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1994.II. THE NIAGARA PORTAGE
AND ITS
FIRST ATTEMPTED SETTLEMENT UNDER
BRITISH RULE.
The summer of 1761 was by no means a happy one for Sir
William Johnson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the
Crown “in the Northern Parts of North America.” The
western Indians were restless under the recent British occu-
pancy of the posts, and felt that they were treated with parsi-
mony and neglect in marked contrast to the bountiful pater-
nalism of French rule; they were exasperated by the con-
tinual intrusion of white settlers upon their lands, and
French emissaries were active in stirring up their resent-
ment. This feeling of discontent was shared by his own
especial wards, the Six Nations of the Iroquois, and the Sen-
ecas, who were the hereditary keepers of the Western Door of
the Long House, were at the point of open rebellion. On the
17th of June Captain Donald Campbell, in command at De-
troit, sent a messenger to Major William Walters at Fort
Niagara with the alarming intelligence that the Senecas had
sent war belts to the western tribes, urging them to take up
the hatchet in furtherance of a general plot to surprise all the
posts, including Niagara and Fort Pitt. It was time for
prompt action, and General Amherst ordered a detach-
3536
NIAGARA PORTAGE AND ITS
ment of 300 men under command of Major Henry
Gladwin sent to the relief of the Northern posts and at the
same time requested Sir William Johnson to visit Niagara
and Detroit to conciliate the Senecas and the western tribes,
as well as to regulate the fur trade and correct its abuses.
The Superintendent was wise and tactful in his dealings with
the Indians, and his influence was potent with the Six Na-
tions. On the 24th of July Sir William reached Fort Niag-
ara, which he had besieged and captured from the French in
1759. Here he promptly began the arduous duties of his
special mission, holding councils with and listening to the
complaints of the neighboring tribes. Soon, however, he
encountered what seems to have been a disagreeable surprise,
mentioned in his diary under date of Sunday, July 26th:
“At seven in the morning I set off with Colonel Eyre,
Lieutenant Johnson,* my son,t and DeCouagne,t for the
island, § whereon the vessel is building for exploring the
Lakes Huron and Michigan, which island is about two miles
from Little Niagara, on the place where Shabear Jean Coeur
lived. There is a house built within quarter of a mile of said
place by one Stirling for the use of the Company, viz: Ruth-
erford, Duncan etc., who intend to monopolize the whole
carrying place by virtue of a permit from General Amherst.”
Three days later (July 29, 1761,) he wrote from Niagara
to General Amherst, reporting a meeting with several chiefs
of the “Chipewaigh” nation “and some Mississageys,” and
added: “I see plainly that there appears to be an universal
jealousy amongst every nation, on account of the hasty steps
they look upon we are taking towards getting possession of
this country, which measures, I am certain, will never subside
whilst we encroach within the limits which, you may recol-
lect, have been put under the protection of the King in the
year 1726, and confirmed to them by him and his successors
ever since, and by orders sent to the governors not to allow
any of his subjects settling thereon; which they were ac-
*Lieutenant Guy Johnson of the “Independents,” his nephew, who was his
private secretary.
fjohn Johnson, afterward Sir John Johnson, his successor in office.
$Jean Baptiste DeCouagne, Indian interpreter at Fort Niagara.
§Navy Island.FIRST ATTEMPTED SETTLEMENT.
37
quainted with, by his late majesty, in your speech of the
twenty-second of April, 1760, delivered by Brigadier General
Monckton. You then promised to prevent any person what-
soever, from settling or even hunting therein; but that it
should remain their absolute property. I thought it neces-
sary to remind your Excellency thereof, as the other day on
my riding to the place where the vessels were building, I
found some carpenters at work finishing a large house for
one Mr. Stirling near the falls and have since heard others
are shortly to be built thereabouts. As this must greatly add
to the Indians’ discontent, being on the carrying place, and
within the very limits, which, by their agreement, they are
not so much as allowed to dispose of, I should be glad to
know whether I can. acquaint them that those people will be
ordered to remove or not, and I hope from your Excellency’s
answer to be able to satisfy them on that head.”*
Sir Jeffrey Amherst’s reply was sent from Albany, 9th
August, 1761, in which he wrote: “The Indians need be
under no apprehension of Losing their Lands, it never was
my Design to take an Inch from them, unless when the ne-
cessity of the service obliges me to it, and that they have been
warned of, so that they need not take any umbrage at the
Settlements on the Carrying place; where People Horses,
Carriages etc. are absolutely necessary to keep up the Com-
munication with the upper posts; and those that are now
there for that purpose have no grant of those Lands, but are
only upon sufferance till His Majesty’s pleasure is known,
and until that is known they must not be removed”!
This decision was by no means to Sir William’s liking and
when he revisited Little Niagara upon his return from De-
troit his chagrin appears in the following entry in his diary:
“Niagara, Thursday October 6 [1761]. The Major
[Walters], DeCouagne etc. complain of Stirling monopoliz-
ing the trade by keeping a great store of goods at Little Ni-
agara, which will prevent any Indians coming to the fort, or
^Unpublished MSS. of Sir Wm. Johnson in N. Y. State Library Vol. V.;
p. in.
fUnpublished MSS. of Sir Wm. Johnson in N. Y. State Library Vol. V.,
p. 112.38
NIAGARA PORTAGE AND ITS
under the eye of the garrison, so that they [i. e. Stirling and
others] may cheat the Indians as much as they please in spite
of all regulations.”
It is evident that Sir William Johnson was greatly an-
noyed and so was led to speak unjustly of one of the best re-
spected and most noteworthy characters in the history of the
early British fur trade.
When the Marquis de Vaudreuil surrendered Canada on
the 8th of September, 1760, the British lost no time in taking
possession of such of his western posts as had not already
come into their hands. On the 12th of September Major
Robert Rogers with 200 of his famous Rangers was dis-
patched from Montreal westward by way of Niagara and
Presqu’ Isle, where he was reinforced by Captain Donald
Campbell with 100 regulars sent from Fort Pitt, and on the
29th of November the troops quietly took possession of De-
troit.
This opened the way of approach to the northern fur trade
which had been so long coveted by the British and although
the season was then too far advanced to send up goods from
Albany, so that there was a great shortage of provisions and
other supplies for the Indians during the winter, the spring
of 1761 saw many traders on their way to the Northwest.
One of the most enterprising and successful of the eastern
merchants was John Duncan, a Scotchman who had' been 4
lieutenant in the 44th Regiment of Foot, but had retired
from the service about 1758 and had established a large and
successful business at Schenectady.* He was quick to take
advantage of the opening up of western trade and early in
1761 became associated with Captain Walter Rutherfordt of
New York and his brother-in-law, the well known Peter Van
*He was first commissioned as an Ensign in the 44th, June 2, 1755, and as
Lieutenant, April 25, 1757.
tWalter Rutherford was a son of Sir John Rutherford of Edgerston in
Scotland, and served in the British army from the age of seventeen until the
close of the French War. His commission as a Captain in the 60th Regiment
of Foot (Royal Americans) was dated 30th December, 1755. He married a
daughter of James Alexander, whose son was the famous American General,
William Alexander, better known as Lord Sterling.FIRST ATTEMPTED SETTLEMENT.
39
Brugh Livingston,* in a mercantile enterprise which appar-
ently contemplated not only establishing a trading post near
the upper end of the Niagara portage, but also the building
up of a permanent settlement at that desirable location,
transporting families with their cattle, etc., to be established
there.
To this end they applied to General Amherst for a grant
of land “on the carrying place” and were given provisionally
10,000 acres for their purposes. Their representative was
James Sterling, who had been a commissary of provisions
under General Haldimand in the French war; and as
has been seen, with his accustomed energy, he was early on
the ground. His storehouse was near completion by the close
of July, 1761, and well filled with goods soon thereafter,
much to the vexation of the neighboring Indians who re-
sented this encroachment, and of their loyal protector, Sir
William Johnson, who found himself unable to dislodge this
well-favored and licensed intruder.
Albert H. Porter in his interesting “Historical Sketch of
Niagara from 1678 to 1876,” says: “The large house re-
ferred to was undoubtedly that afterwards occupied by John
and Philip Steadman. The current tradition is, that the same
building was first erected at Fort Niagara and used by the
French as a chapel and was afterwards taken down and re-
built at the place named. This is rendered quite probable
from the fact that a chapel was standing in the fort in 1757,
which disappeared and was never otherwise accounted for,
and also that on the building occupied by Steadman—pre-
sumed to be the same—there was a steeple or belfry, an ap-
*Peter Van Brugh Livingston, born at Livingston Manor near Albany in
1710, was a brother of Philip Livingston who signed the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, and also of William Livingston, the celebrated Governor of New
Jersey during the Revolution, whom the British called the “Don Quixote of the
Jerseys”. He lived in New York City on the east side of Hanover Square, his
garden extending down to the East River. He was engaged in the shipping
business With William Alexander, afterward known as Lord Sterling, the Ameri-
can General whose sister Mary he had married in 1739. At the outbreak of the
Revolution he opposed British aggression, was a member of the N. Y. Committee
of One Hundred in 1775, and in the same year became President of the first
New York Provincial Congress. He was Treasurer of New York 1776-1778, and
throughout the struggle for independence was an ardent and faithful patriot.40
NIAGARA PORTAGE AND ITS
pendage not likely to be added unless as a part of the original
building. Furthermore, on a map made by George Dember,
an engineer in the British service in 1761, the whole course
of the river is represented, showing the upper and lower
landings and the portage road correctly traced, and the house
referred to placed as nearly as possible in its true position
where the old stone chimney now stands/’
This map, which is given in the Documentary History of
New York, Vol. II, p. 458, marks the location of “Duncan’s
House,” and if Mr. Porter’s surmise is correct the old stone
chimney of the French barracks built in 1750 and burnt by
Chabert Joncaire in 1759, was utilized as a part of the smaller
two-story structure that connected directly with the main
building.
It is difficult to understand how James Sterling or his
principals could have obtained possession of the old chapel
for their uses from the commandant at Fort Niagara with
whom they were distinctly in disfavor. Sir William Johnson
speaks of Sterling’s house as being “within quarter of a
mile” of Little Niagara “where Shabear Jean Coeur lived,”
indicating a somewhat more distant location than that of the
old chimney of the French barracks, which was but a few
rods removed from the site of the French fort.
It soon became evident that Rutherford, Duncan & Co.
had stirred up a hornets’ nest among their keen competitors
for the Indian trade by their well devised plans for estab-
lishing a trading post and settlement on the “carrying
place.”
Albany was the eastern headquarters for supplying the
Indian trade and there were abundant and fierce heart-burn-
ings there when those worthy descendants of Dutch sires,
with their well-rounded and resonant names, discovered the
march that had been stolen upon them by their enterprising
and influential competitors from Schenectady and New York.
They suddenly became anti-monopolists to a man, and on
the 28th of January, 1762, an “Humble Petition of the prin-
ciple Merchants living in the City of Albany,” with twenty-
seven signatures, was sent to the Lords of Trade, reciting
the terms of the treaty of 1726 with the Five Nations and itsFIRST ATTEMPTED SETTLEMENT.
41
concessions, and adding thereto: “Your Lordships Peti-
tioners further beg leave to show that His Excellency Sir
Jeffrey Amherst since the conquest of Niagara being un-
acquainted (as they presume) with the aforesaid Deed and
the matters therein contained has lycensed and authorized
Capt. Rutherford, Lieut. Duncan and others to settle at the
Niagara carrying place and given them Ten Thousand Acres
of Land there, all which is included in the said Indian Deed,
in pursuance of which permission or Grant they have already
settled thereon and we are well assured that strong applica-
tion has been made to His Majesty to have the above Lycense
confirmed by the Royal approbation. Permit your Petition-
ers further to observe that should a Confirmation be obtained
the Proprietors of the aforesaid lands would in a little time
monopolize all the Indian Trade in their own hands and by
that means amass to themselves great sums of money without
any Benefit to the Publick and reduce thousands of His
Majesty’s American Subjects to want who might otherwise
be supported thereby. The granting those lands to a particu-
lar company would be big with many mischiefs and among
others irritate the Indians, when they discover that settle-
ments are made on those lands contrary to a Solemn Agree-
ment and that Free Trade is suppressed among them and
how much it is to the interest of this Province to keep the
Indians at peace with us is obvious to every Impartial Eye.”*
A letter from Rd. Thacksburgh to Sir William Johnson
dated New York, 12th April, 1762, says : “The Proclama-
tiont (of which I understand you have an authentick Copy)
warning all People off the Lands surreptitiously obtained
from the Inds, has alarmed many People; Capt. R----------------d
[RutherfoidJ says the Government at home will soon alter it
being agst the interest of the Province.. I believe he imagines
it was made in consequence of the Carrying Place being
taken possession of at Niagara, but I am apt to think that it
is not only for that but also the Remonstrance of the Inds
of ye 2 Castles of the Mohawks.” J
^Documents relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York,
Vol. VII., p. 488.
fFor this proclamation see Docs. Col. History N. Y., Vol. VII., p. 478.
t Unpublished MSS. of Sir Wm. Johnson in State Library, Vol. V., p. 245.42
NIAGARA PORTAGE AND ITS
It would appear from tneir correspondence with Lieuten-
ant Governor Cadwallader Colden that the 'Right Honble
The Lords Commissioners of Trade and Plantations” had
been much disturbed about this time by numerous complaints
of unauthorized encroachments upon Indian lands. The
worthy Governor wrote that after the surrender of Canada
some of the provincial officers had received licenses to pur-
chase lands on the frontiers, while some had been denied,
mentioning the interesting fact that Sir William Johnson
himself had asked letters patent for 40,000 acres of land
“given-him by the Mohawks,” a request which the Council
had refused.*
The formidable petition from the Albany merchants, sup-
ported by the Indian Superintendent’s influence, accom-
plished its purpose. On the 3rd of June, 1762, the Lords of
Trade laid the petition before the King, reporting “That we
have not received from any Officer of your Majesty in
America or any other person whatever any information re-
specting such grant or settlement as the petitioners allege to
have been made; and we the rather incline to hope that the
Petitioners have proceeded upon misinformation and mis-
take, as we do not know of any authority being given to Sir
Jeffrey Amherst to grant lands in those parts. If, however,
it shall appear upon enquiry that such grant and settlement
have actually been made, we cannot but agree with the Peti-
tioners that it will be productive of many mischievous and
dangerous consequences, and therefore we think it our duty
humbly to offer our opinion that for the several reasons set
forth in our humble representation to your Majesty of the
nth of November last, your royal orders should be immedi-
ately dispatched, requiring the said settlers forthwith to quit
and remove from the said Lands.”f
The Royal order was duly issued and transmitted to Sir
Jeffrey Amherst at New York, who acknowledged it in a
letter to W. Sharpe, Clerk of his Majesty’s Privy Council,
dated 20th October, 1762. “His Majesty’s Order in Council
bearing date the 19th June, 1762, with the papers thereunto
*Docts. Col. History N. Y., Vol. VII., p. 492.
tDocts. Col. History N. Y., Vol. VII., p. 502.FIRST ATTEMPTED SETTLEMENT.
43
annexed relative to the granting a Settlement to Captain
Rutherford, Lieut. Duncan and others, on the carrying place
at Niagara, did not come to my hands 'till within these four
days. ... In the Month of April, 1761, I received a
Memorial from Captain Rutherford, Lieut. Duncan and
others; requesting me to make application that they might
have a grant of land, on the carrying place at Niagara, and
setting forth, that great advantage must accrue to the Trade
in general by settling these lands; in the meantime, they
begged to have leave to sena up some families, cattle, etc.
I was so thoroughly convinced of the utility of such a pro-
posal that I readily granted them a Permit, until the King's
pleasure was known, but without the least clause that could
entitle them to an exclusive right of trade: as the Trade to
the Detroit and throughout every part of His Majesty's
Dominions oni this Continent has been entirely free, ever
since the reduction of Canada. I was so far from: thinking
that I had a right to grant these lands, that I immediately
reported what I had done to His Majesty's Secretary of
State; an Extract of my letter on that Subject is enclosed
(No. 1) and Copies of the Memorial and permit therein re-
ferred to (No. 2 and 3), but as I received no Answer, the
Memorialists have only made a small temporary settlement,
as I constantly assured them, that I could give no further
title, until the King's pleasure was signified concerning
their Rights:	I have now in obedience to His Majesty's
commands, sent orders to the Commandant at Niagara to
put a stop to any settlements on the carrying place, and I
enclose a copy of these Orders (No'. 4) which I humbly
trust will meet with His Majesty's Approbation. If I may
take the liberty, I can't but say, I am still of the same
opinion, respecting the utility and advantage, that will arise
to the Country by settling the lands in Question, and I beg
leave, with the utmost deference and submission to the most
Honble Board to represent that, nothing can be more con-
ducive to the security of the distant posts, the advantage of
the traders in general (while every one that adheres to the
rules prescribed are free to trade with the Indians) and of
those whose affairs require them to pass and repass, than44
NIAGARA PORTAGE AND ITS
the peopling of the Tracts of Land, situated near our Forts
and particularly such a spot as that of the carrying place at
Niagara.”*
Thus ended the first attempt under British rule to plant a
settlement on the Niagara portage. James Sterling went
up to Detroit where the trading firm1 of which he was a
member was known as Livingston, Rutherford & Syme, and
became one of the leading merchants of the Northwest, re-
spected and trusted by the British and, through hist familiar-
ity with their language, a favorite with the French habitants.
He took an active part in the defense of Detroit during the
famous siege by Pontiac and when it happily ended married
pretty Angelique Cuillierie, whose charms had captivated
Sir William at his visit in 1761. Her father had been a
prominent French trader and also an ally of Pontiac, and a
flavor of romance attaches to Sterling and his courtship, for
recent investigations give color to the belief that it was
through information which she obtained of Pontiac’s inten-
tions and which, through her anxiety for her lover’s safety,
the pretty Angelique secretly communicated to Sterling, that
the little garrison was forewarned of Pontiac’s treachery and
so saved from destruction.*)*
He had been compelled to leave some of the company’s
goods at Niagara and after Pontiac’s siege was raised he
returned for these; the interests of Livingston and Ruther-
ford were purchased by the other partners and the firm at
Detroit became Duncan & Sterling.
In 1763 John Stedman occupied the house described by
Albert H. Porter on the site of the old French barracks at
Little Niagara, cleared the adjacent land and planted an
orchard, becoming master of the portage from Lewiston,
and holding, it was claimed, the exclusive right of trans-
portation under some form of lease from the British Govern-
ment, which gave him right of occupancy in all the improved
land about Fort Schlosser and in adjoining unimproved
lands for the support of his-, cattle and horses. J
*Docts. Col. Hist. N. Y., Vol. VII., p. 508.
tSee letter Maj. Henry Bassett to Gen. Haldimand, Can. Archives, B. 70,
p. 214.
JHist. Sketch of Niagara, 1678-1876, by Albert H. Porter, p. 27.FIRST ATTEMPTED SETTLEMENT.
45
The original and larger scheme for a settlement on the
carrying place had failed. By 1764 Sir Wm. Johnson’s In-
dians had become more docile. The massacre at the Devil’s
Hole in September, 1763, when Stedman barely escaped with
his life, was their last fierce protest against the white man’s
encroachments; Stedman remained thereafter unmolested,
the traders found him useful and as he was not their com-
petitor no more petitions were sent to the Lords of Trade,
but it was a long day before the Niagara portage was finally
opened up for settlement.