1 P 597 S ■ "^5 Copy 2 THE £^ AN ACCOUNT OF THE CELEBRATION, lOTESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY COUNCIL AND TREATY OF CAPT. JONATHAN CARVER WITH THE NAUDOWESSIES, ON MAY 1, 170.7, AT THE " GREAT CAVE," [NOW WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF SAINT EAULj MINNESOTA.] — i HEi^iD 3VIAY 1, lecr. SAINT FAUI. : r r f) N E F. R p K I \ T r n a c o m p a n y . Library OF CONGRESS. # [SMITHSONIAN DEPOSIT.] J UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.J CAPT. JONATHAN CARVER. [fKOM a STEKL rORTBAIT IN THR THIRD KDITION OF HIS TRAVEI^j THE C'i CJiV 1' fi<>ii'-> AN AOOOUNT OP THE OELEBKATION, MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY COUNCIL AND TREATY OF CAPT. JONATHAN CARVEU WITH THE NAUDOWESSIES, ON MAY 1, 1707, AT THE " GREAT CAVE," [NOW WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA.] hfiIjID m:ay 1,1867. Z-^f^i(jPl ?r SAINT PAUL: PIONEER PRINTING COMPANY. 1867. n TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY COPIES ORDERED PRINTED BY THE SOCIETY. PIIEFACE. JL Ikivihl:; 1)cl'U resolved by tlie ineiiil)ers of the Alimiesota 1 1 istnri- eal »Si)cicty, to celebrate the Ci'iiteuaiy of Ca[it. Joiiatliau Carver's Treaty with the Naiulowessies, in an appropriate manner, the fol- lowing invitation was issned l)y the Score tarv: May 1, 1767. May 1, 1S07. [Porti-cait. ] THE CARVER CENTENARY. St. Paul, April £0, 1867. You arc invited to .join with Uie Minnksota Histouicai. Society in celebrating the One Hundredth Annivbrsauy of Caiit. Jonathan Carver's Council with the Indians iu the " Great Cave " (now called Carver's Cave,) within the present limits of this city, on Wednesday, May 1, 1S67. The members will visit the cave at 4 o'clock r. m. At 8 o'clock p. m. a reunion will be held at tlie rooms of the Society, when a paper on Jonathan Carver will be read by Rev. John Mattocks and other appropriate exercises take place. By order of the Executive Council. H. U. SIBLEY, President. J. F. Williams, Secretary. PART I. THE VISIT TO THE CAVE. In responh^e to the foregoing invitation, and to notices of the Cen- tenary celebration published in the dailj journals, a number of the members of the Society assembled at the rooms at 4 o'clock r. m., "Wednesday, May 1, 1867, in order to proceed to the cave in a body. Messrs. Cook & Webb, of the " Third Street Livery Stable," kindly furnished a four-horse omnibus for such as had not conveyances of their own, while a number proceeded to the spot on foot. Notwithstana- ing the weather was unseasonably inclement, the party enjoyed themselves finely. Jest, pun and repartee continually set the group in a roar. Arriving at the Brewery, the party alighted, and accompanied by the rest of the pilgrims to the Shrine of Carver, who met us here, proceeded on foot down the bank of the river to the cave. Its en- trance was soon reached, and after lighting their lanterns and candles, the party entered the sacred precincts of the Wakaii-2Whe, DESCRIPTION OF THE CAVE. Carver's description of the cave, made carelessly a century ago, is yet a fair picture of it. He says it is " a remarkable cave, of an amazing depth. The Indians term it WaJcan-Teehc that is, the dwelling of tlie Great Spirit. Tlie entrance into it is about ten feet wide, the height of it five feet. The arch within is near fifteen feet high, and about thirty feet broad. The bottom of it consists of fine, clear sand. About twenty feet from the entrance begins a lake, the water of which is transparent, and extends an unsearchable distance. I threw a small pebble towards the interior parts of it with, my utmost strength. I could hear that it fell into the water, and caused an astonishing and horrible noise that reverberated through all those gloomy regions. I found in the cave many Indian hieroglyphics, which appeared very ancient. They were cut in a rude manner upon the inside of the walls., which were composed of a stone so extremely soft that it might be easily penetrated with a knife, a stone every' THE CARVER CENTENARY. 6 where to be I'ouiul iie;ii' tlio Missis.sijiiii. The eave is only accessible by aseeiuling a narrow, stoop passage that lies near the brink of the river," &c. In the main, the aI)ove description is yet a faithful one. The entrance to the cave, broad as it is, is now almost choked up l>y detritus from the bluff above, partly composed of masses of sand- stone crumbled off by the frost, and jiartly of rubbish which the workmen in a stone t^uarry at the top of the bluff have thrown over. Still there is an easy and safe entrance in the upper corner of the mouth, along- the bottom of whicli ])assage-way flows a stream of sparkling, pure water. The track of the Winona and Saint Paul Railway is graded along the bank of the river, a few feet in front of, and slightly lower than the mouth of the cave. Carver says that the cave was, at the time of his visit, " only accessible by ascendirag a narrow, steep passage that lies near the brink of the river.'' This was doubtless the case then, but the frosts and floods afterwards crumbled down the bank in front of it, so that the mouth of the cave can easily be seen from the river. After entering the doorway of the cave, the ceiling suddenly ex- pands, and rises to a dome of considerable height. Twenty-eight feet from the entrance (" about twenty," as Carver estimates it) " begins a lake, " &c. Towards the mouth side it has a beautiful beach of white sand. From this side, the water gradually deepens towards the rear end of the cavern, until, at the farthest extremity, it is ten feet or more in depth, and so clear that a person sitting in one end of the boat may see the bottom by the light of a candle held over the other end. On all the sides of this lake (excepting the opening) the walls rise perpendicularly. They are stained with water to a height about five feet above the present waterline, showing that the lake must have risen to that height when the entrance was choked up as it was when Pike visited it in 1806. At the outer edge of the lake the height of the roof, or inner side nf the doorway arch, is about five feet, and the width about 40 feet. It soon grows a little wider, and the roof expands into a capacious dome. Its apex, as near as we could judge from the flickering lights, must be some 20 feet above the water. The widest part of the cave is about 50 feet from the landing, after which it gradually narrows to the end of the cave. It is everywhere high enough to permit 6 THE CARVER CENTENARY. free movement of the boat without incommoding tlie occupant. The roof and walls are of the white sandstone, dry, and liandsomoly arched. '' Indian liieroglyphics," or pictographs, as mentioned by Carver, are still to be found on the walls, but whether the same ones that adorned the Wakan-Teebe when Jonathan visited it, or not, is diffi- cult to say. A rude representation of a serpent, some three feet in length, is the most prominent sculpture on the walls. It is stren- uously asserted by many antiquarians to be the seal, or family coat of arms of Otoh-ton-cjoora lish-eaw, Avhose signature to the great deed was a representation of a snake. Others say it is not Indian, but evidently the work of a white man. If so, it must have been done a long time ago, as our oldest settlers say it was there when they first visited the cave. The distance from tlie edge of the water to the extreme end of the cave, is about 112 feet. Long (in his "Journal of a Skiff Voyage," published by the iVIinnesota Historical Society in i860,) says that " the distance from its entrance to its inner extremity is 24 paces," but adds, " the cavern was once probably much more extensive." From the entrance of the cave, the extreme end would not be vis- ible, as it bends considerably to the left. About half way up the cave, on the west side, is seen a small low grotto. Through this low opening there is a connection with Dayton's Cave,* a few hun- dred feet up the river, and water flows from one into the other. The temperature of the cave is about 50°, at which figure it re- mains summer and Avinter, irrespective of the external heat or cold, scarcely changing a degree. * " Dayton's Cave," is strictly not a cave at all. It is a hollow space under a large shelvinR rock. It has been walled up in front, and was used for many years as a vegetable cellar. Lat- terly it has been used as a bottling vault for ale and ginger pop. At the rear of the cave is a pool of clear cold water, like that in Carver's Cave, but much smaller. This fact has probably Ciiused Dayton's Cave to be mistaken as the real Carver's Cave. Miss Bishop, in her ''^Floral Homes," (page 25) and Neill, in his " lUistonj of dlinnesota," (page 208) fall into this error. THE CAllVKR CENTENARY. 7 TTIE PROCEEDINGS AT THE CAVE. Tlirro wore no formal ceromonics wilJiin llio cavo. As soon as llie parl.y conld lia;lit' iJioir torches, tJio cavo was J,liorona;lily oxplorod. A small boat was fonnd moored to the shore, capal)le of holding a coupl<" of persons at a time, and the visitors, two at a time, embarked, and paddled up the cavern, one rowing, and ilie otlior holding a lan- tern at the bow for a head light. When at the extreme roar end of the cavern, one of the party sang a song, the echoes of which were remarkable. We conld well conceive how the pebble thrown by Carver " caused an astonishing and horrible noise that reverberated through all those gloomy regions '^ The flashing of the lights held by the party, and their reflected gleam in the clear water of the pool — the ghostdike appearance of I ho visitors as they moved about bearing their lights above their heads — made a weird scene quite in character with the sacredness of the spot, while the hollow echoes of the song and laughter, and loud voices of the party, seemed to profane the awlul mysteries of this " Dwelling of the Great Spirit." We almost expected to see the sjiirits of Carver, and Ilaw-no-jpaw gat-an, and Otoli-ton-goom-lish'eaui, and their compeers, the makers of the deed and treaty on that grand council day a hundred years ago, start from the dark walls of the cave, and reprove us for our levity and ill-timed merriment and rude noise But those wortliies were l)y no means forgotten on our cen- tenary visit. A toast to the memory of the adventurous Carver was drunk by each visitor present, in a bumper of that same cold, clear, refreshing water that Carver and his fellow councilors drank on that bright May day morning a hundred years ago. Our imagin- ations almost pictured Carver seated in the cave, with his dusky friends around him, making the speech which he records, or drawing up and explaining to the Indians the famous deed to which they af- fixed their marks. And as we quaffed the pellucid liquid our thoughts leaped across the eventful century that has passed since then — a cen- tury more crowded with great events than any that has preceded it — tliat gave birth to our great nation, and saw it rise to an acme of power and greatness scarce surpassed in the history of the world. We thought too, of the future, of the mighty changes that another hundred years must produce. 8 THE CARVER CENTENARY. A century ago, the "Wakan-Teebe and the rude Indian huts. To- day, around the same spot, are the homes of 20,000 people, the spires of other temples more fit for " the dwelling of the Great Spirit," the institutions of a higher civilization than the Naudowessies knew of. A century hence, when our descendants, and our successors in the Historical Society celebrate the Carver Bi-Centenary, what changes will they too, witness ? We can scarce imagine them ! Who will be celebrating ihis anniversary then, and how ? Who will fill our places then ? Who'll press for gold yon crowded street, A hundred years to come ? Who'll tread our paths with weary feet, A hundred years to come '? Pale trembling age, and fiery youth. And childhood with its heart of truth, The rich, the poor, on land and sea — Where Will the mighty millions be, ( A hundred years to come ? Then other men our lands will till And others then our places fill. While other hearts will beat as gay, And bright the sunshine as to day, A hundred years to come- As we emerged from the cave, awed into silence by these impres- sive thoughts, the noble steamer Itasca passed up the river, her deep- toned whistle, heralding her approach to the city, waking the echoes of the bluffs and vales. The scream and roar of a locomotive near l)y answered her signal. How this would have startled Carver and his dusky companions if they had come unheralded at their council on that historic day a century ago ! Even Carver's prophetic soul, which predicted the overland route for the northwest passage, and saw with the eye of faith "mighty kingdoms emerge from the wilder- ness, and stately palaces and solemn temples, with gilded spires reach- ing the skies, supplant the Indian huts whose only decorations are the barbarous trophies of their vanquished enemies," had not fore- seen the car, and steamer, and telegraph traversing the wilderness, the mightiest agencies in the work of making it blossom as the rose. Reluctantly we terminated our centenary visit, to meet again at the cave, in the persons of our descendants and successors, on May 1, 1967, hoping that those who celebrate that day may enjoy the event as much as we did the First Centennial Meeting in Carver's Cave. TlIK CARVKH CENTKNAItV. PART II. THE RE-UNION IN THE EVENING. The membors of" the Historirnl Society assem))led at 8 o'clock in the evening at the rooms of the society, to participate in the Lit(>rury Exercises of the Centenary Celebration Tiiero wns an uniisnallv full attendance of meml)ers, togetlier with ;i nmnlier of invited guests. In the absence of tlie President, Rev. S. Y. McMasters was called to the chair. Rev. John Mattocks then read a paper on " The Life and Travels of Jonathan Carver," which was listened to with great interest by the members present. At its conclusion, on motion of Hon. A. Goodrich, a copy of the paper was requested for the use of the So- ciety. Some time was then spent in discussing the subject of Carver's explorations, and the incidents of the visit to the cave in the after- noon, "f Col. Wm. H. Nobles then, by invitation of the Society, read a paper on " The Ancient Indian Mounds and Fortifications of the North West." On motion, a copy of the same was reipiested for ^ires- ervation in the archives of the society. Regret having been expressed by some of tli(> nienibers jiresent that the funds of the Society would not warrant the outlav necessary to print in pamphlet form an account of the Centenary proceedings, Geo. W. Fahnestock, Esq., of Philadelphia, an Honorary Member of the Society, who was present, generously offered to bear the expense of such publication, should the Society see fit to ord<'r the same. * On motion of Rev. John Mattocks, it Avas Resolved, That the very generous and liberal otfer of Mr. Fahnestock be accepted, and that the tlianks of the Society be tendered to liim for tlie same. And the Secretary is herebj' instructed to prepare an account of the celebration, and secure its publication in pamphlet form. On motion, adjourned. •J. F. WILLIAMS, Sec. * It is but due to Mr. Fahnestock to state that the celebration of the Aniiiversarj' was first suggested by him, and after it was resolved on by the Society, its success was in a t;reat measure owing to the interest he took in it, and his efforts to render it interesting and creditable. 3. V. w. iO THE CARVER CENTENARY. THE LIFE AND EXPLORATIONS OF JONATHAN CARVER. }5Y REV. JOHN MATTOCKS. We are met this ev^ening to celebrate, in an appropriate manner, an event of no ordinary interest, an event which occurred a century ago, a date anterior oven to the l)irth of our nation, and fully half a century prior to the settlement of this State by white men. This is the first time, since the organization of our Society, that we have been called on to celebrate the anniversary of any event connected with the early history of Minnesota, and the spirit with which the members have enlisted in this matter shows that it is regarded as an event of more than ordinary interest. It is peculiarly appropriate that this Society should have commem- orated that event. We are organized to collect, and preserve, and disseminate a knowledge of the early history of our State and the Nortli West. Our State is so young, that it has but little history since its settlement by white men. One of the principal portions of our work, therefore, is to preserve the records of its early explorers. Hennepin, Perrot, Duluth, St. Pierre and LeSueur, have all been made familiar to the readers of our publications. But Jonathan Carver, who deserves a place as prominent as any, has never been so honored. Indeed, it is remarkable how little, generally, is known of Carver. This may be accounted for, however, from the fact that copies of his work are very rare. I have, therefore, in the paper on the Life and Travels of Jonathan Carver, which at your request I now read, given more full extracts from Carver's works than might otlicrwise have been necessary, in order to reproduce the text of the original, and also allow Carver to tell his own story, wliich he does in a clear, entertaining and vivid manner. I might mention here that Carver is one of the most en- tertaining of writers. His style is easy, plain and forcible. His work possesses almost the interest of a romance. Yet, although many of Carver's statements have been discredited, Carver was no romancer. Every page bears the impress of truth and candor. Al- though somevv'hat familiar with the contents of his work years ago. THE CARVEK CENTENARY. 11 yet when I read it critically in jireparing tliis paper, I was singu- larly struck with the remarkable prophecies he makes, and his sagacious views in regard to the future of the wilderness he traversed. Viewed in the light of a century later, there are some really re- markable passages in his work, stamping him as a man of no ordi- nary mind and sagacity. That he was an acute and close observer, an industrious student of ethnology, and a careful discriminating journalist, his chapters on the Indian races, and the natural history of the North West, must prove to even the casual reader. But 1 must pass without farther preface to the subject of this paper. [In presenting the facts of the life and explorations of Mr. Carver, I am wholly indebted to J. Fletcher Williams, Esq., our indefatigal)le and devoted Secretary, for selection, compilation and arrangemenr. The larger portion is found in an article prepared by him a year since, for the St. Paul Pioneek.] MEMOIR OF CARVER. Jonathan Carver was a grandson of William Joseph Carver, of AVigan, in Lancashire, England, who was a captain in the army under King William, and served in the campaign against Ireland with such distinguished reputation, that the prince was pleased to reward him with the government of the Colony of Connecticut, in New England. Jonathan was born in 1732, at Stillwater (or Can- terbury,) Conn His father, who was a Justice of the Peace, died when he was 15 years of age. It was designed to educate him for a physician, but his spirit of enterprise and adventure could not brook the close study necessary to acquire the profession, and he chose the army instead. He therefore purchased an ensigncy in a Connecticut regiment, and soon, by good conduct, rose to the command of a com- pany during the " French War." In the year 1757, he was present at the massacre of Fort William Henry, and narrowly escaped with his life. carver's object in making the journey. Having served through the war with credit and distinction, the peace of Versailles, in 1763, left Capt. Carver without occupation. It was then that Carver conceived the project of exploring the new- ly acquired possessions of Great Britain in the North West. In the preface to his book lie says : 12 THE CARVER CENTENARY. No sooner was the late war with France concluded, and peace establish- ed by the Treaty of Versailles in the year 1768, than I began to consider (having rendered my country some service during the war) how I might continue still serviceable, and continue, as much as lay in my power, to make that vast acquisition of territory, gained by Great Britain, in North America, advantageous to it. It appeared to me indispensabiy needful, that Government should be acquainted in the first place with the true state of tlie dominions they were now become possessed of. To this purpose I determined, as the next proof of my zeal, to explore the most unknown parts of them, and to spare no trouble or expense in acquiring a knowledge that promised to be so useful to my countrymen. I knew that many ob- structions would arise to my scheme from the want of good maps and charts. * * * These difficulties, however, were not sufficient to deter me from the undertaking, and I made preparations for setting out. What I chiefly had in view, after gaining a knowledge of the Manners, Customs, Languages, Soil, and Productions of the different nations that inhabit the back of the Mississippi, was to ascertain the breadth of that vast Conti- nent, which extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, in the broadest part between 43 and 4() degrees Northern Latitude. Had I been able to accomplish this, I intended, to have proposed to Government to establish a post in some of those parts about the Straits of Annian, which having been first discovered by Sir Francis Drake, of course belong to the English. This, I am convinced, would greatly facilitate the discovery of a North West passage, or a communication between Hudson's Bay and the Pacific Ocean, an event so desirable, and which has been so often sought for, but witliout success. Besides this important end, a settlement on that terri- tory of America would answer many good purposes, and repa}' every ex- pense the establishment of it might occasion. For it would not only dis- close new sources of trade, and promote many useful discoveries, but would open a passage for conveying intelligence to China, and English Settlements in the East Indies, with greater expedition than a tedious voyage by the Cape of Good Hope, or the Straits of Magellan will allow of That the completion of the scheme I have had the honor of first plan- ning and attempting will sometime or other be eftected, I make no doubt. Whenever it is, and the execution of it carried on with propriety, those who are so fortunate as to succeed will reap, exclusive of the national ad- vantages that must ensue, emoluments beyond their most sanguine expec- tations, and whilst their spirits are elated by their success, perhaps they may bestow some commendation and blessings on the person that first pointed out to them the way. HE SETS OUT ON HIS TRAVELS. Carver set out on his journey from Boston, in June, 1766. He proceeded to Mackinaw, then the most distant British post, arriving in August. " Having here (he says) made the necessary dispositions for ])ursu- ing my travels, and obtained a credit from Mr. Rogers, the Governor, on some English and Canadian traders who were going to trade on the Mississippi, and received also from him a promise of a fresh supply of goods when I reached the Falls of St. Anthony, I left the Fort on the 3d of Sejit., in company with these traders. It was agreed that TilE CARVER CENTENARY. 13 they should furnisJi luc witli such goods as i mif^lit wniit for presents to tlie Indian Chiefs during my continuance witli them, agreeable to the Governor's order." Carver pursued the usual route to Green Bay, ascended the Fox River, made the Portage to the Wisconsin and descending that stream, entered the Mississippi on October 15. The traders wlio w(;re with him left him at Prairie du Chien, opposite to wliich village at '' Yellow River," they took up their quarters. Carver here " bought a canoe, and with two servants, one a French Canadian, and the other a Mohawk of Canada," started up the Mississippi River. HIS VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI. Some miles below Lake Pepin, Carver writes, he found a remark- able fortification, which lie thought to be very ancient. It was planned and constructed with considerable engineering ability. On the first of November he arrived at Lake Pepin. Tliis lake he de- scribes at some length, in language florid and poetical — yet his gen- eral description of that truly lovely sheet of water is correct and faithful, lie observed in one place, he writes — " the ruins of a French factory, where it is said Capt. St. Pierre resided, and carried on a very great trade with the Naudowessies before the reduction of Canada." CARVER EXPLORES THE CAVE AT ST. PAUL. We have now followed Carver on his journev until he reaches the Cave to which we paid a visit to-day. He thus speaks of it in his work : About tliirty miles below the Falls of Saint Anthony, at which I arrived the tenth day after I left Lake Pepin, is a remarkable cave, of an ama/ing depth. Tlie Indians term it Wakau Teebe, that is, the dwelling of the Great Spirit. Tlie entrance into it is aliout ten feet wide, the height of it five feet. The arcli within is near fifteen feet high, and al:)out thirty feet broad. Tlie bottom of it consists of tine clear sand. About twenty feet from the entrance begins a lake, the water of which is transparent, and extends to an unsearchable distance ; for the darkness of the cave prevents all attempts to acquire a knowledge of it. I threw a small pebble towards the interior parts of it with my utmost strength : I could hear that it fell into the water, and notwithstanding it was of so small a size, it caused an astonishing and liorrible noise, thatreverberated through all those gloomy regions. I found in this cave many Indian hieroglypliics, which appeared very ancient, for time had nearly covered them with moss, so tliat it was with difficulty I could trace them. They were cut in a rude manner upon the 14 THE CARVEK CENTENARY. iuside of the walls, -vvliich were composed of a stone so extremely soft that it might be easily penetrated with a knife ; a stone everywhere to be found near the Mississippi. The cave is only accessible by ascending a narrow steep passage that lies near the brink ot the river. At a little distance from this dreary cavern, is the burying place of sev eral bands of the Naudowessie Indians : thougli these people have no fixed residence, living in tents, and abiding but a few months on one spot, yet they always bring the bones of their dead to this place ; which they take the opportunity of doing, when the chiefs meet to hold their councils, and to settle all public affairs for the ensuing summer. Tliis was Carver's first visit to the now celebrated Cave. After leaving it he proceeded on to St. Anthony's Falls, which lie minutely describes in his volume of travels, accompanying it by a copperplate engraving from a drawing made by himself on November 17, 1766. He afterwards took a short trip up the Mississippi River as far as the " St. Francis River," beyond which point, he says, it had never been explored, and thus far only by Father Hennepin and himself, HE PROPOSES A SHIP CANAL FROM THE RIVER TO THE LAKES. Carver here makes a somewhat remarkable suggestion in favor of a ship canal, connectiug the Mississi}»pi with the Lakes. He says : As this river is not navigable from the sea for vessels of any considerable burthen, much higher than the forks of the Ohio — and even that is accom- plished with difficulty — those settlements that may be made on the interior brandies of it, must be indisputably secure from the attacks of any mara time power. But at the same time the settlers will have the advantage of being able to convey their produce to the seaports with great facility, the current of the river from its source to its entrance into the Gulf of Mexico, being extremely favorable for doing this in a small craft. This might also, in time, be facilitated by canals or shorter cuts, and a commu- nication opened by Avater with New York, Canada, &c., by way of the lakes. This project of a ship canal from the Mississippi to Lake Michigan has by no means been abandoned, but is still agitated actively and may be yet accomplished. Carver did not however, foresee the in- troduction of railroads, which had proved a more valuable channel for commerce than Carver's canal and his projected overland routt; to the Lidies. HIS JOURNEY UP THE ST. PETER RIVER. On the 25th of November Carver returned to his canoe, which he "had left at the mouth of the River St. Pierre" [Minnesota] and ascended that stream. About 40 miles from its mouth he says he "arrived at a small branch that fell into it from the north," to which as it had no name that he could distinguish it by, he called " Carver's River," which name it Ijears to this day. Tflli: CARVKR CKNTENARY. 15 HE WINTERS AMONG THE NAUDOWESSIES. On tlio 7th of DeconilxT he arrived at llie mo^t westerly limit of his travels, and as he could proceed no farther that season, spent the winter, a period of seven months, among a band of Naudowessies encamped near what is now New Ulm. He saj-s he learned their langiiacie so as to converse in it intelligibly, and was treated by them with great liospitality. In the spring, he returned to the cave. His account of this is as follows : THE RETURN TO THE GREAT CAVE. I left the habitations of tlicsc hospitable Indians tfic latter end of April, 17(>7, hut did not part from tlicni for several days, as I was accom])anied on my joiirnej' by near three hundred of tiiem, among whom were many chiefs, to the mouth of the liiver Saint Pierre. At this season these bands annually go to the great cave before mentioned, to hold a grand council with all the other bands, wlicrein they settle their operations for the en- suing year. At tlie same time they carrj^ with them their dead for inter- ment, f)ound up in Initi'alo skins. It was on this visit to the cave that Carver made the alleged Treaty with the Indians, and received from them the celebrated deed of land. His account of it is as follows : When we arrived at the Great Cave, and the Indians liad deposited the remains of their deceased friends in the burial-place that stands adjacent to it, they held their great council, into which I was admitted and at the same time had the honor to be installed and adopted a chief of their bands. On this occasion I made the following speech which was delivered on the lirst day of May, 17G7 : carver's SPEECH TO THE INDIANS " Mj' Brotlicrs, Chiefs of tlie numerous and powertul Naudowessies ! I rejoice that through my long abode with you, I can now speak to you (though after an imperfect manner) in your own tongue, like one of your own children. I rejoice also that I have had an opportunity so frequently to inform j^ou of tbe glory and power of the Great King tliat reigns over the English and other nations ; who is descended from a very ancient race of sovereigns, as old as the earth and the waters ; whose feet stand upon two great islands, larger than any you have ever seen, amidst the greatest waters in the world, whose head readies to the sun, and whose arms en circle the whole earth ; the numlier of whose warriors is equal to the trees in the valle.ys, the stalks of rice in yonder marshes, and tlic blades of grass on your great plains, who has hundreds of canoes of his own, of such amazing bigness, that all the waters in your country would not suflice for one of them to swim in, each of which have great guns, not small like mine, which you see before you, but of such magnitude, tliat a hundred of your stoutest young men avouUI with difliculty be able to carry one. And they are equality surprizing in their operation against the King's enemies when engaged in battle ; tlie terror thcj^ carry with them, your language lacks words to express. You may remember tlie other day when we were encamped at Wadapaw-menesoter, the black clouds, the wind, the fire, 16 THE CARVER CENTENARY. the stupendous noise, the horrible cracks, and tlie tumbling of the earth which then alarmed you, and gave you reason to think your gods were angry with you ; not unlike these are the warlike implements of the Eng- lish when tliey are fighting the battles of their great King. Several of the chiefs of your bands have often told me in times past, when I dwelt with you in your tents, that they much wished to be counted among the children and the allies of the great King, my master. You may remember how often you have desired me, when I return again to my own country, to acquaint the great King of your good disjwsition towards him and his subjects, and that you wished for traders from the Eng • lish to come among you. Being now about to take my leave of you, and to return to m.y own country, a long way toward the rising sun, f again ask you to tell me whether you continue of the same mind as when I spoke to you in council last winter; and as there are now several of your chiefs here who came from the great plains toward the setting of the sun, whom I have never spoken with in council before, I ask you to let me know if you are willing to acknowledge yourselves the children of my great master, the Iving of the English. I charge you not to give heed to bad reports, for there are wicked birds Hying about among the neighboring nations who may whisper evil things in your ears against the English, contrary to what 1 have told you ; you must not believe them, for I have told j-ou thetrutli. As for the Chiefs that are about to go to Michilimackinac, I shall take care to make for them and their suits a straight road, smooth waters, and ■ a clear sky, that they may go there and smoke the pipe of peace, and rest secure on a beaver blanket under the shade of the great tree of peace. Farewell!" Whether any such grandiloquent speecli as the above was really made by Carver on the occasion or not, has frequently lieen doubted. It is probable, however, that he made them a short address, in such broken Dakota as he could command. " To this speech [he continues] T received tlie following answer, from the mouth of the principal Chief :'' THE REPLY. Good brother 1 I am now about to speak to you with the mouths of these my brothers, chiefs of the eight bands of the powerful nation of the Naudowessies. We believe, and are well satisfied in the truth of every- thing you have told us about your great nation, and the great King oiir greatest father ; for whom we spread this beaver blanket, that his fatherly protection may ever rest easy and safe amongst us, his children ; j^onr col- ors and your arms agree with the accounts you have given us about your great nation. We desire that when you return, j'ou will acquaint the great King how much the Naudowessies wish to be counted among his good children. You may believe us when we tell you that we will not open our ears to any one who may dare to speak evil of our Great Father the Iving of the English and other nations. We thank you for what you have done for us in making peace between the Naudowessies and the Chippewas, and hope when j^ou return to us again, that you will complete this good work ; and quite dispelling the clouds that intervene, open the blue sky of peace, and cause the bloody hatchet to be deep buried under the roots of the great tree of peace. Tiit<\ CARVER CKNTKNARY. 1 1* We wish you to rcmoinber lo represent to our Groat Fiitlier liow riuicli W(! desire that traders may be sent to abide auioni;- us, with such thiiii;;s as we need, that the hearts of our youni;' men, our wives, and childn^n may be made i^lad. Ami may peace subsist between us, so long as the sun, tiie moon, the earth, and tiie waters shall endure. Farewell ! TIIE PURPORTED DEED. At this council was given tlic famous deed of land to Carver, whicli roads as follows : To Jonathan Carver, a Chief under tlie most mi,!i;hty and potent (Jeori^e the Third, King of the Englisli, and other nations, the lame of whose war- riors has reached our ears, and has be(!n now fully told to us by onv i/ood brother Jonathm, aforesaid, wiiom we rejoice to see come among us, and bring us good news from his country. We, CJiiefs of the Naudowessies, who have hereto set our seals, do by these presents, for ourselves and heirs forever, in return for the many presents and other good services done by the said Jonathan to ourselves and allies, give, grant and convey to him, the said Jonathan, and to liis heirs and assigns forever, tlie whole of a certain tract or territory of land, bounded as follows, viz.; From the Falls of St. Anthony, running on the East bank of the Mississippi, nearly Southeast, as far as the South end of Lake Pepin, where the Chippewa river joins the Mississippi, and from thence Eastward, five days travel, accounting twenty Englisli miles per day, and from thence North si.x days travel, at twenty Englisli miles per day, and from thence again to the Falls of St. Anthony, on a direct straight line. "We do, for ourselves, heirs, and assigns, forever, give unto the said Jonathan, his heirs and assigns forever, all the said lands, with all the trees, rocks, and rivers therein, reserving the sole liberty of liunting and fishing on land not planted or improved by the said Jonathan, his heirs and assigns, to which we have affixed our respective seals. At the Great Cave, May 1st, one thousand seven hundred and sixty-seven. HAW-NO-PAW-GAT AN, his M mark, (picture of a Beaver.) OTOH-TON GOOM-LISH-EAW, his y, mark, (picture of a snake.) It is a somewhat singular fact that Carver nowhere mentions tliis deed in his writings. Wliy its existence was suppressed by him, can only be conjectured. It seems not to have been made public until after his death. John Coakley Lettsom, who wrote the biography of Carver for the third edition of his travels, says he had the original deed in his possession. We will farther trace the history of this deed, after concluding our account of Carver, HE RETURNS HOME. Whilst he tarried at the mouth of the River St. Pierre [he says] he endeavored to learn whether the goods which the governor at Michillimacinac had promised to forward him, had arrived. Learn- 3 18 THE CARVER CENTENARY, ing tlioy had nut, he was obliged to aljandon all hopes of proceeding ijirther westward, and returned to Prairie du Chien. Here procuring a small supply of goods, he proceeded to Lake Superior, and spent some time in exploring that region, returning to Boston by way of Sault St. Marie, Detroit, and Niagara Falls. He arrived in Boston in October, 17G8, " having been absent from it on this expedition two years and live months, and during that time travelled near 7000 miles." carver's subsequent history. Carver soon after sailed for England. Of his purposes and move- ments there, we will let him be his own historian : On my arrival in England, I presented a petition to his Majesty in coun- cil praying for a reimbursement of those sums I had expended in tlie service of the Government. This was referred to the Lords Commissioners of Trade and Plantations. Tlieir Lordships, from the tenor of it, tliought tlie intelligence I could give of so mucli importance to the nation tliat they ordered me to appear before tlie Board. '^I'his message I obeyed, and un- derwent a long examination, much, I believe, to the satisfaction of every Lord present. When it was finished, I requested to know what I should do with my papers. Without hesitation, tlie first Lord replied, that I might publish them whenever 1 pleased. In consequence of this permission, I disposed of them to a bookseller ; but wlien tney were nearly ready for the press, an order was issued from the council board, requiring me to deliver, without delay, into the Planta- tion Office, all my Cliarts and Journals, with every paper relative to the discoveries I had made. In order to obey the command, I was obliged to repurcliase them from tlie bookseller, at a very great expense, and deliver them up. This fresh disbursement 1 endeavored to get annexed to the account I had already delivered in, but the request was denied me, not- withstanding I liad only acted in the disposal of my papers, conformably to the permission I had received from the Board of Trade. This loss, which amounted to a very considerable sum, I was obliged to bear, and to rest satisfied witli an indemnilication for my other expenses. Having expended all his private fortune in his explorations and other expenses, Carver was compelled to make a new abstract of his Journals (which fortunately he had preserved) and publish them, in order to reimburse himself. * It is hardly possible that he realised much money from his book, as we hear of him a few months after this, in very indigent circumstances. His health also declined. In 1779, he secured a position as clerk in a lottery office, from the gains of which he eked out a scanty subsistence for a few months. Dis- * Carver also publishod, A Treatise on the Culture of the Tobacco Plant. Lon. 1119, 8vo. The New Universal Traveller, Lon- 1779, folio. This is not his own production, but he is said to have lent his name to it. [AUibone's Diet, of Authors.] THE CARVEK CENTENARY. 1 1> enso soon ensued, liowever, und he actually died ul wauL*' in London, January ol, 1780, a_ucd 4S years. SUHSEliUENT HISTORY OF THE IMIRPORTEI) DKED. (^arviir, as we before mentioned does not s])eii,k ni his work of ihi' deed said to have hecn given May 1, 17(»7. It was not until after his death that it was broui2;ht to light. Carver liad married during his sojourn in Knghmd (altliougli lie had a wife and five daughters in Connecticut at the time) and hy this second wife ]ia.d one daughter. nanu'd Martha. She was raised bv Sir liichard and Lady Pearson. When she grew up, she eloped with, and married a sailor, whose name seems to lie now unknown. A mercantih' firm in Ijondon, thinking that money could be made by securing the title to the al- leged grant, secured from the jienniless couple, a few days after their marriage, a conveyance of the grant to them, for the consideration of one tenth the profits. The merchants dispatched an agent named Clark to go to the Dakotas, and obtain a new deed, but on tlie way Clark w^as murdered in New York, and the speculation for the tinn; fell through . In the year 1794, the heirs of Carver's American wife, in consid- eration of .£50,000, conveyed their interest in the Carver Grant, to Edward Houghton, of Vermont. In the year 1806, Rev. Samuel Peters, f who had been a Tory during'the Revolutionary war, alleged, in a petition to Congress, that he had also purchased, of the heirs of Carver, their right to the grant. In 1821, Gen. Leavenworth, pursuant to a riM|uest of the Com* missioner of the Land Office, enquired of the Dakotas in relation to the grant, and reported that the land alleged to be granted " lies on the East side of the Mississippi." The Indians do not recognise or acknowledge the grant to be valid and they, among others, assign the following reasons : 1. The Sioux of the Plains never owned a foot of land on llie East side of the Mississippi. * * 2. The Indians say they have no knowledge of any such Chiefs, as those who signed the grant. They say if Capt. Carver did over obtain a deed or grant, it was signed by some foolish young men * It was owing to Ur. Lettsom's account , and its greatest height about 7 feet. In shape it resembles a baker's oven. The cavern was once probably much more extensive. My interpreter in- formed me that, since his remembrance, the entrance was not less than 10 leet high, and its length far greater than at present. Maj. Long then visited Fountain Cave, which is thought by some to be tlie real Carver Cave. He thus refutes this theory : This cavern, as I was informed by my interpreter, has been discovered but a few years ; that the Indians living in its neighborhood knew nothing of it till within six years past. That it is not the same as that described by Carver is evident, not only from this circumstance, but also from the circumstance that instead of a stagnant pool, and only one accessible room of a very difierent foi'm, this cavern has a brook running through it, and at least four rooms in succession, one after the other. Carver's Cave is fast filling up with sand, so that no Avater is now to be found in it, wliere- as this, from the very natni-e of the place, must be enlarging, as the foun- tain will carry along with its current all the sand that falls into it from the sides and roof of the cavern. 22 THE CARVER CENTENARY. Feather8toiiliaup,h, tlie Geologist, next visits it in 1835. He says : Septembkk 11. " About 5 r. m. we came up with a bluff of incoherent sand-stone about 180 feet high, like that on the Wisconsin. The Indians say that there was formerly a large cave here, but that the rock fell in and covered it up. 1 landed and endeavored to trace some vestige of the cave, but in vain, a talus of hundreds of tons of fallen rock covering the entire slope." Nicollet also visited the cave m 1837. In his report * to Congress, he says : The second [cave] four miles below the former is that described by Carver. Its entrance has been, for more than thirty years, closed by the disintegrated debris of the lime stone capping the sand-stone in which it is located. On the 3d of July, 1837, with the assistance of Messrs. Camp- bell and Quinn, the former an interi>reter for the Sioux, the latter for the Chippewas, I set about clearing this entrance, which, by the bye was no easy work, for on the 5th we were about abandoning the job, when, unexpectedly, we found that we had made an opening into it ; and although we had not entirely disencumbered it of its rubbish, I saw enough to -satisfy me of tlie accuracy of Carver's description. The lake mentioned by him is there ; but I could see only a segment of the cave, a portion of the roof being too near the surface of the water to enable me to proceed any farther. A Chippewa warrior made a long harangue on the occasion ; throwing his knife into the lake, as an offering to Wakan-Tibi, the spirit of the grottoes. * * * On the high grounds above the cave there were some Indian mounds, to which the Indians belonging to the tribe of M'dewa- kantons formerly transported the bones of the deceased members of tlieir families. Carver appears to have been sanguine tliat the region which he traversed, would ultimately become populous and wealthy. This belief appears in numerous passages. His prophesy concerning an overland route of trade and commercial travel has already been quoted. That Carver certainly believed that this was to be tlie future course of trade is evident from the fact that after his return to England he interested Richard Whitworth, a member of Parlia" ment, in the matter, and they found a plan to establish a trading ])ost near the head waters of the Missouri and Oregon. The Revo- lutionary war prevented any accomplishment of their scheme. Car- ver nevertheless assures his readers of the great future of the North West. He says : To what power or authority this new world will become dependant, after it has arisen from its present uncultivated state, time alone can discover. But as the seat of Empire from time immemorial has been gradually pro- gressive towards the west, there is no doubt but that at some future period, mighty kiwjdoms will emerge from these wildernesses, ami stately palaces and solemn temples, loith gilded spires reaching the skies, s^ipplant tlte Indian huts, whose only decorations are tlie barbarous trophies of their Danquished enemies. * Report intended to illustrate a map of the Hydrograpbical Basin of the Upper Mississippi River, made by I. N. Nicollet, Jan. H, 1846. THE CARVER CENTENARY. 23 A century has passed since Carver's visit, here, and his ardent an- ticipations are realised. From tlie wilderness have indeed emerged "mighty kingdoms," — vigorous, rich, grow^ing states of the North West, each well termed an " Inrperium in im.'perio^'' miglity already in size and rich in undeveloped resources. In an liundred cities the " stately palaces" and "solemn temples " with "gilded spires" are seen, wliile the Indian race, whose huts stood on their site, are now almost " sui)[)lanted " hy another race. This progress from the wilderness to the rich and populous com- monwealth — the incidents of the development and the history of the actions in the drama, it is our task to record ; " to gather from still living witnesses and preserve for the future annalist, the important records of the teeming and romantic past ;" to let nothing escape that mav show to future generations the form and pressure of our own times. To this duty let us address ourselves with renewed diligence, and while " toiling in the mines of history, gathering its pure ore," not forget to do justice to the memory of the early explorers of this region, so prominent among whom was the subject of this centenary celehration, Jimalhan Carver. LIBRARY OF COI 016 096 LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 016 096 532