Our county and its people : a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York, Part 2

Author: Curtis, Gates
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1328

USA > New York > St Lawrence County > Our county and its people : a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York > Part 2
USA > New York > St Lawrence County > Our county and its people: a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York > Part 2

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

A Spanish pilot named Sanches, about 1482, while attempting a pas- sage between Madeira and the Canaries, was driven out of his course by a storm and landed on the shores of an island supposed to have been

DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT.

Hayti. Subsequently the pilot came to Lisbon and found lodgment with Columbus, to whom he related the facts, and in whose house he died.

A French navigator of Dieppe,1 named Cousin, being at sea off the African coast in the year 1488, was driven by wind and currents within sight of an unknown shore, where he presently discovered the mouth of a great river. He had on board his ship one Pinzon, whose conduct became so mutinous that on his return to France he was dismissed from the maritime service. Pinzon went to Spain, became known to Columbus, told him the discovery, and joined him on his voyage in I492.

Final Discovery of the New World .- A general knowledge of the western con- tinent was, for some wise purpose of the Creator, kept from the nations of Europe until a late period of their history, and until the advent of the famous expedition of Christopher Columbus in 1492. It is entirely unnecessary, as well as impracti- cable in this work, to enter into the details of the life of Columbus, the circumstances Copyright by G P Puthemis oma New York & Lor dom For The and conditions that led up to this great dis- Quadri Centennial Edition of Irving's "Columbus. covery and the consequences to himself. COLUMBUS. All this is emblazoned upon the pages of history, and is near at the hand of every reader. It will suffice for our present purpose to state that Columbus was born probably in the year 1436, at or near Genoa, in Italy. After three years in the University of Pavia, he ran away at the age of fifteen, and went as a cabin boy on a vessel bound on a piratical cruise. He also sailed with his great uncle, Colombo el Mozo, a bold sea captain, who by his exploits acquired the title of "Arch Pirate." During the fifteen or twenty years of the maritime service of Columbus, he refused to give any information regarding his business - further than to say that he had visited all principal sea ports in the Old World. In 1470 he arrived in Lisbon, and there married his first wife,

1 Memoirs pour servies a l'histoire de Dieppe, Guerin navigateurs Francais,

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

the daughter of an experienced navigator. He studied deeply the problems of navigation, meditated much upon the great subject that was taking shape in his mind, and early accepted the theory of the spherical form of the earth. The reports and stories of other sailors he listened to and assimilated, drawing from them all possible evidences of the existence of the far-away land to which he was destined to sail. After appealing in vain to his native city, Genoa, for aid in his great undertaking, and afterward to the Venetian Senate, he turned to King John of Portugal, whose councillors turned him away as a presumptuous dreamer. Indignant at such treatment, Columbus sent his propositions to both France and England, and then left for Spain, arriving at Palos in 1485. About this time he brought religious belief and claims of prophecy to bear upon his position, claiming that he was designated to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah, by carrying the gospel of Christ into the uttermost parts of the world. This gained for him the endorsement of the bishop, Juan Perez, who had been confessor to Queen Isabella. Columbus first applied to the Duke of Medina Sidonia, by whom his plans and propositions were rejected. His next application was to the rich duke, Medina Celi, who gave him encouragement, entertained him two years, but finally decided that the proposed enterprise was too vast for a simple subject, and recommended him to apply to the court at Cordova. Owing to existing struggles with the Moors, it was several years before Columbus could present his project to the Spanish king and council. Finally, after years of waiting and disappointment he ob- tained an interview with the great ecclesiastic, Mendoza, Archbishop of Spain, who characterized his theories as heretical, but the bishop finally aided in bringing the matter before a council composed of priests and monks, and it was wholly rejected. A second council also ratified the action of the first. Columbus was finally permitted to explain his proposition to the queen, who objected to the terms of his service and dismissed him. Following this third rejection Columbus resolved to appeal to France. On learning this fact, and fearing that a rival nation would accept his offer, the queen, under advice of some of her coun- cillors, sent for Columbus, accepted his offer and agreed that if it should be necessary she would pledge her jewels to raise means for fitting out the expedition. The articles of agreement were signed April 17, 1492,

DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT.

and thus after about eight years spent in bringing his plans before his own country and Portugal, and seven more in Spain, living mainly on the charity of friends, subjected to the scoffs and sneers of church dig- nitaries, his object seemed on the way towards accomplishment.

And now, owing to the superstition of the times regarding the dan- gers to be encountered by any vessel venturing beyond the border waters, Columbus found it difficult to obtain a crew of sailors. At length, through the influence of Father Juan, the vessels and officers were secured, but to obtain his crews the prisons had to be opened and the criminals pardoned on condition that they sailed with the expedi- tion. At last the three vessels, the Santa Maria, commanded by Co- lumbus, the Pinta, under M. Pinzon, and the Nina, under V. Y. Pinzon, provisioned for a year, and carrying in all one hundred and twenty souls, armed with the most improved guns of that time, were ready and sailed on the 3d of August, 1492, at 3 o'clock. They arrived safely at the Canary Islands on the 9th, where they lay four weeks and thor- oughly overhauled the vessels. On the 6th of September they sailed away in a westerly direction upon the unknown waters.

The details of the remainder of the voyage are too well known to need description here. Columbus kept a journal, from which authentic accounts have been derived and extensively published. After many weary days, opposed by the elements, the complaints and mutiny of his men, and several false alarms of the sight of land, and often almost dis- heartened himself, at two o'clock in the morning of Friday, October 12, 1492, Roderigo de Triana, a sailor on board the Nina, announced the appearance of what proved to be the New World. On the same morning Columbus landed, richly clad, and bearing the royal banner of Spain, accompanied by the Pinzon brothers, bearing banners of the green cross, and guarded by a number of the crews. There, in pres- ence of the nude and awe-stricken natives, Columbus gave thanks to God, named the island San Salvador, and took possession of it for their Catholic Majesties of Castile and Leon. Columbus spent about three months among the islands, landing on several and making diligent search for gold. On the island of Cuba he discovered the potato, In- dian corn, tobacco, cinnamon, rhubarb, valuable woods and beautiful birds. Off Hispaniola the Santa Maria stranded, and from the timbers

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

they built a fort on the island, placed forty-three Spaniards in charge, and on the 16th of January. 1493, Columbus set sail on the Nina for Spain, having previously lost sight of the Pinta After a stormy voy- age the port of Palos was made on Friday, March 15, 1493.1 Reaching the coast, Columbus, with his rich and strange spoils, was received by their Majesties, to whom he related the story of his wanderings. Now he was overwhelmed with honors and all his privileges and titles were conferred upon him. The news of the discovery spread rapidly through- out Spain and the other nations of Europe, many of which soon had ex- peditions planned to visit the new country. The chief ambition of Co- lumbus seemed to be the acquisition of fame and gold. He made three more voyages to the New World, and while at first he was distinguished as the greatest of mariners, after his second voyage his claims to su- premacy were embarrassed by a long series of failures that rendered his career as a founder of colonies and a ruler of men most pitiful and re- markable. He was finally taken back to Spain in irons, poor in purse, heart-broken, and decrepit. His visionary mind was still exercised upon the accumulation of gold and raising an army to rescue the holy sepulchre from the infidel Islamites. He was cared for by friends at the Tavern Segovia, where he died May 20, 1506.

In process of time every gulf, bay, and river of note on the Ameri- can coast was explored, even far into the interior of the country. At all points from the extreme bounds of the Frozen North to the Sunny South, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the fertile plains of the Great West, were found the red men of the forest. The name " Indian " was conferred upon them from their fancied resemblance to the people of India, as Columbus and his followers at first believed that they had only rediscovered that country, instead of the Western Continent.

1 It is worthy of record, as well as partaking of a character of coincidence that the port of Og- densburg was made one of the landing places of the three Spanish models of the vessels used by Columbus in his memorable voyage, which were sent out by Spain to form a part of the World's Columbian exhibit of 1893. The vessels came to the port of Ogdensburg on the forenoon of Friday, the Both of June, 1893, and it seems like a coincidence that the'day on which Columbus first sailed from Spain, the day he discovered the new world, the day he returned, and the day he reached home. were on Fridays. Also, N. Ford and his party, in commencing the settlement of Ogdens- burg, landed there on Friday.

THE ABORIGINES.

CHAPTER II.

THE ABORIGINES.

Pre-historic Inhabitants of the Western Continent-The Aborigines and their Great Divisions-The Iroquois-The Exquimaux-The Destiny of the Red Man.

IT is not our purpose to give a very extended account of this people, but the events that took place in connection with the red men dur- ing the early days of the pioneers, and espe- cially in the settlement of St. Lawrence county, render it proper to give a brief sketch of the race, that the reader may gain a better under- standing of what is to follow.

This peculiar people who were found on the Western Continent by its discoverers, are sup- posed to be one of the older races of mankind, INDIAN WIGWAM. succeeding the mound-builders. Many theo- ries have been advanced to account for the presence of the red men in America, but no satisfactory evidence has so far been presented to sustain them ; hence they are of little historical value. One of these theories is that the Europeans, or Africans, at some remote period crossed the At- lantic by voyaging from island to island. Another is, that a tribe of the Israelites wandered from their country, and by some means crossed Beh- ring's Straits, when they reached the Northwest, and thus became the pro- genitors of the red men of the forest. Still another theory, and one that is equally reasonable with the others, is that the two continents were formerly one, and that a portion of the land sank beneath the sea, thus dividing the land by a broad belt of water. The people that were left on the western portion being, perhaps, less cultivated, and left with- out the means of improvement, would naturally separate into clans or tribes, and through hunger and ignorance-which are the two greatest

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

brutalizers of the human race-degenerated in the course of time into a condition of savagery. There are several evidences that this theory may be the correct one, and it has received the careful consideration and partial acceptance of some eminent investigators. But theorizing in the absence of facts can lead to nothing conclusive, though it may in a measure satisfy the curious ; but one thing is quite evident : though cut off from the Old World, the Indians share with other nations the idea of a deluge. Reasons are given for this as mentioned in the Welsh discovery note.

The origin of the aborigines will undoubtedly always remain en- shrouded in mystery, unless some revelation like the interpretation of the weird hieroglyphics on the Aztec pyramids shall give a correct solution of the much discussed question.

The aborigines were divided into twelve great families, nations, or tribes, viz .: The Esquimaux, who occupied the territory above the sixteenth parallel, or from Labrador to Alaska ; the Algonquins, who occupied the territory lying south of the Esquimaux, embracing the greater part of Canada and all that portion of the United States east of the Mississippi and north of the thirty-seventh parallel of latitude. Within this territory lived the Huron-Iroquois, bounded as follows : From the Georgian Bay and Lake Huron to Lake Erie and Lake Ontario ; also south of those lakes to the valley of the upper Ohio and eastward to the River of Sorel. South of the Algonquins lived the Cherokees, occupying Tennessee. The Mobilians occupied the lower Mississippi to the Atlantic. The Dakotas occupied the territory west of the Mississippi which extended from the Arkansas River to the country of the Esquimaux and westward to the Rocky Mountains. The Comanches occupied the territory south of the Dakotas or what is now Texas. Beyond the Rocky Mountains dwelt the great families or nations of the plains ; the Shoshonees, the Selish, the Klamoths and the Californians. On the Pacific slope farther south in Mexico dwelt the famous race of Aztecs.

Some of these families or nations were subdivided into small tribes and the names of such usually correspond with the place, river, or lake where they were located. The following tribes or clans were more or less connected with the leading events in the early history of Ogdens-

THE ABORIGINES.

burg and its vicinity : The St. Regis, the Oswegatchies, and the Iroquois, the latter embracing the five nations of what is now New York State-the Senecas, the Cayugas, the Onondagas, the Oneidas, and the Mohawks.

The most striking characteristic of this race was a certain sense of personal independence; they could not be humbled or made to serve in a menial capacity, like the African race. They could not be compelled to start on the war path, but would voluntarily follow their chief through the greatest dangers in order to show their endurance and courage. The " Indians have a passion for war, which was always un- dertaken for the redress of grievances, real or imaginary, and not for conquest." In times of peace they are unsocial and gloomy, com- muning each with his own thoughts, or lost, as it were, in a dream under the influence or fascination of the pipe. The winter was the sea- son of idleness for the men and of leisure for the women. Feasts, gambling, smoking and dancing filled the vacant hours. Female life among the Indians had no bright side. It was a youth of license and an age of drudgery. Marriage existed among them and polygamy was exceptional ; but divorce was at the will and caprice of either party. Once a mother and married with a reasonable permanency, the woman became a drudge to her liege lord. It was held an abomination for two persons of the same family to intermarry ; hence every regular marriage must unite members of two clans. The children belonged in most cases not to the clan of the father, but to that of the mother, and therefore all ranks, titles, and possessions came through the female side. All possessions passed of right to the brother of the chief or to the sons of his sisters, since these all sprang from a common mother. The child might not be the son of his reputed father, but must be the son of his mother-a consideration of more than ordinary force in an Indian com- munity.

Dreams were to the Indian a universal oracle. They revealed to him his guardian spirit and taught and led him in all the affairs of his life. Hideous scenes of feasting followed the torture of a prisoner, and, like the torture itself, was partly an act of vengeance and partly a religious rite. All Indians had a code of courtesy whose requirements were rigid and exact. Established usages took the place of law. All were prompt

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

to aid each other in distress, and a neighborly spirit was often exhibited among them. In religious affairs they were often superstitious, but sel- dom were idolaters. They believed in a Great Spirit and in a happy hunting ground beyond this life ; they also believed in many subordinate spirits, both good and bad, which frequently visited the earth and had an influence over them, either for good or evil.

Their language seems to have had a common origin, but it differed somewhat among the various tribes. It was generally monosyllabic, and the words had a narrow but very intense meaning.

The Esquimaux were peaceably inclined and their cold country was seldom invaded by other tribes. The tribes that inhabited the eastern, central and southern and western territories subsisted chiefly on dried venison and corn. They were more warlike, restless and unsettled, living in temporary huts or wigwams, although the tribes farther south built more comfortable houses in which to dwell The Aztecs were the most civilized of any of the aborigines, and also the most feeble and least warlike. They were the best builders both in wood and stone, as they had facilities for supplying themselves with copper and other metallic tools. Ruins of their fortifications, dwellings and pyramids, are still found which indicate a considerable civilization. Their tem- ples and courts are built of cut granite, the outer surfaces of which are covered with various characters artistically engraved on the stone. This once mighty nation is rapidly approaching extinction.

A majority of the Indian tribes have already died out and the remaining ones are rapidly declining. The only hope for the perpetuity of the race seems to center in those tribes which are now located in the Indian Territory and who are learning to till the soil.

The feet of the Saxon have pressed the soil that was given to the red man for his inheritance ; for he has failed to improve the one talent that God had given him and buried it in the earth ; therefore, his hunting grounds are turned into waving fields of grain; the wigwam and the tepee have been displaced by the palatial home, the school-house and the church, which are the main columns that sustain all civilized gov- ernments. The Saxon has come to stay. The weaker race, like the wild flower that flourishes only in the shade, but withers in the sun as soon as its primitive thicket has gone, has vanished, leaving their

FRENCH DISCOVERY OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER.

eastern homes and the graves of their ancestors for the wilds of the west, whence in a few years they must in turn retreat until the last of the tribes shall have disappeared. Right or wrong, this seems to be the inevitable destiny of this once numerous and powerful people.

CHAPTER III.

FRENCH DISCOVERY OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER.

French Explorations-Jacques Cartier-Discovery of the St. Lawrence-Hochelaga- Lord Roberval's Expedition -Grant to Aylmar de Chastes-Samuel Champlain-Sieur de Monts at Acadia-Pont-Greve and Poutrincourt-Expedition of Champlain and Indian Allies against the Iroquois-The First Bloodshed-The Establishment of Mont- real-Champlain's Trip to the Northwest-Arrival of Catholic Missionaries and their Explorations -- The Company of New France -- Champlain's Labors and Sacrifices-La Galette -- Origin of the Name -- Voyageurs-Occupation of La Galette as a Station- Existing Evidences of Early Occupation of the Locality-Frontenac's Expedition- Mention of La Galette by De la Barre-Other Allusions to the Place-"It Takes the Cake."

T 'HE French began to explore the northern coast of America in 1504 about eleven years after John Cabot had planted the English flag on the shores of Labrador. A map of the Gulf of St. Lawrence was traced by a French- man in 1506. The colonization of the New World was advocated by Francis I. in 1518. About five years later a voyage of discovery and exploration was planned, when John Verraz- zani was commissioned to conduct the expedi- tion and sailed January 17, 1524. The special object was to discover a northwest passage to JACQUES CARTIER. Asia. He sailed southward as far as the site of Wilmington and, not finding a passage, returned northward, traced the broken line of the New England coast with considerable care, and reached Newfoundland.

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

The name of New France was given to the whole country whose sea- coast had been visited by this adventurer. Not being able to accom- plish his design he returned home, and owing to the distracted condition of France at that time, further explorations were delayed several years. In 1534 two ships were fitted out and Jacques Cartier was placed in com- mand for another voyage to the New World. He made the passage and anchored on the 10th day of May off the coast of Newfoundland. After considerable navigation in that vicinity, he finally entered the Bay of Chaleur. Not finding the western passage he sought, he changed his course northward, then to the westward and entered what he sup- posed to be an arm of the sea. He continued this course until the narrowing banks indicated that he might be in the mouth of a great river. This bold navigator did not wish to jeopardize the lives of his crew in the approaching cold season, for which he was not prepared, and returned to France, taking with him two natives, and arriving at St. Malo, whence he had set out.

Cartier's success in this voyage and his discovery of what he believed was a large river, caused another expedition to be planned immediately. Colonization as well as discovery was now the inspiring motive. Three good ships were provided, and a number of young noblemen joined the expedition, which sailed on the 19th of May, 1535. Stormy weather was encountered when off the coast of Newfoundland, which forced the voyagers to seek a port of safety. They accordingly put into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, as it was afterwards proved to be, and sailed up the course Cartier had taken the previous year, and on the 10th of August, 1535, made the discovery of the great river, which he named the St. Lawrence, in honor of the martyr St. Laurent, or St. Lorenzo, the dis- covery having been made on that saint's day.1

Cartier had on board two Indians taken by him to France in the previous year. They informed him that up the river were two impor- tant Indian villages, one situated near a high bluff and called Stadacona, and the other farther up, on an island by the side of a mountain, called Hochelaga. The navigator proceeded cautiously up the river to the first Indian village (now Quebec), and after a short stay sailed on up as

1 This saint was said to be a deacon to Pope Scystus, or Systus II., who suffered matyrdom for the faith of ('hrist, by being broiled on a gridiron, A. D. 253.

FRENCH DISCOVERY OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER.

far as the rapids. Considering it unsafe to venture farther with the large vessels, he took the two Indians and a party of twenty- five men in boats and rowed up to the second village on the island, so minutely described by the Indians. The party ascended the mountain and viewed the surrounding country, which was visible for ten leagues on either side. Inspired by the beautiful scenery, Cartier raised the French flag and named the place Mount Royal (from which the city of Montreal took its name), and the country was declared to belong by right of dis- covery to the king of France. After visiting this ancient Indian village and gaining what knowledge they could from the inhabitants regarding the country farther up, they returned to their ships and dropped down to the first village of Stadacona, where they wintered. There twenty- five of the crew died from the effects of the severe cold, and from scurvy.

On the opening of spring the emblem of Catholicism, bearing the arms of France, was again planted in the soil of the New World. The chief of the Hurons, who had treated Cartier with much generosity, was decoyed on board and carried away to die. The first fleet that had ever wintered on the St. Lawrence River then sailed away and reached St. Malo on July 6, 1536. The account of the severe winter and their sufferings, and the failure to find silver or gold on the banks of the St. Lawrence, greatly discouraged the French in organizing future expedi- tions.

The next voyage to Nouvelle France was undertaken about four years later by Francois of La Roque, Lord of Roberval, with Cartier as chief pilot. Owing to the discouraging narrative of Cartier, the enlistment of volunteers for the expedition progressed slowly, until the govern- ment adopted the plan of opening the prisons of the kingdom and giv- ing freedom to those convicts who would join the party. Five ships were fitted out and left France in the latter part of May, 1541. They made a good passage to the gulf and proceeded up the St. Lawrence to the site of Quebec, where they erected a small fort and named it Charles- borough. The colony passed two winters there, suffering greatly from cold and hunger, many of them dying. The survivors returned, having accomplished nothing further.

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Our county and its people : a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York, Part 2

Author: Curtis, Gates Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason Number of Pages: 1328

Author: Curtis, Gates
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1328