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 16
 
 FRENCH AND INDIANS 
 
 OF 
 
 ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 BY N. MATSON, 
 
 Author of " BEYOND THE ATLANTIC," " REMINISCENCES OF 
 BUREAU COUNTY," MAPS, SKETCHES, ETC. 
 
 ECOND EDITION. 
 
 _^ M Jj%g PRINCETON, ILL. 
 
 REPUBLICAN JOB PRINTING ESTABLISHMENT, 
 
 1874.
 
 31 
 
 Entered according to an act of Congress in the year 1874, 
 
 BY N. MATSON, 
 In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
 
 INTBODUCTIOK 
 
 The beautiful country between the "Wabash 
 and Mississippi rivers, now within the boundaries 
 of the Sucker State, was once occupied by the 
 powerful tribe of Illinois Indians. Over these 
 prairies, and through these groves, these wild peo- 
 ple, while in their native simplicity roamed at 
 pleasure. Generation succeeded generation, and 
 no one doubted their right to possess the land. 
 The French came and lived among them, intro- 
 ducing a new religion with arts of civilization, and 
 between the races harmony and friendship pre- 
 vailed. But afterwards an enemy came, war and 
 carnage followed, and the Illinoians were annihi- 
 lated. 
 
 For a time the conquerors possessed the land, 
 but the tide of civilization, which is ever rolling
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 westward, compelled them to find a new home 
 beyond the Father of Waters. 
 
 To give some account of these events, has been 
 the object of this work, and to what extent these 
 efforts have been a success, the reader is left to 
 judge. Some of' the incidents herein narrated, 
 are drawn from history, others from traditions, 
 while many are from the statements of persons 
 who figured in them. To collect these traditions 
 from the Indians and early French pioneers, has 
 been the work of many years, and harmonizing 
 all conflicting accounts, candor compels me to ad- 
 mit, Has not been a success. 
 
 This is an account of people who left no his 
 tory, and all that is known of them are scraps ot 
 tradition, which are more or less vailed in doubt 
 and uncertainty. While the Indians were still 
 in the country, I obtained from them many 
 things relating to the past ; some of which are 
 confirmed by notes recently collected among the 
 tribe in western Kansas. 
 
 The descendants of the early French pioneers 
 now living on the American Bottom, have also 
 been interviewed, and all their traditions carefully
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 noted. Many of the places where marked events 
 occurred have been visited ; at some of which 
 relics of the past still exist. 
 
 A short time since, a small edition of this work 
 was published and copies of it sent among the 
 descendants of the French pioneers, Fur Traders, 
 Indian Agents, etc., for the purpose of obtaining 
 their criticism ; and through this means many 
 errors were detected, and new facts developed. 
 
 This book does not claim to be a full and com- 
 plete history of the French and Indians of the 
 Illinois river, but will be found to consist mainly 
 of sketches and incidents relating thereto. Neith- 
 er does it vouch for the correctness of every state- 
 ment made in its pages ; as many of them are 
 compiled from conflicting accounts, and of their 
 probability or improbability, others can decide. 
 
 Among those who aided me in my researches 
 were Geo. E. "Walker and Col. Gerden S. Hub- 
 bard, of Chicago ; Col. D. F. Hitt and David 
 Walker, of Ottawa ; John Hamlin, of Peoria, 
 and Lyman C. Draper, of Madison, Wisconsin. 
 
 N. M. 
 PBINOBTON, September 1, 1874.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Joliet and Marquette Starved Rock, 15 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Father Marquette Discovery of the Mississippi, 25 
 
 CHAPER III. 
 Illinois Indians La Vantum or Great Illinois Town, 33 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The Cross Raised on the Bank of Chicago River 
 Mission of Immaculate Conception Death of 
 Marquette, - 42 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Great Explorer of the West La Salle and 
 Party Westward Bound The French at Peoria 
 Lake, 53 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Henri de Tonti The French at La Vantum The 
 
 Alarm and Preparation for Defense, 65 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Battle and Massacre Torturing Prisoners 
 Death of Father Gabriel A Scene of Horror, 73
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Fort St. Louis, Rock Fort and Le Rocher Trade 
 with the Indians Flight of Indians and Attack 
 OB the Fort, - 85 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Return of the Victorious Army Tonti Visits the 
 Winnebago Country The Unscrupulous Priest 
 The Great Illinois Chief His Death, Bur- 
 ial, <fcc., 97 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Le Fort des Miamis Strange Indian Customs 
 Manitos and Barses Christianizing the In- 
 dians, 108 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 The Last of Tonti Fort St. Louis Burned and the 
 
 Colony Broken Up Relics of Fort St. Louis, 120 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 French Settlement at Peoria La Ville de Maillet 
 French Inhabitants of Peoria, - 132 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 Pontiac Massacre of a Hunting Party Indian 
 
 Council Pontiac Assassinated, - - 144 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Rock of Refuge The Besiegers and Besieged A 
 
 Ghastly Spectacle Relics of the Tragedy, 157 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The Old Fort Relics of Antiquity Louisiana 
 Colony The Buffalo Pat Kennedy's Journal 
 The Great Buffalo Hunt, - - 172
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Jean Baptists and Father Bonner Pierre de Beuro 
 Captain Levering Visits Peoria Gov. Edwards 
 Meeting the Pottawatomie Chiefs, - 187 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Troops Marching Against the Indians Black Part- 
 ridge Indians Attacking the Settlement, - 200 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 The French at Peoria Regarded as Enemies Burn- 
 ing of Peoria, 212 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Descendants of French Settlers at Peoria Mrs. 
 
 Besson's Narrative Missionaries of Illinois, 223 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 Gen. Howard's Expedition Against the Indians 
 
 Indians Collect on Bureau, - 236 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 A Treaty of Peace Waubonsie Burning of Fort 
 
 Clark, 247 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 Immigration of Pottawatomies Pettawatomies of 
 Illinois River Ceremonies of Senachwine's 
 Grave, - - 256 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 Attempt to Murder a Surveying Party Kaltoo, or 
 
 Young Senachwine Fur Traders, - - 265
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 On a clear warm day in the early part of Sep- 
 tember, 1673, two bark canoes were seen slowly 
 gliding up the Illinois river, whose placid waters 
 had never before reflected the face of a white man. 
 These canoes were propelled up stream partly by 
 sail and partly by oars, and as they went forward 
 the travelers on board of them caused the wild 
 woods along the shores to resound with songs of 
 praise. On the sail of the foremost canoe was 
 painted various devices, representing a coat of 
 arms, a pipe of peace, and a cross emblematical 
 of power, friendship and Christianity. 
 
 The voyageurs were delighted with the country 
 through which they were passing, and they made 
 many comments on the beauty of the surrounding 
 scenery. Large herds of buffalo were seen feeding 
 on the prairie, and at the sound of the oars, elk, 
 deer and antelope would arise from their lair, and 
 bound away across the distant plains. Wild geese 
 and swans were swimming in the river, while
 
 16 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 -. 
 
 flocks of paroquets made merry the lonely waters 
 with their songs. 
 
 This party of travelers consisted of nine per- 
 sons. Louis Joliet, a government officer ; Jacques 
 Marquette, a Jesuit priest; five oarsmen, and two 
 Indian interpreters. They were the first to dis- 
 cover the upper Mississippi, having descended it 
 in their canoes from the mouth -of Wisconsin 
 river to its junction with Arkansas, Here they 
 became satisfied that this great river of the west 
 did not empty into the Pacific ocean, as they had 
 supposed, but into the South Sea, consequently, 
 they turned their canoes up stream, and were on 
 their return to Canada to report the success of 
 their discoveries. 
 
 It was late in the afternoon when the voyageurs 
 arrived at La Van turn the great town o& Illinois 
 located on the north bank of the river, near the 
 present site of Utica. They were surprised to 
 find here a large town, built along the river bank 
 for more than a mile in extent, while back of it 
 the great meadow was covered with corn-fields, 
 camping tents, and swarmed with human beings. 
 
 As the voyageurs approached the town, the In- 
 dians in great numbers collected on the river 
 bank to see these strange people, never before 
 having looked upon the face of a white num. 
 Warriors, armed with 'bows and arrows, lined the
 
 JOLIET AND MARQUETTE. 1 7 
 
 shore, prepared to give the strangers battle, if 
 enemies, and greet them with kindness, if friends. 
 The canoes came to a halt, when Joliet displayed 
 the "Wampum," (a token of friendship,) at the 
 sight of which the warriors lowered their weapons, 
 and motioned them to come ashore. On landing, 
 Father Marquette approached the Indians, while 
 holding aloft in one hand the pipe of peace, and 
 in the other a small gold cross. The Indians col- 
 lected around Marquette, in great astonishment, 
 offering him many presents to appease the wrath 
 of the great Manito, from whom they believed 
 the strangers had come. The travelers left their 
 canoes, and were conducted to the lodge of the 
 head chief, Chassagoac, where they were kindly 
 entertained. 
 
 On the following day, at the request of Joliet, 
 all the Indians of the town were assembled on the 
 river bank, to hear the good tidings brought by 
 the strangers. Here Joliet planted a post, on 
 which he placed the portrait of Louis XIV, 
 together with a picture of the French coat of 
 arms. Around this post, seated on the ground, 
 were about one thousand warriors, while back of 
 them were standing many thousand squaws and 
 pappooses. When all was silent, Joliet advanced 
 toward the post, holding aloft in one hand his 
 sword, and in the other a sod of earth, proclaim-
 
 18 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS KIVE&. 
 
 ing in a loud voice, " In the name and by the 
 authority of the most high Christian King of 
 France, Louis XIV, I take possession of all the 
 country from Canada to the Pacific, and from the 
 Lakes to the South Sea, and henceforth it shall be 
 called New France." At this announcement, all 
 the Frenchmen fired their guns, and shouted 
 " Vive k roi" 
 
 After completing this ceremony, Joliet ad- 
 dressed the Indians as follows : " On this post 
 3^011 see the picture and coat of arms of the great- 
 est chief on earth, whom we call King. He lives 
 across the big waters, and his domain extends 
 from sea to sea, and there is no chief like him in 
 all the world. People from all countries come to 
 take counsel of him and do his bidding. This 
 great chief will be your father, and you will be 
 his children ; he will supply you with beads, 
 knives, hatchets, &c., and he will protect you 
 from the attacks of your great enemies, the Iro- 
 quois." At the conclusion of Joliet's speech, the 
 Indians beat their drums, clapped their hands 
 and shouted with joy. 
 
 Father Marquette now came forward and un- 
 rolled a canvass, on which was painted a picture 
 of Christ nailed to the cross. Raising the can- 
 vass above his head, so all the warriors could see 
 the picture, he said, " This is the Savior of the
 
 JOLIET AND MARQUETTE. 19 
 
 world, who died to redeem all mankind, and is 
 the ruler of earth and sky." Again the Indians 
 beat their drums, clapped their hands and shout- 
 ed long and loud. 
 
 When order was restored, Marquette preached 
 to the warriors, explaining to them the great 
 importance of abandoning the religion of their 
 fathers and embracing Christianity. Chassagoac 
 the head chief, with many of his friends were 
 converted under Marquette's preaching and bap- 
 tized by him, as members of the Catholic church. 
 Marquette gave the chief a number of mementoes 
 consisting of crosses crucifixes, &c., which he 
 kept about his person for more than fifty years, 
 and at the time of his death they were buried 
 with him. 
 
 On the third day the canoes of the travelers 
 were again on the water, and on reaching Lake 
 Michigan at the mouth of Chicago river, the 
 party separated. Joliet with three companions, 
 continued on his way to Canada to report his dis- 
 covery to the Governor ; while Marquette with 
 two others, went to Green Bay for the purpose of 
 converting the Indians. 
 
 As Joliet was passing down the rapids of St. 
 La\x rence river, near Montreal, his canoe upset, 
 and his journal with all other valuables, were 
 lost.
 
 20 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 These explorers published no account of their 
 travels, and the world was but little wiser for 
 their journey, except establishing the fact, that the 
 Mississippi river did not flow into the Pacific 
 ocean, and Illinois was a rich country. 
 
 STARVED ROCK. 
 
 On the south bank of the Illinois river, eight 
 miles below Ottawa, and near the foot of the 
 rapids, is a remarkable cliff known as Starved 
 Rock. This rocky cliff rises almost perpendicular 
 from the water's edge to the hight of one hundred 
 and thirty-six feet, and is separated from neigh- 
 boring cliffs by a wide chasm, which shows signs 
 of having been produced by some convulsion of- 
 nature. Three sides of this rock rises like a 
 watch-tower; but the fourth, next to the bluff, 
 recedes inward, and at one place can be ascended 
 by a steep rocky stair-like pathway. Among ore- 
 vises in the rocks are stunted cedars, and between 
 these the cactus and mountain ivy ^grow. The 
 walls of this cliff are of gray sand-stone, partly 
 hid with forest trees, and viewed from a distance 
 has the appearance of an old castle of feudal times. 
 
 Starved Rock is of a circular form, and from 
 every stand-point it has a bold, majestic appear- 
 ance. On the north side, next to the river, the
 
 STARVED BOOK. 21 
 
 cliff is perpendicular, rising in towering masses, 
 and, as it were, frowning down on the rapid 
 stream which flows at its base. In some places 
 the walls are smooth, and thick layers of rock 
 look like the work of art, while at other places 
 they are rough with overhanging crags, and under 
 which are many dark, dismal-looking caverns, 
 once the abode of wild animals. 
 
 A part of the summit of Starved Rock consists 
 of smooth sand-stone, on which are engraved 
 many names of visitors, but the larger portion of 
 it is covered by earth, with grass and small trees 
 growing thereon. The rock contains an area of 
 about three-fourths of an acre, and abounds on 
 all sides with shrubs of evergreens. 
 
 Here, by the side of the river stands this high, 
 isolated rock, the same as it stood centuries ago, 
 overlooking the broad valley below and the many 
 wood-clad islands which divide the swift current 
 of the Illinois, and here it will stand a monument 
 of the past, and the admiration of the future. Its 
 bold, towering walls ; its high, majestic summit, 
 and its isolated position, makes it the most pictu- 
 resque object on the Illinois river ; and for histori- 
 cal interest it has no equal in the western country. 
 
 The view from the summit of Starved Rock is 
 very fine, and the country in the distance will re- 
 mind the beholder of a grand landscape painting
 
 22 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 or a beautiful panorama. To the north and west 
 is seen a large bottom prairie, bounded on each 
 side by bluffs covered with forest trees. Through 
 this great meadow flows the Illinois river, which 
 can be seen for many miles distant, winding 
 about in its serpentine course. On looking down 
 into the river at the base of the rook, catfish and 
 turtles can be seen sporting over the sand and 
 rocks in the clear shallow stream ; while shoals of 
 red-horse are steming the swift current. 
 
 In the early settlement of the country, Starved 
 Rock became a noted land-mark, visited generally 
 by people traveling through the country, and by 
 them it was regarded as a great natural curiosity. 
 
 Of latter years, it has become a place of resort 
 for excursion and pic-nic parties from the neigh- 
 boring cities, and no one ever visited it without 
 being captivated with its wild romantic scenery. 
 
 By the early French explorers, Starved Rock 
 was called LeRocher, and through them it has 
 figured extensively in the history of western dis- 
 coveries. Almost two centuries ago La Salle built 
 a fort on its summit, the remains of which are 
 still to be seen ; and around this fort was clustered 
 the first colony in the valley of the Mississippi. 
 
 Two hundred years has made but little altera- 
 tion in the appearance of Starved Rock ; the same 
 fort-like walls remain, and probably the same
 
 STARVED ROCK. 23 
 
 stunted cedars crown its summit, but the sur- 
 roundings have undergone a great change. The 
 great meadow which its summit overlooks, once 
 covered with grass and wild flowers, and some- 
 times blackened with herds of buffalo, is now 
 occupied by farms in close succession. To the 
 north, across the large bottom prairie is seen the 
 village of Utica, with its cement mills and ware- 
 houses, and by the side of which, pass the canal 
 and railroad. To the west, five miles below, but 
 in plain view are the flourishing cities of LaSalle 
 and Peru, with their church steeples glittering in 
 the sunbeams, while steam and canal boats are 
 seen in the river, and trains of cars passing and 
 repassing on the different railroads. Evidence of 
 agriculture, commerce and civilization are now 
 to be seen from the summit of Starved Rock, 
 where the scenery was once wild arid lonely ; and 
 here, was also heard the wild war-whoop of 
 savages while engaged in the bloody strife, leav- 
 ing the great meadow below strewn with dead, 
 the result of an Iroquois victory. 
 
 The summit of Starved Rock was, at one time 
 the abode of gay and joyous Frenchmen, where 
 balls and wine suppers were held ; and here, too, 
 was heard, morning and evening, the songs of 
 praise from the lips of devout Jesuit priests. At 
 another time it was a scene of strife, carnage and
 
 24 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 desolation, stained with human blood, and covered 
 with the bodies of the slain. Pleasure parties 
 now dance on this rock, but they do not consider 
 that here was once the dance of death where 
 the infant, the mother, the young maiden, the 
 brave warrior, and the aged chief alike suffered 
 and died. 
 
 No spot in the great west is so closely identified 
 with the early history of the country as Starved 
 Rock. It was here the first explorers found a 
 resting-place, and here was the nucleus for the 
 first settlement in the Mississippi valley.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 FATHER MARQUETTE. 
 
 A few years ago, while passing through the 
 Vatican at Rome, my attention was called to a 
 department entitled, " Portraits of North Ameri- 
 can Jesuits." On entering this department, I 
 noticed a life-sized portrait of a man in the garb 
 of a priest, with an open bible in bis hands, and 
 a gold cross on his breast. The portrait repre- 
 sented a man in the prime of life, tall and well 
 proportioned, with handsome molded features, and 
 a countenance beaming with intelligence. At 
 the foot of the picture was a motto in Latin, and 
 below it, painted in large Roman letters, was the 
 name of Father Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit priest 
 of North America. 
 
 Marquette was born at Leon, in the north part 
 of France, of a wealthy and distinguished family. 
 He was of fine personal appearance, a strong in- 
 tellect, well educated, and while young became a
 
 26 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 magnate in his native city. When at a proper 
 age he was ordained a priest, and being enthusi- 
 astic about the conversion of heathen, he sailed 
 for America, forsaking home, wealth and friends, 
 to spend a life among the savages in the western 
 world. 
 
 After remaining a short time at Quebec, Mar- 
 quette went west to Lake Huron, where he spent 
 a number of years among the Indians, instructing 
 them in the ways of Christianity. While among 
 the Indians he learned their language, and it is said 
 that he understood and could speak six different 
 Indian dialects. 
 
 Marquette went to Sault de Sainte Marie, the 
 outlet of Lake Superior, where Father Allonez 
 had previously established a mission. For a num- 
 ber of years this devout missionary traveled 
 through the lake country, visiting different Indian 
 villages, preaching to the natives, and wherever 
 he went he made many converts to Christianity. 
 Under his preaching old and young came forward 
 to join the church ; sometimes baptizing one 
 hundred or more in a day. His active spirit 
 could not rest, causing him to travel from place 
 to place, exposed to inclement weather, wading 
 through water and snow, spending days without 
 shelter or fire, subsisting on parched corn or moss, 
 gathered from rocks. Sometimes paddling his
 
 DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 27 
 
 canoe up and down stream, or along the lake 
 shore, and sleeping at night in the open air. 
 
 Said Marquette in a letter to a friend in France, 
 " A life in the wilderness has its charms, and the 
 rude hut of a savage is better adapted to a true 
 disciple of Christ, than the palace of a king. My 
 heart oftimes swells with rapture as my canoe 
 glides through strange waters, or while plodding 
 my way through thick forests, among briars and 
 thorns, in laboring for the cause of my Redeemer." 
 
 Marquette founded a mission at Mackinaw, and 
 the Indians of different villages along the lake 
 came thither for religious instruction. He built 
 here, on the bank of the lake a small chapel dedi- 
 cated to St. Ignace, and a few years afterwards 
 he was buried beneath its floor. 
 
 DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 
 
 For many years Indians from the far west, on 
 visiting the French tracing post in Canada, spoke 
 of a great river that flowed into the the ocean ; but 
 of the course of this river, and what ocean it 
 emptied into, could not be learned. However, it 
 was believed to empty into the Pacific ocean ; and 
 through it a water communication could be ob- 
 tained across the continent. The Governor of 
 Canada, knowing the great advantage to be
 
 28 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 derived from this outlet to the west, selected 
 Louis Joliet, a Canadian by birth, to make the 
 necessary discovery.. 
 
 Early in the spring of 1673, Joliet was furnish- 
 ed with the necessary outfit for the voyage, and 
 was soon prepared to embark on his hazardous 
 enterprise. Father Marquette, who had acquired 
 much fame among the Indians, on the shore of 
 Lake Huron, was selected to accompany this 
 expedition. 
 
 Father Marquette was a devout votary of the 
 Virgin Mary, and to do her bidding he \vas will- 
 ing to make any sacrifice. His bold nature knew 
 no fear, and he was prepared to suffer all privations, 
 endure all hardships, in discovering new lands 
 and conquering new realms, to the honor and 
 glory of her Holiness. 
 
 Before starting on the tour of discovery, Mar- 
 quette wrote to a friend in Quebec, saying : " In 
 making this voyage I place myself under the pro- 
 tection of the Holy Virgirj, and if she grants me 
 the privilege of seeing the great river of the west, 
 which flows into the Pacific ocean, I will name 
 it in honor of her, "The Immaculate Conception." 
 
 All things being ready, Joliet and Marquette, 
 accompained by five companions in two bark 
 canoes, started on their journey. They carried 
 with them a supply of smoked meat and Indian
 
 DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 29 
 
 corn, besides a great variety of trinkets for Indian 
 presents. 
 
 After a tempestuous voyage, in coasting- along 
 the lake shore, they arrived at Green Bay, early 
 in May. Here, at an Indian village they rested 
 for a few days, and during their stay, Marquette 
 preached many times to the natives, exhibiting 
 the picture of the Virgin, Infant Christ, cruci- 
 fixion, etc., all of which he explained to them. 
 On the morning of the third day after their arri- 
 val, Marquette was delighted to see a cross raised 
 in the midst of the village. On this cross were 
 placed deer and buffalo skins, bows and arrows, 
 war-clubs, knives, tomahawks, and scalps taken 
 from the enemy. This cross, said the head chief, 
 was erected in honor of the great French Manito, 
 and all the warriors are commanded to bow down 
 and worship it. On seeing these manifestations 
 of Christianity, Marquette raised his hands heav- 
 enward, and thanked God that these heathen 
 of the far west had embraced the true religion, 
 and were therefore, saved from perdition. 
 
 After giving the Indians many presents, and 
 pronouncing a blessing upon them, Father Mar- 
 quette and friends, accompanied by an Indian 
 guidt,, continued their journey westward. While 
 rowing their canoes up the rapid current of Fox 
 river, they reached a village on its banks, whose
 
 30 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 inhabitants advised them to go no further on their 
 journey, or their lives would be sacrificed. They 
 told the voyageurs, that the banks of the great 
 river were inhabited by ferocious tribes, who put 
 all strangers to death. That the river was full of 
 frightful monsters, some of which were large 
 enough to swallow a canoe with all its contents. 
 They also said that in a high cliff of rocks by the 
 river side, lived a demon whose roar was so loud 
 as to shake the earth, and destroy all canoes pass- 
 ing up or down the stream ; that the stream was 
 full of cataracts and whirlpools, which would en- 
 gulf them in its foam. These wonderful stories 
 did not frighten the travelers. So after giving 
 the Indians a few presents, and putting their trust 
 in the powers above, continued on their way. 
 Passing up Fox river, and dragging their canoes 
 across the portage, they floated down the "Wis- 
 consin. After journeying many days, the river 
 bluffs on each side disappeared, opening up to 
 their view a large plain, while ahead of them was 
 observed a high range of wooded hills. While 
 viewing the wild scene around them, their canoes 
 entered the broad Mississippi, and they found 
 themselves upon the Father of Waters. 
 
 The voyageurs landed from their canoes, raised 
 a cross on the bank of the river, and sang praises 
 to the Holy Virgin for her guidance #nd protet--
 
 31 
 
 tion thus far on their journey. Father Marquette 
 pronounced a blessing on the river, and christen- 
 ed it with the most sacred name of "Immaculate 
 Conception." After spending one day in fasting 
 and prayer, their canoes were again put on the 
 water, and they commenced descending the river. 
 As they were floating down the stream, they 
 discovered on the east bank, near where the city 
 of Alton now stands, a high cliff of rocks rising 
 from the river edge in bold relief, while its image 
 was reflected from the clear waters of the Missis- 
 sippi. This cliff, for many years afterward, was 
 known as the " Ruined Castle," and is the site of 
 a thrilling legend in Indian tradition. Oil land- 
 ing here, they beheld a sight which reminded 
 them that the devil was lord of the wilderness. 
 On the surface of the rock, next to the water, 
 was painted in red, black and green, a pair of 
 monsters,. each of which was as large as an ox, 
 with horns like an elk, heads like a tiger, and 
 with frightful expression of countenance. The 
 face of these monsters resembled that of a man 
 the body covered with scales like a fish and with 
 tails so long that they reached three times around 
 the body. These terrible looking monsters (rep- 
 resenting Indian gods), so frightened Father Mar- 
 quette that he fled from the place in terror, and 
 hastened on board of his canoe. 
 
 B
 
 32 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS EIVER. 
 
 As the travelers were passing down the river, 
 conversing about the hideous painting on the 
 rock, they were suddenly aroused to real danger. 
 Here a torrent of dark muddy water came rush- 
 ing across the clear current of the Mississippi, 
 boiling and surging, sweeping in its course logs, 
 brush and uprooted trees. Their light bark ca- 
 noes were whirled about on the dark angry water 
 like a small twig in a swollen brook, and with 
 great difficulty their small crafts were kept from 
 swamping in the foaming billows. They had 
 passed the mouth of the Missouri river, and with 
 great rapidity their canoes floated down the rapid 
 stream. 
 
 The travelers descended the Mississippi about 
 one thousand miles, to its junction with the Ar- 
 kansas, when they turned their canoes up stream, 
 and returned to Canada, as has been previously 
 stated.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ILLINOIS INDIANS. 
 
 The Illinois Indians were of the Algonquin 
 family, and consisted of five distinct bands, 
 named as follows : Kaskaskias, Cahohias, Peorias, 
 Tarnaroas, and Mickgamies. The three former 
 tribes occupied the villages bearing their respec- 
 tive names, and the two latter the country north 
 of Peoria I^ake. 
 
 According to the statements of early French 
 explorers, these Indians were the most numerous 
 of all the tribes of the west, occupying the conn- 
 try from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi 
 river, and from Rock river to the mouth of the 
 Ohio, being almost the entire territory now in- 
 cluded within the State of Illinois. Over this 
 vast country herds of buffalo roamed for their 
 benefit, and the many rivers were navigated by 
 their bark canoes only. From the numerous 
 groves the smoke from their camp fires was seen
 
 34 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 to ascend, and the lonely forest re-echoed the 
 report of their rifles, as well as their wild war 
 whoops. 
 
 They had many towns along the Illinois river, 
 the largest and principal one was La Vantum, 
 which was located near the present site of Utica, 
 an account of which will be given hereafter. 
 
 On account of the great abundance of game 
 (it being known far and near as the buffalo coun- 
 try), neighboring tribes frequently made this their 
 hunting grounds, aad although the Illinois In- 
 dians were not a warlike people, still they would 
 resent an encroachment upon their rights, conse- 
 quently they were often at war with other tribes. 
 
 The Iroquois from the east made frequent raids 
 on the Illinois Indians, destroying their towns, 
 killing squaws and pappooses, and carrying away 
 large quantities of pelts and furs, which they sold 
 to French and English traders. 
 
 According to tradition, the Iroquois, in one of 
 these raids, carried off eight hundred prisoners, 
 principally squaws and pappooses, and burned 
 them at their village on the bank of Seneca Lake. 
 The Iroquois Indians having been in trade with 
 the Dutch at Albany, and the French in Canada, 
 had armed themselves with guns, which gave 
 them great advantage over the Illinois, who used 
 bows and arrows only. These war parties of the
 
 LA VANTUM, OR GREAT ILLINOIS TOWN. 35 
 
 Iroquois created so much terror among the Illi- 
 nois, that they would flee at their approach 
 without offering to give them battle. On account 
 of these frequent raids, the Illinois were much 
 reduced in numbers, which caused them to fall an 
 easy prey to the neighboring tribes some years 
 afterwards. 
 
 A little over a century ago, a number of tribes 
 combined, forming an alliance against the Illi- 
 nois, which resulted in their annihilation, and the 
 occupation of their country by their enemies, as 
 will be shown in the sequel. 
 
 LA VANTUM, OR GREAT ILLINOIS TOWN. 
 
 The name of La Vantum was applied to the 
 great town of Illinois Indians, more than a cen- 
 tury ago, by the French and half-breeds at Peoria. 
 The origin of the name is not known, but is said 
 to be a combination of a French and Indian word, 
 and means a great place, a large town, capital of 
 the tribe, &c. In letters written by Jesuits and 
 early explorers, it is spoken of as the great town 
 of the west, and the chiefs of other villages met 
 here for council. Joliet called this place Kaskas- 
 kia, but by La Salle and subsequent explorers, it 
 was known as the great Illinois town. According 
 to the statements of early explorers, this was" the
 
 36 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS KIVER. 
 
 largest town in the western country, being the 
 headquarters of the Illinois Indians, and the seat 
 of their trade. The number of its inhabitants 
 have been variously estimated, ranging from five 
 to eight thousand. Marquette says he found 
 here five hundred chiefs and old warriors, and 
 fifteen hundred braves or young warriors. Seven 
 years afterward Father Hennepin counted four 
 hundred and sixty-eight lodges, and these con- 
 tained from two to four families each. Other ac- 
 counts are -given of it as being a large town, 
 occupying the river bank for more than a mile, 
 and extending back some distance on the prairie. 
 This great Indian town of the west has long 
 since disappeared, and like many of the ruined 
 cities of the old world, history and tradition alike 
 fail to point out its exact location. Some have 
 located it a little below Buffalo Rock, and others 
 near the mouth of Little Vermillion, as many In- 
 dian relics are found at both of these places. But 
 in comparing the different accounts given of this 
 town, from its first discovery by Joliet to the 
 time of its final destruction, a period of near one 
 hundred years, it is shown conclusively to have 
 stood on or near the present site of old Utica. 
 History says it was on the north bank of the river, 
 in plain view of Fort St. Louis, and the French 
 passed to and from it in their canoes.
 
 LA VANTUM, OR GREAT ILLINOIS TOWN. 87 
 
 On the north side of the river is a large bottom 
 prairie, about nine miles in length and one in 
 breadth, extending from the river to the bluff, 
 and from the mouth of Little Yermillion to Buf- 
 falo Rock. Near the middle of this prairie, and 
 a few hundred yards below the rapids, the river 
 is confined into a deep, narrow channel. Here 
 the bank rises gradually from the water's edge 
 until it reaches the high land in the rear, forming 
 a sloping plateau, which is elevated above the 
 floods of the Illinois, and for beauty of location 
 is scarcely surpassed by any place on the river. 
 
 Forty years ago this point was considered the 
 head of navigation, and consequently the terminus 
 of the Illinois and Michigan canal. In 1834 a 
 town was laid off here by Simon Crozier, and 
 everybody prophesied that it was destined to be 
 a large city. Steamboats at St. Louis put out 
 their sign for Utica, and travelers for the lake 
 country and eastward bound,- would land here, 
 and thence proceed by stage to Chicago. Corn 
 is now raised on this town site, two or three old 
 dilapidated buildings only remain of this once 
 great paper city, and Utica, like its predecessor, 
 La Vantum, exists only in history. 
 
 Felice La Pance, a French trader at Peoria, 
 frequently visited this town, it being on his route 
 to and from Canada. And he traded with these
 
 38 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 Indians from 1751 to 1768, taking their furs with 
 him on his annual trip to Canada, and paying for 
 them in goods on his return. Some account of 
 this town is found among his papers in the pos- 
 session of his descendants, who are now living on 
 the American Bottom. This account says the 
 town contained from five to six hundred lodges, 
 standing along the river bank for more than a 
 mile in extent. Back on the prairie were a large 
 number of wigwams, or camping tents, occupied 
 part of the year by people from the neighboring 
 villages, who came here each year to raise corn. 
 The town contained from five to eight thousand 
 inhabitants, but at the time of holding their an- 
 nual feast, nearly all the Illinois nations collected 
 here. On the river bank, about the middle of the 
 town, stood their great council-house, surrounded 
 by stockades and various kinds of fortifications. 
 
 The town was shaded by a few out-spreading 
 oaks, in the midst of which, and close to the river 
 bank, was a large spring of cold water. No trees 
 are here at the present time, but there might 
 have been in former days, and killed by fire on the 
 prairie after the town was abandoned. The spri ng 
 spoken of by La Pance cannot be found on the 
 old town site, but whoever will take the trouble 
 to examine the river at this point when it is low, 
 will observe a short distance from shore the bub-
 
 LA VANTUM, OR GKEAT ILLINOIS TOWN. 39 
 
 bles from a spring under water. Waba, an Indian 
 chief, who was raised in a village near the mouth 
 of Fox river, said to one of the fur traders, while 
 speaking of this town : In his boyhood days there 
 was here by the side of the trail a large spring of 
 cold water, and Indians in passing back and forth 
 would stop here to drink, but afterwards it disap- 
 peared and came out under the river. 
 
 A short distance from the river, and back of the 
 old town site, is a range of gravelly knolls, where 
 the Indians had their caches or subterranean store- 
 houses, for depositing corn. The remains of 
 these caches were plain to be seen in the early 
 settlement of the country, and in a few instances 
 these relics still exist. On the bottom prairie, 
 above and below the town, for miles in extent, lay 
 their corn-fields, and east of these was their race- 
 course, which could be traced out in the early 
 settlement of the country. Forty years ago this 
 prairie showed unmistakable signs of having been 
 cultivated. Weeds were found growing here, 
 which botanists say are never found on the prairie, 
 except where the sod has been broken* 
 
 *It >s said that the Indians from the neighboring villages came 
 here during the summer to raise corn, as the land was thought 
 to produce better crops than elsewhere. The French occupied 
 this place for thirty-six years, and many of them lived in the 
 town with the Indians, and were more or less engaged In agri- 
 cultural pursuits, which may account for the large amount of 
 land under cultivation.
 
 40 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 The higli land above and below the town site 
 appears to have been used as a burying ground, 
 on which many skeletons have been exhumed, 
 and various kinds of relics found. James Clark, 
 who owns a large farm here, says every year small 
 pieces of human bones, teeth, beads, arrow heads, 
 &c., as well as implements of Indian and Euro- 
 pean manufacture, are plowed up. Here in this 
 burying ground, in all probability, many thousand 
 human beings found a long resting place, and the 
 bones of posterity mingled with those of their 
 ancestors. And here are still to be seen a number 
 of artificial mounds, supposed to have been erected 
 over the remains of chiefs or great warriors of 
 past ages. About sixty years ago Waba, a noted 
 Indian chief, opened two of these mounds, from 
 which he took a number of valuable trinkets, 
 consisting of gold and silver medals, crosses, 
 crucifixes, &c. Among the trinkets found here 
 was a silver medallion head of Louis XIV, bearing 
 date 1670, three years before Marquette visited 
 this place, and in all probability it was given to a 
 convert by that holy father. 
 
 Here at this great town a large portion of the 
 Illinois Indians would collect during the summer 
 for the purpose of fishing and raising corn, and 
 here were held their annual religious feasts and 
 war dances. During the winter months the In-
 
 LA VANTUM, OB GREAT ILLINOIS TOWN. 41 
 
 dians would leave their town for Lake Weno, 
 situated aLout one day's journey westward, for 
 the purpose of collecting furs, and return to their 
 village in early spring.* 
 
 *According to Indian tradition, there was a lake about nine 
 leagues west of the great bend in the Illinois river, where the 
 Indians went each winter to collect furs. The Indians called it 
 Lake Weno, (a place of much game), and many allusions are 
 made to it by the first French fur traders. 
 
 No such lake now exists, but it is quite probable that there 
 was one in former times, along the valley of Green river, as 
 many things are found here to make this theory plausible- 
 There is a place in Henry county which shows marks of having 
 been a natural darn or obstruction of the river, causing the 
 valley above to be inundated. Many things indicate that a large 
 portion of Green river valley was once covered with water, 
 forming a lake thirty miles or more in length, and from one to 
 three in width. The boundaries of this lake are now plain to 
 be seen, by peculiar stratas of earth, which geologists assert are 
 never found except where water once stood. On both sides of 
 the river, along sloughs and small streams, are seen the remains 
 of beaver dams, which are so common on the margin ol west- 
 ern lakes. 
 
 When the government surveys were made along the valley 
 of Green river, in the year 1821, those having charge of it re- 
 tnrned in their notes and so platted many lakes where section 
 corners could not be made, and in maps drawn at that time is 
 shown almost a complete sheet of water. Many places 
 along this valley, which were covered with water in the early 
 settlement of the country, are now only marsh land, subject to 
 occasional overflow, and in, time will be brought under cultiva- 
 tion. The obstruction in the river below having worn down by 
 time, and the valley filling up by washings, would cause the 
 lake to disappear and leave it as now seen. 
 
 Weno Lake is said to have abounded with beaver, otter and 
 muskrat; the two latter were plenty here in the early settle- 
 ment of the country, but the former had disappeared.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE CROSS RAISED ON THE BANK OF CHICAGO RIVER. 
 
 Father Marquette remained at Green Bay but 
 a short time, his health being bad, and the Win- 
 nebago Indians with whom he sojourned were 
 unwilling to abandon the religion of their fathers 
 for that of Christianity. It being impressed on 
 the mind of Marquette that his stay on earth 
 would be short, and before departing hence he 
 felt it his duty to again visit the Illinois Indians, 
 and among them establish a mission in honor of 
 the Holy Virgin. 
 
 Late in November Marquette left Green Bay, 
 accompanied by two of his* countrymen, Pierre 
 and Jacques, together with two Winnebago 
 Indians. The weather was cold, the winds high, 
 and it was with great difficulty they coasted along 
 the western shore of Lake Michigan. Frequently 
 the travelers would be compelled to land from the
 
 THE CROSS RAISED ON CHICAGO RIVER. 43 
 
 turbulent water, draw their canoe on the beach, 
 and wait for the winds and waves to subside. 
 
 After a long perilous voyage on Lake Michigan, 
 the travelers reached the mouth of Chicago river, 
 and ascended it about three leagues to a grove of 
 timber above the present site of Bridgeport. 
 Here Marquette was taken very sick, so the party 
 could go no further on their way until he recov- 
 ered. Winter now set in, the river froze up, and 
 the prairie and groves were covered with snow 
 and ice. Near the river bank the companions of 
 Marquette built a hut, covering and siding it with 
 buffalo skins, and here they lived about three 
 months. 
 
 Buffalo and deer were plenty, and the Indians 
 from a neighboring village supplied them with 
 corn, honey and maple sugar, so they did not lack 
 for the necessaries of life ; For many days Mar- 
 quette was prostrated by disease so he could not 
 rise from his couch, and his friends believed that 
 his time of departure was nigh. Having a great 
 desire to establish a mission among the Indians 
 before he died, he begged his two companions 
 Pierre and Jacques to join him in nine days' 
 devotion to the Virgin, and through her inter- 
 position his disease relented, and he gained 
 strength daily. 
 
 Indians from a village two leagues distant,
 
 44 FRENCH AND INDIANS Of ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 frequently visited their hut, and Marquette, feeble 
 as he was, preached to them, and by the power of 
 his eloquence many became Christians. Near 
 their hut they built of cotton wood poles a tempo- 
 rary altar, and over which was raised a large 
 wooden cross. The converted Indians were 
 taught to look upon this cross while praying, and 
 thereby all their sins were remitted. Many mir- 
 acles are said to have been wrought among the 
 Indians by looking upon this sacred talisman 
 the blind were made to see and the sick restored 
 to health. For many days the Indians continued 
 to worship at the altar, Father Marquette 
 preaching and laying his hands on their 
 heads, would bestow his blessing on them. A 
 beloved chief, who for years had been afflicted 
 with a demon in his back, so he could not raise 
 from his couch, was carried to Marquette, and 
 when the holy father laid his hands upon him, in 
 the name of the Virgin, the demon departed and 
 the chief was restored to health. 
 
 In March the country was flooded with water, 
 and Marquette's health being partially restored, 
 they put their canoe on the river and continued 
 their journey westward. Although Marquette 
 was gone, his magic power over the Indians re- 
 mained. They hallowed the spot where the altar 
 stood, and when the rude structure rotted down,
 
 THE CROSS iiAISED ON CHICAGO KIVER. 45 
 
 they erected an earthen mound on its site, so the 
 spot should not be forgotten by coming genera- 
 tions. Although two centuries have passed away, 
 this mound is still to be seen, and among the 
 French and Indians there are many remarkable 
 traditions in relation to it. The Indians from 
 different villages, according to tradition, were in 
 the habit of collecting here once a year on the 
 fifth day of the tenth moon and offer up prayers 
 and sacrifices to the Great Manito of the French, 
 in order that they might be successful in war, 
 fishing, hunting, &c. 
 
 About fifty years after Marquette had raised 
 the cross here, Charlevoix, with a party of Frencli 
 explorers, visited this country, and while rowing 
 their canoes up the Chicago river they found col- 
 lected on this spot a large body of Indians, 
 engaged in devotional exercises. On the mound 
 
 O O 
 
 stood a wooden cross, partly covered with a bear 
 skin, and around it the Indians were kneeling in 
 prayer. Charlevoix and friends landed from 
 their canoes, and spent the day worshiping with 
 the Indians, and to them Father Canabe, a Jesuit 
 priest, administered the sacrament.* 
 
 *In the early settlement of Chicago, this place was known to 
 many of the French Catholics, some of whom visited it in 
 memory of its sainted founder Father Marquftte. This place 
 was the scene of another remarkable incident, which will ap- 
 pear in another part of this hook.
 
 46 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 MISSION OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. 
 
 The winter was now over, snow and ice had 
 disappeared from the prairies, arid the warm sun 
 of early spring not only animated nature, but it 
 gave strength and vitality to Father Marquette. 
 His cough had almost ceased ; his tall, manly 
 form, which had been bent by rheumatism, was 
 now erect, and he sang songs of praise to the 
 Holy Virgin for his restoration to health. After 
 taking an affectionate farewell of the Indians, 
 Marquette, with his two companions, left in their 
 bark canoe for the great Illinois town. 
 
 With sail and oars the voyageurs urged their 
 canoe down the Illinois river, while the surround- 
 ing woods re-echoed their songs of praise. Birds 
 were singing among the branches of trees, squir- 
 rels chirping in the groves, while elk and deer 
 bounded away at the sound of the approaching 
 canoe. Swans, pelicans and wild geese would 
 rise from the water and fly squawking down 
 stream, while beaver and otter were sporting in 
 the river, and diving under their canoe. Far and 
 near the prairie was covered with buffalo, some 
 basking in the sun, while others were feeding on 
 the early spring grass. Morning and evening 
 long lines of buffalo were seen coming to the 
 river to drink, sometimes swimming the stream
 
 MISSION OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. 47 
 
 or climbing the banks and shaking the water from 
 their shaggy sides, while gazing wildly at the 
 passing canoe. 
 
 When Marquette arrived at La Van turn, the 
 Indians received him as though he was an angel 
 from heaven, some of whom fell on their knees 
 before him, asking forgiveness for past sins. 
 Chassagoac, the head chief, who Marquette had 
 baptized the year before, was so delighted at meet- 
 ing the holy father that he embraced him and 
 wept for joy. 
 
 On the day following Marquette's arrival, all the 
 Indians, both old and young, assembled on the 
 meadow above the town to hear good tidings 
 from the great French Manito, (the name given 
 to Jesus Christ). Around Marquette were seated 
 on the ground five hundred old chiefs and war- 
 riors, and behind them stood fifteen hundred 
 young braves, while back of these were collected 
 all the squaws and pappooses of the town. Mar- 
 quette, standing in the midst of this vast assembly, 
 displayed to them two pictures painted on canvas, 
 one of the Virgin and the other of Jesus Christ, 
 telling them of God, of heaven, and of hell, 
 when all the Indians clapped their hands and 
 shouted for joy. By direction of Marquette, the 
 Indians tore down the temple and images erected 
 to the god of war, and built a chapel on its site. 
 o
 
 48 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 This chapel was constructed by setting poles in 
 the ground, siding and covering it with elk and 
 deer skins. Notwithstanding it was very large 
 capable of holding one thousand or more persons 
 so many workmen were employed that it was 
 completed on the third day. When the house of 
 God was ready for use, all the chiefs and old 
 warriors assembled therein, when Marquette ded- 
 icated it in honor of the Holy Virgin, giving it 
 the same name that he had already given to the 
 Mississippi river " The Immaculate Conception." 
 
 Every day the chapel was filled with Indians, 
 and Marqnette preached to them, calling on the 
 warriors to forsake the religion of their fathers 
 and embrace Christianity. Many came forward 
 and joined the church, and one hundred or 
 more were baptized at a time. Fora number of 
 weeks Marquette preached daily to the Indians, 
 baptizing and instructing them in the ways of 
 Christianity. 
 
 On Easter Sunday the chapel was decorated 
 with evergreens, representing crosses, anchors, 
 crucifixes, &c. Incense was burned on the altar, 
 and lights were kept burning during the day, ac- 
 cording to the custom of the Catholic church. 
 The woods far and near had been searched for 
 geese and turkey eggs, which were beautifully 
 colored and distributed among the converts, in
 
 MISSION OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. 49 
 
 commemoration of Christ's resurrection. The day 
 was a joyous one for the Indians , and it was long 
 remembered by them, but with it ended the 
 
 */ 
 
 ministry of Marquette among the red men of the 
 west. 
 
 Spring had now come ; the groves were once 
 more green, and the prairie was covered with grass 
 and flowers, but it did not bring health and vigor 
 to the fast-failing priest. His disease had again 
 returned in its worst form, and he felt that his life 
 was fast passing away. After spending two days 
 and nights in prayer, communing with Christ and 
 the Holy Virgin, he concluded to return to Can- 
 ada, where he could receive the sacrament from 
 the hands of his brethren before he died. 
 
 On the third week after Easter, the Indians 
 were assembled in the chapel, when Marquette, 
 pale and feeble as he was, instructed them in the 
 ways of Christianity, telling them that he was 
 about to depart for Canada, but promised to send 
 a priest to teach them in the ways of salvation. 
 The Indians heard the news in sadness, gathering 
 around the holy father, and begged him to remain 
 with them. But he told them that his work was 
 ended that a few weeks would close his pilgrim- 
 age here on earth, and before he departed hence 
 he desired to return to Canada, and there leave his 
 bones among his countrymen.
 
 50 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 Marquette's canoe was once more put on the 
 water, and with his two faithful companions he 
 commenced his journey eastward. About five hun- 
 dred warriors, some in canoes and others mounted 
 on ponies, accompanied Marquette as far as Lake 
 Michigan, and then received from him the parting 
 blessing. 
 
 After parting with the Indians, Marquette's 
 canoe started around the head of the lake, and 
 with sail hoisted and oars applied, they coasted 
 along the southern shore with the expectation of 
 reaching Canada in about five weeks. Pierre 
 and Jacques with all their power plied the oars 
 to increase their speed, while the sick priest lay 
 prostrated in the bottom of the canoe, communing 
 with the Virgin and with angels. 
 
 DEATH OF MARQUETTE. 
 
 When near the mouth of St. Joseph river, 
 Marquette felt that his time had come, and he 
 told his companions to land him on, the beach of 
 the lake, in order that he might receive the 
 sacrament before he died. On a high piece of 
 land, at the mouth of a small stream which still 
 bears his name, they built a bark shanty, and 
 carried thither the dying priest. With his eyes 
 fixed on a crucifix, which one of his companions
 
 DEATH OF MAKQUETTE. 51 
 
 held before him, and while murmuring the name 
 of Mary and Jesus, he breathed his last. His 
 companions dug a grave on the bank of the stream, 
 near the spot where he died, and buried him 
 there. In obedience to his request, they erected 
 a large cross, made of basswood timber, over his 
 grave, on which was engraved his name and date 
 of his death. After burying Marquette, Pierre 
 and Jacques again put their canoe on the lake 
 and continued their journey toward Canada, con- 
 veying thither the sad news of his death. 
 
 Three years after Marquette's death, a party of 
 Indians of Mackinaw, who had been converted to 
 Christianity some years before under his preach- 
 ing, went to Lake Michigan, opened the grave, 
 and took up his remains. After washing and 
 drying the bones, they placed them in a box made 
 of birch bark and carried them to Mackinaw. "With 
 the remains of the holy father they turned their 
 canoes homeward, singing and chanting praises 
 as they went along. Seven miles above Mackinaw 
 they were met by a large delegation of Indians in 
 canoes, who formed a procession to escort the 
 remains to the mission. With their faces blacked, 
 oars muffled, and singing a funeral dirge, the pro- 
 cession slowly approached the mission, and were 
 met at the landing by priest, traders and Indians, 
 all of whom wore badges of mourning. With
 
 52 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS BIVEK. 
 
 a solemn ceremony the remains of Father Mar- 
 quette were received at the mission, and buried 
 beneath the little chapel of St. Ignace, which he 
 had built some years before. On the following 
 day Father Allonez preached to the Indians col- 
 lected here, and a large number of them embraced 
 Christianity and were baptized. 
 
 Two centuries have now passed away since the 
 burial of Marquette, and long since the little 
 chapel of St. Ignace has gone to decay, but the 
 spot where it stood was hallowed by the French 
 and converted Indians, and is now pointed out to 
 strangers. 
 
 For many years after the death of Marquette, 
 the French sailors on the lakes kept his picture 
 nailed to the mast-head as a guardian angel, and 
 when overtaken by a storm they would pray to 
 the holy father, beseeching him to calm the wind 
 and still the troubled waters, in order that they 
 might reach port in safety.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE GREAT EXPLORER OF THE WEST. 
 
 Seven years after Joliet and Marquette discov- 
 ered the upper Mississippi, La Salle obtained a 
 patent from the king of France, authorizing him 
 to explore and take possession of all the country 
 west of the great lakes. La Salle's success and 
 failures in this enterprise is a matter of history, 
 and foreign to our purpose, but as his name ap- 
 pears in comnectiou with many incidents, a few 
 facts relating to him may be of interest to the 
 reader. 
 
 Robert Cavalier (La Salle being a title only) 
 was born in the year 1643, in the city of Rouen, 
 of wealthy parentage, and was educated for the 
 priesthood. In person he is said to have been 
 large and muscular, possessing a fine intellect, an 
 iron constitution, and well qualified for the enter- 
 prise in which he embarked. He inherited from 
 his ancestors a large fortune, which was used in 
 advancing his enterprise, but was squandered in
 
 54 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 consequence of misplaced confidence in those 
 with whom he associated. Although La Salle 
 made his mark in history, his life was one of 
 hardships, exposure and deprivations, and he 
 finally died by the hand of an assassin in the 
 wilds of Texas. 
 
 A few years ago, while strolling through the 
 city of Rouen, my guide pointed out an old 
 palace standing on high ground, and overlooking 
 the river Seine. For beauty of architecture and 
 antique appearance, this palace has no equal in 
 the old Norman capital. This old palace, said 
 my guide, was once the residence of the duke of 
 Normandy, afterwards known as William the 
 Conqueror, and from its portico this great warrior 
 addressed his lords and nobles on the day he left 
 Normandy for the conquest of England. In this 
 palace, continued my guide, now lives Count 
 Cavalier, a descendant of the family of La Salle. 
 Two squares distant from here is an antique look- 
 ing house, pointed out as the birth place, and for 
 some time the residence of the great explorer, 
 La Salle, and is still occupied by his family de- 
 scendants. 
 
 LA SALLE AND PARTY WESTWARD BOUND. 
 
 In the summer of 1669, La Salle built a vessel 
 on Niagara river, above the falls, for the purpose
 
 55 LA 8ALLE AND PARTY WESTWARD BOUND. 
 
 of navigating the upper lakes. This vessel was 
 of sixty tons burden, carrying lateen-sails, and 
 named the Griffin. It was armed with a number 
 of small cannon, and a large wooden eagle sur- 
 mounted its prow. On the day of departure the 
 vessel was visited by a large body of Indians, who 
 were astonished at this great canoe, as they called 
 it, as nothing like it had ever been seen on the 
 upper lakes before. Father Hennepin preached 
 to these Indians from the deck of the Griffin, 
 when they clapped their hands, shouting and yell- 
 ing in response to his words, and offered him 
 presents to be used as sacrifices to the great 
 Manito of the French* 
 
 All things being ready, the cannons fired a 
 salute, the sails were spread to the breeze, and 
 the Griffin moved forward, plowing through the 
 maiden waves of Lake Brief 
 
 *An ingenious Frenchman painted on canvas a colossal pic- 
 ture of agrlffln, according to Grecian mythology. This monster 
 had the body of a lion, with the wings of an eagle, representing 
 strength and swiftness. This picture (the motto of the vessel) 
 was stretched between the masts, and the Indians mistook it for 
 the French Manito or god.so they bowed down and worshiped it. 
 
 fin La Salle's party was an Italian officer, second in command, 
 named Tonti, who- figures extensively in our narrative, and a 
 short account of whom will be found elsewhere. In this party 
 were also three Jesuit priests, Louis Hennepin, Gabriel Re- 
 bourde, and Zenobe Membre. The former of these priests is 
 known in history by his surname, and the two latter by their 
 given names.
 
 56 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS KIVER. 
 
 After a number of days sail, the vessel passed 
 through a small lake, which La Salle gave the 
 name of St. Glair, in honor of that saint whose 
 name appeared that day in the calendar. On the 
 following day, after passing Lake St. Clair, they 
 were overtaken by a terrible storm, which threat- 
 ened the vessel with destruction, and all on board 
 believed their time had come. The rolling of 
 the vessel and lashing of the waves, caused 
 the sailors to hold fast to the bulwarks to pre- 
 vent being carried overboard. Father Hennepin 
 in his journal says that he joined with others in 
 fervent prayer to St. Anthony, making a solemn 
 vow to that saint if he would deliver them from 
 their peril with which they were surrounded, the 
 first chapel built in the new discovered country 
 should be dedicated to him. The saint heard 
 their prayers the wind calmed, and the Griffin 
 continued on her way, while plunging through the 
 foaming billows. 
 
 After a voyage of four weeks, the Griffin ar- 
 rived at Mackinaw, and was safely moored in the 
 harbor of St. Ignace. Here at the straits of Mack- 
 inaw was an Indian village, a Jesuit mission, and 
 the seat of a large fur trade. Both French and 
 Indians collected around the vessel in great as- 
 tonishment, as nothing larger than a bark canoe 
 was ever seen there before. The goods brought
 
 57 LA 8ALLE AND PARTY WESTWARD BOUND. 
 
 by the Griffin were exchanged ior furs at a large 
 profit, and the vessel, loaded with pelts, started 
 back for Niagara, but was never heard of after- 
 wards.* 
 
 Late in November La Salle, accompanied by 
 fourteen persons, left Mackinaw in four canoes, and 
 coasted along the shore of Lake Michigan in a 
 southern direction. They carried with them a 
 blacksmith's forge, carpenter tools, and other 
 utensils required in building a fort, besides a large 
 amount of merchandise to trade with the Indians. 
 
 On the second day out, they were overtaken 
 by a storm, which compelled them to land, drag 
 their canoes on the beach, and there remain fonr 
 days for the angry waters to subside. Again trust- 
 ing their frail barks to the waters of Lake Michi- 
 gan, they found themselves on the following day 
 overtaken by a severe gale, and amid the lashing 
 of waves their canoes drifted on a barren, rocky 
 island, some distance from the main land. Here 
 on this rocky island they remained two days and 
 nights, without shelter or fire, and their blankets 
 alone protected them from the cold winter blast. 
 
 The fate of the Griffin was never known. Some thought 
 she perished in a gale, others that she was burned by the In- 
 dians, and the crew. 'put to death. But La Salle believed that 
 the crew, after disposing of the furs and pelts for their own 
 benefit, burned the vessel and fled the country to escape pun- 
 ishment.
 
 58 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 When the wind and waves subsided, they again 
 continued their journey, but a new trouble over- 
 took them. Having been so long on the water, 
 their stock of provisions became exhausted, and 
 three of the party went in search of an Indian 
 village, in order to obtain a supply. On the fol- 
 lowing day a large party of Indians came to their 
 camp, bringing with them corn and venison, 
 which they exchanged for goods. These Indians 
 encamped near the French, and during the night 
 amused them with songs and dances. 
 
 It was cold weather when the travelers reached 
 the mouth of St. Joseph river, and here they 
 remained for a few days waiting for Tonti and his 
 companions. On the arrival of Tonti the party, 
 consisting of thirty-five persons in bark canoes, 
 commenced ascending St. Joseph river.* 
 
 "History says the Griffin went to Green Bay, and from there 
 La Salle and companions started in their canoes for Illinois- 
 But this is not probable, as there was no trading post at Green 
 Bay at that time, and it was not likely that the vessel would go 
 any further west than trade had gone. If the voyageurs had 
 landed at Green Bay, they would have followed along the west- 
 ern shore of Lake Michigan to the month of Chicago river' 
 ascending that stream, and down the Des Plaines to Illinois. 
 This route was known at the time to the French, as Joliet and 
 Marquette passed over it seven years before. La Salle and party 
 could not have crossed Lake Michigan in their canoes, and it is 
 highly improbable that they followed around its southern end, 
 as it would be out of their course. 
 
 Two years before this expedition, Father Allonez established 
 a mission at the mouth of St. Joseph's river, and at this point
 
 59 LA SALLE AND PARTY WESTWARD BOUNt). 
 
 On arriving at or near the present site of South 
 Bend, they stopped to search for the path which 
 led across the portage to the head waters of Kan- 
 kakee. While thus engaged, La Salle lost his 
 reckoniiag, and in the thick forest he rambled 
 about all day and a part of the night, during a 
 severe snow storm. Many times he fired his gun 
 as a signal to his friends, but received from them 
 no response. About two o'clock in the morning- 
 he discovered through the thick undergrowth a 
 gleam of light, and he hastened thither, supposing 
 it to be his camp, but was disappointed at finding 
 no one there. By the side of the fire was a bed 
 made of dry grass and leaves, which was still 
 warm, the occupant having been frightened away 
 at his approach. La Salle called out in different 
 Indian dialects, but received no reply, so he laid 
 down on the deserted bed and slept until morn- 
 ing. The former occupant of this bed was never 
 known, but supposed to have been an Indian 
 hunter. 
 
 they expected to meet Tonti with twenty men, who came from 
 Macki naw by land. It is said Tonti and his party got lost among 
 thick forests and lakes of Michigan, and did not reaeh their 
 destination for some time after La Salle's arrival. 
 
 There is an old traditionary acount of this affair, which says 
 La Salle and party were afraid to trust their frail ftarks again 
 on the angry waters of the lake in mid winter, after their past 
 experience, and therefore went by the way of St. Joseph and 
 Kankakee rivers.
 
 60 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RlVEft. 
 
 The friends of La Salle were very much alarmed 
 at his long absence, and during the night they 
 fired guns and beat their drum in order to direct 
 him to camp, but without effect. They had about 
 given him up as lost, when about four o'clock on 
 the following day they saw him approaching the 
 camp with two opossums hanging from his belt.* 
 
 The canoes were carried across the portage, five 
 miles in width, put on the water of the Kanka- 
 kee, and floated down that stream and the Illinois 
 river to La Vantum, the great town of Illinois. 
 It was now mid winter, and they found the town 
 deserted, its occupants having gone off on their 
 winter hunt, in accordance with their custom. 
 Being in a starving condition, La Salle ordered 
 one of the caches opened, and took therefrom 
 twenty minots of corn, hoping at some future 
 time to compensate the Indians for this robbery. 
 After spending two days in the desolate lodges 
 of the town, the party again boarded their canoes 
 and continued on their way down the river. 
 
 About five leagues below La Vantum, at the 
 mouth of a stream supposed to have been Bureau 
 creek the voyageurs landed and sent out a party 
 to hunt buffalo. The hunters were successful in 
 their search, and on coming up with a large herd 
 
 " Parkman'* Diooovery of the Qrat Wot"
 
 61 LA 8ALLE AND PARTY WESTWARD BOUND. 
 
 of buffalo, a short distance from the river ; they 
 killed two of them and returned to camp with 
 the meat. This supply of meat, with the corn 
 they took from the Indian store-house, drove 
 hunger from their camp,ancl the three priests joined 
 in returning thanks to the Holy Virgin for thus 
 providing for their wants, while journeying 
 through this wild wilderness country. 
 
 The following day being New Year, 1680, it 
 was agreed to spend it in camp worshiping, saying 
 mass, and taking sacrament in accordance to an 
 old custom in the Catholic Church. 
 
 Before leaving Canada, Father Hennepin pro- 
 vided himself with a miniature altar, which folded 
 up like an army chair, and could be carried on 
 the back the same as a knapsack. With this altar 
 on his back, Father Hennepin started off through 
 the woods in search of a suitable place for wor- 
 ship, followed by the other priests and the rest of 
 the party. A place was selected, the altar erected, 
 and the holy father preached to his companions, 
 causing the woods to resound with his loud ex- 
 hortations and songs of praise. After preaching 
 and saying mass, the sacred emblems were placed 
 by the side of the altar, preparatory to taking the 
 sacrament. But great was Father Hennepin's 
 surprise to find the wine vessel empty, as one of 
 the party, a blacksmith by trade, and nicknamed
 
 62 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 La Forge, had drank it up while on the road. 
 For this act of sacrilege, Father Hermepin pro- 
 nounced against him a curse, equal to the one 
 Pope Leo pronounced against Martin Luther for 
 publishing the Bible. 
 
 THE FRENCH AT PEORIA LAKE. 
 
 According to history, on the 3d of January, 
 1680, the inhabitants of an Indian village situated 
 on the west bank of Peoria Lake, were much 
 surprised to see eight canoes filled with armed 
 men opposite their town. The canoes were all 
 abreast, presenting a formidable appearance, and 
 the men seated in them held guns in their hands, 
 ready for an attack or defence. These canoes 
 rounded to and landed at the village, causing a 
 great panic among the Indians, some of whom 
 fled in terror, while others seized their arms and 
 prepared to deiend themselves. Amid the con- 
 fusion that followed, La Salle sprang ashore, and 
 presented to the astonished Indians the calumet, 
 (a token of friendship), while Father Hennepin 
 caught several frightened children and soothed 
 their fears with kindness and small presents. 
 
 The French pitched their tent in the Indian 
 village, and remained for some days. But dis-
 
 LA 8ALLE AND PARTY WESTWARD BOUND. 68 
 
 contentment among the men, and fearing treach- 
 ery of the Indians, caused La Salle to remove to 
 a place of greater security. A site was selected, 
 a fort built, and all the valuables at their camp 
 transferred thereto. On account of the gloomy 
 prospects, the discontentment and desertion of 
 some of the men, La Salle named this fort Creve 
 Ceour, which in the French language means 
 broken heart* 
 
 Fort Creve Ceour consisted of stockades, en- 
 closing a small plat of ground, and within which 
 were a number of log cabins quarters for officers 
 and soldiers. Father Hennepin lamented the loss 
 of wine, which prevented him from administering 
 the sacrament, but each morning and evening all 
 the occupants of the fort were summoned to his 
 cabin for prayer. Father Gabriel and Zenobe 
 spent most of their time in the Indian village, 
 preaching to and instructing the natives in the 
 ways of Christianity, but they made but few 
 proselytes. 
 
 About the first of February Father Hennepin, 
 in a canoe, accompanied by two companions, left 
 the fort on a voyage of discovery. Passing down 
 
 *The exact location of this fort is not known, but it is believed 
 to have stood on the east side of the river, about three milea 
 below the outlet of the lake, at a place now called Wesley. 
 This place answers the description given by Hennepin, and 
 also accords with traditionary accounts. 
 D
 
 64 FRENCH AND INDIANS Off ILLINOIS KIVER. 
 
 to the mouth of the Illinois river, they ascended 
 the Mississippi as far as the falls of St. Anthony. 
 Here Hennepin was made a prisoner by the In- 
 dians, and remained with them some months, but 
 was finally set at liberty, reached Canada in safety, 
 returned to France and published a book of his 
 travels. 
 
 Early in the spring La Salle returned to Can- 
 ada to procure men and supplies, leaving Tonti 
 in command of the fort. A short time after La 
 Salle's departure, all the soldiers except three 
 deserted their post, ascending the river in canoes, 
 and coasting around the shore of Lake Michigan 
 they reached Mackinaw in safety. Tonti, being 
 left with the two priests and three soldiers, aban- 
 doned the fort, and it was never occupied 
 afterwards.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 HENRI DE TONTI. 
 
 Among the many adventurers who accompanied 
 La Salle to America and took part in exploring 
 the wilds of the west, was an Italian of noble 
 birth by the name of Henri de Tonti. Some 
 years before, young Tonti, with his father's family, 
 were banished from Italy, on account of having 
 taken part in a revolution of that country, and they 
 found a home in Rouen, France. Tonti, having 
 a military education, joined the P>ench army, and 
 served five years, a part of the time as captain, in 
 the National Guards. At the close of the war 
 he was discharged from service, came to America 
 and joined La Salle in his enterprise. La Salle 
 made Tonti his lieutenant, or second in command, 
 and the sequel shows that he was worthy of the 
 trust placed in him. 
 
 Tonti's right hand having been shot off in the 
 Sicilian war, its place was supplied with an iron 
 one, which he kept always covered with a glove.
 
 66 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 With this iron hand, Tonti, on different occasions, 
 broke the heads or knocked out the teeth of dis- 
 orderly Indians, which caused them to believe 
 that he possessed supernatural power. 
 
 Tonti brought with him from France a large 
 sum of money, which he used in common with 
 La Salle in exploring and taking possession of the 
 west, as well as in trade with the Indians. 
 
 The late Dr. Sparks says history never can do 
 ample justice to Tonti. His life was one of patri- 
 otism and self-sacrifice, and the discovery and 
 taking possession of the great west belong mainly 
 to him. 
 
 Forty years of Tonti's life was spent in the 
 wilds of the west, enduring hardships, dangers, 
 and deprivations, associating with savages, and 
 without the benefits and comforts of civilization. 
 His fortune sacrificed his health and manhood 
 destroyed he became a wanderer along the gulf 
 of Mexico, but at last returned to die at Fort St. 
 Louis, and his bones now rest on the bank of the 
 Illinois river, at the west end of Starved Rock. 
 
 In one of the Louvre picture galleries in Paris, 
 can be seen a full-length portrait of a youthful 
 looking man, dressed in French uniform, with 
 epaulets on his shoulders and an eagle on his 
 breast His left hand holds a sword, while the 
 left presents a singular appearance, as though
 
 THE FRENCH AT LA VANTUM. 67 
 
 deformed, but is hidden by a glove. This tall, 
 graceful figure, and the piercing black eyes, never 
 fails to attract; the attention of strangers, and in- 
 quiry would naturally arise for the history of the 
 person here represented. Below this portrait is 
 paiuted in large letters the name "Henri de 
 Tonti, la voyageur des Amerique." 
 
 THE FRENCH AT LA VANTDM. 
 
 After most of the soldiers had deserted from 
 Fort Creve Ceour, Tonti, with those remaining, 
 consisting of Father Gabriel, Father Zenobe and 
 three soldiers, abandoned the place. All the 
 valuables in the fort were put into two canoes, 
 and the party ascended the river as far as La 
 Vantum. Here they found quarters among the 
 Indians, with the intention of awaiting La Salle's 
 return from Canada. Tonti applied himself in 
 learning the Indian language the two priests 
 were engaged in preaching to the natives while 
 the soldiers were spending the honeymoon with 
 their squaws, whom they had recently married. 
 
 About three miles from the town, in the midst 
 of a thick grove of timber, Father Gabriel and 
 Zenobe erected a temporary altar, and every third 
 day they repaired thither for prayer and medita- 
 tion. Here in this lonely spot, far away from the
 
 68 FEENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS EIVEB. 
 
 noise and bustle of the town, the two holy Friars 
 would spend long summer days, from early morn- 
 ing until late at night, communing with the Vir- 
 gin, saints and angels. 
 
 Notwithstanding these priests preached and 
 prayed with these Indians almost daily, promising 
 them success in war, hunting, &c., if they would 
 embrace Christianity, but few converts were made. 
 Chassagoac, the head chief, having embraced the 
 Christian religion seven years before, under the 
 preaching of Father Marquette, still continued 
 in the faith. The chief, his household, and a few 
 of his friends, had taken the sacrament from the 
 harfds of the priests, but all the other chiefs and 
 principal warriors denounced Christianity, ad- 
 hering to the religion of their fathers. 
 
 The wine brought from Canada for sacramental 
 purposes having been drank by La Forge, as pre- 
 viously stated, it became necessary to procure a 
 substitute, as the administration of the sacred 
 rights could not be dispensed with. During the 
 winter the priests gathered a quantity of wild 
 grapes, pressed out the juice and put it away in 
 the sacramental cask for future use. This wine 
 answered the purpose very well so long as the 
 weather remained cool, but during the summer it 
 soured and became unfit for use. 
 
 The time came to administer the sacrament
 
 THE FRENCH AT LA VANTUM. . 69 
 
 Tonti, the three soldiers with their wives, Chas- 
 sagoac and family, with a few friends, were 
 assembled in the council-house on the Sabbath 
 day to receive the sacred emblems. Father Ga- 
 briel, wrapped in his long black robe, with a gold 
 cross suspended from his neck, preached to them, 
 speaking of Christ, of the apostles, of saints, and 
 of the kingdom to come. After preaching, all 
 knelt around the altar engaged in prayer, while 
 Father Gabriel made preparations to administer 
 the sacrament ; but he was horrified to find the 
 wine sour, and the miracle of transubstantiation 
 (that is, converting it into the real blood of Christ) 
 could not be performed, consequently the sacra- 
 mental service was postponed until another day. 
 Time hung heavy with the French ; days and 
 weeks passed away ; spring was gone, the sum- 
 mer almost ended, and no news from La Salle. 
 In an Indian village, where there is neither hunt- 
 ing or war parties, nor national dances to keep 
 up the excitement, it has a dull, monotonous 
 appearance. Warriors lay under the shade of 
 trees, sleeping or amusing themselves in games 
 of chance, while squaws were at work in corn- 
 fields, or preparing food for their families. Naked 
 children were playing on the green or rolling in 
 the dirt, while young maidens, with their lovers, 
 were gathering flowers in the grove, fishing on
 
 70 FEENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVEE. 
 
 the banks of the river, or rowing their canoes 
 across its waters, unconscious of the great calamity 
 that was about to befall them. 
 
 v 
 
 THE ALARM AND PREPARATION FOR DEFENSE. 
 
 It was near the close of a warm day in the 
 latter part of August, 1680, when a scout arrived 
 with his horse in a foam of sweat, and shouting at 
 the top of his voice that the Iroquois were 
 marching against the town. All was now excite- 
 ment and confusion ; squaws screamed, pappooses 
 quit their plays on the green, and ran away to 
 their homes ; warriors caught their weapons and 
 made preparations to defend their town and pro- 
 tect their squaws and little ones. During the 
 night fires were kept burning along the river 
 bank, and every preparation made to defend the 
 town in case it should be attacked. The warriors 
 greased their bodies, painted their faces red, and 
 ornamented their heads with turkey feathers; 
 war songs were sung, drums beat; warriors 
 danced, yelled and brandished their war clubs to 
 keep up their courage. At last morning came, 
 and with it the savage Iroquois. 
 
 "When news came of the approaching lorquois, 
 a crowd of excited savages collected around 
 Tonti and his companions, whom they had previ-
 
 ALARM AND PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENSE. 71 
 
 ously suspected of treachery, and charged them 
 with being in league with their enemies. A 
 report having reached them that a number of 
 Jesuit priests, and even La Salle himself was with 
 the Iroquois, and leading them on to the town. 
 The enraged warriors seized the blacksmith forge, 
 tools, and all the goods that belonged to the 
 French, and threw them into the river. One of 
 the warriors caught Tonti by the hair of his head 
 and raised his tomahawk to split his skull, but a 
 friendly chief caught the savage by the arm, and 
 his life was spared. Tonti, with that boldness 
 and self-possession which was characteristic of 
 him, defended himself against these charges, and 
 in order to convince them of his good faith, 
 offered to accompany them to battle. 
 
 Father Gabriel and Zenobe were away at their 
 altar, spending the day in prayer and meditation, 
 and had no warning of the -danger that awaited 
 them. On their return home late at night, they 
 were surprised to find the town in a whirlpool of 
 excitement; squaws were crying and bewailing 
 their fate, while the warriors were dancing, yelling 
 and offering up sacrifices to the Manito of battle. 
 
 On the arrival of the two priests, the savages 
 collected around them, charging them with treach- 
 ery, and being the cause of the Iroquois invading 
 their country. The priests, with uplifted hands,
 
 72 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 called God to witness their innocence of the 
 charge, but their statement did not change the 
 minds of the excited Indians. A loud clamor was 
 raised for their blood, and a number of warriors 
 sprang forward with uplifted tomahawks to put an 
 end to their existence, but as they drew nigh and 
 were about to tomahawk them, Father Gabriel 
 drew from his bosom a small gold image of the 
 Holy Virgin, and held it up before their would-be 
 executioners. On seeing this sacred talisman the 
 Indians paused a moment, and then returned their 
 tomahawks to their belts. Father Zenobe after- 
 wards said this was another proof of the Virgin 
 protecting the Jesuits in North America. 
 
 During the night all the squaws and pappooses, 
 with the old Indians unable to bear arms, were 
 placed in canoes and taken down the river about 
 three leagues, to a large marshy island.* About 
 sixty warriors were left for their protection, and 
 all of them secreted themselves in the reeds and 
 high grass, so they could not be seen by the Iro- 
 quois. But the sequel shows that they did not 
 escape the vigilance of the enemy, and this island 
 of supposed safety became their tomb. 
 
 *This island is situated between the river and Lake Depue, 
 and consits of several hundred acres of marsh land, a part of 
 which is covered during the summer with reeds and bulrushes 
 Formerly it was surrounded by water, butfrom the washings of 
 the river the upper end is filled up so that in an ordinary stage 
 of water it connects with the main land.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE BATTLE AND MASSACRE. 
 
 At the time of the Iroquois invasion, there 
 were only about five hundred warriors at La 
 Vautum, the head chief, Chassagoac, and a large 
 portion of his braves having gone to Cahokia for 
 the purpose of attending a religious feast. But 
 this band, small as it was, boldly crossed the river 
 at daylight, and met the enemy, whose number 
 was five times as large as their own. While they 
 were ascending the bluff a scout met them, say- 
 ing that the enemy were crossing the prairie 
 between the Yermillion and Illinois timber. As 
 the i,nvaders approached the river timber, they 
 were surprised to meet the Illinoians, who were 
 lying in ambush, and received them with a deadly 
 fire. At this unexpected attack, the Iroquois 
 were stricken with a panic and fled from the field, 
 leaving the ground covered with the dead and 
 wounded. But they soon Tallied and the fight 
 became bloody, arrows and rifle balls flying thick
 
 74 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 and fast, while the woods far and near resounded 
 with the wild whoops of contending savages. 
 
 In the midst of the tight, Tonti undertook the 
 perilous task of mediating between the contend- 
 ing parties. Laying aside his gun and taking a 
 wampum belt in his hand, holding it over his 
 head as a flag of truce, and amid showers of 
 arrows and bullets, he walked boldly forward to 
 meet the enemy. As he approached, the Iroquois 
 warriors collected around him in a threatening 
 manner, one of whom attempted to stab him to 
 the heart, but the knife striking a rib inflicted 
 only a long, shallow gash. As the savage 
 was about to repeat the blow a chief came 
 up, and seeing he was a white man, protected 
 him from further assault, and applied a bandage 
 to the wound to stop its bleeding. The fighting 
 having ceased, a warrior took Tonti's hat, and 
 placing it on the muzzle of his gun, started 
 toward the Illinoians, who, on seeing it, supposed 
 he was killed and again renewed the fight. 
 While the battle was in progress, a warrior 
 reported that three Frenchmen, armed with guns, 
 were with the Illinois forces, and firing on them. 
 When this announcement was made the Iroquois 
 became enraged at Tonti, and again gathered 
 around him, some for killing arid others for his 
 protection. One of the warriors caught him by
 
 THE BATTLE AND MASSACRE. 75 
 
 the hair of his head, raising it up, and with his 
 long knife was about to take off his scalp, when 
 Tonti, with his iron hand, knocked down his 
 assailant Others attacked Tonti with knives and 
 tomahawks, but he was again rescued from death 
 by the head-chief. 
 
 For a long time the battle raged, many of the 
 combatants on both sides being slain, and the yells 
 of the warriors could be heard far away. But at 
 last the Illinoians, whose force was inferior to 
 their adversary, were overpowered and driven 
 from the field. The vanquished fled to their 
 town, with the intention of defending it or perish 
 in the attempt. 
 
 On the river bank, near the center of the town, 
 was their great council-house, surrounded by 
 stockades, forming a kind of fortification. To 
 this the remnant of the warriors fled, and in great 
 haste tore down the lodges and used the material 
 in strengthening their works. 
 
 The Illinoians had crossed the river in 
 canoes, but their pursuers having no means of 
 crossing at this point, were obliged to go up to 
 the rapids where they forded it. In a short time 
 the Iroquois attacked the town, setting fire to the 
 lodges and fortifications, which were soon a mass 
 of flames. Many of the beseiged were burned 
 in their strongholds, others were slain or taken
 
 76 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVEK. 
 
 prisoners as they escaped from the flames ; a few 
 only succeeded in the preservation of their lives 
 by escaping down the river. The town, with the 
 great council-house and fortifications, was de- 
 stroyed by fire, and nothing was left of them except 
 the blackened poles of which the lodges were 
 constructed. 
 
 When the victory was completed they bound 
 the prisoners hand and foot, and commenced 
 torturing them to make them reveal the hiding 
 place of their squaws and pappooses. 
 
 On obtaining the necessary information a large 
 war party took the canoes left by the vanquished 
 Illinoians, and descended the river in search of 
 the squaws and pappooses. While these defense- 
 less beings were secreted among the reeds and 
 high grass of the island, they were discovered by 
 the savage Iroquois, and all of them slain. The 
 sixty warriors left to guard them fled on the ap- 
 proach of the enemy, crossing the lake and 
 secreting themselves in the thick river timber. 
 
 TORTURING THE PRISONERS. 
 
 On the following day after the battle, the vic- 
 tors made preparations to torture the prisoners; 
 and their acts of barbarity probably never have
 
 TORTURING THE PRISONERS. 77 
 
 been equaled by any of the savages of the west. 
 The warriors were formed into a large circle, 
 and the prisoners, bound hand and foot, were 
 conveyed thither, when the work of torture com- 
 menced. The doomed prisoners were seated on 
 the ground awaiting their fate, some of whom 
 were weeping or praying, while others were 
 engaged in singing their death song. A warrior, 
 with a long knife, cut off the nose and ears of the 
 prisoners, and threw them to their hungry dogs. 
 Pieces of flesh were cut out of their arms and 
 breasts, while the prisoners sat writhing with 
 agony ; and the ground around them red with 
 human gore. The work of torture went on the 
 executioners continued to cut off limbs and pieces 
 of flesh and in some cases the bowels were taken 
 out and trailed on the ground, while the groans 
 and screams of the victims in their death agonies 
 were terrible to witness. 
 
 Tonti and his companions looked on these bar- 
 barous acts of the Iroquois with horror and 
 astonishment, but dare not remonstrate as they 
 were prisoners also, and did not know but a like 
 fate awaited them. 
 
 While the torture was going on the two priests 
 were engaged in baptizing the victims, in order 
 'to absolve them from past sins, and as each one 
 was about to expire, they would hold the crucifix
 
 8 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 before his eyes, so he might look on it, and 
 through its divine efficacy his soul would be saved 
 from perdition. 
 
 When the prisoners were all dead, the warriors 
 cut out their hearts, roasted and eat them in order 
 to make them brave. 
 
 For a number of days the Iroquois continued 
 to rejoice over their victory, spending the time 
 in singing and dancing around the scalps, and 
 causing the timber and river bluffs to re-echo with 
 their yells and wild whoops. 
 
 DEATH OF FATHER GABRIEL. 
 
 Two days after the Iroquois victory, the French 
 were set at liberty, and they departed in an old 
 leaky canoe. After going about six leagues, they 
 stopped at the mouth of a large creek to repair 
 the canoe and dry their clothing. While thus 
 engaged, Father Gabriel, who was always fond of 
 solitude, wandered off into the thick river timber 
 for the purpose of prayer and meditation. When 
 the canoe was repaired, clothes dried, and time of 
 departure came, Father Gabriel was missing, 
 and they searched for him among the thick tim- 
 ber, but he could not be found. During the night 
 fires were kept burning along the river bank, and 
 guns discharged to direct him to camp, but all
 
 DEATH OF FATHER GABRIEL. 79 
 
 in vain. During the following day they searched 
 the woods far and near for the missing priest, and 
 Father Zenobe prayed to the Holy Virgin for his 
 safe return, but all to no purpose, so they gave 
 him up for lost, and continued their journey. For 
 many days they mourned the loss of the holy 
 father, as he was an old man of nearly three score 
 years, and devoted to the work of the church. 
 
 It was afterwards ascertained that Father Ga- 
 briel was taken prisoner by the Indians, carried 
 to their camp some miles off, where he was exe- 
 cuted, and while his friends were searching for 
 him those savages were dancing around his scalp. 
 
 While Father Gabriel was at prayer in the thick 
 timber, some distance from his companions, he 
 was approached by two Indians in a threatening 
 manner. With his head uncovered he arose to 
 meet them, with one hand pointing heavenward 
 and the other to the gold cross on his breast, 
 giving them to understand that he was a priest. 
 In vain he told them that he was their friend, and 
 had come from afar across the big waters to teach 
 them in the ways of truth and happinesss. Re- 
 gardless of his entreaties, they bound his hands 
 behind his back and led him off a prisoner to 
 their camp. A council was held over the 
 captives and it was decided that he should die. 
 A stake was driven into the ground, and Father 
 E
 
 80 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVEK. 
 
 Gabriel with his hands and feet pinioned, tied to 
 it. Here, he sat on the ground bound to the 
 stake, with his long hair and flowing beard white 
 with the snows of seventy winters, waving to and 
 fro in the wind. The Indians formed a circle 
 around their victim, singing and dancing while 
 flourishing their war-clubs over his head, and oc- 
 casionally yelling at the top of their voices. This 
 performance continued for some time, while the 
 victim sat with his head bowed down, his eyes 
 fixed on the gold cross which hung on his breast, 
 and in silence awaited his doom. 
 
 tinder repeated blows of war-clubs, Father 
 Gabriel fell to the ground and soon expired. His 
 clothing and scalp were taken off by the savages, 
 and his remains left to be devoured by wolves. 
 
 Thus perished Father Gabriel, the only heir of 
 a wealthy Burgundian house, who had given up a 
 life of ease and comfort, with all the enjoyment 
 of riches and society in the old world, to preach 
 the gospel to the heathens of the west, whom at 
 last became his murderers. 
 
 Four years after this affair, a trader at Fort St. 
 Louis bought of an Indian a small gold image of 
 the Virgin Mary, with Father Gabriel's name and 
 that of the owner engraved thereon. This image 
 was presented to Father Gabriel the day he sailed 
 for America, by the cardinal bishop of Normandy,
 
 A SCENE OF HOEEOE. 81 
 
 and he carried it in his bosom near his heart until 
 the day of his death. Some years afterward, this 
 golden image was carried back to France, and is 
 now to be seen in the museum at Rouen. 
 
 A SCENE OF HOKEOE. 
 
 It was mid winter, three months after the mas- 
 sacre of the Illinois Indians, when La Salle, with 
 twelve companions, returned from Canada to look 
 after his little colony on the Illinois river. As 
 the travelers urged their canoes down the swollen 
 stream, their eyes were directed to Starved Rock, 
 where they expected to find Tonti within his 
 fortification. But no palisades were there no 
 smoke ascended from its summit, nor signs oi hu- 
 man habitation could be seen. Passing down the 
 rapid current for about two miles, they were sur- 
 prised to find that the great town of the west had 
 disappeared. The large meadow, only a few 
 months before covered with lodges and swarming 
 with human beings, was now a lonely waste, a repre- 
 sentative of death and desolation. On the charred 
 polos which had formed the frame-work of lodges, 
 were many human heads, partly robbed of flesh 
 by birds of prey. Gangs of wolves fled at their 
 approach, and flocks of buzzards raised from their 
 hideous repast, and flew away to distant trees.
 
 82 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVEE. 
 
 Even the burying ground showed marks of the 
 vindictive malice of the conquerors, they having 
 made war on the dead as well as the living. 
 Graves had been opened and bones taken out and 
 piled up in heaps, or broken into fragments and 
 scattered over the prairie. The scaffolds which 
 contained dead bodies, had been torn down and 
 their contents thrown hither and thither on the 
 prairie. Everywhere the blackened ground was 
 strewn with mangled bodies and broken bones of 
 the unfortunate Illinoians. The caches had been 
 broken open, the corn taken out and burned by 
 the victors. 
 
 In the midst of these ruins the conquerors had 
 erected an altar to the god of war, and the poles 
 surrounding it were capped with heads of victims 
 whose long hair and ghastly features were sicken- 
 ing to look upon. The stench arising from pu- 
 trefaction was so offensive, and the scene so 
 horrifying, that La Salle and his party turned 
 away from it, and encamped for the night on the 
 opposite side of the river. During the long 
 winter night the loneliness was increased by the 
 howling of wolves, and buzzards winging their 
 flight back and forth through the dark domain. 
 
 On the following morning La Salle returned to 
 the ruined town, and examined the skulls of many 
 of the victims, to see if he could find among them
 
 A SCENE OF HOKROR. 83 
 
 the remains of Tonti and his party, but they all 
 proved to have been the heads of Indians. 
 
 On the bank of the river were planted six posts, 
 painted red, and on each of these was a figure of 
 a man drawn in white. La Salle believed these 
 figures represented six white men, prisoners in 
 the hands of Indians, it being the number of 
 Tonti's party. 
 
 La Salle and his companions again boarded 
 their canoes and started down the river, hoping to 
 learn something in relation to the fate of their 
 comrades, but nothing was discovered. 
 
 As the travelers passed down the river, they 
 saw on the island where the squaws and pappooses 
 had taken refuge, many human figures standing 
 erect, but motionless. With great caution they 
 landed from their canoes to examine these figures, 
 and found them to be partly consumed bodies of 
 squaws, who had been bound to stakes and then 
 burned. Fires had been made at their feet, con- 
 suming the flesh off their legs and crisping their 
 bodies, but leaving the remains bound to the 
 stakes, standing erect as though in life ; poles 
 were stuck into the marsh and pappooses placed 
 thereon, while others were hanging by the neck 
 from limbs of trees, with the flesh partly eaten 
 off their bodies by birds of prey. Among these 
 remains no warriors were found, as they had fled
 
 84 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RITER. 
 
 at the approach of the enemy, leaving the squaws 
 and pappooses to their fate. The sight of these 
 dead bodies was so revolting to look upon, that 
 the French turned away from them, not knowing 
 at what moment they too would fall victims to 
 the savage Iroquois. 
 
 A few years after this event, according to tradi- 
 tion, Father Zenobe, with others of his countrymen, 
 visited this island and found here a large piece of 
 ground strewn with human bones. 
 
 In the summer of 1829 a black man named 
 Adams, built a cabin opposite the upper end of 
 the island at the mouth of Negro creek. In the 
 following spring Mr. Adams discovered many 
 human bones sticking out of the bank on the 
 island, where the dirt had been washed away 
 by the floods. The same thing was noticed by 
 John Clark, Amos Leonard and other early settlers. 
 It appears the bones were covered up by over- 
 flowing of the island, and afterward brought to 
 light by washing away of the bank.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 FORT ST. LOUIS, BOOK FOKT, AND LE ROCHER. 
 
 It is believed by the people of the west gener- 
 ally that Fort St. Louis was built on Buffalo Kock, 
 as relics of an ancient fortification were found 
 here in the early settlement of the country. But 
 in comparing the various historical accounts of 
 this fort, as well as French and Indian traditions, 
 it will appear quite evident that it stood on Starved 
 Rock, and here its remains can now be seen. In 
 an old map, drawn in the days of La Salle, and 
 preserved with the antiquarian collection at Que- 
 bec, Fort St. Louis is located on the south side of 
 the- river, whereas Buffalo Rock is on the north 
 side. The description of this fort, with its sur- 
 soundings, as given by the explorers and missiona- 
 ries, would apply very well to Starved Rock, but 
 will not answer for Buffalo Rock. Fort St. Louis, 
 Rock Fort and Le Rocher, so often referred to in 
 history, are, without doubt, all the same place. 
 
 In the summer of 1721, thirty-nine years after
 
 86 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 Fort St. Louis was built, Charlevoix, a Jesuit 
 priest, visited the Illinois country, and in his 
 journal gives an account of both of these rocks. 
 On Buffalo Rock he found an Indian village, and 
 in the midst of which was a rude fortification, 
 consisting of low earthworks, with stockades 
 constructed of cottonwood poles, and known as 
 Le Fort des Miames. About one league below 
 Buffalo Rock, on the opposite side of the river, 
 is Le Rocher, rising from the water's edge like a 
 castle wall, to the hight of one hundred and fifty 
 feet, and can be ascended at only one point. On 
 this rock, says Charlevoix, La Salle built a fort, 
 and part of its palisades were still standing. The 
 block-house, store-house and dwellings had been 
 burned by the Indians, and everything about the 
 fort was in ruins, although it had been occupied 
 by his countrymen only three years before.* 
 
 *A more romantic place for building a fort could not be found 
 in the western country, and for natural defenses or picturesque 
 appearance, it is without a parallel in history. The many re- 
 markable events connected with this old relic of antiquity, if 
 correctly given, would riVal the works of fiction, surpassing 
 even the wild romances of feudal times. 
 
 The river at this point assumes a new character no longer a 
 duU, sluggish stream but is wide, shallow and rapid, and its 
 broad channel divided by many beautiful islands. Some of 
 these islands are now under cultivation, while others are cov- 
 ered with forest trees, the tall cottonwood and out-spreading 
 elms adding beauty and romance to the surrounding scenery. 
 
 Some of these islands in the river, together with the land on 
 which Starved Bock stands, belongs to Col. D. F. Hitt, of Ottawa, 
 who entered it nearly forty years ago.
 
 FORT ST. LOUIS, BOCK FOKT AND LE ROCHEB. 87 
 
 In the spring of 1680, while La Salle with two 
 companions were on their way from Fort Creve 
 Ceour to Canada, they stopped at Starved Hock, 
 and their account of it is the first given in history. 
 While they were rowing their canoe up the rapid 
 stream, they noticed on the right shore a remark- 
 able cliff of rocks, rising from the water's edge 
 and towering ahove the forest trees. Landing 
 from their canoes they ascended this rock, and 
 found it to be a natural fortress, where but little 
 labor would be required to make it impregnable, 
 so that a few soldiers could hold it against a host 
 of savages. 
 
 "When La Salle arrived in Canada he sent word 
 to Tonti to fortify this rock on the Illinois river 
 and make it his stronghold, as it was more desira- 
 ble than Fort Creve Ceour. Although circum- 
 stances prevented Tonti from obeying the orders 
 of his superior, nevertheless a fort was built here 
 two years afterwards, and around it clustered the 
 first colony in the Mississippi valley. 
 
 In the fall of 1682 La Salle, with about forty 
 soldiers under his command, commenced building 
 a fort on the summit of Starved Rock. The 
 place of ascending the rock was improved by 
 breaking off projecting crags and cutting steps 
 in the steep pathway. The stunted cedars which 
 crowned the summit were cut away to make room
 
 88 FBENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 for a fortification, and the margin of the rock for 
 about two-thirds of its circumference was encir- 
 cled by earthworks. Timbers were cut on the 
 river bottom below, and by hand dragged up. the 
 stair-like pathway to build a block-house, a store- 
 house and dwellings, and protect a large portion 
 of the summit with palisades. A platform was 
 built on the trunks of two leading cedars that 
 stood on the margin of the cliff, and on which a 
 windlass was placed to draw water out of the 
 river for supplying the garrison. All the arms, 
 stores, &c., belonging to the French were carried 
 here and placed within the stockades, and the 
 small cannon, which they had brought in a canoe 
 from Canada, was mounted upon the ramparts. 
 
 "When the fort was completed the French flag 
 was swung to the breeze, the cannon fired three 
 salutes in honor of Louis XIV, and the soldiers 
 shouted Vive le roi. 
 
 The fort was named St. Louis or Rock Fort, 
 and in dedicating it Father Zenobe called on the 
 Yirgin to bless it, to keep it in the true faith, and 
 protect it from the enemies of the cross. 
 
 From the wooden ramparts of St. Louis, which 
 were as high and almost as inaccessible as an 
 eagle's nest, the French could look down on the 
 Indian town below, and also on the great meadow 
 which lay spread out before them like a map.
 
 TRADE WITH THE INDIANS. 89 
 
 Two years before, this meadow was a scene of 
 carnage a waste of death and desolation, black- 
 ened by fire and strewn with the ghastly remains 
 of the slain in an Iroquois victory but things 
 were now changed ; Indians to the number of six 
 thousand had returned, and the river bank for a 
 mile in extent was covered with lodges. Indians 
 from the neighboring villages came here to trade, 
 bringing with them venison, buffalo meat, furs, 
 &c., to exchange for goods. At one time there 
 were encamped around the fort not less than 
 twenty thousand Indians, who came here to trade 
 and seek protection from their much dreaded en- 
 emies the Iroquois. 
 
 La Salle being now established within his 
 stockades, turned his attention to trading with the 
 Indians, supplying them with goods and taking 
 furs in exchange. Emigrants from Canada came 
 here and settled near the fort, many of whom 
 were engaged in trade with the Indians. Some 
 of these adventurers married squaws, lived in the 
 village with the Indians and adopted their dress, 
 habits and customs. The colony was named 
 Louisiana, in honor of the king of France, and 
 according to a map drawn at that time it included 
 within its boundaries all the Mississippi valley. 
 This vast territory La Salle claimed dominion 
 over by virtue of his patent, and he commenced
 
 90 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS BIVEK. 
 
 dividing it out to his friends, by giving them 
 permits to trade with the Indians. He author- 
 ized Richard Boslej to establish a trading post at 
 Cahokia, and Phillip De Beuro one at Green Bay, 
 but compelling them to pay a royalty to him on 
 all goods sold and furs bought. 
 
 TRADE WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 As soon as a trading post was established at 
 Fort St. Louis, Indians from different parts of the 
 country came hither to exchange furs and pelts 
 for goods, which was done at large profit to the 
 traders. Tomahawks, knives, &c., made of flint 
 were superseded by those of steel ; blankets, as 
 wearing apparel, took the place of the heavy buf- 
 falo robe, and to the same extent guns superseded 
 bows and arrows. A blanket worth three dollars 
 in Quebec, would bring one hundred dollars in 
 furs, and a tomahawk that cost fifty cents would 
 sell for twenty dollars among the Indians. 
 
 Two years after Fort St. Louis was built, La 
 Salle, leaving Tonti in command, returned to 
 Canada, and from thence sailed to France. Being 
 assisted by the court of France, he on the follow- 
 ing year, with three ships loaded with emigrants, 
 sailed to the Gulf of Mexico for the purpose of 
 establishing a colony at the mouth of the Missis-
 
 FLIGHT OF INDIANS AND ATTACK OF FORT. 91 
 
 sippi river. This enterprise failed, and La Salle 
 was assassinated by some of his own men while 
 on his way to Illinois* 
 
 Although La Salle was dead his colony on the 
 Illinois river continued to flourish, and the fur 
 trade became a source of great wealth. For 
 eighteen years this trade was conducted by Tonti 
 and La Frost, the former living at St. Louis, and 
 the latter in Canada. Furs were sent east in 
 canoes, and in a like manner goods for the In- 
 dian trade were brought west. In navigating 
 the lakes a number of canoes were lashed together, 
 and with sails hoisted and oars applied, they 
 would coast along the shore. The connection 
 between the lake and Illinois river was effected 
 by crossing the portage through Mud lake, be- 
 tween Chicago and Des Plains river, f 
 
 FLIGHT OF INDIANS AND ATTACK OF FORT. 
 
 Two years after building Fort St. Louis, it was 
 attacked by a large body of the Iroquois Indians, 
 
 *In the summer of 1686, Tonti, at his own expense, with forty 
 men in canoes, descended the river to the Gulf of Mexico, in 
 search of La Salle, but did not succeed in finding him. Again 
 in 1689 he made a like tour in search of the remnant of the 
 colony, and for the purpose of finding the bones of the great 
 explorer in order to carry them back with him ; but this expe- 
 dition, like the other, proved a failure. 
 
 tThis passage from the Illinois river to Lake Michigan, was 
 known by the Indians long before the French came to the
 
 92 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 who held it in siege six days. Tonti was in com- 
 mand of the fort, which contained at the time 
 fifty French soldiers, and about one hundred 
 Indian allies, and with this small force put the 
 besiegers to flight. 
 
 It was a bright clear day in the latter part of 
 May, and the great meadow was green with grass, 
 intermixed with flowers of various hues ; the 
 
 country, and it was used by the American pioneers in the early 
 settlement of the west. 
 
 In the spring of 1826, John Hamlin, a trader at Peoria, having 
 on hand about one hundred barrels of pork, which he had re- 
 ceived from settlers in exchange for goods, conceived a novel 
 idea of shipping it to Fort Dearborn, (now Chicago), where a 
 good price could be obtained. He hired a keel boat which had 
 brought emigrants to Peoria, loaded it with pork, and started 
 it up the river in charge of three boatmen. On the following 
 day Mr. Hamlin, accompanied by Elder Walker and Joseph 
 Smith (Dad Joe) started for Fort Dearborn in a small Mackinaw 
 boat loaded with furs. The wind being from the south, with 
 all the sails hoisted the boat went up the river at the rate of ten 
 miles per hour, and overtook the keel boat near the mouth of 
 Bureau creek. 
 
 On reaching the rapids it was found impossible to get the 
 loaded keel boat up the strong current, so it was unloaded and 
 taken up empty, and the pork carried up with many loads of 
 the Mackinaw boat. When above the rapids the pork was 
 again loaded into the keel boat, and she continued on her way 
 toward the lake. 
 
 At the mouth of Des Plains river the keel boat was unloaded 
 and sent back to Peoria, while the Mackinaw boat continued 
 on her way to Fort Dearborn. After unloading the furs the 
 Mackinaw boat returned to the mouth of Des Plains, and at 
 different loads carried the pork through to the fort. 
 
 The Mackinaw boat, when heavily loaded, drew three feet and 
 a hal^ of water, but the streams being high it passed the portage 
 from Des Plains through Mud lake into Chicago river without 
 getting aground.
 
 FLIGHT OF INDIANS AND ATTACK OF FORT. 93 
 
 trees were in full leaf, and the air was fragrant 
 with blossoms of the wild plurn and crab- 
 apple ; birds were singing among the branches of 
 trees, and squirrels chirping in the thick river 
 timber, while at a distance was heard the sweet 
 notes of the robin and meadow lark. In the 
 shade of the willows and elms on the river bank 
 lay the doe and her fawn, lulled to slumber by 
 the hum of the wild bee and grasshopper. 
 
 All was quiet at Fort St. Louis, and the inmates 
 were delighted with the beauty of the surround- 
 ing scenery. To the west, in plain view, lay the 
 great town of La Vantum, with its many hundred 
 lodges built along the bank of the river, and 
 around which were collected thousands of human 
 beings. On the race track, above the town, war- 
 riors mounted on ponies were practicing horse- 
 manship, while far in the distance squa'ws were 
 seen engaged in planting corn or gathering greens 
 for their family meal. 
 
 It was Sabbath morning, the fourth after 
 Easter; all the inmates of Fort St. Louis were 
 dressed in their best apparel, and seated under 
 the shade of cedars, awaiting religious services. 
 Father Zenobe, dressed in his long black robe, 
 with a large gold cross hanging from his neck, 
 was about to commence services, when a lone 
 Indian was seen on the bottom prairie going west-
 
 94 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 ward, and urging his pony forward at the top of 
 its speed. 
 
 Father Zenobe after concluding his sermon, 
 was about -to administer the sacrament, when the 
 sentinel at the gate fired his gun to give an alarm. 
 At this signal the meeting broke up, and every 
 one ran to his post, thinking that the fort was 
 about to be attacked. On looking in the direc- 
 tion of the town everything appeared in commo- 
 tion. "Warriors mounted on ponies were riding 
 back and forth at full gallop, squaws and pap- 
 pooses running hither and thither in wild con- 
 fusion ; drums beating, warriors yelling, while the 
 cries and lamentations of the frightened people 
 could be heard even at the fort. Tonti, with three 
 companions, came down from the fort, boarded a 
 canoe, and with all haste proceeded down 'the 
 river to ascertain the cause of this excitement, 
 and upon his arrival the mystery was explained. 
 
 A scout had arrived with the intelligence that 
 a large body of Iroquois were only ten leagues 
 distant and marching on the town. The tragedy 
 of four years previous was fresh in their minds, 
 and fearing a like result caused them to go wild 
 with terror. The chiefs and warriors collected 
 around Tonti, beseeching him to protect them 
 from the scalping knives and tomahawks of their 
 enemies, in accordance with La Salle's promise.
 
 PLIGHT OF INDIANS AND ATTACK OF FOET. 95 
 
 Tonti in reply said that his force was not sufficient 
 to afford them protection, but advised them to 
 collect their warriors and defend the town. The 
 French, who lived in the town with their wives 
 and a few Indian friends, fled to the fort for secu- 
 rity, but the warriors, being seized with a panic 
 and fearing another massacre, in great haste fled, 
 some going down the river in canoes, while 
 others mounted their ponies and galloped west- 
 ward across the country. Soon after their 
 departure the invaders came, two thousand strong, 
 but they found a barren victory, as not one living 
 soul was left in La Van turn. 
 
 "When the Iroquois found their intended vic- 
 tims had fled, they attacked the fort and held it 
 in siege six days. For a number of days the Indians 
 continued to fire on the fort from a neighboring 
 cliff, but without producing any effect. The fort 
 not returning the fire, emboldened the assailants, 
 and each day they came closer, and occupied the 
 timber near the base of the rock, with the inten- 
 tion, no doubt, of making an assault. But when 
 they were in close range, the guns were brought 
 to bear on them, and they received the fire of 
 both muskets and cannon. Many were killed, 
 others wounded, while the survivors, being 
 stricken with a panic, fled in great haste, leaving 
 their dead and wounded behind. 
 F
 
 96 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 No Iroquois Indians were ever seen in that 
 vicinity afterwards, and they never made another 
 raid on the Illinoians. 
 
 For many days after the Indians were repulsed, 
 the French remained within their fortifications, 
 and did not venture down from the rock until 
 convinced that the enemy had left the country.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 RETURN OF THE VICTORIOUS ARMY. 
 
 In the year 1687, Tonti with fifty French sol- 
 diers and two hundred Illinois warriors, went to 
 Canada and joined the army of Governor Den- 
 onville, in an expedition against the Indians south 
 of Lake Ontario. Lfenonville's army was victo- 
 rious ; many towns along the Mohawk river were 
 burned and a large number of scalps taken. 
 After this victory, the army returned to Canada 
 where it was disbanded, when Tonti with his 
 soldiers and Indian allies returned to Illinois. 
 On their return they were accompanied by a 
 number of emigrant families, among whom were 
 many women, wives and daughters of traders 
 and soldiers. For weeks the voyageurs in their 
 canoes coasted along the shore of the lakes, and 
 camping at night on its beach without tents to 
 protect them from the inclement weather. On 
 reaching the mouth of Chicago river they ascend- 
 ed it, crossing the portage into Des Plains, and
 
 98 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS RIVfiR. 
 
 soon this large fleet of canoes was sailing down 
 the Illinois river. 
 
 It was a beautiful clear morning in midsum- 
 mer ; the bright silvery rays of the sun reflected 
 from the rippling waters of the river, as it glided 
 swiftly by. The fresh cooling breeze and the 
 songs of the birds added much to the loveliness 
 of the scene. The occupants of Fort St. Louis, 
 after the morning prayer and exhortation by 
 Father Allonez, were collected along the brink of 
 the rock, watching the finny tribe as they sported 
 over the sand and stones in the clear shallow 
 water. While thus engaged they were startled 
 to hear the sound of a bugle up the river, and on 
 looking in that direction were much surprised to 
 see the broad stream covered with canoes, fast 
 approaching the fort. On came this large fleet, 
 with flags flying, drums beating, and the loud 
 cheering of both French and Indians announc- 
 ing the return of Tonti's victorious army. As 
 this fleet of canoes passed swiftly down the rapid 
 current, the cannon on the fort boomed forth loud 
 peals of welcome to returning friends. 
 
 There was great rejoicing at the fort; wives 
 and daughters of soldiers and traders had come 
 thither to join their friends after years of separa- 
 tion, and their meeting was an affecting one. 
 
 On the night following the return of Tonti's
 
 TONTI VISITS THB WINNEBAGO COUNTRY. 99 
 
 army, a wine supper and ball was given in honor 
 of the occasion, and the great hall of the fort 
 rang with songs, jests, music, and other demon- 
 strations of joy. Ladies from the fashionable 
 society of Montreal gave an air of refinement to 
 the ball, and such a gay party was never before 
 witnessed in the wilds of the west. Much wine 
 was drank, music sounded, and the joyous laugh 
 of the dancers rang forth on the clear night air. 
 Father Allonez having spent twenty years among 
 savages in the west, without mingling in refined 
 society, became so overjoyed by the effects of 
 wine and gay party, that his soul was filled with 
 rapture, and as he passed to and fro among the 
 fair ladies, offered to bestow his .blessing upon 
 them. 
 
 While the French at the fort were enjoying 
 themselves, the Indians at La Vantum were also 
 having a gay time in honor of returning friends. 
 Many of their favorite dogs were killed, a feast pre- 
 pared, and they danced around the scalps taken in 
 their late expedition. The sound of their drums 
 and the yells of dancers were heard at the fort, 
 and were responded to by the booming of cannon. 
 
 TONTI VISITS THE WINNEBAGO COUNTRY. 
 
 For a number of years the Winnebagoes of the 
 north had been trespassing on the Illinoians by
 
 100 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 hunting on their lands. During the winter, 
 Winnebago hunters would go to Lake Weno to 
 collect furs ; sometimes visit the Illinois river 
 and kill large quantities of buffalo, and leave their 
 carcasses as food for wolves or to decay upon the 
 prairie. An ill feeling had existed between these 
 tribes for a long time; a number of hunters from 
 each had been killed, and open hostilities were 
 about to commence. The Illinoians were collect- 
 ing their warriors from the different villages for 
 the purpose of invading the enemy's country, 
 while the Winnebagoes were making preparations 
 for a raid on the towns along the Illinois river. 
 
 Tonti, knowing that a war would ruin the fur 
 trade, and perhaps endanger his own fortified 
 position, resolved on a bold scheme to prevent it. 
 Knowing that the "Winnebagoes would collect at 
 their principal town located high up on Rock 
 river, about the middle of September, for the 
 purpose of holding their annual feast, resolved to 
 meet them there with his Illinois allies, and 
 adjust all variances. 
 
 Tonti, with twenty French soldiers and twenty 
 Illinois chiefs, among whom was Chassagoac, the 
 principal chief of the tribe, all mounted on ponies, 
 started for the Winnebago country. On arriving 
 at their principal town where the different bands 
 had assembled, they were received as friends and
 
 TONTI VISITS THE WINNEBAGO COUNTRY 101 
 
 treated with much respect. The chiefs and war- 
 riors collected around the French, most of whom 
 had never looked upon the face of a white man 
 before, artd regarded them as superior beings. 
 The visitors were entertained in the council- 
 house, and feasted on dog meat, honey, and all 
 the delicious food which the country afforded. 
 On the following day after their arrival the chiefs 
 and principal warriors held a religious dance, and 
 the strange performance greatly amused the 
 visitors. 
 
 The dancers were naked and their bodies 
 painted, some with white and others with red or 
 black clay. On the head of each was a wreath 
 of turkey feathers and a pair of deer's horns, 
 causing them to look more like devils than hu- 
 man beings. At the sound of drums, flutes and 
 rattling gourds, the dancing commenced, and con- 
 tinued without cessation until the dancers became 
 exhausted. As the loud strains of music anima- 
 ted the dancers, they would leap, hop, and jump 
 up and down in quick succession, with their 
 mouths open, tongues banging out, and occasion- 
 ally yelling at the top of their voice* 
 
 Peace was made between the tribes, the warn- 
 
 *This remarkable dance of the Winnebagoes is a religious 
 exercise, and only performed at their annual feast. I have 
 witnessed a similar performance among the howling Dervishes 
 in Grand Carlo, Egypt.
 
 102 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS EIVER. 
 
 pum belt exchanged, and as a pledge of good faith 
 the Winnebagoes presented Chassagoac, the head 
 chief, with two of their most beautiful maidens 
 for wivea With these two maidens astride of 
 their ponies, and a great variety of presents, Tonti, 
 with his French companions and Indian allies, 
 returned to Fort St. Louis. 
 
 THE UNSCRUPULOUS PRIEST. 
 
 After the brutal assassination of La Salle in 
 Texas by some of his own men, his brother, 
 Father Cavelier, a Jesuit priest, with five com- 
 panions, started for Fort St. Louis, on the Illinois 
 river. In an old leaky canoe they ascended the 
 Mississippi, passing the mouth of the Ohio and 
 Missouri, and at last reached the placid waters of 
 the Illinois. After two months of hard labor in 
 forcing their frail craft up the swift current of the 
 Father of Waters, annoyed by musquitoes, and 
 suffering from hunger, they at last reached their 
 destination, where they received a hearty wel- 
 come from their countrymen. 
 
 On the 14th day of September, 1688, while 
 rowing their canoe up the rapid current, they 
 saw on the right bank a high rocky cliff, towering 
 above the forest trees, and crowned with palisades. 
 As they drew near, a troop of Indians, headed by 
 a white man in French uniform, descended from
 
 THE UNSCRUPULOUS PRIEST. 103 
 
 the rocky fortress and discharged their guns in 
 honor of their arrival, shouting at the same time, 
 Vive le roi. The voyageurs landed from their 
 canoe, ascended the cliff, and were within the 
 stockades of Fort St. Louis. Here were block 
 and stone houses, a magazine, and a small chapel, 
 as well as many Indian lodges, occupied by the 
 allies of the French. Father Cavelier, on 
 viewing the scene around him, was so overjoyed 
 that he fell on his knees, and with uplifted hands 
 returned thanks to the Holy Virgin for her 
 guardian care in protecting him from evil in his 
 long and dangerous journey. 
 
 At the time Father Cavelier's party arrived at 
 Fort St. Louis, Tonti was absent on a mission of 
 peace in the Winnebago country, but they were 
 kindly received by his lieutenant, Bellefountain. 
 The clothes of the travelers were torn into frag- 
 ments while rambling through the cane-brakes 
 and chaparrel) at the south, so the kind lieuten- 
 ant supplied them with new apparel out of the 
 garrison stores A fine satin robe, with a gold 
 cross and other sacred emblems, had been sent 
 from France a short time before by the bishop of 
 Rouen, to be presented to the most devoted 
 Jesuit in North America. The priests of Quebec 
 awarded this gift to Father Chrisp, who had 
 spent a long life among the Indians of Lake
 
 104 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 Huron, but of late, chaplain at Fort St. Louis. 
 The cloak and gold emblems were sent west, but 
 before they arrived Father Chrisp had died, con- 
 sequently, they remained at the "fort unclaimed. 
 In the presence of all the soldiers, and a large 
 collection of Indians, Bellefountain presented 
 Father Cavelier with these articles, and in return 
 the holy father raised his hands heavenward, in- 
 voking God's blessing on all the occupants of 
 Fort St. Louis. 
 
 When Tonti returned to the Fort, he was sur- 
 prised and much delighted to meet with his 
 countrymen, especially the brother of his esteemed 
 friend, La Salle. On inquiring after the health 
 and prospects of La Salle, the unscrupulous 
 priest replied that he had left him in excellent 
 health and spirits, and his new colony at the 
 mouth of the Mississippi was likely to be a great 
 success. The object of the priest in concealing 
 the death of La Salle, was to use his credit in 
 drawing on Tonti for means to carry him to Can- 
 ada, and from thence to France. Consequently, 
 in his brother's name, he drew on Tonti for four 
 thousand livres worth of furs, which were placed 
 in two canoes, and the party continued on their 
 way toward Canada. On arriving at Quebec, the 
 party sold their furs and with the proceeds of the 
 sale paid their passage to France.
 
 CHA8SAGOAO HIS DEATH AND BURIAL. 105 
 
 The fate of La Salle, and the imposition prac- 
 ticed on Tonti by the hypocritical priest and his 
 companions, was not known at Fort St. Louis 
 until the following year. 
 
 OHASSAGOAC HIS DEATH AND BURIAL. 
 
 For more than fifty years Chassagoac was head 
 chief of the Illinois Indians, and by them he was 
 loved, honored and obeyed. Circumstances caused 
 this chief to figure extensively in history, and by 
 the early French explorers he is represented as a 
 noble specimen of his race. In a letter of Father 
 Zenobe's to a friend at Quebec, the chief is de- 
 scribed as being very large, with high forehead 
 and sharp, expressive eyes. In his nose he wore 
 a large ring made of buffalo horn, and around his 
 ankles were wreaths of small bells constructed of 
 turtle shells, while on his head was a crown of 
 eagle feathers. 
 
 In the gallery of Jesuit collection in the city 
 of Rouen, can now be seen a life-sized portrait of 
 Chassagoac, which shows him to have been a fine 
 specimen of his race, physically as well as men- 
 tall} . "Whether the artist painted this portrait 
 from life or description is not known, but it is a 
 good representation of the person described 'in 
 history. 
 
 Father Hennepin in his journal says, Chassa-
 
 106 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 goac for a time was a true disciple of Christ, but 
 afterwards became a child of perdition, having 
 reference no doubt to his plurality of wives, 
 which practice the priest could not persuade him 
 to give up. On accouut of his Christian faith, 
 and his fidelity to the French colony, the bishop 
 of Rouen sent him many presents, consisting of 
 gold images, crosses, crucifixes, &c. These pres- 
 ents were kept sacred, and no doubt had much to 
 do in strengthening his faith in religion. 
 
 It was a bright day in the latter part of the 
 summer of 1714 all was quite at La Van- 
 turn warriors were fishing along the river bank 
 or engaged in shooting at a mark ; squaws at- 
 tending to their domestic affairs or looking after 
 scores of naked children playing in the dirt. All 
 of a sudden the death-knell was heard, throwing 
 the whole town into confusion, when old and 
 young were seen running hither and thither to 
 learn the cause. The great chief, Chassagoac, in 
 the fullness of his years, had fell dead while 
 standing at the entrance of his lodge. For his 
 death all were in mourning, and the wailing and 
 lamentation of the people were heard at the fort 
 nearly two miles distant. On the following day 
 the French at Fort St. Louis, as well as those 
 belonging to the colony, attended the funeral of 
 the fallen chief and gave him a Christian burial.
 
 CBA88AGOAO SIS DEATH AND BURIAL. 107 
 
 His many wives, children and grandchildren to- 
 gether with all the warriors of the town, blacked 
 their faces, and with loud wailing followed the 
 remains to the grave. Father Felix pronounced 
 absolution over the body, sprinkling it with holy 
 water, according to Jesuit custom, and offered 
 prayers to the Holy Virgin to admit the spirit to 
 the paradise above. 
 
 A grave having been dug' on a gravelly knoll 
 in the rear of the town, the beloved chief, with 
 all the presents given him by the priest, consist- 
 ing of gold and silver crosses, images, crucifixes, 
 &c., were buried with him. A mound was 
 raised over the grave, on which Father Felix 
 erected a large cross bearing a Latin inscription. 
 
 On a knoll immediately back of the old town 
 of Utica, the mound which is supposed to have 
 been raised over Chassagoac is still to be seen, as 
 well as the cavity in the earth near by from 
 which the dirt to erect it was taken. 
 
 About sixty years ago, Waba, a Pottowatomie 
 chief of some note, learning from tradition that 
 valuable trinkets were buried in this mound, 
 opened it and robbed it of its treasure.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 LE FORT DBS MIAMIS. 
 
 In the year 1684, La Barre, Governor of Can- 
 ada, being jealous of La Salle's power and in- 
 fluence, concocted a plan to defeat his enterprise, 
 and thereby appropriate to himself and friends 
 the great wealth to be derived from the fur trade. 
 Under a plea that La Salle had forfeited his 
 charter by granting other parties permits to trade 
 with the Indians, sent an army officer, Captain 
 De Bougis, to Illinois with authority to take com- 
 mand of Fort St. Louis. Tonti being in com- 
 mand of the fort, surrendered it to the usurper, 
 who also took possession of all the goods and furs 
 at the trading post. A few months after Captain 
 De Bougis assumed command, he became con- 
 vinced that he was holding the fort without au- 
 thority, consequently, he gave it up to Tonti and 
 returned to Canada. 
 
 On the following year after De Bougis had re- 
 linquished his command of Fort St. Louis, a tall,
 
 LE FORT DBS MIAMIS. 109 
 
 spare man, calling himself Captain Richard Pi- 
 lette, made his appearance at the garrison. This 
 man had been a captain in the army, but for some 
 cause was dismissed from service, and in order to 
 retrieve his fortune came west. Pilette remained 
 at the fort a number of days without letting his 
 business be known, but when the proper time 
 came he drew from his pocket a commission, un- 
 der the governor's seal, authorizing him to take 
 command. Tonti denied the power of the gov- 
 ernor to appoint a commander, as the fort was 
 private property having been built and main- 
 tained by La Salle at his own expense, in accord- 
 ance with a charter from the King of France. In 
 a pompous manner Pilette proclaimed himself 
 commander of Fort St. Louis by virtue of his 
 commission, and addressing the soldiers in a tone 
 of authority, ordered them to lay hold of Tonti 
 and place him under guard. Without making 
 any reply Tonti, with his iron hand, knocked 
 down the would be commander, and at the same 
 time relieving him of three of his front teeth. 
 .Before the usurper could regain his feet, the 
 soldiers carried him outside of the gateway, set- 
 ting him on the rock, and gave him a start down- 
 wards. The rock being covered with sleet, 
 Pilette could not recover his footing or stop his 
 descent, but in that position slid to the bottom,
 
 110 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 tearing his pantaloons into fragments, and bruising 
 himself on the sharp crags of rocks. 
 
 Captain Pilette, bruised and bleeding, his 
 clothing torn almost oif him while sliding down 
 the rock, made his way to La Vantum, where he 
 found sympathy among his countrymen and their 
 Indian friends. While here he concocted a plan 
 to gain power of the Indians, and secure their 
 trade, in defiance of La Salle's charter and Fort 
 St. Louis. With eighteen Frenchmen and about 
 fifty warriors he went to Buffalo Rock, and on its 
 summit commenced building a fort. Here they 
 built a block -house, a store-house, and surrounded 
 them with earthworks and palisades. Pilette 
 promised the Indians to supply them with goods, 
 war implements, &c., in exchange for furs, and 
 protect them from the Iroquois. Acting upon 
 this promise, a large number of Indians came 
 here and built lodges within the stockades, as well 
 as around it, and in a short time it became a large 
 town. The place took the name of Le Fort des 
 Miamis, and was occupied by the Indians long 
 after the French left the country. The remains 
 of this fort were plain to be seen in the early 
 settlement of the country, and were mistaken for 
 the relics of Fort St. Louis. 
 
 Next year after the fort was built, Captain Pi- 
 lette collected from the Indians two canoe loads
 
 LE FORT DBS MIAMIS. Ill 
 
 of pelts and furs, which he contemplated shipping 
 to Canada, and paying for them in goods on his 
 return. The captain, with three companions, was 
 about to start on this journey, when both French 
 and Indians were collected on the river bank 
 to bid them adieu. But as their canoes were 
 about to leave the shore, Tonti, with a file of 
 armed soldiers, made his appearance and forbid 
 them going until the duty authorized by La 
 Salle's charter was paid. Pilette protested 
 against being- robbed in this way, as he termed it, 
 but knowing that Tonti with his armed soldiers 
 would enforce his demand, consented to pay the 
 tribute. Accordingly the required number of 
 buffalo, beaver and otter skins was counted out, 
 after which the canoes departed on their way 
 
 Pilette married a squaw, raised a large family 
 of half-breed children, to whom he left a large 
 fortune, which he had made in the fur trade. 
 When he died they buried him on Buffalo Rock, 
 and raised a mound over his remains. A short 
 distance from the site of the old fort and town, 
 are a number of small artificial mounds, raised 
 over the remains of distiguished persons. For 
 years these mounds have been plowed over by 
 A. Betger, the owner of the land, but still their 
 outlines are plain to be seen. The largest one of 
 the group, and standing some distance from the 
 
 Q
 
 112 FEENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS RIVEE. 
 
 others, is, in all probability, the one raised over 
 the tomb of Captain Pilette. 
 
 After Pilette's death, his family removed to 
 Peoria Lake, and one of his grandsons, Louis 
 Pilette was a claimant for the land on which 
 Peoria is built. Many of the descendants of this 
 old fur trader are now living on the American 
 Bottom, all of whom show strong marks of In- 
 dian origin. One of these descendants, Hypolite 
 Pilette, a great grandson of the Captain, has in 
 his possession a number of articles which once 
 belonged to his distinguished grandsire. From 
 this man I obtained most of the traditionary 
 account of Le Fort des Miamis, as well as many 
 other facts relating to^the French and Indians of 
 that day. 
 
 STEANGE INDIAN CUSTOMS. 
 
 The Illinois Indians like many of the western 
 tribes, were divided into clans, which were desig- 
 nated by names of animals, such as wolf, bear, 
 buffalo, deer, &c. In the marriage relation these 
 clans were observed and their conditions strictly 
 complied with. A warrior was- not allowed to 
 take a wife of his own clan, but could make his 
 selection from a different one. Thus wolf could 
 not marry wolf, but could marry bear, buffalo or 
 deer.
 
 STRANGE INDIAN CUSTOMS. 113 
 
 The chieftainship was hereditary, but not 
 always in a direct line. Thus, a son of a chief 
 may not inherit his title and authority ; although 
 a reputed heir he may not he a natural one, but 
 the son of the chief's daughter is always preferred, 
 as most likely to be of royal blood. 
 
 The Indians believed that sickness was caused 
 by a demon or evil spirit taking possession of the 
 patient, and the physician, who being a sorcerer, 
 would expel it by charms or incantations. This 
 he would do by songs, beating his drum, yelling 
 at the top of his voice, and sometimes hissing 
 like a serpent. If the case was a bad one, and 
 the demon could not be expelled by mild means, 
 more powerful ones were resorted to. In stub- 
 born cases the physician would beat, choke and 
 pinch his patients, sometimes biting them until 
 the blood would flow ; whoop and yell over him, 
 and rattle tortoise shells in his ears. But if all 
 this failed to drive out the evil spirit, a council of 
 the patient's friends is called, a fire built, and the 
 sick person burned upon it, so the demon might 
 not escape and get into some one else. 
 
 Some of the dead were buried in the ground, 
 while others were wrapped in buffalo robes and 
 placed on scaffolds, out of the reach of wolves. 
 Here the body remained until the flesh decayed, 
 then the bones were taken down and laid away in
 
 114 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 a grave. Sometimes the remains of persons killed 
 in a battle or by accident, were boiled, the flesh 
 taken off and the bones laid away in one corner 
 of the lodge until the time came for a public 
 burial. It was the custom to bury the chiefs in 
 some favorite spot, and raise a mound over them 
 to perpetuate their memory, and on the fifth day 
 of the tenth moon of each year, the warriors with 
 their faces blacked, would meet at the grave and 
 moan over the departed. 
 
 On the prairie near the old town of Utica, some 
 of these mounds are still to be seen, and they 
 have been noticed near the site of other Indian 
 villages of the west. 
 
 Infants after death were wrapped in a deer 
 skin, placed in a trough covered with bark and 
 hung to the limb of a tree, where they were left to 
 be swung back and forth by the wind. For 
 many days after the death of an infant, the be- 
 reaved mother would go at sunset and seat herself 
 at the root of the tree, and for hours at a time, 
 sing to the sleeping babe, sweet lullaby. 
 
 MANIT08 AND BARSES. 
 
 The Illinois Indians believed in a great spirit 
 called Manito, ihat lived in the skies and governed 
 heaven and earth. Besides this great spirit, there 
 were many smaller ones, that resided in rocks or
 
 MANITOS AND BARSES. 115 
 
 caves of the earth, and would appear in the form 
 of a fairy or a big white bird ; sometimes as a 
 rabbit or fawn. Great efforts were made by both 
 old and young to keep on good terms with these 
 good spirits, as they protected them from the 
 evil ones. 
 
 Young warriors at the age of fifteen would 
 paint their faces, cover their heads with an elk or 
 coon skin, and retire to a lonely place where they 
 would remain two days and nights, fasting and 
 praying for the manifestations of their Manito, 
 which was sure to appear to them in a dream. 
 Sometimes this spirit would appear to them in 
 the form of a bird, a rabbit, antelope, or buffalo, 
 and follow them through life, acting as a guardian 
 angel, protecting them from the powers of the 
 evil one. In whatever form the good spirit man- 
 ifested itself, must be represented by a corres- 
 ponding idol, which is carried with them at all 
 times. When starting on the war-path, each 
 warrior puts his protector, called Totem, which is 
 generally a skin of a snake, a tail of a buffalo, a 
 horn of a deer, claw of a coon, or the head of an 
 oa^le, into a medicine bag. This medicine bag is 
 carried by a priest or medicine man, who leads 
 the way, and the warriors follow after him in 
 single file. 
 
 The Indians believed in many evil spirits, some
 
 116 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS KIVEB. 
 
 ' of large and others of small magnitude. These 
 spirits or demons, called barses, were all the while 
 roaming through the earth in search of prey, at- 
 tacking and destroying all persons unprotected 
 by a good spirit. The smaller ones would fre- 
 quently appear in the form of a serpent, a turtle, 
 or a wolf, but the larger ones, whose size exceeds 
 that of a horse or buffalo, with a long tail and 
 cloven feet, and whose roar during a thunder 
 storm could be heard miles away, and would at- 
 tack and destroy all persons unprotected. 
 
 About two miles south of La Vantum, in the 
 thick timber of the Big Yermillion, is a singular 
 rocky chasm or canon, extending from the creek 
 about eighty rods back into the bluff, and now 
 known as Deer Park. At the upper end of this 
 canon is a waterfall, caused by a small stream 
 falling from the projecting rock. Under this 
 waterfall was once a large cavern, but long since 
 closed up by the settling of the rock, and at pres- 
 ent scarcely perceptible. According to Indian 
 tradition, in this rocky cavern once lived a great 
 demon in the form of a buffalo, with immense 
 horns that folded up on his back, and a tail of 
 great length which he would swing to and fro 
 over his body. This great demon or barse was 
 frequently seen by the Indians during the night, 
 while passing to and from his den, and for many
 
 CHRISTIANIZING THE INDIANS. 117 
 
 years no one would go into Vermillion timber to 
 hunt for fear of being devoured by him. 
 
 During the dead hours of the night, while the 
 wind blew and thunder roared, this demon could 
 be heard howling round the town. At one time 
 he produced frost in midsummer, which destroyed 
 all the corn, and at other times knocked it all 
 down with the force of his breath. 
 
 During the dead hours of night, this evil spirit 
 would assume the form of a man, enter lodges 
 while all were alseep, and breathe poison into the 
 nostrils of the sleepers, causing many to sicken 
 and die. Sometimes he would steal unborn in- 
 fants from their mother's womb, and by him 
 young maidens were robbed of their virtue. 
 
 CHRISTIANIZING THE INDIANS. 
 
 The Jesuits of North America, whose head- 
 quarters was in Quebec, made great efforts to 
 Christianize the Illinois Indians, and for that pur- 
 pose many missionaries were sent west, who car- 
 ried with them gold and silver emblems of their 
 religion. These missionaries abandoned all the 
 comforts of civilization, and spent their days in 
 wigwams with the wild sons of the forest, all for 
 the glory and honor of the Redeemer. But all 
 their labors availed nothing, as the Indians con- 
 tormed to the modes of Christian worship only
 
 118 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 for the gifts they expected to receive. Many 
 made an open profession of Christianity, observed 
 its form, but in fact still retained their own prin- 
 ciples of religion. The Jesuits were zealous in 
 their work of proselyting, impressing on the 
 minds of the Indians, that without Christian bap- 
 tism they would be cast into a lake which burneth 
 with fire and brimstone. But the Indians had 
 been taught from their infancy, that when over- 
 taken by death they would be conducted by a 
 good spirit to the happy hunting grounds, to join 
 their friends who had gone before them, and their 
 early convictions the priest could not remove. 
 
 All those who were baptized the priest pro- 
 nounced saved from perdition, and their names 
 were enrolled in the great book of the church. 
 They counted the conversions by the number of 
 baptisms, when in fact it had but little to do with 
 it, as many were willing to be baptized every day 
 in the week for a pint of whisky or a pound of 
 tobacco. 
 
 The medals, crosses and crucifixes which the 
 Jesuits gave the warriors, pleased their fancy, as 
 they were fond of adorning their person with 
 glittering trinkets. And with these representa- 
 tions of man's salvation suspended from their 
 necks, they would remain heathens still. In ad- 
 dition to decorating their persons with tokens of
 
 CHRISTIANIZING THE INDIANS. 119 
 
 Christianity, many of the warriors wore necklaces 
 made of dried fingers taken from an enemy, whom 
 they had slain in battle. The former represent- 
 ed their religion, and the latter their patriotism. 
 Marquette appears to have been an exception 
 to all other Jesuits who labored for the conversion 
 of the Indians. While others failed, his efforts 
 were crowned with success, and he made many 
 converts wherever he went. Long after his death 
 his memory was held sacred, aud the places which 
 he visited hallowed by posterity.
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE LAST OF TONTI. 
 
 For a period of fifteen years after the death of 
 La Salle, the trade with the Illinois Indians was 
 carried on by Tonti and La Frost, under special 
 charter from the king of France. La Frost spent 
 most of his time in Canada, while Tonti remained 
 at Fort St. Louis, shipping each year a large 
 quantity of furs, and receiving goods in exchange. 
 In the year 1702, the Governor of Canada, claim- 
 ing that these traders had forfeited their charter 
 by collecting furs at various points on Lake Mich- 
 igan, and by military force he took possession of 
 Fort St. Louis, confiscating to the government all 
 
 / O O 
 
 their stock in trade. By this act of injustice 
 Tonti was not only disgraced by the arbitrary 
 power of the governor, but was ruined in fortune. 
 Calling his friends together, he took leave of them, 
 saying that he was about to depart from the 
 country never to return. Both French and In- 
 dians collected around Tonti, beseeching him to
 
 THE LAST OF TONTI. 121 
 
 remain with them, but he had resolved to do 
 otherwise, and with tears in their eyes he bade 
 them adieu. Accompanied by two companions, 
 he boarded a canoe and started down the river in 
 search of new adventures. 
 
 On reaching the lower Mississippi, Tonti joined 
 D'Iberville, and assisted him in establishing a 
 colony in that country. For sixteen years he re- 
 mained south, part of the time entrusted with 
 important missions, but when the colony was 
 broken up by sickness and Spanish invasion, he 
 became an outcast and a wanderer. Broken 
 down in health, and feeling that his end was nigh, 
 he employed two Indians to take him to Fort St. 
 Louis, so he could once more look upon the scene 
 of his vigor and manhood, and leave his bones 
 among the people by whom he had long been 
 honored and obeyed. 
 
 It was a warm afternoon in the early part of 
 August, 1718, when the occupants of Fort St. 
 Louis were lounging around the palisades, under 
 the shade of evergreens, some sleeping and others 
 engaged in games of dice and checkers, when 
 they discovered a canoe coming up the river 
 rowed by two Indians. In the bottom of the 
 canoe lay a man on a buffalo robe, but as they 
 came nigh the fort he raised himself into a sitting 
 position, and gazed wildly around him. The
 
 122 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 canoe landed at the base of the rock, and the 
 Indians dragged it on shore to prevent its being 
 carried away by the current. After securing their 
 canoe they commenced 'ascending Starved Rock, 
 when their strange appearance caused many con- 
 jectures among the inmates of the fort. Between 
 the two Indians was a feeble old man, whom the 
 conductors held by each arm, and were slowly 
 assisting him up the rocky pathway. On reach- 
 ing the fort at the summit of the rock, the old 
 man was placed on a bunk, where he lay for some 
 time unable to speak, being exhausted by the 
 fatigue of the journey. After taking some stim- 
 ulants his energies revived, and he inquired of 
 those around him who commanded the fort. On 
 being told it was Captain La Mott, he gave a 
 heavy sigh, saying that La Mott was a usurper, 
 and he the rightful commander. The people 
 thought him crazy or his mind wandering, and 
 they bathed his head with cold water. When 
 sufficiently recovered from exhaustion, he told 
 them that he was Tonti, and come here to die. 
 The old man's statements, although at first dis- 
 credited by most of those present, created much 
 excitement among the soldiers, but when con- 
 vinced of its truthfulness, one after another came 
 forward and embraced him. 
 
 Sixteen years had made a great change in the
 
 FORT BUENED COLONY BEOKEN UP. 123 
 
 appearance of Tonti, and he was scarcely recog- 
 nized by his most intimate friends. His tall 
 manly form was bent by disease, his piercing 
 black eyes were dimmed with age, and his raven 
 black hair was now white as snow. 
 
 News of Tonti's arrival at Fort St. Louis spread 
 throughout the country, and the French, half- 
 breeds and Indians at the different villages came 
 to see him. But, alas, those who had known him 
 while in the vigor of manhood, could scarcely 
 be convinced that the feeble old man that they 
 now beheld was once the proud, brave and fear- 
 less Tonti of former years. 
 
 A few days after Tonti arrived at the tort he 
 took the sacrament at the hands of a priest, and 
 while looking upon a gold crucifix which was 
 held before his face, he breathed his last. A grave 
 was dug on the river bank, close to the west end 
 of Starved Rock, in which his remains found a 
 long resting place. 
 
 For many years after Tonti's death, both French 
 and Indians while passing up and down the river 
 would stop to visit his grave, and sometimes place 
 upon it flowers or mementoes in memory of him 
 who sleeps beneath. 
 
 FOET ST. LOUIS BUENED AND COLONY BEOKEN UP. 
 
 So long as the fur trade was conducted by Tonti
 
 124 FEENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS KIVEB. 
 
 and La Frost, the Indians were well pleased with 
 their manner of doing business, but when it came 
 under the supervision of the Governor of Canada, 
 a new order of things was introduced, which 
 caused much dissatisfaction. The governor ap- 
 pointed unscrupulous agents to conduct the trade, 
 who swindled the Indians by selling them worth- 
 less articles, such as counterfeit jewelry, knives, 
 tomahawks, &c., made of pot-metal. These 
 traders paid the government a certain duty on all 
 pelts shipped to Canada, and no one was allowed 
 to trade with the Indians unless authorized to do 
 so by the governor. The duty consisted of a 
 certain number of skins out of each cargo, which 
 the traders compelled the Indians to furnish, 
 otherwise their value was deducted on making 
 payment. The Indians being imposed upon by 
 these swindlers, an unfriendly feeling sprung up 
 up between them. 
 
 There were other causes of ill feeling between 
 the French and Indians, among which was the 
 marriage relation. A Frenchman having married 
 a young squaw would put her away as soon as he 
 found another one more attractive, thus changing 
 his wife at will according to his fancy. Although 
 the priests would not tolerate bigamy among their 
 countrymen, yet they were willing to accept a 
 marriage fee once a month, twice a week, or as
 
 FORT BURNED COLONY BROKEN UP. 125 
 
 often as the applicant desired a new wife. The 
 young squaws were fond of beads, rings and other 
 trinkets, with which they would adorn their per- 
 sons, and the one giving them the most presents 
 they were willing to marry. It was the hight of 
 their ambition to marry a white man, notwith- 
 standing they were liable to be put away at any 
 time, if their lord found one more attractive than 
 themselves. 
 
 Under the Indian code of morals, a. squaw, if 
 found unchaste, was punished by cutting off one 
 ear or branded on the forehead, but there was no 
 law to prevent them marrying every day in the 
 week, or as often as an opportunity occurred. 
 
 Captain La Mott was now in command of the 
 fort, and being a man fond of pleasure, and de- 
 void of conscientious scruples, converted it into 
 a regular harem, in^open violation of both the 
 French and Indian code of morals. Young In- 
 dian maidens were in the habit of spending their 
 nights at the fort, under the pretext of being mar- 
 ried to soldiers, returning home in the morning 
 with their heads^adorned with worthless trinkets, 
 and their minds poisoned by vile associations. 
 The^ squaws became so facinated with the French 
 that many refused to marry among their own peo- 
 ple, and had come to the conclusion that their 
 children were not worth raising, unless they had
 
 126 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 French blood in their veins. Things had come 
 to such a state in their social relations, that the 
 head chief, Jero, called a council of chiefs and 
 warriors, and at which it was agreed to expel the 
 French from among them. 
 
 On a warm morning in the latter part of the 
 summer of 1718, while most of the occupants of 
 Fort St. Louis, after a night of revelry and de- 
 hauchery, were still asleep in their bunks, when 
 suddenly aroused by the presence of the 
 avengers. Captain La Mott, awakening from 
 his morning nap, was astonished on being con- 
 fronted by about three hundred warriors, armed 
 and painted as for war. The Captain inquired 
 the object of their visit, when Jero, the head chief, 
 informed him that they were here to destroy the 
 fort. The chief ordered the warriors to fire the 
 buildings, and in a few moments the block-house, 
 store-house and dwellings were in flames, all of 
 which were burned to the ground. Thus Fort 
 St. Louis was destroyed, after standing thirty -six 
 years, and being the head-center of the French 
 settlement in Illinois. 
 
 On the destruction of the fort the colony was 
 broken up ^ some of the traders returned to Can- 
 ada, others to the French settlement at Cahokia, 
 but the greater portion to Peoria Lake, where a 
 colony had been established seven years before.
 
 RELICS OF FORT ST. LOUI8. 127 
 
 Three years after the burning of Fort St. Louis, 
 Charlevoix visited Illinois, and found the palis- 
 ades still standing. No Frenchmen lived here 
 at that time, but in the great town near by were 
 seen scores of half-breed children. 
 
 Some years ago Gen. Cass brought from France 
 a manuscript, dated 1726, and relates to western 
 Indians. It speaks of a war existing between 
 the Illinoians and Sacs, and Foxes, of Green Bay. 
 It also refers to. M. De Siette, commander in 
 Illinois, and of the propriety of calling a council 
 at Chicago, or at the Rock, undoubtedly meaning 
 Starved Rock. 
 
 RELICS OF FORT ST. LOUIS. 
 
 In the summer of 1805, a party at Kaskaskia, 
 learning from tradition that a large amount of gold 
 had been buried within the stockades of Fort St. 
 Louis, went in search of it. At that time the 
 location of Fort St. Louis was unknown. His- 
 tory and tradition alike failed to point it out; 
 but they knew it was on a rock washed by the 
 rapid current of the Illinois, and a short distance 
 above the great bend in the river. On Buffalo 
 Rock they found as they supposed relics of the 
 fort, and here they spent a number of days in 
 searching for the hidden treasure. But finding 
 
 H
 
 128 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 nothing, they returned home and published an 
 account of their expedition in the newspapers of 
 that day. In this account they describe the re- 
 mains of the fort on a large rock, located on the 
 north side of the river, and from that time for- 
 ward it was conceded that Fort St. Louis was 
 built on Buffalo Rock. 
 
 It has already been shown that Buffalo Rock did 
 not answer the description of the place spoken of in 
 history, but the natural advantages between these 
 two rocks for a fortification, could not escape the 
 observation of a man with La Salle's shrewdness. 
 Buffalo Rock contains on its summit several 
 hundred acres of land, is only about sixty feet 
 high, and accessible at various points, consequent- 
 ly it would require a large force to hold a fort 
 thus located. Whereas, Starved Rock is one 
 hundred and thirty-six feet high, contains on its 
 summit less than one acre, can only be reached at 
 one point, which makes it a natural fortress, where 
 but little labor would be required to make it 
 impregnable, so that a few soldiers could hold it 
 against all the savages of the west. 
 
 Immediately south of Starved Rock, and about 
 one hundred and fifty yards distant, is a high cliff 
 of rocks, isolated from the neighboring cliffs, and 
 known as Devil's Nose. Eastward, across a chasm 
 two hundred and fifty yards in width, and covered
 
 RELICS OF FORT ST. LOUIS. 129 
 
 with a thick growth of timber, is another rocky 
 cliff of equal hight. This cliff rises almost per- 
 pendicularly from the water's edge, connecting 
 with the main bluff, and from an old Indian 
 legend is called Maiden's Leap. These two cliffs 
 are almost as high as Starved Rock, and if occu- 
 pied by the assailants would be within gunshot 
 of the fort. Therefore, it became necessary to 
 protect the sides next to them with earthworks 
 and palisades. The earthworks on the sides next 
 to these cliffs, enclosing almost two-thirds of the 
 circumference of the rock, are still to be seen, 
 leaving that next to the river without any protec- 
 tion whatever, as none were here needed. These 
 works commence at the western angle, following 
 the margin of the rock (which is of a circular 
 form) to the extreme east, leaving an open gate- 
 way on the south, where the path ascends the 
 rock, and is one hundred and twenty-two yards 
 in length. On the south side of the rock and all 
 along the earthworks, which are now covered 
 with small trees and stunted evergreens, are many 
 pit-holes, two of which are very large. It is 
 quite probable that one of these was the maga- 
 zine of the garrison, and the other a cellar of 
 the store-house. The smaller pit-holes, which 
 are seen here and there among the bushes, 
 according to tradition, were dug forty-seven years
 
 130 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS KIVEB. 
 
 after Fort St. Louis was destroyed, and under the 
 following circumstances : 
 
 When the Governor of Canada took possession 
 of Fort St. Louis, all the goods and furs belonging 
 to the traders were confiscated to the government 
 and report says divided between the governor and 
 his friends. Tonti, having at the time, in his 
 possession a large amount of gold, dug a hole 
 within the stockades and buried it to prevent its 
 falling into the hands of the governor. Sixteen 
 years afterwards, as Tonti was about breathing 
 his last, he told a priest who was holding a gold 
 crucifix before his face, about the gold being 
 buried within the fort. The priest kept the matter 
 a secret, waiting for an opportunity to resurrect 
 the gold, but soon after he was drowned in the 
 river by the upsetting of a canoe. The fort was 
 also burned and the French driven away, as pre- 
 viously stated. 
 
 In the summer of 1765, forty-seven years after 
 Fort St. Louis was abandoned, a party of French 
 at Peoria, among whom "were Captain De Fond 
 and Father Buche, believing the story about gold 
 being buried in the fort, came up the river in 
 search of it. They encamped at the base of 
 Starved Rock, and spent many days in digging 
 on its summit. No gold was found, but in a vault 
 near where *the store-house had stood, they found
 
 RELICS OF FORT 8T. LOUIS. 131 
 
 * 
 
 a large number of articles designed for the Indian 
 trade, consisting of tomahawks, knives, beads, 
 guns and other articles. The digging for gold on 
 Starved Rock accounts for the many pit-holes 
 now to be seen. 
 
 This account of searching for gold is given in 
 Father Bnche's manuscript, now in possession of 
 Hypolite Pilette, and from which many extracts 
 are taken. Said he, "We had spent five days in 
 digging pit-holes on the summit of Le Rocher, 
 and found a large quantity of articles which 
 were intended for the Indian trade, but the 
 precious metal the object of our search we 
 found none. On the last day of our stay we dug 
 a hole close to the old earthwork, and continued 
 working until it was quite dark, when the devil 
 appeared to us in the form of a huge bear. On 
 seeing this monster we dropped our tools and 
 hurried down from the rock, put our camp kit in 
 the canoe and started down the river." 
 
 This story of gold being buried within the 
 stockades of Fort St. Louis, is also among the 
 Indian traditions, and some years ago a party of 
 Pot^'iwatomies from Western Kansas came here 
 to search for it. People told them that Fort St. 
 Louis was built on Buffalo Rock, and on it they 
 dug a number of pit-holes, but finding nothing 
 they returned to their homes.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 FRENCH SETTLEMENT AT PEOKIA. 
 
 At what time the French commenced a settle- 
 ment at Peoria,has long been a controverted point 
 on which history and tradition are alike defective. 
 Some believe it commenced when La Salle built 
 Fort Creve Ceour, in the year 1680, and from 
 that time people continued to reside here. Others 
 fix the permanent settlement of the place about 
 the year 1760 ; but from an old letter in the pos- 
 session of a descendant of an early pioneer, as 
 well as traditionary accounts, it is quite evident 
 that it commenced at an early period. I have 
 given this subject much attention by gathering 
 up scraps of history relating to it, and by con- 
 versing with many .of the descendants of the 
 Peoria French, some of whom trace their genea- 
 logy back to the days of La Salle. By comparing 
 these different accounts it is shown conclusively 
 that the settlement at Peoria commenced in the
 
 FRENCH SETTLEMENT AT PKORIA. 133 
 
 year 1711, and under the following circumstances : 
 In the summer of 1711, Father Marest, a Jesuit 
 priest from Canada, preached to the Indians at 
 Cahokia, and by the force of his eloquence a large 
 number of them were converted to Christianity. 
 Among these converts was a chief named Kolet, 
 from Peoria, who at the time was at Cahokia, 
 visiting friends. The chief prevailed on Father 
 Marest to accompany him home to his village at 
 Peoria Lake, and proclaim salvation to his people. 
 Late in November the priest and chief, accompa- 
 nied by two warriors, started in a bark canoe for 
 Peoria, but after going ten leagues the river froze 
 up, so that further progress by water was out of 
 the question ; therefore the travelers hid their 
 canoe, with most of their baggage, in the thick 
 river timber, and con tinned their journey on foot. 
 For twelve days they waded through snow and 
 water, crossing big prairies and through thick 
 timber, full of briars and thorns. Sometimes 
 crossing marshes and streams where the ice would 
 give way, letting them into water up to their 
 necks. At night they slept on dry grass or leaves, 
 gathered from under the snow, without shelter or 
 anything but their blankets to protect them from 
 the cold winter blast. The provisions for their 
 journey, as well as their bedding, was left with 
 their canoe, consequently they were obliged to
 
 134 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER 
 
 subsist on wild grapes and game killed by the 
 way. After many days of fatigue and exposure, 
 their limbs frost bitten, and their bodies reduced 
 in flesh from starvation, they at last reached 
 the village, and from the native's received a hearty 
 welcome. 
 
 This Indian village (afterwards called Opa by 
 the French) was situated on the west bank of 
 PeoriaLake, one mile and a half above its outlet. 
 On La .Salle's first visit to this place, thirty-one 
 years before, he found here a large town, ^and was 
 cordially received by the head chief, Niconope. 
 This chief had long since been gathered to his 
 fathers, and his place was occcupied by Kolet, 
 above referred to. 
 
 Father Marest found quarters in an Indian 
 lodge, and remained in the village until spring 
 without meeting with one of his countrymen. 
 He preached to the Indians almost daily, many 
 of whom embraced Christianity, and their names 
 were afterwards enrolled in the church book. 
 
 On the following spring the French at Fort St. 
 Louis established a trading post at Peoria Lake, 
 and a number of families came thither from 
 Canada and built cabins in the Indian village. 
 For fifty years the French and half-breeds con- 
 tinued to live in the town with the Indians, and 
 during that period peace and harmony prevailed
 
 LA VILLE DE MALLET. 135 
 
 among them. But in course of time this town 
 was abandoned for one that figured extensively 
 in its day, and known in history as 
 
 LA VILLE DE MAILLET. 
 
 Iii the summer of 1761, Robert Maillet, a 
 trader of Peoria, built a dwelling one mile and a 
 half below the town, near the outlet of the lake, 
 and moved his family thither. Here the land 
 rises gradually from the water's edge until it 
 reaches the high prairie in the rear, forming a 
 beautiful sloping plateau, unequalled by any spot 
 on the Illinois river. This locality for a town 
 was considered preferable to the old one, the 
 ground being dryer, the water better, and it was 
 considered more healthy, consequently, others 
 came and built houses by the side of Maillet' s. 
 The inhabitants gradually deserted the old town 
 for the new one, and within a few years the latter 
 became a place of great importance. No French 
 lived in the old town after the year 1764, but for 
 many years it remained an Indian village, and 
 the houses vacated by the French, were occupied 
 by the natives until they rotted down. 
 
 The new town took the name of La Ville de 
 Maillet (that is Maillet's village), after its proprie- 
 tor, and was in existence fifty-one years. A fort
 
 136 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 was built on high ground, overlooking the lake 
 on one side, and the sloping prairie on the 
 other. This fort consisted of two large block- 
 houses, surrounded by earthworks and palisades, 
 with an open gateway to the south next to the 
 town, and was only intended as a place of retreat 
 in case of trouble with the Indians. The fort was 
 never occupied except a short time by Robert 
 Maillet, who used one of the block-houses for a 
 dwelling, and the other for the sale of goods. 
 Some years afterwards, Maillet left .the fort for a 
 more desirable place of residence and trade, and 
 it remained vacant for many years, the enclosure 
 within the stockades being used by the citizens 
 in common for a cow-yard. 
 
 In 1820 Hypolite Maillet, in testifying in the 
 United States Court, in a suit brought on French 
 claims, said that he was forty-five years old, and 
 was born in a stockade fort which stood near the 
 southern extremity of Peoria Lake. 
 
 In the winter of 1788, a large party of Indians 
 came to Peoria for the purpose of trade, and in 
 accordance with their former practice, took quar- 
 ters in the old fort. They purchased a cask of 
 brandy for the purpose of having a spree. All 
 got drunk, had a war dance, and during their 
 revelry set the block-houses on fire and burned 
 them down.
 
 LA VILLE DE MAILLET. 137 
 
 When the Americans commenced a settlement 
 at Peoria, in the spring of 1819, the outlines of 
 the old French fort were plain to be seen on the 
 high ground, near the lake, and a short distance 
 above the present site of the Chicago and Rock 
 Island depot. The line of earthworks could be 
 traced out by the small embankments, and in some 
 places pieces of pickets were found above ground. 
 Back of the fort was the remains of a blacksmith 
 shop, and near by grew a wild plum tree. This 
 plum tree was dug up by John Brisket, the owner 
 of the land, and under it was fouud a vault con- 
 taining a quanty of old metal, among which were 
 a number of gun-barrels, knives, tomahawks, cop- 
 per and brass trinkets, &c. Among other things 
 found in this vault, were pieces of silver and brass 
 plate for inlaying gun-stocks, ornamenting knife- 
 handles, &c. These things appeared to be the 
 stock in trade of a gunsmith, and for some cause 
 unknown were buried here.* 
 
 According to the statements of Antoine Des 
 Champs, Thomas Forsyth and others, who had 
 long been residents of Peoria previous to its de- 
 struction in 1812, we infer that the town con- 
 tained a large population. It formed a link 
 between the settlements of Kaskaskia, Cahokia 
 and Canada, and being situated in the midst of 
 
 * " Ballance's History of Peoria."
 
 188 FBENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS EIVER. 
 
 an Indian country, caused it to be a great place 
 of fur trade. At one time it contained - about 
 sixty houses, besides many lodges occupied by 
 Indians part of tbe year. The town was built 
 along the beach of the lake, and to each house 
 was attached an out-lot for a garden, which ex- 
 tended back some distance on the prairie. The 
 houses were all constructed of wood, some with 
 frame work and sided up with split timber, while 
 others were built with hewed logs, notched 
 together after the style of a pioneer's cabin. 
 The floors were laid with puncheons, and the 
 chimney built with mud and sticks. 
 
 General Clark conquered Illinois and took pos- 
 session of the settlements at Kaskaskia and Cahokia 
 in 1778, after which he sent three soldiers with 
 two French Creoles, in a canoe to Peoria to no- 
 tify the people that they were no longer under 
 British rule, but citizens of the United States. 
 Among these soldiers was a man named Nicholas 
 Smith, afterwards a resident of Bourbon county, 
 Kentucky, and whose son, Joseph Smith, (Dad 
 Joe) was the among the first American settlers at 
 Peoria. Through this channel we have an 
 account of Peoria as it appeared almost a century 
 ago, and which agrees well with other tradi- 
 tionary accounts. 
 
 Mr. Smith said Peoria, at the time of his visit
 
 FRENCH INHABITANTS AT PEORIA. 139 
 
 was a large town, built along the beach of the 
 lake, with narrow, unpaved streets, and houses 
 constructed of wood. Back of the town were 
 gardens, stock-yards, barns, &c., and among these 
 was a wine press with a large cellar or under- 
 ground vault for storing wine. There was a 
 church with a large wooden cross rising above the 
 roof, and gilt lettering over the door. There was 
 an unoccupied fort on the bank of the lake, and 
 close by it was a wind-mill for grinding grain. 
 The town contained six stores or places of trade, 
 all of which were well tilled with goods for the In- 
 dian market. The inhabitants consisted of French 
 half breeds and Indians, not one of whom could 
 speak or understand English. 
 
 FRENCH INHABITANTS OF PEORIA. 
 
 The inhabitants of Peoria consisted of French 
 Creoles, emigrants from Canada, and half-breeds. 
 Many of them intermarried with the natives, so 
 that their posterity at the present time show strong 
 marks of Indian origin. They were a peaceable, 
 quiet people, ignorant and superstitious, and in- 
 fluenced very much by the priests. They had no 
 public schools, and but few of them except priests 
 and traders, could read or write. Out of eighteen 
 claimants for the land where Peoria stands, all
 
 140 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 but three signed their names with a mark. 
 Among the inhabitants were merchants or traders 
 who made annual trips to Canada in canoes, car- 
 rying thither pelts and furs, and loading back 
 with goods for the Indian market. There were 
 mechanics among them, such as blacksmiths, 
 wagon-makers, carpenters, &c.j and most of the 
 implements used in farming and building were of 
 home manufacture. Although isolated from the 
 civilized world, and surrounded by savages, their 
 standard of morality was high ; theft, murder and 
 robbery was seldom heard of. They were a gay, 
 joyous people, having many social parties, wine 
 suppers and balls ; living in harmony with the 
 Indians, who were their neighbors and friends, 
 and in trading with them they accumulated most 
 of their wealth. 
 
 The French settled at Peoria without a grant 
 or permission from any government, and the title 
 to their lands was 7 derived from possession only. 
 But these titles were valid according to usages, as 
 well as a village ordinance, and lands were bought 
 and sold the same as if patented by government. 
 Each person had a right to claim any portion of 
 the unoccupied land, and when in possession his 
 title was regarded sacred. Every settler had a 
 village lot for a garden attached to his residence, 
 and if a farmer, a portion in the common field.
 
 FRENCH INHABITANTS OP PEOKlA. 141 
 
 On the prairie west of the town were extensive 
 farms, all enclosed in one field, each person con- 
 tributing his share of fencing, and the time of 
 securing the crops and pasturing the stock, was 
 regulated by a town ordinance. The boundaries 
 of these farms could be traced out in the early 
 settlement of Peoria, as the lands showed marks 
 of having been cultivated. When a young man 
 married, a village lot, and a tract of land in the 
 common field (if a farmer) was assigned to him, 
 and it was customary for the citizens to turn out 
 and build him a house. 
 
 The inhabitants of Peoria had extensive vine- 
 yards, and each year made a large quantity of 
 wine, much of which they traded to the Indians 
 in exchange for furs. They domesticated the 
 buffalo and crossed them with native cattle, which 
 was found to improve the stock. These cattle 
 could live during the winter without the expense 
 of feeding, but while buffalo remained in the" 
 country they lost many by straying off with the 
 herd. On the following summer, after the French 
 were driven away from Peoria, a party of adven- 
 turers from St. Clair county came here and drove 
 a large number of these cattle home with them. 
 These cattle were highly prized by the inhabi- 
 tants, as they would winter on the American 
 Bottoms without having to feed them. This
 
 142 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 stock of cattle was known here for many years, 
 and at the present time some of their off-spring 
 show marks of buffalo origin, and their hides are 
 frequently tanned for robes.* 
 
 When a settlement was commenced at Peoria, 
 the country belonged to France, afterwards to 
 Great Britain, and lastly to the United Ststes. 
 When Illinois came under British rule in 1756, 
 Captain Stirling, commanding at Kaskaskia, sent 
 a messenger to Peoria to notify them that they 
 were British subjects. Afterwards, when Illinois 
 by conquest came under United States authority, 
 they were again notified of a change in govern- 
 ment, but they still remained French in feeling 
 and sympathy. They claimed no allegiance to 
 any government, paid no taxes, and acknowledged 
 no law except their own village ordinance. While 
 these people were living in peace and harmony, 
 
 ' *For one hundred years after the French made a settlement in 
 the west, no horses except Indian ponies were used by them, 
 and for the first thirty years cattle and hogs were unknown. 
 Tradition says two young pigs were brought in a canoe from 
 Canada to Fort St. Louis, and from these hogs were raised to 
 supply the setttlements on the Mississippi. At Cahokia the 
 settlers caught a number of buffalo calves, and raised them 
 with the expectation of domesticating them, but it proved a 
 failure, for they went off with a herd of wild ones. 
 
 It is said when Crozat obtained a patent for the Illinois coun- 
 try, in 1771, then called Louisiana, his agent, Colonel De Mott, 
 employed two half-breeds to drive a herd of cattle through the 
 wilderness from Cana to Kaskaskia, and from these origina- 
 ted the stock in the Mississippi valley.
 
 FEENCH INHABITANTS OF PEOEIA. 143 
 
 being two hundred miles from the nearest point 
 of civilization, they were attacked by an armed 
 force, their town burned and the heads of fami- 
 lies carried off prisoners of war, as will be narrated 
 in a subsequent chapter. There are many inci- 
 dents related, showing that trouble existed at 
 different times between the French and their red 
 neighbors, among which are the following : 
 
 In the year 1781, a Frenchman killed an Indian 
 with whom he had trouble, and for a time all the 
 white population were threatened with destruc- 
 tion. A large party of warriors came to Peoria 
 and demanded the murderer, but he could not be 
 found, having fled down the river, as was after- 
 wards shown. But the Indians believed that the 
 murderer was secreted by his friends, so they 
 gave the French three days to deliver him up, 
 and if not forthcoming at the specified time they 
 would burn the town. This caused a great panic ; 
 some fled for Cahokia, others took quarters in the 
 fort, but before the time had expired, the Indians 
 were convinced that the murderer had fled, con- 
 sequently pledges of friendship were renewed. 
 
 Again, in 1790, about five hundred warriors 
 came to Peoria and demanded the surrender of a 
 certain trader, whom they accused of causing the 
 murder of Pierre de Beuro, but finally left with- 
 out him.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 PONTIAO. 
 
 Probably no North American Indian has ac- 
 quired .go much fame and notoriety, and whose 
 power was so much felt in the early settle- 
 ment of the country, as Pontiac. This Indian, 
 to whom historians so often refer, was born and 
 raised near Detroit, and for many years was head 
 chief of the Ottawas. Like Phillip, of Mount 
 Hope, his power and influence extended over 
 neighboring tribes, and he was more like a king 
 than a chief. So long as the French held domin- 
 ion over the west, and conducted the trade of the 
 lake country, Pontiac lived on friendly terms with 
 them, but when it came in posession of the 
 British, he denounced the latter as enemies to his 
 people, and made an effort to drive them from 
 the country. While Major Rogers, of the British 
 army, was marching westward with a regiment of 
 soldiers, for the purpose of taking possession of 
 Detroit, he was met by Pontiac, who inquired by
 
 PONTIAO. 145 
 
 what authority he was passing through his coun- 
 try. With his tall figure raised to its full hight, 
 and while holding his right hand before the face 
 of the British commander, he said to him, "I 
 stand in your path, and you can go no further 
 without my permission." 
 
 However, Pontiac allowed the British to take 
 possession of the French trading posts along the 
 lakes, and for a time professed to be friendly toward 
 them. But a few years afterwards he made war 
 against the red coats and tried to drive them from 
 the country. He united with him all the neigh- 
 boring tribes, forming what is known in history 
 as Pontiac's Conspiracy, and a long and bloody 
 war resulted. 
 
 In order to carry on the war, this great chief 
 .issued checks cut out of birch bark, calling 
 for various amounts, payable in furs. These 
 checks were taken by different tribes in payment 
 for munitions of war, and all of which were re- 
 deemed according to agreement. 
 
 Pontiac was an Indian of gigantic statue ; a 
 towering intellect, and exercised almost unlimited 
 power over his followers. He pretended to com- 
 mune with the Great Spirit, who on one occasion 
 said to him : " "Why do you let these dogs in red 
 clothing take possesion of your country ; rise in 
 your might and drive them from the land."
 
 146 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 Pontiac, in an address to his warriors, said : 
 " Although the red coats have conquered the 
 French, they have not conquered us. We are 
 not slaves nor squaws, and as long as the Great 
 Spirit is our ruler, we will maintain our rights. 
 These lakes, and these woods were given us by 
 our fathers, and we will part with them only with 
 our lives:" 
 
 For a long time Pontiac was victorious, but at 
 last the fortune of war turned against him ; then 
 his allies forsook his cause and made peace with 
 the British. On being betrayed by his allies, he 
 tied from the country and found refuge on the 
 Kankakee river, a short distance above its junc- 
 tion with the Illinois. In his fight from Michi- 
 gan he was accompanied by about two hundred 
 warriors, with their squaws and pappooses. With 
 this remnant of his band he formed an alliance 
 with the Pottawatomies, who, at that time, occu- 
 pied the lake and Wabash counties, and from 
 thenceforth they became one tribe. 
 
 Pontiac, by locating his band on Kankakee 
 river, gave offense to the Illinois Indians, who 
 were the owners of the land ; consequently, 
 Kineboo, the head chief, accompanied by a reti- 
 nue of warriors, mounted on ponies, went to the 
 Ottawa camp, where they found the new comers 
 engaged in building lodges and making prepara-
 
 MASSACRE OF A HUNTING PARTY. 147 
 
 tions to plant corn. Kineboo notified them that 
 they were trespassers, and gave them two moons 
 to leave the country, but if found there at the 
 expiration of that time, he would remove them 
 by force. But when the Illinoians found that the 
 Ottawas were backed by the powerful tribe of 
 Pottawatomies, they did not molest them. 
 
 MASSACRE OF A HUNTING PARTY. 
 
 During the summer season the buffalo, on ac- 
 count of the green-headed flies, would leave the 
 Wabash country and the prairies on the east part 
 of the State, and range west and north of the 
 Illinois river. Consequently, buffalo were sel- 
 dom seen south and east, while the prairies to the 
 westward, for miles in extent, were frequently 
 blackened with large herds of them. On this 
 account the Pottawatomies and Ottawas were in 
 the habit of hunting buffalo west of the river, 
 which gave offense to the Illinoians, the owners 
 ot the country, and who regarded these hunting 
 parties as trespassers on their rights. 
 
 A party of about thirty Ottawa hunters, among 
 whom was Pontiac, had been killing buffalo du- 
 ring the day on the prairie, about eight leagues 
 west of La Vantum. At night they camped in a 
 grove. of timber, with the intention of renewing 
 i
 
 148 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 the hunt the following day. Next morning, 
 while this hunting party were sitting around the 
 camp-fire cooking their breakfast, unconscious of 
 danger, they were attacked by a large party of 
 Illinois warriors, and the most of them slain. 
 Pontiac was wounded in this affair, but by the 
 swiftness of his pony made his escape.* 
 
 A bloody war followed this massacre of the 
 hunting party, and for a long time was carried on 
 with varying success, both sides meeting with 
 victories and defeats. The Pottawatomies and 
 Ottawas would send war parties into the Illinois 
 
 *The grove referred to is supposed to have been the head of 
 Bureau timber, near the village of La Moille, and known in the 
 early settlement of the country as Di mmick Grove. In the 
 spring of 1830 Daniel Dimmick made a claim here, and built a 
 cabin near the head of the grove, on what is now known as the 
 Collin's farm. He lived on this claim about two years, until 
 the beginning of the Black Hawk war, when he left it and 
 never returned, but for many years the grove bore his name. 
 
 A short distance below Dimmick's cabin, near the bank of 
 Pike creek, and by the side of a spring, was an old Indian 
 camping ground, and during the fall and winter hunting par- 
 ties were frequently found here. In the winter of 1830-31, a 
 party of Indians from the Illinois river, among whom was the 
 noted chief Shick Shack, were encamped here for many days, 
 while hunting deer in the grove. 
 
 Shick Shack said to .Dimmick, while in conversation, that a 
 long time ago a hunting party of Ottawa Indians were en- 
 camped on this very spot, when they were attacked by the 
 Illinoians, a large portion of them killed, and their great war 
 chief, Pontiac, wounded. From that time, continued the old 
 chief, the tribes were at war with each other, which continued 
 until all the Illinoians were slain, the last of whom perished 
 on Starved
 
 ASSASSINATION OF PONTIAC. 149 
 
 country, burn their towns, destroy their corn, 
 kill their squaws and pappooses, and carry off' 
 with them ponies, furs and other valuables. Then 
 the Illinoians would retaliate on their enemies by 
 making raids into their country, killing, burning 
 and destroying everything that lay in their way. 
 After this war had continued for some time, the 
 Illinoians sued for peace, and a council was called 
 to agree on terms. 
 
 INDIAN COUNCIL PONTIAC ASSASSINATED. 
 
 The council met at a mound -near the present 
 site of Joliet, and was attended by all the war- 
 chiefs of the respective tribes. For a time, the 
 deliberations of the council were harmonious, but 
 when the allies claimed a part of the Illinois ter- 
 ritory as the only condition of peace, there arose 
 an ill feeling among them. Kineboo, the head 
 chief of the Illinoians, in a speech, said : " Rather 
 than submit to these terms, he and his warriors 
 would sacrifice the last drop of blood in their 
 veins, and leave their squaws and pappooses to be 
 scalped by a barbarous enemy." Pontiac next 
 addressed the council. His tall, manly form, 
 unimpaired by age, was an object of admiration, 
 and his sprightly eloquence carried all his friends 
 with him. "With great enthusiasm he called on
 
 150 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS EIVEE. 
 
 his brother chiefs to stand by him, and never lay 
 down the tomahawk until their terms were ac- 
 ceded to. While Pontiac was thus talking, 
 Kineboo drew his scalping knife and stabbed him 
 to the heart. Thus perished the greatest warrior 
 of his day. 
 
 History gives various accounts of Pontiac's 
 death, the year and place of its occurrence, and the 
 manner of his end are conflicting. One account 
 says he was assassinated in council ; another that 
 he was killed in a drunken row at Cahokia, and 
 also killed while on a buffalo hunt However, 
 all accounts agree that in avenging his death a 
 war was inaugurated which resulted in the anni- 
 hilation of the Illinois Indians, but all fail to 
 show any connection between the two events.* 
 
 *In the summer of 1767 a large, prepossessing Ottawa Indian, 
 dressed In a French uniform, with a white feather in his cap, 
 came to St. Louis and represented himself to the commander 
 of the post, Lieut. Ange, as Pontiac. Some days afterward, 
 this pompous Indian crossed the river in a canoe and went 
 down to Cahokia, where he was much lionized by French and 
 half-breeds, all of whom believed him to be the great Ottawa 
 chief, Pontiac. Indians from a neighboring village came in to 
 see him and listen to his boasting harangues, in which he said 
 he intended to unite all the tribes of the west, drive the British 
 from the country, and restore to the French all their former 
 trading posts. 
 
 An English trader at Cahokia, named Williamson, being 
 afraid that Pontiac would induce his new made friends to de- 
 stroy his stock in trade, gave a drunken Indian a barrel of 
 whisky to assassinate him. While the reputed Pontiac was 
 sitting on the ground at the root of a tree, explaining to those
 
 ASSASSINATION OF PONTIAO. 151 
 
 The assassination of Pontiac caused mourning 
 throughout the country, and preparations were 
 made to avenge his death. Runners were sent 
 among the Winnebagoes of the north, and among 
 the Kickapoos of the southeast, all of whom 
 agreed to take part in the war and punish the 
 murderers of this great Indian champion. 
 
 With these tribes united, the war was renewed 
 with great vigor, and for savage barbarity it has 
 no parallel in Indian warfare. Instead of its be- 
 ing a war of conquest, as before, it became a war 
 of extermination, and resulted in the annihilation 
 of the Illinois Indians, and their country occu- 
 pied by the conquerors, as will be shown in the 
 succeeding chapters. 
 
 Over the remains of Pontiac the warriors held 
 a council, at which they swore by the great 
 
 around him the plans which he had adopted to drive the red 
 coats out ol the country, the drunken Indian employed by 
 Williamson came up behind him and buried his tomahawk in 
 his brain. An account of this affair found its way into the 
 newspapers of the day, and became a matter of history. This 
 account of the death of Pontiac was strengthened by his actual 
 death, which occurred a year or two afterward, and explains to 
 some extent the errors of history. 
 
 According to the statement of Shaubena, .Waubonsie, and 
 other Indians, Pontiac was assassinated while speaking in 
 council at Mt. Joliet, and the war which followed it caused the 
 destruction of the Illinois Indians. 
 
 A band ol' Ottawa Indians, known as Pontiac's, were living at 
 a village 011 Kankakee river, in the early settlement of the 
 country, and their descendants are now living in Western 
 Kansas.
 
 152 FRENCH SETTLEMENT AT PEOBIA. 
 
 Manito of war that the fallen champion's death 
 should be avenged, and they set to work prepar- 
 ing for its execution. As soon as Pontiac had 
 breathed his last, they cut off his head and legs, 
 boiled them to separate the flesh from the bones, 
 and with the skull and cross-bones placed on a 
 pointed pole, were prepared to go forth to victory. 
 
 Warriors of different tribes, who had fought 
 with Pontiac against the British, now came for- 
 ward to avenge his death. Pottawatamies, of 
 Michigan, Miamis and Kickapoos, from the Wa- 
 bash, came west and took part in the war. Even 
 the white outlaw, Bernett, who had long since 
 become a savage and a chief of a small band, 
 marshaled his warriors and took part in the bloody 
 strife which followed. The combined forces of 
 the different tribes constituted the most formi- 
 dable Indian army ever collected in the west, 
 and for savage brutality their acts have no par- 
 allel in the history of Indian warfare. Their 
 motto was victory or death no quarter to the 
 enemy, and never lay down the tomahawk until 
 the Illinoians were annihilated 
 
 The allied forces attacked and destroyed all the 
 villages along the Illinois river, killing and scalp- 
 ing defenceless squaws and pappooses ; but the 
 principal town, La Van turn, which was well forti- 
 fied and defended by the bravest warriors, they
 
 AVENGING THE DEATH OF PONTIAO. 153 
 
 had not molested. At this town the remnants of 
 the different bands were collected, and here they 
 intended to make their last defense against the 
 victorious invaders. 
 
 Small timbers and brush were brought from 
 the neighboring groves, with which barricades 
 were erected around three sides of the town, the 
 river bounding the fourth. Inside this fortifica- 
 tion were collected, from many distant towns, all 
 that was now left of the Illinois Indians, num- 
 bering about ten thousand, of whom two thousand 
 were warriors. 
 
 Days and weeks passed away the summer was 
 almost ended and the enemy had not been seen 
 in the vicinity, so they came to the conclusion 
 that they had left the country. Preparations were 
 made for holding a great feast and offering up 
 sacrifices to the Manito of war for deliverance 
 from the tomahawks, and scalping knives of their 
 enemies. Fronting the council-house an altar 
 was erected, and many of their most valuable 
 articles burned thereon. A number of favorite 
 dogs were killed and roasted whole, on which the 
 warriors feasted, while offering up prayer and 
 thanksgiving to the gods of war. Music and 
 dancing was again heard in the great Illinois 
 capital, and the people, old and young, gave 
 themselves up to enjoyment. The warriors
 
 154 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS KIVER. 
 
 brought forth the scalps taken from the enemy, 
 and in merry glee danced around them. Naked 
 pappooses played in the dirt, and ran to and fro 
 yelling and laughing as in former times. Young 
 maidens and their lovers amused themselves with 
 songs and dances, and talked of happy days in 
 future. For weeks the Indians gave themselves 
 up to feasting and amusement, unconscious of the 
 great calamity which was about to befall them. 
 
 It was near the close of a warm day in the 
 early part of Indian summer, when the Indians 
 of both sexes, arrayed in their best apparel, orna- 
 mented with beads, feathers and rings, were 
 collected in an open square on the river bank to 
 celebrate the marriage of the head chief's daughter. 
 But while in the midst of gaity, they were hor- 
 rified to see the great meadow back of the town, 
 covered with the enemy, who, with great rapidity, 
 were moving on them. In front of the invaders, 
 on a red pole, was carried the skull and cross- 
 bones of Pontiac, showing that no quarter would 
 be asked or given. 
 
 The drums beat; the warriors grasped their 
 arms, and in a moment were ready for battle, 
 while a wail of lamentation was raised by the 
 frightened squaws and pappooses. On came the 
 allied forces, with theirwar-clubs and tomahawks 
 raised above their heads, and so rapid was their
 
 AVENGING THE DEATH OF PONTIAC. 155 
 
 movement, without opposition, a large number 
 of them scaled the breastwork and entered the 
 town. But here the assailants were met by the 
 defenders, and most of them slain before they could 
 recross it and join their comrades. When the in- 
 vaders saw the fate of their advanced force, they 
 were spell-bound, and before recovering from their 
 panic, the Illinoians in a large force attacked 
 them, when they fled in confusion, leaving behind 
 their dead and wounded. 
 
 The attacking party being repulsed with great 
 slaughter, retired to Buffalo Rock, where they 
 called a council of war, at which speeches were 
 made by the leading war-chiefs, all of whom 
 favored prosecuting the war. 
 
 Jn this council it was agreed to renew the attack 
 in the morning, and never cease fighting until the 
 Illinoians were exterminated. The morning came, 
 and- with it came blood and carnage, unequaled 
 in Indian warfare. 
 
 After the invaders were repulsed the Illinoians 
 spent the night in dancing over the scalps they 
 had taken during the day, and offering up sacri- 
 fices to the great Manito of war for their success 
 in battle. Having spent the night in rejoicing 
 they were found asleep in the morning, and while 
 in this situation were again attacked, and before 
 they could marshal their hosts the invaders, in
 
 156 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 great numbers, entered the town, killing all that 
 lay in their course, sparing neither squaws, 
 pappooses, aged or infirm. But the assailants 
 were again met by brave Illinois warriors and 
 repulsed with great slaughter. Again and again 
 the town was entered, when a hand to hand con- 
 flict raged with fearful strife, the allies falling 
 back only for reinforcements. 
 
 For twelve long hours the battle raged, a large 
 portion of the Illinois warriors were slain, and 
 hundreds of squaws and pappooses lay lifeless in 
 their bloody gore. Night at last came, but the 
 battle continued, and against the large invading 
 force the defenders could make but a feeble re- 
 sistance, and soon all must be slain. But fortu- 
 nately a heavy rain storati came on, and in the 
 darkness of the night it became impossible to 
 distinguish friends from foes, consequently further 
 slaughter was suspended until morning. 
 
 
 \
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE BOCK OF REFUGE.* 
 
 During a heavy rain storm and the darkness of 
 the night, the Illinoians launched their canoes, 
 crossed the Driver and ascended Starved Rock. 
 Here on this' rock were collected the remnant of 
 the Illinois Indians, consisting of about twelve 
 hundred, three hundred of whom were warriors. 
 On this rock the fugitives considered themselves 
 safe from their enemies, and they offered up 
 prayers and sang songs of praise to the great 
 Manito for their safe deliverance. Many years 
 
 * On the 16th of September, 1873, a meeting was held on 
 Starved Rock to commemorate the two hundredth anniver- 
 sary of its discovery by Joliet and Marquette. This meeting 
 \vas attended by a large number of people from the neighbor- 
 ing towns, many speeches were made, toasts given, and the 
 celeoration was a great success. A high pole was erected on 
 the summit of the Rock from which waved the stars and 
 stripes, where the French flag had waved nearly two centuries 
 before. 
 
 At this meeting, one Perry Armstrong of Grundy county, de- 
 livered a speech entitled, ' A Legend of Starved Rock," pur- 
 porting to be the statement of an old Indian chief named 
 Shick Shack. This speech was extensively copied by news-
 
 158 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 before, Tonti, with fifty French soldiers and one 
 hundred Indian allies, held this rock when at- 
 tacked by two thousand Iroquois, and put them to 
 flight; consequently, on this spot they felt secure. 
 Morning came, and with it a clear sky and a 
 bright sun ; and from their elevated position they 
 looked down on their enemies encamped on the 
 great meadow below. Soon the allied forces were 
 in motion, moving on the town for the purpose 
 of completing their bloody work; but they soon 
 discovered that their intended victims had fled. 
 The town was burned and the slain left unburied, 
 where their swollen and distorted remains were 
 found some days afterwards. 
 
 papers, and read with interest by those who regarded the 
 legend quite probable, if not strictly true. 
 
 Poor old Snick Shack, who long since had gone to the happy 
 hunting grounds of his fathers, was made to give a detailed ac- 
 count of many great battles fought along the Illinois river, and 
 the final tragedy on Starved Bock, in all of which he bore a part, 
 but in fact must have occurred a short time before he was born, 
 if we credit the traditions of others. 
 
 But the most remarkable part of Shick Shack's story, is the 
 great duel fought near Terre Haute, Indiana, with three hun- 
 dred on a side and among the combatants was himself and an- 
 other chief named Sugar. This duel lasted twelve long hours, 
 when all the warriors were killed except five on one -side 
 and seven on the other. The old chief informed us that neither 
 himself nor Sugar were killed in this long and bloody affair. 
 
 This great duel described by Shick Shack, is thought to be the 
 same one spoken of in the Bible between the hosts of Abner 
 and Joab, and the place of meeting, Pool of Gibeon, instead of 
 Terre Haute, as above stated, and the number of combatants 
 having been increased from twelve on each side to three hun- 
 dred, in order to correspond with the balance of the legend.
 
 THE ROCK OF KEFUGE. 159 
 
 The allied forces forded the river on the rapids, 
 surrounded Starved Rock,and prepared themselves 
 for ascending it in order to complete their victory. 
 With deafening yells the warriors crowded up 
 the rocky pathway, but on reaching the summit 
 they were met by brave Illinoians, who, with 
 war-clubs and tomahawks, sent them bleeding and 
 lifeless down the rugged precipice. Others as- 
 cended the rock to take part in the fight, but 
 they, too, met the fate of their comrades. Again 
 and again the assailants rallied, and rushed for- 
 ward to assist their friends, but one after another 
 were slain on reaching its summit, and their life- 
 less bodies thrown from the rock into the river. 
 On came fresh bands of assailants, who were 
 made valiant by their late victory, and the fearful 
 struggle continued until the rock was red and 
 slippery with human gore. After losing many 
 of their bravest warriors, the attacking forces 
 abandoned the assault and retired from the bloody 
 scene. 
 
 Connected with this bloody battle on Starved 
 Rock is a romantic story, which was current at 
 the time among the French and half-breeds at 
 Peoria, and is now told by their descendants. A 
 young warrior, named Belix, a half-breed, who 
 had distinguished himself in previous battles, and 
 therefore wore on his breast a badge of honor. 
 J
 
 160 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS BIVEB. 
 
 This young brave having wooed and won a beau- 
 tiful maiden, a daughter of the head chief, Kine- 
 boo, and the time had arrived to celebrate the 
 marriage rites. But in the midst of the marriage 
 festival, and before the bride was given away, the 
 alarm of an approaching enemy was given, as 
 previously stated. When the allied forces as- 
 saulted the fugitives on Starved Rock, foremost 
 among the warriors in repelling the assailants, was 
 Belix, and with his war-club cleaved the skulls of 
 many of the enemy. During the fight his fancied 
 bride stood near by witnessing the bloody strife, 
 but when she saw her lover's skull split open by a 
 tomahawk, with a wild scream she sprang from the 
 rock down the fearful precipice, her body falling 
 from crag to crag, until it landed lifeless and 
 bleeding in the river below. 
 
 THE BESIEGERS AND BESIEGED. 
 
 On a high, rocky cliff south of Starved Rock, 
 and known as Devil's Nose, the allied forces 
 erected a temporary fortification. During the 
 night they collected small timbers and evergreen 
 brush, with which they erected a breastwork. 
 From this breastwork they fired on the besieged, 
 killing some and wounding others, among the 
 latter, was Kineboo, the head chief of the tribe.
 
 THE BESIEGERS AND BESIEGED. 161 
 
 The fortifications protecting the south part of 
 Starved Rock, had fallen into decay, fifty-one 
 years having elapsed since the French abandoned 
 Fort St. Louis. The palisades had rotted off, and 
 the earthworks mouldered away to one-half their 
 original hight, consequently they afforded but little 
 protection. To remedy the defect on this side of 
 the old fortress, the besieged cut down some of 
 the stunted cedars that crowded the summit of 
 the rock, with which they erected barricades along 
 the embankment to shield themselves from the 
 arrows and rifle balls of the enemy. 
 
 The besieged were 'now protected from the 
 missiles of their assailants, but another enemy 
 equally dreaded that of hunger and thirst be- 
 gan to alarm them. When they tool^ refuge here 
 on the rock, they carried with them a quantity of 
 provisions, but this supply was now exhausted 
 and starvation stared them in the face. At 
 first this rock was thought to be a haven of 
 safety, but now it was likely to be their tomb, 
 and without a murmur brave warriors made 
 preparations to meet their fate. Day after day 
 passed away, mornings and evenings came and 
 went, and still the Illinoians continued to be 
 closely guarded by the enemy, leaving them no 
 opportunity to escape from their rocky prison. 
 
 Famishing with thirst caused them to cut up
 
 162 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 some of their buckskin clothing, out of which 
 they made cords to draw water out of the river, 
 but the besiegers had placed a guard at the base 
 of the rock, and as soon as the vessel reached the 
 water they would cut the cord, or by giving it a 
 quick jerk the water drawer would be drawn over 
 the precipice, and his body fall lifeless into the 
 river. 
 
 As days passed away, the besieged sat on the 
 rock, gazing on the great meadow below, over 
 which they had oftimes roamed at pleasure, and 
 they sighed for freedom once more. The site of 
 their town was in plain view, but instead of 
 lodges and camping tents, with people passing to 
 and fro, as in former days, it was now a lonely, 
 dismal waste, blackened by fire and covered with 
 the swollen and ghastly remains of the slain. 
 Blizzards were hovering around, flying back and 
 forth over the desolated town, and feasting on the 
 dead bodies of their friends. 
 
 At night they looked upon the silent stars to- 
 ward the spirit land, and in their wild imagination 
 saw angels waiting to receive them. While sleep- 
 ing they dreamed, of roaming over woods and 
 prairie in pursuit of game, or cantering their 
 ponies across the plains, but on awakening it was 
 found all a delusion. Their sleep was disturbed 
 by the moans and sighs of the suffering, and
 
 THE BESIEGERS AND BESIEGED. 163 
 
 when morning came it was but the harbinger of 
 another day of torture. From their rocky prison 
 they could see the ripe corn in their fields, and 
 on the distant prairie a herd of buffalo were graz- 
 ing, but while in sight of plenty they were fam- 
 ishing for food. Below them, at the base of the 
 rock, flowed the river, and as its rippling waters 
 glided softly by, it appeared in mockery to their 
 burning thirst. 
 
 They had been twelve days on the rock, closely 
 guarded by the enemy, much of the time suffer- 
 ing from hunger and thirst. Their small stock 
 of provision was long since exhausted, and early 
 and late the little ones were heard crying for 
 food. The mother would hold her infant to her 
 breast, but alas the fountain that supported life 
 had dried up, and the little sufferer would turn 
 its head away with a feeble cry. Young maidens, 
 whose comely form, sparkling eyes and blooming 
 cheeks were the pride of their tribe, became 
 pale, feeble and emaciated, and with a feeling of 
 resignation they looked upward to their home in 
 the spirit land. One of the squaws, the wife of 
 a noted chief, while suffering in a fit of delirium 
 caused by hunger and thirst, threw her infant 
 from the summit of the rock into the river below, 
 and with a wild, piercing scream, followed it. 
 
 A few brave warriors attemped to escape from
 
 164 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 their prison, Jbut on descending from the rock 
 were slain by the vigilant guards. Others in 
 their wild frenzy hurled their tomahawks at the 
 fiends below, and singing their death song, laid 
 down to die. 
 
 The last lingering hope was now abandoned ; 
 hunger and thirst had done its dreadful work ; 
 the cries of the young and lamentations of the 
 aged were heard only in a whisper; their tongues 
 swollen and their lips crisped from thirst so they 
 could scarcely give utterance to their sufferings. 
 Old white headed chiefs, feeble and emaciated, 
 being reduced almost to skeletons, crept away 
 under the branches of evergreens and breathed 
 their last. Proud young warriors preferred to die 
 upon this strange rocky fortress by starvation and 
 thirst, rather than surrender themselves to the* 
 scalping knives of a victorious enemy. Many 
 had died; their remains were lying here and 
 there on the rock, and the effluvium caused by 
 putrefaction greatly annoyed the besiegers. A 
 few of the more hardy warriors for a time feasted 
 on the dead, eating the flesh and drinking the 
 blood of their comrades as soon as life was extinct. 
 
 A party of the allied forces now ascended the 
 rock and tomahawked all those who had survived 
 the famine. They scalped old and young, and 
 left the remains to decay on the rock, where
 
 THE BESIEGERS AND BESIEGED. 165 
 
 their bones were seen many years afterward. 
 
 Thus perished the large tribe of Illinois Indians, 
 and with the exception of a solitary warrior, they 
 became extinct. 
 
 Near the close of the siege of starved Rock, a 
 young warrior, during a severe storm and dark- 
 ness of the .night, took a buckskin cord which 
 had been used for drawing water, and fastening 
 it to the trunk of a tree let himself down into the 
 river. Escaping detection by the guards, he 
 swam down the river and thus secured his liberty, 
 being the only survivor of this fearful tragedy. 
 This warrior was partly white, being a descend- 
 ant on his father's side from the French, who set- 
 tled around Fort St. Louis many years before. 
 Being alone in the world, without kindred or 
 friends, he went to Peoria, joined the colony, and 
 there ended his daya He embraced Christianity, 
 became an officer in the church, and was chris- 
 tened under an old French name, La Bell. His 
 descendants are now living near Prairie du Rocher, 
 one of whom, Charles La Bell, was a party to a 
 suit in the United States Court to recover the 
 land where the city of Peoria now stands * 
 
 *In the early settlement of the country there was an old In- 
 dian named Meachelle, who frequently visited the trading posts 
 at Hennepin and Ottawa, and made various statements about 
 the Starved Bock tragedy. He said he was a boy at the time, 
 accompanying his father ; was present and saw the destruction
 
 166 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS EIVER. 
 
 A GHASTLY SPECTACLE. 
 
 A few days after the destruction of the Illinois 
 Indians, a party of traders from Peoria, among 
 whom were Robert Maillet and Felix La Pance, 
 while on their return from Canada with three 
 canoes loaded with goods, stopped at the scene of 
 the late tragedy. As they approached Starved 
 Rock, which at that time was called Le Rocher, 
 they noticed a cloud of buzzards hovering over 
 it, and at the same time they were greeted with a 
 sickening odor. On landing from their canoes 
 and ascending the rock, they found the steep, 
 rocky pathway leading thereto stained with blood, 
 
 of the last of the Illinois Indians. After many days siege, said 
 he, a large number of warriors descended from the rock and 
 made an attempt to fight their way through 'the lines, but were 
 all slain except seven, who succeeded in escaping down the 
 river to Peoria, and found refuge among the French. . 
 
 As late as the year 1828, a small band of Indians lived on Lake 
 Dupue, and raised corn on a little bottom prairie, now included 
 in a farm owned by Charles Savage. Among these Indians was 
 a very old man, who frequently accompanied his grandson in a 
 canoe to Hartzell's trading house. This old man said that he 
 was born on the Wabash, and was ten years old at the time of 
 the Starved Rock tragedy. His father participated in this 
 affair, and two of his uncles were killed in the fight with the 
 Illinoians before they took refuge on Starved Bock. He said 
 the fight continued for two days at the town, and hundreds of 
 warriors on both sides were slain, but during a rain storm and 
 darkness of the night, the remnant of the Illinoians escaped to 
 Starved Rock. 
 
 Two years after this affair, the band to which the old Indian 
 belonged emigrated to Illinois, and built a town on the south 
 side of the river, opposite Lake Dupue. At that time, and for
 
 A GHASTLY SPECTACLE. 167 
 
 and among the stunted cedars that grew on the 
 cliff were lodged many human bodies, partly de- 
 voured by birds of prey. But on reaching the 
 summit of Le Rocher, they were horrified to find 
 it covered with dead bodies, all in an advanced 
 state of decomposition. Here were aged chiefs, 
 with silvered locks, lying by the side of young 
 warriors, whose long raven black hair partly con- 
 cealed their ghastly and distorted features. Here, 
 too, were squaws and pappooses, the aged grand- 
 mother and the young maiden, with here and 
 there an infant, still clasped in its mother's arms. 
 
 many years afterwards, the summit of the rock was covered 
 with bones and skulls. Two miles below Starved Rock, on the 
 site of the town, where a great battle was fought, many acres 
 of ground were covered with human bones. 
 
 An old Indian called Shaddy, who went west with his band 
 in 1834, but afterwards returned to look once more upon the 
 scene of his youth, and hunted on Bureauand along the Illinois 
 river in the winter of 1836. From this old Indian I gathered 
 many items in relation to past events. He said that his father 
 was at the siege of Starved Rock, and all the Illinois Indians 
 perished except one. This was a young half-breed, who let 
 himself down into the river by means of a buckskin cord, dur- 
 ing a severe rain storm, and in the darkness of the night made 
 his escape. 
 
 According to history, about one thousand Illinoians, but 
 known as Kaskaskia Indians, were living in the south part of 
 the State as late as 1802. The Indians at the south appear to 
 have taken no part in the war, and the destruction of the tribe 
 applied only to those along the Illinois river. 
 
 It is said some of the Illinois tribe took refuge with the French 
 at Peoria, and were afterwards known as Peoria Indians. 
 
 These conflicting statements are given only for what they are 
 worth, and from which the reader can draw his own conclusions.
 
 168 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 Some had died from thirst and starvation, others 
 by the tomahawk or war-club ; of the latter a 
 pool of clotted blood was seen at their side. All 
 the dead, without regard to age or sex, had been 
 scalped, and their remains, divested of clothing, 
 were lying here and there on the rock. These 
 swollen and distorted remains were hideous to 
 look upon, and the stench from them so offensive 
 that the traders hastened down from the rock 
 and continued on their way down the river. 
 
 On reaching La Yantum, a short distance below 
 Le Rocher, the traders met with a still greater 
 surprise, and for a time were almost ready to be- 
 lieve what they saw was all delusion instead of a 
 reality. The great town of the west had disap- 
 peared ; not a lodge, camping tent, nor one human 
 being could be seen ; all was desolate, silent and 
 lonely. The ground where the town had stood 
 was strewn with dead bodies, and a pack of hun- 
 gry wolves were feeding upon their hideous 
 repast. 
 
 Five months before, these traders, while on 
 their way to Canada, stopped at La Van turn for 
 a number of days in order to trade with the In 
 dians. At that time the inhabitants of the town 
 about five thousand in number were in full 
 enjoyment of life, but now their dead bodies lay 
 mouldering on the ground, food for wolves and
 
 KELI08 OF THE TRAGEDY. 169 
 
 buzzards. Maillet and La Pance had bought of 
 these people two canoe loads of furs and pelts, 
 which were to be paid in goods on their return 
 from Canada. The goods were now here to make 
 payment, according to contract, but alas the cred- 
 itors had all gone to their long home. 
 
 The smell from hundreds of putrified and partly 
 consumed remains, was so offensive that the 
 traders remained only a short time, and with 
 sadness they turned away from this scene of hor- 
 ror. Again boarding their canoes they passed 
 down the river to Peoria, conveying thither to 
 their friends the sad tidings. 
 
 RELICS OP THE TRAGEDY. 
 
 On the following spring, after the annihilation 
 of the Illinoians Indians, a party of traders from 
 Cahokia, in canoes loaded with furs, visited Can- 
 ada, making thither their annual trip in accord- 
 ance with their former custom. On reaching 
 Peoria they heard of the destruction of the Illi- 
 nois Indians on Starved Rock, and were afraid to 
 proceed further on their journey, not knowing 
 but the victors were still in the country, and they, 
 too, would meet with a like fate. Alter remain- 
 ing a few flays at Peoria, they proceeded on their 
 way, accompanied (as far as Starved Rock) by
 
 170 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 twenty armed Frenchmen and about thirty In- 
 dian. With this escort was Father Jacques Buche, 
 a Jesuit priest oi Peoria, and some account of his 
 observations are preserved in his mauscript.* 
 
 When the voyageurs arrived atLaVautum, they 
 found the town site strewn with human bones. 
 These, with a few charred poles, alone marked 
 the location of the former great town of the west. 
 Scattered over the prairie were hundreds of skulls. 
 Some of these retained a portion of flesh and were 
 partly covered with long black hair, giving to the 
 remains a ghastly and sickening appearance. 
 
 This party also ascended Le Rocher, and found 
 its summit covered with bones and skulls. Among 
 these were found knives, tomahawks, rings, 
 beads and various trinkets, some of which the 
 travelers carried with them to Canada, and now 
 can be seen among the antiquarian collection at 
 Quebec. 
 
 Various accounts are given, both by French 
 and Indians, of seeing in after years relics of this 
 tragical affair on the summit of Starved Rock. 
 Bulbona, a French Indian trader, who was known 
 by many of the early settlers, said when a 
 small boy he accompanied his father in ascending 
 Starved Rock, and there saw many relics 
 
 An account of this manuscript will be found in the succeed- 
 ing chapter, and from which many extracts are taken.
 
 RELICS OF THE TBAGhEDY. 171 
 
 of this fearful tragedy. This was only fifteen 
 years after the massacre of the Illinois Indians, 
 and the rock was covered with skulls and bones, 
 all in a good state of preservation, but bleached 
 white by rain and sun. 
 
 On my first visit to Starved Rock, nearly forty 
 years ago, I found a number of human teeth and 
 small fragments of bones. Others have found 
 relics of the past, such as beads, rings, knives, &c. 
 
 About thirty-five years ago a human skull, 
 partly decayed, was found at the root of a cedar 
 tree, buried up with leaves and dirt. A rusty 
 tomahawk and a large scalping knife, with other 
 articles, also human bones, were taken out of a 
 pit hole, a few years ago. The early settlers 
 have found many things on the summit of Starved 
 Rock, and still retain them in their possession as 
 relics of the past.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE OLD FOKT. 
 
 In the river timber, about one-half mile south- 
 east of Starved Rock, and on land belonging to 
 Mrs. Gabet, is still to be seen the remains of an 
 ancient fortification. Thig work of antiquity is 
 located on a level piece of ground, at the inter- 
 section of two ravines, and consists of low, irregu- 
 lar earthworks. These earthworks follow the 
 course of the ravines on two sides, forming zig- 
 zag lines, with an open gateway at the east, front- 
 ing the prairie. These lines enclose about one 
 acre of ground, of an oblong shape, and is now 
 covered with large trees. This old relic appears 
 to have been only a temporary fortification, con- 
 sisting of a ditch, an embankment, and perhaps 
 palisades. At what time this fortification was 
 erected, by whom and for what purpose, will 
 probably remain a mystery. 
 
 There are various opinions about these old 
 earthworks. Some believe they were erected by
 
 THE OLD FORT. 173 
 
 the French while in possession of Fort St. Louis, 
 and intended as a summer fort to protect them- 
 selves from the Indians while raising a crop on 
 the adjoining prairie. But this is not probable, as 
 the prairie near by, in the early settlement of the 
 country, showed no marks of ever having been 
 cultivated ; and protection from the Indians was 
 unnecessary, as they always lived on friendly 
 terms with .them. It could not have been the 
 work of the French, for it shows no signs of civil 
 engineering, and neither history nor tradition 
 give any account of it. 
 
 A few years ago a large burr oak was cut within 
 the fortification, and near the heart of it was 
 found imbedded a rifle ball, which, according to 
 the growths, must have been put there more than 
 a century ago. There are a number of large 
 trees growing on the embankment and in the 
 ditch, on various parts of the fortification, which 
 is evidence of its great antiquity. This old relic 
 is, without doubt, a workof the Mound Builders, 
 as similar remains are found elsewhere. 
 
 About two hundred yards northeast of this old 
 fort, by the side of a small ravine, a coal bank 
 was recently opened by James Bain, but on ac- 
 count of the thinness of the vein it was found 
 unprofitable to work. This vein of coal is close 
 to the surface, only a few feet under ground, and
 
 174 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 near the place where it was opened is a large 
 cavity in the earth. On examining this cavity 
 or excavation, it was found that the coal had 
 been taken out, and the enbankment on either 
 side, caused by throwing out the dirt, are now 
 covered with trees. This work must have been 
 done centuries ago, and some believe by the occu- 
 pants of the fort above described. 
 
 RELICS OF ANTIQUITY. 
 
 In the vicinity of Starved Rock many relics of 
 the early French explorers have been found, con- 
 sisting of farming implements of European man- 
 ufacture, rifle and cannon balls, gold and silver 
 crosses, two bronze medallion heads, one of Louis 
 XIV, and the other Pope Leo X. 
 
 A few years ago a small cannon was found 
 near Ottawa, imbedded in the river bank, where, 
 in all probability, it had remained a century or 
 more. This cannon is constructed of wrought 
 iron, hooped with heavy rings to give it strength, 
 like those used in Europe three hundred years 
 ago. This ancient piece of ordnance, in all prob- 
 ability, was brought from Canada in a canoe by 
 La Salle, or some of his men, to be used on a 
 fortification. It may have been the first one 
 mounted on the ramparts of Fort St. Louis, and
 
 BELICS OF ANTIQUITY. 175 
 
 at the time of its dedication fired a salute in honor 
 of the king of France. 
 
 A short time ago an old cedar tree was cut on 
 the summit of Starved Rock, and within its trunk 
 was found imbedded a gun-barrel, partly destroyed 
 by rust. How this gun-barrel came here will for- 
 ever remain a mystery, but in all probability it 
 was the work of an ingenious Frenchman during 
 the occupation of Fort St. Louis. This gun- 
 barrel, with a portion of the tree which sur- 
 rounded it, are preserved among the collections 
 of relics in Ottawa. 
 
 A few months ago, David "Walker found near 
 Buffalo Rock a piece of copper, about the size 
 and shape of a half dollar. This curious relic is 
 carved with rude characters, among which can be 
 traced the name of Tonti. It is quite probable 
 this is one of the medals which the commander 
 of Fort St. Louis distributed among his Indian 
 friends, of which we have an account 
 
 While digging a cellar for a house, near the 
 base of Starved Rock, a short time ago, a human 
 skull was found, in -which was a large sized flint 
 arrow head. On one side of the forehead of this 
 skull is a hole where the missile of death had en- 
 tered. This skull, arrow head, Tonti's medal, an 
 iron Indian ax, on which is the name of Standish, 
 with a large collection of other Indian relics, are 
 
 S
 
 1?6 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 now in the possession of David Walker of Ottawa. 
 
 Near Starved Rock, on both sides of the river, 
 many Indian relics have been found, consisting 
 of gun flints arrow heads, earthen pots and ket- 
 tles, with tomahawks, knives, hoes, &c., made of 
 stone. Many of these relics have been collected 
 by people living in that locality, and will be pre- 
 served in "The Ottawa Academy of Natural 
 Science." 
 
 On the north side of the river, a short distance 
 above Starved Rock, and on the bottom prairie, 
 are three sulphur springs. One of these springs 
 is very large, boiling up among the white sand, 
 and throwing out a large volume of clear 
 water strongly impregnated with saline matter. 
 In former times Indians from different parts 
 of the country, afflicted with maladies, came here 
 for medical treatment, which to some extent ac- 
 counts for the great amount of relics found in this 
 vicinity.* 
 
 LOUISIANA COLONY. 
 
 This colony" as has been previously stated, was 
 founded by La Salle, at Fort St. Louis, in the year 
 
 *In the year 1853 a large stone house, called the Sulphur Spring 
 Hotel, was built here with the expectation of making this a 
 great watering place, but the enterprise >ras a failure. Not- 
 withstanding the extensive advertising by those interested, 
 hey did uot succeed in making it a Saratoga nor a Homburg.
 
 LOUISIANA COLONY. 177 
 
 1682, under a charter from the king of France, 
 and was called Louisiana in honor of Louis XIV. 
 The colony existed here until 1718, a period of 
 thirty-six years, but had it continued permanently 
 La Salle county would have been the oldest settled 
 place in the west. One year after this colony 
 was established, La Salle gave Eichard Bosley 
 a permit to trade with the Indians at Cahokia, 
 where Father Allonez had previously established 
 a mission. Emigrants from Canada came to Ca- 
 hokia, many of whom became permanent residents, 
 and from that time people continued to reside 
 here, therefore it now claims to be the oldest 
 settlement in the Mississippi valley. The French 
 erected houses in the town with the Indians, and 
 all lived together in harmony. Marriages be- 
 tween the French and Indians were legalized by 
 the Catholic church, and many of the traders found 
 wives among the blooming daughters of Illinois. 
 Some of the present inhabitants of Cahokia can 
 trace their genealogy back to the time of La Salle, 
 their ancestors having intermarried with the na- 
 tives, so that in many families the Indian blood 
 predominates. 
 
 A French settlement was soon after made at 
 Kaskaskia, and a few years later a colony was 
 planted on the lower Mississippi. The whole 
 country took the name of Louisiana, designating
 
 178 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 the north and south part by Illinois and Missis- 
 sippi. 
 
 The king of France gave Crozat a patent for 
 all the Louisiana country, over which he was to 
 have control tor twenty years, for the purpose of 
 mining and trading with the Indians. This patent 
 bears date September 14, 1711, and was ratified 
 by the colonists of Kaskaskia, Cahokia and Fort 
 St. Louis. Colonel La Mott, an agent of Crozat, 
 took possession of the country, assuming the title 
 of Governor, and made Kaskaskia the capital. 
 The Indians showed the new governor two pieces 
 of silver ore, which they said were taken out of 
 Illinois mines, but in fact came from Mexico. 
 Thinking only of making a great fortune, the 
 governor employed a company of miners, and 
 went north in search of the precious metal. Lead 
 and copper in great abundance were found, but 
 no silver nor gold. After prospecting for two 
 years, and expending large sums of money in 
 searching for the precious metal, without meeting 
 with success, the scheme was abandoned. 
 
 Crozat, after five years experience in mining 
 and trading Math the Indians, found it unprofita- 
 ble, so he surrendered his patent to the French 
 Court, and Governor La Mott, with many of the 
 miners, returned to France. 
 
 On the year following the surrender of Crozat's
 
 THE BUFFALO. 179 
 
 patent, a similar one was granted to George Law, 
 a Scotch banker of Paris, and by his orders Fort 
 Charters, on the Mississippi, was built. 
 
 In the spring of 1736 D. Arquette commander 
 in Illinois, and Captain Vincennes, of a trading 
 post on the Wabash, (which still bears his name), 
 with about one hundred French soldiers and many 
 Indian allies, went to lower Louisiana to assist 
 Governor Bieneville in prosecuting a war against 
 the Chickasaws. This expedition proved a fail- 
 ure, and the two commanders and Father Senac, 
 with many of the soldiers, were taken prisoners 
 and burned at the stake. While the flames en- 
 veloped their bodies, Father Senac, amid the 
 blazing faggots, exhorted his companions to die 
 as become Frenchmen and Christians, and while 
 racked with torture he administered to his dying 
 countrymen the last rites of the Catholic church. 
 
 The colony in Illinois continued under French 
 rule until 1765, when it became subject to Great 
 Britain, and afterwards to the United States. 
 
 THE BUFFALO. 
 
 The flesh of the buffalo furnished the Indians 
 with food, their skins with clothing, bedding and 
 tents ; their sinews for bows, the bones and horns 
 for ornaments ; consequently, when these animals
 
 180 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS EIVEE. 
 
 left the country, the wild savages of the west 
 were deprived of many of the comforts of life. 
 
 According to the statement of the early French 
 explorers, and also confirmed by Indian tradi- 
 tions, the country west of the great bend in the 
 Illinois river, was the great buffalo range, and 
 here their bones were found in large quantities 
 in the early settlement of the country. 
 
 At what time the buffalo left the country is 
 not known, but in comparing the various state- 
 ments of traders and Indians, it must have been 
 between 1780 and 7190. In the year 1778, An- 
 tonine Des Champs, then a lad of eight years of 
 age, came with his parents from Canada to Peo- 
 ria, and lived there until the town was destroyed, 
 thirty-four years afterwards. Des Champs said, 
 for some years after he came to Peoria, buffalo 
 were plenty, and he had frequently seen large 
 herds of them swimming the Illinois river. Pre- 
 vious to 1790 the French had an extensive trade 
 in buffalo robes, but after that period there were 
 none shipped from the Illinois river. 
 
 In the early settlement of the country, old In- 
 dians were living here who said in their youthful 
 days they had seen large herds of buffalo on the 
 prairies, but they all perished in a big snow, 
 which covered the ground many feet in depth, 
 and crusted over so a person could walk on it.
 
 PAT KENNEDY'S JOURNAL. 181 
 
 Next spring a few buffalo, poor and haggard in 
 appearance, were seen going westward, and as 
 they approached the carcasses of the dead buffalo, 
 which were lying on the prairie in great numbers, 
 they would stop, commence pawing and lowing, 
 and then start off again on a lope for the west, 
 and from that time buffalo were seldom seen 
 east of the Mississippi river. 
 
 Although the buffalo had left the country, as 
 above stated, a few stray ones were occasionally 
 seen here in after' years, and as late as 1815, the 
 Indians attacked a herd between the Illinois 
 and Green rivers, killing two of them. 
 
 Forty years ago buffalo bones were plenty on 
 the prairies; and in three different places in 
 Bureau county many acres of ground were covered 
 with them, showing where large herds had per- 
 ished. Skulls of buffalo, with horns still on them, 
 were frequently found here, and their trails lead- 
 ing to and from watering places were plain to be 
 seen, in the early settlement of the country.* 
 
 PAT KENNEDY'S JOURNAL. 
 
 Through the politeness of Lyman C. Draper, 
 Secretary of the Wisconsin Historical Society, 
 and author of a number of historical collections, I 
 have been furnished with a manuscript copy of 
 
 *Reminiscences of Bureau County,
 
 182 PKENOH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS EIVEK. 
 
 Patrick Kennedy's journal, of his travels up the 
 Illinois river, and from which the folio wing items 
 are gathered : 
 
 On the 23, of July, 1773, Kennedy, with a 
 party of adventurers, left Kaskaskia in a keel- 
 boat, and ascended the river in search of copper 
 mines. On arriving at the foot of the rapids 
 they left their boat and proceeded up the river on 
 foot, forty-five miles. Here on an island they 
 found encamped a party of French traders, but 
 failing to obtain any information of them in re- 
 lation to the copper mines, they abandoned the 
 search and returned to Kaskaskia. 
 
 Kennedy's journal speaks of seeing large herds 
 of buffalo, elk and deer, feeding on the big 
 meadow on both sides of the river. It also gives 
 an account of a saline spring and lake, where the 
 French and Indians were engaged in making salt. 
 It refers to a cliff of rocks not far from the mouth 
 of Fox river, where the French obtained their mill- 
 stones. 
 
 This journal gives a geographical description 
 of the country size and names of rivers, and a 
 general account of the Illinois region, but throws 
 no light on the history of the French settlements. 
 It refers to the town -and fort at Peoria Lake, but 
 says nothing of the size of the place, of its inhab- 
 itants or general appearance.
 
 MANUSCRIPT OF FATHER BUOHE. 183 
 
 This old manuscript is now in the hands of 
 Hypolite Pilette, who lives on the American 
 Bottom, between Cahokia and Prairie du Rocher. 
 It consists of twenty-three pages, closely written, 
 on large sheets, and from age the paper is yellow 
 and ink faded. This manuscript is in the French 
 language, dated La Yille de Maillet (now Peoria), 
 A.-D. 1770, and was written by Jacques Buchc, a 
 Catholic priest. 
 
 The writer speaks only of tilings that came 
 under his own observation, and relates many 
 remarkable incidents which are worth preserv- 
 ing. Some of these statements differ from the 
 traditions of others, but nevertheless are not 
 improbable, as they carry with them an air of 
 truth. 
 
 Father Buche's manuscript forms a connecting 
 link of history between the time of La Salle and 
 the destruction of Peoria, and from its pages 
 many of the incidents narrated in this book have 
 been taken. It speaks of the destruction of La 
 Vantum, and the perishing of the remnant of the 
 Illinois Indians on Starved Rock. 
 
 It also gives an account of digging for gold 
 within the stockades of Fort St. Louis, the pit- 
 holes of which are now plain to be seen. 
 
 Father Buche speaks of visiting an Indian village, 
 fifteen leagues north of Peoria, where he remained
 
 184 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 many day, teaching the people the ways of Christ- 
 ianity. The inhabitants of this village, said he, 
 were possessed of the devil, indulging in vile 
 practices and idolatrous worship. The chiefs had 
 many wives, and put them to death if they proved 
 barren. At their religious feast, which took place 
 once a year, an infant of some noted chief was 
 burned on the altar as a sacrifice to the great 
 Manito. This was done in order that the band 
 might be successful in war, hunting and fishing, 
 and also to protect them from the power of the 
 evil one. 
 
 Father Buche said he preached many times -to 
 these benighted people, and the chiefs and 
 many warriors were converted to Christianity. 
 In one day he baptized about fifty persons, whose 
 names were enrolled in the church book, and their 
 souls saved from perdition. 
 
 THE GREAT BUFFALO HUNT. 
 
 In Father Buche's manuscript, is an account of 
 a great buffalo hunt, which took place on the 
 prairie west of the Illinois river. He says that 
 he accompanied thirty-eight of his countrymen 
 and about three hundred Indians on a buffalo 
 hunt, when they killed so many that their hides 
 alone were taken, and their carcasses left on the
 
 THE GREAT BUFFALO HUNT. 185 
 
 prairie, food for wolves. A few leagues west of 
 the great bend in the Illinois river, they discov- 
 ered a herd ot many thousand buffalo feeding on 
 a small prairie, partly surrounded by thick tim- 
 ber. It being about sundown, the hunters en- 
 camped for the night in a grove near by, with the 
 intention of attacking the herd on the following 
 morning. Next morning before it was light, the 
 Indians, divested of clothing, mounted on ponies 
 and armed with guns, bows and arrows, spears, 
 &c., were anxiously awaiting the command of 
 their chief to commence the sport. The Indians 
 formed a circle around the herd, secreting them- 
 selves in the timber, while the French completed 
 a line across the prairie. The buffalo were lying 
 thick over the prairie, chewing their cud, uncon- 
 scious of approaching danger. At a given signal 
 from the chief, the lines closed in all sides, but as 
 soon as the animals got wind of the approaching 
 enemy, arose to their feet and fled in great con- 
 fusion. But on approaching the line the Indians 
 tired on them, at the same time yelling at the top 
 of their voice. The frightened creatures turned 
 and fled in the opposite direction, where they were 
 met by the French hunters and foiled in a like 
 manner. Thus they continued to run back and 
 forth from one side of the ring to the other, while 
 the slaughter went on.
 
 186 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 As the buffalo approached the line, the Indians 
 would pierce their hearts with spears, or bring 
 them down with arrows or rifle balls. The line 
 continued to close in, and the frightened buffalo, 
 snorting and with wild flashing eyes, would charge 
 the guards, first on one side, then on the other, 
 but met the missiles of death everywhere. 
 After surging back and forth in wild confusion, 
 the buffalo broke through the line, bearing down 
 the guards', jumping over the prostrated ponies 
 and their riders, and thus made their escape. 
 
 Father Buche says in his manuscript : " By the 
 wild surging herd my pony was knocked down, 
 and I lay prostrated by its side, while the fright- 
 ened buffalo, with loud snorting and wild flashing 
 eyes, in their flight jumped over rnc ; but through 
 the protection of the Holy Virgin I was saved 
 from instant death."
 
 CHAPTERXYI. 
 
 JEAN BAPTISTS AND FATHER BONNER. 
 
 In the year 1790 there lived near Lexington, 
 Kentucky, a young slave named Jean Baptiste, 
 who was brought by his master from Virginia 
 into that new country. Baptiste associated much 
 with the Indians, learned their language, and be- 
 came fascinated with their free, independent mode 
 of living. His proud spirit could not be subdued 
 by the whip of his master ; therefore he severed 
 the bond which made him a slave, and taking the 
 north star for a guide, he soon became a free man. 
 Armed with his master's rifle and a large hunting 
 knife, he traveled northward about three hundred 
 miles, through a wilderness country. On reach- 
 ing Des Plaines river he found refuge in an 
 Indian village, married a squaw and raised a 
 family of children. One of his grandsons is now 
 living in a hewn log house on the bank of Cahokia 
 creek, in St. Clair county, from which I obtained the 
 narrative relating to his distinguished grandsire.
 
 188 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS EIVEB. 
 
 According to the statement of Sau-ga-nash (Billy 
 Caldwell), the first white man that settled at Chi- 
 cago was a negro. This negro was no other than 
 Jean Baptiste, above referred to, whose name is 
 now associated with the ea'rly history of the west- 
 ern metropolis. He left the Indian village on 
 DCS Plains river soon after he came to the coun- 
 try, and built a cabin near the mouth of Chicago 
 river, immediately north of Bush street bridge. 
 Here he cultivated a small piece of ground, and 
 spent much of his time in hunting and fishing, 
 as well as concocting schemes to make himself a 
 
 chief among the Indians. 
 
 Baptiste told the Indians that he had been a 
 great chief among the whites at the south, and he 
 expected to become one among them also. Pos- 
 sessing much shrewdness and a good address, this 
 cunning negro tried various means to gain the 
 confidence of the Indians, so that he might be 
 proclaimed a chief among them, but all his 
 plans failed. On account of the abundance of 
 fish here at the mouth of the river, and the cool 
 lake breeze in the summer made it a 'good place 
 for a village, and he persuaded his Indian friends 
 to come thither and build. He also told them that 
 some day there would be a big town at the mouth 
 of Chicago river, and if they occupied the land 
 they could sell it to the whites at a good price.
 
 JEAN BAPTISTE AtfD FATHER BONNER. 189 
 
 His object was to build a town here on the lake 
 shore, of which he would be the founder, and by 
 that means become a chief. A few Indians built 
 lodges on the north side of the river, in accord- 
 ance with Baptiste's wishes, but the scattering 
 trees afforded the village but little protection from 
 winter storms, and the cold wind from the lake 
 discouraged them, consequently they abandoned 
 the lake and returned to their old village on the 
 DCS Plains. 
 
 At that time, Father Bonner, a French Jesuit 
 priest, was living among the Indians, and for 
 many years had been preaching to them. .Bap- 
 tise, being aware of the priest's influence among 
 the Indians, thought he might use it to his own 
 advantage, therefore he sought his friendship, and 
 gained his confidence. He also joined the church, 
 became a zealous Catholic, attending all meetings, 
 making long and fervent prayers. Father Bon- 
 ner thought only of making Baptiste an instru- 
 ment in his hands to promote the cause of 
 Christianity, while the unscrupulous negro ex- 
 pected to use the priest in advancing his claims 
 to tl.e chieftainship, therefore the two became 
 intimate friends and labored for each other's 
 interest. 
 
 Father Bonner notified all the Indians who 
 were communicants of his church, to meet him
 
 190 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 on St. Jerome's day at the place on Chicago river 
 consecrated by Father Marquette, for the pur- 
 pose of offering up prayers to Christ and the 
 Holy Virgin, but his real object was to have 
 Baptiste proclaimed head chief of the band. On 
 the day appointed a large number of Indians col- 
 lected at the place designated, in accordance with 
 the priest's request, when the object of the meet- 
 ing was explained to them. On the mound, 
 which had long been hallowed by the Indians as 
 the spot where Marquette built an altar, a wooden 
 cross was erected for the occasion. Father Bon- 
 ner, standing by the side of this cross, preached 
 to the Indians, and in conclusion, said that he 
 had a matter of great importance to lay before 
 them. He told them that the Holy Virgin had 
 visited him in a dream, and impressed upon his 
 mind that the advancement of Christianity re- 
 quired that Baptiste, by divine authority, should 
 be proclaimed head chief of the band. Baptiste 
 now came forward- and knelt by the side of the 
 cross, when the priest anointed him chief in the 
 same manner that Samuel annointed Saul, king 
 of Israel. After pouring bears oil on Baptiste's 
 wooly head, he exclaimed in a loud voice, " By 
 the power and authority of the Holy Catholic 
 Church, I pronounce this man head chief of this 
 band." When the ceremony was completed, the
 
 PIERRE DE BETTBO. 191 
 
 priest offered up prayer in behalf of the newly 
 appointed chief, calling on the Virgin to give him 
 grace and wisdom in order that he might be a 
 just and wise ruler of his people. 
 
 The Indians refused to accept Baptiste as their 
 head chief, notwithstanding he had been appointed 
 by high authority, and the would-be ruler re- 
 turned to his cabin with a sorrowful heart. Fail- 
 ing to gain power over the Indians, Baptiste 
 became disgusted with the life of a savage, aban- 
 doned his cabin and went to Peoria, where he 
 ended his days some years afterwards. . 
 
 The cabin which Baptiste built was afterwards 
 occupied by a French trader named Le Mai, who 
 sold it to John Kinzie in 1804, about the time 
 Fort Dearborn was built. 
 
 Father Bonner was loved and honored by the 
 Indians, and he remained with the.m until his 
 death, which occurred one year before Fort Dear- 
 born was built. He was not only a spiritual 
 father, but said to be a natural one, as a number 
 of half-breeds, known to the early settlers of 
 Chicago, claimed to be his descendants. 
 
 PIERRE DE BEURO. 
 
 About the year 1776, a young French Creole of 
 Cahokia, by the name of Pierre De Beuro, came 
 
 L
 
 192 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 to Peoria, and for a few years was employed as a 
 clerk in a trading house. De Beuro being of an 
 ^nterprising turn of mind, and well acquainted 
 with the Indian language, left Peoria in search 
 of. his fortune. Having made the acquaintance 
 of a number of chiefs while clerking at Peoria, 
 he concluded to visit their villages, which were 
 located at different points on or near the river. 
 He stopped some time at Wappa, on Bureau 
 creek, then at a village on Lake De Pue, and 
 afterwards went to a large town near the mouth 
 of Fox river. Here he married a squaw, the 
 daughter of a noted chief, and made preparations 
 to engage in the fur trade. 
 
 De Beuro visited Peoria to procure necessary 
 tools for building a house, and accompanied by a 
 half-breed he ascended the river as far as the 
 mouth of Bureau creek, where he established a 
 trading post. 
 
 Below the mouth of Bureau creek is an eleva- 
 ted piece of land, covered with timber, and known 
 as Hickory Ridge. This place became a noted 
 land mark with the French and Indians and was 
 the scene of a number of traditionary incidents. 
 It also became a place of note in the early settle- 
 ment of the country, and during high water was 
 the landing for the Hennepin ferry-boat. Here 
 on this ridge, elevated above the floods of the
 
 PIERRE DE BEtJRO. 193 
 
 river, De Beuro, assisted by a number of Indians, 
 built a double log cabin, and laid the foundation 
 of a large fur trade. Being located in the heart 
 of the Indian country, the first year he collected' 
 two canoe loads of furs and buffalo skins, which 
 he shipped to Cahokia, and paid for them on his 
 return with goods received in exchange. 
 
 While the traders at Peoria continued to send 
 their furs to Canada, De Beuro sent his to Caho- 
 kia, and there obtained goods for the Indian 
 market. Antoine Des Champs said every spring 
 for a number of years, canoes loaded with furs 
 and buffalo robes, passed Peoria on their way 
 down the river from this trading house. The 
 traders at Peoria were unfriendly toward De 
 Beuro, as he took a large portion of their trade, 
 and they tried to buy him out, but did not suc- 
 ceed. In the spring of 1790, De Beuro, in ac- 
 cordance with his former custom, sent two canoes 
 loaded with furs down the river to Cahokia, in- 
 charge of his clerk and two Indians. The trader 
 accompanied the canoes down the river about 
 twenty miles to an Indian village for the purpose 
 of transacting some business, and from here he 
 started for home on foot, but never reached it. 
 Search was made for the missing trader, and some 
 days afterwards his remains were found a short 
 distance from, the trail, in a thick cluster of un-
 
 194 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 derbrush, partly devoured by wolves. He had 
 been shot through the body, and from appearances 
 ran a short distance when he was overtaken by the 
 assassin and his head split open with a tomahawk. 
 
 Report says a trader at Peoria, whose descend- 
 ants are now living near East St. Louis, being 
 angry at De Beuro on account of taking away 
 much of his trade, employed a half-breed to assas- 
 sinate him, and thereby break np the rival trading 
 post. 
 
 When the clerk found that the trader was dead, 
 he appropriated the proceeds of the furs to his 
 own account, and De Beuro's squaw put the goods 
 at the trading house into canoes, and took them 
 to her people who lived at a village near the 
 mouth of Fox river. Thus the trading post was 
 broken up, after being in operation fourteen 
 years. The buildings vacated went to decay, but 
 from this trader Bureau creek derived its name. 
 
 During the war of 1812, when the troops under 
 General Howard, at Peoria, were preparing to 
 ascend the river in keel boats in search of the 
 enemy, the Indians tore down the cabins built 
 by De Beuro, and with the logs erected a breast- 
 work on the river bank so they could tire on the 
 boats. But on the arrival of the boats, and find- 
 ing their decks protected by heavy planking, with 
 port holes for cannon, the Indians were stricken
 
 I 
 
 CAPTAIN LEVERING'S VISIT TO PBORIA. 195 
 
 with panic, and fled from their breastworks with- 
 out firing a gun or letting their presence be 
 known to the troops. 
 
 Gerden S. Hubbard says, when he came to the 
 country in 1818, this breastwork was still stand- 
 ing, and its relics were plain to be seen in the 
 early settlement of the country.* 
 
 CAPTAIN LEVERING'S VISIT TO PEORIA. 
 
 In the summer of 1809, soon after Ninian 
 Edwards was appointed Governor of Illinois 
 territory, trouble existed between the whites and 
 Indians, and a few persons were killed by the 
 latter. The Indians on the Illinois river appear- 
 ed shy and unfriendly, and rumors were in circu- 
 lation that they meditated an attack upon the 
 frontier settlements. These reports, and their 
 unfriendly demonstrations, caused Governor 
 Edwards, to send Captain Levering, a native of 
 Kaskaskia, with a small company of volunteers 
 in a keel boat to Peoria, in order to ascertain the 
 intention of the Indians. 
 
 Captain Levering and all his company were 
 French Creoles, who understood the Indian 
 
 * A few years ago David Miller cut the timber off Hickory 
 Ridge and put the land under cultivation. Where De Beuro's 
 trading house stood many relics of civilization, such as pieces 
 of pottery, glassware, <fec., were plowed up.
 
 196 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 language and customs, and with whom friendly 
 relation existed, even in time of war. 
 
 On arriving at Peoria the volunteers were 
 cordially received by both French and Indians, 
 who prepared for them a great feast and a ball 
 in the evening. Some of the guests became fas- 
 cinated with the Indian maidens, two of whom 
 took wives home with them. 
 
 From Peoria parties were sent to different 
 Indian villages for the purpose of delivering pres- 
 ents, and have a talk with the chiefs. One of the 
 parties visited the Kickapoo village on Sugar 
 creek, about forty miles southeast of Peoria, and 
 the Indians Lore expressed a friendly feeling 
 towards Americans. 
 
 Joseph Trotier, a native of Cahokia, accom- 
 panied by two half-breeds, ascended the river in 
 a canoe as far as the great bend, stopping at 
 Crows, Gomo and Black Partridge's villages, and 
 from the chiefs and warriors received assurance 
 of peace and friendship. They also visited the 
 village of Wappa, on Bureau creek, and Comas 
 the head chief sent Governor Edwards as a token 
 of friendship, a pair of large elk horns and a 
 panther skin, all of which he had taken with his 
 own hands. 
 
 Captain Levering and company returned to 
 Kaskaskia, carrying with them many presents
 
 THB GOVERNOR AND CHIEFS IN COUNCIL. 197 
 
 from the chiefs to Governor Edwards, and also 
 their pledges of friendship. 
 
 For nearly two years after Captain Levering's 
 visit to the Indian country, the frontier settle- 
 ments were not molested, but in the fall of 1811, 
 a number of persons were killed by the Indians 
 in Madison and St. Clair counties. At these 
 depredations people on the frontier settlements 
 became greatly alarmed ; some fled from the 
 country, while others built temporary forts to 
 shield themselves from the tomahawks and scalp- 
 ing knives of the savages. Fort Russell was 
 built near the present site of Edwardsville, and 
 cannon brought from old Fort Charters and 
 mounted on its wooden ramparts. 
 
 GOVERNOR EDWARDS MEETING THE POTTAWATO- 
 MIE CHIEFS. 
 
 During the winter of 1811-12, the Indians at 
 the different villages along the river, heard that 
 preparations were being made by Governor Ed- 
 wards to send an army against them in the spring. 
 On hearing of this intended invasion by the 
 troops, they were much alarmed, and the chiefs 
 and principal warriors met in council at Senach- 
 wine's village, to agree on plans for the future, 
 but no definite conclusion was arrived at. Many
 
 198 FEENOH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS KIVER. 
 
 of the chiefs went to Peoria to consult with their 
 friends, the French, and to procure their assistance 
 in averting the evil which threatened them. 
 Captain J. B. Maillet consented to go to Kaskas- 
 kia and see Governor Edwards, and pledge to 
 him their intentions of peace and friendship. On 
 arriving at the seat of government the Governor 
 proposed to meet the chiefs in council at Cahokia, 
 in the latter part of April, and there settle all 
 misunderstandings. At the time appointed a 
 large delegation ol chiefs, among whom were 
 Black Partridge, Senachwine and Gomo, in their 
 canoes arrived fit Cahokia. 
 
 The council was held in a little grove of timber 
 on the bank of Cahokia creek, above the town 
 and was attended by a large collection of people, 
 some of whom are still living, and to them I am 
 indebted for some facts relating to it.* 
 
 Black Partridge made a speech in the council, 
 and while holding aloft a silver medal which he 
 wore suspended from his neck, said : " This token 
 
 * While at Cahokia a short time ago, the place of holding this 
 council was pointed out to me by an old man, who in his boy- 
 hood days, sixty- two years before, attended it. He described 
 Black Partridge, Senachwine, and other chiefs, who it appears 
 made a lasting impression upon his then youthful mind. In 
 this little grove where the council was held, is a large burr oak 
 tree, which looks as though it might have stood here for many 
 centuries. At the root of this tree, said the old man, Pontiac 
 (or the Indian who passed for such) was sitting, when a warrior 
 came up behind him and split his head open with a tomahawk
 
 THE GOVERNOR AND CHIEFS IN COUNCIL. 199 
 
 of friendship was given to me at Greenville by 
 your great chief (General Wayne). On it you 
 see the face of out great father at Washington, 
 and as long as this hangs from my neck I never 
 will raise my tomahawk against the whites." 
 
 Pledges of friendship were made by the chiefs, 
 and Governor Edw,ards dismissed them with many 
 presents, when they returned to their homes. 
 For several months after this council harmony 
 between the Indians and frontier settlements was 
 undisturbed, and people passed back and forth to 
 Lake Michigan, as in former days. 
 
 About the first of August two emisaries from 
 Tecumseh arrived on the Illinois river informing 
 the Indians that war existed between the United 
 States and Great Britain, and tried to induce 
 them to take part with the latter. A council was 
 called at Gomo's village, at which the chiefs of 
 .the different bands opposed taking part in the 
 war. On the following day about one hundred 
 and fifty young warriors belonging to different 
 villages, left for Chicago, to join other bands in 
 an attack on Fort Dearborn. Black Partridge 
 on learning this fact, mounted his pony and fol- 
 lowed these young bloods to dissuade them from 
 their purpose, but failed in his mission, and 
 a few days after their arrival at Chicago, the fort 
 was abandoned and troops massacred.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 TROOPS MARCHING AGAINST THE INDIANS. 
 
 Ill the fall of 1312, an army of two thousand 
 mounted riflemen from Kentucky, under the com- 
 mand of General Hopkins, arrived at Fort Har- 
 rison on the Wabash. These troops were ordered 
 by the commander-in-chief of the western army 
 to march against the Indians on the Illinois river, 
 as it was believed that many of them participated 
 in the Chicago massacre, which had taken place 
 a few months before. 
 
 On the 14th of October this grand army, the 
 largest that had ever been so far west, entered 
 Illinois in what is now Edgar county, and shaped 
 their course northwest across the prairies. On 
 the fourth day out the prairie was discovered on 
 fire, and the soldiers became alarmed, fearing that 
 they would be burned up in the flames. Being 
 stricken with a panic they mutinied all their 
 patriotism vanished and they resolved to go no 
 further through a country enveloped in fire and
 
 TROOPS MARCHING AGAINST THE INDIANS. 201 
 
 smoke. While this great army was in confusion, 
 soldiers remonstrating with the officers, it is said 
 one Major Prunk rode up to General Hopkins 
 and ordered him to turn back. The general 
 finding all military law at an end, abandoned the 
 expedition, and marched his army back to the 
 Wabash. 
 
 About this time Governor Edwards, with three 
 hundred mounted rangers, under the command 
 of Colonel Russell, marched northward from Fort 
 Russell, near the present site of Edwardsville, for 
 the purpose of operating with Hopkins' army 
 against the Indians. But being unable to find 
 the arm} 7 under Hopkins, they continued on 
 their way toward the Indian country. Governor 
 Edwards' rangers being mounted on good horses, 
 without baggage except what each man carried 
 in his saddle bags, enabled them to march direct 
 for Peoria Lake, and on the fourth day reached 
 Black Partridge's village. The Indians having 
 no warning of the approaching enemy, were un- 
 prepared to make a defense. Most of the 
 warriors being off on a hunt, the squaws and 
 pappooses fell an easy prey to the rangers. The 
 Indians, panic-stricken, fled from their village, 
 leaving in their flight ponies, carnp equipage and 
 all other valuables. A few of the warriors were 
 wounded in the assault, so they could not make
 
 202 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 their escape, and therefore became victims of the 
 assailants. These wounded warriors with a num- 
 ber of pappooses and a few persons decrepid by 
 age, were killed by the rangers, who afterwards 
 said in justification of this barbarous act that 
 they did not leave home to take prisoners. 
 
 The village with all its contents was destroyed 
 by fire ; even, the corn in the caches was taken 
 out and burned, and many of the ponies were 
 taken off as trophies of war. 
 
 As soon as the rangers had completed their 
 work of destruction, they started back on a 
 forced march, for the settlement, as they were 
 now in the midst of the Indian country, where a 
 thousand or more warriors could be raised in a 
 day's time.* 
 
 BLACK PARTRIDGE. 
 
 This chief, whose Indian name was Mucketey- 
 pokee, lived at his village on the bank of Illinois 
 river, a short distance above the head of Peoria 
 Lake. Here he lived, and here he died, and in 
 the early settlement of the country, his grave 
 
 I f* There are conflicting accounts relating to the destruction ot 
 Black Partridge's viUage, some of which contradict these bar- 
 barous acts of the soldiers. Bat I obtained my information 
 while in conversation with General Whitesides, who was pres- 
 ent and participated in this affair. General Whitesides (then 
 a young man,) belonged to Captain Judy's company of spies.
 
 BLACK PARTRIDGE. 203 
 
 was pointed to strangers. Persons are now liv- 
 ing who knew this chief well, and from whom I 
 obtained a description of his person, and many 
 incidents relating to his life and character. 
 
 Black Partridge was tall and slim, with a high 
 forehead, a large nose, a sharp visage and pierc- 
 ing black eyes. His appearance was noble, his 
 form erect, and his figure commanding. The 
 long coarse hair, once as black as a raven, but of 
 latter years mixed with gray, hung in matted 
 clusters over his shoulders. On his breast he 
 wore a silver medal, on which was the medallion 
 head ot General Washington, and in his nose 
 and ears were large gold rings. 
 
 In the border wars of Ohio, Black Partridge 
 took a part and with a few of his braves fought 
 against the whites. He was present and signed 
 the treaty of Greenville, in the year 1795, and 
 received from the hand of General Wayne, the 
 medal above referred to. This medal as an 
 insignia of peace and friendship, was carried about 
 his person for seventeen years, and surrendered it 
 to Captain Heald, August 15, 1812. 
 
 and had a good opportunity of observing what transpired. He 
 described some acts of the soldiers, which for the sake of hu- 
 manity ought not to be recorded in history, and therefore will 
 bear no part in this narrative. 
 
 Having already published some Items in relation to the de- 
 struction of Black Partridge's village, it becomes unnecessary 
 to repeat them here.
 
 204 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 On the morning of the Chicago massacre, 
 Black Partridge entered the quarters of Captain 
 Heald, the officer in command of Fort Dearborn, 
 and said to him, "I have come to deliver up to 
 you this medal which I have long worn as a token 
 of friendship, and it is with a sorrowful heart I 
 now part with it. But our young braves are 
 resolved on imbuing their hands in human blood ; 
 I cannot restrain them, and I will not wear an 
 emblem of friendship while I am compelled to 
 act as an enemy." 
 
 In Mrs. Kinzie's account of the Chicago mas- 
 sacre is related an incident of Black Partridge 
 saving the life of Mrs. Helm, wife of Lieutenant 
 Helm, second officer in command at Fort Dear- 
 born. This incident almost rivals romance, but 
 its truth is confirmed by a person still living 
 Mrs. Benson who was- present, and from whom 
 I partly obtained the following narrative. 
 
 On the morning of the 15th of August, 1812, 
 the sun rose with unusual splendor, and its golden 
 rays were reflected from the smooth water of Lake 
 Michigan, but many of the inmates of Fort Dear- 
 born who then looked upon it, did not live to see 
 it set beneath the western horizon. 
 
 At nine o'clock the troops left the fort in mili- 
 tary array, with martial music, and flags flying. 
 Captain Wells, having his face blacked after the
 
 BLACK PARTRIDGE. 205 
 
 manner of Indians, and witli his Miami warriors 
 mounted on horses, led the van. The troops on 
 foot followed, and next to them were the baggage 
 wagons containing the sick, with the women and 
 children, while the Pottawatomie warriors five 
 hundred in number, brought up the rear. This 
 caravan followed the road along the beach of the 
 lake for about a mile and a half, to a range of 
 sand knolls.* Here the Pottawatomies left the 
 road, and took to the prairie, when Captain 
 Wells, with his horse on a gallop, rode back and 
 told the troops to form for battle, as the Potta- 
 watomies were about to attack them. Soon the 
 tight commenced, and the soldiers defended 
 themselves manfully, selling their lives as dearly 
 as possible, but many fell on every hand by an 
 overpowering enern}'. Mrs. Helm, wife of Lieu- 
 tenant Helm, then but seventeen years of age, 
 having been thrown from her horse at the com- 
 mencment of the fight, stood spell bound, look- 
 ing on the scene of blood and carnage around 
 her. Her father and husband were engaged in 
 the fearful strife, and she expected every moment 
 to see them fall by the murderous savages. Soon 
 a warrior with an uplifted tomahawk approached 
 
 * This range of sand knolls was where Fourteenth street 
 strikes the lake, and were a kind of a land mark thirty years 
 ago, but have since been graded down in making the street.
 
 206 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 her, but dodging to one side the blow intended 
 for her head took effect in the shoulder, produc- 
 ing a ghastly wound. She caught the savage 
 around the neck, and attempted to get possession 
 of his scalping knife which hung in a scabbard 
 on his breast, but the warrior threw her to one 
 side and was about to use his tomahawk on her 
 head, when she was caught in the arms of another 
 Indian who bore her off, struggling, into the lake. 
 Here she was plunged under the water, but her 
 head was frequently raised, so she soon discovered 
 that the Indian did not intend to drown her. On 
 looking into the face of her captor, she recognized 
 Black Partridge, the white man's friend, notwith- 
 standing he was disguised by paint. When the 
 fight was over her protector conveyed his charge 
 to the Indian camp, and delivered her over to a 
 friendly squaw who dressed her wounds.* 
 
 About two months after the events above nar- 
 rated, Black Partridge learned that Lieutenant 
 Helm, the husband of the woman whose life he 
 had saved, was still a prisoner among the Indians 
 at a village on the Kankakee river. On receiv- 
 ing this intelligence he boarded a canoe and went 
 to Peoria to consult with his friends in relation 
 
 * This Indian encampment was on a small stream or slough, 
 which ran along the line of State street, and entered the river 
 near Clark street bridge. This camp.according to the statement 
 of Billy Caldwell.was near where Jackson street crosses State.
 
 BLACK PARTRIDGE. 207 
 
 to the Lieutenant's ransom. Captain J. B. Mail- 
 let, Antoine Des Champs and Thomas Forsyth, 
 were consulted, and it was agreed by them that 
 Black Partridge should go immediately to the 
 Indian village and purchase the release of Lieu- 
 tenant Helm. Presents were furnished by the 
 three traders as a ransom for the prisoner, with a 
 written order on General Clark, Indian agent at 
 St. Louis for an additional one hundred dollars on 
 his arrival there. 
 
 Black Partridge being provided with presents, 
 and accompanied by a half-breed from Peoria, 
 mounted their ponies and started on their mission 
 of mercy. On arriving at the Indian village, 
 they found Lieutenant Helm closely guarded by 
 his captors, and suffering from a wound which he 
 received at the massacre. When the old chief 
 entered the lodge, Lieutenant Helm threw his 
 arms around his neck and cried like a child. He 
 knew that Black Partridge had rescued his wife, 
 and saved the life of his father-in-law (John Kin- 
 zie) with his family, and in him he saw a prospect 
 of his own rescue.* 
 
 * The wife of Lieutenant Helm was a step-daughter of John 
 KInzie, an Indian trader, who came to Chicago in 1804. Kinzie 
 was a half-brother of Thomas Forsyth, of Peoria, and father-in- 
 law of Mrs. Kinzie, who published a book on the early history 
 of Chicago. 
 
 The wife of Captain Heald was a sister of Captain Wells ; the 
 latter was raised among the Indians, adopted their dress, cus- 
 toms and language, and lost his life at the Chicago massacre. 
 
 M
 
 208 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 Black Partridge called the chiefs and warriors 
 together and laid the presents before them, say- 
 ing all these articles should be theirs, with an 
 additional one hundred dollars in silver if they 
 would send their prisoner to General Clark at St. 
 Louia After a long parley the Indians rejected 
 the proposition, contending that the ransom of- 
 fered was not sufficient. 
 
 A short time before Captain Heald had been a 
 prisoner at this village, and the Indians sent him 
 to St. Joseph in charge of three warriors, to be 
 liberated, but the pay received in exchange for him 
 was so small that the warriors were sent back to 
 reclaim their prisoner, but Captain Heald having 
 been sent to Detroit they failed to get him. 
 
 The Indians refused to release Lieutenant Helm 
 unless the ransom was increased, so Black Part- 
 ridge offered them his pony, rifle, and a large gold 
 ring which he wore in his nose. This proposition 
 was accepted, and Lieutenant Helm, with the half- 
 breed, accompanied by a petty chief, all mounted 
 on ponies, started the next day for St. Louis. 
 
 It was thought best to take the prisoner to St. 
 Louis to be set at liberty, as the Indians might 
 think if brought to Peoria that the French were 
 in league with the Americans, and thereby create 
 a feeling against them. 
 
 Black Partridge accompanied Lieutenant Helm
 
 INDIANS ATTACKING THE SETTLEMENTS. 209 
 
 and his conductors one day's journey on their 
 way, and then started across the country for his 
 village on the Illinois river. 
 
 It was late at night, very dark, and the rain 
 pouring down in torrents, as the old chief, on foot 
 and alone, plodded his way through the thick 
 river timber toward his home, where he expected 
 to be warmly greeted by his family and friends, 
 but was doomed to disappointment. The village 
 had disappeared not a lodge nor a human being 
 could be found nothing remained on its site but 
 the charred poles of which the lodges were con- 
 structed. A pack of hungry wolves which had 
 been feeding on dead bodies, ran away at his 
 approach, and their howling during the night 
 added gloom and terror to the surrounding scene. 
 Black Partridge drew his blanket around him, 
 and with a sorrowful heart seated himself on the 
 ground to await the approach of day. Next 
 morning he found among the dead his favorite 
 daughter, with her infant son clasped in her arms, 
 both stiff in death. On the site of the village, 
 and in the swamp near by, he found the remains 
 of many of his friends, among whom was an old 
 squaw of ninety winters. 
 
 INDIANS ATTACKING THE SETTLEMENTS. 
 
 After the destruction of Black Partridge's vil-
 
 210 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 lage, his band left the Illinois river, some of 
 whom found refuge on Bureau creek and others 
 on Green river, where they remained until the 
 following summer. A party of warriors, headed 
 by Black Partridge, returned to the village some 
 days after it was destroyed, for the purpose of 
 burying the dead, and found their remains partly 
 devoured by wolves. The warriors engaged in a 
 winter hunt, according to their custom, but Black 
 Partridge traveled over the country, visiting dif- 
 ferent villages, and holding council with their 
 chiefs in order to enlist them in his cause. He 
 was now old his head whitened by the snows of 
 seventy winters still his figure was erect and his 
 step firm. Age had not dimmed the fire of his 
 eyes, nor destroyed the ambition of his youth. 
 He had long been a friend to the whites, and had 
 done everything in his power to prevent the mas- 
 sacre at Chicago. He had saved the life of Mrs. 
 Helm, at the risk of his own, and had collected 
 around him a few faithful friends to guard the 
 house of John Kinzie, and thereby rescued his 
 family as well as other prisoners from massacre. 
 He had traveled a long way to the Kankakee 
 village, and given his pony, rifle and ring to ran- 
 som Lieutenant Helm, and while tired and 
 hungry he returned to find his home desolated, 
 and his friends murdered or driven away. Not-
 
 INDIANS ATTACKING THE SETTLEMENTS. 211 
 
 withstanding Black Partridge had done all this, 
 the whites made war against him, burned his 
 town, destroyed his corn, carried off his ponies, 
 and killed about thirty of his people, among whom 
 were some of his kinsmen, and he now lived only 
 for revenge. 
 
 On the following summer Black Partridge, 
 with about three hundred warriors mounted on 
 ponies, left for the frontier settlements in the 
 southern part of the State. They went within 
 thirty miles of the settlement, and secreted them- 
 selves in the thick timber of Shoal creek, now in 
 Bond county. From here they sent out small 
 war parties to attack the settlers and kill de- 
 fenseless women and children. The people were 
 greatly alarmed at these depredations ; many fled 
 from their homes and sought safety at Cahokia 
 and Kaskaskia ; others built temporary forts to 
 shield themselves from the tomahawk and scalp- 
 ing knives of .these ruthless savages. It is said a 
 half-breed, dressed as a white man, acted as a spy, 
 visiting ^different settlements and informied the 
 Indians of the most exposed points. Through 
 this spy the Indians learned that an expedition 
 was about to be sent against their villages on the 
 Illinois river, so they broke up their camp and 
 left for their homes.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE FRENCH AT PEOKIA REGARDED AS ENEMIES. 
 
 "While the inhabitants of Peoria were quietly 
 pursuing their daily avocation of farming, hunt- 
 ing and trading with the Indians, being as they 
 supposed at peace with all the world, a plot was 
 laid for their destruction. Being located in the 
 midst of a wilderness country, two hundred miles 
 from the nearest American settlement, and hav- 
 ing but little intercourse with the civilized world, 
 they would not have known that war between 
 the United States and Great Britain existed if 
 they had not learned the fact from the neighbor- 
 ing Indians. 
 
 Although the French at Peoria had lived within 
 the jurisdiction of the United States government 
 for thirty -four years, they had never taken the 
 oath of allegiance, acknowledged its power, nor 
 paid tax to its support. They were a foreign 
 people, speaking a different language, with habits 
 and customs peculiar to themselves, and all their
 
 THE FRENCH KEGARDED AS ENEMIES. 213 
 
 trade and intercourse was with the French citizens 
 of Canada. 
 
 The residents of Peoria had taken no part in 
 the war, as it was afterwards proven, but never- 
 theless they were charged with assisting the 
 Indians by supplying them with arms. Eeport 
 said that they were bringing munitions of war 
 from Canada, and selling them to the Indians to 
 enable these savages to make raids on the frontier 
 settlements. It was also alleged that they had 
 sent five horses over to the Sac village, near Rock 
 Island, to pack lead for the Indians, and this lead 
 was paid for in goods furnished by Peoria mer- 
 chants. But the most damaging of all the evil 
 reports in circulation, and which caused the 
 greatest feeling of resentment among the people, 
 was that of cattle stealing. It being reported 
 and believed by people everywhere that Captain 
 John Baptiste Maillet, the chief military man of 
 Peoria, with a number of followers had been 
 stealing cattle from the Wood river settlement, in 
 Madison county, to feed the Indian army then 
 collected at Gomo's village. These reports were 
 afterwards shown to be false, and instead of Cap- 
 tain Maillet being a cattle thief, as reported, he 
 was rewarded by an act of Congress for his loy- 
 alty to the United States government 
 
 The evil reports in circulation about the French
 
 214 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS EIVER. 
 
 at Peoria were generally believed, and Governor 
 Edwards, supposing they were true, called for 
 volunteers in order to send an armed force against 
 them. About two hundred men responded to 
 the call, who were placed under the command of 
 Captain Craig, and rendezvoused at Shawnee- 
 town. Four keel-boats were prepared, with rifle 
 ball proof planking, mounted with cannon, and 
 filled with armed soldiers. These boats left 
 Shawneetown early in October, and arrived at 
 Peoria on the 5th of November. The inhabitants 
 of Peoria were much surprised to see four armed 
 boats land at their wharf, as no large craft had 
 ever reached that place before. 
 
 The following account of the arrival of these 
 boats, and the burning of Peoria, are principally 
 taken from the statements of Antoine LeClair 
 and Hypolite Pilette, who were present, the 
 latter being a boy at the time. LeClair was a 
 half-breed, and acquired much celebrity in after 
 life as the proprietor of Davenport, Iowa. Pilette 
 is now living on the American Bottom, near 
 Prairie de Eocher, and to whom previous refer- 
 ence has been made. 
 
 BURNING OF PEORIA. 
 
 On Sunday morning, November 5th, 1812, as 
 the people of Peoria were assembled at church,
 
 BDKNING OF PEOKIA. 215 
 
 engaged in saying mass, they were startled by the 
 report of a cannon. The congregation, partly 
 through fright and partly by curiosity, ran out of 
 the church, when they discovered four armed 
 boats in the lake under full sail. On coming op- 
 posite the town, the boats rounded to and landed 
 at the wharf. Father Racine came down from 
 the pulpit, and in his long black robe, with his 
 bald head uncovered, started for the landing, fol- 
 lowed by all his congregation, men, women and 
 children. Here they were met by Captain Craig 
 and some of his men, who had landed from the 
 boats. Thomas Forsyth, who spoke English, in- 
 quired of the commanding officer, Captain Craig, 
 the object of his mission, but he evaded answer- 
 ing the question, and in return demanded of the 
 citizens a supply of meat and vegetables for his 
 men, which were furnished them. 
 
 The soldiers landed from the boats and scattered 
 through the town in search of plunder, and com- 
 mitted many depredations on the people. They 
 broke open the store of Felix Fontain, in which 
 Antoine LeClair was a clerk, and took therefrom 
 two casks of wine, and drank their contents. 
 Many of the soldiers got drunk, forced their way 
 into dwellings, insulting women, carrying off 
 eatables, blankets, and everything which they 
 took a fancy to. It was long after dark before
 
 216 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS K1VEK. 
 
 Captain Craig succeeded in getting his drunken 
 disorderly crew on board, when the boats were 
 pushed off from shore to prevent further depre- 
 dations on the citizens. The boats lay at anchor 
 off in the lake in order to prevent the soldiers 
 from again visiting the town, as well as a precau- 
 tion against an attack from the Indians. 
 
 During the night a high wind arose, and to es- 
 cape the waves in the lake the boats raised their 
 anchors and dropped down into the channel of 
 the river, about one-half mile below the town, 
 where they remained until morning. About 
 daylight, eight or ten guns were fired in quick 
 succession in the thick river timber close to the 
 boats. Captain Craig thinking that they were 
 attacked by Indians, ordered the boats to push 
 out into the channel of the river, while the can- 
 nons were brought to bear and several shots fired 
 into the timber in order to dislodge the supposed 
 Indians. 
 
 About daybreak on the morning of the sup- 
 posed attack on the boats, a party of French 
 at the village, consisting of eight or ten in num- 
 ber, went out in the river timber to shoot some 
 beeves. The cattle being mixed with buffalo 
 would live during the winter without feeding and 
 became partly wild, so they were frequently 
 hunted down in the woods the same as deer.
 
 BURNING OF PEOKIA. 217 
 
 This party of hunters had attacked the herd in 
 their lair, near where the boats of Captain Craig 
 were at anchor, shot three beeves, and had com- 
 menced skinning them when the ftimber was 
 riddled with cannon shot. The hunters became 
 frightened, left their beeves undressed, and in 
 great haste returned to town without having the 
 slightest idea from what cause these hostile de- , 
 monstrations were made by the troops. 
 
 A council of war was held among the officers, 
 all of whom were in favor of burning the town, 
 and taking the men prisoners of war, as they had 
 without doubt, pointed out the location of the 
 boats to the Indians, and therefore were accessory 
 to the attack. The boats were run up to the 
 town, when Captain Craig, with an armed force 
 visited each house and took all the heads of fam- 
 ilies prisoners. Some of the men were still in 
 bed, and not allowed time to dress, but hur- 
 ried off to the boats with their clothing in their 
 hands. A torch was applied to every house, and 
 these with their contents were burned. 
 
 Women and children, with wild screams es- 
 cap^d from the burning buildings, and like a herd 
 of frightened deer collected on a vacant lot back 
 of the town. The church, which contained a 
 golden image and a crucifix, with other valuable 
 religious emblems, a present from the Bishop of
 
 218 FBBNOH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS EIVEK. 
 
 Quebec, was burned. The wind-mill, which 
 stood on the bank of the lake and filled with 
 grain and flour belonging to the citizens, was 
 burned, as well as stables, stock-yards, corn-cribs, 
 
 &C. 
 
 Felix Fontain, Michael LaCroix, Antoine Des 
 Champs and Thomas Forsyth, all of whom were 
 .traders, with their stores filled with goods, which 
 was consumed by the flames. An old man named 
 Benit, formerly a trader, who had saved a large 
 amount of gold by the toil of half a century, 
 which he had laid away for old age. This gold 
 was secreted in his dwelling, but finding it on fire 
 he rushed in to save his treasure, and perished in 
 the flames, and his bones were found among the 
 ashes on the following spring by a party of hunt- 
 ers who visited Peoria. Mrs. LaCroix, a lady of 
 refinement and of great personal attraction, who 
 in after years became the wife of Governor Rey- 
 nolds, being alone with four small children when 
 her house was set on fire, appealed to the soldiers 
 to save the clothes of herself and little ones, but 
 her appeal was in vain, and with her children only 
 she escaped from the burning building. 
 
 There is an incident connected with the burn- 
 ing of Peoria which to some extent explains the 
 barbarous conduct of the soldiers, and somewhat 
 palliates this offense against humanity. About
 
 BURNING OF PEORIA. 219 
 
 two months before Peoria was burned, General 
 Howard, then stationed at Portage du Sioux, sent 
 one of his soldiers, a young half-breed named 
 Snipkins, to Peoria, in order to ascertain if the 
 French were assisting the Indians in carrying on 
 a war against the settlements, as had been re- 
 ported. This messenger, by courtesy, was called 
 Howard's express, but in fact was a spy, learning 
 all he could from the citizens without letting his 
 business be known This young scapegrace, in- 
 stead of returning to the army and reporting the 
 true state of affairs, according to orders, became 
 enamored with a girl and prolonged his stay until 
 the arrival of Captain Craig. And to escape pun- 
 ishment for disobeying orders, he reported to the 
 troops under Captain Craig that he was detained 
 by the people of Peoria against his will, being a 
 prisoner in their hands, which was afterwards 
 shown to be false. If this messenger had re- 
 turned to the army, and reported as he was ordered 
 to do, Craig's expedition would have been aban- 
 doned, and the destruction of Peoria averted. 
 
 A short time before Peoria was burned, Thom- 
 as t'orsyth was appointed a government agent, 
 but this appointment was kept a secret by the 
 department at Washington, as it was thought, if 
 known, it would lessen his influence with the In- 
 dians, and probably prejudice his townsmen
 
 220 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVEK. 
 
 against him. When Forsyth was made a prisoner 
 he showed his commission under the United 
 States seal to Captain Craig, but the incredulous 
 captain pronounced it a forgery. 
 
 When the destruction of Peoria was completed^ 
 the boats started down the river on their return 
 homeward, carrying with them all the men as 
 prisoners of war. Two miles below the present 
 site of Alton, in the thick river timber, these 
 prisoners were set at liberty, without tents, pro- 
 visions, or means of returning to their families. 
 
 The women and children having been left at 
 the burned town without food or shelter, were 
 therefore in a suffering condition, and without 
 assistance they could not be relieved from their 
 helpless situation. It was now late in the fall, 
 the sky overcast with gray clouds, and the cold 
 November winds howled through the forest trees. 
 With high winds were squalls of snow, and the 
 roaring and lashing of waves in the lake caused 
 mothers to draw their infants closer to their 
 bosoms to protect them from the inclement 
 weather. To these destitute helpless beings all 
 was dark and cheerless; the lamentations of 
 mothers and cries of children were heard far 
 away, and touched the heart of a sympathizing 
 friend, although a "savage. While in the midst 
 of trouble they discovered a lone Indian walking
 
 BURNING OF PEORIA. 221 
 
 leisurely along the beach of the lake, and with a 
 firm step approaching them. He carried a rifle 
 on his shoulder, a tomahawk and scalping knife 
 in his belt, and his face was painted in many col- 
 ors. Notwithstanding he was disguised by paint, 
 they recognized in the approaching Indian Gomo, 
 a friendly chief, who had a village where Chilli- 
 cothe now stands. 
 
 On the approach of Captain Craig's forces, the 
 inhabitants of Gomo's village fled from their 
 homes and secreted themselves in a thick grove 
 of timber a few miles west of the river. But 
 Gomo, with two of his warriors, remained in the 
 heavy timber near the lake watching the move- 
 ments of the soldiers, and when the boats departed 
 down the river they came forth from their hiding 
 place to assist their friends in distress. Gomo and 
 his warriors furnished provisions and shelter for 
 the destitute women and children, and provided 
 them canoes (those belonging to the French hav- 
 ing been destroyed by the soldiers.) to descend 
 the river. When supplied with an outfit for the 
 journey, the women with their little one started 
 down the river, camping each night on its banks, 
 without tents or shelter from the cold night air. 
 After many days of hardship and exposure, 
 drenched by rain and suffering from cold, they 
 reached Cuhokia, where they were provided for
 
 222 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS KIVEB. 
 
 by their countrymen, and afterwards joined by 
 their husbands and fathers. 
 
 It has been stated that Captain Craig took the 
 women and children on the boats with the men, 
 and set them all at liberty on the east bank of the 
 Mississippi river. But this is incorrect, as the re- 
 port applied to a few families only. The family 
 of Thomas Forsyth, and perhaps one or two oth- 
 ers were taken on the boats, but I am informed 
 by Rene LaCroix and Hypolite Pilette, who were 
 present, (being boys at the time,) that the families 
 to which they belonged, with many others, went 
 down the river to Cahokia in bark canoes furn- 
 ished by the Indian chief Gomo, as previously 
 stated. 
 
 Captain Craig has been greatly villified for 
 burning Peoria, but it must be recollected that 
 he acted under the orders of Governor Edwards, 
 who approved of his conduct, and afterwards ap- 
 pointed him to an important office. 
 
 It appears Governor Edwards was misled by 
 false reports, which caused him to make war on 
 innocent people, and therefore should not be 
 censured for doing that which he believed, at the 
 time, to be his duty.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 DESCENDANTS OF FRENCH 8ETTLEE8 AT PEOBIA. 
 
 The descendants of the French who were born 
 at Peoria, only three are now living, and they of 
 course are far advanced in life. I visited these 
 persons, and listened to an account of their early 
 recollections of Peoria, as well as the traditions 
 of their ancestors. One of these descendants, 
 Robert Forsyth, lives on a farm in Missouri, six 
 miles west of St. Louis. He is a son of Thomas 
 Forsyth, who was a trader at Peoria, and held a 
 commission of an Indian agent from the govern- 
 ment when the town was destroyed. After the 
 destruction of Peoria, Forsyth was appointed an 
 agent for the Sacs and Foxes at Rock Island, and 
 held that position for many years. He was one of 
 the claimants for the land on which Peoria stands, 
 and his son Robert, (above referred to,) prosecut- 
 ed these claims against the occupants, and realized 
 a large sum of money out of them.
 
 224 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 Rene LaCroix, another of the descendants, lives 
 in Belleville, and like Forsyth obtained a large 
 sum of money out of the French claims. His 
 father, Michael LaCroix, a trader at Peoria, was 
 on his way to Canada with a pirogue loaded 
 with furs when the town was burned. While at 
 Montreal he heard that the Yankees had burned 
 Peoria and killed all its inhabitants, among whom 
 were his wife and children. With his heart filled 
 with revenge, he joined the British army, be- 
 came an officer, and participated in many of the 
 battles of the war. After the war was over, he 
 learned that his family were still living, and at 
 Cahokia, so he came west to join them. On the 
 following year Mr. LaCroix died, and a young 
 lawyer of Cahokia, named John Reynolds, after- 
 wards Governor of Illinois, married his widow. 
 
 Hypolite Pilette is a son of Louis Pilette, one 
 of the French land claimants, born at Peoria in 
 1799, and is now living on the American Bottom. 
 He claims to be a great grandson of Captain 
 Richard Pilette, who in the year 1H86 built Le 
 Fort Des Miamis, on Buffalo Rock, and has now 
 in his possession the sword, eagle and epaulets 
 worn by that distinguished personage. 
 
 While speaking of the burning of Peoria in 
 1812 by Captain Craig, he said : " On a cold 
 November morning, when a boy of thirteen years
 
 MBS. BESSON'S NARRATIVE. 225 
 
 of age, I was driven from home without coat, hat 
 or shoes ; my mother sick with the ague, and 
 with an infant in her arms, was compelled to leave 
 her bed, protected from the cold winds only by 
 an Indian blanket, while the house with all its 
 contents was devoured by the flames. My father 
 a prisoner, my mother sick, my brothers and sis- 
 ters almost naked, without food or shelter, and 
 not a dwelling of a white man within two hun- 
 dred miles. Thus we were turned out of doors 
 to starve and freeze, but fortunately were res- 
 cued by some friendly Indians." 
 
 Three days after Peoria was burned, Mrs. Pi- 
 lette, with her children, were put in a canoe by 
 the Indians, and with her family started down 
 the river. After six days of exposure, suffering 
 from cold and hunger, they reached Cahokia, 
 .where they were provided for by their country- 
 men. 
 
 While speaking of the past, Pilette became 
 much excited, his eyes flashed with anger, his 
 voice was raised to a high key, and in broken 
 English he denounced the barbarous acts of Cap- 
 tain Craig, and from^that time to the present, said 
 he " I hate Yankees!" 
 
 MRS. BESSON'S NARRATIVE. 
 While in East St. Louis, I heard of an old
 
 226 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS BIVEK. 
 
 lady by the name of Mrs. Besson, who was one 
 of the captives at the Chicago massacre, and is 
 probably the only one now living. I called on 
 this lady and listened to her narrative relating to 
 this affair, which to me was very interesting. 
 She said her early recollections were associated 
 with Chicago river, Lake Michigan, arid Fort 
 Dearborn, by the side of which she spent many 
 of her childhood days, and gathered flowers on 
 the wild prairie, now covered by the great metro- 
 polis of the west. Her maiden name was Mary 
 Lee, daughter of Charles Lee, who with his fam- 
 ily came to Fort Dearborn soon after it was built. 
 Their dwelling stood on the beach of the lake 
 near the fort, and back of it was a small garden 
 enclosed by a rail fence. For a number of years 
 her father, Mr. Lee, was engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits, selling the products of his farm to the 
 garrison at high rates. 
 
 Mr. Lee made a large farm at a grove of tim- 
 ber on the south branch of Chicago river, four 
 miles from its mouth, where Bridgeport is now 
 located. The land near the lake, being either wet 
 or sandy, rendered it unfit for farming purposes, 
 therefore, it was necessary to go up the river to 
 make a farm, where the prairie was more rolling 
 and the soil rich. The communication between 
 Mr. Lee's residence and his farm during the
 
 MRS. BESSON'S NARRATIVE. 227 
 
 spring and summer, was principally by a canoe 
 on the river, as the road connecting them crosses 
 a flat prairie covered with water much of the 
 time. 
 
 Mr. Lee built two cabins oil his farm, and em- 
 ployed a number of persons to work the land. 
 For some years the grove with its surroundings, 
 was known as " Lee's Place," afterwards called 
 Hardscrable, and it was here the Indians killed 
 and scalped two persons, "White and DeVow, 
 on the 7th of April, 1812, an account of which 
 is given in Mrs. Kinzie's early history of Chicago. 
 
 At the time of the Chicago massacre, Mr. Lee's 
 family consisted of his wife, an infant two months 
 old, his son John of sixteen years, Mary, now 
 Mrs. Bessou, the subject of our sketch, twelve, 
 Lillie, ten, and two small boys. 
 
 When the troops left Chicago for Fort Wayne, 
 Mr. Lee with his family accompanied them, tak- 
 ing with him all his horses, but leaving behind a 
 large herd of cattle, which were on the following 
 day shot by the Indians. Mrs. Lee with her in- 
 fant and two youngest children were in a covered 
 wagon, while the two girls were on horseback ; 
 and all followed the army along the beach of the 
 lake, on their march toward Fort Wayne on the 
 Wabash. 
 
 Little Lillie was a very hansome child, a great
 
 228 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS BITER. 
 
 pet among the soldiers and citizens about the 
 fort, but she never before appeared so beautiful, 
 as on the morning they left Chicago. She was 
 mounted on a large gray horse, and to prevent 
 her from falling off or being thrown, was tied fast 
 to the saddle. She wore a white ruffled dress, 
 trimmed with pink ribbon, a black jockey hat with 
 a white plume on one side. As her horse pranced 
 and champed the bits at the sound of martial 
 music, little Lillie, in a queenly manner sat in 
 her saddle chatting gaily with her sister Mary, 
 who rode by her side. As the soldiers threw 
 kisses at her she would return them in her merry 
 glee, talking and laughing mirthfully with many 
 of her acquaintances. Her young heart was made 
 happy by the excitement of the morning, and had 
 no warning of the awful fate that awaited her, 
 less than one hour afterwards. 
 
 Soon the guns of five hundred savages were 
 raised against the troops, and by their murderous 
 fire a large portion of the brave band were 
 stricken down. 
 
 During the battle, little Lillie was wounded 
 and fell from her seat, but still hung by the cord 
 which bound her to the saddle. While in this 
 condition the frightened horse ran back and forth 
 until he was caught by an Indian, and the child 
 rescued from her perilous situation. When the
 
 MRS. BBSSON'S NARRATIVE. 229 
 
 battle was over "Waupekee, a chief who had often 
 been at Mr. Lee's house, and trotted little Lillie 
 on his knee, was much grieved to see her thus 
 wounded, as he loved the child as though she 
 were his own daughter. On examining Lillie's 
 wound and finding it mortal, the chief put an 
 end to her suffering with a stroke of his toma- 
 hawk. "Waupekee afterwards said, to tomahaw T k 
 little Lillie, was the hardest thing he ever did, 
 but he could not bear to see her suffering. 
 
 Mr. Lee and his son John were killed in the 
 battle, and the two young children fell victims to 
 the savages, while Mrs. Lee and infant, with Mary- 
 were taken prisoners of war. 
 
 Mrs. Lee fell into the hands of Waupekee, who 
 had a village on the Des Plaines river, about 
 twenty miles from Chicago. This chief treated 
 his prisoners kindly, and tried to induce her to 
 marry him, notwithstanding he already had three 
 wives. But she declined the marriage proposi- 
 tion, hoping some day to be ransomed, and again 
 restored to friends and civilization. 
 
 During the winter Mrs. Lee's child took sick, 
 and after all the known remedies of the Indian 
 doctor had failed to remove the disease, the chief 
 proposed to take it to Chicago for medical treat- 
 ment A Frenchman named DuPin, had taken 
 possession of Kinzie's house soon after the de-
 
 230 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 struction of the fort, and here carried on a trade 
 with the Indians for a number of years. 
 
 On a cold day in the latter part of the winter, 
 Waupekee wrapped the sick infant in blankets, 
 mounted his pony and with his charge started for 
 Chicago. On arriving at DuPin's residence, Wau- 
 pekee carefully laid his package on the floor. 
 "What have you there ?" asked the trader. To 
 which the chief replied, " A young raccoon, 
 which I have brought you as a present." And 
 unwrapping the package there lay the sick infant, 
 almost smothered in the thick folds of the blank- 
 ets. The trader made a prescription for the child, 
 after which the chief carried it back to its moth- 
 er, and it finally got well. 
 
 The trader became interested in the welfare of 
 Mrs. Lee, and offered Waupekee a large amount 
 of goods for his prisoner. The offer was accept- 
 ed, the prisoner brought to the trading house and 
 set at liberty. Soon after Mrs. Lee's liberation, 
 this lonely captive widow became Madam Du- 
 Pin. 
 
 In the division of prisoners after the battle, 
 Mary Lee was taken to an Indian village on the 
 Kankakee river, and on the following spring was 
 taken to St. Louis and ransomed by General 
 Clark, the Indian agent. Some years afterward 
 she married a French Creole by the name of Bes-
 
 MISSIONARIES OF ILLINOIS. 281 
 
 son, but is now a widow, living with a distant 
 connection of her husband's. Mary never met 
 her mother after that fatal day, arid for many 
 years supposed she was killed with the other mem- 
 bers of the family, but subsequently learned 
 of her captivity, liberation, marriage and death. 
 
 MISSIONARIES OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 In every French settlement of the west a Je- 
 suit missionary preceded it, and much credit is 
 due to them for preparing the minds of the In- 
 dians to the introduction of their countrymen. 
 Many of these missionaries were talented and 
 efficient bearers of the cross, who devoted their 
 whole lives to the conversion of heathens. They 
 traveled through all parts of the west, from Can- 
 ada to New Orleans, sacrificing the comforts of 
 civilization for the purpose of Christianizing the 
 Indians. 
 
 As early as the year 1640, Father Nicollet, a 
 French Jesuit priest from Canada, preached to 
 the Indians within the limits of Illinois. This 
 devout priest traveled through the lake country 
 in advance of all other missionaries, preaching to 
 the Indians and telling them the story of the 
 cross. He visited Green Bay in 1638, and in all 
 probability was the first white man that ever
 
 232 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 rowed a canoe on the waters of Lake Michigan. 
 He passed down the west side of the lake to the 
 mouth of Chicago river, where he met a large 
 party of Illinois Indians, engaged in fishing. 
 Here Father Nicollet remained many days, 
 preaching to the Indians, some of whom were 
 converted and received baptism. At the mouth 
 of the river he raised a cross, and taught the In- 
 dians to look upon it when trouble and 
 misfortune overtook them, and through its effica- 
 cy all their evils would be expelled. The spot 
 where the cross was erected was hallowed by the 
 Indians, and pointed out to Marquette on his 
 visit to the place twenty-three years afterwards. 
 
 Father Nicollet lived ten years among the sav- 
 ages, without meeting a white man, and became 
 an Indian in dress, habit and language, still re- 
 mained a zealous Catholic, but at last he returned 
 to civilization because he could not live without 
 the sacrament. 
 
 After Marquette, probably the most devoted 
 and successful missionary was Father Allonez, 
 who established missions in various parts of the 
 west. He came to America when a young man, 
 and spent a long life in preaching to the Indians, 
 and left his bones in the wilds of the west. He 
 established a mission at St. Mary's, one at Green 
 Bay, and one at St. Joseph, but the last and most
 
 MISSIONARIES OF ILLINOIS. 233 
 
 important ones were at Cahokia and Kaskaskia. 
 
 In the year 1632, Father Allonez and Father 
 Hugues Pinet accompanied La Salleinhis voyage 
 to the mouth of the Mississippi, and they 
 preached to the Indians at every village where 
 they stopped. On the return of this exploring 
 party, they halted several days at Cahokia, which 
 at that time was a large Indian village. The na- 
 tives supplied the voyagenrs with corn and 
 buffalo meat, and the best lodges in the village 
 were provided for their occupation. 
 
 When La Salle's party were about to continue 
 their journey, the Indians prevailed on the two 
 priests to remain with them, and teach them the 
 word of life. The devoted priests consented to 
 remain, and set about Christianizing the heath- 
 ens. They visited Kaskaskia and other Indian 
 villages, baptizing a large number of warriors, 
 and enrolled their names in the church book. 
 The Indians everywhere welcomed the priests, 
 listening to their teachings and doing their bid- 
 ding. They learned the story of Christ's 
 crucifixion, and with a trembling voice repeated 
 it to their friends They not only received bap- 
 tism at the hands of the priests, but allowed 
 themselves to be sprinkled with holy water, 
 which they believed blotted out all their past sins 
 and saved them from perdition.
 
 234 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS KIVER, 
 
 For twenty years Father Pinet remained at 
 Cahokia preaching to the Indians, but on feeling 
 the infirmities of age he went to Fort St. Louis, 
 where he died on the 15th of July, 1704, in the 
 seventy-ninth year of his age. They buried him 
 in the French cemetery on the river bank, at the 
 west end of LeRocher, and over his grave was 
 erected a large monumental cross hewn out of 
 red cedar. 
 
 About the year 1814, an eld man with long 
 white hair, which hung in matted clusters over 
 his shoulders, by the name of Wigby, appeared 
 among the Indians, and for a number of years 
 preached at different villages along the Illinois 
 river. Nothing is known of this man's history, 
 except that he had been for a .long time among 
 the Indians on the Wabash, and spoke their lan- 
 guage well. It is believed that he was a Baptist, 
 as he immersed all his converts, telling them that 
 this was necessary for their admission into the 
 happy hunting grounds beyond the skies. 
 
 Wigby lived at Senachwine's village, and was 
 accompanied by that chief in all his ministerial 
 labors among the different bands. Senachwine 
 was baptized by him, and professed to be a Chris- 
 tian, but the missionary could not induce him to 
 abandon polygamy and put away his many wives. 
 
 Four years after "Wigby came to the country
 
 MISSIONARIES OF ILLINOIS. 235 
 
 he died, and was buried on a high bluff overlook- 
 ing the village of Senachwine, and his grave was 
 pointed out to some of the early settlers. 
 
 Among the energetic and successful Protestant 
 missionaries of this country, was Elder Jesse 
 Walker, of the Methodist denomination, who 
 acquired great celebrity thoughout the west. For 
 many years Walker was engaged in holding camp 
 meetings in the south part of the State, but in the 
 year the 1824 he came north and established 
 missions along the frontier settlements. 
 
 Elder Walker was a short, heavy-set man, very 
 dark skin, walked erect, with an independent 
 pompous bearing, arid possessed great energy and 
 force of character. He was a bold undaunted 
 missionary, bearing the standard of the cross 
 triumphantly into the wilds of the west, among 
 the red man as well as the white. 
 
 In 1826 Elder Walker established a mission 
 school among the Indians at a place called Mission 
 Point, on the Illinois river, a short distance above 
 Ottawa. He also established the first church at 
 Chicago ; died and was buried at Plainfield, about 
 the time the settlement commenced there. 
 
 A Baptist missionary by the name of Adam 
 Paine, preached among the Indians with great 
 success, but was killed by them at the commence- 
 ment of the Black Hawk war.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 HOWARD'S EXPEDITION AGAINST THE INDIANS. 
 
 In September, 1813, General Howard left 
 Portage des Sioux on the Missouri river, with an 
 expedition against the Pottawatomie Indians. 
 His army consisted of five hundred regulars and 
 nine hundred volunteers ; the latter from Illinois 
 and Missouri. The regulars ascended the Illinois 
 river in keel-boats, while the volunteers being 
 mounted, crossed the Mississippi near the pres- 
 ent site of Quincy, and marched through the wild 
 country to Peoria. On arriving at Peoria they 
 found it desolated, nothing remained of the old 
 French town except a few charred timbers, of 
 which the buildings had been constructed. No 
 Indians were seen here, but in the timber near 
 the outlet of the lake, there were signs of having 
 been a recent encampment of them. 
 
 The troops encamped on the old town site, and 
 a strong picket guard placed around the encamp-
 
 INDIANS COLLECT ON BUREAU. 237 
 
 ment to prevent being surprised by the Indiana 
 During the night an alarm was given, and a 
 report circulated through the camp, that they 
 were about to be attacked by a large body of 
 Indians. All the troops were under arms, many 
 shots were tired at the phantoms, and one soldier 
 killed by a sentinel, the alarm, however, was 
 false, as no Indians made their appearance. 
 
 On the following day, the army went up to 
 Gomo's village situated at the head of the lake, 
 but found it deserted and no Indians were seen 
 in its vicinity. After burning the town and des- 
 troying the corn in the caches, the army returned 
 to Peoria and built a fort. 
 
 INDIANS COLLECT ON BUREAU. 
 
 Indian scouts discovered General Howard's 
 army on its arrival at Peoria, and notified their 
 friends at the different villages, of the fact. The 
 inhabitants ot Gomo's, Senachwine's and other 
 villages, fled from their homes on being warned 
 of their danger, and collected at Coma's village 
 on Bureau creek. Here they intended to make a 
 stand ; await the approach of the invading army, 
 and tight for their country and homes. All the 
 squaws and pappooses, with old warriors unable 
 to bear arms, were sent up the creek about seven
 
 238 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 miles above the town, and there secreted them- 
 in the thick timber of the Bureau.* 
 
 At Coma's village were collected about one 
 thousand warriors, occupying all the lodges ; and 
 the bank of the creek for a long distance was cov- 
 ered with camping tents. .On the bottom prairie 
 below the village hundreds of ponies were feed- 
 ing, all of which were spanceled, so they could 
 be caught and mounted at a moment's notice. 
 
 It was expected that Howard's army would 
 follow up the river, and attack them in their re- 
 treat, so a suitable place was selected to make a 
 defense. This was in the thick timber, some dis- 
 tance below the village, where they could fire on 
 
 * About two miles northwest of Rnceton, in the valley of 
 Bureau Is a singular narrow ridge about sixty feet high, extend- 
 ing from the east bluff part way across the bottom. This re- 
 markable ridge, which looks like a freak of nature, is known 
 as the Back Bone, and along it now passes a public road. 
 Among the Indians this place was a noted landmark, and it be- 
 came equally so with hunters, in the early settlement of the 
 country. 
 
 Immediately north of the Back Bone amid the thick bottom 
 timber was an old Indian camping ground, and here their camp 
 poles stood long after they had left the country . In the fall ot 
 1836, a party 01 Indian hunters were encamped here for many 
 days, and while in conversation with one of them, I obtained 
 the following scrap of history : 
 
 " Many years ago when I was a small boy," said an Indian 
 hunter, " four thousand squaws and pappooses were encamped 
 on this very spot. Here they remained for many weeks secret- 
 ed among the thick timber, so the army of whites could not 
 find them." At that time all the warriors were at Indiantown, 
 with the intention of fighting the whites if they came up the 
 river In pursuit of them.
 
 LIEUTENANT EOBENSON's PARTY* 239 
 
 the invaders while crossing a small bottom prairie. 
 Indian scouts who were all the time on the 
 alert, discovered troops ascending the river in 
 keel-boats, and in all haste conveyed the tidings 
 to the village. On receiving these tidings, the 
 drums beat, Indians yelled, all was bustle and ex- 
 citement, and soon the warriors were secreted in 
 their ambuscade awaiting the enemy. But when 
 they found that the boats continued on up the 
 river, they returned to the village. 
 
 GUNBOATS ASCEND THE BTVER LIEUTENANT ROB- 
 ENSON'S PARTY. 
 
 Four keel-boats, mounted with cannon and 
 filled with armed soldiers belonging to the regular 
 army, under the command of Major Christy, as- 
 cended the river from Peoria in search of Indians. 
 On landing at the different villages along the 
 river, they found them deserted, all the Indians 
 having fled from their homes. It was intended 
 to ascend the Illinois as far as the mouth of Fox 
 river, but finding it difficult to pass the 
 rapids, they stopped at Starved Bock. On the 
 following day the boats were turned down stream, 
 landing at the mouth of Bureau creek, from 
 here a party was sent out in search of Indians. 
 About eighty soldiers, under the command of
 
 240 PEENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS BIVKB. 
 
 Lieutenant Robenson, marched up Bureau creek 
 with the intention of visiting Coma's village, lo- 
 cated nine miles distant. Alter going six or seven 
 miles up the valley, through thick timber with 
 occasional bottom prairie, they discovered a trail 
 tilled with fresh poney tracks. On seeing these 
 Indian signs, they came to a halt, and held a con- 
 sultation on the propriety of proceeding further. 
 Knowing that they were near a large Indian vil- 
 lage, and at any point of timber were liable to 
 fall into an ambuscade of lurking savages. Some 
 were in favor of going on and burn the village if 
 vacated, but fortunately a majority opposed it, 
 consequently they turned about and retraced 
 their steps to the river. 
 
 On the return of Robenson's command, who re- 
 ported no Indians found, Major Christy came to 
 the conclusion that they had fled from the country, 
 he made preparations to descend the river. 
 Before leaving, the cannons tired a salute, toasts 
 were drank, and the stream named Robenson's 
 river, which name it bore for many years after- 
 wards, and so appeared on the early maps of the 
 state. 
 
 Indian scouts had watched the keel-boats as 
 they ascended and descended the river, and 
 on seeing them land at the mouth of the creek 
 and send out troops to make observations, they
 
 HOWARD'S ARMY ATTACKED BY INDIANS. 24 
 
 put their ponies on a gallop to convey the tidings 
 to the village, and it it was the tracks of their 
 ponies which Robenson's party discovered. On 
 learning of the approach of the whites, warriors 
 mounted their ponies, and rode with all haste to the 
 place where they intended to attack the invaders. 
 Here many of the warriors secreted themselves 
 among the thick timber, while those mounted 
 remained in the rear to intercept the vanquished 
 troops. Had the soldiers under Robenson con- 
 tinued their march toward the Indian village, 
 the probabilities are not one of them would 
 have escaped from death, as the warriors out-num- 
 bered them ten to one, and many of them mounted, 
 while the troops were on foot. 
 
 HOWARD'S ARMY ATTACKED BY INDIANS. 
 
 When the army under the command of General 
 Howard arrived at Peoria, Black Partridge made 
 an effort to unite the different bands, and thereby 
 raise a large force to attack them before fortifica- 
 tions could be erected. Shaubena, Waba and 
 Waubonsie, with many of their followers, were 
 wit? 1 Tecumseh on the W abash, and the warriors 
 of the different bands could not be united under 
 any one chief. Senachwine was opposed to an 
 offensive war, and being a chief of great influ- 
 ence and gifted with stirring eloquence, carried
 
 242 
 
 with him a large portion of the warriors. Black 
 Partridge was grave and morose, brooding over 
 the wrongs which he received from the whites the 
 year before, and lived only for revenge. Not- 
 withstanding he had taken many scalps the 
 past summer, and murdered defenseless women 
 and children, still he thirsted for more blood. 
 
 It was a beautiful clear day in the early part of 
 Indian summer; the warriors were lounging along 
 Bureau creek, some fishing, others running foot 
 races, wrestling or playing -with balls or hoops. 
 All was quiet at the village, neither war dances, 
 religious feasts, nor marriage festivals, nothing 
 whatever to relieve the monotony of camp life. 
 A party of warriors were about to start on a hunt, 
 when two scouts arrived from Peoria, saying that 
 the army was engaged in building a fort for the 
 purpose of holding possession of the country. At 
 this announcement Black Partridge, armed with 
 a rifle and tomahawk, mounted his pony and rode 
 back and forth through the camp calling for vol- 
 unteers to follow him to victory. About three 
 hundred responded to the call, among whom was 
 a young brave named Autuckee, afterward head- 
 chief at Indiantown, and known by many of the 
 early settlers of this country. The warriors 
 mounted their ponies, and before sundown were 
 on their way to meet the enemy. Traveling part
 
 
 HOWARD'S ARMY ATTACKED BY INDIANS. 243 
 
 of the night they encamped in the river timber, 
 about four miles above Peoria, and on the follow- 
 ing day attacked the army. "While the soldiers 
 were engaged in building a fort, unconscious of 
 danger, they were attacked by this body of Indians, 
 and had it not been for persons outside of the 
 picket guard giving timely alarm, in all probability 
 a bloody battle would have been the result. 
 
 The following account of this affair is taken 
 from the statement of Colonel George Daven- 
 port, who at that time, was a non-commissioned 
 officer in the regular army, but in after years be- 
 came a noted Indian trader at Rock Island. 
 
 A well having been dug within the stockades 
 to supply the fort with water, it became necessary 
 to have a sweep to draw it, so Mr. Davenport 
 with two companions went into the woods to get 
 a grapevine for that purpose. Having found one 
 to answer the purpose, Davenport climbed the 
 tree to cut it off, and while doing so he discovered 
 a body of Indians skulking through the timber 
 in the direction of the fort. On seeing their 
 danger, Davenport and his companions fled to- 
 wards the fort, but finding Indians in that 
 .direction they turned their course for the gun- 
 boats which were moored in the lake. "With all 
 their speed they ran for the boats, closely followed 
 by the Indians, who fired at them yelling like de-
 
 244 FBENOH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 mons. The men on board of the gunboats, being 
 alarmed for their own safety, pushed them off 
 from the shore, but fortunately one grounded on 
 a sand bar, which was the means of saving the 
 life of Davenport and his companions. The fug- 
 itives rushed into the water, waist deep, and 
 pushed the grounded boat off and jumped on 
 board of it. During this time the Indians were 
 firing on then, and many of the balls whizzed by 
 their heads, lodging in the side of the boat. The 
 boats were now off some distance from shore, still 
 the Indians continued to fire on them, but with- 
 out effect. A cannon on one of the boats was 
 brought to bear on the savages, but in the excite- 
 ment of the moment its muzzle was raised above 
 the port hole, and the ball tore off a portion of 
 one side of the vessel. 
 
 The Indians attacked the fort, which was in an 
 unfinished condition, but met with a warm recep- 
 tion from the soldiers. The cannon on the boat 
 having been brought to bear on the savages, they 
 abandoned the attack and fled for the timber, and 
 on the following day returned to their village on 
 Bureau creek. 
 
 BUILDING OF FORT CLARK. 
 
 Preparations having been made to build a fort
 
 BUILDING OF FOKT CLARK. 245 
 
 on the site of the old French town, for the pur- 
 pose of holding possession of the country. 
 Timbers were cut on the opposite side of the 
 lake and floated across to build block and store 
 houses, and enclose the fort with palisades. Oil 
 a high piece of ground near the bank of the lake, 
 and having a commanding view of it, they erect- 
 ed a fort. This fort was a simple stockade, one 
 hundred and twenty feet square, constructed by 
 placing in the ground two rows of split timbers, 
 eighteen feet long, and filling the space between 
 with dirt. A ditch surrounded the fort, and at 
 two corners were bastions for mounting cannon. 
 The fort stood with one corner to the lake, and 
 at the southwest angle was a gateway, guarded 
 by two heavy doors made out of split logs or 
 puncheons. Inside of the stockades was a large 
 block-house, two stories high, and on three sides 
 of whiclv were port holes so the inmates could 
 fire on the enemy in case of an attack. Besides 
 the block-house there were store-houses and 
 quarters for the officers, and a number of small 
 dwellings for soldiers. 
 
 When the fort was completed and the cannon 
 mounted on its ramparts, with the flags waving 
 on its bastions, General Howard ordered all the 
 soldiers on duty, who formed in double file, front- 
 ing the gateway. A speech was made by the
 
 246 PEENOH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS BIVEB. 
 
 commanding officer, the drums beat, the soldiers 
 cheered, the cannon fired a salute, and with much 
 enthusiasm the fort was dedicated, and named 
 Fort Clark in honor of General George Roger 
 Clark, the hero of Kaskaskia and Yincinnes. 
 
 With the army at Fort Clark was a Yankee 
 peddler, who acted as a sutler, by the name of 
 Jenkins, but on account of his close dealing ac- 
 quired the cognomen of "Old Skinflint." He 
 was very unpopular with the soldiers, and all 
 efforts to beat him in trade had been a failure. 
 Among the volunteers was one John Murdick, 
 who was very fond of whiskey, but seldom had 
 money to buy it, so he put his wits to work in or- 
 der to get some out of "Old Skinflint," as he call- 
 ed the sutler. Murdick placed in the bosom of 
 his hunting shirt two black bottles, one of which 
 was empty and the other filled with water. Tak- 
 ing out the empty bottle the sutler filled it with 
 whiskey, when Murdick replaced it in his bosom, 
 saying at the same time that he was out of money, 
 and it would have to be charged to him. The 
 sutler became angry, and after much parleying, 
 with many hard words on both sides, Murdick 
 consented to give up the whisky, but took out the 
 bottle containing the water, which "Old Skinflint" 
 emptied into the cask while Murdick walked off 
 with the whisky.
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 A TREATY OF PEACE. 
 
 Black Partridge and his friends finding it im- 
 possible to unite the different bands, so as to 
 prosecute the war successfully, thought it best to 
 make peace, and accordingly a large delegation of 
 chiefs and warriors went to Fort Clark for that 
 purpose. When this party arrived within a few 
 miles, of Peoria, they came to a halt, and Senach- 
 wine, with two warriors carrying white flags, 
 went forward to the gate of the fort and proposed 
 to meet the commanding officer in council. Ar- 
 rangements were made for a meeting on the 
 following day, in a grove of timber above the 
 fort, for the purpose of agreeing on terms of 
 peace. At the appointed time about forty chiefs 
 and warriors, decorated with wreaths of turkey 
 feathers, made their appearance and were met 
 by General Howard and all the officers of his 
 command. After shaking hands and passing
 
 248 FKKNOH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 around the pipe of peace, Senachwiiie made a 
 a speech before the council, in which he said that 
 they had come to make peace with the whites, 
 and bury the tomahawk forever. In reply to 
 this speech General Howard said that he had no 
 power to treat with them, but proposed to con- 
 duct their head chiefs to General Clark, 
 superintendent of Indian affairs at St. Louis, who 
 alone was authorized to make terms of peace. 
 The Indians consented to this, and a delegation 
 of thirteen chiefs and one squaw were selected 
 to go to St. Louis. Among these chiefs were 
 Black Partridge, Senachwine, Comas, Shick Shack 
 and Gomo. General Howard ordered George 
 Davenport to select four trusty men and escort 
 these Indians to St. Louis. 
 
 All necessary arrangements having been made, 
 this party on the following day went on board of 
 a pirogue and started down the river for St. Louis. 
 It being late in December, the weather cold, con- 
 sequently after one day's journey the river froze 
 u p> and the remainder of the journey was made 
 on foot The pirogue was secreted in the thick 
 timber, a short distance from the river, and each 
 person carried with hirn a small quantity of pro- 
 visions, leaving the remainder of their stores, in- 
 cluding a keg of whisky, in a hollow tree, so 
 they could be used on their return. At night
 
 TREATY OF PEACE. 249 
 
 both whites and Indians camped together, but 
 each party kept a guard on duty, as they feared 
 treachery. 
 
 This party after five days travel, arrived safe at" 
 St. Louis, a treaty of peace was concluded, and 
 the Indians left five of their number at the garri- 
 son as a hostage for its fulfillment. The Indians 
 on their return were escorted as far as Alton, 
 above the settlement, and they returned to their 
 homes. 
 
 After peace was made with the Indians, Fort 
 Clark was abandoned, the troops returned to the 
 settlement, and the volunteers were discharged 
 from service. 
 
 WAUBONSIE 
 
 Was a chief among the Pottawatomies, and the 
 leader of a small band consisting of about one 
 hundred and twenty persons. It is said that he 
 once had a village near the mouth of Fox river, 
 but for many years he with his band made their 
 home at Paw Paw Grove. Waubonsie was a 
 large, fine looking Indian, tall and square built, 
 with a hadsome face, an intelligent countenance, 
 and in the latter part of his life became quite 
 corpulent. He had an independent, pompous ap- 
 pearance, over-bearing towards his people,
 
 250 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 and not very courteous to the whites, had it not 
 been for his color, dress and language, he might 
 have been taken for a thorough-bred Johnny Bull. 
 At the commencement of the Black Hawk war 
 Waubonsie was in favor of forming an alliance 
 with the Sacs and Foxes, and at. a council held at 
 Indiantown in February, 1332, made a speech to 
 that effect. But being overruled by his people, 
 he professed to be friendly to the whites, joined 
 Atkinson's army at Dixon, and fought against 
 Black Hawk. 
 
 At the commencement of the British war, 
 Waubonsie was only a common warrior and went 
 with Shaubeua to the W abash, but was soon 
 after made a chief on account of the following act 
 of bravery: One day he left the camp to hunt 
 deer in the woods, and on coming near the Wa- 
 bash river he heard the sound of voices. Ap- 
 proaching cautiously he discovered a party of 
 soldiers cordeling a boat up the river, loaded with 
 stores for Fort Harrison. To shoot one of the 
 soldiers and make his escape would have been 
 an easy matter, but this would not satisfy his am- 
 bition, as he could not in this way obtain the scalp 
 as a trophy. One man only was on the boat 
 steering it, while the other four were ahead with 
 a cord el line. As the boat came near the shore 
 Waubonsie jumped on board, tomahawked the
 
 WAUBONSIE. 251 
 
 man at helm, took off his scalp, and with it made 
 his escape. For this act of bravery he was made 
 a war chief, and became the leader of a band. 
 
 In the summer of 1836 Waubonsie, with a few 
 of his band came to Princeton, and bought of 
 McCayga Triplett a beautiful spotted stallion of 
 the Rocky Mountain breed, for which he paid 
 three hundred dollars in silver, all in twenty-five 
 cent pieces. Sometime afterwards, while the old 
 chief was under the influence of whisky, mounted 
 on his fine black and white horse, he rode back 
 and forth through the town, putting on as much 
 style as though he was a general in command of 
 an army. To those around him he narrated (in 
 bad English,) his many heroic exploits while 
 fighting with Tecumsch, and told how many scalps 
 he had taken with his own hands. From a pouch 
 in his buckskin hunting shirt he drew forth two 
 scalps, one of which the hair was red and the 
 other black. The red one he said was taken from 
 the head of a soldier at the battle of RiverRasin, 
 and the black one from a boatman on the Wa- 
 bash. 
 
 In the fall of 1836 Waubonsie, went west with 
 his band, and was never seen in this country 
 afterwards. A short time after his arrival in 
 the west, he was killed by a party of Sacs and 
 Foxes for having fought against them in the late
 
 252 FEENOH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 war. His scalp was taken oft, the body mutilated 
 and left on the prairie to be devoured by wolves. 
 The Sacs and Foxes made an attempt to kill 
 Shaubena for the same offense, and for months 
 haunted him down as though he was a wild 
 beast. To preserve his life he fled from the 
 country, returning to his old home in Illinois, 
 where he ended his days, but his son and nephew 
 fell victims to these savages. 
 
 BURNING OF FORT OLARK. 
 
 It has already been stated, that Fort Clark was 
 abandoned soon after it was built, and never occu- 
 pied afterwards. No white person lived at Peoria, 
 (then known as Fort Clark,) after the troops 
 vacated the fort until the spring of 1819. The 
 gate of the fort being left open, became a lair 
 for deer and a roost for wild turkeys. In the fall 
 of 1816, a party of hunters from St. Clair county, 
 carne to Fort Clark and found about twenty deer 
 in it. The floor of the houses were covered with 
 manure, and it also showed unmistakable signs 
 of having been a turkey roost. The hunters 
 cleaned out one of the buildings and occupied it 
 as a residence during a stay of ten days, while 
 hunting deer and collecting honey in the river 
 timber. Fort Clark stood unmolested until the
 
 BURNING OF FORT CLARK. 253 
 
 fall of 1818, when it was burned by the Indians. 
 The following account of the burning of the fort 
 is taken from the statement of Colonel Gerden S. 
 Hubbard, now a resident of Chicago : 
 
 In the fall of 1818, AntoineDes Champs, gen- 
 eral agent of the American Fur Company, 
 accompanied by a number of persons were on 
 their way to St. Louis, with two small boats 
 loaded with furs. On rounding the point of 
 the lake they discovered Fort Clark on 
 fire. On landing at the fort they found about 
 two 'hundred Indians engaged in a war dance, 
 celebrating some event which occurred in the late 
 British war. The warriors almost naked, hide- 
 ously painted, and as they went through the 
 dance yelled like demons. They had a large num- 
 ber of scalps hanging to their belts, and in one 
 part of the dance these were placed on the end of 
 spears and held above their heads, after which 
 they would go through the motions of taking 
 them from the heads of their victims. 
 
 Des Champs was well acquainted with a num- 
 ber of the Indians, and he went among them, 
 engaged in conversation, leaving the boats guard- 
 ed by one of his men and Mr. Hubbard, who at 
 that tine was a boy of only sixteen years of age. 
 The Indians inquired of Des Champs, who this 
 boy was, and in reply said that he was his adopt-
 
 254 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS BIVER. 
 
 ed son from Montreal, but they did not credit 
 this statement, saying he looked like an Ameri- 
 can, and therefore regarded him with much 
 suspicion. An Indian took a scalp from his belt, 
 holding it near Hubbard's face, saying to him, 
 that he was an American and it was taken from 
 the head of his countrymen. Young Hubbard 
 became much frightened at these demonstrations, 
 and the Indian continued to annoy him by dip- 
 ping the scalp in the water, and with the long 
 hair sprinkled his face. In an instant all fear 
 vanished from young Hubbard, and picking up a 
 gun which lay in the bottom of the boat fired it 
 at the Indian, but as it went off the man in the 
 boat threw up the muzzle, thereby saving the In- 
 dian's life. This affair created great excitement, 
 and the Indians collected around the boat to as- 
 certain the cause of it. Des Champs fearing 
 trouble, bid his Indian friends good-bye, went 
 aboard of the boat and continued on his way down 
 the river, camping on the opposite side some miles 
 below. 
 
 Although the buildings of Fort Clark and part 
 of the stockades were burned, as before stated, a 
 portion of the latter stood for many years after- 
 wards. In the spring of 1819 a party of 
 emigrants from Clinton county, among whom 
 were Captain Abner Eads, Isaac and Josiah Ful-
 
 BURNING OF FORT CLARK. 255 
 
 ton and J. Hersey, came to Fort Clark, and from 
 that time dates the first American settlement at 
 this place. These emigrants pitched their tents 
 against the stockades of the old fort, and for some 
 years afterwards the enclosure within the pickets 
 was used for penning work cattle. During the 
 Black Hawk war in the summer of 1832, the old 
 fort was repaired, new pickets put in place of. 
 those burned, and used by the people to protect 
 themselves from the threatened attack of Indians. 
 One of the pickets of Fort Clark was still 
 standing and perfectly sound as late as 1844, and 
 attracted much attention as a relic of the past. 
 It stood near the residence of Charles Ballance, 
 Esq., who sawed off the top, put a ring in it, and 
 used it for a hitching post. Afterwards this 
 post was taken up by Mr. Drown, made into 
 walking canes, and sold on speculation at fifty 
 cents each. One of these canes is now in the 
 possession of Samuel Sneed, of St. Glair county, 
 who assisted in building the fort sixty-one 
 years ago.
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 IMMIGRATION OF POTTAWATOMIE8. 
 
 The following traditionary account of the im- 
 migration of Pottawatomies to Illinois was 
 recently gathered from the tribe in western Kan- 
 sas : 
 
 In the year 1769 the Pottawatomies ot Ohio, 
 Michigan and Indiana came west and took pos- 
 session of the Illinois country. A village was 
 built on Des Plaines river, and one on Sycamore 
 creek. A chief named Wanesee who had ac- 
 quired great fame in the Pontiac war, located a 
 village at the mouth of Fox river. On the south 
 side of the river opposite the outlet of Lake 
 De Pue a village was built, but abandoned soon 
 after for one on the north side of the lake. 
 
 An old chief named Wappe, with seven wives 
 and about four hundred followers, located on 
 Bureau creek, nine miles above its mouth, on the 
 present site of Tiskilwa. For many years this
 
 IMMIGRATION OF POTTAWATOMIE8. 257 
 
 village bore the name of its founder, afterwards 
 Coma's village, but known by the early settlers 
 as Indiantown. A chief named Tiskilwa lived 
 here at one time, but little is known of his history 
 except he had many wives and was a great hun- 
 ter. 
 
 On the west side of the river near the mouth 
 of Crow creek a village was founded by White 
 Crow, who with his band came from the lake 
 country. This chief died the same year the 
 buffalo left the country, and a large mound, which 
 is still to be seen, raised over his grave. In the 
 early settlement of the country a chief named 
 Crow lived here, from whom Crow creek and 
 Crow prairie took their names. 
 
 The largest town on the river stood on the 
 present site of Chillicothe, which was known in 
 after years as Gomo's village. In the spring af- 
 ter the Starved Bock massacre, a chief by the 
 name of Mucktapennesee or Black Bird with 
 about five hundred followers came from the Wa- 
 bash and located here. After the death of this 
 chief his two sons were contestants for the chief- 
 tainship. Part of the band favored one and part 
 the other. Failing to agree, one of the chiefs 
 with a portion of the band located on the east 
 side of the river at what was known in after years 
 as Black Partridge's village. A few years after-
 
 258 PKBNOH AND INDIAN8 OP ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 wards these two chiefs with many of their 
 warriors were killed in a battle with the Kaskas- 
 kia Indians. 
 
 West of the river on a small creek was an In- 
 dian village, the home of the celebrated chief 
 Senachwine, but nothing is known of its early 
 history. 
 
 POTT AW ATOMIES OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 .After the Illinois Indians were annihilated 
 their conquerors took possession of the country 
 and occupied it about seventy years. Between 
 Peoria lake and the mouth of Fox river had 
 long been known as the Indian country, and no 
 part of the great west was so densely populated 
 as this. Here lived the larger portion of the 
 Illinoians, and here too were found their succes- 
 sors, the Pottawatomiea Although their towns 
 and cornfields were mostly located on the Illinois 
 river, they claimed as hunting grounds the coun- 
 try from the Wabash to the Mississippi river, and 
 over this vast country they roamed at pleasure. 
 In the year 1800 the commissioner of Indian af- 
 fairs estimated that thirty thousand Indians 
 (including all the different tribes) were living 
 within the boundaries of this state, and about 
 three-tifths of this 'number were on the Illinois
 
 POTTAW ATOMIES OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 259 
 
 river. In the central portion of the state were a 
 few villages of Kickapoo Indians, who spoke the 
 same language as the Pottawatomies, and inter- 
 marrying with each other became as one people. 
 In the southern part of the state lived a large 
 band of Kaskaskia Indians, who were frequently 
 at war with the Pottawatomies, and raids were 
 after made into each other's country. For 
 many years a large tract of country laying be- 
 tween these tribes was overrun with game, as 
 both tribes were afraid to hunt there, being liable 
 to an attack by a war party of the enemy. 
 
 Sometime between the years 1785 and 1790 
 the Pottawatomies and Kickapoos attacked a war 
 party of Kaskaskians on Cash river, (now in 
 Johnson county,) and killed a large number of 
 them. Tradition points out the place where 
 this massacre took place, and in a cave near by is 
 still to be seen the bones of hundred of the slam. 
 
 On the 24th of August, 1816, a treaty was 
 signed at St. Louis between Governor Ninian 
 Edwards, General William Clark and Auguste 
 Chauteau, commissioners on the part of the 
 United States government, and twenty-eight In- 
 dian chiefs representing the Pottawatomies, 
 Ottawas and Chippewas. Twenty-three of these 
 chiefs were Pottawatomies, three Ottawas, and 
 two Chippewas. A number of Sacs, Foxes and
 
 260 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 Kickapoo chiefs were present at this treaty, whose 
 names appear as witnesses to the papers. 
 
 In this treaty, the Pottawatomies sold most of 
 their lands, including all the country between the 
 Illinois and Mississippi rivers, known as the Mil- 
 itary Tract This purchase extended north as 
 far as the Indian Boundary Line, which ran from 
 a point on Lake Michigan, south of Chicago, to 
 the Mississippi river, near Rock Island. This 
 line was surveyed in the summer of 1819 by John 
 C. Sullivan, under the direction of Graham and 
 Phillips, commissioners appointed by the Presi- 
 dent of the United States for that purpose. For 
 a part ot the way it divided the country between 
 the Pottawatomies and Winnebagoes, and was 
 made a standard line in the surveys of the state. 
 In the year 1840 Wisconsin made a claim 
 to that part of Illinois laying north of this line 
 under the ordinance of 1787, and for some time 
 it was a matter of controversy between the re- 
 spective states. 
 
 Although the Pottawatomies had sold their 
 lands, it was stipulated in the conditions of sale 
 that they were to occupy them until required for 
 actual settlement, and they gave them up only 
 when the tide of emigrants obliged them to do so. 
 
 These Indians left the country at different 
 times from 1832 to 1836, to occupy lands assigned
 
 POTTAW ATOMIES OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 261 
 
 them by the government on the west side of the 
 Missouri river. But their trails across the prai- 
 ries, and camp poles were seen here for many 
 years afterwards. 
 
 Among the chiefs known by fur traders and 
 early settlers, who died in this country and 
 buried near their native villages, were Senach- 
 wine, Black Partridge, Gomo, Waba, Comas, and 
 Shick Shack. Waubonsie, Autuckee, Meam- 
 muse, with other chiefs of less note went west 
 with their respective bands. Shaubena went west 
 with his band in the fall of 1836, but on the fol- 
 lowing year returned with his family to this 
 country, and died on the bank of the Illinois river 
 near Seneca, in the year 1858, and was buried in 
 Morris cemetery. 
 
 Indians everywhere are attached to their home 
 the land of their nativity but those on the 
 Illinois river were unusually so. Their country 
 was well supplied with game, and the groves 
 filled with bee trees. Here were their sugar 
 camps and the place of holding war dances and 
 annual religious feasts. To their friends among 
 the early settlers and fur traders, many of them 
 with tears in their eyes expressed their regrets of 
 leaving the home of their youth for a new one in 
 a strange land. 
 
 For a number of years'' after the Indians left
 
 262 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 this country, small parties of them were occasion- 
 ally seen in the vicinity of their native villages, 
 having returned for the purpose of once more 
 looking on the scene of their youth, and the 
 graves of their fathers. But soon their trails 
 were fenced up by early pioneers, and the graves 
 of tbeir ancestors plowed over, so they ceased to 
 return in after years. 
 
 It was intended to give a more elaborate ac- 
 count of the Pottawatomies of Illinois river, but 
 the material is not at hand to do so. Many inci- 
 dences relating to hunting parties, treaties, &c., are 
 from tradition, others from Indian agents and fur 
 traders, but they are found conflicting, and there- 
 fore bear no part in this work. 
 
 Col. Barassa, of western Kansas, an educated 
 half-breed, with whom I have a personal acquain- 
 tance, has furnished many items relating to the 
 Indians of Illinois river, some of which are given 
 to the public, and others rejected as foreign to 
 our purpose. 
 
 CEREMONIES OVER SENACHWINE GRAVE, 
 
 In the summer of 1831, Senachwine died and 
 was buried on a high bluff, overlooking the vil- 
 lage and surrounding country where his grave is 
 still to be seen. A wooden monument was 
 placed over his grave, and by its side was planted
 
 CEREMONIES OVER SEN AOHWINE's GRAVE. 263 
 
 a high pole, on which for many years waved a 
 black flag. Two years after Senachwine's death, 
 his band left for the west, and are now living in 
 western Kansas. 
 
 In the summer of 1835, twenty-three warriors 
 with their heads decorated with turkey feathers, 
 and their faces painted in various colors, encamp- 
 ed on the site of Senachwine's village, while 
 their ponies were feeding 011 the prairie near by. 
 These warriors were sons and grandsons of 
 
 O 
 
 Senachwine, and had traveled about five hundred 
 miles to visit his grave. With their faces blacked 
 and their heads covered with blankets, they knelt 
 around the grave invoking the Great Spirit to 
 protect the remains of the departed chief. For 
 many hours they remained in this position, while 
 their wails and lamentations were heard far away. 
 After the mourning, came the dance of the dead ; 
 which is described by an eye witness, Mr. Reeves 
 as very effecting. The warriors divested them- 
 selves of their clothing, and smeared their bodies 
 with red paint, while on their cheeks and fore- 
 heads were many figures representing the sun, 
 moon and stars. Their clothing, rifles, tomahawks 
 and scalping knives, were placed by the side of 
 the pole that stood at the head of the grave ; 
 and were now ready to commence the dance. 
 The warriors joining hands, dancing in a circle
 
 264 FRENCH AND INDIANS OP ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 around the grave, singing and chanting all the 
 while. At intervals, they would stop dancing, 
 the leader repeat a few words, when all would 
 yell at the top of their voice ; after which they 
 would cry for a moment, and then continue the 
 dance as before. When these ceremonies were 
 ended the warriors mounted their ponies and left 
 for their home in the far west. 
 
 A few days after the ceremonies, some person 
 opened Senachwine's grave and robbed it of all 
 its valuables, consisting of rifle, tomahawk, 
 medals, &c., which were buried with him. The 
 bones were also taken out and scattered around 
 the grave, and bunch of long gray hair still 
 adhered to the skull, giving it a ghastly appear- 
 ance. Some days afterward a party of Indians 
 belonging to Shaubena's band gathered up 
 Senachwine's bones, reburied them, and placed 
 the wooden monument again over his grave. 
 
 During the summer of 1835 James R. Talia- 
 ferro built a dwelling on the site of Senach- 
 wine's village, where he now lives. Mr. Taliaferro 
 was present at the reburial of Senachwine's re- 
 mains, and says that Indians from the west at 
 different times made a pilgrimage to the grave. He 
 also says that the pole stood at the head of the 
 grave for many years, as well as the beaten path 
 around it made by the dancing of warriors.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 ATTEMPT TO MURDER A SURVEYING PARTY. 
 
 Daring the summer of 1822 the government 
 surveys were completed in the Military District 
 as far north as the Indian Boundary Line. At 
 that time there was no settlement north of 
 Springfield, and the country was full of Indians 
 who still held it by the right of possession. 
 Along Bureau creek were two surveying parties, 
 one headed by Thomas C. Rector, and the other 
 by Stephen Rector, with their camp on East 
 Bureau, about one mile above its junction with 
 the main creek. "With these surveyors was a 
 man named John Hanks, who was engaged as 
 teamster, but spent much of his time in hunting 
 and supplying the camp with meat. One night 
 Hanks with two companions visited the Indian 
 village, and making free with the squaws, be- 
 came involved in a difficulty, and one of them 
 received a wound by a tomahawk in the hand of 
 an enraged Indian. One day while Hanks was
 
 266 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 hunting deer in the creek timber, he encountered 
 a young Indian maiden, accompanied by two 
 email pappooses gathering flowers. Hanks made 
 overtures to the squaw when she ran towards the 
 village, but was caught and her person violated 
 by the hunter. On arriving at the village and 
 telling ot her wrongs, the warriors were greatly 
 agitated, and some of them threatened to shoot 
 the culprit. A young warrior whose fancied~bride, 
 was this young maiden, made preparations to 
 avenge her wrongs, and during the night, accom- 
 panied by about fifty of his friends, left for the 
 camp of the surveyors, with the intention of 
 killing the whole party as they lay asleep on their 
 bunks. Soon after they left, their murderous in- 
 tentions became known in the village, when a drum 
 beat an alarm, to arouse the warriors from their 
 slumber. Autuckee, the head chief, with many 
 of his friends, mounted their ponies, and rode 
 with all speed, overtaking the would-be murder- 
 ers before reaching the camp, compelling them to 
 return, and thereby saving the lives of the sur-f 
 veyors. The young warrior with a few of his 
 friends were kept under guard until the survey- 
 ors left the country. 
 
 KALTOO, OR YOUNG 8ENACHWINE. 
 
 On the death of Senachwine his son succeeded
 
 KALTOO, OB YOUNG SENACHWINE. 267 
 
 him as chief of the band, and became noted among 
 the early pioneers. His Indian name was Kaltoo, 
 but was better known among fur traders as young 
 Senachwine. He was an Indian of fine personal 
 appearance, possessing excellent physical and 
 mental powers, equal to his distinguished sire, 
 but was affected with the demon of drunkenness. 
 This young chief made frequent visits to trading 
 poets along the river where he would spend days 
 in dissipation, ami sometimes get into trouble with 
 the traders. While his band was encamped on 
 the beech of the lake above Peoria, they held 
 what is called a fish dance, and being well sup- 
 plied with whisky, many got drunk, and while in 
 the revelry one of the warriors killed another. 
 Young Senachwine, accompanied by a number 
 of warriors, took the murderer to Ottawa for the 
 purpose of having him hung in accordance with 
 the custom 'of the whites. On taking the mur- 
 derer to the residence of Geo. E. Walker, then 
 an Indian trader, but now of the Oriental Block, 
 LaSalle street, Chicago, requested him to hang 
 the culprit. Mr. Walker did not like to offend 
 tho chief, as he had a large trade with his band, so 
 he consented to hang the prisoner, and prepared a 
 rope for that purpose. When all was ready Mr. 
 Walker said to young Senachwine that in a few 
 months all the Indians of the different bands
 
 268 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS BIVER. 
 
 would be in Chicago to receive their annuities, 
 and to prevent crime among tribes it would be 
 better to hang him there publicly. But, said Mr. 
 Walker, " I will hang the culprit now if you in- 
 sist upon it." After some consideration the chief 
 concluded to postpone the hanging until the 
 meeting in Chicago, but before the time arrived 
 the matter was settled among themselves, and 
 Walker was not called on the second time to 
 hang the murderer. 
 
 In the fall of 1841, ten years after the death 
 of Senachwine, a lone Indian riding a jaded pony 
 was seen on Green river, and for a few days was 
 the guest of a halt-breed by the name of Battis. 
 This Indian, whose manly form, once the pride 
 of his band, was now bent and palsied not by 
 age, lor he was still in middle life, but by dissi- 
 pation and disease. This Indian was Kaltoo, or 
 young^Senachwine of former days, whose hand- 
 some form and stately mien is still fresh in /the 
 minds of some of the few traders. 
 
 Kalto being afflicted -with an incurable disease, 
 and knowing that his end was nigh, left his home 
 on Kansas river and alone visited this country in 
 order that he once more might look on the haunts 
 of his youth, and the grave of his father. 
 
 FUR TRADERS. 
 
 The fur trade on the Illinois river is so closely
 
 FFK TBADER8. 269 
 
 connected with the French and Indians, that 
 these sketches would not be complete without 
 further allusion to it. For one hundred and 
 thirty years, the French had undisputed control 
 of the fur trade, and to them it was a great source 
 of wealth. After the French were driven away 
 from Peoria, there was but little trade on the 
 Illinois river for the four succeeding years. ,The 
 Indians in order to dispose of their furs, were 
 obliged to carry them either to St. Louis or 
 Chicago. At the latter place, a Frenchman by 
 the name of DuPin, occupied Kinzie's dwelling, 
 and for about four years carried on an extensive 
 trade with the Indians. 
 
 In the year 1816, the American Fur Company 
 established trading posts along the Illinois river, 
 and monopolized the trade with the Indians for 
 a number of years. One of these trading posts 
 was near the mouth of the Kankakee river, one 
 opposite the mouth of Bureau creek, and another 
 a few miles below Peoria lake, at a place now 
 called Wesley. This place originally was called 
 Opa by the French, but afterwards known as the 
 "Trading House," and for many years it was 
 kept by a Frenchman, named Besson. 
 
 Antoine Des Champs, a Canadian Frenchman, 
 long a resident of Peoria, but afterwards of Ca* 
 hokia, was the first general agent of the American
 
 270 FRENCH AND INDIANS OF ILLINOIS RIVER. 
 
 Fur Company, and was succeeded by Gerden S. 
 Hubbard. This company shipped their furs and 
 pelts to St. Louis, in small Mackinaw boats called 
 bateau, and by the same means brought goods up 
 the river to supply the different trading posts. 
 "When emigrants came westward and settled on 
 the Illinois river, it caused competition in the fur 
 trade, and a few years later independent traders 
 done the business of the country. Peter Menard 
 established trading houses at different places in 
 the Pottawatomie country ; John Hamlin, one at 
 Peoria ; Thomas Hartzell, at Hennepin ; Simon 
 Crozier, at the mouth of Big Yermillion, and 
 George E. Walker, at Ottawa.
 
 23,^15 
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