History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin, Part 14

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. [from old catalog]; Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company
Number of Pages: 1298

USA > Wisconsin > Richland County > History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin > Part 14
USA > Wisconsin > Crawford County > History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin > Part 14

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).

"I learned from the Chippewas at La Pointe, when I was agent for the United States among

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

them in 1842-3, that previous to their crossing Lake Superior to settle upon its southern shores, the Sioux occupied the whole country south of it, and as far east, at least, as Ke-we-wa-non Bay, then called Che-goi-me-gon; for there, in 1661, it seems they captured and killed the missionary Rene Mesnard, whose cassock and breviary were afterwards found among the Sioux, kept by them as amulets." *

THE SACS AND FOXES

What is now Crawford county and its surround- ing country remained a derelict region until finally the Sacs and Foxes from the east came to Fox river and then moved westward to the Wisconsin. Of all the tribes who have inhab- ited this State, they are the most noted. The Sacs were sometimes called Sauks or Sankies and the Foxes were frequently known as the Outagamies. They are of the Algonquin family, and are first mentioned in 1665, by Father Allouez, but as separate tribes. After- ward, however, because of the identity of their language, and their associations, they were and still are considered one Nation. In December, 1669, Allouez found upon the shores of Green bay a village of Sacs, occupied also by members of other tribes, and early in 1670 he visited a village of the same Indians located upon the Fox river of Green bay, at a distance of four leagues from its mouth. Here a device of these In- dians for catching fish arrested the attention of the missionary. " From one side of the river to the other," he writes, "they made a barricade, planting great stakes, two fathoms from the water, in such a manner that there is, as it were, a bridge above for the fishes, who by the aid of a little bow-net, casily take sturgeons and all other kinds of fish which this pier stops, although the water does not cease to flow be- tween the stakes." When the Jesuit father first obtained, five years previous, a knowledge of this tribe, they were represented as savage above all others, great in numbers, and without any permanent dwelling place. The Foxes

* Bancroft's history of the United States, Vol. 3. P. 147.

were of two stocks-one calling themselves Outagamies or Foxes, whence our English name ; the other, Musqnakink, or men of red elay, the name now used by the tribe. They lived in early times with their kindred the Saes east of Detroit, and as some say, near the St. Lawrence. They were driven west, and settled at Saginaw, a name derived from the Saes. Thenee they were forced by the Iro- quois to Green bay ; but were compelled to leave that place and settle on Fox river.

Allonez, on the 24th of April, 1670, arrived at a village of the Foxes, situated on Wolf river, a northern tributary of the Fox. "The Nation," he declares, "is renowned for being numerous ; they have more than 400 men bear- ing arms ; the number of women and children is greater, on aceount of polygamy which ex- ists among them-each man having commonly four wives, some of them six, and others as high as ten." The missionary found that the Foxes had retreated to those parts to escape the perse- cutions of the Iroquois. Allouez established among these Indians his Mission of St. Mark, rejoicing in the fact that in less than two years he had baptized "sixty children and some adults." The Foxes, at the summons of De la Barre, in 1684, sent warriors against the Five Nations. They also took part in Denonville's more serious campaign ; but soon after beeame hostile to the French. As early as 1693, they had plundered several on their way to trade with the Sioux, alleging that they were earry- ing arms and ammunitions to their ancient ene- mies frequently causing them to make port- ages to the southward in erossing from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi. Afterward they became reconciled to the French ; but the ree- oneiliation was of short duration. In 1712, Fort Detroit, then defended by only a handful of men, was attacked by them in conjunction with the Maseontins and Kiekapoos. However, in the end, by calling in friendly Indians, the garrison not only protected themselves but

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

were enabled to act on the offensive, destroying the greater part of the besieging force.

The Nation continued their ill will to the French. The consequence was that their terri- tory in 1716 had been invaded and they were reduced to sue for peace. But their friendship was not of long continuance. In 1718 the Foxes numbered 500 men and "abounded in women and children." They are spoken of at that date as being very industrious, raising large quanti- ties of Indian corn. In 1728 another expedition was sent against them by the French. Mean- while the Menomonees had also become hostile; so, too, the Sacs, who were now the allies of the Foxes. The result of the enterprise was, an attack upon and the defeat of a number of Monomonees ; the burning of the wigwams of the Winnebagoes (after passing the deserted village of the Sacs upon the Fox river), that tribe, also, at this date being hostile ; and the destruction of the fields of the Foxes. They were again attacked in their own country by the French, in 1730, and defeated. In 1734 both the Sacs and Foxes came in conflict with the same foe ; but this time the French were not as successful as on previous expeditions. In 1736 the Sacs and Foxes were "connected with the government of Canada ;" but it is certain they were far from being friendly to the French.

The conflict between France and Great Brit- ain, commeneing in 1754, found the Sacs and Foxes allied with the former power, against the English, although not long previous to this time they were the bitter enemies of the French. At the close of that contest so disastrous to the in- terests of France in North America, these tribes readily gave in their adhesion to the conquerors, asking that English traders might be sent them. The two Nations, then about equally divided, numbered, in 1761, about 700 warriors. Neither of the tribes took part in Pontiac's war, but they befriended the English. The Sacs had emigrated farther to the westward; but the Foxes, at 'east a portion of them, still remained upon the wa-

ters of the river of Green bay, which perpet- nates their name. A few years later, however, and the former were occupants of the upper Wisconsin ; also to a considerable distance be- low the portage, where their chief town was located. Further down the same stream was the upper village of the Foxes, while their lower one was situated near its mouth at the site of the present city of Prairie du Chien. At this date, 1766, and even later, what is now Crawford county, was within the territory claimed as theirs. Gradually, however, they retreated down the Mississippi until, before the close of the century all their possessions in what is now Wisconsin, was in the extreme southwest. They no longer had their hunting grounds to the northward of the Wisconsin river. Another tribe had, as it were, crowded them out.

During the War of the Revolution, the Sacs and Foxes continued the firm friends of the English. In 1804 they ceded their lands south of the Wisconsin river to the United States ; so that they no longer were owners of any lands within this State. From that date, therefore, these allied tribes cannot be considered as be- longing to the Indian Nations of Wisconsin. They were generally friendly to Great Britain during the War of 1812-15, but they soon made peace with the United States after that contest ended. A striking episode in their subsequent history is the Black Hawk War, which will be narrated in a subsequent chapter. The exact date of the Foxes leaving the Wisconsin river country is unknown. They sold the prairie at the mouth of that stream to some Canadian French traders, in 1781, and subsequently vaca- ted their village. Probably about the begin- ning of the present century they had abandoned this region as their home, although they long after visited it for the purposes of trade.

WILY THE FOX INDIANS LEFT THE LOWER WIS- CONSIN.

[By Jonathan Carver.]

On the 8th of October, (1766), we got our canoes into the Ouisconsin river, which at this place is more than a hundred yards wide and

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

the next day arrived at the great town of the Sankies. This is the largest and best built Indian town I ever saw. It contains about ninety houses, each large enough for several families. These are built of hewn plank, neatly jointed and covered with bark, so compactly as to keep out the most penetrating rains. Be- fore the doors are placed comfortable sheds, in which the inhabitants sit, when the weather will permit, and smoke their pipes. The streets are regular and spacious, so that it appears more like a eivilized town than the abode of savages. The land near the town is very good. On their plantations, which lie adjacent to their houses, and which are neatly laid out, they raise quan- tities of Indian corn, beans, melons, etc., so that this place is esteemed the best market for traders to furnish themselves with provisions of any within 800 miles of it.

The Saukies can raise about 300 warriors, who are generally employed every summer in mak- ing excursions into the territories of the Illi- nois and Pawnee Nations, from whence they return with a great number of slaves. But those people frequently retaliate, and, in their turn, destroy many of the Saukies, which I judge to be the reason why they increase no faster.

Whilst I stayed here I took a view of some mountains, (Blue Mounds), that lay about fifteen miles to the southward, and abounded in lead ore. I aseended one of the highest of these, and had an extensive view of the country. For many miles nothing was to be seen but lesser mountains, which appeared at a distance like haycoeks, they being free from trees. Only a few groves of hickory and stunted oaks, covered some of the valleys.

So plentiful is lead here that I saw large quantities of it lying about the streets in the town belonging to the Saukies, and it seemed to be as good as the produce of other countries. On the 10th of October we proceeded down the river, and the next day reached the first town of the Ontagamies, This town contained

about fifty houses, but we found most of them deserted, on account of an epidemical disorder that had lately raged among them, and carried off more than one half of the inhabitants. . The greater part of those who survived had retired into the woods to avoid the contagion.

On the 15th we entered that extensive river, the Mississippi. The Ouisconsin, from the car- rying place to the part where it falls into the Mississippi, flows with a smooth but strong cur- rent ; the water of it is exceedingly clear, and through it you may perceive a fine and sandy bottom, tolerably free from rocks. In it are a few islands, the soil of which appeared to be good, though somewhat woody. The land near the river also seemed to be, in general, excel- lent; but that at a distance is very full of moun- tains, where, it is said, there are many lead mines.

About five miles from the junction of the rivers I observed the ruins of a large town, in a very pleasing situation. On inquiring of the neighboring Indians why it was thus deserted, I was informed that, about thirty years ago, the Great Spirit appeared on the top of a pyramid of rocks, which lay at a little distance from it toward the west, and warned them to quit their habitations ; for the land on which they were built. belonged to him, and he had occasion for it. As a proof that he, who gave them these orders, was really the Great Spirit, he further told them that the grass should immediately spring up on those very rocks from whence he now addressed them, which they knew to be bare and barren. The Indians obeyed, and soon after discovered that this miraculous alteration had taken place. They showed me the spot, but the growth of the grass appeared to be no ways supernatural. I apprehended this to have been a stratagem of the French or Spaniards to answer some selfish view ; but in what manner they effected their purpose I know not. This people, soon after their removal, built a town on the bank of the Mississippi, near the month Iof the Quisconsin, at a place called by the

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

French Les Prairies les Chiens, which signifies the Dog Plains ; it is a large town and contains about 300 families ; the houses are well built, after the Indian manner, and pleasantly situated on a very rich soil, from which they raise every necessary of life in great abundance. I saw here many horses of a good size and shape. This town is a great mart, where all the adjacent tribes, and even those who inhabit the most re- mote branches of the Mississippi, annually as- semble about the latter end of May, bringing with them their furs to dispose of to the traders. But it is not always that they conclude their sale here ; this is determined by a general coun- cil of the chiefs, who consult whether it would be more conducive to their interests to sell their goods at this place, or carry them on to Louisi- ana or Michillimackinac ; according to the de- cision of this council, they either proceed far- ther or return to their different homes.

The Mississippi, at the entrance of the Ouis- consin, near which stands a mountain of con- siderable height, is about half a mile over ; but opposite to the last mentioned town, it appears to be more than a mile wide and full of islands, the soil of which is extraordinarily rien and but thinly wooded.

CONCERNING THE FOX INDIANS. [By Schoolcraft, 1820.]

The first we hear of these people (the Foxes) is from early missionaries of New France, who call them, in a list drawn up for the govern- ment in 1736, "Gens du Sang" and Miskaukis. The latter I found to be the name they apply to themselves. We get nothing, however, by it. It means red earth, being a compound from misk-wau, red, and aukie, earth. They are a branch of the great Algonquin family. The French, who formed a bad opinion of them as their history opened, bestowed on them the name of Renouard, from which we derive their long standing popular name. Their traditions attribute their origin to eastern portions of America. Mr. Gates, who acted as my inter- preter and is well acquainted with their lan-

guages and customs, informs me that their tradi- tions refer to their residence on the north banks of the St. Lawrence, near the ancient cataraqui. They appear to have been a very erratic, spirited, warlike and treacherous tribe, dwelling but a short time at a spot, and pushing west- ward as their affairs led them, till they finally reached the Mississippi, which they must have crossed after 1766, for Carver found them liv- ing in villages on the Wisconsin. At Saginaw they appeared to have formed a fast alliance with the Sauks, a tribe to whom they are closely allied by language and history. They figure in the history of Indian events about old Michili- mackinac, where they played pranks under the not very definite title of Muscodainsug, but are first conspicuously noted while they dwelt on the river bearing their name, which falls into Green bay, Wisconsin .* The Chippewas, with whom they have strong affinity of language, call them Outagamie, and ever deemed them a sanguinary and unreliable tribe. The French defeated them in a sanguinary battle at Butte de Mort, and by this defeat drove them from Fox River.

Their present numbers cannot be accurately given. I was informed that the village I visited contained 250 souls. They have a large village at Rock Island, where the Foxes and Sauks live together, which consists of sixty lodges, and numbers 300 souls. One-half of these may be Sauks. They have another village at the mouth of Turkey river; altogether they may muster from 460 to 500 souls. Let, they are at war with most of the tribes around them, except the Iowas, Sauks and Kickapoos. They are en- gaged in a deadly and apparently successful war against the Sioux tribes. They recently killed nine men of that Nation, on the Terre Blue river, and a party of twenty men are now absent, in the same direction, under a half-breed named Morgan. They are on bad terms with the Osages and Pawnees, of the Missouri, and

*This name was first applied to a territory in 1836.

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

not on the best terms with their neighbors, the Winnebagoes.

I again embarked at 4 o'clock A. M. (8th). My men were stout fellows, and worked with hearty will, and it was thought possible to reach the prairie during the day by hard and late push- ing We passed Turkey river at 2 o'clock, and they boldly plied their paddles, sometimes ani- mating their labors with a song; but the Mississippi proved too stout for us, and some- time after night-fall we put ashore on an island, before reaching the Wisconsin.

In ascending the river this day, I observed the pelican, which exhibited itself in a flock stand- ing on a low sandy spot of an island This bird has a clumsy and unwieldy look, from the duplicate membrane attached to its lower mandible, which is constructed so as when inflated to give it a bag-like appearance. A short sleep served to restore the men, and we were again in our canoes the next morning (9th) before I could certainly tell the time by my watch. Daylight had not yet broke when we passed the influx of the Wisconsin, and we reached the prairie under a full chorus and landed at 6 o'clock.

INDIAN CONFLICTS WITHIN THE COUNTY.

The various tribes, in visiting the "prairie," or in passing up and down the Mississippi, sometimes came in deadly conflict within the present limits of this county, since the first set- tlement here by white men-the result, in many cases, of ancient hostilities existing between them. Two writers have well described some of these conflicts, and their accounts are ap- pended.

WAR BETWEEN THE SACS AND FOXES AND THE SIOUX. [1 .- By Mrs. H. S. Baird, of Green Bay.]

During the first half of the present century, there existed between different Indian tribes of the north and west, a succession of sanguinary wars. The conflicts between the contending parties were marked by the characteristic traits of cruelty and ferocity of a barbarons race.

The tribes engaged in these hostilities were the Sioux, Chippe , as, Sacs, Foxes and Winneba- goes. Their battles were not always fought in their own country, nor on their own lands. Whenever and wherever a hostile party met, a contest was sure to be the result; and many incidents connected with this warfare were observed by the early settlers of Wisconsin, one of which 1 witnessed, and will relate.

In the month of May, 1830, with my family, I visited Prairie du Chien, on the Mississippi ; we were guests of the late Joseph Rolette, then a trader, and agent of the American Fur Company. One evening, a few days after our arrival, we were startled by hearing the con- tinual and successive reports of fire-arms, ap- parently on the Mississippi below. The firing continued for an hour or more, and was suc- ceeded by sounds of Indian drums and savage yells, with an occasional discharge of guns.

The family having retired at the usual time, were aroused from their slumbers about mid- night by hearing foot-steps on the piazza, con- versation in the Indian language, and finally by knocking on the door and window shutters. Mr. Rolette immediately arose and went out to ascertain the cause of the disturbance, when he was informed that a bloody battle had been fought, and the visitors were the victors, and had called up their trader to inform him of their victory, and to obtain the necessary spirit water to celebrate the glorious event in regular savage style. Their wants were supplied, of course, when they took their leave, but not to sleep; neither could we sleep, as the warriors kept up through the night a most horrible pow- wow, enlivened by savage yells, all plainly within our hearing.

In the morning we heard the particulars of the savage fight, and during the day witnessed one of the most disgusting and revolting exhi- bitions that human beings could display.

On the day before the battle, or rather mas- sacre, a war party of some twenty or twenty- five Sioux encamped on an island opposite

100

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

Prairie du Chien. They were there joined by a few Menomonees, who volunteered to assist their friends, the Sioux. It appears that the latter had previously received information that on that day a party of Sacs and Foxes, their inveterate enemies, would leave their village, situated on the Mississippi, some distance below Prairie du Chien, intending to visit the latter place ; and that they would encamp for the night at a regular camping ground, near the month of the Wisconsin river.

In the afternoon of that day, the Sioux war party embarked in several canoes, and descend- ed the river. Arriving near the spot where they knew their intended victims would en- camp, they drew their canoes on land, and care- fully hid them in the thick woods, and then selceted a spot covered with a dense growth of bushes, and within a short gun-shot of the landing place on the camping ground. Here, with true Indian cunning, they lay in ambush, awaiting the arrival of the unsuspecting Sacs and Foxes. No fire was made, and the still- ness of death reigned in the forest. Nor had they long to wait for the arrival of their foes.

Between sunset and dark, the party, in three or four canoes, arrived at the fatal landing place, and dis-embarked. It consisted of eighteen persons, one old chief, one squaw, one boy about fourteen years old and fifteen warriors. Upon landing, the party commenced unloading the canoes. The concealed war party remained perfectly quiet, scarcely breath- ing, so that their victims might be completely surprised. After all had landed, and while carrying their effects on shore, leaving their guns and war-clubs in the canoes, the party in ambush bounded to their feet, with a horrible yell, and fired a murderous volley at the sur- prised party, by which all fell except one man and the boy. The former reached a canoe, seized a loaded gun, and discharged it, mortally wounding one of the Sioux ; but the poor Sae was soon despatched, and the only one of the eighteen who survived was the boy, who hap-

pened to be in a canoe. He seized a paddle, pushed into the stream, and made his escape down the swift current of the river.

After the massacre, all who yet breathed were despatched, and horribly mutilated. Hands, feet, fingers, ears and sealps were eut off, and more horrible still, the heart of the aged chief was cut from his breast, and all taken by the victors as trophies of the bloody confliet.

On the day succeeding the murder, the victo- rious party assembled, and accompanied by a few squaws, paraded the streets of Prairie du Chien, with the monotonous sounding drum and rattle, and displaying on poles the scalps and dismembered human fragments taken from the bodies of their victims. The whole party was painted with various colors, wore feathers, and carried their tomahawks, war-clubs and scalping-knives. Stopping in front of the principal houses in the village, they daneed the war-dance and scalp-dance, ending with yells characteristic of incarnate devils.

The mangled limbs were still fresh and bleed- ing; one old squaw had carried on a pole the entire hand, with a long strip of skin from the arm of one of the murdered men, elevated above her head, the blood triekling down upon her hair and face, while she kept up the death-song, and joined in the scalp-dance. After this exhi- bition, which lasted two or three hours, the warriors went to a small mound, about 200 yards from Mr. Rolette's residence, and in plain sight made a fire and roasted the heart of the old murdered chief, and then divided it into small pieces among the several warriors, who devoured it, to inspire them with courage, and "make their hearts glad."

The whole scene was shoeking and disgust- ing in the extreme, and such a one, we hope, never again will be witnessed in a civilized community.

The incidents just related occurred in a town containing a civilized (?) population of '600 or 800 inhabitants, under the walls of the U. S.

··

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

garrison, and within musket shot of the fort. Neither eivil nor military authorities made any effort to prevent the exhibition of the revalting and savage trophies of the sanguinary battle. In the afternoon, the party of Sioux warriors embarked in their canoes and ascended the Mis- sissippi, on their return to their own village, leaving on the minds and memories of those who witnessed these horrible and frantic orgies recollections not soon to be forgotten.

II .- By James II. Lockwood.

and to dance over it. They passed through Prairie du Chien, and remained a short time here, but for some unaccountable reason, no no- tice whatever was taken of it.

The signs of several war parties of the Foxes were reported to have been seen on the opposite side of the river during the year; but they ef- fected nothing until sometime, I think, in June, 1831, when a considerable number of Menomo- nees had collected at Prairie du Chien, and en- camped on an island near the eastern shore of the Mississippi, about one-fourth of a mile from the old Fort Crawford. They had obtained whisky enough for all to get socially drank up- on-and it is rare to find a Menomonee who will not get drunk when he has a chance-and they had carried their revels far into the night, until men, women and children were beastly drunk. About two hours before day, a Fox war party, that had been watching their movements, fell upon them in that helpless state and killed about thirty of them. By this time some of the more sober of them were aroused, and com- menced firing upon the Foxes; who fled down the river, pursued a short distance by the Me- nomonces.

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History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin, Part 14

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. [from old catalog]; Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company Number of Pages: 1298

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. [from old catalog]; Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company
Number of Pages: 1298