History of Iowa County, Wisconsin, Part 70

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 958

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Little Joe had been left by his master in charge of a man in Dubuque. It was ascertained by the hotel register. that he there had a little boy with him, but who was not with him in Galena, where he next registered his name. The Abolitionists then hunted Joe up, and, under a writ of habeas corpus, proved that Smith had voluntarily left him there. He was accordingly set free, and was sent to his Uncle Sam in Canada, Wizena, having testified that Sam had been uniformly kind to her, and had often told her that he stayed by her only to keep her from getting into worse hands.

CHAPTER I1.

THE WINNEBAGO WAR-CAPTURE OF RED BIRD-FIRST SETTLEMENT, DODGEVILLE-VAN MATRE SURVEY-FIRST WHITE WOMEN-PEDDLER'S CREEK AND DALLAS-MINERAL POINT-EARLY MERCHANDISING-FIRST MARRIAGE AND BIRTH-FIRST FARMING-FIRST MILL-BLUE RIVER -RIDGEWAY-FIRST SCHOOL AND PHYSICIANS-OLD HELENA-A VISIT TO HELENA IN '36- FURNACES OF '27 AND '28-THE FIRST CENSUS-TERRITORIAL ROADS-FIRST COUNTY SCHOOLS -COUNTY SCHOOL WORK SINCE 1843.

THE WINNEBAGO WAR.

The outbreak known as the Winnebago war has been ascribed by historians to two canses. One reason assigned was the brutal treatment received by a party of squaws at the hands of river boarders. On sifting this report to the foundation, it was found entirely baseless, and made from whole cloth by the sensational narrator. The true incentive to revolt is found in the summary fate of four Winnebagoes, who, charged with the murder of eight Chippewas, were adjudged guilty, and were condemned to run the gauntlet at the hands of the injured tribe. The action of the commandant of Fort Snelling in thus delivering prisoners into the remorse- less grasp of a hereditary enemy was deprecated, but this did not alter his line of action. As a result, the Winnebago prisoners met with a summary fate, and their scalp locks soon dangled from tent-pole of the Chippewa avengers.

Highly incensed at this deed, Red Bird, a Winnebago chief, led a war party against the Chippewas, at whose hands he suffered defeat, being repulsed with severe loss. Looking around for a new enemy, he found cause for resenting the encroachments of the whites in search of lead on the Indian Reservation, between Galena and the Wisconsin River; then all his belligerent rancor was aroused, and selected war parties of young chosen braves were sent forth to scour the country. Previously, in March, a peaceful sugar-maker from Prairie du Chien, named Methode, together with his wife and five children, had been murdered on Yellow Creek, twelve miles from Prairie du Chien. This deed of cruelty, having been related at the settlements, revived all the tales of horror connected with border warfare, and incited the men to unite for mutual protection. The old feeling of enmity, smoldering since the struggle of 1812, was fairly aroused, and a war of extermination was freely canvassed among the whites.

On the 28th of June, 1827, Red Bird, and two savage accomplices, We-kaw, Chic-hon-ic visited the house of Registre Gagnier, three miles from Prairie du Chien. There were in the house at the time, Madame Gagnier, her husband, a boy three years old, a daughter aged eleven months, and an old discharged soldier named Solomon Lipcap. Accustomed to their visits, the Indians were received with the usual display of friendliness, and were asked to eat. They assented, and signified a desire for some fish and milk. While Madame Gagnier was preparing the meal, she heard the click of Red Bird's rifle, followed instantly by the discharge, and the body of her murdered husband fell at her feet. At the same moment Chic-hon-ie shot and killed old Lipeap. Seeing We-kaw lingering about the threshold, Madame Gagnier seized his rifle, which she wrested from him ; but, from trepidation, she could not use it. Accom- panied by her oldest boy, and carrying the rifle, she ran to the village and spread the alarm, and a party of armed men returned with her, and recovered the bodies of the two murdered men. The infant, which had been left covered up in the bed, was found, on the floor underneath it. terribly mangled. The helpless child had been scalped by We-kaw, who had inflicted upon its neck a severe cut to the bone just below the occiput, made in wrenching off the scalp. Extraor- dinary as it may seem, she eventually recovered, and at latest accounts was still living, and the mother of a large family.

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HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY.

Red Bird and his companions hastened from the scene of this butchery to the appointed ren- dezvous near the mouth of the Bad Axe River, where, during their absence, thirty-seven warriors, acknowledging Red Bird's authority, had gathered together, and received the red-handed mur -. derers, with loud-voiced demonstrations of joy. A keg of liquor was broached, and, as the spirits decreased, in like proportion did their own volatile spirits ascend, until they were weak- ened and infuriated by the protracted orgie. On the third day, the last drop of liquor was con- suined. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon, they were indulging in the excitable scalp-dance, when they descried a keel-boat in charge of Mr. Lindsay returning from Fort Snelling. Forth- with, it was resolved to effect her capture, and put the crew to the knife.

There were two boats, Mr. Lindsay's being a short distance in advance of the second. The boats had descended the river as far as the village of Wabasha, where an attack was expected. The Winnebagos were on shore, in full-view, performing the war-dance, and they saluted the crews of the boats with a chorus of derisive cheers; but did not attempt to molest them. By this conduct, the boatmen were thrown off their guard, and tempted to relax the stringent vigils they had adopted. Owing to a fierce head wind, requiring the full use of the oars to make any headway apparent, the boats parted company, and hugged the shore, to gain the protection of the land. Several French Canadian voyageurs, disliking the appearances of things on shore, cautioned the crews to keep in the middle of the stream ; but their words were not heeded. The boatmen professed a profound contempt for the Indians, and boldly plied their oars with renewed energy, so as to effect a landing at the encampment at the mouth of the Bad Axe. The boats, in model and size, were similar to ordinary canal-boats, and the rising gunwales furnished protection to those on board from the use of small arms. As the leading boat, the Oliver II. Perry, approached the shore, the air suddenly resounded with the blood-chilling and penetrating cries of the war-whoop, and a volley of bullets poured upon the deck. Happily, the Winneba- goes had not recovered from the effects of their debauch, which told in the unsteadiness of the fire. Of sixteen men on deck, only one man suffered at the first fire. Ile was a negro named Peter. Ilis leg was dreadfully shattered, and he afterward expired from the wounds. The whites, convinced of their peril, concealed themselves behind the low bulwarks, and suffered the boat to drift at the mercy of the wind and waves. A second volley was delivered instantly, killing an American named Stewart, who had risen to return the first fire. The protruding musket indicated his position, and he died with a Winnebago bullet through his heart, with his finger on the trigger of his undischarged gun. The boat now grounded on a sand-bar, and the Indians, encouraged by the inertness of the crew, sprang into their canoes to complete the mas- sacre. A daring sailor, named Mandeville, and recognized by the pseudonym of Sauey Jack, assumed command of the crew, consisting of ten effective men. He sprang into the water, his daring example being followed by four resolute fellows, who, by united exertion, released the boat from the sand-bar, and pushed it into deep water. The balls rained around with the den- sity of hail; but, by persistent effort. the boat was rapidly propelled on its course down stream and arrived next day at Prairie du Chien. The casualties of this engagement-were two of the crew killed, two mortally and two slightly wounded. Thirty-seven Indians were engaged, of whom seven were killed and fourteen were wounded. An examination revealed the presence of 693 bullets in various parts of the boat. The other keel boat, commanded by Capt. Lindsay, passed the Bad Axe about midnight. The Winnebagoes opened fire, which was promptly returned. In the darkness, no one was injured, and the boat passed down in safety.

On learning the news, the inhabitants of Prairie du Chien were greatly alarmed. They abandoned their houses and farms and crowded into the dilapidated fort. A military company was organized, with Thomas MeNair, Captain ; Joseph Brisbois, Lieutenant, and John Brunet, as Ensign. Express messengers were dispatched to Galena and Fort Snelling for assistance, and the equipments were put in a good state of repair. The swivels and wall pieces were found and mounted, and blacksmiths were employed to repair the condemned muskets. The effects of the startling news are discussed by D. M. Parkinson, in the following words : "The reports being spread over the country, a scene of the most alarming and disorderly confusion prevailed:

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HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY.

aların and consternation were depicted in every countenance; thousands flocking to Galena for safety, when, in fact, it was the most exposed and unsafe place in the country. All were with- ont arms, order, or control. The roads, in all directions, were lined with frantic, fleeing men, women and children, expecting every moment to be overtaken, tomahawked and scalped by the Indians. It was said, and I presume with truth, that the encampment of fugitives at the head of Apple River, on the first night of the alarm, was four miles in extent, and numbered three thousand persons."

An old and almost obsolete edition of a " History of the Indian Wars in Wisconsin," fur- nishes the following corroborative testimony. The author is unknown : " The people of the mines took the alarm, so that in two days there were not less than three thousand men, women and children who fled to this place (Galena) for safety. These Indians had made many threats against the miners, and had at different times ordered them off, and told them to quit the dig- gings, saying the ground they were digging on was theirs. This news (Lindsay's engagement) coming at this time, when they were apprehensive of mischief, gave them an alarm and caused them to fly to Galena for safety. They forsook their rude habitations and assembled at that place in order to assist in defending each other. There were a few forts built in the more thickly settled parts of the mines, and some of the most fearless citizens occupied them. There was a com- mittee of safety appointed in Galena, who corresponded with all parts of the mines and adopted measures for the safety and protection of all, and, in the meantime, had some strong block- houses built at Galena. The people, likewise, who were able and willing to bear arms, volun- teered, and formed themselves into companies and chose their own officers, ranged the country and kept a good lookout, for fear the Indians would steal a march upon them and take them by surprise."

Through the active exertions of Col. Henry Dodge, the workers in the lead mines organ- ized a company of mounted volunteers, numbering nearly one hundred men, well armed and mounted.

CAPTURE OF RED BIRD.

Maj. Whistler, of Fort Howard, arrived on the 1st of September, 1827, at Fort Winne- bago, now the site of Portage City. His force consisted of Government troops and a com- pany of Oneida and Stockbridge Indians, sixty-two in number, mustered in by Ebenezer Childs and Joseph Dickinson. On the other hand, Col. Snelling was in command at Fort Crawford, whence he directed the movements of the troops and the miners under Col. Dodge, who scoured the country on both sides of the Wisconsin, driving every Indian before them. Soon after Maj. Whistler's arrival, he was informed that the Winnebagoes were eneamped, within a short distance, on the Wisconsin, where Portage City is now located. A few days later, a body of warriors were deseried, with the aid of a field glass. to be approaching the military camp. The Indian party bore three flags. The two in front and rear were the American flag, while the center was a flag of truce, borne by Red Bird in person. As they approached the Fox River, a loud, monotonous chant was heard. Those familiar with Indian habits proclaimed it to be " Red Bird singing his death song." Arriving on the banks of the river, a halt was made, and a barge was sent across to receive the delegation, and an escort of soldiers was provided to con- vey them within the lines.

Ascending the bluff, Kar-ray-man-nee, a distinguished chief, was in the van. On arrival at the camp, order was called and, Kar-ray-mau-nee, acting as spokesman, said : "They are here. Like braves they have come in: treat them as braves ; do not put them in irons." The military had previously drawn out in line, the Oneida and Menomonee Indians in groups on the left, the band on the right. A little in advance of the center, stood Red Bird, and the miserable We-kaw, while those who had accompanied them formed a semi-circle on the right and left All eyes were riveted on the noble form of Red Bird. In height, he was about six feet, straight as an arrow and faultless as a model. Ilis form was symmetrical, and as graceful as an Apollo Belvidere. His face wore an easy expression, combining dignity and grace, associated with a majestic mien. His face was parti-colored, being painted on one side red and on

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HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY.

the other with an intermixture of pale green. He was clothed in a Yankton suit of dressed elk-skins of immaculate white, and as soft and pliable as the finest kid. It consisted of a jacket ornamented with fringe of the same material, the sleeves being cut to fit his finely molded arm, and leggings, also of dressed elk-skin, the fringe of which was varied and enriched with blue beads. On his feet, he wore moccasins, and, on each shoulder, in place of an epaulet, was fastened a preserved bird. Around his neck he wore a collar of blue wampum, beautifully mixed with white, which was sewed on to a piece of cloth, while the claws of a panther or wiki- cat, with their points inward, formed the rim of the collar. Around his neck were also hanging strands of wampum of various lengths, the circles enlarging as they descended. In one hand, he held the white flag, and in the other the calumet of peace.

As he stood in princely grandeur before the military tribunal, with features as immobile as stone, his direst enemies could not conceal the admiration they secretly felt for him. According to the Indian law, of a scalp for a scalp, as immutable as the ancient Jewish penalty, of "an eye for an eye," Red Bird had committed no crime against his own crude laws of justice, and, consequently, his conscience was at rest. Innocent, in his own simple soul, of murder, he was ready to meet death, and accepted the fate that was to transport him to the happy hunting-grounds of the Great Father without a tremor.

When Red Bird and We-kaw were told to sit down, the band struck up Pleyel's Hymn. All was hushed in silence. At the conclusion of the melody, Red Bird extracted from his pouch kinnikinick and tobacco, cut the latter in the palm of his hand, struck a fire on a bit of punk with his flint and steel, lighted it, and smoked in serene silence.

Kar-ray-mau-nee then spoke substantially as follows: They were required to bring in the murderers. They had no power over any except two; the third had gone away, and these had voluntarily agreed to come in and give themselves up. They interceded for kind treatment, and besought that they might not be put in irons. Ile concluded by offering twenty horses in in atonement for the loss of human life at the hands of their tribe. The Indians were cautioned regarding their future conduct, and recommended to appeal their quarrels to the Great Father for settlement, and were promised that the felons should not be ironed.

Ilaving heard this, Red Bird stood up, and, advancing two paces toward Maj. Whistler. said : "I am ready." After a pause he added : "I do not wish to be put in irons; let me be free. I have given away my life; it is gone." Bending and taking a pinch of dust between his fingers, he blew it away, repeating as he eyed the vanishing dust-"Like that ; I would not take it back; it is gone." Having thus spoken, he threw his hands behind his back, and marched directly up to Maj. Whistler. A platoon was wheeled back from the center of the line, when, the officer stepping aside, Red Bird and We-Kaw marched through the line, in charge of a file of men, to a tent provided for them in the rear, where a guard was set over them. They were afterward committed for safe keeping to the post at Prairie du Chien, there to await their trial for murder in the regular court of justice.

Very soon after the surrender of these prisoners, Gen. Atkinson's troops, and the volun- teers under Col. Dodge, arrived at Fort Winnebago. Gen. Atkinson, on receiving assurance of the friendly feeling of the Winnebagoes, discharged the volunteers, assigned two companies of regulars to the occupation of Fort Crawford, and ordered the other regulars to their respective stations, while he returned to Jefferson Barracks.

In the following spring, Red Bird, We-Kaw and Chic-bon-ic were tried at Prairie du Chien, before Judge J. D. Doty. They were convicted and sentenced to pay the extreme pen- alty of the law on the 28th of December. Red Bird died in prison, and his two accomplices were liberated on a reprieve from President Adams, who granted it on the express stipulation that the tribe would cede the land then in possession of the miners. For the loss of her hus- band, and the life-long mutilation of her child, Madame Gagnier was granted two sections. of land for herself and children. The Government furthermore agreed to pay her the sum of $50 per annum, for fifteen years, to be deducted from the annuity of the Winnebago Indians. Thus ended the outbreak which threatened to become a war of extermination to the miners then

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HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY.

in the country. At the conclusion of peace, the miners returned to their deserted claims, and sought for mineral in the uninterrupted enjoyment of security to life and property.

FIRST SETTLEMENT-DODGEVILLE.

Concerning the arrival of the first white man in this county, reports are conflicting and liable to mislead a superficial observer. Undoubtedly the country was unsettled before the year 1827, or only populated by roving bands of Indians and trappers who, in pursuit of the chase, were led throughout the broad West. One good result of the Winnebago war was to demonstrate the mineral wealth of this region and open up the land for the pioneers who began to come in in hordes soon after. The first persons to improve the discovery were Gen. Ilenry Dodge, Jesse W. Shull (the founder of Shullsburg), John Ray, who afterward settled at Willow Springs, and James M. Strode, of Galena, Ill., all of whom arrived at the present site of Dodge- ville on the 3d day of October, 1827.

However, it is generally acknowledged that Ezra Laramie and a man by the name of Put- nam were the discoverers of the lead mines, with a few other pioneer miners, and that prior to the arrival of Gen. Dodge and those mentioned, they were located here just below the spring, and had thrown up two small log cabins, where they lived in a crude state of civilization. At that time, there were a considerable number of Winnebago Indians on the ground. They greatly preponderated, and outnumbered the whites by ten to one. Through the medium of Martin Van Sickle, a transient trader and dealer in pelts, the Indians were informed that Gen. Dodge was a chief of some rank among the white men, and they accorded him a salute in keeping with his supposed exalted station. As Dodge approached them, they ran and immediately seized their guns, formed in line, and fired a salute over the heads of the new-comers. The General was accompanied by four negro slaves, who chose to accompany him under a promise that they should equally share their master's fare and be liberated some years thereafter. The second day after their arrival, lots were staked off, and every individual of the party engaged in the construction of a double log cabin for common use. The modus operandi followed was to excavate a hollow in the hillside, and then to erect on the outside a wall of logs, and roof in the inclosed space by roughly hewn logs, resting one end on the outer wall and the other end buried in the hill. Warned by the treachery of the Winnebagoes in the late war, the new-comers warily proceeded to insure their own safety by constructing a block- house on the hill above the hut. Inclosing both buildings and an area not exceeding seventy- five feet square, was a stockade composed of palisades set in the ground to a depth of two feet, and standing eight or ten feet above the surrounding surface. This afforded a shelter and protection and was at least a warm if not comfortable domicile. The only other improvement was to build a few miners' cabins at this point.

The following day, Gen. Dodge held a council with the Indians, who at that time were encamped on the Jenkins Branch, and engaged in smelting lead and making bullets for their winter hunts. He told the chiefs and braves that the whites had come there with peaceable intentions, for the purpose of mining and smelting, and that if they behaved themselves they should be treated with amity and would also be presented with various articles of utility. If, however, they declined to accept friendly overtures and wanted war, they could have it upon cheap terms. If they killed or wounded any of the whites, they were threatened with a severe retaliation. To these propositions, a ready assent was given, and ever after the Indians, with one or two notorious exceptions, were steadfast friends.

Dodge's party was fortunate in finding mineral during 1827, which turned out to be an extensive body, afterward known as the "Patch Diggings." A rude log furnace was immedi- ately constructed, and, before the 1st of March, Gen. Dodge had manufactured and hauled to Galena some $3,000 or $4,000 worth of lead. The price ruling the market at that time was $5 per hundred pounds.

In the same fall, James MeRaney, Jacob Hunter, Charles Galloway, Daniel Moore and James Sayles, acting in co-operation, made a claim. All these claims were for "patch "

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HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY.

diggings. During the same season (1827) the firmn, Putnam & Lamb, entered a claim nearly half a mile northwest of the court house. These diggings were sheet lead, and have since been owned by various miners, who have worked them intermittently, and usually with profit. Charles Gaines and James Wooley opened a mine nearly a quarter of a mile north of the court house plot, near what has since been called "dirty hollow." They also built a furnace, a little east of Dodge's furnace, the same year.

The next pre-emption claim was made by John Turney, George Madery and Charles Whist- ler. in 1827. nearly northwest of the court house.

VAN MATRE SURVEY.

Late in the fall of 1827. the Van Matre brothers, Jef and Louis, discovered, on Section 5. Town 5, Range 3, a rich paying lode. Afterward, Abe and John became associated with them, when they made what to this day is recognized as the Van Matre survey, which was one inile square, comprising half of Section 5 and one-half of Section 6. According to the old Government mining rule, two men could holdl and work, under the supervision of the United States Agent, two hundred yards square, and, on a survey, the law required the presence of at least twenty men to hold it. They worked the land until 1829, when evidences of a failing sup- ply induced them to forsake it. During the two years the survey was mined, the yield, which was very heavy, was sold to Gen. Dodge for smelting. The land now is used for farming, and only very feeble attempts are made to raise mineral. Other diggings, limited in extent, were at that time scattered over the country near the present site of Dodgeville, but none of these indi- vidual mines held out long. The Indians retained possession of a valuable mine on the Sugar River, which they operated in their primitive way, principally to supply lead for their own uses. Information of the lead found here being bruitel abroad, attracted many miners thither, who remained for a time. but finally drifted elsewhere without effecting any permanent settlement.

FIRST WHITE WOMAN.

The first woman in the little settlement, and the first woman to grace the county with her presence and exert the mollifying influence of her sex, was Miss Eliza Van Sickle, sister of the Indian trader of the same name and of a miner known as Jake Van Sickle, an early settler. The next woman was Mrs. John G. Parrish, a Kentucky lady, who immigrated to the lead mines in the vicinity of the town of Milllin, in the fall of 1827. Mrs. Thomas MeRaney appeared early in the spring of 1828, at the Dodgeville diggings, and thenceforward the gentler sex were numerously represented in the current population that set in that year.

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History of Iowa County, Wisconsin, Part 70

Author: Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Western Historical Company Number of Pages: 958

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 958