USA > Pennsylvania > Venango County > Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People (Volume 1) > Part 5
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VENANGO COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
yond which they already extended. France appealed to the treaties of Reswick, d'Utrecht, and of Aix la Chapelle, as her authority. But the language of these was vague, and would equally justify a line a thousand miles west of the French proposal. An expedition was or- dered by the Marquis De La Galissoniere, Gen- eral of All New France. It was under the command of "Celoron, Chevalier of the Mili- tary Order of St. Louis," as he names himself in his Journal. He had in his detachment "a captain, eight subaltern officers, six cadets, an armorer, twenty men of men of the troops, one hundred and eighty Canadians, and about thirty savages." He had also munitions, mer- chandise, trinkets and liquids, as presents to win the natives, and strings and belts of wam- pum to leave as reminders of agreements he expected to make with them. He left La Chine June 15th. From Lake Erie he cleared the precipitous portage to Chautauqua Lake. While passing through this lake and its out- let, he learned that the natives, alarmed by his approach, were fleeing to the woods. He paused at the Conewago, held a council, and by the advice of his savages sent in advance a lieutenant with three Iroquois and three Abenakes carrying strings of wampum to per- suade the natives to stay and hear the good news he was bringing them. He also sent, alone, Mr. DeJoncaire, the French-Iroquois half-breed, who was often in the Long House, spoke the Iroquois dialects fluently, and was as polished and keen as a Damascus blade. This plan of sending the envoys ahead he followed throughout the voyage. He entered the Ohio at noon, July 29. On the south bank, opposite the entrance "Kanaragon" (Conewango), he buried the first lead plate.
Celoron buried six plates in all, with dra- matic ceremonies. They were alike, with blanks for the dates and names, stating when and where each was deposited. They were about one eighth of an inch thick, eleven inches long by seven and one half in breadth. They were inscribed as follows :
In the year 1749 of the reign of Louis XV, King of France, I, Celoron, Commander of the Detach- ment sent by the Marquis de la Galissaniere, Com- manding General of New France, to establish tran- quility in some of the villages of these cantons, we have buried this plate at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanaragon July 29, as a monument of the renewal of possession which we have taken of the said river of Ohio and of all those that therein empty; and of all the lands on both sides to the source of said river, as they were enjoyed, or should have been enjoyed, by the preceding Kings of France, and they are maintained by arms and by treaties, and especially by those of Reswick, d'Utrecht
and of Aix la Chapelle; we have also affixed in the same place to a tree the arms of the king, in testi- mony of which we have drawn up and signed the present Procès Verbal.
Done at the entrance of Belle Rivière July 19, 1749. All the officers have signed.
This done, he continued his march down the river, and visited four villages in the next four days, where the persuasive Mr. DeJoncaire had succeeded in gathering the natives. He dep- recated the presence of English traders, espe- cially in some villages where a house was set aside for their visits. The English he said spoke lies about the French, who loved them. The English would harm them and drive them out. The country belonged to the French, who would soon expel the English. The chiefs re- plied with fair words. Everything was accord- ing to correct form, strings of wampum were exchanged, to mark important points discussed. In one village, probably Oil Creek for he passed one other before reaching River aux Boeufs, the Indian speaker asked that the Eng- lish be allowed to remain till spring: "If thou makest the English retire who give us neces- saries and especially the smith who mends our guns and our hatchets, we would be exposed to die of hunger-of misery in the Belle Rivière." Celoron promised to tell their great father Onontio at Quebec, who would do what was best. "I confess," he says, "that this rep- resentation embarrassed me much." At| all these meetings he distributed presents ; he also mentions coup de lait (brandy ) at one place, to drink the health of their father Onontio, and tobacco,-which possibly were likewise usual. On Aug. 3d, in the afternoon, he arrived at "the village of the Rivière aux Boeufs."
FRANKLIN ENTERS HISTORY
He saw only a few people on shore. He dis- embarked and asked for a smith and an Eng- lish trader. "I wished to see them. I had been told they were there." But they had taken to the woods with most of the natives. Only "five or six Iroquois" remained. He spoke to them "nearly as I had spoken to the Loups, and immediately departed." Four leagues be- low he buried the second plate. The ceremony was spectacular. The picturesque company of two hundred and fifty men was marshalled in military array. The sunshine aslant through the stirring leaves touched the bright steel, the red and the white faces, the gay uniforms, and the green forest carpet with dancing spots of light. The mysterious movements of the mathe- matician in taking the latitude and longitude,
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VENANGO COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
the solemn burial of the plate of lead, the read- ing of the Proces-Verbal attached to the tree above the Fleur-de-Lis of France, the response of "all the officers" to their signatures, and the "Vive La France," "Vive Le Roi," echoing from the hills, all attested the grave import of the matter. This was "on the south bank of the river opposite a bald mountain and near a large stone on which are several figures rather
war. The bent bow and arrow are twice dis- tinctly repeated. The arrow by itself is re- peated several times, which denotes a date be- fore the introduction of firearms. The animals captured, to which attention is called by the Indian pictographist, are not deer or common game, but objects of higher triumph. There are two large panthers or cougars variously de- picted; the lower one in the inscription de-
POINTE AUX
R AUX POMMES
₹
LAÇ TJADUKOIN
ERIE
LA MAILLE COUPLE
NIN
TOUTE CETTE PART DE LAC CI EST INCONNUE
VILLAGE DE LOUPS
1
CPORT DES MIAMIS
ÍN AU VERMILLION
ANCIEN VILLAGE
CHAQUANONS
ATTIQUE
VILLAGE OF
VILLAGE DE LOUPS (b)
LA DEMOISELLE
KANOUQUARA
2
R. VÊMAN QUAKONAN
CARTE
.
R. BLANCHE
. CHINOORIENTA .
D'UN VOYAGE FAIT DANS LA BELLE RIVIÈRE EN LA NOUVELLE FRANCE MDCGALIK.
L
PAR LE REVEREND PÈRE BONNECAMP, JESUITTE MATHEMATICIN
LONGITUDE OCCIDENTALE
roughly engraved." The "large stone" here referred to is known as "the God Rock." It is a priceless relic and should at once be removed to the county seat, its traceries restored, and it should be preserved under glass so long as Venango county endures. Its former resting place could be fixed by a marker. An interest in our local history would be aroused. Perhaps not one in a thousand of our county residents has yet seen it, and may not. Schoolcraft has this regarding it :
"The inscription itself appears distinctly to record in symbols the triumphs of hunting and
noting the influence, agreeably to pictographs heretofore published, of medical magic. The figure of a female denotes without doubt a cap- tive; various circles representing human heads denote deaths. One of the subordinate figures depicts by his gorgets a chief. The symbolic sign of a raised hand drawn before a person represented with a bird's head, denotes ap- parently the name of an individual or tribe."
The appearance of the river at this spot now is almost as it was when Celoron buried his futile little plate as the beginning of French domination. The changes are not obtrusive.
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1
VILLAGE DE LOOK
" AUX DOUPS
Indian God Rock on the Allegheny River Nine Miles Below Franklin, Pa.
20
X
Inscription on Indian God Rock
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Some iron rails run in parallel lines along the R. au Fiel ground. Strings of wire hum to the wind. Yet these are proof of a startling transformation. The scenes enacted in this valley a century and a half ago, seem as strange and remote in thought as the founding of Rome.
Going on down the valley, preceded by the wily Joncaire and the six savages who should persuade the natives to await his coming, Celo- ron met the Indians in their villages and strove by presents and fair promises to win them as allies to the French. He deposited the sixth and last plate near the mouth of the Miami.
Ascending this river, he reached by a port- age the Maumee, down which he floated to Lake Erie; thence back to Montreal, Nov. 10, 1749. His report is not encouraging. He found "all the nations of these places are very ill-disposed against the French and entirely de- voted to the English. If we send to trade with them, our traders can never give our merchan- dise at the price the English do, because of the expense they would be at." He concludes that a substantial establishment would be useful to the proposed colonies, but on account of the many difficulties of the road on which pro- visions must be transported "it would not suc- ceed except by making a strong defence."
An interesting record relating to French ex- ploration in the Ohio valley is the "Map of a Voyage made on the Beautiful River in New France 1749; by the Rev. Father Bonnecamp, Jesuit Mathematician," which is herewith re- produced. Longitude occidentale (west longi- tude) reckoned from the meridian of Paris is indicated upon the exterior margin at the top and bottom ; and north latitude in a similar manner at the sides ; the figures upon the inside margin at the top and bottom denote minutes of longitude, each interval including fifteen minutes, the fourth part of a degree; the fig- ures upon the inside margin at the sides repre- sent leagues in the scale of twenty to a degree, each interval including five leagues or fifteen miles. The mark "#" indicates where latitude and longitude were observed, and "II" where plates were buried. The following list of French names as given on this map, with the corresponding American names, will make it easily understood :
R. aux Pommes Lac Tjadi Koin R. Kananougon La Paille Coupèe Village de Loups
R. aux Boeufs
Chautauqua Creek Lake Chautauqua Conewango Creek Broken Straw Creek Village of Loup In- dians French Creek
R. au Vermillion. Attique
Ancien Village de Chaouanons Village de Loups (b) Village de Chiningue R. Kanououara
R. Yenanguakonan
Muskingum River
R. Chinodaichta
R. de Sinhiota
R. Blanche
Great Kanawha River Scioto River White River Great Miami River
R. de la Roche
La Demoiselle
Site of Fort Laramie
Portage de la Demoi- selle
Fort des Miamis
Portage from the Mi- ami to the Maumee Site of Fort Wayne Sister Islands
Isle aux Serpentes
R. aux Raisins Raisin River
R. aux Cignes
Huron River
R. aux Cedres
Cedar River
Pointe Pelleé Point Pellee
Pointe aux Pins
Point aux Pins
Lac Erie
Lake Erie
The English translation of Toute cette part du lac-ci est inconue is, All this part of the lake is unknown.
The exploration of this territory was fol- lowed by preparations to keep possession of it, by building forts along its border. The French now came up to Erie, called by them Presque Isle, thence across the country to French Creek. The first and second forts were built in 1753 and were called Presque Isle and Le Boeuf, located respectively at Erie and at Waterford. In the fall of 1753 Capt. Chabert de Joncaire, the French-Iroquois half- breed, was sent down to Franklin to build a third fort to be called Machault, after Mon- sieur Machault, minister of finance in France. Joncaire had not only acted as the advance agent of Celoron and thus obtained an intimate acquaintance with many of the Indians of this whole region. He had improved his oppor- tunities. He had won the regard of many of the natives by his seeming care for their wel- fare. Several tribes had sent requests to Celo- ron to allow Joncaire to stay with them. No better man for his place here could have been found. The cabin of Frazier, which was a comfortable one of fair size, he found deserted, but with the British flag flying over the roof. This he replaced by the French colors and occu- pied the cabin as his headquarters.
John Frazier was doubtless the first white man to settle in Franklin. Why he came, to meet the infinite loneliness of the sky, the for-
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Clarion River Mahoning Creek Kittanning Ancient Village of Shawnese Site of Pittsburgh Logstown
Wheeling Creek
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est and the faces of savages, no one can tell. Had he been disappointed in love? Or in hate? He is a romantic figure. He was of Scotch birth, was a resident of Lancaster county in 1750. As early as 1748 he had been licensed as an Indian trader, and he doubtless built his cabin, and began trading and repair- ing guns here, soon after. His work was valued by the villagers outside, for one village at least pleaded to have him allowed to remain till spring. In May he had written a letter "to all traders," informing them that the French were making preparations at Le Boeuf. Later he wrote that some men had come down the river with presents from the governor of Can- ada. In the summer he removed to Turtle Creek, the site of Braddock. A letter from that place tells of the escape of one of his men from Venango, stating that "he only sold eight bucks worth, which Custaloga took from him, and all his corn when he was escaping in the night." In 1754 he became a lieutenant in the British army. The time and manner of his death are not known. He was Venango's first pioneer. He was efficient, farseeing, coura- geous, and contributed to the general welfare.
In the meantime, the English were disturbed by this line of fortifications building just back of their colonies to shut off their westward ex- pansion. Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia sent a messenger to the Ohio country to learn what the French claimed, and to ascertain the situa- tion and strength of their line of forts. He chose for this purpose a young surveyor, just past twenty-one, George Washington of Vir- ginia,-then. His commission and instructions follow :
To George Washington Esquire, one of the adjutants general of the troops and forces in the colony of Virginia:
I, reposing especial confidence in the ability, con- duct and fidelity of you, the said George Washing- ton, have appointed you my express messenger; and you are hereby empowered to proceed hence, with all convenient and possible dispatch, to that place on the Ohio river where the French have late erected a fort or forts, or where the commandant of the French forces resides, in order to deliver my letter and message to him, and after waiting not exceed- ing one week for an answer, you are to take your leave and return immediately back.
To this communication I have set my hand, and caused the great seal of this Dominion to be affixed, at the City of Williamsburgh, the seat of my govern- ment, this 30th day of October in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of his Majesty, George the Second, King of Great Britain, etc. etc.
ROBERT DINWIDDIE. Annoque Domini 1753
Text of instructions :
WHEREAS: I have received instructions of a body of French forces being assembled in a hostile man-
ner on the Ohio River, intending by force of arms to erect certain forts on said river within this terri- tory and contrary to the dignity and peace of our sovereign the King of Great Britain :
These are, therefore, to require and direct you, the said George Washington, forthwith to repair to Logstown, on the said River Ohio, and having there informed yourself where the said French forces have posted themselves, thereupon to proceed to such place; and being arrived there, to present your credentials together with my letter to the chief com- manding officer, and in the name of his Britannic Majesty to demand an answer thereto.
On your arrival at Logstown you are to address yourself to the Half King, to Monacatoicha, and the other sachems of the Six Nations, acquainting them with your orders to visit and deliver my letter to the French commanding officer, and desiring the said chiefs to appoint you a sufficient number of their warriors to be your safeguard as near the French as you may desire, and to wait your further directions.
You are diligently to inquire into the number and force of the French on the Ohio, and the adjacent country; how they are likely to be assisted from Canada; and what are the difficulties and conven- iences of that communication and the time required for it.
You are to take care to be truly informed what forts the French have erected, and where; how they are garrisoned and appointed, what is their distance from each other, and from Logstown; and from the best intelligence you can procure, you are to learn what gave occasion to this expedition of the French, how they are likely to be supported, and what their pretensions are.
When the French commander has given you the required and necessary dispatches, you are to desire of him a proper guard to protect you so far on your return as you may judge for your safety against any straggling Indians or hunters that may be ignorant of your character and molest you.
Wishing you good success in your negotiation, and a safe and speedy return, I am etc.,
ROBERT DINWIDDIE.
Williamsburgh, October 30, 1753.
His passport follows :
To all to whom these presents may come or concern, greeting :
WHEREAS, I have appointed George Washington, Esquire, by commission, under the great seal, my express messenger to the commandant of the French forces on the River Ohio, and as he is charged with business of great importance to his Majesty and the Dominion : I do hereby command all his majesty's subjects, and particularly require all in alliance and amity with the crown of Great Britain, and all others to whom this passport may come, agreeably to the law of nations, to be aiding and assisting, as a safeguard to the said George Washington, and his attendants, in his present passage to and from the River Ohio, as aforesaid.
ROBERT DINWIDDIE.
In obedience to his instructions Washington went by way of Wilts Creek, Md., to Logs- town on the Ohio, eighteen miles below what was then merely the site of Pittsburgh. Here he was delayed a day and a half as the chief Half King was absent on a hunting trip.
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VENANGO COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
At the meeting, Washington learned that Half King had met the French General, who received him with great scorn and announced to him that to the French belonged the valley of the Ohio, that the Indians did not own so much soil as was under their finger nails. That the French had sent their general, Lead, ahead of them down the river, and they would soon drive out the English. The Indians were warned to have no commerce with them.
Washington's party was ready to start from Logstown on the 30th of November. He had his own French interpreter, a guide, the chiefs Half King, Jeskakuke, White Thunder, and the Hunter. On Dec. 4th they arrived at the Venango, which Washington calls "an old Indian town situated at the mouth of French Creek on the Ohio." They found Captain Jon- caire and French officers comfortably housed in the cabin of John Frazier, from which he had fled. The young messenger disclosed his business to the Captain. But Joncaire, the suave French officer, replied with modesty that while he commanded on the Ohio, a gen- eral officer was at a near fort where he advised him to apply; while Joncaire, the Iroquois, holding in his hands a string of wiles to attract the Indians, invited them "to sup" with him and "treated us with the greatest complai- sance."
"The men as they dosed themselves pretty plentifully with it, soon banished restraint and gave a license to their tongues to declare their sentiments freely." "They told us it was their absolute design to take possession of the Ohio and by G-d they would do it; though they were sensible that the English had two men to their one, yet their motions were too slow and dilatory to prevent any undertaking of theirs." (Washington's Journal.)
The experienced man of the world-that world was no match for the budding genius of democracy, who at that moment was already on his immortal march through history. Wash- ington, after several days' delay caused by the French officers plying his Indians with presents and liquor, which induced them to linger, jour- neyed to Fort Le Boeuf. On the 13th he met the commandant. He took the next day to con- sider, and on the morning of the 15th handed to Washington his reply to the Governor. The dilatory tactics continued and gave him the opportunity to study the fort and make his re- port. Not till the 22d was he back at Venango, where he found the Indians sick and unable to accompany him on the return. The horses were not fit to travel, so Washington, with only Christopher Gist, his friend and guide,
resolved to go through the woods on foot. "I took my necessary papers, pulled off my clothes and tied myself up in a watch coat," and with pack on my back and gun in my hand, and with Gist fitted in the same manner, set out for Logstown.
Two days out they were joined by an Indian, whom Gist thought he had seen with Joncaire. At a favorable moment the savage shot at Washington fifteen paces distant. Washing- ton asked Gist, "are you shot?" They took the Indian. Gist said, "I would have killed him but the Major would not suffer me." He and Gist arrived at Logstown after narrowly escaping being drowned amidst the floating ice of the river. Their feet and hands were frostbitten from sleeping on an island waiting for the water to freeze a bridge for them. His report to the governor and the publication of his journal precipitated a war here by which France lost an Empire in America to Great Britain. This war was transferred to the Eastern continent and France lost to Britain another Empire in India, still another in Africa, and claims in the West Indies.
A new idea sprang from colonial life. It gripped the minds of men with the force of a divine decree. It was the thought of free- dom. Not license; but self-government. A citizen-state; not kings' prerogatives. By the visit of its young disciple, a struggle for it began at Franklin which presently involved the world. The struggle still continues.
After Washington's departure, Captain de Joncaire remained at his headquarters in Fra- zier's old home. He allowed no English traders there. But he made the place a ren- dezvous for all the Indians of the region whom he could attract. His efforts to win them to the French interest would not be lessened by the failure of his attempt to assassinate young Washington, whom he must have hated. Their natures were opposites. antagonistic; slavish, cruel cunning. against high moral purpose.
The fort was completed in the spring of 1754. Though named Fort Machault by the French. it was always spoken of as the French fort at Venango, by the English. For its erec- tion a sawmill was build on a little run near Eighth street. The heavy machinery for this mill was transported from Canada, via port- ages at Niagara and Erie and then down French creek, a tremendous undertaking for the time. Stockades and heavy walls were constructed of the saplings and logs from the forests. The · boards for the barracks, and to finish the offi- cers' quarters, would be furnished by the mill. This would also provide materials for the
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building of boats and barges to be used for transportation of supplies for the fort, or for expeditions down the river. Fort Pitt was at this time the place to be destroyed. A plan or map of Fort Machault came to light in 1875. Probably it was copied from a French plan by an English officer, since the French name is not used.
Venango fort is situated on a rising piece of ground on a rich bottom abounding with clover, sixty yards west of the Ohio. The north and south polygon is forty-five yards and the east and west polygon thirty-seven yards. The bastions are built of saplings eight inches thick and eight feet in length set stockade fashion. Part of the curtains are of hewed timber, laid lengthwise upon one an- other, which also make one side of the barracks.
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The body of the work was in the form of a parallelogram, in size about seventy-five by one hundred and five feet. In the interior were the magazine, fifteen by eighteen feet, pro- tected by three feet of earth, and several build- ings for officers' barracks. The gate fronted the river. The soldiers occupied forty-four separate buildings to the north and east sides of the fort. Along the northern side, and about fifty feet distant, a small stream supplied water to the camp. On the present city plan of Franklin, Elk street passes through the site of the fort, while its southern side reaches nearly to Sixth street.
When this redoubt was built, it was prob- ably not the intention, since the French arms had been so easily successful at Fort Du Quesne, to erect a strong fortress. It was not likely to be attacked. But later, when Fort Pitt became formidable, it was decided to make it much stronger. It was strengthened in 1758 and a larger garrison placed in it. It then be- came a gathering place for all the Indians hos- tile to the English. In the summer of 1759 Fort Machault assumed a new and great im- portance. It was the rallying point for the collection of men and materials to descend the river and to capture Fort Pitt. A thousand Frenchmen and as many Indians were assem- bled there. All the trees of sufficient size had been cut down to make boats, at Le Boeuf, it was said. A draft was made for provisions and men from Kaskaskia and the Mississippi. It was a bold and very laborious undertaking. While all were full of hope and ready to em- bark for Fort Pitt the end came suddenly. Messengers arrived from Niagara with orders to abandon the forts in Western Pennsylvania and hasten all their forces to the rescue of Fort Niagara. The order was to destroy the fort and all supplies which they could not take
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