USA > Minnesota > Wabasha County > History of Wabasha County : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc. : gathered from matter furnished by interviews with old settlers, county, township, and other records, and extracts from files of papers, pamphlets, and such other sources > Part 38
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"Nicholas Perrot, Commandant for the King at the post of the Nadouës- sioux, commissioned by the Marquis Governor and Lieut. Governor of all New France, to manage the interests of commerce among all the Indian tribes and people of the Bay des Preants, Nadoucessionx, Mascoutines, and other western nations of the Upper Mississippi, and to take possession in the Kings name of all the places where he has heretofore been, and whither he will go. We, this day, one thousand six hundred and eighty-nine, do in the presence of the Rev. Father Marest, of the Society of Jesus, Missionary among the Nadeous- sioux ; of Monsieur de Boueguillot, commanding the French in the neighbor- hood of the Ouisconche on the Mississippi; Augustine Legardeur, esquire ; Sieur de Caumant; and of Messieurs de Seur, Herbert, Lemire and Blein ! Declare to all whom it may concern that being come from the Bay des Preants and to the Lake of the Ouiskonches, and to the river Mississippi, we did transport to the country of the Nadouissioux on the border of the river St. Croix, and at the mouth of the river St. Pierre, on the bank of which were the Mantanwans, and farther up the interior to the northeast of the Mississippi as far as the Menchokatoux, with whom dwell the majority of the Songes-
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ketous and the Nadouessioux, who are to the northeast of the Mississippi, to to take possession for, and in the name of the king, of the countries and river inhabited by the said tribes, and of which they are the proprietors.
The present act done in our presence, signed with our hand and sub- scribed."
Then are given the names of those already mentioned. This record was drawn up at Green Bay, Wisconsin.
During the year that Perrot returned to Minnesota, Frontenac, who was then governor of Canada, issued an edict that all French- men in the upper Mississippi country should return to Mackinaw, and Perrott, with others, was obliged to leave his post and return.
From these accounts we. learn that the first French establishment in Minnesota was on the shore of Lake Pepin, and just at the foot of the same, quite near to the present city of Wabasha. This lake, called by Hennepin "The Lake of Tears," was afterward named " Pepin," after the Dauphin of France and son of Louis XIV.
The fort was built upon the ground now occupied by the residence of Judge Van Dyke. It was identified by Capt. F. W. Seely, of Lake City, as agreeing with statistics from the "United States Army and Navy Magazine," which he holds in his possession. Capt. Seely has very kindly furnished me with these investigations wbich I here subjoin. He says : "My first knowledge of it was acquired twenty-seven years ago, when pheasant hunting in the chaparral near the present site of the Van Dyke residence. While coursing through the dense growth of young oaks, I stumbled upon a ridge some eighteen inches in height, running in a straight line and parallel to the crest of the slope overlooking the river. My curiosity being excited, I followed it for some ten rods, until the dense growth of young timber obliged me to abandon the investigation. Of one thing, however, I was satisfied, namely, that the ridge was the work of men's hands, and, as I then believed, of the Indians. The work, commencing at the crest of the slope before mentioned, and ten rods south of the Van Dyke residence, bent westward for about eight rods, when it makes an obtuse angle and runs parallel to the crest and directly through the location of the house, for a distance of ten rods or more. (Some of the work within the yard inclosing the house has since become obliterated by the grading of the premises, but at the time I first discovered it, was distinctly traceable through its whole length.) In 1864 I became possessed of a copy of the ' Army and Navy Magazine' - April number-which contained a complete history, amplified from French sources, of the early
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occupation of this country by adventurons Frenchmen from Canada, and included a precise history of old Fort Perrot, established in 1683 'near the modern village of Wabashaw.' My thoughts reverted at once to the old fortification which I had discovered, and I am convinced that it would prove to be the remains of the old fort.
"Some few years since, in company with Mr. Walton, editor of Wabasha "Herald" (without having in the meantime been near the ground since my first exploration, and having since that time added to my knowledge of military engineering by ten years' service in the United States army, as an officer of artillery), I visited the locality, which I found without any difficulty or delay, and found a portion of the old work (outside of Mr. Van Dyke's enclosure) as perfect as when I first saw it, twenty-five years before. Applying my knowledge of engineering to the location, I was then more than ever convinced of the correctness of my conclusions.
"Let any person with the least knowledge of defensive works stand on the veranda of the Van Dyke mansion, and look over the surroundings, and he must be convinced that it is the natural location for such a work as Fort Perrot, and the only one between that point and the lake. Westward from the fort was a gently sloping prairie, at that time probably clear of chaparral, which is of later growth, and which did not afford any cover or lurking-place for attacking parties. Every foot of the ground within range, covered by the small arms in the loopholes of the palisades, the flanks of the inclosure similarly covered and protected, and facing the river, where the bateaux were moored, an abrupt slope to the water, easily guarded and defended.
"The first separated from the semi-hostile village of Wabashaw by the broad arm of water, the modern 'slough,' which prevented a too intimate contact with the savages. The ground occupied by the work, much higher than the surrounding country, naturally commanded every approach, even the Indian village itself. Here a few words as to the construction of the early frontier forts may not be inappro- priate : First, the bank was outlined, then a ditch was excavated, the earth therefrom thrown up on the inside, forming a parapet, in which were planted palisades (split trunks of trees), set close together and loopholed for small arms. Inside the wall thus formed were banquettes - shelf-like places, whereon the defenders could stand while discharging their small arms through the loopholes. Inside the inclosure were quarters, store and trading-house, and sometimes
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a chapel, all constructed of logs. Such works, when located in good commanding positions, afforded ample protection against marauding savages of those early days. In course of time, after being abandoned, the timbers of the old forts would rot away, but the excavations, if unmolested, would endure for generations. And so today, two hundred years since the construction of old Fort Perrot, portions of the works can be distinctly traced."
One of the most picturesque scenes in North America is the approach to Lake Pepin. For miles, as the steamboat ascends the Mississippi, it glides through an extended vista, crowned in the distance by an amphitheater of hills which define the basin of the lake ; and in summer the islands in the river are covered with luxuriant vegetation, while tall cedar-trees, standing like sentinels along the bluffs, make an impression upon the mind of the traveler which a lifetime cannot erase. Again these steep walls of stone, with their fanciful outline of castles and ruined battlements, recede, and beyond are lovely prairies sufficiently elevated to be secure from all inundation, and these must have been entrancing spots to the ancient voyageur after a long and wearisome paddle in his frail canoe. From the magazine to which Capt. Seely alludes we learn that "just below Lake Pepin, on the west shore, is one of those beautiful plateans," which so captivated Nicholas Perrot that he "landed" there in the year 1683 and "erected a rude log fort." Now it is evident that Capt. Seely cannot be mistaken in his conclusions in regard to the situation of this fort, from the fact that the plateau spoken of is the only one from the grand encampment to Point du Sable, and it being just at the foot of Lake Pepin, and nearly opposite the month of the Chippewa river, was just the place for an edifice of that kind. There is no other point of land sufficiently large to erect a fortification this side the lake either; consequently our conclusions cannot be erroneous. The "slough " to whichi Capt. Seely alludes, at the time the fort was built, undoubtedly formed the main channel of the Zumbro river, which, from various causes, has been turned in its course, and now empties its waters in the Mississippi three miles lower down.
In 1685 it became necessary for Perrot to visit the Miamis to engage them as allies against the English and Iroquois of New York, and it was for that reason undoubtedly that the fort was abandoned. It appears that the Foxes, Kickapoos, Maskoutens and other tribes, had formed a plan to surround and surprise the
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fort during Perrot's absence, and then use the munitions- of war against their enemies the Sionx. A friendly Indian informed Perrot of this and he returned with all possible speed. On the very day of his arrival, three spies had preceded him and obtained admission under the pretext of selling beaver-skins, and they had left, report- ing that Perrot was absent and the fort was only guarded by six Frenchmen. The next day two other spies came ; but Perrot, in view of his danger, devised an ingenious stratagem. In front of the doors of the buildings, on the open square within the enclosure, he ordered all the guns to be loaded and stacked, and then the Frenchmen were made to change their dress after certain intervals and stand near the guns ; thus he conveyed the impression that he had many more men than the spies had seen. After this display the spies were permitted to depart, on condition that they would send from their camp a chief from each tribe represented. Six responded to the demand, and as they entered the gates their bows and arrows were taken away. Looking at the loaded guns, the chiefs asked "if he was,afraid of his children." Perrot replied "that he did not trouble himself about them, and that he was a man who knew how to kill." " It seems," they continued, " that you are displeased." " I am not," answered Perrot, "although I have good reason to be. The Good Spirit has warned me of your evil designs. You wish to steal my things, murder me, and then go to war with the Nadouaissioux. He told me to be on my guard and that he would help me if you gave any insult." Astonished at his knowledge of their perfidy they con- fessed the whole plot and sued for pardon. That night they slept within the fort, and the next morning their friends began to ap- proach with their war-whoop. Perrot, with the fifteen men under his command, instantly seized the chiefs and declared they would kill them if they did not make the Indians retire. Accordingly one of the chiefs climbed on top of the gate and cried out, " Do not advance, young men, or you will be dead men. The Spirit has told Metamineus [the name which they gave Perrot] our designs. The Indians quickly fell back after this announcement and the chiefs were allowed to leave the fort. The fort was afterward abandoned until 1688, when he again reached Fort Perrot. In 1690 Perrot visited Montreal, and after a brief stay again returned to the west, establishing posts at various times as occasion required.
From these accounts it is evident that Fort Perrot was the first one erected west of the Mississippi, and that we cannot be mistaken
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in regard to the position of the fort. In 1695 a second post was built by Le Sueur on one of the islands near the mouth of the St. Croix, and a few miles below the modern town of Hastings. This fort was erected as a barrier to hostile tribes, and the Indians were so strongly impressed by the power of France that the fort became a center of commerce for the western parts; but in 1696 the authorities at Quebec decided to abandon all their posts west of Mackinaw, and the French were withdrawn from Wisconsin and Minnesota. Le Sueur, however, nothing daunted by this edict, applied to the king and obtained permission to return to Minne- sota in search of mines which he believed would prove rich and productive ; but upon his return to America the ship in which he sailed was captured and carried to an English port. After his release he again proceeded to France, and in 1698 he obtained a new license to take fifty men to the supposed mines. He arrived at a post not far from Mobile, on the Gulf of Mexico, in December, 1699, and the next summer with a felucca, two canoes and nineteen men he ascended the Mississippi. On September 14 he sailed through Lake Pepin, and on the 19th entered the river St. Pierre, now called Minnesota. Ascending that stream he reached the mouth of the Blue Earth, and there, near the present site of the modern town of St. Peter, established the third post of the French. This post was completed on October 14, 1700, and called Fort L'Huiller, after the farmer- general in Paris, who had aided the project.
When forts are spoken of in connection with these explorations, the reader must not imagine them built with walls of masonry and buttresses and angles with ordnance protruding therefrom. In those days there was neither time nor facilities for such work, but picture to himself a rude log cabin surrounded by a few pickets of logs and sticks, which would seem but slight protection from the arrows of the savage.
Le Sueur spent the winter of 1700 in the Blue Earth valley, and in April following commenced work at the mines, which were about a mile above the fort. In less than a month he obtained thirty thousand pounds of the substance found, four thousand of which he sent home to the king of France. In February, 1702, Le Sueur returned to the post on the Gulf of Mexico, and in the summer following sailed for France in company with the governor of Louisiana, who was a cousin of his by marriage. The next year the workmen he had left at Fort L'Huiller also came down to Mobile,
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being forced to retire by the hostility of Indians and lack of supplies. For twenty years the posts in Minnesota were abandoned by the Canadian government, and the only white men seen were soldiers who had desertedand vagabond voyageurs, who, in both taste and principles, were lower than the savages.
It was at length perceived that the eye of England was on the Northwest. A dispatch from Canada says: "It is more and more obvious that the English are endeavoring to interlope among all the Indian nations and attach them to themselves. They entertain the idea of becoming masters of North America, being persuaded that the European nation which becomes the possessor of that section will in course of time be also master of all America."
To thwart these schemes, which in time were accomplished, the French proposed to reopen trade and license traders for the North- west. On June 7, 1726, peace was concluded by De Signery with the Sauks, Foxes and Winnebagoes, at Green Bay, and two French- men were sent to dwell in the Sioux villages, and to promise that, if they would cease to fight the Ojibways, trade should once more be resumed, and a "black robe " come and teach them. In the follow- ing spring preparations were made to carry out these pledges, and both traders and ecclesiastic made arrangements to accompany the convoy. The Fox nation at that time were giving the French a deal of trouble, and in order to hem them in and prevent further diffi- culty it was decided to build another fort in the valley of the Upper Mississippi, which was the fourth and last post erected by the French.
CHAPTER L.
TRADITIONAL.
Ox the Wisconsin shore, half way between Fort Perrot and the head of Lake Pepin, there stands a prominent bluff, four hundred feet high, the last two hundred of which is a perpendicular limestone escarpment. . Opposite the Maiden's Rock, as this bluff is called, on the Minnesota side, there juts into the lake a peninsula, called by the French Point du Sable. It has always been a stopping-place for the voyageur, and here the party landed and proceeded to build the post. The stockade was one hundred feet square, within which
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were three buildings, probably serving the uses of store. chapel and quarters. One of the log huts was 38×16, one 30×16, and the last 25×16 feet in dimensions. There were two bastions, with piekets all around twenty-five feet high. The fort was named in honor of the governor of Canada, Beauharnais, and the fathers called their mission-house St. Michael the Archangel.
Maiden Roek derives its name from a beautiful legend connected therewith. These legends are peculiar to the Indians, owing, no donbt, to their having no way of transmitting their lore other than tradition. I introduce several in this work, not so much for their intrinsic fitness, as from a hope that such promulgation may tend in some slight degree to perpetuate among us sentiments of respect for the onee powerful and still interesting nations, whose traditionary legends are among the most curious and interesting to be found in the history of any people. The legend of Maiden Roek, or Lovers' Leap, as I shall call it, is romantic and beautiful. I present it here in juxtaposition with the fort because of its proximity and the fact of its being told perhaps for generations before the fort was built.
THE LOVERS' LEAP.
Unchanging hearts which idols make Of hearts as true though frail as they, Are ever doomed to bleed and break, And learn their gods are but of clay ! But though thrice shattered to the dust, And all deformed the image lies,
The true heart in its boundless trust, Will deem it kindred to the skies ; For love though tarnished by the fall Survives to every age the same, And wigwam, cot and lordly hall Lights with its sanctifying flame, And, like its great Original, Is prompt to shield and slow to blame.
Let us recall this legend hoar Of old Lake Pepin's sylvan shore Which floats adown tradition's stream Not as a vague and shadowy dream, But, as a high heroic theme, A stern reality of yore, Which hallowed once can die no more Than the fixed star's eternal beam.
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Record may fade and pile decay, And town and rampart waste to dust, And nations rise and pass away, And time blot out their names with rust, While deed and sacrifice sublime Live freshly in the memory then, Defying all the assaults of time, While live and beat the hearts of men.
Ah! Indian maid, thy heart was tried Long, long ago, as legends tell ; When in its fresh and virgin pride Love oped its gushing founts all wide, And sealed thee as the martyr bride Too rashly loving, and too well.
Oh! she was graceful as the fawn, The young, the peerless Weënonay, And lovelier than the dappled dawn On the blue skies of flowering May. Of all the tribe, she was the flower, The sweetest of the wildwood bower, And hers the star which ruled the hour, And braves of fame and chiefs of power On her enchanting beanty hung.
But only one of all the band Had touched her heart with love sublime. Though few in years, his deeds of fame At war dance and at feast were sung, And cowering fear came with his name, When whispered by a hostile tongne.
She used, when pensive twilight brought Sweet moments of romantic thought, To hear him wake the warbling flute, And to her mood the measure suit. Warmed by her smiles, with vigorous start First love upgrew within his heart ; And the wild passion of his soul Did brook no barrier nor control.
But brothers ten of stern decree Did promise her, in revelry, To chieftain old with ample fame, Who wore the prondest war-bird plume, And terror ruled where'er his name Did tales of great achievement prove, And chronicled with former wars, On brow and breast were glorions scars.
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A beautiful lake is the Lake of Tears, And wild fowl dream on its breast unscared ; The golden brooch of costly price Is dim with its radiant wave compared. And tribesmen dwelt on its banks of yore, But a hundred years have vanished thrice Since hearthstones smoked upon its shore. Edged by a broad and silvery belt Of pebbles bright, and glittering sand The waters into music melt, When breaking o'er the pebbly strand.
Victors in many a forest fight, The bird of peace has taken flight! The tree on which she framed her nest, Smoothed the bright feathers of her breast, Is shorn of its broad, leafy shield,
Profaning hands the bark has pealed ! Encamped the predatory horde; their only cheer,
Parched maize and smoked-dried flesh of deer.
Oft, brothers, have the paths of war, From home and country led us far, And council on this shore had met, And ominous of coming strife, Clashed tomahawk and scalping-knife. And Wapashaw, with eye of skill,
Took measurement of slope and hill, And tents were pitched by his command, On swells of undulating land Well guarded on the weaker flank By water and opposing bank. The sentinel was shown the bounds, Wherein to pace his lonely rounds.
A signal by the chief was made To close the council, and obeyed, Yet promptly with one voice decrced, That Weënonay, the chieftain's daughter, Should wed the brave, whose brow with might Came decked and armed for the fight.
And she with savory nourishment, And gourds of cooling water, Was bade to cheer and grace the feast, While her light form of forest tone Breathed a low and whispered moan. The chieftain urged his suit again, And Sire again renewed the strain, And bade her bridal robes prepare, Nor dare to look on Neemooshe, Whose bride of moons she ne'er should be.
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A thing of beauty is the slender vine That wreaths its verdant arm around the oak, As if it there could safely intertwine, Shielded from axe or lightning stroke,- Thus the maiden clung unto her love, While scalding tears and sobs outbroke From her o'er-labored bosom, while her ears Were filled with tones that did not soothe her fears.
She sought her warrior firm and true, And then resolved, come weal, come woe, With him to flee, and free to go Where they might roam from day to day, Till life should peaceful pass away.
Love hath more devices far, . When instant need to rescue calls,
Than all the strategy of war Investing long beleaguered walls;
With stealthy step and agile limb The unconscious sentinel is passed, And now she stands alone by him On whom her soul's great stake is cast.
Comely to look on was the youthful pair : One, like the pine, erect and tall, Was of imposing presence; his dark hair Had caught its hue from night's descending pall ; Light was his tread, his port majestical, And well his chieftain brow became a form Of matchless beauty. And Weenonay, Ah, what of her? Bright shapes beyond This darkened earth wore looks like those she wore. Graceful her mien as lily of the pond That nods to every wind that passes o'er, Softer than ripple breaking on the shore By moonlight was her voice, and in her breast Pure thought a dwelling found - the bird of love a nest.
Safely the guarded door is passed, The outer picket gained at last ; And now the uncovered way they take With the soft speed of startled deer, When bounding hoofs are winged with fear, To gain the skiff upon the lake.
Gained is the lake and light canoe, But as they quickly push from shore, With whoop and yell and wild halloo, Louder than battle's stormiest roar,
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A hundred dusky forms are seen Rushing along on either hand, Now plunging through the tangled green, Now madly leaping on the strand.
Now, lovers, every sinew strain, Let no false stroke your speed delay, Your fierce pursuers on you gain ! Row for your lives, away ! away !
The eastern beach is gained at last, But scarcely have they sprung to land And vanished in the forest vast, Ere their pursurers gain the strand ; They leap like wolves, a howling band, Up the steep bank and follow fast. The maiden speeds her lover past, And fleetly leads upon the trail; Yet higher, nearer swells the roar. She turns - a rocky steep is near, Which lifts its flinty summit high - A landmark, desolate and drear,
Piercing the blue encircling sky - And leads her fearless lover there, Not to surrender, but to die. Far, far below, a depth profound, The lake sends up a murmuring sound,
Meet place beneath the cloudless skies, For love's last solemn sacrifice. Far down from crag to crag swift leaping, With eagle plume and eye of fire, Weenonay sees her wrathful sire; Above, one lightning glance he threw, Then notched an arrow to the string, And firm his trusty bow he drew ; The maiden sprang before her lover, His form with her light form to cover, That when the whizzing shaft should fly, She, she alone, or both might die. Still came the sire, his bow on high, Nor shook his hand nor quailed his eye ; And well the desperate lovers knew His arm was strong, his aim was true.
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