The history of Columbia county, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, Part 63

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899, [from old catalog] ed; Western historical company, chicago, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 1104

USA > Wisconsin > Columbia County > The history of Columbia county, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement > Part 63

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We journeyed on through Mineral Point to Galena ; as we were going in, we met most of the population, as I judged, going out to a horse race. I called for dinner at Bennet's Hotel, but it was difficult to get waited upon, as most of the folks had gone. So I got something to eat, and pushed on, taking the stage road via Dixon's Ferry. At night, I rode up in front of a house where a woman was standing in the door, and inquired if I could stay with them over night. " I reckon," said she. I looked at her, and thinks I to myself she means yes ; so con- cluded to find out by dismounting and walking in, when she informed me, as the men were not in, I would have to put my horse in the barn myself, which I was by this time well accustomed to do. I pushed on through Chicago around by Michigan City to Detroit, my pony and I 'anding it well. I had prepared myself so well that I could stand it, storm or sunshine. 1 re I sold my pony, and took a steamer to Cleveland ; from there I had to stage it.

I first visited Mineral Point in 1835, where I made many acquaintances ; Col. Abner Nich: ols, a peculiar character, whom all will recollect who ever knew him; Col. William S. Hamilton, Col. Charles Bracken, Maj. Henry, Levi Sterling, Tom Parish, Mr. Black, a very amusing man-one who could keep a company laughing all the evening with his amusing stories ; Col. Sheldon, Maj. Enos, Ebenezer Brigham, resident of Blue Mounds, who came into Wisconsin as a settler in 1828, a stanch, sound man ; James Morrison, who afterward settled in Madison ; Gen. Dodge, a firm old Roman, who, when in Congress as Senator with I. P. Walker, from Wisconsin, was instructed by resolution of the Legislature to vote against a clause in a bill applying to California, which was construed as admitting slavery. Walker, disregarding

* September, 1869.

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the dictation of the Legislature, voted for it. Gen. Dodge, being sick at the time, had himself carried into the Senate chamber, and when his name was called, requested the Clerk to read the instructions to her Senators from the Legislature of Wisconsin. When finished, he voted "No,", which was looked upon as great a rebuke as could have been given to Walker, whose action then laid him on the shelf, for it was never forgotten or forgiven by the people of the State. Many others too numerous to mention I met there.

After visiting Mineral Point, I called on friend N. Goodle, at Elk Grove, and then rode to the furnace of Tom Parish, a very genial man. Spending a short time with him, I pushed on, and it became very dark, and traveling on an Indian trail, so dark I could not see it, but let my horse take his own course. Finally I brought up to a fence, and following it, I came to a house where I was to stay, at Patch's Grove. I got into very good quarters, Mr. Patch being very sociable, as most people were in those days, for they were glad to see company and get the news, as probably they had no mails oftener than once a month, and neighbors being few and far between. After conversing a long time, he wanted to know what State I came from, for he said he could generally tell ; but in my case he could not make it out. When I told him I was from New York, he said he thought so; for it was the only State he was puzzled about. The next morning, I followed a road to a ferry across the Wisconsin, and then pushed on three miles to Fort Crawford, Prairie du Chien.

This was my first visit to the great Father of Waters-the Mississippi, at Prairie du Chien, or "the Prairie of de d-d dog," as I heard a Frenchman call it. At Fort Crawford I made many acquaintances, among them Col. Zachary Taylor, afterward General, and since President of the United States. Fort Crawford and most of the town were handsomely situ- ated on a beautiful plateau, rising, I should think, not more than ten or twelve feet above the high-water mark of the river. What was called the Old Town, where the French first built, was across a slough, but as the high waters of the river overflowed the ground, many moved across on to a higher situation. Here I became acquainted with Mr. Joseph Rolette, an old French trader, and a smart man in his way. He, together with Mr. Hercules L. Dousman, conducted the business of the American Fur Company. I had met them before, as their busi- ness took them, via Portage and Green Bay, to Mackinaw, through which route they transported all their furs and peltries, Mackinaw being the depot of the company for the Northwest, where the furs were received and repacked, previous to being shipped to New York. This town [Prai- rie du Chien], being the oldest settled point, except Green Bay, by the whites, in the North- west, invested much interest in it. I thought it delightful, although there were but few Americans living there at the time, most of the inhabitants being French and half-breeds. Their houses were a curiosity to me, covered, as they were, roof and sides, with white cedar bark. The prairie is, I think, six miles long by about three miles back to the bluff. Like the locality where La Crosse is situated, I think it evidently all made ground, where ages ago was an extensive lake.

The Mississippi is a noble river, it being filled with islands covered with a dense vegeta- tion, with the bluff sometimes rising perpendicularly to some hundreds of feet, varying in shape constantly at every turn in the river, with here and there a small valley or ravine reaching the stream from the hills or prairies ; and one never tires, while ascending or descending the river, in admiring the scenery. I was amused at the remarks of Daniel Whitney, from Green Bay, while he and I were standing on the bank watching the current. " Oh," said he, "I wish I had as many guineas as drops of water ever passed this place." I told him he was altogether too extravagant, laughing at his remark.

In March, 1836, I wanted to go by the way of Sheboygan on a journey to New York, so the commanding officer gave a soldier by the name of Moore a furlough for the rest of his time -about a month-and his discharge, for the purpose of accompanying mne. I got a jumper- sleigh and a harness, calculating to throw it away when it was necessary ; put my horse before it, and Moore and I started and went to Fond du Lac, where we found, on the bank of the stream, part of an old wigwam, and decided to encamp in it. I went to building a fire, and

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Moore went to the stream for water. I heard him talking. and supposed some Indian had come up : but on his return he said he was swearing, for he had to cut through three feet of ice before he got water. We made our tea, ate our supper, and slept finely.

Next morning we started cast, but, after getting upon the high lands, the small bushes were so thick, I told my companion we could not take the sleigh any further, so we left the sleigh and packed the baggage on the horse and took it on foot. When I got tired, I mounted the horse and rode. and after getting rested would jump off and lead him. At length we struck a trail and followed it, supposing it must lead to Sheboygan, but, after going some distance, I concluded it led too far south. So we altered our course and struck north of east. As night approached, I selected a camping ground near a little lake, as we supposed. The snow was so frozen to the ground we could not get it off, so I cut a lot of bushes with the leaves on, and spread them on the frozen snow, upon which we laid down, after building a good fire and eating our supper. Moore said he cut through three feet of ice for water and struck into mud, thus proving it to be a marsh instead of a lake. We had to melt ice for water.

The next day we pushed on, and, hearing the report of a gun. I called aloud and an Indian came up, who directed us to a trail, which took us to a house on the river, where a man by the name of Follett was living. I had intended stopping here a day to look at some land I had purchased, but Follett told me he had no hay or anything for my horse, and there was none to be had, as there were no other inhabitants in that region. I found he had some corn meal, and I persuaded him to let me have a peck for $1. I then decided upon going on in the morning. Moore struck up a bargain with Follett for a pony to ride to Chicago; so we mounted in the morning and renewed our journey. At night we came to a place where logs had been put up for a house, inside of which we camped. We had provisions, but nothing for our horses. Next day, we arrived at Milwaukee. stopping at Mr. Vail's Cottage Inn. Here there was quite a crowd, so much so that they had to set several tables, and at meal times there was a great rush for the table. The hostler asked me how much oats he should give my horse. " Half a bushel," I said. He stared at me. "I don't think they will hurt him," I added ; but when I came to settle the bill, they charged me at the rate of $3 a bushel for them, and I thought that was what astonished him so much. I found that was the price along the road until we got to Chicago, for at that time provisions and grain had to be hauled from Indiana, and necessarily made the prices high.

I sold my horse at Chicago and took stage, having the company of Capt. Hunter, since General, as far as Detroit. I became tired of stage-riding, and resolved to buy a horse the first chance I had, and secured one at Cleveland, thence going on horseback by way of Sacket's Harbor to Utica, N. Y. I found I could get along by daylight as far as the stage could day and night, as the roads were heavy.

On my return from Green Bay one scason, I stayed at a house in the Stockbridge settle- ment, and, pursuing my journey alone through where Fond du Lac now is, seven miles south- west of it, I came to a creek. and there found a shanty put up by the soldiers when they were cutting a road through from Fort Winnebago. They had inserted some posts in the ground, and some poles across the top, with brush and a little straw for a roof. I concluded this was a good place to encamp, as it began to rain. So I spanceled my horse, ate my lunch, which I always carried with me through the country, then spread my horse blanket on some loose straw, hung up my saddlebags and saddle carefully. where I thought they would not get wet, and lay down. covering myself with the blanket and camlet cloak. But I had lain but a few moments before the water came in streams through the straw roof. Soon I found the water settling under mne ; it lodged upon the blanket and was forming a pool, so I pulled it from under me, and then the rain settled through the straw, and I went to sleep and slept soundly until after sunrise.

When I awoke, it was hard to get my eyes open ; I went to the creek and washed, when I found that all my clothing was soaking wet, even to my saddle-skirts. Having a flask of spirits along, I ate some crackers and took a good drink, saddled and mounted, it still raining. I hooked my cloak, letting it hang loosely around me, and rode through to the fort. It stopped

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raining in the afternoon, and from the exercise I got dry, at least next to my body. I never felt any ill effects from the thorough soaking I got, although I supposed, before my experience, that serious if not fatal results would have attended such an exposure. * * *

While I was Postmaster for many years at Fort Winnebago, for Dr. Charles W. Borup, who had charge of the American Fur Company's post at La Pointe-now Bayfield-near the head of Lake Superior, used to send through to me at Fort Winnebago, for his mail in the winter. The only way he could get it was to employ two or three voyageurs, as these men were called, who would come through prepared with their snow shoes, to use when necessary. In 1836 or 1837, John Baptiste Dubay* came through with two men and a dog train. He pur- chased of me supplies (of flour and tallow principally) and loaded the train, together with a horse and French train which I sold him, and started off, four dogs hauling about 500 pounds on one train. They and the management of them were quite a curiosity. Those voyageurs, I was told, would start into the Indian country, carrying on their backs goods or furs to the amount of 150 pounds, and travel some days sixty or seventy miles. The daily rations allowed them were a pint of dry corn and two ounces of tallow. For anything else, they depended upon game or the Indians. This accounted for Borup's wanted tallow, which was at first a mystery to me. I had frequent communications from Mr. Borup for several years. He at last settled at St. Paul, I suppose retiring from business.

One seasont I arrived at Mineral Point on my way to New York, and found Messrs. M. M. Strong and John Catlin were going to Chicago, and they proposed we should all go together . and strike a straight line for that place. We started, and went to the East Branch of the Peca- tonica, and found it full of running ice, so we concluded to encamp there, as we always went prepared with our blankets, etc., for it ; and, the next morning, we could build a raft so as to float our baggage over. In the morning, we cut down a small pine tree, and made two string- ers of it, and picked up some dry limbs, putting them across ; but we found it would not hold up our saddles.

" Well," said Mr. Strong, " we can swim our horses across twice, and so get our baggage across," and he prepared himself, putting his papers in his hat, and swam his horse across, leav- ing his hat on the opposite shore, and returned ; by this time, he shook like an aspen leaf. We rolled him up in blankets, and he laid down by the fire, trying to get us to try it, but we declined. I told him I could swim my horse across once, but I would not try it twice, and the only way for us was to go to the West Branch, and around by Rockford. After urging us until he found it was of no use, he got warmed up, and mounted his horse and went over and got his hat and papers ; returning, we mounted and rode over to the West Branch; then he got a canoe, and, putting our baggage in, swam our horses over by passing several times ; thence we went on to Rockford.

One night we came to what we supposed a ravine full of water running from the prairie. Strong was on the lead. I, watching his horse closely, thought he stepped as though there was a causeway he was going over. Catlin said to me, " Here is a narrower place ; I believe I will try it." I answered, "I see Strong has got over very well ; I will follow him," which I did, and Catlin followed me. But a little further on we came to a house we were to stay at over night. When we rode up, a man asked us which way we came, and how we got over the bridge. We told him we had not crossed any, when he said, if we had gone ten feet either side, we would have plunged into thirty feet of water. Strong tells the story that our horses crossed on the stringers, the bridge being carried off. We had a great deal of sport on our way, and I do not think either of us will ever forget the journey.

Gov. Dodge, being at Portage in 1837, invited tbe Winnebagoes to send a delegation to visit their Great Father at Washington. Suspicious of a purpose to obtain their lands, they

*This early voyageur and trader was born at Green Bay in 1810.

L. C. D.

L. C. D. +Moses M. Strong states that he, in company with Mr. Merrell and Mr. Catlin, started on this trip from Mineral Point March 21, 1837, reaching Chicago on the 26th.

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asked, " What for ?- to make a treaty ?" The Governor evaded the point, suggesting that they could get acquainted with their Great Father, and obtain presents, and, after much per- suasion, it was agreed to send a delegation-Yellow Thunder and two other chiefs, the others being young men, generally sons of chiefs. Satterlee Clark accompanied them as one of the conductors.

As soon as they reached Washington, they were beset to hold a treaty and cede their lands to the Government. They finally declined, saying they had no authority for any such purpose ; that the most of their chiefs were at home, who alone could enter into such a negotiation. Every influence was brought to bear upon them, and they began to get uncasy lest winter should set in and prevent their returning home. They were without means to defray their expenses back, and those managing Indian matters at Washington availed themselves of the necessities of the delegation, keeping them there, and urging them to enter into a treaty.

At length they yielded, not their judgments, but to the pressure brought to bear upon them, and, while reluctantly signing the treaty, yet all the while stoutly protesting against hav- ing any show of authority to do so. The treaty, as they were informed, permitted them to remain in the peaceful occupancy of the coded lands eight years, when in fact it was only that number of months ; and, as each went forward to attach his name, or rather mark, to the treaty, he would repeat what he understood as to the time they were to remain, "eight years." And thus the poor red men were deceived and outwitted by those who ought to have been their wards and protectors.

One of the young men, son of a prominent chief, dared not, on his return home, visit his father for a long time. The whole nation felt that they had been outraged, and forced to leave their native homes. Yellow Thunder declared he would never go-that he would leave his bones in Wisconsin ; but he was invited, with young Black Wolf, into Fort Winnebago, on pre- tense of holding a conncil, when the gates were treacherously closed on them, and they and many others were conveyed by the United States troops beyond the Mississippi. But Yellow Thunder got back sooner than the soldiers who forced him away .* Then he induced John T. De La Ronde to accompany him to the Land Office at Mineral Point, and enter forty acres of land in his behalf, on the west side of the Wisconsin, about eight miles above Portage. At the Land Office, inquiry was made if Indians would be permitted to enter land ? "Yes," was the reply, " Government had given no orders to the contrary." So Yellow Thunder, the head war chief of his people, secured a homestead, on which he settled, declaring that he was going to be a white man.t And there he has quietly lived ever since.

The fraudulent treaty of November 1, 1837, caused the Government a vast deal of trouble and expense, and very naturally engendered the most embittered feelings and recollections on the part of the Winnebagoes. Is it any wonder that we have Indian wars, when they are so treated ? I think it would be better to do as Great Britain does-not recognize any title in the Indians to the soil, and, when the lands are needed, say to them they must move, and give them a country where they can live, and make comfortable provision for them ; but probably it is too late to do that now. Still, it is wrong to deceive, cheat or mislead them, as they are as sharp to see through such management as civilized men, if not more so, for they have more time to think over transactions of this kind.

* *

In 1839, I took charge of a fleet of lumber, and went on board a raft at the portage, float- ing down the Wisconsin to its mouth, and thence to St. Louis. I had a board shanty on the raft to sleep in, a canoe, or, as some called it, a " dug-out," so that when we came in sight of a town, I would jump into the canoe and paddle ahead, visit the town, and when the raft was near,

*By the report submitted to the House of Representatives, September 17, 1850, on the removal of the Winnebagoes, it appears that about 900 were forced from the Fort Winnebago region, while about 300 remained in swamps, inaccessible to the troops hunting for them, of which there were over two regiments nnder Gens. Worth and Brooke. In 1846, a new treaty was effected, by which it was stipulated that they were to remove about 500 miles north of their allotted country in lowa, and about 1,300 of them did so in the summer of 1848, about 400 still lingering in Wisconsin and Jowa. In February, 1850, quite a band of them located between the Bad Axe and Black Rivers, became quite threat- ening and Insolent; but they yielded to better counsels. L. C. D.

+In the Report to Congress, in 1850, on the removal of the Winnebagoes, Col. Francis Lee, commanding at Fort Howard, stated, in March of that year, that " Yellow Thunder has bought forty acres of land on Dell Creek, resides there, and is cultivating it." L. C. D.

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go on board again. In this way, I called at nearly every town on each side of the river. After leaving the Wisconsin, we had all the Wisconsin rafts locked together, and floated down the Missis- sippi in that way. At some towns, men would come down and take passage. I would tell them to come on. At one place, there was an old backwoodsman came on board, dressed with his hunting-shirt, bullet-pouch and powder-horn strung over his shoulder, having a long heavy rifle, a quiet, modest old man, from Ohio. Soon after, there was a man of a very different class took passage, a swaggering boast of a fellow, from Texas. He had a small steel-barrel rifle, and told many large stories. Finally, he proposed to shoot at a mark with the old man, for the drinks all round, it being a fine calm day. So I put up a mark at one end of the raft, a board with a piece of paper the size of a silver dollar. The old man did not shoot as close as I expected, and the brag rather beat him, but neither hit the mark. They then proposed that I should shoot. " Well," I said, "I will shoot the old man's rifle," and told him to load it. It was so heavy I could not hold it at arm's length, so I kneeled down and rested it over one knee, and drove the nail. That pleased the old man very much. The braggart left us at Fort Madison, without saying anything about the drinks, and the old man thought that was mean, not that he cared about the drinks ; but he could not get over his delight at my beating him. I considered it rather luck than expertness.

I enjoyed my trip vastly. I understood that one set of rafts, and one only, had been run down the river to St. Louis before mine, and many stories had been told of the dangers. I had a crew of Canadian Frenchmen, some of whom had had experience in Canadian waters. I got what information I could from the steamboat men about the river, and feared nothing; but at Dubuque some Frenchmen came on board and told my men we would have to hire a pilot, that we could not get over the rapids without, and they felt alarmed. I told them we would wait until we got to the rapids, and, if necessary, we would hire a pilot. I had learned enough of the river to know when we got to the rapids, from the descriptions given. So when we got into them and well down, " Here," says I, "boys, these are the great rapids you have been so much afraid of," at which they set up a tremendous shout and laugh. I heard no more of their fears, for it was the best running we had on the river.

In 1840, a commission was sent to me by the United States Marshal, to take the census of the country, and, as there was no time to be lost, I started up the Wisconsin to Messrs. Camp- bell & Conant's mill, opposite where Stevens Point is now ; there I hired two Chippewas to paddle me up to Big Bull Falls, now Wausau. Leaving my horse at Little Bull Falls, I walked up along the west channel, while the Indians carried over the canoe. At Big Bull Falls, I found a mill built by Mr. George Stevens, who had not quite completed it. After getting the number of his employes, who constituted all the inhabitants, I started back in the canoe, and, on arriv- ing at Campbell & Conant's, I engaged Francis Shaurette and his brother to take me to the port- age in a bark canoe, sending a boy with my horse.

I had quite an exciting time of it going over Grand Rapids, but, having implicit confidence in the men, I had no fears. The way they would handle the canoe was admirable; the one in the bow had as much to do in steering as the one in the stern, which was done by holding his paddle in the water and turning it when he wanted to change the course of the canoe, which sometimes had to be done almost as quick as lightning ; for now it would seem as though we must strike the bold rocks, and the bow seemed within a foot of them, but, as quick as thought, the canoe would sheer off and clear them ; and such were the swells in the rapids, that the spray would dash all over us. I sat in the middle of the canoe, and enjoyed the ride very much. Further down the river, the rock views were grand and beautiful. At one point, we saw in front of us the rocks rising in one solid perpendicular front, a hundred or more feet, with the top scalloped, and pinnacles looking like some ancient fortifications, or the battlements of some old feudal castle. I wondered where the river was going to get by it, as it was directly facing us ; but the stream here took a turn, and we left the towering rock to the right of us. Then we passed through the dells, a narrow gorge through the rocks for nine miles, ending where Kilbourn City now is, the rocks rising in some places hundreds of feet perpendicularly, and deep water

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The history of Columbia county, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, Part 63

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899, [from old catalog] ed; Western historical company, chicago, pub. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company Number of Pages: 1104

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899, [from old catalog] ed; Western historical company, chicago, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 1104