitable result to which such conduct must lead, and that a repetition of it, while he was there, would not pass unpunished. In less than a quarter of an hour, the squaws belonging to the lodges, with all their children had abandoned the camp and were safely landed on the Canadian shore. Appearances threatened an immediate attack by the In- dians upon the party. Preparations were immediately made by the visiting party for the defence against any attack by the Indians; but the firmness of the governor affected what had been nearly despaired of. In a short time the chiefs made a disclaimer to the Governor for the hostile acts, attributing it to the rashness of their young men, expressing regret at its occurrence at the same time requesting a renewal of the council and professing their readiness to make the cession of land asked for by the United States. The council was renewed and the treaty was duly con- summated. The Governor had plainly stated in forcible language, that the fort proposed would be built, whether the Indians liked it or not.
The expedition proceeded on its course, through Lake Superior, as- cended the St. Louis to one of its sources; descended a tributary stream to the Mississippi river ; ascending to the upper Red Cedar lake the prin- cipal tributary of the Mississippi; then descending this river fourteen hundred miles to Prairie du Chien, finally reaching Green Bay, at which point a portion of the party separated from Governor Cass to pursue topographical exploration. The Governor returned to Detroit by the way of Chicago, having accomplished the object of the expedition and accumulating a vast fund of valuable information.
The manner of treating the tribes of Indians in these negotiations. and the tenor of his "talks" to the assembled chiefs, was a matter of great thought and consideration, and may be understood in his speech to the Pottawotomies on the Wabash in 1826, which was as follows, writ- ten and read sentence by sentence by the interpreter: "My Children : Pottawotomies and Miamis: we thank the Great Spirit that he has opened the paths to conduct us all here in safety, and that he has given us a clear sky and a cloudless sun to meet together in this council house. Your great father the President of the United States has sent me, together with the gentlemen who sit with me, to meet you here on business highly important to you, and we request that you would open your ears and listen attentively to what we have to say to you. When the Great Spirit first placed you upon this island, he gave you plenty of game for food and clothing, and bows and arrows, with which to kill it. After some time it became difficult to kill the game, and the Great Spirit sent the white men here who supplied you with guns, powder and balls, and with blankets and clothes. We were then a very small people; but we have since greatly increased, and we have now spread over the whole face of the country. You have decreased and your numbers are now very much reduced. You have but little game, and it is difficult for you to sup- port your women and children by hunting. Your Great Father whose eyes survey the whole country, sees that you have a large tract of land here, which is of no use to you. You do not cultivate it, and there is but little game upon it. The buffalo long since left it, and the deer are going. There are no beavers, and there will soon be no other animals here worth hunting upon it. There are a great many of the white children of your father who would be glad to live upon this land. They would build
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houses, and raise corn and cattle and hogs. You know that where a family grows up and becomes large, they must leave their father's house and look for a place for themselves-so it is with your white brothers. Their family has increased, and they must find some new place to move to. Your Great Father is willing to give you for this land, much more than it is worth to you. He is willing to give more than all the game upon it would sell for. He will make you a considerable present now, and he will allow you an annuity hereafter. You know that all that he promises he will perform. The stipulations made to you heretofore are punctually fulfilled. Large annuities in specie are paid to you, and they are suf- ficient to make you comfortable; much more so than you were before the treaty at St. Mary's. Your Great Father is not only anxious to pur- chase the country of you, but he is desirous that you should remove far from his white children. You must all see that you cannot live in the neighborhood of the white people. You have bad men and so have we. Your people will steal our horses, kill our cattle and hogs, and commit other injuries upon our property. Some of our people have committed crimes, escape into your country and it becomes difficult to take them. Besides, when you divide our settlements, you cannot have roads, and taverns and ferries. The game, too, dies before our improvements, and when that goes you must follow it. But above all, your young men are ruining themselves with whisky. Since within the recollection of many of you, your members have diminished one-half, and unless you take some decisive steps to check this evil, there will soon not be a red man remaining upon the islands. We have tried all we could to prevent you from having this poison, but we cannot. Your bad men will buy and our bad men will sell. Old and young you will drink. You sacrifice your property, you abandon your women and children and destroy one another. There is but one safety for you, and that is to fly from this bad water. Your Father owns a large country west of the Mississippi ; he is anxious that all of his red children would remove there, and settle down in peace together. There they can hunt and provide for their women and children and once more become a happy people. We are au- thorized to offer you a home there equal to your lands here, in extent, and pay you an annuity which will make you comfortable, and provide the means for your removal. You will then have a country abounding in game, and you will have the value, in specie, for the lands you leave. You will be beyond the reach of whisky, for it cannot reach you there. Your White Father will not permit any of his white children to live there, for it is all reserved for his red children. It will be yours as long as the sun shines and the rain falls. You must go before long-you cannot re- main here-you must remove or perish. Now is the time for you to make a good bargain for yourselves, which will make you rich and com- fortable. Come forward; then like wise men, and accept the terms we offer. We understand that there is some differences of opinion between the Pottawatomies and Miamis respecting their claims to this land. This difference we should be glad to have you settle among yourselves. If you can do that all will be well ; if not we shall examine into the circumstances and decide between you." This speech had been carefully prepared by Governor Cass, and was read, sentence by sentence to the interpreter, who delivered it to the Indians in their own language. It made a deep impression upon the assemblage, who could not but see that the accept- ance of the proposition would be very much to their advantage. Before the meeting broke up, Governor Cass added a few extempore remarks : "Mr. McCoy whom you know to be a good man will go with you over the Mississippi and continue to live with you. You know him to be a good and sincere friend to you and would not advise you to do anything that
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